He went down the stairs and placed his ear against the wooden door, praying that he might hear one of the Connelly family members crying out for help, anything that would indicate there were people alive on the other side of the door.

He heard nothing. He moved to one side of the small tunnel and aimed his gun at the padlock, hoping to h.e.l.l that the bullet didn't ricochet back to kill him.

He shot off the lock, grateful to find himself still standing after the flash and bang that nearly deafened him. The lock hung in pieces, and as he waited for them to cool off, Jackson and Andrew moved to stand just behind him.

"I hope we open this door to find Sam and Daniella and Macy being held inside," Jackson said.

Gabriel nodded. He wanted that. At least when he got a chance-not if he got a chance-to talk to Marlena, it would be nice to have news of the Connelly family being okay to counter the utter heartbreak he knew she'd feel at her brother's betrayal.

He pulled off the last of the pieces of the lock and grabbed hold of the doork.n.o.b. Drawing a deep breath, he opened it, gun ready, and stepped inside.

Disappointment shuddered through him as he stared at what the bunker contained. Pot plants, rows and rows of marijuana plants, thriving beneath a ceiling full of brilliant grow lights.

"So Cory didn't want to leave here and get on with any life other than growing and selling weed," Andrew said, his voice filled with disgust.

"I'll let you all deal with this and hunt down John. I'm heading back to the hospital to check on Marlena." Now that Marlena's attacker had been arrested, and with no other place to look for the Connelly family, Gabriel's need to be at Marlena's side reared up in full force.

Half an hour later, Gabriel eased down in a chair next to Marlena's hospital bed. It seemed like a million hours ago that she had told him she loved him, that she'd offered up her love as a gift for him to carry with him wherever he went.

He stared at her still, lifeless face in the illumination from a light over the bed, and his heart ached for her. Upon Gabriel's arrival a few moments ago, he was told by the doctor that he felt certain she was going to be just fine, and it was only a matter of how long it would take her to slough off the effects of the drug she'd been given.

She was going to be fine. She'd wake up and wonder what had happened, and then he'd have to tell her about Cory. He'd watch her beautiful eyes fill with disbelief, then horror and then a sadness that would take his breath away.

He didn't want to tell her about Cory, but he refused to allow anyone else to break the news to her. She would need comfort, and he wanted to be the man who gave it to her. He was the only man he felt could give her what she needed.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. They'd managed to solve half of the crime. Marlena would no longer be in danger, but they'd still failed to find the Connelly family.

There would be nothing holding her to the bed-and-breakfast anymore. As soon as she was on her feet, she would leave alone to discover what life might hold for her, and he would remain here until his director pulled them off the case or sent them on another one.

The moment she drove away from the bed-and-breakfast, their lives would diverge, and he would do nothing to stop that from happening. He realized he cared about her deeply, and maybe it was possible that she did truly love him, but that only made it more important that he let her go.

He'd never learned to give or accept love, and Marlena deserved far more than he'd ever be capable of giving her. That must have been his last thought before drifting off to sleep, for when he opened his eyes the next time, the sun was shining bright, and he knew it was midmorning.

Marlena still slept, and so he slipped into the bathroom to clean up as best as he could. He washed his face, used a finger to brush his teeth and then raked his hands through his hair, trying to restore some sense of order.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, she remained in the same position in bed, but her eyes were open, and she looked at him in confusion. "Gabriel, I'm in the hospital."

"Yes, you are." He returned to his chair next to her.

She sat up, a hand raised to her head as if she were dizzy. "What happened?"

"First things first. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"A little groggy and a lot confused," she replied.

He leaned forward, hating what he was going to do to her, hating Cory even more for what he'd done to his sister. "What's the last thing you remember from last night?" he asked.

She dropped her hand from her head and frowned thoughtfully. "I remember talking to you." Her cheeks flared a becoming pink. "And then Cory came in. He brought me a gla.s.s of chocolate milk." Her frown deepened. "And I don't remember anything after that. What happened, and how did I get here?"

He reached out and drew one of her hands in his as her eyes grew wary. "You were drugged."

She stared at him as if he'd spoken gibberish. "Drugged? When? By whom?"

He held her gaze and squeezed her hand, and he saw the realization darken her eyes.

"No," she whispered as she tried to pull her hand from his.

He tightened his grip on her hand, not allowing her to draw away from him.

"There must be some mistake." Her voice was faint, and a tremble had begun in her.

"Cory drugged you, Marlena. He drugged you, and then he put cottonmouths in your bed."

