Lock, Stock and McCullen. Rita Herron

me put some clothes on,” she said as if she suddenly realized how naked she was.

      He nodded. He needed her clothed so he could forget about how she’d felt in his arms and focus on the reason someone had tried to kill her.

      * * *

      ROSE THREW ON a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, fighting a sob. Thad had not only made a fool out of her but he also wanted her dead.

      Why?

      She glanced in the mirror, shocked at the woman she saw looking back. Her eyes were puffy and red with dark circles beneath them, her face bruised, her hair stringy and tangled. She didn’t even look like herself.

      Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she dragged a brush through the tangles, then slowly descended the steps, relieved that the sheriff had made it to her house so quickly. She didn’t know Maddox McCullen very well, but everyone in town said he was decent and hardworking—a family man.

      A man to trust.

      God knows she’d trusted the wrong man so far.

      “I’ll make coffee,” she said, desperate for something to do with her hands as she met him at the foot of the staircase.

      He gave a grim nod and followed her to the kitchen. An awkwardness, thick and unsettling, cloaked the room as she measured the grounds and filled the coffeepot with water, and they waited on it to brew.

      She removed two mugs from the cabinet. “Sugar or cream?”

      “Black,” he said.

      Just as she’d expect from a man like him. Everything about Maddox screamed alpha male. Strong, take-charge...masculine.

      When it was ready, she filled his mug. He blew on his coffee for a moment, and she gestured toward the pine table and sank into a straight chair. He joined her, still silent, as if he knew she needed time to pull herself together.

      Finally she shoved her hair from her eyes, took a deep breath and began. “Thad suggested we elope yesterday,” Rose said. “Since neither of us have family that we’re close to, I agreed.”

      “You were anxious to get married?”

      She nodded, although heat flooded her cheeks. Why did men make it sound as if women were desperate to get married? “I thought he loved me, that we were going to build a life together.”

      His jaw tightened. “Go on.”

      “We decided to go to Cheyenne for the ceremony, but on the way Thad said he knew this private little place off the path, that we could spend the night and have a romantic evening before the wedding.”

      “So you went to this cabin?”

      “Yes.” Rose sipped her coffee, tidbits of the last twenty-four hours taunting her. Little things that at the time had seemed insignificant, or even thoughtful, now took on a sinister meaning.

      “At first, I thought it was eerie when he drove down this dirt road to the cabin, but he had flowers and wine and...he said he wanted us to be alone, and he made it seem romantic.”

      “Did you tell anyone where you were going? That you were eloping?”

      She shook her head. “I wanted to call Trina, my assistant at the antiques shop, but he said it was more fun if it was our secret, so I texted her that I was taking a couple of days off and asked her to manage Vintage Treasures.”

      “You didn’t tell her where you were going?”

      “No, no one knew.” Self-disgust ate at her. “Now I understand the reason. He planned to kill me and leave me in the wilderness so no one would find me.”

      Silence lingered for a full minute before Maddox asked, “What happened at the cabin?”

      She massaged the scar at the base of her temple, a nervous habit she’d had since she was young. “I went to take a bubble bath while he was supposedly setting up a picnic for us. But when I got out of the tub, I heard him talking on his cell phone.”

      “Who was he talking to?”

      “I don’t know.” The conversation echoed in her head, making her blood run cold. “I heard him say that I was the one... At first, I thought he meant it romantically. That I was the one he loved, the one he was meant to be with.”

      The irony of that statement seemed to hit both of them. “Then what happened?”

      “He held up this flyer. It had a picture of a little girl on a milk carton on it.”

      Maddox’s brows drew together in a deep frown. “A little girl?”

      “She was about five years old.” She fidgeted, still trying to make sense of it. “Then he said I was the one they’d been looking for, and that I’d be dead by morning.”

      A heartbeat passed. “He meant that you were the girl on the milk carton?”

      “Yes,” Rose whispered, her agitation mounting. “But that doesn’t make sense.”

      “He didn’t elaborate?”

      “No.” She shivered. “Instead, he pulled a gun from his briefcase.”

      “Did you know he carried a weapon?”

      “No, I’d never seen it.” She twisted her hands together. “But it scared me, and I stumbled. Then he saw me and came after me.” Her breath came out in spurts as fear once again seized her. “He shot at me and missed, and we fought. I tried to get away but the gun went off again.”

      Maddox covered her hand with his. “Go on.”

      “I shot him, Maddox. I didn’t mean to, but the bullet hit him.” She blinked back more tears, her heart pounding. “Blood soaked his shirt, and I was terrified, so I ran to the car. He staggered to the door and fired at me again.”

      Another tense silence. “Did he follow you?”

      “I don’t know, he collapsed on the ground,” she cried. “I think I might have killed him.”

       Chapter Three

      Tears filled Rose’s eyes again, the terror returning. She could still see the sinister look in Thad’s eyes, see him lunging for her with that gun.

      “You didn’t call an ambulance or the police?”

      Rose tensed. “No, I tried my cell as I was leaving and there was no service. Then all I could think about was escaping.”

      He lifted her wrists, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he noted the bruises. “He grabbed you here?”

      “Yes,” she said, remembering the horror of his fingers clenching her as Maddox gently stroked the tender area.

      “Can you tell me where this cabin is?” Maddox said.

      “I don’t know the name of the road we turned off on. But...I could probably find it.”

      He stood. “I have to go out there and see if he’s still alive.”

      Nerves fluttered in Rose’s stomach. What if Thad was dead? Would she be arrested for murder?

      * * *

      MADDOX CONSIDERED CALLING the Cheyenne Police Department, but figured he’d assess the situation first and find out if Thoreau was dead or alive.

      He texted Mama Mary to let her know that he might not be home tonight, and to call him if his father’s condition changed.

      “I understand it may be difficult for you, Rose, but do you mind riding with me and guiding me to the cabin?”

      Wariness darkened her eyes, but she squared her shoulders as if to gather her courage. “No, I’ll take you there.”

      He