by Elle James
A siren wailed from a couple blocks away. Soon, a sheriff’s vehicle arrived with blazing lights. Another one joined the first, along with an ambulance and a fire engine.
The emergency medical technicians went to work helping those injured by flying debris.
An imposing man in uniform stepped out of a county sheriff’s vehicle, a frown creasing his forehead. “Someone want to tell me what the Sam-hill happened here?”
“And you are?”
“Sheriff Mizner.” He held out his hand.
“Colin McKinnon. And this is Emily Tremont.” Colin stepped forward with Emily in the crook of his arm and shook the sheriff’s hand. “Sheriff, apparently, there’s been a hit and run.”
The sheriff pulled a pad and pen from his pocket and made notes as Colin and Emily filled him in on what they knew.
“Any idea why these people in the SUVs would want to hurt you?” the lawman asked.
Emily shook her head. “I have no idea. But it’s not the first time I’ve been followed. It’s been happening over the past three months. Only, this is the first time they’ve attacked.”
Colin leaned back, his frown deepening. “You’ve been followed for three months?”
She shrugged. “I think so. I didn’t realize it was happening for the first couple of weeks following Alex’s death, but when they continued to follow, it became obvious.” She twisted her fingers around the strap of her purse. “They’ve had me so spooked, I had an alarm system installed in my house.” She stared out at the darkness. “Why they decided to attack me now, I don’t know.”
The sheriff touched her arm. “Ms. Tremont, why didn’t you let us know? At the very least, you should have notified your county sheriff’s department.”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure it was a problem, until tonight. Besides, you and Sheriff Barron over in Eagle Rock have had enough on your plates, what with John McKinnon’s disappearance.”
Colin’s gut clenched at the mention of his father. The man had been missing now for a couple weeks with only a single vague clue to go on. The woman with the unicorn tattoo.
The sheriff shook his head. “Your safety is just as important as us finding McKinnon.” He met Colin’s gaze.
Colin nodded. “That’s right.” He turned to Emily. “Did you get a look at their license plates?”
Emily shook her head. “No. It was dark, and I was too busy trying to avoid being caught by them.” Her brow twisted, and she faced the sheriff. “Do you think they could be the same people who killed my husband?”
Sheriff Mizner sighed. “I don’t know. I’m sorry to say, we still don’t have so much as a single lead on the case. We’ve been working with Sheriff Barron, since the case crosses counties, and we have a few more resources than he does. We haven’t found any evidence that points to the person who shot your husband.”
“The state crime lab has had his computer all this time.” Emily crossed her arms over her chest. “As much time as he spent working on that computer, you’d think he’d have left some kind of clues. It has to be someone he worked with. Someone whose books he worked on. A client. A client’s spouse…someone.” Her voice caught on the last word, and her throat worked as she swallowed hard.
Colin had heard about Alex’s death. He’d just come off a mission in Syria when he’d gotten the message from his mother. Tagged with going right back out on another taskforce, he hadn’t been able to help Emily as he’d promised when she’d married his best friend.
The sheriff touched her arm. “Between my detectives here in Gallatin County and Sheriff Barron’s county’s resources, we’ve questioned more than half his clients and haven’t found anything to make us suspicious of any one of his contacts.” He dropped his hand. “Did he keep a separate database on another computer? A flash drive or data storage device locked up in a safe?”
Emily shook her head. “I don’t know. He had his work. I had mine, working real estate. I’ve looked through his file cabinets, desk and the safe in his office. I didn’t find anything I haven’t already given you or Sheriff Barron.”
“I find it hard to believe his death was a random shooting,” the sheriff said.
“It couldn’t have been. And it’s been three months.” Emily narrowed her eyes at the sheriff. “You’d think by now, you’d have found something.”
Sheriff Mizner’s lips pressed into a tight line. “We’re doing the best we can.” One of his deputies called out his name. He raised a hand and gave the man a chin lift before returning his attention to Emily. “Do you want me have Sheriff Barron position a deputy in front of your house 24/7?”
Emily shook her head. “He doesn’t have the manpower to do that. I have a gun and a security system. I’ll take care of myself.”
“If you need anything—” the sheriff started.
“I know how to dial 911.” Emily’s lips twisted. “And I know you’re doing the best you can, given your resources. It’s just frustrating and frightening, knowing Alex’s killer is still free.” She waved her hand toward her ruined vehicle. “And now this.”
“We’ll see what we can find. Maybe one of the other business owners has a security camera and caught the perps’ vehicles so we can get a make and model, and maybe even a license plate.” He held out his hand. “Mr. McKinnon, nice to meet you. Rest assured…we’re also helping Sheriff Barron and the state police in the search to find your father. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” He hurried toward the deputy who’d been waiting patiently for his attention.
Colin was sick to learn that Emily had been the target of a stalker and someone who’d attempted to kill her by smashing into her car. “I should’ve been here,” Colin murmured.
Emily frowned. “It wasn’t your problem. Besides, you have a life of your own in the Marine Corps.”
