Lani gasped, tipping Jordan off that he’d handled that a lot harsher than he intended. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Lani spoke before he could.

  “But, you’ve never had an orgasm with me,” she stated. “I thought …”

  “I did, the last time we made love. Though you didn’t say anything, I could tell something was wrong. It threw me off. I normally focus only on what it takes to please you.”

  Lani narrowed her eyes and Jordan suspected a tinge of jealousy when she asked, “Did you ever have one with …”

  “No. I have complete control where that is concerned,” he said. “I can go for hours without one. The only time I’ve ever lost it is—”

  “With me.”

  “With you,” he confirmed, allowing the weight of his words to sink in. “The timing isn’t ideal, but it sounds to me like you need a vacation.”

  “It’ll be my first.” She released his hand and kicked a pebble into the street.

  “You’ve never had a vacation? You’ve never been anywhere?” he asked, stunned.

  “My focus was always on school, then work, and even more work. It’s what I’ve always done. Besides the hospital, I can’t even say I’ve seen the entire city, and I grew up here.”

  Elated by that answer, Jordan caught Lani up by the waist and spun her around. “I have an idea.” He set her down and hastened their steps back to her place. “Why don’t we spend this downtime you have—together? We could take a few small day trips that will keep you nearby in case you have to return to the hospital.”

  From the corner of his eye, Jordan caught the curious smile that graced her face. “I wouldn’t even know where to go.”

  As they neared her house, Jordan slid the keys from her hand. “Then the first destination is easy. We’ll start with a tour of our hometown. From there, we’ll pull up a map on the internet, close our eyes, and pick a place and go.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Lani invited him in to keep her company since she wasn’t up for going out. Cuddling in her master bed seemed to be her new love language.

  “Why don’t they step out of the shadows and come for me without all the games?”

  “That would be too easy. This person wants you to sweat a little. They’re taking the coward’s way out.” He sat up on the mattress. “Is any other doctor vying for your position at the hospital? Any competition going on?”

  “I like the way you think,” she complimented with a small smile. “But I’m already established. Competition happens at the residency level. Besides, there are no new interns or doctors at the moment. Budget cutbacks.”

  Jordan rubbed her arms, pouring support into her. “Then this person is doing it for personal reasons.”

  Lani left the bed, streaked out of the room, and rushed back in with her purse. She moved so fast Jordan hadn’t taken a full breath by the time she returned. “Look at this note. I made a copy before the police took the original as evidence.”

  “Why are you just telling me this?” He sat up against the headrest. “When did this happen?”

  “During lunch today, but my shift ended with another incident and getting suspended. The note slipped my mind.”

  When she turned up the lights, he lifted the paper from her hand and studied it.

  You took something from me. Now, I’m going to take something you love and hurt you more.

  “Have you ever received a threat like this before?” he asked, passing the note back.

  “Never. Even the anonymous caller from the other day didn’t threaten me. I was just instructed to resign.” Shaking the note in the air, she added, “And what does this person mean saying I took something from them? I’ve never taken anything from anyone,” Lani placed the document on the nightstand and sat. “I care for people. I heal them. It’s not in my nature to harm anyone.”

  Jordan let his mind weave through a variety of scenarios. After a minute or two, he said, “Whoever’s doing this is very clever, and they know you. They’ve studied your movements—know your medical expertise and abilities. This person—”

  “It’s a woman, I’m sure of it,” Lani clarified, frowning.

  He turned to see her better. “How do you know that?”

  She shrugged. “I just do.”

  Jordan stroked his goatee, not wanting to upset her more by reminding her there was a real possibility the perpetrator could be a man. “This … woman has been planning this twisted revenge for a while. And although this has to be unbearably stressful for you, I have to wonder at the timing. What provoked her to action? Something had to tip the scales.”

  “And why is she coming at me through these children?” Lani asked, mulling it over.

  Jordan eased out of the bed, collected his slacks from the chaise, and fished out his phone. “I don’t like that anymore than you do, but we’re not professionals. We’d just be spinning our wheels, and we can’t afford to miss any clues.”

  Lani turned on her back, laying her forearm over her eyes. “My mind is repeating the events of the last few weeks, trying to determine who’d want to ruin the career I built with blood and sacrifice. To my knowledge, I don’t have any family. I don’t have any enemies other than Dr. Hunter and Dr. Risden. No one who would have this big an ax to grind with me.”

  He lifted her arm from her face. “Don’t be afraid, baby. We’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise.” Jordan tried to pull her into his arms. Instead, she scooted into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Zach was able to trace the blackmail call you received. It originated within the hospital.” He had planned to tell her after dinner but then they had the incident. After calming Lani down, the last thing he wanted to do was bring up work drama.

  He brushed a few strands of hair from Lani’s forehead and pressed a kiss on her smooth skin while the television played softly in the background. The backdrop to their intimate encounter shifted gracefully from an amazing setting sun to a romantic full moon. The hour was late, but their newfound connection was heartfelt and vibrant. Soon, their limbs were entangled, and Lani’s slow, steady breathing nearly had Jordan sighing with contentment. The time spent apart had not diminished the intensity they shared.

