Page 64 of Fully Loaded

The world tilted on its axis and Dani’s face drifted in and out of focus. Damn, he hated seeing her so sad. Using the last of his strength, he brushed his fingers over her cheek, smudging the milky white with a smear of red. Still so pretty. His heart ached. He’d never loved someone so much in his life and he hadn’t even told her that lately. The last three years had been the biggest waste of time—time he’d do anything to get back. So he could tell her how he felt.

He pulled his lips into a smile even though it hurt like hell. “Dani, I love you. I’ve always loved you.” His racing heart slowed in his chest and his lower extremities tingled. “Don’t . . . cry . . .” The last word rode out on a breath and his hand fell to his chest like a ton of bricks. The squelching pain in his head became a dull throb, and his gaze drifted beyond Dani’s beautiful face to the bright fluorescent bulbs overhead.

“No! Brock, please . . .” Her sob was the last thing he heard as darkness slowly blotted out his consciousness.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

The air-conditioning unit above her head coated her bare skin in cold, stale hospital air. It matched the icy terror rolling beneath her skin. She’d been in the waiting room for a couple hours already and she’d already been checked over and Rhett had been treated for his minor injuries. Dani rubbed her hands up and down her arms and stared at the French policeman even though her eyes kept darting in the direction of the hall. God, when would they get news on Brock’s status? The cop didn’t speak English very well. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the movement of his mouth and not the stench of black coffee on his breath.

“I already told you,” she said, pacing her words so they wouldn’t lash out. “I stole the drive from Ubrigg Lichti. It was supposed to go to a rival company.”

The policeman scribbled on his pad of paper. If she had to explain it to him one more time, she just might lose her shit. Either he was having a hard time grasping that she was a criminal by trade or he genuinely didn’t want to believe it.

“Here.” Rhett approached the side of her chair and pushed a steaming cup of coffee into her hands. His right arm hung in a sling and he held another coffee in his dangling hand. His normally clean-shaven jaw sported stubble that was equally as dark as the hair on his head. Fatigue weighed down his stony eyes, which were rimmed by dark lashes that every girl would kill for. He patted the cop’s back and said something to him in French.

The officer looked from her to Rhett then nodded and stood. Rhett dropped into the chair he’d vacated and kicked his heels up on the seat next to her.

“What’d you say to him?”

He shrugged. “That you’ve already answered to the US embassy and the FBI and we’d handle things from here. I think he was happy to be free of you to be honest.” He grinned and took a sip from his cup.

She rolled her eyes. “Please. I cooperated more than I should have. I should be given a Girl Scout badge for patience.”

Rhett snorted. “Is that what you call rolling your eyes?”

She smirked and rocked her feet back and forth on the tile. Rhett’s humor was surely meant to distract her, but it didn’t help. She was sure that any minute the doctor would walk out to tell them Brock was dead. She rolled her lips together and scanned the hallway for the hundredth time in the last two hours.

No one would give her any information on Brock’s status. At least one of the nurses had been kind enough to give her a pair of booties for her bare feet. She turned her stare to Rhett. “I saw you talking with one of the nurses. Did they tell you anything new?”

He braced his ankle on his knee and nodded at her cup. “Drink and I’ll tell you.”

She made a face and swirled the caramel-colored brew. She wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but the confection had never repulsed her as much as it did right now. Dutifully, she raised the paper cup in his direction and took a gulp. “Now go.”

“He’s still in critical condition but stable.”

Dani heaved a breath and stood. “I can’t sit here anymore. I need to see him.”

“They won’t let you do that unless you’re family . . . or his spouse.” Rhett bobbed his eyebrows. “I won’t ask for any details, but I think you and Brock are close enough that he wouldn’t mind the lie.”

His spouse. Of course. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She combed the frayed strands of hair around her face as if doing so would help improve the utter shitshow of her appearance. “I’ll tell them I’m his mother if it gets me back there.”

Rhett got to his feet. “I don’t think they’ll believe that.”

She turned to the nurse’s desk and he caught her arm. “Hey.” His voice was sympathetic. All traces of humor had vanished from it. “He’s a tough guy. He’ll pull through.”

The emotion that had been hovering in her chest since Brock was shot ascended into her throat. “How do you know?”

He squeezed her arm and his eyes softened. “He’s got too much to live for.”

She’d been holding it together, fighting each wave of terror that threatened to throw her over the cliff into insanity. Now, it all came crashing down. She pressed her palm to her forehead and rivers of tears washed down her cheeks.

Rhett patted her back in an awkward hug. “Here. You’re freezing.” He lifted his jacket from the chair and held it out to her. She didn’t want the scent of any man but Brock on her, but she also couldn’t shake the chill and shock of the day’s events. And covering up her revealing attire felt appropriate.

“The middle-aged woman with the bun and yellow shirt is really sweet,” Rhett said. “I’m sure she’ll take you to see him.”

Lifting her chin, Dani approached the desk. Rhett had better be right. There was no way she’d take no for an answer—and causing a scene would get them both thrown out.