by Becky McGraw
“We only have three left…I can handle it,” she said walking around the doorway of the stall. “Daddy should be on his feet in a couple of days. Doctor says it’s just a pulled muscle.”
“Mom, why don’t you and daddy just sell this place and move to Florida? It’s too much for him or you anymore.” Too much for Dave definitely. Yeah, this ranch was where he’d grown up and he’d miss it, but he was not a rancher. Had no desire to live the country life. But as many times as he’d told them that, his parents just didn’t get it.
“You know the only way your daddy is leaving this place is toes up.”
“Don’t say that!” Dave shouted, and his mother’s eyebrows shot up. Guilt washed through him. “I’m sorry, mom…” Shoving his his hat back, Dave wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was filthy, sweaty and needed a shower. But it looked like he wasn’t even going to have time for that, because he had to go rescue a dumbass. “I just don’t even want to think about that, mom, much less talk about it. He’s healthy now, so let’s not borrow trouble.”
Rowena Logan’s eyes shined, and Dave swallowed hard. “Mom, don’t cry. Please, I can’t take it. I’m sorry I yelled at you. Let’s not talk about this.”
“You say that every time I try to talk about it. We need to make plans, we’re not getting any younger. And you need to slow down. We really would like to see grandkids before…”
“I can’t right now, mom. I really have to go,” Dave said in a choked voice, as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Right at that exact moment, Dave was very thankful to have to go save Susan Whitmore. At least he didn’t have to talk about death and dying with his mother. Or grandkids, a topic she seemed to be bringing up more and more lately. Another reason he’d been avoiding coming out here. “Call me if y’all need me.”
Everyone else did. Why not his family?
***
Susan started another circuit around the six by nine cell, her piece of real estate at the Hays County Sheriff’s Department, wondering why in the hell she’d wasted her one phone call on Slade. Because, as sad as it was, she had no one else to call. Carlos was gone from her life, and good riddance. Her sister was just too naïve to even begin to know how to help Susan get out of here. Besides, Jenna didn’t have any money, and as mad as her sister seemed to be at her by the time she left the dorm room, she probably wouldn’t have spoken to her anyway. Especially if she knew what Susan had been arrested for.
Although Susan didn’t really know Slade well, he was the only quasi-friend she had. And she was sure he was more than familiar with jails and bail. The big man had that kind of air about him. Edgy, dangerous and not afraid to take the risks that would put him in those positions. Earlier, Susan hadn’t been afraid either when she made the stupid decision to steal that keycard and go back inside that building. Now, she was very afraid.
All she could do was pace and wait for help to arrive. With every circuit she made around the cell, the room got smaller and smaller. Susan had made many rounds in the four hours she’d been locked up since she was processed shortly after midnight. Right now, the cell was the size of a postage stamp in her mind, and it felt like the walls were pressing in on her chest. She wished Slade would hurry up, or she might very well have a panic attack.
When a woman was handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser trying to think of the people she could call to pay her bail, and could think of no one, it became patently clear how pathetic her life had become. Susan had nobody to watch her back, no safety net at all. If she fell off the earth tomorrow, the odds were nobody would give a shit. Some might even celebrate. That was also sad, but true. Susan was all alone in this rat race called life, and she couldn’t say she liked it one bit. It was quite frightening to be so alone.
Calling Dave Logan had flashed through Susan’s mind, but she quickly decided that would probably be the worst thing she could do. Considering what she’d put him through the last week, teasing him to the breaking point with her yoga pants and popsicles, Susan knew she was already on the bubble with him and Deep Six Security. She knew Dave would like nothing better than a reason to get rid of her, and she wasn’t about to give it to him. As gray as his operation was sometimes, Dave Logan always managed to keep his men from stepping into the shadows of actually committing a crime. Susan had leapt into those shadows last night. If he found out about this situation, he would fire her.
