“We’ll see about that. I’m calling Jericho right now. He might not like you, but he’ll protect you, and he’ll do what it takes to get you safely back into WITSEC.”
Alexa got right in his face. “Please. Don’t. Just get in the car with me and I’ll explain everything. Please,” she repeated when he hesitated.
Damn.
Levi cursed his hesitation. He also cursed the fact that he was affected in even a small way by her tacked-on please. Or maybe it was just the desperation he could see in Alexa’s eyes.
But desperate why?
To stay alive?
If so, why hadn’t she just taken off in the stolen car and stayed hidden until she was sure it was safe to surface?
Judging from the way Alexa’s gaze drifted to the car, the answer was inside.
Levi tightened his grip on his gun and went closer, not sure what he might see. No one was in front, but a heap of blankets was on the backseat.
“She’s dead,” Alexa said, and a hoarse sob tore from her throat.
The tears came. Man, did they. And Levi cursed himself again when it caused him to reach for her. A gut instinct.
One he resisted.
Barely.
“Who’s dead?” he asked. He tipped his head to the blankets. “And is the body on the backseat?”
Alexa sucked in her breath and made another sob. “Tasha’s dead. The man at the gas station killed her when he found us. We’d gotten away. We thought we were safe. But we were wrong. I was wrong,” Alexa corrected. “Her body’s at the gas station, too.”
Hell. Two dead bodies. “What’s Tasha’s last name?”
“McKenna. That’s her real name. But she’s been in hiding for the last couple of months and using a couple of different aliases.”
Yeah, he was definitely calling this in.
But the sound stopped him. A whimper of some kind. And then Levi saw the movement of the blankets.
He reacted fast, shoving Alexa aside, trying to get to the injured or dying woman. Alexa had said this Tasha was dead, but someone was definitely alive and moving. Maybe in need of immediate medical attention.
Levi threw open the door, bracing himself to see blood and heaven knew what else. However, it wasn’t an injured woman in those covers.
It was a baby.
A newborn from the looks of it.
“You have to protect her,” Alexa said, her voice trembling. “You have to tell everyone she’s yours. That I left her with you for safekeeping.”
And before Levi could even react, Alexa turned and started running away from him.
Chapter Two
Alexa heard Levi curse. He also called out for her to stop.
She didn’t.
Couldn’t.
If these hired killers were after her, then the best way to save the baby was for her to get as far away as she could. If the men had been after only Tasha, then having Levi lie would keep the baby safe. Either way, it was best if Alexa got out of there fast.
Alexa’s eyes were already burning from the bitter cold and the tears she was fighting. Her heart already thudding in her chest. Her legs felt like lead, but she ran as fast as she could.
It wasn’t nearly fast enough.
Levi used his football running-back skills from high school to catch up to her within a matter of seconds, and he latched on to her shoulder to whirl her around.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled.
“What I have to do to keep that little girl safe.”
That clearly wasn’t a good enough answer, but Alexa didn’t want to take the time to explain. She tried to bolt again. Levi didn’t let that happen. He latched on to her, hard, and practically dragged her back to the car. He pushed her against the cold metal of the door and pinned her there with his body.
Which wasn’t cold.
Something she shouldn’t have noticed.
“Start talking,” Levi demanded.
Alexa shook her head. “There isn’t time. You need to get the baby to a safe place now.”
But he didn’t budge. And even in the dim light she could still see the glare he aimed at her. “You had a baby?”
There was plenty of skepticism in his voice. Probably because he didn’t consider her the motherly type. It was reasonable. She’d never considered herself that way, either. Not with her stellar gene pool and mess of a life.
“She’s Tasha’s baby. She gave birth to her three days ago. In secret. She’s been hiding from a stalker.”
“Tasha,” he repeated. “The dead woman at the gas station.”
Levi cursed again and let go of her so he could take out his phone. No doubt to call someone she didn’t want him to call. “Don’t you dare take off again.”
Alexa didn’t attempt it, mainly because Levi still had her pinned to the car. He wasn’t overly muscled. More on the lanky side. But it was clear he was in good shape, probably because of the backbreaking work on his family’s ranch.
“Please don’t call anyone and tell them I’m here,” she begged. “I think the man who killed Tasha has a police radio. And even if he’s dead, his partner could still be monitoring the calls. I don’t want anyone to know that the baby’s Tasha’s. I want everyone to believe she’s yours. Ours,” she added.
“Ours?” he challenged.
She nodded. “I know we were never even close to being lovers, but no one other than us knows that. Whoever killed Tasha might not go after the baby if they believe she’s your daughter. Please. Just do this to protect her.”
In addition to the renewed scowl Levi gave her, she could also see the debate going on in his stormy brown eyes. He stared at her from beneath the brim of his black Stetson.
“Get in the car,” Levi ordered through clenched teeth. “I’ll drive the baby and you to the sheriff’s office, and I’ll call my brother on his personal phone so it won’t be on the police radio. Then you can tell me everything, and I mean everything.”
Not everything.
