Gotta Get Next To You (36 page)

“It’s simple. I love you. Can you love
me?”

Lee balled his hands into fists. He’d asked
the one question that had frightened him more than any gang.
Poverty and the stigma of his birth had left a scar. Lee was not
sure he could be loved, not if he let down his mask.

Andrea swayed and caught the edge of the desk
for support. “Please, I can’t deal with it right now.” It was more
a plea than a rejection.

Lee crossed to her instantly and took her in
his arms. “Don’t let it get to you, baby. I’m here,” he murmured
close to her ear.

Andrea pushed against his embrace, but her
resistance lacked force. “Not now, Lee. We’ll talk about us, but
not now.”

“We don’t have to talk about us. But don’t
pretend you don’t want me to hold you. I sure as hell need to even
if you don’t. Do you know what it takes for me to admit that?” he
whispered.

“I think I do,” she whispered back, and
rested her head on his shoulder.

“Then come back to me,” he said, his voice
soft and urgent. “I need you more than I can say, Andrea.”

“I can’t think straight, not after everything
that’s happened. My head is swimming. Sometimes it’s all I can do
to keep from screaming.”

“You need me, too. Let me be there to hold
you at the end of the day.” Lee held her tighter.

Andrea sighed shakily. “I just don’t know
...” Her voice faded as she lifted her face to his, their lips
almost touching.

Sounds of the busy clinic intruded suddenly.
Thuds signaled doors opening and closing. Loud voices came from
outside the office, and then receded. Disappointment washed over
him when Andrea pulled away. She tugged her jacket and straightened
the collar of her shirt. The fragile magic spell was broken.

“You shouldn’t have told our personal
business,” she said crisply. “Even if it is unfinished business at
this point.”

Lee accepted her need to regain composure. “I
wanted to distract Denny.”

“And you used my personal life?” Andrea
squinted at him.

‘Telling him about our affair seemed logical.
He thinks I seduced you as part of our plan. That should keep him
from being suspicious.”

She thought for a time, and then nodded once.
“So you’ll tell him about the investigation soon?”

“Yes. I’m going to tell him you don’t know
anything. I’ll say we didn’t know if you were in on it.” Lee gazed
at her lovingly. “I want to make sure you’re safe just in
case.”

Andrea looked at him with wide eyes. “Just in
case what? Has something happened? I thought the sheriff would be
close by when you ... do whatever it is you plan to do.”

Lee smiled to reassure her. “We’ve prepared
for all possible contingencies.”

“You sound like those FBI types at press
conferences. They talk that way when it’s really bad.” Andrea
stared at him with a troubled frown.

“I won’t lie to you, things could get tight.
Especially after we talk to Denny.” He walked to the window and
gazed down the street.

Lee recognized the young man in a T-shirt and
low- slung blue jeans standing outside the clinic. He was one of
Ty’Rance’s boys. Smoke from a cigarette curled around his head. The
man walked down the block and went into a sandwich shop.

“Lord, I hope Denny doesn’t do anything
crazy.” Andrea rubbed her eyes. “He’ll feel trapped and betrayed.”
The nervous exhaustion in her tone yanked his attention back
inside. Lee turned from the window. “You can’t do anything about
Denny. The clinic is doing fine. Go home and get some rest,
Andrea.”

“I have a meeting in Houma at two this
afternoon.” She rolled her shoulders to ease the tension. “If we
finish early maybe I’ll go home.”

Lee wanted to massage her tired muscles until
she relaxed. He stared at the tips he’d kissed with raging passion
and tenderness, both ways equally delicious. He wanted to taste
them now so badly it hurt. His short time with Andrea had taught
him just how lonely he’d been. Andrea had given him the one thing
he’d never had, real love. There was no way he could he to himself.
His life would never be complete without her. That realization kept
him awake at night. Maybe he couldn’t make her happy. Maybe they
were too different. The least he could do was protect her and the
work she cherished.

“I’m going to work like hell to make sure
this thing ends fast and peacefully,” he said softly. He turned and
walked to the door.

“I know you will, Lee,” Andrea replied.

Lee glanced back at the way she said his
name. She did not return his gaze. The spark of hope died
quickly.

