Lone Star Secrets

“I hear you had an encounter with Richard Lowell tonight.”

“In the parking lot outside my building.”

Will had risen at the same time and stood at Megan’s back, scowling at the special agent. Despite his ever-increasing irritation, Will stayed silent. He’d already spoken his piece earlier in the day and venting wouldn’t help anyone at this point.

“Why don’t you come to the conference room and tell me what happened,” Agent Bird said, gesturing toward the hallway that led deeper into the building.

Megan nodded and began to move in his wake. She hadn’t done more than shift her weight forward, however, before reaching back for Will’s hand.

“Will you come along?” she asked, biting her lip in an uncharacteristic display of uncertainty. “I can’t do this without you.”

Mascara smudges and rubbed-off lipstick were testament to Megan’s upset. Only one other time had Will seen her so out of sorts. Jason’s memorial service. The night they’d made love. Then, like now, glimpsing her vulnerability made him long to pull her into his arms and kiss her worries away, but this was neither the time nor the place for a display of affection.

Too much remained unspoken between them since that fateful night. Will had to be satisfied with the fact that she’d called him, chose him to be with her tonight.

“I’m not going to leave your side.”

With a satisfied nod, she squeezed his fingers and together they made their way toward the conference room Sheriff Battle had set aside as a command post for tracking down Lowell. As they entered the room, Megan glanced around at the whiteboards, taking everything in.

Will, who had been in this room several times in the months since he’d returned home, was frustrated by the lack of progress.

Bird gestured toward a chair as he said, “Mrs. Sanders, you told the receptionist that you shot Richard Lowell?”

“Yes. With this.”

Before she sat, Megan withdrew the small pistol from her purse. Beneath the fluorescent lighting, the gun’s small size and fanciful handle made it look like a toy and Will glanced at the FBI agent to gauge his reaction.

“You’re sure you hit him?”

“I think so. He spun to his left, but I may have only grazed him because he chased me to my car and tried to stop me from driving away.”

From his seat beside her, Will regarded Megan, stunned by her bravery.

The FBI agent nodded, his expression impassive. “How long have you had the gun, Mrs. Sanders?”

“A month, but I only started carrying it recently after I received my conceal and carry permit.”

“Did you mention to anyone that you’d bought the weapon?”

Her lashes fell before she answered. “Dani Moore came with me to the firing range. I didn’t go public about the gun. When no one is supposed to know what’s going on, how could I explain my sudden need for protection?”

Special Agent Bird nodded. “That probably explains why Lowell approached you.”

“Why can’t you figure out where he’s staying?” Will demanded.

The agent’s gaze flicked in Will’s direction before he said to Megan, “Perhaps you could walk me through tonight’s events.”

“I was working late and everyone had left by the time I headed out to the parking lot.”

As Megan spun her story, Will clenched his hands into fists and held them on his knees out of sight. Tonight’s incident had been stressful enough and she didn’t need his anger mucking up the interview.

Still, it was a struggle to keep his frustration in check. Especially as she explained how Lowell had grabbed at her car door as she’d tried to make her escape. He didn’t like what he was hearing. Lowell stalking Megan, watching her, waiting to make his move.

At the same time, Will was astonished by her quick, clear thinking in pulling out her gun and shooting him. He doubted anyone could’ve done better.

“He acted like he expected me to go away with him,” Megan concluded, her energy trailing off as her story wound down.

“Did he say where he was headed?”

“No.” Her eyes went wide and her voice vibrated with dismay. “I should have asked him that. I’m sorry I didn’t. I was just so shocked that he showed up.” She stared at the gun sitting on the polished dark wood of the conference table. “All I could think of was getting away from him.”

“You did the right thing,” Special Agent Bird said, sounding kinder for a second.

Megan visibly relaxed. Had she been worried at the agent’s reaction to her actions that night? Could she have thought for a moment that she’d done something wrong? Will covered her hand with his and gave a light squeeze in support. The grateful smile she shot his way struck his nerves like a gong and reverberated through him long after she grew serious again. More than anything he wanted Megan to be happy.

“Is there anything else that he said that might help us find him?” Bird asked.

A crease formed between Megan’s brows as she considered the question. At last she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t think of anything more. It all happened so fast.”

A knock sounded on the conference room door. A moment later Deputy Jeff Baker poked his head inside and swept the room with troubled eyes.

“Any luck?” Agent Bird asked.

“Lowell was long gone by the time we reached the parking lot.”

“Any sign of blood?”

Baker shook his head. “If Mrs. Sanders shot him, it must’ve been only a graze.”

“I see,” Bird said. “Were you able to get ahold of Sheriff Battle?”

“He’s on his way in.”

When the FBI agent nodded, Deputy Baker withdrew. Bird returned his attention to Megan. “Do you have somewhere safe you can stay tonight? I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go home.”

“Do you really think he’ll try again tonight?” Will thought Megan had given Lowell something to think about. She wasn’t going to go without a fight.

“I doubt it, but the guy has a tendency to act impulsively. I don’t want to take a chance of losing him again if he does.”

He could see it in the agent’s eyes. They wanted Lowell to try again. Now that he’d demonstrated he wasn’t going to leave town without Megan, she became their best hope for catching him.

Bait.

Will ground his teeth together in irritation. Part of him understood the agent’s perspective, but the thought that Megan was in danger triggered a powerful need to protect her at all costs.

Setting his hand on Megan’s upper arm and feeling the tremors vibrating through her, he said, “I’d like to take Megan back to the Ace in the Hole tonight.”

“I’m not sure—” Megan began, only to be interrupted by the FBI agent.