Chapter 5

Dock looked up, his blood running cold. Jody Sherman, Gladys' s best friend, was standing over their table, her face a mask of pure fury. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but they burned with an intensity that made him physically recoil.

"Jody," he said, his voice tight. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" She let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh that turned heads at nearby tables. "I've been calling her for two days, you bastard. Two days of her phone going straight to voicemail. Where is she?"

"How should I know?" Dock said, pushing his chair back. "She left. If you want to find her, call her, not me."

"Don't you lie to me," Jody spat, her voice dangerously low. "I know you. I know what you are. Gladys wouldn't just disappear. What did you do to her?"

Brianna, who had been watching with wide, startled eyes, finally found her voice. "Who is this woman, Dock? Why is she yelling at you?"

Jody's fiery gaze snapped to Brianna. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "I'm the friend of the woman whose kidney is currently keeping you alive. The woman your husband was pretending to love so he could use her as a walking organ bank."

Brianna gasped, clutching Dock's arm. "Dock, make her leave. She's scaring me."

"You need to go, Jody," Dock said, standing up to create a barrier between her and Brianna. "You're making a scene."

"A scene?" Jody's voice rose again. "You want to see a scene? I'll show you a scene. Where. Is. Gladys?"

He was convinced this was some coordinated drama. Gladys had probably put her up to this, to maximize his public shame. "She's probably shacked up in a hotel somewhere, enjoying the pity party. She' ll turn up when she gets bored."

"She would never do that!" Jody insisted, her eyes filling with tears of frustration. "Something is wrong. I can feel it."

"The only thing wrong here is you, harassing a sick woman," Dock shot back, his anger rising to meet hers. He hated being cornered, hated this loss of control.

"Sick?" Brianna chimed in, her voice trembling but with an undercurrent of steel. "The only person sick here is you. Get away from us."

Jody looked at Brianna, a look of profound disgust on her face. "You're a piece of work. You know that? A leech. You bled her dry and you're smiling about it."

Brianna' s face went pale. She swayed slightly, her hand flying to her chest. "Dock... I don't feel well. My heart..."

That was all it took. Dock's focus snapped entirely to Brianna. "That's it. We're leaving." He threw some cash on the table and scooped a sputtering Brianna into his arms.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Jody yelled after him as he carried Brianna out of the restaurant.

He didn' t look back. He drove straight to the ER of his own hospital, his mind racing. He bypassed the triage nurse, flashing his badge and getting Brianna into a private room immediately.

He hooked her up to the monitors himself, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. Her vitals were stable. Her EKG was normal. There was nothing physically wrong with her.

"I'm okay," she whispered a few minutes later, her color returning. "She just... she frightened me."

He sat on the edge of the bed, relief warring with a lingering annoyance at Jody. "I know. I'm sorry."

"We can't go out again, can we?" Brianna said, her eyes wide with feigned fear. "Not if she's going to be out there, looking for us."

He knew their plans for a celebratory evening were shot. "No. We'll just go home. I'll order something in."

He helped her back into the car and they drove back to the apartment. In his arms, Brianna snuggled against his chest, her face hidden from his view. She was smiling. The confrontation hadn't been part of her plan, but it had worked out perfectly. It confirmed that Gladys was gone, and it had positioned Brianna as the fragile victim in need of Dock's protection.

"She really signed divorce papers?" Brianna asked softly as they walked into the apartment.

"Yeah," Dock said, setting her down on the couch. "It's over, B. For real."

She reached up and pulled his face down to hers, her lips pressing against his. "Good," she murmured. "Now it's just us."

Her hands moved from his face down to his chest, unbuttoning his shirt. He let her, his body responding on autopilot. This was the culmination of everything. The prize at the end of the race.

But as she pushed him back onto the couch, her body pressing against his, his mind went blank. He felt a sudden, inexplicable coldness. He saw Gladys's face in his mind, her eyes wide with hurt.

He stopped, his hands freezing on Brianna's waist.

Something was wrong.