Cowboy to the Core

by Joanna Wayne

  “You’re Dani’s man.”

  That was pushing things a bit. “Dani and I are friends.”

  “The man with the dagger…”

  “What about him?”

  “Save her.”

  Marcus stepped closer. “Save her from whom, Ms. Alano? Who has the dagger?”

  “Her man.”

  “Whose man? Dani’s? Ella Somerville’s?”

  “No-name baby. Poor little thing.”

  Marcus muttered a few curses under his breath. If she’d been there at all, he was losing her. “Who wants Dani dead?”

  “Her man. He’s evil. Have to save Dani.”

  “Ms. Alano. I have to know more if I’m going to protect Dani. Who wants to kill her? I need his name so I can stop him.”

  She stared into space as if she hadn’t heard him. “I want to go to my room. I want to watch TV.”

  “In a minute. First tell me who wants to kill Dani.”

  She pointed at the cup of ice cream Dani had left sitting on the bench. “Is that chocolate mint?”

  “Yes. Dani went to get you a spoon. Think, Ms. Alano. Who wants Dani dead?”

  “Hand me that ice cream, young man.”

  He’d lost her. Exasperation weighed like a bag of cement on his chest.

  Dani returned with the spoon. Her grandmother looked at her and smiled. “What’s your name, dear?”

  They were back to square one. This psychic world was really starting to get on his nerves. He didn’t know if Ms. Alano had envisioned a killer or if she was repeating a confused version of something Dani had said to her while he was buying ice cream.

  Save Dani.

  He planned to, with or without the ambiguous visions and psychic mumbo jumbo. He’d do this his way, the SEAL way where success was the only option.

  MARCUS TOOK THE KEY and opened the door to Dani’s posh town house, checking for any sign that it had been broken into, before he stepped aside for her and Celeste to enter.

  “Nice pad,” he said, eyeing the crystal chandelier and the art hung above the antique chest in the marble foyer. “Duran Muton must like you a lot.”

  “Not this much. I divorced well.”

  More surprises. He really knew very little about the woman who now completely consumed his hours and thoughts. “Good thing I didn’t drive here in my truck. Your neighbors would have had it towed.”

  “Nonsense. They’d have taken you for a repairman,” she teased. “The guest suite is on the third level, but you can just leave your luggage by the stairs until you’re ready to go up.”

  “Guest suite?”

  “No biggie. It’s a family-size town house and there are only two of us.”

  “But no room for horses,” Celeste said, frowning. “I’m going to e-mail my friends and tell them all about our trip.” She pranced up to the second floor, taking the wide steps two at a time.

  Dani slipped out of her jacket. “Give me a minute to check my phone messages, and I’ll give you a tour of the place. In the meantime, just make yourself at home.”

  Sure he’d make himself at home, about as home as he’d feel in the Taj Mahal. One wrong move and he’d surely break something, like that delicate porcelain statue on the shelf near his elbow. Three ballerinas, all on their toes. There was a silver-framed picture of Celeste and Dani on the antique foyer table that he admired from a safe distance. He tried that for a few seconds, then took his chances and ventured into the high-ceilinged living area.

  The furnishings were Hollywood or something from the cover of a decorating magazine. He’d never realized normal people actually lived like this—or how they lived like this.

  Case in point, the overstuffed sofa was upholstered in white. Who’d ever trust a guy to watch football and eat chips on a white sofa?

  The coffee table was polished to a high shine and topped with a crystal bowl filled with colored glass balls and blooming orchids. Even with his boots off, he didn’t see a spot for his feet. And if there was a television in the room, it was well hidden.

  The kitchen was more like it. Still fancy, but at least it had the basic instruments for survival—once you located and identified them. The refrigerator was built into the cabinets with the same beautiful wood on the front.

  The range was the latest design, and the coffeepot looked like a contraption from a Star Wars control center. He might not have known what it was had the word espresso not been engraved into the chrome.

