Seeing the two together was like staring at a younger version of Tory, except for Michelle’s blue eyes. Both had long, curly blond hair, a thin build and an oval face with a sprinkle of freckles across their pert noses.
“Let me check the hall first.” He went through the double doors first, inspecting the corridor on both sides. Empty. “Okay, let’s hurry.”
Cade trailed right behind Tory and Michelle, frequently glancing behind him. When they reached the rear exit, Cade went out first, checking the area. Now all they had to do was round the building and make it to his SUV in the parking lot.
He gestured in the direction they should go, his grasp on his gun. Tory grabbed Michelle’s hand and headed to the left side of the gym.
A few feet from the corner, Michelle halted and tugged her hand free. “What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” She looked over her shoulder at Cade. “Who are you?”
He pulled his jacket open. “I’m Cade Morgan and you two are in danger. I’m here to take you to your house for Chief Drake.” He wanted to say so much more. But there was no time for that right now.
Michelle’s eyes widened. “Mom, is that true?”
Tory flashed him a penetrating look, meant to stop him from saying anything else. “Yes. We had a break-in at the house.”
But Cade would say or do whatever was needed to keep them safe. He stepped around the pair and peered around the corner. “It’s clear. My SUV is on this side of the parking lot. We’ll head for it.”
The exit door they used opened. Cade ushered the two around to the side of the building before anyone saw them. He peeked at whoever was coming outside. Three teenage boys, dressed in sweats, left the rear of the gym. They didn’t appear to be members of the biker gang.
He quickly covered the short distance between himself and Michelle and Tory.
“Why can’t we drive home in our car?” Tory asked as she halted at the front side.
“Because it’s been sitting out in the parking lot for the whole town to see and have access to.”
“So is yours.”
“But I’m not the one they’re after.”
The color drained from Tory’s face.
“Who are they?” Michelle plastered herself against the brick building, distress taking over her expression. “Mom?” She glanced between him and Tory.
“I’ll tell you later. We need to do what Cade says. He was your dad’s best friend in high school. He has our best interest at heart.”
“But why would—”
The sound of motorcycles roared through the air, coming nearer as riders entered the school parking lot, all wearing the skull and crossbones emblem on their jackets.
Trapped.
TWO
Cade poked his head around the corner. There were three bikers. The motorcycles went up and down the rows of vehicles. His SUV was fifty feet away. Too far to run to undetected.
Cade withdrew his cell phone and placed a call to the police station. “I need at least one squad car if not two to come to the parking lot at the high school gym. There are three members of Mederos’s gang patrolling the cars. Have the officers put their sirens on.”
“Are they looking for us?” The pitch of Michelle’s voice rose.
He pulled back while Tory tried to comfort Michelle. Her hands trembled, and she balled them.
“Maybe. Hard to tell. I’m being cautious.” Cade didn’t want to alarm his daughter so much that she shut down, but she needed to know the severity of the situation.
“Mom, is this about the trial you’re prosecuting?”
“I think so,” Tory answered.
In the distance the sound of sirens blared. “When I say move, run for the black SUV five cars in. I’ll be right behind you two.” Cade slid his weapon out of his holster and pointed it at the ground.
As the police grew closer, coming in from two different directions, first one biker left the parking lot, then a second one did, followed by the third gang member when one of the patrol cars came barreling down the street toward the gym. That police officer went after the last biker.
“Go. Now.” Cade hurried after Tory and Michelle, keeping his gaze trained on his surroundings. Although all three motorcycles had vanished down several side streets, the sense of being watched plagued him each step closer to his SUV. “Get down when you’re inside.”
He pushed his key fob to open his doors. Michelle scrambled into the backseat with Tory right behind her. He started to climb into his SUV when one of the patrol officers pulled up. He’d met Officer Sims the other day at the station.
Cade walked over to him. “I need you to check out the DA’s car for anything suspicious. I noticed one biker stop for half a minute by her red Chevy Malibu two rows over. Call me and let me know if anything was planted.” Cade handed him his card with his cell phone number on it, then returned to the driver’s side door and climbed inside.
Tory said something to Michelle, but when he sat behind the steering wheel, Tory pressed her lips together and stared out the window. His daughter lowered her chin and twisted her hands together in her lap.
As he drove toward Tory’s house, tension pulsed in the silence of the car. He glanced at the backseat several times en route to her place. With her arms crossed over her chest, Tory caught him looking and narrowed her gaze. Her stiff posture spoke volumes of what she was feeling—no doubt all of it directed at him. At one point they had talked about getting married, then September 11 had occurred and everything had changed.
Cade pulled into her driveway. He wished that Tory and he could talk about their past. That wasn’t possible right now, but they would have to eventually, because he intended to discover who had invaded her home, which meant they would have to spend time together.
Michelle jumped out of Tory’s car and charged toward the porch, her arms stiff at her sides.
Tory scrambled from the passenger’s seat. “Wait, Michelle. Don’t go inside yet.”