She gasped, and tears shimmered on the length of her lashes.

"I came into your room to ask you a question, but you were unconscious, and the snakes were in bed with you."

Even though she shook her head no, he didn't stop, wasn't even sure he could stop if he wanted to. He needed to get it all out, one hard cut and then bandage it up as best he could.

"It was Cory who pushed you into the pond that night. It was Cory who shoved you down the stairs, and last night he drugged you and hoped that venomous snakes would kill you."

The tears that had barely clung to her eyelashes released, streaking down her cheeks. But he knew she believed him, knew he would have no reason to lie to her.

"Why?" she finally asked. "Why would he hate me so much?" She pulled her hand away, and this time he released hers as she began to cry in earnest. She hid her face with her hands, deep sobs wrenching through her.

Her pain was a visceral ache inside him, and his need to hold her, to comfort her, was too big for him to contain. For the first time in his life he felt the need to be close to another human being. He wanted a physical contact that had nothing to do with intimacy and everything to do with the desire to soothe.

Before it was even a thought in his head, he got out of his chair and got into the bed with her. She turned and sank into him as he wrapped her in his arms and held tight until the storm inside her had calmed.

Even after she'd stopped crying, he continued to hold her. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that, like the night they'd made love, a moment like this would never happen between them again.

"All I ever did was love him." The words were warm against his neck as she cuddled against him.

"I guess sometimes that isn't enough," Gabriel replied, and stroked her hair. "There is a core of rage inside him that I think might be tied to your mother's abandonment. He believes he doesn't need anyone."

He finally released her and returned to the chair. "He and John apparently had a plan for their future that they didn't want you to screw up by taking Cory away."

"A plan?" Even with her eyes reddened from her tears, she looked beautiful as the sunlight from the windows caught and sparkled on her blond curls.

"Did you know about the bunker where Daniella and Macy were held when Frank kidnapped them?" he asked.

"Daniella mentioned something about it, but nothing specific."

"I found it last night, and it's now filled with marijuana plants and grow lights. I can only a.s.sume that Cory and John have been in the business of selling dope for a while now."

Marlena closed her eyes and shook her head. When she looked at him again, her eyes were filled with a wealth of sadness but also a weary acceptance.

"I want to see him," she said.

"He's in jail, along with John." Jackson had texted him at some point while Gabriel had slept to let him know that John had been pulled over in his car heading out of Bachelor Moon and was now residing in a cell next to his business partner.

"What's going to happen to him?" Her voice trembled from the depth of her emotions.

"He's facing a lot of charges. It will be a while before he even goes to trial, but I expect he'll do time in prison." He didn't try to soften it. He knew Marlena was strong and wouldn't want anything but the truth.

She sat up taller. "When can I get out of here?"

"The doctor has to release you. Are you ready to leave?"

"I feel sick to my stomach, my heart aches and my whole world has been turned upside down, but other than that I feel fine."

"Once the doctor releases you, then I'll take you to the jail to talk to Cory if that's what you feel you want to do," he offered.

She gazed at him for a long moment. "Actually, I'd rather go to the jail alone. You've done enough for me, Gabriel. You found out who was trying to hurt me, and you've removed the threat. You need to get back to your team and proceed with your investigation into the disappearance."

She looked down at her hands in her lap. "I appreciate everything you've done. You've saved my life twice, and I think if I feel up to it tomorrow, I'll pack up and be on my way. There's absolutely nothing left for me here."

It was a goodbye. Gabriel felt it in his heart, the sharp ache of absence that was about to begin. Wasn't that what he wanted? A sharp, clean break? A return to what had been his normal for so many years?

"Are you sure you don't want me with you when you go to see Cory?" he asked as he got up from the chair.

Her amazingly beautiful green eyes held his gaze. "Thanks, but I'll be fine alone." There was a new strength in her voice, a glint of steel in her eyes. She had spoken of her love of him, and he knew that now she was letting him go.

"How do you plan to get back to the bed-and-breakfast?" he asked.

"Don't worry. I'll figure it out," she a.s.sured him.

Gabriel took several steps toward the door. "Then I guess I'll see you back at the house."

"Just expect me when you see me," she replied.

He nodded and then left her room. He stood out in the hospital corridor and realized there was a part of him that wanted something more.

Then he shook his head, as if to dislodge the alien desire, and headed for the exit.

Chapter Fourteen.

