The Colton Sheriff

by Addison Fox

  “Don’t you believe your brother would do the same if he wins in November?”

  “Barton is too stupid to know any better.”

  Trey had figured as much but now wasn’t the time to get into it. “He’s running for the job. He should be prepared for it.”

  Another snort echoed through the early-morning hour. The faintest twinges of light had begun in the east, adding to the purple color that filled the air. And still, the man held Daria in a solid grip, his hold unwavering.

  “Why did you come here? Did you kill Wendy Sinclair?”

  “I’m not telling you anything.”

  “So you’re the Avalanche Killer?” Daria asked.

  “Hell, no! I didn’t kill those women and I certainly haven’t been at it for a decade.”

  Trey heard the vague slip—and the possible indicators that the man did kill Wendy Sinclair—but he didn’t want to agitate him. “Then let the deputy go and we’ll talk about it. You can tell us what you do know so we can cross you off the list.”

  “I’m not stupid, Colton!” Evigan screamed, the suggestion to turn himself in going no better than Trey’s first attempt.

  Which meant they were at a standoff and each moment they stood still, the more risk there was to Daria that Trace would shift into rasher behavior. Desperate men did desperate things.

  “Come on, Evigan.” Daria pushed and probed, her voice harsher than he usually heard. “You can tell us. It’s not like any of us are going anywhere anytime soon. How’d you do it? Lure your victims in. And then how’d you find that place on the side of the mountain to put them all?”

  Trace’s eyes grew large, the taunting clearly getting to him. It was just the break she was obviously waiting for, and the moment the man’s arm trembled, Daria made her move.

  With a high-pitched scream, she shoved her arms skyward, fully dislodging him even as she dropped down, out of his grip. Evigan caught on quick—faster than Trey would have expected—and was already aiming his weapon at Daria as she crawled over the grass to get away.

  The backup waiting in the woods moved in, but Trey was already in motion, the kickback of his weapon registering as Trace’s form fell to the ground.

  It was over in moments, the echo of his weapon still flooding his senses as Trey took in the downed form of Trace Evigan. His deputies moved in and Trey followed close behind, determined to see this through.

  Determined to be the leader they all deserved.

  Trey knelt to the ground, searching for a pulse. It was only when he found none that he sat back on his heels. Although the sound of gunfire still rumbled in his ears, turning the morning air quiet, Trey felt the first stirrings of relief.

  They hadn’t caught the Avalanche Killer. He’d bet nearly anything on it. But they had caught the man who targeted and killed Wendy Sinclair. With careful police work he knew they’d finalize that case, connecting each and every dot between Trace Evigan and the young tourist.

  For now, it would have to be enough.

  * * *

  Aisha found him like that, kneeling beside the body of Trace Evigan. She wanted to race toward him, but Trey’s deputies stood in a protective circle around him, blocking her way.

  So she gave it a minute, letting it all sink in. And allowing the fresh morning breeze to blow the last vestiges of doubt from her mind.

  They belonged together.

  Everyone they knew had seen it but the two of them, and it was high time she and Trey caught up.

  Daria finally saw her there beyond the edge of the circle, and beckoned her forward. At the same time, she laid a hand on Trey’s shoulder, urging him up.

  He turned, holstering his weapon as he did, and Aisha knew she’d chosen wisely. The able protector, determined to do right by all.

  It was time she did right by him.

  Unwilling to get too close to the scene, she waited for Trey to come to her. A million thoughts of all she wanted to say flooded her mind, but the moment he was close enough to touch, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

  There would be words later. Apologies, too. But for now it was the two of them.

  “I love you, Trey. I’m sorry it had to come to this for me to say it. And I’m sorry I left last night with so many things lingering between us.”

  “I love you, too.” He pressed his lips to hers in a hard kiss before pulling back. “I want to make a life with you. For real. Nothing fake or pretend or for show. I want it for us.”

  “I want that, too.”

  “When can we start planning it?” His eyes clouded and he glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to have to take some mandatory leave after this morning. Protocol.”

  “That will give us time to plan.” It would also give her time to keep an eye on him, making sure the emotional aftermath of killing Evigan could be managed and dealt with. “Oh, and help with the emus.”

  “What emus?”

  “The ones your sister and Rylan are welcoming at the ranch. They told us about them, but you were grumpy and not paying attention.”

  “That doesn’t sound very relaxing.”

  “I’ve known you since you were eight. I’ve never seen you relax.”

  “You’re right.” He smiled and pressed his lips to hers once more. Despite the pall that hung over the clearing, there was joy.

  So much joy.

  And emus.

  Epilogue

  It had all gone according to plan. A few well-placed phone calls and every idiot member of this little play fell into line. That moron Evigan had been a boon but hey, he knew how to take advantage of an opportunity when it presented itself.

