Page 2 of Valor (Long Hot Summer: Christian Romantic Suspense #2)

CHAPTER TWO

Owen was both relieved he’d hunkered down to watch Emily’s place while she slept and furious to realize how close she’d come to being killed.

Because of him. There was no other explanation for the assailant targeting her. At first, he’d thought the guy was Juan Sanchez, but he wasn’t. The guy he’d shot must have thought Emily could provide information about Owen. Which was true considering he’d gone there to see her.

Yet Owen knew he hadn’t been followed to Emily’s home. Not only had he ditched his phone, but he’d double backed and retraced his route too many times for that to have happened. Besides, depending on who was involved in this mess, they wouldn’t need to follow him.

They’d know Emily had been with him back in January. They could have shown up on her doorstep at any time.

But they hadn’t until now. Because he’d made the call to Will Minor, the Denver police officer who in turn had spoken to Colin Granger with the DEA to let them know he was alive and eager to get back into the game.

First, one strange man had tried to kill him. Then a second bad guy had gone after Emily.

How many more were out there, waiting to pounce? And who had sent them? Sanchez? Minor? Granger? Or someone else?

“Owen, wait.” Emily’s breathless voice tugged at his heart. He hated knowing she was in danger. Back in January, he’d made sure the others didn’t touch her.

But he couldn’t control the new players who’d emerged on the scene.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t stop. We need to keep moving.” He wove between houses in the general direction of where he’d left the SUV. The one he’d taken after killing the man who’d targeted him.

Something he was loath to tell Emily.

“I’ll call Doug; he’ll know what to do.” Emily sounded more insistent now.

He grit his teeth, knowing the first person her DEA agent brother, Doug, would call was Colin Granger. “See that black SUV? That’s our ride.”

Her gaze narrowed. “That’s quite the upgrade since the last time we rode together.”

He swallowed a sigh, knowing she was imagining the SUV had been purchased by him with drug money. And while the last part of that was probably true, he had nothing to do with getting the money for the car.

Not that it mattered. He yanked open the passenger door. “We’ll get someplace safe, then make some calls.”

“Okay.” The way she took his comment at face value only made him feel ten times worse. There was no way he’d let her call Doug.

At least not right away. Once he knew more about what was going on, then maybe that would be a viable option.

Who was he kidding? As Owen slammed the door behind Emily and ran around to the driver’s seat, he silently cursed himself up one side and down the other. Because deep down, he was tempted to take Emily to the opposite side of the country where they could disappear, forever.

Yeah, and maybe they’d have a small house, a white picket fence, two kids, and a dog too.

Shaking his head at his foolishness—there were no happily-ever-afters for guys like him—he tried to focus on their next steps. Get as far away from Cody as possible, and go where?

He had no idea.

“Who was that man?” Emily’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I don’t know.” He glanced at her. “Did he look familiar? Could he have been lurking around over the past few days without you noticing?”

“I’ve never seen him before in my life.” She frowned. “You shot him.”

He clenched his jaw and nodded. “Yep.”

“Thank you for saving my life.” Her gratitude caught him off guard. He’d expected to be raked over the coals for shooting and killing a man.

“Don’t thank me.” The words sounded harsh to his own ears. “It’s my fault you’re in danger. I never should have come back.”

“You said you weren’t followed.” She eyed him warily. “Have you changed your mind about that? Do you think you were followed to my house?”

“No. That’s not what I meant.” He didn’t want to get into the details of the mess he was in now. He needed to stay focused on driving. “We’ll talk about that later. Help me find a place where we can stay off-grid for a while.”

“The only place I have access to is the Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue Ranch. My brother married Maya Sullivan. They live on the ranch with the rest of Maya’s eight siblings. But they also have an empty guest cabin on the ranch that you can use.”

“That’s not an option.” He shot her an annoyed look. “Do you really want to expose your brother’s family to danger?”

“No, of course not.” She sounded upset now too. “You asked for ideas! I don’t own any other places around here.”

“Okay. I understand.” He needed to remain calm for her sake. “I know of a place we can try to use temporarily, but it will take some time to get there.”

There was a long moment of silence before she asked, “Is the place we’re going connected to how you survived after leaving the cabin by snowmobile?”

