His jaw hardened. “Until this case is solved, the department has an obligation to protect you, so forget dipping into your resources. Is there anything else on your mind?”
“Yes. Amy may only be a toddler, but she’s attached to you in a way she never was to Rod. If you’re not living here, she’ll get over expecting you to walk in the door.”
He expelled his breath. “I’ll make other arrangements for you tomorrow if you want me to. I’m sorry you’re trapped here so she can’t play with her little friend across the street. This shouldn’t have to go on for too much longer. I also realize you miss your job. Your whole life has been put on hold.”
“So has yours, Kit. You’re not able to enjoy a private life while you’re on a case like mine. But from now on you can go to your own home at night and sleep in your bed instead of on the floor. You must be sick of wearing that clerical shirt. If I were in your shoes, I’d be eager to get rid of it.”
While she’d been talking, he’d gotten up to roll out his sleeping bag and pillow. To her surprise he stretched out on top of it still dressed. “You’re right. I am sick of it. I’m also exhausted.”
“I’ll leave so you can get some sleep.”
“Wait—don’t go yet. What about going into a temporary witness protection program with Amy? Would you consider that? You wouldn’t have to leave Texas. You’d be removed to a place where you could enjoy a little more freedom but still be kept safe until the threat was over.”
Natalie blinked. “Wouldn’t the cost of that be more prohibitive than surveillance?”
“Forget the money aspect. Does it appeal to you?”
“No. I’d much rather stay in my home in surroundings that are familiar for Amy. I’m fine here. We both are. You’re the one I’m worried about. You’ve been multitasking, trying to keep us safe and still be a Ranger. You must have eyes in the back of your head.”
He chuckled. “That would be a first for the books.”
“It’s not funny, Kit. If anything happened to you...”
He raised himself up on one elbow and looked searchingly at her. He reached for her arm, gripping it gently. “If anything happened to me...what?”
She could hardly think with him touching her. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“What don’t you want to think about?” he prompted.
Heat enveloped her. “This is a ridiculous conversation.”
“You started it,” he countered. “What are you afraid of?”
“I—I wouldn’t want you to get hurt protecting me.” Her stammer was a dead giveaway that her emotions were in turmoil.
“I wouldn’t want anything to happen to either of us. For you to get hurt on my watch is unthinkable to me. Come here. Let’s talk about it.” He pulled her forward until she fell against him on the floor. He gathered her close and entangled their legs.
“Kit—” She half gasped his name.
“On second thought, I don’t feel much like talking.” He lowered his mouth to hers. Natalie had been wanting this for so long she was past thinking about the wisdom of it. Kit started kissing her with a hunger as great as her own. In an explosion of need she began kissing him back, forgetting everything as she poured out her feelings for him.
One kiss turned into another until she was trembling with desire. His hands and his mouth fueled the fire that was licking through her body. She’d never known rapture like this.
“I’m sorry, Natalie. I’ve tried to keep my distance, but it isn’t possible. I want you—you have no idea how much.” He buried his face in her neck.
“I feel the same way, but I was afraid you might be too chivalrous to kiss me, even if you found yourself wanting to.”
He groaned and brought his face back to hers, kissing her until she hardly knew herself. “I’ve been denying myself since the day we met,” he confessed against her lips. “It’s been hell.”
She no longer had to wonder what it would be like to lie in this Texas Ranger’s arms. When she felt able to take a breath she said, “That night in the car outside the motel, I wanted so badly to let you know how I felt about you, but I was afraid you might not feel the same way.”
Whatever he would have said was silenced by the ringing of his cell phone. Afraid of what it meant, she eased away from him so he could answer it.
“Cy, what’s going on?” The Ranger wouldn’t be calling him at one in the morning without a good reason.
Natalie felt Kit’s body tense and knew he’d just been given some important news. When he ended the call, he wasn’t the same amorous man who’d been kissing the daylights out of her. In an instant he’d turned back into the Ranger.
“I have to go to headquarters,” he stated. “A surveillance team will be here in a few minutes.”
Natalie got to her feet, knowing better than to badger him with questions. While he got ready, she went into the kitchen and packed up a couple of sandwiches for him to take. They met at the door leading into the garage. He’d put on his tan shirt and badge. “The guys are out in front, so you’re in good hands.”
She nodded and handed him the sack. “You need food to keep you going.”
“Thank you, but I hope you know I need this more.” He put his hand behind her head and kissed her until she was swaying. “I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow.”
“Whatever is going on, good luck, Kit.”
Natalie locked up behind him and hurried through the house to the front window to watch him drive away, taking her heart with him.
Chapter Eight
Kit had told Natalie he was going into headquarters, but he planned to meet Cy at the jail.
Thanks to some fine investigating by the Colorado police after Kit had told them about Julia Varoz, they’d gotten a tip from the secretary working for Dr. Nyman. She’d met Ms. Varoz when she’d come into the doctor’s office on Friday morning wanting an appointment.
When told he was on vacation, she’d left the office and said she’d be back. The secretary had followed her out to get something from her own car and noticed the woman drive off in a new black Lexus.
