JENNA KEPT THE FROWN off her face, but it didn’t stop the gut churning worry from eating her up. Lucia was right, the baby was bad sick, but not to the point where she needed to be hospitalized. Jenna’s main concern was ensuring the infant got enough liquids in her and that the temperature continued to come down.

She checked the thermometer one last time and slumped against the wall next to the bassinet.

“Ninety-nine point one,” she announced.

Lucia clutched her daughter’s shoulders and closed her eyes. The fear and anxiety evaporated in light of the latest reading.

Jenna glanced at the clock once more. Sterling was still touching base every fifteen minutes by text and Trevor had yet to call her, so he must have gotten tied up at work. Worst case scenario, Jenna got back to the house before he did and she hung out on his man-porch in the back yard until he arrived.

“Keep her cool, make sure she’s hydrated and stick to that medicine schedule, okay?” Jenna gathered her things. She had to get to walking, or she’d be out in the dark. “If she gets worse, you’ll have to take her to the emergency room. I won’t be able to come back, understand?”

“Yes, thank you.” Lucia’s daughter smiled.

Jenna didn’t want to leave. The baby wasn’t the only one unwell—Lucia’s daughter, whose name she could never remember, was too frail, her skin color a bit off and she swayed on her feet. Both mother and child needed medical care the family couldn’t afford. They had six people crammed into a one bedroom apartment that should only accommodate two.

This was what she hated. Knowing there were people out there that needed her skills—and not being able to help them. Sure, she volunteered and put in hours with a couple charities that held events for lower income families, but there was always more that could be done.

“I’ve got to get home. Remember, everyone washes their hands before touching the baby. If anyone is sick, they stay in the living room. And keep the baby hydrated. Don’t forget to drink more water yourselves. Get some rest, too.”

There was less than an hour before sunset. Shit. She’d waited longer than she intended to leave. She could still make it to Trevor’s before dark, but it was going to be close.

Lucia saw her to the front door and let her out. Jenna slung the strap over her head so the bulk of the weight sat against her lower back. It would bounce less if she decided to jog. She stopped by a vending machine, but it only sold sugary soft drinks. No water, not even a high priced sports drink. Damn.

There was bound to be a convenience store or something on her way so she opted to get going.

She mapped the fastest route back to Trevor’s on foot then texted Sterling.

So far, so good.

The main roads would be busy with people going home or out for the evening. It was a safe enough time to be on her own without fear of being followed or having an incident.

She recited her route before pocketing the phone and setting out at a good, warm up pace to get her loosened up. Ideally she’d have stretched, but she needed to beat Trevor home and every second counted.

Her muscles ached the first dozen or so strides. She concentrated on her breathing and kept her gaze active, sweeping the street ahead of her, taking stock of the people in their yards, the children playing in drives and the vehicles on the go.

Just another normal, suburban evening.

Despite the lateness of the hour, the temperature was still up over a hundred. Sweat ran down her back and slicked hair to her face. She wasn’t familiar enough with the route to know if she might luck onto a convenience store or something. The question was, could she spare the time off the road to grab some water?

She zigzagged her way through the first three turns before digging her phone back out.

Her stride faltered for a second.

Rosemont St. was a two lane, main thoroughfare that bisected the street she lived on. She was miles from home, but not as many as she’d like to be if her goal was to avoid a stalker. It couldn’t be helped. There was no way to avoid Rosemont and get to Trevor’s. She’d just have to keep her pace steady, eyes open and make every second count. Which meant no stopping, even for a water break.

The houses on one side of Rosemont were established, well cared for, and on the other, uniform and new. It was a major dividing line between the old Ransom and new. She had vague memories of her grandparents living in one of those historic homes when she was little before her grandfather had passed.

Jenna kept her head up as she approached the street, the hair on the back of her neck lifting. It was just her imagination, but damn, she wished she would have paid more attention to where the apartments were in relation to Trevor’s house. Her place, his and the apartments were a triangle, and she was jogging in the danger area.

The light at the intersection with Rosemont flipped to yellow.

Yes!

She put on a little speed and by the time she reached the corner the traffic was stopped—or what constituted as traffic in Ransom.

The dread sloughed off as she left Rosemont in her dust.

This was good.

She could make it back to Trevor’s now.

