Page 38 of Wyoming Bodyguard
Madden shifted beside her, and she sensed his discomfort.
She studied the tight lines in his face. He was holding something back, not saying something he thought might be important. “Whatever it is that has you squirming over there, let it out. Now’s not the time to hold back.”
“Charlie also mentioned Daniel stayed late last night. The night of the break-in,” Madden said.
His pained expression told her he hated throwing someone she trusted under the bus, but she understood his reasons.
The two deputies shared a look that had alarms going off in Lily’s head. “What is it?”
Deputy Silver scratched the back of her neck, clearly uncomfortable with whatever was on her mind. “Daniel Winter is unaccounted for.”
She blinked in surprise, unsure of the deputy’s meaning. “What do you mean?”
“We’ve tried to contact him numerous times to no avail. No one is at his apartment in town, and his truck hasn’t been seen since he left your ranch earlier. Because of his connection to the ranch, as well as our inability to track him down, he is currently a person of interest.”
The news slammed against her chest like an anvil. “You can’t be serious. Daniel has been a trusted member of our work family for years. He’d never hurt my father. He’d never hurt me. I’m sure Charlie told you the same thing, and my father would if he could. Besides, he doesn’t own a black truck. That’s what you’re looking for, right? I mean, the person who shot my father was in a black truck.”
Hysteria squeezed her lungs, making it harder and harder to pull in breaths. The lack of oxygen increased the dizziness in her head and increased the pain that had plagued her for hours. Heat crept up the back of her neck and beads of sweat dotted her hairline.
Madden swooped off the couch and knelt in front of her. He clutched her hands in his and settled them in her lap. The coolness of his skin centered her, and she stared into his big, gray eyes.
“You’re all right,” he whispered. “Just focus on breathing.”
She swallowed hard and tried to do what he said—it sounded so simple—but her breaths hitched in her throat and dark spots invaded her vision. “Can’t do it. Too hard.”
“Youcan. Just look at me, okay?”
She nodded, every muscle in her body rigid.
He tightened his grip on her hands. “Now I want you to tell me five things you see.”
The randomness of his request caught her off guard. She narrowed her gaze, focusing on the movement of his mouth as if she could read his lips better than actually hearing him. “Huh?”
A small smile touched his lips. “Tell me five things you see. Trust me.”
“You. The couch.” The pressure in her chest loosened a fraction, her breathing coming a little easier. She paused, closing her eyes and focusing on evening her breaths and gaining her bearings before opening them again. “The fireplace, Deputy Hill and Deputy Silver.”
“Now four things you can touch.”
She grazed her finger pads against his rough skin. Her fear eased and her eyesight sharpened. The room stopped spinning. “You.”
His smile grew. “Three more things.”
She filled her lungs with air. The buzzing in her brain settled. She squeezed his hands, not wanting to let go to touch anything else. She didn’t need to, and that thought scared the hell out of her. “I’m okay now. You got me out of my head enough to relax. Thank you.”
“You sure?”
She nodded.
Keeping their hands entwined, Madden returned to his spot on the sofa, closer than before.
“Sorry about that,” she said, forcing a tight smile. “This is all just so overwhelming. As soon as I think things can’t get worse, they do.”
“You’ve been through the gauntlet,” Deputy Hill said. “The last thing we want to do is throw more upsetting news your way, but we have to look at every angle to find the person responsible for this mess.”
“I appreciate your time and effort,” Lily said. “I want you to find whoever wants to hurt my family more than anyone.”
Deputy Silver shared a quick glance with her partner then stood. “I think we have everything we need from you. We’d like to take your saddle with us as evidence. I noticed one on the porch. Is that the gear that was tampered with?”
