Cut (18 page)

“There's no phone number,” Jessie pointed out.

“Never mind that. You need to tell me who gave this to you.”

“What's the point? I want all of this to go away. I don't want anything to do with this business card or diamonds or you.”

“You don't have a choice. You're already involved.” His arms slid up her back and he dragged her the rest of the way to him. He reduced his voice to a whisper. “We're tied together, until the end of this mystery. Whether you want to be or not. I'll help you. I'll be on your side from here on out.”

Jessie reluctantly laid her cheek against his chest. She reminded herself that he only wanted the diamond. This wasn't personal. Brent made this business. Maybe she could deal with that. “He knew Melanie's in the hospital. He threatened to interfere with her recovery.”

His arms tightened around her back. “Who threatened Melanie?”

“Some guy in a business suit. He ran into me on the street and told me to call the number on the card within twenty-four hours or else. I don't know what to do. This all happened a few minutes ago, right before we ran into each other.”

Brent's eyes flared. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.”

“Tell me exactly what he said.”

“He knew my name and that I have the diamond. What am I supposed to do with that?” She lowered her voice and added, “There's something else.”

“What?”

“I didn't tell the detective about the diamond.”

“Me neither.”

She leaned into him. She accepted the way he held her and she fell deeper into the gravity of his broad chest. She thought he'd let go and he didn't. They both hadn't told the police. Now they shared two secrets.

“What do you want to do?” Brent asked, letting go of Jessie.

“I want to talk to someone in hospital security,” she said. “I want someone watching out for her while she's here.”

“I agree.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “I'll go with you to talk to them. Before I do, I want your word that you'll trust me from this moment forward.”

“I can't do that, but I'm willing to work with you.”

Her answer was good enough for him.

He escorted Jessie to the nurses' station. The nurse looked up at them while on the phone and held up her finger and said, “I'll be a minute.”

The wait time irritated Brent. Each passing second his jaw began to ache at the thought of someone approaching Jessie in broad daylight. Instincts and history convinced him Jefferies Abbott was taking matters into his own hands. He was encroaching on Brent's space. No one else would go through such trouble to track down Jessica. Jefferies was in town and had the resources. He was sending a message to Brent, trying to intimidate him. The wealth of that man stretched across the globe. There wasn't anything his golden fingers couldn't tarnish.

“How may I help you?” said the nurse.

“I'd like to speak to someone in security,” Jessie said, and explained the situation.

The nurse took the information with all the seriousness it deserved. “I'll have someone meet with you at once.”

Two phone calls later Jessie and Brent were escorted to a conference room.

Brent's phone beeped and he checked his messages.

Daniel:
There are about a thousand women in San Francisco with the first name Elizabeth.

Brent:
What about the city of Belvedere?

Less than two hundred.

Where are you?

Trace Elements. Meeting with contractor.

Follow-up with the names.

Next on my list.

Any obvious connection to M let me know.

Of course.

Someone from D & F approached J.

Shit.

My thoughts exactly.

You want me to take care of that first?

No, I will.

“Excuse me, Jessie Cahill?” said a stunning woman with dark skin and big brown eyes.

“Yes,” Jessie said, getting to her feet.

“I am Monica Robinson, Assistant Director of Hospital Security.”

Brent introduced himself and added, “Melanie Cahill is my sister-in-law.”

“I took a moment to review Melanie's case before meeting with you. She came to us after an attack and she's in the ICU. If I'm to understand the situation, someone has made a threat against her life.”

“Yes,” Brent said.

“Where is Luke Harrison?”

“He's gone home.”

“I was approached not long ago, right outside the hospital,” Jessie said. “I haven't had a chance to talk to Luke. I came straight to you.”

Brent and Jessie sat down on one side of the table. Monica moved a box out of the way and pulled up a chair adjacent to them. “Tell me what happened.”

“A man I don't know tried to tell me that he knew Melanie. He told me I should be careful or he'd get to her,” Jessie said, speaking sharp and clear. “Get to her meaning inside her hospital room. I'm worried for my sister's safety.”

“I understand your concern, however, I have to ask why you think someone would make this kind of threat?”

“There's the attack, the reason why she's here in the first place.”

“I'm aware of the attack, yes.”

“Maybe whoever beat her up followed her here.”

Monica spread her hands on the desk. “I know it might be hard to reassure you, but Melanie is in the best of hands. The doors to the ICU are locked during non-visiting hours and a nurse staffs the nurses' station twenty-four/seven. One of the jobs of the nurse is to make sure only approved family members can come in and see a patient. We also have trained security officers to keep our patients safe at all times.” Monica opened the tablet she carried and turned on the screen. She swiped it and typed a few notes.

“I'd like to keep this as private as possible,” Jessie said.

“Of course. Discretion and privacy are our priorities. At this time I can assign a security officer to make extra rounds on Melanie's room.”

“What if that's not enough? What if he works here?”

Monica gave a firm smile. “We have a tested, secure system in place. Your sister is safe with us. I'm taking a statement from you, which I'll share with my staff.”

“What about Detective Brennan, will you contact him?” Jessie said.

“He's the detective working on your sister's case?”

“Yes.”

“Since technically the threat happened on hospital property, and was directly linked to one of our patients, we'll handle it with our own resources first. You're certainly allowed to tell him, but I'm constrained by our regulations and what we can do to help your sister. So no, I won't talk to Detective Brennan unless the problem gets out of the scope of my staff's ability to do their job. I want to reassure you that we're equipped to handle this sort of thing.”

“You have, thank you,” Jessie said.

