away from Luc’s forehead to plant a light kiss there. She looked up at Del and put a finger to her lips. Staring back down at him for a minute as if to reassure herself he was going to be okay, she jerked her head in the direction of the door to invite Delilah to follow. It registered then that the woman had been wearing a white lab coat, and a security badge had been clipped to a cord around her neck.
Who was she? Her thick shoulder length hair was all Del could see as she followed the lab-coated figure into the hall. Her long strides carried her away from Del until she stopped in front of a door marked staff . When she turned to push the door open, rather brusquely, Del followed her inside.
The woman was a natural beauty. With her height, her thick hair, flawless, makeup-free skin and light green eyes she could have been a cover model. The lab-tech, or whatever she was, seemed to be in a snit, stomping back and forth, opening and closing file cabinet drawers, sweeping her hands through her hair one minute and the next asking some invisible entity for wisdom, motioning with her hands—virtually ignoring Delilah as she flopped against the wall with her arms crossed. She threw herself into a chair, popped up again. Wild energy, Del thought, as she stalked across the floor to open the door and leaned out, “Mary, could I ask you for a big favor?”
Her deep purring voice completed the impression Del had of a lioness prowling, restless and ready for a fight. She nodded at whoever was outside and closed the door.
“Are we going to introduce ourselves or just go at it anonymously?” Del asked getting a little irritated, clueless as to what this female wanted with her. Not to mention whom she was to Luc.
She stopped, placed both hands on the edge of the desk and took a long breath, exhaling slowly. “I…I’m sorry. It’s just, I got a call and… I thought the worst.” She put her head in her hands, scrubbed her face and looked at Del with startling green eyes.
“What’s a cop doing guarding my brother?”
Del slapped her forehead. “I should have guessed immediately. You could be twins.” Must have been the jealousy keeping you from noticing, said the voice in her head.
“ Hmph . It’s an eternal trial. I’m Dr. Samantha Larue.” She held out her hand.
Del took it. “Del Burke.”
The door opened and a candy striper handed Dr . Larue a tray of coffee. “Thanks, Mary. I appreciate it.”
When the door closed, Del said, “Dr. Larue—”
Luc’s sister waved her hand, “Samantha, please. I’m five years older than Luc, and his only hope to keep the Huns from descending. It may already be too late.”
“Huns?” Del asked.
“Our sisters,” Samantha Larue said in voice that spoke of a gulf between her and Luc, and their sisters. “Now, can you fill me in on what happened to my baby brother?”
Thinking of the muscled hunk in the other room as a baby seemed ludicrous but it was obvious Dr. Larue saw no humor in it. “Coffee?”
“Black, thanks.”
Samantha handed Del her cup and leaned back against the desk. “Now...” She expelled another breath, her shoulders relaxing. “What’s going on? I looked at my brother’s chart. Concussion, possible fracture of the clavicle, etc.”
“Luc was closing up at the gym after a basketball game and was hit by a flying cement planter.”
Samantha just sat there staring at her. “You’re not joking. Where did it come from?”
“It apparently… fell off the roof above the door when he was locking up.”
There went that eyebrow again. The doctor sat across from Del, her narrowed eyes taking Delilah’s measure.
“We’re investigating. I’m, um, not here in an official capacity.”
Samantha grinned and those eyes lit with happiness. “Really! Tell me more.”
Suddenly hesitant, Del said, ‘There’s not much to tell. We’ve only known each other a week.”
“And yet you park it in his room overnight because you’re concerned? Is
Who was she? Her thick shoulder length hair was all Del could see as she followed the lab-coated figure into the hall. Her long strides carried her away from Del until she stopped in front of a door marked staff . When she turned to push the door open, rather brusquely, Del followed her inside.
The woman was a natural beauty. With her height, her thick hair, flawless, makeup-free skin and light green eyes she could have been a cover model. The lab-tech, or whatever she was, seemed to be in a snit, stomping back and forth, opening and closing file cabinet drawers, sweeping her hands through her hair one minute and the next asking some invisible entity for wisdom, motioning with her hands—virtually ignoring Delilah as she flopped against the wall with her arms crossed. She threw herself into a chair, popped up again. Wild energy, Del thought, as she stalked across the floor to open the door and leaned out, “Mary, could I ask you for a big favor?”
Her deep purring voice completed the impression Del had of a lioness prowling, restless and ready for a fight. She nodded at whoever was outside and closed the door.
“Are we going to introduce ourselves or just go at it anonymously?” Del asked getting a little irritated, clueless as to what this female wanted with her. Not to mention whom she was to Luc.
She stopped, placed both hands on the edge of the desk and took a long breath, exhaling slowly. “I…I’m sorry. It’s just, I got a call and… I thought the worst.” She put her head in her hands, scrubbed her face and looked at Del with startling green eyes.
“What’s a cop doing guarding my brother?”
Del slapped her forehead. “I should have guessed immediately. You could be twins.” Must have been the jealousy keeping you from noticing, said the voice in her head.
“ Hmph . It’s an eternal trial. I’m Dr. Samantha Larue.” She held out her hand.
Del took it. “Del Burke.”
The door opened and a candy striper handed Dr . Larue a tray of coffee. “Thanks, Mary. I appreciate it.”
When the door closed, Del said, “Dr. Larue—”
Luc’s sister waved her hand, “Samantha, please. I’m five years older than Luc, and his only hope to keep the Huns from descending. It may already be too late.”
“Huns?” Del asked.
“Our sisters,” Samantha Larue said in voice that spoke of a gulf between her and Luc, and their sisters. “Now, can you fill me in on what happened to my baby brother?”
Thinking of the muscled hunk in the other room as a baby seemed ludicrous but it was obvious Dr. Larue saw no humor in it. “Coffee?”
“Black, thanks.”
Samantha handed Del her cup and leaned back against the desk. “Now...” She expelled another breath, her shoulders relaxing. “What’s going on? I looked at my brother’s chart. Concussion, possible fracture of the clavicle, etc.”
“Luc was closing up at the gym after a basketball game and was hit by a flying cement planter.”
Samantha just sat there staring at her. “You’re not joking. Where did it come from?”
“It apparently… fell off the roof above the door when he was locking up.”
There went that eyebrow again. The doctor sat across from Del, her narrowed eyes taking Delilah’s measure.
“We’re investigating. I’m, um, not here in an official capacity.”
Samantha grinned and those eyes lit with happiness. “Really! Tell me more.”
Suddenly hesitant, Del said, ‘There’s not much to tell. We’ve only known each other a week.”
“And yet you park it in his room overnight because you’re concerned? Is
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