A Bride By Summer

Her hands formed fists. “But it does matter. Even Texas Rangers with all the protection available have been known to get injured, or worse...”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Her eyes blazed a hot blue. “He’s out to kill you for arresting his brother.”

He got to his feet. “I won’t give him the chance.”

“But if you get shot, it’ll be my fault. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

Cy could have sworn that was her heart talking. When he’d agreed to take her case, he’d felt an attraction that had been growing so deep and fast, he didn’t recognize himself anymore. TJ had warned him about walking that thin line. Unfortunately he’d already crossed it after meeting her in Bandera and would have pursued her, case or no case.

Get out of her room, Ranger Vance. Now.

“I assure you everything’s going to be fine.” He put the chair back by the window and left for the other bedroom.

After putting his gun under the pillow, he took off his cowboy boots and lay down, desperately needing a couple hours of sleep. It seemed as if no sooner had his head touched the pillow than he heard a phone ringing. He glimpsed Kellie’s face through his eyelids and bolted upright.

She answered the phone and turned on the speaker. “Why do you keep calling me?”

“I like to hear the fear in your voice.”

“You like to make people afraid?”

“Why not?”

“That’s sick. You’re sick, sick, sick!” she yelled into the phone. That brought Luckey from downstairs. Both men listened while she got him going. Keep it up, Kellie. Stick it to him where it hurts.

“Does your mother know what kind of person you’ve turned into?”

Bingo.

“What mother? She didn’t want us. We were orphans, but you wouldn’t know anything about it with your rich daddy and mommy. You’re going to pay for not going out with me. But first I’m going to finish off that husband of yours.”

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with!” Kellie’s lethal tone lifted the hairs off Cy’s neck. “Try to hurt him and you’ll wish you’d never been born!”

Luckey flashed Cy a secret smile before a maniacal laugh came through the phone. He muttered several obscenities and clicked off.

Kellie looked at Cy. “Did I keep him on long enough?”

“It was perfect. He’s ready to explode. That’s what I’ve been waiting for. Let’s all go downstairs.” He glanced at his watch. To his shock he’d slept seven hours. It was already five thirty in the evening. After putting on his boots, he reached for his gun and followed them out of the room.

“Would you gentlemen like some iced tea?” She’d already gone into the kitchen.

“We’d love it,” Luckey answered for them because Cy had made a detour to the living room to phone Kit.

“Any sign of him yet?”

“No.”

“He just made another harassing call to Kellie. She pressed his buttons. I think he’s going to make something happen as soon as he returns to the town house.”

“I’ll let you know the minute he shows up. Anything you need and we’re ready.”

“I owe you for this, Kit.”

Cy hung up and walked back in the kitchen. Trust Luckey to get Kellie laughing about something. His friend had a way. “What’s so funny?” He’d trained his eyes on her, unable to look anywhere else.

Before she could answer, Cy’s phone rang. It was Kit. He turned his back to her. “What’s up?”

“The second we got off the phone, a woman with neck-length brown hair pulled into a stall driving a used blue Sentra sedan. She got out wearing a business suit and heels and has just let herself in the condo.”

“We’ve got him!” Cy blurted with elation. It felt as if he’d been waiting forever for this moment. “He’ll be watching from the upstairs window with the rifle. I’ll give him ten minutes before I back out of the garage.”

“We’re on it.”

He clicked off and turned to Luckey, who was drinking a glass of iced tea. Kellie was in the background cooking tacos for dinner. “This is it,” he muttered. “You know what to do.”

“Yup.”

Cy hurried upstairs and put on his bulletproof vest. Over it he wore a gray hoodie, and he went back down to the kitchen. “Be sure and save me some dinner.”

Kellie’s eyes look haunted. “You’re leaving now?” He heard the wobble in her voice. “You haven’t even drunk your iced tea.”

“Sorry. I’ve got some business to do, but Luckey will enjoy it. Remember he’s here to protect you. See you soon.”

He opened the kitchen door to the garage and closed it behind him. Once he was in the Subaru SUV, he sat there to synchronize his time to the second with Kit and the crew. He hoped that once he used the remote to open the garage door, the sound would alert the stalker that he was leaving. That was the signal for the crew to move in.

The plan was to back out slowly, giving Dan time to make his best shot.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Up went the garage door. Cy started the engine and let it idle for a minute to draw out the stalker. Then he started backing into the alley. At the point where he turned the car, he braked and shut off the motor. In the split second it took to open the door and roll to the ground, he heard three loud shots fired in succession, shattering the side windows.

Some of the glass grazed his neck and cheek. Moments passed as he stayed down and let the other Rangers do their jobs. Sirens blared as police cars and an ambulance converged in the alley. He got out of the car and saw the street now looked like a war zone. The paramedics ran over to him while he got to his feet and brushed off the bits of glass, but he was waiting for the call from Kit.

