The couch cushions enveloped Melanie, and she hadn’t moved for the past twelve hours. Jason had tried convincing her that the bedroom would be more comfortable when they’d arrived at his house, but the idea of being alone in a confined space terrified her. At least the living room gave her a sense of security since the guys were never far from sight.
Jason had sat by her side, taking care of her until the doctor had reluctantly signed her release.
Realizing that Jason was just as exhausted as she was, Keith had taken the night shift, insisting Jason get his “beauty rest.” She’d have to thank Keith later, but right now, she wanted to strangle him. His attempts to stay quiet had her nerves on edge. Aware of every movement, she’d almost begged him to quit stalking around and make some noise.
The morning sun peeked through the blinds, stirring her from a fitful sleep. Jason’s murmured conversation with Keith signaled the changing of the guard. She snuggled farther into the blanket. Her muscles relaxed, and calmness flooded her body. She trusted Keith, but the comfort of daylight and Jason’s presence lulled her into a deep slumber...
Hollow eyes stared at her, and a man’s rancid breath made her gag. She struggled against the restraints on her wrists. A silver knife blade glinted in the light. The man held the weapon to her throat. She whimpered as the sharp edge dug into her skin. She was going to die.
Her scream pierced the air. She jolted awake and bolted from the sofa.
Feet pounded on the wood floor behind her.
Her breaths came in ragged pants, and she dropped to the floor beside the couch. She scanned the area, searching for something to arm herself.
Jason burst into the room, gun in hand. His gaze landed on her.
She was aware of her surroundings but lacked the ability to focus.
Keith appeared seconds later, his weapon at the ready. “What happened?”
“Unsure.” Jason approached her as if soothing a wild animal.
The nightmare lingered, but Jason’s voice pulled her to reality. Her teeth chattered, and her body shook.
Jason crouched next to her and scooped her hands into his. “Bad dream?” he whispered.
Unable to put her fears into words, she nodded. His warm touch was a balm to her skittering pulse.
“Go on back to bed, Keith. I’ve got this.” His calloused hand smoothed the sweaty hair from her forehead. “Calm down, honey.”
She gasped, powerless to piece together his disjointed words. Struggling to pull in air, she whimpered. “He. Knife.” Her thoughts refused to gel. Melanie’s hands flew to her throat. No cut. No blood. Her stomach roiled.
“It was only a nightmare. Take a deep breath.”
She covered her mouth and swallowed the rising bile.
“How can I help?”
Her gaze landed on his pained emerald-green eyes—she’d never thought she’d be able to look into them again. Blowing out a breath between pursed lips allowed her heart rate to slow.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” He cupped her cheeks, then pulled her into his chest.
Inhaling his musky cologne, she burrowed into his flannel shirt. Safe and secure in his strong arms. She never wanted to leave.
Minutes later, Jason pulled back and stood. He held out his hands.
She accepted his offer, and he helped her onto the couch. Resting her head on the pillow, she let exhaustion take over. She wouldn’t sleep—couldn’t sleep—but having Jason close allowed her to relax. She drifted in and out of sleepy consciousness for the rest of the morning.
Since her horrible dream hours ago, Jason had smothered her with concern. Each time she stirred, he hovered. During her early teens, he’d protected her and worried about her. He’d walk her home after dark and tucked her safely inside the house when her parents hadn’t cared enough to check on her. She’d believed he’d taken on the role of big brother, but now that she thought about it, maybe it had been more.
“Are you doing okay?” Jason kneeled beside her.
She shifted to face him. “I’d be better if you wouldn’t ask every thirty minutes.” She smiled, then grimaced. Even smiling hurt.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m worried about you.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m worried about me, too.” Her reactions and injuries had her jumping at every shadow in the house.
“No. It doesn’t.” He frowned.
As if her hand had a mind of its own, she reached out and smoothed the crease between his eyebrows. “I’ll heal. But I confess, I’d rather not be injured anymore.”
He gave her a sad smile and tweaked her nose. “Keith and I promise we’ll make every effort to make that a reality.”
