Courtney mumbled a protection prayer she’d learned as a small child and made a beeline toward the noise. On the edge of her flashlight beam, she caught sight of a male figure. He disappeared into the trees in a matter of seconds.
Training kicked in, warning her not to run straight to the victim. In all honesty, she wanted to even if that would be a rookie mistake. The area had to be secured first and foremost, or the attacker could return and dispense with them both. Courtney couldn’t afford to let her guard down. But the gurgling noises coming from fifteen feet in front of her nearly stopped her heart.
Using her flashlight, she skimmed the ground, stopping on the victim. There was blood everywhere and more pumping out of her every second. Courtney had to fight against all her instincts to render aid.
If she made a wrong move, they’d both be dead and she’d be no use to the victim, Courtney reminded herself. This was the part of the job she had a hard time stomaching. Seeing someone hurt—dying?—and not being able to run to them was the worst feeling. A flashback to the massacre, the blood that ran down the street and into the gutter, assaulted her. The blank look in Decks’s eyes when she finally got to him. She’d been shot, too, but spared death. It seemed unfair to her that she should live when everyone on her team and her boyfriend didn’t.
“Help is here, so I need you to hang on,” she tried to soothe the victim, knowing that her words were empty. She couldn’t help, not yet, not in the way she wanted to.
A noise like a dying animal echoed, causing Courtney’s heart to clench. She scanned the area for the male figure as she moved around the perimeter, but there was no sign of him.
Courtney listened for any indication he was still around or any other opportunistic creature that might be lurking in the shadows waiting to get the drop on her. When she heard none and confirmed by sight there wasn’t anyone or anything around, she radioed for help.
Then, and only then, did she let herself run to the victim.
The blonde woman was splayed on the ground, her arms and legs spread out at odd angles. Courtney dropped to her knees beside her. There was blood everywhere and Courtney didn’t recognize the victim. She couldn’t be more than twenty-five years old. But where was all that blood coming from?
“Stay with me, sweetie,” Courtney said.
The blonde tried to talk but couldn’t.
“Nod your head if you knew the person who did this to you,” Courtney said. The tacky smell of blood filled the air as it gushed from the side of her head.
No response came.
The woman gasped for air as she shivered, and her gaze fixed on Courtney’s face.
“No. No. No. No.” There was no clear passageway in order to perform CPR. Blood gushed from the victim’s nose and mouth. There was nothing Courtney could do besides feel helpless and like she’d just failed in the worst way.
Where was all the blood coming from? Courtney couldn’t pinpoint all the locations. She used her flashlight to scan the victim’s body and saw gashes everywhere in the back and sides of her head. She bit back a curse.
“Please stay with me,” Courtney said as a few tears leaked. Not again. Courtney’s heart squeezed so hard she thought it might burst. This person was too young to die.
She heard static on the radio before Lopez’s voice came through.
“Where are you?” she asked Lopez.
“I don’t see a pickup truck, but I do see your vehicle,” Lopez said.
“I’m east about ten minutes into the woods. I need an ambulance.” She was doing her best to keep it together no matter how much she wanted to break down. Looking at the victim, Courtney made a vow to nail the jerk who did this.
Courtney’s next clear thought was that she wanted to see Jordan. There was something comforting about his presence. She told herself it was because she was carrying his child and he was in full-on protective daddy mode. But there was more to it than she was willing to admit.
Within minutes, the scene was flooded with personnel. Queasiness took over, and she had to step away.
In the light, Courtney recognized the blonde. Her name was Rhonda Keller, and she’d been a couple of grades below Courtney in school. Rhonda had dyed her hair blond.
“Is that the Kellers’ daughter?” Deputy Lopez asked.
“Yes,” Courtney confirmed. “Where’s Zach?”
“He was signing paperwork on Gus,” Lopez informed. “Said he’d be here as soon as he could get away.”
Courtney recounted the story of what happened.
She realized that she’d forgotten all about dinner with Mrs. Farmer. “Will you write this up? I need to make a call.”
Lopez nodded. “Of course. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do. Take a break. You look like you need a minute.”
“Lingering stomach issues” was all she said. She stepped out of earshot and called Mrs. Farmer.
