Читать книгу Foul Play - Elisabeth Rees - Страница 11

TWO

Deborah sat on the edge of the bed as Dr. Cortas gave her one final health check before allowing her to go home. She felt odd being in a sweat suit when she should have been in scrubs. She had stayed in the hospital overnight, being monitored for the potentially damaging aftereffects of her hypothermic state, and Diane had kindly gone to her home to pack an overnight bag.

Deborah’s night of sleep had been broken, full of nightmares of a shrouded man looming toward her. In her dreams she had managed to pull the shroud from the man, revealing his face as Cole’s, and she’d awoken with a start, dread invading her bones. Where was the true fear in her situation? Was it the man in the morgue, or was it Cole? Both men had strong power over her emotions.

She could scarcely believe Cole was here, looking as lean and handsome as the day he had promised to marry her. She knew they had been young at the time—only nineteen years old—but it had seemed so natural. They wrote constant emails to each other after he enlisted in the navy, but Cole’s correspondence gradually tailed off as he talked more and more about the new and exciting life he was leading. Shortly after his twentieth birthday, he had paid her one final visit, giving her the news that their relationship was over. That was the last time she had seen his face, although she continued to hear of his progress in the military through the grapevine in Harborcreek. He successfully made it all the way to the navy SEALs. And she also heard that he had gotten married. That particular piece of information had pierced her heart like a shard of shrapnel.

“You’re fortunate, Deborah,” said Dr. Cortas. “Any longer in that refrigeration unit and your hypothermia would have been severe,” He held her head in his hands to focus on her pupils. Dr. Cortas was a fairly new doctor to Haborcreek Hospital and revealed little of himself to others, but he was an exceptionally gifted physician, and Deborah felt reassured by his assessment. “You appear to have recovered well,” he continued, writing on her medical chart. “You can go home. Frank has put you on sick leave for the next three days.”

As if he had heard his name being mentioned, a soft knock echoed on the door and Frank’s head popped into view. “How do you feel, Deborah?” He opened the door wide and Cole’s large figure came into view. He was standing in the corridor wearing a snug-fitting black T-shirt and blue jeans.

“I’ve discharged Nurse Lewis,” Dr. Cortas said with a smile. “She’s doing fine.”

“Excellent news,” Frank said, stepping into the room. Cole followed. “I want you to take some time to recover, Deborah. Don’t even think about coming back to work until you’re ready.”

Deborah couldn’t stop her eyes from flicking down to Cole’s wedding band finger—it was bare. He noticed her glance and splayed his fingers out wide, telling her what she wanted to know. She was annoyed with herself for being so obvious. She didn’t want him to read too much into it.

“What did your internal investigation uncover?” she asked Frank. “Did you find the man who assaulted me?”

“Not exactly,” he said.

Cole narrowed his eyes at Frank. He clearly wasn’t happy with this response. “There was a camera positioned right over the morgue entrance,” he said. “What did you find on the footage?”

Frank looked sheepish. “The camera isn’t working, I’m afraid. It would seem like a good idea to extend our security upgrades to the whole hospital. Can you cope with that Mr. Strachan?”

“Absolutely. I’ll get my entire team on it,” Cole replied. “But we still need to find out who attacked Deborah. Did you uncover anything? And did you call the police?”

“I decided not to involve the police at this stage,” Frank said. “Dr. Kellerman concurs with me that this could be a childish prank gone wrong. The morgue staff have been known to try to scare each other by hiding under sheets.” He threw up his hands in the air. “Of course, none of them will admit to being the culprit.”

“No!” Deborah said firmly. “Pranks are meant to be funny. What happened to me was terrifying.”

Cole stepped back into the conversation. “And why would the prankster leave Deborah locked in a compartment? She could’ve died.”

Frank obviously had anticipated this question. “The compartments have an unlocking mechanism on the inside. It should be fairly simple to slide open the unit from inside by pushing on the door, but this particular one had faulty springs, so it was jammed.”

