Novels by Nancii Agosto

“Oh, look,” I snort, squinting at the vibrating phone as it skitters across the marble countertop. “The phone is ringing. It must be that useless little man I found.” I knew I couldn’t make any attempts firsthand so I took a more absent and cautious approach.I circle the kitchen island, bare feet sliding slightly against the tile, an open bottle of wine dangling loosely from my fingers. I’d been drinking straight from it for the past hour—long enough for the room to feel just a little too tilted, just a little too forgiving. The lights above the sink buzz faintly, irritating me more than they should as I reach to see who’s calling.Unknown number.The same one.The corners of my mouth twitch as I answer, amusement lacing my tone. I’d been waiting for this. Hoping for it, even.“I hope this has produced a fine resolution,” I say coolly, dragging out the last word like a warning.“The flowers were delivered,” he replies, breathless, as if he’d been running. “Set right where you wanted

I read the message with a lump in my throat. She made it. I couldn’t change the past but this was something. I was able to stop this from happening to someone else. I lock my phone and slide it back into my pocket without responding.“The drug was a potent liquidated form of fentanyl, Pennet. They dabbed it specifically into the thorns with something cotton - most likely a cotton swab.“But why go through the hassle? They could’ve dunked the whole bouquet in it and it would’ve done the same thing. It can be absorbed transdermally. There doesn’t need to be any open wounds for this type of drug to seep into your skin.”“You’re right but they wanted to make sure that the overdose was going to be undetectable until after an autopsy when the drugs would also disappear and no longer be present in her system. Spraying this entire bouquet would leave too much contact evidence on her skin.” Forensics was an entirely different field. They thought of every explanation before you thought to ask

I hear the urgency in Mike’s voice on the phone before he snaps at me and hangs up. He knew something I didn’t, and I had no time to find out what it was.If he was moving this fast, then someone’s life was hanging in the balance—teetering between survival and death.I immediately call it in to the med squad.“This is Officer Miller. I need an emergency dose of Naloxone delivered to me at 120 Windsorly Place, Suite 12.”“We can have it there in two to five minutes, Colin,” Maria answers without hesitation.“Thank you.” I hang up quickly and turn to see a very confused—and deeply concerned—Lincoln staring at me.“Mike said—” I begin to explain, but Lincoln’s eyes suddenly go wide.It clicks for him—Naloxone. Narcan.Without another word, he bolts down the hallway toward the bedroom, already bracing himself as if preparing to knock down the door. I follow close behind.“Jessie?” he says as he reaches her, grabbing her face gently but urgently. “Jessie!”I drop beside him and grab her wr

Another day down and still no closure on Jessie Adler’s case. At least this time, we had a lead that would help dive further into our primary suspect.“What a day.” I groan as I put on my jacket and grab my keys from my desk drawer.I’m two steps from the door to the parking lot when my phone rings.“What now?” I mumble to myself as I see it’s Colin and move to answer.“Look, I’ve already prepped for tomorrow. I’m the lead and I’ve got it covered.” He needs to sit back for this one.“Mike, I need you do me favor. It’s urgent.”“It always is.” “Look, Jessie and I went to her parents’ burial site today to drop off flowers and there were already flowers there. We thought they were Alan’s but he never left his house today and those flowers were fresh - not only that, they were covered with thorns. Lincoln thinks that they might have been left there by the attacker. We need you to get those flowers and bring them to Lincoln’s penthouse immediately. They’re evidence.” He rambles a lot.“An

I couldn’t comfort her. Not in the way that he can but that isn’t what’s important right now. I have to tell him what’s happened and the information we’ve come to find out.“Care to tell me what the hell happened to her?!” I hear Lincoln say in a sharp tone as he walks over to me.“She met with Olivia. She wanted to know if anything Alan said at that lunch meeting was true and she found out that what he said about her was very true.” He stands there for a moment.“You mean to tell me, you took her to the facility to meet with her husband’s fucking sister?! What are you doing?”“She didn’t tell me what we were doing there until we were actually there. She said that she wanted to ask questions from someone who would know the answers and I chose to follow her lead.”“And do you think that was a superior choice?”“Actually, I do.” I say confidently.“Do you?” He asks rhetorically as he steps closer.“Yes, I do. Jessie’s found out that Alan does have some sort of hand in her attack. That h

“Another case file down, Diana. How many are left?” I ask dryly, watching yet another divorcee leave the office—disappointed, flushed, and still clinging to the fantasy that rejected advances were somehow negotiable.“Just one,” Diana sighs dramatically. “She’s been the toughest. All she has to do is sign the final settlement and mediation agreement, but she refuses to come in unless you’re here.” She rolls her eyes so hard I’m surprised she doesn’t sprain something.“It’s been sitting on my desk since the day of that lawn party.” Her lips press into a tight, thin line, the universal sign for I’m so done with this nonsense.“No kidding?”“Nope.” She pops the ‘p’ with extra spite—her way of happily dumping the problem back into my lap.“Let me see it.” I hold out my hand. She drops the file into it like a cursed object. One glance at the name and—of course. The newly Ms. Dickinson.Perfect.She was the worst one yet. Not only aggressive in her pursuit, but relentlessly handsy—to the po

