This book is dedicated to Joanna Slan Campbell, winner of the 2013 Daphne du Maurier contest, and an awesome writer, who showed me how to write up to 10, 000 words a day.
Thanks Joanne.
ISBN: 978-0-9918748-0-4
HUNTED
Copyright (c) 2013 by Beverley Bateman
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author, Beverley Bateman.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is purely coincidental.
CHAPTER ONE
Maggie McGonigal scrunched herself into a ball on the mezzanine floor to prevent being seen from the lobby below. She peered around the marble pillar into the reception area of Victoria, British Columbia’s grand Empress Hotel. Because wealthy international tourists flooded the hotel every year, she hoped to hide in the crowd from the unknown killers.
A man in a dark suit and hat paused on the gleaming gray marble floor under the nineteenth century crystal chandelier and stared up at the mezzanine.
She held her breath. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Was he looking for her? Could he see her? Was he the person who’d been hired to kill her? She had no idea what the shooter looked like as she stared down at the man.
A woman standing a few feet from Maggie waved her hand wildly.
The man smiled and waved back.
Maggie slowly released her breath. Not him, but any one of the tourists below could be the one who wanted to kill her.
The hundred-year old ornate Empress was one of ten railroad hotels built across Canada. The stone structure stood guard over Victoria’s inner harbor amid beautiful English gardens and the bustle of tourism. Horse-drawn carriages, street artists, carts selling various souvenirs and docks for departing whale watching tours added to the charm. Her hope was that it would also stand guard over her and her son, Matt.
She’d chosen it because of the layout and hoped the large number of tourists who swarmed through might give her the cover she needed. Also, it hadn’t taken that long to get there, just a ferry ride from Seattle.
No one would pull out a gun in the middle of this crowd and shoot her, would they? The possibility of dying right here on the mezzanine sent a shiver reverberating through her body.
She’d visited the hotel a few times and loved the setting and the atmosphere, but she’d never stayed here before. Way too much money, but she had splurged on their high tea once.
Extra towers and wings had been added over the years. This time, she’d spent the money on a cheaper room in a back wing, across from one of the towers. Her life and Matt’s might depend on it. It would only be for a day or two, if her plan worked.
Sweaty fingers pressed against the cool marble of the pillar. She rested her forehead against the column, waiting.
Life had thrown her a few curves over the years, some from bad decisions on her part. She should have never left Montana, but Cody hadn’t given her much choice. At least, that’s how she’d seen it back then. Now she had to face him, if he came. Her stomach roiled like the ocean waves outside the hotel door.
It had been almost seven years. She’d been in hiding more than six of those years, and she wasn’t that small town Montana girl any longer. Cody probably wasn’t the same cowboy, either. Would that make any difference in her feelings about him?
Maggie checked her watch. She didn’t know which was worse, the waiting or actually seeing him again if he showed up.
The mezzanine allowed her to position herself so she could see him when he walked through the lobby door. She hoped Matt and the sitter were doing okay. Maybe she should have told them stay in the hotel room, but Matt had wanted to see the boats.
She closed her eyes. Her only priority was to keep Matt safe. The killers weren’t after him just her, so if Matt wasn’t with her, he’d be out of danger, which was why she’d contacted Cody. That was the only reason, after all this time, to ask for his help.
Would he come? Of course, he would, but a niggling doubt caused surf-sized waves to crash in her stomach. Maybe after all this time, he’d moved on, married Cathy and had children. What if he’d forgotten her? What would she do then?
The tourists bustled through the hotel, a background of brilliant colors. The cacophony of their multiple languages occasionally intruded into the life and death issues on her mind. She brushed her hair away from her face with nails she’d chewed to the quick. Once Matt was gone, she should probably cut and dye her hair before going into hiding again. A mousy brown would be less noticeable than her flaming red color.
Where would WITSEC send her this time? Not that it mattered, as long as her son wasn’t with her.
A woman stopped just below Maggie and pulled a metal-like object from her purse. She glanced up at the balcony.
Wriggling back from the edge of the balcony Maggie held her breath. Could the shooter be a woman? She peeked back around the pillar.
The woman held the camera out to her partner and stepped back toward a table with a huge floral arrangement.
Maggie needed to get out of here. It wasn’t safe. Maggie realized that now. She had no idea who the shooter might be, which gave them the advantage. If they followed her across the border from Seattle, they could be anywhere. They might not shoot her in the lobby, but they would find some place to assassinate her, even here.
What if Cody ignored her message? Maybe he was still back in Montana chasing cows. With that possibility, she really needed to come up with a Plan B.
Please Cody, hurry up and take our son. Once he’s safe, I can contact Donald and run for my life.
She’d arrived half an hour early in case he arrived ahead of time. Cody had a habit of doing that. At least, he used to do that. He could have changed. She stretched her legs, shrugged her shoulders and wondered if he had married. Maybe his wife hadn’t wanted him to come all this way to see another woman. One more thing she hadn’t considered. Her mind swirled. She should grab Matt and run, but where?