But not before dark.

The sun dipped lower until it was a little sliver of light on the horizon. Pinks, oranges and yellows bled into purple, blue and indigo as twilight set in. Every passing minute, the light lessened. She wasn’t too worried. The city’s street light initiative meant most of her way would be well lit, but not all of it.

She turned onto one of the newer streets. There were even a few lots along this stretch that had just broken ground. A lot of people in Ft Worth wanted to move out to communities like Ransom for the quieter life, which meant homes were always being built.

An older, oddly colored, kind of spearmint green, car sat up next to the curb. She’d never seen something so ugly—but, it was familiar. A bit like déjà vu.

She jogged past, glancing at the back of the car.

There was mud smeared along the bumper, over the plate and up onto the trunk.

The rest of it was spotless.

Mud.

Alex had said the car out in front of his neighbor’s house had mud on its plate. That was why they didn’t have the complete plate number. He’d chalked it up to being paranoid. Ransom was small, but not that small. And Alex didn’t even live in the city limits.

That could be her stalker’s car.

Adrenaline gave her speed. Her heart rat-tat-tatted against her ribs, hammering out a frenzied pace her feet couldn’t keep up with. Sweat poured off her, and yet she was cold to the point of chill bumps breaking out along her legs and arms.

Right—there was a right turn up here somewhere.

She just needed to get somewhere safe. Find people. A gas station, a store, anything with a door and a lock would do.

Jenna glanced back at the car. In the waning light, the spearmint color stood out. There wasn’t another soul along this stretch of road. It was lined with mostly privacy fences.

Her lungs burned, protesting her accelerated pace. But she needed to get away. To be far from here.

There.

The house on the corner.

She didn’t know what street this was, but if she could turn, get off this main road, find a house, call for help, everything would be okay. As she passed the end of the privacy fence, someone stepped out from the shadows and grabbed her arm. She yelped and tried to jerk free, but her momentum helped the man sling her around. She went face first into the wooden fence. Pain blossomed, starting in her nose and forehead, radiating backward. The scent of pine filled her nostrils.

Move.

Scream.

Do something!

Jenna shook her head, sending hot rocks of agony rolling around in her skull. The man grabbed her arm again. He had large hands, slightly roughened. His body pressed hers to the wood.

“Jenna, my Jenna,” he whispered, his face pressed to her cheek.

Her skin crawled and her stomach tied in knots. He was going to kill her, or worse. And there was nothing she could do about it. She whimpered, her body paralyzed with fear so potent even her toes throbbed.

Fight back, dam it. You didn’t survive Afghanistan to die now.

Jenna planted her hands on the fence and shoved back with all her weight. She needed space. She needed to get away from him. He stumbled a few steps, just enough for her to move. She leaned her shoulder against the fence and kicked. He twisted in a clumsy fashion, her foot glancing off his thigh.

He wasn’t a fighter.

He didn’t know how to subdue her. He’d just happened to catch her unaware.

He lunged for her again. This time she was ready. She knocked his hands aside and backed up toward the house, putting distance between them. It was too dark to make out what little of his face she could see. The hood on his jacket was up and a bandana covered his nose and mouth—but the eyes. They saw straight through her.

The man reached for something in his pocket. An object she couldn’t see.

Jenna sucked down a deep breath and screamed, putting everything she had into that breath.

All her training would do jack shit if the man had a gun and the chance to use it. In close proximity, he couldn’t miss.

“Help! Help me!” She grabbed one of the stones lining the flower bed along the house and hurled it at him.

Her attacker dodged the stone. She caught a glimpse of something shiny. Like metal.

“Help!” She bolted, sprinting toward the front of the house and nearly ran face first into a man carrying a catcher’s mit. Well-built, early forties, he was a normal, suburban dad and no match for a gun fight. “He’s got a gun!”

Jenna shoved the man, and they both toppled to the grass. She kept rolling, doing her best to keep the brick house between her and the stalker.

“What’s going on?” another male voice asked.

Jenna shoved up to her knees. There were people around; men, women and children. God, children. She whirled but the only thing behind her was the befuddled baseball dad.

“He had a gun,” she blurted.

“Andrew?” the second man asked.