He grimaced. “Yes. But now that you’ve said it like that, I’m not sure that’s a good idea either.” He didn’t think his recovery at Doc’s place was known by anyone, as he’d kept those details to himself, but it might be better to hold off on returning there for a bit.

“Why not try a motel?” she suggested. “Doug mentioned that when they were looking for places to stay that a few of them agreed to accept cash.”

He didn’t have a lot of cash to spare. But they needed a place to lie low for a while. When he heard the wailing police sirens, it took all his willpower not to hit the gas to speed away from the neighborhood as quickly as possible. “A motel works, but not in Cody. We’ll try Greybull. I know they have at least a couple of places that will hopefully accept cash in lieu of a credit card.”

“That’s fine.” She settled back in the seat. “But no funny business. You’re not sick and fighting off an infection like you were last January. If you try anything, I’ll kick you hard where it will hurt.”

He had to swallow the urge to laugh, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate his dark humor. “I promise you’re safe with me.”

“Am I?” Doubt laced her tone. “Somehow, I find that difficult to believe.”

“Emily.” He waited until she glanced over at him. “I will never hurt you.”

She held his serious gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

Resisting the urge to take her hand in his, Owen turned his attention back to the road. He was familiar with the Cody area, so staying off the main highway wasn’t that difficult. Every turn took them farther from the sirens and the gunfire at Emily’s house.

Yet sooner or later, he’d have no choice but to hit the highway, as there was only one main road that connected Cody and Greybull. Was it the right decision to leave town? Staying was a risk, especially if the Cody police decided to search the hotels in the area to find him. Or to find Emily, once they’d established she wasn’t at the house.

He gave himself a mental head slap. Emily would need to contact her brother, and soon, or the DEA agent would use every resource at his disposal to find his sister. Much like he had back in January.

“I need you to text your brother, tell him you’re safe and unhurt and that you’ll be in touch soon.” When she didn’t move, he reluctantly added, “Please. I can explain more later. But the police are likely at your house and will call your brother to let him know there’s a dead man there and that you’re missing again.”

“Great. That’s just peachy. I’m not sure Doug will believe me.” Emily shook her head wryly as she pulled out her phone to send the message. “You know he’ll want to talk to me in person and soon.”

“I know.” Owen knew he was fast losing control of the situation. There was no indication he was being followed, but that could change in a heartbeat. Especially since he was driving the dead man’s SUV. He’d need to swap this car for another set of wheels. Something not associated with him in any way. Paying for something would use up the rest of his cash reserves.

Which left only one option—he’d have to steal a ride.

He glanced at Emily, fairly certain she would not be on board with that plan. From their brief time together, he knew she was the straight-arrow type.

With a sigh, he continued heading toward Greybull. Maybe he should drive Emily to the K9 ranch and leave her with her brother and the cadre of Sullivan siblings while he figured the rest of this mess out on his own.

He glanced at her again. Was he being selfish not to drop her off? To keep her with him for a little while longer?

Oh yeah. Very selfish.

He drew in a ragged breath and told himself that he needed to do what was best for Emily. He’d drive her to Greybull, get a motel room, and have her call her brother to come and pick her up.

Making sure he was long gone before Doug and the rest of the cavalry arrived.

* * *

Despite her threat to kick Owen, Emily wasn’t afraid of the man beside her. Quite the opposite. She trusted that he would protect her. The same way he had back in January when one of the men had leered and made rude comments to her. Owen had made it clear she was off-limits and had treated her with respect. No, she wasn’t afraid of Owen.

Yet Doug would not see it that way. He’d point out the irony of a criminal protecting an innocent woman.

Her phone vibrated with an incoming text. Call me.

She swallowed a sigh. I will very soon.

Doug’s response was swift. Now!

A second later, her phone rang. She held up the screen for Owen to see, then ended the call. “He’s going to keep trying.”

“Turn your phone off,” Owen said. “You can call him once we reach the motel.”

She didn’t want to worry her brother, so she sent one last text message. I will call soon. Trust me. Em.

Then she powered down her phone.

They drove in silence for almost thirty minutes. Only when her stomach growled loud enough for Owen to hear did he turn to her. “There’s a restaurant up ahead. We’ll stop there for something to eat.”

“Thanks.” She was touched by his consideration of her needs. Which only reinforced her sense that Owen wasn’t as much of a bad guy as Doug believed.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part.

