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Addie wasn’t sure who was more frustrated with this situation—Weston or her. At the moment, she thought she might be the winner.
Because they hadn’t caught the Moonlight Strangler after all.
And that meant he was still out there. Maybe still plotting to kill her.
However, he hadn’t tried to murder her tonight. Not yet anyway. The attacker who’d hurt Teddy and fired shots into the house wasn’t old enough to be the Moonlight Strangler.
So, who was he?
Addie didn’t know, but she was hoping to find out soon. The same was obviously true for Weston.
He had a death grip on the steering wheel of Addie’s truck as they drove toward the hospital. She didn’t miss the glares he was doling out to her, either. He clearly didn’t want her on this trip with him into town. Didn’t want her out in the open.
Well, Addie wasn’t so thrilled about it herself, but she wouldn’t have felt any safer at home than she would at the hospital, where she’d no doubt be surrounded by lawmen.
Maybe surrounded by answers, as well.
Since their attacker would soon be at the hospital, too.
The injured man was just ahead of them in an ambulance. Jericho was inside with him and the medics. Her brother would also be doling out some glares when he learned she’d disobeyed his order for her to stay put at the ranch and had instead come to the hospital with Weston.
But before Addie had left the ranch, she’d first made sure her mother had plenty of protection, both from the ranch hands, Weston’s two PI friends and her other brother Chase who’d hurried out to the scene. Only then, and only after the ambulance had driven away, had Addie demanded that Weston take her with him.
She’d deal with Jericho later.
Later, she’d have to deal with a lot of things.
Including Weston’s arrival.
After three months of not hearing from him, she had written him out of her life. Out of her heart, as well. Addie wasn’t certain what was going on in Weston’s head, but she doubted he would just disappear again.
Well, not until he had caught the Moonlight Strangler anyway.
“I should have known,” Addie heard Weston say.
It wasn’t the first time in the past fifteen minutes he’d said something along those same lines. And maybe they should have known that the Moonlight Strangler would send a lackey to the ranch instead of risking a personal appearance.
Especially after the killer had let Weston know that she was his next target.
Still, a lackey could have killed her just as well as the Moonlight Strangler.
“He’s way too young to be the killer,” Weston grumbled. He was talking to himself now. Or rather berating himself, since the next mumblings had some profanity mixed in with them.
Yes, the guy was too young. Probably only in his late twenties, judging from the quick glimpse she’d gotten of him before Jericho had demanded that she go back inside. Since the Moonlight Strangler had been murdering women for at least thirty years, the shooter definitely fell into the lackey category.
Or worse.
He could be some kind of crazed groupie who had absolutely no knowledge of the Moonlight Strangler’s identity. This could all have been some kind of a sick hoax.
One that could have gotten a lot of people killed.
They were lucky that hadn’t happened, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. Teddy was alive and was already en route to the hospital in an ambulance ahead of the one carrying their attacker, but Addie had no idea how serious his injuries were.
“Thank you for saving my mother and me,” she told Weston.
He glanced at her, maybe wondering if she was sincere. She was. Despite the other stuff going on between Weston and her—the baby stuff—she was thankful he’d been there when the bullets had started flying.
She’d be even more thankful if she knew that was the last of the bullets. But Addie didn’t think she would be that lucky.
“Is it possible this guy faked the threatening letters you got?” she asked.
“No.” Weston didn’t hesitate. “There were personal details in them. Like the cuts on the faces of the victims. That was never leaked to the press.” But then he stopped, added more profanity. “I suppose, though, he could have sent the last two letters. The one that threatened you and my sister. Still...”
“What?” she pressed when he didn’t continue.
“They felt real.” His mouth tightened as if disgusted that he’d rely on something like feelings, but Addie didn’t dismiss it.
“Maybe they felt real because my birth father told him exactly what to write.” Now it was her turn to mumble some profanity. If that was the case, then they needed this slimebag lackey to talk, to tell them anything and everything he might know about the Moonlight Strangler.
“Are you okay?” Weston asked a moment later.
