Bulletproof Badge
Angi Morgan
HE’D TAKE A BULLET FOR HERHis key witnesses dead, Texas Ranger Garrison Travis had to protect innocent bystander Kenderly Tyler. Her crucial evidence had two very dangerous Texas crime families willing to do anything to keep her quiet. But Garrison’s undercover status had branded him a killer, and now the bad and the good guys were after them both.Hiding out with a handsome protector, on the run for her life, was so beyond anything Kenderly had imagined. While there was more than just adrenaline pulsing between them, the Ranger vowed his job was his life. Dare she wonder what would become of them should they actually make it out alive?
“If you get on the back of my bike, I can keep you alive.”
Petrified, she connected with a pair of jade green eyes. Gorgeous. Absolutely the type of man she wanted to be with at any other time.
The stranger held out his hand. “We really need to go now, sweetheart. You coming?”
She straddled the back of the motorcycle. The bike sprang to life and her arms shot around him. There wasn’t any give to his body when her fingers locked together across his hard abs. She closed her eyes and buried her face against his black jacket. She wanted to see nothing, especially the gruesome picture the shooting had left in her mind.
“Hold on tight.”
Had she left the safety of the house for a dangerous daredevil?
Bulletproof Badge
Angi Morgan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ANGI MORGAN writes Mills & Boon Intrigue novels “where honor and danger collide with love.” She combines actual Texas settings with characters who are in realistic and dangerous situations. Angi and her husband live in north Texas, with only the four-legged “kids” left in the house to interrupt her writing. They recently began volunteering for a local Labrador retriever foster program. Visit her website www.angimorgan.com (http://www.angimorgan.com), or hang out with her on Facebook.
Tim, thanks for doing the dishes.
A special thanks to Cindi D & Tamami for bouncing ideas around.
Another to Janie for all the late nights.
Always to my pal Jan (you know why).
And a special shout-out to Brenda R for the constant reader support over the last five years!
Contents
Cover (#u5b36942a-39e8-5b0b-8715-4ffbadd1ad3c)
Introduction (#u212ada93-8821-5bbc-b8ba-904e75be7fb5)
Title Page (#ud5b9b4fb-3171-582f-a45b-caf996ab9004)
About the Author (#ubc9d01ac-edd2-545c-a543-6a29dd148c38)
Dedication (#u3a39978b-ee00-5da5-b1e9-c979ff1d28a2)
Chapter One (#u304ad692-e6fc-5669-8936-bac3302522b2)
Chapter Two (#ua6d5b3bc-da7b-534e-b573-76fe2b9b6f9e)
Chapter Three (#u75ca2971-c322-55fe-99a6-20d23605e5cb)
Chapter Four (#ua97a19b0-27f0-505e-9761-901fa071f428)
Chapter Five (#u4fbf14fe-767f-592e-97ec-cc91553dffd4)
Chapter Six (#u45b66ab0-e15c-56cd-9aa5-db9bc6c7a5f2)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_ef12f089-6f2e-5361-8dd0-7119e0380bb1)
Garrison Travis caught the kick with both his hands before it slammed into his chest. How had he given himself away? Why was this guy so dead set that neither of them get to that bedroom? He’d eventually find out during the interrogation. This moment though— He pulled the leg with him as he fell backward, rolling and placing his opponent under him.
Screams came from downstairs. Shots, upstairs and down, had started this mess. His opponent swung and missed. Garrison retaliated, sending a hard elbow to the guy’s chin. It ripped the tuxedo across his shoulders. Always a good reason to rent. The company could reimburse the bridal shop. He popped to his feet. His opponent did the same.
Right cross. Uppercut. Double jabs to the ribs. He blocked them all and retreated. He was unarmed, having gone into the private event undercover as one of the waitstaff.
Where are the damn security guards or men from downstairs? Hadn’t they heard the shots?
More screams. Pleading through the closed door off of the upstairs landing. He rolled across the plush carpet struggling to get free. He’d been heading to that bedroom with a tray of sangria when he’d heard the shots from the back of the house. He’d sent the text message to his captain from the staircase that shots had been fired. He didn’t have backup, but where were Tenoreno’s men?
The three glasses were crushed across the white carpet, leaving dark red stains. If he could get to the door...
“Come on, man. Somebody’s in trouble.” Why was this guard trying to prevent him from getting to those women?
Right jab. Right jab. His opponent’s face flew back along with his feet. A give-it-all-he-had left to the belly doubled the guy in half. Muffled cries and threats from inside the room. He had to end this and get inside. He raised his knee into the guy’s chin. Eyes rolling back in his head, his opponent sank to floor. One more kick to his jaw guaranteed he was out cold.
Two succinct pops behind the solid oak door. A bloodcurdling scream. He checked the downed guard for a weapon. Nothing. Last pocket had the key to the door. He got it in the lock, turned and burst inside.
Two women lay dead. Executed.
The intruder had a fistful of hair in one hand and a gun pointed at a third woman’s head. He sported the same rent-a-monkey tux, but had added a face hood to conceal himself.
Slamming the door into the wall was enough to divert the direction of the barrel and make the bastard let the blond hair go. Garrison dropped and rolled, the monkey suit fired, missed. The woman picked up a metal case, swung, connected. The pistol flew under the bed. The case burst open spraying makeup supplies in every direction.
The monkey suit focused his attention on Garrison. Outweighed by forty pounds, Garrison locked his fists and swung them like a bat against a jaw as solid as rock. The bigger man barely staggered back a step.
But he did stagger, giving Garrison enough time to pounce. A double punch connected with ribs. His knee jabbed the man’s thigh. Once. Then twice. And then the gunman threw a punch that hit Garrison square in the chest like a battering ram, slamming his head into the solid door.
The hooded monkey suit left through the balcony doors while Garrison was momentarily stunned. Tingling on his cheeks. A faraway plea for him to wake up. Both brought him fully to his senses.
“Get up. We’ve got to go,” the woman whispered. Her makeup had smeared from the tears running down her face. “Come on.”
Garrison took in the room. The lady of the house and her guest were lying holding hands on the floor. Both shot execution style in the back of the head. The other shots from downstairs must have been this guy’s cue to take care of the extended family.
Top Texas organized crime boss wives. Dead instead of extracted. The captain was going to have his head on one of these silver platters.
“What are you waiting for? They’re coming up the stairs, and I don’t know what to do.”
He got to his feet. “Close and lock the door.”
There was nothing he could do for either woman. While the one left alive did as she was told, he reached under the bed with the hankie from his tux pocket and retrieved monkey suit’s gun. The man had been in gloves, but maybe they’d get lucky.
Then again, they had a witness. He swiped the business card from the dresser. Kenderly Tyler, hair and makeup. Long multicolored golden or ash-blond hair past her shoulders, oval face and dark chocolate eyes. She was a little taller than his shoulder. He memorized the way she looked, every shapely curve covered in shiny sequins.
The doorknob shook. Shoulders slammed against the wood. His eyes fell to the gun in his hand. The Tenoreno men wouldn’t ask questions. They’d shoot first.
“Kenderly?” He’d ask her why she’d waited for him once they were safe. Teary eyes questioned what he wanted. He jerked his head toward the balcony.
Following the gunman’s path, they ducked into the cooling Texas sun. He kept her back against the brick, blocked her from anyone’s view on the ground with his body. He could see down the open roads that his backup was nowhere in sight. The gunman was next to the pool house. Unless he wanted both crime families coming after him forever, he’d eventually need something to prove there was another person in the house. He dug into his front pocket, swiped the phone and took a series of pictures.
Heading the opposite direction next to the garage would take them to his bike. And right next to an older Volkswagen Beetle where two armed guards stood. They weren’t waiting for them. At least not yet.
Which way? Follow the killer or protect his witness? Not a real question.
If the family got hold of her, he’d never find her again. They may even think she’d pulled the trigger or that he had. That settled which direction they’d run. He swung his legs over the side, dangling like a baited worm on a hook before he dropped and sprang up from the grass.
He looked up at the blonde who tossed him a small jeweled box, then a purse. She shook her hair away from her face as soon as she hiked a leg over the banister. He pointed to her shoes, which she flicked off, hitting the ground next to him. He scooped them up and shoved them in his pockets along with the box.
“Grab the bottom with your hands. Then lower, and I’ll catch you.” He tried to shout in a whisper. He kept looking over his shoulder expecting a gun in his kidney at any second.
