Page 16

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

VIOLET OPENED THE stall door and walked to the sink to wash her hands. She studied herself critically in the mirror and grimaced. Man, she looked like she’d been on a long mission with no sleep. And yet Noah repeatedly told her how beautiful she was. Her man needed his eyes checked.

After washing her hands, she splashed cold water on her face and blotted her skin dry with paper towels. Although the water wouldn’t help her look more rested, it would push back the fatigue a little longer.

All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep, but today would be another chaotic day. Hopefully, she and her teammates wouldn’t be targets of a sniper or bomber this time. She turned to throw the paper towels in the trash and the lights went out.

Violet froze. Not good. This room didn’t have windows. At the moment, she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. She slid her hand into her pocket and grabbed her phone. Thank goodness for flashlight apps. Her screen lit up when she swiped her thumb across the glass.

Before she could tap the app, someone grabbed her from behind and slammed her body and head against the wall. Warm liquid slid down her forehead and into her eye. She eased her hand down and freed her knife from its forearm sheath.

A man’s heavy weight settled against her. He clenched Violet’s hair in a tight grip. Against her ear, he whispered, “Get out of Morrison before you join Camilla in the grave.”

With a fist around the hilt, Violet jammed the knife into a muscular thigh.

The man cursed, yanked Violet’s head back, and slammed her head against the wall again.

Pain exploded in her head, and suddenly the heavy weight was gone. She sank to the floor and seconds later felt cool air on her face.

“Violet! Where are you?”

Noah. Violet felt so sick she wanted to curl up in a ball. “Here,” she yelled. “Noah, help me.”

“Hold on, baby.” Seconds later, light flooded the room and strong but gentle hands turned Violet toward him. He growled. “Who hurt you?”

“I don’t know. The lights went out, and a man attacked me.”

“You’re sure it was a man?”

The guy’s strength, weight, and hardened body told her what she needed to know. “Positive. Go. Find him.”

“I’ll be back in a minute.” He turned her so that she leaned against the wall and raced from the bathroom.

Seconds later, Rayne rushed into the room. She flinched. “Ouch.”

“Understatement.”

“What does the other guy look like?”

She snorted. “Who knows? He has a deep knife wound in his thigh, though.”

“Nice. I’m impressed.” Her friend grabbed a paper towel and blotted at the blood still trickling into Violet’s eye. “I’m not a medic, but I think you need stitches, Violet.”

Her heart sank. Not what she wanted to hear. “I’ve had enough of hospitals.”

“You planning to stitch the cut yourself?”

“If necessary.”

“We’re not on the run during a mission. No need to put in stitches yourself.”

The bathroom door opened again.

In a split second, Rayne spun and faced the door, Sig up and ready. She lowered the weapon as Noah and Grant entered the room. “No luck?”

Grant shook his head. “He was gone by the time we got outside. We found a blood trail.”

“Good.” She glanced at Violet. “Your handiwork.”

“I didn’t appreciate him slamming me into the wall.”

Noah dropped to his knees beside her and tipped her head up. His eyes darkened. After examining her injury, he slid one arm behind her back and one under her knees and lifted Violet from the floor. “You’re going to the hospital.”

“Noah.”

“Don’t.”

“I can take care of this myself.”

“No.”

She protested until she noticed the twitching muscle in Noah’s jaw and the worry in his eyes. Violet rested her cheek against his. “Okay, babe,” she whispered into his ear and kissed his jaw.

He turned his face into her caress as he strode from the funeral home with Violet in his arms.

Minutes later, he was in the same ER exam room where he received treatment earlier that morning.

Dr. Wheeler strode in and pulled up short. “You guys are like bad pennies, always turning up. What happened this time?”

“Someone attacked Violet in a bathroom,” Noah said. “The perp shoved her into a wall.”

The physician scowled. “Let’s take a look. Do you want your friend to wait in the hall, Violet?”

Noah stiffened.

Violet rested her hand on top of his. “No.”

“Will he pass out if you need stitches?”

She laughed. “No chance.”

“Good. He can stay, then. Let’s have a look, young lady.” Minutes later, Dr. Wheeler turned to the nurse who had followed him into the room. “I need a stitch kit and Lidocaine.” When the nurse left the room, Wheeler turned back to Violet. “Based on your symptoms, you also have a slight concussion.”

Wonderful. Not. “That explains the headache, light sensitivity, and nausea.”

“Do you want me to prescribe something to control the symptoms?”

