Hunter's Way (24 page)

He clutched his fists. “If I find the bastards, I’ll kill them,” he growled.

“You’re too late for that.”

“What happened? Amy said she was taken from your marina,” he said.

“Yes.”

“How could you let that happen?” he demanded.

Tori narrowed her eyes, piercing him with a glare that caused him to take a step back. “Let it happen?” she repeated quietly. “I did everything in my power to find her.”

He ran both hands through his neat hair. In fact, he was impeccably dressed. No doubt, he’d taken time for a shower. Amazing.

“I’m sorry, this just freaks me out,” he said. “Ever since she transferred to Homicide, it’s been one problem after another.”

“Problem? She’s a cop. This is what we do.”

“She’s been trapped in a tunnel, shot at, mixed up in that drug bust that was all your doing and now this. It keeps coming back to you,” he spat.

Tori’s reply was cut short when a nurse opened the door. She smiled at Tori and nodded.

“She’s fine. She’s asking for you.”

“Wait. I’m her fiancé. I need to see her,” Robert said, walking toward the nurse.

Fiancé? Tori sighed.

“I’m sorry, sir. She only asked me to send Detective Hunter in.”

“Will you just tell her I’m here? I’m sure she’ll want to see me.”

“Of course.” She held the door open for Tori, then followed her inside, closing the door firmly in Robert’s face.

“Hey,” Tori said. She was greeted with a hesitant smile, then Sam patted the bed for her to come closer. She was on top of the sheet, still wearing the sweats that Tori had found for her.

“Thank you for staying. I know it’s been a long night.”

“I wouldn’t think of leaving you,” Tori said honestly, perching on the edge of the bed.

“Detective Kennedy? There’s a gentleman outside. He says he’s your fiancé,” the nurse told her.

“Robert,” Sam murmured. “How did he hear about it?”

“I… used your cell and called Amy. I thought you would want someone to know,” Tori said.

Sam nodded. “Tell him it’ll just be a second.”

“I should probably go,” Tori said. “I’m sure you’d rather have him here.”

“I would rather you stay, Tori. They said I can go home, but…” She didn’t want to be alone. But she couldn’t deal with Robert right now.

“Okay. You want me to… take you home? I can stay with you tonight,” Tori offered. “Or maybe Robert should.”

Sam reached out and grasped Tori’s hand. She looked pale. She looked more tired than Sam had ever seen her. “I want you to stay with me,” she said quietly. “Please?”

Tori nodded.

“Why don’t you have someone look at your head? I can’t believe you’ve been here this long and didn’t grab a nurse.”

“Grab a nurse, huh?”

Sam smiled. “You know what I mean.”

“Okay.” She stood, then looked down at their clasped hands. She squeezed. “Is everything… all right with you?”

“A few bruises.”

Tori reached out and brushed Sam’s cheek. It was swollen.

“You’ll need to make sure they check the victims for… HIV,” Sam said with difficulty.

Tori nodded. “All of them?”

“Just two,” Sam whispered and felt tears gather again.

Tori nodded again. “I’m so sorry, Sam.”

“It’s not your fault. It was just… the job,” she said. “I have to look at it that way, Tori. Like when you got shot. It was the job.”

“Have they set you up with a psychologist?”

“Yes. I spoke briefly with Doctor MacIntyre. I’m going to see her in a couple of days.”

“Good.”

“Go have someone take a look at you, Tori. And send Robert in, okay? I might as well get it over with.”

“Yeah. I’ll be waiting out there whenever you’re ready to leave.” Sam took a deep breath, then released Tori’s hand. “Thank you for staying.”

“It’s the only way I’m assured of getting my clothes back,” Tori teased. At the door, she paused, looking back. Sam met her eyes for a long moment. Then Tori nodded and opened the door. Robert was waiting. “She’ll talk to you now,” Tori said.

“Thank you, Detective, but I can handle it from here. I know you must be tired.”

“Whatever you say. I’ll just be…” Robert closed the door on her reply, moving instead to Samantha’s side. “Samantha, God, look at you,” he said. He clasped her hands, bringing them to his lips. “You could have been hurt.”

“Hurt? I am hurt, Robert,” she said quietly. “You know what I mean, Samantha. They could have killed you.”

“Yeah, that was the plan. Thank God Tori found me in time.”