She chewed what was left of her finger nails. The tension tightened her neck muscles into a knot. What if he didn’t come -- but then again -- what if he did? How would she get him to accept a son he didn’t even know about?
How would he have reacted if she’d told him six years ago? After then there’d been no way she could contact him to tell him, until now.
A cowboy with shoulders the size of Montana entered the lobby through the revolving door. Tall, dark and still damn good-looking, he strode through the lobby in his black t-shirt, tight jeans, his black Stetson shoved back on his head as the heels of his boots clattered across the highly polished floor.
Maggie’s heart pounded louder with each step. Excitement rifled through her body. Cody had come. And he was early.
He approached the front desk and the female receptionist almost tripped trying to yank away the “closed” sign from her station.
She purred up at him. A group of chatty tourists passed by the reception desk, so Maggie didn’t catch the words. She bent forward between the pillars. Even then, all she heard was the hum of the woman’s voice.
Cody flashed his heart-stopping grin at the blonde. She looked like she might faint right then and there.
The same warmth Maggie remembered from years ago spread inside her chest. It always happened to her when he’d looked at her like that and grinned. He’d made her feel special, even when she was a teenager.
His dark hair curled around the base of his neck when he removed his battered Stetson and laid it on the counter. She’d run her fingers through those curls that last night they were together.
He leaned in to talk to the girl. A shard of jealousy stabbed through Maggie. Come on, girl. He never really cared about you or he wouldn’t have been with another woman as soon as he got back from that cattle drive.
She wouldn’t have contacted him if the mafia hadn’t found her, but he had to meet Matt, get to know his son, and take him back to Duster. If Matt stayed with her, his life was in danger.
Cody glanced at the woman’s nametag. “Thank you, Louise. I’m looking for Miss Johnson, Jane Johnson.”
Maggie’s closed her eyes, letting the sound of his deep drawl float up and wrap around her. Most of the people moved past the reception desk allowing Maggie to hear the conversation.
Louise fluttered her eyelashes. “Certainly, let me check that for you.”
“Mr. Hawkins?”
Cody nodded.
“She left a message for you to meet her in the bar. It’s up one level on the mezzanine floor and around the corner to your right.”
“Thank you, Louise. I appreciate your help.”
“Anytime Mr. Hawkins, if you need anything else, let me know.”
Cody nodded before he strolled across the lobby.
When he turned toward the stairs, Maggie stood up and slipped out from behind the pillar. She didn’t want to be caught spying on him like a teenager. That would be a great way for him to find her. She brushed a few specks of dust off her jeans and straightened the camel jacket she’d worn over her t-shirt before scurrying toward the bar. She wanted to be sitting when he walked into the room. It would give her more control over the situation, and she needed all the control she could muster right now.
Inside the bar, she picked a chair facing the entrance. Her heart pounded like a jungle drum, her mouth felt parched.
Cody was here.
***
After all this time why did Maggie want to see him? And what the hell was she doing in Canada, fer chrissake?
Cody took the stairs to the mezzanine two at a time.
Damn her anyway. It had been seven years since she’d walked out on him. He’d searched everywhere, but she’d dropped out of sight. How could anyone manage that so completely? Not a word for years until now, and why here? This fancy hotel lobby was no place for a Montana cowboy. It was big, cold, and full of foreigners.
What was she up to? Would he even recognize her? And why the hell was he here?
But Cody would recognize her. He’d never forgotten her.
Where had she been all this time? Why had she left without a word? Those unanswered questions had filtered through his life for years, along with the pain. Now he would get answers.
Until that last night together, he’d tried to be like a big brother; there to protect her from accidents and mistakes and boy problems. That night he’d made a disastrous mistake, his second biggest one. He’d let his emotions override his common sense and made love to her.
He remembered her sweet vanilla scent. Her skin had been smooth, like a well-oiled saddle. No other woman, before or since, had stirred any of the emotions that surged through his body when he thought of Maggie McGonigal.
He’d planned to tell her he loved her and ask her to marry him when he got back from the cattle drive. Then he’d made his number one mistake. He had so totally screwed-up. When he sobered up, he had no idea what to tell Maggie when he got home. The biggest mistake of his life ripped his gut open.
But she’d been gone. Initially, his reaction had been relief. He’d have time to figure out how to resolve the situation before she returned. But she hadn’t come back. No one would tell him where she’d gone. Desperation clawed at him every minute. Even if he couldn’t marry her, he couldn’t live without her. Finally, he’d convinced her parents he had to find her. They’d shared the little information they had.
The next day, he’d driven to Great Falls. But she’d left there. No one, not even her parents, heard from her after that, until now.
As soon as he got her message, he’d left Duster. He couldn’t refuse when she asked for help. After all, he was big brother Cody, always there if she needed him. He was also still in love with her.
