Bulletproof Badge

by Angi Morgan

  As hard as she tried, she just couldn’t stop them. Mournful tears for Isabella and Trinity. Frightened tears for herself. Angry tears that everything she’d worked for was gone.

  She didn’t know if he was patient about it, but her Texas Ranger wrapped his arms around her and didn’t crack a joke. He didn’t try to stop her. No attempts to rush things along.

  His arms gave her the illusion of being secure. It was a strange feeling, with her body relaxing while her mind raced because she was so frightened.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry again.” She tilted her head back to look up at him, expecting to see frustration or at least disappointment. There was neither.

  “Ready to move out?”

  She nodded. He dropped to one knee, sliding his hands down her calf and tapping on her foot.

  “Oh, wow. You don’t have to do that.”

  “Lift your foot. I’m down here all ready.”

  Off balance, she clung to his strong shoulder and let him slip her impractical high heels back into place.

  * * *

  GARRISON HAD SEEN the scrapes on Kenderly’s feet. She couldn’t move fast in the ridiculous heels, but she wouldn’t be able to walk at all if she cut her foot. Putting them on was easier than her trying to accomplish it in the skirt he’d appreciated more on his bike.

  What should he do?

  “I need to check on Oaks.” He stood and guided his witness up the street. He recognized where they were. The capitol wasn’t too far away.

  “Well, we can’t walk into the hospital. Not with our faces splashed all over the TV.”

  “Right.”

  “You don’t even know which one they took him to.”

  “Right again.” He kept watch. Kept expecting the cops around every corner. They didn’t have time for explanations. Should he just take Kenderly to Rangers headquarters and let them straighten the mess out? Or stick with her until the captain was giving orders again?

  “And I hate to be a wimp, but I’m really tired. I don’t know how much longer I can stay awake. Let alone move my legs to walk.”

  “Got it.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to have an emergency credit card, do you? I have one, but it’s at my apartment. I leave it there since, of course, it’s only for emergencies.”

  Garrison halted and checked his back pocket. He was an idiot. All this time he’d been worried about the police tracking any transactions or his phone. He didn’t have to worry about that with his real name. Just his undercover identity.

  “Don’t worry. Your time walking the streets is over.”

  “If I wasn’t so relieved, I’d make you correct that street-walking phrase. But I am very grateful not to walk another step. Are we grabbing a cab?”

  He wouldn’t mention aloud that he’d had his own wallet the entire time. He hadn’t had a chance to switch them after Oaks decided to send him back to Tenoreno’s.

  “Are you going to call or something?” Kenderly asked, giving her skirt a habitual tug.

  Her eyes looked as exhausted as she claimed. Her hair wasn’t nearly as tangled as when she’d first arrived at the house. He really liked how it was so many different colors. Every place they’d been she looked like a different woman.

  There were other things he liked. Of course, being responsible for her, he couldn’t tell her how good she looked in sequins and silk. Or how the unrealistic heels made her legs look four inches longer.

  His hands itched to touch the smooth skin of her thigh again...

  “We should get a cheap motel room until I receive some orders. And maybe pick up some sweats for you.”

  “Sweatpants? Couldn’t we just get me some jeans? But you’re not talking about right now. Or are you?” She grabbed his wrist and flipped it to see his watch. “It’s almost three in the morning.”

  “Okay. Got it.” He partly listened, partly searched for their enemy and tried to keep thinking about their options. Nothing seemed to be going their way. Not even a cab. “Where can we catch a ride?”

  “Oh, good grief. We need to head back to Congress Street.” She laced her fingers through his. “Just so you know. I’m not really a sweatpants type of girl.”

  Holding hands was standard practice. Along with dragging him across the street, heading west again. She leaned into his arm, using his body to steady the fast pace. He was proud of her for hanging in there so well. He almost opened his mouth to tell her but thought again. It somehow felt intimate to tell her.

  Shoot. He needed sleep himself if he was having this type of debate in his head. More importantly, he should be making plans. Deciding where they could stay, someplace a manager wouldn’t call the police.

  “Would calling the police be so bad?”

  “Huh? How did you know...?”

  “You were mumbling. So, would it? Would calling them be so bad?”

  “It would ruin our chances of catching Tenoreno.”

  “Well, then we’re definitely not going to the police. I want that horrid man to spend the rest of his days rotting in jail. Even if he didn’t pull the trigger, he was responsible.”

  Garrison felt Kenderly’s determination through her fingers squeezing his biceps. Yep, he liked her. He felt himself smiling without anyone looking.

  Nice. Wait. Not nice. She’s my witness.

  They spotted the cab at the same time. Their hands separated, and Kenderly’s earsplitting whistle got the cabbie’s attention.

  “Evening.”

  “Hi,” Kenderly responded to the driver, then looked at Garrison. “Where to?”

  “I...um... I’m not sure.”

  The driver tapped his finger against the steering wheel, flipped the meter on, then tapped again. At least he wasn’t listening to local news. Their descriptions were accurate enough, and the burger shop probably let the police know what they were wearing. At least, if Garrison was the cop assigned to their case, he would have gotten a description.

