“Stop that. It’s going to work out,” she said firmly. “Hi, Chief,” she greeted Cash.
“Hi, yourself. Your ex-boyfriend was after you,” he said without preamble. “He won’t quit. He knows he’ll go back to jail for what he did to Kell. He’ll get you, if he can, before we catch him.”
“I’m going to fly up to San Antonio with Kell,” she said slowly, “and I’ll be staying with my best friend. Her brother’s a Texas Ranger.” She didn’t add that he was out of town. After all, Cash wouldn’t know. But would she be putting Brenda in danger, just by being there?
“Colter’s out of the country, and Brenda doesn’t own a weapon,” Cash said, stone-faced. He nodded when she gasped. “I know Colter. I used to be a Texas Ranger, too. We’ve kept in touch. You don’t want to put Brenda in the line of fire.”
“I was just worrying about that.” She bit her lower lip. “Then what do we do?”
“You stay in a hotel near the hospital,” he said. “We’re sending security up to watch you.”
“Police officers from here?” she wondered.
“Not really,” Cash said slowly. “Actually Eb Scott is detailing two of his men to stay with you. One is just back from the Middle East, and the other is waiting for an assignment.”
“Mercenaries,” she said softly.
“Exactly.”
She looked worried.
“They’re not the sort you see in movies,” Kell assured her. “These guys have morals and they only work for good causes, not just for money.”
“Do you know the men?” she asked him.
He hesitated.
“I know them,” Cash said at once. “And you can trust them. They’ll take care of you. Just go with Kell to the hospital and they’ll meet you there.”
She frowned. “I’ll have to phone somebody at my office, to tell them what’s happened.”
“Everybody at your office already knows what happened,” Cash told her. “Well, except your boss,” he added, just when her heart had skipped two beats. “He had to fly to Denver on some sort of personal business. Something to do with his stepfather.”
“Oh.” It was just as well, she thought. Now she wouldn’t have to see him again. Kell didn’t know Dr. Rydel had fired her, but this wasn’t really the time to tell him. It could wait. “What about our house?”
“Kell gave me the key,” he said. “I’ll get it to Keely. She’ll make sure the lights are off and everything’s locked up and the fridge is cleaned out.”
“I don’t want to live there anymore,” she told Kell in a subdued tone.
“We don’t have to make decisions right now,” he replied, wincing as he moved. “Hell, I think it was better when I couldn’t feel my legs!”
“You’ll enjoy walking again,” Cappie said gently. “Kell, it would be like a miracle. At least some good would have come out of all this.”
“Just what I was thinking.” He smiled at her. “Now don’t worry. It’s going to work out.”
“Yes, it is,” Cash agreed. “Rick Marquez is going to make sure every cop in San Antonio has a personal description of Frank Bartlett, and he’s talked to a reporter he knows at one of the news stations. Your nemesis Frank is going to be so famous that if he walks into a convenience store, ten people are going to tackle him and yell for the police.”
“Really? But why?”
“Did I mention that there’s a reward for his capture?” Cash added. “We took up a little collection.”
“How kind!”
“You should stay here,” Cash said seriously. “It’s a good town. Good people.”
Her face closed up. “I’m not living in any town that also houses Dr. Rydel.”
Cash and Kell exchanged a long look.