Cowboy Love (27 page)

"Who would that be Jack?" She shoved against his chest enough to break the contact of his lips.

"Where do you think all the money I have to get the new apartment and the new car outside?"

"You're his dealer?"

"Yeah. You could say that, honey. It's a very lucrative business." His eyes met hers. "You proved to be very easy to set up as the one taking the drugs from the hospital. A little help from a lonely woman and presto, instant access. Anna proved to be very gullible to my charms." He laughed cruelly. "She really thought I loved her, but I only love you."

"What do you mean Jack?"

"She took the extra drugs from the hospital and made it look like you did it, but when she started blackmailing me, saying she would tell everyone. I had to eliminate her."

Her startled gasp echoed through the room. "You killed Anna?"

"Yeah. Pesky bitch."

"I don't believe you!"

"Believe me, sweetheart. I met her in her apartment after she met you in the elevator. I fucked her brains out and then strangled her. She always did like the rough play."

His hand reached her breast and he cupped it in his palm, pinching her nipple through her shirt. She whimpered at the pain of his intrusion. He let go and slid his fingers under her breast, sliding down her rib cage. Suddenly, he stepped back, ripped her shirt open and exposed the wire taped to her stomach. "What the hell is this?" He grabbed the wire, tearing the tape from her skin. "You fucking bitch! You're wired!"

* * * *

Jack's words sent chills down Tanner's back. They heard a loud slap and a noise that sounded like shuffling before the wire went dead. All four people sat in stunned silence for a moment before Tanner reacted.

"I'm goin' in," Tanner growled, before he grabbed the door handle of the van where they sat listening.

"He might be armed. We have to be careful. The only gun we have is the one that Arnie has," Daniel insisted.

"I don't give a flyin' fuck. The sounds we just heard could mean anything. He could be tryin' to kill her right now."

He pushed the door open and the three remaining in the van jumped out behind him before they raced across the parking lot to the door Amy and Jack had disappeared through.

"Let me handle this. Hopefully we can get him to open the door." Arnie tapped the butt of his revolver on the door and called out, "Mr. Jack Miller. I have a warrant for your arrest. Open the door."

"Go to fucking hell!"

More crashes could be heard and a stifled moan reached their ears, sending shivers down Tanner's spine. "Blow the lock," Tanner insisted.

"Step back," Arnie instructed as he lifted the gun and pointed it at the door handle. "Mr. Miller, you have two seconds to open this door and give yourself up before I blow the lock."

"One, two." The gun exploded in the heavy afternoon air, shattering the lock on the door, releasing it and allowing the others to push it open.

Tanner shoved his way inside only to meet Amy's terrified eyes where she stood held tightly to Jack's chest like a shield. A gun was pressed to her temple, and her face had already begun to swell. She whimpered as she attempted to wrestle his tight arm from around her throat.

"I should have known," Jack said as the other joined Tanner inside the door. "Come on in, lover boy, and join the party."

"Let her go, Miller," Tanner spat, trying desperately to control his temper.

"Not likely, dude. She's my ticket out of here."

"You can't get away, Miller. There are cops swarming around the parking lot as we speak. You'll never leave here with her as a hostage." Arnie calmly pointed out to Jack from somewhere behind Tanner.

"Then I guess I'll have to kill all of you," Jack said as the gun left Amy's temple and he pointed it at the four of them. "Who shall I blow away first?" His eyes narrowed as they fixed on Tanner. "I think lover boy gets it before anyone else. He's been such a pain in my ass since you met him, Amy."

"You'll only get one shot off, Mr. Miller, before I kill you where you stand," Arnie said as he stood pointing his own gun at the crazy man across the room.

"Well then, it will definitely have to be for Mr. Wonderful there. If I can't have Amy, neither will you." Jack leveled the gun at his chest.

"No!" Amy screamed as she knocked Jack's arm with her hand. Two explosions ripped through the air within a second of each other.

Tanner dove for cover as the guns went off, but as the smoke cleared and no more shots were fired, he searched for Amy. A few minutes later, police slipped inside the room, guns drawn.

"Amy?" He got to his feet, his eyes searching.

