White Collared Part Three: Revenge by Shelly Bell

Author:Shelly Bell [Bell, Shelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2014-06-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Nine Days to Elections . . .

JAXON BROUGHT HER home and reluctantly allowed her to ride to the hospital without him acting as her bodyguard. She slipped on her leather jacket and gloves and then jumped on her bike for the ten-minute drive.

She understood his concerns, but honestly, who was going to attack her in daylight? Besides, if Nick was right and the person who had attacked Hannah had mistaken her for Kate, he probably didn’t know he’d gotten the wrong girl. At least not yet.

Nick and Jaxon had been relieved that she knew how to use a gun. What she hadn’t disclosed to either one of them was that the mere sight of one made her sick to her stomach. Last night it had taken the help of her meds and every bit of strength she had to place the revolver in her purse. The idea of squeezing the trigger—even in self-defense—generated anxiety. To this day she recalled the metallic scent of her father’s blood and the spasms that racked his body as he took his final breath.

How could she ever take another life when she couldn’t get over the first one?

Driving her bike would give her time to decompress, and it was the perfect morning for it. With her bike vibrating under her thighs and the bitter wind blowing against her, she allowed the peacefulness of the drive to settle in her bones and sloughed off the memories and guilt. She’d have plenty of time for that once she got to the hospital.

After parking in the lot, she stopped by the information desk to ask for Hannah’s room number and then made her way up to the fifth floor. All she knew was that Hannah was recovering after surgery.

She hated hospitals almost as much as police stations. Hated the smells of antiseptic and decay, which accompanied sickness and death. She got off the elevator, and breathing through her mouth, she proceeded down the hall, pausing in front of Hannah’s room.

Was she awake? What would Kate say to her if she was?

Steeling her nerves, she forced her legs to move and went inside.

Hannah’s eyes were closed. She had a tube in her nose, a blood pressure cuff on one arm, and an IV in the other arm. A monitor displayed her vitals and beeped steadily.

She was so still. Ghostly pale with purple circles under her eyes. All Kate could think was that Hannah had always said she would never be caught dead without makeup. Part of her wanted to sit beside her and fix her face before she woke up so she’d never know how horrible she looked.

“Katie,” Tom said, startling her.

How had she not noticed him behind the monitor?

Hunched over with his elbows on his knees, he sat in a chair next to Hannah. His eyes were swollen and red as if he’d been crying.

She moved farther into the room and resisted her urge to give him a hug in comfort. “How is she?”

He rubbed his temples. “She hasn’t woken up yet.

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