Addie didn’t miss his glance that landed on her stomach. She wasn’t okay, not by a long shot. She felt raw and bruised as if she’d gone through a physical attack instead of just the threat of one. The sound of those bullets would stay with her for the rest of her life.
“I’m fine,” she settled for saying. And she hoped that was true. Her precious baby didn’t deserve to go through this. No one did.
“You should see a doctor while you’re at the hospital. Just to make sure,” he added.
His tone made it sound like an order. Which made her rethink her notion that he’d just leave after catching her birth father.
No.
She really didn’t want to have to deal with this on top of everything else.
“For the record, we barely know each other,” Addie tossed out there. “And you won’t exactly be welcome in my family.”
Another glance at her stomach. “Is that supposed to send me running for the hills?”
“It might after you meet Jericho.”
“I’ve already met Jericho,” he countered.
“Barely.” They’d exchanged brief introductions and some testosterone-laced glares while waiting for the ambulance. “He’s very protective of me.”
Especially since he’d learned she was pregnant. Addie was thankful for his brotherly love. Thankful for all the other things he’d done for her, including offering her a shoulder when she’d been crying over her heart-crushing encounter with Weston. But Jericho wouldn’t be showing much love to the man who’d slept with his kid sister and then dumped her.
“I’ll deal with Jericho,” Weston said as if it were gospel.
“Good luck with that,” she said in the same tone he’d used.
Still behind the ambulance, he pulled her truck into the parking lot. The very truck that he’d insisted on driving from the ranch to the hospital. Normally, that wasn’t a task Addie would have just surrendered, but the truth was, she was shaking, and the nerves were still there right at the surface.
Unlike Weston’s nerves.
He just seemed riled that he hadn’t been able to bring all of this to a close tonight. And it still might happen. If they could get some info from the shooter.
He took the parking space nearest the ER doors. “Stay close to me and move fast,” he instructed.
She spotted the two night deputies already there. Both were positioned just outside the ER. Both with their hands over their guns. A reminder that this nightmare wasn’t over.
“Search anyone who tries to get in,” Weston told them, and he flashed his badge.
Weston used his own body to shelter her while they made the short trek into the hospital. They were just behind Jericho and the medics, who rushed in with their patient. She didn’t hear what Jericho said to the nurse at the reception desk, but Addie didn’t miss the scowl he gave her when he spotted her. He came toward her just as Weston pulled her away from the doors and to the far side of the room.
Maybe just to get her away from the glass doors.
Maybe so he could make this showdown with Jericho semiprivate.
“You should be home,” Jericho insisted, and in the same breath he added to Weston, “And the two of us need to talk.” Weston was on the receiving end of an even worse scowl than she’d gotten.
She seriously doubted Jericho had only talking on his mind, and that’s why Addie stepped between them. “I can handle this myself.”
All right, that didn’t exactly cool the fire in Jericho’s eyes. Nor did it stop Weston from moving her so that he was facing her brother head-on.
Jericho’s index finger landed against Weston’s chest. “You deserve to have your butt kicked for what you did to my sister. Now the question is—are you going to do something about it?”
“Yeah, I do deserve a butt-kicking,” Weston readily admitted. “And Addie deserves some answers, but we can work that out later. Agreed?”
She wasn’t sure Jericho would agree to anything right now, but he finally huffed, pulled her into his arms and brushed a kiss on Addie’s forehead. “Are you okay? And I want the truth.”
“I’ll be fine,” Addie assured him and stayed a moment in his arms. He might be the most stubborn brother in the universe, but he’d walk through fire for her. And vice versa.
“I already told her I want the doctor to check her out just in case,” Weston insisted.
Jericho made a sound of agreement.
“I can think for myself,” she reminded both of them.
But she was talking to the air because both of them ignored her. Jericho motioned for them to follow him, and he led them into a private waiting room just up the hall.
No windows, thank goodness. She figured it’d take a lifetime or two before she walked past one and didn’t hear the sound of bullets shattering glass.
