Levi did something he was certain he would regret. He pulled Alexa into his arms.

Despite the situation, he felt the very thing he didn’t want to feel.

The heat.

Oh, yes. It was there mixed with all the fresh emotions and spent adrenaline from the latest attack.

“You don’t want this,” Alexa whispered.

Even though she didn’t qualify what she meant by this, Levi made a sound of agreement. He didn’t want the problems that could come from the attraction he was feeling for her.

But he did want her.

And he did something about it when she leaned back to look at him. He slipped his hand around the back of her neck and he kissed her.

It felt like a truck had hit him in the chest. Oh, man. He hadn’t wanted her to taste like something he was certain he could never get enough of. He’d wanted the kiss to satisfy this need stirring inside him.

Didn’t happen. The need soared.

Trouble

with a Badge

Delores Fossen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

DELORES FOSSEN, a USA TODAY bestselling author, has sold over fifty novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. She was also a finalist for a prestigious RITA® Award. You can contact the author through her webpage at www.deloresfossen.com.

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To my amazing daughter-in-law, Dr. Tabitha Fossen.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Was the killer already here?

Deputy Levi Crockett didn’t see anything or anyone suspicious, but he felt the twist in his gut, letting him know something wasn’t right. He eased his hand over the Smith & Wesson in his holster and stepped from his truck.

The winter air snapped at him, the bitter cold going right through his buckskin jacket and cowboy hat, but Levi kept walking. Kept making his way to the side of the Outlaw Bar. Not near the door. But to the back so he’d be able to see when or if the killer arrived.

The bar was within a half hour of closing, but eight vehicles were still in the parking lot. No one was inside any of them though. No one he could see anyway. The vehicles likely belonged to the cocktail waitresses and bartender. Customers, too. Maybe one even belonged to the killer.

And not just any ordinary killer, either.

But the Moonlight Strangler, a serial killer.

If the tip from the private investigator was right, the killer had staked out this bar as the site of his next murder and would be arriving any minute now.

Too bad Levi hadn’t gotten more notice from the PI or he could have arranged for a better net to catch this dangerous snake. However, the call had come just a few minutes earlier when Levi was on his way home to his family’s ranch. He’d literally been driving right by the place, and that was why he hadn’t even bothered to call for backup.

Not yet anyway.

He would though if he saw or felt anything to confirm that the PI was right. After all, one of his brothers was the sheriff. Another was a deputy. And they could be there in less than twenty minutes if Levi needed them. Still, this was one killer Levi preferred to take care of himself.

Because it was personal.

This killer had spilled family blood, and he was going to pay and pay hard for what he’d done to all those women he’d murdered.

Levi eased into the shadows away from the pulsing neon bar lights and he listened. Waited. It was hard though to pick through the sounds of the crackling lights, the wind and his own heartbeat drumming in his ears.

But somewhere there was the sound of an engine running.

Because the driver had the headlights off, it took Levi a moment to realize the car wasn’t approaching from the street, but rather from the back of the bar. No road there, just a park-like area that the local teenagers used for making out. It could also be the very route a killer would likely take.

Before the car eased to a stop, Levi whipped out his gun and took aim. He froze. And not because of the weather.

A person stepped out of the car, the watery lights just bright enough for him to see her face. Not the Moonlight Strangler, but someone he did recognize. The pale blond hair. The willowy build.

Alexa.

Of all the people Levi thought he might run into tonight, Alexa Dearborn wasn’t anywhere on his radar. Heck, she shouldn’t be anywhere near him, this bar or the town of Appaloosa Pass.

Because she had a bounty on her head.

Word on the street was that the hired guns who were after her had orders to shoot to kill.

It’d been five months since Levi had last seen her. Marshals had whisked her away into WITSEC to an unnamed place. Given her a change of name, too. But five months wasn’t nearly long enough for the memories to fade.

Bad memories.

Of a woman strangled to death. Paige, his brother’s wife. And Alexa was right smack dab in the middle of those nightmarish memories and images that began to jolt through him.

Yeah, this was personal all right.

“I’m sorry,” Alexa said, her voice trembling.

The rest of her had to be trembling, too, since she wasn’t wearing a coat and it was just below freezing. Her jeans and thin blue shirt were hardly fit for a midnight visit on a winter night.

Levi had no idea why she was apologizing, but it did occur to him that she was the reason he was here. “Did you have a PI make a call to me about the Moonlight Strangler?”

She paused, then nodded. “I couldn’t think of a faster way to get you here, and I needed to talk to someone I can trust.”

“You can’t trust me,” Levi grumbled.

But he instantly knew it was a lie. The deputy’s badge on his belt wasn’t just for show. He was the law and would uphold it no matter what the cost.

Even for Alexa.

“I can’t stay out here long. I have to get back.” She glanced behind her.

Levi wasn’t sure where back was for her. “Then you’d better start explaining why you’re here because I’m in a hurry, too.” He’d just pulled a long shift and wanted to get home.

Actually, anywhere away from Alexa, and a long shift didn’t have anything to do with wanting to put some distance between them. He couldn’t look at her without thinking of Paige.

“I still had your personal cell number, but I was afraid you wouldn’t answer if you didn’t recognize the caller. Or that you’d hang up if you knew it was me.”

“Is this explanation going somewhere?” he snapped.

“Yes. I tried calling you at San Antonio PD,” she said after she cleared her throat. “I didn’t tell them who I was, but they said you didn’t work there any longer, that just this week you’d taken a job here in Appaloosa Pass.”

It was his third day on the job as a deputy. Levi had put a decade of city law enforcement behind him so he could come home and devote more time to catching the Moonlight Strangler.

Well, that was the official story anyway.

Other things had played into it. Things he had no intention of discussing with Alexa, even though, in a roundabout way, she was part of that unofficial story.

“I didn’t want to risk calling the sheriff’s office. That’s when I called the PI, James Moser,” Alexa added a moment later.

It didn’t surprise Levi that Alexa would remember the PI who’d helped Levi with the footwork on some investigations. After all, James had done a couple of jobs for her, too, when Alexa had still been running her private investigations agency.

“And you talked James into calling me with fake info about a serial killer so I’d meet you here.” Levi cursed. Not just because he wasn’t going to catch a serial killer tonight, but because he was a thousand percent certain he didn’t want to hear anything else Alexa had to say.

“Something went wrong,” she said, taking a step closer to him.

Alexa gave another wary glance over her shoulder at the car she’d parked. She’d left the engine running.

“Why are you here?” he pressed, figuring that’d give him the answer to a lot of his questions and clarify her “something went wrong” remark.

The cold air mixed with the slow breath she blew out, creating a wispy fog around her. “I think there might have been some kind of breach at WITSEC. I think my identity could have been compromised.”

“This is the first I’m hearing about it.” Of course, he wasn’t exactly in the WITSEC loop. “Are you in danger?”

A burst of air left her mouth. Almost a laugh. But there was no humor. “Oh, yes.” Another glance over her shoulder. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time, but I need your help.”

