Runaway Colton

by Karen Whiddon

  Cord had a place to go after high school. Sam had not only given him a job, but a lifelong career.

  Cord had gotten licensed and found his true vocation. He’d enjoyed going to work every single day. The business Sam had built, a respected fugitive recovery agency as well as private investigation firm, was an operation that not only operated within the law, but had an 89 percent success rate, something that placed them in the top tier of their industry.

  The two men had formed a team. Cord had considered Sam a friend as well as his boss.

  Sam had passed away a couple years ago from lung cancer, shortly before Renee had arrived. It had been a quick death, two weeks after he’d been diagnosed.

  Somehow Cord kept the business running and had been there, helping his friend as much as he was able. The day Sam died, Cord had closed S.A. Enterprises and gone fishing, since he’d promised Sam he would. Well, more beer drinking than fishing, though he’d kept a pole in the water. He’d mourned Sam out at the lake, saluted him and the moon with a beer can, and returned to work the next day sober, sad and hungover.

  Sam left everything to Cord. Cord had been honored, realizing he’d had mighty big boots to fill.

  Thinking of his old friend brought back the sense of loss. He had to wonder, what would Sam think if he could see him now?

  While Sam would never have suspected Cord would let the finances get this bad, Cord knew the old man would have understood Cord’s need to find the runaway teen. Both men knew firsthand the kind of evil that walked in the world.

  Still, if he didn’t want to lose the business Sam had spent years building, Cord needed to figure out a way to keep it running while he searched for his niece.

  Sighing, he leafed through his notebook and reviewed all the places Renee wasn’t. He always kept meticulous notes.

  The names and phone numbers of the jobs he’d turned away were in a manila folder on the corner of his desk. He couldn’t say how many times he’d eyed the damn thing and thought about opening it. Maybe one or two of them might still need his services. Though he’d bet they’d all hired somebody else. The problem was, he needed a fairly quick and simple job that wouldn’t interfere with his search for Renee.

  He grabbed a can of diet cola from the mini-fridge and popped the top. Taking a long swig, he knew he’d better get out of the office and take another shot at locating Renee. He’d broaden his horizons this time. Since he’d already checked all over town, he’d head toward Dallas. Since Dallas was a big city, the sheer size and number of suburbs would complicate things. He figured he’d search suburb by suburb first, hoping Renee had found a waitressing job in one of the smaller communities.

  The front door opened, hinges squeaking. Though Sam had always kept them oiled with WD-40, Cord had stopped after Sam died. He actually liked the sound. He figured it let him know when someone entered or left the office.

  A well-dressed man stepped inside. His business suit looked custom-made and expensive, just like the ostrich skin cowboy boots he wore on his feet.

  “Cord Maxwell?” the man asked, glancing around the sparsely furnished room. “I’m—”

  “I know who you are.” Cord got to his feet, taking one more swing of his Coke before placing it on his desk. “Fowler Colton, CEO of Colton Incorporated and Eldridge Colton’s oldest son.”

  Fowler nodded, no doubt accustomed to being recognized. He took another step closer, his carefully blank expression revealing both nothing and too much. “I’d like to hire your services.”

  Surprised, especially since someone with Fowler’s money could hire a top-notch firm from a bigger city like Dallas or Fort Worth, Cord waited to hear the rest. It’d probably be the kind of job no one else would want to do.

  Fowler cleared his throat. “Before I tell you what—who—I need you to find, I’ll require your promise to keep this confidential.”

  “That goes without saying.” Crossing his arms, Cord realized the other man didn’t remember him at all, despite the years he spent on the ranch when his father had been a ranch hand. Of course not, since even when he’d been younger, Fowler had always given the impression that he paid no attention to those he considered beneath him. And poor children of ranch hands, such as Cord, definitely fell into that category.

  “I need you to find Piper.” For the first time since he’d shown up, raw emotion flashed across Fowler’s aristocratic features. Guilt, Cord realized, as his gut twisted. What the hell did Fowler have to feel guilty about?