He’d told his family. They’d said to go. Maggie had been part of their family, too, spending half her time on the ranch. He’d driven all night and part of the day to get here, crossing the border into Vancouver at the Peace Arch and then catching the ferry across the Georgia Strait to Victoria. He had no interest in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the city and the uniqueness of the hotel. All he could think of was Maggie. Had she changed?
Cody found the Old English style bar complete with tapestry hangings and subdued lighting. Pausing at the entrance, he saw her. She sat right in front of him, her mass of fiery red hair surrounding that heart-shaped, freckled face he loved. Her pouty lips twitched nervously. She wore a green and blue t-shirt that brought out the color of her emerald green eyes, which were focused on him.
She hadn’t changed. She was still Maggie, still beautiful. If anything, she was even more attractive. The pain he’d carried for years eased slightly, but he struggled with two opposing emotions. One wanted to grab her, hold her tight and kiss her. Damn, he’d missed that woman.
The other emotion wanted to shout at her and shake her. She’d spent a night with him and then disappeared. She’d left him alone all these years, feeling hurt and confused. Had that night meant nothing to her?
They stared at each other for an eternity before he finally crossed to the table, a finger hitched in his belt.
As he approached, her vanilla scent wafted across the space between them, causing his gut to tighten.
She walked out on you, remember.
Tossing his hat on the table, he glared down at her. “I’m here. After seven years, this better be good.”
***
“Hey, there, Cody, it’s nice to see you, too.”
Damn, he smelled good; a mixture of oak, saddle oil and Montana’s fresh air.
“Yeah, whatever. Jane Johnson?”
She shrugged.
When his electric blue eyes met hers, the shock waves almost made her gasp for breath. Clenching her fingers together under the table she tried to control the emotions she’d hoped had lessened over the years. They hadn’t. “It’s been a while.”
“Seven years, next month.”
“Uh huh,” she nodded, taking a deep breath to show a confidence she didn’t feel. “You look good.”
He pulled out a chair, dropped into it and stretched his legs out under the table. “What are you drinkin’?”
“A dry white wine, please.”
He motioned the waiter. “White wine and a pint of whatever’s on tap, Bud’s fine.” He turned back to her.
The waiter stared at him a second before heading to the bartender.
A smile skirted Maggie’s lips. They probably weren’t used to Montana cowboys who snapped orders. “You never were a man to waste words.”
“Nope. It’s been a long time Maggie. I haven’t heard a word from you in all these years. Nobody in town’s heard anything from you, including your parents.”
She gnawed her lower lip. “I know.”
“You hurt a lot of people, and then out of the blue you want to see me. It’s a long drive. This ain’t social. What do you want, money?”
“Oh, God, no, it’s nothing like that.” This wasn’t going like she’d hoped. His coldness stabbed through her.
Why was he so angry? He was the one who had left her for another woman.
“How’s your father?”
“Sam? He’s okay. He still runs the ranch.”
“Are you and your brothers living there or have you all moved out?” She tried to read his expression. He might be acting like a jerk, but for the first time since the shootings had started she didn’t look over her shoulder.
“Yep, we’re all still there, except for Luke.”
“Right, he was at university. My parents -- have you seen them? How are they?”
“They’re well. Your father still runs the hardware store. He had a little problem with his heart, but I understand he’s doin’ okay now. They’ve aged since you left. You should call them.”
“I know. I will, when I can.”
“Okay Maggie, you didn’t ask me here to chit chat about our families. You wanna tell me why you left like that?”
“You should know.”
Cody drew his eyebrows together and stared at her. “Huh?”
“Look, I don’t want to start a fight or rehash the past. I’m just trying to break the ice, make some small talk, find out what had happened back home. I’m nervous. It has been a long time.” She ran her tongue over dry lips, wishing she’d applied more lipstick.
“You were the one who left and dropped out of sight.” Cody drank from the beer the waiter had placed on the table. “You could have checked in at any time to see how everyone was.”
“No, I couldn’t. It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got the time.” He kept his eyes focused on her.
“I… Not now. There’s someone I want you to meet first.”
“You have a husband?”
Her shoulders sagged. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked him to come. This was worse than she’d expected. She might feel safe with him, but it was Matt who needed to be protected, not her. She sipped her wine.
Wait a minute. He was the one who wanted someone else after that night. He was the one who couldn’t wait to get Cathy in his arms. No way was he going to lay a guilt trip on her. It hadn’t been her choice. He’d made it for her.
And that choice had changed her whole life.
She sat up straighter and pulled her shoulders back. “No, I don’t have a husband. I know it’s been a while, but I hoped we might be able to handle this civilly. I have a problem. I need your help. If it wasn’t serious, I wouldn’t have bothered you, believe me. The person I want you to meet is my son.”
“Your son? I see.” His face remained expressionless. “What kind of problem?”
“I’ll get into that later. It’s part of why I couldn’t contact anyone all this time. Matt will be back in our hotel room in a few minutes. Will you meet him, or are you going to take off again?”
