by Donna Grant
There was something about her words that made Jace frown. “I swear I’ll remain in this room at all times. Why are you so worried? Did someone say something?”
“It’s just a feeling,” Mr. Nolan said.
Jace glanced at Whitney’s father before returning his attention to Mrs. Nolan. He knew from his own mom that, sometimes, mothers had intuition. It was probably nothing, but after everything that had happened, it put Jace on alert.
He gave the couple a smile and helped Mrs. Nolan to her feet before Whitney’s parents walked from the room. Jace sent off a text to Betty to let her know where he was. Then waited a few minutes before he dimmed the lights and moved the chair into the shadows. If anyone did decide to come in, they wouldn’t be able to see him.
For the next hour and a half, all was quiet. He kept hearing Mrs. Nolan’s words in his head. She had a feeling her daughter wasn’t out of danger yet, and it had nothing to do with her present injuries.
The fact was, the woman had a right to be concerned. No doubt those responsible for the accident hoped that Whitney would be killed in the crash. And had she been sitting where Ms. Biermann was, Whitney would have been.
Jace saw the shadow at the bottom of the door. There was a soft knock before a nurse poked her head inside. The smile she wore dropped when she didn’t see the Nolans. The nurse looked over her shoulder and slipped into the room.
She stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Whitney for a long time. The nurse pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at it for a long time. Her hand was shaking when she put the cell away.
The nurse began to sweat, her gaze filled with remorse and fear. Then she drew something else out of her pocket. Jace spotted the syringe when her hand cleared the material. He stood, but the woman was too intent on Whitney to see him.
He remained still, waiting to see what the nurse would do. He hoped she’d put the needle away and leave because it was obvious by her behavior that whatever was in the syringe hadn’t been ordered by a doctor.
It wasn’t until the woman moved to the IV with the intention of putting the contents of the syringe into the tube that Jace took action. He clamped a hand around the woman’s wrist. Her head jerked to him as she jumped in surprise.
He glared at her, letting her see his rage. “Who sent you?”
“I do-don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered. “I work here. Now get your hands off me.”
“Not until you tell me what you’re about to administer to my friend.”
The nurse glanced at the needle, her pulse beating rapidly at her throat. “It’s pain medication.”
“She already had that less than an hour ago,” he lied.
The woman tried to free herself from his grasp. “Let me go or I’ll scream.”
“Please do,” Jace stated. “That way, we can find out exactly what’s in the syringe.”
That threat stopped the woman from struggling. “Please,” she begged. “Let me go.”
“So you can come back another time? Or will they send someone else?”
A tear rolled down her face. “I owed a favor, and it was called in today. I never expected them to ask me to do this.”
“Who are these people?” he pressed. “Give me names.”
She squeezed her eyes closed. “If I do, I’m dead.”
Jace expected such an answer. He sent a quick text to Danny, letting him known that he had someone of interest in his custody. Within minutes, two deputies arrived and took the nurse away.
He was grateful that Danny had posted some men near the hospital just in case. No doubt the group after Whitney would strike again. Jace could only hope that Naomi and Brice’s plan worked quickly.
Chapter 29
There was something utterly enchanting about waking up in Brice’s arms while watching the sunrise. Naomi’s body was sated after a perfect night making love all over the house.
She grinned, thinking about their time on the stairs. On the couch. The bed. The bed again. And the bed a third time before rolling off and onto the floor.
He took a deep breath, his chest puffing out as he rubbed a hand down her back. Brice kissed her forehead. “What are you grinning about?”
“Last night,” was all she said.
He chuckled. “Ah. I’m sorry I didn’t let you get much sleep.”
“Or I, you,” she said and shifted to lay on her stomach with her chin propped on his chest.
“I regret nothing,” he stated firmly, a grin still pulling at the corners of his mouth.
She couldn’t stop staring at him dreamily. “Me, either. Though I really wish we could stay just like this.”
“There’s no reason we can’t once we solve this fiasco we’re currently embedded in.”
The delight that shot through her at his words left her dizzy. “I’d like that.”
“Naomi,” he began, his face shifting into nervous lines. “It might not be the best time to say this, but I—”
The shrill ring of the phone interrupted him. She wanted to scream because she had a feeling whatever he’d been about to say was important. But his phone rang again.
She sat up so he could roll to the side and reach for the cell that rested on the side table.
“Hello,” he said. His gaze swung to her as a frown formed while he listened to whoever it was. “Son of a bitch,” he murmured.
Naomi was all too aware that their night of decadence was at an end. She scooted to the edge of the bed and stood before she rushed downstairs in the buff to the laundry room to get her clothes out of the dryer.
After hastily dressing, she fixed two mugs of coffee and made her way back upstairs. By the time she entered the bedroom, Brice had his jeans on and had just slipped his arms into a button-down. By the stern set of his jaw, he was none too pleased with whatever the call was about.
“Everything okay?” she asked and held out his mug.
