Lone Wolf Lawman

by Delores Fossen

  No.

  She really didn’t want to have to deal with this on top of everything else.

  “For the record, we barely know each other,” Addie tossed out there. “And you won’t exactly be welcome in my family.”

  Another glance at her stomach. “Is that supposed to send me running for the hills?”

  “It might after you meet Jericho.”

  “I’ve already met Jericho,” he countered.

  “Barely.” They’d exchanged brief introductions and some testosterone-laced glares while waiting for the ambulance. “He’s very protective of me.”

  Especially since he’d learned she was pregnant. Addie was thankful for his brotherly love. Thankful for all the other things he’d done for her, including offering her a shoulder when she’d been crying over her heart-crushing encounter with Weston. But Jericho wouldn’t be showing much love to the man who’d slept with his kid sister and then dumped her.

  “I’ll deal with Jericho,” Weston said as if it were gospel.

  “Good luck with that,” she said in the same tone he’d used.

  Still behind the ambulance, he pulled her truck into the parking lot. The very truck that he’d insisted on driving from the ranch to the hospital. Normally, that wasn’t a task Addie would have just surrendered, but the truth was, she was shaking, and the nerves were still there right at the surface.

  Unlike Weston’s nerves.

  He just seemed riled that he hadn’t been able to bring all of this to a close tonight. And it still might happen. If they could get some info from the shooter.

  He took the parking space nearest the ER doors. “Stay close to me and move fast,” he instructed.

  She spotted the two night deputies already there. Both were positioned just outside the ER. Both with their hands over their guns. A reminder that this nightmare wasn’t over.

  “Search anyone who tries to get in,” Weston told them, and he flashed his badge.

  Weston used his own body to shelter her while they made the short trek into the hospital. They were just behind Jericho and the medics, who rushed in with their patient. She didn’t hear what Jericho said to the nurse at the reception desk, but Addie didn’t miss the scowl he gave her when he spotted her. He came toward her just as Weston pulled her away from the doors and to the far side of the room.

  Maybe just to get her away from the glass doors.

  Maybe so he could make this showdown with Jericho semiprivate.

  “You should be home,” Jericho insisted, and in the same breath he added to Weston, “And the two of us need to talk.” Weston was on the receiving end of an even worse scowl than she’d gotten.

  She seriously doubted Jericho had only talking on his mind, and that’s why Addie stepped between them. “I can handle this myself.”

  All right, that didn’t exactly cool the fire in Jericho’s eyes. Nor did it stop Weston from moving her so that he was facing her brother head-on.

  Jericho’s index finger landed against Weston’s chest. “You deserve to have your butt kicked for what you did to my sister. Now the question is—are you going to do something about it?”

  “Yeah, I do deserve a butt-kicking,” Weston readily admitted. “And Addie deserves some answers, but we can work that out later. Agreed?”

  She wasn’t sure Jericho would agree to anything right now, but he finally huffed, pulled her into his arms and brushed a kiss on Addie’s forehead. “Are you okay? And I want the truth.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Addie assured him and stayed a moment in his arms. He might be the most stubborn brother in the universe, but he’d walk through fire for her. And vice versa.

  “I already told her I want the doctor to check her out just in case,” Weston insisted.

  Jericho made a sound of agreement.

  “I can think for myself,” she reminded both of them.

  But she was talking to the air because both of them ignored her. Jericho motioned for them to follow him, and he led them into a private waiting room just up the hall.

  No windows, thank goodness. She figured it’d take a lifetime or two before she walked past one and didn’t hear the sound of bullets shattering glass.

  Weston tipped his head to the wallet her brother had in his left hand. “Does that belong to the shooter?”

  It was clear her brother didn’t want to drop the personal part of this conversation with Weston, but she saw the moment he shifted from big brother to lawman. “Yes. My brother Jax is running a background check on him, but we know his name is Lonny Ogden. He’s thirty-one and lives in San Antonio.”

