Bailey: Independence #1 (43 page)

“She wrote about you and how you were out to get her for Garrett. She was convinced that you were a pawn for him, doing as he ordered,” Natalie said, the genuine surprise on Bailey’s face making her nod. “She wrote about a class you taught at
Immersive Games
that her mistress evidently had to attend three times before she was certified on the software she needed to know for her job. Janelle also kept a journal and it definitely detailed her paranoia, and you were the main topic for the last several months. It was their intent to solve both their problems by implicating Garrett in your death. Then they had plans to move onto Las Vegas where Casey had already been gathering information about a club there. Her journal reads like an avenging angel on a mission. How Casey talked her way through interviews for the transfer is beyond me.”

“How did Belinda get in their way?” Bailey felt Gabriel tense behind her, her fingers twining with his and squeezing tight.

“Both journals read almost the same. They felt she would be a perfect spring board to further push Garrett in front of the police. What they didn’t take into consideration, was the people at the anniversary party you attended that night.” Natalie shook her head slightly. “Having the head medical examiner as an alibi threw their plans out the window and seemed to actually send them around the bend. That’s why she crashed your club and tried to grab Bailey the next night.”

“She wouldn’t let me tutor her,” Bailey said softly. “I offered when she seemed to have such a hard time grasping the new changes to the software. She said…” she closed her eyes, frowning at the memory. “She said she knew I was a favorite pet of the boss. I really didn’t know what she was talking about. I thought she was talking about my direct boss… That was about three weeks before Halloween.”

“She found the costume and Casey found a backdoor way into the club through your cleaning agency. That’s how the writing paper and coin vanished from your desk, Gabriel.” Natalie shook her head. “They’d been working on putting this together since that first training class failure. They took a chance that you’d ignore the invitation.”

“And I walked right into the center of their plan.”

“And if you apologize for that, I will shackle you for the whole month you’re on sick leave,” Gabriel told her sternly.

“From things written in their journals, after the first mistaken identity, it seemed to…to almost excite them that they were getting away with murder,” Natalie’s voice hardened. “There seemed to be a sense of a thrill about the whole thing that…I can’t even begin to comprehend.”

“They’re the ones you can’t plan for,” Bailey said quietly. “I still feel bad for the people who were murdered, but I know there was nothing I could have done to stop it.”

Natalie watched Gabriel tenderly kiss Bailey’s temple.

“I think it’s part of the job description. I spend hours on end thinking there was something, anything, I could have done to stop another murder.” She sighed and stood up, putting the chair back in place against the wall. “I’ve cleared the club, Gabriel. The prosecutor has all the photos and witnesses we could possibly need. Trust your doctor, Bailey and take it easy. If you need anything, give me a call. I’m going to find my husband and see about those shackles and a really long nap.”

“Good luck, Lieutenant,” Gabriel said with a laugh, knowing his friend Tre might just find it appealing.

“Am I allowed to feel sad, Gabriel?”

“Feelings are, pet, you might want to deny them but they have a nagging way of taking control when you least expect it.” Gabriel opened his arms when she pushed against the bed and raised the wrist with the cuff on it.

“Restroom, please, Sir.” Bailey sighed and pushed herself very slowly and carefully to the edge of the bed. Her feet touched down on the floor and she stood for a long minute before straightening her shoulders and walking toward the private bath. No, she’d never be able to deny her feelings, she thought as the door closed.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Bailey woke up just a little bit fuzzy. Gabriel had made her take the pain pill and the last thing she remembered was a warm, friendly kiss before everything spread into the prettiest night sky she’d ever seen.

So when she opened her eyes and there was a rainbow of color floating at the bottom of her bed, Bailey quickly closed her eyes again and dragged in a deep breath. Alright, she thought, one more try.

“I saw you peeking, girlfriend.” Patsy tied the dozen large and sparkling balloons to the bottom of the hospital bed. “You had us all so worried.”

