Page 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

NOAH PACED THE corridor outside the waiting room, glancing at his watch for the hundredth time. How could only fifteen minutes have passed since the surgeon took Violet to the operating room?

Good thing the rest of his team wasn’t here. They’d never let him live this down. Of course, his best friend, Seth, would have been pacing the floor with him if Teagan, his wife, was going under a surgeon’s knife.

Grant strode up the corridor. “Any word from the surgeon yet?”

Noah turned and met his teammate halfway. “Nothing. How’s Rayne?”

“In recovery. A nurse is supposed to come get me in a couple of minutes. As soon as Rayne wakes up, she’ll want to know about Violet. I thought I would ask before I sat with her.”

“Tell her the surgeon didn’t expect a problem. He estimates the surgery will take about an hour.”

“Mr. Bowman?” A woman in scrubs motioned for Grant to follow her.

“Go,” Noah said. “I’ll let you know when Violet is in recovery.”

Grant clapped him on the shoulder and hurried after the nurse.

Noah resumed pacing. The minutes passed at an agonizing snail’s pace while he waited for word on the success of Violet’s surgery.

At the 45-minute mark, Brent Maddox walked into the corridor. “Anything yet?” his boss asked.

Again, Noah shook his head. “The surgeon estimated the surgery would take about an hour. Time will be up in fifteen minutes.” Would it take longer than estimated? Would she have a full recovery? How much physical therapy would Violet need?

“Do they have anything that passes for coffee here?”

“Cafeteria’s still open.” Noah pointed at the other end of the hall. “Go through the double doors. You’ll see signs showing you which way to go.”

A nod. “I’ll bring you a cup.”

Ten minutes later, Brent returned with two to-go cups of coffee. “Black and strong enough to dissolve any adhesive known to man.”

Noah smiled and took the proffered cup. “Appreciate it.”

A snort. “Don’t say that until you take a sip.”

Oh, this ought to be good. Noah took a sip. The strong, bitter brew hit his tastebuds with the force of a hurricane. Holy smoke! “This stuff is lethal.”

“Yep.” Brent grinned. “So much caffeine is in this brew that I’ll be able to stay awake for two or three days.” He squeezed Noah’s shoulder and inclined his head to the waiting room. “Come on. Let’s sit for a while.”

Noah followed his boss into the empty room and sat in a chair facing the door. They sipped in silence for a few minutes.

“How’s Rayne?” Brent asked.

“In recovery. Grant will let me know how she’s doing when he talks to her doctor.”

“What is Violet’s prognosis?”

“From what the doctor could see before taking her to surgery, she should make a full recovery.”

A slight nod. “Tell me what went down.”

Noah recounted the events of the night, ending with the rush to transport Violet to the same hospital as Rayne.

“Looks like Artemis will be sidelined for a few weeks.” Brent turned his head to stare pointedly at Noah. “Echo is due for a rotation at home. Might be time for a vacation, don’t you think?”

Noah froze. “Yes, sir.”

Another nod. “Let me know if you need a jet. I’ll work something out.”

He knew. Was Brent suggesting what Noah thought he was? “Thank you, sir.”

“Send me an invitation. Rowan loves weddings and will be unhappy if you leave us out of the loop.”

His lips curved. “Understood, sir.”

Soon, the surgeon walked into the waiting room. “Mr. Mann?”

Noah stood, as did Brent. “How is she?”

“Ms. Trevelyan came through the operation well. The surgery went exactly as I expected. I repaired the damage to her shoulder and thigh, and she should have a full recovery, barring any complications.”

“How long will she be out of commission, Doc?” Brent asked.

“Six weeks for the shoulder. Less for the leg. Ms. Trevelyan will also need physical therapy to regain her arm mobility. How fast she progresses is up to her. I’d guess around three months, though.”

Brent grimaced.

“I want to see her,” Noah said. He needed to see for himself that Violet was on the mend.

“She should be in recovery now. A nurse will be along shortly to take you to Ms. Trevelyan.”

“Look, Doc, her sister’s funeral is this afternoon. Is there any way she can attend? Camilla was her only remaining family member.” In Noah’s book, Rosalie didn’t count.

“Let’s give her a few hours to fully wake up, then we’ll see.”