He shook his head and finished buttoning his shirt before he took the coffee. “That was Jace. Apparently, Mrs. Nolan had a feeling that Whitney shouldn’t be left alone. They asked Jace to stay with her so they could go home to shower and eat. While Jace was there, a nurse came in with a syringe filled with something meant to kill Whitney.”
Naomi sank onto the bed as her knees went weak. “They don’t want her to wake. They know she’ll tell the authorities everything.”
“Exactly.”
She gathered her courage and got to her feet. “I’m not going to let them get to her.”
Brice put a hand on her arm and looked deep into her eyes. “None of us are. The nurse is in custody. Danny will get names from her.”
The sound of an engine had both of them walking to the window. As soon as they saw Caleb’s truck, they made their way downstairs.
Naomi’s blood felt cold as it rushed through her. How many times could Whitney escape death? These men who had abused her wanted to silence Whitney, and they were getting others to do their dirty work for them.
She started to walk outside to help the guys unload the truck, but Caleb and Brice told her no in unison. She eyed them, confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Stay inside,” Brice said, pointing at her.
Caleb issued a single nod. “Anyone could be watching.”
She rolled her eyes. “And if someone is watching, then they’ll know I’m here by everything you’re unloading.”
“Naomi, please,” Brice implored. “Stay inside.”
As if she could refuse that. She threw up her hands and walked back into the kitchen. While she waited, she began cooking some sausage and made toast.
The brothers carried a table upstairs, and on their way back out, Caleb snatched a piece of sausage and shot her a wink. She smiled in return.
They made three more trips with the other table and bags of the things she’d requested. She put the last bit of butter on a slice of toast when the guys returned.
She pointed to the table and ordered, “Sit.”
�
�Bossy,” Caleb said with a grin.
Brice dumped out their coffee and made more for all three of them. Caleb hooked his hat on the back of the chair as they sat down. Naomi looked between the brothers as they each put food on their plates.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Caleb leaned to the side and pulled something out of his pocket. He handed her the roll of film that she eagerly took.
“How did you get it?” she asked.
He shrugged and speared a sausage link with his fork. “A friend of a friend.”
“Thanks,” Brice said.
Naomi gave Caleb a bright smile. “Yes, thank you. Are you sure no one saw this friend of a friend.”
“I’m ninety eight percent positive.”
She swallowed her bite of toast. “Thank goodness. How is Abby?”
“Irritated that she’s not more involved,” Caleb replied.
Brice grunted as he took a sip of coffee. “I bet Clayton is at his wits’ end keeping her there.”
“Actually, it’s Abby’s swollen feet that are keeping her at the ranch.”
Naomi looked at the brothers, each eating and talking about anything but the house they were in. But that was fine with her. She would keep the conversation going until breakfast was over.
“There’s nothing suspicious happening at the ranch?” she asked.
Caleb shook his head as he took a large bite of toast.
Brice pushed his clean plate away and leaned back in his chair. “Clayton would’ve contacted us if something had happened with either the ranch, Abby, or the kids. Silence is a good sign.”
“Yeah, but I’m still worried,” Naomi said. “Especially after Jace’s call.”
Caleb tossed his napkin on his empty plate and rested his forearms on the table. “Now that we have the nurse, who will hopefully give up the names we need, developing the picture might not be needed.”
“How long until we know something?” Brice asked.
Caleb lifted his shoulders to his ears in a shrug. “The last Clayton heard from Danny, the nurse had refused to talk and asked for a lawyer. Danny put her in a cell to await her attorney’s arrival.”
Naomi couldn’t stop the small niggle of worry that wouldn’t go away. “What about the syringe? Do we know what was in it?”
“It’s being tested now,” Caleb said.
“All this waiting is killing me.” She caught Caleb’s eye. “I have something I need you to do.”
He quickly said, “Anything.”
“Follow me,” she said and got to her feet.
“Naomi?” Brice asked with a frown.
She glanced his way, sending a reassuring smile when Caleb stood. “This way.”
Behind her, a chair scraped against the floor as Brice moved to follow them. Naomi knew she might be overstepping, but she had to try something. And she hoped Brice wouldn’t be angry at her for it.
“What is it?” Caleb asked as she stopped in the family room.
Her gaze met Brice’s before she slid her eyes to Caleb. “The favor I have is that I get to show you the house.”
Caleb’s easy smile grew tight, his eyes hard. “You tricked me.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “Brice would’ve waited until you were no longer angry before he said anything, and while your brother has said that you don’t hold grudges, my guess is that this is something altogether different.”
“This doesn’t concern you,” Caleb stated.
Brice took a step toward his brother, anger filling his face.
Naomi held up a hand to Brice and faced Caleb. “No, it doesn’t. I apologize to both of you. But I don’t have siblings. What I did have were two best friends, and occasionally, two of us would get pissy with each other. It always took the third member to make the other two remember why they were friends. That’s all I’m trying to do.”
She really wished she hadn’t done anything now, but it was too late. She turned her head to Brice. “I see you hurting for what has happened, and I wanted to make it better.”
Brice took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Caleb watched them warily. “I should go.”
