by Maya Banks
Ryan.
She closed her eyes and tried to remember all that had transpired, but all she could conjure was the memory of Ryan falling, of her hand coming away from his chest covered in blood.
Hot tears filled her eyes and escaped from her lids. She felt the slow trickle as they trekked down her cheeks. A warm hand cupped her face and gently wiped at the moisture.
She opened her eyes to see Adam standing over her, a concerned look on his face. She blinked again to bring him into focus. She slowly became aware of the rest of her surroundings. She was in a hospital room. Her gaze darted to her other side where she saw Ethan slumped in a chair asleep.
Just the fact that Ryan was so conspicuously absent sent another slow crawl of agony through her heart. A sob welled in her throat—one that she tried to call back—it threatened to choke her with its intensity. She was finally forced to let it out.
It sounded harsh and ugly, and once released, more surged forth until every breath brought another cry.
“Holly, listen to me, baby. You have to listen to me. Ryan is okay. He’s not dead. He’s here.”
Adam cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him, piercing her with his green eyes.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” he demanded.
Then she heard someone in the background.
“Let me up, damn it!”
“Ryan?” It couldn’t be. She’d seen him fall. She’d heard the shot. Felt his blood.
She struggled to sit up and nearly blacked out as pain lanced through her chest. Adam swore above her and held her down with his hand.
“Goddamn it, Holly, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
Behind Adam, Ryan came into view, his face haggard, eyes bloodshot, his upper half wrapped in bandages. He blurred before her as her eyes swam with tears. She’d never seen such a beautiful sight in her life.
“Christ, Ryan, you shouldn’t be up,” Adam protested.
Ryan pushed Adam aside, and in the next moment, Holly felt herself enveloped by Ryan’s body. She pressed her cheek into his chest, the bulk of bandages shoving into her face. She didn’t care. Didn’t care how much it hurt for her to be in such an awkward position.
He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Thank God you’re all right.”
He pulled away and Holly grabbed at his hand with hers. “Don’t go.”
“I hate to break this up,” Adam began. “But both of you are in a lot of pain and neither of you should be doing anything but resting. Which means get your ass back in bed, Ryan. I want you both well so we can go home.”
Holly heard the worry in his voice. She also saw the pain in Ryan’s eyes. Her own pain was fast taking over everything else. But she had to say it first.
She reached out her hand to touch Ryan’s face. “I love you. I should have told you before.”
Ryan caught her hand and pressed his lips into her palm. “I love you too.”
Adam wrapped an arm around Ryan and pulled him away. Ryan slumped against his brother. Holly looked up to where Ethan now stood beside her.
“Is he okay?” she asked anxiously.
“He’s doing better than you are,” Ethan said dryly. He paused for a moment before touching her hair with his hand. “You scared us, doll.”
She didn’t respond. How could she say that they couldn’t have been any more scared than she was? She’d never been so terrified in her entire life. She hadn’t wanted to die with so much regret. Things had become so clear in those horrible minutes in the snow when she was sure she would never see Adam, Ethan or Ryan again.
“I love you,” she said, allowing all the emotion to escape her in those three little words.
Ethan bent to press his forehead to hers. “I love you too, doll. So much. I never want to come that close to losing you again.”
She closed her eyes as he kissed her softly on the lips.
“I hurt,” she said in a low voice.
Ethan immediately stood upright. “I’ll call the nurse.”
She smiled, wincing at the effort it took. Adam’s hand smoothed up her arm and over her shoulder. He tenderly pushed back the tendrils of her hair over her ear.
“Get some rest, baby. We’re all right here. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Holly heard the nurse come in, felt her fiddle with the IV, and seconds later, Holly welcomed oblivion into her system.
“L-love you,” she slurred, as Adam’s face weaved back and forth in her shaky vision.
“I love you too, baby. Rest now.”
***
Over the next several days, Holly slept the majority of the time. Ryan became crankier and crankier until finally the nurses gave up trying to keep him in his bed. On the fourth day, they officially discharged him.
The same day, Holly was moved from the step-down unit to a regular room. Adam finally relaxed. Both Ryan and Holly were out of the woods. Soon he’d have his family back home where they belonged.
He sat in a chair next to Holly’s bed while she slept and flexed his neck. He rubbed tired eyes and wondered if he’d ever sleep another night until he knew for certain the threat of Holly’s husband was removed.
Across the room, Ryan sat propped on the couch, several cushions around him. His younger brother hadn’t rested nearly enough after his injury, Adam knew, but short of tying him to a bed, Adam didn’t know how to make Ryan settle down.
Ethan sat in a chair next to Ryan, fatigue ringing his eyes. They were all so damned tired. They all wanted the same thing. To go home.
Adam’s cell phone rang, and he hastily scooped it up so it wouldn’t wake Holly.
He stood and walked toward the door, away from Holly’s bed. “Adam here.”
“Adam, it’s Lacey. Is this a bad time?”
“No, what’s up?”
Lacey hesitated for a moment. “How are Ryan and Holly?”