“Thank you.” She shifted to relieve the pressure on her hip. “I’m sick of lying here. Why don’t you grab Allison’s file, and we can brainstorm? Maybe we can figure out who’s attacking me and, at the same time, discover who killed Allie.” Time to put an end to this insanity.
After sustaining the hit on the head, her memory, for lack of a better word, fluttered. Images had appeared and vanished so quickly she debated if they were real or her brain had created its own reality. She gritted her teeth. She knew what she had to do. Time to rip off the Band-Aid and face the unpleasant thoughts and feelings, and finally remember details of her abduction and Allison’s subsequent disappearance.
“You should rest and not strain yourself. Let Keith and I continue our investigation,” he pleaded with her.
“You’re not one hundred percent, and you’re working—protecting me. Look. I need to remember—have to remember—what happened during those two days fifteen years ago. I came back to Valley Springs on a promise to Allie that I’d find her body and put the man responsible behind bars.”
Arms crossed over his chest, he sat on his haunches and set his jaw. “You haven’t been able to recall anything since you escaped. Why do you think you’ll be able to now?”
The jab hurt. The guilt of it all gnawed at her. Had she purposely not remembered to avoid the pain, or had her brain decided to protect her from the trauma? What choice did she have? She had a killer to find. “I have to.” She rubbed her temples. “I have focused my whole career and life on this point.”
“I understand what you mean by that. I chose to become a detective because of my sister.” Jason’s tone softened, and he wiped a hand down his face.
“Then let’s solve my and Allie’s case and put it behind us once and for all.” She bit her bottom lip. Would he agree? Or would he push her away? She held out hope he’d find a way to move beyond his assumptions of her role in Allison’s death for good.
Jason cupped the sides of her face. “Only if you promise you’ll stop if it gets to be too much.”
The tenderness in his gaze and in his touch melted her heart. “Deal.” The tension in her shoulders eased. She steadied her breathing while Jason disappeared into his office.
His bouncing attitude confused her. The kind, sweet man made her want to weep with hope, but the sour, angry man that occasionally popped out sent her mind reeling.
Jason returned and slid his hand along the back of the sofa, pulling her from her thoughts.
He skirted the couch and placed a thick file on the coffee table. “You saw the documents and pictures earlier. I don’t have anything else. Not sure it will do any good, but we can take another look. We do have the information on your recent attacks, so it’s worth a shot.” He extended his hand and wiggled his fingers.
Accepting the help, she swung her legs over the side of the cushions. The room spun. She bowed her head and begged for the vertigo to stop. The bump on her head had affected her more than she cared to admit. Slowly, she sat upright and released a sigh of relief.
“You look a little green around the edges. Maybe you should listen to the doc and rest.”
Jason lowered himself beside her.
“No. I want to get this guy.” She didn’t care how badly her head hurt, or that her vision wobbled, she refused to lie around and do nothing with a killer on the loose.
Jason continued to study her. His intense gaze seared her skin.
She gathered her courage and cleared her throat. “Come on. Let’s do this.”
Placing the open file in her lap, he leaned in. “Where do you want to start?”
The same musky cologne he’d worn as a teen teased her nostrils. She’d loved him back then for his kindness and the strong supportive young man he’d been. Now? She once again had fallen for his protective, caring ways. She gently shook her head to dislodge the thought.
“The report. I want to refresh my memory. What there is of it, anyway.” The words on the page were hazy, and focusing was impossible, thanks to her concussion. “Could you read it to me? My brain doesn’t want to cooperate.”
He took the paper from her and read the report written by the detective assigned to the case.
A recall of the basic details wasn’t the problem. The problem was that the police only had fundamental facts, nothing beyond Melanie’s own recollection. They did, however, have the location of her captivity and the evidence recovered from the scene. The place she had no desire to return to. The place that haunted her dreams. A small, damp cabin in a sea of thick trees. No one around to hear her screams.
“Remember anything?” He didn’t rush her, just sat patiently, and waited.
Tears welled. “Nothing more than what’s in the report.” And a sense of evil that surrounded the events.
Removing the file from her lap, he shuffled the contents. “Ready to look at the pictures?”