“I want you to transfer out of Homicide. After this, I doubt anyone would object. You can go back to Assault,” he said. “Are you listening to what you’re saying, Robert?”

“Samantha, you could have been hurt,” he said again. “Now, when can you leave? I’m taking you home with me.”

“No, Robert. I’m not going with you.”

“Of course you are, Samantha. You can’t go to your apartment alone. I’ll call Amy and see if she can stay with you tomorrow.”

“Will you stop? You don’t… control me, Robert. I am going to my apartment but I won’t be alone. Tori is going with me.”

“Tori? After what she did to you, you want her to be with you?”

“What she did to me? She saved my life, Robert. CIU wasn’t around, just Tori. She found me.” Sam softened her words by taking his hand. “Robert, I thought we’d talked about us. I thought you understood.”

“I love you, Samantha. I want to be with you,” he said sadly.

209 “I’m sorry, Robert. I’m not going to lie to you. I care about you, I really do. But I’m not… in love with you,” she whispered. “We can’t go on like we were, pretending that we have a future together. That’s not fair to you, Robert.”

“Samantha, we can work through this. We’re good together, you know we are.”

“No, Robert. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not giving up on us, Samantha. You’re everything I want in a woman, I won’t give this up.”

“I’m not everything you want, Robert. You want me to transfer out of here because this isn’t what you want. Don’t you see? This is what I want.”

He stood, pulling away. “Why, Samantha? Why would you want this? Look what it’s done to us.”

“Yes. It’s made me realize that we don’t belong together. I need a partner that will support me, Robert. Not want me to change.”

They were interrupted by a quick knock on the door and the nurse entered. She smiled, holding up a chart. “I’ve got your release, Detective Kennedy. Whenever you’re ready to go,” she said.

“Thank you.”

Sam swung her legs off the bed, grimacing at the pain. “Is Detective Hunter outside?”

“No. She’s getting a few stitches. That one is a big baby,” the nurse said with a laugh.

Sam smiled. No doubt. She could take a blow to the head but ran scared when it came to doctors.

“Samantha, please, let me take you home,” Robert said again.

“No, Robert. But thank you for coming up here. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how I’m doing.”

He finally nodded, then walked to her and kissed her cheek. She tried not to flinch, but she did.

“I’m sorry. I guess…”

“It’s okay, Robert. I’ll call you.”

The nurse watched him leave, then shook her head. “Men, they don’t understand,” she said quietly. “He’s your fiancé?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.”

Sam frowned. “What do you mean?”

The nurse shrugged. “You seemed much more pleased to see your partner out there than him.”

“Yes.”

“I can tell these things,” she said. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

“No. Neither does she.” The nurse smiled and patted her hand. “Oh, I think she knows, Detective.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

“Are you hungry?” Tori asked when she locked the door.

“No. I’m just… exhausted.” Then Sam turned, still clad in the borrowed sweats and T-shirt. “Are you?”

“No.”

Sam nodded. “I want to take another shower.”

“I understand. Go ahead. I’ll flip through the channels.”

“Tori, will you sleep with me tonight?”

Their eyes met across the room. “If you want me to, of course,” Tori said quietly.

“I don’t… I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered.

Tori walked over, wrapping long arms around her. Sam clung to her and cried.

“It’s okay,” Tori murmured. “Shhh.”

“I was so scared.”

“I know. I was scared, too.”

Sam pulled out of her arms, wiping at her tears. “I’m sorry. I’m just so tired.”

“Go take a shower. Maybe we’ll have a glass of wine? It’ll help you sleep.”

Sam nodded. “There’s another shower, in the small bathroom there,” she said, pointing. “I have some shorts you can borrow.”

“I have some in my bag,” Tori said. “Go on. Don’t worry about me.”

Tori waited until she heard the water running before stripping off her own clothes. She stood under the hot spray, trying to wash away the last ten hours. Sam was being so brave about the whole thing. It hadn’t hit her yet, Tori knew. Tomorrow, probably, in the light of day. She wished she could stay with her, but she knew that was impossible. She had statements to give and she had their own case to think about. She had hardly given it a thought over the weekend. Her only consolation was that their killer had taken the weekend off, too.

She found Sam sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of wine. Another sat on the low table in front of her.

“Feel better?” she asked. Tori stood in her shorts and bare feet, staring at Sam.