"Stay right where you are, mister," one of the blue uniforms demanded as Tanner tried to find the woman he loved.

"I'm not the one with a gun."

"We don't know that, so just stay put until we secure everything." One officer moved toward where Tanner could now see Jack lying in a rapidly spreading pool of blood. The rest of the officers ushered Daniel, Chris and Arnie outside, but he wasn't leaving until he knew where Amy could be.

When they finally let him move, he went around the other side of the bed as terror gripped his heart. She lay on her side between the bed and the wall.

"Amy?" He squatted be her side as he brushed the hair from her face. He looked at the officer next to him and said, "She needs an ambulance."

"One is already here," the officer told him. "You need to move back so they can work on her."

Two paramedics pushed their way inside the rapidly filling room and stopped next to Jack while two more ushered Tanner out of the way. They slipped a backboard next to her and rolled her onto her back, before securing her with several straps.

"Is she gonna be all right?" Tanner asked. She hadn't spoken or opened her eyes for several minutes.

"We aren't sure, sir. We need to get her to the emergency room. Are you family?"

"I'm her boyfriend," Tanner murmured, not taking his eyes off of her.

"Does she have family here?"

"Not really. They all live on the west coast."

"You'll need to meet us at the hospital then. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get her loaded."

Tanner followed them out to the waiting ambulance. Just as they were about to load her inside, she opened her eyes and whispered, "Tanner?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm right here."

Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes. "I love you, too, darlin'. I'll be right behind you."

"What happened to Jack?"

"I don't know. Don't worry about it right now."

The paramedics slid the gurney into the waiting truck and slammed the doors.

* * * *

Tanner paced the waiting room as Chris, Daniel and Arnie warmed a set of chairs in the corner. Several minutes later, Chris moved toward Tanner with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Here, drink this."

"Thanks," Tanner said, taking the cup from her hands and sipping the hot liquid for a moment. He ran his fingers through his hair as frustration curled in his chest. "Damn it!"

"What's wrong?"

"They haven't told us anythin'. This waitin' is drivin' me crazy."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders as she replied, "I know. Hang in there and I'll see if I can find out anything."

He watched as Chris made her way to the nurses' station, before he turned and headed to where Daniel sat. Tanner took the chair Chris had vacated a few moments ago.

"She'll be okay," Daniel said.

"God, I hope so."

"At least with the information we gathered on tape, the police should be dropping the charges on her shortly. I have a call into the judge right now."

"It would be nice to tell her some good news once they let me back there."

Chris returned to their side a moment later. "They won't tell me much except that she's having some tests done, CAT scan and blood work mostly. It sounds as if she might have a concussion. The nurse called in the back and they said you could visit her in a minute or two."

"Thanks, Chris. How did you managed to get so much information? They wouldn't tell me anythin'."

"It helps working here. Even though we don't work in the emergency room, Amy and I are employees so they tend to tell us a bit more."

"Mr. Lewis?" a nurse called from the nearby doorway.

"Yes?" Tanner got to his feet quickly and approached her.

"You can come back now. Amy is asking for you."

Tanner followed the nurse to a curtained off area. She directed him between the panels and his heart dropped in his chest as he saw Amy lying on the backboard, still strapped down, her eyes closed and a large bruise forming on her cheek.

"Darlin'? Can you hear me?"

She moaned softly before she opened her eyes. "Tanner?" He leaned over her and softly kissed her lips.

"I'm right here."

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Not really. Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital in the emergency room. Jack must have pushed you or somethin' in the motel room. I'm not sure what's exactly goin' on."

"Is everyone else okay?"

He shook his head as he chuckled. "Listen to you, all worried about the rest of us."

"Everyone is fine except Jack. I'm not sure what's goin' on with him. I suppose the brought him here, too, but I haven't heard anythin'."

"Where is the nurse? I'll ask her what's going on. They need to get me off this damned board though. It's killing my back."

He laughed before he said, "I'll see if I can find someone."

