by Barb Han
“Anyone here?” she whispered.
The place was quiet. She said a silent protection prayer. Her heart thumped in her throat. Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t manage enough spit to swallow.
She checked around the corner.
Nothing.
No one.
Frustration impaled her. Caleb needed sleep. Surely the officer was fine.
It might be a false alarm, but better safe than sorry.
She turned to the back door. Before she could hit her stride, a strong hand crashed down on her shoulder, knocking her backward. The icy fingers were like a vise. She tried to scream. A hand covered her mouth.
“I don’t think so, honey,” said the male voice.
She recognized it immediately. Scarface.
Using all the force she had, Katherine kicked and threw her elbows into him to break free.
A blast of cold metal hit the back of her head. Blackness.
* * *
WAKING TO FIND Katherine out of bed had disturbed Caleb. He’d already checked the house. Hadn’t found her. Desperation railed through him. She wouldn’t leave him. Would she?
He checked outside.
The officer wasn’t at his post, either.
Noise came from the barn before Caleb reached the doors. His stallion was kicking and snorting.
What had Samson riled up?
Caleb didn’t like it.
Then again, there wasn’t anything about this situation he remotely liked so far. The caution bells sounded louder the closer he got to the barn until he couldn’t hear his own thoughts anymore.
Katherine was in grave danger. He could feel it in every one of his bones. He sent a text to Marshal Jones. What had happened to his men?
The closer Caleb moved toward Samson, the more intense his fears became.
Caleb slowed his pace, his steps steady, deliberate. “Whoa, boy.”
Katherine was missing. His chest nearly caved in at the thought. Kane.
His next call was to his friend.
Matt picked up on the first ring.
Caleb let out the breath he’d been holding. “Katherine’s gone. I think Kane has her.”
“Damn. What do you need me to do?”
“Where are you?”
“Dallas. At the hospital with Jimmy.”
“I don’t know,” Caleb lowered his tone.
From the north side of the woods, a tall man stalked toward him.
“I gotta go. Don’t worry about being here,” Caleb said, ending the call.
The guy was big, but Caleb had no doubt he could take him down if need be. As he moved into the light, he recognized Marshal Jones.
“Where are your men?”
“Sent one of my guys to deliver the CD. I’ve been trying to reach the other stationed at the top of the drive with no luck. I wanted to be close by so I parked up the road in the woods.”
“Kane’s here. It’s the only explanation.” Caleb glanced at his watch. “I don’t know when he got to her.” It could have been hours ago.
“My man was here fifteen minutes ago. They can’t have gotten far. I’ll radio again. There’s no other way out of here by car, is there?” Jones fell into step with Caleb, who pointed his flashlight at the ground.
“One road in. One road out. There’s countless ways to reach the house through the woods. None of which a car would fit through.” Caleb glanced up. “Think they got to your guy?”
“Must’ve. He would answer his radio otherwise.”
“Bastards.” The white dot illuminated the yellow-green grass as Caleb moved closer to the tree line. “They used ATVs before. They’re smart. They’ve studied the terrain.”
He trained his flashlight on a spot on the ground.
“Hold on.” He dropped to his knees.
“A woman’s footprint.”
“It’s hers.” He shone the light east. “The footprint stops here.” He glanced around on the ground. “See that?”
“A man’s shoe print.”
“Which means someone carried her.” Caleb followed the imprints to the tree line. “They went this way.”
“They most likely have a car stashed somewhere,” Jones said as he turned toward the lane. “I’ll head to the main road.”
“You said you heard from one of your guys fifteen minutes ago?”
“Yes.”
“It would take about that long to run to the nearest place they could’ve hid a car. You take the road.” Caleb ran toward the barn. “I can cut them off on horseback.”
* * *
KATHERINE’S EYES BLURRED as she tried to blink them open. The crown of her head felt as though someone had blasted her with a hammer. Her thoughts jumbled. Thinking clearly through her pounding headache would be a challenge.
In a flash, she remembered being outside before someone grabbed her and then the lights went out. Didn’t seem like anyone had turned them back on, either. Pitch-black wasn’t nearly good enough to describe the darkness surrounding her. Where was she? Where was Caleb? Terror gripped her.
Chill bumps covered her arms. She reached out and hit surface in every direction without extending her arms. Was she in some kind of compartment? Whatever she was in moved fast. She bounced, bumping her head.
She lay on a clothlike material. The whole area couldn’t measure more than three or four feet deep and she couldn’t stretch out her legs.
Realization dawned. Icy fingers of panic gripped her lungs and squeezed.
She was in the trunk of a car.
Oh, God. How would she get out? Wasn’t there a panic lever somewhere?
