Chapter 11
Hannah awoke with Brady’s foot in her face, the boy’s body upside down beside her. His limbs were cold and she twisted him around and beneath the covers he was forever kicking aside.
Light spilled through the seam around the window, telling her it was morning.
She could still hear the wind outside but it was far better than it had been when she fell asleep.
She squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered touching Noah’s bare chest, the springy hair on her fingertips and the warmth of his very male, very alive skin.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, horrified.
I all but begged him to have sex with me.
Thank God Brady woke up before you straddled Noah like a saddle.
She shook her head. How the hell was she going to face him this morning?
She wondered how bad it was outside. Maybe she could mumble her thanks and skate out the door without further incident. Convinced that was how this would go, she unwound herself from her son and tiptoed from the room.
It was dark in the hall and living room, as well, the windows boarded up with no lights or power. She moved to the sliding glass doors, where a bit of light escaped around the handle, trying to see outside. The doors were the only glass still intact in the condo.
“I’ll take the plywood off of there for you,” said Noah.
She spun around. “I didn’t see you there.”
He stood. “I’ve been up for a while.”
“What time is it?”
“Just past ten.”
He went down the hall, returning with a hammer. He walked like a panther and her throat felt dry. He pried the plywood away from the sliders. He was shirtless and wore pajama pants, the muscles of his back and arms standing out in relief from the shadows.
Sex appeal on a stick. That’s what he was. She shook her head to clear it. “Do you have anything to drink?”
“Bottled water in the kitchen. When I get this open, I can make coffee. The camp stove needs to be outside.”
“I’m not a coffee drinker. I like tea.”
“You’re welcome to look in the cabinets. Lizzie might have had some tea.”
She moved to the kitchen and found the water, taking a long sip before exploring the cabinets.
It felt wrong to be going through the cupboards of a woman she barely knew, who’d died right here in this very place.
Teacups, plates. Glasses. Was Noah right?
Had Joe shared his concerns about the missing drugs with Lizzie Ryker?
A tall cupboard proved to be a pantry, a small selection of tea bags on the top shelf. She walked back into the living room, the doors now uncovered, a stunning view of the ocean beyond. Noah opened the door and stepped onto the balcony, wind whipping into the condo. She followed.
“Look down. We’re like an island,” said Noah.
She moved to the railing. Where there should have been a beach, there was only water. It continued to the condominium, where it splashed against it like the sea on cliffs. She gasped. “How far do you think it goes?”
“I already tried to make it to street level. There’s water in the stairwell about half a flight deep—maybe six or seven feet. From the hallway window on the second floor all I can see is water.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
They stood quietly for several minutes, her thoughts wandering to last night.
She would have slept with him. Just like that, mere hours after he pointed a gun at her, she would have climbed into his bed like there was nothing to it but a little no-holds-barred lust. What the hell was wrong with her?
“Hannah, about last night…”
She sucked in her stomach. She was embarrassed and more than a little disgusted with herself, and her cheeks heated. “It was a mistake. I know.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
She dared a look at him, those damnable steely eyes homing in on hers. “Can we just forget it ever happened?” she asked.
He looked out at the ocean. “We’re going to be together for days. You don’t want to talk about it?”
“What is there to say? Sorry I threw myself at you last night, it won’t happen again? I feel stupid enough already without that conversation.”
“Why do you feel stupid?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please.”
“We both wanted the same thing. I don’t feel stupid.
Out of line, for sure. I took advantage of you yesterday—first when I needed your help and later when I brought you to this place when you didn’t want to come.
It was wrong of me to think of you that way, but there’s no reason you should feel anything but desirable. ”
His words made her body light up, warmth curling in her midsection.
“I just wanted to apologize,” he said. “I won’t cross that line again.”
She folded her arms over her chest and stared at the ocean. Just how long were they going to be here together? She’d never lived through a hurricane and had no idea how long it took the waters to recede.
One night with this man and she’d already behaved badly. The very last thing on earth she wanted to do was have a repeat performance of last night, and the longer they were together, the more likely that was to happen.
“When Brady wakes up, I’m going to go through Lizzie’s desk and see what I can find, just like I went through your husband’s. I’m going to use this time to find out what I can, but after that, you should know I’m going to ask for your help one last time.”
“What now?”
“I need to get into the hospital.”
“No. I can’t do that.”
“She’s my sister. I have to do everything I can to find out what happened to her. Don’t you want to know if Joe’s death was really a heart attack or not?”
She swallowed her reluctance to share the depth of her suspicions. “The microscope. I brought it home from the hospital along with some slides I had prepared from his body at my own expense.”
“Why?”
“I told you I had my doubts about his cause of death.” She shrugged. “I’m a doctor. This is how I investigate.”
He nodded. “We both need answers. You can set up on the dining room table if you like.”
“Thank you.”
“I am going to need your help to get into the hospital, Hannah.”
“Even if I let you in the front door, the offices are locked. There’s nothing I can do to get you inside them.”
“I can get past a lock. Is there an alarm system?”
“Some of the doors are alarmed. Not all. I’m not sure how much of the building will be powered by the backup generators.”
“Probably just the ones I want to get through. That’s usually the way it works.” He gave her a sardonic grin.
She moved to the microscope and carried it to the table. “Brady could sleep through a three-ring circus. You don’t need to wait for him to wake up if you want to get started.”
“No time like the present.” Noah left the room.
She lifted the plastic cover off the microscope, running her finger down its arm. “No time like the present,” she whispered. Her eyes stung as she moved to get the slides out of her purse.