Colton Manhunt

by Jane Godman

  Abruptly, she changed direction. If this man was trailing her, she wanted to find out for sure. Once again, she lost sight of him and her fears subsided. Why would anyone follow her? She was allowing her worries over Eliza to spill over and affect every part of her life.

  She took comfort from the fact that the dogs were with her. They hadn’t shown any signs of sensing danger, and they would surely try to protect her if they had.

  Forcing her breathing back to a normal rhythm, she continued in the direction that would lead her back to her starting point. And her breath caught in her throat as she saw the guy blocking the path ahead of her. His head was down, his face shadowed by his hood. He was tall and strong looking, without being obviously muscular, and she didn’t think she knew him.

  A glance over her shoulder confirmed her worst fears. They were in an isolated part of the woods and there was no escape.

  She was trying to decide what to do next when he started walking toward her. Dobby, usually the friendliest of dogs, emitted a low growl. Like a gazelle in the path of a stalking predator, Katrina froze. Her eyes darted back and forth but her muscles were incapable of movement.

  As he got within a few feet, an increase in background noise broke the spell. Distant at first, it became clearer and louder. It was the sound of children talking and provided the release Katrina needed. Breaking into a run, she darted through the trees, in the direction of the voices.

  Becoming increasingly scared every second that a hand might suddenly grab her shoulder, she powered onward over the rough terrain with the dogs keeping pace. Up ahead, she could see movement and dashes of color. Finally, she broke through into a small clearing, where a group of what looked like kindergarten pupils and their teacher were spotting plants and bugs. It was close to a place where she and Eliza used to play as kids, and the warm memories comforted her.

  Fumbling her cell from her pocket, she found Spencer’s number. At first, her breath was coming so fast she was barely able to gasp out his name.

  “Katrina? I’m just on my way to your place.”

  “In the woods... I thought he was, but I wasn’t sure.” She knew she wasn’t making sense and forced herself to slow down. “I just got away from some guy who was following me.”

  “Where are you?” Spencer, it seemed, wasn’t going to waste time on unnecessary questions.

  “Mustang Park.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  * * *

  As he headed toward Mustang Park, Spencer focused on driving safely but speedily, and tried to clear his thoughts of any comparisons of Katrina’s situation with his own past. Four years ago, his fiancée, Billie Mikkelsen, a rookie cop, had been lured into a guy’s apartment after answering a call about a suspected domestic dispute. Once there, she had been taken hostage and held for two days before being murdered.

  Not again. Spencer gripped the steering wheel tighter. He told himself it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t close to Katrina. He never would be. Billie’s tragic death was the reason why he had closed his heart to another relationship. Love was an incredible gift, but it brought with it the risk of loss and he couldn’t put himself through that pain again. Until now, it hadn’t been an issue. He hadn’t gone beyond an initial attraction to anyone else in that time. Katrina had blown him away at first sight, but he couldn’t let it go anywhere, couldn’t take another chance with his fragile heart.

  He would always miss Billie and mourn the closeness they’d shared. Sure, there were times when he craved love and intimacy. But the price of attachment was too high in any circumstances. With Katrina, a woman who was likely already in danger? It would be like stepping back into his worst nightmare.

  After parking his vehicle at the side of the road close to the park entrance, he released Boris from his compartment and together, they dashed toward the main gates. As he ran, Spencer took out his cell phone and called Katrina.

  He didn’t bother with a greeting. “Describe your location.”

  When she spoke, he could hear background noise, almost as if she was surrounded by chattering children. “I’ve just left the park. There was a kindergarten class doing a nature study, so I stayed with them. I think the guy who followed me headed toward the old, disused gates on Western Drive, but I can’t be sure. I’m at the intersection of Mustang Boulevard and Western. The kids are going back to school and I was going to head toward work.”

  Spencer paused for a moment while the tightness in his chest loosened. The location she’d described was busy, with shops and businesses on each corner and people passing by all the time. A man who had followed her would be stupid to try anything in such a public place. But he knew from experience that crooks played by their own rules and they weren’t always the most predictable people.

  “Stay where you are. I’m two minutes away.”

  Racing along Mustang Boulevard, Boris on his leash, he mentally reviewed all the reasons why someone would follow Katrina. It could be a dissatisfied customer, someone who had a grudge for another reason, or the guy could have noticed her because of her looks. He wasn’t ruling out a link to her visit to the AAG and her sister’s disappearance. Not yet—there were other possibilities to be explored first.

  He was approaching the intersection and he was relieved when he spotted Katrina’s blond hair and her two dogs at her side. She was standing on the sidewalk outside a drugstore. He was just about to call out to her when a squeal of brakes made him turn his head. He quickly registered the presence of a fast-approaching vehicle traveling along Mustang Boulevard. It was a black Chrysler sedan with tinted windows, and he checked out its license plate. As it sped closer, alarm bells started to ring inside his head.

  Spencer broke into a run again and drew level with Katrina just as the car mounted the sidewalk a few yards away. He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her toward him, diving out of the path of the vehicle and into the shelter of a nearby doorway. Holding her down and shielding her with his body, he lifted his head to see what was happening.

