Cowboy In The Crossfire

by Robin Perini

  "Don't yell at my mommy." Ethan hopped up and stood, feet apart, challenging Blake.

  Blake knelt in front of her son. "Sorry, buddy. You're right."

  Ethan sent Blake a censuring look before returning to Leo.

  "Why would you do that?" Blake said quietly. "What did you think you could search?"

  "Vince's emails. He set up the account when we moved in."

  "They must have his accounts tagged." Interest flared in Blake's eyes. "What did you learn?"

  She glanced at Ethan who seemed distracted. "Vince sent me an email the day before he was killed," she whispered. "Just a link, but I couldn't open it." She told him about the warning message.

  "That has to be the evidence."

  "It's no good if we don't have a password."

  "With only two tries left, we can't take any chances. I'll go pick up a prepaid cell and call Logan. He has a geek on his staff who might be able to help." Blake stroked the stubble on his chin. "Maybe O'Connor is on the up-and-up."

  "We can't risk involving the cops. Please don't call him. No more secrets." She grabbed the collar of his coat. "You promised."

  "The same goes for you," Blake said with an arched brow. "Deal?"

  Looking over her shoulder at Ethan, she nodded.

  Blake tipped his Stetson in agreement and walked out the door. Amanda stared after the closed oak, the room suddenly losing its warmth. And not because the heater had failed. How had she come to rely on him so much--his strength, his determination--that when he left she felt his loss all the way through her?

  "Was Blake mad, Mommy?"

  Ethan came over and leaned into her, as if sensing she needed the comfort.

  She lifted him to her lap. "He's trying to catch the bad guys, and I'm trying to help."

  "They keep coming after us. Maybe we should hide. Like in hide and go seek," Ethan said logically.

  "That's kind of what we're doing here." Amanda focused on her son, but her mind wandered to a terrifying truth. If these guys had been able to track them in the middle of nowhere, how could she have ever expected to disappear? Really disappear. If she hadn't come to Blake, she didn't want to think about what would have happened to her, but more importantly, to Ethan.

  "Blake will make it better, Mommy. He's big. He saved me from the tractor."

  Ethan patted her cheek in comfort, then scurried across the room and tried to run over Leo's wagging tail with his truck.

  She wished she'd had time to review more of Vince's emails. Maybe there was a clue to the password in there, and if they found the evidence, maybe Ethan would have a chance at a real life. She stared at her son. The longer this went on, the more fragile their lives felt. Amanda didn't know how long she wrestled with the unpleasant options before Blake returned, carrying three phones.

  "I'm not taking any more chances. We're dumping these after each use," he said.

  She looked at the man who had driven her to passion the day before. He was a warrior now, a fighter. He would keep them as safe as he could.

  She bit her lip. "I've been thinking. About the future. When we catch these guys, will Ethan still have to testify?"

  Blake's entire body stilled. He turned to her. "If Vince really did have that evidence, and if we can find a way to access it, maybe not. I can't promise, though."

  "I want Ethan to have a normal life."

  "He will."

  "I've got a bad feeling, Blake. We're at a motel, out in the open. We don't have a computer to follow Vince's emails." She clutched at his arm. "If anything bad happens, you have to save Ethan first. Promise me."

  His jaw clenched and his eyes grew cold. "It won't come to that."

  She pressed her hand to his cheek and held his gaze with hers. "Promise me."

  He glanced over at the boy wrestling with Leo. "Ethan first." The words dragged out reluctantly, but in his clear hazel eyes she saw his vow.

  She let out a sigh of relief. "What do we do?"

  "We call Logan." Blake pulled out one of the new cell phones and tugged her toward the bathroom.

  Amanda shot a sharp glance at Ethan, but he was busy tickling Leo. "Little man, Blake and I will be in here."

  Her son barely looked over. "Okay, Mommy."

  Blake closed the door behind them, pressed the speakerphone button and dialed Logan's number.

  "Carmichael."

  Logan sounded stressed. He'd barked his name through the phone. She sent Blake a concerned glance. He frowned as if he too hadn't expected quite that reaction from his friend.

