Once again…a Coleson had been involved—or targeted. Bonnie and her daughter had been targeted—along with two nieces she hadn’t even known existed. Interesting coincidence, that.
Gunnar Erickson, one of Dom’s closest friends on the planet, had been trying to discover the men behind it for almost as long. He’d been lifted out on the same chopper as Heather. Daniel McKellen had been taken out of Hughes Heights in an ambulance before the chopper had even landed.
They’d just connected that hospital to the men responsible for that drug again.
Through aColeson.
Gunnar had been on that same air flight as Heather Coleson. He’d taken two to the chest.
“How in the hell did Heather get involved?” He would admit it—Dom wasn’t certain he understood that woman one bit. There was something about Heather Coleson that got beneath a man’s skin. Caused him to lose all sense of rational thought. Hell, rumor was she’d even driven Steve Wilson mad. Well, Dom didn’t believe that: Wilson was pure evil. Heather hadn’t caused shit—it was all on Wilson. “Her family?”
A damned dangerous woman. Very, very dangerous.
He’d kill for her in a heartbeat, too. Dom wouldn’t deny it to himself. There was something about her that inspired loyalty.
She’d been through utter hell in the last four years—all at Steve Wilson and his cronies’ hands. Madison had been very clear what Wilson had confessed that night when he’d abductedher and Hope. Dom didn’t know Heather’s condition now. But it hadn’t been good. The wordhypovolemichad been mentioned.
Hell, Heather was a single mother of two very young daughters. The idea she might not pull through sickened him.
“The younger Grundenman ordered Powell to call Heather. To draw her out. Apparently, Heather got too close four years ago to their operation. On a drug case she was kicked off of damned fast.” And Miguel’s fury was hard to miss. Of course it was, he and Heather Coleson had been close friends for years. “He intended to take her out tonight to keep her from putting things together, apparently. Guy was a dumbass, reckless. And responsible for creating that damned drug in the first place.”
Miguel abruptly turned. And followed Bonnie. “Acardi, I’m heading out now. You can ride along if you want. I’m taking Bonnie to Heather. Heather needs her family with her now.”
It wasn’t a question. Neither man thought it was. Dom just nodded. He wanted to be at the hospital himself, damn it. Gunnar, Heather, Daniel. They were his friends, too. And Miguel had answers he needed.
Plus, Dom wasn’t interested in fighting with Miguel tonight.
Very few people told Miguel Rodriguez what to do. Dom wasn’t stupid enough to even start—especially when the other man was as pissed as he obviously was. The man stood well over six-seven or -eight and outweighed Dom’s two-eighty by a good sixty pounds. He was big, mean and intimidating—and used to being in charge. And very, very angry tonight.
He was right more often than he was wrong. Dom would follow Miguel Rodriguez into war, if he had to. And more than that—Miguel was one of the few that he trusted at his own back now, too.
Miguel looked at him. “We’ll talk. At the hospital. Once I know Bonnie is safe with the rest of Heather’s family.”
“Just tell me this. Powell called Heather. Heather came. Found Gunnar?” He needed a simple timeline here. It would be a place to start.
“Yes. Found Gunnar outside. I arrived a few minutes later. Heather went in. Got Melissa Barratt out through the rear door. Then Gunnar and I went in. We neutralized the threats. In the process Heather and Gunnar were wounded.”
“And Daniel?”
“Outside the main perimeter. I didn’t see him. But Heather’s nieces found him outside where Grundenman’s associates had dragged him. He’d been shot and beaten—before Heather and I arrived, and when Gunnar sustained his first GSW. The Colesons were following us in case medical help was needed. They were able to do first aid and keep Daniel alive until the ambulances arrived. They found the bodyguards assigned to Powell, as well. One was dead. They rendered aid. They were able to stabilize the other bodyguard. The rest of Heather’s family called out the cavalry—while Hope worked a command post. That’s what I have now. We’ll discuss details of Grundenman after Bonnie is safe at the hospital. She needs to be with Heather now.”
Dom didn’t argue. He just waited until Miguel was lifting Bonnie into the large truck Miguel had parked two streets over. Miguel was incredibly protective over all of Heather’s family. Dom wasn’t going to be stupid and piss Miguel off over the Colesons. But Dom was going to catch a ride to that hospital right now.
He asked Bonnie a few questions on the drive to the hospital, but it was obvious she was preoccupied. She’d raised Heather from the age of twelve or thirteen, he thought. And the woman had been through utter hell herself since October, when Dr. Gregory Eastman had abducted her and her teenage daughter.
Dom didn’t push. Now wasn’t the time.
He would be pushing Miguel when they were alone.
Dom had questions. He was going to get the answers. One way or another. But first, he needed to know how Daniel and Gunnar—and Heather—were doing now.
And what kind of shit storm was going down tonight.
He needed witness statements. Dom needed to know what had happened out there.
Maybe for once they could finally get more than the two steps ahead four steps back they had been engaging in since what had happened with the mayor of Finley Creek a few years ago. Everything had seemed to be building since that asshole Dennis Lee Arnold, a city councilman, had tried to kill the mayor’s woman—and had nearly succeeded in killing the deputy mayor. Dom had been studying the angles for whatever in the hell was going on in Finley Creek ever since.
He almost felt like he was getting closer lately. He looked at the people roaming around the hospital waiting room. He was looking for a certain woman in the mix. He wouldn’t feelrightuntil he found her. Dom wanted to make sure the little shrew was safe.
