Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Can - By Kat Martin Page 0,54

through his veins.

Sixteen

The stark white hospital room, its only window looking out on another concrete wing of the building, was beginning to wear on Claire’s nerves. At least the fresh-cut flowers on the sill and lined up on tables countered the antiseptic smells.

Most of the colorful bouquets had come from Ben’s friends in Houston: Sage and Jake; Trace Rawlins and his wife, Maggie; yellow daisies from Sol and the office manager, Annie Mayberry. A huge bouquet of exotics had arrived from Alex Justice and his bride, who were still on their honeymoon in Costa Rica.

Flowers had come from Johnnie Riggs and his wife, Amy, and a bouquet with a silly G.I. Joe balloon floating above it came from Tyler Brodie. That, of course, was the one Ben liked best.

At night Claire returned to the La Quinta Motel, a few blocks down the street. Sage and Jake had waited with Claire the entire first day until Ben’s condition was stable enough he could be moved to a private room.

They’d turned out to be amazing friends. Before they’d left, Jake had spoken to the police, clearing up the matter of Ben’s involvement in the shooting. Ben had given a statement and been interviewed by a pair of detectives named Holloway and Sparks. That had led to an arrest warrant for Duke Hutchins for attempted murder. Troy was wanted for the abduction of a minor.

Sage had insisted on sending the company jet back to pick Ben up when he was discharged from the hospital, which had happened that morning. As soon as Ben was officially released, they would drive to the executive terminal at the airport, drop the rental car and board the plane.

While Ben dressed in the clothes she had brought him last night—a pair of jeans and a navy blue T-shirt retrieved from his duffel in the back of the Tahoe—Claire walked out into the hall to answer a call on her BlackBerry. Checking the caller ID, she pressed it against her ear.

“Mom! It’s great to hear your voice.”

“Hi, honey. Dad and I are just back from the cruise and getting settled in. The trip was wonderful. Rome was spectacular, and oh, we loved Barcelona.” Her mother went on to describe all the wonders they had seen and the fabulous museums they had visited. “I wish you could have been with us.”

“Me, too, Mom. Maybe next time.” It certainly would have been less stressful. “I’m glad you had such a great trip.”

Her dad took the phone. “Everything’s good back here. How are things at your end of the country?”

No way was she telling her parents where she was or any of what she was doing. Not until this was over. Her dad had a heart condition, not too serious, but he had to watch what he ate, and stress wasn’t good for him.

“Oh, just same ole, same ole.” I’m at the hospital with a man I slept with but you don’t know. He’s recovering from a bullet wound in his side. “Just working hard, doing a little travel for my job.” Oh, and did I mention I was assaulted while I was helping the man you don’t know search for his son—who may have been abducted by a white supremacist?

But none of that came out of her mouth. Her dad talked a little longer, then her mom got back on the phone to say goodbye. “You’re still coming home for Thanksgiving, right?”

“Absolutely,” Claire said. She told them she loved them and hung up the phone.

She loved her parents, but she enjoyed her independence. And she wasn’t ready to tell them anything about Ben. She wasn’t sure she ever would be.

She started to stuff the phone back into her purse when it rang again. She checked the number, but it didn’t look familiar. She pressed the phone against her ear.

“Hello, Claire. I’ve missed you.”

Her fingers tightened around the phone. “Michael.”

“I went by your apartment before I left the country, but you weren’t home.”

“You’re back in Colombia?”

“I won’t be here much longer. I’d like to get together when I get back, talk things over, see where we stand.”

Claire’s gaze shifted toward the door to Ben’s room. “We stand exactly where we stood when you left the country the first time. It’s over, Michael, and I’m moving on. You need to do the same.”

“I love you. I’m not willing to throw what we had away.”

She couldn’t deal with this now. Not with everything else that was going on. “I wish things could be different,