Hard Core Law

The problem was...

“Intelligence has nothing to do with emotional, gut-wrenching pain. I lost his kids. He’ll never trust me again and I don’t blame him.”

After she awoke in the hospital, she’d only been allowed to talk with one police officer, her nurse and a doctor. The door had been left open a couple of inches. She’d recognized rangers passing by, even heard them asking about her. But the officer had refused her any visitors. At least until this FBI agent showed up.

Two hours later she was sitting in a car on her way to the Parker home to face Josh for the first time. Where else was she supposed to go? She’d refused to return to her apartment as they’d suggested. “How bad is my face?”

“As in? What context do you mean?”

She flipped down the passenger mirror to see for herself. “Well, I don’t think makeup—even if I had any—would help this.” She gently touched her cheekbone that felt ten times bigger than it should. “I don’t want to look like...”

“Tracey. Four men yanked you from a car and hit you so hard they gave you a concussion. They kidnapped Jackson and Sage. No matter what you think you could have done differently, those men would still have the Parker twins.”

She wiped another tear falling down her cheek. Agent Lanning might be correct. But nothing anyone said would ever make her feel okay about what had happened.

Nothing.

The road to the house was lined with extra cars and the yard—where they needed to park—filled with men standing around. The police escort in front of them flipped on the squad car lights with a siren burst to get people out of the way. Tracey covered her ears.

Everything hurt. Her head pounded in spite of the pain medication the doctor had given her. But she was prepared to jump out of the car as soon as it slowed down. First she needed to beg for Josh’s forgiveness. And then find out what the authorities had discovered.

“You really took a wallop,” he said. “You should probably get some rest as soon as possible.”

She had rested at the hospital, where so much had been thrown at her. Part of the argument for her going home was to sleep and meet with a forensic artist as soon as one arrived. She’d refused, telling Agent Lanning it was useless to draw a face hidden with a ski mask. Then they’d finally agreed to take her directly to Josh.

The sea of people parted and the agent parked next to cars nearer to the front porch. She didn’t wait for the engine to stop running. She jumped out, needing to explain while she still had the courage.

Moving quickly across the fading grass of the lawn, she slowed as friends stared at her running inside. She completely froze in the entryway, looking for the straight dark hair that should have towered over most of the heads in the living room. But Josh wasn’t towering anywhere. She pushed forward and someone grabbed her arm. A ranger waved him off.

Everyone directly involved in Josh’s life knew who she was. The ranger who had spotted her was Bryce Johnson. He put his hand at her back and pushed the crowd of men out of her way.

“You doing okay?” he asked, guiding her through probably every ranger who worked in or near Waco. “Need anything? Maybe some water?”

She nodded. There was already a knot in her throat preventing her from speaking. She’d assumed a lot of people would be here, but why so many? “Why aren’t you guys out looking for the twins?”

Everyone turned their attention to a man near the window seat. But she focused on the twins’ dad. Josh looked the way he did the day Gwen had died. From day one, neither of Josh or Gwen had felt like employers. They were her friends. She wanted to be there for him again, but didn’t know if he’d let her. He glanced at her, and then covered his eyes as though he were afraid to look at her.

The guy in the suit near the window jerked his head to the side and they left. All of them. Except for a woman and Josh, both seated at the opposite end of the breakfast table. They were joined by Agent Lanning, who pulled out a chair and gestured for Tracey to sit.

It was a typical waiting-on-a-ransom-demand scene from a movie. The three professionals looked the parts of FBI agents. The woman sat at something electronic that looked as if it monitored phone calls. Agent Lanning moved to the back door and turned politely to face the window. The other man, who they both seemed to defer to, uncrossed his arms and tapped Josh on the shoulder.

Josh’s head was bent, almost protected between his arms resting on the table. He hadn’t acknowledged the fact that nearly everyone had left. He hadn’t acknowledged anything.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry doesn’t seem like enough,” she began.

Josh’s head jerked up along with the rest of him as he stood, tipping the chair backward to the floor. She winced at the noise. She assumed he’d be disappointed and furious and might even scream at her to get out. But feeling it, seeing it, experiencing the paralyzing fear that they might not get the kids back...

“This might sound stupid, but we need to verify that Jackson was wearing his insulin pump,” he whispered without a note of anger.

“Yes. I checked it when I picked him up.”

“Thank God. I knew you would. You always do.”

The woman opened her mouth but the agent at the window raised a finger. She immediately smashed her lips together instead. Josh covered his face with his hands again. What had she expected? That he’d be—oh, everything’s going to be okay, Tracey. Don’t worry about it Tracey. We’ll find them together, Tracey.

“Has anyone seen anything? Said anything?” she asked no one in particular.

