by Kat Martin
Aside from Tory’s suspicions and Detective Larson’s hunch, the police had no reason to believe Damon was involved. Add to that, his father’s money and powerful position in the community made him a formidable opponent. Without some kind of evidence, there wasn’t anything the police could do.
Josh was worried. The quagmire they were entangled in was getting deeper and stickier. When Cole and Noah rode their ATVs up in front of the barn at the end of the day, Josh walked over to speak to them.
“What’s going on?” Noah asked at the solemn look on his face.
“A detective named Larson flew in from Phoenix to talk to Tory. You remember that girl I told you about who went missing?”
Noah nodded. Cole’s features darkened. “The waitress who looked like Tory?” he asked.
“That’s the one. She turned up dead. Good chance it’s the same guy who abducted Tory’s friend Lisa.”
“Cops think it’s Tory’s ex?” Noah asked.
“Cops don’t know what to think. Larson’s gut says it’s Bridger. He thinks Tory could be in danger. So do I.”
Cole lifted his baseball cap and scratched his blond head. He surveyed the vast grasslands around them, the ravines overflowing with thick dark green shrubs, the deep woods, and thickets of trees.
“Lot of land to cover. We can keep watch for Bridger, but there’s still a guy out there who murdered two soldiers and might be coming after you. Until the feds make an arrest, maybe you should put on a few more men.”
“I plan to,” Josh said. “Just wanted to bring you up to speed.”
“We’ll stay alert.” The men put up their gear and headed home for the day.
Mrs. T. brought Ivy home and Tory worked on supper. When Josh walked into the house, the smell of roast beef hit him and his stomach growled. He heard small feet and looked up to see Ivy running toward him.
“Look, Josh! I you made a picture! It’s you and me and Mama and Star!”
Josh swept the little girl up against his chest and took the sheet of paper from her hand. In a crayon drawing colored in red, yellow, and green, he was as big as the stallion. He had a hand on each of the females’ shoulders. Clearly, he was protecting them.
His chest clamped down. He wasn’t ready for this. He still had nightmares about the men he hadn’t been able to protect. He would never forget a single soldier’s face. He’d come back to Texas to escape that kind of responsibility.
How had he gotten in so deep? More important, what was he going to do about it?
“It’s beautiful, sweetheart,” he said. “We’ll put it up on the fridge.” Setting Ivy back on her feet, he walked over to the refrigerator, took down a magnet that looked like a cowboy hat, and used it to hold up the drawing. “There. That looks nice.”
Ivy grinned, turned, and raced back into the living room just as Tory walked in, her gaze following the path her daughter had taken directly away from him.
“You saved her,” she said softly. “I was afraid she would never be able to trust a man again, but she trusts you. You saved her.” She looked up at him. “You saved us both.”
His chest tightened. He felt as if the walls were closing in. “I don’t want to be your savior, Tory. I don’t want to be anyone’s savior.” Turning, he walked out of the kitchen, crossed the living room, and walked out of the house.
* * *
Josh didn’t come over that night. Tory could sense his restlessness, his frustration. He felt boxed in, a man at the end of a chain. Two of his friends had been murdered. There was a chance he was on the killer’s hit list. Add to that, he felt responsible for her and Ivy.
Detective Larson believed Damon had murdered Patty Daniels because she looked like Tory. Now that Damon knew where to find her, how long before he came after her?
As she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, she tried not to think of Lisa and what she had suffered, tried not to think of the girl who had been tortured and killed.
Was it Damon? And if so, was Tory the woman he really wanted to murder?
She was exhausted when she crawled out of bed the next morning. She fed Ivy, then they went over to fix Josh’s breakfast. He was gone when she arrived, already outside hard at work.
She made French toast and stuck it in the oven, made him a sack lunch, then took Ivy back to the trailer. With so much worry, it was hard to concentrate on the little girl’s morning lesson, but Ivy was smart and she loved to learn. Tory somehow managed to get through it.
