Texas Showdown Page 7

  She followed him to the elevator and down and to his truck before the first one came out. “Why don’t you have any shoes at my place?”

  He started to answer. Then it seemed to dawn on her.

  “We weren’t in a ‘little dustup,’ were we?” she asked.

  “No.” Austin opened the driver’s-side door, and then grabbed his spare pair of runners off the back floorboard.

  He shut the door.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  She paused, bit her bottom lip, and then nodded.

  Two minutes later, they were on the Lady Bird Lake Hike-and-Bike Trail. Austin waited while Maria stretched.

  “We’ll take it slow at first and then build to a comfortable pace,” Austin said, trying to steer the conversation back on track before she shot off another question he didn’t want to answer.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Austin folded his arms and looked out over the lake as she alternated rolling her ankles.

  “Any chance we can go kayaking this afternoon?” she asked.

  Austin thought about the first time they’d visited the capital together and done that very thing. They’d found a quiet cove while the sun set, she’d straddled him and they’d made love right there on Barton Creek. He was pretty sure that she wasn’t referring to that.

  “Let’s see how you feel after lunch. Time to get the blood moving,” he said, taking a couple of strides.

  Maria caught up and then fell in step next to him.

  This early, there were only a few dedicated joggers on the path. The capital was beautiful in the early-morning hours. Normally, the whole city was too crowded for Austin’s taste but there was a quiet calm now that made him feel connected to the city with his namesake, a feeling similar to the ranch.

  “Mind if we pick up the pace?” Maria asked with a glance toward him.

  “Not at all.” Austin increased his speed to a light jog.

  “You can do better than that,” Maria teased before taking off in a fast run.

  She made it two blocks before she dropped to her knees under the bridge and gripped her head with both hands, rocking back and forth. “Blood is pounding.”

  Austin looked around for something...anything...a water fountain or a place to lie down. Didn’t see either. He located a bench and figured that would be better than gravel.

  In one smooth motion, Austin helped her to her feet and walked her to the park bench.

  “It’ll settle down in a minute,” he said, stroking her hand.

  Her eyes were shut but she hadn’t stopped the rocking motion.

  It took a full five minutes for her to regain her composure.

  “I’m better,” she said, making a move to get up. Her expression belied her words but he gave her credit for pushing past the pain. She’d always had a remarkable ability to do that, to shut out everything else and develop a singular focus. He’d assumed that concentration was how she’d survived losing her mother in a brutal death during Maria’s tender teenage years. Austin couldn’t imagine navigating his hormonal teen years without his parents. Now that he’d lost his to murder, he had an inkling of the pain Maria must’ve felt.

  They’d been walking a good five minutes when Austin heard whimpering noises from the brush to the right. He glanced around. He’d heard similar noises on the ranch. An animal was in trouble.

  “Do you hear that?” Maria asked, already tracking toward the sound.

  And then Austin saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He glanced around and didn’t see anyone else on the path.

  A chill gripped his spine. An animal. Hurt. While the two of them were alone on a trail.

  Was another “coincidence” about to happen?

  “Stay low,” he said to Maria, who seemed to catch on to the warning issued in his tone.

  She kept her back to him and toward the trail while pulling out her service revolver. He recognized it immediately, the gun she’d nicknamed Shelby.

  “You’re okay, boy,” Austin soothed the frightened animal. There was nothing about this situation he liked as he bent down to scoop the wounded mutt into his arms. He’d always had a gentle hand with livestock and this little guy seemed to realize that he was there to help.

  The brown-and-white cocker spaniel mix cried as Austin picked it up, so he immediately set it down and dropped to his knees beside it.

  “Is he okay?” Maria asked.

  Austin examined the pup. He hadn’t grown into his paws so he couldn’t be a year old yet. There was a deep cut on his back leg. The gash was too clean to be an accident. Austin surveyed the area and saw a piece of broken glass with blood on it that looked like it had been hastily discarded in the brush.

  “Some jerk did this to him,” Austin said.

  Maria tensed but her gaze continued to sweep the pathway, indicating that she knew exactly what the implication was.

  Austin carefully embraced the animal in the same way he would a calf in a ditch, with his arms around the body.

  “Let’s get off the trail and take sidewalks from here.” There’d be more foot traffic on the upper level since they were nearing the morning rush-hour crush. That window of time lasted two and a half hours. Roads would clog even more as commuters packed the lanes leading into downtown. The capital’s traffic was never good and yet another reason Austin couldn’t often connect to the city that shared his name.

  On the walk back, he’d expected an ambush. Maria wasn’t in the best shape but her adrenaline seemed to kick in, giving her an extra push to make the walk home. Relief was a thick blanket on a cold night when they made it to her building without incident.

  Inside, Austin gently placed the animal on the sofa. He made a call, dropped his name and a vet arrived fifteen minutes later.

  “Come on in,” Austin said to the vet who’d introduced herself as Dr. Hannah.

