by Barb Han
She touched one, then two bandages. “I think they’ll hold awhile longer. At least the bleeding has stopped.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” He cracked a sexy little smile and winked. “We’d better park here.” He cut the engine. “We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
“Do you think they’re watching my apartment?”
“A precaution,” he reassured her. His clenched jaw belied his words.
“Why didn’t they stop us last night? They could’ve waited at Leann’s and shot us right then.”
“I thought about that a lot on the drive. They want you to find what we’re looking for. And fast.”
“I didn’t say anything about the file on the last call. I was too focused on Noah. They must realize I don’t have it.” She glanced toward her purse where the cell phone had been stashed.
“Stores don’t open until ten o’clock. We have to wait to find a charging cable until then.” He took a sip of coffee. “I’m guessing Noah’s breathing problems must’ve forced them to ask for a meeting before they were ready. I think they’d rather let you locate the evidence, and then snatch you. Once they’re convinced you have it, I have no doubt the game will change.”
He watched over their shoulders a few times too many for Katherine’s comfort, as they did their best to blend with pedestrians.
“Wait here while I scout the area.” They were a few hundred feet from the front door of her apartment. He pointed toward the row of blooming crepe myrtles. There hadn’t been a cold snap yet to kill the flowers. Fall weather didn’t come to Dallas until mid-November some years. This was no exception.
“Okay.”
A few minutes later he returned. “Looks fine from what I can tell. If they’re watching, they’re doing a good job of hiding. Either way, keep close to me.”
She had no intention of doing anything else as she unlocked the door and followed him inside. “I wish we knew what kind of file we were looking for.”
Her office had been temporarily set up in the dining room so Noah could occupy the study. From where she stood, she could see they’d taken her computer. “First Leann’s laptop is missing. Now my computer. I’m guessing we’re looking for a zip drive or other storage device.”
“If it wasn’t at your sister’s place and it’s not here, where else could the file be?”
“I work from home, so there’s no office to go to. All I need to schedule appointments for my trainers is a computer and a phone. I keep everything here. I’ll check the study where Noah’s been sleeping. You might be right about Leann slipping it into his things.” Katherine moved to the study that had been overtaken by her nephew. Toys spilled onto the floor. She stepped over them and rummaged through his things. No red flags were raised.
This approach wasn’t working. If she were going to get anywhere, she had to figure out a way to think like Leann. Where would she stick something so incredibly valuable? Maybe Noah’s suitcase? She could have removed part of the lining and tucked a file inside.
Katherine dug around until she located the small Spider-Man suitcase Noah had had in his hand when she’d met up with them. That and the rabbit he’d tucked under his arm were all the possessions he’d brought.
The Spider-Man suitcase had several pockets with zippers. Katherine checked them first. Empty. The lining was a bit more difficult to rip open but she managed without calling for help. Sorry, buddy. She hated to destroy his favorite bag.
Nothing there, either. Katherine tore apart the seams.
Zero.
The clock ticked. The men would expect her to produce the file soon. She had nothing to give them and still no idea what it was she was looking for. Damn.
When she returned to the living room, Caleb stood sentinel.
“No luck,” she said. “She might’ve sent it over email.”
Katherine dug around in the back of her coat closet to find her old laptop. She held it up. “This might still work.”
“Your sister brought Noah to you. He was the person she most prized. Have you thought she might not have involved you because she was trying to shelter you both?”
Katherine hadn’t considered Leann might be protecting her. It softened the blow. “We’ll see.”
A soft knock at the door kicked up Katherine’s pulse.
Caleb checked through the peephole. His expression darkened. His brow arched. “Gray-haired woman. Looks to be in her mid-sixties, carrying a white puff ball.”
“Does she look angry?”
“More like sour.”
“Annabelle Ranker. She’s my landlady, and that’s her dog, Max. Big bark, no bite for the both of them.” Katherine got to her feet and his strong arm was around her before she could ask for help to walk.
Caleb cracked the door open. Ms. Ranker cocked her eyebrow and looked him up and down. An approving smile quirked the corners of her lips. When Caleb didn’t invite her in, the skeptical glare quickly returned.
No doubt, the bandages and blood wouldn’t go unnoticed. Nor would the fact Katherine was gripping her old laptop as though it was fine crystal.
“Are you all right?” Her gaze traveled to Katherine’s hurt foot.
“I’m fine. Got into some trouble in the woods. Turns out I’m not a nature girl. Caleb owns a nearby ranch where we visited the pumpkin patch yesterday.”
“That’s right. You said you were taking Noah out of the city for the day.”
“We got lost in the woods. Caleb found us and helped me home.” Katherine could feel heat rising up her neck. No one would ever accuse her of being a good liar. She’d kept her story as close to the truth as she could so her whole face wouldn’t turn beet-red.
Ms. Ranker seemed reassured by the answer. “I wanted to check on you and the little boy. Where’s Noah?”
