Entwined with You: A Crossfire Novel

21

GIDEON AND I were sitting on the floor of my living room eating pizza in our sweats when Cary came in a little after ten o’clock. Tatiana was with him. I reached across Gideon for a packet of Parmesan cheese and whispered, “Baby mama.”

He winced. “She’s trouble. Poor guy.”

That was my thought exactly as the tall blonde walked in and wrinkled her nose rudely at our pizza. Then she caught sight of Gideon and flashed a come-hither smile.

I took a deep breath and told myself to let it go.

“Hey, Cary,” Gideon greeted my best friend before tossing his arm over my shoulder and burying his face in my neck.

“Hey,” Cary said. “What are you guys watching?”

“End of Watch,” I answered. “It’s really good. You two want to join us?”

“Sure.” Cary caught Tatiana’s hand and led her toward the couch.

She didn’t have the grace to hide her disapproval of the idea.

They sat on the couch and settled into a comfortable tangle that was obviously familiar for them. Gideon pushed the pizza box their way. “Help yourselves, if you’re hungry.”

Cary snagged a slice, while Tatiana complained about him jostling her. I was bummed that she couldn’t be more comfortable hanging out. If she was going to have Cary’s baby, she was going to be in my life, and I hated the thought of that relationship being awkward.

In the end, they didn’t stay in the living room long. She insisted that the handheld camera shots in the movie made her queasy, and Cary took her back to his room. A short while later, I thought I heard her laughing, making me think her biggest problem was the need to keep Cary all to herself. I could understand that insecurity. I was intimately familiar with it myself.

“Relax,” Gideon murmured, urging me to lean into his chest. “We’ll work it out with them. Give it some time.”

I caught his left hand hanging over my shoulder and toyed with his ring.

He pressed his lips to my temple and we finished watching the movie.

ALTHOUGH Gideon slept in his apartment next door, he came over early enough to zip me into a sheath dress and fix me some coffee. I’d just finished putting on some pearl earrings and was stepping into the hallway when Tatiana appeared heading from the direction of the kitchen with two water bottles in her hands.

She was buck naked.

My temper almost boiled over, but I kept my tone calm. The pregnancy certainly didn’t show, but knowing about it was reason enough to skip the shouting match. “Excuse me. You need to have clothes on if you’re going to walk around my apartment.”

“It’s not just your apartment,” she shot back, tossing her tawny mane over her shoulder as she moved to pass me.

I thrust my arm across the hallway, blocking her way. “You don’t want to play games with me, Tatiana.”

“Or what?”

“You’ll lose.”

She stared at me for a long minute. “He’ll pick me.”

“If it came to that, he’d resent you and you’d lose anyway.” I dropped my arm. “Think about that.”

Cary’s door opened behind me. “What the fuck are you doing, Tat?”

Turning my head, I saw my best friend filling his doorway wearing only his boxers. “Giving you a good excuse to buy her a nice robe, Cary.”

His jaw tightened and he waved me off, opening his door wider in a silent order for Tatiana to get her bare ass back in there.

I resumed my trek to the kitchen, my teeth grinding together. My mood worsened when I found Gideon in the kitchen, leaning back into the counter and leisurely drinking his coffee. He wore a black suit and pale gray tie and looked unbearably handsome.

“Enjoy the show?” I asked tightly. I hated that he’d seen another woman naked. And not just any woman, but a model with the lean, willowy body type he’d been known to prefer.

He lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. “Not especially.”

“You like ’em tall and skinny.” I reached for the cup of coffee waiting for me on the counter beside him.

Gideon set his left hand over mine. The rubies on his wedding band sparkled in the bright kitchen lights. “Last I checked, the wife I can’t resist was petite and voluptuous. Spectacularly so.”

I closed my eyes, trying to push past my jealousy. “Do you know why I chose your ring?”

“Red is our color,” he said quietly. “Red dresses in limos. Red fuck-me heels at garden parties. A red rose in your hair when you married me.”

