leave without making sure Lucy was okay first. “I will after we know Lucy is okay.”
The disapproving look on her face told him she didn’t think he was making the smart choice to drag his thirteen-year-old daughter along with him, but she didn’t argue the point.
He grabbed Meghan’s hand and followed Cassidy down the hallway as Jim Ross, a detective with the local task force set up to find the Back Roads Killer, stepped in front of the reporters and issued a statement about the night’s events.
Cassidy stopped in front of the door. “Wait here. I’ll go inside and see if the doctor is still with her.”
Bryce agreed and pulled out his cell phone, trying his brother again while they waited. Once again, the call went straight to voice mail. Where was Clint, and why wasn’t he answering his phone?
Lucy had been frightened when she woke up in the hospital with no memory of how she’d gotten there. But then the pieces started coming back to her. The blitz attack. Being beaten and dumped into the trunk of a car. Escaping and being shot at. And the handsome marine and his daughter who’d rescued her.
The nurse spoke in a hushed tone to another nurse, then walked to her bed. “You’ve got some people wanting to see you. Are you up for it?”
Lucy nodded. She owed her life to Bryce Tippitt and his daughter, and she was anxious to hear if they were both all right.
Meghan hurried into the room, followed by Bryce and another man she didn’t recognize. Meghan rushed to the bed and threw her arms around Lucy. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Lucy was surprised by the affectionate act, but assured her she was fine.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Bryce said, standing beside her bed, his head cocked in a concerned manner as his steely blue eyes watched her.
“I owe you my life, Bryce Tippitt. You and your daughter.” She reached for his hand and clasped it, a comfortable warmth flowing through her.
“I’m glad we were there to help.”
Meghan beamed with pride as the other man stepped forward.
“Ma’am, I’m Detective Jim Ross, head of the Back Roads Killer task force.”
She shuddered at the name they’d given this offender. The Back Roads Killer. It seemed to fit. She’d met him and nearly become his latest victim.
“I’d like to ask you what you remember about the attack.”
“We should give you some privacy,” Bryce stated, pulling his hand from Lucy’s, but her instincts kicked in and she pulled it back.
“Please don’t leave me.” It was an irrational request that came out of nowhere, but after what she’d endured tonight, she felt better having this handsome almost-stranger around at least until she got her bearings again. Her safety seemed to depend upon his presence. His daughter’s words replayed in her mind. You’re safe now. He’ll protect you. He used to be a marine.
He hesitated, and she realized it was too much to ask. He had somewhere else to be, and she was imposing on his time. He had his daughter with him, and she suddenly realized he needed to see to her. She pulled her hand away and started to take back her request when he tightened his grip.
“I’ll stay for as long as you need.” He looked past Lucy to his daughter. “But you should wait outside.” He motioned one of the nurses, who stepped forward.
“I’ll take her. Come on, Meghan.”
The girl protested. “Do I have to? Can’t I please stay for a while longer?”
“No. This is police business.”
“Can I come back to see you?” Meghan asked, and Lucy was glad for it.
“Absolutely. Anytime.”
Once they’d left the room, Detective Ross turned to her. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened tonight.”
Lucy sat up in the bed, ignoring the pounding in her head and the pain snaking up her ankle. She needed to recall every detail as clearly as she could, knowing that the smallest thing could lead them to the killer. “I arrived in town about five this afternoon and decided to take a run before meeting Bryce. I realized it was getting late, so I turned around near an old gas station to head back to town. That’s when I noticed a car heading for me. It slowed down then stopped, and a man jumped out, grabbed me, then pinned me down and tried to inject something into my neck, but I managed to knock it from his hand so he hit me instead. I was barely conscious when he put me in the trunk of his car. I’m not sure how long I was in it, but I was eventually able to pop the trunk and run for help. That’s when I flagged down Bryce and Meghan.”
“Did you see the man’s face?”
She saw Bryce tense and stand at attention in response to the question. She strained to remember something notable about the man, but it had all happened so quickly. She shook her head. “I think there was something covering it. He was wearing a hat low, but something about his face was obscured.”
Bryce slouched again, and she felt his disappointment and remembered she was here because his brother was the main suspect in this case. He’d probably been hoping she could identify her attacker as someone else.
“Where did this occur?” Detective Ross asked.
“I—I don’t know. I’m not familiar with this town. If I can see a map, I might be able to pick out the area.”
Ross pulled up a map of town on his cell phone and handed it to her, pointing out where Mrs. Ferguson’s B&B, the starting point for her run, was located for her to reference. She outlined the route she’d run, then estimated the place where the man had abducted her. “Right there. I turned around at that old service station. I’d only run a few minutes when the car approached me.”
“I’ll send a team out there to look for evidence. What about the vehicle? Can you describe it?”
“It was a sedan. Four doors. Silver, I think. Other than that, I didn’t see much. It all happened so fast.” She saw the look he gave her as he jotted the information in a notebook, and her face burned with embarrassment. She was an agent from the FBI. She should have had better observational skills. Yes, it had been dark and happened quickly, but she was a trained professional and should have noticed more details. Then she remembered something important. “I scratched him.” Detective Ross glanced up at her, and Bryce stood at attention. “I scratched his arm. I felt my fingernails dig into it.” She raised her hand to look at her fingernails as excitement bubbled through her. “I have his DNA under my fingernails.”
Bryce’s eyes brightened, matching her own excitement. “This is it,” he said. “This is the proof we need to prove my brother’s innocence and finally track down the real killer.”
“I’ll go find a lab tech to collect the samples,” Ross said before walking out.
Bryce ran a hand over his face, beaming. She liked the way it looked. “You did it. When I asked you to come here and help
