by Reina Torres
Jake turned his head and met Dax’s pointed look.
“He’s on the list.”
Dax sighed. “I don’t like this.”
Jake nodded. “Looks like they’re cleaning up.” Over the last week, four men had been found in the same condition, all over town. Cut across the throat and stone-cold dead. Even with the hundreds of names in Joe’s scribbled notes, it was quite a feat. “If they keep up this pace, we won’t have anyone left on the list to investigate. I can’t imagine that Anne’s prepared to face anything like this.”
When Dax remained silent, Jake looked up at his friend. “What?”
Dax shrugged. “Why are you so hot under the collar to get Anne back in San Antonio. She’s safe where she is, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” Jake got to his feet and nudged his hat back to get more light, “and she’s probably as safe as she would be here.”
Having heard about the argument on the night that Joe escaped from custody, Dax nodded. “So, are you going to tell Hildie?”
“No. I’m not going to tell her that.”
“Better now than later when she really gets her dander up.”
“Oh, she’s got plenty already.”
“Then why?”
“Why?” Jake pulled his hat off and worked his fingers through his hair. “If Anne was in our custody there’d be any number of officers with guns standing between Anne and Joe.”
“And his crew,” Dax interjected.
“Yes,” Jake sighed, “and his crew. But right now, the first hurdle for Joe-”
“Is Hildie.” Dax sighed. “I see what you mean, but there’s one thing you have to understand, Jake.”
“Just one?” His laugh was more of a bitter crack of sound.
“The main one,” Dax explained, “is that Hildie’s been doing this since before you knew her. She’s been there and done that, and she’s still standing. This isn’t just a hobby for her, Jake. This is her job, and I believe, it’s her calling. You can’t just ask her to stop doing her job.”
“I can,” he pushed back, “if it saves her life.”
Dax looked at the alleyway around them, and Jake could see it too, they were almost alone.
“So where do you have it?”
The question stunned him. “It?”
“Yeah,” Dax leaned in an inch closer. “Where do you have it? Your crystal ball?”
Jake’s temper flared, but he kept it in check. “You know I don’t have one.”
“Good, then stop living by this fear you have, because if you don’t know what’s going to happen you can’t expect Hildie to either. She’s a tough woman. I can’t imagine she likes you telling her what to do.”
“Well, we haven’t exactly talked much over the last week or so.”
Dax shook his head. “But I thought you were over there the last two nights?”
“Yeah, I was there.” Jake reached up a hand and scratched at the back of his neck. “But we don’t really talk. We just… we go to sleep with me holding her. When the morning comes, we talk, if that’s what you could call a handful of words, and then I’m gone again.”
He didn’t need to see his friend to know that Dax was feeling sorry for him.
“Anyway, let’s see what there is to see about this body. I have a feeling we’ll have another one all too soon.”
Dax’s low whistle echoed off the brick wall. “I hope you’re wrong, Jake, but I think I’m fighting a losing battle on that one.”
Hildie spent the morning on the back patio of Miranda Carson’s home. Miranda’s husband, Trace, had found a pregnant dog panting on the roadside while he was on duty as a Texas Game Warden and had brought the dog home. The pups were born that night in their kitchen, and since then Mama, as the Carson’s named her, had easily settled into life with her brood.
With her lap full of squirming dogs, Hildie was free to laugh and coo over the tumbling mass at her leisure.
One of the wiggling mass latched onto her finger with a vengeance. “Hey now,” she cautioned the pup and lifted it out of the pile with her snack-free fingers under its belly, “you’re not going to get much of anything out of my finger.”
The little thing was happily munching away, eyes blissfully closed.
Looking up at Miranda who was seated on the porch swing, she gave her friend a pout. “They’re probably going to be ready to feed again in a few.”
“They’re always ready to feed.” Miranda laughed. “I bet Mama is going to be so happy when her babies start attacking their food the way they go after her. And you.”
“Well, it looks like she’s a natural at being a mom. They all look happy and well fed.”
“Yeah, it’s probably why the local kennel asked me to keep them. They have their hands full right now with single dogs in need of families, and puppies are irresistible to families with kids.”
Hildie sobered a bit. “I can see that. Still, you’re planning to find adoptive families for the puppies, right?”
“Originally, all of them. But it didn’t take me long to figure out that Trace wanted to keep Mama. They bonded on the ride home. She was already in labor when Trace found her, and I think he admired her strength.”
“What happened?” The pup mercifully let go of her fingertip and dove back into the pile as another intrepid pup started to climb up the front of her shirt.
“He could tell she was struggling so my handsome, and so damn capable, husband rubbed her back through all of the contractions by the side of the road. When we got her inside, he sat there with the two of us and coaxed her through labor. The man was a rock.”
Hildie laughed with joy. “He’s a big softy on the inside and hot as sin on the outside. You’re a lucky woman, ‘Randa.”
“Don’t I know it!” She smoothed her hands over her flat belly. “I just hope he’s as calm when I’m in labor.”
“Oh. My. God! Are you pregnant?”
Mama lifted her head from the porch floor and let out a howl.
Wincing, Hildie shrugged. “Sorry.”
