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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.
Chapter Eight
Ten after midnight. No phone call from Cy. No doorbell ringing.
Kellie’s parents had left her town house at ten thirty. They’d begged her to go home with them, but she’d told them she was exhausted. After the exciting phone call from the captain of the Rangers, who praised Cy’s heroism for leading the team that caught both stalkers, she preferred to go straight to bed. She would drive out to the ranch in the morning.
Luckey had stayed with her until her parents arrived. He’d received a call from one of the other Rangers letting him know Cy had been taken to the hospital but his injuries were minimal.
She didn’t believe that for a minute, and the fact that he hadn’t tried to make contact convinced her something was seriously wrong. She’d heard the shots and learned what had happened from Cy’s superior. But h
e was trained to gloss over information he didn’t want her to know. Luckey had prevented her from going out in back while it was still a crime scene. She recognized he was only doing his job, but it killed her that she had to wait for information that came in bits and pieces.
That was the part of the exclusive Ranger brotherhood that bothered her. Surely Cy had to know she was anxious to hear his voice and make sure he was all right, even if she couldn’t see him.