Sure, why not. This had been her idea, after all. “Hand them over.”
Jason deposited the stack into her hands. He rubbed her upper back between her shoulder blades. “Take your time.”
She sucked in a ragged breath and looked down. Her battered face stared back at her. She feathered her fingers over the image. The split lip. The swollen eye. The black-and-blue marks from her cheekbone to her jawline. “He did a number on me, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did.” Jason grasped her hand and squeezed.
If she accepted his comfort, she’d never finish the task. She pulled away and flipped to the next photo.
The dingy cabin sat before her. The memories sat below the surface. Her stomach roiled. If she could reach through the fog, grasp hold and pull them out, they might discover the missing pieces to the puzzle.
“You said that Allison told you to go get help if you ever got free.” The sharp edge of his voice had her recoiling.
She nodded. That conversation was the only clear recall of the events her brain had.
“Your wrists were tied together, right?”
“Yes.” She’d never allowed herself to mentally go back to that horrible place. Her therapist had told her that she needed to heal first, but how could she if her mind mimicked Swiss cheese? She had to relive the memories if she ever wanted to move on. She rubbed the invisible sores on her wrists.
Jason clasped her forearms. “It’s okay, Mel. You’re safe.”
She peered at him and gave a forced smile. “I know.”
“Has your therapist ever tried hypnotherapy?”
“No. We tried EMDR—eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. And it helped with my PTSD symptoms, but it never brought back my memories. I refused hypnosis. As much as I wanted to remember, I couldn’t force myself to go back there at the time. Now?” She’d committed to finding Allie’s body and that meant discovering the identity of their abductor. What choice did she have? “I guess it’s time to face my fears.” She’d call her therapist and set up an appointment.
Jason dipped his head and peered into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”
She furrowed her brow. “Of course.”
“I may not be a psychologist, but I have training on how to help witnesses remember. Sometimes when they’re overwhelmed, I have to walk them through it. Now that you’re older, and it isn’t so fresh, will you let me try?”
All she could do was nod. This is why she’d come home, to put it all behind her.
“Okay, here we go.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Close your eyes.”
Her heart pounded. “I—I can’t.” Seeing it with her eyes open was one thing, but to have it visit her dream...
“Yes, you can,” he demanded, then softened his voice. “Please, try.”
Lowering her eyelids, she swallowed past the lump in her throat. She could do this—had to do this. For herself, for Allison, for Jason.
“Picture yourself in the cabin.” He paused and ran his thumb over the white scars from the bindings that had marred her wrists. “Where were you?”
The musty room closed in on her. She slid her hand into Jason’s and clamped down. His support gave her the strength to go on. She mentally returned to the cabin that had changed her life forever. The summer humidity made it hard to breathe. Her muscles ached, and her battered body throbbed. The grime on the floor and stench in the air churned her stomach. “On the floor. My wrists were tied together with zip ties.”
“Could you get away?” Jason’s words echoed through a long tunnel.
The cabin walls appeared before her. She sat on hard wood and tugged on the restraints. “No. There was a rope attached to the ties that anchored me to the wall.”
“Where was Allie?”
“I don’t want to look.” Terrified of what she’d find, Melanie dipped her chin. She didn’t want to look around the room. Didn’t want to see the horrors around her.
“Allie needs you, Mel. Where is she?”
Caught between the present and the past, Melanie sucked in a harsh breath. “Next to me.”
“Can you reach her?”
“No. Allie’s on the other side of the fireplace,” she squeaked. Her mind refused to release the details, but the feeling of something terribly wrong twisted her gut. Desperation to help Allie swamped her.
“Shh. It’s okay. Now, tell me about when Allison told you to escape.”
She gripped his hand hard enough to break his fingers. Tears trickled down her cheeks. “She told me if I could, to run—to go get help.”
“How did you get free from your restraints?”
A whimper spilled from her lips. “Someone helped me.”
“Allie?”
Melanie whipped her head from side to side. Her eyes popped open. She jerked away her hands. “I’m sorry, Jason. I’m so sorry.” Memories flooded her brain. Identities and specifics continued to elude her, but of one thing, she was certain.