Miranda waved off her concern. “No, not yet, but not for lack of trying.”
Hildie put her hands over her ears and sing-songed, “Lala lala lala…” She lowered her hands with a laugh and plucked the pup from her shoulder and set the little thing back into her lap. “No, I get all the practice. It’s the perfect way to end a day.”
“Oh, now this I have to hear.” Miranda got up from the swing and sat down beside Hildie. Mama lifted her head and set it on Miranda’s thigh. “Sounds like things are going great between you and Jake, hmm?”
The instinctive wince wasn’t lost on Miranda.
“Uh oh, what happened?”
“One of my clients had to be moved. We were working on moving her out of state and back to her family, but the man who was beating her escaped police custody.”
“I heard that on the news! So, you moved her, right?”
Nodding, Hildie explained about switching cars and the long drive she’d done to get Anne to the next person in the chain.
“Okay, I’m not seeing a problem here.” Miranda was trying not to let one of the pups burrow into the neck of her t-shirt.
“That’s what I said. Jake wants me to bring her back here so he can put her into protective custody until the trial.”
“What did your client want?”
Hildie let out a relieved sigh. “She wanted to be moved. We have a signal set up for her to know when it’s safe to come home. And until that happens, she’s safe.”
Miranda’s gaze was focused on her face for a long moment. “And Jake wants her here because…”
“He’s afraid for me because I’m the only one who knows the next link in the chain.”
“But that’s how it’s supposed to work. Right?” Miranda’s tone was soft and a bit confused.
“Exactly. I’ve tried telling him that this isn’t my first time. I’ve transported more than a dozen women.”
Miranda cuddled the puppy in her arms. Wi
de, tawny colored ears fell forward and hid the dog’s face. “He’s afraid for you, Hildie. He cares and he’s worried that something will happen to you. It’s a good thing.”
“It is a good thing,” Hildie agreed, “in moderation. At this point we’re hardly talking to each other.”
The smirk on Miranda’s face made Hildie laugh.
“Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re thinking what’s the problem with that?”
Miranda’s expression sobered, and she lifted an errant puppy up to her lips for a kiss and put it back down beside Mama. “I get it. I think you and Jake are having a workplace spat and it makes sense. Sometimes when Trace comes home, he’s frustrated over some aspect of the job and we disagree on what should be done, or that there is a problem to begin with. But, it’s different for us. We worked together before we were together.
“When we clash, it’s at home. And then sometimes we’ll walk away and sulk, or mull, and later on it’s all fireworks, but the good kind.”
Hildie shook her head, and one of the puppies jumped up and tried to grab hold of the magenta streak that she’d added when the other one had washed out. “The difference is, Jake and I don’t work together.”
“The hell you don’t!” Miranda laughed. “Your client gave the Rangers a huge piece of evidence. You protected her when her abuser escaped from custody. You may not carry a badge, Hildie, but you and Jake are working together. If you can’t see that, that’s part of the problem. There’s a give and take to any relationship. And right now, Jake is being bullheaded and seeing things from the Ranger perspective, but… I think instinctively he’s also flat out scared.”
Hildie scoffed at the idea. “Jake McGowan isn’t scared.”
“For himself, no. Didn’t you say that the first-time things started heating up between the two of you was when you were in danger?”
Hildie felt the color drain from her face. “Yeah. At the courthouse.”
“Okay then. He’s probably having all kinds of dark thoughts about what could happen to you because of your work to protect Anne. The only thing that made my man that bullheaded and stupid was when I was in danger. That ‘alpha’ need to control and protect kicks in, and while that can be sexy as hell, it can also be just as frustrating.”
“Well, it’s stupid.” Hildie growled.
“Yeah,” Miranda could only smile back, “but it’s a thing. You can fight it like you’re doing and expect him to change, but…”
“I’m not fighting it. I just want… no, I need him to understand that I’m capable. I know what I’m doing. Why would he even want to be with me if I couldn’t handle the heart of what I do. No. I don’t carry a badge, but that doesn’t make what I do any less important. Women come to us in some of the darkest moments in their lives, and we move heaven and earth to help them. We’ve done this dozens and dozens of times before, and we’ll do it thousands more before we even think of walking away. I just can’t stand the quiet between us.”
“You’d rather argue?”
A smile touched Hildie’s lips. “Then at least there’s make up sex.”
Miranda laughed, and Mama let out a doggy howl of joy. “That is true.” She shuddered and sighed. “My man knows how to apologize and then some.”
The back door of the house swung open and Trace Carson stood in the frame with a wary look on his face. “What do I have to apologize for now?”
Hildie resisted the urge to sigh. Trace Carson was the very definition of silver fox with his salt ‘n pepper hair and fantastic build. He set his hat down on the swing and got down on the floor to sit near his wife. Mama raised her head and he gave her a good scratch behind an ear, making her tail thump with doggy bliss.
Miranda leaned against his shoulder. “Nothing, but if you want to think about something you’d like to apologize for then I’m happy to let you.” The look on her face made her thoughts clear and Trace turned to whisper something in her ear and give her a kiss on her cheek before sitting back.