Her words weren’t sharp or accusing, but they struck Colin in the gut, as they had ten years ago when Emily had agreed to marry Alex. She’d wanted stability, a place to set down roots and a husband who didn’t put himself in harm’s way.
Alex had been all that. He’d been the safe choice. At least, they’d all thought he was. Until three months ago, when he’d been shot and killed while driving home with his wife.
Since when did accountants generate enough rage to make someone want to kill them? Everyone had loved Alex. He’d been a nice, smart guy who’d loved Emily.
Knowing Alex would be a good, safe choice for Emily, Colin hadn’t fought to tear her away from him. Oh, he’d wanted to, but he’d always dreamed of joining the military. And Emily hadn’t wanted anything to do with it.
Having lost her father to Operation Enduring Freedom, she couldn’t risk her heart to a man who would leave her behind to go into battle.
Colin shook his head. And Alex had been the one to die from a bullet wound. He mourned his friend and hated the situation it had put Emily in, but the irony wasn’t lost on him.
“Can I go home now?” Emily asked, staring at her SUV covered in debris from the wall of the tavern. “I’m tired.”
“You bet.” Colin slipped an arm around her waist and led her toward his truck, parked at the far end of the parking lot.
Once he handed her up into the passenger seat and helped her secure her seatbelt, he rounded the hood of the pickup and climbed in behind the wheel.
Emily stared forward, her face pale, her expression guarded. “Thank you, Colin. But once you drop me off at my house in Eagle Rock, you don’t have to stick around. I can take care of myself. You have to find your father. My problem isn’t yours.”
Colin paused with his hand on the key, his brow pushing downward. He sat back and stared at her. “I might not have been there for you when Alex died…but I’m here now, and I intend to stay.”
Her gaze shot to his. “You can’t. You’re still in the Marine Corps. They aren’t going to let you stay for long.”
“I’ll stay as long as it takes.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “I made a promise, that if anything happened to
Alex, I’d look after you.”
She tried to tug her hand free, but he refused to release it. “I’m not your problem. You don’t have to look after me. My mother taught me not to rely on any man for my support or happiness. I should have listened ten years ago. But I’m listening now.” She lifted her chin and stared into his eyes. “All I need from you is a ride back to Eagle Rock. If you can’t do that, I’ll get one of the sheriff’s deputies to transport me there.” She stared down at his hand. “Let go of my hand. Please.”
Colin didn’t want to let go. He wanted to shake her, but the determination in her face and the way she held her body so rigid told him all he needed to know. She didn’t want his help. Nor did she want him holding her back.
Reluctantly, he released her hand and sat up straight. “You know that I care about you.”
She shrugged and looked away.
He continued. “We were the Three Musketeers. We did everything together.”
Without facing him, she said in a quiet but firm voice, “That was ten years ago. We were kids. Everything is different now.”
He didn’t want it to be different. Colin realized he’d always loved Emily. That hadn’t changed. Now that Alex was gone…
The thought came suddenly. Just as suddenly, he tried to push it back, guilt weighing heavily. He’d loved Alex like a brother. He’d never wished anything but happiness for him and Emily. But he’d been envious and crushed that she’d chosen Alex over him. Ten years had softened the blow, but it hadn’t eased the pain. Now that Alex was out of the picture, Colin didn’t have the right to move in on the beautiful widow.
But he’d made a promise. Whether she liked it or not, he would help her.
Chapter 2
Emily sat in the seat beside Colin, twisting the strap of her purse between her fingers. She should have had the sheriff assign a deputy to transport her back to Eagle Rock.
An hour in Colin’s proximity could only mean trouble. When he’d wrapped his arms around her and held her, she’d wanted to stay there until all the bad things happening to her went away.
Guilt gnawed at her insides. Alex hadn’t been dead for three months, and she was already thinking about Colin and how much she’d missed him over the past ten years. Especially when her marriage had hit rock bottom, and Alex had gotten sullen and secretive.
“What brought you to Bozeman today?” Colin asked, breaking the silence.
Emily started, clutching her purse to her chest. Then she remembered the packet the attorney had handed her in his office. She pulled it from her purse and stared down at it, a frown pulling her brow low. “I was in Bozeman to meet with the attorney handling Alex’s estate. Alex left this packet for me.”
“And the attorney is just now getting it to you?”
She nodded. “He was instructed to give it to me three months after Alex’s death.” Emily glanced across at him. “It was as if Alex knew he was going to die. How did he know that?”
“And you don’t know who he was working with?”
She shook her head. “I always asked how his day was, but I never asked who his clients were. But you’d think the sheriff’s offices would have found something on his computer. I thought he kept all of his clients’ information in his online files.”
Colin nodded toward the envelope Emily held in her hand. “Maybe the packet he gave you holds the answer.”
“The attorney said I was to open it when I got home.” Her fingers toyed with the seal. “Why would he say that?”
“You were driving. Could be he didn’t want you to open it until you got home because he didn’t want you to get upset and have a wreck,” Colin suggested.
