Cold Case Manhunt

by Jenna Night

  Most important, she could finally turn the bigger questions over to God and accept that He was in control of it all. As unfathomable as that might seem.

  “Thank You, Lord,” she said softly.

  “Amen,” Leon agreed.

  A smile, warm and fuzzy and ridiculous, formed on her lips. An expression of what she felt in her heart. This man seated across from her knew her. She had no doubt that without her even explaining it, he knew what she was thankful for.

  One of those things was, in fact, Leon. She kept her gaze and her smile trained on him. He started to get a little fidgety, which was fun to watch. And if she didn’t know better, she’d think a little bit of pink had appeared in those tanned, slightly weathered cheeks of his.

  His hand was on the table, his finger and thumb resting on the handle of his coffee mug. She reached out and placed her hand atop his. Kept it there. And it kind of looked like Leon stopped breathing. She couldn’t help but enjoy the little sense of power it gave her.

  After a few seconds, he started to breathe normally again. He stopped fidgeting and returned her gaze. Held it.

  Now it was Cassie’s turn to feel a nervous flutter in her belly. She found herself taking shallow breaths. And then she saw the corner of Leon’s mouth lift in a slight smile.

  He’d taken control of the situation and flipped it on her.

  Well, of course, he had. Leon Bragg was the best bounty hunter she’d ever worked with, and he was adept at taking control of a situation to make it go the way he wanted it to.

  Well, two could play at that game.

  The waiter brought their bill and Leon insisted on paying.

  After the check was settled, they walked around the corner and headed up the street toward the Rock Solid Bail Bonds office. Repairs were in full swing. She’d put Harry in charge of overseeing everything since he’d had some construction experience.

  “I know Jake will always have a place in your heart,” Leon said as they walked. “But maybe now that so many questions have been answered and justice is being served, you might find it easier to move forward with your life. You said that was something you wanted to do.”

  “Did you mean move forward with you?” she asked, turning to give him her sauciest grin. “Was that a hint?”

  He returned her grin, but then his expression slowly changed, like a serious realization was settling over him. Cassie had seen it before. And she knew what was coming. He was about to put some emotional distance between the two of them.

  “I hope you find the right man one day,” he said a little later, when they were almost at the Rock Solid Bail Bonds office.

  She came to a halt. “What if the right man is you?”

  He stopped beside her on the sidewalk and made a slight scoffing sound. “I’ve spent more than half my life living like the bail jumpers we chase. I couldn’t ever be a cop because of my police record. I know I don’t look like a nice guy because it’s not that unusual to see people cross the street when they spot me coming down the sidewalk toward them.” He sighed deeply. “I’m no Jake.”

  “Who said I was looking for a carbon copy of Jake?” Cassie demanded, frustration making her voice rise in volume. “After all the time we’ve spent working side by side, and everything we’ve been through together, how can you not know I value you exactly as you are?”

  He stared. Apparently unable to open his mouth and talk.

  Was he really going to make her plainly state her feelings first? Okay, fine.

  “You’re fired,” she said.

  He blinked. “What?”

  “You heard me. And now that you’re no longer my employee, I can tell you how I feel.”

  Before she could say anything further, Leon pulled her close and kissed her.

  The satiny warmth of his lips pressed against hers felt even better than she’d imagined. He wrapped his arms around the small of her back, pulling her closer while still pressing his lips to hers. He took his time and, after he finally broke off the kiss, he nuzzled the side of her face. His warm breath trailed down the side of her neck, curling toward her collarbone.

  It was a good thing he continued to hold her up, because she felt a little light-headed.

  Slowly, she returned to her senses and realized that the man had managed to express his true feelings first. He’d flipped the situation on her again.

  “I love you, Cassie,” he said, his voice a low rumble near her ear. “I have loved you for a very long time.”

  “I can’t tell you exactly when I started loving you,” she said. “But I can tell you I’m never going to stop.”

  Leon dropped to his knee on the sidewalk and reached for her hand. “Cassie, will you marry me?”

  She already knew what she needed to know about him. There really was no point in waiting and fiddling around with dating. “Yes, Leon, I will marry you. And the sooner we become husband and wife, the sooner I can hire you back. Because I have a strict policy about—”

  The next thing she knew he was back on his feet and kissing her again. She vaguely heard Harry outside the office just a few feet away whooping and hollering, but the sound quickly faded. Like everything else faded away in the moment except for Leon and herself. Ready to move forward in life together.

  EPILOGUE

  One month later

  Cassie and Leon were standing near a table loaded with fruit punch when Duke moseyed by, wagging his tail and knocking over nearly all of the filled cups. The big dog immediately lowered his head, guilty expression in his sweet brown eyes, obviously thinking he was in trouble.

  Leon reached the dog first, scratched him behind the ears and told him it was okay, that he was still a good boy. Then he got the Great Dane mix to move a few feet away while Sherry righted the table and Daisy’s friend and former boss, Millie, picked the cups up off the grass.

