Chapter 25 #2
“Can’t say that I do. Although, I did have a big breakfast this morning at my dad’s.
” Dom smirked at her, doing his best to hide his concern.
He swore the woman had lost a good fifteen pounds since the night Wilson, Costovia, and Bell had attacked her younger sister…
and Madison. Heather had been a bit too skinny even before that. “How are you feeling?”
“Captured, actually. Again. I hate hospitals with a burning, flaming, soul-destroying passion. They are refusing to let me out of here.” Heather sat up in bed, but it required her sister helping her.
He was not used to seeing Heather so weak.
Not her. “My twinsie here is conspiring with them. Traitor.”
It was hard to believe these two women were twins: Heather was around five or six inches shorter than Dom’s own six-four, with long, dark brown hair and the face of a damned goddess.
Her twin was maybe five-foot or so, with wild curly blonde hair, big brown eyes, and freckles.
Beautiful woman, though. Every Coleson he’d met was. Every single one.
Maybe that was all it was? Beautiful women drew attention. Not all of it good.
“With who?”
“Marshall and that damned Mackie Mac McBarratt, actually. He’s bent on revenge for last night. He’s a total jerk that way. Arrogant pretty boy—thinks he gets to tell everyone what to do.”
Heather didn’t seem to like Powell’s brother very much now, did she? They had that in common.
She’d ordered her hell-nieces and demon-sisters to attack Powell Barratt’s brothers and restrain them to keep them from interfering while she rescued their parents and sister. Dom had taken Mac Barratt’s statement himself. There had been an alert fury in the guy’s face as he’d spoken.
One of determination that had had Dom telling the other man to keep himself out of trouble, and not to go vigilante hunting for the guys who had gotten away.
He hoped Barratt listened and didn’t do anything stupid.
Barratt was the damned arrogant type—Dom agreed with Heather there.
Dom had come up against him before. Couldn’t say he really liked the guy or anything, either.
Madison had dated him once or twice, too.
That was enough for Dom to not like the guy easily enough.
“You saved his family’s lives. I don’t think he’s holding you hostage in the hospital as revenge,” the twin informed her, bluntly. “He was merely showing his appreciation by upgrading you to a private room.”
“He’s using his money against me,” Heather told her.
Almost like she believed it. She was practically snarling.
Apparently, Powell’s brother was at the top of Heather’s enemy list at the moment.
“He’s sneaky that way. It’s all a part of his master plan.
Just you wait. I’ll pay for it in some way later, I’m sure of it. ”
“He’s no doubt planning revenge for last night—you stripped down to your lacy bra and frilly thong panties right in front of him to distract him, Horrible Heather.
It did work, momentarily, too. Your skimpies, dear, your skimpies.
I do think he enjoyed that part, though, and how can you stand wearing a thong on a regular basis, I do not understand.
Wearing those things…seriously uncomfortable—and you taped him up like a very pretty turkey—”
“You and the girls taped him up like a very pretty turkey—”
Well, apparently that rumor was true. Dom had been waiting to verify. Technically, the Colesons had abducted two of the Barratts—at least under the Texas penal code.
“On your orders. On your orders, twinsie. Like I said, he is most definitely plotting something for you but holding you hostage here…that’s probably not it.
He may be a far more wicked man than that, now that I think about it.
Which…might be very interesting—for you. I say sit back—or lie back and enjoy?”
“Ain’t never going to happen. Now why can’t I get out of here?
” Heather was definitely feeling a bit quarrelsome.
Dom just stood back and waited—ignoring the image of Heather in a thong that had popped into his head.
Or the image of her twin in one. Either woman—enough to have a man hyperventilating.
But they were terrifying. He’d learned within week one of meeting the woman: Heather had some bite when she wanted. He suspected her twin did too.
Murdoch had a theory that his wife’s entire family was capable of devouring unsuspecting men. Dom…was reserving judgment. But honestly—it wouldn’t surprise him one bit.
“Hypovolemic shock, dear sister. Hypovolemic shock, and signs of infection.” Her sister looked at Dom.
She had a way of looking at a man that made him want to squirm.
Like…she could see souls, or something. “She did lose a lot of blood, but she’s stable now…
She is running a higher fever than we want to see.
Fevers always make her so cranky. Super Heather is never happy when something makes her admit she’s not so…
super…at times. So she’s enjoying the fine food in this place for another night.
Whether the queen of stubborn likes it or not. ”
“This place has the worst hospital food I have ever tasted. What is up with that? I plan to lodge a complaint with the COM first chance I get. Our father would have thrown a fit if this was what was served to his patients at his hospital,” Heather said.
She glared at the tray in front of her. Dom had to admit, it didn’t look good.
He wasn’t entirely certain what that gray food was at all.
