The Ranger's Forgiveness (Army Ranger Romance Book 5) Read online

  Now that Taylor was out of the line of fire, he pulled his service weapon and returned fire. The sedan swerved off the road. Elijah watched as it bounced over the rough terrain. The driver seemed to gain control and pulled the car alongside again, firing once more. Again, Elijah returned fire.

  This time the driver gunned the car and zipped past them. Of course, there was no license plate, and it was too dark to make out the model of the car. Instead of following like he normally would, since he had Taylor in the car, Elijah did a U-turn.

  “Is it over?” Taylor asked. Her voice trembled, and it sounded like she was crying.

  “Yeah,” he said, setting his gun down and taking her hand. “I’ll take us home. We need to figure out how they found us, but first, I need to call the police and let them know what happened. Then I need to call Noah and Mia. But you need to stay down until we get back to the house.”

  “Okay.”

  He let her hand go and called 9-1-1, detailing everything that had happened. Police would be meeting them at his home. They’d offered to send a couple of patrol cars, but Elijah knew it would be a waste. It was long gone.

  Once he finished with that, he called Noah and gave him the play-by-play of what happened. Of course, Mia was sitting in on the conversation, which was fine with Elijah because she was the only one he could think of to find out how they’d been followed. It wasn’t like they had an itinerary when they left the house, and he’d checked before they left town to make sure they weren’t being tailed.

  “Hold on, Elijah, let me check something. I’m going to access your phone, okay,” Mia said.

  “My phone?” he asked. “How? It never leaves my sight.”

  “It doesn’t have to, remember?”

  “Why would they track mine? I hadn’t seen Taylor in years. What would make them think to use mine?”

  Mia laughed. “Elijah, as inseparable as you were as kids, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out you’d gravitate toward each other.”

  “Okay, fine, you have a point,” he said as he cut a glance at Taylor. Yeah, he was doomed the moment he saw her. Whatever their past issues, he still loved her. Nothing about that had or would ever change.

  “And I was right. You did have a tracker on your phone. That’s how they were able to find you even after I killed the tracer on hers. Does Taylor have her phone?”

  He pulled his phone away from his mouth. “You have your phone, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Yeah, she has it,” he said as he brought the receiver back to his mouth.

  “Turn yours off for now. I need to run a few things. This program is sophisticated. I may be able to track the person this way.”

  “All right. I’m headed back to the house now. Police are meeting us there, and we won’t be leaving the house again.”

  “Elijah,” Noah said, “I think you need to lay low until we get this figured out.”

  Elijah nodded. “Yeah, I think so too. I should have had Mia check my phone from the beginning, but it didn’t even occur to me that they’d use my phone to track Taylor.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. I wouldn’t have thought of that either. Got to give whoever it is some credit for creativity. It was smart.”

  Mia grumbled. “Okay, we’ll talk later. I need you to power down your phone before the guy comes back.”

  “I seriously doubt he’s coming back. I don’t think he expected me to return fire,” Elijah replied. “But I’ll power it down and talk to you later.” He ended the call and glanced at Taylor. “It was my phone. That’s how they found us.”

  “So, are you a target too? Or did they just assume we’d…what?” Taylor asked.

  He thought for a moment and then shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I mean, they did rear-end us, and we could have wrecked, I guess, but they made it so they could get close to your side of the vehicle. They were obviously still coming after you.”

  She shivered. “This terrifies me. If I’d known it was serious, I wouldn’t have been so flippant about it. But I don’t know what I could be doing to make someone want to come after me. You’ve seen my website. It’s nonsense. Yeah, it’s all tin-foil-hat-like, but it’s obvious it’s a joke.”

  “That might be, but someone isn’t laughing. We’ll find them, though, and put a stop to it. Trust me.”

  She gave a small smile. “I do.”