  "It's Blake."

  A curse sounded through the phone, and a chill ran down her back.

  "What's going on?" Blake asked, tugging her toward him as if he had to keep her close.

  "You really pissed off somebody with some pull in Austin. They're coming after me with both barrels. They falsified records. They're trying to shut down the ranch and confiscate everything, including my funds."

  Amanda rubbed her temple. She'd brought this disaster on everyone. She raised her gaze to Blake. He leaned back against the sink and closed his eyes. "Hell, I'm sorry, Logan."

  Logan let out a grunt. "Not as sorry as they're going to be once I get through with them," he said. "They have no idea what I can do. Once we find out who's behind this, my response will be...appropriate."

  Blake's mouth quirked a bit. She stared at him, stunned. Who was Logan Carmichael? He wasn't someone she'd want to be on the wrong side of, that's for sure.

  "We're on the same page there," Blake said, toying with the neckline of her sweatshirt, baring her collarbone, running his fingers along the fragile bone. She shivered as the awareness between them built.

  "Amanda discovered a link that Vince sent via email. It's password-protected. We don't know how to access it. You got a guy?"

  "The best. Give me the email info."

  Amanda bent over and provided the account information. "Is that enough?"

  "Should be plenty," Logan said.

  "Could be how they tracked us to Maddox's," Blake warned. "A helicopter's burning up on the west side. The pilot veered just as I tried to bring them down with a shot. It's a mess."

  "Fire department's already out there." Logan paused. "Have you heard from your mother?"

  Blake stilled his caresses, his forehead creased in concern. "No. I had to ditch your phone. Are you telling me you don't have her location?"

  "I haven't found them. Yet. I will. But I've got to keep the Austin PD busy. I don't want to provide anyone else too much information if possible. Too many opportunities for leaks with all these unknown players."

  Blake rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm cornered, Logan. I need intel."

  "I'll do what I can. By the way, we tracked the boots to a small shop in Dallas. Paid with cash. The guy used an alias. We're working on it."

  "Get pictures of all the cops in the Austin PD. See if the owner recognizes any of them. I'll check back in an hour. And Logan, make sure Mom's okay. These guys are escalating. Taking too many chances."

  "You got it."

  Blake ended the call and met her gaze. She could see the worry in his eyes.

  "Parris is a good cop. You told me so yourself."

  "He's a great deputy, but these guys have firepower he's never faced."

  She rested a hand against his chest and leaned into him. "He's probably doing exactly what you are. Hiding in the most unlikely place." She glanced at the cracked tub and the faded linoleum floor. "Someday maybe we'll laugh about this."

  She bowed her head and he pulled her to him. She sank into his warmth and just rested there, letting him hold her and stroke her back. "I'm so sorry I brought you this trouble. You and Logan. But I thank God you're here."

  "This isn't your fault." He hugged her closer. "The criminals in the Austin PD did that. When they decided the law didn't mean anything."

  "Until I came to Carder with that ice storm, your life was fine."

  His caress stopped. He set her back, and the gold in his e
yes sparked with intensity. "My life was on autopilot," he said harshly. "I didn't know the truth about Joey and Kathy. I was dead inside. Going through the motions but not living."

  He stroked her cheek and twirled her curls around his finger. "You helped me feel again. You brought me back to life, Amanda."

  "And ruined it in the process. Your house is shot up. Your mother is missing. Your best friend is in trouble."

  "Once we catch Vince's killer, everything will work out."

  She caressed the stubble on his cheek. "How can you believe that with everything going on?" She sagged against him. "I want to just run away and leave this all behind." The overwhelming weight of what they faced crushed her. "I can barely breathe. I can't see a way out."

  Blake hugged her tightly to him. "Shh. I know you're scared, but you're not alone. You have me, and I won't let you go until you're safe."

  "Why?"

  He clasped her hand and turned her palm to his lips. "Because I have something I want when this is over." Blake's eyes sparked with awareness. He pulled her hips to him, setting her against his hard body. The bathroom closed in, the sparks between them caught fire.

