Page 54 of Keeping Collette

“Hi,” she breathed out the two-letter word as if it was the longest word in the dictionary.

He took the seat vacated by Astrid and placed the parcel on her legs. “I got you something.”

She looked from the gift to him and back again. “You did? Why?” She groaned and looked at the ceiling. “Wait, don’t answer that. Sorry, thank you for the gift, it’s a lovely gesture.”

He chuckled. He hadn’t been offended by her question. There’d been a hint of suspicion underlying her tone as if the gifts she’d been given had always come with conditions. “It’s okay, and you’re welcome. Are you going to open it?”

“I might need some help.” She lifted her plaster-clad arm. “I’m not as dexterous as I normally am.”

“Dammit, I should’ve gotten a gift bag instead of wrapping it,” he muttered.

“You did this yourself? Wrapped it I mean?”

“I did.” It wasn’t perfect, and he’d given up trying to put a ribbon around it because every time he tried it looked silly. Now he was glad that he hadn’t. It was one less thing for her to worry about.

“It’s beautifully done, thank you.” A faint blush stole across her cheeks. “I feel special.”

Deal took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, before giving it a squeeze. When she met his gaze he spoke. “You are special, Collette. You’re special to me.”

Energy zipped between them at his declaration. Her fingers flexed around his, but she didn’t pull away, instead she gave it a tug, and he rose from his chair. He guessed what she wanted, and it was what he wanted too.

He longed to kiss her because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to take his next breath.

“Collette,” he whispered her name before closing the gap and melding his lips with hers. It was awkward leaning over the bed, but it was one of the best kisses he’d ever had. He picked up on the sweetness of the chocolate she must’ve eaten. They clung to each other, by the hand they held.

In that moment, Deal wished they weren’t in a hospital room. He wished they were at his place, so that he could show her how much she meant to him.

In all his life, after everything he’d seen, he never expected to feel this way about a woman, but with Collette, it was as though he’d finally found what he hadn’t realized he’d been looking for.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kissing Deal was one of the best things in her life. Collette didn’t want it to end. Why couldn’t they be anywhere else but in a hospital room?

A slight pinch at her side had her pulling back earlier than she wanted too. The stitches at her surgical site didn’t appreciate the way she was leaning. “Sorry, it hurts.”

Immediately, concern shone in Deal’s hazel eyes. “Where? Do you need a nurse? A doctor?”

He went to grab the buzzer to call for help, but she stilled his movement. “I’m fine, Deal, it was the way I was leaning. It was pulling on my stitches.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” She reached down to where the gift he’d given her still sat. It wasn’t often she received gifts. Over the last couple of years, even though she’d told Courtney she didn’t need any, her sister had always given her something small for her birthday and for Christmas. The gifts she’d given Courtney had been practical ones. Ones her parents couldn’t sell to feed their drug habit.

It still amazed her that they hadn’t taken Courtney’s laptop while she’d been missing, but Collette had been grateful for that, even though finding it had given her more questions than answers.

Her mind had been so preoccupied with getting over her accident, she’d forgotten all about the man who’d been talking to her sister prior to her going missing.

“Hey, you still with me?” Deal asked softly as he rubbed her leg.

“I am. Looking at your gift reminded me of Courtney, and then I remembered what had happened with her case before my accident. I haven’t even asked you what the current status with it is.” Although Deal had been by her side every waking moment, so the chances of him knowing anything were slim.

“Cass has been keeping me updated. Some of the people missing were contacted by the guy we’ve been looking into. A couple have turned up dead, but regarding the others, there’s no trace of what happened to them. Suspicion is, he’s working for one of the trafficker’s. She’s also been communicating with Julian at the FBI and the police, to keep them in the loop. Looks like the police are finally admitting that they do have a serial killer on their hands and that the strip mall is a place of interest.”

Collette digested everything he said. “Is it wrong to feel relief, even though Courtney’s dead? That I have some closure, unlike the families of those still missing?” Guilt churned low in her gut with her thoughts. It didn’t seem fair to any of the people involved, but at least she had a place where she could go and talk to Courtney.

“Not at all. I think it’s probably natural to feel that way. Our investigations uncovered that a lot of the missing people were homeless, didn’t have families or had families that wouldn’t miss them. It’s how traffickers work. The less attention on them, the better. If they took someone who was connected to a high-profile family, or a family that was very vocal, then the chances of them being exposed, while not absolute, narrows a bit.”

“People suck,” she murmured, as she lay back against the pillow. She’d been vocal about Courtney going missing, but because of their family, she hadn’t been taken too seriously. Is that why she’d been targeted by this Gary guy?