Levi was guessing this was connected to the reason she’d gone into WITSEC in the first place. Because she would soon testify against a very dangerous man.

Marcos Culver.

And Marcos would have his hired thugs kill Alexa if he found her. Heck, he might kill her himself just for the fun of it.

Bottom line—Marcos would do whatever it took to prevent her from testifying at his upcoming trial. Even though the police knew Marcos was connected to another dangerous criminal, a cop killer who’d also been arrested, Alexa was literally the only person who could put Marcos behind bars.

“I’ll call my brother,” Levi said, reaching for his phone so he could call Jericho, who was the sheriff. “He needs to know what’s going on so he can take you into protective custody.”

But reaching was as far as he got. Alexa practically lunged at him and caught his wrist. Not the smartest thing she could have done because her hand landed in his zipper area.

Their gazes met.

Held.

Before she drew back her hand as if she’d been scalded. “You can’t tell anyone I’m here,” Alexa insisted. “I don’t know who’s in on this.”

That wasn’t just fear he saw in her eyes. It was terror. And Levi figured they weren’t just talking about the possible WITSEC breach now.

“In on what?” he demanded.

“Everything,” she said on a weary whisper.

All right. That got his attention. Of course, his attention hadn’t strayed too far from Alexa since he’d seen her step out of the car. And it wasn’t because he didn’t trust her.

“If you don’t want me to tell anyone, including the sheriff,” he snarled, “then what exactly do you think I can do for you?”

“It’s not for me,” she mumbled, and with her grip still on his arm, she began to lead him toward her car.

Levi got a bad feeling then. One worse than he already had. “You didn’t make some kind of deal with the Moonlight Strangler, did you?”

That stopped her in her tracks, and when she whirled back around to face him, it wasn’t just terror in her eyes. There was what appeared to be confusion. Some hurt, too.

“I know you don’t think much of me.” No longer a mumble. Her words were crisp like the air. “But I wouldn’t have brought you here to be killed. I already have enough Crockett blood on my hands.”

Yeah, she did.

And while Levi didn’t believe she’d just hand him over to a killer, that still didn’t get him to lower his gun.

“You should know up front that I stole a car,” Alexa said. “And that’s not even the worst of it. It’s possible I killed a man earlier tonight.”

That stopped him, as well. “You did what?”

Alexa swallowed hard. “Or at least he might be dead.”

Levi motioned for her to keep going with that explanation, but Alexa only tried to get him walking again. When he stayed put, she said something under her breath he didn’t catch.

“He was a bad man,” she finally continued. “And he murdered someone. He would have done the same to me if I hadn’t bashed him on the head with a flashlight.” Again, she tried to get Levi moving.

He didn’t budge. “What man?”

She huffed, shook her head. “I don’t know who he was. A hired gun, I’m sure. And, no, I don’t know who hired him. Not yet anyway. But I will find out.”

That last bit sounded like some kind of threat.

“The guy wasn’t alone, either,” she continued. “He had a partner.”

“You really think he’s dead?” he asked.

Alexa pushed her hair from her face. “I’m not sure of much of anything right now other than he came after us. I hit him, stole his car and left him at the gas station at the edge of town. It’s closed for the night.”

No one had called in a dead body on his watch. Of course, that gas station wasn’t exactly in city limits, and that meant Levi needed to get someone out there ASAP to check on the guy.

“If he’s not dead, he could have followed you,” he pointed out.

“Yes, he could have. And so could his partner. That’s why it’s not a good idea for us to be in the open. Follow me and I’ll explain everything.”

Levi just gave her a flat look. She was definitely shaking now. Probably freezing her butt off, but maybe the cold would only get her talking faster, because he wasn’t going anywhere with her until she gave him some answers.

“Why come to me?” he snapped.

She stared at him as if the answer was obvious. “Because if there was a breach at WITSEC, then whoever’s behind it would figure that you and your family are the last people on earth I’d turn to.”

He couldn’t argue with that. So, it must have taken something pretty darn bad for Alexa to make this trek to Appaloosa Pass.

Alexa led him to the back side of the bar. No lights here, but there was enough of a snow moon that he could better see the dark car. Likely the one Alexa claimed to have stolen. And yes, the engine was still running.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Levi insisted when she tried to get him closer to the vehicle. “In fact, I’m doing something I should have done the moment I laid eyes on you.” He took out his phone despite the fact she tried to stop him again.

“You can’t call anyone,” she insisted.

“We’ll see about that. I’m calling Jericho right now. He might not like you, but he’ll protect you, and he’ll do what it takes to get you safely back into WITSEC.”

Alexa got right in his face. “Please. Don’t. Just get in the car with me and I’ll explain everything. Please,” she repeated when he hesitated.

Damn.

Levi cursed his hesitation. He also cursed the fact that he was affected in even a small way by her tacked-on please. Or maybe it was just the desperation he could see in Alexa’s eyes.

But desperate why?

To stay alive?

If so, why hadn’t she just taken off in the stolen car and stayed hidden until she was sure it was safe to surface?

Judging from the way Alexa’s gaze drifted to the car, the answer was inside.

Levi tightened his grip on his gun and went closer, not sure what he might see. No one was in front, but a heap of blankets was on the backseat.

“She’s dead,” Alexa said, and a hoarse sob tore from her throat.

The tears came. Man, did they. And Levi cursed himself again when it caused him to reach for her. A gut instinct.

One he resisted.

Barely.

“Who’s dead?” he asked. He tipped his head to the blankets. “And is the body on the backseat?”

Alexa sucked in her breath and made another sob. “Tasha’s dead. The man at the gas station killed her when he found us. We’d gotten away. We thought we were safe. But we were wrong. I was wrong,” Alexa corrected. “Her body’s at the gas station, too.”

Hell. Two dead bodies. “What’s Tasha’s last name?”

“McKenna. That’s her real name. But she’s been in hiding for the last couple of months and using a couple of different aliases.”

Yeah, he was definitely calling this in.

But the sound stopped him. A whimper of some kind. And then Levi saw the movement of the blankets.

He reacted fast, shoving Alexa aside, trying to get to the injured or dying woman. Alexa had said this Tasha was dead, but someone was definitely alive and moving. Maybe in need of immediate medical attention.

Levi threw open the door, bracing himself to see blood and heaven knew what else. However, it wasn’t an injured woman in those covers.

It was a baby.

A newborn from the looks of it.

“You have to protect her,” Alexa said, her voice trembling. “You have to tell everyone she’s yours. That I left her with you for safekeeping.”

And before Levi could even react, Alexa turned and started running away from him.

Chapter Two

Alexa heard Levi curse. He also called out for her to stop.

She didn’t.

Couldn’t.

If these hired killers were after her, then the best way to save the baby was for her to get as far away as she could. If the men had been after only Tasha, then having Levi lie would keep the baby safe. Either way, it was best if Alexa got out of there fast.

Alexa’s eyes were already burning from the bitter cold and the tears she was fighting. Her heart already thudding in her chest. Her legs felt like lead, but she ran as fast as she could.

