All Through the Night (Liar's Web) (4 page)

Objectively speaking, she was probably ten pounds overweight, but the extra weight had landed in all the right places. Ella was a good-looking woman, but she had a tendency to be bossy and blunt, two characteristics that made finding male companionship difficult, if not impossible.

Although Ella addressed Trueblood with her comments, her gaze immediately focused on Bodine. It seemed to him that lately Ella spent a lot of time talking about, staring at or asking questions about Bodine. One of these days he was going to have to talk to Ella about her crush. It was unprofessional as hell and mighty inconsiderate of her. As the Sheriff of Liberty Creek, it was his duty to make sure all his staff handled themselves in a diligent and trustworthy manner.

How would it look if two of his deputies were making goo-goo eyes at each other and falling for one another? Ridiculous. Everyone would start making snide comments and assuming the two were engaged in hanky-panky while on duty. He could just hear all the jokes about deputies having sex in squad cars. He wasn't having it. Not on his watch!

Ella's voice interrupted his train of thought. “Sheriff, we just got a call from the hospital. Somebody just tried to take out our star witness.”

* * * *

Dr. Jason Evans walked down the brightly lit corridor of Trinity Hospital, his dark, good looks drawing admiring stares from the nursing staff. Trueblood wasn't a big fan of the medical profession, but he liked Jason. Despite the fact that he hailed from one of the most prominent families in town, the young doctor was down-to-earth and caring. He could've chosen many career paths, but he'd decided to devote his life to helping others.

Trueblood respected the way Jason treated everyone around him with dignity and decency. He'd come across many rich men in his lifetime who had no clue about how to treat people. Most of them acted as if people were dirt underneath their shoes. Jason was different. He was good people.

As soon as he spotted Trueblood, Jason extended his hand in warm greeting. “It's mighty unusual for us to see each other twice in one day.”

Trueblood had seen Jason earlier at the party held for his sister Star and her husband Case. Case was Trueblood's best and oldest friend. The couple had gone through a lot of rocky times, but their devotion to one another had even made a cynic like him believe in happily ever afters. It had made him believe love between a man and woman was truly possible. Love everlasting wasn't just a fairytale. It might never happen for him, but at least he knew it existed.

“
It's not as unusual as the night we're having over at the sheriff's office. First murder in sixty years, Doc,” Trueblood murmured, still shocked by the mayhem that had broken out in his hometown.

“
Yeah, we've had a bit of excitement in the hospital tonight as well. We're trying to keep a tight lid on it. No hospital wants this type of publicity,” Jason said with a grim face.

“
What exactly went down here tonight?”

“
Darcel came into the emergency room a few hours ago after feeling faint while driving home. I decided to have her stay overnight for observation.”

“
What are you treating her for?”

“
I wasn't concerned about any physical trauma. She went through quite an ordeal tonight. Truthfully, she seems a bit traumatized. I've known her for most of my life, and I've never seen her so shaken up. When we talked she couldn't remember certain details about the shooting that should be crystal clear. I'm no psychiatrist, but I think she might be suffering from PTSD.”

“
Post-traumatic stress disorder?” Trueblood tried to suppress a hoot of laughter. It was pretty ironic that Darcel Dawkins, the nosiest, most gossipy woman in town, couldn't remember details. Other than selling real estate, spreading rumor and innuendo all over town was her major occupation.

“
Hey, go easy on her. I know you don't think much of her, but she's like an honorary member of the Evans’ family. She hasn't had an easy time of it tonight.”

For a brief second he almost felt ashamed of himself. He knew if it were any other woman who had witnessed a violent shooting, then experienced psychological difficulties in the aftermath, he would've been way more sympathetic. As it was, he'd treated her as if she herself had committed a crime. Earlier that morning he should've insisted either himself or Bo drive her home from the station, regardless of his personal feelings toward her.

“
What happened, Doc?”he asked tersely.

“
I admitted Darcel into the hospital for observation. When I left her she was resting comfortably in her room. To make a long story short, someone snuck into her room and tried to smother her.”

“
Holy shit.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “That sounds crazy.”

“
She isn't crazy, and she sure isn't making this up. She has scratch marks and bruises all over her arms and neck from where she fought off her attacker.”

“
The shooter from earlier tonight knows she can I.D. him,” Trueblood said bluntly. “He's trying to take her out before she can make a positive I.D.”

“
We have some hospital security guards watching her room, but we don't have a medical reason to keep her here, Jake. I can guarantee her a bed for forty-eight hours, but after that, I'm going to have to cut her loose.”

“
Don't worry about it. I'm all over this. Is it okay if I see her?” he asked.

Jason nodded. “She's in room 13B. The one with the two rent-a-cops outside.”

He walked down the hall, his stride full of power and purpose. He flashed his badge at the two nerdy-looking security guards who looked as scared as Darcel probably felt. “So much for hospital security,” he mumbled as he pushed the door open to the room. Darcel was sitting up in the bed wearing a standard-issue hospital gown, her eyes wide with surprise at his sudden appearance.

His gaze skimmed her body, and he immediately noticed the purplish bruises on her arms and neck. A feeling of primal rage rushed through him at the thought of a man putting his hands on her, of trying to snuff her life out. What kind of man put his hands on a woman? All he'd need was five minutes with the bastard, and he'd teach him a lesson he'd never forget. He took a deep breath to calm the anger building inside him. His feelings surprised him, unnerving him a little as he struggled to take his focus off her injuries.

“
What are you doing here?” she asked coldly.

“
I heard about the attack. Are you all right?” he responded gruffly.

She nodded her head, her eyes moist with unshed tears. Trueblood felt a pang course through him at the sight of her trying to hold it together without breaking down. He could tell by the way she was biting her lip she was struggling to keep from crying. Something told him he was the last person she wanted to break down in front of. She'd been through the ringer tonight.

