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“What are you willing to do to save Jackson and Sage?” She tried not to move the rocker. She was serious and needed to know how far he’d go. “For the record, I’m willing to do anything. And I mean anything, including breaking the law.”
Did he look a little insulted as he bent and picked up Jackson’s pj’s from the floor? Well, she didn’t care. It was something she needed to hear him say out loud.
“Don’t look so surprised. I’ve heard about the integrity of the Texas Rangers since the first day I met you. How could I not after listening to the countless kitchen table conversations on the subject? Not to mention this past year when three of your company men might have been straddling the integrity fence, but managed to come out squeaky clean heroes.”
“You act like having integrity is a bad thing.” He clutched the pajamas and moved to the window instead of placing them back in the dresser.
“Not at all.” She stood and joined him, wishing she could blink and make this all go away.
All she could do was wrap her palms around his upper arm, offering the comfort of a friend. Even though they’d been raising his children together for four years, she couldn’t make the decisions he’d soon be faced with.
“Are you going to tell me about the Tenoreno family? At least more than what I’ve heard about them in the news? Are you in charge of the case?”
Josh didn’t shrug her away. They stood shoulder to shoulder at the pastel curtains sprinkled with baby farm animals. He stared at something in the far distance past the lake. Tracey just stared at him.
“In charge of the case? No. Company F has prepared Paul Tenoreno’s transportation route from Huntsville to Austin. I finalized the details this morning. Now that this...the kidnapping, your injuries...” He paused and took a couple of shallow breaths. “Tenoreno’s transport to trial has to be what this is all about. Thing is, state authorities are sure to change everything. It’s why they brought the FBI onto the case so quickly.”
“Is Tenoreno mixed up in the Mafia like the news insinuates?”
“Tenoreno is the Mafia in Texas.”
A chill scurried up her spine. The words seemed final somehow. As if Josh had accepted something was about to happen and there was no going back. He hadn’t answered her question about how far he’d go. But he wouldn’t let the Mafia take his kids. He just wouldn’t.
“You need to make me a promise, Tracey.”
“Anything.”
He removed her hands and crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head to stare at the top of hers because he was frightened to meet her hazel eyes. Frightened of the desperation she might see in his face.
“Hear me out before you give me what for. I made you the guardian of the twins last year.”
“Without asking me?”
“Yeah. I was afraid you’d say no.” Josh shrugged and lifted the corner of his mouth in a little smile.
It was Tracey’s turn to look incredulous. “Seriously? When have I ever told you that I wouldn’t do something for those kids?”
He nodded, agreeing. “I need you to promise that no matter what happens to me...”
“I promise, but nothing’s going to happen to you.”
Of course, she didn’t know that. This afternoon when she’d headed to the day care to pick up the twins, she wouldn’t have believed anything could have happened to any of them. It has been an ordinary day. She’d finally made up her mind to talk with Josh about finding a permanent nanny to take her place.
“You asked what I was willing to do. They’re my kids, Tracey. I’ll do anything for them, including prison time.” Josh still had the pj’s wrapped in his hand. “Believe me, that’s not my intention, but you have to know it’s a possibility.”
Was he aware that she was willing to join him? She meant what she’d said about doing anything for Jackson and Sage. And if that meant she was the one who went to jail—so be it. And if it came down to it, she’d do anything to keep them with their father.
“Just tell me what to do, Josh.”
“Nothing. If Tenoreno’s people contact you, tell me. You can’t be involved in this. It has to be me.” He gripped her shoulders and then framed her cheeks. One of his thumbs skated across the bruised area and settled at her temple. “You got that? I’m the one who’s going to rescue my kids and pay the consequences.”
She believed him. She had to. But she couldn’t promise to stay out of his way. She might have the answer. What if money could solve their problem? Even if it wouldn’t, now wasn’t the time to tell him she’d never let him be separated from the twins.
Chapter Four (#ulink_187438c6-0b04-5cc3-b60b-7cb66710eee0)
Josh pulled Tracey to his chest, wrapping his arms around her, keeping someone he cared about safe. He stared at the green pajamas decorated with pictures of yellow trucks—dump trucks, earthmovers, cranes and he didn’t know what else. He used to know.
How long had it been since he’d played in the sandbox with the kids? Since he’d been there for dinner and their bath time?
Mixed feelings fired through his brain. He couldn’t start down the regret road. He needed to concentrate on the twins’ safety. The overpowering urge to protect Tracey wasn’t just because she was an unofficial member of the family.
Tenoreno had hired someone to assault her and steal his children. Her cuts and bruises—dammit, he should have been there to protect her. To protect all of them.
“There has to be something we can do to make this go faster.” She pressed her face against his chest and cried.
It was the first time to cry since she’d entered the house today. He fought the urge to join her, but once a day was his limit. If he broke down again, he wouldn’t be able to function. Or act like the guy who might know what he was doing.