Cody took another long drink of his draft.
She met his gaze and refused to look away. Her hands balled into fists.
“You got it all wrong, Magpie,” he said softly. “You walked out on me.”
“That’s not how I saw it, but it’s not important now.” Staring into the eyes of the man she had loved, since she was ten years old, her heart pounded. She may have walked away, but he had chosen another woman.
“You’re wrong. It’s damn important.”
“Not at the moment. Are you going to help me?”
“I came, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did. Thank you. Finish your drink and I’ll introduce you to Matt. He’s with the sitter I hired to watch him while I was gone.”
“Matt, he’s your son? How old is he?”
“Just over six years old.”
Cody downed his beer, stood up and tossed a couple of bills on the table. “You didn’t waste any time did you?”
She flinched.
Hang on, he doesn’t know. You never told him, remember.
“Okay, let’s meet your son. Then you can tell me why I’m here and why this cloak and dagger stuff.”
She began to say something, but decided against it. She rose and hurried out of the bar. The elevator creaked slowly to the third floor. Maggie stood stiffly beside Cody, acutely aware of his lean, muscular body, careful not to touch him. She moved to one side. Thoughts of their last night together flashed across her mind.
He looked even better than he had that night. He’d matured and developed more muscle, probably from working on the ranch. She closed her eyes, aware of that same cowboy scent she’d never forgotten, horses and oak. The last time she’d enjoyed that all-male scent, she’d been lying naked in his arms. Over the years she’d held out a sliver of hope that her dream of their being together might come true. The present situation, as well as Cody’s attitude, emphasized the total impossibility of that happening.
The elevator bounced to a stop causing Maggie to bump into Cody. Jerking quickly away from his hard, muscular chest when the doors opened, she stepped out and turned left. Footsteps were muffled on the thickly carpeted hall. If someone wanted to stalk her, she’d never hear them. She stopped in front of one of the antique wooden doors. Cody braked right behind her. The heat of his body, inches from hers.
When she opened the door, a small body shot across the room, grabbing her tightly around her waist.
“Mommy, you’re back. Maria and I went to the harbor and we watched a ferry boat coming in. I want to go on a ferry boat, can we, Mommy?”
“We’ll see, honey.” She ruffled his dark hair. A lump in her throat kept growing, despite her efforts to swallow and shrink it. This could be one of the last times she’d be with him.
A young woman with dark brown hair and a friendly smile followed Matt across the room. Her eyes focused on Cody. “Matt is a great kid.”
Maggie fished in her purse. “Thank you, Maria.” Maggie handed the woman some money before opening the door.
“You’re welcome. You have my number if you need me again.” Maria continued to smile at Cody as she backed out of the room.
Maggie closed the door and shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it on the bed. “Cody Hawkins, I’d like you to meet my son, Matt.”
“Hi, there, Matt, how are you?” Cody stuck out his hand.
Matt stuck out his hand, which completely disappeared in Cody’s. “I’m fine, thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mommy said you have a ranch in Montana.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do you have horses? And cows?”
“Yep, I have both.”
“Wow. Can I come and visit you?”
Cody smiled. “Well, now, that’d be up to your mother.”
“Can I, Mommy? Mr. Hawkins said it would be okay.”
“We’ll see.” She hugged her son. “Honey, can you get Mommy a glass of water from the bathroom, please?”
As Matt left the room, Maggie looked across at the cowboy she’d loved for so long. She’d had his son. Somehow, she had to find a way to tell him that, but first she had to protect Matt.
“Will you to take my son back to Montana with you and look after him for me?”
CHAPTER TWO
Cody felt like he’d been sucker punched.
Clutching his Stetson in front of him he glanced from Maggie to the bathroom. “What the hell are you talking about?”
This dark haired boy with intense blue eyes, a missing front tooth and an infectious grin looked like a nice enough kid, but… “You want me to what?”
Maggie lowered her voice. “Shh, not so loud, I need you to take Matt back to the ranch and keep him safe.”
“Have you lost your mind? Why would you want me to do that?”
“Because I need someone I trust to keep him safe. If Matt stays with me, he’s in danger and could be killed.”
“You don’t just send your kid away with a stranger.”
“Sometimes you do, but you’re not a stranger. You protected me growing up. I just need you to protect him, now. I’m sure my parents will help look after him.”
“Protect him from what?”
“Here, Mommy.” Matt handed her a glass. The water sloshed onto Maggie’s shoes and the carpet.
“Thank you, honey.” She took the glass and gave him a squeeze. “Why don’t you turn the TV on? You can watch cartoons for a few minutes.”
“Yippee.” He raced across the room to the bed, bouncing onto it.
Cody stared at her as she watched Matt grab the remote and turn on the TV. When the TV screen came into focus, Matt flopped down on his stomach and clicked until he found a cartoon channel. His chin on his hands, he stared intently on the program.
