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Feeling like a deflated balloon, Honey settled down and let Luke rearrange her pillows. Then she smiled when he kissed her mouth and then very lightly on the swollen cheek. Before she could respond, her eyes closed on their own, and she dozed.
Her last thought lingered, leaving a smile on her lips.
He’s here.
***
Luke rang for the doctor and sat by the bedside until he arrived along with more than one nurse. Being told it was time for patient care and seeing the cart used to draw blood forcefully maneuvered to make him move, he took the hint and left.
Once back in the hallway, he saw Jess and Mel talking with an older woman. She appeared shaken and Mel looked to be soothing her. He angled his way over to where Jess stood. “What did you learn?”
“You mean about Honey?”
“Who did that to her?”
“According to what Mel found out, they believe some of her female students were out for revenge. Seems a while back, Honey broke up a fight on school grounds, and unhappy about it, the leader attacked her with a knife. Fortunately, Honey unarmed her, and then pressed charges.”
“They went to court?”
“Looks that way. I’m not sure I got the whole story. If I remember it right, Honey was protecting another student when this all happened.”
“Jesus. Where does she teach?”
“At the same school where Mel works. It’s one of the better institutes, Luke. Yet shit still happens there too.”
Mel broke into the conversation. “I’m taking Anita for coffee to the cafeteria. Wanna join us?”
Jess nodded, his handsome black face sending her a special smile. He turned to Luke. “You coming?”
“Not this time. Find out what you can from Mel about the earlier incident. I have some things I need to check out before work. See you later.”
Luke headed to his real home where the laptop he kept in his safe could link into the National Crime Information Center. He could go through files most had no access to.
In a very short time, he had all the notes about the trial and even the addendum about Victoria’s unsuccessful suicide attempt. Reading about Honey’s part in what went down made him feel a variety of emotions at once.
Pride shone through the mounting anger and frustration that brewed as he read to the end. It popped into his mind that she was lucky it hadn’t been worse, and that made him furious all over again. Being harmed because she tried to do the right thing was totally unacceptable.
He leaned back against his sofa and closed his eyes. The fact that he’d come back to his place and not the rooms he used while undercover had been against regulations, but he’d needed to research the facts.
Now, he was torn. No doubt, Miss Tansy Bitmore deserved a visit. Except he could screw up his investigation if he were caught out of his role.
Fuck it.
No one gets to beat up on this woman. It violates all the affection he’d felt for the one buried in his past, and now her lookalike that could possibly be his future.
Chapter Twenty
Tansy Bitmore seldom went anywhere alone. She felt safer when her girls were nearby. Especially after their last drunken foray into the dark when they attacked the bitch who’d made her life a living hell.
Ever since the court case, her dad had been riding her even harder than usual. She thought he’d really lose it when Victoria’s father came to their home and started accusing him of not controlling his kid.
Her ditzy mom had tried to sweeten him, but he hadn’t let up. Warned her if she got in trouble again, he’d send her to a boarding school two states over. And he wasn’t gentle in his reproach. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth, Tansy. One more time, you stupid cow and you’re out of here. Then maybe your mother and I can finally have some peace and quiet.”
She’d seen his face. The gleeful thought of relinquishing any responsibility was plainly obvious. Of course, he’d send her away and her mom wouldn’t be able to stop him this time.
Hadn’t her brother warned her that unless you kiss the old man’s ring, you’d be sorry. After Ryan’s last bout in rehab, and the predictable relapse, their dad had thrown his drunken ass out and warned him not to come back.
Now he was playing the same kind of game with her. She wished it was his face she’d used her boots on the other night. Instead of the self-righteous goody-goody who’d shockingly retaliated.