“Patsy…god, I hate pills. Where is that bossy…boss…”

“Bringing you breakfast and a parole,” Gabriel said drolly, stepping around the mass of balloons with a tray in his hands.

“I gotta get up.” Bailey shoved the blankets to the side, relieved Patsy dropped what she carried to the bed and moved to her side. “Thanks. Did you bring a hairbrush?”

“Of course. Someone has to help you tame that mop,” Patsy teased with a laugh. “I brought your shampoo and shower soap. Gabe told me you were leaving after breakfast, so he asked me to come help you. He’s really sweet on you.”

“Remind me to never, ever get shot again.” Bailey closed the door on the light chuckle behind her. Ten minutes later, she was standing beneath the hot shower, palms on the tiles and water soaking her. The hints of coconut in her crème rinse and the almond bath soap managed to drown out the antiseptic smell by the time she shut off the water and sunk onto the bench wrapped in a towel. She had another wrapped tightly around her head when she opened the bathroom door and peeked out.

“It’s safe. He went to get all the papers signed.” Patsy came to her side, hands floundering a little. “Tell me what you need, girlfriend. I don’t want to hurt you. Your desk was so packed with flowers and balloons! I told them to send them to your apartment, but Gabe redirected them to his house. He said you won’t be back for a few weeks.”

“It’s just a little hole…” Bailey grumbled, wincing as Patsy helped her slide her arms into the tunic she’d brought with her. Putting on a bra right now was definitely out of the question and for once she was grateful she didn’t have enough to jiggle as she walked. Panties and a pair of loose khakis came last before Patsy went to work combing out her hair and binding it into a long braid down her back. “You make it so pretty. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” She flopped back on the bed, rolling to her side to watch Bailey push food around on the plate. “You have to eat.”

“Why has everyone become my mother?” Bailey lifted the glass of juice and drained it with a long sigh. “I don’t usually eat in the mornings, you know that.”

“Food will help you heal faster,” Patsy said patiently.

“I lost my whole weekend,” Bailey said quietly. “I think I slept through most of it. And every time I closed my eyes, I saw that woman at the bottom of the stairs because my boots wouldn’t catch on the smooth carpeting. And…and I see the detective raising her gun to shoot Gabriel and I can’t make them get out of my head.”

“It’s been all over the news,” Patsy told her with a sigh. “You’re probably better off in here where the press people can’t get to you. Everyone wants to know about you.”

“No, they really don’t. And I don’t want to talk to any of them,” Bailey said firmly, lifting a piece of toast and chewing without tasting a thing.

“You won’t have to,” Gabriel said, long legs carrying him into the room with a nod at Patsy. “I see you managed to get her eating.”

“Years of practice,” Patsy admitted with a shrug. “I’ll take these over in my car. I have the others loaded in there. Thanks for inviting me.”

“I think Bailey needs a few hours of lounging at the pool and hot tub and you’re welcome anytime, Patsy.” Gabriel looked around the room, packing things into the small square bag Patsy had brought with her. “I have some plastic sheets for you to put on the wounds on both sides, Bailey. To keep it dry. But Tre says light exercise in the pool would be good for you and the hot tub will ease away the bruises.”

Bailey ate the last of the fruit on the tray, watching him do a quick check of the room before moving the case to the door.

“It was nice of you to let her come over, Gabriel,” Bailey smiled at the slight hint of embarrassment on his face. “You’re really a softee.”

“You do realize you’ll heal eventually, right, pet?”

“Yes, Sir,” she answered with a cheeky grin.

“Your chariot,” the day nurse came around the corner, sighing at the scowl from Bailey. “Procedure. And you might think you’re pumped with energy, but it’s a big world out there and you’ll get tired really fast for a few days.”

“And the appropriate answer is, yes, ma’am,” Gabriel suggested with a wink of amusement in his eyes at the waiting nurse.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bailey said, walking to the wheelchair and sinking to the seat.

