Page 73 of Search for the Truth
When Liam finally made his way inside of her, Blake felt nothing but blessed heat.
By the time they left the shower, the water had long turned cold.
HISHIPHURT.
Liam didn’t mind. The pressure against his leg in the dark more than made up for any discomfort. Blake’s even breathing let him know that she was still asleep. She seemed to be comfortable too. Her leg and arm were thrown across his and his chest. Her head was on her pillow, but her hair was fanned across his shoulder.
He smelled his own shampoo on it.
He couldn’t help but smile at that.
The sun hadn’t yet risen, and the only small source of light was coming from the baby monitor on the nightstand next to him. He wondered if someone on that end had been what had woken him, but a quick look showed that all three people, young and old, were still asleep in the room next door.
He started to wonder if he’d simply just woken when a noise pulled his attention farther across the nightstand.
It was his phone.
Someone was calling him.
Liam picked the phone up off the table so the vibrating wouldn’t wake Blake. With as much care as he could, he detangled from the sleeping woman and hurried downstairs. By the time he was confident he hadn’t woken anyone, the call went to voicemail. Instead of checking it, he called the number right back.
Price answered on the first ring.
“Sorry if I woke you, Sheriff,” he said in greeting. “But I think we might need you.”
Liam glanced at the time on his phone. It was just after four.
“What happened?”
The sound of movement shifted between them before he responded.
“A few minutes ago, there was a shooting at the hospital. Ray McClennan is dead.”
Liam was wide awake now.
“What?”
“There were no other causalities or injuries. The guy walked into the ICU and shot Ray quick. Then he rabbited before the security guards on duty could do a thing. Now the whole hospital is a mess.”
Liam was walking back up the stairs but kept his voice low.
“Any idea who the shooter was?”
“Deputy Little is on scene and said that so far, she can’t find anything that identifies him. Getting a statement from the staff is kind of chaotic too. Before he bolted, the gunman made a mess of the ICU. I can head there now or do you want me to—”
“Come here and watch the house,” Liam finished for him. “If Ray was targeted, I want to see by who, but I’m not leaving this place unprotected.”
If he was abusing his power to use one of his deputies as protection for Blake, he didn’t care. Price must not have either. He agreed and said he would be there soon.
The call ended just as Liam was thinking about where he had left his work clothes. He found them when the lamp next to the bed flicked on. There was a pillow imprint on the side of Blake’s face. However, her eyes were sharp.
There was no reason or need to withhold the truth from her, so Liam bowled right in with it.
“There was a shooting at the hospital. Ray McClennan is dead. I need to go help with the aftermath and manhunt. Price is on his way here until I can come back. I’ll have my phone on me, but if you can’t get a hold of me for whatever reason, Price will help find me.”
Blake was quick.
She was out of bed in a flash. To his surprise it was to hand him his shirt.
