The Wrong Woman

by Linda Warren

  “Movie’s over,” Ethan said.

  “What the—” the kid tried to jump up, but Ethan pushed him back down as two officers stormed through the back entrance, and Daniel and the others came through the front.

  “Who’s in the bedroom?” Ethan asked.

  “Nobody!” the boy snapped angrily.

  Ethan walked toward the door, Daniel behind him. With one blow an officer broke through the door, and Ethan and Daniel charged in, guns ready. And just as Ethan had guessed, the room was empty except for Molly, lying inert on the bed. Ethan ran to her and checked her pulse. She was alive.

  “Molly, can you hear me? It’s Ethan.”

  “E-than.” She moved her head.

  “Hold on, sis, an ambulance’ll be here soon.” He glanced at Daniel. “Where the hell is it?”

  Daniel was on the phone. “There’s been an accident. They’re having to take a different route, but it shouldn’t be much longer.”

  “Molly,” Ethan said gently, but she was unconscious. He noticed a bruise on her face and touched it gently. “That bastard.”

  “Stay calm, Ethan,” Daniel said. “We’ve got him now.”

  Ethan stood and curled his hands into fists. “God, I could…” He stopped as he saw two large suitcases with a Spanish name on the side. He walked over, opened one of the suitcases and jerked out a stack of folded baseball uniforms, each wrapped in heavy plastic. He tore the plastic and began pulling out uniform after uniform.

  “Ethan, what are you doing?” Daniel demanded.

  “There’s drugs somewhere in these uniforms, I know it. That’s why that bastard had Molly pick them up.”

  Daniel stared at the pile on the floor. “It’s just uniforms. I think you’re on overload.”

  Ethan didn’t hear him. He kept digging through the suitcase, then yanked out a package near the middle. “This one’s heavier.” He ripped the plastic and drew back sharply.

  “What is it?” Daniel asked.

  “Smell that.” He shoved the uniform under Daniel’s nose.

  Daniel’s eyes lit up. “It’s opium.”

  “Yeah, the fabric is soaked with opium.”

  “Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch.” Daniel dropped to his knees and began to go through the uniforms more carefully. When they finished, they had eighteen soaked uniforms. “I’ve heard this was done up north, but this is the first I’ve seen here. After processing, it’s probably close to a million dollars’ worth of heroin. I’ve been busting my ass on those strip clubs of his, and all the while he was using the boys’ club to get the drugs into the country. And using kids and women like Molly. He’s a sorry bastard, and I hope I’m there when they put him away.”

  A siren sounded and Ethan went back to Molly. “The ambulance is here,” he told her, but she was out, really out, and fear gripped him.

  Within minutes the paramedics had Molly on a stretcher; Ethan followed. “I’m going in the ambulance with her,” he told Daniel.

  “Okay. I’ve got to stay here and take care of this.” Daniel patted Ethan on the shoulder. “Thanks.”

  Ethan held Molly’s hand in the ambulance, but she remained unconscious. Once they’d taken her into emergency, Ethan called Travis and told him as much as he could. Then he sat tensely in the waiting area. He wondered how Serena was coping and wished he could go find her and be with her, but realized he had to wait. God, he needed to hold her. He could acknowledge that now—he needed Serena Farrell.

  It wasn’t long before Travis strode into the waiting area. “How is she?” he asked anxiously.

  “They’re flushing out her system. They checked her pupils and respiration and said they thought she’d be fine. They want to observe her for several hours, so she’ll be staying the night.”

  “I can’t believe this.” Travis sank into a chair.

  “He hit her, too,” Ethan added. “Her face is bruised.”

  Travis’s features tightened in anger. “God, Ethan, I should have listened to you. You knew something wasn’t right about Boyd.”

  “I doubt we could’ve stopped her from getting involved with him.”

  “I could have,” Travis muttered dejectedly.

  “How?”

  “By not bringing her here in the first place.”

