Harlequin Intrigue, Box Set 1 of 2 (11 page)

“Levi, the second you stop, get your gun ready. Aim for their tires,” Jericho instructed. Because two could play at this game. “Laurel, so help me God, you'd better stay down.”

“But I could help you return fire. I know how to handle a gun.”

The glare Jericho tossed her let her know that wasn't going to happen. Still, he didn't want her unarmed just in case things got even worse than they already were, so he threw open the glove compartment, took out a backup weapon that he knew Levi kept there and tossed it to her.

“Stay down,” Jericho warned her again.

She did, and he hoped she didn't get up, no matter what. Of course, he couldn't swear she'd be completely safe, but he did know that he and Levi were darn good shots, and it'd be much easier to shoot these clowns if they both weren't in moving vehicles.

“I'd like to keep one of them alive,” Jericho said to Levi, and his brother nodded.

Not that they'd had good luck when it came to getting the other thugs to talk, but one of these might. And if not, then maybe Jericho could force him to talk.

This had to end.

He couldn't continue to allow Laurel and Maddox to be in danger, and that meant he might end up bending the law by forcing the guy to cough up some answers.

“How about stopping there?” Levi tipped his head to a small clearing in front of a cattle gate. There was a cluster of trees just to the left and an irrigation ditch on the right.

“Do it,” Jericho answered.

The words had hardly left his mouth when Levi hit the brakes, hard, and he skidded into the narrow clearing. But he didn't just park. He maneuvered the truck around so that it was facing the SUV head-on.

Using the truck doors for cover, they both got out. Both took aim at the SUV's front tires. The SUV driver slammed on his brakes just as Levi and Jericho fired into them. Jericho was positive his bullet went into the tire, but it didn't go flat.

Hell.

Probably puncture resistant. Yeah, these guys had come prepared. But they probably hadn't expected the Crockett brothers to take a stand.

The SUV tires squealed, digging into the asphalt until it came to a stop about ten yards from them. No one got out, but the driver did lower his window. He stayed inside so that Jericho couldn't see him. He probably wouldn't have recognized him, anyway, since these were almost certainly hired killers.

“Well?” Jericho called out.

He didn't wait for a response. Not that he would have gotten one, anyway. Hired guns usually weren't big on talking.

Jericho fired a shot into the SUV's engine. Finally. He hit something that wasn't reinforced, because the bullet went through. However, it didn't immediately disable it because the engine continued to run.

So, Jericho continued to shoot at it.

Levi did the same. And soon they had a barrage of bullets slamming into the SUV hood.

Jericho had to stop to slap another magazine into his gun, and he was in the process of taking aim again when the driver threw the SUV into Reverse and hit the accelerator. He peeled out of there, fast.

Doing the one thing Jericho didn't want them to do.

They were getting away.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Laurel couldn't stop shivering. Something she'd been doing on the entire drive to the sheriff's office. And despite the ample heat in the building, she was still shivering, the cold going all the way to the bone.

Thanks to those latest gunmen, she had a new set of memories to give her nightmares and make her tremble. A new set of worries, too.

Because the gunmen had gotten away.

That meant they could return for another attempt to kill Jericho and her. Of course, Jericho and his brothers were trying to stop that, but Laurel had to wonder what the heck she could do to put an end to this.

Maybe turning herself in to the police would work.

Maybe.

Or maybe that would just make her an easier target to kill.

Either way, it wasn't a theory Jericho wanted to test, and he'd spent the last half hour since their arrival at his office making calls to the Dallas PD. Trying to stop the warrant for her arrest. Judging from the amount of his profanity and his scowl, it wasn't going well.

“Here, try this.” Levi handed Laurel a cup of coffee.

Laurel took a sip of the coffee, nearly choked on it. It would need a lot of improvement just to classify as horrible, but it was hot, and with the hopes it would take away her chill, she drank some more.

“We should have heard from Jax by now,” she said.

Levi made a sound of disagreement. “He's just being cautious. Jax is driving around to make sure they aren't being followed before he goes to the safe house with Maddox.”

Yes, Jax had already told her exactly that in the three calls she'd made to him. Laurel didn't dare make another so soon since he'd warned her with the last one that he needed to concentrate on his driving. The temps were dropping, and he wanted to be careful.

Laurel wanted that, as well, but more than anything, she just wanted her son to be safe.

“Jax will take good care of him,” Levi added. “And Jericho will find whatever he needs to find to put an end to this.”

She desperately wanted to believe that. But it was easy to lose hope when they'd come so close to dying again.

“What about the kidnapper already in custody?” Laurel asked. “Is he still not talking?”

Levi shook his head. “We do know his name is Otto Palmer. We got that from his prints, so he obviously has a record. I think he would have talked, but he got spooked after DeWitt's death. He probably thinks the same thing will happen to him.”

