The Texas Lawman's Last Stand

by Delores Fossen

  “Stop fighting me!” the man yelled. He slammed his gun against the side of Mattie’s head. He was a stranger. And about to be a dead one.

  The rage roared through Bo, and even though he knew the person in the car could take a shot at him, he couldn’t just stand there and let Mattie be beaten by this thug.

  Bo came out of cover and took aim so he could fire a warning shot over the gunman’s head. He wanted nothing more than to put a bullet in this guy, but Bo couldn’t risk that with Mattie in the man’s grip.

  He fired the shot, and just as Bo had hoped, her attacker pivoted in Bo’s direction. What the man didn’t do was let go of Mattie. He slung her in front of him.

  “Drop you gun and let her go,” Bo ordered.

  For a split second, Mattie’s eyes met Bo’s. The rain was sheeting down her face, and she was pale, but he saw something he hadn’t seen earlier when she was in the other vehicle.

  Determination.

  She wasn’t going to just stand there and let this kidnapper kill her.

  Mattie threw her weight to the right, landing with a thud against the black car. And even though her attacker didn’t let go of her, there was just enough space for Bo to get off a clean shot.

  He took it.

  The gunman aimed his weapon at Bo. He wasn’t nearly fast enough. Bo double tapped the trigger, sending two bullets right into the man.

  Her attacker dropped to the ground, his weapon skittering across the wet concrete.

  He watched the guy on the ground to make sure he wasn’t faking his death. Bo didn’t want this SOB going for the gun. But he also had another matter: the black car.

  “Move away from the car,” Bo told Mattie.

  But it was already too late.

  The car door flew open, and someone inside grabbed Mattie and dragged her into the car.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It took a moment for Mattie to register that someone had hold of her and had pulled her onto the driver’s seat. She was literally sitting on someone’s lap. Her attention had been on the gunman. The man who’d kidnapped her and threatened her life.

  He was now dead on the ground.

  Bo had shot him. Bo had saved her.

  She hadn’t had time to feel the relief or run to Bo. Because someone had her again.

  Mattie fought to break free of the grip, but then her new attacker pressed something over her face. A cloth. And because Mattie was already breathing hard, she drew in the sick-sweet smell.

  Chloroform.

  She recognized the scent from a case she’d worked on early in her career. Someone was trying to knock her out.

  Mattie rammed her elbow against that someone and made contact. The person gasped and loosened the grip just a little on the cloth. Even though Mattie was already feeling the effects of the drug, she elbowed the person again and again.

  Until her attacker dropped the cloth.

  However, she didn’t have time to get out of the car because an arm curved around her neck, and someone jammed a gun against her head. Again.

  “Mattie?” Bo called out.

  He was moving closer to the car, and he had his gun aimed. Mattie could see that much, though her vision was blurry. Everything was swimming in and out of focus. Including her ability to concentrate. She cursed the chloroform and her attacker. She needed a clear head if both she and Bo were going to get out of this alive.

  “Move and I’ll kill him,” her attacker growled against her ear.

  It was a man, and even though her head was too fuzzy to recognize the hoarse whisper, she understood what he was threatening. He would kill Bo.

  Mattie stopped struggling. She stopped fighting. She just sat there and drew in some deep breaths, hoping it would help her think better.

  What could she do to stop this?

  Bo walked closer, and he didn’t take his attention off her and her attacker. He stepped to the side of the car, by the open door, and his eyes widened when he looked inside.

  “Let her go,” Bo warned.

  Was he talking to another hired gun, or was that recognition she saw on Bo’s face?

  “Step out of the car and put down your gun. You’re not going to get away with this,” Bo tried again.

  “I already have,” the man fired back.

  She lost what little breath she’d managed to regain. That’s because Mattie recognized the voice. This wasn’t a hired gun or a stranger.

  It was Ian.

  Ian was the one holding the gun to her head. And he was no doubt the one who’d hired the dead man to kidnap her from the safe house.

