Face of Danger

by Valerie Hansen

  “Hey, this isn’t funny. You know I don’t like the dark!”

  Still, the Ranger didn’t reply. Could he be testing her to see if she’d follow his instructions to the letter? It was a remote possibility. Very remote, she argued. Cade might be bossy but he wasn’t cruel. Paige was certain he’d never purposely try to scare her. Whoever had killed the lights had to be up to their old tricks and still bent on stopping her from identifying the skull. Well, it was too late for that. She’d finished her sculpting and the views of that face were already spread all over Texas. No matter what else happened, she’d done her job.

  What had become of Cade? she wondered, so worried she could barely make herself concentrate, let alone spring into decisive action the way she knew he would have.

  Her hand closed on the knob. She twisted. As soon as the latch let go, a shadowy object at the base of the door pushed it partway in. There wasn’t enough light filtering through the window from the parking lot to tell much, but Paige knew without a doubt that the object crumpled on the floor at her feet was Cade Jarvis.

  She crouched and laid a tremulous hand on his head, then pushed her fingers through his thick hair. Although his body was warm, she was certain she’d felt blood pulsing from his scalp. That was a good sign. If he wasn’t alive, he wouldn’t still be bleeding like that.

  Cloaked in a silent darkness that pressed in as if trying to smother her and render her ineffectual, Paige held her ground. She wanted to run, to scream, to hide and cover her head the way she had after she’d run away to go looking for Amy and had wandered the darkened park grounds until the police had finally seen her and made her go home.

  No outsiders were going to come to her aid this time. If there was any rescuing to be done, she was going to have to do it. Alone. And soon, she added, gritting her teeth. Grabbing a handful of Cade’s jacket, she started to drag him through the door so she could lock it again.

  Footfalls, padded but unmistakable, resonated down the empty hallway from her left. And they were getting louder. Someone was running her way. Fast.

  Panic gave Paige the added strength she needed. With a mighty yank she jerked Cade the rest of the way, kicked his booted feet out of the opening and slammed the door just as a heavy body crashed against it from the other side.

  A curse in Spanish. More muttering. Kicks at the base of the door. In a distant corner of the room Max began to growl, apparently so frightened he’d gone into hiding.

  Paige threw the deadbolt and leaned against the door. How long would it hold? What should she do next?

  At her feet she heard a soft moan. Forgetting everything else, she dropped to the floor and gently cradled Cade’s head in her lap. He stirred and tried to sit up.

  “Whoa. Take it easy, cowboy. You’ve been out cold.”

  He rubbed his head and winced when his fingers touched the injury. “Somebody must have hit me from behind.”

  “Guess so.”

  Managing to raise on one elbow, he peered into the gloom. “Where am I?”

  “Back in my office.”

  “But…how did I get here? The last thing I remember is being in the hall.”

  “Yeah, well, I disobeyed your orders again and opened the door after all the lights went out.” She couldn’t see his expression but did feel his muscles knot where her hand was resting on his shoulder. Before he could express more displeasure, she added, “And it’s a good thing I did or you’d still be lying out there with the guy who’s been trying to break in. Thankfully, the door is holding.”

  “What guy? Did you see anybody?”

  “No.” She assisted him as he struggled to regain his equilibrium and stand, although he was still unsteady. “Lean on me.”

  “Wait,” Cade said. “Listen. I don’t hear anybody trying to jimmy the door. Do you?”

  “Not now. He was a minute ago. He was speaking Spanish, too.”

  “What did he say?”

  “I recognized a few words. They aren’t ones I intend to repeat.”

  “Okay. Get over behind the computer table and stay down.”

  “What’re you planning to do? You can’t fight him hand-to-hand when you can hardly balance.”

  “I’ll think of something.”

  Paige was about to tell him exactly what she thought of his non-plan plan when she heard his quick intake of breath. Her heart leaped into her throat and lodged there. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

  To her surprise and relief, he laughed quietly. “Nope. Just checked my holster. The guy must have thought he’d finished me off because he didn’t bother to take my gun. Here.” He thrust his cell phone at her. “Call 911.”

  She immediately complied. “Done. Help is on the way. What else?”

  “Nothing. We wait.”

  To Paige’s delight, Cade slipped an arm around her and guided her to the spot where he’d told her to hide. She didn’t care where she was as long as he was with her. The addition of his closeness and display of affection, however slight, was merely the icing on the best cake she’d ever eaten. There was nothing like a good scare to bring people together, was there? Especially if they survived.

  She cuddled closer. “You figure on thanking me for rescuing you anytime soon?”

