She averted her gaze, cheeks bright red. “I don’t normally do that sort of thing. I mean, we haven’t known each other long. We aren’t dating.” She bit her lip and shut her eyes. “With you, my mind just...” She waved her hands around her head in a little typhoon.
He knew exactly what she meant. “We can talk now,” he suggested, struggling to push the sound of her calling his name from his mind.
“No.” Rita practically jumped off the couch, clutching the blanket to her remarkably sexy figure. “I should shower now.” She baby-stepped backward, away from him.
Cole climbed off the couch and followed her. One step forward for each of her steps back. “Are you upset?”
“No.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“No.”
“You sure? ’Cause it looks like you’re running away.”
She shook her head hard in the negative. “Nope.”
He felt his face wrinkle in confusion, mentally seeking a reason for the sudden and drastic change. “Are you embarrassed for some reason?” Hadn’t the naked time proved she was implicitly comfortable with him?
“I’ll only be a minute.” She turned and disappeared into his bathroom.
And that made twice in the last two hours he’d missed a perfect opportunity to tell her he was falling in love.
* * *
THE PARK WAS crowded with families when they arrived. Strolling couples, swinging children, people flying kites and throwing balls. Joggers. Bicyclists. Everyone seemed to be out enjoying the final moments of the day.
Above it all, the pale blue sky was dashed with streaky white clouds and fading slowly into the amber shades of a setting sun.
Rita tugged the belt on her white wool coat a little tighter. Her thick red hair was tied back in a messy bun.
Cole kept the hood of his navy sweatshirt pulled carefully over his head, enough to hide his face without fully obstructing his view of their surroundings.
With any luck, the two of them looked like a normal couple out enjoying a walk.
He slid a protective arm behind Rita’s back and spoke softly as they moved toward the mailbox. “Do you see the man with the big black dog? That’s Lomar,” he said. “The suit on the bench reading the paper? Deputy Franks. Hospital security is watching your brother, and I can identify all the men on my team from here. You’re in very good hands.” He tugged her closer and planted a kiss on her cheek. “See the tall Ken-doll-looking guy over there? The one pretending to talk on the phone? That’s my brother, Blake. He’s not even part of the sheriff’s department. He’s FBI, and he can’t resist the chance to take down a bad guy.”
“FBI? So you’re all in law enforcement?”
“Like I said, it’s in the blood. Blake married a local nature photographer and moved home last year. He’d been away for a long time before that, dealing with his demons, I suppose. Now he can’t seem to stop offering his services.” Cole smiled. Both Blake and West had recently fallen in love and it had changed their lives irrevocably.
Cole had even made his share of jokes at Blake’s and West’s expense on the matter, and now he had plans to follow their lead if Rita would have him.
He gathered her into his arms when they reached the mailbox. Before she could crouch to make the drop, he had something to say.
She looked up at him, clearly startled. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to find another reason to put this off,” he said. “I like what we have here, and regardless of what happens with this case, I don’t want us to end.”
Her mouth twitched. “Me, either.”
“Yeah?”
Rita nodded.
“Don’t leave when the case is closed,” he told her, a little more sternly than he’d intended.
“Never.” She rocked onto her toes and kissed him like she meant it.
Warmth bloomed in his chest. He caught her wrists in his hand and hooked them around his neck, dragging her body more tightly against his. Cole had been with lots of women who didn’t matter. He’d never been with one who truly did, and the feeling, he realized, was like a drug. “While you’re feeling so agreeable,” he said. “I’d like it if you’d have me. And only me.” He’d seen her fall apart in his hands today, and the moment had wrecked him for other women forever. He didn’t want any man to ever see her like that. That was just for him.
A smile budded on Rita’s lips. “Back at ya.” She released him after a small kiss and extended her hand to seal the deal with a handshake.
Cole chuckled, accepting the terms. He rubbed the goofy smile off his lips as Rita crouched beside the mailbox to leave the decoy pen. He’d surely hear about the scene that had played out publicly between them from every single member of his team when this was over.
Rita brushed her palms together. “Done.”
“Good. Now let’s get the hell out of here.” He gripped her tiny hand in his and turned back the way they’d come.
A sharp glint of light stopped him midstride. “Did you see that?”
“What?”
He turned in a slow circle, scanning building tops and shadowed spaces. “A flash. Like light bouncing off a...”
The gunshot cracked through the air, drowning out his voice and scattering people in every direction.
Children cried. Mothers screamed.
Cole swore.
“Get down! Get down!” The familiar voices of his brothers and fellow deputies echoed through the air. “Get down!”
Cole yanked Rita’s arm. “Run!”
They broke into a sprint, hands knotted together.
“Straight to the truck,” he yelled over the deafening din of panic in the air.
Another shot exploded. Closer this time, blasting a divot of grass before them.
Rita screamed again, digging her feet into the ground and looking like she had on the boat when she’d seen the bomb ticking so close to zero.
“You can do this,” he whispered, and her feet began to move again.
