StudinTexas (13 page)

The bogus contract… The CD burned from the multi-track
recorder…

She’d stashed both in the expandable leather folio she’d had
with her the night Mac had assaulted her. The folio had contained her sheet
music. She racked her brain, thinking back. When she’d moved into the
Luckenbach retreat, she’d done what with that folio?

Left it shoved under the backseat of her Escalade.

Dammit!

The evidence had been with her the whole time! How in hell
had she forgotten the rest of that night in the studio?

Sky shook her head and ground her teeth. That was actually
an easy one to answer. She’d pushed it from her mind. She’d been so shaken by
the way things had gone so horribly wrong when Mac insisted he needed the sixty
grand to finish the CD and promote it, that she’d tried to wipe out the memory
as much as possible.

It returned to her now. He’d zipped up, made some sound
threats about what he’d do to her if she told a soul about what had happened
that evening and had then stormed out, leaving her lying on the studio floor.

But not for long. She’d hauled herself up and had rushed out
of the room, something in the back of her head telling her to stop and check
the recorder.

Now she climbed out of her SUV, opened the backdoor, and
slid her hand under the seat until she found the folio, wedged tightly against
in a corner. She hurried down the sidewalk, bursting into the sheriff’s office.

“Sky,” Ryan said as he jumped to his feet. “Something
wrong?”

“No. Yes. No.” Her hands flapped in the air as adrenaline
pumped through her. “I’m okay.”

“What is it, then?” the sheriff asked as he came out of his
office.

She said, “I know why Mac burned down my trailer. He was
looking for something.”

Ryan’s brow jerked up.

Sky explained, “He wanted a fake contract and a CD. The
contract because it proves he set up a phony recording session to swindle money
from me. The CD because…” Her breath caught. “Well.” She wrung her hands.

The sheriff covered them with his to still her. Calm her.
“Sky, why the CD?”

Ah Jesus. She had to do this again?

She closed her eyes, prayed for extra strength, then opened
her eyes and said, “Because we were still recording my track when he told his
accomplice we were breaking for the evening, saying we’d finish up on our own.
When we were alone, that’s when Mac said he needed the money. We got into a big
argument about it. I had the contract with me and I all but shoved it in his
face, saying I never signed on for funding the CD. I realized he was trying to
rip me off and that the recording label must be an illegitimate one. I told you
all what happened next. He attacked me.”

A low hiss of breath blew through her parted lips. She
feared Sam was right—this would never go away. She had to keep talking about
it, over and over.

But Ryan and the sheriff knew the details of the evening, so
she cut to the chase and said, “I can’t explain why I grabbed the CD from the
recorder, other than I guess I was thinking it was my material and since the
contract was a sham, I wasn’t going to leave the CD behind. I’d forgotten about
this, but now I distinctly remember having to shut off the equipment. Which
means that everything he said and did to me in the studio ought to be on that
CD.”

She dropped the folio on Ryan’s desk, unzipped it and
whipped out the disk. “I’ve had it all along…I just didn’t recall it until
now.”

The sheriff nodded. “If you’re right, Sky, this will do
nicely for the proof we need to bust him.”

“He thought you had the contract and the CD in your trailer,
so he burned it down?” Ryan ventured.

“Easiest way to destroy them. And if the firemen hadn’t been
so diligent with searching Luckenbach, they likely wouldn’t have found the
containers of gasoline. It wouldn’t be arson and he could breathe a sigh of
relief, thinking all the evidence was gone.”

Yeah, that desire to kick him between the legs just burned
stronger and brighter.

She pushed it aside and said, “Since my Escalade wasn’t out
front at the time he set my trailer on fire, he could have broken in and stolen
my gun. I’d say chances are good he’s armed. But he would have had no idea when
I’d be returning, so torching the place was a lot quicker than searching it.”

This was all conjecture, she knew, but it seemed to be the
best theory she had to go on.

Continuing, she said, “For all I know, he just did it to
piss me off. He knew all along I wasn’t going to the police. Mac knows how I
feel about the press getting hold of my personal business. I didn’t call 911
after he’d…raped…me.”
There
. She’d said the word. “And so I’m willing to
bet he thinks he can get away with whatever he wants where I’m concerned. That
I’m going to keep it to myself.”

“His fingerprints weren’t on the gasoline containers the
firefighters found,” Ryan said. “So he must’ve been wearing gloves. But there
were footprints all over your dirt yard. Much too big to be yours. There’s
evidence there.”

“Yet he’s still probably working under the assumption that
all of this is my word against his,” she concluded.

“Not if the CD has the last portion of that night in the
studio on it,” the sheriff said.

Sky swallowed a lump of emotion. And pride.

“You’re going to have to listen to it, Sheriff. Without me.
If it’s not all you need to arrest him, then I’ll find some way to get a
confession out of him.”

