Page 9 of Vanishing Point (Bent County Protectors #1)

Thomas had been shot. He’d been injured a number of times in the line of duty. Hell, he’d lived through Vi breaking his heart once before. It wasn’t like he couldn’t live through her saying stuff like that.

He knew it wasn’t about him . It was about the hell she’d lived through. Survived. Escaped. But it was never going to be past tense as long as her ex-husband had the means to reach her like this.

He pulled her back by the shoulders, ignored the hurt on his heart, and looked her dead in the eye.

“You were right to run the first time, because he’d isolated you and you didn’t have a choice.

But you ran to your dad because you knew he would help.

Now you ran to me, because you know I’ll help.

Who else is there to run to, Vi? Who else has a better chance of keeping you safe? ”

He could see the push and pull in her expression. She wanted him to protect her. But she couldn’t quite let herself believe he would, or could.

But this was not about their relationship, his ego, or anything about them on a personal level. It was about a threat.

“Thomas, I don’t want you stepping in the middle and getting hurt.”

“Why the hell not?” he demanded, with enough heat that she winced and he hated himself.

He took a deep breath, gentled his tone. “Vi, I took an oath when I put on that badge. And it involves laying my life down for the law, for the citizens of this county. If I’d do that for a stranger, I’m sure as hell going to do it for the people I love.”

She was shaking her head, but the hell with that.

“It doesn’t matter whether I love you or not, Vi. That’s how I’d feel. You could be a stranger bringing me a case, and I’d damn well be getting to the bottom of it, regardless of the danger. That’s my job. That’s an oath I took. That’s who I am.”

And that was hard to say. Not because it wasn’t true, but because if she couldn’t accept that, he didn’t know how to move forward. He could overlook a lot, compartmentalize almost everything. But not this.

“So there’s no point in arguing this,” he said, trying not to sound as destroyed as he felt. He dropped her shoulders, settled a hip back on his desk. “Walk me through getting that envelope. Start at the beginning.”

She looked at him, too many heartbreaks to name in those dark blue eyes. But he couldn’t let that sway him. If he was going to promise her he’d do this for anyone, then he had to do this like he’d do it for anyone.

She was quiet for so long, he thought she might not say anything. He thought…maybe, this was a wall he couldn’t get through. And then what? How did he proceed knowing she was in danger? Knowing she didn’t want his help?

“Audra came in for lunch and brought the mail like she always does,” she finally said, her voice rough.

A weaker man might have collapsed to the floor at the sheer weight lifted from his entire being, but Thomas held himself firm.

“That envelope was in with the other mail. She asked me if I knew anyone in Texas. I don’t. So we opened it together. I made it through…two or three pictures before I stopped looking. I don’t know how many Audra looked at.”

“Then what?”

“I knew I had to bring them to you. I didn’t want you coming out to the ranch. Maybe I should have. Maybe they’re in danger. Maybe…”

He reached out and took her hand, couldn’t stop himself from offering some physical comfort. “Let’s not deal in maybes, sweetheart. Let’s focus on what you did. You had Franny watch Mags and you got in your car and drove straight out here?”

She nodded.

“No stops? Just right here?”

She nodded again. He supposed it soothed something inside of him that her first instinct, even if she’d since questioned it, was to come to him.

“Before this, how long has it been since you’d heard from him? Phone. Email. Whatever. I know there was the phone call a few months back when Rosalie first told me about all this. Anything between then and now?”

She blinked, got a slightly confused expression on her face. “No, of course not. I would have told you.”

Relief was wrong to feel right now, with so many unknowns around them, but it was a relief. If she could trust him enough to tell him, to be confused he might even think she wouldn’t, they could get through this. He was sure of it.

He was going to be sure of it.

“I want to listen to those voicemails. Read those emails. From the beginning.”

“I deleted them,” she said, with a bit of a wince again. Like she expected him to explode. “I think Rosalie made copies, though.”

“I’m going to drive you back to the ranch. We’re going to tell everyone there what happened. I’m going to take a statement from Audra. I’m going to see what Rosalie has on the past threats—no doubt her own case file.”

“But…” She looked around his office. “You’re working.”

“Yes, I am working. This is my case now.”

“Thomas, you can’t—”

“I can. I’m going to.” On that, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “I’m going to need to bring in Laurel or Copeland. Do you have a preference? Some women prefer to work with Laurel.”

“Can’t it just be you? I…” She looked at the door that Laurel had closed behind her when she left. “I don’t know these people. I can’t…”

“For a lot of reasons, I need more hands and eyes than mine.” He stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her and held on.

Because he needed to, and when she leaned into him, relaxed her shoulders a bit, he knew she needed it too.

“But the main reason is I want someone else’s opinion.

I want to make sure I’m not missing anything. ”

“I guess, whichever one you trust the most then.”

“I trust them both, Vi. I need you to know that. I won’t put your case in anyone’s hands I don’t trust with my own life.”

She’d stiffened a little but didn’t pull away. She just nodded. He gave her one last squeeze, released her. “Give me a few minutes, then we’ll head back to the ranch.”

“Okay.”

He left her in his office, but he closed the door so she could feel like she had some privacy. He found Laurel alone in an interrogation room, going over some paperwork. She looked up when he came in, and he saw sympathy in her gaze.

“You looked at the pictures.”

“Yeah. I assume she knows the asshole who did that to her?”

“Ex-husband. Some SWAT guy in Virginia who basically had his whole precinct eating out of his hand and not believing her. I have a bad feeling we’re not going to be able to find proof he sent those pictures, but it’s a starting point to end this for her.

