Chapter Five

"Uh-oh," Nelson Parker muttered.

Reese followed her boss's gaze down the hospital hallway and saw a woman rise from a chair in the seating area outside the intensive care unit and start toward them. Swiftly, Reese took stock. Nearly her height, but not as muscular. Shoulder-length dark hair, looking as if it had been subtly cut to hold its casual style no matter the wind or weather. Light makeup, clear, pale complexion, hazel eyes gleaming even in the dim light. Piercing eyes hard, unreadable eyes. A faint smile that might have been welcome or warning. At just after four in the morning, the woman, dressed casually in tan slacks and a cream-colored short-sleeved blouse, looked remarkably fresh and alert. She also looked, Reese thought, as if she were enjoying herself. Uh-oh is right.

"You must be here about Robert Bridger," the woman said in a rich, smooth alto, her eyes moving slowly from Nelson to Reese.

"I'm Chief Nelson Parker and this is Sheriff Reese Conlon," Nelson said. He held out his hand, which the woman took.

"How do you do? I'm Trey Pelosi, the Bridgers' attorney." She smiled again, and turned to Reese with an extended hand. "Sheriff."

"Counselor," Reese said quietly, "Vacationing in the area?"

"Why, yes," Trey answered, her eyes sharpening as she gave Reese an appraising glance. "I have a summer home in Truro."

"Yours must have been the taillights we saw ahead of us all the way up here."

Trey laughed. "Actually, I've been here a few hours."

His parents must have called you as soon as I finished talking to them, Reese surmised. You probably got here before Robert arrived. Gives a new meaning to the term ambulance chaser

"We called the boy's doctors on our way up from Provincetown," Nelson stated. "They informed us that Robert was awake and could answer some questions. Are his parents here?"

"They are. Yes." She hadn't moved and her smile hadn't wavered. She stood comfortably, but quite obviously, in their path. "The doctors were partially correct. Robert is awake, but I'm afraid he won't be answering any questions."

"Is there some reason you don't want him to talk to us, Counselor?" Reese asked in a steady, even tone.

"Are you charging him with a crime, Sheriff?"

"At the moment, we're simply trying to find out what happened. He's the only one who can tell us."

"And at the moment, Robert isn't up to being questioned," Trey responded firmly without raising her voice.

"The doctors said" Nelson began.

"I'm sorry that you both came all the way up here in the middle of the night," Trey interjected, her tone still reasonable. "However, I'm afraid that at the present time I can't allow Robert to answer any questions. Sometime tomorrow, I expect that his parents will retain permanent counsel. If you give me your contact information, I'll be certain that you're notified."

"You're not a criminal attorney, then?" Reese asked

Once again, a smile flickered at the corner of Trey's mouth and was quickly gone. "No, I'm a corporate attorney. Robert's mother is...an old friend. I was nearby, and they asked me to serve as temporary counsel."

"Ms. Pelosi," Reese said sharply, "I have a dead teenager whose name I don't know. Somewhere, that girl's parents are wondering where she is. I need to answer their question, and to do that, I need Robert to tell me who she is. That's all I want right now."

Nothing showed in Trey's eyes now as she met Reese's not sympathy, not irritation, not anger. Her expression remained remote. "I appreciate your situation, Sheriff. I'm certain that Robert's attorney will do everything possible to assist you at the appropriate time. But for tonight, Robert is unavailable."

"Thanks," Nelson said quickly as he caught the rigid set of Reese's jaw out of the corner of his eye. She'd been up all night, and although she didn't look it, he knew she was wrapped pretty tight. He felt a little sick himself, and he hadn't been the one to find a dead girl in the dunes. When Reese had awoken him to advise him of the situation, the first thing he'd flashed on was the night they'd found Bri out there, beaten and nearly dead. The swift surge of nausea still hadn't left him, and he could only imagine what the frustration and distress was doing to Reese. Ordinarily, his second in command was the picture of equanimity in a stressful situation, but some things just got to you more than others. And being stonewalled at this point in the investigation was tough to swallow. "Here's my card. Please tell Robert's family that we'll be in touch tomorrow and will need to speak to him."

"Certainly," Trey said, taking the card and sliding it into her left breast pocket. She nodded before turning away. "Good night, Officers."

Reese watched her walk away with a combination of admiration and supreme irritation. It was difficult to be angry with someone who was simply doing her job very well, but at the moment, she was furious. Every minute that passed without her having a name for the girl lying under a white sheet in Tory's clinic awaiting transfer to the morgue in Barnstable for autopsy added to her sense of helplessness and rage. "Son of a bitch."

