The Texas Lawman's Last Stand (21 page)

It was a tight fit, but Bo managed to reach into the car. Ian must have seen him coming because he started to fight harder, and he rammed his fist into Mattie’s jaw again. Somehow, she held on to to his wrist.

And Bo helped.

He latched on to the gun itself. He couldn’t wrench it from Ian’s hand, but it freed up Mattie to move back.

“Get out of here!” Bo told her.

Bo cursed when Ian got in another punch, this one landing on the side of Mattie’s head. She cursed, too, and fought to get away. Because they were all crammed into the small space between the seat, the console and the steering wheel, there wasn’t much room to maneuver.

Ian turned his head and sank his teeth into Bo’s hand. The pain shot through him, but Bo didn’t let go because that was the hand he was using to try to control the gun.

“You sick piece of slime!” Mattie yelled at Ian. She caught hold of Ian’s hair and rammed his head against the console.

That stopped the biting, but Ian came after Mattie again. Before the man could punch her again, Bo caught Mattie’s arm and slung her out of the way. She landed behind him somewhere, and that meant he could grab Ian with both hands.

Bo dragged him from the car.

“I’ll kill her!” Ian shouted. And he kept shouting it while he tried to bash his gun against Bo’s head.

Bo’s anger level was beyond dangerous, and that last attempt to kill Mattie pushed him over the edge. Bo slammed Ian face first against the car.

Ian gasped and wheezed for breath, and Bo couldn’t believe it when the SOB tried to aim the gun.

At Mattie.

Ian was going to try to shoot her.

“Get down,” Bo told Mattie.

Just as Ian pulled the trigger.

Bo didn’t look back to see where the shot had landed, but he prayed Mattie had gotten out of the way in time. He put all his anger and attention on Ian. Bo rammed his full weight against Ian’s back, and he bashed the man’s right hand against the car. When Ian still held on, Bo whacked his hand again.

And again.

The gun finally dislodged and went crashing onto the ground. Ian gave up, too, and sagged against the car.

“Mattie, are you all right?” Bo asked, and he held his breath.

“I’m okay.”

Well, she sure as hell didn’t sound okay, so he glanced at her. Mattie didn’t look okay, either. Her mouth was bleeding, and she had a cut on her cheekbone. God knows how many bruises she had on her. She was pale and shaking, but she hadn’t been shot. Bo thanked God for that, because Ian had had several chances to shoot her.

Bo tipped his head, and the other officers moved in. He waited, holding Ian in place, until one of the officers kicked Ian’s gun out of the way, and the other officer came in to cuff the man and read him his rights.

Bo watched, hoping like hell that Ian would try something. He wanted the moron to come at him again so he could pulverize him.

“Don’t,” Mattie whispered. She touched Bo’s arm and rubbed gently. “Let it go.”

“Can you?” Bo snapped. The emotion was still raw and angry and roaring through him.

“Yes. Because Ian doesn’t matter. He’ll go to jail for the rest of his life. You and I, on the other hand, are free. No more danger. We can spend the rest of our lives with Jacob and Holly.”

With just those words and her touch, she soothed him and lessened his anger over Ian’s attack. She reminded Bo of what was really at stake here.

Ian cursed, apparently upset that Mattie could find a silver lining so soon after the hell she’d just been through.

Ian stopped cursing, and much to Bo’s surprise, he laughed. “Don’t go planning any happily-ever-afters, Mattie,” he spat out. “Because once you listen to what’s in that safety deposit box, you’re not going to be able to live with yourself.”

Chapter Nineteen

Mattie stared at the safety deposit box that Captain Tolbert placed on the center of the table in the crime lab. She hadn’t expected the police to bring the entire box so it could be analyzed, but here it was.

Like a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike.

“Ian was probably lying about what’s inside there,” Bo assured her.

He slipped his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, just above the bandage. The stitches she’d gotten just a half hour earlier were starting to sting now, and she felt achy and bruised from the fight with Ian. Yet, those were minor things. Bo and she were alive, the children were safe, and Ian wouldn’t be able to hurt them anymore. The only thing left to deal with was the box and what might be inside. Oh, and of course, there was Bo.

