Chapter Six

"Why? Why did you push me away? Right when I might have helped you the most?" Chase whispered.

Sky looked at him, eyes a little desperate and, he thought, gave him the only answer she had.

"I don't know. I don't know! I was just..."

"Please tell me you know that I'd never have hurt your father," he said, his eyes on hers, searching, seeking.

"Maybe you'll never really be ready to forgive me!" she whispered.

He moved his fingers gently through her hair and then cupped her chin as he told her, "The past is gone, it is history, and we can't change history. But I loved you then, Skylar. I never stopped loving you, and I love you now."

She let out a soft cry, clinging closer to him, parting her lips as his mouth met hers in a passionate kiss that seemed a true promise of the words he'd spoken.

And later, they lay together, and he told her again that he'd always loved her and always would.

She smiled.

"Hey, that was an amazing declaration of my feelings, heart on my sleeve," he told her. "A response would be great."

She rolled over on an elbow to look down at him.

"Well, you know, you said it would be best if we pretended... I use all kinds of acting and improv techniques when I work with my students. When I'm doing something, well, you know, I try to do it right!"

He laughed, and she fell next to him again, whispering that she'd never understood, that maybe her pain had needed a different pain to twist her from her feelings. "I'll never understand myself, much less be able to explain myself!" she whispered.

"And it doesn't matter. What does matter is that we get some sleep," he said, wincing at the thought of the day to come.

She nodded, curling closer against him.

He closed his eyes, smiling. Amazing. If they could get past tomorrow...

He couldn't believe that they were together, that this...had happened. And for the moment, he was just going to hold her close.

S KY SL EPT AMAZINGLY WELL . She woke because light was coming through the windows, and she actually felt a chill.

She shouldn't have been cold with him next to her. But he wasn't there.

She must have slept incredibly deeply; he had gotten up and dressed and she hadn't heard a thing.

"Chase?" She said his name softly and sitting up, she was startled to see that there was a note taped to the inside of the door.

Frowning as she rose, she collected the note. She knew his handwriting.

Please don't freak out. I had to leave for a few minutes. Couldn't leave you alone. Andy Wellington is downstairs with Larry. I asked him to watch over you.

Her frown deepened, but she quickly hit the lock on the bedroom door. Andy Wellington might be a friend and some kind of a law-enforcement lecturer, but she didn't know him. And this was her house! Chase shouldn't have...

Whatever!

She quickly gathered clothing and headed into the shower, anxious to bathe and dress as quickly as possible, reminding herself she was going to have to come back upstairs to choose an outfit for the show. She had a little rhinestone-studded tunic, and she thought she'd wear that over black jeans...kind of feminine, but pants to go with the guys.

Neither here nor there at the moment.

There was a stranger in her house!

She hurried on downstairs and found that Andy Wellington was indeed in the living room, seated on the couch with Larry curled at his feet. He had either a small tablet or a large phone, and he was engrossed in studying something that was on it.

He quickly looked up and rose as she entered the room.

"I'm so sorry. I don't mean to be intrusive, but we really didn't want you to be alone—even with Larry here."

She frowned, looking at him. "I really don't understand. I mean, you're a friend of Chase's, and that makes you welcome in my home, but..."

He looked down and when he looked up, his expression was acutely uncomfortable.

"I know that Chase is concerned, and other than that..."

She wasn't going to pick a fight with a stranger. She lifted a hand and said, "Not to worry, I'll speak with Chase. Would you like coffee or anything?"

He shrugged. "I took the liberty. There's a pot made in the kitchen."

"Great. Thank you." She headed into the kitchen, followed by Larry, who was wagging his tail wildly.

Whatever else came of all this, she did love the dog. She checked his water and food bowls and realized that Chase had already seen to them.

"Well, Larry," she mused, "did you get to go out yet? Want to run around the yard?"

She walked back out. Andy Wellington was studying his device again with a frown on his face. She opened the door to let Larry run out joyfully into the yard. Then she approached Wellington.

"Is everything all right? Oh! By the way—the stuff that Brandon had last night, was it...tainted?"

He hesitated and then nodded. "Not to the point of instant death, but yes, it was contaminated."

"Oh, what about the guy that he got it from? Is he...?"

"Dead? No. I'm not sure what's going on exactly. We reported it to the right people immediately."

She nodded. "More friends of Chase's?"

"Friends of mine," he said. He shrugged. "I held a position in law enforcement for years. I know the right people."

"Ah. Well, I'm hoping he gets back soon."

"Me, too!"

