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Four dayslater
“How long can it take to compare blood samples?” Zach complained.
Tawny couldn’t blame Zach for wanting to get his life back. Even though their father had asked Zach’s friend, Mike Halperin, to step in and be a substitute forest ranger, Zach was tired of being cooped up in Alex and Liam’s place.
At least she’d been able to go back to work today. The first few days after the car crash had been tough. Her body ached, and her emotions were raw. To make things worse, neither man would sleep with her. They wanted to be positive that she was fully healed first.
“Dad said he’d call as soon as he’d found out anything,” Tawny said.
Ethan had searched tirelessly for the bullet that had grazed Brad Smith’s leg and eventually found it. While the blood type matched, Dad had to send it off to a lab in Bozeman to compare the two.
“We know Brad and Julia tried to kill Dad. I have to believe they tried to kill me too.”
“I agree with you. Those two men, George and Harold Richardson, who kidnapped me, had been the ones to run me off the road. They just didn’t remember me, but I knew them.”
“Where in the world did you meet the likes of them?” Zach asked.
“They came to the center a couple of years ago to adopt a dog.” She held up a hand. “Get this. They wanted a dog to use to fight.”
“You said no, right?”
“Hell, yes, I said no. Not only is it illegal, it’s unethical. Assholes,” she said.
“I’m glad they will not see the light of day for a while.”
The front door opened, and Alex and Liam came in. From the bounce in their step, they were happy. When Tawny stood from sitting on the sofa, for the first time in days, her body didn’t ache. “You look happy.”
“We are,” Alex said. He must have telepathed something to Liam before he walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers.
While Tawny wanted to ravish her men, she’d wait until after her twin retired for the night. As much as she loved Zach, it would be nice to just be with the men. She sat back down and picked up her glass of wine. “Tell me.”
“We were just speaking with your father,” Alex said.
Zach leaned forward. “Do tell.”
“The bloodwork came back from the lab. No surprise it was a match to Brad Smith’s.”
“Does that mean Julia was the woman with Brad when one of them shot Zach?” Tawny asked.
“We believe so, but she won’t confess to that crime. Even if she wasn’t in the forest that day, and Brad had a different accomplice, she tried to kill your dad. She’ll be spending a long time in jail. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to look for another assistant.”
“That stinks. Mason will have to find someone else too. He actually liked Brad’s work too,” Tawny said. “I imagine Brad will be going away for a longer time, if he tried to kill Zach, Ethan, and Dad.”
“Yes. One interesting fact is that Julia is not his sister. That whole story was fabricated.”
“Are you kidding me?” Tawny had been totally taken in by her. “Who was she?”
“Her real name is Julia Lancing. Julia was in the service with Brad. His real name actually is Brad Smith.”
“Don’t tell me she was trained in weapons?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said. “But she is a good shot.”
Liam downed part of his beer. “Turns out that Julia was not enthusiastic about spending many years in jail. For a reduced sentence, she gave us the name of her contact person.”
“Who was it?”
“She only knew his first name. Guess.”
