AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“John,” she breathed. “It’s Cecil. Get Cecil.”
“I know. I will.”
She reached up and held his hand, no strength in hers. What if she had internal bleeding? What if she was dying this very moment? “Violet, hang on.” He needed her to hang on. He didn’t care about her job being dangerous anymore. He cared about her. He wanted her in his life. Wanted her to live to become the special woman he knew her to be, but she didn’t know. He wanted her to know. “I need you in this world. Do you hear me? You hang on. For you. For me. Please.”
Her eyes closed. “Ruby? Bella Dawn?”
“Bella Dawn is safe.” He hoped. “I haven’t found Ruby. But we will.” Again, he hoped.
“I’m tired,” she murmured.
“Stay awake. Look at me.” He squeezed her hand. “I haven’t even asked you on a date. We’d order some kind of healthy food, ’cause you’re crazy, and watch Hitchcock movies. Pick them apart.”
A wan laugh slipped through her lips. “We’re living a...Hitchcock movie...how ’bout...Disney?”
“Wow, you do have a concussion.” Violet Rainwater was no more Disney than the sun was cold. He kissed her hand. “Whatever you want.”
“Get...get Mason away from Mother...find Adam...”
“You can find Adam.” She was confused, disoriented. Mason was with a neighbor, and Mother was dead.
A noise breached the rain. Relief flooded John, and he laid his forehead to Violet’s. “Bella Dawn got a signal. Hear that?” Sirens wailed. “Hang on for me.”
“If I was...a good person, John...I’d fall in love with you.” She closed her eyes again and released a long, shaky breath.
If only she knew no one was at the heart a good person.
Ambulance lights flashed and the blue lights of the sheriff’s department. The sound of UTVs hummed and appeared with first responders. Jimmy Russell and Chris Leigh ran for them carrying their gear bags, a cardiac monitor and a backboard with straps. Two deputies arrived as well.
“I just cleaned these boots,” Chris muttered.
Jimmy placed his bag down and gave Violet a once-over. “Hey, Agent Rainwater, you remember me? Jimmy Russell?”
She grimaced.
“What’s going on? How you feelin’?” He assessed her, his gaze roaming her extremities and his fingers resting on her wrist, taking her pulse.
“I feel like...I was shoved...from about fifteen to twenty feet...by Cecil freaking Johnson.”
Probably more like twenty-five. John told them what happened and how Violet ended up on the ground. “He’s in the wind though.”
“You’re a brave woman,” Jimmy said. “You could have died.”
Chris laid the board out flat. “You’re safe now, Agent Rainwater. They’ll find Cecil.”
“But... Ruby. No Ruby.”
“Shh...it’s okay now,” Chris said. “On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain imaginable, rate your pain for me.”
“Seven. Maybe eight. Could be nine.”
Chris chuckled as Jimmy placed her in a cervical collar. “You lose consciousness?”
“I don’t know.”
“She did.” John touched her foot. “She was unconscious when I approached.”
Violet groaned.
