by Leigh Riker
* * *
FINN DISLIKED HOSPITAL ROOMS almost as much as he hated accident scenes. Which was why, half an hour ago, he’d headed from the hospital to Cooper’s apartment, which was situated on a quiet side street.
Finn shivered. The heat was off, but it was the sight of his partner lying helpless in his hospital bed, tubes and monitors everywhere, that had chilled Finn. He turned on the heating system then prowled the apartment like a beat cop on patrol, from its small living room to the kitchenette then down the short hall to Cooper’s room. He’d left the double bed unmade. Dishes in the sink. A bachelor pad or signs of a man who’d been in a hurry to meet his fate? To sacrifice himself for Finn?
The memorabilia in this room told Cooper’s story. On the dresser stood a bunch of awards for high school and college football teams, a 4-H trophy for a calf he’d raised, a few junior rodeo buckles that reminded Finn of the posters in Jared Moran’s room and, more disturbingly, of Annabelle’s intention to travel, her one-way trip away from Barren.
The mementos and photographs of Cooper with his parents touched him, Cooper on graduation day from the police academy, a rangy teenage Cooper with his booted foot propped on a fence, his arm around a girl, against the view of a flattened landscape. Kansas, no doubt, and the family ranch outside of Farrier where Cooper had grown up—and was that girl Nell Sutherland? In all the pictures he looked the model of a healthy boy then a strong man in his prime.
During his brief visit, Finn was grateful that Cooper had been able to talk. He suspected nothing would shut Cooper up as long as he could draw breath.
What are you doing here? his friend had asked, voice slurred from painkillers. His hair, the color of sun, was dull and lank around his wan face. Get your kicks watching a man when he’s down?
You’ll be on your feet...in no time. The doctors weren’t that optimistic.
He’d groaned. First nurse who tries to get me out of this bed before I’m ready will find out why they call me Mr. Case Closed. He’d lifted a hand. Bam. Out for the count.
Right now I’m betting on the nurse, Finn had said.
Cooper had eyed Finn a little while later, as if he could see through him. You still here? Should be on your way home. I know the pull that place has on a man, the open space, the lowing of cattle, the wind through the cottonwoods... He’d closed his gray eyes. Don’t worry. I’ll be back in the saddle. So to speak.
Home, Finn had said. As soon as you’re good again, come see me.
Cooper had tried to straighten, but fell back against the pillows with a grunt. Kansas has been good for you. Your eyes don’t have the same look they did and your shoulders aren’t tensed up around your neck. He’d offered a weak smile. You’re already a happier man than the one who left here.
I will be, Finn had agreed. He didn’t mean with Annabelle or Emmie, though. Not after what he and Annabelle had said to each other.
Cooper’s gaze had sharpened. Let it be, Finn. Caroline and Alex are gone and look where I am. Don’t want you to end up the same way.
I won’t. Finn had touched his partner’s good shoulder, the one without a gauze bandage. Sure wish I could have you with me when—
Cut it out. With a softer moan, Cooper had eased away from his touch. If you’d been there last night maybe things would have ended differently, and sooner or later someone in that gang will mess up, but another cop will have to seal this deal. Not you, he said. For both of us, it ends now.
Finn hadn’t answered.
In Cooper’s empty apartment now he picked up a photo then set it down. Cooper was a big guy, taller than Finn with more muscle, a guy who could take care of himself. But in the ambush at the gang’s clubhouse, that had worked against him. Cooper always thought he was invincible. Now he lay in that hospital bed, eyes closed, face ashen, with half a dozen wounds, most of them serious. Looking as bad as Sierra had.
This was Finn’s battle to win, not Cooper’s. Always had been. And he’d nearly gotten his old partner killed. Well, with the ambush, that had changed. Even his quarrel with Annabelle finally fled from his mind. She’d accused him of becoming a bitter man, and what had he said? There’ll be no one else to suffer.
If this was the last thing he ever did, Finn had a score to settle.