Exiting his SUV, Cade strode toward the house as Paul came out onto the porch. Tory spoke to Michelle on the sidewalk then climbed the stairs to talk to the police chief. Cade hurried toward the pair.
Michelle blocked his path. “What’s going on with Mom? Why is the police chief here too? How bad is it?”
For a few seconds, Cade didn’t know what to say. “You’ll need to ask your mother. I haven’t been inside yet.”
“Cade, would you join us?” Paul glanced at the teenager. “We need to make some plans—alone.”
“Then I’ll go inside to my room.” Michelle stomped up the stairs to the porch.
“No!” Tory said, reaching for her daughter.
The police chief moved in front of Michelle. “In a moment you can go into the house. Give me a few minutes to talk with your mom.”
Michelle looked at each of them, then trudged to the porch swing and plopped down on it, crossing her arms and frowning. “I’m not a baby, you know.”
“I know, honey. Just give us a minute.” Then she whispered to Paul, “You’d better hurry. She isn’t the most patient girl, and pulling her out of the game when she was shooting so well isn’t sitting well with her.”
Paul planted himself in front of the door. “Before you go inside, I need to tell you what Detective Alexander also found on your pillow in your bedroom. It was a photo of you leaving the courthouse in the clothes you have on today. The word Boom was written across it in red. What time did your daughter go to the gym?”
“She told me it would have been about thirty minutes before I came home.”
Paul frowned. “That means the intruder had only a small window of time to do this. There could have been more than one of them.”
“That means he was probably outside watching. He—they could have...” Tory curled her hands.
&nbs
p; Despite what happened in the past, Cade wanted to hold her, reassure her, especially when he saw the color drain from her face in the dim light from the porch. He stopped himself before he did that. Instead he clasped her upper arm, the touch familiar to him and yet strange.
“Michelle is looking,” she said.
He slid his hand away, not wanting to give his daughter any ideas about their relationship. He was only concerned for Tory in a strictly professional capacity. They might both work in the justice field, but that was all they had between them now.
No, we have Michelle between us.
“What should we do? I have to protect my daughter.”
The quavering in her voice reminded Cade of when Tory as a teenager had told him her mother died. That day their relationship had deepened. The year before he’d dealt with his dad passing away. He’d known what she was feeling at the time. “I’ll protect you and your daughter at my ranch until we know what’s going on for sure. And I think that Michelle needs to know what’s possibly happening here. It’s too important to keep her in the dark.”
“At your ranch! I’m sure Derek’s parents would take us in for a few days.” Panic laced her whispers. “I know they live in San Antonio but it isn’t too far—”
“Can they protect you two?” Cade cut in. “Do you want to put them in danger too if someone is truly after you...or your daughter?”
Tory shook her head. “Doesn’t your uncle live at the ranch?”
“Why do you think I wanted to be a Texas Ranger? I grew up thinking I’d follow in Uncle Ben’s footsteps. He knows what he’s doing. He used to protect the governor.”
Paul shifted toward him. “That’s a good suggestion, Cade. When she’s at the county courthouse, the police and the sheriff’s departments can protect her.”
“What’s taking y’all so long? I’m starving.” Michelle rose, one hand on her waist, reminding Cade of Tory when she was upset with him back when they dated. “What’s all the whispering about?”
“You need to tell her what’s going on. If you don’t want to, I can.” Cade stressed the last two words.
Tory glared at him. “I’m her mother, and I’ll tell her. But I prefer not to do it on the front lawn. I’ve seen Mrs. Applegate peeking out her window. I’m surprised she hasn’t come outside trying to listen to our conversation. What happened here will be all over town soon, and I don’t want to add to it.”
Paul backed away a few steps. “We still need to figure out what’s going on. Most likely it is one or more members of the Mederos gang. I think y’all need to talk in private. Call me when you’re settled in, Tory.”
“Chicken,” Cade said with a chuckle.
Paul grinned. “Yep. Reminds me of when y’all were dating in high school. Two strong, opinionated people clashing.” He tipped the brim of his cowboy hat and nodded at Michelle, still at the other end of the porch.
“You two need to pack your clothes. Let’s go into the living room to talk, then you should get what you both need to take to the ranch.” Cade glanced at Michelle. “She’s coming over here.”
“Mom, I’m almost an adult. What’s going on? Is this connected to the Mederos-gang case?” She set both fists on her waist.
Tory faced Michelle. “Let’s talk in the living room.” She slid her arm across her daughter’s back.
Michelle shrugged away, her eyes large. “You’re scaring me.”
Tory pushed the front door wide. “Inside first.”
Michelle huffed and plodded into the living room, then whirled around, both hands on her waist again. “Why was the police chief here? Why did you take me out of the game?” She fluttered her hand at Cade. “Why is he here?”
Cade clamped his jaw tightly together before he said something he would regret. He wished he had the right to step in.
“Someone broke into our house today right after you went to the game. They smashed your window in and trashed your room and...” Tory swallowed hard. “And the bathroom. When I came home, whoever did it must have run before he could do any more damage to the rest of the house.”
