by Donna Grant
They were quiet the rest of the way to the hospital. Brice went over what little Caleb had shared. It was everything Brice had told Naomi, but he wanted more. He needed more.
He pulled into the hospital parking lot, and they both jumped out and ran into the building. After stopping a nurse, they got directions to the ER, but there, they were denied entry.
Brice walked into the waiting room and found Caleb sitting in a chair, bent over with his head in his hands. Jace was pacing, his gaze going to the ER doors every few seconds.
“Naomi.”
They turned, and Brice saw an older couple that looked worried walk up. Naomi rushed to the duo, hugging the woman first and then the man. They shared a quiet word. That’s when Brice realized they must be Whitney’s parents.
Naomi gently guided them to the nurse’s station, where they were taken back to see their daughter. Brice went to Naomi and put his arm around her.
She rested her head against him and wrapped her arms around herself. “They wanted me to tell them what happened. I … I couldn’t.”
“It’s okay,” he said and rubbed his hand up and down her back. “Someone will.”
Brice’s head jerked to Jace when he ran down the hall. He spotted Cooper’s mother, who sobbed on Jace’s shoulder for a few moments. Then Jace motioned a nurse over and gave Betty’s information to the nurse.
But Betty wouldn’t release Jace. “He’s coming with me,” she informed the nurse.
Brice gave a nod to Jace as they walked past. The waiting was the hardest, but Brice knew Jace would come out and fill them in as soon as he could.
After he and Naomi had gotten coffee for themselves and Caleb, they took seats in the waiting room. Less than thirty minutes later, Clayton and Abby arrived.
“What are y’all doing here?” Brice asked as he rose to greet them.
Clayton glared at Abby. “As if I would leave y’all to deal with this on your own. And your sister refused to stay at home.”
“I’m not having this argument again,” Abby stated and walked away to sit next to Naomi as Abby spoke with her and Caleb.
Brice turned his back to the group and looked at his brother-in-law. “How the fuck did this happen?” he whispered.
Clayton shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know. Danny said he’d be here as soon as he could with more details. He sounded odd.”
“Odd?” Brice asked with a frown. “What does that mean?”
“His position is elected, remember? That also means that he is in contact with the mayor on some things. And Ethan Ross has called three times already.”
Brice shrugged in confusion. “It was a bad accident. Doesn’t the mayor normally want information on things like that?”
“Unless he knows someone in the accident, he usually waits for Danny to contact him.”
That got Brice’s attention. “I know Cooper doesn’t know the mayor. That leaves Whitney or Ms. Biermann.”
“Yeah. We can’t ask Ms. Biermann, and Whitney is unconscious.”
“You think this has something to do with the pictures Naomi took?”
Clayton blew out a breath as he looked over Brice’s shoulder at the others. “I don’t have any proof, so I don’t want to speculate. Honestly, I’d rather wait until Danny gets here.”
“Naomi thinks the group of men who assaulted Whitney tried to kill her.”
Clayton’s brows shot up as his head briefly tilted to the side. “Danny did say that it looked as if Cooper tried to turn the truck away, but he didn’t have time.”
Brice wasn’t finished talking, but Clayton slapped him on the back and went to join his wife. Sitting wasn’t something Brice could do with all the things running through his head. He pulled out his phone and did a quick search on local news. Sure enough, there was already a story up—including pictures.
His stomach dropped at the sight of Cooper’s crew cab smashed in the middle with the front and back curved inward from the force of the hit. The crumpled metal on the front passenger door that had been forced open by the fire department had blood on it.
Brice hoped for more pictures of the truck, but that was the only one included. He finished the article and checked the other local news sites. Each had similar photos of the vehicle, and the verbiage in each was almost identical.
More frustrated than ever, he put away his phone and returned to the others. The conversation that transpired was stilted and done in low tones as each of them was lost in their own thoughts.
Hours went by before Jace finally came out. Everyone but Abby stood at his approach.
“Tell us good news,” Caleb said.
Jace ran a hand down his face. “The doctors say Cooper has a concussion. He’s pretty banged up.”
“But he’s going to be okay, right?” Brice asked.
Jace nodded as he blew out a breath. “Half of his face is all bruised from slamming against the window and the airbag, but their focus is on his concussion. He’s also cut up from the windows busting, but they’ll be moving him to a normal room within the hour.”
“Oh, thank God,” Caleb said.
Naomi moved a step closer. “Did you see Whitney?”
Jace glanced at Brice before he looked at Naomi. “For just a moment, yes.”
“And?” Clayton urged.
“She’s not doing so good,” Jace said after a small hesitation.
Brice walked to Naomi and put his arm around her again. She was trembling, but she stood tall and straight, waiting for the rest of the news.
“Don’t keep it from her or any of us,” Abby told Jace. “It only makes things worse.”
Caleb nodded in agreement. “She’s right. We’ve been sitting here for hours, waiting for someone to tell us something. Anything.”
“I understand,” Jace said and shifted nervously. “It’s just … I’m not any good at this kind of thing.”
Clayton put his hand on Jace’s shoulder for a heartbeat. “No one is.”
