by J. M. Madden
When he accelerated into the road, tires squealed and horns honked, but John didn’t pay them any mind. If Shannon was hurt, he needed to get there as quickly as he could. And within four and a half minutes, he was slamming to a halt behind a Denver squad car, lights flashing.
“Wait here,” Chad told him quickly. “I don’t see her so they may have already taken her to the hospital.”
John gnashed his teeth as he waited for Chad to check with the officer to see where the victim had gone. He glanced around for a moment and asked another question, but the officer, a tall young kid, just shook his head. With a wave of thanks, Chad jogged back to the truck and hopped into the cab.
“They took her to St. Joseph hospital. A Good Samaritan stopped to check on her and was the one who called 911, but the cop says he was gone by the time he pulled in. The car will be towed. It’s got heavy rear end damage, like someone forced her into this field and left. There are tire tracks leaving the site a few hundred yards away. The cop is going to photograph everything and he’ll be in to talk to Shannon in a bit, once she gets checked out.”
Without a word, John turned the truck and headed toward St. Joseph. By the time they arrived, just a few minutes later, Shannon had already been taken back into emergency. Her pregnancy probably escalated her care. Chad, ever the convincing sweet-talker, found out where she was and guided John back there. As soon as he whipped the curtain back and saw Shannon with his own eyes though, John realized he had been more worried that she would be more injured. Instead, she sat perched on an elevated table, a square of bandage on her head. “Are you okay?” he growled.
Shannon’s eyes filled with tears but she nodded her head. Then, in spite of Chad’s protests beside her, she slipped off the bed and down into his lap. John clutched her to him fiercely. His heart still thundered in his chest and his hands quivered as they cupped her jaw so that he could look at her.
Though a little battered, she felt fine now that he was there with her. “What the fuck happened?”
She frowned, shaking her head. “I don’t know what the guy’s deal was. There was a car following me up Quebec. I was on my way back to work after lunch with the girls, and he just kept tailgating me like crazy. Finally, I thought I would just turn off and let him go by, but he made the turn too and did everything I did. There was a construction site on one side and he hit me, pushing me into it. I gassed it and thought I would turn around but he hit me again even harder. I remember my truck bouncing down, then back up and staying up. I think I hit my head at some point, because I lost consciousness. Next thing I know there’s a guy leaning in the cab and looking at me. He grabbed my phone and dialed you.”
John processed the information, anger making his chest quake. “When we got to the scene that man was gone. Did he give you a name?”
“No,” she sighed, resting her head against his chest. “Long, brownish hair, dark eyes. I feel like I’ve seen him before.”
“Okay, baby. We’ll figure it out. Do you remember what the car looked like?”
“It was a crossover vehicle, but I couldn’t see the make. He was right on my bumper the entire time. I asked the guy who helped me if he had seen the license plate and he said there was no plate on the car, but that it had been dark gray or charcoal.”
A man in a lab coat and scrubs came in then and made Shannon get back onto the table so he could examine her. “You should not be moving, young woman. I have the OB on call coming down to see you in a few minutes, after we do x-rays.”
Shannon was checked out quickly, then taken for x-rays and John was forced to stay behind, cooling his wheels. Chad was on the phone almost the entire time, talking to… it sounded like Roger on the other end. They were scrambling, looking for any witnesses or surveillance footage of the area.
The cop walked in a few minutes later and seemed a little taken aback when he saw John alone in the cubicle. Shannon hadn’t returned from x-ray yet so he was pacing as much as possible in the small curtained space.
“What did you find?” he snapped.
The cop looked a little surprised at the tone, but he didn’t let it ruffle him. “Are you related to the victim?”
“Yes, she’s my fiancée.”
The cop held his gaze for a moment. “No witnesses at the scene other than the man who called it in, checked on Ms. Murphy, and then left. The foreman of the construction site is on his way in to check the surveillance camera they have on the front gate, but no promises. He says it’s been acting up. As soon as I have Ms. Murphy’s statement, I’ll head back over there and meet him.”
John nodded and handed him a business card. “I would appreciate it if you would call me if you find anything.”
The young guy looked at the card and nodded, then slid it into his uniform pocket. “Will do.”
When Shannon returned, the cop took her statement, as well as a description of the man who had come to her aid. John was a little curious as to why the man hadn’t stayed. Had he actually been the one to hit Shannon?
“Did you see the Good Samaritan’s vehicle?” John asked her at one point.
“Yes,” she frowned. “I think it was an old Chevy. Kinda looked like the one parked at the old K-Mart parking lot, with the for sale signs. Same faded mint green color.”
John looked at her more closely, impressed she’d remembered such an obscure detail. Unfortunately it wasn’t much to track anyone down with.