Yes, that would spook anyone, especially since they still weren't sure if DeWitt had taken his own life or if his so-called lawyer had murdered him.

Jericho stood when he finished his latest call, and that seemed to be Levi's cue to start moving away from her. “I'll see if I can find out what's happening with Rossman and Cawley.”

Good idea, since the pair was yet something else they had to deal with, especially if they could help clear her name of the money laundering charges. “How about the wiretap recording you're trying to match to my father's voice?”

“Still working on it. I'll let you know the minute the FBI lab calls me back.” Levi went to a desk in the corner and started another call.

“Did they find those men who shot at us?” she asked Jericho.

“Afraid not. But the county sheriff and his deputies are still out looking.”

That was probably the last thing they wanted to do right before the holidays, but that area had come under the jurisdiction of the county sheriff. That meant Levi, Jericho and she would soon have to write statements of the incident so there could be an official investigation.

As if that would help.

She was betting those men were well out of the reach of the law. For the time being, anyway.

“I ran the plates on the black SUV,” he continued. “They're not registered, of course, which means they're fake, but I also alerted car repair shops that someone might be bringing in a vehicle that matched the description.”

He was covering all the bases as best he could. She hated to take a glass-half-empty outlook on this, but a person who had enough money to hire multiple hit men probably wouldn't care about having a vehicle repaired. Especially one that could be traced back to him or her.

“You're shaking,” Jericho said.

He went closer to her, and barely touching her, he put his hand on the small of her back to get her moving toward his office. Maybe because he thought it'd be warmer there. Or maybe because he realized she was on the verge of tears. Of course, there could be another reason for the privacy.

“Do you have more bad news?” Laurel came out and asked.

He took a moment, put his hands on his hips. “Not as bad as it could be. Dallas PD won't kill the warrant against you, but they're giving me some more time. I told them you'd been shaken up pretty bad in the latest attack.”

That certainly wasn't a lie. “How much time?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

Laurel groaned. Tomorrow was Christmas, and she hadn't wanted to spend it being arrested. “And what about the warrant for your arrest?”

Jericho flexed his shoulders. “They're not killing that, either. The captain at Dallas PD insists if I don't turn you in, they'll arrest me, the deputies and then bring in the Rangers to take over the sheriff's office. But they're giving me until tomorrow, too.”

What a mess. Jericho loved his badge. Loved being sheriff. And now he had to choose between it and her. Laurel figured she would always be on the losing end when it came to his badge.

“I'll bet you wish you'd never met me,” she whispered.

“Some days.” He paused. Looked at her. Cursed. “Not today, though.”

He turned, and as if part of a dance, he slipped his arm around her, drawing her to him.

And he kissed her.

There it was. The heat. Jericho could take her from shivering to hot in a matter of seconds. But this was more than just the fire from the attraction. The pull seemed to go even deeper, and it slid through her, head to toe.

As always, his mouth was clever, tasting and taking at once. And Laurel let him. She just tried to hang on, bracing herself for the onslaught of need. It came, all right. It always did and made her long for a real marriage.

He deepened the kiss. Tightened his grip. It robbed her of her breath and any clear thoughts she should be having. Well, she did have one clear thought—about his bed—but that vanished when she heard the bell jangling. The sound let them know that they had a visitor.

“Stay here.” Jericho pulled her behind him and drew his gun.

“Laurel?” Theo called out. “Are you here?”

She certainly hadn't forgotten about Theo's planned visit, but with everything else going on, Laurel hadn't realized it was time for him to arrive.

Jericho stepped into the hall, and Laurel could tell from the way he stiffened that something wasn't right. One glimpse in the reception area, and she understood why he'd had that reaction. Theo wasn't alone.

Dorothy was with him.

Since Dorothy was a suspect, and Theo hadn't mentioned bringing her along, Jericho had reason for concern. That was probably why he didn't holster his gun.

“Why is she here?” Jericho tipped his head to Dorothy.

“Because I need to talk to Laurel, too,” the woman insisted.

Theo huffed. “She followed me. Or rather, her driver did. He's parked just outside, waiting for her.”

Laurel had no idea why Theo would be keeping things from his mother. Nor did she care. She only wanted this to be a short, productive visit. “Did you bring the evidence?” she asked.

Theo held up a manila envelope. “I did. But you'll get it only after we talk. That was the deal.”

“So, talk,” Jericho snapped, and he stayed between Theo and her.

Well, partially. Laurel's hand wasn't hidden, and Dorothy's attention snapped right to the wedding ring she was wearing.

“Did you marry him?” Dorothy howled. “Did you actually marry this cowboy cop?”

“I did.” And Laurel braced herself for their reactions.

She didn't have to wait long. Dorothy started shaking her head, mumbling how stupid Laurel was, and as if she'd gone weak in the knees, the woman sank down into one of the chairs.

