Looking for a Cowboy

by Donna Grant

  Chuck didn’t like the sound of any of this. “If you think Marlee and her gang will buy any of that, you’re wrong.”

  “It’ll send them after Stephanie. If she doesn’t want to blow her cover, she won’t tell them she’s FBI if she’s stopped and questioned. Then she can—and will—do what’s been ordered and get Marlee to follow another lead. I’m not worried, Chuck, and neither should you be.”

  “Marlee came to the house. I’m fairly certain every one of us should be fucking worried.”

  Stella gave him a stern look. “You’re the one I count on the most. I need you to make sure everyone gets out of town. Maria will leave with me when I go to the meeting.”

  “You won’t have time for that. Besides, the last thing you should do is stop for anything. I’ll take the women.”

  “Thank you,” Stella said with a smile. “You always come through for me.”

  Yes, he did. And he was going to do it again tonight. Stella might not like what he planned, but she’d get over it eventually.

  Chapter 36

  The sound of a phone pulled Marlee awake. Her eyes hurt from lack of sleep. She groaned as she reached over and blindly searched for her cell on the bedside table before she knocked it off.

  “Want me to get it?” Cooper asked from beside her.

  She opened her eyes and leaned over the side of the bed. “I got it.”

  Everyone had stayed at the East Ranch last night. Most of that time, she and the others had stayed up going over several plans, none of which seemed to properly fit. It had been after three before she and Cooper finally found a bed.

  But even then, they hadn’t slept.

  The moment they were behind closed doors, they reached for each other. Their clothes came off quickly as they found pleasure in each other’s arms. Even after what she had told him yesterday, she didn’t regret spending the night with him. In fact, she was wondering if her words from yesterday had been said in haste.

  Her thoughts ended there when she found the phone, just as the call went to voicemail. Marlee rolled onto her back and looked at the incoming caller ID. “Hmm. That’s odd.”

  “What is?” Cooper asked as he turned toward her and threw an arm over her stomach.

  “It’s Stephanie.”

  Cooper’s eyes opened. In the next heartbeat, he rose up on his elbow. “Does she often call?”

  Marlee shook her head. “Mostly it’s me calling her, though she has called me back if she has information.”

  “Maybe she has information.”

  “Or maybe she was in that house like I think, and she’s trying to divert my attention.”

  They looked at the phone for a moment. It suddenly dinged, letting Marlee know there was a voicemail. With quick fingers, she unlocked her phone and pulled up the voicemail, putting it on speaker so Cooper could hear.

  “Hey, Marlee,” Stephanie’s voice said. “It’s early, I know, but I had an all-nighter at work. You were right about that name you gave me yesterday. I couldn’t devote the time needed to it because I was working another case, but I dug into it some more. The woman’s real name is Karen Meader. She’s got friends in high places. Unfortunately, not high enough. She testified against some bad people, who are now looking for her. Those friends I spoke of, well, they got her a new identity, which was why you couldn’t find out anything about her. Wish I could’ve told you this yesterday. Hopefully, you didn’t spend too much time on her. On another note, I saw something come through regarding your particular cases. We’re looking into a couple near San Antonio.”

  Marlee looked at Cooper after Stephanie rattled off an address and the message ended. “What do you think?”

  “If you didn’t think you saw her yesterday, what would you think of the voicemail?”

  “That she did exactly as she said.”

  Cooper raised his brows as he turned onto his back. “If that was Stephanie in the house, wouldn’t she have made this call sooner?”

  “I don’t know.” Marlee blew out a breath and looked at the ceiling. “She could be telling the truth, but she could also be working with Stella.”

  “I was thinking about Stephanie last night when we were all talking. You said that she was part of your sister’s case.”

  “That’s right. That’s how we met. She interviewed me as she did everyone. Once I was cleared of anything, I showed her what little I had come up with during my own investigation. She didn’t disregard me as others might have. In fact, she was interested in what I had. We compared notes, and she actually showed me what little evidence the Feds had collected.”

  Cooper put one arm behind his head and used his other to hold her hand. “You like her.”

  “I did, but that’s when I thought I knew her. I believed she was one of the good guys.”

  “Not everyone in law enforcement is a good guy.”

  Marlee turned her head to meet his gaze. “I know that. But somehow, I forgot that with Stephanie. For some reason, I believed she was above such things because she’s an agent.” She rolled her eyes. “God, I sound ridiculous.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You believed you had a friend, an ally to help you out. Most people would feel the same as you. And for all we know, she was never in our town, and it wasn’t her in the house yesterday.”

  Marlee hoped he was right, but she couldn’t be sure. “So, what do you think I should do now?”

  “Forget yesterday. What would you normally do?”

  “Call her back and thank her.”

  “Then do it.”

  Marlee thought about it for a moment and then gave him a nod. “You’re right. Regardless of everything else, I need to stick to what I’d usually do.”

  She dialed Stephanie’s number and kept the phone on speaker so Cooper could listen. Stephanie answered on the third ring.

  “Just got your message,” Marlee said. “Thought I’d try and catch you before you were too busy to answer the phone.”

