Cold Shot (23 page)

But . . . she knew the truth about him. Maybe that truth of his weakness had finally sunk in and she’d realized he wasn’t the man for her. She’d said it wasn’t his fault, but he knew in his heart it was. He was the reason Judith Connelly was dead.

Finley stepped in front of him, drawing his attention.

“Sorry,” he said. “I was lost in thought.”

She gazed up at him with big, beautiful eyes. “I was just wondering when.”

His brows furrowed. “When what?”

“When you started having feelings for me.”

He smiled. He should have known she wouldn’t make this easy on him. “Well, I definitely experienced strong feelings the first time we met.”

She exhaled a chuckle. “That much was clear, but not exactly the feelings I’m talking about.”

“I know.” He took her hand and lowered her to the couch with him. “Our first meeting wasn’t exactly . . .
civil
.”

She arched her brows.

“Okay. I was . . .”

“Grouchy? Grumpy?” she supplied.

“Okay, let’s stop naming dwarves, shall we?”

She laughed. “But there are so many that come to mind.”

“You really aren’t going to make this easy on me, are you?”

She smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed that adorable smirk right off her beautiful face.

Griffin spent the drive to the hospital in prayer while Finley dealt with her overflowing inbox on her phone.

Father, I am in so far over my head. I desperately need you. Please guide me and Finley. Please help me to listen to you and not my gut. Maybe that’s been the problem after all. Or . . .

He felt the Lord stirring his heart, and a thought occurred to him he hadn’t considered.

Is your Holy Spirit that inner voice?

Had what he’d been calling instinct and his gut actually been the Lord’s leading?

But if that’s the case, why is Judith Connelly dead?

Because humans make mistakes.

Finley reveled in the feel of Griffin’s fingers intertwined with hers as they entered the hospital, praying for good news and the opportunity to see Declan. Griffin needed to see his friend. That much was clear.

They were instructed by the nurse manning the desk that they’d have to wait until Declan was moved from ICU to ward four.

They stepped into the waiting room and found Parker and Avery already there.

Griffin and Parker exchanged a nod.

“Morning,” Avery greeted them, her gaze dropping to their clutched hands.

“Morning.” Finley smiled.

“I’ll go grab us some coffee,” Griffin said. “Can I get either of you any?”

“I’d love one,” Avery said.

“How do you take it?”

“Black.”

“Park?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

Griffin nodded and stepped from the room.

Finley took a seat beside Avery, unable to stop smiling.

“Looks like you two had a nice night despite the circumstances,” Avery said, nudging her shoulder.

“Yeah, we did.” Hearing him share about Jenna, falling asleep with him close by. “He talked about his family.”

Parker leaned forward, his dark brows arched. “His family?”

“Yeah.”

Parker exhaled. “He told you about Jenna.”

Why did Parker look like he was about to pass out? “Yes. He told me she was murdered.”

“Oh, how awful,” Avery said.

“Awful doesn’t even come close,” Parker said, his gaze drifting right through them.

“Growing up together, you must have known her,” Finley said, choosing her words carefully. Griffin seemed to hold Parker responsible for some aspect of Jenna’s death, but she couldn’t fathom what. He certainly hadn’t murdered her.

“He knew her
extremely
well,” Griffin said, standing in the doorway, three coffees in hand. Liquid sloshed over the edge as he dropped the cups on a table next to him.

Parker swallowed.

Finley’s gaze darted between the two men. So Griffin’s sister
was
the source of the tension between them. But why?

“Jenna and I were in love,” Parker said, his voice softer than Finley had ever heard it.

Avery’s eyes widened, Finley sure hers were doing the same as shock surged through her and her mind struggled to put the pieces together.

“Jenna was seventeen.” The vein in Griffin’s temple flickered.

“She was about to turn eighteen.”

“You were twenty-one.”

“There’s no age requirement on love, and we both know the age difference isn’t really what has you riled, so let’s get to it if we’re really going to do this.”

Finley stood as Parker stepped in front of Griffin, mere inches between the men. Griffin’s posture poised for a fight. Parker’s one of vulnerable defiance. What had she started?

“Overlooking the fact that you were three years older than my kid sister and sneaking around like you had something to hide—which usually indicates you do—the fact is, you’re the reason Jenna’s dead.”

Parker’s hands coiled tight into fists at his side. “You think I don’t know that? That I don’t live with that agonizing regret every single breath of my life?”

