Chapter
Twenty-Three

Kate was ready for trial. The question was whether Landon was. She’d never seen him so on edge. He was convinced that security needed to be tighter at the courthouse. She’d relented and let him and the guys come up with an elaborate plan, but she thought it was overkill. She’d put her foot down at Noah’s suggestion of bomb-sniffing dogs. The former ATF agent was an explosives expert, but she had to be the voice of reason to rein the men in.

It was only two weeks until the first bellwether trial started. She looked over at Landon as he drove her home from the office. His hands were clenched tightly on the wheel. No doubt he was wound up.

There was no point in trying to make small talk. She was tired and he was preoccupied, but that was okay. Once this trial was over, she hoped they’d be able to have a fresh start. Be able to act like normal people instead of her always looking over her shoulder and him escorting her everywhere, thinking about threats instead of just being together.

She continued to pray for him as he reconnected with the Lord. She could see it wasn’t an easy process for him, but his commitment renewed her faith as well. To know that she had a role in his emotional and spiritual healing meant a lot to her.

Bright headlights from the car behind them broke her out of her thoughts. She turned around. “Isn’t that car getting really close to us?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Check your seat belt and hold on. Something isn’t right here.”

They were in the suburbs now, only a couple minutes from her house. The winding roads didn’t lend themselves to high speeds, but Landon suddenly floored it. The Wrangler accelerated and took the first curve well. She craned her neck to see the large SUV behind them.

“They’re speeding up too.” Her pulse thumped wildly. “This is intentional, isn’t it?” She knew the answer to the question before he even said anything.

“Just hold on. I’m going to try some moves.” His voice was steady but stern.

She started to pray as they took the next winding turn. It was a good thing it was nighttime, because at least there wouldn’t be any children playing in the streets. She would never fly down a neighborhood road like this, but they didn’t have much of a choice.

The first contact from the rear caught her off guard. Her head snapped forward from the impact. “They just rear-ended us!”

“Yeah, and they’re going to do it again. Brace yourself.”

This time she was prepared for the hard bump from behind, but it still jarred her body.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She’d bitten her lip, and blood tinged her tongue. “Yeah. Just keep going.” She didn’t want him to slow down on her account—just the opposite. They needed to get away from that SUV.

“When I get the chance, I’m going to make a sudden turn off the street.”

“Got it.” Her head whipped forward again at the strongest hit yet.

“Get ready,” he said.

She held her breath and tightly gripped her seat. With one swift turn of the wheel, Landon drove his Wrangler into someone’s yard. The large black SUV flew by them. Landon did an immediate one-eighty turn, floored it, and started driving the other direction.

“Are they going to keep coming after us?” She looked back, trying to see the other vehicle.

He glanced over at her. “I’m not going to wait around to find out. We’re getting out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“Not sure yet. I need to call Cooper, but I want to make sure the situation is secure first by putting some distance between us and them.”

Her heart continued to pound as she forced herself to take a few deep breaths. Maybe Landon had been right to be so focused on her safety. Neither of them believed this was random. Someone was after her, and that someone had been sent by MPC.

They rode in silence for a few minutes, and she kept watch. There was no sign of the dangerous SUV, and she got her breathing back under control.

Landon pulled out his phone and dialed Cooper, filling him in on the details. Cooper suggested that the two of them come to his place to regroup.

They drove about fifteen minutes to Cooper’s house. She practically jumped out of the Jeep when they arrived, eager to be out of the car.

Landon walked around to her side of the vehicle. “Are you sure you’re all right? Do you need to see a doctor?”

She touched her neck. “I think I’ll be sore, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.” She looked up at him. “How about you?”

“I’m fine. I’ve experienced much worse. Let’s get you inside.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to Cooper’s door.

Cooper opened it and ushered them inside. “Glad you two are all right.”

“It could’ve been much worse,” Landon said.

“Come have a seat.”

They followed Cooper into his living room. Kate’s head started to ache. She didn’t want to be a nuisance, but she probably needed to take something.

“Cooper, do you have any ibuprofen or aspirin?” she asked.

“Sure. Let me get it. Be right back.”

“How badly does it hurt?” Landon’s eyes were full of concern.

“My head’s starting to pound, but mostly I want to take something to keep it at bay.”

“I think you might have whiplash. We should take you to the hospital,” Landon said.

“No. Give me some time to see how I feel and if the medicine works.” The last thing she wanted to do was to go to the hospital again.

Cooper walked back in the room with a glass of water and a pill bottle. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” She took two pain relievers from the bottle and had a sip of water.

“What do you think the plan was?” Cooper asked Landon.

“I don’t know. Maybe MPC still thinks that if they take it up a notch, Kate will back down or make a more favorable settlement offer.”

“That’s not happening,” she said quickly. There was no way she’d come this far to back down now. “I’m going to try this case. MPC is going to pay for what they did to my client and countless other innocent victims. Whatever steps we need to take to get me through this trial, you have my full cooperation.”

“First things first,” Cooper said. “It’s getting late. We should get you home safely and make sure everything is secure at your house.”

“I’m not going to leave her alone tonight,” Landon said.

Cooper nodded. “Agreed. We’re in the homestretch. We need to institute our highest security settings at this point. The risks will only increase with each passing day.”