“Let’s step into the bedroom, Miss Cassidy.” The agent by the window took a step toward her.

“She stays,” Josh ordered, holding up a hand to halt him. “I want to hear everything firsthand. Same for anything you have to say to me. She can hear it, so she stays.”

“All right. I’m Special Agent in Charge Leo McCaffrey and this is Agent Kendall Barlow. No, the kidnappers haven’t called. There’s been no ransom demand.” He pointed to the woman at the table and crossed his arms. “Have you remembered anything else that might help?”

“Not really. A van was broken down. Two men came to my car to help me back up. It seems like one purposely let me reverse into the rental van. Then one came to the passenger window and tapped. I thought they needed my insurance or license or something. They looked like college students until they pulled the masks over their faces. I have to admit that I didn’t pay any attention to their faces when they were uncovered.” Tracey latched her fingers around the edge of the kitchen chair, hoping she wouldn’t fall off as the world spun a little on its side.

“You didn’t think that was unusual?” the woman asked.

“Not really. Students walk a lot around here. That part of Waco isn’t far from downtown.”

It was weird what she noticed about Agent McCaffrey. Average height, but nice looking. His short hair had a dent around the middle like Josh’s did when he wore his Stetson. Or after an afternoon with his ball cap on. She glanced at his feet. Sure enough, he wore a pair of nice dress boots. And then she remembered the men abducting her had worn work boots.

“Wait. The men who got out of the moving truck. They both wore an older Baylor shirt from about five years ago. And they all wore the same type of work boots. I could almost swear that they were new and the same brand. The man who...who pulled me from the car...” Everyone looked at her, waiting. “He had dark brown eyes and thick eyebrows. Not thick enough to hide a scar across the right one.”

“That’s good, Miss Cassidy. Anytime something comes to you, just make sure to tell Agent Lanning. Anything special about the others?”

“I wasn’t close to the other two. It all happened so fast that I didn’t know what to do.” She choked on the last word. She hadn’t known. Still didn’t.

“When you were questioned at the hospital, you had a hard time remembering the small details, but they’ll probably come back.” The woman spoke again, pushing a pad toward the center of the table. “You should keep a notebook handy.”

“I...uh...couldn’t get to the hospital,” Josh said loudly. He swallowed hard and shook his head, looking a little lost.

Tracey had never seen that look on his face before. “I didn’t expect you to.”

“It’s just... I haven’t been there since Gwen...” Josh looked at her asking her to understand without making him say the words. “I guess I had to have been there once with Jackson.” He pushed his hand through his short hair. “But I can’t remember when for some reason.”

“I know. It’s okay,” she whispered, wanting to reach out and grab his hand. “You needed to be here.”

Major Parker was her employer, but she couldn’t stand it. Someone needed to help him. To be on his side like no other person would be. This time she shoved back from the table and her chair was the one that hit the floor. She pushed past Agent McCaffrey and covered Josh with her arms. He buried his face against her, wrapping his arms around her waist as if she were the only thing keeping him from falling off a cliff.

Until two weeks ago, they hadn’t hugged since Gwen had died. Had rarely touched each other except for an accidental brush when handing the kids to each other. Then there’d been that kiss.

An unexpected kiss after an impromptu surprise birthday party with several of his friends. A kiss that had thrown her into so many loop-de-loops, she’d been dizzy for days. But it must have thrown Josh for a loop he didn’t want. He hadn’t spoken to her except in passing. Which was the reason she’d accepted the out-of-state position.

She held him, feeling the rapid beating of his heart through the hospital scrubs they’d given her. They had so much to face and right now he needed to be comforted as much as she did.

Someone at the hospital had said she was just the nanny. She didn’t feel like just the hired help. She’d avoided that particular title and thought it demeaning when Josh’s friends referred to her that way. Months when the rent was hard to come by, her friends asked her why she didn’t move in to take care of the twins.

At first it had been because she thought it was a temporary job. Eventually Josh would hire a real nanny. Then she’d been certain Josh would eventually date and remarry, so she hadn’t wanted to complicate the situation. And this past year it had been because she was falling in love with him.

Now the word nanny didn’t seem complex enough for their situation. She’d been a part of the twins’ lives from infancy. She’d been told to go home and stay there with a protection detail so she could be easily reached if needed. She was just the nanny.

Just the person who provided day care—and any other time of the day care when Josh was on a case. But his lost look was the reason she hadn’t obeyed the order.

Technically, Tracey knew she was just the nanny. Yet, her heart had been ripped from her body—twice. Once for each child.

She held Josh tight until Agent McCaffrey cleared his throat. She sat in the chair next to Josh. Bryce brought the bottle of water he’d offered when she first arrived and dropped back to the living room doorway.