  Her breath caught. He stroked at the pulse point of her neck with his callused finger. Her heart jumped and he smiled.

  "So responsive," he whispered.

  "Ethan," she said softly.

  "He's busy with Leo. Besides, I only want a taste."

  Amanda sighed as he lowered his mouth, ever so slowly. Too slowly. She wanted to tug him to her, but he'd pinned her arms to her side.

  Then, just as his lips touched hers, he let out a primal groan and crushed her mouth under his. He didn't hesitate, but plundered and explored. He pressed her closer and his leg parted her thighs, creating a friction that made her shudder.

  "That's more than a taste," she panted, her voice husky.

  The wicked gleam in his eyes told her he didn't care. He pressed her back against the wall. "Maybe more like an appetizer."

  He lowered his mouth to her neck, then pushed aside the sweatshirt and bared her shoulder. With one hand he cupped her breast and she moaned, her body trembling beneath his caress.

  Her response amazed Blake. He flicked her nipple and it hardened beneath his hand. She was a woman he could lose himself in. It didn't matter what was going on around them.

  He wanted to forget for a moment the large battle facing them. If they couldn't get Vince's password, it would take much longer to uncover the identity of the traitor cops. He'd have to send Amanda and Ethan away.

  She clutched his arms and nipped at his neck. His heart thudded against her. He didn't want to give her up.

  But he would...if it meant saving her. He wouldn't lose someone he cared for. Not again.

  Her hands splayed across his back and dipped beneath his shirt. Her bare fingers on his skin sent his desire into overdrive. What would happen if he just picked her up and took her? Right here, right now?

  The way his body leaped at her touch, he wouldn't maintain control for long.

  Her fingers lingered at the button of his jeans.

  "Do you want the main course," he whispered in her ear. "Because I'm ready."

  Blake's ringing phone shocked him out of his passionate haze. With shaking hands he fumbled for the phone. "How did you get this number? I blocked it."

  Amanda tugged at his wrist and pressed the speakerphone button. Blake sighed and held the phone between them.

  Logan laughed. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

  "If you can do it--" Blake began.

  "Hi there, Amanda," Logan interrupted smoothly. "I have the best techy in the business, but don't call anyone else with this phone. Because they probably tracked you through the computer's internet service provider, they aren't tech dumb." He paused. "Which brings me to a problem."

  "You opened the file."

  "No. Let me put Zane on."

  "Sheriff Redmond?" The man's voice was gruff. He sounded like a military trooper, not a geek.

  "The file?"

  "I have a problem. This guy, Vince Hawthorne? Was he into computers?"

  Blake glanced at Amanda and she frowned, the worry on her face straining her mouth. His gut churned. "Yeah. Said if he hadn't been a cop, he'd have worked for Bill Gates. He liked messing around with stuff."

  "I was afraid of that." Zane paused and keys pounded in the background. "He was good. Better than good. I won't go into the technogarbage, but I can't break the code on the file. I've got no access. It's in the clouds, but if we don't have the right password..."

  "What, it'll self-destruct in five seconds?"

  "Well, the equivalent."

  Blake couldn't believe this. Couldn't they catch a break? Amanda groaned and dropped her head against his chest. He stroked her hair.

  "There's got to be a way. It's just a bunch of ones and zeroes."

  "Well, they don't mean squat if the numbers aren't in the right order. From what I can see, Vince did a number on this file. Unless we enter the correct password, the data will be so corrupted, I don't think a supercomputer could decode it. He should've been working for the CIA. I'm sorry."

  Blake wanted to punch the wall. Damn Vince. Amanda's face had paled. He couldn't let her see his own frustration, although somehow he got the impression over the last few days she'd learned to read him more than most.

  "Okay, we have no choice. We have to find the password. Any suggestions?"

  "Could be anything. Letters, numbers, symbols. Did Vince give you any hints?" Zane asked.

  "He was killed before he could tell anyone anything, except maybe Ethan. And I don't have a computer. Zane, maybe you can find something in those emails Vince sent to Amanda."

  "I'll have him check it out."

