Texas Takedown

TWO

Isabelle studied the highlighted paper map in front of her. Perky Miranda at the front desk insisted there was a tourist-friendly way to walk to her hotel. Unfortunately, without going back on that horribly secluded path, it would add another half mile to her throbbing ankle. Besides, as far as she knew, they hadn’t caught the men who’d chased her, so she decided to wait next to the doorman for a cab.

Why did her hero have to be Matt McGuire, of all people? Her eyes stung with unshed tears as the reality of her situation hit her. All alone in a giant city, after a near miss with armed men, she was left with a rescuer who had betrayed her friendship. Her hand reached for her collarbone as if her heartbeat was exposed to the rest of the world.

Matt no longer resembled the young boy she’d known throughout junior high and high school. His jaw looked chiseled, barely covered with a trimmed beard. The caramel mop with strands of honey-colored hair used to be bushy and unkempt, but now it was cropped, serving to emphasize his dark eyes. The man had aged well.

She’d grown up moving all over the country, aside from those seven precious years in Northern California. Matt had been her best friend right up until the day she’d stupidly listened to her girlfriends’ advice: “Tell him you like someone else, and then he’ll finally notice you as more than a friend.”

Oh, he noticed all right, and Isabelle finally found out what Matt really thought of her. She had been on her way to meet Matt and confess her lie when she’d overheard him.

“Randy, look, man. You don’t want to go out with her. Isabelle’s... She’s intense.”

“I’m pretty intense,” Randy responded.

“No, you don’t get it. She has this way of questioning everything. And she’s stubborn. You’ll never meet anyone more stubborn. And so intelligent...logical to a fault, really, yet still somehow naive.”

Her neck had felt on fire, and the heat had spread across her entire body, paralyzing her in the hall. Randy caught her gaze and pointed over Matt’s shoulder.

Yeah, that had been a pretty bad day. Isabelle shook away the memories.

She glanced down at the colorful map. She’d been eager to check out the art galleries and historic buildings before the incident. Now sightseeing didn’t hold the same appeal. She glanced up. Across the street, a man stood under the overhang of a building. He held a newspaper but stared directly at her.

The realization gave her an unnatural chill in the heat.

It was probably a coincidence. He wasn’t one of the men who’d chased her earlier, but she didn’t want to take time to study his face. She pretended to look at the map and dared another peek underneath her eyelashes. The man in the jacket continued to stare at her. Jacket? Who would wear a jacket in the heat of August? He reached into an inner pocket.

Was it a weapon? Isabelle no longer cared if she looked foolish. Her ankle smarted as she spun around to run back into the hotel and barreled right into another man. She screamed and stepped back.

“Isabelle!” Matt’s hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her. “It’s me. Are you okay?”

She flinched and twisted to look behind her. The man was gone. She pointed a shaky finger. “He—he—”

Matt let her go and stepped around her. “I don’t see anyone.” He offered her a kind smile. “You’ve had quite a scare today. It’s understandable you’d be on edge. I’m so glad you haven’t left yet. I never intended to leave you alone. Sorry for the miscommunication.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve always been good at that.” She stared at the empty doorway across the street. Matt didn’t believe her about the man? Great. Where could he have gone, anyway? Behind one of the cars?

Matt stiffened. “Speaking of misunderstandings, I’d like to explain sometime about what you overheard me telling Randy all those years ago.”

“No need. Water under the bridge.”

He frowned. “What are you going to do tomorrow? Which conference are you attending?”

“The Oceanology Conference.”

He pointed at the map in her hands. “Your conference is almost a mile from your hotel.”

“I’m aware.” She sighed. “Maybe I’ll call a cab.” It would have to come out of her own pocket, though, and the way the conference was split up, she would need four trips a day for the entire week. She couldn’t afford it. The plan had been to walk everywhere...until those men had chased her.