  And Evigan had qualified in spades.

  How could it be that easy? Even as he asked himself the question, he knew the answer.

  The Coltons had no idea what lived and breathed, right there in their midst, just beneath their collective noses. They’d spent their precious little lives living in a bubble of luxury and pride and greed and it was all going to come crashing down.

  Every brick in The Chateau. Every tree at The Lodge. Every single portion of The Colton Empire was going down.

  He’d already laid the groundwork.

  All that was left was to pull the trigger.

  * * *

  Don’t miss the previous volumes in the

  Coltons of Roaring Springs miniseries:

  Colton Cowboy Standoff by Marie Ferrarella

  Colton Under Fire by Cindy Dees

  Colton’s Convenient Bride by Jennifer Morey

  Colton’s Secret Bodyguard by Jane Godman

  A Colton Target by Beverly Long

  Colton’s Mistaken Identity by Geri Krotow

  Colton’s Covert Baby by Lara Lacombe

  Available now from

  Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

  And don’t miss the next

  Coltons of Roaring Springs story,

  Colton on the Run by Anna J. Stewart,

  coming in September 2019!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Colton 911: Baby’s Bodyguard by Lisa Childs.

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  Colton 911: Baby’s Bodyguard

  by Lisa Childs

  Chapter 1

  Her eyes were wide with fear and death. She stared up at him as if appealing to him for help. She wasn’t the only one.

  “Come on, Forrest,” his brother Donovan implored him. “Whisperwood PD needs your expertise.”

  Forrest gestured at the body lying amid the piles of dirt where Lone Star Pharma had intended to expand its parking lot. The drug company had had to put its plans on hold once the asphalt crew had dug up the body. “This isn’t a cold case.”

  She couldn’t have been buried that long; the body had barely begun decomp. Not that he was that close to the scene, which the techs were still processing. He’d wanted to stay out of the way, but his brothers had urged him closer.

  “This isn’t the only body that turned up recently,” Jonah, the oldest of his brothers, chimed in on the conversation. He and Donovan had picked up Forrest from their parents’ ranch and brought him out here. Now he understood why. They were trying to get him involved in the investigation.

  They stared at him now. And even though Donovan wasn’t biologically their brother, he looked more like Jonah than any of their biological brothers did. They were both dark haired and dark eyed, whereas Forrest’s hair was lighter brown and longer than their buzz cuts, and his eyes were hazel.

  “Unfortunately she isn’t the only recent casualty,” Forrest agreed.

  A dozen people had lost their lives due to the flooding and wind damage Hurricane Brooke had wreaked on Whisperwood, Texas. Despite being early in the season, the storm had been deadly.

  “That’s why we’re here—to help out because of the natural disaster,” he reminded his brothers. They were part of the Cowboy Heroes, a horseback rescue organization formed years ago by ranchers and EMTs. Forrest had volunteered to help the Heroes’ search-and-recovery efforts—not the police department. “And this isn’t a natural disaster.”

  Though this person might have been one of the people reported missing since the hurricane, the storm hadn’t caused her death. From what Forrest could see in the lights that the Whisperwood PD’s forensic unit had set up to illuminate the crime scene, the young woman had bruising around her neck and on her arms and legs. She hadn’t drowned or been struck by a fallen tree.

  She’d probably been strangled and maybe worse.

  A chill raced down his spine despite the warmth of the August night. The death had happened recently.

  “This is murder,” Jonah said. He must have noticed what Forrest had. “Just like the body that Maggie and I found last month.” He shuddered now. “And that one definitely falls within your area of expertise.”

  Forrest shook his head. “Not anymore.”

  A shooting had forced his early retirement from the Austin Police Department’s cold-case unit. That shooting and the pins that held together the shattered bones in his leg were why he’d had to retire with disability and why, as a volunteer with the Cowboy Heroes, he was consigned to a desk, operating the telephones. He took the calls about what people were missing: loved ones and livestock. But he’d rather be out in the field with his brothers, actually searching for those missing people and animals. Hell, he’d rather be back on the job. And they knew him so damn well that they were aware of that.

  Jonah lowered his voice to a gruff whisper and murmured, “Not because you don’t want to.”

  Sure, he would love to go back to the job, but there was no way in hell that he could pass a physical now. Not with his leg.

  As if he’d read Forrest’s mind, Jonah continued, “But you can now. The chief will give you a special dispensation to help out as an interim detective.”

  The “special dispensation” pricked his pride, and he clenched his jaw. “I don’t need you all doing me any favors.”

  “You’d be doing me the favor,” Donovan said. “I was just about to leave on my honeymoon when this call came into the department.” Donovan helped out only part-time with the Cowboy Heroes; he was a full-time K9 cop with Whisperwood PD.