“What? No.” Andrew the baseball dad was already on his feet. He took three steps and peered at the space where she’d skirmished with the stalker. “I was getting the boys inside and heard her. Looked over and there was this guy here. Are you okay?”

Jenna sat in the grass, her head cradled in her hands.

“Miss?” The second man knelt at her side.

“I’ve got 9-1-1 on the phone.” A woman stood on the porch, two kids clustered around her.

“Ask for Detective Trevor Walters. Tell them it’s Jenna.” Her hands shook so bad and her stomach clenched. She was going to hurl.

“Here, give your hand. That’s a nasty bump.”

The second man grasped her by the hands and around the waist. He hoisted her to her feet, doing most of the work, as though he realized her mobility were offline. The ground did a little lurching under her, but that could be from the adrenaline, the bump to the head, any of it.

“I found this in the grass over there. Did you drop it?” Andrew held out his hand.

Sitting in his palm was a god-awful looking gold ring with a black stone.

A Founder’s Ring.

Jenna swallowed and took the jewelry between her fingers, somewhat afraid to even touch it.

“Bring her inside.” The woman took charge of Andrew and her husband, ushering Jenna inside, directing the children to their rooms. She directed Jenna to a comfortable, cushy arm chair while the men whispered between themselves.

Jenna’s body was ten times too heavy. The weight of it all pressed her down so far she wasn’t sure she’d ever get out of the chair. She was only vaguely aware of Andrew and two other men coming in and leaving before the wife reappeared with ice and a bottle of pain killers.

“Thanks.” Jenna took the ice, but declined the pills.

“The lady says a patrol car is almost here.” Her hostess had a cordless phone crammed between her shoulder and head.

“What about Trevor?” Jenna asked.

“I’m not...hold on.” Her hostess tilted her head, pressing the phone to her ear. “You said you’re Jenna?”

“Me? Yes. Jenna Martin.”

“Yes, that’s her...Oh, okay. Thanks.” She hung up the cell phone and clutched it in both hands. From the pinched, pale expression, whatever dispatch had said didn’t please her.

“What’d they say?”

“Trevor should be here in a minute.”

“Oh, good.” At least she would only have to deal with an angry Trevor. Having to explain herself to a pair of patrolmen was not high on her list of things to do.

“But shouldn’t they send more cops? An ambulance?”

Jenna chuckled and leaned on the arm rest. “I am usually already in the ambulance for calls like this. And Trevor is the detective handling my...case.”

“You know who that person was?” The woman’s eyes widened.

“No. That was actually the first time I’ve seen him face to face.” Those eyes... “Do you have a pen and paper? I need to write down what I remember before I forget it.”

“Oh my God, sign of the times, I guess. Here.” She grabbed a notepad off the kitchen counter and handed it to Jenna.

The man was a little taller than her, but he’d also had the advantage of higher ground. When she’d looked straight at him, he’d been—what? Five-ten? Five-eleven? Maybe not that tall. He’d dressed like a young thug, but the jeans were definitely Wranglers and the baggy hoodie brand new. Even the bandana had that starched look. His face though...bluest eyes and she couldn’t be certain, but she’d had a brief impression of wrinkles. An older man, perhaps?

The bird-man call had been a young guy.

Were they related?

The doorbell startled her from falling into spiraling thoughts. A second later her phone buzzed.

It was Trevor.

Where r u?

“That’s my ride,” Jenna said.

Her hostess peered out of the living room window before circling to the door. Jenna followed and found the three men clustered on the stoop with Trevor in their midst. He glanced at her, and the look was not kind.

Man, she was in trouble.

TREVOR CLIMBED INTO his SUV. He waved at the people in the driveway and fired up the engine. Jenna sat silently in the passenger seat, staring out the window.

This was a fucking wreck.

“He had my ring. My grandmother’s ring.” She thrust a Founders Ring into his hands.

Shit.

He grabbed an evidence bag and dropped it in. The chance of getting anything off it was slim, but he’d take what they could get.

He pressed the accelerator, and they rolled forward, out of the development. Three patrol cars and all the neighbors hadn’t been able to track down Jenna’s attacker. A few of the neighbors had seen either the scuffle or the suspect leaving, but no one got a good look at him. Not even Jenna.

“Was the car gone?” she asked, as if she could hear his thoughts.