A knock at the door broke them apart. Tracey went to the corner table and pulled a couple of Kleenex from the box.
“Yeah?” It could only be one of two people on the other side. Bryce or Agent McCaffrey.
“You fill her in yet?” McCaffrey stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Tracey looked up after politely blowing her nose; a questioning look crinkled her forehead.
“We were just getting there.”
“Here’s the phone you can use to contact us. We won’t be far away.”
“But far enough no one’s going to notice.” Josh took the phone and slid it into his back pocket.
“Anyone following you will see the obvious cars. They’ll lose you after a couple of miles, but George and I will be there.”
“Josh?” Tracey said his name with all the confusion she should be experiencing. After all, he’d just demanded the FBI and police leave him alone, get out of his house and off the case.
“It’s okay, Tracey. All part of the plan. We need the kidnappers to think I’m in this on my own. No help from anyone. Hopefully that’ll limit what they ask me to do.”
When he left the house he’d have a line of cars following and hoped it didn’t look like a convoy. A bad feeling smothered any comfort he had that law enforcement would be close by.
“So everything you just said—”
“Was the truth. Every word.” He shot her a look asking her to keep that info to herself.
He knew that stubborn look, the compressed lips, the crossed arms. It would soon be followed by a long exhale after holding her breath. Sometimes he wanted to squeeze the air from her lungs because she held on to it so long. Each time he knew she wasn’t just controlling her breathing. She was also controlling her tongue because she disagreed with what he was saying or doing.
Mainly about the kids.
Lately, it had been about how often he worked late or how he had avoided necessary conversations. Like the one congratulating her on finishing her thesis. Yeah, he’d avoided that because it would open the door to her resignation. What they needed to talk about was serious. She’d most likely accepted a position somewhere—other than Waco. If he could, he’d also like to avoid a conversation about what happened two weeks ago when they’d kissed.
This time, he could see that she didn’t believe the lines he was spouting to the FBI. He just hoped that Special Agent McCaffrey couldn’t read her like a book, too. Then he might suspect Josh had his own agenda.
“I don’t think they’ll wait very long to make contact after I leave.” The agent unbuttoned his jacket and stuck his hands in his pockets. “My belief is that they knew about Jackson’s diabetes and believe it will scare you into following their orders faster. If they didn’t, they’ve seen the pump by now and are scared something might happen to him. Either way, I don’t think they’re really out to hurt the kids.”
Agent McCaffrey stood straight—without emotion—in his official suit and tie. Just how official—they’d find out if he kept their deal to let Josh work the case from the inside.
“But you can’t be sure of that,” Tracey said. “How can anyone predict what will happen.”
Tracey was right about part of Josh’s inner core. He was a Texas Ranger through and through. He’d try it the legal way. But if that didn’t work, they’d see a part of him he rarely drew upon.
“George said you held up at the hospital exceptionally well, Miss Cassidy.”
McCaffrey had a complimentary approach, where George looked like a laid-back lanky cowboy leaning on a fence post. Josh had met George several times on cases. He trusted him. George had given his word that McCaffrey would be on board. But Tracey didn’t know any of that history. She had no reason to trust any of them.
“Don’t I get a phone for you to keep track of my location?” Tracey asked.
“Actually, yes.” McCaffrey handed her an identical cheap phone to what they’d given him. “By accepting this, you’re allowing us to monitor it.”
The man just didn’t have the most winning personality. Josh saw the indignation building within Tracey and couldn’t stop her.
“Were you really going to wait for my permission? That seems rather silly to ask. Just do it.” Her words seemed more like a dare. She was ready to go toe to toe with someone.
“Tracey. That’s not the way things are.” Standing up for the FBI wasn’t his best choice at this precise moment. Tracey looked like she needed to vent.
“Have you ruled me out as a suspect?” she asked.
Why was she holding her breath this time? Did she have something to hide? Josh opened his mouth to reason with her, but McCaffrey waved him off.
“I have a lot of experience with kidnappings, Tracey. I imagine you’re familiar with the statistics that most children are abducted by someone in their immediate family or life. My people ran our standard background check on you first thing. We would have been reckless not to.” He leaned against the doorjamb not seeming rushed for time or bothered by her hostility. “A reference phone call cleared you.”
Tracey stiffened. She drew her arms close across her chest, hugging herself, rubbing her biceps like she was cold. Her hand slipped higher, one finger covering her lips, then her eyes darted toward the window. She was hiding something and McCaffrey had just threatened to expose whatever it was.
“Tracey, what’s going on?”
“We’re good, Josh.” The agent looked at Tracey.
She nodded her head. “I don’t know why I said anything. I was never going to keep you from tracking this phone.” Tracey sank to the footstool. “I already told you I’d cooperate and do anything for Jackson and Sage.”