  Ethan sighed tiredly. “We all thought it was good for her, and if we’re placing blame, I’m equally guilty. I’m the one who told her Boyd was involved in illegal activities. She started asking him questions and that made him angry. If I’d kept my mouth shut, it probably wouldn’t have happened. There’s enough blame to go around, but let’s just concentrate on getting her better and back home.”

  Travis didn’t say anything for a while. Eventually he asked, “What does the redhead have to do with all this? You said there’s two of them.”

  “Yeah, the stripper, Sarah, saw Boyd shoot her boyfriend, who was a cop. So Boyd was keeping her captive and forcing her to strip.”

  “Then, you were right about that. She was doing it unwillingly.”

  “Yes, and the woman in Fort Worth, Serena, is her identical twin. They were separated at birth. Neither knew she had a sister.”

  “What a story!”

  Ethan stood up. “They’ll be taking Molly to a room in a little while. Stay with her. I’m going upstairs to check on Serena and Sarah. I’ll meet you in Molly’s room.”

  “Ethan?”

  “What?”

  “Have you called Pop?”

  “No, I’ll wait until Molly’s better to do that. I don’t want him to worry.”

  “I guess that’s best.”

  “Yeah, see you upstairs.”

  ETHAN GOT OFF the elevator and walked toward the nurses’ station to ask for Sarah’s room number, but then he saw Serena in a waiting area. She was sitting on a vinyl-covered chair, leaning forward, her arms wrapped around her waist. Her hair fell forward, partially covering her face. She looked very alone, and his heart twisted with a new kind of pain. The kind that came from loving someone and wanting to shield her from heartache. He knew Serena had more harrowing realities to confront, and what tore him up inside was the knowledge that he might add to her pain.

  She raised her head and immediately jumped up and ran to him. She went into his arms as if she belonged there. “Oh, Ethan, I’ve been so scared. Did you find Molly?”

  “Yes, she’s in the ER.”

  “How is she?”

  “The doctor says she’ll be fine.”

  “Thank God.”

  He took her arm and led her back to the chairs. They both sat. “How’s Sarah?” he asked.

  “They’ve sedated her and she’s resting. The doctor said the same thing Daniel did—that she’s been severely traumatized, emotionally, as well as physically, and it will take her a while to get over it.”

  He brushed back her hair. “And you? How are you?”

  “I feel as if I’m watching a horror movie—and at the same time, I’m in it. I keep wanting to turn it off, but I can’t. I thought my life couldn’t get any worse, but suddenly it’s beyond anything I’ve ever imagined.”

  He touched the bruise on her cheek. “Boyd’s good at hitting women. He also hit Molly. Her face is black and blue.”

  Serena shuddered. “He’s evil, Ethan.”

  “He won’t be hitting another woman—not where he’s going.”

  “He put Sarah through hell. I wish I could help her, but I don’t know what to do.”

  “Just be there for her.”

  After a brief silence Ethan asked, “Have you called your grandmother?”

  “No, I’m not feeling too kindly toward her at the moment.”

  “She’s an old lady, Serena, and she’s worried about you.”

  Her lips curved slightly. “You had to remind me of that, huh?”

  “Mmm.” He gazed into her eyes. “I met Celia, your other grandmother.”

  “What’s she like?”

  “Well, I’d say another concerned grandmother, but one wit
h attitude. She lives in a Dallas suburb and obviously depends on social security. From the things she said, I gather life has been rough for her and Sarah.”

  “I feel so guilty. My life’s been so different.”

  “You had nothing to do with that,” he was quick to tell her.

  “No.” She chewed the inside of her lip in thought. “Now we have to confront our grandmothers and find out the truth. I just don’t know when Sarah will be up to that.”

  “Wait until tomorrow.”

  “Yes.”

  Suddenly she had to ask. “Ethan?”

  “Uh-huh?”

  “Would you have shot Boyd?”

  He gripped the chair with both hands. “Probably. It’s what I was trained to do. But in my experience I found that men like Boyd value their life more than anything else. He’d sell his soul to live. I was gambling he’d fold before I reached number five. If not…” The words hung between them for a second, then he said, “I wasn’t letting him walk out of that room a free man.”

