Fugitive Trail

by Elizabeth Goddard

  Bryce stood to his full height, his silver-blue eyes taking her in. An old, familiar stirring hit her, and she realized how much she’d missed this man. She’d always felt drawn to him. But then, that was why she’d been deliberate about putting emotional distance between them.

  “I don’t have any inside scoops for you. I don’t know what’s going on with BPD.”

  She glanced at him. That didn’t sound good. “Why don’t you know what’s going on?”

  “I’m not working with BPD anymore.”

  Okay. That surprised her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m telling you now.” He winked. “I’ve been a private investigator for a year now. That and working security.”

  She nodded, taking it in. “That had always been your dream.” She remembered that much. “Good for you, Bryce. I’m glad.”

  Bryce held her gaze captive for a few breaths longer than necessary. There was so much more she could say to him.

  He approached her and, in two easy steps, he stood much too close. Samson, who had stuck by Bryce’s side, decided to wag his dinosaur tail and it thumped against her leg.

  “Just so you know, I’m here until Raul is back in prison. I’m here for as long as it takes.”

  Sierra stared into his eyes. If only she could send him away. It would be safer for her heart. But his proclamation had the strange and unbidden effect of reassuring her that she would be safe as long as he was here. Between Samson and Bryce, no one would get to Sierra. And maybe it was okay to accept his help. After all, it had been only yesterday when she’d looked into Damien’s vengeance-filled eyes right before he died. Only yesterday she’d seen Raul watching her.

  Bryce suddenly took her hand. “Breathe, Sierra. It’s going to be okay.”

  She hadn’t been breathing? She slowly drew in air along with the hint of his musky cologne. “Is it? You didn’t see what I saw.” She hadn’t meant to show him how scared she was. She didn’t want to be scared. But this situation made her anxiety impossible to ignore. “You didn’t see the hate in his eyes. He wasn’t even afraid of the fact that he was about to die. All he cared about was getting to me. His last words were nothing more than evil. His brother is no different than him, and Raul succeeded in getting to me before.”

  And both she and Bryce had almost died.

  A shudder rolled through her.

  * * *

  She tried to hide it but Bryce didn’t miss the effect Damien’s words had on her. Without a second thought he wrapped his arms around her. As a friend. Nothing more. Someone who cared for her deeply—and platonically.

  “It’s going to be okay. I hope some part of you knew that I would come. We’ve been through so much together. We faced off against Raul before. If he comes for you, we’ll face him again and win—together, Sierra. That’s why I’m here. To face him with you if it comes to that.”

  Though uncertainty about his decision to come had plagued him, now Bryce was more than glad he’d decided to head to Crescent Springs. Whether she had realized that she needed him before, he didn’t know. But the way she held on to him now told him she would accept his presence, at least for the time being.

  He eased away and gripped her arms. “I’m here for you.”

  In her eyes he could see that she didn’t want to need him. He took a step back even as she did too. “See you at dinner?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Okay. Sure.”

  “How about the Crescent Springs Café just across the street.” That should be easy.

  “It’s going to be crowded.” She shrugged. “We could eat here.”

  “We could. But then your father would hear our conversation.”

  She nodded. “Right. I don’t necessarily want him to know all the danger I’ve had to face or am facing now. I haven’t even told him the worst part about yesterday.” She rubbed her arms. “I need him to know. He needs to be safe and remain cautious, but I know how much it will hurt him to learn all the details of what I went through before, and that it followed me here.”

  “I’ll be praying for you,” he said.

  Her eyes widened. “Looks like you have a lot to share with me, then.”

  Right. He’d found God. Or rather God had found him since Sierra had left Boulder.

  “So the café it is.”

  She smiled. “I’ll call and let them know to save us a table. I’m friends with Miguel, the owner.”

  “Sounds good.” He left her standing in the kitchen petting the gentle giant he’d given her four years ago. She’d remained in Boulder for three years. When Samson had been old enough she’d trained him for K-9 work. Just before Samson had become an official part of BPD, Sierra had moved to Crescent Springs. Bryce got the feeling that the timing wasn’t a coincidence. Sierra hadn’t wanted to put Samson in harm’s way or lethal situations.

  He headed out through the toy store and gave a small wave to her father and the young woman Bryce assumed was Jane. She didn’t look a day over twenty. As he exited the toy store, he realized the anticipation he felt about tonight’s dinner with Sierra felt so much like a date when it shouldn’t. She’d hurt him before, and he knew Sierra well enough...she would hurt him again if given the chance. Regardless, Bryce was only here to keep her safe. Sierra was in danger. That he found himself wrapped up in protecting her against a Novack brother again seemed surreal. But he would see it through until the end.

  If only he could shake the feeling that it wouldn’t end well. They had survived the last time. Could they survive this time?

  He hesitated before crossing the street and leaving the toy store. But he reassured himself that while Sierra was at the toy store and surrounded by people, she should be safe. He walked the growing crowds to see if he spotted any familiar or unwanted faces and called his old boss from the Boulder PD on his cell.

  “Bryce.” The man was breathless. Traffic resounded in the background. “Good to hear from you. Since the Novack brothers’ escape, we’ve been trying to find out everything we can. Where are you?”