“Honey, who helped you?” He smoothed a hand over her hair.
“I don’t know. But—” Melanie’s cries filled the air. “Allie was already dead.”
Tears pooled on his lashes. He wrapped Melanie in his arms, pulled her into his chest and let her cry.
Her guilt from leaving her friend behind had been for nothing. Any lingering sliver of hope that Allison had survived had vanished.
No more doubts—Allie was dead.
All these years, Jason thought Melanie had left Allison in the hands of a killer. Now he knew differently. Melanie had been with his sister when she died. Probably watched as Allie took her last breath.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed, but she’d remembered more than the report had said. Another person out there had information. Finding an unknown witness presented a new challenge.
She slapped at the tears. “I hate that I can’t remember everything. If I could, the man responsible would be rotting in jail.”
He cupped her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. “We’ll figure it out—together.”
“I like the sound of that.” She exhaled and winced.
“Need your pain meds?” He shifted and grabbed the pill bottle from the side table.
“Might be a good idea.” She accepted the container and took the medication. Resting back against the couch, she closed her eyes. “Did I see that you brought my files from the lab?”
“Sure did. Keith and I wanted them somewhere safe, so we brought the documents here.”
“You didn’t grab the photos from the desk, did you?” She raised an eyebrow and peeked at him through tiny slits.
“Of course.” He grinned. Even battered and in pain, Melanie had a mischievousness that he adored.
Her shoulders relaxed. “Good. Now that we know my attacks, the kidnapping and Laney’s murder are tied together, I want to take a closer look at the ME’s report.” Creases formed on her forehead.
Her furrowed brow worried him. He wanted her to remember not just for his sake, but for hers, too. How awful it must be to lose two significant days of your life. He sat in silence, allowing her time to process the new memories. And his brain craved a moment to wrestle with the timing of Allison’s death.
A few minutes later, he brushed the back of his hand over Melanie’s cheek. “Feel like sitting at the table? Or do you want to rest?”
“I need to get up. My head is demanding I take it easy, but the rest of me is screaming to move. I feel like I’m a hundred years old.”
“That stiff, huh?”
She nodded with caution.
“Then let’s get you walking around a bit.” He wiggled his fingers. He shouldn’t push, but keeping her busy seemed like a prudent move. He’d keep a watchful eye on her, and at the first sign of overdoing it, he’d stop the investigation and insist she take a nap.
She accepted his invitation and rose to her feet with a groan. “This is ridiculous.”
He chuckled at her scowl. “Come on, we’ll take it slow.”
“Slow is not in my vocabulary,” she grumbled.
“Well, it is now.” He pinched his lips together to keep from laughing. Same old Melanie, always going Mach 1 in everything she did.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” She focused her attention on the walk around the room.
Jason wondered if her question had a double meaning. His anger had propelled a desire to never speak to Melanie again, but his heart had betrayed him. In no way did he relish her struggle with injuries. In fact, he’d take on her pain if he could. Now that he knew the order of events, shame for accusing Melanie had blanketed him like a storm cloud.
Should he say something or let her comment go? He’d take it like the jest she’d offered.
“Never.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“You never could lie.” She shifted and stared at him. “Jason. I knew you were hurting. And it hurt to think you blamed me, but I never held it against you. I blamed myself for surviving, and then when I couldn’t remember...” Tears glimmered in her eyes.
“Oh, Mel. The amnesia isn’t your fault. Maybe I had thought you were holding out on me, but not anymore.” He stopped her and tucked a flyaway hair behind her ear. “I think it’s time we give ourselves a little grace.” He knew she’d never fully forgive him for being such a jerk when she needed him the most, but he could offer the proverbial olive branch and recapture their friendship.
“That sounds lovely.” Melanie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Show me the files, and let’s get to work.”
Jason led her into the kitchen and pulled out a chair. “Hold on.” He hurried to the living room and grabbed a pillow. “Here. No reason for you to sit on a wooden seat.”