It wasn’t nearly fast enough.

Levi used his football running-back skills from high school to catch up to her within a matter of seconds, and he latched on to her shoulder to whirl her around.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled.

“What I have to do to keep that little girl safe.”

That clearly wasn’t a good enough answer, but Alexa didn’t want to take the time to explain. She tried to bolt again. Levi didn’t let that happen. He latched on to her, hard, and practically dragged her back to the car. He pushed her against the cold metal of the door and pinned her there with his body.

Which wasn’t cold.

Something she shouldn’t have noticed.

“Start talking,” Levi demanded.

Alexa shook her head. “There isn’t time. You need to get the baby to a safe place now.”

But he didn’t budge. And even in the dim light she could still see the glare he aimed at her. “You had a baby?”

There was plenty of skepticism in his voice. Probably because he didn’t consider her the motherly type. It was reasonable. She’d never considered herself that way, either. Not with her stellar gene pool and mess of a life.

“She’s Tasha’s baby. She gave birth to her three days ago. In secret. She’s been hiding from a stalker.”

“Tasha,” he repeated. “The dead woman at the gas station.”

Levi cursed again and let go of her so he could take out his phone. No doubt to call someone she didn’t want him to call. “Don’t you dare take off again.”

Alexa didn’t attempt it, mainly because Levi still had her pinned to the car. He wasn’t overly muscled. More on the lanky side. But it was clear he was in good shape, probably because of the backbreaking work on his family’s ranch.

“Please don’t call anyone and tell them I’m here,” she begged. “I think the man who killed Tasha has a police radio. And even if he’s dead, his partner could still be monitoring the calls. I don’t want anyone to know that the baby’s Tasha’s. I want everyone to believe she’s yours. Ours,” she added.

“Ours?” he challenged.

She nodded. “I know we were never even close to being lovers, but no one other than us knows that. Whoever killed Tasha might not go after the baby if they believe she’s your daughter. Please. Just do this to protect her.”

In addition to the renewed scowl Levi gave her, she could also see the debate going on in his stormy brown eyes. He stared at her from beneath the brim of his black Stetson.

“Get in the car,” Levi ordered through clenched teeth. “I’ll drive the baby and you to the sheriff’s office, and I’ll call my brother on his personal phone so it won’t be on the police radio. Then you can tell me everything, and I mean everything.”

Not everything.

She couldn’t do that. But maybe she could tell him enough to convince him that the newborn on the backseat needed him and his lie. After that, Alexa had to get the heck out of town or else she would put the baby in danger again. It was only a matter of time before Marcos Culver or those thugs found her.

Levi opened the driver’s side door and practically stuffed Alexa in, moving her to the passenger’s seat. Alexa immediately checked on the baby, who thankfully had gone back to sleep. Maybe she would stay that way until Levi had her in a safe place.

Which likely wouldn’t be the sheriff’s office, not for long anyway.

Though that was the call Levi made as he pulled out of the parking lot of the Outlaw Bar. Alexa prayed this wouldn’t turn out to be a fatal mistake. She kept watch around them, looking for anyone suspicious and wishing that she had a gun. Too bad she hadn’t been able to get the one from the man who’d attacked them.

“Jericho,” Levi said when his brother answered. “I need you to send one of the night deputies out to the gas station on Shaw Road. There might have been some kind of attack.”

Even though Levi didn’t put the call on speaker, Alexa had no trouble hearing Jericho’s answer. “What kind of attack?”

“Just check it out. My source isn’t reliable.”

That was a generous way of putting it. And his doubt was deserved. After all, she’d lied to Levi and the Crocketts before.

It hadn’t turned out well.

However, she wasn’t lying about the attack. It’d happened, all right, and Alexa figured it would take a couple of lifetimes to get the images of the attack out of her head.

“I also need you to find out if there’s been a breach at WITSEC,” Levi added a moment later.

Jericho paused, no doubt wondering what the heck this was all about. “Give me a minute and I’ll see what I can find out. I’ll call you right back.”

She held her breath, hoping that Levi wouldn’t mention her name. He didn’t, thank goodness. But he continued the drive to the sheriff’s office. Soon Jericho would see her. And he wouldn’t be any more pleased about this situation than Levi was.

“You can’t tell the marshals I’m here in Appaloosa Pass,” she said to Levi when he put away his phone.

“Give me one good reason why.”

“Marshal Elroy Lockwood,” she provided right away.

Levi knew him, of course. And knew him well. Because Lockwood worked with Levi’s other brother, Chase, who was also a marshal. Lockwood had also helped investigate certain aspects of the Moonlight Strangler case. Of course, every law enforcement agency in the state had gotten involved in that investigation in some way or another since the killer had been operating for more than two decades.

“What does Marshal Lockwood have to do with this?” Levi asked.

“Maybe everything. I think he’s dirty and trying to hide his involvement in some criminal activity. He could have been responsible for my WITSEC identity being compromised.”

And more.

Lockwood could have been responsible for Tasha’s murder and those two goons at the gas station.

Levi shook his head, mumbled some profanity. “You have concrete proof that Lockwood’s dirty?”

“No, just some talk from CIs, but I can’t risk you trusting him. Not until you have Violet in a safe place.” Alexa tipped her head to the baby. “If you tell everyone she’s Tasha’s, at best she’ll be turned over to Child Protective Services since Tasha doesn’t have a next of kin. At worst...” She had to take a deep breath. “At worst, the killer might come after the baby, too.”

Before Levi could give her any assurance that wouldn’t happen, his phone buzzed, and he answered it while he continued to drive. Continued to keep watch, too. Good. Alexa didn’t want that hired thug coming back for another attack.

“It’s Jericho,” Levi relayed to her right before he answered the call, but like before he didn’t put the call on speaker. So Alexa moved closer, hoping to hear what the hard-nosed sheriff had to say.

“I’ve got someone on the way to the gas station to check it out,” Jericho explained. “And there’s nothing about any problems at WITSEC. Should I specifically ask about April, though?”

April Landis, a woman in WITSEC who had an even more personal connection to the Crocketts than Alexa. Because April was pregnant with Chase Crockett’s child. It didn’t surprise her that Jericho would want to make sure April was okay. Even though Alexa didn’t actually know April, she also wanted to make sure April was safe. Both April and she had found themselves in the dangerous situation of having to testify against men who were linked through criminal activities. Alexa could get one man convicted. April, the other. But both April and she had to stay alive first.

“Ask but don’t make any waves just yet,” Levi answered. “I don’t want April alarmed unless I’m certain there’s something to be alarmed about. As I said, I’m not sure I can trust my source.”

Jericho paused. “This doesn’t have anything to do with...anyone else we know, does it?”

Even though Jericho hadn’t specifically mentioned her by name, Alexa knew he was referring to her. The venom in his tone said it all. The sheriff hated her as much as Levi did. She could also include his entire family in that hate fest.

And she deserved every bit of it.