Kenderly Tyler wasn’t exactly ladylike coming down. At least she stifled her short scream the two feet she fell into his arms. There wasn’t any type of special moment or slow-motion feel as she slid through his grasp to the grass. She pushed back, picked up her purse and ran.
The men breached the room right behind her escape. Moans, cries, questions shouted to God... Garrison caught up with her before she darted across the driveway. He tucked her behind him, gave her a shush signal and evaluated their position.
They hugged the house, avoiding the guards. All pointing their guns around corners and opening car doors. Taking their time. Didn’t they want to find the gunmen? It was one thing to sign up to fight in Tenoreno’s army. It was much different when that army went to war. Shoot. His job would be easier if he could just shout at them to search for the killer by the pool.
The guards were armed to the teeth and outfitted better than the Secret Service. How the hell had they allowed the gunmen on to the property in the first place? Why had the gunman executed the women? Had the shots fired downstairs taken out the rival organized crime bosses, too?
Just as he thought they’d be in the clear, his witness darted around him and headed straight to the Volkswagen. Too many questions had distracted him. He needed to secure Kenderly Tyler and hightail it back to Company F.
* * *
ONE STEP AT a time and she’d make it. Kenderly’s hands shook, rattling the keys as she tried to push one into the car door. She just needed inside. She saw the man who had let her in the gate earlier. He held up his hand for her to stop.
No way. She couldn’t stay with all the guns and...death. She ignored him and sat behind the wheel. He put his finger in his ear, then looked at her again and began running. His rifle bounced across his chest until he held it against his ribs.
The keys rattled. Her body was shaking now. Isabella and Trinity were dead. She would have been next. They were going to kill her. If she hadn’t been cleaning up in the bathroom, she would already be faceless and...and...
The man with a rifle yanked the door open and grabbed a fistful of her hair, tugging. She’d forgotten to lock the door, but somehow she’d already put on her seat belt so she was stuck. He reached across and popped the lock, then yanked again. All she could do was grab his wrist to keep her hair attached to her head.
The image of the dead women fixed on the back of her eyelids. Every time she blinked she saw the blood and gore. He pulled her hair to get her to move, but she was about to be terribly sick.
With blurred vision, she leaned forward and lost what little was in her stomach. The man hopped out of her way. Hearing more fighting above her head, she continued to retch. Someone pulled back her hair, put an arm around her waist and helped her stand. He led her off the white gravel drive. Past the man who had yanked her hair, now unconscious on the green grass. Its cool shaded lushness registered under her bare feet.
“Water?” she squeaked out.
“Can’t help you with that,” a deep Texas twang answered. “But if you get on the back of my bike, I can keep you alive.”
As weary as she was, that popped her head up. Petrified, she connected with a pair of jade-green eyes, sandy short brown hair and a casual self-confident smile that didn’t belong in her surreal afternoon.
Gorgeous. Absolutely the type of man she wanted to be with any other time. He dangled her shoes in front of her, and she slipped them on.
The stranger held out his hand. “We really need to go now, sweetheart. You coming?”
Yes. But she didn’t think she said it out loud. She straddled the back of the motorcycle in her short skirt and heels. Two large, strong hands grabbed her thighs, pulled her closer and placed her feet on two metal rods. Her sequined skirt was up as high as it could be without revealing anything, but now wasn’t the time to care.
The motorcycle sprang to life, and her arms shot around him. There wasn’t any give to his body when her fingers locked together across his hard abs. She closed her eyes and buried her face against his black jacket. She wanted to see nothing, especially the gruesome picture the shooting had left in her mind.
The motorcycle screeched to a halt, sliding sideways in the gravel. Her rescuer slowly took off across the field, avoiding the closed front gate.
“Hold on tight.”
She didn’t think she could hold tighter until her bottom was airborne over the first incline. Had she left the safety of the house for a dangerous daredevil? Had it been safe at the house? Absolutely not. And how did she know for certain this man wasn’t a part of the...the...
Go ahead and say it. Murders! The man dressed in black had murdered two people right in front of her, then stared openmouthed as she’d screamed. This wasn’t the killer. His dark green eyes proved that. The man she’d fought with was just as tall, but his eyes were black with hatred.
She’d never forget those eyes.
They flew over the next small hill, landing hard on both tires.
“Slow down before your kill us!” she shouted in his ear.
“Can’t. They’re following. May start shooting.”
She turned behind them, her hair whipped across her face. Sure enough, a black SUV bounced over the rolling hills of the Texas lake country. The motorcycle skidded, and she held tighter. If the men shot at them, she’d be dead. Period.
Her rescuer turned sharply, heading toward a tree line. “Where are you going?”
“Where they can’t.”
The trees were so thick she didn’t think they could get through, either. He slowed a little, but zigzagged, tilting them from side to side, making her want to put her feet out to drag along the ground. She kept them secured and kept her body smooshed against the stranger’s back, moving like a second layer with him.
Bushes whacked at her legs as they zoomed past. The branches stung but suddenly stopped. The first thing she saw was the perfectly smooth carpet of green. She looked behind them, and no one followed. The SUV turned and followed on the other side of the trees for a few seconds before turning away.
“Hey!”
Someone shouted, making her look forward. They were on a golf course, bouncing yet again over the greenway to a cart path. Once there, the ride was smoother, but her hero didn’t slow. If anything, he went even faster. It was a Friday night at dusk, and the golfers were finishing their rounds. So they were few and far between on the earlier holes they’d zipped past.
Kenderly only relaxed a little. This time when her eyes closed, they were burning with tears for Isabella. No one deserved to die that way.
He was right. Her hero. They couldn’t stop. Her unnamed rescuer popped over curbs, into a parking lot and on to the street. He ran stop signs, passed other cars as if they were standing still and just kept going.
Once on Highway 71 leading back to Austin, he wrapped his long fingers around her thigh and gently tugged her close again. His subtle message was that their wild ride wasn’t over. She moved, resting her head once more on his back. They rocketed through the wind, which didn’t allow for talking.
She couldn’t have answered any of his questions or any of the thousands running through her mind. Isabella had given her a small jewelry case and told her not to open it for three days.
Oh no! The case! She’d dropped it somewhere. She’d been so out of it by losing her cookies all over the guard’s feet that she’d forgotten. What had Isabella not wanted anyone to know? Why was she supposed to wait three days? Kenderly wasn’t sure she’d ever know now.
Her hero stroked her frozen forearm, slowly warming it back to life against his chest. When she cried harder, he held on to her hands tighter.
It didn’t matter who he was. He’d probably saved her life. Okay, he’d definitely saved her life. But that was only one reason she was thankful. The stranger’s actions in the past few minutes were more intimacy and kindness than she’d felt in years.
Chapter Two (#ulink_4afd39f0-c5dd-5276-bc46-5242640c14d0)
The arm under Garrison’s hand was no longer frozen. Early spring in Texas was fine with lots of sunshine on you, but once it got dark—and speeding in excess of seventy miles per hour—you could get chilled to the bone.
“You can let me off anywhere,” she said as he slowly merged with city traffic near the university hangouts.
“I don’t think so, sweetie. No discussion necessary.” He sped up again to limit the conversation.
“But I need to go back. I have to.”
Darting between stopped cars, the horns blared as he pushed safely through red lights. He had to keep moving, so she couldn’t jump off. Go back? She was the ranger’s big break, and he couldn’t let her disappear.
“Let me go at the next corner, or I’ll start screaming my head off,” she shouted, piercing his ear.
“We have a head start, but we’re still being followed.” It was logical to think so. There was only one road back to Austin from the crime scene. It didn’t make sense that Tenoreno’s men would give up because of a row of trees. He slowed the bike to a more normal speed. “After I rescued you and everything, screaming just wouldn’t be cool.”
“Neither is kidnapping.”
“Come on, Kenderly. We both know I’m not kidnapping you. I saved your a— I got you out of there safely,” he amended. “Why the hell do you want to go back?”
“I appreciate it. I really do. But there’s something I... I just want to go home.” She sat straighter, pulling away from him.
He immediately missed her soft breasts pushed against his back. He needed both hands to control the bike, or he’d pull her closer again. Instead he pulled into a parking lot, darted to the side of the building and cut the engine. He twisted a bit on the seat to face her and reached into his pocket.
“Is this what you need to go back for?” He held up the smaller case he’d picked up from her seat. “The purse strap got stuck on the gear shift. I couldn’t get that. You tossed this to me at the balcony.”
“Oh my God, thank you so much.” She reached for it, but he kept it high above her head.
“I’m thinking I should have a look inside.”
“No. You don’t understand. It isn’t mine.”