  “No messages of importance,” Dani said, joining him in the kitchen. “What do you think of the place so far?”

  “It suits you.”

  “That doesn’t particularly sound like a compliment.”

  “It’s a nice place.”

  “But?”

  He wasn’t doing this well. The problem was that he was trying to see himself in this setting, and it didn’t fly. But his presence was only temporary here and in Dani’s world. “I’m used to ranch life,” he said, “and Navy bunks. This is a little rich for my blood.”

  “For mine, as well. Todd and I bought and furnished the town house together when he closed the deal on his first big contract. He has a flair for the dramatic and putting on the dog. I’d have gone for a bit more coziness. Celeste and I have made enough changes that we’re comfortable here.”

  “That must have been a nice contract. What kind of work does your ex do?”

  “Todd invented a device used in drilling operations. I don’t understand the complexities of it fully, but according to Todd it’s now a staple in the oil and gas industry.”

  “Did he come up with that while you were married?”

  “He did, which meant he had to give up the house, furnishings, my car—all three paid for in full—and a nice chunk of change in order to bed and wed his new love interest. Apparently he felt it was worth that to get rid of me.”

  The guy might be a genius on some front, but he had to be nuts to give up Dani. “So if you have all this money, why do you work?”

  “The chunk is not that big. I love my job. Tennis and hanging out at the country club bore me. Two martini lunches with the rich-bitch set give me headaches. All of the above.”

  “I hear that.” He opened the back door and looked out. There was a flagstone patio, nicely furnished with teak tables, cushioned chairs and a built-in grill. A few square yards of manicured garden space stretched between that and a privacy fence. Beyond that were more town houses with not a tree in sight.

  “I know this must feel suffocating to you,” Dani said, obviously reading his mind. “But it’s near my work and Celeste’s private girls’ school. It’s perfect for us.”

  “That’s all that matters.”

  One hand slid to rest on her shapely hip. “This is how people live in the city, Marcus. I don’t need acres of lawn to keep up.”

  “No use to go to the defensive. I said it’s nice. Besides, I’m just a guest.”

  She sighed. “Stay outside as long as you like. I’m going to call the hospital and check on Ella. I’m starting to get really bad vibes about her.”

  And probably worse vibes about him.

  In Ella’s case, he wasn’t sure if vibes meant psychic mind grumblings or something more subtle, but nothing about Ella Somerville’s situation made him feel good.

  He followed Dani back inside. He started upstairs to take his luggage and survey his suite when the panic in Dani’s voice stopped him cold. His gut tightened. The saga of Ella Somerville had apparently taken a turn for the worse.

  DREAD CHOKED DANI’S WORDS. “There must be some mistake. I called earlier today and a nurse said Ella had been moved to a semiprivate room, but that she was still in serious condition.”

  “She was moved to room 506 this morning. Are you a relative?”

  Dani decided on a lie. A no might get her a curt “I’m sorry we can’t release any more information.” “I’m her sister.”

  “Then hopefully you can persuade her to return to the hospital at once.”

  “
Then she wasn’t discharged?”

  “Hardly. She sneaked from the floor after stealing a robe from the closet of the other patient in her room.”

  “What time was that?”

  “A little over an hour ago, sometime between three-thirty and four-thirty. Kevin Flanders came to visit. He brought a beautiful bouquet of roses. When he went in to give it to her, her bed was empty.”

  “Maybe she just wandered off and got lost. It’s a big hospital.”

  “We’ve searched the premises. She’s gone and so is her handbag. Can you hold on a moment? Dr. Carson’s walking this way right now. I’m sure he’d like to speak to you. Can I have your name?”

  “Dani,” she said, avoiding her last name. “I’ll hold.”

  Her irritation heightened to match her skyrocketing anxiety. All of this had transpired within the past hour, and her psychic abilities had been worthless. They’d provided no inkling as to where Ella had gone, no clue if she’d left the hospital on her own or had been abducted.

