Chapter 3 #2
“The cop on the case just thought it was domestic abuse. She had a violent boyfriend. He had a shaky alibi, but not enough to charge him.” His arms shook with the force of his grip on the wheel.
“The ligature marks were a lot like the woman’s tonight.
I should have stayed with Letti, then maybe I’d have more answers. ”
I pushed out of the cop car and took a deep lungful of night air. Had the guy gone back to finish the job that night?
The urge to go find the blond zipped like lightning up my spine. This guy wouldn’t be bold enough to go to the hospital tonight.
Surely not.
I strode toward the hospital. The sound of Stone’s door slamming propelled me forward.
He caught up with me. “I have an officer on her door.”
“You do?”
“My par—former partner said she’d put an officer on the door.”
“I hope so.”
We checked in at the visitor’s center. The lobby of the hospital was pretty quiet, and we were directed to the ICU, which made my belly tighten.
We both got off the elevator to find a skeleton overnight crew. The jarring sound of beeps and the compressor for oxygen took me reminded me of too many fallen soldiers and co-workers.
I shoved back those memories and fisted my hands into my pockets as Stone led me down the hall to where there was a guard outside a room. The tag on the outside of the door simply said Jane Doe.
The fact that there was a room at all made the muscles in my shoulders loosen slightly. She was alive.
For now.
Stone broke away to talk to his ex-partner.
She was a stunning Latina with dark hair scraped back into a no-nonsense knot at the base of her neck.
She was nearly as tall as Stone with a shield tucked into the belt of her caramel colored pants.
Even at nearly one in the morning she was wearing a fitted navy jacket over a wine colored tank.
They were arguing in furious whispers. Suddenly the woman stalked off to talk to a doctor, leaving Stone staring at the ceiling.
“That went well.”
“Bringing a civilian with me didn’t help.”
Ignoring the slur, I shrugged. “I’m a concerned citizen who wanted to know how the victim was. Period.”
He gave me a dry look.
I shrugged. “Could happen.”
“After visiting hours?”
“Extenuating circumstances?”
He sighed. “I logged the evidence we found and updated Miranda on her name.”
“Any word on her status?”
“She’d only give me that she was alive.”
“Really pissed her off, hey?”
He tucked his thumb into his belt beside his service weapon. “She just needs to cool down.”
Turned out that her cooling down period took a bit longer than Stone was prepared for.
We both broke our asses on the hard plastic chairs in the hallway.
I was impressed that they didn’t change the name on the door and an officer stood sentry checking identifications of medical staff before they were allowed into the room.
Even if they didn’t believe Stone’s theory, they were being careful since she’d been assaulted in such an explicit way.
I paced between the hall and the vending nook. By two in the morning my gut burned from the shitty coffee I kept gulping down. I wasn’t sure caffeine was even helping at this point.
Unfortunately I’d been up since six in the morning for a bit of fishing, so mainlining coffee was the only thing keeping me coherent.
Sleeping wasn’t exactly one of my strengths these days, but a bottle of bourbon helped more often than I’d care to admit.
It sounded really good right about now, as did my extended king-sized bed.
Finally, Stone’s partner returned, her sensible shoes quiet on the unforgiving floors. When she spotted us, her face cooled into rigid lines. “What are you still doing here? Don’t you have a patrol to be on?”
The bite was obvious, and Stone nearly rose to the bait, but I watched him shutter up like he had in the car with me earlier. “Miranda, just listen to me.”
“I have listened for months now, and your obsession with this idea got you booted down to a uniform again. One more flag on your record and you’ll be out.”
“Please, just talk to Locke.”
She glanced from Stone to me. “You have details that I don’t?”
“He’s a witness.”
“And I’m sure he talked to the detective on scene.”
Stone tightened his hand. “He did, but you know it’s just going to get logged in as misadventure.”
“Maybe that’s all it is.” Miranda crossed her arms. “Because of you I’m on babysitting duty instead of working my cases. The captain didn’t just punish you, War.”
“From what I’ve heard you’re guarding the only person to survive an attack by this guy,” I interjected.
She turned her sharp, dark eyes on me. “I don’t know what Officer Stone had told you about this, but it’s a police matter.”
“I came upon a woman who was tied down with a knot system that was designed to torture her. He lashed her to the pier like a fucking fish and was playing with her. That’s not misadventure, detective.
That’s intent and you know it. I get you have your career to think about, but that woman is in trouble. ”
I watched her face shut down. I’d lost her. Fuck, I was out of practice. I knew how to be diplomatic but maybe that died with Milligan too.
“It’s not about my career,” she said darkly.
“Isn’t it? Then maybe you’d look a little deeper into the case.”
“Just because you play bodyguard—sorry, personal security—to models and rich senators means you know jack all about how to be a cop? Did War tell you about how one of the victims was found in bed? It was more like a sex act gone wrong.” Stone opened his mouth and she turned to him, her finger pointing at him.
“No. You’re making connections that aren’t there. ”
“He’s getting more aggressive,” Stone snarled. “It could be him accelerating.”
“You’ve been insufferable since you took those classes at the FBI. There’s no proof these line up with your case. Period. Now go home, War. Please.” She dropped her voice at the end, adding a touch of softness. It was obvious they were friends and there might be more at play between them.
“Can I just see the woman?” I asked.
She sighed, then nodded. “Fine. Five minutes.” She gestured to the cop on the door and he stepped aside.
I just needed to see with my own eyes that she was okay. The last image in my head couldn’t be her tied up like that. Or that much blood on my fucking hands.
I slipped inside. Her room was dim with a single machine monitoring her vitals.
She was so damn pale and small under the white bedding.
Her blond hair had been smoothed back from her face and tangled around her shoulders.
The hospital gown was white with tiny blue diamonds.
It slipped down her shoulder to make room for taped cords attached to her chest.
On the pier, adrenaline had put everything into stark relief, now she seemed impossibly fragile.
And you need to help her.
Hell. Not now.
Was I finally cracking up? As if I needed Milligan in my head any more than he was.
Focus. Just make sure she’s all right and get the hell out of town. Maine was sounding better and better every damn minute. I didn’t even know her name. It had felt intrusive to ask and I knew Stone had been reticent to give me details. Her security and safety was far more important.
I stepped closer and noticed two IV bags hung over her, slowly dripping into her. She’d lost so much blood tonight.
I couldn’t help tucking a piece of hair away from her face. Cool and silky soft, it wound around my fingers before slipping away. Not trusting myself to touch her again, I jolted when her eyes fluttered open. Confusion and fear filled her dark eyes before she frowned, then lifted a hand.
“You saved me.” Her voice was little more than a raspy whisper.
I took her hand, the skin cool. “Shh.”
She licked her lips. “What’s your name?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
She tried to clear her throat, but it turned into a racking cough. I glanced around and found a cup with little pink pitcher.
“Shh.” I tipped it to her mouth and let a few drops slip inside. She lifted her head to drink deeper and I tried to pull it back, but her hand came around my wrist to hold me still.
Not so weak after all.
When she was finished I set the cup down, but she didn’t let go of my wrist.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m Cilla—Priscilla if I’m in trouble.”
I grinned. “Locke.”
Her lids slid down and a small smile teased the corners of her lips. “Locke. Safe and sound,” she whispered.
Something inside of me didn’t want to let her go, which prompted me to gently slip my hand free. “Yes, you’re safe now.”
“‘Kay.” Her breathing evened out with a small sigh. “Thanks, Safety Locke.”
“Hell,” I muttered.
See. She needs you.
And that was the problem. I was no good for anyone.