Page 11 of Lone Star Country Protector
“Both of you are safe, and that’s all that matters,” Bethany said before taking a pull of wine. She studied the rim. “Family is the most important thing.” There was a depth to those words too, along with a hint of desperation.
What was that about?
Blakely remembered the fight her sister said she’d had with her husband, Greg. “Is everything okay on the home front?”
Another long pull instead of a verbal response told Blakely everything she needed to know.
“Tell me what happened,” she said to Bethany.
Her sister’s gaze shifted from Blakely to Dalton and back.
Bethany motioned toward the small four-top table in the kitchen next to a window. It was one of Blakely’s favorite spots for drinking coffee on the weekend. She liked to look out at the tall trees and think. “Mind if we sit down first?”
Blakely picked up the still-full wine glass and headed over to the table. A glance out into the darkness of the backyard caused a chill to race down her spine.
“I can turn on the porch light,” Dalton offered, like he could read her mind. Then again, the man was experienced at reading body language, so she shouldn’t be all that surprised he’d picked up on her apprehension. Especially considering she was pretty sure she’d involuntarily shivered at the cold front making its way down her spine. Then therewas the tension in her muscles that made her shoulders feel bunched up as a headache formed at her temples. So, yeah, she wasn’t exactly giving off any relaxed vibes.
“Sounds good,” she said before thanking him.
Dalton popped his chin up in a quick nod before heading to the back door. He flipped on the light, which helped ease some of Blakely’s nerves. Despite all the Krav Maga training over the years, being attacked had still thrown her off-balance emotionally. Frustration nipped that anyone could make her feel helpless or scared or both again.
A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that the situation would have been so much worse without all the training she had. Where would Chase be now if she hadn’t been prepared? She’d responded to the threat quickly and dispatched the enemy. She’d done her job, which was to defend herself.
And yet, a different nagging voice reminded her that Chase had been in danger. He might be scarred for the rest of his life despite the reassurance from Bethany. Kids were resilient. Except she should never have put Chase in the position to be resilient in the first place. For that, she would never forgive herself.
“Earth to Blakely.” Bethany snapped her fingers roughly two inches in front of Blakely’s face.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, tuning back into the present.
“Where did you go just now?”
“To a bad place where I wasn’t able to fight off the sonofa—”
“But you were,” Bethany soothed. “That’s the important thing. Chase is safe. You’re safe. There’s no use torturing yourself with what might have happened.” As much sense as Bethany made, Blakely still couldn’t let herself off the hook.
“Hey,” her sister continued. “Talk to me.”
“I’d rather hear what happened between you and Greg tonight,” Blakely said, turning the tables.
The look on Bethany’s face said she was about to lie.
Chapter Five
Dalton borrowed a spare key from a hook on the side of the kitchen cabinet, walked outside and locked the door behind him. He made a trip around the perimeter in search of traces that Blakely’s attacker had returned now that the crime scene had cooled down. So far, no sign of the twisted individual.
A list was forming in Dalton’s mind. He knew that she hadn’t broken up with anyone recently or been in fights with friends. The way she’d said the wordfriendsmade him think she kept a close circle. She didn’t strike him as the outgoing type, which was confirmed through her answers. Basically, she worked and spent time with her sister’s family.
His mind went over the details of everything he’d heard so far, stopping at the fight that took place between Bethany and her husband. Since the two were together, there was no way the husband could have attacked Blakely. Plus, she very likely would have recognized her brother-in-law. Curiosity had him wanting to know what Bethany and her husband had been fighting about earlier in the evening. The investigator in him wanted to put together a timeline of events. Was it necessary?
That was always the question, wasn’t it?
These types of investigations commonly had a couple dozen offshoots. Taking a wrong turn early on could let the trail go cold. Cold cases were the most difficult to close.There was a reason. A cold trail, lack of resources, not to mention lack of evidence meant perps walked around free to relocate, repeat their crimes or move on to bigger ones.
In this case, the perp told Blakely he wantedher. He left her handbag alone. No money was missing. He hadn’t tried to steal her vehicle—thankfully, because Chase had been in the back seat. Carjackers had made off with children in similar circumstances. Most were recovered healthy and in one piece, deemed an inconvenience and dropped off at the perp’s first opportunity. A small few weren’t so lucky. He mentally shook his head at the senseless losses.
His cell buzzed, pulling him back to the situation at hand. After fishing the device out of his pocket, he checked the screen.
His heart skipped a couple of beats the second he realized the message came through on the family group chat. This was, no doubt, an update on their grandparents. Too much time had passed since both his grandparents landed in a coma after an automobile crash for him to expect good news. A tiny sliver of hope was all he had left, and he intended to hang on to it despite the odds of either of them making a meaningful recovery.