  “I may.” His voice lost its softness. “Hush.”

  “Why? What…?”

  “The window.” Releasing her, he raised up enough to rest both hands atop the computer table. They were gripping his .45 and aiming it at the only source of light, the parking lot.

  A man-shaped shadow came between them and the outside reflections, then seemed to back away. Cade tensed.

  Paige screamed as a body burst through the glass. The attacker fired wildly, acting bent on killing anything and everything in the room.

  Cade’s gun jerked once. Flames leaped from the end of the barrel. Everything became deathly still.

  Keeping his .45 trained on the place where he’d thought the man had landed, he flicked on his flashlight, then approached and carefully checked the vital signs of the body.

  Satisfied that the danger was over for good, he returned and pulled Paige into his arms. She was shaking but not crying the way he’d expected her to.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. You?”

  “Fine. That guy was shooting too wildly to hit anything.”

  “Is he dead?”

  “Yes.” Cade felt her arms tighten around his waist. “Positive?”

  “No question.” He sighed as he stroked her back to help calm her. “It might have been better if we’d been able to question him but I couldn’t see well enough to choose my target. I just had to aim for the muzzle flash and hope.”

  “And pray,” Paige added. She was smiling up at him when the lights came back on.

  Squinting, Cade gave her a quizzical look, said, “Oh?” and was thrilled to see her nod.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, leaving absolutely no doubt she was asking to be kissed.

  More than happy to oblige, he claimed her lips as if he’d waited all his life for that moment. Paige responded in kind.

  Cade wondered how long they would have stood like that if a uniformed Trooper’s arrival hadn’t interrupted them.

  Grinning, he’d squeezed her tight for one last moment, leaned his head back, closed his eyes and thanked God for everything. It was a long, long list. One he hoped to add to for the rest of his life—with Paige.

  EPILOGUE

  Enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with Cade and his father, Jacob, at their ranch north of San Antonio seemed so natural to Paige she was floored. Both men were going out of their way to make her feel at home and their efforts were succeeding beautifully. Not only was she impressed with the ranch itself, she was also surprised at how easy the drive was from her place on the southern outskirts of Austin.

  Cade’s small, quaint house was nearly as charming as its occupants, with furnishings that weren’t a bit ostentatious. Happily, her own home was
also habitable again and daily life had gotten back to normal. Angela had recovered fully and had enrolled in a self-defense class. Cade had acted amused, especially after Paige had informed him that she was going to take the class, too.

  Jacob directed a question to his son. “I hear things have settled down in Austin. Who was the guy who crashed through the window and made you shoot him?”

  “Rick Martinez,” Cade replied. “Like we’d figured, he was another underling working for the Lions of Texas.”

  “What about that face Paige recreated?”

  “It belonged to Axle Hudson, a very wealthy man who had been missing for about two years. He wasn’t a criminal so his DNA wasn’t on file with CODIS. We got a positive match after his estranged wife provided a sample of his hair.”

  “That’s good. You gonna go check her out?”

  “He’d better not,” Paige offered with a grin. “Captain Parker says he has to take time off until the doctors are happy with his cracked head.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with me. I keep telling them that but they won’t listen.”

  “I understand the captain is sending Lieutenant Daniel Riley to speak to the widow,” Paige said. “He seems quite capable.”

  Chortling, Jacob nodded. “Probably is. My son thinks there’s nobody but him who can handle the tough jobs. It’s a family trait.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  The older man turned and reached for a pie that was waiting on the sideboard. “Who’s ready for dessert? How about it, Paige? Do you like pumpkin? I’ve got whipped cream, too.”

  “I love pie. Thanks.”

  “Cade baked it himself.” Jacob gave her a sly grin and a wink.

  She could tell by the resulting expression on the Ranger’s face that his father was stretching the truth past the breaking point. Nevertheless, she played along. “Good. I love a man who can cook.”

  Jacob chortled. “My Maryanne did, too.” Squirting a dollop of whipped cream topping on her pie before passing it to her, he added, “So, when are you two getting married?”

  If Paige had had a mouthful right then, she knew she’d have blown dessert all over the table.

  Cade wasn’t doing much better at hiding his shock. “Dad! Stop it.”

  Shrugging, Jacob continued to dish up their pie as if he hadn’t done a thing wrong. “Well, you did say your kids would be brilliant with Page for a mother, so I figured it was only a matter of time.”

  She knew her mouth was open almost as wide as her eyes were when she swung her gaze to Cade.

  “Dad said that. I didn’t.”