“Better. They discharged Ryan today and moved Holly to the floor. Both need a lot of rest, but they’ll be okay.”
“Hey, that’s great, Adam. Look, I called because I thought you ought to know we found the guy who shot Ryan and tried to kill Holly. He’s dead.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I wanted the bastard alive. Adam, you know this makes it hard to pin anything on Mason Bardwell.”
“Yeah, I know,” Adam growled.
“What do you want me to do?”
Adam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t do anything yet. I need to talk to Cal as well as Ryan and Ethan. We can’t take Holly back there if it isn’t safe.”
“I’ll let you know if my investigation uncovers anything else,” Lacey promised.
“Thanks,” Adam said as he closed the phone.
He turned around to see Holly studying him.
“Hey,” he said as he walked toward the bed. He bent and kissed her forehead then smoothed her hair from her cheek with his hand. “How are you feeling?”
Her cinnamon eyes stared apprehensively at him. “Who was that on the phone?”
He didn’t want to upset her, but he wasn’t going to lie to her either. “That was Lacey. The man who hurt you…he’s dead.”
Something savage flashed across her face.
“Good. He nearly killed Ryan,” she bit out.
“He nearly killed you, baby.”
“How is Ryan?”
Adam blinked at the abrupt change in topic. But then Holly’s sole concentration when she was awake was Ryan’s well-being. He knew she was still dealing with the fright of nearly losing him. It was a feeling he was intimately familiar with.
He glanced over to where both Ethan and Ryan were slumped over asleep.
“He’s resting.”
Holly closed her eyes for a moment then opened them and nodded her approval. “He shouldn’t be out of bed.”
Adam leaned in to kiss her again. He couldn’t touch her enough. He kissed her, held her every chance he had.
“I want to go home,” she whispered.
&
nbsp; “I know you do, baby. Soon. I promise.”
He stroked her hair and settled on the edge of her bed, careful not to jar her too much.
She seemed to withdraw within herself. Something he’d witnessed with more frequency as she spent more time awake. It worried him. He had no idea what she was thinking.
He started to ask her, but her eyes fluttered, and she slowly closed them. He sat with her until he heard her soft, even breathing, then he eased from the bed and sank down onto his chair. He could use a few winks himself.
Colters' Woman: Colters’ Legacy, Book 1
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Holly stared at the ceiling, her thoughts in chaos. Adam, Ethan and Ryan were all asleep. They looked uncomfortable as hell, but she didn’t want to do anything to wake them.
Guilt pressed down on her until it threatened to suffocate her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ryan falling again. Her worst fear had been the danger she was bringing to the brothers’ doorstep. A fear that had now been realized.
It was time for her to make sure nothing more happened to Adam, Ethan or Ryan. She loved them all so much. The idea of losing any of them created an unbearable ache in her heart.
She glanced over at Adam just a few feet away. His cell phone lay on the small table next to her bed. She stared at it for a long moment then slowly reached for it.
She knew Lacey had been the last to call so her number should be stored. Holly quietly flipped the phone open and punched the series of buttons to pull up the last received call. Then she hit send.
A few seconds later, Lacey’s voice filtered over the line.
“Lacey? This is…this is Holly Bardwell,” she said in a stronger voice.
There was a long pause. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Bardwell?”
Holly took a deep breath and checked to make sure she hadn’t already awakened the men.
“I need you to contact the district attorney for San Francisco County,” she said in a voice just above a whisper.
Another long pause. “Does Adam know you’re calling me?”
“No, and I want to keep it that way,” Holly said firmly. “Look, Lacey. I know you don’t like me, but I do know you like Adam. Do you want what happened to Ryan to happen to him? I have to do what I can to keep him safe. Keep them all safe.”
“What do you want me to say to the D.A.?”
“Tell him I have some information on Mason Bardwell he would be very interested in. Tell him where to find me. I won’t talk over the phone. It has to be in person.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Lacey asked.
If Holly didn’t know better, she’d swear there was actual concern in the other woman’s voice.
“It’s my only option. I can’t let them be killed because of me.”
Silence descended between the two women. Finally Lacey spoke.
“All right, I’ll make the call.”
“Thank you,” Holly said softly.
She closed the phone and carefully replaced it. Then she sank into her pillows, exhausted from the energy she’d expended.
***
Two days later, the D.A. arrived, two Colorado state patrol officers flanking him. They walked into Holly’s room, eliciting immediate reactions from the brothers.
Dread tightened Holly’s chest, squeezing her until she struggled for breath. She knew who he was and why he was here.
“What the fuck is going on?” Adam demanded as he stood to his full height.
Ethan and Ryan also stood. Heavy tension clouded the room, so thick you could stir it with a spoon.
“Easy, son. My name is David Masterson. I’m the district attorney for San Francisco County.”
Adam crossed his arms and stood, legs apart, staring defiantly at the D.A. “That doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“I asked him to come,” Holly said quietly.
All eyes turned to her. Ryan moved closer to her bed, hovering protectively over her. Which was laughable at best. He still looked like a half-dressed mummy with the bandages wrapped around his chest and shoulder.
