Page 47 of Valor

He nodded, determined to get to the bathroom under his own power. The nurse was nice enough, but he couldn’t help remembering how Emily had cared for him back in January. Ignoring the shaft of pain spreading over his belly, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and slid to his feet.

When he swayed, the nurse grabbed his arm. “Whoa, don’t fall. Slow and steady wins the race.”

Her cheerfulness annoyed him, but he knew that was because he would have rather had Emily helping him. Gritting his teeth, he walked the length of the room, dragging his IV pole along as he went.

By the time he’d finished in the bathroom, he felt as if he’d run a marathon. Emily had mentioned he’d slept for hours, which might have been true, but he still felt exhausted.

It occurred to him that he should get as much sleep as possible while he was in the hospital. He doubted the cots in jail would be comfortable. And from what he’d heard, jail was rarely quiet.

He couldn’t bear to think about living the rest of his life in a cage, so he did his best to push those thoughts aside. He closed his eyes and found himself reliving those moments he’d run toward Emily and Doug, shouting that Granger was involved.

The sensation of being pushed was just as clear now as it had been back then.

He opened his eyes, turned, and looked out the window. The sun was low in the sky, and he remembered how he’d tried to pray.

Had God answered his prayer? It didn’t seem possible.

He wanted to talk to Emily about that, to see what she thought about what he’d experienced a second before he’d been shot, but it was suddenly too hard to keep his eyes open.

The image of Jesus on the cross flashed through his mind before his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.

When he awoke next, early rays of daylight flitted through the window. He blinked, then looked at the clock, shocked to see that it was six in the morning.

How he’d slept all night was a mystery. The pain in his side remained a dull throb, but he decided against taking anything. The sooner he got this interview with Doug over, the better.

Not knowing what his future held was killing him. Especially because he wanted so much more than he deserved.

He took more ice chips, then headed into the bathroom without asking for help. When he came out a few minutes later, he was startled to see Doug standing there.

“Owen.” Doug gave him a nod. “How are you feeling?”

“Uh, fine.” He shoved the IV pole forward to make his way to the bed. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Doug waited until he got back into bed before pulling the chair up next to him. “I heard from the nurses that you haven’t taken any pain meds for several hours. I figured we should talk now so that you can get back on schedule.”

“I’m fine.” He waved that off. “I’m hoping to get out of here.”

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?” Doug suggested.

It was a long story, but he did his best to give Doug the shortened version. “My younger brother, Oliver, got mixed up with Domingo Hernandez’s drug operation to get money to help support our mom who was dying of cancer. After she passed away, I convinced Oliver to get out of the business, but as it turns out, Hernandez doesn’t take kindly to men leaving his organization. He had Oliver shot in the back of the head execution style and left my brother’s body on the front porch of my mother’s house. From that point forward, I was on a mission to find Hernandez to make him pay.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your brother,” Doug said. “What happened then?”

He explained how he began infiltrating the drug organization. “It wasn’t easy because Hernandez was super cautious and kept several bodyguards around him at all times. Still, I was doing my best to work my way up, hoping to meet with him.” Owen sighed. “At some point, I realized I needed to let the police know what was going on. I talked to a Colorado cop by the name of William Minor. And he agreed to be a liaison with the DEA, specifically Agent Colin Granger.”

“I see.” Doug’s expression turned grim. “How did you get shot the first time? Back in January when your guys kidnapped Emily?”

Owen winced. “I was coordinating a big drug buy. The guy who was supposed to pay me decided to pull a gun instead. I backed off, but he shot me in the shoulder. I managed to get the drugs back, and the rest of my team came to the rescue. I mentioned needing a nurse to care for my wound, and that’s what led us to kidnapping Emily. I didn’t pick her intentionally. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Where did you go after you left the cabin on the snowmobile?” Doug asked.

Owen filled him in on how Doc and Dee had taken him in and nursed him back to health. “Doc was a retired veterinarian and gave me antibiotics. Still, they were oral pills, and it took a long time for me to kick that infection and get my strength back. I ended up staying at the ranch longer than I should have, doing as many of the physical chores as possible to pay them back for their help.”

Owen took a break to swallow more ice chips.

“Emily filled me in on what happened to Doc and Dee, as well as the multiple attempts to kill the two of you.” Doug held his gaze. “Thank you for keeping her safe.”

Hope flared in his heart. Maybe Doug wouldn’t throw him in jail.

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