Isla’s chest constricted, fury slicing through her. The image of Trudy standing there with nothing but a wooden bat against an armed intruder burned in her mind.
“I ran,” Trudy whispered. “Went for the stairs. Thought I could get away.” Her eyelids fluttered, and for a second Isla thought she would drift off, but then she pushed the words out again. “I was at the top when… when they shot me.”
Isla’s throat ached as she pictured it, the terror Trudy must have felt pressing down like a weight.
“I made it to the back bedroom,” Trudy went on, her voice weaker now. “Collapsed. Don’t… don’t remember anything else. Until I saw you.”
Her eyes shifted, locking onto Isla and Garrett both, filled with something fragile but fierce.
Isla squeezed her hand harder, rage and fear tangling in her chest. Someone had come into Trudy’s home, had hunted her there. And that someone was still out there.
Trudy’s lips parted, her voice no more than a whisper. “Did you… catch the one who shot me?”
Garrett’s jaw flexed hard, turning to iron. “No. They got away.” His tone dropped lower. “But they ransacked your office and took the laptop.”
He leaned in closer. “What were they looking for, Trudy?”
Her eyes slipped shut, her face pinched as if the pain was dragging her under. Isla’s pulse jumped. She thought they were about to lose her again. And their five minutes were running out.
At last, Trudy’s eyes opened just a sliver. “Maybe… anything I had on Harris.” Her breath shook. “I had the case files. I’ve been making some calls.”
“Calls to who?” Isla pressed, her voice quick and urgent.
Trudy’s gaze shifted weakly toward her. “The cops who worked his abduction. And his bio family.”
The words thudded through the quiet, leaving Isla’s heart pounding.
Trudy’s breath hitched, her eyes slipping closed for a moment before she forced them open again. “I think…” Her voice cracked, fragile as tissue. “I think the person who took Harris was his mother. Leah McCord.”
Isla’s stomach lurched. “Why?”
Trudy swallowed with effort, her hand trembling in Isla’s grip. “Because Leah came to see me after she got out of rehab. The day before Harris was taken. She begged to have him back. Said she was clean, said she’d make it work. I told her it wasn’t my call. That the court had placed him with me and only the state could decide. She got angry. Said no one was going to keep her baby from her.” Trudy’s voice thinned, her words dragging out. “And the next day… he was gone.”
The memory pressed heavy in Isla’s chest. She had been sixteen, too wrapped up in Garrett, too careless.
Trudy’s lashes fluttered again, her strength slipping. “I tried to believe Leah had nothing to do with it,” she whispered. “But now… after all this time, I can’t ignore it.”
The door creaked open and the doctor stepped back inside. “Time’s up,” he said gently.
Isla leaned in, pressed a kiss to Trudy’s forehead, and whispered, “We’ll be back soon.” Garrett bent low and did thesame, his jaw rigid as he murmured a few words only Trudy could hear.
Reluctantly, they let go of her hands and stepped out into the hall.
Cal Granger waited just outside the door. He had a relaxed gait that masked the steel beneath. Tall, with a Texas Rangers ballcap pulled low, he wore an easy expression like it was part of his uniform.
“Noah asked me to stand guard until he can set up full security,” Cal said, voice even. “Around the clock detail’s coming, but until then, she’s got me.” His eyes hardened, the easy expression slipping just enough for them to see the steel beneath. “I’ll keep her safe.”
Relief washed through Isla. “Thank you, Cal.”
“Yeah,” Garrett added, his tone steady. “We appreciate it. I’ll be staying in the waiting room tonight, but it helps knowing you’re here too.”
Cal tipped his cap, already settling in beside the door. “She’s covered.”
“I’m staying, too,” Isla said quickly. She couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not yet. Not while Trudy was fighting to hold on.
With Cal standing guard and the decision made, she and Garrett turned toward the waiting room, both of them carrying the weight of what lay ahead.
Garrett and Isla slowed just before stepping into the waiting room. The harsh light overhead cast shadows under his eyes, making the sharp planes of his face look even harder.