* * *
WHEN ANNABELLE CAME out of the day care center a few days later, she found Elizabeth Barnes waiting for her in the parking lot. Annabelle’s step faltered. Was this to be a day of reckoning? She hadn’t seen Elizabeth since she’d gone to the mayor’s office; in fact, today she’d purposely brought Emmie a bit later than usual. What kind of reaction would his wife have?
Elizabeth approached her. “Can we talk?”
“Of course.” She followed Elizabeth to her car, a shiny high-end model. They sat in the front seat behind the tinted glass of the windshield, but Elizabeth’s gaze remained on the parking lot outside.
“I feel like I’m in some kind of spy novel,” she said, her eyes not meeting Annabelle’s. “But I don’t want any of my husband’s constituents to see us.”
Annabelle’s heart hurt. “No one would know what we’re talking about,” though Elizabeth must surely think everyone would. Obviously, after her husband’s betrayal, she felt exposed. “Most of the other parents have gone.” Annabelle saw only a few cars parked nearby, and she recognized most of those as belonging to Mary Whitman and two of her staff. “I’m so sorry about all of this. I never meant to hurt you.”
Elizabeth ignored the apology. “I’ve spoken with Harry. At length,” she added with a rueful glance at Annabelle. “He’s agreed to take a paternity test—if you’ll also provide a DNA sample from Emmie.”
She started to say I’d be happy to, then thought better of it. That would sound flippant and there was nothing lighthearted about this situation. Also, she really liked Elizabeth Barnes. She’d hoped they might be friends. She could even see her as a new member of the Girls’ Night Out.
“Yes,” Annabelle said about the sample. “That—at least—won’t be a problem.”
Elizabeth focused on the building that housed the day care center. Her expression was closed. “I can already guess what the results will be.”
Annabelle understood. “You mean, because Emmie and your Seth look so much alike.”
“And took to each other right away that first day.”
“It’s as if they sense some connection.”
They exchanged a solemn, knowing look. “I don’t want this to hurt either of them.” Elizabeth didn’t seem concerned about herself, only her family’s shattered privacy. “As long as we use discretion, no one else has to know.”
Did she think Annabelle would spread the word all over town? Annabelle wondered if Elizabeth was trying to protect Harry Barnes; or if her statement was meant, after Annabelle had confronted him, to thwart her from saying anything more.
“I don’t think the mayor’s reputation should be the first consideration,” she began but she didn’t get to finish.
“No, I worry about the children.” Elizabeth twisted her hands in her lap. “But I don’t intend to leave my husband either. This may be hard to understand... Harry made a dreadful mistake that has damaged our marriage, yet I do still love him. He’s agreed to see a counselor with me to talk about his infidelity. We’re spending next weekend in Kansas City to meet with her. I suppose we’ll have to see how that turns out, too.”
Annabelle laid a hand on hers. “You’re a fine person, Elizabeth. I don’t know that I could be that forgiving.”
“I haven’t forgiven yet, but I have three children,” she said. “I owe them an attempt to put things back together again with Harry.”
Annabelle’s voice shook. “I wouldn’t do anything to harm your family. Or my... Emmie.” She reached across the console to hug her. “I really am sorry.”
After a moment Elizabeth drew away with tears in her e
yes. “You’re not to blame. This was bound to surface sometime. The only people at fault are Harry—and Sierra Hartwell.” She paused. “If he really is Emmie’s dad, you may be sure my husband will provide support for her. I’ll see to it.”
And Annabelle felt like crying too.
* * *
ALONE IN HER bedroom that night Annabelle added her toiletry bag to her suitcase. What had she forgotten?
From across the hall came Emmie’s soft voice. She was playing both parts in some drama costarring her lamb Finnie. Emmie hadn’t spoken to her since breakfast when Annabelle had told her she’d be staying with Blossom and Logan. Emmie had pondered what that meant. “You too?”
“No, sweetie. I’m going away. Remember, we talked about that?”
The light dawned. “To you school?”
“Yes,” Annabelle said. “I would have taken you with me, but—”
“They don’t like kids?”
“Of course they do. It’s just...” She ran out of words. “You’ll have a better time at the Circle H.”