“That could be why the attacker chose this exact unit,” said Cole. “He knew she’d be trapped.”

Frank looked exasperated. “It’s highly likely that this is a prank gone terribly wrong. The hospital deeply regrets it, and it will never happen again. Trust me.”

Cole folded his arms. “That doesn’t satisfy me at all, I’m afraid. What precautions are you taking to ensure Deborah’s personal safety?”

“We’re implementing all the recommendations you made regarding our security,” Frank said. “At considerable cost to the hospital, I might add. All our workers are perfectly safe here.”

“What about when Deborah is at home?” Cole said. “How safe is she there?”

Frank smiled in a condescending way. “I’m certain that you’re overreacting, Mr. Strachan. I expect your military training encourages you to see danger all around, but here in Harborcreek, we don’t need to be on constant guard.”

“What about the children in renal failure, Frank?” Deborah challenged. “Do they need to be constantly guarded? Can you be sure that somebody isn’t tampering with their medicine?”

“Deborah,” Frank said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “This is a hospital. It’s not unusual to have a large number of sick children suffering kidney complaints.” He looked toward the doctor. “Isn’t that right, Dr. Cortas?”

Dr. Cortas clicked the top of his pen and slid it into his breast pocket. “It’s not beyond the realm of possibility,” he said. “But it is highly unusual.”

Deborah noticed the doctor’s dark eyes dart around the room before he excused himself and left.

“I understand your concerns, Deborah,” Frank said. He sat on the bed beside her. “And by the time Mr. Strachan’s team has finished upgrading our security measures, there will be no way a staff member could harm them—even if that were happening.”

Deborah stood up. “Frank,” she said, bending to look him in the eye. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, as though his sleep had been as broken as hers. “If there is even the slightest doubt that drugs have been tampered with, we should involve the police.”

The mention of police caused Frank to stand bolt upright. “And what exactly should we say to the police? Should we tell them that we have lots of sick children in a hospital?” He let out a sigh. “We don’t know that the incident in the morgue is in any way related to the renal failures. You can’t ask the police to investigate a hunch.”

Cole stepped between Frank and Deborah. “It’s not just Deborah’s hunch. Both Dr. Warren and Dr. Cortas also seem concerned about the high level of renal failure in Pediatrics.”

Frank rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you have any idea what a police investigation could do to the reputation of our hospital? It could destroy the good name we’ve worked hard to build up. I’m sorry, but I won’t allow it unless it’s absolutely necessary.” With that he turned and stalked out the door.

Cole shook his head and turned to Deborah. “I guess that’s the end of that conversation. You ready to go?”

She took a step back from him. “Are you offering to take me home?”

“Sure. I got a team of support guys doing the work here, so I’m free to give you a ride.”

She looked up into his face. His stubble was the color of a burned sunset. “No, thanks. I’d rather make my own way.”

His jaw clenched. “Please, Deborah, let me help. It’s on my way home anyway.”

“You live in Harborcreek?” she exclaimed.

“I moved back three months ago.”

Deborah found her mouth opening and closing, unable to form any words.

“I’ve kept to myself,” he said quietly. “I didn’t want to risk running into you before you had the chance to find out I was back.”

“So when were you going to tell me?” she challenged. “In another ten years?”

“I’d planned to call your parents this weekend and ask them to tell you I was back in town. I kept putting it off because I was worried how you’d take the news.”

Only one word formed in her mind. “Coward.”

He nodded his head. “I deserved that. You’re right. I handled it badly. I just didn’t want to hurt you any more than I have already.”

“Why did you come back anyway?” Her question sounded like an accusation.

Cole pushed his hands deep into his jeans pockets. “It’s a long story.”

“Did your wife move here with you?” she asked.

He closed his eyes. “No, she divorced me a couple of years back.”

Deborah stood in silence for a few moments. Despite her hostility toward Cole, she didn’t revel in the breakdown of his marriage. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.