“Can I at least have a cheeseburger and fries or something? You could sneak one in…”
“No. You may not. And I have told you and told you about eating that kind of food all the time. Now open up,” her sister took a spoonful of what Dom thought was rice pudding of some sort—and airplaned it toward Heather’s face.
Complete with airplane sound effect. Heather growled.
Her sister just stared. “You don’t want me to call Mommy Bonnie, do you?
You are eating it all, Heather Holly. I am a mother of five devil children; you just have those two little angels; you just can’t outstubborn me. No matter how hard you try…”
Dom waited. Apparently, pure obstinate outwaiting was the way to win with Lieutenant Heather Coleson. He knew better than to even start with his questions until her sister sat back down, satisfied. The twin, all of five feet nothing, had won a battle against the most terrifying woman on the planet.
Dom wasn’t stupid enough to challenge Dr. Joy Coleson-Greene now. He just wasn’t.
“Now, Detective Seriously-gorgeous-man-who-looks-just-like-his-seriously-delicious-father, you may proceed. While I sit here and admire.” She batted her eyelashes at him—a blonde mix of Heather and Hope Coleson.
Jake’s former brother-in-law probably didn’t stand a chance where this woman was concerned.
“She has a crush on your dad, Dom. And about half-a-dozen other guys around here. Just ignore her; we all do.”
“I can’t help it. I like my men a little seasoned. Too bad Cher found him first. Vince is so one of the good guys. Good guys in Finley Creek are exceptionally hard to find, you know.”
Well, Dom agreed with that. His father was one of the good men out there. One of the best. Dom would never dispute that.
“You just like men who can’t run away from you fast enough.”
“Heather…I’m little and wiry and very, very fast when I run.
You know running fast is a Coleson thing.
I could catch a man if I really tried. I’m going to step outside, call the kidlings.
” She looked at Dom. “Make sure she behaves. Call in extra-hot reinforcements, if you need. Preferably in dress greens. I’m an admitted badge bunny, too, you know.
My Nick—he was so beautiful, that man. And when he was in his dress uniform, so sizzling.
No wonder we made four children in four years, you know. We probably would have made more…”
Her husband, a cop, had been murdered in broad daylight. By the man trying to abduct her. This woman still had those scars. Dom thought she was a pretty damned amazing woman, too. “I think I can handle the job just fine.”
She stared at him for a moment, shaking her head, like she was considering something.
“Alas, gorgeously hot man, I do believe you are just far, far too young for me. That whole seasoning thing I have going on and everything. I’m so sorry.
You are just too young for me, I’m afraid.
What a pity.” She winked at him. Dom was four months older than she and her twin. But he got the message.
She’d flirt outrageously, but…
Dom took the chair after the little blonde vacated it. He met dark eyes in a gorgeous—but far too pale—face. “Alright, Acardi. Let’s do this. You’re here to figure out what I know.”
Heather was the smartest woman he had ever met. And…probably the most difficult. Dom just nodded. “I listened to the recording Hope took. Grundenman said several times that you—you specifically—got too close.”
“I know. I caught that, too—it was news to me, honestly. But…considering the timing and what I had going on over the last few years…not surprising I missed something.” He could see that bothered her. He suspected there wasn’t much this woman missed. “I have copies of everything I worked on.”
She shifted in the bed and winced. He studied the bruises on her face that still hadn’t healed from the last attack—when she and Powell had been abducted and nearly killed.
Heather had barely survived, after making sure that Powell could escape.
Only to be shot and nearly bleed out just a week later.
This woman was one of the toughest he had ever met, too.
Hell. If he wasn’t so hung up on Madison, maybe he’d be going sideways over Heather eventually, too.
She was just the kind of woman who did something to a man.
No denying that. Then again…maybe that was part of it?
Steve Wilson had raped her and then tried to kill her sister.
Only for it to come out that he was mixed up in all the bullshit here.
Maybe Heather’s involvement was as simple as that.
An evil man not getting the woman he wanted.
“And I have all my own notes. In separate locations. I’ll get Hope to forward you copies. I take it you are running point?”
Copies, not originals. This woman didn’t trust him one bit. Dom wouldn’t forget that. Hell, why should she? He hadn’t known her long enough to earn it.
“MacNamara is running MC for now. I’m exclusively on this as long as I can be.
We’re expecting Wichita Falls to try to take over.
Stillman and Newcomb are already slithering around, making noises about giving the entire investigation to Winkler.
Marshall isn’t going to let that happen.
Even if the governor has to get involved.
But for now, it’s our jurisdiction and we’re going to use every ace we have to keep it. ”
“And I’m your ace. I get it. I’m valuable now.” Her mouth twisted. He knew what she was thinking. And it had been true. No one had given a shit about this woman before. It infuriated him to even think about it.
“You always were.”
“And you’re apparently a man who still believes in fairy tales with happily ever afters, Acardi. Good luck with that.”
Hell, Heather had deserved better.
But there wasn’t anything anyone could do about that now.