Under Threat by B.J. Daniels (reading the story of the .TXT) 📕

the bandage on his shoulder. “Apparently, I’m going to live. How long have I been out?”

“Not long. You were rushed into surgery to remove the bullet. Fortunately, it didn’t hit anything vital.”

He stared into her beautiful blue eyes. “I was so worried about you. I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head. “I should have listened to you.”

Chase laughed. “I wouldn’t make a habit of that.”

“I’m serious. You tried to warn me.”

He sobered. “This is all my fault.”

“You didn’t make her do the things she did.” Her voice broke. Tears filled her eyes. “I thought we were both going to die. You saved my life.”

“You saved mine,” he said, and squeezed her hand. “Once I’m out of this bed—”

“Slow down, cowboy,” the doctor said as he came into the room. “It will be a while before you get out of that bed.”

“I need to get well soon, Doc. I’m going to marry this woman.”

Mary laughed. “I think he’s delirious,” she joked, her cheeks flushed.

“I’ve never been more serious,” he called after her as the doctor shooed her from the room. “I love that woman. I’ve always loved Mary Cardwell Savage,” he called before the door closed. He was smiling as he lay back, even though the effort of sitting up had left him in pain. “I need to get well, Doc. I have to buy a ring.”

Hud leaned back in his office chair and read the note Fiona-Lucy had left in her apartment. That the woman had lived just a floor below his daughter still made his heart race with terror.

By the time, you find this, I will probably be dead. Or with luck, long gone. Probably dead because I’m tired of living this life. Anyway, I have nowhere to go. I came here to make Chase Steele pay for breaking my heart. Sometimes I can see that it wasn’t him that made me do the things I’ve done. That it started long before him. It’s the story of my life. It’s the people who have hurt me. It’s the desperation I feel to be like other people, happy, content, loved.

But there is an anger in me that takes over the rest of the time. I want to hurt people the way I’ve been hurt and much worse. I killed my mother, stepfather and stepbrothers in a fire. Since then, I’ve hurt other people who hurt me—and some who didn’t. Some, like Deputy Dillon Ramsey, deserved to die. Christy Shores, not so much.

Today, I will kill a woman who doesn’t deserve it in order to hurt a man who I could have loved if only he had loved me. He will die too. If not today, then soon. And then... I have no idea. I just know that I’m tired. I can’t keep doing this.

Then again, I might feel differently tomorrow.

Hud carefully put the letter back into the evidence bag and sealed it. Fiona was gone. She’d died of her injuries after falling off the mountain. Because she had no family, her body would be cremated. Chase had suggested that her ashes be sent back to Arizona to her friend, Patty, the one person who’d stuck by her.

Two of his murders had been solved by the letter. The third, Grady Birch, was also about to be put to rest. A witness with a cabin not far from where Grady’s body was found had come forward. He’d seen a man dragging what he now suspected was a body down to the river. That man had been Deputy Dillon Ramsey, who the witness identified after Dillon’s photo had run in the newspaper following his murder.

According to the law, everything would soon be neatly tied up, Hud thought as he put away the evidence bag. But crimes left scars. He could only hope that his daughter would be able to overcome hers. He had a feeling that Chase would be able to help her move on. He wouldn’t mind a wedding out at the ranch. It had been a while, and he was thinking how much his wife loved weddings—and family—when his phone rang. It was Dana.

“I just got the oddest call from our son Hank,” his wife said without preamble. “He says he’s coming home for a visit and that he’s bringing someone with him. A woman.”

Hud could hear the joy in Dana’s voice. “I told you that it would just take time, didn’t I? This is great news.”

“I never thought he’d get over Naomi,” she said, but quickly brightened again. “I can’t wait to meet this woman and see our son. It’s been too long.”

He couldn’t have agreed more. “How’s Mary?”

“She’s picking up Chase at the hospital. Given the big smile on her face when she left the ranch, I’d say she’s going to be just fine. How do you feel about a wedding or two in our future?”

He chuckled. “You just read my mind, but don’t go counting your chickens before they hatch. Let’s take it one at a time.” But he found himself smiling as he hung up. Hank was coming home. He’d missed his son more than he could even tell Dana. He just hoped Hank really was moving on.

Chase couldn’t wait to see Mary. He was champing at the bit to get out of the hospital. He’d called a local jewelry store and had someone bring up a tray of engagement rings for him to choose one. He refused to put it off until he was released. The velvet box was in his pocket. Now he was only waiting for the nurse to wheel him down to the first floor—and Mary—since it was hospital policy, he’d been told.

Earlier, his father had stopped by. Chase had been glad to see him. Like his father, he’d made mistakes. They were both human. He’d been angry with a man who hadn’t even known he existed. But he could understand why his mother had kept the truth from not only him, but also Jim Harris.

He didn’t know what kind of relationship