Cole cursed himself internally. He’d been blind, thinking only of Rita’s safety and his feelings for her. He hadn’t taken the time to scrutinize the situation. If he had, he would’ve realized it was a setup. “This wasn’t about the pen,” he snapped, overcome with frustration and terror as men and women rushed around them in every direction, making it impossible to get eyes on any of his team members without slowing their run. Hopefully at least one of the good guys had them covered.
This drop had never been about regaining the thumb drive. Nothing on those documents had pointed fingers directly at anyone. No, someone had wanted Rita out in the open, and this was a plot to get rid of the last witness.
Chapter Eighteen
Cole’s ears roared with excess adrenaline as he barreled away from the park. How had he not seen the drop for what it really was? An ambush.
Screaming sirens and flashing lights seemed to fill the already thin air as ambulances rushed by them in the opposite direction, pushing traffic onto the berm. A bleating firetruck made Rita turn in her seat, trailing it with her eyes as it disappeared behind them. “Someone called 911,” Cole said, by way of explanation. “Probably a witness or bystander.” A citizen wouldn’t have known that everyone in local law enforcement was already on-site with the shooter. If West or a deputy had made the call for emergency responders, however, it could only mean someone needed an ambulance.
He dragged his phone from his pocket and dialed West on speaker.
He’d put a few miles between Rita and the gunman with no signs of a tail. It was time to check in.
“You okay?” West answered without a greeting.
“Yeah. You?”
“Yeah. Rita?”
Cole slid his eyes toward the trembling woman at his side. “She will be. We saw the ambulances. Anyone hurt? Tell me you
caught this guy.”
“Nah,” West huffed into the receiver. “The guy is vapor. We’ve fanned out to see if he’s still here, maybe trying to blend in, but we’ve got nothing. Thankfully, no one was injured, but there’s no way around a press conference now.”
Cole eased the gas pedal off the floor.
“Shooter at a local park.” West exhaled the words. “This was bad. And, man, I hate reporters. Luckily, the team’s all here.”
Was it lucky? Or just shameful that they were all on-site and no one had been able to prevent a public shooting? Cole grimaced. West would be doing public relations cleanup for the rest of his time behind the badge after this.
He rocked his head side to side, stretching the bunched muscles along his neck and shoulders. “And no sign of the gunman?”
“Not yet.”
Rita leaned closer to the phone on Cole’s open palm, her hands fisted over the material of her coat sleeves. “What about the pen?”
“Gone.”
Her pale face went impossibly whiter. “Did he open fire because he realized what I’d done? That I’d delivered a fake?” She flicked her terrified gaze to Cole. “I broke the deal.”
“Don’t do that,” West said. “This isn’t on you. The pen was in place at the time of the first gunshot. We lost track of it after that, while we herded folks to safety. When we went back, it was gone. It’s possible the shots were meant for that purpose. To distract us.”
Cole set the phone on his thigh and reached for Rita with one hand. “What if this was never about the pen? What if the drop was designed to get Rita out in the open? It created an opportunity to eliminate the only person who can identify both men from the docks that night.”
“I didn’t see both men,” Rita said, shaking her head. “Only the one who chased me.”
“They don’t know that,” Cole argued. “From what you’ve told us, those men have no idea how long you were standing in the shadows. You could’ve been there when they arrived, could’ve seen and heard everything that went on, and now you’re spending a lot of time with cops.”
Rita fell back against the seat, her breath whooshing free in a deep exhale.
Cole could practically see the guilt-ridden thoughts running through her head. “This is not your fault.” He gripped her hand. “Hey.”
Her sweet hazel eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“It’s not,” he promised.
“But if I hadn’t insisted on coming...”
“No.” West’s voice cracked through the air, startling Cole.
It was so easy to forget everything else when she was there.
“This is not your fault,” West said. “None of it. Not his stalking you, not your brother’s accident and not the shooting at the park. Whatever this psychopath does, he’s doing it by choice. His choice. His agenda. You are not to blame for his crimes, regardless of how your anxious heart twists the facts. You got it? Because I want you to hear that. Really understand it.”
Cole smiled. He’d seen his fun-loving brother in boss mode more times than he could count, and there was no denying him anything when he got like that. Another reason he made a great sheriff. West could put people at ease without feeling obligated to be their best friend. He got the job done. All of it. And folks respected him for it.
Rita released a long slow breath. “You’re right. I need to stay focused.”
“Atta girl,” West said, his voice going easy and kind. “Cole. Why don’t you take Rita somewhere safe while we finish the witness interviews and scan the park? I want to visit some of the nearby buildings for signs the shooter was there. If we know where he waited for her, it could give us another clue about who he is. If he has ties in the area, professional training, anything like that, I can follow it back to him. Lomar’s collecting the spent rounds. That’ll help, too.”
Cole nodded at the phone. “I saw a glint of light before the first shot. Could’ve been sunlight off a rifle scope.”
“Where?”
“East of the mailbox, between the drop location and the parking lot. We were headed back to the truck. A rooftop maybe.”
“Good,” West said, a rumble of pride in his voice. “That’s what we need. Something to go on. You get your lady to safety, and I’ll call when we have something.”