  Their past issues and questions about that night would have to take a backseat. Until the person trying to hurt Taylor was caught, that was where Elijah’s focus needed to be. Once that was taken care of, then they’d figure out where they fit together. In his mind, whatever the issue was, it would be fixed, and he’d be spending the rest of his life with her.

  Chapter 20

  Taylor rolled onto her stomach. It was the dead of night, and she was so tired she was practically a zombie. But her mind wouldn’t shut off. She’d counted sheep, counted to a hundred, and even done the whole relax-starting-with-your-toes exercise. If anything, she felt even more wide awake.

  When they’d returned to Elijah’s home, the police were waiting for them. Again, Elijah went over what had happened from the very beginning. Officers had taken both their statements so they could file a report. Which was going to do her a fat lot of good if they never caught the person.

  A knock came from the door, and she sat up. She looked at the distance between her bed and the door. Man, it was so far away. To her, there was a monster under the bed, and the floor was made of lava. Apparently, getting shot at and nearly run off the road was great for the imagination.

  “Taylor,” Lucas’s voice called through the door. “Hey, Taylor. You awake?”

  She rolled her eyes as she stood and answered the door. “If I wasn’t, I would be now. How did you know I was awake?”

  “After what you went through tonight? There was no way you’d be asleep,” he replied. “At least I know I wouldn’t be.”

  “True. Come on in.” Taylor walked to the nightstand and flipped on the lamp. “It was so scary tonight. The guy was shooting at us. Elijah was shooting back. It was so…crazy. He’s put us on lockdown, and I’m almost thrilled.”

  Lucas grunted as he shuffled inside and shut the door behind him. “Yeah, well, I’m not. I’ve had to reschedule a few clients, and they weren’t too happy about it. Of course, they were understanding when I told them what was going on, but still, it’s a hassle.” He took a few deep breaths and stared at her a moment. “Something’s bugging me and has been. I’ve been talking to Elijah’s estate attorney.”

  Taylor knitted her eyebrows together. “You’re going over his estate stuff?”

  “Yeah, he asked me to go with him when he met the attorney a few days after the funeral.”

  “You didn’t tell me that.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d want to know at the time, but it seems those feelings have changed in the last few days.” A smile slowly stretched on his lips.

  Taylor rolled her eyes. “Fine. Things are better between us.”

  “Good. Elijah is a good guy. He always was.”

  “I know.”

  “And I have an idea about what happened.”

  Shaking her head, she sat on the edge of the bed. She’d already confided in two people. She couldn’t tell Lucas. He’d try to help, and she didn’t want him mixed up in Ruth’s mess. “Nope. I’m not talking to you about it.”

  He followed her to the bed and sat next to her. “Then don’t, but I’ve got a running theory, and you’re going to hear me out. A large withdrawal by Ruth was made right before you two graduated, and that had something to do with your breakup. Ruth had more than a little motive to get you out of the way so Elijah would focus on the business, and she was determined because she would have been part owner if she had convinced him to take it over. His loyalty lay with you, and she needed you out of the picture.”

  Taylor rolled her lips in and stared at Lucas.

  “I’m so right on this it’s no
t even funny. That anonymous person that paid off our debt was either you or Ruth, and she held something over you because you would have never gone for it for the money alone. Never. You loved Elijah too much for any other reason to have made you walk away.”

  Casting her gaze to the floor, she said, “I won’t talk about it.”

  “It must be pretty bad to keep you from speaking. Taylor, maybe I could help.”

  “No, I won’t bring you into this. You’re working on taking over Jeffers’s firm. I’ve met the man. One bad word, and he’ll pull the plug. He didn’t say as much, but the man isn’t exactly a regular good ole boy. His nose is pretty far in the air.”

  Lucas laughed. “He’s not that bad.”

  “He’s snooty, and you know it.”

  “Okay, yeah, he’s a snob, but he’s a good man. He wouldn’t dump me for something I had nothing to do with.”