“I’ll be at the sheriff’s office in about ten minutes,” Levi told his brother. “I’ll explain everything then.” Levi hung up and took the road to lead them into town. “And you’ll explain everything to me,” he added to Alexa when he hit the End Call button.

Where to start?

Better yet, how much to say?

Or not to say.

“This morning I went over to Tasha’s to see the baby and her. She’d just gotten out of the hospital, so I thought she could use some help. While I was there, these two armed men showed up and tried to muscle their way in. Tasha and I escaped with the baby, but the men fired shots at us.”

Mercy, the sound of those bullets was still echoing in her head.

“Tasha was in WITSEC, too?” he asked.

“No. I met her after my relocation to Austin and we became friends. She’d been in hiding because of a stalker she couldn’t shake. A guy named Scottie Norse. According to her, he’s a violent, dangerous man, and Tasha was afraid he might try to hurt the baby or use the baby to force Tasha to be with him.”

“A stalker,” he repeated. “Is that Scottie’s baby?”

“No,” she repeated. “According to Tasha, she’s definitely not Scottie’s. And I believe her. She showed me a picture of Scottie so I’d know who he was if I ever saw him around, and Violet doesn’t resemble him at all. Tasha said the baby’s father was a guy named Brett Mendoza.”

“So, how was Tasha involved with Scottie then?” he asked.

“Tasha said she dated him for a while but broke off things when he became abusive. She had him arrested after he assaulted her, but he didn’t spend any time in jail. It was his first offense, and he’s got money and connections. Tasha moved, started seeing another guy, got pregnant, but then he was killed in a car accident.”

He stayed quiet a moment. “So, maybe Lockwood isn’t dirty. Maybe the dirt is from this scumbag stalker who sent the gunmen after Tasha.”

“Maybe,” she mumbled.

Alexa couldn’t rule it out, but she couldn’t rule herself out, either. After all, there was a reason she was in WITSEC, and she hadn’t exactly stayed out of things since she’d been given a new identity.

“Tell me more about these men who attacked you,” Levi insisted.

“I didn’t recognize them. We escaped in Tasha’s SUV, and the men came in pursuit. They chased us for over an hour before they caught up with us at the gas station. That’s when they said we should just surrender, that it wouldn’t do any good for us to escape because they had contacts and listening devices in the local law enforcement offices.”

“And you believed them?” he asked.

She nodded, not trusting her voice for several seconds. “It’s not hard to plant bugs or monitor the police radio.”

He made a sound that was possibly of agreement. Because he knew it was true. Most small-town police stations didn’t do routine sweeps for listening devices.

“If you tell everyone the baby’s ours, then Scottie won’t have a reason to come after her,” Alexa spelled out.

“If I tell everyone she’s ours, then it’s going to stir up trouble in my family,” he countered.

Definitely. “I’m very sorry about that. But until I know more about the attack, it’s the best way to keep Violet safe.”

He didn’t argue with that. Not verbally anyway. She braced herself for the questions that Levi was no doubt ready to ask.

But Levi didn’t ask her anything.

That was when she realized he had his attention nailed to the rearview mirror.

That put her heart right back in her throat, and Alexa whirled around in the seat to see what had put that look of concern on his face.

An SUV was coming up behind them.

“You said you stole this vehicle,” Levi reminded her. “But what would the other hired thug be driving?”

“Probably Tasha’s SUV. We used it when we escaped from the apartment in Austin. It’s dark green.” She studied the vehicle behind them, but the headlights were too bright for her to see much.

“Why didn’t you use her SUV when you got out of there with the baby?” he asked, snagging her attention.

“The hired gun’s car was closer. After they shot Tasha, I grabbed the baby from her arms, jumped in our attacker’s car and got out of there as fast as I could.”

Levi sped up a little and then cursed when the vehicle behind them did the same. “Why isn’t the baby in an infant car seat?” he asked.

That certainly didn’t steady her heartbeat. It started to race again. “Her infant carrier was in Tasha’s SUV, and I couldn’t get to it before I had to hurry away from the gas station.”

Alexa knew where this was going. The baby was vulnerable on the backseat with nothing to restrain her. The newborn was too young to roll over and fall, but a collision could be deadly.

Thankfully, they were already at the edge of town where there were businesses and shops. Yes, it was late and all of them were closed, but maybe the possibility of being spotted would stop the killer from launching a full-scale attack.

Maybe.

“I’ll get back there with her,” Alexa said, climbing over the seat, and she hoped the precaution was just overkill.

It wasn’t.

“We’re still a minute or two out from the sheriff’s office,” Levi said. “It won’t do me any good to call for backup now. We’ll get there before Jericho could respond. Just hold on to the baby and stay down.”

Alexa did indeed hold on to the baby, but she lifted her head just enough to see what the heck was going on. And she didn’t like what she saw.

Oh, no. Not this.

The SUV was right behind them, well past the mere tailgating stage. And now that Alexa got a better look at it, she knew for a fact that it was Tasha’s vehicle. That meant the person or persons inside had come to try to kill her. The driver didn’t waste any more time. He rammed into the car.

The jolt was instant.

It threw Alexa forward, slamming her against the seat in front of her. Thankfully, it didn’t do the same to the baby. Alexa put her body over the newborn’s, hoping it would be enough to protect the little girl.

There was another jolt.

Then another.

The car jerked to the right, and that was when Alexa realized the killers were trying to force them off the road.

And it was working.

The SUV was much larger, and the driver used that size when he sped up until the vehicles were side by side. Alexa couldn’t actually see through the heavily tinted windows, but the SUV bashed right into the driver’s side of their car.

“Hold on,” Levi warned.

The car lurched to the right as the SUV pushed them off the road and onto the sidewalk. Levi barely missed a concrete bench, but the front of the car bashed into the brick front of an antiques store.

Again, Alexa flew forward, somehow managing to keep the baby sheltered. But the jostling woke the little girl and she immediately started to cry.

Levi started to curse.

Alexa knew why—because they were stopped. They were now sitting ducks. The vehicle was angled so that the front end was against the door of the antiques shop.

“Call Jericho and tell him what’s going on,” he said, tossing her his phone.

Somehow, Alexa managed to press the Call button, even though her hands were shaking like crazy. Jericho answered on the first ring.

“Levi and I are at Saunder’s Antiques Store,” she relayed. “And we need help. There’s one gunman, maybe more.”

Jericho didn’t ask who she was or why this was happening. Nor did he ask about the crying baby. “I’m on my way,” he said and hung up.

Alexa took the baby from the seat and tried to soothe her. Maybe the newborn wouldn’t be able to sense the tension and fear in Alexa’s own body. If she did, there was no way she would stop crying.

Levi drew his weapons. Not just the primary one from his waist holster. He also took out a smaller gun from a slide holster in the back of his jeans and handed it to her.

“Use it if you have to,” Levi instructed.

Alexa took the gun from him, but she shook her head. “What are you planning to do?” she asked when he opened the car door. “You can’t be thinking of going out there. This idiot is a killer, and he might have help with him.”

However, Levi was indeed going out there.

