Gunslinger

by Angi Morgan

  “You haven’t traveled at all?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say that. Texas is a pretty big place and I travel all over. I worked with DPS before landing this job.” He must have noticed her blank stare. “Sort of like the state highway patrol. The Department of Public Safety is the division that the Rangers operate under since 1935. I can’t think of anybody who didn’t serve there before becoming a Ranger.”

  “I didn’t even know how to drive a car until I married Xander. I never needed to learn before that. When I stole that Cadillac, I didn’t have a license. I was horrified I’d have an accident and have to call someone to find me.”

  “So if you’ve never been on a picnic at a lake, I guess you’ve never gone skinny-dipping.” He hung his glasses on the side of his boot.

  “Of course not. I got paid to skinny-dip in the surf, though. That day was so cold.” She shot him a fake shocked look and then splashed water his direction.

  “Keep that up and you’ll find out what it’s like to be thrown into the pool.”

  “Been there. Done that.” She decided to live dangerously and splash him again.

  “Keep it up, Kylie. I live for revenge...at least where the pool is concerned. Last summer my nephew learned pretty quick how ruthless I can be and he’s only seven.”

  “You have a nephew?”

  “Four of them now. Each brother has one and my sister has two.”

  “That must be nice.”

  “At least for my parents. I get a lot of digital pictures. Oh, I almost forgot. I bought you a cell this afternoon. It’s in the truck. Want me to get it?”

  “But I don’t need a phone.”

  “Fred and I disagree.”

  He stood on the first step, ankle deep in water. The compulsion to push him was overwhelming. She rose slightly and pushed against his hard abs almost as if he’d expected her to. He fell into the pool and she hoped his phone wasn’t in his pocket. That would be dreadful. Nothing else that had happened mattered at that particular moment. He rocketed from the bottom of the pool and snatched her ankles.

  Getting her wet wasn’t a pull and dunk. His hand tickled the bottom of her feet until she was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. Then he inched her under as she held on to the side of the pool. Then he held on to her waist as she surfaced.

  “Oh, no you don’t. I told you, I take my revenge seriously.”

  She went under to escape his grasp, but it didn’t last long. They bounced around in the shallow end, taking turns coming up for air and darting back under. They slowed a little and were suddenly face-to-face.

  “If we were kids my mother would be yelling to quit before someone got hurt,” he said, out of breath.

  Or at least acting like he was.

  “Good thing we aren’t kids then.”

  The heat of the sun and crispness of the water felt good, but she remembered the kiss from the bus. His mouth came closer to hers and she closed her eyes, letting him take her back to that awesome sensation.

  No hesitation this time or wondering what his intentions were. She rested her arms on his shoulders and parted her lips. He whooshed her through the water, pulling her body into his. Every muscle was outlined and defined by the cotton. And each one of them was pressed against her.

  The water didn’t cool them down. The more they kissed, the hotter she got. The pool should have been bubbling. He lifted her in the water to have access to her neck, pushing her outer shirt off one shoulder.

  She should stop him. She couldn’t take it off...but it felt so good to be touched, to have his teeth nip at her skin, to feel again. She returned the action, tugging at his buttons and pushing his green shirt out of the way.

  Mouths back together, it was hard to kiss through the smiles and playfulness, but he did. He wrapped his arms around her and took her below the water, kissing as long as she could hold her breath. When they came up, he caught the back of her long-sleeve shirt and pulled it free as she got away.

  Without that protection, she was lost. Her sleeveless tank wouldn’t cover the ugly flesh on her left arm. She swam away from Bryce, slicked back her hair and dipped her shoulders below the water.

  With her right hand, she waved at Bryce as he set her shirt on the side of the pool tile. “Hey, I need that back.”

  “It’ll be easier to swim without it. In fact, we should take off our jeans, too. My wallet is probably ruined. So what? Won’t be the first time.”

  “No, really, I need my shirt back please.”

  “Okay.” He looked a little confused.

  Probably because of the anxiousness in her voice. There was panic there, but as long as he gave her the shirt back, she’d be fine.

  “Thanks.” She reached out, keeping the scarred side of her body away from him. “Time to get out. No more games.”

  * * *

  BRYCE COULD ONLY watch as Kylie turned away and struggled to get her shirt back on. As soon as she had her left arm through the sleeve she was hightailing it out of the water. Game time was definitely over.

  Picking up their leftovers, she stuffed everything back into the bag. She slung the string of her bag across her shoulder and walked to the back door, dripping.

  He followed. “Why are you so worried about me seeing the scars? I’ve seen wounds before. You can relax around here.”

  “I can’t relax anywhere. Sorry. Can we just go inside? It’s getting late.”

  The keys were still in the truck along with his cell and her new cell. She stood on the back patio, visibly shivering in the blazing July sun. He wiped the water running into his eyes away. It was important for him to show her she didn’t have to be afraid.

  Time he didn’t have. That’s what he needed. Or maybe to have become a part of her life in a different month or year. But he was stuck with today. Stuck in the timeline where someone was trying to kill her.

  “I’ll grab your travel bag. You’ll want your clothes.”