  “Just give me some time. Elijah’s friend Mia is looking into it for me, and if she’s as good as she says she is—and I think she is—everything will be out in the open soon, and I won’t have to worry about you.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “But I do. I worry about you and Dad. You’re all I’ve got left…well, Elijah too. I don’t want anything happening to any of you.”

  “All right. I guess I’ll just have to trust you and this friend of Elijah’s, but I’m telling you right now, you’re not leaving town without telling us what happened. You broke up with him against your will, and I know it. He probably knows it by now too.”

  She smiled despite trying to keep a straight face.

  “Oh yeah, he knows. Does he know the whole story?”

  “No, but I’m not letting him go again. I’ve spent the last nine years walking through life like it’s over, and it’s not.”

  Lucas dropped his arm to his lap and yawned. “All right. I’m talked out, and I have work tomorrow. I may not be allowed to leave the house, but that doesn’t mean I can take the day off.” Standing, he stretched and shuffled to the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Night, Lucas.”

  He slipped out of her room and shut the door as he went.

  Taylor lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Even Lucas suspected something had happened, and he wasn’t far off at all. Mia needed to hurry up and find something. Taylor couldn’t afford anyone else taking a guess. Sure, she’d offered the information to Julie, but only to keep her from confronting Elijah. And Mia…well, that was different. She was akin to a priest. She couldn’t say anything.

  The ball needed to start rolling and fast. Everyone needed answers, and so did Taylor. Like how Ruth was able to pull off everything. The woman was smart and cunning, but surely she had made a mistake somewhere. Either way…the cat was going to be out of the bag soon, and the chips would fall where they may.

  * * *

  Yawning, Elijah leaned his hip against the kitchen counter, waiting for coffee to brew. Exhausted didn’t begin to cover how he felt. Someone had taken another shot at Taylor the night before, and he was still perplexed as to why. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt her.

  “Morning,” Joseph said as he ambled into the kitchen and sat at the island. “I thought I’d be the only one up this early. Can’t say I slept well last night.”

  “Me either.”

  “I bet you didn’t. That was some crazy tale you told. That friend of yours any closer to figuring out this whole thing?”

  Elijah shrugged. “I haven’t talked to her since last night, but if someone is going to figure it out, it’ll be her. She’s more stubborn than Taylor.”

  Joseph whistled. “Whew. That’s saying something.” He smiled. “I see you took my advice. You and Taylor seem to have worked through some things.”

  “Yes, sir,” he replied and pulled out two coffee mugs from the cabinet. Elijah knew Joseph well enough to know you didn’t break out the coffee without sharing. “Still take cream, no sugar?”

  Taylor’s dad chuckled. “Actually, I don’t use cream anymore either.”

  After fixing them both a cup, Elijah joined Joseph and sat on a stool next to him.

  The man took a sip of coffee and set the cup back down. “Thank you. Now, about that advice.”

  Smiling, Elijah took a sip of coffee before replying, “Yes, sir. We talked last night. It was good, too. I love her as much now as I did back in high school. Probably more so.”

  “I know you do. I knew it the minute you saw her. Why do you think I invited you to dinner last Wednesday night? Right before Maria died, I promised her I’d fix the two of you if I ever got the chance.”

  Elijah sat his cup down. “What?”

  Joseph sipped his coffee a minute. “She knew something had happened, and right as she had me promise was when she gave me that letter to give to you. I gave her my word that if you ever came back and I thought there was something, I’d do my dead-level best to fix whatever was broken.”

  “You know, most dads would have had a shotgun by the door, especially if they thought the guy was the one who did the breaking.”

  The man shrugged. “I knew it wasn’t you. Taylor didn’t say anything, never a word, but that girl was torn up when you left.”

  Nodding, Elijah said, “I know something happened. She says Mia is working to figure it out but that she’ll tell me soon.” He cleared his throat. “Once all these secrets are out and I’ve had a chance to process everything, I’m going to ask her to marry me again. I love her more than anyone on this earth. I always have, and I always will.”

