by Barb Han
Christian followed, swiping at a loose tear.
When they rounded the corner toward the side of the strip center, Dalton said, “I know what you’re going through is hell, because I’ve been in your shoes.”
The young man’s eyes widened but he maintained focus on the patch of concrete in front of them. It was easy enough to see that the guy was doing everything he could not to break down. He needed to know it was okay to go with what he felt.
“I lost someone important to me when I was your age in a similar way,” he said, leaving out the main difference of him being a prime suspect at the time. “Someone will be down to speak to you. Most likely a deputy. I want you to call me if he starts asking questions that make you scratch your head in any way.”
Christian glanced up with a look of confusion.
“Trust me when I say these investigations can turn in all kinds of unexpected directions,” he offered by way of explanation. “I want you to be prepared, so take this.”
He pulled a card with his personal number and pressed it to the kid’s palm. “Call me if any of the questioning seems out of line, like the deputy is grilling you or not taking you seriously. Definitely call me if he takes you in for questioning. Understand?”
“Sort of. I guess,” Christian admitted.
“If you have a question about any of the news coverage coming out about her death, call me. I’ll filter through it for you,” he added. “Until then, it’s best to stay away from news sites on the internet. There’ll most likely be social media posts, too. You might want to avoid that if possible.”
He knew all about how to avoid the media, including social sites. Then again, he’d never been on those to begin with. He’d left the state after his father was killed in order to get away from reporters for a little while. He came back the minute he heard Ella had been targeted, and thankfully, the man responsible was serving time.
“So, they don’t know who did this to her?” he asked after a long pause and several tears.
“Not that I know of,” he responded. “They called it a suicide at first, but we argued against it.”
Dalton didn’t need to finish that sentence because the kid was already shaking his head.
“She would never do that. We were happy. Everything was solid between us and we had a future.” More tears streamed as the kid spoke.
“I know. They might not believe you. Stick to your story, which is the truth,” Dalton said. “And here’s the hard part. Find a way not to blame yourself.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I never should’ve told her she should find her father. She was so unhappy and she said the situation with her aunt would be temporary, so when she said she wanted to look for her father I thought it was a good idea. I was trying to help. She was miserable with Gary and he was getting worse every—” He stopped midsentence. “Was he involved in this somehow?”
“We’re not sure. On the surface, it looks like he could be,” Dalton admitted. “But there was a similar case fourteen years ago that makes me think not.”
And then it seemed to dawn on the kid.
“This happened to your girlfriend and you think it’s the same guy,” Christian said.
“The sheriff is going to come after you to ask questions, like where you were two days ago around midnight. Whether or not you and Clara were fighting. He might even throw in details in order to throw you off track,” he said.
“That’s easy—I was home watching my brother while my parents went out to dinner.” He said it like it was a no-brainer, but a skilled investigator could pick it apart.
“How old is your brother?”
“He’s twelve, but he doesn’t like to stay home at night alone.” Christian’s eyebrow arched. “Why?”
“They’ll ask, and you need to be prepared to answer just that honestly every time in case they try to play a head game with you,” he said. Dalton needed to think of the right way to ask his next question. “Was Clara in any kind of trouble?”
“No. She was a good person.”
“How about emotionally? She had a rough situation at home—”
“Oh, no. I can assure you she wouldn’t try to hurt herself if that’s where you’re going with this,” he said, and his tone was so matter-of-fact that Dalton wanted to believe him. One thing was certain, the kid believed it wholeheartedly.
“It was set up to look that way,” Dalton admitted.
“She wouldn’t hurt herself. We had a future. We were planning on going to college and then getting married our senior year before we start working.” His words started breaking up as his emotions intensified with the memories of their plans. His face twisted in pure agony and Dalton’s heart wrenched.
“I’m sorry, man. I know how much this hurts.” Dalton put his hand on Christian’s shoulder and was surprised when the kid barreled into him with a hug. Christian held on and seemed to let go of the pent-up emotions he’d been barely keeping at bay since hearing the news. Having a future ripped out from underneath like a rug unleashed more shock than Dalton had ever known at that age. He remembered feeling the exact same way Christian had at first. That initial shock followed by disbelief.
“She didn’t deserve to have this happen,” Christian said, sucking in another burst of air.
“No. She didn’t. Neither did you,” Dalton reassured. “I want you to use that number I gave you anytime you need to talk to me. Day or night. I’m here for you, buddy. I mean it. Any time.”
“I will,” Christian promised, and there was honesty in his brown eyes. He wiped at his cheeks, swiping away tears while his head was down before asking, “We should probably go back to Clara’s aunt.”
“Not until I know you’re all right,” Dalton said.
Christian rocked his head, but there wasn’t much conviction in his eyes. Dalton had just turned the kid’s world on its axis and tossed it around as if in a hot dryer with no off button. Nothing would be the same after this day. Christian would look at the world differently from now on.
