by Susan Stoker
“I trust what you know, so don’t worry about it. And it’s all the more reason for me to take you home.”
She gave him a grateful look. “I’m so glad you’re here, Cade. I trust you. I always did.”
“Well,” he said, giving her a reassuring look, “you keep doing that. I’ll keep you safe.”
“You have no idea how good that feels to me.” She drowned in his warming gaze, seeing his mouth relax, feeling that same invisible warmth embracing her.
“Now,” he said lightly, “that I’m back in your life, I’d like to at least be there for you when you need help.”
*
Kara gasped as Cade pulled the cruiser into the red brick driveway next to her one-story home. “My front door is open!” she cried, giving Cade a frightened look. “I always lock my doors! Someone has broken into my home. Oh, no!”
Cade parked and frowned. “Does anyone else have a key to your place?”
“No, no one.” She tried to calm herself.
“Stay here,” he told her grimly, unsnapping the nylon safety strap across his revolver. He called the Sarita dispatcher for back up, another cruiser to lend him help, if he needed it. Turning to her, he said, “I need to clear your home first and make sure someone isn’t still in there. Don’t leave this cruiser, Kara. Lock the doors when I leave.”
Giving a jerky nod, her hand against her throat, heart banging away in her chest, she watched Cade move lithely, tension in his body, his gun drawn as he walked past the hedges to the front door. She knew without a doubt it was the same man who had accosted her at the school. Terror leaked into her veins and she sat rigid as Cade disappeared inside. Her intuition hadn’t been wrong after all.
Cade couldn’t be hurt! Her mind rebelled at that thought. What if her assailant was still in the house waiting for her to return home to finish her off?
Within ten minutes, Cade reappeared. He had his game face in place, his gun holstered, and his mouth set with cold determination. He climbed into the cruiser, giving her a regretful look. “Someone has torn the hell out of your place. All the drawers in your bedroom and office have been pulled out and the contents strewn all over the floor. I’m sorry.”
Gasping, her hand against her lips, she stared at him. Finally, her voice hoarse, she asked, “Who could be doing this to me? And why?”
Shaking his head, he muttered, “I don’t know, but I have to call this in, Kara. I need to get the forensics team out here. I don’t want you inside your home until they’ve gotten here.”
He pressed the button on his shoulder radio, calling Sarita dispatch, and gave them the information.
Her stomach knotted and her hands grew cold and damp in her lap. She felt as if her whole world had just been shattered. Her small yellow stucco house with white shutters around each window had been her refuge, her oasis, her haven since graduating from Texas A&M University at twenty-two. She’d used her one-bedroom house to create her vision for the Delos Home School and for the many poor children of Clayton. All her dreams, except one, had been born and taken root in this cozy little house that made her feel safe.
Staring at the opened door, she felt nauseous. It looked as if someone had pried her door open and broken it. Some of the wood was splintered and the pieces of wood were lying around the porch.
Swallowing several times, Kara did what she did when she was a child; forced back the tears because her father hated seeing her or her mother cry. Never had she been so glad to turn eighteen and be free of her father’s iron grip. Now she could breathe and have a life of her own, on her terms. She had a vision and she’d made it a reality. Her little house sat in the middle of the block of a quiet neighborhood in the “Latino Quarter,” as it was called by Clayton residents.
She vaguely listened to Cade speaking to the radio dispatcher over what to do about her house. She was grateful to be this close to him, to draw in his male scent that continued to awaken her dormant desires. If only—if only they could have some personal quiet time together. Kara wondered when her life would stop tumbling out of control.
“Kara?”
She lifted her chin, meeting Cade’s concerned gaze. “Yes?”
“Did you hear me?”
“No… sorry…I was somewhere else.” She saw his eyes lose their concern, replaced by an intimate look of understanding that made her feel safer.
“Forensics will be here shortly. Another deputy, Burt Larson, is also on his way over here to relieve me. One of the forensics people can take you inside your house to pack a bag with whatever you might need after they make a primary inspection of your home.”
