Texas Witness

Chapter Four

Colin paced in Bluff General’s waiting room after giving his statement to Deputy Garcia. The deputy had gone to speak to hospital staff, leaving Colin to wait alone for updates.

Blue carpet, blue chairs and stark white walls couldn’t erase the bloody images scrolling through Colin’s mind. There was blood on his shirt, Tommy’s blood. Tommy had been shot by Melissa’s husband. Estranged husband, a little voice in his head clarified. Colin could hardly wrap his thoughts around what had happened even though he’d seen it with his own eyes.

Tommy had been immediately taken into surgery, and Colin had called his brothers to deliver the news. His eldest brother, Dallas, was on his way to the hospital. The others would soon follow. Tommy needed all the family around him that he could get, and the O’Briens were a tight-knit bunch.

Personally, Colin had seen the inside of the county hospital a few too many times recently. As far as desirable places to end up went, Bluff General bottomed his list. In the six months since his parents’ murders, several of his brothers had ended up in a room not unlike the one Tommy was in now. Many of his siblings had also found the loves of their lives in recent months, but that was a whole different subject. Colin had believed that he’d found his in Melissa.

If that weren’t enough to make his head spin, Melissa had a baby. Colin didn’t want to acknowledge the anger burning through his chest, considering she’d been adamant about waiting to have children with him.

He forced himself to stop pacing and take a seat.

The thought of Melissa having Richard Rancic’s child hit Colin harder than a battering ram. It made her marriage to another man feel very real. Thinking back to the way she’d acted so cagey at the house and how quickly she’d ushered him out the door had him wondering if she’d wanted to hide her baby from him. Richard Rancic was a criminal and a jerk. For the life of Colin he couldn’t figure out why she’d marry the guy, let alone have his child. Colin stabbed his fingers through his dark hair. Speaking of Melissa, she should be there by now. He glanced around.

Dallas should arrive any minute. Tommy was more like a brother than a friend and he was fighting for his life. Going over the scenario again and again was about to make Colin’s head explode.

Caffeine. He needed a giant cup of black coffee about now.

Colin pushed off the chair as Melissa rounded the corner. A pink blanket swathed a small bundle cradled in her arms. Melissa’s baby was somehow tinier than he’d expected. The child must be asleep because she didn’t move.

“How’s Tommy?” Melissa’s eyes were wide and stress lines bracketed her mouth. She glanced down at her baby and another emotion flickered that he had trouble pinpointing. Guilt?

“He’s in surgery,” Colin said, noticing how she kept one arm underneath the little bundle and her other hand on the baby’s back. How much did it blow his mind to think that Melissa had a daughter?

Damn.

“What happened back there? You told me that you were meeting your husband and then you looked scared to death when he showed. What aren’t you telling me?” Colin asked, taking note of the dark look that passed behind her eyes when he said the word husband.

“It’s nothing. A misunderstanding,” Melissa said, and the corner of her mouth twitched in the way it did when she was scared.

“That’s impossible. Tommy’s lying on a bed being cut open right now and that sure isn’t because of nothing,” Colin said, his voice raised in frustration.

“I didn’t mean—” The little girl stirred and panic washed over Melissa’s features.

He needed to take a minute to calm down.

“I can’t talk about it right now,” she said quietly, motioning toward the baby.

Colin rubbed his chin and turned to face the other direction. He couldn’t help but notice how natural Melissa looked holding her daughter and he shouldn’t want the child in her arms to be his. She wasn’t. That reality crashed around Colin like a rogue wave, unexpected and all-consuming. It caught him off guard, but he couldn’t afford to care right now. Not with Tommy down the hall in surgery and Melissa tight-lipping his questions about her husband.

Part of his anger had to do with his pent-up emotions about Melissa. He’d have to figure out a way to make peace with the fact that she’d married someone else and was now a mother. The thought was going to take a minute to sink in. Seeing the little girl made good strides toward acceptance.

