I love you more than I can express. And I am humbled that you love me. But I can’t live with this feeling that I don’t deserve a man like you if I can’t face my own life. But maybe, someday. . .
I will dare to believe in my name, thanks to you.
Hope
For a long moment he just stared at the page. What the hell did she mean? What was she going to do?
He was sitting there at the counter an hour later when Zee knocked on the inside door. He’d made coffee, going through the motions by rote, thinking maybe the caffeine would jolt him out of this fog. So far, it hadn’t.
“Hey,” his sister’s voice came from the doorway as, getting no answer, she pushed it open. Came in a few steps. “Are you up? I’ve been—”
She stopped suddenly.
“Dear God,” he heard her whisper, and then she was beside him, looking up into his face in shocked concern.
He gave his head a sharp shake. “Let me guess. I look like hell.”
“Worse,” she said. “What happened?”
He couldn’t even begin to tell her, so he just handed her Hope’s note. She read it quickly, then looked back at him.
“She’s. . .gone?”
He nodded.
“All her things?”
He repeated the motion.
“Where?”
He shifted his gaze to the note, the damned note he’d read a dozen times already. “You know what I know. I woke up to that.”
Zee looked back at the paper. “Face it,” she murmured. “She talks about facing it. . .”
“And that she can’t face her own life.”
“But maybe she means—”
“Stop, Zee. Do you think I haven’t turned that thing inside out, looking for all the possibilities? The bottom line never changes. She’s gone.”
“No.”
He blinked. “The bottom line,” his sister said firmly, “is that she loves you.”
“I believed that.”
Zee straightened, put her hands on his shoulders, making him look at her. “Just stay here. I’m going to make some calls.”
He couldn’t see the point. “To who? Why?”
“Because it’s what I do. Don’t go anywhere.”
When she’d gone he got up, then couldn’t remember why. So he wandered into the living room. And a moment later he was sitting in the spot Hope had claimed—and where she’d left Deck’s last book.
The bookmark was about halfway through. She’d never finished it. And suddenly that seemed symbolic of the whole damned thing. He groaned, and let his head loll back.
He had no idea how much time had passed, but Zee was back.
“Wake up, Bro!”
“Not asleep.” He might never sleep again.
“I know where she went.”
His eyes snapped open. “What?”
“Charlie gave her a ride. Said he ran into her in town early this morning, just as he was leaving to make a delivery out to Cedar Valley. She asked for a ride.”
“What the hell is in Cedar Valley?”
Zee waved him off. “Doesn’t matter. Because he said he took her a little further when he found out she was going to hitchhike.”
His stomach knotted. He was sitting up straight now. “How much further?”
“The wildflower center. He dropped her off where the buses come in.”
“Did he freaking bother to ask her why she was leaving?” True snapped.
“He did. She wouldn’t say anything except that it was for the best.”
“For the best,” he muttered. “That’s just—”
His cell rang. He nearly jumped for it, even knowing Hope didn’t have a phone. Maybe she borrowed one, maybe—
It was Jack.
“True?”
“Yeah.”
“Nice job.”
He knew he’d been a step behind all morning, but now it seemed the distance was widening. “What?”
“Talking your girl into testifying.”
For a moment he couldn’t even breathe, let alone speak. “What?” he finally managed.
“My cousin just called, saying the D.A.’s office is scrambling like mad. She completely bowled them over, calling like that and telling them to come get her, she’d testify.”
He only realized he hadn’t responded when Jack said, with some concern, “True? You okay?”
“I. . .will be.”
“You didn’t know, did you.”
It wasn’t really a question. But then Jack Ducane was a sharp guy.
“No.” Then, as if a switch had been flipped, his brain snapped back on. “Where are they supposed to pick her up? When?”
“Well, that’s the other reason I called. My cousin heard them panicking about getting somebody to her quickly, at the airport in Austin, before she vanished again. They want her under watch until they can get people assigned and a flight arranged, but Austin PD is working a situation and their ETA would be over an hour. So he told them I could be there in fifteen minutes. They didn’t like it, but they agreed.”
True realized he was on his feet. Zee was staring at him.
“Do, it Jack. Please. I’ll be on my way.”
“I was thinking I should make a couple of calls, about who should be going where, under the circumstances.”
“Thanks,” True said, meaning it. “And call your cousin. Make sure there’s a watch on her grandparents.”
“Already in place. That was her first condition, my cousin said. That if anything happened to them the deal was off.”
True was smiling now. Good girl!
“Anything else?” The amusement in Jack’s voice told him he’d been giving orders like it was his right. But damn it, when it came to Hope, he claimed the right.
“Go easy on her,” he said, his voice rough. “This took every bit of nerve she’s got.”
“I’ll treat her like a spring lamb.”
“And. . .tell her I love her.”
There was a moment’s pause before Jack said, in a clearly heartfelt tone, “Now that will be a pleasure, my friend.”
