Already Gone (A Laura Frost FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) by Blake Pierce (notion reading list .txt) 📗

make sure to keep it clean, and getyourself to your local hospital next week for a check-up. As for the wound onyour side, it will take a little longer to heal, and you’ll have a scar—but it’ssewn up and clean, so if you keep it that way, I don’t foresee anycomplications.”

“I know the drill,” Laura said, whichwas unfortunately true.

“Better than most,” Nate added. She wasgrateful for the backup. “Thanks, Doc. She going to need anything else?”

“That should do it.” The doctor nodded,moving to the door of the private room. “When you’re ready, you should be goodto check out.”

“Thanks,” Laura said, belatedly, as thedoor closed. She felt like her timing was a little off; lag, maybe, from allthe visions and the headaches and the physical fight. She’d come straight tothe hospital from the scene, no time for a break or decompression, and it hadbeen a whirlwind of assessment and stitches and blood transfusions. And all therest. The fear for Nate. For Amy. The need for a drink. The need, alwaysunfulfilled, to see Lacey.

It was a wonder she wasn’t permanentlylagged.

“How are you doing?” Nate asked, seemingto read her mind. He stood awkwardly by the bed, his arms folded across hischest.

“I could do with sleeping for a week,”Laura said. “How did it go while I was getting my stitches?”

“Sheriff’s handling the crime scene.”Nate shrugged. “Bronston didn’t tell Thomas anything. Looks like he was just…insane. Like you said. Targeting you. He must have fooled the psychiatric teststo get himself released. We’ve got local cops going to examine his apartment,see if they can find anything else, but it seems like everything is just aboutwrapped up.”

“That’s good,” Laura said. She restedher head back against the pillows, wishing she could stay longer. She had onlybeen at the hospital a few hours, but if the doctor said she was well enough totravel, then she was well enough. Still, she could sleep on the plane. Then athome, hopefully. She would get a day off to cope with the injury, at the veryleast.

And mandatory counseling to deal withhaving stabbed a perp to death. Laura didn’t want to think about that. She’dhave to deal with it when it came to it.

“Look, uh…” Nate hesitated, sitting downon the edge of the bed and reaching for her hand. Laura flinched it away,trying to pretend that she was coincidentally just getting up as he sat down,swinging herself around to sit facing in the opposite direction. “Laura, youjust did it again.”

“Did what?” she asked, reaching for herwatch from the surface by the bed and busying herself with doing up the strap.She couldn’t bear for him to touch her. She didn’t want to know. She was soafraid. She had always felt the shadow of death was further off, not gatheringpace with the investigation. And if she hadn’t just saved his life from the realdanger…

She couldn’t face it. She didn’t want tofeel that shadow of death hanging on him again. Not yet.

“Avoided me.” Nate sighed. “You’ve beenacting weird this whole case. And that’s saying something, because you’realways weird as hell.”

Laura flinched again—at his words, thistime. His opinion mattered to her. Hearing him describe her that way, like hesaw her just as everyone else did…

“Which is one of the things I like aboutyou,” Nate added quickly, reacting to her expression. “I like that you havethat mysterious edge, that you’re different from other agents. I love that wecan trust each other. It’s just that, this time… I’m worried about you.”

“I’m just a little sore,” she said,making to hop off the bed.

“Laura.” Nate’s voice was hard and flat.It was unusual enough for him that she froze and looked at him, turning overher own shoulder. “Stop. I… I’ve known for a while that the things you do are…strange. The insights you get. You always chalk it up to luck, but it’s justnot possible for that to be the case so often. I don’t know how you know, butyou know things I don’t. Things no one knows.”

Laura bit her lip. “Nate,” she said,shaking her head, her voice cracking. “I can’t—”

“I know you don’t want to tell me,” Natesaid. His voice was steady and soft, washing over her. “I’m a patient man. Ican wait. But if we’re going to stay partners, you need to let me in. Sooner orlater, you have to let me in.”

Laura’s shoulders slumped. Privately,though she wasn’t going to admit it out loud, she knew he was right. She hadlost partners before because she would not open up. They had become suspiciousof her, in the end, thinking that she had some confidential informant or othertrick up her sleeve that she wasn’t letting them in on. They would grow jealous,call her a bitch who was only out to further her own career. Then it would beover.

Nate was different, had always beendifferent. They had managed to get along this far. But she had always known, atthe back of her mind, that this day would probably come. Maybe it was time.Maybe telling him now would be the right thing to do.

Nate’s hand landed on her shoulder, andeven though Laura froze in anticipation of that awful shadow of death coatingeverything around her, it was faint this time. Soft and indistinct, like gauze.Disappointment was tempered with relief. She had somehow managed to delay it,to push it further off in to the future. But still, it was there. The sickeningreminder that he was going to die.

That’s why I can’t tell him.

And a second wave washed over her, thefeeling coming on thicker and murkier than before, like someone had thrown aheavy curtain across the window.

“I’ll see you outside,” Nate said,getting up and taking his hand away. The color returned to the room, and Lauragulped in a breath as he left her on her own.

Laura pushed her hands against herforehead, trying to keep down a burst of nausea. What did this all mean? She’dbeen considering telling him, and the shadow had eased off a little. But themoment she decided not to, it had come back in full force.

Was he supposed to know?

Was telling him about her ability theone