Royal Trouble

by Becky McGraw

  The time spent in this closet would probably make the guys looking for her think she was long gone too, so it would serve a dual purpose. If she could survive it without passing out. Leaning against the wall, Leigh Ann slid down to sit and hug her knees, and wait.

  "Have you heard from your sister, Roxanne?" Susan Whitmore asked abruptly when Rocky answered her phone. She had put it on speaker, so Wes could hear too.

  "No, I haven't. Have you found her is the question?" Rocky replied just as gruffly with a glance at him. Wes didn't doubt that the rough woman who took him down at the crash scene had met her match with Roxanne Baker.

  "We had her, but she escaped." There was a note of embarrassment in her voice.

  "What do you mean escaped?" Wes shouted, stepping closer to Rocky.

  "We had her in custody, but she slipped out of the room. We can't find her now, and she's in danger. If you hear from her, you need to call me right away."

  "Calling you doesn't seem to be effective," Wes told her snidely. "You don't return your calls."

  "I was protecting my agents in the field, and our investigation. It was necessary."

  "Necessary or not, you let us worry that she was dead," Rocky told her with a snort.

  "My investigation--" Susan started, but Rocky cut her off.

  "Means nothing to us. My sister's safety is what I'm concerned about."

  "Then you need to call me if you hear from her, because someone is trying to kill her. She's not safe, and we want to put her in protective custody again."

  "Protective custody? Is that what you call holding someone hostage these days? Letting their family think they're dead?" Wes was done with the woman's evasiveness.

  "Who is trying to kill her?" Rocky fired her eyes narrowing.

  "I'm not at liberty to say...but it should be resolved in the next few days, if she doesn't blow our investigation."

  "Like I said, I don't care about your investigation, but if we find her, we'll keep her out of your way. Call me right away if you resolve it." Rocky told her shortly.

  "Should you find her, and choose not to contact me, you could be held for hampering a federal investigation," Susan threatened.

  "Do your best lady, we are going to find my sister. I think your time would be better spent worrying about bringing your criminals to justice. We are just citizens protecting our own. If those bastards show up to hurt my sister though, we'll be helping you bring them to justice."

  "Don't take the law into your own hands, Roxanne. You won't like the consequences," Susan warned.

  "Damn the consequences," Rocky said, her jaw tightening. "This is Texas, lady, and self-defense is allowed, as is carrying a gun. They will find that out firsthand if they try to hurt my sister, I promise you."

  Dead silence reigned on the other end of the line, then Rocky, evidently done talking, pushed the button to disconnect the call. "My sister might be trying to call, so we need to keep the line open."

  Yep, Susan Whitmore had definitely met her match, Wes thought. But now, all they could do was wait for Leigh Ann to call. It was getting dark, she was out there all alone, and someone was trying to kill her.

  "We need to find her fast," Wes said.

  Roxanne looked at him, appeared to consider something, then said, "If we find her, we're heading to Houston."

  "What's in Houston?"

  "My grandma, Nell. She'll put us up until Susan Whitmore and the feds work things out. I need to talk to Joel and Terri, and we need to be ready to roll when she calls."

  The call didn't come for three hours, but they were more than ready when Roxanne answered the unknown number. Wes had gassed up his truck, and had enough ammunition and guns in it to arm a regimen. Rocky seemed to think they would need it.

  "Leigh Ann?" Her voice was tense, but edged with excitement. She gave Wes a nod, but she didn't put the call on speaker. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

  She listened for a minute, then told Leigh Ann, "We're on our way. Hide nearby and be looking for Wes's truck." Rocky hung up the phone and put it in her pocket then told him, "Let's roll."

  Wes followed Rocky's instructions to get to Leigh Ann's location, which he quickly realized was leading them to the west side of town. A bad part of town. His worry for Leigh Ann's safety ratcheted up ten notches. Rocky's must have too, because she scooted to the edge of the seat to grip the dashboard with her hands.

