Rancher Rescue (16 page)

“Me, too,” she said anyway, figuring he also didn’t want to
hear about how much they had in common—such as how much they both cared for
Caleb. But that was another common bond between them, whether Matt like it or
not.

“I’m not good at this sort of thing....” He paused.

She took a sip, welcoming the burn and the warmth on her
throat.

Another beat passed as he shifted his weight onto his other
foot.

Whatever he had to say, Katherine figured she wasn’t about to
be showered with compliments. She braced herself for what would come next. She’d
stared down worse bulls than a protective friend.

Didn’t he realize she had Caleb’s best interests at heart?

When he looked as though saying the words out loud might
actually cause him physical pain, she said, “I can save you the trouble. I know
you don’t like me. But if you gave me half a chance, I think we could be
friends.”

There. She’d said it. She put it out there between them, and he
could do what he wanted with it.

She crossed her arms and readied herself for his response.

“That isn’t what I came here to say.”

“Okay.”

“I need to apologize.”

“No, you don’t.” The tension in her neck muscles eased.

His stance was firm and unmoving. “I appreciate you saying
that, but I do.”

“If the tables were turned and it was me, I’d probably feel the
same way as you. I can see how this looks. A stranger shows up on his property
and he puts his life in danger to help her. I wouldn’t like it, either.”

The corner on one side of his mouth lifted. “There is
that.”

“You must love him a lot.”

“Like the brother I never had.”

“But I do, too.” Had she just admitted her true feelings for
Caleb to the one man who could stand her the least? It was one thing to say it
to Caleb. Damn. It had come out so fast and yet sounded so natural. Felt
natural. Her heart was so full it might burst that he’d said it to her first.
But to make the declaration to a friend? To let everyone else know took the
relationship to a new level. Was she ready?

Katherine steadied her nerves. Her admission would probably
spark a rebellion anyway. Why couldn’t she just leave it alone? Why did she need
Matt to understand her feelings for Caleb?

Because Matt was like family to him. He was important.

She secretly wished for his approval.

“I know,” Matt said softly. “He feels the same way. I knew it
the first time I saw him with you.”

Katherine stood stunned. “I had no idea.”

“It’s half the reason I’ve been so...worried,” Matt said,
leaning against the counter.

“I realize you know him best. You must’ve seen that look
before?”

“No. Never. Not with anyone else.” His tone was deadpan.

Katherine’s heart skipped a beat. Maybe she could believe his
love was real. He wasn’t confusing his need to help with true feelings. Maybe
this was different than the women in his past.

Caleb strolled in before she could thank Matt for telling her.
“Not with any what?”

Chapter Sixteen

Katherine held out a mug. “Coffee’s fresh.”

Caleb arched his brow. The corners of his lips turned up and he winked. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’re not getting out of this so easy. What were the two of you talking about?”

Matt made an excuse about walking the perimeter and slipped outside.

“I remembered something that might help. I’d completely forgotten about Leann’s phone. I can contact Kane if we can get another power cord and a battery.”

“You brought up a good point, but I don’t want you doing anything with that phone. Stay inside the house. No matter what. Promise me?”

She folded her arms. “This is the worst. At least when we were on the run, we had distractions. Waiting around with no way to make contact, doing nothing is killing me.”

Caleb’s pocket vibrated. He pulled Jones’s cell from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s Jones.”

Katherine’s heart went into free fall with anticipation.

As soon as Caleb ended the call, he turned to her. “They found it. They found the proof. Leann had pictures linking Kane to murder. He must’ve had no idea she had evidence until recently.”

“Doesn’t do any good if they can’t find Kane. Can’t he live out the rest of his life in Mexico? With Noah? How will I ever get him back? I can’t imagine leaving him to grow up with a monster like that.” Panic thumped a fresh course of adrenaline through Katherine’s veins. She didn’t want to think about never seeing her nephew again.

“We don’t know that. Jones has men in Dallas all over it.”

His words were meant to be comforting. They weren’t. A jagged rock ripped through her chest. Breathing hurt. She’d wait like a sitting duck for how long? Kane’s men would never leave her alone. He wouldn’t be satisfied until she was dead. “What about Scarface? Did he talk?”