“Okay, Maggie, give. What the hell is this all about?” Cody lowered his voice.
She sipped the water. “Can I get you a drink? There’s a mini bar.”
“Beer, please.”
Placing her glass on the dresser, she bent down and opened the door, exposing her well-formed butt.
He jammed his hands into his jean pockets to keep from placing them on her provocative posterior. She was driving him crazy with her sexy body and her refusal to explain why she wanted him to take her son back to the ranch. Protect him from what?
“Have a seat.” She indicated one of the antique chairs with arms and she handed him the beer.
He continued to stand, downed half the can in one swallow and wiped his mouth.
God, she looked terrific. When he’d finally noticed her in her late teens, she’d always looked exactly like a woman should look; great smile, slim figure with nice breasts and butt, and long sexy legs. She’d gained a few pounds in all the right places, which only made her sexier. Her jeans emphasized her adorable bottom, and the low-cut t-shirt showed off the tops of well-rounded breasts. She looked more sensuous and desirable with clothes on than that last time he’d seen her lying naked on his bed with all that red hair fanned out on his pillow.
And she wanted him to take her kid. What part of this wasn’t he getting?
“So spill it. Why do you want me to take your son back to the ranch?”
“You want the long version or the short one.” She sat. The sunlight that shafted through the window made the highlights in her hair light up like fire.
“Don’t be cute. Just cut to the bottom line.”
“Someone is trying to kill me. I don’t want Matt to get hurt, or maybe killed, because he’s with me.”
Cody felt like he’d been thrown by a horse and then stomped on. In the last few minutes, this woman had sent him reeling in all directions. He had no idea what she was talking about.
Killers were after her and Matt?
He stared at her. “You’re serious?”
“I’m perfectly serious.”
“Someone is trying to kill you?”
“Yes. They’ve tried several times.”
“Have you reported this to anyone?”
“Of course I have. I`ve told the Seattle police and the US Marshals office.”
He swallowed slowly. “Why would anyone want to kill you?”
“Like I said, it’s a long story.”
“Well, darlin’, you asked me here. It was a long drive from Montana, so go ahead and let’s hear the whole story.”
“I was a witness to a murder. Maybe we should talk after dinner, when Matt is asleep. Will you be staying at the hotel tonight?”
“I wasn’t sure where I would spend the night. Hadn’t planned on staying in this expensive tourist trap, but if what you’re telling me is true, then, yes, I’m staying here tonight.”
“I’ll call down to the desk and book you a room.”
“No, if I’m going to protect you, I’ll be sleepin’ here, in your room tonight.”
She squirmed in her chair and he forced himself not to smile. He could only imagine what she was thinking about the two of them spending the night together in this small hotel room.
“If someone wants you dead, I need to be here, in this room, to keep you both safe. Now that’s settled, why would someone want to kill you?”
“Six years ago I witnessed a mafia shooting in Chicago. I’ve been in the witness protection plan ever since. It looks like they finally found me.” She glanced across at Matt.
A cracking sound pierced the room. A jagged pattern cut across the window, scattering shards of glass on the floor.
Maggie screamed.
Cody threw himself at her, pushing her to the ground. Another bullet embedded itself in the wall, inches above where she’d sat minutes before.
“Mommy,” Matt yelled.
“It’s okay, honey. Lie still. Don’t move.”
Using his elbows, Cody cautiously raised himself. Sliding off Maggie, he crawled across the floor to the bed where he reached up and pulled Matt into his arms. Clutching the boy tightly against his chest, he could feel the little heart pound wildly.
“Hey, buddy, it’s going to be okay. So what were you watching?”
“The Roadrunner, Wile E. Coyote is going to drop a rock on him.”
“Think he’ll get him?”
“No. of course not,” Matt laughed. “The bad guy never wins.”
Cody smiled. If only life was that simple. The bad guy never wins.
“How about you watch it from down here?”
“Why? Why are you and Mommy on the floor? What was that loud noise?”
“It’s sort of a game. We want you to play, too, so you have to watch TV down with us.”
“Okay.” Matt slipped from Cody’s arms to lie on the plush hotel carpet. He stared up at the cartoon still playing on the TV and became mesmerized by the colorful action on the screen.
“Are you all right?” Cody flashed a look at Maggie.
“I’m fine. Take care of Matt.” She clenched her upper arm but the red continued to trickle down to her elbow and drip onto her jeans.
“We’re doing great, aren’t we, buddy?” He patted Matt on the head.
Another crash filled the room as a third shot shattered the mirror. The glass sprayed across the bed and floor like pebbles spread across the shore by ocean waves.
Matt and Maggie screamed.
Cody tightened his arms around Matt and glanced at Maggie.
Any color left had fled her face, her body shook, and the blood continued to ooze between the fingers she had clamped around her arm.
“You’ve been shot. You’re bleeding.”