  Wes needed to call his mother and let her know what was going on, so he did. Like Wes had been, Trey was relieved to hear Leigh Ann was okay. Knowing that made him better able to focus on the task at had, finding and protecting Leigh Ann from whoever was after her. "Did you call Ethan and tell him where you were going?"

  Rocky looked at him, and he could tell she hadn't even thought about it. "I'm still getting used to reporting to someone," she told him with a laugh.

  "Yeah, it takes a little practice." Wes remembered those days, when he had someone who he reported in to. Even though Laura hadn't really given a damn where he was as long as that wasn't with her, he had felt obligated to let her know what he was doing.

  Wes listened to Rocky make the call, but kept his focus on the interstate, until she halted the conversation to point to an exit. "Make a right at the light," she told him.

  Wes just barely made the exit, then tapped the brakes at the red light, before swerving to make the turn, narrowly missing the curb.

  "Watch out, we don't need to wreck," Roxanne said gripping the dash tighter.

  "Sorry," he told her. "I just want to get there."

  "Me too, but Leigh Ann needs us to get there alive," she replied with a snort. "Bye, baby. I love you too," she told Ethan then put her phone back in her pocket.

  I love you. That was something he hoped he had the opportunity to tell Leigh Ann soon. With Roxanne with them though, he wondered when he would have the chance. Them being at her relative's house would make finding an opportunity difficult too. "So tell me about your grandma. Where does she live in Houston?"

  "Grandma Nell is my daddy's mother, and she has a small farm on outskirts of Houston, she's not in the city."

  That was a good thing, they would be secluded. "Is she older? How does she take care of the place?"

  "She's a tough old bird, but she has a couple of hired hands that help her. A couple of neighbors pitch in too."

  "Sounds like her granddaughter." Wes chuckled.

  "I'd be proud to be like Grandma Nell when I get old. She's outlived three husbands, and does just fine by herself. I told my daddy I'd watch out for her if anything happened to him, so I feel kind of guilty I haven't been out to see her lately."

  "Well, this will be a good trip for two reasons then." It would be good for Leigh Ann and Roxanne, but not for Wes. Trey was with his mother, and he felt guilty.

  "Yeah, it will be good to see her."

  "You think your mother will show up out there?" Wes asked, hoping not.

  Rocky threw her head back laughing, before glancing at him. "Not likely, unless she wants lead in her butt. Grandma Nell hates my mama."

  "Does she know you're getting married?"

  "Not yet, but I'm going to tell her while we're there. I've wanted to bring Ethan out here to meet her, but haven't had the chance. We definitely need to do that soon, or she'll be pissed."

  "Think she'll like him?" Wes wondered if the family matriarch would like him as well. Because he definitely planned on having a relationship with her other granddaughter, regardless of how Grandma Nell felt about him. If Leigh Ann would forgive him for being an ass to her.

  "She will love him, he's her kind of man. Tough and funny, handsome."

  Wes applied those characteristics to himself, and they didn't fit. He was more reasonable than tough, more stoic than humorous, and there were a helluva lot better looking men than him in the world, that was for damn sure. Exactly why he thought Leigh Ann, former Miss Texas, was out of his league. Her grandma would probably think the same thing. But he had one thing going for him, he loved her
granddaughter and would take care of her.

  "She's hiding in an alley behind a convenience store in the next block. Slow down a little, so we can find the street where we need to turn," Rocky told him and leaned closer to the windshield. "There!" she said with excitement.

  Wes jerked the wheel, almost turning the corner on two wheels. His heart sped up, as he pulled behind the seedy looking store with bars on the windows. Wes hit the brake to slow down, so they could find the alley in the darkness. Rocky grabbed her shotgun from behind the seat and was out of the truck, before it stopped, running toward the alley. Wes just held tight and kept the truck running in case they needed to make a fast getaway, but he held his breath until he saw Rocky reappear from the alley with Leigh Ann in tow.

  Instead of opening the back door of the crew cab, Rocky helped her sister up into the front seat, then got inside behind her and shut the door. Happiness swelled inside of Wes as he looked Leigh Ann over to make sure she wasn't hurt. He tried to say something, tell her how glad he was to see her, but words escaped him. All he could do was drink her in with his eyes, and send up thanks that other than a few scrapes and scratches, it looked like she was okay.

