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  Colton rubbed the scruff on his chin. He took a sip of coffee. “That’s fair.”

  She hoped so, because it was the only offer on the table. If she had to sit in the office for an entire day, she would. There was no way in hell she was going to risk his family. Granted, River wanted her. But she couldn’t be certain that he wouldn’t use one of them to draw her out. It was a gamble she had no intention of taking.

  Makena rolled up her sleeves and drained her cup. She set the mug down on the coffee table. She placed her flat palms on her thighs and looked at Colton.

  “What’s next?”

  “You tell me everything you can think of about your ex. His favorite restaurant. Whether or not he’s a fisherman and has a fishing lease. Is he a hunter? Does he have a hunting license? Who are his friends? And then, I go track him down.”

  “Hold on there. I’m the best person to help find him. I want to go to Dallas with you.”

  “Not a chance. The agreement we just made was that you would stay here while I investigate. It’s either here or my apartment. I need to know that I can trust you to do what you say you’re going to do.”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you. I just thought it would be easier to track him down with me involved.”

  “If you’re his target and he sees you, it could be game over.”

  “I’m not arguing. However, trying to blow me to pieces on a timer once I thought I was safely inside an RV doesn’t exactly make me feel like he wants to be connected to my murder in any way. In fact, he seems to be taking great pains to kill me without leaving any trail back to him.”

  “True enough. The explosion was most likely meant to cover his tracks. We also have to broaden the scope. You saw his friends...or...acquaintances might be a better word. You said yourself they were speaking in hushed tones. We can go after them, too. They might be acting on his behalf or they might be on their own.”

  “Oh, I doubt anyone would do that. Not with River’s temper. He never struck me as the type to step aside.”

  “We have to keep unbiased eyes on the case and we have to follow the evidence. Right now, you saw two people from your past in town three days ago and that spawned you to disappear into the RV.”

  “Allegedly saw. I mean, they were far away and I can’t be one hundred percent certain it was them.”

  “Okay. What are the chances the two guys you saw, even at a distance, weren’t the men you saw in your garage?” He was playing devil’s advocate. She could see that. Looking at the case from every angle probably made him a good investigator.

  It was impossible for Makena not to lead with emotions in this case. For one, the explosion was targeted at her. And for another, River’s threats echoed in her mind. To her thinking, he was delivering on threats he’d made six months ago.

  Chapter Ten

  Colton spent the next hour getting to know River Myers. He then made a quick call to his mother, and she agreed the twins staying on with her would be for the best, at least for a couple of days.

  He knew better than anyone that investigations often took far longer than that, but he hoped for a break in this one. If Makena’s ex was determined to erase her and she was constantly at Colton’s side, he would have to get through Colton first. Makena had made a list of River’s known hangouts. Colton had handed the list over to Gert, who’d meticulously called each one to ask when the last time River had been in.

  So far, no one had seen or heard from River for the past month. Of course, the couple of places that were known cop hangouts most likely wouldn’t admit to seeing him if he was standing in front of their faces.

  Other than that, he frequented a popular Tex-Mex restaurant and a couple of taco chains. None of the managers or employees admitted to seeing the man in the past few weeks if not a month.

  The timing of River sticking to himself coincided with when he was put on leave according to the chief. It was odd, since the guy would’ve had more free time on his hands. Usually, that meant being seen in his favorite haunts more often. In River’s case, he seemed to be hunkering down.

  A call to one of his neighbors revealed that it didn’t seem like he’d been home, either. There were no lights left on in the evenings, and the neighbor hadn’t seen his truck in a couple of weeks.

  “What are the chances he has a new girlfriend?” Colton asked Makena.

  She looked up from her notebook, where she’d been trying to recall and write down all the places he could’ve possibly gone to.

  “Anything is possible. Right?” She tapped her pencil on the pad. “I mean, he’s not really the type to be alone and he was served with divorce papers not long after I disappeared. I worked through my lawyer to finish up the paperwork.”

  “If River is spending all his time at a new girlfriend’s house, it might be harder to track him down.” His personal phone number had changed. Colton had his guess as to why that might have happened.

  As word spread about the morning’s incident, Colton’s phone started ringing off the hook. Everyone in the community wanted to pitch in and help find the person responsible for blowing up Mrs. Dillon’s RV. Colton couldn’t give any more details than that and it was impossible to keep this story completely quiet considering how much neighbors watched out for each other in Katy Gulch.

  After hours of receiving and making phone calls, Colton realized it was past dinnertime. Not a minute later, Gert knocked on the office door. It was a courtesy knock because Colton had a long-standing open-door policy.

  “It might be time to take a break,” Gert said. They both knew she would go home and continue working on the case, but it was her signal she was heading out.