“Yeah, it was gone.” He glanced at her. It was unnerving to see her so...lost. She was the girl who never needed help. “A woman named Sterling called me. What were you thinking, Jenna?”

“They needed help. They weren’t going to go to a doctor or even the emergency room. I did what I thought I could. You haven’t called Alex, have you?”

“No, but I’m about to.”

“Don’t. Please? Not until he’s done tonight.” She turned to face him, but Trevor couldn’t look at her. This wasn’t the Jenna he knew. “If you call him, he’ll leave the ready area and then what will the team do without him?”

Shit. She was right. And he hated it.

“Fine. But I’m not covering for you on this. You made a stupid choice. Why would you go out when you knew this stalker business was real?” He stopped at a red light and glared at the dashboard.

“Because the baby was sick.”

“Jenna, do you realize the risk you’re taking going to people like that? The liability?” He turned to face her, elbow on the center console.

“Yes.” She stared at him, a bit of the real Jenna finally peaking out. “I do, but I also know that the people who call me can’t afford to see a doctor. They’re desperate. I made a mistake giving my number out once, and I keep paying for it.”

Jenna was a good person. It oozed off her and those lucky enough to be close to her got to bask in that goodness. Sorry sons of bitches like Alex and him. Trevor had reservations about Alex and Jenna, but Trevor couldn’t deny that their TL would die before allowing Jenna to get hurt.

“Okay, tell me again how your number got out?”

“Light’s green.” She nodded at the road.

He resisted the urge to stomp on the gas and peel out. Just barely. Instead he took turns at random, going nowhere fast.

“I’d just gotten on normal rotation. We were called out to this intersection. Guy blew through a red light, hit a pedestrian. She was young, maybe twenty, Hispanic. Her parents were illegal immigrants and had just been deported, but she’d opted to stay here and send money back to them. She was alone, with three children, and scared. I felt bad for her. I mean, I’d just come home, too, and all of my family was gone. I saw myself in her, and I wanted to help. I gave her my number.”

“Did you ever see her again?”

“Yeah, I took her to a few physical therapy sessions when she couldn’t get a ride. Nice girl.”

“How do you know that’s how your number got out?”

“Because the first person who called me was one of her neighbors. A lady I’d seen a few times. She never admitted who gave her the number, but it wasn’t hard to figure out.”

“And you think—what? People pass it around?”

“That’s my guess.”

“So, let’s say it’s a thing where you have to know someone. The lady with the baby today clearly knew someone you’d helped before. Or else, how could she have gotten it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Has the stalker ever called you?”

“No.”

“Why not change your number?”

Jenna stared out the window and didn’t answer.

“You can’t keep doing this, Jenna. You’re going to get yourself in trouble. I know you want to help people, but not everyone is altruistic about stuff as you are. What if you help someone out and they sue you?”

“But they need help. Where are they supposed to go?”

“I don’t know. At least—don’t go alone, okay?” He glanced at her. “We both know Alex is going to put his foot down on this and you’re going to ignore him, but—at least call me before you do something stupid like this again?” And give him a chance to watch her back.

“Okay.”

“Thank you.”

“Where are we going?”

“Liam’s.”

“But it’s not this way.”

“I know. Somehow your stalker figured out where you were and how to get a jump on you. I’m taking the longest route possible to Liam’s. We’ll meet up with Alex’s neighbor and get the animals, then I figure we’ll hang out there until Alex gets off. Which reminds me...one of the guys is going to stop by my place and get your stuff before we head out.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Now if he could just get her to uphold her end of the deal.

“I froze.”

“What?”

“Back there. I totally froze. I could have—I don’t know. Punched him or something, and I just froze.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. This is a totally different animal than what you saw in combat zones or when we go into a tactical situation. In those events, it’s not personal. It’s not about us. This? You are the target.”

“How many know, do you think?” Her voice was softer than usual. Not at all like the Jenna he knew.

“About what? The stalker or Alex?” Trevor glanced at her.

“Both?”

“Liam and Casey have already texted about you and Alex.”

“God, you’re all a bunch of gossips.” She groaned.

“Hey, can’t blame us. That’s the shock of the century.”

“That Alex and I are together?”

“Hell yeah. He’s not good enough for you.”

“Why would you say that?” Jenna slapped his arm.

Trevor peered at her in the darkness, her face lit only by the dash lights.

