Wounded at the Lake

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  Coop looked at the distraught sisters. They were good women caught up in a horrible situation. He promised to do his best to keep them out of jail.

  He stood, patted them on the shoulders, and walked out.

  Agent Cross met him.

  “Anything?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Mind if I stick around until you do?”

  “Not a bit. If there are more young girls there, they’ll owe you. I couldn’t get a thing out of those two.”

  “Got any coffee?”

  “Around the corner.”

  When Coop was out of earshot he called Matt to tell him what he’d found out. His brother was horrified. “Those bastards,” he cursed. “We should have shot them all.”

  Coop almost laughed. Matt was the coolest of the brothers. The one person they could always depend on to do the right thing wanted those who committed these crimes dead. He was spouting off. Something they all tended to do when stressed.

  “I’ll get back to you,” Matt said and hung up.

  Coop grabbed a cup of coffee and hurried back. Agent Cross stood at the door to the interrogation room, a shocked look on his face.

  “What?” Coop asked. If they’d found dead children in the basement, he would never forgive himself for not finding them sooner.

  “Three girls, ages nine, eleven, and twelve. Unconscious. They’re taking them to the hospital.”

  Coop hit the wall with a fist. “Damn them.”

  “They’re alive. That’s something.”

  “It isn’t enough. Who took care of them after the sisters disappeared?”

  “One of the women in the salon ran out the back door when the agents came in. They have her in custody. Once she talks we’ll get a better picture.”

  It came together in a torrent of information.

  Though Mallory refused to talk, the information on the two flash drives, as well as Shafer’s murder, condemned him. The list of names of those being bribed in law enforcement was an eye-opener. All, including ICE Agent Sam Bartram, were being arrested.

  Both Harper and Matt were elated. Both would get commendations over this one.

  Mallory would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

  Coop watched Matt and his FBI buddies slap each other on the back. This was so big it would keep them busy for a very long time.

  Coop should be as happy as his brothers. He wasn’t. Falling for Lori had been unexpected. He wanted to talk to her—wanted to find out where the Lori he knew fit in the picture.

  More details had been revealed about her now. She was younger than he thought. At twenty-three, she was composed and resourceful. He was a good twelve years her senior. A stab of guilt swept through him.

  He should have kept his hands off her. Period.

  One thing he did know: women were off the table from now on. He’d leave the romance department to his brothers. He looked at their happy faces. Of course, neither of them had a woman in his life either.

  Surely they wouldn’t all be bachelors forever.

  Harper came over. “Thank you, again. I couldn’t have gotten this far without your help. I won’t need your bungalow tonight. After checking in with my superiors, I’m headed home. My wife and kids will be back tomorrow. I can’t wait to get my life back on track.” They shook hands. “Send me a bill. You deserve every penny.”

  Dirk exchanged a look with Coop. “We’ll get back to you on that.”

  Once Harper was gone, Dirk turned to Coop. “How can we bill him? How can you bill Ross? Between the two cases, we put in hundreds of hours in surveillance work. Neither can afford it.”

  “Let me look into this,” Matt said. “Sometimes the FBI has a reward for this type of case. If so, you won’t have to worry about the bills.”

  “Let us know.” Coop was too tired to worry about it now. All he wanted was to get out of here. There was too much celebrating going on. “It’s late, but I’m going to the hospital. Ross won’t be happy to find out why Christie was kidnapped, but he should know.”

  “I have to stay here.” Matt held a phone in one hand and a ream of papers in another. “There’s too much going on.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Dirk offered.

  Coop wanted to be alone. “Go home. The dogs have to be fed and watered, then get some sleep. I won’t be long.”

  “Are you sure? You look as if you could use some company.”

  “I’m tired. Thor needs a break and I need some down time.”

  “See you later.”

  Thor followed Coop to his pickup.

  “Let’s get this over with, Thor. Ross is going to be one upset SEAL once he learns how close his baby girl came to being a sex-slave to some perverted old man.”