“Brilliant diagnosis, Sherlock, like they say in the movies, it’s just a flesh wound. I’m fine.” She pulled herself to a sitting position and leaned back against the chair, pasting a smile on her face. Her body shook hard enough to rock the chair.
“It’s not that serious. It just burns like I’ve been branded.”
“Keep the pressure on and stay down.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Matt, go stay with your mother.”
Matt crawled to his mother’s side. “Are you okay, Mommy?”
“I’m fine, honey.” Maggie attempted a smile. “Shouldn’t we get out of here?”
“Hang on. We don’t know if anyone is out in the hall. There could be a second person waiting to get you if you survive the shooter and try to escape.”
“I didn’t think of that.” Maggie dropped her chin to Matt’s head. “Now you know why I want you to take him away from here.”
It had been a few minutes since the last shot, so Cody inched his way to the window on his knees, carefully avoiding shattered glass and mirror. When he reached the wide window sill, he pulled himself up by his arms, cautiously peering out over the ledge. A turret blocked part of the view of the harbor, but there would be a clear view into Maggie`s room from the higher floors in the tower. Using his finger, he drew an imaginary line from the bullet hole in the wall, to the middle of shattered area of the window, attempting to gauge where the shots had come from. It looked like the fifth floor of the tower. He double-checked, but couldn’t see anyone moving around over there.
Reaching for the cord, he closed the thick heavy curtains. Then he stood and edged to the hotel room door. He carefully unlocked it and opened it a crack.
He waited a second, then opened it a little more and slipped into the hallway.
A few minutes later, he reappeared.
“I think it’s okay now. Let’s check the damage.”
“I-I’ve g-got to phone Donald,” Maggie struggled to her feet, clutching at her arm. “We could have been killed.”
He stepped across the room and helped Matt up, wrapping an arm around Maggie. “Yes, but they weren’t. You’ve need to get that arm looked at. Lie down on the bed. Who the hell is Donald?”
“He’s my contact person in WITSEC.”
“What is WITSEC?”
“It’s the witness security program with the US Marshals.”
“You can call him after the hotel doctor patches up that arm.” He dialed the front desk.
He hadn’t expected any of this when he came here; someone shooting at them, a six year old who wanted to come to his ranch and Maggie with a bullet in her arm.
What the hell had she gotten herself into? And how the hell could he protect her and her son?
***
“So you have no idea who would do this?” A uniformed officer from the Victoria Police Department, in his early thirties, dropped the bullets he’d dug out from the wall into a plastic bag.
Maggie turned her head the hotel doctor bandaging her arm to look at the officer “No. He must have followed me from Seattle, even though I was careful to cover my tracks.”
“We’ll contact the Seattle police for more details.” The female officer pulled back the curtains to check outside. Her name tag read Connelly.
“I think it came from the fifth floor, or maybe the sixth,” Cody offered.
Officer Connolly pulled out a laser trajectory pointer.
“You’re lucky. It didn’t hit the bone, just upper arm soft tissue.” The doctor put a sling around her arm. “It’s going to hurt for two to three days, but should be healed in a week or so. I’ll give you a shot for the pain now, so you can sleep, and a prescription for pills when the pain is bad. Take two tablets every four hours as needed.”
“Thank you. Do I need to get the stitches taken out?”
“No, they’re dissolvable, just watch for any sign of infection.”
Maggie nodded.
“You’re right about the shooting. It looks like the fifth room from the outside.” Officer Connolly squinted up the laser beam.
“We’ll send the bullets to ballistics, and we’ll check out that room in the tower. We might find something over there.” The male officer removed his gloves.
“They don’t look like any of the regular rifle bullets or those from the standard hand guns,” Cody commented.
“I’m no expert, but off the record, they look like they might be from something military.”
“So someone with military background could be the shooter?”
“That’s not what I said and if anyone asks, I’ll deny saying anything. We’ll find out when the experts let us know.”
“But you think he might be a military man?”
“It’s possible, or he could be a professional and bought the weapon specifically for the purpose of shooting Miss McGonigal. He might just have borrowed the gun from a friend in the military. We’ll check out all possibilities.”
“I got it, thanks.”
“If you think of anything else, let us know.” Officer Connelly handed Maggie her card. “We’ll see if we can find anything that might identify him.”
Cody reached across and took the card. “Can you let us know if you find anything?”
“Of course, we have your contact information. In the meantime, keep the curtains closed and be careful if you leave the room,” Officer Connelly replied.
Cody escorted the officers to the door. “Appreciate your quick response.”
“It’s our job. It doesn’t look good when people get shot at, especially in this hotel during high season.” Officer Connelly headed down the hall, followed by her partner.
Cody tucked the card in his pocket.
The doctor slipped out behind the police officer. “If you need anything more, just call me, but she should be fine in a day or two.”
“Thanks, doc,” Cody tried to close the door, but hotel maintenance tromped in.
