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“So the cops don’t know you’re a Texas Ranger?” Kenderly looked up and saw a fast-food restaurant. “Can I borrow five dollars?”
“Right. Sure. We’ll get something and sit in the back corner.” Garrison ushered her through the doors and stood outside checking the street for something. He backed in the door and pulled out his wallet, handing her a twenty. “Bacon cheeseburger, ketchup, no pickles and any soda.”
She placed their order and watched him at the front window looking at his phone. He was texting one minute, then talking furiously the next.
No matter what he was currently doing, Kenderly decided to follow his original instructions and sit at the back booth.
“Hey, we’re closing in fifteen minutes,” the teenager behind the counter called out. “You’ll have to leave by then.”
“No problem,” Garrison let him know.
Kenderly ate her small, dry burger and fries alone. Her hero texted, made more calls and popped outside the door another time. She had no idea if he was leaving messages or holding conversations about her future. His food sat in its bag.
The drink gathered sweat and made a ring around the bottom of the medium cup. She was mesmerized with the droplets.
It kept her from wondering what might have happened if Garrison hadn’t been there today. She would be dead. No question about it. She felt helpless. She dipped a fry in the ketchup, and a red drop hit the table. She froze. Even though she knew it was ketchup, she couldn’t eat another bite.
The clock over the front door indicated three minutes until they closed. She should quickly use the restroom before they were kicked out. She locked the door behind her and almost immediately heard Garrison yelling on the other side.
“Kenderly, are you there?”
“Give me a second, please? I promise, I can’t get away. There aren’t any windows.”
“We have to get out of here.”
“I know, they’re closing.”
“Listen to me, Kenderly. Cops are gathering outside. The kid must have called us in. Our status changed from wanted for questioning to wanted for murder. It’s scrolling on the television. Tenoreno has a bounty on our heads.”
Chapter Five (#ulink_e89bb9fc-be38-5734-9137-657df3f2ed01)
“Do you have any idea where you’re going?” Kenderly had lived in Austin most of her life, but she was getting disoriented. Garrison had turned down almost every street and doubled back and then doubled back again. She tugged him to a stop not only to get her bearings but also to catch her breath.
“I’m certain of one thing. We have to keep moving.” Garrison reached for her hand, but she took a step away from him.
“I can see that you believe you’re right. But I can’t keep this up all night.” She glanced at her watch. They’d been walking just over an hour since the burger she’d choked down. “Don’t you have a plan?”
They’d blended in with college students for a while, but were alone again on the corner of Brazos and Eighth Street. It was late enough that hardly anyone was around in this area.
The thought of being scared fleeted across her mind. She certainly had good reason to feel that way, but she didn’t. The Rangers had convinced her they were legit and wanted to protect her. It was hard to get used to having someone else make the decisions. Limited choices as she had, every path she’d taken was completely hers.
He flashed that perfect smile at her and tilted his head like he was actually curious about something. “Sweetheart—”
“Stop right there. Your wicked gorgeous smile might work on the girls you’re trying to pick up and sway back to your tiny little house.” She caught her hand shaking as she pointed in the direction they’d come from. She quickly wove her fingers together. She might be upset, but she didn’t need to show the world. Or him. “I have no choice except continue wherever you go. I know that. So you don’t need to convince me of anything.”
“Wicked gorgeous?” He winked.
She had to turn away from him. Appreciating his cavalier attitude was one thing, falling for the charm he oozed with every movement was quite another.
“Just give it to me straight. Bottom-line it.”
“I like you, Kenderly Tyler. I really do.” He sent another text and then removed the battery from his phone before sliding both back into his pocket. “Our odds aren’t very good. Truth is... I didn’t think we’d make it this far.”
“Well, that’s reassuring.” If she’d had any choices she might have turned around and run from him. But there weren’t any other choices.
She stood beside a set of stairs leading to a church. Sitting on the cold concrete she leaned back only to jolt forward. She’d forgotten that her heels were hooked into her skirt at the small of her back. It might have looked normal for a college student, but she felt silly.
“So, what now?”
For a split second the confident young smile disappeared, and the thoughtful Texas Ranger who had absentmindedly petted his dogs stood there. Maybe he was as lost as her?
“Oh my gosh! Clementine and Bear! Are they okay?”
“They were in the bedroom at the back of the house. I don’t think the bullets penetrated that far.”
“Those poor puppies. What will happen to them?”
“They have a regular dog walker. She lives across the street. But I sent a message to my buddy, Jesse, to come get them.”
Disappointed that they didn’t have a way to find out, she rubbed her bare feet and wasn’t about to complain. Captain Oaks had been shot, and that man was trying to kill Garrison because he’d helped her.
“Can he come get us, too?” she mumbled.
But he’d heard and grinned. He casually leaned against the corner of the building. Or he tried to look casual. His body was tense. His eyes darted a different direction with each tilt of his head.
“Trouble is, no one really knew that I was at Tenoreno’s place. This operation is sort of...” He shrugged.
“Off the record?”
“More like last minute and hasn’t gone through all the proper channels.”
Kenderly jumped up and ran across the street. “Great. This is just absolutely great. And so in character for my life.”
She spun around midintersection to see her escort picking up her shoes, so she continued jogging across the road.
“Kenderly,” he said sternly, running after her. “Come on. You know we have to stay together.”
“So you have any idea when this is going to end?”
“Look. You’re a smart gal. You know life isn’t going to be the same. You might want to think about relocating.”
“You aren’t serious?” His lips pressed firmly into a straight line, and she knew that he was very serious. “What am I going to do?”
Placing both hands on her shoulders, one heel dangling from each, he looked at her for a good thirty seconds. If they’d been at her apartment door... If they’d been on a date or had met at the party Isabella said she could attend...