  “I see that he isn’t wearing a collar,” Dr. Hannah, a petite blonde, said as she examined the animal.

  “That’s just the way we found him,” Austin answered.

  The vet touched his ribs. “He’s young but he’s too thin. If he belongs to someone they aren’t taking very good care of him.”

  “If he got out of his yard someone might be looking for him,” Austin reasoned.

  “He could’ve been wandering around for days or weeks. We need to make sure information gets posted about him to see if we can locate his owner,” the vet said.

  “In the meantime, he can come home to my family ranch to heal,” Austin said, moving aside to give the vet plenty of space to work. Maria had gone noticeably silent and Austin worried that she’d done herself more harm than good with the walk.

  The vet finished patching up the little dog’s leg. “I have a feeling that this guy’s life just improved more than he’ll ever know.”

  “Once I make sure he doesn’t belong to a local family, we’ll make a permanent place for him,” Austin said. “We’ll take good care of him, Doc.”

  The vet smiled up at him and Maria stepped in between their line of sight, essentially blocking Dr. Hannah’s view. What was that all about? Jealousy? Austin wouldn’t touch that irony with a ten-foot pole.

  “His leg will be okay, right?” Maria asked the vet.

  Austin walked into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. He called his older brother, Dallas, and filled him in on what had happened with the dog.

  “I can head that way now to pick up the little guy if you want,” Dallas said.

  “That would be great if you can get away,” Austin replied. “How are the calves?”

  “The same,” Dallas stated.

  “At least it’s not worse.” Austin took a sip of coffee.

  “True.” Dallas paused. “How are you, by the way?”

  �
�Never better,” Austin said. O’Brien brothers weren’t exactly known for asking for help or talking about their troubles. Having each other, knowing any one of his brothers would be there in a heartbeat if he asked, was all the support he needed.

  “All right.” Dallas wouldn’t need a lengthy explanation. He’d pick up on Austin’s mood based on his tone. And right now, he was pretty sure that Dallas would hear the internal battle he had going on loud and clear.

  “You’re doing a good thing,” Dallas said. There was something present in his voice that Austin couldn’t put his finger on and he worried that his brother was shielding him from the situation on the ranch.

  “The calves are stable, right?”

  “Yeah,” Dallas reassured.

  “Okay.” He didn’t exactly feel better but he was most likely reading too much into his brother’s voice.

  “Have any memories surfaced?” Dallas asked.

  Austin turned to look at Maria who was hovering over the small animal. “Nothing yet.”

  “They’ll come back,” Dallas offered.

  That’s what Austin was afraid of. He reminded himself, again, not to get too comfortable with the new alliance he and Maria had built. It would be all too easy to slip back into old habits with her. And where would that leave him?

  “Hey, Ivy League,” Dallas began, “you sure you’re all right? No one would blame you for handing this situation off.”

  “I can handle it.” By the time Austin finished his call the vet was done with her exam and had treated the spaniel mix.

  “I think you’ve found a good home,” Dr. Hannah said to the pup before standing. She smiled at Austin and that seemed to add insult to injury to Maria who seemed ready to boil over.

  Austin decided to step in.

  “Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he said, angling toward the door. “Janis will take care of the invoice.”

  The blonde nodded, beaming up at him.

  Maria sat next to the dog and said quiet words meant to soothe him. She’d always had a way with animals and he remembered how much Denali, the family’s Lab, had missed her when she left. He’d stop in to see her and seemed genuinely confused by her disappearance. He’d waited on the porch several Friday nights, the night she’d always come home.

  In the hard days following the miscarriage she’d sit outside, rubbing his ears for hours before crossing the threshold. Austin could kick himself now for letting her. He should’ve walked outside and taken her into his arms instead of not knowing what to do and not wanting to make it worse. He should’ve done something to let her know that he still cared. He’d been an idiot. And it had cost him their relationship. He could own up to his mistakes even if they weren’t fixable now.

  Austin walked Dr. Hannah out and then thanked her again.

  “We need to talk to your boss and update him on what’s been going on,” he said to Maria after closing the door.

  Maria eyed him carefully as he poured another cup of coffee. “You don’t think this was a coincidence, do you?”

  “No. I think we were being set up,” he said, remembering the prickly feeling he’d had, the way his neck hairs had stood on end. The gut instinct he’d had that someone was watching.

  “For another ‘accident’?” she asked.

  “Could’ve been a fishing expedition to see what kind of protection you had,” he said and then held up a mug. “Do you want another?”

  “I can get it on my own,” she said, and he could sense that a wall had come up between them.

  Had a memory stirred?

  Austin braced himself as she breezed past him. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to get up...that she could—oh, hell. He fisted his hand and bit his tongue. Maria was a strong woman and her mind was made up.

  “I’ll call my supervisor,” she said after pouring a cup.

  They stood in the kitchen for a silent moment and he had no idea what was going on inside her mind.

