“What the hell is going on here?” He held up his wrist to show the new bracelet.
Bitty’s hand stroked his hair, and he grit his teeth. “My poor baby, they caught you, trying to kill that horrible Vicki. I am so sorry. There was nothing I could do.”
David sat up as far as the cuffs would allow. “We both know that’s bullshit. I would never hurt Vicki. I loved her. Everything I did was to protect her from you.”
She didn’t appear to hear him. Her fingers brushed his cheek. “Oh, David, watch your language. And you need to calm down, honey. Or else something bad is going to happen.” She fiddled with his IV.
The expression on her face chilled him. He knew that look. He lay back on the bed. “What are you doing? What have you done?”
She smiled and patted his face. “I have only ever done what I needed to do.” Her hand drifted along his face.
David flinched and pulled away from her cool touch. His heart fluttered. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his chest and spread to his arm in a sick wave. His eyes flew to hers. “Belinda?”
Tears filled her eyes. “Relax, baby. It will only be a second and then it will be all over. As usual, I’ve taken care of everything.”
He bucked on the bed; rust filled his mouth. The alarms started screaming. In the seconds before help arrived, he garbled out one word. “Why?”
Her nails gripped his ear. She leaned down and whispered, “Because I will not be poor again. All it takes is a little potassium, and boom, it looks like a heart attack. Unless they test you right after you die, nobody will suspect. It’s perfect. But don’t worry, baby. I will take care of the people who have hurt you, that sleazy Vicki and her friends. They are all going to pay for this. This is their fault, all of it, and there will be a reckoning.”
David thrashed, his head straining back. Nurses and doctors streamed into the room. Belinda Watters stepped back and watched the monitor flatline. Her hand smoothed her hair, and she covered the smile on her face with a hand. Time to get to work. The insurance money from David would have to suffice. Vicki’s would have been better, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Twenty-Six
Later that day, John surveyed his apartment, waiting for their families to arrive. It was still a mess with a pile of trashed items resting in one corner. A faint odor of linseed oil lingered in the room after the service Joonie hired had fixed some of the damage. So no more expletives in red spray paint littered the walls, at least.
He ran his hand through his hair, thinking of everything that had happened with the case. Brae had been taken into custody. Thug One had bled out and died from the shot to his leg. Thug Two was talking, but he didn’t know squat. Thug One had been the leader. Brae’s bullet was the one that had wounded David. David’s condition remained serious. His mother reigned supreme at the hospital, keeping everyone out. Bentley still hadn’t gotten to talk to him yet to get answers, which left them with diddly. Joonie was hoping to have Brae out on bond later today. They still didn’t have the shooter who had taken aim at Vicki. He hoped that today they could either come up with some answers or at least keep their moods positive.
Flick was first through the door with the beer. Six-packs in hand, he kissed Vicki. “Hello, doll.” Then he headed for the kitchen.
John’s own mother and Flick’s parents were next. Vicki’s hand squeezed his waist. Her eyebrows did a dance. “Moms, I would like you to meet my Vicki. Vicki, I would like you to meet my moms.”
John’s mom rolled her eyes, dropped off her dish that smelled like meat, and pulled Vicki into a hug. “Call me Bethany, dear. I have heard so much about you!”
Mrs. J elbowed her out of the way. “And I am Karen. Nice to meet you!”
The women embraced. John shook Mr. J’s hand when he came in with more plates. “The sausage?”
“Your favorite.” Mr. J nodded. He trailed into the kitchen after Flick while the moms set up the dishes on the table.
Mrs. Masterson strolled in next to Joonie. They both toted bakery boxes. Vicki hugged her mom and grandmother, and the women clustered in the corner. Christine brushed a hand down her daughter’s face.
John’s heart pinched as he watched Vicki interacting with her family. The resemblance, the same steel that guided their actions. The Mastersons were strong women. He chose well.
His own mother’s arm slid around his waist and squeezed him. He kissed the top of her head. The smell of her shampoo tickled his nose. “Hey, mamacita.”
“Hey, yourself. Look at Vicki. She is a strong girl to weather all this with such grace and courage. You did good.”
“Yeah, I did. You look well. How do you feel?” He couldn’t stifle the worry every time he saw her that the cancer would come back.
“Good, baby. I can’t believe this day is here.”
“What day?”
“The day you found your special star.” That was what she’d called his dad.
Tears burned his eyes. He bumped heads with her softly. “Me, either.”
Flick came out at that moment. “Alcohol!” He’d made up some kind of punch.
John cut his eyes to Vicki. She rolled her eyes at him and mouthed, No punch.
Ha. John still found her pretty freaking adorable drunk. Joonie was all over the beverage, dragging Christine for a drink.
Mrs. J shouted, “Chow time!” Everyone descended on the food.
