CHAPTER Thirty Eight
When Camille came to, she was sore and confused at first. And then she saw Ross, lifeless and bloody, and she felt her father’s hands on her shoulders. The last thing she remembered was Shane’s grip on her throat and fading in and out of darkness.
“Camille, thank God you’re okay.”
Ross was moving and groaning now, and Camille made her way to him. His pulse was weak, and there was so much blood. But she had no time to feel sorry for herself, worry, or cry. She had to get Ross some help.
“Where’s Shane?”
“I don’t know. I hit him with the wrench, and I saw him go down. And then I must have passed out. I’ve called for an ambulance, but we’ve got to get Ross and get out of here.”
Shane was not the type of man to give up on his revenge.
It was difficult for her to hear Ross’s pained moans, but at least when she heard them, she knew he was alive. And then they heard it—that smug, terrifying voice that made Camille’s skin crawl.
“Hello, Camille.”
She was sitting with Ross, comforting him, holding him, praying that the ambulance would hurry, and out of nowhere, Simpson reappeared.
Camille felt the cold steel of her gun in her waistband, and she did her best to put it in her hand without drawing attention.
Shane was smiling and walking to her, and Camille wondered if she had it in her to kill a man if she had to.
Even a man as dangerous and sinister as Shane Simpson was still a human being, and Camille worried that any hesitation could be deadly.
She now had the gun firmly in her grip, and Shane was still moving toward her. And he still had that same smug smile that made Camille’s skin crawl. This was it. This was her moment. Camille knew what she had to do.
When Camille drew the gun from behind her back and pointed it at Shane, he momentarily froze, wondering if she would really try and kill him.
“Stop right there!” Camille commanded. Her words were clear, but her voice held just a tinge of fear, and it did not go unnoticed.
Shane briefly paused, laughed, and continued walking her way. Camille was scared, but this was no time to second-guess her actions. “I said, stop!”
“Or what, sweetheart?” Shane stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her. “Are you going to kill me?” He threw back his head and laughed. His eyes were terrifying, and his tone confident.
Dan Hargrove sat helplessly on the ground, hoping and praying Camille would use that gun. He had lost his somewhere along the line. And then it hit him. Shane took his gun. Now panic set in.
When Shane resumed his pursuit, Camille was put to the test. She heard Ross’s moans and was reminded that Shane was a monster first and a man second.
Shane was moving her way again. She would have to be brave.
She would have to be strong. She remembered how his hands had gripped her throat, tightening mercilessly.
He would have no problem killing her. He had done it so many times before.
It was now or never, and Camille had to take care of Shane once and for all.
It was this rush of confidence that told Camille to aim and pull the trigger.
But before she could, both she and Dan saw the moonlight glistening off the gun in Shane’s hand.
There was no time to think.
Camille pulled the trigger.
Shane’s eyes grew wide, and he stumbled backward. He was stunned but not down, and his path to Camille was still wide open. He raised his gun arm …
It was a matter of survival now, and Camille had to pull that trigger again. And when she did, Shane screamed in agony and went down. In just a few seconds, it was clear that Shane Simpson was dead.
But Camille had no time to dwell on what she had done. She went to Ross, lifeless and battered, lying in the snow, and she heard the first sounds of sirens in the distance.
“Dad, are you okay?”
“Yeah, Milly.” Dan Hargrove never took his eyes off Shane’s dead body, stretched out and massive beside him. He wanted to say more and do more, but Dan was in shock, and all he could manage was keeping his eyes fixed on the monster who had nearly killed them all.
Camille held Ross in her arms. She could feel him slipping away, and for the first time, she felt tears streaming down her face. There was silence now, no sirens, no moans from Ross—just an intense silence that broke her.
As the EMTs took over, Camille watched in a daze.
This might be the last time she ever saw Ross.
What if he never woke up? What if he died before she could say she was sorry and tell him she loved him?
Now, Camille’s mind went back to her silly insistence on heading up to the brewery.
If she had just listened to him. This was all her fault, and Camille broke down and sobbed.
Dan went to her and held her, but he could not fix what was happening, and it broke his heart.
Camille watched as they loaded Ross into the ambulance.
“Can I go with him?” she begged.
“No, ma’am. It’s best that you stay and get treated. You and your dad can go in the other bus.”
Camille didn’t have the strength to argue.
“My wife is locked in the brew house in the main building. Can someone please let her know what’s going on?”
The grounds had now filled with police cars, but none of the chaos mattered to Camille. She was devastated that Ross’s ambulance was pulling away, sirens blaring, and she would probably not make it to the hospital in time before he passed.
It was very early morning, and undeniably, it had been a long, harrowing night.
Camille and her parents sat in the back of their ambulance, still stunned by all that had happened.
Right before the ambulance doors closed, she watched as the coroner collected Agent Brawn’s body from her car— another innocent victim of Shane Simpson.
Camille had no regrets about pulling that trigger—twice.
The ride to the hospital was excruciating. Camille was annoyed when her dad talked, and she was distressed when there was silence. The entire way, all she could think of was Ross and hoping to God he didn’t die before she could get there.
Camille’s injuries were minor, but her state of mind was tenuous.
Arriving at the hospital, she was inconsolable and frantic, so Camille was sedated, admitted, and asleep before she had any news about Ross’s condition.
Her dad simply got a few stitches and was then released to go meet his wife in the waiting room.
The Hargroves were concerned for their daughter’s health, but especially concerned about how she would react if they had to tell her Ross was gone.
After a few hours, Dan Hargrove couldn’t take being in the dark any longer.
He wanted the details about Ross before his daughter woke, so he and Marla could prepare, if necessary.