“I have what I need in my supplies.”

“Good enough.” Wheeler pulled off his rubber gloves. “Mind if I send in my intern? She’s a pro at stitches.”

“No problem.”

“In that case, I’ll send Heather soon. Ms. Trevelyan, no offense, but I hope I don’t see you again for a long while.”

She laughed. “I’ll do my best, sir.”

With a wave, Wheeler left the exam room.

The nurse returned with another woman who said, “Hi, I’m Heather. Dr. Wheeler said you need a few stitches in your forehead.” Heather looked at Noah. “You should step into the hall, okay? Most people don’t want to watch even minor surgical procedures.”

“I’m staying.” He threaded his fingers through Violet’s.

The intern’s eyebrows rose. “Ms. Trevelyan, would you like your friend to stay with you or wait in the hall?”

“I want Noah with me. Don’t worry, Heather. He’s had plenty of stitches in his various careers.”

“Is that right?” Heather washed her hands and tugged on rubber gloves. She picked up the bottle of Lidocaine and plunged a needle into the top. “What do you do for a living, Noah?”

While Heather treated Violet, Noah told her a little about his background in Special Forces and his time as a law enforcement officer.

“Are you still a cop?”

“I joined Fortress Security with my teammates a few months ago.”

Heather paused and glanced at him. “You put in alarm systems?” She sounded skeptical.

Noah chuckled. “No, ma’am. We’re a black ops team now. We specialize in hostage retrieval.”

The intern resumed her work. “Dangerous occupation.”

“It can be.”

“What about you, Ms. Trevelyan? What’s your occupation?”

“Paramedic. I frequently work with Noah and his team.”

Minutes later, Heather put down her instruments and stripped off the rubber gloves. “Congratulations, Ms. Trevelyan. You’re the proud owner of ten stitches. I was careful, but you’ll have a scar near your hairline.”

“No worries, Heather. It’s fine. Thanks for the fast work.”

“The nurse will return soon with your discharge papers. Come back in if your symptoms are worse or if you develop an infection.”

Soon Violet walked with Noah to the waiting room. Grant and Rayne stood. “What’s the verdict?” Grant asked.

“Ten stitches and a slight concussion.” Violet squinted at the bright sunlight pouring through the windows. The pain in her head intensified. Lovely. She needed a pair of sunglasses. “Let’s get out of here.”

Noah leaned down and kissed her lightly. “I’ll catch up with you in a minute.” He glanced at Grant, who gave a slight nod.

Really? Noah handed off responsibility for her safety to Grant when she could look after herself? Most of the time, anyway.

She walked out of the hospital with Grant and Rayne flanking her. “Did you find Charity Bradshaw and Lauren Gilmore?”

“We have their home addresses and their places of employment,” Rayne said. “They live about an hour from here.”

“Are you sure you’re up to visiting these women?” Grant asked. “Rayne and I can handle it if you need to go back to the hotel for a while.”

“I’ll be fine.” She had to be. Finding her sister’s killer was her mission, and if Melton was their man, something these women said might give them the leverage they needed to force a confession from the lawyer.

And if he wasn’t their man? At least they would eliminate him from the running so they could focus on someone else. The problem was, she didn’t have any other suspects.

Noah caught up to them and handed Violet a pair of sunglasses. “Thought you might need these.”

Of course he’d noticed her light sensitivity. Noah Mann was definitely a keeper. She put the sunglasses on and breathed easier. “These are perfect. Thanks.”

Noah helped Violet into the backseat of the SUV and climbed in beside her. “Need your mike bag?”

“Oh, yeah.” If she didn’t get some relief from the headache, she might end up embarrassing herself by puking out the window. When Grant drove from the parking lot, Violet said, “Find a gas station, please.”

He glanced in the rearview mirror. “Yes, ma’am.” Two blocks later, he turned into the parking lot of a gas station and twisted in his seat to look at Violet. “What do you need?”

“A soft drink with ginger and some crackers.”

“Copy that.” He slid out from behind the wheel and walked into the convenience store.

“You’re feeling sick.” Noah set the mike bag on Violet’s lap. “Can you find what you need?”

She gave a slight nod and plucked a small bag of pain meds operatives used on missions and a package of anti-nausea patches.

Noah took the package from her and applied one patch behind her ear. “How long will this take to work?”

“An hour.” She hoped the soft drink and crackers would hold her until the medicine kicked in.

Grant returned to the SUV and handed Violet the soft drink and box of crackers. “Would herbal tea help?”

