Page 9 of Pick Yourself Up
He patted her hair, not wanting to lose contact with her. “You took a few hits to your head. You’ve probably got a concussion. Try not to move too quickly.”
She smiled. “Okay. No dancing.”
He laughed. “One day you’ll be dancing again.”
She tried to shake her head, but grimaced instead. “Probably not. I’m not a good dancer.”
“You also didn’t think you were brave. I’ll bet you’re a good dancer, too.”
“You’ll have to find out one day.”
The cop who’d squatted down beside them laughed. “Sounds like you owe the lady a dancing date.”
The paramedics arrived and saved him from having to respond. Although he wanted the answer to be yes. Hell, yes. A dancing date with Amber Malssum sounded like a hell of a good idea.
When the medics started asking questions, Amber’s eyes widened, and she looked at him with a touch of panic. “It’s okay, Amber. These are the good guys. The assholes are in custody, thanks to you. Let these people take good care of you, and you’ll be dancing in no time.”
The panic dissipated into a faint laugh, and then the medics wheeled her away. Leaving him bereft.
And when the hell had a word like bereft wormed its way into his vocabulary?
Norm Cassidy arrived at his side with the police sergeant. “Okay, Santoro. What the hell happened?”
He nodded his head at the door where the medics were loading Amber into the ambulance. “Short story is three assholes tried to force that woman into giving them information about Brandon Wells. She locked them out of the computer. The jerks backhanded her with fists and guns, kicked her, and shot her in the leg. She didn’t give up a thing.”
The two men looked at the ambulance driving away. Norm nodded. “Sounds like maybe someone we should hire.”
Gray laughed. “She tells me she isn’t brave.”
The sergeant grinned. “Bullshit.”
“Agreed.”
“Until we can get her story, fill us in on what you know.”
Gray nodded and ran them through what had happened. “I didn’t catch any names, but maybe Amber did.”
“Amber? Not the woman?”
Gray rolled his eyes at the insinuation in his boss’s tone. “Yes, Amber. Amber Malssum. I think she’s related to some of the guys I worked with overseas.”
“It’s a hell of a small world some days.”
Gray nodded. “It is.” And his mind was working on ways to ensure he ran into Amber Malssum again.
He owed her a dance.
Chapter 3
Get Caught Up
A few months later.
Amber parked just inside the fence of her family’s apple farm. She was really here. For a moment, she sat in the car. She needed to catch her breath before she alerted them to her presence.
Out of habit, she checked her rear and side mirrors to ensure no one was creeping up on her. It had been months since the attack, but the fear remained. She saw nothing other than glorious autumn leaves and the worn three-rail fence along the road. She hadn’t seen a car in at least ten minutes, but that didn’t stop her from constantly checking her surroundings.
Especially now that she knew the Lauzon family knew her name. Apparently, T and his buddies were part of a crime family. A crime family with extensive connections. A family that hated Amber for thwarting their attempts to get to Brandon Wells.