“Good to see you, Hildie. Is Miranda trying to talk you into adopting one of Mama’s litter?”
Hildie hugged the little white and brown puppy that was half asleep in the crook of her arm. “If my apartment complex allowed for pets, totally. They’re all so adorable!”
Trace’s laughter was a warm rumble of sound. “Then you’ll have to think about getting a house and adopt the whole litter.”
That got a laugh out of Hildie. “Wow, the hard sell, huh?” Leaning over, Hildie gave Mama a scratch on her belly. “Would I get Mama too?”
“No.” Trace answered in a heartbeat. “No, I think we’re keeping Mama.”
When Miranda remained quiet, Trace looked at his wife.
“No?”
Miranda leaned closer to him and lifted her chin. Trace smiled as he kissed her and wrapped an arm around her back. When she leaned back, she gave him a wink. “We’ll talk about it later and maybe you’ll convince me.”
Hildie’s thoughts turned to Jake again. The only time of the day that they were communicating was in bed, and while Jake had no problems with listening to her body, he certainly wasn’t showing any signs of letting down his guard enough to listen to her words.
Something had to change, or they were going to end up splitting up.
It all seemed so ridiculous.
“Hey,” Trace’s voice reached her and pulled her out of her thoughts. “They found another body today.”
Hildie felt her heart plummet into her stomach. “Another one?”
Trace nodded, his expression suddenly stoic. “I didn’t see the body. One of the other Wardens found it down by the river. There wasn’t really any attempt made to hide it.”
Hildie knew that was worse than the alternative. “If they’re leaving it out for people to find, it’s a message. They’re getting rid of the evidence… or rather, the people who could testify.”
Miranda must have sensed her mood. She leaned forward and covered Hildie’s hand with her own. “This is a huge case. They’re trying to protect their own asses.”
“By killing the people who could stop them. Yes, I know.”
Miranda leaned back and pressed a kiss to Trace’s cheek, and whispered something to him that Hildie couldn’t hear.
Trace nodded and got to his feet. With a short whistle he got Mama up on her feet. “Come on, Mama, let’s get you fed so you can feed your babies later.”
Apparently, Mama was as smart as could be. As soon as he said ‘fed,’ she was off like a shot, her nails clicking on the porch floor as she pushed through the screen flap over the doorway. The puppies, excited by the sudden movement of their mother, scrambled off Hildie’s lap and followed the mad rush inside.
With a little tush-scoot, Miranda was knee to knee with Hildie. “Look, I see the worry in your eyes, so let’s have a quick heart to heart, okay?”
Hildie swallowed hard against the knot in her throat, nodding in response.
“You know what you’re doing. Right?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you trust that Jake knows what he’s doing.”
“Absolutely.” There wasn’t a question of his ability, or his dedication.
“Then maybe you can find a way for both of you to stick to your guns, but not work against each other.”
Something hit Hildie like a brick wall and kept right on going. There was a moment where she was stunned, and then everything seemed to click into place. Yes, she could do this on her own. Jake knew that, but he also wanted to protect her and Anne, too. They could do both, together.
“Yeah,” the word fell from her lips and Hildie smiled at her friend. “Yes, we can.”
Hildie got up on her knees and gave Miranda a big smacking kiss on her cheek. “You are amazing!”
Miranda gave her a big grin. “You are too. Our men are so lucky.”
“And we,” Hildie winked at Miranda, “are so lucky to have our men.” She got up to her feet and grinned down at all the puppy hair stuck to her dark denim jeans.
>
“I’ll see you later, okay?”
“You know it.” Hildie picked up her keys from the little table on the porch and started down the back stairs rather than distract the feeding hordes inside.
“Hey, wait!” Miranda got up on her feet and leaned on the porch post. “I’m releasing a falcon in a couple of days. You want to go with me?”
Hildie rolled her eyes. “Duh! Of course!” She continued to walk around the side of the house, she stopped at the corner and looked back at her friend. “Hey, Miranda!”
Miranda leaned out over the rail. “What?”
“You know, we kind of do the same things in our work.” Hildie could see the confusion in Miranda’s expression. “We help make our clients as strong as we can, and then we help to set them free.” With a wave, Hildie turned away and rushed to her car. She had to see Jake as soon as she could. They were going to find a way to work it out.
Together.
Chapter 14
Twenty minutes after she’d left Miranda and Trace’s house, Hildie realized that she hadn't called Jake to find out where he was. With all the activity over the last week, she hadn't gone down to the station to see him, even for lunch.
Pulling into the drive through at a local coffee shop, she ordered an iced coffee for herself, and when she had the drink in her hand she pulled out of the driveway and coasted to a stop along the road.
A long, deep draw on the straw and she set the drink aside so she could send him a text.
HILDIE: Hey! Just wanted to see if you have a few minutes to talk.
The three dots appeared on the screen almost immediately.
JAKE: finishing up at a crime scene
JAKE: you okay?
She smiled at the question. Always worried about her.
HILDIE: Fine. I just wanted to talk to you and work things out.
She watched as the three dots appeared and then disappeared, only to reappear a moment later.
JAKE: good