  "Go, Wes!" Rocky ordered shortly, glancing in the side view mirror, then back toward the alley. "Don't just sit here, someone will see us."

  Wes jammed the truck into gear, put his foot on the accelerator and the truck shot forward. He kept his eyes on the road to get them headed in the right direction, but then reached down to cover Leigh Ann's hand with his own. A tremor moved through her and he squeezed her hand, before moving it to rest on his thigh. He felt her gaze burn the side of his face, but she didn't pull away. He looked down into her hypnotic blue eyes which were full of questions.

  "You okay, baby?" he asked softly with a smile.

  Leigh Ann nodded, but her lips wobbled before she looked away. The sadness and fear in her eyes grabbed his heart and twisted. After this ordeal was over, he never wanted to see those emotions in her eyes again. He didn't want her feeling that way now. She was safe now, and he wanted her to know that.

  Wes glanced over at Rocky who was quietly looking out the window into the night. With a final squeeze of Leigh Ann's hand, he released it to drape his arm around her shoulders and urge her to move closer to him. She edged closer, then put her cheek to his chest and rubbed her face against him, before taking a deep shuddering breath.

  Wes dropped a kiss on top of the ugly ballcap she was wearing then said, "It's gonna be okay, sweetheart."

  "I'm pretty scared," she whispered. "Thanks for coming to get me."

  Roxanne glanced over at them, did a double take, then her eyes met Wes's. Her brows lifted and a knowing smile curved her mouth. "Well, I'll be damned."

  Wes didn't look away, he sent her a silent message to back off, before looking back at the road. Leigh Ann snuggled closer to him and satisfaction floated through him, along with the desire he always felt when she was near him. The scent of Pine Sol drifted up to him. "You been mopping floors, baby?" he asked with a laugh.

  "Hid in a broom closet. I think I'm high from the fumes," she mumbled against his chest. "It seeped into my skin, and I'll probably always smell like that."

  "I kinda liked the honeysuckle, myself." Wes loved her honeysuckle scent, and sure hoped that wasn't the case.

  "That's my bath gel, and I don't have any with me."

  "Too bad," Wes said giving her shoulders a squeeze. "I'll buy you some once we get to another town."

  "I stole these clothes from someone at the laundry mat. I'll need some clothes too."

  "Why you little lawbreaker," Roxanne said looking at her with surprise.

  "We'll buy you whatever you need, baby," Wes assured her.

  "Someone is trying to kill me, and I'm sure the FBI is trying to find me," Leigh Ann said with a tremble in her voice. "I probably shouldn't go inside a store. I don't know what I'm going to do."

  "Everything will settle down, we just need to get you to Houston and hide out for a few days." Wes hoped that was true, that the feds would finish their investigation or whatever they were doing in a few days, so they could all resume their lives. Although the collections Leigh Ann had made would keep him afloat this month, there would always be next month to worry about. He had appointments scheduled for next week he needed to keep. And Trey needed him at home, he had school. Trey was his responsibility, not his mother's.

  Leigh Ann looked toward her sister. "We're going to Grandma Nell's house?"

  "That was the best place I could think of for you to lay low for awhile."

  "I'd rather just go to Wes's house," she said and Wes's heart swelled. "But I don't want to put Trey in danger."

  "He can stay at my mama's house. And we could call the feds, so they can put guards on you there." Wes thought that would be the best solution all the way around. He and Roxanne wouldn't get in trouble with the law, they would know where Leigh Ann was, she would be protected, and he could still work. "I think that's a great idea." Her car and her things were already at his house, since he had her car towed there earlier in the week.

  "Okay, but I'll have to let mama know where I am, or if she finds out she'll probably have the entire Press Corp out there. I'll tell her to keep her mouth shut," Leigh Ann interjected.

  Roxanne snorted. "Like that's gonna happen. If you tell her, you may as well shout it from the highest mountain."

