“That was before I got that phone call,” Spencer said.
The hairs on the back of Duke’s neck stood on end. “What was the call about?”
“I spoke with the sheriff back in your hometown,” Spencer said. “They found Mason. He’d been on a bender, holed up at a friend’s house. Has been for three days. There’s no way he’s the one causing all these problems.”
A tremor shook Duke’s entire belief system, knocking him off balance. He thought he’d figured his shit out. Had fixed his past issues and put whatever needed to be behind him in the rearview mirror for good.
But if what Spencer said was true, he’d made one mistake after another. And this mistake had landed his sister in the hospital.
12
Suzy’s mind struggled to keep up with the explosion of information hurled her way. But amid the constant chatter and beeping from the machines, one truth rang loud and clear in her brain.
No one really knew who was terrorizing her and her friends. Duke had his suspicions, although it now seemed far-fetched. And the person they thought was responsible was miles away, hungover in Texas.
For the first time since Duke grabbed her hand, the chill from before came back. Goosebumps erupted up her arms and the shivers she fought so hard to get under control shook her teeth. She kept her focus locked on Heather, willing her to wake up. Then maybe they could figure out this whole mess and get on with their lives.
“She drives a red sedan,” Duke said, his gravelly voice breaking through her spiraling thoughts. “She supposedly left town this morning, but I’d be on the lookout for her.”
Spencer scribbled in a notepad. “I’ll check if anyone’s seen her around town and put the word out to the state troopers.”
“But why would Chrissy hurt Heather?” Suzy asked. “I thought the two of them always got along.”
Lane stood with his arms anchored across his chest. “What if she wasn’t trying to hurt Heather?”
Okay, so now her fuseboard was completely fried because what Lane said made zero sense. “But Heather was hurt. And she was at Duke’s house when the fire was started and she was with me when the threat was scratched into my car. At this point, it’s clear someone is after her and not Duke. I mean, she’s the one laying in the hospital bed.”
“Shit,” Duke muttered and scrubbed a palm over his face. “Suzy, who else was present for all of those things?”
“Well, I was, but there’s no reason for anyone to want to hurt me.”
“Except a woman who’s pissed off at a man who won’t give her what she wants,” Lane said, his voice hard as steel. “We all thought it was strange she found you at the bakery this morning.”
Suzy shook her head from side to side, unable to believe something so absurd. “So she what? Stalked me? Watched me in my apartment until she could come up on me and pretend it was an accident?”
Three sets of eyes stared back at her.
“Oh God,” she said, the truth becoming impossible to ignore. “She did those things. She wanted to hurt me, not Heather. I’m the one who should be in that bed.”
Duke shifted so his knees touched hers and they sat face-to-face. “No, neither of you should be in that bed. Chrissy’s always been a hothead. Always been unpredictable. But she’s escalated every time I’ve seen her, and now she’s gone way too far.”
A different kind of fear settled in her gut. She was too close to this kind of danger once when Celine was in the center ofsome madman’s vendetta. She never imagined she’d find herself in another nightmare, this time with a target on her own back.
“What do I do now? Just sit around and wait for her to find me?”
“No,” Duke said. “She won’t get to you. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
The frantic beat of her heart echoed in her ears.
“What do you mean by that?” Lane barked out the question.
Duke squeezed her hand and leveled her with his baby blues. “I’ll protect you. I won’t leave your side until this is over. I won’t fail you. I promise.”
Her breath caught at the base of her throat. Excitement made her nerve endings dance. This was crazy. She was looking at the barrel end of a woman who was capable of God only knew what and all she could think about was how lucky she was to get to spend time with Duke.
She should be committed.
“There’s no reason for her to stick with you,” Lane said. “She can stay at the house with me and Celine.”
