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“I’ll let you in.”
In a few minutes they sat at the kitchen table. Cy handed him Kellie’s phone. “Take a look at the message from the sender named Trixie. Dan took a picture of me and Kellie in the car backing out of the garage earlier today.”
Vic studied the photo and read the text. He shot Cy a glance. “The loss of his twin has unhinged him.”
“Yup. He’s starting to take daring risks and is damn good at knowing how to terrorize Kellie. I assume he’s armed with a rifle in order to take care of me and Trixie. Then he’ll go back to his preferred method to kill Kellie.”
“We’ve got to find him quick.”
“Did Janene ever track down that IP address?”
“No. It has her stumped for the moment, but I’ve received information on the identical-twin birth records from both cities.”
“I want to see those, but first let’s talk about the photo. Dan was obviously hiding behind the fence this afternoon in order to take it. No doubt he was hidden in the same place when we took his brother out to the van. I’m thinking he’s using one of the town houses.”
“So am I,” Vic broke in. “I’ll phone TJ right now to get us a warrant.”
They could read each other’s minds. “We’ll need backup so we can do a thorough search of every town house on this street and the town houses on the other side of the alley. Our lunatic is hiding out here somewhere ready to strike. We need to nab him fast.”
“Agreed.”
While Vic got on the phone with their captain, Cy opened the email Vic had sent. He studied the statistics for identical twin boys born in hospitals in 1986 when the populations of both areas were smaller. The sum from both cities equaled ten sets, six from Charleston, four from Virginia Beach. Hopefully, the agents at the other end could track down the parents from birth records and make an ID that would help them form a correct profile of the brothers.
Vic ended the call. “TJ’s getting the warrant as we speak. He’s sending Luckey to guard Kellie so you and I can do the search with the crew. As soon as he gets here, we’ll start.”
Cy’s thoughts were whirling. “I need to tell Kellie about the change in plans.” Since he had her phone, he needed to tell her in person. “Be right back.” He got out of the chair and hurried up the stairs with her cell phone.
“Kellie?” he called to her before rapping on her door.
“Yes?” she answered immediately.
“I have to leave for a little while with Vic. But I won’t go until Luckey gets here. He’s one of my closest friends in the Rangers.”
“One of the Sons of the Forty, you mean?”
“Yes. He’ll guard you with his life.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“I’m leaving your phone on the floor outside your door in case you need it. If the stalker calls, let it ring through to your voice mail. I’ve just put Luckey’s phone number in your list of contacts. He’ll answer if you call him. Try to go back to sleep if you can, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Be careful, Cy.”
He took a deep breath. “Always.”
Chapter Seven (#uad94e372-a267-56c2-801d-4b5cb3f10f14)
I have to leave for a little while with Vic.
Kellie could only imagine what that meant. Instead of lying there shuddering in fear for Cy, she threw back the covers and slid off the bed to get her phone. When she opened her door, she saw her cell but couldn’t hear voices downstairs.
Something important was going on and he wanted her out of it, yet he always put her needs first. She believed he was so dedicated, he’d treat any person he was guarding with the same kind of care. That was the problem. Kellie wanted to mean much more to him.
When they’d kissed earlier, she’d never wanted them to stop. She couldn’t blame all of it on hormones. This man was different. She was different when she was with him. Kellie had dated a lot of guys over the years, but something had changed when she’d first looked into Cy’s startling dark blue eyes.
She picked up her phone and went back into the bedroom. If only there were someone she could talk to about this, but her feelings were too private to divulge even to her family or closest friends. She’d known Cy for only a week. Anyone she confided in would smile and tell her it was natural that a man and woman thrown together in a dangerous situation would grab a little comfort that went along with the hero worship. But in the long run it couldn’t be taken seriously.
As she walked over to the bed, more questions ran through her mind. What would it be like to be married to a Texas Ranger? To know that every time he left for work, he was facing danger head-on? When he didn’t get home on time, or was involved in a stakeout that kept him away for days at a time, how would she be able to handle it?
Judging by the tension gripping her body right now, she already had the answer to her question. She wouldn’t be able to cope. To love Cy meant she would never be at ease when he was out of her sight.
Kellie’s mom didn’t worry when her husband left the house. She knew he’d walk in at the end of the day and come find her wherever she was. Barring a natural disaster or an unforeseen accident, her mom didn’t have to be concerned that she might never see her husband alive again.
