Stolen Redemption (Texas SWAT, #2)

by Bristol, Sidney

  But was that enough? Was she making the right decision?

  People said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. She couldn’t keep hiding and expecting Dominick to stop looking for her. He’d been after her for almost ten years. There were guys who’d turned on the family, served their time, gotten out and still lived in the same place they always had that hadn’t been killed for turning on the family. The only reason she was a target was because her brother couldn’t let it go.

  This was the right thing to do even if it scared her. Cosa Nostra didn’t run her life. It had never given her anything except pain and heartache.

  Trevor climbed behind the wheel and shut the door. She watched Casey walk to his cruiser, his shadow stretching away from him, toward the house. Dread had her insides twisted up. They were in unknown territory. She wasn’t in control. She didn’t know how to anticipate the next move.

  “What now?” She hadn’t relied on the justice system since after the trial. All of that was a blur.

  “I want to see if we can’t get a few leads. Don’t get your hopes up that we’re going to find these guys tonight or anything. This is probably a wait and see operation.”

  Dina stared out the window at her house.

  She didn’t want to sit back and wait. Doing that allowed Dominick and the guys to make a plan. The only way she’d survived was by being quick to act. But this whole thing was founded on the idea that she had to change how she handled this. She didn’t want to be eighty and still running.

  “What’s wrong? You don’t look happy.” He glanced at her.

  “I’m not used to waiting. I’m not used to relying on others.” She slid down in her seat.

  “We got this. They won’t know what hit them.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Casey thinks the best thing for you is to reach out to the FBI—”

  “No.”

  “That’s what I told him. We’re handling this like a simple B&E for now, okay?”

  She nodded. That wasn’t the most comforting thing to hear, but it made sense. The police had to handle what was in their jurisdiction. Everything before the break-in was in other states. If she wanted to keep the FBI out of her life, then she had to be content with this response.

  “You know, whatever FBI agents were assigned to your case here wouldn’t be the same ones that let you down?” He turned onto the main street headed toward downtown Ransom.

  “It doesn’t matter.” She knew her stance was probably silly, but she’d trusted the wrong people too many times. She was done with that. Trevor had earned her trust, and she’d trust his cop friends. But no one else. “Where are we going?”

  “The best source of information in Ransom city limits.” He grinned at her. “You a coffee or tea gal?”

  “Both?”

  “Good. Do you want to change before we go?”

  “Uh.” She glanced down at her tank top and yoga pants. “That’s probably a good idea.”

  “Okay, first stop—my place. Then, we’ll hit up the best information spot in Ransom.”

  Dina didn’t know what that meant, but she was along for the ride, nonetheless.

  The drive to Trevor’s house only took five minutes because they had to wait for an elderly couple walking a toddler across the road. Otherwise the drive was even shorter.

  There’d been a few times over the months since Dina had last seen Trevor that she’d considered just showing up at his door. She’d chickened out. Meeting him in a bar was one thing. He’d approached her, but she didn’t have the nerve to go to him like that.

  Trevor pulled into the garage.

  “I’m going to lay my gear out to dry real quick, okay?” He popped his seatbelt and turned toward her. “Need a hand with anything?”

  “Can you take the external drives in?” She thumbed at the huge brick that made up her livelihood.

  “I can.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. Every time he did that she felt a surge of warmth. His presence was reassuring. With him, she could do this.

  “Okay. I’ll hurry.”

  She got out and retrieved her bag from the back seat. Packing was easy. She’d never gotten out of the habit of clustering the things most important to her together. The number of times she’d had to drop everything and go had taught her what was valuable and what wasn’t. In this case she could at least go back if she needed to.

  Dina took her bag into the house. She hesitated in the living room for a moment. While she’d showered and slept in Trevor’s room she didn’t want to presume to take over it. The hall bathroom was a bit small and her suitcase large.

  She’d make sure to repack everything so as to not encroach on his space.

  What would she have done without Trevor showing up at the grocery store the other morning? Would she have gone to him, anyway? Or would she have been stuck on foot with nothing but a gun?

  She still didn’t know how Dominick had found her this time. Rudy wasn’t connected to the family. Cosa Nostra had next to no presence in Texas. Down here others held sway in that dark world.

  How had she fucked up?

  The garage door creaked open and shut as Trevor shifted his gear, ticking away the minutes she wasted wading through the past.

  Whatever had happened, she couldn’t change it. But with Trevor’s help she could change her future. No more running. A calm life spent not looking over her shoulder.

  That sounded nice.

  She opened the suitcase and pulled out a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt as well as clean underwear. Nothing flashy, but she also wouldn’t die in the heat. Normally she lived in flip-flops, but she opted to wear her slip-on sneakers in the event she had to run.

  These were the choices she lived and died by.

  Her discarded clothes went in a drawstring bag she’d grabbed for her dirty clothes. She changed, all the while her mind mulled over the last few weeks, where she’d gone, what she’d done.

  There was a misstep in there.

  She needed to call Rudy, but she needed a new computer and phone first. At the very least she’d warn him to maybe not come home first. She hoped whatever he was doing it had taken him away from home. Dominick had not historically been kind to anyone who helped her proving that he was exactly like Dad.