Dalton sure as hell did.
“How about you and your parents?” he asked.
“We’re good. I mean, they care. They’re not perfect, but they try,” he admitted.
That was good to hear. Because he was going to need them and a whole lot more to get through the next couple of days, weeks. And especially when that angry beast called guilt that Dalton had contained for nearly a decade and a half started eating away at its chains.
Dalton led Christian around the corner and back to Leanne.
The sound of her ringtone broke the conversation. She quickly glanced at the screen and Dalton knew she was hoping for a call from the sheriff. He also doubted she’d get one.
“It’s my babysitter,” she announced along with an apology for needing to take the call.
“What happened?” Everything about her voice said she’d shifted into panic mode. Her back stiffened and she leaned into the earpiece, listening with the intensity of someone receiving the code to unlock a nuclear weapon.
“Where are you right now?” She listened for a response. “I’m on my way.”
Leanne locked on to Dalton’s gaze.
“A man wearing a ski mask just approached my daughter and her babysitter at the park.” She flashed her eyes at him. “We have to go.”
Chapter Twelve
“Your daughter will be picked up and brought to the ranch. I don’t want you on the road. If someone’s targeting her because of this investigation, they could be watching for you.” Dalton made a few calls to set everything up.
Leanne seemed to be thinking up an argument. She’d told him the basic facts. Someone had approached the babysitter at the park and then made a play for Mila. Mrs. B, as Leanne called her, had pulled out her stun gun and blasted the guy with fifty thousand volts.
While he was flat on his back, sq
uirming in pain, she got the baby safely inside her vehicle and called the police. Having a husband who’d spent most of his life in law enforcement and stressed the importance of being prepared helped her stay calm during the incident. Before Dallas Police could arrive, the man hopped to his feet and took off in the opposite direction. He’d managed to evade capture. Mrs. B had given as much of a description of the assailant as she could, considering the attacker was wearing a ski mask and it had all happened so fast.
He was roughly six feet tall, maybe a little shorter, and large.
Mrs. B and the baby were at the north central division. She was waiting for her husband and planned to stay with Mila until the flight crew and friend of the Butler family arrived. The crew was already in transit to pick up Mila and bring her safely to the ranch.
“It’s the fastest way to get the two of you in the same location and keep both of you safe along the way,” he continued. “I sent the best and she’ll be in good hands.”
After exhaling slowly, Leanne agreed.
He could only imagine what she must be feeling but based on her expression, it was as bad as he thought it might be.
“Christian, I’m sorry to leave you like this but we have to go,” she said, her angst written across her expression.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said. Based on the change in his demeanor, he was more concerned for the little girl who might be in danger than his own emotions. Dalton had picked up right away that Christian was a good kid. His family didn’t have enough money for college. Dalton had personal plans to see to it that a scholarship was set up to take care of tuition and anything else the kid needed. He deserved a future, and what had happened with his girlfriend would alter his thinking for the rest of his life. Dalton would talk to Ed Staples, the family lawyer, about the scholarship and maybe setting Christian up with a counselor and money in a trust to take care of college-related expenses. Dalton had no idea how to make any of this right, but based on his own personal experience of going inside himself, he knew not talking about it with someone was a worse idea. And yet, that’s exactly what he’d done. “A friend of mine is going to call you in a day or two. His name is Ed Staples and he’s a lawyer.”
Christian’s eyes grew wide again.
“Not because I think you’re going to need him to get yourself out of trouble, but because he’s going to check on a few things for me and then contact you. Okay?” Dalton asked.
“Thank you,” Christian said before the two embraced in a man-hug. “Talking to you about it is helping a lot.”
This kid had no idea just how long the road ahead of him was going to be, but Dalton had a good feeling about Christian and he’d do whatever it took to help shorten the journey to healing.
“Anyone at home right now?” Dalton asked.
“My mom is,” he responded and it was obvious from his expression that he was still in shock.
“A car will be here in a few minutes to pick you up.” Dalton pushed a few buttons on his phone to order a service. “The driver will take you home to be with her.”
“I have work to—”
“I’ll make sure you have a job when you return,” Leanne said.
“I need this in order to go to college—”
“Consider me a family friend who wants to help and can,” Dalton said. “Don’t worry about money.”
He could see the hesitation in Christian’s eyes. The kid, his family, had learned to get by using hard work and not handouts.
“This isn’t charity. I’m investing in you because I believe in you. And we’ll figure out a way for you to pay it back some day. Deal?” Dalton extended his hand.
Christian seemed tentative at first, but then he gripped Dalton’s hand and gave it a good shake.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” he said, and there was so much gratitude in his eyes.
