Page 30 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“I can’t even imagine.”

Thirty minutes later, Sam and Dani were standing at the bedside when Gigi’s soft-brown eyes opened and immediately filled with tears when she saw Sam. “You didn’t have to…”

“Hush, of course I did.” Sam gently placed her hand on top of Gigi’s. “I’m sorry this happened.”

“My fault.”

“In no way was this your fault.”

“He’d changed into someone I barely recognize, but I kept letting him come back,” she said as tears rolled down her face.

Dani gently dabbed at her partner’s tears with a tissue. “Take it easy. It’s not your fault. Caring about someone doesn’t give him a right to do this to you.”

“I never thought he would… He said he loved me.”

“Can you give us any insight into where we might find him?”

Gigi closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, wincing as she shifted to try to find a more comfortable position. “He has a group of friends he goes way back with. You could probably start there.” As she recited the names, Dani wrote them down.

“Go call it in,” Sam said to Dani. “Take a break.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here.”

“She’s upset,” Gigi said after Dani left. “Blames herself.”

“There’s only one person to blame for this, and we’ll make sure he pays for what he did to you.”

New tears leaked out of the corners of Gigi’s red-rimmed eyes. “I’ve known him all my life. We were in kindergarten together.”

“Which is all the more reason why he never should’ve laid a hand on you.”

Before Gigi could respond to that, the door opened, and Detective Cameron Green came in, looking as if he could kill someone. The blond detective, who was always dressed to perfection, looked like he’d thrown on clothes and run for the hospital the second he heard the news. He wore faded jeans and an old sweatshirt. His hair stood on end, and his jaw was covered in stubble. Sam had never seen him so undone.

“Gigi…” He stopped several feet short of the bed. “Son of a bitch.”

She started to cry again, her chest heaving with sobs.

Cameron went to her, took her hand and gently brushed the hair back from her face. “We’ll nail him for this.”

Sam stood back to give him room, intrigued by the close bond between her two officers, a bond she hadn’t noticed before now.

“What do we know?” Cameron asked Sam, his expression fierce and furious.

“Gigi gave us a list of his friends. Dani is calling that in.”

“I’ll go look for him myself,” Cam said. “I’ll find him.”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” Sam said.

He whirled to look at her. “Why not?”

“You seem to be… How shall I say… Personally involved?” She raised a brow in inquiry.

Cameron blinked, appearing confused for a second before his eyes widened and his mouth opened as if he was going to speak. But no words came out. And then he seemed to sag all of a sudden as some sort of truth settled on him. “Maybe.”

The single word seemed to cost him something. As far as Sam knew, he’d been dating someone else for quite some time. Sam had met the woman a couple of times. “Let’s leave it to the others, then.” Her phone rang, and she stepped out of the room to take the call from Gonzo. “What’s up?”