Mathews’s jaw clenched. “One of them died on the scene. The other is in bad shape, but he could still pull through.”

Grant couldn’t help but grieve for the man who’d died in the line of duty. If it weren’t for him, Dale might still be out there with Wyatt. “I wish I’d have let them know sooner about Wyatt’s weapon.”

Mathews rubbed his eyes in a gesture slow with fatigue. “They were both wearing a vest, but it doesn’t do a bit of good against a skull fracture. Or a lucky shot to the neck.”

“Wish that made me feel better,” said Grant.

“You and I both know that’s not the way it works. The only thing that will make you feel better is to get your family home, safely tucked in their own beds, and watch them sleep every night until you start to believe that they really are safe.”

Man, that sounded good. Too bad that wasn’t part of his reality. As soon as everyone was truly safe, he had no reason to stay. He couldn’t be the man Isabelle needed, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to stick around and watch while she found one.

“They’re not my family,” said Grant, feeling a jolt of painful loss he didn’t understand.

“Maybe not on paper, but you treat them like their your own. They probably feel like that, too.”

Grant had no idea. It had been so long since he’d been part of a family that he wasn’t sure if he even remembered what it was like. All he knew that whatever he was feeling right now sucked, and if that’s what it meant to have a real family, he wasn’t sure he was a strong enough man for the job.

“I’ve got to go see Isabelle. Let her know what’s going on.”

Mathews lifted a dark brow. “Are you sure about that? I mean, wouldn’t it be better to wait until Dale is home safe and sound?”

“The longer I wait to tell her, the worse it will be for both of us.”

“Good luck. You’re going to need it,” said Mathews. “And when you see her, will you tell her that I questioned Melissa Norton and she told me she got the tea from a delivery man. He asked her to give it to Isabelle. The kid had no idea it was poisoned.”

Grant’s phone rang. Caller ID showed the number was private, but he didn’t dare not answer it, in case it had something to do with Dale. “Hello.”

Keith’s voice wavered nervously in Grant’s ear. “Isabelle found out about Dale and left.”

Panic slammed down hard on Grant. “Left?” he shouted. “What the hell do you mean she left? Where is she?”

“She was so upset I went to get a nurse to see if they could sedate her. She was gone when I got back. I have no idea where she might be.” He sounded frantic, but not half as frantic as Grant felt.

“How long ago?”

“I was only gone a few minutes.”

Grant was sincerely regretting his decision to take her clothes. A woman in a hospital gown would have drawn a lot more attention, making it harder for her to get away. “She won’t get far without her car. I’ll have them seal the hospital.”

“I’m on it,” said Mathews, picking up the phone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Wyatt needed a place to hide so he could clean the blood off. He hated being on foot, but he’d be harder to find this way than in his car, especially with the highway patrol on his trail. At least he hoped that was the case.

The nearest neighborhood wasn’t going to work. The houses here were new. They’d have decent locks, maybe even security systems, not enough trees to hide him. He needed an old neighborhood—one with old locks and loose windows. Maybe he could even find something abandoned or vacant.

He figured he had only a few minutes before the police were crawling all over this development. A few construction workers were still hammering away. One of them had left his ancient truck unlocked with an open toolbox in the back. That’s all Wyatt needed to make his escape.

A minute later, the truck rattled to life and he rolled away as casually as his racing heart would allow. The noise of the work going on must have masked the sound of his getaway, because no one followed him out of the development.

Wyatt wasn’t going to give up on his son. What Dale had done today proved he had a backbone. He wasn’t a lost cause. Wyatt would have to punish him for his defiance, but after that, they could move on and be a family again. But for that to happen, he had to get Dale back.

Kidnapping him again wasn’t going to work. He needed to find a way to make Isabelle give Dale to him willingly. If Dale knew she didn’t really want him, maybe he’d decide life was better with his old man.

There was only one thing he could think of that would make Isabelle decide to give him Dale. He needed an even trade—some other kid she’d be willing to bargain for—and he was pretty sure he knew exactly who to pick. He’d been watching her house long enough to know there was one little girl she was close to, one little girl whose mother was hot enough to get Wyatt’s attention and timid enough to tell him she knew her place in the world.

He’d followed her home a couple of times before, thinking he might be able to use her to get closer to his son.

His instincts had been almost right. It wasn’t the mom he needed. It was her daughter.

Isabelle made it as far as the door to the hospital when she realized she had no car. Hers was in a crumpled heap somewhere. She didn’t even know where.

