Page 85 of Valor

Dad had bandages around his wrists and Allen had a thick layer of gauze and tape around his neck wound. Even in their obvious state of injury, both smiled.

“Good to see your eyes open,” Allen reached for her hand, avoiding the IV.

Dad took a deep breath. “I wasn’t sure we’d see you again. Thank God.”

As happy as she was to see them, the situation wasn’t over. They had to find Micha and Eric. “What about the cavern and finding Eric? Is anyone looking for them?” If they weren’t, she felt far too exposed sitting there in the hospital.

“Rod is looking for more information. He brought us here, and I had time to fill him in on all that happened and all we know. Your dad helped too. When he was with them, they let things slip.”

“They must have assumed there was no hope I’d ever be free,” Dad said.

She still didn’t understand why they hadn’t killed all three of them, but was thankful they hadn’t.

“Rod had one piece of information I can share with you.” Allen glanced at the door, then went and closed it. He returned to her side and took her hand once again. “Your dad gave us the name of Micha’s mother. My mother. She’s sick with cancer. If he’s arrested, she will lose the only family she has. Her only support. Rod speculated that’s why he didn’t kill us. I have to wonder how Eric fits into this puzzle. He must not know why Micha was holding back.”

Thoughts formed as Allen spoke. “If Micha killed you, he would have to admit to his mother—who needs every reason to live—that he’d killed the son she never knew,” Heather speculated. “I guess we should be thankful Eric doesn’t really know the man he hired.”

Dad looked at Allen. “One man working on this isn’t enough. They were willing to take me at gunpoint and shoot at Heather. We can’t put the doctors and nurses here in danger by staying.”

Allen clutched her hand tighter. “I’m not sure what to do besides add security by her door and move you to a safe, private location. Heather has to stay here until she’s released.”

“Is a dispatcher an officer?” Heather’s mind raced with possibilities.

“Depends on the station. Jackie is. Why?” Allen’s brows furrowed.

“She could stay in here, registered under my name. We could wait until Micha or Eric return to finish the job, then arrest them.”

“She doesn’t look like you. At all.” Allen’s brows dipped even further.

While she was glad Allen thought she was unique, Jackie was a woman, and by the time someone came to do anything, they wouldn’t realize Heather wasn’t in the bed until it was too late. “She would work, and she’d probably love the opportunity to do it.”

Allen lifted her hand and gently kissed her knuckles, sending sweet sparks up her arm and to her heart. It was their first kiss, and she prayed it wouldn’t be their last. “I’ll ask her. It’s a good idea. I’m just worried. Your dad is right. We have tonight, and that’s almost gone. By tomorrow, they’ll regroup and try to get to you. They have to silence you both before the vote.”

Allen’s phone rang, and he tugged it from his shirt pocket. They had to have gone back to the Wall Mart to retrieve it.

“This is Allen.” He continued to hold her hand, but turned slightly away.

She could hear the noise of someone talking on the other end, but not what was said.

“I understand,” Allen said.

There was a buzz in the room she hadn’t noticed before the silence of the phone call. Heather waited, wanting to know if Allen would get new information and how they could stay out of Eric’s clutches.

Allen took the phone from his ear and pressed the end button. “That was Rod. He was able to crack the other files. There’s more at stake here than we thought. Eric thinks there’s a huge deposit of rose quartz on that land. If that’s true, the current owners don’t know and won’t release it.”

“We don’t know that,” Dad said. “The owners haven’t come to any meetings or even written the paper with their concerns.”

Allen frowned and sighed. “Has anyone seen them? Is it possible they’ve been held or were killed before Micha was brought on to help? Eric seems like the type to hire whoever he wants. The two men who were found in Rapid City could’ve been the ones to take care of the owners.”

Dad paled and looked away. “I hadn’t thought of that. They live so far out of town that no one would question why they haven’t been seen.”

Allen picked up his phone and rapidly made a call. “Jackie, I need you to send Danny out to the Goddard place to do a wellness check. I need to know they are fine, STAT.” He hung up the phone. “Now, we wait.”

CHAPTERTWELVE

Heather watched closelyas the nurse pulled the curtain around her bed. Allen waited on the other side. That alone had her thoughts swirling. He hadn’t left. He hadn’t made his job more important than her.

She tried to reason with herself. She was his job right now. Even as she did so, she had to admit officers had many jobs and responsibilities, especially in a small town where police could be spread thin. If his actions now didn’t prove his faithfulness, what would?

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