The Bed You Make

Chapter 12, concluded

Alex Garcia stood in the shadows and thought about all the regulations he was violating. He lied to the guy in the motor pool to get Commissioner Scorpio's destination. He lied to dispatch about his current location. He lied to the guard downstairs about his reasons for lurking in the shadows near the District Attorney's office.

He would do it again in a heartbeat if it resulted in an opportunity to speak with Dara alone. Garcia was more convinced than ever that his former lover was caught up in something too big for her to handle.

Garcia's friend and partner, Marcus Taggert, agreed that there was more to Dara's story than they knew. Taggert, however, scoffed at the notion that the former Assistant District Attorney was some kind of helpless damsel in distress.

District Attorney Schultz's office door creaked open. Dara stepped out into the hallway and pulled the door firmly behind her. Alex took a moment to admire Dara's beauty as she strode briskly down the hallway toward his hiding place.

Just before she drew near, Alex carefully stepped out of the shadows. He stiffened as he observed the pain written on Dara's lovely face. “Dara?” He reached out to her. Alex could see the shimmer of unshed tears in her dark eyes. “What's going on? What happened?”

“Not now, Alex.” Dara tried to sidestep the worried detective. She wanted nothing more than to escape watchful eyes before she gave in to the crushing disappointment that threatened to overwhelm her.

Garcia ignored her plea. “Something's wrong.” Alex reached out and grabbed Dara's arm in a firm grip. “Did Stefan Cassadine do something to you? Did he hurt you? Tell me!”

“Just let me go, Alex!”

“Please remove your hands from Mrs. Cassadine's person.” Yuri Petrov suddenly materialized. His dark gaze locked with Garcia's. “I will not ask again.”

“I'm a police officer.”

Yuri's steady gaze made it abundantly clear that Garcia's status was of no concern to him. He would carry through with his threat if Alex did not comply.

Garcia released his hold. Dara murmured thanks to the bodyguard and slipped into the stairwell.

Alex grabbed Yuri's sleeve, halting him from following Dara down the three flights of stairs. “You and I are gonna meet up again sometime.”

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