Page 104 of Deadly Attraction
He’d sworn he’d never let anyone else die on his watch. He’d finally allowed himself love again and that incredible person had nearly lost her life because he hadn’t been paying attention.
He stopped in a dark section of the surgical floor and banged his forehead against the concrete wall. Emma wasn’t out of the woods yet and if shediddie…
Well then, he was going back to the cemetery, laying down next to Mac’s grave with his gun in hand, and ending it all. He was done. Done with loving people. Done with living. Because there was no way he could survive the pain of losing her. Emma—the only woman who’d ever looked inside his screwed up brain and not judged him. Not felt sorry for him.
The one woman who hadn’t tried to fix him.
Maybe she should have.
But no, there was no fixing him and the good doctor was smart enough to know it.
Mitch spun around and sagged against the wall, his chin falling to his chest. He was too tired, too burned out. His hands had Emma’s dried blood on them. Emma’s blood covered his shirt too.
Not mine. Dupé’s.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cooper Harris growled from the end of the hallway.
The big guy stood with his feet planted and his face screwed up. He looked ready to knock Mitch’s head into the wall.
Too late. Already done that.“I’m brooding. Leave me the fuck alone.”
“God, you’re an idiot.” Cooper strode forward and joined Mitch on the wall. “Crime scene’s been processed, the proper authorities notified. Goodsman’s death will hit the media shortly. Dupé has suppressed the details about Collins in order to keep her from being a target of the actor’s fans, but there’s no guarantee it won’t leak. High-profile case like this? Celebrity involvement? People are going to demand to know what happened and who was involved.”
And I can’t keep her safe.“She won’t leave the ranch.”
“You should talk to her about upping her security measures.”
“Already did. She thinks her dogs and her shotgun are all she needs.”
“Maybe she’ll be more inclined to listen after this.”
His gut churned.If she lives.“I’m sure Dupé can change her mind.”
“Yeah, about that. The director wants to speak to you. He’s downstairs.”
His career was over.Should have been over the day Mac died.“I’m not leaving the surgical floor until Emma does. If Dupé wants to talk to me, he’ll have to come up here.”
“I thought you’d say that, Agent Holden.”
Mitch and Cooper both looked left. The director stood in almost the same spot Coop had, his hands on his waist. His dark hair was combed back, his suit freshly pressed, his cheeks shiny from a recent shave.
Mitch pushed off the wall, a sudden hot rebellion propelling its way up from his gut into his chest. He faced the director. “I put her here and I’m staying until I know she’s okay.”
“She’s a unique woman, isn’t she?”
The words bloomed in his mouth. “I think I’m in love with her.”
If Dupé was surprised, he hid it well. “She sent me an email earlier. I didn’t get it until a minute ago. Apparently, she seems to think highly of you as well.”
A thick lump formed in his throat. “I never wanted this to happen. I thought Goodsman and Brown were long gone. Will and I took out the other two and I was set to get her to the safe house, and then…”
Dupé came forward, closing the distance. Mitch saw the condemnation in the man’s eyes. “I hear you saved her horses.”
Really? That was what he was going to pick a bone about? “Yeah, I saved the goddamn horses because Emma was going to risk her own life if I didn’t.”
Cooper left off the wall and came to stand beside Mitch. “Holden never signed on to play bodyguard, sir, and I take responsibility for not backing him up sooner. Regardless, I’m keeping him on my team.”
Regardless. The word seemed to hang in the air. Regardless of what Dupé wanted? The taskforce was the director’s puppy. His pride and joy. He only wanted the best of the best on it.
