T.J. strolled behind the two men, but Paul paused at the end of the hallway that led to the back part of the place. “You don’t need to come. I don’t want Zach to think I suspect him, because I don’t. Stay here. Please.”
T.J. nodded, but when he turned toward Chloe, his jaw was set in a hard line. He walked to her. “They don’t really understand the danger they’re in. They think now that they’re home everything will return to normal.”
“I know. That’s the most dangerous time—when they let down their guard. I’ll try to get that point across to Mary again.”
“And I’ll talk with Paul. But he’s a lot like his son. I caught him earlier going out the back to go see Zach. He’d forgotten to tell me he was going to the barn. Freedom is hard to give up.”
“We do every day. We’re as much a prisoner as they are.”
T.J. chuckled. “But we’re in control, dictating the rules.”
“I’m not hungry anymore.” Aaron’s loud voice wafted to Chloe. “At least I can go upstairs by myself.” He appeared in the doorway to the dining room. “I would appreciate no one bothering me.” As he swung around, his glare drilled into T.J., then Chloe. “That includes you two.” Then he tramped up the stairs.
“Good thing there’s only one child or my patience would have been exhausted by now.”
T.J. leaned close to her ear. “Mine was gone about an hour after I met Aaron. And there was a time I wanted to be a father. Being around that boy has definitely made me reconsider.”
The idea T.J. had considered having children flushed her cheeks, heat spreading down her face. She wanted a family, too—still did. “I agree. Having children is a serious decision. Once my mother told me I should take care of young children before I decide, so I babysat a lot when I was Aaron’s age. Young children are a piece of cake next to a teen like Aaron. I think taking care of teenagers should be the criteria.”
“I wonder where all his anger comes from—how long he’s been this way.”
“I had a cousin who hated the world his freshman, sophomore and junior years in high school. She actually became bearable during her senior year. I’ll see what else Mary has to say about her son. It might help us protect him better if we know where he’s coming from.” She turned to head into the dining room.
T.J. fell into step beside her, his hand casually at the small of her back. “I’ll see what Paul has to say, too.”
The brief connection between her and T.J. spurred her pulse to a faster rate. How had they gotten on the subject of having children? Dangerous territory when she was trying to keep her emotional distance. But it was hard when they fell into such an easy partnership—a true team.
* * *
T.J. moved through the living room, checking each window to make sure it was locked, a habit he’d formed because once one of them had been unlocked. In that situation, it had turned out a maid was working for the person targeting the man he was protecting as a Secret Service agent. It never hurt to be extracautious.
For a moment he lingered in front of the window overlooking the verandah and yard. He would be relieved with the addition of the dogs and outside guards. The number of people he and Chloe were guarding had doubled, not to mention one was rebellious and hostile about his situation. He’d protected enough family members as a Secret Service agent to know a young person didn’t always see the danger until it was too late.
He’d chosen the right partner with Chloe. They had fallen into a pattern that complemented each other.
But as he’d waited to hear that she was out of the building and safe, the fear he’d felt had made it clear that his feelings for her weren’t dead. At the moment, his life was at a crossroads. He’d always known what he wanted and had been focused on that goal. Now he wasn’t sure. Should he walk away from what he’d been doing all his life—guarding people in danger—or continue in some other capacity? In the middle of all this, he certainly didn’t need to fall in love with Chloe again. He trusted her as a partner, but to trust her with his heart was totally different. Or was it? He didn’t like this confusion, this lack of control.
“I’m going to bed,” Chloe said as she entered the living room.
The soft sound of her voice penetrated his thoughts and only heightened his dilemma. They had been good together once, but it hadn’t worked out. Did he want to be hurt again? He could still remember the pain he’d felt when she hadn’t come to Washington.
He rotated toward her slowly. “It’ll be nice when we have a guard outside, patrolling the grounds. It’ll give us a chance to get a good night’s sleep. At least I hope. I can go without sleep for a while, but it does catch up with me eventually.”
Chloe came further into the room. “All this emotion can be draining. Earlier when I talked to Mary about Aaron, I could see she was barely holding it together.”
“It’s been a rough week and her son isn’t helping things.” T.J. walked to the last window and examined the lock. “Did she tell you anything about Aaron that might help us?”
She joined him, inches away. “I don’t know about helping us, but she did share something concerning Aaron. He had a younger brother who died about seven years ago. Aaron took it as hard as Mary and Paul did. As a result of Mary and Paul’s grief, they turned all their energy to helping others.”
Her vanilla scent, the same one she’d had when they had dated, surrounded him with memories. The first time they had met. The first time he’d kissed her. The last day, when they had parted. A constriction in his chest reminded him of the hurt that had stayed with him for years.
“How long has he been at the Bethany Academy?”
“Since he was a freshman. The school he went to wasn’t academically challenging, so they sent him to Bethany Academy. It’s close enough that he can come for the weekends when he wants.”
“Does he like the school?” He started for the foyer, needing some space before he decided to see if she still kissed as well as she had nine years ago.
