by Regan Black
When she didn’t reply, he took his eyes off the road and discovered she was unconscious again. He reached over and gave her shoulder a shake. All that did was cause her head to loll forward, that heavy curtain of red-gold silk falling over her face.
He swore and, thankful for the complete lack of traffic at this hour, stomped on the gas pedal. Better a speeding ticket than another Gage falling into trouble at the hands of a Colton.
He didn’t for a moment believe Demi killed Bo, but the Red Ridge rumor mill loved to toss gasoline on the fire of the Colton-Gage feud. As if they couldn’t manage the mutual hatred without outside interference. Until the RRPD identified a better suspect, the going theory of the Groom Killer case was the only theory.
For the first time in his career, he understood the sense of pervasive helplessness that came with an inability to bring justice to a victim. It wasn’t a comfortable sensation and he refused to dwell on anything that gave him common ground with the decorated Sergeant Gage, the officer who’d inexplicably framed him.
He pulled up at the emergency room entrance and told Stumps to stay while he went around and lifted Danica from the passenger seat. He carried her inside and gave her name to the nurse at the information desk.
The nurse’s eyes went wide as she recognized Danica’s name and his face. Shane nearly snapped that he was the rescuer, not the perp. Similar claims had never helped him before so he didn’t bother now. He could feel the speculation from people in the waiting area close enough to overhear them, but he resisted the urge to glare at them.
“What happened?” the nurse asked, escorting him through the doors to an available treatment bay, and he situated Danica on the bed. A male nurse hurried in, asking for information.
“She was drugged earlier and found unconscious.” He pushed a hand through his short hair as he explained what he knew. “She came around on her own just before 11:00 p.m. and was doing fine. She refused to let the paramedics transport her. On the way over, we were talking and then she just blacked out.”
“All right. We’ll take it from here,” the nurse said, nudging him clear so he could do a blood draw.
“I’ll notify her brother that she’s here,” Shane said as he ducked out.
He’d done his part getting her here and he could leave with a clear conscience. So he had no logical explanation for why he parked the car and walked back into the hospital with Stumps at his side. In the waiting room, he sent Carson a text message that Danica was being evaluated.
Telling himself it was a simple courtesy and he’d leave as soon as someone from her family arrived, he found an out-of-the-way corner to wait. Stumps stretched out at his feet, resting his chin on his paws. Soon soft snores were coming from the tired corgi. Shane thought he had the right idea. He leaned back against the wall and tried to rest his eyes.
Instead, his mind tortured him with the images of Danica sprawled awkwardly on the grass and her disorientation when she’d come to. Contrary to public opinion, he didn’t actively wish her or any of her siblings harm. He was thankful the attacker had used a drug to clear a path to steal the prized Malinois rather than overpower her with brute force that might have been deadly. For all her skill as an expert dog trainer, she couldn’t change the fact that she was petite.
He sat forward and scrubbed at the stubble on his jaw. It was impossible to shut down his investigator’s mind-set. The attacker’s decision not to simply kill her had Shane thinking maybe the thief knew her. Probably even liked her. How did that shift the suspect pool? Although he avoided the Gages on principle whenever possible, he was in the minority. Danica had plenty of friends as well as plenty of sympathy for her recent loss.
Unlike him.
His connections were irrelevant. He didn’t want friends or sympathy anyway. Being selective about whom he spent time with was a survival tactic. When he’d been young and stupid, his casual acquaintances had landed him in a world of trouble. In prison, it had taken him less than a week to learn having the wrong friends was worse than having no friends.
He couldn’t stop the errant thought that even at eighteen his explanation of his presence a few blocks from a crime scene should have been enough to keep him out of jail. Unfortunately, Sergeant Gage decided otherwise and railroaded Shane for murder because of his last name and lousy-neighborhood address.
Growing up in the rougher neighborhoods in Red Ridge would have been challenge enough to outgrow and overcome. Being one of Rusty Colton’s kids made his childhood exponentially worse. The familiar frustration with all the things he couldn’t change gripped his shoulders and coursed down to his hands. Deliberately, he relaxed his clenched fists and smoothed his open palms over his knees. The past was gone. He was here because he’d rebuilt his life. He had a better address and a lucrative career with an excellent partner.
Right now, his intuition said this was definitely a case about a dog, but how the thief had chosen to take that dog made him curious. Had someone’s fondness and respect for Danica changed what should have been a more aggressive approach?
He rested his elbows on his knees and let his hands fall between them. Familiar with the gesture, Stumps took advantage, sitting up so Shane could pet his ears while he gave the situation more thought.
Why did he care? He’d stumbled onto a crime scene—that was all. “Come on,” he said to the dog. “The Gages can take care of their own.” He stood up, waiting for Stumps to stretch and yawn. They had other cases and a hefty to-do list waiting at home. Writing up the report from their week of tracking down the site of the gun deal topped the list. He’d be far more effective after a few hours of sleep. And he definitely wanted to go into the station fresh tomorrow when he had to share the text message from Demi. He kept hoping that the next time he checked his phone there would be another text from her. So far, only more silence. He was nearly out the door when a nurse called his name from the reception desk.
