Chapter 11
Lane’s brain buzzed from overload and a sharp pain pounded against his temples. The numbers on his computer screen blurred together. He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing the tips of his fingers against the lids.
Duke’s amused chuckle snapped his eyes back open.
“What’s so funny?”
Duke shrugged. “You look like you’re about to explode.
You better figure out how to get more stamina.
If you’re serious about getting this business off the ground and making it a success, we’ve got a lot of late nights ahead of us.
And as of now we’ve only been working for…
” he flicked his wrist over to glance at his watch. “Three hours.”
He bit back a retort about his stamina never being an issue. Duke wanted to bait him. Sonofabitch got off on it. Lane would keep his mouth shut if it killed him. “I need a break.” He tossed his pen on the desk and leaned back in his seat. “Hungry?”
Duke lifted a shoulder. “I could eat.”
“Not sure what I have,” he said. “Might need to order a pizza or something.”
Once the idea hit, he could almost taste the tangy marinara and gallon of melted cheese on the local pizza he’d loved since childhood. His last trip to town the year before confirmed Mario’s hadn’t changed their family recipe.
“On second thought. I’m definitely ordering pizza. Any requests?”
“Nah, I’m good with anything.”
Lane scooped up his phone just as the loud ring blasted into the room. Celine’s name popped up on the screen and he couldn’t stop his smile.
“Is it your woman?” Duke asked, smirking.
He ignored his new business partner and answered the call. “Hey. What’s up?”
The sound of a screeching alarm and crying baby reached his ears first, and he shot to his feet.
“Someone was here but it looks like they ran away when the alarm went off,” Celine said, fear clear in each word.
Parker’s frantic wails in the background tore at his heart.
“Are the police on their way? Are you sure the guy left?” Without a glance at Duke, he patted his pockets to confirm his keys were inside and ran for the door.
“A deputy should be here soon. And I think so. I saw him run away on the camera. But Lane…I’m scared.”
“I’m coming.” He didn’t have to look behind him to know Duke was at his heels. For the first time since his rodeo rival had shown up, he was grateful for his presence. “Do you want me to stay on the line until a deputy gets there?”
“No,” she said, although the shiver in her voice didn’t convince him she meant it. “Just knowing you’re on the way helps.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hated disconnecting the call, but he didn’t have a choice when she thanked him and hung up.
He jumped into his truck and turned over the engine, pulling out of the long driveway while Duke fastened his seatbelt.
“What happened?” Duke asked.
“Sounds like someone tried to get in the house again. Alarm scared him off.” He tightened his hands on the steering wheel, hating that Celine found herself in this situation.
Hated his son being stuck in the crosshairs even more.
The familiar scenery of his youth rolled by, bathed in the shadows of the moon.
He didn’t need the bright light of day to tell him vast meadows sprawled along both sides of the road or that the rugged mountains loomed in the distance.
He’d made this drive countless times, but time had never crawled this slow as he sped toward Celine.
By the time he reached her place, tension wrapped around his neck like a noose. A deputy cruiser sat in the driveway, releasing a bit of his anxiety. But nothing would erase it until he saw for himself both Celine and Parker were okay.
With the truck in park, he shut off the engine and sprinted to the front stoop. He stifled the urge to pound on the door, opting to ring the bell.
Celine answered in an instant and threw herself into his arms. “Oh, thank God. You’re here.”
He tightened his grip, pulling her against his chest. The feel of her against him was so familiar, yet new curves tempted his hands to discover the body motherhood had brought her.
But now wasn’t the time. Hell, the time would never come. He’d thrown away any chance he might ever have to be with this woman again, but the least he could do was hold her—comfort her—let her know he’d stand tall and strong to keep her and their son safe.
Duke stood on the step behind him and cleared his throat. “We should probably head inside and lock up.”
Celine took a step back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just such a mess right now.”
Lane wanted to slap Duke for ruining the moment, but his pal was right. Standing outside after another attempt on Celine was stupid. “No apologies necessary.”
