A PERILOUS SECOND CHANCE

When district attorney Tory Carson returns home after a long day in court prosecuting a gang leader, she finds her house trashed. Concerned that the vandalism is connected to the trial, the local police chief calls the Texas Rangers…and her former love Cade Morgan responds. Tory’s history with Cade—and the secret they share—makes her reluctant to let him back into her life. But Tory doesn’t want to choose between bringing down a gang leader and protecting her teenage daughter. With the threat escalating the longer she tries the case, the safest place for Tory and her daughter is at Cade’s ranch. But can Cade protect them long enough for Tory to bring the criminal to justice?

“You need to leave with me now,” Cade said.

“But I can’t,” Michelle said. “The basketball game just started.”

“Sorry. This isn’t up for debate.” Tory grasped her teen daughter’s hand.

Cade stepped forward. “We’ll use the back door. Let’s go.”

The man Tory was prosecuting right now was ruthless. But he wouldn’t let his daughter—or Tory—be Mederos’s victim.

Seeing the two together was like staring at a younger version of Tory. Both had long, curly blond hair, a thin build and a sprinkle of freckles across their noses.

Cade went through the double doors, inspecting the corridor on both sides. Empty. “Okay, let’s hurry.”

Tory and Michelle went first, with Cade trailing behind. Now all they had to do was make it to the parking lot.

A few feet from the exit, Michelle halted. “What’s going on, Mom?” She looked over her shoulder at Cade. “Who are you?”

“I’m Cade Morgan, Texas Ranger, and you two are in danger here. I’m here to take you to your house.”

He wanted to say so much more. But there was no time for that right now.

MARGARET DALEY, an award-winning author of ninety books (five million sold worldwide), has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread, and corralling her three cats, who think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret, visit her website at margaretdaley.com.

High-Risk Reunion

Margaret Daley

www.millsandboon.co.uk

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

—Romans 8:28

To all the Texas Rangers

for their dedication and hard work as police officers.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

EPILOGUE

Dear Readers

Extract

Copyright

ONE

District Attorney Tory Carson closed her eyes and drew in a deep, composing breath, but as she released it slowly, an image of the dark-haired, tattooed man intruded into her mind. After a long day at court in El Rio, Texas, a town not far from San Antonio, she’d pulled into her garage and sat behind the steering wheel for a few moments, trying to decompress after an intense afternoon selecting members for a jury in the Diego Mederos trial.

As Mederos was escorted from the courtroom, he’d looked right at her, winked and smiled. The memory sent a chill racing through her body. She’d convicted hardened criminals before as the county district attorney, but this one was different. In his black eyes, she’d seen pure evil lurking behind the swagger he presented to the world. Finally, an angry father had come forward to testify against the man who ran a biker gang and murdered the witness’s only son.

Her hands ached from gripping the steering wheel so hard. She pried them away and rubbed them together. When she’d become the DA six years ago, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t bring home her cases and ruin her time with her daughter, Michelle. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard and quickly gathered her briefcase and purse, then exited her car.

She was later than she thought and hoped as pre-arranged when she was running behind that Michelle had caught a ride with her best friend, Emma, to the junior varsity’s basketball game at the high school gym.

At fourteen, Michelle’s world revolved around boys and playing basketball. It was times like this that Tory really missed her husband, Derek, who died two years ago. He was the one who’d gotten Michelle interested in basketball. After he’d come home from work, they used to play together most evenings. Her daughter adored her father. His death had been so hard on both of them. But especially Michelle.

Tory unlocked the garage door and hurried into the kitchen. In case Michelle hadn’t gotten a ride, Tory shouted, “Michelle, are you here?”

Silence greeted Tory. Relieved she had time to change out of her suit and high heels before going to the game, she scanned the kitchen and saw evidence—a plate and glass by the sink—that her daughter had come home after school as she usually did every day, especially on game night, and had called Emma down the street when Tory wasn’t home by the designated time. As a working mom, Tory was thankful for Emma and her mother being able to help her out occasionally.

Tory set her briefcase and handbag on the counter, then walked through the dining room and living room to the entry hall where she gathered the mail Michelle had put on the table near the front door. Heading down the hallway to the bedrooms, Tory flipped through the mail. Nothing important. She looked forward to relaxing and watching Michelle play basketball.

Tory opened the first bill and reviewed the credit-card expenses. The sound of the shower running caused her to pause at the bathroom. Michelle was still here? She’d be late. Her daughter was the one who always kept Tory punctual.

Tory knocked once, then hurried inside.

Came to a dead stop.

Shards of the large mirror over the counter crunched beneath her shoes.

But what caught her full attention was the blood all over the sink and ceramic top. Bile rose into her throat. She put her palm over her mouth and turned away.

“Michelle, what...” Heartbeat racing, Tory yanked the shower curtain back.

Water pounded against the tub and swirled down the drain.

No Michelle.

Tory ran into the hall. Bright red drops trailed on the floor all the way to Michelle’s closed bedroom door. Tory charged forward and gripped the handle, then burst inside her daughter’s room.

It was chaos. The clothes from Michelle’s closet were flung all over the room along with the contents of every drawer in her dresser and desk. Her basketball trophies, photos and books were swept off the bookshelves. Then Tory’s gaze fell upon a skull and crossbones painted in red on the wall over her daughter’s bed. Fear flashed down her spine.

Get out! screamed through her mind. As she spun around, her heart thumping against her rib cage, her gaze fell on the window, the lower glass pane shattered. Tory raced into the hallway while fumbling for her phone in her jacket pocket. She made a call to Michelle, but it went to voice mail. She really wanted to believe that her daughter was probably fine and on the basketball court, her cell phone left in her locker in the girls’ dressing room. She tried Emma’s mom’s number, but it went to voice mail too. Tory didn’t have a good feeling about this.

The image of Mederos with the skull and crossbones symbol tattooed on his arm as he strutted from the courtroom entered her mind again. He was behind this. He had to be.

As she rushed into the kitchen, grabbed her purse and headed for her car, she called the police chief, Paul Drake. When he answered, she slid behind the steering wheel and started her SUV.

“Paul, someone has broken into my house—” she took a gulp of air “—and trashed my daughter’s bedroom. The bathroom... There’s blood everywhere.” She tried to shake the image from her mind. She couldn’t.

“Tory, where are you now?”

“I can’t get hold of Michelle. There’s a skull and crossbones on the wall in her bedroom. That’s Mederos’s gang symbol,” she rambled while she drove as fast as she could.

Tory saw the stop sign too late and slammed on her brakes as a driver at the intersection pulled out to cross. She jerked the steering wheel to avoid the vehicle and sent her Chevy into a spin.

“Where are you?” Paul asked in a firm, no-nonsense voice.

“I...” Tory tried to control her panic. All she could hear was the thunder of her heartbeat in her ears.

“Tory! What happened?”

Pull it together. “I almost had a wreck.” She backed up and turned her car in the right direction, her sweaty palms slipping on the steering wheel. “I tried calling Michelle. She didn’t answer. I’m going to the high school gym and praying Michelle wasn’t at the house when someone came in.” Praying she isn’t kidnapped or worse. She banned that last thought from her mind.

“I’ll send some officers to your house. I’ll meet you at the gym.”

“Hurry.” Mederos has retaliated before against family members of people who have opposed him.

But she didn’t say that out loud. Going after her or her family members wouldn’t really help Mederos’s case. There was always another prosecutor who could take over. It made more sense that Mederos would put his effort into intimidating the star witness, but then she had the father in hiding and guarded. Few people knew where—except her and the US Marshals.

Would Mederos have her daughter kidnapped to find where the star witness was kept? The image of the skull and crossbones over Michelle’s bed mocked that question. Mederos would do whatever he pleased.

Tory sped up, praying to God to keep her daughter protected. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost another loved one, especially her daughter.