  Addie repeated it to see if it rang any bells. It didn’t. “You’re sure that’s his real name?”

  “The photo on the license matches the one at DMV. I’m running his prints just to verify, but on the drive over, I had Jax check on Ogden’s rap sheet.” Jericho paused, scrubbed his hand over his face and gave a weary sigh. “He doesn’t have one. Ogden’s never been arrested.”

  Hard to believe that the man who’d just tried to kill her had never been in trouble with the law.

  “Ogden had a cell phone on him, and I had a ranch hand deliver it to Jax at the station. Jax’ll examine the calls and any other phone records Ogden might have left.”

  “Did Ogden say why he did this?” Weston asked.

  Another weary sigh from Jericho. “He rambled on a lot, not much of it making sense. When I asked him if he was working for the Moonlight Strangler, he said no, that he was working for a higher being that didn’t live on this planet.”

  Now it was Addie’s turn to sigh. “He’s insane.”

  “Possibly. Or he could be faking it.” Jericho’s gaze came back to hers. “He said he couldn’t have the Moonlight Strangler’s blood live on and that you weren’t doing all you could to help the cops catch the killer.”

  Good God. Addie had known right from the start that this attack was aimed at her, but it was sickening to hear the motive spelled out.

  Well, if it was true.

  “What exactly does Ogden believe I should be doing to help the cops?” Addie asked.

  “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. He’s crazy,” Weston reminded her.

  That didn’t make her feel any better. Mainly because it was coming from Weston. Yes, he’d saved her life, but Addie reminded herself that he’d also used her to find the Moonlight Strangler, the very monster at the heart of all of this.

  “Ogden said you should try hypnosis and some drug therapy,” Jericho finally answered.

  “I’ve done both.” A reminder that wasn’t necessary since her brother and Weston already knew that. If she thought more hypnosis would help, she’d gladly repeat it. Ditto for another round of drug therapy once the baby was born.

  “Ogden believes you know plenty of things you’re not saying because you want to protect your birth father,” Jericho added. “And remember that part about him being crazy.”

  Addie wanted to curse. Or scream. “I wouldn’t protect him. Not ever.” Of course, she hadn’t needed to tell Jericho that. But it did make her wonder. “Is this personal for Ogden? Maybe the Moonlight Strangler killed someone he loved?”

  Even though Weston wasn’t touching her, she could almost feel his muscles tightening.

  “We’ll check all angles,” Jericho assured her, but anything else he was about to say was cut off when they spotted a tall gray-haired man in scrubs making his ways toward him.

  Addie instantly recognized him. It was Dr. Applewhite. There were only a handful of regular doctors at the small hospital, and she’d known Dr. Applewhite since she was in elementary school. However, she didn’t usually see such a serious expression on his grandfatherly face.

  “Teddy’s in surgery,” the doctor said right off. “He’s lost a lot of blood. A lot,” he emphasized. “But there doesn’t seem to be any damage to his vital organs. He should pull through.”

  Addie hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until the air rushed from her throat. Like the d
octor, she’d known Teddy most of her life, and it felt like a stab to the heart to know he’d been hurt because of her.

  “Thanks for telling us,” Addie said. “My mother’s already called his family to let them know. They’ll be here soon.”

  The doctor had no sooner stepped away when Jericho’s phone buzzed, and she saw Jax’s name on the screen. She also saw the debate Jericho had with himself before he finally put the call on speaker.

  “I found something,” Jax greeted.

  Addie had braced herself for bad news, but the relief flooded through her. Guarded relief anyway.

  “I’m looking at Lonny Ogden’s phone records, and he’s only been in contact with one person in the past twenty-four hours. Ira Canales.”

  Yet another name Addie didn’t recognize, and apparently she wasn’t the only one who didn’t.

  “Who is he?” Weston and Jericho asked in unison.

  “He’s the campaign manager for Alton Gregory Boggs.”

  Addie shook her head. “The attorney who’s running for the state senate?”

