Page 42 of Constant Risk
“That’s like the women Cassandra and I help. As a matter fact, Christina reminds me of Marilyn, the lady Cass and I have been talking to about living at and running New Journeys once the renovations are done with our new building.”
“She’sgoing to live there, not you?”
She gave him a look that said she obviously found him deranged. “I live on the ranch. It never even crossed my mind for me to live at New Journeys. Unless you don’t want me on the ranch any—”
He reached over and kissed her before she could finish the word. Kissed her hard, claiming her mouth in the mostthorough of fashions. He didn’t care that it was probably inappropriate or that they were in the middle of an important investigation.
“I want you there. Every single day, I want you with me,” he said when he finally eased back from her lips.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.”
She glanced back at her computer. “Marilyn would never ever leave her kids. I don’t think this Christina lady would either. I’ve got a really bad feeling that she might be one of our victims.”
“We’re going to get to her in time. To all of them in time. You just keep working. Penelope and I are going to go talk to Jean Adams. One way or another we’re going to help these women.”
“WEDOAPPRECIATEall your help you know,” Penelope said as they pulled up at the hospital thirty minutes later. “You, Bree and Whitaker.”
Tanner nodded. “Thanks, although I’m not doing anything anybody else on your team couldn’t do. Bree is the one with the true talent here.”
They got out of the car and walked toward the entrance. “She’s something else.”
Tanner couldn’t stop his smile even if he had wanted to. “That, she definitely is.”
“I know you guys are together, but after that kiss at the station... I’m assuming it’s pretty serious.”
Tanner gave a one-shouldered shrug. “She’s it for me. From the first moment I saw her, I knew she was my one.”
Penelope gave a half smile. “Yeah, I get it. But Bree just doesn’t seem like your type, you know? You guys are pretty opposite.”
He and Bree were opposites. But that just made them stronger. “She’s not my type. She’s myeverything.”
Penelope stopped walking for a second. “Wow. That’s pretty firm.”
“Yes.” Butfirmwasn’t even the right word. His feelings for Bree were completely unmovable.
She smiled and started walking again. “Can’t blame a gal for double-checking.”
They got Jean’s room information and a doctor met them outside the door.
“How is she doing?” Penelope asked.
Dr. Yang looked at them with narrowed eyes. “Ms. Adams is doing well, physically. Emotionally, it’s a different story. Are you sure this can’t wait?”
“Believe me, we don’t want to drag her through these details,” Penelope explained. “And wouldn’t if we had better options.”
“We’ve got three other women’s lives at stake,” Tanner added. “And we’re on a pretty tight deadline. No physical problems we need to know about? We understood hypothermia could be an issue.”
“No, the water Jean was submerged in was actually temperature controlled. Lukewarm so as not to affect the body one way or another. She has pretty severe bruising on her wrists and ankles, and we’re keeping her overnight to make sure nothing else pops up we need to be concerned with.”
“And emotionally?” Penelope asked.
Dr. Yang tilted his head to the side. “About what you can expect from someone who’s been through what she has. She’s frightened. Angry. Her family is flying in from the East Coast but they haven’t arrived yet. They weren’t even aware she was missing.”
“We’ll be as brief and sensitive as we can. Tanner was the one who kept her above water until they could get her out of the box,so we’re hoping she’ll remember him a little fondly.” Penelope reached for the door.
“And believe me,” Tanner said, “we feel like we’ve gone through this with her. We’re definitely sensitive to her suffering.”