“Maybe my teacher friends, Blaine or Molly, would let me stay with one of them,” she said.
“I don’t think so, Kara.” He reached out and his hand covered hers for a brief moment. “It could endanger your friends.”
She groaned. “You’re right…”
Gesturing to the house, he said, “Whoever did this is still out there prowling around. What if he follows us to one of your girlfriend’s homes? He might attack you there and you’d possibly put your friend in danger, too.”
Her stomach sank. “I don’t want my friends harmed in this,” she murmured, touching her brow. “I don’t have a lot of money, Cade. I can’t afford a hotel.” More grimly, she added, “And I’m not going to my father’s ranch. I refuse to go there, Cade. I just won’t do it.”
“It would be the safest place for you right now, Kara,” he said, surprising her.
“Not a chance,” she muttered. “I escaped him when I was eighteen and I’m not going to do a repeat. I visit my mom there sometimes, but usually, she drives into Clayton and we have lunch together and catch up with one another.”
“It’s that bad?” He searched her eyes, seeing anguish in them. The way she pursed her lips told him the question was causing her pain.
“It’s that bad.”
“I’m sorry.” Cade rested his hands on the steering wheel, gazing around, his mouth set in thought.
The silence in the cruiser was nearly unbearable to Kara. Opening her hands, she said, “Cade, I have an idea that you’ll probably dislike as much as me going to stay at my father’s ranch until we can catch this guy.”
“What?” he asked, looking over at her.
Taking a deep breath, Kara asked, “Could I stay with you at your home in Sarita for just a little while?”
Cade froze inwardly for a moment, stunned by her request. “Well,” he stumbled, “I—”
“We know one another,” she pleaded, her voice hoarse. “I’d be safe there, Cade. It wouldn’t be for long. I’m sure this guy will be found and I can get back to my life. Please? Think about it? I could drive to and from your house to the school every morning. I promise, I wouldn’t be a bad house guest. I don’t want to go back to my father’s ranch. I don’t have the money for a hotel. And I don’t want to put my friends at risk, either.”
Opening his hands on the steering wheel, he said, “This is something I’d have to clear with my boss first, Kara.”
She stared at him, hands clasped tightly. “Then, you’d think about it?”
“Yeah, I have no problem with it personally, but I’m law enforcement, and this could be crossing lines that my boss may not allow. I’d have to clear it with him first. If I do get permission, I think under the circumstances it’s the best answer for you short term. I have a three-bedroom, single-story house. I’d give you the master bedroom because it has an adjoining bathroom. I’m a pretty decent cook, so I wouldn’t poison you,” and he gave her a boyish grin. “If I get permission, you could stay there with me and be safe until we can apprehend this perp.”
Safe! Cade wasn’t safe to her heart or her body, but she didn’t have the guts to point that out to him. He’d only touched her once. His large, roughened hand comforting her. “That would be wonderful. I have to go to work five days a week, Monday through Friday.”
“We can possibly put a deputy with you at the school and you’d ge
t around-the-clock protection until we can find this guy. I’ll ask my boss about it.”
“I understand, Cade. And I’m grateful you’d allow me to come and stay with you under the circumstances.”
“Well,” he said grimly, “you need to stay somewhere until this blows over.”
“I also need to make a call to Delos Charities in Alexandria, Virginia. They’ve instituted a new security plan and I have to report my mugging at the school. From talking with Alexa, one of the executives there, I know that Mission Planning would take my report and if warranted, send out one or more security contractors who work for Artemis, their in-house security firm, who protects their charity and the employees.”
Brows raised, Cade said, “I didn’t know that.”
“Delos keeps Artemis a deep secret. But it’s their way to protect all of us who work for them.”
“Do you want to call them now? Because we have to wait here until the other deputy to arrives. Meanwhile, I can call my boss and see if he’ll give you permission to stay at my home. Either way, I’ll take you to look at those mug shots.”
