Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (8 page)

“Tomorrow's Saturday. You don't take the weekend off?”

“Now, Seth, you know I never turn down the opportunity to make some money. Now, if y'all will be up bright and early, I'll be there.”

“That works. We'll be up.”

“All righty, then. See you around eight.”

“See you then.” Seth hung up and turned to find Tonya staring at a picture she held in her hands. “What's that?”

She looked up. “A picture of my family. I miss them.”

A simple statement that said a lot. “I'm sure you do. When's the last time you saw them?”

“Shortly after Hank got out of prison. I was at the ranch and he came by looking for me. My brother Patrick told him to get lost.”

“And he did?”

“Not without leaving a parting shot.”

“Which was?”

“A cliché. He had on a jacket. He pushed it back and I could see the gun in his waistband.” Her voice quivered as she forced the words out.

Seth moved to her side and took her hand. “And?”

“Then he proceeded to tell Patrick that he couldn't stop him, that they couldn't protect me forever and he'd have me one way or another. Or if he couldn't have me, nobody else would either. Including my family.”

EIGHT

I
t might have been a cliché, but she'd taken Hank at his word and acted accordingly. Seth slipped his arms around and just held her. She relished the closeness, his musky scent and strong arms. If only she could hold on to this moment for the rest of her life. But she couldn't. She moved away and felt a pang at the separation. He dropped his arms but didn't back away. “What happened after that?” he asked.

“The next day Hank showed up at my office and I left before he saw me. I convinced my family I needed to leave town, that they would be in danger if I stayed.”

“You really think they would have been?”

“Definitely. They tried to talk me out of it, of course, but I'd made up my mind.” She shook her head. “I knew what I had to do. When they realized I was going with or without their blessing, Grant made me promise to stick around long enough to get the new identity and paperwork.”

“Good for him.”

“That took a day and a half. I left the night I had it, slipping away when everyone was sleeping. I didn't want one of them trying to play hero and follow me.” She blew out a breath. “Plus, I wanted them clueless because I knew Hank would be back. They'd have nothing to tell him because they wouldn't know anything.”

“Do they know where you are now?”

She sighed. “I suspect Grant does. Every Christmas I find a box of my favorite gourmet chocolates on the steps to my motor home.”

“So he's keeping tabs on you.”

She pulled her phone out and waved it at him. “Probably. He knows the alias I'm using. I doubt it was very hard for him to find me. As soon as I turned this on, Grant was having it tracked.”

“You took comfort in that.” His voice was soft.

“I did.” And it didn't make her feel smothered. Which she appreciated. Tonya moved to the couch and sat down. She'd left the air conditioner on and the interior was nice and cool. The black tarp they'd tacked over the bathroom ceiling was doing its job. She'd be fine living in her motor home until Larry was able to get out here and fix the light. “So tell me about your family. I've met Clay.”

Seth nodded. “He's two years older than I am. He married Sabrina Mayfield last month.” He smiled. “They're in the process of adopting three foster children.”

“Wow. That's a lot to take on.”

“They're up to it. My eldest brother, Steven, was killed a little over eight months ago.”

She blanched. “I'm so sorry.”

“I am, too. The sheriff, one of my dad's best friends, was behind it. It was all related to drugs.” He shook his head and grief flashed across his face. “Such a waste.”

“That's awful.”

“And then there's Aaron. He graduated just before Clay and Sabrina's wedding. He's now an official veterinarian and is working in town with Dr. Thatcher. Doc T wants to retire in a couple of years and has his eye on Aaron to take over the practice.”

“And you have a sister.”

A frown flickered across his face. “Yes. Then there's Amber, my younger sister.”

“Why the frown?”

“We just can't figure her out.”

Tonya lifted a brow. “What does she do?”

“She's a writer for a travel magazine. She's very successful, too, if you go by all the articles she's putting out, but—” he shrugged “—the last time I spoke to her was at Christmastime. She missed Clay's wedding and Aaron's graduation.”

“Oh. What a shame.”

