47. The Perfect Excuse

47

The Perfect Excuse

Dax

Saturday, June 10 th

6:43 p.m.

"I'm not mad," Brighton says, pinching her nose between her fingers.

She

sits on the bench beside me, swinging her legs, but keeps her gaze trained on the path, her expression contorted by the shadows of the trees overhead.

"But it doesn't make sense."

"It does, actually. We'd have someone on the inside." Her wheels start turning. She's planning something, but what? I never thought she'd put Liam at risk, but she's considering it, whether or not I like it.

"Told you it was a good idea," Liam adds, ending his nonstop pacing in front of us as he wraps his arms over his middle.

"I didn't say I agreed." Her voice is tight, defensive. "I don't know if it would work."

"If I'm under his care, you can keep an eye on things. See if he messes with anything."

"He's been doing it under my nose this whole time, and I didn't know it."

"But now you're aware," Liam says as he sits next to her, forcing his way onto the bench so she has to close the distance between us. A zing of electricity courses between where our bodies touch.

"Would he be suspicious? If Liam asked to change doctors, would you get in trouble?" I ask, realizing she's only focused on half of the problem.

"Maybe. He's already keeping tabs. He might just lord it over me to prove he's in the right and I'm in the wrong. This could work." She leaps up from between us, pulling her thumbnail to her mouth.

"I still don't like it." I drop my head back, staring up at the cloudless sky through the thick overhead branches. "Couldn't you go to the police, tell them your theory?"

"I have."

"And besides, it doesn't matter what you think." Liam jabs me in the side with his pointy elbow.

I don't voice the other half of Liam's reason for the change in providers. The last thing I want is for her to think I'm agreeing to this for my benefit, and I'd never admit that the idea of us is replaying on a highlight reel inside my head.

Despite what Liam says about not caring how things go between Brighton and me, I can still tell he's reticent to let me off the hook when it comes to how I deal with things.

"If you switch to his care, I can't guarantee he won't do something while I'm not around. We rarely check on each other's patients, so I won't always know about what's going on."

Brighton's voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent the things inside my head from spilling out of my mouth. I don't want Kline near Liam. It's too damn dangerous. And she's right. She can't control what goes on when she's not around.

"What are the chances of that?" Liam says, leaning forward as he braces himself with his elbows on his knees.

"Pretty high. He seems to make changes when he's by himself, so he doesn't get caught. It's too risky."

"Finally," I shout, my enthusiasm getting the better of me. A group of people passing by turn to see what the commotion is about. "I'm glad you agree. It's not worth it."

"You didn't let me finish. I have something else in the works, something to do with the murder victims." She squats between the two of us, making eye contact with Liam as she all but ignores my existence and fiddles with the ring on her pinkie.

"You think he's involved with the murders?" I dart from my seat, sure I misunderstood her.

She hangs her head but doesn't confirm or deny the accusation before she continues. "If you want to move forward with this on Monday, I think it could work."

Liam socks me in the arm. "I told you. As long as you're sure it's him, I'm down—murderer or not."

"He won't have Liam past Wednesday, promise." She directs this part to me, still ignoring the mention of Kline involved with the murders.

"I think this is a bad idea."

She turns her attention back to Liam. "I don't want you to be alone with him. Ever. Do you understand? And remember, don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth. Once you ask to transfer, he'll take great satisfaction in knowing he was right about me not being able to handle your care. You don't know the extremes he'll go through to teach me a lesson. I don't trust him, and that means you're in the room. Don't leave." She turns to stare at me, waiting for me to agree.

"I want it on record that I do not think this is a good idea," I say through clenched teeth. "But I won't leave them alone." I don't like the idea of consenting to something that puts him at risk, even if it is only for a few days.

"Do you trust me?" She knocks her shoulder into my knee, and a fire engulfs where our skin touches. My heightened awareness of her every move and the way it feels when we touch is all-consuming.

"I'll answer for you . . . of course he does." Liam grins and stands, stretching as he coughs and waggles his brow. "In more ways than one."

