Chapter Four
Bodie woke to the fluorescent hum of the overhead lights married with an antiseptic sting that burned a line down his throat. White ceiling tiles hung above, dull against the shiny chrome rod circling the bed.
He ran through a quick check — flexed his fingers and toes, moved his right leg. It burned like a furnace, the stabbing pain reduced to a low, mean throb thanks to the IV tugging at his hand. Dried mud marred his knuckles, a few pine needles still stuck in his hair.
The room spun as he pushed himself upright, circling left and right before finally stabilizing. A bit off-kilter but manageable. Bright light flashed off the metal accents, a stark contrast to the intermittent darkness of the past two days.
He’d failed.
Had recognized the marks in the dirt, the unnatural pile of leaves and needles, a moment too late, and Evan had paid the price. Even Buck had tried to warn the man, yelling for Price to stop. But Price had already committed to the stride — had shifted all his weight onto that front toe, and…
A familiar pain stole Bodie’s breath. He hadn’t lost a teammate — hell, a brother — since the murder spree over a year ago, and he’d forgotten how the overwhelming anguish settled into all the empty spaces. Bled the light out of his soul, left only darkness in its wake.
He wasn’t sure if it was the years or the distance from his time in the Army — where death had been a constant companion riding on his shoulder — but it felt different out here. Deeper. And he knew he wouldn’t have a chance at making peace with Evan’s death until he’d captured the men responsible.
Whatever it took. Whatever the cost.
The pain burned into white-hot anger beneath his skin, dimmed only by the constant throb in his leg.
“You sure you should be sitting up, Bodie? Because you look like shit.”
Bodie glanced at the door. Greer stood in the threshold, baby bump pushing against her uniform. Chase sidled up beside her, his hand resting on her hip.
Bodie shifted, bit back a curse when pain surged through his leg. “I can always count on you to boost my fragile ego, Greer. Any update on Wade?”
“Still in the ICU but stable. If he remains that way for the next day or two, he should be okay, though, it’s going to be a long road back.” She stepped inside. “How’s the leg?”
“I’ve got a few new pieces to add to my growing collection. But they got the worst of them out. Is that why you’re here? Picking up the shards for forensics?”
Greer sighed as she moved to the side of the bed. “Technically, it’s not my jurisdiction until I’m officially invited in by the lead agent. We’ve been helping with the initial containment and perimeter security, but NPS could decide to partner with state police or more likely the feds. I’m still waiting on that decision.”
“What do you mean you’re waiting? Isn’t Rowan in the hospital?”
A hint of a smile tugged at Greer’s mouth. “Special Agent Scott returned to the scene as soon as the doctors cleared her a few hours after arriving. She’s been there since.”
A dull roar sounded in Bodie’s head. “She went back to the park alone? And stayed there for the past forty-eight hours?”
“Whoa, easy there, tiger. No one said I went alone.”
Bodie snapped his gaze to the doorway. Special Agent Rowan Scott stood just inside the threshold, dressed in clean cargo pants and a Henley shirt — black puffer vest layered overtop. Her service weapon hung low on one hip, hiking boots, her badge and a few tools on her utility belt rounding out the ensemble.
He still couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized her voice as the ghostly whisper on the other end of the radio — that she’d been the one who’d sent him and his team a Hail Mary. Not that they’d spent a lot of time together, but he’d been intrigued by her from the first time they’d met. Had been working up the nerve to ask her out, when everything had gone down with former-sheriff Thompson in Raven’s Cliff, and Greer had stepped up after nearly dying. Since then…
It had been one emergency after another. Add in trying to be a full-time deputy and run his business, and he’d barely had time to sleep, let alone date.
He’d tried. Had lasted a few weeks with one of the nurses from the hospital, but it hadn’t worked out. Too military, she’d said, not that he even knew what that meant other than he somehow hadn’t measured up.
A recurring theme he needed to break.
He swept his gaze over Rowan. She didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who got intimidated easily. In fact, he doubted it ever crossed her mind. And he’d be lying if he didn’t admit she’d impressed the hell out of him. All calm grace under pressure with a quick wit that made him smile. And that wasn’t even accounting for her skill with a rifle — the kind of shots that rivaled Dalton’s.
Rowan grinned and walked to the edge of the bed, her long brown hair brushing her shoulders from the ponytail pulled tight to the top of her head. She nodded at Greer and Chase, her blue eyes drinking in the room with nothing more than a glance as she reached into her pocket and removed a plastic bag. “Sheriff Hudson.”
Greer crossed her arms over her chest. “We can continue with sheriff and special agent, or we can drop the bureaucratic crap and go with Greer and Rowan. Your choice.”
Rowan grinned. “Greer, it is.” She focused on Bodie for a second. “First, I heard Wade made it through surgery, that his prognosis is good. I’m really glad. Second…” She turned to Greer. “Consider your department officially invited. In fact, I’d like to run the investigation out of Raven’s Cliff — keep my resources as close as possible, if that’s not imposing too much.”
“Whatever you need. We’ve got plenty of room.”