* * *

As Cade Morgan drove toward his family ranch on the outskirts of El Rio, Texas, he realized it was later than he’d thought. He had only fifteen or twenty minutes to grab something to eat, check on his dog to see if she’d given birth yet and then head back to the high school gym for the basketball game. This would be the first time he’d see Michelle playing on the Mustang High School girls’ freshman and sophomore team. Seeing his daughter was the reason he’d taken the job in El Rio, covering this part of the state as a Texas Ranger.

He couldn’t be part of her life openly, and years ago he’d accepted that, but he still wanted to be involved with her as much as he could be. He needed to talk to Tory, his high school sweetheart, about what that could possibly be. He’d been back home for only three weeks, and in that time he’d been helping the police chief and sheriff to strengthen the case against Mederos that had gone to trial a couple of days ago.

If he was honest with himself, he’d been putting off talking with Tory. When the Texas Ranger position came up, he’d wondered if it had been a sign from God that it was time for him to return home to live after seventeen years.

As he turned onto the highway that led out of town, his cell phone rang. “What’s up, Paul?” The police chief in El Rio, a town with a population of twenty thousand and the county seat, had been a good friend when Cade grew up here. It had been nice renewing that friendship.

“I’ve sent two officers to Tory Carson’s house. She just called. Someone broke into her house and trashed her daughter’s bedroom. One of the windows was broken. She said blood is everywhere.”

Michelle’s room! Cade made a quick U-turn and headed back into town. “Where’s her daughter?”

“Tory is hoping at the basketball game. She’s heading to the high school gym to see.”

“I’m already heading that way. It shouldn’t take me long.”

“I’ll meet you at the gym. If you find Michelle before I get there, call me and I’ll go help the police officer secure the crime scene.”

When Cade disconnected the call, he pressed his foot on the gas pedal. Is my daughter missing? The question froze him to his core. Criminals like Mederos would stop at nothing to walk away from his trial without a conviction.

Ten minutes later he raced into the high school lobby to find Tory rushing to a set of double doors that led into the gym, her mouth set in a firm, determined line. Her gaze locked with his right before she slipped inside.

Cade hurried his pace, entering the gym seconds behind her. He caught up with her and halted her progress. “Where’s Michelle?”

She yanked her arm from his grip. “What are you doing here?” she asked in a quiet but furious voice.

“Paul called me to help.”

Her eyes swept around the gym and scanned the floor where the game took place. “Just stay out of my way.”

Several people glanced at them. Cade buttoned his tan suit jacket so his gun or his badge didn’t show and moved up behind her, searching for Michelle over Tory’s shoulder. “I don’t see her playing,” he whispered, realizing they were already making a scene.

“Or sitting with her team.” Tory shoved her way through the spectators until she broke free of the crowd around the doors and quickened her steps toward the team members and coaches on the sidelines.

Then two players on the opposing team parted and revealed Michelle out of bounds, throwing the ball into play.

His daughter was safe. Some of his tension flowed out of him.

Tory kept going while his daughter ran toward her team’s basket. A Mustang player passed the ball back to Michelle. Cade wanted to watch, but he needed to catch up with Tory while he called Paul and let him know that Michelle was safe.

Tory stopped at the edge of the home team’s bench. Sounds of cheers erupted around Cade, and he looked out onto the court. Michelle had scored. It had been years since he’d been in this gym. He’d been looking forward to seeing her play tonight. But the moment he’d been looking forward to was now tainted with a threat to Michelle because of Tory’s job.

“I wish they would take a break. Michelle would never forgive me if I ran onto the court and snatched her off it.” Tory stood rigid next to Cade, her arms folded over her chest, while following her daughter’s every move. Tension poured off her, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.

A minute later, the fans jumped to their feet, yelling, “Go Mustangs.” Forgetting for a few seconds why he was here with Tory beside him, Cade added his encouragement. A girl threw the ball to Michelle who had a better position to take the shot, and she tossed the ball into the air.

The swish as it passed through the net set the crowd off again, and Cade cheered, grinning as though he’d made the shot. “That’s the way to play.”

Tory threw him a piercing look. Cade sobered.

The visiting coach called a time-out.

“Finally.” Tory charged toward the head coach as the players came off the court.

Cade followed.

“Coach Bates,” Tory called out.

The balding man glanced in her direction, his forehead wrinkled. He took several steps to Tory. “Is there something wrong, Mrs. Carson?”

“I need to take Michelle out of the game,” Tory said while Cade scanned the crowd for any threat, many fans watching what was happening between the coach and Tory. “There’s been a threat.”

“Against the team?”

“No, my daughter. She’s in danger.” Tory finally pointed to Cade. “This is Ranger Cade Morgan. He’s here to escort her from the gym.”

Cade spied Michelle marching over to them, her cheeks red, her blue eyes so like his own, darkening with questions. He touched Tory’s elbow and nodded toward Michelle a few feet away.

“What’s wrong, Mom?”

“You need to leave with me now. I’ll explain everything outside.”

“But I can’t. The game just started. We barely have the lead.”

“Sorry. This isn’t up for debate.” Tory grasped Michelle’s hand, then looked at the crowd still bunched around the exit.

Cade stepped forward. “We’ll use the back door.” Then to the coach, he asked, “Is it still locked from the outside, but we can leave through it?”

The man nodded, still bewildered.

“Let’s go.” Cade took up the rear while indicating the exit at the far end of the gym where fewer people stood. “Wait at the door.”

Cade continued to assess his surroundings. The man Tory was prosecuting right now was ruthless. But he wouldn’t let his daughter—or Tory—be Mederos’s victim. Tory paused at the doors leading into the back hallway where the weight room and a smaller gym were located. Michelle stopped and turned to watch the game.

Seeing the two together was like staring at a younger version of Tory, except for Michelle’s blue eyes. Both had long, curly blond hair, a thin build and an oval face with a sprinkle of freckles across their pert noses.

“Let me check the hall first.” He went through the double doors first, inspecting the corridor on both sides. Empty. “Okay, let’s hurry.”

Cade trailed right behind Tory and Michelle, frequently glancing behind him. When they reached the rear exit, Cade went out first, checking the area. Now all they had to do was round the building and make it to his SUV in the parking lot.

He gestured in the direction they should go, his grasp on his gun. Tory grabbed Michelle’s hand and headed to the left side of the gym.

A few feet from the corner, Michelle halted and tugged her hand free. “What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” She looked over her shoulder at Cade. “Who are you?”

He pulled his jacket open. “I’m Cade Morgan and you two are in danger. I’m here to take you to your house for Chief Drake.” He wanted to say so much more. But there was no time for that right now.

Michelle’s eyes widened. “Mom, is that true?”

Tory flashed him a penetrating look, meant to stop him from saying anything else. “Yes. We had a break-in at the house.”

But Cade would say or do whatever was needed to keep them safe. He stepped around the pair and peered around the corner. “It’s clear. My SUV is on this side of the parking lot. We’ll head for it.”

The exit door they used opened. Cade ushered the two around to the side of the building before anyone saw them. He peeked at whoever was coming outside. Three teenage boys, dressed in sweats, left the rear of the gym. They didn’t appear to be members of the biker gang.

He quickly covered the short distance between himself and Michelle and Tory.

“Why can’t we drive home in our car?” Tory asked as she halted at the front side.

“Because it’s been sitting out in the parking lot for the whole town to see and have access to.”

“So is yours.”

“But I’m not the one they’re after.”

The color drained from Tory’s face.

“Who are they?” Michelle plastered herself against the brick building, distress taking over her expression. “Mom?” She glanced between him and Tory.

“I’ll tell you later. We need to do what Cade says. He was your dad’s best friend in high school. He has our best interest at heart.”

“But why would—”

The sound of motorcycles roared through the air, coming nearer as riders entered the school parking lot, all wearing the skull and crossbones emblem on their jackets.

Trapped.

