Page 102 of Hold Your Breath
Lou didn’t know if it was sheer exhaustion or if she was still in shock, but she told her story in a dull, unemotional voice. Neither Rob nor Chris interrupted her. After she finished, there were several seconds of silence.
“Brent Lloyd was the one who called it in, then?” the sheriff finally said. It sounded as if he was working it out in his head, rather than actually asking Lou the question. “He was the only one at the reservoir?”
Lou rubbed her forehead. Her brain was lethargic, and her thoughts were slow to form. “I guess. So he lured us there to, what? Kill me? Or Callum? That makes no sense, though. He didn’t even know Callum.”
“He was watching you, though,” Chris said. “He saw that you were spending a lot of time together—living together, even. Since he was fixated on you, your relationship with Callum probably enraged him.”
Rob interrupted Chris’s theorizing. “Could you identify Lloyd’s voice if you heard a recording of the 9-1-1 call?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Lou squeezed her eyes together and then opened them. They felt gritty, as if sand had worked its way under her lids. “My stepdad would be a better one to ask, though. He worked with him every day for years. You still have his number, right?”
“Yes, I’ll contact him.”
“Okay.” She noticed they were on the curve approaching the south side of the pass. To her relief, there were no flashing lights indicating that the pass was still closed. “If you have any more questions, you’ll need to ask them quickly. I’m going to lose cell reception in about one minute.”
“We’ll call you back in a couple of hours. You can give us an update on Callum at that time, too.”
“Okay. Talk to you then.”
The two men said their good-byes and disconnected the call. Lou let the phone drop into her lap, her fingers suddenly too weak to hold it.
“Holy shit,” Ian said, his first words since she’d called the sheriff. “Fucking bastard set up an ambush.”
“Yeah.” Her head fell back against the seat. “Mind if I sleep now?”
“Go for it.” Although he sounded truly pissed, she knew it wasn’t directed at her. It was all meant for a dead man. Shutting down any thoughts of Brent, she allowed her eyes to close. There would be plenty of time later to process the events of the night. Right now, she just needed to sleep.
Chapter 20
While the firefighters on the scene had commended Lou for her unauthorized dive, Callum had a different take on it. “What’s Rule Number One?”
Taking another step into his hospital room, she grinned at him. It was one thing to be told he was conscious and alert, and quite another to actually see him scowling at her. Unable to stop herself, she rushed over to his bed and hugged him as best she could without disturbing any tubes, IVs, or equipment. When she pulled back, he was smiling.
“Rule Number One?” he asked again, despite his tender look.
“Um…don’t hold your breath when you’re diving?” she guessed, sitting on the edge of his bed so her hip rested against his. She couldn’t stop staring at him. Seeing him awake and talking and a normal, healthy tan color seemed like a miracle.
“No,” he said with a snap that didn’t do anything to dim her smile. It was even wonderful having him bark at her. “It’sgo home.”
“What?” Her eyebrows drew together. Did he not want her there at the hospital? If so, that was just too bad. They’d have to call security to boot her out of his room. She settled her rear more firmly on his bed.
“Go home. That is the first rule that every rescue worker needs to follow—to go home at the end of the call.”
“And we did!” She beamed. “Well, at least wewillgo home. Eventually. Once they spring you from this joint. Eventually qualifies, doesn’t it?”
He scowled even as he took her hand and ran his thumb across the back. Lou wasn’t even sure he was aware he was holding it. “You’re missing the point.”
“What’s the point, then?” she asked absently, her eyes tracing his features. She loved his stubborn chin and the way he set his jaw when he was irritated or frustrated. His mouth was even better, its soft curve not disguised by the firm way he pressed his lips together. Even his nose—
“The point,” he gritted, interrupting her catalog of his features, “is that you were not qualified for what you did. You didn’t have a dive tender on shore. You disregarded so many SOPs…” He trailed off, shaking his head as if overwhelmed by the sheer number of rules she’d broken.
No matter how long he lectured her, Lou knew she wouldn’t be able to dredge up an ounce of contrition for going under the ice after him. With a shrug, she said, “But if I hadn’t, you would’ve died. This way, I get to keep you. Rules, schmules.”
His face unreadable, he stared at her.
Cupping the side of his face with her free hand, she leaned over to kiss him lightly on that stern and beautiful mouth. As she pulled back, she stroked her thumb over his bottom lip. “I don’t think there’s any rule I wouldn’t break for you,” she admitted. “In the same situation, I’d do it again.”
With a frown, he mirrored her movement, laying his large, rough hand against her cheek. She leaned into it, loving the warmth it radiated. “I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for me,” he said.
