by Laura Scott
“I’m fine. My feet don’t hurt at all.” She frowned. “How bad are they?”
“Not as bad as they’d originally feared,” the nurse said frankly. She took a few steps into the room. “My name is Renee, and I’ll be your nurse until seven thirty. I learned in the report that the team in the ER used a burn cream to cover the wounds. The plan is to change the dressings around your feet and ankles twice a day.”
Jayme automatically glanced at the clock. “I assume that’s six thirty in the evening? Not in the morning?”
“Yes, in the evening. You were brought up to your room about ninety minutes ago.” Renee crossed over to run her gaze over the IV pump. “Is there anything you need?”
“Ice water, if it’s allowed.”
“Oh, sure. Clear liquids are allowed, but nothing more yet. I’ll be right back.” Renee disappeared, returning a few minutes later with ice water.
Nothing had ever tasted so good.
“As long as I’m here, I’ll need to check your vitals. Give me a minute to find a computer.” Renee disappeared again, returning with a computer mounted to a wheeled cart. She opened the computer, then typed a bit before going on to check her blood pressure, pulse, and respiration.
Jayme wished she could see her chart. “I hate to ask, but the doctor in the ER told me he’d do a toxicology test because I’d been drugged by the man who started the fire. Can you give me the results?”
“Really? How awful.” Renee looked horrified. “Yes, I see a tox screen was done, looks like it was positive for benzodiazepines.”
“For what?”
“It’s medications like Valium.” Renee frowned. “I’m sorry to hear you were drugged by someone.”
Jayme grimaced. “I’ll be fine. But one last question before you go, any idea when I should expect the next dressing change?”
“I’m not sure about that one.” Renee tapped the computer screen. “Dr. Sharma put the orders in, but I haven’t seen anything about the next dressing change. I’m sure he’ll be in later to discuss the treatment plan.”
Jayme smiled. “Okay, thanks.”
“Call if you need anything.”
After the nurse left, Jayme tried to relax. She stared up at the TV hanging on the wall but didn’t bother to turn it on. She’d never watched any television and wasn’t sure she wanted to start now.
She must have dozed off again because a strange sound startled her. She blinked, assuming the doctor had arrived.
But the man who entered her room was wearing an eye patch and a face mask. The Preacher? How had he known where she was?
Jayme hit the call light, then jumped out of bed, ignoring the pain in her feet as she stood.
This time, she wasn’t going to let him touch her.
Never again!
Chapter Fourteen
Linc ran his hands through his hair, swallowing a wave of frustration. Where was Shepard? His face had been plastered all over every single squad in the police force, and a BOLO—a be on the lookout—for him had been issued so that every officer would be on high alert.
He’d requested officers to be staked out in the front and back of Shepard’s apartment building too. Linc had gone as far as to check his house, unwilling to put anything past this guy.
Still, there had been no sign of him.
Linc didn’t like the fact that Shepard had gotten away in the first place, although there was nothing else he could have done. Jayme’s feet and ankles had been burned despite his efforts to rescue her from the fire.
According to the hospital, her burns weren’t as bad as he’d originally feared. He’d claimed to be her fiancé in order to get information from the doc. He’d be there now, except he was determined to find Shepard.
Deep down, he couldn’t deny how much he liked the idea of Jayme being his fiancée. Which was crazy because he’d sworn an oath to never replace Gina and Melody.
God had clearly put him in this situation for a reason. Linc had assumed his role was to bring Jayme to God, to heal the emotional wounds the Preacher had inflicted upon her. Yet they’d grown close over the past few days.
More than close.
She’d kissed him. And now he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her again. He’d told himself the circumstances of their relationship had been heightened by the never-ending danger. The ongoing and escalating attacks against her.
Against both of them.
How would she feel about him once things had gone back to normal? Did they even have that much in common? He wasn’t sure. Maybe once her feet had healed, they could go out for dinner, maybe see a movie.
