Sealed with Trust, page 7
A completely opposite situation from today. Laney had already bonded so closely with Dallas and Romeo, that if Dallas abruptly left, their daughter would be destroyed.
Dallas was glad he was able to distract Laney from her sadness, which was less about her father dying and more about feeling guilty for something she assumed caused his lack of being an upstanding parent.
He’d managed to control his anger, using Romeo to help lighten the moment. Soon, Laney was distracted by a video game Maggie’s mom had brought along, giving him some alone time with Mags.
“What do you think about getting cameras up around the exterior of the house?” he asked in a low voice. “I want to set up some trip wires too.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Those are both good ideas, and I’d also like to drive past Tate’s house. I’m sure the cops have it staked out, but we can drive past without alerting any suspicions.”
He frowned, considering their options. “I don’t want to leave you, Laney, and your mom alone, so we either go together or not at all.”
Maggie didn’t answer right away. “I hate to admit it, but you should probably go alone. We know we weren’t followed, which is good. It shouldn’t take you too long to get what you need and to swing by Tate’s place.”
He lifted a brow in surprise. “Are you sure? I’m not convinced leaving you here alone with Sarah and Laney is the best idea.”
“I’m an armed cop. I can protect my family.” She narrowed her gaze as if waiting for him to claim he could protect them better than she could, then waved a hand. “You’re better off buying the stuff you mentioned. I’ve never purchased cameras before.”
“Okay.” It was shockingly hard to leave, but the sooner he picked up the supplies he needed, the better. He stood, then asked, “Does your mom have a cell phone? I’d like to be able to stay in touch.”
“She does.” Maggie rattled off the number so he could enter it into his phone. “Laney doesn’t have one, and don’t even think about getting her one, Dallas. No eight-year-old needs a phone.”
“I tend to agree. But I’ll pick up one of those disposable phones for you to use in the meantime.”
“That’s a good idea.” She glanced over to where Laney was playing a video game with the lab stretched out beside her. “Are you leaving Romeo here or taking him with you?”
“I’ll leave him with you.” The K9 would be one more added layer of protection. One he hoped wouldn’t be needed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I know.”
He headed toward the door leading into the garage. He’d barely opened it when Maggie cried, “Oh, wait, let me give you Tate’s address.”
He turned, and the way she hurried over to his side made him yearn to sweep her into his arms for another kiss. How he managed to hold back, he had no clue. She took his phone and quickly typed it in. “There.”
“Thanks.” He stared down at her for a long second, desperately wishing he had the right to hold her close. After a moment, he crossed the threshold, closing the garage door behind him.
After backing out of the garage, he closed the door, then headed toward Tate’s house. He figured the drive-by wouldn’t take long, especially if the cops were still processing the place for evidence to the guy’s murder.
To his surprise, the house appeared vacant, no sign of police or any other law enforcement. It made him wonder if Tate hadn’t been living there at all. Mags indicated it had been two years since she’d been there. The guy could have easily moved someplace else in that time frame.
He drove past twice, then headed toward the closest big box store to get the phone and cameras. Every minute he was away from Laney and Mags was agonizing. He kept his phone close, half expecting Maggie to call on her mother’s phone to let him know they’d been found by the gunman.
He made two more stops to get fishing line and to pick up more food before heading back. As earlier, he made sure there was no one following him, frequently changing direction and taking last-minute turns.
When he pulled up to his rental house, he was relieved it looked the same as when he’d left a little over an hour earlier. The garage door opened, and he drove inside, then quickly closed it. He grabbed the food first and headed inside.
“Mags? Laney?” he called. Laney jumped off the sofa as Maggie came out from one of the bedrooms.
“Can I go swimming again, Dallas? Mom said I had to wait for you to get back.”
He was surprised she was so ready to jump back into the pool. No wonder parents always looked so exhausted. Laney contained boundless energy in her wiry frame. “Ah, maybe in a little while. I have a few things to take care of first.”
Laney’s shoulders slumped, and she grimaced. “Okay.”
Man, he hated disappointing her. Yet he needed to get a few things accomplished, like putting the food away, activating Maggie’s phone, and setting up the cameras and the video program that will be linked to his phone.
“Why don’t you watch a movie?” Maggie suggested. “I’m sure we can find something of interest.”
“I guess,” Laney muttered. “I should have brought more books.”
“I have a small tablet,” he offered. “I will happily download some books for you to read.”
“Really? Okay!” Laney brightened. “Let’s see if there’s a good movie on first.”
He watched her head over to the television. Maggie joined her, manning the remote and clicking through the channels. He put the groceries away, then went back to the garage to get the rest of the stuff he’d purchased.
They must have found something they liked because they settled on the sofa. As he worked, he found himself smiling at how they seemed like a family. It made him long to tell Laney the truth, but he knew Maggie was right about waiting a bit.
Soon, though. He was going to insist they talk to her about his role in her life from this point forward very soon.
When he had the camera system operational, he decided to start putting them in place. There had been no sign of his neighbors, and he figured midafternoon as the hottest part of the day was the best time to get the task accomplished. Most people who lived in this area stayed indoors as much as possible during the hot August days.
