He didn’t get up. “If I lie down, then I’ll go to sleep. That’s a no-no on the job. I’m better off sitting here talking to you.”
While she loaded the dishwasher, she asked the first question to pop into her head. “What made you go into law enforcement?”
“I wanted to be a Texas Ranger from the first time I saw a troop of them riding their horses in an Austin parade. I was just a little guy. When I told my dad, he said that we in the Davis family descended from a real Texas Ranger living back in the 1800s. After he showed me my great-great-grandfather’s picture, that did it. I was going to be just like him.”
“That’s a darling story.”
His chuckle filled the kitchen.
“Are you married, Luckey?”
“Divorced.”
Kellie frowned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s all right. My ex-wife didn’t find my occupation darling.”
No. She wouldn’t. No woman would who wanted her husband with her every night of her life. “But if she married you—”
“She thought she could handle it.”
With that response, Kellie felt as if someone had just walked over her grave.
He cocked his head. “How come you’re not married?”
“I’ve been too busy chasing a dream.”
“And thrilling crowds,” he added.
Her mouth broke into a smile. “You’re full of it, Ranger Davis.”
“I couldn’t agree more” came a familiar male voice from the living room. She lifted her eyes in time to see Cy, who walked into the kitchen looking wonderful even though he was tired and needed a shave. How long had he been listening to their conversation? At the sight of him, her heart knocked against her ribs.
She smoothed her palms over her hips. “There’s more breakfast if you want some.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” He caught a chair with his boot and sat down by Luckey. If he had any news about the stalker, he wasn’t ready to share it with her.
“I didn’t know your wife was such a great cook, Cy. Try the biscuits. They’re sensational with strawberry jam.”
“Yeah?” The two men glanced at each other. Kellie could tell streams of unspoken messages were passing between them.
She poured a cup of coffee for Cy and placed a plate of food in front of him along with utensils. “There’s more where this came from.”
“Bless you,” he murmured, eyeing her with a look that sent coils of heat through her body.
“I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about, so I’m going upstairs. Thank you for watching over me, Ranger Davis.”
“It was my pleasure.”
Kellie darted out of the kitchen and hurried upstairs. When she reached her room, she fell onto the bed, so relieved Cy was all right she cried tears of happiness into her pillow. Taking a deep breath, she reached for her phone. No call from the stalker. There was only one message. It came from her parents. She should have phoned them last night before she’d gone to sleep.
Without wasting more time, she called them and brought them up-to-date on what was going on. Later in the day she and Cy would drive out to the ranch to exercise the horses. At least that was her plan, but it all depended on him.
* * *
“HOW DID THE search go?”
Cy looked at Luckey while he ate. “I don’t even know where to begin. It curdled my blood when we entered the town house opposite this one on the other side of the fence. According to the landlord, a married couple named Michael and Julie Sanders signed a year’s lease in February. When the landlord was shown a picture, he identified Dan as the husband.”
“Good grief!”
“No one was home. When we searched the upstairs, we found that the bedroom overlooking Kellie’s garage had been made into a shrine. Her pictures were plastered all over the walls and ceiling. Hundreds of them.” It had been a nightmarish experience for Cy.
“We found camera equipment and half a dozen guns along with a ton of ammo. One of the rifles has a high-powered scope and was set by the screened window he’d left open. All the weapons are loaded. There’s duct tape, pepper spray, handcuffs, ether, everything used in their other murders.
“In the master bedroom Vic found that a part of the closet contained men’s clothes. The other half held women’s suits and jackets. The upstairs bathroom was filled with makeup and wigs.
“Just yesterday Vic had questioned the owner of a local theater costume shop in town. He remembered selling a lot of women’s makeup, including a brown and blond wig, to a man who said he needed them for a play he was producing. When Vic showed him the picture, the owner identified him immediately. The date of the purchase was the first of February.”
Luckey shook his head. “That was right before they signed the lease.”
“Yup. Those perverts have been holed up there all this time, eying Kellie’s every move.” Cy hissed the words. “While Denny held down the fort, Dan followed Kellie around the circuit. We found a motorcycle in the garage, so he’s out somewhere either on foot or in another vehicle, maybe even a motorcycle.”
“No doubt they’re responsible for a slug of unsolved armed robberies here in Austin to finance their operation.”
Cy’s jaw hardened. “We fully expected Dan to walk in on us. When he didn’t show up, we left and ordered the other condo renters on both sides of the alley to vacate the premises until further notice. We’ve organized the crew to stake out his place. After his last phone message to Kellie, my gut tells me he’s going to make his move when he gets back from wherever he’s been. I’ll be his first target. I know how his mind works. He’s planning to take me out with the rifle, then he’ll break in here for Kellie.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get some sleep on the hide-a-bed because I’m going to need you later.” He got up from the table. “I’ll be upstairs catching some sleep myself while I wait for a signal from Kit, who’s heading the crew.”
“Kit’s outside?”
“Yup. TJ wanted the best fresh body to head the stakeout. I told him I wanted Kit. Vic has gone home to get some sleep. After I explain to Kellie what’s happening, I’ll be in the guest bedroom. She’s free to roam around the house, but I don’t want her leaving for her parents’ ranch today. That will have to wait.”
He reached for another tasty biscuit and popped the whole thing into his mouth before taking the stairs two at a time. “Kellie?” Cy knocked on her door.
Before long she opened it. He could see her laptop open, lying on the bed she’d made. She was so beautiful to him, he swallowed hard. When he thought of all the pictures smeared over the walls and ceiling in the other condo, rage for the maniacs who’d been lying in wait for her for almost a year threatened to take over.
“Luckey’s asleep downstairs, but we need to talk. Shall we do it in here or in the guest bedroom?”
“Here is fine. Go ahead and use that chair.” She walked over to the bed and sat on the side. He brought the chair around so they were facing each other. A quick glance around the room with its piles of soft, colorful pillows on the bed and comfortable accents around the room proved to him a very feminine woman lived inside the cowgirl.
Cy leaned forward with his hands clasped between his legs. “We’ve tracked down your stalker to his lair. He’s not there at the moment. As we speak, a crew from the department