Page 32 of Tough Justice
She leaned back in her seat and shrugged. “Shaken. Scared. Wishing I hadn’t suggested that stupid ride.”
“Looks like even if you two had stayed inside, someone was there with intentions to hurt Heather. One way or another, they would have found a way.”
“You might be right, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Setting his coffee on the floor by his feet, he captured Suzy’s free hand and squeezed. “You’re freezing.”
“That’s why I got the coffee. It’s not working, though. I hoped it’d warm me up a little, but I can’t get rid of this chill.”
He plucked her cup from her grip and set it beside his then placed his other palm on top of her knuckles. He skimmed the pads of his fingers over her soft skin. “I’m sorry for what you experienced but glad you were there to help.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t do anything but struggle not to panic.”
“You called me. You stayed with her. You shielded her as best you could. I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know.” He coughed to clear his tightening throat. “I keep thinking if I’d been around more, none of this would have happened. And now this guy is out there, stalking her. Making sick plans on how to hurt her.”
“Are you sure it’s Mason?”
“Who the hell knows, but it makes the most sense right now,” he said. “When I went by The Tumbleweed earlier, Ms. Sally told me Chrissy checked out, and she was adamant Chrissy didn’t leave her room last night. And honestly, Chrissy would have no reason to go after Heather.”
“Does this Mason guy know how to make a homemade bomb?”
“We sure it was a bomb?” Once Heather’d been loaded onto the stretcher, he’d stayed glued to her side. As much as he wanted to know what Lane had found, he couldn’t leave his sister. “I haven’t had a chance to speak with Lane or Spencer yet.”
“Looks like it,” Suzy said. “They found the remnants of a pressure cooker as well as what Spencer thinks are parts of the trigger mechanism. I didn’t catch much of what they said. My mind was a little elsewhere.”
“I’ll give Lane a call soon. Get more details. I just hope whatever they found can lead them straight to the person responsible.”
“And you think it’s Mason?”
He tightened his grip on her hand and stared at Heather’s still face. “At this point, I hope it is. Because if it isn’t, I don’t know who else could have done this.”
Another knock at the door grabbed his attention seconds before Lane strolled into the room. His gaze landed on their joined hands, and his jaw tightened.
But Duke didn’t care, didn’t move. He wanted to show Suzy that Lane’s approval didn’t matter more to him than her, and right now she needed him.
Or hell, maybe he needed her.
But either way, he wouldn’t break the connection that had finally eased a tiny sliver of his anxiety.
“How’s she doing?” Lane asked.
“About the same. Just waiting for her to wake, but it’s no surprise she’s milking her moment. She’s always been a tad dramatic, right Heather?” He grinned at his sister, hoping she could hear his gentle teasing. Maybe if he annoyed her enough, she’d wake up and slap him upside the head.
Lane rubbed the back of his neck, darting his gaze between their joined hands and Heather. “Spencer’s on his way. He got a call right after he parked that he had to take. He wants to go over everything with all of us, and I figured you’d rather do it here where you can keep an eye on your sister.”
“Appreciate that.” Duke let his attention trail back to the beeping machines.
“So, uh, what’s going on with that?” Lane dipped his chin toward where Duke still held Suzy’s hand between his.
Suzy stiffened and attempted to slip away from him.
He held her in place, pinning her with his stare before shifting to face Lane. “That’s between me and Suzy, and something we need to discuss before we talk with you.” He cast her a quick glance, unsure if he said too much.
The quiet smile on her face told him he hadn’t overstepped.
Lane opened his mouth to respond, but Spencer stalked into the room. He swept his hat off his head, a scowl drawing down the corners of his mouth. “Sorry, but I need to make this quick.”
“What do you mean?” Lane asked. “You said you wanted to talk through Suzy’s statement and discuss what was found on our property.”