TWO

Cade poked his head around the corner. There were three bikers. The motorcycles went up and down the rows of vehicles. His SUV was fifty feet away. Too far to run to undetected.

Cade withdrew his cell phone and placed a call to the police station. “I need at least one squad car if not two to come to the parking lot at the high school gym. There are three members of Mederos’s gang patrolling the cars. Have the officers put their sirens on.”

“Are they looking for us?” The pitch of Michelle’s voice rose.

He pulled back while Tory tried to comfort Michelle. Her hands trembled, and she balled them.

“Maybe. Hard to tell. I’m being cautious.” Cade didn’t want to alarm his daughter so much that she shut down, but she needed to know the severity of the situation.

“Mom, is this about the trial you’re prosecuting?”

“I think so,” Tory answered.

In the distance the sound of sirens blared. “When I say move, run for the black SUV five cars in. I’ll be right behind you two.” Cade slid his weapon out of his holster and pointed it at the ground.

As the police grew closer, coming in from two different directions, first one biker left the parking lot, then a second one did, followed by the third gang member when one of the patrol cars came barreling down the street toward the gym. That police officer went after the last biker.

“Go. Now.” Cade hurried after Tory and Michelle, keeping his gaze trained on his surroundings. Although all three motorcycles had vanished down several side streets, the sense of being watched plagued him each step closer to his SUV. “Get down when you’re inside.”

He pushed his key fob to open his doors. Michelle scrambled into the backseat with Tory right behind her. He started to climb into his SUV when one of the patrol officers pulled up. He’d met Officer Sims the other day at the station.

Cade walked over to him. “I need you to check out the DA’s car for anything suspicious. I noticed one biker stop for half a minute by her red Chevy Malibu two rows over. Call me and let me know if anything was planted.” Cade handed him his card with his cell phone number on it, then returned to the driver’s side door and climbed inside.

Tory said something to Michelle, but when he sat behind the steering wheel, Tory pressed her lips together and stared out the window. His daughter lowered her chin and twisted her hands together in her lap.

As he drove toward Tory’s house, tension pulsed in the silence of the car. He glanced at the backseat several times en route to her place. With her arms crossed over her chest, Tory caught him looking and narrowed her gaze. Her stiff posture spoke volumes of what she was feeling—no doubt all of it directed at him. At one point they had talked about getting married, then September 11 had occurred and everything had changed.

Cade pulled into her driveway. He wished that Tory and he could talk about their past. That wasn’t possible right now, but they would have to eventually, because he intended to discover who had invaded her home, which meant they would have to spend time together.

Michelle jumped out of Tory’s car and charged toward the porch, her arms stiff at her sides.

Tory scrambled from the passenger’s seat. “Wait, Michelle. Don’t go inside yet.”

Exiting his SUV, Cade strode toward the house as Paul came out onto the porch. Tory spoke to Michelle on the sidewalk then climbed the stairs to talk to the police chief. Cade hurried toward the pair.

Michelle blocked his path. “What’s going on with Mom? Why is the police chief here too? How bad is it?”

For a few seconds, Cade didn’t know what to say. “You’ll need to ask your mother. I haven’t been inside yet.”

“Cade, would you join us?” Paul glanced at the teenager. “We need to make some plans—alone.”

“Then I’ll go inside to my room.” Michelle stomped up the stairs to the porch.

“No!” Tory said, reaching for her daughter.

The police chief moved in front of Michelle. “In a moment you can go into the house. Give me a few minutes to talk with your mom.”

Michelle looked at each of them, then trudged to the porch swing and plopped down on it, crossing her arms and frowning. “I’m not a baby, you know.”

“I know, honey. Just give us a minute.” Then she whispered to Paul, “You’d better hurry. She isn’t the most patient girl, and pulling her out of the game when she was shooting so well isn’t sitting well with her.”

Paul planted himself in front of the door. “Before you go inside, I need to tell you what Detective Alexander also found on your pillow in your bedroom. It was a photo of you leaving the courthouse in the clothes you have on today. The word Boom was written across it in red. What time did your daughter go to the gym?”

“She told me it would have been about thirty minutes before I came home.”

Paul frowned. “That means the intruder had only a small window of time to do this. There could have been more than one of them.”

“That means he was probably outside watching. He—they could have...” Tory curled her hands.

Despite what happened in the past, Cade wanted to hold her, reassure her, especially when he saw the color drain from her face in the dim light from the porch. He stopped himself before he did that. Instead he clasped her upper arm, the touch familiar to him and yet strange.

“Michelle is looking,” she said.

He slid his hand away, not wanting to give his daughter any ideas about their relationship. He was only concerned for Tory in a strictly professional capacity. They might both work in the justice field, but that was all they had between them now.

No, we have Michelle between us.

“What should we do? I have to protect my daughter.”

The quavering in her voice reminded Cade of when Tory as a teenager had told him her mother died. That day their relationship had deepened. The year before he’d dealt with his dad passing away. He’d known what she was feeling at the time. “I’ll protect you and your daughter at my ranch until we know what’s going on for sure. And I think that Michelle needs to know what’s possibly happening here. It’s too important to keep her in the dark.”

“At your ranch! I’m sure Derek’s parents would take us in for a few days.” Panic laced her whispers. “I know they live in San Antonio but it isn’t too far—”

“Can they protect you two?” Cade cut in. “Do you want to put them in danger too if someone is truly after you...or your daughter?”

Tory shook her head. “Doesn’t your uncle live at the ranch?”

“Why do you think I wanted to be a Texas Ranger? I grew up thinking I’d follow in Uncle Ben’s footsteps. He knows what he’s doing. He used to protect the governor.”

Paul shifted toward him. “That’s a good suggestion, Cade. When she’s at the county courthouse, the police and the sheriff’s departments can protect her.”

“What’s taking y’all so long? I’m starving.” Michelle rose, one hand on her waist, reminding Cade of Tory when she was upset with him back when they dated. “What’s all the whispering about?”

“You need to tell her what’s going on. If you don’t want to, I can.” Cade stressed the last two words.

Tory glared at him. “I’m her mother, and I’ll tell her. But I prefer not to do it on the front lawn. I’ve seen Mrs. Applegate peeking out her window. I’m surprised she hasn’t come outside trying to listen to our conversation. What happened here will be all over town soon, and I don’t want to add to it.”

Paul backed away a few steps. “We still need to figure out what’s going on. Most likely it is one or more members of the Mederos gang. I think y’all need to talk in private. Call me when you’re settled in, Tory.”

“Chicken,” Cade said with a chuckle.

Paul grinned. “Yep. Reminds me of when y’all were dating in high school. Two strong, opinionated people clashing.” He tipped the brim of his cowboy hat and nodded at Michelle, still at the other end of the porch.

“You two need to pack your clothes. Let’s go into the living room to talk, then you should get what you both need to take to the ranch.” Cade glanced at Michelle. “She’s coming over here.”

“Mom, I’m almost an adult. What’s going on? Is this connected to the Mederos-gang case?” She set both fists on her waist.

Tory faced Michelle. “Let’s talk in the living room.” She slid her arm across her daughter’s back.

Michelle shrugged away, her eyes large. “You’re scaring me.”

Tory pushed the front door wide. “Inside first.”

Michelle huffed and plodded into the living room, then whirled around, both hands on her waist again. “Why was the police chief here? Why did you take me out of the game?” She fluttered her hand at Cade. “Why is he here?”

Cade clamped his jaw tightly together before he said something he would regret. He wished he had the right to step in.

“Someone broke into our house today right after you went to the game. They smashed your window in and trashed your room and...” Tory swallowed hard. “And the bathroom. When I came home, whoever did it must have run before he could do any more damage to the rest of the house.”

Michelle’s hands slipped from her waist, and her arms dangled at her sides. “He could have hurt you.”

“Yes. We’ll be staying at Cade’s ranch for a few days while the police process the crime scene and I get a top-notch alarm system. So until then he was kind enough to offer us a place to stay.”