  Now she needed him, not for sex but for true companionship born from a shared trust—a trust that had been fortified the day he returned to her every dime she’d paid him for the three months she was a client. Plus two points over standard interest. He couldn’t take away the fact that paying for his services had made her feel less than worthy, but he hoped to help rebuild her self-esteem by returning it. When she looked at him, he wanted her to see the man who loved her, not the man she hired.

  Turning over in his arms, Lani whispered, “Jordan. I’m scared. I’ve been so preoccupied with everything going on, I stepped into the street and almost was run over in the hospital parking lot.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Jordan asked, giving her a gentle squeeze. Lani had enough on her plate and Ms. Hardy had gone silent. While Jordan didn’t like it, he hoped she’d finally gotten the message. Still, he couldn’t be sure until more time had passed.

  “I’d just been suspended so that was first and foremost on my mind when I saw you.”

  “Sweetheart, it’s time to touch base with the big dogs again.”

  Lani narrowed a gaze on him. “What big dogs? And do you have to leave now?”

  “Yes, and I’m talking about my brother, Zach,” Jordan explained, grabbing his slacks again, pulling out his phone. He stopped at the threshold, then walked back to plant a searing kiss on her lips. “I know you have this Daron person and the Kings and all that, but I trust my people. I’ll call you later.”

  “Jordan …”

  “Be optimistic, Lani. We’ll find … her.”

  She snapped to attention and did a mocking salute. “Yes, sir.”

  “Hmmm, I think I like that.” Jordan grinned and gave her a suggestive wink. “And I’m going to need you to behave yourself for the rest of the night.”

  Lani tossed a pillow at his head. He ducked and tossed it back.

  Jordan didn’t want to leave her, but his plans had to be carried out from another location.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “Filing a lawsuit?” Lani yelled as she paced the length of Dr. Gervais’ office. “If I hadn’t arrived when I did, that baby would be dead.”

  A few months had gone by since the first incident in O.R. 8. Although she knew there would be hell to pay, Lani had never imagined the price would be this steep. Jordan was working things on his end through his brother, and she was still keeping Daron in the loop as much as practical.

  “According to the parents, you performed an unauthorized surgery on their child,” Dr. Gervais reminded Lani.

  She stopped and stared at her supervisor. “I saved that child’s life.”

  “Did you? Because that’s what’s being questioned by the parents,” she stated, as Lani returned to pacing. “None of the facts corroborate your story. No one saw this mysterious woman who supposedly harmed the child.”

  “Seriously? I’m a doctor, damn it.” She turned sharply toward her superior. “I swore an oath. First Do No Harm. How could anyone stand by and not help that child?”

  “Listen. I’m on your side,” Dr. Gervais replied in a soothing tone. “Everything will work itself out. The family will probably settle out of court, and this will go away. The other family is just grateful their baby is alive.”

  Lani marched over to the desk and smashed her fist down on a stack of files. “That’s not good enough. There’s something else going on. I told you right after the first incident that the woman left that newborn specifically for me to find. Whoever the hell she is, she knows enough about me to realize I could do the procedure and she timed it so I could actually save that baby. A few more minutes, and we’d be having a different conversation.”

  Dr. Gervais’ cell vibrated on the desk, but she silenced it without reading the screen. “None of the surveillance cameras in the hospital captured this mystery woman. If it was even a woman. Detective Coleman found a wig in the garbage and an unidentified male pretending to be a part of the janitorial services that night. Other than that, the police are coming up dry on all fronts.”

  “Does anyone know how this man managed to get a badge to access restricted areas?”

  “We’re looking into it.” She stared at Lani’s fist still resting on the desk. “You know we’ve been under fire. We’ve had to settle three very ugly malpractice and wrongful death suits over the last five years. We cannot afford another scandal now.” She rested both arms on the desk and leaned forward. “Not when we’ve just gotten our footing and reputation back. A settlement is the quickest way to end this without the incident going on public record, and without an admission of guilt or wrongdoing on your part.”

  Lani scrubbed her hands down the tight muscles of her face. “That’s another issue I’m having. One.” She put up an index finger. “This place has more security personnel, checkpoints, and protocols than the White House. At least they’re supposed to. Yet, they can’t catch the culprit?” She threw up another finger. “Two, somehow every single time I’m on duty, an infant is in danger, and miraculously I’m the only one who’s available to save them. Do you know what that looks like?”

  The cell vibrated again, and Dr. Gervais looked at the screen and frowned. “Like someone …”

  With three fingers in the air, Lani continued, “Three newborns were assaulted in as many weeks, yet the hospital is more concerned with its reputation, a public scandal, and making me the scapegoat than finding out who’s committing these heinous crimes and fixing these ‘intermittent’ security issues.”

  Her superior came from behind the desk, her strides smooth as she approached Lani. “I’m on your side. I promise I am.”

  “Really?” Lani raised both eyebrows. “Because that’s not how it feels to me.”

  “My mind is spinning in the same direction as yours,” she insisted. “But we can no longer ignore that these incidents—attacks that are tied to you and whoever’s doing this—are damaging your reputation and simultaneously testing your ability as a doctor. Almost as if they believe you shouldn’t be here.”

