by Jenna Night
“He’s probably gotten another vehicle to use,” Cassie said. “Something that’s not registered to him.” She took a deep breath and let it out.
“Okay, let’s check the neighbors on the other side of Seth’s house and across the street. Then let’s get out of here,” she continued as a car drove by and the occupants looked over at the bounty hunters. “I don’t want us to draw a lot of attention to ourselves.”
Cassie and Leon headed across the street, where the woman who answered the door listened impatiently to Cassie’s quick introduction and request for information about Seth. The woman made it clear she wasn’t interested in talking to them and closed the door in their faces. Cassie asked for another business card from Leon, tucked it between the closed door and doorframe, and then called out, “We pay for information. I’ll leave our contact number out here.”
They walked back to their trucks, where Daisy met them, shaking her head. “Nobody was home next door. We left a card. Wrote a short note on the back.”
“Did the note mention we’d pay for information?”
“Of course.”
Cassie glanced around, wondering if Seth was somewhere nearby, watching them. He could have been hiding in the house with the nosy next-door neighbor. She hadn’t gotten what she’d come for, namely, a face-to-face conversation with Seth. But she did feel like she’d taken hold of the end of a thread that might eventually unravel something. Maybe someone would call to talk to her later.
“One goal down, one to go.” She clapped her hands together. “Let’s head to the center of town and check out Seth’s workplace.” It wasn’t too far-fetched to think he might need money badly enough that he’d kept his job even if he’d stopped going home at night.
* * *
“Seth was employed here. But he took a couple days off for what was supposed to be a short trip over to Idaho and he never came back. Ricky, the manager, says that because he never even bothered to call in, Seth’s been fired.”
Leon nodded at the friendly young guy working behind the counter near the loading dock at Lawson’s Discount Furniture. He had the name Buzz embroidered on his work shirt.
Cassie was wandering around in the showroom on the other side of the large building, with Daisy and Martin following along to discreetly keep an eye on her and their surroundings. Oftentimes several bounty hunters walking into an establishment together and looking too intimidating caused people to clam up. So they’d split up, with Leon in the warehouse area and Cassie up front looking to talk to a salesperson or the manager.
“Do you know Seth very well?” Leon asked just before a loud truck drove by on the street outside. The warehouse’s roll-up dock doors had been tied open to let the warm breeze stir the air. The dimness inside the structure made the sunny world outside look glaringly bright.
“Seth and I didn’t hang out together much, if that’s what you’re asking,” Buzz said after the rumble of the passing truck died down. “Are you a cop or something?”
Leon shook his head. “No. I just want to ask him some questions.”
“Why do people keep showing up here looking for him?”
“You mean like cops?”
“Cops.” Buzz nodded. “And a couple of other guys who said they weren’t cops and didn’t seem like cops. And now you.”
Leon’s heart sped up. “The guys who didn’t seem like cops. Did they tell you their names?”
“No.”
“Can you tell me what they looked like?”
“I don’t remember. They were just regular-looking guys. We were really busy when they came by and they weren’t here for long. Is Seth in trouble?”
“Would you be surprised if he were?” Sometimes indirect questions elicited more information.
Buzz shrugged his shoulders. “Something’s got to be going on when a guy suddenly stops showing up at work and then a parade of people come around asking questions about him.” He gave Leon an appraising look. “Does Seth owe you money? Is that why you’re here?”
This wasn’t the first time someone had assumed Leon was a kneecap breaker. “He doesn’t owe me any money,” Leon said, trying to seem nonthreatening. Maybe this guy was actually a close friend of Seth’s and knew where he was hiding. “I just want to help him out. And anyone who gives me information could stay anonymous.”
Buzz gave him a doubtful look.
“Can you tell me where Seth likes to spend his time when he’s not at home or at work?”
Considering how small the town was, it was likely Buzz had seen him around even if they weren’t buddies.
“I don’t know where he likes to hang out,” Buzz said as a Lawson’s Discount Furniture truck backed up to one of the loading bays. “Excuse me.” He stepped out from behind the work counter and headed toward a pallet jack stationed by one of the freight doors.
Leon watched for a few minutes as Buzz and the truck driver loaded a sofa and a couple of easy chairs onto the truck. After the truck pulled away from the dock and turned onto the street, Buzz briefly glanced at Leon then walked away in the opposite direction. Their conversation was obviously over.
Leon crossed the cement floor to the entrance into the carpeted showroom, anxious to tell Cassie about the other men who’d been here inquiring about Seth. He saw her talking to a salesman. Martin and Daisy were standing in front of a couch just a few feet away, holding hands. To a casual observer it might appear that they were focused on the furniture. But Leon could see that they were keeping an eye on the showroom and on Cassie.
The salesman seemed quite focused on Cassie, smiling and leaning close to her as he talked. Maybe he was just being friendly so he could make a sale. But it was also possible he was flirting.
Though he wasn’t thrilled to witness it, Leon couldn’t blame the guy. Cassie was the most attractive woman he knew.