Michelle threw a narrowed-eye look at him. “Why him? Why can’t we stay at Papa and Grandma’s house?”

Tory’s eyes closed, and she took a deep breath. “Because they live in San Antonio and you have school.”

“It’s only twenty-five miles away. You could drop me off at school before going to work. Or how about the hotel downtown not far from the courthouse? We could stay there.”

When Cade fixed his blue eyes on Tory and cleared his throat, she quickly added, “Also because this could be connected to the Mederos case I’m prosecuting right now. Cade will be there for our protection. This trial shouldn’t last too long. This could be just a prank, or the man I’m prosecuting right now may be behind it. I can’t take the chance and ignore what happened.”

Tears welled into Michelle’s eyes. “Someone is after you? Mederos is the head of the biker gang. I’ve heard stories...” Her voice caught on a sob.

“I don’t know what’s going on yet, honey, but as a Texas Ranger Cade will be working with the police on finding out what’s going on in addition to making sure we’re all right.”

A tear ran down Michelle’s cheek. “I don’t want to lose you too.”

Cade’s heart ripped in two at the thought of his daughter’s anguish and the years he’d missed. Anger he’d shoved down in the dark recesses of his mind surged to the forefront. Tory should have trusted their love. He should have returned home and claimed his daughter despite Tory’s marriage and what she and Derek had told everyone in town. Now it was too late.

“Baby, you aren’t going to lose me.”

“You don’t know that.” Michelle’s voice rose several levels.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to either one of you.” The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“Y’all can’t say that for sure. Quit treating me like a child. I’ll be fifteen soon.”

Tory released a long breath. “We’ll talk about this later. Give Chief Drake—and Morgan a chance to figure this out.”

“Do I have a choice?” Michelle glared at Tory, then him.

“No, but it’s for the best. C’mon. Let’s pack up and leave.” Tory turned toward the hallway but waited for Michelle to follow.

Cade hung back and trailed behind the two down the long hall. Tory hurried in front of her daughter and closed the bathroom door before they passed it. He started to check the damage out, but Michelle’s gasp when she looked into her bedroom echoed through the air. The bathroom could wait. He quickened his pace down the corridor.

When he came up behind Michelle, chaos like a tornado had ripped through the room greeted his inspection. This was not a prank, but the actions of someone who had a score to settle. Some of the clothes were ripped apart. And then there was the skull and crossbones painted in red on the wall. Was that blood? The sight solidified his resolve no matter what, he would find who did this to his daughter’s room.

A tall thin man squatting on the floor rose and removed the toothpick from his mouth. He looked past Tory and Michelle to Cade. “I’m Detective Alexander. I’ll be processing the room. Trying to lift fingerprints on some of the drawers and anything else I think the intruder touched. So far I haven’t gotten too many usable ones.”

“Cade Morgan, the new Texas Ranger assigned to this area. Nice to meet you. Can Michelle come in and get some clothes to take with her?”

“So y’all aren’t staying here?” the detective asked as he moved to them in the entrance.

“No, not right now.” Tory peered around the man to take in the bedroom.

“I’ll board up the window when I finish with the crime scene. I still have the bathroom to process and finish this room so I’ll be here for a while.”

For a second the words crime scene hung in the air. Michelle hugged herself and dropped her head, all her anger from before deflated.

“I appreciate that. What have you already gone through?” Tory put her arm around Michelle, and this time her daughter let her.

“That third of the room.” The detective gestured toward the far side. “I’m working my way to the door. So long as you don’t touch any wood or pieces of furniture, you can get what clothes and items you need. If either of you see anything is missing, let me know.”

“Thanks. We will. Michelle, Cade will stay with you while you gather what you want to take.” Tory pointed to a duffel bag. “Use that.” She gave her daughter a hug. “We’re going to be all right.” When Tory pulled back, she quickly left Michelle with him.

But as she hurried away, Cade glimpsed her shiny hazel eyes. His emotions concerning Tory that he’d locked away demanded their release. He couldn’t let that happen. Tory had never really known him or she wouldn’t have jumped into a marriage with his best friend to give Michelle a father while he was fighting in the war in the Middle East. Appearances had always been important to her, but she should have waited longer, dug deeper into why he hadn’t answered her calls and letters. He’d been on an extended secret mission for the Army Rangers and didn’t know anything until he’d returned to camp five months later.

Tory didn’t investigate why she hadn’t heard from him and perhaps that had been for the best in the long run. He’d learned from her not to let his heart get involved. Being detached had helped him on most of his cases, and in this situation he had more of a motive to solve it quickly. Being around Tory stirred memories he wanted to forget.

* * *

Tory hurried into her bedroom, grabbed a suitcase in her closet and swung it up onto her bed. That was when her gaze locked on her pillow. Her photo was gone, but she desperately wanted to see it. Try to pinpoint when it was taken, especially if it was a few hours ago.

Keeping her attention trained on the task at hand, she quickly packed clothes for a few days as well as anything else she might also need during that time. Her hands trembled as she snatched her items. When she shut the suitcase, she lifted the bag from the bed and tightened her grip around the handle to still the shaking. She had to be strong for Michelle.

“Are you ready?” Cade asked from the doorway, his gun and badge no longer hidden. His large, imposing body, from his boots to his cowboy hat, eased some of her anxiety.

“Yes, can we stop and get something to eat before going to your ranch?”

“Sure.” Cade sidestepped to allow her to leave the room. “Michelle is in the entry hall.”

“How was she packing?”

“She didn’t say one word even when Detective Alexander took her fingerprint to rule out hers from the ones that he lifted.”

“Does he need mine?” Tory asked.

“I told him I would take care of it and give it to him tomorrow. Michelle needs to get out of here.” He studied her for a long moment. “You do too.”

“I agree. Let’s go.” This house had been her home ever since she married Derek over fifteen years ago. She’d always thought of it as her safe haven from her work. Now she didn’t know if she could live here again.

When Tory turned the corner in the L-shaped hallway, Michelle stood in the entrance into the bathroom as if she were frozen in place. Her duffle bag lay at her feet. “Michelle.” She rushed to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her. “You shouldn’t have opened the door.”

The white cast to Michelle’s face and her stare fixed on the counter covered in blood underscored how grave the invasion of her home was. Whoever did this set out to frighten her.

“Mom, who would do this?” Michelle threw her arms around Tory.

Shudder after shudder rippled through her daughter’s body. “Honey, I don’t know, but the police will find the person. I don’t want you worrying about it. You’ll be safe.”

Cade approached them. “I won’t let anything happen to either one of you. Let’s get out of here.”

Tory began walking Michelle toward the entry hall. “Ranger Morgan has offered to drive us to get something to eat. How about Juicy Burger Hut? You love their hamburgers and fries.”

“First, please call me Cade. My uncle and I don’t stand on formality at the ranch.” He opened the front door and allowed them to leave first. “Do they still have the best fries in town?”

Michelle remained quiet, but Tory said, “According to my daughter they do. I avoid fried food if possible.”

As her daughter slid into the black SUV backseat, shutting the car door, Cade caught Tory before she rounded the hood of the Jeep. “Are you all right? This is a lot to take in.”

“I’m not concerned about myself. I didn’t want Michelle seeing that bathroom. Did Detective Alexander test it to see if it was blood for sure?”

“Yes, it was, but not human blood. That’s all he can tell. The lab will narrow it down.”

“I was hoping it was all a prank. Seeing the damage again only makes it crystal clear that it isn’t.”

Tory paused, rounding the hood of the SUV. “We’ll never be safe unless we can find the culprits.” She finally said what she was trying to deny since she opened Michelle’s door and saw the trashed room. “Look how hard it has been even getting Mederos to trial.”

“I promise you I’ll find the people responsible for all this.”

“That’s a promise you might not be able to keep, Cade. We talked about a lot of things when we were young, and they didn’t come true.”