When she turned to step inside, he rested a palm at the small of her back. He might not be able to take her hand or hold her close, but he could let her know he was still here.
Spencer stood in the living room, his wide mouth in a deep frown, while Deputy Maddie Timken sat on the sofa.
She stood, nodding in his direction. Her dark hair was pulled in a low ponytail and her blue eyes were sharp with observation, her interest barely concealed with a tiny shift of her gaze to his palm before settling back on his face. “Hey, Lane.”
He dipped his chin and swept his cowboy hat off his head. He’d known Maddie most his life. She was smart as a whip and tougher than most men in town. Knowing she was now assisting Spencer with this investigation boosted his confidence that shit would get done.
“Evening. Any word on this bastard yet?”
Maddie shook her head. “Wish there was. The entire department has been sifting through video footage from earlier when Celine’s car was vandalized as well as combing the neighborhood for witnesses.
Nothing’s popped up. No one around here has cameras on their houses to catch any activity.
All we have is what Celine caught on her surveillance, but it doesn’t tell us anything more than we already knew. ”
Celine leaned against his side, as though the news was more than her slim shoulders could stand.
He flicked a quick glance around the tidy room. “Where’s Parker?”
“Asleep in his room.” Celine motioned her wrist toward a little screen on the coffee table. “I can see him from the monitor.”
Spencer scratched his jawline and sighed. “Both of them are safe and sound, for now. But this guy isn’t letting up. We think he wasn’t prepared for the alarm, and knowing law enforcement would be en route scared him off. Next time, he’ll be more prepared.”
“Next time?” Celine squeaked.
Lane fought the urge to press a kiss to the side of her head and tell her everything would be all right.
“Celine,” Maddie said. “There’s every reason to believe he’ll try again.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” she asked, hysteria spiraling in her voice. “Sit around and wait? Lock myself and my son away from the world and hope he’s eventually caught? Pray he doesn’t come back with a way to break down my door or burst through a window?”
“You hire protection,” Duke said.
Stiffening, Lane glared at his new partner. Their business wasn’t even off the ground yet, but even if it were, no way he’d let Celine gave him a dime for stepping up to protect her.
Celine tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Duke shrugged. “Sheriff’s department is busy trying to catch this guy, but you need someone with you and the baby until he’s caught. It just so happens my good friend Lane and I have decided to open a security company in town. You could be our first client.”
She glanced up at him. “Is this true?”
He ran his tongue over his top row of teeth. He’d kill Duke once they left, but for now he was forced go along with the asshat. “It is.”
“And I could hire you guys to help me?”
The hope shining from her eyes was a gut punch. Maybe Duke was on to something. When he’d offered to stay earlier, Celine wouldn’t hear of it. By letting her hire him and his new company, it took away any personal entanglements and apparently made her feel more comfortable.
“Of course, darlin’.” Duke cut in before he could respond. “We’d give you one hell of a discount.”
Celine wet her lips and darted her gaze between Duke and Lane before finally meeting Lane’s eyes.
He held his breath, unsure what he’d do if she refused because no matter what, there was no way in hell he’d walk away and leave her alone in this house.
“Okay,” she said. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
A sliver of doubt nagged at Celine as she stuffed clothes into a duffle bag. Had she really just agreed to spend one hundred percent of her time with Lane Tipton until the mess she’d found herself in was over?
Okay, so Lane and Duke, but she wouldn’t lie to herself. The only person she trusted with hers and Parker’s lives was Lane.
A light tap at her bedroom door lifted her gaze.
Lane stood in the doorway. “Duke’s getting all of Parker’s stuff in the truck. While we had a second alone, I wanted to check in. Make sure you’re okay with this arrangement.”
She fixed a tight smile on her face and finished folding a sweatshirt before shoving it into the bag. She zipped it closed then plopped onto the bed and shrugged. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
Leaning against the frame, he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “You have options. Just not many of them, and most that aren’t as logical as coming to stay at my place for a few nights. Best to get you away from your house. There’s no reason for this guy to think you’d be with me.”
