Montana Standoff. Sharon Dunn

him close. Bryan seemed to take his own comfort from the handgun that rested on his thigh.

      As soon as they had gotten into the car, Jake had tossed it back to Bryan. Another gun sat on the front seat of the Dodge Charger. Bryan kept up a steady vigil of checking all the windows at intervals. From his actions, he too worried they would be attacked again. Even though she knew both of the men who had come after them were now on foot, the fear settled in her belly like a heavy rock.

      She’d almost died today. And all because of something Crew had done. Sarah closed her eyes and tried to make sense of it all, but nothing seemed to fit. Yes, her brother had been in trouble before, but she knew he had a good heart. How had he gotten mixed up with those thugs? She’d seen the level of violence these men were capable of. Her heart squeezed tight. What if the sheriff didn’t catch those men? What would they do to her brother when they found him? She had to get to Crew before those thugs did.

      Jake slowed the car as he came within the city limits. He was a burly man with salt-and-pepper hair. He dressed in army surplus fatigues and smelled like cigars. She guessed he might be in his mid-fifties.

      What kind of life did Bryan lead that he knew men who had access to guns at a moment’s notice?

      Bryan tensed as they drew nearer to the police station. Jake pulled into the parking lot, and they all exited the car.

      Bryan slapped Jake on the back as they gripped hands. “Thanks, you saved my life.”

      “That makes us about even,” said Jake. “You can take it from here?”

      Bryan raised a leery eye toward the police station. “I’ll be all right.”

      Jake got back into his car as Bryan escorted Sarah up the sidewalk. Sarah glanced back at the rough-looking man getting into his car. “So how do you know Jake?”

      “We worked together on a case when I came here. Then he took early retirement.”

      A case? She wanted to ask what case he’d have worked on as a forest ranger, but the bitterness embedded in Bryan’s words indicated he didn’t want to tell her anything else.

      Inside the station, only a few officers sat at computers. A series of cupboards, some of them locked, took up one wall of the police station. At the far end of the long, narrow room was an office with a window. The sign on the door read Chief Sandoval. Radios and scanners buzzed on and off throughout the station.

      All of the men and the one woman working at their computers raised their head when Bryan stepped inside.

      The officer closest to the door said, “Hey, Bryan.”

      The greeting was neither friendly nor hostile.

      Bryan looked at one officer and then another. “Have you guys heard anything about what happened on Fire Mountain today?”

      “I picked some things up on the scanner,” said the female officer. “Don’t think County ever caught up with those guys.”

      Sarah cringed. That meant they were still out there. At least it was a long walk into town.

      Bryan rested a hand on her shoulder. “This is Sarah Langston. She’s the woman who was abducted and almost killed today. She needs to make a statement, and we’ll have her look at mug shots. She can identify her attackers and so can I.”

      “I’ll get right on that. Just give me a second to set things up.” The female officer scooted back her chair and disappeared around a corner.

      From the familiarity that Bryan had with the other officers, it was clear he had some sort of connection to the police. “So how does a guy in a fire tower have such a cozy relationship with the city police?”

      “I used to work here.” Bryan angled his head, not making eye contact. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

      Sarah stepped a little closer to him. “Used to?”

      His expression turned hard as granite. “It’s a long story.” His voice became thick with emotion. “And not one I want to tell.”

      Even though she knew his anger was over whatever had happened on the job, his retort stung—a reminder of a much more personal anger that he had directed at her ten years ago. When she’d found out she was pregnant, they’d gone to a pregnancy counseling center. Naomi’s Place had been warm and filled with love, a safe place for teens to live while they were pregnant. They both had agreed that giving up their little girl was the best choice for everyone. But after Bryan signed away his parental rights, he became sullen. His silent rage had made her feel like he blamed her for not wanting to keep their child. It didn’t make sense. They had made the decision together. They didn’t get a chance to talk things out. Instead, he left. His parents moved away shortly after.

      In the two years after Bryan left, she had been adopted by a loving family. The adoption had come too late for Crew, who was past eighteen and already descending into his life of crime, but it had helped cement Sarah’s resolve to take her life in a different direction. She too had left for college to get a degree in social work. She’d returned because she loved Discovery, because Crew and her adoptive parents were here, and maybe somewhere in the back of her mind she hoped Bryan would come back, as well.

      Now he was back. But whatever he’d been doing, the years had not been kind to Bryan Keyes. The vulnerable teenager she had known was lost to a man with an eight-foot wall around his heart. And she had no desire to try to climb over it.

      The female officer returned. “Why don’t you come this way? I’ve set up an interview room for you. It’ll be easier to concentrate in there.” She held out her hand. “I’m Officer O’Connor, but you can call me Bridget.”

      Sarah stepped toward Bridget. Fear rose up. She didn’t want to think about those two men. She glanced back at Bryan. “Can Bryan come with me?”

      The officer spoke gently. “I have to take your statements separately.”

      “It’ll be all right.” He reached out and squeezed her upper arm. “Bridget has a very gentle bedside interrogation technique.”

      His joke made her smile.

      Bridget opened a door labeled Interview Room One. “Right in here.”

      Sarah took in a deep breath. Tension wove around her chest at the prospect of having to relive the terror of the last few hours.

      And worst of all was her certainty that it still wasn’t over.

      * * *

      The look of vulnerability Bryan saw in Sarah’s eyes as she turned the corner nearly tore his heart out. She was still shaken, still afraid. If he could just hold her. He remembered the softness of her skin and the light floral scent of her hair. Heat rose up his neck. Even after ten years, the memory held a power over him.

      All the more reason for him to keep some distance between them now. He wouldn’t do her any favors if he got distracted by the past. Only by staying focused on the danger could he truly help her.

      He couldn’t make the interview any easier for her, but maybe he could make sure those guys didn’t come after her again. Once the thugs got back into town, Sarah would still be in danger unless Crew came forward.

      Bryan looked through the window where Chief Sandoval sat hunched over his desk. Overwhelmed with frustration as the case against Tyler Mason dissolved, his parting words to his boss weeks ago had been harsh.

      He understood why Sandoval had no desire to waste manpower and resources trying to find a new angle on the investigation. Mason did such a good job of playing the part of a fine upstanding businessman that most people fell for his act. Unless they could get another eyewitness to Mason’s human trafficking ring who could put the finger on Mason, they really didn’t have a case.

      A tightness embedded in Bryan’s chest as he walked toward Sandoval’s glass office. The older man raised his head and peered through the window, giving away nothing in his expression.

      Bryan