Deception (Infidelity #3)(25)
“Like what? Explain it to me.”
Letting go of her, I spun in the darkness, wanting to pounce, needing to attack, and yet trying with all of my might to project a sense of calm. I didn’t want to scare my Charli any more than she undoubtedly was. “Someone shot at us this morning.”
Even in the dim light I saw her lips pale from the pressure as she held them tightly together. Finally she replied, “I gathered that from the conversation. But I didn’t see anything.” Her volume rose. “I didn’t hear anything. How do we know?”
“You didn’t see her?” My chest clenched. How had she missed the carnage?
“Her?” Charli asked as she sank to the edge of the bed. “The shooter was a woman?”
I took a deep breath, wishing I didn’t need to tell her, to explain. However, it was her words from last night, her anger at being unaware that propelled me forward. No doubt this wouldn’t go well, but if she wanted to know, I needed to be the one to tell her. With a deep breath, I knelt beside her knees, taking her hands in mine. “We don’t know who the shooter was, man or woman. Security believes a silencer was used. There was nothing to hear. Our primary objective was to get out of there.”
“I don’t understand.”
Releasing her hands, I reached for my phone. The news app was usually an annoyance, but today it could explain what I couldn’t. I touched the screen until the story appeared. Once it did, I handed my phone to Charli. As she read, her expression of confusion turned to horror.
“I-is she dead?”
“She’s in surgery.”
Charli stood, rushing past me to get to the bathroom. It must have been her first guess since I hadn’t yet shown her around. I followed and found her kneeling near the toilet.
“Charli…”
She shook her head before laying it upon her arm, currently draped over the seat. “I thought I was going to be sick. I want to be sick. But I can’t. I can’t even… That woman, she’s a mother. She was pushing a stroller!”
I offered her my hand.
She shook her head dismissively as she asked, “You’re telling me that someone tried to shoot us and missed, hitting a mother instead?”
“We don’t know who they were trying to shoot. It happened so fast. Security saw her fall, but they couldn’t stop it. She just happened to move between us and the shooter at the right time.”
“Right time? Nox, that woman is a mother! She’s in surgery and may never see her child again. Her child may never know her because she was jogging near us…”
Charli’s words trailed away as she crumpled onto the tile.
I reached for her shoulders. “It’s tragic, but she very well could have unknowingly saved our lives. Saved your life. I’ll help her and her family as much as I can. But, Charli—God forgive me—I’d sacrifice a hundred mothers, a million people to keep you safe.”
Taking my hand, she stood, her body falling into mine.
Scooping her into my arms, I carried her to the bed, pulled back the covers, and lowered her body to the mattress, and then sat beside her. With a few adjustments, I ensured her comfort as I arranged the pillows and blankets, all the while trying not to notice the tears that silently coated her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” I offered again, wiping a tear with the pad of my thumb. I sat straight, suppressing the emotion my decision evoked. I’d wallow in it later. Now was about being strong for Charli. “The best way to keep you safe is to stop whatever this is between us.”
Charli’s eyes, which had been nearly closed, opened wide. “No.” Her voice was resilient and determined.
“I can’t let…”
She reached for my chest, her fingers lingering on the small buttons of my shirt. “Can I trust you?”
My gaze narrowed. “Of course.”
“So what you tell me is the truth?”
My indignation grew. What the hell was she talking about? “Yes, unequivocally.”
“You wouldn’t tell me something just to make me feel better?”
“If you’re talking about that woman, she’s in surgery. As soon as I hear more, I’ll—”
“No, Nox,” she said, stopping me. “I’m not talking about that woman. I’m talking about what you said to me in the park. What you said moments before all hell broke loose.”
Head bowed, my chin collided with my chest as I reached for her beautiful face. Even with the tears and frightful pallor, she was stunning. Her current line of questioning returned a hue of pink to her cheeks. “I told you that I loved you,” I said. “I haven’t said those words since…”
She reached for my cheeks and pulled me closer. Just before our lips met, she said, “I’ve never said those words, and Lennox Demetri…” She brushed a soft kiss on me. “…I love you. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
The pressure from everything that had happened came boiling out. Moisture threatened my vision as the scene before me lost focus. I pulled her closer, not wanting her to see my weakness. With a lump in my throat, I said, “I love you so much. I can’t lose you.”
“I’m here. I’m safe.”
Without thinking I ripped away the blankets I’d only recently used to cover her. As soon as they were gone, I reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. “I need to see you.”