****
Vicki sat on the corner of the couch next to John, and everyone else crowded around, grabbing a spot on the coffee table. The doorbell buzzed right as everyone started to eat. John stuffed a sausage in his mouth, then waved Vicki back when she got up to answer. He walked to the door still munching. She couldn’t keep her eyes off his ass. He looked none the worse for wear after the fight, happy and whole. Her chest burned.
Bethany Lawrence’s question startled her back to the present. “So how do you feel, Vicki?”
Vicki sipped her wine and put down her glass. Like poop. “Good. My shoulder’s sore, but I can move it pretty good.” She moved her arm in a circle, demonstrating.
Flick dipped a tortilla into the French onion dip. “Did they give you any more details about David? Why he did this?”
Vicki toyed with the glass on the coaster. “No, but before he was shot, he said he was protecting me. That she would hurt me.”
“She who?” asked Mr. J.
“I don’t know. I think he meant his mother,” Vicki said.
Christine snorted. “Delilah is one stone-cold bitch. I’ll give you that. But a killer?”
Joonie goggled at her daughter. Christine sat up straighter. “What?”
Joonie held out a finger that was shaking. “You swore.”
“So?” Christine cheek’s turned pink.
Joonie’s eyes flooded with tears. She engulfed her daughter in a hug. “You are my baby girl!”
Vicki hooted with the rest of the room as Christine rolled her eyes and patted Joonie on the back.
After a minute, she looked up to see John walking back with Bentley in tow. “Maybe he will have more answers.” She inclined her head at the detective.
The whole room turned to watch their progress.
“Hello,” Bentley said, straightening his jacket. He appeared less rumpled today. His hair was trimmed, and he wore a white shirt and a nondescript tie with no farm animals.
John smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. He winked at her, then nodded at her mother. Vicki stifled a grin. They were both thinking the same thing. This honest, dogged detective would be great for her mom.
Brae stepped out from behind them both and held out his arms, palms up.
“Brae!” Everyone screamed and streamed to hug him. “You’re out.”
“Yes,” he replied and winked at Joonie. “I had an angel on my side who posted my bail.”
Mrs. J turned to Joonie. “Oh, you didn’t have to do that. We were going to put our house down as soon as we knew how much.”
Joonie waved her hand. “I
am loaded. Let me do this for the man who saved my granddaughter.”
The room quieted.
John took the opportunity to speak. “Thank you so much for coming, everyone. Without you, all of you, there might have been a different ending to this week. You are my family, and I love you all.” He kissed Vicki lustily to catcalls, then raised a glass. “To family.”
The doorbell rang again, and Sara let herself in. She shrugged off her jacket, her voice ringing out, “What is up with all this excite . . .”
Her words trickled off as she caught sight of Brae. The smile streaking across her face disappeared. Her jaw tensed. “Brae.”
Brae leaned against the wall, his feet in their shitkickers. His eyes traveled up her form. “Sara.”
Vicki glanced at John and widened her eyes, mouthing, What is up?
John’s head dropped; his words whispered past her ear, stirring the hairs on her neck. Even his beer breath was sexy. She took a sip and waited. “Brae doesn’t know that Mina is his.”
Vicki spit out her drink, wheezing, waving off John’s helping hand that was patting her back. “What do you mean, he doesn’t know? She looks just like him, same exact eyes.”
“He hasn’t been back since they broke up.”
“Damn. Is Mina here?”
Mina’s sweet voice rang out, “Unnca Flicka.”
Well, that answered that question. Both of them watched with bated breath. Brae looked up from his beer to see Flick go down onto his knees to pick up a little redheaded girl. She squealed when Flick tickled her and then threw her arms around his neck. Her eyes rose to meet Brae’s.
Brae’s jaw dropped. He glanced from the child back to Sara. The little girl with the perfectly curly chestnut hair just like her mother’s and the blue-green eyes just like her father’s.
Mina sucked her thumb and tilted her head, contemplating him from Flick’s arms. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Brae said. His eyes rose from the sight of his little girl to lock with Sara’s. “Sara, you have some ’splaining to do!”
Vicki leaned in and whispered, “Uh-oh.”
John nodded. “I’m glad I’m not Sara right now.”
“I am too.”
John snorted and kissed the tip of Vicki’s nose. “I’m so lucky to have you.”
“Even with everything that happened?”
“Yes. You make me whole.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Colleen plays many roles. Not only is she a veteran, a mother, and a practicing physician, but she is a writer of science fiction and contemporary romances. Colleen’s dreams include surviving her son’s teenage years, exploring every continent on this planet, except Antartica, cause that’s way too cold, and winning the Nobel peace prize. Dream BIG! Look for her at Three Rivers Romance Writers, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as Colleen S. Myers, or on her website, www.colleensmyers.com
Also please check out some other books by Colleen.
Solum Series
Must Remember
Can’t Forget
Distant Memory (2017)
Rael (Short in the Solum universe)
Hometown Heroes Series
Whole Again
Each Other’s Only (tba)
Burning Bright (tba)
Anthologies
Beyond the Friend Zon
Whole Again (Hometown Hero's Book 1) Page 19