The last few weeks have been a haze. From finding out that I’ve killed someone, to being pregnant with another set of twins and raising our boys, Logan and Lucas. Life has been busy but our house is finally being cleared from its previous status as a crime scene. I watch as our home comes into view and remember all the things my therapist had told me. ‘A place does not hold memories of trauma, we do. You cannot blame yourself for having a reaction to an action. You are healing. You will be okay.’ I see Leo smiling at the front door as he waits for Elena and I to approach with the boys. I hadn’t seen Leo since that day. I had stayed at jasmines along with Elena and asked for some time. After all that I’ve been through for him, I had to sit back and reflect on whether this was something I would be able to recover from and if my marriage to Leonardo was worth this trauma. I had been disfigured, threatened, kidnapped, abused, attacked and forced into miscarrying. The last year of my lif

Did she shoot me? I feel this pain in my shoulder and I grasp it but I don’t have time to process as I stumble back in response to the force of that one small bullet. Never in a million years did I think she’d actually fight back. She’d always been a pest and nuisance but never confrontational.What changes a woman so abruptly?“Motherhood.” My mother says as I lose my balance, falling over the banister from the second floor.“Would you have felt this for me?” I ask in a daze. I remember killing my mother but never thought once about how she felt or what her thoughts were in her final moments and I’ve never bothered to ask. “Even after what I’d done to you?”“Yes. I would have ran through the flames of that house to find you.”“Why?”“Because you’re my child. I would’ve done exactly what she had done to you if the roles were reversed. That is motherhood.”“But you can’t save me now.” I say sadly as I feel tears building in my eyes.“I can’t. But I can hold you.” She wraps her hands ar

I feel a pulsating pain radiating through my skull and sit up slightly to find a broken vase at my side. Charlotte must have done this. Where is she? I look side to side but am stopped when paramedics rush to assess my wounds. It wasn’t until they bandaged my head that I remembered what had happened. Charlotte was trying to kill Claire. I have to stop her. I jump up and push the paramedics back as I rush up the stairs to find my wife.I’m met by Mason just at the top of the stairs and I can see Claire crumbled down to the ground. She looked like she’d seen a ghost and although her body shook, she was still.“Claire!” I rush to her side and try to ground her by wrapping myself around her. Mason tells me that she is the only one able to account to what happened here. Thankfully our boys were alright.“Elena, did you see what happened?” I ask as I watch her put the boys down for naps. “Yes, Mr. Leo. Ms. Claire was protecting the boys and myself. She did well.” She says sadly as she watc

Even with the storm, I could swear that I heard a gunshot and I quickly jump out of the bed to grab my own and arm myself as I run out the door. “What’s wrong? Where are you going?” Jasmine calls after me as I run down the driveway.“Call the police and give them Leo’s address. I think they’re in danger.” I yell back as I continue running, holding gun and preparing to fire at any assailant. I push the gate open and continue down the block to their home where I see a random car parked. This couldn’t be good.I quickly pull my phone out and call the facility to check Charlotte’s status but there’s no answer. I decide to abandon that thought and focus on the danger ahead. I push forward as the wind threatens to sweep me from under my feet when I finally catch a glimpse of their house. Everything seemed to be intact but I had to make sure. I run to the door and knock but hear no response until I kick down the door. Just as I walk into the threshold, j see Leo is unconscious on the ground

Leo asked that I wait upstairs while he checked the door. I scoot closer to the bassinet where the boys were sound asleep and watch the door carefully. I didn’t realize how long I had been holding my breath until I see Leo reappear and let out a deep sigh and gasp for air.“It’s okay. It must’ve been the wind.” He says as he rushes to my side, holding me form doh long over as I try to inflate my lungs rapidly.“Okay.” I nod quickly as I continue heaving.“It’s okay. We’re all fine.” After a few minutes of silence, I hear my alarm on my phone indicating that it was, once again, feeding time. “How about you stay here and I’ll grab the bottles.” “No, it’s okay. I can do it.” I reassure him. The truth was that I needed a moment alone. I then get up to get my pump supplies and their bottles while Leo watches the boys as Lucas had begun to stir.I could still feel the weariness of the storm lingering over me as I descend the stairs and walk towards the kitchen. It felt like I was walking

Some may think it’s odd that I’d feel so comfortable as to knock on the front door, even to knock as though it were urgent. But there was a method to my madness. I know Leo. He’s far too chivalrous to allow Claire to open the door, nonetheless during a ramped storm. He’s going to be the one to come to the door and while he makes his pace, I’ll be making mine to the back to find a point of access and try to catch a view of where my target was.I watch as Leo goes to the door and I have to fight the urge to run back to the front and jump into his arms. I watch as he examines the area and returns inside and I find that the back sliding door’s lock had been damaged by the falling debris. Just my luck coming into play, I have the perfect point of entry.“You cannot do this! You cannot harm those you love.” My mother screeches at me in the pouring rain.“I would never hurt Leo.”“But you have.” I decide to ignore her. Seeing as I could be heard at any moment.I wait until I see Leo go back

