Strictly Business (11 page)

“
Took it?
”

He
sighed. “He just walked out with it during one of his appointments. He was waiting alone in an exam room for the doctor. The film was in the room. He was so fed up that he just took it and walked out. Thank God no one saw him. When they realized it was missing though, he became a target.”

Nina shook her head doubtfully. “And why
the need for the phony scans in the first place? A lay person wouldn’t necessary know what they were looking at. Plus, there’s a chance it might get out.”

“Sometimes an insurance company sends more than one doctor.
If a doctor was dispatched who wasn’t in on the scheme things could get messy. The films had to validate the diagnosis. These scans were evidently never meant to leave the office. They were just supporting documentation for a phony diagnosis in case someone looked.”

“It doesn’t seem like you’ve
got much proof, Wade. Just a lot of speculations. I feel sorry for your client, but I think the whole story is preposterous.” She faced him squarely. “Do you know that your accusations could ruin someone’s career, someone’s life? These doctors I work with have worked hard and made sacrifices to get where they are. You’re not just talking about malpractice; you’re talking about deliberately falsifying data, withholding care, and now attempted murder!”

Wade pounced
angrily from his seat. He grabbed her shoulders and dragged her close, his harsh breath sawing in and out of his lungs, raking across her face. “I’m well aware of what’s at stake here, Nina. This
is
what I do for a living. You’re forgetting about one very important person here—my client who is suffering. What about
his
life,
his
career,
his
health—all gone because of avarice. I’m sure he’s not the only one that they’ve done this to. For God sake look at what happened tonight! Don’t be so damned naïve! Not every physician is as noble and altruistic as you are. I’ve learned that. I’ve seen it firsthand! I’m going to make the bastards pay!”

His
wrathful explosion was a mingling of pain and violent hatred. A kaleidoscope of emotion swirled in his blue eyes, and his large body stood rigid with contained fury.

“Is this personal? Are you going after these guy
s because of your own issues?” she asked angrily between clenched teeth. Nina was so close to him she could feel the heat radiate from him, feel the contours of his body pulsing hard against hers.

He
stood in stunned silence for several minutes. His arms suddenly released her and he responded with a simple, “No.”

She
rocked back on her heels, and she had to brace herself against a chair. A thought pebbled in her brain then expanded so rapidly it filled her head like a giant boulder.

“Is this the reason why you came to
WMH—to gather information? Is this what that whole restaurant seduction was about—to butter me up, see if I knew anything, maybe get me to find info for you? Find out if RL is stamped on the hospital’s MRIs? Is this why you asked me out tonight?”

His
long fingers encircled her wrist and his skin burned into hers. She was so undone that she didn’t have the strength to pull away, instead she averted her face. She couldn’t look into those eyes. Not now.

“Nina.
” Her name rode on a gentle whisper, a startling contrast to his stark anger moments ago. “I found most of this information out today after we made plans. I had no idea your hospital was involved.”

She
bit hard on the inside of her cheek. She was determined not to cry. She felt her heart shattering into a thousand pieces and each piece splintered through her. She closed her eyes and took a deep airless breath as the realization that she’d been baldly used suffused her. She had been just a means to an end.
I’ll do whatever it takes.
Hadn’t those been his words? He trusted her to be gullible enough to fall for his deceit.

“Nina, you have to believe me. What we have is incredible. What we have is real. It’s not part of this. I didn’t want to get you involved in this, I swear.” Wade said when she
wouldn’t face him.

How could she believe him
?
How could she believe a man whose primary pursuit in life was to destroy everything she valued? She’d seen the cold determination in his eyes when he talked about this case. He’d stop at nothing to win, and that obviously included using her and employing whatever subterfuge necessary. She didn’t believe his case held merit. She was sure he had his theories all wrong.

She was sure t
he financial gain in handling a case like this would be sizeable. Such potential rewards could inspire a reckless pursuit of what he deemed to be the truth, with the massacre of innocent lives and bourgeoning careers along the way. He and his colleagues were probably just trying to bilk money from some poor doctor and the insurance company.