Minutes later, a nurse walked into the waiting room. “Mr. Mann, I’m here to take you to Ms. Trevelyan.”

Brent squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”

After a nod, Noah followed the nurse to the fourth floor and down a long corridor. She led him into a large room sectioned off by curtains and headed for the corner on the right side of the room. The nurse parted the curtain and stepped back for Noah to enter the enclosed area.

He walked to the bedside and wrapped his hand around Violet’s. When she didn’t stir, Noah used his foot to move a chair close to the bed. He looked at all the wires and IVs hooked up to his woman, then studied her beloved face. Despite what she’d been through in the past few hours, Violet’s color was good.

When she squeezed his hand, Noah sat forward. “Violet? Can you hear me?”

“Noah,” she murmured.

Thank God. “Do you remember where you are?”

“Mmm. Can’t miss the smell of terrible coffee and antiseptic cleansers. No other place has that blend of scents but a hospital.”

He chuckled, the band around his chest loosening. If Violet could joke with him, she was recovering her senses rapidly. “How do you feel?”

“Can’t feel my shoulder or thigh, so I feel good at the moment.” Violet opened her eyes. “How’s Rayne?”

“In recovery as well. She’s on the other side of the recovery room.”

“What about the little girl and her mom?”

“They’re fine. Grant and Brent defused the bombs.”

She blinked. “The boss is here?”

“He flew in for Camilla’s funeral and arrived in time to defuse the second bomb.”

“What about the Hansons?”

“James was cursing and fighting the officers escorting him out of the woods the last time I saw him. He’s being treated for his injuries and will go to jail when he’s released by the hospital.”

“Jeff?”

Noah squeezed her hand and shook his head. The lawyer had passed away in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

“I’m not. Jeff Hanson stabbed you twice, intending to kill you. You did what you had to do.”

“I still hate that I’m responsible for his death.”

“Jeff’s decision to join his father in murdering women led to his death. You defended yourself. No one blames you for that. You didn’t have another option, Violet. If you’d held back, you would be on a steel slab in the morgue right now. Instead, we have a future together.”

From the corner of his eye, Noah noted the approach of two men dressed in suits. Based on the badges clipped to their belts, these were the detectives in charge of the case. He stood, putting his body between the men and Violet. While he believed James and Jeff Hanson were the only men involved in the murders, Noah would take chances with Violet’s safety.

“Ms. Trevelyan?” the taller of the two men asked. “We need to ask you a few questions.”

Noah scowled. “She just woke up from surgery. Can’t this wait a few hours?”

Violet squeezed his hand again. “It’s all right, Noah. I can talk to them. You know they need to do this.”

Yeah, he did. Still didn’t like it. Without taking his gaze from the detectives, Noah said, “Are you sure, baby?”

“The sooner I talk to them, the better.”

“All right. However, I have two ground rules.”

The detectives frowned. “What are those?” the shorter detective asked.

“I stay with her. I won’t interfere with your interview, but I’m not leaving Violet’s side.”

“All right. Rule number two?”

“If she becomes tired, you stop and let her rest. That’s not negotiable.”

The men exchanged glances, then the taller man nodded. “We can work with that.” The detectives introduced themselves as Nelson and Donnelly to Noah and Violet, and the questions began.

An hour later, Detective Nelson slid his notebook and pen into his pocket. “I think that’s all we need for now. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Detective Donnelly slid his hand into his trouser pockets. “I understand you’re from Tennessee.”

“We both are,” Noah said.

“When do you plan to leave this area?”

“Tomorrow or the day after, if Violet needs more time to recuperate.”

“How can we reach you if we have more questions?” Nelson asked.

“Call the number on our business cards. It’s a central line for Fortress Security. Someone always mans the phones. Whoever is on duty will send us a message. We’ll contact you as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

Nelson’s eyebrows soared. “What do you mean, you’ll contact us when it’s safe? What’s your job at Fortress?”

“We’re members of black ops teams,” Violet said.

Donnelly whistled. “That’s why you had so many knives on you.”

“And knew how to use them,” added Nelson. “The Hansons should have known better than to leave you with weapons.”