  “Hey, buddy, I need to get going. So where to?”

  “Take us south on I-35.”

  “Got a particular place in mind?” the cabbie asked.

  “I can’t remember the name, but I’ll tell you when I see it.”

  “Sure,” the driver said.

  “You have no clue where, do you?” Kenderly whispered.

  He crossed his fingers and showed them to her. She covered her mouth, but he heard the giggle.

  Fifteen minutes later, there was no laughter. He checked them into a semisleazy motel. Sheets in hand, he unlocked the door facing the highway and wished he hadn’t flipped on the light. It wasn’t the worst place he’d stayed in, but it was far from the best.

  A long sigh escaped from Kenderly next to him. “At least they didn’t assume we needed it by the hour.”

  Chapter Six

  “Coffee.”

  Garrison smelled his favorite morning aroma before he pulled his nose from the pillow. He raised his head, squinting as the light bounced from the metal part of a car parked in front of their room.

  “Good morning.” Kenderly carefully crossed her legs while sitting in the one chair in the corner of the room.

  “Where’d you get a grande?” At least that’s what he hoped he asked. He wasn’t really sure his mouth was working at the same rate as his brain. He sprang up. “What the hell, Kenderly? You went out for coffee?”

  “Well, I was desperate for food. The coffee came with.”

  “You’re missing the point. You left this room on your own? What if you’d been seen? Our pictures are probably everywhere this morning.”

  Didn’t say a whole lot for his skills if a hairdresser left and returned without him waking up. He might just have to leave that out of the final report.

  “Well, first, I wa
s really hungry and thought you would be, too.” She pointed toward a plastic bag and a Styrofoam cup. “And second, I was very careful. I avoided cameras and wore your T-shirt.”

  “I can see that.” She looked good in his clothes. Or partially in his clothes. She still had the dressy short skirt.

  He stretched his arms above his head, tracking Kenderly’s reaction. She sipped the hot drink a little too quickly, swallowing extra hard as she watched him.

  “Breakfast doesn’t make up for you leaving on your own.”

  “It was probably safer since they’re looking for a man and woman traveling together. Of course, they think we’re long gone from Austin and haven’t connected us to the shoot-out at your house.” She pushed the paper—neatly sitting under his breakfast—across the small, rickety nightstand. “At least according to the Austonian, which covered both stories.”

  “Still...”

  “You were out. I really did try to wake you. I mean, just trying to get off that bed. It rocks more than my grandma’s rocker.”

  They laughed. And she sipped again. Coffee was coffee, and he needed his morning ration. Just as he reached for the cup, his stomach growled loud enough to be heard through the thin walls.

  “Goodness. I’m glad I got you the deluxe breakfast.”

  “I thank you for that.” He pulled a biscuit off the plate and shook it at Kenderly. “But don’t leave my side again until you’re told. I can’t protect you if you aren’t there.”

  “Any idea how long that will be? And for the record, you could have asked politely instead of commanding.”

  “Do you think the person trying to kill you will ask politely?” He tried to shock some sense into her, but had a feeling that commanding Kenderly to do anything was going to be a challenge.

  “You have a point.”

  “Of course I have a point. This isn’t a game.” He scooped his cell and the battery from the top of the television—for which they’d been charged extra to have in the room. He admired Kenderly’s shapely legs while waiting for it to boot up. Then he forced his eyes to scan the phone. “There’s plenty of reception here, but nothing from Oaks. At least Jesse has my dogs.”

  “That’s such a relief. I assume they’re okay?”

  “He didn’t say otherwise.” Just as a precautionary measure, he removed the battery and shoved both into his pocket. He dove into the take-out breakfast, inhaling the scrambled eggs in two bites. “I am thanking you for this because I was hungry. Just don’t do it again, okay?”

  “I promise. But I really did try to wake you up.”

  “That I’ll never believe. You were up early. Did you manage to get any sleep?”

  “Me? Sure. I was snug all wrapped up in the clean sheets you rented from the manager.”

  “Did I snore?” He shoveled in the last bite and dropped his back to the bedspread, taking a deep breath.

  “Not really.” She twisted her finger in the hem of his shirt. “I suppose you need this back.”

  “It’ll probably be easier to get into a store. You know, no shirt, no service. That sort of thing.” He sat and reached for his boots.

  “Isn’t that risky? I mean, you were worried about me getting coffee. Won’t stores have security cameras? Where will we go after that?”

  “We’ll avoid showing our faces. But if we want to stay put somewhere, we’ll need supplies. Food, clothes—”

  “A toothbrush,” she added.

  They needed practical items to hide out. Kenderly would need things no matter who babysat her. If he was going to finish his assignment, he’d still need a way to defend himself...and a toothbrush wouldn’t hurt.

  “You also need out of those four-inch monsters. How were you cutting hair like that? I don’t see how any woman walks around on stilts.”

  “Isabella hired me to fix their hair, not cut it. I did that Wednesday. And I told you this, she said I could come to the party afterward. But I was just going to sit by the wall and watch. Maybe have a glass of champagne, try some of the food.” She shrugged her shoulders that were swallowed by his T-shirt.

