“Martin was an idiot. We had a perfect system and he wanted out.” She dug the gun in harder and shoved Eve.
When Eve stumbled, Leslie gasped and reached out to help her, but Tara shoved her too. “Don’t piss me off anymore, Leslie, and I might make death quick for you.”
Eve might not have talked to Tara in a while, but the one thing she knew for certain about the tall blonde was that she liked to talk about herself. So, she decided to fish for information. If she was going to die she wanted to know why. “What would your parents think if they knew what you were doing?”
Tara snorted behind her. “My parents cut me off a year ago so I don’t give a damn what they think. My daddy thought he was teaching me a good lesson and it turns out he has taught me something very valuable. There’s a whole lot more money in drugs than in a stupid little boutique that barely covers my costs.”
Eve’s heels sunk into the damp grass as they finished the rest of the trek to the tennis court. She wasn’t sure what the woman planned but whatever it was, she and Leslie weren’t coming out of this alive unless Mac figured out what was going on in time. She thought about trying to overpower Tara for the weapon, but until she had more leverage she couldn’t risk it. If she did, she feared she or Leslie would be shot for sure.
“Where are you taking us?” Eve doubted she’d kill them on the tennis court so she had to have some other sort of plan.
“The same place I took Martin’s body. No one will ever find you. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to comfort that sexy rancher of yours while he’s mourning your disappearance.” There was such a malicious edge to her quiet laugh that it sent a shiver slithering down Eve’s spine. “Now open it,” Tara demanded when they reached the court.
Eve unlatched the green fenced door and let Leslie walk in first. “Are you going to kill us right here?” She risked a glance over her shoulder to find Tara pulling the door shut behind them.
The woman smirked. “Of course not. Head that way.” She motioned to the back left side of the court and that’s when Eve saw it. There was a small wooden structure attached to the fenced in area, no doubt a storage shed. “You’re going to stay right in here until the fundraiser is over. I’ll tell Mac you took poor Leslie home because she was feeling ill. When you two go missing, nothing will point to me. Even if he’s suspicious, he’ll never be able to pin anything on me. Not with my daddy being the DA.”
Eve reined in a snort of derision. Tara obviously didn’t know Mac very well. Eve tried to think of anything to say to convince the other woman to let them go but knew it was useless. Why would she? She’d caught them and—
“Ahh!” Eve spun around at Tara’s sharp exclamation and the sound of a gun clattering to the concrete surface.
She lifted her hands defensively until she saw Mac. He stood over Tara’s fallen body, a gun in his hand and a grim expression on his face.
Heart racing, Eve gaped at him. “How did you…”
“I’m not stupid,” he said wryly as he picked up Tara’s gun. The other woman wasn’t moving. “I waited around the corner until she came out with you two and followed. The cops are already on their way. Turns out Sheriff Marcel has already been watching Ms. Underwood on suspicion of transporting illegal narcotics.”
Eve glanced at Leslie who’d wrapped her arms around herself and was trembling uncontrollably. Eve’s insides were shaky and her knees felt wobbly but she managed to stay calm. After living in a war zone for months on end, having a gun pointed at her sucked, but she’d been in worse situations. “It’s okay, Leslie. All you have to do is tell the police what you know. You’re fine now.”
“I can’t believe Tara was really going to kill us. I always thought she was so perfect and…” She trailed off and shook her head but didn’t continue as more tears tumbled down her cheeks.
The sound of sirens in the distance made Eve’s heart sing. There were still some unanswered questions, like who was the man Eve heard the night she found Allen Martin’s body? No doubt it was Tara’s partner and something told Eve that as soon as Tara was taken into custody she’d tell the cops everything. She’d be desperate to cut a deal and Eve really hoped the sheriff didn’t go easy on her. But more than that, Eve was just happy to be alive. Everything that had happened the past few days was too surreal. Maybe it would all sink in later.
Eve went to Mac and slid her arm around his waist. “Thank you for saving us.” The words didn’t seem like nearly enough but they would have to do for now.
His entire body was tense as he murmured something she didn’t understand against the top of her head. He pulled her into a tight hug and gripped her so tight, it was almost hard to breathe. His strong arms were like steel bands, locking her in with his warmth and strength, both of which she’d gladly take right now.