“Yeah. All she would say was that she had last-minute assignments she couldn't get out of.” He took a deep breath. “I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to go put my leg up and—as much as it goes against my nature—take my doctor's advice and go easy on it today.”

Tonya nodded. A nap sounded lovely. “I'll be right here.”

“And I'll let you know if Clay comes up with anything regarding Hank.”

She grimaced. “Thanks.”

He limped to the door, hesitated and came back to stand in front of her. “It's going to be all right.” He traced a finger down her cheek and this time her shivers had nothing to do with the fact that she had a stalker after her.

“I appreciate that. And everything else you're doing.”

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. When he pulled back, she caught her breath. “You're very welcome.”

Then he turned and made his way out, shutting the door behind him. He was in pain. The lack of color in his face and the fact that he was even talking about taking it easy said more than his words did.

Tonya rubbed her eyes and contemplated the fact that Seth was beginning to mean more to her than just a friend. She knew the feeling was mutual. The question was, would anything come from it? Unfortunately, she just didn't know. She pulled her phone from her pocket once again. She needed to give Grant a heads-up that Hank had found her, but now that she felt relatively safe, she didn't want to take a chance that her ex could trace her cell phone. He certainly had the resources.

After puttering and cleaning and thinking, she finally moved to the back of the motor home, lay on the bed and closed her eyes even while her mind spun. How
had
Hank found her after all this time? What had given her away? She hadn't been working the rodeo circuit when they'd met. Her senior year, she'd had to focus on her studies, and fortunately, between her scholarships and her savings, she hadn't had to work that last year. What was more, she knew she hadn't even mentioned working as a bullfighter to Hank. She avoided the topic as it seemed intimidating to most guys. But even though she hadn't shared her passion with Hank, some of her friends knew. One of them could have said something to him if he'd gone around seeking them out.

She sighed, felt herself relax almost against her will. She desperately needed sleep. But her mind tried to fight the weariness of her body. She had to stay alert, be watching and waiting, because no matter what Seth thought, Tonya knew Hank would be coming sooner or later.

* * *

Seth sat at his mother's kitchen table, leg propped up on the chair beside him. He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hi, Lance.” Lance Goode was a deputy with the Wrangler's Corner sheriff's department. He'd become a good friend of the family's ever since his ex-wife, Krissy, had been arrested for kidnapping and being complicit with the sheriff in Steven's murder.

“Clay said you were back.”

“Yeah.”

“He also said you had a houseguest who was in a bit of trouble.”

“Her name is Tonya Waters. Did you or Clay find anything?”

“Maybe. Clay went to deal with a fight that broke out at the feed store but said you needed this info ASAP.”

“That's right,” Seth said. “So what have you got?”

“Well, apparently Hank Newman was squeaky-clean as a teenager but seemed to develop a mean streak when he hit college. Dated one girl and put her in the hospital. She dropped the charges and Newman walked. His next victim has the same story.”

“Tonya said his family was in law enforcement.”

“Yes. Quite a few members in different branches,” Lance confirmed.

“If they don't believe him capable of the things he's been accused of, they would pull strings and call in favors to help him stay out of jail.”

“Or even if they
do
believe him guilty, they might still be tempted to use their position to protect him. Even cover for him.” Lance cleared his throat. “He's family, after all. His uncle is a chief of police and golfing buddies with congressmen and the attorney general of Montana.”

“Those are some mighty-powerful friends.” Seth paused. “Tonya grew up there.”

“So did Hank Newman.”

Seth sighed. Weariness settled like a mantle over his shoulders. “All right. Thanks. No word on Newman's whereabouts?”

“According to my reports, Tonya said she saw him at the rodeo, but his office said he was away at a conference.”

“What kind of conference?”

“The guy is an accountant,” Lance replied. “He works for his brother's firm in Billings and he's supposed to be attending some conference in Orlando.”

“Did he show up?”

“I called and they've got him as having checked in. He picked up his badge and it looks like he's there.”

“Looks like.” Doubt crept in. Had Tonya really seen Hank Newman or had she just thought she had? “Text me a picture of the guy, will you? I ran into someone at the rodeo who was in a restricted area. Tonya was hiding from him. Let me see if it's the same guy.”

