He had to keep his faith. Had to believe that because the killer Simon didn’t take care of her at the cabin that he was looking for something—and needing her alive to find it. And Cox told Asa his theory. “I bet Burbank thinks she has something connected to the death of Trent Shoemaker.”
“Does she have something they’d want?”
“I don’t think so. We’ve wasted a lot of time not believing Hazel’s story and now her life is in danger. I fucked up.” He banged his fist against the steering wheel. “I was supposed to take care of her.”
“Don’t drag yourself through hell, man. We both know we can overlook the slightest things. The man, Shoemaker, was supposed to be dead, but had been using his debit card in Ohio.”
Cox slowed the Humvee as they approached the small town where Burbank lived above his bar. “With Mountain Force on the case too, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” He just hoped it wasn’t too late. “But right now, I just want to find Hazel.”
Now he had to stay focused on saving her.
As they neared the street, Cox parked a block away and turned off the engine. “We’re walking from here.”
He and Asa took to the sidewalk, walking in silence. They’d worked together long enough that no words were needed. They had each other’s backs and they relied on their instincts and training.
Once they reached the bar on the corner, as expected, the business had closed for the night. The last thing they needed was innocent people put at risk.
Cox stepped into the shadows where the street security lamp didn’t quite reach. “There are cameras all over the perimeter.”
Asa chuckled. “Of course. That’s why we go in straight. He won’t expect that. I’ll knock on the door and divert his attention, but you know it won’t take but a few minutes for him to wise up. You’ll have to get in quickly.”
“How about you, man? Once you knock he’s going to attack.”
“That’s what I’m banking on. We don’t have a choice, do we?” Asa rubbed his forehead then drew his gun from the holster. “I’ll keep him entertained as long as I can. Watch yourself.”
Pulling out his gun, Cox gripped it tightly. “See you on the other side. Let’s roll.” He crouched down by the privacy fence, waiting. Asa had already strolled toward the house.
Cox watched from afar and just as soon as his partner knocked, Cox hurried alongside the building, wishing the windows weren’t blacked out. The back door was protected with bars. Knowing he didn’t have a lot of time, he skipped the door entry and went for the basement window.
Using the handle of his gun, he hit the window, hoping Simon didn’t hear the shattering of glass.
Chapter 21
Was she hearing things?
The shattering of glass could have just been her imagination. She wanted out of the situation so bad she was hallucinating.
“Hazel? Are you okay? I’m here.” Cox was kneeling close, his hands tugging at the ropes. She tilted her head, blinking. Tears of joy filled her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if her eyes were deceiving her.
“Cox? Is that really you?”
“Yes. It’s me. I’m getting you out of here. We have to hurry,”
A gun shot sounded from upstairs.
“What is that? A gun shot? What’s going on?” she asked in a slurred voice.
“Don’t worry.”
He tugged the rope free from her wrists.
Then her ankles.
And although he moved quickly time seemed to slow.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
Hazel jerked, her heart dropping into her toes. “Oh no. He’s back. He’s armed,” she whispered.
“Come here, Hazel. Get behind me.” Cox motioned for her to do as he asked. His back was to her now.
Without a second wasted, she scooted off the bed and shuffled to stand behind Cox, a little wobbly and weak. They weren’t out of danger, but being with him, standing close to him, made her feel safer. Without a doubt, he’d protect her. She knew he’d come and get her and here he was now.
“You certainly made this easy, but I’m not surprised. I know myself how sweet pussy can make a man lose his logic. Unfortunately, now I’ll have to shoot you too. Just like I did your partner.”
“Maybe I’ll shoot you first,” Cox growled, holding his gun that targeted Simon.
“Give up, my friend. Put your weapon down and I’ll consider letting the chick live.”
“If you make one move, I’ll blow your head off.”
Simon laughed. “We’re in quite a pickle here, wouldn’t you say?”
“You won’t get by with this,” Cox warned. “It’s already over and you don’t even realize it.”
“My God. Do you people think that warning works? I’ve already gotten by with it. By the time anyone realizes you and your partner are missing you’ll be gone and there won’t be any sign of your bodies.”
Thankfully, the nausea was dissipating, and Hazel didn’t feel like she was going to vomit. The blurred vison was better too. She waited, hoping Cox shot the other man.
“You made a mistake, Burbank,” Cox said.
“Oh really?”
“There’s a thing called a bullet proof vest.”
“I’m proof mine’s in working order.” Hazel didn’t recognize the man standing in the doorway, but he was a large man that looked dangerous.
Simon’s face paled.
He turned, gun raised, but the other man shot him before Simon could get a shot off.
Cox dragged Hazel into his arms, holding her close. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
She was still staring at Simon’s lifeless body until Cox gently shook her. “Hazel? Don’t look.” He turned her around so that her back faced the bloody scene. “Tell me, are you okay?”
“I-I think I’m okay. Drowsy. He drugged me. I’m sorry. I went to the cabin…there was a dead man there.” She could no longer control her tears.
