Page 61 of Rescued Dreams
“Detective Cartwright is working something right now. I’ll keep you posted if Jess manages to ID any of the guys you’ve all seen so far.”
“Great.” He tried to sound like he had confidence in them, but there was far too much at stake to sit back and do nothing.
Ridge was going to employ some investigators of his own. This situation was getting out of control. Someone was targeting Amelia, and aside from the mysterious hidden money, they had no idea who was behind it. Or how far they intended to go.
She needed someone to watch her back.
TWENTY-ONE
Amelia swiped the screen of the tablet through another set of images. Mug shots. Detective Jessica Cartwright and Officer Olivia Tazwell sat drinking their coffees, nonchalantly waiting for her to go through the series of images, as if they had nothing better to do than be here.
On the other side of the closed door, the bustle of the hospital kept to a low level, but she could hear nurses talking. A phone ringing. The overhead intercom system.
Her doctor had thoroughly checked her out, told her to not remove the clean-air mask until he said she could, and sent off vials of her blood so they could run whatever tests. But being out of the training house and breathing clear air had brought her back to the land of conscious people.
Amelia didn’t like the idea she’d been vulnerable. Not one bit. She was a firefighter, not the victim in any scenario.
Even sitting up in a hospital bed, wearing one of their terrible gowns and all tucked in with blankets like a little kid, made her feel weak in a way she didn’t like. It was far too close to the kid she’d been after her stepdad died, subjected to whatever her father ordered her to do when he had visitation. Quit basketball. Give up piano. Mow the lawn at the big house while her brother threw rocks at her.
As an adult, she’d become the kind of woman who didn’t see the signs until it was too late. Who accepted things with a man as normal because he said the right things. Or apologized after. Only when she’d begun to push back had Nicholas kicked up his narcissism another notch. Tearing her down by convincing everyone else—and her—that she had lost her grip on reality.
“You okay?”
Amelia looked over at Jess. “My mind is wandering.”
The detective smiled. She was about the same age as Amelia but not someone she’d hung out with. Amelia did know that her husband was a tech genius who worked online and made tons of money creating amazing tech programs Amelia would never understand. Her husband’s brother was Dean, who ran the Ridgeman Center up in the mountains. Their paths had crossed because Dean worked with Kelsey and Natalie—Trace’s and Macon’s wives.
In a town like this, she knew plenty of people’s business. It was why she’d determined to keep to herself. No one needed to know she was Steven Hilden’s daughter. Except, now it seemed like everyone knew. So all that trying to keep things private hadn’t worked at all. The truth was out.
Jessica wore black slacks and a white shirt, a cargo jacket over it that had a tie for around her waist. A gun holstered on her hip and the police shield on her belt both displayed who she was. She was blonde, like Olivia and Amelia, making Amelia wonder if they’d planned this. Sending these two women to reassure her because neither was a guy officer she didn’t know.
“We can take a break if you want.” Jessica got up and tossed her empty paper cup in the tiny trash can in the corner.
“It won’t make a difference.” Amelia let the tablet fall flat on her lap. “He had a mask on, so I never saw his face. Like I didn’t see the guy’s face at the fires. I have no idea who is doing this.”
“It was worth a try just looking.” Jessica took the tablet from her.
Olivia said, “It’s always worth a try.” Officer Tazwell had her uniform on, comforting Amelia by her presence in a different way than Jess’s gun and badge did.
“I appreciate your coming here and trying.”
Both of them seemed surprised. Jess said, “Of course.”
Amelia had realized, in that moment in the training house when she’d thought she was dying alone, that she had friends close by. There were people in her life who cared about her.
Cared if she lived or died.
And they had come to her aid. She knew that, because Ridge had been here when she’d woken up. He’d gone down to the cafeteria to get them both something to eat and would be back soon enough. The worry on his face when she’d opened her eyes had been enough to let her know how he felt about her.
She wasn’t alone.
“Anything else?” Jess asked. “Or we’ll get out of your hair.”
Amelia bit her lip. “Have you had a chance to look up my brother?” After she thought she’d seen him in that crowd, she’d contacted Jessica, but now she wasn’t sure what to think. Since she’d never been mentally unstable—despite what her ex had done to her—there had to be an explanation.
Jess eased back onto the chair, sitting on the edge of the seat with her hands clasped between her knees. “We ran his name.” She indicated Olivia with a chin lift.
Officer Tazwell said, “Nasty rap sheet.”
