How do you survive being shot and left for dead in the Chihuahuan Desert? By being found by a beautiful wildlife photographer willing to risk her life to save yours.
A bitter ex-cop fights for his life after he runs to the sound of gunfire on the Ri...
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Leaving the hangar, Bobby let his spirit soar. April was innocent. She had nothing to do with the attack on Tillie or the migrants or John David's death. He inhaled deeply, savoring the beauty of the deep blue sky rinsed clean by the morning thunderstorm. It was a clear, bright day. He and April were free to start a life together and he felt deep satisfaction knowing he killed the man responsible for destroying John David.
He called April saying, "Meet me at the hospital. You'll understand everything."
"I'm in Marfa." Her voice was icy. "Bobby, I've hardly seen you for days. You've just disappeared."
"I'll explain when I see you." He dreaded telling her that Sartain killed John David, seeing her relive that agony. He glanced at Hank. "We were wrong to suspect her. She was innocent of everything."
Hank snickered. "Better never let her know how much you suspected her." A moment later he cut a hard, sideways glance at his son. "When you fill her in, you leave out the drug business. No one knows about that but you, me, and Mendocino. Let's keep it that way. Loose lips sink ships."
"Agreed."
***
April walked into the Emergency Room waiting area minutes after Hank went back for stitches.
She eyed Bobby up and down, from his tousled hair to his disheveled clothes. "You...look...awful."
He'd barely slept for days.
He smiled gently, taking her in from head to foot, in that red polka dot sundress that showcased her figure. Everything she wore showcased her curves. "You look stunning."
She tilted her head. "I guess you're forgiven. Maybe."
She smelled good, too.
He took her hand, leading her to a remote corner of the waiting room. "Have a seat." He indicated a chair. "I've got a lot to tell you. Hard to know where to start."
"Most stories start with a beginning." She crossed her legs, resting her small red purse in her lap. "I'm all ears. In the beginning..."
"Okay. It hit us a couple of days ago—me and Pops—that it made no sense. Gust had a doctor and a nurse, but he kept getting worse. We went to his house and got him. Pops hired a private doctor. Patty's been taking care of him at my parents' place. Anyway, it turned out that Gust's nurse has been poisoning him."
April drew back, surprise in her wide-eyed expression. "Why?"
"It took a while, but we finally found out Gust's nurse, this Enriqueta, actually worked for—or with—a man named Ed Sartain."
"Ed?" April's face scrunched. It never scrunched. Her eyelids were closed, pinched together; and her brows knitted tight.
