AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"He really hurt my back," she commented, turned, and lowered the white bathrobe. A large dark bruise spread from her shoulders to her waist. "Must have happened on the stairs." She painfully shrugged the robe up over her body and tied the belt loosely.
"Come here." Lance held out his arms and she went to him. He cradled her against his body and pulled the edge of the bedspread over them. "The detective called while you were in the bath."
"Randi?"
"Yes," Lance continued. "I didn't ask for many details, but Benny's in a coma, on life support."
"Is he..."
"Going to make it? I don't know. There's a chance, I guess. Detective Conroy said there's next to no brain activity. But they're not pulling the plug or anything, even though he's unresponsive. The doctors had to remove part of his skull due to brain swelling. Clark must have hit him pretty damned hard."
"He did. He tried to save us." Tears formed in her eyes again and ran silently onto Lance's chest.
"The one named Pete apparently bled to death." Lance stroked Brook's arm.
"Jerry? The guard?" Brook held her breath.
"The detective said the doctors are very optimistic about Jerry. He's out of surgery and stable."
Brook exhaled her relief. "The house, Clark's pride and joy, all of the things he valued," she mused. "Now it's all part of the investigation. Who's going to clean up the..."
"Brook, let the police worry about it. They'll hire someone," Lance said.
"I suppose so. The whole thing is so tangled up and crazy. The detective told me Clark's illegal activities appear to run deeper even than he admitted to me. There are a lot of layers to it. It'll take a while to sort out."
"I hope it isn't long before they let me leave town," Lance said, his voice full of worry. "I only left enough feed for several days and there's no one I can call to take care of my animals."
"I'll talk to Detective Conroy tomorrow." Brook hugged Lance closer.
"I already explained it all," Lance replied. "I came entirely clean with the police. They know everything."
"I managed to ruin your life, didn't I?" Brook mumbled against his broad chest.
"Hardly." Lance put a hand beneath her chin and tenderly tipped her face so he could look in her eyes. "Brooklyn, I actually feel like I have a life now. I love you." He brushed a gentle kiss over her lips.
She settled back against his body, exhaustion stealing over her.
"Besides," Lance said, "it felt good to get all that off my chest. I realized I'd grown tired of the whole thing. I'm going to have my name legally changed to Lance Matthew, and stop hiding. There's no reason to hide anyway."
He told her about the meeting with Danny Norton and about his intentions when he had set out from Haylieville to Denver. "I was coming to bring you home. Or anyway, I at least wanted to give you a choice, offer you a life with me."
"I was in the process of leaving Clark when all this happened," Brook said. "I had my stuff packed." Her voice sounded weary.
"Honey, let's talk in the morning. For now, we should try to get some sleep. What do you say?"
Brook nodded against his chest and closed her eyes. She was so very tired.
The next few days were hectic. There really wasn’t much more to say to the police. They had gotten all the pertinent information the night of the break-in, and prior to that, when Brook had returned from being missing. But there were still a few loose ends.
One of the loose ends was Gina. Brook picked her from a line-up. Now, besides theft, Gina would be charged with accessory to kidnapping and various lesser offenses.
Afterwards, Randi Conroy gave Brook a warm handshake. “You know the DA will need you back for Gina's trial, and the trial of Benny, if he survives. This might be the last time we meet.” She smiled kindly as Marco Vicente shook both Brook and Lance’s hands.
“Good luck, both of you,” Marco said. He tipped the brim of an imaginary hat and walked away.
Randi repeated Marco’s words. “Good luck, Brook! I wish none of this would have happened to you.”
Brook gave the detective a quick hug before claiming Lance’s hand. “There was some good that came of it.” She gave Lance a tender look as they moved to the outer door.