“Hello.” Mrs. Farmer sounded worried.
“It’s me. Courtney.”
“Oh, I don’t have on my reading glasses, and those little screens are impossible to make out,” Mrs. Farmer said.
“I’m sorry about dinner. I ended up on a work call,” Courtney explained.
“That’s all right, dear.” It made everything worse that Mrs. Farmer made an effort to cover the disappointment in her voice. “I hope you caught him.”
“No. He got away,” Courtney admitted. “You’ll hear about this soon enough on the news, but a woman was assaulted near our homes. He got away, so I want you to be extra careful. Stay inside tonight, okay?”
“That’s terrible news, Courtney. I’m so sorry.” Those last three words threatened to break her down.
Instead of giving in to the wave of emotion building, Courtney thanked Mrs. Farmer and then got off the phone. She stared down at her cell for a long time, wishing she could bring something besides disappointment to people.
She had a moment. The kind when she knew someone was making a beeline for her and not trying to hide the fact. She glanced up...and there he came. Jordan Kent stalked toward her. She expected to see frustration on his face but saw only compassion. So she moved toward it, toward him. And the next thing she knew she was being hauled against his chest as she threw her arms around his neck, buried her face and cried.
Courtney had no idea when Zach arrived at the scene. It didn’t matter. She held on to Jordan like he was the only lifeboat in the middle of a raging storm.
“I got the picture of the pickup you sent,” Zach said to her, and she faintly registered the sound of his voice in the background. “I’m putting it out with every law enforcement official in the area and with the volunteers. Let’s get some heat on this guy and make it impossible for him to show his face or stay on the road.”
Courtney took a step back to address her boss. “Yes, sir.”
“Maybe someone will recognize it and turn him in,” Jordan’s calming voice said.
“Cases have been solved on less. We’re putting out the picture with a tip line.” There was a pause before he focused on Courtney. “What do you think about doing back to the ranch with Jordan? I’ll stop by to talk to you later. You did a great job tonight.”
Courtney didn’t agree. A victim had died in Courtney’s arms.
“The ranch sounds good.” She needed a minute to regroup anyway. The thought of going home alone sat hard on her chest. Before Courtney could put up an argument, she was being led out of the trees and away from the field. She didn’t have the energy to argue. The fight had drained from her.
Jordan deposited her in his vehicle.
“My car,” she started to protest.
“You have the keys?” he asked.
She pulled them off the clip on her belt and handed them over.
“I’ll have someone pick it up and bring it to the ranch. Is there anything you need from it while we’re here?” He took a step back, and panic engulfed her.
She grabbed on to his arm. “Don’t disappear on me. Please.”
She didn’t know where that had come from, but the feeling in her chest that if he walked away she’d never see him again was real.
“Okay.” He seemed to be trying to assess her mental fitness.
“I know that I’m acting irrationally. But, please, don’t leave me alone right now.” He glanced down at her arm, and it was clear to both of them that she was trembling.
“I’m not going anywhere but here.” He clicked the lock button on her key. “I won’t leave your sight. Okay?”
She leaned back in the passenger seat and clicked on her seat belt while nodding.
He climbed into the cab of the truck and managed to slip over her, which was a feat considering his brawn and height.
Once he settled into the driver’s seat, he touched her hand. “You’re safe, Courtney.”
“She’s dead, Jordan. I couldn’t save her.”
“I know. There was nothing you could do, Courtney. It wasn’t your fault,” he said.
So, why did it feel like it?
JORDAN HANDED COURTNEY a second cup of chamomile. She’d showered in the guest bathroom and put on borrowed clothes from Jordan’s sister-in-law Leah, who was close to the same size. Deacon and Leah lived on the property, like the other siblings, along with their son, Carter.
“You haven’t eaten dinner yet, and it’s late,” he said to Courtney as she took the mug from him. She was curled up on the couch in the family room and looked a little too right being in his family home. He’d poured himself a cup of coffee and was half-done by the time she spoke.
“I don’t think I could keep anything down.” She’d sat in that spot and stared at the same wall for the past twenty minutes.