Katherine swallowed a sob. She couldn’t afford to show any emotion or to invite unwanted questions. “I’m sorry. He couldn’t sleep...nightmares. We were...playing army most of the night. I’ve been trying to keep him busy since his mother...” Katherine diverted her eyes.
“Such a shame.” Ms. Ranker shook her head, obviously moved by Leann’s passing. “Is he home? I’d be happy to take him off your hands while you rest that foot.”
“He’s napping. Tuckered out from our adventure,” she said quickly. A little too quickly.
The answer seemed to appease the landlady. She nodded her understanding. “I almost forgot. A package came for you while you were out. I went ahead and signed for it since you didn’t answer.”
Katherine had scarcely paid attention to the FedEx envelope Ms. Ranker held in one hand. Her other arm pressed her prized six-year-old Havenese, Max, to her chest.
“For me?” Katherine asked, lowering her gaze to the fur ball on Ms. Ranker’s arm. “Hey, big guy.”
She patted his head, stopping short of inviting them in; Ms. Ranker’s arched brow said she noticed. Last thing Katherine needed was a long conversation. Besides, she wasn’t prepared to discuss her situation with anyone. Except Caleb. And she’d told him things about her relationship with her sister she’d never spoken aloud to another soul. It was probably the circumstances that had her wanting to tell him everything about her. It was as if she wanted at least one person to really know her. The feeling of danger and the very real possibility she might not be alive tomorrow played tricks on her emotions. “Who’s it from?”
The well-meaning Ms. Ranker held out the envelope. No doubt she wanted to know more about the handsome cowboy. Plus, it wasn’t like Katherine not to invite her landlady inside or to be so cryptic.
She cleared her throat and tugged at the envelope.
A slight smile was all she could expect by way of apology as the older woman loosened her grip enough for her to take possession.
Katherine’s gaze
flew from the return address to Caleb. The letter was from Leann. Katherine pressed it against the laptop she was still clutching.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door across the courtyard open. A long metal barrel poked out. A gun?
A shower of bullets descended around them at the same time Katherine opened her mouth to warn them. A bullet slammed into the laptop. Before she could think or move, she felt the impact against her chest.
Ms. Ranker’s eyes bulged before she slumped to the ground.
In the next second Caleb was on top of Katherine, covering her, protecting her.
“Are you hit?” he asked.
“I don’t think so. Can’t say the same for my computer.” She’d dropped it the moment a bullet hit and then embedded. The hunk of metal she’d clasped to her chest had just saved her life.
He angled his head toward the kitchen. “Go. I’ll fire when they get close enough.”
Before she could respond, he’d urged her to keep moving as he pulled the gun to his shoulder.
When bullets exploded from the end of it, her heart hammered her chest.
Didn’t matter. No time to look back. If Caleb thought she’d get out through the side window, she was in no position to argue. She clawed her way across the taupe carpet until she reached the cold tiles of the kitchen.
A moment later he was lifting her through the opened window and she was running.
Her heartbeat painfully stabbed her ribs.
Why were they shooting? They must’ve been watching the whole time. Did they think she’d found what they were looking for?
Oh. God. Noah. What would happen to him?
Her legs moved fast. She barely acknowledged the blood soaking her bandages. She had to run. Get out of there.
Caleb guided her to the sedan. “Get in and stay down.”
Katherine curled up in a ball on the floorboard. If the bad guys knew where she lived, wouldn’t they recognize her car, too?
What about Ms. Ranker? Katherine had been so busy ducking she didn’t even look. “Is my landlady...?” Katherine couldn’t finish the sentence.
Caleb shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Max?”
“I think he got away.”
Katherine gripped the envelope, fighting against the tears threatening to overwhelm her. Release the deluge and she wouldn’t be able to stop. “Maybe this is what they’re looking for.” She held up the envelope that had cost Ms. Ranker’s life.
His focus shifted from the rearview to the side mirrors. “Might be.”
She ripped open the letter and overturned it on the seat.
A CD fell out.
“A file?”
“Sure looks like it.” Caleb glanced around. “Stay here and stay low. Do not look up until I get back.”
Before she could ask why or argue, he disappeared.
Katherine made herself into the smallest ball she could, praying for his safe return.
She couldn’t even think of doing any of this without him. And yet, didn’t everyone flake out on her eventually?
Even her parents.
The memory of standing on stage, alone, her senior year of high school pushed through her thoughts. The anticipation of seeing her parents’ smiling faces in the crowd as she’d competed in the academic fair filled her. She’d worked hard all year and qualified with the best score her school had ever received. She’d sacrificed dates and socials to stay home and work quiz after quiz. On stage, her pulse had raced and she’d felt tiny beads of sweat trickling down her neck. She remembered thinking that if she could just see someone familiar, she’d be okay.
The curtain had opened and she’d scanned the crowd.
No one.
Disappointment and fear had gripped her. Panic had made the air thin. She’d struggled to breathe.