“You will,” was all Dalton said before entering the kid’s number into his phone. The two finished saying their goodbyes while Leanne disappeared to speak to his supervisor. With the right support, Dalton felt that Christian would be okay. And he intended to check up on the kid. “Call your mother and let her know that you’re on your way home.”
Helping made Dalton feel another peak of light in his soul. Something he’d stuffed away long ago surfaced and a little of his darkness released.
Leanne returned and he ushered her into the SUV. They were pulling out of the parking lot as the driver was pulling in.
“He’s a good kid,” Dalton said as he navigated onto the highway. It felt good to be able to help someone else. Dalton had never been comfortable with the money he’d been born into. He’d never needed much to be comfortable. But being able to help someone else who needed it felt right in a way he’d never experienced. He’d put it to Ella’s influence. His older sister was always out doing good somewhere in the community. But this desire to release some of the grip on his old ghosts and be a better man came from somewhere else.
And it probably had a lot to do with the person sitting next to him. He wanted to be her comfort. “You can take my phone if it’ll make you feel better. I asked for updates about your daughter’s location every fifteen minutes.”
“I’d like that very much,” Leanne said without hesitation. She picked up the phone sitting in between them and studied the screen.
“If you pull up the map feature you’ll be able to track your daughter in real time.”
“Seriously?” The sense of hope and relief spoken in that one word was all the thanks he needed. “This is beyond.” She looked up from the screen for a second. “Thank you. It’s hard to focus on anything else for long after what happened.”
“It’s understandable.” And probably what made her a good mother. Though, he’d keep that last part to himself.
The crew was half an hour from the ranch as Dalton pulled past the security gate at Hereford and then parked the SUV in his usual spot.
“Does anyone know where Gary is?” Dalton asked as he pulled the key from the ignition.
“No. But I’m half-surprised he isn’t here throwing a fit on your front lawn,” Leanne said with an eye roll.
“He’d never get past security,” Dalton quipped. The past few days had been heavy—for good reason—and he wanted to put a smile on her face, even if it didn’t last.
Glancing over at her, Dalton couldn’t help but notice the exhaustion lines on her face.
“You think it was him?” She checked her watch. Depending on when he’d been released, he might’ve had time to make the drive. Although, when he really thought about it the timing was off.
“It’s possible. Then there’s Havoc to consider.”
“We need a description of him,” Leanne said. “But we don’t have a last name.”
“How many men named Havoc can there be in Dallas who are also in a band?” he asked.
“Of course. I’m not thinking straight or...”
“Your thoughts are right where they’re supposed to be. On making sure your daughter is safe,” he said.
She pulled out her phone and after a couple of minutes said, “According to Blue Potato Bar in Deep Ellum, his band is scheduled to play next month.” She paused long enough to pull up a picture of the band. “These guys are skinny. It’s hard to believe any one of them would have the strength to carry her. Also, according to his website he played a gig on December 7 in Oklahoma. There’d be witnesses.”
“Then we just ruled someone out.”
Silence stretched on for a few minutes after Leanne put her phone away.
“You did a good thing for Christian,” she said. “Thank you.”
Those two words cracked a little more of the casing inside his chest. Allowing a little more light to bleed through. “He’s a decent kid. Sure as hell didn’t deserve any of this.”
“Neither did you,” she said quietly.
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“I wasn’t as good as him,” Dalton said in response.
“You couldn’t be this good of a man if you weren’t a decent kid. I have enough experience dealing with people from all walks of life to be certain of that,” she said. “Kids make mistakes, Dalton. It’s part of growing up.”
He let the words sit between them.
“I didn’t ask on the way over because part of me didn’t want to know. But before I go in there, is my sister here?”
* * *
“SHE STAYED,” HE said and hope lit in Leanne’s chest like a fledgling campfire in a severe storm watch.
So many emotions bubbled to the surface that Leanne was at a loss to contain them. Rather than deal with any of those, she distracted herself by leaning over and kissing him.
The second her lips pressed to his she realized her mistake. It was most likely the primal need for proof of life that had her melting into the kiss, hungry and wanting more.
He brought his hand up to the back of her neck and cradled it as he drove his tongue inside her mouth. There was no hesitation in his skilled movements and his actions robbed her of her breath.
An explosion of need rocketed through her. Need to be with this strong man. Need to feel his arms around her. Need to...escape. Hold on a minute.
The last thought caused her to put on the brakes. She cursed her overactive mind as she pulled away. The best kiss she’d had in...her... What?... Entire life? And she couldn’t shut down random thoughts that had run wild. The realization about the kiss was sad but accurate. It was the best she’d ever had. Not even with Mila’s father had Leanne felt that kind of sizzle.
“I’m sorry,” she said, turning and reaching for the door.
He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and the shock of electricity stemming from contact reminded her why the two of them together was a bad idea. There was too much stray voltage that could damage everything around them.
Besides, all she could think about was seeing her daughter again, holding her and making sure the little girl was safe.