Page 13

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?”

“We don’t think so.” Daniel had promised her honesty, and that’s what she would get, even if it hurt him to scare her.

“Not yet. The attacks are too uncoordinated. Tobias is smart enough to avoid jail, but his men aren’t as careful as he is.

Still, it’s only a matter of time before Gideon figures out you’re alive and that Tobias is using you to find the evidence Lena collected. ”

“I don’t have the evidence.” Ellie came to an abrupt stop, the carpet covering the wood floor bunching under her feet. “I never did. Otherwise, I would’ve handed it over to the FBI years ago.”

“It’s possible Lena gave it to you without your knowledge,” Jonah offered. “Or she left a backup somewhere. A place only the two of you would know.”

Ellie's forehead creased in concentration as she considered those options. “I suppose it’s possible, but that wasn’t her style.

Lena didn’t trust anyone. She only handed off files in person.

Even then, she used encryption codes…” Her expression brightened with realization.

“What if the FBI recovered something from the warehouse where Lena and I were shot? They may have the evidence but not realize it.”

Cole leaned forward in his chair, planting both feet on the ground. “Wouldn’t the FBI have gone over that scene with a fine-tooth comb and examined anything electronic they found?”

“Not necessarily,” Jonah said. “Lena was dead. The warehouse was used by transients. If the evidence wasn’t obviously connected to the case, or was encrypted beyond their ability to crack, they might’ve archived it with the rest of the digital overflow.”

Ellie bobbed her head in agreement. “Lena was paranoid. She could’ve hidden the evidence on a burner phone or a generic flash drive. Something ordinary enough to be logged and forgotten if no one knew what it was, especially if it wasn’t found on her body, but somewhere nearby.”

Daniel had to admit it was possible. Evidence from chaotic scenes like that warehouse sometimes fell through the cracks, especially if resources were pulled to other cases.

“How does the FBI mole fit into all of this?” Ellie asked. “If Gideon doesn’t know I’m alive, and Tobias is the one after me, then why didn’t anyone respond when I called the emergency line?”

“We don’t know.” Daniel massaged his temples. A headache was brewing. “We can’t even confirm there is a mole. It’s possible the attackers tracked your personal phone, and that’s how they found us at the hospital. We’re being cautious by not informing the Bureau until we know more.”

The front door opened. Lieutenant Rodriguez strode in, her expression dark. She’d been outside coordinating with local and county authorities to track the suspects. From the look on her face, the search hadn’t gone well.

“The perpetrators may have acted like reckless fools,” Vikki announced, “but they planned their escape well enough to evade capture. I suspect this stunt was designed to frighten Ellie into finding the evidence.”

Daniel quickly brought her up to speed on their discussion. Vikki considered Ellie’s theory for a long moment. “How would we find out what evidence the FBI collected from the warehouse without alerting the Bureau?”

“My former boss, James Callahan, would know,” Ellie offered.

“He’s retired now, but he was responsible for processing the warehouse.

He knows I’m alive but doesn’t know my new identity.

The Bureau created it using internal systems and buried the paperwork under layers of red tape so deep only a few people could ever find it.

James was the one who insisted on that. He wanted to make sure no one, not even the Bureau itself, could track me down.

But if anyone could give us answers without putting me or Owen at risk, it’s him. ”

“Jonah, track him down, please.” She directed her attention back to Daniel. “In the meantime, I want your surveillance footage. Ryker and Gavin are pitching in to help on the case.”

Ryker Montgomery and Gavin Sterling were members of their ranger team. Both men were exceptional investigators, and Daniel was glad for their help.

“We’ll try to identify the shooters and tie them to either Tobias or Gideon,” Vikki continued. “We’ve also collected bullets and casings. If their weapons were used in another crime, it could help us identify them.”

Daniel inclined his head. “Don’t forget the blood from Mr. Broken Nose. Chief O’Neal sent it to the lab. We should have the DNA results by now.”

Vikki pulled out her phone. “I’ll follow up.”

Progress. They still had more questions than answers, but there was forward momentum now.

Daniel prayed it would be enough. They needed to stop this for Ellie and Owen’s sake. The men hunting her had made foolish mistakes, which gave them an edge, but all of that would change the moment Gideon or someone from the Iron Fist learned Special Agent Elizabeth Conway was alive and well.

Those men would shoot to kill.