  What is it you want from me? How can I help if all you let me see is bits and pieces and never the whole thing? Show me the villain!

  “Dr. Carson is ready to speak to you.”

  “I’m still here.”

  “Hello.” The deep male voice resonated with authority. “Am I speaking to Ella’s sister?”

  “Yes.” The lie was starting to come too easily.

  “Are you aware that she walked out of the hospital today without being medically released?”

  “I wasn’t until I called the hospital a few minutes ago.”

  “Well, she did, and our hands are tied when patients make that decision on their own. Do you know where she is or how to reach her?”

  No, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the man who’d tried to kill her might try again. “I’ll try to locate her,” Dani said. “Did Ella say anything to anyone about where she was going, perhaps her roommate?”

  “No, and no one saw her walk past the nurses’ desk. There’s an emergency staircase just outside her room. She may have left that way.”

  Unless she was abducted and carried down the stairs. But Dani couldn’t imagine an abductor stealing a robe.

  “Ella’s in critical condition,” the doctor stressed. “We can’t force medical care on her, but if you have any influence with her, I suggest you see that she gets it, either here or at some other medical facility.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Good. For her sake, I hope you’re successful. Patients who’ve been through a trauma don’t always understand the risk they’re taking by refusing care.” To his credit, his voice took on a tone of real concern.

  “I’ll find a way to get her back to a hospital,” she assured him, though she wasn’t sure how she was going to accomplish the task.

  Her insides rolled, and a wave of vertigo sent her head spinning. When it passed, she spotted Marcus on the landing, watching her, his worn duffel in hand.

  “Don’t bother to unpack. There’s been a change of plans.”

  Chapter Ten

  Once Dani made up her mind, there was no changing it. As much as Marcus didn’t like being cooped up in a town house on a postage-stamp lot, he preferred it to Dani’s playing Good Samaritan.

  Nonetheless, a couple of phone calls and Dani had been ready to head back to Dobbin. She’d arranged for a caretaker to come for Celeste, the same lady who regularly stayed with her when Dani was out of town on business. She’d asked for and gotten approval for up to five vacation days, if needed.

  And they were off.

  It was fifteen minutes past nine o’clock in the evening by the time they reached the town limits for Plantersville.

  “I still don’t see the point of you taking this on yourself,” Marcus said. “What ever happened to hiring protection for Ella?”

  “I told you. No one I hire will have my psychic abilities, which means I have the best chance of locating her.”

  “And the first place you want to look for her is at her travel trailer.”

  “It makes sense, Marcus. It’s her home. She may feel safest there with Kevin Flanders to protect and take care of her.”

  “In which case you’d think he’d take her back to the hospital where she belongs.”

  “Maybe he tried and she wouldn’t go.”

  “If she won’t go for him, what makes you think she’ll go for you?”

  “I can promise her protection. If she knows there’s an armed guard at her door 24/7, that she’s safer in the hospital than anywhere else, then it makes sense for her to go back and get the treatment she needs.”

  “Have you forgotten what she told you last night?”

  “No. Look, I don’t expect you to understand, but I have to give this a try. Even if she’s not at the RV, I may see or feel something that triggers a new trance, one that will lead me to her.”

  Marcus admired Dani’s tenacity and her determination to protect a virtual stranger. He loathed that she had to get in the middle of everything herself. It wasn’t smart, not when all she had to go on was vague visions that put her in as much danger as Ella—maybe more.

  Still he turned at the highway that led to the festival grounds. He didn’t fully understand how these telepathic connections worked. Maybe Dani would handle one of Ella’s possessions and pick up a psychic scent, kind of like a good bomb dog could sniff out explosives.

  That didn’t mean he had to like Dani’s involvement in any of this.

  Only one thing stopped him from putting his foot down and insisting she hire a private investigator to search for Ella. Well, two things. One, she’d probably step right over his foot.

