by Jenna Night
“Go home,” Harry said to her. “You can walk through the office and look for anything you want to save tomorrow. Meanwhile, Daisy and Martin and I can board things up.”
“Yeah, let us take care of it,” Martin added.
Cassie stole another glance at her burned-out office before turning back to Martin. “I’m not quite ready to go yet.”
“Ready or not, you need to leave,” Bergman said. “Now.”
When Cassie turned to face him, he softened his expression slightly. “My concern is that the person or persons who want you dead might be out here, watching and waiting for a chance to take a shot at you.”
The cop’s warning got Leon’s attention. “Come on.” He reached out to Cassie until she finally took his hand. “Let me take you home.”
“All right,” she said. “But we aren’t giving up until we find whoever is behind all of this.”
“That’s right,” Leon agreed. And then he sent up a silent prayer. Please Lord, help us find them before they attack Cassie again.
EIGHT
“We’ll go riding again soon, I promise.” Cassie reached up to scratch the cheek of her chestnut mare, Taffy, while gazing into the gentle horse’s dark brown eyes. She’d turned the animal out in the small corral closest to the house so she could see her and talk to her while she did some chores. Given the events of the last few days, Cassie hadn’t been out riding on the North Star Ranch property as much as usual. Poor Taffy had gotten lonesome, nickering at Cassie to beckon her whenever she saw her. The horse wanted Cassie’s attention and today Cassie hadn’t been able to refuse.
It was Sunday afternoon and the sky was a brilliant blue with a few white puffy clouds drifting slowly about. Cassie had been to church services in the morning after her pastor assured her that he did not want her to stay away despite the danger stalking her. Even after the explosions and gunfire at her office last night. In the end, arrangements were made for Martin and Harry to sit in their trucks and keep an eye on things outside the little country church while they listened to the livestreamed service. Meanwhile, everyone else would go inside.
The morning’s sermon had been a strengthening respite in the midst of troubling times not just for Cassie, but for her dad and her friends, as well. The bounty hunters who worked for her were her friends and not simply employees. They’d made that clear repeatedly by their actions over the years. The same was true of Sherry and Jay, who had likewise been welcomed into the orbit of the Wheeler family.
...nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
The topic for today’s sermon was from the old testament. Sometimes, when life seemed to come at Cassie especially hard, she found comfort in the stories of people who’d had to face much more difficult circumstances than she had. And when she couldn’t solve a troubling situation, and was beginning to feel hopeless, it gave her strength to be reminded that sometimes she didn’t have to know what do to. She just needed to focus her thoughts on trusting the One who did know.
“Do you want to start working in the stables?” Leon asked, walking up beside Cassie at the corral rail. He reached out to scratch Taffy on the side of her toffee-colored neck, and she chuffed softly.
After church, everyone had gone back to the ranch for barbecued chicken and German potato salad. Following the meal, Harry and his wife, Ramona, had left to visit Ramona’s parents for the afternoon. They’d been reluctant to leave, and it had taken a ridiculous amount of reassurance from Cassie to convince them that everyone would be fine without them and they should just go.
Martin and Daisy had stayed to ride the distant fence lines of the ranch with Adam and Jay. It was an extra bit of precaution as they checked to make sure that no one had cut a section of fence to give themselves easy access to the property. They’d also look for other signs, like tire tracks or footprints, that could indicate the bad guys were lining things up to launch an attack on the ranch house. Presumably when they thought Cassie was inside it.
Until very recently, she would have thought that idea absurd. But she would have also thought the idea of someone throwing explosive devices into her office—which wasn’t that far from the police station—ridiculous.
Now she had to believe that anything was possible.
“Let’s muck out the stalls first and then take care of food and fresh water,” Cassie said. “We can check on the outdoor lights and security cameras after that.” While all of the ranch’s cameras appeared operational when she’d checked their feeds on her laptop, she wanted to make certain they had not been physically tampered with or prepped so that someone could disrupt them at a future time.
She did a lot of reading and research for her job. It was a frightening reality that sophisticated criminals planned ahead, conducted surveillance and sometimes used signal jamming or eavesdropping devices.
Leon turned and headed for the stables. Cassie trailed behind him, but not by much. It felt like every joint in her body was sore, however she was determined not to let the pain bring her to a halt.
She stepped into the stables where most of the stalls were empty at the moment. Earlier, they’d turned the horses out into the larger corral or the nearby pasture to get some sun and fresh air. Leon grabbed a rake and shovel and started mucking out one of the stalls. Cassie couldn’t help feeling a tug at her heart, despite the less-than-romantic setting.
Leon was a man who took care of things. He took care of people. He took care of animals. He did it all so automatically, and without the need for acknowledgment, that it could be easy to take him for granted. And for an anxious moment or two, Cassie wondered if she had done that. Taken his loyalty for granted. And his big heart. That sometimes went unnoticed because he didn’t exactly look like a sweet guy.