“I don’t know if they searched Violet or not, but they underestimated her,” Noah said. Thank God. If they hadn’t, Noah and Grant would have been too late to help.

Violet’s nurse entered the area. “Step out, gentlemen. I need to take Ms. Trevelyan’s vitals.”

Noah bent and brushed a kiss over Violet’s lips. “I’ll be right outside the curtain,” he murmured and followed the detectives into the corridor.

“She’s lucky to be alive,” Donnelly said softly.

“I know.” What more could he say? The detective spoke the truth. “You’ll have your hands full with jurisdiction issues.”

“As long as Hanson is behind bars, none of us care who prosecutes him first.” Nelson shook head. “Hate dealing with dirty cops. Gives us all a bad name.”

Noah nodded. He still had an unpleasant taste in his mouth from his own run in with a dirty cop two months earlier. Minutes later, the detectives left, freeing Noah to return to Violet.

He stood outside the curtained area and waited while the nurse finished her assessment. Soon, she pulled back the curtain. “She looks good. The doctor will come by in a few minutes to talk about the next steps.”

As the nurse hurried away, Noah returned to Violet’s bedside, pleased to find she had the head of the hospital bed raised. “Hey.”

She smiled and held out her hand. “Hey.”

“The doctor is coming by in a few minutes.”

“Good. I can’t wait to get out of here.”

“You might not be saying that when the numbness wears off.”

“I need to leave soon. I can’t miss Cami’s funeral.”

“Camilla would say your health comes first. If the doctor says it’s safe for you to leave the hospital, I’ll get you to Morrison in time for the funeral.”

He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “You scared me. I was afraid I wouldn’t get to you in time.”

“Your timing was perfect.”

“Yeah, perfect to watch you free yourself.”

She shook her head. “I had little fight left in me, Noah. If you hadn’t arrived when you did, Chief Hanson would have killed me.”

“You would have survived. You’re a tough operative, Violet. Stubborn is your middle name. Giving up wasn’t an option.”

“I want that life together we talked about.”

“What a coincidence.” He smiled. “So do I.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

“Have any suggestions?”

“Well, since I won’t be going on missions for a while, what do you think about getting married and taking a long honeymoon?”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

“I suggested as much myself,” said a deep male voice. Brent Maddox stepped into the curtained area. “How are you, Violet?”

“Happy to be alive, sir.”

“You look good for a woman with a hole in her shoulder and leg. You and Noah decide where you want to spend your honeymoon. I’ll work out the transportation.”

“Thank you, sir. How’s Rayne?”

“Awake and alert. Like you, she wants to leave the hospital. Grant is talking to her doctor to work out the details.”

Violet’s doctor walked in. “I understand you want to leave our fine facility.” He smiled.

“No offense, Doc, but I have something I need to do.”

“I heard. I’m sorry about the loss of your sister. Be honest with me and yourself, Violet. Do you feel you’re ready to leave?”

She nodded. “My head is clear. No nausea, confusion, or dizziness.”

“What about your pain level?”

“Right now, I feel nothing.”

“You know that will change in a few hours when the pain medicine wears off.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll take whatever prescriptions you give me, but I have to go to my sister’s funeral. Please. She was my twin.”

He studied her a moment, then gave a brief nod. “All right. I’ll let you go on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“If the pain is unmanageable or if you develop a fever, you will go to the closest hospital for treatment. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir. You have my word.”

He gave a curt nod. “The nurse will bring your discharge papers in a few minutes. Don’t push yourself, Ms. Trevelyan. You’ll set your progress back if you do.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As soon as you return home, go to your doctor and have him set up your physical therapy sessions. Do whatever the therapists tell you to do.”

“I will. I promise.” Violet shook the doctor’s hand. “Thanks for everything.”

“Glad I could help. I hope your recovery is swift.”

After the doctor left, Noah turned to Brent. “What about Rayne’s prognosis?”

The boss waggled his phone. “Grant just sent word that she’s being released with the same instructions as Violet. She should be able to leave soon.”

In less than an hour, Noah and Grant escorted the two women to the lobby of the hospital, pushing them in wheelchairs. “This is embarrassing,” Rayne muttered.

