“Cade?”
He blinked, not realizing he’d zoned out. “Sorry, just thinking.” About our past. Now he realized why he’d never come home before to live. She could break his heart all over again, and he just couldn’t go through that a second time.
“What names have jumped out for you?”
“I have five names so far that I want to check where they are since they have been released. With most of the big cases, the guys are still in prison, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t gotten someone else to come after you. We’ll need to look at all possibilities as well as Mederos.”
“He’s still top on my list. You didn’t say much about your interview with him on the ride back to the ranch.”
“He denies having anything to do with the murder of Judge Parks, but that’s expected. There was an interesting piece of evidence I used against Mederos. It set him off. His young brother’s fingerprint was on the black truck.”
“The one planted in the middle of the road that we almost hit?” Tory kneaded the sides of her forehead.
“Yep, that one.”
“Although Pedro Mederos is connected to the biker gang, he’s always been in the background. I’ve never had any evidence to connect him to a crime in this county.”
“So you think Mederos is right? Pedro wasn’t involved?”
Tory shrugged. “Anything is possible. Pedro worships his brother. Pedro could have done it if he started worrying about Mederos’s chances. Usually the cases don’t go to trial.”
“Now Mederos has his little brother to worry about. I’ll be part of Judge Parks investigation, especially since it is tied to your case.”
“I agree there could be a connection.”
“I’m especially highlighting the trials you and the judge had in common.”
“Did the police find the real crime scene or was the judge killed in the back of the truck?” Tory’s eyelids slid closed partway.
“The truck probably was the crime scene. They found the judge’s pickup he was using to go hunting. No blood there.” When she fought to keep her eyes open, he touched her forearm. “Go back to bed.”
“No. We need to talk and this is the best time. No one’s up. When Michelle finally goes to bed, she sleeps well. I wish I had that ability.”
“Me too.” He wanted to cradle her face between his palms and erase the pain and exhaustion he saw there. “I know there isn’t a lot of privacy here, and this would be a better time than others, but—”
She raised her arm and laid her fingers over his cheek. “I don’t want you—or me for that matter—getting distracted because of our past history. It stands between us and we need to be a team for Michelle now more than anything. Another hour won’t make much difference and maybe hashing it out will help us both put our past behind us.”
She made sense, but he was afraid to release the pain he held deep inside him. He’d never shared it with anyone, even right after he discovered she’d married Derek, and his baby had been given his best friend’s last name.
* * *
The feel of Cade’s cheek produced good memories Tory had squashed for years. Months had gone by without a word from Cade. He hadn’t been captured, hurt or killed. Although Cade and his uncle rarely corresponded, Ben hadn’t heard anything from the army concerning his nephew, so he’d reassured Tory that Cade was alive and well.
She’d been at college and turned to Derek for support and help. She hadn’t wanted to go home and had even stayed through Thanksgiving at school, but by Christmas and still no word, she’d succumbed to Derek’s offer to marry her and give her child two parents. She and Derek had always been good friends, and slowly she’d learned to love him beyond friendship. And he’d been a wonderful father to Michelle.
But she’d always wondered why Cade hadn’t contacted her except through Derek.
“Why didn’t you contact me about having our baby?” She finally asked the question she’d wondered about many times fifteen years ago.
He stared into space for a moment. “I never got the messages until I returned from a classified mission.”
“That lasted almost six months? You never told me you were going to be gone on a secret mission.”
“Because I didn’t know until five minutes before I left. No one was to know about it—even now. All I can say is that I went behind enemy lines. When I returned, I was debriefed, then given all the letters and phone messages from home that had accumulated. I was reminded the mission was top secret even after the fact. I did tell you of the possibility I would be out of contact for a while before I left for the war zone.”
“For that long?”
“I had no control over that. It wasn’t supposed to be so long, but the mission ran into some trouble.”
“So why didn’t you contact me when you returned?”
“I did. Derek answered the phone, and we talked. By that time you were married.”
Derek had told her about the call, but she’d thought at the very least Cade would call back and talk personally to her. “I loved you. Why didn’t you talk to me?”
Another long pause, then he said, “The truth?”
“Of course, I want the truth.”
“I told Derek everything, and I was going to call back. But then he asked me if my appearance all of a sudden would be the best for you. You were due to give birth any day. You were bedridden that last month with high blood pressure. You were married and had a life. One that I had no part of. At that time, I didn’t know when I was coming home. If I was coming home. I was in a special unit that took risks to keep others safe.” A frown carved deep lines into his face. “I wasn’t in a good place mentally. Certainly not prepared to marry and be a father.”
“You didn’t ever call back.” And she didn’t find out about Cade calling until after Michelle was born. She’d needed to talk to him. Once she’d started to call him but stopped. She wouldn’t force herself or Michelle on anyone.
“Derek called to let me know you and Michelle were okay. I asked to talk to you and he said you didn’t want to. You were married and had a child to think about.”
