Page 90 of Dead Man's Alibi

“See?I can admit when I’m wrong,” Hayes said to Cal, presumably.

Cal snorted.“Yeah, way to go, champ.You want the name of my therapist too?”

“Maybe.”

None of that made any sense to Nate, and he didn’t want to make sense of it.He just wantedSam.

A few moments later, he heard the driver’s side open.The sound of Cal getting in the car, starting the engine.The feel of the car moving under him.

Cal still said nothing, and Nate just… didn’t want him to anymore.He just wanted to be home.With Sam.

“Where is Sam?”he asked, sounding strangled even to his own ears.“Home?”he asked hopefully, still keeping his eyes closed.

“No, Sam’s not at home.”

“She’s at work?”Maybe she needed to distract herself until he was home.That was okay.He didn’t really want to go to Honor’s Edge right now, but—

“No, she’s not at Honor’s Edge.”

Which just left the ranch.Nate inwardly groaned.“I don’t know that I can deal with the ranch right now, Cal.Can’t she just—”

“Don’t flip out,” Cal interrupted.

Nate’s eyes opened and he looked at his brother.Still in that careful lawyer mode.

“Flip out aboutwhat?”

“We’re going to the hospital.She’s out of surgery.She’s recovering.She’s going to be just fine.”

“Surgery?Recovering?” Nate nearly leaped across the center console.“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Cal’s gaze remained steady on the road as he drove.“Part of discovering Brian Mathews was the killer was Brian Mathews kidnapping Olivia Underwood, tricking Sam into meeting them at the TikTok Motel, and then trying to kill them both.Luckily, Hayes had figured it out before… well, they’re both all right, but Sam had a… minor gunshot wound in the process of being all right.”

“Minor…” He couldn’t even say the words.He couldn’t absorb any of that.Didn’t want to.“Take me to the hospital.”

Cal nodded.“That’s where I’m headed.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Marietta Regional Hospital

“Idon’t wantany more fucking pain meds.”Sam winced because she felt bad for swearing at the nurse, but, by God, she was going absolutely insane.

And all the shit they were pumping her full of didn’t allow her to think clearly or rationally.

“Sam, everyone is just trying to help.”

Sam glared at Aly, who’d insisted on being in her room since she’d come out of surgery.

Surgery.It still galled her that Mathews had gotten a shot off.That her arm was going to be out of commission forweeks.All because of that little turd.

And if she thought about how mad she was, she didn’t worry about where Nate was or why it was taking so long for Cal to get him out.

She did feel bad for taking it out on the nurse, but luckily Aly had taken over, talking to the nurse in low tones and gently coaxing her out of the room so it was just Sam and her fuzzy, medicated brain, a vague pain, and her thoughts.

They’d arrested Mathews.There’d be no sneaking his way out of this one.Sam and Olivia were witnesses, as were Jake, Cal, and Jill.And the pocketknife that had been used as evidence was proven to be the pocketknife that had been in police custody since last year.

Brian Mathews had walked himself right into a lifetime sentence.