  Exhilaration pumped through his veins like a drug at the knowledge that he’d acted fast enough to save Katrina. A second or two later and the car could have plowed into her. The spark of fear in his belly that had been lit when she told him she was being followed now became an uncontrollable blaze.

  She could have been killed...

  As he cradled her close, his mind remained focused on the practicalities of keeping her safe. At the same time, his body insisted on taking note of how good it felt to hold her warm curves in his arms.

  Having skidded to within feet of where Katrina had been standing, with its front wheels and most of the body on the sidewalk, the sedan veered sharply away. Bouncing wildly for a few seconds as it hit potholes in the road, it straightened before speeding off. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and placed a call to the dispatcher at the station, giving the details of the vehicle and the direction in which it was heading.

  “Are you okay?” He ended his call and drew Katrina to her feet, still holding her against him. Throughout the impending danger, Dobby had given the occasional bark, while Holly had hidden behind Katrina. Although they now appeared subdued, they were unharmed. Boris, who was used to difficult search-and-rescue and manhunt situations, calmly sat at his master’s feet.

  “I think so.” She looked slightly stunned.

  “Although the car came close, it was lucky that the driver managed to swerve at the last minute.”

  “But it was heading straight toward me.” She raised frightened eyes to his face. “That wasn’t luck. It was a warning.”

  Although he was inclined to agree with her, his police training had taught Spencer caution. Katrina had been making inquiries about her missing sister. Someone had broken into her house, she had been followed and a car had almost mowed her down. Those things could have been unrelated. Even though he didn’t believe in coincidences, he would
have to start from there.

  “Not necessarily. The guy could have lost control of the car,” he said. “He should have stopped if he was able to, but that doesn’t make him an attempted killer.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “What has to happen for you to take this seriously? Do they have to carry a sign saying We Want to Hurt Katrina Perry?”

  “I will investigate this, Katrina.”

  She pulled away from his arm, which was still around her. “You do that. And in the meantime, I’ll try to find a stretch of sidewalk that’s safe for me to walk on.”

  She was the most awkward, difficult and prickly woman he had ever encountered. She was also the most beautiful and desirable. As she stomped away, Spencer reflected that his life would be a lot easier if he wasn’t getting more attracted to her each time they met.

  * * *

  Katrina’s anger sustained her for most of her walk back to the dog-training center. Spencer’s response had made her feel like she was overreacting, prompting memories of the dramas of her childhood. One of her worst fears had always been that people would compare her with her mother.

  Even so... Do I have to get killed before Spencer Colton will listen to me?

  That thought added a dose of fear to her anger, causing her to glance over her shoulder. Her gut instinct told her that the driver of the sedan had intended to scare her and not hit her. Not only that, but she was also convinced the incident was linked to Eliza’s disappearance. She understood that Spencer had a job to do, and that there were police procedures he had to follow, but would he ever see her point of view before it was too late? It seemed as if a number of factors were conspiring against her. From her understandable distress about Eliza’s disappearance at the time they’d first met, Spencer must have gotten the impression she was emotionally volatile. Then, it seemed that his visit to the AAG ranch left him wondering about Katrina’s mental stability. It was no wonder his initial reaction was to treat anything linked to her with caution.

  And, because events had overtaken them, she hadn’t yet told him about the encounter between the angry woman and the AAG members. Clearly, it wasn’t worth mentioning it to him now, but she couldn’t let it go.

  What was it that woman had said? My son just lost his dad in a horrible accident. Mustang Valley was a small town. It was possible that, by looking into that statement, she could find out more about the person who had challenged the AAG members. It was a long shot, but worth a try.

  It had taken years of hard work to build up Look Who’s Walking and its success was a result of Katrina’s personal commitment. For the first time ever, the sight of her own business didn’t soothe her spirits. Anxiety still pricked her spine as she stepped inside and she was barely aware of the quick, concerned glance Suzie cast in her direction.

  “Have you eaten?”

  Katrina shook her head. “I have some pasta in the fridge. I’ll grab a few bites as we set up for the afternoon sessions.”

  “Sorry.” Suzie jerked a thumb in the direction of the office. “A potential client stopped by. I asked if I could help but he insisted on seeing you.”

  Suzie had done the right thing. Although their business was thriving, they couldn’t afford to turn away new customers. Even so, Katrina’s nerves frayed a little more at the thought of pinning on a smile and going into corporate mode.

  Got to be done. And it might give her a little distance from recent events.

  She handed the split leash to Suzie. “Give these guys some water. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”

  When she entered her office, the man waiting for her was looking out of the window that overlooked the training yard. As he turned and smiled, Katrina took a moment to assess him. He was tall with pleasant features, and he stepped forward with a smile.

  “Hi. I’m Aidan Hannant. Are you the person I need to talk to about my problem pup?”

  “I’m Katrina Perry, owner and lead trainer here at Look Who’s Walking.” She moved to the chair behind her desk, and her visitor took the seat opposite. “How can I help you?”

