Chapter Four

      Alexa had to fight through the panic and force herself not to run. She couldn’t. Because running would mean putting the baby right back in the line of fire.

      Ditto for her.

      But she was in hot water either way. If she voluntarily went with Marshal Lockwood and he was indeed dirty, she could be dead by morning. If she stayed here with Levi, the same might happen at the hands of those attackers. And worse, she’d be putting Levi, his family and the baby in danger.

      “Why would I go with you?” Alexa managed to ask Lockwood. It was hard to speak, though, with her breath suddenly so thin.

      “Because you’re still a witness in an upcoming trial, that’s why. Or did you forget that?”

      Alexa didn’t miss the marshal’s sarcasm. “Forget that a thug like Marcos Culver wants to kill me so I can’t testify against him? No, I didn’t forget.”

      “Good. Because your testimony against him is the only thing that prevented you from being charged with hacking into FBI databases.”

      Alexa didn’t need to be reminded of this. It was true. She had hacked into the databases looking for the Moonlight Strangler. Had gotten caught, too. And to stop charges from being filed against her, she’d agreed to testify against Marcos, who had worked part time for her as an investigator at her PI agency. She’d learned just enough about Marcos to help put him behind bars for extortion and money laundering, though everyone was certain he was guilty of a lot more than that.

      But Lockwood might be guilty of those same things.

      Both men were free, too. Lockwood because he hadn’t been officially accused of anything, and Marcos because he was out on bail awaiting the trial.

      “I know you’ve continued your investigation into the Moonlight Strangler. Did you hack into WITSEC files, too?” Lockwood asked. “Is that how your identity was blown?”

      Levi looked at her, silently asking if that was true. Part of it was. She had indeed been running her own investigation, but she hadn’t done the rest. “I haven’t hacked into anything since I’ve been in WITSEC.”

      “But you’ve been investigating the Moonlight Strangler again,” Lockwood corrected.

      “Of course I have. He killed a friend of mine and lots of other women. He nearly killed me. I want to catch him.”

      Something that Levi and she actually had in common. Not that he or his family would consider that common ground. Still, she was hoping that Levi would want to protect an innocent baby.

      Even if that protection didn’t extend to her.

      Alexa didn’t bother to hide her frustration. “How could hacking into WITSEC files possibly help me find the Moonlight Strangler anyway?”

      “You know there are several people out there who got glimpses of him.” Lockwood didn’t hesitate to say. “People who asked to be protected and given new identities. I believe you wanted to find those people and question them.”

      Alexa groaned. “That’d be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

      “But it was your chance to find him. Your chance to redeem yourself.” Lockwood made air quotes around the word redeem.

      “How did you even know Alexa was here?” Levi asked the marshal.

      Good question, one that Alexa wished she’d already thought to ask. Somehow she had to force her mind to settle down so she could try to think of a way out of this potentially dangerous situation.

      Now Lockwood took his time answering. “When I heard Alexa had skipped out of WITSEC I made some calls, and the locals there checked cameras at the traffic lights and saw Alexa driving a green SUV. No one else was in the vehicle, and she took the interstate heading in this direction.”

      The cameras hadn’t shown Tasha because Alexa had told her to get on the floor with the baby in the car seat.

      Levi made a sound of surprise. “There are plenty of places the interstate goes other than Appaloosa Pass. Why’d you pick here?”

      Lockwood frowned. No doubt not very happy about what was beginning to sound like an interrogation. “I figured Alexa would want to get to a lawman she could convince to be on her side, and there aren’t many of those left who are speaking to her. You included. But I figured she’d try to come to one of the other deputies here.”

      Alexa did indeed know some of the deputies, but it was a stretch for Lockwood to guess she’d go to Appaloosa Pass. Still, he could have figured that it was just what she would do. Of course, the hired guns who’d chased Tasha and her could have reported back to their boss—Lockwood.

      “Besides,” Lockwood went on. “Alexa would have another reason for coming here. To find an ally to continue her investigation into the Moonlight Strangler.”

      Again, it wasn’t something she could deny. Well, not fully deny anyway. The Crocketts would indeed do anything to catch the killer, but she doubted they’d want any help from her.

      “You should have left the Moonlight Strangler investigation to lawmen who know what they’re doing,” Lockwood said to her like a warning. “You don’t even have your PI creds anymore. And besides, even if by some miracle you were to find him, it wouldn’t undo the death you were partially responsible for.”

      At least Lockwood had used the word partially, but there were times, like now, when Alexa felt as if she’d been the one to end Paige’s life. Paige had been her best friend, and the only reason Paige had crossed paths with the killer was because she’d been trying to help Alexa with the investigation.

      Something Alexa would never forget, never forgive herself for doing.

      And neither would Levi and his family.

      The door opened behind Lockwood, sending the marshal, Levi and the deputy all reaching for their guns, but it was just the medic.

      The man froze. “Uh, is this a bad time?” he asked, eyeing all three of them and looking ready to bolt. He had a bag of what appeared to be supplies in each hand.

      “No,” Levi said.

      At