In the darkness, Weston’s gaze met Addie’s. She no longer looked terrified, and that wasn’t a look of surrender in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Weston shook his head. “Don’t.” He didn’t know exactly what she had in mind, but he didn’t want her trying to fight her way out of this. “Think of the baby,” Weston added.
Yeah, it was dirty, but it worked. He saw that in her eyes, too.
“A baby? Oh, that’s touching,” Canales snapped. “And it works in my favor. You want your kid to live?”
It took Weston a moment to realize that Canales was talking to him. “Of course I want my baby and Addie to live. How can I make that happen?”
“Easy. I take Addie with me, and you’ll help me undo all the damage she’s done. It might include taking out a few FBI agents who can’t be bribed. That idiot therapist, too.”
Hell. Canales wanted him to murder to tie up all these loose ends.
“I can’t trust you,” Weston insisted. “How do I know you won’t kill Addie the moment you leave here with her?”
“You don’t. That’s a chance you’ll just have to take.”
Addie was shaking her head, but it wasn’t necessary. No way would Weston agree to a deal like that, because if Canales managed to get Addie out of here, there’s no way he’d keep her alive.
“I’m Sheriff Lawton,” someone called out. Backup. He was the sheriff from a neighboring town, and apparently Canales’s thugs hadn’t gotten to him.
Not yet anyway.
Weston hoped the sheriff had brought plenty of men with him.
“Marshal Seaver?” the sheriff added. “We got a problem out here.”
“Yeah, we got a problem in here, too,” Daniel answered. “A gunman with a hostage. What’s going on out there?”
“There’s a guy behind a tree, and he’s armed with some kind of grenade-launcher-looking thing. He’s got it aimed at the barn.”
Not a grenade but a firebomb.
Daniel cursed. “Tell him not to pull the trigger. Tell him his boss is still alive in here.”
That might stop the idiot from killing them all. But if he managed to shoot that firebomb into the rickety barn, their chances of surviving wouldn’t be very good.
“Hank?” Canales called out, obviously speaking to his hired gun. “If I’m not out in one minute, launch that firebomb.”
“But, boss, you’ll die.” It was easy to hear the hesitation in the man’s voice.
“Yeah, but so will everybody else in here.” Canales glared at Weston.
“You’re bluffing,” Weston snarled.
Canales laughed. “Either let me leave with Addie...” He stopped, shook his head in disgust. “You’re not going to let me leave.”
It wasn’t a question, and in the same breath, Canales shouted out to his hired gun. “Go ahead, Hank. Fire!”
There was no time to react. None. Weston heard the ominous sound. A split second later, the metal canister crashed through the front of the barn.
* * *
ADDIE TRIED TO shout for everyone to run, but she didn’t get the chance to do or say anything.
Canales hooked his arm around her and, with her in tow, he leaped through the makeshift opening in the back of the barn. They immediately fell onto the ground, but thankfully, she didn’t land on her stomach. Instead, she landed on the dead guy Ogden had shot just minutes earlier.
“Weston!” she yelled.
But she saw him before she even finished calling his name. He hurdled through the opening, landing right next to her.
Not a second too soon.
The flames and smoke swooshed out at them. The heat was blistering hot, but Weston saved her from being burned by scooping her up. He took off running. However, they weren’t running alone.
Canales was right behind them.
The man came bolting out of the smoky cloud, his arms and legs pumping as fast as they could go.
“What about the marshals and Ogden?” she managed to ask, though Addie wasn’t sure how she could speak with so little breath.
“I think they got out through the front,” Weston said.
Think. But he wasn’t sure.
She prayed it was true, that they’d managed to get out in time. Even though Ogden had attempted to kill her several days ago, he’d also tried to save them tonight by shooting that hired gun Canales had brought with him. Or at least he’d appeared to save them. It was still possible Ogden was in on this.
Weston ran, but they’d only made it ten yards or so from the burning barn when Addie heard the gunshot. For one terrifying moment she thought Canales had shot Weston in the back, but then she realized that the sound had come from the front of the barn.
Had that hired thug managed to shoot Kirk or Daniel?
Addie didn’t have time to figure that out, though, because she looked back and saw Canales had quit running.
He still had his gun.
“Stop or you die,” Canales warned them. Not a shout, just a cold-blooded order that Addie knew they had no choice but to obey.
Weston pulled up, immediately releasing her from his arms so that she was standing. And so that he was in front of her.
Protecting her again.
The problem was that Weston no longer had his gun. He’d likely dropped it in the earlier scuffle with Canales. And there really was no place for them to take cover. They were literally out in the open where Canales or one of his henchmen could gun them down.
“This is over,” Weston told Canales. “Killing us now won’t do anything except maybe add the death penalty to the charges you’ll face.”
“I’m already facing the death penalty,” he admitted.
That was it, the only thing Canales said before he lifted his gun and took aim at them. He was no doubt about to pull the trigger when there was another sound.
A loud crash.
Behind him, the barn collapsed and sent a spray of smoke, debris and fire right at him. Canales glanced over his shoulder, cursed and started running again.
