Page 54 of Lone Star Wanted
Jericho leaned closer, read the message, and nodded. “Well, that’s the kind of news I can live with.”
Kincade took one look at Travis’s text, and he let out a breath as if he had been holding it for hours. He took a moment, no doubt steadying himself, and then pulled her into his arms. She welcomed the hug. Welcomed their shared relief, and he held on for a couple of seconds before he went around the front of the SUV and got behind the wheel.
Jericho rapped his knuckles on the roof and shut her door. “Get her home,” he said to Kincade. “I’ll start digging into what the hell is going on.”
Cassidy managed a nod. She had no intention of going back into that building. Not when she had nearly crumbled in front of the people trying to bury her brother.
Kincade put the SUV in gear, pulled away from the curb, and they left the sheriff’s office behind them. Inside, Becker, Moran, and Vance were probably still hoping the body belonged to Travis.
They were going to be disappointed.
Her brother was still alive. And Cassidy had no doubt he was still fighting to finish what he started.
They were still several miles from her house when Kincade’s phone buzzed on the console between them. He took his eyes off the road just long enough to glance at the screen.
“It’s from Jericho,” he said, handing her the phone. “Tell me what it says.”
Her stomach was already bracing for more bad news. But it wasn’t.
“Ruby got photos from the responding cops. She ran facial recognition,” she relayed to him. “One of the bodies does look like Travis. Enough to fool someone at a glance. He was carrying a fake ID with Travis’s name on it.”
And she couldn’t think of a single good reason why someone would have that on them.
“Who was he really?” Kincade asked.
“Darrell Knox. Mid-thirties. History of assault, fraud, impersonating federal agents. Got booted from some private security outfit five years ago.” She paused, sighed. “So someone who knows how to pass as law enforcement.”
“Exactly,” Kincade said. “Who’s the other guy?”
“Victor Greer,” she supplied. “Record for weapons trafficking, smuggling. Ruby says he had a fake cop’s badge on him.”
Cassidy stared out the window, the Hill Country landscape rushing past, and her thoughts were reeling.
“They killed Daniel,” she said quietly. “These two killed him and set up Travis to take the fall.”
Kincade’s hands gripped the wheel tighter. “I’m betting you’re right.”
Cassidy turned back toward him. “Then someone paid them to do it. Someone who wanted Daniel silenced and Travis framed.”
“Yeah. And whoever it was just lost their hired help.” Kincade tapped his thumb against the steering wheel, obviously thinking. “If Knox and Greer were working for someone, we need to know who. And if they were killed, maybe it was to keep them quiet.”
Cassidy turned her head toward him. “You think whoever hired them got spooked?”
“Or maybe the two were getting sloppy,” Kincade said. “Too visible. Too risky. People like that only stay useful as long as they stay quiet and controlled.”
Cassidy’s stomach knotted as they pulled to a stop in front of her house. “Then whoever’s behind this is tying up loose ends.”
“Exactly,” he agreed. “Ruby’s already on it, I guarantee. She’ll be looking at bank transfers, flagged purchases, travel records. Anything that might link a payment to those two.”
“Even small deposits might help,” Cassidy said. “A trail is a trail.”
Kincade shot her a glance. “And Ruby doesn’t miss much.”
Cassidy looked back out the window. “We need something to connect this back to Vance. Or Becker. Or Moran. Whoever’s pulling the strings.”
“Then we better find it fast,” Kincade said. “Before whoever’s doing this turns their sights on us.”
After a sweeping glance around them, Cassidy stepped out of the SUV, and with Kincade right beside her, they went into the house. She locked the door behind them and reset the security systems. The silence that settled around her was heavy but welcome. She didn’t hesitate. She turned straight into Kincade’s arms, burying her face against his chest.