“What about you?” he asked. “I see you don’t wear a ring, either.”

“I’m not married,” she said. “I was engaged to somebody for a while, but it didn’t work out.”

A strange look swept over his face. It was one of both surprise and disappointment, as if a million regrets rushed through him at once. “Please, Deborah,” Cole said. “Let me drive you home. It’s cold and rainy out there.”

He picked up her bag from the bed, his muscles flexing beneath his T-shirt, and she remembered how safe his physical strength always used to make her feel. Now she felt nothing but anger and regret that she had ever allowed him into her life.

She reached for the bag and wrested it from him. “I’ll take my chances alone. The bus is always busy, and nobody would try to attack me in public.”

“You don’t drive?” he asked, obviously remembering the fact he had given her a few lessons in his car before they broke up.

“No, I don’t drive,” she said. “I manage perfectly well without a car. I make this bus journey every day, so you really don’t need to worry.”

Cole looked skyward as if trying to keep his cool. “You’re letting your emotions override your common sense. You need protection. Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.”

She knew he was right. A ball of fear was curled up in her belly, telling her to be cautious, to be on her guard, but she ignored it. Yes, Cole could provide protection, but at what cost to her sanity?

“Thanks for all you’ve done to help me,” she said. “But I’ll take it from here.” With that she stalked out the door and headed for the exit. He didn’t try to follow her, but she knew he was watching her leave, no doubt shaking his head at her stubbornness. She put aside the voice in her head telling her to stop, to turn around and take him up on his offer. Instead, she called the elevator and pressed the button to take her to the basement floor, where a bus stop was situated in the underground parking lot for the hospital staff. As the elevator glided below ground, Deborah clenched her teeth together, gripping her bag with tight fingers, trying with all her might to contain her rising level of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, Cole’s presence gave her a sense of reassurance that he could shield her from another attack, but every fiber of her body cried out to run away from him.

She carried her head high as the doors opened and she strode purposefully out into the parking lot, keeping her wits about her, checking her surroundings. The lot was full of cars and empty of people, as it usually was at this time, and the bus stop was near to the exit ramp just around the corner. It would take her only two or three minutes to walk there.

She heard the squeal of rubber tires turning quickly on asphalt and she darted between two cars, crouching low to see where the vehicle was located. A beat-up red compact came into view, radio blaring, a young man at the wheel chewing gum. He raced past her driving way too fast and was soon out of sight. She stood up, exhaling in annoyance as she heard his car scrape its underside on the exit ramp. He was a young hospital orderly, immature and reckless.

But the sound and sight of normal everyday activity reassured her, and she weaved between the vehicles, resuming her walk to the bus stop, where she reckoned several other people already would be waiting. That was when she heard footsteps behind her keeping pace with hers. They were heavy, those of a man, and she suspected that Cole had followed her to try to persuade her not to travel home alone.

She spun around. “Cole...” She stopped. The sound of footsteps melted away, and a hush descended over the lot. Nobody was there.

“Cole?” she repeated. “Is that you?”

No reply.

“Who’s there?” she called.

A menacing voice rumbled in the windowless lot lit by dim overhead bulbs. “Your worst nightmare.”

Panic hit her full force in the gut, and she dropped her bag and started to run. The heavy footsteps resumed behind her, and she cried out, trying to alert the people who would be waiting at the bus stop just around the corner.

“Help!” Her voice was weak with fear and she filled her lungs to shout louder.

Before she could make another sound she became aware of a person close behind, seeming to appear from thin air. A hand curled over her mouth, another around her throat. They were large hands, rough and calloused, exactly like the ones on the attacker in the morgue. Her screams were stifled, and her legs gave way.

Cole had been right. She had been foolish to refuse his offer of protection. And now she would pay a heavy price.

* * *

Cole turned the wheel of his cargo van sharply in the hospital’s underground parking lot, sending unsecured equipment in the back crashing to the floor. He saw Deborah, fighting hard with a heavyset man who had grabbed her by the throat. Despite being petite in size, she was holding her own, using her elbow to repeatedly strike the man in the ribs.

