The Texas Lawman's Last Stand

by Delores Fossen

  Hell. That was not what Bo wanted to hear. “What about the van itself—was it stolen?”

  “That’s my guess. I checked, and there were two black vans reported stolen in the last twenty-four hours.”

  Bo didn’t like that, either. “Keep digging. Try to locate that vehicle. And call me if you find out anything else.” He kept his instructions vague since he had an audience nearby. Madeline Cooper seemed to be hanging on his every word.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked, her forehead bunched up.

  “No problem.” At best, that was a hopeful remark. At worst, a lie.

  He might not know which was the truth for a while.

  Bo walked closer, studying her and trying to figure out why bells the size of Texas were going off in his head.

  “You have a lovely home,” she commented. She folded her arms over her chest and tipped her head to the photo on the mantel. “That’s your wife?”

  Bo glanced at the photo of Nadine. She sported a grin from ear to ear, because that picture had been taken the day she learned she was pregnant.

  “My late wife,” he corrected. “She died not long after giving birth.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss.” It sounded heartfelt, as if the loss had been hers, as well. Strange. “Do you have a son or daughter?”

  “Both. I have twins.”

  She glanced away but not before Bo saw something flicker through her eyes. What, exactly, he didn’t know, but it didn’t seem to be a normal reaction.

  “I remember your name now,” she continued. “Wasn’t your wife at the San Antonio Maternity Hospital during that hostage standoff?”

  Bo let the question dangle between them for several seconds. It was definitely an uncomfortable silence, and if he’d had any doubts that his guest was nervous, he didn’t have them after that. “That’s right. My wife had the babies by herself while hiding in a nurses’ lounge. She had internal bleeding and died.”

  The lack of emotion in his tone certainly didn’t mean there was a lack of emotion in his heart. No. Losing Nadine had been the most difficult thing he had ever faced. If it hadn’t been for the babies, he would have shut down and died emotionally right along with her. But he’d survived for their children and because that’s what Nadine would have expected him to do.

  “So, you had questions about the neighborhood?” Bo asked, changing the subject.

  She nodded. “Um, is it safe?”

  He thought of the van and hesitated. “I’m a cop. I wouldn’t be living here with my children if it wasn’t.”

  Another nod. She moistened her lips. Hell. That mouth was so familiar. Where had he seen it before?

  “Are you from San Antonio?” he asked.

  “No. Born and raised in Dallas, but for the past two years I’ve been traveling so much that I don’t really have a place to call home.”

  “No family?”

  There it was. Another flicker in her eyes before she glanced away again. “No family.”

  “You’re not a very good liar.” Bo hadn’t intended to be so blunt, but frankly he was tired of this conversation. For a woman who wanted to know about the neighborhood, she didn’t have much interest in it. “Now, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here?”

  She opened her mouth. Closed it. Stared at him. And looked even more uncomfortable. He knew how she felt. Bo was uncomfortable, too.

  He stared at her, waiting for an explanation that one way or another he was going to get. He wouldn’t let her leave until he knew if she were connected to that van. He was about to toss that particular accusation at her, when something flashed in his head.

  And he knew where he’d seen that face and that mouth.

  “I know why you look so familiar,” he told her. “The surveillance video at the hospital.”

  She shook her head. “What video?”

  “The one I studied a thousand times after the hostage standoff. A woman wearing green scrubs left the area of the nurses’ lounge only seconds before I got there. The hair is different, darker, but the mouth—it’s the same.”

  She didn’t deny it. In fact, her body language confirmed it. “I have a problem,” she practically whispered. “A serious one.”

  “Yeah, you do. You left the scene of a crime, lady, and the police want to question you. Hell, I want to question you. What were you doing in that nurses’ lounge with my wife and newborn babies?”

  She stood there, blinking hard as if fighting back tears. “I was a hostage, too. I was trapped there like everyone else on the ward.”