“Tell me about it,” Violet agreed. “At least you’re able to get around on crutches. I’ll have to hobble wherever I go for a while. Can’t use crutches with the shoulder wound.”

Rayne studied her critically. “You also won’t be able to wear the outfit you chose for today. The bandage is too bulky.”

“It’s not important.” Noah tossed the SUV keys to Grant, who loped off to retrieve the vehicle. “The only thing that matters is saying goodbye to your sister. I have a feeling Camilla wouldn’t care what you wore today.”

Violet’s lips curved. “You’re right. She didn’t care about clothing fashion. Cami always told me to wear what I was comfortable in when we were together.”

“Then let’s get you to Morrison. We have your Go bag in the back of the SUV along with Rayne’s. Both of you can change clothes and relax before the funeral starts.” He’d also make sure Violet took her pain medicine. While she might feel no pain at the moment, that would change as the day wore on.

An hour later, Noah escorted Violet into the funeral home, his arm around her waist.

The funeral director greeted Violet and the others. His gaze dropped to the bulky bandage on her shoulder. “Were you in an accident, Ms. Trevelyan?”

“Something like that.”

On crutches, Rayne stopped beside Violet. “Ready to change?”

She nodded.

Noah and Grant carried their Go bags into the bathroom. “Take your time,” Noah murmured to Violet. “Grant and I will be right outside the door.” The Hansons were no longer a problem, but other people might be, especially Rosalie. Today, Noah’s job was to support Violet in whatever way she needed, including running interference with her cantankerous aunt.

Thirty minutes later, Violet and Rayne exited the bathroom dressed in their standard Fortress uniform of black shirts, cargo pants, and tactical boots.

Grant grabbed their bags. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he murmured to Rayne. “Sit and give your leg a break.”

Noah, Violet, and Rayne walked to the chapel and sat in the front row. Grant and Brent Maddox soon joined them.

Slowly, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances filled the room. Bradley Melton arrived escorting Rosalie Trevelyan. He led her to the front row.

Rosalie paused, her gaze raking over Violet. “Have you no sense of decency?” she hissed.

“Nice to see you, too, Aunt Rosalie.” Violet’s lips curved.

Fury burned in the older woman’s gaze as she took her seat across the aisle from Violet.

Soon, Camilla’s minister walked to the podium, and the service began. When the minister invited Violet to give the eulogy, Rosalie glowered as Noah helped Violet to her feet.

Ignoring the older woman, he whispered to Violet, “Do you want me to stand with you?”

Violet smiled as she shook her head. “I’ve got this.”

She did. His future wife gave a stunning, heartfelt tribute to her sister. By the time she finished, the only dry eyes in the room were Rosalie’s.

When Violet returned to her seat, Noah wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed. “Great job.”

The minister returned to the podium to close out the service, and soon the audience exited the room and walked to the graveside.

Following a brief service, Noah escorted Violet to the SUV.

“Violet.”

Noah turned and stepped in front of Violet as Fitz Hanson walked toward them. “What do you want, Hanson?”

Fitz held up his hands as though surrendering. “I just wanted to talk to Violet for a minute.”

Violet rested her small hand on Noah’s lower back. “Let’s hear him out,” she murmured.

“Watch yourself,” Noah warned Fitz. No way would he allow this man to rage at Violet for protecting herself.

“Understood.”

Noah drew Violet to his side. “Two minutes. No more.”

Fitz nodded. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry, Violet.”

“Did you know that your father and brother were killing women, including Cami?”

“No, I swear. I knew something was off, but I had no clue that Dad and Jeff were serial killers.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Some cop I am,” Fitz muttered.

Violet remained silent for a moment, then said, “You tried to protect me.”

His lips curved. “I did a poor job of it. You’re still here and injured.”

“What will you do now, Fitz?”

The cop’s smile faded. “I don’t know what to do. The new police chief will probably fire me. I wouldn’t blame him if he did.”

Noah frowned. “You did nothing wrong.”

“Yeah? Who’s going to believe I’m an innocent bystander in this thing? Either I’m a poor cop for not seeing what was right in front of me, or I knew the truth and did nothing. Either way, I’m out of a job.”

“Not necessarily. You have alibis for all the murders, Hanson. We’ll give the detectives our research results. It’s up to you to convince them you didn’t know the truth about your father and brother. The question is, do you still want to be a cop?”