They ended the call. Zee was staring at him. “She’s going back, isn’t she?” she whispered. “To testify?”
He nodded.
Zee’s smile was brilliant. “Good for her!”
“No more running,” True said, still processing.
“And now this makes sense,” Zee said, holding up the note.
“What?”
“Don’t you get it, Bro? Why she’s going back to do what she knows you would do?” His brow furrowed. Zee shook her head at him, but she was still smiling. “She’s doing it so she can come back knowing she deserves you.”
He stared at her. “You got that out of—” he gestured at the note “—that?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Holy bluebonnets, for a smart guy you can be thick. I’ll explain later. We need to hit the road.”
*
Hope sat near a coffee kiosk on the public side of the airport check in counters. Once she’d made the call to Los Angeles, she felt. . .stranger than she’d ever felt in her life. Terrified, yes. But also lighter. Freer.
She had a magazine in her hands, one that someone had abandoned. It gave her something to look at, so she wasn’t constantly scanning the crowd like some sort of paranoid person. Besides, she was likely going to be here for several more hours. From the monitors it was clear it was a three hour flight from L.A., and they likely wouldn’t have it all together even now, an hour after she’d called.
A tall, rangy man in a cowboy hat pulled a chair from the table next to hers and swung it around to sit next to her. Her heart slammed into her chest. Could they really have found her that quickly? The DA’s office had assured her she would be safe, that no one had any idea where she was.
Until you just told them. And now—
“I’m Jack Ducane, Hope,” the man said in a low key, very pleasant voice. “And True Mahan sent me to tell you he loves you.”
*
Things were changing so fast Hope was nearly dizzy with it. But Jack Ducane was a steady, calming presence, and when he said he was here in part to make sure she was treated right, because “sometimes those L.A. folks forget their manners,” she actually smiled.
He explained to her what would likely happen now, that there would be detailed interviews, further delay while an arrest warrant was prepared and executed, and once a trial date was set she was looking at some long days of trial preparation before she actually had to testify.
He also explained there had been a change of plans. “You’re a very high value witness to those West Coast people. As such, you hold all the cards. And I don’t think you need to be going back there just yet. They can come here to do the prep work.”
“Will they?”
“They saw the wisdom of keeping you under wraps here, once it was explained to them. If you go flying into the media pit of L.A., there’s no way they can keep you secret. Not these days.”
One look at the man’s steady gray eyes told her who had likely done the explaining.
“And the longer I’m under wraps, the safer my grandparents are?”
“Yes. I know you want to see them—”
“I want them safe,” she interrupted.
He nodded, as if he’d expected nothing less. Then he gave her a nod and a smile. “It takes guts, to do what you’re doing.”
“It took me too long to find those guts,” she said regretfully. Then, softly she added, knowing he knew True, “But I’ve had a stellar example the last few weeks.”
“Yes. One of the best. And speaking of the man, I think it would be nice if you said hello.”
She blinked. Then realized Jack was looking past her, over her shoulder. She turned.
True. Moving toward her with that long-limbed easy grace, focused on her as if she were the only person in this busy place.
And then she was in his arms, and he was whispering to her.
“I’m so proud of you, Hope.”
“I needed to. . .” She wasn’t sure what to say.
“I understand. And you did the hard part. You made the decision and you followed through. But you don’t have to do the rest alone.”
And her topsy-turvy world suddenly righted itself.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day,” True said, gesturing ahead as he maneuvered around the corner of a large, metal building.
Hope smiled at him before she looked; she’d been smiling a lot in the last two months. And even the sometimes brutal preparation for the trial hadn’t taken that away from her. But now she looked where he’d indicated.
Hope stared at the sleek little jet parked some yards away. She hadn’t even realized Whiskey River had an airfield, although True had explained it wasn’t the city’s per se, it was a private field outside the city limits, but it was used by any locals who had the need, and several private planes were hangared here. He’d also explained the name by pointing out the rock formation visible from the end of the runway; it was quite clear how the place had come to be named Devil’s Rock Airfield.
“So it showed up,” Zee said from the back seat, staring at the little jet.
“He said he’d get it here,” True answered mildly as he slowed down.
“He also said this was home, that Whiskey River would always be in his blood.”
“I’m not sure song lyrics are for literal interpretation.”
Hope’s breath caught. True had said they had a sweet ride, but. . .did that mean this indeed sweet little jet was Jamie’s? And he’d had it flown all the way here to pick them up? She opened her mouth to ask but stopped when she saw Zee giving her brother a sour look.
True drove past a spot where some construction was going on, then stopped and parked near the nearest hangar. They got out and walked to the back of the vehicle for their bags. And once more Hope looked at Zee.
“I really appreciate you coming,” she said.
“Start as you mean to go on,” Zee said. Hope gave her a puzzled look. In turn Zee gave her a beautiful smile. “You’re going to be around. Besides, True loves you. I’d do it just for that, but as it happens I like you quite a bit myself.”
