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  He sat down in the rocker. “Now why would you do that?”

  “You called and said you needed to talk to me. I assumed it was important.”

  Of course his sister picked up on it. They weren’t that far apart in age. He knew all his brothers had a special relationship with his sister, but they were especially close.

  “Wendy told me you knew about us.”

  “Everyone knows.”

  “Declan,” he muttered. “I need to smack him around a little bit.”

  She shook her head. “Seriously, Aeden, with the two of you in a room, people were getting high off the hormones.”

  He felt his cheeks grow hot.

  “Oh, lord, you’re blushing.” She giggled.

  “Stop.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush. I kind of like it.”

  He didn’t say anything. It was hard to explain just why he couldn’t seem to control himself around Wendy. Maybe he’d been holding onto his need for so long that, now that he had her, he just didn’t feel like holding back.

  “Okay, so tell me what you want to know?” Kaitlin asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  “Her father.”

  She didn’t say anything, so he looked up from Michael to see his sister make a face. “Her family in general, I take it?”

  He nodded.

  “How much do you know?”

  “I know she comes from money.”

  Kaitlin snorted. “That’s putting it mildly. Her great-grandfather was pretty good friends with the Roosevelts, Vanderbilts, and a few other big names. They have old money, like money that could buy several small islands.”

  “Seriously? She doesn’t act that way.”

  “No, she doesn’t. I know she has a nest egg of some sort from her grandmother, but she doesn’t live off that money. Why are you asking about her father?”

  “He called a few days ago. She was really upset.” He still couldn’t forget the haunted look in her eyes, or the way her voice lost all character when she had been talking to her father.

  “One thing you have to understand about Wendy is that she is truly the poor little rich girl. Lots of money, two divorced parents with new families, and a multitude of servants to raise her. She would get pissed if you used that title for her, though.”

  Yeah, he could just imagine. She had too much pride.

  “I tried to talk to her, and I managed to get her to tell me her sister graduated from high school. But her dad was pretty pissed about the interview.”

  “Most likely he didn’t understand why she went in the first place. And, more than likely, embarrassed.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s working at what he sees as a menial job.”

  “I can’t think of her doing anything else.”

  Kaitlin smiled. “Of course you can’t. I can’t either.”

  There was a look in her eye that told him there was something else going on in there.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Kaitlin…” he said.

  “You know…you look good with a baby.”

  He blinked trying to follow the conversation. With Kaitlin it could be difficult at times, but even for her it was a little odd.

  “What?”

  She shook her head as she continued smiling at him. “Nothing.”

  * * *

  “You know, you don’t have to entertain me,” Wendy said, as Aeden led her through the crowd.

  They were at the Inner Harbor which was filled with people and lights. Music set the mood as an amazing show of lights danced over the water. Baltimore Light City was a new festival that featured music, lights, and innovations. So many people filled the sidewalks but she was enjoying it.

  “But you like lights, and you missed Christmas.”

  Another nugget of knowledge that he had gained from time with her. Did he keep a list of things she liked to do? It was odd enough that they seemed to be starting their relationship in the middle, but he seemed to know a lot more about her than she knew about him.

  “Yes, I missed Christmas but, what does that have to do with lights.”

  He pulled her aside and turned them both so they were looking out over the water. It was chilly tonight and she shivered. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

  “Every year you go to the Gaylord Hotel for their display and you drag Kaitlin around DC to look at the lights. I just thought you would enjoy this.”

  She leaned to the side and looked back at him. “I am enjoying it. Thank you.”

  “And, we both go back to work on Monday. I thought this would be fun.”

  She smiled. “Yeah. I usually have to work during Fleet Week, so I never get to come down here anymore.”

  They stopped at a displays, then walked through a number of the displays before finding something to eat.

  “It’s hard to believe I’ve been back for two weeks.”

  “Doesn’t seem that long to me,” he said as, they both watched a gaggle of boys run by.

  “I was worried when I returned that it would all seem foreign to me. Like I didn’t belong here anymore.”

  He nodded. “You know Harry at the house?”

  The name conjured a giant of a man with dark brown skin, and ready smile for everyone. “Yes.”

  “You know he’s reserves, right? He said the same thing. But he immediately got back into the swing of things, just moved right along. He said doing normal things helped.”

  “Yeah, I think he’s on to something there.”

  The announcer came over the loudspeaker to announced a new band was taking the stage.

  She felt him watching her, and she glanced over at him.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Just enjoying the night with you.” Then, he took her hand and lifted it to his mouth, brushing his lips over her knuckles before sitting back in his chair to enjoy the show.

  * * *

  Wendy was exhilarated to return to work Monday night. She’d been given the option of days, but she took nights. She didn’t feel right just stepping back in and taking days from someone. As a single woman with no spouse or kids, she didn’t mind the nights. Granted, working trauma was crazy just about every time of the day. But, nighttime did involve more vehicular accidents than other times of the day.