Theo, however, just stared at Laurel, and by degrees, she saw the changes in his expression. Surprise, at first. Quickly followed by some disappointment and then the anger. His jaw went tight. His eyes narrowed. Levi didn't miss the reaction, either, because he also drew his gun.

“Why the hell did you marry him?” Theo asked. He stormed toward her, but Jericho stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Why the hell do you care why she did it?” Jericho retorted. “Laurel broke off your engagement. That means she's free to marry me or anybody else, for that matter.”

“No!” Theo shouted. “She definitely wasn't free to marry you.” He went from anger to enraged, and Laurel thought about grabbing that envelope from him before he did something stupid.

Like try to destroy it.

But Jericho did the grabbing for her. He snatched it from Theo, and motioned for Levi to take it. Levi came across the room to do just that.

“Get started on that right away,” Jericho told his brother without taking his narrowed gaze off Theo.

Theo, however, looked past Jericho, his glare fixed on her. “Do you think I'm saving you from going to jail so you can be with the likes of him?”

Oh, that was not the right thing to say, and Laurel took hold of Jericho's arm in case he was about to punch Theo. Not that she would have minded that. Theo deserved a good punch or two for the remark, but she didn't want a fight in the sheriff's office. Especially since they had other more important battles.

“The likes of him?”
Laurel repeated. Because she wanted to calm things down, she tried not to glare at Theo. “He's my son's father, along with being the sheriff here. Seems like a good match to me.”

“Well, it's not! He didn't even know about Maddox until you went running to him. You should have let it stay that way.”

“And lose custody of Maddox to my father?” she snapped. “I don't think so.”

It appeared to take Theo a moment to rein in his temper enough just so he could speak. “I would have taken custody of him while I helped you work through the charges.”

Jericho took a step toward him, narrowing the already narrow space between them. “That was never going to happen. Maddox is my son, not yours. And Laurel is my wife.”

She could tell Theo wanted to start that fight with Jericho. One that he wouldn't win. Jericho didn't just look dangerous.

He
was
dangerous.

“Did you sleep with him, too?” Theo snarled.

Nearly. And part of Laurel wanted to throw that at Theo, but it would be like gasoline on a fire, and she was too exhausted to drag out this argument.

“What I do with Jericho is my business,” she settled for saying. Still a bit of gasoline, but anything she could have said probably would have been. Theo was spoiling for a fight.

The trick would be to make sure Jericho didn't give him one.

“I loved you,” Theo said to her. “I loved you more than anyone or anything ever. And I would have done whatever it took to protect you. You should have trusted me to deal with your father.”

“How? By marrying me? Because that's what triggered all of this,” Laurel reminded him. “I ended things between us and all hell broke loose. I have to believe you're at least partially responsible for that.”

Theo didn't deny it. Not with words, anyway. But the look he gave her was filled with disbelief.

Maybe some hatred, too.

Even though Laurel had had some doubts that Theo was actually in love with her, she knew he had some feelings for her. In his own obsessed kind of way. However, she had also known that a one-sided relationship would never work.

Of course, now she was repeating that with Jericho.

Definitely one-sided. Yes, he'd kissed her several times, but that was just lust. There'd always be lust. But when he was thinking straight, and that would happen, he would remember that he would lose his family by being with her. Jericho wouldn't allow that to happen.

And neither would Laurel.

“There's a USB with an email conversation between Theo and a shrink named Dr. Marvin LaMastus,” Levi relayed to them. He was still examining the envelope while volleying glances between it and them. “And there's also a statement from the nurse of the second psychiatrist. She says she never saw Laurel in the doctor's office, and there's no record of any appointment. Both the emails and the statement look legit.”

“Of course they are,” Theo snapped. “Both psychiatrists were pressured or bribed into giving their diagnoses.”

“I don't suppose the shrink said anything in that email about Herschel hiring him?” Jericho asked.

Theo's jaw tightened even more. Maybe because they weren't jumping for joy over what he'd brought them. “You don't know what I had to do to contact Dr. LaMastus. I had to risk your father finding out.”

“You poor thing.” Jericho's voice was loaded with sarcasm. “Laurel was shot at. If you cared one ounce about her, you should be doing any and everything to help her get out of this mess.”

Theo looked down at the wedding ring. “No. Not now. I'm done with her. As far as I'm concerned, you two deserve each other.”

Normally, that would have been an insult, but considering Laurel had spent most of her adult life playing with the idea of marrying Jericho, she decided it wasn't much of an insult, after all.

Theo glanced at his mother before he stormed out the door.

But Dorothy didn't budge. She lifted her suddenly weary gaze to Laurel. “You have no idea what you've done.”

Jericho glanced at Laurel to see if she knew what the woman was talking about. She didn't. Because this seemed to be a whole lot more than just a broken engagement, especially since Dorothy had never seemed that fond of her.