"Don't let me interrupt your work," Sky told him. "I'm going to head to my office and go over the set list for tonight."

"Great. I'm here if you need me," he said. "Hey, can I get your phone number, please? I should have gotten it from Chase. I mean, well, seriously, there is bad stuff going on, and we should have each other's numbers."

She handed him her phone. "Grab my number and call me, and I'll have yours."

"Perfect, thanks."

She waited for him to get his number and call her. Then she took her phone back.

She smiled. "Just let Larry back in when he scratches at the door—which I believe he will in a few minutes."

"You got it."

She headed to her office thinking that she was going to have a hell of a lot to say to Chase when she saw him. She wasn't going to take it out on Wellington. The man was doing a friend a favor. It wasn't his fault that Chase had neglected to talk it all over with her.

Last night had been so good. So amazing...

And now? Now she realized that time had passed, and that there was so much she really didn't know about the man at all.

And yet...

There were still things she knew in her heart. He might annoy her—even anger her—but he was a good man. Trying his best, worried about her.

Still...

He had some answering to do!

T HERE WAS ONE chance with the kind of overdose Bobby Sacks seemed to have suffered; luckily, it was something Chase had been trained to deal with and was prepared to administer: naloxone. He shot the dose into Bobby and began CPR.

He waited anxiously as Bobby's wife, tears in her eyes, looked on.

Then...

A gasp. Bobby inhaled. And by then the paramedics had arrived, and Chase could tell them what had happened and what he had done.

"That is one lucky man! I don't know if we'd have made it in time," one of the medics told him as Bobby was lifted onto a gurney and rolled out to the ambulance.

Chase shrugged. "I had a great mentor," he said. "Have you been called out on more of these?"

"So far, from what I've heard, anyone else afflicted has made it into the hospital," the medic told him. "Thankfully, people saw the news, and they're smart enough to get in—or throw away whatever the hell they bought. Carefully, I hope."

"Me, too," Chase murmured. "You'll be met at the hospital. When I called in, I was assured that this was something the FBI was on, so..."

"Got it. They'll be waiting until he can talk."

"I'll check on him later," Chase said.

The medic nodded; there would be police officers at the house, too, but he was grateful that Nancy Sacks, Bobby's wife, had called him. Apparently, she hadn't wanted Bobby arrested, but she'd been afraid of his behavior.

"Cops are coming?" she asked Chase when the paramedics were gone. "Bobby is going to live, right?"

"I believe so—we got him past the first hurdle in time. But I'm not a doctor—"

"But you did know what to do."

Nancy Sacks was an attractive woman with long brown hair and enormous hazel eyes. Chase had planned on paying Bobby Sacks a visit; he just hadn't expected to find him as he had.

Bobby had given the stuff to Brandon. But if he had been the one dealing it, he'd have known better than to indulge in his own product.

"All right, Nancy, from what I've heard, this has happened before—and it's the federal government that's following the trail. Someone will be here, yes. I take it you didn't join him for his little bit of recreation?"

"I hate pot—just makes me fall asleep," Nancy said. "But I never cared if Bobby had a puff here and there. I've known some drunks, and they're feisty and get into fist brawls. I've never seen a few puffers get dangerous toward anything other than a pile of food."

"Nancy, this is so important. Where did he get the stuff?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. From someone last night, I imagine, but I have no idea who. I mean, you know, he works those lights all the time for whatever is going on, and yeah, most of the time, things are available from someone. They kind of work on a trust arrangement, I guess. I don't know! Oh, Chase, I wish I knew. I mean... I knew how close you were to Jake Ferguson and I figured you learned a lot from him, but... Yeah, I guess we've all heard you're in some kind of a forensic school, so... I didn't know how bad it was going to get, I just called you—forgive me—because I didn't know I was going to need an ambulance... But, oh, my God, thank you! Bobby isn't a bad guy, he's good, he just..."

"Nancy, it's okay. But someone will be here and they'll want a statement. Or if you like, I can bring you to the hospital, and you can be there with Bobby and people will talk to you both while you're there."

"Please," she said.

He nodded and put a call through to Andy Wellington, telling him that he'd be back as soon as he'd dropped Nancy off.

"Well, that will be good," Wellington murmured.

Chase winced inwardly. He hadn't been sure how he was going to explain this one. And he didn't know why.

Gut fear, maybe because of everything going on.

But even with Larry in the house, he hadn't wanted Sky to be alone.

A dog could be shot. Then again, so could a man. But it was unlikely that a man like Wellington, who had spent his life in the service of the government after a stint in the military, was going to be taken by surprise.