The restaurant reminded her of a truck-stop diner. Owen did not park out front near the three other cars patronizing the place. Instead, he drove around to the side of the building, backing in so that the rear of the SUV was butted up against the dumpster. She was struck by the way he’d planned ahead in case they needed to get out of there quickly.

The rotting garbage wafting from the dumpster was awful, but she didn’t complain as she pushed out of the passenger-side door and followed him inside. She breathed in the scent of bacon and coffee.

Owen led her to a booth near the kitchen. He slid into the seat that faced the front door. She sat across from him and reached for the plastic menu. “I hope you don’t think I’m crazy, but if they serve breakfast all day, that’s what I’m having.”

“Not crazy at all. That works for me.” He drew some cash from his pocket, counting it beneath the table.

“I see an ATM.” She stood. “I’ll get some cash...”

“No.” He caught her hand. “Using your card will lead them here.”

She’d forgotten the goal was to stay off-grid. She nodded, slowly tugging her hand free and settling back into the booth. “Okay. But I don’t have a lot of cash on me, either, I’m afraid.”

“It’s fine.” His tone was curt. He looked as if he’d say more, but a woman by the name of Jolene came over with a pot of coffee. “Coffee? Or would you rather have something else to drink?”

“Coffee is great for me, thanks,” Emily said with a smile.

“Me too.” Owen gave the woman a nod. “Appreciate it.”

“I’ll be back in a moment to get your orders.” Jolene hurried off to refill other customers’ coffee mugs. As promised, she quickly returned. “Have you decided?”

“Yes. I’ll have the ham and cheddar omelet with hash browns.” Emily stuck the plastic menu back behind the condiments. “Thank you.”

“I’ll have the same,” Owen added.

She doctored her coffee with creamer and took a sip. “This hits the spot.”

Owen nodded, drinking his coffee black while sweeping his gaze over the restaurant patrons.

“What’s going on?” She leaned forward, keeping her voice low. “You said you’d explain about the man you shot in my house.”

His blue eyes cut to her. “He was trying to kill you.”

“Yes, but why? Who is he to you?” She was getting frustrated with his reticence. “He let me go to confront you.”

Owen shrugged. “I didn’t recognize him. And there wasn’t time to search for an ID if he was carrying one. The last guy who tried to kill me didn’t have one.”

She paled. “The last guy? You mean back in January? Or recently?”

“Recently.” He grimaced and set his half-empty cup of coffee aside. “We can’t discuss this now.”

She wanted to argue, but just then someone walked past their table to go to the restroom, proving his point. This was a public place. Owen wasn’t going to discuss his illegal drug business here.

And that had to be what was going on. Owen had been with other drug dealers when he’d been shot. Then he’d had his crew kidnap her from the hospital to tend to his wound. Then he’d managed to escape, while the other guys who’d been working with him had been either killed or arrested.

“More coffee?” Jolene returned with a cheery smile. “Your omelets will be ready soon.”

“Thanks.” She added more creamer to her coffee.

A few minutes later, Jolene brought their omelets. Emily thanked her, then caught Owen’s gaze. “I’d like to say grace.”

He shrugged but refrained from reaching for his fork.

She spoke in a low whisper. “Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for this food and please keep us safe in Your care. Amen.”

Owen didn’t respond to her prayer, but he did glance up as if surprised she’d included him. Then he dug into his meal with such gusto she wondered when he’d last eaten.

“Take a breath, Owen,” she teased.

The corner of his mouth tipped upward in a crooked smile. “I tend to eat fast. Sorry.”

“Me too. Comes from working as a nurse and knowing I could be interrupted by a patient call at any time.” She took a bite of the hash brown potatoes, cooked crispy just the way she liked them. “Yum. Breakfast was a good choice.”

He arched a brow. “Hard to mess up a breakfast meal.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his logic. “True.”

When they’d finished eating, Jolene brought their bill. Owen already had the cash on the table for her. He held her gaze. “Ready?”

“Sure.” She felt much better for having eaten. Oddly, she was wide awake now, despite not getting more than a few hours of sleep. Usually, she was groggy until she’d gotten a full night’s rest.