“Sounds good.” She dug her cellphone out of her purse.
“I’ll step out of the cruiser to make the call,” he told her, opening the door.
Nodding, Kara whispered, “I hope you can get permission.”
He hesitated, holding her gaze. “I do too. I’ll know in a few minutes.”
Never had Kara wanted something as badly as this. She knew she’d not sleep a wink if she was forced to stay in her house under the circumstances. The look in Cade’s eyes had shown shock at first, but then, they’d grown tender and she couldn’t translate what she saw, only felt. No question, he was protective of her and she needed that desperately right now. Putting that aside, she called Delos.
*
Kara had her answer from Delos. It took another five minutes before Cade finished off his phone call and slid back into the cruiser. She held her breath because she couldn’t discern what the answer was on Cade’s face.
“The sheriff’s approving it,” he told her. “And you’re not going to like the reason why.”
“Tell me.”
“He’s doing it because you’re Jud Knight’s daughter.” Holding up his hand when she started to protest, he added, “And he said if you didn’t like the arrangement with me at my home, then you had to go to the ranch until this perp could be caught.” His mouth quirked. “I guess I’m the lesser of two evils here, huh?”
“I’m pissed that your boss is doing it because I’m Jud Knight’s daughter.”
“Yeah, I figured you would be,” Cade acknowledged, giving her a sour grin.
“I’m grateful that you’d open your home to me, Cade.” She reached out, gripping his hand resting on his thigh. “Thank you…for everything. You have no idea how relieved I am.”
“I’m glad to do it for you, Kara.”
She saw the sincerity, the concern, in Cade’s gaze. “I’m putting you out, Cade. I hate doing that. You have a life to live.”
“Naw, you’re an easy keeper, Ms. Knight. Don’t worry about it.” His mouth was sculpted, strong. And yet, Kara could see the kindness in it when the corners lifted slightly. She felt heat boiling within her, as if she were waking up from a nightmare and moving into a heated fantasy dream. How many times as a teen had she dreamed about Cade? Too many to count. Even more astounding, he was opening his home up to her.
“Because I’m a stray?” she teased back.
Giving her a deep laugh, Cade held her sparkling eyes that now contained a bit more life in them. “You’ve never been a stray, Kara. You were homecoming queen and a popular cheerleader in high school.”
Losing her smile, she whispered, “I hated being queen. My father told the principal to choose me or he wouldn’t donate to the school like he always did on a yearly basis. As for being a cheerleader, I hated that too. I preferred the library or a lab to all that other stuff.”
She saw the surprise flare in his eyes. Opening her hands, she said, “My father buys people. Surely you knew that, Cade.”
“Yes, most people in Kenedy County know about your father’s power. I always thought you enjoyed being a cheerleader. You sure looked like you did.”
“I was too young and immature to fight him on it. He’s tried to brainwash me with the fact we’re worth millions and because of the money, I should have these experiences in high school.” Wrinkling her nose, she added distastefully, “I’m an introvert, Cade. I don’t enjoy crowds or being the center of attention.”
“I had always thought you were shy, Kara. But on the field, when I played football, you always looked happy cheerleading from the sidelines.”
“It was all fake,” she told him bitterly.
“Maybe so, but you were a terrific cheerleader,” he insisted. “I would never have guessed.”
“That’s because my father was at every game. I didn’t want him coming down there to the cheerleader area and trying to tell me what to do, how to smile, and all that crap.” She saw his mouth widen, a glint of humor in his gaze.
“You’re just full of surprises.”
Snorting softly, Kara said in a pained tone, “No one knows what I went through. I felt more like a slave at home than anything else. I looked forward to going to school because it meant eight hours of freedom when my father wasn’t around trying to control me. He did it all, Cade, telling me how to fix my hair, which cosmetics to use, or God help us all, choosing the clothes I had to wear.”