“Then why’d you do it?”

“Because I was in love and we wanted to see each other. How could I have known she’d be in any danger?”

“Asking her to sneak out of the safety of her home at midnight to meet you at a park a quarter of a mile away? You didn’t stop to think she’d be walking alone—late at night in a secluded area?”

“We met there all the time.”

“And clearly the killer knew that.”

“We don’t know that. Police never determined if the killer had targeted her or if it was a completely random act.”

“Whether he targeted her or not doesn’t matter. The fact is, she’s dead because you weren’t man enough to tell me you were seeing her. Couldn’t court her the way she deserved.” Griffin’s vein throbbed in his left temple, his fists tight, his face red.

“I would give my life in her place a thousand times over, and you know it.”

Griffin’s fists unclenched, and he took a step back. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’m going to check on Declan.”

Finley followed him out of the room, her heart breaking for both men.

Parker lowered himself back into the chair, his hands shaking with anger or pain, Avery couldn’t tell.

She rested a hand on his knee. “Wanna talk about it?”

He looked at her like
“What do you think?”

“I get it. I’ve never been accused of being the sharing type either.” It was much easier—or at least that’s what she kept trying to convince herself—to keep things close to the vest, heavy as that vest sometimes became. “But it’s painfully obvious you need to unload.”

“Griffin’s right.” He raked a shaky hand through his dark brown hair. “It’s my fault Jenna’s dead.”

“You could have never known someone would murder her on the way to the park.”

Parker released an agonizing exhale. “He didn’t murder her straight out.”

Avery’s stomach dropped. “What?”

Tears of rage flooded Parker’s soulful eyes. “He abducted her, tortur . . . ed her. Ra . . .” His voice choked, tears falling. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Raped her and then dumped her body in the bay days later.”

Dear God
. She reached out and engulfed Parker in her arms. He resisted her embrace, but she refused to let go, and finally he gave in to her hold.

“Griffin,” Finley said.

“I’d rather not talk about it now.”

“The nurse said we needed to wait a few more minutes. Declan’s resting.”

“I’ll be quiet. I just want to see for myself he’s okay.”

He lifted his chin at the cop manning the door, knowing Barney from his days on the force.

He held the door open for Finley, and she slipped inside. They moved past the curtain and found a nurse at Declan’s side.

The nurse looked up with frightened eyes.

“Hey,” Finley said. “You’re the lady from campus.”

“All done in here,” she said, scurrying past them.

“Wait!” Griffin called, but she bolted from the room.

Was she Rachel Lester? He hadn’t gotten a good enough look. But it’d make sense if Perera sent his mole in to finish Declan off. “I’ll be back,” he hollered to Finley, bursting into the hall after the woman.

He caught sight of her as she raced through the ward’s double doors and took off in pursuit, pushing past the nursing cart in his way.

She wove around chairs, flying through the outer seating area.

Heading for the stairs
.

She disappeared into the stairwell a fraction of a second before him.

Grasping the cold metal rail he frantically glanced up and down, finally spotting her rounding the landing below.

He swung around the rail, darting down the stairs, taking several with each stride.

She exited on the garage level, the chilly exhaust-filled air assailing him as he maintained pursuit.

She darted between vehicles and he lost visual. She’d dropped somewhere.

He moved along the car line, stepping back to glance under the row of vehicles, working to not compromise his position.

Nothing
.

He followed the row, looking between each car. Two vehicles from the end, he caught a swipe of movement.

Gotcha
.

He lunged around the front of the vehicle, snagging her around the waist as she attempted to dart past him.

“Let me go!” She struggled in his arms.

“Not until you tell me who you are and what you were doing in my friend’s room.”

A couple entered the garage and froze at the sight of them.

“It’s okay, folks. I’m a cop apprehending a suspect,” he said.

She fought his hold. “I’m hardly a suspect.”

“Then who are you?”

“My name is Tanner Shaw.”

32

D
eclan groaned, drawing Finley’s attention. She’d been anxiously pacing his room waiting for Griffin to return. Where was he, and who
was
that woman?

Declan’s eyes opened. He blinked and struggled to sit forward.

“Easy there.” She rushed to his side.

“Hey, Finley,” he said groggily.

“Hey, yourself.” She helped him to an upright position, propping pillows behind his back for support. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you awake.”