Like her mom, Kellie had grown up knowing their husband and father would always be in their lives. She’d never given it a thought. But she did now...
With a tortured sigh, Kellie turned off her phone and lay back, praying this threat to her life would be over soon. If the stalker were caught before she had to leave for South Dakota, she would end her association with Cy cold turkey. That was the only way to deal with her feelings. They never had to see each other again and she could concentrate on getting ready for Finals.
Tomorrow she’d talk to the real-estate agent helping her find the right property to buy. So far she hadn’t found the exact thing she wanted. Maybe something else had just been listed on the market. Whether something turned up or not, she’d go on her last four-state circuit of rodeos starting with South Dakota, then Wyoming, Colorado and Oklahoma.
After that she’d come home for three more rodeos in Texas before she left for Las Vegas. Once Finals were over, she’d buy a place to get her new training business started. With the decision made about Cy, she turned on her side. But her mind wouldn’t shut off. Being in his arms, being kissed with such hunger, had changed her.
Upset with herself, she turned on the other side. When sleep didn’t come, she slid out of bed to get her laptop off the table. The latest scores of her competitors would be listed. Cynthia Lyman from Tombstone, Arizona, was the barrel racer to beat. She’d made the most money for the year, and her last winning time was 13.77.
Kellie needed to do better than that in order to come in first. Her time in Bandera was 14.10. Though she came in second, it wasn’t good enough. Once she reached Las Vegas, she’d be competing for ten nights and had to nail those barrels with consistently low scores in the l3s. Focus was everything.
After reading the latest news, she went to her blog. Once she’d thanked people in a general message after reading the latest entries, she posted her schedule of events for the next seven weeks and promised to add to her blog between each rodeo.
Eventually she grew tired and put her laptop on the floor before succumbing to sleep. When morning came, she was surprised to discover she’d slept in until nine. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done that. Emotional exhaustion had to account for it.
Was Cy back?
With her heart in her throat, she showered and dressed in riding clothes and boots. She ran a brush through her hair and put on lipstick before hurrying downstairs.
“Good morning, Ms. Parrish.”
Her spirits plummeted to see a dark blond Ranger wearing a polo shirt and jeans seated at the table with his laptop while he drank coffee. He was a close friend of Cy’s.
“Good morning. You must be Luckey.”
“That’s right.”
“I take it C—Ranger Vance hasn’t come home yet.”
“Nope. He’s still out working.”
She bit her lip. “Have you heard from him?”
“Not yet.”
Good grief. What was wrong with her? He wasn’t about to discuss Ranger business with her. “I’m going to make breakfast. Would you like some?”
“Sounds good.”
“Cy loves bacon and eggs.” Cy’s name rattled off her tongue. She could have kicked herself for using it.
Luckey’s brown eyes smiled. “I think that’s an all-around favorite.” He didn’t miss a thing. Of course he didn’t. He was one of the Famous Four she’d heard mention of on the news.
“Good.” She got to work and whipped up some biscuits to go with them. Before long they sat across the table from each other while they ate.
“If I’d known that house-sitting Cy’s wife was going to come with these perks, I’d volunteer more often.”
She shook her head. “Once he catches the stalker, he probably won’t be able to live down this fake marriage.”
“Cy’s a brilliant tactician. That fake marriage caught the first stalker before any of us could blink. It won’t be long before he brings the other one into custody. In case you weren’t aware, the captain gave the assignment to him because he knew he was the right man for the job.”
Kellie knew that already.
“However, I’d like you to know that any of us would have been happy to take your case on after watching you in the Bandera Rodeo.”
Luckey was a charmer and very attractive. “You could have no idea how grateful I am for all your help.” She got up to pour him another cup of coffee. “I happen to know you were on watch all night long and must be exhausted. If you want to stretch out on the hide-a-bed in the living room, please go ahead while I wash the dishes.”
He didn’t get up. “If I lie down, then I’ll go to sleep. That’s a no-no on the job. I’m better off sitting here talking to you.”
While she loaded the dishwasher, she asked the first question to pop into her head. “What made you go into law enforcement?”
“I wanted to be a Texas Ranger from the first time I saw a troop of them riding their horses in an Austin parade. I was just a little guy. When I told my dad, he said that we in the Davis family descended from a real Texas Ranger living back in the 1800s. After he showed me my great-great-grandfather’s picture, that did it. I was going to be just like him.”