  What did that say about her?

  Dominick was her twin. Yes, they’d always been a little different, but until those pre-teen years they’d been close. He’d stuck up for her on the playground even to his friends. They’d sneak into each other’s rooms at night and whisper secrets. She’d loved her brother.

  If he was just like Dad, what did that say about her?

  Dina didn’t want to be like either of her parents.

  Mom had married Dad because it was agreed their two families should work together. Their marriage had formed an alliance that elevated Dad in the scheme of things. Along the way Mom had bought into the idea that her life was Dad’s.

  Dina knew Mom had killed men for Dad. There was one night in particular when a capo Dad was having problems with came over when Dad wasn’t home. Mom hadn’t realized Dina and Dominick were playing hide and go seek and that Dina was behind the curtains. She’d stood there and listened to Mom carry on with this man, right up until the moment he choked and died.

  Dominick had rushed in from wherever he’d hidden to watch the unfolding drama and grabbed Dina, as though he’d known her little mind couldn’t handle what happened a few feet away. The rest of that memory was a blur. Mom had yelled. Dominick rushed Dina upstairs to her room, and they’d hidden under the bed for what felt like ages until Dad came in to explain it all away.

  Dad’s version was something along the lines of a bad man trying to hurt Mom, but Dina had seen it through the sheer curtains. That wasn’t the truth.

  She didn’t want to be like Mom. And Dad was ten times worse. Dina didn’t think they loved each other as much as they believed they were the only person the other could trust. Eve
n during the trial they’d held to their story, never once showing weakness where the other was concerned.

  “Dina?”

  She turned her head toward the bedroom door.

  Trevor stood there with one hand braced on the entryway.

  “Sorry, what?” She’d let her mind wander when she was supposed to be getting ready. Shit.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I just got lost in my head. Almost ready.” She grabbed her toiletry bag.

  “Put that down. Come here.” Trevor took the bag from her and set it on the bed.

  He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. Again that warmth and assurance that everything would work out sank into her. She closed her eyes and breathed in his spicy scent.

  How had she gotten this lucky to run into him when she had?

  It was like there was some cosmic force guiding them to collide because she would need him.

  “Casey’ll make the report.” Trevor leaned back a little and looked down at her. “There’s not a lot of crime, so you’ll get their full attention. If those two are in Ransom, we’ll get them.”

  Dina nodded. She was less confident about the Ransom police as a whole. They weren’t Trevor. They had no reason to believe her full story.

  “Look at me?” Trevor cupped her cheek.

  “I’m not used to trusting other people.” She stared into his eyes. “I trust you though.”

  “Glad to hear it.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling.

  “If I’m not good at this, it’s because I don’t do it a lot.”

  “Well, good for you I’m very trustworthy.”

  Trevor bent his head, and she stopped breathing. He lifted her chin and covered her mouth with his. The tension between her shoulders eased, and she leaned toward him.

  Forgetting everything for a little bit sounded lovely.

  He lifted his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “If we didn’t have somewhere we needed to be.” He sighed.

  “You sure we have to go?”

  “If we want the help of the best detective in town, yeah. Ready?”

  “Let me do something with my hair first, then yeah.”

  “I like it down.”

  “So you can pull it. I’m aware. That’s why it looks like this.” She pointed at the slightly wild state of her hair.

  Trevor grinned, not the least bit repentant.

  What would it be like to be free of danger and able to follow up on all those unspoken offers Trevor threw her way?

  8.

  TREVOR KNEW THE BEST place to go for help in Ransom with a case like this wasn’t the cops. Sure, when it came to following the right channels to do things legally, they were the best place. But if he wanted to know about the movements of people in town and the appearance of any strangers, no one could beat the L.O.L. Gang. The downside was that he’d have to pay the pinch tax. His ass was not looking forward to that.

  “Where are we going?” Dina asked.

  “Just around the corner up here.” The nice thing was that nothing was more than fifteen minutes away.

  “This is Ransom. Everything is just around the corner. Where are we going?”

  He chuckled. Dina liked facts and knowing things. She was a bit of a control freak, but with her past he could understand that.

  “If anyone wants to know anything in Ransom, you have to go to the tea room,” he said.

  “The tea room?”

  Trevor parked his SUV along the main drag in town, out front of the ancient, glass fronted store with a sign that read Times Remembered Antiques. It was one of the few buildings that had survived the fire that destroyed much of the historic buildings from before the 1900s. The shop was packed to the ceiling with items from people’s homes, things the owners had brought back from traveling or auctions. The place was practically a museum where a person could bring what they liked home with them.

  Since there was no furniture store in town, the owners also ran a little side business out of the back selling cheaper pieces for the budget conscious. When he’d first moved out on his own he’d gone there first to buy a bed, sofa and something to put his TV on.

  “Are you sure about this?” Dina asked.

  “Positive.” He knew at least one of the L.O.L.’s lived near Dina’s rental house. The lot of them were nosy and suspicious of anyone or anything new. “Come on.”

