The Italian Affair (23 page)

Rick tried the door handle of another room but it was locked. Had Gallagher locked it behind him? He moved across to the next one. It was only a large cupboard. Finally, he faced the fourth door. It opened with a slight creak.

The first thing that hit him was the smell of the place. An odd odour wafted nearby, making him want to hold his breath. He saw the stainless steel sink and the opened bottles sitting on the bench.
Medical instruments lay side by side, along with some cameras on tripods as if some sort of macabre movie was about to take place.

He jolted. A body lay on the trolley. He stared at it for a few seconds, his gaze taking in the length of it. A label hung from the big toe. He wasn’t easily perturbed, having seen death many times before, but there was something pretty horrible about a body lying so still with a pure, white sheet draped over it. He went closer to have a look. A quick glance at the label said it was a female. He stood for a few seconds looking around, wondering if there might have been an exit he might have missed. But no, there was nothing. He was just about to leave, when his gaze was drawn back to the body again. There was something strange about it. He went closer and flicked the tag. One dead female. He looked curiously at the feet. They were big for a female, he noticed. He would have sworn they belonged to a male.

He stepped forward intending to whip off the sheet. Before he had a chance, the body leapt upwards. Two hands grabbed him by the throat. The move was so violent, Rick dropped the Glock and it clattered onto the floor. Staggering back, he swung his arms upwards dislodging Gallagher’s deathlike grip. It worked. As soon as Gallagher let go, Rick swung his fist round and caught Gallagher on the jaw, snapping his head back. Gallagher fell backwards hitting the trolley. He didn’t go down. Instead, when he righted himself, he grabbed the trolley and swung it round hard in Rick’s direction. Rick caught it with his left hand and deflected it, where it crashed heavily against a cupboard. A whole line of dark-coloured bottles toppled over smashing heavily onto the floor. Liquid pooled near his feet, making the floor slippery. Fumes choked his throat, making Rick cough and his eyes water.

When Gallagher saw the automatic lying on the floor, he made a dive for it but misjudged the distance. Rick leapt forward, kicking the gun away, out of reach. While Gallagher tried to scramble to his feet, Rick tackled him, wrenching the man’s arms behind his back. Now, he had him in an arm lock.

‘Move and I’ll break your arm,’ said Rick, roughly.

The door swung open and Dave Brougham stood there, his mouth agape, as he took in the chaos before him.

‘About time,’ Rick said, gasping. ‘Where the hell have you been?’

Brougham gave a smile. ‘Why rush? I knew you would take care of it.’

Gina hadn’t seen Rick yet since he was still at police headquarters giving his statement. The only thing worrying her now was facing Rick after what he had done for her. She’d heard all about it, in great detail, from the police officers on duty outside her room. How he had tackled Jason in the morgue. Put his own life at risk. Good people had been brought into this whole horrible episode. All because Jason had gone stark raving mad determined to have his revenge on her and her family.

The nurse, seeing her packing her belongings, called the doctor. He arrived within a few minutes, casting her a disapproving look.

‘What’s all this about Ms Rosselini?’

‘I’m leaving.’

‘I think you should stay in longer,’ he reasoned. ‘Besides, we have strict instructions you were to wait for Mr Caruso to pick you up.’

She said adamantly. ‘I’m going down to the police station to find him.’ She calmly finished packing her things and lifted her bag, before turning around to face the doctor again. ‘I don’t want to make a fuss, but I really do feel OK.’

It was obvious the doctor still didn’t believe her. ‘You’ve been through a lot. I don’t think you should leave the hospital alone. Let me call your grandparents first. They can come and collect you.’

‘No,’ she said sharply. ‘I don’t need them to come and get me. I’ll make my own way.’

Thankfully, two police officers escorted her to a waiting squad car and offered to give her a lift. She had just thrown her handbag into the back seat, when to her surprise Rick drew up in his wagon. She paused, her hand on the door. She watched him climb out and make
his way over to her.

‘Going somewhere?’ he asked softly.

‘Rick,’ she murmured, moving forward. She stopped, unsure what to do next.

He stood there, within an arm’s length, just watching her. She noticed he had showered recently, his hair slightly damp. He wore faded jeans that clad his thighs, emphasizing strong, muscled legs. His shirt, a soft white cotton, offset his tanned skin.

Her gaze lowered fractionally as she tried to think what she was going to say, but instead her gaze kept being drawn back to his eyes looking at her so intensely.

‘Gina. Don’t be afraid.’

And the more she looked, the more the doubts faded and she knew that she loved him. She saw the fresh cut on his forehead and before she realized what she was doing, her fingertips touched it ever so softly. ‘You’re hurt.’

‘It’s only a scratch,’ he said reassuringly, ‘nothing to worry about.’

‘I want to thank you,’ she said simply. ‘I know you went after Jason singlehanded and I know in doing so, you risked your life for me. It’s something I can never repay.’

His finger tilted her chin upwards. ‘Gina, you owe me nothing. Forget the past now. There’s a whole new future out there waiting for us both. It’s up to you to take that chance.’

‘Do you really think we can?’ she asked. ‘You don’t think what has happened with Jason will taint everything? Maybe even us eventually?’

‘No, I don’t believe that.’ He paused slightly as if searching for the right thing to say. ‘As far as I’m concerned I’m in love with you. Nothing can ever alter that.’

She moved closer to him. A soft breeze blew gently, cooling her skin, and blowing back the tendrils of her hair. It cleared her thoughts, chasing away the last remnants of doubt. Her heart suddenly soared.

‘Oh, Rick,’ she murmured. This was a chance for happiness,
wasn’t it? And oh … it felt so right.

He lifted his hand again, skimming his knuckles over her cheekbone.

‘I’ve been thinking, Gina Rosselini.’ His voice had dropped an octave as he said her name caressingly. Then his arm slid casually around her shoulders, drawing her away to a secluded corner, out of sight of the police officers. His lips found hers. The kiss was all she ever dreamed it could be and more.

When she pulled away to take a breath, he said, ‘I’ve got us a flight booked on the first plane out in the morning. We’ll head to Sicily for our honeymoon.’

Surprised, she stared at him, noticing his smile filled with promise. She only had to say yes. He was waiting for her, ever so patiently, and for that she was grateful.

‘We’ll have lots of kids,’ he carried on teasingly.

She gave a smile. ‘You mean we’ll have fun trying.’ She couldn’t resist a little teasing herself.

He chuckled. ‘I’m Italian, don’t forget. Kids and marriage go together,’ he added softly, with a glint in his blue eyes.

As if she could ever forget
that
, she thought. ‘Know something? I’ve always wanted to go to Sicily … and lots of kids sound just fine,’ she replied, the lump in her throat growing. ‘Besides, I’ve already decided that I can’t live without you.’

He raised a brow. ‘You have?’

‘Uh-huh. I love you, Rick Caruso. I love you now. And I’ll love you forever.’

As they both climbed into his car, Gina realized how lucky she really was. Sure they had both faced adversity, but they’d both come through it. And in doing so, it made their love even stronger. Nothing would ever break it. Or them.

‘No regrets?’ he asked.

‘None,’ she replied firmly.

And she knew then, there never would be. 

True Deception

Ultimate Betrayal