right now.”
Suzanne burst into tears as she looked down at Annie. “I couldn’t believe it when Leon called, I just couldn’t believe it.”
Leon’s voice, soft and gentle, said, “Annie, I called your mom.” At this, Annie’s eyes grew wide, but he continued before she could say anything. “It’s okay, doc. Your mom was freaked, but I got your dad on the phone. I told him what the doctor said and that you can go home tomorrow. They wanted to come immediately, but I told them to wait. I figured you might need them later.”
He then turned his gaze to Shane and his gentle look was replaced with a hard one. “You want to step outside with me?”
Shane shifted his stance, arms crossing his massive chest, legs apart. “No one knows what went down between Annie and me, but Annie and me. I get that you care and I get that you’re a friend. I respect that. But I’m not leaving her side now. I let her walk away earlier and I’m not making that mistake again.”
Leon stared at him for a moment, as though measuring Shane’s honesty. Finally giving a head jerk, he turned his gaze back to Annie, offering her his dazzling smile. Tucking a still sniffling Suzanne into his side, he said, “Doc, don’t worry about the clinic. We’ll call the appointments for the week and reschedule…”
“No!” Annie protested. All eyes turned to her in surprise. “I’ll be there on Monday morning. We have to keep the clinic open,” she explained.
“Baby, you gotta have time to heal,” Shane said.
She looked at him sharply. “Do not call me baby . And do not tell me what I have to do. You made your play. I get it, Sto…Shane. You had a job and you did it. I was just collateral damage.”
Shane’s look went from concern to scary as he leaned down in her face. “You were not a play,” he growled. “You know exactly what happened between us was real. No play. No game. It was in the middle of a fuckin’ mess, but it was real.”
Staring into his face that still made her long to kiss his jaw, she whispered, “I didn’t even know your name.”
He closed his eyes and dropped his head for a second before bringing it back and leveling his blue eyes onto hers. “Annie, it wasn’t a lie. I was a quiet kid growin’ up, known as Stoney in the neighborhood. I needed a name when I went under, but I wanted to hold on to something that was real. I went with Stoney. So baby, when you got Stoney, you were still getting me.
“I know you’re in pain and I didn’t want to do this here, but you wouldn’t give me a chance yesterday, so I’m takin’ my chance now. Can’t give you too many details, but you’re gonna let me tell you how it is.
“I’ve been workin’ vice for several years, gettin’ more and more frustrated, ‘cause no matter how many dealers we would get, we couldn’t get the top. Two and a half years ago, a good friend’s woman was kidnapped and hurt by these fuckers. We got her out, but I saw what that did. Fuckin’ almost lost his woman and thought for sure we were gonna fuckin’ lose him too.”
Annie lay quiet, listening to his story, unable to look away. Unable to turn it off. Unable to shut it down. Oh my God. He’s witnessed this and been hurt by it. Softly she asked, “Was the woman all right?”
He looked down at her face that had gentled, seeing her brow wrinkle in concern. Placing his hand on her cheek, he smoothed his fingers over her brow, willing her to relax. “Yeah, baby. She was fine. Drugged and hurt, but she came out all right, with a good man by her side to make sure she would stay all right.
“I decided then that a big play needed to be made. I thought that goin’ undercover would work for me. So I volunteered.”
“Your eyes,” she whispered.
“Yeah. I been wearing dark contacts ‘cause my eyes give me away.”
“I didn’t like the dark eyes. They didn’t tell me anything when I looked at you.”
Shane smiled, relieved that Annie was talking, giving him a
Suzanne burst into tears as she looked down at Annie. “I couldn’t believe it when Leon called, I just couldn’t believe it.”
Leon’s voice, soft and gentle, said, “Annie, I called your mom.” At this, Annie’s eyes grew wide, but he continued before she could say anything. “It’s okay, doc. Your mom was freaked, but I got your dad on the phone. I told him what the doctor said and that you can go home tomorrow. They wanted to come immediately, but I told them to wait. I figured you might need them later.”
He then turned his gaze to Shane and his gentle look was replaced with a hard one. “You want to step outside with me?”
Shane shifted his stance, arms crossing his massive chest, legs apart. “No one knows what went down between Annie and me, but Annie and me. I get that you care and I get that you’re a friend. I respect that. But I’m not leaving her side now. I let her walk away earlier and I’m not making that mistake again.”
Leon stared at him for a moment, as though measuring Shane’s honesty. Finally giving a head jerk, he turned his gaze back to Annie, offering her his dazzling smile. Tucking a still sniffling Suzanne into his side, he said, “Doc, don’t worry about the clinic. We’ll call the appointments for the week and reschedule…”
“No!” Annie protested. All eyes turned to her in surprise. “I’ll be there on Monday morning. We have to keep the clinic open,” she explained.
“Baby, you gotta have time to heal,” Shane said.
She looked at him sharply. “Do not call me baby . And do not tell me what I have to do. You made your play. I get it, Sto…Shane. You had a job and you did it. I was just collateral damage.”
Shane’s look went from concern to scary as he leaned down in her face. “You were not a play,” he growled. “You know exactly what happened between us was real. No play. No game. It was in the middle of a fuckin’ mess, but it was real.”
Staring into his face that still made her long to kiss his jaw, she whispered, “I didn’t even know your name.”
He closed his eyes and dropped his head for a second before bringing it back and leveling his blue eyes onto hers. “Annie, it wasn’t a lie. I was a quiet kid growin’ up, known as Stoney in the neighborhood. I needed a name when I went under, but I wanted to hold on to something that was real. I went with Stoney. So baby, when you got Stoney, you were still getting me.
“I know you’re in pain and I didn’t want to do this here, but you wouldn’t give me a chance yesterday, so I’m takin’ my chance now. Can’t give you too many details, but you’re gonna let me tell you how it is.
“I’ve been workin’ vice for several years, gettin’ more and more frustrated, ‘cause no matter how many dealers we would get, we couldn’t get the top. Two and a half years ago, a good friend’s woman was kidnapped and hurt by these fuckers. We got her out, but I saw what that did. Fuckin’ almost lost his woman and thought for sure we were gonna fuckin’ lose him too.”
Annie lay quiet, listening to his story, unable to look away. Unable to turn it off. Unable to shut it down. Oh my God. He’s witnessed this and been hurt by it. Softly she asked, “Was the woman all right?”
He looked down at her face that had gentled, seeing her brow wrinkle in concern. Placing his hand on her cheek, he smoothed his fingers over her brow, willing her to relax. “Yeah, baby. She was fine. Drugged and hurt, but she came out all right, with a good man by her side to make sure she would stay all right.
“I decided then that a big play needed to be made. I thought that goin’ undercover would work for me. So I volunteered.”
“Your eyes,” she whispered.
“Yeah. I been wearing dark contacts ‘cause my eyes give me away.”
“I didn’t like the dark eyes. They didn’t tell me anything when I looked at you.”
Shane smiled, relieved that Annie was talking, giving him a
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