Читать книгу Lone Star Protector - Lenora Worth - Страница 12

TWO

Word of the attack spread quickly.

Kaitlin’s cell rang the minute Slade pulled the car into her driveway. The first call came from fellow trainer Harry Markham. “Kait, are you all right? I got a call from Callie.”

“I’m fine,” Kaitlin said, her eyes on Slade. The man was so solid and sure she couldn’t help but feel safe, yet she worried that he’d take this kidnapping attempt to heart since he didn’t take down the culprit. “It wasn’t any fun, but I’m okay, really. Tell Callie—”

Her phone beeped another call. “That’s Callie right now. I’d better talk to her.”

She quickly told her supervisor, Callie Peterson, what had happened.

Slade got out and looked around her yard, then opened the car door for her.

“I’m home and Captain McNeal is here with me. He insisted on giving me a ride. Yes, I have Warrior. He warned me but...the masked man...he grabbed me from behind.”

As she tightened her grip on the phone, Slade tightened his glare on her. “I have to go, Callie. Captain McNeal needs to get home to his family.”

She hung up and let the next call, from her trainer friend Francine Loomis, go to voice mail. “They’re all concerned,” she told Slade. “We’re all close. Like family.”

“You left out the part where you tripped him up and jabbed him in the ribs. Or how you managed to kick that gun away like it was a soccer ball.”

She blinked at the mention of her ordeal. “I went into automatic response, I think. Self-defense and officer training from years ago kicked in.”

“You took a big risk. He could have killed you.”

“He didn’t. Because I knew you’d take him down before he ever reached that gun again.”

His jaw hardened. “Yeah, well, I somehow managed to let him get away.”

Was he implying that she had distracted him? Hard to say. The captain’s expression was a study in frustration. But then, the man was hard to read on a good day. And this had not turned out to be a good day.

“You didn’t let him get away. The perp was returning fire so you had to protect yourself.”

He grunted, his silver-blue eyes doing an intimidating sweep of the neighborhood. When they reached her front door, he turned to her. “Give me your keys.”

Kaitlin did as he asked, figuring it would save time and save her from arguing with him. The man was like a steamroller. He rolled right along doing his job without hesitation, but he sure didn’t like to engage in chitchat. Slade McNeal was always focused and intent on getting the bad guys.

Except earlier, when he held me in his arms.

Or rather, when she’d clung to him like he was the last Kevlar vest and she had dibs. Looking at him now, seeing that coiled bundle of strength and determination in his body language, she tried to put the memory of his solid chest out of her mind. She’d think about Slade McNeal and his silvery eyes and quicksilver moods later when she was alone and couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought of him before and often. Her heart went out to him and his little boy, Caleb.

Slade’s wife had been killed two years ago in a car bomb that, according to word around the yard, had been intended for Slade. Then five months ago, his K-9 partner, a beautiful German shepherd named Rio, had been taken from his backyard. That attack had left his elderly father Patrick McNeal—a retired police officer—injured and in a coma for weeks. Top that with a five-year-old son who had withdrawn after his mother’s horrible death.

No wonder the man was grumpy.

Slade opened the door and stepped through, one hand gesturing at her. “Stay behind me. We’ll send Warrior in first.”

She glanced back. “Good idea.”

Kaitlin called the command and willed the still-green animal to do a good job. Since she was purposely training this particular canine officer to help find Rio, she wanted Warrior to impress Slade. The Belgian Malinois, eager to let go of some of his own pent-up energy, hurled past Slade and danced across the hardwood floors of the living room, his nose moving from the floor to the air.

“C’mon,” Slade said, reaching behind to grab her hand.

His touch shot through Kaitlin like a sizzling dynamite fuse. She’d always had a little thing for the captain, but she wasn’t so needy that she’d play this for all it was worth. If the man ever had a lightbulb moment and turned interested, she wanted him to come to her on better terms than her playing a damsel in distress.

She’d never be that woman. Not since the day she’d watched her mother being put in the ground. Kaitlin had learned the hard way to take care of herself. And she needed to remember that Captain McNeal was as tightly wound as a ticking clock. The man lived and breathed his job, especially since whoever had taken Rio kept coming after people they both knew.

He let her go once they were in the living room. “Kitchen looks safe.”

She glanced across the hallway to her tiny efficiency kitchen. “It is, except for my cooking.”

He almost smiled. “I’ll take that under consideration.”

Warrior rushed back, eager for a treat and a good rubdown.

“Didn’t find anything, boy?” Slade asked, his tone softening toward the dog. He looked down at a basket by the door and found a chew rag, then held it out for Warrior. “He might have saved your life today.”

Kaitlin went to her knees on the floor and tugged Warrior close, giving him a gentle hug. “Good boy. What a hero. Your barks warned me.”

The captain looked really tall from this angle. “Yep. And what did you do? You walked right into a trap.”