  “What about Molly?”

  “I was also trained never to trust a criminal. Any information he gave would probably be false. I knew I’d have to depend on the police department and my own instincts to find her.”

  She could only imagine what that cost him, since he clearly loved his sister. It must’ve been tempting to let Boyd go, but everyone would’ve lost that way. What Ethan had done took enormous strength. She shuddered at the situations he’d been involved in—life-or-death situations. He was remarkably kindhearted for a man who had witnessed so much; he wasn’t jaded or disillusioned, and she loved that about him. She loved everything about him—even his stubborn pride.

  “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Sure.”

  “Can I stay with you tonight?”

  His breath melted in his throat at the entreaty in her voice. Yes, his heart said, but his mind was telling him something different. He needed her, but as soon as Molly was better, he’d be going back to Junction Flat and Serena would resume her life in Fort Worth. Their lives would go in opposite directions—away from each other. And that hurt more than he wanted to admit. Last night had been their special moment, a moment out of time, and it was over. When he’d left her this morning, he’d known that. Now she wanted to stay with him. Even though he loved her, he didn’t know if it was a good idea. It would make their eventual parting even harder. Because he loved her but couldn’t imagine a future for the two of them.

  Why wasn’t he answering? Serena wondered. Surely he wouldn’t say no. She couldn’t get through this night without him. His silence hurt; he was putting up walls again, trying to create barriers between them.

  “Ethan.” Daniel Garrett approached them. Neither had even noticed him. He was holding Serena’s purse. “I need your truck keys.”

  Ethan stood and fished in his pocket.

  “I was just down in emergency and they’re bringing your sister up,” Daniel said. “She looks much better.”

  “Yeah,” Ethan answered. “She’s going to be okay.”

  Daniel turned to Serena, who’d also stood. “I think this belongs to you, ma’am.” He handed her the purse.

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I’d completely forgotten about it.”

  “No problem. The keys were in the ignition, so we brought your car to the hospital parking area.”

  “Thank you. I’m usually not that careless; but I was desperate to find Sarah.” She held out her hand. “My name’s Serena Farrell. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.”

  “Daniel Garrett, and the pleasure’s all mine, Serena.” They shook hands. “How’s your sister?”

  “She’s resting—and I’d better go check on her.” She turned toward the hall.

  “Serena.” Daniel stopped her. “I know this is a difficult time, but I have to get a statement from everyone, and I’d like to do that first thing in the morning. I’ll make it as easy as possible for everyone. The D.A.’s ready to go with this and I want everything in order.”

  “That’s fine with me,” Serena answered. “But I’m not sure about Sarah. We’ll have to wait and see how she’s doing.”

  “Of course.”

  “And thanks for my purse and for bringing back my car.” She walked away.

  Daniel stared after her.

  Ethan frowned. “Daniel.”

  Daniel didn’t answer. Ethan snapped his fingers in front of Daniel’s face and he swung around.

  “Are you coming on to her?” Ethan asked in a disapproving voice.

  Daniel smiled. “I was being nice. That’s what I do. I’m nice.”

  “Yeah, right.” Ethan sighed in annoyance, not believing that for a moment.

  Daniel slapped him on the shoulder. “We hit the mother lode on this one, Ethan. There’s gonna be an investigation into the boys’ club to weed out Boyd’s accomplices. We got him six ways from Sunday.”

  “And you’re feeling pretty damn good, huh?”

  “You bet. Now give me your keys and I’ll have your truck over here in no time.”

  “Thanks,” Ethan said as he gave him the keys. “There’s a toolbox upstairs at Teasers that belongs to Apex Plumbing, and I’ll return this shirt to them as soon as I can.” He paused, then asked, “Did your boys find the guy in the closet?”

  Daniel smiled. “Oh, yeah, Ethan. A very good job.” He bounced the keys in his hand. “I’ll lock your gun in the glove compartment. That’s where you keep it, right?”

  “Yes, and thanks.”

  “No problem,” Daniel said, and strolled toward the elevator.