He stepped out just as the driver of the SUV lowered his window. Using the other side of the car door for cover, Levi took aim at whoever was in the SUV.

“I’m Deputy Levi Crockett,” he shouted over the cries of the baby. “Step out of your vehicle now.”

She held her breath, hoping the killer would do just that. Then she might be able to learn why Tasha had died.

But that didn’t happen.

Alexa caught just a glimpse of the gun in the driver’s hand before the shot blasted into the car.

Chapter Three

Levi cursed and dropped down behind the door. But not far. He stayed high enough to deliver two shots into the driver’s side windshield of the SUV.

Yes, it was risky because he didn’t know if this armed thug had someone else inside with him. Maybe a captive or hostage. But it was even riskier to let the shots continue with Alexa and the baby inside the car.

His shots obviously didn’t put the driver out of commission, because the guy fired another shot. Like his other bullet, this one slammed into the door just inches from Levi. That still didn’t stop him.

Levi fired again.

And again.

The shooter had to be dodging Levi’s bullets because the idiot managed to keep firing, too.

In the distance Levi heard the sirens. Jericho, no doubt. His brother would be there in a matter of seconds, but Levi was hoping to contain this situation before backup arrived. Each shot meant the possibility of things going from bad to worse.

“Stay down!” Levi shouted to Alexa when from the corner of his eye he saw her raise her head. She looked ready to help him return fire.

Something he didn’t want.

He wanted her in as safe a position as she could be considering they were sitting ducks for a shooter. Thank God there only appeared to be one person returning fire, but in this case, one was more than enough.

Levi saw the slashes of the cruiser lights reflected in the shop’s windows across the street, and a few seconds later Jericho pulled to a stop behind him. Apparently, the shooter had no trouble seeing it, either, because almost immediately the driver threw the SUV into gear and started to speed away in reverse.

Hell.

Levi didn’t want him getting away. He wanted this moron in the interrogation room or else dead so that he couldn’t return and launch another attack.

“I’ll go after him,” Jericho shouted, and he jumped back into the cruiser after glancing into the car. “Get her to the station.”

Jericho probably hadn’t gotten a good look at Alexa, but it was likely he’d recognized her voice when she had called him for backup. His big brother wasn’t going to like having Alexa back in Appaloosa Pass, especially not with a killer on her trail.

Well, Levi didn’t like it much, either.

Just having her here was going to reopen a lot of old wounds about Paige’s murder.

Levi fired another shot into the SUV, hoping it would stop the driver one way or another. It didn’t. The guy just kept on speeding away.

Even though Levi wanted to go after this killer himself, he knew it was best to get Alexa and the baby to safety. Then he could leave her with one of the night deputies and go help Jericho haul this guy in.

“I’m so sorry,” Alexa said the moment Levi got back in the car.

“Don’t,” he warned her. It wasn’t exactly the comforting tone that she needed right now, but it was the best Levi could manage. Adrenaline was firing through him, and his body was still primed and ready for a fight with the gunman.

“How’s the baby?” he asked. Since the newborn was crying at the top of her lungs, he hoped that didn’t mean she was hurt.

“She’s okay. I think the noise scared her, though.”

Probably. Those blasts had certainly scared him. Not fear for himself. But Levi hadn’t wanted an innocent little baby hurt because he wasn’t able to stop an attack. What he needed to do now was make sure another attack didn’t happen, and that started with getting some info from Alexa.

Levi said a quick prayer of thanks when he managed to drive the car off the sidewalk and get it back on the road. The collision with the building front hadn’t been a serious one, but it still could have disabled the engine. He didn’t want to have to sit there a moment longer, just in case the shooter circled back and returned for round two.

Or rather round three.

According to Alexa, this clown had already killed the baby’s mother.

“Did you happen to get a look at the shooter’s face?” Levi asked her as he drove toward the station. He didn’t speed because the baby wasn’t in an infant seat, but he didn’t dawdle, either.

“Just a glimpse. It didn’t look like the man who attacked us at the gas station or the man I hit with the flashlight.”

So, this could be a backup team of gunmen, because it seemed too much of a coincidence for two separate attacks to happen on the same night.

Levi pulled the car to a stop directly in front of the sheriff’s office. “Move fast,” he warned Alexa. Just in case someone had managed to follow them. With everything else going on, anything was possible.

Alexa did hurry. She draped the blanket over the baby, and holding the newborn against her body, they rushed inside the building.

The night deputy, Mack Parkman, was at the reception desk, and despite the fact he was talking to someone on the phone, he immediately got to his feet and shut the door behind them.

“You okay?” he asked after he ended his call, but the question seemed to freeze on his lips when his gaze landed on Alexa.

Since Mack had been a deputy at the time of Paige’s murder, he knew Alexa. He also knew all the dirty little details about what Alexa had done.

“What the hell happened?” Mack pressed. But then his attention went to the baby. “Do I need to call an ambulance?”

“Not just yet,” Levi answered. “But go ahead and call a medic to get down here to check out the baby. We’ll also need some temporary supplies—formula, diapers, whatever else a baby needs.”

“Don’t tell anyone I’m here,” Alexa insisted in a whisper. Probably because she believed the threat those gunmen had told her about local law enforcement offices being bugged. “Not the hospital. And definitely no other lawmen.”

“Marshal Lockwood called a few minutes ago, right after Jericho left,” Mack explained to them. “He wanted to know if we’d seen Alexa because she’d ditched WITSEC.”

Alexa sucked in her breath. “Don’t tell him I’m here,” she said and frantically repeated that to Levi. “And I didn’t ditch WITSEC. I think my identity might have been compromised.”

“Is that why Dexter Conway’s out at the old gas station on Shaw Road?” Mack wanted to know.

Levi nodded. Dexter was another night deputy. “Any word back on that?”

“Nothing, but Dexter probably hasn’t had much time to look around yet.”

True. That gas station was a good thirty minutes from the sheriff’s office and on the opposite side of town from the Outlaw Bar. Still, Dexter should have been able to spot a pair of dead bodies right off.

Mack took out his phone, but it was an uneasy look he gave Levi. A look with questions attached to it when his gaze slid from Alexa to the baby and then back to Levi.

“That’s, uh, not your baby is it?” Mack asked.

“Yes,” Alexa volunteered quickly. “She’s Levi’s.”

Levi mumbled some profanity and was about to correct that lie, but he made the mistake of looking at Alexa again. She didn’t say a word, but her eyes begged him to cooperate.

Damn.

He would. For now. But he’d soon put a stop to all of this, lie included.

Levi just nodded in response to Mack’s question.

“Oh,” Mack said. “I hadn’t realized there’d even been anything between you two.”

There hadn’t been. And wouldn’t be. No way would he get involved with a woman who had a part in nearly destroying his family.

“I need you to wait with her,” Levi told Mack so he wouldn’t have to explain anything about this relationship Alexa had just manufactured. “I’ll head out and see if I can help Jericho.”

