Page 10 of Lone Star Secrets

He sounded relieved. Sounded. But Angel wasn’t taking that at face value.

“What are you doing here?” Angel demanded, and while he didn’t take aim at RJ, he did hold his gun so the man could see it.

RJ opened his mouth, closed it, and his forehead bunched up as he stepped away from the house. He glanced down at the crowbar and frantically shook his head.

“It’s not what you think,” RJ finally said.

“Good. Because I’m thinking you’re trying to break into Mia’s house, and if that’s the case, you should know the cops are on the way.”

That put some instant alarm in the man’s eyes, and he started toward them. “They can’t come. I don’t want them finding anything.”

Well, that was damn confusing, and Angel thought his own forehead might be bunched up in confusion. The expression didn’t last because something else happened to make Angel curse.

“Find what?” Mia asked, and, yeah, she was getting out of the van.

“I’m not sure. I got a note,” RJ said, reaching into his pocket.

That had Angel going on full alert, and this time, he did take aim at the man.

RJ sighed as if hurt by the move, but Angel would rather him have hurt feelings than to risk Mia being killed.

“I’m taking out the note so you can read it,” RJ went on, pulling it from his pocket while he continued to come closer.

Angel went closer, too, positioning himself so that he was between Mia and RJ. He took the note with his left hand so he could keep his gun ready, and Mia moved up behind him to read from over his shoulder.

“The cops will find the murder weapon in Mia’s house,” Angel read aloud. “If you don’t want her rotting in jail for Kenton’s murder, get it and destroy it.”

Angel turned the paper over to see if anything was written on the back. There wasn’t. “How did you get this?” Angel asked him.

“Someone left it on my doorstep about an hour ago,” RJ promptly explained. “I didn’t see who left it, but then I heard on the news that a body had been found, and I thought maybe, well, maybe Presley or you had put it there.”

“No, we didn’t,” Angel assured him and was still debating if he believed RJ or not when there was a sound that he damn sure didn’t want to hear.

A gunshot.

----- ? ----

Chapter Four

----- ? ----

Mia heard the sound, but while her mind was still processing exactly what it was, Angel sprang into action. One second she was standing, and the next Angel had hooked his arm around her and was dragging her to the ground.

“Get down,” Angel yelled to RJ.

That’s when Mia realized someone had just fired a shot at them.

RJ moved, hurrying toward them while his gaze darted all around them. Mia was doing the same thing, but she had no idea where the shot had come from. She certainly didn’t spot a gunman.

But Angel seemed to have pinpointed him.

He glanced in the woods behind her house. Just a glance before he got them moving.

“With me,” Angel told RJ.

With his arm still around her and RJ right next to them, Angel hurried to the driver’s side of the van, and he took up position. He was using the front end of the van for cover.

“Stay low,” Angel instructed. “Danno, call 911 and Presley to alert him and the deputy about an active shooter in the vicinity. They need to approach with caution.”

---