  Bo hadn’t known what answer to expect, and he wasn’t sure yet if he believed her. After all, she’d fled the scene, and people didn’t usually do that sort of thing unless they were running from the law. But there was something in her voice. Something in her eyes. Some deep pain. Bo understood that and knew she probably wasn’t faking it. He’d already determined she wasn’t much of a liar.

  He went closer to her so he could keep watch with his lie-detector eyes. “You were with my wife?”

  “Yes.” She sank down onto the sofa and looked at her hands. “After the gunmen stormed into the hospital ward, they fired some shots at the ceiling. People ran. Obviously, there was chaos. And Nadine was in the labor room next to me. Our labors were just starting so we were able to get out of our beds and hide.”

  Each bit of information was a mixed blessing. For months, he’d wanted to know what Nadine had endured in those last hours, but since she’d never been able to tell him herself, he had been the one to try to fill in the blanks. As a cop, those blanks had been filled with gruesome images. Now, he had the chance to learn the truth. Well, maybe.

  If this woman was telling the truth.

  Because his legs suddenly felt unsteady, Bo had to sit, as well. He took the chair across from her. “How did you get from the labor rooms to the nurses’ lounge?”

  “The gunmen were trying to gather everyone into the hall outside the delivery suites. Nadine and I waited until the gunmen were in one of the other rooms, and that’s when we left. We used the back hall and followed it to the nurses’ lounge.”

  She fidgeted with the clasp on her purse, finally got it open, extracted a mint and popped it into her mouth. “There was a TV in the lounge, and we were able to figure out what was going on.”

  Yes. He remembered the TV. It was still on with the volume muted when he got to Nadine. “You didn’t try to contact anyone?”

  “There was no phone in the lounge, and neither of us had our cells with us. We’d left them in the labor rooms. Then, it wasn’t long before the pain made it impossible to try to escape. So, we stayed put…and helped each other.”

  Just hearing this reopened all the old wounds. The pain. Hell. Several hours before the hostage standoff had begun, Nadine had called him from her routine doctor appointment. Her cervix was dilated, she’d said, and the doctor wanted to go ahead and admit her to the hospital.

  Bo knew he should have been there to protect her. And he would have been if there hadn’t been a damn traffic accident. That fifteen-minute delay had meant the difference between life and death. Because if he’d been there at the hospital, he could have gotten Nadine the help she needed, and she might not have died from complications.

  He pushed aside those regrets and focused on his guest. “Why are you really here? And please don’t try to lie and say it’s because you’re interested in the neighborhood.”

  She nodded, paused again. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the nurses’ lounge.”

  “Good. Because I’m all ears. And while you’re at it, why don’t you explain why you fled the scene?”

  Silence. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have a response. There was plenty of nonverbal stuff going on. Increased respiratory rate. Her pulse, working on her throat. Bo didn’t care for any of it. Nor did he care for her. This woman clearly had some secrets, and he didn’t plan for them to be secrets much longer.

  He came out of the chair, startl
ing his guest with his abrupt movement. Ms. Cooper jumped to her feet and looked ready to run, but Bo caught on to her shoulders to stop her.

  “You will tell me what happened,” he insisted. But then he got a sickening thought. “Did you know the gunmen? Were you their partner?”

  Her eyes widened. “No.”

  “And why should I believe you?”

  She didn’t get a chance to answer. That’s because they heard the rushed footsteps.

  Both looked in the direction of the sound, and a moment later Rosalie appeared in the entryway of the living room. “Hate to disturb you, but it’s important.” There was already alarm on her face, but it went up a notch when the nanny noticed their positions. Bo still had her by the shoulders.

  “What’s going on here?” Rosalie asked.

  He turned his attention back to Ms. Cooper. “I’m not sure.”

  “Well, whatever it is, I hope it can wait,” Rosalie insisted. From the other end of the hall, Bo could hear his son, Jacob, babbling and playing. “You said something about a black van when you came in. You thought it might have been following you?”