  Cassie smiled at the sight of Leon, dressed in a nice suit and looking quite sharp, petting the dog and trying to make the animal feel better. Of course, little Tinker had to get in on the action and get a few pets, too. Leon Bragg might look like ten miles of rough road, but he’d managed to combine his tough past with God’s grace until he’d been polished into a diamond. At least that’s how Cassie saw her new husband as she looked at him right now. He was a diamond.

  They were on the lawn in front of the house at North Star Ranch, taking a few minutes to relax and soak up the joy of their big day. The wedding ceremony had taken place at ten o’clock in the morning at the little country church Cassie’s family had always attended. Since space had been limited, only close friends and family had attended. Leon had invited the uncle he was close to, along with ten family members who generally didn’t have much to do with him, to the ceremony. He’d told Cassie that he hadn’t expected any of them other than the uncle to show up. But four of his relatives had come. Seeing the look in Leon’s eyes when he’d spotted them had been the best wedding present Cassie could have gotten.

  The reception at the ranch was the event where they’d been able to let loose and invite everyone they could think of. It was an informal affair. Just a big barbecue with lots of burgers and ribs and roasted corn on the cob.

  And there was pie. When Harry and Ramona Orlansky had gotten married, they’d decided to serve pie at the reception instead of wedding cake. The pies, baked by Ramona’s parents, were so delicious that Martin and Daisy Silverdeer had chosen to serve pie at their reception, too. When it came to their turn, Cassie and Leon had stuck with Rock Solid bounty hunter tradition and served pie, as well. Because everybody loves pie.

  It was now late in the afternoon. Guests were scattered across the property, some still seated at the banquet tables on the lawn, others were visiting the horses in the stables or just walking around North Star Ranch and enjoying a beautiful blue-sky Idaho day.

  Tomorrow, Cassie and Leon would leave for Hawaii. It w
ould be a new experience for both of them. And Cassie was all about having new experiences and forming new memories with her new husband.

  “Duke! Tinker!” Cassie heard the sound of Adam calling the dogs. And, of course, the dogs took off running to find her father.

  With his canine charges gone, Leon made his way back to Cassie. She couldn’t help smiling as she gazed at that face she’d grown to love. At the man she loved.

  “I’m just glad it was the dog that knocked everything over and not me.” Leon reached for Cassie’s hands. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?” he said. “How beautiful you are?”

  “Only about thirty times today,” she joked.

  He stepped even closer to her. “Guess you’ll have to get used to it. Because I need to make up for lost time.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah.” He gently squeezed her hands. “For years, I thought about how beautiful you were but I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t tell you that I loved you.”

  “In a way, I think I knew. And I obviously started feeling the same way about you.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “You could have said something.”

  “Hey, be grateful for what you’ve got right now,” she teased. She was certainly grateful for what she had.

  He leaned in for a kiss. The weather was warm, but Cassie shivered nonetheless. It was a good shiver. Leon kept an arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close as they both turned to look across the ranch at their family and friends.

  For Cassie, it felt good not to dwell on the past anymore.

  She was happy to focus just on being right here, right now. Side by side with Leon. And that was exactly where the two of them wanted to be.

  If you enjoyed this Rock Solid Bounty Hunters novel by Jenna Night, be sure to pick up the other books in this miniseries.

  Fugitive Chase

  Hostage Pursuit

  Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Buried Evidence by Kellie VanHorn.

  Dear Reader,

  Well, Cassie and Leon are on their way to Hawaii for their honeymoon. And things are relatively peaceful at North Star Ranch and in Stone River, Idaho. At least, for now.

  In each of the Rock Solid Bounty Hunters’ stories, at least one person has had to loosen their grip on the past a little so that they could move forward with their life. Examining your recollection of a difficult past experience so that you can consider it with a more healing perspective is not easy to do. Updating your self-image to reflect the person you are today isn’t always so simple, either. Those are just a couple of examples of times when we need to press into God’s grace to help us keep going.

  I hope you’ve enjoyed your time in Stone River. I invite you to visit my website, JennaNight.com, where you can sign up for my mailing list and I’ll keep you up to date on new book releases and show you book covers as soon as I get the green light to make them public. You can also keep up with me on my Jenna Night Facebook page or get alerts about upcoming books by following me on BookBub. My email address is Jenna@JennaNight.com. Feel free to drop me a line.

  Kind regards,

  Jenna

  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM

  Courage. Danger. Faith.

  Find strength and determination in stories of faith and love in the face of danger.

  6 NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH!

  Buried Evidence

  by Kellie VanHorn

  ONE

  Laney Hamilton couldn’t shake the feeling she was being followed.

  Adjusting the leather strap of her messenger bag, she glanced over her shoulder as she walked down the regional airport’s long ramp leading to the baggage claim on the lower level. Only the same handful of ticketed passengers who’d shared the bumpy flight from Indianapolis trailed behind her. The plane had been tiny—the kind with just one seat on each side of the aisle—and aside from the harried mother dragging along her infant and screaming toddler, everyone kept to themselves.