  And then Fowler’s words hit him. Find Piper?

  “I heard she was arrested in connection with Eldridge’s murder.” Cord kept his tone casual, even though the instant he’d heard the news he’d known something was horribly wrong. The Piper he’d known as a kid wouldn’t even hurt a fly. No way he believed she could have actually killed another human being, especially not her adoptive father. He couldn’t think she would have changed so drastically, even though it had been years since he’d seen her.

  “Yes. She had to spend the night in the county jail. Some of our siblings got together and posted bail and brought her home.”

  So far so good. Even though he’d said “some of our siblings,” which meant Fowler himself hadn’t been involved. Though he wondered why, Cord couldn’t really say he was surprised. Fowler had never been big on family loyalty. Hell, as far as Cord could tell, the other man didn’t have a single loyal bone in his body.

  “Marceline and I were pretty rough on her,” Fowler continued, his thin lips twisting. “We sort of barraged her.”

  “About what?”

  Now Fowler wouldn’t meet Cord’s gaze. “We told her we were convinced she’s guilty.”

  Now this was getting interesting. “Are you?”

  “Convinced she’s guilty?” Fowler lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. “I don’t know. I mean, she could be. But then again, Eldridge didn’t have a lot of friends.”

  Like father, like son.

  “I feel horrible,” Fowler continued, though the lack of inflection in his tone made Cord question whether he meant it. “Marceline can be brutal when she fixates on something. She showed no mercy. Piper appeared pretty upset. She usually looks on the bright side of everything, but not this time. I think we’re the reason she ran.”

  Ran? “What?” Cord couldn’t contain his shock. “Are you telling me Piper jumped bail?” Which meant her siblings would be out serious money if she didn’t show up in court.

  Fowler nodded, grimacing. “Yes. No one’s seen hide nor hair of her since she got home from jail.”

  “Since she got out of jail.” While Cord hated parroting back what the other man said, he simply could not take all this in. He never would have believed Piper Colton, rich, all-American girl next door, would in a million years do something like this.

  Except she had. At least, according to Fowler.

  “Okay.” Wary now, Cord dragged his hand through his hair. “Why are you here, Fowler? If you’re asking me to find Piper—”

  “I am. You are a fugitive recovery agent, aren’t you? I’ve done my research. Not only are you highly respected in the criminal court community, but your success rate is 89 percent. And I’m willing to pay well.”

  Of course he was. Since it just so happened that Cord really needed the money. “Our standard fees are—”

  Again Fowler cut him off. “That doesn’t matter. I’m willing to give you double what you usually charge.”

  “How much was her bail?”

  Fowler recoiled, peering at Cord down the length of his impressive nose. “I fail to see how that concerns you.”

  “Seriously?” Somehow, Cord kept from snorting. “If you did your research as you claim, you’d know my fee is 10 percent of the bail.”

  “Her bail was set at fifty thousand.”

  “Which means you’ll pay me five thousand. Up front.”

  “No.” Fowler shook his head. “Like I said, I’m willing to double that.”

  Though Cord knew he shoul
d keep his mouth shut, he didn’t. Fowler wasn’t the type to throw away money. “Why?”

  “This is a delicate matter. Piper may be a fugitive and I don’t really know if she’s guilty or innocent, but she’s a Colton. No matter what. This matter must be kept quiet.” Fowler cleared his throat and lifted his chin.

  Suddenly, even though he had past-due bills to pay, Cord didn’t want to get involved. When he’d been a kid on the ranch, Piper had always been kind to him, even though he’d grown up shabby. “Look,” he told the other man. “My niece is missing. She ran away a few weeks ago, right after she turned eighteen. I’m sorry, but my first priority is finding her. I don’t have time to hunt down Piper.”

  “I’ll offer you triple.”

  Fifteen thousand dollars. Nothing to sneeze at, but since most of the fugitives Cord searched for had bails set at one hundred thousand, he regularly made ten grand a case. This still wasn’t enough to divert Cord’s attention from locating Renee. He wasn’t sure any amount would be enough.