“The parole isn’t final yet,” he teased, lifting the case and walking along at the side as they left the hospital for the waiting SUV. He had it warming beneath the wide cover. He’d watched Tre loosen the bandage and show him how to keep it clean and dry so he knew it was safe to put his hands on her waist and lift her into the seat before tossing the case to the back seat.

Bailey hated that they were right but let her head fall against the cool glass. A light rain was falling and it barely looked daylight, despite being almost ten in the morning.

“It’s not very pretty looking…bullet holes,” she said after buckling the seat belt.

“No, it’s not. But it will heal. The bruises will fade, Bailey,” Gabriel told her firmly, his palm sliding along her thigh.

“You know I’ll go crazy sitting around not working,” she said after a few minutes.

“You also know at least for the first week, I’m working from home.” Gabriel met the stunned look on her face. “Janet has already rearranged things for me. You will be reading, sleeping, swimming and recuperating. I’ll get whatever you want from your apartment and have it brought to the house for you. You can get caught up on projects and pretend it’s a vacation.”

“I…” she pulled both lips between her teeth and kept staring. She knew his serious face and this was definitely it. “You’re serious. You can’t stay home. You’ll hate it! You’ve already…you told me how important work is to you, Gabriel. And…really…I understand that. I can sit around and watch TV and sleep without you taking time…”

“And you don’t believe you’re just as important, just as vital to me as work?”

“I…” she had the sub’s path to answers mapped out in her brain. Trust. “People have relationships and don’t…don’t…I trust you, Gabriel. More than I ever thought possible,” she whispered in the quiet space of the SUV. “I don’t want you to regret your choice. You’ve changed your…what you believe has changed in two weeks’ time…” she worked to find the right words, the right path. “I am so afraid of saying the wrong thing,” she breathed raggedly, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes.

Gabriel began speaking after a thoughtful nod.

“Every one of my friends told me repeatedly how my hard line of it being all about the play and sex was insane where you were concerned.” He glanced over at the tears she was working hard to keep from falling. “They saw it long before I did. Maybe the intensity of what we feel when we’re together; maybe it was being able to relax and laugh and just be me for once when I’m with you…I don’t know what it is that shifted things inside me, Bailey. What I do know is I’ll never want to go back to that person again and it might be selfish, but you’re my key and I’m not willing to let you go without a fight. Maybe another part is I see tomorrow in your eyes, not just a couple hours.”

Bailey knew she had a response on the tip of her tongue. Then the house came into view through the misty eyes and her mouth fell open.

“Oh, my god! What did you do?” She whispered in amazement.

“This is not my fault,” Gabriel answered instantly. “You try and stand in the way of Emma and Patsy. I’m a Dom, pet, not a miracle worker.”

Bailey laughed, staring at the huge banner stretched across the front with
‘Welcome Home!’
in huge red letters. On the porch were her three best friends and the couples from the party they’d gone to, all cheering and waving frantically.

“Home,” she whispered in awe, blinking at him through a mist of unshed tears.

“I’d like it if you thought of it as your home, Bailey.”

“Gabe…”

“Think about it, Bailey. I know I’m not in this relationship alone. I know we’re good together and you enjoy being with me as much as I value our time together.”

“You’re asking me to take a chance,” she said softly, raising her gaze to his. “I think I’d like that.”

Gabe lifted her hand, relief in his eyes.

“Do not step out of this SUV, Bailey. I intend to fully use you and your tired, weakened state to empty the house in three hours,” Gabriel growled, barely moving his lips as he pulled the keys free and crossed in front of the vehicle, pulling her door wide. “Now be a good girl, look less fierce and put your arms around my neck.”

“We didn’t finish our discussion,” she said through a forced smile, but doing as she was instructed.

“You told me you love me. That gave me all the power in the world I need to make it finished, Bailey.” Gabriel watched the heat of color flush into her cheeks.