  That grabbed his attention. Bo let go of the woman’s shoulders and turned toward Rosalie. “Yes. Why?”

  Rosalie aimed her trembling hand in the direction of the front door. “Because a black van just pulled up in front of the house.”

  Chapter Two

  Mattie’s heart dropped to her knees.

  No, no, no! This couldn’t be happening. They couldn’t have found her this fast.

  Bo reacted like a cop. He whipped his gun from the shoulder holster that was concealed beneath his jacket.

  “Go to the babies,” he told the nanny. “Call Garrett O’Malley at headquarters. I want a unit out here now.” Then he headed for the front door.

  Mattie followed him. She eased her snub-nose .38 from her purse and braced herself for the worst. However, she hadn’t counted on the worst coming from Bo himself.

  He turned around, lightning fast, and with his left hand caught on to her right wrist. Before she even knew what was happening, he tore the gun from her hand.

  “What the hell are you doing with this?” he snarled getting right in her face. So close that his body brushed against hers.

  Mattie pretended not to notice the contact. “I have my reasons for carrying a gun. And you might need backup if there’s danger.”

  “I don’t want or need backup from you. Get in the living room and stay there.”

  Mattie didn’t try to wrestle her gun away from him, not that she would have succeeded anyway. He outsized her by at least seven inches and seventy-five pounds. But despite being outsized, she disobeyed his order.

  She went to the front door and looked out one of the beveled glass sidelight windows. Even through the distortion of the bevels and the dusky light outside, she had no trouble seeing that black van. What she couldn’t see was who was inside it. The heavily tinted windows prevented that.

  “What do you know about this?” Bo asked, joining her. Well, actually he muscled her out of the way and looked out for himself.

  “Nothing…specifically. Maybe nothing at all.”

  That earned her a glare from his narrowed brown eyes. “Then you’d better get into unspecifics, even if they involve nothing at all.”

  Mattie tried to keep her chin high, though it wasn’t easy. “Later. After we take care of this.” Whatever this was.

  It could be someone from Witness Protection, or her family, or maybe the men who’d been hunting her. None of these was a good option. Unfortunately, with her luck she didn’t think it would be a van of Girl Scouts selling cookies.

  From the end of the hall, Mattie could hear the sounds of children playing. Happy sounds. The nanny obviously hadn’t frightened the children with her alarming news about the van. That was good. Now Mattie had to make sure it stayed that way. She didn’t want the children upset or anywhere near the possible danger.

  Despite Bo’s grunt of obvious disapproval, Mattie stayed by the sidelight window. “How long before the police unit arrives?” she asked.

  “Soon.” He slipped her .38 into his jacket pocket.

  “Once they’re here, I’ll go out and have a chat with whoever’s in that van. And then, Ms. Cooper, I’m taking you to headquarters for an interview and possibly even an arrest for carrying a concealed weapon.”

  Mattie couldn’t go to headquarters, of course. She couldn’t risk being seen. If she couldn’t convince Bo otherwise, then she’d have to figure a way out of there. But she didn’t want to leave. Not with so much unfinished business.

  Or with so much at stake.

  Bo volleyed glances between the van and her. He had a unique way of making her feel like a criminal.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t all.

  He also had a unique way of making her feel like a woman.

  It probably had something to do with all that testosterone emanating from him. Yes, he was a man. As alpha as they came. Tall, dark brown hair. Oh, and dangerous, too. Not the kind and gentle soul that Nadine had described. But Mattie saw the appeal.

  Or rather, she felt the appeal.

  And she gave herself a good mental tongue-lashing for it. There was no room in her life for Bo Duggan or any other man.

  After she had another look to make sure no one was coming out of that van, Mattie stepped back, putting some distance between her and the hot, glaring cop.

  And then she saw it.

  The photo on the wall.