Later in the morning, she drove Ivy over to Mrs. Thompson’s. She knew Josh didn’t like her going even that far from the house, but it was only the end of the road and according to Hamilton Brown, Damon was still in Phoenix.
“Let’s work in the garden before it gets too hot,” Clara Thompson said to Ivy. Inside the big old white house it was cool, but outside the sun beat down fiercely. They might work outdoors for a while, but Tory figured they wouldn’t last long.
“After lunch, we can have fun with letters and numbers, and I checked a book out of the library for us to read.”
“A cat book or a dog book?” Ivy loved dogs. She asked for one every year for Christmas but it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
“It’s a dog book. Doozy Hound Goes to the City.”
Ivy grinned. “Doozy Hound. That sound good.” Ivy ran into the living room while Mrs. Thompson walked Tory to the door.
“I’ll never be able to thank you enough, Clara, for everything you’ve done.”
“Don’t be silly. I can use the extra money and having your daughter here is the highlight of my day.”
Tory had mentioned the possible threat against Josh, but said the FBI hoped to have the man in custody very soon. She had also told Mrs. Thompson about Damon, though she hadn’t mentioned the murder since there wasn’t any proof.
“I hope you and Josh are being careful.”
“Everyone’s on alert. I’m sure it’ll all get straightened out soon.”
But she couldn’t help wondering what would happen once things went back to normal. Would Josh still want her to stay on the ranch? Or would his restlessness continue to grow? Would he still desire her the way he always seemed to? Or would he be ready to move on?
And what about what she wanted? She was in love with Josh, but she would never be satisfied with a man who thought of her as little more than a friend. Better to end things, make a home for her and Ivy somewhere besides the ranch. Make a life that didn’t depend on a man.
Her eyes stung. She refused to give in to tears, but her mood was dark when she returned to the house.
It wasn’t time for her riding lesson, but feeling strangely claustrophobic, she wandered outside anyway. Josh was training a red roan horse named Woody. On a horse, he looked even more impressive than he usually did.
Tory loved watching him, the way he kept his shoulders so straight and yet moved in perfect rhythm with the animal beneath him. The way the horse understood his slightest command.
He glanced over and saw her, drew rein on Woody and swung down from the saddle, tied the roan to a ring in the fence and walked toward her.
“Sorry about last night,” he said. “I should have let you know I wasn’t coming over.”
“I had a feeling you weren’t coming.” She looked up at him. “It’s all right, you know. I’m not your wife. I’m not even your girlfriend. You don’t have to answer to me.”
A muscle tightened in his jaw. “That right? What about you? You don’t have to answer to me, either?”
“There’s no reason I should. We’re friends who enjoy having sex. That’s all we ever have been.”
“Just friends? That’s it?” He reached out and caught her shoulders. She gasped as he dragged her hard against him, angled his head, and his mouth crushed down over hers. Heat scorched through her as he walked her backward till his hard body pressed her against the wall.
Josh kissed her and kissed her, kissed her until she was making little noises in her throat and clinging to his should
ers.
Then he broke away.
“Dammit, you make me crazy.” He stalked off, stared out through a newly replaced window, then walked back and stopped right in front of her, propped his hands on his hips.
Tory looked up at him. “You make me pretty crazy, too,” she said softly.
Josh sighed. Reaching out, he gently touched her cheek. “We’ll figure it out,” he said.
But Tory wasn’t so sure. She opened her mouth to say so when the sound of an engine reached them. “Someone’s coming.”
Since it was doubtful someone who wanted to kill either one of them would drive right up to the house, Josh headed for the barn door and Tory fell in beside him.
“It’s Taggart,” Josh said, recognizing the big black SUV and the blond man with the buzz cut behind the wheel.
The vehicle pulled to a halt and Quinn Taggart straightened and came out of the driver’s seat. Josh walked up and the men shook hands.
