Page 16 of Roark
“I don’t know anything,” she replied when she remembered he’d asked her a question. Or had he asked two? “I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“The reports said your mother was injured. Is she going to be alright?” He pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, his legs were slightly parted, his brow furrowed.
“I don’t know. The doctors haven’t come out to speak to me yet.”
He moved an arm, looked at his watch and frowned. “How long have you been waiting?”
“Hours,” she replied.
“Too long.” In seconds, he was gone, as quickly and dramatically has he’d appeared. Tamika didn’t know what to say, but she blinked as if maybe she’d just imagined that entire weird exchange.
Why would Roark Donovan show up at the hospital?
After deciding she was probably losing her mind, Tamika resumed her pacing, this time moving closer to the window as she found the warm glow of the outside lights strangely soothing.
“Ms. Rayder, I have an update for you.”
Again, she was spinning around to another strange voice. This time it was a woman, a nurse, she presumed by the scrubs and stethoscope around her neck.
“Ms. Gregory is still in surgery. It’s believed she fell trying to get Mrs. Rayder out of the house, and there was a laceration and internal bleeding that needed repair. Mrs. Rayder is being treated for first-degree burns and smoke inhalation. You’ll be allowed to see her in another hour or so, as they’re still trying to get her stabilized.” The nurse stood next to Roark, speaking as if she were under some type of duress.
“Thank you. Can you please come and get me the moment I’m able to see my mother?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll come get you personally.” The nurse cleared her throat before glancing at Roark again. “And the moment the doctor is available, I’ll send him down here to speak with you both.”
Roark’s stern facial expression remained unchanged. “Thanks.”
At what seemed like his dismissal, the nurse hurried out of the room.
“Did you threaten her?” She didn’t know why that was the first question to come to mind, but his shrug said he wasn’t bothered.
“No. I just suggested she do her job.” He was coming closer to her again, and Tamika wondered if she should take a seat or step out of his way, because he looked so determined, so intent. It was an odd sensation she was experiencing, as just watching him move kept her still and maybe a little bit aroused.
“I don’t understand why you’re here.”
He stopped just about a foot away from where she stood. “Because I don’t believe in coincidences.”
And neither did she, which was why she’d sought him out in the first place. “My father. Your mother…”
“And now, your mother,” Roark finished for her.
“I wasn’t allowed in the house, so I couldn’t tell if it was arson. But I know my father’s was. I investigated that case until...” She paused and shook her head.
“You investigated? Are you a firefighter like your father was?”
So he did know who her father was. Or had he looked him up after he’d walked away from her this morning? “I used to be. Well, I mean, I was part of a station for about eighteen months before I figured out it wasn’t really what I was meant to do. Then I took the courses to become an investigator.”
“And you investigated your own father’s murder?”
Hearing the question in someone else’s voice sort of solidified the reason her boss had fired her. It was not only unethical for her to research her father’s death, but it was against the insurance company’s policy, because neither her father nor the city of Arlington were their clients. Which meant for the year since her father’s death, she’d been abusing company time and resources to pursue a personal vendetta. That was the gist of it, but Tamika was convinced that sounded far worse than it really was. “I needed to find out what happened.” It took every ounce of strength she had to keep her voice from cracking with that admission.
Roark simply stared at her. Not a hard or uncompromising stare, but a sort of communal look that acted like a force field between them, drawing her closer or him closer. They stood only an arm’s length away from each other, in silence for much longer than she thought was normal.
He spoke first. “I’ll wait with you.”
When she didn’t immediately reply, he moved away from her and sat in one of those uncomfortable chairs. After blinking a few times in an effort to decide whether or not she still thought she was dreaming, Tamika finally accepted this was really happening. Every heart wrenching thing that had happened since May third last year was devastatingly real, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not one damn thing.
She sat in the chair next to Roark, not because it was the closest to him, but because it was the closest to her, and she was exhausted.