Her heartbeat sped up, and her breathing increased. “I never said that. Why didn’t you question Derek further?”
“Because I thought he was the best man for you. The war changed me. I was struggling to hold my life together. I wasn’t going to be responsible for breaking up your marriage and causing a scandal. You’d made your choice, and I decided to respect that.”
“So you walked away from me and your daughter.”
“The day before he called me, I’d lost a combat buddy. A sniper took him out. He was beside me one second, the next he went down and I had to scramble for cover. All I could think about was survival.” Cade stood and began to pace. “When my time was up, I left the service. I’d given my country four years of my life, but so much more than that. I came back to the States and had to figure out who I was and what I wanted.”
The pain in his voice tore at her. She couldn’t imagine living in such fear—until now. She rarely had a migraine anymore, and yet the stress had brought one on. The remnants of the headache still plagued her, but thanks to her medication and coping mechanisms she’d manage to nip it before it completely took hold.
“I’ve only had a little taste of what fear can do and hope to never have it again. Derek should have told me everything, but I can’t fault him for trying to protect me. He was a great father to Michelle.” She rose and faced him.
“I know. Much better than I would have been right after I returned from the Middle East. I could hear the love he had for you and Michelle in his voice. That’s when I decided not to come back to El Rio and find a life somewhere else. That didn’t mean I didn’t keep up with what was happening. Derek sent me photos of Michelle. I put them in a picture album
. After he died, Uncle Ben did what he could to let me know what was going on with her.”
She tried to respond, but the heaviness in her chest threatened to steal her next breath. Tears choked her throat, and she swallowed several times. “I’m glad,” she finally said in a hoarse whisper.
“I know it’s too late to be Michelle’s father, even with Derek gone. In the short time I’ve been around her, I hear and see how much she loved him. I don’t want to change or tarnish that now. But I hope I can be in her life as a friend.”
“I think we can work something out once we’re safe. She’s already taken a fancy to Ben. She told me he cooks so much better than I do, and she loves all his stories.”
“My uncle would make a great chef.”
“Chef?”
“Yeah, because his dishes are a delicious creation even with something simple like meatloaf.” He covered the few steps to her. “How’s your migraine?”
“Getting better. The caffeine in the coffee has helped, but I should try to get some more sleep. I’ve lost so much since the Mederos case landed in my lap.”
“C’mon. I’ll walk you to your room. I’m going to check upstairs and make sure it’s locked down.”
“Didn’t you do it earlier?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t hurt to double-then triple-check. This is when I wish I had a castle turret with only one way inside, guarded by me. If I were a criminal, I’d try the second floor. So many people don’t secure windows above the first level.”
“In my job as a DA, I’ve always been cautious, but not like what you’re describing.”
He took her hand and started for the stairs. “When I walk into a room, I assess it and search for all the ways out. I place myself in the best location to escape and guard my back.”
She stopped in the middle of the staircase and turned to him. “How’s your life now different from when you were a soldier?”
“There are similarities if you want to stay alive. Even with precautions, a person can be caught off guard like driving to the ranch the night we wrecked. I can’t see all possibilities all the time. That’s when I give it to the Lord. He’s my backup.”
With all Cade had been through, he still leaned on God while she was struggling with her faith and why God allowed men like Mederos to win. “Have you ever been shot?”
“Once in the Middle East. That day my buddy was killed, a bullet nicked me. Could have been worse, but I reacted fast. When I went into law enforcement, I had a few close calls but nothing more than a few bruises and cuts.”
“So now I’ve got to add worrying about you to my list.”
“No,” He cupped her face, his eyes skimming over it. “Worrying is a waste of time and energy. It doesn’t change a thing and can only add stress. You don’t need another person to worry over.”
How did he get to be so wise? She knew he was right, but that didn’t make it easy to follow his advice. Worrying came naturally to her. “I’m a mother. It’s hard not to.”
“You’ve done a good job with Michelle. She’s leveled headed.”
“She has her moments. Although her emotions can rule sometimes when they shouldn’t. She’s fourteen and counting the days until she turns fifteen. Don’t you remember how it was to be a teenager? Especially now that she’s discovered boys.”
His hand slipping to his side, he chuckled. “I like the idea of a castle turret more and more, with a moat around it and alligators in the water. Lots of them.”
“You’d have a rebellion on your hands. She is strong-minded.”
“Is that another way of saying stubborn?”
She nodded, missing the feel of his hand, more than she had realized. His touch sparked memories of their times together as teens. She’d known when he decided to go into the army after the 9/11 attacks and she went to college that it would be hard for them to grab time together. So when they saw each other between long absences, all their feelings would pour out. Intense. All consuming.
They continued up the stairs.
Cade paused at the bedroom across from Tory’s. “Michelle’s sleeping in here. This is my office, but it has a daybed as well as some of the boxes I haven’t unpacked yet. She didn’t mind and kind of liked having her own room.” He quietly opened the door and whispered, “I’m going to check her window.”