“I. . .thank you.” She managed a smile. “I think I’d like you even more than I do if I wasn’t in such awe.”
Zee laughed, her sour mood obviously forgotten. “You’ll get over it.”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty much in awe of both Mahans.”
True came up behind her, slipped his arms around her. “You know what I can’t wait for? The first day you get screaming mad at me, and let it out. Then I’ll know you feel safe.”
Hope’s breath caught at the words. She looked at Zee, who was smiling now, a soft, happy sort of smile, aimed at her brother. She shifted her gaze back to True.
“I rest my case,” she said softly. “Awe is definitely the word.”
“Hey, guys!”
Hope turned to see Kelsey waving from the window of the pickup that had just pulled in behind them. The battered red truck was hardly what she would have expected the fiancée of a world-famous writer to drive, but Kelsey had told her that truck had a special place in both their hearts, and they would keep it forever. Startled, she waved back. To her further surprise, Deck was in the passenger seat. And he laughed when he saw Hope’s expression.
“She does most of the driving. I tend to get lost in my head and have to double back a lot.”
Hope laughed. “I was just surprised to see you.”
“Thought we were going to be late?” Kelsey asked as she came over and put her arm around Hope’s shoulders in a half hug.
Only then did she realize Deck was unloading two bags from the back of their truck. She stared at Kelsey. “You’re coming with us?”
“Absolutely. My mom’s going to meet us on the other end, with one of her law partners. She swears he’s the best, he’ll be your buffer, deal with the media, all that.”
Hope swallowed. “Media?” She’d kind of forgotten about that aspect of this whole trial of the year thing.
Deck came up beside Kelsey. “Mom says you’re the story of the moment out there. Runaway witness to gang executions, with cartel connections, makes for great copy.”
Hope knew just enough of Deck’s history now to know what a small miracle his easy use of the term “Mom” was. But it wasn’t enough to distract her from what he’d said; this she hadn’t expected either. She’d gotten to know both of this pair well enough to know going public still wasn’t easy for him.
Kelsey grinned. “Deck’s going as a distraction. Once they get wind he’s there on your side, Mom says the whole tenor will change.”
Hope was still gaping as Deck gave her a hug as well. “You’ll get through it,” he said.
She pulled back and looked at him. “Don’t think I don’t know this is a big deal for you.”
Deck gave her the smile she’d seen more often as he’d gotten to know her. “I’m just glad they took the guy down easily.”
“He got cocky,” Zee said. “Thought he’d skated.”
Because the prosecution couldn’t find their only witness, Hope thought, still having a bit of trouble accepting that it was all going to come to an end one way or another.
Another car arrived. Hope recognized this one.
“Jack is coming, too?” she asked, her shock growing.
“He’s your official escort. He got it cleared yesterday, since he’s back on full duty.” True smiled. “Took some selling to L. A., but he’s a pretty persuasive guy when he needs to be, plus it saved them two or three plane tickets. And he figured a Texas Ranger in uniform on your side couldn’t hurt. One riot, one Ranger isn’t just a motto.”
She watched the tall, broad shouldered man with the gray eyes that looked as if they were used to looking out over long distances, get out of the truck. He was indeed in the traditional non-uniform, including a tan cowboy hat, and the circled star on his chest, images f
rom legend.
She was glad he was fully recovered; he was the kind of law enforcement the world needed. She had spent a lot of time with him since the court date had been set, and, with the LAPD detective and assistant district attorney that had flown out, they’d worked hard toward this day. Jack had made sure they handled her politely, even as they came at her as hard as the defense likely would. By the time they were done, they had a full picture and a plan.
“They’ve put at least half of that gang away,” Jack had told her, “and they think taking out this guy will break the back of the cartel’s local operation, at least for a while. They’ll have to rebuild, with new people, and with him already in prison they won’t have the time or the dedication or care enough to come after you.”
“I’m glad it’s you,” she said now, rather fervently.
He smiled at her. It was a good smile, not tight with pain as it had once been, and she was glad of that. “I want a word with this clownhat anyway,” Jack told her. “The Rangers have a lot of pull even outside of Texas. I want it clear to him I can make his life even more miserable on the inside if he so much as sends you a birthday card.”
“Helps to be part of a legend,” True said with a grin.
Hope was just realizing she was going to lose the battle against the tears welling up when the door to the jet opened. Or hatch. Whatever they called it. A lean, lithe figure appeared, grabbed the stair rails and slid down, foregoing the steps altogether. The motion lifted his sandy blond hair, already tousled, and put a grin on his face.
She heard Zee gasp.
“Well, now,” True drawled. “I didn’t expect him to come with it.”
Hope recognized him then. The face from the phone. The rock star who ran errands for an old friend.
He ran toward them, slammed into True full tilt.
“Still solid, I see,” he said with a laugh as he bounced back and True barely swayed.
“As a rock,” Hope whispered.
Whiskey River Runaway (Whiskey River Series Book 2) Page 21