Her earlier conversation with Kevin skittered in her brain.
“What?” Lane asked, taking a step forward.
She blinked herself back to the present moment. “Nothing.”
He tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowed. “I know that look. You thought of something you didn’t want to think about.”
She wrinkled her nose, hating how well he could read her. It’d always been that way. The two of them could have an entire conversation across the room without saying a single word. She used to think it was romantic, now it was just annoying.
She could lie, refuse to tell him what was on her mind. But she’d never been one to hide from the truth, and right now, there was no telling what little nugget of information could protect them.
“Kevin stopped by to see me earlier,” she finally said.
“Your ex-husband?”
She nodded.
“And?” Lane’s dark eyebrows arched toward his hairline.
“I told him you’re Parker’s father.” The words rushed out of her mouth before she could change her mind and keep the information to herself.
The hint of a smile played on his lips.
And damn if it wasn’t sexy as hell.
“Is he the only person you’ve told?” Lane asked.
“Besides you, yes. But he brought me food and spouted the same nonsense about wanting to get back together. I was tired and cranky and not in the mood to be nice, so I told him you were back in town and ready to be Parker’s father. He wasn’t very happy.”
“Wait a second,” Lane said, holding a hand. “Not that I’m not thrilled you told him the truth about Parker’s paternity, but how did him bringing food and talking about your relationship lead to me?”
Her stomach dropped. “He’s tried to use Parker needing a father as a way to worm his way back in my life.”
Lane clenched his jaw and tightened his fists at his side. “Excuse me?”
“But I’ve never let him,” she rushed ahead, wanting to diffuse Lane’s anger.
An anger he had every right to feel. “He’s never even held Parker.
Always would just show up like he did tonight.
Either here or at work and grovel. Beg. Barter.
Whatever he could think of to weaken my resolve to keep him away. ”
Lane blew out a long breath. The red that had clashed against his cheeks moments before faded. “And you don’t think the sheriff’s department should know any of this?”
“They talked to Kevin last night. If they thought he was the assailant, he would have been arrested. Besides, he has no reason to want to hurt me.” Her ex-husband might not be her favorite person, but the man didn’t have an ounce of violence in his body.
“I can think of a few reasons,” Lane said.
Celine rolled her eyes. “Really? What?”
“To scare you back to being with him, for one. You get attacked and all a sudden he shows up to rescue you? Seems suspicious. And now he’s pissed I’m here and I’m the father.
That’s bound to chap his ass. I’m sure less violent men would be set off with that information.
Especially if it put the final nail in the coffin of your relationship. ”
“Trust me, he pounded in that nail a long time ago. Nothing could fix that.”
“Sounds like he doesn’t agree.”
She lifted a shoulder, exhausted by the conversation. After experiencing so much stress and fear the past few days, talking to Lane about Kevin was the last thing she wanted to do right now. “Not my problem.”
“Maybe not.” Lane waited a beat before asking another question. “What caused the divorce?”
She stared at him, unsure of how much to say.
He held up both hands. “Look, I’m just asking questions to find out details that could help in uncovering whoever’s behind these attacks. If you’d rather speak with Duke, I can ask him to come in.”
She might not buy all his bullshit, but the truth rang with his words.
“I found out he was a heavy gambler. Spent all our savings. Years of hard work gone right out the window. He’d lied for years, hid his bad habits, and I lost everything.
I gave him one chance to clean up his act, and when that didn’t happen, I left.
He claims he’s on the straight and narrow now.
Not only do I not believe him, but I also don’t care. There’s no room for him in my future.”
“How much money did he lose?”
Anger rushed back as she thought about the dark spot in her life. The day she realized she didn’t even know the man she’d married was one of the worst in her entire life, and not something she wished to replay to Lane. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“Was he able to pay it back?”
The question threw her off balance. Once she’d shut the door to Kevin and the marriage they’d once shared, she hadn’t given much thought to him or the mess he’d created. “I don’t know.”
“We might want to find out,” Lane said. “Because that’s the kind of money people would kill over.”