The special agent in charge crossed the room and patted Tracey’s shoulder. He’d done the same thing to Josh earlier, but it didn’t seem to ease Tracey. There was nothing insincere in his gesture. But it seemed a more calculated action, as though McCaffrey knew it was effective. Not because it was real comfort.
Josh wanted to throw the agent out of his kids’ room and be done with the FBI. “Do you need anything else?” he asked instead.
“I can’t help you if you keep me out of the loop, Josh.” McCaffrey quirked an eyebrow at Josh’s lack of a reaction. “You’ve got to work with my people to get the children back. We stick with the plan.”
“That’s all nice and reasonable, but we both know that there’s nothing logical about a kidnapping. You can never predict what’s going to happen.”
“The quicker you pick up that phone and let us know what they want the better.”
“The quicker you clear out of here, the faster they’ll contact us.” Josh’s hands were tied. He had to work with the FBI, use their resources, find the kidnappers. Or at least act like he was being cooperative. He sighed in relief when the agent left and softly closed the door behind him.
What the hell was wrong with him?
His twins had been kidnapped. It was natural to want to bash some heads together. But for a split second there, he’d wanted to just do whatever Tenoreno’s men wanted and hold his kids again.
Tracey was visibly shaken by whatever McCaffrey’s team had uncovered. His background check five years ago when he’d hired her hadn’t uncovered it. And in the time that she’d been around his family, she’d never shared it. He had his own five years of character reference. No one else’s mattered.
“I don’t know what that was about.” He jerked his thumb toward the closed door. Should he ask? “Right now I don’t care.”
“I swear I was never... It’s just something I keep private. But I can fill you in. I mean, unless it’s going to distract you. This shouldn’t be about me.”
“Will it make a difference to what’s going to happen?” Sure, he was curious, but what if she was right and it did distract him? The FBI didn’t think it was relevant. He could wait until his family was back where they belonged. “You know, we have more important things to worry about, so save it.”
“Okay.” Tracey sat straight, ready to get started. “So how is this going to work? Do you think the kidnappers will use my phone to call yours again? Wait!” She popped to her feet. “We don’t have your phone. It’s downstairs.”
Josh blocked her with an outstretched arm. “If it rings, Bryce will let us know. He’ll come up here before he leaves and that won’t be until everyone else is out of the house.”
They stared a second or two at each other. He wanted to know what she was hiding from him. She bit her lip, held her breath, and then couldn’t look him in the eyes.
“Tracey, we have to trust each other. If you don’t want to go through with this...”
“Of course I want to help. It’s my fault they’re missing. I don’t know how you’re being kind to me at all or even staying alone in the same room. I’m not sure I could do it.”
“I don’t blame you for what’s happened. How can I?” He kept a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t fight to get away. “I’m beating myself up that I didn’t put a security detail on all of you. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. Tenoreno has come after three of my men and their families. Why did I think you or the kids weren’t vulnerable?”
“We have to stop blaming ourselves,” she said softly. “If you have a plan, now might be the time to share it with me.”
“It’s not so much a plan as backup. What I said before McCaffrey came in, I meant it. But if I can keep the FBI on my side...we’re all better off.”
A gentle knock stopped the conversation again. “They’ve cleared out, Major. I’ve secured all the windows and doors. Here’s your phone.” Ranger Johnson said through the door.
Josh turned the knob and stuck out his hand. “Thanks, Bryce. You guys know what to do. My temporary replacement’s going to have a tough time. The other men are going to resent that he’s there. They’re also going to want to help with the kidnapping. You’ve got to make the men understand that none of you can get involved and that those orders come from me.”
“Good luck. And sir—” Bryce shook his hand, clasping his left on top of it “—let’s make sure it’s just a temporary replacement. You know we’re all here when you need us.”
“We appreciate that.”
“I think this is one time that One Riot, One Ranger shouldn’t apply. I’ll take care of things.” Bryce walked downstairs.
Tracey gently pushed past Josh, nudging herself into the hall. “I can’t stay in their room any longer. And I really think I need a drink.”
Josh followed her. “But you don’t drink. And probably shouldn’t, with a concussion.”
“Don’t you have some Wild Turkey or Jim Beam? Something’s on top of the refrigerator, right? It’s the perfect time to start.”
“Yeah, but you might not want to start with that.” How did she know where he kept his only bottle of whiskey?
“Actually, Josh, I went to college. Just because you’ve never seen me drink doesn’t mean it’s never happened. A shot of whiskey isn’t going to impair my judgment.”
She was in the kitchen, pulling a chair over to reach the high cabinet before he could think twice about helping or stopping. He sort of stared while she pulled two highball glasses reserved for poker night that had been collecting dust awhile. A finger’s width—his, not her tiny fingers—was in the glass and she frowned before sliding it toward him across the breakfast bar.