If. If. If. If things had been different, the moment might have been full of nervous anticipation instead of emotional dread.
“One step at a time, Kenderly. Just one small step. Our first is to find someplace out of the way to hang out for a while. We’ve got to give Oaks a chance to straighten this manhunt out.”
Headlights shone on them as a car turned onto the street where they stood. Garrison ducked his head and curled her into his side. Whoever it was kept going. Loud, happy music poured from the open windows along with the laughter of the young people inside.
Why did she suddenly feel so old? She was only twenty-three, dammit.
The music faded as she watched the taillights disappear. Her fingers curled around the folds of Garrison’s T-shirt. The tears came before she could completely bury her face in the soft, dark cotton.
As hard as she tried, she just couldn’t stop them. Mournful tears for Isabella and Trinity. Frightened tears for herself. Angry tears that everything she’d worked for was gone.
She didn’t know if he was patient about it, but her Texas Ranger wrapped his arms around her and didn’t crack a joke. He didn’t try to stop her. No attempts to rush things along.
His arms gave her the illusion of being secure. It was a strange feeling, with her body relaxing while her mind raced because she was so frightened.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to cry again.” She tilted her head back to look up at him, expecting to see frustration or at least disappointment. There was neither.
“Ready to move out?”
She nodded. He dropped to one knee, sliding his hands down her calf and tapping on her foot.
“Oh, wow. You don’t have to do that.”
“Lift your foot. I’m down here all ready.”
Off balance, she clung to his strong shoulder and let him slip her impractical high heels back into place.
* * *
GARRISON HAD SEEN the scrapes on Kenderly’s feet. She couldn’t move fast in the ridiculous heels, but she wouldn’t be able to walk at all if she cut her foot. Putting them on was easier than her trying to accomplish it in the skirt he’d appreciated more on his bike.
What should he do?
“I need to check on Oaks.” He stood and guided his witness up the street. He recognized where they were. The capitol wasn’t too far away.
“Well, we can’t walk into the hospital. Not with our faces splashed all over the TV.”
“Right.”
“You don’t even know which one they took him to.”
“Right again.” He kept watch. Kept expecting the cops around every corner. They didn’t have time for explanations. Should he just take Kenderly to Rangers headquarters and let them straighten the mess out? Or stick with her until the captain was giving orders again?
“And I hate to be a wimp, but I’m really tired. I don’t know how much longer I can stay awake. Let alone move my legs to walk.”
“Got it.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have an emergency credit card, do you? I have one, but it’s at my apartment. I leave it there since, of course, it’s only for emergencies.”
Garrison halted and checked his back pocket. He was an idiot. All this time he’d been worried about the police tracking any transactions or his phone. He didn’t have to worry about that with his real name. Just his undercover identity.
“Don’t worry. Your time walking the streets is over.”
“If I wasn’t so relieved, I’d make you correct that street-walking phrase. But I am very grateful not to walk another step. Are we grabbing a cab?”
He wouldn’t mention aloud that he’d had his own wallet the entire time. He hadn’t had a chance to switch them after Oaks decided to send him back to Tenoreno’s.
“Are you going to call or something?” Kenderly asked, giving her skirt a habitual tug.
Her eyes looked as exhausted as she claimed. Her hair wasn’t nearly as tangled as when she’d first arrived at the house. He really liked how it was so many different colors. Every place they’d been she looked like a different woman.
There were other things he liked. Of course, being responsible for her, he couldn’t tell her how good she looked in sequins and silk. Or how the unrealistic heels made her legs look four inches longer.
His hands itched to touch the smooth skin of her thigh again...
“We should get a cheap motel room until I receive some orders. And maybe pick up some sweats for you.”
“Sweatpants? Couldn’t we just get me some jeans? But you’re not talking about right now. Or are you?” She grabbed his wrist and flipped it to see his watch. “It’s almost three in the morning.”
“Okay. Got it.” He partly listened, partly searched for their enemy and tried to keep thinking about their options. Nothing seemed to be going their way. Not even a cab. “Where can we catch a ride?”
“Oh, good grief. We need to head back to Congress Street.” She laced her fingers through his. “Just so you know. I’m not really a sweatpants type of girl.”
Holding hands was standard practice. Along with dragging him across the street, heading west again. She leaned into his arm, using his body to steady the fast pace. He was proud of her for hanging in there so well. He almost opened his mouth to tell her but thought again. It somehow felt intimate to tell her.
Shoot. He needed sleep himself if he was having this type of debate in his head. More importantly, he should be making plans. Deciding where they could stay, someplace a manager wouldn’t call the police.
“Would calling the police be so bad?”
“Huh? How did you know...?”
“You were mumbling. So, would it? Would calling them be so bad?”
“It would ruin our chances of catching Tenoreno.”
“Well, then we’re definitely not going to the police. I want that horrid man to spend the rest of his days rotting in jail. Even if he didn’t pull the trigger, he was responsible.”
Garrison felt Kenderly’s determination through her fingers squeezing his biceps. Yep, he liked her. He felt himself smiling without anyone looking.
Nice. Wait. Not nice. She’s my witness.
They spotted the cab at the same time. Their hands separated, and Kenderly’s earsplitting whistle got the cabbie’s attention.
“Evening.”
“Hi,” Kenderly responded to the driver, then looked at Garrison. “Where to?”
“I...um... I’m not sure.”
The driver tapped his finger against the steering wheel, flipped the meter on, then tapped again. At least he wasn’t listening to local news. Their descriptions were accurate enough, and the burger shop probably let the police know what they were wearing. At least, if Garrison was the cop assigned to their case, he would have gotten a description.
“Hey, buddy, I need to get going. So where to?”