While he crossed to it, Tory moved over to the bed and looked at her daughter, peacefully sleeping as though someone wasn’t after them. Why, Lord? Why is she in danger? A tear slipped from her eye and coursed down her cheek.
Cade touched her arm and motioned toward the hallway.
She ducked her head and swiped her hand across her face. She had to be strong. For Michelle.
At the bedroom Tory was staying in, she turned to him. “Tomorrow I should be much better, and I can help you by going through my files. They might trigger something not written down that I remember in connection to the people I put away. I’ll check the window and make sure it’s locked. Thanks for the coffee.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome. Sleep well. And know that Uncle Ben and I are taking care of you and Michelle.”
When she went in and closed the door, she leaned against it, her eyes sliding closed. In her mind’s eye, she saw Cade’s grin and the laugh lines at the sides of his eyes. His face transformed when he smiled. Flutters in her stomach made a mockery of her declaration that there was nothing between her and Cade anymore.
* * *
Cade’s eyes burned from all the hours he’d spent staring at a piece of paper on the computer screen. He felt he was no closer discovering who would be after Tory and Michelle than he was yesterday when he started going through the trial cases.
“That frown must mean no good leads.”
Cade glanced up at his uncle coming into the dining room from the kitchen. “Pedro Mederos is still our best lead, but according to Paul Drake he’s disappeared. When they went to pick him up, he was gone and no one has seen him for thirty hours or so they said.”
“As if the kid knew his prints were found on the van. Interesting.”
“Yep, as I was interviewing Mederos, two police officers went to bring Pedro in for questioning. They searched all last night and today. Still no sign of him.”
“How’s Mederos taking this news?”
“Like nothing unusual has happened.” Cade sighed. “This makes me wonder if there’s a mole at the police department.”
“Or the boy did it and fled right after that.”
“True. But every law enforcement officer in a two-hundred-mile radius is looking for the teen.”
Uncle Ben leaned against the doorjamb, his arms loosely crossed. “There are a lot of places for him to hide. I’m sure Mederos has resources. He could be out of the country by now.”
“Paul checked with border patrol. They’re on lookout for him.” But Cade kept wondering if there was a mole in the department. Mederos usually was one step ahead of the police. “Where are Tory and Michelle? It’s been awfully quiet since lunch.”
Uncle Ben chuckled. “As opposed to Michelle storming out of the kitchen when she found out she wasn’t going to school tomorrow.”
“I think the whole house shook when my—Michelle slammed her bedroom door.” He had to remember not to let slip Michelle was his daughter, but being so exhausted from trying to figure out who was behind the judge’s murder and Tory’s break-in, it was easy to forget. For years in his mind he’d referred to Michelle as his daughter. Old habits were hard to stop. “I need a break. I think I have something that might help keep her entertained.”
“Yeah, please come up with something. I’m the one who’ll be with her most of the day tomorrow.”
Cade headed for the back door. “You can regale her with all your stories. In her mind, I’m the one who is keeping her from going to scho
ol. I’ll be at the barn.”
For the next half an hour, he took down the basketball hoop and put it up in the barn. In there Michelle could play to her heart’s content. The doors could be bolted from the inside, and with one person guarding her, she should be all right.
He whistled as he made his way back to the house. This should appease her and give her something to do physically. Cade came around to the front of his home and stopped to talk with Deputy Rodriquez. The young man put down the binoculars he used to scan the terrain and greeted Cade.
“Anything?” Cade picked them up and did his own sweep of his ranch.
“A few birds flying overhead, but otherwise nothing has stirred out here. But inside sparks are flying. At least now it’s quieted down a little.”
Cade thrust the binoculars into the deputy’s hand and hurried toward the front door. As he entered, he heard Michelle shouting, “I’m on house arrest. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Cade came into the living room in time to see his daughter stamp her foot. “What’s going on here?”
Standing by the dining room table with a file in hand, Tory frowned, her shoulders stiff, one arm rigid at her side. “Michelle is arguing about staying here. She insists school is safe, and she would be fine. But mostly she’s worried about missing basketball practice.”
Cade fixed his undivided attention on Michelle and waited until she looked at him. “I’ve got something to show you in the barn. It might make this situation a little more bearable.”
“I’m one of the best shooters on my team. They need me to win. I don’t see anything making this better.”
“Fine. If you want to see what I set up, I’ll take you. But if you don’t, that’s okay too.” Cade started for the kitchen, needing a tall glass of sweet tea.
Right before he went through the doorway, Michelle said, “Okay. I’ll take a look. Anything to break up this boredom. I can’t believe you don’t have a TV.”
“Don’t have much time for it, and I certainly don’t see that changing any time soon. We’ll go in a minute.” Cade continued into the kitchen, poured his tea and downed half of it.
High-Risk Reunion Page 6