My face heats, and I dive for him, but he darts out of my reach.

"Hey," Brighton scolds, "watch his hip."

I flex my jaw and narrow my eyes at him.

"Doctor's orders," he says with a smile.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Crissy interrupts, jogging to a stop a couple of feet away from us. Her purse slips off her shoulder, and she catches it in her hand as she grins at me.

Liam and Brighton turn, his cheek-splitting smile a dead giveaway that the little shit had this planned.

"My escort awaits." Liam turns his smile to Crissy, and she takes his offered hand. "Crissy, this is Dr. Fields."

"We've met." Brighton glances at him out of the corner of her eye, as confused by his formal introduction as I am, but gives Crissy a kind smile.

Crissy pulls Liam to her, folding his hand between both of hers as she leans into his shoulder. He closes his eyes from the sensitivity, but I'm the only one who notices. "You were sleeping," she offers as an explanation.

Liam turns to face her, pecking her on the forehead. "When?"

"A week ago, I'm not sure," she looks to Brighton for confirmation.

She nods.

And Liam coughs into his fist.

"I want X-rays tomorrow, no excuses." Our eyes meet and I confirm that I'll make sure they get done.

"Good night," Crissy says, tugging on Liam as she leads him down the path. "I'll take him straight home."

The second they're out of earshot, Brighton turns on me. "You couldn't warn me?"

"About what?"

"His grand idea." She waves her hands into the air, rolling her eyes.

I make a promise to myself to take care of that soon.

"That's what the text was for."

"It was vague, at best."

"But it was a heads-up."

A grin lights up her face. I don't have it in me to explain the real reason behind Liam's decision. Not yet. I'll wait to see how things play out before I make a move.

There's a bit of shame when Liam slips into my mind, along with how this situation poses a whole new set of issues. A part of me knows this is a bad idea, but after discussing it with him, I couldn't find a reason to say no. He has to know there's the possibility of this changing the dynamics between the three of us, but he seems to be okay with it.

Life doesn't take breaks to allow us to catch our breath often, but the last five minutes were a glimpse of fresh air. We're not all in the same boat and don't weather the same storms. Some of us are drowning. And some of us forgot how to swim. But Brighton tossed me a life jacket and the option of a second chance.

I don't know what the future holds, and I'll probably regret it if I don't take the opportunity to make things different between Brighton and me, but I need to find the right time.

She stuffs a fist onto her hip. "I have so many things I need to set in motion before Monday." She twirls her pinkie ring, a million thoughts plastered on her face as she stares down the path. "I need you to make sure he sees Kline before his appointment. Did he come up with an excuse for wanting to transfer?" She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and my eyes follow her movements.

I take a step toward her as she continues to ramble, take her hand in mine, and pull her until her chest is flush against me. Her eyes grow as I cup the back of her head and lean in. And the distant hum of the city falls away. Now is as good a time as any.

"So I could do this."

She stiffens the second my lips meet hers. But this is the perfect way to get her to shut up and stop thinking. It only takes a second for her body to respond and meld against mine. I trace my tongue across her mouth, coaxing it open while I wait for her to make a decision.

The second her tongue touches mine, I'm a goner. Her hands settle on my chest, her touch sending a spark of energy through me. Her lips are firm and insistent, her tongue sweeping into my mouth with a hunger that makes my knees weak.

The world dissolves until all that exists is the pressure of her body against mine. Her fingers dig into my skin as she clings to me. The intoxicating taste of her and the way her hands roam over me leave a trail of fire in their wake.

She breaks the kiss, her breaths coming in quick gasps, her heart pounding against me. With a growl of approval, I capture her mouth again, the jolt of need leaving me breathless and wanting more. We get lost in the moment until someone passing by clears their throat.

She pulls away, both of us out of sorts, and she rests her forehead against mine. A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth as she wipes the pad of her thumb across her lower lip and says, "Liam's full of good ideas."