He turned. “Yes?”
“Follow me.” Her gaze dropped to the dog, her lips pursed in disapproval.
Shane lifted the hem of his shirt to show her the K9 badge clipped to his belt. “He won’t be any trouble.”
With a dubious sniff, the nurse led him back to the treatment area. “The patient has been asking for you,” she said over her shoulder as they neared the curtained bay where he’d handed Danica over to the medical staff.
Disbelief rendered him speechless. No matter that he’d been out of prison for nearly a decade—the hard lessons died harder. Shane knew it was always better to wait and see about a situation rather than start asking questions too soon. The person who spoke first lost the advantage.
As the nurse swept aside the curtain, he saw Danica sitting up a little. “Thank goodness. I knew you’d stay.” She looked to the doctor. “I signed the paper. You can inform him about anything.” Her eyes snapped back to him. “Tell them you’ll take me home.”
Before Shane could sort out how to respond, a doctor in blue scrubs stepped forward. “We’d like to keep her for observation overnight. I don’t have the blood work back to know what she was dosed with. Based on your statement, I’d rather she wasn’t alone.”
“Then she’ll stay overnight,” Shane stated.
“Don’t side with them,” Danica protested. “I need to get out there. You need to get out there and track down Nico.”
She was more agitated now than when she’d woken in the training center yard. What was going on? “I’m sure your brother is organizing those details.”
“Stumps already knows what to look for,” she insisted. “There’s no time to lose.” Her green eyes were wide and a little dazed in a face that was far too pale. The freckles dusting the bridge of her nose stood out more than ever.
She knew Stumps wasn’t a tracking dog. “She wasn’t like this earlier.” Shane glared at the doctor. “What did you give her?”
“Nothing that should
cause an adverse reaction.” The doctor shook his head. “Whatever is in her system is presenting almost like a rebound effect.”
Shane wasn’t particularly familiar with the term, but he assumed the drugs used on Danica were messing with her system. Danica started to swing her legs over the side of the bed. “Wait a minute,” he said, stepping forward to stop her. “Stay put,” he said.
“Nico could be anywhere,” she wailed.
“Is Nico her child?” the doctor asked quietly.
Good grief. The doc had to be from out of town if he didn’t know Danica. “No, he’s a working dog,” Shane explained, using as few details as possible. “We believe whoever drugged her stole the dog from the K9 training center this evening.”
The doctor arched his eyebrows. “I see.”
Danica was crying, her green eyes swimming with tears, her hands clutching the sheets. Shane moved closer to the bed and put Stumps in her lap, hoping the dog could calm her. The medical staff clearly wasn’t having any luck. Though Stumps was his dog, the corgi knew and trusted Danica. Stumps wedged his nose under her hand until she was stroking his head and ears. Within a minute, the crying slowed and the tension in her face evaporated.
“Thanks,” one of the nurses murmured as she passed behind him.
Someone brought him a chair. Resigned, he sat down. He wasn’t leaving without his dog which meant he wasn’t going home anytime soon. He watched the clock over Danica’s bed as she dozed restlessly. Another hour passed with no sign of her family.
Eventually, the doctor returned and a nurse added something to Danica’s IV bag, though they didn’t tell him what it was. It was nearly 2:00 a.m. when they moved her to a room and he and Stumps followed. He wanted to go home and yet he didn’t feel right leaving her here alone. When she finally came out from under the drugs, she’d have questions. Shane wondered what was keeping her family. With Stumps snuggled beside her, Danica fell asleep again and Shane tried to do the same.
It didn’t come easy. Hospitals and prisons had that same institutional atmosphere, every surface designed to withstand bleach cleaning with a pressure washer. The background noises were different and yet too similar. Shane could hear the faint undercurrent of machinery peppered with conversations and the occasional moan of pain or weeping. At least the hospital antiseptic smell was an improvement over the general stench of men oozing hate, fear and resignation with every breath and bead of sweat.
Shane jerked upright at the squeak of a shoe on the linoleum. Instantly awake and braced to defend himself, he glared at the shadow coming through the door.
“Easy,” Carson said, walking over to the other side of Danica’s bed. “I didn’t expect her to have to stay.” He scratched Stumps behind the ear. “I thought she was okay when you left.”
“She was.” Shane pushed at his hair and reached for a bottle of water the nurse had left for him. “She had some weird delayed reaction to the drug. She passed out in my car on the way here. Didn’t you get my text?”
“Had my hands full,” Carson replied.
Right. Carson had been working the crime scene where his sister had been attacked. “Well, when she woke up in the ER, she was in a frenzy to find Nico. They came and got me by default.” It was becoming a pattern in his life, getting stuck in situations with members of the Gage family by default.
“Weird.” Carson’s eyebrows furrowed. “And you stayed with her.”
Didn’t seem like he had much choice at the time. Shane shrugged. “Stumps gave her some peace.”
At the sound of his name, the dog snuggled closer to Danica and rested his chin on his paws. Shane knew that look. The dog wasn’t in any rush to leave his comfy spot.