Marlena left the jail near dusk. It had taken forever to convince the doctor that she was fine and ready to be released. He'd insisted that she remain until after lunch, and then she'd realized she had nothing to wear home. She'd apparently been brought into the hospital in a nightgown, and n.o.body had thought to bring her any clothes.

A kind nurse had offered to loan her a spare set of scrubs, and so she'd finally left the hospital clad in a lavender short-sleeved scrub top, matching bottoms and a pair of flip-flops that had been in the lost and found.

It wouldn't have mattered if she'd been dressed in diamonds and pearls; nothing would have made her conversation with Cory any less difficult.

As she'd faced the young man she'd raised and loved, it had been like speaking to a stranger. He didn't even pretend to have any feelings for her other than hatred. He'd accused her of being the one who had driven their mother away, the one who had ruined his life. He'd told her over and over again that he would never love anyone, especially not her. He had nothing but hatred for her.

She'd left the sheriff's office around five and had sat on a bench just outside the building, trying to process everything that had happened, what had gone so terribly wrong.

She'd tried to be a mother to Cory. She'd sacrificed over and over again for him, not because she'd needed to but because she'd wanted to do whatever she could to keep him safe, healthy and happy.

Something was broken inside of him. She realized that now. Something had broken a long time ago that could never be repaired. She couldn't love him enough to fix him.

Twilight had begun to fall when Sheriff Thompson walked out of the building, obviously surprised to see her seated on the bench. He sank down beside her, his face wreathed with lines of age and weariness. "It's tough."

"It is," she replied. "I'm planning on leaving town tomorrow. Is that a problem with you?"

"Shouldn't be, although I'd appreciate an address for wherever you wind up, in case we need you when this all comes to trial."

She nodded, not wanting to think about a trial where she would have to stand and face Cory in a court of law.

"Cory confessed to trying to kill you, and both he and John have confessed to the pot field in the bunker, but both of them are adamant that they had nothing to do with the Connellys' disappearance," he said.

"Do you believe them?"

Thompson released a deep sigh. "I tend to believe them, but it's hard not to consider the possibility that Sam found out about the bunker, so John and Cory did what they had to do in order to save their illegal business."

"I might believe that if it wasn't for Macy. No matter how much Cory hated me, I can't imagine him doing anything to harm that little girl."

"And John maintains he had no idea what Cory was doing to you, that he's never committed a violent act against anyone in his entire life." Sheriff Thompson shrugged. "I suppose time will tell what really happened to the Connellys. Are you waiting for somebody to pick you up?"

"Actually, I'm not sure how I'm getting back to the bed-and-breakfast. I sent Gabriel home before I got out of the hospital."

"I'll take you home." He stood and hitched up his pants over his protruding belly.

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that." Together they headed for his patrol car parked in front of the office.

They drove for several minutes in silence. Finally it was the sheriff who spoke. "I should have retired after Daniella and Macy were kidnapped the first time. I've tried to help the Feds in any way I can, but I forgot about the bunker. h.e.l.l, the door was so well hidden Sam and I would have never discovered it if he hadn't followed Frank and found it. I never thought anyone would ever find it again. That was a huge mistake on my part." There was a wealth of regret in his voice.

"Don't blame yourself. There were things going on here that none of us saw."

Silence filled the car again for the remainder of the ride. As they drove into the parking area of the bed-and-breakfast, Marlena was surprised to see Gabriel sitting on the front porch, the shades of sunset painting him in orange and pink.

She thanked the sheriff for the ride, and as she got out of the car, Gabriel stood. As she came closer, she realized he'd been waiting for her. Two gla.s.ses of lemonade sat on the table, their ice cubes nearly melted. He must have been waiting for a while.

Sheriff Thompson waved to him and then pulled out of the drive as Marlena climbed up the porch steps and sank into a chair next to the one he had vacated.

He sat back down, and for a few minutes they remained there, watching the sun ease lower in the sky. "There's lemonade here if you're thirsty," he finally said.

"Thanks." She picked up the gla.s.s nearest her and leaned back in the chair. Numb. She felt a numbness sweeping over her. She hadn't fully processed what Gabriel had told her in the hospital about Cory until she'd come face-to-face with her brother behind bars.

She almost blessed the numbness that kept a wealth of sadness at bay. Tomorrow she would leave here without her brother. All the plans she'd made for him, for his future would never occur.

Funny, she'd never felt truly alone because she'd had Cory to care for, to love. And now there was nothing...n.o.body. For the first time in her entire life she was truly alone.