She lowered herself on the cushioned chair and smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
His gaze landed on the open blinds. He’d closed the blinds in the main room to obscure the view, but not in the kitchen. No need to invite Melanie’s attacker to take a shot at her through the glass. He strode to the windows and twisted the rod, closing the slats.
“Please leave them open. It feels like a cave in here.”
“Sorry, but I’m not taking any chances with you. This guy’s getting bolder, and I refuse to give him another opportunity.”
She sighed. “I can’t live like this. Something has to give.”
He drew a chair close to her and sat down. “Focus on what we can do. The rest will work itself out.” He handed her the file. “Why don’t we put aside the kidnapping for a bit. Give yourself a little distance from that piece. It might give you a new perspective.”
Melanie rubbed her forehead. “You might be right.” Without another word, she opened the file and spread the contents in front of her. He sensed her frustration at being closed in, but chose to ignore it. Her safety was the only thing that mattered.
“What are we looking for?” He picked up a photo and examined it.
“Clues.”
“Well, duh. I meant what kind.”
She glanced at him. Redness rimmed her eyes. “I know Laney’s cause of death, but I want to take a closer look at the other traumas to the body, along with anything else that I might have missed.”
“Works for me.”
Melanie remained quiet—too quiet—as she stared at the papers.
He clutched her hand. “I’ll take notes, and you do what you do best.”
She snorted. “I sift through dirt and examine bones.”
“You take puzzle pieces and make sense out of them. It’s no different than finding missing bones and creating a full skeleton to discover how someone died.” He released her and pointed to the stack.
She nodded and lifted the pictures. Her eyebrows pinched together. “These are of each stage of the exhumation.” She continued a slow flip through the photos and paused on the fourth one. “Check out the lacerations on her cranium.”
He squinted and focused on the marks. “Okay.” He knew she was getting at something, so he waited for her to continue.
“I noticed this before. I’m thinking the tire iron. If not that, then something similar.”
Jason touched his head and grinned. “Yeah, I’m familiar with it.”
Melanie rolled her eyes and flipped to a new image. “See the bruising on Laney’s neck?”
“Yup.”
“I agree with Dr. Vogel. The cause of death was strangulation. This was personal.” Melanie bit her lip. Her unseeing gaze troubled him.
“Mel, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, but something triggered the spark of memory.”
“What was it?”
“That’s just it—I’m not sure.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. Melanie’s instincts had served her well...so far. “There must be something to it. Talk it out.”
A frown marked her face. “I can’t get the glimpses of Allison out of my mind, and I can’t get the full memory to return. It’s like my brain is torturing me. There’s a clue in Laney’s death, I can feel it. I just can’t figure out what it is.”
“A sound, a smell, a person?”
Tipping her head back, she gazed at the ceiling. Her eyes darted back and forth as if searching for the answer.
She jolted upright. “Sickening sweet.”
“What?”
“A sweet smell.”
“As in candy?”
“No. More of an odor.”
“Where did you notice it?”
Her shoulders slumped. “On Laney’s clothes, I think. Maybe the hospital, too? Or the station? I have no idea.”
Any place Melanie had visited had become a possibility.
How was he supposed to find the guy and put an end to all this?
Melanie dropped her head into her hands. If she could only latch on to where. “What am I going to do? If I don’t figure this out, he’s not going to stop hunting me.”
“I don’t know, honey. I’m worried. But Keith and I will do everything in our power to protect you.” He placed his finger under her chin and lifted. “I’ve spent so much time letting my anger control my thinking, but I can’t deny I care about you...a lot. I refuse to let anything happen to you.” He tugged her into his arms.
She nestled into his embrace. Ever since she turned fourteen, she’d waited for him to admit he liked her for more than a little sister. Even though he hadn’t declared his love, the fact he cared a lot warmed her heart. I fell for you a long time ago, Jason. It might have been a teenage crush, but it was real to me. Her muscles ached, and her head throbbed, but she had no intention of moving from his hold.
“Well, well, well. It’s about time.” Keith, with sleep-mussed hair, padded into the kitchen in his stocking feet .
“Stuff it, partner.” Jason released her and glared at Keith.