  He needed a minute to cool off, just leaning against the side of the truck. At the moment he doubted he could get his jeans off without ripping them with scissors. And that might be a little dangerous until all his parts calmed down.

  With the bag hanging on the French door handle, she had stopped shaking and was wringing the water from her shirt. Then her hair.

  Beautiful. She was just...beautiful.

  Of course, she knew it. The whole world knew it. She’d been a model for more than half her life and didn’t need to hear it from him. But he’d yearned to say it since he’d first met her. Natural beauty that came from deep within her soul. No scars would change that.

  Bag in hand, he put the key in the lock, opened the door and they were both hit with a blast of cold air. “Want a towel or to make a run for it?”

  “I’ll follow you.”

  He darted forward and was halfway up the stairs when he realized she wasn’t behind him. She’d stopped to turn the dead bolt. He pretended like he hadn’t seen her, slowing his pace. She caught up with him and at the top of the stairs he dropped her small case in the guest room and grabbed extra towels from the cabinet in the bath.

  “Are you sure you’re not married?”

  “Yeah, pretty sure.”

  “Your place doesn’t look like a bachelor lives here.”

  Bryce shrugged as if he was indifferent. “I have my mom to thank for that. She hired a decorator before they’d come to visit. Told me she was too old to sleep on an air mattress or eat off a paper plate.”

  Kylie laughed and was still laughing when she locked the door.

  Showering eased some of the tension his body had built up, but not all of it. He put away the leftovers while she used the hair dryer. Back in a tank and a light long-sleeve shirt, she looked more relaxed when she came downstairs.

  She packed her wet clothes in a plastic bag insisting she wasn’t staying the night with him. But then started washing a load of towels she’d used.

  While he showed her where things were, it was close quarters in
the laundry room. There was an electric current between him and Kylie. Each time he passed close to her he wanted to touch. When he finally did, he might as well have stuck a screwdriver into an outlet. She jumped away from him so fast he wondered if those kisses had affected her in a different way.

  “Coffee?”

  “Sure. I need to warm up while we talk about this great plan of yours.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “There is a plan? You weren’t lying to get me to come home with you?”

  “No. I mean yes, there is. Fred’s already set parts of it in motion.” He backed out of the room as fast as he could, tripping on a laundry basket. “Why don’t you start and tell me what happened with the judge.”

  “I’m sure you heard it online or somewhere that they dismissed all the charges, along with my protection detail. I’m surprised that you were sent after me to see if I’d cooperate again. The judge was pretty clear...” She slowed to a stop. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  There was a lot he wasn’t telling, but she needed to know it wasn’t official. There’d be no safety net other than the people of Hico.

  “I guess I should start by letting you know I was officially suspended this morning, but that Major Parker told me this was the only way we could help.”

  “So you have his unofficial blessing to put together a plan? How’s that supposed to help?”

  “Since most of Hico will be in on the plan, the state of Texas probably shouldn’t be liable if something goes wrong.”

  “There’s one major flaw in whatever your plan is. I’m not going back to Hico. I refuse to put all the people I hold dear in danger like that. And don’t even bother telling me that Xander isn’t a threat. He ambushed me with the judge’s help and said he wanted his car back among other things.”

  “How did he ambush you?”

  “The judge invited me into his office. He said he wanted to talk about—I don’t remember. Xander was inside and the judge didn’t bother staying.”

  Bryce wanted to find the judge and make him pay for that. But he also wanted to show Kylie he could protect her. But Kylie closed herself off. It wasn’t the first time she’d reacted that way. This time he had a reason—Xander. He wanted two things for Kylie. First to not hide behind her clothes and the second was to not be afraid of the world.

  “You okay?”

  “Just great. At least I was while I was sitting on that bus putting a safe distance away from my friends. Are you ready to tell me what you’re doing?”

  “It won’t work without you, Kylie.” He wanted to hold her, to comfort her. “And you might think you’re protecting everyone by running away, but consider a couple of things. Friends don’t walk away from friendships. And then there’s your ex. He assumes you’ve hidden the Cadillac in Hico somewhere. Your friends won’t be safe until we put Xander behind bars.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bryce was going to set a trap for her ex. He was determined to do it without the help of any law enforcement sanction or backup. He wanted her help.

  And she didn’t think he was crazy.

  Or maybe she was just as crazy as he was for wanting to believe it might work.

  “You’ve sort of hinted at this before Bryce. But what if you coming to Hico alerted someone? Then they came searching for me and the car.”

  “I have thought about that scenario more than once in the past week.” Bryce rubbed his chin with both hands. “The plan will work. We’ll catch whoever shot up your house. You’ll be safe.”

  His house was decorated as if he’d been married and his wife hated the place. There weren’t any real traces of Bryce. No pictures of family, only a rare landscape photograph hung on the wall. The color choice was neutral...everywhere neutral. There wasn’t even a sport trophy in the game room where they were sitting.

  “I’m changing the subject, Bryce. You said your mother hired a decorator. Did they consult you at all?”

  “To make her happy I said she could do what she wanted. I don’t spend much time anywhere except this room and the bedroom.”

  “I can understand why. It’s so...”