Mack nodded and made the call to the hospital while Levi got Alexa moving away from the front windows and doors. He took her to his desk in the far corner of the room and had her sit. She didn’t stay still, though. She began to rock the baby, and it didn’t take but a few seconds before the newborn stopped crying and went back to sleep.

“Just wait here with Mack,” Levi instructed. But the words had hardly left his mouth when his phone buzzed and he saw Jericho’s name on the screen.

Oh, man. He hoped something hadn’t already gone wrong with the chase.

“Are you all right?” Levi asked his brother the moment he answered.

“I’m fine. The driver of the SUV, not so much, though. He’s dead.”

It was hard not to feel some relief about that. Some. But this meant no answers as to why he’d attacked them.

“What happened?” Levi put the call on speaker so he wouldn’t have to repeat the news to Alexa. Maybe there wouldn’t be too many gory details. Of course, after everything that’d gone on tonight, she was probably expecting some gore.

“The SUV crashed into a utility pole,” Jericho explained. “When I approached the vehicle, the driver was already dead. Gunshot wound to the chest. I’m assuming you put the bullet in him?”

“Probably.” Levi doubted someone else was out there ready to kill the guy. “Was he alone in the SUV?”

“Yeah, but there’s an infant seat and a diaper bag.”

“I’ll explain that when you get here.” And it wouldn’t be a lie. Not this time. Despite Alexa’s objections, Levi would tell his brother the truth. He’d have to because unlike Mack, there was no way in hell Jericho would believe Levi had ever slept with Alexa.

“I’ll be there as soon as the CSIs and ME arrive to deal with the body,” Jericho assured him.

Alexa actually looked a little relieved. Maybe because their attacker was dead. Maybe because Levi wasn’t going to have to leave her to offer Jericho backup. It also meant it’d be a while before Jericho got back to the office, and seeing him was likely something Alexa dreaded.

Behind him he heard Mack finish his call to the hospital, but before he could give Levi an update, the phone rang and Mack went over to the reception desk to answer it.

“It hasn’t been that long since she had a bottle, but she’ll need one in an hour or so,” Alexa volunteered, brushing a kiss on the baby’s head. “Tasha fed her right before...”

The tears came, and even though Alexa immediately tried to blink them back, she failed. Cursing, Levi rummaged through his desk to find some tissues, and he handed her one.

“Why’d you stop at the gas station where the attack happened?” Levi asked, hoping this would be the start to figuring all this out.

“Because we were running out of gas. I didn’t know the place was closed. I also thought I’d managed to ditch the guys following us, but I soon figured out that I hadn’t when the car pulled up behind us. The guy had been driving with his lights off, so I guess that’s why I didn’t see him until it was too late.”

Since they had the killer’s car parked right outside, Levi would make sure every inch of it was processed. Once they had the identities of the gunmen, then he could work on figuring out why this dirtbag had come after them and put an innocent baby in danger.

Levi eased down in a chair and motioned for her to continue explaining what happened.

“When we were at the gas station, one of the men got out of the car. He was the one who demanded we go with him, that it wouldn’t do us any good to go to the local cops. He was armed and came straight for us. We didn’t have a weapon, so I told Tasha to take the baby and run.”

“And you thought you’d fight this guy off with your bare hands?” Levi knew he sounded skeptical.

She met his gaze. “I figured I’d give Tasha and the baby a chance to get out of there.” But Alexa quickly turned her focus back to the little girl. “Obviously, I was wrong. The guy shot Tasha in the back of the head. She didn’t fall but more or less crumpled to the ground with the baby still in her arms.”

It was hard to hear and it was obviously hard for her to say it. “And that’s when you bashed the guy with a flashlight?” he pressed when she didn’t continue.

Alexa nodded. “I hit him as hard as I could and thought I heard his skull crack. He went out like a light. But then the other guy came out of the car, and I knew I had to get out of there. I grabbed the baby, started running and then sneaked back and got in their car when the guy was trying to pick up his partner from the ground.”

She was lucky that the second gunman hadn’t just shot her in the head, too. Then, heaven knew what would have happened to the baby.

“Why were you coming to Appaloosa Pass?” he asked.

“Like I said, I thought they’d believe it was the last place I’d go. Obviously I was wrong since Lockwood’s already called here looking for me.”

Yeah, Lockwood. Levi would soon have to figure out how to deal with him. There was no way he could exclude the marshals from this unless he got some solid proof that the lawman was dirty.

“The medic’s on the way,” Mack relayed when he got off the phone. “He’ll bring baby supplies with him. The other call I got was from Dexter. He’s out at the gas station now, but he doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Definitely no bodies or anything like that.”

Alexa frantically shook her head and stood, clutching the baby to her. “Tasha was murdered there.”

Mack made a sound of disagreement. “Then somebody must have cleaned up the scene real fast because according to Dexter, there’s no blood and no signs of any kind of struggle.”

“Tasha was murdered there,” Alexa repeated, turning to Levi.

“You’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I watched her collapse. She was dead.”

Maybe. Of course, if the woman had only been wounded and wandered away from the scene, then Levi doubted she’d taken the time to clean up her own blood. Plus, where was the man whose head Alexa claimed she’d bashed in with the flashlight?

“I’m not lying,” Alexa insisted. “Everything happened just like I said it did.”

Levi doubted even Alexa would lie about a dead body. Still, he wanted proof.

“Should I get a CSI team out to the gas station?” Mack asked. “We’ve already got one with the DB Jericho found, so we’re stretched pretty thin.” Clearly, he had doubts about Alexa’s account.

Levi nodded, and he hoped like the devil they found something. Anything. A CSI search like that would put a dent in the budget. While he really didn’t have a choice about ordering such a search, if it didn’t produce results, it was going to make him look like a fool for trusting a woman he shouldn’t be trusting anyway.

Levi saw the headlights outside the building and figured it was the medic arriving to examine Alexa and the baby. He barely spared the guy a glance. Unlike Alexa. Her attention snapped right to the window.

And gasping, she stood again.

Levi soon realized why.

Marshal Elroy Lockwood walked in.

Lockwood was the sort of man who tended to grab everyone’s attention just by being there. For one thing, he was big. At least six foot four. And he had the weight to fill out that tall body. He was imposing, and the stare he gave Alexa was equally imposing.

Except it quickly turned into a glare.

“Alexa,” he said, and that wasn’t a friendly tone. “Hand that baby to the deputy. Now. Because you’re coming with me.”

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 the same time, Lockwood answered, “Alexa won’t need your services. I’ll have her checked out when I take her in.”

Alexa was about to continue her argument that she wasn’t going with the marshal, but Levi spoke before she could say anything.

“You can wait in the sheriff’s office,” Levi ordered the medic, and he turned to Alexa once the guy had scurried in that direction. “What exactly have you been doing to find the Moonlight Strangler?”

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts and switch gears. “Everything I could. Contacting criminal informants I used to work with, following up on any lead I could find. But what I didn’t do was compromise my WITSEC identity or any other identities for that matter. Someone else, an insider maybe, is responsible for that.” She aimed a glare right at Lockwood.