She had no doubt that he’d eventually find out, but if she didn’t tell him right away maybe she could at least delay the inevitable,keep her job for a few more weeks. Dave would definitely hear about it soon though. Logan seemed to know everything that happened in Texas law enforcement somehow. More than she ever had as the bureau chief in Dallas. Sometimes, she would call him to see if he knew anything on cases that had her stumped.
Even with the best attorney, which she couldn’t afford at the moment, Susan would most likely come out of this a convicted felon and could never work in law enforcement again. That security guard caught her red-handed, and there was no refuting it. Bertie had shown up with the police, and worked them like a pro to make Susan seem like a crazy stalker. It was obvious horse-face was never going to drop the charges either. She would push for the chair if she had the opportunity. If this were the Old West, instead of modern day Texas, Susan knew Bertie would fight to be the one under that hood pulling the lever that left her dangling on the end of the knotted rope. The woman hated her that bad, and the feeling was entirely mutual.
Breaking and entering, and theft. Good God—what had she been thinking? What had her life become? She’d gone from elite law enforcement officer to felon in waiting in the space of a month. Her daddy would be mortified…and disappointed.
Susan sucked in a sharp breath fighting the burn behind her eyelids. She stopped by the cot to breathe slowly and evenly, trying to get a grip on her emotions. The bolt in the solid metal door disengaged and Susan spun around, her heart racing. Her eyes flew up to the small window at the top of the door, but she couldn’t see anything. The heavy door opened a crack and Susan fought the urge to run there and stick her nose out to breathe some fresh air. Or kick the guard’s ass so she could make a dash for freedom. But Susan knew from experience that never ended well, and the odds of success were slim to none.
She was here until someone decided to have mercy and spring her. Hopefully that is exactly what was happening, she thought, taking a step toward the door. It finally swung inward, and an officer filled the doorway. Susan swallowed hard and her pride went down easily, but her fear that she’d have to stay here for a while lodged in her throat. She couldn’t be out already, because she hadn’t even seen the judge yet to be formally charged and have her bail set.
“You’re out. Charges have been dropped,” the guard grumbled, pushing the door wider and standing to the side. Even though shock rocked her, Susan didn’t have to be told twice, her legs kicked into high gear as she shot through the doorway. “Wait, I have to escort you,” he said, and Susan skidded to a stop. She didn’t want to give this man any reason to change his mind.
The officer grabbed her arm and walked her to the glass door, which separated her from freedom. One pane of glass. He swiped a keycard in the reader and a buzzer sounded, then a loud click. She pushed the heavy door open and every nerve in her body seemed electrified with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her eyes focused on the front door across the room, and she was not stopping until she was on the other side.
A flash of movement to the right of the door caught her attention and she stumbled, then stopped when she recognized the man in the filthy blue jeans, dusty black Stetson and mud-streaked white t-shirt. Evidently, Slade wasn’t her savior after all, and it looked like he wasn’t her friend either. Instead of coming to help her himself, he’d ratted her out to Logan.
CHAPTER NINE
“Let’s go,” Logan grated, as he grabbed her arm and shoved open the front door. His fingers dug deeper into her skin as he walked her down the stairs, then all but drag
ged her across the parking lot to his Hummer. “You are a piece of work lady, and definitely more trouble than you’re worth,” he growled as he jerked the passenger door open for her.
“If you’ll take me to the campus, I’ll get my car and come by the office to clear my stuff out next week,” Susan said hopping into the seat and clicking her seatbelt.
“You are never going on that campus again, unless you want to do a stretch in the pen. I’ll send someone out to pick up your car,” he said, as he clicked his own seatbelt.
“I need to go see my sister, she’s sick,” Susan argued crossing her arms over her chest.
Dave turned in his seat to pin her with angry blue eyes. “I said you are never to go on that campus again. I had to call in every chip I had to get you out of this mess, and then some. Remember the state senator you said I cozied up to so you would look bad? Well, Senator Rooks was very thankful to both of us for what we did for her son. She’s also an alumni and very large donor to Wellington College. Luckily, she had the Dean’s cell phone number. She got them to agree to drop the charges if you agreed to never step foot on that campus again.”
