by Dale Mayer
She bounced to her feet and was suddenly at his side. “Let’s walk. I feel like a sitting duck here.”
He packed up their garbage and headed with her to walk the path. He kept watch but saw nothing.
As they neared the parking lot, he heard a single hard crack. Immediately he tucked her behind him, and they pressed up against a group of trees.
“Now my stalker has a gun?” Kai whispered.
“But so do I,” Tyson said in a hard voice. He reached down and pulled out a small handgun out of his ankle holster and handed it to her. “Now so do you.”
She stared at it for a long moment, then snatched it out of his hand. “Damn. When I left the military I’d hoped this life was over.”
“The way the world is these days, that life might never be over. If you don’t have a handgun use my spare until we can get you one.” He searched their surroundings but found nothing out of the ordinary. “He’s escalating, like we thought he would.” Through the woods he spotted their SUV, alone in the parking lot. No one else was around. They waited, but nothing more happened. Telling Kai to stay put, he raced to the vehicle for a closer look. He called Levi. “Someone shot out one of the tires.”
“Damn. Stay hidden,” he said. “Calvary’s coming.”
Staying hidden wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do, but no way could he leave Kai alone. He couldn’t take that chance. There was no way to know if the shooter was working alone or had someone coming up behind them even now. He raced back to her. “Levi’s coming. The vehicle has a tire shot out.”
She looked pale but didn’t say a word. That was something else he really liked about her. She was good people—solid, dependable, never got into a frenzy during an emergency.
On the highway he caught sight of a vehicle on the shoulder. He motioned toward it, asking if she could make out more than the fact it was a truck.
She studied it, then shook her head. “Just a truck to me.”
He pulled out his phone and called Ice. “A truck’s sitting on the highway just past the turnoff to the park. Can you bring it up on satellite and get an ID?” He studied the horizon, catching sight of another rooftop. “There is also a car.”
“On it. Levi should be there within ten minutes,” Ice said.
“Was he in town?”
“He’s been in town most of the day,” she said. “Found them. Now I’ll work on getting the license plates.” Then she said suddenly, “Have to go.”
He put away his phone. “Ice confirmed a car and a truck are up there. She’s trying to get an ID on both.”
“Any chance my stalker hijacked the GPS on Levi’s SUV and is following us?”
“He doesn’t really have to. He put his own tracker on it. I found it yesterday.”
She spun and stared at him with outrage. “You didn’t tell me.”
He turned a flat stare at her. “What was the point? You have enough to worry about.”
Chapter 12
Still smarting at being left out of the information loop, Kai watched from the hiding place in the trees as Tyson approached the vehicles parked on the side of the highway. She hadn’t seen them in the first place. But with Levi and Jace here to aid Tyson, they wanted to check out the area.
She stood out of the way as the men walked, took photographs of the tracks, moved forward and studied the ground. For all her military experience, she didn’t have this tracking knowledge that the guys seemed to use. She wondered if that had more to do with their SEAL training.
Women still weren’t allowed to be part of that elite group, but she knew times were changing. One of these days, a woman would be a SEAL. She wondered if it would be all that the first woman expected it to be. It was one of the last male bastions to be breached. She couldn’t imagine many on either side would take it lightly. Not that SEALs were sexist, but it was like the supreme male territory. On the other hand, if the woman could do the job and they trusted her, the men would be fine with it. Just look at Ice.
Tyson walked toward Kai and said, “We can leave now.”
“Are they coming with us?” she asked as she walked to the passenger side.
“We’re heading to the compound to get more clothes for me and to see if Ice found out anything more.”
Surprised about the visit to Levi’s compound, but totally okay with the idea, she closed and locked the door beside her.
“I’ve known Levi for a long time now,” Tyson said quietly. “And I just started working for him, but I’m still amazed at what he can accomplish.”
She nodded. “He’s a bit of a legend. I suppose you know Mason too?”
At that Tyson’s face split with a big grin. “Who the hell doesn’t know Mason’s merry band of keepers?”
She chuckled. “The thing is, I think most men are getting into his unit so they can become one of the merry band.”
“That’s funny. Levi’s afraid he’s got the same thing happening with his group.”
“You know,” she turned to look at him and said, “at one point, you would’ve been more than happy to be included in that group.”
“Absolutely. When Tracy was around, I felt like I was a keeper. Felt like I was one of the chosen.”
“And now?” she asked curiously. “What’s changed?”
He shrugged. “Anything and everything. And yet, at the same time, nothing.”
Taking that as an excuse to exit that conversation, she settled back to watch the countryside whip past them. “What’s it like living on the compound?”
“Ask me in six months when I’ve really had a chance to experience it.”
“Right, this is all new to you. What about Michael and Jace?”
“Both of them are new too.”
After that there wasn’t a whole lot more to say, so she stayed quiet. Several messages came in from her lawyer but no solution as yet. “My lawyer says he had a discussion with Warren’s lawyer, but they’re waiting on Warren to answer some questions.”
“Is he capable of answering questions?”
Startled she shot him a look. “What do you mean?”