That he understood soothed me. I turned into him, pressing my body to his.

“Umm,” he purred, hugging me close. “You’re a soft, delicious little handful, angel.”

I shook my head, my anger melting into exasperation.

He nuzzled his nose against my cheek. “I love you.”

“Gideon.” Tilting my head back, I offered my mouth and let him kiss my bad mood away.

The feel of his lips on mine never stopped making my toes curl. I was slightly dazed when he pulled back and murmured, “I have my appointment with Dr. Petersen tonight. I’ll call you when I’m finished and we’ll see what we want to do about dinner.”

“Okay.”

He smiled at my blissfully nonchalant reply. “I can set up an appointment for us to see him Thursday.”

“Make it for next Thursday, please,” I said, sobering. “I hate to miss any more therapy, but Mom wants me and Cary to go to a charity gala this Thursday. She bought me a dress and everything. I’m afraid if I don’t go, she’ll take it the wrong way.”

“We’ll go together.”

“Yeah?” Gideon in a tuxedo was an aphrodisiac to me. Of course, Gideon in anything or nothing turned me on, too. But in a tux … Dear God, he was sizzling.

“Yes. It’s as good a time as any to be seen out together again. And to announce our engagement.”

I licked my lips. “Can I take advantage of you in the limo?”

His eyes laughed at me. “By all means, angel mine.”

WHEN I got to work, Megumi wasn’t at her desk so I didn’t get to see how she was faring. It kind of gave me an excuse to call Martin, though, and see if things with him and Lacey had panned out after our wild night at Primal.

I pulled out my smartphone to program a reminder and saw that my mom had left a voice mail the night before. I listened to it on the way to my desk. She wanted to see if I wanted hair and makeup done before the dinner on Thursday, suggesting that she come over with a beauty crew and we could get dolled up together.

When I reached my desk, I texted her back, letting her know I loved the idea, but time would be tight, since I wouldn’t be getting off work until five.

I was settling in for the day when Will stopped by.

“Got plans for lunch?” he asked, looking cute in a plaid shirt only he could pull off so well and a solid navy tie.

“Not another carb feast, please. My butt can’t take it.”

“No.” He grinned. “Natalie’s past the brutal phase of her diet, so it’s getting better. I was thinking a soup and salad bar.”

I smiled. “I’m game for that. Want to see if Megumi wants to come?”

“She’s not here today.”

“Oh? Is she sick?”

“Don’t know. I only heard about it because I was the one who had to call the temp agency for someone to cover for her.”

I sat back with a frown. “I’ll give her a call on my break and see how she’s feeling.”

“Tell her I said hi.” He drummed a beat on the top of my cubicle wall and headed off.

THE rest of the day passed in a blur. I left a message for Megumi on my break, then tried to reach her again after work as Clancy drove me to Brooklyn for my Krav Maga class. “Have Lacey call me back if you’re feeling too sick,” I said in my voice mail message. “I just want to know you’re okay.”

I killed the call, then sat back and appreciated the grandeur of the Brooklyn Bridge. Going through the massive stone arches soaring over the East River always felt like traveling to a different world. Below, the waterway was dotted with commuter ferries and a lone sailboat heading out into the busy New York harbor.

We reached the long off-ramp in less than a minute and I turned my attention back to my phone.

I called Martin.

“Eva,” he answered cheerfully, clearly recognizing my number from his contact list. “I’m glad to hear from you.”

“How are you?”

“I’m good. You?”

“Hanging in there. We should get together sometime.” I smiled at a cop who was artfully directing traffic at the hugely complicated intersection on the Brooklyn side. She kept things moving with a whistle between her teeth and fluid hand gestures that had serious sass to them. “We could grab a drink after work or double-date for dinner.”

“I’d like that. Are you seeing someone in particular?”

“Gideon and I are working things out.”

“Gideon Cross? Well, if anyone can hook him, it’d be you.”