“Better. You?”

“Yes.”

Tori joined her on the sofa and they both put their feet up. Sam had nice feet, Tori noted. Then she saw the light bruises around her ankles. Again, she couldn’t imagine what Sam had gone through.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

Sam shook her head. “No.”

Tori nodded. She understood. “Was Robert… upset?”

“He seemed to be more upset that I wouldn’t go home with him than he did by this whole ordeal,” Sam said.

“Men, sometimes, don’t know how to handle this,” Tori said diplomatically. “It’s hard for them to… relate, I guess.”

“Yes, I guess. But he, he never really asked how I was, you know? He wanted me to transfer out of Homicide and go someplace safe, like to his apartment.”

“I’m sure he’s just looking out for you, Sam.”

Sam turned her head and met Tori’s eyes. “I think in his own way, yes, he was. I think he saw this as an opportunity to mend our relationship. He’s having a hard time accepting that it’s over.”

“And you’re certain you want it to be?”

Sam nodded. “Yes. I’m not in love with him, Tori. He’s not who I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

They sat quietly, both sipping their wine. So many thoughts running through Sam’s mind, she didn’t know where to start. But one thing was certain, she was so very thankful that Tori was the one who looked for her tonight. She was certain CIU would never have found her in time.

“I’m really tired, Tori. Can we go to bed?”

Tori sat up immediately. “Of course.”

Sam put the lamp on beside her bed and Tori stood in the doorway, looking around the room. It was neat, no clutter. It matched Sam. She pulled the covers back, revealing dark blue sheets.

“Come on. I won’t bite,” Sam said.

Smiling slightly, Tori walked into the room. She slipped off her shorts, dutifully leaving her T-shirt on. She pulled the covers over them both, then waited as Sam turned off the lamp. They both lay in silence, then Sam sighed.

“Will you hold me?” she whispered.

Tori turned and drew Sam into her arms, pulling her close against her. Sam snuggled into her warmth, breathing in the scent that she had come to recognize. She couldn’t think of a time in her life that she felt safer than she did right at that moment. Then Tori slowly moved her hand, rubbing lightly on her back.

“Tori?”

“Hmm?”

“You do know, you’re just a teddy bear, don’t you?”

“A teddy bear?”

“Yes. You pretend to be this great big grizzly bear with everyone else, but with me, you’re a teddy bear,” Sam murmured.

“Only with you,” Tori whispered. And she knew it was true.

Her arms tightened and she closed her eyes. She couldn’t remem ber the last time she’d slept with someone. This was nice.

“Tori?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for finding me.”

Tori smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“Remind me to tell you something in the morning. Something he said to me,” she murmured tiredly.

“Sanchez Gomez?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Now, close your eyes.”

“They are closed.”

Tori chuckled, then bent and lightly kissed Sam’s forehead. “Sleep.”

Sam sighed and burrowed deeper against Tori. She was soft. The arm circling Tori’s waist tightened. As she fell asleep, she was dimly aware that she was using Tori’s breast as a pillow. It was nice.

Chapter Thirty

The banging on the door roused Tori, and she forced her eyes open. Sunlight streamed in from the blinds, and she closed her eyes again. They were in much the same position as when they had fallen asleep, only Sam had thrown one leg over Tori’s and that leg was nestled firmly between her thighs.

Tori groaned, giving her fantasy full rein as she pulled Sam closer against her. The other woman tightened her arms but didn’t wake. But the pounding on the door wouldn’t stop. Tori finally moved away from Sam, smiling as Sam whimpered at the loss of contact. Tori pulled the covers around her again, then padded quietly from the room, her bare feet silent on the carpeted floor.

“Who is it?” she asked at the door.

“Amy.”

Tori nodded, then unlocked the door, holding it open. Amy stared at her, roving over her scantily clad body slowly. She raised her eyebrows.

“Her partner?”

“Yes. Tori Hunter.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yes. She’s still asleep.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s nearly ten. I didn’t know when to come over.”

Tori shrugged. “Let me get dressed.”

Amy watched her walk off… to the bedroom. The bedroom? Good God, this was her partner? She was… stunning. No wonder Sam wouldn’t mind if this woman hit on her. Amy wasn’t sure she would mind, either. Then she shook her head, moving into the kitchen to start coffee.