“That’s the best part. He did. Kane has been hiding in a warehouse downtown in the garment district. He’s believed to be there right now. Jones is going after him. Coleman is on his way with reinforcements.”

A myriad of emotions ran through her. Fear for Noah gripped her. Could they get to him in time? A trill of hope rocketed. This whole ordeal could be behind them by morning’s light.

A disturbance out front caught their attention.

“Wait here.” Caleb moved to the cabinet and pulled out a handgun.

He crossed to her and placed it in her hand. Katherine’s hand shook as she recoiled. “Not a good idea. I’m scared to death of those things.”

“I won’t leave you here without a way to protect yourself. It’s a .38. You have to cock it to fire. Like this.” He pressed her thumb to the hammer. “Then you point and pull the trigger. Wait here for me, but if someone comes through that door you don’t recognize, shoot.”

A lump in Katherine’s throat made swallowing difficult. Her breathing came in spasms and her chest hurt.
Be strong. Refuse to be defeated.
She gripped the handle tighter. “Okay.”

“I better check on Matt.” Caleb kissed her forehead. He turned and headed toward the front of the house. “Don’t be afraid to use the gun if you need to. Look before you shoot.”

All her danger signals were flaring, and she knew on instinct something very bad was about to go down. They’d found her. Fear crippled her, freezing every muscle of her body even though she had the very real sense she was shaking on the outside. Sweat beaded and dripped down her forehead like the trickle of melting ice cream.

She couldn’t let Caleb go alone.

Her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so finding her way around outside the house wasn’t a problem. At the last corner, she crouched low, making herself as small as possible, and moved behind the Japanese boxwoods in the front landscaping. Caleb stepped out the front door with his right arm extended, gun aimed.

Matt was on his knees in front of the house with his arms and legs bound. A man the size of a linebacker stood behind him, his gun pointed at his head.

Oh. God. No.

She turned away for an instant, unable to look. Guilt this was all her fault gripped her.

“He has nothing to do with this. Let him go.” Caleb’s voice was surprisingly even. He was calm under pressure whereas Katherine’s nerves were fried.

The sound of gravel crunching underneath tires brought her focus to the road where a blacked-out SUV barreled down the path.

“Doesn’t seem like your friend here wants to get up,” said the linebacker, kicking Matt from behind.

Katherine prayed Caleb wouldn’t react to the taunting.

A thousand ideas ran through her head. Should she slip into the house and call 9-1-1? Wasn’t Coleman on his way? She crouched low, rooted to her spot as two men stepped out of the SUV. One she recognized from Noah’s kidnapping, the other was new. He was smaller than the others, but wore an expensive suit. His hair was dark, curly and slicked back. Kane?

“Put your gun down on the porch, and we’ll consider sparing your life,” the familiar one said.

Caleb didn’t budge.

“Fine. Then your buddy here gets a bullet in the head.” He lowered the barrel toward Matt.

Caleb put up both hands in the universal sign for surrender. “No need to do that.” He lowered his gun to the porch and kicked it forward with the toe of his boot.

“Where is she?” the man with the slicked-back dark hair asked, his tone clipped; there was that telltale albeit subtle difference in the way he pronounced his vowels.

Katherine knew exactly who he was. Kane.

“I’m afraid it’s just us guys here,” Caleb responded.

“Don’t insult me. I happen to know you were with her. She must be here somewhere.” Kane glanced around. “Come out. Come out. Wherever you are.”

Kane walked closer to Caleb, eyeing him up and down. He turned to his henchmen and pointed to Matt. “Show them we’re serious.”

The crack of a bullet split the night air.

Katherine’s heart plummeted. A gasp escaped before she could squash it. She fought the urge to vomit. Make a noise and Kane had what he wanted.
Her.
Game over.

She forced herself to peer through the bushes at him, expecting to see blood splattered on the men. There was none. If they hadn’t shot Matt, what had they hit?

The bullet must’ve pinged the ground instead. Thank God. No one was hurt.

A wicked grin crossed Kane’s attractive features. Authority and power radiated from him. Underneath that good-looking exterior, this man was the devil reincarnate. How horrible was he? Leann was a good person. How could she have gotten involved with such evil?