“Then I especially need to look inside.”
“Just who do you think you are? A hotshot waiter with a fast motorcycle has no right—”
“Lieutenant Garrison Travis, Company F, Texas Rangers. Temporarily on assignment in Austin.” He wanted to pop whatever lock was on that case, but he didn’t have anything with him. “I’m sorry that you can’t go home. They’ll be waiting there. They know who you are.”
“But I didn’t do anything.” She grabbed his upper arm. Her hand shook a bit. She was either shivering in her short sleeves or from the shock of everything that had happened.
“They don’t know that. Plus, you saw the killer.” He shrugged out of his split jacket and flipped it around her shoulders, holding it until she slipped her arms through the sleeves. “You’re coming home with me. It’s your only option.”
“Are you crazy? I don’t know you. Where’s your ID? Just take me to the nearest police station, and we can tell them what we saw.” She swung her leg over the back of the bike and took off. “They’ll protect me if I need it.”
“I can help you,” he called after her. “And that’s smart, asking for my ID. But I don’t carry it while I’m undercover.”
“You did help, and I thank you. But the police need to know what I witnessed. I’m sure I broke a law or something leaving the scene of a crime.” She backed up across the run-down parking lot in a short fancy skirt and his torn tux jacket. She might trip in her heels. “Why are you shaking your head at me?”
“Come on, get back on the bike.” He threw one of his best smiles at her, attempting to make his witness feel more comfortable. But she wasn’t reacting like the rest of the women in his life.
Maybe because she’d just seen two of her friends executed, and someone was trying to kill her. Maybe he should change tactics.
“No.”
“Well, I’ll need my jacket. It’s a rental.” Fortunately, he’d dropped the murder weapon in the cycle’s saddlebags, so it was safe. He dug his cell from his front pants pocket. “I’m going to dial a number, and you can confirm my identity. Then I’m taking you to my place.”
Garrison was afraid she’d break her neck running away from him if he got off the bike and chased her. He stayed put, got the number and pressed dial. He heard his captain answer, pressed speaker and told him, “Hang on.” Then he extended the phone to his witness.
For some crazy reason, she walked back to him and took the phone. “Hello?”
“This is Captain Aiden Oaks, Texas Rangers. Who is this? Why do you have Travis’s phone?”
She shrugged, searching him for answers. Garrison pointed to it and made a talk symbol with his hand.
“Someone handed it to me. Are you really a Texas Ranger? Is he?”
Garrison took the keys, opened the saddlebag, dropped the case inside and locked it. What was coming next would be pleasant for Kenderly, but not so much when Garrison confronted the captain.
“Is the smart-ass who handed you the cell riding a motorcycle, wearing a tuxedo and got a smart-alecky grin on his face?”
“I think so.”
“Lieutenant Garrison Travis didn’t have identification with him, miss. Did he call to assure you of something?”
She hung up and walked the phone back to him. “He says you have a smart-alecky smile. He’s right.”
“Ouch. I’ve been told this smile was reassuring. Ready to come home with me now?”
Kenderly had been through a sick ordeal and needed a lot more help than he could provide. The first step was getting her under the protection of the Rangers. And for that to happen, he had to find out exactly what she’d seen and what was in that case.
He braced the bike while she hopped on the back again. He moved his hand to bring her closer, then thought better of it, speaking over his shoulder. “You can trust me, Kenderly.”
“No more running red lights.”
“Not a prob.”
“And you promise that I’ll be safer with you than with the police?”
“You’ve got my word as a Texas Ranger. Nothing’ll happen to you while you’re with me.” He started the bike and rejoined traffic before she realized he was a complete stranger and decided to yell for help. She didn’t yell. She only cooperated.
Kenderly was too trusting. Or playing him.
Witness or perpetrator? He had a lightbulb moment of his own. He hadn’t seen the actual shooting. He couldn’t swear who pulled that trigger. The makeup artist could have unlocked the balcony doors and let the monkey-suit guy inside.
Maybe he was protecting an accomplice?
Not a chance. There was no blood spatter on her clothes. She couldn’t have been near the fatal shots. He’d find out all the details when they got to his house. Just a couple of minutes and they’d be safe.
The small jewelry box would have to wait until he was at his place. He needed to ask her about everything, but was certain Captain Oaks would want to be there for the questioning.
Turning down Forty-first, he replayed the scene in his head, searching through his memory for what the murderer looked like. Approximately the same height as him, so the guy had to be six-one, maybe more. Brown eyes, huge nose that protruded under the hood. He didn’t have much to go on, but the man’s shoes weren’t from a rental company like the tux.
Garrison had rented enough times to know how unforgiving a new pair of rental dress shoes were. Or how the older ones looked scuffed no matter how hard you shined. This guy was wearing his own.
He pulled to a stop in his driveway. Then he mentally brought up the image of the man in black. He’d turned to him—surprised someone had entered Mrs. Tenoreno’s bedroom—guilty.
Blood. Bright dark spots that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else shone all over the black tux. He was confident he’d interrupted the gunman before he pulled the trigger on a third victim. Kenderly was a state’s witness.
Kenderly was off the back of the bike before he’d cut the engine. He popped the kickstand, tugging her to him. He might be confident she wasn’t the murderer, but he wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t run down the street hollering for help.
“Mind if I take the jacket back?”
Delicately, treating the ripped tux like an expensive designer jacket, she folded it in half and handed it to him. He tossed open the saddlebag and removed the gun, wrapping it protectively in the jacket’s folds, then setting it on the bike seat along with the case. The evidence couldn’t be out of his line of sight, and this was the best he could do. He unlocked the detached garage and lifted the heavy door, then rolled his bike inside and reversed the procedure.
“I think I have a couple of sodas inside and maybe a frozen pizza.”
“I can’t possibly eat.” Her hand covered her lips.
“How about some soup, then? I got a cabinet of the stuff.”
“Really, I’m fine.” She shook her head and preceded him up the steps. “What I really need is a toothbrush.”
“Got you covered. My aunt has extras from visits with her dentist. She’s visiting my mom.” If he could remember where she’d put them.
“Oh.” She tugged at her hair, trying to smooth tangle upon wind-massacred tangle.
His Aunt Brenda’s house was on the small side. What most people might call cozy. Just right for one bachelor ranger who wasn’t home half the time. That is, if he really lived in Austin. He was on temporary assignment and shared a place in Waco. He opened the door and prepared for the assault.
“Hey, I forgot to ask. Do you like dogs?”
Both his monsters slid across the old linoleum, tongues out, ready to jump on their visitor, expecting a treat. Before he could yell at them to get down, Garrison set the coat-wrapped gun on the counter. He knelt at the pups’ level, taking one dog under either arm.
“I adore dogs. Are they Labs? What are their names? They’re so sweet.” Kenderly brightened and dropped to her knees with him.
“Diabolical is more like it. Don’t turn your back on them for a minute. This big black boy is Bear. The chocolate pup is his half sister, Clementine.” He reached up and pulled treats from a jar, handing them to his guest. “They’ll do tricks for these.”
She sat at the kitchen table, patiently petting the panting Labradors. “Clementine isn’t exactly what I’d call a puppy.”
“Sit, Clem. Bear, you know better than that.” He used hand signals to get them to sit, wanting to show them off. “She’s barely a year old. Already seventy pounds of love. I didn’t know how long I’d be here, and these two sort of go berserk if I don’t check in every day. Excuse me while I make a phone call.”
He dialed, then retrieved a new Ziploc from the cabinet while he waited for the captain to answer. “Travis? I guess the party blew to hell?”
“Yes, sir. So you’ve heard. The beautician, Kenderly Tyler, witnessed the whole thing. I stopped the murderer from blowing—” He darted a look at the woman he’d rescued to see if she’d heard his slip. “I stopped him from having a third victim. We came straight here. I didn’t think you’d want anyone to know we have her in custody.”
Kenderly got the dogs another treat and repeated his hand commands to them.
“You think she’s reliable?”
“As far as I can tell. I also have the murder weapon.” He placed the gun inside the bag. “It should take you about forty minutes to get here, sir. See you then.” He dropped his phone on the counter, and Clementine nudged the back of his knee. “Oh no, you don’t. Christy fed you an hour ago.”
“Where’s the bath, and do you have a first-aid kit?”
“You okay?” During the call, she’d taken a paper towel from the roll he left on the table and started dabbing at her legs. “Obviously not. Those from the trees we brushed through?”
“Yes. My legs started stinging on the golfing green.”
“Let me get something.”