At least her arms and legs were free. She felt around for something—anything—to pop the trunk. Was there a weapon? A car jack?
Her mind cleared and she recalled more details. Scarface’s voice.
Katherine listened carefully to the sounds around her. The engine revved. Brakes squealed as the car flew side to side.
A thump sounded. A gunshot rang out.
Her throat closed as fear seized her.
The car roared to a stop.
She repositioned herself so her feet faced the lid. She’d be ready to launch an attack at whoever opened the trunk.
Her heart hammered in her chest. She held her breath, fighting off sheer terror. Patience.
The trunk lid lifted and she thrust her feet at the body leaning toward her. She made contact at the same time she recognized the face. “Caleb?”
His arms reached for her, encircled her, while her brain tried to catch up. He lifted her and carried her to his horse.
His face was a study in concentration and determination. He didn’t speak as he balanced her in his arms and popped her into the saddle. He hopped up from behind just in time for her to see that his jeans were soaked with blood on his right thigh. Her heart skipped a beat. She told herself he’d be fine. He had to be okay. His arms circled her as he gripped the reins.
Scarface hadn’t fared so well. He was slumped over the steering wheel. “Is he dead?”
“No.” Caleb urged his horse forward as lights and sirens wailed from behind. “But he’ll wish he was after the marshal gets hold of him.”
The feel of Caleb against her back, warming her, brought a sense of rightness to the crazy world. “You found me.”
She could feel every muscle in his chest tense.
Samson kept a steady gallop until they reached the barn. Caleb took care of his horse, then, keeping Kath
erine by his side, headed for the house.
“I walked outside to check on the officer. I turned around to come get you when I heard his voice. Then everything went black. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m just glad I found you.” He pressed kisses to her forehead, then her nose before feathering them on her cheeks. “I can’t lose you.”
His lips pressed to hers with bruising need.
She loved him. There was no questioning that. But what was he offering? A commitment? Her heart gave a little skip at the thought. He’d already proved he would be there for her no matter what. When the chips were down, he’d come through for her, comforting her, saving her. He was the one person in the world she trusted. “I heard a gunshot and panicked. What happened while I was in the trunk?”
“Scarface took aim. There were too many twists in the road for him to be able to steer and shoot, or...”
“Oh, God. Did he hit you?” She scanned his jeans for a bullet hole, panicked when she noticed the blood.
“Grazed my leg. Flesh wound. I’m fine. I caught up to him before he got off another round.”
She couldn’t hold back the sob that broke free. She couldn’t even think about something happening to Caleb.
“I’m okay. I promise.”
She buried her face in his chest, her body shaking. His arms tightened around her.
“Let’s get you inside.”
“We should get back on the road. Follow Scarface. Maybe he can lead us to Noah?”
“I doubt it. Scarface should be in custody by now. Unless the marshal let him go to follow him. Putting yourself in danger again won’t help that little boy.”
“This isn’t about him anymore, is it?” A chill ran down her spine at the realization. “Kane is after me now.”
“For his own freedom. He wants to erase you and the file.” Caleb’s gaze scanned the trees. “Let’s get you inside.”
* * *
CALEB CLEANED HIS injuries. He dabbed water on his leg, thinking how much he needed to keep his head clear. He dressed the cut on his thigh and changed into clean jeans.
“They might be out there right now,” Katherine said as she sat down on his bed. “That’s what you were just thinking, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
She glanced at the windows, her tentative smile replaced by a look of apprehension. “What do we do now?”
“I’ll reconnect with the marshal and then go after the son of a bitch as soon as we figure out the next step. Until then, we wait here. I won’t let him hurt the woman I love again.”
“Love?” She rewarded him with a smile. “I love you, too.”
* * *
BY THE TIME Matt eased in the back door, Katherine’s nerves were sizzling. “I thought you were in Dallas.”
“Came back to help you.”
“Why would you do that?”
“When Caleb said he’d found you, I came to stop them from doing anything else.” He excused himself, saying he needed to find Caleb.
She made a pot of coffee in the dim light, having allowed her eyes to adjust to the darkness, surprised Matt would want to come to her aid. She glanced out the window. Were they out there watching? Who else would Kane send?
They could be anywhere right now. Even standing outside, looking right at her. A chill ran up her spine. She had to figure out a way to get Caleb to let her come with him to find Kane.
A noise from behind shattered what was left of her brittle nerves. She turned to find Matt standing there. Her hand came up to her chest.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.
“It’s fine. I’m jumpy.” She held up a mug. “Coffee?”
“I can get it. You should sit down. Caleb said you have to be careful on that ankle.”
“Believe it or not, it was much worse yesterday.” She eyed him warily. He looked determined to say something. She filled a mug and handed it to him. “How about I let you get your own cream and sugar?”