Nina struggled to hold herself together
, but she knew if she stood there any longer with Wade mere inches away from her she’d collapse and dissolve in front of him. His eyes were openly pleading as he watched her waxing emotions. He took another step towards her and she broke away, anger and hurt carving her expression.

“
You’re a liar.” Wade’s head snapped back as though she’d struck him. “I don’t believe anything you’ve said. This whole case sounds pretty dubious if you ask me,” she told him frankly. “You used me. You pretended to have feelings for me just to get answers. I don’t want any part of this sordid attempt at duplicity, and I don’t want any part of you.”

She
turned on shaky legs and headed straight for the stairs. Her name reached her ears in a soft rasp, but it was soon followed by an empty hollow silence.

CHAPTER   SIX

Nina promised herself that she wouldn’t cry. She promised herself that she wouldn’t be reduced to a sniveling bundle of raw unbridled emotions. She hated to see women like that
. Even when she and Charles had broken up she’d kept her emotions in check. Of course, this wasn’t exactly the same scenario. She’d just been lied to and deceived by a very clever man—a very
handsome
clever man. One she thought was truly interested in building a relationship with her.

A pang of emotion hit her,
and she had to blink back the stinging behind her eyes. She was almost successful, but when Sally pulled open her front door and Nina saw the shocked look of worry that cross her friend’s face, the tears stubbornly roll down her cheek. Sally gasped and pulled her into the apartment. Nina was deposited on the couch then pulled gently into her best friend’s arms.

“I’m okay, really,
” she assured feebly, swiping away the dampness on her soggy cheeks.

A moment later,
Sally stood and took quick steps into the kitchen. A slight smile broke through Nina’s dismal emotions. She could hear Sally filling a kettle with water and knew her friend was making raspberry tea. Whenever either of them had a problem, whatever it was, raspberry tea was the ultimate cure. Nina was thankful that her friend hadn’t prodded her with questions. She’d simply given her the time she needed to govern the tremendous burden of feelings inside her.

Sally came back into the room carrying a tray with a steaming teapot and two teacups. S
he handed her one of the delicate cups. Nina took a sip of the hot liquid and her eyes popped open. A swift current quickened through her. Sally laughed knowingly.

“Raspberry tea?” Nina asked, holding up the cup.

Sally smiled sheepishly. “Well it’s raspberry tea kicked up a notch—a shot of gin.” She grinned widely as she revealed the bottle of gin she had tucked under her shirt.

“Bam!” Nina and Sally both exclaimed, taking the expression from a popular cooking show.

“I brought the whole bottle. Didn’t know how much you’d need.”

“Bam!
Bam!” Nina exclaimed, taking the bottle and adding two additional healthy servings.

Sally echoed
the sentiment and filled the cup almost to the rim as they both burst into a bout of laughter.

Nina shot her a warning glance and Sally shrugged. “You look like you could use it girl!”

She realized how much she needed the levity. She looked over at Sally who now sat patiently on the couch leaning on her fluffy cushions with her legs tucked under her.

Sally took a
cautious sip of her tea and said seriously, “I’ve never seen you cry before. Not even after you and Charles broke up.”

Nina sighed audibly and took a long gulp of the
steaming brew, feeling it move down her throat and through her body like a prickly massage. She knew Sally was concerned, especially since her gaze kept returning to the pattern of blood dotting the front of her top. She wanted to share the whole incogitable story with her friend, but she knew there were things she couldn’t tell her. It was all too complicated.

Nina
told her that Wade had been working on a case and used her to gather some general information since she was a doctor. She didn’t know why, but thought it better to leave out the connection to WMH. She told her about Ben, the private investigator being shot right in front of her, and she watched Sally’s big brown eyes swell with alarm and fury.

“How could he put you in danger like that?”

Nina shrugged, suddenly feeling a chill settle on her skin. She reached for her tea.