Cole screeched his vehicle to a halt alongside the pair, and the man released his grip in surprise. The scarf that the attacker had tied around his face left only his eyes visible, and Cole saw them widen in shock. The guy turned on his heel and ran. Cole jumped from the driver’s seat and darted toward the assailant. The man pulled a handgun from his pocket as he glanced back, and Cole decided pursuit wasn’t worth it. A hospital was no place to begin a gun battle. Plus, there was someone who needed him to stay right there. He watched the man run to the exit door and push it roughly open. He was headed for the street, not the hospital. At least that put his mind at rest.

He rushed to Deborah’s side. She had sunk to her knees and was gasping for air. He gathered her into his arms and pulled her to her feet, waiting for her to catch her breath. Then he lifted her onto the passenger seat of his van and reached for a bottle of water in the cup holder.

“Here,” he said. “Drink this.”

She sipped the cool liquid slowly, coughing occasionally and rubbing her neck where pressure had been applied.

“The guy’s gone,” he said gently. “We should go back inside and report this.”

She shook her mane of blond curls. “I just want to go home,” she replied. “I’ll make the calls from there.” She continued to rub her neck. “I don’t want to stay here one second longer.”

Cole put a hand to her cheek. “Did he hurt you?”

Deborah set her amber eyes on him. “Just my pride,” she said. Her pale heart-shaped face was partially hidden by the mass of curls that used to fall against his face whenever they kissed. “You were right, Cole. I did need protection. I just didn’t want it from you.”

“Yeah, I guessed that,” he said, removing his hand from her face and placing it on his holstered weapon instead. “That’s why I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was following you. I couldn’t rest knowing you could be attacked again.”

She gave a half smile. “I always used to hate it when you were right.”

He laughed. “I remember.”

She screwed the top back on the water bottle. “Will you take me home, please?”

“Sure.”

He made sure she was safely belted in and then cast an eye across the lot before settling himself in the driver’s seat. Slowly, he drove from the basement of the hospital and out into the dull, gray September day.

He glanced over at Deborah. “You’ll need to show me the way. I don’t know where you live.”

“Head for the high school,” she said. “It’s not far from there.”

Her voice was small and she had pressed her body against the door, holding on to the handle as if her life depended on it.

“You’re okay now, Debs,” he said reassuringly. “I’m here.”

“Why is this happening?” she asked. Her question wasn’t directed at him—it was directed at a higher being.

“Something bad is going on in the pediatric unit,” he said. “And you’re trying to expose it. That makes you a target for somebody.”

She turned her body to face him. “But who would hurt a child?”

“I don’t know.” He swallowed hard as memories of the navy SEAL Dark Skies mission forced their way into his mind. “But trust me. There are some people who don’t have any morals when it comes to hurting children.”

“Do you...” she began. “Do you have any children?”

“I did,” he said quietly. “I had a son. His name was Elliot.” He took a deep breath. “He died at three months old.” Cole didn’t look at Deborah’s face, but he sensed her horror. “It was sudden infant death,” he explained. “Nobody’s fault.”

“Oh, Cole,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”

“My wife petitioned for divorce shortly afterward. She said we should never have gotten married in the first place.” He felt awkward, uncertain whether Deborah wanted to hear the intimate details of his life. “I was prepared to work at it, but she wanted out. And she was probably right. We were never suited.”

“So why did you marry her?” she asked, her attention suddenly fully on him.

“I don’t want to be talking about me, Debs,” he replied. “We should be talking about you and the situation at the hospital.”

“I need some time to process everything that’s happened,” she said. “It would take my mind off things if we kept the focus on you. Just for a little while.”