“If you see a coffee shop, chamomile and mint tea would be nice, but don’t go out of your way, Grant.”

He shifted his gaze to Noah, eyebrow raised.

Noah cupped Violet’s chin and turned her face toward his. “Violet, are you sure you’re up to doing the interviews? We can go back to the hotel for a few hours and track down the women this afternoon.”

“I should be better by the time we arrive.”

“Orders?” Grant asked Noah.

“Let’s go talk to the women. If Violet is still feeling ill, you and Rayne can interview them.”

“Yes, sir.” Grant cranked the engine and drove from the parking lot. Soon, they were on the highway, driving away from Morrison.

Noah wrapped his arm around her shoulders and settled Violet against his side. “You scared me,” he murmured.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry. I failed you, love.”

She stared at him. What was he talking about? He’d done everything right. “I don’t understand.”

“I knew you were a target. I should have walked with you to the bathroom and waited outside the door.” His fingers lightly traced the edge of the bandage covering her stitches. “This is on me.”

“Stop. You know this isn’t your fault. I don’t know how the attacker knew I was at the funeral home. I didn’t post it on social media, but how hard would it be to guess I would visit the only funeral home in town?” She kissed his jaw. “Maybe it was pure bad luck the attacker found out I was there. He saw the rental in the parking lot and walked inside.”

“I should have been with you. I could have stopped him before he hurt you.”

Violet nudged him gently. “I have a few stitches and a headache. He has a deep knife wound. If we’re comparing injuries, he lost.”

The stiffness left Noah’s body as he chuckled. “Score one for the sassy paramedic.”

That’s what she was looking for. Making him laugh was her goal in life. “Mind if I lean against your shoulder for a few minutes?”

“Of course not.”

Wasn’t much, but hopefully the small favor would allow Noah to feel as though he was helping. Violet settled against his shoulder with a sigh. “Don’t forget our conversation.”

“No chance.”

Good. She wanted that conversation. Curiosity was eating her up. Was it possible Noah’s feelings for her went deeper than he’d admitted?

She shivered. For Noah to be falling in love with her would be a dream becoming a reality. The past few days had pulled back the curtain and allowed her to see the truth. She was in love with Noah Mann, and if he rejected her, her heart would be irreparably broken.

Noah shrugged off his jacket and draped it around her, then settled her once more against his shoulder. “Rest, baby,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

Just those few words allowed her body and mind to relax, to turn off the pain for a while and sink into sleep.

Sometime later, Violet woke to the backs of Noah’s fingers trailing down her cheek. She opened her eyes to see the man she’d dreamed about, the one who held her heart in the palm of his hand.

He smiled. “Welcome back. Have a nice nap?”

She straightened and glanced around. Rayne and Grant were outside the SUV, looking at something on Grant’s phone. Grant’s arm circled Rayne’s waist. Was this still role playing for the sake of interested watchers? Something about his protective posture with Rayne said other things were at work. Should be fun to watch. “I feel a little better.”

“How’s the head?”

“Hurts, but not as bad.”

“The nausea?”

“Almost gone. The patch and soft drink did their job.”

“Do you still need herbal tea? I saw a coffee shop two blocks from here.”

She shook her head. “I’m all right for the moment. Where are we?”

“Colbyville, an hour outside of Morrison. Charity and Lauren live here.”

“They stayed close to each other after high school.” She frowned. “Are you still close to your friends from high school?”

“Nope. My family still lives in the same town, but when I visit and run across those friends, the interactions are awkward and short. We have nothing in common. Most of them have stayed exactly the same while I changed into a different person in the military.”

“So did I. My only connection with Morrison was Cami and Mrs. White. Aunt Rosalie doesn’t count. I’m not the same high school graduate who joined the military, either. The Army changed me for the better and gave me the chance to become a paramedic.”

“Let’s find out if Charity and Lauren have changed or if they're stuck in the same time warp my friends are in.” Noah opened the door and turned back to help Violet from the SUV.

Grant inclined his head toward the office building in front of him. “Charity Bradshaw works on the sixth floor at Westbrook Marketing.”

“How should we handle this?” Rayne asked.

“If she was assaulted by Melton, she might be skittish around men she doesn’t know.” Noah turned to Violet. “Do you feel up to talking to Charity with Rayne?”

“Sure.”

“Grant and I will accompany you to the sixth floor, then wait in the reception area while you talk to her.”