She didn’t know.

Well hell.

He wasn’t going to tell her.

“Look, Alex is a great cop. I’d follow his lead anywhere. But...I don’t think you know him yet. I’m not saying he’s not a good guy—he is—but...”

“But what?” There was an edge to her voice, one that said he was walking a fine line.

“Alex was a different man before he came here. If you want to be with him, you should ask him about why he left Detroit.” It was old news now, but Jenna’s arrival fit nicely into Alex’s best years on the force.

“Why he left Detroit?”

“You should know. It might not change anything, I hope it doesn’t, but it’s the kind of thing you should know before you get too involved.”

“How many know about the stalker?”

“Everyone.”

“Ug.” Jenna rubbed her face. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure.” He’d already recorded her statement and got her notes. There was no point wringing her for any more information than she’d given him about tonight until she’d rested up a bit.

“What about Long Legs?” she asked.

“Long legs?” Trevor’s stomach sank.

“Yeah, the girl from the bar. Tell me about her.”

“Why?”

“Because when I ask about her you get defensive, which means you’re still thinking about her. What’s her name?”

“How do I know if she even gave me her real name?” Hello bitterness.

“Okay, then what did she tell you her name was?”

“Iris.”

“What did she look like?”

“Interrogating me now?” Trevor glared at Jenna. He should have never breathed a word about Iris, but he couldn’t forget the fear in her eyes.

“It’s only fair after all the questions you’ve been asking me.”

“Little taller than you. Shoulder length brown hair. Brown eyes.”

“And long legs?”

“Yeah.” Trevor stared at the empty road ahead of them, the memories of one night plaguing him.

“Anything else?”

“She had a bit of an accent. Not a lot.” He could hear it if he closed his eyes. The memory of her above him, the lights dimmed and her husky voice saying his name. Hell, it’d been good.

“Maybe she moved here when she was younger?” The more they talked, the more animated Jenna became. She was forgetting her own trauma while poking his sore spot.

“Possibly.” He figured there were worse things than letting her poke his ego.

“So—what? You took her home and after you went to sleep she left?”

“That’s what I told you.”

“Come on. There has to be more.”

“There’s not much else.”

“There has to be. Why would you still be stuck on her? That’s not like you.”

“You say that like I’m a dog.”

“You aren’t. I just mean—you don’t settle down and date for very long. It’s like...never mind.”

“No, say it.”

“Forget it, Trevor.”

“I said say it.”

“You like girls with problems. You like to fix their problems and let them go. You’re their hero.”

Trevor stared straight ahead. The anger burning in his gut wasn’t aimed at Jenna or the list of names and faces of the women he’d dated. The anger was for each reason he’d picked them in the beginning.

A bad boyfriend.

A problem parent.

The verbally abusive boss.

It was the same pattern he’d acknowledged years ago when his sweetheart left the engagement ring on his pillow.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Jenna muttered.

“No, you’re right. I do have a type and I know it. I guess that’s why Iris was so appealing. She didn’t need me—she wanted me. It was different.”

“Is that why we never hit it off?”

“What?”

“Just curious. I mean, you aren’t Alex, so you aren’t my type.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

Tonight, Jenna needed a hero. That’s what unsettled him so much. She was still the same fully capable, competent woman he’d grown to love like a sister, but right now, she needed Alex—and Trevor by proxy—to have her back.

“Start from the minute Iris walked into the bar and tell me everything.” Jenna leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

“Why?” He wished for the day everyone would forget.

“Because maybe I can find her.”

“How do you expect to do that?”

“A tall, good looking woman sticks out. I bet we can find her.”

“Forget it. If Iris wanted to go another round, she knows where I live.”

“But, don’t you want to find her?”

“Yeah, but if I’ve learned anything, it does me no good to want a woman who doesn’t want me. You can do me a favor though.”

“What’s that?”

“Remind me to stop dating the damsels in distress.”

“But you make such a handsome knight in stinky armor.”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

“Okay, brat.”

Jenna grinned at him and he relaxed. She didn’t need to know he’d already tracked Iris down. His fascination with her hadn’t let him give up the search, but all he’d uncovered were more questions, and until he had answers, he didn’t want anyone else looking too closely at the woman who’d called herself Iris for one night.