  “How did you find me?” she asked.

  “The ring.”

  She was surprised that he gave an answer, any answer. But she shook her head. “What ring?”

  “The one I had Cicely give you. Your old engagement ring. Well, a fake one, anyway. Brody didn’t leave that in his desk. I bought it and put a tiny tracking device in the bottom of the box. It worked. It led me right to you.”

  Ian moved his mouth closer to her ear. “I would have had my man there sooner, but I got held up at police headquarters and couldn’t call him. I was there most of the night. If not, this would all be over by now.”

  Over. Oh, God. “What do you want?” Mattie asked.

  Ian brushed a kiss on her cheek. “I want you, of course.”

  His words and the touch of his mouth on her skin turned her stomach. Was he insane, or was this some kind of sick attempt to help Kendall?

  Mattie looked at Bo to see what she could read from his face. But he was all cop now. He had his gaze pinpointed on Ian. She wanted Bo to shoot him or do whatever it took to stop this, but Bo couldn’t do that because Ian had positioned her in front of him.

  “Stop right where you are,” Ian said when Bo took another step closer. “If you move, Mattie dies. If she moves, you die. Your choice.”

  Some choice. Mattie didn’t intend to let that happen.

  “Backup will be here soon,” Bo informed him. “They’ll do a silent approach, no sirens. So you won’t even know they’re here until they’re already in position. Let’s end this now before they arrive.”

  Ian laughed. “I can only imagine what your idea of ending it is. I’m sure you’ve already gotten into Arturo’s safety deposit box so you know what’s going on.”

  But they didn’t know, because they hadn’t gotten into the box yet. What was Ian talking about?

  Mattie tried a different approach. “What do you want from me?”

  Because Ian’s chest was right against her back, she felt him stiffen. “I want what I’ve always wanted—you. I love you, Mattie. I always have.”

  Oh, yes. He was crazy. But knowing that didn’t help the situation. Insane people couldn’t be reasoned with, and God knows how Ian was planning to show her how much he’d always loved her.

  “Before supercop here got in the way, I was just going to take you with me,” Ian added. He was angry now and pressed the gun harder into her temple. “No one would have gotten hurt, and it wouldn’t have come down to this.”

  “This?” she repeated. “You’re trying to kidnap me.”

  “No. I knew if we spent some time alone, you’d see that I was the man you really loved. Not Brody. And definitely not this cop.”

  “Listen to what you’re saying,” Bo challenged. “You say you love her, but you’re ready to kill her. That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Yes, it does.” His voice was different now. An eerie calmness replaced the anger. “Because if I can’t have her, no one can. Mattie’s always been mine.”

  Bo took a step closer, and from the corner of her eye Mattie saw the dark green car approach. Backup, no doubt. She didn’t doubt the cops would try to get themselves into a position to end this, but Ian still had the gun pointed to her head. And since he was crazy, he could kill her and then try to end his own life.

  Maybe Bo would live, and that would mean Jacob and Holly would have at least one parent.

  She felt Ia
n move a little, and she glanced back. He’d seen the dark green car. He knew there wasn’t much time before this would escalate or he would have to surrender.

  Mattie feared surrender was the last thing on Ian’s mind.

  “Let her go,” Bo ordered again. “Right now, you’d just be charged with kidnapping. You’re a lawyer. You know you can pull an insanity plea. You can walk away from this and just get time in a mental facility.”

  Even though she hated the thought of Ian being out in just a few years, that was better than any alternative she could come up with.

  “True. I could do that,” Ian conceded. “If it weren’t for that damn safety deposit box. I swear I didn’t know Arturo was smart enough to cover his butt that way. Too bad. Because his attempt to protect himself means my plan is all screwed up. I can’t pin any of this on Kendall or Tolivar. I have nothing to lose.”

  She looked at Bo, who shook his head. Obviously, he didn’t know anything about this, either. But it sounded as if that safety deposit box contained some kind of information that would incriminate Ian.

  “Ian, what did you do?” Mattie demanded.

