Deadly Echoes (40 page)

“Weren't you trying to stop a runaway supertanker?”

“There's no excuse. She and I'd made a promise to each other that if something happened to one of us, the other would kill Garrick and Nikolett. At that point, she knew the truth about my past and understood why I didn't want Garrick captured. I stopped hunting Garrick when I stayed on the
North Star,
she didn't let anything stop her—she fulfilled her promise.”

“She was a brave woman. I understand why you miss her, but the choices she made were hers. She, too, had a vested interest in seeing Garrick and Nikolett dead, same as you.”

“I know, and I'm sure her reasons grew after being captured and shot. I keep thinking about the time she spent while she was being held. Being tortured, she no doubt told Garrick what he wanted to know. One of those questions was how to get to William. When she left the hospital, I wasn't there, and she couldn't reach me, but she could warn William. She knew what she'd been forced
to tell Garrick, what he was planning, and where she could find him. It must have felt to her that she was the only one left to finish what we'd started. So, yes, I feel guilt over her death.”

Stephanie leaned in and hugged him. “She sounds like an exceptional woman. It's her day and I'm happy to listen. Start at the beginning, I want to hear everything. How did you first meet her?”

Through misty eyes, Donovan smiled at the memory. “I was driving John's Porsche and had just broken every traffic rule ever written to get to her. When I pulled into a restaurant parking lot in Laguna Hills, she walked up, pointed a gun at me, and demanded to see my identification.”

“I like her already,” Stephanie said. “Then what happened?”

“I told her I had a gun, too, and to get in.” Donovan smiled briefly at the memory. “I've only been in love with two women in my entire life. I wasn't in love with Erica, but I loved what she showed me. I was drawn to her almost from the start. She was smart, capable, her strength and resolve was extraordinary. She was a survivor. We had a lot in common, and in the end, she kept her promise to me. I can't stand the fact that she's gone. There are so many things that needed to be said.”

“What would you say to her if she were here?”

“I'd thank her. She changed me with everything we went through. I was forced to trust her—something I don't always do very well, but it worked. Erica showed me what I was capable of, a single glimpse of a different pattern of behavior. Maybe I can take what I learned and use it with Lauren and Abigail. I may never be able to be anything other than who I am, but Erica gave me something to strive for, something that might make me a better husband and father, a better person. For that, I'll always be thankful.”

“I wish I'd met her.” Stephanie put her head on his shoulder. “I believe she's here, in spirit, and you just gave her about the most beautiful eulogy a person could ever receive.”