If the marshal was concerned about that glare, he didn’t show it. He seemed to smirk. “Alexa is mistaken when it comes to me. She thinks I once worked the same money laundering operation as Marcos Culver.”

“Did you?” Levi came out and asked.

Oh, Lockwood didn’t like that. His eyes narrowed. “Of course not.” If looks could have killed, Lockwood would have already put her six feet under. “There’s not an ounce of proof to connect me to Marcos and those assorted felonies he committed.”

Not proof, exactly, but she’d heard it from a CI that Lockwood had indeed been part of the same illegal operation. A part that Marcos might not even know about since Lockwood could have been using an alias to launder money from the sale of illegal weapons. Now, Lockwood might be concerned that his own criminal activities could be brought to light during Marcos’s trial. And Alexa would be the one to do that if she could link the information she had about Marcos to Lockwood.

If it was true, it would give Lockwood a motive to kill her, but that was still a big if.

“What kind of proof do you have that Alexa is responsible for her identity being compromised?” Levi asked.

She didn’t miss the flicker of surprise that went through Lockwood’s eyes. “Do you care what kind?”

Levi tapped his badge. “Yeah.”

More surprise, followed by some irritation. The marshal obviously wasn’t used to having this authority challenged. “The proof isn’t something I can share with a small-town cop. Too sensitive. Lives are at stake.”

“Yes, including mine,” Alexa verified. “Someone killed a woman tonight. A friend of mine, Tasha McKenna.”

Lockwood stared at her before looking at Levi. “Is that true? Is a woman really dead?”

“Maybe,” Levi answered before she could say anything. “There was an attack and we’re looking for her now.”

“Dead,” Lockwood repeated under his breath. This wasn’t only surprise, but rather what appeared to be shock. “Who killed her?”

“I don’t have names,” Alexa snapped. But Lockwood might know exactly who those men were. “Whoever they are, they also tried to kill Levi and me. What do you know about that?”

Lockwood scowled. “You accusing me of something?”

“Are you guilty of something?” she fired back.

The scowl stayed in place for several more seconds before he chuckled. “Now that’s rich coming from the woman who’d do pretty much anything to make things work for her. That includes making up a story about somebody trying to kill you and your friend if you thought it would get you out of being arrested.”

Levi stepped closer to the marshal. “Someone tried to kill Alexa. I witnessed it, got caught in the crossfire. Since that crossfire happened in this jurisdiction, I will investigate it. That means keeping Alexa in protective custody until I figure out what’s going on.”

That started a staring match between the two lawmen. One that Mack joined in on when he took up position by Levi’s side.

Lockwood finally looked away. “Was a woman really killed?” he asked. “Or is this more of your fairy tale?”

“Someone’s out looking for her body now,” Levi volunteered.

Lockwood cursed. “You shouldn’t have brought anyone else in on this, Deputy.”

Maybe Lockwood was genuinely concerned about the possible security breach in WITSEC files. Or maybe he didn’t want anyone to know that he was a dirty marshal and trying to cover his tracks by committing a murder or two.

“You don’t seem overly concerned that Alexa and the baby could have been hurt or worse,” Levi tossed out there.

“Oh, I’m concerned, all right. Concerned that you’re believing whatever lies Alexa has been telling you. This is an issue for the marshals,” Lockwood argued.

Levi shrugged. “Again, it’s our jurisdiction. If and when we have a body, we’ll let you know and share what we learn with you and the Texas Rangers.”

“The Rangers? Why the heck would you bring them in on this?”

“We sometimes ask them to assist when we’re looking at multiple suspects.” Levi’s attention stayed nailed to Lockwood. “In the meantime, unless you show me conclusive proof that Alexa had something to do with all of this, she’s staying here.”

No profanity from Lockwood this time. He stared at Levi, then chuckled. Not in a funny, ha-ha kind of way, either. It was laced with sarcasm. “Hell must have just frozen over if you actually care what happens to Alexa.”

Care? That was probably too much of a stretch for Levi, considering how he felt about her.

“Excuse us a minute,” Levi said, taking her by the arm and leading her into the hall.

“You’re not going anywhere with her,” Lockwood ordered, but he was talking to himself because Levi had gone somewhere. He ducked inside an interrogation room with her.

“Do you have any real proof that Lockwood’s dirty?” Levi demanded. And yes, he sounded exactly like a cop with that question.

“I heard it from a criminal informant.” She didn’t have to wait long for Levi to groan, and she knew why. CIs often were not reliable. “Do you believe in gut feelings? Because it’s my gut feeling that Lockwood could somehow be connected to Marcos Culver.”

Levi pulled in a long, frustrated breath and leaned against the doorjamb. Alexa could no longer see Lockwood, but Levi glanced in the marshal’s direction, probably trying to decide whose story he believed.

“You’re wasting my time, Deputy,” Lockwood called out. “Just hand over Alexa and you can take the kid.”

She hoped that Levi heard the menacing tone in Lockwood’s demand. Alexa also hoped his tone wasn’t her imagination brought on by fear and a major adrenaline crash. But she didn’t think it was the latter.

“If Lockwood once worked the same operation as Marcos, then why has it taken him five months to hire someone to kill you?” Levi asked.

Alexa had given this plenty of thought. “I’m not sure. Maybe he recently figured out I could connect him to Marcos. Maybe it took Lockwood this long to find me. I’ve been living in Austin, but I haven’t been staying at the house the marshals rented for me. I’ve been checking in daily by phone with the marshals as I’m required to do, but I’ve been moving around a lot.”

Levi stayed quiet a moment. “And Lockwood didn’t mind not having face-to-face contact with you?”

“Oh, he minded. He was always pressing to see me. Always threatening to undo the deal I made with the FBI if I didn’t meet with him. I finally got fed up and called another marshal and met with him instead. Lockwood wasn’t happy, and later that day someone trashed the house where I was supposed to be living.”

Of course, all of that was still circumstantial. All of it including her own gut feeling. Especially since there’d been a rash of vandalism in the neighborhood where the rental house was located.

“Deputy, I’m waiting!” Lockwood shouted. “Unless you want to be arrested, too, for interfering with a federal officer, I suggest you quit yapping and hand Alexa over to me.”

“Please,” she said. Something she’d been saying a lot to Levi in the past hour. “Just help me.”

But Levi didn’t get a chance to answer because of the footsteps. Lockwood came storming toward the hall. Levi met him halfway, walking back into the squad room. Alexa went, too, but she checked over her shoulder to see if there was some way to escape if Lockwood tried to take her. There was.

A back exit off what appeared to be a break room at the end of the hall.

“Now, come on, Alexa.” Lockwood’s tone softened a little, but there was nothing soft about that look in his eyes. “Just give that baby to the deputy and come with me. Whose kid is that anyway?”

Silence. The kind where Alexa could hear everyone’s breathing, including her own.

“Whose kid?” But Lockwood didn’t wait for an answer to his repeated question. “Hell, Alexa, did you steal that baby? Because if you did, I’ll be taking custody of it, too.”