Fitz sighed. “More than anything on this planet.”

“This is your chance to become the cop you should have been from the day you put on that uniform. Show the citizens of Morrison what an outstanding cop should be. This is your last chance to get it right. Don’t waste the gift.”

Fitz squared his shoulders and gave Noah a curt nod, then turned his attention back to Violet. “For what it’s worth, I apologize for how I behaved in high school, Violet.”

“That’s worth gold to me, Fitz. Thank you.” Violet sighed. “I’m sorry about the loss of your brother.”

“You protected yourself from a man who planned to kill you.” One corner of his mouth kicked up. “He chose the wrong woman this time. There’s no way to know how many women you saved by killing Jeff.”

Fitz stepped back. “If we see each other again, I hope it’s under happier circumstances. Live your life to the fullest, Violet. Camilla would want that for you.” He turned and strode toward his patrol car.

When Fitz was out of earshot, Violet said, “Well, that was unexpected. I thought he’d blame me for what happened to his father and brother.”

“So did I.” Noah wrapped his arm around Violet’s waist and got her moving toward the SUV again. “Come on. Let’s get you inside the vehicle. You need to get off your feet.”

“Violet!”

Violet froze a moment, then she turned to face her aunt. “Yes, ma’am?”

Noah eased slightly in front of Violet, ready to intervene if necessary. Grant and Rayne flanked them, alert and ready to help.

“You need to go to the police immediately.”

“Why?”

“To talk them into dropping all charges against James.”

“Why should I do that?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is a horrible mistake. James didn’t kill any of those women.”

Violet stared. “Aunt Rosalie, he murdered Cami and about half of the other women. His son, Jeff, murdered the rest of them.”

“That’s a vicious lie. Why must you always hurt me? Isn’t it enough that you ruined my life for ten years? Must you destroy my happiness for the rest of it? I love him, Violet. You must drop the charges.”

Violet shook her head. “He killed my sister and tried to kill me. If you want to wait for him to get out of prison, be my guest, but you’ll be waiting a long time.”

Rosalie’s face turned red. “We had plans to travel around the world.”

Noah snorted. “On whose dime?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I know what you did, Ms. Trevelyan.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

But she did. Noah could see it in her eyes. “Really? Do you want to tell Violet about her parents’ $5 million life insurance policy that was to be used for the sisters’ expenses, including college tuition, the same life insurance money you’ve been using for yourself?”

The color drained from Rosalie’s cheeks. “How did you know about that?”

Gotcha, Noah thought. “We have friends in the right places.” He smiled. “Expect to hear from Violet’s lawyer.”

Rosalie spun on her heel and rushed to her car.

“That felt good.” Violet glanced at Noah.

“It did, didn’t it?” He opened the door to the SUV and helped her into the backseat, then joined her.

“Cami could have used that money while she was in college, but I don’t need it.”

“Would you like to go to medical school one day?”

“Perhaps. If I did, Fortress would take care of the bill.”

“You might set up a scholarship in your sister’s name,” Grant suggested as he put the SUV in motion.

“Or set the money aside for your children’s education,” Rayne added.

“Where are we going?” Grant asked Noah.

“We’re meeting Brent at the hotel for dinner. If Rayne and Violet are up to it, we can fly home this evening.”

Violet leaned her head against Noah’s shoulder. “Good plan. What’s on the schedule for tomorrow?”

He glanced down at her. “Rest for you and Rayne.”

“Think we can get our marriage license?”

Noah froze. “Are you serious?”

“Why not? I’ll be laid up for a while. Might as well enjoy the time I have off. I can’t think of anything better than spending those days and nights with you. The only thing I want is to have the rest of our teammates stand up for us at the wedding.”

“I’ll send Seth a message. We’ll get married as soon as Echo and Artemis return to the states.” Noah cupped her cheek with his palm. “Are you sure you don’t want a big splashy wedding?”

She grimaced. “No, thank you. I just want your ring on my finger and a few pictures to prove to our kids that we got married. I also want our pastor to do the ceremony.”

His heart turned over in his chest. “Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll get the ball rolling while we’re on the jet.”