Hank knocked on the door and stilled to listen for any noise from inside the room. After a moment, he rapped with a little more force. The curtain in the window moved but the door remained closed.
“Mr. Cook,” Patterson said. “I know you’re in there. We need to talk to you. As I see it, you can talk to us now, or later, because my associate and I are prepared to stay here until you come out.”
“Who the fuck are you?” a voice hollered from the other side of the door.
“Hank Patterson, I own a security firm in town.”
“What the fuck do you want with me?”
“Well, Mr. Cook, as I stated we need to talk to you. If you would open the door, we could have this conversation in private instead of having to disturb the other guests here.”
A snort came from the man. “I doubt you’re disturbing the clientele here. Unless you’re a john with a wad of cash or the police initiating a sting, no one here gives two shits about what’s going on outside their rooms.”
“Have it your way. Mr. Cook, we were hired by Dr. Julie Sutton. She would like for my firm to talk to you regarding the threats you’ve been making against her. Against my advice, she does not want to involve the police in these matters and have you arrested for threatening her life. But, if I go back to her and explain how you were uncooperative, and refused to talk to us in a civil manner, I will insist she file a formal complaint with the sheriff’s department.”
The door swung open with a whoosh. Hank reared and took a step back. Conrad’s hand grasped the gun, ready to extract it, if Cook came through the doorway.
Act first, immobilize the threat, ask for forgiveness later.
“What the fuck do you mean threats against her life? I never fucking threatened her life. That fucking bitch—you have no idea how she fucked up my life—”
Hank raised his hand in front of Cook’s face. “Mr. Cook, I’m all for freedom of expression, but let’s try a civil discourse and back off the ‘f’ word.”
Conrad stared at Hank. The man let loose with more than a few fucks and other colorful language enhancers just on the short trip from Doc’s house to the motel. Cook’s head dropped, and Hank swung his gaze to Conrad, smirk on his face. He winked. Conrad had to hand it to him, he was one cool cat, and knew how to diffuse a situation.
Cook shoved his hands in his front pockets, and shifted his weight onto one leg. Conrad noticed that he was wearing a prosthesis, and remembered Doc had said she had amputated the man’s leg. The source of all Cook’s anger stemmed from her saving his sorry life. And how was he repaying her—not with gratitude, but fear. And that didn’t sit well.
Guilt swamped Conrad. Hypocrite. He had done the same damn thing to Doc. Blamed her for his injury and the inability to use his arm. The fact that she was the reason he was even standing there breathing and living hadn’t mattered to him. He hurt her, and he wouldn’t blame her if she never forgave him.
And he had been okay with that realization when he left Chicago for Montana. But now—after seeing her again, being in her presence and remembering how she made him feel—he wasn’t settling for anything less than full forgiveness. He wanted her—all of her. Heart, body, soul, mind. And he wanted to give himself to her unconditionally.
“Come in,” Cook said, walked to the bed, and sat on the edge. He rubbed his hand over his thigh. “All I did was go to her office, nothing else.”
“And the letters you sent recently? Those weren’t threats?” Hank quirked an eyebrow.
“I haven’t sent her anything in over a year. She’s lying if she says differently.”
“Okay, we’ll revisit that later. You said you went to her office—for what purpose?” Hank asked.
Cook shrugged. “Make sure she knows I’m still here—that I’ll always be here—reminding her of what she did to me.”
“And what was that?” Hank’s voice remained calm and controlled. Conrad’s blood was at a boiling point, and he was about to erupt.
“She played God with my life.” He pulled up the leg of his pants. The titanium of the prosthesis looked like a rod sticking out of his shoe, ending at a metal joint that functioned as his knee. “What right did she have to decide I should live my life as a cripple. As half a man. Do you have any idea what being labeled disabled does to a man? The Army shoved me out the door, and told me to find a different career path.”
“So, what you’re saying is, you’re pissed that she didn’t let you die?”