She stood so he wouldn’t seem so intimidating. “I went around the building to see why Warrior was barking. I saw the van and thought someone might be lost or hurt. That’s when the attacker came up behind me.”

Slade didn’t move a muscle, but she could see the throbbing pulse in his clenched jawline. “You could have called me.”

“I really didn’t have time to call anyone. Besides, I thought you were gone.” She shrugged, tossing her ponytail. “You know what...I didn’t even think, okay? I just acted on impulse, and I wasn’t expecting any kind of danger.”

He stepped back, his cold, blue gaze freezing its way around her tiny house. “Well, you need to think about it now. Whoever that was will probably be back. I don’t think this was a random kidnapping attempt. They waited for the right moment and managed to get through a controlled gate to get to you.”

Seeing the concern etched on his face, she said, “You’re not making me feel very safe.”

“You’re not safe.” He walked to the bay window in her living room. “Your attacker fit the same description of the man who’s been harassing my whole team for months now. I’m pretty sure he or someone working with him is behind the recent string of attempted kidnappings we’ve had. And the string of murders we’ve racked up since the first of the year.”

Shocked, she pushed at her hair. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. You said he had strange eyes, right?”

“Yes. They were all blacked out. Honestly, they didn’t look real.”

Slade seemed to go on alert after that comment. “They probably aren’t real. He’s using a mask and other methods to disguise himself.”

“Why?” she asked, worried now that the crime syndicate might be targeting her. “Why would he come after me?”

He didn’t answer her questions. “You might need protection 24/7.”

Kaitlin almost laughed out loud. “Are you willing to do that?”

“I have to work on this case.” He kept right on staring out the window. “But it might be a good idea to keep Warrior by your side at all times. And maybe you have a friend who can come and stay with you?”

“I won’t endanger any of my friends,” she said, shaking her head. “Warrior will do his job. That’s what he’s trained for.”

“But is he ready?” Slade asked, staring down at the resting dog.

“He seemed ready today. We’ll have to hope so,” Kaitlin replied. “I’m not the type to live in fear, Captain McNeal.”

He came close then, his face inches from hers. “And I’m not the type to let a woman think she’s safe when it’s obvious she’s not, Miss Mathers.” He stepped back. “Get your stuff. You and Warrior are coming to my house tonight.”

Kaitlin couldn’t believe the man. “No, we’re not.”

His tone brooked no argument. “Yes, you are.” Then he held up his hand. “Look, I have a young son and my recovering father there. And two shifts of around-the-clock nurses. You won’t be alone. We won’t be alone.”

Kaitlin thought it over, still reeling. “I don’t want to impose on you.”

“You won’t be imposing. Caleb will be glad to see you. He’s been asking about you...since the last time you babysat him. And it’s just for tonight. Just until I can figure out the next piece of this puzzle.”

Five-year-old Caleb had been traumatized when his mother had been killed in the car bomb. The quiet little boy suffered from nightmares and other issues. Kaitlin had worked a lot with Caleb, using her dogs to bring the boy out of his shell. But it had been a while since she’d seen him.

Wanting to understand what she’d be up against, she asked, “What do you know, Captain? About that man’s creepy eyes?”

He hesitated, almost shut down. But she saw a flare of trust shifting through his expression. “I don’t think they’re his real eyes.”

She let out a gasp. “Contacts? That’s what I thought, too.”

His nod was curt and quick. “I think so.” His gaze moved over her, then he looked toward the big windows. “Call it a hunch, but I’d just feel a whole lot better if you’d come home with me.”

“Isn’t that highly unusual? I mean, do you always invite people in danger home with you?”

“No.”

“Why start now?”

He took a step forward then stopped. “Because this case has me by the throat and...I’m almost certain your attempted kidnapping has something to do with this crime syndicate. I couldn’t live with myself if...something happened to you.” He inhaled, rubbed a hand down his face. “And...because you mean a lot to my son. He feels comfortable with you since you’ve babysat him a few times and allowed the trainee dogs to befriend him. Truth is, he’s been through too much tragedy already...and he’d be devastated if something happened to you.”

Kaitlin couldn’t catch her next breath after that comment. “I can’t stay at your house forever...”

“No, but I can keep you alive if you’ll listen to me.”

She couldn’t argue with that. He’d scared her with his bold words and all this talk of a crime syndicate and a masked criminal. He’d scared her with that tormented need she’d seen hooding his eyes, too. He didn’t want his little boy to suffer anymore.

However, going with Slade would be like stepping across that forbidden line she’d put up between them. She didn’t like mixing emotions and business together. Things could get really messy.

But when she thought about that man’s eyes, she got the shivers. And given the choice of staying here alone or being with Slade and his family...well, there wasn’t a choice.

“I’ll pack a bag,” she said finally. Then she turned and hurried out of the room before she changed her mind.

