Present Danger by Elizabeth Goddard (shoe dog free ebook .txt) 📗

Okay, that was it. Terra swerved to the side of the road and shifted into park. She drew in a few calming breaths. “Leif shot at us, Owen. He used an assault weapon and . . .” Her voice closed up. She swallowed, breathed, and found it again. “I barely escaped with my life, Owen. Jack . . . he’s in the hospital. He was shot.”

Owen gasped. “Is he—”

“He’s going to be okay. But we both could have died.”

“Terra, I had no idea.” Anguish filled his words. “The deputies didn’t mention any of this, only that Leif had evaded officers and was considered armed and dangerous. I was worried about you when you didn’t come home. You texted that you were all right and nothing more.”

Owen leaned over and hugged her hard and tight. “I’m glad you’re alive. I can’t believe any of this.”

“It’s okay. I’m okay.” She eased away from him. How did she tell him the rest? “Owen . . . Leif didn’t make it. He’s dead. I don’t . . . I don’t know the details.”

Owen hung his head. She gave him a few moments to absorb the news. He blew out a few breaths.

“In the message you left,” he finally said, “you warned me that Leif could be dangerous, but you told me none of this. You didn’t share those details about what happened because”—Owen’s eyes narrowed—“because you’re not sure that I’m not involved.” Hurt and anger edged his tone.

“No, Owen. That’s not it. I know you are not involved. I know that. But I had to be careful what I said to you because I’m part of this investigation. Or . . . I was.”

He released a heavy sigh and leaned back against the seat, deflated.

“Tell me something,” she said. “After the deputies left, what did you do?”

His eyes clouded with disappointment. “I texted you to find out if you were okay. They didn’t tell me that you were involved, but you hadn’t come to the ranch.”

“Then did you try to contact Leif?”

“Of course.”

“Did you get ahold of him?”

“No.”

“And what would you have said had he answered?”

“Terra, you can’t—”

“And I don’t. I don’t believe you’re involved. But you guys were together for so long, this has to be hard on you. Did you have any idea something like this would happen?”

Owen nodded. “I didn’t want to believe it. I heard that he’d done things before. But he’s . . . he was . . . like a brother to me, and I guess . . . I guess I ignored that he was close to the edge.” Owen pressed a hand against his eyes for a few moments, then dropped it. “I think he was out for revenge. He never got over his sister’s death.”

“How did she die?”

“She was murdered.”

“By who? Is that who he wanted to take out his revenge on? What aren’t you telling me?”

“I’d tell you if I knew anything. Leif was here in Montana for me, but he was here for another reason too. He wouldn’t tell me more because he didn’t want me involved. See? He . . . was like a brother.”

“Who tried to kill your sister tonight.”

Owen hung his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “If I’d had any idea he was that dangerous . . .”

“Tell me what you would’ve said to him if you had gotten ahold of him.”

“If he had answered, I would’ve asked where he was and what was going on. But I figured he wouldn’t answer me because he knew I would give him away. I would give him up. He knew I would do the right thing, and he didn’t want to put me in such a tough position.”

“Would you have given him up? You once said he saved your life. So that means you owed him.”

Another car steered along the road, and Terra watched as it passed. She pulled back onto the road and kept driving—to where, she wasn’t sure.

“Of course I would have done the right thing, Terra. How can you even ask me that? And, yes, he saved my life. And he’d come to see me here. Not only that, but he said he could help with my new venture. He wanted to be part of it. To invest in it. Said he had come into some money.”

“This is what you should be telling the other investigators. I shouldn’t have come to the ranch. I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation or—”

He held up his hand to stop her. “You’re going to want to hear this. He wanted to invest in Gramps’s campaign.”

The discussion in Gramps’s office during the party.

“And you know this because he told you? Or Gramps told you?”

“Because I overheard the conversation. And I overheard another conversation but thought I had misunderstood. Now I’m not so sure.”

“Tell me.”

“I think Gramps wanted someone to break into that safe. That he planned for us to be gone.”

Terra kept driving, but she wanted to park again. “How can that be, Owen? This is all . . . I don’t believe it’s what it looks like.”

“You don’t want to believe it.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Just what do you think was in the safe?”

Owen stared at his hands. “I don’t know. All I know was that I was at the stables this morning, early. I couldn’t sleep last night. When I saw your vehicle, I made my way over. I knew we needed to talk away from the house. What do you make of it?”

“I need time to figure it out.” She needed time and access. Knowledge she couldn’t get if she was no longer in on at least her part of the investigation.

“What are we going to do?”

“You’re going to keep doing what you do, Owen. There’s no reason why this has to ruin your plans for the future. You aren’t involved in anything criminal. You keep working with the horses and your connections to build your team. I believe in your project, and I believe in you.”

“And you? What are you going to do?”

I’m going to face Gramps. “Me? I’m going