“Wait,” she said. “There is so much to see, and I wish you’d let Brice tell you his thoughts.”
“Another time,” Caleb said and strode away.
Naomi turned to Brice. “I’m sorry. I know I should ha—”
His lips silenced her words. The kiss was slow, sensual, and entirely seductive. When he ended the kiss, he lightly caressed his hands down the side of her face. “Thank you for trying.”
Relief surged through her that he wasn’t angry. “I wish it would have gone better.”
“I plan on sitting Caleb down when this is over. I don’t care if I have to tie him to the chair, but I’m going to make him listen. I’m going to tell him everything.”
“Good,” she said and pulled his head down for a quick kiss. “I know it might not be needed since they have the nurse, but I’d like to get to work.”
“Agreed.”
They returned to the kitchen, scraping plates and setting everything in the sink. Brice locked the door, and they made their way up the stairs.
The entire time, Naomi kept wondering what it was that he’d been about to say before Jace had called that morning. She desperately wanted to ask him, but she figured if it were important, he would’ve brought it up again. For all she knew, he wanted to tell her to put more sugar in his coffee.
They closed the door to the bedroom and stood in the darkness for several minutes while their gazes grew accustomed, as she looked for any light coming through the quilts. There were a few spots, and once they were taken care of, they put up the tables. Naomi guided him, telling him what she wanted where until everything was in its place.
She lifted her gaze as she watched him replace the normal bulb with a red one. Then Brice folded the ladder and took it out the door.
Naomi lifted the canister of film and drew in a deep breath. Regardless whether the police needed her photo, she wanted to reprint the ones she had done for Brice of him and Caleb at the rodeo. They had been good shots, and they would look nice in the house.
She started to pull out the film when Brice’s phone rang from the hallway. She stilled, waiting to hear what was going on.
“Naomi?” Brice said through the door.
“You can come in,” she told him. “I’ve not started yet.”
The door opened, and he stepped through. Even in the red light, she could tell it hadn’t been good news.
“The syringe was lost,” he stated.
Surprise rippled through her. “What? How can that happen? I thought there were fail-safes to prevent such a thing.”
“So did I,” he said wearily.
She studied him a moment, noting the agitation and worry. “There’s more. Tell me Whitney is alive.”
“Whitney is fine,” he said. “She’s being guarded by Jace, her parents, and two sheriff’s deputies.”
“Then what is it?” she asked.
He blew out a long breath. “The nurse killed herself.”
Shock went through her. “But … how?”
“Someone gave her a razor blade. She slit her wrists.”
Naomi rested her hand on the table to keep on her feet. “It’s the group of men, isn’t it?”
“It sure looks that way.”
“They’ve bullied people long enough. It’s time someone took a stand.” She tossed the roll of film in the air and caught it. “I’m getting to work.”
Chapter 30
Though he was curious to see her work, Brice couldn’t remain with Naomi. He had to keep a lookout around the house. The fact that it was daytime helped since it would hinder anyone looking into the house. Not to mention, he was better able to see if anyone approached.
As he walked the house, he thought about his brother. Brice had been wrong in assuming that Caleb would cool off quickly as he usually did. The fact that Caleb was still upset told Brice just how badly he’d hur
t his brother.
It didn’t matter that it had been unintentional. Or had it? Brice wanted to buy the property himself. He hadn’t once thought about going to Caleb and getting him to go in on half. Not because he didn’t want Caleb’s name on it. Quite the opposite, really. Brice intended for him and Caleb to share everything equally. Hell, the ranch was in both of their names.
So why had Brice gone about it alone? He looked at the ceiling, his thoughts going to Naomi. She had asked him if he still had abandonment issues, and he’d replied that he didn’t. But it was a lie.
He saw that now. She had allowed him to face that truth. If it hadn’t been for her, he might have never recognized that he’d bought the ranch on his own in case Caleb changed his mind. That way, if his brother didn’t want to join him, then it wouldn’t be Caleb leaving. It would simply mean that Caleb wasn’t joining him.
Brice braced his hand next to the window. Because of a long-held problem, he might have irreparably damaged his relationship with his brother.
His mother’s disappearance had been the best thing she’d ever done for them, but a child shouldn’t have to suffer through something like that.
The stable life Abby had given them—including the years he and Caleb had at the East Ranch—had soothed the hurt. He’d thought maybe even healed it. But what really happened was that he buried it instead of dealing with it as Abby had.
“Fuck me,” he murmured, running a hand down his face.
Naomi’s simple question had uncovered years of him ignoring a serious problem. He had a chance to fix everything now, and he intended to take it.
That wasn’t the only opportunity he was going to grasp. The woman upstairs had casually strolled into his life, knocking him sideways and causing him to crave her with every breath in his body.
She meant everything to him. It hadn’t been a bolt of lightning that let him know that he’d fallen in love. It had come quietly, softly. But once he realized where his heart was, it shone as brightly as the sun.
He’d tried to tell her that morning before Jace’s phone call interrupted them. And it wasn’t something he wanted to just blurt out the first time he said it.