I laughed and wished I had my ring on. I didn’t wear it around during the day the way Gideon wore his. He didn’t care who knew he was taken or by whom, but I still had everyone in my life to tell. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. What about you? You seeing anyone?”

“Lacey and I are dabbling. I like her. She’s a lot of fun.”

“That’s great. I’m glad to hear it. Listen, if you talk to her today, can you ask her to let me know how Megumi’s doing? She’s out sick and I just want to make sure she’s all right and doesn’t need anything.”

“Sure thing.” The receiver filled with a sudden rush of noise, the unmistakable sound of him stepping outside. “Lacey’s out of town, but she’s supposed to give me a call tonight.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it. You’re on the move, so I’ll let you go. Let’s plan on getting together next week and we’ll work out the details in the next couple of days.”

“Sounds good. I’m glad you called.”

I smiled. “Me, too.”

We hung up and because I felt like reaching out, I sent a text to Shawna and another to Brett. Just quick hellos with smiley faces.

When I looked up, I caught Clancy looking at me in the rearview mirror.

“How’s Mom?” I asked.

“She’ll be fine,” he said, in his usual no-nonsense way.

I nodded and looked out the window, catching sight of a gleaming steel bus stop shelter displaying Cary’s billboard. “Family is so hard sometimes, you know.”

“I know.”

“You have any brothers or sisters, Clancy?”

“One of each.”

What were they like? Were they tough as nails and deadly like Clancy? Or was he the black sheep? “Are you close, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“We’re tight. My sister lives out of state, so I don’t see her much, but we talk on the phone once a week at least. My brother’s in New York, so we catch up more often.”

“Cool.” I tried to picture a relaxed Clancy tossing back beers with someone who resembled him, but couldn’t pull it off. “Does he work security, too?”

“Not yet.” His mouth did that little lip twitch, almost-smile thing. “He’s with the FBI for now.”

“Is your sister in law enforcement?”

“She’s in the Marines.”

“Whoa. Awesome.”

“Yes, she is.”

I studied him and his military crew cut. “You were in the service, too, weren’t you?”

“I was.” He didn’t volunteer any more than that.

When I opened my mouth to pry further, we turned a corner and I realized we’d reached the former warehouse where Parker had his studio.

I grabbed my gym bag and got out before Clancy could open the door for me. “See you in an hour!”

“Knock ’em out, Eva,” he said, watching me until I got inside.

The door had barely closed behind me when I saw a familiar brunette I would’ve rather not seen again. Ever. She stood to the side, just off the training mats, with her arms crossed. She was dressed in black workout pants with a bright blue stripe down the sides that matched her fitted long-sleeve shirt. Her brown curly hair was scraped back into an unforgiving ponytail.

She turned. Cool blue eyes raked me from head to toe.

Facing the inevitable, I took a deep breath and approached her. “Detective Graves.”

“Eva.” She gave me a curt nod. “Great tan.”

“Thanks.”

“Cross take you away for the weekend?”

Not exactly a casual question. My back went up. “I had some time off.”

Her thin mouth quirked on one side. “Still cautious. Good. What does your dad think of Cross?”

“I believe my dad trusts my judgment.”

Graves nodded. “I’d keep thinking about Nathan Barker’s bracelet if I were you. But then, loose ends make me twitchy.”

A shiver of unease ran down my back. The whole thing made me twitchy, but who could I talk to about it? No one but Gideon, and I knew him too well to doubt that he was doing everything in his considerable power to solve that mystery.

“I need a sparring partner,” the detective said suddenly. “You’re up.”

“Uh, what?” I blinked at her. “Is that … ? Can we … ?”

“The case has gone cold, Eva.” She stalked onto the mat and began to stretch. “Hurry up. I don’t have all night.”

GRAVES kicked my ass. For such a rail-thin, wiry woman, she packed some strength. She was focused, precise, and ruthless. I actually learned a lot from her over the hour and a half we sparred, most especially never to let down my guard. She was lightning quick and swift to exploit any advantage.