Go out on a real date.
He drove to the hospital and parked in the surface lot. He texted Devon who reported everything was quiet at the hotel. The girls were watching movies, although Caitlyn continued to ask about Jayme. Linc had insisted that Caitlyn stay with Devon until they caught the Preacher.
Linc sent a message stating he was heading up to her room now to check on her and would report back. Devon had sent the a-okay emoji.
He smiled as he pushed out of the driver’s side door. Staying away from the hospital had been incredibly difficult. He’d wanted to stay, to watch over Jayme, but his primary focus had been to help the Sevierville police track down Adam Shepard a.k.a. Simon Penske, a.k.a. the Preacher.
His goal had been to bring Jayme good news of the guy’s arrest. Unfortunately, he was coming empty-handed. He strode into the hospital and asked at the front desk about which room Jayme was in.
“Take the elevator to the third floor and head to the right,” the woman instructed. “Room 320 is right at the end of the hallway.”
“Got it, thanks.” The directions were easy to follow. As he stepped off the elevator, he heard the dinging of a call light and a muffled cry, followed by a loud crash.
Jayme!
Linc barreled into room 320 and gaped in surprise at the man in scrubs who was stretched out on the floor beneath an IV pump. It took only a second for him to realize the guy was Shepard.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jayme gasped as she collapsed onto the bed, wincing in pain. “He just waltzed right into my room, holding a syringe. I think he decided to just kill me outright rather than trying to set another fire.”
“Looks like you fought back,” he said with grim satisfaction. There was a large, jagged wound on the top of Shepard’s head from the edge of the IV pump that was bleeding profusely. He couldn’t garner much sympathy for the guy.
“I—wasn’t going to let him get close. Not like last time.” She let out a shuddering breath. “I didn’t realize who he was outside the clinic until he grabbed my elbow and did that weird curl around the bone with his index finger the way he did thirteen years ago.” She shivered. “Before I could react, though, he drugged me. But not this time. I can’t even explain how I was able to swing that IV pump at him. It wasn’t heavy at all.”
Linc took a moment to find ties to restrain Shepard’s arms behind his back and to check for a pulse before crossing over to her. Shepard was still alive, but Linc didn’t call for more help. Instead, he sat on the edge of her bed and draped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry he got in here, Jayme. I have the entire police force looking for him, but I figured his goal was to escape. Not to double back here in an attempt to finish you off.”
She leaned against him as if suddenly weary. “I didn’t expect to see him either. I . . . knew he was obsessed with me, but this?” She shook her head. “I couldn’t believe it when he showed up.”
A nurse rushed into the room, gaping in horror at the body on the floor. “What happened?”
“He tried to kill me, so I hit him in the head with the IV pole.” Jayme’s voice was still hoarse, likely from the smoke from the fire.
“He’s not dead, but you’ll need a gurney to take him down to the emergency department.” Keeping his arm around Jayme, he used one hand to call Captain Barstow. “Shepard is here at the hospital, he tr
ied to attack Jayme.”
“I’ll send two squads there right away,” Barstow said.
“No rush,” Linc drawled. “Jayme hit him in the head with an IV pump.”
“Really? Wow, that’s amazing. I’m glad she was able to do that, he deserves it,” Barstow chortled.
“No kidding.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Jayme’s head. He knew it was wrong to be glad Shepard was hurt, but he couldn’t help feeling satisfied at how Jayme had taken him down. “She’s strong, and this time he’ll pay for his crimes. They’ll take him to the ER for care, his head is bleeding like a sieve, but I want officers sitting on him twenty-four seven the entire time he’s here. We cannot allow him to escape again.”
“Done,” Barstow agreed. “I’ll have the officers meet you down there.”
“Okay.” He disconnected from the call. The nurse who’d come to check in on them returned with a gurney. Linc didn’t want to leave Jayme’s side, but he forced himself to ease away. “I need to help them.”
