by Jill Sanders
He still couldn’t believe how lucky he’d been to spot her. It wasn’t as if he’d driven by the shop on purpose. Okay, maybe he had. But when he’d found the front door locked, he’d decided to drive by the back to see if her car was parked in its spot. Instead, he’d found her crumpled up on the dirty ground.
He couldn’t explain the flash of panic that had rushed through him or how his hands had shaken when he’d radioed it in.
Even now, he found it difficult to focus on his job because of his worry for Suzie. It was because of her that he took his time looking around the alley for clues. None of the other two shops in the building had security cameras or employees that had been there during the attack.
“Hey,” Simon said as he approached him. “I finally finished up with the fender bender on the highway and thought I’d come and lend a hand. How’s Suzie?”
“Last I heard she was in getting scans,” he told the other man as David pulled his patrol car next to them.
“Bradley Rupert posted bail late last night,” David said as he stepped out of his patrol car.
“What?” Aiden’s temper flared. “Who the hell posted bail for him?”
David ran his hands through his graying hair. “His cousin, Carl.”
Aiden glanced around the alley and questioned if Brad Rupert would go as far as to attack Suzie. It was her shop displays that he’d destroyed, but the Robertses were the ones going after him for damages to their flower beds and oak tree. Suzie was dealing with her insurance about the displays, but he didn’t think Bradley knew about that yet.
“Think the old man has it in him to hurt Suzie like that?” David asked.
“I was asking myself the same question.”
“Might be worth a trip out to ask him ourselves,” Simon suggested.
“I’ll—”
“No, I’ll go.” Simon stopped him. “You’re too involved. Why don’t you head on down to Edgeview and let us deal with this?”
He glanced around the alley once more and knew there was nothing there. Nothing that could help him determine who had attacked Suzie.
“Keep me posted on what you find,” he said as he started towards his patrol car.
“And you keep us posted on how Suzie’s doing,” Simon replied.
The entire drive to Edgeview, he thought about how seeing Suzie like that had affected him. He kept trying to convince himself that he was so worried about her because he’d known her all his life. But the fact was, he cared more about her than anyone else he’d been with. And he hadn’t even really been with her yet. Not like he’d dreamed of over the past week since seeing her in the rain.
By the time he found her family sitting in the waiting room outside her private room, he had convinced himself that his feelings for her were worth exploring further. Even if it meant hanging around Pride a little longer.
“How’s she doing?” he asked her father.
Todd stood up and shook his hand.
“The scans came back with no broken bones, but Aaron’s keeping her overnight for observation. She has a bruised kidney and two bruised ribs. She’s resting right now. Her mother’s in there with her.”
“Did you find the bastard that did this to my sister?” Matt asked.
“We’re still looking,” Aiden answered.
They all looked over as Aaron walked down the hallway towards them.
He shook the man’s hand.
“I thought you should know we took samples from Suzie’s head wound.” He handed over a small bag with small rust-colored particles in it. “Whatever was used to hit her, it was rusty and dull.”
He thought of the lab he had back in Portland. He could have taken this and easily had it analyzed, probably coming up with what sort of weapon had been used. Instead, the small room in the sheriff station would have to do.
“Thanks.” He tucked the bag into his pocket and glanced towards the door.
“I’m sure you can head in if you want,” Sara said, moving over to his side and touching his arm.
He followed her to the door. She poked her head inside and asked her mom. “Is it okay if Aiden comes in for a few moments?”
A few seconds later, Megan Jordan stepped out and hugged him. “Thank you for finding and taking care of her.”
He nodded and swallowed back his emotions. Then he quietly stepped into the darkened room.
Taking a breath at the door, he moved slowly towards the bed.
Suzie was fast asleep, her messy blonde hair fanned out around her face. A large dark bruise ran down her left cheek, and there were several scratches on her chin and cheek.
He reached up gently to touch her face, brushing a finger down her other pale perfect cheek.
When her eyes opened, he smiled. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She smiled up at him. “I was dreaming about you.”
His eyebrows shot up as he moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed. “Oh?” He could see now that her eyes were unfocused and could tell she was under the influence of some painkillers. “Was it a dirty dream?”
Her smile grew. “You kissed me in places,” she said with a sigh. “It was nice.”
“Hm.” He sighed, “Maybe when you get out of here, I’ll fill that order.” He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her bruised knuckles.
“Aiden.” She tugged on his hand. “Thank you.”
“Any time.” He felt his growing frustration that he hadn’t been there sooner to catch the bastard who had hurt her.
“Can I borrow your phone?” She leaned up slightly. “I want to make sure Kate got the wedding order done in time. My family didn’t want me to worry, but I’d like to know.”
He glanced towards the door and pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her.
He listened while she talked to Kate. The moment she relaxed back; he knew she’d gotten the answer she’d hoped for.
When she hung up and handed him the phone, he tucked it away and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yes. The bride was pleased and loved the flowers.” He watched her close her eyes and could tell that she was tired again.