  But instead of thinking about Ross during the drive to the hospital, Coop’s thoughts were on Lori. Where was she? Was she as shocked at her identity as he was?

  For more reasons than he could count, they shouldn’t have made love. He loved her then, and was afraid he still did, but he’d have to get over her. Now that she had her memory back, she was probably wondering what the hell she ever saw in an old, broken-down, rough-and-tumble SEAL.

  Though this job was finished, his heart had been put through a shredder.

  At the hospital, he ignored the ache in his chest, rolled his windows down enough for Thor to get sufficient air, and went to Christie’s room. Ross came to the door and stepped out, his eyes bloodshot and weary.

  “It’s late. What’s going on?”

  “How is she?” Coop asked, ignoring the question.

  “Better. Her eyes stay open now for a while. She looks around, but still hasn’t spoken. They did a battery of tests that indicate her brain doesn’t seem to be compromised. We can’t wait until she can talk and tell us where she’s been.”

  Coop cleared his throat. “I think I can fill in the blanks.”

  “Is that why you’re here?” Ross asked as he led the way to a pot of coffee. Once they had filled disposable cups, they went to the waiting room. An older couple sat holding hands on two plastic chairs in the corner. Coop and Ross took chairs across the room from them.

  “Tell me what you know?”

  Speaking low, Coop told him everything. Ross had to set the cup on the table next to him to keep it from spilling. Coop felt sorry for the guy. No father wanted to hear how his daughter had been kidnapped, drugged, and held prisoner. He sure as hell didn’t want to learn his precious child had been selected because she fit the criteria of a man who bought pretty little girls for his own sexual pleasure.

  Ross excused himself and headed for the men’s room. Coop followed. The poor guy barely made it to the toilet before he threw up. Coop handed him damp paper towels until he got himself under control. Ross had been a tough Navy SEAL. To see him brought to his knees like this sent Coop’s blood pressure soaring.

  Though they had Mallory—the brains behind the operation in custody, Coop wished there was a way to get the men who bought the children. He’d like to see them behind bars as well.

  “Thanks for all you’ve done,” Ross said when they were heading toward Christie’s room. “I didn’t want it to be this bad. But thanks for catching the bastards.”

  “You should be proud of your daughter. She was smart enough to pretend to take the drug that kept the girls unconscious, and even smarter to escape. Without her, these arrests would never have happened. These men would still be free to kidnap and sell little girls with no interference. And you wouldn’t have Christie back.”

  Ross broke into a smile. “That was smart, wasn’t it?”

  “You bet.”

  They clapped each other on the back. Coop turned to leave. “Give Christie my love.”

  “Be glad to.”

  Coop took two steps toward the elevator before Ross called out, “Send me a bill.”

  Coop waved and kept walking.

  Back in his pickup, he ruffled the fur on Thor’s head. “Time to go home, big boy. You ready?”

/>   Thor let out a single bark of pleasure. He understood.

  It seemed to take forever to get to the house.

  There had been pleasure in this day because they’d solved two…no, three, cases. But Lori wasn’t here and he didn’t think she ever would be again. He’d never see that big, happy, smile when she tended the dogs. He’d never see those turquoise eyes light up when the dogs leapt and barked their pleasure when she came to their pen.

  And he’d never see her made-to-kiss lips, or feel her perfect body under his hands.

  He went into the house and, after dropping Lori’s envelope on the bar, he went directly to his room. He didn’t want the meal that was waiting for him. After a quick shower he lay on the bed.

  Sleep wouldn’t come.

  No matter how wrong it was, he still wanted Lori.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The next morning Lori felt somewhat better. “You can stay here as long as you like,” her mom told her. “Even after the baby comes. We have three bedrooms. And I would love to have my grandchild right here where I can see him or her grow up.”

  Tears came to Lori’s eyes. Unable to speak, she grabbed her mom’s hand and squeezed. But she knew she had to do this on her own. Mom had. So could she.

