Cowboy In The Crossfire(44)

She sagged back onto a bale of hay. "I can't believe you did this." Amanda couldn't find the energy to be angry. The disappointment froze her insides. "I thought I could trust you. You were supposed to trust me."

Blake's lips thinned, but he didn't respond. What could he say?

She let out a shuddering breath and slipped the phone into her pocket. "Who were you talking to?"

"Shaun O'Connor."

At least he didn't try to prevaricate. She rolled the name around in her head. "I know him. From Austin?"

"He's Internal Affairs. He says he's been investigating the precinct for almost a year."

"Before you--"

"Yeah. Needless to say I was very interested."

"What if he's involved? What if he's just trying to find us?"

"Do you really believe I'd put you at risk?" Blake slapped his Stetson against his thigh, punctuating his frustration. "Shaun called Logan. He says he's close to identifying the person responsible. He wants our help."

"I don't know."

Blake sank down beside her on the hay. He folded her hands in his. "Putting you in protective custody gets you out of the crossfire. It keeps you safe while I investigate more. If we have someone on the inside, we have a better chance of catching them."

"What if he's working for the killer?"

The sound of whipping rotor blades roared above them. Blake ran out of the barn. Amanda followed and stared up into the sky, stunned.

Blake shoved her back inside and pulled a rifle off the barn wall. He loaded a cartridge. "Stay behind me."

"How did they find us?" Her stomach clenched. "Ethan! This can't be happening again."

"Listen to me, Amanda. That's a civilian chopper."

She gave him a blank look.

"No bulletproof glass. I can take her down with a .22. If I do it right, we can question the men inside."

Blake gripped the stock of the rifle and stepped into the open.

"Come on. Come back toward me," he muttered.

As if listening to his voice, the chopper circled the ranch house then turned toward the barn. She could see two men through the glass. Blake took aim. Amanda covered her ears.

Just as the chopper veered sharply, the shot echoed through the cold. The pilot slumped over. Frantic, the man beside him tried to grab the controls. Amanda watched in horror as the helicopter tipped and headed for the ground. It plunged with a crash and exploded into flames.

A string of curses erupted from Blake. He raced toward the burning pile of twisted metal, but there was nothing to be done. The men inside couldn't have survived.

He turned back to Amanda. "Go get Ethan. Our location has been compromised. We're leaving."

Before she could go, he reached into her pocket and tossed the cell phone into the flames. "That's it. We can't trust the police at all."

*

AMANDA PEEKED THROUGH the window of the SUV as Blake strode into the old motel's front office. Ethan sat on the floor in the backseat with Leo, clinging to the dog's fur.

Within minutes he was back. He opened the door and slid behind the steering wheel.

"Room 8."

"Should I even ask if we'll be safe?" Amanda said, studying the run-down hotel with a skeptical eye. It looked like a strong punch could break down any of the doors.

Blake winced. "They let me pay cash and they don't require a credit card. That's as safe as we can be right now."

Blake pulled the SUV around the back, out of sight of the road. "Let's go," he said.

Amanda grasped Ethan's hand and they entered the room. Shabby furniture, but at least it was clean.

One bed.

"I'll get a cot or rollaway or something," he said. "You and Ethan take the bed." He snagged the ice bucket and left the room.

Amanda shivered in the chilled air and strode to the radiator. She knew the type. She'd fought with it in one of the crummy apartments she and Carl had rented. Within a few minutes, she had the ancient piece of equipment working. Blake returned with a load of bedding.

"No rollaway, but we'll make do."

Amanda grabbed a blanket from the top of the stack and wrapped it around Ethan. She sank into the oversoft mattress and rubbed her arms. "How do you think they found us?"

"Electronics are the only way, so I guess it had to be the cell. Even though Logan said the phone couldn't be tracked, maybe O'Connor has a technogeek who can do it. I can't think of any other way."

Amanda flashed on the time she spent at the keyboard and swallowed. "I used the Maddoxes' computer to get on the internet."

Blake whirled around.

"What?" She glared at him. "I thought I could help."

"When did you turn it on?"

"Right after you went out to the barn. I was on for a while."

"The internet can be like a pointer if you know what you're doing. What were you thinking, Amanda?"

"Don't yell at my mommy." Ethan hopped up and stood, feet apart, challenging Blake.

Blake knelt in front of her son. "Sorry, buddy. You're right."

Ethan sent Blake a censuring look before returning to Leo.

"Why would you do that?" Blake said quietly. "What did you think you could search?"