She couldn’t do that. But maybe she could tell him enough to convince him that the newborn on the backseat needed him and his lie. After that, Alexa had to get the heck out of town or else she would put the baby in danger again. It was only a matter of time before Marcos Culver or those thugs found her.
Levi opened the driver’s side door and practically stuffed Alexa in, moving her to the passenger’s seat. Alexa immediately checked on the baby, who thankfully had gone back to sleep. Maybe she would stay that way until Levi had her in a safe place.
Which likely wouldn’t be the sheriff’s office, not for long anyway.
Though that was the call Levi made as he pulled out of the parking lot of the Outlaw Bar. Alexa prayed this wouldn’t turn out to be a fatal mistake. She kept watch around them, looking for anyone suspicious and wishing that she had a gun. Too bad she hadn’t been able to get the one from the man who’d attacked them.
“Jericho,” Levi said when his brother answered. “I need you to send one of the night deputies out to the gas station on Shaw Road. There might have been some kind of attack.”
Even though Levi didn’t put the call on speaker, Alexa had no trouble hearing Jericho’s answer. “What kind of attack?”
“Just check it out. My source isn’t reliable.”
That was a generous way of putting it. And his doubt was deserved. After all, she’d lied to Levi and the Crocketts before.
It hadn’t turned out well.
However, she wasn’t lying about the attack. It’d happened, all right, and Alexa figured it would take a couple of lifetimes to get the images of the attack out of her head.
“I also need you to find out if there’s been a breach at WITSEC,” Levi added a moment later.
Jericho pau
sed, no doubt wondering what the heck this was all about. “Give me a minute and I’ll see what I can find out. I’ll call you right back.”
She held her breath, hoping that Levi wouldn’t mention her name. He didn’t, thank goodness. But he continued the drive to the sheriff’s office. Soon Jericho would see her. And he wouldn’t be any more pleased about this situation than Levi was.
“You can’t tell the marshals I’m here in Appaloosa Pass,” she said to Levi when he put away his phone.
“Give me one good reason why.”
“Marshal Elroy Lockwood,” she provided right away.
Levi knew him, of course. And knew him well. Because Lockwood worked with Levi’s other brother, Chase, who was also a marshal. Lockwood had also helped investigate certain aspects of the Moonlight Strangler case. Of course, every law enforcement agency in the state had gotten involved in that investigation in some way or another since the killer had been operating for more than two decades.
“What does Marshal Lockwood have to do with this?” Levi asked.
“Maybe everything. I think he’s dirty and trying to hide his involvement in some criminal activity. He could have been responsible for my WITSEC identity being compromised.”
And more.
Lockwood could have been responsible for Tasha’s murder and those two goons at the gas station.
Levi shook his head, mumbled some profanity. “You have concrete proof that Lockwood’s dirty?”
“No, just some talk from CIs, but I can’t risk you trusting him. Not until you have Violet in a safe place.” Alexa tipped her head to the baby. “If you tell everyone she’s Tasha’s, at best she’ll be turned over to Child Protective Services since Tasha doesn’t have a next of kin. At worst...” She had to take a deep breath. “At worst, the killer might come after the baby, too.”
Before Levi could give her any assurance that wouldn’t happen, his phone buzzed, and he answered it while he continued to drive. Continued to keep watch, too. Good. Alexa didn’t want that hired thug coming back for another attack.
“It’s Jericho,” Levi relayed to her right before he answered the call, but like before he didn’t put the call on speaker. So Alexa moved closer, hoping to hear what the hard-nosed sheriff had to say.
“I’ve got someone on the way to the gas station to check it out,” Jericho explained. “And there’s nothing about any problems at WITSEC. Should I specifically ask about April, though?”
April Landis, a woman in WITSEC who had an even more personal connection to the Crocketts than Alexa. Because April was pregnant with Chase Crockett’s child. It didn’t surprise her that Jericho would want to make sure April was okay. Even though Alexa didn’t actually know April, she also wanted to make sure April was safe. Both April and she had found themselves in the dangerous situation of having to testify against men who were linked through criminal activities. Alexa could get one man convicted. April, the other. But both April and she had to stay alive first.
“Ask but don’t make any waves just yet,” Levi answered. “I don’t want April alarmed unless I’m certain there’s something to be alarmed about. As I said, I’m not sure I can trust my source.”
Jericho paused. “This doesn’t have anything to do with...anyone else we know, does it?”
Even though Jericho hadn’t specifically mentioned her by name, Alexa knew he was referring to her. The venom in his tone said it all. The sheriff hated her as much as Levi did. She could also include his entire family in that hate fest.
And she deserved every bit of it.
“I’ll be at the sheriff’s office in about ten minutes,” Levi told his brother. “I’ll explain everything then.” Levi hung up and took the road to lead them into town. “And you’ll explain everything to me,” he added to Alexa when he hit the End Call button.
Where to start?
Better yet, how much to say?
Or not to say.
“This morning I went over to Tasha’s to see the baby and her. She’d just gotten out of the hospital, so I thought she could use some help. While I was there, these two armed men showed up and tried to muscle their way in. Tasha and I escaped with the baby, but the men fired shots at us.”
