Rafael's One Night Bombshell. Tina Beckett

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СКАЧАТЬ been hopping from facility to facility in the last several weeks, trying to keep up with the number of worried doctors and patients who were raising the alarm. It was the same in a lot of other cities—especially those in the South. The warmer the temperatures, the more likely a rogue virus was to dig in and spread. His home country of Heliconia was under a red alert, pregnant travelers being warned to stay away, just as they were in Brazil and most parts of Central and South America.

      Zika had been around for decades, but for some reason it was now spreading quickly, crossing continents and the placental barrier alike, and wreaking havoc wherever it went. And the growing stack of evidence said that the virus could infiltrate host cells and cause insidious health problems for whoever was infected, long after the illness itself was gone.

      Zika was the new Lyme disease.

      Worse, new studies were showing it could be sexually transmitted from a man to his partner.

      The hope was that a vaccine would be developed quickly, but until then, all Rafe could do was put out fires. Like the one he’d tried to drown a month ago at Mad Ron’s. He’d ended up having to put out a completely different fire that night.

      His hand went to his pocket, fingers fiddling with the circle of elastic he’d been carrying around ever since then. He had no idea why he’d picked it up off the dresser, or why he hadn’t thrown it away in the weeks that followed.

      A trophy?

      No. He’d never brought anything home from his other encounters. But Bonnie had been different somehow. There’d been a frenzied desperation to her lovemaking that had matched his own.

      Killing old demons?

      It didn’t matter. He removed his hand from his pocket and forced his mind back to his obligations. He was here to meet the head neonatologist at the hospital, along with the head maternity nurse and the hospital administrator. He called up a file on his phone to retrieve their names. He only recognized one of them.

      Bonnie Maxwell.

      That’s why he’d shoved the tie in his pocket, although it was doubtful it was the same woman. And he’d never learned what her last name was.

      And if she was the same Bonnie from the bar? Was he going to hand over the elastic and say, “Here you go. Sorry it went missing.”

      He snorted, turning a corner and following the signs on the wall. Not hardly. He was not going to admit to picking it up from the dresser, although the thread of guilt for abandoning her the morning after their encounter was still there as strong as ever. A peculiar longing had fermented in his stomach and sent a sour broth splashing up his throat as he’d stared down at her. He’d taken things too far by not getting drunk enough before taking her back to the hotel. He’d started drinking coffee far too soon.

      Cynthia Porter, Administrator. This was the place. He knocked, feet braced wide in preparation for what he might find inside.

      “Come in.”

      Rafe pushed through the door to find three women seated in the office.

      The sight of sun-kissed locks tied into a familiar scrunchy mass made his stomach contract all over again, although she was facing away from him.

      It was the same woman. It had to be.

      Damn. Mistake number two: not making sure his date for the night was in a profession other than medicine.

      The woman behind the desk stood. “Dr. Valentino?”

      “Yes, and you must be Ms. Porter.”

      He watched the blonde, who still hadn’t turned her head. There was no indication that his last name was familiar. Maybe because they’d never exchanged surnames. Or maybe she was much cooler than she’d seemed four weeks ago. Was the ring still off?

      The third woman had already looked over at him with a smile, the tossing of red curls giving her a mischievous air.

      “Thank you for coming, although it was Dr. Larrobee who discovered the connection between some of our newborns. Let me introduce you.”

      Both women stood. And when Bonnie finally turned around to face him she gasped, every bit of color leaching from her face.

      The administrator either ignored the sound or hadn’t heard it, because she continued with the introductions. “This is Bonnie Maxwell and Dr. Cassandra Larrobee. Cassie is the one who notified your office about the cases.”

      His gaze remained glued to the blonde’s, his hand diving back into his pocket and finding the hair tie. “Bonnie and I have already made each other’s acquaintance.”

      Blue eyes went wide, and she gave a barely perceptible shake of her head.

      What the hell?

      “I’m sorry? Have we met?” The words didn’t come from her but from the redhead, and his attention shifted to her.

      Ah, so that was it.

      One side of Rafe’s mouth twitched. He should have known. He had known actually, although he couldn’t prove it until now. His glance tracked back, and he couldn’t resist a murmured, “Liar, liar...”

      Pants on fire.

      Only her pants hadn’t been the only thing on fire that night. Her touch had scorched like wildfire across his senses.

      Crimson washed into her face, gray stormy flecks appearing in those expressive eyes. “I think he got the names mixed up, but Ra...er, Dr. Valentino and I have met on one occasion.”

      The redhead gave her a quick nudge with her shoulder. “Cassie, wow. You didn’t tell me!”

      The administrator frowned. “You’ve already met to discuss the cases?”

      Cassandra... Cassie—now that name fit her.

      “No, I...we...” Her voice trailed away.

      “We have a mutual acquaintance here in town.” He might not be able to count good old Jack D. since Cassie had obviously never shaken hands with a glass of whiskey in her life. But Mad Ron had definitely recognized her. And since he and Ron went way back, it wasn’t a lie. At least, not the whopper of a lie that “Bonnie” had been.

      Cassie’s shoulders slumped, probably in relief. “Yes, we do.”

      The woman who had to be Bonnie muttered something that sounded like, “Girlfriend, you and I need to have a long discussion.”

      So that’s why she’d used the name. These two were friends. His smile widened. “Now that the introductions are out of the way, why don’t we sit down and discuss the cases, and you can share your concerns. In return, I’ll tell you what I know.”

      Well, maybe not everything he knew, like that cute little dimple she had on her left shoulder blade. Or the way her soft murmurs had caused a chain reaction in him that wouldn’t be denied.

      “I’ve got the files ready in the meeting room down the hall,” said Ms. Porter. “Shall we? There’s coffee in there as well.”

      He СКАЧАТЬ