Rita turned, fear overtaking her pretty features. “Can I see my brother?”
Cole stopped at the next intersection, waiting for West to chime in. Cole was definitely against a trip to the hospital, but West could deliver the bad news this time. He wasn’t the one trying to keep her both safe and happy. A more and more difficult task, given their circumstances.
Rita made a pleading face at Cole. “I don’t want anyone to go after Ryan again because of what I just did. The note said to bring the pen to the park. I didn’t. I brought a fake. The note said to come alone. I didn’t. I brought the whole sheriff’s department. Ryan’s unconscious in the trauma ward. He’s helpless and alone. His only protection is a crew of nurses and hospital security. I have to see him.”
“Can it wait?” West asked. “Hospital security has the entire floor locked down, and I trust them. I’d prefer you postpone your next visit until a deputy can go with you.”
“Hey.” Cole glared at the windshield, easing through the intersection, half expecting the dreaded black sedan to appear in his rearview. “I’m with her. I’m a deputy.”
“Yeah, and when was the last time you slept?” West asked.
Cole ground his teeth. “Last night.”
“For how long?”
Cole pursed his lips.
“I’m guessing it wasn’t long,” West said, answering his own question with undeniable self-importance. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but whatever insufficient amount of sleep you got was on the same day you were knocked unconscious after leaping off a boat that exploded.” He broke the final word into syllables. “Am I right? And I heard Uncle Henry tell you to rest and take something for the pain. Did you do either of those things? Really? Have you even changed the bandages?”
“Are you serious with this right now?” It was one thing to be perpetually teased for being the baby of the family, and completely another to be told he wasn’t fit to protect Rita and Ryan until another deputy arrived. “I can do this.”
“Of course you can,” West said, managing to sound exasperated despite the fact he’d started this. “I know you can. You, out of all of us brothers, always could do damn near anything. But it doesn’t mean you should. And it’s a proven fact that fatigue wrecks your ability to think on your feet and it slows your reflexes. Would you want anyone else in your condition protecting Rita and her brother? Or do you want to stow your stubborn pride, stop trying to prove something to everyone all the time and just wait until a deputy who’s slept longer than four hours in the last two nights gets there to help?”
Cole traded his hold on Rita for a double fisted grip around the steering wheel. He hated to admit it, but West’s reasoning was strong, and throwing Rita’s safety into the argument made it impossible to disagree. “I’m not trying to prove anything,” he said, already defeated. He would wait for the next deputy to arrive before taking Rita to the hospital.
“You are.” The zeal had washed from West’s voice. “You always have been, but you never needed to. Do me a favor, as your brother, not your boss. Take Rita to Grandpa’s cabin or Mom and Dad’s place, find a bed with a blanket in a room with a locking door, then get some sleep. I need you healed up and ready to go. We can’t do this without you.”
Pride stung Cole’s throat. “Yes, sir.” He closed the phone and set it in the cupholder, unable to look in Rita’s direction. He was nearly thirty years old, and his brother’s approval never stopped feeling like he’d just won the middle-school fishing derby.
Rita reached for his hand on the wheel and pulled it onto her lap. “That w
as nice.”
Cole laughed. “Yeah. That wasn’t bad.”
“He’s proud of you,” she said. “Didn’t sound to me like he thinks you’re not enough. It sounded to me like he’s an older brother.”
Cole cleared his throat, not trusting his voice to sound as strong as he needed it to be for her. “Ryan’s going to be just fine, but we can head over there whenever you’re ready. I’ll leave that up to you.”
She shook her head. “No. West’s right. It can wait. I’ve still got his phone. Stacy’s updates are still coming steady and strong. I know he’s safe. His condition hasn’t declined, and he’s in good hands. I don’t want to lead any more danger Ryan’s way. How far away is your grandfather’s cabin?”
“About twenty miles. A forty-minute trip from here. Lots of back roads and rough terrain. I haven’t been there in years, but it’s secluded. Not many people even know it’s there.” He veered right at the next fork in the road, angling away from shops and local residences onto a narrow finger that would soon be made of mud and gravel.
“Sounds perfect,” she said. “I’ll call Stacy when we get there and let her know we’ll be back tonight unless she needs us sooner. I wouldn’t mind a verbal update, either. Texts are nice, but I’d like to hear her tell me he’s okay.”
Cole watched as she swiveled forward, turning her body back to face the windshield. Was it wrong of him to feel so much pride in knowing her? Her strength of will. Her love for family. Was it wrong of him to want her to be a part of his life permanently, and as soon as possible?
She lifted her sweet-spirited smile to him, light and pure in a moment of sheer perfection. Things were going to be okay.
“Cole.” Her eyes went suddenly wide, and Cole followed her gaze though his driver’s-side window as a giant truck slammed into his door. Metal twisted and crunched. Glass shattered over them. Cole’s arms flew away from the wheel, and his torso jerked toward Rita like a rag doll, thrust away from the caved-in door.
Shadow Point Deputy Page 17
