Kiss of Midnight(55)
“What for?”
His breath rasped out of him in a labored wheeze, but he was walking. His hand swung out and caught the latch of the door. “Things are too dangerous topside right now,” he said in a strained rush of words. “After what happened to you downtown yesterday…”
“God, can we forget that? I’m sure I was just overreacting.”
“No,” he said, cutting her off. “I’ll feel better knowing you’re not alone…having someone look in on you.”
“Lucan, really. It’s not necessary. I’m a big girl. I’m fine.”
He ignored her protests. “His name is Gideon. You’ll like him. The two of you can…talk. He will help you, Gabrielle. Better than I can.”
“Help me—what do you mean? Has something happened with the case? And who is this Gideon guy? Is he a detective, too?”
“He will explain it all to you.” Lucan stepped out into the corridor where dim lights illuminated polished tile floors and crisp chrome and glass fixtures. From behind the door of another private apartment, Dante’s metal music thumped heavily. Trace smells of oil and recently fired weaponry filtered out from the training facility down one of many hallways that spoked off the main corridor. Lucan weaved on his feet, unsteady amid the sudden barrage of sensory stimulation. “You’ll be safe, Gabrielle, I swear to you. I have to go now.”
“Lucan, wait a second! Don’t hang up. What is it you’re not telling me?”
“You’re going to be all right, I promise. Goodbye, Gabrielle.”
CHAPTER
Fourteen
Gabrielle’s call to Lucan, and his strange behavior on the other end of the line, had troubled her all day. It still bothered her, as she and Megan came out of yoga class that evening.
“He just sounded so weird on the phone. I can’t decide if he was in extreme physical pain, or if he was trying to find a way to tell me that he didn’t want to see me anymore.”
Megan sighed, waving her hand in dismissal. “You’re probably reading too much into it. If you really want to know, why don’t you go down to the station and pop in on him?”
“I don’t think so. I mean, what would I say?”
“You say, ‘Hi, baby. You sounded so down this afternoon, I thought you could use a little pick-me-up, so here I am.’ Maybe bring him coffee and a doughnut for good measure.”
“I don’t know….”
“Gabby, you’ve said yourself the guy has been nothing but sweet and caring when he’s with you. From what you told me about your conversation with him today, he sounds very concerned about you. So much so, that he would send one of his buddies over to look in on you while he’s on duty and can’t be there himself.”
“He did stress how dangerous it was topside—and what do you suppose topside means? That doesn’t sound like cop talk, does it? What is it, some kind of military terminology?” She shook her head. “I don’t know. There’s a lot about Lucan Thorne that I just don’t know.”
“So ask him. Come on, Gabrielle. At least give the guy the benefit of the doubt.”
Gabrielle considered her black yoga pants and zippered hoodie, then felt to see how wilted her ponytail had become during the forty-five minute session of stretches. “I should go home first, at least take a quick shower, change my clothes….”
“Wow! I mean, really, wow.” Megan’s eyes went wide and bright with amusement. “You’re afraid to go down there, aren’t you? Oh, you want to, but you probably have a million excuses ready for why you can’t. Admit it, you really like this guy.”
It wasn’t as if she could deny it, even if her sudden smile didn’t give her away. Gabrielle met her friend’s knowing look and shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah, I do. I like him. A lot.”
“Then what are you waiting for? The station is three blocks away, and you look gorgeous as always. Besides, it’s not like he hasn’t seen you a little sweaty before. He might actually prefer this look on you.”
Gabrielle laughed along with Megan, but inside, her stomach was twisting. She really did want to see Lucan—didn’t want to wait another minute, in fact—but what if he had been trying to let her down gently when they spoke that afternoon? How ridiculous would she look then, traipsing into the police station like she thought she was his girlfriend? She would feel like an idiot.
No more so than if she got the news secondhand from his friend Gideon, sent to see her on some pity mission.
“Okay. I’m going to do it.”