Watch Me (Last Stand #3)(15)
Author: Brenda Novak

“I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t connected, but I don’t want to take the chance that it was.”

She could tell he was reluctant to scare her; she could also tell he fully believed it was connected. “This killer is determined.”

“It takes a lot of audacity to try something in a public place.”

“Or a strong desire. That’s why—”

Voices at the door interrupted her. Ned entered, followed immediately by a woman who looked less like a linebacker than he did but was still a far cry from petite. Sheridan knew without any introduction that this was Amy. She recognized her from her resemblance to Ned, but she would’ve remembered Amy regardless of her brother—despite the extra weight, the practical braid that kept her long red hair in order and the dark blue uniform.

Hoping to read his reaction to his ex-wife, Sheridan studied Cain, but in the blink of an eye, his expression became too neutral to reveal what he was thinking.

“What’s going on?” Ned demanded.

“As you know, we had a little disturbance at the hospital last night,” Cain said.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean? On the phone, you made it sound as if someone came after Sheridan again.”

“I think that’s exactly what happened. Fortunately, there was a doctor in the hall right outside who thought it was strange to find a man walking through the hospital wearing a wig.”

Amy moved closer to the bed and folded her arms across br**sts that hadn’t existed in high school, at least in their current size. Her eyes darted toward Cain for the fifth time since she’d walked in. Amy was obviously as infatuated with him as she’d always been, but she seemed professional enough when she spoke. “They didn’t catch him?”

“No. A few orderlies chased him but he got away.”

Ned cursed and shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”

“So what do we do now?” Amy asked.

Cain shoved a hand through his tousled hair. “I’d like to take her home with me.”

Sheridan’s jaw dropped. This must’ve been where Cain was leading the conversation before Ned and Amy walked in, but she hadn’t seen it coming.

Ned responded before she could. “No way!”

Cain got up and rounded the bed. “Why not?”

“Because I’m hoping she can help me solve Jason’s murder. The last thing I want is to have her cozy up with you.”

“I plan on doing everything I can to solve Jason’s murder,” Sheridan said. “But that has nothing to do with Cain. Where I stay makes no difference.”

“So you’re saying you want to go home with him?” Amy asked.

“No, of course not. I don’t want to inconvenience him or anyone else. Surely there are other alternatives.”

“What makes you think she’ll be safe at your place?” Ned asked.

“It beats a hospital,” Cain said. “Too many people coming and going. There’s so much noise and activity, I can’t tell when something doesn’t belong.”

“I’m sure whoever it was won’t return,” Amy chimed in.

“We can’t assume that,” Cain said. “The fact that he came here once tells me he’s bold enough to try anything.”

Amy’s eyes darted between them. “So we’ll post a guard.”

“And who’ll pay for that?” Ned muttered.

Sheridan felt obligated to offer, but she couldn’t pay for it out of her personal account. She and Skye and their new partner, Ava Bixby, drew salaries that barely covered their living expenses. “My charity can probably pick up the tab. That’s what we do, fill in the gaps for stuff like this and, considering the situation, I guess that would apply to me, too. A victim is a victim.”

“There’s no need for anyone to pay,” Cain said. “If I take you home it’ll be free.”

“But her doctor will never go for it,” Ned said.

“I’ve already spoken to him.” Cain leaned against the side of her bed. “He agreed with me. He believes she might actually recover more quickly in a homelike setting. And he’s willing to have Owen check on her and report back to him.”

Amy was visibly struggling to hide her anxiety at that suggestion. Obviously, Cain’s ex-wife didn’t want Sheridan anywhere near him. “If she can be moved, why not send her home to California?”

“She can’t travel that far,” Cain said. “Not yet.”

“And I’m not leaving Whiterock,” Sheridan told her. “Not until the man who hurt me is behind bars.”

“So you’re going to Cain’s?” Ned asked.

Sheridan pulled the blankets higher, seeking their reassuring warmth. “It’s my best option.”

Ned sent Cain a sly look. “Why are you taking such a personal interest?”

“I want closure, as badly as she does,” he said. “I want to know who tried to frame me by putting that rifle in my cabin.”

“There’s a chance her memory won’t come back,” Amy pointed out. “She won’t be any good to the investigation unless she can remember what happened.”

“Excuse me?” Sheridan was about to explain that she’d dealt with over a hundred criminal investigations in the past five years, that she’d have something to offer regardless of what she remembered. She probably had more experience dealing with violent crime than the whole Whiterock police force combined. But Cain had already answered, and Sheridan knew Amy didn’t care what she had to say. She cared only about Cain.

“At least she won’t be vulnerable,” he said. “She’ll have a safe place to heal.”

“Who’s going to keep her safe from you?” Amy snapped.

Cain rolled his eyes. “I’m no threat to her, and you know it.”

She glared at him. “You’re a threat to every woman, Cain.”

He ignored the comment. “I’ve got a quiet place that’s away from roads and buildings. And I’ve got the dogs. They’ll tell me if anyone’s coming.”

Ned exchanged a glance with his sister. “I don’t like it,” he said. But his tone had changed, and Sheridan sensed that he was only trying to support Amy. His professional objections had been neatly overturned.

“Someone could shoot your dogs. And then where would you be?” Amy asked Cain.

“Anyone who shoots my dogs had better pray I don’t catch them.”