* * * *

Chris shifted in her chair, trying to avoid looking at Daniel as she sighed. Her body had been on high-alert since she met the man. His gaze on her made her breasts tingle and her nipples harden.
He seems interested.
She stood up and began to pace.
Damn it! I wish I knew what ran through his mind when he looks at me. I can't read him like other men.
She stopped near the window and looked outside. Several moments later, he saw his reflection in the glass as he stepped up behind her.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he said, "She'll be all right."

Giving into the attraction and his touch, she leaned back into his embrace as she let his strong chest shelter her. "I know. It's nothing major, but it could have been so much worse. What if Jack's bullet hit one of us? I can't bear the thought of losing you…I mean Tanner or Amy."

He chuckled at her slip of the tongue, his hands sliding down her arms. "You and I need to talk."

His eyes met hers in the glass. "I think so." The heat of his gaze even in the reflection as it moved down to her chest, sent her nipples into hard pebbles. He turned her around in his arms, before raking his fingers down her cheek. Her lips parted as a soft sigh escaped them when his thumb whispered across her lower lip.

"I'm dying to find out what your mouth tastes like," he murmured. "I want to know the feel of your lips, the texture of your hair as it wraps around my hand, and the softness of your skin under mine." His mouth moved toward hers.

"Chris?" Tanner's voice brought her out of the fog Daniel's touch wrapped her in as he called her name. Daniel stepped back.

Chris cleared her throat, resisting the urge to fan herself from the heat. "Yeah?"

"They should be releasing her in a few minutes."

"Did they say what's wrong?"

"Concussion I think and maybe a couple of bruised ribs. She'll be fine."

"That's great, Tanner." Her eyes met Daniel's again. "I guess we can take her back to my place tonight. You haven't heard from the judge yet have you, Daniel?"

"No, but it's getting kind of late so we probably won't hear anything tonight."

"I'll bring her out in a few minutes. They're doin' her paperwork now. We might need to get somethin' to eat before we head back to your place, Chris. I don't know about y'all, but I'm starvin'," Tanner drawled.

They laughed. "No problem," Chris said.

As Tanner returned to Amy's side, the silence between Chris and Daniel stretched on. Awareness zinged through the air between them as she sighed, stuffed her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels. "Would you like to join us, Daniel? You are just as much a part of this as any of us."

A small smile rippled across his lips. "I'd like that."

"Good. I'm sure Amy would like you to as well."

Tanner returned a few minutes later pushing Amy in a wheelchair. "I don't need you to wheel me out Tanner, I'm fine."

"Too bad. Let me take care of you for a change," he insisted as Amy rolled her eyes and Chris laughed.

"I'll pull the car around."

She grabbed her keys from her purse, and Daniel followed as he said, "I'll go with you." She shrugged as he fell into step beside her. Pushing the thought of his lips on hers out of her mind for now, she opened the door on the car and unlocked the passenger side. Once Amy settled into the rear seat, Tanner by her side, they said good bye to Arnie and left the hospital.

"What does everyone want as far as food?"

"I'm game for anything," Amy said from behind her.

"You sure you're up to this, Amy? You probably should rest," Tanner suggested.

"Don't get all protective with me again. I'm fine, just a little sore and I need food."

Chris shook her head and smiled as she saw Tanner pull Amy into his embrace from her rear view mirror. A moment later, she could feel Daniel's eyes focused on her and she turned her head for a second and caught his intense stare out of the corner of her eye.

Dinner gave them a chance to celebrate. The drug charges should be dropped by tomorrow evening and Jack wouldn't be a problem anymore or so they thought.

"Did the hospital give you any indication on his condition, Chris?" Amy asked.

"No. I only know he had been taken to the emergency room and they were working on him," she answered.

"Well, hopefully he'll be in there for awhile and when they do let him out, he'll go to jail for a long time."

"As long as he stays away from you, baby, that's all I care about."

Once they reached Chris' apartment, Tanner and Amy took a seat on the couch. Chris frowned for a moment as she watched them, her heart sad in her chest.
I want that so bad I can taste it!
Her eyes met Daniel's across the room before she got up from her chair and wandered out onto the back patio of her apartment. The night air hit her face and she sighed heavily, her thoughts focused on the disturbing presence of the man in her inside.