Stockyard Snatching (10 page)

As he walked her to the front door, Janis met them in the hallway.

“I almost forgot to tell you that your uncle Ezra was around looking for you this morning,” she said. “He and his sister are at it again, and I think Ezra was jockeying for support. He said that he didn’t want to trouble you, but when one of your brothers shot down his idea he felt he needed to get another opinion.”

“If he’s still angling to get an invite for the McCabe family to the bash then he’s barking up the wrong tree.” Hollister McCabe and Dallas’s father had been at odds for years. McCabe had been trying to buy fifty acres from Pop, and when Dallas’s dad had refused, the other rancher had tried to strong-arm a local politician to force the issue. That hadn’t gone over well with the self-made, independent-minded senior O’Brien.

And Dallas had never trusted the McCabe family. Especially since Faith McCabe was one of Susan’s best friends. That should’ve been enough of a red flag for him. Maybe it was the fact that he’d missed home that had drawn him to date Susan in the first place. Susan had always loved Bluff, so it was even more of a surprise that she’d come to New Mexico. Tommy had balked when Dallas had told his friend about who had shown up to a job interview at D.O. Logistics, the successful company Dallas had founded. He’d said that he shouldn’t be too surprised given how much she’d been talking about missing Dallas around town.

“I believe that was one of Ezra’s complaints,” Janis said, snapping his mind to the current conversation. “But he’s always got something up his sleeve.”

Knowing Ezra, that was the tip of the iceberg. He’d been making a play for more control over the family business since before Pop’s death—a business Pop had begun and made a success on his own. In the weeks since his death, Ezra’s efforts had doubled.

Pop had included his siblings, giving them a combined 5 percent of the company in order to help them be more independent in their older years. Pop was a tough businessman, but his heart was gold, and even though he’d disagreed with his brother and sister on most counts, he’d felt a responsibility to take care of family.

Dallas could relate to the emotion, being the oldest of the O’Brien siblings, and was grateful that his brothers shared the same work ethic as he did and he wouldn’t have to carry them.

“Gearing up for the holiday season always brings out the best in those two, doesn’t it,” he said to Janis, shaking his head.

“I don’t know why they have to act up around the biggest parties of the year.” She nodded and took in a slow breath.

“How’s planning going for the Halloween Bash?” Dallas asked.

“Good. Busy. You know how it is around this time. You’d think with all we have going on that he’d relax.” She paused and then added, “But no. He’s always scheming. Families can be
interesting
sometimes.”

“That’s a good word for it,” Dallas agreed. Janis had become as much a part of the O’Brien clan as anyone in her decades of service.

“Will you be back in time for supper?” she asked.

“Not exactly sure. Don’t hold it up on my account, though. Also, I need to let the others know I have a situation to deal with and I might need their assistance. Do you mind helping with that?” Dallas asked.

“Consider it done.”

“Hold on.” He moved to his father’s gun cabinet and pulled out his favorite, a .25 caliber, put on a shoulder holster and secured the weapon underneath his coat.

He returned, thanked Janis and then placed his hand on the small of Kate’s back to usher her out the front door. It was too much to ignore the heat rippling through him from the contact, even though she wore a coat, so he accepted it.

There was no use denying the fact that Kate was a beautiful woman. Dallas needed to leave it at that. Because not keeping his feelings in check would just complicate an already crazy situation. Hormones had no place in the equation. He’d already decided to offer her and Jackson a place to stay on the ranch. There was plenty of room in his hacienda, and Tommy would be hard-pressed to find anywhere for them with better security.

And Dallas didn’t need to create an unnecessary distraction because of the feelings he was developing for Kate.
Feelings? This soon?

He wasn’t going to touch that one.

Besides, having her and the baby stay with him had everything to do with offering a safe place for the mother and child. State-of-the-art security was a necessity on the ranch, given that this part of south-central Texas was known for poachers. Other than being some of the worst scum on earth, poachers presented a danger to their clients and the hunting expeditions offered by the Cattlemen Crime Club.