Michelle’s hands slipped from her waist, and her arms dangled at her sides. “He could have hurt you.”
“Yes. We’ll be staying at Cade’s ranch for a few days while the police process the crime scene and I get a top-notch alarm system. So until then he was kind enough to offer us a place to stay.”
Michelle threw a narrowed-eye look at him. “Why him? Why can’t we stay at Papa and Grandma’s house?”
Tory’s eyes closed, and she took a deep breath. “Because they live in San Antonio and you have school.”
“It’s only twenty-five miles away. You could drop me off at school before going to work. Or how about the hotel downtown not far from the courthouse? We could stay there.”
When Cade fixed his blue eyes on Tory and cleared his throat, she quickly added, “Also because this could be connected to the Mederos case I’m prosecuting right now. Cade will be there for our protection. This trial shouldn’t last too long. This could be just a prank, or the man I’m prosecuting right now may be behind it. I can’t take the chance and ignore what happened.”
Tears welled into Michelle’s eyes. “Someone is after you? Mederos is the head of the biker gang. I’ve heard stories...” Her voice caught on a sob.
“I don’t know what’s going on yet, honey, but as a Texas Ranger Cade will be working with the police on finding out what’s going on in addition to making sure we’re all right.”
A tear ran down Michelle’s cheek. “I don’t want to lose you too.”
Cade’s heart ripped in two at the thought of his daughter’s anguish and the years he’d missed. Anger he’d shoved down in the dark recesses of his mind surged to the forefront. Tory should have trusted their love. He should have returned home and claimed his daughter despite Tory’s marriage and what she and Derek had told everyone in town. Now it was too late.
“Baby, you aren’t going to lose me.”
“You don’t know that.” Michelle’s voice rose several levels.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to either one of you.” The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.
“Y’all can’t say that for sure. Quit treating me like a child. I’ll be fifteen soon.”
Tory released a long breath. “We’ll talk about this later. Give Chief Drake—and Morgan a chance to figure this out.”
“Do I have a choice?” Michelle glared at Tory, then him.
“No, but it’s for the best. C’mon. Let’s pack up and leave.” Tory turned toward the hallway but waited for Michelle to follow.
Cade hung back and trailed behind the two down the long hall. Tory hurried in front of her daughter and closed the bathroom door before they passed it. He started to check the damage out, but Michelle’s gasp when she looked into her bedroom echoed through the air. The bathroom could wait. He quickened his pace down the corridor.
When he came up behind Michelle, chaos like a tornado had ripped through the room greeted his inspection. This was not a prank, but the actions of someone who had a score to settle. Some of the clothes were ripped apart. And then there was the skull and crossbones painted in red on the wall. Was that blood? The sight solidified his resolve no matter what, he would find who did this to his daughter’s room.
A tall thin man squatting on the floor rose and removed the toothpick from his mouth. He looked past Tory and Michelle to Cade. “I’m Detective Alexander. I’ll be processing the room. Trying to lift fingerprints on some of the drawers and anything else I think the intruder touched. So far I haven’t gotten too many usable ones.”
“Cade Morgan, the new Texas Ranger assigned to this area. Nice to meet you. Can Michelle come in and get some clothes to take with her?”
“So y’all aren’t stayin
g here?” the detective asked as he moved to them in the entrance.
“No, not right now.” Tory peered around the man to take in the bedroom.
“I’ll board up the window when I finish with the crime scene. I still have the bathroom to process and finish this room so I’ll be here for a while.”
For a second the words crime scene hung in the air. Michelle hugged herself and dropped her head, all her anger from before deflated.
“I appreciate that. What have you already gone through?” Tory put her arm around Michelle, and this time her daughter let her.
“That third of the room.” The detective gestured toward the far side. “I’m working my way to the door. So long as you don’t touch any wood or pieces of furniture, you can get what clothes and items you need. If either of you see anything is missing, let me know.”
“Thanks. We will. Michelle, Cade will stay with you while you gather what you want to take.” Tory pointed to a duffel bag. “Use that.” She gave her daughter a hug. “We’re going to be all right.” When Tory pulled back, she quickly left Michelle with him.
But as she hurried away, Cade glimpsed her shiny hazel eyes. His emotions concerning Tory that he’d locked away demanded their release. He couldn’t let that happen. Tory had never really known him or she wouldn’t have jumped into a marriage with his best friend to give Michelle a father while he was fighting in the war in the Middle East. Appearances had always been important to her, but she should have waited longer, dug deeper into why he hadn’t answered her calls and letters. He’d been on an extended secret mission for the Army Rangers and didn’t know anything until he’d returned to camp five months later.
Tory didn’t investigate why she hadn’t heard from him and perhaps that had been for the best in the long run. He’d learned from her not to let his heart get involved. Being detached had helped him on most of his cases, and in this situation he had more of a motive to solve it quickly. Being around Tory stirred memories he wanted to forget.
High-Risk Reunion Page 2