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“She is, at least in her marriage.” Paul flipped open a small notebook. “Two weeks ago, she and Malgor slept together a few times. She ended it because she was afraid her husband would find out. This wasn’t the first time she’s cheated, and her husband physically abused her when he found out about the last guy.”
“Great taste in men,” Rosalie muttered. “How did she get a gun past security?”
“She stashed it in her locker last week in case her husband discovered that she was having an affair and came looking for her at work.”
“Does everybody in this town know how to shoot?”
Wulf stood sentry in the doorway. “Yes. That’s why I like it here.”
“Me too.” Rosalie smiled at the big bear she’d added to the people in this town she cared for, then turned to Paul. “Let me guess. Malgor used the information about her abusive husband to his advantage.”
“Malgor approached her two days ago and offered her five thousand dollars to give Julia an IV bag with a drug to stop her heart. He told her if she refused, or if she left any witnesses, he’d tell her husband about the affair.”
“Why did Johnny Slade administer the IV to Julia?”
“Donna sweet-talked him into handling her last patient of the day and gave him the tainted IV bag. She figured she could slip out, collect her cash from Malgor, and leave town without any blood on her hands. She hadn’t anticipated commotion at her exit route, so she panicked.”
Rosalie jumped off the bed. The motion shot pain through her battered body, but the hope of a lead dimmed the discomfort. “Is she supposed to meet Malgor to get the cash?”
“No. She was instructed to call a number and leave a message when the job was done, and then the money would be sent to an account. We had her call, but the number couldn’t be traced. The money hasn’t been transferred yet, and we don’t expect it to.”
“We need eyes on the husband. If Malgor carries through with his threat and contacts him to reveal the affair, we might get a step closer to finding him.”
“The husband’s in the morgue.”
“Are you freaking kidding me?” She fought the urge to stomp her foot.
“Shortly after you shot Donna, he became the victim of a hit-and-run by an eighteen-wheeler. We don’t think it was an accident.”
“Nope. That was getting us excited about a lead and then snuffing it.” The breath she blew out aggravated her scraped jaw. “Have we gotten any information from the terrorist apprehended in Denver after Aidan’s kidnapping?”
“No, he’s still unconscious.”
“Damn.” She turned to Wulf. “How’s the guard Donna shot?”
“Stable and in recovery.”
Heavy footsteps sounded down the hallway. Wulf stepped into the path of whatever problem was coming next.
Easton barreled around him. The tearstains on his face said whatever had happened was much worse than anything Malgor could dish out.
Cannon staredat the screen displaying Julia’s CT scan. His eyes teared and his vision blurred. He blinked, but the brain tumor didn’t disappear. It didn’t grow smaller, nor did it shift from the position that made it inoperable.
“Fuck.” He slapped his palms on the table and hung his head. “Fuck.”
The scent of cherries drifted into his nose. Before he could take another breath, he spun and pulled Rosalie to him. He let out a sob as his worst nightmare glowed behind him on the wall of the family meeting room. Rubbing his back, she said words he didn’t comprehend but clung to like a lifeline.
In her arms, defeated and raw, he felt… he didn’t know, but something other than rage and despair stirred in his chest. He couldn’t define the warm sensation, but it brought him comfort he had no right consuming while a tumor sucked the life out of his sister.
“I can’t do this. We can’t be together.” Even as he said the words, he held on tight.
Rosalie tilted her head back. The fierce look he’d come to love burned in her eyes.
“Stop talking yourself into pushing me away and listen. The tumor might not be real.”
“See that black spot?” He pointed to Julia’s scan. “That’s as real as it gets, Snow Angel. That tumor is too big and too aggressive to disappear.”
“Listen to me. This might be Malgor’s work.”