The house really was super small. Keeping the medicine cabinet mirror open, he could still see the kitchen table. Bear was spread-eagle on the floor waiting for some more attention. Kenderly was staring at the gun and not moving. He dug through the antibiotic creams, looking for something without an expired date. No luck.
“I found some cotton, alcohol and peroxide. Best I can do.” He knelt and took a look at the long scratch at the top of her thigh.
“It’ll be fine.” Kenderly’s soft voice matched her dainty frame and manner.
“Need a belt to bite down on?”
She looked a bit confused. Instead of explaining, he poured the bottles over the scratches. Her tanned thigh used to be completely smooth, not even a freckle.
The deep scratches would cause the peroxide to sting—a lot. Garrison fanned at her leg, and she shut her eyes. He leaned in close and blew across the peroxide bubbles, hoping to ease the pain.
“How could I have gotten into this mess?” She fanned her cheeks in a motion his sister used years ago when trying not to cry. “When I woke up this morning, I never imagined I’d have two dogs at my feet, be sitting in a funny little kitchen with peroxide dripping down my thigh and have a complete stranger blowing up my skirt.”
“I don’t really know what to say after that.” He choked to keep from busting out laughing. Two Band-Aids across the deepest scratch and they were done.
She covered her face, looking embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to complain about a scratch when Isabella... She’s... Oh, gosh, I can’t stay here.”
Garrison lifted her to her feet, against his chest and into his arms. “Go ahead and cry. I won’t stop you. You’re safe here.” He couldn’t just tell her she would be okay. He had to make her feel as though she was safe, and he didn’t know another way.
She shoved at his shoulders, and he let her go. “What am I doing here? If they’re following us, how can we possibly be safe?”
“You witnessed a murder, and we need to get your statement. The captain will be here soon, and we’ll have some decisions. Until then, let’s wait in the other room.”
He led the way to the living area, just big enough for a small couch, arm chair and a television that covered most of the end wall. He loved that television and would be hauling it back to Waco after this assignment.
“Why did he shoot them?” Kenderly sat and dropped her head in her hands. “He was going to kill me, too. Wasn’t he?”
“I think so.”
“Why did he kill them?”
“That’s what I’m hoping you can help us with, Kenderly.”
“Why were you there?” She looked up quickly, accusing him of something without a word.
He flattened his lips shut and shook his head. He couldn’t tell her that he was undercover tonight after an anonymous tip let them know there’d be trouble. He should have gotten the women extracted earlier instead of waiting for the cover of darkness. They’d been hoping to turn one of the families against the other. Instead, both had been hit.
“Let’s start with how you knew Isabella Tenoreno.”
“She came once a week into the shop where I have a chair. Wednesday she said she was having a party today and asked if I could come. I do hair and makeup for private events. This was a little different since she invited me to attend. I ended up doing her friend Trinity’s hair, too.”
Trinity Rosco, the wife of the rival crime family. Garrison noticed how stiff Kenderly had become. She was a terrible liar. So there was more to her story than she was letting on. “What happened after that?”
“I was gathering my things and cleaning my brushes in the bathroom. I heard something break, and Trinity screamed. At least I think it was her. The man, he already had the gun out and told them both to get to their knees.”
“What language?”
“English.”
“Why didn’t he see you?”
“I saw the gun first thing, so I didn’t open the door all the way. I should have. I should have done something. Maybe they’d still be alive.” She covered her face with her hands again, crying this time.
“Don’t doubt for a minute that you’d be dead now.”
“I... I thought it might be a...a joke. You know? The gun didn’t look real at first. But then he...he shot them. He just...shot them.”
She jumped up and stood at the window. He let her. What could he say? Two women had been brutally murdered. There was nothing that would take the image away from her. He was just lucky she wasn’t falling apart. She could be a hysterical mess.
“Then he found you?” he prompted.
“There were noises coming from the sitting room. I thought about calling out, but I didn’t. I must have moved backward, hit something or made a noise. He found me and was pulling me over their bodies when you came into the bedroom.”
“So you’re a hairstylist?”
She nodded, rubbing under her eyes, smearing the mascara that had run from her tears. Personally, he didn’t care for a lot of makeup on a woman, but he did appreciate her long multicolored hair and bare legs.
“I know my aunt used to talk to her hairdresser all the time,” he prodded. “Did Isabella happen to mention what this special occasion was about?”
“Isabella was never at my work alone. Her bodyguard was never more than five feet away and could always hear what we were saying. This time she locked them out of the bedroom, while she changed her clothes.”
“She didn’t mention...anything?”
“I’m not sure I know what you’re getting at. Isabella had lots of money. Why wouldn’t her husband’s enemies just kidnap her?”
“That’s one of the things I’m trying to find out, Kenderly.”
Was there something too innocent in her wide eyes? Something she was holding back? Or was he too paranoid, after losing not one, but two women to an assassin? Naw, she was holding something back. She’d said “husband’s enemies,” and that meant she knew. She just didn’t trust him yet.
“Is that horrible man going to try and kill me again?”
If we’re lucky he’ll be after us both. It was easy to think that. As a Texas Ranger he wanted the guy to find him.
It would be harder to involve an innocent woman. He’d held Kenderly’s hair away from her face as she lost her cookies in the driveway. He couldn’t afford to have a personal attachment.
Yeah, the sensitive guy inside him winced at the thought of using her as bait. The investigative ranger didn’t have a choice. If his captain ordered it, he’d have to act.
Chapter Three (#ulink_ac15332d-89f0-517d-b133-0eb5e1792b9b)
One of the most gorgeous male specimens Kenderly had ever encountered had choked while laughing at her. She wished she knew what he and his captain were talking about outside. The captain seemed to have brought news Garrison didn’t really want to hear.
She’d been introduced while the murder weapon was locked away in the captain’s trunk. Now she was eating toast at the kitchen window and watching the men talk.
Captain Oaks was calm, watching her from where he stood in the backyard. His hands were behind his back, as stoic and sturdy as his name. But her rescuer waved his hands, disagreeing or in disbelief. She could make out the words no and no way. Just a few minutes before he’d said “hell, no” loud enough to be heard in the next county.
Garrison adamantly refused whatever his new assignment required. The only movements that were relaxed at all were reaching down to pet Clementine or take her ball and throw it again. Such a normal action that he performed without thinking.
He hadn’t broken a sweat saving her life today. Confident. Cocky. Extremely good-looking. A little arrogant. And sweet, sweet Thelma, he rode a motorcycle like it was nobody’s business.
Her fingers tangled in the mess that was now her hair.
The long extensions were so matted that she couldn’t unclip them from her head. The wind had done permanent damage, and it would take hours of combing to make them wearable again. She headed to the bathroom to see if she could get them loose. Bear followed and sat in the doorway, then slid to his belly.
“I suppose you’re used to the door staying open,” she said gently to him, stroking the old boy on the head. She looked in the mirror and almost screamed. “I look like a middle-aged drug addict.”
The slate liner was smudged under her eyes and halfway down her cheeks. She had no way to repair the damage, other than removing all the makeup. She had nothing except her cell. Her makeup case, purse, keys and car had all been left at the Tenoreno estate.
How was she going to get to work? Or work without her supplies, for that matter? Everything was in that bathroom or her Beetle. Her ID, debit card, checkbook...how would she even eat until they could be replaced?
But she couldn’t feel sorry for herself. Isabella and Trinity had lost much more than supplies or money.
Much more.
The men hadn’t opened the jewelry case yet. It had also been locked in the captain’s trunk almost immediately. Neither of them asked what was inside. They’d just assumed it was important. Probably because she’d asked to go back for it.
She took a deep breath and tried to slow her racing heart. Turning the water off, the men’s voices drifted in through the slightly open window.
“You have your choice. Protect her or be the bait.”
“I appreciate your confidence in me, sir. I don’t think I have a choice. I don’t have the skills or patience to sit and wait. And isn’t it against some type of regulation or something? Don’t we need to involve a female DPS officer to be on her protection detail?” Garrison was marching back and forth across his grass.
“You’re the one insisting that she needs protection without evaluating if what she saw is admissible in court. Or what’s in that case you locked away. How dangerous do you think the threat to her is?”
Garrison stopped pacing. His smile was gone, and he suddenly looked grown up. The white teeth he’d flashed all evening put her at ease, but it made him look much younger.
“From everything you’ve told me about these two families, they shoot first and never bother to ask if it’s the right person. If they find her, they will kill her, sir.”
