“Yeah,” Talon breathed, “I’ll hang close to him. Don’t worry, okay?” He slapped Cade’s shoulder. “As soon as Kai awakens, his whole focus is going to be her, anyway.”
“Well, keep it there. Until we have some answers, I don’t want him going off half-cocked.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
KAI SLOWLY OPENED her eyes. Everything blurred and then came back into focus. Her joints ached and she felt stiff.
The first person she saw was Gil standing near her, his eyes narrowed and intense upon her. She felt his roughened hand, warm and firm, around her fingers. Her mind spun with questions and then she closed her eyes, feeling dizzy and seeing blips of a crash. Gil grazed her cheek and Kai lifted her lashes. Everything was such a huge effort and she felt weak.
“You’re at the Jackson Hole hospital and you’re going to be okay,” he told her quietly. Cat stood on the other side of the gurney with Talon and she brushed Kai’s other hand. “How are you feeling, Kai?”
It hurt to think. “Rough,” she managed, her voice barely a hoarse whisper. She felt bruised to her core.
“You have a cut on your brow and you have a concussion, Dove…”
Kai frowned, but her head ached when she moved it. The crash all came rushing back to her…about something big hitting them from behind and being shoved across the narrow highway and into the guardrail.
She swallowed, watching Gil’s expression. Kai saw the worry in his blue gaze, terror and relief. More than anything, his love for her. Movement snagged her attention and she slowly turned her head to the right. Cat gave her a kind smile.
“Welcome back, Kai. Just lie there and get your bearings. You’re going to be fine…”
Kai saw Talon near her shoulder and he was looking concerned. Needing Gil, she focused her attention on him, his hand on hers, the way he gently touched her hair. “W-we were hit from behind…”
Gil nodded. Slowly, so Kai could retain what he said, he told her a shortened version of the crash.
“B-but why?” Kai asked, giving him a stressed look. “Why did that guy hit us? I never heard a horn being honked. He could have warned us, tried to pass around us…”
Gil nodded. “There’s more to this, Kai, but look, you’re really tired and I just want you to rest. We can cover it when you’re feeling better. The most important thing is that you’re safe and you’re going to have a full recovery.”
Kai saw Jordana McPherson slip in between the curtains and enter the cubicle. The doctor beamed at her. Gil released her hand and stepped back so the doctor could get to her side.
“Hey, how you doing, Kai?” Jordana asked, pulling out her small penlight from the white lab coat she wore. She slowly moved it across her eyes two times.
“Rugged… My mind…it’s not working right…”
Jordana said, “You have a level-three concussion, Kai. It really shakes a person’s brain up for a while. Now that you’re awake, we’re going to move you to a private room where Gil can keep an eye on you.” She gently patted Kai’s arm. “It will take you about forty-eight hours to really come back from the crash. Until then, you’re not going to be feeling very chipper. The good news is that your pupils are equal and responsive, so that tells me your brain has not been traumatized.” She gestured to Gil. “And this big guy will be at your side the whole time.”
Nothing had felt better to Kai than hearing that. She noticed Gil had a head wound that had been sutured up. Her mind just wasn’t cooperating and she remembered bits and pieces. “Okay, that sounds really good,” she told Jordana wearily. “Thank you…”
It was near evening when Kai awoke again. The new room she had been placed in earlier was semi-dark, weak light filtering in around the window where the blinds were drawn shut. She still had an IV in her arm and she heard the soft beeps of nearby equipment. A chair squeaked and snagged her attention. Kai slowly turned her head and looked to her right. Gil rose stiffly out of the plastic chair.
“Hey,” Kai whispered, putting out her hand toward him. “How are you?” He looked exhausted.
“Better than you,” Gil teased quietly, taking Kai’s hand and leaning over, gently taking her mouth, brushing his lips against hers, feeling her return his kiss.
Just the touch of Gil’s mouth fed Kai strength and grounded her. As he eased away, his dark blue eyes hooded, he intently assessed her. “I’m better. The dizziness seems to be gone.”