Nelson's eyebrows arched. Reese rarely cursed in his presence or, to his knowledge, much at all. It wasn't because she was too proper or too uptight; she was simply too controlled. "I'll bet she's hell in a courtroom."

"I suppose I should just be glad that I'll never find out," Reese muttered. Turning away, she rubbed a hand over her face wearily. "God damn it."

As they walked down the hall toward the elevators, Nelson clapped Reese briefly on the shoulder before putting his hands in his pockets. "Look, it makes sense for her to advise the family not to let him talk. Once we get a better handle on what happened out there get some of the lab reports back, check the scene by daylight, get a little leverage on our side we'll try again. We might have nothing to charge him with, and even if we do, in all likelihood the state boys will take it over anyhow."

Reese cut him a look of disgust. "I'm not thinking about the charges, I'm thinking about a dead girl with no name."

"I know."

His voice was edged with pain, and Reese sighed as they stepped out into the dawn. "Sorry, Chief."

"No need to apologize. It pisses me off, too." He slid into the cruiser and waited while Reese climbed into the passenger side. "I'll drop you off home." At her look of protest, he shook his head firmly. "Nothing is going to change in the next few hours, so you might as well get some sleep. If anything comes up, I'll call you."

"Yes, sir."

"Are the kids okay?"

She knew what he meant without asking. "Bri's fine. She handled herself perfectly during the vehicle surveillance and search. Allie, too. She was a little bit shaken up after finding the body, so we'll need to keep an eye on her for the next day or two. But she was solid in the field."

"Glad to hear it. Christ, how the hell did I end up with a force that's half women?" he muttered under his breath.

For the first time in hours, Reese grinned. "Just lucky, I guess, Chief."

Forty-five minutes later, Reese let herself quietly into her house through the back door. She stopped in the kitchen and made a small pile of her equipment belt, keys, and hat on the breakfast counter. When she slipped as quietly as possible up the stairs, loosening her tie and unbuttoning her shirt as she went, she heard a tiny whimper from the nursery. Moving quickly, she entered the room and leaned over the crib. Reggie, waving one tiny fist in the air, regarded her with solemn eyes and the ghost of a smile.

"Hey, Tiger. You're awake already, huh?" Reese reached in and lifted her out. Cradling the baby on her left shoulder, she used her right hand to open a fresh diaper on top of the bassinet and arrange the other necessary supplies. Then she laid her daughter down to change her. "So, did you dream about something special last night? You have dreams, right? I bet you do. Exciting ones." With swift economy, she closed the sticky tabs to hold the diaper in place and maneuvered the baby into a clean one. "Hungry yet? Sure you are. You're always hungry."

Reggie made a gurgling sound of assent.

"Okay. Breakfast, then. What do you say we let Mommy sleep and get some of the stored stuff out of the refrigerator?"

"Mommy's awake," Tory said from the doorway where she'd been leaning watching her lover take care of their daughter. There were times that she looked at the two of them and feared her heart would burst.

Reese turned with the baby in her arms. "Hey."

Tory crossed the room and kissed Reese on the mouth. "Hi. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Just a little tired."

"Why don't you get ready for bed, and I'll take care of her. I'll be there as soon as she's settled again."

"Feed her in bed. I like to watch."

Tory held out her arms for Reggie. "All right. Go get out of your uniform."

A few minutes later, Reese crawled under the covers and turned on her side next to Tory and the baby. She propped her head on one hand and rested the other hand on Tory's abdomen, her fingers just touching the baby's leg. "She looks so content."

"She is," Tory said with a small laugh. She ran the fingers of her free hand through the hair at the back of Reese's neck. "Want to tell me about last night?"

Reese shook her head. "Not until she's done. I don't want to think about anything except how beautiful both of you are."

Tory drew a sharp breath. "Honey, it's probably best that I not be aroused in the middle of this."

"You think she could tell?" Reese asked seriously.

"No," Tory laughed again, "but I can only handle so many conflicting stimuli at once."

"Oh." Reese was quiet for a few seconds. "That's a pretty sexy thought."

Tory tugged on Reese's hair. "I think your daughter isn't the only one who's hungry. Can you stay awake long enough?"

"I'm not the slightest bit tired."

"Give me ten minutes to get her fed and back to bed."

When Tory returned from the nursery, Reese lay on her back with both arms behind her head, watching Tory with an appreciative expression as she crossed the room. "That was eleven."