“You’re right, and she’ll be safe. I’m giving you the option, son. Keep your word and be a part of her detail. Or you nail these bastards once and for all. As I said before, the Tenoreno family released a blurred picture of you both to the media. They’re going to find the fake background information we set up for you to get the job. It won’t take them long before they track down your cover phone. We need a decision and need a plan.”
Kenderly wanted to crawl through the tiny window and shout at both the men. They were making decisions about her life without asking her anything. She wasn’t running off with Garrison Travis to hide. But she also wasn’t stupid enough to go home. Without money or a place to live, the Texas Rangers were her best chance to stay alive.
“That ID got me on the grounds. The pictures will get me back inside. Regarding Kenderly, there isn’t a choice here,” Garrison said so seriously it scared her. “Without me, you don’t have a connection to the shooter. If Kenderly comes forward, it will blow the entire operation. It’s the closest we’ve been to bringing these crime families down in years. If they join forces, we might never get the chance again.”
“As of today, the Tenorenos and Roscos were falling behind the cartels. Together...” Captain Oaks shook his head with the implication. “They’ll either kill each other, taking a lot of other people along the way. Or they’ll be strong enough to control seventy percent of organized crime in Texas.”
“There’s only one choice, then. I go back inside. Try to convince them I was just running for my life when the shots started. It would help if I had something of value to trade. I don’t see anyone making an identification from the pictures. I’ve got my fingers crossed there’s something in that jewelry box that Isabella thought was worth smuggling out with Kenderly.”
She couldn’t see the captain’s face, but she did have a good look at Garrison’s dissatisfied expression. He shoved his hand through his sandy-blond hair. He’d changed into jeans and a button-down shirt. She’d seen his badge ready to go on the kitchen table before he slid it into his back pocket.
“We’ll do the initial Q and A here. We both need to hear her answers firsthand. You could come to headquarters but—”
“Got it. The fewer who know about Kenderly Tyler, the better.” Garrison looked more relaxed.
Why he should be...she had no idea. He was planning on returning to the Tenoreno house surrounded by men with guns...and more guns.
“I’ll make a call and get a video camera here. Then we’ll get started. You okay with your cover story about why you left in such a hurry?” Captain Oaks asked.
“Easy to explain. Shots start flying, and I’m not hanging around. It might take longer to wrap my head around officials thinking I might have something to do with the murders. I’m not usually the one being hunted. I’m more the hunter type. But I can fake it.”
“You’re our best bet to discover the true reason for the assassinations. We can assume they don’t know about the real murderer.” The captain bent down to pet Clementine. “But he knows about you.”
“And Kenderly. We both saw him.”
“That was quick thinking to get the pictures. Maybe something will come from it. Having evidence of the murderer is your best way to get back in to see Tenoreno. He should be extremely interested in your photos.”
“I don’t understand why the wives were killed and not the crime bosses. It doesn’t make sense. I heard shots at the back of the house, but couldn’t get to both.”
The captain clamped a hand on Garrison’s shoulder, stopping him. The younger man didn’t flinch or try to get away. It seemed friendly enough, fatherly in fact. “It’s not your fault, Garrison. No one predicted they would be murdered.”
“If I’d only been a couple of minutes earlier.”
“According to what you told me, more lives would have been lost if you were a couple of minutes later.”
“But—”
“No buts in this line of work. It was out of your control. We move on.”
Kenderly liked Captain Oaks. She had no idea what some of the things they were talking about meant, but she liked him just the same. Taking his wise words to heart, she also needed to move on. There wasn’t anything she could do about the past. She couldn’t go back and change time or rush in and save Isabella.
All she could do was help find her friend’s murderer.
* * *
“WHERE DO WE START?” Kenderly sat at the kitchen table, her hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles were turning white. “Do you need for me to write out my statement? I looked for a tablet. Oh, but I didn’t go through anything. Sorry, I promise I wasn’t looking through your things.”
“It’s okay.” Garrison wanted to hug her and calm her down again. But that wasn’t happening in front of his captain.
“Miss Tyler,” Oaks began, “we’ve sent for a video camera and plan on recording your statement here. If I take you downtown, too many people will know we have you in protective custody. We’d rather continue without spreading that knowledge. That okay with you?”
Kenderly nodded and moved her hands to her lap until she swiped at a tear with the back of her knuckle. She’d washed her face. Gone was the heavy makeup he’d become used to in a very short time. Without it she looked younger.
“I have to confess... I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the bathroom window was open. I could hear a few things.”
“Like what?”
Garrison let the captain lead the discussion. He tried to keep a solemn look on his face out of respect for the two women who had died and the seriousness of the current situation. But just sitting there, Kenderly had a way of making him smile. Or the way she tugged at the stretchy skirt jerked him back to the memory of his hand on her thigh.
“I’m not sure I know what you meant by extracting. Who? Were you there to get Isabella away from that horrid man she was married to?”
She’d turned to Garrison, looking for an answer. He popped away from leaning on the wall next to the living room. Taken totally off guard, his mind had been on the soft flesh that had been beneath his fingers. The question had him staring straight back at his commanding officer.
“Oh, my gosh, you were. Is that why you want to open her jewelry box?” She turned back to Oaks. “You see, I honestly don’t know what’s inside. Isabella told me to open it in three days. I thought it might be another letter to mail.”
“Why do you think she said three days? And you’d mailed letters before?” Oaks brought out his pocket notepad, something he was never without.
If Garrison wanted to take notes, he’d have to get a pad from the hall closet. No way. He wasn’t going to miss any part of this interview.
“I don’t know why she said three days. I’ve been doing her hair for several years. Like I told Garrison—” Her hair flew over her shoulder when she turned toward him. “Oh wait, should I call you Lieutenant?”
“I don’t mind being called Garrison.” There it was again...the urge to smile.
“Like I told Garrison, it had gotten to the point that I had to ask her bodyguard to move back while I washed her hair. And they absolutely refused to let her come on her own. But I did pass notes to Trinity and mail an occasional letter.”
“You passed notes for her?”
“Right. Isabella whispered to me that her husband was mad at one of her friend’s husband. And he was being very strict about even allowing her to talk with her friend. So she wondered if I’d mind holding a note for her. It was very secretive. She wanted to pay me to do it, but I said no. I was getting a new customer out of the deal.”
“So both Mrs. Tenoreno and Mrs. Rosco had their hair done at your shop?”
“Yes. Although, they never got to come in at the same time or the same day because of their husbands.”
Garrison moved forward so Kenderly could look at him and Oaks at the same time. “Did you know what their husbands did for a living?”
She shrugged, and he realized that her hair was just above her shoulders. He could have sworn it had been longer.
“Not at the time. I looked them up online after somebody mentioned it one day.” She tugged nervously at her skirt again. “I know they weren’t the best of men, but that didn’t have anything to do with Isabella and Trinity. After their husbands got mad at each other, they couldn’t see each other.”
“Did you ever read any of the notes or keep the address of something you mailed?”
“Of course I didn’t read them. They were private.” Kenderly looked at her lap where her hands had dropped again.
The reaction was one of embarrassment, not indignation.
“You didn’t happen to keep copies of the addresses where Mrs. Tenoreno sent letters?”
She looked up, connecting with him on a level he didn’t understand.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Their husbands were—are—frightening. I sort of wanted to...well, to have some proof in case something went wrong.”
“I could kiss you, Kenderly. This is sure to be a break we’ve been needing,” Garrison said, receiving a cross look from Oaks.
“It might help us determine why they were murdered. What are the addresses?” Oaks’s pen was poised in one hand, and he pulled his cell out of his shirt pocket with the other. “We’ll get units over there ASAP before Tenoreno discovers they exist. If we can get the original letters... Is that the video crew?”
Garrison saw the headlights pull into the driveway and stay lit. He went to get the kitchen door for the TDPS video crew and to signal them to kill the lights.
“No offense to the video crew, but have you ever seen any that are over six feet and two hundred and thirty pounds of muscle?” he threw over his shoulder. Every nerve he had jumped to alert.
Was it the same guy from the murder scene? He sure had the same build. He pulled his weapon and hit the switch closest to him.
Oaks immediately moved Kenderly into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Garrison saw the machine pistol outlined from the streetlight as the guy moved closer to the shrubbery on the far side of the drive. Garrison dove, knocking Oaks to the floor. They turned the ancient wood table to its side just before his aunt’s house began to be cut in half.
Chapter Four (#ulink_fbe23e17-576c-5fb6-9992-5baf5c3f5522)
“How many?” Oaks asked, covering his head, protecting it from the breaking glass raining on them.
