Backfire (15 page)

SEVENTEEN

C
arol and Gina, Tracy’s mom, entered the room. Tracy’s father was sleeping. David had grown impatient for Tracy to return, but she’d appeared to need a break and he’d given her that. Surely she was safe in a hospital. But she hadn’t answered her phone. He knew she’d be upset if he left her father for even one second, so he was glad to see her mother and sister.

“Where’s Tracy?” Gina asked.

“She went to freshen up.” David stood. “I’ll find her.”

He didn’t see her in the waiting room or down the hallway, so he knocked on the door of the women’s restroom. Finally another woman approached the entrance and frowned at him.

“Could you check for me? Ask if Tracy is inside.”

Her frown softened. “Sure, I’ll look.”

A few seconds later she returned. “Sir, there’s no one in the restroom.”

He hadn’t thought she’d stay in there so long. David hurried to the elevator. Maybe she’d gone down to grab snacks or coffee. But he would think she would answer the phone. The hospital elevators took entirely too long.

He made the first-floor main lobby and hurried to the small shop where they’d spotted the snacks and coffee. No Tracy. Unsure if this was an actual emergency, he opted for calling the police detective who’d left his card on the side table next to Tracy’s father’s bed in case the man thought of something more. David had snagged the card on his way out of the room in case he needed it. He wasn’t all that sure that the police were the right entities to handle this. Organized crime, including gangs, warranted the attention of the Department of Justice or the FBI at the very least. But the police were always the first to handle things until they escalated.

So what about now? What about the attempts on her life? Winters was right. She needed to run and hide.

Phone to his ear, he stood in the lobby, watching for her and praying.

The elevator door swooshed open.

A woman stepped out—hospital staff, by her dress—but no Tracy.

David got the detective’s voice mail and ended the call. He wasn’t sure what he would say. Not yet. He tried her cell again and got no response. All he could think was that her phone had better be dead. She might be back in her father’s room by now. Unwilling to wait on the slow-moving elevators, David took the stairwell this time and on the second floor stood Tracy, pale-faced and huddled in the corner.

David grabbed her shoulders. “Tracy, what’s wrong?”

“They’re here.”

“Who? Who’s here?” But he already knew the answer.

“Members of Santino’s gang. There was someone dressed in scrubs, either working at the hospital or pretending to work. She had the tattoo.” Tracy appeared dazed and shocked, which concerned David more than anything at the moment. “She got on the elevator with me. I don’t know if she wanted to harm me because a security officer got on the elevator at the next floor. I got off just as he got on.”

“And why are you in the stairwell?”

Her gaze locked with his and a small smile seemed to shake off the dazed look. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“The elevators are too slow.”

“You don’t have to tell me. Those were the longest three minutes of my life. When I got off the elevator I just wanted to hide, so I slipped into the stairwell.”

“I was worried about you when you didn’t come back or answer your phone. I had to find you.” He hugged her to him. She could have been killed on that elevator, right here in the hospital. “We need to call the detective, tell him everything. Your dad needs protection.”

“I tried to call but the cell won’t work in the stairwell,” she said.

That explained why he hadn’t been able to get through to her. He tightened his hold on her, fearing he could lose her forever. He couldn’t go through that again. He planted a kiss on the top of her head, hoping she didn’t mind, but it wasn’t exactly a
real
kiss, as they’d shared before. The kind that he’d promised never to give her again.

Even through this dangerous scenario, David hadn’t stopped thinking about the kiss they’d shared. He was torturing himself on that one. He couldn’t let himself love her.

“David,” she whispered.

“Yes.”

“You can let me go now. We need to check on Dad. Call the police.”

Slowly he released her and looked down into her eyes. “Don’t go anywhere else alone—that is, until you’re safe and sound in WITSEC and have a whole new life.”

At the words, a knot lodged in his throat.

She shook her head. “Didn’t you hear my father? He’s not going, which means I’m not going.”

“But this is insane. It will never stop. You said if anything else happened you would leave Mountain Cove and start a new life as a new person.”