When I stumbled into my apartment a little after eight, I headed straight to the bathtub. I soaked in vanilla-scented water, surrounded by candles, and hoped Gideon would show up before I pruned.

He ended up coming in just as I was wrapping a towel around me, his damp hair and jeans telling me he’d showered after a visit with his trainer.

“Hi, ace.”

“Hi, wife.” He came up to me, tugged open my towel, and lowered his head to my breast.

My breath left me when he sucked a nipple into his mouth, drawing rhythmically until it hardened.

Straightening, he admired his handiwork. “God, you’re sexy.”

I lifted onto my tiptoes and kissed his chin. “How’d things go tonight?”

He looked at me with a wry curve to his lips. “Dr. Petersen congratulated us, then went on about how important couples therapy would be.”

“He thinks we got married too soon.”

Gideon laughed. “He didn’t even want us having sex, Eva.”

Wrinkling my nose, I resecured my towel and grabbed a comb for my wet hair.

“Let me,” he said, taking the comb and leading me to the wide lip of the tub. He urged me to sit.

As he combed my hair, I told him about seeing Detective Graves at my Krav Maga class.

“My lawyers tell me the case has been shelved,” Gideon said.

“How do you feel about that?”

“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

There was no inflection in his voice, which told me it mattered to him more than he’d tell me. I knew that somewhere, deep down inside him, Nathan’s murder was haunting him. Because I was haunted by what Gideon had done for me and we were two halves of the same soul.

That was why Gideon had wanted us to get married so badly. I was his safe place. I was the one person who knew every dark, tormented secret he had, and I loved him desperately anyway. And he needed love more than anyone I’d ever met.

There was a vibration against my shoulder and I teased, “Is that a new toy in your pocket, ace?”

“Should’ve turned the damn thing off,” he muttered, digging his phone out. He looked at the screen, then answered with a clipped, “Cross.”

I heard a woman’s agitated voice coming through the receiver, but I couldn’t make out the words.

“When?” After hearing the answer, he asked, “Where? Yes. I’m on my way.”

He hung up and raked a hand through his hair.

I stood. “What’s wrong?”

“Corinne’s in the hospital. My mother says it’s bad.”

“I’ll get dressed. What happened?”

Gideon looked at me. Goose bumps swept across my skin. I’d never seen him look so … shattered.

“Pills,” he said hoarsely. “She swallowed a bottle of pills.”

WE took the DB9. While we waited for the attendant to bring the car to us, Gideon called Raúl, telling him to meet us at the hospital to take over the Aston Martin when we arrived.

When Gideon slid behind the wheel, he drove with tight focus; every turn of the wheel and press of the accelerator was skilled and precise. Enclosed in the small space with him, I knew he’d shut down. Emotionally, he was unreachable. When I placed my hand on his knee to offer comfort and support, he didn’t even twitch. I wasn’t sure he even felt it.

Raúl was waiting for us when we pulled up to the emergency room. He opened the door for me, then rounded the hood and took the driver’s seat after Gideon got out. The gleaming car was moved out of the drop-off driveway before we walked through the automatic doors.

I took Gideon’s hand, but I wasn’t sure he felt that, either. His attention was riveted on his mother, who stood when we entered the private waiting area we’d been directed to. Elizabeth Vidal barely glanced at me, going straight to her son and hugging him.

He didn’t hug her back. But he also didn’t pull away. His grip on my hand tightened.

Mrs. Vidal didn’t even acknowledge me. Instead, she turned her back to me and gestured at the couple seated together nearby. They were clearly Corinne’s parents. They’d been talking to Elizabeth when Gideon and I came in, which seemed odd to me since Jean-François Giroux was standing alone by the window, looking as much like an outsider as Elizabeth was making me feel.

Gideon’s hold on my hand slackened as his mother pulled him toward Corinne’s family. Feeling awkward standing in the doorway alone, I went to Jean-François.

I greeted him softly. “I’m very sorry.”

