Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (4 page)

Next she typed in
Tonya Lewis
. Her birth name. The name she hadn't used in over four years. She'd thought she'd be safe. Her major in college had been agriculture. Once she'd finished school, she'd gone to work for a business and had an office job.

And Hank had found her. Through the cracked blinds of her office, she'd happened to look up and see him walk in to speak to the receptionist. Tonya's heart had dropped to her toes when the woman had pointed straight at her office. Tonya'd grabbed her purse and her personal laptop and escaped through the back door. She'd never gone back.

And during the course of their three dates, she'd never shared her passion for bullfighting with Hank. Which was why she'd thought she could hide out on the circuit.

And it had worked till now.

A creak at the back of the motor home swung her attention to the bedroom. She could see straight back, so she knew someone wasn't inside. It was just the wind blowing. Clouds had darkened the sky before the sun had set and a storm was predicted for early morning. But she couldn't help that her nerves jumped at every sound. She knew they would until she got out of Nashville.

But where would she go? What would she do now that her very livelihood had been threatened? This was her job, her life now. She couldn't go back to an office.

Another scraping noise set her heart pounding. Again the sound came from the back. But that wasn't the wind. She'd pulled the coverings over the windows at the front and the back. No one could see in, but she couldn't see out either.

Tonya moved, her legs shaking. She tested the lock on the door. Secure. The door opened outward. No one could kick it in, so no one was coming in that way. Her breathing quickened.

A sound at the window over the couch made her spin around. In a flash, she knew what was going on. Someone was going window to window trying them. Seeing if he could find one unlocked. The windows slid left to right and had a flimsy screen over them. Easily removed.

And the windows were large. Someone could climb right in if he got one open. She waited, listening, trying to discern where he was. A thump overhead? A footstep?

Should she get out of the motor home? Cause a ruckus so people would come investigate? She crept toward the door. The handle rattled, sending every nerve in her body skittering with fear. She jerked her hand away and grabbed her cell phone. Shaky fingers punched in 911. Her breath came in low pants. The knob rattled again. Then footsteps leaving. She bit her lip.

“What's your emergency?”

“Someone's trying to break in my motor home. I'm at the rodeo fairgrounds arena.” She gave the address and prayed the woman could hear her. “He rattled my doorknob and tried my windows. I heard his footsteps leaving, but I don't know if he's gone or just trying to figure out another way to get in.”

The loud crash at the back of the motor home startled her into fumbling the phone. She dropped to her knees next to the device, her clumsy fingers grasping for it.

She looked up to see a man step out of her bathroom. He rushed toward her and for a moment she froze, paralyzed with fear. Then she spun for the door. Dropped the phone but got her fingers around the knob.

The sickeningly sweet odor of his familiar cologne took her back to the day she almost died. She twisted the lock.

Felt a hand in her hair and he yanked her back.

Tonya screamed.

FOUR

S
eth slammed the door of his fifth wheel shut behind him. He started to sit on the top step when the scream that came from Tonya's motor home froze him for a split second. Then he snapped into action. He ignored the arching pain in his leg and raced across the short strip of red dirt to pound on her door. He tried the knob and found it locked. “Tonya! Open the door!”

A loud crash came from within. Seth stood on the second step, gripped the railing on either side for balance, leaned back and gave the door a swift kick with his good leg. It shuddered but didn't even come close to opening. “Tonya!”

Lights in nearby motor homes flipped on. “What's going on out there?” someone called.

“Call the police!” Seth shouted.

The door flew open, catching Seth in the shoulder. He moved back slightly and caught a glimpse of Tonya's terrified face. A man in a ski mask tried to reach out to grab the door to close it, but Seth was faster. He bypassed the door and snatched the man's wrist. He yanked and the masked intruder stumbled forward, out the door and down the steps. Seth shot out a fist. The man ducked and kicked, grazing Seth's injured leg. Seth lost his balance and went down with a grunt. He rolled and stuck out a hand to snag the man's leg. And missed. Sirens sounded in the distance.

Seth managed to get to his feet. Sleepy residents were moving slow, not realizing what was happening yet. But some of the other bull riders Seth had alerted to the fact that there might be danger were moving fast. The man in the ski mask fled. Two of the bull riders went after him.

Seth gritted his teeth against the renewed throbbing in his leg and lifted his head to find Tonya headed toward him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Bruises had already started to form on her throat and rage ignited within him as Seth deduced what had happened. The man had broken into her motor home with the intention of killing her.

Just as he'd tried to do four years ago.

Seth reached for her and she stumbled into his arms to collapse against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, balancing himself and her on his good leg and taking his weight off the one that screamed at him. “Shh,” he whispered against her ear. “It's all right. He's gone.”