“That was then. This is now. I’m good at my job.” He moved closer and lowered his voice even more. “And that’s my daughter in harm’s way.”

Tension vibrated between them. She had a right to be angry. He hadn’t ever wanted to be a father. He’d had his chance and didn’t even get in touch with her to tell her it didn’t make any difference if she was pregnant, that he wasn’t going to marry her or be part of his child’s life. The only thing she’d heard from him was through Derek, who had contacted him. Cade had sent his congratulations. When her husband told her that, something inside her died that day. She at least thought he would want to be a part of his daughter’s life even if he hadn’t wanted to marry her. That was when she decided Derek would be Michelle’s father in every sense of the word.

She climbed into the passenger side of the front seat. Too much was happening at once. Mederos had sent a terrifying message today. Michelle met Cade for the first time. They were going to his ranch to stay. Even she felt shell-shocked so she could only imagine how her daughter was doing.

Cade started the engine and backed out of the driveway.

“When can we go back home? I still don’t understand why I can’t stay at my grandparents’.”

At a stop sign, Cade fixed his gaze on her daughter through the rearview mirror. “When this is all settled.”

The lights from the street lamps lit the interior of Cade’s Jeep enough so that Tory could see Michelle’s confusion in her knitted forehead and her teeth digging into her bottom lip.

Seeing Cade and Michelle together highlighted their similarities—height, both taller than most, the shape and color of their eyes, a crystalline blue that drew a person in, and a birthmark on their lower back. Thankfully that was where the resemblances ended, especially his black hair and angular jawline. Her daughter took after her with her long curly blond hair.

Tory started to say something, but Cade cut her off. “Y’all are staying at my ranch. I grew up there and know the lay of the land. Not a lot has changed since I was a boy.” He drove through the intersection. “I’ll be able to protect you both better there.”

“Will I be able to go to school?” Michelle asked, her voice quavering.

“We have two days to figure that out. Maybe one of the fingerprints will lead the detective to who’s responsible for breaking into our house.”

“What am I supposed to do about meeting Emma and Jodie tomorrow afternoon at the church to decorate for the fall festival? I’m running the ring-tossing booth.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a possibility anymore,” Cade said.

“So, I can’t go anywhere? I’m going to a strange house, and I have to stay there? What am I gonna do?”

“Honey, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But whatever we do will be in the best interest of keeping us safe.” Being in a house with Cade wasn’t what she really wanted either. But maybe it was a good thing they would be on a ranch outside of town. Michelle could be headstrong and could do something to put herself in danger.

* * *

Cade pulled into the drive-through lane at Juicy Burger Hut. Within five minutes he left the fast-food restaurant and continued toward his ranch. A thick silence filled the Jeep. As he drove, he kept scanning the vehicles around him. He noted each one that was behind him, making sure he wasn’t being followed.

When he left the lights of El Rio behind, a dark two-lane highway stretched out before him, the only light coming from his SUV headlights and the stars. A sliver of the moon hung in the sky. The hairs on his nape tingled. Just ten more minutes and they would be home. All his senses on alert, he riveted his attention on his surroundings.

“We’re gonna be stuck out in the middle of nowhere.” Michelle broke the silence, her voice a shaky whisper. “What else are you not telling me, Mom?”

“You know everything that I know.”

“My ranch is only ten miles out of town.” Cade slowed his speed as he took the S curve not far from his place.

Rounding the last part of the turn in the dark, Cade barely spotted the outline of a black truck in the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid the vehicle, his Jeep heading toward the drop-off on the side of the road. As his SUV bounced down the incline, a tree loomed before them. Cade cut the wheel hard to the right to avoid it. One of his front wheels hit something. The Jeep flipped over and began rolling down the hill.

THREE

At the bottom of the hill, the Jeep ended up on its roof. Tory hung upside down, penned to the seat, her safety belt cutting into her. Silence replaced the sounds of the crash for a few seconds.

As she twisted toward the backseat, a moan penetrated the quiet—it was coming from her daughter. “Michelle, are you okay?” She couldn’t see into the darkness enough to tell anything.

In the dim light from the dashboard, Cade moved. The sound of a click indicated he’d unhooked his seatbelt. As he broke his fall downward, he said in a tight voice, “Michelle?”

Another groan followed by her daughter saying, “My arm hurts. I think—” a long pause “—ouch. I’m bleeding.”

Tory released her strap and braced herself as she collapsed against the roof. “Can you move?”

“Yes, but glass is everywhere.”

“Stay put.” Cade used his feet to dislodge the remaining driver’s side window. “I need to check the area, then I’ll get you two out. How bad is the bleeding?”

“All over my fingers.” Michelle’s pitch rose.

“Keep your hand over the cut if you can, Michelle.” Cade shoved one leg out the gaping hole, glancing at Tory. “Get the flashlight out of the glove box. Use it to see what’s going on with Michelle.”

Tory retrieved it and clicked it on. Light flooded the darkness while Cade wiggled through the opening where the window had been. As he stood, she scrambled between the two bucket seats, inspecting the back area while she crawled toward her daughter. Glass shards glistened in the glow from the flashlight.

Michelle held her hand over her left arm, crimson red oozing between her fingers, reminding Tory of what had been all over her bathroom. The sight nauseated her. She’d always been queasy when she saw blood, but she couldn’t give in to that now. She gritted her teeth and removed her sweater, then used it to swipe away the pieces of glass littering the roof around her daughter, so Tory could get to her.

As she wiggled herself between her daughter and the driver’s seat, she shone the light on the wound in Michelle’s upper arm. “Take your hand away and let me see it how bad it is.”

The second her daughter removed her fingers, more blood flowed and dripped onto the roof. The cut was long and probably deep, but Tory couldn’t tell for sure. She took her sweater and tied it around Michelle’s arm to stop the flow, then she reached up and found the seatbelt release.

In the distance she heard Cade’s voice. Probably calling 911. “I’m going to hold you the best I can as I free you and lower you. You okay with that?”

Michelle, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears, nodded.

While she helped her daughter, Cade appeared at the side window closest to them. “I’ve called the sheriff and Paul. Paramedics are on the way too. I think it’s safer staying here. They know where to look for us.”

He knocked the rest of the glass out of the backseat window, then used his coat to protect them from the shards. He assisted Michelle out of the car before reaching in and giving Tory his hand.

Strong. Capable. Like the man himself. She’d seen the truck in the road only a half a second before Cade swerved the SUV. Her reflexes weren’t nearly that quick. She shuddered, thinking about what would have happened if she’d been driving.

In the distance the sound of sirens echoed through the chilly night air. When Tory emerged from the SUV, her legs refused to hold her weight. Shaking, she collapsed next to her daughter on the cold ground, sending up a silent prayer of thanks to God. Somehow she’d managed to escape two threats on her life in one day.

* * *

Eight hours later, dawn broke on the eastern horizon as Cade neared the accident site in a rented car. The truck had been moved to the side of the road. There was a group of law enforcement personnel hanging around the vehicle. A couple of deputies managed what traffic there was since the scene was in the middle of an S curve.

He hadn’t talked to Paul in a few hours and wanted to know the latest. He pulled behind a patrol car and parked, then glanced at Tory. Her head, cushioned with his jacket, rested against the passenger’s window, her eyes closed. When he peeked at Michelle in the backseat, she was lying down. With her cuts and a couple of bruises starting to appear, she looked as though she’d gone into battle, hammering home she and Tory were both in danger.

They were all exhausted after spending a good part of the night at the El Rio Medical Center that served the area. At least they didn’t have to go to San Antonio. The injury that had concerned him the most was the slash down Michelle’s arm. It required twelve stitches, but she kept it together the whole time. In fact, she had been unusually quiet, her earlier anger before the wreck gone.

Thank you, Lord. It could’ve been much worse.

Tory rallied when he opened the driver’s side door. “Why are we here?”

