Plain Target

by Dana R. Lynn

  “You two stay here.”

  Dan didn’t wait around for their response. He stepped out of the car and went to meet with Jackson. Together, the two men went to check out the situation.

  Looping his arms around Jess, Seth felt her tremble. Lowering his head, he placed his cheek on her hair.

  “When will this end?” she moaned into his shoulder.

  He had no answer. All he could do was hold her.

  FOURTEEN

  An hour later, she was able to enter her house. Lieutenant Willis—Dan, as he’d told her to call him—met her at the door. The compassion in his gaze almost did her in. Without thought, she stepped back so she was touching Seth, her arm to his. Just the warmth of him through her shirt steadied her. Gulping in a deep breath, she let it out slowly.

  “Miss McGrath, I’m afraid your home was invaded while you were gone. It’s difficult to say when it happened. There’s been some damage. I will need you to take inventory of anything that might be missing.”

  Some damage? She walked through her house like a zombie, paying the cops no mind as she surveyed her ransacked home. Icy fingers played up and down her spine. Her legs trembled. She had stopped even trying to control the tears of anger and pain that slipped down her face and dribbled onto her shirt.

  Every nerve ending was frayed.

  Seth kept near her side, silent. For that she was grateful. She didn’t think she could handle conversation at the moment. One thing she was really beginning to treasure about having Seth as a friend...he seemed to have a second sense about her, telling him what she needed at any particular moment. Not in a weird way. Just that he always seemed sensitive to her thoughts and feelings. No other man in her life had ever understood her so well. Not her father. Not Cody. No one.

  “I don’t see anything missing,” she concluded after an hour. Slowly, she rotated in the center of her home office. The room that had taken the worst damage. Seth, Jackson and Dan all stood near the wall, watching her. They stayed silent. “Of course, there’s so much chaos in here, it’s a bit difficult to say, you know?”

  Something niggled at the back of her mind. “Look, can I go put a battery in my hearing aid? While I think?”

  As soon as Dan nodded, she darted into her room. Momentarily, she choked at the sight of her open dresser drawers, feeling violated. It was difficult, but she managed to put that aside as she fumbled for her spare batteries. Pulling her good hearing aid from her pocket, she inserted a battery and pushed it into her ear, nudging the rubber mold into place. And was rewarded with the low hum of masculine voices in the next room. Smiling for the first time in hours, she picked up the empty battery package and moved to throw it into the trash can beside her dresser.

  Her smile froze on her face as her gaze fell on the empty cat bed.

  “My cats!” She dashed from the room, crashing into Seth. Her fist, still clutching the battery package, slammed into his hard stomach.

  “Oof!” His face reddened as he doubled over slightly.

  Oh, no.

  Manfully straightening up, Seth gave her what was probably meant to be a nonchalant grin. What he actually managed was a pained grimace. “You have cats? How many? Who was taking care of them?”

  How she had missed that beautiful, deep voice of his!

  “I have two cats. Parsley and Sage. They are house cats, and very independent. I have an automatic feeding system, so they had enough food and water, and their litter was changed right before we left. I didn’t ask anyone to come and watch them.”

  “Did anyone have keys to your house?” Dan asked, his face serious.

  “Not that I am aware of.” Panic scratched at her throat. She tugged at her collar in agitation.

  An arm wrapped around her shoulder, pulling her close to a muscular side. Seth. She bent her head into his shoulder.

  “Is there any room we haven’t checked yet?”

  Jackson. For the first time since she had met him, he wasn’t sporting a challenging attitude. Was he finally starting to believe her? Or maybe he was just more sympathetic to cats than to people.

  “Um, I don’t think so. I went through every... Oh!” A hand slapped her forehead. “The basement. I never even thought of the basement. That was Cody’s office. I keep it locked.”

  All three men straightened to attention.

  “His office,” Jackson said. “We went through that pretty thoroughly a few months ago. Let’s check it out and see if you notice anything missing.”