  “What didn’t I do?” Ian countered.

  Ian had the seat already pushed all the way back, and he began to maneuver her deeper inside the car. He also tipped the gun away from her head.

  And he aimed it at Bo.

  “And it was all for you,” Ian whispered to her. “Before this is over, you might appreciate that. You might learn to love me the way I love you.”

  “Never.”

  It might not be wise to make him angrier than he already was, but Mattie figured she had to do something. Ian was trying to get them into a position so he could drive away with her. And shoot Bo. If she could just get Ian to move the gun, just a little more to the right, then she could ram him with her elbow again and not risk him getting a shot off in Bo’s direction.

  “Never is a long time,” Ian growled. He gave her another adjustment. She was still in his lap, but now she was behind the wheel. Mattie glanced down and saw the keys already in the ignition. “I can change your mind. Where I’m taking you, all we’ll have is time.”

  That made her skin crawl.

  “First, though,” Ian added, “I have just one tiny piece of unfinished business.”

  He meant Bo. Ian was going to try to kill him, and Bo wouldn’t be able to return fire, because despite the new position, she was still in the way.

  What she was about to say was risky, but anything at this point was risky. “I could never love you, Ian. I’m in love with Bo.”

  Since her attention was fastened to Bo, she saw him blink, and he was no doubt asking himself if she meant it.

  She did.

  It was the worst possible timing, but Mattie realized it was the truth. She was in love with Bo.

  “You’re in love with him?” Ian snapped. He put the gun back to her head. “You’re lying.”

  “No. I’m not.” And the truth was there, right in her voice. She could hear it. Bo could, as well.

  And obviously so did Ian.

  Ian yelled, a feral sound that pierced through her right ear, and she felt his arm tense.

  He was about to pull the trigger.

  Mattie drew back her elbow and rammed it into his belly as hard as she could. But it was too late.

  The shot blasted through the car.

  THE BLOOD RUSHED to Bo’s head when he saw what was about to happen. He shouted for Mattie to get down, but the sound of his voice was drowned out by the bullet that Ian fired.

  A thousand things went through Bo’s mind, none good. He had been a cop long enough to know that a point-blank shot was usually fatal.

  He raced to the car, to the tangle of bodies, and he was terrified of what he might see there. In that moment, that one horrible moment, Bo was aware of just how much Mattie meant to him.

  He couldn’t lose her. It couldn’t be too late to save her.

  Bo shifted his angle to the side, and he saw her moving inside the car. Thank God. She was alive. That didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt, though. It was the same for Ian. There was still a fight going on between Mattie and him, and Ian still had his gun.

  Bo wanted to reach inside and try to pull Mattie out, but he couldn’t take the chance. He couldn’t tell if Mattie was somehow restraining Ian’s shooting hand. If he wrenched her from the vehicle, that might give Ian the perfect opportunity to fire another shot.

  And this one might be fatal.

  Bo was aware that backup had arrived. From the corner of his eye, he saw them making their way toward him. They had their guns drawn, ready to help, but no one could help right now. He watched the struggle, trying to figure out how to get Mattie out of there alive.

  She twisted her body, her head whiplashing against the seat. Ian had shoved her, and in that shove, he had created just enough space for Bo to see that Mattie had a death grip on Ian’s right wrist. That prevented Ian from shooting directly at Mattie, but that meant he could use his left hand to punch her. And that’s what the man was doing.

  Ian landed a punch right to Mattie’s face.

  No amount of willpower and training would have stopped Bo at that point. He couldn’t stand by and watch Ian beat her to a pulp.

  Bo holstered his own gun so he could use his hands, and so Ian couldn’t use it against him if this fight got worse than it already was. Bo was ready for worse. He was ready to kill this guy with his bare hands.

  It was a tight fit, but Bo managed to reach into the car. Ian must have seen him coming because he started to fight harder, and he rammed his fist into Mattie’s jaw again. Somehow, she held on to to his wrist.