When it came, they were the sweetest words he’d ever heard. “Your plan worked perfectly. This stalker was caught in the act. He twisted and screamed while we cuffed him. Now he’s on his way to join his twin.”

Cy drank in gulps of air. “Thank God.”

He couldn’t wait to tell Kellie, but he had to ride in the ambulance first while they tended to his wounds, which were superficial. After he’d been taken to the ER, TJ was there to greet him. While Cy sat on the end of the examining table as the doctor put some small bandages over the cuts on his neck and cheek, the captain’s eyes played over him with grave concern.

“That was a hell of a thing you did out there tonight, offering yourself up as the sacrifice.”

“I was wearing my vest.”

“He could have shot your head off.”

“I ducked. It was all planned out.”

“If you ever try a stunt like that again...”

“You told me this was a high-profile case and you needed it solved ASAP. I just wanted to make sure those two lunatics are put away forever. Trying to take me out added another lifetime sentence to their list of heinous crimes.”

After the doctor left the cubicle, the captain said, “I phoned Ms. Parrish and her parents and told them the siege was over. They’re probably at her condo right now celebrating.”

Cy would have liked to tell her the news himself, but he’d had to follow protocol and get checked over first. “Their relief must be making new people out of them.”

His boss nodded. “Thanks to you she’s free to live her life fully and win that championship in December. Vic got on the phone to the agents back east. Once again the fame of the Four is going out over the networks for catching two of the vilest criminals wanted by the FBI from coast to coast.”

“I’m thinking there may be other murders they’ve committed. With them both in custody, who knows what information we can get out of them. Hopefully, this will lead to solving some cold cases, too.”

TJ flashed him a rare smile. “That’s for the detectives to follow up on. What matters is that it took the Texas Rangers to solve this case. Something tells me we’ll be hearing from the governor soon. Again.” He patted Cy’s shoulder. “You’ve done great work,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’m glad you didn’t become an attorney.”

“Amen,” Cy whispered. Otherwise he would never have met Kellie. “Don’t forget it took the whole team, TJ. But thanks for going along with my unorthodox plan. I believe that was the word you used.”

“You flushed them out with your clever sting in record time. According to your buddies, this marriage seems to have agreed with you. What do you say?”

“The jury is out where that’s concerned.”

He nodded. “Vic’s waiting in the lounge. When you’re ready, he’s going to drive you home. Take the day off tomorrow to recover before you write up all the details of the case. That’s an order.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the captain left, Cy got off the table and reached for his hoodie and vest. He found Vic and they walked out to his friend’s car. “I appreciate the lift home.”

En route to Cy’s house, Vic glanced at him several times. “The captain was right. You’re damn lucky to have walked away from that shooting.”

“If you’re going to tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing, I wouldn’t believe you. After Dan made his last harassing call to Kellie earlier today, I knew I was his next target. Which means the best move was to play it out on my own terms. While he was concentrated on me, the crew closed in, taking him by surprise.”

They grabbed some burgers at a local drive-through, then headed for Vic’s house in South Austin. Cy had chosen to live in a secluded neighborhood hidden away in a wooded area. His rustic lodge-style home with exposed wood appealed to him for several reasons. Besides a loft where he had his office, the open floor plan was dominated by a cathedral ceiling with tons of natural light.

When they reached the entrance, it dawned on him he hadn’t stepped foot in his three-bedroom house for over a week. Normally after being away on a case, home sounded good to him while he relaxed. But tonight he knew something was missing even before he got out of the car. He knew what it was. Kellie wouldn’t be here when he walked inside.

Over the past seven days, they’d spent hours together. When they had to be apart, she’d been constantly on his mind. If it weren’t so late, he’d drive over to her town house right now with the excuse that he wanted to collect anything he’d left while working the case.

But before that, he needed a shower and a shave.

Vic turned to him. “You look like death. Go to bed and we’ll talk in the morning.”

Cy opened the door. “I couldn’t have done this without you. I owe you big-time.”

“I’ll remember that when the captain gives me my next case.”

“Good night, Vic.” He shut the door and went in the house carrying his vest and pullover. Without turning on lights, he climbed the stairs to his bedroom in the loft located across from his office. He plunked his things in the chair and moved over to the bed to pull off his boots.

The moonlight coming through the window caused the gold band on his ring finger to gleam. He needed to remove it before he went into headquarters in the morning. The boss had told him to take the day off. For the first time since joining the Rangers, the thought of nothing to do all day long sounded like a death sentence.

A whole day without Kellie? He wouldn’t know what to do with himself. The captain’s question went round in his head.

According to your buddies, this marriage seems to have agreed with you. What do you say?

Cy threw back his head, afraid to answer it out loud. If he did that, it would be tantamount to a confession that could change his whole life. Especially if Kellie didn’t answer it the same way.

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