“You want to go into the house out of the heat?” Josh asked.
Taggart shook his head. “Don’t have time. Let’s go stand in the shade.”
They walked into the shade of the barn. It smelled like dust and hay. “What’s going on?” Josh asked.
“We caught a break in the case. Our interrogators are some of the best. One of the men we arrested during the attack on the capitol started talking. We’d already connected the dots about Saldana and Whitmore both being in Afghanistan at the same time, but apparently the threat is more specific than we thought.”
“How’s that?” Josh asked.
“Turns out both men were involved in the fighting that took place in the Bala Murghab River Valley.”
Josh nodded. “That’s right. Special operations took on a large insurgent force near the ruins of an old medieval town.”
“Marw al-Rudh.”
“Seems you’re well informed.”
“Well enough to know your team was also engaged in the fighting there.”
“That’s right.”
“The thing is, Josh, the man we swept up in the raid is an Afghan named Ahmad Bijan. He came from the village of Bala Murghab. His father is from the Buzi tribe, Mullah Ramazan, a spiritual leader in the region. He’s extremely influential.”
“What does any of that have to do with the murders?”
“According to Ahmad, his brother was killed by marine special ops soldiers who fought in that battle. Their father vowed revenge.”
“You think this guy, Mullah Ramazan, would go to that much trouble?”
“He sent his son over here. Couldn’t have been easy smuggling him into the country.”
Josh grunted. “Good point.”
“Two men are dead. The rest of the special ops marines involved are still on active duty, most deployed out of the country. That leaves you. If the killer is carrying out Mullah Ramazan’s revenge, you could very well be his next target.”
Chapter Thirty
Night sounds reached him through the darkness, crickets in the grass beneath the window, the hoot of the barn owl he’d spotted a couple of days ago.
Josh eased out of Tory’s bed, careful not to wake her. Lately, after he came over and they made love, he’d been sleeping on the sofa. He hadn’t had any more nightmares, but he wasn’t taking chances.
Grabbing his jeans and boots off the floor, he went into the living room to put them on, then walked out on the porch. One of the vets he had hired for night guard duty stood near the barn smoking a cigarette, the red tip glowing in the dark. Josh headed in that direction.
Turley spotted him, snuffed his smoke, and met him halfway. At forty, Wes Turley was whipcord lean and rock-hard, his skin darkly tanned and leathery. He wore camouflage pants and a black T-shirt. A Nighthawk .45 rode in a holster tied down around his thigh.
“How’s it going?” Josh asked.
“Been quiet. Aside from the horses and cattle, nothin’ moving around out there.”
“What about Ben?”
“Checked in half an hour ago. Hasn’t seen squat.”
“Good. You need anything?”
“We got a thermos of hot coffee and a couple of sandwiches. We’re good.”
Josh scanned the grounds looking for Ben Rigby, the other vet he’d hired. It took a moment to spot the faint movement in the thick foliage down along the creek. He could just make out the shape of a man.
“That’s him,” Turley said.
Josh waved and Rigby waved back. “See you in the morning,” Josh said, and started back to the trailer.
No trouble so far. Part of him wished something would happen. He could deal with a problem now easier than waiting for something down the road.
Restless, he walked back inside and stretched out on the couch. Thanks to his years in the marines, he could sleep damn near anywhere. The bad news was he also came wide awake at the slightest disturbance.
He slept fitfully that night. Too much on his mind. By the time the sun came up, the men were gone and he was back in his own house getting ready for the day. Tory came over and fixed him breakfast. He ate and headed outside to work.
The veterinarian was coming out this morning, Doctor Alejandro Nunez. One of the mares had come up lame and the foreleg seemed to be getting worse. Nunez was good. Unfortunately, he was a handsome devil and he clearly had eyes for Tory.
As Nunez pulled up in his dark brown GMC pickup, she came out of the house looking way too sexy in a clingy little blouse and those jeans with the rhinestones on the pockets.