Matt squinted as if deep in thought, little lines forming around his eyes. “If I weren’t so busy—”

He felt guilty? “Matt, you don’t owe me anything. It’s not as if it’s your town. You don’t have to feel responsible.”

He chuckled. “Well, I do. The River Walk has been my home the past couple of years. I’d hate for you to leave with a bad impression.” He looked down at her feet. “How’s your ankle?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

A cab pulled to the curb. The doorman walked forward and opened the door for her. Isabelle got in and turned to give Matt a little wave, but he was already gone. Figured.

The other side of the car opened, and Matt slid onto the seat next to her.

“You don’t have to—”

He smiled, the same smile that’d made her knees go weak when she was younger. “I promised those officers I’d escort you back to your hotel, and that’s what I intend to do.” His fingertips brushed her forearm as he leaned forward to point the driver in the direction of the hotel. The touch felt familiar, and a flash of homesickness hit her in the gut. She missed the boy Matt used to be. She blinked back the sudden emotion. It was unlike her to be overcome with feelings, but it’d been a most trying day.

The cabbie kept Matt occupied for a moment, discussing shortcuts and ways to avoid construction. When they’d run out of topics, Matt leaned back in his seat. “It’s been a long time. Please let me take you out to coffee while you’re here so we can talk.”

“I told you, the past is water under—”

“Yeah, yeah.” His eyes crinkled with warmth. “If that’s true, then you’d have no problem catching up like the old friends we used to be.”

Her guard broke down. He had a point. If she really weren’t nursing a grudge like she claimed, he’d have been right. But she wasn’t about to admit that his actions all those years ago still hurt. She forced a smile. “Okay. I’ll check my conference schedule and get back to you.”

Ten minutes later, the cab pulled into the driveway of her hotel. Matt hopped out and paid the driver before she could object. He opened her door and helped her out. “Today’s my only day off, believe it or not. It’d be better to get our coffee on my calendar now. I’ll walk you up to your room, and while I grab you some ice for that ankle, you can check.” He caught her annoyed expression. “And then I’ll be out of your hair.”

She composed her features. “That’s sweet. Thank you.” Somehow he knew. He knew that the moment he dropped her off, she’d make sure she was too busy for coffee. Spending time with him after all these years would be more awkward than she had social skills to handle. But if they had something on the calendar, she’d feel bound to follow through.

They walked through the automatic sliding doors. The conference had proved engaging so far, but as an introvert, she craved some recharging time. Especially today. She’d never experienced fear as intensely as she had while running from those men. Would she no longer feel safe to go to the grocery store late at night? Or take a walk with her dog after sunset? From now on, would she imagine strangers following her?

Would she even be able to fall asleep tonight? She couldn’t take any sleep aids like many business travelers did. She had a history of sleepwalking, and any treatments for insomnia would increase the chances. That was the last thing she needed in a big city.

“Izzy?”

She caught his concerned gaze. “Sorry. Lost in thought. Did you say something?”

“I was wondering if you knew off the top of your head if you were free tonight. Would you want to have dinner instead? I could wait in the lobby while you freshen up.”

Did that mean she looked like she needed freshening up? She pursed her lips. If he thought she was primping for him, he had another think coming. But it didn’t matter. “I’m afraid I can’t. My research center is counting on me to network with potential investors.” Responsibilities weighed her shoulders down. “I’m supposed to be at a dinner with other conference attendees in—” she glanced at her phone and groaned “—an hour.” So much for time to decompress.

Her shoe caught on a snag in the carpet, and her ankle protested again. Matt put his arm around the back of her waist. “You really need to rest it.”

The functional embrace was almost enough to make her forget everything he’d said all those years ago. A shock of heat slid up her spine. She remembered a time when Matt was nothing but sweet and caring. They had never run out of things to talk about. How many times had she gone home wishing he’d have shown a romantic interest in her?

“By the way, no one calls me Izzy anymore,” she said.