  She was halfway through her shift and taking a quick break to grab a coffee in the cafeteria when she saw Ryan come striding in. It was well after his normal working hours, so she wondered what he was doing at the hospital. He made a beeline for her table, and she started to get a really bad feeling about this.

  “Hey, Wendy, how’ve you been doing?” he asked, sitting down at her table without asking permission.

  “Okay. Enjoying my first day back.”

  And why had she come here instead of hiding upstairs? Oh, yeah, to get away from work. Stupid of her. She should have just walked the stairs like she did to relieve stress.

  “I was wondering if you weren’t busy Friday night, maybe you’d like to go out?”

  “I’m working Friday night.”

  “Oh. Can’t you trade off?”

  Doctors. Granted, she could for something important, but a date with Dr. McDreamy wasn’t something she wanted to use that card for.

  “No. I just got back from an extended leave, and I wouldn’t feel right about doing that.”

  “I would say your time overseas should give you that right.”

  Of course he would. He was a doctor who rarely was on call. He worked with kids, and did not really work after-hours at all. Plus, he was a doctor. Not that she had anything against them, but when you dealt with the God complex many of them seemed to have, it got a little old.

  “Maybe, but I couldn’t go out with you anyway, Ryan. I’m seeing someone.”

  His eyes narrowed. “That big lug you were at lunch with?”

  It took every bit of her control not to toss her coffee in his face. Her hand actually
ached to do it. First of all, Aeden wasn’t a lug. Second of all…there was no second of all. She just wanted Ryan to go away.

  “Yes. And I have a feeling he wouldn’t like being called a lug. Big—well he would probably take it the wrong way too.”

  Ryan frowned. The man didn’t have a sense of humor. Another reason she’d never want to date him. Life was too short not to laugh.

  “I don’t know why you would go out with someone like that.”

  His pitying tone irritated her. “Listen, Ryan, I’m sure you’re considered a catch to many woman—and probably just as many men. But the truth is, Aeden and I have known each other for a long time. We’ve actually been in a relationship for a while now.”

  That was a bit of a fib, but there was some truth in it.

  “I see. What I don’t understand is the attraction.”

  “Big, virile, gorgeous? Oh, and he saves lives for a living by running into burning buildings. Gee, I have no idea why I would be so attracted to a man like that. I gotta get back.”

  She said nothing else as she stood and marched away from the table. Normally, she wouldn’t get so irate about a comment like that, except that she had been dealing with emails and messages from family members for several days now. It was definitely a trigger point for her.

  She almost ran into Penelope from labor and delivery.

  “Oh, Penelope. I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I saw you were talking to Doctor Davis. He doesn’t normally show up this late at night.”

  “Yeah.”

  Wendy saw the forlorn looks the woman was tossing in Ryan’s direction. Oh, lord, this wasn’t good. She had a crush on Dr. McDreamy. Truth was, Ryan spent a lot of time on himself, and would never notice a young woman like Penelope. Sweet and shy, with a wealth of dark curling hair and thick glasses, she was so not the pediatrician’s type.

  “How are you doing?”

  “Fine.” She glanced at Wendy, then back at Ryan. “Just wanted some good coffee.”

  “Good. Well, I’ll—”

  “I see you’re getting a lot of attention for going to Africa.”

  She blinked. Penelope had always been a little different, but she had never been what Wendy would call rude. In fact, in Wendy’s opinion, she had always been a little too sweet for her own good.

  “It’s all about getting money for the charity. If I can get people to donate, I’ll be interviewed.”

  “Sure. See you later,” she said wandering off, her gaze still fixed on Ryan. That was not going to go well for Penelope. Ryan was too self-centered in his personal life. He worked for a lot of charities, and he loved working with kids, but he never dated anyone he thought beneath him. She had a feeling that he would consider Penelope beneath him in that regard.

  Knowing that saying anything wouldn’t work, she turned and headed back to work. At least there she could do some good.

  * * *

  * * *

  Wendy should have been exhausted, but her first day back at work had been great. She waved at the intake clerk in ER. It was easier to leave through the ER entrance to get to the employee parking. The sun was just breaking over the city as she stepped out of the hospital. Drawing in a deep breath, she sighed. The scent of fall was definitely in the air. Pumpkins, cooler air, and the changing of the leaves. It never got old. The truth was, she thought, she cherished it more this year.

  The six months in Liberia had been tough. And, while she hated to sound almost trite, it had taught her so much about herself. She loved the work she did, but time there had forced her to appreciate the life she had built for herself in Baltimore.

  And now that might include Aeden.

  She hadn’t thought much about it the last two weeks. She was too afraid to. For years, the crush she had harbored on the firefighter had been her own little secret. Well, Kaitlin knew, but no one else. She felt he would never look twice at a woman like her. Now, though…they seemed to just work so well together. He understood her almost as well as Kaitlin did. That was saying a lot.

  She definitely didn’t want to rush it. They both had demanding careers. Both of them had odd hours and funky schedules. They also needed to figure out just what they wanted from each other.

