Dade Read online

  Carrie’s eyes widened. For just a second. And then she shrugged. “I heard someone talking about it. Don’t remember who.” Her stare drilled into Dade. “How else would I have known? You’re not accusing me of anything, are you?”

  Dade cursed. “No, but I am telling you for the last time to leave.” And to make sure that happened, he slammed the door in their faces.

  “I’m sorry,” Kayla said at the exact moment Dade said it, too.

  Kayla managed a frustrated groan. Dade skipped the groan and made a call. To his brother, no doubt. They had to get out of there fast, now that seemingly everyone in Silver Creek knew their location.

  While Dade was on the phone, Kayla looked out the window to make sure their guests did indeed drive away. Her sister gave her one last glance before she got in the car. The glance was definitely one of disapproval. Maybe because Kayla hadn’t welcomed her with open arms. Maybe because Misty thought Kayla should have defended her more.

  It didn’t matter which.

  The bottom line was that she couldn’t trust her sister. Coming here had been irresponsible at best and at worst, it had endangered Robbie.

  Dade ended his call and looked out the window just as Carrie and Misty were driving away. “Get your things ready. Grayson will be out in a half hour to escort us to our ranch.”

  “Your ranch?” she questioned. “Your brothers aren’t going to like that.”

  “My brothers are all lawmen, and they’d never put their personal feelings above the badge.” But that troubled expression let her know that this would not be a laid-back visit. “It’s only temporary, until we can make arrangements for another safe house.”

  Kayla turned to tell Connie the news, but she stopped. So did Dade, and he shook his head. “Think back to last night,” he told her. “Was the gunman’s phone call mentioned while Carrie was still there?”

  Kayla tried to pick through the details of that nightmare. “I don’t think so.” And that led her to her next question. “You suspect her of something?”

  He shook his head. “Don’t know yet. I don’t like that she brought up her connection to your late-husband.”

  Neither did Kayla. “She seemed to think I was horning in on her possible relationship with Preston. And with you.”

  Dade didn’t deny it, and the suddenly tight jaw muscles confirmed it. “Carrie and I were together, but things ended between us months ago.”

  Kayla didn’t doubt that Dade had ended the relationship. Nor did she doubt Carrie still had feelings for Dade. She only hoped that Carrie wouldn’t risk their safety all for the sake of getting Dade back into her life.

  “I’ll tell Connie we’re leaving soon,” Kayla let him know. But the nanny had obviously overheard the news because she was already packing their things.

  Kayla started to help, but then she heard Dade’s phone ring again. She hurried back to the living room to make sure nothing else had gone wrong.

  “Kayla’s not available,” Dade said. His voice and his face were tense, and she walked closer, wondering who had caused this reaction.

  “Do your slimy lawyers know you called me?” Dade asked whoever was on the other end of the line. “Brennan,” he mouthed to her.

  Oh, God. She’d already had enough for one day without adding him to the mix. Why was the devil himself calling Dade?

  Dade’s mouth tightened even more. So did the grip he had on the tiny cell phone. “That sounds like a threat.”

  Threat. That word slammed through her like a heavyweight’s fist. Charles was liberal with his threats, she had grown accustomed to them, but how dare he call now after nearly succeeding in killing her?

  She marched across the room and held out her hand. “I need to talk to him.”

  Dade was shaking his head when she ripped the phone from his hand. “What do you want?” Kayla demanded from Charles.

  “Kayla.” Charles said her name in that sappy sweet way that only he could manage. “You’re a hard woman to reach. I’ve been calling all around, trying to find you. Imagine my surprise to learn you’re with one of the Ryland boys. My advice? Sleep with one eye open because the Rylands would love to slit your pretty little throat.”

  “What…do…you…want?” Kayla paused between each word because she was fighting to hold on to her composure. She wanted to scream. She wanted to reach through the phone and slap this vile man.

  “I called to make sure Robbie was okay.” The sappiness went down a notch.