Annabelle hadn’t really slept much since the last Girls’ Night Out meeting, and after seeing Elizabeth earlier she doubted she would tonight. Yesterday Nell had come into the diner briefly to say goodbye. Then only last night, while Annabelle and Emmie were reading Janie, Jack Hancock’s offer for the diner had come in. Without countering the lower price, she had accepted his offer.
Faster than she’d ever thought, everything was falling into place. She should feel better about that than she did.
As for Finn, he was still in Chicago, which worried her. Had he gone, not about a storage locker, but because of that gang? Was he putting his life at risk? Annabelle didn’t have his cell phone number and wouldn’t see him before her flight to Phoenix, and maybe that was for the best. Still, if their quasi relationship was now over, she hated to leave without trying to make amends for her unkind words.
The voices in the other room stopped talking, and Emmie appeared, hair tousled, thumb stuck in her mouth. Her expression reminded Annabelle of her own mother, disapproving of whatever she did. Your place is right here. Don’t even think of going anywhere. Your father and I worked ourselves to death so you could have this diner. Annabelle had been too afraid to tell them that wasn’t what she wanted.
Emmie eyed the suitcase as if it were about to explode. “You go now?”
“Not yet,” she said. “Tomorrow. You can help me pack your things.”
In the morning Annabelle would drive her to the Circle H where Logan was keeping Finn’s dog and the horses in his absence.
“I see pony and Finn?”
“Um, not Finn.”
Emmie’s face clouded. “Where he go?”
“To Chicago—for a while—where he used to live.” Annabelle needed to put a more positive spin on this. “Freckles and Big Brown will be at the ranch,” she said. “You and Nick can ride.”
She’d expected Emmie to jump up and down when she learned her equine friends were waiting for her. Instead, she retreated to the door, keeping one eye on Annabelle’s suitcase.
“You don’t come back,” she said.
“Emmie. I’ll be back before you know I’m gone,” Annabelle said, wondering how she would explain the permanent separation that would follow. Emmie must still feel afraid of being left alone, as Sierra had often left her. Before she could run across the hall to her room, Annabelle caught Emmie in her arms. Kneeling on the wooden floor, she held her close. “Not like your mother. I promise, I’ll be home soon.”
But once Jack signed the papers for the diner and the house went on the market, events would happen even faster, and Emmie would be moving, too. She’d be fine with any of Annabelle’s friends, a much better solution for her than even Harry Barnes...
The DNA samples were now with the lab, but after his reaction Annabelle had wondered why Sierra extracted her promise to find Emmie’s father. Now she decided it couldn’t have been for emotional reasons. Sierra must have wanted his financial support for Emmie.
She kissed the top of Emmie’s head. By now she’d hoped to feel over the moon in her eagerness to start this long-delayed adventure. Yet that also meant leaving other people behind, her friends, who were like family to her. And Finn. She wished she hadn’t parted with him on bad terms.
How could she make this first journey less painful for Emmie? She had no way of knowing things would work out.
Emmie seemed a split second away from throwing another legendary tantrum and Annabelle braced herself. “I’m sorry you’re unhappy with me, sweetie. I don’t ever want to hurt you. I...I do love you, Em.”
She searched Annabelle’s face then nearly knocked her over with a hug. “Lub you too, A-bel.” Emmie pressed her face close. “We stay.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BEHIND A THICK cover of bushes, Finn crouched in the darkness. His gun drawn, he double-checked the area, making sure Jimmy O’Neill, Cooper’s new partner, and the rest of the task force the department had formed were in place. The cars and the SWAT team van had parked out of sight near another warehouse. There was more firepower on scene here than ever before. There wasn’t a cop in Chicago who didn’t want to bring down the gang that had so grievously wounded Cooper. After talking his way into the action for tonight, Finn had been deputized and given the go-ahead to serve as point man. They were all waiting for his signal—
A car pulled up, then a second, a third, and the members of The Brothers spilled out, laughing and talking among themselves as if they hadn’t a care in the world. As if they didn’t gun down innocent people like Finn’s family and Cooper without a thought.
