* * *
Josh was tired of waiting. Where the hell was Tory? She was supposed to be bringing clean clothes. Hell, he didn’t give a rat’s ass if he went home buck naked. He just wanted the hell out of there.
He fiddled with the TV tuner, trying to find something to watch, finally gave up and turned it off. His cell phone rang. He reached over and snatched it off the tray table, recognized Ham’s number.
“Hey, Ham. What’s up?”
“Saw you on TV. Glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks. I’m supposed to be getting out of here today, but—”
“We got a problem, Josh. I just found out a few minutes ago that Bridger’s old man pulled some strings. Damon’s been out of jail since Saturday morning. He’s not at work and he isn’t at home. We got Suzy Solomon covered, but I’m worried about Tory, Josh.”
“Jesus, I gotta call her. Thanks, Ham. I’ll call you later.” Josh hung up and quickly dialed Tory’s cell, but it rang and rang and she didn’t pick up.
His nerves stretched taut. He ended the call and carefully eased out of bed, disconnecting himself from wires and tubes as his feet hit the cold linoleum floor. He carefully moved his arm. He was stiff and hurting like hell, but he’d live.
Dragging off the hospital gown, he tossed it away and walked naked to the small locker where his clothes were stored. As he reached inside, a little blond candy striper walked into the room.
Her eyes rounded and her gaze ran over him from head to foot. “Oh, my.”
“If you don’t mind, I need to get dressed.”
“Yes . . . I can see that. Sorry.” Cheeks red, she hurried out of the room.
Putting on his clothes with a hole in his chest wasn’t easy, but he managed. His denim shirt was stiff with dark blood but at least it covered him up. With only a hiss of pain, he sat down carefully and pulled on his jeans and boots.
He phoned Tory again, but still got no answer. He needed a ride. His brother and Carly had already gone back to Dallas. He’d call Noah or Cole. Both had come down to the hospital last night. He recalled Cole being with Brittany and smiled. If he’d ever seen two people in love, they were it.
Which made him think of Tory, and his smile quickly faded. He reached for the door just as it opened and Noah walked in.
Noah’s dark eyebrows shot up. “Didn’t expect to see you up and about. I guess you’re feeling better.”
“I was just going to call you. Bridger’s out of jail. Tory could be in trouble. I need a ride back to the ranch.”
Noah’s features hardened. “Let’s go.”
They hurried down the hall past a couple of nurses and the doctor who was supposed to release him.
“Hey, where are you going?” The doctor, a good-looking Asian, seemed too young to have a medical degree. “I need to check your wound and get it rebandaged.”
“I don’t have time. I’ll come back later.” Like hell he would. He’d had enough of hospitals to last him a lifetime. He didn’t wait for the doctor’s reply, just hurried on to the elevator and pushed the button, walked in as soon as the doors slid open.
Noah’s Dodge pickup was parked in the lot. They climbed inside and Noah started the engine. Josh tried calling Tory again, still got no answer. The side of his chest ached, throbbed clear down his leg, but he didn’t have any pain pills and he wouldn’t have taken them if he’d had them. Not until he was sure Tory was safe.
“Hang on,” Noah said, and fired out of the lot.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Mrs. Thompson’s Honda Civic sat where she had parked it yesterday afternoon. Tory glanced around, searching for Damon’s BMW, but it wasn’t there. He had probably flown into Dallas and rented a car. She noticed the barn doors had been closed, figured the rental car must be parked inside out of sight.
She drove the truck up in front of the house and turned off the engine, took a deep breath, and cracked open the door. Too bad the FBI still had the .38 revolver she’d been carrying yesterday. At the moment, she could shoot Damon Bridger without the slightest qualm.
Instead, she steeled herself and walked up on the porch of the double-wide, turned the knob, and pulled open the front door.
Damon sat on the living room sofa, with Ivy statue-still beside him. Her blue eyes were round and glazed with tears. She looked terrified.
The moment she saw Tory, she jumped up and ran toward her. “Mama!” she squealed, throwing her arms around Tory’s waist.