“Just calling it like I see it.” Keith poured himself a cup of coffee. Leaning his hip against the counter, he took a sip and grinned over the rim.
“Come over here and be useful,” Jason grumbled.
Melanie bit her lip to hide her smile. Jason and Keith had a great friendship beyond work. Their banter reminded her of two playful bear cubs.
Unwilling to fuel Keith’s assumption, Melanie motioned to the chair next to her. “We think we’ve made a connection.”
“I can see that.” Keith sat and sipped his drink.
“Knock it off, dude.” Jason huffed.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
She related their findings, including the memory of the sweet scent, while Jason jumped in, adding details when necessary. The tag-team description, a smooth presentation. They really did work well together.
Keith rubbed his stubbled jaw. “You have my attention. Can you physically tie Laney, Melanie’s attacker and Allison together?”
“No.” Jason spoke on top of Melanie’s “Maybe.”
Keith arched an eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth lifted. “You two want to compare notes on that and try again?”
Melanie took charge. “We can’t locate Allison’s remains without discovering who abducted us, and until my memory returns in full, we are no closer to that answer. As for Laney... I truly believe she unknowingly stumbled onto the person who set my apartment on fire. She probably never put the two events together, but the killer got nervous and couldn’t take that chance. If we delve deeper into her murder, instead of looking into the past, we might find who we’re looking for.” She shrugged.
Jason considered her for a moment. “Still a lot of unanswered questions, but I like the theory. Let me grab my laptop so I can log in and look at the fire report. Keith, why don’t you check in with Kyle?” He pushed from the table at the same time his phone rang. He held up a finger. “Hello?” His brow furrowed. “No, I haven’t talked with Dad.”
What happened now? She gave him a questioning look.
He pointed to the phone and mouthed Uncle Randy.
Melanie’s heart sank. If Randy couldn’t locate Ben, then Jason’s dad was drinking again.
“Look, Uncle Randy, I’m in the middle of something and can’t leave right now.” Jason stepped outside on the back porch. His voice trailed off, and the door clicked shut behind him.
“That doesn’t sound good.” Keith’s gaze stayed on the closed door.
“How bad has it been?” She hadn’t realized how serious the situation had gotten since Allison’s disappearance. When she left Valley Springs, she focused on the aftereffects of her abduction that pertained to her, and had never considered what Jason had experienced beyond losing his sister. He’d turned his back on her, and she hadn’t had the mental capacity to do anything except survive.
“Bad enough that Jason’s had to leave work several times a week to pick his dad up from the bar during the day.”
“I had no idea,” she whispered. Granted, her own life had taken a nosedive, but the fact she hadn’t checked on Jason? Her selfishness stung. “I should have been a better friend.”
Her aching muscles required a change of positions. She stood and stretched, wincing at the movement. Unable to help herself, she ambled to the window. With two fingers, she lifted a slat in the blinds and peered out at Jason.
He ran a hand through his hair as he paced the length of the porch. Head down and shoulders slumped, he portrayed a picture of dejection. The man had the burdens of the world pressing down on him.
“You shouldn’t be standing there,” Keith warned.
She glanced at Keith. “I know, but I haven’t seen the light of day since I got here.” She returned her focus to the man who had captured her heart. “Plus, I’m worried about him.”
Jason hung up and stared off into the backyard. He jerked his gaze toward her. “Get down!” He jumped in front of the window.
A shot blasted in the air.
Melanie cried out. Dropping to the ground, she covered her head with her arms as glass rained down.
Keith sprinted to the door, flung it open and crawled outside.
Melanie raised to her hands and knees. Crystal-like pieces tumbled from her hair and back. On shaky legs, she hunched over. Glass crunched under her feet as she made her way to the door and peeked around the edge.
Keith grabbed Jason by the back of the shirt and dragged him toward the door.
The blood trail that smeared across the wooden surface claimed her ability to think.
“Move!”
She scrambled out of Keith’s path and stared at the man bleeding in front of her.
Keith pulled Jason inside. “Close the door.”
Her trembling limbs struggled to obey. She slammed the door shut and hurried to Jason’s side.