That was not going to happen. Her sister was there, and she had every right to go onto that campus. Nobody was going to tell her otherwise. Whatever it took, she was getting Jenna out of there. “I have to go there, my sister is there. I want to pack her up and move her to another college. Something strange is going on at that school and she’s wrapped up in it.”
“Didn’t you say your sister was twenty-three?” Dave asked gruffly. “Like my sister told me when she joined the military, she’s an adult and can make her own decisions. Evidently your sister’s decision is to stay at that college and take care of herself. You have to respect that.”
Twenty-three was an adult in most circumstances, but definitely not where her sheltered sister was concerned. And since their parents were dead, Susan was as close to a parental figure as she’d had since she was thirteen. “Yes she is, but Jenna is also very naïve. It’s my responsibility to look out for her, and I know now that place is not right for her,” Susan replied defensively.
“Does she want your help?”
Susan sighed. No, Jenna did not want her help now, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to get it. Her sister was being unduly influenced. “She did until horse face got ahold of her. Now, she’s taken me off of the authorization at Wellington and declared herself solely responsible, so she can participate in this special project that appears to be making her sick.”
“If that’s the case, why couldn’t you just make an appointment and talk to the bursar and dean instead of breaking and entering?”
“I tried to talk to Bertie. I was in her office earlier yesterday, but she wouldn’t tell me anything. I didn’t have any other option,” Susan said. She heard a choked laugh and looked over to see Dave smiling. “What’s so funny?”
“There are always other options, Susan. And who the hell is horse face?” he asked with a quick glance in her direction.
“Bertie Williams, the bursar at Wellington College. She’s been there for years and she and I have never seen eye to eye. Probably because each of her eyes points in a different direction.”
The car swerved as Dave guffawed. “Damn, I’ve got to meet this woman.”
“You aren’t missing a thing, trust me. She is vilest excuse for a human being you’ll ever meet, just mean and nasty. If she smiled, I think her face would crack, and it probably has since she’s also as wrinkled as a stewed prune. Yet another reason she’s a dried-up old spinster. I can’t imagine any man wanting to curl up with that homely bitch.”
“You’re not homely, or a horse-faced what’s your excuse?” Dave asked casually.
“My excuse for what?”
“For being a thirty-six-year old single woman, almost a spinster yourself.”
Susan’s hand went to the small of her back and she only found her holster. It was a damned good thing she’d left her pistol in her car at the school. If she hadn’t, she felt sure she’d be headed right back to jail for murder this time. “You’re not a spring chicken yourself, asshole. There’s probably a reason for that too. You’re an asshole, and a workaholic. No woman on earth could tolerate you.”
Susan stared holes in him, and saw a muscle work in his clenched jaw. Logan wasn’t smiling now, and she wondered what the sudden tension in his body was about. It looked like she’d definitely struck a nerve. A very raw one. The same nerve he’d struck inside of her.
Dave Logan had driven all the way to the Hays County lockup to get her out. Lashing out at him was not the way to thank him. They just always seemed to strike bad sparks off of each other for some reason. Susan’s breath escaped on a long sigh, as she sat back against the seat.
“I’m sorry, Logan,” she mumbled. “Thank you for getting me out.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he grumbled. “Don’t ever be sorry for the truth, even if it hurts. I’m both a workaholic and an asshole, and that definitely explains my marital status.”
Yes, the truth did hurt, and his statement about her was the truth as well. Susan was a spinster just as much as Bertie was, and in all likelihood she’d end up just as bitter and jaded at the woman’s age. And childless, because what man wanted to curl up to her either? Carlos sure didn’t anymore, and she didn’t miss him a bit. Susan had been forcing that relationship for a long time, because she felt her biological clock ticking. She’d rather be alone than trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole anymore.