  “Well, he’s not.” She turned away from Dade when he tried to take the phone, but she did hold it so he could hear. “He’s in danger because of you. Because of the assassins you hired to kill me.”

  “Kayla…” Silence, for a few seconds. “My differences with you would never extend to my grandson. Besides, I didn’t hire any assassins.”

  She didn’t believe him for a minute and judging from Dade’s snarl, neither did he. “What kind of sick man endangers a baby just so he won’t have to go to jail?”

  Charles cursed. “I didn’t endanger him, but I intend to find out who did.” And with that, he ended the call, leaving Kayla to wonder what the heck had just happened.

  “He’s trying to trick me into believing he wasn’t behind that attack last night,” she mumbled.

  Dade eased the phone from her hand and hit the end call button. He also turned so he could keep watch out the window. “Before that attack, had Brennan done anything to put Robbie at risk?”

  Kayla didn’t want to think of the past year or the months before that when she was pregnant, but she forced herself to go back. To the bad memories. To the beatings that Preston had delivered. To the verbal abuse from Charles.

  “No,” Kayla answered. “When Charles learned I was pregnant, he seemed happy. And he was even happier when he learned I was carrying a boy. He warned Preston not to hit me when I was pregnant because he didn’t want to risk a miscarriage.”

  That confession cut through her because it was a reminder of the life she’d led. Trapped in hell. She was so ashamed of what she’d allowed to happen.

  “Don’t cry,” she heard Dade say, and that’s when she realized there were tears in her eyes.

  Kayla cursed the tears. She was tired of crying and just as tired of breaking down in front of Dade.

  “I’m not a wuss,” she mumbled.

  “Never thought you were.” He huffed and pulled her into his arms. “Shh,” he whispered, his breath brushing against her hair.

  It felt so good to have him hold her like this. His arms were warm and safe, but she couldn’t do this. Dade was nothing like Preston, but she had to stand on her own two feet.

  And that’s why Kayla stepped back.

  Dade looked at her, frowned and hooked his arm around her waist. He snapped her right back to him. “I’m offering you a shoulder to cry on. That’s it. No strings attached.”

  “Oh, there are strings.” And she hadn’t meant to say that aloud. Dade was looking out the window, keeping watch, but she waited until his eyes angled back to her. “This attraction has strings.”

  “Yeah,” he admitted. He brushed his mouth over hers. “I wish I could do something about that, but I can’t. I want you. You want me. You’re scared of a relationship, and I don’t want my brothers hating you any more than they already do.”

  Kayla took a deep breath. “So our decision should be easy. We keep our hands off each other.”

  He raised an eyebrow because his hands were already on her. And he wasn’t backing away. Dade leaned down and put his mouth to hers again. It was just a touch, but it blazed right through her, leaving her breathless. Making her want more.

  Kayla couldn’t have more. Not now. Not ever.

  She put her hands on his chest to push herself back. To put some much-needed distance between his hands and her body.

  But a sound stopped her cold.

  Chapter Nine

  The blast ripped through the house.

  Dade automatically drew his gun, but this was
n’t another visitor. Nor were shots being fired.

  This was an explosion.

  “Go to Robbie,” Dade told Kayla, but she was already heading in that direction.

  Dade pressed the emergency response button on his phone to alert the dispatcher of a problem, and he hurried to the side of the window and looked out, not sure of what he might see. But what he saw sent his stomach to the floor.

  His SUV was a fireball.

  Dade knew this wasn’t some kind of freak accident. No. Someone had put an explosive device in it. But Dade couldn’t see that someone. He checked the yard and the pasture on both sides of the SUV.

  No one.

  It was too much to hope that the person had set the explosive and then left. In all probability, the bomber had moved to the back or sides of the house where he’d be out of sight.

  And was ready to attack.

  Dade did a quick check of the security system to make sure it was armed. It was. And he hurried to kitchen so he’d have a view of the backyard and the outbuildings.

  “Take Robbie and Connie and get into the bathroom,” he yelled out to Kayla.

