Connors ran a hand through his hair. He had no idea how badly the woman had been hurt, and he had no fucking idea what the hell he was going to do now.
It was nearly nine. Cora Lynn would be calling soon. He’d check the local news stations and cruise the web. Somewhere there would be a report on the woman’s accident, especially if they’d put out an APB on the Taurus.
Thank God he’d been smart enough to steal a car.
He hit the remote for his garage as he neared his house. The neighborhood was as quiet as it usually was on a Monday evening. There was a nice mix of ages here. Some of his neighbors were retired, some newlyweds. Of course they all knew him. Connors was the neighborhood go-to man if anyone needed help with anything. He’d cultivated that persona here at home and at work in the real estate office.
He turned off the car, locked it, and headed into the house. He immediately heard voices and realized the television was on in his den. He didn’t think he’d left the thing on, but he might have.
His mind still on Kelsey Madison and his problem, he walked down the hall and then froze at the door to his den. Sherman Fremont sat in his recliner.
“There you are, Connors. You get points for eluding the police. But you really should have come to me with this problem rather than trying to handle it yourself.”
“Mr. Fremont.”
“Come in, Connors. Make yourself at home.” Sherman Fremont laughed at his joke, but the man who stood behind him giving a good imitation of a gorilla didn’t laugh.
“I don’t understand—”
“I told you I liked the looks of you, and I meant it. And you may not understand right now, but you will, that this is one of the things I liked about you. I knew about this particular skeleton in your closet.
“It doesn’t always take money to buy a politician, Connors. Come and sit down. I’m about to buy you. Johnson, here, will help you with the Madison woman.”
Chapter 18
“It’ll likely be a couple of days before we hear anything back from the Waco P.D.,” Matthew said.
“Let’s hope that s.o.b. left behind enough evidence that you can find him,” Steven said.
“Yeah, I’m hoping,” Matthew agreed.
Steven got up to bring the coffee pot to the kitchen table. Kelsey looked as if she was lost in thought, and Matthew looked as if he wanted to spit nails.
I can’t blame him.
Steven felt just as helpless at the moment.
The need to protect Kelsey surged through his veins. He wanted to punch someone very badly. It was hard to fight an enemy he couldn’t see.
“How are you feeling this morning, sweetheart?” he asked Kelsey. He’d gotten up just before dawn, leaving the bed to get his morning chores done while his lover and his brother still slept. Then he’d come into the house to find breakfast ready to be served and Benny ready to chatter. The little guy had plowed through his morning meal and now played quietly.
“I’m a little stiff and sore, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” She blinked and looked over at him. “Don’t worry. I’m not going into the restaurant today even though I don’t feel as bad as I anticipated.”
The sound of toy trucks crashing into each other came from the sitting room. Steven could look over top of the kitchen counter and see the Benny’s head. He understood now why his mother had insisted on an “open concept” for the main living areas of kitchen and parlor when his parents renovated this house. It was nice to be able to see what the boy was doing without having to keep getting up to do so.
“You’ll want to go in tomorrow, though,” Matthew said. “Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing Steven and I would like better than to lock you up somewhere and keep you safe. We know we can’t do that.”
Kelsey tilted her head to the side and looked at Matt and then at him. “What do I need to do so that the two of you won’t get sick worrying about me?”
“You just did it,” Steven said. Thinking about her past, he leaned forward and kissed her. Then he chose his words carefully. “When you love someone, you’re always hostage to their fortune. It goes with the territory. We know you take our concerns seriously. That has to be enough. The rest is our problem.”
The phone rang, and Steven got up to answer it.
“Hi, Mom. We’re just finishing breakfast.”
“I thought I’d come over around lunch time and spend a bit of time with Benny,” his mother said. “Get in some grandma practice and give you and Kelsey a chance to have some time to yourselves. I know how challenging it can be to suddenly have a child there when you’re not used to children.”