Second Chance (26 page)

Shrugging off his unease for now, he opened the door of the store and walked in. An elderly white-haired lady with a sweet smile, twinkling eyes, and a cane hobbled toward him. If this was Cindy Brackett, he immediately eliminated her as any kind of threat. Nevertheless, perhaps she’d mentioned Keeley buying the clothes to someone. He was here. Might as well ask some questions.

   Dressed in a mechanic’s overalls and wearing a stringy black wig with an attached cap, Wes sauntered over to the black SUV that Cole Mathison had just exited. Why the bitch wanted the man dead wasn’t something he concerned himself with. She’d called him last night and insisted it had to be done today. Fine with him. Wasn’t like he didn’t want to do the job, he’d just been looking for the right opportunity.

He’d already picked out a spot where he could watch the entire show. Last time he performed this particular deed for her, he hadn’t been around to watch the results and wished he had. He’d heard that the car had exploded on impact; the couple inside never knew what happened. Damn, he would’ve liked to have seen that explosion. He’d seen the results afterward, though—car had been burned to a crisp. And no one had suspected a thing.

He had more incentive for this job than the other. The sooner he took care of this deed, the quicker he’d get his reward. With that kind of incentive, why the hell would he ask questions or procrastinate?

Acting as if he had every right to be there, Wes walked around the SUV. His eye out for any real curious people, he went to the front of the vehicle. If anyone asked, he was just a mechanic from Gary’s Garage on the other side of town, giving what Gary prided himself on: good customer service.

He didn’t know why Mathison had gone into the kids’ store, but Wes figured he wouldn’t be in there long. Not that he needed a lot of time for a job like this. He took one last wide glance around, squatted down, and then eased under the front of the vehicle.

Attach, click to activate, and slide out. Quick. Easy. Deadly.

Getting to his feet, Wes whistled tunelessly, his gait slow and unhurried as he disappeared behind the building. If anyone was questioned later, they’d just claim to have seen a man with long, greasy black hair in a mechanic’s suit seemingly admiring the sleek lines of the SUV and nothing more.

A grin slid up on his mouth. Now to get on his dirt bike and head to his spot to watch the fireworks. Cole Mathison was about to meet his maker for his heavenly reward. And very soon, Wes would be getting his earthly reward.

   Despite the seriousness of his reasons for questioning Cindy Brackett, Cole chuckled as he left the store. Not only was the elderly woman as sharp as anyone half her age, she was also a huge supporter of Keeley’s. That, in Cole’s book, made her even more special.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Brackett could shed little light on who might have known about the clothes Keeley had purchased for Hailey. Which meant only one thing—Keeley’s house was bugged.

Cole backed out of the parking space and rolled out onto the almost empty street. It was just past six o’clock and the small town’s businesses were closed for the evening.

As he headed back to Keeley’s house, his mind wrestled with how the bugs had been placed in her house in the first place. If no outsiders had been in her house in a while, then the house could have been
bugged for years. Possibly from the time it was built. Which brought all sorts of questions to mind about the husband who’d had it built for her.

Cole tapped his brakes as he rounded a curve. He heard a small pop, felt a minute thump and then nothing else. Wondering if he’d hit something, he looked in his rearview mirror. Nothing. About to round another curve, he applied the brake again and nothing happened. The vehicle didn’t slow. Frowning, he pressed again. Nothing. His foot went all the way to the floorboard. Dammit. No brakes.

Steering toward the edge of the road, hoping the gravel would slow his descent, Cole checked the rearview mirror again. Empty of traffic. If he was going to wreck, he didn’t want to involve anyone else.

His speed picked up as he continued down the hill. As long as he didn’t lose control, he’d wait till he got to the bottom of the hill, then he’d find a safe place to apply the emergency brake. He turned the steering column. “Shit,” he whispered. No brakes and now a locked-up steering wheel. Out of options, Cole pulled the emergency brake. Nothing happened.

A sharp curve loomed ahead of him. With no way to steer and no way to stop, the vehicle was headed straight toward a sharp drop-off. He had two choices, both shitty: stay in the vehicle and probably die or jump out.

