Ava Gray - Skin Tight

Maybe he’s dead, said a small, insidious voice. Maybe he got the Viking funeral pyre he wanted, down in the lab.

No, she told herself. I’d know.

And maybe, with his mission accomplished, he’d simply moved on. Maybe for a man like him, it was as easy as that. At what point did she give up and take the hint? When hell freezes over, her inner voice answered. He could damn well look her in the eyes and say good-bye, if that was how it would be.

The next day, Mia managed to get her ID replaced by jumping through a series of governmental hoops. She also bought a new car-one she purchased herself-and she was staying in the old couple’s condo. They had shown understanding about her “family emergency” and said it had been no trouble to have the neighbor feed Peaches while she was gone.

So now that her immediate problems had been solved, she needed to apply her problem-solving skills to locating one singular man. Mia sat down at the kitchen table and leaned down to pet the cat twining around her ankles.

She took up a pen and notepad and began to outline the obstacles. If he has a cell phone, I don’t know the number. Yes, that was a problem. Can’t remember the location of the cabin. Another problem. Not answering e-mails. She refused to consider that a hint. Maybe he had stopped checking that particular account. She also refused to entertain the possibility that he hadn’t made it out of the facility. The very idea roused sickness in her gut.

He’s fine, and I’ll find him.

The obvious solution occurred to her then. She’d hack Micor Technologies and get the address. If nothing else, they should still have it on file. It hadn’t been long enough for HR to purge the data files.

She got out her brand-new laptop and stroked the shiny silver lid. This thing was sleek and fast, and she’d thoroughly enjoyed spending money on it. Mia gave thanks that the condo was wired for high-speed internet and plugged in. It had been ages since she’d done this, but she hadn’t forgotten how.

It took five minutes to mask her IP and bounce her query through a European server, and then she went for Micor. Getting in required a little more expertise, but the HR end wasn’t exactly like the National Trust. Mia found it no challenge overall, and soon she had the information she wanted. She scrawled the address and then got out of the system. There was no point in hotdogging, though she was tempted to give everyone pay raises.

Mia jammed her feet into a random pair of shoes. Not bothering to check her hair, she grabbed a jacket and sprinted for the door, vaulting the cat along the way. She took the stairs two at a time and dove into the car. God, it seemed so long since she’d seen him.

“Are yo u positive?” Søren asked hoarsely.

Around him, the well-appointed office faded to nothing. He might’ve been sitting in a cavern or a rocky outcropping. He gripped the edges of his chair, desperate to stay grounded.

The doctor offered a comforting smile, but it left him cold. “Mr. Winter, four specialists have examined your daughter in the last two days. I rarely say this, but there is no hope. She has no higher brain function. Though I understand it is difficult to let go, I cannot offer you any prospect of a miracle.”

“So you recommend termination of life support.” They always did. It was so easy for them to speak of it.

“According to her file, this is not the first time you’ve heard that suggestion,” Dr. Geddy said. There was no judgment in his tone; for a physician, he had more than his share of compassion.

“No. But it’s the first time I am considering it.”

“It’s a difficult decision. You will want to discuss it with other family members and make sure everyone is in accord. If one person makes the call, often it can lead to familial strife.”

“There’s only me. And my mother,” he added, before the tiny furrow in the other man’s brow could blossom into a full-fledged frown.

“Then you should talk with her. The elderly often possess a great deal of wisdom in these matters, and Beulah is sharper than most.” Dr. Geddy smiled with real affection. Unlike most facilities, the staff here appeared to care.

When Søren moved on, he wouldn’t take Beulah from this place. Here, she could live out her days in peace and security.

“That she is.” He almost smiled, remembering how she’d taken full advantage of his pretense, playing it to the hilt. And then he remembered what he’d lost-what more he was about to lose. “I’ll just go visit with her.”

“Good. If you need me, I’ll be here for a couple hours yet. Let me know what you decide.”

It didn’t take long for Mia to cover the distance to his cabin, twenty minutes, but it was just as well she didn’t pass any policemen. Her hands were none too steady on the wheel; she didn’t know what he’d say, what she’d say for that matter.

Maybe their whole relationship had been born of stress, and now that the danger had passed, he wouldn’t want her. Over the past days, she had decided there would be no more pursuit. Whatever had happened down in that lab, they wouldn’t be sending goons after her.

When she pulled into his drive, she didn’t see the Infiniti. Her heart sank. But she hadn’t come this far to give up now. Mia climbed out of the car and hurried up to the front door, where she rang the bell and stood bouncing on the balls of her feet.

A stranger opened the door, looking mildly put out. “Can I help you, miss?”

“I’m sorry,” she said stupidly. “I thought… I was looking for the prior tenant.”

The man shook his head. “I’m just the cleaning guy. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

Heavyhearted, she trudged back to the car. Mia pulled back onto the state road and spent the drive pondering the problem. As she came into town, she smiled. There was one place she knew he’d go without fail.

“Whispering Pines.”

If he was leaving, he’d have to arrange a transfer. He would never leave Lexie and Beulah behind. After all, he’d taken them when he ceased being Addison Foster and became Thomas Strong. She just had to catch him before he switched names again.

Pulling into a parking lot at random, she dialed up information on her cell and got the number for the facility. The operator connected her, and within a few short rings, a perky woman answered the line. “Whispering Pines, how may I help you?”

“I’m calling to check on Lexie Winter.”

Thank God she remembered the name.

“Her father is with her,” the nurse said. “If this is his girlfriend, you’d better hurry. I could get in trouble for saying so, but… he shouldn’t do this alone.”

Do what? Shit, she couldn’t ask. That was something she ought to know.

Mia mumbled something and terminated the call. A trip that had taken much longer the first time-well, she halved it. Her heart was beating like a drum when she reached Whispering Pines. The lot was nearly empty, but she recognized his Infiniti. It was almost nightfall, and the lights gleamed within like gold bars. Mia crossed the lot at a dead run, and she was breathless when she burst into the lobby.

The nurse recognized her, thank God, or it might’ve gone another way. “It’s all right, breathe. You made it. He’s still saying good-bye.”

Oh Christ. Now she knew exactly what the other woman had meant on the phone. “Thank you. I know the way.”

“Wait. Your ID?”

Mia tossed her bag at the startled nurse and hurried down the hall. She remembered the location of the room, even though she’d only been here once. God, would he be happy to see her? Or would he view her presence as an intrusion? She only knew she had to get to him.

From several rooms away, she heard his smooth, low voice as he talked to his little girl. Mia stopped, listening, with her heart breaking. “This is the last time, min skat. I don’t know if you can hear me. I don’t know if you ever did. I regret so many things-that I never got to know the wonderful woman you would have become. That you never met the woman I loved. I think you would’ve liked her.”