“Have you been happy?” He surprised himself with the question.

“About her?” she asked, and then answered before he could respond. “Absolutely.”

There was so much conviction in her voice that he didn’t question her answer.

“What was all that about back there, Melissa? I saw Richard. I know he shot Tommy,” he said. Her husband’s name sat bitterly on his tongue. “What’s he doing that you won’t talk about?”

She turned away from him.

“The man just shot a sheriff, Melissa,” Colin said, his anger on the rise again. He shouldn’t be frustrated at thinking about a time when there were no secrets between them. She’d betrayed him, he reminded himself, needing to gain his bearings again. Because his heart stirred while standing this close to her, and he didn’t want to care this much about anyone ever again. He told himself that his reaction had to do more with her safety than his own out-of-control emotions.

Melissa bounced her little girl gently, continuing to ignore him while the baby slept. Curiosity was starting to get the best of him. He couldn’t see the baby’s face, which was just a distraction anyway, and he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing the product of Richard and Melissa together. More proof that Melissa had never belonged to him in the first place. Then again, maybe that’s exactly what he needed: a reality check.

“I can’t talk about it with you,” she said.

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Does it matter? Either way I’m not talking, Colin.” Again, hearing his name on her tongue brought an onslaught of feelings he needed to ignore.

“Why not, Melissa?” Did she hate him that much?

“It’s complicated,” she said on a sigh, still bouncing as the nervous tick returned.

On closer look, there was so much stress and worry in her eyes.

“What’s going on between you and your husband?” Colin asked a little too loudly, causing the baby to stir again.

“Shhh. You’ll wake her.” Melissa patted the little girl’s back and started humming.

Colin didn’t want to disturb the baby. From what he knew about little ones, which wasn’t much until recently, once they were awake all grown-up discussion ceased.

Maybe he needed a minute to clear his thoughts. His emotions were riding high after watching one of his best friends take a bullet. Seeing Melissa at the ranch earlier had sent him to a dark place to begin with, and watching her now wasn’t improving the situation.

“I need coffee,” he said, stalking out the door, needing to walk away and gain some perspective. He didn’t want to notice how much she was trembling or how hard she was working to put on a brave front. Her eyes had always been her tell, and right now hers said that she was terrified. Of Colin? No way could she think he would hurt her. Her husband was another story and one Colin planned to hear in detail before he let her walk out that door again. And especially now that Richard had tried to kill a sheriff.

The coffee was just how Colin liked it, strong and hot. He took a sip to clear his head. Took another when that didn’t work. There were too many residual feelings coloring his thoughts, not to mention the stress that came with not knowing how Tommy was doing yet. Colin had already checked three times in fifteen minutes before Melissa had arrived.

“Any word on Tommy?” Dallas asked as he walked inside the break room.

“All I know is that he’s in surgery.” Colin gave his brother a bear hug before shaking his head. He poured a fresh cup and then handed it to Dallas. “It could be a while before we hear anything.”

“Well then, no news is probably good news.” Dallas took a sip, worry lines etched in his forehead as he gave Colin a once-over, his gaze fixed on the large red stain centered on Colin’s shirt.

“It’s all his blood. I’m fine,” Colin reassured.

“I might have an extra shirt in my truck if you want to put on something clean,” Dallas offered.

Colin had washed his hands not long after arriving at the hospital when a nurse had tried to put him in a wheelchair and take him into the back for a check. He’d had to lift his shirt to show her there were no marks on his body to convince her.

“I may take you up on that,” he said to Dallas.

“You said Tommy was in the parking lot of Zahn Lawn Mower Supply. Any idea what he was doing out there so late?” Dallas asked. Colin had only given his brother essential information. Tommy had been shot and he was at Bluff General. Richard Rancic was armed and dangerous.

“Good question.” There was another one that would follow.

“What were you doing there?” Dallas didn’t wait long to hit him with that one. That was an even better question. Colin was still trying to figure that out. Dallas didn’t ask about Melissa, but the questions about her were written in his tense expression.