  Ethan hurried over to Molly’s room, but before he reached it, he met Travis in the hall. “Why aren’t you with Molly?” he asked with a scowl.

  “Don’t give me that look. Bruce is with her.”

  “What!”

  “Yeah. She called him and he came.”

  “He did?”

  “Said he was in town on business.”

  “That’s right, I saw him this morning at your apartment—and Molly wasn’t upset.”

  “She’s not now, either. They’re talking—rationally—so I thought I’d leave them alone.”

  Ethan ran a hand through his hair. “Who’d have thought this?”

  “Not me,” Travis said. “I’m going to talk to my boss at the construction company so I can get tomorrow off. I’ll be back here in the morning.”

  “Okay,” Ethan said distractedly, hardly aware that Travis had left.

  Ethan continued down the hall. Why would Molly call Bruce? It didn’t make sense, but he supposed, years of habit, years of loving, didn’t change all that quickly.

  He stopped outside the door, eased it open and looked in. Bruce sat on the bed with Molly in his arms. They were kissing. He slowly closed the door. He didn’t know what was going on, but they definitely weren’t arguing. Still, Bruce was getting married in four months, so what the hell was he doing kissing Molly? Deciding he needed to know, he knocked loudly on the door.

  “Come in,” Molly called weakly.

  Ethan pushed open the door and walked in. Molly looked pale and disheveled and there was an IV in her arm. Bruce stood by the bed, hands shoved in his pockets. “I’ve got to go,” he said abruptly. “I’ll talk to you later.” He glanced at Molly, then nodded at Ethan and left.

  “What’s he doing here?” Ethan asked calmly.

  Molly played with the sheet. “I’m not sure. When I woke up in the ER, I wanted to see my son. I thought I was going to die and never see him again, but I couldn’t tell him how stupid his mother had been. Bruce told me where he was staying, so I called him, instead. I guess he’s my connection to Cole. I don’t know why I did it, but I did, and he came and I…” She put her hands over her face. “Oh, Ethan, how could I have been so blind?”

  Ethan sat on the bed, not sure if she was talking about Bruce or Boyd. But she soon made it clear.

  “Rudy was nice to me. He showered me with attention and I needed th
at, needed to feel those feminine emotions again, but I knew something wasn’t right. I just wouldn’t admit it. You tried to warn me and I wouldn’t listen. I’m not too good at listening, have you noticed?” She didn’t give him time to answer. “In the last stages of our marriage, Bruce tried to tell me we needed to spend more time together, that we were growing apart. I didn’t listen and he found someone else.” She sniffled and impatiently dashed away tears. “You have a very stupid sister.”

  “And I love her,” Ethan said lightly.

  She hugged him. He wanted to tell her many things, but he knew that Molly understood she could always count on him. She leaned back. “Tell me everything that happened today. Travis said Rudy had a woman locked up.”

  Ethan did tell her everything and he didn’t spare her feelings. The time for that was over.

  “Oh, God, I picked up the drugs?”

  “Yes. Some of the uniforms were soaked with opium.”

  “That’s why Rudy was telling me how I should act today, what I should wear and how important the uniforms were. I’m the biggest fool who ever lived.”

  “He fooled a lot of people.”

  “And the stripper, how is she?”

  “She’s resting comfortably.”

  “This is too much to take in,” she said weepily.

  “I’ll go so you can rest.

  “Thanks, Ethan, for rescuing me.”

  “Anytime, sis,” he replied. “If the doctor lets you out tomorrow, we can go home to Junction Flat.”

  “I’d like that. I have to see Cole. I have to see my son.”

  Ethan kissed her forehead. “G’night. I’ll be here in the morning.”

  He wandered down the hall and sank into a chair. He was tired to the bone and his hip ached. The day was now taking its toll, reminding him of his age and infirmities. Right now, he craved sleep, a chance to recover, to…

  He looked up and saw Serena standing there, her red hair shimmering like a halo. She was everything he needed, everything he wanted, and tonight he was too weak to resist. He didn’t even want to.