“Oh no,” the sheriff shook his head. “I want you to stay
away from him, Sky. No phoning, no texting and sure as hell no seeing him in
person.”

“But I can easily arrange for us to meet in Luckenbach. I
can convince him I’m going to give him the money and—”

“Absolutely not.” The sheriff pinned her with a hard look.
“Get that idea right out of your head, Skylar Travis.”

Sky plunged forward. “Look, I understand that you care about
me and don’t want anything to happen to me. I appreciate that. Yet the fact is,
something
did
happen to me. It’s still happening to me. I want it to
stop. Not only for my sake, but for Sam’s sake as well. I might have just met
him a couple weeks ago, but that really doesn’t matter to me. Counting days
means nothing when you spend all of your time with this one person who can’t
get a moment’s peace because he’s so worried about you.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. She angrily whisked them away. She
wasn’t trying to tug heartstrings. She wanted to make a point. The fat drops
kept rolling down her cheeks anyway.

Sky said, “I made a mistake trusting Mac. I’ve made a couple
other mistakes in my life. This time around, I got it right. With Sam. And I
can’t live another day, sitting idly by, while he’s so tormented. I need your
help,” she pleaded again.

“Go back to the ranch.” The sheriff put his foot down.
“We’ll handle it from here, Sky. I’ll call you this afternoon.”

Her jaw clenched. She knew him well enough to know that he
wouldn’t budge once he said no.

“I’ll walk you to your vehicle,” Ryan said. “Then you’ll go
straight to the Painted Horse.”

“We’re doing everything we can, Sky. Working with the
authorities in Fredericksburg, and Deputy Baker is out on patrol, searching for
Willet’s car. Ryan was just heading out as well. We’ll be in touch.”

Sky was certain the sidewinder was still in Wilder—and
prayed someone from the sheriff’s office bagged him soon. Because her hands
were clearly tied.

Sky needed something to distract herself so she returned to
the ranch and found Dalton and Sam in the stable. “I’d like to try the bridle
again.”

“Wouldn’t hurt anything,” Sam said.

“It’d be nice to get Midnight out of this stall,” Dalton
added. “He’s got to be ready for a different view and more exercise than pacing
in here.”

He retrieved the hackamore while Sky collected the brush and
opened the stallion’s gate. The horse’s head bobbed and he neighed softly.

She ran her hand along his nose. Holding up the brush, she
asked, “What do you say? My ninth or tenth time might be the charm?”

He didn’t back away. Taking that as a good sign, Sky slowly
tended to his neck and Midnight let her.

From behind her, Dalton said, “Well, lookey there. A
breakthrough.”

Midnight allowed her to do a thorough job, then she held the
bridle in her hands for him to see and sniff at. He turned his head away.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” she muttered.

“But we are seeing progress, so that’s something to be
pleased about.”

“You’re right,” she concurred in a more optimistic tone.

She turned to leave, but the horse nudged her shoulder with
his nose.

Sky smiled as she faced him. “You trying to tell me not to
give up on you so easily?”

She held up the bridle again and this time Midnight didn’t
shy away. So she slipped it on him. No one said a word as the horse moved about
his stall with the hackamore on, as though testing his thoughts and feelings
about wearing it. Then he returned to where Sky stood and he let out a soft
neigh.

Sky’s chest pulled tight with emotion as she stroked his
neck. “You just made my whole month,” she told the horse. “You trust me now,
don’t you? You know I’ll never hurt you.”

“Maybe he’s more ready for a walk then we’d suspected,”
Dalton said.

“I’ll go with you,” Sam told her. “Hold the reins loosely
and walk alongside him, not leading him or tugging on him.”

The men stepped out of the stall and Sky did as Sam
instructed. To her delight, the horse moved with her, in no particular hurry,
but at least he was comfortable with her. Feeling safe, even.

She took him to the trail that wound through the trees and
down to the lake. Sam strode casually beside her, his hands in the front
pockets of his jeans.

“Where’d you go so early this morning?” he asked in a low
tone. “And without me.”

“To see the sheriff. I have some evidence I remembered. And
I also suggested I could set up a meeting with Mac in Luckenbach and make him
think I was going to give him the money, then get him to confess to everything
while the sheriff and Ryan were close by. They could easily blend into the
crowd during an outdoor concert.”

She spared a glance his way and found Sam’s jaw set in a
hard line.

“I’m not good at just waiting around, waiting for the other
boot to drop, Sam. Even now it’s killing me to not do something. I have his
cell number. I know what he wants. It doesn’t make sense to just keep quiet
when I can call him and tell him I went to the authorities and that they’re
looking for him. That he should turn himself in.”

With a sharp laugh, he said, “And you really think he
would?”