Andrea had already gone to her desk and
started work on some task. He must have imagined the note of
tenderness in her voice. Lee walked out and did not look back
again. Denny met him halfway down the hall.

“Say, man, I didn’t hear any screaming or
furniture flyin’. Guess you must be okay.” Denny smirked at
him.

Lee forced himself back into the role of an
egotistical playboy. “More than okay, my brother.” He smiled
through the pain.

“Damn, you’re sharp. You got the lady all hot
for you.” Denny shook in head in admiration. “I’ll bet she—”

Lee grabbed the front of his shirt, jerked
him into the storeroom, and kicked the door closed. “Keep your
mouth shut,” he growled.

“Say, you must be losing your mind! Let go of
me!” Denny glared at him. Something in Lee’s eyes must have warned
him to be still. He blinked rapidly and stopped struggling. “What’s
the matter with you?” he said in a more subdued way.

“Don’t talk about her like that.” Lee’s voice
cut through the air between them. “You hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t trip, man.”

“Just leave her out of this,” Lee said. He
let go of Denny’s shirt.

“All I meant was she wouldn’t question us too
close. Gettin’ all out of place over one little comment,” Denny
muttered under his breath. He smoothed the wrinkled fabric.

Lee slowed his breathing and counted to ten.
“I’ll pick you up at about eight tonight. We need to talk before we
get with Ty'Rance.”

“What for?” Denny’s eyebrows came together.
“Everything is set.”

“You know these guys. You think they’re gonna
really give us a fair share of the profits?” Lee stared hard at
Denny.

“Sure. They need us.” Denny wore a cocky
expression.

“Use what little brains you’ve got, Denny,”
Lee shot back. “Ty’Rance is going to finance even bigger stuff. We
need insurance. A way we can start our own operation.”

“Uh-uh, no way.” Denny’s eyes widened with
fear. “I’m not about to cross Ty'Rance.”

“We won’t have to. We can strike a deal with
him. Look, I can’t go into detail here. Later, okay?” Lee grinned
and slapped him on the back. “I’m telling you, we can get rich and
Ty'Rance will help us.”

Denny still seemed unsure, but the mention of
money brought a glitter to his dark eyes. “All right. But pick me
up after ten. Uh, I’ve got some business.” His gaze slid
sideways.

Lee stared at him. “Oh yeah? Maybe I can
help.”

“Nah, nothing serious. A little something I
gotta wrap up. A sideline before we get to the real business.”
Denny nodded with a cocky grin.

“Uh-huh.” Lee’s eyes narrowed with doubt. His
instinct for danger kicked in.

Maybe Denny was hatching his own plan. The
appearance of a gang member watching the clinic made him feel even
more sure something was wrong.

“Look, instead of you picking me up, I’ll
meet you. Save you gas, man.” Denny slapped his shoulder lightly in
a friendly gesture that didn’t ring true.

“Okay. Meet me at Brown Sugar. They’ve got a
new dancer called Pepper I want to check out. We can mix business
with pleasure.”

“That’ll work!” Denny hooted, their tussle
seemingly forgotten. “See you tonight.”

Lee nodded and opened the door. He watched
Denny stroll off. The young man did not know he was walking right
into a carefully woven net. Lee only hoped he could use it to pull
Denny to safety. He decided to follow him to make sure.

***

Andrea drove down the highway toward Bayou
Blue. The meeting in Houma had ended a half hour later than she’d
expected. She’d been given a long list of new guidelines. It meant
her next quarterly report to the state would have to be twice as
long.

“And the dam thing is only due in one month,”
Andrea grumbled to herself.

She would have to figure out a way to capture
the new data. Andrea decided to get started immediately. Her first
idea was to modify two of the databases Lee had customized. He had
been Jamal then. Andrea’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

Lush bayou scenery flew by as she guided her
Nissan Sentra around the curves of Highway 20. For several hours
she’d been somewhat distracted by the tedious talk of bureaucratic
red tape. Now thoughts of Lee came rushing back. She glanced at the
clock. The minutes were ticking away. Once again her mind whirled
with “what ifs,” the questions that tied her stomach in knots. The
worse part would be waiting and not knowing. Hard work had always
been a means of dealing with stress. Andrea headed for the clinic.
It was just after four o’clock by the time she parked in the lot.
She entered through the staff entrance, using her key. The babble
of voices told her appointments were still going full tilt.