  “Let me know if you get any leads or figure out anything that I’ve missed,” Colton said. He stretched out his arms and yawned, realizing he’d been sitting in the same position for hours. It was no wonder his back was stiff. His ears were still ringing from the explosion this morning but there was improvement there, too.

  “You know I will, sir.” Gert waved to Makena before exiting the room. Before she got more than a few steps down the hall she shouted back at them. “I’ll lock the front door.”

  Colton turned to Makena. “What do you think about taking this back to my apartment? We should probably get up and get our blood moving. And then there’s dinner. You must be starved by now.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. I’m not starving, but I could eat. The bags of nuts and trail mix that Gert has been bringing me have tided me over.”

  “I’ll just close up a couple of files and log out and then we can go.” Colton tried not to notice when Makena stood up and stretched just how long her legs were. She had just the right amount of soft curves, and all he could think about was running his hand along those gorgeous lines...

  He forced his gaze away from her hips—a place he had no business thinking about. He straightened up his desk and then closed out of the files on his desktop. His laptop had access to the same system, and he could get just as much done at home. He figured Makena would be more comfortable there anyway.

  It also occurred to him that she’d lost everything she owned except the clothes on her back. He stood up and pushed his chair in. He gripped the back of his chair with both hands. “We can stop off anywhere you need on the way to my house. I’m sure you want a change of clothes and something to sleep in.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but pretty much everything I own was blown up. I don’t have any ID or credit cards with me.” He realized that she wouldn’t want to carry ID in case she got picked up. Now that he knew her ex was a cop, he understood why she’d gone to the lengths she had to keep her identity a secret.

  “How about I take care of it for you? It really wouldn’t be any trouble—”

  “You’re already doing so much for me, Colton. It’s too much to ask. I’ll be fine with what I have.”

  “I promise it isn�
�t. We don’t have to do anything fancy. We can stop off at one of those big-box stores. There’s one on the way home. We can let you pick up a few supplies. It would be a loan. Just until you get back on your feet. I have a feeling once we lock this jerk away for good, you’ll get back on your feet in no time. For old times’ sake, I’d like to be the one to give you a temporary hand up.”

  Colton hoped he’d put that in a way that didn’t offend her. He wasn’t trying to give her a handout. All he wanted was to give her a few comfort supplies while they located the bastard who’d tried to kill her.

  She raked her top teeth over her bottom lip, a sure sign she was considering his offer. Then again, with her back against the wall, she might not feel like she had any options.

  “I promise it’s no trouble, and if you don’t want to take the stuff with you, you could always leave it at my place. One of my new sisters-in-law will probably fit the same clothes. Renee looks to be about your size, if leaving them would make you feel better. It would certainly make me feel better to be able to help you out. Besides, you’re probably the only reason I passed biology lab.”

  That really made her laugh. “I was terrible at biology lab. If you hadn’t helped me, I would’ve failed and I’m pretty certain I dragged your grade down.”

  “I might have been better at the actual work than you were, but you were the only reason I kept going to class.”

  Her smile practically lit up the room. It was nice to make her smile for a change after all she’d been through. She deserved so much better.

  “I tell you what. I’ll let you buy me some new clothes. But once this is over, maybe I can stick around a few days and watch the boys for you as a way to pay you back. I’m not sure I’m any good with kids that age and they might not even like me, but I’m willing to try. And who knows, we might actually have some fun. It would make me feel so much better if I can do something nice for you.”

  “Deal.” He wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. This was something nice, and she made a good point. He was halting his nanny search so he could throw himself completely into this investigation. As much as the process would take time, he was also keenly aware that the colder the trail, the colder the leads. His best bet at nailing the bastard would come in a window of opportunity he had in the next seventy-two hours. If the investigation dragged on longer than that, the apprehension rate would drop drastically.

  Unless there was another attempt. Colton didn’t even want to consider that option.

  “Do you want to take a minute to order a few things on the laptop? We can put a rush on the order, and they’ll have it ready by the time we swing through. I just need to turn off a few lights and double-check the break room.” He handed his laptop over.

  “Sure.” She sat down in one of the leather club chairs across from his desk and studied the screen as he headed down the hallway.

  Turning off the lights had been an excuse to give her a few minutes alone to order. In reality, he didn’t like the idea of her going out in public where she’d be exposed. A skilled rifleman could take her out from the top of a building or beside a vehicle.

  And then there was the gossip mill to consider. Most of the time, he didn’t mind it. For the most part, people were trying to be helpful by sharing information. Being seen with him would be news. Like it or not, the O’Connors were in the public eye and people seemed to enjoy discussing the details of his family’s private lives.

  He took his time checking rooms before returning. The laptop was closed. She stood up the minute she heard him come in the room. “Ready?”

  “All set,” she said, handing over the device. He tucked it under one arm before placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her out the rear of the building. He guided her down the hall and outside, deciding it would be safer to take his personal vehicle home.