  After all, it was his fault she’d taken off. He’d done a piss-poor job of looking after her when she’d come to live with him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t,” Cord began.

  “Fine.” The snap in Fowler’s cultured voice warred with the grudging respect in his eyes. “You drive a hard bargain. Thirty thousand dollars. Cash. Up front.”

  Damn. No one paid up front. Usually, the fee was paid only once the fugitive had been apprehended.

  Though Cord wasn’t sure if Fowler was playing games, he knew he had no choice. Plus, while he was searching for Piper, he could continue the hunt to find his niece, which had turned out to be more difficult than he’d anticipated. Renee had no money and nowhere to go, yet he couldn’t seem to locate even a hint of her whereabouts. “I accept,” he said, before the other man could change his mind. “I’ll locate Piper. What do you want me to do with her once I find her?”

  “Bring her home immediately, of course. Everyone is really worried about her. We’re all willing to help in whatever way we can. Let her know I’m willing to pay all her legal fees.”

  While Fowler’s tone sounded earnest, something just felt off.

  None of his business. “I don’t want the entire amount before I do anything. You can pay 10 percent up front,” Cord said.

  Though Fowler’s derisive expression said he thought Cord was an idiot, he nodded. “Agreed.”

  After the two men shook hands, Fowler pulled a thick wad of money out of his suit pocket. While Cord was processing this, Fowler peeled off thirty one-hundred dollar bills and handed them over.

  Though he knew to do so would be goading the other man, Cord couldn’t help himself. Slowly, methodically, he began counting the bills out loud. “And three thousand,” he finished, pinning Fowler with his gaze. “The balance is payable immediately once I locate her.”

  “How long will this take?” Fowler didn’t bother to keep the impatience out of his voice. “Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks. I’d like to have the entire family at the table.”

  “When’s the court date?” Cord countered. “She’ll be back well in advance of when she’s supposed to appear in court.”

  At the question, the uptight businessman actually appeared uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and tugging at the collar of his starched white shirt. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “But I will find out and get back to you.”

  “Sounds good.” Ready for Fowler to leave, Cord headed for the door. He turned the knob and pulled it open. “Thanks for coming. Once you get me that court date, I’ll give you weekly updates on the search.”

  Fowler frowned. He didn’t move. “Weekly? I’d prefer daily.”

  “Not possible. I can’t spare that kind of time. It would take away from the actual searching. I’ll call you once a week, more if I have news.”

  “Fine.” Fowler stalked to the door. “And remember, keep this quiet. No one needs to know about this, no one but the two of us.”

  Chapter 2

  It took a lot of effort—head up, shoulders back, carefree smile—but Piper Colton figured she looked pretty damn confident, the way a Colton should. Not at all like she felt inside, all shaky and nervous, her heart pounding as loud as a runaway colt’s hooves. Usually, she’d learned if she pretended self-assurance, she felt that way, too. What had once been a coping mechanism had become a way of life.

  So what if she was often accused of wearing rose-colored glasses? She figured seeing the good in the world was much better than constantly looking for gloom and doom.

  Except now. Getting arrested—finding out when they placed the handcuffs on her wrists that this wasn’t some kind of prank her brother T.C. had cooked up for her—had given her resilience a severe beating. So much so that she scarcely recognized herself. And now she found herself back to pretending to be the person she’d believed she’d become.

  And soon she’d be a criminal for real. Ack. If she had a choice, she’d rather be doing almost anything than this—emptying her savings account so she could stay untraceable while on the run. On the lam. Usually, a turn of phrase could make her chuckle. Not today.

  Approaching the bank counter, she summed up a smile for Colin Jameson, who’d recently graduated from high school and landed a job as a teller. He blushed when she smiled at him, but handled the transaction without a lot of questions, which was exactly what she wanted. If she’d gotten Mrs. Bell, the older teller would have peppered Piper with questions.