  Judging from the sound of the footsteps, Kayla was already doing that. Dade hoped it would be enough to keep them safe.

  He peered around the window frame and into the backyard. He didn’t spot anyone, but there were a lot of places to hide. Two barns, trees and even several old watering troughs in the corral area. Because the troughs were metal, that would make them an ideal place to hide and then launch an attack.

  But what was this attack about?

  Had Brennan sent someone to kill Kayla?

  That didn’t feel right. Because if he’d wanted her dead, he could have instructed the bomber to toss the explosive closer to the house. Of course, that would have endangered Robbie. So, maybe this was some kind of ruse to get them to run. The thought had no sooner crossed his mind when he caught the scent. Smoke.

  Dade couldn’t see any flames, but he could certainly smell it, and threads of thin gray smoke started to seep through the tiny gaps around back door.

  “The house is on fire!” Kayla yelled a split-second before the smoke detectors went off.

  Their situation had just gone from bad to worse, because Dade knew how this was going down. He had to get Kayla and the others out of the house. Outside. Where that bomber-arsonist was waiting for them.

  Later, he would kick himself for allowing this to happen, but for now he needed to take some measures to keep them all alive.

  With his gun ready, Dade hurried to the other side of the house where Kayla and Connie were waiting in the doorway of the bathroom. Kayla had Robbie in her arms, but the baby was kicking and fussing.

  “The fire,” Kayla said, pointing through the open doorway of the second bedroom.

  Dade could see the flames now. Bright orangey red, and they were licking up the side of the house. There wasn’t much time.

  “We have to get out,” he told them, although it was clear from their faces they already knew that. The trick was how to get them out.

  He snatched a damp towel from a hanging bar and tossed it over Robbie. Maybe it would give him some protection. “Stay low and follow me. Hurry,” Dade added.

  There were two exits, front and back. Plus the windows, but he couldn’t use those because it would take too long to get them all out. Speed was important now. They had to hit the ground running and get behind cover. Not easy to do with a baby in tow. Maybe they would get lucky, and Dade could hold off an assassin until backup arrived.

  Thank God Grayson was already on the way.

  Keeping watch, Dade led them back through the living room, but he stopped to grab a backup handgun from his overnight bag. Unfortunately, they might need it.

  “I can shoot,” Kayla insisted, and she passed Robbie to the nanny so she could take the gun.

  Dade wanted to say no, that he didn’t want her to have to fend off an assassin, but right now he needed all the help he could get.

  “We’re going out front,” Dade let them know.

  It could be a wrong call. A gunman could be out there waiting, but his gut told him their attacker would be expecting them to leave through the back, as far away from that burning SUV as they could get.

  Kayla’s breath came even faster. Maybe because of the smoke that was drifting through the room. “What then?”

  Another gamble. “I go first. Then Connie and the baby. We keep them between us.” Protecting them from gunfire. He hoped. “Once we’re off the porch, run out the gate to the right of what’s left of the SUV and then drop down. There’s a deep ditch out there, and we’ll use it for cover.”

  Kayla gave a shaky nod, one that Connie repeated, but neither looked at all confident in his plan. Robbie peeked out at him, his head and body covered with the thick towel, and it nearly broke Dade’s heart to think of the baby in danger. This wasn’t right. No child should be in this position.

  “It’ll be okay, buddy,” Dade whispered to the baby. He gave Kayla one last look. She was terrified, her hands shaking, but he saw the determination there, too. She was a fighter, and that was exactly what he needed right now.

  Dade hurried to the door and threw it open, not bothering to disarm the security system. Hopefully, the alarm would unnerve their attacker in some small way. He looked out, didn’t see anyone waiting to attack, so he motioned for them to follow.

  The blast of cold air came right at them the moment they stepped onto the porch. It was mixed with the stench of the fire, and the smoke from both the flames and the SUV. The SUV was already a goner, and it wouldn’t be long before the wood frame house was reduced to ashes.