She was also someone he counted among his friends. Although last night and today he’d felt an increasing distance between them. Maybe it was because she was scared. Or maybe it was because she was physically exhausted. She’d been through a lot.
Whatever was happening was not about him, he reminded himself. And how he felt about it all didn’t matter. Right now, everything was about helping Cassie hold herself together while pursuing her husband’s killer. And trying to make sure they all stayed alive.
Cassie took a step back from the salesman, saying, “Thank you. Any information you could pass along would be very helpful.” She had her purse with her and reached in for a business card.
Leon started heading in her direction so he’d be beside her when she stepped out the door to the parking lot.
“And it would be treated confidentially, of course,” Cassie continued as she handed the card to the salesman. A little more quietly, she added, “We do pay for information.”
As Cassie headed for the door, Leon glanced over at Daisy and Martin, and the three of them followed her out to the parking lot. When they caught up to her, Leon told them that someone other than police had showed up at the furniture store looking for Seth.
* * *
They spent the rest of the afternoon stopping by grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations and fast-food restaurants showing people Seth’s photo and asking if they knew him or had recently seen him. Despite their best intentions, fugitives often tended to fall back into old habits despite their intention to stay hidden.
As expected in a fairly small community, they’d come across several people who’d recognized Seth’s picture. But none had had any idea where he was. At least, not that they’d admit to.
At the end of the day, after subsisting on protein bars and energy drinks, Cassie sprang for a nice dinner at a steakhouse recommended by Daisy in nearby Jameson. With a hearty meal under their belts, they climbed into their trucks and headed back to Stone River.
“It looks like Seth really did leave town,�
�� Cassie said to Leon as they crested a hill west of town. “I need to figure out where I want to look for him next.”
She’d checked her email when she’d first gotten into the truck after dinner and seen lots of messages from her dad about the insurance adjuster and the process for getting the office rebuilt. All tedious stuff she really didn’t want to deal with right now.
The truth was she took care of the business side of things at Rock Solid Bail Bonds because she had to. Her favorite aspect of it all was the actual chase for a fugitive. Especially when she had Leon around to back her up. She glanced over at his profile, tried not to admire it too much, and then shifted her attention to the side mirror where she saw the headlights of Martin’s truck behind them.
“The first logical place to look for Seth would be at his parents’ house in Boise,” Leon said.
“Yeah, but if he’s hiding because his life is in danger, or he thinks it is, his parents won’t give him up.”
“Maybe we can get across how sincere we are in our willingness to help and protect him.”
They drove in forested darkness. There weren’t many vehicles on the road. From here to the eastern edge of Stone River in Idaho, they would make a significant rise in elevation as they traveled through the mountain pass.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets tore through the windshield of Leon’s truck.
“Get down!” Leon hollered.
Behind them, Martin blared his horn to let them know he saw what had just happened.
Cassie ducked, but only long enough to grab her gun, roll down her window and ready herself to fire a few rounds. There was no way she would hide and put Leon in danger on his own.
“Drive faster!” she yelled. “We’ve got to get through the pass or we’re done for!” She looked at the surrounding ridges. “Shooter’s up ahead on the south side of the highway,” she said, after seeing a short burst of illumination, probably from a flashlight.
Leon’s phone rang and Cassie could see that it was Daisy calling. She touched the console screen to answer. “Are either of you hit?” Cassie demanded by way of a greeting.
“No,” Daisy said. “Are you?”
“No.” Cassie glanced over at Leon. In the glow from the dashboard lights, she could see blood on his face. Her breath caught in her throat. “Wait, Leon’s been hit.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, his voice tight with tension.
That was his standard reply no matter how badly he was hurt. It did not give Cassie any comfort.
“Martin’s talking to the cops right now,” Daisy said. Cassie could hear her say to her husband, “Tell them to roll an ambulance, too.”
“The jerk who shot at us is on top of the pass, on the south side,” Cassie said, desperately wishing she could see into the surrounding darkness. “At least one of them is. There could be more. We can’t stop or they’ll pin us down and finish us off.”
“Understood,” Daisy said. “We’re right behind you.”
The headlights from Martin’s truck drew closer to their back window.
Bang! Bang!
More gunshots. Cassie braced for another spray of broken glass, but then realized the shots sounded more muffled this time. And that the headlights from Martin’s truck were suddenly extinguished.
“Daisy!” Cassie called out.
Through the speaker, she heard a jumble of sounds and Daisy’s jostled voice calling out, “Our tire’s been shot out.”
“Stop!” Cassie yelled to Leon, reaching for his arm. “You’ve got to stop so we can help them.”
“You said it yourself,” he said grimly. “If we stop, we’re dead. You’re dead. They’re after you, not Daisy and Martin. We need to get you away.”
“No!” Cassie insisted. “Go back! You have to go back! I will not run away and leave them behind. I will not.” She was so frantic, there were tears rolling down her cheeks. At any other time, she would have been mortified. Right now, she didn’t even care.
