it any other way. Because you had to be desperate to escape to do what Kelly did.
Liz stared at the scrapes on her hand where Kelly pried herself free.
Adria bent beside her and wiped a tissue across Liz’s cheeks. “You tried to save her, Liz. You did everything you could to hold on to her. Like everything else, her death is Clint’s fault.”
Detective Valdez stepped closer. “Take her to the hospital. Get her checked out and back with Tate.” He crouched and put his hand on her arm. “Without you, Aubrey’s parents might not have ever known the absolute truth about her death. This will bring them closure. You knew Clint was coming. You anticipated him. You helped stop him. Without you, he’d have kept hurting people and destroying lives.” He squeezed her arm, then stood. “I’ll be in touch.”
Drake hooked his hand under her arm and helped her up. Adria took her hand as they followed an officer with a flashlight back down the trail to where Drake left his truck parked behind Kelly’s car and Clint’s rental.
“He really thought he’d get away with everything.”
Adria hugged her to her side. “He didn’t. And everything is going to be okay now.”
“Only if Tate is okay.”
Drake held the truck door open. “Declan just texted me. They’re monitoring Tate, but he’s restless even with the drugs they gave him.”
She took the back seat and pulled her cell out of her sock.
“So that’s how Tate tracked you.” Drake nodded his approval.
Liz confirmed with a nod. “Dropped the phone Clint knew about and kept the one Tate got me with a different number.” While Clint probably told Kelly to make her get rid of the phone so she couldn’t be tracked, Liz wondered if Kelly followed through so she could carry out her execution without being stopped by the cops.
Kelly went out to Lover’s Leap with her own plan, knowing she was walking to her death and determined to take Clint out first.
“Tate didn’t want to lose track of you.”
“I don’t want to lose him.” She hit the speed dial for Declan.
Drake closed the door and walked around the truck and climbed in behind the wheel next to Adria up front. He started the engine and maneuvered around all the cop cars to get them out of there.
Declan finally answered on the third ring. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“Are you with Tate?”
“Yeah. He hasn’t woken up. He lost a lot of blood and there’s some swelling in his brain.”
Liz appreciated the update and honesty. “You told Drake he’s restless.”
“Yeah. I keep talking to him, letting him know I’m here, but it doesn’t seem to help for long.”
“Put the phone to his ear. Let me talk to him.”
“Good idea. Go ahead.”
“Tate, honey, it’s me Liz. You are going to be okay. I’ll be there soon. I love you so much. You rest. I’m on my way. I love you.”
Declan came back on the line. “He seems to have relaxed. You’re just what he needed.”
“If he gets restless again, remind him I’m on the way. We should be there in a half hour, maybe less.”
Drake sped up for her. She’d pay the speeding ticket. The only thing she cared about right now was getting to Tate.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Liz stared at Tate lying so still in the bed. Nurses came and went hour after hour. The doctor assured her he’d be all right. He wasn’t in a coma, just a pharmaceutically induced deep sleep. He needed rest and time.
Well, he’d had thirty-nine hours of nonstop sleep and if he didn’t open his eyes soon, she might scream.
The worry gnawing at her gut made it impossible to eat. Every thought in her head turned into a prayer for him to wake up.
She’d barely slept at all. Maybe three hours, if that. But she hadn’t left his side. She’d parked her butt in the chair, taken his hand, and refused to let go. Not until he regained consciousness.
Not until he came back to her.
The doctor backed off the sedative hours ago. At this point, she’d take one little sign that he knew she was there with him.
Then again, the last time Tate stirred, he’d set off the alarms on his heart monitor. His blood pressure spiked. The nurses rushed in and told her it was probably just a bad dream.
Tate had mumbled unintelligibly for a moment. She’d squirmed her way between the doctor and nurses tending him, pressed her forehead to his, and whispered, “I love you,” over and over