  Stephanie laughed. “That is one thing about this job. I’m always busy. Going one place or another.”

  Marlee glanced at Cooper as she asked, “They’ve got you traveling? Where are you headed?”

  “Oregon. It is pretty, but damn cold. Oh, well. Duty calls.”

  “I won’t keep you, then. Just wanted to say thanks for the update on the name I was interested in. Thought for sure it was a dead end. You came through for me, though. Thank you.”

  Stephanie made a sound on the other end of the line. “Don’t think twice about it. I’m just glad I could help out. Wish I could do more.”

  “You do quite a bit for me. I’m not sure why, though.”

  “Not sure why?” Stephanie repeated with a chuckle. “Marlee, I do it because you’re going after the bad guys just like we are. I’m constrained with rules and regulations, and while you are as a PI, as well, it’s not nearly as hindering as mine. One way or another, these criminals need to be brought to their knees.”

  Cooper made a face as if he were surprised by the vehemence of her words.

  At one time, Marlee would’ve been taken in by them, hook, line, and sinker. Now? Not so much. “I’m so glad you feel that way.”

  “Anything you need, you call me. I’ve always told you that. I’ll help you out any way I can.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just catch the bad guys,” Stephanie said and then hung up.

  Marlee lowered the phone to the bed. “She said all the right things in the right tone and everything.”

  “But?” Cooper pushed.

  “I think she’s lying.”

  “Do you call her during every case?”

  Marlee thought about that for a moment and shook her head. “It’s easy for me to do that and get a little edge on the criminals, but I try not to take advantage of that. The few times I did call her, Stephanie always came through.”

  “Has she really? Or do you just think she has?”

  Marlee sat up and rubbed her forehead
. “I don’t know anymore. When I think about how she could be in with Stella, then I think about all the times I might have caught Stella earlier. So many people would’ve been saved, and children would still be with their families.”

  “You can’t think like that.” Cooper sat up beside her and wrapped an arm around her as he pulled her against him. “It’ll drive you nuts. I say follow your instinct. Right now, it’s telling you to mistrust everything from those you’ve trusted before. Listen to your gut.”

  “You’re right. I can’t sit here and think about this. I’ve got to think about how we can take down Stella.”

  Cooper kissed her temple. “Just make sure not to say anything in front of Danny or Ryan. We don’t want to put them in an awkward situation.”

  “I need to run to my motel room and gather my things.”

  “I tell you what. You get in the shower, have some coffee and maybe some breakfast, and I’ll go get your things.”

  She smiled, looking deep into his green eyes. “Are you afraid something might happen to me?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You could come with me.”

  “I could, but you mentioned a shower several times last night.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “A shower does sound heavenly. All right. You win. But be quick.”

  “I will.” He kissed her lips, lingering for a moment.

  She watched as he rose from the bed and hurriedly dressed. At the door, he stopped and blew her a kiss. She wore a wide smile when she got up and made her way into the bathroom. Marlee took her time, lingering in the hot water as she let it loosen her tight muscles. Though, she had to admit, sleeping next to Cooper had done wonders for her both mentally and emotionally.

  When she dried off and opened the bathroom door, she expected to find him sitting there waiting on her since she had taken so long. Then she realized that he was probably downstairs having coffee with the others.

  Marlee dressed and finished getting ready. After she made the bed and picked up her clothes from the night before, she went downstairs. She heard voices coming from below and was met with smiles from Abby, Clayton, and Caleb.

  “Morning,” she greeted them. “Is Cooper back yet?”

  Caleb shook his head. “Just as he was heading out, Jace came downstairs. They didn’t leave until about twenty minutes ago so it’ll be a bit before they get back.”

  Marlee poured herself some coffee. “I’m glad he didn’t go alone.”

  “No one would be stupid enough to try anything with those two,” Clayton said.

  Marlee smiled, but she couldn’t stop thinking of the man she had encountered the day before. That kind of guy wouldn’t let anything, or anyone, stop him. He would attack and ask questions later. She inwardly gave herself a shake. Her mind believed there were enemies lurking everywhere. In all her years as a PI, she had only been attacked once. No doubt Stella and her people were getting ready to bolt, not coming after Marlee or her new friends.

  Besides, Cooper and Jace were highly trained individuals, not your ordinary civilians. No, she had nothing to worry about.

  Chapter 37

  “So?” Jace asked as they pulled up to the motel in the pouring rain.

  Cooper turned off the ignition and looked at his friend. “You drank coffee and talked about the weather the entire way over here. And now you want to ask a question?”

  “Not just any question. The question.”

  “Oh, the question. What question is that?”

  Jace rolled his eyes. “Don’t try that shit with me. You know what.”

  Cooper faced forward and shrugged, no longer pretending he didn’t know what his friend was asking. “I’m not sure. She told me yesterday that I belonged here, and it would never work between us.”

  “She certainly wasn’t acting like things were over last night. Neither of you was.”

  “Because I don’t want them to be.”

  “You need to call your mom.”

  Cooper smiled as he glanced at Jace. “I did this morning before you came downstairs. I’ve been keeping her informed of things, and she was asking to meet Marlee.”