* * *

K
ATE
WAS
QUIET
on the ride over. Dallas exited the sedan and she followed suit. He’d caught a glimpse of her, of the questions she had. At least for now she seemed to think better of asking.

“Mr. O’Brien, how can I help you?” Stacy peeked out the door. The petite brunette wore business attire that highlighted her curves. Based on her puffy eyes, Dallas guessed she’d been crying all day.

“I’m here to talk to you about Wayne and the case he was investigating,” Dallas said.

“Of course you are. Come in. I’m sorry. My mind’s not right. Not since learning about Wayne this morning from the deputy.” She froze, embarrassment crossing her features, and then corrected herself. “Mr. Morton. It’s all such a shock.”

Based on the woman’s general demeanor, it occurred to Dallas that she and Morton might have had more than a working relationship. Given the circumstances, he wasn’t surprised that she looked in such bad shape.

“This is my friend Kate Williams,” Dallas said.

“Please, come in,” Stacy said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She and Kate shook hands as she invited them inside.

“Has anyone else been here to speak to you?” Dallas asked, instinctively positioning himself between Kate and the door.

“Just the appointments Wayne—Mr. Morton—already had on the books,” Stacy said, blowing her nose into a wrinkled handkerchief. “Excuse me. I’m sorry, but I’m just a mess. He was a good guy, you know, and I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“No need to apologize,” Dallas said quickly, guilt settling on his shoulders yet again. He knew full well that Morton would still be alive were it not for Safe Haven and Dallas’s case. “I couldn’t be sorrier this happened.”

“It’s not like his job doesn’t bring with it a certain amount of danger,” she continued, as more tears rolled down her cheeks. “He’s licensed to carry.”

Dallas knew that meant Morton had been armed.

“And he went to the gun range all the time to keep his skills sharp,” she said with a hiccup. “I just can’t believe someone would get to him first like that.”

“It shouldn’t have happened. Other than working on my case, has there been anything unusual going on lately with Wayne? Has he been keeping any late nights or other appointments off the books?” Dallas asked, knowing Safe Haven was the reason Morton was dead, but wishing for another explanation.

“No. Not that I can think of, anyway, but then, you know Wayne.” She seemed to drop the front of being strictly professional with her boss. “He took on extra assignments all the time, which didn’t mean I’d know about them.”

Any hope, however small, that this wasn’t Dallas’s fault was slowly dying.

More tears spilled out of Stacy’s eyes and she looked like she needed to sit down.

Dallas urged her toward one of the seats in the lounge area of Morton’s expansive office. She perched on the arm of a leather chair as Kate took a seat near her on the matching sofa.

“First of all, I want to say that I’m really sorry about Wayne,” Kate said sympathetically, leaning toward her. “I can only imagine the pain you must be feeling right now.”

The gesture must’ve created an intimacy between the two because Stacy leaned forward, too, and her tense shoulders relaxed a bit.

“I just keep expecting him to walk through that door,” she said, looking away. “It hasn’t really hit yet that he’s not going to, ever again.”

“It’s unfair to have something unthinkable happen to someone you love,” Kate continued. “My son was almost abducted this morning and we’re here because we think the cases might be connected.”

Kate was taking a long shot, but Dallas understood why she’d need to try.

“Where are my manners?” the other woman asked, looking noticeably uncomfortable. “Can I get either of you something to drink?”

“No, thank you,” Kate said.

“Can you tell me what’s been going on the past few days? Maybe a timeline of his activities would help,” Dallas said.

“He’s been acting weird ever since he started investigating that adoption agency for—” Stacy glanced from Dallas to Kate “—you.”

“How long ago did he fit the pieces together of Susan and Safe Haven?” he asked, as Kate crossed her legs and folded her arms. Everything about her body language said she was closing up on him.

He shouldn’t be surprised. They knew very little about each other aside from facts pertaining to her case. Circumstances had thrown them together and they’d been through more this morning than most people would in a year. There was an undeniable pull, an attraction, between them, but that was where it ended. Where it had to end. As soon as she and Jackson were safe, Kate and Dallas would return to their respective lives.