I don’t remember what happened exactly.I remember a nose bleed that was problematic.A conversation with Darren that was uncomfortable and then darkness. I slowly look at my surroundings to find myself still in the oncology treatment bay and Darren is sitting by my side.“What happened to me?” I groggily ask as I search my mind for answers.“You lost consciousness for a few minutes. I believe you were overwhelmed.” I could tell by his response that he was giving as little and as much information as possible.“Why was I overwhelmed?” I didn’t need to be tip-toed around. I needed to know what was happening to me.“You ran your fingers through your hair and well, some of it came out.” He fidgets with his fingers as he says what I feared most in the beginning.“I’m going to lose all of it, aren’t I?” I sit back to contemplate my life. What would it be like once I looked just as sick and they told me I was? What would people see? Or worst, how would they treat me?“Your hair can grow bac

I push the tissue to my nose and apply pressure as Darren grabs a first-aid kit on the shelf across from me - returning with a stop bleed stick and placing it gently into my nose.“What’s happening to me?” I ask in a nasal tone as I try to calm my roaring thoughts.“It’s just a side effect of the radiotherapy. Bleeding isn’t uncommon.” He says as he holds the stick inside my nose.“I’m not going to be able to go back to EnviroDoc, am I?” I needed to know if this was going to be my life as I proceed treatment.“You can go back. You just have to listen to your body and take it easy sometimes.” He makes it seem easy. “It’s going to tough for a little bit while your body tries to cope with the radiation but you can do it.”“What if I can’t?” I ask as the tears begin rolling down my face.“Hey, it’s going to be okay. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you get better. This is just the beginning of a long journey but it’ll pass.” He says with a soft smile.“I’m vomiting, losing consciousn

“Are you sure about your choice?” He asks as he clasps his hands together.“My choice?” Was he referring to Maverick? My choice in one man or the other? “Yes. I know you chose to pursue treatment and since the very first one, I felt a connection to you. I know you felt it too.” He says as he makes unbreakable eye contact with me. This was not the kind of conversation I thought I’d be having while being injected with radiation.“I did but my connection with him was growing as well and he’s made me happy.” I think back to when I first met him. I had been swoon after our dream but after seeing his genuine nature - I was very enamored. His confidence, intelligence and appearance were paired with care, compassion and dedication. I never thought a man like that existed or that someone like that would be interested in me nonetheless. “I didn’t think that the moment we spoke in the bathroom would lead you to him.” He bows his head.“But it was a clarifying moment, Darren. It just didn’t go

After what has come our nightly ritual, we laid down for bed. Maverick had cuddled me close until I fell asleep.I awoke the next morning to my alarm. I’d have my first radiotherapy enhancement today. I look over to see Maverick is still sleeping and I shuffle quietly out of bed. I almost make it out until I feel a hand grab my wrist. “It’s early. What’s wrong?” I look over to see Maverick peaking at me groggily.“Treatment - today. I have to be at the hospital in twenty minutes.” I say as I stare down at the bed.“Want me to come?”“No, get some rest. I’ll only be gone about an hour.” I lean over to kiss him and then get ready to leave. I watch as he rolls onto his side and falls back to sleep.This was the first time Maverick had been there when I woke up. His chiseled features accented by the shadows of light dancing along the curtain. His hair thrown carelessly and his blue eyes - out of sight as he slept. He reminded me of what Greek mythology expressed as Gods. As u admired his

Once we get back to my apartment, Maverick wakes me gently and picks me up to bring me inside. He gently opens the door and takes me directly to my bed. He then shuts the door and brings himself back to the room, sitting down in the bed carefully.“You feeling okay?” He asks carefully as if the words were boulders that would roll over me if spoken too loudly.“Yeah. I’m just really tired.” Not a complete lies I was tired although I was more exhausted than anything and it had nothing to do with a lack of sleep. I wasn’t improving the way we had hoped, my health was slowly interfering with my life, my doctor seems intent on pursuing me even while I have my person sitting in the same bed as me, I embarrassed myself at EnviroDoc and there’s still the cherry to top it all off: I have brain cancer. A cruel sick joke that taunts me relentlessly so I meant it wholeheartedly when I said I was tired.I look up at Maverick to see his mind is steadily at work. He had read between the lines. There

After Darren left, I waited about an hour while Maverick stayed resting peacefully at my side. Waiting for my discharge was just as eerie as walking up in this same room once again.I hear a knock at the door as the nurse slowly enters. She sees Maverick sleeping and decides to speak to me quietly.“Ms. Richardson, these are your discharge papers. The doctor has added your new treatment regiment in which you’ll be following up in the oncology department. I believe he spoke with you already?” “Yes. I’m aware.” I say quietly as I try not to wake Maverick.“Okay, great. Well there are some health guidelines to follow for your condition and the doctor has added a prescription of antacids for your stomach and zofran for your nausea. I have your prescriptions as the doctor requested they be sent and filled to in-office pharmacy. Do you have any questions for me?” She asks as she carefully hands me the paperwork and a bag containing my prescriptions. “No, thank you. Am I okay to leave now?