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Nick lifted his head. Two uniformed cops crowded the doorway while an EMT lurked behind them.
Lacey took Nick’s hand and held it against the cloth on his head. Had she used her shirt as a bandage? Maybe he could convince her to use her bra as a tourniquet.
“You have to go after him.” Grabbing her sweater from the floor, she jumped up and faced the older officer. “The man who attacked us took off down the stairwell.”
The EMTs surged through the door and plucked Lacey’s shirt from Nick’s head. He tried to sit up, but they wouldn’t allow it. Damned cocky EMTs. He preferred the topless nurse.
“Who are we looking for?” The cop pulled a notepad from his pocket and flipped it open.
“A tall man.” Lacey stuffed her arms into her sweater and buttoned it up the front before holding her hand well above her own head. “Stocky build, dressed in black with a black ski mask over his face and gloves. I doubt if he left any fingerprints in here.”
“A ski mask?” The cop tapped a pencil against his notebook. “Shackleford, check it out.”
When Shackleford took off down the hallway, the other officer asked, “What happened? What’d he want?”
“I came up here from Antonio’s Deli to deliver a sandwich, and this guy and another guy were rolling around the floor fighting.” The pimply kid with an Antonio’s Deli cap askew on his head waved his arms around. “Then he pushed past me and stepped on the sandwich.”
“Officer—” she leaned forward to peer at the cop’s badge “—Bates, the man killed my boss, Dr. Buonfoglio. He’s in the back.”
Jesus. Nick’s gut constricted. He didn’t even know Dr. Buonfoglio was in the office. The fight with the masked man just took on a more sinister aspect…and a more deadly one.
At Lacey’s words, the paramedics working on Nick abandoned him and rushed to the back while Officer Bates radioed for homicide detectives. Nick took the opportunity to stagger to his feet and immediately dropped to the chair. He’d lost more blood than he’d thought.
“Okay, let’s take this from the top.” The cop’s gaze darted between Nick and Lacey, settling on Lacey. “Who are you, and what’s your name?”
“My name is Lacey Kirk, and I’m Dr. Buonfoglio’s office manager.” She smoothed her auburn hair back from her face, leaving a smudge of blood on her cheek. His or Dr. Buonfoglio’s?
As she told Officer Bates about the events leading up to the fight, her voice remained steady and calm, but her hands trembled until she clasped them in front of her.
Nick eased himself out of the chair. “You need to sit down, Lacey. Is there any water in here?”
“Don’t touch anything in the office, Doc. Homicide’s on their way and they’ll want a pristine murder site.”
Lacey’s pale face blanched further, and she swayed forward.
Nick took her arm and led her to the chair next to the one he just left. “Can I run back to my office to get her some water and a sedative?”
The officer held up his hand. “What’s your involvement? Were you in the office, too?”
“No. My office is down the hall. I was on my way back to my office after dropping off some files in the lobby. I heard Lacey screaming and ran in here.”
After Nick answered a few more questions, he jogged down the hallway to his office.
When he returned with a cup of water and a couple of sample packets of Xanax, the cop who took off after the masked intruder had returned, and the two paramedics huddled in the corner of the room ready to pounce on him.
“Is Dr. Buonfoglio dead?” He handed Lacey the paper cup and the packets. Her fingers brushed his as she accepted the water, and his nerve endings tingled in response. His adrenaline must still be pumping after that fight.
One of the paramedics nodded. “Yeah, blow to the head. He lost a lot of blood, and so did you. We need to finish with your vitals.”
“I’m all right.” He traced a fingertip along the angry red mark across the soft creamy skin of Lacey’s neck. “You should have a look at her. The guy had his arm locked around her throat when I came in.”
“I’ll check her out, and my partner can have a look at you.” The paramedic shrugged. “The guy in the back doesn’t need us. He’s ready for the coroner.”
“Do you have to be so cold? That’s my boss back there.” Lacey sniffled and pressed her hands to her cheeks.
“What are they teaching you guys in school about appropriate bedside manner these days?” Nick ran a hand down Lacey’s arm and cupped her elbow. After months of watching her whiz back and forth along the hallway and spotting her occasionally at the hospital, now that he was this close to her he had a strong urge to touch her.
She glanced up at him through wet lashes and flashed him a look of gratitude. He squeezed her elbow and allowed the paramedic to check his blood pressure.