  Accepting the white envelope containing her hard earned cash, Piper tucked it in her purse and turned to go.

  To her relief and surprise she made it to her car without anyone stopping her. Once inside, she locked the door and took deep breaths, trying to stop shaking. She didn’t know why she felt so guilty. It wasn’t like she was robbing the bank or something.

  Starting the car, she carefully backed out of the parking space, waving at Mr. Gumpert as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Carefully keeping to the speed limit, she drove toward Dallas, even though she had no intention of staying there. At least not yet.

  Only once she left the town limits behind did her heart rate slow. Though she knew she needed to make a strategy, truthfully she hadn’t thought much beyond getting every penny of her cash. Now with that accomplished, she needed to deal with making some sort of practical plan. Starting with where to go.

  Hiding in plain sight would be great, but not so much in a smallish town where her entire family was well-known. Since she wanted to try and find out who’d really killed Eldridge, she had to stay close. Not Dallas, since the hustle and bustle and huge size of the place made her nervous—once a country girl, always a country girl—but maybe one of the closer suburbs, near enough that running into the city wouldn’t be a big deal, but far enough that she could go unnoticed.

  Since Eldridge had operated mostly from downtown Dallas, she knew she’d have to start her investigation there.

  Especially since the sheriff’s office hadn’t done much of a job investigating. Once they’d made up their minds Piper was the killer, they’d stopped looking for anyone else.

  She still couldn’t figure out what she’d done that had made her a suspect. In fact, when the two deputies had shown up to arrest her, at first she’d believed someone was playing a joke on her. The cold bite of the steel handcuffs had made her realize otherwise.

  Still, trying to wrap her mind around her circumstances made her feel ill. Someone, somewhere, truly believed her capable of murdering the only man who’d been a father to her.

  As far as she knew, her court date hadn’t been set yet. She had until then to come up with the real killer or she’d need to have a better alibi than the truth if she wanted to stay out of prison for a crime she hadn’t committed. Though truthfully, the idea of fleeing to Mexico was tempting, there was no way she was leaving T.C., Reid and Alanna on the hook for the $50,000 bail they’d posted for her. They’d lose all of that if she didn’t show up in court. No mat
ter what, she knew she couldn’t do that to them. They’d believed in her and helped her when she needed it the most. She’d never forget that. Somehow, someday, she’d pay them back.

  Pulling into a fast-food restaurant on the outskirts of town, she parked. Before she did anything else, she needed to have time to gather her thoughts. Though she’d been saving for close to a year to start her own business, she hated to blow through her savings if she didn’t have to. She refused to let go of the hope she might still open her Piper’s Funky Furniture store one day. Her hobby of fixing up and painting old junked-out furniture bright colors had taken off. Friends, and then friends of those friends, had purchased pieces from her online store. Enough of them to make her realize she needed to have a brick-and-mortar shop of her own. She’d actually saved enough to get started and had begun making plans to find a spot to rent after the holidays. She’d even accumulated some inventory—a couple of chests of drawers and a lovely china cabinet that she’d painted turquoise.

  Now all of that would be put on hold. Hopefully, not permanently.

  First things first. As a member of the Colton family, she was often recognized. She’d need a disguise, like a new haircut and color, maybe a pair of oversize eyeglasses.

  And then she’d need a place to stay. Her best bet would be to find a cabin for rent, one of those summer places where prices would be slashed since it was off-season. She thought she’d head toward Lake Whitney, after checking on her phone and learning of just such a place.

  Item number one. Alter her appearance. And no going about it halfway. She’d seen a trendy little salon outside of Terrell. Fingering her long, silky locks, she grinned. She’d always wondered what it would be like to have super short hair. Looked like she was about to find out.

  Once she’d been seated in the stylist’s chair, Piper gave the young woman instructions to give her an edgy cut that would be easy to maintain. She also requested hot-pink tips, though she asked to keep her pale blond hair color.