“Is this a vendetta or revenge for one of the men you’ve put away?” Tracey asked Josh, who finally looked her in the eyes. “I tried to convince them to take me instead. They said it needed to be someone you loved.”

Chapter Three

Someone you loved...

Did she know? Josh searched her face, seeing nothing but concern for his kids. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her they would have gotten it right if she’d been taken.

That sounds ridiculous.

He didn’t want her abducted any more than he wanted the twins to be gone. He reached out, touching her swollen cheek.

“They hurt you.” Stupid statement. It was obvious, but he didn’t know what else to say. “Of course they did. They took you to the hospital.”

He noticed what she was wearing, the streak of blood still on her neck, the bandage at her hairline. Hospital scrubs because her clothes had been ruined.

Time to shed the shaking figure of a lost father. Tenoreno had hit his family—the only place he considered himself vulnerable. But he was stronger than this. He needed to show everyone—including himself. Gathering some courage, he straightened his backbone and placed both palms flat on the table to keep himself there.

He knew what McCaffrey was thinking. The agent had repeated his questions about Tracey’s possible motives more than once. Agent Kendall Barlow had been ordered to run a thorough background check on “the nanny.” If Tracey heard them call her that she’d let them know she was a child care provider and personal nutritionist.

Definitely not the nanny.

The FBI might have doubts about Tracey—he didn’t. First and foremost, she had no motive. They might need to rule her out as a suspect. No one in the room had mentioned Tenoreno by name. But Josh knew who was responsible.

Drawing air deep into his lungs, he readied himself to get started. Ready to fight Tenoreno or whoever he’d hired to take his kids.

“The agents need to know how long Jackson’s insulin will be okay. Can you give them more details?” All the extra chatter around him died. He took Tracey’s hand in his. “I took a guess, but you know a lot more about it than I do. These guys need an accurate estimate. I couldn’t think straight earlier.”

“It depends.” She drew in a deep breath and blew it out, puffing her cheeks. “There are stress factors I can’t estimate. A lot will be determined by what they give the twins to eat, of course. The cartridge can last three days, but he might be in trouble for numerous reasons. They could give him the wrong food or the tube might get clogged. The battery should be fine.”

“Hear that everybody? My son has forty-eight hours that we can count on. Seventy-two before he slips into a diabetic coma. Why are you still here?” He used his I’m-the-ranger-in-charge voice.

It worked. All the rangers, cops and friends left the house.

“I’m more worried that Sage might try to imitate what I do with the bolus when he eats. She knows not to touch it. But she also knows that when Jackson eats, I calculate how much extra insulin to give him. She’s a little mother hen and might try since I’m not there.”

“What’s a bolus?” George Lanning asked.

“An extra shot of insulin from his pump. You calculate, it injects.” The female agent shrugged. “I read and prepare for my cases.”

Josh hated diabetes.

Bryce stayed by the kitchen door. He’d driven Josh and wouldn’t leave until he had confirmation of orders that the two of them had already discussed. Unofficial orders when no one had been listening. Ranger headquarters had someone on the way to relieve him as Company F commander. Whoever was now in charge would make certain every rule was followed to the letter and that personnel kept their actions impeccable.

“Everyone is working off the assumption that the Tenoreno family is behind this. Right?” he asked McCaffrey, finally stating what everyone thought.

The FBI agents’ reactions were about what he expected. No one would confirm. They zipped their lips tight and avoided eye contact. But their actions were all the confirmation he needed.

The Mafia family connection was the reason the FBI had been called as soon as Josh had received the news. He’d rather have his Company in charge, but the conflict of interest was too great.

Bryce stood in the doorway and shook his head, warning him not to push the issue. They’d talked through the short list of pros and cons about confronting anyone called in to handle the kidnapping.

The more they forced the issue, the less likely the FBI would be inclined to share information. It could all blow up in his face. But it was like a big bright red button with a flashing neon sign that said Do Not Push.

The longer the agents avoided answering, the brighter the button blinked, tempting him to hit it.

“The Tenoreno family?”

Tracey was the only one left who didn’t know who they were. She needed to know what faced them because she was certain to be used by the Mafia-like family. No one wanted to explain so it was up to him to bring her up to speed.

Two hours and thirty-eight minutes after Tracey was found unconscious on a sidewalk, his phone rang. Brooks & Dunn’s “Put a Girl in It” blasted through the kitchen.

“That’s my ringtone for Tracey. They’re using her phone. It’s the kidnappers.”

* * *

EVERYONE STARED AT the phone. Only one person moved. Agent Barlow pulled a headset onto her ears, clicked or pushed buttons, then pointed to Agent McCaffrey. It really was like being a part of a scripted movie. Tracey could only watch.