I’m going to the Young Ranch to get official statements from Audra Young.

I’m also going to talk to all the other residents.

I want your help on this, but more on the periphery.

She doesn’t trust cops, and who could blame her? ”

Laurel nodded. “Okay, I’ll let you know when we get the results on the envelope and pictures. Any other cases you want to hand off to me or Copeland, just say the word. Focus on this one for right now.”

There’d been no doubt Laurel would understand, that she’d have his back and give him what he needed. And still, he was just…relieved. At anything that went right, he was going to be grateful.

“Keep me updated, and let us know if you need anything else,” she said.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Laurel said, reassuringly. “We’ve always got your back, Hart.”

He knew they did, particularly Laurel who’d been his first training officer. She was the one who’d recommended him to take over as detective when she’d been on her first maternity leave. She’d been a mentor from day one, and she’d become as close as a sister to him.

But with Vi and Magnolia’s safety on the line, her words didn’t reassure.

No one’s could.

T HOMAS DROVE V I back to the ranch in her car. When she asked how he’d get back to Bent, he told her he’d handle it.

She believed he would and could, even with fear and nerves and embarrassment and a hundred other terrible feelings battling it out inside of her. She knew that Thomas was more than capable of handling all this.

It was strange. So strange it almost felt wrong .

Because she’d spent her whole life being the one who figured out how to handle it.

While her parents had been acting like spoiled children when she was a kid—using her like some kind of bargaining chip in a failing marriage.

When she’d gone off to Clemson thinking she knew how the world worked and how her future would pan out.

Even when she’d been married to Eric, who’d been controlling in a way that at first had almost made her feel safe and protected and not the one who had to do everything, eventually she’d started to feel like the only one who could hold it all together.

Like the fate of her life rested on every single minute decision she made.

Her cousins, Franny, they had all been amazing since she’d made it out here.

They’d helped so much, especially when Mags had been in the NICU, but even then, Vi had insisted on handling as much as she could on her own.

Only in the past few months had she really started to relent.

To Audra and Rosalie, to Franny, to Thomas.

Her therapist said it was healthy, but now it seemed dangerous. Like every step forward was drawing more people into the hell she’d escaped. If this was just about her, she probably would have bolted. Even now, she considered it.

Audra had every legal right to raise Magnolia. If Vi just disappeared…

“I need you to promise me one thing in all of this, Vi.”

Vi blinked out of her whirling thoughts, looked at Thomas. His expression was grim as he drove. “What’s that?”

“You’ll be honest with me, no matter what. With anything that happens, with what you’re feeling. Any contact that feels off. If you’re considering running. Just tell me.”

Could he read her mind? Was she that transparent? Or did he just understand, because he dealt with victims like her, all the time? And there was something about that awful thought—that she was just like the people he helped—that had her saying the truth.

“I’ll probably consider running every day.”

He glanced at her once, oh-so-serious. “It would break my heart if you did.”

A quick, painful stab went right in her own heart. “That’s not fair.”

His mouth quirked up on the side as he looked back at the road. “I know. That’s why I said it. I’m not above being unfair to keep you safe.”

“I just don’t want anyone else paying for a mistake I made.”

“So, let me handle this for you, Vi. And there won’t be mistakes.”

She wondered if the confidence was natural, something born from all the work he’d done, or something he was putting on to settle her, but it worked.

When they got to the ranch and went inside, Thomas talked to everyone and Vi got Magnolia down for her nap. She knew she should go see what Thomas was saying to everyone, but instead she just watched her daughter sleep.

For over a year, she’d been running. Hiding. For over a year, she’d spent time healing herself, but there’d always been this little part of her—the victimized part, she could accept now—that was waiting.

Waiting to be hurt again.

Waiting to run.

She’d known this moment was coming.

Thomas slid into the room. He came to stand next to her, wrapped his arm around her. He looked down at Mags, fast asleep in her crib. And Vi saw one of the things she’d first allowed herself to recognize about Thomas.

He loved her daughter.

“I want you to come stay in town with me for a little bit,” he whispered, tearing his gaze from Mags to her.

“The ranch is too big. My house is small. I’ve got great neighbors who know who should be coming and going and are just busybodies enough to let me know.

I’ve got some security, and a friend who can bulk it up. ”

“What about Audra, Rosalie and Franny?”

“I talked to them. Audra said she’s going to talk to the neighbors, ask that anyone who sees something off to let them know.

Rosalie’s going to put up some cameras she uses for work.

She also informed me they are ‘armed to the teeth,’ which I can’t say made me feel great.

I’ll have whatever manpower I can manage check in throughout the day, drive by at night. ”

Vi tried not to feel like she’d ruined everyone’s life. Made everything ten times more difficult on the people who’d helped her through the worst.

“Everyone is happy to rally around you, Vi. You and Mags. Because they—because we want what you want. This life you’ve built. For you. For Magnolia. We want you to have it, and we want to be a part of your life.”

Vi looked down at her sleeping daughter, felt the easy strength of Thomas next to her. Thought about this life—and he was right, she’d built it. Out of the wreckage of her old one, with the help of her loved ones, for her daughter.

Her daughter, who called Thomas Tata . Magnolia loved him. And her honorary aunts. Audra was Aw. Rosalie, Ee. Franny, for some inexplicable reason, was Geen. She’d taken her first steps in this ranch house and was thriving. After all the NICU business, she was thriving .

So Vi met Thomas’s gaze and nodded. Yes, this was the life she wanted for her daughter.

“So, we’ll fight for it. Together.”

For the first time since she’d gotten those pictures, Vi thought…maybe they could.