She clung to him fiercely, her shoulders shaking, not making a sound. But he could feel the warmth of her tears soaking through his shirt. He held her close, trying to offer her the comfort and safety she so desperately needed. Officers descended. Security and rodeo personnel arrived. Seth drew in a deep breath, the scent of her strawberry shampoo mingling with sweat and fear making him tighten his grip.

She finally stirred and brushed a hand across her wet cheeks. “Are you all right? Your leg?” she whispered.

His heart stuttered. She was concerned about him when she'd been almost killed? He simply nodded. “I'm fine.”

“Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?”

Using the palms of her hands, she scrubbed the rest of the tears from her cheeks. Seth rested his hand on her shoulder, just to remind her that she wasn't alone.

Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed. She seemed to shrug off her fear, but Seth could still feel the fine tremor beneath his palm. “I can tell you exactly what happened,” she rasped, then cleared her throat. “I heard a noise, like someone checking to see if any of my windows were unlocked. They weren't. I decided to call 911 when I heard someone on the roof. He came through the overhead bathroom vent.” She spread her hands and shook her head. “Just crashed through and came out the door and...there he was.” A shudder ran through her. “I tried to get to the door and he grabbed me.” She touched her bruised throat.

“Did you recognize your attacker?” the policeman asked.

“He had on a mask, but I know it was Hank Newman.”

The officer lifted a brow. “How do you know that if he had on a mask?”

“Because I recognized his cologne. And—” she drew in a deep, cleansing breath “—it's not the first time he's tried to kill me.”

“Oh.” The policeman frowned and wrote something in his little notebook. “All right. Anything else?”

She looked at Seth. “When you pounded on the door, it startled him. He loosened his grip enough for me to get away and get the door open. Thank you for that,” she whispered.

“Hey, I owed you. You saved me from a trampling today.” He gave her a gentle smile. Her tension lessened by a fraction. She smiled back but it was shaky and tight.

“I just wish I could have kept him from getting away,” Seth muttered. His leg was on fire, but not so intensely he was unable to ignore it. For now. Tomorrow would be worse, he knew.

An EMT approached. “Ma'am, would you like us to take a look at you?”

She shook her head. “I've been through this before. There's nothing you can do for a bruised throat.”

Seth finished telling his side of the story and the officers left, armed with Hank Newman's photo, but Seth knew they didn't have enough evidence to arrest the man. He'd had a mask on. Tonya might believe it was Hank, but without solid proof, the creep would continue to be free to terrorize her.

Unless Seth did something to protect her. He mulled that thought over while friends and fellow roadies hugged Tonya and told her they were there for her.

“Tonya! Tonya! Where are you?”

* * *

Tonya spun to find herself engulfed in Mia's slender arms. She winced at the tight hug, her new bruises protesting, but she didn't pull away. Her best friend finally let her go and stepped back to give her the once-over. “Are you all right? I just heard someone broke into your motor home.” Her eyes landed on Tonya's throat and widened. “What did he do?”

“Tried to strangle me. Again.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

“So you were right. He
was
here.”

“
Is
here. I saw him earlier on the grounds and at the hospital. I have no doubt it was him in my home.” She swallowed hard. “He's back and apparently he wants to see me dead.”

Mia paled. “What are you going to do? You still have a show to do tomorrow. Not to mention the contest in a couple of weeks.”

“Don't worry—I'm not going to leave you in the lurch.”

“Are you kidding? Your life is more important than some stupid show. I can handle it. And there are always other contests out there. You just do whatever you need to do.”

Tonya's heart gave a grateful beat. “Thanks, Mia, but I think I'll be all right. Hank is probably long gone by now.”

A slight pause. Mia eyed her. “You don't really believe that, do you?”

Tonya sighed. “No, not really, but I refuse to let that loser send me running again. I'm not going to let him ruin my reputation in this business. I've worked hard to get where I am.” Even though the thought of standing her ground and fighting back terrified her.

“But—”

“But nothing. I'm staying.” Saying the words made it so for her.

“Okay, okay.”

Tonya pulled in a deep breath. “Sorry, I didn't mean to snap.”

“No, it's fine. Let me know if you need me to do anything. You want to come stay with me?”

Tonya considered that. “What about Monty?”

“I'll kick him out. He can bunk with Jake or one of the other guys.” When Tonya still hesitated, Mia rolled her eyes. “Come on. You know my brother won't care.”

“All right. If he says it's okay, I'll stay with you. Thanks. I'll have to get something to cover up the hole in my roof and then I'll get someone to walk me over.”

“Great. I'll go get your bed ready.”

“Thanks, Mia.”

“Of course.” Tonya watched her friend walk away, still in shock over the events that had transpired. Fortunately, Mia's fifth wheel was only a few rows over.

