As I stand there, a hole opens up, and blood pours out of his head. His icy blue eyes open and fill with hate. A gruesome smile stretches across his face.
“This is your fault,” he says. “I’m dead because of you. You ruined my life, and I will never let you go.”
I stare at him in horror. There he is...the man of my nightmares. Straightening my spine, I turn and walk away.
He is dead. He is dead. He is dead. I keep repeating it to myself as I walk out of the church and get in the limo...
“HE IS DEAD!” I SCREAM as I wake up, heart pounding. Guilt lays thick on my tongue, but relief, too; so much relief. “Thank you, God, he is dead.”
I get up, turn on the light, and lay back down. Sleep is far away as I think about Collin’s birthday and the day after, when he died. If I had made different choices, would he still be dead? Would he have changed? I don’t know.
CHAPTER 5
KATE
TGIF. We have a full roster of patients lined up for today, but it’s Friday, and I can always sleep and relax for the next two days.
Picking up the next patient’s file, I walk into my office to look it over before his appointment and find a stranger sitting at my new desk. A very handsome stranger, with a sexy smile and beautiful green eyes framed with black glasses, but still a stranger.
“Can I help you?” I ask.
He looks up, and I notice his eyes are very similar to the medium green color of my own. Frowning at me, he is silent for a few seconds. Uneasy, I slide back towards the door to call for Sarah or Paula when his words halt me.
“How did you get into this computer?” he demands.
“Excuse me? I’m not sure that is any of your business, Mr....?” I inject, trying again to discover his name. Failing to get an answer, I politely introduce myself. “My name is Dr. Michaels, and you are?”
Removing his glasses, he runs a hand across his face, then gives me a hard analytical stare, like he is trying to figure out the best method to interrogate me. Now I’m getting nervous. I feel like he’s going to march me into the next room and torture me for information.
Waterboarding is illegal, right? Who is he?
I think it’s time to get reinforcements. I’m moving back towards the door when Sarah walks into the room.
“Have you seen Mr. Henry’s chart...oh, hello, Lowell. How are you today?” she asks, eyes moving from me to him.
Lowell looks at Sarah, and his eyes warm up a tiny bit. “I’m fine, thank you. Do you know who has access to this computer?” he questions her.
“Dr. Bradford and I,” she responds. “Why?”
“Have you accessed it recently?”
“Yes,” she answers, now crossing her arms with irritation. “I ordered supplies yesterday after Dr. Michaels noticed we were getting low on a few key items.”
He looks down and jots down a note on the pad beside the laptop. Tension eases from his shoulders. And yet he is still staring at me, as if he is trying to drill down to my soul. I cross my arms to ward him off. Looking at Sarah, I raise my eyebrows. She shrugs her shoulders.
“Excuse me, Lowell, is it?” I huff, my patience deserting me. “Would you mind leaving the room so Sarah and I can discuss our next patient?”
“Go ahead. I won’t bother you,” he replies, almost absently, as he looks back down at the laptop.
“I’m afraid we cannot discuss a patient with non-medical personnel in the room. You must leave. You’re welcome to take the laptop with you, as I doubt Sarah needs it today, but we have a lot of patients to see, and you are causing a delay.”
He says nothing and doesn’t look up from the computer. Frowning, I motion to Sarah, then to the laptop.
“Dr. Michaels is correct. I won’t need the laptop for the rest of the day. Let me help you get it in the bag so you can take it with you.” She walks over to grab the messenger bag and places it on the desk. Shutting the laptop, she puts it and the cord in the bag.
Walking over to the desk, I take hold of his arm and help him stand. As he stands, I notice my hand tingling. Hmmm. As he dips his head down and captures my eyes, I realize how tall he is compared to me. Wow, he must be 6’5” to my 5’9”. I rarely feel petite next to a man.
What are they feeding the men around here?
He seems slightly amused as he looks down at me but says nothing.
Grabbing the coat from the chair, I hold it out to him. “Is this your coat?”
When he shakes his head, I hand him his coat and guide him around the desk. Sarah puts the bag in his arms, and we walk him to the door. Once he’s through the door, we close it and listen. As we hear him walk away, we look at each other and burst out laughing.
“Did you see his face?” she crows. “Priceless.”
Laughing, I agree. “Thank goodness you were here. He didn’t introduce himself, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Plus, he kept staring at me,” I add. “Once you said his name, I remembered Lev giving me a list of his contacts that included his brothers, Lowell and Shaw.”
“They’re not brothers in that sense,” she explains. “They were in the Army together, and I guess it made them as close as brothers. They all live together on their ranch outside of town, like a family.”
“Well, Lowell is definitely interesting. I thought he was going to torture me for information,” I admit, laughing.
“That could still happen. Rumor is, they were all in a special forces unit and assigned to some of the most dangerous places in the world,” she tells me, shrugging. “I could see Lowell interrogating someone.”
“Well, I’m glad he’s on our side. At least, I think he’s on our side. I have to say, after meeting those two, I cannot wait to see what Shaw and Dr. Bradford are like. You may not realize it, since you have lived your entire life in Montana, but the real world doesn’t grow men like they do here.”
Sarah laughs. “We’re definitely spoiled, but when you have been around them all your life, they can be boring. I dream of a sophisticated city man who will fly me to Paris to wine and dine me. One who doesn’t wear boots or cowboy hats and appreciates going to museums and fine art exhibits.”
“Hmmm, it might be tough to find that man in Montana, but I have faith in you.” I smile at her expression. “For now, let’s go through Mr. Henry’s chart and get ready for his appointment.”
CHAPTER 6
LOWELL
Well, those two are a well-oiled machine, I muse as I reach my SUV.
With just a few hand signals and silent communication, they had the computer in the bag and me out the door in two minutes. I’ve seen military units with years of training that operate with less efficiency and focus than those two. Laughing, I text Lev to find out where he is right now.
Entering The Black and Gold, I walk back to Lev’s office. He’s in there, talking to Courtney, his manager. As I enter the room, I see her leaning over him to look at a set of papers. Her arm on the back of his chair and the angle of her body suggest a closeness, beyond employer and employee, to anyone who might see them. A lie, but one she sells well. She looks up and smiles softly at me. I raise an eyebrow at her. While she is a beautiful woman, I have no interest in what she is offering. She narrows her eyes at me and scoots closer to Lev.