  “The very one,” Jax confirmed.

  She’d seen campaign ads. Everyone probably had. Pictures of a smiling Boggs and his equally smiling wife were plastered on billboards all over the area.

  “It’s not just a couple of calls to Canales,” Jax went on. “Ogden phoned him six times today. All under a minute long so I can’t be sure if Canales actually spoke with him. Ogden could have just left him messages.”

  True, but it was a start. Maybe Ogden had said something to Canales that would tell them if Ogden truly had a connection to the Moonlight Strangler. Any connection that would help them learn the killer’s identity.

  “I’ll call Canales now and have him come in tomorrow,” Jax continued. “Jericho, have you been able to question Ogden yet?”

  But Jericho didn’t get a chance to answer because of the shouts that were coming from the ER. One of the shouts she instantly recognized as coming from the night deputy, Dexter Conway.

  “Stop!” Dexter yelled.

  “Stay here,” Jericho insisted. He drew his gun, then hesitated a split second so he could make eye contact with Weston. “Watch out for her.”

  Jericho rushed out, racing toward the sounds of Dexter’s repeated shouts for someone or something to stop. Weston stepped in the doorway in front of her, and he, too, drew his gun.

  Just like that her heart was right back in her throat. “What’s happening?”

  Weston shook his head.

  But Addie heard something she definitely hadn’t wanted to hear.

  A gunshot.

  The sound put her heart right back in her throat. “Another attack?” she managed to ask.

  “Maybe.” Weston didn’t budge. He kept watch and then started a new round of profanity. “Yeah. It’s a gunman. And Jericho’s in pursuit.”

  Chapter Six

  This day had gone about as bad as Weston could have imagined, and sadly it wasn’t over yet.

  Not with a hired gun on the loose.

  And judging from the fact that Jericho hadn’t called Addie and Weston yet, the sheriff and deputies had yet to apprehend the armed man who’d tried to get into the hospital. The same man who’d taken a shot at one of the deputies when he’d tried to question him.

  With both Addie and Ogden in the hospital at that time, there was no way to know which one was the intended target.

  But the thug had definitely had a target all right.

  The deputy had reported that the man had been armed to the hilt and had tried to strong-arm his way into the hospital after the deputy stopped him for questioning. Too bad the guy had managed to run off before they could learn who he was after and who’d sent him.

  That wasn’t something Weston wanted to learn the hard way.

  And that’s why he’d insisted on bringing Addie back to her family’s ranch. A plan heartily endorsed by her brothers. However, it was temporary. Well, it was unless they managed to figure out the identity of a killer who’d been eluding the police and FBI for three decades.

  Yeah, this bad day definitely wasn’t over yet.

  Weston finished his latest call with one of his Ranger friends, and he turned around knowing Addie would be right there in the ranch’s kitchen. Waiting for news. What he hadn’t figured was that right there was close enough that he bumped into her. He automatically reached for her.

  Not a good idea.

  Because she stepped back as if he’d scalded her.

  Weston couldn’t blame her. He’d gotten her pregnant, walked out on her, and here he’d been back in her life for only a couple of hours and someone had already tried to kill her. Worse, he couldn’t even guarantee her that things would get better.

  “Anything on the guy who got away?” she asked.

  “No.” But she might have already known the answer since she’d perhaps been standing close enough to hear his conversation. “I’ve asked the Rangers to assist with the search.”

  “Are you on good enough terms with them to ask that?”

  Barely.

  Weston kept that to himself and nodded. Most of his fellow officers thought he’d crossed a line between obsession and justice when it came to finding Collette’s killer.

  There were days, and nights, like this one when Weston had to agree with them.

  “They’ll find him,” Weston assured her. At best that was wishful thinking. At worst, a lie. But he hated that look of worry on her face.

  A face he could hardly see because all the overhead lights were off. But the Christmas lights were twinkling and shimmering outside the windows.