Unlike Larry, he could shoot back.

"Let's get to the hospital," he told Nancy.

He hoped that Bobby might be conscious, but he doubted it. He believed that the man might make it.

But it would be a while before he could talk.

Chase just hoped it would be before the show that night.

S KY LIKED A NDY W ELLINGTON well enough. There seemed to be little to dislike about him. He was polite and courteous, pleasant in every way.

She just didn't know what he was doing in her house. So, Chase had taken all kinds of classes. He knew all about so many things.

And they were both convinced her father had been murdered.

But what was he really doing?

She had left her office to make sure that Wellington was doing all right, still just seated on her sofa, when she heard the buzz that warned her someone was at the gate.

Larry woofed excitedly, wagging his tail.

That meant that Chase was back.

She hit the button that allowed the gate and door to open, and then she waited for him to come in. Naturally, he saw her staring at him the minute he walked in. And he knew she was going to want answers.

"Hey! Sorry, I had to run out. But under the current circumstances, I wanted someone to be with you and thankfully, you'd met Andy and you know—"

"Yeah. He carries a gun," Sky said, arms crossed over her chest.

Chase shrugged. "Yeah, I know you're safe with him."

Andy sat there silently, shaking his head, looking at Chase.

"I thought I was safe once I had a big dog," Sky said.

Andy spoke at last. "I didn't mean to be intrusive—" he repeated.

"You weren't," Sky quickly informed. "You're a perfect gentleman, welcome anytime. That's not the point."

They both just stared at her.

And then at one another.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" she demanded.

"I suggest you just tell her," Andy said quietly.

"Please! I suggest you just tell me, too," Sky said, staring hard at Chase. He couldn't mean her harm; even angry as she was, she couldn't doubt the feelings that enveloped them, as real as anything had ever been in her life.

But...

"Andy isn't just my friend. He's my SAC," Chase said.

"Sack?" Sky asked, confused.

"No, SAC , Special Agent in Charge," Chase explained.

"Um...in charge of what?" she asked.

Andy walked toward them both. "It's imperative that you keep this quiet. Special Agent Chase McCoy has been with the bureau for over two years, and he's an invaluable player in his undercover operations."

Sky shook her head, completely confused. "Undercover? Everyone knows who you are—well, anyone who is into rock bands and that kind of thing."

"Exactly," Andy Wellington explained.

Chase looked at Sky. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Well, yeah, you pretend well," she said. "But I still—you mean, none of this is because of my father, you're really working for...the government?"

"Yes and no. I really work for the government, but no one knows except my folks and Hank. And as to your dad? I work for the government because of him," Chase said flatly.

Sky stared at him, frowning. Chase explained, "I never believed it. I never believed that Jake Ferguson would inadvertently rip up an amp when a wire had come loose. I—I believed he saw something that night, and whatever he saw caused someone to make sure he never got a chance to tell anyone else."

She shook her head. "I don't understand—"

"No one knows, Sky. I told you. No one knows but Wellington, some fellow agents, my parents, and Hank. And now you. Because it's imperative for the kind of work I do that everyone thinks I am what I am in the other half of my life, the grandson of Hank McCoy, drummer and vocalist for the rock band Skyhawk."

She was silent, not sure what to think or feel.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

He didn't reply.

"Be fair, Sky," Wellington said quietly. "He hadn't seen you in years."

"But..."

She just shook her head and turned away.

"Sky," Chase said.

"Let me deal!" she snapped.

And apparently, her state of mind wasn't the most important thing at the moment, because Wellington was quickly speaking with Chase.

"Bobby. You got to him in time."

Chase nodded. "I don't know what's out there, if it's the same source... The stuff Brandon had was contaminated, but not badly enough to kill. This stuff that Bobby had...was bad. And the thing is, Bobby can't be the dealer—small stuff, giving to friends or whatever. He has a great wife, good work—I don't really know him, but from what I've seen when I have been around the venue, he's a solid worker and loves his wife and family and has no desire to die."

"You know him enough—his wife called you," Wellington said.

"And I think it was the right call for me to get there," Chase said quietly.

"Yeah. You've done this—had the equipment and the knowledge to do what was needed. Let's hope he makes it. And that he comes around...in time."

"We have no idea how much is out there," Chase said.

Sky was watching and listening in astonishment. She thought she knew Chase. Even after years away. She'd asked about him casually. She'd looked him up online. It always seemed that he'd been playing or taking classes or...

Maybe she actually knew Chase better than she'd imagined. This was, on the one hand, all a shock. On the other hand...