The operatives entered the building and walked onto the elevator, exiting on the sixth floor. While Noah and Grant stayed in the waiting area, Violet approached the receptionist. “I need to see Charity Bradshaw.”

“May I have your name, please?”

“Violet Trevelyan. This is my friend Rayne. We won’t take much of her time.”

“Have a seat. I’ll find out if she’s available.”

Five minutes later, a woman with blonde hair approached Violet and Rayne. “I’m Melanie, Ms. Bradshaw’s assistant. If you’ll come with me, Ms. Bradshaw has a few minutes before her next appointment.”

The woman led her and Rayne through a maze of offices until she reached a corner office at the end of a hallway. Melanie knocked on the door and opened it. “Violet Trevelyan and Rayne.” She stepped back and motioned for them to enter the office.

A tall, blonde-haired woman came around her desk to greet them with her hand outstretched. “Hello. I’m Charity Bradshaw. Welcome to Westbrook Marketing.”

“Thanks,” Violet said. “I’m Violet. This is Rayne.”

“Please, have a seat. What can I do for you?”

“We’re not interested in your marketing services, Ms. Bradshaw.”

Charity looked puzzled. “Then why are you here?”

“We’d like to talk to you about Bradley Melton.”

The woman stiffened. “I’ll have to ask you to leave. I’m very busy today.”

“We’re not here to cause trouble. I apologize if I’m bringing up terrible memories, but I need to ask a few questions. My sister dated Bradley Melton. She was murdered a few days ago. Please, will you help me?”

Charity closed her eyes and sighed. “I should have known. It’s been so long. I thought enough time had passed that the mess with Bradley was dead and buried. Guess I was wrong. This will never go away.” She looked at Violet. “Ask your questions.”

“You and two friends accused Bradley of sexual assault.”

A flinch. “We did.”

Violet studied Charity. The other woman hadn’t bristled and insisted that Melton did indeed assault Charity and her friends. “Tell us what happened.”

“It was a stupid prank,” she muttered. “Just a prank.”

“Bradley Melton didn’t assault you or your friends?” Rayne asked.

Charity shook her head.

“Then why did you accuse him of rape?”

“Dana was mad at him.”

“Explain.”

“Look, we were just kids, all right? Nothing ever came of it. We should just drop this conversation.”

“Charity.” Rayne waited until the other woman met her gaze. “We’re searching for a killer. Something you say might either point in Bradley Melton’s direction or eliminate him from our list of suspects.”

List of suspects? As far as Violet knew, they only had one man on the list, and that was Cami’s boyfriend.

“The incident happened years ago. How can it possibly be of any help now?”

“People don’t change deep inside. You’ll help us understand Melton’s character.”

“He did nothing wrong. Don’t you get it?”

“The accusations were false, right?”

“Yes. Dana was angry at Bradley and wanted to get back at him.”

“For what?” Violet asked. “What did he do to her to cause that kind of backlash?”

Charity shook her head. “Nothing. Dana wanted Bradley to date her. He wasn’t interested.”

“So she accused him of rape.” Violet grimaced. “Rather extreme, isn’t it?”

“You had to know Dana. She was self-entitled and spoiled. Everything had to go her way.”

“You sound like you didn’t like her.”

“I didn’t.”

“Were you friends?”

“Sort of.”

“What does that mean?”

“I was the new kid at school, and Dana was the leader of the popular girls. Being her friend was necessary for survival.”

“So she set her sights on Bradley,” Rayne prompted. “What did Dana do?”

“Bradley was a nice guy and really smart. Dana was all about her looks. She didn’t have good study habits. When Dana decided she wanted Bradley for herself, she asked him to tutor her in science.”

Violet frowned. “Was Bradley good in science?” She could see him being top of the class in English or history.

“He was good at every subject. Honestly, I think Bradley’s father pushed him too hard to score at the top of every class. Anyway, Dana convinced Bradley to meet her at the public library for tutoring. They stayed until the library closed, then Bradley, being the gentleman he was, insisted on driving her home since it was dark outside.”

“What happened then?”

“Dana’s parents were attending a party and didn’t plan to return home until after midnight. Bradley didn’t know that. When he parked in her driveway, Dana told him she was afraid to go into the house alone. He volunteered to check the house to make sure no one had broken in.” Charity swallowed hard. “She kissed him.”

“How did he handle it?” Rayne asked.