Weston tipped his head to the wallet her brother had in his left hand. “Does that belong to the shooter?”
It was clear her brother didn’t want to drop the personal part of this conversation with Weston, but she saw the moment he shifted from big brother to lawman. “Yes. My brother Jax is running a background check on him, but we know his name is Lonny Ogden. He’s thirty-one and lives in San Antonio.”
Addie repeated it to see if it rang any bells. It didn’t. “You’re sure that’s his real name?”
“The photo on the license matches the one at DMV. I’m running his prints just to verify, but on the drive over, I had Jax check on Ogden’s rap sheet.” Jericho paused, scrubbed his hand over his face and gave a weary sigh. “He doesn’t have one. Ogden’s never been arrested.”
Hard to believe that the man who’d just tried to kill her had never been in trouble with the law.
“Ogden had a cell phone on him, and I had a ranch hand deliver it to Jax at the station. Jax’ll examine the calls and any other phone records Ogden might have left.”
“Did Ogden say why he did this?” Weston asked.
Another weary sigh from Jericho. “He rambled on a lot, not much of it making sense. When I asked him if he was working for the Moonlight Strangler, he said no, that he was working for a higher being that didn’t live on this planet.”
Now it was Addie’s turn to sigh. “He’s insane.”
“Possibly. Or he could be faking it.” Jericho’s gaze came back to hers. “He said he couldn’t have the Moonlight Strangler’s blood live on and that you weren’t doing all you could to help the cops catch the killer.”
Good God. Addie had known right from the start that this attack was aimed at her, but it was sickening to hear the motive spelled out.
Well, if it was true.
“What exactly does Ogden believe I should be doing to help the cops?” Addie asked.
“It doesn’t matter what he thinks. He’s crazy,” Weston reminded her.
That didn’t make her feel any better. Mainly because it was coming from Weston. Yes, he’d saved her life, but Addie reminded herself that he’d also used her to find the Moonlight Strangler, the very monster at the heart of all of this.
“Ogden said you should try hypnosis and some drug therapy,” Jericho finally answered.
“I’ve done both.” A reminder that wasn’t necessary since her brother and Weston already knew that. If she thought more hypnosis would help, she’d gladly repeat it. Ditto for another round of drug therapy once the baby was born.
“Ogden believes you know plenty of things you’re not saying because you want to protect your birth father,” Jericho added. “And remember that part about him being crazy.”
Addie wanted to curse. Or scream. “I wouldn’t protect him. Not ever.” Of course, she hadn’t needed to tell Jericho that. But it did make her wonder. “Is this personal for Ogden? Maybe the Moonlight Strangler killed someone he loved?”
Even though Weston wasn’t touching her, she could almost feel his muscles tightening.
“We’ll check all angles,” Jericho assured her, but anything else he was about to say was cut off when they spotted a tall gray-haired man in scrubs making his ways toward him.
Addie instantly recognized him. It was Dr. Applewhite. There were only a handful of regular doctors at the small hospital, and she’d known Dr. Applewhite since she was in elementary school. However, she didn’t usually see such a serious expression on his grandfatherly face.
“Teddy’s in surgery,” the doctor said right off. “He’s lost a lot of blood. A lot,” he emphasized. “But there doesn’t seem to be any damage to his vital organs. He should pull through.”
Addie hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until the air rushed from her throat. Like the doctor, she’d known Teddy most of her life, and it felt like a stab to the heart to know he’d been hurt because of her.
“Thanks for telling us,” Addie said. “My mother’s already called his family to let them know. They’ll be here soon.”
The doctor had no sooner stepped away when Jericho’s phone buzzed, and she saw Jax’s name on the screen. She also saw the debate Jericho had with himself before he finally put the call on speaker.
“I found something,” Jax greeted.
Addie had braced herself for bad news, but the relief flooded through her. Guarded relief anyway.
“I’m looking at Lonny Ogden’s phone records, and he’s only been in contact with one person in the past twenty-four hours. Ira Canales.”