Sagging against him, she buried her head against his neck, grateful to be alive and safe and in Mac’s comforting embrace.
* * * * *
Oscar sped away from the police station and reviewed his options. He still couldn’t believe that bitch Tara had gotten caught. Considering their arrangement, he didn’t expect any loyalty from her.
She’d always looked out for herself and had made that perfectly clear from the beginning of their arrangement. He’d needed her because she pushed their product to the wealthy clients of Hudson Creek and with Martin’s help they’d been transporting cocaine to various cities around Texas using his vehicles. It had been the perfect arrangement. Three people with almost nothing in common able to make a fortune and fly under the radar while doing so. The fact that Tara’s father was the DA had always struck him as ironic. Now it pissed him off. Her father would be sure to let her cut a deal if she flipped on her partner.
If Martin hadn’t been so stupid, everything would have been fine. And now Tara was caught. For what, he couldn’t be sure, but he did know she wouldn’t leave his name out of it for long. After driving to one of his safe houses, he loaded up the pound of coke he’d stashed along with fifty thousand dollars of his emergency money and a couple fake passports.
Always have an exit strategy. Unlike Tara he had few ties to this town. While he didn’t want to head to Brownsville, his cousin lived there and could set him up temporarily with a place to live. Brownsville saw too much violence from all the border skirmishes and the law was much tighter there than in Hudson Creek, but it would be a perfect place for him to lay low until he could figure out his next move.
Before he left, he had one more stop. Eve Newman’s house. He still wasn’t sure if the bitch had seen his face but he couldn’t take the chance. If Tara decided to cut a deal and testify against him, he’d take care of her later. But he wasn’t going to wait to kill that journalist when he could tie up loose ends now.
* * * * *
Mac glanced in the rearview mirror before switching lanes even though he was fairly certain no one else was on the road at this hour. After dealing with the police, giving their official statement and then making sure Leslie Gomez made it home all right, it was well after two in the morning and he and Eve were dog tired. Instead of driving all the way out to his ranch they’d opted to go to Eve’s place. The drive was barely ten minutes but for how he felt it was almost too long.
When he’d seen Tara pointing a gun at Eve he’d gone completely numb. That feeling had quickly morphed into rage though. His fingers tensed around the wheel, digging into the leather. Knocking Tara out and not strangling her was a testament to his self control. If anything had happened to Eve…
No.
She was alive. He looked at her sitting next to him and was able to breathe normally as he was reminded of that fact.
Eve let her head fall back against the headrest and closed her eyes. “I’ll be glad when this mess is over.”
“Me too,” he grunted. Sheriff Marcel had still been questioning Tara when the DA had shown up demanding answers so he and Eve had quickly left the station. There wasn’t anything they could do there anyway and all he wanted right now was to crawl into bed with Eve and hold her tight. He wanted to feel her every breath and heartbeat as he cradled her. To remind himself she was okay.
Once they made it to her place, he reset the alarm to stay mode and stripped out of his suit. Leaving his boxers on, he fell onto her bed without bothering to pull the comforter back. She didn’t bother either. She shimmied out of her formfitting dress to reveal she hadn’t been wearing a bra, but she didn’t take her panties off before curling up next to him. In the morning he knew exactly how he’d be waking her up. He smiled at the thought and closed his eyes.
She threw her leg over him and sighed contentedly as she settled her head against his chest. The way she snuggled up so tight in his embrace made his chest tighten. Especially after what had happened only hours ago. He’d seen too many friends die when he’d been stationed overseas, but almost losing Eve would have been too much to bear.
The realization that he couldn’t walk away from her hit him with the intensity of a semi-truck. He wanted her in his bed and his life all the time. If anything had happened to Eve, he’d never have forgiven himself for not protecting her. And the thought of living without her? He shuddered, not able to even think it.
She’d always been in his life and in his thoughts. Even when he’d been overseas, her face had often been the one he dreamed of before drifting off to sleep.
She was alive
, he reminded himself for the hundredth time that night. Tightening his hold, he let the blackness of sleep overtake him.
* * * * *
Mac’s eyes flew open to a quiet darkness. His heart pounded loud in his ears as he slowly sat up, every sense on alert. Something was different.
It took a moment to realize that the numbers of the digital clock on Eve’s nightstand no longer illuminated the room in a dull green glow. And the low hum from her refrigerator he’d all but tuned out was now silent.