“Your eyes look cleaner. Brighter.” Gil’s mouth hooked upward. “Like somebody’s home this time,” he said, and caressed her cheek. “Even some color here, too. I think you’re coming back to life, Dove.”
The endearment flowed quietly through Kai, her heart opening wide to Gil. She felt cherished. Loved. And there was no longer mistaking that she saw love in his eyes for her.
“You give me life,” she said tremulously, searching his eyes, feeling protection radiating off him and embracing her. It made Kai feel safe and she didn’t know why she felt so threatened. There was danger and she could sense it. Maybe because of the accident and her bruised brain?
He rasped, “You are my life. You always have been.” Gil halted, not wanting to say more right now. He saw her eyes go liquid with love for him. It was so clear and unmistakable. That realization lifted him as nothing else ever could. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Thirsty,” Kai admitted.
“Water okay? Or do you want something else to drink?”
“No, water’s fine.” Kai watched him pour a glass from the nearby tray. He brought up the bed so she was in a comfortable, semireclining position. Sliding his arms around her shoulders, Gil brought her into his embrace and held the glass to her lips.
Kai hadn’t realized how thirsty she really was until she’d completely drained the glass. “Thanks,” she said ruefully, wiping her mouth afterward. “Call me a camel.” Gil smiled a little and sat on the edge of the bed, facing her, their hips barely touching. “Jordana said you would be thirsty for a while. Any headache?”
“No.” Kai sighed and reached out as he offered his hand to her, fingers meeting and tangling. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
“Do you feel up to hearing the rest of what happened to us?” Gil asked her gravely.
Kai felt a catch in her throat, increasing that fear and threat she’d felt around her earlier. Gil’s face was unreadable, that operator’s mask partly in place so she couldn’t decipher his expression. “What happened, Gil?”
He told her about the events that transpired after the crash. Kai remembered nothing after the pickup slammed into the rocks near the river’s edge when she lost consciousness. Gil watched her eyes grow wide with shock. And when he told her about the man he had to kill, she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She stared at him, stunned.
“But—who was he? And why was he hunting us?” she asked, shaken.
“That’s what we’re trying to piece together,” Gil said, smoothing his fingers across the back of her hand. “Cade thinks Chuck Harper is behind it, but he’s not sure just yet.”
Kai stared at him. “Chuck?”
Nodding, Gil said, “Cade told us earlier, after we got you here to the hospital, that when Chuck finds a woman he wants, he obsesses over her until he gets her. Anyone who snubs his advances ends up missing. That’s happened twice, as far as Cade knows. But none of it can be legally proved. The other two women he wanted and who spurned his advances just disappeared. Never seen or heard from again, Kai. He thinks Harper either had them murdered or they ended up sold to a sex-slave ring, most likely sent to Eastern Europe. He said Harper is forging a sex-slave trade in this region and women are being sent over there.”
“Oh, God,” Kai muttered, touching her brow. She swallowed hard and looked away. “I—I didn’t know… Cat had told me a while back that Harper was obsessive toward a woman he wanted. She told me to stay away from him,” she began lamely.
“We all should have been blunt with you about Harper from the beginning, and we weren’t,” Gil admitted. �
�I asked everyone not to tell you this. I didn’t want you scared of going over to Harper’s repair shop. We all figured if you were always escorted over there by one of us, Harper would leave you alone and everything would be okay.”
Giving Gil a look of apology, Kai said, “I didn’t help matters, then. About a month after I was hired, Chuck asked me to go on a trail ride with him on a Saturday.” She winced, seeing Gil’s eyes suddenly narrow, felt the tension rise in him. “I did go and we spent half a day riding the Lupine Trail in the Tetons. All we did was share a lunch and we talked about stuff, but that was all. Nothing went on and nothing happened.” She felt like a traitor to Gil.
Kai could see the hurt in his eyes. “Look,” she added hoarsely, “this was long before there was anything between us, Gil. I was lonely, if you want the truth. You and I were not getting along at all, so I couldn’t ask you to go on a trail ride with me. After that, though, Chuck started calling me every day, asking me to go out with him again. I kept telling him no, but he wouldn’t leave me alone. Then, he’d switch tactics and suggest I go to lunch with him or go to dinner. I turned him down every time. He made my skin crawl. I felt like he was stalking me.” Kai wrapped her arms around herself, giving Gil a worried look. “And then he approached me at the Armory in front of everyone. You were busy getting drinks and didn’t see it happen.”