“Okay.” He understood the need to delay facing an unpleasant truth, and he was willing to oblige. “I wanted to settle down,” he explained. “I wanted a happy family. I didn’t stop to think that the person to share it with was more important than the romantic picture in my head. Kids should be a bonus to a happy marriage, not the glue that binds it together.” He shrugged. “But I won’t make that mistake again. It’s the single life for me from now on.”

“You don’t want to be a dad again?” she asked. “But you always said you wanted a whole football team.”

Cole thought of his last overseas mission in Afghanistan. He thought of the systematic and deliberate destruction of girls’ schools by terrorists, and of the bodies he had been forced to bury.

“A lot can change in ten years,” he said solemnly. “An awful lot. I’m not the same person I was.”

Harborcreek High School came into view as he drove through the town. They both watched the large, sandy brick building fade into the distance in the mirror, lost in their own memories of happier times. It only highlighted the gulf that had grown between them.

Deborah pointed to a street off the highway. “Turn here.”

She guided him through a neighborhood of new homes. Over the years Cole had often wondered where Deborah lived—was it the type of house she had always wanted? As he pulled up outside a small cottage-style home, he saw that it was. It had a neat front yard and a porch with lavender wound through the frame. The red shutters around the windows shone brightly against the pristine white wooden exterior.

“I’ll check the house over,” he said, turning off the engine. “And then you need to report this latest incident. Your hospital administrator should contact the police and put some special security measures in place for you.” He turned to face her. “But until that’s done, I’m not leaving your side, okay?”

Deborah’s expression was hard to read. “You’re not responsible for my safety, Cole,” she said. “You’re a busy man with a job to do.”

“Everything else can wait.” He opened the door. “At least let me come in and scout the place out before we talk about it.”

She was clearly trying very hard to affect an expression of strength and calm, but he easily saw the flash of fear in her eyes. “Thank you, Cole. I’d appreciate that.”

He smiled. Deborah was still as beautiful as the first day he had asked her out, yet the shine in her eyes had become dull, and she looked tired. He was angered by the thought that a man was determined to hurt someone as kind as Deborah. He stepped from his cargo van and slid his gun from its holster.

Apprehending that cowardly man was now at the top of Cole’s agenda, and he would not waver until the threat was neutralized.

* * *

Deborah unlocked her front door as a sensation of sickness rose in her throat. She had loved her home ever since purchasing it five years ago and hated that dread had replaced her feelings of security. The man who had attacked her in the morgue and the parking lot had left an imprint of fear on her mind that she just couldn’t shift.

Cole opened the door slowly and held his gun close. He put a finger to his lips and indicated for Deborah to stay close to the open door. He opened her kitchen cabinets, checked under the couch, behind drapes, even in her trash can. She leaned against the wall, watching him walk slowly upstairs, his face stony and expressionless. She heard him walking through the two bedrooms upstairs, hating the fact that she was reliant on him for peace of mind. He was the last person she wanted to rely on ever again.

He returned with a smile on his face. “All clear.” He holstered his gun. “Why don’t you make the call to the hospital while I fix us some tea.”

He walked into the kitchen and began opening cupboards as though he were a regular visitor. She bristled at the intrusion, yet she swallowed the irritation and said nothing. She picked up the phone and punched in the hospital administrator’s direct number.

Frank answered with his usual curt greeting. “Frank Carlisle.”

While she explained the incident in the parking lot, Cole mixed up some iced tea in a jug, occasionally glancing over at her with an expression of support and concern. His effect on her was still strong, causing her stomach to leap and flip, and she turned around, putting him out of her sight. How was it possible that he could still cause such a physical reaction after all these years?

“Well, this is a terrible thing to happen to you, Deborah, especially after the incident in the morgue.” Frank sounded genuinely shocked. “I’ll report it to the police right away. We’ll need to issue a warning to all hospital staff that we have a mugger on the prowl.”

Deborah squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “This wasn’t a mugging, Frank. The guy was trying to hurt me. He had his hands around my throat.”