  Her dad smiled. “I kinda figured that’s what would happen. How about that job of yours in North Carolina?”

  “I’d like to keep it. Noah’s already lost two out of our company who served together. I feel like I need to stay.”

  “I can understand that. Not sure how Taylor would feel about you getting shot at or going off and protecting people.”

  “I haven’t done the bodyguarding for the most part. A couple of times I did, but I was just standing in. Mostly, I’m muscle.” He grinned. “Or, I should say muscle with a gun.”

  With a laugh, Joseph nodded. “Well, as long as you don’t make my little girl a widow, I’m okay with it.”

  “I’ll quit before that happens. I love those guys, but Taylor comes first.” He took another swig of coffee. “I was so angry for the longest time, but being back, I think all of this was probably the best thing to happen. It gave us both time to mature.”

  “Yeah, it did. I think you’d have made it either way, but the road would have been rockier.” Joseph finished off his coffee and stood. “Now I need to figure out what I’m going to do with my day. This whole homebound thing is for the birds.”

  “Yes, sir, and I’m sorry.”

  Elijah’s phone rang, and he answered it. “Hey, Mia.”

  “Get Taylor, and then we’ll switch to video chat.”

  “Have you got something?”

  “Just trust me. You want to be together when I tell you.”

  He grumbled. “All right.”

  Joseph cocked an eyebrow. “Does your friend have something?”

  “Who’s that?” asked Mia.

  “Taylor’s dad.”

  “Oh, he should be in on this too.”

  He set his phone down on the counter and stood, strode to the stairs, and took them two at a time, knocking on the door when he reached her room. “Taylor. It’s Mia. She says she has something.”

  Not a minute passed before the door was yanked open. Taylor was awake, but clearly, it was long before she wanted to be. She must have had as much trouble sleeping the night before as he had.

  Yawning, she blinked. “I’m up.”

  “Mia says your dad needs to be in on this call.”

  It was like a switch was flipped. Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “I’m wide awake now.”

  “Your dad’s in the kitchen. I haven’t seen Lucas yet.”

>   “We’ll tell him later,” she said, taking him by the wrist and dragging him behind her. “I don’t want to wait.”

  He hurried with her, and when they got to the kitchen, her dad had a smile on his face. “I knew something had happened. It’s about time I’m finding out what,” he said.

  Taylor chewed her lip. “I couldn’t say at the time. I didn’t feel like I had a choice. If I said anything…well, let Mia talk.”

  Inside, Elijah was a jumble of emotions. He was glad that things were finally coming out into the open, and at the same time, he was worried. Taylor had kept this from him, and they didn’t keep secrets. Even if she didn’t think she had a choice back then, she could’ve told him, and he’d have kept her confidence. Whatever it was, she was always more important.

  At least now he’d have answers, and they could move forward.

  Chapter 21

  Taylor’s pulse raced. “Hey, Mia.”

  “Hey, so, are we ready?” Mia asked as the call turned to a video chat.

  Elijah, Taylor, and her dad nodded, and Elijah set the phone on the island counter so they could all see the screen.

  “Yeah, more than ready,” Taylor said. Her heart was beating so hard she almost couldn’t hear herself speak. The truth was coming out, and while she was ecstatic, part of her was worried about how Elijah would react.

  Mia smiled. “Okay, so that large withdrawal. Part of it was to bribe the doctor who ran the experimental trial your mom was in. He was not authorized to run it, but he used the money he got from Ruth to keep people quiet. The rest she used to pay the Mabrey’s medical debt.”

  Her dad turned to her. “I knew it.”

  “You took money from my mom?” Elijah asked as he turned to Taylor. Confusion and betrayal were pouring off of him.

  Mia held her finger up. “Yes, she did because to the naked eye, Ruth had manufactured a paper trail that made it look as though Taylor’s dad had been the one to bribe the doctor. I found this by going through that doctor’s jury trial. Buried way down in the middle of all that mess was a little blip about a bribe.”