He’d already pinpointed the locations in his mind, so it didn’t take him long to get them mounted in obscure corners of the property. When that was finished, he added the trip wires. He avoided the areas Romeo used to get busy and made a note to make sure the K9 didn’t get hurt by them.
Satisfied with what he’d accomplished, he nodded at Maggie to let her know Laney could swim anytime. He saw Sarah poking around in the kitchen and told her to help herself to whatever she wanted.
“I thought I’d throw together grilled sandwiches for dinner.” She met his gaze, but then quickly looked away. “I’m used to cooking for Laney and Maggie.”
“Sounds great to me,” he said. “Thanks.”
She abruptly turned to face him. “I know the truth.”
He froze, his mind whirling. Had Maggie told her or had she simply figured it out on her own? “I—uh . . .”
“You shouldn’t have left her,” Sarah said. “Not without some way for her to contact you.”
“Being a Navy SEAL,” he began, but she cut him off.
“You should have been more responsible,” she insisted. “Your carelessness put Maggie in an impossible situation.”
“You’re right,” he said quietly. “There is no excuse. All I can say is that I’m sorry.”
Sarah stared at him for a long moment before saying, “Don’t hurt her like that again.”
“I won’t.” The words came easily but also gave him pause. The way she’d kissed him earlier had made him consider the idea of giving their relationship another try. They were both older and wiser, so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes they had nine years earlier. And there wouldn’t be any more deployments to keep them apart either.
Yet there was Laney to consider now. A little girl who didn’t know he was her real father. And what if things between him and Maggie didn’t work out for some reason? That would make their situation that much more complicated. Laney may even be upset with him on her mother’s behalf.
No, he couldn’t take the chance of losing Laney.
It hurt, but he told himself there could be no more kissing. Or hugging. Or reminiscing about the past.
He couldn’t allow anything to distract him from the precious time he had left with his daughter. He’d already missed eight long years.
“I like the book better,” Laney said as Maggie turned off the television. “The characters are fun, but they left so much out when they made the movie.”
“Harry Potter?” he guessed.
“Yep.” Laney grinned. “We only saw the second half of the movie, but that’s okay because I saw it before.”
“Many times,” Maggie drawled.
Romeo stretched and came over to join them, tail wagging as if he knew there was more fun to be had. One thing was for certain, the K9 would sleep well tonight. Between his training and Laney’s playing, Romeo was getting a good workout.
“Time to swim,” he announced with a grin. Laney let out a whoop and ran to the bedroom to change.
“I see you have everything set,” Maggie said.
“Yes. I’ll show you how it works, oh, and here’s your new phone.” He handed her the small device. “You’ll need to activate and charge it. Sorry, it’s nothing fancy.”
“That’s fine. I wasn’t expecting it to be a smartphone.” She leaned forward to see the screen on his device. The first camera overlooked the driveway. He clicked on the screen to show her the street in front of the house was empty.
“The cameras are triggered by motion. But I can also scroll through to see what’s going on outside too.” He demonstrated for her. “I set up trip wires, so don’t let Laney run around outside by herself. She’ll have to stay in the house and in the pool area.”
“She’s loving it so far, but I know she’ll get bored soon,” Maggie warned. “She’ll want to see her friends sooner or later.”
“I know. We’ll have to pray the Fredericksburg police are able to ID the gunman and somehow trace him to Tate’s murder.”
“And if they don’t?” Maggie asked.
“I may have to call in my SEAL buddies to help.” He was hoping to use them as a last resort, mostly because Mason, Kaleb, Hudson, and Dawson were all old married men now, preoccupied with their new lives outside of the military. Nico was a possibility, but he was still searching for clues to Ava’s disappearance, and Dallas didn’t want to take him away from that task. Ava was Jaydon’s sister. Jaydon and Nico had been swim buddies, and he knew Nico would never give up searching for Ava.
“What can they do? A better idea is for me to go back to work so I can investigate the case myself,” Maggie said. “I’m the one who is at risk here. I’m going to call my boss again later to insist he reinstate me.”
“He won’t do that until you’re cleared,” Dallas reminded her, squelching a flash of fear. “Please, Mags, don’t put yourself in the killer’s crosshairs. Let’s stay the course and see what happens, okay? One night of being safe isn’t much to ask.”
“Okay, fine. But we can’t just hang out here playing house forever.” She turned away as Laney ran back into the room. “Looks like you’re ready to go.”
“Can Romeo swim with me again?” Laney asked.
“Sure.” He found it difficult to refuse the little girl anything. “But if he gets tired, let him rest.”
“I will. Come, Romeo!” Laney rushed through the patio doors, then jumped into the pool, making a huge splash. The chocolate lab didn’t hesitate to follow her in.
The rest of the evening passed without incident. Laney swam until close to dinnertime. Sarah kindly cooked, then shooed them into the living room to watch another show. When Laney’s eyelids began to droop, Maggie insisted it was time to get some sleep.
