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She nodded slowly. “I promise. No more secrets or lies." Ellie met his eyes steadily. “But I expect the same from you.”
Building real trust would require honesty on both sides, especially after what she'd been through. She couldn't afford to be blindsided again by someone keeping secrets.
Daniel hesitated, then nodded decisively. “Complete honesty. You have my word.” He stepped back, creating some professional distance between them. “Starting now.”
Her pulse jumped. “What did you find out?”
“We know how the Iron Fist found you. More importantly, we know what they’re looking for.”
Ellie opened her mouth, but before she could voice a question, an alarm on Daniel’s phone blared. He shot out of his seat, his attention jerking to the window. Ellie jumped up too. Her gaze followed his to the yard where Marta and Owen were playing in the grass.
She grabbed Daniel’s arm. “What is it?”
He was already moving to the door. “We need to get Owen inside. Someone’s breached the ranch security system.”
ELEVEN
Fifteen minutes later, Daniel stood in front of the television in the living room, watching grainy footage from his property’s security system. Two men in camouflage and ball caps slipped onto the north side of his property. They carried assault rifles. Moments later, ranch hands spotted them. Shots were exchanged. Then the intruders bolted for the road, escaping in an SUV with mud-caked license plates.
Daniel’s grip tightened on the remote. No one had been hurt, thank God, but things could’ve gone very differently.
“It’s either very stupid or very cocky to trespass onto a Texas Ranger’s land in broad daylight,” Cole drawled. He was draped over an armchair, and despite the casual tone and posture, a thread of anger ran through his voice. “Honestly, forget the Texas Ranger part. Ranch hands in Texas carry guns. Those must be city boys.”
“They’re the same men who attacked us at the hospital,” Ellie added, rocking Owen gently in her arms. The little boy’s eyes were drifting shut. “Not terribly smart. Sloppy too. That’s unusual for the Iron Fist. They’re more strategic. More careful.”
“Supports our theory.” Texas Ranger Jonah Foster rocked on his heels. He resembled a Viking with his broad stature and light coloring—all that was missing was the beard. No one looking at him would ever think he was a computer wizard and dark web expert. Until he opened his mouth. He’d put Daniel to sleep more than once talking about cryptocurrency and IP masking through virtual tunnels.
“What theory?” Ellie’s eyes narrowed.
Daniel took Owen from her arms and cradled him against his chest. “Jonah thinks the men who are after you aren’t working for the Iron Fist.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“There was a split about six months ago,” Jonah explained. “One of the Iron Fist’s lieutenants, Tobias Kincaid, broke off from the group and took a handful of men with him. He carved out a section of the business and set up his own operation. Since then, there have been skirmishes between the two groups. The Rangers confirmed Gideon Voss leads the Iron Fist during a murder investigation last year, but there still isn’t enough direct evidence to arrest him. Tobias wants that to change. He wants Gideon out of the way so he can take control of the Iron Fist.”
Ellie sank onto the couch. “He’s looking for the evidence Lena stole.”
“Yes.” Daniel tucked Owen into the playpen and draped a lightweight blanket over him before turning to face Ellie. His heart stuttered. What was it about this woman that unmoored him? No matter how much he tried to ignore his growing attraction, it kept hitting him at the worst times.
Falling for Ellie would be a terrible mistake. The last time he’d run with his emotions instead of logic, the relationship ended in a bitter divorce. That wasn’t a failure he intended to repeat. Ellie was skilled at keeping secrets, and though she’d promised honesty from here on out, only time would prove it.Daniel needed to keep his wits about him. Especially given the risk to Owen.
Nothing would happen to the little boy. Not on his watch.
Refocusing on the case, he continued, “The men who’ve attacked you haven’t tried to kill you. Instead, they’ve attempted to kidnap Owen to gain your cooperation. Gideon wouldn’t do that. He’d kill you to ensure the evidence is never found.”
Ellie mulled that over and gave a slow nod. “That tracks. But how did Tobias even find me? And why does he think I have the evidence?”
Jonah gestured for the remote, and Daniel handed it over. With the skill of an experienced gamer, he navigated to a video on social media. A group of teenagers performed a choreographed dance in Silver Creek’s town square. Jonah paused the video and pointed.
Ellie was frozen in the frame, exiting an ice cream shop with Owen on her hip.
“That’s how Tobias found you.”
She blinked incredulously. “From a social media post?”
“This one went viral,” Jonah said. “Over fifty million views.”
“Fifty million?” Ellie rose and began pacing the room like a caged tiger. “I’ve spent the last three years refusing to have my picture taken, and I get outed by dancing teenagers and a viral post. Unbelievable. Does Gideon know where I am?”