Page 35 of Nica (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood #17)

G abe stood in the hospital parking lot, the early morning air crisp against his skin as he slipped his wedding ring onto his finger.

The simple gold band felt heavy, weighted with the knowledge of what he was about to do.

He pressed his palm against his chest, feeling the burden of what he was attempting.

He couldn’t blow this, so much depended on him giving the performance of a lifetime.

It was time to end this farce, end the phone calls, the break-ins, the tormenting and stalking of his wife.

This performance needed to convince Banner, needed him to believe that Gabe was falling to pieces.

Three floors above him, Nica lay recovering from surgery, the gunshot wound that had nearly taken her life a stark reminder of how far Banner would go in his besotted quest for revenge.

For vengeance. Gabe’s jaw clenched as he forced himself not to look up at her window.

Every instinct screamed at him to go to her, to hold her hand and tell her everything would be okay.

But he couldn’t. Not if this plan was going to work.

She knew what they planned—well, at least part of it—because she’d caught on to her brothers when they’d visited.

Knew he planned to use himself as bait to draw out the man who’d made their lives a living nightmare for months.

But no more. If this plan worked, Banner wouldn’t be able to stay hidden, he’d want to come out to gloat. And then they’d have him.

His phone buzzed—a text from Mike. He was coordinating with the FBI component of this sting: Ready when you are. Seconds later another from Rafe, the sheriff: All set. Break a leg, Doc.

Gabe almost laughed at the irony. Break a leg. If this went wrong, Banner might break more than that.

He straightened his shoulders and tugged at the lapels of his jacket before walking through the hospital’s automatic doors, nodding to the security guard standing beside the reception desk. Just like any other morning. Simply Dr. Summers heading to the weekly staff meeting. Nothing unusual at all.

The conference room was already filled when he arrived.

Dr. Claudia Henley, the chief of staff, sat at the head of the table shuffling through her notes.

The nursing supervisors clustered together, coffee cups in hand, while the department heads found their usual seats.

Normal. Routine. None of them knew this was just the calm before the storm he was about to unleash.

“Good morning, Gabriel,” Dr. Henley called out. “How’s Nica doing?”

The concern in her voice was genuine, and for a moment, Gabe felt a stab of guilt for what he was about to do to these people—his colleagues, his friends.

But Banner’s spies were everywhere. Everybody had a weakness, and Banner had found ways to exploit some he’d never expected.

Which meant he couldn’t trust anybody. All the more reason this performance had to be flawless.

“She’s alive,” he said curtly, taking a seat near the back. “No thanks to the people in this town.”

A few heads turned at his tone, but nobody said anything to his biting comment.

The meeting began as scheduled. Budget reports, staffing issues, new protocols—the usual administrative minutiae.

Gabe sat in silence, the tension building in his shoulders, letting the rage he’d been suppressing for weeks begin to simmer.

When Dr. Henley called for new business, he stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

“I have something to say.”

The room fell silent. All eyes turned toward him, and Gabe could see the concern already creeping across familiar faces. Good. He needed them worried. Once all was said and done, he needed them talking .

“Someone in this room—who knows how many people in this whole stinking town—is trying to destroy me.” His voice was louder than necessary, carrying the edge of hysteria he’d been practicing. “You think I don’t know? You think I can’t see what’s happening?”

“Gabe,” Dr. Henley said carefully, “perhaps we should discuss this privately…”

“No!” He slammed his palm on the table, several people jumping at the abrupt sound.

“I’m tired of the whispers, tired of the looks.

You all think you know what happened in California, don’t you?

Think you’ve got me all figured out.” He grabbed the back of his chair and flung it across the room, and it slammed against the wall, before clattering to the floor.

The room was dead silent now, tension thick enough to cut. Gabe let his breathing become ragged, his hands shake slightly—the picture of a man on the edge.

“Dr. Summers, maybe—”

“Melissa Carpenter,” he said, not allowing Susan Jones, the nursing director, to interrupt.

Watched as recognition flickered across several faces.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You think I killed her.

