Chapter 3
“ W hat’s going on?” Ben asked fearfully. She’d drawn him into the bathtub where they hunkered down to wait.
Trina hesitated, unsure of what to say. She didn’t want to scare him any more than was necessary. “I think there must be some kids goofing around with guns outside. We’re going to call the police to make sure they stop.”
“Guns are not a toy,” Ben said solemnly, clearly having heard this phrase from an adult at some point in his life. Where, she wasn’t sure. Had Brian bought a gun? Evie didn’t have one at least, not in the apartment Trina had cleared out after her death.
“No, they are not.” She tried to smile. “We’re safe here. Joel and Royal will make sure of that. We’re just being extra careful.”
“I love Royal,” Ben announced. “I want him to live with us forever.”
She suppressed a sigh. “Royal lives with Joel on their ranch, so you can’t live with him. I’ll look into getting a puppy, okay? I’m sure Joel will have an idea where we can find one.”
“Really?” Ben’s big brown eyes held hers. “A puppy of my own?”
“Yes.” She would probably regret agreeing to this, but the shining joy in Ben’s eyes was worth the extra work. And maybe Joel was right about giving Ben some responsibility. Playing with a puppy would distract him from his video games and maybe ease his grief over losing his mother.
“Will our puppy search for people too?” Ben asked. Now that she’d mentioned the dog, he seemed to have a one-track mind. Which was good because she didn’t want him focused on the gunfire.
What was going on with that anyway? She’d hoped the original gunshot was from irresponsible kids, but now she wasn’t so sure.
Realizing Ben was waiting for her answer, she shook her head. “I don’t think so, Ben. Doing that takes hours and hours of training. You’ll be too busy when school starts in a few weeks for that.”
“You can do it,” Ben said. “You have lots of time.”
“We’ll see.” These past few months with Ben had helped her understand why parents said vague things like, We’ll see . Kids could be incredibly persistent. “I have to work at my computer, remember? That’s how I get paid.”
“I know.” Ben shrugged that off as if it were a nonissue. “It would be so cool to have a dog that can track people.”
So now a puppy alone wasn’t good enough? She tried not to sigh.
The wail of police sirens filled her with relief. Hopefully, the Cody police officers would be able to find the person who had recklessly fired their weapon. It was still difficult to believe that someone hated her enough to do such a thing.
Her previous boyfriends hadn’t cared enough to lash out at her. Robby was the only one who’d seemed angry when she’d broken things off, but he hadn’t wasted any time in finding another girl either.
Yet now that there had been two shooting incidents, she needed to consider all possibilities. Joel had been right about that.
Could Brian be involved? Or Evie’s most recent boyfriend, Peter Thomas? Her sister had a knack for dating the wrong kind of guys. Not that my track record is much better , she silently admitted.
“Trina? You and Ben can come out now,” Joel called through the door.
“Okay.” She rose on shaky knees and stepped over the edge of the tub. Ben quickly followed suit.
When she opened the bathroom door, Royal was there to greet them. Ben instantly went down on his knees to hug the dog. Royal licked Ben, his tail thumping against the wall. She realized Joel had sent Royal on purpose.
Leaving Ben and Royal, she headed into the kitchen. Two Cody police officers stood beside Joel. She recognized the older cop, Burt Jones, from an incident that had taken place back in high school. The other one she didn’t know.
“Trina, this is Officer Burt Jones and Officer Heath Anderson.” Joel made the quick introductions. “We have reason to believe Trina Warren is being targeted.”
“Do you have any idea who has a grudge against you?” Jones asked.
“No, I really don’t.” It would be easier if she did. “I can give you the names of my previous boyfriends, but I find it hard to imagine them doing this.”
Joel shot her an impatient look. “Trina has recently been given guardianship over her nephew, Ben. His father could be responsible.”
“His name is Brian Ashland.” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Ben wasn’t paying attention. “He and my sister divorced three years ago, when Ben was five. I don’t think Ben has seen his father since then. My sister, Evie, legally changed Ben’s last name to Warren.”
“Brian Ashland?” Officer Anderson repeated. “Last known address?”
“Um.” She searched her memory. “They lived in an apartment on Oakdale Street in Laramie. I can’t remember the building number. My sister moved out of there when they separated.”
“Laramie, huh?” Burt Jones scowled. “That means we have to work with the Laramie PD to find him.”
“My sister was also dating a guy, Peter Thomas, prior to her death. He lives in Laramie too.” She shrugged. “I never met him, and as far as I know, he’d have no reason to shoot me.”