When the APB went out, some Texas patrolmen had spotted her Lexus and stopped her on the highway inside the Texas border. They’d arrested her on multiple counts of impersonating a doctor, fleeing arrest on the mortgage fraud scheme, murdering Harold Park and possession of fake IDs.
Overjoyed there was only one killer left at large before Natalie’s case could be closed, Kit drove to the jail munching one of the ham sandwiches she’d made for him. Cy was waiting for him in the parking lot. He got out of the car.
“You did it, bud. You found her.”
They walked inside. “Not me. Natalie. She was inspired to ask if there were pictures taken at the service for Gladys. In fact she’s been inspired all the way along.”
“But you were the one who flew her to Denver in the first place and got that information on Salter.”
“Either way, we still have to find Alonzo.”
“Maybe if we interrogate Juanita together, she’ll crack.”
“It’s worth a try. This is a big win.”
“I bet the boss even smiled when he heard about her arrest.”
They passed through the checkpoint and walked down a corridor to the interrogation room. The guard at the door nodded to them.
“We’re here to question the prisoner.” They showed their IDs.
“You’re on the list.” He opened the door. Another guard stood inside.
Juanita, in striped prison garb, sat on the far side of the table. Her hands and ankles were shackled. She was thirty-two years of age but looked older, harder, than the mug shot taken eight years ago. The blond wig was missing. Her black hair hung loose to her shoulders and Kit noticed she’d had a recent manicure. Purple nails.
&nb
sp; She sat back in the chair with her chin held high. “Ooh—two Texas Rangers.” Her dark eyes flashed and she said something vulgar.
Kit went first. “Your bad mouth won’t get you anywhere, Juanita.”
“I’m not talking!”
His brows lifted. “You might care if you cooperate. You and your brother, Alonzo, are wanted for the murder of Harold Park. If Alonzo pulled the trigger instead of you, it could shorten the length of your prison sentence.”
She eyed him with defiance. “Sure it could.”
“You’re the one with the problem, not me. Are you waiting for Marcos to get out of prison? Is that why you wanted to steal the four-hundred thousand from Park, so you can pay off the bill Marcos owes? Is he your lover? We’ve got you on a security tape at the Austin airport parking with Park. Was he your lover before you turned on him?”
No response.
Cy started in. “That was quite a haul you made from the dummy mortgage company. Twenty-eight-million dollars—that must be how you paid for the Lexus you were driving. It’s going to lead us to your brother, but if you want to give us some help, it could buy you less time in prison. Think about it.”
Juanita remained cool and collected. They weren’t going to get anything out of her. By tacit agreement Kit and Cy left the interrogation room and headed for the exit.
“Do you think she’ll consider your offer?”
Kit shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s see how another twelve hours in jail affects her.”
When they reached Kit’s car, Cy said, “How’s it going with Natalie?”
“Funny you should ask.”
“Uh, oh.”
Kit threw his head back. “She told me it was time for me to go. As if I didn’t already know.”
“What was her reason?”
“She said Amy was growing too attached to me.”
“That’s no surprise. What are you going to do?”
“I’ve got the surveillance crew guarding her 24/7. Do you know she offered to use her own money to hire a private bodyguard service to spare the department’s budget?”
“As Luckey said, she’s nice, in all the ways that count. Beautiful, too.”
“Yup.”
“I’m going to go home and get some shut-eye. How about you?”
“The same. I haven’t been to my condo in over a week. See you in the morning. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“You can say that again.”
They parted company and Kit headed for his condo, finishing his other sandwich on the way. When he arrived at his place, he was pleased to see that his cleaning lady had kept it dust free. Once he’d grabbed a quick shower he climbed into bed and set his watch alarm for 7:00 a.m., then turned onto his stomach. Lying on a mattress definitely beat sleeping on the floor, but it didn’t feel right being alone.
The place felt empty. There weren’t any warm bodies in the house with him. No chance of stepping on a beach ball or a cow. No out-of-this-world brownies sitting on the kitchen counter begging to be eaten. No sweet-smelling female waiting for him on the couch. No little angel calling out his name, holding up her hands to be hugged and kissed.
Natalie had been right to suggest a change in their arrangement. Tonight he’d wanted her so badly there would have been no stopping him if Cy hadn’t phoned when he had. Letting go of her was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.
What kind of a Ranger was he to take advantage of the woman he’d promised to keep safe? It didn’t matter that she’d responded with the same hunger that drove him. He should have been the one in control. Until he closed the case, he didn’t have the right to stay at her house overnight.
Tonight he’d taken off the clerical shirt and wouldn’t be putting it on again. Father Segal was no more and already Kit felt as if he was in mourning.
* * *
WHEN KIT CAME to the next morning, he realized he’d slept through his alarm. It was eight-thirty. After a quick shave, he dressed in jeans and a shirt. Attaching his badge to the pocket, he left the condo. En route to headquarters he grabbed breakfast at a drive-through.
