Page 49 of Lone Star Target

Jace didn’t see any immediate facial similarities between Ramsey and him, but the two did have the same hair color and build. The blunt force trauma to Culpepper’s face would have obliterated his features enough that it explained why the assistant hadn’t quickly realized this wasn’t her dead boss.

But rather someone her boss had killed.

Jace scrolled down to the man’s bio and saw the arrest record. Saw, too, that Culpepper had once worked for Ramsey as a security guard.

“Hell,” Jace said when he got to the next part. “Marvin knows Culpepper and gave him a job recommendation when he applied to work for Ramsey. And Culpepper knew Rattler.”

Kit sighed. “So many connecting pieces, and we still don’t know if Ramsey was pulling all the strings on the kidnapping or if someone else was involved.”

Yeah. And that gave Jace a fresh punch of guilt.

“I’ve screwed up,” he told her. “I broke the number one rule of being a bodyguard by getting personally involved.”

She managed a slight smile and pressed her hand to his cheek. “The personal was there before I ever went to Ruby and asked to hire you for a bodyguard. It’s still there,” she added in a mutter.

It was. No denying it. The sex had been fueled by lust and so much more. With Kit the so much more was always there. Still, that didn’t mean he hadn’t screwed up by taking her case.

Now, he only hoped that didn’t turn out to be a fatal mistake.

Her phone rang, cutting through the silence that had settled between them, and Kit sighed when she saw the name on the screen.

“Deanna,” she muttered. “She probably wants to yell at me some more for endangering her son.”

Since that had been the gist of Deanna’s other calls, Jace figured she was right. He could also see the debate Kit had with herself as to whether or not to answer. She finally hit the answer button and put it on speaker.

“God, Kit, you have to help me,” the woman blurted. Jace could hear her breath gusting. “It’s Trevor. Kit, he’s trying to kill me.”

And Deanna screamed.

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Chapter Seventeen

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“Deanna?” Kit blurted, the worry already in her voice. “Where you are? What happened?”

“I was on my way to the sheriff’s office in town, but Trevor’s right behind me, and he’s trying to run me off the road so I’m heading to Jace Malley’s house. It’s closer.”

Yes, it was, but Kit still didn’t want the woman coming here. Then again, she didn’t want her brother murdering his wife either.

A sob tore from Deanna’s mouth. “I found out Trevor tried to have you killed. Kit, he hired that horrible man to kidnap our son.”

“I’ll call the sheriff,” Jace said, taking out his phone.

“Deanna, Jace is calling the police. Why didn’t you—”

“No,” Deanna practically screamed. “The sheriff is in on this. That’s how Ramsey was able to get into the courthouse. The sheriff helped him and made sure all the doors were jammed.”

That sent a shiver of ice through her body. Heck. Had that really happened?

Jace must have thought it was at least a possibility because he didn’t make the call. “I’ll let Angel know what’s going on,” he said instead.

Good. Because she knew they could trust Angel.

“Deanna, where are you right now?” Kit asked, just as she heard a loud noise of metal crushing against metal.

“A car has run into the gate,” Roy announced. “The security feed is on the screen.”

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