Page 4 of Targeted in Silver Creek

“No reported stolen vehicles,” Grayson attested. “And Bull didn’t have the EMT’s phone.”

Jesse cursed under his breath because it meant this escape had likely been set up so that Bull could flee the prison and meet up with someone at that specific location. Someone who’d aided and abetted the escape. Someone who at this very moment could be helping Bull get to Silver Creek to carry out whatever plan he had in mind.

“You need me to start the process to access Bull’s visitors’ log at the prison and question all of his cronies from the militia?” Jesse asked.

“All of that is already in the works. Most of the militia members went under and disappeared after his arrest, but I’m sure we can find a couple of them. I’ll also pay a visit to his sister.”

Good. Because even though Bull’s sister, Marlene, didn’t have a criminal record and hadn’t showed any support for him after his arrest, it didn’t mean Bull hadn’t talked her into helping him. And even if she’d turn down any request for help, she might still know where he was.

“There are no indications that the EMT was involved in the escape,” Grayson went on. “He has a clean record, and there are no suspicious funds in his bank account. Bull punched him, and when he hit the floor, it knocked him out. He’s got a concussion.”

Jesse heard the slight groan that Hanna tried to silence by pressing her fingers to her mouth. She’d seen Bull at the hearing where he’d pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder, and she knew the guy was plenty big and strong. His nickname definitely suited him.

“Dad and your mom are at my house,” Grayson continued a moment later. “Everyone here is on alert.”

Good. His folks could likely protect themselves, but it was better for them to be with family right now. Jesse intended to be on alert, as well, and it’d stay that way until Bull was back where he belonged.

“What’s your status there?” Grayson asked.

“No sign of Bull, and Hanna’s had her security system on all day. I’m about to work things out with her,” Jesse assured him and added a “Keep me posted” before Grayson and he ended the call.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Jesse met Hanna’s gaze head-on. “I either need to stay the night here with you or move Evan and you to my place on the ranch.”

It wasn’t an ordinary ranch either. The Rylands’ sprawling Silver Creek Ranch had hundreds of acres, more than a dozen houses, and enough lawmen to staff an entire small-town police force.

But it was also the place where Hanna had been shot.

Even though Hanna didn’t have memories of that, she’d unfortunately seen the photos of the aftermath. Partially as a result of the psychologist trying to help her regain her memories. Other times as a result of glimpses of them when she’d visited the sheriff’s office to give statements or for pretrial briefings.

“I don’t think I can be at the ranch,” she muttered. “I haven’t had a panic attack in weeks, but I think just being there might trigger one.”

Yeah, he’d figured that. “Being here could trigger one, too.”

She nodded so fast that he understood she’d already come to that particular conclusion. “I have to make sure Evan stays safe, and that means me being as mentally sharp as I can manage. It won’t help him if I lose it and give in to the panic.”

His own nod was equally fast. “If I stay here, I can have some of the ranch hands come over and patrol the grounds.” Something he was certain was already going on at the ranch.

This was obviously a rock and a hard place for Hanna. She didn’t want him to be this big of a part of her life. Maybe because he was a blank spot when it came to her memories, but he suspected it went deeper than that. After all, she knew from the police reports of her attack that he’d been there that fateful night.

And that he hadn’t been able to stop Bull from shooting her.

There was a bottom line to this, and it was a bad one. She wouldn’t have been in Bull’s path that night at all if it hadn’t been for him. Because he hadn’t been able to stop Bull when he’d had the chance. Even though for Hanna it was something she couldn’t remember, her mother no doubt reminded her of it often.

“All right,” Hanna finally said, pushing herself away from the wall. “Call for the ranch hands to come over. You can stay in the guest room. If Bull isn’t back in custody by morning, I’ll come up with a long-range plan.”

That tightened his jaw because she was no doubt talking about private security. Bodyguards, maybe extra monitoring equipment. And while he was on the same page with her about keeping Evan safe, Jesse intended to stay with his son until the danger had passed.

However, that was an argument he’d save for when it came up.

For now, he fired off the text to the head ranch hand, asking for two armed men to keep watch. When he’d finished and gotten the “will do” response, he went looking for Hanna.

He walked past her bedroom, where Jesse got a jolt of memories. Ones not associated with being pissed off about herlong rangeplan. Nope, these particular memories were sizzling hot and reminders that the one and only time he’d ever had sex with Hanna, it’d been in that bedroom.

There were only two other rooms off this particular hall. A bathroom and her guest room, which she was obviously doubling as an art studio. Hanna was in there, and she sighed when she looked at the bed that she apparently used for preparing her paintings for shipping. There were five of them and another on the easel. A watercolor of the Texas Hill Country, her specialty. And she was darn good at it, too. Enough for her to earn a comfortable living even though she no longer taught art classes.

“I’ve been using this room instead of the studio,” Hanna explained. “So I can be close to Evan when I’m painting. The studio’s small, and I didn’t want to expose him to the smells from the paint and the brush cleaners. Plus, there’s no security system out there.”

That made sense. “Don’t worry about moving the paintings,” Jesse told her. “I won’t be getting much sleep tonight. If I get too tired, I’ll just crash on the couch.”

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