“Talon told me about it later. I was going to see Harper at his business next week and tell him to never touch you again, that you were mine.” Gil folded his hands, scowling. “It sounds like Cade is right—Harper was obsessing on you, Kai.” His voice lowered and gentled. He picked up Kai’s hand, now cool and damp feeling. “Look, I’m not angry with you. I understand why you did it. You just didn’t know how much of a predator he really is. And I’m at fault for not telling you everything about Harper. I was trying to protect you because we needed that repair shop of his. Plus, we all thought if someone escorted you over there, things would be fine.”
Tears jammed into her eyes and her voice became raspy. “I didn’t know, Gil. I swear to God, I didn’t. I—I was working so hard, long hours, and I just wanted a day off to relax. I love riding trails.” Lifting her chin, warm tears fell down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you in any way. I really didn’t—”
“Hush,” he rasped, releasing her hand. Gil got up and sat closer, slipping his arms around Kai’s shoulders and drawing her gently against him. “Don’t cry over this, Dove. You couldn’t have possibly known everything about this bastard. I didn’t know the full extent, either. Only Cade knew he formed obsessions and we just found that out today. Everyone was more or less in the dark.”
Gil kissed her hair and slid his hand reassuringly up and down her back. “You did nothing wrong. Nothing. So, let’s let it rest between us, okay? I’m just glad you’re alive. It scared the hell out of me…” His voice cracked with emotion. Gil didn’t want to squeeze Kai too hard; she was as bruised and battered as he was. He kept his embrace gentle. More than anything else, he didn’t want Kai feeling badly about choices she’d made regarding Harper. Kai was right: at that time they were on tenterhooks with one another. And he was sure she was stressed-out by it. A ride in the Tetons would soothe anyone’s soul. But no one realized Harper’s real intentions behind the invitation. He could have raped her, drugged or killed her out there alone in the mountains. That sent a frisson of galvanizing fear through Gil. He was at fault in this, too. He bore responsibility for what happened, as well.
Giving a slight nod, Kai pulled away, self-consciously wiping tears from her cheeks. “Harper just kept pursuing me. When you and I started to heal things between us, Gil, I told him I was in a relationship with you and to stop calling me.”
Taking a deep breath, Gil said, “He was obsessed with you, that’s why he kept after you, Kai. Do you feel up to talking to Cade? I think he’ll want to know about this.”
“Sure,” she muttered. “But what will it prove?”
“I’m not sure. But it is evidence about his continued behavior toward you. Also, Cade can get proof of it via your cell phone. His number is going to show up and show how many times he called you.”
Gil said nothing as Cade came to the room and listened to Kai’s story about Harper. He could see the deputy sheriff’s face turning more grim. It was near dinnertime when Kai finished her story. She looked tired again. This was a helluva stress on her, and Gil wished he could have protected her from it.
“Did Harper do this?” Kai asked the deputy.
“We can’t prove it. At least, not yet.” Cade gave her a kind look and said, “I wished I’d have told you about his other behavior, Kai. I’m sorry I didn’t. I thought if you knew he was being watched for drug dealing, that would be enough to warn you off. This was my fault. I should have asked Gil or Talon to tell you everything about him.”
Kai grimaced. “I just didn’t feel concerned about what I was told by Talon because one of the guys from the ranch always went in with me to Ace Trucking’s machine shop, with the exception of two times. And I was only in a shop where three other men were working.”
“Harper’s smart and he’s careful,” Cade warned them, standing. “We’ll just have to wait until we get more info in and put the pieces together.”
“Nothing on the hit man?” Gil asked.
“He’s a criminal,” Cade said. “His fingerprints brought up his entire record. Tony Fausterman just got out of prison about six months ago. No ties to Harper that we can prove yet. The truck had no license plate on it. We’re tracking the VIN number on it right now.”