  Two, he figured getting the truth from Ella was the best way to find out why the visions kept showing Dani at the point of a dagger.

  WHEN SHE’D PASSED the festival campgrounds on Saturday, Dani noticed trailers scattered about the clearing a few yards off the road.

  Saturday. Only two days ago. It seemed weeks. Dani was used to busy days, but never had she crammed this much into forty-eight hours.

  Lights flickered off to her left, and then the silhouettes of tents began to form in the darkness. Dani sat completely still, hoping for some psychic sensation that she was on the right track.

  Marcus slowed the car. “We’re close. Getting any vibrations?”

  “Nothing,” she admitted.

  “That makes two of us. But remember your promise.”

  “Right, commando.” She tipped her head saucily. “I follow your lead and don’t go anywhere without you. And no back talk.”

  She’d added the last part on her own. He reached across the back of her seat and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She struggled to ignore the sensual urge the insignificant touch induced. She’d have enough trouble dealing with those later, when she was sleeping a few steps away from him.

  This could be a very long night.

  “I’M LOOKING FOR ELLA Somerville. She owns one of the clothing shops inside the festival. Do you know her?”

  The dark-haired woman stood in the door of her small travel trailer, holding a sandwich in one hand and a beer in the other. “I don’t think so. A group of people who work here have camps set up toward the back of the grounds. Did you check there?”

  “Not yet.” But she definitely would now. “Thanks for your help.”

  A mosquito buzzed in Dani’s ear. She swatted it away and walked back to the truck with Marcus. He’d been patient beyond measure, and quieter than he’d been since she’d met him. She suspected he was sorry he’d ever handed her his card.

  He drove to the back of the grounds. There were several travel trailers, most with lights on. Someone had strung up a clothesline outside one and there were two skirts billowing in the breeze. A preschool boy kicked a soccer ball outside another.

  “Eenie, meanie, miney, moe,” Marcus said.

  “Let’s try the one with laundry still hanging.”

  “You got it.”

  Dani parked an
d Marcus walked her to the door. She knew he had his weapon on him, ready for any kind of trouble. It shocked her how literally he took her psychic visions. Even from the beginning, Todd had hated any mention of them and belittled her for believing they existed.

  Marcus knocked and stayed between her and the door until a very attractive woman who looked to be in her early twenties opened it. She was wearing nothing but talcum and a sheer nightshirt.

  The near nude smiled broadly. “Well, hello, cowboy.”

  Shameless flirt, but who could blame her. Hunks like Marcus didn’t come knocking every night. At least they hadn’t at Dani’s door.

  “Down, boy,” Dani whispered, stepping closer. “We’re looking for someone who’s camping in the area. Ella Somerville. Do you know her?”

  “Yeah, sure. She and Kevin live in that blue and white trailer where the Jeep and the Honda Civic are parked. You know you look almost just like Ella. You must be kin.”

  “Sisters.”

  “Then I guess you heard what happened to her the other night. I couldn’t believe it. We never have any trouble around here. I mean never. We don’t even lock up, unless we’re going to be gone overnight. And now Ella gets stabbed while working a private wedding party. It’s bizarre. How is she anyway?”

  “Critical.”

  “Oh, no.”

  To the woman’s credit, she looked genuinely upset.

  “Have you heard any speculation as to who might have stabbed her?” Marcus asked.

  “No. I heard the police questioned Kevin, but I can’t believe he’d try to kill her. I mean, he’s a loudmouth, especially when he’s high—or drunk. Not the type to commit murder, though. I guess people always say that about someone they know, don’t they?”

  “Not always,” Marcus answered. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Anytime. And if you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop in.”

  “Can’t get a more forthright invitation than that, cowboy.” Dani mocked the woman’s flirty tone as they walked back to the car.

  “Lady’s just being friendly.”

  “Lady’s not the word I’d have chosen.”