Page 50 of In the Arms of a Hero

Bess’s arrival had come with a whirlwind of emotions, her anger masking fear. He couldn’t shake the shitty feeling that he hadn’t thought to have someone get her. The next emotion he felt was surprise when he discovered it was Brad who had gone to tell her what happened and to bring her to the hospital. She was spitting mad, hiding the terror of hearing her sister had been shot and was now in surgery. Brad stood to the side, andwhatever tension radiated between them didn’t appear to have lessened. Aaron didn’t know where Brad’s date had disappeared to, but he didn’t care. From the look on Brad’s face, it seemed like Brad didn’t either.

Sam and Hayley remained steadfast by his side, offering their support, as well as Ivy. Other friends had stopped by or sent messages of encouragement. He knew they were working on finding whoever shot her. For that, he was grateful. Hayley had moved to sit with Bess, talking to her softly as she called their parents, who were still in Florida. He assumed they would fly up as soon as possible and had to admit, he hated the idea of meeting them for the first time with a greeting of, “Nice to meet you, and I’m sorry your daughter was shot because of me.”

His mind finally moved from the night's events to the first time he’d seen her at the bakery. She was undoubtedly the prettiest woman he’d ever seen. Her blue eyes drew him in and had never let him go. And he’d flirted. Hell, he could hardly wait to move up in line to flirt with her. And her flirting in return made it all the better. He thought back to their dates during the first couple of weeks, and he’d had more fun being with her than anyone else he’d ever dated. And unlike any other woman he’d been with, he enjoyed Belinda more and more each day. And he’d finally pulled his head out of his ass and made her his.Then his dream turned into a nightmare…

He scrubbed his now clean hand over his face. As soon as they had whisked her back to surgery, stopping him from going any further, a kind nurse had shown him where he could wash the blood from his hands. At first, he’d stood at the sink and hesitated. As crazy as it sounded, he hated to wash away anything of hers, even her blood, but the nurse had insisted, and he numbly acquiesced.

He lifted his head at the approaching footsteps, his heart clenching at seeing his brother stalking straight toward him.Andy didn’t stop until his feet were directly in front of Aaron’s, and his brother pulled him in for a hug. For a few seconds, Aaron reveled in the feel of his older brother’s caring embrace.

Sam and Brad walked over, flanking the two Bergstroms on either side. He knew they wanted to update him but gave him space to let them know when he was ready. He finally nodded and turned around so the four faced each other in a tight quartet. “What have you got?”

“I left once we got back to the marina,” Andy said. “We didn’t find anything, but the others stayed out, checking the area inlets. But in the dark…”

His voice drifted off, and Aaron shared in his brother’s frustration. Looking at the others, he waited.

“I just talked to Colt,” Sam began. “They’ve interviewed all the guests and let them go. They brought in the lights and searched the beach, finding no prints since the tide had gone out.”

Brad took over, saying, “I’ve been in contact with Hunter. Colt is on his way here, leaving Hunter in charge of the investigation at the moment. Deputies have cordoned off the entire area, and some will be patrolling overnight to ensure nothing is disturbed. Colt has called for a meeting first thing in the morning, and then he’ll have Ryan’s full report.”

Andy’s lips were tight, and Aaron knew his brother hated not having found the shooter. More approaching footsteps caught their attention, and Colt walked over, the others shifting slightly to allow the imposing sheriff to enter their huddle.

“Aaron,” Colt said, “what’s the latest?”

“They took her back for surgery. She was hit in the upper left side of her chest, but it didn’t damage her heart. No one has come out with another update.”

Colt dipped his chin. “Can’t say enough how sorry I am. You’ve got our support, and we’ll keep you updated?—”

“I’m not out of this, Colt,” Aaron said. “I want in on the investigation.”

His statement was met with silence, and his gaze shot around to everyone. Finally, Colt said, “You will be part of the investigation, but Hunter and Brad will take the lead. You’re emotionally invested.”

He blew out a breath, anger moving through him for the millionth time since the shot had rang out, hitting the woman he cared for. “Was I the target? Was this because of me?”

“Can you think of anyone who would want to kill you?” Colt fired back.

Fists on his hips, he let out a ragged breath. “I’ve thought about this constantly in the past couple of hours. No one has a beef with me. Not even from past traffic stops. All I have is a pissed-off ex-girlfriend from last summer. Hardly someone who’d hire a hitman to shoot me.”

“Name?” Brad asked.

“Cilla. Priscilla Henderson. Lives in Norfolk. Honestly, I didn’t even keep her phone number, but?—”

“No worries. I’ll find her and can check her out,” Brad said. “No reason to exclude her.”

Aaron looked at the faces of the people in his life who had his back and was humbled. “Listen, I appreciate everything you all have done and are doing. Go home, get some sleep, and I’ll send out a text to let you know what I find out?—”

“Family of Belinda Crowder?”

At that, all heads swung to the doctor standing at the surgical waiting room doorway. Bess leaped from her chair and rushed forward. “I’m her sister.” She stopped and looked over her shoulder, holding Aaron’s gaze for a few seconds. His heart pounded, but her expression gave nothing away. Then she waved him toward her. “Come on, Aaron. You’re in this, too.”

He bolted away from the others and hastened to her side. He felt her shaking and reached over to place his arm around her shoulders, holding tight.

“Ms. Crowder came through surgery just fine.”

“Oh, thank God,” Bess said, her hands flying to her mouth.

“The bullet entered in the upper left chest, missing the heart and the ribs. It passed through the muscles and broke her scapula. She’s been moved to surgical recovery and should be able to be moved to a hospital room in about two hours. I expect a full recovery.”

“When can we see her?” Bess asked.

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