  She had a new life to live and a home to build for herself and her child. It was time to get started.

  After a leisurely breakfast Mel drove her to Tyler, where they visited a thrift shop. She had to shop smart or run out of money, and she refused to be a burden on her mother. An hour later, they came out with two bags of jeans, T-shirts, underwear, and three pairs of shoes. Plus, a couple of dresses she couldn’t resist along with a half-dozen maternity outfits. Who knew there were such finds? Some of the clothes she could wear now, others later.

  “Now that’s what I call shopping.” Mel grinned. “What’s next?”

  “Job. I need to find one in the worst way.”

  “What about a doctor? You need one, you know.”

  “I wish…”

  “What?”

  “I wish I had Doc Louise. She has to be so upset with me after I stole her beautiful Cadillac.”

  “I’m sure she would like to hear from you. She sounds like the kind of person who would understand.” Mel paused as she put the bags in the back of her car. “Why don’t you call her? Doctors know doctors. Maybe she knows someone in Tyler she can recommend.”

  Lori gasped. “I can’t do that.” How could she face Doc after what she did? Even over the phone it would be embarrassing.

  “Why not? It makes perfect sense. You trust her. And you would trust whoever she might know.”

  Lori remembered Doc’s kind green eyes, how understanding she’d been. “I don’t want anyone to know where I am.”

  “Why? The authorities will want to take your statement and have you identify the person who shot you. You can’t stay hidden. Most likely, you’ll have to testify at a trial.”

  Lori wanted to stay hidden. She didn’t want to face Coop, his brothers, or Shorty. How could she? She’d accepted their generosity and been treated like a member of the family. All the while, she had been the wife of a would-be murderer and worse? They must be shocked, upset, and embarrassed. Donald was a criminal. Considering the Asian women there, was he involved in the child sex-slavery ring Coop was working on? She didn’t want to go there. There was no way to live it down if he were.

  “C’mon. Let’s look for a pay phone. The FBI can probably tell the call came from Tyler, but where would they go from there?”

  “I thought pay phones were dinosaurs in this technological world.”

  “They are…along with a few other things we thought were wonders when they first came on the market.”

  Lori wasn’t too sure about the call. Coop was smart. If he wanted to find her, he would. Then again, why would he? Now that he knew her past, he would forget she existed. But Matt was FBI. Mel was right. At some point she would have to testify. “Okay. I’ll make the call. I want a good doctor.”

  It took a while to find a phone. Finally, there was one in an out-of-the-way beer joint on the edge of Lindale. Even though it wasn’t noon, there were a few men on bar stools sipping their beer. The music was loud; the smell of beer enough to make Lori’s stomach churn.

  “We have to make this quick or I’m going to throw up.”

  “Hang in there,” Mel said as she dug quarters out of her purse. “Here. Make the call.”

  Lori tried to muffle the sounds coming from the jukebox. “Doc, it’s Lori.”

  “Ohmygod, Lori. Are you all right? I’ve been so worried.”

  “I’m so sorry about everything. Did you get your Cadillac back?”

  “I did. Coop told me what happened and gave me your note with the money, which by the way is too much. Now tell me where you are and how I can help?”

  Lori’s knees went weak. Doc was still willing to help her. Gratitude almost swept her off her feet. “I wanted to thank you for all you did for me. My memory came back when I called Coop and he told me where he was. I had to stop him. I knew my…husband would kill him. He gave his bodyguards, who I realize now were hired guns, orders to kill me and hide my body. I couldn’t let anything happen to Coop.” Lori forced back tears. She couldn’t cry now.

  “Where are you? I hear music in the background.”

  “I’m in Tyler and I need a favor.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I’m sure you know I’m pregnant from the tests I took. Do you know a doctor in this area? I want the best for my baby. Someone like you.”