By the third round, she’d choked and given the wrong answer.
When she’d arrived home that evening, her parents had told her how sorry they were. They’d come home from work, opened a bottle of wine, turned on the TV and forgotten. Again.
Katherine had worked to suppress the memory from then on. She’d learned another important lesson that day. If she was going to get anywhere in life, she had only herself to depend on.
Her heart squeezed when she heard quick footsteps hustling toward her. She held her breath until Caleb’s face came into view. He slipped into the driver’s seat and handed over Max, his white coat splattered with red dots. He was whimpering and shaking. “Is he hurt?”
“No.” Caleb turned the key in the ignition and pressed the gas. “Just scared.”
Was Max covered in his owner’s blood?
Katherine looked to Caleb. He dropped his right hand to his side. It was covered in blood.
“You’re shot?”
* * *
“JUST A FLESH wound. Bullet grazed my shoulder. I’ll be fine.” Caleb hoped what he said was true. Based on the amount of blood he was losing, he couldn’t be certain. He wouldn’t tell Katherine though. Didn’t need her to panic.
She made a move to get up, and winced.
“I’ll pull over in a minute and examine us both.”
Caleb glanced through his rearview, checking traffic behind them. The usual mix of sport utilities, Ford F-150s and luxury sedans sped down the North Dallas tollway.
His cell vibrated. He instructed Katherine to retrieve it from his pocket and put the call on speaker.
Matt didn’t wait to speak. “My coverage has been spotty. I tried to reach you last night but couldn’t.”
“Everyone all right?”
“Us? We’re fine. I’m concerned as hell about you.”
Caleb kept watch on the road. “So far, so good here.”
“Has Katherine mentioned anything about being involved in corporate espionage?”
“Of course not. I would’ve told you something like that. She has no idea what they’re looking for.”
“I guess she wouldn’t tell you,” Matt said. “Especially if she’s involved from the get-go.”
Caleb grunted but didn’t speak. He had no plans to repeat himself.
“Well, ask her. The men who showed up yesterday claimed to be government officials. They asked questions about a brown-haired woman who had been seen in the area. Said she was involved in a little family business that stole and sold corporate secrets. They’d been tracking her for days before you helped her get away.”
“They knew we were there?” Caleb asked. “And I don’t have to ask Katherine. You’re on speaker.”
The line was quiet. “No. But I’m saying—”
“I already know the answer.”
“You can’t ignore the possibility she’s involved,” Matt quickly interjected.
“She’s not.”
“How do you know, dammit?”
“I just do.”
Matt let out a frustrated hiss and a string of cuss words Caleb heard plainly through the phone.
“You just met her yesterday, and you’re willing to vouch for her already? What do you know about her? You haven’t met any of her people. She could’ve been hurt while running from the government for all we know.”
“I told you once so I won’t repeat myself. What else did they say?”
“One thing is sure. She shows up then suddenly we have official-looking men coming out of the woodwork. All we have to go on is her word. She claims there was a kidnapping, but did you actually see the kid?”
No, he hadn’t seen the boy. That didn’t mean there wasn’t one. He’d seen the pictures of him. Had been there moments after Noah had been taken. He’d seen kid toys at her sister’s place and at Katherine’s. Besides, Caleb had seen the sheer terror on her face. He could still see the agony in her
violet eyes. This conversation was going nowhere. He needed to redirect. She most definitely did not make this up, and he hated the fact she had to hear his friend’s accusations. “The kid has a name. Noah. Did you speak to Coleman?”
“Sheriff doesn’t know what to believe. Said he’d follow up through proper channels to see if the men were legit, but it could take a while. He doesn’t exactly have ready access to the kinds of people who can verify something like this. Those men who showed up looked serious to me. They flipped badges, too.”
“Doesn’t mean anything.”
“That’s exactly what Coleman said. They looked pretty damn official from where I stood.”
“Can Coleman find out if there is a ‘Kane’ involved in a federal investigation?”
“He’s trying but he said not to hold out a lot of hope.”
“Anything else?” Caleb tensed against the pain in his shoulder.
“Take her to the nearest government building and turn her in, Caleb. Before this gets even more out of control.”
“You know I won’t.”
“I don’t think it’s safe for you here at the ranch,” Matt said quietly.
“I won’t put my men at risk. I won’t come home until this is settled.”
There was a long silence.
“Then for God’s sake, be careful,” Matt warned.
“Got it covered.”
“I’ll keep things working here until you get back.”
“Always knew I could count on you.” The pressure in Caleb’s chest eased. His men would be covered until his return.
“How’s Jimmy’s little girl?”
“Not good. They scheduled surgery for her in Dallas.”
“They found a donor?”
“Seems like it.”
“That’s good news.”
Jimmy’s daughter would get the chance she deserved. He’d ensure Katherine did, too.
Caleb asked Katherine to end the call.
She looked at him deadpan. “Why didn’t you tell me Matt thinks I’m involved?”