  Biting her lip to keep from bursting out laughing, she watched his complexion go from a light tan to something akin to a boiled lobster before she spoke up. “Oh, really? You don’t agree that I’m smart? I could tell you my IQ if you need to be impressed.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  Paige lost what little self-control she’d had left. Just being there with Cade was so wonderful and perfect, yet so nerve-racking, she’d been on the verge of getting the giggles all afternoon. Seeing him caught off balance like that pushed her emotions over the edge.

  In seconds, she was laughing so hard she was doubled over. She covered her face with her napkin. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Across the table, Sam was in a similar state of hilarity.

  When Paige finally caught her breath and looked up, however, Cade was not only not laughing, he had approached and was down on one knee beside her chair.

  “If you think the idea of us getting married is really that funny, maybe I shouldn’t ask.”

  It was the tender expression on his face, not his words, that melted her heart and made her reach to caress his cheek. “Be careful, cowboy,” she whispered. “I just might say yes.”

  “Is that a threat or a promise?”

  “Definitely a promise,” Paige said.

  She leaned closer so he could kiss her the way he had after their ordeal had finally ended. This time, they had a retired State Trooper as a witness instead of a current one, but Paige didn’t care. After all, Jacob was practically family already.

  She pressed her lips to Cade’s and sighed. She could hardly wait for the next blessing the good Lord had in store for her. If it was half as good as this one, she knew it would take her breath away.

  Dear Reader,

  As you have probably already noticed, this is book #3 in the Texas Ranger Justice miniseries. You’ll find the other five titles, and the names of their authors, listed in this book. When our publisher asks us to work together to form an ongoing story we always enjoy the challenge, even though it can sometimes be frustrating and confusing.

  In Face of Danger, Paige Bryant is also confused. Problems in her past have left her wondering whether God even exists, let alone answers her prayers. It isn’t until she stops trying to do everything under her own power and turns back to the faith of her childhood that she finally receives the help she seeks. It isn’t complicated. All a person has to do is ask God, with an open heart, and He will be there for you as Paige, and I, have learned.

  I love to hear from readers. The quickest replies are by email, Val@ValerieHansen.com, or check out my website, www.ValerieHansen.com. By regular mail, you can reach me at PO Box 13, Glencoe, AR 72539.

  Blessings,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Is there anything in your childhood that might keep you from being happy today? Can you think of it without being sad or angry?

  Looking back as an adult, do you wish you had handled a childhood situation differently? How? Might you have made things worse instead of better?

  Is it possible that everything was working for your good, even if you didn’t realize it at the time? Look at Paige’s life and see where her trauma eventually brought her.

  Have you ever been afraid of the dark? I am. I have a terrible time controlling my imagination, even though I do trust God. Does that seem sensible? Why or why not?

  Because Cade is so dedicated to his job and to helping people, was it harder for him to admit he didn’t have all the answers? Could pride be his problem?

  It’s easy to be sorry for things we’ve done in the past. Have you found it hard to forgive yourself? Do you think God is like that, or is He able to forgive everything if we simply ask?

  Cade can be bossy when he feels others need protecting. Is he right to act that way? Is it more in a

  I love dogs, which is probably why Paige is so strongly attached to her sheepdog, Max. In this case, however, might she be using the dog’s unquestioning acceptance to soothe her fear that she’s fallen short of pleasing people?

  Is your family cold or distant, the way Paige’s parents were after her sister was kidnapped? Is there a reason to try to forgive those who treat you badly?

  When two headstrong individuals meet, are they likely to fall in love easily or do you think it will be harder for them than for a couple where one is strong-willed and the other more easygoing?

  We actually began work on this series before there was such an explosion of trouble on the southern borders of Texas. If you lived there, would you change your daily habits or do you think the press is overpublicizing the drug wars?

  Paige and Angela are basically defenseless when they’re home alone. Do you feel the same? Is it possible that God expects us to defend ourselves, at least by using our wits?

  Paige makes mistakes. More than once. So does Cade, even if he won’t admit it. Is it sensible for her, when she knows she’s in danger, to listen to her heart instead of her brain?

  When Paige is in danger and Cade comes to her rescue, why does she imagine him as some kind of superhero? Can a normal person take on a more important role through circumstances? Does that really change who they are?

  There can be a danger in assuming we know everything important about a person in a very short time. Was Paige foolish to fall in love so fast? If this was real life instead of fiction, do you think she’d have been wiser to wait
before agreeing to spend the rest of her life with the Ranger?

  Special thanks and acknowledgment to Valerie Hansen for her contribution to the Texas Ranger Justice miniseries.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8869-4

  FACE OF DANGER

  Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

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  *Serenity, Arkansas