She hit the button, silently urging the call to go faster.
“Hey, brother-in-law, what’s up?”
“Jack? It’s Jessie. Cade and I are trying to reach Remy. Is she there?”
“No. I called the house a little bit ago to see if she was coming. Is something wrong?”
The red flashing light. She should have listened to the message. “Maybe,” she mumbled, filled with dread and guilt. She’d felt safe at the ranch, protected from the whims of Fate—a nebulous and dangerous trickster that seemed to have it in for her. She’d let down her guard and something bad had happened to someone she loved. This was her fault.
Cade took the phone from her trembling fingers and hit the speaker button. “Jack. We don’t know what’s happened, if anything, but we need to find Remy. Do you know if she planned on taking the cutoff?”
“I think so, yes. But she said she had to get gas.”
He nodded. “Okay. We’re taking off. We’ll keep you posted.”
“I’ll head out from here,” Jack told them. “She’s driving the big blue boxy car, right?”
Cade looked at Jessie. “Yota. The car’s name is Yota.”
Jessie sat forward, her gaze searching the sides of the road—even though logic told her any sort of attack would probably come on a lonely stretch of road, not a busy highway.
“Tell me more about this Zane character.”
“He comes across as laid-back, but he’s actually very ambitious—some of the past members of our team have called it delusions of grandeur. Physical training is his passion, and yet he’s been known to disappear on a weeklong bender. Then, if any of us go to a bar after work for a drink or two, he calls us slackers.”
“That’s a bit hypocritical.”
She agreed. “Zane is smart, but sometimes he gets stuck on a whacko philosophy or belief and can’t let go. When my mother first got sick, he went on and on about how certain foreign governments were plotting to kill us—one burrito at a time.”
“How did he take your losing in Japan?”
Horrible. Mean-spirited. Uncharitable. Could that be his motivation? Revenge? But why now—nearly a year after the fact? “After Mom passed, he put on a huge show of sympathy. Sent a giant spray of flowers to the funeral. But right after I fell and sank us in the competition, he called me every name in the book.” Loser. Cheater. Human dog dung.
Cade shrugged. “Maybe being nice was a way to throw you off the fact he was plotting some sort of payback.”
Maybe. Another thought struck her. “Remember when you asked about his gambling habits? It just hit me. Marsh and Eerik were telling me Zane bragged about making a haul on an online site a couple of months ago. Gamblers only talk about their wins, right? Never their losses.”
He put on the blinker and they pulled into a gas station. “This is the last one before heading into the hills. Seems like the place she’d use. I’ll ask the attendant if he remembers seeing her.”
Jessie opened her door. “I’ll save you having to give him a description.” For once, she was glad she and her sister looked alike.
“Excuse me,” Cade said, cutting in front of the guy waiting in line to pay.
“Hey,” the stranger complained.
“It’s important,” Jessie said. “We’re looking for my sister. We’re afraid her car’s broken down somewhere between here and Sentinel Pass.”
The customer continued to frown, but he stopped complaining to listen to Cade and the clerk.
“The woman we’re looking for is blonde. She was wearing a hot pink ball cap with her hair in a ponytail.”
“She looks like me, only prettier.”
Cade gave her a sharp look but before he could say anything, the twentysomething clerk snapped his fingers. “Yeah, sure, I know who you mean. She was hot. Came in right before pump five went ballistic.”
He shook his head. “Talk about crazy. The alarms went nuts. The fire department showed up even though there wasn’t a fire.”
Several other people in line started talking. “We saw that,” one lady said. “What happened?”
The kid shrugged. “My manager thinks somebody tampered with the pump. Not sure how, exactly, but, boy, what a mess.” He pointed through the window to the island of gas pumps to the right of the counter. “Took fifteen minutes to turn off the alarms and reboot the computers. Some people were pretty mad, but your sister was real nice,” he added.
Cade and Jessie looked at each other. A diversion. The kind of thing an ex-Special Ops guy would know to do.
“Do you remember which pump she used?” Cade asked.