“It would have been honorable, at least. The doctors assure me I will have a long life. Well, I don’t want a long life if this is what I have to look forward to everyday. The constant reminder that I’m less than what I was.”
Hank let out a long, noisy sigh and ran his hand over his face, and stared at Cook for a moment. “I won’t claim to understand what you’re going through, Mr. Cook, nor do I really give a rat’s ass. The harassment and threats against Dr. Sutton will cease as of right now.”
“Or what? You’ll have me arrested?” Cook snorted. “I’ll be out before the ink dries on my fingerprints.”
“Mr. Cook, do we look like the types of men that pass the buck? Let me assure you—we will not turn you over to law enforcement. If you go anywhere near Dr. Sutton, send any messages to her, call or text her—we will be back here. And it won’t be to talk. This has been a professional courtesy, and a show of respect as a brother combatant. That will not be the case next time.” Hank took a step toward Cook, his huge body looming over the man. “Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
A dark rage slated through Cook’s eyes as he glared first at Hank, then at Conrad. For a split second, Conrad thought the idiot might actually challenge Hank, but then Cook’s shoulder slumped.
“Yes.”
“Good. Have a nice rest of your evening, Mr. Cook. I expect you will be leaving town soon. Have a safe journey.”
Hank brushed past Conrad, who remained stoic, legs shoulder width apart, arms across his chest. He stared at Cook. He had no idea what Hank would actually do to Cook if he didn’t follow the command to leave Doc alone. But Conrad knew what he would do…and Cook would regret ever coming to Eagle Rock.
“Matthews,” Hank called from the open doorway. Conrad stared at Cook for two beats more, before following Hank out to the truck. He slid inside, and closed the door as Hank fired up the engine.
“So, what’s your read on Cook?” he asked.
“Seemed pretty proud of the fact that he had sent some of the messages to Doc,” Conrad said. “But he was pretty adamant that he hadn’t threatened her life.”
“Could be lying—knows how serious actually threatening someone’s life is compared to being vague about it.”
“True, and while I don’t want to give Cook much credit for any ability to rationalize, I can’t imagine admitting to harassing someone with threats, but then not wanting to admit to the threats being against her life.” Conrad shook his head. “But, like I said, he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack.”
“If not him making the threats, who?” Hank asked.
“I don’t know, but it might be a good question for Doc.”
Hank nodded. “You got a place to stay in town?”
“No, I didn’t have a chance to look for a hotel before I jumped on the plane. I can tell you one thing, I will not be staying at the place we just left.”
“Yeah, no shit, huh? I wouldn’t put my worst enemy in that rat hole.” Hank glanced over at Conrad. “You’re welcome to stay with us. We have plenty of room.”
Conrad thought for a moment. He didn’t really want to intrude on Hank and his family, but he had no idea where else to go. Doc’s place was probably out of the question. Which sucked. “That’d be great, if you’re sure it’s not an imposition.”
“Not at all,” Hank said, extending his fisted hand. “Brothers stick together, right?”
Conrad bumped his fist against Hank’s. “Til the end.”
Chapter 19
Julie locked the back
door of the office, and walked to her SUV with Georgie on her heels. The girl seemed to have a little more energy since Conrad’s visit the day before, which had a strange effect on Julie, as well. On the one hand, she was happy to see Conrad was doing better and was interested in reclaiming Georgie. On the other hand, she was not only going to lose Georgie, she would most likely have to say goodbye to Conrad.
And she would be alone. Again.
She had grown quite fond of having Georgie around. They seemed to take care of each other. They both had something in common. Missing Conrad.
Hank had called earlier in the day and requested she come out to the house to go over his visit to see Cook the night before. He hadn’t made any mention of whether or not Conrad would be there, and Julie didn’t ask. She had no idea how much Conrad had told Hank about their brief relationship in Syria—if he had said anything at all.
