Page 44 of Tracking Down the Lawman's Son

Since her eyes were closed, Bree hadn’t seen it coming, but she certainly felt it. His mouth landed on hers for what he’d probably thought was a soothing gesture. And it soothed all right. It also gave her a jolt of pure, hot lust.

The heat came, skimming right over the panic and filling her with a need that she knew was a distraction. That didn’t stop her from sinking right into the kiss. It didn’t stop her from wrapping her arms around Luca and pulling him closer.

So many sensations hit her at once. The feel of his body against hers. His scent that was as familiar to her as her own. The taste of him. That had always revved up the heat, and this time was no different.

Bree wanted to just keep kissing him. To get lost for a moment in the hazy heat he was creating. She wanted to hold on to Luca and never let go. But this was the opposite of a security measure so with much regret, she eased back.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a dry smile. “I’m the one who started it.” He paused, brushed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “When this is over—”

He stopped at the sound. Not Gabriel whimpering this time. This was a car engine, and it was approaching the house. Mercy. Was this Aubrey? Had she decided to go through with an attack?

Luca and she whirled toward the window and saw two armed ranch hands step in front of the dark blue car that was in the driveway. Both hands took aim at the driver, and a couple of seconds later, a woman stepped out.

Tara.

She lifted her hands high in the air, and even though she was saying something to the ranch hands, Bree couldn’t make out what since she was so far away.

Luca’s phone buzzed, and she saw Duncan’s name on the screen just as Luca answered it. “I’m guessing you weren’t expecting her,” Duncan said.

“No,” Luca verified. “I’ll call her and see what she wants. The hands have instructions not to let her close to the house.”

Luca ended the call with Duncan and made one to Tara. They watched as Tara said something else to the hands, and then she got back in her car. Seconds later, she answered.

“Deputy Vanetti,” Tara said. “You need to tell your goons to let me through.”

“They’re ranch hands, not goons, and they’re not letting any unscheduled visitors through,” he snapped. “Why are you here, Tara?”

“Because of Manny,” the woman was quick to say. “Because I want you to arrest him.” Tara’s voice trailed off into a sob. “I want him to pay for what he did to my sister.”

“We’re not certain Manny killed your sister,” Luca pointed out just as there was a light tap at the door, and Duncan announced he was coming in. He did, and he headed straight to the window with Luca and her so he could hear the phone conversation.

“Well, I have something that’ll help convince you,” Tara argued. “Let me in, and I’ll show it to you.”

Luca huffed. Clearly, he wasn’t convinced this wasn’t some kind of ploy or maybe even a diversion so that Aubrey could get close to the house.

“What do you have, Tara?” Luca demanded.

“Something important. A video I recorded,” she added when Luca only huffed again. “Trust me, you’ll want to see it.”

Bree certainly wanted to see it, and if it was indeed something that could lead to an arrest, then this could be the break in the case they’d been searching for. Then again, it could turn out to be nothing, so Bree tried to tamp down her hopes.

“Text me the video,” Luca said.

“No, I want to show it to you,” Tara insisted.

“I’m not letting you inside, Tara,” Luca spelled out. “If you want me to see the video, then text it to me. If not, then hand your phone to one of the ranch hands, and he’ll bring it to me.”

Tara’s next sob was even louder than her other one. “All right, I’ll text it to you, but swear to me that you’ll arrest Manny once you’ve seen it.”

“I can’t promise that,” Luca said in a tone to indicate Tara was definitely testing his patience. “But I will view it and see if there’s anything that could result in charges being filed.”

That seemed to appease Tara because Bree saw the woman type in something on her phone. A few moments later, Luca got the text. Once the video loaded, Luca motioned for Bree to step to the side of the window. Probably because this could be some kind of ruse to distract them while a shooter got in place to try to gun them down.

Bree did move to the side but motioned for Luca and Duncan to do the same. They did, but both angled themselves so they could keep an eye on Tara.

The video finally came on the screen, and Bree immediately saw this wasn’t some kind of security footage. It appeared to have been filmed from a camera phone, and the person holding it didn’t exactly have a steady hand. There was also something obstructing the view, and it took her a moment to realize the person was likely recording this through an ajar door.

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