“Perhaps I could have a moment alone with Mrs. Bardwell,” the D.A. said.
“Like hell you will,” Ryan snarled.
Holly put up her free hand to rest on Ryan’s arm. “I’ll be fine, Ryan.”
Adam stared at her, his gaze never leaving her face. “What have you done, Holly?”
“Please understand, Adam. I can’t allow any of you to come to harm because of me.”
Adam swore long and hard. She winced at his ferocity.
David Masterson gestured at the two policemen. “If you don’t mind, escort the gentlemen out so Mrs. Bardwell and I can talk privately.”
“The hell you say!” Ethan burst out.
“Ethan, please,” Holly pleaded. “Let me do this my way. I’m asking you to leave. For me.”
Looks of hurt mixed with anger were thrown her way, but the three finally turned and stalked out the door.
The D.A. turned and gave her a speculative look.
“Mind if I sit down?” he asked.
She shook her head and watched as he settled into the chair Adam had vacated.
“My office has been looking for you for some time, Mrs. Bardwell. Any particular reason you disappeared?”
She stared hard at him. He wouldn’t get the upper hand over her. This meeting would be on her terms and her terms alone.
“I asked you here, Mr. Masterson. I’ll ask the questions.”
He lifted one brow. “Very well. What can I do for you?”
“You wouldn’t have come all this way if you weren’t keenly interested in Mason Bardwell.”
He nodded. “That’s true.”
“I saw him murder a man on our wedding night,” she said baldly.
The D.A. sat forward, urgency lighting his eyes. “You saw him? Unmistakably?”
She shuddered and closed her eyes. “There was no mistaking what I saw, Mr. Masterson. He shot a man.”
“Were there any other witnesses? Think hard about this, Mrs. Bardwell. It’s very important.”
“Please. Don’t call me Mrs. Bardwell,” she said quietly. “My name is Holly. And yes, there was one other person present. His business partner, Thomas Goins.”
David sat back, a gleam of triumph in his eyes. “Are you willing to testify to what you saw?”
“It’s why I asked you here,” she said. “But I have conditions.”
Again he quirked his eyebrow at her. “What sort of conditions are we talking about?”
“I want protection. He’s why I’m in the hospital. He’s why Ryan Colter nearly died. He won’t hesitate to kill me or them.”
“Of course we’d take all the necessary precautions,” he said quickly.
“I want Adam, Ethan and Ryan protected as well. They won’t like it. They won’t want it. But I won’t set foot in a courthouse unless you guarantee that someone will be looking out for their best interests until this is all over with.”
“Holly, if you help me put away Mason Bardwell, I’ll personally baby-sit them. We’ve been after him for years. He’s up to his neck in organized crime in the San Francisco Bay Area. Until now, we’ve never been able to pin anything on him. When Sheriff McMillan called me and said you wanted to see me, I took the first flight out here, hoping you’d tell me what you have.”
Holly blanched. “Organized crime?”
David nodded. He studied her for a moment. “This probably isn’t the best time to tell you, but then I can’t imagine there ever being a good time. We strongly suspect he had a hand in your parents’ deaths.”
She opened her mouth in shock. “But they died in an accident! It was ruled an accident.”
“So it was. A rather suspicious accident. He was involved in several investments with them. Investments that went very bad. A week before their accident, they came to my office with claims they had evidence he was involved in fraud.”
Holly dropped her head onto her pillow. Tears
stung her eyes and she wiped angrily at them. “And you never did anything about it?”
His voice softened. “We didn’t have enough evidence to pursue an indictment. Believe me if we did, I would have done everything in my power to convict him.”
“What do I have to do?” she asked. “I want the bastard in jail for what he did.”
“Well, I’ll take your statement. Then I’ll put together an arrest warrant and have the police pick Mr. Bardwell up. We’ll move you to an undisclosed location where you’ll remain until the trial. I’ll arrange for police protection for the Colters as well.”
“How long will this take?”
“That I don’t know. I won’t lie to you. It could drag on for some time, but I’ll do the best I can to make sure we get a rapid trial date.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat. How long would she be separated from Adam, Ethan and Ryan, and would they even want her back by the time it was all over with? As much as she hated the idea of being separated from them, she knew what she had to do. For her parents, for the men she loved, and most importantly, for herself.
“Let’s do it,” she whispered. “Make the arrangements.”
He leaned forward and folded her hand in his. “Thank you, Holly. You’re doing a very brave thing.”
Brave? Or stupid? She wasn’t sure which. She knew she’d have three very angry men. Men she loved more than anything else in her life. And here she was doing the one thing she wanted to do the least. Leaving.
Colters' Woman: Colters’ Legacy, Book 1
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Adam sat in brooding silence, his feet perched on the windowsill of the hospital room. After the district attorney had come out of Holly’s room, she’d fallen asleep, clearly exhausted by the encounter.
The floor had gone into a flurry of activity, directed by the two Colorado state troopers. Even now, a police guard had been posted at the door, and no one but hospital staff and the Colter brothers were allowed in.
