Page 28 of Stalked at Rescue Ridge

“She’s still unconscious. The doctor said she might have been given something to make her more compliant.”

Chloe drew in a sharp breath.

“She took a few hits to the head, and the sick bastard carved her skin with a knife. Those are the main injuries. The doctor is optimistic about her recovery.” That was as much as Kade knew and it said a lot about the sicko they’d be looking for.

Chloe sucked in a burst of air. “Ohmygod!”

“What is it?”

“Have you read anything about the twisted bastard who has been traveling the state, killing women?”

“I’m not up on news,” he admitted.

Chloe told him about the Reaper. “Sounds like his work.”

Kade muttered a string of swears.

The sad truth, Kade had read, was that a woman’s biggest threat was her husband or boyfriend. But that clearly wasn’t the case here. “Has she been spending time with anyone after finding out about Zeke?”

“No one that I know of,” Chloe admitted. “It was a shock to hear that the two of them were in a relationship, to begin with. I kind of thought…”

Those words struck harder than Kade knew better than to allow. He had no designs on her. He hadn’t made any promises to her. A voice in the back of his head reminded him it was his loss. “What?”

“Nothing. I guess I thought the two were an odd match. But what do I know?” Chloe admittedly didn’t know Zeke well considering she was eight years old when he left for the military.

“Zeke’s a good guy,” Kade defended.

“He is…was…the best. That didn’t come out right. I’m just saying that I didn’t realize the two of them were even a thing.”

“They dated in high school for about two seconds.” Kade figured the two had realized they still had feelings for each other and had decided not to waste time. It was game over when a man figured out who he belonged with. An annoying inner voice returned, reminding him that figuring it out too late had cost him the win.

“Even so. I always thought of them as best friends, brother and sister.” She sighed heavily. “You’d know better than I do. You guys were so much older than me. Plus, what do I know about relationships.”

Something in her voice caught his ear. “Everything okay with you?”

“Yeah. You know how it is. I left Grayson’s dad before our son was born and he had no qualms about it. I have no idea what I’m going to tell him about his father when he gets old enough to ask.” She paused a beat. “Not that I’m all that jazzed about dating or rushing into a relationship, but there are days when I wonder what it would be like to have a husband around to help. You know, someone who shares kid duties and kisses me every night before we go to bed.” Another beat. “Is that weird to want those things?”

“Believe me, I understand.”

“I only think about having someone around when Grayson is sick or during times like these. You know, the holiday season is upon us, and it gets so busy sometimes I’m ready to pull my hair out. And then there are those times when I think having to compromise with one more person might shove me over the edge.” A pause. “And yet, I miss being in a relationship. Seeing that look in someone’s eyes and realizing he misses me as much as I miss him when we’re not together…” She paused. “Those moments make everything else worth it.”

Kade had never been one for looking at the flip side of a coin. His life had been black and white, which was most likely why he was so good at being a soldier and not so good at relationships. “When did you get so grown-up and smart?”

“I’m not so sure about the grown-up part, but I’ve always been smarter than you.” Chloe snort-laughed, a definite sign she was exhausted.

Shewassmarter than him, even though he’d never admit it. “Someone sounds delusional.”

Chloe’s voice reclaimed a serious note when she said, “I’m grateful you found Bree in time.” Those last two words were spoken with quiet sincerity. “We’ve never been close because of our age difference, but I like her and, for some reason, thought I saw a spark happening bet—”

“Same here.” The door behind him opened. He sidestepped to allow the nurses’ passage. “I gotta go. Get some sleep. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

“I’ll stop by the hospital in the morning and bring decent coffee and some bagels.” His sister could always be counted on. She had been one of the few constants in his life.

“See you tomorrow.” Kade followed the nurses back to Bree’s room. Dr. Miller filed in just as she was being settled into her bed.

“Lab results are in.” He held up an opened file and scanned the page. “Her numbers look good.” He hesitated. “She tested positive for ketamine.”

“The date rape drug?”

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