“Thank God you’re okay. What a
dick! I’d like to give him a piece of my mind.”

Nina touched the surface about their romantic involvement
, but omitted the part about him rocking her world.

“He used me,
” she whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat and blinking back the tears that stung her eyes.

“Oh
, Nina,” Sally inched close to her, giving her a warm embrace. “I don’t know what to say. He sounds like an ignoble pig! ”

Nina
’s lips curled in a smile at Sally’s vehemence. She listened to her friend ramble on. For someone who didn’t know what to say, she was able to invent some choice adjectives to describe Wade and express her low opinion of him.
What does a woman need when a man has done her wrong? A girlfriend who will validate her feelings and curse his name!
Her mood was starting to brighten a little.

When Nina finally left Sally’s apartment it was almost four in the morning.
She was able to dodge Sally’s insistence that she stay the night. Feeling minimally better and armed with a renewed sense of self, she wanted to get home to her own apartment, sleep in her own bed, and scrub her mind of Wade Connolly.

Nina stepped into her quiet apartment and scolded herself when her eyes darted instantly to her answering machine. The unblinking red light glowed
tauntingly in the dark and she chastised herself for letting her thoughts stray to the man who had brought her so much anguish. An angry headache pulsed in her temples, no doubt a result of her emotional upheaval and her healthy consumption of gin. Grabbing the aspirin out of her medicine cabinet she headed for the kitchen. She flipped on a light and stood frozen in the doorway. The two wineglasses that she and Wade had used earlier were washed and left turned over on her countertop to dry.

She
shook her head in bitter confusion. How could someone who would do something so thoughtful be so unscrupulous? How could a man who passionately gives himself to charities be so depraved? These things were so incongruous to her that her heart started to throb painfully, matching the pain in her head. How could the intimate moments they’d shared have been just an act? Most importantly, she wondered, how would she get him out of her aching head and heart? She looked down at the aspirin in her hand and knew it wouldn’t do the trick.

Wade stepped into the shower and let the ice cold water beat down on him like
hammering fists. He hoped it would wash the fatigue from his body and send it spiraling down the drain with the sudsy water. His left arm throbbed painfully and the tension in his spine threatened to snap his back. He’d spent the entire night at the hospital.

The hospital’s
entrance had been blocked by a throng of reporters, all clamoring to pick at the morsels of this juicy story. A shooting in the down town Tribecca area of Manhattan was rare and would garner much media attention. It was a hot spot for many famous actors and actresses.

Seeing that the back exit of the hospital looked clear, Wade had attempted to sneak out without being noticed. He
hadn’t been entirely surprised to see Marie Deluse emerge from a dark limousine across the street. Like a smug kitten she’d sauntered towards him, ready to lap up exclusive tidbits of this story. He’d of course denied any knowledge of the shooting.

When he’d
told her he was merely visiting a friend her red lips twisted in a skeptical line. After a verbal game of cat and mouse, Marie had acquiesced, realizing she’d get no information from him. He’d declined her blatant offer of companionship, an offer he’d refused before on more than one occasion. He sighed heavily as he thought of Marie. He never found her sincere. It always seemed that beneath her enticing smiles and bold sexual offers was a grasping, plotting woman who was ruled by ambition. He stayed friendly with her on a business level, but their relationship could never be anything more. Wishing her luck with the story he’d walked away.

Wade had waited at the hospital until Ben was out of the operating room and had spoken with the surgeon. Ben had luckily pulled through the surgery, but was still unconscious and the doctor couldn’t predict when he’d regain consciousness. Wade was just happy that his friend was alive. He knew that Ben would be dead right now if it hadn’t been for Nina. She was a remarkable woman; he’d been dumbstruck just watching her in action. She was a true asset to her profession and she forced him to challenge some of his biases.

She’d asked him if this case was personal and he’d had to think
long and hard about that. He sighed. He guessed on some level it was. On some level they all were. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t get personal satisfaction from exposing these criminals. But now, he felt partly to blame for the shooting. What was Ben trying to tell him? And what was the connection with Nina? He’d wanted to tell her the whole story, to discuss Ben’s note with her, but after her explosive reaction, he’d though it best to omit that piece of this rapidly expanding puzzle.