“What about your ex-boyfriends?” Joel arched a brow. “They’re local, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” She swallowed a sigh and turned toward the officers. “Robby Rawlings, Toby Silver, and Luke Davenport.” She felt foolish naming them since she did not for one minute believe they were involved.
Yet Joel clearly wouldn’t be satisfied until they’d been ruled out.
Officer Heath Anderson made notes. “Okay, did you notice anyone hanging around recently?”
She flushed. When she wasn’t in her office working, she cared for Ben—cooking, cleaning, and laundry along with trying to bond with the boy.
She’d even learned how to play his favorite video game.
But to her shame, she hadn’t paid attention to their surroundings.
Even if she’d have seen someone outside, she probably wouldn’t have thought much about it.
As Ben’s guardian, she needed to do better. “No, I haven’t.”
“As I mentioned earlier, Ben ran away this morning.” Thankfully, Joel changed the subject.
“He took his backpack and some snacks and headed up the hiking trail. Royal helped find him, and that was when the first incident of gunfire occurred. The second taking place here at the house can’t be a coincidence. ”
“I agree,” Heath said. Burt nodded in agreement. “We’ll ask around; hopefully, someone saw something.” The officer pinned her with a stern look. “You need to be careful from here on out. If you notice anyone lingering nearby, call us right away.”
Her mouth went dry as she realized what he was really saying. That she and Ben could truly be in danger. “I will.”
“I’ll be taking Ms. Warren and Ben to a hotel,” Joel said. “They’re not staying here until we know who is behind these attempts.”
She frowned. “We can’t leave. I have work to do.”
Joel narrowed his gaze. “You have a laptop computer, don’t you? Staying here is not an option. Whoever took that shot is likely to come back.”
A chill ran down her spine. She had convinced herself this was the work of irresponsible kids. But if not?
Ben ran around the room, giggling when Royal followed. One look at her nephew made her realize Joel was right.
They couldn’t stay here.
Catching Joel’s gaze, she reluctantly nodded. “Okay. I’ll pack our things.”
“Thank you.” Joel turned back toward the officers. “I’ll give you our contact information. Will you please call us with updates regarding your investigation?”
The officers exchanged a long look, then Heath Anderson nodded. “Sure thing.”
Leaving Joel to provide their cell numbers, she turned toward the bedrooms to pack a bag for herself and Ben.
Hopefully, finding the person responsible wouldn’t take too long. She knew without being told Joel wasn’t heading back to the ranch until they’d caught this guy.
And the last thing she needed was to spend time with the man she’d secretly admired since the eleventh grade.
Joel blew out a breath in frustration. Oh, it wasn’t that he didn’t trust the Cody police to do their job, it was just a matter of how long that would take.
As he’d told Trina, summer was their busiest time. Being out of commission even for a day or two could put a crimp in their ability to help their community.
He stepped aside to make a quick call to Anna, the Sullivan housekeeper, general manager, and beloved family friend. “I need to stay in Cody for a while. You’ll need to take me and Royal out of the rotation.”
“Are you in danger?” Anna asked with concern.
Since he knew he’d get an earful from his oldest brother, Chase, if he mentioned the episodes of gunfire, he kept that part to himself. “I’m not in danger. I’m just helping a friend.”
“Are you sure?” Anna sounded suspicious.
“I’m positive.” He wasn’t lying exactly because Trina was the gunman’s target. “Let Chase and Maya know I’ll be in touch later.”
“Okay, be careful, Joel.” Anna ended the call without saying anything more.
Pocketing his phone, he glanced out the window to where Jones and Anderson were walking the neighborhood. He wished he’d noticed if anyone was outside, but his attention had been diverted by Trina’s warm embrace.
She’d hugged him as a friend, nothing more. Which was good since he wasn’t interested in anything more. Even if he was, a ready-made family wouldn’t be high on his list.
Better that he stay focused, on alert for signs of danger.
No matter what Trina said, he felt certain she was the target.
Not to brag, but most people in the area admired his family for the work they did.
Maybe there were rare exceptions when they got involved in dangerous situations, but overall, he never worried about someone coming after him or his siblings.
Ben came over to stand beside him. “Can I go outside to play with Royal again?”
He hid a wince. “Not right now, sorry.” He glanced up as Trina entered the kitchen, pulling a rolling suitcase behind her. “We’re going to stay at a hotel for a while.”
Ben cocked his head to the side. “Why?”