  Three steps ahead of you. Bryce leaned against a storefront and watched the toy store across the street while he talked. “Crescent Springs, Colorado.”

  “Oh, you’re staying close to Sierra then. You obviously know about the plane crash.”

  “Yes. And I’m here with her until this is over.”

  “Don’t forget that you sent them to the penitentiary too. You could be in as much danger.”

  “I’m well aware of that, don’t worry. But I don’t think that I was their primary target since they headed straight for Crescent Springs.”

  “But now that you’re there, it’s easier for Raul to get at both of you. That said, I don’t blame you for being concerned about her.” A car door opened and shut. “You’re a good man to make sure she’s all right. I’ll stay in close communication with Sheriff Locke there in Crescent Springs as the state and NTSB work through this so we’re all on the same page. I don’t need to tell you to watch Sierra’s back, but please watch your own.”

  “I will, don’t worry. I’m sure someone will spot Raul soon. He couldn’t have lasted long in the elements so my guess is that he would have made the closest town.”

  “Crescent Springs.”

  “Which is hopping right now for a local ice festival. If he’s hanging around, someone’s going to see him.”

  “On the other hand,” his old boss said, “he’s smart enough to know that, with the plane crash, we’re onto him. He might get as far away as he can rather than trying to get to Sierra.”

  “Whatever the case, let’s hope he doesn’t get to Sierra.” The state was searching and local law had been called in, as well. Sierra wasn’t out there searching for the criminal for obvious reasons. Bryce was glad that Sheriff Locke hadn’t involved her.

  “I’m with you. And Bryce? It’s good to be working with y
ou again. I wish you would have stayed with the BPD. You’re always welcome to come back. We could always use another good detective.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Captain. I’ll keep that in mind.” At the very back of his mind. He ended the call.

  Bryce leaned against the wall to watch the tourists entering the shops or merely window shopping.

  Across the street, next to the toy store, he spotted a big man, his hood covering his face. The guy’s build was the right size. He could be Raul.

  Sierra appeared in the glass doorway of the store, stepped out onto the sidewalk and turned left to walk up the street. Where was she going?

  His gut tensed. Bryce started across the street. The big man turned and walked away from the store as if to follow Sierra.

  Bryce trailed him, picking up his pace. If this was Raul gunning for her, Bryce couldn’t let him hurt Sierra. Nor could he let him get away.

  The man increased his pace and headed directly for Sierra.

  “Sierra! Watch out!” Bryce shouted but he wasn’t sure if she could hear him over the bustling crowd and the traffic.

  Sierra jerked around at the same moment the man was on her. He grabbed her, then threw her against the wall. He wielded a knife, but Sierra dodged his strike.

  “Hey!” Bryce called out as he weaved through pedestrians and sprinted toward Sierra and her attacker.

  The man jerked his attention to Bryce then threw Sierra down hard as if she was nothing but a rag doll. He pushed his way through the tourists to escape, bumping shoulders with people as he passed, and knocking a man and his child over.

  Bryce caught up to Sierra and tried to help her to her feet.

  “Go, get him!” She pointed. “I’ll radio the sheriff.”

  Bryce ran after the man, but the attacker climbed onto a motorcycle and sped away. The chase wasn’t over yet though. The traffic and tourists would slow the motorcycle and that would be Bryce’s only chance of catching him. Bryce pushed himself, dashing between cars and people, shouting that he was coming through. The motorcycle turned right at the corner, away from the heavy traffic in the town’s center. When Bryce made it to the corner, his legs slowed. He was good for a marathon but not for a sprint. Up ahead, he spotted the motorcycle speeding out of town.

  There was only one main highway out of town, but there were numerous forest service roads. Bryce would never catch up to the man he suspected had to be Raul, but once notified, the Colorado State Patrol would ramp up their search. Bryce wanted to believe that Raul would be captured. The fact that the convict had stayed around the area this long knowing that law enforcement was searching for him didn’t reassure Bryce about Sierra’s safety.

  Catching his breath, Bryce turned to make his way back to Sierra.

  What would have happened if Bryce hadn’t been there, watching the toy store when she was attacked? Would Raul have gotten the best of her despite her defensive efforts?

  He couldn’t bear it if something happened to her. Bryce would camp out at her place if that’s what protecting her required. He had the feeling the hotel across the street might not be close enough.

  THREE

  That night Bryce had dinner with Sierra as planned, in spite of the events of the afternoon. In spite of Raul’s attack on her in broad daylight. The guy had no fear.

  That alone had shaken Bryce to his core, though he tried to hide that fact from Sierra. He’d also tried to dissuade her from dinner at the café.

  “I won’t let him ruin my life here,” she’d said.

  After chasing after Raul and failing to capture him, Bryce had found Sierra in her kitchen, calming her nerves by petting Samson.

  And now here they sat across from each other in a booth, trying to pretend everything was normal. Trying, and failing.

  He’d been relieved when the waiter took their barely eaten food away. Neither of them had much of an appetite, and in that way, Raul was succeeding in ruining her life, as she put it.

