Chapter 9
The pediatric wing was quieter than the rest of the hospital. Muted lights. Softer voices. A hush that felt intentional to keep from startling anyone who’d already been through too much. That was definitely Cheyenne.
Coop paused in the doorway, taking in the room. She looked even smaller in the hospital bed, a blanket pulled around her shoulders. Fifteen, according to the file, but right now she looked younger. A woman stood at her bedside, arms crossed, posture pure guard dog.
Both of them glanced up when he knocked lightly.
The aunt sized him up in half a second. “Are you the Ranger?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” Her hands moved to her hips, as if spoiling for a fight. “Because I have a lot of questions and very little patience.”
“Aunt Linda…” Cheyenne sighed like it had happened before.
Her aunt ignored her. “My sister is dead, lunatics kidnapped my niece—” Her voice cracked with emotion, but she powered through it. “And my idiot brother-in-law apparently borrowed money from criminals.” She shook her head in disbelief. “You know what he didn’t bother to have?”
Coop had a feeling he knew.
“Life insurance!” She threw up her hands. “Can you believe that?”
Cheyenne groaned. “Aunt Linda…”
“At least Diane had the good sense to have some,” Linda muttered. “Surprising, considering her lack of it when choosing a husband.”
Coop wasn’t put off by the sarcasm. Grief came in many forms. Aunt Linda’s had teeth.
He shifted his attention to Cheyenne. “I hear you’re heading to California.”
“I suppose,” she replied, her reluctance obvious.
“What part?”
“Aunt Linda lives in Ventura Beach.”
“Nice area,” Coop said, meaning it but also trying to put her at ease. “Ever been?”
“When I was two,” she said. “I don’t remember it.”
“Great surfing. You’re going to love it.” When he saw a spark of interest, he added, “My advice. Invest in a wetsuit. Compared to Texas, the water’s freezing.”
Cheyenne gave the first hint of a smile. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
Coop gestured toward the chair beside the bed. “Mind if I sit?”
She waved a hand. “Sure.”
He pulled the chair closer. “I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Okay,” she said haltingly, her fingers twisting nervously in her blanket.
Linda moved to the head of the bed, resting a hand lightly on her niece’s shoulder. “I’m staying,” she said firmly.
“Of course.”
Cheyenne studied him for a moment. “Are they going to come after me again?”
Coop tried not to react. The fact she had to worry about that after everything was a crime in itself. “The men who held you in that warehouse aren’t a threat anymore.”