Didn’t matter. That was over. Conrad hadn’t come to Eagle Rock in search of her. He came for his dog. And he was going to leave with his dog.
“Come on, girl.” She opened the door to the back of the vehicle and Georgie jumped inside.
A dog greeted them as they pulled up in front of Hank’s place. “Six is here,” she said, and watched in the rearview mirror as Georgie’s head popped up, her ears standing at attention.
Georgie barked. Six ran to the rear of the SUV, responding to whatever Georgie was saying to him in dog-speak.
Kujo lumbered past her door before she had a chance to open it, and waved his hand. “Six, get back,” he commanded. Kujo opened the back hatch as Julie got out of the vehicle. By the time she rounded the back where Kujo was standing, Six and Georgie were bouncing around each other in wild circles.
A man came up beside her. “They look like they’re having fun,” Conrad said.
“Pretty sure it took all of about a minute and a half after they met before they were best friends,” Kujo said. “When Georgie was staying with us, they were inseparable. Six has been trying to readjust since she left.”
Conrad’s shoulder bumped into hers and a spark lit through her. He still had the ability to make her turn to mush just being around him. She wanted him, but knew she couldn’t have him. Too much had happened, too many things said, too much hurt and heartbreak.
Too much to come back from.
“I’m going to head inside,” she said, needing to get some distance between her and Conrad. “Okay if I leave Georgie with you guys?”
“She’ll be fine with Six and I,” Kujo said.
She nodded and strode toward the front porch. Conrad jogged up next to her. “I’ll join you.”
She threw a sideways glance at him. He smiled, and she wondered how much more she could take before she threw caution to the wind, and just gave in to her desires. Would he turn her down? Could she just have him, knowing he would leave again?
No. She couldn’t stand the thought of being with him intimately again. It would be too hard.
She followed him inside and down the hall to Hank’s office. The three of them sat and Hank went through what Cook had said.
“So, what’s your gut feeling?” she asked, looking between both men. “Was he behind the threatening letters?”
“Too close to call,” Conrad said. “He has enough of a hate on for you to do it—and he’s a bit on the looney side, but he was strong in his denial of threatening your life.”
“Can you think of anyone else—anyone at all—that you’ve had a fall out with? Who might not be thrilled with you?”
“I really can’t think of anyone,” Julie said.
“What about your ex?” Conrad asked.
“Linc?” Julie thought about it for a moment. She shook her head. “There’s no need for him to threaten me. He got what he wanted—the divorce is final. He kept his money, I kept mine. There was no animosity between us regarding property or anything.”
“What about his fiancée?” Hank asked.
Julie snorted. “What would she have to be upset about? She’s getting what she wanted all along—for Linc to marry her and pull her out of the gutter. I can’t imagine why she would want to do anything like that.”
“Well, we’ll keep a watch on Cook until he leaves town. Keep thinking about other people who may have a beef with you, though. If Cook is telling the truth, then someone is sending those notes—we just need to find out who.”
“Before they escalate things,” Conrad added.
Conrad walked Julie out of the house. They stood on the front porch watching Georgie and Six chase each other around the yard.
“We haven’t really had a chance to talk since I got here,” Conrad said. “Do you want to sit down, or do you need to get going?”
Julie glanced at him. Was this the “I’m taking my dog and leaving town as soon as possible, so don’t get any ideas” let down? She wanted to know the truth, but wasn’t sure she was prepared for the pain again. Getting over him—if that’s what she had done—was damn difficult the first time around. The prospect of never having him and Georgie in her life after a day or two made her heart clutch in her chest and her stomach twist into a knot.
Better to get it over with and deal with the fallout—again.
She nodded toward the rocking chairs. Conrad sat in one next to hers and cleared his throat.