Soon after, the office buzzed with enough cops, detectives and crime-scene personnel to populate six of those CSI shows, and more filled the hallway.
Lacey, sitting on the chair beside him, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Her lashes lay like velvet crescents on her cheeks, and her brown hair with the reddish tint created a silky fan on the cushion. In fact, everything about her had the appearance of softness, until she opened her mouth. Were her sharp comments and sharper looks at the hospital due to his reputation as a player?
That reputation attracted a certain type of woman. The type of woman he always cultivated. The type of woman that represented safety.
Lacey’s eyes flew open. “How’s your head? I think you lost consciousness. You might have a concussion. You should get it checked out.”
“Okay Dr. Lacey.”
“Are you one of those doctors who can’t take medical advice from others, especially nurses?” She crossed her arms and scowled.
“I have the utmost respect for nurses.” He put his hands up to ward off the quills. Did he have to watch everything he said around her? “Couldn’t live without them.”
She snorted. “Yeah, that’s what I heard.”
Ouch. One of those quills hit pay dirt. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Why defend himself? He should be pushing this one away with both hands. Those bright green eyes of hers didn’t miss a thing.
Detective Harley Chu, the lead detective on the scene, sat on the edge of the table across from their chairs. “Did the man have a gun?”
“If he did, I didn’t see it.” Nick shot a look at Lacey. “I thought Dr. Buonfoglio died from blunt trauma to the head.”
“He did, but on the other side of his head, there’s a mark that looks like the butt of a gun, and Dr. Buonfoglio had his gun in his hand when he went down.”
So the good doctor had a gun. That didn’t surprise Nick. “I didn’t hear any gunfire. Did Dr. Buonfoglio shoot his weapon?”
“No, he never released the safety. Looks like the intruder hit the doctor with the butt of a gun, stunning him. Then he grabbed the bookend and went in for the kill. He probably didn’t use his gun on you or Ms. Kirk because of the noise.”
Lacey sat up straight and shook her head. “He could’ve shot us.”
Nick studied his nails. “So what was he after?”
“Appears to be a case of theft. He smashed the drug cabinet in the supply room, and it looks like there are drugs missing.” Detective Chu tapped his chin with his pencil. He looked over at Lacey. “Do you have an inventory of drugs?”
Nick exhaled. A simple case of theft. God, he was happy to hear those words. Much better than the alternative.
“I do keep a drug inventory on my computer, but the man didn’t have a bag or anything, did he, Nick?”
At least the upheaval of the afternoon had prompted her to call him Nick instead of…Dr. Perfect. He drew in a quick breath. She’d called him Dr. Perfect when she was tending to his wound. Smart-ass.
He cleared his throat. “I didn’t notice anything, but you know how small the sample packs can be. He could’ve shoved several of them in his pockets, and he was wearing a big jacket, big enough to conceal anything.”
“If he came here to steal, why’d he kill Dr. B?” She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, a furrow creasing her brow.
“He probably thought the office was empty. Maybe he watched you leave and tried the door, and then Dr. Buonfoglio pulled a gun on him.” Detective Chu shook his head. “He could’ve been high already.”
“Just seems like a calculated theft with the ski mask and the gloves. And if he was high, it was PCP, because the guy had incredible strength.” She niggled her lower lip, obviously not satisfied with the detective’s first stab at a motive.
Nick wanted to believe Detective Chu. He had to believe him. It couldn’t be what he’d feared for the past three years.
When the coroner arrived, Detective Chu told Lacey she could leave. “You can come back in tomorrow, Ms. Kirk, and check your inventory against what’s left in the drug cabinet. You’ll probably want to contact Dr. Buonfoglio’s patients as well. He’s a plastic surgeon, right?”
“Oh, my God.” She smacked her forehead. “Dr. B has a surgery tomorrow.”
“You can refer the patient to me. In fact, you can refer all of his patients to me for now.” Nick stood up and massaged his left shoulder. He’d convinced the paramedics he didn’t need to go to the hospital, but he could use some painkillers and a good night’s sleep.
“I didn’t realize you needed the work.” Lacey skewered him with a sideways glance.
He must’ve done her wrong in a past life or something. Should he even bother to remedy her low opinion of him? He shrugged. “Just trying to help out.”
“Thanks.” She tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “But this particular patient tomorrow is top secret.”