“Pushed her away and told her he wasn’t interested in dating her. Dana was embarrassed and furious and swore she’d get revenge for what he did to her. Lauren and I told her to just cut her loss and drop it, but Dana wouldn’t listen to reason. She said she was going to make him pay.” The other woman grimaced. “Lauren and I didn’t know what she planned to do until it was too late to stop her. By then, Dana had already filed rape charges and told the police that he’d assaulted us, too.”

Violet shook her head, horrified by the story. “Why didn’t you and Lauren tell the police the truth?”

“You weren’t there,” Charity snapped. “You don’t know how much power Dana and her family wielded in Laramie. Dana told us if we didn’t confirm the story of Bradley raping us, she’d make us pay.” She shuddered. “We believed her.”

Rayne scowled. “Are you kidding me? Melton could have been taken to trial, found guilty of rape, and sent to prison.”

“I know. What we did was horrible. I’ve felt guilty about it for years, but nothing happened to Bradley. The police chief brought Bradley in for questioning, and that was the end of it. The charges were dismissed.”

“His plans for attending law school could have been torpedoed because of those accusations.”

“We were dumb teenagers. We didn’t think about the long-term repercussions of those accusations.”

Violet rested her hand on Rayne’s forearm. “Charity, tell us what happened to Dana.”

“After we graduated from high school, Lauren and I got out of Laramie.”

Considering what they’d tried to do with Bradley, Violet didn’t blame them for bolting as soon as they had their degree. “What about Dana?”

“She stayed in Laramie for a while where she was a big fish in a small pond. Her daddy made sure nothing hindered her rise to the top.”

“What about Bradley?”

“He left right after graduation, too. In his case, his parents helped him find an apartment for him to go to college.”

“Three months early?”

Charity snorted. “Do you blame Bradley for getting out of town? Dana would have done anything she could to continue making his life miserable.”

“Where did Dana go after she left Laramie?”

“Morrison.” Charity frowned. “Never figured out why she moved to that town. I don’t remember her having a connection to Morrison.”

That was interesting. “Did she hold grudges for a long time?”

“She never forgot if you wronged her, and she was very creative in making you pay. That’s why Lauren and I were too afraid to stand up to her and tell the truth to the police.”

“You’re lucky,” Rayne said.

“Believe me, I know. I’m grateful Bradley doesn’t hold grudges. I’d hate to go up against a lawyer in court.” Charity looked at Violet. “You said your sister was dating Bradley and was murdered. How did she die?”

“She was stabbed to death.”

Blood drained from Charity’s face. “That’s how Dana died. That has to be a coincidence, right?”

“Perhaps. In our line of work, coincidences don’t happen often.”

“What is your job?”

“We work for Fortress Security.”

A frown. “Alarms and stuff?”

“One arm of our company sells and monitors alarm systems. Rayne and I are on a black ops team.”

“You carry guns?” Charity’s voice rose.

“And knives.”

“Several of them,” Rayne said.

“Did you keep in touch with Dana after you left Laramie?” Violet asked.

“No way,” Charity muttered. “Lauren and I wanted nothing to do with her after graduation. We just wanted to forget anything that happened with her and move on with our lives. Our parents saw Dana’s family once in a while and kept up with the latest gossip around town. Other than that, we ignored that part of our lives. Trust me, it was better for all of us that way.”

“Can you tell us anything else that might help us figure out who killed Dana?”

A frown. “Aren’t you looking for your sister’s killer?”

“I am.”

Charity stared at her. “Wait. You think the same person killed Dana and your sister? But that’s impossible. The deaths were years apart.”

Rayne stood. “Not impossible if the killer is hunting in this area. Thanks for your help.”

“Are you going to talk to Lauren?” Charity rose and grabbed her cell phone.

“She’s our next stop.” Violet joined Rayne near the office door. “Is that a problem?”

Charity shook her head. “I wanted to let her know you were coming. Lauren has been acting strange lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“She seems almost paranoid. Lauren works from home, and I’m having a terrible time getting her out of the house. She says she’s fine, but I know she’s not. If I don’t warn her ahead of time that you’re coming, Lauren won’t answer the door.”

“When you talk to her, tell Lauren that our boyfriends will accompany Rayne and me.”

Charity nodded as she called her friend. Concern filled her gaze as the seconds ticked away. “She’s not answering.”

“Maybe she stepped away from her desk for a couple of minutes,” Rayne suggested.

“Keep trying to get Lauren on the phone.” Violet opened the door. “Tell her we’ll be on her doorstep in fifteen minutes.”

Instinct told Violet they needed to get to Lauren’s home as soon as possible.