* * *

Well, now he could add stupid to the list of traits he needed to refine. He had a feeling he’d regret bringing a woman home, kind of like sailors used to avoid having a female on their ship. Nothing good could come of it.

Slade looked around the big living room of the house he shared with his father and his son and a retired K-9 named Chief. The rambling craftsman home had plenty of room for one or two more. But it had been a long time since a woman, other than his father’s team of home health care nurses and Caleb’s after-school nanny, had stayed in this house for more than a few uncomfortable minutes—for what his daddy called a “casserole” visit. Single women and widows loved to bring them casseroles. The women all expected something in return, of course. A couple of them had even asked Slade to the monthly church social.

Slade couldn’t oblige them. It made for awkward visits.

But hey, the food was good.

“She’s pretty and nice,” Patrick McNeal said. “Kind of different from most of the casserole girls.”

Old Chief, retired and getting fat and sassy, lifted his head and sniffed the perfume in the air. Even the dog had noticed this feminine intrusion.

Slade turned from where he was making sandwiches and nodded at his father. “Pretty, nice and now...on some thug’s hit list.” He slapped ham between two slices of white bread. “Why would anyone go after Kaitlin Mathers?”

Papa, as Caleb liked to call him, ran a hand down his white-whiskered face. Still recovering from the injuries that had left him in a coma, he said, “Maybe they need a dog trainer.”

Slade stopped the knife he’d aimed at the mayo jar. “Good point.”

“You think this attack is connected to all the others? Whoever took Rio might need a qualified trainer, too.”

“I’m betting it’s related, for that reason and maybe something more. I haven’t come up with anything else, though.”

Patrick held tight to his walker and turned to go back through the arched opening to his favorite chair in the den. Chief automatically followed him. “You’ll figure it out, son.”

Slade wondered about that. He and his dad didn’t do much chitchatting here in the house. Caleb seemed to get agitated whenever they talked police business. But Patrick had made a connection that shouted at Slade. Someone might need Kaitlin’s expertise. Or any of the trainers’ expertise, for that matter. That someone obviously had taken Rio right out of the backyard. He’d have to beef up security around the training center. Not to mention keep a close watch on his son and his daddy. And he’d need to protect Kaitlin, whether she liked it or not.

Rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, he grunted at the twisted knots tightening his head and shoulders. Maybe he needed to hit the gym a little more to work out some of these kinks.

No, he just needed to catch The Boss. The mysterious leader of the local crime syndicate kept slipping through their fingers, but one way or another he vowed to bring this criminal to justice. Since the day his dog Rio had been taken right out of his yard and his father had been injured, he’d made this case a top priority. And his entire unit felt the same way.

He wanted his frail father to understand what he was trying to do.

He wanted his best K-9 partner back. Rio was part of his family.

He wanted his son to be strong and well and happy.

Then why don’t you spend more time with the boy?

That question hit him hard in his gut. Patrick asked him that at least twice a week. When he’d turned to Kaitlin in desperation after Rio’s kidnapping, the dog trainer and his sometime-babysitter had hinted that it might help for him to take more time with Caleb. Maybe that was why he always got so befuddled and tongue-tied around the woman. Maybe that was why bringing her here wasn’t such a good idea, after all. He didn’t want the woman judging him.

She wasn’t married and didn’t have kids. But she sure had a way with animals and children. She was all honey and sweetness when she wasn’t barking commands at K-9 dogs. Today, after things had settled down, her hair had shimmered like burnished gold in the light of early dusk, but her hazel eyes had remained cool and questioning each time her gaze landed on Slade. Except for that little bit of sympathy he’d seen there in shades of green and brown. The woman had been attacked and yet, she still felt sorry for him?

He didn’t need anyone’s pity.

Slade needed to be a better father, but...it was so hard to relate to his quiet, sad little boy. The boy missed his mother. And Slade felt the weight of guilt pressing like a two-ton chain on his shoulders. He and Angie had been fighting the day she’d died in that car bomb. His wife had been leaving him, probably for good, when she’d cranked the engine.

Slade endured the torment of causing her death each and every day. His daddy told him he should pray about his feelings, but Slade didn’t think he was worthy of asking God to release him of this burden. That bomb had been meant for him. He shouldn’t even be standing here. He couldn’t look his own son in the eye.

And...he had the nagging suspicion that the bomb that had killed Angie was related to this current case. Especially since similar bomb threats had been found at Nicolette Johnson’s former rental. Detective Jackson Worth and his K-9 partner, Titan, had found one bomb in the nick of time to save Nicolette. Her house had been damaged, but that only reinforced how much danger she’d been in to begin with.

Then Jackson had also been threatened with a bomb under his car. Titan, trained to detect explosives, had saved the day again.

They might not be so lucky next time. Too many killings and too many kidnapping attempts had everyone on edge. And after today’s bold attempt, Slade was sure there would be a next time. His bones told him that something else was coming. He only wished he could figure out what.