“She ran away so fast at the Fling,” he finally said.

Dallas compressed his lips and gave a nod, saying he understood. It was good that someone did because Colin was still scratching his head over the night’s events. Talk about an evening going haywire. His friend was fighting for his life in a hospital bed and the woman he’d wanted to marry had a child.

“What did she say when you showed up?” Dallas asked.

“I parked to the side, trying to decide if I was going to talk to her or not.” It wasn’t entirely untrue. “Then, I saw her husband pull into the lot and she seemed real uncomfortable. I thought she was supposed to be meeting him.” Colin’s voice hitched on that last word.

“Why would a husband be meeting his wife in a parking lot at midnight?” Dallas asked, and then sipped his coffee.

“I’d like to hear the answer to that question for myself, but she’s not talking.” Based on her terrorized expression when she saw Richard, he was the last person she’d expected to show. It was clear to Colin that she was scared to death of the guy, which made even less sense. Rancic was a jerk and his business reputation said he was cutthroat. Didn’t make him a criminal. So, why did the guy show up and then shoot a sheriff? Obviously, there was a lot going on. Had Melissa left her husband? Was Richard so determined to get her back that he’d shot a sheriff, realized what he’d done and then fled the scene?

“So, she’s here?” Dallas asked.

Colin nodded.

“Have you spoken to her?” Dallas’s eyebrow shot up.

“There hasn’t been much time. She stayed back with officers at the scene. I’ve been busy giving all the information I could to the hospital workers since I was the one who’d been stemming the blood flow and administering CPR. And then I gave a statement to the deputy,” Colin said.

“Garcia?” Dallas asked.

Colin nodded again.

“Melissa just showed up here a few minutes ago and it didn’t exactly go well between us,” he said with a shrug. “Guess I needed a minute to clear my head before taking another go at it with her.”

“It’s hard when you have so much history,” Dallas agreed.

When Colin had been standing close to her at the house, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual on her body. There was no bruising, no other marks of any kind indicating abuse. She still had that same rosy skin, a combination of cream and silk. And yet she was terrified of her husband and that made Colin believe their relationship had been abusive.

“She has a kid now,” was all Colin said. He took a sip of coffee.

“You okay?” Dallas asked. “I can take things from here if you want to go cool off somewhere. Go get cleaned up and come back.”

“I’ll be fine. Me and Melissa were a long time ago,” he said, mostly for his own benefit. “A lot’s changed since we went out, and let’s not forget that she’s married to someone else.”

Dallas did the “tight lip/nod” thing again. “That’s probably a healthy way to look at it.”

“Not much choice, is there.” It wasn’t a question. He didn’t repeat the fact that she and Richard had a child together. Colin could’ve lived the rest of his life without knowing that detail.

Dallas shrugged with an apologetic look.

“Here’s what else I know. Tommy comes roaring through the parking lot soon after Rancic, no lights or sirens. And then I’m really confused about what’s going on,” Colin continued. “The next thing I see is Tommy being shot. Rancic squeals out of the parking lot and I’m trying to save my friend’s life.”

“That’s a lot to have coming at you at once.” Dallas shot a look that said he was talking about more than the incident in the parking lot with Tommy.

Colin studied his coffee cup before taking a sip.

“For the record, I still think it’s a good idea to get some fresh air,” Dallas added.

“I’m not leaving until I know Tommy’s going to be okay and I get a few answers out of Melissa. Who knows when she’ll take off and I might never see her again.” Colin ground his back teeth. He gripped the coffee cup a little too tight.

“You sure about that last part?” Dallas’s brow lifted.

“As sure as the sun rises in the east,” Colin said.

Another one of Dallas’s concerned looks creased his brother’s forehead.

“It might help that you’re here. She always liked you and she never did anything to put a wedge between the two of you,” Colin said.