  The lack of inside lights, even here in the kitchen, was a precaution in case a shooter managed to get past a wall of security that Weston had established with ranch hands, PIs and deputies—all on the ranch grounds to make sure Addie was safe.

  She moved back to the counter, finished off a glass of milk and then studied him. “Would you still use me to draw out the killer?”

  A reasonable question since several hours ago, that’s exactly what he’d planned to do. “No. I’ll have to think of another way.”

  One that didn’t involve endangering the baby she was carrying.

  Or her.

  Yes, Addie herself was playing into this now. Weston could blame the blasted attraction for that. It was still there, just as it had been when he’d first laid eyes on her.

  “So...that means you’ll be leaving,” she added. And it didn’t exactly have a “please stay” tone attached to it.

  “I’ll stay until Jericho gets home.” Whenever that would be. The sheriff was no doubt up to his ears in alligators.

  “And then?” she pressed.

  That was the million-dollar question. He didn’t even have a fifty-cent answer. “Well, I won’t be leaving for good. I’ll be part of the baby’s life.”

  “I don’t expect that from you.”

  “You should.” Weston tried to rein in the anger he heard in his voice. “Despite what you think of me, I’m not some dirtbag who’ll run out on his own child. On any child for that matter.”

  “Oh.” That was all Addie said for a long time. “So...you’ve always wanted children?”

  “No.” He didn’t have to think about that, but he did have to consider how to explain it. “I always figured I wouldn’t pass on my DNA to an innocent child. Let’s just say my parents weren’t stellar and leave it at that.”

  Her eyebrow lifted. “I think I’ve got you beat hands down in the bad DNA department. Were either of them notorious serial killers who wanted to murder you?”

  He had to shake his head on that one.

  She made a yeah-I-got-you-beat sound. “As far as I’m concerned, their DNA has nothing to do with this child.” She slid her hand over her stomach. “After all, even with our bad blood, we didn’t turn out so wrong.”

  The jury was still out on that when it came to him. Weston wasn’t sure he could forgive himself for what he’d done to Addie.

&
nbsp; Or Collette.

  Nor was he sure he wanted their forgiveness.

  He deserved this private hell he was living.

  Addie paused again, glanced around. “Then I suppose we’ll work out some kind of custody agreement. Something simple and nice that doesn’t involve tempers flaring and such.”

  That was good, but it didn’t ring true, and it felt as if someone had just scraped their nails on a chalkboard. Maybe it was that irritation or the events of the night. Heck, maybe he had indeed lost it, but Weston hooked his arm around her waist, pulled her to him and kissed her.

  He’d meant for it to be a reminder that flaring tempers were the least of their worries. And that any agreement would be far from simple or nice. But one taste of her, and Weston got a lesson of his own.

  Best not to play with fire.

  And that’s exactly what he was doing whenever he was within breathing distance of Addie.

  It was a short-lived disaster. However, it still packed a wallop. Addie pushed herself away from him and looked ready to knock him into the middle of the next county.

  “Don’t,” she managed to say. She even managed a glare before she cursed. “I won’t make the mistake of sleeping with you again.”

  “Good.” And he was reasonably sure he meant that. “Because right now, we don’t need this kind of distraction.”

  “This kind of distraction isn’t ever going to happen again,” she clarified. And she was probably sure that she meant it, too.

  Thankfully, they didn’t have to deal with this mental foreplay any longer because Weston’s phone dinged, and he spotted a text from Jax on the screen.

  “Ogden’s out of surgery,” Weston read aloud so Addie wouldn’t have to move closer to him to read it. “He lawyered up.”

  It was exactly what Weston had expected him to do since the idiot was facing multiple counts of attempted murder. Still, he might be willing to cut some kind of deal to give them info about anyone he might be working with.

  Including Ira Canales.

  Weston definitely wanted to be at the sheriff’s office in the morning for that interview.

  “Come on,” Weston told her. “You need to get some rest.” That wasn’t just coming from him, either. The doctor had insisted on it when he’d examined her while they were at the hospital.