“What about the soup? And maybe some crackers?” he urged for lack of a better idea. Feeding someone was something he figured his mother would have tried to do in this situation, and his mother was usually right about these things.
“I could try.” There was no emotion in those words, and he figured she was solely trying to appease him. If it kept her healthy and strong, he’d take it.
He moved into the kitchen and heated a bowl. He found a tray and set the warmed soup on it along with a handful of salty crackers. After arranging the items on the tray, he returned to the family room. He set the tray down next to her.
“Or we could eat at the table if you’d like it better,” he said.
“You don’t have to fuss over me, Jordan. I’ll be all right in a minute.” Again, there was no conviction in her words.
“You can be whatever you need to be, Courtney. I’ve known you a helluva long time. I know how much of a fighter you are, so I know you won’t let this win. But I also know that closing up and not talking about something only makes it fester. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I know you—”
She put her hand up to stop him from finishing.
“No. You need to hear this. You’re one of the strongest people I know. I admire your courage. But you don’t have to go it alone. No one has to be that strong,” he said.
“Easy for you to say, Jordan. You’re literally the toughest person I’ve ever met. You have a family to lean on who supports each other and genuinely cares. I’ve had myself to depend on. I’m good at being alone.” She didn’t look him in the eye. Instead, she rolled the edge of the pillow in between her thumb and forefinger. “I don’t know how to let anyone else in. I don’t lean on other people because they’ll only let you down or leave you. Maybe not at first, but at some point, they leave. I’m not going through it again. I don’t care who it’s with or how long I’ve known them. You think I’m strong. In reality, I’m not built for that kind of disappointment.”
Her words were knife stabs straight through the middle of his chest. He knew better than to take them to heart. Since her mind seemed made up, he decided not to push it. She was overwrought with emotion. Still, she wasn’t alone and needed to know it.
“You may not think I’m going to be there for you, and I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise. But I need you to know that I won’t walk away from my child. That baby growing in you binds us, like it or not. I have every intention of being there for him or her,” he stated.
She didn’t argue, and he could see by her body language that she was slowly letting go of the anger she’d felt moments ago. It would be easy to defend himself to her, but she needed proof that he would be there. Words amounted to little more than empty promises to her. He could understand that when he thought about her upbringing and then what had happened last year.
Actions spoke the loudest. It would take time.
He slowly sipped his coffee in silence. Jordan was patient. Patience won battles, and this was one war he couldn’t afford to lose, no matter how much her words wounded him. They were only words. Actions were better indicators of what someone was thinking. Hers had been to cling to him in her moment of distress.
A knock at the door interrupted them.
Jordan excused himself and made the trek through the kitchen and down the hallway. This home was built before open-concept living was popular. The ceilings were high and the rooms large. It had a nice flow with the main room in the front hallway, which led to the kitchen.
Zach opened the door before Jordan could get there. His cousin had a key and was used to letting himself in. He’d practically grown up at the ranch along with his sister, Amy.
“How is she?” Zach asked before Jordan could greet his cousin.
Jordan twisted his face and lowered his voice. “Not good.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t see the signs before now,” Zach started in. “She’s showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and I have to assume it’s connected to what she experienced in Dallas. The department declared her mentally competent in her file, so I didn’t question it.”
“She’s too smart for them. They didn’t know.” Jordan took a moment to let Zach’s revelation sink in. “She has nightmares.”
“Oh.”
“I know she told you that I’m the father.” There was no sense dancing around the topic.
“Congratulations.” Zach pulled Jordan into a brotherly hug.
“Thanks, cousin. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around being a father, but none of that will matter if she’s not okay.” There. He’d said it. He didn’t even realize that’s what was eating away at him until just now.
“I understand. Let’s take care of her as much as she wants us to,” Zach said.
“How are we supposed to do that? Because I seem to be making it worse.” Jordan didn’t like saying those words, even though they were true. He feared he was making everything harder than it needed to be, saying all the wrong things.
“We’ll figure it out,” Zach reassured. “In the meantime, I have news about what happened tonight.”
This was the first conversation he’d had about having a baby to someone other than Courtney, and he appreciated the support from Zach. “Let’s go talk to her.”