“Sweetheart, it’s okay,” he said against her hair. “I’m sorry, but we have to get out of this basement. We need to get you checked out.” He cupped her face and looked into her eyes. “Can you walk?”
“Yes, I think I can. Where’s Boxy? Did you find him?”
“Boxy is okay. I dropped him off at the vet. He had a hurt leg but he’ll live.”
“I’m so glad.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and they moved around Simon’s body. “Asa? You okay?” Cox asked the man who was rubbing his shoulder and squinting.
“I’m fine. Glad the asshole is dead. This hurts like a bitch though.” Asa growled. “I called for back up already. The fucker thought he killed me.”
“Let’s get out of here.” Cox motioned.
Upstairs, they found the exit and stepped outside into the fresh air. Hazel instantly felt the headache ease. “Thank you for saving me, Cox. I knew you’d come.” She looked up into his dark eyes.
“I was afraid—”
She pressed her finger to his lips. “You’re here now.”
“So you must be Hazel?”
Cox smiled. “Hazel, this is Asa.”
“HI, Asa. And thank you too. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m okay.” He gave a thumb’s up. “Takes more than a man like Simon to kill me. I see blue lights. I’ll flag them down.” He shook Cox’s hand and took off for the street.
Cox helped her sit down on the curb and, soon, the darkness was lit with blue and red lights.
Chapter 22
“You’ll be fine now,” Cox said to Hazel who was cuddled up in her bed at her uncle’s house. She’d insisted that he walk with her upstairs, and in fact, he’d been glad that she needed him. After what they’d been through, he hated to leave her, but he had to finish what he’d started.
“Come here, Boxy,” Hazel called for the injured dog who jumped on the bed with her and snuggled up next to her legs. He had most of his left leg wrapped in bandages. “I feel so bad about his owner.” She petted his he
ad. “Boxy must be so sad. He’d been trying to tell us all along.”
Cox patted the resting dog who seemed to be enjoying laying near Hazel. He didn’t blame the dog. “Want me to leave him here with you?”
She smiled. “Do you mind?”
“As I see it, he’s your dog. You get some sleep. Okay?” He stood and started for the door. After the chaos of the last day, neither of them had mentioned what they had shared at the cabin.
“Cox?”
He turned. “Yes?”
“I was very drugged when I was in the basement at the bar. I don’t remember a lot. Things keep coming to me and something is bothering me.”
Stepping back over he sat down next to her hip. “What is it?”
“Simon was asking me for something. He said he knew I had it.”
“You had something? Did he say what? Give you any clues?”
She shook her head against the pillow. “I’m sorry. I have no idea.”
He nodded and patted her hand. “It’s okay. If something comes to you, let me know. I’ll be back in the morning.” He kissed her cheek which seemed natural and expected. After she’d been checked by the doctor and had been given some meds to counteract the drugs in her system, she’d been told to go home and rest. She and Boxy both would have a full recovery. Asa had a bruised collarbone and a broken rib, but he too would be okay.
Once Cox left the room, he shut the door behind him and made his way downstairs. Lucifer met him in the hallway looking more uptight than ever.
“Lucifer, don’t you ever get a break?”
“Not until Congressman Noleen is elected.” He smirked. “He’d like to see you in his office.”
Cox scratched his temple. It had been a helluva crazy few days and he wanted to get out of there, but maybe the Congressman had something to say about Cris. He could only hope. “Okay.”
“Where’s the dog at?” Lucifer looked up the stairs, his nose wrinkling.
“He’s staying with Hazel.”
“Beware of a dog who has the taste for human blood. I had one that had to be put down when I was a kid because he bit the postman.” Lucifer sniffed and opened the door to the office where Noleen was sitting at his desk nursing a glass of scotch. He looked like hell. Cox could understand.
“Sir, you wanted to speak to me?” he asked once the door was closed and he was alone with Noleen.
“I did, Cox. Please, have a seat.”
Cox needed a moment off his feet, so he took the offering. “I need to get going soon. We’re still investigating the case.”
“This won’t be long.” Noleen steepled his fingers. “I wanted to say thank you again for saving Hazel’s life. I can never repay you.”
“I promised I’d keep her safe, but I could have done a better job. I would have done anything that I had to do to make sure I brought her home.”
Noleen nodded. He looked like he carried a hundred pounds on each shoulder. “I made a promise, too, and I wanted to let you know that your sister will get a fair hearing as early as next week.”
Relief came to him. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”
He ran his finger around the rim of the glass. “I thought you should know that before you left.” There seemed to be a lot on his mind
Cox stood. “I told Hazel I’d see her in the morning. You have a good night, Congressman.” Cox started for the door.
“She was telling the truth.”
“Huh?”
“Hazel. She was telling the truth. I should have believed her.”
“We all doubted her.”
“But I’m her uncle. She depends on me and I’ve let her down.”
“Sir, your niece loves you very much. She’ll forgive you. I might be crossing a boundary here, but if I had someone like her in my life, I’d do anything in the world to support her, no matter what she chooses. I can’t imagine there’s anything more important in life than the love of family.”