“Rest,” he said softly.
“Will you be here when I wake?”
“I’ll try,” he promised her as she drifted off again. He watched her sleep for a few moments, then leaned over her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before he stepped out so her mother could return to her side.
He was filling Matt in on Bradley Rupert’s release when Simon called him on his radio. Aiden stepped out of the hallway into a small private area to take the call.
“Bradley Rupert spent the night on his cousin’s sofa. Apparently the two of them spent the night celebrating Brad’s freedom and can’t remember much of last night,” Simon added.
Aiden let out a low curse and glanced around. “Bring them both in for questioning,” he barked out as he walked towards the exit.
“Hey.” Matt caught up with him as he waited for the elevator. “What do you have?”
Just then someone squealed and they both looked towards the sound. Blake stood at the end of the hallway with water pooling at her feet. Her eyes rushed up to find Matt’s.
“Holy shit.” Matt rushed to his wife. “I’m having a baby.” He took his wife carefully in his arms.
Aiden smiled as he stepped into the elevator. “I’ll be back,” he promised his friend. “Congratulations.”
When he walked into the station, Brad and his cousin Carl were chained to a desk. Both men were spewing explanations and yelling curse words. Their voices echoed through the station.
When Bradley spotted him, he turned his attention to him.
“Come on, Aiden, I didn’t do nothing to no one,” Brad yelled across the room to him.
Aiden took his time walking across the room to sit at the desk closest to Brad. He made a show of removing his gun and locking it in the drawer before turning to the man, who was now quietly watching him.
“I told Simo
n…” he started, but when Aiden’s eyebrows rose, he shut his mouth.
“Where were you this morning around eight-forty?” he asked calmly.
The older man’s eyes darted towards his cousin.
“Don’t look at him for answers,” he growled. “Look at me.” The older man’s eyes moved back to him.
“As far as I know, I was passed out on Carl’s sofa,” Brad answered. “But I’m not sure what time we finally made it back to Carl’s place this morning.”
“Was the sunup?” he asked.
“Shit, yeah.” The old man looked happy about it. “We partied all night…” He dropped off. “Course we got a ride home.” He cleared his throat.
“How old are you?” he asked the man.
“Just turned sixty-eight,” Brad said with a smile.
“Don’t you think you’re a little old to be partying all night every night?”
“It’s not every day you get out of jail,” Brad answered. “Your old man just puts me in the pen until I sober up.”
“I’ve talked to my old man,” he said with a slight smile. “He ensured me that you’ve never parked your car in anyone’s front yard or taken out a business’s display before.”
“True.” The man frowned. “Are you sure it was me driving?”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “Did you attack Suzie Jordan behind her store this morning around eight-forty?”
“No!” The man jerked in his seat. “I was asleep. I swear.”
Aiden glanced over to the man’s cousin, Carl. “Where were you at eight-forty this morning?”
“Shit, I was with my man Brad,” Carl said with a smile.
Aiden could tell that the guy was still a little buzzed. He knew that Brad was a seasoned drunk, but the younger Carl obviously took a lot longer to recover from a bender.
Pulling a small bag from his pocket, he held it up. “I don’t suppose that either of you own a rusty tool?” The men looked at him like he’d grown an extra head. “Mind if I look around your place while you wait it out in the tank?”
“Shit, man, search my place all you want. I got nothing to hide,” Carl threw out.
He turned to Brad who sort of paled. “I…sure, but if you find anything… illegal, you’ll overlook it?”
Aiden chuckled as he stood up and motioned to Simon. “You can toss them in the tank until I get back.”
“Sure thing,” Simon answered.
Chapter 13
By the time her dinner was rolled in, Suzie was sitting up surrounded by her family. Well, all of them except for Matt and Blake, who were on the obstetrics unit on the floor above them.
The entire family was on edge, waiting for news of the baby. Her parents disappeared upstairs several times, making trips back down to her room to check on her occasionally.
She kept telling them she was fine and to remain upstairs to wait for the baby, but they continued to worry about her. Sara remained by her side the entire time while Parker sat in the corner watching the game on the muted television.
“You guys should be upstairs waiting for the new baby,” she said for the tenth time. “Who’s got the kids?”
“Carrie and Josh have them for tonight,” Sara answered with a smile. “I think they’re trying to decide if they want two kids or one.”
Suzie’s eyebrows arched. The slight move caused her pain. “Are they expecting?”
Sara laughed. “Not that they’re telling anyone. But I have my suspicions.”
Just then a knock sounded on the door and Parker jumped up to answer it. A nurse walked in and checked on her and hit a button on the machine next to her. A few minutes later, she was groggy and fell asleep while listening to her sister talk to Parker.
When she woke sometime after that, her head ached, and she was sitting up with another tray of food in front of her. Her sister and Parker were gone, replaced by her dad, who sat watching a game on the muted television set.