Right here, right now, she could literally be in the crosshairs of the scope on a rifle someone had pointed at her, sighting her through one of the open doors. There wasn’t a whole lot she could do about that until she—or the police—figured out who kept coming after her and then finally put a stop to it. How many people would stay as close by her side through something like this as Leon had?
She grabbed a rake and shovel and set to work cleaning a stall, stealing another glance at the big bounty hunter when they were both in the main aisle getting fresh hay to put down. He worked fast and his movements were fluid and easy. He also kept an eye on what was going on around him. He was vigilant by nature. She knew that from all the time she’d spent working with him. But he was especially vigilant today. Understandably. Last night had been a terrifyingly close call.
He turned in her direction. Their eyes met and their gazes held. For the span of several heartbeats, they were both frozen, looking at one another. Leon’s expression was unguarded, which was unusual for him. His eyes were an open window into the worry and concern he was feeling. And also held a tender regard for Cassie that took her by surprise.
She felt her breath catch, followed by a fluttering sensation of attraction in the center of her chest that she absolutely did not want. Not with an employee. Not with a male friend. Not with any man at all. Not now, or anytime soon. Not while the murder of her husband was still unsolved and she felt trapped in a state of emotional limbo.
These were not normal times, she reminded herself. The search for the people determined to kill her had reached a point of maximum intensity. Everybody was tired and they needed to lean on one another.
Even big, tough, Leon got tired sometimes. He needed someone to lean on. And Cassie was there.
That’s what this unsettling, fluttering feeling was. It was simply an emotional moment after a grinding stretch of days spent just trying to stay alive. The wisp of deeper connection between the two of them that existed in this moment would vanish like haze as soon as one of them said something or looked away. It had to. Because he was her friend. Her rock. She wouldn’t do anything to change the relationship they alrea
dy had. She cherished it.
The man worked for her, she admonished herself in what was becoming a constant mental reminder. And she had her own personal set of guidelines when it came to crossing the line in that kind of situation.
Leon sighed heavily, the expression in his eyes settling into sorrow. He was the first to look away.
He got back to work. Sunlight shone on him through an open exterior door. Dust motes and bits of straw swirled around him and reflected the light as he leaned in and put his considerable muscles into what he was doing. As he basically put his heart into what he was doing.
She was using him. Cassie knew that now, because she realized he was holding on to the hope of a closer relationship between the two of them that was just not going to happen. She was taking advantage of his loyalty. Acknowledging that fact made her feel sick. And bitterly disappointed in herself.
She needed to make some changes. Immediately. And make sure she was no longer sending out signals she didn’t intend to send. Signals that hinted he had a reason to hope they had a romantic future together, someday.
Cassie got back to work, determined not to let the current crisis she was in—trying to stay alive while following up on the first lead she’d had on Jake’s murder in years—undermine her friendship with Leon.
“I can’t figure out why anybody connected to Jake’s murder would want me dead,” Cassie said after they’d finished with the stalls. She’d been ruminating on the question the whole time she’d been mucking and then laying down fresh straw. It was something she’d considered before, but hadn’t had time to think about. “It’s not like getting rid of me would stop the police investigation.”
“I’ve wondered about that, too,” Leon said. “But I haven’t come up with any good theories.”
Things had gone back to feeling normal between the two of them, after an hour of hard, physical work, and Cassie was grateful for that. “I understand why Seth talking too much while he was drunk in a jail cell could make the people responsible for Jake’s murder nervous. But why would that make people who’ve already gotten away with murder want to stick their necks out now and come after me? Why not continue to lie low? Or get out of town—or the county—if you’re that worried about being caught?”
Leon shrugged. “I don’t know.”
They put fresh water in each of the stalls, but Cassie didn’t want to bring the horses back in yet. She wanted to let them enjoy a little more of the fresh air and sunshine. She stepped toward one of the open doors to feel the sun on her face and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
“Standing right there, in the light and framed by the doorway, not moving, makes you an easy target,” Leon said. “And from here, I can’t see if there’s anybody out there watching you. So maybe you want to stand somewhere else.”
Right. A nervous tremor passed through her and she stepped back into the shaded interior of the stables, thinking about how she’d never felt unsafe here at the ranch before.
Duke and Tinker, both of whom liked to hang around the stables, lazily walked over to her and she gave each of the dogs a head scratch. And then she filled the food and water dishes for the barn cats. She glanced up to see one of them, Henry, on a crossbeam overhead, supervising her work.
“Shall we move on to checking the lights and security cameras?” Leon asked.
“Sure.”
They began their walk around the buildings on the property to make a quick visual inspection of the equipment. Cassie forced herself to keep farther away from Leon than she normally would when they walked together. No time like the present to reset the boundary lines of their relationship. Make it clear that they were coworkers and friends. But that was all. She simply couldn’t offer him anything more. Even if she wanted to.