“Here to cover the shattered window. You’ll have to make do with cardboard for tonight. They’ll get the glass cut and replaced first thing in the morning. No rain forecast and that air-conditioning should still work, so you folks should be all right. You sure you don’t want to get another room?”
“We’ll be fine,” Cody responded, after checking their identity cards. Not that he expected the shooter would come to the room, but you couldn’t be too careful. “The curtains will be closed anyway.”
Maggie lay against the pillows on the bed, eyes partially closed, trying to keep one eye on Matt, with the prescription the doctor had written clutched in her hand.
The hotel manager had offered them another room, but she’d turned it down. She figured if the killers could find her in this room, they could probably find her if she changed rooms. Besides, between the emotional reaction to the shooting, the shock and the pain, she hadn’t wanted to move or move her stuff. Even if the porters moved everything it meant they had to pack their stuff and she’d never find anything. She didn’t want the hassle. She’d stick with the devil she knew.
Cody couldn’t disagree with her argument, although he’d like to get her out of the hotel, period. He wanted to get her and Matt back to the ranch right away. However, for now she needed peace and quiet, not this constant parade of people.
At another knock on the door, he peered through the security hole.
“It’s room service.”
He let the cart with their dinner order into the room.
Maggie’s eyes had closed, but pain etched her features. He needed to get all these people out so she could get some rest. Then he needed to try and talk to her. He had a plan in mind to keep her safe, but wasn’t sure he could convince her it was a good one.
Even he was beginning to feel the stress of people coming and going. It had been less than two hours since the shooting, but more people had been in the room than he usually saw on the ranch in a month of Sundays.
“Hopefully that’s it for a while,” he commented when housekeeping finally left, after they cleaned up the broken glass and vacuumed the carpet. “You want something to eat?”
Maggie shook her head. “I don’t think my stomach’s up to it. You two go ahead and eat.”
“How about a cup of tea?”
“No, thanks, I’m fine.”
“Okay, buddy, let’s get some chow.”
“Yeah, let’s get some chow.” Matt grabbed a hot dog from the tray and chomped happily, popping chips in his mouth while he watched TV.
Cody watched the boy eat. Kids were very resilient. Matt didn’t appear any worse for wear after the incident. Shortly after he finished his hot dog, he fell asleep on one bed, cartoons still playing on the TV.
Maggie curled up under the covers on the other bed, barely able to keep her eyes open. The shot had begun to take effect. He had to try and get her to come to her senses before she fell asleep, because otherwise he’d have to implement plan B.
He turned off the TV. “You’re coming back to the ranch with me—both of you. We’ll leave in the morning.”
“No, Cody, I can’t. I want Matt safe. He could have been killed tonight.”
“And so could you, Magpie.”
“I know that, but once Matt is gone, I can get another identity, and the program will move me. I know WITSEC says they’ll include Matt in the next relocation, but I don’t want him to have to learn a new identity and move to some strange town. And if they find me again, we’ll have to do it all over again. That’s not a good way to raise a child. I want him to know his real family. If he’s with me, he’s at risk. Everyone will be safe if I disappear.”
“That makes a little sense, but isn’t it better if you come with him. How is he going to feel if he loses his mother?”
Maggie struggled to stay awake. “I know, but I have to make sure he’s not in any danger, permanently. He needs to go with you. After all these years, they’ve found me so if I’m around he’s always going to be in danger. Besides, I’ll be harder to find without him. They’ll be looking for a mother and son.”
“I can protect you in Duster. You’ll have the whole Hawkins’ clan there to defend you, plus most of the people in town.”
She shook her head. “I’m tempted, but I’d put everyone in danger, not just Matt, but you and my family. That’s why I never contacted anyone before. WITSEC explained it all to me years ago when I went into the program. Nothing has changed. I’ll get a new identity. You take Matt. I’ll be fine.” She struggled to sit upright, arm in a sling, her freckles standing out like polka dots against her white skin, eyelids drooping, dark circles under her eyes.
Had she been this stubborn before? Maybe they’d just never disagreed on anything. He shook his head. Getting her to the ranch wasn’t going to be easy.
“Lay back down, you need to get some sleep. That painkiller the doc gave you should be kicking in by now.”
“It is, but I haven’t called Donald yet.”
“Call him in the morning. A few hours won’t make any difference.”
“You’re probably right. I can barely keep my eyes open. I probably won’t even be able to talk straight.”
“Then quit arguing, darlin’, and get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Nothin’ to talk about,” she mumbled, sliding down and burrowing under the covers.
“Right, we’ll all leave after breakfast.”
“No. You and Matt go. I stay. There’s nothing you can do about it.” Her voice faded.
Cody shrugged.
That’s what she thinks.
He waited for a few minutes. “Maggie?”
No answer.
“Maggie?” he tried a little louder.
She was asleep. The shot the doc gave her should knock her out for the night. He figured that was long enough time to get her part way back to the ranch before she realized she’d been kidnapped. It was the only way to keep her safe, until she came to her senses. WITSEC didn’t appear to be working anymore and she needed to be home with family and friends. He needed her back home. Besides, who the hell would find her in Duster?