  "I think telling her is the right thing to do. I know you and her don't get along Annie, but she has done a lot for me, and I don't want to worry her," Leigh Ann insisted and Wes glanced at her. Leigh Ann was always thinking about every one else. That was something he loved about her, but it frustrated him at the same time.

  She needed to worry about protecting herself more. Her mother was manipulative like his ex-wife had been. He knew her type, had recognized it in her from the first moment he met her at the R & R. She was using Leigh Ann, her own daughter, had probably been doing that Leigh Ann's whole life. Why that didn't piss Leigh Ann off enough to cut her off like her sister had done, Wes couldn't figure out.

  If he spent a lifetime with her though, Wes still wouldn't know all there was to know about Leigh Ann Baker. But he would have a helluva good time trying to figure her out. That is exactly what he planned to do when this was all over. When things settled down he was going to tell her he was wrong, and that he definitely wanted to explore a relationship with her. Forever. When they were both ready, he would ask her to marry him. Until then, he could keep her close and love her, get to know her better.

  That would make Wes very happy, and it would make Trey ecstatic. He hoped it would make Leigh Ann happy too. That's all he wanted now, for her to be happy, cared for and protected. Wes would bide his time and not pressure her. Leigh Ann had been through a lot lately, would be through a lot more before this was all done. She didn't need him adding to her worry. The right time would come, and he would know it.

  Until then he would tell her without words how he felt about her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Soaking in the big tub in Wes's bathroom, Leigh Ann slid farther down into the bubbles and sighed. If she had be held in captivity, this was the way to go. She had Wes nearby, her sister could visit when she pleased and the two burly guys in the black sedan at the end of the driveway, and their partners who were staked out in the woods watching the house, would make sure she was safe.

  Yeah, she couldn't go anywhere in public, or let anyone know she was here, but she had everything in the world she needed here. Except Trey. She missed him, his jokes and his toothless smile, more with every passing day. Maybe Wes could sneak him in so she could get the hug she so desperately needed from him. She would have to ask when she saw Wes tonight.

  Hopefully, the feds would hurry up and finish whatever they were doing at the Diamond Bar ranch very soon. She heard from her sister the feds had put out a press release, and several media spots saying she was missing and presumed to be dead for added security, and to get the
bad guys at the Diamond Bar to focus on their dirty dealings. This was dragging on entirely too long for her liking.

  The authorities assured her they were going to make arrests soon, and that Senator Rooks would probably be arrested too. The only person, other than Wes, her sister and Terri, who knew she was alive and well, and staying at Wes's house was her mother. So far, Trudy Baker hadn't told anyone else, and she hadn't bothered Leigh Ann, which was a relief.

  One thing was for sure, Leland Rooks wouldn't be bothering her, even if he wasn't arrested. Allison shut her soon-to-be-ex-husband up by telling him if he didn't back off and leave Leigh Ann alone, not only would she take everything he owned in the divorce, she would also sing like a bird to the feds about his activities. And according to her, she knew a lot about it, and the feds couldn't make her talk, but she could choose to testify.

  All in all things were working out well, but Leigh Ann wanted her life back. She had a fabulous job waiting for her at the R & R Ranch. Terri assured her it would be waiting for her once the situation was resolved. And she could help Wes and Trey with the idea she had been formulating all week. It was the perfect plan to fix his finances, if she could pull it off.

  From her pageant days, Leigh Ann had a lot of contacts in the animal protection community. Those people were the most staunch supporters of animals you could find, and they contributed to all kinds of animal protection funds. If she helped set up a non-profit fund for veterinary treatment of animals owned by low income rural farm families, that would mean Wes could still treat those animals, but he wouldn't have to do it for free anymore. Farmers in need would get the help for their animals, and Wes would get paid from the fund. He could pay his bills and take care of Trey. Eventually Wes could also sign on more vets to help him, and expand the program to other rural areas.

  Leigh Ann would help him by doing television spots to promote the program. Her face was already associated with the cause, so that should help. The television stations were required to donate airtime to non-profit causes, so they would do the spots for free.