But at least there was hope. According to Logan she wasn’t homely or horse-faced. That was something to soften the blow, she guessed. “Well, you gave me a backhanded compliment and I went for the jugular because you struck a nerve. I’m sorry for hurting your feel—”
“We’re definitely going to have to practice before we try to sell ourselves as a happily married couple at that fertility clinic,” he interrupted as if he couldn’t care less about her apology.
Susan shot up in the seat, twisting to look at him. “I’m not fired?”
Just like he’d said back at the station, she was more trouble than she was worth. It didn’t make sense that he wanted to keep her around. Susan had been arrested, insulted him, caused him to have to call in favors to help her, and he wasn’t firing her? Hell, if one of her agents had pulled what she’d pulled, acted like she’d been acting, he or she would definitely be at the front of the unemployment line.
“No, I told you I need you for this job. You’re the only female I know who is qualified to help me,” Dave said, then his jaw clenched again. “But after this mission is over I will take great pleasure in firing you.”
And by then, Susan would probably take great pleasure in leaving Dave Logan and Deep Six Security. The fact that Slade sold her out pretty much sealed that deal. She wasn’t about to work somewhere she didn’t trust the men she worked with, especially if she wasn’t in charge of those men. But she needed Dave Logan and Deep Six for now, and it looked like they needed her. To get a reference so she could move on, Susan would do a good job on this assignment.
“How is this going down then? When do we go in?” she asked.
“Mac called and he has an appointment for us at the clinic next weekend for the orientation. We go in on Friday, but we have a lot of work to do before then.”
Shopping had been on their agenda for Sunday morning, but considering the fact that it was Sunday morning now, she doubted that would happen. As the miles went by, and the sky got pinker, the silence got thicker inside the truck. Almost as thick as the smell.
Considering Dave’s clothes, he had to be doing something outdoors before he was dragged away to come rescue her. Something with horses most likely, since he smelled like horse manure, and was dressed like a cowboy. The rough and rugged look was sexy as hell on him, but the smell not so much. Cracking her window an inch, Susan asked, “What were you doing, before you came to get me? Rolling in a compost heap?”
“I
was cleaning stalls at my daddy’s ranch, and I didn’t have a chance to shower before I left,” he replied. “I really need to go out there and finish, but I can’t now.”
“Doesn’t he have any help?”
“Yeah, me. When I can make it out there to help him. Other than that, there’s a guy who comes in once a week, but he’s been out with the flu too. I’m going to hire him more help though. He needs it, but is too damned stubborn to spend the money. Dad would rather do it all himself, because he says it’ll get done right.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” Susan said with a laugh. Dave Logan might not see it, but he was a helluva like that himself.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he growled angrily.
The lines at the corners of Logan’s eyes said he was dog tired. His attitude told her if she went there they’d end up in an argument, so Susan chose to avoid it. She’d leave that argument to someone who was sticking around at Deep Six. Like Slade, who had pointed out the same exact thing about his friend to her when he was venting about them being short on agents at the office, because Dave was too tight to hire more.
“Not a thing. Just your daddy works as hard as you do, evidently.” Not a lie, but no reason to poke the bear if she could avoid it.
Dave grunted. “Too damned hard. He needs to do something, take a break, or he’s going to kill himself.”
And Susan hoped Logan would see the prophecy in his words about himself if he didn’t address his own tendencies before it was too late. “Everyone needs a break now and again.”
“Tell me what’s going on with your sister,” he growled, any lightness in his mood gone. It was obvious he was deflecting, changing the subject, and she let him do it. For the next two hours, as he drove, Susan related to him what happened during her visit with Jenna, and her unpleasant dealings with the bursar, which explained what led up to her attempted larceny. He asked a question or two, but mostly listened. Let her unload her frustration. The sun was well above the tree line in the distance when Dave pulled his SUV onto a gravel road, so narrow it almost wasn’t visible from the main road.