When the women were tucked away in their respective rooms, he pulled out his phone and flipped through the cameras. He didn’t see anything unusual. Still, he’d sleep on the sofa, just to be on the safe side. Once darkness fell, he stood and moved toward the garage door. “Come, Romeo.”
The chocolate lab was sprawled on the floor. The K9 opened one eye, looking at him as if to say you’ve got to be kidding. Apparently, Laney had worn the dog out big time.
“Romeo, come.” This time, the lab responded to his stern tone. He uncurled himself, stretched, then came to sit at his side. “Good boy.”
Moving silently through the garage, Dallas went out the back door to the yard. He told Romeo to get busy as he scanned the area. The dog quickly did his thing, and after taking care of the mess, they went back inside.
They hadn’t been followed, and he had cameras and trip wires. They were safe.
He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, so when he stretched out on the sofa, he closed his eyes and was out like a light.
His vibrating phone woke him up. He instantly grabbed it and saw that the front camera overlooking the street had been activated.
A black car slowly passed the house. The tinted windows made it impossible for him to get a good view of the driver.
He stared at the screen until the car was out of sight. Then the camera went dark. He waited for long, interminable moments to see if the vehicle returned.
Five minutes passed. He was just about to set the phone aside when it vibrated again. He swiped at the screen and saw what looked to be the same vehicle drive past from the other direction.
A coincidence? No way.
He felt certain the gunman was either looking for them in the general area or knew exactly where they were.
Chapter Six
It was too early for her to go to bed, and hiding in her room to avoid Dallas was just plain stupid. Maggie silently made her way into the main living area, trying not to disturb Laney or her mom.
Dallas stood to the side of the window overlooking the front yard, staring into the darkness. Romeo was asleep on the sofa. She would have sworn she hadn’t made a sound, especially since the chocolate lab didn’t move, but Dallas turned to look at her. “I thought you were asleep,” he whispered.
“I’m not.” She edged closer. There had to be a reason he was staring outside. “What’s wrong?”
“A dark car just drove by, twice in a seven-minute time frame.” He held up his phone. “I managed to get a picture of it, but the angle makes it impossible to make out the license plate.”
She thought about the dark car that approached her house and the partial plate she’d caught. “The previous car’s last three digits were six five one.”
“I remember.” He scrolled through the phone. “Here, see what you think.”
The video was still in the phone’s memory. She started the feed and watched the car slowly roll past the rental house. The angle did make it difficult to see the plate. Even knowing the last three numbers of the other car, she couldn’t say this was the same one. The second video was recorded seven minutes later when the car returned from the opposite direction.
Feeling grim, she handed the phone back to him. “It’s possible the car doesn’t belong to the gunman.”
“I thought about that, the driver could have dropped someone off, then left the neighborhood, but I can’t afford to ignore the possible threat.” Dallas sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “What I don’t understand is how they could have possibly found us here?”
She nodded slowly. “I thought for sure they tracked my phone to find us at the hotel. Is it possible they know your vehicle?”
“I considered that. We weren’t followed, and the SUV has been in the garage the entire time, except for the two hours I was out picking up supplies.” His eyes flashed with frustration. “This doesn’t make sense. No one should be able to link me to you.”
“True.” Dallas had popped back into her life after Tate had been murdered. Tate knew the truth, but why on earth would he have mentioned it to someone else after all this time? Especially since Tate hadn’t known Dallas was back.
Except Dallas had been driving between Austin and Fredericksburg to help his sister.
“How long have you been back in Texas?” She gestured to his arm. “You mentioned surgery on your shoulder in January, have you been here since then?”
“Yeah, I had surgery at the VA center in Austin. It was the closest medical center to my sister, and as I said, I’m still getting some physical therapy.”
“Is it possible you ran across Tate within the past few months?”
Dallas shrugged. “No clue. I don’t remember meeting anyone by that name. I don’t know what he looks like.”
“Red hair, trimmed red beard.”
Dallas shook his head. “Doesn’t sound familiar.”
She nodded, thinking back to those intense weeks she’d spent with Dallas nine years ago. It’s possible they’d run into Tate at some point, Fredericksburg wasn’t that big. Yet that was also during the height of the tourist season. “He may have seen us together back then.”
“Maybe, but why does it matter? Tate’s murder has nothing to do with me. Or you,” he added.
“I know, but there must be something we’re missing.” She wished, more than ever, she could have been a part of her ex-husband’s murder investigation. “I can’t figure out how this house rented under your name was found by the gunmen.”
“The only possibility I can come up with is that they took down my license plate number that first night outside your house.” Dallas scowled. “Getting access to DMV records is no easy task. Only someone with connections could do that.”
Nausea churned in her belly. “Tate was a former cop and obviously had already been murdered by then. However, there could be other cops involved. Maybe Austin police.”
“You need to find out if the Fredericksburg police found anything while digging into the partial license plate.”
She grimaced. “I can try, but I’m still being treated as a suspect.”
“I get it, but we need to know if they found the vehicle or have gotten the ID on the gunman.”