Grant had been thoughtful enough to bring her purse. She checked her wallet for cash so she could call a cab, but all she had was a five. The ATM by the gift shop was out of order. She had no clue if cabs took plastic and didn’t want to ask any of the hospital staff for help, because they’d see the ID band around her wrist and try to stop her from leaving. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t get the stupid thing off.

She thought about calling one of her friends to come get her, but she didn’t have her cell phone and couldn’t for the life of her remember even one of their phone numbers.

Helpless frustration made her fatigue worse. As it was, she was having trouble walking around without using the wall to keep her steady. Her head was spinning, and her legs shook.

And Dale was out there somewhere, needing her.

Isabelle pushed herself toward the pay phone. Maybe by the time she got there, she’d remember a number she could call.

The single pay phone was tucked into a shallow alcove. Isabelle tried to prop herself up on the wall, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. She slid to the floor, unable to reach the phone and too weak to stand up again.

Not that it mattered. The only number that came to mind was Grant’s. Of course she’d remember his and no one else’s. She remembered everything about him, just like she’d always remember how he hid from her that Dale was in trouble.

“What the hell are you doing?” came Grant’s angry voice from a few feet away.

He came toward her, as smooth and graceful as ever. At that moment, she hated his boundless strength simply because she didn’t have it. “Where is Dale?” she demanded. Grant crouched beside her, pressed a hand to her head and felt her pulse. She tried to swat him away, but even that was too much work. “Answer me, damn it!”

His pale eyes widened in shock at her language. “Dale is fine. He’s on his way home.”

“Why should I believe you? You lied to me before.”

Grant’s nostrils flared with anger. He handed her his cell phone. “Call him.”

She did. He answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Dale, are you okay?”

“Isabelle? Yeah, I’m fine. Didn’t Grant tell you?”

Isabelle sagged with relief, unable to even keep her eyes open. “Thank God. Where are you?”

“I’m at a police station in Rolla. They’ll probably keep me here for another few minutes before they take me home. Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

“Police station?” That sounded bad. She needed Keith’s skills as a lawyer to tell her how to handle the situation, but there was one thing she knew just from talking to him.

Before she could say it, Grant snatched the phone away and held it against his chest.

Isabelle stifled her outrage long enough to tell Grant, “Tell him not to say anything. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Instead, Grant told Dale, “I’ll be waiting for you at home when you get there. See you soon.” He hung up.

Isabelle tried to grab the phone away. “Why didn’t you tell him what I told you to?”

“Because he’s not being accused of anything. He’s at the police station because he’s a witness. That’s all. Hell, he may have even saved a man’s life tonight. I wasn’t going to let him think you thought he was guilty of something just because you don’t know the whole story.”

“I’d have known all of that if you’d have told me my son was missing.”

“You were in no shape to handle the news. I was taking care of it.”

“You don’t get to decide what I’m able to handle. That’s my job. Not yours.”

“Wrong. You needed me to help, so I’m helping.”

“I don’t need your help with my son.”

Grant flinched so slightly she wasn’t even sure it had really happened. “You’ll be pleased to know, then, that Mathews did most of the work. He was the one with the right connections. He was the one who called in police from all over the area where Dale was, making it possible for them to find him and bring him home safe.”

She’d hurt him. Then again, part of her had meant to. He had no right to take the decisions about her son out of her hands. Dale was her responsibility. Not his.

Isabelle was too tired and fuzzy-headed to make any sense out of this mess. The only thing she was sure of was that there was no way she was staying here tonight rather than with her son. She was going to be waiting for him at home, too.

She tried to stand up but couldn’t. Her legs were too weak to support her.

“Let’s get you back into bed,” said Grant. Whatever anger or hurt he felt, it was hidden now. His tone was neutral and his face blank. He slid his hands under her, and she couldn’t find the energy to push him away. No matter what he’d done tonight, his arms still felt good around her.

He held her close to his body and carried her back toward her room.

“I’m going home now,” she warned him.

“You don’t need to. You can trust me to take care of Dale long enough for you to recover.”

“I’m going home. My son was kidnapped, and I didn’t even know it. The least I can do is be there when he gets back.”

Grant stepped into the elevator. “He doesn’t know you were poisoned. I didn’t think he needed anything more to worry about, either.”

Isabelle agreed with his decision, which made her wonder if his decision to keep Dale’s problem from her might also make more sense to someone looking at it objectively. Maybe when she wasn’t so angry, she’d think about that. Right now, she just didn’t have the strength to focus on anything but getting home. Even that seemed like a monumental task.