You heard the rumors, the lies people spread about me.

I know somebody checked up on me after I moved to your precious town.

You think I was drunk, high, whatever B.S. story you’ve been fed.”

“Gabriel, please—” This from Dr. Morrison, the head of surgery.

“I was cleared!” Gabe’s voice cracked, and he was surprised to find that part of his anguish wasn’t entirely manufactured.

“The investigation cleared me completely. No malpractice, no negligence, nothing. But that doesn’t matter to you, does it?

You’ve already made up your minds. A patient died and I must be guilty.

It had to be my fault. It wasn’t!” He made sure his voice was almost screeching at the end, a tinge of paranoia slipping in—exactly how he’d practiced repeatedly.

He began pacing, running his hands through his hair, letting his appearance become more disheveled with each step.

“She died on my table, and I’ve been living with that every single day since.

Every night I see her face, hear the monitor flatline.

But I didn’t kill her. I tried to save her, just like I try to save everyone who comes through these doors. ”

“Of course you do,” Dr. Henley said soothingly. “Gabe, no one here thinks—”

“Liar!” The word exploded from him with such vehemence that the nursing supervisor nearest him recoiled.

“You’re all liars. Someone’s been feeding information to the medical board of Texas, trying to get my license revoked.

Just like they did in California. Spreading rumors, planting evidence.

And now look what’s happened—my wife nearly died because somebody has a baseless vendetta against me! ”

His voice broke on the last words, and he could see the shock on their faces. Perfect. This was exactly the reaction he needed.

“Dr. Summers, I—have no idea what you’re talking about.

I’ve never heard of anybody named Melissa Carpenter.

Don’t know anything about a malpractice case against you.

” He could almost hear the ‘but you can bet I’ll be checking up on everything you’ve said’ lingering beneath the words Dr. Henley spoke.

“The cases in California—they were clean. Every single one. But someone’s been digging them up, twisting the facts, making it look like I’m some kind of butcher with a scalpel.

Well, congratulations. You got what you wanted.

You’ve destroyed my reputation, turned this entire town against me, and now my wife is lying upstairs with a bullet wound because of it.

I hope your delusions, your quest for some type of vindication is worth it, because she almost died.

I hope you can sleep at night with what you’ve done.

I could still lose my wife, because she’s terrified of me now.

And who can blame her? She’s been stalked, terrorized in her own apartment, and now somebody hired a hitman kill her.

All because you hate me.” He pounded his fist against his chest. “Come after me! Leave Nica alone. Act like a man and come at me!”

Dr. Henley stood slowly, her face pale. “Gabe, I think you need to take some time off. Go home—”

“Home?” Gabe laughed bitterly. “Where’s that?

Here, where everyone thinks I’m a murderer?

Or California, where I can’t practice medicine anymore because of the lies you people have been spreading?

Did you know the World Health Organization offered me a job?

” He heard the gasps around the table. “Yeah, I had to kiss that goodbye, too, because of your lies, the forged documents you sent them.” He swayed slightly, as if the weight of everything was finally crushing him.

“I can’t sleep. Can’t eat. Every time I close my eyes, I see patients who trusted me, who died despite everything I did to save them.

And you vultures just keep circling, waiting for me to fall. ”

The conference room door opened, and Gabe wasn’t surprised to see two security guards enter. Someone must have pressed the panic button. Good. Things were going according to plan.

“Dr. Summers,” the lead guard said calmly, “we need you to come with us.”

“Get away from me!” Gabe backed toward the window, his movements erratic.

“I know what this is. You’re all in on it, aren’t you?

Trying to have me committed, take away everything I have left.

” He turned to face the room full of his colleagues, letting desperation flood his voice.

“I dedicated my life to helping people. I took an oath to do no harm. And this is how you repay me? By destroying everything I’ve worked for? ”

The security guards moved closer, and Gabe let them. He needed to be removed from the hospital. It was crucial to the plan.

“Please, Dr. Summers,” the guard said. “Let’s just step outside and talk.”