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The fact was she hadn't thought first. She'd been huddled in the bathroom, hearing all sorts of grunts, bangs and harsh words. Everything had quieted, but when she heard a new voice, she'd known Hank was outnumbered. Her Hank. She couldn't leave him to face that on his own; as long as there was breath in her body, she'd fight for him.
So she'd flung open the door and got herself shot.
Not that she'd tell Hank's brothers that.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“You hang out with Claire too much if you've started thinking like that.” Sam delivered the line dryly, but the undertone of love for his sister couldn't be missed.
That was the Laytons for you. Always in each other’s business and giving each other a hard time, but she couldn't imagine their family working any other way.
Family. The word made her gut twitch. She'd always known how important having his own family was to Hank, but having him confirm it solidified her decision to keep her distance.
“So, where's Hank?”
“Still at the police department.” Sam shrugged his shoulders. “Did you talk to the cops?”
“Yeah.” Her mouth dried at the memory. She'd told the investigators
about the threats, being drugged and everything else that had led up to today. When she'd told them her suspicions about Sarah Jane, she couldn't get over how surreal the whole thing was. From scrapbooking to murder-for-hire? It didn't seem real.
“What did they say?” Chris asked.
“That the guy who busted into Hank's room had confessed, but he swore he didn’t know the name of the person behind it all. The detective confirmed Sarah Jane had checked out of the hotel, bought a ticket to Mexico and, hopefully, is gone forever.” She couldn't stop herself from shivering.
Sam closed the gap between them and stiffly patted her on the shoulder. “I still can't believe that part.”
“You and me both.”
“Well, at least we know she's not here. Consider me your beefy and handsome bodyguard. Sam can tag along too.” Chris looked down at the release papers on the bed. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Sounds good.”
“I'm sure you'll feel better when you get home.” Sam dropped the plastic bag onto the bed and grabbed Chris' arm. “We'll give you some privacy to change.”
Both men walked out of the curtained area.
Beth's arm burned. When she squeezed her eyes shut, she pictured the spray-painted walls of her grandparents' trashed house.
The detective told her not to worry, but she knew Sarah Jane was out there. Waiting.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she threw off the covers and changed. Time to do what she always did. Move forward.
Beth slid across the red vinyl booth seat at The Lucky Seven Diner. She fiddled with the dice-shaped salt and pepper shakers while Sam and Chris studied the menu as if it were the Holy Grail. Still nauseous from the pain medication, she had no intention of topping off the day by puking at the table.
“So, what'll you have?”
Hypnotized by the nutty scent of coffee wafting from the waitress' silver carafe, Beth almost missed the flush that turned Sam's cheeks ruddy. Flabbergasted, she didn't even pretend not to stare. Not that he noticed. A parade of showgirls wearing pasties and feathers could have danced by and he wouldn't have blinked. Looking beyond the coffee in the waitress' grasp, Beth studied the woman who'd captured Claire's buttoned-up brother's attention.
Wow.
The woman had a good two inches on Beth, making her about five feet, eleven inches tall in black high-top tennis shoes. Bright platinum-blonde hair fell in layers of riotous curls to her pointy chin. A tattoo in a rainbow of colors peeked out from the short sleeve of her black T-shirt, but not enough for Beth to determine if it was an animal or an intricate design. A pair of painted-on jeans and cherry-red lipstick completed the look. The waitress looked as shell shocked as Sam.
“Hey! I know you.” Chris broke the silence. “You were one of the waitresses at our poker game. That jerk sure did deserve it.”
“Uh, thanks.” Her husky voice acknowledged Chris but her gray eyes never left Sam.
Chris put his elbows on the table and leaned around Sam to get closer to Beth. “It was awesome. This asshole…” He glanced up at the waitress. “Sorry about that. This jerk grabbed her tits…” He smiled an apology toward the other woman. “Sorry. This jerk grabs her…breasts during the poker game. So, she takes this ginormous silver tray that she'd been using to carry the drinks and whacks him over the head with it. It was a sight to behold.”