Unbuckling his seat belt, Cole opened the door. The ground was a blur of green and brown. The vehicle zoomed down hill, picking up speed. Seconds before it took flight, Cole threw himself from the SUV. He landed on his side and rolled. Adrenaline helped to detract from the impact of the hard earth and the rocks jabbing into skin.

Winded, he lay silently for a couple of seconds. Then, pulling in a deep breath, he sat up. A thunderous crash
echoed through the hills as the SUV hit the bottom of the ravine.

The booming noise almost overwhelmed the sound of the gunshot blast above him.

What the hell!
In one fluid movement, Cole rolled, pulled his gun from his ankle holster, and sprang to his feet. Adrenaline surging, he stayed low and ran toward the direction the shots came from.

Hannah’s hand in hers, Keeley walked along the drive back to the house and breathed in the fresh air of summer. How she loved the change of each season. A fragrant hint of the magnolia trees about to bloom blended with the scent of the early roses lining the trellis of the small gazebo at the side yard. In about a month or so, the magnolias would be in full regalia, covered with large white flowers that carried the sweetest lemony scent.

A movement at the front of the house caught her eye. Ethan was running toward his truck. Her heart thudding with dread, she watched as he started the truck and zoomed toward them. She caught a glimpse of his expression and fear slammed deeper. Something was very wrong.

The truck stopped beside them and Ethan slid the window down. Keeley braced herself for bad news.

“Cole’s had a little car trouble. I’m going to go pick him up.”

His grim expression told her it was something more than car trouble. The glance he shot Hannah was one of concern. He didn’t want to scare her.

Keeley turned to her daughter. “Hannah, go on to the house and ask Shea if she’ll give you a bowl of ice cream. Okay?”

The delighted expression on her face an indication she
hadn’t picked up that anything was wrong, Hannah took off running. As soon as she was out of hearing range, Keeley turned back to Ethan. “What’s happened?”

“Cole’s brakes failed. He had to jump out of the Jeep.”

Keeley grasped the side mirror for something to hold on to. “Is he hurt?”

“He’s fine. Some bruises and scrapes, nothing more.” He grinned and added, “I’ll bring him home and let you fuss over him.”

Though she knew Ethan’s teasing words were supposed to ease her fears, she couldn’t help but feel the need to go see for herself that Cole was truly all right. She cast an anxious glance toward the house, torn between wanting to go with Ethan and the need to stay with Hannah to make sure she was safe.

Ethan recognized the look. “Stay with Hannah and Shea. As soon as you get inside, turn on the security alarm.”

“Something else happened, didn’t it?”

“Just get inside, Keeley. Everything will be all right.”

She backed away and watched Ethan speed out of the drive. The instant the gate closed, Keeley sprinted toward the house. Her heart in her throat, she burst through the door, slammed it shut, and punched in the security code.

Needing to see Hannah, she ran into the kitchen and jerked to a stop at the incredibly normal and calm scene. Hannah sat at the table devouring a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Shea sat across from her, eating a small bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Her smile serene, Shea said, “It’s delicious. Want some?”

Breaths almost coming in spurts she was feeling so panicked, she shook her head. “Cole, he—”

“Is fine,” Shea finished for her. “Just a bit bruised. Nothing’s happend that he can’t handle. Okay?”

Without knowing how she got there, she found herself sitting at the table. Her knees were shaking so badly, she knew she would have fallen if she hadn’t found a seat soon.

A ragged sigh scraped against her lungs as Keeley admitted something she hadn’t allowed herself to think about. Cole had become important to her. Very important. If something happened to him … No, nothing could happen to Cole. She couldn’t bear it. She’d lost too much already. She couldn’t lose Cole, too.

Cole stood at the side of the road and waited for Ethan to pick him up. The shooter was long gone. Cole had only been able to get off a couple of shots before he was out of range. The dust kicked up from the guy’s dirt bike obscured him, but in the split-second glimpse Cole got of him, he’d been able to see a man about six feet tall, with long, black stringy hair. Not a hell of a lot to go on.

The shooter had been waiting for him. The small pop he’d heard underneath the vehicle must’ve been a device that disabled the brakes and the steering column. Apparently he hadn’t been sure his first attempt would work, so he’d had a plan B.