  He hadn’t noticed how petite she was yesterday. The heels threw off her real height—like they were supposed to do. Thinking about it, she hadn’t acted small. Everything about her was strong. She might have cried a couple of times, but she hadn’t fallen apart.

  Her words finally hit his brain. Were their sources wrong? Was it just a social gathering for the two families or had they intended to merge? “She invited you to a Tenoreno-Rosco meeting?”

  “Wasn’t it a party?”

  “Not according to our sources. Then again, they could have been covering something up by inviting more people.”

  “Something like the murder of two women?”

  “Yeah.” He fingered the fading curtains to the side and checked the perimeter. He also noticed that Kenderly’s hands tightened into fists, and there wasn’t a tear in sight. “You might be right about that. Sure would be nice to know what was in that jewelry case Isabella gave you. Still no idea why she’d trust you with it?”

  “I told you, she was my friend.”

  “And you really didn’t know her husband is head of one of the biggest crime syndicate families in the South?” Garrison watched her closely.

  She covered her lips with the tip of her finger and shook her head. She was hiding something. He could feel it. Knew immediately that she was trying to lie. All the classic tells were there. She looked away, bit her lip, brought her hands closer into her body and stopped talking.

  “Finished?” She began gathering the trash.

  He reached across the stool-sized table and stopped her hand. “You don’t have to clean up after me.”

  “I just need to do something. Anything. Did Isabella die because she gave me some letters?”

  “I doubt it was that simple. It might have been what was in those letters. Or what her husband thought was in them. It could be because he was afraid of another divorce splintering the family. His son’s wife left him last year. Made the news cycle for a while.”

  “Isabella mentioned they were petitioning the church for an annulment. Of course, even if the annulment went through, they don’t know where she disappeared to.”

  “I believe she disappeared because she was afraid they’d take matters into their own hands.”

  “As in kill her so an annulment wasn’t necessary?” Her entire body shook with the recognition. “Do you think Isabella was planning to leave, too? It just doesn’t seem anything like her. She was more upset about the sin of divorce than her son being unhappy.”

  “Oh, I think he was happy. We have a file of all the women he was sleeping around with.”

  “So, you’ve been watching the Tenorenos for a while then?” Kenderly’s eyebrows lifted in an arch. The sun brightened her brown eyes to the same color he liked his coffee.

  “I think we’d be better off developing a definitive plan for us today. We can’t stay here.”

  “What about Mr. Oaks? Are you worried? I know I would be.” She tapped a manicured nail at a picture of the ranch house they’d fled from. “At least he’s not dead, or it would have been in the papers.”

  It didn’t matter if he were worried about his captain or not. He had a job to do before personal feelings or distractions. Long legs or shiny pink nails or eyes the color of his coffee.

  “True. First things first. We need a car.”

  * * *

  KENDERLY CLOSED HER eyes and took another deep breath. It was necessary to keep the tears tucked away until she could hide her face in her pillow later. She’d cried after they’d gotten situated in the room. Partly feeling sorry for herself, but mainly because she couldn’t get the images of Isabella and Trinity out of her mind. No movie could ever compare to the reality of their deaths.


  The amount of detail she kept recalling frightened her. Seriously frightened her. The wind had caught the outside door to the rental car building, making the same sound as when the balcony doors had burst open in Isabella’s room. She’d barely made it to a bench with her shaky knees.

  Garrison had left the counter and helped her. He hadn’t spoken, thank goodness. She wouldn’t have been able to keep it together if he’d asked her anything.

  He was waiting on the keys. She was waiting on her stomach to stop rolling. She jumped out of her skin when he touched her shoulder.

  “Oh, God, you scared me.”

  “Sorry. You ready to go?”

  “Sure.” She accepted his outstretched hand and was surprised when he laced his long fingers through hers.

  She was noticing all sorts of things about Garrison. During their conversation that morning, he’d compressed his lips when she’d mentioned Isabella’s ex-daughter-in-law was missing. As if he had more information he couldn’t share or knew the answer to her questions.

  Noticing him was a nice distraction. It was hard to miss the way his muscles flexed with every simple movement. He had a strong, firm grip. Confident that she wouldn’t shake her hand free. It made her feel safer—even if she knew it was just a pipe dream. Paul Tenoreno would never let her live. Not if he thought she had anything to do with his wife’s murder.

  “What if—” She grabbed Garrison’s arm with her free hand, pulling them to a stop. Lowering her voice as soon as she heard it echo in the hallway, she started again. “What if they think I let that man inside the room? Is that why...” Her eyes filled, and she reached up to swipe them dry. “Dammit. It’s a good thing I don’t have any makeup. I doubt there’s a mascara in the world that could weather this amount of tears.”

  “It’s okay. Come on.” He pointed her through the doors, urging her to walk a little faster by placing his hand in the small of her back.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?” She heard her nervous laughter and couldn’t stop it. At least they were outside now, and it didn’t bounce around the empty walls of the airport rental center.