She needed to deal with him, too.

“We got the court order,” the captain explained. “So, it’s open. I first had it tested to make sure there were no explosives or booby traps. There weren’t. So I had a look inside while you two were with the medics.”

Mattie’s gaze whipped to the captain’s so she could see if there were any hints of what she was about to face. He was somber. His expression seemed to say, “I’m sorry.”

She took a deep breath, leaned over the stainless steel table and opened it. There were papers, a small tape recorder and a gun.

“What is all of this?” Bo asked, tightening his grip on her.

“Terrance Arturo obviously didn’t trust Kaplan, even though he was working for him.” The captain took out the first piece of paper and handed it to Mattie. “He explains that Kaplan hired him to break into the Witness Protection files so he could find you. There are numbers for the offshore account where Kaplan deposited the money, and Arturo even tells us how to trace the money back to Kaplan.”

Well, that certainly wasn’t bad news. “And the gun?”

“According to Arturo, it was the weapon he used to kill your fiancé. We’ll run ballistics, but we’re pretty sure it’ll be a match.” He paused. “Arturo says Kaplan’s prints are on the gun because he’s the one who gave it to Arturo.”

So it was yet more proof that would keep Ian in jail for life or maybe even get him the death penalty.

“I’ve gone through the papers,” the captain continued, “and from what I can tell, Kaplan set up Collier in that illegal arms deal. Your uncle did try to cover it up afterward, so he’s not completely innocent, but all the attempts to kidnap and kill you came from Kaplan.”

“Kendall’s innocent?” Bo asked, sounding as surprised as she was.

“Almost. He threatened Mattie so she wouldn’t testify against him, and that’s why she was placed in Witness Protection, but there’s no proof that he would have actually killed her. The real threat was Kaplan all along. I think Kaplan set things up to make it look as if Collier wanted her dead.”

“But you said Collier tried to cover up the arms deal,” Bo pointed out.

“Yes, and he might have to face charges for that. But we might be able to cut him a deal if he’ll testify against Kaplan.”

Which he would be a fool not to do. Kendall might be ruthless in business, but he wasn’t stupid.

“What about Marshal Tolivar?” Bo asked.

“Innocent, too. There’s proof in these papers that Kaplan set him up, as well.”

Mattie shook her head. How could one man have tried to ruin so many lives? Worse, he’d nearly succeeded.

Mattie glanced at the last item in the box. “What’s on the tape recorder?” she asked the captain.

The captain paused as though unsure how to give her the bad news.

“I’ll listen to it,” Bo volunteered. “I can summarize what’s on it.” He kissed her forehead again. “Rosalie will be here with the kids any minute and you can spend time with them in my office.”

It was a generous offer. She did want to spend time with Jacob and Holly. And Bo. But she had to know what was on that tape.

Mattie stared at the captain. “Ian said I wouldn’t be able to live with myself after I listen to what’s in the box.”

The captain mumbled some profanity. “He is obviously a psychopath. He created a vile situation, and when it didn’t work out the way he wanted, he blamed you. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Mattie.”

“What’s on the tape?” she insisted.

The captain glanced at Bo first. “It’s a recording of Kaplan meeting with your fiancé, Brody. Arturo’s in the room.”

“Arturo recorded it?” Bo asked.

Captain Tolbert nodded. “Kaplan offers Brody a deal—leave Mattie, move out of the country, and Kaplan will let him live. Brody tells Kaplan that he won’t leave, that he won’t hurt Mattie that way. That’s when Kaplan orders Arturo to kill him.”

Even though Mattie hadn’t been there, she could almost see it. Ian had probably thought Brody would jump at the chance to live, but he had chosen her instead.

And Brody had died because of it.

Bo cursed under his breath. “Don’t you dare let Ian get to you like this.” Bo no doubt saw the tears in her eyes. “Ian and Arturo killed Brody. Not you. This isn’t on you.”