“Oh? I seem to remember it was Belle in elementary, Ibby in junior high and Izzy in high school.” He smirked. “What’s left?”

Her cheeks heated at her younger self’s insistence at changing nicknames all the time. “Just plain Isabelle, thanks.”

“I thought you didn’t like that.”

“Yeah, well, that was for superficial reasons I’ve outgrown.”

“Such as?”

Did he really have to push it? She sighed. “I feel safe, as an adult, from the joke.”

“Joke?”

She felt her eyebrow rise. “Are you seriously trying to tell me you don’t remember it?”

“Knock knock.” His lips were fighting a laugh.

She simultaneously wanted to smack him in the shoulder and laugh along with him. “I knew you knew it.” The rest of the joke played through her head automatically: Who’s there? Isabelle. Is a bell out of order? I had to knock.

Oh, how she hated that joke and all the varieties that went with it. They had reached the back of the lobby.

Matt slowed. “Where to?”

She pointed to the left. Even though she’d requested a top floor, they’d put her on the bottom floor, where she could hear every footstep and door closing all night long. The smell of wet carpet hit her sinuses. The moisture was either from the heavy humidity or the remnants of a flooding.

Judging by Matt’s tight lips, his hotel didn’t suffer the same problem. She pointed at the door to the left. “This is me.”

“Okay. I’ll head for the ice machine while you get settled.” The moment her hand touched the door, Matt’s support left her. He strode down the hallway.

She pushed the plastic key into the slot, but instead of the little light turning green, the door opened, almost as if on its own. Strange. Had she not closed it all the way?

Utter darkness greeted her. Her breath hitched. She’d purposefully left the lamp on. Had housekeeping turned it off? She glanced at the door handle. The Do Not Disturb sign was still hanging where she’d placed it. Her back went rigid. Logically, it was possible the lightbulb had burned out.

She groped for the light switch but couldn’t remember where it was. Her heart slammed into her chest as she searched for it with no result. What if someone was in the room, waiting for her? She jumped backward into the hallway, letting the door close in front of her. “Matt?” She hated the way her voice shook.

“Everything okay?”

“I think someone’s been in my room.” Her voice shook. He was going to think she’d turned into a basket case.

His long stride reached her in a heartbeat. “Are you sure?”

She shook her head. “No, but—” She waved at the door. “It’s different.”

His brow furrowed as he studied her. “May I?” He took the plastic key from her hand. The door opened easily as he stepped into the blackness. “Probably just housekeep—” Light flooded the room and into the hallway.

Her shoulders dropped. He’d found the light switch, which meant she had overreacted.

He spun around. Lines creased his forehead. “Izzy, call the police.”

* * *

Matt couldn’t believe his eyes. Every inch of her hotel room had been ransacked. The drawers weren’t just open but pulled out of the dresser. The couch cushions and king-size mattress had been flipped.

The police directed him to wait in the hotel lobby as they interviewed Isabelle and the hotel staff. Isabelle iced her ankle in the chair perpendicular to him while they asked her questions. He pulled off his suit jacket. He could usually stand the heat and humidity in decent air-conditioning, but this hotel seemed to lack it.

Isabelle clutched her sparkly heart necklace. She shook her head to whatever question the officer had asked her. The jewelry looked bulky, almost gaudy compared to the elegance of her outfit. Frankly, it didn’t suit her tastes. Or rather, the tastes she used to have. He didn’t presume to know how much Isabelle had changed over the years.

Her manicured fingertips ran over the diamond-encrusted jewels on the left side of the heart. Fake, probably...he hoped. He cringed as he recognized the spark of jealousy. It would not rear its ugly head again. He was too mature for that.

As thick as the jeweled heart was, it was likely a locket of some sort...and none of his business. He would not ask her who gave her that locket. Although it might be part of the reason she hesitated to spend time catching up with him. Maybe she had forgiven him but didn’t want to be alone with him because she was already attached to someone else. He leaned forward to catch a glimpse of her other hand.