She heard another knock on her door and her father walked over to open it. Aiden walked in, and she noticed instantly that he was no longer wearing his uniform.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, stopping beside the bed. She had just finished a cup of soup and some Jell-O and was desperately wishing for something more. Everything was still a little foggy, and she couldn’t remember the last hour or so. She glanced at the window and intuitively knew it was nighttime but didn’t remember how long she’d been awake. When her stomach growled, she wondered why she had only been given the soup and the Jell-O.
“I’m starving.” She groaned slightly.
He surprised her by pulling a brown bag from behind his back. “Burger?”
She reached for it, but he pulled it away and smiled down at her. “What’ll you give me?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “A knuckle sandwich if you don’t hand over the meat.”
He chuckled and handed it to her, then sat down.
“I’m going to head upstairs and get your mother. It’s time we went home,” her father said. He disappeared quickly.
“Well, that was smooth,” Suzie said between bites of the burger and shoving fries in her mouth.
“Slow down, it’s not going anywhere,” he said with a chuckle.
“No. The mean nurse I have will probably pump my stomach if she finds out I was eating this.” She shoved the rest of the burger in her mouth as she glanced at the door.
“Want me to stand guard?” he joked.
“Please.” She motioned towards the door.
He shrugged and stood up to stand by the door.
When he spotted a nurse heading towards the door, he rushed over and took the bag from her and sat down just as the door opened. Pulling out the last fry he smiled at the woman as he shoved it into his mouth.
The older heavy-set woman narrowed her eyes at him then turned back to Suzie.
“Are you done with your dinner?” the woman asked Suzie.
“Yes,” she replied as she moved her tray away. “It was fine. I wish there was more, but…” She shrugged.
“We’re not sure how your stomach is going to handle food. A lot of people with head injuries have problems keeping food down.” She glanced at him as he wadded up the bag and tossed it in the trash beside him. “When I know that you can handle this, I’ll bring you up something more.”
“Thank you,” Suzie said cheerfully.
As the woman left, she held in a chuckle and rested back. Her headache was almost completely gone now thanks to the rest and the food. With the lights down low and a full stomach, she felt herself growing more tired as Aiden updated her on what they had found or, actually, what they hadn’t found.
“It’s totally frustrating. If your shop had been next to your cousins, there are cameras everywhere. But since the other two stores next to you are pretty much empty, there wasn’t even anyone around to witness the attack. If I hadn’t driven by…” He grew silent, and she opened her eyes. He was frowning down at his hands.
“Why did you stop by?” she asked, suddenly curious.
His eyes moved up to hers and he shrugged. “I was making the rounds.”
Something told her that he wasn’t telling her the complete truth. “Thank you,” she said, reaching out her hand. “I could have laid there until Kate showed up.” She shivered thinking about lying on the alley floor for another forty minutes.
He looked down at their joined hands and sighed. “The truth is”—his eyes moved up to hers— “I came over to apologize to you.”
She waited silently as he struggled to come up with the right words.
“I only wanted to come back here and fill in for my dad.” His eyes moved back to where he was rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. The slow soft movement was sending vibrations through her entire body. “I hadn’t expected to run into you and for”—he motioned between them with his other hand— “whatever this is between us to happen.”
She couldn’t stop the smile or the warmth from spreading even further into her heart.
<
br /> “But?” she asked when he stopped.
His eyes moved back up to hers. “I don’t think I can make any promises. I still have commitments in Portland once I’m done here. But if you’re willing to be patient with me…”
“Aiden, is this your way of asking me out?” she teased.
He rolled his eyes. “If you’ll have me, I’d like that. Once you get out of here, that is.”
She nodded quickly. “I think I can stomach another dinner with you.”
He chuckled and lifted her knuckles to his lips. The contact had her wishing she weren’t lying in a hospital bed bruised and concussed.
He stayed with her until the nurse kicked him out. Half an hour later, just as she was falling asleep, he snuck back in and sat beside her until she fell asleep.
When she woke, he was gone, and her parents were quietly arguing in the corner of the room.
“What?” She groaned and tried to sit up. She winced when her ribs and back ached.
Her mother rushed to her side. “Oh, you’re awake. How are you feeling this morning?”
She rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Like I did when I got bucked off Uncle Iian’s horse Rupert.”
Her father chuckled from the corner. “Sorry,” he said when her mom glared at him. “That was one dumb horse.”
“All of Iian’s horses were dumb,” her mother put in, causing her father to laugh even more as he moved next to the bed.
“Why were you two arguing?” she asked, hitting the button so the bed would sit up.
“We weren’t arguing,” her mother said.
At the same time, her father said, “Your mother wants you to come and stay at home until you’re better.”
“I don’t—” she started, but her mother tilted her head at her, and Suzie shut her mouth. Instead of arguing, she changed the subject. “Do we have a baby yet?” she asked, remembering a little more of last night.
“Yes.” Her father frowned down at her. “You don’t remember…” He shook his head. “Now I’m in agreement with your mother. You’re coming to stay with us.” He crossed his arms over his chest.