Slowly, he reached for where he’d set his gun on the nightstand and slipped out of bed. No one was going to hurt Eve.
She murmured something, but otherwise didn’t stir. He crept toward her window and slowly pulled the gold curtain back a fraction.
The back porch light of her neighbor’s house was on. Which meant only her power had shut off. Or more likely it had been turned off by someone. He pulled the curtain back farther to give himself a little more light.
Silently he hurried back to Eve’s sleeping form. He rustled her awake and put his free hand over her mouth when she started to speak.
He leaned forward so that his mouth was practically on her ear. “Someone’s here. Call the cops and stay in the closet until I come get you. Tell them to leave their sirens off.” His clipped instructions were lower than a whisper, but she heard him.
With wide eyes she nodded and sat up. Before she headed to the closet, she pulled out a small case from under her bed and withdrew a gun of her own. Then she plucked her cell phone from her nightstand.
He breathed easier as he watched her move to the relative safety of her closet. Once the door slid closed behind her, he eased open her bedroom door. The hallway was dark, only illuminated by slim streams of moonlight coming in from the guest bedroom that was ajar. When he heard slight movement from somewhere else in the house, he paused.
It sounded like it came from the living room. His feet were silent as he stole down the hallway. Once he reached the end of it, he pressed his back against the wall and listened again.
An almost imperceptible squeak pulsed through the air. Eve’s living room was carpeted but the attached hallway was plank wood floors. That hallway connected with the one Mac was now in.
Instead of moving against the intruder—or intruders—he stayed where he was and waited. Whoever was here expected the element of surprise.
They would have had it too if they hadn’t turned off the power. The sudden quiet had been damn near deafening to him. Of course if they hadn’t turned it off, they wouldn’t have gotten past Eve’s security system.
They weren’t getting past him.
A scant shadow stretched across the floor in front of Mac. As it grew wider, Mac tensed, ready to fight more than one assailant if necessary. If Eve had already placed the call he hoped it wouldn’t be long until the cops got here.
But he wasn’t counting on them. He was the only defense between Eve and whoever was in her house. And he’d be damned if he let anyone hurt her.
There was another soft squeak and Mac crouched slightly. He clutched the gun in one hand and when the shadow grew wider he knew the intruder was close. The faint breathing of someone grew louder and louder so he made his move.
Gun in hand, Mac kept his stance low as he jumped out from his hiding position.
A dark-haired man wearing all black jerked back in surprise but started to raise a gun. Mac lashed out with his foot, kicking the intruder’s arm and taking him off guard. If he didn’t have to kill him, he didn’t want to.
If there was more than one person after Eve, Mac wanted to know their names. She couldn’t live in a state of constant fear of being targeted. And he wouldn’t allow it.
The man cried out as his gun flew through the air. It clattered against the wall but instead of retreating, the intruder lunged at Mac. With his free hand, Mac hauled back and slammed his fist against the other man’s jaw. He knew how to fight and shoot with both hands and relished the feel of his fist connecting with this bastard.
Another cry rang out as the man flew back and this time he slammed against the wall. When he made a move to dive for his fallen weapon, Mac fired off a shot near the gun. Immediately the man held up his hands in surrender. He cursed under his breath before he said, “Don’t shoot.”
“Face down on the floor and keep your hands behind your head.” There was a deadly edge to his voice that left no doubt he’d kill the man if he made a wrong move. After the man did as Mac ordered, he used his foot to kick the gun back behind himself. “Why are you after Eve?”
When the man didn’t answer, Mac kicked him in the ribs. He’d never been one to abuse a prisoner but this guy had come after Eve with the intent to kill her. Maybe worse. There weren’t many reasons someone broke into a woman’s house in the middle of the night armed with a gun. This guy was lucky he was still breathing.
“She was a loose end,” he grunted.
A loose end? Mac growled softly under his breath. As flashing red and blue lights filtered through the slats of the blinds in the living room, they lit up the hallway. Even though blood rushed in his ears from the rage building inside him, his breathing evened out as it sank in that this was hopefully almost over. Once the police got this guy into custody, it would only be a matter of time before Tara and this intruder fought over who could make the better deal.
“Eve? You can come out now! It’s safe.” And he planned to make sure she stayed that way.