“So many little pieces to check,” Kai said, folding her hands in her lap, giving the deputy a grateful look.
“Well, until we can put a picture together on this, Kai, I want Gil with you. Go nowhere alone. Okay?”
“I promise,” she said solemnly.
“And there’s no way to track the pistol Fausterman was using, either,” Gil said, frowning.
“No,” Cade agreed. He pushed the notepad into his pocket and buttoned it.
“Talon was concerned about another hit man who might still be around,” Gil said. “What do you think?”
Cade grimaced. “No way of telling. My gut tells me Harper was after Kai. I don’t think he wants a war with the Holt ranch. If anything, Harper likes to play it quiet on the surface and try his damnedest not to raise law enforcement’s attention. So I think Harper got pissed that Kai had offed him for you. And he probably hired Fausterman out of New York, paid him in cash, got this dump truck from somewhere and told the hit man to kill both of you. It’s Harper’s way of getting even. At least—” he shrugged “—that’s my own personal theory of what went down. The problem is proving it. With Fausterman dead, he can’t turn over evidence. The pistol’s numbers have been filed off. The dump truck has no license plate. I’m hoping for a hit via motor vehicles on the VIN number. But it’s a slim thread.”
“Then,” Kai said wearily, “if Harper is behind this, he’ll probably never be found out. Right?”
Cade sighed. “Yeah, that’s about it. After I get the VIN number info, I may go over to Harper and talk to him. But he’s a cagey bastard and won’t tell me anything.”
“Send me over,” Gil growled, giving the deputy a hard look. “I’ll get information out of him.”
“No way,” Cade said. “I’ll end up having to put you in jail, too, and I don’t want to do that, Gil. Besides, look at it this way—if we can’t prove he was behind this and I don’t go over, he’ll think he got away with it. Criminals get bolder when they think they’ve outsmarted us. And it gives us information about his tactics that we can use later if he tries to go after another woman.”
Gil gave him a hard look but said nothing.
Kai frowned. “Then…if he is behind this, and there’s no proof, Cade, he’ll get away with it. Worse, he’ll go after me again? Or another woman? My God.”
“Anything is possible,” Cade said gently. “No one’s more frustrated a
bout this than me. We continue to search for those two missing women. We’ve found nothing. We’re working with regional states, APBs, photos of them to all law enforcement, and the FBI is involved, as well. But we’ve come up empty so far.”
Kai gulped. “Then, I’m not really safe?”
“You’re safe,” Gil growled, glaring over at Cade. “He’ll never get near you again.” His voice vibrated with barely held rage.
Holding up his hands, Cade said, “If this is Harper’s work, I very seriously doubt he’ll try to harm you again, Kai. He hates being in the focus of law enforcement. Besides, this is premature. We have to have proof. We can’t do anything without it. I’ll be back in touch with you as soon as I learn anything.” His eyes gentled as he held Kai’s distraught gaze. “Two things. First, do not ever use Ace Trucking’s machine shop again.”
“No,” she whispered, “I won’t. I’ll drive to Idaho Falls to do my work, instead, if I need to.”
“Good. Secondly—” Cade glanced over at Gil, whose face was hard and unreadable, his eyes stormy looking “—you go nowhere without one of the men of the Triple H with you. At least until we can try and get this sorted out.”
“Don’t worry,” Kai said, “I don’t want to go anywhere alone.”
“Okay,” Cade breathed, giving her a tight smile, “that’s what I need to hear.”
Kai drew in a shaky breath after Cade left. A nurse came in, smiled and removed her IV, asking if she’d like dinner. Kai was going to say no, but Gil interceded and said yes. When the nurse left, she looked over at him. His face was completely unreadable, but she felt the controlled anger pulsating off him. “You think Harper did it?”
“No question.” Gil flexed his fist and watched as she slowly pulled off the cover, revealing her long legs. The blue gown was hitched up to around her knees. Wincing inwardly, he saw all the bruises on them, and more anger tunneled through him. And more fear that she could have died. “What are you doing?”
“Getting out of this bed.” She gave him a faint smile. “I hate being bed-bound.” She held out her hand to him. “Help me?”
Night Hawk Page 28