“Hang in there, partner.” Phone to his ear, Keith notified the station. “Annie, I need backup at Jason’s house.” He slid his duty weapon from the holster and hurried from the room.
Melanie bent and kissed Jason’s temple. “Please be okay.”
His eyes flitted open. He clutched his upper arm and groaned.
The blood oozing between his fingers stole her breath. Jason had taken a bullet because of her stupid need to look outside. “I’m so sorry.” When would this insanity stop? Heart in her throat, Melanie caressed his cheek. “Try to relax.”
Jason shook his head. “Help me up.” With her assistance, he struggled to sit up and scooted to the kitchen cabinet. Leaning back, he drew in a long breath.
“Jason, please don’t move anymore.” She smoothed his hair from his forehead. He’d looked after her, now she planned to take care of him.
Pulling in a cleansing breath, she focused on the problem at hand. She had to stop the bleeding. Melanie hunched over the counter and grabbed a towel. She lowered herself beside Jason and pressed the cloth against his wound.
He sucked in a ragged breath and took over holding the fabric.
Out of breath, Keith slipped into the kitchen and holstered his Glock. He crouched next to Jason. “Whoever it was is gone. Want to tell me what happened?”
She covered Jason’s hand and answered Keith’s question. “Someone tried to shoot me, and Jason jumped in the way.”
Keith’s gaze darted between them.
Jason shrugged and winced. “It seemed like the thing to do.”
Tears threatened to fall. If she hadn’t stepped to the window... “It was stupid of me. I’m responsible for you getting hurt.”
He waved his hand, dismissing her thought. “Let’s not play the blame game. We’ve done that for far too long.”
How could she not take responsibility for his injury? The man’s resentment hadn’t kept him from sacrificing himself for her. But then again, hadn’t they moved past the old feelings of bitterness?
Keith’s phone buzzed. “Looks like the cavalry has arrived.” He pointed his gaze at Jason. “Ambulance?”
“Nope.”
“Stay put.” He answered the call and tromped to the front door.
Melanie’s attention turned to Jason. His clenched teeth and creased brow spoke of the pain he had to be experiencing.
She lifted the towel. “Looks like it ripped a groove in your skin. You need stitches.”
Without lifting his head from the cabinet door, Jason rolled his head from side to side and met her gaze.
“Not going. I’m not leaving you. First-aid kit is under the sink. Wash it out and butterfly it shut.”
“Jason. You need to go to the hospital.” Melanie entwined her fingers with his blood-covered ones, the sticky substance a reminder of his heroic actions and her stupidity.
“No. I need to keep you safe.” His determined gaze bored into her.
For all the times he’d stood up for her, he deserved her support. Helpless to do much else, she’d stand beside him. She rummaged in the cabinet and found the kit. After filling a bowl of water and grabbing extra towels, she cleaned his wound and used the emergency laceration closures from the bag to seal the gash.
She wetted a couple of towels and helped him wipe his hands clean. “I’d advise taking something for the pain. Once the shock wears off, you’re gonna hurt.”
“Too late.” Jason forced a smile and grimaced.
She brushed her hand along his jaw. “I am so sorry.”
He leaned into her touch. “Please don’t apologize.”
Keith stomped into the room and jammed his fists on his hips. “My partner got shot, and Melanie has more injuries than I can count. This has to stop.”
Someone was targeting her, and the attacks were centered on her and Allie’s abduction. The answers to Allison’s death were locked in her brain. Deep down, she knew what she had to do.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. She swallowed hard. “Take me to the cabin.”
“No. I won’t put you out in the open for this guy to kill you.” Jason clasped her arm. “Not to mention the trauma of visiting where he held you captive.”
It hadn’t escaped her that she’d be in the killer’s crosshairs, but it didn’t matter anymore. She refused to have Jason’s death on her conscience. “One way or the other, I have to force myself to remember every painful detail.”
“And if he kills you?” Horror laced Jason’s expression.
“Then you’ll arrest him and make him pay.” Her statement held more confidence than she possessed, but as Keith said, it had to stop.