“Just the one son of a bitch from Tenoreno’s estate.”
“How the hell did he find you here?”
Garrison didn’t have an answer. Kenderly didn’t have a phone on her. He had no landline, so she couldn’t have called anyone. She seemed as though she wanted to cooperate, so her betraying their position didn’t make sense. And he knew that Oaks didn’t do it.
Or did he?
“What if they believe Isabella was communicating with authorities, sir? Is that a possibility? Is another agency involved? They could have waited for a call or followed you.”
“However it happened, you’ve got to get her out of here. We’ll wait for him to reload, then move. Toss me that dish towel,” Oaks commanded. “He winged my leg, or your aunt’s gravy boat cut me.”
Garrison tossed the towel and admired the captain’s attitude. The force of the bullets ripped through the paper-thin walls of the side of the old house. Dishes shattered inside a cabinet, and the doors burst open. Thank God for the solid table his aunt had squeezed into the tiny kitchen. Though she was clearly going to kill him when she saw what was left.
“I’ll get Kenderly.”
Garrison belly-crawled to the bathroom, covering his head more often than not. Just as he passed into the short hall, the gunfire stopped. He didn’t wait for the captain to begin firing. He kicked open the door and pulled Kenderly from the tub.
“Out the front as soon as I give you the go-ahead.”
They moved. She was silent. Oaks fired through the shattered kitchen window. The assassin ceased firing a moment longer.
“Take mine,” Oaks shouted, throwing his keys to Garrison. “Phone’s busted. Call it in. I’ll keep him pinned down.”
Garrison had a split second to follow or disobey orders. The small feminine hand latched on to his biceps reminded him they had a witness to protect. That was his first duty.
Not to mention that no one normally argued with Aiden Oaks, captain or otherwise.
Moving Kenderly’s hand to his belt, he pointed at her shoes. “Take those off and run beside me. We both get on the driver’s side in the street. Take these.” He handed her the keys. “Unlock the door while I cover you. I’ll drive. You’re in the back. Unless something happens to me.”
She nodded.
“Go!” Oaks shouted and fired.
Garrison jerked open the door, searching for any accomplices. No shots this direction. They were still on the side of the house. He touched Kenderly’s hand, then they moved across the porch. He kept as wide a view as possible, turning, scanning. Then he saw the Tenoreno assassin to his left.
“Run. Hit the unlock button.”
She did, the alarm sounded, then he heard door clicks. They got to the far side of the car before shots were fired, but it was the captain out the front door firing at their pursuer.
Both men took cover in the yard. The keys were very steadily placed in his free palm, then Kenderly got inside and lay across the floor. Oaks had their backs covered. He started the engine and got out of there as fast as he could. He tossed his phone in the back.
“Dial 911.”
He turned a corner, hitting the brakes to slow the car to a below normal speed and then hearing an “ow” from Kenderly.
“What are you doing?” she asked leaning close to his shoulder. “Oh, the cops.” She could see the flashing lights heading past them and skidding around the corner. “Still want me to call?”
With no more flashing lights in sight, he sped up and headed for downtown Austin. “Not if we don’t have to. Oaks will be fine. No reason to give the cops my number.”
“What now?”
If they were being followed, more traffic would help them get lost. He drove the car as fast as he safely could.
“That’s a very good question. I can contact Oaks in a couple of hours to find out what story he spun.” And hope that he has a plan.
“Maybe they caught Isabella’s murderer.” She sounded a bit frightened.
He couldn’t see her face in the rearview mirror. He couldn’t hold her hand, needing both of his on the wheel. She might be scared. She should be, and he had to tell her straight.
“It’s more likely he’s right behind us.” Garrison searched all the mirrors again but couldn’t see anyone following. “You should put on a seat belt.”
Again with the silence, but she did as he’d suggested. Just ten minutes ago she might have been white-knuckled at his kitchen table, but she’d been talking faster than he was driving. Ready to help with a statement and volunteering new information.
Statements? Where had the video tech crew gone? They should have been there about the time the assassin showed. Another question for Oaks.
“I guess we can’t call your captain to find out what happened. Didn’t he say his phone was busted?”
“Yeah. They’ll try to take him to the hospital. Don’t know which one, though.” Oaks would be okay. He was their only shot at keeping this operation alive. They just had to hang on until he could contact them.
“Are we going to just drive around until he calls us?”
He shrugged. He hadn’t decided where to go. He didn’t know of any rangers who were a part of this undercover operation. And then there was the leak. Somehow the assassin had found them. Garrison couldn’t believe it was on his department’s side of things, but he’d been taught not to rule out any possibility until he had proof.
“I don’t think anyone’s following, but I still have no clue how that guy found us.”
He stopped at a red light and the back door opened. He was ready to yell and his hand was on the handle, but in the blink of an eye Kenderly sat next to him.
“Or how he did it so quickly? Do we still need to record my statement and open the box? Do we wait until your office can do that? Or can you use your phone?”
“We can’t wait. I should get hold of a digital recorder and do this thing right. That includes a reliable witness.”
“I have a friend who has several cameras. He’s an amateur photographer. Don’t cameras have a record button now? Will that work?”
“As long as it embeds date information, stuff like that. It’s definitely better than doing nothing. He’d have to be willing to testify that we opened the case in front of him.”
She waved him off like he was being silly. “No problem. He lives a boring life like me. I bet he’s hanging out somewhere on Sixth Street. All we have to do is hit a couple of bars with good music, and we should find him.”
“Sixth Street?” Clubbing on a Friday night on the busiest street in Austin was a fate worse than... Okay, not as bad as death. “Can’t we wait for him to go home?”
“Sure. He lives across the breezeway from me,” she said flippantly, knowing exactly what his reaction would be.
There was no way he was parking this car in Kenderly’s lot. Between Tenoreno’s men, the police and their assassin all searching for them...that wasn’t going to happen. And Kenderly knew it without him saying a word.
“Looks like we’re bar crawling.”
* * *
“I KNOW I’M going to regret this, but I am super hungry.” Kenderly hated bar food. It was greasy, normally cold and completely overpriced, but she was totally starving.
“This is the fourth place we’ve been inside. Do you think he went home?”
“Can I order something?” She hated to beg, but she was getting close to being that desperate.
“I’d rather find this guy and not hang around here too long.”
The toast at Garrison’s house had only reminded her stomach that it was empty. “Fine.” She shoved her hair away from her face.
The bar was crowded and hot. A huge neon sign flashed “Keep Austin Weird” against a mirror, making her want to shade her eyes.
It was hard to breathe at armpit level. For people who were tall, they never had a problem finding each other in a crowd. For someone just over five feet two inches, it was terrible. The last thing she needed was to become light-headed, but that’s exactly how she felt.
Shutting her eyes for a second brought the gory image of Isabella and Trinity. She covered her stomach with one hand and clutched her mouth with the other.
“Are you turning green or is it the lights from the dance floor?” Garrison tried to pry her hand away, and she stopped him. “Okay, that’s you. Bathroom is...this direction.”
Her hero excused himself with each gentle shove to part the crowd. He got her to the ladies’ room in record time, cutting straight across the dance floor. And he didn’t stop there. Making more excuses, he cut in front of everyone, then flashed his badge when he waltzed through the door with her.
“I’ve got this part on my own.” She tried to push him away before the bile rose.
“Can’t let you out of my sight. Sorry, miss. Give us five, will you?” Even though he sounded polite, he wasn’t really asking. He guided the last person out before she could use the hand dryer.
“Seriously, Garrison, I’m okay now. Let’s just leave.” She tried to open the door, and he stopped it with his toe.
“You’re still as white as a sheet, Kenderly. Dammit, why don’t they have paper towels anymore? Can you splash your face or something?”
The image in the mirror was sort of scary-looking. No makeup, seriously pale. Cooling her skin was actually a good suggestion. “Just getting away from all the people helps tremendously.”
She wet her hands and patted her cheeks, cooling her hot flesh. She took a deep breath of semiclean air. The need to throw up no longer registered, so she stood straight and faced Garrison.
“You really okay?” He placed both hands on her shoulders and searched every inch of her face. “Still think you can eat something? Will you keep it down?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m sorry we haven’t found my friend.”
There was a knock on the door. “Management. Do we have a problem?”
Garrison flattened his lips and raised his eyebrows, sort of shrugging in the process of reaching for the door handle. He flashed his badge before they got a close look, sort of gave an explanation, and they were out on the street without the help of a bouncer after a couple of minutes.