* * *
Aiden watched the beefy black truck take off toward the hospital. Shifting into gear, he pulled away from the fast food restaurant where he’d been parked to watch the scene and merged into traffic a few cars behind Palmer. If he was going to be doing more surveillance with the vehicle he was going to have to find something different to drive. This truck was old and not as reliable as he usually liked to use. He scanned the cars beside him and all around, but he doubted he would see the gunmetal gray crossover again. There was too much front-end damage, making it too easy to spot.
Unfortunately, men like him could pick up cars anywhere. The older the vehicle, the easier it was to get into and hot wire. It surprised him the other man had chosen a fairly recent crossover, and it made him wonder if there was a registration that went with it. Maybe it was a personal vehicle. Or a rental.
That would be stupid.
For a moment he lost sight of the truck, but he knew where the man was heading. Aiden took his time turning into the lot and finding a parking spot that would allow him to see as much as possible. He chose a spot up a slight rise, where he was able to see the emergency entrance and most of the westward facing side of the hospital. In a while he would force himself to walk in the doors, in spite of his anxiety, and see if she’d been admitted. Once he knew where she would be, he could gauge where to park and which entrances to watch.
Rubbing at his eyes, he wondered when he would be able to rest. The woman would be in the emergency room for a while because she was pregnant, and she’d probably be admitted for observation overnight, at the very least.
Damn. John Palmer was going to be a father.
With a sigh he settled deep into the seat. It was going to be a long, cold night.
Chapter Nineteen
Duncan stayed in his office, sifting through the information as it came in. Roger was in another office cold calling, looking for closed circuit TV footage of the area, but the location of the incident was fairly secluded. Yes, there was a shopping mall within yards, but this had happened on the backside, where the area was being developed. If the construction company was a bust, they were SOL.
Why would Shannon be targeted? All of the parties involved in her stalking case from last year were either dead or incarcerated. Was she targeted specifically, or was it wider than that?
Hell, maybe it was just a random road rage incident. That was the easiest, most logical answer, but his gut told him otherwise.
The phone rang beside him. “Lost and Found Investigative Service.”
There was silence
on the other end of the line. “Duncan?”
For a moment he thought the soft voice on the other end of the line was Alex, but that was just his mind playing tricks. “Hey, Lora.”
“Is Shannon around? I thought of something I needed to ask her.”
“Uh, well, Shannon is at St. Joseph Hospital.”
Lora gasped and he filled her in on everything that had happened.
“Okay, I’m heading over there,” she told him finally.
“Not sure you’ll be able to do much, but go ahead. Chad went over with John. I’ll be over in a bit.”
They hung up and Duncan was left with a quiet office again. From what John had told him the babies were okay, but they wanted to keep her for observation. Twins were higher risk than single pregnancies, so the hospital would rather be safe than sorry.
John had to be ready to eat nails. He didn’t like hospital situations on the best of days. And Shannon being in danger was the worst thing that could happen to him.
The phone rang again and he answered it with the same greeting.
“Oh, hey Duncan.”
Duncan sat up straight in the chair, his hips screaming at the roughness of the motion. “Alex?”
“Yes, I was looking for Shannon.”
He blinked and swallowed down the disappointment. Of course. “She can’t answer right now.”
Something must have come through in his voice because hers sharpened. “Is she all right? What’s happened? Not the babies…”
“No,” he assured her quickly. “The babies are fine right now. Shannon was involved in a traffic accident. I don’t think she’s too injured, but they are checking her out.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. He cleared his throat. “How are you doing?”
For some reason the silence got even more weighty. “I’m fine,” she whispered, but he could have sworn he heard tears in her voice. “I have to go.”
Duncan cringed, wishing he knew what to say or do to make things right between them again. “Alex, I miss you.”
I love you.
“I miss you too,” she whispered, then hung up.
Duncan stared at the receiver in his hand for a long time, wishing he could rewind time. He hung up slowly, wondering how on earth he could get his life back on track.
Alex’s heartbroken voice tugged at him, and he felt like an ass for being the one to screw everything up. If she were right here in front of him, there would be no way he could stay away from her. The thought of cupping her face in his hands and resting his mouth on hers, the scent of her shampoo, the warmth of her hand in his, was enough to make his chest ache.
So, how did he fix this mess? This fog he’d been wandering around in wasn’t like him and he needed to get back to living. If he broke it down to the basics, he wanted to see Alex again. Hell, he wanted her again.
Kids? Sighing, he took a minute to really think about having a baby. Yes, there was the hassle and expense, but there was also the chance to pass along his family heritage. The thought of Alex, round with his child, made him hard.
Yes, the responsibility would be long-lasting, but it wouldn’t be any different than what he was already doing. He’d made long term investments of so much more than just money in this company. Without Lost and Found, many people would struggle. He already had a huge amount of responsibility. He’d just had longer to get used to it.
When he thought about the men in his immediate circle—his dad, brothers, Preston, Chad, Zeke, Grif—they’d all taken to fatherhood like they’d been born for the job. They loved it. He could see it in their expressions every time he watched them interact with their kids. Chad had told him just before Christmas how much he loved Mercy. Duncan blinked as the snippet of conversation came back to him.
