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Keith grabbed the remote "Don’t worry about it Let’s see what’s on"

"I don’t want to watch any stupid TV I want you to stop lying to ot a date," snapped Keith

Isabelle sat there in shock Not because she thought Grant was out with another wo in a hospital while he went and had a good time She was shocked because of the hateful way Keith was acting That wasn’t at all like him "You don’t like Grant, do you?"

"He’s a user A womanizer You never should have slept with him"

"That’s none of your business"

"He’s not good enough for you, Isabelle He never has been I don’t knohy you’ve carried a torch for hi Selfless Honest"

"Apparently not so honest if he’s lying to you about where he is"

"The only reason Grant would ever lie to ed the question as he protecting her froreasy sense of unease crept up her spine So Grant would have been here by her side otherwise

So would Dale

Grant’s evasiveness finally made sense, and Isabelle felt herself start to shake with panic "Where is my phone? I need to call Dale"

"You heard Grant Dale is studying You shouldn’t interrupt him Let’s watch TV"

"Give me the damn phone!"

Keith blinked in shock "Dale is fine Don’t worry"

He knew so Isabelle could see it in the way he wouldn’ton Tellto tell"

"You’re lying"

Keith closed his eyes in frustration, then finally said, "Grant went to find Dale"

"What do you mean ‘find’ him?"

"Please, Isabelle You shouldn’t becoht now Your body can’t handle it I don’t want you to suffer"

Isabelle grabbed Keith’s shirt and jerked him hard toward her so they were eye to eye "Tell ently pried her hand away from his shirt She was too weak to stop him "I’m sorry Wyatt has hi it hard to breathe Her vision receded until everything looked far away, gray and fuzzy "God, no"

Keith eased her back on the bed with gentle, insistent hands "It’s going to be okay, Isabelle The police are looking for him So is Grant Dale will be fine"

"Dale is far from fine Wyatt is a murderer"

"And now that he’s kidnapped Dale, he will be put back behind bars where he belongs This will all be over soon"

She had to do so to find him She couldn’t just lie there She had to find her son

Isabelle threw back the covers and slid out of bed Her head spun, but she ignored it, keeping a hand on the bed to steady herself

Keith grabbed her shoulders "Get back in bed You’re going to hurt yourself"

"No, I’o" She jerked her arht her Thankfully, he’d not only brought paja to wear home tomorrow

Isabelle slid the panties and jeans on under her hospital gown, heedless of Keith there watching her dress The IV was going to have to come out before she could put her top on, so she started to pull at the tape holding it in place

"At least let e your vein and bleed all over the place"

She wasn’t worried about a little blood She was terrified of ould happen to Dale He was so angry at his father that hethat would set Wyatt off What if Wyatt hurt him? Beat him and left him for dead in soet help? Or worse, what if Wyatt didn’t bother to hold back and killed Dale outright, like he had the others? He could do it Isabelle was sure he was both physically and e his own son

Isabelle couldn’t let any of that happen She needed to find Dale Help hi, not when she was the one as supposed to protect him and keep hiet hione, she pulled the IV out of her arainst the wound She was already dressed and out of the room before Keith came back

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Dale thanked God that the men’s room at the little convenience store they stopped at was for one person at a tiri hands, Dale powered on his cell phone--which seemed to take forever--and dialed Grant Maybe he should have called the police, but he didn’t have time to explain his parental situation before Wyatt would beco on He could call the police

"Dale Are you safe?" asked Grant

Dale kept his voice low so it wouldn’t carry through the fliht outside of Rolla"

"Donny’s Gas Up Outside of Rolla," repeated Grant, as if for the benefit of someone else nearby "Stay there Police are on the way"