This time, right toward them.
And Weston was waiting for him.
“Get down,” Weston told her.
He lunged right at Canales, tackling him, and like in the barn they went to the ground.
Weston didn’t get hold of the gun, but he did managed to grab Canales’s right wrist, and he tried to wrench the gun away from him.
Canales held on.
Even when Weston bashed his hand against the ground.
Addie immediately looked around for something she could use to help. A rock or anything. But there was nothing. Just bits of the fiery debris from the barn, and Canales and Weston were rolling around, both of them jockeying for position.
The jockeying stopped with a gunshot.
The sound jolted through her and nearly brought her to her knees. Oh, God. Had Weston been hurt?
She couldn’t tell, especially when the fight started again. Weston drew back his fist and punched Canales in the face, but the man must have been fueled with pure adrenaline because he was fighting like a wild animal.
Addie hurried closer to see if she could help, but she didn’t get far when she saw Canales bring up his hand again. He still had hold of the gun, and he was trying to aim it at her.
She dropped back down to the ground.
Just as the shot blasted past her.
Weston glanced back at her. Cursing. And he punched Canales again. And again. Canales finally moved the gun so that it was no longer aimed at her.
But rather at Weston.
“Watch out,” she warned Weston.
Though it was already too late for a warning. The sound of the shot tore through the night.
And the fight stopped.
Addie thought maybe her heart had, too.
She could only stay there for several terrifying moments. Moments where she didn’t know if Weston was dead or alive. He wasn’t moving. But then, neither was Canales.
“
Weston?” she finally got out, and she forced her legs to move.
Addie went to Weston, caught him by the shoulder and moved him off Canales. That’s when she saw the blood.
“I’m okay,” Weston said to her.
It took her several more heart-stopping moments to realize it wasn’t Weston’s blood. It belonged to Canales, and it had covered the front of his shirt. Weston had hold of the man’s gun.
Despite his injury, Canales laughed. “It’s time for a deal.”
“You’re bleeding out,” Weston told him. “Besides, you’ve got nothing I want.”
“Maybe. But if I were you, I’d do everything possible to keep me alive.”
“And why would I do that?” Weston asked.
Canales laughed again, but it was followed by a weak, shallow cough. “Because I know where the Moonlight Strangler is. I trapped him. And if you want him, then you’ll make sure I’m a free man.”
Chapter Twenty
This ordeal wasn’t over, but Weston hoped that it soon would be.
No thanks to Canales.
The man hadn’t budged on telling them about the Moonlight Strangler before the ambulance had taken him away, but with some luck—or rather Jericho’s interrogation skills—they might get the information from Canales’s injured gunman, the one Daniel had shot. They’d gotten lucky that it wasn’t a serious injury, so Jericho was with him at the hospital where he was being stitched up.
Weston didn’t know the hired gun’s name or what had caused him to get involved with a snake like Canales, but it didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered was his telling Jericho the location of the Moonlight Strangler. If there was a location to tell, that is. And if the thug wouldn’t or couldn’t tell them, then maybe Canales would do that when and if he came out of surgery.
The other thing that mattered, and it mattered most, was that Addie and the baby were okay. For now. She still had that stunned look in her eyes. Still didn’t seem too steady on her feet, which was why Weston had his arm around her.
That was one of the reasons anyway.
The other reason was because having her close steadied his own raw nerves.
“Canales could have been lying,” Addie repeated, something both Weston and she had been reminding themselves of since they’d arrived at the sheriff’s office to wait on news from Jericho. “We should be at the hospital to see if we can pressure the thug into talking.”
Yes, that was tempting, and if Addie hadn’t been in the picture, that’s exactly where Weston would be. But it was still too big of a risk for Addie to be in the open. Actually, it was a risk for her to be anywhere, but at least he had Jax, Kirk and Daniel at the Appaloosa Pass sheriff’s office to help guard her. Plus, the three lawmen were all working to track down some info on what was left of the investigation.
“I wish you’d sit down,” Weston said to her—something else he’d been repeating for the past hour.
She looked up at him, their gazes connecting. “I’m still too wired.”
It was the same for him. So, Weston tried a kiss instead. Just a quick brush of his mouth to hers. Or at least that was the plan. But the kiss didn’t stay quick. Weston added some pressure, pulled her closer to him until it finally helped. He felt Addie practically sag against him.
The kiss and the hug garnered Jax’s attention, but her brother only gave a half smile and continued his phone conversation.
“Maybe we’ll hear something about Ogden soon,” she said.
Addie didn’t have to add that she was worried about him. She was. So was Weston, but probably not worried in the same way as Addie. After all, the man had tried to kill Addie a few days ago, and he was no doubt insane. Even if he made a full recovery from his injuries, he’d spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital.
“Ogden did try to save us in the barn,” Addie whispered.
He had indeed, and that was the only reason Weston didn’t want to tear the man’s head completely off. That and the fact that he was Addie’s half-brother. However, that shared blood bond didn’t extend to the Moonlight Strangler. Weston would kill him if he got the chance.