“I meant if anything happened in Mountain Cove.” She grabbed her hair. “I’m so confused, I don’t know what to do. But I’m going back to Mountain Cove. Maybe this happened to my father because Mercado was killed instead of me, and this was a warning. If possible, we need to draw them away from my family.”

Protect her family by putting
herself
right back in the line of danger? Yeah. As if that made a whole lot of sense. Couldn’t someone do something to stop this kind of criminal activity? When David exited the stairwell with Tracy, his cell phone rang. Detective Palmer. David answered the call and explained everything as he and Tracy made their way to her father’s room. At the door to the room, David ended his conversation with the detective.

“What did he say?” she asked.

“He’s coming to the hospital to question you. It sounds like he’s taking this more seriously now. Should you let Marshal Hanes know about these new developments?”

“Why? It won’t change a thing. My father refuses to leave his life and, by default, I refuse to leave my life in Mountain Cove.”

Her words terrified David. Winters was right. He had to convince her to go into WITSEC. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I’m not helping my family by staying here. And this time I want to face the threat head-on.”

* * *

They stood at the door of David’s grandmother’s home and knocked.

As soon as she’d made sure her father was on the road to recovery, she’d returned to Mountain Cove—in part, she hoped to draw attention back to her and away from her family. In addition, the detective had discovered solid leads regarding who had assaulted her father and assured her arrests would be made. In the meantime, he’d stationed police to guard her father’s room.

Her mother had hired a firm to beef up security around the house. Tracy should be relieved, but she couldn’t help but wonder how long they would have to live like this.

David smiled. “I could just walk in. She’s family, after all. I used to live here.”

He reached for the knob just as the door opened. An older woman’s face brightened with a huge smile. “Oh, David. So wonderful to see you.”

The woman hugged David to her as she pulled them both inside the house. Then she turned her attention on Tracy. “And this is the woman you were telling me about?”

David looked at Tracy with admiration in his eyes. “This is my friend Tracy Murray. And this is Grandma Katy,” David said to Tracy.

Tracy thrust her hand forward. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

“Oh, dear, we hug around here.” The woman tugged her into an embrace. “And you can call me Katy.”

The warm and friendly woman released Tracy. A lump grew in Tracy’s throat. “Katy, then.”

Katy continued her conversation with David as she led them into an open living room connected to the kitchen. Inside the cozy home, Tracy noticed the same cross-stitched scriptures on the walls that Jewel had in the cottage and in her house. Tracy couldn’t help but feel slightly awkward. After all, not even a month ago she’d avoided David Warren, thought he was cold and aloof, and now here she was, already meeting his grandmother. She chided herself—it wasn’t
that
kind of meeting, as though he’d taken her home to meet his parents or something. But it was strange how circumstances had thrown them together since that first day on the trail.

Sure, they’d been initially forced together that day, but David had made the decision to stick with her since then, and though she’d tried to keep her heart out of it, she’d welcomed his help in all this. In fact, she wasn’t sure what she would have done without his encouragement and support. His unwavering protective bearing. Besides, Tracy had kept herself so separate from everyone in Mountain Cove—except for Jewel—that she hadn’t made any real friends.

Who was she kidding? She’d needed David these past few weeks. Needed him in a desperate way.

Katy stood in the kitchen making coffee. “David says you’re interested in staying at the house. Renting a room. Only I won’t accept that. You can stay with me for as long as you need without worrying about payment.”

Tracy glanced at him, unsure what he’d told his grandmother. She was beginning to doubt this idea. How could she put this woman in danger like this? Anyone she got close to would be at risk. “Oh, no, I couldn’t do that. I was considering renting the garage apartment.”

And she was close to changing her mind on the whole arrangement. How had she let him talk her into this? It might be closer to town and in a neighborhood that felt more secure than being out in the woods in Jewel’s cabin, but she’d been in a neighborhood when Santino had destroyed her life the first time.

She took a step back.

David blocked her way as if he’d read her mind.

“Grandma understands everything, Tracy. Don’t worry.” David winked at his grandmother. “In fact, she’s been through this before.”