“No, I don’t. But at least he’d know I was serious about
getting him out of my life. That I absolutely am not giving him the money, now
that the sheriff’s office is involved. And if everything’s on the CD that I’m
thinking is…”

He shot a curious look her way. “What CD?”

“From that night in the studio. We were still recording when
everything happened.”

They reached the sandy shore and stared out at the water, a
few boaters enjoying the long, deep stretch of lake.

Sam remained silent for a few moments, and she glanced up at
him. He wore a worried expression, tinged with anxiety. His entire body was
rigid and he emitted such a massive dose of consternation, it seeped deep into
her soul. Disturbing her greatly.

Still gazing out at the lake and not at her, he said, “Don’t
go off on your own again. Whatever ideas you get into that pretty head of
yours, tell me about them. And if you
must
go into town, I’ll go with
you.”

Guilt ribboned through her. “I’m not trying to do anything
stupid, Sam. Or get myself hurt. I’m terrified that something will go wrong
around here because of me. Not to mention, I can’t stand seeing you so tense.
It radiates off you—and it’s driving a huge wedge between us.”

“Hey,” he said as his fingers swept through her hair. He
kissed her on top of the head and told her, “I’m still here for you, darlin’.
All the way.”

Tears stung her eyes. “I know. It’s just that—”

“Don’t go making too much out of this, Sky. Everybody goes
through a rough patch. We’ll get through it.”

So why was her stomach twisted in knots?

She didn’t say anything further as they walked Midnight back
up to the stable, the pretzel low in her belly coiling tighter.

* * * * *

Through the window in his office, Sam saw the sheriff’s SUV
coming up the long gravel drive and pulling in front of the inn. He stepped
outside and crossed around in a semi-circle as the sheriff alighted.

“Sky inside?” Sheriff Johnson asked.

Sam nodded. “She said she went into town to see you this
morning.”

“And she knew you’d be upset when you heard about it.”

“Worried’s more like. But she does have a few valid points.
She feels like a sitting duck when she could be doing something—at least…” he
said when the sheriff’s shoulders stiffened. Sam lifted a hand to placate him.
“In her mind, there’s something to be done.”

“She tell you that she wanted me to let her arrange a
meeting with Willet?”

“Set me off a bit, I’ll admit. On the other hand, I can’t
discount her courage. Or the fact that she’s concerned about everyone out here
at the ranch, including the horses. She doesn’t want to darken any doorways. I
can’t blame her for that.”

“Well, then y’all be happy to hear my news.”

“Let’s go inside.”

They climbed the stairs to the veranda and entered the
lobby. Sky was just coming in from the back deck and caught sight of them. She
hurried over, a hopeful look on her face that made Sam’s spirits rise.

“You found him,” she said to the sheriff without preamble.

“We found his car and the place where he’s been holed up a
few miles down the lake. He wasn’t there, but I suspect he’s close by, so I
want you to stick around the ranch and stay with Sam.”

Her hopeful expression vanished. “You think he’s close by?”
She repeated his words with a hint of fear in her voice.

Sam wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.

“Just give us a little more time, Sky,” the sheriff said.
“We’re all searching and we’ll come up with him soon. Deputy Baker is staking
out Willet’s car and shelter, and if Ryan and I don’t find him, we’ll catch him
when he returns for his car.”

“He loves that car. Clearly, he’s saving it as a last resort
if he doesn’t get the money from me. It’s not worth enough to cover the sixty
grand he’s looking for from me, but he won’t sell it unless he absolutely has
to, so you can be sure he didn’t just abandon it.”

“I figured as much. So either way, he’s ours now.”

She let out a long breath, full of relief. Yet she asked,
“Is it still my word against his, when all’s said and done?”

“No,” the sheriff said. “Not anymore.”

She paled. Sam swore under his breath. He immediately
deduced that the CD was a double-edged sword. The evidence needed to nail Mac,
but a permanent reminder of the fact he’d raped her. Would it be used during a
trial, for the judge, jurors and others to hear? For Sky to hear—and live
through the ordeal all over again?

He fought to tamp down the agony he felt on Sky’s behalf,
but also for himself because this whole thing was ripping him to pieces. Not
just because of the strain it caused her, but because there was nothing Sam
could do to help her.

The sheriff left the inn and Sam bucked up, telling Sky,
“This’ll be over soon, darlin’. The sheriff and his deputies know what they’re
doing. They did a fine job the last time they were on the hunt for some shifty
characters, remember?”

“Sure. The guys who robbed Ginger.” Though she didn’t sound
wholly convinced, likely because she placed so much responsibility on herself
for the way the entire situation with Willet had unraveled.

“Why don’t we have dinner with Reese and Caleb?” he
suggested.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. It’s pretty quiet in the dining room
tonight.”