  Maybe the jitters came from being back here in southern Indiana again, ten years after she’d shaken the proverbial dust off her boots and sworn never to return. Or maybe it was knowing who might be waiting with the squad car to drive her back to her hometown of Sandy Bluff.

  Lord, please let it be anyone but Ryan Mitchell.

  A decade hadn’t been long enough to erase the memory of his broken expression when she’d told him she was leaving.

  Which was just stupid, considering they’d been only teenagers. As if a pair of eighteen-year-olds could make a relationship work for a lifetime.

  At the bottom of the ramp, she spotted a sign for the ladies’ room. She’d better take a moment to freshen up and make sure she didn’t appear as frazzled as she felt. The heavy door swung shut on silent hinges as she slipped inside one of the stalls. Hopefully whoever the police chief sent would wait outside the terminal, giving her a few extra minutes to mentally prepare. Of course, half a day’s worth of travel from Washington, DC, hadn’t been enough, so maybe that was wishful thinking.

  A latch clicked shut somewhere inside the bathroom, startling Laney out of her thoughts. Another one of the passengers, no doubt. She glanced around the space as she stepped up to the sink to wash her hands but didn’t see anyone.

  Time to get this over with. Letting out a tense sigh, she stuck her hands beneath the dryer. Hot air blasted over her skin like a tornado.

  As she pulled her hands back and the noise died, something hard and sharp pricked the center of Laney’s back. A knife? Her heart skyrocketed into her throat, but before she could call for help or think through the haze of panic, a low, muffled voice spoke. Male or female, she couldn’t tell.

  “Don’t move and don’t make a sound. I know why you’re here. Get on the next flight and leave now, or you won’t get another chance. Now count to fifty.”

  Laney sucked in a few rapid breaths and started counting. “One, two, three...” The knife point disappeared from her back, followed by barely audible footfalls.

  Should she risk turning around? Curiosity won by the time she reached fifteen. She kept saying the numbers aloud but pivoted on her foot, glancing around the bathroom. The tile floor was empty, leading past the bank of sinks and mirrors and vanishing around a corner into another section of stalls. In the distance, a soft whumph sounded—her attacker leaving through a second exit.

  Drawing in a shaky breath, Laney turned to the door she’d entered. The latch had been flipped shut, locking it from the inside—the click she’d heard. She jerked it open and escaped into the freedom of the airport’s corridor, then darted past the restroom to glance down an adjoining hallway. Surely the exit had led out here, but there was no sign of her attacker.

  Time to find security.

  No one was in sight, so she dashed through the sliding doors into the baggage claim area. One of the conveyer belts had started up, and passengers from her flight gathered around it, waiting for their bags. An airport security guard stood nearby.

  Relief fluttered through Laney’s chest as she dashed up to him and spilled out her story like a soda falling off an airplane-tray table. His brown eyebrows pinched together, but he pulled out his radio immediately and rattled off a series of commands.

  “If you’re okay, ma’am, I’m going to check that restroom.”

  She nodded, tucking a few strands of her short dark hair back behind her ear. “Thank you.”

  “Wait here. I’ll need you to fill out a report.”

  The man disappeared back through the sliding doors, and Laney held her breath, wishing the glass wasn’t frosted. After a couple of minutes in which nothing happened, she glanced over at the nearby moving conveyer belt.

  Bags had started lurching their way up out of the murky depths of the cargo area and now dropped onto the belt. She kep
t an eye out for her black Samsonite carry-on, watching as one passenger after another claimed a suitcase and retreated through the doors toward the parking lot.

  She’d packed light for this trip. Lieutenant James Mitchell, Ryan’s father and chief of the Sandy Bluff police, had assured her they needed her expertise for only a few days. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Physical Anthropology Department of the Smithsonian, Laney was used to assisting local law enforcement with forensic analysis of human remains, but southern Indiana wasn’t exactly local.

  Not anymore.

  But when she’d asked Jim why he wanted her out of all the forensic anthropologists available, he’d merely said, You’re the right one for this case, Laney. We need you here.

  If it had been anybody else asking her to come back here, she would’ve said no. Too busy with work. Too many other cases. Too many projects to complete if she was going to make a name for herself among the stellar staff of the Smithsonian.

  She grimaced as the last of the passengers plucked a bag off the conveyer belt and it groaned to a halt. Great. No suitcase. A quick glance at her phone showed no word from her ride yet either.

  A few minutes later, the frosted doors slid open and the security guard returned, claiming her attention. The downturn to his lips didn’t bode well.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said as he walked up to her. “We couldn’t find any trace of your attacker. We’ll get someone looking at the security footage, though.”

  Laney swallowed. Jim hadn’t said much about the case, but he had mentioned wanting to keep her arrival quiet.

  Apparently it was too late for that. A little chill tracked down her spine as she followed the security guard to his workstation, where she recounted the story one more time. The laptop keys clicked away under his fingers as he entered the details.

  After assuring her they’d be in touch, the guard escorted her back to the now-desolate baggage claim area. “Anything else I can do for you, ma’am?”