  Lani looked into the older woman’s calm eyes. Suddenly drained, she sank into a chair. “Testing me? Using innocent babies to prove I don’t belong? That’s insane.” Lani’s voice went up an octave. “We’d better figure this out. I’m not about to apologize for saving those children’s lives.”

  Dr. Gervais returned to her seat. “I agree. Listen, I want to try something.”

  Lani angled in the chair, giving the curly-haired woman her full attention.

  “You’re not going to like it.”

  Her tone put Lani on alert even more than her words had.

  “We might still need to take you out of the equation for a while.”

  “Technically, I’m already suspended, so I’m already out of the equation.”

  “You must know someone with influence,” Dr. Gervais countered. “Because the suspension was lifted.”

  That made no sense. Lani had been out of the surgical rotation for at least a week. Why is this the first I’m hearing of this? Did Jai reach out to his contact on the board?

  Dr. Gervais showed Lani her cell screen after a few moments of silence. Dr. Risden had sent a text to members of the board saying they had to immediately reverse course.

  “Who is Vikkas Germaine? We received a letter from him, requesting certain documentation from the board.”

  Way to go Daron! “He’s a member of the Castle and also a lawyer. Evidently, my lawyer.”

  “And that means you’ll be at the hospital on regular schedule; giving whoever this is a better timetable to coordinate things. And this is why we need to take you out of play for the moment.”

  As Lani stared across the desk, weariness at all the behind-the-scenes games set in. “How long are you talking about?”

  “For now, the rest of the week. Maybe longer if I can switch up the duty roster.” Dr. Gervais’ fingers flew over the computer’s keyboard. “It’s the fastest way to narrow this down and get more proof that these aren’t random occurrences, and that someone is purposefully setting you up to take a fall.”

  She brought up her hand like a stop sign the moment Lani parted her lips to speak. “I already know what you’re thinking. Taking that much time off so abruptly when you’ve been given the green light to return is going to rev up the rumor mill,” she said in a wry tone. “It’s a chance we have to take if we want to catch this person. I’ll do as much damage control as I can. But it’s the only way I can think of to get to the bottom of this and flush out the culprit. If someone is trying to sabotage you, and your good name, let them think they’re succeeding. Maybe they’ll get cocky and slip up.”

  Reluctant but not wanting to be unreasonable, Lani sighed and stood. “The rumor mill is the least of my worries. A bigger concern is that somehow, the security cameras conveniently never work to prove my innocence.”

  “Exactly. So, we have to be smarter than the perpetrator.” Dr. Gervais retrieved a piece of paper from the printer on the cabinet behind her. “Let them think they’ve got you on the ropes. Then we come out swinging.”

  Lani didn’t like being the sacrifice, but Dr. Gervais was right. She had to slide off the radar and let things play out. Grudgingly, she said, “What the hell am I supposed to do while I’m out?”

  “Two things,” Dr. Gervais answered, giving her a winning smile. “One: live a little. Two: take a closer look at anyone in your life, or a colleague who has issues with you.”

  Lani pondered that idea for several moments. “The fact that the culprit could be someone I know … a person I work with, it’s just inconceivable.”

  Dr. Gervais’ desk phone rang, and she held up an index finger to Lani as she answered. “Yes.” She paused and her eyes brightened. “That’s great news. I’ll let her know.”

  She disconnected the call and smiled at Lani, who slid forward in her seat.

  “What?” she asked.

  “They’re back to looking at Dr. Howard as a suspect in the last incident.” Her eyebrows shot up. “Her alibi wasn’t as solid as they thought. Evidently Dr. Howard had a legal issue with her last job that she didn’t disclose and managed to snag this job before it became part of her medical history.”

  “Then why would she come after me?” Lani asked, confused.

  “The board discussed it at a previous meeting. They believe she was frightened that if your robotic surgery was approved, the new protocols you suggested would cause the hospital to take a deeper look into her background. She could lose her position.”

  Lani had been pushing for a serious dive into the background of all physicians who would be trained to use the NRS Unit. Dr. Gervais explained that when the HR department verified Dr. Howard’s credentials, her license had yet to be suspended. The board at her previous hospital had not turned their findings over to the Illinois medical board until after Dr. Howard already resigned and landed the new position at Meridian. It made sense to Lani that Dr. Howard would side with Dr. Risden against the robotic unit, and also want her out of the picture. Lani was relieved and happy this situation seemed to be coming to a close, but this information was too convenient. Something still wasn’t right.

  Dr. Gervais grimaced, then sighed. “I still need you to take those days off until after the board meets to discuss the evidence against Dr. Howard and we get the surveillance issue in hand.”

  The tension instantly returned to Lani’s body. She felt like a bird that had slammed into a freshly cleaned window.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Lani couldn’t believe she’d let Jordan talk her into this crazy idea. She’d never done anything like this in her life. And that smell. Good Lord! She made the mistake of walking downwind after one of the horses did what came naturally. The odor was a stark shock to her system. No one else noticed that? As she waited for Jordan to get into position, she groaned, “I must be out of my mind.”