He didn’t take his eyes off them. Adrenaline flooded through his body, and his heart slammed against his rib cage. The gang filed into their clubhouse, taking their time, and as they passed mere feet from him, Finn held still in the shadows. Tonight, probably not expecting trouble, they weren’t wearing masks, but he had no doubt they were as well armed as the day Caro and Alex died. Or the night Cooper got shot. His breath held, Finn watched their leader walk by so close Finn could have throttled him before he reached the door. Eduardo Sanchez.
Finn couldn’t move. He saw Jimmy O’Neill pop up and his questioning look from the bushes on the other side of the door, the tilt of his head toward Sanchez as if to say now?—but still, Finn felt paralyzed. There’d been a time when he would have given the signal with no more thought than Sanchez had of Finn’s family. If he didn’t act now... All he could think of was Annabelle, Emmie and the way he’d left things between them. Yet even that wasn’t what held him in place as if his feet were glued to the spot. If Sanchez turned and saw him, he would certainly try to kill Finn. In the next few seconds he could die here. Once, he’d thought that wouldn’t matter. He’d already lost his wife, his son, the baby. There’ll be no one else to suffer, he’d told Annabelle.
But that wasn’t true. She would suffer. Emmie would, too. A few angry words from Annabelle—most of them on-target about Finn—didn’t change the fact that he cared about her, about Emmie. Even cared about himself again.
Finn had a choice to make. He could either signal the task force to move or stand here frozen as he had the last time he met up with Eduardo Sanchez. He’d never told Annabelle that. He could lose his own life.
Yet he’d come this far. He had to finish what Sanchez had started. As the last guy entered the clubhouse, Finn caught Jimmy O’Neill’s eye.
With no more hesitation Finn gave the hand signal then exploded from his hiding spot and kicked in the door. Sanchez whirled and Finn leveled his gun at the center of Sanchez’s forehead. “Freeze! Police!”
Everything happened fast—a burst of shots from the other members of the gang, returning gunfire from Finn’s men and the SWAT team. A few seconds and it was over. One dead, two others hurt, all bad guys. Finn headed straight for Sanchez’s girlfriend, the one who ha
d pretended to be Cooper’s informant and gotten him shot. She’d never been Sanchez’s ex. In her ear, he growled the Miranda rights as he snapped on handcuffs. “This is for Cooper Ransom.”
Next, he crossed the warehouse to where Jimmy had his gun trained on Sanchez. “Give me a second,” he told the other cop.
“Careful, Donovan.”
Finn’s pulse thundered loud enough to be heard. He snatched another pair of handcuffs from Jimmy then jerked Sanchez’s wrists behind his back, hearing the satisfying clink of the cuffs lock into place. “And this is for Caroline and Alex.”
Sanchez only stared at him over his shoulder, his dark eyes blank. His gaze didn’t flicker, and Finn thought in shock, He doesn’t even remember who they were.
* * *
WITH A DETERMINED squaring of her shoulders, Annabelle turned at the bottom of the Circle H’s porch steps. Like the diner, the house and Barren, the ranch would soon be out of sight and out of her life for the next ten days. As she got into her car, she snapped a mental picture of Emmie standing in the door to the house, holding a Popsicle. Who knew it would be this hard to actually leave this defenseless child, even though she knew Logan and Blossom would take great care of her?
Lub you too, A-bel. After hearing that simple statement last night, Annabelle had sat on the floor of the hallway holding Emmie in her arms, wanting to never let go.
Blinking, she tooted the horn, gave a last wave then pulled out onto the long driveway that led to the road, to her future. She wouldn’t look back. Wouldn’t cry. Stop those tears, her father would say. Or I’ll give you something to cry about. Usually, that had meant locking Annabelle in the dark closet. But thanks in part to Finn, that space had ceased to hold such terror for her.
Half a mile down the country lane, she pulled over, telling herself she’d only braked hard to avoid a rabbit leaping across her path. After the bunny disappeared into the thick grass by the road, Annabelle leaned her head on her crossed arms against the steering wheel. Despite the memory of her father’s words, she wept.