Page 59 of Clara's Secure Hideaway

A scream ripped from his mouth, and he scrubbed the heels of his hands over his face as he stumbled backward. “You lying bitch!”

She unloaded the mace then ran.

22

Leaving Davey and Avery at the shelter was like tearing off one of his limbs and leaving it behind. Heath hoped he’d made the right decision, but right now, the kids were safe and Clara needed him.

He just prayed he was right about where Mitch had taken her.

Trusting his gut, Owen sped across town with his lights flashing into the night sky and siren screaming. With deputies assisting the FBI, as well as searching for Mitch elsewhere, only the two of them were free to check out Clara’s house.

But that’s all they needed.

“We approach this just like we did the FBI raid,” Owen said. “Think first then act. Trust me, I understand how you’re feeling right now. Guilt and fear are twisting your gut into a damn pretzel, but you won’t do Clara any good if you act on emotion.”

Heath gritted his teeth, hating the lecture from his coworker. “I know how to do my job.”

“Not saying you don’t, but you’ve never done it under this kind of pressure. Never with your own heart at risk. When I almost lost Marie…hell, I can’t even go back to that place. All I’m saying is you need to think like a deputy when you storm into that house, not like a man hellbent on saving the woman he loves.”

The words slammed against him, stealing his breath. He’d been so preoccupied with shuffling Clara and the kids around and keeping them safe he hadn’t dissected his feelings toward her. Hell, he’d known her for months, but it hadn’t been until recently that they’d spent any real time together. Surely love couldn’t grow that quickly.

But the way his heart ached and the massive pit in his stomach said otherwise. He’d spent years alone, not wanting to open himself up to the possibility of being hurt.

Not wanting to ever see glimmers of his own father in himself if he ever settled down, married, and had kids.

But the time spent with Avery and Davey erased any doubt he’d ever had about wanting children. Those kids stole a chunk of his heart from the moment he saw them, and he’d given the rest to Clara not long after.

“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Owen said.

Heath rubbed the heel of his hand over his chest, the constant ache seemingly larger now that he acknowledged the depths of his feelings. “I didn’t realize I was in love with her until now. Hadn’t stopped to think, to talk about it, but there’s no use denying it. I love her, man, and she doesn’t even know. What if I never get to tell her?”

“Stop.” Owen barked out the order. “We’ll find her, and you’ll not only get a chance to tell her, but to show her.”

Owen was right. Once this was over, he’d show Clara and the kids how much they meant to him every damn day for as long as they let him.

But first he had to save her.

A rush of adrenaline hit his bloodstream, and he watched the houses in the quiet neighborhood fly by. “Cut the siren. If Mitch has Clara inside, we don’t want to spook him into doing something stupid.”

“Good point.” Owen switched off the screaming noise and silence settled over the vehicle.

“There’s two ways inside the house. The front door, and one in the back that leads to the kitchen. You head to the front, and I’ll cover the other,” Heath said. “Ring the bell, pound on the door, shoot through the lock if you need to. Hopefully that will distract Mitch enough that I can make my way inside undetected. We take that bastard down hard and quick.”

Owen shot him a pointed look before he turned onto Clara’s road. “You mean we attempt to restrain him without injury, right?”

“I said what I said.” Heath worked his jaw back and forth and fought to rein in his temper. He’d always been a man of honor who was mindful of the power of his badge. He’d never tarnish it by purposely injuring a suspect.

He made no such promises tonight. If he got his hands on Mitch, he wouldn’t let him walk away without inflicting as much pain on him as possible.

Owen pulled into the driveway and parked. “No vehicles, but the garage is closed up. Mitch has proven he’s smarter than we realized. He might have parked inside.”

“Let’s find out.” Heath jumped from the car and stalked toward the attached garage. Moonlight filtered through a blanket of clouds and the wind rustled what was left of the leaves on the trees. The air promised frost, but anger and determination heated his blood.

He approached the man door and squinted into the darkness. Validation pumped through him. “Truck’s here. Looks like Mitch’s,” he said.

Owen came behind him and slapped a hand on his shoulder. “Good call. You knew what that sonofabitch was thinking.”

“Yeah, well, we need to get Clara before he finishes what he’s started. Give me a few seconds to jog around back before you approach the front door. If he has her in the living room or kitchen, it’ll give us both a good shot at them from our positions.”

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