“She was driving a turquoise-blue ’71 Land Cruiser,” Jessie put in.
The kid grinned. “Hellacool. It’s a classic. She said it was her sister’s.” He pointed to the bank of pumps behind them. “She was at number twelve, I think. Opposite side. Why?”
“She’s not answering her cell and we’re afraid she might have gotten lost. Thanks for your help,” Cade said, shaking the young man’s hand.
“Good luck,” several of the people in line called as Cade and Jessie hurried back to the truck.
“So,” Cade said once they were on the road again, “your buddy did something to the gas pump that got all eyes looking one way so he could do something to your car.”
Jessie’s thought exactly. Hearing her suspicion articulated so perfectly made her nerves kick up a notch. “But how would he know she’d stop at this station? And when?”
Cade looked at her, his expression severe. “He followed her. He must have been casing the ranch for days, waiting for his chance. And our name is above the gate. That would explain how come he called Dad’s house phone. Alphabetically, Buck’s name comes before mine.”
He cursed low but fervently, undoubtedly troubled by the idea of Zane keeping an eye on the comings and goings of all members of his family—including his daughter.
The road Y’ed to the right and traffic fell off a mile or so later when the road began to climb and the terrain changed to pine and aspen forests.
Cade eased up on the gas. He didn’t want to add to Jessie’s obvious fear and concern, but this stretch of road had a bad reputation. He hadn’t been around when it happened, but he’d heard the story of Mac McGannon’s ex-wife. She’d missed a curve and her car wasn’t found for several weeks—her dead body in it.
“At least your car will be easy to spot,” he said, grasping for any sort of positive note.
Jessie didn’t acknowledge his comment. Her back was to him, her gaze glued to the road and ditches.
His phone, which was sitting on the seat between them, began to play a ring tone Cade recognized as his brother-in-law’s. Jessie grabbed it and hit the speaker button. “Hello?”
“Jess. It’s me. Jack just drove up. I’m about five miles outside of Sentinel Pass. Two people stopped to help within a minute of my pulling over, but neither of them had a cell phone. One of them drove into town to send for a tow truck while the other one hung around to make sure I was okay. Mac—the first guy who stopped—wanted me to go with him, but I refused to leave Yota alone and unprotected.”
Cade kept driving but he saw Jessie blink rapidly, a sure sign she was choked up. “What happened?”
“Two flat tires,” Remy answered. “Front and back on the same side. Can you believe that? Mac thought maybe I ran over something, but we couldn’t see any nails sticking out. I’m really sorry, Jess, if this is something I did.”
Jessie made a snarling noise. “It’s not your fault, Remy. And screw Yota. You should have gone with Mac. Cade and I will be there soon….” She let her voice trail off as she looked at him for confirmation. He held up both hands to indicate ten minutes. “Under ten. Do you know if Mac called the cops?”
There was a moment of silence, then Remy said, “Yes. Mac says his first thought was this was somehow related to your fall.”
“I didn’t fall. I—”
Cade bit down on his lip to keep from smiling. Her respo
nse was so Jessie. And he couldn’t help loving her for it even though the situation was nothing to laugh about.
She shook her head. “Never mind. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Mac says it’s a good thing I’m a slow driver. If I’d been speeding—the way some people drive, I might have flipped.”
Cade and Jessie looked at each other. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was.
“Your tires are shredded, Jess. And the rims might be ruined, too. Sorry. It took me a mile or so to find a shoulder big enough to pull over safely.”
“I don’t care about the freaking tires, you dork. Or the rims. I’m just relieved you’re okay. I’m hanging up now before we lose the signal. See you in a few.” She started to close the phone but changed her mind, adding, “I love you, Rem. You did good.”
She set the phone between them then turned in her seat to look at Cade. “This proves my rollover wasn’t an accident, doesn’t it?”
“Looks like a definite possibility. Was Zane on the set that day?”
She shook her head. “No. He called in sick. My agent said Zane asked for me to fill in for him. I thought he was throwing me a bone since he’d been so hostile in Japan.”