“She thinks so, but she confessed her son doesn’t confide in her like he used to when he was a young boy. But that’s often normal with any teenager.” She trailed behind him, that soft, husky voice tempting him to take her into his arms.
T.J. held them tight against his side. The brighter lights in the entry hall sobered him. They were working, not on a date. He turned toward her. “Have you guarded many teenagers?” He needed to keep focused on business.
“I don’t know if you consider it a lot, but in four years, maybe ten or so, mostly girls, and a couple of boys. One was thirteen. The other sixteen. The thirteen-year-old was a challenge.” She grinned, two dimples appearing in her cheeks. “But Aaron could prove to top him.” Her eyes widened. “You aren’t leaving me to deal with him all the time. Surely we can take turns.”
“I have a feeling he’ll respond to you better than me. A beautiful woman usually does that to a sixteen-year-old,” T.J. said with a chuckle.
Occasionally he’d seen Chloe blush, and this was one of those times. As though it had a will of its own his hand lifted, and he brushed a finger across her cheek. “You are beautiful. Inside and out. Because of you, I became serious about my relationship with the Lord. Maybe this is the reason we met again. That faith has wavered.”
“Why?”
“Life and the things I’ve seen. People aren’t who they say they are. I knew that before I became a Secret Service agent, but some of my assignments made that very clear.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Though he wanted to inch closer, T.J. stepped back. “I can’t, and sometimes that’s the problem. What I saw as an agent remains a secret. That’s part of the job.”
“I’ve often used Kyra as a sounding board when I needed one having to do with my job. Sometimes we just need to talk it out. If you can’t with another person and I can cer
tainly understand that with the job you had, then talk to the Lord about it. He’s always there to listen.”
“Praying.”
“Not exactly. Sharing your thoughts with him isn’t always praying.”
“I’ve missed you,” slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it. Then, as though he needed to qualify it, he added, “I’ve always been able to tell you things I never could others.”
One corner of her mouth tilted upward. “We did have that once.”
“Yes, maybe—”
“Chloe. T.J.” Mary’s frantic voice came from the second-floor landing. “I went to say good night to Aaron. He’s not in his room, and his window is wide-open.”
EIGHT
Chloe whirled around and raced up the stairs.
Fear held Mary rigid, her hand clutching the railing. “He’s been here. He took my son.”
“None of your bedrooms can be accessed without a tall ladder, and Zach took care of that for us. They’re locked up in the barn.”
T.J. came up behind Chloe. “Where’s Paul?”
“I’m here. What’s going on?” Paul left his room and stood across from Aaron’s, confusion clouding his expression.
“Aaron isn’t in his room,” Mary said in a clogged voice. “Remember how that person came into the house in Dallas. He’s done it again. He’s...”
“Aaron’s downstairs.” Paul bridged the short distance to Mary and took her in his embrace. “I doubt someone brought his own ladder, and ours are at the barn locked in the shed.”
Chloe hurried toward the boy’s room. “He isn’t downstairs.”
The color washed from Paul’s face. “Then he’s hiding to make us worry.”
Chloe and T.J. entered to find the window wide-open, the curtains blowing in the cold wind. Careful not to touch anything, Chloe made a full circle while T.J. pushed back the sheers and examined the window and outside it. She noticed the bed was minus its sheets.
“There’s a rope made out of sheets that goes most of the way to the ground. I suspect Aaron snuck out.” T.J. faced the couple as they stood in the entrance. “Would he go to a friend’s house? Anywhere you can think of?”
Paul shook his head. “Most of his friends are at school. He’s lost contact with the ones he had around here.”
“Except for Brett. He might be with him. We can call him and see,” Mary said, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Chloe was concerned for her client. “Mary, you need to sit down. We’ll take care of this. He’s most likely being a teenager and doing what he wants.”
“But you don’t know for sure.”
“Paul, call the sheriff and let him know Aaron is gone,” T.J. said. “Let him know what’s going on. I have a feeling he’s aware of what happened in Dallas. I’m going outside to inspect the ground below the window. Chloe, go through the house in case Aaron slipped by us.” T.J. headed for the stairs.
Paul settled his arm over Mary’s trembling shoulder and pressed her close. “I’ll see to Mary and call the sheriff. We’re friends. I’m sure he’ll want to come.”
Chloe glanced around. “Where’s Vickie?”
“Probably in her room. Sometimes Aaron will talk to her, especially when he’s mad at us. We’ll get dressed and come downstairs.” Paul escorted his wife into their bedroom.
“I’ll check there first.” Chloe strode to the other end of the long hall and knocked on the woman’s door. When it opened and Vickie peered out, Chloe asked, “Is Aaron with you?”
“No.” She stepped out into the corridor, dressed for bed with a robe on. “What’s happened?”
“We believe he went out his window. Hopefully on his own.”
“How?”
As Chloe explained, the deep lines in Vickie’s forehead faded.
“Aaron has done that before.”
“Mary and Paul didn’t say anything about that.”