  Blake pressed Amanda closer to him. He had to start thinking contingency. "Logan, we're going to need fake I.D.s. If something doesn't break soon, they won't have a choice but to disappear."

  Chapter Eleven

  The devastation on Amanda's face echoed in Blake's heart. To keep her safe, he might have to give her up. Or give up making the bastards who killed Joey pay.

  The choice didn't bear thinking about.

  A knock sounded at the door. "Mommy, I'm hungry."

  Amanda rubbed her eyes and straightened her back.

  "Be right out, little man," she called out. "We'll get something to eat soon."

  Amanda met Blake's gaze, her own somber. "We're running out of options," she said.

  "We'll crack the password, and Logan will come through on the boots. It's not over."

  "I don't want them to get away with what they've done." Amanda righted her shirt and touched her lips. The lips he'd bruised with his passion.

  "Mommy, I'm hungry now."

  She sighed. "Ethan, why don't you turn on the television? I'll be right there." She lowered her voice. "I can't distract him much longer. He needs to run and play."

  "Hopefully this will be over soon," Blake said. "He's a good boy. You're a good mom."

  With a tired sigh, Amanda shrugged, opened the door and walked back into the bedroom. A cat-and-mouse chase blared from the television. Ethan smiled at the antics, although he didn't laugh as much as Blake would have hoped. It would take time.

  "You could catch them both, couldn't you, Leo?" Ethan whispered to the dog and buried his face in the animal's fur. "You're a hero."

  Blake bent to her ear. "I think Leo's found a new master," he whispered and clasped his arms around her waist, pulling her hips back against him so he could feel her closeness.

  "Mommy, Mommy! You're on TV."

  Ethan bounced up and ran over to the television set. They hurried over. Amanda's picture flashed on the screen.

  "Let's join our on-site reporter for today's latest news story. An arrest warrant has been issued for Amanda Hawthorne. Ms. Hawthorne has been implicated in the murder of her brother, Austin police detective Vince Hawthorne, as well as a car theft and assault on a police officer. She is traveling with he
r son, Ethan Hawthorne, and Sheriff Blake Redmond of Carder, Texas." Blake cursed as his picture appeared beside Amanda's. "Sheriff Redmond, who was fired from the Austin Police Department under suspicious circumstances, has been identified as a person of interest. Both are considered armed and extremely dangerous. Please do not approach them if you see them. Contact local authorities."

  Amanda met Blake's gaze. "This is not good."

  "It's worse than that." Blake rubbed the bridge of his nose. "They've just given the entire state the right to shoot us on sight. They either know we don't have the evidence or they decided we aren't worth keeping alive."

  "What about Ethan. Surely..."

  Blake glanced at her son, the boy's innocent smile as he played with Leo raking across his heart. "Collateral damage. They won't have to worry about his testifying."

  She ran to her son and pulled him into her arms. "What are we going to do?"

  "We stay put until we hear from Logan, and we work on the password."

  "You're squishing me, Mommy." Ethan squirmed out of his mother's arms and tugged on Blake's shirt. "I'm still hungry."

  After shrugging into his shearling coat, Blake pulled his Stetson down over his eyes and tucked the Glock into the back of his jeans. "I'm going to find something to eat." He knelt beside Ethan. "Then, buddy, you and I are going to have a talk. Okay? You ready to be my deputy? Help me catch the bad guys?"

  Ethan nodded, his face curious but cautious.

  "It'll be okay, Ethan. Trust me."

  "But the news," Amanda muttered as she followed him to the door. "You can't risk going out there."

  "The story just aired. I'll be low-key, but we need some supplies. Before long, neither of us will be able to go out again." He placed his granddad's .45 at the top of the closet. "Just in case. I'll be back soon. Don't leave the hotel room."

  She nodded and he looked back at her. If they didn't catch a break in the case soon, Blake didn't want to think about what their next step would have to be.

  * * *

  ETHAN SAT CROSS-LEGGED in front of the television, scratching Leo's ears. Amanda had tried to talk to him about the night Vince died, but he just shook his head and clamped his lips together. He didn't feel safe without Blake here. Neither did she.