“I need to talk to Sheriff Dawson and Paul about what they’ve discovered so far, then I’ll drive y’all to the ranch. Uncle Ben has readied the house and will have breakfast for us.”

“I’m glad it’s Saturday. I don’t know how I would’ve made it to the courthouse.”

“We’ll talk about all that later. Rest. I won’t be long.”

She settled against the passenger side door, and her eyes closed immediately. He’d pulled all-nighters before, but he hoped to grab a couple of hours of rest later today. He needed to be at his sharpest if he was going to protect Tory and Michelle.

Cade shook hands with the sheriff. He’d just started working with him and hadn’t known him previously, not like Paul who he’d gone to school with. “Have y’all found anything that leads to the person who left the truck on the road?”

“Now that it’s daylight, we wanted to search the surrounding area more thoroughly. As you know from last night, we found human blood in the back of the pickup that hadn’t been there long. The marks in the truck bed indicated something was dragged from the back still bleeding. We have latent prints in the cab and on the handle of the tailgate as well as fibers. Not sure from what but I sent it to the lab in San Antonio.”

“Any test result back yet? Blood type?”

“Not yet, other than it was human. Should hear soon on that. We did find out that the blood in Tory’s house was from a pig.” The sheriff glanced at where Cade’s wrecked Jeep had been. “I know you said last night you didn’t see anyone in the truck because you were too busy trying to avoid crashing into it. But when you got out to check around your SUV, did you glance up at the road and see anything?”

“No, it was too dark. The more I think about the moment I first saw the vehicle, I don’t believe there was anyone in the cab. Whoever left it was gone or hiding on the side of the road. If I hadn’t had my bright lights on, I might not have been able to avoid the black truck. As you saw, it was parked on the road at just the right place to hinder the chance to stop in time. Who owns it?”

“It was reported stolen in San Antonio last night before the accident. Mark Summers owns it, and the police there have checked into his alibi. Part of the time he was with an officer filling out a stolen vehicle report. The rest of the time he was with his family and neighbors discussing the theft and how to beef up security. San Antonio Police will follow up and interview people in the area where the truck was when it was stolen.”

After talking with a couple of his officers, Paul joined them. “I’m going to focus on some of the traffic cams and see if I can catch the truck on any of them last night. Maybe we’ll be able to get a picture of the driver that way.”

“Who else is involved in the trial of Diego Mederos?” Finding blood in the back of the pickup made Cade wonder if more people than just Tory had been targeted yesterday. Even if they knew it was Mederos who was responsible, without evidence he would get away with a crime yet again.

“Judge Parks is presiding over the trial. But he’s on a hunting weekend right now and isn’t answering his cell phone. Lieutenant Sanders ran the investigation in my department,” Paul said. “I contacted him, and he’s fine. Deputy Collins helped from the sheriff’s office. I haven’t been able to reach him yet either. Also, we received help from Ranger Eastman before he retired. But he lives in Arizona. We left a message on his answering machine.”

Cade would call the Texas Ranger he replaced and get his thoughts on what was going on. “I’ll contact Eastman. He’s an old friend of my uncle’s.” He looked at his rented car. “I know Sanders, but I haven’t met your deputy, Sheriff Dawson. I’d like to work with them since they’re familiar with the Mederos case.”

“Deputy Collins is my second-in-command and just returned from a well-deserved vacation. A good officer. I’ll have him gather up his notes and come by to talk to you. How about this afternoon around four?”

“Sounds good. Call me anytime you have a lead. We could have all died last night. I intend to find who’s behind this.” Cade looked toward the deputies and police officers spreading out from where the truck had been in the middle of the road. They combed the ground and brush, part of them taking the right side of the highway while the other investigated the left. “Are you bringing in a dog to see if he’ll pick up a scent leading away from the vehicle?”

The sheriff removed his cowboy hat, ran his fingers through his gray hair, then plopped his Stetson back on his head. “Yep. Billy still has the best bloodhound around these parts. He’s on his way.”

Cade pointed to the south. “My land starts there. Check that area too.” He wouldn’t be surprised if something was discovered on his ranch. If he didn’t need to protect Tory and Michelle, he’d be out there looking himself. “I’m going to take Tory and her daughter to my house, then I’m going through it to make sure it’s secured.”

“I can spare a deputy to park outside your house after the search here.”

“Good.” Cade touched the brim of his cowboy hat then headed back to his rented four-wheel drive.

As he slipped in behind the steering wheel, Tory opened her eyes halfway, then closed them again. He threw a glance at the backseat, and the sight of his daughter sleeping tugged at his heart. Fifteen years ago, his life could have been so different, if he hadn’t been on that secret mission. He couldn’t change the past, but he could at least affect the future and what was happening here.

* * *

Five hours later, Cade hung up after talking with the retired Texas Ranger about the Mederos case. He intended to pay Diego Mederos a visit later today at the jail, then see Lieutenant Sanders at the station instead of his ranch. He didn’t want Michelle to overhear too much talk about Mederos.

Although the biker gang leader was the most likely person behind the attack on Tory and Michelle, he was also going to dig into Tory’s past cases. She would be with him when he picked up her files, so they could review them and figure out who to investigate. Her secretary, Rachel Adams, was coming in to box them up.

The sound of footsteps drew his attention. With his hand on his gun at his waist, he rose and went into the hallway to check. Tory stopped halfway down the stairs, her face pale and full of exhaustion. She combed her shoulder-length blond hair behind her ears, then twirled the end of some strands—a nervous habit she used to do when she was upset and not sure what to do. In that moment he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her, make her feel safe.

He broke the long silence. “Did you sleep okay?”

“No, I kept dreaming about yesterday. I finally gave up. At least Michelle is still asleep. How about you?”

“A cat nap.”

“Where’s your uncle?”

“Fixing lunch. He’s determined to do his part by making high-energy food to help keep us going.”

The corner of her mouth tilted up. “I got that impression when he kept insisting we eat his breakfast.”

The hint of a smile reminded him of the Tory he used to know. He hated to bring up the situation, but time was against them. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, before Michelle wakes up. This has taken a big toll on her.”

He waved his arm toward the living room. “I agree. She’s gone through a lot. How about you?” Not only did his daughter have a long gash on her arm but smaller ones on that side of her body. He was feeling sore, so no doubt Tory was too. The seatbelt held them in place, but they had been jerked around as the Jeep rolled as though they were spinning in a clothes dryer.

All emotions left her expression. “I’ll be okay as long as Michelle is.” She started for the living room.

Cade trailed behind her. He’d learned to read her easily when they were teenagers. She’d confided in him all the time. The woman in front of him was determined to keep everything bottled up inside her. What had happened to her since they’d dated?

She took a seat in a navy blue lounger as he sat opposite her on the tan couch. “When are we going to my office?”

“After lunch. Paul gave your secretary my cell number. She called. She’ll be there at one o’clock to help any way she can.”

“Rachel is invaluable to me. She knows what’s going on in my office as well as I do.”

“Good, we could use her input.”

She panned the room. “I like the homey feel to this room.”

“You can thank Uncle Ben for that. The house may belong to me, but it’s really his home.” Why were they dancing around the subject they needed to discuss? After another minute of silence, he finally said, “This might be a good time to talk about what happened between us all those years ago.” He knew the case needed to be discussed, but their earlier relationship was standing in their way of working as a team.

“No.”

The force behind that one word blasted him. “Because Michelle’s nearby?”

She nodded, folding her hands together in her lap.

He’d let that go for the present, but they would be alone on the ride to town and back. “Then we need to talk about who you think would want to do you harm.”

“I’ve been thinking about that all night. At the head of the list is Diego Mederos, but I have made some other criminals mad at me because I was responsible for them going to prison. I’ve been aggressive in my prosecution. My vision is to make this county a safe haven.”

“I wish there was such a place.” That was why he’d gone into law enforcement when he’d left the army, but after all he’d seen, he didn’t think such a place on earth existed. Thanks to the Lord there was in heaven. That thought had kept him going when he wanted to walk away and let someone else fight the evil in the world.