Chad and Shannon had been paging through a catalog resting on Shannon’s desk. She’d been pointing things out, and Chad had been snapping pictures with his smart phone.
They’d both looked up at him, grinning, as he crossed the office. Chad held the catalog out for Duncan to look at. “Did you have one of these when you were a kid?”
Duncan looked at the classic yellow Tonka construction toy, and he laughed. “Yes, I did, actually. A little beat up after my older brother got done with it.”
Chad nodded, his bright blue eyes shining with nostalgia. “Yup, me too. I’m going to get Mercy one.”
He’d given Chad a worried look. “Are you sure she’ll like it?”
Chad snorted. “Oh, absolutely. She’s a little grunge girl at heart. I love that kid, Duncan. She reminds me what it’s like to live.”
Those words came back to him now, clear as a bell, and he wondered if somebody hadn’t been trying to give him a message then.
Deep down, he knew Alex was nothing like Melanie. He’d kept his head down and just plowed through life always expecting the worst for such a long time, but he’d finally met a woman who made him feel positive about what was yet to come.
Would she come back out here if he asked her? It would mean a complete relocation from her job and friends. Would she be willing to do that for him? Did he have the courage to ask her? She may have completely written him off by now. No, he didn’t think so. There had been too much emotion in her voice on the phone.
With a sigh, he swung the chair round to look out the window at the cityscape. They would figure out what was going on with Shannon and go from there. Maybe he could call Alex in a few days.
* * *
Alex called her boss at home and gave her a truncated version of events. Basically, she’d had a serious medical issue and needed to take a leave of absence. The woman was shocked, but understood and promised to send her the appropriate paperwork so they could get it approved quickly.
Alex kind of didn’t care if it got approved. She was taking time off to get her head on straight. There’s been too much crazy shit going on in her life recently.
She ordered a new mattress online and wondered if she could burn the old one on the roof. As ridiculous as it was, she was embarrassed to just send it out as trash. The place she’d bought it from promised to dispose of the old one, so she left the room and didn’t look at the men when they retrieved it. Although she tipped them well before they left.
Then she brooded. Chinese takeout and pizza were her new friends. Garrett, the pizza delivery boy smiled when he saw her the first night. “Hey, doc, here’s your pie.”
She paid him and gave him a ridiculously nice tip. He’d also gotten her a bottle of wine from the shop down the street. If she hadn’t been friendly with the kid, getting to know him over the past year, she never would have asked.
The young man looked at the money in confusion. “You sure doc? It wasn’t that much.”
“No, but you saved me going out. Thanks, Garrett.”
With a jaunty wave he left.
Alex moped for several days, wondering what the hell she was doing with her life. The position she held at the hospital was needed, but not integral. They had five hundred other doctors who could take her job. She had acquaintances there, but no true true friends. Hell, she’d been sick for a week and only two people had called to check on her.
Though she hadn’t known her long, she had a feeling Shannon would have been at her apartment with a care package. Or she would have at least called. Alex saw potential friendship there.
The only good thing about her week was hearing her father’s voice.
Alex knew as soon as she answered the call. The line sounded different, coming from all the way across the globe.
“Hey, Pumpkin!”
Tears started in her eyes, and she finally felt like she had someone in her corner. “Hey, Daddy.”
They talked for the better part of thirty minutes, just chattering about inconsequential things, world events. But her father was intuitive. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”
Alex sighed, knowing that she had to tell him about Duncan and the baby, and her indecision about her career. He listened care
fully, then sighed over the line. “I’m so sorry I’m not there to hold you, honey. I know this has to be so hard for you.”
Alex wiped away the tears and nodded, though he couldn’t see her. “It is,” she cried.
But just having him there to comfort her over the line as she cried about her loss was incredible. It really helped to get everything out to a compassionate ear.
“It sounds like this Wilde has had some history too. Don’t give up on him just yet. And if you’re not satisfied in your career, now is the time to change it.”
As always, his words were grounded in common sense.
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll think about everything. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby. I’ll be home as soon as I can and we’ll get together for a while.”
“Sounds good. Be safe.”
When she hung up, she felt so much better about everything that had gone on over the past couple of weeks. Some things she could make better, other things she couldn’t.
If she was honest with herself, she’d been thinking about the guys at Duncan’s company, too. All vets, all with serious medical issues. There had been wheelchairs and crutches when she went to Harmony House with Duncan, all men dealing with their changed life.
It was intriguing to her, thinking about helping them live better.
Digging her iPad from the depths of the couch cushions, she started researching.
* * *
A couple of hours later, as she was dozing on the couch, Alex got a call from a Denver area code.
“Hello,” she answered cautiously.
“Dr. Hartfield?”
She didn’t recognize the raspy voice. “Yes?”
“I know you don’t remember me, but I was in the meeting at Harmony House, when you came with First Sergeant Wilde.”