“I take mine black.”
There was another thing to like about him. Under ordinary circumstances, she figured they might actually get along. She reminded herself they weren’t really friends and he likely hadn’t sought her out to talk about the coffee.
“Me, too,” she said anyway, figuring he also didn’t want to hear about how much they had in common—such as how much they both cared for Caleb. But that was another common bond between them, whether Matt like it or not.
“I’m not good at this sort of thing....” He paused.
She took a sip, welcoming the burn and the warmth on her throat.
Another beat passed as he shifted his weight onto his other foot.
Whatever he had to say, Katherine figured she wasn’t about to be showered with compliments. She braced herself for what would come next. She’d stared down worse bulls than a protective friend.
Didn’t he realize she had Caleb’s best interests at heart?
When he looked as though saying the words out loud might actually cause him physical pain, she said, “I can save you the trouble. I know you don’t like me. But if you gave me half a chance, I think we could be friends.”
There. She’d said it. She put it out there between them, and he could do what he wanted with it.
She crossed her arms and readied herself for his response.
“That isn’t what I came here to say.”
“Okay.”
“I need to apologize.”
“No, you don’t.” The tension in her neck muscles eased.
His stance was firm and unmoving. “I appreciate you saying that, but I do.”
“If the tables were turned and it was me, I’d probably feel the same way as you. I can see how this looks. A stranger shows up on his property and he puts his life in danger to help her. I wouldn’t like it, either.”
The corner on one side of his mouth lifted. “There is that.”
“You must love him a lot.”
“Like the brother I never had.”
“But I do, too.” Had she just admitted her true feelings for Caleb to the one man who could stand her the least? It was one thing to say it to Caleb. Damn. It had come out so fast and yet sounded so natural. Felt natural. Her heart was so full it might burst that he’d said it to her first. But to make the declaration to a friend? To let everyone else know took the relationship to a new level. Was she ready?
Katherine steadied her nerves. Her admission would probably spark a rebellion anyway. Why couldn’t she just leave it alone? Why did she need Matt to understand her feelings for Caleb?
Because Matt was like family to him. He was important.
She secretly wished for his approval.
“I know,” Matt said softly. “He feels the same way. I knew it the first time I saw him with you.”
Katherine stood stunned. “I had no idea.”
“It’s half the reason I’ve been so...worried,” Matt said, leaning against the counter.
“I realize you know him best. You must’ve seen that look before?”
“No. Never. Not with anyone else.” His tone was deadpan.
Katherine’s heart skipped a beat. Maybe she could believe his love was real. He wasn’t confusing his need to help with true feelings. Maybe this was different than the women in his past.
Caleb strolled in before she could thank Matt for telling her. “Not with any what?”
Chapter Sixteen
Katherine hel
d out a mug. “Coffee’s fresh.”
Caleb arched his brow. The corners of his lips turned up and he winked. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re not getting out of this so easy. What were the two of you talking about?”
Matt made an excuse about walking the perimeter and slipped outside.
“I remembered something that might help. I’d completely forgotten about Leann’s phone. I can contact Kane if we can get another power cord and a battery.”
“You brought up a good point, but I don’t want you doing anything with that phone. Stay inside the house. No matter what. Promise me?”
She folded her arms. “This is the worst. At least when we were on the run, we had distractions. Waiting around with no way to make contact, doing nothing is killing me.”
Caleb’s pocket vibrated. He pulled Jones’s cell from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s Jones.”
Katherine’s heart went into free fall with anticipation.
As soon as Caleb ended the call, he turned to her. “They found it. They found the proof. Leann had pictures linking Kane to murder. He must’ve had no idea she had evidence until recently.”
“Doesn’t do any good if they can’t find Kane. Can’t he live out the rest of his life in Mexico? With Noah? How will I ever get him back? I can’t imagine leaving him to grow up with a monster like that.” Panic thumped a fresh course of adrenaline through Katherine’s veins. She didn’t want to think about never seeing her nephew again.
“We don’t know that. Jones has men in Dallas all over it.”
His words were meant to be comforting. They weren’t. A jagged rock ripped through her chest. Breathing hurt. She’d wait like a sitting duck for how long? Kane’s men would never leave her alone. He wouldn’t be satisfied until she was dead. “What about Scarface? Did he talk?”
“That’s the best part. He did. Kane has been hiding in a warehouse downtown in the garment district. He’s believed to be there right now. Jones is going after him. Coleman is on his way with reinforcements.”
A myriad of emotions ran through her. Fear for Noah gripped her. Could they get to him in time? A trill of hope rocketed. This whole ordeal could be behind them by morning’s light.