“I have to try. Did you know what happened to Belinda twelve years ago?”

“Yes.” He remembered hearing about it from his uncle. Belinda had been Tory’s best friend in high school, and she’d been shot in a bank robbery because she didn’t get down fast enough.

“I’d been in that bank ten minutes before that guy went on a shooting spree, killing Belinda. Five people died that day.”

“Is that why you became a DA?”

“I was going to law school already, but that was the main reason I changed the type of lawyer I wanted to be.”

“Why did you want to become a lawyer?”

“Remember I was on the debate team in high school and college? That’s when I started thinking about it.”

“Why didn’t you write me about that?” On one of his oversea tours, he’d been in the Middle East when she started going to the University of Texas her second year in college.

“Because I wasn’t sure. I still had several years to complete before I could go to law school.” She shrugged. “A gal can change her mind just like a guy.”

Ouch! Cade had wanted a family. They had talked about it growing up. He’d never really had much of one. His mother had died not long after he was born and his father had passed away in a riding accident on the ranch when Cade was fifteen. His uncle became his only family and his guardian.

Cade glanced toward the entry hall, wondering if Michelle was still in the guest bedroom she and Tory shared. “Just so you know, I didn’t change my mind.”

She twisted her hands together and ignored Cade’s statement. “I’ll go through the records at my office to make a list of criminals I’ve put away, starting with the more serious crimes.”

Instead of what they really needed to talk about—their past—they danced around the subject, with Tory clearly ignoring they even had a past. “Then we can check to see who’s still in prison. Is there anyone else you can think of besides the people you convicted?”

“No. I’ve lived here most of my life, and I know a lot of the twenty thousand citizens of El Rio.”

“Then how about Diego Mederos? I don’t remember anyone like him when we were growing up.” Twenty years ago the town was much smaller, but as San Antonio had grown so had El Rio.

“He set up shop here seven years ago. I think he’s behind most of the serious crimes in this area. The police and the sheriff have tried to get him for years. But he’s never gone to trial. Something always happens to the case—a missing witness or evidence corrupted. So far we’ve been able to keep our main witness alive.”

“How?”

“I’m not at liberty to say. In El Rio I’m the only one who knows where the witness is being guarded by the US Marshals.”

“You’re talking about the father of the teenager killed—Carlos Dietz?”

“Yes. There were a couple of other witnesses besides the father, but he’s the only one who will dare testify. He lost his only child. Two years ago, his wife died in a wreck. Guess who was involved in that?”

“Diego Mederos.”

“One of his henchman was supposedly driving drunk and got a slap on his wrist. There was some speculation it was Mederos who was also drunk. The car was his, and when he’s in it, he’s always driving. His fall guy served a year in jail and was set free a month before Carlos was murdered in front of his father. Carlos Senior was very vocal about the justice system failing him and his son.” She kneaded the muscles at the back of her neck. “I want to change that perception.”

Tory was wound so tightly Cade wondered when she would break. The Mederos case was costing her more than a large amount of time. “Then why didn’t the henchman come after Carlos?”

“Because most of the complaints were targeted at Mederos.”

Not a smart move on the father’s part. Cases like Mederos’s caused Cade to question the justice system himself. It was made up of people who were flawed, but in the end everyone had to answer to God. That knowledge always gave him some peace. “I’m going to interview him this afternoon while we’re in town.”

“He’s smart and cruel. Mederos won’t tell you a thing.” Tory bolted to her feet and began pacing.

Cade sensed the presence of someone else nearby. He looked toward the entry hall and tensed.

Michelle stood in the entrance, tears running down her cheeks.

Tory covered the distance between them and tried to hug her daughter. “Honey—”

Michelle pushed away. “Don’t. I hate your job. You’re in danger because of it.”

Cade rose and walked to them. “Worrying doesn’t solve anything. It’ll only make it worse. When we know what we’re really dealing with, you’ll be informed. Then we can decide what needs to be done.”

Michelle glared at him. “Were you even a friend of my dad’s? Or did Mom say that just to shut me up?”

“I certainly had to get your dad and my nephew out of enough trouble when they were growing up.” Uncle Ben’s gruff voice came from the end of the hall, but as he moved toward them, it softened. “They were inseparable. They went everywhere together. Their curiosity was mighty huge. Once they wanted to know what would happen if you poked a beehive. That was a painful lesson to learn.” His six-feet-six-inch presence took up a large part of the hallway. At sixty he was still in good physical condition and was an expert shot.

“You poked a beehive?” his daughter asked Cade as though she couldn’t believe he could have been that stupid.

He nodded once. “Guilty as charged, but in our defense, we were only four years old.”

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve worked up a mighty big appetite. I hope y’all are hungry. I fixed a lot.”

“That’s what woke me up. What did you fix? It smells great.” Michelle took a step toward Uncle Ben.

“That smell is our dinner. Chili. I slow cook it. My recipe has won several county fair competitions. I hope you’ll stick around to have some.”

“I gotta.”

“Good. I have a basketball hoop on the side of the barn. Cade and your dad used to practice here.”

When the two of them disappeared into the kitchen, Tory sagged in relief. “Now you see why we need to be careful about what we say if Michelle is around. She’s going through an emotional stage where everything is black or white. No shades of gray. On top of that, she inherited that curiosity Ben was talking about.”

Cade leaned close. “I wonder what else she inherited.”

Tory’s sharp look sliced through him. She pinched her lips together and stalked toward the kitchen.

Before he could follow her, a knock sounded at the door behind him. When he checked out the peephole, the look on Paul’s face didn’t bode well. Instead of asking the police chief to come inside, Cade stepped out onto the porch. He thought Michelle needed to know what was going on, but not the brutal facts. “Before you say anything, let’s go for a walk away from the house.”

Thirty yards away, Paul stopped and faced Cade. “We found a dead body on your ranch near the crash.”

FOUR

After lunch, Tory left Michelle with Cade’s uncle and a deputy and climbed into the rented SUV to head to her office to pick up her files. The second Cade sat behind the steering wheel, she asked, “What’s wrong? Have you heard anything from Paul or the sheriff?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Oh, you tried to hide it, and I’m sure you did from Michelle but not me and probably not Ben. You get this hard glint in your eyes as though you’re preparing to take on the world. I didn’t say anything because Michelle doesn’t need to know the sordid details of this case, but I’m sure you’ve heard something I’m not going to like.”

“I keep forgetting you know me well—” he slid his gaze toward her “—and some things haven’t changed since we were teenagers. Paul came to the house.”

“When?”

“Right after you went to the kitchen.” He backed out of the garage and drove toward the highway.

“You should have gotten me. I’d rather hear firsthand any news of what’s happening.”

He stopped before pulling out onto the road into town and twisted toward her. “Let me make this clear. I’m the investigator on this case. Not you. I’ll keep you informed as soon as I can, but that’s only because you are the district attorney.”

Anger bubbled to the surface. “No, the only reason you’re appeasing me with information is because I may know information that can help you solve the case. Oh, and if I want to be guarded by someone else, that means Michelle will be too.” She stopped talking before she said something else and faced forward. She felt the stab of his gaze, but she didn’t look at him. Both Michelle’s life and hers were on the line. There was no way she wouldn’t be actively involved.

He threw the SUV into drive and headed in the direction of El Rio. When they neared the crash site, Tory saw more law enforcement officers in the field on Cade’s ranch with crime scene tape around a location.

Now she knew why Paul had come to the house earlier. “Who did they find?”

“Judge Parks in a shadow grave.”

All her earlier anger vanished as reality slammed into her. He was presiding over the Mederos trial. “How did he die?”

“Execution-style. After his body is examined at the morgue, Paul thinks the time of death will be narrowed down but right now best guess is that it occurred between five in the afternoon and nine at night.”