“You know what to do, Josh. Try to keep them on the line as long as possible,” Agent McCaffrey said.

Tracey cupped her hands over her mouth to stop the words she wanted to scream. They would only antagonize the kidnappers and would probably get her dragged from the room. She needed to hear what those masked men were about to say.

Agent Barlow clicked on Josh’s cell.

“This is Parker.” Josh’s fingers curled into fists.

“You won’t hear from us again as long as you’re working with the FBI.” The line went dead.

“No. Wait!” Josh hammered his hand against the wood tabletop. But his face told her he knew it was no use.

“What just happened? Shouldn’t they let us know how to get in touch with them?” Tracey looked around the room, wanting answers. What did this mean? “You do have a plan, right?”

Agent McCaffrey clasped Josh’s shoulder, then patted it—while staring into Tracey’s eyes. “That’s what we expected.”

Everyone’s stare turned to Agent Barlow, who shook her head. “Nothing. We’ve been monitoring for Miss Cassidy’s phone, they fired it up, made the call and probably pulled the battery again.”

“So we’re back to square one.” Agent Lanning tapped on the window, silently bringing attention to the suits monitoring the outside of the house.

“We have instructions.” Josh stared at the only other ranger left in the house—Bryce.

Tracey was confused. It was as if they were speaking in some sort of code. Or maybe they were stating something obvious and the concussion was keeping her from recognizing it. The others shook their heads.

“You don’t want to do that, Josh.” Agent McCaffrey kept his cool. He clearly didn’t want whatever Josh had just silently communicated to Bryce. “This case is going to be difficult—”

“It’s not a case. They’re my kids.” Josh hit his chest with his fist. “Mine.”

“You need our resources.” Barlow dropped the headphones on the table.

“I need you to leave. I’ve told you that from the beginning.” Josh stood. Calmly this time, without tipping the chair to the floor. “I’ve played along for the past couple of hours hoping it’s not what we thought, but it is. These guys aren’t going to play games. They either get what they want or they kill—”

“You can’t do this,” Barlow said.

The agent seemed a little dramatic, but what did Tracey know?

“Yes, I can. It’s my right to refuse your help.” Josh gestured for Tracey to lead the way to the back staircase.

“Look...” Agent McCaffrey lowered his voice. “We’ll admit that the kidnapping involves Tenoreno. We assume these men are going to ask you to do something illegal. You’re better off if we stay.”

“I haven’t done anything illegal. You need to go.” Josh took the Texas Ranger Star he was so proud of and dropped it in the agent’s open palm. “Bryce. You know what to do.”

Josh caught Tracey under her elbow and led her up the staircase. They went to the kids’ bedroom, where he shut the door.

“What is Bryce going to do?”

“First thing is to get my badge back. I shouldn’t have given it to McCaffrey. But the agent wanted it for show in case the kidnappers are watching. I’ll surrender it to the new Company commander if they ask me to resign, not before. Then he’ll get everyone out of the house. Before the FBI arrived, we assumed we knew who was behind the kidnapping. There’s really no other motive. It’s not like I have a ton of money to pay a ransom.”

Tracey winced, but Josh was looking out the window and couldn’t have seen. The twins’ kidnapping didn’t have anything to do with her. The man said it has to be someone he loves. He meant someone Josh loves. Right?

“What if...” She hesitated to ask, to broach the subject that this entire incident might be her fault. She cleared her throat. “What are you going to do without the FBI’s help?”

“Get things done. Bryce has already arranged for friends in the Waco PD to watch the agents who will be watching us.” He quirked a brow at his cleverness, sitting on the footstool between the twin beds.

His wife’s parents had chosen that stool to match a rocker Gwen had never gotten to hold her children in. She’d been too weak. It’s where Josh refused to sit. The stool was as close as he’d get. The chair was where Tracey had rocked the babies to sleep.

“Have you told Gwen’s parents?”

“There’s nothing they could do. McCaffrey thinks it’s better to wait.”

“The FBI will be following us when we leave the house.” He stood again, wiping his palms on his jeans. “They’ll wait for me to issue an order to my men. I’d be breaking the law since I’ve been asked to step away from my command. Then they’ll swoop back in like vultures and take control of things.”

“Will you?”

“What? Leave? Don’t worry.” He straightened books on the shelf. “When I do, I’ll make sure someone’s here with you. Bryce will be close. I won’t leave you alone.”

“No. That’s not what I’m talking about. Will you break the law?”

He gawked at her with a blank look of incredulousness. Either surprised that she’d asked, insulting his ranger integrity. Or surprised that she questioned...

“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.”