He didn’t believe in his heart that Nina h
ad anything to do with his case. Unfortunately his partner Andrew hadn’t been so convinced. He’d cautioned Wade that she could be the very criminal they were seeking. Wade knew viscerally that Andrew was wrong. She had been authentically stunned and affronted by the details of this case. There was no way she was involved. She’d saved Ben’s life. He pictured Ben’s lifeless body and balled his fist in anger; he was more determined than ever to find out who was behind this.

Wade let the cold spray wash over his head and run down his face, the icy chill numbing his body
. The most difficult thing he’d ever done was letting Nina walk away. He felt like a part of him had walked off with her. The hurt and betrayal that had been clear on her face was branded into his brain. He remembered the anguish and doubt that had filled her beautiful green eyes, and pain pumped through his chest. He knew what she thought of him.
Liar
. The memory still hurt. She hadn’t believed him. She hadn’t believed a word about his case. He’d taken a big chance by divulging the details, but he owed her that, especially after what she had done for Ben. And even now he still trusted her.        

   She thought he’d used her sexually
to get information, that he feigned his affection for her. He shivered under the frigid water. How could she think such a thing? How could she think his response to her was anything but genuine? Just thinking of her made him crazy with desire. He looked down at his burgeoning erection that attested to that. He’d been going out of his mind in her apartment. Every little moan she’d made had driven him to such a pitch he’d wanted to plunge right into her there and then; he didn’t know where he’d found the restraint. Beneath that cool exterior of hers she was a firecracker waiting to burst into beautiful colors.

He really thought they had something special together. He hadn’t been lying when he told her he wanted their relationship to be more than sex.

  He’d never been a believer in love at first sight, but he felt they had an intense connection, and he wanted them to explore and build on it. He’d tried to tell her that she was wrong, but she hadn’t listened. Wade sighed, immersing his head in the water. He had to let her go for now. Things were too dangerous. He would never forgive himself if something were to happen to her. He’d already put her in harm’s way. It would be better that she not be a part of his life right now, and that she not be dragged into this increasing perilous case.

When the case was over he’d go to her and try to explain...and he hoped desperately that she’d listen.

The next week slipped by in a blur. Nina engulfed herself so completely in her work that she had very little time to contemplate the events of her life. She liked it that way. She’d done some extra overtime shifts and realized that she’d spent more time in the hospital than she had in her own apartment. Her sleep pattern had become increasingly disturbed. Although she’d been able to suppress thoughts of Wade during her waking hours, he’d visit her at night with haunting clarity to taunt her in her dreams.

  Un
bidden questions about his case weaved through her conscience like tangled threads. She didn’t know why the nagging questions plagued her. She knew his accusations couldn’t possible have merit, but her mind kept replaying the zealous conviction on Wade’s face as he’d divulged the details.

It wasn’t that she naively believed that such things didn’t happen. She knew that corruption existed in all professions. What she couldn’t
accept was Wade’s claim that it could be happening right under her nose, with people she knew and had trusted for years. Some of these individuals she even socialized with outside work. Most of them she’d known since her residency. They’d attended her graduation, helped her move into her apartment, and were there as friends when she needed them. She would vouch for the character of any of the doctors here at WMH. No, she couldn’t believe that someone she worked with could be capable of this.

Nina yawned, fatigue sneaking up on her. It was nine o’clock in the morning and the emergency room was relatively quiet. She was seeing an infant with an ear infection, instructing his mother on how to administer his medication. She looked down at the cherubic infant bouncing rhythmically on his mother’s lap and sighed inwardly. Sometimes, in vulnerable moments, Nina wished she’d pursued a relationship and family as fervently as she’d pursued her career. Pushing the thought aside, she finished her instruction and walked out of the exam room, almost bumping into a stretcher in the busy hall.