“Have you had time to think about the people we talked to yesterday?” Leon asked as they walked. “I realize there’s been a lot going on, but right now, while it’s quiet, if you consider each of them, does anybody seem suspicious to you? Or maybe even familiar, now that you think about it? Like they could have been one of the kidnappers who grabbed you? Or maybe one of the shooters in the forest? I’m inclined to think it was the same two men both times, but I never saw the kidnappers, so I don’t know. And Bergman makes a good point when he says we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“Nobody seemed familiar. No one told us anything that leads me any closer to knowing who Jake’s killer was. Or killers were. Whichever it is.” Cassie shook her head. “In my mind, I still have the same list of potential suspects. Including the drug supplier, Stefan Kasparov. He could very well have known the drug task force was watching him but didn’t let on to anybody. He could have had one of his people kill Jake. Or, more recently, sent some of his people to kill me.”
“Bombing a bail bonds office does sound like the kind of splashy, signal-sending thing an ambitious drug supplier would do,” Leon said. “What about Rogan and Lutz?”
“I thought Bryan Rogan and his buddies might be behind the initial attack because they wanted to keep me from testifying against him. But after I gave the testimony, why continue the attacks? I have to consider the possibility. But why go to such extremes to carry out some kind of grudge?”
“So you don’t think holding a grudge is good enough motivation for all of this?” Leon asked. “Does that mean you don’t suspect Jerry Lutz anymore?”
Cassie thought for a few moments before shaking her head. “I wouldn’t take Lutz off the suspect list just yet. His grudge was different. Very personal and all-consuming. He was convinced that Jake ruined his marriage and his life when he arrested him. That’s a strong motivation. But it still leaves a whole lot of questions unanswered.”
As they walked, the dogs stayed close by, supervising their work. Tinker and Duke weren’t exactly guard dogs, but they would bark if someone came around the house. Unless they’d just eaten a big bowl of broth-soaked kibble and were sacked out on their fleece-lined dog beds fast asleep. In which case a band of marauders could break in to ransack the place and they wouldn’t stir. Spoiled mutts.
In the distance, Adam, Jay, Martin and Daisy broke through the tree line, heading for the stables then slowing to cool their horses. Cassie lifted her arm in a wave and they waved back. Then she checked her phone. There were no messages from any of them, so she figured no one had seen anything out of the ordinary.
“I can check the security gate at the end of the drive if you want to go talk to them,” Leon said.
“No, I’ll go with you.”
It wasn’t like he was offering to make some great sacrifice, going to the end of the long unpaved drive. But she had to stop letting him do so many things for her. She couldn’t let things continue to feel so personal between them. She wouldn’t do that. She thought too much of him to allow that to continue.
Normally, Leon was so easy to talk to. And that made it especially frustrating that she couldn’t talk to him about this. This weird whatever between the two of them. Because maybe her concerns were just her ego talking. Maybe he wasn’t doing anything for her that he wouldn’t do for anyone else. Maybe she just needed to get over herself.
“Let’s take my truck,” he said. “Just to be safe.”
“Right.” Walking around the cluster of buildings well inside the property was one thing. Walking out to the road where anyone could easily get close and take a shot at her, or at both of them, was something different, and riskier.
They drove to the gate, where Cassie hopped out to quickly check the video camera, data relay equipment and power source connections.
Leon stood nearby, head on a swivel, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
“So now I think Kasparov is our best suspect,” Leon said while Cassie worked. “Because you’re right, he could have known that Jake was part of a law enforcement task force looking to bring down drug suppliers. And killed him for that reason. He would have
people he could order to kill you now.”
“Yeah, but that still circles back to the question of why try so hard to kill me?” Cassie used the hem of her shirt to clean off the video camera lens.
Leon tilted his head. A sign, Cassie knew, that he was seriously pondering something. “If you want to establish a powerful criminal enterprise, it’s important that people fear you. Maybe it has something to do with that. He could be protecting his turf and his image. Maybe there’s some power struggle going on and he thinks killing you would send a signal to someone he’s battling right now. That old threat to kill somebody and their family, too, is still a powerful deterrent.”
“Well, that’s chilling,” Cassie said, thinking not just of herself but also of the fact that that kind of behavior actually existed in the world. It seemed like her career as a bail bondswoman and bounty hunter should keep her from getting shocked by criminal activities, but it didn’t.
“The investigation into Stefan Kasparov is something we’re going to have to leave up to Sergeant Bergman,” Cassie said. “Talking to Travis at the bodega and getting baseline information on Kasparov is about as far as we can go. Anything more could disrupt an ongoing police investigation.” Not to mention put her whole family and all of her employees in serious danger. If she ultimately decided there was something further in the realm of Kasparov’s drug empire that she needed to look into, she would do it on her own. She would not drag anyone else along with her.
With her inspection of the gate completed, they got into the truck and headed up to the house where she’d check with her dad just to make certain he and the other riders hadn’t seen anything unusual. As the truck rolled along, Cassie glanced in the side mirror at the gate behind them. She felt a little bit better now that she and Leon and the others had checked the security of the ranch and its perimeter. But she didn’t think their effort would keep them safe. At best, it would likely just slow the inevitable arrival of another attack.