A Texas Hero

Gayle handed him a glass of water. He took a sip and placed the glass by his coffee.

“The silent alarm went off at 8:14 a.m. this morning. Officers arrived at 8:17 a.m. to find the door unlocked and Frank Harmon on the floor in the vault.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s had a massive heart attack and is at the hospital. We haven’t gotten an update on his condition, but he’s critical.”

“Good God.”

“Your daughter’s purse and phone were on the floor of the vault. We’re assuming that’s where she pushed the alarm.”

“Oh, what she must have gone through.” Everett put his head in his hands.

“Does your daughter know Ethan James?”

Everett raised his head. “No. I don’t recognize the name. Who is he?”

“His truck was found at the bank.”

“So he’s involved with the robbery?”

“No, sir,” Ross replied. “He’s my partner and a detective. His wallet and phone were in his truck, but he’s nowhere to be found.”

He frowned. “What does this mean?”

“We’re thinking Ethan and Ms. Bauman were taken as hostages.”

“Why would the robbers do that? I’ve been in banking all of my adult life and robbers are not known for taking hostages. It’s excess baggage and slows them down.”

“We’re not sure about that, but we’ll known more soon.”

He looked them in the eye. “Oh, but you do know, don’t you? My daughter is very beautiful and they took her for dire reasons.”

They didn’t dispute that and his blood ran cold.

“Mr. Baines, Ethan is with her and if anyone can get her out of that situation, he can. He’s a former marine, tough and smart.”

“I admire your confidence, Mr. Logan, but...”

Levi squatted in front of him. “Ethan and I grew up together and I know him well enough to say he will sacrifice his life to save your daughter’s. Hang on to that. Be positive. We’ll keep you posted and notify you the moment we locate them.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that. Could I please have a number to call to get updates?”

Ross scribbled something on a business card and handed it to him. “That’s my cell.”

“Thank you.”

“The investigators are going through the digital video from the surveillance cameras. We’re hoping to get an ID of the vehicle they used or anything that can point us in the right direction. We’ll be in contact.” They walked toward the foyer, but Ross turned back. “We found Douglas Bauman’s cell number in your daughter’s purse. He didn’t answer our call and we didn’t leave a message.”

“He’s her ex and not involved in her life in any way, except with their daughter. Do not waste your time on him.”

Ross nodded. “As you wish.”

With extreme effort Everett got to his feet. Gayle put her arms around him. “I’m so sorry.”

He pulled away. “No, you’re not. You’re finally going to get your wish, Gayle. The next call I receive might be to tell me my daughter is dead. She’ll be out of our lives for good.”

“How can you say such a thing?”

“Because it’s true.” He waved a hand around the room. “We have a four-bedroom, five-bath home and my daughter has never spent one night here. I’ve asked dozens of times, especially when I keep Chloe so Abby can go out and have fun like other young women, but she refuses. She knows you don’t want her here. You don’t want my only child in any part of our lives.”

“That’s not true! She doesn’t like me.”

“Oh, please. I’m tired of listening to that excuse. I’m just tired of the tension you create. Now I’m going to hold my granddaughter and pray like I’ve never prayed before.” He spared her a glance. “And you can go shopping.”

* * *

ETHAN CANVASSED THE place, but found nothing useful. Everything was old, rusted and bug-infested. He strolled back to the woman. She’d fallen asleep leaning against the tree, her head tilted to the left. Her hair, matted with leaves and dirt, hung in rattails around her face. The left side of her face was badly bruised where the bastard had hit her. Her arms bore scratches from tree branches and her clothes were filthy. Even with all that, it was hard to disguise her beauty.

He was good at reading people. He’d guess she was a sorority girl who’d led a privileged life. But that didn’t quite fit. She worked in a bank, so that meant she was a working girl, supporting herself or her family. And she had an inner strength he’d noticed right away. Not many women would have had the nerve to say to his face that they didn’t have time to deal with the wreck and to meet them at the bank. He’d thought of arresting her for being so damn cheeky.

Whoever she was, he knew someone she loved was getting bad news right about now, like his dad and Kelsey. The last thing his kid needed was to have her father go missing.

He eased down by the woman and she instantly woke up, blinked, looked at him and then closed her eyes tightly.

“This isn’t a dream, is it?” she asked.

“Afraid not.”

She opened her eyes and he was struck by how blue they were. He felt he could see all the way to heaven through them—and he wasn’t a poetic man. Since he’d sworn off women about two years ago, he found that odd and disturbing. He wasn’t interested in the woman. In his experience, even the nicest of women turned into a bitch once the honeymoon period ended.

“Did you find any water? Anything?”

“Nope. There’s an old well, but the rusted pump has caved into it. It’s useless.”

“So, what do we do?”

“We walk out of here and try to survive in this heat.”

“That’s impossible without water.”

“We have to stay in the shade and take breaks. Who knows—” he added at her despondent look “—there could be a convenience store just beyond those trees.”

“Yeah, right.”

From her tone, he sensed the woman didn’t want him to sugarcoat anything so he’d stick to the facts. “I’m guessing we were in the van from thirty to forty minutes so we’re out of Austin and apparently deep into deer country, but where I have no idea. We turned right from the bank. That means we headed south, and then we turned east, but there were so many turns after that I lost track.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Abby Bauman.”