Leon took his foot off the accelerator. He faced her, his expression stony.
“Please,” she said.
Looking none too thrilled with her supplications, he flipped a U-turn and headed back toward Martin’s truck, which was off the side of the highway, partially hidden by an outcropping of rocks and surrounded by a few trees. Leon steered toward the truck and drove off the road until he was right beside it.
“It’s us!” Cassie shouted into the phone, thinking Martin and Daisy might be unnerved at the sight of headlights coming directly at them.
“Copy,” Daisy replied, sounding shaky.
Leon and Cassie quickly found Martin and Daisy crouched on the forest floor, using the segments of rock and their truck as a barricade. They quickly ducked down alongside them.
Bang! Bang!
More gunshots sounded, bullets ricocheting off the tops of the chunks of granite. Finally, the shooting stopped. Maybe the shooter had lost track of where they were hiding. Or maybe he knew exactly where they were and was moving closer to them. Maybe there was a second shooter even closer than they realized. Cassie’s heart thundered in her chest as the four bounty hunters drew their weapons.
And then she saw a flash of blue light through the trees.
Martin still had an open line with the 9-1-1 dispatcher. “Do you see our officers?” she asked, her voice sounding tinny through his cell.
“Yes,” Martin said.
“Thank You, Lord,” Cassie whispered.
“Amen,” Leon said quietly beside her.
Cassie turned to him and then reached out to place her fingers under his chin and gently turn his face toward her. On his cheek and forehead, she saw cuts and scratches from the spray of glass that had resulted from the bullets blasting through the truck’s window.
She had seen him hurt worse, over the years. Much worse. Nevertheless, her heart felt like it had moved up into her throat. It was one thing to understand that her life was in danger. It was something altogether worse to realize that Leon could have been killed because he was protecting her.
He shifted his gaze to look directly into her eyes. The combination of tenderness and fierce determination she saw there nearly knocked the breath out of Cassie. She wondered if the expression in her eyes looked the same.
Before she realized what was happening, she did something completely out of character and pressed her lips against his uninjured cheek. And she lingered there, just for a moment, taking refuge in the warm feel of his skin and the mingling of their breaths.
Finally, she recovered her senses and leaned back. Where was her promise to herself to put some distance between them? What was the matter with her?
“Looks like we might live to see another day,” she said shakily, trying her best to put a tone of detachment in her voice.
Leon cocked an eyebrow. “The day’s not over yet.”
TEN
Leon sat in the office at North Star Ranch with an empty coffee mug by his hand. It was shortly past eight on Tuesday morning and he’d nearly polished off an entire pot of coffee since he’d woken up around six.
The bounty hunters had spent a couple of hours with the local cops last night after the attack on the highway. Some of that time had been spent at the actual scene of the shooting. Some back at the Jameson police station explaining to the duty sergeant who they were, why they’d been in the area, and filling them in on the details of the previous attacks on Cassie’s life.
Officers had searched the fire access road near the ridge where the shots fired at the bounty hunters had originated, but they hadn’t found anyone up there. They planned to go back after sunrise to search for evidence that the shooter or shooters might have left behind.
Meanwhile, Leon’s truck had been towed into Jameson to have the windshield repaired. Daisy, who had grown up in Jameson, had called a friend who’d pro
mised to make Leon’s truck repair his top priority.
The two-hour drive back to Stone River in Martin’s truck, which had only required a tire change and the replacement of broken bulbs in the headlights to make it road worthy, had been fairly quiet. After they’d reached town, it was another twenty-minute ride out to the ranch. By the time Adam, Sherry and Jay had talked to each of the bounty hunters, and made certain every single one of them was okay, it was two in the morning. Martin and Daisy had wearily climbed back into Martin’s truck and headed to their home in town.
The North Star household had turned in shortly after that. Leon had trudged into the spare room, dropped onto the bed while he was still fully clothed, and immediately fallen asleep. Only to have his eyelids pop open a mere four hours later, around six o’clock, as he jolted awake from a nightmare that had Cassie in a fiery crash on the highway where he couldn’t rescue her in time.
He knew there would be no more sleep for him after that. Because while the events that had flickered through his mind while he was asleep were just a dream, the danger to Cassie was real. So he’d rolled out of bed, showered and dressed, and headed downstairs to drink coffee while mentally reviewing last night’s events and checking the video security feeds.
Of course, Adam, Sherry and Jay had already been up, having coffee themselves along with their breakfast. This was a working ranch, after all. And Adam had already checked the security feeds. Still, Leon had wanted to take a fast-forwarded look at the recordings himself. Just to make sure there was no sign of anyone creeping around on the property. And since the others were up and keeping an eye on the ranch house, he decided to go outside to check the other buildings and make certain no one was hiding out there, waiting for a chance to shoot at Cassie again.
Tinker and Duke had accompanied him outside, both dogs crazy happy for attention and the adventure they seemed to think a walk with Leon offered.