“The cool air feels great.” She twirled on the sidewalk as they headed back to their borrowed car, thankful for the crisp feeling in her lungs. “Where do we go from—”
Garrison jerked her in the opposite direction. “Stay close.”
She had no idea what was happening. But after having her life threatened twice, she completely trusted the man at her side. He’d tell her when he could. They walked at a very fast pace away from the car.
“What about Isabella’s jewelry case?”
“Oaks will have to take care of it. Right now the cops are too close for us to get back to his car.” He cursed under his breath.
She looked up and saw the red, white and blue reflections in the windows. “Can’t you explain to them who you are?”
“Not unless I want to completely blow my cover and not find the murderer.” He slowed a little after they turned a corner. “Right now we’re both wanted for questioning.”
“So the cops don’t know you’re a Texas Ranger?” Kenderly looked up and saw a fast-food restaurant. “Can I borrow five dollars?”
“Right. Sure. We’ll get something and sit in the back corner.” Garrison ushered her through the doors and stood outside checking the street for something. He backed in the door and pulled out his wallet, handing her a twenty. “Bacon cheeseburger, ketchup, no pickles and any soda.”
She placed their order and watched him at the front window looking at his phone. He was texting one minute, then talking furiously the next.
No matter what he was currently doing, Kenderly decided to follow his original instructions and sit at the back booth.
“Hey, we’re closing in fifteen minutes,” the teenager behind the counter called out. “You’ll have to leave by then.”
“No problem,” Garrison let him know.
Kenderly ate her small, dry burger and fries alone. Her hero texted, made more calls and popped outside the door another time. She had no idea if he was leaving messages or holding conversations about her future. His food sat in its bag.
The drink gathered sweat and made a ring around the bottom of the medium cup. She was mesmerized with the droplets.
It kept her from wondering what might have happened if Garrison hadn’t been there today. She would be dead. No question about it. She felt helpless. She dipped a fry in the ketchup, and a red drop hit the table. She froze. Even though she knew it was ketchup, she couldn’t eat another bite.
The clock over the front door indicated three minutes until they closed. She should quickly use the restroom before they were kicked out. She locked the door behind her and almost immediately heard Garrison yelling on the other side.
“Kenderly, are you there?”
“Give me a second, please? I promise, I can’t get away. There aren’t any windows.”
“We have to get out of here.”
“I know, they’re closing.”
“Listen to me, Kenderly. Cops are gathering outside. The kid must have called us in. Our status changed from wanted for questioning to wanted for murder. It’s scrolling on the television. Tenoreno has a bounty on our heads.”
Chapter Five (#ulink_e89bb9fc-be38-5734-9137-657df3f2ed01)
“Do you have any idea where you’re going?” Kenderly had lived in Austin most of her life, but she was getting disoriented. Garrison had turned down almost every street and doubled back and then doubled back again. She tugged him to a stop not only to get her bearings but also to catch her breath.
“I’m certain of one thing. We have to keep moving.” Garrison reached for her hand, but she took a step away from him.
“I can see that you believe you’re right. But I can’t keep this up all night.” She glanced at her watch. They’d been walking just over an hour since the burger she’d choked down. “Don’t you have a plan?”
They’d blended in with college students for a while, but were alone again on the corner of Brazos and Eighth Street. It was late enough that hardly anyone was around in this area.
The thought of being scared fleeted across her mind. She certainly had good reason to feel that way, but she didn’t. The Rangers had convinced her they were legit and wanted to protect her. It was hard to get used to having someone else make the decisions. Limited choices as she had, every path she’d taken was completely hers.
He flashed that perfect smile at her and tilted his head like he was actually curious about something. “Sweetheart—”
“Stop right there. Your wicked gorgeous smile might work on the girls you’re trying to pick up and sway back to your tiny little house.” She caught her hand shaking as she pointed in the direction they’d come from. She quickly wove her fingers together. She might be upset, but she didn’t need to show the world. Or him. “I have no choice except continue wherever you go. I know that. So you don’t need to convince me of anything.”
“Wicked gorgeous?” He winked.
She had to turn away from him. Appreciating his cavalier attitude was one thing, falling for the charm he oozed with every movement was quite another.
“Just give it to me straight. Bottom-line it.”
“I like you, Kenderly Tyler. I really do.” He sent another text and then removed the battery from his phone before sliding both back into his pocket. “Our odds aren’t very good. Truth is... I didn’t think we’d make it this far.”
“Well, that’s reassuring.” If she’d had any choices she might have turned around and run from him. But there weren’t any other choices.
She stood beside a set of stairs leading to a church. Sitting on the cold concrete she leaned back only to jolt forward. She’d forgotten that her heels were hooked into her skirt at the small of her back. It might have looked normal for a college student, but she felt silly.
“So, what now?”
For a split second the confident young smile disappeared, and the thoughtful Texas Ranger who had absentmindedly petted his dogs stood there. Maybe he was as lost as her?
“Oh my gosh! Clementine and Bear! Are they okay?”
“They were in the bedroom at the back of the house. I don’t think the bullets penetrated that far.”
“Those poor puppies. What will happen to them?”
“They have a regular dog walker. She lives across the street. But I sent a message to my buddy, Jesse, to come get them.”
Disappointed that they didn’t have a way to find out, she rubbed her bare feet and wasn’t about to complain. Captain Oaks had been shot, and that man was trying to kill Garrison because he’d helped her.
“Can he come get us, too?” she mumbled.
But he’d heard and grinned. He casually leaned against the corner of the building. Or he tried to look casual. His body was tense. His eyes darted a different direction with each tilt of his head.
“Trouble is, no one really knew that I was at Tenoreno’s place. This operation is sort of...” He shrugged.
“Off the record?”
“More like last minute and hasn’t gone through all the proper channels.”
Kenderly jumped up and ran across the street. “Great. This is just absolutely great. And so in character for my life.”
She spun around midintersection to see her escort picking up her shoes, so she continued jogging across the road.
“Kenderly,” he said sternly, running after her. “Come on. You know we have to stay together.”
“So you have any idea when this is going to end?”
“Look. You’re a smart gal. You know life isn’t going to be the same. You might want to think about relocating.”
“You aren’t serious?” His lips pressed firmly into a straight line, and she knew that he was very serious. “What am I going to do?”
Placing both hands on her shoulders, one heel dangling from each, he looked at her for a good thirty seconds. If they’d been at her apartment door... If they’d been on a date or had met at the party Isabella said she could attend...
If. If. If. If things had been different, the moment might have been full of nervous anticipation instead of emotional dread.
“One step at a time, Kenderly. Just one small step. Our first is to find someplace out of the way to hang out for a while. We’ve got to give Oaks a chance to straighten this manhunt out.”
Headlights shone on them as a car turned onto the street where they stood. Garrison ducked his head and curled her into his side. Whoever it was kept going. Loud, happy music poured from the open windows along with the laughter of the young people inside.
Why did she suddenly feel so old? She was only twenty-three, dammit.
The music faded as she watched the taillights disappear. Her fingers curled around the folds of Garrison’s T-shirt. The tears came before she could completely bury her face in the soft, dark cotton.
As hard as she tried, she just couldn’t stop them. Mournful tears for Isabella and Trinity. Frightened tears for herself. Angry tears that everything she’d worked for was gone.
She didn’t know if he was patient about it, but her Texas Ranger wrapped his arms around her and didn’t crack a joke. He didn’t try to stop her. No attempts to rush things along.
His arms gave her the illusion of being secure. It was a strange feeling, with her body relaxing while her mind raced because she was so frightened.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry again.” She tilted her head back to look up at him, expecting to see frustration or at least disappointment. There was neither.
“Ready to move out?”
She nodded. He dropped to one knee, sliding his hands down her calf and tapping on her foot.
“Oh, wow. You don’t have to do that.”
“Lift your foot. I’m down here all ready.”
Off balance, she clung to his strong shoulder and let him slip her impractical high heels back into place.
* * *
GARRISON HAD SEEN the scrapes on Kenderly’s feet. She couldn’t move fast in the ridiculous heels, but she wouldn’t be able to walk at all if she cut her foot. Putting them on was easier than her trying to accomplish it in the skirt he’d appreciated more on his bike.
What should he do?
“I need to check on Oaks.” He stood and guided his witness up the street. He recognized where they were. The capitol wasn’t too far away.
“Well, we can’t walk into the hospital. Not with our faces splashed all over the TV.”
“Right.”
“You don’t even know which one they took him to.”
