“Damn, Bethie.” He grabbed her hand, much as Tony had, and bent until his forehead rested on hers. “You keep scaring the shit out of me.”
She struggled for a smile. “I keep scaring me.”
“Navarro said the guy’s behind bars.”
“The last time I saw him, he was lying on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. Did Tony tell you who it was?”
“Reistad.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Unbelievable. He got away with it all these years. If he’d just sat tight…”
“I told him that tonight. I guess he’s been watching stuff like NCIS on TV because he was afraid that new investigative techniques might find something.”
“What, you stood around chatting?”
She made a face at him. “We exchanged a few words in between him trying to stab me.”
“Jesus.”
Beth hoisted her cast a few inches in the air. “This saved me. It made a good shield. Without it—” She shuddered.
“Tony said when he got there, you were beating the shit out of Reistad. With some kind of wood statue?”
Ashley had been with her when she found it at an antique store, of all places. Beth reminded him, and he said, “Oh, yeah. I remember that. Damn, Beth. That was smart.”
“I wouldn’t have had a chance to get to it if Tony hadn’t charged in so that Reistad tried to escape out the front door. If Tony hadn’t come—”
Matt’s hand shook a little as he smoothed her hair back from her face. “But he did.”
She bobbed her head and fought the urge to burst into tears.
“Bethie!” Another voice.
Her father rushed into her cubicle. “You’re all right?”
Surprised, she looked at Matt, who shrugged. “I thought Dad needed to know.”
“I can’t believe this.” Her father’s eyes were damp. “That monster attacked you.”
“Emily, too.” She let go of her brother’s hand and reached for Dad’s instead. “She’s conscious.”
“Your detective called after Matt did and told me that. Both my daughters. And it’s my fault.” He blinked hard.
“What? Don’t be ridiculous.” The guilt virus was really going around.
Matt said, “Knock it off, Dad. Your marriage imploded. That doesn’t make this nutjob your fault. Who could predict anything like this?”
Her chest felt odd, as if her heart was being constricted. Beth smiled at Matt. He shifted uncomfortably and muttered, “It’s true.”
She was pretty sure the byplay went right by their father, as usual, but he fussed over her for a few minutes before Tony reappeared at the door. There was definitely not room for three large men in this cubicle.
Seeming to have developed an unexpectedly sensitive side, Matt said, “We should go see what’s up with Em,” then escorted Dad out. He and Tony did exchange a stare, although she couldn’t see Matt’s expression. To her amazement, Matt and Dad seemed to be talking as they walked away.
Tony came to her bedside. “What was that about?”
She shook her head and said, “You asked for another chance.” Her heart was getting a workout tonight, her pulse racing again. Was she really thinking about taking another risk?
Yes.
“I wouldn’t have called it asking,” he said gruffly. “Begged is more like it.”
“I guess—” this was really awkward, so awkward she looked away from him “—what I need to know is what you were asking for.”
The silence went on so long, she sneaked a peek. The lines carved in his face had deepened. “You mean, did I think we were good together in bed and wanted to keep that going for a while, or am I open to the possibility of marriage and kids?”
“It’s not like I expect a proposal or anything like that.” She made herself meet his eyes and tried really hard not to sound apologetic. “But I don’t want to waste my time if there’s no hope of a future. And you’ve sounded like…”
“Beth.” He sat on the side of the bed again, where he could take her hand and look at her with those dark chocolate eyes. “I’m not that big a jerk. You made it clear what you need. Thanks to you, I’ve had to do a lot of thinking.”