Isabelle caught his movements and frowned as her hands dropped to her lap. No engagement ring. He smiled and pushed his arms out as if stretching, and her face relaxed.

The hotel staff gathered on the opposite side of the lobby. They seemed tense as they huddled. It seemed harder to believe the ransacking was a coincidence after the men in the grotto. Isabelle had thought a man had been watching her outside his hotel, but he’d credited it to nerves. Now it seemed like someone was targeting her.

The police officer stepped away from Isabelle. She took a shaky breath and smiled at Matt. “He said you’re free to go. I’m sorry you had to spend your day off like this.”

Matt watched the officers leave. “Did they have any leads?”

Her face fell. “Not yet. They’re moving me to another room, at least.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

She pulled back, her blue eyes wide.

He sighed. He’d done it again, speaking without thinking. But it didn’t mean his instinct was wrong. He stood. “You’re not staying here. We’ve already discovered it’s not safe. Besides, don’t you have a sinus headache from these damp carpets?”

She blinked. “My allergies have gotten better over the years, but yeah, I’ve got a low-grade one that won’t quit.”

“I’ll help you pack.”

She flashed a smile that reminded him of all the nights he’d been tempted to kiss her. Some decent air-conditioning would be welcome right now.

“I appreciate your concern, Matt, but my boss already paid in advance for me to stay here. I can’t afford—”

“My treat.” There he went again. But he wasn’t about to let her stay somewhere that clearly had inadequate hotel security.

“I can’t let you pay—”

“Yes, you can. Besides, I’m manager, and it’s our slow season. I’m sure we have a couple of rooms available.” The lines around her eyes creased in worry. “It’s complimentary,” he added. “It won’t come out of my pocket, either.” He tilted his head back and forth. “And if you’re that worried about it, you can ease your conscience by writing a review after your stay with us.” He held out his hand. “Come on.”

Her eyes twinkled as she looked up at him, and she accepted his hand. “You can’t buy a good review from me, Matthew McGuire. I have my integrity.”

The softness of her touch took him off guard. He let go the moment she had her balance. “If you’re not one hundred percent satisfied, your room is compliment—Oh, wait...”

She laughed. “Point taken.”

“Besides, you’re going to love it.” He couldn’t help bragging over his hotel. The last two years, he’d worked hard to make it the premier destination for conference attendees, and the top brass had noticed. Which was how he’d been promoted so fast.

He glanced down at her dainty foot within her flat. It was red, most likely from the ice. “How is it?”

“Almost as good as new.”

“Isabelle, what did the police say?”

“They didn’t think the two incidents were connected.” Her hand clasped her necklace again.

“Seems a bit coincidental, don’t you think?”

“They figure I somehow showed I had cash.”

“They assume the men with knives—”

She flinched at the word. “They say I’ve had an unfortunate experience with San Antonio crime.”

Granted, he wasn’t a woman walking the streets alone, but the statement didn’t ring true to him. If she couldn’t offer the police any reason why someone would be targeting her, then they would be grasping at straws. “And what do you think?”

“It seems a bit much to take on face value, but I can’t offer another explanation for why this happened to me.” Her face was lined with worry. She didn’t seem to be holding anything back. She looked genuinely surprised.

She offered him a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’d better gather my things.”

Ten minutes later, Matt sat in a cab with Isabelle. He’d called ahead, and his staff assured him they had a room ready for her. “We didn’t have a king-size,” Matt explained. “I hope a standard double room will be adequate.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, well, I guess you get what you pay for. You’ll have to wait to find out what I think until my review.”

He stared at her, a warmth building in his chest. He had loved this girl, and she’d never known it.

The mischievous glint in her eyes dimmed. “Oh, no.” She yanked out her phone. “I’m over an hour late to the networking dinner. It was supposed to start at seven.”

“I’m sure they’ll understand given the circumstances.”