“Let’s see…” Stacy leaned back and thrummed her manicured fingernails on her thigh. “It had to be recently, because he decided to make an official visit this morning and he never does that before he thoroughly checks out a place. Normally, he gives me names—” she paused long enough to glance between Kate and Dallas “—just in case things go sour. This time, he only gave me the address where he was going. He didn’t even tell me the name of the agency. I had to look it up on the internet when he didn’t come home after checking the place out last night. Then I called the sheriff’s office and spoke to a deputy. Not long after, they found his car.”

Dallas figured all the secrecy was due to the fact he’d paid Morton extra in order to keep the information private. The last thing Dallas needed was for a news outlet to get wind of what was going on. Not that he gave a damn about his own reputation. People had a way of making up their own minds with or without actual facts. He was trying to keep Susan’s name out of the papers, as well as that of the family business. The amount of false leads news like this could generate would make it next to impossible for Tommy to sort out fact from fiction and would add too much weight to the investigation. A whole lot of people would likely come out of the woodwork to get their hands on O’Brien money if they thought a reward was involved.

“Any idea about the trail leading up to Safe Haven? Who Wayne might have contacted in order to get that information in the first place?” Dallas asked, hoping for a miracle.

“Those are great questions,” Stacy said, looking flustered. “He usually runs everything past me, but he was keeping this one close to the vest. He does that with special clients, so I didn’t think to ask more. Believe me, I’ve been kicking myself all day over it.”

“You couldn’t have known this would happen,” Kate said sympathetically.

The woman smiled weakly.

“Does he keep a file on his more discreet clients in the office anywhere?” Dallas pressed. Tommy wouldn’t like that he had asked the question, but this was starting to feel like a complete dead end. For the sheriff to get the records, he’d have to get a court order, which would take time. Dallas didn’t have that luxury. He had a woman and child being targeted, no answers, and his own personal agenda to explore. If investigating Safe Haven was responsible for Morton’s murder, then they could also be the reason Susan hadn’t turned up.

Dallas was still trying to figure out why the kidnappers would change their MO, using a knife instead of a gun when they’d targeted Jackson. If it was the same group, that didn’t make sense.

Stacy was too distraught to think clearly, which was understandable under the circumstances.

And now Kate had locked up on him, too.

Dallas was cursing under his breath just as the door to Morton’s office flew open and two men burst in.

Stacy jumped to her feet and ran toward them, blocking Dallas’s view. “The office is closed. You need an appointment to come in here.”

The entrance to the private bathroom was about six steps away. If he could get Kate inside and lock the door, then he could face down the pair of men threatening Stacy.

Just as Dallas made it to the door, Stacy shouted,
“Go!”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Before Dallas could react, a bullet cracked through the air, and a split second later Stacy let out a yelp. Another bullet pinged into the wood not a foot from Dallas’s head. He ducked and shoved Kate into the bathroom, falling on top of her. He performed a quick check to see if either one of them had been hit, needing to get her to safety so he could return to Stacy.

The guys in the other room had no intention of allowing him or Kate to walk out of here alive. They hadn’t come for Stacy, so her best chance at survival was if he and Kate got the hell out of Dodge.

Dallas closed and locked the door.

The office was on the second floor, which could present a problem getting out the window. Land the wrong way, break an ankle and it was game over.

“Where is he?” one of the men asked.

“I don’t see him,” the other replied.

The first man cursed.

As Dallas moved to the small box window, he quickly scanned himself and Kate again for signs of blood, relieved when he saw none. From his experience with guns, he knew that bullets didn’t travel in a straight line. They rose after exiting the barrel and then started dropping. Aiming a fraction of an inch off could make a decent marksman miss his target even at fairly close range.

Dallas opened the window and checked below. A row of bushes would help break Kate’s fall.

He stepped aside, allowing her enough room to climb into the small space. She’d fit through it just fine, but Dallas was much bulkier. He’d have a difficult time getting through that tiny opening.