Scouring the halls, searching for anyone with information, he finally found a nurse who looked like she had just been in surgery.
“Ma’am? Would you happen to know anything at all about Ross Paine?
He came in by ambulance and has been in surgery for quite a while.”
“Yes, I know the case, but I’m not at liberty to say.
There should be some news soon, though.” She could see the disappointment on Dan’s face and offered the only other suggestion she had.
“Try waiting in the surgery waiting room. It’s right around the corner,” she said and then continued her hurried trek down the hall.
When Dan made it to the surgery waiting room, the attendant was glad to check on Ross’s status for him, but before she made the call, a doctor entered the room.
“Is there anyone here for Ross Paine?”
“Yes!” Dan Hargrove piped up.
“Follow me,” the doctor said as he led Dan into a consultation room close by. The doctor’s seriousness and need for privacy alarmed Dan, and when the doctor turned to face him and deliver the news, Dan was terrified of what he would hear.
“Mr. Paine is very lucky. All of his injuries and complications are grave, but we have him stable. It’s going to take time, but he should be okay.” Dan Hargrove felt his knees go weak, and tears welled in his eyes.
When Camille woke, the first thing she did was ask about Ross. The smile on her dad’s face spoke volumes. “Is he okay?” she asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes, dear. He’s going to be fine,” Dan said, squeezing her hand.
It seemed as if a million pounds of heartache and despair were lifted from her heart. “When can I see him?”
“He’s resting in recovery after his surgery. I’m assuming when he wakes up, maybe, but I’m not sure,” Dan replied.
Other than being sedated, Camille had fitful sleep, but now that she knew Ross was okay, she thought she could go to sleep and, when she woke, maybe it would be time to see Ross.
Ike and Janelle were worried when they hadn’t heard from Ross. He was supposed to call and give them an update and more instructions about coming home. And so far, they had no calls or texts.
“When I call Ross, the phone goes directly to voicemail, which most likely means it’s dead,” Janelle said, shaking her head.
“Let’s just head that way and see what’s going on,” Ike suggested. “It feels altogether different in the daytime.”
“Agreed,” Janelle said as she started to get her bag to head out.
“I’ll get that,” Ike said, grabbing it and opening the door for her.
Janelle had been a little worried that her night with Ike was a silly fluke. She was vulnerable and had had a few beers, and Janelle thought maybe it was just a one-time thing that got out of hand, but he was making great efforts to be a gentleman, and she liked it.
“If you’re hungry, we can stop for breakfast,” he said.
“No, that’s okay. Thanks, though. I just want to get there and see what’s going on. I have a weird feeling that something isn’t right.”
Even though Ross and Camille were long gone to the hospital, the brewery was still a crime scene when they arrived.
“Jesus! What the hell happened here?” Ike’s voice was questioning, but he had that sinking feeling that Shane Simpson was involved, and his heart raced.
“It doesn’t look good, does it?” Janelle could hear her voice quivering, and she hated getting so emotional. But this looked bad—really bad.
“Wait here. I’ll go see what’s going on.”
When Ike discovered that even Mr. and Mrs. Hargrove were gone, he headed out to one of the detectives for some answers.
“Hey, can you tell me what happened here? I’m a good friend of the Hargroves,” Ike stated, his nervousness hanging on every word.
“Several people were attacked here last night,” the detective began. “There’s a federal agent dead, and Ms. Hargrove and her parents also went by ambulance to the hospital.”
“What about Ross Paine?”
The detective was obviously distressed and took a deep breath before answering. “I’m not sure. He was in bad shape when they left. I’m so sorry.” “Bad shape, but alive, right?” Ike probed.
“Barely.”
Ike ran back to the truck, and the driveway rocks under the new snow flew high into the air as he gunned it, getting out of there. He didn’t say much to Janelle, but his urgency told her everything she needed to know.
When Ike and Janelle arrived at the hospital, it took a while to locate Camille and the Hargroves, and when they did, Camille was sleeping.
Dan stepped out into the hall with Ike and Janelle and finally gave them the update they needed—Ross was in recovery and would be okay.
Then Dan explained the whole horrifying ordeal, and both Ike and Janelle were shaken to the core but not surprised.
They both knew all too well the depth of Shane Simpson’s evil.
“Please tell me he’s dead,” Ike asked. “Please tell me that son of a bitch is burning in hell right now.”
“Yes, he’s gone,” Dan confirmed without going into all of the details.
There was a sigh of relief from both Ike and Janelle, and then almost automatically, they fell into each other’s arms. This whole terrifying mess was over, and they felt true relief for the first time in weeks.
And as natural as can be, when Ike and Janelle broke from their embrace, their closeness continued with a kiss.
Not just any kiss, but a passionate one that made Mr. Hargrove curious and a little uncomfortable, so he excused himself to go find someone who could give him an update on Ross.
“He’s awake in recovery. We’ll be moving him to the ICU before long, but the doctor says no visitors until tomorrow. Mr. Paine needs rest.”
When Dan returned to Camille’s room, she was awake and visiting with Janelle and Ike. But the look on her dad’s face told her something was wrong. Immediately, Camille’s mood changed.
“What’s wrong?” she snapped.
“Oh, he’s okay. It’s not that,” Dan said, easing the tension. “Then what?” Camille asked guardedly.
“The doctors won’t let you see him until tomorrow.”
Still disappointing, but compared to what she was thinking, Camille felt she could live with this news.
This might give her some more time to feel and look better as well.
Besides, she had Ike and Janelle there now, and it seemed as if they had so much to celebrate.
She could wait to see Ross if she knew he would be okay.