Page 60 of Elliot

Maya nodded. “That makes sense. But I didn’t see any of it. I didn’t see her hatred. I didn’t realize any of it.”

“Because she didn’t want you to see it. I’m sure when your head doesn’t hurt so much, and you think back, you’ll see subtle clues.” Elliot lifted his hand and traced his finger across her forehead. “Close your eyes. Sleep if you can. I’ll be here.”

As Maya closed her eyes, she said, “Tell Silas and Rob to stay. You need to find those loose ends.”

“Maybe,” Elliot said as she drew a deep breath and started to feel that warmth and comfort expand and wrap around her. She knew he had to do this. It was who he was, and that was why she loved him.

“No, maybe … you do what you need to do … I think I love you …”

CHAPTER 22

Elliot drew a deep breath and waited for Maya to slip into a deeper sleep. “I think I love you, too,” he whispered as he brushed her hair from her cheek and studied the beautiful woman. The pallor of her face made her lashes and freckles stand out. He couldn’t explain why he felt the way he did. There wasn’t a logical reason in sight. But he knew what he knew, and yeah, it was too fast. Love at first sight didn’t happen. But damn it, he’d never felt the emotions he felt for her. He weighed it against any savior complex information he’d ever read. That wasn’t what he felt. There was no rush from being the one to save her. Only thankfulness filled his heart when he looked back at the day's events. Thankful for her warning. Thankful for Rob and Silas arriving when they did. Thankful for the NYPD cop who told him where to fucking go. Thankful that whoever took that shot hadn’t aimed any farther into the building. No, he wasn’t her savior. He was part of a confluence of events that ultimately resulted in him not mourning a love that had just started.

The nurse he’d come to know as the shift supervisor came in. “I’ve got some pain relief for her,” she whispered and injected the medicine into her IV. “She should rest easier now.”

“Thank you.” Elliot watched as the creases in her face relaxed. Her sleep eased, and he felt a sense of relief. He could tell she was hurting but trying to be brave.

“You’ve got a crowd of people waiting for you in the waiting room,” the nurse said, smoothing Maya’s blanket. “We’ll keep a good eye on her for you.”

Elliot stood up, leaned over the rail, and kissed her forehead. As he pulled back, he whispered, “I’ll make it stop. I promise.”

The light in the hall was brilliant compared to Maya’s darkened room. He walked out and found his way to the waiting room. Rob and Silas stood up immediately. There were several NYPD uniforms with them. “How is she?”

“She’ll be okay.”

Rob nodded to the uniformed officers. “They’ve been assigned to her. I wanted them to meet you and be briefed by you.”

Elliot shook each of their hands. “No one except the three of us or the medical staff goes in her room for any reason.”

“Is she a flight risk?” one of the uniformed officers asked.

“No. She’s the victim, and she’s to be protected at all costs.”

“Sorry, the reason I asked was these two were discussing how she got out of the area without them knowing.” The cop shrugged.

Elliot looked at Rob and Silas. “As we know, Jessica had a gun, and she threatened Maya’s employees, and probably you guys, too, if I had to bet. She wouldn’t allow anyone to get hurt. That’s why she didn’t alert the guard.”

“We’ve got her, sir. We’re here in shifts around the clock until you don’t need us anymore.” They left the room, discussing schedules and how to get a roster of on-duty medical staff on the floor.

“We figured you might need some help. If you’d rather we stay on the door, we’ll do it.”

“Let me find out where we are first.” Elliot put his hand in his pocket, put his comms device back in his ear, and activated it. “Con, what have you got?”

“A bunch of stuff. How’s Maya?”

“A bad concussion. She’ll be okay. We have NYPD here to watch the door.” Elliot walked out into the hall and watched as one guard took up position at the door and the other went to the nurses’ station. The third, probably the night guard, lifted a hand and headed out.

“Yep, I’ve run the men they assigned. All are good men; nothing in their jackets would make me question their ability.”

He looked at Rob and Silas. “You’re with me on this.” They both nodded. He walked back into the waiting room for some semblance of privacy and switched back to his conversation with Con. “What else do you have?”

“Let’s start at the beginning. Jessica purchased the silicone on the floor that night you showed up at Maya’s office. I cross-referenced her financials, and she bought it the day before. It’s an exact match for the substance on the floor. I finally got a facial match on the messenger. He was one of the guys who ended up DOA at the construction site today.

“He had no record, yet he was carrying a weapon that had been stolen and used in a murder in Florida. There was a huge breach of an evidence locker in Miami, and it was one of the items taken. Along with about a million dollars worth of meth that was awaiting destruction.”

Elliot lodged that bit of information. “All right. What else?”

“The shooter who clipped your wing was on the rooftop where the weather cam was located. I could only get a partial view of him.”

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