“Besides,” Katy said, “David is going to stay in the garage apartment. So you see? You have to stay in the house. It’s a big lonely house with all the kids gone. I’d enjoy the company.”

Tracy wasn’t sure how good of company she would be. She felt a little cornered.

“You’re staying in the apartment?”

“I am.” His forest-eyed gaze pinned her, sending her heart tumbling.

“And Solomon’s free to roam the house and the yard.” Katy watched Tracy, waiting for her reaction. It was as if the woman was trying to persuade Tracy, too. How could anyone welcome someone in her situation into their home this way?

And how could Tracy say no to these two?

“My grandmother is the best cook, so at least eat dinner with us and then you can decide.”

Oh, so he
had
read her mind.

“Make yourself comfortable, dear. Let David bring in your things.” Katy grabbed her hand and dragged her forward, tossing a wink at David.

Tracy liked David’s grandmother a lot.

Later that evening she settled into a bedroom upstairs, Solomon at her side. David and Katy and her amazing home-style cooking had worked against her, convincing her to stay when alarms had gone off in her head. But if not here, where would she stay? Anywhere else and she would be all alone and an easier target.

She didn’t know how, but this family and this town made her feel more protected than she’d felt since this ordeal had first begun—when Derrick had started researching his story. Chief Winters had even stopped by the house to speak with her and reassure her they would keep an eye out with all vigilance.

But they couldn’t go on like this forever. Though Tracy wanted this to end, she couldn’t foresee any ending that wouldn’t cost more lives.

* * *

Tracy woke at dawn when her SAR pager went off. She dug around in her backpack, realizing she’d almost forgotten about the thing with everything that had happened.

She read the callout information. They needed Solomon for a wilderness search. A little girl was missing. Tracy couldn’t abide that, couldn’t sit around and do nothing. She’d moved to Mountain Cove to be free and she intended to live her life. Besides, she’d be with others on the search, and needed to get her mind off herself and onto others.

Solomon looked up at her, wagging his tail. He’d recognized the sound and knew what it meant. Wondering if David had also received it, she peeked out the window. His truck was gone. That was right; he was at the fire station for his shift. He’d taken off far too much time on her account already, she was sure.

Tracy geared up and headed down the stairs. Katy was already up and drinking coffee, a deep frown etched in her face. What could that be about? Her eyes grew wide when she saw Tracy.

“Good morning, Tracy. You’re up early for work.”

“Not exactly. I don’t start back helping Jewel until next week.” Tracy shrugged as she took the mug Katy poured her, feeling guilty and yet so grateful to Jewel for her understanding. Who could ask for a better employer? “I need to go now, though, because I received a callout. They need a SAR dog to find a little girl. She went missing this morning.”

Katy nodded, her frown deepening. “There was a fire in town last night. I’ve been praying for David and the other firefighters, and for Adam. It was his business that burned.”

Tracy stiffened, fear curdling in her stomach. She’d slept so hard she hadn’t heard the sirens. And poor Adam. Had it been another attack related to Santino? A warning that hit closer to the Warren home, targeting David’s family this time? Tracy prayed it wasn’t related. Everything couldn’t be because of her situation, could it?
God, please, no...
She composed herself. “Anyone hurt? Have you heard from David?”

“He said he would text when he could. I would have gone up there, but David wouldn’t have it, and I didn’t want to leave you here alone. But I believe that God holds my grandchildren in the palm of His hand. Who am I to worry? But instead I pray. Can I pray for you?”

Seeing the strength of those words in Katy’s eyes, Tracy wished she had that same kind of faith. “Sure, you can pray. I’ll pray, too. I’m so sorry for Adam.”

She hung her head, not knowing how to express everything she felt. Then, finally, she said, “Thank you, again, for letting me stay. I should get going.”

She wanted to see David and Adam, but knew she would only distract them. Besides, she and Solomon had a job to do. Something to help others.

To Solomon she said, “Come on, boy. We have work to do today. We have to help find a little girl who is lost.”