Page 19 of Vanishing Point
“This is Bent County. He doesn’t control us.”
“But you could control them if you wanted to.” She hated the words thesecondthey were out her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t deserve that.”
“No, I suppose I don’t.” Then his arms were around her, pulling her close. Gently this time. “But you didn’t deserve what happened to you. Life isn’t fair. We know that.”
Chapter Six
Thomas had been shot. He’d been injured a number of times in the line of duty. Hell, he’d lived through Vi breaking his heart once before. It wasn’t like he couldn’t live through her saying stuff like that.
He knew it wasn’t abouthim. It was about the hell she’d lived through. Survived. Escaped. But it was never going to be past tense as long as her ex-husband had the means to reach her like this.
He pulled her back by the shoulders, ignored the hurt on his heart, and looked her dead in the eye. “You were right to run the first time, because he’d isolated you and you didn’t have a choice. But you ran to your dad because you knew he would help. Now you ran to me, because you know I’ll help. Who else is there to run to, Vi? Who else has a better chance of keeping you safe?”
He could see the push and pull in her expression. She wanted him to protect her. But she couldn’t quite let herself believe he would, or could.
But this was not about their relationship, his ego, or anything about them on a personal level. It was about a threat.
“Thomas, I don’t want you stepping in the middle and getting hurt.”
“Why the hell not?” he demanded, with enough heat that she winced and he hated himself.
He took a deep breath, gentled his tone. “Vi, I took an oath when I put on that badge. And it involves laying my life down for the law, for the citizens of this county. If I’d do that for a stranger, I’m sure as hell going to do it for the people I love.”
She was shaking her head, but the hell with that.
“It doesn’t matter whether I love you or not, Vi. That’s how I’d feel. You could be a stranger bringing me a case, and I’d damn well be getting to the bottom of it, regardless of the danger. That’s my job. That’s an oath I took. That’s who I am.”
And that was hard to say. Not because it wasn’t true, but because if she couldn’t accept that, he didn’t know how to move forward. He could overlook a lot, compartmentalize almost everything. But not this.
“So there’s no point in arguing this,” he said, trying not to sound as destroyed as he felt. He dropped her shoulders, settled a hip back on his desk. “Walk me through getting that envelope. Start at the beginning.”
She looked at him, too many heartbreaks to name in those dark blue eyes. But he couldn’t let that sway him. If he was going to promise her he’d do this for anyone, then he had to do this like he’d do it for anyone.
She was quiet for so long, he thought she might not say anything. He thought…maybe, this was a wall he couldn’t get through. And then what? How did he proceed knowing she was in danger? Knowing she didn’t want his help?
“Audra came in for lunch and brought the mail like she always does,” she finally said, her voice rough.
A weaker man might have collapsed to the floor at the sheer weight lifted from his entire being, but Thomas held himself firm.
“That envelope was in with the other mail. She asked me if I knew anyone in Texas. I don’t. So we opened it together. Imade it through…two or three pictures before I stopped looking. I don’t know how many Audra looked at.”
“Then what?”
“I knew I had to bring them to you. I didn’t want you coming out to the ranch. Maybe I should have. Maybe they’re in danger. Maybe…”
He reached out and took her hand, couldn’t stop himself from offering some physical comfort. “Let’s not deal in maybes, sweetheart. Let’s focus on what you did. You had Franny watch Mags and you got in your car and drove straight out here?”
She nodded.
“No stops? Just right here?”
She nodded again. He supposed it soothed something inside of him that her first instinct, even if she’d since questioned it, was to come to him.
“Before this, how long has it been since you’d heard from him? Phone. Email. Whatever. I know there was the phone call a few months back when Rosalie first told me about all this. Anything between then and now?”
She blinked, got a slightly confused expression on her face. “No, of course not. I would have told you.”
Relief was wrong to feel right now, with so many unknowns around them, but itwasa relief. If she could trust him enough to tell him, to be confused he might even think she wouldn’t, they could get through this. He was sure of it.