“Are you okay?” Frank asked. “Why didn’t you come back inside the hospital immediately? You shouldn’t have gone home alone.”

“I’m not alone,” she said, dropping her voice. “Cole Strachan is with me. He brought me home after chasing off the attacker.”

After a moment’s silence, Frank said, “I see. Well, that’s a good thing. An ex–navy SEAL makes a perfect bodyguard.”

“Don’t you see, Frank,” she said, feeling that he was making light of her ordeal. “This second attack proves that I’m being targeted for a reason, most likely because I’m close to uncovering drug tampering at the hospital.”

Frank let out a long, weary sigh. “These two incidents may be entirely unconnected. I can’t help but feel that you’re beginning to sound a little paranoid.”

“Paranoid!” she repeated incredulously. “You weren’t the one shoved inside a freezer compartment or choked by a masked attacker. I am not paranoid.”

“Okay, okay,” Frank said calmly. “I’ll file a report with the police, and we’ll let them decide whether there is a correlation between the two incidents. Take some time to rest and recover. You sound exhausted.”

She turned around and saw Cole sitting at her kitchen table. “I am,” she admitted. “I got the wind knocked right out of my sails.”

“I apologize, Deborah,” Frank said in a sudden rush. “An emergency call is coming through. I have to go. Take care.”

The line went dead, and Deborah went to join Cole at the table, sitting opposite and running her finger down the icy condensation on her glass of iced tea.

“Frank thinks it was a mugger,” she said. “He still doesn’t believe me about the drug tampering.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured that from your side of the conversation.”

He pulled his chair closer to hers. “I can help you,” he said. “I saw that you have a guest room upstairs—”

She cut him off. “No!”

“I’m trained in special ops, Deborah,” he said. “If anyone tries to get to you here, I can be ready—”

She cut him off again. “I said no.”

He shook his head. “You always were stubborn.”

She met his gaze. “And you always were persistent.”

“I prefer the word determined,” he said, raising an eyebrow, clearly trying to make her smile. It didn’t work.

“I can’t let you stay here, Cole, not even for one night.” She dropped her eyes. “I find it really hard to be around you. I wish you’d warned me you were coming back. I feel like you blindsided me.”

“I’m sorry, Debs,” he said. “I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I know it’s been ten years, but the hurt is still there.” She thought of the sunny day they both had sat in a coffeehouse by the lake. His words too young to settle down had hit her like a blow to the stomach. “I need time to accept that you’re back in town,” she said. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“Okay,” he said, leaning back in his chair, putting a larger gap between them. “I totally understand. But you really shouldn’t stay here alone. Is there somebody you can call?”

She swallowed away the lump in her throat. “I’ll call my brother.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” She rubbed her temples where a dull throb had begun. “I know Chad’s off work today, so he’ll be able to come over right away. You can go.”

“I’ll stay until Chad arrives.”

Deborah’s head started to pound. “No,” she said. “I need some space.” She tried to level her voice and iron out the wobble. Cole’s proximity to her was overwhelming. “You’re crowding me a little.”

Cole reached into his back pocket and pulled out a card. It was the same business card he’d handed to her the previous day. He laid it flat on the table. “My numbers are here,” he said. “Call anytime you need me. And I mean anytime.”

She picked up the card. “You gave me one of these already.”

His mouth curled at the corners. “I’m kinda guessing that it might have ended up in the trash.”

Her color rose. He still knew her well.

“I live over on Franklin Street,” he said. “So I can be here in just a few minutes. I keep my cell with me at all times.”

She nodded. He rose from his chair and headed for the door. His shoulders were much wider and firmer than they used to be. He looked like a man now, rather than the boy she used to know.

“I’ll come by tomorrow on my way to the hospital,” he said. “Make sure you keep the doors and windows locked tight, okay? If Chad can’t come straight over, call me immediately.”

She nodded again. He slipped through the door and shut it behind him. She took a deep, steadying breath and sipped her iced tea before dialing her brother’s number.