“Hell yes she did,” Dallas said without hesitation. “She hurt my brother.”

Colin topped off both of their cups before urging his brother out of the lounge. “Let’s go get some answers.”

* * *

MELISSA TEXTED HER handler for the sixth time since the incident in the parking lot and an ominous feeling settled over her. Where was Marshal Davis? And how on earth had Richard found her? He was supposed to be in Canada by now. If Tommy and Colin hadn’t shown when they did she’d be dead.

Her body trembled no matter how hard she tried to settle down. A thought struck. Was there any possibility that Richard was the reason Marshal Davis hadn’t shown?

The US marshal was most likely a victim of Bluff’s spotty cell coverage, but being without contact after everything that had happened caused a cold chill to trickle down her spine. That uneasy feeling gripped her again as she rocked Angelina.

Tommy Johnson was shot and she couldn’t help but blame herself. If she had stayed away from Bluff none of this would be happening. Her stress levels were climbing through the roof and another big part of that had to do with the man down the hall. Colin would be back any second with questions she couldn’t answer. And especially not without speaking to Marshal Davis first.

Angelina whimpered in her sleep.

“It’s okay, sweet girl,” Melissa soothed, wishing it were that simple in all areas of her life.

Thinking about the possibility of Colin realizing the little girl was his daughter sent another tremor racing through Melissa. She couldn’t allow him to put the pieces together, to know about Angelina. She’d done a great job of hiding the little girl’s face so far. Could she keep it up until Marshal Davis showed? He had to show. He was her ticket to a new life, a safe life.

Melissa needed to get out of Bluff and disappear. Witness protection never sounded better. Although, there was no way she could leave without knowing Tommy was going to be okay. And she didn’t dare risk Angelina’s life by walking out the hospital door alone. Melissa was no fool. Richard was out there, somewhere. He would make good on his promise to destroy her and everyone she loved if he saw her.

Suddenly, the walls felt like they were closing in because if Colin figured out that Angelina was his, there’d be no walking out that door without him.

Okay, breathe.

The world seemed like it was crumbling down around her. All she had to do was let her baby sleep while Melissa obstructed the view of her face until her handler called. She could do that. She’d been through so much more in the past year. Melissa wanted to run, to escape in her car and disappear. She wasn’t fool enough to go outside without protection.

Richard had nothing to lose. He was already wanted by the federal government. And now, a sheriff who happened to be her childhood friend lay on an operating table because of Richard—because of her. Icy tendrils gripped her spine as her pulse raced. She checked her cell’s screen again. No messages.

Melissa stood up and then crossed the waiting room. Maybe she could find another place to sit and still be safe? On second thought, she seriously doubted it. The hospital had security but not the caliber she needed to keep Richard at bay. There was no place to hide from him except here with the O’Briens, where Colin could protect her and Angelina.

A panicked feeling made Melissa pace even faster. Everything inside her wanted to run out that door and keep going, except her heart. That stubborn organ wanted to be near Colin because he was the only person who’d ever made her feel safe. She’d taken that for granted when they’d been together before. But then, what had she had to run from? She’d had no idea what kind of monster lurked in Bluff a year ago. Any creature that she could conjure in her mind paled in comparison to Richard. He was worse than a monster. He was pure evil.

The scuffle of boots sounded in the hallway and she didn’t need to turn around to know that Colin had entered the room. She faced him.

“Dallas,” she said, startled. In an attempt to recover, she added, “It’s good to see you again.”

“You, too, Melissa.” Dallas stood behind his brother.

Melissa hoped he couldn’t hear her heart thudding against her ribs at the thought of two O’Briens in the room. If either one of them got a look at her daughter it was over.

It wasn’t a selfish desire that had her wanting to keep Angelina a secret. Although she had that, too. It was survival. Either of them figured out paternity and Colin would follow her to the ends of the earth to find her and his child. But then, she hadn’t really thought this through because this whole room would be filled with O’Briens soon.