by K. J. Dahlen
"We’re in Winona. It’s a small town on the Mississippi River," Bethany told him.
"I know where Winona is. In case you’ve forgotten, I live in Minnesota," Colton told her gruffly.
Bethany closed her eyes. "I didn’t mean to patronize you. I forgot you grew up here. I guess I’ve forgotten quite a lot the last few days."
"But you started to remember things, too." Colton reminded her.
Bethany nodded as she looked around the room. "I have started to remember but Ian is still dead, and you and I are hiding out until Grayson Trainer is in custody."
Ben joined them and said, "The word is Ron is going to be fine. He’s on his way back to Minneapolis. We’re supposed to stay here tonight and check in with Steve tomorrow. They found the other men who got away with Grayson but they haven’t found Grayson yet," Ben told them.
Bethany nodded but asked Colton, "Do you have any idea where Grayson would go if he were hiding?"
Colton shook his head. "He knows the woods pretty well, although if he were really in trouble, he might go back home. Seth Trainer is a mean bastard, but he wouldn’t allow his sons to come to any harm. He doesn’t much care for any unrelated members of law enforcement."
Bethany stretched and covered a yawn. "They just play cops. They don’t really enforce any laws."
Colton’s mouth twisted in what passed for a grin. "Seth figured he could work with them to monopolize local law departments." Colton sat back on the sofa. "They used fear and intimidation and kept their noses clean, at least on the surface. They know enough about forensics to clean up a crime scene before anyone else gets there. They never would leave enough evidence to condemn themselves." He paused and shook his head. "Until now."
"Until now? What are you thinking?" Bethany asked.
"Now Travis is behind bars while Grayson is on the run. A Trainer behaves, when threatened, like a wounded animal. If you back one of them into a corner, he will fight for his life, so more people are going to get hurt."
Bethany looked closely at his expression. "What are you saying?"
"I’m saying that Grayson won’t come quietly once you do find him. If he figures he’s caught, there is going to be a gunfight. He isn’t going to be happy that Travis is sitting in jail."
"Ok, how can we get to him with minimal damage control?" Ben asked.
Colton shrugged. "I think we are going to have to convince him that Travis is going to talk. Grayson will see today as a failure. Reason number one: Travis got busted so his brother is in jail even though he’s not. Reason number two: he’ll think I probably set him up so he’s going to link me with ending his career. He’ll more than likely come after me because he can and he still has to get Bethany. But she’s not the only witness who can place him at Ian’s murder. Right now the charges against Grayson aren’t that serious. They are circumstantial, but if the state police convince Travis that Bethany’s testimony and his would give him room to bargain for a reduced sentence in exchange for catching Grayson, we stand a better chance of finding him before he surprises me and Bethany."
Ben nodded. "Ok, say all of this is true, how do we stop him?"
Colton shook his head. "You aren’t going to like my idea."
"If it involves using yourself as a target, forget it," Bethany told him. "I see where the conversation is going and I don't like it."
Colton switched his gaze to her for a moment then turned to look at Ben. "It might be the fastest way to catch him, if not the only way to catch him."
Ben had certainly read the look that passed between the two and didn’t quite know what to think. He didn’t want to get in the middle. "I’ll have to talk this over with my supervisors, but it might be the only way, like you said."
Bethany growled. "You can’t, I won’t allow it. He’ll kill you without even thinking about it. He hates you and all you represent."
Colton glanced at her and smiled. "I won’t let that happen. Don’t you know that the good guys always win?"
"Not always they don’t. Sometimes the good guys die young," Bethany reminded him with tears in her eyes. "My brother was a one of the good guys."
"Not this time. I won’t let him kill me."
Bethany could read the expression in his eyes and knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind. She was afraid for him but she was also afraid for herself. She didn’t understand her feelings for him and that confused her. She had always been so sure of herself in the past.
Chapter Eight
The evening passed slowly as they waited for word from the boss in Minneapolis. If they agreed to Colton’s plan, they would go back to the ranch to wait for Grayson come to them. Bethany couldn’t look at Colton let alone talk to him. She didn’t want to put his life in danger, yet she knew it might be the only way to get to Grayson.
Ben called for pizza. As they ate supper there was very little conversation.
Bethany took first watch in order to let Ben sleep. There was no activity at that hour while the time alone would give her time to think. She needed it. She was glad Colton had disappeared behind the door of the bedroom. She sat on the couch thinking about everything that had happened over the last few days. The longer she thought the more confused she became. Finally, she glanced over at the bedroom door Colton had gone through.