Jayme gave a jerky nod. “I know.”
He removed the ties around Shepard’s wrists and assisted with lifting him up and onto the gurney. Then he shackled one wrist to the gurney. “This stays in place until the officers arrive, understand?”
The nurse looked uneasy. “The doctor won’t like it.”
“Too bad. He’s wanted for numerous crimes, including arson, kidnapping, and attempted murder.” Linc drilled her with a narrow glare. “He looks helpless, but no matter what he tells you, don’t believe it. He’s a very dangerous man.”
The nurse blanched. “Okay, so you’re coming down to the ER with us, right?”
He needed to, but he glanced at Jayme. Her feet were up on the bed now, and he wondered if she’d injured herself worse because of this. “Yeah, I’m coming with you. Just give me a minute.” He returned to her side, gazing down at her.
“I know you have to go.” Jayme’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I understand. At least we know he won’t hurt anyone else ever again.”
“Jayme.” He lifted her chin, encouraging her to meet his gaze. “I’ll be back up here as soon as the officers arrive to relieve me, okay? You won’t be alone for long.”
“I know. I’ll be fine.”
He wanted nothing more than to pull her close and kiss her, but with the staff in the hallway and Shepard lying on the hospital gurney, this wasn’t the time or the place to tell her what was in his heart.
He forced himself to take a step backward. “I’ll be back soon,” he repeated huskily.
She nodded, this time a real smile curling the corners of her mouth. “Thank you, Linc. For everything.”
Her gratitude was like a kick to his gut because he’d failed her more often than not. He’d managed to get her out of the fire, but everything else she’d accomplished had been on her own. She’d been forced to smack Shepard in the head with an IV pump because he’d underestimated the guy.
Linc turned and followed the hospital staff who were pushing the gurney to the elevator. The trip down to the ER didn’t take long, and soon the medical team was shouting orders as they cared for Shepard’s head injury.
Linc stood back and watched. Shepard was starting to wake up, which likely meant he’d survive long enough to spend the rest of his life in prison.
He was okay with that.
“We need to get him into the CT scanner,” one doc said in a loud tone. “We need to make sure he doesn’t have internal bleeding into his brain.”
“The scanner is ready, but the shackles need to come off.” One of the nurses looked at him. “You need to release him.”
“Not happening.” Linc stepped forward. “I’ll go with him to the scanner, and then release him long enough to get him moved into the machine.”
The doc muttered something uncomplimentary beneath his breath.
“This man tried to start a woman on fire.” His tone was sharp. “He’ll remain in police custody until he’s stable enough for jail, is that understood?”
A hush fell over the room as that information hit home. The doc nodded. “Fine. Keep him shackled.”
Linc followed the gurney down the hall to radiology. He removed the cuffs long enough for Shepard to be placed on the table, then he replaced them. He was soon joined by two police officers, Simons and Hill.
He gave them a nod. “Looks like you’re pulling some overtime duty.”
“We volunteered,” Hill said. “This guy is a menace to society.”
“Yeah, and it’s bad enough Ms. Weston had to be the one to bring him down,” Simons added. “The least we can do is keep him in custody.”
“Thanks,” Linc said, meaning it. The cops he’d worked with were great guys, from Captain Barstow all the way down the line.
Which reminded him of Devon. Linc needed to report in, very soon. But he didn’t want to do that without checking in to see if Jayme’s feet were okay.
“I’m heading upstairs to sit with Jayme,” he told them. “Don’t let Shepard out of your sight.”
“We won’t,” Hill assured him. Then he frowned and added, “Will Ms. Weston be all right?”
“Yes, she’ll be fine.” At least he hoped she hadn’t injured her feet worse while fighting off Shepard. He nodded at the two men, then quickly returned to the elevator, tapping his foot impatiently as he made his way to the third floor.
Her door was open, but he rapped on it anyway. “Jayme? It’s Linc, can I come in?”
