TWO

      “I need to go to the police.”

      “You can’t.”

      She turned those wide green eyes on him and Blake saw panic in them. She was trying to keep it together but he could tell she was on the verge of losing control. He saw her mind working, questioning whether or not he was going to keep her from leaving and probably wondering how she was going to get out of the Dodge and out of his grasp.

      She wasn’t his prisoner, but she needed to understand the danger she was in...the danger they were both in. He knew Mason well enough to know he wouldn’t stop. He’d made an attempt on their lives. He had no choice now but to finish them.

      His gaze continually scanned the area on the lookout for police cars. He needed to develop a plan—starting with finding a phone he could use. He had to call Matt and alert him that his cover had been blown and he was trapped. Matt and the DEA could help him come up with an escape plan.

      He glanced at Holly. She looked distraught now but she’d acted admirably and he’d been impressed. He knew she was scared. She didn’t want to be a part of this, but he wasn’t the one who’d dragged her into it. Mason had pulled her in, and it was up to Blake to keep her safe. He could see how Mason could become obsessed with her. Tall and athletic, her long neck accentuated a lovely heart-shaped face and big green eyes, a supple mouth and a chin that jutted stubbornly in defiance. He checked himself before he focused too much on her beauty.

      Yes, she was beautiful, but he couldn’t allow himself to go down that road. He was still nursing a broken heart. Miranda had gone far beyond the normal everyday betrayal of having an affair or leaving him. She’d actually kidnapped his best friend Colton’s girlfriend, Laura, and handed her over to a loan shark who’d planned to kill her. And she’d done it only for money. Greed had been her downfall. Greed and an unexpressed loathing of the small-town life he loved. She’d paid the ultimate price for her betrayal, though. She’d been shot and killed by the very loan shark she’d helped. How could he have been so blind? How could he have not seen her real feelings? He was still struggling with it, even after all this time, and knew he could never put his heart on the line again.

      “You can’t trust the police,” Blake told her.

      “Mason, sure. But I’ve known most of these people for years. Chief Waggoner has been good to me. I should have told him about Mason sooner. He deserves to know what he’s done. He’ll take care of it. I’ll go there, tell my story, and they’ll arrest Mason.”

      “Mason isn’t going to let you go. You’re a witness to an attempted murder. You’re taking an awful big risk that the higher-ups aren’t on Mason’s side. The cops are blocking the roads out of town. Who do you think ordered that?”

      “Because they’ve only heard Mason’s side of the story. We need to go there and tell them the truth.” She jutted her chin stubbornly. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to the police.” Her face softened. “I am grateful to you for saving my life today, but I don’t know you, Blake. I trust Chief Waggoner. He’s been good to me since Jimmy died.”

      “Mason said people higher up were involved, high enough to pay off a coroner to cover up a murder. Don’t you think the chief of police would have to be involved in something that big?”

      “You’re asking me to trust someone I just met over someone I’ve known for years—someone my husband knew and trusted with his life.”

      He hoped to change her mind but could see she was determined. He couldn’t blame her. She had only his word that the police department was corrupt and they’d only just met. For all she knew, he was the dirty cop.

      “Fine,” he said, turning the truck around. “I still believe this is a bad idea, but you’re not my prisoner. I’ll drop you at the police station.”

      “It would be more believable if you would come in with me and explain what happened.”

      He shook his head. “I can’t do that. My only chance now is to get out of town.”

      He parked across the street from the precinct and scoped the area. “I don’t see Mason’s cruiser, so I think you’re okay.” He looked at her, wishing he could say something that would change her mind. But she was right. This was her town. He was the outsider. And maybe she was right about Chief Waggoner. He had to concede he only had Mason’s word that the higher-ups were corrupt. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

      She nodded. “I have to. I can’t be involved in this.” She looked at him, her green eyes searching his. “What are you going to do?”

      “Find somewhere to hole up, call my friends and do my best to get out of this town alive.”

      She nodded and then smiled at him. “Goodbye, Blake Michaels.”

      “Goodbye, Holly. It was nice to know you.”

      She opened the door and had one leg out when his hand shot out to stop her, grabbing her elbow. “Wait.”

      He was surprised by the intensity of his feelings for her and his hesitancy to let her go. She’d held up well against circumstances that would make a grown man lash out. He understood her need to try, but it didn’t stop his concern for her safety.

      She looked back at him, waiting, but his words caught in his throat. He should say something to help her, but every inch of his instinct was telling him something wasn’t right. “Please don’t do this,” he said. “You’re making a mistake by going in there.”

      Her smile said he was being overly cautious. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “You’ll need to change that bandage often or else you’ll get an infection.” She slid out of the car and crossed the street.

      He watched her go, his heart hammering against his chest. He’d saved her from Mason only to have her walk into the lion’s den.

      Lord, please protect her.

      * * *

      Holly stopped at the doors to the police station and looked back. Blake’s truck was gone. She sighed, already missing his protective presence.

      Stop it, she chastised herself. She didn’t need his protection. But she had needed it today and he’d given it freely—and been wounded himself. She should have wished him well or said she would pray for him, but the words hadn’t come. She wasn’t on good enough terms with God to even pray for someone else.

      Besides, she didn’t know Blake. Maybe he didn’t deserve her prayers or her good wishes. But she found that hard to believe. He struck her as one of the good guys. He’d risked his life to save her from Mason and that spoke volumes. But she had to think logically. Reason told her she couldn’t discount all of the police on the word of one man or because of Mason’s actions.

      I hope I’m doing the right thing.

      She pushed open the door and stepped inside the precinct. The chill of the air-conditioning hit her, a nice change from the muggy midmorning temperature. The room was full of desks and people in uniform. Holly approached the front desk, where the officer on duty was hunched over the computer.

      “Can I help you, lady?” he asked without looking up.

      “I’d like to see Chief Waggoner.”

      “He’s busy. Someone kidnapped a nurse over at the medical center. He’s coordinating the response team.”

      Surprise rushed through her. Mason had claimed she’d been kidnapped? That certainly explained the police roadblocks out of town. “Then he’ll definitely want to see me,” she stated.

      “Why? Who are you?” he asked, turning to look at her.