“This is above and beyond for you, Colton,” Carson said. “Thanks. I guess it’s a good thing they kept her overnight.”
“Guess so.” Shane’s mind kept cycling through recent events. “Did you find anything promising in or around the kennel?”
“Nothing conveniently obvious. The crime scene unit did their thing and will report back. You know how it is. Everything is calm over there now.” He looked to his sister. “Here, too. You should go on home.”
Shane agreed. He was so tired he was tempted to mention the text message from Demi, just to get an opinion. As much as he respected Carson, Shane knew it was better to discuss that with his half brother, Brayden, before he mentioned it to anyone else, including their cousin, the chief. “You’ll be at the station in the morning?” He checked his watch. “Well, later this morning?”
At least Carson could see for himself that his sister would be okay. Not knowing what was really happening with Demi and her pregnancy was like a rain cloud following Shane, threatening to drench him at any moment.
He stood up and approached the bed. Her color was better and her breathing had evened out. The freckles on her nose were nearly invisible again. He’d always thought she was cute—from a distance. Up close, she always treated him with that guarded professionalism that set his teeth on edge. At least this encounter was over and he wouldn’t have to see her again until his next recertification with Stumps.
Careful not to wake her, he eased his dog away from Danica’s side. She curled into the space as if hugging the warmth left behind, and tucked her hand under her chin. In that pose, she appeared far younger and more innocent than any Gage could possibly be.
Clinging to his familiar and reliable ire, he walked out of the hospital with Stumps. His gut knotted with the misplaced attraction he had often experienced around Danica and the more appropriate suspicion of the methods of the dog thief.
When at last he was home, he let Stumps out into the backyard. While he waited, he sent a text message to Brayden that he needed to talk first thing in the morning. Then he and Stumps retreated to the bedroom for a few invaluable hours of uninterrupted sleep.
* * *
Danica woke, momentarily disoriented by her surroundings, jerking away from the woman holding her wrist.
“Good morning. I’m your nurse, Anna.” The woman said. “You’ve spent the night in the hospital.”
“Why?”
Anna only smiled. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. I think.” Pieces were coming back to her. What should have been a peaceful night had turned chaotic. She remembered walking to Shane’s car, being dreadfully upset and snuggling with Stumps. It didn’t make much sense but, curling her fingers into the blanket, she smiled at the red and white dog hairs scattered there.
“Any headache?”
Danica thought about it. “No.” She purposely looked toward the brighter light spilling through the door and didn’t feel the need to cringe or hide. “Definitely an improvement.”
“Wonderful news.”
“What time is it?” Danica asked.
“Nearly 7:00 a.m. The man who stayed overnight with you just went in to take a shower.”
Did the nurse mean Shane? Had he stayed all night? Feeling better didn’t mean she felt ready to deal with Shane. As she heard the water running in the bathroom, her imagination offered up a picture of Shane on the other side of that door and she felt her cheeks heat. Embarrassment flooded through her as details of last night flitted through her mind. Trying to regain her composure, she looked around the room for Stumps. “Where is the dog?”
Anna grinned. “He left before I got here. I heard he was a big help when you were upset.”
So that wasn’t Shane in the bathroom. The two were inseparable, as it should be with a K9 team. She tried to tell herself it was relief rather than disappointment trickling through her system.
“When can I go home?”
“The doctor will be around in another hour or so to explain everything.”
The nurse sailed out of the room, leaving Danica bristling over the vague reply. She felt fine—her thoughts were clear at last. The water in the bathroom stopped
and a few minutes later an electric razor buzzed. When her brother Carson emerged wearing dark slacks and a crisp white button-down, he looked fresh and ready for another day.
“You’re awake.” He crossed over in a hurry, a big, warm smile on his face.
“And feeling normal,” she said, her mind drifting back to last night. “Finally.”
He studied her closely. “You’ve said that before.”
“I have?” She chewed on her thumbnail. “Did you bring Justice?” She hoped asking about his K9 partner would divert the conversation.
Carson didn’t take the bait. “Shane said something happened when he brought you into the hospital.” His brow furrowed. “And something worse in the ER.”
She was tempted to smother herself with a pillow as another wave of embarrassment crashed over her. “You remember how normal meds do the unexpected in my system.”
“Yeah.” He chucked her under the chin. “You’re too small for your own good.”
“Ha. Not funny.” Her small stature had always been a point of contention. It wasn’t her fault the tall genes in the family skipped her. Desperate to hold her own, she’d studied martial arts for several years and proved she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. As long as that fight was fair and came with a referee, apparently. It would take years to live down this attack. “Did you call Dad?”
“Only to let him know you’re all right,” Carson replied with a knowing wink.
The lack of her father stalking around the bed demanding the best treatment was proof Carson had sufficiently downplayed the whole incident. She owed him one. “Do they know what I was drugged with?”
He shrugged. “Something I can’t pronounce. It was a hefty dose, way too much for your system, obviously.”
“Obviously.” She swallowed. “Was the thief trying to kill me?”
“Doubtful. It wasn’t that type of drug. I know you’ve only been awake a few minutes, but anything could help. Do you remember new details?”