  Add to that, here in the café, they were probably too exposed.

  “I’ll see you back home,” he said. Maybe if he stuck close to her Raul wouldn’t be so bold. And maybe law enforcement had chased him far from here after today. In the meantime, he’d seen an increase in state law enforcement in town, adding to the county sheriff’s meager presence. Sierra was as well protected as she could be.

  But until he heard that the criminal had been caught, he would remain on high alert.

  Nodding her agreement, she eased from the booth. “I’ll need to take Samson for a walk. Want to come?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t mind spending more time with him.” He hitched a grin. “Oh, okay, and you too.”

  He kept the conversation light, but neither of them was feeling it. The heaviness of Raul’s escape and pursuit of Sierra was pulling them both down.

  “You know, walking Samson could be a problem if Raul is still here in town.” Walking a dog was one of those daily routines that tended to follow a predictable pattern—and that could be dangerous, even if the dog was a massive K-9 mountain search dog.

  “It’s not like it can be helped.” Her eyes glistened in the low lighting of the café. “Samson has to be walked.”

  “Maybe I can do that for you instead.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t put you in danger like that.”

  He knew, like him, she hoped it would be over soon.

  Sierra paused at the door to thank Miguel, the café owner. The man’s smile and warm gaze told Bryce that he was interested in Sierra. Bryce swallowed the shard of jealousy that surged up his throat. Then he escorted her across the street and through the store. Samson’s deep throaty bark could be heard through the walls.

  “It’s easier to go through the store than to walk all the way around the building and storefronts, through the alley and then back around, especially when the snow can get too deep and isn’t always plowed or shoveled. It’s a weird setup, I know. But living at the back of the store is super convenient for Dad.”

  In the living room, her father sat in a recliner and flicked through television programs.

  Bryce peered through the blinds at the dark woods. The light coming from the windows chased away few shadows. “It’s convenient, true, but it certainly isn’t the best setup for your current situation.”

  Sierra grabbed the leash off the hook. “Good thing I’ve got my K-9 and my handgun.”

  Right. Good thing. “Better keep the gun with you at all times then.” She certainly hadn’t had it with her today.

  She nodded, but didn’t acknowledge his comment any further, turning to her father instead. “How was dinner?” she asked. To Bryce, she said, “He insisted on warming up leftovers—fried chicken tenders and green beans—in the microwave.”

  “Probably better than what you ate at that restaurant.” Her father chuckled.

  “Right. My cooking isn’t the best, I know, Dad. But the café’s food is definitely better.” Sierra attached the leash to Samson’s collar—more a formality than an actual restraint, due to Samson’s size.

  She started to open the back door. Bryce touched her arm and leaned in to whisper. “I think it’s a good idea to avoid going out this back way for the foreseeable future.” He wouldn’t say more in front of Sierra’s father. He wasn’t sure how much she had shared with the man.

  She frowned and nodded. “What was I thinking? You’re right.”

  She led Bryce and Samson back through the storefront. She unlocked and then once again locked the door. Anxiety settled in his stomach. He shoved through the deepening snow and a snow berm to get to the plowed street. “I’ll be here first thing in the morning to shovel this away so customers can get to you.”

  “It’s a problem, to be sure.”

  Snowflakes coated them both but being with Sierra seemed to add warmth to Bryce’s layers, despite
the cold dread that coursed through him.

  As they walked, keeping to the freshly plowed street as opposed to the un-shoveled sidewalk, he didn’t want to break the silence but he needed to say the words. “Samson is a deterrent, but be cautious even when you’re out walking him. His protection isn’t foolproof.”

  “And yours is?” She arched her brow again.

  He almost smiled at that—he’d missed seeing her feistiness on a regular basis.

  “You know what I mean,” he said. Someone bent on harming her could shoot Samson and then Sierra too.

  “I didn’t thank you for today. You distracted Raul, pulling his attention from me and then he ran from you. Not me. You. If you hadn’t been there maybe I could have won the fight, but I can’t be sure. Just like before, you were there in time, Bryce. I owe you. But today drove home that you’re putting yourself in danger by being here.” Sierra turned to him, her breath puffing out white clouds. Snowflakes clung to her lashes.

  “Don’t tell me that you’re worried about me?” Okay, that was just plain wrong—it sounded like he was asking her to say how much he meant to her. He wasn’t going to flirt with her.

  Sierra didn’t answer.

  That’s because she probably knew he didn’t want to know the real answer. Either way. He ignored the painful memories of their past and his attraction to her. Samson’s low growl drew his attention to the animal and then the woods just beyond the line of buildings. He had suspected those woods were going to be a problem.

  The beast continued his growl then barked.

  “Easy, Samson,” she said.

  “Can you control him?” Bryce asked.

  “Warten!” She commanded Samson to wait.

  Sierra had used German words for her commands when she trained Samson because it was easier for Samson to differentiate the commands from her every day communications. The dog did as he was trained to do but he continued to growl.

  “I’m going to check it out,” Bryce said. “Get behind that nine-passenger van.”

  “Hier.” Here, she commanded Samson. The dog whined then moved close to Sierra.