"Was it?" Tory asked as she drew the sheet aside and stretched out on top of Reese. She braced herself with her bent elbows on either side of Reese's head, once again threading her fingers into Reese's hair. With her mouth hovering above Reese's, she murmured, "Then I'll have to take a little longer doing what I plan on doing to you to make up for it."

Reese's moan was lost in the depths of Tory's mouth as their lips met and Tory settled her hips more closely between Reese's legs. Their joining was as seamless as two halves of a whole slotting together, their bodies and hearts blending effortlessly. Tory allowed the weight of her body to press into Reese's firm muscles and soft skin, loving the solid feel of Reese beneath her. Reese so strong, so tender, everything she'd dreamed of, everything she counted on, everything she needed.

"Reese, I love you."

Almost dizzy with the heat of Tory's passion against her, inside her mouth, surrounding her, Reese opened her eyes and searched her lover's. "I need you so much."

Tory lifted her hips and slid her hand between their bodies, cupping Reese in her palm. Slowly, watching her lover's face, she slid into her, claiming her as she had been claimed. "I'm here, baby. Always." She settled her hips once again, her own wetness warming the top of her hand as Reese's flowed into her palm. When she began to thrust, Reese groaned and her eyelids flickered closed.

"Reese," Tory gasped, rocking harder, exciting herself as she entered Reese more deeply with each plunge, "watch my face. Watch my face and know how much I love you."

With supreme effort Reese opened her eyes. "I'll come just from looking at you."

"I want you to come watching me love you." Tory's voice was throaty and fierce as her hips bucked harder. Reese was everywhere under her, around her, filling her heart to overflowing.

Reese caught Tory's breast in her hand, squeezing gently to the same rhythm that beat through her blood and her bones as Tory took her higher. Her skin burned, her belly was molten, and her mind filled with shimmering lights. She felt Tory's fingers inside her, filling her, holding her, owning her. "Slow down. Tor, slow down."

"No."

"Please. Come first," Reese implored. "Let me see you come."

Stilling her hand, Tory threw her head back and circled her hips faster between Reese's thighs, rubbing her clitoris harder over the back of her hand. "Oh God, soon." She caught her lower lip between her teeth and looked down into Reese's eyes as the first tendrils of orgasm floated free. The love and wonder she saw in their blue depths shot through her just as the orgasm exploded outward, and she crested on the twin peaks of unbearable pleasure. Crying out, she pushed her fingers hard into Reese, who immediately arched her back and came.

"Thank you," Reese groaned when she could finally talk. She held Tory tightly, cradling her lover's damp face against her shoulder. She kissed Tory's forehead and smoothed her hair away from her face. "You're so beautiful like that. Until Reggie I'd never seen anything that came close to being as beautiful,"

Heart aching, Tory pressed her lips to Reese's neck. "I would never hurt you intentionally. You know that, don't you?"

"I know." Reese continued to stroke Tory's neck and shoulders as she reached with her free hand to pull the sheet over them. She closed her eyes for a second while she summoned her courage. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid that it will be too much, too soon. I still remember what it felt like riding in that goddamned ambulance the night Reggie was born and being afraid that I would lose you. Lose you both." Reese pressed her face to Tory's hair. "I couldn't stand it, Tor. I couldn't make it without you."

Tory gave a small cry and pushed herself up until she could see Reese's face. "Oh, baby. No. Nothing like that is going to happen. I promise."

"Sometimes I worry that I won't be able to take care of you. Christ..." Reese took a long, shaky breath. "The only things I'm good at being a marine, being a cop don't seem to be enough sometimes."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Tory said gently. She kissed Reese's mouth softly. "You are strong and brave and gentle and kind and tender. You love me and you love Reggie and that's everything. Everything."

"God, I hope so." Reese kissed Tory again, deeply, with near-desperate passion. When she drew away, she sighed with a conflicting combination of contentment and concern. "You have to get help at the clinic, Tor. It will be too much otherwise. It was already too much before Reggie was born, and now"

"I will. I'll find someone. I promise."

Reese caught Tory's hand and brought it to her lips, then gently kissed each finger. "Promise that you'll take care of yourself. It won't help your patients if you get sick."

"I'll take care of myself for you and for Reggie." Tory slid to Reese's side and stroked her lover's neck and chest. "Go to sleep now, honey. Everything is going to work out."

Reese allowed Tory to gentle her into sleep, needing the strength of her lover's comfort to dispel the vision of a nameless blond girl who reached out to her through the dark.