Jace slid his hazel eyes back to Naomi. “Whitney was rushed into surgery just a bit ago. Both of her legs are broken, and her right hip is shattered.”
Naomi’s breath left her in a whoosh as her eyes teared up.
But Jace wasn’t finished. “Her right arm is broken in three different places, and two of her broken ribs punctured her lungs. Also … she has a spinal injury.”
“Dear God,” Abby mumbled.
Brice held Naomi tighter. And the longer he stood there listening to Jace rattle off all the injuries Whitney had suffered, the more he began to agree with Naomi that the group of men who assaulted Whitney were the ones responsible for this.
“I saw her as they were rushing her past us into the OR,” Jace continued. “It was just a brief look. Once we got in to see Cooper and spoke with the doctor, I asked about Whitney. I tried to get out here to y’all sooner, but Betty needed me.”
Abby shot him a kind smile. “Of course. No need to explain, Jace. Go back to her.”
“Yeah,” Caleb said. “Cooper is all she has.”
Brice glanced at everyone around him. “That’s not true. She has us.”
“That’s right,” Clayton agreed.
Jace rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Abby, can I ask something of you?”
“I’ll call your parents, sweetheart,” she said, knowing what he would ask.
Jace’s smile was forced. “Thanks. They’ll want to be up here. And I want them to know I wasn’t involved.”
“Good thinking,” Clayton said.
Caleb gave a nod. “We’ll take care of everything. Get back in there to Cooper.”
“I’ll let y’all know what room he’s in,” Jace said before he disappeared through the doors again.
The entire time Naomi stood there with soft tears rolling down her face. Brice wished he could offer some other kind of comfort, but he didn’t know the words to ease her. At this point, there was nothing anyone could say that would make things better.
Naomi sniffed loudly and rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s a miracle she’s alive.”
“But she is. That’s the important thing to focus on,” he reminded her.
“I know,” she said and lifted her eyes to him. “It’s just…”
He squeezed her shoulder. “I know.”
“Brice,” Clayton said, an urgent tone in his voice.
He turned and saw Clayton striding off. When Brice looked down the hallway, he spotted Danny coming toward them in his tan sheriff’s uniform.
“Not without me,” Abby said as Caleb helped her to her feet.
“Wait,” Naomi said as she hurried to stop a nurse with a wheelchair. A moment later, she returned and helped Abby into it.
Brice smiled at Naomi as Caleb wheeled their sister after Clayton. To Brice’s surprise, Naomi held out her hand. He clasped his fingers to hers.
“I couldn’t do this without you,” she said.
He looked into her eyes. “Yes, you could.”
“But I’m glad I don’t have to.”
Chapter 20
Naomi had originally wanted to spend the day racing over the land on top of London with Brice, or maybe even kissing him beneath the bright blue sky. But the day had taken a darker turn. Still, there was no one else she wanted by her side at that moment than Brice.
She was terrified of the group of men that had done such a thing to her friend. There was no doubt in her mind that they were responsible, and until someone showed her proof that it was an accident, she would continue to think so.
She’d already learned firsthand what the group was capable of. Who was to say they wouldn’t come after her or Brice again. Or worse, Abby, the kids, or anyone else at the ranch.
Naomi’s heart pounded as she and Brice followed the others out of the hospital. Sheriff Danny Oldman was young and good-looking. He had short, dark hair and kind, hazel eyes that were more gold than green.
“Why are we outside?” Clayton asked, concern cutting a deep frown on his face.
Danny took off his dark brown Stetson and slapped it on his leg before replacing it on his head. “Because I don’t know who I can trust.”
“Why would you say that?” Abby asked.
Danny looked down at her and raised a brow. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“She’s damn stubborn, that’s why,” Clayton mumbled.
Abby sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. “Because this involves Cooper, who, like Jace, is part of our family. And because Whitney and Naomi were at the house last night.”
Naomi felt the weight of the sheriff’s gaze land on her. He studied her a moment before his eyes briefly lowered to her and Brice’s hands.
Danny returned his attention to her face. “Clayton called me yesterday about what happened to the two of you at the rodeo. Brice, your hand looks like shit.”
“Feels like it, too,” Brice added.
Naomi gasped and looked down when she realized she was holding his bad hand, but he tightened his grip, refusing to release her. She turned her head to Danny as she felt his gaze on her.
“I recognize your name,” he said. “It took me a moment to place from where. I was friends with your uncle, Johnny.”
Naomi cocked her head to the side as she looked at Danny. A memory returned as her lips parted. “You were one of his pallbearers.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a nod. “Johnny was a good man, and one hell of a rodeo clown. He helped save my brother a time or two in the arena.”
Naomi, already emotional from the morning, felt a tear slide down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away. “It’s what he lived for.”
Danny shifted his feet, his hazel eyes full of sorrow. “I was sorry to hear about your father’s passing so quickly after Johnny’s. How’s your mother?”
Oh, God. Her mom. Naomi hadn’t called her about the accident. “She’s good.”
Abby smiled at them. “Small-town life, huh? It never entered my mind that you might know Naomi, Danny, but I should have realized.”