He was shocked but simply said, “Sounds pretty suffocating.”
“It was. I’ll never go back to that ranch and stay with him. He wants me to learn the ranching business, but I refuse. He tried to bribe me by paying for my teaching degree at Texas A&M in exchange for coming back to learn how to be the foreman. When I got my degree, I told him I wasn’t going to do it. I was twenty-two and an adult. I had other dreams I wanted to fulfill. And mostly, I was tired of fulfilling his expectations at a great cost to myself.”
“What did he do then?”
“Got angry, yelled at me, embarrassed me in front of all my friends who were at graduation. He cut me off from my weekly check. I found myself destitute. Blaine let me live with her until I could get my life sorted out. I had already signed up with Delos Charities and they gave me the direction I was looking for. They wanted to build a school and day care center in Clayton and they needed a manager and a leader. Thanks to their generous monthly salary, I was able to put a down payment on my beautiful little house here.”
“And you’ve been the administrator for the Delos Home School for the past five years?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes, and I love what I do, Cade. I feel good about myself, good about helping others. Teaching is all I ever wanted to do.”
“You should always follow your heart, Kara. Things work out better when you do.”
She sighed. “I know that now, more than ever. I have to call Delos again and tell them what happened and that I can stay with you,” she said, digging into her purse. Wyatt Lockwood, who is the head of Mission Planning asked me to keep him in the loop, so I need to let him know.”
“Go ahead,” Cade said. “Burt probably won’t get here for another ten minutes. We have time.”
She punched in the Delos number on her phone. “And I can stay with you.”
“Yes. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
She looked straight at him. “Neither would I.”
Chapter Four
‡
Cade seemed impressed with Artemis, the secret security firm operating within Delos Charities. Kara spoke at length with Wyatt Lockwood. At one point, when Wyatt found out she would be living with Cade until this issue blew over, he asked to speak with him. She sat there listening to the timbre of Cade’s voice, and gratefully noted his quick smile and laughter every now and then as he spoke at length with Wyatt.
It made her feel happy knowing that Wyatt had previously been a Navy SEAL and that Cade was
ex-military, too. It seemed to be a mutual admiration society between the two men, which was great as far as she was concerned.
Cade had just finished the phone call to Artemis when Deputy Burt Larson pulled up beside them in his cruiser. Right behind him was the forensic team’s white van with a blue center stripe on the vehicle. “The cavalry has arrived,” he said, his fingers brushing hers as he passed the phone back to her.
“Can I gather a few things in one of my pieces of luggage now?”
“Let’s have forensics get in there first and give it a once over. Then, one of them can escort you through safe areas so you won’t accidentally compromise their investigation.”
“Okay, that makes a lot of sense,” she said, stuffing the phone into her purse.
Cade climbed out, coming around to open her door.
“You don’t have to do that,” Kara protested.
He looked amused. “But I want to.” Stepping back, he held out his hand toward her, looking for an excuse to touch her, even briefly.
She slipped her hand into his, relishing the quiet strength of his fingers around hers, feeling the roughness of his skin, her whole body going into overdrive from their delicious, unexpected contact. There was a glint in his eyes and she wanted, once more, to have quiet, uninterrupted time with Cade to catch up, to see how his life had unfolded thus far. So many questions and no time to ask them, at least not yet.
Kara got to meet Burt, who was in his mid-thirties, at least six feet tall, well built, intense, and alert. She found out he was happily married and had three young daughters. He shook her hand and she appreciated his courtly manners. The forensics team consisted of two women who also shook her hand. Within twenty minutes, they had escorted her into her house. Kara’s heart sank as she saw the mess in her home. She wanted to cry. Her belongings were strewn across every room, her glass perfume bottle broken, swept off her antique sideboard, scattered in pieces across the oak floor. Gulping, she knew it could all be cleaned up and that while some things could not be salvaged, many others could. In no time, she gathered clothing, toiletries, and anything else she thought she might need.