Page 5 of Caught in the Crossfire

True to his promise, Linc parked two houses down from Riva’s place at the two-minute mark. Three Otter Creek police vehicles were parked in front of the house, leaving the lower half of the driveway for the ambulance.

Mason bailed from the SUV as soon as Linc stopped and sprinted toward the house. One of the cops moved to intercept him until Josh Cahill, a friend of his cousin Rio’s, waved off the other officer.

He raced across the yard, up the porch stairs, and into the house. Mason pulled up short when Ethan turned toward him. “Where is she?”

“Upstairs, end of the hall, last room on the left. Don’t touch anything.”

He took the stairs two at a time and hurried into the room to see the woman he adored lying on the bed with Dawn sitting by her side and pressing a towel to the side of Nicole’s head. “Nicole.”

Relief gleamed in her eyes. “Mason.”

He dropped to his knees beside the bed. “You’re hurt.”

“I keep telling Rod Kelter that I’m fine. He’s not listening.”

He glanced toward the master bedroom where the detective in question stood, speaking in soft tones to someone else. Not another cop. The other person shifted enough for Mason to see his profile. He frowned. Why was the coroner on site?

Uneasiness coiled in his gut. Where was Riva? When the two men separated, Mason noticed the dainty foot clad in a stiletto-heeled shoe, the same shoe Riva wore earlier in the afternoon. Oh, man. Was Riva…?

He shifted his attention to Nicole. “What happened?”

“I brought Cosmo here and found Riva on her bedroom floor, injured. I heard a noise. When I started to turn, someone clocked me on the head with a hard object. I woke up with Dawn leaning over me.”

Alarm roared through him. “Someone hit you hard enough to knock you out?”

“I don’t want to go to the hospital for a bump on the head. Will you ask Rod or Ethan how Riva is doing?” She shifted as though she wanted to get up and check on the other woman herself.

Dawn bit her lower lip, guilt and concern in her eyes as she glanced at Mason. “Stay still, Nic. You could have more serious injuries than you think.”

Mason turned Nicole’s head to see for himself, his movements slow and easy. He whistled softly at the injury marring the side of Nicole’s head. “You need to see a doctor, baby. I’m pretty sure you need stitches.”

She flinched. “Can’t Rio take care of it?”

“He and Darcy are out of town until Monday.”

“What about Matt Rainer?” she said, naming another medic teaching at PSI.

A siren outside abruptly cut off. “The ambulance is already here. See the doctor for my peace of mind.”

The woman he adored scowled at him. “Dirty pool, Kincaid.”

“I’ll do whatever is necessary to ensure you’re safe.”

“Mason.”

He turned to see Rod Kelter in the doorway, a thoughtful look on his face. “Yes, sir?”

“Ambulance is here for Nicole.”

But not for Riva. The ball of ice in Mason’s stomach grew larger. He’d been right. Riva was dead. What on earth had happened after he left this house to work at another job site?

“How is Riva?” Nicole asked.

Sympathy filled the detective’s eyes. “I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.” He stepped back and motioned to someone down the hall. A moment later, EMTs entered the room.

When Nicole’s breath hitched, Mason wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“I should have come sooner.” Her voice cracked. “Maybe then she’d still be alive.”

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