She passed by an exam room where Katy sat
with an elderly man.

“Mr. Hoffman, why don’t you get a hearing
aid?” Katy yelled.

“Don’t need it. I can hear just fine,” he
said with a stubborn expression.

Katy puffed in frustration and tried again.
Andrea smiled. Mr. Hoffman had been refusing to get a hearing aid
for three years.

Terri answered one call after another. One of
their consultant physicians, an internist, bustled past. His
attention was on the set of X rays in his hand. He called out an
order to one of the part-time nurses. Andrea went to her office.
She left the door open. At least she could take comfort in the
familiar sounds.

“Boss lady.” Terri, the receptionist, peeked
in the door. “Just wanted to let you know Denny and Jamal took off
a half hour ago.”

A fist closed around her heart. Some
intuition told her that wasn’t part of Lee’s plan. “What did they
say?”

“Not much as far as I can remember.” She
shrugged. “I tell ya, this place has been crazy. With the phones
ringing every second and—”

“It’s important, Terri,” Andrea said sharply.
When Terri blinked at her in surprise, she forced a smile. “I mean
they left you guys short. They better have a good reason.”

“Katy didn’t think it was a problem. They
both been working late almost every day. Lisa and Troylyn took
turns and helped with the phones.”

“I see.” Andrea did not hear Terri as she
chattered on about the day they’d had.

“Anyway, some kinda stomach bug is going
around. Kids and grown-ups have either shown up or called all day.
I...” Terri eyed her. “Say, are you feeling okay? You look a little
sickly yourself.”

“I’m okay. So they just left at the same
time?” “Denny got a call from his grandmother. He said she’d
forgotten about a doctor’s appointment.” Terri continued to stare
at Andrea. “Are you sure—”

Andrea waved away her question. “Positive.
I’m fine. What about Jamal?”

“Something about...” Terri frowned with
concentration. “Right about then the dietician Miss Henderson
called. Before I forget, she wants to have her first nutrition
class for nursing mothers next month.”

“Great, wonderful. What about Jamal?” Andrea
fought to control herself. She wanted to shake the information from
Terri’s memory.

“Shoot, tell ya the truth, I don’t remember
what he said. I think he told Katy, though.”

“Damn!”

Terri jumped. “I-I’m sorry. It’s just there
was so much going on.”

“No, no, Terri. It’s not you. I, uh, just
remembered something I need to do. Thanks.” Andrea forced another
smile. Her mouth felt tight enough to crack at the effort.

“Okay,” Terri said, her tone hesitant. She
made a hasty retreat.

Andrea’s mind raced wildly. The two men had
left much too abruptly for her to think it was coincidence. But
what could she do? Lee had made it clear she was to keep her
distance. Sound advice since she had no experience fighting crime.
She stared down at the papers on her desk without reading them. She
tried working, but her thoughts kept skittering off. Distraction by
any means was impossible now. Sometime later Katy tapped on the
doorframe.

“What’s goin’ on?”

“Tying up loose ends,” Andrea replied. She
shuffled a few files to make it seem plausible.

“Oh.” Katy walked into the office. ‘Terri
says you’re pissed off about something.”

“No I’m not. It’s been a long day. That
stupid meeting didn’t help.” Andrea rubbed the back of her
neck.

Katy fell into the chair with a grunt. “Yeah,
well, count your blessings you weren’t here. All hell broke loose.
I even sent a couple of old folks to the emergency room.”

“Rough, huh?” Andrea leaned against the back
of her chair.

“We handled it. Sugar, boring looks good to
me right now.” Katy grinned. She tucked a stray tendril of dark
hair behind her ear.

“You enjoy working here, don’t you?” Andrea
said.

“Yep,” Katy promptly replied. “A bad day in
this clinic is better than a good day at a lot of places I’ve
worked.”

Andrea sighed. “I’m glad to hear you say
that. I know I can drive you guys hard sometimes.”

“You only expect us to do our best,” Katy
said. “Which is the way it should be.”

“I want the staff to feel good about their
work.”

“We’ve got great people. Everybody cares
about and respects the patients.” Katy wore an impish grin.
“Course, you did clean out all the deadweight, ya know.”