Monica took out a form from her binder. “I'll ask you to fill this out. This is the record of our meeting and you may place your contact information there too. In the meantime, leave this up to my competent staff and to the police.”

Jessie filled out the form—a record of their meeting—and handed the paper to Monica.

“We're all set, and I'll be in touch.” Monica stepped out of the room and left Brent alone with Jessie. A woman hobbled by using a cane, a hospital staff member hovering over her. Brent started for the door.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Jessie said.

“There's nothing more you can do.”

“I should go to the police, to Detective Brennan.”

“I think you should wait. Melanie's safe.”

She bit her lip. “I don't know.”

“I talk best in terms of diamonds. Do you know that all diamonds are already formed when they're pulled up from the riverbed? We find them exactly as how they should be.”

She frowned. “I don't understand what that has to do with anything.”

“You might think you have no control over the situation, but you're wrong. You still have one piece of this equation, the diamond. Do you remember what I told you about the most important property of a diamond?”

“The cut.”

“Yes, the cut. This situation is still rough. You determine how this goes and what comes next. There's still time to change the outcome.”

Skepticism fell over her face. “I'm not sure that's comforting.”

“You made the security office aware of the threat. If you go to the police, that changes your control. You'll have to explain yourself and the diamond. Do you really want to give up anything else?”

She looked so forlorn and tired and heartbroken with her brown eyes and soft skin that he wanted to take her in his arms and let her rest on his body.

“No,” she said. “All I want to do is go back to the hotel.”

He angled his face at the door. “Isn't there something else you need to do?”

The realization of his suggestion took hold. “Not yet.”

“Melanie needs you.”

She wiped away a sudden tear. “Maybe.”

“I know she does.” Brent opened the door to leave the conference room.

Jessie pressed the button for the ICU and the doors swung open. He hung back on purpose. She needed to go on her own, without him in the way. He watched her walk forward, towards Melanie's room and a strange sense overcame him, like pride or admiration. She was actually going in there.

Except the curtain to Melanie's room was closed. They couldn't see inside. A nurse stepped out of her room.

“What's going on in there?” Brent said.

“She's getting bathed. You'll have to come back.”

The delay set Jessie back. She stepped away.

“We'll wait over there,” Brent said, nodding to the couch.

“No.”

“You won't have to wait long.” Even as he spoke, he saw she wouldn't go.

“I can't hang around here.”

“You're sure?”

“Yes.”

“Then I'll take you to your hotel.”

Together they left the hospital.

The rain came down like heavy bullets. Brent offered to bring the car to the hospital entrance, but Jessie refused. They moved swiftly through the parking lot with the whiplash of wind at their sides.

Brent ran ahead to open Jessie's door. He moved around to his side and got in the car. A flood of rain rolled down the window at the exact moment they got in.

He put the key in the ignition and glanced sideways at her. Wet hair stuck to her face. She curled her pink lips. She removed her jacket and he let his gaze linger on her tight shirt over her breasts. His fingers ached to touch her and feel the sexy slide of her skin underneath his palm.

She looked up at him, and, for a moment, he let her see his desire for her.

She ran her hand over her face and through her hair, though she said nothing.

The car started and Brent drove out of the visitor lot.

Jessie put her fingers to the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “To think how much I looked forward to spending an entire weekend in San Francisco.” She opened her eyes and lowered her hand. “Do you know that I've never lived anywhere outside of Fresno?”

“I used to not live anywhere for more than a few weeks at a time,” he responded, steering the car outside the parking lot.

“Didn't constant travel get old?”

“Actually, it's the opposite. I have trouble staying in one place.”

“My parents stayed in one place.”

“Where exactly is your father in all of this? Does he even know about Melanie?”

“He does.”

“Why isn't he here?”

“My dad has a difficult time showing up. I have no doubt he'll make an appearance at some point when the hard part is over, and after Melanie is awake again. He brings nothing but excuses. I don't talk to him much. Anyway, I don't like to talk about him. My mother and I don't mention him unless we have to, and I don't discuss the subject with Carl.”

“Why not?”

“Carl doesn't understand. His parents are still married after forty five years. You know what? It doesn't matter. Times like this I'm relieved Carl called off the wedding.”

Brent's head jerked sideways. “The wedding's off?”

“Officially.”

The thought of Jessica not getting married pleased Brent. She had too much spirit and complexity to be wasted on someone unmatched for her. No, he didn't want her to be with another man. He wanted her for himself.

The insignia for the Crowne hotel appeared and he turned right. He pulled the car up to the valet. The valet jogged around and Brent rolled down his window. “I'm dropping her off, give us a minute.”

The valet nodded and stood back.

Brent's phone rang. He looked down and saw Daniel's number. He ignored the call. “A lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours,” he said.

She laughed. “That's an understatement.”

“I want you to be careful.”

“I will be.”

“If you see the guy from outside the hospital again, call me.”

“I'm going to go to my hotel room and lock the door. I doubt he's staying at the Crowne. I'll be fine. There's nothing more you can do.”

Brent didn't want to let her go. He had more to say, but the phone interrupted again. Right about when he thought about reaching over to touch her hand.

“You should answer your call.” Jessie opened the door and got out of the car in a hurry.

Seated in one of the chairs in her hotel room, Jessie tried not to think about how she'd almost given in and kissed him again. Tingles shot through her breasts at the very thought of him. She squashed those thoughts and reminded herself that he didn't want her. A kiss in the car might be fun for him, but once Melanie woke up, Jessie would learn the facts about the diamond and who took the other six. Everyone would go home and return to their lives.