Page 18 of Marked For Revenge

“What about spotting?” the EMT pressed, prompting Ava to shake her head again. “And has the baby moved since the incident?”

“Yes,” Ava verified. “She’s moving now.”

“Good,” the EMT said. “I need you to lift your top so I can listen to the baby’s heartbeat with this fetal Doppler.” She took the device from the medical supply bag.

Ava was wearing a loose shirt to cover her bump, but she hesitated when she started to lift it. It was foolish, of course, since Harley had seen her naked. Ditto for her seeing him naked as well. However, it occurred to her that he’d yet to see her baby bump. He had gone with her to some of her appointments, but he’d always looked away whenever it required her to bare any part of her body.

That’s what Harley did now, too.

“It’s okay,” Ava told him. Why, she didn’t know, but after what they’d just been through, it seemed ridiculous that he wouldn’t be able to see that particular part of her. Especially since he was clearly waiting on pins and needles to make sure the baby was okay.

“Ranger Ryland is the baby’s father,” Ava explained to the EMT when the woman hesitated.

Ava lifted her top and pulled down the waist of her maternity jeans, and the EMT got the wand in place. “How far along are you?” she asked, and she kept her attention on the Doppler monitor she was holding in her left hand.

“Twenty weeks. Halfway there,” she added in a murmur though she was certain Harley was already aware of that.

Moments later, the EMT smiled. “The baby’s heartbeat is strong.” She continued to move the wand around. “And steady.” She showed the monitor to both of them. The average was a hundred and forty beats per minute, which Ava knew was normal.

Some of the tightness in Ava’s chest finally eased. Thank heavens her baby was all right.

“Everything looks good,” the EMT said, packing her things away. “I’d advise you to go ahead and make an appointment for a check with your regular OB.”

Ava nodded because she’d expected that. Obviously, Harley hadn’t because that put some fresh alarm on his face.

“It’s routine,” Ava assured him.

The EMT made a sound of agreement and stood. “Anytime the mother has experienced any kind of trauma, we advise her to speak with her doctor. You’re sure you don’t want me to give you a quick checkup?” she tacked onto that, glancing at Harley.

He’d declined the EMT’s first offer and he nixed the idea again. “I’m not hurt.”

Ava doubted that was true. There was blood on the knee of his jeans. He’d likely scraped it when he’d gotten her behind the cover of that car. Later, she’d remind him to at least check it himself and make sure it didn’t need a bandage.

“Thank you,” Ava muttered to him after the EMT left them in the office that one of the lieutenants, Scott O’Malley, had allowed them to use.

“For what?” he asked.

“For getting me and the baby out of the line of fire.”

He shrugged, but there was nothing casual about the gesture. No. This had hit him as hard as it’d hit her, which meant they’d both be dealing with it for a long time. Worse, it might not be over.

She stood so she could give her jeans an adjustment, and Harley turned to her just as she looked up at him. Their gazes connected. Held. And they both muttered some profanity. No need for her to question why he was cursing. He didn’t want this heat any more than she did. Because the timing sucked. Now wasn’t the time to try to work out any personal stuff between them. Not when they had to focus on stopping a killer.

“Why do you think the killer came after us like this?” she asked. “Why break his MO?” And then she threw in a possible answer. “Is it because he thought Caleb might be able to tell us something that would ID him?”

Ava watched Harley’s expression, looking for any signs that he was going to say that Caleb did this to throw him off his scent. But Harley probably wouldn’t go there. If Caleb was indeed the killer and wanted to cover his tracks, he wouldn’t have left the Mom note with the third body.

“Possibly,” Harley said a moment later. “Or it could have been a warning. Keep coming after him, and we’ll pay and pay hard.”

“That could definitely be part of it,” she admitted. “But the bodies had been staged as a taunt to me. The killer wants me involved in this investigation.”

Harley looked at her again. “You think I was the target? That the gunshots were a warning for me to back off. FYI, I won’t,” he insisted.

There’d been no need for him to say that last part, and if the killer knew Harley, he’d be aware of that as well. “This shooting will make the news,” she spelled out a moment later. “No way to keep this under wraps, and it’ll come out that the sheriff of Silver Creek, his deputy and a Texas Ranger were here to investigate a serial killer.”

As if on cue, her phone dinged with yet another text from her father. Ava ignored it, but she couldn’t ignore the knock at the door. She groaned because she figured her father had certainly found her, but when Harley answered it, she saw it was Theo.

Theo’s attention went straight to her. “I just saw the EMT and she said she’d given you a checkup. I wasn’t sure if you’d be dressed or not.”

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