“I have some tarp I can put over the hole until you can get someone out here to fix it,” Seth said.

“Thank you.” She bit her lip and let her eyes linger on his handsome face. He really was a good guy.

“I'll walk you over to Mia's and then come back and do it.”

She frowned. “I can help you.”

“No need. Won't take but a few minutes. You need to rest.”

“What about your leg?”

“It hurts, but it won't keep me from doing what needs to be done.” He nodded at her motor home. “Get what you need for the night. I'll take care of the rest.”

Tonya struggled with the notion. She wasn't the kind of female who needed a man to take over or take care of her. She'd grown up with that for the first two decades of her life with four older brothers. Part of her wanted to rebel and assert her independence, but Seth didn't come across as doing it because he thought she couldn't. He genuinely seemed to want to do it because it would be helping her,
not
controlling her. She'd learned how to discern between the two. Finally, she gave a slow nod. “Okay. Thank you.”

“I'll go get the tarp and be right back.”

She watched him go. Then turned back to face the steps that would take her into her home. Where she'd just been attacked. She swallowed a lump in her throat. She didn't want to go inside. Not by herself. A hand fell on her shoulder. She jumped and screamed.

“Hey, it's me. I'm sorry.”

Seth. Tonya slapped a hand over her thudding heartbeat. “You scared me to death.”

“I'm sorry. I called your name twice.”

“Oh. Didn't expect you back so soon.” She twisted her hands in front of her. “I was just going in to pack.”

“And you don't want to go inside alone.”

She flushed, surprised he read her so well. Then again, she hadn't realized he'd been watching her either. “Not really.”

“Come on.” He took her hand and led the way up the steps and into the motor home. She gave his fingers a squeeze and blinked at the mess.

“Wow.”

“Wow is right,” he echoed. “You really put up a fight.”

“Yeah.” She stepped over the ottoman and the pillows from the couch that had somehow wound up on the floor. “I'll be just a minute.”

“No problem.”

She stopped at the bathroom and peeked inside. Plastic and glass littered the area. The fan hung by a short wire from the ceiling. She sighed and gathered her toiletries and shut the door.

Ten minutes later, she had a packed bag. She walked back into the living area to find everything put back in its place. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

“I'm saying that a lot, aren't I?”

He winked at her. “Hey, you saved my life. I owe you.”

“Stop saying that. I did my job.” He frowned and she rubbed her eyes. “That didn't come out right.”

“I understand. Come on. I'll walk you over to Mia's. I have a friend in the area who owns an RV shop. I'll call him and see how fast he can get you fixed up.”

“That would be amazing.”

He smiled and her heart flipped. She froze. No, no, no, no. She couldn't be attracted to him. She couldn't. She'd sworn off buckaroos. She'd vowed never to get involved with someone in the rodeo ever again. And what was her traitorous heart doing? Going all crazy over Seth Starke. A buckaroo. Just like Daniel had been. It was just a reaction to the stress, to finding comfort in his arms, to...something. Anything but that she was truly drawn to him.

She cleared her throat and stepped toward the door. Confusion flickered in his blue eyes, but he didn't say anything, just followed her outside.

As she walked away from her home, she couldn't help the shudder that raced up her spine. Was her ex truly gone? Or was he in the shadows, hiding behind one of the RVs in the crowded park?

Seth slid an arm across her shoulders and she left it there, appreciating his nearness, the comfort his strong, steady presence offered. She
did
appreciate it even though she might not
want
to appreciate it.

Mia opened the door to her trailer as they approached. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Seth's arm around Tonya's shoulders. Tonya moved away from him. She didn't want to give Mia the wrong idea.

“Come on in,” her friend said. “I've got the top bunk all made up for you.”

“Thanks, Mia.”

She nodded, paused and gave Tonya and Seth another lingering look. Knowing what her girlfriend must be thinking, Tonya lifted a brow and Mia flushed. “I'm just going to go get the dogs' leashes. Now that they're up, they'll want to go out for the night.”

“Thanks, Mia.” Once her friend disappeared into her trailer, Tonya gazed up at Seth. “Thank you for everything. Again.”

“Of course.” He cleared his throat. “I know the police here are working on it, but as I mentioned before, my brother Clay is a sheriff's deputy in my hometown. Would you mind if I gave him a call and filled him in on everything that happened tonight? He could do some looking into Mr. Newman's background and see if he's got an address or what the latest is on him. He might even find out something before these guys do.”

“Sure, that would be great.”

“I'll see you tomorrow, then.”

Tonya looked around, probing the darkness, feeling the dread of spending the next few hours in the dark settle in the pit of her stomach. But she'd be with Mia. It would be all right.

Wouldn't it?