Katherine remembered the practiced, cool voice she’d first heard on the phone. Was that the one he’d used to lure Leann? If she’d seen the other side to him, no wonder she’d wanted to escape. She must’ve innocently believed she could keep him away from Noah. That definitely had to be why she’d moved around so much. It all made sense now. She’d kept the evidence quiet, waiting until the day he showed up again. And when he’d found her? She’d decided to play him while she’d gone to the Feds for help. A new life. A new identity. She and Noah would be hidden forever.

The cost?

She would have to cross the father of her child.

That couldn’t have been easy. Sadness and anger burned Katherine’s chest, firing heat through her veins. Why hadn’t Leann confided in her?

She didn’t want to bring you down with her,
a little voice said.

Oh, sister.

Kane glanced around wildly. “Still not wanting to come out and play. Well let’s see if this changes your mind.” He opened the back door to the SUV and lifted a small figure into his arms.

Noah?

Katherine’s heart faltered. She feared it would stop beating altogether if her nephew was dead. Kane was a horrible man. Would he hurt his own son?

No. A man who made sure the boy had his medicine wouldn’t harm him.

But he would kill Matt. Possibly even Caleb.

She had to stop him.

Without thinking, she tucked the gun into the band of her shorts and stepped out of the boxwoods. There was no way she could hit him from this far. Not with the way her hands were shaking. If she could get close enough, she’d take that bastard out with one shot. His henchmen might retaliate, but at least Kane would die. “I’m right here, you son of a bitch. You don’t have to hurt any more innocent people.”

Caleb made a move toward her but backed off when Kane aimed his gun at Noah’s temple.

“Don’t be a hero, cowboy,” Kane said, smooth and practiced. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. You won’t ruin it for me, will you? No one’s going to wreck my plans. No one sends me to jail.” He turned to face Katherine. “Not that bitch sister of yours. And sure as hell not you. She said she loved me. All the time she was sneaking around behind my back. Talking to the Feds. How could she love me when she stabbed me in the back? What about you? Will you betray him, too? Let’s see how much you care about your cowboy.” He nodded toward his henchman, who moved behind Caleb and pressed a gun to his back.

“Hurt him if you want. It won’t bother me,” Katherine lied.

She needed Kane to believe those words even though she could feel warmth traveling up her neck to her cheeks. She ignored it.

Convincing Kane she didn’t love Caleb might be his only chance to live.

If she could distract Kane long enough to pull the gun, and then fire, she’d stop him from hurting anyone else. He wasn’t more than five feet away. So close she could smell his musky aftershave. Too far to make a move before Kane’s guy had a chance to pull the trigger and end Caleb’s life.

She couldn’t get a clear shot while Kane held Noah anyway. Thank God he was sleeping. She had to get that monster away from her nephew and focused on her.

“Besides, he doesn’t know anything. But I do. And I’ll testify. You’ll rot in jail with all the other scum who think they’re above the law.”

“Scum?” Kane’s voice raised another octave. “That’s what your sister said about me?” The pained look on his face said he still loved Leann.

“Don’t believe her. I know exactly what you did. I can point authorities to the evidence, too, and she can’t,” Caleb said quickly.

Damn him. Didn’t he see what she was trying to do? He was going to get himself killed.

“He’s wrong. This is between you and me. Let Noah get out of here. Matt can take him. And I’ll do anything you want.” Noah blinked up at her. Fear filled his brown eyes. He couldn’t possibly know how much she loved him. And if they saw how important Caleb was to her, he’d be dead, too.

“Let my son go? My son? Your sister tried to keep him from me. No one will ever keep me from my boy again.” Kane’s voice bordered on hysteria. The high-pitch sound echoed in the night. “Do something to the friend.”

The linebacker hit Matt with the butt of his gun.

Matt crumpled forward. Didn’t move again.

Was he unconscious? Alive? He had to be.

Tears welled in her eyes. She sniffed them back. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions take control.

A bolt of lightning raced sideways across the sky. A clap of thunder followed moments later.

If she were going to stop Kane, she had to act fast.

Caleb spun around and disarmed the man on him. The pair tumbled onto the ground in a twist of arms and legs.

Katherine used the distraction to slip her hand behind her and grip the gun. She fired a shot and the linebacker went down. Before she could locate Kane, he was next to her, his hand gripping her neck, and it felt like her eyes might pop out.

Another shot rang out.