“That’s a darling story.”
His chuckle filled the kitchen.
“Are you married, Luckey?”
“Divorced.”
Kellie frowned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s all right. My ex-wife didn’t find my occupation darling.”
No. She wouldn’t. No woman would who wanted her husband with her every night of her life. “But if she married you—”
“She thought she could handle it.”
With that response, Kellie felt as if someone had just walked over her grave.
He cocked his head. “How come you’re not married?”
“I’ve been too busy chasing a dream.”
“And thrilling crowds,” he added.
Her mouth broke into a smile. “You’re full of it, Ranger Davis.”
“I couldn’t agree more” came a familiar male voice from the living room. She lifted her eyes in time to see Cy, who walked into the kitchen looking wonderful even though he was tired and needed a shave. How long had he been listening to their conversation? At the sight of him, her heart knocked against her ribs.
She smoothed her palms over her hips. “There’s more breakfast if you want some.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” He caught a chair with his boot and sat down by Luckey. If he had any news about the stalker, he wasn’t ready to share it with her.
“I didn’t know your wife was such a great cook, Cy. Try the biscuits. They’re sensational with strawberry jam.”
“Yeah?” The two men glanced at each other. Kellie could tell streams of unspoken messages were passing between them.
She poured a cup of coffee for Cy and placed a plate of food in front of him along with utensils. “There’s more where this came from.”
“Bless you,” he murmured, eyeing her with a look that sent coils of heat through her body.
“I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about, so I’m going upstairs. Thank you for watching over me, Ranger Davis.”
“It was my pleasure.”
Kellie darted out of the kitchen and hurried upstairs. When she reached her room, she fell onto the bed, so relieved Cy was all right she cried tears of happiness into her pillow. Taking a deep breath, she reached for her phone. No call from the stalker. There was only one message. It came from her parents. She should have phoned them last night before she’d gone to sleep.
Without wasting more time, she called them and brought them up-to-date on what was going on. Later in the day she and Cy would drive out to the ranch to exercise the horses. At least that was her plan, but it all depended on him.
* * *
“HOW DID THE search go?”
Cy looked at Luckey while he ate. “I don’t even know where to begin. It curdled my blood when we entered the town house opposite this one on the other side of the fence. According to the landlord, a married couple named Michael and Julie Sanders signed a year’s lease in February. When the landlord was shown a picture, he identified Dan as the husband.”
“Good grief!”
“No one was home. When we searched the upstairs, we found that the bedroom overlooking Kellie’s garage had been made into a shrine. Her pictures were plastered all over the walls and ceiling. Hundreds of them.” It had been a nightmarish experience for Cy.
“We found camera equipment and half a dozen guns along with a ton of ammo. One of the rifles has a high-powered scope and was set by the screened window he’d left open. All the weapons are loaded. There’s duct tape, pepper spray, handcuffs, ether, everything used in their other murders.
“In the master bedroom Vic found that a part of the closet contained men’s clothes. The other half held women’s suits and jackets. The upstairs bathroom was filled with makeup and wigs.
“Just yesterday Vic had questioned the owner of a local theater costume shop in town. He remembered selling a lot of women’s makeup, including a brown and blond wig, to a man who said he needed them for a play he was producing. When Vic showed him the picture, the owner identified him immediately. The date of the purchase was the first of February.”
Luckey shook his head. “That was right before they signed the lease.”
“Yup. Those perverts have been holed up there all this time, eying Kellie’s every move.” Cy hissed the words. “While Denny held down the fort, Dan followed Kellie around the circuit. We found a motorcycle in the garage, so he’s out somewhere either on foot or in another vehicle, maybe even a motorcycle.”
“No doubt they’re responsible for a slug of unsolved armed robberies here in Austin to finance their operation.”
Cy’s jaw hardened. “We fully expected Dan to walk in on us. When he didn’t show up, we left and ordered the other condo renters on both sides of the alley to vacate the premises until further notice. We’ve organized the crew to stake out his place. After his last phone message to Kellie, my gut tells me he’s going to make his move when he gets back from wherever he’s been. I’ll be his first target. I know how his mind works. He’s planning to take me out with the rifle, then he’ll break in here for Kellie.”