“That’s because they don’t know. It happened last summer. He was grounded, but they were away for a weekend retreat. I discovered him sneaking back into the house and he told me everything. He thought his parents were too strict and he had plans to meet Brett, so he did anyway.”
“Please go tell Paul and Mary while I check the rest of the house.”
As Chloe descended the stairs, she thought of finding T.J. outside and letting him know, then decided instead to wait until he came back in. No point in having two people wandering around in the dark.
* * *
T.J. shone his flashlight over the ground directly under Aaron’s bedroom window. Signs of the same tennis-shoe size indicated only one person was involved. Aaron. It didn’t surprise him when he thought of the teen’s behavior today.
He looked up and made a full circle trying to see beyond the few security lights into the night beyond. A noise like an engine starting to the left caught T.J.’s attention. He jogged toward it, sweeping his flashlight in front of him the farther away from the house he went.
Is that a pickup parked off the drive? The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. He spun around as something hard connected with his head. His legs gave out, and the black swallowed him.
* * *
Chloe paced the foyer at the bottom of the staircase and for the sixth time glanced at her watch. More than ever, she wanted to go out and see where T.J. was, but if he was in trouble, she needed to be here to protect the Zimmermans and Vickie. She checked the gun she’d strapped to her side. He’d been gone ten minutes. He shouldn’t have been gone that long.
She mounted the steps and made her way toward Mary and Paul’s bedroom. The door was open and Vickie stood just inside.
“I need Zach and a few of the men to search for T.J. He hasn’t come back and all he was going to do was look around under Aaron’s window.”
Paul picked up the phone. “I’ll call him.”
“I’m returning to the hall and positioning myself on the stairs. Keep this door open unless you hear me tell you to shut it.”
Mary’s face whitened. “It’s happening again.”
As she moved into the hallway, Chloe looked back. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we need to be prepared for anything.”
* * *
In the distance, T.J. heard the sound of a vehicle driving away. His eyes fluttered open. The scent of earth filled his nostrils. The feel of grass cushioned his left cheek. Bright lights—a beacon that called to him—shone through the darkness that encased him. But the one sensation he couldn’t ignore was the pain hammering against his skull.
For a moment he tried to remember what had happened. Where he was? Why he was here with a gong thundering in his head?
Aaron. Gone. Slowly the words filtered through the pain, and he struggled to sit up. He remembered the vehicle—a pickup, he thought—and the noise of it leaving. He couldn’t have passed out for more than a few seconds.
The black spun around.
Closing his eyes, he sat still, trying to right his twirling world.
“T.J.,” someone shouted through the fog surrounding his brain.
“Over here,” he said while he eased his eyelids up halfway, the sound of his voice thundering through his head.
Circles of light illustrated his whereabouts. He averted his head, panning the area as he pieced together what had occurred.
A vehicle had started. He’d gone to investigate. Then someone must have hit him from behind. He felt the back of his head and winced when he encountered a sticky wetness.
As flashlights came toward T.J., he lowered his chin while his eyes adjusted to the brightness.
When the ranch foreman knelt in front of him, he asked, “What happened?”
T.J. looked at Zach and a ranch hand named Shane behind the foreman. “Someone knocked me out.” As he sai
d those words, alarm rippled through him. Chloe and the others could be in danger. “I need to get to the house.” He tried to rise—too quickly—and collapsed back to the ground.
“I’d suggest slow and easy.” Zach moved around to examine the back of his head. “You’re gonna have a doozy of a headache.”
He didn’t have time for an injury. He pushed himself to his feet with Zach next to him, poised to help if needed. “Have you seen Aaron?”
“Not since he came to the stable earlier.”
T.J. started for the Zimmermans’ home, his gait slow but steady. The nearer they came, the faster the haze over his brain faded. Zach made a call to Paul and let him know T.J. was all right and coming back to the house.
The door flew open, and Chloe positioned herself in the entrance, one hand on her gun. She took one look at him, and her severe expression melted into relief, but a slight frown still tugged at her mouth.
“What kind of trouble did you manage to get into? It was a simple task. Check the footprints under the window.” She settled her fist on her waist.
“Someone else had a different plan.” T.J. cocked a grin. “But I’m fine, as you can see.”
Chloe motioned with her hand. “Turn around and let me see for myself.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Your idea of fine is different from mine. So tell me what happened.” She stepped to the side to allow him inside. “Thanks, Zach. Can you and your men check the grounds out from the house and let me know if you find anything unusual? The sheriff is on his way.”
Once she’d closed and locked the front door, T.J. made his way to the stairs and sat. “I heard a vehicle start and went to investigate. Then, a minute later, I saw a pickup stopped on the side of the drive.”
“Did you see Aaron?”
“No. I didn’t see anyone. The person who hit me came up from behind.”
Chloe took out her cell phone and made a call. “Zach, this is Chloe. Check to see if any vehicles are gone. Maybe a pickup.” She paused, her eyebrows scrunching. “Just a minute. I’ll ask him.”
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