Chad was more animated than usual upon hearing Deborah’s voice. “I heard some news today,” he said, interrupting her greeting. “Cole Strachan has moved back to town. A friend of mine saw him at the hospital today. I wondered if you saw him, too.”

“Yeah,” Deborah replied flatly. “I saw him.”

“Are you okay, sis?” Chad asked, trying hard to be sympathetic. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Deborah sighed. “No, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Are you sure? You sound really down.”

“Actually,” she said, “I had a scare at work today, and I wondered if you could come over, maybe stay the night?”

“What happened?” Chad sounded concerned.

How could she explain the situation without worrying him even further? “I’ll tell you about it when you get here.”

“I got called into the office on short notice,” Chad replied. “We’re working on a big presentation. I’m here till late. Sorry, sis. Is this serious? Can you call somebody else?” Without waiting for her reply, he continued, “Is this something to do with Cole? Did he upset you today? Because if he upset you, I’ll make sure he never bothers you again.”

“No, Chad,” she said. “Can we stop talking about Cole, please?”

“Sure we can. Sorry. Listen, I’d love to come over any other time, but I can’t tonight. Call one of your friends or Mom. Don’t be alone, okay?”

“Okay, Chad. Don’t work too hard.”

He laughed. “I never do.”

After hanging up, she started to punch in her parents’ number. Her mom or dad would surely be able to stay with her tonight. Then she thought of all their questions, their interest in Cole, their desire to defend her against her ex-finance’s intrusion back into her life. She simply didn’t know if she had the emotional energy to cope with Cole Strachan being the number one topic of conversation. She placed the phone on its base and stood in her living room, contemplating her options. Her house was pretty secure, with strong locks on all points of entry. She would be safe here alone for one night. She could make a plan tomorrow after a good night’s rest.

She pushed down the feeling of guilt at breaking her word to Cole. After all, he had broken the biggest promise of them all.

* * *

Cole snatched his cell from the nightstand, checked the time on his clock: 3:00 a.m.

He answered it with just one word: “Deborah.”

Her garbled voice was fast and difficult to understand.

“Slow down,” he said calmly. “Take it nice and steady.”

“I hear noises,” she said. “I think somebody is trying to get in.”

“Where’s your brother?”

Her silence was the answer she clearly didn’t want to give.

“You’re alone in the house, aren’t you?” he asked as his irritation at her obstinacy was quickly replaced by concern for her well-being.

“Yes.”

He grabbed his keys from the dresser and pulled on a sweater.

“What do you hear?” he asked.

“It sounds like someone is turning a key in the lock of the front door, but the chain lock is stopping it from opening.” She gave a cry. “How could they have a key?”

“Did you go downstairs?”

“No.”

He slipped his feet into sneakers and holstered his gun. “Good. Stay out of sight until I get there. I can reach you quicker than the police.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He took the stairs in his home two at a time and headed for the front door. “What for?”

“I promised I wouldn’t stay in the house by myself tonight,” she said.

Cole broke into a run on the walkway, unlocking his vehicle with the button along the way. Was she really apologizing for breaking a promise? To him of all people. It made him realize what a good woman he had let slip through his fingers. And now it was too late.

“I’ll be there soon,” he said. “Just sit tight.”

He uttered a prayer while racing to the house. He felt God’s guiding hand upon him, giving him the strength to face up to his past so that he could help shape Deborah’s future. If he was going to defeat the danger in her life, he had to accept her occasional harsh words, her resentment toward him and her instinct to push him away. It was his responsibility to take all of that and more.

He screeched to a halt outside her house. It was shrouded in darkness, and as he slipped from the driver’s seat, the scent of calming lavender came to him on the breeze. Yet the calm was instantly broken when he saw a masked man standing on the porch watching his approach. Cole reached for his gun and the man began to back away, quickly swinging his legs over the porch rail and disappearing under the cover of the trees in the backyard.

Cole gritted his teeth and gave chase.