“Right again.” He kept watch. Kept expecting the cops around every corner. They didn’t have time for explanations. Should he just take Kenderly to Rangers headquarters and let them straighten the mess out? Or stick with her until the captain was giving orders again?
“And I hate to be a wimp, but I’m really tired. I don’t know how much longer I can stay awake. Let alone move my legs to walk.”
“Got it.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have an emergency credit card, do you? I have one, but it’s at my apartment. I leave it there since, of course, it’s only for emergencies.”
Garrison halted and checked his back pocket. He was an idiot. All this time he’d been worried about the police tracking any transactions or his phone. He didn’t have to worry about that with his real name. Just his undercover identity.
“Don’t worry. Your time walking the streets is over.”
“If I wasn’t so relieved, I’d make you correct that street-walking phrase. But I am very grateful not to walk another step. Are we grabbing a cab?”
He wouldn’t mention aloud that he’d had his own wallet the entire time. He hadn’t had a chance to switch them after Oaks decided to send him back to Tenoreno’s.
“Are you going to call or something?” Kenderly asked, giving her skirt a habitual tug.
Her eyes looked as exhausted as she claimed. Her hair wasn’t nearly as tangled as when she’d first arrived at the house. He really liked how it was so many different colors. Every place they’d been she looked like a different woman.
There were other things he liked. Of course, being responsible for her, he couldn’t tell her how good she looked in sequins and silk. Or how the unrealistic heels made her legs look four inches longer.
His hands itched to touch the smooth skin of her thigh again...
“We should get a cheap motel room until I receive some orders. And maybe pick up some sweats for you.”
“Sweatpants? Couldn’t we just get me some jeans? But you’re not talking about right now. Or are you?” She grabbed his wrist and flipped it to see his watch. “It’s almost three in the morning.”
“Okay. Got it.” He partly listened, partly searched for their enemy and tried to keep thinking about their options. Nothing seemed to be going their way. Not even a cab. “Where can we catch a ride?”
“Oh, good grief. We need to head back to Congress Street.” She laced her fingers through his. “Just so you know. I’m not really a sweatpants type of girl.”
Holding hands was standard practice. Along with dragging him across the street, heading west again. She leaned into his arm, using his body to steady the fast pace. He was proud of her for hanging in there so well. He almost opened his mouth to tell her but thought again. It somehow felt intimate to tell her.
Shoot. He needed sleep himself if he was having this type of debate in his head. More importantly, he should be making plans. Deciding where they could stay, someplace a manager wouldn’t call the police.
“Would calling the police be so bad?”
“Huh? How did you know...?”
“You were mumbling. So, would it? Would calling them be so bad?”
“It would ruin our chances of catching Tenoreno.”
“Well, then we’re definitely not going to the police. I want that horrid man to spend the rest of his days rotting in jail. Even if he didn’t pull the trigger, he was responsible.”
Garrison felt Kenderly’s determination through her fingers squeezing his biceps. Yep, he liked her. He felt himself smiling without anyone looking.
Nice. Wait. Not nice. She’s my witness.
They spotted the cab at the same time. Their hands separated, and Kenderly’s earsplitting whistle got the cabbie’s attention.
“Evening.”
“Hi,” Kenderly responded to the driver, then looked at Garrison. “Where to?”
“I...um... I’m not sure.”
The driver tapped his finger against the steering wheel, flipped the meter on, then tapped again. At least he wasn’t listening to local news. Their descriptions were accurate enough, and the burger shop probably let the police know what they were wearing. At least, if Garrison was the cop assigned to their case, he would have gotten a description.
“Hey, buddy, I need to get going. So where to?”
“Take us south on I-35.”
“Got a particular place in mind?” the cabbie asked.
“I can’t remember the name, but I’ll tell you when I see it.”
“Sure,” the driver said.
“You have no clue where, do you?” Kenderly whispered.
He crossed his fingers and showed them to her. She covered her mouth, but he heard the giggle.
Fifteen minutes later, there was no laughter. He checked them into a semisleazy motel. Sheets in hand, he unlocked the door facing the highway and wished he hadn’t flipped on the light. It wasn’t the worst place he’d stayed in, but it was far from the best.
A long sigh escaped from Kenderly next to him. “At least they didn’t assume we needed it by the hour.”
Chapter Six (#ulink_48ef5b67-5313-5458-b67a-7441eeea9156)
“Coffee.”
Garrison smelled his favorite morning aroma before he pulled his nose from the pillow. He raised his head, squinting as the light bounced from the metal part of a car parked in front of their room.
“Good morning.” Kenderly carefully crossed her legs while sitting in the one chair in the corner of the room.
“Where’d you get a grande?” At least that’s what he hoped he asked. He wasn’t really sure his mouth was working at the same rate as his brain. He sprang up. “What the hell, Kenderly? You went out for coffee?”
“Well, I was desperate for food. The coffee came with.”
“You’re missing the point. You left this room on your own? What if you’d been seen? Our pictures are probably everywhere this morning.”
Didn’t say a whole lot for his skills if a hairdresser left and returned without him waking up. He might just have to leave that out of the final report.
“Well, first, I was really hungry and thought you would be, too.” She pointed toward a plastic bag and a Styrofoam cup. “And second, I was very careful. I avoided cameras and wore your T-shirt.”
“I can see that.” She looked good in his clothes. Or partially in his clothes. She still had the dressy short skirt.
He stretched his arms above his head, tracking Kenderly’s reaction. She sipped the hot drink a little too quickly, swallowing extra hard as she watched him.
“Breakfast doesn’t make up for you leaving on your own.”
“It was probably safer since they’re looking for a man and woman traveling together. Of course, they think we’re long gone from Austin and haven’t connected us to the shoot-out at your house.” She pushed the paper—neatly sitting under his breakfast—across the small, rickety nightstand. “At least according to the Austonian, which covered both stories.”
“Still...”
“You were out. I really did try to wake you. I mean, just trying to get off that bed. It rocks more than my grandma’s rocker.”
They laughed. And she sipped again. Coffee was coffee, and he needed his morning ration. Just as he reached for the cup, his stomach growled loud enough to be heard through the thin walls.
“Goodness. I’m glad I got you the deluxe breakfast.”
“I thank you for that.” He pulled a biscuit off the plate and shook it at Kenderly. “But don’t leave my side again until you’re told. I can’t protect you if you aren’t there.”
“Any idea how long that will be? And for the record, you could have asked politely instead of commanding.”
“Do you think the person trying to kill you will ask politely?” He tried to shock some sense into her, but had a feeling that commanding Kenderly to do anything was going to be a challenge.
“You have a point.”
“Of course I have a point. This isn’t a game.” He scooped his cell and the battery from the top of the television—for which they’d been charged extra to have in the room. He admired Kenderly’s shapely legs while waiting for it to boot up. Then he forced his eyes to scan the phone. “There’s plenty of reception here, but nothing from Oaks. At least Jesse has my dogs.”
“That’s such a relief. I assume they’re okay?”
“He didn’t say otherwise.” Just as a precautionary measure, he removed the battery and shoved both into his pocket. He dove into the take-out breakfast, inhaling the scrambled eggs in two bites. “I am thanking you for this because I was hungry. Just don’t do it again, okay?”
“I promise. But I really did try to wake you up.”
“That I’ll never believe. You were up early. Did you manage to get any sleep?”
“Me? Sure. I was snug all wrapped up in the clean sheets you rented from the manager.”
“Did I snore?” He shoveled in the last bite and dropped his back to the bedspread, taking a deep breath.
“Not really.” She twisted her finger in the hem of his shirt. “I suppose you need this back.”
“It’ll probably be easier to get into a store. You know, no shirt, no service. That sort of thing.” He sat and reached for his boots.
“Isn’t that risky? I mean, you were worried about me getting coffee. Won’t stores have security cameras? Where will we go after that?”
“We’ll avoid showing our faces. But if we want to stay put somewhere, we’ll need supplies. Food, clothes—”
“A toothbrush,” she added.
They needed practical items to hide out. Kenderly would need things no matter who babysat her. If he was going to finish his assignment, he’d still need a way to defend himself...and a toothbrush wouldn’t hurt.
“You also need out of those four-inch monsters. How were you cutting hair like that? I don’t see how any woman walks around on stilts.”
“Isabella hired me to fix their hair, not cut it. I did that Wednesday. And I told you this, she said I could come to the party afterward. But I was just going to sit by the wall and watch. Maybe have a glass of champagne, try some of the food.” She shrugged her shoulders that were swallowed by his T-shirt.
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