  The whole group moved down the stairs to the office. When they were two feet from the door, Seth put a hand on Jess’s arm.

  “I hear meowing.”

  Joy filled her. Then it faded. If the cats were in there that meant someone else had been, too. There was no pet flap in the door—for the cats to have gotten in, someone had opened it for them.

  Tension filled the air as the policemen waved them back. Jess found herself with her back against the cold cement walls, Seth blocking her. Her hero. He was determined to keep her from harm, willingly placing himself in harm’s way, again and again.

  Jackson held his gun at the ready while Willis flung the door wide.

  And two short-haired tabby kittens pounced on his feet.

  “Gah!”

  Seth hooted in laughter. A giggle welled up, both from humor and from the rush of relief as the bubble of tension around them burst. She couldn’t help it.

  “But...but, I don’t understand,” she managed finally. A stray giggle threatened, but she squelched it firmly. “Wouldn’t the person after me risk blowing his cover by going through my house like this?”

  Sober now, Dan and Jackson both nodded. “The killer doesn’t care now,” Seth stated, glancing back and forth between the cops. “Am I right? Enough has happened that whoever it is figures there’s no use hiding.”

  He had said something similar at the house. She had so hoped he was wrong. But one look at Dan’s face said his brother-in-law was in complete agreement.

  Her fear was affirmed when he nodded.

  “Yes. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but right now, the person or persons after you seem to feel you are a risk that must be eliminated, no matter what. Maybe they thought there was incriminating evidence here in the house. Get rid of the evidence, get rid of you, and our chances of catching them shrink.”

  She swayed slightly. Her breath caught, as if hot irons had pierced her lungs.

  Yanking his cell phone out of his pocket, Dan started dialing. “I’m getting someone to watch over you for the night. Until we catch this guy, Miss McGrath, you need to be with someone at all times.”

  She heard what he didn’t say, even as her freedom was again taken away.

  If she didn’t have protection, she would be dead. Just like her brother.

  * * *

  Seth followed Dan outside. Jess was in the kitchen, making coffee and something to eat. More to keep herself busy than out of any real hunger, he thought. He could read the claustrophobia looming in her eyes.

  He grimaced. Claustrophobia. He remembered the fear that had paralyzed her earlier. Funny, he didn’t remember her being claustrophobic. In fact, he remembered a field trip to some caves in high school. She hadn’t been exactly social, but if his memory served, and it always did, she hadn’t been scared, either. Just the opposite. She’d been fascinated by the damp, dark caves.

  Something had happened to change that.

  I was stuck in that small, smelly place for five hours until my parents and the principal found me.

  It was his fault. Her fearless curiosity had been killed by his own careless stupidity. He had failed her, even worse than he had realized.

  No. I can’t dwell on that now, he thought fiercely. Lord, if I could undo the damage I did to that sweet woman I would. Just help me t
o keep her safe. Please.

  Quickening his pace, he was striding next to his brother-in-law in two steps.

  “I need to talk to you,” he muttered, cutting his eyes toward Dan, while keeping his face forward.

  “Okay.”

  “Not here,” he hissed as Dan started to slow down. “I don’t want Jess to read my lips.”

  Avid curiosity and doubt mingled on Dan’s face. But he followed Seth behind the car, much to Seth’s relief.

  “This is far enough.”

  “All right, Seth. What’s this about?”

  Seth proceeded to tell Dan all his fears about the killer possibly being a woman. The alert look that came to Dan’s face let him know the other man was taking him seriously. He sucked in a deep breath. Now to tell the rest. “We learned from the girl who cleans house for the Harveys that they are skilled shooters. What I didn’t tell Jess is that so is my aunt. Their house was broken into years ago and she freaked. Bought a gun and learned how to shoot.”

  Dan nodded. “When Miles gets here, I will let him know all this. Why don’t you hang out until then? I can give you a ride back to your place after that.”