  “Bleak? Old? Stuffy?”

  “I was going to say beige.”

  “Are you okay with the plan, Kylie?” Bryce licked chicken from his fingers then wiped them in a napkin.

  There was nothing special about it. Nothing meant to be provocative. So why were her insides fluttering with excitement? He leaned forward on a knee, sort of expecting an answer. What had he asked?

  “I, ah... I’m willing to give it a try. I don’t know if it will work, but I don’t want to leave Hico. I need a life. Not...”

  “Beige.”

  They laughed awkwardly. “Right. It’s time to live some bright bold colors.”

  As long as it wasn’t red, but she wouldn’t say that out loud. He didn’t need to wonder about her commitment to his plan. At least he had one.

  He was finishing up another round of chicken. She’d passed on seconds but had nibbled on a roll. She’d gotten to the point that thinking wasn’t really helping. A weird sensation of the more she tried, the fewer thoughts were actually in her mind.

  “It’s bothering me that Xander didn’t act like he knew where the car was located. Am I missing something?”

  “Fred disconnected the GPS locator and moved it. No one but him knows where it is.”

  “But Xander reacted like he hadn’t known I was the one who stole the car at all.”

  “Interesting.” Bryce’s jaw muscles flexed.

  “Don’t agree with me and just blow off my opinion. I know what I’m talking about. I know what he said.”

  “No, sorry. I’m thinking it’s a legitimate theory. Fred said he hadn’t connected the charger until this last week. So whoever had the GPS on the car might have just realized it was on.”

  “I am totally lost. Explain it to me.”

  She was lost. But mainly at the thought that someone besides her ex-husband hated her so much.

  “Say someone—Xander or an unknown—wanted the car. Let’s say they’ve been looking for you or waiting on you to surface.”

  “I don’t see why, but okay.”

  “Kylie, I’ve been looking for you for three years because the state was interested.”

  “Why? I don’t understand.”

  “The state has been working on a case against the Tenoreno family for a decade. This is the closest they’ve gotten to bringing their crime syndicate down. You were a piece of the puzzle.” He scratched his chin, thinking.

  “A missing piece.”

  “Exactly. So when the picture of you surfaced, I came to check it out. It hasn’t been a secret that the state wanted to find you. We didn’t broadcast that we had, but we didn’t keep it a secret either.”

  “So it really is quite possible that you alerted someone that I was alive and living in Hico.” The wonder of it blew her away, because no one believed that she didn’t have a clue about the Tenoreno family’s business. Even after all this time... “So you think Xander is lying?”

  “Maybe, but we have to be prepared that two different parties might be interested in the car. You know, I don’t think whoever fired at us Saturday got to your house before us. So if they did follow me to Hico, then located the car, they still waited for instructions on how to proceed.”

  “How does that help?”

  “The men shooting at us were following orders...not giving them.” He nodded his head as if he’d had a breakthrough.

  “Well that makes everything perfectly clear for me.” She couldn’t even laugh about it. Like her brain trying to think everything through to a conclusion and getting nowhere, it seemed her emotional bank was completely depleted, too.

  “The plan is a basic one. We move the car back to your place and wait for them to show up. Whoever they are, we’ll be ready.”

  “You, Fred and a few other Hico citizens.”

  “Fred spoke to the police officers and they�
�re evacuating the homes. They’ll be ready.” He leaned back against the cushions again, more relaxed. “We didn’t want to put you or anyone in danger.”

  “I don’t think you’re responsible for that particular mistake in my life.”

  Bryce smiled. “Maybe not. I will be if something goes wrong. The idea is to get to them before they get anywhere near you. That’s it.”

  “And what if Xander or this mystery person doesn’t show?”

  “I’m thinking of one solution at a time.” He leaned forward to pick up the remote. “I’ll show you how to use this thing if you want to watch television. I have some stuff I need to take care of.”

  “Oh, then I’ll call a cab to take me to a motel.”

  He scrunched up his face and cocked his head as though he hadn’t heard her correctly. “There’s a bedroom upstairs. I’m not spending the night at a hotel watching you sleep.”

  “I didn’t ask you to.”

  “Kylie, do me this one favor and let’s not argue about where we’re sleeping. We’re safer here than at a motel. I have an alarm. Locks. Bolts. If I hear something, I have lots of protection in my gun safe.”

  Everything he named off made her feel more secure. She wouldn’t let pride or whatever she was feeling put them in jeopardy. “I didn’t want to be trouble.”

  “Will you please stay here?”

  She nodded her head and saw lights in the yard. The pool lights reflected off the six-foot fence and she didn’t have to imagine that it was prettier sitting next to it. “Now I wish I’d packed my bathing suit.”

  “Suits are always optional. You could mark skinny-dipping off your bucket list.” He smiled overly wide like an emoticon.

  “But it’s not on my bucket list. Driving through the fall leaves in New England...now that’s on my list.”

  “Shame. I could help you cross off something tonight, right now.”

  He was so cute. But skinny-dipping meant no coverage. She tugged the light long-sleeve shirt into a more comfortable position.

  “If you have to work, I guess I should just go on up, then.”