  His pickup truck was parked out back.

  “I don’t want to run into Mike or anyone else sniffing around for a story.” It was true. But he also didn’t want to risk going out the same way he’d come in, just in case River or one of his cohorts was watching. That part Colton decided to keep to himself.

  Colton finally exhaled the breath he’d been holding when they were safely inside his truck and on the road. It was past seven o’clock, and it wouldn’t be dark for another hour and a half this time of year.

  Being out in the daylight made him feel exposed. He kept his guard up, searching the face of every driver as he passed them. He stopped off at the box store and pulled into the pickup lane. A quick text later, an employee came running out to the designated curbside area.

  Colton thanked the guy and handed him a five-dollar bill. The rest of the ride to his apartment took all of ten minutes. He pulled up to the garage and punched in the security code before zipping through the opened gate.

  From a security standpoint, the place wouldn’t be that difficult to breech on foot. But the gate kept other drivers from coming in and closed quickly enough after he pulled through that it would be impossible to backdraft him.

  Colton had spent part of the drive thinking through something that had been bugging him since he’d gotten off the phone with the DPD chief. If River was being investigated for serious charges like police brutality and extortion, there had to be a reasonable complainant involved. Considering there were several charges against him, he wondered what kind of huddle Makena could’ve walked into that night, when she’d interrupted River and the other two men.

  It was obviously a meeting of some kind. The fact that River had ushered her away so fast meant that he was trying to protect his group, or her. Possibly both. In his twisted mind, he probably believed that he loved his wife.

  Abusers usually thought they cared for their partners. Forget that their version of caring was tied up with control and abuse, sometimes physical. When they realized that, they seemed to have some sense of remorse. For others, it was just a way of life.

  Thinking back, Colton wondered if Makena’s life would’ve turned out differently if he’d somehow plucked up the courage to ask her out.

  But then, his own life might’ve turned out differently, too. Having the twins was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. He wouldn’t trade his boys for the world. And even though his wife had died, he wouldn’t trade the years of friendship they’d had, either.

  Since regret was about as productive as stalking an ant to find cheese, he didn’t go there often. Life happened. He’d lost Rebecca. He’d gained two boys out of their relationship.

  Makena’s life might not have turned out differently even if they had dated. There was no way to go back and find out. And even if they could...change one thing and the ripple effect could be far-reaching.

  Returning his focus to the case, he thought about Red and Mustache Man. The what-if questions started popping into his mind.

  What if Red and Mustache had been working to shake someone down? Considering one of the charges against River was extortion, it was a definite possibility.

  If Mustache and Red had come to Katy Gulch, were they sticking around? Were they acting alone? Were they after her because they thought she’d heard something in her garage that night?

  Alarm bells sounded at the thought. He felt like he was onto something there.

  This could’ve been an attempt to...what?

  Hold on. Colton had it. If River had gone into hiding and the guys blew up Makena, would that be enough to bring him out?

  * * *

  COLTON THREW A PIZZA in the oven while Makena mixed together a salad from contents she’d found in the fridge. Working in the kitchen with her was a nice change to a frozen dinner in front of his laptop after the boys were in bed.

  They’d just sat down at the island to eat when his cell phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and saw Gert’s name. Makena was sitting next to him, so he tilted the screen in her direction before
taking the call. He held the phone to his ear.

  “This is Colton. I’m going to put you on speaker. Is that okay?” There was some information that was sensitive enough that Makena shouldn’t hear.

  “Fine by me, sir.”

  Colton put the call on speaker and set it in between him and Makena on the island. “Okay. Makena and I are listening.”

  “Sir, Deputy Fletcher was canvassing in Birchwood and stopped off at a motel along the highway. He got a hit.” Her voice practically vibrated with excitement. Gert loved the investigation process. “The clerk told Deputy Fletcher a man matching River Myers’s description had been staying at her motel for the past four days. The clerk’s name is Gloria Beecham and this place is a rent-by-the-hour type, if you know what I mean. She said he was a cash customer. Given the amount of time he’d been there and the fact that he kept the Do Not Disturb sign on the door the whole time, housekeeping was freaked out by the guy.”

  Colton wasn’t surprised. Hotels and motels had tightened up their processes to ensure every room was checked.

  “Housekeeping alerted the clerk to the fact. She made a call to let him know that housekeeping had to check his room every twenty-four hours by law. She said that when they came to clean, he would stand in the corner of the room with the door open and his arms crossed over his chest.”

  “Odd behavior,” Colton noted.

  “It sure is.” She made a tsk noise. “They never did find anything suspicious, and honestly, admitted to getting in and out of there just as fast as they could.”

  “And this mystery man matched River’s description?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “He was staying in the room alone?” This could be a solid lead. Colton looked at Makena, who was on the edge of her seat.