As if to convince her of that, Bo kissed her. It wasn’t a peck of reassurance like the others. This was a real kiss. It shouldn’t have made any difference in what she was feeling.

But it did.

Bo pulled back and lifted her chin to meet her eye-to-eye. “If Ian had offered you the same deal today, to give up the person you love or die, would you take it?”

Mattie didn’t even have to think about this. “No.”

“Neither would I. Because love is worth fighting for. And yes, sometimes it’s worth dying for.”

“Like today,” she whispered. She had certainly been willing to die to stop Ian from killing Bo.

“Brody didn’t have a chance to fight for his life. Ian took that away from him. But don’t let Ian take away anything else. Don’t let him stop you from reaching out and taking what’s right in front of you.”

The tears returned to her eyes, because Bo was right. The person she loved more than life itself was standing right in front of her.

And that person was Bo.

“The past is the past,” Bo said, as if still trying to convince her. “Yes, part of you will always love Brody. Part of me will always love Nadine. But this is now, Mattie. This is the present and the future, and I want to spend that present and future with you.”

The captain cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still in the room. She’d forgotten all about him, mainly because the only thing she could see and feel right now was Bo. He’d said just the right thing to put things into perspective. She couldn’t let a deranged man like Ian ruin her chance at happiness by trying to weigh her down with old baggage. Baggage Ian had created.

“Maybe I should just step out for a couple of minutes,” the captain mumbled.

Neither of them stopped him.

“You told Ian you were in love with me,” Bo continued. “Is it true?” But he didn’t wait for her to answer. “I need it to be true.”

Mattie came up on her toes and kissed him. “It’s true.”

He smiled against her mouth. “Good. Because I’m in love with you, too.”

Everything inside her turned to warm silk. How could anything feel this right, this perfect? She had only known Bo a few days, but she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She was about to tell him that, too, but he kissed her again, and her world tipped on its axis.

He pressed her against the stainless table, in the sterile, cold room that was suddenly warm and welcoming.

Bo must have heard the sound at the same moment she did because he pulled away from her and went to the door through which the captain had just exited. But it wasn’t the captain returning. Mattie recognized that sound.

It was Holly, and she was giggling.

Mattie hurried to the door and saw Rosalie making her way down the hall toward them. Jacob was toddling across the glossy tiles, and since he looked ready to fall, Rosalie had a hand on him. In the crook of her other arm was Holly, who was apparently laughing at her brother’s antics.

“Hope we’re not interrupting,” Rosalie said. She leaned down and placed Holly on the floor, as well.

“But they were ready to take your office apart. Figured they’d do less damage down here.”

“You’re not interrupting,” Bo volunteered. “I was just about to ask Mattie to marry me, but it’s probably better if I do it in front of all of you, anyway.”

Mattie felt her mouth drop open. But she also felt the love race through her. The moment had already been perfect, but Bo had found a way to make it even better.

Bo reached down and picked up Holly when she made her way toward him, and he kissed her on her cheek. He passed her to Mattie so she could do the same. The little girl smiled, pressed both of her chubby hands to the sides of Mattie’s face and gave her a big kiss.

“Ma,” Holly announced.

Obviously not wanting to be left out of the action, Jacob strung together several Ma Mas, and he tugged at Mattie’s dress. Mattie bent down and scooped him up, as well.

Rosalie smiled and blinked back tears. “Well? Seems you owe Bo an answer about that marriage proposal.”

“My answer is yes,” Mattie whispered. Just for Bo. But then she repeated it, louder, so the children and Rosalie would hear.

Rosalie clapped and wiped the tears from her face.

Jacob picked up on the clapping and did the same. Holly soon joined him for the celebration. Even though they were too young to know what her yes meant, they obviously knew this was a happy time for their new family.

Mattie’s arms were already full, but she managed to turn to Bo so she could kiss him the way she wanted. A kiss to let him know that their future would always be filled with love. Like now. Forever.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-7967-8

THE TEXAS LAWMAN’S LAST STAND

Copyright © 2011 by Delores Fossen

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.