AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sure.” Gorman looked anything but sure. “Hey, Lacey,” he called. But she was already out the door, and practically running down the hallway, not wanting to answer any of Gorman’s questions.
She collected her vehicle—well, she’d taken to driving Nico’s Jeep, as he rode his motorcycle most days, but maybe it was time she got her own transport—and drove over to the hospital, feeling numb. Her mind was still clogged with endless rounds of the same question.Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me?So by the time she made it up to the intensive care ward, she still had no more clarity on how she felt about this woman and her accusations, or what she was going to say to Nico when she saw him next. She was so numb, she couldn’t tell exactly what she was feeling. When Marietta first called Nico her husband, Lacey had felt shock that he’d so easily betrayed her trust. But that feeling had evaporated now. She should probably be angry. Sad. Disappointed. Devastated. But her eyes remained dry, she couldn’t seem to conjure up any strong emotions. Just blank numbness.
The nurse in charge couldn’t give her any more updates about Linc’s condition. All she would say was that a member of his family was in there with him—Lacey assumed it was Tyrell, as Linc’s mother wasn’t due to fly in from America until later tonight—along with a specialist doctor. It wasn’t the hopeful news Lacey had been wanting to hear, but at least he wasn’t any worse. She would wait. Hopefully Tyrell would emerge soon with some news.
Taking a seat in one of the low slung chairs in the waiting room, she pulled out her laptop. Opening an Internet browser, her fingers hovered over the keys. She should just type in Somerset Gymnastic Club. Delving into research about the club might help clear her mind of all the other abhorrent thoughts. But she couldn’t help herself; she googled the name Marietta Favreau.
And then covered her mouth to stop a groan escaping as images of the woman claiming to be Nico’s wife populated the page.
She learned so many things about Marietta over the next forty minutes spent hunched over her laptop. The woman wasn't shy about sharing on social media. Formerly Marietta Domanska—until she took the name Favreau eleven years ago and clearly never changed it back—she was of Polish descent and at forty-two, was a good ten years older than Nico. Images showed a tall, willowy woman, with long auburn hair, and striking features. She was a fashion designer, with her own brand, simply calledMarietta, with at least three shopfronts that Lacey could find, the main one listed was on a trendy street in Sydney. Lacey couldn’t fathom how Nico could’ve been married to this lady. She seemed so not his type.
Then she found the photo. A photo of Marietta and Nico’s wedding. It was from the local Canberra newspaper, and showed the happy couple grinning at the camera, a very young Nico, so handsome in his tuxedo, and Marietta looking all of the sexy seductress in a figure-hugging white dress, with a full veil and a long satin train laid out around their feet.
A spike of pain like pure white heat shot through Lacey’s chest.
“Oh, God! Oh, God.” She snapped the laptop closed and got to her feet in a rush. Why in hell had she been so stupid as to want to torture herself? She really wished she hadn’t seen that photo. Wanted to go back in time and undo the Google search. Because now, she would never rid herself of that image. That blanketing numbness she’d felt ever since she walked away from Nico finally evaporated. Her unfeeling daze morphed into a strong emotion she could finally recognize. Anger. Oh yes, she was angry all right. And also that feeling of betrayal was back.
That snake. How could he do this to her? It was probably lucky that Nico wasn’t standing in front of her right now, because she might not be liable for her actions. She wanted to kick something, throw something, pummel something. She began to pace to and fro in front of the row of chairs. The first time she’d met Nico, she used her judo skills to forcibly throw him to the ground. And she wanted to do that to him again right now. She was a black belt in judo, but recently she’d let her training slide as she became busier and busier with her burgeoning career and her life with Nico. Judo had always been a release for her as well as a way to defend herself and give her some much-needed self-confidence. Right now, she craved the physical release of judo practice, the serenity of running through the same drill over and over. Tonight, she would make sure to attend a class. And tomorrow, and the day after. It was a way to funnel this terrible anger; otherwise she would likely let loose on anyone nearby. Especially Nico.
“Lacey?” Tyrell’s voice came from down the hallway, and Lacey spun on her heel. Dragging in a deep breath, she calmed herself, pushed all her fury and sense of deception deep down into her stomach. There were other equally important things going on in her life right now, and Linc was one of them. She needed to remember that and not get too lost in her own self-pity.
“How is he?” she asked, walking quickly in Tyrell’s direction.
His smile told her everything she needed to know, and she let out a gust of relief even before he spoke the words. “He’s awake, Lacey.” He gripped her by the shoulders with delight, and she gave him a quick hug in return.
“Oh, thank God,” she said.
“They brought him out of the coma a few hours ago. He’s awake, and aware of his surroundings, but he’s still groggy and disorientated. I’ve been with him the whole time.” Lacey could see the strain of the past few days written clearly on Tyrell’s face. But he grabbed her hand, his fingers dark against her light ones. “But the doctors think he’s over the worst of it.”
“That’s fantastic news,” she replied, feeling brighter, more able to push her woes aside now that she knew Linc would be okay.
“Do you want to go and see him?”
“I’d love to, but I don’t think I’m allowed in.” As far as she knew, it was the next of kin only allowed in to intensive care.
“I’ll go and talk to the nurse. He’s allowed one visitor at a time, and I need to go and call his family and tell them the good news. He should have someone by his side, and I have a feeling he’d like to talk to you.”
“Okay, that’d be great.” She watched as Tyrell went to the nurses’ desk and spoke to the duty nurse, at one stage pointing in Lacey’s direction. Finally, the woman seemed to give in and nodded at him wearily. Tyrell wasn’t one to take no for an answer. He gave her the thumbs-up and waved her down the hallway.
She quickly packed up her laptop into her backpack and walked the short distance to the double doors at the end of the hall. A bout of nervousness filled her stomach with butterflies and she was suddenly unsure what she should say to Linc. In some ways, she still felt as if she’d let him down. As if it was partly her fault he’d been attacked. She knew better than to say that to his face, because he’d wave off her apology as not warranted. But it didn’t make the sick feeling in her gut go away. Straightening her shoulders, she pushed through the doors and immediately saw Linc in the nearest hospital bed. His eyes were closed, his head propped up slightly on two pillows, and she wondered if he was asleep. A nurse hovered beside another man a few beds down the line, and she looked up when Lacey entered.
“I’m Senior Constable Jackson’s police partner,” she said in a low voice when the nurse approached. “I have permission to be in here.”
The dark-haired nurse considered her for a few moments before lifting her chin, then said, “As long as you keep quiet, and don’t disturb anyone else.”
“I won’t,” Lacey promised.
“He’s still very groggy. He may drift in and out, even while you’re talking to him. He needs as much rest as he can get.”
“Okay.” Lacey pulled the chair next to Linc’s bed a little closer and sat down. At the slight sound of the chair grating on the floor, Linc opened his eyes.
“Hey, partner,” she said quietly.
He tried to smile, but it came out a little wonky. “Hey, Shorty,” he mumbled in return. He raised his hand off the bedclothes as if searching for something, and she grasped his fingers in hers. His hand was cool to the touch, and she wrapped it in both of hers in an effort to warm him up.
“I’m so glad to see you,” she said, and was surprised to feel the prick of tears behind her eyelids. “We were all worried about you.” She coughed and sat straighter in her chair. Linc wouldn’t appreciate her turning into a blubbering mess in the middle of his hospital ward.
“Nah, I’m a tough nut to crack.”
