Texas Witness. Barb Han

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СКАЧАТЬ compressed his lips and gave a nod, saying he understood. It was good that someone did because Colin was still scratching his head over the night’s events. Talk about an evening going haywire. His friend was fighting for his life in a hospital bed and the woman he’d wanted to marry had a child.

      “What did she say when you showed up?” Dallas asked.

      “I parked to the side, trying to decide if I was going to talk to her or not.” It wasn’t entirely untrue. “Then, I saw her husband pull into the lot and she seemed real uncomfortable. I thought she was supposed to be meeting him.” Colin’s voice hitched on that last word.

      “Why would a husband be meeting his wife in a parking lot at midnight?” Dallas asked, and then sipped his coffee.

      “I’d like to hear the answer to that question for myself, but she’s not talking.” Based on her terrorized expression when she saw Richard, he was the last person she’d expected to show. It was clear to Colin that she was scared to death of the guy, which made even less sense. Rancic was a jerk and his business reputation said he was cutthroat. Didn’t make him a criminal. So, why did the guy show up and then shoot a sheriff? Obviously, there was a lot going on. Had Melissa left her husband? Was Richard so determined to get her back that he’d shot a sheriff, realized what he’d done and then fled the scene?

      “So, she’s here?” Dallas asked.

      Colin nodded.

      “Have you spoken to her?” Dallas’s eyebrow shot up.

      “There hasn’t been much time. She stayed back with officers at the scene. I’ve been busy giving all the information I could to the hospital workers since I was the one who’d been stemming the blood flow and administering CPR. And then I gave a statement to the deputy,” Colin said.

      “Garcia?” Dallas asked.

      Colin nodded again.

      “Melissa just showed up here a few minutes ago and it didn’t exactly go well between us,” he said with a shrug. “Guess I needed a minute to clear my head before taking another go at it with her.”

      “It’s hard when you have so much history,” Dallas agreed.

      When Colin had been standing close to her at the house, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual on her body. There was no bruising, no other marks of any kind indicating abuse. She still had that same rosy skin, a combination of cream and silk. And yet she was terrified of her husband and that made Colin believe their relationship had been abusive.

      “She has a kid now,” was all Colin said. He took a sip of coffee.

      “You okay?” Dallas asked. “I can take things from here if you want to go cool off somewhere. Go get cleaned up and come back.”

      “I’ll be fine. Me and Melissa were a long time ago,” he said, mostly for his own benefit. “A lot’s changed since we went out, and let’s not forget that she’s married to someone else.”

      Dallas did the “tight lip/nod” thing again. “That’s probably a healthy way to look at it.”

      “Not much choice, is there.” It wasn’t a question. He didn’t repeat the fact that she and Richard had a child together. Colin could’ve lived the rest of his life without knowing that detail.

      Dallas shrugged with an apologetic look.

      “Here’s what else I know. Tommy comes roaring through the parking lot soon after Rancic, no lights or sirens. And then I’m really confused about what’s going on,” Colin continued. “The next thing I see is Tommy being shot. Rancic squeals out of the parking lot and I’m trying to save my friend’s life.”

      “That’s a lot to have coming at you at once.” Dallas shot a look that said he was talking about more than the incident in the parking lot with Tommy.

      Colin studied his coffee cup before taking a sip.

      “For the record, I still think it’s a good idea to get some fresh air,” Dallas added.

      “I’m not leaving until I know Tommy’s going to be okay and I get a few answers out of Melissa. Who knows when she’ll take off and I might never see her again.” Colin ground his back teeth. He gripped the coffee cup a little too tight.

      “You sure about that last part?” Dallas’s brow lifted.

      “As sure as the sun rises in the east,” Colin said.

      Another one of Dallas’s concerned looks creased his brother’s forehead.

      “It might help that you’re here. She always liked you and she never did anything to put a wedge between the two of you,” Colin said.

      “Hell yes she did,” Dallas said without hesitation. “She hurt my brother.”

      Colin topped off both of their cups before urging his brother out of the lounge. “Let’s go get some answers.”

      * * *

      MELISSA TEXTED HER handler for the sixth time since the incident in the parking lot and an ominous feeling settled over her. Where was Marshal Davis? And how on earth had Richard found her? He was supposed to be in Canada by now. If Tommy and Colin hadn’t shown when they did she’d be dead.

      Her body trembled no matter how hard she tried to settle down. A thought struck. Was there any possibility that Richard was the reason Marshal Davis hadn’t shown?

      The US marshal was most likely a victim of Bluff’s spotty cell coverage, but being without contact after everything that had happened caused a cold chill to trickle down her spine. That uneasy feeling gripped her again as she rocked Angelina.

      Tommy Johnson was shot and she couldn’t help but blame herself. If she had stayed away from Bluff none of this would be happening. Her stress levels were climbing through the roof and another big part of that had to do with the man down the hall. Colin would be back any second with questions she couldn’t answer. And especially not without speaking to Marshal Davis first.

      Angelina whimpered in her sleep.

      “It’s okay, sweet girl,” Melissa soothed, wishing it were that simple in all areas of her life.

      Thinking about the possibility of Colin realizing the little girl was his daughter sent another tremor racing through Melissa. She couldn’t allow him to put the pieces together, to know about Angelina. She’d done a great job of hiding the little girl’s face so far. Could she keep it up until Marshal Davis showed? He had to show. He was her ticket to a new life, a safe life.

      Melissa needed to get out of Bluff and disappear. Witness protection never sounded better. Although, there was no way she could leave without knowing Tommy was going to be okay. And she didn’t dare risk Angelina’s life by walking out the hospital door alone. Melissa was no fool. Richard was out there, somewhere. He would make good on his promise to destroy her and everyone she loved if he saw her.

      Suddenly, the walls felt like they were closing in because if Colin figured out that Angelina was his, there’d be no walking out that door without him.

      Okay, breathe.

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