  Dade moved quickly, maneuvering Connie and Robbie onto the porch and then the steps. Kayla was right behind them, not as close as he wanted but that’s because she was keeping watch behind them. Good move. Because their attacker could come through the back of the house and ambush them.

  “Hurry,” Dade instructed Connie even though he doubted she could hear him over the clanging security alarms.

  With Robbie in her arms, Connie stepped down into the ditch. Dade looked back to motion to Kayla to hurry as well, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her body snapped to the right side of the house. So did her aim.

  And she fired.

  Everything happened fast. Dade got a split-second glimpse of the person dressed head to toe in black before Kayla’s bullet sent the gunman ducking for cover on the opposite side of the house where the fire was blazing.

  Kayla held her position. Her weapon raised and ready.

  “Get down here!” Dade shouted to her.

  He had already aimed at their attacker, and it didn’t take long before the guy lifted his head again. He fired right at Dade.

  Kayla yelled for him to get down. Dade did the same to her again, but she didn’t move until a bullet came her way. Hell.

  She was out there in the open, too easy of a target. And she seemed to be frozen. Or maybe she was trying to use herself as a diversion so the gunman wouldn’t send any bullets toward Robbie and Connie.

  He didn’t intend to let Kayla sacrifice herself.

  Dade glanced at Connie to make sure she was deep in the ditch. She was. And she was using her own body to protect Robbie. They were away from the house fire and the SUV. The baby was as safe as he could be, so Dade did something about making sure Kayla didn’t get killed.

  He sprinted to her and hooked his arm around her waist. But he wasn’t fast enough.

  The bullets came flying right at them.

  EVEN WITH THE DEAFENING noise of the security alarm, Kayla had no trouble hearing the shots. Or seeing their attacker as he leaned out and fired.

  She returned fire just as Dade pulled her off the porch and to the ground. He scrambled to get them to the side of the house. Opposite the gunman and so close to the fire that she could feel the heat from the flames.

  But she was also yards away from her precious baby.

  Kayla wanted to run to Connie a
nd him. She needed to make sure they were all right, but if she stepped out, their attacker would kill her. She wasn’t afraid for her own life, but if she got killed, she wouldn’t be there to protect Robbie.

  “Keep watch behind us,” Dade shouted to her.

  Oh, God.

  She hadn’t even considered that the gunman might run to the back of the house and shoot at them through the flames and smoke. If he did that, at least he wouldn’t be near the ditch, but again she couldn’t take the risk of Dade and her being gunned down. She turned, putting her back up against Dade’s, and Kayla held her breath, waiting. And praying.

  Somehow, she had to get her baby safely out of this.

  She cursed herself for coming back to testify, but sooner or later it would have come down to this. A confrontation with Charles was inevitable, and she’d only delayed things when she went into hiding.

  The winter wind shifted and sent the black smoke right at them, spreading it all around—not just the house but also the yard. The gunman could use it as a shield, but worse, the smoke burned her throat and lungs. Kayla started to cough. Not good. Because that would give away their position.

  “We have to move,” Dade insisted.

  Kayla knew he was right, but there seemed no place to go. The fire was directly behind them, and if they went into the front yard, the gunman would pick them off. That left the side. No fence. No buildings they could duck behind. However, there were some pecan trees about thirty feet away. If they could get to those, they could use the trees for protection and still be able to see the ditch.

  “Stay low and move fast,” Dade instructed, and he tipped his head to the trees.

  Kayla nodded and prayed they could make it. Dade gave her one last glance, and he seemed to be trying to apologize to her. But Kayla was the one who’d gotten them into this mess. She hoped later she would have the chance to tell Dade how sorry she was for that.

  “Now,” Dade ordered. He, too, was coughing now, and she hoped the move would at least put them out of the smoke’s path.

  Each step was a victory, and she counted them off in her head while keeping watch over her shoulder. They only made it six steps before she saw the figure emerge from the smoke. She and Dade just kept running, but Kayla kept watch behind them.