Cy was already at his desk as Kit walked by. “You’re as late as I am. TJ has called a meeting for nine.”
“That gives me five minutes.” Kit went into his office to phone Natalie. She’d be up by now. He wouldn’t be able to get through the day until he’d talked to her. She answered on the second ring.
“Kit?”
“Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Fine. You must have loved being in your bed.”
“I did. Listen, I’ll be by later today to get all my things, but I’ll phone you when I’m on my way. How’s the cherub?”
“She’s in her high chair making a big mess of her breakfast.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like she’s in top form.” Natalie didn’t mention whether she’d asked for him, and he resisted inquiring. “Thanks for those sandwiches. They saved my life last night. I discovered that no matter how delicious they are, man can’t live on brownies alone.”
She let out a little laugh. “Are you at work?”
“Yes. I’m about to go into a big meeting with the boss.” He refrained from telling her to give Amy a hug from him. “Have a good day, Natalie. If you need me for any reason, just call.”
“I’ll remember. Stay safe, Ranger Saunders.”
He hung up, not liking the formality. If what had happened between them last night was an aberration on her part, he didn’t want to know about it. He’d left her house with an ache that had stayed with him, and she was the only person who could take it away.
Half a dozen Rangers were seated in TJ’s office when he walked in. Cy had already arrived. Kit took a place next to Ranger Rodriguez.
“I’ve assembled you men to brief you on our manhunt for Alonzo Morales, responsible for the twenty-eight-million-dollar mortgage fraud that stole funds from nine banks. He’s been on the Most Wanted list for eight years.
“Due to the brilliant work of Rangers Saunders and Vance, Morales’s sister, Juanita, a known felon also on the Most Wanted list, was arrested last night driving to Austin from Denver. We’re convinced that either she or Alonzo killed Harold Park, but she’s not talking, having worked two cons—the Empire mortgage fraud case and the LifeSpan accounting fraud case.
“We believe Morales is in the Austin area searching for the four-hundred-thousand dollars, a percentage of the eight million embezzled by Park that’s missing from the pharmaceutical corporation. We have to assume that he’s armed and dangerous.
“You’ve all been given photos and rap sheets. His pictures are everywhere in Texas as well as the western states. Stay alert and report anything you hear to me, Saunders or Vance. That’s all.”
Everyone filed out except Kit.
“Captain? I wanted to inform you that I’m no longer staying at the Harris home undercover. Now that Juanita is jailed, one danger has been removed. So I’m having Mrs. Harris guarded outside the house by around-the-clock surveillance until we catch Morales.”
“Smart move to free yourself up,” TJ responded.
Kit averted his eyes. “Yes, sir.”
Kit left the room to go back to his office. He needed to talk to the attorney in charge of Gladys Park’s finances. If by any chance Harold had been in touch with his grandmother before his death, Kit would find out. He also wanted the attorney to know Gladys had a living relative, little Amy Harris.
When he reached the office of Farbes and Lowell and told the secretary he was calling on behalf of the Texas Rangers, Mr. Farbes came right on the line.
After Kit explained his business, the man sounded shocked. “You mean to tell me Harold Park married and had a child?”
“Yes.”
“This is amazing. Joseph Park
was a very successful architect and kept a considerable sum of money in trust, which he left to his wife. After his death she drew up her own will. Upon her death she asked that any money was to pass to their descendants or, in the absence of any living descendants, to their favorite charity.
“Since Harold was never found, my offices were preparing that charitable donation, but it hasn’t yet taken place. I would need to fly to Austin and meet the mother of Harold’s child. Depending on verification of birth records, that money could be put in trust for her.”
Excitement for Natalie swept through Kit. “I’ll email you all the pertinent information after we get off the phone. How soon can Mrs. Harris expect to hear from you?”
“I’ll contact her within the week, Ranger Saunders.”
“Thank you. She’ll be waiting for your call.”
Kit hung up, dazed by the turn of events. He couldn’t wait to tell Natalie.
After he sent the necessary documentation to the attorney, he phoned Natalie and explained he was coming over to pick up his bedroll and toiletries.
On his way out the door he received a call from the circuit servant for the Kingdom Hall area. The two women who’d come to Natalie’s door were indeed Jehovah Witnesses and had been passing out their literature in her neighborhood. Both the lawn service man and the missionaries had been legitimate. Kit could cross them off his list of persons of interest.
* * *
NATALIE WAS NERVOUS about seeing Kit again so soon. It was only eleven. She’d told him she’d slept fine, but that was a lie. She’d been awake most of the night and wished she hadn’t suggested that he go back to his house. The need to be in his arms was causing her physical pain.
Amy had babbled about him all morning. If she saw him, she’d want to play. Natalie couldn’t allow that to happen and put her down for a short nap. After a protest, she finally fell asleep.
Natalie showered and dressed in a skirt and blouse. After brushing her hair she put on a little more makeup than usual to conceal the fatigue lines. She didn’t want him to think she expected a repeat of last night, in case he was regretting the lapse. But the truth was it downright frightened her, the possibility he might never kiss her again.
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