“I’m not sure where to start.” He rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. “There’s so much I want to say—so much I need to say. First, I am so sorry for what I said to you in the hospital. So many emotions hit me all at once, and all the changes going on, I handled them poorly. When I saw you…I can’t explain it…it felt like one more thing that I was going to lose. Something else I had no control over. I needed to be able to control how we ended, because, at the time, it seemed inevitable to me. I had lost everything else, so of course I was going to lose you. And it hurt, so I said things I knew would hurt you just as bad.”
“Congratulations,” Julie murmured. “You nailed it.”
He placed his hand over the top of hers as it rested on the arm of the chair. “It was a shit thing to do. Once I got back home, and realized what I had done, I was so ashamed. That’s why I wouldn’t take your calls. I didn’t know what to say to you, because I was the lowest form of human life to have taken something you told me in confidence and twist it around to hurt you.
Julie glanced down at her feet. Too many emotions were rolling through her. The hurt she had felt was still so raw. Her heart felt as if it was exposed again, and there was no way she was strong enough to withstand another letdown.
He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I hope you can accept my apology, lame as it is, and not hold it against me forever.”
“I forgive you,” Julie said. And she did. She would never know how painful it was to lose so much of who she was in such a short amount of time. He had dealt with the loss of full use of his arm, the loss of his career, and the loss of his dog. All of it hitting him as soon as he regained consciousness. Anyone of those things would have leveled a man. To have to deal with all three at once was something no one should have to go through.
He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Thanks, Doc.” His voice was rough and gravelly, and he looked down at his feet.
Inhaling deeply, she asked, “So, what are your plans?”
“I haven’t really thought about it, to tell you the truth. I was determined to get my life back in order, and decided to find Georgie. I didn’t expect to find you, too. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” His stare was intense, as if he could see straight into her soul. “No decisions will be made until after we deal with these threats against you, though.”
Heat pulsed between them. She couldn’t let herself believe that he was considering any future with her. He had no idea she was here. He came for Georgie, just as she had thought.
“You know that’s not really necessary, right?” she said. “Hank and the rest of the Brotherhood Protectors can handle this situation.”
“I owe you, Doc. You saved
my life—and I may not have shown much appreciation at the time, but I am. Besides, I let you down. I won’t do that again.”
“Conrad, you don’t owe me anything.”
“I owe you everything, Doc.” He rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. “I screwed up, and I want to make things right between us.”
“What are you saying?”
“I want to see if what we had was real, because it felt real to me. Still feels real, sitting here next to you.”
Julie stood. Her head was spinning. “I can’t, Conrad. I’m sorry, but…it hurt too much, and I can’t go through that again.” She jogged down the steps. “Feel free to stop by and visit Georgie whenever you would like. We’ll need to discuss when and how to transfer her adoption over to you.”
Without waiting for an answer, she strode to the SUV and called for Georgie. The dog looked at her, glanced past her to where Conrad stood, and waited. Julie called the dog again, but Georgie was frozen in place, seemingly unsure of what to do.
The crunch of gravel under boots and the clean scent of soap indicated Conrad was coming up behind her.
“Georgie,” he called in a calm, low voice. “In.”
The dog ran to the vehicle and jumped into the back without a second thought. Julie’s heart clenched in her chest. This was Conrad’s dog, and would always be. She was a surrogate only.
Tears threatened at the back of her eyes, and she was pretty sure if they broke loose, she would crumple into a blubbering sob in the middle of Hank’s driveway. She’d been right when she told Conrad she couldn’t handle the hurt of losing him again. She just hadn’t realized, she was going to feel it no matter what.
Chapter 20
Conrad sat in the kitchen drinking coffee, and checking emails on his laptop. Hank came in and slapped him on the back.
“Hey, sorry to leave you here on your own today, had to take a trip to Billings to see a guy.”
“No worries, I’ve been able to keep myself busy.”
Hank poured himself a cup of coffee, and topped off Conrad’s, before sitting in the chair across from him. “So, tell me how you’re doing since you got back from Syria? I heard you took a hit in your arm that put you on the medical retirement tract. Are you healed?”
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