She got up off the couch and marched over to the door. She reached for the knob and turned it before she had time to stop herself. The moonlight coming through the window shown on his sleeping form. He lay there with the covers up to his waist. His chest was bare; she could see that soft mat of hair rise and fall with his every breath.
Bethany licked her dry lips. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. It would be very easy for her to join him, just let things happen. She wanted him--she thought he wanted her if their first kiss was anything to go by. Would it be so bad?
But instead of joining him in bed, she walked over to the window, glancing out at the city beyond the glass. It was a quiet town, but to her it was just another town. She could see the river below, it looked cold and menacing. Christmas lights gave the town a festive air but the streets were quiet. As she gazed she couldn’t help but wonder if nights in strange houses would be her life. She had no ties, here or anywhere, now that Ian was gone. Winona didn’t matter.
She was so lost in her own thoughts she didn’t hear Colton until she felt his arms come around her, cradling her body. "And how is the city tonight? Are there any demons or other bad guys out there coming for me?"
Bethany sank deep within his arms, marveling at the sensations. Conflicted, she thought never had anyone else made her feel so sheltered. From the first moment, she had had nothing to fear from him. "I don’t know about out there."
She felt Colton’s sighs stir her hair. "What about in here?"
Bethany blushed. "That would be me, wouldn’t it?"
"And what would you be interested in?" she heard him chuckle in her ear.
"That’s a very good question, isn’t it?" she whispered." One I don’t have an answer for."
He turned her around to face him. As Bethany’s arms went around him she felt his bare skin. "Maybe this will help," Colton whispered as his lips met hers.
Bethany opened her heart and her mind as sensation after sensation ripped through her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she felt her blood quicken in her veins. Her body melted into his, her hands ran up and down his back. Bethany barely noticed the lack of clothing as her hands roamed down his back to his hips and beyond.
Colton inhaled deeply when her hands slipped around the front of his body. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. Laying her down carefully, he followed her down to the comfort of the waiting haven. As his lips found the pulse on the side of her neck, he heard Bethany groan with pleasure. His fingers found the buttons of her shirt. In seconds she was flesh to flesh with him.
Bethany paused for a moment to look into his eyes, eyes that held the promise of things to come. Her body cried out for the release only he co
uld give her. She reached her hand to touch his face. She could tell he wanted her. Lord help her she wanted him. She reached for his lips and let loose the last barrier between them.
Colton surged ahead and slipped inside her. Bethany was ready. Soon their world exploded as they climbed higher and higher. Every stroke lifted them up as the heat from their coupling grew.
Bethany groaned as his lips found her nipples. As his tongue lathered her ripe breast, what she was feeling almost sent her over the edge. She pulled his head to her. As her lips met his she exploded into mindless passion.
Colton felt her slip over the edge, and he, with one final surge, joined her in paradise. "Beth," he cried out as he slumped on top of her and moved to her side. Bethany felt happily spent. She had glimpsed paradise in his arms and didn’t care if she never left them.
Colton cradled her close to him and closed his eyes. His heart was still pounding in his chest. He had just tasted her passion. For just a moment, he forgot about the rest of the world. Nothing mattered more to him than sharing this moment with her.
"Wow," Bethany whispered as she turned to kiss him. When their lips met, they both felt the sizzle.
Colton deepened the kiss, wanting more. He slid his leg around her waist. Bethany turned into the kiss. She felt her heart miss a beat. When Colton’s lips moved down to her throat she tried to break the assault on her senses.
"Please wait," she begged. Her breath was ragged and her voice was little more than a whisper.
Colton groaned, pulling away. He rested his head next to hers and waited for his heart to slow. He glanced over at her and his heart broke at the look in her eyes.
"I’m sorry," she whispered.
Colton closed his eyes. "Please don’t be sorry. I would be devastated if you were sorry."
Bethany cupped the side of his face. When he opened his eyes, she smiled. "I’m not sorry we made love. That was wonderful."
"But? I hear a but coming," Colton replied.
Bethany glanced at him. "I’m not sorry we made love but the timing could have been better," she finally told him. "We still have Grayson and Travis to deal with. We don’t know the outcome to that situation yet."
"I understand all of that but I think the timing was perfect," Colton told her.
"You may be right but I have to take a step back to see what happens tomorrow."
Colton wanted to protest but his heart stopped him. "Okay we’ll wait."