“Well, I think you need to let someone in the studio know what’s going on here. The guy’s a menace and whatever his motivation, I think it’s safe to say he’s stepped beyond simply trying to teach you a lesson.”
“I can’t believe he’d go this far. He was my friend. Why?”
“I don’t know, but apparently he doesn’t have any qualms about incurring collateral damage. What if Shiloh had had the day off and was riding with you? Or what if Remy overcorrected and crossed into oncoming traffic? Any number of innocent bystanders could have wound up dead.”
“My God, you’re right,” she said, her tone hushed. “Shiloh could have been—” She sat up straight, gaze forward. “Remy and I will move into a motel as soon as we get back to the ranch. I can’t leave here until he’s caught. I refuse to run away like some sort of coward, always looking over my shoulder, but I will not put you and your family in jeopardy a minute longer.”
Leave? His grip on the wheel tightened. “That’s not what I meant. If you think I’m letting you take this guy on alone, you don’t know me very well. When you mess with a Garrity, you mess with trouble.”
“I’m not a Garrity,” she argued.
“Shiloh has been riding in that vehicle every day for a week, right? If Remy had missed the bus and stopped for gas…who knows what would have happened? The point is, just because you’re his target doesn’t mean you have to be his victim.”
Her shoulders went back and her spine stiffened. “I’m nobody’s victim.”
That’s my girl. “Then help me figure out a way to find him. Neither of us is the kind of person who sits around waiting for something to happen. Let’s draw him in—at the time and place of our choosing, and then let the police do their job.”
She looked interested but didn’t jump on the idea. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Shiloh. It would be safer for you both if I went away.”
Safe being a relative thing. He wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing there was a nutcase out there trying to hurt Jessie. “The kids don’t have school on Friday. Remy can take Shiloh to Kat’s. Sentinel Pass is as safe as it gets.”
“And what will we do?”
He knew what he’d like to do. With her. In his king-size bed.
He cleared his throat and forced his brain back to the very serious business at hand. “We’ll lay a trap.”
Jessie pointed ahead to a grouping of cars on a pull-off that probably provided a highway department storage place for salt and gravel in the winter. A tow truck and a sheriff’s patrol car were on the scene, lights flashing.
Jessie hurried to the group of people standing to one side. She barely even limped, Cade noticed. Force of will and adrenaline, he guessed.
Cade was glad to see his old buddy Hank.
Hank motioned with his chin to talk to Cade privately while Jessie and Remy embraced and rehashed what had happened.
“It took a while to get this Zane character’s records from the military,” Hank said, his tone filled with disgust. “Turns out he wasn’t Special Forces. He washed out of Rangers in his early twenties and bounced around a couple of brigs until his enlistment was up. Disappeared after that. Half a dozen arrests, mostly for assault. Bar fights gone bad. The person who got the crap kicked out of him usually dropped the charges or failed to show up at arraignment. Points to intimidation but nothing we can prove.”
Jessie joined them. “I told Remy to go to work with Jack. You were done with her, right?” she asked the deputy.
“Yes, ma’am. We’re lucky here. No harm, no proof of foul. Yet,” he added with emphasis. “I asked to have the tires sent to our lab. Looked to me like someone messed with the stems. But I’m no expert.”
Cade listened while she filled Hank in on what they’d learned at the gas station. He shook his head. “This dude is a pest. I don’t think I’m premature in calling him a stalker, Ms. Bouchard. He’s got it in for you. If you want, we’ve got a kid on staff who is part computer geek. I’ll have him take a look at the rollover video you told me about.”
Jessie nodded intently. “What do you want me to do?”
“Stay out of his way.”
Cade had been turning this problem over in his mind ever since they left the gas station. “My hired men are always begging for overtime. I’ll put on rotating shifts at the main gate and set up a patrol to cover the fence.”
Hank looked skeptical. “That’s a big ranch you got there, Cade.”