She knew the crash would come eventually. Rising to her feet, she followed him back outside. The warm spring breeze washed over them, bringing the scent of wildflowers. Emily loved this time of the year. The winters were long, but the summers were about perfect.

Owen seemed on edge as they walked back to the SUV, his body tense as he swept his gaze over the area. She glanced around, too, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The way he was constantly on high alert was exhausting.

She wanted to point out that being an outlaw was a lousy way to live, but she knew that would only make him angry. She didn’t think Owen would hurt her, but he was dangerous. She had watched him shoot the man who’d tried to choke her to death. Then how he had proceeded to draw her out of the house without giving the dead guy a second glance.

Oh yeah, Owen was dangerous all right. She’d be foolish to think he’d changed his life around after recovering from his gunshot wound.

She settled into the passenger seat, glancing at her phone. If she were smart, she’d call Doug and tell him where to find them. It occurred to her that Owen would be better off in jail, away from the bad guys who were obviously gunning for him.

And if she were honest, she’d admit that she’d rather know Owen was alive and behind bars than dead.

When she subtly tugged her phone from her pocket, his hand shot out to grab hers. “Don’t.”

She let go of the phone. “I was just...” She couldn’t come up with a convincing lie. She didn’t do well with lying. She wasn’t smart enough to keep what was real from what was pretend straight.

“You were going to call your brother to come and get you.” Owen’s tone was flat and somewhat resigned.

She didn’t bother to deny it.

“You’ll get your chance to do that later.” Owen held her arm for a long moment before releasing her. “I need some time before you make that call.”

That’s what she was afraid of. “Time for what?”

He sighed. “To disappear.”

She couldn’t hide her disappointment. “You could talk to my brother, tell him what you know in exchange for a lighter sentence. I know he’ll work with you to bring down the rest of the bad guys before they can come after you again.”

“Not if the bad guys are pretending to be the good guys.” He scowled, then added, “Enough, Emily. I’m not going to turn myself in. I still have things I need to accomplish that cannot be done from a jail cell.”

She blinked back sudden tears, staring blindly out the passenger window. What had she expected? Doug was right when he’d accused her of romanticizing the kidnapping incident. The fact that Owen had not only protected her from the others, but had also treated her with kindness and respect didn’t mean anything.

He was still a criminal. An outlaw. And hoping that he’d reform into an upstanding citizen was a ridiculous dream.

Not reality.

The silence stretched for miles. It wasn’t until she saw the sign announcing they were five miles from Greybull that she realized her time with Owen was likely coming to an end.

She gestured to the billboard advertising a hotel. “That might be an option.”

“Too big. We need something smaller.” He barely glanced at her. “One with the type of accommodations that prevents them from asking questions.”

“Fine with me.” There was no point in arguing. Owen probably already had a place in mind. “Hopefully, there’s a vacancy.”

He grimaced. “It’s Thursday. Should work out if we only request one night. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be using the place for long.”

She understood what he meant. This was the end of the road for them. She wished there was a way to convince Owen to reconsider his options. That he didn’t have to just drop her off and disappear. But a glimpse at his stern profile indicated she’d be wasting her breath.

The truth was, Owen didn’t want to work things out. To turn his back on his criminal ways to walk the straight and narrow path.

Not even for her.

And that was that. Clearly, it was time for her to move on.

When Owen pulled up to the Redwood Motel, she noticed the vacancy sign was on. The place looked run-down, not as bad as the Wild Bill back in Cody where rooms could be rented by the hour, but a close second.

Owen brought the vehicle to a stop near the front door of the lobby. He glanced at her as if expecting to hear a complaint. She held his gaze steadily. “What? I’m ready when you are.”

“Good.” He reached over to kill the engine, then paused. She followed his gaze to see a car slowing down to pull into the motel parking lot. His gaze narrowed, then suddenly he put the car in reverse and stomped on the gas.

She gasped, grabbing the car door for support. A crack of gunfire had her ducking down in the seat.

Owen muttered something harsh under his breath but didn’t let up on the accelerator. He careened backward around the corner of the building. She wanted to look up to see where they were going, but she didn’t dare risk being hit by a bullet.

Owen switched gears and drove the SUV up and over a curb with enough force that she feared they’d tip over. Rather than cry out in alarm, she bit her lip and prayed.

Please Lord Jesus, keep us safe in Your care!