No way would she let that happen, and she silently pleaded with Levi to do whatever it took to stop this. Even if it meant trusting a woman he didn’t want to trust.

Alexa waited. Her heartbeat drumming. Every nerve in her body raw and tense. She had no idea how this was going to play out.

Until Levi glanced at Violet.

And then he moved slightly in front of Alexa. “I’m protecting both Alexa and the baby.”

Lockwood followed Levi’s gaze, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. The surprise, followed quickly by the dismissal. “Whose kid is that?” Lockwood pressed. “Because if he or she belongs to someone in WITSEC—”

“The baby’s ours. Mine and Alexa’s.” Levi didn’t even hesitate.

More chuckling from Lockwood. “Really? You actually slept with the woman who helped put your sister-in-law in the grave? And from what I’ve heard, you had a thing for Paige, too.”

A muscle flickered in Levi’s jaw. “In high school. Obviously, Paige chose my brother. And what exactly does that have to do with any of this?”

“Paige’s rejection must have stung,” Lockwood said, dodging the question. The smugness was now in Lockwood’s tone, and he was clearly trying to goad Levi into some kind of confrontation. “For a while anyway. But I guess Paige figured out she’d married the wrong brother since she was divorcing him.”

Levi shook his head. “What I felt or didn’t feel for Paige is none of your business.”

“No, but what is my business is that I’m not sure I can trust you. Not after what went on at San Antonio PD,” Lockwood added. The smug tone had gone up a serious notch.

No quick answer from Levi that time, and because her arm was against his, she felt him tense. Alexa wanted to know what’d happened, but there was no way she would ask in front of Lockwood.

Lockwood, however, didn’t let it drop. “What? You didn’t tell the mother of your own child what you did?” He’d obviously noticed the surprised look on her face.

And there was no doubt it was surprise on her part. Levi was a top-notch cop, and she figured there’d be only one reason he was here with that deputy’s badge—because it was what he wanted.

“We haven’t exactly had time to catch up, what with someone trying to kill Alexa,” Levi answered. “Can’t say the same for you, though. You seem to know a lot about me.”

Lockwood didn’t break his stare with Levi. “It’s my business to know things. When I heard Alexa might be here, I made some calls on the drive over to find out who I’d be dealing with.”

“Then it’s obvious I’ll need to do the same with you.” Levi checked the time. “Now, I’ll have to ask you to leave. Both Alexa and the baby need to be examined for possible injuries, and then I’ll need to get Alexa’s statement about the attack.”

However, Lockwood didn’t budge. “You honestly think I’ll just walk out? Or that I believe you’re the father of that kid? When exactly did you have the time to get Alexa pregnant?”

“I’d rather not share personal details of my sex life,” she snapped. “Suffice it to say that I was pregnant before I was placed in WITSEC.” Thankfully, the lie didn’t stick in her throat.

Lockwood continued to stay put while volleying his glares between Levi and her before the glare finally settled on Levi. “You want proof she was involved with the security breach that compromised her own identity, then here it is in a nutshell. Alexa has been contacting anyone and everyone associated with the Moonlight Strangler. Yeah, she used fake names, but it didn’t take long for it to get around that somebody, a woman, was searching hard to find the killer.”

“So?” Levi challenged.

“So, she reached out to the wrong person.” Lockwood looked at her, motioned for her to finish. “Obviously she reached out to someone who learned where she is so that Marcos could get to her.”

Levi looked at her, probably to see if that was possible. Her expression let him know that it was. She had reached out to a lot of people, and despite all the precautions she’d taken, it was possible that one of them had connected all the dots and figured out who she really was.

“Here Alexa is, involved in another investigation that might have gotten another woman killed,” Lockwood added. “Tasha McKenna, this time.”

Levi obviously had a lot to absorb. He also likely had plenty more questions for her, but his attention stayed on Lockwood. “Do you have a warrant or a judge’s order to take Alexa into custody?”

Lockwood flinched a little. “Not with me. Didn’t think I’d need one.”

“Well, you thought wrong,” Levi insisted. “Mack, show the marshal out and lock up after him.”

Levi put his hand on her back and got her moving toward the sheriff’s office where the medic was waiting. He put her inside but didn’t go in himself. Instead, he stared at Lockwood, waiting for him to leave. Alexa wasn’t sure that was going to happen, but she finally heard the front door open and then shut.

“He’ll be back,” Levi said under his breath.

Levi was right. Even if Lockwood wasn’t dirty, he obviously thought he had a job to do by taking her back into custody. And if he was dirty, then he wouldn’t just give up. He was probably heading somewhere now to get that warrant for her arrest.

“You want me to examine them?” the medic asked, drawing both Levi’s and her attention to the young man.

“I’m all right,” she insisted. “But you should make sure the baby is okay.”

She eased Violet onto the desk. Not the most comfortable place for an examination, but it would have to do. It was too dangerous to try to go to the hospital right now, unless the medic did indeed find something wrong. Then they wouldn’t have a choice.

Levi continued to volley glances between her and the front door. “I know you only got a quick look at the man who attacked us, but could it have been Lockwood who came after us tonight?”

She took a deep breath, nodded. “He was the same size and weight, and it was just a glimpse so I can’t rule him out. But I also can’t rule out the most obvious suspect, Marcos.”

“Or Scottie.” Levi added some profanity under his breath.

Yes, and if it was Scottie, then he’d sent those goons after Tasha and the baby. Levi and she had just gotten caught in the middle. But if this was Marcos’s doing, then it was all on her.

Again.

Alexa couldn’t stop the nightmarish images from coming. Of another attack. The one that’d left Paige dead.

“God, what if I’m responsible for Tasha’s death, too?” Alexa pressed her hand to her mouth, tried to blink back the tears.

“Don’t go there, yet,” Levi snarled. Despite the snarl and the tacked on yet, there was still something in his voice that she hadn’t expected to hear. Sympathy. “I’ll get both you and the baby someplace safe so I can start trying to unravel this.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, but the sound snagged both their attention.

Violet whimpered.

But it didn’t stay a whimper. The baby started to cry.

“She’s not hurt,” the medic announced, easing the blanket back around her. “There’s not a scratch or bruise on her.”

“She could be hungry,” Alexa suggested. “Or just tired.” Heaven knew Alexa was. The exhaustion seemed bone deep now.

Levi nodded, stared at her. “How much do you know about taking care of a baby?”

“Nothing,” she admitted.

Another nod, more softly spoken profanity and he glanced up at the ceiling as if asking for divine assistance. They sure needed it and anything else that would keep Violet safe.

“Take the baby,” Levi finally said to her. He thanked the medic and picked up the bag of supplies the medic had brought with him. “Mack, we’re leaving,” he called out to the deputy.

“Where are we going?” Alexa asked, alarmed that Levi was suddenly moving so fast and with a great sense of urgency.

“Someplace you’re not going to like.” Levi didn’t stop. Maneuvering her along with him, he headed for the exit.

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