It wasn't surprising Chase would be an agent, that a young man who had listened to and admired her father had learned to save lives...

And to fight the bad guys.

"All right. We know Brandon had stuff—and Bobby had it. We need to find the main snake and cut its damned head off," Wellington said. "This has gone on too long."

"My grandfather and Bobby are at the same hospital. I thought I'd take a minute to visit Hank, and then I can check on Bobby as well. NOPD is on it—guards are in the hall," Chase said. "Sir, if you could be with Sky a bit longer—"

"No, no, no, no, no," Sky said flatly.

They both stared at her.

"Now that I know what the hell is going on, Chase, I'm sticking with you. I haven't seen Hank, and I'd very much like to. You just said NOPD is at the hospital, too. I'm going with you." She turned to Wellington. "Thank you, Mr. SAC, sir. I appreciate everyone worrying about how I get to keep on living. But I will be fine now with Chase, and I'd very much like to see Hank."

Chase and Wellington stared at one another for a moment.

She had a feeling Wellington was silently assuring Chase it was his call.

"All right. So Larry guards the house, and we all head out," Chase said.

"And you'll be at the venue by four?" Wellington asked Chase.

Chase nodded. "Last tech."

"I'll be there, an old lecturer, in awe of a classic-rock band," Wellington said.

Chase nodded. "And we may find nothing, despite all our determination."

"Something is going on. And we will find the truth," Wellington said. "Well, I'll leave you for now. Give Hank my regards. I'll just say goodbye to Larry and be out of here."

"Thank you, sir," Sky told him.

He smiled at her. She did like the man. And if Chase was working directly beneath him, it was good to know him.

When he was gone, Chase watched her in silence.

"So nothing about you is real."

He shook his head. "Sky, everything about me is real. And that's why...it's why what I do works."

"Hey, you were honest at first. You said we needed to pretend."

"Sky, nothing with you is pretend!" he vowed.

She nodded. "Well, we'll see. Busy afternoon—let's get to the hospital."

"I'll see to Larry—"

"I have food and water set out for him already," Sky said. The dog was next to her, her constant companion—and guard.

Well, if all else went astray, she'd gotten a great dog out of it all.

She petted Larry's head and told him to guard the house and started out, leaving Chase to follow her and check on the locks to the house and the gate as they left.

His car was there, ready, on the street right in front of her house.

She was silent as they drove. So was he.

But when they reached the hospital, he turned to her at last. "Sky, please. I swear this is true—what happened with your dad set me on this path. But it's incredibly important that no one else knows."

"Did you think I was going to announce it on stage tonight?" she asked him. She knew her tone was sharp and sarcastic, but she had trusted him. And she had thought that he trusted her.

Even if they'd been apart.

He didn't respond. They exited the car and headed up into the hospital, pausing for their visitor credentials at the desk.

Sky followed him as they walked straight to Hank's room.

Hank was in a chair by the bed, watching the news. Sky was glad to see he looked good: his color was healthy, and he smiled broadly as he saw her coming in behind Chase.

"Sky!" he said with pleasure.

She smiled and hurried to him, bending to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Sweetie, it's wonderful to see you," he told her.

"You, too, Hank. And you look—"

"Thanks! I get out of here in a few days. I think they're being overly cautious, but, hey...my grandson is a dictator. And I will do everything they tell me. I'm anxious to come back to the drums myself. Oh, and if you're going to start playing with those guys often, I have a great gift for you. Seriously, half the drummers I know are deaf now! But I found these great earplugs—they let you hear, but they keep out the deafening volume. These are just about perfect!"

"Thanks, Hank. I'm sure Chase appreciates them," Sky said sweetly.

"There are tons of perks to what we do," Hank said. "And a few drawbacks, but there's a set of the earplugs in my drawer. I'd love you to have them." He grinned. "There's no way I get to play this gig, so please take them?"

"Take them or he'll make me crazy," Chase said.

"Hey! You have hearing thanks to me!" Hank said.

Chase grinned at him. "And I can play the drums, too, thanks to you. No lack of appreciation meant, just—"

"He's a dictator!" Hank assured Sky, grimacing, and shaking his head. "But other than that, a good enough kid. So how are you? Ran into a friend of yours before I found myself in here, Sky. Virginia Hough. She said you were a miracle worker with troubled kids, that they spent time with you, got deep into music and showmanship and stopped being so much trouble."