  “I gather you told Mom you’re in love with Marlee.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I can guess what she told you.”

  Cooper turned his head to his best friend. “Oh? What’s that?”

  “The same thing I’m going to tell you.” Jace met his gaze, his expression serious. “I’ve seen you with lots of women. I knew the instant I saw you with Marlee that she was different. That she was the one for you.”

  Cooper didn’t so much as move as Jace continued.

  “We’ve been best friends for a long time, Coop. We remained close through the years while we were in the military. And you know what? We’ll always remain close. No matter where you live. If you want to be with Marlee, and I know you do, then that means your path lies alongside hers, which means traveling away from here.”

  “I know,” Cooper said in a soft voice.

  “You two work well together. Think what you could accomplish.”

  Cooper nodded, unable to find words.

  “I’ll always be here for you, brother. You know that. Get the girl and take hold of the life that awaits both of you.” There was a pause, then Jace got out of the truck, stepping into the frigid rain, and ran to Marlee’s door.

  Cooper followed his friend. They entered the room and began collecting pictures off the walls, stacking them neatly. Jace had two boxes piled on top of each other as he headed to the truck to load them. Cooper kept packing. He didn’t even glance up when the door opened.

  “We don’t have much left,” he said.

  “That’s nice.”

  The deep voice wasn’t one he recognized. Cooper froze and slowly straightened. He then turned to face whoever it was. That’s when he spotted the crowbar in the man’s hand that dripped blood on the carpet. The fact that the man was in the room and not Jace put Cooper in defense-mode.

  The man smiled sadistically. “Jace never saw me coming.”

  “You’ve got one chance to leave before I rip you apart.”

  “With what?” the man asked. “You have no weapon.”

  Cooper fisted his hands. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “I would,” he declared and drew out a gun with his other hand, pointing it at Cooper. “Not so cocky now, are you?”

  “If you knew who I was, you’d stop running your mouth and do something.”

  The man laughed. “I know who you are, Cooper Owens. I learned everything about those Marlee was investigating the moment she pulled into town. But all your training doesn’t scare me. Because I have much, much more than you.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Marlee. I knew someone would come for her things. I’ve been waiting all night for one of you to drop by. I’m really glad it was you.”

  * * *

  Jace winced as pain radiated through his head. The rain beat a steady tempo on his face, like tiny icicles piercing his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to push up with his hands. The pain made his stomach roil, and he had to fight not to be sick.

  He’d had a head wound before. He knew exactly what was happening. If only he knew how he’d gotten hurt. Had he fallen? He shifted his head and cracked open one eye. The boxes he’d been carrying had spilled, rain pelting the pictures and papers. Yet there was no ice on the parking lot that would have caused him to slip.

  Jace forced his body to move as he got to his hands and knees. It took considerable effort because every movement was pure agony. He managed to reach one of the cardboard boxes, toss everything back in, and then put the lid on. It took forever, and he nearly blacked out twice.

  As he reached for the second box, the pain became too much, and he had to turn away to vomit. As he finished, Jace glanced up and saw the door to the motel room. He had to get to Cooper. He forgot about the boxes and used the truck to help himself regain his footing. Once he stood, the world began to spin
.

  Jace grabbed hold of the truck again to remain standing. His legs were Jell-O, and everything kept whirling. He had no idea how much time passed before the Earth stilled. Only then did he attempt to walk. The last thing he wanted to do was fall. He wasn’t sure he’d get back up if he did.

  Placing one foot in front of the other, he managed to get to the door. He threw it open, ready to attack whoever was inside. Except there was no one. It was empty and everything looked as it should, save for a bullet hole in the wall.

  “No,” Jace said as he searched for his cell phone in his pockets. When he couldn’t find it, he rushed to the phone beside the bed, stumbling and falling upon the mattress. Jace righted himself and dialed Danny, apprehension and his wound, causing his hands to shake.

  “We’re sorry. Your call cannot be completed as dialed,” said an automated female voice.

  “Fuck!” Jace yelled as he slammed the receiver down.

  He sank onto the comforter and tried to read the instructions on the phone, but his eyes were too blurry. He blinked several times. Thanks to the adrenaline pumping through him, the pain became manageable. Finally, he was able to read the instructions on the motel phone and get an outside line to Danny.

  “Mornin’, Jace,” Danny said happily.

  “I need you. ASAP.”

  His tone shifted to that of the sheriff. “Slow down. Where’s here?”

  Jace grabbed his head and grimaced as the throbbing intensified. “The motel Marlee was staying at. Cooper and I came … I … fuck.”

  “Stay there. I’m on my way.”

  The line disconnected. Jace looked around the room again as he hung up the receiver. Gingerly, he felt along the back of his head until he found the knot. As soon as he touched it, nausea roiled and had him running to the bathroom to empty his stomach again.

  He must have passed out because the next thing he knew, Danny was kneeling beside him, trying to wake him up. Jace raised a hand to let his friend know that he was conscious.

  “What the hell happened?” Danny demanded. “Never mind. I’ve been trying to wake you for about five minutes. I called an ambulance.”