Page 9 of Lone Star Protector

Nash was already working out the logistics of how this search would play out, and he knew Ruby, the cops, and Caroline were no doubt doing the same thing.

Apparently, Jordana was, too.

“Bodie,” the woman said on a sharp rise of breath, and she would have no doubt started sprinting toward those woods if Officer Gonzales hadn’t stepped in front of her and held her back.

“Mrs. McKenna, you’re not leaving,” Detective Malley insisted, and he glanced around the woods.

Nash could see the debate that Malley was having with himself, so he threw out a suggestion. “You, Officer Gonzales, and my boss can stay here with Caroline, and I can—”

That was as far as Nash got before the objections started.

“I have to get to my husband now,” Jordana insisted while she frantically shook her head. “You can't keep me here.”

“I can and will keep you here,” Malley fired back.

“And I want to go with you to look for the sonofabitch who tried to kill me,” Caroline stated, spearing Nash with her fiery gaze. “It’s not up for debate,” she added when Ruby opened her mouth. “Think it through, Mom. Would I be safer here or with Nash, one of your highly trained operatives who stands the best chance of finding the piece of crap escapee?”

Ruby closed her mouth, and it seemed as if she was trying to rein in what would have been an order for Caroline to stay put and inside the workshop. An order her daughter likely wouldn’t follow.

So, Nash spelled out the argument for Caroline.

“Bodie might not have a knife this time but rather a gun,” he told Caroline. “He could want you in the woods so he can shoot you.”

“Then, let’s not give him what he wants,” Caroline immediately countered. She tipped her head to his SUV. “Certainly you’ve got a Kevlar vest or two in there that’ll protect us.”

Nash silently did a whole bunch of cursing. “A vest won’t stop you from dying from a head shot.”

“And me being here won’t prevent one either,” Caroline was equally quick to point out. “In fact, Bodie could be out there waiting for the biggest threat to head off into those woods so he can charge in here after me. You’re the biggest threat, Nash. Not them.” She motioned to the cops. “Not my mother.”

Despite Ruby’s huff at being dismissed as that biggest threat, Caroline had a point, damn it, but Nash didn’t believe the cops were incompetent. They could stand on their own. Ruby could, too. But Bodie likely wouldn’t see a fifty-something-year-old woman as a challenge.

She was.

But Bodie probably wouldn’t realize it.

His brother was basically a chicken shit coward who had attacked a woman from behind. A woman half his size. So, yeah, the coward might indeed plan on waiting until his odds were better at getting to Caroline.

“Maybe Bodie isn’t here for her,” Jordana complained, her voice a nasally whine. “He could be coming here to get me. I’m his wife, and he loves me.”

Everyone ignored her, and Nash turned to Ruby. Not for a whispered conversation though. He needed the cops to hear this, but most importantly, they needed to come up with a plan and act on it.

Fast.

Nash didn’t want Bodie seeing them and tucking tail and running when he realized that Caroline wasn’t alone and defenseless.

Though defenseless no longer applied to her, that’s for sure.

Caroline seemed more than capable of protecting herself. Still, all the training and skillset in the world wouldn’t prevent being killed from a lucky shot.

“I have at least three vests in the SUV,” Nash pointed out.

That was apparently all that Ruby needed to know since she could easily see the determination on her daughter’s face. Ruby nodded, giving him approval for the plan.

“Detective,” Nash said, turning to Malley. “A county deputy should be here any minute. Are you okay with Ruby, Caroline, and me going after the suspect while you and Officer Gonzales remain with Mrs. McKenna?”

Nash had purposely used the Mrs. as a not so subtle reminder that a couple of things could happen. a) Bodie might indeed come for Jordana or b) Jordana might try to help her husband in some way. That could include attacking a cop or two to run into those woods after her asshole spouse.

“You don’t have the authority to arrest Bodie,” Malley reminded him, and for a moment Nash thought the detective was going to try to nix the plan. He didn’t though. “So, if you find him, detain him and call me. As soon as the county deputy arrives, I’ll join you on the search.”

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