Nunez parked, got out, and headed straight for her, homing in like a man on a mission. Josh felt a sweep of irritation.
“Good morning,” the doctor said to her, flashing a set of pearly teeth that magnified his dark, Latino good looks.
“Dr. Nunez, I didn’t know you were coming,” Tory said, smiling.
No, she didn’t. Because Josh had conveniently forgotten to mention it.
“You ready to look at that mare?” Josh asked the vet.
“I could use a cup of coffee first.”
“Of course!” Tory said. “Come on in.”
Nunez waved at him and smiled. The man walked into the house and Josh’s irritation grew. He wanted to grab Nunez by the seat of the pants and drag him out of there, haul him out to the barn where he belonged.
Josh softly cursed. Jealousy wasn’t in his nature. Or at least it hadn’t been. He headed for the barn, determined to put an end to his petty thoughts.
He was almost there when his cell phone rang. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he recognized the caller and pressed the phone against his ear. “Hey, big brother, what’s up?”
“Got a call from Ross Townsend in Phoenix.”
“Yeah, what’d he have to say?”
“Unfortunately, he hasn’t come up with squat on Bridger, nothing to connect him to Lisa Shane, but apparently there was a second abduction. This one ended in murder.”
“I know. Detective named Larson flew in yesterday from Phoenix. Wanted to talk to Tory.”
Linc went silent. Josh could almost hear his brother’s brain spinning. “That doesn’t sound good. Townsend said the girl was a little redhead. She was kidnapped and held prisoner, beaten, and raped like the Shane girl. Only this time she ended up dead. Larson thinks Bridger could have killed her?”
“He’s gathering information, following his gut. He wanted to hear what Tory had to say.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I. The good news is Ham says Bridger’s still in Phoenix. Ham’s been checking Bridger’s office periodically, making sure he hasn’t left town.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“There’s something you’re going to like even less.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“Taggart came back out yesterday. Long story short, Saldana and Whitmore were revenge killings, probably payback for some Afghan Mullah’s son who was killed by special ops soldiers in the fighting in the Bala Murghab Valley. The rest of the guys
are still deployed. Of the three who got out of the marines and came back to Texas—including me—two are dead.”
“That’s it. I’m calling Deke Logan as soon as we get off the phone. I want men posted around your property. If this guy comes after you, he won’t get past them.”
“I’ve got Cole and Noah, a couple of vets working nights. You don’t need to do that.”
“Too bad, little brother. I only found you a few years back. You made it home alive from the war. I’m not standing by and letting some bastard kill you.”
He probably should have been angry at his brother’s high-handedness, but he was getting used to Linc. Besides, it felt good to have family, someone who cared if you lived or died.
He thought of Tory, remembered the tears in her eyes, how worried she was about him, and his chest felt tight. He thought how worried he was about her, and silently cursed.
“All right, I won’t argue. I’ve got other people’s safety to think of besides my own. I don’t want any of them ending up as collateral damage.”
“Then it’s settled. With luck, Logan should be there this afternoon.” The call ended.
Since he had plenty to do besides worry, Josh went back to work.
* * *
The evening was balmy, stars poking through the blanket of darkness, a light breeze in the air. Cole pulled his silver Chevy pickup over to the curb across the street from Brittany’s little gray house. With its white shutters and flowered walkway, it had an old-fashioned charm that perfectly suited her.
Sitting there with the engine off, he could see her through the living room window, sitting on the sofa, holding a book in her hands. He’d been parked there last night, too, like some idiot voyeur, trying to work up the courage to knock on her door.
He should have just called, asked if he could come over, but he was afraid she’d say yes. He kept thinking about what had happened the last time, how he had humiliated himself, how he’d acted like a callow teen with his first woman, instead of a battle-hardened soldier who’d stared death in the face.
A battle-hardened soldier who’d come home without his legs.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. Britt had said it didn’t matter. Was he brave enough to find out?