  She pushed those thoughts aside as she neared her car. Someone had left a flyer on the windshield. Frowning, she reached for it. They were not supposed to do this on hospital grounds. But, when she pulled the paper from beneath her windshield wiper, she realized it was a personal note that had been folded in half.

  She unfolded it and her blood turned cold.

  Watch your back, or you may just find a bullet in it.

  Chapter 7

  Wendy drank the tepid water, as she ran down the story for the third time. First two had been with the hospital staff and security. Don, the head of security, had called in his niece, a Baltimore detective. Detective Eileen O’Reilly was tiny, but people probably didn’t notice. She walked with a purpose and had a take no prisoners kind of attitude that Wendy could appreciate. Short dark hair with fringy bangs set off a face that some would call cute. That is, until you talked to her. There was one thing that gave Wendy comfort: Eileen O’Reilly was on her side. She would definitely hate to be on the wrong side of the detective.

  “Do you have any idea who might want to threaten you?” Detective O’Reilly asked.

  “No. Not really.”

  “My uncle told me you’ve become a local celebrity.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve done a little promoting for the charity I work for.”

  “And you just returned to work?”

  She took another drink of the water. “Yes. I returned from Liberia about two weeks ago.”

  “Liberia. The Ebola outbreak?”

  She nodded. “Initially, but it was almost dying down when I got there.”

  “So you stayed on?”

  “The charity keeps an outreach hospital. They recently upped the staff totals during the outbreak. There are a lot of other problems there besides Ebola.”

  She nodded. “So, who have you pissed off?”

  “In my lifetime or just recently?”

  That brought a smile from the serious detective. “Let’s start with recently.”

  She sighed. “Not sure. I’ve only handled a couple of cases here since I returned.”

  “Any exes?”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you involved with anyone?”

  She hesitated.

  “You need to tell me the truth so I can help you.”

  Wendy sighed. “We were just trying to keep it quiet.”

  “In a case like this, we need as much information as possible.”

  “Yeah. Okay. Aeden Fitzpatrick. He’s a—“

  “Yeah, I know them,” she said with a wince. “Firefighters.”

  She chuckled. “I should have known. Everyone knows them.”

  “Aeden is the oldest?”

  She nodded. “He was on duty last night.”

  “Well, it could be related to him also. I’m going to have to speak to him.”

  She heard some murmurs in the cafeteria, and she didn’t really need to look to know who it was. She had called Aeden as soon as she’d found the note. She turned to see him stride through the room with a single-minded purpose. He looked furious. Just seeing how mad he was allowed some of the fear and panic to rush forward. She had held it together all this time, until he got there.

  “I have a feeling that’s Fitzpatrick. They’re all big and blond.”

  “That’s true,” she said, her eyes burning. She realized then she was fighting back tears.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, pulling her up out of her chair and wrapping his arms around her.

  “Yeah. It was just a note.”

  He pulled back and looked at her. “Nothing is just a note when it threatens your life.”

  “I have to agree with you.”

  He looked at the detective. “You have to be O’Reilly’s sis
ter.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t claim him, but yes, we share parents.”

  “Great. Are you going to have a protective order?”

  “Let’s sit down and go over what happened. I have some questions for you.”

  He nodded. He waited until both women were seated before he took his own seat. “Ask away.”

  “Have you had any threats toward you? Anyone who would want to hurt Ms. Reynolds to get back at you?”

  “No. Not that I can think of.”

  “Any crazy exes?”

  “No.”

  “Seriously?”

  Wendy butted in. “Seriously. He’s always friendly with his exes after they break up. They all think he’s just so sweet. I have no idea why.”

  The detective smiled. “Okay. Still, if anyone comes to mind. You’ve done some testifying on arson cases, correct?”

  Wendy glanced at him, surprised by the question. Aeden nodded.

  “It’s been over a year, though. Truth is, we’ve been keeping this thing between us under the radar, so I’m not sure who all knew about it, if you get my drift?”

  “Why?” Detective O’Reilly asked.

  “Why what?”

  “Why are you keeping it under the radar, as you said?”

  Aeden shrugged. “We just started dating.”

  “And you returned recently?” She looked at Wendy.

  Wendy nodded. “Only two weeks.”

  Detective O’Reilly looked between them. “You began a relationship right when you got back?”

  She glanced at Aeden, who shrugged again, so Wendy answered. “We sort of started it before I left and then put it on hold.”

  “And how long was it going on before you left?”

  “One night,” Wendy said.

  A beat of silence. “All right. So, you got back, started up the relationship? Are you sure there is no one pissed off about that?”

  They both nodded.

  “I’ll have to ask around.”

  “Which means everyone will know that we are dating,” Aeden said.

  Wendy looked at him and tried to figure out if he was irritated or not by that. Granted, she had been the one who had insisted on keeping it quiet, but still, it was intrusive.

  “I’ll be discrete. You had three interviews, correct? One with the local news and two with papers?”