“Huh?” Her words punched him in the gut. Dr. Buonfoglio had top-secret patients? Seems the good doctor still played with fire…probably why he had a gun.
“You know, celebrities, politicians. You don’t have the corner on that market yet, Dr. Per…Marino.”
He raised his eyebrows, but her words untied the knot in his belly. That explained the “secret patients.” All cosmetic surgeons had them. “It’s Marino, not Per-Marino.”
A pink tide ebbed into her cheeks as she covered her mouth with her hand. “I know that.”
Nailed her.
She turned to the detective. “Detective Chu, should I notify Dr. B’s surgical nurses? His bookkeeper works off-site. I should notify her, too.”
“You need to give us those names and addresses, and we’ll notify them. We have to interview them, anyway. Do you want an officer to accompany you to your car?”
“I’ll walk her down.” Nick stepped forward. “Get those names for Detective Chu while I pick up a few things from my office.”
Her eyes widened, but she kept her mouth shut for a change. Seems his take-charge attitude could overwhelm even Lacey Kirk, Nurse Know-It-All. He’d developed that attitude years ago, even before he became a doctor. It was an essential component in keeping things from spinning out of control.
By the time he got back, Lacey was waiting for him, clutching her blood-stained shirt in her hand.
“I’ll replace that for you.”
“This?” She waved it in front of her. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a Target special.”
He draped his suit jacket over his arm and gestured her ahead of him into the hallway.
Her gaze dropped to the Armani jacket, and then meandered up his silk tie and tailored shirt, now ripped and smudged with blood.
“I suppose you didn’t realize Target even had a clothing line, did you?”
Definite porcupine. He grabbed her arm and lied. “Yes, I did know that. Is the SFPD going to lock up Dr. Buonfoglio’s office?”
“Yeah.” She shook him off. “They’re putting one of those lock boxes on the door, like Realtors use. A cop’s going to be waiting for me tomorrow to unlock it when I come in to check things out and notify Dr. B’s patients.”
When they got into the elevator, Lacey leaned her forehead against the wall, her shoulders slumping. “I can’t believe this happened.”
“Dr. Buonfoglio was a good man and a good doctor. He’ll be missed.” He rubbed her back, and although she stiffened beneath his touch, she didn’t pull away.
The elevator landed on the second floor of the parking garage, and the doors rumbled open. Empty stalls yawned before them, and Lacey’s heels resounded through the cavernous lot.
Her small red Jetta stood alone in one row. Lacey took out her keys, and the Jetta’s lights flashed once.
“What’s this? Did I get a ticket for being in the parking structure too long?” She strode ahead of him and plucked a piece of paper from beneath her windshield wipers.
Holding the scrap of paper in her hands, she glanced back at Nick, her mouth dropping open. “D-do you think he left this?”
His stride devoured the space between them, and with a muscle ticking in his jaw, he snatched the paper from her hand.
Two circles with dots in the middle, resembling a pair of eyes, stared back at him. The blood pounded in his head, his wound beneath the paramedics’ expert bandage throbbing with each beat. He crushed the piece of paper in his fist.
They’d come back.
They meant business.
And they wanted his brother.
Chapter Two
“Nick?” She ran her fingers over his white knuckles. “Are you all right? Do you need to sit down?”
He jerked his head up, his dark eyes focusing on her face, as if he’d been in a place far away.
“I’m okay. Just felt a little dizzy.” He unwrapped the crumpled piece of paper and smoothed it out on the hood of her car.
“Do you think it’s a message from the man who murdered Dr. B? I know this paper wasn’t on my car when I came down here before.” Her gaze slid to the circles, and a chill snaked up her spine.
“It could be.”
His color had returned to its normal olive complexion, but his tight jaw signaled some distress. The stubborn oaf should’ve let the paramedics take him to the hospital. Doctors always thought they knew better than every other medical professional…especially Dr. Perfect.
To keep from smoothing her hands across his worried brow, she slid the piece of paper from beneath his hand and lifted it between two fingers. “Looks like eyes. Do you think that means he’s watching me?”
She looked over her shoulder, peering into the dimly lit recesses of the parking garage. Her heart fluttered, and she tried to beat back the fear. She’d never lived her life in fear, even when her dad left the family, and she didn’t intend to start now.
“How’d he pick out my car, anyway?” She rolled her shoulders. “Maybe this is just a coincidence, a joke.”