“It is, but we’re a small village. No stranger could get close without somebody noticing. Jessie and I were talking about sending Remy and Shiloh to stay with Kat for the weekend. If nothing happens by Monday morning, we’ll move to Plan B. Whatever that is,” he added ruefully.
Hank looked at Jessie. “That makes you bait, Jessie. Are you comfortable with that?”
She inhaled deeply. “I trust Cade’s instincts. He knows the land. I know Zane. As long as there’s no chance of collateral casualties, I think we’ll make a good team.”
She trusts me. And whether she knew it or not, that meant the stakes were now a whole lot higher.
“HEY, DAD, IT’S ME, CADE. Just a quick message. Some things have been happening around here you should know about.”
Buck was lying on his bed, looking at the ceiling, checking his messages. He’d left his phone in his room while he attended his first yoga class. He’d enjoyed the pace—even if he felt as graceful as a snapping turtle on ice.
After a slight pause, his son’s message continued. “One of the women who moved into your house— Jessie—seems to have become the target of a stalker. He’s most likely the reason she injured her leg, and now he’s made another move against her. Did something to her car. Nobody was hurt, but that’s the same car Shiloh has ridden to school in for a week.”
Buck’s heart rate spiked momentarily until Cade added, “No worries. Shiloh’s fine. She was on the bus when all this went down, and I’m sending her to Kat’s this weekend. In fact, Kat just called. She said she and Jack decided to take Shiloh and Jessie’s sister, Remy, with them to Denver this weekend to pick up a load of Jack’s office stuff, instead of doing the pool party we’d planned. I wanted you to know what was going on.”
Buck appreciated that. He probably didn’t deserve his son’s generous inclusion considering the way he’d left Cade high and dry with a lame, poorly expressed excuse. But now, with some time and distance under his belt, Buck was feeling less panicky. He was almost positive he could return home without feeling the overwhelming urge to escape into a bottle of booze.
“And listen, I called our insurance agent and double-checked to make sure we’re covered against malicious mischief. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
Buck figured that was the end o
f the message and he started to close his phone when he heard Cade add, “And, Dad, just FYI, I’m pretty much head over heels where Jessie is concerned. Yes, it’s fast, and she’s made it clear she isn’t sticking around here after her rental agreement is up, but that’s how it goes sometimes, right? I’m only telling you this because I think I finally understand why you married Helen. You weren’t trying to screw up your family like Charlie claimed. You were in love. I get it now. Talk to you later.”
Buck walked straight to his tiny bathroom and leaned over the sink to splash water on his face. His son had forgiven him. Cade. His living son. There were ghosts that still needed to be appeased, but at least Buck knew now that he could go home again. When the time was right.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I FEEL LIKE A COWARD FOR RUNNING away.”
Jessie hugged Remy fiercely. “You’re doing your part by keeping Shiloh safe. Neither Cade nor I could focus on Zane if we had to worry about you two. Are we clear on that?”
Remy nodded. Her weekend bag was packed and waiting by the door. Since Yota was still in the shop having its brakes redone—a timely precaution, the mechanic had assured her, not another sort of tampering— Kat was stopping by to pick up her two guests.
“The Bullies took a vote. They think we should get in Yota as soon as it’s fixed and come home.”
Jessie shook her head. “Oh, really? So, they’d rather I bring my psycho stalker to their backyard than let Cade set a trap and end this here? That’s big of them.”
Remy made a face. Then suddenly burst out laughing. “I don’t think any of them thought of that.”
“Listen,” Jessie said, holding out her arms for a hug, “I’m not crazy about this idea, either. I feel like an idiot walking around with a big fat target on my back, but Cade thinks in terms of containment. Set up on the high ground and wait for the bad guy to come to you.”
“What if he doesn’t come?”
Jessie wasn’t sure, but Cade had pulled her aside a few minutes ago and asked her to pack a bag, too. “I need you in the main house for the weekend. There’s an alarm system and a second floor.” And two wonderfully strong arms to sleep curled in, her mind had added.
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