She took a deep breath and walked in. His smoky clothes lay in a heap on the floor. The shower curtain, light fern green with leaves on it, hid his body from her. He pulled the shower curtain back and stuck his head out.
“Want to take a shower with me?”
She must have reacted badly, because his face fell. “Honey, it’s okay. You don’t have to.”
Standing there, she finally put down the coffee on the counter, next to the sink. Stepping over his clothes she walked to the shower and leaned in.
“Maybe I want to,” she softly said.
That earned her a smile, a smile that melted her soul. A smile she knew she’d do anything to see. A smile that seemed to instantly reverse the pain she’d read in his eyes over whatever expression she’d revealed after his comment.
She kissed him, slowly, sweetly, ignoring the spray from the shower lightly beading in her hair like condensation on a glass of iced tea in the summer heat.
His gaze traveled her face. “I don’t want to push you,” he said. “I know this is hard for you. The fact that you’re willing is enough for now.” He started to say something else, but a yawn took over. “And I hate to say it, but I’m exhausted. I only got about three hours of sleep yesterday total.”
He kissed her again. “And you’re meeting with Sully today.”
“You mean I’m meeting Sully today.”
He managed a tired smile. “I’d go with you, but exhaustion and firearms don’t mix.”
“Bill showed me his picture.”
He kissed her once more. “I trust Sully with your life. He’s a good man. Retired cop.”
She cradled his cheek in her hand, felt the stubble there. When the mental spinning started again, she closed her eyes and waited to see if it would bring results or disappointment.
She stood with him, much like this morning, but in a different bathroom.
“Does it have shells on the curtain?” She didn’t want to open her eyes.
Hell, she didn’t want to breathe for fear of losing it.
“Shells?”
“The shower curtain.” Rob stood there in her mind just as plainly as he stood in front of her now. “And the carpet mat is beige.” In here, there was only a white towel on the floor.
At the noise he made, she opened her eyes. She could tell from the way his eyes looked too bright that he was close to tears. “Yeah. The master bath in the bedroom at the house.”
She threw her arms around him, not caring that she was getting wet. “It’s not a lot,” she finally managed, “but it’s a start.”
He buried his face in her hair. “Yeah, sweetheart. It’s a start. And I’ll take everything I can get.”
Laura hoped she didn’t regret her decision to stick with non-prescription pain killers that morning. She couldn’t imagine drugs and guns were a smart mix. And as long as she didn’t make any fast, sudden movements, her ribs didn’t bother her too much.
Sullivan Nicoletto wasn’t quite as tall as Rob or Bill. Maybe in his late forties, his grey eyes seemed to take everything in. When he knocked, Bill had opened the door for him after looking through the peephole to verify his identity.
Bill shook hands with him and introduced himself after letting him in. Even Doogie seemed to recognize him, happily wagging his tail as Sully stooped to pet him.
Sully, as he’d asked her to call him, gave her a friendly smile she found reassuring. “How are you doing, Laur?”
She nodded. He felt familiar, but no concrete memories yet. “I’m okay.”
“Nothing, huh?”
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I talked to Tony and Shay. They’ve been keeping us all posted so we weren’t bugging poor Rob.”
“He’s asleep. He was on shift yesterday.”
“That’s okay. I don’t want to wake him. Are you ready?”
“Am I dressed okay?” Bill had suggested she wear jeans. She’d also added a baseball cap and a pair of large, dark sunglasses to help conceal her bruises a little.
“You’re fine,” Sully assured her.
They headed east toward Pt. Charlotte, her in the backseat of his Jaguar while Bill rode up front. “I talked with Det. Thomas, who put me in touch with a gun range down here,” Sully told them. “I’ve already talked with them. We’re going to put you through a safety class this morning, as well as the concealed weapons class curriculum, then do range work. When we’re done, we’ll meet Thomas over at his office and get your fingerprints taken.”
“Fingerprints?”
“For the license. Required. And we can stop anywhere to get your picture taken. He’s going to personally handle your application to get your license rushed.”
“Okay.” She had a thought. “How much is all of this going to cost me?” She realized she had no idea how much money she had, much less how to access it. All of this might be beyond her budget.
If she even had a budget. Maybe the hospital bills had wiped her out.
Sully glanced at her in the mirror. “Nothing. I’m picking all of this up for you.”
When she started to protest, he silenced her, catching and holding her gaze in the rearview mirror. “You let me do this for you, and for Rob. Consider it an early wedding present, okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t be down here before this.”
She realized he wasn’t a man to be argued with. “Thank you,” she said.
He smiled. “Besides, Clarisse would kill me if I let you pay.”
The class work was easy enough, lasted about three hours, and before long they were in the gun range. Bill sat at a table just outside the range area, where he could watch through large windows.
Sully had brought three guns, two semi-automatics and a revolver, in a metal carry-case. From a duffel bag he produced two sets of shooting muffs and protective glasses.
With the instructor looking on, Sully showed her how all three guns worked and walked her through loading and unloading them. The weight of the guns in her hands wasn’t familiar to her, but it wasn’t altogether unpleasant, either.
Her aim wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. After shooting all three guns several times and growing more comfortable with them, Sully and the instructor both pronounced her capable enough to safely handle the guns.
Unfortunately, she also realized she should have taken a pain pill. She hoped the men couldn’t see how much pain she was in.
“I’ll make sure I get with you at least once a week to practice,” Sully told her.
“I don’t have a gun.”
He smiled. “That’s part two of my wedding present to you.”
Sully helped her pick out a 9mm that felt comfortable to her. The instructor, who was also the gun shop’s owner, let her shoot several magazines of rounds through it before Sully put down a credit card. She wouldn’t be able to take it home for three days due to waiting period laws, but they got her fitted with two different holsters and a purse she could conceal it in. Sully also got her set up with a cleaning kit, showed her how to use it, and bought her a set of shooting muffs and glasses, as well as a range bag.
By the time they went for lunch, her application had been completed, her picture taken at a drugstore, and Thomas had personally supervised her fingerprints being taken.
And she wanted to break down and cry from the pain.
As they sat in the booth after the waitress took their order, Laura stared out the window.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Bill asked.
She didn’t look at them. “I’m okay,” she softly said.
He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, setting it in front of her.
The bottle of her painkillers.
When she just stared at it, Sully reached across the table, glanced at the label, and then shook one into his palm.
“Hand.”