  “No.”

  Not much surprised a reaction out of Dan, but apparently Seth had managed it this time. The cop’s blond eyebrows rose high over his gray eyes.

  “No? Wanna explain that, Seth?”

  No, he didn’t, as a matter of fact. But he knew he didn’t have an option. He needed to be straight with the man if he had a hope of convincing him.

  “I need to stay. Jess trusts me. She doesn’t trust Miles.” When his chest hurt, he realized he was holding his breath.

  Dan smirked. “Yeah? Well, if I remember correctly, last time I left you to play hero, you ended up with your head bashed in.”

  He sobered as soon as he said it. Both men were silent, remembering the attacks that had focused on Maggie, putting her life in danger over and over again. On that particular day when Seth had volunteered to help, Tony Martello, one of LaMar Pond’s finest, had died in the line of duty, leaving a widow and two young sons behind.

  He sighed dramatically, trying to lighten the somber mood. “You ever gonna let me forget about it?”

  “Nah. That’s what brothers do. Anyway, there’s no real reason for you to stay. She’ll be fine.” He raised his brows. Seth knew that look. Dan wasn’t fooled, and was waiting for the real reason to come out.

  So he used his trump card. “What if she needs someone to interpret for her? I should stay ’cause I know how to sign.”

  He smiled, sure he had made his point.

  “That a fact? Well, so can Miles.”

  “Since when?”

  Dan smirked.

  “Since always. Almost his entire family on his father’s side is deaf. Grandparents, uncle. You name it. He grew up signing.”

  Deflated, Seth stared at him.

  “You need to rest up, Seth. Take time off.” Dan shifted his weight, getting ready to walk away.

  “I can’t.” Dan tilted his head, listening. “Dan, a man should be allowed to protect the woman he loves.”

  There was, he reflected some satisfaction in catching brother-in-law off guard. Which was probably an understatement, seeing how Dan’s jaw had dropped open more than he had thought possible.

  “Love? You love her? Does she know?”

  Seth shook his head even while he was speaking.

  “No, she doesn’t know. And I don’t plan on telling her.”

  Dan frowned. “Why on earth not?”

  “Really? Dan, you know how badly I messed up with Melanie. And my dad is a complete womanizer. You know how your own wife suffered because of his selfishness. My family has a history of disastrous relationships. Why would I put someone I loved through that? I can’t take the chance of hurting her.”

  “Seth, you have more than made up for any past errors. As for your dad, you can’t be held accountable for that. You are not him.” Dan held up a hand, forestalling any protests that Seth might make. “Listen, buddy, I know how it feels to think you’re unworthy of a woman. I felt that way for years. I was wrong. And so are you.”

  Guilt swamped him. He knew that Dan had almost let Maggie get away. He suffered from PTSD, and had some terrible issues to work through. But he had manned up and gotten the job done. Seth didn’t know of another man who could bring such joy to Maggie’s life.

  Dan’s hand on his shoulder brought his head up.

  “I know you don’t go to church, but I will pray for you.”

  “Actually, I would appreciate that. I think I may have gotten the God thing wrong.”

  A grin creased Dan’s face. “See? You’re learning already. Seriously, though. You were kind of a cocky jerk when I met you,” Seth rolled his eyes, but Dan continued, “but you’re one of the best men I know. I know that you mean the world to Mags. And the twins adore you.”

  “Yeah, they’re great kids.” Just thinking of Siobhan and Rory warmed his heart.

  “Don’t give up on love, Seth. You are worthy.”

  Dan ambled away.

  “I’m not leaving!” he called after him.

  “Yeah, yeah,” came the response.

  He stood outside for a few minutes after Dan left, just thinking. Could he possibly consider a future with Jess?

  He wandered inside, deep in thought.

  Miles arrived and parked outside, ready to stand watch to keep Jess safe. He could hear Dan briefing him.

