Page 47 of Only Girl Alive

Clyde took the coffee from her hand. He lay it on the metal table beside her, sat on the bed, and pulled her into his arms.

“I’ll step out,” Collin mumbled, and left the room quickly.

“I guess he didn’t want to see his boss cry.” Eve sniffed and burrowed farther into his warmth.

Clyde meant so much to her. He was her best friend. They had barely acknowledged their feelings for each other. His level thinking, sense of humor, and kindness attracted her. He was a good man and in Eve’s life, she hadn’t known many. He was divorced. Eve knew little about it other than he said he never planned to try again. Maybe that was why their feelings took so long to materialize. Or maybe they had always been there.

“You know I’m going to kill your brother, spend the rest of my life in a Utah prison, and run that place within a year. I’m planning the cellblock takeover while I plan his death,” Clyde whispered gruffly, interrupting her clouded thoughts.

“He deserves it, but he’s not worth it.”

“Can you ID the men who did this?” he asked softly into Eve’s hair.

“No. I don’t think I was conscious when Aaron found me.” She was lying to her friend. She couldn’t prove it was her stepbrothers but that didn’t matter. It was them and they’d tried to kill her. She’d told Officer Gilbert everything and it would be in the police report. When she was ready, she would tell her team.

“Aaron’s story is bullshit; he knew where to find you.” Clyde’s tone was soft though heated.

“Yes, he did.” She leaned away and looked into his dark eyes, seeing his concern, his fear, and the anger he barely kept in check. “Say it,” she told him. “You’ll feel better.”

He pulled back slightly.

“I. Told. You. So,” he ground out.

Eve returned her head to his shoulder and circled her hands around his back.

“See, you feel better,” she soothed.

“Actually, I don’t,” he grumped, and pulled her closer.

This was safety and caring wrapped into one. It was odd. Relationships and intimacy were both strange to her but right now, she was glad Clyde knew exactly what she needed.

“Why were you on the road?” she asked, because her thoughts kept jumping and this was the one that popped up.

“You didn’t answer your phone and if you think I wasn’t checking up on you, you were wrong.”

“Free hugs and you didn’t include us,” Ray said from the curtain as Bina whipped it back and entered with him followed by Collin.

They were clearly relieved that she was okay. Ray pulled her in for a long hug after Clyde stepped back. Bina took her turn and sat on the bed doing the same. She gave Ray, who stayed close, a small push on his arm.

“This guy ran five miles to the van. He may have set a world record.”

“Voilà.” He pulled her phone from his pocket and handed it over. “It was on the ground inside the Walls’ courtyard. Bina insisted we go by the Walls’ house.” His eyes turned cold. “We didn’t find your gun but we did take photographs.”

She groaned internally at the amount of paperwork in front of her. When a cop lost an issued weapon, it required a detailed report and multiple forms. Due to the circumstances, she would not stand in front of an inquiry board, but that was the only saving grace.

She turned the phone over and saw the missed calls from Clyde.

She fought back tears again. Her stepbrothers would never understand what friendship was truly about. They’d made her realize the gift she had in these people. One even willing to run five miles simply to get to her. Throughout her career, she’d created a wall around herself like those around fundamentalist homes. Her team had been together for a year and still she’d pushed them away. She finally understood what had been missing from her life since she was a child. It was what she had now.

Family.

The doctor released Eve from the hospital two hours later. She didn’t remember much of the first ride, but she stayed awake for this one. It was well after midnight when they came over the last twisting rise and saw the valley below, the three-quarter moon shining down on what should be a beautiful area.

The words “beauty comes from within” filled Eve. She shivered but not from the cold. An evil corruption that twisted the hearts and minds of over ten thousand people waited to stop Eve’s team from discovering the truth.

What secret were they willing to kill for?

Twenty-Four

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