  * * *

  MARIA DIDN’T HAVE the first idea what to say to Austin about the vet flirting with him. He hadn’t reciprocated and yet the whole scenario still felt like a slap in the face. Estranged or not they were still married. Did the woman not see that Austin’s wife was in the room? People could be so rude.

  The conversation going on inside her head distracted her from doing what she’d said she was going to do and netted a curious look from Austin.

  She located her cell and dialed Special Agent in Charge Vickery’s number.

  He picked up just before the call rolled into voice mail.

  “Maria, what’s up?” His tone was casual but to the point. There was something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She shelved the thought for now.

  “Vic, we need to talk—”

  “I already said that you need a doctor’s clearance to come back to work,” he said impatiently, like he’d been expecting that argument.

  “I’m not trying to suit up.” Although, she could access her work files from home. She needed to update her boss on what was going on, and she needed to look over the last cases she was working on before the first accident. Austin was right. This was a little too coincidental for her taste. Besides, putting her investigator hat on was like slipping into an overcoat, worn and comfortable. After witnessing firsthand the vet’s flirtation with her husband, she felt more at ease thinking about work than addressing her emotions. And that had seriously ticked her off.

  She heard a noise, like an impatient cluck come through the line. Vic. Right.

  “Sorry. Lost my train of thought for a second. I need to update you on some stuff that’s been going on since being released from the hospital,” she said.

  “Oh...okay...tell me what’s happening.” There was so much hesitation in Vic’s voice. What was up with that? “You’re coming back, right?”

  “Yeah, of course,” she said. Why did he sound so...weird? Or maybe awkward was a better word. “Some strange stuff has been happening that I want to run past you.”

  “Like what?” Now he sounded concerned. Now he sounded like Vic.

  She filled him in on the snake and the walk on Lady Bird Trail near Zilker Park.

  “It’s not like anyone’s coming straight at me and it could be coincidence, but I thought you should know,” she said.

  “I’m glad you told me. I agree with you. This is suspicious,” Vic said after a thoughtful pause.

  “It might be good if I come into the office and take a look at my files. Maybe something will spark and I can tie this up in a bow before something worse happens,” she said.

  “Under no circumstances are you to come into work,” Vic said. “I’ll be hauled in front of Internal Affairs if I let you walk through the door without explicit doctor’s orders. You’re on leave and you can’t have anything to do with this place.”

  Right. That. Maria understood why he’d say that when she really thought about it. Okay, fine, she’d access her work via her laptop. She still had credentials, so she’d pull up her files from home.

  “Tell me you won’t show up at the office and get me in trouble,” Vic said, sounding like he needed a cold beer. At least he finally came across as normal, she mused. “This new information needs to be added to the investigation.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything rash,” she said.

  “I’ll send someone over to get a statement from you,” he added. “In the meantime, do me a favor and rest, heal so you can get back to work.”

  “Will do, Vic.” She knew exactly what she needed to do and she didn’t need her boss’s permission.

  “I don’t like any of what you told me so far, Maria,” Vic said. “In fact, I’m putting a protective detail on you until I absolutely know you’re safe or we put someone behind bars.”

  �
��We don’t have the resources,” she countered, hating the thought of taking someone off their caseload to babysit her. Not to mention the fact that she already had an overprotective husband and she was pretty certain this event had rocketed his instincts into high gear. “I’ll be more careful in the future.”

  “Yes, you will. And you’ll start with accepting the company I’m sending.” The crinkling noise of Vic unwrapping a Hershey’s bar came through the phone. Every time he came across an especially stressful or high-profile case, he opened one of those candy bars, broke off a piece and tossed it in his mouth. With that ritual came a commitment to solve the case before the last piece of chocolate was gone. If he couldn’t resolve it, the wrapper stayed on his desk. In twenty-plus years at the FBI, there were exactly three wrappers with one piece of chocolate still in them. He’d lined them up on the edge of his desk so he would never forget how much it stung to let a hardened criminal walk free on the streets.

  Vic unwrapping chocolate was a bad sign. And she couldn’t argue his logic.

  “Okay. You’re right. I accept,” she said.

  “Good.” There was a pause like he expected her to put up more of a fight.

  She didn’t. Not taking this threat seriously could cost a life, hers or Austin’s. No way would she take that risk.

  “I’ll get an agent on it.” Vic sounded relieved.

  Maria thanked her boss before ending the call. The department couldn’t afford to lose an agent like her, either. Plus, catching whoever was after her would keep a dangerous person off the streets. The unsub, or unknown subject, had done something worth covering up.

  And she intended to figure out what.

  Chapter Seven

  Austin stood there, leaning his hip against the kitchen counter. He had a coffee mug in his hand and his gaze focused on her.

  “Vic’s sending over a babysitter,” she said.

  “That’s probably a good idea,” he stated. The air had changed and he seemed to realize from this moment on there was a ticking clock. Someone wanted to get to Maria. “Whoever is behind this is trying to make it look like an accident.”