“That’s not the point. I promised Hank I’d take every opportunity. He—we need this.”

Was she in a relationship with this Hank? Nope, he wouldn’t ask. Not his business. “Let’s get you settled and get you to that dinner. Which restaurant?” he asked.

She told him as the cab pulled in front of his hotel.

He paid the driver and helped her out of the cab. “That’s just across the street, under the bridge, on the left side of the River Walk. We can’t get you any closer by taxi.”

So much for showing off with a grand tour. He stared into the dark night. After the day she’d had, he couldn’t let her go walking alone—with a weak ankle—through the throng of tourists and occasional muggers. “On second thought, I’ll take you straight there myself.”

She looked up at him. “You don’t have to. You’ve done so much already.”

Yes, there were still remnants of the stubborn girl he’d known. “Izzy, I’d like to escort you there. While I think you’ll be safe in the tourist sections, ease my conscience by promising me someone will walk you back to the hotel when you’re done.”

She straightened. “Deal. But what about my luggage?”

Matt called for the bellhop, who instantly recognized him. “Yes, sir?”

“Please take Ms. Barrows’s luggage and put it behind the front desk for me.”

“Do you have a hotel safe?” Isabelle asked.

“Of course.”

“Would it be okay if I put my laptop in it?” She pulled it out of her messenger bag and cried out at the sight of a bent corner. “I’d forgotten about this.” She studied it for a moment. “It still should work. So, can I use your safe?”

Matt nodded slowly. “Yes. Frank can put it in the safe.” Matt took the laptop from her and handed it to his employee. “Straight to the safe.”

Frank nodded and took off with the rollaway and computer. Matt watched him to make sure he was making a beeline to the front-desk area. But he couldn’t help but wonder if Isabelle was hiding something. Was her laptop the reason her room had been ransacked? And by agreeing to store it, was he putting a target on his own hotel?

Her eyes softened as she took his offered arm. “Thank you. You’ve gone above and beyond for someone you haven’t seen in years.”

As they made their way down the stone steps into the dimly lit cacophony, he hoped it would be enough to keep her safe.

THREE

She hated relying on Matt. This was not how she imagined experiencing the River Walk and the conference. In her mind, she was a strong, independent, single woman strolling confidently down the sidewalks. And little girls would look from the hands of their parents and wonder what glamorous job she had...

Okay, Isabelle was a dreamer and knew it. But still, this wasn’t going as planned. They emerged from the curved stone staircase onto the open River Walk. Music from a mariachi band filtered through laughter and trees to her ears. Colorful patio umbrellas lined the right side. Tree branches hung over the river that sloshed precariously close to the sidewalks, likely from the heavy rains last week.

Ducks squawked. One hopped onto an empty chair of an outdoor diner. It was like a hidden world underneath the city. Isabelle flinched as a man brushed past her. She stepped closer to Matt.

“We’re almost there,” he said. They passed the colorful tables, and the music faded in the background as he led her inside the waiting area of a posh restaurant. “See your party?”

On her tiptoes, she spotted the graying head of Darren Allen, the CEO of Endangered Robotics. He leaned back in his seat to talk to another man. Their plates held the remains of their meals. A waiter approached their table and handed them each a black book. “Oh, no. They’ve already got their bills.”

Isabelle was raised knowing that if you arrived five minutes early to an event, you were actually ten minutes late. Joining the party this tardy pained her. And to top it off, there wasn’t an empty spot for her to sit, if even for a few minutes.

Matt looked over her shoulder. “At least they aren’t completely done. Some of them are still eating. Look, there is an empty table right next to them. You can get a little networking in before they leave while you wait for some food.” He leaned over and spoke to the hostess.

The thought of sitting alone at the small square table put a pit in her stomach. She’d look pathetic to the rest of the attendees. No, she’d be better off cutting her losses and trying again tomorrow. But the hostess was already waving at her. “Right this way.”