High-Risk Reunion

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.