Naylor was just staring. K.J. ignored him for a moment. “Lila? Miriam? Where are they?”
“Lila Dodson is in recovery,” Trace said, turning serious. “She lost a lot of blood, but that asshole Creevey didn’t hit anything major. Thankfully. She wasn’t the true target of his rage. Small caliber, at least.”
“It was Newcomb. He is the one who shot her. Madison confirmed that. Not that other man. That other man was after Miriam, wasn’t he?”
“Creevey had been stalking her for weeks. Since she transferred here to help out,” Naylor said. “She just didn’t tell anyone, apparently.”
“How is she?” Miriam was young. She always seemed so innocent. “Is she going to be okay?”
Trace nodded. “As far as we’ve been told. But…he got her pretty bad. I…didn’t get help to her in time to really stop it.”
And there was guilt in his beautiful blue eyes. It wasn’t his fault, any of this. It was just the luck of the draw.
Life happened that way sometimes. That had been a lesson K.J. had learned a long time ago.
“What were you supposed to do? We foundLilafirst. I didn’t even see Miriam. I heard the reports after…we were finished rescuing Madison. We couldn’t be everywhere at once.”
“I know. But…hell, she’s just a kid.”
And far too many people had been hurt. But…she didn’t trust the other man next to him one bit. “Newcomb in yet?”
“No clue. Just Madison was taken back already. Can you tell me what they are saying so far?” Trace asked. “I didn’t see her when they wheeled her in. Saw Acardi almost snarling and growling in the ER waiting room.”
“He really loves her. She should be okay. Broken ribs, sprains, strains, cuts, bruises. We got her back.”
“Heard that was mostly your doing. You good?” Trace asked. They were both ignoring Naylor. They were united in their dislike of him, apparently.
“Bit more battered than I was this morning, that’s for sure. On my way back to get cleared. And find a shower. In spite of what Mads was saying, this is not great for the complexion. I’ll be washing this out of my hair for a week.”
“Hell, what did they do to you, Miller?” Naylor asked.
“Acardi and Rodriguez lowered me down a few mineshafts—one of them headfirst, actually. Just a normal day in Major Crimes. You should try it some time, Naylor.” It was a dig and she knew it. Brett had told her before—Bryant wanted Major Crimes, he just hadn’t gotten it yet. It was his dream position—andshe’dgotten it first. He was the road patrol supervisor now. Major Crimes had more prestige than road patrol.
Not that she felt prestigious right now. Mostly, she just felt covered in cave slime. “What happened to Newcomb’s thug?”
“Took off, kid. Creevey got away. Rumor has it, he had help,” Trace said. He shot Naylor a suspicious look. “By one of our own.”
“Well, we found the head of the snake, boys. Now…we’re going to finish killing it. But in the meantime…if you’ll excuse me…a shower. I have cave-slime in so many places.”
They watched her walk away.
She’d spoken the truth. She suspected Bryant was as dirty as that mine had been tonight. She was going to prove it.
If he had anything to do with what had happened tonight, she was going to see that he paid. A thousand times over.
Good people had been hurt tonight.
She was going to find the ones responsible.
127
Madison wasclean and dressed in scrubs—probably her mother’s—and sound asleep in the bed when Dom was finally finished with the TSP and allowed in with her. He had tried to go in with her, but he’d been stopped by the fire-breathing dragon who looked just like an older version of the woman he loved.
She and Bonnie Coleson had ganged up on him. Bonnie was off for the night—and had a guard from the Barratts watching over her now. The man, about ten years older than Dom, looked a bit shell-shocked when he watched Heather’s older sister. Bonnie had promised to stay with Cherise and Madison until Dom could get to her. And Miriam, who was in the bed across the room, in 403.
Bonnie was staying with Miriam, so the girl wouldn’t be there alone. Bonnie was hovering over that girl, too. Miriam had no one else, but Heather and Hope’s family. They were pulling together to take care of her now.
He’d gotten an update from his own father a few minutes ago. He’d been keeping Dom posted on what they had said about Madison.AfterDom had been told to take a shower and not bea contamination hazard. He wore borrowed clothing from Lake’s twin brother now.