  “It’s a mini honeymoon,” Forrest reminded him. “You’re not going to be gone long.”

  “But even when we get back, I’m going to be distracted,” Donovan claimed. “Bellamy’s pregnant.”

  Jonah chortled and slapped their brother’s back. “That’s great! That’s wonderful news.”

  And with everything that had happened since the hurricane, good news was more than welcome.

  “Congratulations,” Forrest said, and he reached out and squeezed his brother’s shoulder. Donovan and Bellamy so deserved their happiness. They’d been through so much recently.

  “Thanks,” Donovan said with a big grin. But then he glanced down at the body and shook his head. “She deserves someone’s full attention, and the police department and the chief are just stretched too damn thin right now, dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane.”

  And the other dead body.

  The chief’s sister. Had someone else really murdered her? Or was serial killer Elliot Corgan messing with everyone from beyond his grave?

  Forrest wouldn’t put it past the sadistic son of a bitch. When he’d been on the job, he’d dealt with quite a few serial killers. They got nearly as much enjoyment playing mind games with law enforcement as they did killing.

  He glanced down at the dead girl. At least one thing was for certain: Elliot hadn’t killed her. He wouldn’t have been able to manage that from beyond the grave. Unless...

  “You’re already on the case,” Jonah said with a slight smile. “I can see your wheels turning.”

  Forrest glared at his big brother, but he didn’t deny it. Too many thoughts flitted through his mind. Was she one of the people presumed missing because of Hurricane Brooke? Had someone taken advantage of the storm to murder her, thinking that law enforcement would assume she’d been lost in the flooding that had followed the storm?

  Chief Thompson had been moving around the crime scene, talking to the techs and officers guarding the perimeter. Ignoring the reporters who shouted questions at him from the other side of the police tape, Whisperwood PD’s top cop walked toward Forrest and his brothers. Thompson had been doing this job for a long time, and his experience showed in the lines in his face and the way his shoulders sagged when he looked down at the body. He shook his head and sighed, and his Stetson slipped lower over his face.

  Forrest had realized some years into his career that it would never get any easier to see someone dead, especially murdered, and the chief just proved that to him. He let his own hat slide down to shield his face.

  Thompson turned away from the body to focus on Forrest now, his blue eyes sharp with intelligence and determination. “So, you going to do it? You going to take the job?”

  His brothers stared at him, nodding and smiling to encourage his acceptance. They probably figured this would be good for him, would get him back doing the job he loved. But when he’d been shot, the job hadn’t been the only thing he’d lost that he loved.

  That experience had taught him never to risk his heart again. So the job was all he had—even if it was just a short-term assignment.

  He nodded. “Yes, I’ll take it.”

  Not for his sake, though,
like his brothers obviously wanted. But for hers.

  He stared down at the dead woman, determined to make sure she got the justice she deserved and that the killer would not hurt anyone else.

  * * *

  “He’s so cute,” Bellamy cooed as she cradled the baby against her chest and kissed the top of his head. He’d been born with a full head of soft brown hair, the same chocolaty color as his mama’s. He also had her big brown eyes.

  Rae’s heart swelled with maternal pride. “Yes, he is,” she said just as a yawn slipped out. He’d also been keeping her up nights with a bout of colic, and Bellamy’s bed was so comfy, Rae was tempted to take a nap right there amid the pile of clothes and the suitcase.

  “Hey, you need to finish packing,” Maggie told her sister as she pried the baby from Bellamy’s arms. “You’re supposed to be leaving for your honeymoon.”

  “I will,” Bellamy said. “As soon as Donovan gets back from the crime scene.”

  Rae shuddered. “So another body’s been found?” Twelve people had died in the hurricane, but she’d thought all of the missing had been accounted for—thanks to the Cowboy Heroes’ rescue-and-recovery efforts.

  Maggie had been one of the missing. Fortunately she had been found alive. Jonah Colton hadn’t just rescued her, though; he’d also fallen in love with the former beauty queen. A pang of wistfulness tugged at Rae’s heart, not that she wanted anyone falling in love with her.

  She was too busy with her two-month-old son and her law-school classes and her new job as a paralegal to fit a man into her life right now. Or ever.

  Connor was the only man for her. She smiled as he clutched his fingers around a lock of Maggie’s pretty blond hair. Like every other male in Whisperwood, he was drawn to the former beauty queen.

  Rae might have been jealous if Maggie wasn’t as beautiful inside as she was on the outside. She twisted her pretty features into comical faces as she cooed at the fascinated baby. Then she glanced up at Rae and a frown pulled down the corners of her mouth. “From what the chief told Jonah, it sounds like the death had nothing to do with the hurricane.”