And it wasn’t really kidnapping, he was taking her home.
He picked the prescription form from her hand and shoved it into his pocket, then opened her suitcases and tossed in anything he found in the hotel room.
While Maggie and Matt slept he carried everything down to his truck in the underground parking and stored it in the back, along with a couple of pillows and blankets from the hotel room. Across the street at the pharmacy, he had the prescription filled. While waiting, he checked his watch, hoping everyone was still asleep.
When he made it back to the room they were sleeping soundly. He woke Matt up, explaining they were going to the ranch and because mommy was very sleepy he had to carry her to the truck.
“We’re going to see the horses?” Matt stared up at him, rubbing his eyes.
“That’s right.” Cody picked up Maggie, ever so gently so he didn’t bump her arm. He carried her carefully to the elevator with Matt trotting along beside him in his Road Runner pajamas and slippers. He clutched Cody’s hand as they descended to the parking area. Cody was glad the elevator was empty.
Maggie never stirred the whole time. He placed her carefully in the small back seat of his truck with a pillow under her head and arm. Then he tucked a blanket around her. After making sure she was comfortable, he helped Matt climb up into the front seat where he belted him in and placed a pillow behind his head and tucked the other blanket around him.
“You okay?”
Matt nodded. “Is mommy okay?”
“She’s asleep, just like you need to do. Pull the blanket around you and close your eyes.”
“Sure, Mr. Hawkins,” Matt curled up against the door.
Cody climbed into the truck and started the engine. So far so good, once he made it home he’d give Maggie a check for the missing bedding the hotel would charge to her account.
“Close your eyes and go to sleep.” He gave the thumbs up to Matt. It was still early enough that he hoped to catch the last ferry to the mainland.
Matt returned the thumbs up. A few minutes later, his eyes closed and he was asleep.
As the truck cruised through the night, Cody wondered about the penalty for kidnapping.
Even scarier was thinking of Maggie and how angry she’d be when she woke up and realized what he’d done.
***
Maggie struggled to roll over, and her arm throbbed. The bed was tight and uncomfortable and her knees rested on her chest. That was weird, but her eyelids were too heavy to open and check it out. When she tried to stretch her legs her arm hit something beside her.
“Ouch.” Pain shot through her body. Tears welled up. Memories about the shooting flooded over her.
Holding the arm to prevent any more bumps, she pushed her eyes open. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t her bed. Where was she? What was that humming noise? She forced her eyes to focus.
She was in the back seat of a car, driving, somewhere.
Squinting, she could see the grey, early morning sky through the side window.
Where the hell was she?
The lights on the dashboard glowed, casting faint shadows in the early dawn light.
Had she been kidnapped? Had the killers found her? Were they taking her some place to kill her and dispose of her body? Matt? Where was Matt? Panic enveloped her and she struggled to sit up.
She could see Matt’s dark hair through a crack between the driver and passenger’s seat. Was he asleep or drugged?
The driver, a battered black Stetson jammed on his head, hummed that stupid song he always did when he drove his truck.
“Cody Hawkins—what the hell do you think you’re doing? Stop this truck right now and let me out.”
“Mornin’, Magpie, I trust you slept well. How’s the arm?”
“It hurts like hell, if you must know. What dumb thing have you done now?”
“Taking Matt back to the ranch, like you asked.”
“And what the hell am I doing back here?”
“You’re coming with us. I’ll stop for coffee in a few minutes. I know how you like your morning coffee, or have you changed?”
“No. I still need my caffeine fix in the morning. Cody, this isn’t funny. You can’t take me back to the ranch. That defeats the whole purpose. I want you to keep Matt safe.”
“And I want to protect both of you, so no more arguments. You won’t win this one, and you could wake up Matt. Want something for that arm?”
She struggled within herself. She wanted to fight with him and convince him he was wrong for not doing things her way, but the arm hurt too damn much. It must be way past the four hours. Pain won out.
“Yeah, give me the damn pills.”
He reached in his pocket and pulled out the pill bottle. Using his teeth he loosened the cap, handing it to her along with a bottle of water.
She swallowed two pills and shoved the pill bottle in her pocket. She kept the water. With her legs stretched out in front of her, she gazed out the window and tried to identify landmarks.
“Where are we?”
“Just past Spokane, should be in Idaho soon.”
“How did you get us across the border?”
“Easy as roping a calf, I had your passport and Matt’s. Good idea, by the way, to have a separate passport for him, makes it a lot easier.”
“It was the marshal’s idea. I’ll make sure to thank them,” she said.
“Anyway, the custom guy saw you were both asleep. Asked where we were going and I told him I was taking you to visit your parents. He glanced at the passports, said to have a nice visit and waved us through.”
“Nice that he was so helpful and considerate. You know this won’t work.”