  He got out of the SUV. His phone vibrated against his hip.

  Shit.

  Had Casey already filed the report?

  Trevor stepped up on the curb to join Dina and glanced at the screen.

  Jenna Martin.

  Double shit.

  It made sense Casey would call her first. After that bullshit at Dina’s house Trevor should have expected this call.

  “One second,” Trevor said to Dina before answering. “Hello?”

  “Good, you’re awake.” Jenna sounded chipper.

  “Morning to you, too.”

  “Did I tell you The Love Barn has an opening the weekend of our save the date?” Jenna spoke in a rush. Maybe she didn’t know about Dina yet?

  “No.”

  “They do, so I’m going over there for a walk through this morning. Alex and Sterling are working, so I was hoping you could go with me.”

  “Ouch. I’m third pick? Guess it’s better than not being picked at all.”

  “Do you want me to call you about everything wedding? Because I can. You are a...what are we calling you?”

  “Bride’s man. When are you supposed to be there?”

  “Eleven.”

  “I’ll be there. See you soon, Jenna.”

  Trevor glanced at the clock. They’d have an hour or so with the L.O.L.’s before he needed to head out to The Love Barn.

  “What was that about?” Dina frowned at him.

  “Nothing. We’ll have to make a stop later, but first—coffee?” He pulled the shop door open.

  “Who was that?”

  “Jenna. She’s part of our team.” He placed his hand on the small of Dina’s back and guided her inside.

  “Oh?” She stepped through ahead of him.

  Large, overpowering wooden furniture flanked the doors. The stereo pumped classic country western music through the speakers that didn’t quite cover up the clink of china. The smell of coffee and some kind of pork frying was the fragrance of the morning.

  “Come on.” Trevor took her hand and led her through the warren of antiques toward the tea room.

  The tea room was the unofficial domain of the L.O.L.s every morning, Monday through Saturday, from when the shop opened until around eleven. The tea room took up the back corner of the shop and even had a small kitchen. A half dozen old wooden tables were set up inside a white, lattice fence with an archway serving as the point of entry.

  At nine in the morning the L.O.L.s were all still present, which was what he was hoping for. At least three or five older woman sat around each of the tables. Some had a paper in front of them working out a crossword puzzle, others were knitting, one table was playing cards, and others were simply sipping a morning beverage or eating.

  Trevor ducked under the archway, hoping that he might be able to slip back to Bunny’s table without drawing too much attention. Almost in unison the conversation paused, and all eyes locked on him. There wasn’t one of them who didn’t have some kind of dirt on him. That was how things went in small towns.

  “Good morning ladies.” He nodded and smiled at the room at large.

  “Isn’t that a fine young man?” Sissy sat near the archway wearing a bedazzled, blue velvet track suit and matching sun visor. She reached toward him.

  “Morning, Sissy.” Trevor grabbed the woman’s hand and bent to kiss it. She might be almost blind, but she knew where to find his ass. No pinch tax yet. He straightened and looked at the back of the room where Bunny was watching him. “There’s the woman I need to see. Excuse me?”

  Dina had to be wondering what in the world a grou
p of grannies could do for them. In a town like Ransom, it was ruled by this bunch of women. If anyone wanted to get something done, you came to the L.O.L.s. If they believed in the cause, they’d bend the ear of their children and grandchildren, wearing them down until they got their way.

  Trevor picked a path through the tables. He had to be fast, but not sprint if he was going to escape with minimal pinching. He grasped Dina’s hand and plunged down the gauntlet. A few hands brushed his hip and one person got his thigh, but that was about it. He’d caught them unaware and under-caffeinated. He didn’t expect to be quite that lucky next time.

  He pulled out the empty chair next to Bunny and gestured to Dina. He didn’t dare seat himself before her even to protect himself from the tax.

  “Sit.” He patted a heavy, old wooden chair.

  Dina frowned but did as he asked.

  Trevor grasped the chair next to her. Two fingers pinched down on his ass. He grit his teeth and sat, breaking the taxer’s hold. A gleeful giggle from the table behind him erupted. He wasn’t going to be quite so lucky on their exit.

  Dina smoothed her hair and tugged at her shirt all while Bunny watched her. It was easy to forget that Bunny was the first female mayor of the town. It had caused quite the scandal back in her day, but from what Trevor knew about that period, she’d done a lot of good.

  “Bunny, this is Dina.” Trevor draped his arm around the back of Dina’s chair and leaned closer.

  “You’re the girl living in Marge’s old house.”

  “Uh...” Dina blinked at the woman. Trevor didn’t have the heart to chuckle. She probably thought no one knew anything about her. Clearly she’d never lived in a small town before.

  “You have those noisy neighbors and that cute wooden trim on the front of the porch.” Bunny picked up her coffee cup and sipped.

  “Yeah...” Dina glanced at him.

  “Nothing happens in Ransom without Bunny knowing.” Trevor grinned at her. It was a frustrating reality at times, but he’d grown to appreciate them.

  “Morning.” A young woman bustled over to their table with a carafe of coffee. Her short hair stuck every which way and a pair of knitting needles protruded from her apron pockets.