Emily stared at the packet, her eyes narrowing. “The people following me didn’t attack until I had this envelope in my hands. Before, they’d always followed at a distance.”
“Emily, what’s in the envelope?”
Unwilling to wait until she reached home, she tore open the large envelope and pulled out the contents. Inside was a single sheet of paper, a key and a small secure digital card. “Just a letter, a key and an SD card.”
Her gaze scanned the words on the page.
Dear Emily,
I’ve always loved you, but from the day we said I do, I felt like I could never have you, heart and soul. Everything I did, I did in an attempt to make you happy. Too late, I realized the only person who could make you happy was you. I’m sorry I got you into this. I pray my connections don’t come back to haunt you. Have a beautiful life. You deserve it.
Alex
Tears welled in Emily’s eyes and dropped onto the paper she held in her hand. “Oh, Alex, what have you done?”
“Is that from Alex?” Colin asked.
“It is.” Emily read the letter aloud. She scrubbed a hand across her eyes. “What do you think he meant by his ‘connections’?”
Colin’s lips twisted. “I’d say whoever tried to ram you.” He shook his head. “Sounds like Alex got mixed up with some bad characters.”
Emily looked up at the dark road ahead. “He was an accountant. How does that profession attract unsavory people?” Her fingers curled around the SD card and the key.
“What about the SD card? Maybe it holds the clues you’ve been searching for. Do you have a computer at home we can plug it into?”
She nodded. “I have my laptop I use for work.”
“Good. Hopefully, it’ll shed some light on who could be after you.”
“But why me? I didn’t do anything?”
“Maybe they don’t want whatever is on that card to get out.”
“How would they know about the card? I just got it.”
“You say they didn’t attack until you received the package from the attorney.”
Emily nodded, then realized he couldn’t hear her head rattle in the darkness and answered, “True.”
“That has to be it. They don’t want whatever is on that card to get out.”
She opened her hand and stared at the tiny object in her palm. “You think they rammed my SUV because of what might be on this SD card or what the key might unlock?”
“I’m just guessing at this point. But why else would they go after you now, when Alex has been gone for three months?”
Again, she closed her hand around the card, her lips thinning. “I don’t know what’s happening. All I know is that I’m tired of being followed, tired of looking over my shoulder, and it’s time to nail the people who killed my husband.” Her hands clenched into fists. “I’m done being scared.”
Colin smiled and murmured, “That’s the Emily I remember.”
She frowned. “And don’t patronize me.”
He held up one hand in surrender. “Sorry. It was a compliment. You were always the one taking on the bullies when no one else would stand up to them.”
Her lips curled in a smile. “And you bailed me out on more than one occasion.”
“Someone had to,” he said, his tone wry. “You always picked the biggest, meanest badass to stand toe to toe with.”
“Dale Rice wouldn’t have hit me,” she argued, remembering the day she’d stood up for one of the computer geeks against the school bully.
Rice, a football lineman, could have snapped her in half with one of his meaty fists.
Colin had stepped between them and defused the situation. He had a way of calming the most belligerent foes with his charm or humor.
“What did you tell Dale that day?” Emily asked. “He never bothered me again. In fact, he was actually nice to me and Milton Grimes, the geek he was teasing.”
Colin puffed out his chest. “I told him I’d kick his ass if he ever so much as looked cross-eyed at you or Milton.”
Emily shot him a disbelieving glance. “No, you did not.”
Colin gave a smug smile. “Guess you’ll never know.”
She glowered at him. “I despise secrets. Secrets came between Alex and me during the last couple years of our marriage. And from what I’m learning, secrets got A
lex killed.”
“I get it.” Colin glanced toward her. “I told Dale that you and Milton were undercover agents for the FBI, and that he was about to blow your cover.”
Emily snorted. “Seriously. What did you tell him?”
Colin’s eyebrows rose. “Scout’s honor. That’s what I told him.” He made an X with his finger across his chest. “In strict confidence, of course.”
Emily stared at Colin for a long moment and shook her head. “I never knew when you were telling the truth or pulling my leg.”
“I never pulled your leg when it was important,” he said. “I really did tell Dale that you were an FBI agent.”
“And he bought it?” Emily chuckled. “He must have taken one too many hits on the football field.”
“That would be my guess.” Colin slowed as he entered Eagle Rock a few minutes later and turned on the street where Emily and Alex had lived.
When the truck came to a stop in front of the two-story white house with the forest-green shutters, Emily hesitated to get out.
Colin reached into the glove box and extracted a handgun. He dropped down from his seat and rounded the front to her door, pulling it open. “Come on. The sooner we look at what’s on that card, the sooner we’ll get to the bottom of who might have killed Alex.”
She nodded and took the hand Colin extended to her.
A spark of electricity rippled up her arm and through her body, warming her in the cool night air.
Colin had always had that effect on her. When they’d been the Three Musketeers in high school, she’d felt the same energy and had shied away from it, keeping Colin strictly in the friend zone. He made her feel off-balance, awkward in her own skin and unable to control her emotions and physical reactions. Frankly, the way he’d made her feel had scared her.