“Yes.”
Upon entering the room, he noticed Captain Barstow standing there. Barstow turned toward him. “I was just following up with Ms. Weston, apologizing for the way Shepard managed to get in here.”
“I told him you’d already apologized for that,” Jayme said. Her expression looked weary, as if she’d used all her strength to fight off Shepard. “I’m just glad he’s in custody.”
“You’re an amazing woman, Ms. Weston,” Barstow said.
Linc squelched the flash of jealousy. Jayme deserved every bit of respect she’d won from the police department.
And more.
Once Barstow left, he crossed the room to sit in the chair beside her. “How are your feet?” he asked.
“Fine.” Jayme shrugged. “The doc stopped in to change the bandages, told me that standing up for that short amount of time didn’t cause any long-term damage.”
“I’m relieved to hear that.” He reached out and took her hand, for his peace of mind more than hers.
“I tried to call Caitlyn, but she didn’t answer.” Jayme glanced at him. “She’s okay, right?”
“I spoke to Devon right before I came up to see you. He told me Caitlyn and Annette were watching movies.” He handed her his phone. “Go ahead and call her.”
She entered the number and lifted the phone to her ear. “Caitlyn? Are you okay?”
Linc couldn’t hear the other part of the conversation but became alarmed when he noticed her tears.
“When you didn’t answer the phone earlier, I panicked,” Jayme said. “I guess I should have figured you wouldn’t answer an unknown number.”
Linc made a mental note to track down her cell phone. The hospital must have stashed her belongings somewhere.
“I’m fine, especially now that the Preacher has been arrested. You don’t have to worry about him ever again, Cait.”
The guy had targeted Jayme, not her sister, but he understood Jayme’s concern. He’d been worried the guy would go after Caitlyn as a surrogate too.
Never again.
Jayme swiped at her face as she handed him the phone. “Thanks. I was going crazy here without being able to talk to anyone.”
“I understand, but you won’t be alone anymore. I’m staying here until you’re released.”
Her blue eyes widened. “Oh, I’m not sure that’s necessary, Linc. I know you still have things to do.”
“Nothing as important as this,” he insisted.
“I’m safe now that the Preache
r has been arrested.” She stared at her bandaged feet. “Sounds like I’ll be discharged by tomorrow anyway. No need for you to stay here all night.”
He frowned, trying to understand what she was telling him. “You don’t want me to stay with you?”
“I—um, it’s not that.” Jayme rubbed at the scar on her hand, a gesture he’d come to realize meant she was nervous. “I don’t want you to feel obligated. I’m not in danger anymore. You have your life, Linc, and I need to get back to mine.”
Her house was a crime scene, not to mention fire and water damaged, but he sensed she was talking about the two of them.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” she went on. “You’ve been wonderful to me and Caitlyn.”
It sounded a lot like she was telling him goodbye. And while he was the one who’d told her there couldn’t be anything more than friendship between them, everything that had transpired in the past few hours had changed his mind about that.
He cared about her, had even fallen in love with her.
But that didn’t mean she felt the same way about him.
Jayme was holding herself together with a string and a prayer. She knew Linc wasn’t interested in a relationship and had given him the perfect opportunity to leave.
“Truly, I’m fine,” she said, trying to convince herself just as much. “You don’t have to stay and play babysitter.”
“What if I want to stay?” Linc leaned forward and grasped her hand. Her fingers automatically curled around his. “I care about you, Jayme. I only left you alone so I could try to find Shepard. We found his apartment, and I arranged officers to stake the place out in case he returned.”
That bit of information surprised her. “He had an apartment?”
“Near the physical therapy clinic.” Linc held her gaze. “The moment I knew you were missing, I did everything possible to find you. Even convincing the clinic therapists, Sandra and Jake, to give me a list of their clients.”
“But that’s confidential information!” Jayme couldn’t help being shocked by what Sandra and Jake had done.