  She probably hadn’t noticed it when she first came in because Rosalie had quickly ushered her to the living room. But Mattie saw it now. It was a picture of two babies.

  A boy and a girl.

  Both were around a year old. Both smiling for the camera. The boy had dark brown hair and was a genetic copy of Bo Duggan, right down to his already intense eyes.

  And then there was the little girl.

  Brown hair, as well, but hers was shades lighter than the boy’s. Green eyes, not so much intense but filled with curiosity. She was so beautiful.

  So precious.

  Mattie heard the sound escape from her throat. Part moan, part gasp. A paradox of emotions flooded through her. The unconditional love mixed with the heart-wrenching pain of how much time she’d already lost.

  She felt the movement next to her. It was Bo, although she had to blink back the tears just to see his face.

  He was scowling.

  And worse, he was puzzled and almost certainly on the verge of demanding answers. Mattie wasn’t ready to give him those answers just yet. First, she had to lay the groundwork. She had to convince him—somehow—to help her.

  “The van,” she reminded him, looking back out the window. It was still there. No open doors.

  Bo returned his attention to the menacing vehicle, as well, and the silence sliced right through the foyer. “Who’s out there?” he asked.

  She had to clear away the lump in her throat before she could speak. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “But it’s related to you?”

  “Maybe. But I don’t think so. I’ve covered my tracks well. Plus, as you said, the van followed you. There shouldn’t be a connection between me and you.”

  Mattie prayed that that was true. It didn’t mean it was. Someone could have put one and one together and that would have led them to Bo. And to that precious little girl in the picture.

  “Have you been followed before?” Mattie asked.

  “No.” He was adamant enough about it, but there was something that made her keep pushing. “You’re sure?”

  He cursed under his breath. “Someone’s been looking into my personal info. And yesterday someone tried to break into my SUV.”

  “Yesterday,” she repeated. Mattie didn’t like the timing. Yesterday was when she’d called Bo’s house and asked for an appointment to see him.

  She caught some movement on the street and spotted the white police cruiser. It came to a stop behind the van.

&nbs
p; “Wait here,” Bo ordered. But he didn’t just order it. This time he snared her gaze, and there was trouble in his eyes. Trouble that dared her to defy him.

  Mattie stayed put. Besides, it was possible that whoever was in that van would want to shoot her on sight. She didn’t want to die, and she didn’t want bullets coming anywhere near the children.

  Much to her surprise, the driver of the van didn’t slam on the accelerator and speed away. She watched as the person inside rolled down the window. Bo approached, his gun aimed and ready. The two uniformed officers who got out of the cruiser had their weapons trained on the van, as well.

  When the window was completely lowered, she spotted the man inside. Scraggly salt-and-pepper hair. Long, thin face.

  He was a stranger.

  That didn’t mean he wasn’t a gun hired by someone who didn’t qualify as a stranger. It wouldn’t be the first time a gunman had been paid to come after her.

  “Is everything okay?” she heard someone ask.

  She looked over her shoulder and spotted Rosalie. The sixty-something-year-old nanny with the sugar-white hair was in the doorway of one of the rooms down the corridor. She had the little boy in her arms, his legs straddled around her thin hip.

  Mattie’s heart lurched, and she waited. Breath held. Hoping to see the other child. And then hoping that she didn’t. Not at this moment with the van out there.

  “The police are here,” Mattie relayed. “Bo should be back soon.”

  Rosalie nodded and disappeared into the room, where she’d hopefully be safe with the children if bullets started flying.

  Mattie forced her attention back on the van. The driver was smiling. His demeanor was almost apologetic. He even laughed about something one of the officers said. Bo didn’t share the laugh, but he did lower his weapon, and then he said something to the uniformed officers before turning to walk toward the house.

  Mattie opened the door for him but stood to the side so that neither the officers nor the van driver could see her.

  “The guy says he’s interested in buying the house across the street,” Bo announced. “That seems to be the lie of the day, huh?”