The sound of a vehicle approaching brought his gaze away from the totaled SUV at the bottom of the ravine. Cole dropped behind a small boulder and waited. Damned if he’d give the bastard another chance at him.

At the sight of Ethan’s grim face, Cole expelled a sigh and headed toward the vehicle. The truck rolled to a stop; Ethan opened the door and jumped out. He gave Cole a sweeping glance, then went to the edge of the drop-off and looked down at the wrecked Jeep. He turned around and asked, “You piss somebody off?”

Cole shrugged and then winced slightly. “Apparently.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” He looked down at his ripped clothes. “Couple of bruises and a lot of dirt.”

“What happened?”

“Brakes failed. Steering locked up.”

“Sabotage?”

“That’d be my guess, since the second I jumped out, somebody took a shot at me.”

Ethan gazed around with more interest. “Damn, you did piss somebody off. Got any ideas?”

“Not yet.” He opened the passenger door and eased inside, ignoring his bruised hip and shoulder.

Ethan got in beside him. “You need to go anywhere else?”

Meaning did he have injuries that needed tending.

“No. I want to get Keeley and Hannah out of the house as soon as possible. The search team will be there in a couple of hours. I’d just as soon Hannah not see strange people going through her house. She’s been through enough already.”

“What about your Jeep?”

“I’ve already called a mechanic I know here. He’ll tow it to his shop. If he can’t confirm what happened to the brakes, I’ll ask Honor to have her people take a look.”

“Safe house is set; just waiting for us to arrive.”

Cole nodded, grateful that Ethan and Shea were here to assist. Since Keeley and Hannah’s safety was his primary concern now, the more help he had from LCR, the better.

Targeting him had upped the stakes. Someone wanted him out of the way; he didn’t have to question why. If the house had bugs, any kisses or conversation would have been picked up. Whoever was behind this knew
Keeley had become more than a client to him. And apparently they didn’t approve.

Anxiety streamed through Keeley as she stood at the front door and waited for Cole. She’d talked to him on the phone only moments ago, and he’d assured her he was fine. Until she saw him in person, though, she wouldn’t be able to relax. He hadn’t said, but the grimness in his tone gave her a hint of what might have happened. Someone had tried to hurt or kill Cole. And it was because of her.

The horror that someone hated her that much was almost more than she could bear. Was she destined to lose everyone she had? Should she tell Jenna and Miranda to stay away from her?

The instant she spotted Ethan’s black truck, she pressed a button on the wall to open the gate. Normally the numbers were keyed in at the gate entrance, but Keeley couldn’t wait for that. She had to see Cole as soon as possible.

Before the truck could roll to a stop in front of the house, Keeley was out the door and running toward the passenger side. Cole opened the door and she let out a little cry. The left side of his face was scraped and his khaki pants and light blue shirt were torn and filthy.

She raised a trembling hand to his bleeding cheek and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

Instead of answering her, he gave Ethan a hard look. “Find Shea and Hannah. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Giving a sharp nod, Ethan ran up the steps to the house.

Before she could say anything, Cole grasped her shoulders and said, “Do not ever think this is your fault, Keeley. You understand me?”

Tears blurring her vision, she nodded. “I can’t bear the thought of anyone else getting hurt.”

He pulled her forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “He’s making mistakes and he’s getting desperate. That means we’re getting closer than he’d like.”

“Close how? We still know nothing.”

He shrugged and then winced as if in pain. A fresh wave of guilt washed over her. Here she was letting him reassure and comfort her and he’d almost been killed.

“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”

“I’m fine.”

“Let me at least get some antiseptic and Band-Aids for your face.”

“Where’s Hannah?”

“She and Shea are in the playroom.” She smiled faintly. “I think they’re both taking a nap.”

As if his mind were a thousand miles away, his eyes were distant as he nodded slowly. “Go get the bandages and stuff … meet me in the girls’ bedroom. Okay?”

Even though she thought it was a bit odd to take care of his injuries in the girls’ bedroom, Keeley didn’t question him. Something told her that no matter what it was, Cole always had a purpose and a reason. One of the many things she admired about him.