“Okay. And I'll keep working on my end.”

“Thanks, Lance.” Seth ended the call and looked up to find his mother watching him. “Hi.”

“I didn't mean to eavesdrop.”

“Of course not.”

“Okay, so maybe a little.” Her lips quirked in a half smile.

Seth's phone beeped. He tapped the screen and a male in his mid-to late twenties faced him. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, smooth complexion with slight five o'clock shadow. He would say the man was good-looking and could see that women might be attracted to him. But was he the person he'd run into in the storage room?

Possibly, but the guy in the storage room had shaggy hair, a mustache and a goatee. Still...

“Is it him?”

He looked up from his phone. “I can't tell. Could be.”

“That poor girl. We have to keep her safe.”

Yes. Yes, they did.

* * *

Tonya woke Saturday morning disoriented and with a sinus headache that wouldn't quit. After downing three ibuprofen and two cups of coffee, she decided she might live to fight back against Hank Newman.

A microwaved biscuit and two pieces of questionable ham from her fridge topped off her breakfast. She needed to get to a grocery store. Sighing, she went back to the window and peered out. Rolling land, cattle grazing, horses nibbling the grass. It was a beautiful piece of land and reminded her of home. A home she couldn't go to because of Hank. Just the thought of him made her fingers shake with a suppressed rage. He had no right to do this to her. One more check to make sure that nothing was out of place, no one was watching her and waiting for her to step out of the motor home so he could pounce, convinced her she was truly safe for the moment.

She turned on her laptop, set up her Wi-Fi and sent an email to her eldest brother, Grant.

Hank Newman showed up at the rodeo in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm all right but am on the run again. I'm safe right now with friends who have some law-enforcement resources and are helping me. Will be in touch as often as I can. Give Mom and Dad my love.

She hit Send and sent up a prayer for safety. Not just for herself but for her family and Seth's. Although one thing was certain: as long as Hank was chasing her, he wasn't hurting someone in her family.

The knock on her door made her jump. With a pounding heart, she got up and peered out the window. Seth stood there with another man dressed in denim overalls and a Yankees baseball cap. She opened the door. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Seth said. “Tonya, this is Larry. He's here to fix your bathroom light.”

“Come on in.” She let him find his own way and drank in the sight of Seth settling himself on her couch. She could get used to having him around. Not just because he was a good-looking man with his broad shoulders, blue eyes and heart-stopping smile—although that certainly didn't hurt—but because when he was in her space she felt protected, cared for. Weird how her brothers' protection used to drive her crazy, but she didn't seem to mind Seth's protective instincts. “How's the leg?”

“Painful, but not as bad as yesterday. My doc called in a physical therapy prescription to the woman I was seeing when I recovered from my first fall. I have an appointment Monday after lunch.”

“Good. I think that's probably a wise thing to do.”

He grunted. “I suppose.”

She ran a hand through her hair. “I don't suppose you'd let me borrow your truck, would you?”

He frowned. “Well, of course I would, but where do you need to go?”

“I need some supplies, like food and shampoo, and wanted to run into town.”

“I don't mind taking you.”

She gave a slow nod. “Okay, that would be great. When can you be ready to go?”

“Fifteen minutes?”

“Let me check on Larry's progress and I'll let you know.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He stood up and headed for the door, his limp there, but the pain
did
seem to be better. Tonya stood for a moment and just watched him. And felt her heart slip a little further out of her control. “Remember Daniel,” she whispered.

“What was that?” Seth asked.

She blinked. “Nothing. I'll be right back.”

She found Larry climbing down from the roof. “How's it going?”

“I've got everything in place here. I just need to get another part from my truck to finish it up. It'll just take me about thirty minutes more and I'll be out of your hair.”

“Oh, that was fast.”

He shrugged. “Nothing to it, really.”

“All right. Thanks. How much do I owe you?”

“Not a penny. Seth took care of it.”

Tonya caught her jaw before it dropped. “Oh right.” She'd just put it on the tab. Anger at Hank stirred anew and she couldn't wait to see the man behind bars, where he belonged.