Page 121 of Cowboy's Last Stand
Wade turned to the other deputies for a short consultation.Then he headed toward the apartment with one man while the other, Deputy Santos, stood beside Natalie.It dawned on her that Jason was a suspect in the shooting.She held her hands to her cheeks in disbelief.
What a nightmare.
Was it possible that Jason had gone to Billy’s for a final confrontation?She couldn’t imagine it.He’d been crestfallen by their breakup, but he’d left without argument.Surely, he wouldn’t have decided tokill a manon his way out of town.She tried to follow Wade, but Deputy Santos detained her.
“Stay here, miss.”
“Why?”
“The suspect is considered armed and dangerous.”
Natalie sank to the glider and sat with her arms wrapped around her middle.The deputy’s words sent a chill down her spine.She still hadn’t recovered from last night’s emotional turmoil.Her eyes were swollen, and her head ached.The idea of Jason being hunted by law enforcement turned her stomach.The whole thing seemed surreal.
Finally, Wade reappeared at the edge of the porch.He gestured for her to come toward him.She rose from the glider and followed him down the driveway.The other deputy was in the garage by the Ford truck.Its passenger door stood open.
“Take a look,” Wade said.
She did.Resting on the passenger seat was a wicked-looking revolver.She stumbled backward, too shocked to speak.
“Do you recognize the weapon?”Wade asked.
“No.”
“Do you own a gun?”
“You know I don’t.”
“I have to search the house,” Wade said apologetically.
She nodded her permission.Deputy Santos led her toward a squad car and made her sit in the back while the other two invaded her home.She felt like an accomplice.She felt cold and dirty, like frozen slush with tire tracks all over it.When Wade emerged from her home, he had her purse and her phone.He handed both to her through the open door of the squad car.
“Are the security cameras on?”he asked.
“Yes.”
“Can you send me the footage?”
“I think so.”
Swallowing hard, she opened the security app on her phone.Footage from both cameras was available to download.She selected segments for the past twelve hours and sent them to Wade.He checked his own cell to make sure the message came through.
“Jason is a person of interest,” Wade said.“We need him to come in peaceably, for his own safety.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Call him.When he answers, hand the phone to me.”
Her fingers trembled as she scrolled through her contacts and selected Jason’s name.She didn’t consider saying no to Wade.The fact that there was a gun on her property horrified her.What if Marcus had picked it up?
Jason answered after a couple of rings.“Natalie?”
The hopeful sound of his voice made a sob catch in her throat.She passed the phone to Wade.He closed the car door and walked away so she couldn’t overhear the conversation.As she stared at his uniformed back, her chills receded, and numbness settled over her.She welcomed the sensation.After the tumultuous night she’d had and the shocking morning, it was a relief to feel nothing again.
*
Jason left LastChance at sunrise.
He’d reached the outskirts of town in the wee hours of the morning, and he hadn’t considered going back.Walking away from Natalie felt wrong, but what else could he do?She’d asked him to leave.She didn’t want to see him ever again.