  Doc chuckled, then gave the name of a woman she’d attended med school with. “You’ll like my friend. Her name is Susan Martin. Her office is behind Mother Frances Hospital. Will you stay in touch? Will you talk to Coop and let him know he’s going to be a dad?”

  Lori gasped. “How did you know?”

  “I’m not blind, Lori. I know love when I see it. If your baby isn’t Coop’s—now that would be a surprise.”

  “I’ll deal with it later. I’m still in shock about my real identity.”

  “I understand.”

  “How far along do you think I am?”

  Another chuckle. “You probably know better than I since I didn’t examine you.”

  “Not very far, then. I just missed my period.” The music grew louder. “I have to go. I’ll never be able to thank all of you enough. Tell Shorty I love her.”

  “What about Coop?”

  “Tell Coop I’m sorry.” And she hung up.

  By the time Mel led her to the car, Lori was in tears. Mel handed her a tissue and let her cry.

  An hour later, Lori had an appointment the next week with her new doctor. “Let’s eat,” Lori suggested. “All of a sudden, I’m hungry.”

  “You are eating for two,” Mel teased.

  Lori reached over and squeezed Mel’s hand. “I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re a strong woman. Look at how you survived the last five years. Yet you’re the same sweet Lanie I’ve always known.”

  “Lori.”

  “Lanie.”

  Lori laughed. “You’re stubborn.”

  “Takes one to know one. After we eat, where to?”

  “I need a car. I can’t use Mom’s. She has a busy social life with her bridge games and lunches with friends. And I still need a job.”

  “Then let’s get busy.”

  “Do you like your Toyota Corolla?”

  “I do. But you won’t qualify for a loan without a job.”

  “I’m thinking secondhand.” She turned in her seat. “Do you remember Rob Quinlin? His dad owned a car dealership. Are they still in business?”

  “They are. Rob runs the place since his dad had a heart attack.”

  “When did that happen?”

  “I think it’s been a couple of years now.”

  How much had gone on in her hometown over the years she’d spe
nt with Donald? It was sad to think she had left her friends behind without another thought. What kind of person did that make her?

  “I’m sorry, Mel. I haven’t been a very good friend, while you’ve been wonderful.”

  “We grew up together, Lanie. Do you think I would abandon you because you made a mistake? Friends don’t abandon friends.”

  “I feel bad. I couldn’t wait to get out of this town and make a new life. I screwed up badly. Thank you for standing by me.”

  “No thanks necessary.”

  They pulled into the parking lot of what was their favorite sandwich shop when they were in high school.

  “Are you still seeing Phil?”

  Phil and Mel had been dating a year. Lori thought they’d be engaged by now.

  “We are.” She sighed.

  “Why the sigh?”

  “I love the guy. I thought he’d propose by now.”

  “Maybe you’ll have to do the honors.”

  “Never.” Mel’s mouth set in a stubborn line.

  They talked, finished their meal, and left.

  Ten minutes later, Mel pulled into Quinlin Motors. “How much can you spend?”

  “Not over five thousand. It would be better if it was four. Let’s see what he has.” That would be most of her money. She couldn’t afford more.

  When they walked into Rob’s office he jumped from the chair behind his desk with arms outstretched. “Two of the most beautiful girls in class. How long has it been?”

  “Over five years. Haven’t we changed?” Mel wanted to know.

  “Other than being prettier, I can’t say you have.”

  Lori laughed. It was good to see Rob. He was no longer the lanky kid with bright blue eyes and hair that wouldn’t lie down. He had filled out. His shoulders were wide, his waist slim, and his dark brown hair was tamed with a nice haircut. But his blue eyes still held that old twinkle she remembered.

  “I recall the day you put a whoopee cushion in Ms. Lancaster’s chair. The class had to be dismissed, they laughed so loud.”

  Rob’s eyes lit up. “Most fun I had all that year.”

  “You almost got expelled.”

  “It was a joke. I think the principal took that into consideration when she put me on probation the rest of the year.”