“I figured it out last night after Clayton called,” Danny said. “Then I watched the video of Naomi being pushed, and it clicked how I knew the name Pierce.”
Brice looked at her. Naomi swiveled her head to him. Their gazes clashed. With a simple glance, Brice told her so much. That he was sorry she’d lost her uncle and her father, and that he would continue to stand beside her, and with her, for whatever she needed him for.
But it was the desire he didn’t try to hide that helped push away the weight of despair that had consumed her since learning of the wreck.
Danny cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. “Look, I’m going to tell all of you things that I shouldn’t.” He paused and looked at the hospital doors a moment. “The dump truck was reported stolen late last night. There are no prints other than the owner’s, and he has an alibi for when the accident took place.”
“Any sign of the driver?” Caleb asked. “No one saw anything?”
“Not that we’ve found. I plan on putting out a call on the evening news. Hopefully then we’ll hear something,” Danny explained.
Brice glanced at the ground. “So you don’t have any suspects?”
“No,” the sheriff said with a soft shake of his head.
Abby rubbed her stomach in soft circles. “I know that look of yours, Danny. There’s something you’re keeping to yourself.”
The sheriff looked at Abby, a brow raised. “There is something.”
“Then tell us,” Clayton urged.
Danny shrugged and rested his hand on the butt of his gun. “It’s just a feeling.”
“What kind of feeling?” Brice pressed.
“The kind that says there are others trying to lead me in a direction that I know is wrong.”
Caleb crossed his arms over his chest. “Which direction would that be?”
“That it was some kids on a thrill ride and it was all just an accident,” Danny said. “That those kids ran off for fear of being caught.”
Clayton snorted as he shook his head. “Driving a dump truck isn’t like stealing a car.”
“Exactly,” Danny replied.
Naomi bit her lip in nervousness. She glanced at Brice before she said, “Sheriff Oldman, there might be some other facts that could be useful to this case.”
“Like?” he asked.
Abby asked her, “You think the two are connected?”
“I asked Naomi that same question on our way here,” Brice said. “I thought she was reaching, but now, I’m not so sure.”
Caleb hooked his thumb at her and Brice. “I agree with them. It’s connected.”
“What the hell are y’all talking about?” Danny asked in frustration.
Clayton said, “Remember I told you that Brice sent Naomi to the house?”
“Right,” Danny replied. “And that Whitney would be coming later.”
Naomi’s gut clenched in fear at what she was about to say. “What Clayton hasn’t had a chance to fill you in about yet, is that last night, Whitney told me there’s a group of men who have been assaulting a handful of girls. Including her.”
Danny’s brows snapped together. “Assaulting?”
“Yes,” Naomi answered. “It’s been going on for years. Whitney said it began slowly, and they put her in a position where she felt dominated, a position where she had no other choice.”
“That’s not true. She could have come to the police,” Danny stated.
Abby patiently said, “One girl already did that. Jamie Adcock.”
Danny rubbed his chin as he thought back. “I remember that name. I wasn’t the sheriff at the time, and I didn’t get the case.”
“Well, she was run off,” Naomi said. “It took some doing, but Whitney confessed to me that she had repeatedly been sexually assaulted over the years.”
The sheriff squeezed his eyes closed for a heartbeat. “Who are the men responsible?”
“She wouldn’t tell me.
All she said was that they were men in positions of power. And she told me this morning that she planned to finish out her rodeo queen reign and out the entire group in just a few weeks. She said she had proof,” Naomi replied.
Brice jerked his head to her. “Where is the proof?”
“She didn’t tell me,” Naomi said.
Danny’s lips twisted. “Damn. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any messier. There are a lot of coincidences here. But nothing that ties things together.”
“But certainly a lot that doesn’t rule the theory out,” Brice stated.
“True.”
“What about the pictures?” Abby asked Naomi. “Can you develop more?”
Naomi was nodding when the men started to speak at once, each of them stating why they thought it was a bad idea.
“I can do it,” Naomi told them.
Danny rapidly shook his head. “It’s a bad idea. Look at what they’ve done already. No doubt they’ll be watching you.”
“I agree with him,” Caleb said. “I have two friends in the hospital, and both you and Brice already had run-ins with these people. I’d rather not push it.”
Clayton said, “There has to be another way.”
It was Brice who turned to face her. “I know you want to help, and I think you should print more pictures. We just need to keep this group from knowing what we’re doing.”
Naomi gave a short bark of laughter. “How do you expect to do that?”
“I’d be curious about that, too,” Danny said.
Brice looked at each of them before his gaze landed on Naomi. “We talked about making everyone think that you left town.”
“Yeah,” Naomi said. “I remember. How am I going to do that now with Whitney in the hospital? She’s my friend.”
“Even more reason to leave,” Abby stated.
Naomi frowned, not sure she understood. She pursed her lips, but before she could pose a question, Brice continued.
“I have some friends at the community college,” he said. “We get one of them to get the film. The rest of us will gather everything you need for the pictures. Then you develop them.”
Caleb’s look was hopeful as he asked her, “Can you do that?”
“I mean, yeah, I can put together a makeshift darkroom,” she replied.