“The man is running. There’s a reason why. If it’s enough for him to sell everything and leave the country, there’s a good chance he’s in danger. As in serious danger.”
Her jaw dropped. “I figured he was just being a cowardly weasel, abandoning ship as it sunk.”
He shook his head. “I’m pretty sure we’ll find it’s a whole lot more than that.”
“You’re not suggesting he hasn’t answered his emails because he can’t, are you?”
“I don’t know. But I think on our way home tonight, if he still hasn’t answered, we run by his place and see.”
Just then they turned off the highway and drove past Anna’s Animal Rescue Center and honked lightly twice as everyone did, letting her know it was them.
“I haven’t heard too much about the center. It’s Flynn’s place, isn’t it?”
“It’s Anna’s. She’s Flynn’s lady. She works to rehabilitate the animals for adoption.”
“That’s admirable,” Kai said softly. “It’s not fair how the animals take the brunt of human ugliness.”
“No, it’s not. And she is doing her part. I’m told Levi’s group takes turns helping out when we can.”
She glanced at him and laughed. “Really? That’s nice.”
He gave her a grin. “I haven’t been there long enough, but, since she’s a nonprofit, working off donations only, I can see there might be times when she needs a helping hand from volunteers.”
“And Flynn’s really good friends with Logan?”
“Right, and that leads us back to Gunner again.”
She settled in as the compound came into view. “Levi’s got quite the place here.”
“He does indeed.” Tyson drove in and parked. “I need to grab more clothing while I’m here.”
“I gather you think I can’t be alone for a while yet?” she joked as she exited the SUV.
“
Not until we settle this,” Levi said from beside her. He’d approached so silently she hadn’t heard him arrive.
She turned to look at him. “Remember, I can’t pay you for all this.”
“We didn’t ask. Sometimes we just have to help our own.”
She opened her arms and gave him a big hug. “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anybody’s said to me in a long time.”
Levi wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her inside. “I know you guys just ate, but I’m pretty sure Alfred is getting ready to serve dessert.”
“Perfect,” Kai said. “If I’m lucky, Tyson might share some with me.”
Levi snorted. “It’s not Tyson we have to worry about. Have you seen how much Stone eats?”
As they walked in, they found Stone sitting down to a rather large piece of cheesecake. He looked up guiltily, saw who it was and gave them a big grin. “It’s the last piece.”
Levi froze and then swore at him.
Stone chuckled. “Gotcha.” He motioned to the other end of the table where a huge cheesecake waited. “Like Alfred would let me have the last piece,” he scoffed.
Ice walked out of the kitchen with two plates of cheesecake in her hand. She held one out to Levi.
Kai watched in fascination at this personal glimpse into their lives. She sat down beside Stone. “It amazes me you can eat this amount of food.”
He looked at her with wide eyes and a smile. “I have to keep up my strength. My Lissa doesn’t like it if I get too skinny.”
A beautiful blonde laughed on the other side of Stone. The woman leaned forward. “I’m Lissa.”
“Kai.” When Kai turned back to the table, she saw Tyson plunk down two plates of cheesecake, one in front of her and one for himself. He motioned at the coffeepot on the sideboard. “There’s coffee if you want.” And then he sat down and proceeded to tuck into his cheesecake like he hadn’t eaten in a month.
She realized that, given the amount of food he must eat here on a regular basis, he had been on short rations at her place.
Just then Alfred walked through with a big smile on his face.
“Alfred, your homemade jam,” Tyson said when he could talk around the mouthful, “gives this that extra something.”
“And I love doing it,” Alfred said. “It’s even easier now that I have help.”
Another woman walked in from the kitchen carrying two large coffeepots and walked around the table, topping off every coffee cup. “Hi. I’m Bailey. I just missed your visit the other day.”
“You mean, when my life was normal?” Kai said jokingly.
Bailey nodded as she set the fresh coffeepots on the sideboard, took out the two older ones, putting the fresh ones in their place.
“No, it wasn’t,” Tyson said as he placed his fork on the empty plate. “It was a long way from normal, but you were keeping busy, ignoring the problem.” He glanced at her plate. “You going to eat that?”
She gave him a frown, studied the empty plate in front of him and pulled her plate closer. “Yes, I so am.”
“Well fine.” He gave an exaggerated sigh and sat back. “But if it’s too much …”
She gave him a look of outrage. “You can always ask Alfred for a second piece.”
He gave her a crafty look but stayed quiet.
She shook her head as she worked the angles to getting more cheesecake and quickly took her first bite. Then she stopped and moaned. “Oh, my God, this is like, what? White chocolate?”
“White chocolate almond,” Bailey said cheerfully. “One of my favorite recipes.”
“Man, how did you guys get lucky enough to find Bailey and Alfred?” Before she knew it, her dessert was gone too. “I could almost eat a second piece myself.”
Bailey stopped beside her. “Would you like a second?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Ice sat down beside Kai. “We’ve tracked the truck back to the city into a very large car park. The license plate led us to a vehicle that the owner, who is out of town, didn’t know was missing. However, when we went to look for it, it was no longer there. That car park does have several entrances and exits, and I did not see it leaving, but I don’t have access to the other side.”