“Thank you, Cox.”
He touched the doorknob then pulled his hand back. “Sir, do you mind if I stop by the campaign office and look around? I’d like to investigate for myself.”
Noleen shrugged. “But the killers have been caught. We’ll probably never find Shoemaker’s body.”
“Probably not, but, for my own peace of mind, I need to look.”
“Sure. I’ll have Lucifer give you the key.”
Once he had the key and was outside, Cox called Reed. “Tell me what you know.”
Chapter 23
Cox found nothing.
Swiping a hand down his cheek, he sighed and rubbed his tired eyes and dropped down in the chair behind Shoemaker’s desk. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the weight of fatigue draining him. He didn’t have time to sleep though.
His phone rang. He ignored it, but then he got a text. He brought out his cell and read the screen. It was from Reed. “Apprehended the man who’s been using Shoemaker’s debit card. You won’t believe the story he told me. He was hired by someone with specific instructions. Call me for more details.”
Cox scratched his temple, absorbing the information. So who the hell had hired him?
He started to push his cell inside his pocket, but he dropped it to the floor. Leaning over to retrieve it, he hit something that made the desktop computer come on. “Shit.”
Now how the hell did he do that?
Cox slid his finger along the side of the monitor searching for the power button but instead hit a flash drive. Searching, he finally found the button, but paused…
His heart kicked up in speed.
The dead man, Roman, had said, “Drive.”
Was it possible that he referred to a flash drive?
The old adage “Hide in plain sight” came to Cox.
He pressed a button on the keyboard and a prompt for a password came up.
“Damn!”
Where would a man keep his password?
Cox looked under the pen holder, phone, and under the calendar and came up empty. Rubbing his forehead, he sighed. He’d have to take the drive back to work…but…
He lifted the desk calendar and flipped it over. There, written in red ink, were the words RamboRocksMyWorld. Cox smiled. Bingo.
He typed in the words and a welcome screen popped up.
And just like that, he was in.
Cox wasn’t computer savvy by a long shot, and neither had Shoemaker made finding the files difficult. He managed to pull up the contents of the drive without any trouble. He clicked on the first file titled “n1” and a picture popped up. Cox’s jaw almost hit the desk. Holy shit!
“Well, well. I can see how this would make a killer out of a man,” Cox muttered.
Apparently, the experts who supposedly had looked through the computer had missed a few things.
Chapter 24
Hazel couldn’t sleep.
She made her way downstairs with Boxy by her side and went into the kitchen to warm herself some milk.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
She looked up to find Uncle Brent sitting at the bar. “Hi. What are you doing up?” she asked.
“I should be asking you the same. You should be resting. Let me do that for you.” He grabbed her spot at the stove and stirred the milk. “You go and have a seat. I make the best warm milk.” He took out containers of cinnamon and vanilla too. She watched him from the stool.
She was grateful for his help because she didn’t have the energy to do much. The doctor said she’d feel tired for a few more days, but she didn’t want to complain. Her uncle looked terrible. “You look tired.”
“Thank you for getting right to the point.” He took down two mugs from the cabinet, sending her a grin.
“Where’s Vanessa?”
He gave a small shrug as if he hated talking about his wife. “She’s upstairs sleeping. Her last night here. She’ll be moving.”
Hazel blinked. Had she heard right? “I’m sorry. I know she and I have never had much of a relationsh
ip, but I don’t want you to be unhappy.”
He poured the prepared milk into cups and handed her one. She accepted it and sipped at the sweet drink. He and her mother always made the best warm milk.
“It’s long overdue. I don’t know what I was thinking to keep things going on like this for so long.”
“How will this affect your campaign?” She set her cup down and rolled her finger around the rim.
“I’m not sure, but I can’t lie anymore. She and I fell out of love years ago.” He looked at her through the steam coming up from his cup. “So, what do you think of Agent Landon?” His knowing eyes penetrated her defenses.
“What do you mean? He’s a good guy. A smart investigator. He saved my life.”
“And I’m guessing a good-looking man.”
“Sure. I mean, of course.”
“I know you. What are you hiding?”
“Nothing at all.” She didn’t meet his gaze.
“You know I love you and want only the best for you.”
This struck her hard. She swiveled to face him. “Are you sure about that?”
He narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean? Of course.”
“Then why do I embarrass you? Why are you always wanting me to do what’s best for the campaign and not for me?”
Concern etched new lines around his eyes. “That’s not true. I want you to be happy. I told you that.”
“Yeah, as long as I don’t put a stain on the campaign.” Maybe this wasn’t the right time, but if she didn’t discuss it now, when would be the best time?
“Are you referring to your career path?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I’ve been a little too tough on you. Maybe I’ve put even more pressure on you to settle down. I’m sorry. I guess I just worry about you. Know that I always have your best interest at heart. I should have believed you about the murder. I should have never doubted you. Can you forgive me?” He lifted her hand and held it between his hands.
Tormented by the Lawman (Mountain Force Book 3) Page 17