Gabe (In the Company of Snipers, #8)(23)
Sweet. She might not be savvy about vehicle makes and models, but the plate number sealed the deal. Gabe jotted every last detail on his cell phone notepad app. Leave it to the wife of a covert operator. She hadn’t missed a damned thing.
Now he could dispute the sheriff’s claim once and for all.
“Good job. The police need to hear this. They might want you to work with a sketch artist when you’re feeling better. Are you up to talking with them?”
“Sure. I hate to cuss. Alex does enough for both of us, but I’d like nothing better than to put this bastard behind bars.” She actually smiled—until she realized what she’d said. “I mean... he used to cuss.” Her breath hitched. The light left her eyes. The vulnerable woman was back. “Someone tried to kill me, Gabe.”
“But I’ve got his plate number now. It shouldn’t take long to track him down,” Gabe said, hoping to keep her upbeat instead of dwelling on the attempt on her life.
He lifted her right hand from the blanket and held it extra gently. Kelsey was very fragile, but she needed something to hold onto, and he needed her to know she was safe. “Mark’s got everyone working your investigation. Either the police or The TEAM will catch these guys and while they’re doing that, old man Lennox and I are moving in to keep you company. Hope you don’t mind if we turn your home into Fort Knox while we’re there.”
“No, I’d love the company.”
The door opened behind him, and Gabe expected Zack’s heavy smack to his shoulder.
“Hi, Kelsey. You’re looking better today.” Nurse Sullivan’s cheerful voice startled Gabe as fast as the finger she jabbed into his shoulder. “She needs her rest. You should leave.”
An unexpected jolt of energy rippled from her meaningless contact straight up the back of his neck. He nearly squeezed Kelsey’s fingers at the jolt of energy that shot through his shoulder. What the hell? Nurse Sullivan was annoying in more ways than one. He shrugged her hand off, not wanting her to assume familiarity where none existed.
“Hi, Shelby,” Kelsey said. “Yes, I’m feeling better today. I’m ready to go home.”
“That would be nice, but how about if we get you showered first? Can I get you anything from the kitchen? A snack? Maybe some orange juice?” Sullivan sat at the opposite edge of Kelsey’s bed. “They’ve got the herbal tea you like. It might soothe the last of your sore throat away. I’d get an extra large cup so you could hold it.”
“Some tea would be nice. Thank you.”
Nurse Sullivan smiled. “Great. I’ll be right back. And I’m bringing you some cinnamon toast. I know you like that.”
He had to take a second look. Sullivan seemed—different. Lighter maybe? An air of excitement radiated from her as if Kelsey was more than just a patient. Or something. He couldn’t quite place it. Sullivan seemed genuinely happy. It looked good on her.
Gabe let his eyes scroll over her on her way out the door, taking in her tanned legs and the sway of her hips when she walked. Nurse Sullivan had dressed in a silky skirt that clung to her curves and accentuated the hollow of the cheeks of her taut ass. He’d not noticed that very feminine, umm, aspect at their first meeting.
As curt as she’d been with him, she seemed genuinely concerned for Kelsey. He couldn’t deny that Miss Sullivan had organized an effective door-to-door search for Kelsey, too. She’d put in as many miles as anyone. Maybe there was hope for her after all.
He pulled his attention off Sullivan’s backside to Kelsey. “Can you remember anything else?”
A shadow drifted over her face. “I remember water flooding my car. It was cold and I couldn’t get out. My seat belt was stuck. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t break the window. That guy kept pushing me in deeper and deeper. My car tipped sideways, and I... I was really scared.” She bowed her head, panting in short ragged breaths. “I was underwater when something broke through the window and hit me. He wanted me to die, Gabe. He kept hitting me with... something hard. He crushed my hands.”
“Are you telling me that the guy who ran you off the road walked into the water and shoved something at you while you were stuck behind the wheel?”
She nodded, her breath ragged. “It was like he wanted to make sure I couldn’t get out.” A tear trickled alongside her nose.
Gabe squeezed the palm of her hand, careful not to hurt her fingers, needing to rescue her again. “Look at me, Kelsey. You’re not in that car anymore. No one’s going to hurt you again. Come on—look at me. I’ve got you now.”
She did, her eyes bleak. Swallowing hard, she whispered, “I drowned, Gabe. My car filled up with the river and... and... I drowned. It hurts to breathe water. Did you know that? It burns. My head pounded like it was going to blow up. I couldn’t get my harness off, and then all I could think of was Alex. I’d join him. I’d lie beside him in the cemetery forever, only...”
Gabe’s heart lurched in his chest. He already knew what she was going to say.
“He’s not there,” she whined, lifting her bandaged hands to her lips, already pinched into a tight line. “I know I saw him at the hospital that day, but...”
What was left of Gabe’s heart melted at the anguish pouring out of this fragile woman. She choked on a sob before she could continue. “How do you think I got out of my car, Gabe? Do you know?”