  The floor creaked behind him. Jess. She was drying her hands on a dish towel, anxiety emanating from her.

  “What’s going on?”

  He walked over to her, taking the towel from her so he could hold her hand. He watched her face. If he needed to switch to sign he would.

  “The cop who is keeping watch is here. Dan is telling him what’s happening.”

  “Oh.” It was amazing how much disappointment one little monosyllable could contain. “So, what now? Are you leaving?”

  He hesitated. But only for a moment. He knew he was committing himself over and beyond what he should do in order to keep his distance, but it was like he had told Dan. He couldn’t walk away while the love of his life was in danger. It just wasn’t in him. So he opened his mouth and made the commitment. “No, I’m not leaving. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to camp out on your couch.”

  The relieved sigh that burst from her went a long way to ease his heart. “I’ll get you some blankets.”

  Instead of walking away, though, she threw her arms around him.

  “Thanks. I know he’s a policeman and that he’s here to protect me, but I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with him.”

  “He signs,” he threw out, just to be sure.

  Jess stubbornly set her jaw. “Nope. Doesn’t matter. I don’t know him. I know you. And I trust you.”

  And there it was. That one little statement was the best gift he had ever received in his entire life.

  FIFTEEN

  The following morning, Seth woke up at seven, an hour past the time he usually did. Several things clicked immediately. His body was one mass of aches and pains. His back was hurting from being crunched up on a couch too short for his frame. His arm was throbbing where the bullet had grazed him. Even his neck twinged as he sat up.

  The second thing to come to his attention was the absolute stillness in the house. It set his teeth on edge. Rising to his feet, he found that the cats were both curled up, watching him with suspicion.

  “Is your mistress up yet?” he asked, then winced. Talking to the cats? What next?

  Working his way toward the kitchen, he noticed that Jess’s bedroom door was open.

  Worry shot through him. Despite his aches, he pulled his boots on and marched to the front doo
r. Miles was gone, too. But his car was still there.

  Seth felt his breathing and heartbeat speed up. Slow down, keep your cool. Forcing himself to remain calm, he observed his surroundings, keeping his mind alert.

  Movement. Down by the barn.

  Without hesitation, he started down the winding driveway that led to the barn. Pulling the door open, he saw Officer Miles Olsen standing in the aisle. The young cop appeared at home in the barn. It was easy to picture him working on a farm, mucking out stalls. Maybe he had, before he became a cop.

  “Where is she?”

  Miles jerked his head toward the tack room. “In there.”

  “Thanks.”

  Moving past the young officer, he entered the tack room.

  Jess glanced up with a smile, and the sun came out for him.

  “Hey. You weren’t there when I woke up.” Brilliant, Travis. Like she didn’t already know that.

  “Uh-huh.” She shrugged and flashed him that dimple that drove him crazy. “I didn’t want to wake you. I know you’ve been run pretty ragged. And I knew you were there, if I needed you.”

  Something loosened inside him. Only once the feeling was gone did he realize that he had been jealous. Jealous that she had replaced him with Miles. Which was ridiculous.

  “Whatcha up to?”

  “I missed the horses. So I came down to check on them. And it’s a good thing I did. Kim never showed up today.” A frown carved into her brow. “I can’t understand it. Kim always leaves a message if she can’t come in. I have a text answering machine. But she didn’t leave any messages. I hope she’s okay.”

  A cell phone rang. In the aisle, he heard Miles answer it. Although he couldn’t make out the words, he could hear the tension and excitement in the voice. He continued listening, and wasn’t surprised when he heard footsteps running toward them. A second later, Miles burst into the room.

  “I just got a call from the lieutenant,” Miles stated. “A green car like you described was found this morning.”

  Jess gasped. Seth was in full agreement with the sentiment. He felt a little like gasping himself. Except it wouldn’t be manly. Finding the car, though. That could be a huge break in the case. If it were the right car.