Part 14 (1/2)
Silence held for a second on the other end, then Gabrielle's voice, hesitant, anxious. ”Lucan? Is that you?”
”Yeah.” He worked to force sound from his arid throat. ”What is it? You okay?”
”Yes, I'm fine. I hope it's all right that I called. I just... Well, after the way you left last night, I've been a little worried. I suppose I just needed to know that nothing had happened to you.”
He didn't have the energy to speak, so he lay back, closed his eyes, and merely listened to the sound of her voice. The clear, rich tones washed over him like a balm. Her concern was an elixir, something he had never tasted before-hearing that someone was worried about him. The affection was unfamiliar, warm.
It soothed him, despite his fierce need to deny it.
”Time... ” he croaked, then tried again. ”What time is it?”
”Not quite noon. I wanted to call you as soon as I got up this morning, but since you generally work the evening s.h.i.+ft, I waited as long as I could. You sound tired. Did I wake you up?”
”No.”
He attempted to roll onto his side, feeling stronger just for the few minutes on the phone with her. Besides, he needed to get his a.s.s out of its sling and back onto the street, starting tonight. Conlan's murder had to be avenged, and he meant to be the one to dispense justice.
The more brutal that justice, the better.
”So,” she was saying now, ”everything's okay with you, then?”
”Yeah. Fine.”
”Good. I'm relieved to hear that, actually.” Her voice took on a lighter, teasing tone. ”You ran out of my place so fast last night, I think you left skid marks on the floor.”
”Something came up. I had to go.”
”Hmm,” she said, after he let the silence stretch out, not volunteering to elaborate. ”Top secret detective business?”
”You could say that.”
He struggled to put his feet beneath him, and winced, both at the pain lancing through his body and for the truth he couldn 't tell Gabrielle about what had really made him race out of her bed. The stark reality of the war that lay ahead of him and the rest of his kind would land on her plate soon enough. Tonight in fact, when Gideon paid her a visit.
”Listen, I have yoga cla.s.s tonight with a friend of mine, but it lets out around nine. If you're not on duty, would you like to come over? I could cook you dinner. Think of it as a raincheck for the manicotti you missed earlier this week. Maybe we 'll actually eat the food this time.”
His facial muscles burned with the involuntary pull of his mouth as Gabrielle's flirty humor wrung a smile from him. The suggestion of the pa.s.sion they'd shared together was wringing something else from him as well; and the flare of his arousal amid all of his other agony didn't hurt half as bad as he wished it had.
”I can't see you, Gabrielle. I have... things I must do.”
Chief among them, getting some blood into his depleted cells, and that meant keeping her as far away from him as possible. Bad enough she tempted him with the promise of her body; in his current state, he would be a danger to any human who was fool enough to get near him.
”Don't you know what they say about all work and no play?” she asked, a world of invitation in the purr of her voice. ”I'm a bit of a night owl, so if you get off work and decide you want some company-”
”I'm sorry. Maybe another time,” he said, knowing full well there would be no other time. He was standing on wobbly legs now and managing a halting, painful step toward the door. Gideon would be in the lab and that was all the way at the end of the corridor. Sheer h.e.l.l to make that in his condition, but Lucan was more than willing to try. ”I'm sending someone over to see you tonight. He's a... an a.s.sociate of mine.”
”What for?”
His breath rasped out of him in a labored wheeze, but he was walking. His hand swung out and caught the latch of the door.
”Things are too dangerous topside right now,” he said in a strained rush of words. ”After what happened to you downtown yesterday... ”
”G.o.d, can we forget that? I'm sure I was just overreacting.”
”No,” he said, cutting her off. ”I'll feel better knowing you're not alone... having someone look in on you.”
”Lucan, really. It's not necessary. I'm a big girl. I'm fine.” He ignored her protests. ”His name is Gideon. You'll like him. The two of you can... talk. He will help you, Gabrielle. Better than I can.”
”Help me-what do you mean? Has something happened with the case? And who is this Gideon guy? Is he a detective, too?”
”He will explain it all to you. ” Lucan stepped out into the corridor where dim lights illuminated polished tile floors and crisp chrome and gla.s.s fixtures. From behind the door of another private apartment, Dante's metal music thumped heavily. Trace smells of oil and recently fired weaponry filtered out from the training facility down one of many hallways that spoked off the main corridor. Lucan weaved on his feet, unsteady amid the sudden barrage of sensory stimulation. ”You'll be safe, Gabrielle, I swear to you. I have to go now.”
”Lucan, wait a second! Don't hang up. What is it you're not telling me?”
”You're going to be all right, I promise. Goodbye, Gabrielle.”
CHAPTER Fourteen
Gabrielle's call to Lucan, and his strange behavior on the other end of the line, had troubled her all day. It still bothered her, as she and Megan came out of yoga cla.s.s that evening.
”He just sounded so weird on the phone. I can't decide if he was in extreme physical pain, or if he was trying to find a way to tell me that he didn't want to see me anymore.”
Megan sighed, waving her hand in dismissal. ”You're probably reading too much into it. If you really want to know, why don't you go down to the station and pop in on him?”
”I don't think so. I mean, what would I say?”
”You say, 'Hi, baby. You sounded so down this afternoon, I thought you could use a little pick-me-up, so here I am.' Maybe bring him coffee and a doughnut for good measure.”
”I don't know... .”
”Gabby, you've said yourself the guy has been nothing but sweet and caring when he's with you. From what you told me about your conversation with him today, he sounds very concerned about you. So much so, that he would send one of his buddies over to look in on you while he's on duty and can't be there himself.”
”He did stress how dangerous it was topside-and what do you suppose topside means? That doesn't sound like cop talk, does it? What is it, some kind of military terminology?” She shook her head. ”I don't know. There's a lot about Lucan Thorne that I just don't know.”
”So ask him. Come on, Gabrielle. At least give the guy the benefit of the doubt.”
Gabrielle considered her black yoga pants and zippered hoodie, then felt to see how wilted her ponytail had become during the forty-five minute session of stretches. ”I should go home first, at least take a quick shower, change my clothes... .”
”Wow! I mean, really, wow.” Megan's eyes went wide and bright with amus.e.m.e.nt. ”You're afraid to go down there, aren't you? Oh, you want to, but you probably have a million excuses ready for why you can't. Admit it, you really like this guy.”
It wasn't as if she could deny it, even if her sudden smile didn 't give her away. Gabrielle met her friend's knowing look and shrugged her shoulders. ”Yeah, I do. I like him. A lot.”
”Then what are you waiting for? The station is three blocks away, and you look gorgeous as always. Besides, it 's not like he hasn't seen you a little sweaty before. He might actually prefer this look on you.”