Bethany heard something in his voice that told her he couldn’t wait long. Whatever happened tomorrow would make or break their time together.
Bethany parted from him and picked up her clothes. She dressed in silence. At the door she looked back where she saw Colton, his arm draped over his eyes. Closing the door quietly behind her, she knew she was closing him out. Crossing the room to the sofa, she sat down.
Lost in thought, she missed Ben’s door opening. When he saw her sitting there with tears on her face, being the wise man he was, he stepped back into his room, silently closing the door. When the sun came up the next morning, Bethany hadn’t slept at all--she was much too wired to feel sleepy. Colton’s face was a closed book. Ben obviously pitied her. "I heard from Steve. He said he would be in place at Colton’s ranch by ten this morning," Ben told them.
Bethany glanced at her watch. "That’s about the time we’ll get there if we leave within the next hour."
"He also told me that Travis Trainer was bailed out of jail before the new charges could be entered," Ben told them quietly.
Bethany quickly glanced at Colton then she looked to Ben. "How could that happen?"
Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Judges have a hard time keeping a cop in jail. Now we have two men on the loose with nothing to loose."
"Don’t forget their father," Colton said softly. "Seth will fight right along beside them."
"We have to be in place when they get there," Bethany said.
"Let’s go then. I want this to be over," Colton agreed.
No one said a word during the trip to Colton’s ranch. The closer they got to the ranch the more anxious Bethany became. The more anxious she became the more she retreated into her professional, armored self.
Chapter Nine
When Ben turned into Colton’s driveway everything looked to be untouched, in place. Ben pulled up to the house where he let Colton out of the car to go into the house. Bethany and Ben followed him. Inside Bethany watched Colton choose a rifle from his gun cabinet, check the action, and load it. The smallest sounds echoed in the silence of the house.
Their eyes met across the room but neither said a word. Bethany had to glance away. From the side windows she began scanning the area. She wasn’t looking for signs of wildlife this time.
Bethany closed her eyes just for a moment. She searched through the backyard going from tree to tree, bush to bush. Then she changed windows, scanning the side yard. As the sun moved closer to the middle of the sky, the shadows changed. She saw something move behind the shed.
Bethany motioned Ben to her side. Silently she pointed toward the shed; she whispered at him, "I saw a shadow move on the back end of the shed."
Ben watched for a moment or two then he nodded.
Bethany whispered, "I’m going to check the back yard again."
Ben said, "Colton is watching the front. I received a text from Steve. His men are moving in from the woods. If the Trainers are out there, hopefully we’ll catch them before they get close enough to the house."
"Hopefully before they kill someone." A shot rang out. Bethany ducked. The window frame beside where she was standing exploded. Another shot rang out from behind the shed and Bethany leapt back. Ben slid into her place. He fired a couple rounds in the direction of the shed.
Colton struck the glass of the east-facing window with the butt of his rifle. The breaking glass fell to the floor. Colton raised his rifle to a firing position, immediately snapping off a few rounds.
Bethany, listening intently between shots, heard foot steps upstairs. She moved to a spot behind the staircase, waiting with her weapon ready to fire. A few more steps. A pause. She peeked around the corner of the staircase. A pair of boots was coming down. A second passed, then another. The boots became a pair of legs.
She stepped out from her hiding place, her gun on the kneecaps of the pair of legs. One more step. The face of the man appeared--a small man with a weapon in his hand. He clearly saw her as he lifted the gun. She saw his finger tightening on the trigger.
Bethany didn’t give him a chance to fire. She shot him point blank. He fell forward and across the stairs, through the banister and hit the floor beside her.
Bethany stepped over him and back to the bedroom window. In the backyard, shapes moved from one shelter to another. She waited, watching for a moment as the shadows move in closer to the house. Cracking open the window sash, she took aim across the windowsill. The shadow moved again and she saw Travis Trainer’s face come into view.
Bethany squeezed the trigger on her gun. Her aim was high. It shattered the branch above his head. A splinter of wood pierced his face and Travis screamed in fury. He ducked back behind a tree, aiming in her general direction.
All hell broke out as gunshots from all sides peppered the house. There were shouts, more gunshots. Bethany had to duck when Travis fired a shot her way. She didn’t think he knew where the bullet that hit the branch came from. Bethany took aim again. This time her shot hit its mark. Travis took the bullet in the shoulder. He hit the ground hard, rocking back and forth as his gun landed three feet away from him.