They ate out on the back deck and then Sam escorted her down
to the cottage. They strolled along the event lawn, the moon lighting the way,
though Sam always carried a small flashlight, along with his handheld radio,
which was hooked to the waist of his jeans.

Sky asked, “How long do you think it’ll be before we hear
from the sheriff? Mac had to have gone back to his car by now.”

“No telling where he might be. For all we know, he followed
you to the sheriff’s office, knows the heat is on and had no choice but to
ditch his car. Maybe steal another one and get the hell out of Dodge.”

“Dammit,” she said. “What if he slips right through
everyone’s fingers?”

Sam’s arm was around her shoulders and he pulled her a bit
closer to him. “Don’t go talking yourself into a frenzy.” He gave her a gentle
squeeze to reassure her, though in truth, Sam was deeply concerned himself. It
was unsettling to know Willet had set up camp so close to the inn. And it
agitated him that he still couldn’t do anything about the bastard. Couldn’t go
after him on his own.

He knew better than to leave Sky, though. Not to mention,
Sam worried that he wouldn’t have a cool enough head to do exactly what he’d
told Sky to do the night she’d explained about Nashville and Willet breaking
into her trailer in Luckenbach. He’d advised her to shoot him in the leg if he
returned, because she’d forever regret it if she aimed higher and killed him.

Sam would regret it if he did the same. He was smart enough
to know he might not be able to control himself if things got out of hand with
Willet and the con man created an even bigger threat to Sky.

Shitty position to be in all the way around, and he hoped
like hell that the sheriff and his deputies found Willet tonight. There was
only so much waiting he could do himself.

“You just hang in there, darlin’,” he said, trying to
comfort her. “It won’t be much longer, I’ll bet—” A flash of metal caught his
eye. Sam drew up short and tucked Sky even tighter against his body.

“What is it?” she asked in an alarmed voice.

“Not sure.” He reached for the flashlight in his back pocket
and whipped it out. The beam of light swept through the trees to the east and
down to the shoreline.

“I don’t see anything,” she whispered.

He shifted the flashlight and the ray penetrated deeper into
the dense forest, still close to the water’s edge.

“There,” he said, his gut clenching. “It’s a boat.”

“The inn rents three of them out to guests.”

“We keep them at the dock,” he reminded her. “Not down the
way from my cottage.”

He felt a tremor run through her. “Shit.”

Sam took her by the hand and moved forward to investigate.
But his radio crackled and then he heard Al Wilbury, one of the security
guards, say, “Sam, come in.”

He jerked the radio from his jeans and hit the comm button.
“Yeah. What have you got?”

“I need you at the stable ASAP.” The tension in his tone
kicked Sam into high alert.

“Be there shortly.” To Sky, he said, “Come on.” They walked
briskly toward the boat, Sam shining the light on it and confirming it was
empty—and not one that belonged to the inn.

Then they raced over to the cottage and hopped onto the ATV
Sam used to get around the property. On the ride up to the stable, he had Caleb
on the radio and told him to meet him there, and to phone the sheriff to get
him out to the ranch.

Sky practically squeezed the air out of Sam with her arms
wrapped so tightly around him. His gut twisted and adrenaline pumped through
his veins.

That son of a bitch Willet had gotten onto the property by
boat. But there were surveillance cameras everywhere around the ranch that were
monitored by a guard onsite, at the front gate.

As soon as they reached the stable, Sam got back on the
radio and contacted John Conrad, the guard currently on duty at the entrance to
the ranch.

“Keep an eye on the monitors. We’re looking for a male on
the property.” Sam relayed Willet’s description as a refresher, since he and
Caleb had already explained the situation to the staff. “Expect the sheriff,”
he added.

Then his fingers twined with Sky’s and they stalked into the
stable.

The dire look on Al’s face brought Sam to an abrupt halt.
“What?” he demanded.

“It’s Midnight.”

Sky ripped her hand from his and ran to the back stall,
flinging the door open. Sam’s heart constricted.

“Goddammit,” he muttered under his breath.

“He’s gone,” Sky said as she stepped back into the aisle.

Al told them, “The latch on his gate isn’t broken. No forced
entry—or exit. It’s like someone just slid the lock open and let him waltz
out.”

Sam’s gaze slid to Sky, who was clearly distraught, her face
a disturbing alabaster color.

“Darlin’,” he said, feeling her terror to the depths of his
soul. “The property is fenced. He’s not going anywhere.”

A breath later, he was back on the radio to John and warned
him to be on the lookout for Midnight.

Caleb and Reese arrived while Sky paced nervously.

Sam explained the situation.

Caleb scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fuck,” he said.

“I am so sorry for all this trouble,” Sky said in a panicked
and remorseful voice.