  “I have an eighteen-month-old rottweiler who thinks he’s a puppy. In the last few weeks, he’s eaten my digital camera, my game console, the baseboard from the kitchen cabinets and the legs from two wooden dining chairs.”

  Although Katrina laughed, she was slightly bemused. This wasn’t an uncommon problem and Suzie could easily have assisted Aidan. His insistence on waiting for Katrina didn’t make sense, but she’d been in this situation before. Some people just preferred to speak to the boss.

  The customer is always right. Even when he’s wrong.

  “Okay. Chewing is often a sign of boredom. Give him things that he is allowed to chew, like sterilized stuffed bones and other toys that are too tough for him to destroy. That way, he’ll spend his time on them and won’t attack your belongings. If you can’t trust him when you aren’t home, I would suggest crating him. Rottweilers need plenty of exercise and play that challenges. If you can’t meet those expectations, we offer a pet-walking service—”

  His smile widened. “Did you get the message?”

  “Sorry?”

  “The car was a warning.” He got to his feet, leaning forward as he placed his hands on the desk. “Your heroic rescuer could have saved himself the trouble of grabbing you. I wasn’t going to hit you. Not this time.”

  Katrina stared blankly at him. Momentarily, her body shut down as she processed his meaning. When she finally surged to her feet, he was already headed out the door. Stumbling slightly, she ran after him. There was no one in the reception area and all traces of the seemingly nice guy were gone as Aidan turned to face her.

  “Don’t think about following me or telling anyone about this.” There was a snarl in his voice. “Stay out of things that don’t concern you.”

  He strode out the door and Katrina returned to the office. As she sank into the chair, she was shivering like a dog in a thunderstorm. Those sinister threats were bad enough. Even worse was the knowledge that if she went to the police, there was a chance she wouldn’t be believed.

  Yes, she could back up the fact that Aidan Hannant had entered her business. She had security cameras, and the footage would provide the proof she needed. The images of the parking lot should give a clear enough view of his vehicle to provide details of his license plate, so Spencer could verify his identity. While none of those things were proof of the threats he’d just made, they were evidence that the same guy who’d tried to attack her had entered her business premises...always supposing he’d used the same vehicle both times.

  So why was her instinct telling her not to give Spencer another reason to write her off as a fantasist? The answer was simple, even if it wasn’t rational. He had doubted her. Katrina didn’t give her trust easily. And she never gave it twice.

  Taking a deep breath, she reached into the desk drawer for her water bottle and took a long slug. So she was on her own. Wasn’t that the way it had always been?

  Chapter 5

  The following afternoon, Spencer assembled his team for a briefing on the sting to flush out Payne Colton’s shooter. They were discussing the final details before they set off for Mustang Valley General Hospital.

  “I will be the decoy in the hospital bed that Payne has just vacated.” He refused to let anyone else take the risk. “Kerry and PJ will be in the corridor disguised as orderlies. Lizzie and James, you’ll be hidden in the hospital room. Dane, I need you in Payne’s room.”

  “Even if we’re in disguise, won’t the shooter be spooked by a presence in the corridor?” veteran detective PJ Doherty asked.

  “We’ve spread the word around that Payne’s condition is improving and that he’s being moved to a room on the second floor. His wife, Genevieve Colton, and Ainsley and Marlowe have approved the plan. The news that he could regain consciousness should be enough to bring the shooter to Mustang V
alley General to check things out and probably to attempt to finish the job. If he sees empty corridors, he’ll get suspicious,” Spencer said. “With you guys pretending to be hospital staff, you can watch Payne’s old room while maintaining an air of normality.”

  “What about the other rooms on that floor?” It was Officer Lizzie Manfred who spoke.

  “All empty,” Spencer confirmed. “The hospital manager is aware of the situation and has briefed his staff on a need-to-know basis. I’m not prepared to put anyone else in danger.”

  As he finished speaking, his desktop telephone buzzed. Since he’d given strict instructions that he wasn’t to be disturbed, Spencer knew it must be important.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting, Sergeant Colton,” the front-desk clerk said. “But I have a man here who insists on speaking to you. He says he has information about the dangerous-driving incident that took place on Mustang Boulevard yesterday afternoon.”

  Spencer glanced at the clock. There was another hour before visiting hours started on the unit where Payne was being treated, and he needed to be there with half an hour to spare to set up the sting. He was already cutting things fine...

  But this was about Katrina, and that mattered more than it should. “Put him in an interview room. I’ll be right down.”

  Aware that his team members were looking at him with surprise, he got to his feet. “I need to deal with this. It’s about an urgent situation that arose yesterday. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

  Confident that his colleagues would carry out his instructions, he hurried to the reception area with Boris at his heels. The receptionist waved him toward one of the interview rooms and he went inside. The man seated at the table made a movement as if he was about to get to his feet.

  “Please, stay where you are.” Spencer pulled up a chair and sat down. “I’m Sergeant Spencer Colton. How can I help you?”