female. A rush of craving, longing and trembling she’d never known held her in a vise-like grip, refusing to release her.
He looks so good.
He smells so good.
He feels so good.
And I need him to make me feel good—to help me to heal inside and out.
Hot tears pricked the backs of Celia’s eyelids with the silent entreaty. She’d spent the past year wallowing in fear and grief. As a doctor she’d come face-to-face with life and death on what had become a daily basis. She’d called the time of death on patients ranging from newborns to centenarians, and it was never easy. She was a scientist and a realist. It was inevitable that life was always followed by death.
What she never would’ve anticipated was that her own life could’ve possibly been ended by a teenage boy who had resorted to murder because of a frivolous boast.
Gavin eased back, staring at the woman in his embrace. “Are you all right, baby?” The endearment had slipped out unbidden.
Celia nodded, smiling. “I’m real good,” she admitted. And she was. Being cradled in Gavin’s arms made her feel as if she’d been frozen, locked away in a state of suspended animation for the past year, and now she was finally thawing out. “There’s a restaurant called Carmel’s on Page and Battery Park. They have good food and alfresco dining.”
“Let’s do it. You’re going to have to show me how to get there.”
Glancing at his watch, Gavin noted the time. It was almost one. He’d suggested lunch because he’d only drunk two cups of coffee earlier that morning. Most of his time was spent on the computer, reading updates from a secure government site in order to gather information as to the whereabouts of Raymond Prentice.
It was as if his brother had literally dropped off the planet. Meanwhile, the band of gun thieves had successfully pulled off two more robberies—one in Arkansas and the other in Oklahoma. What Gavin found puzzling was the speed at which they’d traveled from one state to another. They’d robbed a shop in Jonesboro, Arkansas and three hours later they hit another dealer near Lawton, Oklahoma, only miles from the Fort Sill Military Reservation.
An ATF memo indicated the gang’s major focus was on U.S. law enforcement dealers. Another memorandum was circulated to dealers, warning them to be vigilant and to alert their local law enforcement of individuals who appeared to be window-shopping instead of purchasing firearms.
The latest information from the inside informant wasthat a member of the group, a former Army sniper, was left behind to search out and execute Raymond Prentice. Gavin knew it would be a race against time to find his brother before the sniper.
Celia and Gavin decided to wait for a table outside the restaurant because they wanted to take in the sights of downtown Asheville while enjoying the balmy spring weather. Once they were seated she ordered smoked turkey breast, Swiss cheese and a cranberry-horseradish mayonnaise on sourdough bread.
Gavin had selected a crab cake sandwich with rémoulade sauce, romaine, tomato and red onion on a Kaiser roll. He’d also ordered a half carafe of white wine to accompany their lunch, and after a glass, Celia felt completely relaxed.
“I can’t remember ever drinking wine with a sandwich,” she said, smiling.
Gavin stared across the table at his dining partner. There was something about her bearing and body language that called to mind the graceful movements of a prima ballerina.
“Haven’t you had wine with bread, cheese and salad?”
Celia nodded. “Yes.”
“We ordered dishes with lettuce, tomato, cheese and bread, so drinking wine is permissible.”
“Do you like traveling?”
Her question was so unexpected that it gave Gavin pause. “Yes and no.”
Propping her elbow on the table, Celia rested her chin on her fist. “Why yes and no?”
His lids came down, hiding his innermost thoughts from her. He didn’t like lying to Celia, but he
He looks so good.
He smells so good.
He feels so good.
And I need him to make me feel good—to help me to heal inside and out.
Hot tears pricked the backs of Celia’s eyelids with the silent entreaty. She’d spent the past year wallowing in fear and grief. As a doctor she’d come face-to-face with life and death on what had become a daily basis. She’d called the time of death on patients ranging from newborns to centenarians, and it was never easy. She was a scientist and a realist. It was inevitable that life was always followed by death.
What she never would’ve anticipated was that her own life could’ve possibly been ended by a teenage boy who had resorted to murder because of a frivolous boast.
Gavin eased back, staring at the woman in his embrace. “Are you all right, baby?” The endearment had slipped out unbidden.
Celia nodded, smiling. “I’m real good,” she admitted. And she was. Being cradled in Gavin’s arms made her feel as if she’d been frozen, locked away in a state of suspended animation for the past year, and now she was finally thawing out. “There’s a restaurant called Carmel’s on Page and Battery Park. They have good food and alfresco dining.”
“Let’s do it. You’re going to have to show me how to get there.”
Glancing at his watch, Gavin noted the time. It was almost one. He’d suggested lunch because he’d only drunk two cups of coffee earlier that morning. Most of his time was spent on the computer, reading updates from a secure government site in order to gather information as to the whereabouts of Raymond Prentice.
It was as if his brother had literally dropped off the planet. Meanwhile, the band of gun thieves had successfully pulled off two more robberies—one in Arkansas and the other in Oklahoma. What Gavin found puzzling was the speed at which they’d traveled from one state to another. They’d robbed a shop in Jonesboro, Arkansas and three hours later they hit another dealer near Lawton, Oklahoma, only miles from the Fort Sill Military Reservation.
An ATF memo indicated the gang’s major focus was on U.S. law enforcement dealers. Another memorandum was circulated to dealers, warning them to be vigilant and to alert their local law enforcement of individuals who appeared to be window-shopping instead of purchasing firearms.
The latest information from the inside informant wasthat a member of the group, a former Army sniper, was left behind to search out and execute Raymond Prentice. Gavin knew it would be a race against time to find his brother before the sniper.
Celia and Gavin decided to wait for a table outside the restaurant because they wanted to take in the sights of downtown Asheville while enjoying the balmy spring weather. Once they were seated she ordered smoked turkey breast, Swiss cheese and a cranberry-horseradish mayonnaise on sourdough bread.
Gavin had selected a crab cake sandwich with rémoulade sauce, romaine, tomato and red onion on a Kaiser roll. He’d also ordered a half carafe of white wine to accompany their lunch, and after a glass, Celia felt completely relaxed.
“I can’t remember ever drinking wine with a sandwich,” she said, smiling.
Gavin stared across the table at his dining partner. There was something about her bearing and body language that called to mind the graceful movements of a prima ballerina.
“Haven’t you had wine with bread, cheese and salad?”
Celia nodded. “Yes.”
“We ordered dishes with lettuce, tomato, cheese and bread, so drinking wine is permissible.”
“Do you like traveling?”
Her question was so unexpected that it gave Gavin pause. “Yes and no.”
Propping her elbow on the table, Celia rested her chin on her fist. “Why yes and no?”
His lids came down, hiding his innermost thoughts from her. He didn’t like lying to Celia, but he
Similar Books
