“I need a computer, any chance you can get one?”
Duncan listened to the one-sided conversation as a way to distance himself from how he’d been rocked by Chelsey’s kiss. Slade’s frustration was apparent as he scowled.
“Okay, fine. Tomorrow will have to do.” Slade disconnected from the call and scrubbed his hands over his face. “There’s a lot to be done, but I don’t have the tools I need.”
Duncan dropped onto the edge of the bed. “Like what?”
“We had an identity picked out for Brett and Chelsey, but now she needs something entirely new. I can’t trust that Brett didn’t blab to someone about what was going on.”
Duncan nodded slowly, his pulse kicking up at the possibility of having Chelsey nearby for a while longer. “What about the guy Brett was planning to testify against? Shouldn’t we continue that investigation as well?”
Slade shot him a glare. “We? There is no we here, Duncan. I appreciate everything you’ve done, but this is a US Marshals case. A cop from Milwaukee doesn’t have any jurisdiction here.”
Duncan frowned. “I’m aware of that, but you should use my expertise to your advantage. Brett told me a wild story about being hired on to provide security for a wealthy rancher.”
Slade looked interested. “Did he say who?”
“No, and when I mentioned this to Chelsey, she said the only rancher nearby was a guy by the name of Elroy Lansing. Only he’s not wealthy at all, has been apparently selling off parcels of land to stay afloat.”
“Elroy Lansing,” Slade repeated. “That sounds familiar.”
“His property is apparently right next to the land owned by Chelsey’s hotel.”
“But if Lansing doesn’t have any money, how could that have anything to do with Brett Thompson?” Slade argued.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “But Chelsey mentioned Coyote Creek Construction was being hired by the hotel to expand, and their property line meets up with Lansing’s.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s time to follow the money, see who purchased parcels of land from Lansing in the past year or so. See if there are any ties to Coyote Creek Construction.”
“Not a bad idea,” Slade said grudgingly. “Once I get my hands on a computer, I’ll get on that.”
“I can help,” Duncan said quietly. He’d borrowed Slade’s phone cord to recharge his battery. The two men had exchanged numbers, too. “No reason we can’t investigate this thing while we’re waiting for everything to be put in place for Chelsey.”
Slade didn’t comment for a long moment. “You’re right. I appreciate having you here, Duncan. I feel better knowing there are two of us keeping her safe.”
The tension in Duncan’s shoulders eased. “Good.” He yawned, exhaustion catching up to him. “Let’s discuss strategy in the morning.”
Slade nodded and shut off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. Duncan stretched out on the bed fully clothed and closed his eyes.
His last conscious thought was that if they could find the evidence needed to bring the bad guys to justice, it was entirely possible Chelsey wouldn’t have to give up her life to enter witness protection.
And he secretly promised to do whatever was necessary to make that happen.
Chelsey awoke at dawn, feeling well rested for the first time in what seemed like forever. At least, until she began to think about the ramifications of giving up her life.
Panic clawed its way up into her throat, robbing her of the ability to breathe. A passage of scripture flashed into her mind from the book of Psalms. “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”
Her emotional turmoil eased and she immediately felt reassured and calm. Leaving Wyoming wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to her. She would miss her friends; the hotel her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents had worked so hard for; the guests who came to stay on a regular basis.
But she had her faith and her life. Being on the run with Duncan made her realize how grateful she was to be alive.
After a quick shower, she eased open her motel room door, glancing around before heading over to tentatively wake Duncan. He immediately answered her knock, opening the door and gently pulling her inside.
“You look well rested.” Duncan’s dark gaze didn’t miss a thing. “Have a seat. We’re ordering breakfast to the room.”
“Why?” She took a seat in the only chair.
Duncan shrugged and glanced at Slade. “Just being cautious.”
“Okay. I’m just thankful we’ll have food to eat,” she admitted. “I planned to warm up my leftovers from last night.”
“No need for that yet.” Duncan squeezed past, the room seemingly small with the two men taking up space. “What would you like?”
“Anything,” she said with a smile.
Five minutes later, they’d placed their to-go order. Slade offered to pick it up from the restaurant as the motel was too small to offer room service.
“Check on when we’ll have access to the cabin,” Duncan suggested.
“Will do.” Slade headed for the door. “I’m also going to find out what computer access they might have available. I’ll call when I’m on my way back with the food.”
The room was silent after Slade left. Chelsey blushed, remembering the moment she’d kissed Duncan.
And he’d kissed her back.
She cleared her throat. “When are you planning to head back to Wisconsin?”
He looked startled by her question. “Not anytime soon.” He paused, then added, “It’s possible that if we can find out who killed Brett and arrest the men in charge, you might not need to hide out in witness protection.”
A flicker of hope flared in her heart. “Really?”
“I can’t say for certain,” Duncan hedged. “But it’s a possibility. One I can’t ignore. I’m hopeful that when Slade gets a computer, we can really dig into the backgrounds of the men involved with Coyote Creek Construction. It’s not unheard of for construction companies to have ties to organized crime.”
“Organized crime?” Her voice rose