“SAPD picked up Boggs about a half hour ago,” Jax said when he finished his latest call. “There won’t be an arrest.”
Not exactly a surprise. “Because of the statute of limitations on the gunrunning allegations,” Weston said.
Jax nodded. “But at least Boggs is talking. He claims he only gave Canales money to fund the gunrunning, that he wasn’t actually a part of it and that he wasn’t part of the attacks, either.”
“The cops believe him?” Addie asked.
Another nod from Jax. “There’s nothing to link him to the attacks. Nothing to link him to anything that Canales did to get to Addie.”
And Canales had done a lot. All because he’d been afraid that she might remember seeing him all those years ago.
“Boggs is ruined,” Jax went on. “Even though he can’t be charged with assorted felonies like Canales, if it’s leaked to the press about his old connections to gunrunning, it’ll cost him the campaign.”
Good. That was something at least. Even if Boggs wasn’t responsible for murder and attempted murder, he didn’t deserve to hold political office.
“You okay?” Jax asked, his gaze nailed to Addie.
“No, she’s not,” Weston answered for her. “I’m taking her to the break room.” There was a cot back there, and maybe she could get some rest.
“I’m okay, really,” she insisted.
That was partly true. The medic had checked her out right after they’d arrived at the sheriff’s office, and at least she hadn’t physically been harmed. Mentally was a whole different story, but she dug in her heels to stay put.
“Convince me you’re okay,” Weston challenged.
She kissed him. Since he’d done the same to her just seconds earlier, he figured she’d gotten the idea from him. It was a nice distraction. Nice for his body, too, to feel that heat slide through him.
“Not very convincing,” he grumbled.
Addie lifted her eyebrow. “Really?”
“The kiss doesn’t prove you’re okay. It just proves we’re attracted to each other. We already knew that.”
The eyebrow lift continued.
“Okay, more than just attracted,” Weston admitted.
A whole lot more that he would have told her if Jax’s phone hadn’t rang.
“Jericho,” Jax greeted when he answered the call.
That stopped Weston, and both Addie and he went back to Jax’s desk so they could hear what Jericho had to say. Jax put the call on speaker for them.
“Canales died in surgery,” Jericho started. “But the rat he hired started talking when I mentioned the death penalty was on the table. According to the rat, Canales lured the Moonlight Strangler to Daisy’s house. I’ve got the county sheriff on his way there now, and yeah, he’s taking plenty of backup with him. They’ll be out there any minute now.”
The county sheriff would need all the help he could get if he did indeed come face-to-face with the killer.
“Why lure him to Daisy’s place?” Weston wanted to know.
“Apparently, Canales persuaded the killer that there was a photo at Daisy’s that he needed to retrieve. A photo that would reveal his identity.”
Addie pulled in a sharp breath. “We need to find that photo.”
“Doesn’t exist,” Jericho explained. “According to the rat, it was just a lure to get the Strangler there so two more of Canales’s hired guns could capture him. That way, Canales would look like the big hero, and that in turn would be some good publicity for the campaign.”
Weston thought about that for a moment. Not a bad plan, but things had clearly gone to hell in a hand basket. However, he had the feeling this was more than just a campaign ploy. “If there was a connection between Canales, the Moonlight Strangler and the gunrunning, then Canales would want the Strangler dead so the connection couldn’t come back to bite him.”
“That’s my best guess, too,” Jericho agreed. “I can’t think of another reason Canales would go to all that trouble to lure a killer there.”
Neither could Weston. “Call me when you hear anything from the county sheriff.”
“Will do. And you’d better take good care of my sister,” Jericho added before he ended the call.
It wasn’t a surprising request, but there was something in Jericho’s voice. Not exactly a warning but more like a strong suggestion.
Or maybe Weston was reading what he wanted to read into it.
And what he wanted to read into it was that he did indeed want to take care of Addie. Not just because of the danger. And not just for tonight.
Weston realized he wanted a whole lot more.
“What?” Addie asked, staring at him.
Probably because he had a strange look on his face. The look of a man who’d just been thunderstruck.
Well, heck.
“When did this happen?” Weston had intended to keep that question in his head, but it somehow made it out of his mouth.
Addie kept staring. “When did what happen?” The last word sort of died on her lips though, and she shook her head. “No, you’re not going to ask me to marry you.”
Since that’s exactly what he’d planned to do, Weston was sure he looked even more thunderstruck than before. He was also a little riled that Addie seemed riled.
“Why not?” Weston demanded.
Then he realized something else. The three lawmen in the squad room were no longer on their phones. They were listening to him fumbling around. And they were somewhat amused by it. Even Jax. Of course, he could be amused because Addie had just shot Weston down.
Or not.
“You giving up that easy?” Jax asked. “My advice, don’t. You two belong together. More advice—finish this conversation in the break room.” He tipped his head in that direction.
It seemed to be an endorsement from her brother. One that Weston didn’t need, but was still thankful for. He couldn’t say the same for Addie.
“Stay out of this,” she warned Jax, and she no longer sounded exhausted and shaky.
Lone Wolf Lawman Page 18