First she'd witnessed a murder, then she'd been chased in her car by the shooter…and now she'd been attacked at the hospital. He should've done a better job of protecting her instead of letting his personal feelings get in the way; He should've done due diligence. Anger coursed through him like quicksilver, threatening to consume him as he battled his conscience over the events of the last few hours. It was frustrating feeling this way, since he wasn't used to second guessing himself. He wasn't used to making mistakes.

There was only one thing to be done. He wasn't taking any more chances with his star witness. The bad guys weren't going to win this time.

“
I'll be fine,” she said bravely. “As soon as I can get home, take a shower, grab some Starbucks, and get back to normal.”

Trueblood felt himself frowning. “Back to normal may take a while.”

Darcel's brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“
I'm taking you home to pack up a few things. You're coming to live with me.”

Chapter Three

You're coming to live with me.

The way he'd spoken the words was simple and to the point. He might as well have been speaking Mandarin for all she understood him. She thought she'd heard him say she was coming to live with him. But that was ridiculous. Trueblood wouldn't offer her a glass of water on a sweltering day, never mind an invitation to come live with him.

He repeated himself. “You're coming to live with me.”

Darcel laughed then shook her head with disbelief. “Jokes. You've got jokes. Sorry, Sheriff, I'm not in the mood.”

Trueblood walked closer to her hospital bed and stared at her intently. “You're a witness to a homicide. Twice this evening the shooter has attempted to take your life. Until we find him, you're under the protection of the Liberty Creek Sheriff's Department.”

A dozen different thoughts raced through her brain upon hearing Trueblood's words. She'd never lived with a man in her life, unless she counted the time her brother had been evicted from his apartment and crash-landed at her house. Despite the fact it had been pure torture, at least she knew Lenny on an intimate level. He was her brother, not some random stranger who sported a shiny gold badge and looked down his nose at her.

She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn't seem to close it to save her life. “You cannot be serious.”

“
Do I seem like I'm joking?”

Those eyes again. Dark. Forbidding. He was staring at her as if she were a naughty schoolgirl who'd been caught ditching biology class.

Darcel gulped and then shook her head. “No, you seem about as amused as a priest in a strip club.”

Trueblood frowned, his expression as ominous as approaching storm clouds. “This is nothing to joke about. Someone is trying to make you a statistic. I'm not about to let that happen. Which is why you're going to live under my roof, under my protection, following my rules. Unless, of course, you have a death wish I don't know about.”

Once more tears misted her eyes against her will. She'd been through so much tonight. She was scared out of her wits, exhausted, angry, and on the verge of a breakdown. Truthfully, she just wanted him to leave her hospital room so she could have a good, long cry. She only had herself to blame for her situation. If she hadn't been such a pushover for Lenny, she'd be snuggled under her covers at this very moment enjoying a wonderful, much needed rest.

Instead, she'd been shot at, traumatized, chased in her vehicle, and physically attacked. A killer had set his sights on her. And now, to make matters worse, she was going to be living in very close quarters with her worst nightmare.

A random tear trickled down her face, and she angrily wiped it away, refusing to give in to her feelings in front of the one man in Liberty Creek who wouldn't give a damn.

* * * *

As soon as they pulled up into the driveway of the Victorian home Darcel owned, Trueblood took a minute to admire it. It was a beauty, Trueblood acknowledged as he took in the well- maintained lawn, the festively adorned front door, and the electric-blue shutters that nicely complimented the butter-yellow house. He'd passed this house many a time and never had the slightest clue it belonged to Darcel.

When she made a move to exit the car, he placed his hand on her wrist. “Let me go inside first,” he announced. “Just in case someone decided to pay you a little visit.”

He noticed the way Darcel's eyes went wide and how she clutched her neck in a gesture filled with fear. “It's simply a precaution. Just breathe.” He watched her take a deep breath, never wavering in his eye contact. She held his gaze, her brown, caramel-flecked eyes mesmerizing him as she continued to take deep, even breaths. His eyes locked onto the rapid rise and fall of her chest, and he felt a sharp spike of desire at the sight of her full breasts moving up and down in rhythm with her breathing. A flash of heat seared through him, and he fought against his body's natural reaction to a beautiful, sensual woman.

“
Stay put,” he instructed as he bolted from the car, eager to get a little distance from her and the too-hot-to-handle situation.

With Darcel's keys in hand, he let himself into her house, his nose wrinkling in appreciation as the seductive smell of vanilla drifted toward him. Her house smelled homey, and he imagined a pack of kids running through it, causing bedlam. It was a house built for a family. He wondered whether a husband and kids were on the to-do list for Darcel, who held a reputation for being one of the town's most ambitious and successful businesswomen. Something told him she was a woman who wanted it all.

He pulled his .9mm from his holster and began walking through the house, starting with the living room, winding around through the kitchen and ending up at the foot of the staircase leading upstairs. Using all the precision of a seasoned law enforcement officer, he stealthily climbed the hardwood steps, stifling an oath as he stepped on a creaky floorboard. He entered the master bedroom, silently marveling at the richness of the décor. The walls were painted a rich cream color, with the drapes and linens a vibrant red. The bed was a masterpiece—a vintage sleigh bed in a rich mahogany color with intricately carved designs on the headboard.

His stomach clenched at the sight of the bed. For some reason, random thoughts of Darcel having wild, off-the-wall sex flittered through his mind. Although he'd never heard any rumors about her hooking up with anyone, there was no way a woman as beautiful and sexy as Darcel could be sleeping alone.
Shake it off
,
 
his inner voice whispered.
You're just horny. It's been a while. It might be time to play Grace a little visit.