  And Bo helped.

  He latched on to the gun itself. He couldn’t wrench it from Ian’s hand, but it freed up Mattie to move back.

  “Get out of here!” Bo told her.

  Bo cursed when Ian got in another punch, this one landing on the side of Mattie’s head. She cursed, too, and fought to get away. Because they were all crammed into the small space between the seat, the console and the steering wheel, there wasn’t much room to maneuver.

  Ian turned his head and sank his teeth into Bo’s hand. The pain shot through him, but Bo didn’t let go because that was the hand he was using to try to control the gun.

  “You sick piece of slime!” Mattie yelled at Ian. She caught hold of Ian’s hair and rammed his head against the console.

  That stopped the biting, but Ian came after Mattie again. Before the man could punch her again, Bo caught Mattie’s arm and slung her out of the way. She landed behind him somewhere, and that meant he could grab Ian with both hands.

  Bo dragged him from the car.

  “I’ll kill her!” Ian shouted. And he kept shouting it while he tried to bash his gun against Bo’s head.

  Bo’s anger level was beyond dangerous, and that last attempt to kill Mattie pushed him over the edge. Bo slammed Ian face first against the car.

  Ian gasped and wheezed for breath, and Bo couldn’t believe it when the SOB tried to aim the gun.

  At Mattie.

  Ian was going to try to shoot her.

  “Get down,” Bo told Mattie.

  Just as Ian pulled the trigger.

  Bo didn’t look back to see where the shot had landed, but he prayed Mattie had gotten out of the way in time. He put all his anger and attention on Ian. Bo rammed his full weight against Ian’s back, and he bashed the man’s right hand against the car. When Ian still held on, Bo whacked his hand again.

  And again.

  The gun finally dislodged and went crashing onto the ground. Ian gave up, too, and sagged against the car.

  “Mattie, are you all right?” Bo asked, and he held his breath.

  “I’m okay.”

  Well, she sure as hell didn’t sound okay, so he glanced at her. Mattie didn’t look okay, either. Her mouth was bleeding, and she had a cut on her cheekbone. God knows how many bruises she had on her. She was pale and shaking, but she hadn’t been shot.
Bo thanked God for that, because Ian had had several chances to shoot her.

  Bo tipped his head, and the other officers moved in. He waited, holding Ian in place, until one of the officers kicked Ian’s gun out of the way, and the other officer came in to cuff the man and read him his rights.

  Bo watched, hoping like hell that Ian would try something. He wanted the moron to come at him again so he could pulverize him.

  “Don’t,” Mattie whispered. She touched Bo’s arm and rubbed gently. “Let it go.”

  “Can you?” Bo snapped. The emotion was still raw and angry and roaring through him.

  “Yes. Because Ian doesn’t matter. He’ll go to jail for the rest of his life. You and I, on the other hand, are free. No more danger. We can spend the rest of our lives with Jacob and Holly.”

  With just those words and her touch, she soothed him and lessened his anger over Ian’s attack. She reminded Bo of what was really at stake here.

  Ian cursed, apparently upset that Mattie could find a silver lining so soon after the hell she’d just been through.

  Ian stopped cursing, and much to Bo’s surprise, he laughed. “Don’t go planning any happily-ever-afters, Mattie,” he spat out. “Because once you listen to what’s in that safety deposit box, you’re not going to be able to live with yourself.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mattie stared at the safety deposit box that Captain Tolbert placed on the center of the table in the crime lab. She hadn’t expected the police to bring the entire box so it could be analyzed, but here it was.

  Like a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike.

  “Ian was probably lying about what’s inside there,” Bo assured her.

  He slipped his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, just above the bandage. The stitches she’d gotten just a half hour earlier were starting to sting now, and she felt achy and bruised from the fight with Ian. Yet, those were minor things. Bo and she were alive, the children were safe, and Ian wouldn’t be able to hurt them anymore. The only thing left to deal with was the box and what might be inside. Oh, and of course, there was Bo.