“They were trying to send a major message tonight. They’re willing to take it to the next level. We have to be prepared for that,” Landon said.

Next level had an ominous ring to it. Exhaustion washed over Kate. Right now all she wanted to do was to get in bed, snuggle up with Jax, and try to forget this night had ever happened.

The guys must have sensed that she was ready to go home, because they gathered up their stuff.

“I’ll follow you closely,” Cooper said. “Call me the second you think anything might be awry. Once we get to Kate’s, we’ll do a security check.”

Landon was kicking himself. He’d been so preoccupied with all the things he wanted to do to protect Kate that he’d failed to see the SUV approach from behind until it was right up on them. He couldn’t make that kind of mistake again.

Lord, I know that I’m probably the last person who deserves your help, but I’m asking for it. Don’t let MPC succeed in their quest to hurt Kate. Please protect her and guide my steps so that I can keep her safe.

“House is all secure.” Cooper’s words broke him out of his thoughts.

He’d let Cooper take the lead in checking out Kate’s house so he could stay close to her. He was worried that she was hurt more than she was letting on. She was too quiet.

Doubts crept into his mind, mocking him. Hadn’t he already lost one innocent life because of his miscalculation? What if that happened again? He could never forgive himself if Kate was hurt—or worse—on his watch.

Noah’s warning echoed through his head. Had he gotten too close to her to keep his head on straight? The stakes were too high to let his emotions get in the way of his job.

“Thanks for making sure everything is safe,” Kate said quietly to Cooper.

“No problem. I called Noah and let him know what was going on too. He verified that there have been no intrusions via the security system. What he installed is state-of-the-art, so he would have known if there had been a breach.”

“That’s one piece of good news we definitely needed,” Landon said. “I’m going to bunk here tonight and keep watch. Cooper, you should go home and get some rest. I have a feeling it’s going to be nonstop until the trial is over.” Although as Landon spoke, he wondered if Kate would even be safe after the trial was done. When would this be over? He had to take it one step at a time. One threat at a time. One prayer at a time. God, I am weak. I need you.

“Landon, did you hear me?” Cooper asked.

“No, sorry. I zoned out for a moment.”

“Check in with me in the morning for a status report.”

“Roger that.”

“And we need to think about whether we want to bring in Atlanta PD,” Cooper said.

“I don’t need that type of attention right now,” Kate said. “A police investigation is bound to get leaked. I can’t afford to have anything jeopardize this trial going forward as scheduled.”

“I understand your opinion, but we may get to a point where we don’t have a choice,” Landon said.

Cooper gathered his things, said his good-byes, and left the house. Landon made sure to lock up and secure the front door. Jax weaved in and out between his legs as he walked, and he had to make sure he didn’t step on the cat. It was strange, almost like Jax could sense his anxiety. He hadn’t felt this off-kilter since he came back from his final deployment.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep,” Kate said.

“I’ll be here on the couch, so you should get some rest.”

“You need rest too.”

“I can take a cat nap.” He eyed Jax. “Yeah, like you, buddy.”

“He’s giving you more attention today,” she said.

“Yeah.” He didn’t want Kate to know how messed up he was right now. He needed to remain focused on the job. Something about the physical contact of that SUV ramming into the back of them had sent him right back into the sweltering desert.

“Are you all right, Landon?” She walked over to him and placed her hand gently on his shoulder.

“Yes. I’m just a bit flustered, that’s all.” He couldn’t explain to her that it was even more than that. “I think it might be best if we just focus on getting through this trial. I shouldn’t have complicated things by kissing you. That was my mistake.”

“What if I don’t see it as a mistake?” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

He swallowed. “You can do so much better than me, Kate. Believe me, I’d be doing you a favor.” He had so many flaws and dark spots. And all he saw in her was light. Didn’t she deserve so much more?

“Don’t say that. All of the pain and turmoil you have gone through has made you the amazing man that you are today. Yes, you’ve struggled, but you’ve come through it and are stronger for it. I can see it, Landon. You’ve changed since that first day we met. There’s no longer that distant, dark look in your eyes. You’re here with me, and that’s where I want you to stay.”

Her tender words impacted him like nothing else ever had—and probably ever would. She tore down his walls without even trying, but that still didn’t change his concerns.

“Don’t decide to bail before we’ve even had a real chance to see what we could be together,” she said. “I’m taking a risk here too, but I think it’s worth it.”

“You’re worth it, Kate. I just don’t know if I am.”

Before he could say another word, her soft lips were on his. He allowed himself to enjoy the kiss. To feel something, even if it scared him. To accept the affection that he didn’t think he deserved.

She pulled away just far enough to whisper against his mouth. “You are worth it. Don’t ever allow yourself to think otherwise.” She paused. “Shouldn’t it tell you a lot about how special I think you are that I want to spend time with you? I’ve told you about my lack of relationships over the years, but for you, I’m willing to take the risk and make the time.”

He didn’t understand how he could have ended up with such a loving and caring woman, and it ate at him to think that he could have someone so wonderful in his life when he was so undeserving.

Keeping Kate close to him now was about so much more than his feelings for her. As the trial approached, danger lurked around every corner, and he wasn’t going to let down his guard again.