Even if everything else about the man had Hope practically jumping out of her skin every time he turned those eyes in her direction. She hadn’t been able to figure out why. But the man scared her more than any man ever had before. She didn’t think he’d ever hurt her—not physically—but the man had her…edgy. Really, really edgy.
“Hope?” he whispered her name. He was just right there. Right over her, over the side of the bed. Almost in her personal space. Buthewasn’t holding her down. Not likeSteve Wilsonhad.
Wilson had hurt Heather time and time again. Hope had seen the bruises and recognized them for exactly what they were. And that one night, when Hope had let herself into Heather’s apartment—Steve had turned onHope.She would never forget.
Steve Wilson was the reason she’d ended up with a bullet in her chest, after all.
She forced herself to pull in a deep breath. As deeply as she could anyway. “My chest…hurts. What exactly did they do to me in this place?”
The last thing she really remembered… “Where’s Mads? Please tell me she’s okay. I really need to know.”
Hope would be dead if not for Madison. Kind of hard to forget that.
“She’s safe. Under guard. Dom’s been keeping an eye on her.”
“Hal? How bad did he—they—hurt her? Where’s…Steve Wilson?” Memories were crowding in. Hope fought the fear. Tried to push the pain aside. She needed to know… “What else happened out there?”
“Detective Kimball, Detective Costovia, and that bastard Steve Wilson were three of the five men involved in the concert hall shooting,” Miguel said, bluntly. But his hand was wrapped around hers. Still. And he was there. Like he was guarding her or something. “They were supposed to take out the entire forensics team on scene. To send a message to Major Crimes. Kimball was trying to stop it. To atone for past sins, we think. You and Madison and Haldyn were just the unlucky team on the scene at the time. Maybe. Major Crimes is still investigating. To see if Wilson targeted you on purpose. Or Haldyn. Or Madison. They don’t know yet, and I’m still not free from medical leave for another week. They haven’t given me all the details. Yet. But they will. You have my word on that.”
The concert hall shooting. Hope grimaced. She knew what he meant. It had happened a year and handful of months before Hope and her family had moved to Finley Creek. Five men in disguise had burst into a local concert hall after a children’s choir and sprayed it with bullets—before abducting a woman and giving her to a deranged lunatic who’d wanted her to make a baby with him, since he had incurable cancer.
He’d wanted anheir.It had been beyond creepy—she’d thought that even before she’d learned thefulldetails of that. Probably some details that she wasn’t supposed to have learned, actually. But…her little secret. Even from her big sister.
Hope’s colleagues Madison and Charlotte had been shot. As had another woman—Sheriff Zoey Daviess. Hope’s eldest half-sister Denita’s daughter.
Hope hadn’t even known Zoey and her branch of the Colesons had existed. But that case haunted Hope, too. She’dcombed over the evidence reports herself. Trying to see if there was something that could help identify the shooters. Zoey was herniece.Even if Hope didn’t know her that well yet.
Colesons took care of Colesons. It was just the way it was.
Even if Denita had been pure evil.
There was a lot ofpure evilin Finley Creek. Hope was one hundred percent convinced of it. “What happened to Kimball. And…Steve Wilson?”
She hated Steve Wilson. Hated him. For what he’d tried to do to her that night. But mostly for how he’d repeatedly hurt her sister. All Hope had wanted to do was find a way to stop him from hurting her sister.
But Steve wasn’t just a man who had beaten Heather multiple times and raped her at least once. Hope had foundthings.Things that made her think he was involved in far darker acts even than that. She fully believed Steve had been the one to ambush Miguel in the TSP parking lot. They just hadn’t found the evidence to prove it yet.
Because he’d thought he owned Heather. And Miguel was getting too close to Hope’s sister now.
“Wilson is in…intensive care on the fifth floor. He took a bullet to the head, Hope. He’s not going to ever hurt you again. He probably won’t ever wake. Or your sister, or Madison or Haldyn. Any of you. I promise that.”
Hope shivered. “Is Hal going to be okay?”
“Kimball accidentally shot her while he was grappling with Steve Wilson. But she’s going to be okay. It was a relatively minor wound. Worse than mine, but…a lot less damaging than yours. She woke yesterday morning and has been talking. Just in and out, resting. You slept for the longest, though. Three days.”
“Yeah, we’ll talk aboutthatin a minute.” Hope raised one hand and touched the…bandages. Her entire chesthurt.No denying that. “I’m alive. I don’t want to think of the alternative.”
Hope blinked at him. And yawned. Waking up with him here hadn’t been super bad, at least. There was that. She…she hadn’t been so sure she’d ever wake up again, out there, walking along the highway. She’d never forget how terrified she had been. How afraid Madison had been—Hope had known the other woman was trying to hold it together out there. For her. She’d never forget that. “I’m sorry, Miggy. I’d love to continue this conversation, but…I’m really tired.”
“Rest. It’s the best thing for you. Or so I was told recently.” His hand covered hers. It felt warm and strong and…safe. Like things would be okay. Like they hadn’t been in a long time. “I’m on guard. I promise. You’re safe now, Hope. I’m going to make sure of it. They won’t hurt you ever again.”
“Okay…” Her eyes closed. She concentrated on the feel of his warm hand around hers. It had been nice not to wake alone and everything. Less terrifying, even if he wasn’t one of her sisters or nieces. A thought occurred to her. Fear had her eyes opening again. “Is Heath okay? Wilson…told me after he killed me, he and his friends were going afterher…”
“She’s just fine. Major Crimes have closed ranks. We will not let anyone hurt your sister. I promise.”
Well. That was good. Hope thought about what that meant as the clouds came back. She hadn’t woken alone. That mattered so much. “Just you and Murdoch, well, maybe Murdoch, anyway…can’t trust any other cops. Won’tever.Ever again…Just you.That’s it. And…well…maybe Murdoch, too…a little now…”
“Sleep. We have your back, Hope. I promise. Heather’s, too. No one is going to hurt you again.”