“I saw him on Friday as he was getting into his car. He was looking forward to his hunting weekend—away from the rat race as he said.”

“You may have been one of the last people to see him alive.”

A shiver flowed through her. “Are you going to stop?”

“Yes.” He parked behind a patrol car. “I can have a deputy guard you.”

“No, I’ve been to crime scenes before. It looks like they’re wrapping it up.”

“Before we go, I wanted you to know Paul told me that they found that your brake line had been cut on your car, probably when I saw the biker check your car out. Paul had it towed to the police compound to thoroughly go over your Chevy. He’ll have your brakes and anything else fixed.”

If she had driven her car home with Michelle inside last night, how long would it have been before her brakes failed? “How can we prevent that happening to your car?”

“I’ll take care of that. Let’s go. We have a lot to do this afternoon.”

Her mind numb from everything that had occurred in the past day, Tory traipsed across the pasture to where yellow police tape was strung up. The medical examiner knelt next to a body on the ground. This was the hardest part of her job. In murder cases, she always went to the crime scene. She wanted to make sure she saw firsthand what had occurred. It gave her a better feel for the crime and helped her when she was prosecuting the case. She wanted the jury to remember the victim and that the person needed justice.

Cade joined Paul and Sheriff Dawson a few feet from the body. “I want a copy of all the photos taken as soon as possible. The death of a judge will cause ripples in Austin.”

The police chief removed his cowboy hat and raked his fingers through his thick brown hair. “Good thing you haven’t been on the case from the beginning. Everyone involved in the Mederos case has been notified and procedures are in place. I’ve asked the Texas Ranger office in San Antonio for more manpower.”

“Good. We’ll need a guard on the new judge who’ll be taking over the Mederos trial.” Cade glanced between Paul and Tory. “Is the main witness still secured?”

Paul plopped his Stetson on his head. “When the judge was found, I called the US Marshals’ office overseeing Dietz’s protection. He’s fine, and they’re aware of what’s happening here.”

Sheriff Dawson pointed to a deputy nearby. “That’s Collins. I’m putting him on desk duty at the station until this is resolved. He could be a target if Mederos’s gang is going after people on his case.”

“The same with Lieutenant Sanders.” Paul hooked his thumbs in his belt. “So if you want to talk to him, you’ll need to do it there. In fact, he’ll be interviewing Mederos this afternoon.”

“What about the officers’ families?” Tory wouldn’t put anything beneath Mederos.

“Collins doesn’t have any in the area.” The sheriff motioned to the man to join them.

“Sanders is sending his family away as we speak.”

“Shouldn’t he be with them?” If she lost Michelle, Tory’s life would fall apart. She had to do what she could to make sure Mederos went to prison, but even that wouldn’t stop the violence from the members of the gang. She would go after each one until the threat was gone.

“I wanted him to leave with them, but he said he wants to work with you and Cade to nail Mederos. He assures me they’ll be safe where he’s sending them. He isn’t telling anyone where they’re going.” Paul nodded at Collins and the sheriff as he passed them to talk to the medical examiner.

“Ranger Morgan, this is Deputy Collins,” the sheriff said.

Cade shook the officer’s hand. “I’ll come see you at the sheriff’s office. I understand you’ve had a number of encounters with the biker gang these past few years. Joe Buckner is Mederos’s second-in-command. I’ve dealt with various gangs in my different assignments, but I want to know everything about this one. The sheriff told me you’re the best one to fill me in on the gang.”

“Yes, sir. This execution-style murder has Buckner stamped all over it. Although not ever convicted, he has been suspected of one murder recently in an adjacent county and several others when this gang operated out of El Paso. He’s as ruthless as Mederos.”

“Good to know. Lieutenant Sanders is interviewing Mederos this afternoon. I’ll contact you after that.” He turned to Tory. “Ready to go? Your secretary is probably wondering where we are.”

“I told her to start boxing up my cases if she got there first.”

As they hiked back to the rented SUV, Tory glanced over her shoulder as the black body bag was zipped with Judge Parks inside. He was a good man who had been the perfect person to oversee the Mederos trial. He didn’t have any family and he was tough on crime. Maybe that was the reason Judge Parks had been murdered.

When she slipped into the passenger seat, she massaged her temples.

Cade rounded the front of the car and settled behind the steering wheel. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine when this is over and Michelle is safe.” But as she said that, the throbbing evolved into a pounding against her skull.

“We still need to talk about what happened between us fifteen years ago.”

“I know.” She dug into her purse and pulled out her migraine medicine. After swallowing a pill without the benefit of water, she closed her eyes and hoped the rumbling in her stomach would subside. “But not now.”

“One of your migraine headaches?”

“Yes, I still have them from time to time.” Intense stress could bring one on. Over the years she had practiced deep breathing and other techniques to keep the tension at a bearable level.

“Then we’ll wait, but not too long because I want to be part of Michelle’s life.”

Her first impulse was to say no. Years ago he’d made his choice and now needed to live by it. At the very least they should hash out what happened all those years ago. She couldn’t avoid it since she was stuck with Cade for the foreseeable future. Instead of replying, she stayed quiet with her eyes closed against the bright light. If this weren’t so important, she would have asked him to take her back to the ranch. But she needed to be part of this investigation in spite of the hammer striking against her right temple.

* * *

At the police station Cade paused at the entrance to Paul’s office. He’d pulled the blinds and turned off the light as Tory lay down on the couch across from the police chief’s desk. As a teenager, Tory hadn’t had many migraines, but when she did, it was best if she was left alone in a quiet, dark room. When they were at the courthouse in her office boxing up her files, he’d wanted to take her back to the ranch after she’d gone to the restroom and thrown up. He knew this was a bad one, but she wanted him to at least be involved in the interview of Mederos. And the quicker that happened, the quicker they could leave and return to the ranch.

“I’ll be back soon.” Cade put his hand on the door handle.

“Make sure it’s recorded,” she whispered, her eyes closed.

“Anything you want me to ask him?”

“Ask him what he thinks he’ll gain by killing the judge and others associated with the trial.”

“You think he’s going to answer that?”

“No, but I want to know his reaction since news of Judge Parks’s murder won’t be out in the press until next of kin is notified.”

“Good idea. Rest.” Cade quietly closed the door and let the police chief’s secretary know where he would be, then made his way to the room where the interviews were being recorded. Paul and Lieutenant Sanders were inside waiting for him.

“How’s Tory?” Paul asked when Cade joined them.

“Hurting, and not just because of her migraine.”

“When Judge Parks was selected for the Mederos trial, she was elated. She respected him and knew he would do a good job.” Paul glanced from him to Sanders. “Y’all ready? Our boy has been sitting impatiently in there—” he nodded his head toward the TV on the desk “—for the past twenty minutes. We discovered he doesn’t like to wait, which we’ve used to our advantage.”

“If Tory didn’t need to return to the ranch, I’d suggest leaving him for another twenty minutes,” Cade said with a grin. “Or longer.”

“And you need to talk to Deputy Collins this afternoon too.” Paul took the chair in front of the TV to monitor the interview.

“I wish I’d been in on this case from the beginning, then you two wouldn’t have to spend so much time getting me up to speed. Ready, Sanders?”

“Yes, I’ll let you take the lead. Maybe someone new might be able to get something worthwhile out of Mederos. According to him, he’s a businessman who would like to be left alone to run his business.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he does,” Cade said, thinking about the past twenty-four hours and how close Michelle, Tory and him came to being killed or injured seriously.

Cade let Sanders enter the interview room first, even delaying a few seconds before he followed. He wanted to see if Mederos gave a different reaction to his presence. The tattoo-covered man seated at the table, handcuffed to it, shifted his black gaze to Cade with a slight narrowing of his eyes. Assessing. Calculating, as only a handful of criminals he’d dealt with in the past had done. As his chin went up a notch, Mederos dismissed Cade and swung his attention to Sanders.

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