Mercy, the sound of those bullets was still echoing in her head.
“Tasha was in WITSEC, too?” he asked.
“No. I met her after my relocation to Austin and we became friends. She’d been in hiding because of a stalker she couldn’t shake. A guy named Scottie Norse. According to her, he’s a violent, dangerous man, and Tasha was afraid he might try to hurt the baby or use the baby to force Tasha to be with him.”
“A stalker,” he repeated. “Is that Scottie’s baby?”
“No,” she repeated. “According to Tasha, she’s definitely not Scottie’s. And I believe her. She showed me a picture of Scottie so I’d know who he was if I ever saw him around, and Violet doesn’t resemble him at all. Tasha said the baby’s father was a guy named Brett Mendoza.”
“So, how was Tasha involved with Scottie then?” he asked.
“Tasha said she dated him for a while but broke off things when he became abusive. She had him arrested after he assaulted her, but he didn’t spend any time in jail. It was his first offense, and he’s got money and connections. Tasha moved, started seeing another guy, got pregnant, but then he was killed in a car accident.”
He stayed quiet a moment. “So, maybe Lockwood isn’t dirty. Maybe the dirt is from this scumbag stalker who sent the gunmen after Tasha.”
“Maybe,” she mumbled.
Alexa couldn’t rule it out, but she couldn’t rule herself out, either. After all, there was a reason she was in WITSEC, and she hadn’t exactly stayed out of things since she’d been given a new identity.
“Tell me more about these men who attacked you,” Levi insisted.
“I didn’t recognize them. We escaped in Tasha’s SUV, and the men came in pursuit. They chased us for over an hour before they caught up with us at the gas station. That’s when they said we should just surrender, that it wouldn’t do any good for us to escape because they had contacts and listening devices in the local law enforcement offices.”
“And you believed them?” he asked.
She nodded, not trusting her voice for several seconds. “It’s not hard to plant bugs or monitor the police radio.”
He made a sound that was possibly of agreement. Because he knew it was true. Most small-town police stations didn’t do routine sweeps for listening devices.
“If you tell everyone the baby’s ours, then Scottie won’t have a reason to come after her,” Alexa spelled out.
“If I tell everyone she’s ours, then it’s going to stir up trouble in my family,” he countered.
Definitely. “I’m very sorry about that. But until I know more about the attack, it’s the best way to keep Violet safe.”
He didn’t argue with that. Not verbally anyway. She braced herself for the questions that Levi was no doubt ready to ask.
But Levi didn’t ask her anything.
That was when she realized he had his attention nailed to the rearview mirror.
That put her heart right back in her throat, and Alexa whirled around in the seat to see what had put that look of concern on his face.
An SUV was coming up behind them.
“You said you stole this vehicle,” Levi reminded her. “But what would the other hired thug be driving?”
“Probably Tasha’s SUV. We used it when we escaped from the apartment in Austin. It’s dark green.” She studied the vehicle behind them, but the headlights were too bright for her to see much.
“Why didn’t you use her SUV when you got out of there with the baby?” he asked, snagging her attention.
“The hired gun’s car was closer. After they shot Tasha, I grabbed the
baby from her arms, jumped in our attacker’s car and got out of there as fast as I could.”
Levi sped up a little and then cursed when the vehicle behind them did the same. “Why isn’t the baby in an infant car seat?” he asked.
That certainly didn’t steady her heartbeat. It started to race again. “Her infant carrier was in Tasha’s SUV, and I couldn’t get to it before I had to hurry away from the gas station.”
Alexa knew where this was going. The baby was vulnerable on the backseat with nothing to restrain her. The newborn was too young to roll over and fall, but a collision could be deadly.
Thankfully, they were already at the edge of town where there were businesses and shops. Yes, it was late and all of them were closed, but maybe the possibility of being spotted would stop the killer from launching a full-scale attack.
Maybe.
“I’ll get back there with her,” Alexa said, climbing over the seat, and she hoped the precaution was just overkill.
It wasn’t.
“We’re still a minute or two out from the sheriff’s office,” Levi said. “It won’t do me any good to call for backup now. We’ll get there before Jericho could respond. Just hold on to the baby and stay down.”
Alexa did indeed hold on to the baby, but she lifted her head just enough to see what the heck was going on. And she didn’t like what she saw.
Oh, no. Not this.
The SUV was right behind them, well past the mere tailgating stage. And now that Alexa got a better look at it, she knew for a fact that it was Tasha’s vehicle. That meant the person or persons inside had come to try to kill her. The driver didn’t waste any more time. He rammed into the car.
The jolt was instant.
It threw Alexa forward, slamming her against the seat in front of her. Thankfully, it didn’t do the same to the baby. Alexa put her body over the newborn’s, hoping it would be enough to protect the little girl.
There was another jolt.
Then another.
The car jerked to the right, and that was when Alexa realized the killers were trying to force them off the road.
And it was working.
Trouble with a Badge Page 2