“So we’re no farther ahead than before.”
Tyson nodded. “The car?”
“A middle-aged couple drove it farther down to a different spot in the park. They parked, got out and, the last I looked, they were still sitting on a bench, holding hands.”
“Both dead ends. How lovely.”
Levi spoke up from the other side of the table. “Warren, on the other hand …”
Kai turned to look at Levi.
“He’s in great financial distress and needs cash. So he does need to sell his shares. He has sold his apartment and would have raised a decent amount from that when it closed.”
“He sold his apartment?” she cried out in astonishment. “I had no idea. He must have been planning this for a while then.”
Levi nodded. “And his money all disappeared from his bank account in one day. Tracking it, however, is not quite so easy.”
She settled back. “I didn’t have a clue. He never mentioned anything.” She glanced at Tyson. “Any idea what he’s up to?”
“I think he’s connected to your stalker.”
Everyone at the table turned to stare at him.
“In what way?” Ice asked.
“I don’t have any proof, but there is no reason for him to run unless he’s connected, or he’s done something equally fraudulent in terms of company business.”
“I spoke to Gunner,” Levi said. “He hasn’t heard any rumblings about Warren. No alerts or any history of fraudulent dealings.”
“I don’t understand a whole lot in the corporate business world,” Kai admitted. “So it’s nice to know I can talk to Gunner about things.”
“I told him about the product we’re testing for you. He was very interested, and he has an awful lot of clientele who would be interested in a similar system.”
She brightened. “It’s a good product, isn’t it?”
Tyson interjected, “It’s one of the best we’ve seen. In other words, we want to keep your business.” He covered her hand with his. “Your business took a hit today, but Warren is not the company. You and your projects are.”
*
Tyson drove as they left the compound and headed toward Warren’s apartment.
“If he sold it a couple weeks ago, where’s he staying now?” Kai asked.
“The sale closes tomorrow. So he could still be clearing out the place now, if he hasn’t already done that. He could be staying at a hotel until the sale clears,” Tyson said. “We have to take a chance he’s still there. It wouldn’t hurt for the two of you to talk.”
“I’m sure both our lawyers have already done that.”
“Gotta love lawyers …” Tyson said, a note of humor in his voice. “If this has nothing to do with you and your stalker, then obviously something else is going on that maybe some honest communication would fix.”
She sighed. “I agree. I’m just not sure Warren will talk to me.”
“Would he stay with one of the guys who work for you?”
“I don’t think so, but I don’t know what their relationship is outside of work. Maybe they are all good buddies. I don’t know.”
The drive back to Houston was quiet, just the sound of the wheels racing through the night. “Do you want music on?”
“No,” she murmured. “It’s nice to have the peace and quiet.”
As Tyson approached the outskirts of town, he punched Warren’s address into the GPS and it gave them a route.
She studied it. “His apartment isn’t very far from me,” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know that.”
“Does it matter?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all. Just makes him a little more accessible than I had thought.”
“That also makes you a little more accessible to him,” he said
with a hard gaze.
“He’s more weaselly than scary.”
Tyson nodded. “That might be, but stalkers don’t look like stalkers. Who knows what yours looks like.”
She nodded. “Let’s check out Warren’s home and see.”
Tyson parked on the front access street, and together they got out. Holding hands, they approached Warren’s apartment building. She called Warren but got no response. She called again. “You think he’s already left town? Like you said, the sale closes tomorrow. So he has to be out at noon at the latest.”
Tyson stepped back and looked up at the apartments, figuring out which would be Warren’s apartment. Just then somebody walked down and opened the door.
Kai stepped forward. “Thank you.”
The man walked away without a care as to what stranger he had just let into the building.
Tyson shook his head and joined her in the hall. He glanced around but didn’t see any security. “This building’s a similar age and state to yours.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, I doubt any video cameras are set up here.”
“Maybe that doesn’t matter.” She shrugged.
Tyson motioned toward the stairs. “Let’s walk up.”
“I guess I could use the exercise after that cheesecake, right?” She laughed lightly and raced upstairs ahead of him. He followed slower, his eyes checking for security cameras. But he couldn’t see any. So no way to keep track of when Warren went home or left. Or if he’d had any visitors.
On the fourth floor, Kai pulled open the double doors, and they stepped into the hallway. Geometric patterns of multiple browns filled the hall leading to various apartments. Tyson walked to number 462 and knocked. No answer.
He knocked again, placing his ear against the door. Nothing. He turned the knob. To his surprise, the door pushed open. He nudged it wider with his foot. Hearing Kai gasp, he held a finger to his lips, but he knew from the look in her eyes that she understood. Warren might’ve been running for his life, but Tyson didn’t think Warren had been fast enough.
Leaving Kai in the hall, Tyson took several steps inside.
Boxes were all over the living room floor. They were taped and labeled. From the labels he could see, it looked like the boxes were going to Goodwill. The walls were empty; furniture was gone. Warren really was booking it. Tyson quickly stepped into the kitchen, which was spotless. It looked like Warren hadn’t ever cooked here.