He looked at me with dead eyes, his face seeming to have aged a decade since we’d met at the wine bar the day before. “What are you doing here?”

“Mrs. Vidal called Gideon.”

“Of course she did.” He looked over to the seating area. “One would think he was her husband and not I.”

I followed his gaze. Gideon was crouched in front of Corinne’s parents, holding her mother’s hand. A sick feeling of dread spread through me, making me cold.

“She would rather be dead than live without him,” he said tonelessly.

I looked back at him. Suddenly, I understood. “You told her, didn’t you? About our engagement.”

“And look how well she took the news.”

Jesus. I took a shaky step toward the wall, needing the support. How could she not know what a suicide attempt would do to Gideon? She couldn’t be that blind. Or had his reaction, his guilt, been her aim all along? It made me sick to think of anyone being that manipulative, but there was no denying the result. Gideon was back at her side. At least for now.

A doctor entered the room, a kind-looking woman with cropped silvery blond hair and faded blue eyes. “Mr. Giroux?”

“Oui.” Jean-François stepped forward.

“I’m Dr. Steinberg. I’m treating your wife. Could we speak privately for a moment?”

Corinne’s father stood. “We’re her family.”

Dr. Steinberg smiled gently. “I understand. However, it’s Corinne’s husband I need to speak with. I can tell you that Corinne will be fine after a few days’ rest.”

She and Giroux stepped out of the room, which effectively cut off the sound of their voices, but they were still visible through a glass wall. Giroux towered over the much shorter doctor, but whatever she said to him had him crumbling visibly. The tension in the waiting room ratcheted up to an unbearable degree. Gideon stood beside his mother, his attention snared by the heartrending scene unfolding before us.

Dr. Steinberg reached out and placed a hand on Jean-François’s arm, still speaking. After a moment, she stopped and left him. He just stood there, staring at the floor, his shoulders slumped as if a great weight pressed down on them.

I was about to go to him, when Gideon moved first. The moment he stepped outside the waiting room, Giroux lunged at him.

The thud as the two men collided was teeth-rattling in its violence. The room shook as Gideon slammed into the thick glass wall.

Someone shouted in surprise, then yelled for security.

Gideon threw Giroux off and blocked a punch. Then he ducked, avoiding a blow to the face. Jean-François bellowed something, his face contorted with fury and pain.

Corinne’s father rushed out at the same moment security arrived with stun guns drawn and aimed. Gideon shoved Jean-François off again, defending himself without once throwing a punch of his own. His face was stony, his eyes cold and nearly as lifeless as Giroux’s.

Giroux shouted at Gideon. With the door left open by Corinne’s father, I caught part of what was said. The word enfant needed no translation. Everything inside me went deathly still, all sound lost to the buzzing in my ears.

Everyone rushed out of the room as both Gideon and Giroux were flex-cuffed and hustled toward a service elevator by the guards. I blinked when Angus appeared in the doorway, certain I was imagining him.

“Mrs. Cross,” he said softly, approaching me carefully with his cap in his hands.

I could only imagine how I looked. I was stuck on the word baby and what that could possibly mean. After all, Corinne had been in New York as long as I’d known Gideon … but her husband hadn’t been.

“I’ve come to take you home.”

I frowned. “Where’s Gideon?”

“He texted me and asked me to come get you.”

My confusion turned into a sharp pain. “But he needs me.”

Angus took a deep breath, his eyes filled with something that looked like pity. “Come with me, Eva. It’s late.”

“He doesn’t want me here,” I said flatly, latching on to the one thing I was beginning to comprehend.

“He wants you home and comfortable.”

My feet felt rooted to the floor. “Is that what the text said?”

“That’s what he’s thinking.”

“You’re being kind.” I started to walk, running on autopilot.

I passed one of the orderlies picking up the mess made when Giroux had been shoved into a cart of supplies. The way he avoided looking at me seemed to confirm the harsh reality.

I’d been set aside.