"Virginia is a lovely woman," Sky said, shrugging. "I like kids. I like working with them. One of the students I had the first year I was working went on to become great at improv—he's working at an improv comedy club in South Florida. It's great, Hank. Really rewarding."

"Like the boy here," Hank murmured. He looked quickly at Chase. "Always trying to learn something new!" he added.

"It's all right, Hank. She knows," Chase said. As he spoke, he frowned suddenly. She saw he was looking out the small window of the door to Hank's room. "Excuse me," he said. "I'll be right back."

He left the room. Sky watched him go, lowering her head and smiling slightly.

The place was crawling with police. That would be the only reason he'd be away from her, she knew.

"Kid he saved is down the hall," Hank said quietly.

"I heard...something," Sky said.

"I am proud of him. Chase was in a place where he could have gone on to be the top of top—but he went on to do something he saw as being more important."

"And he knew what to do for...for what happened," Sky said.

"He still takes classes all the time. He's like a sponge, wants to know everything and it all makes him invaluable. And..." Hank looked down, a frown tearing into his forehead.

Hank, as a grandfather, was still an impressive man. Even in a hospital chair, he had a strong face, solid jaw, bright eyes and his headful of handsome white hair.

She imagined that one day, Chase would look like him. Or maybe Chase did look like a young Hank, as he must have looked all those years ago when Skyhawk had first hit the scene.

"He never believed what happened to my father was an accident," Sky said.

Hank looked up at her. "Neither did I," he told her. He shook his head. "Your dad and I... You know, I was the one with the garage. My folks let me have a drum set out there. And your dad started coming over, and the two of us were the beginning of it all. He just...he just had it! I'd heard the story that his dad wanted him drafted, that he wouldn't do anything about getting him into college to get out of Vietnam. I thought it was the cruelest thing I'd ever heard. But Jake told me, no, that it was the best thing in the world for him. His dad had told him that if he was going to kill himself, at least he could do it for his country."

"I heard," Sky said softly.

"He said war was brutal. And it hurt him—he lost friends he made in the service. But for him, it turned out to be a lifesaver. He'd been given back a chance in a double way, and he was going to be smart and grateful for all his years to come. I loved him, Sky."

"I know you did, Hank. He loved you, too."

"He made us all better musicians—and better human beings."

Sky smiled, hunkered down by his side and took his hands. "Thank you, Hank. I know that after what happened... I was horrible for a while. Now..."

"Now you want the truth. And I understand. So does Chase. And I believe in him, Sky. I believe in my grandson. If something can be done, Chase will be the one to see that it is."

"Where do you think he's gotten off to?" Sky asked.

Hank shrugged. "Well, he knows the place is swimming with cops, and you're safe in here with me. That kid he saved—I say kid loosely at my age—anyway, like I said earlier, he's just down the hall. Maybe he's conscious."

"And Chase is trying to find out what he can from him?"

"I would think. So tell me about tonight. Are you at all excited? Did you really want to perform? Are you doing it just to try to discover what happened in the past?"

"Both. If I can honor my dad, I'm glad to do so. If I can find the truth, so much the better. I should have said if we can find the truth. I didn't realize until we got into this in the last couple of days just how ill-equipped I was to find out anything."

Hank smiled. "You're in good hands, I promise. Even if..."

"If?"

Hank shrugged. "I read people."

"Oh?"

"Well, hmm. You care about Chase. You two were like a pair of lovebirds back then, and I got the feeling...well, the feeling is there. But you're not sure you trust him."

"Okay, truthfully? I just found out he was working for the government."

"He's not at liberty to share that, you know."

" You know," she said softly.

He nodded. "I know. Being him... Okay, he is my grandson. But he's also an amazing human being, Sky. Then again, so are you. You're both the family of rock royalty, and yet you see the world in a bigger way. And that's great. But don't forget one thing."

"What's that?"

"Your dad invented and loved Skyhawk. The rest of us... Well, he was the one who found out how we could make and record our music, he was our main songwriter. He loved the band, and he loved telling stories with his songs. Remember that. You're truly honoring him when you get up there on that stage and channel him and all that he loved."

"Thanks, Hank."

He nodded. "And trust Chase. It's not his fault he can't tell anyone."

"I'm not just anyone . He knew what I was doing right away, and right away he wanted to help me. But he didn't trust me."

"Forgive him. He has his reasons for keeping his life a total secret."

"Right, but...it was me ."

"And I'm sure he was in torture over not being able to say anything. In fact—"

He broke off. His door suddenly burst open. A man entered, leaned against the door to shut it, and looked out through the window. While carefully studying the hall, he pulled out a gun.