Rescuing Baylee (Nightshade #3)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Baylee’s nerves were zinging today, and she didn’t know why. Was it because this was the first time she’d been out since the shooting? Or was her gut trying to tell her something?

Tired of being in her apartment, she’d showered and gotten dressed, then headed out the door. It was Saturday, and the Barton Creek farmer’s market was going on. She needed some fresh veggies.

As she wandered the stalls looking at the wares, she got the feeling she was being watched. Baylee was used to that. People watched her all the time. This feeling persisted, though, all through the market. From beneath her lashes, she looked around.

That was when she saw the detective. He was sitting at an outdoor seating area, watching her as he sipped from a bottle of water. The man was too big to hide, so he hadn’t even tried. His long legs were spread in that way men did, and he was slouched in the tiny little wrought-iron chair.

The man was delectable and for the first time in a long time, she registered the desire to be with a man.

Baylee knew she should be upset with him for following her, because that’s obviously what he’d done, but she was actually kind of happy to see him. What were the chances of running into each other in a city the size of Austin? Slim to none.

But there was another part of her that was hyper aware that he sent butterflies fluttering in her tummy. Wading through the pedestrian traffic, she crossed over to him, clasping her arms in front of herself. “Detective,” she said.

“Landon,” he corrected. “Hello, Baylee. Find anything good?”

She held up her cloth grocery bag. “Some fresh strawberries, and some Thai basil to plant in the flower bed.”

“Nice,” he said, smiling up at her.

“What’s going on?”

He cocked his dark head at her. “What do you mean?”

“You wouldn’t be following me unless there was something going on. Something with the gang.”

He motioned for her to take the seat opposite him. “I knew you were a sharp cookie. Yeah, there’s been a development.”

His bright eyes were kind, but now that she was this close, she could see the worry in them. She sank down onto the bench and waited.

“I talked to a gang informant earlier, and Chino Vega’s brothers want vengeance. It’s how the gangs run. And somebody in the hospital outed you.”

Baylee felt her mouth drop open. “Someone told them I was the one that took him out?”

Landon nodded his head once, and her stomach fell. Who could have done that? She knew a lot of the people down there, and she’d saved them.

“Do you think it was someone that works at the hospital?” The thought of one of her own nurses selling her out nauseated her.

He shrugged lightly. “Could have been one of the people in the waiting room, or one of the patients. It could have been anybody with a phone. The informant said they had a grainy picture of you. And a description of a woman with a scar down her face.”

Baylee scowled, shaking her head. “That kind of narrows it down, huh? Doesn’t matter that he was killing innocent people. They have to get revenge so they can be all macho.”

Why did men have to be such dicks? She glanced around, suddenly very aware of how open it was around her. Somebody could shoot her from hundreds of yards away. No, these were gangsters. They would want to be close.

“So, what do I do?” she asked, feeling lost.

Landon leaned toward her a little. “I’ve got my partner working on getting a team to watch your place. I also have Cass asking around. Quietly. She has a lot of CIs. Right now, though? I suggest you go home and let us try to track the brothers down.”

Baylee shook her head, suddenly angry. She glanced around herself, looking for gang bangers. But Austin had a large Hispanic population, and there was little to no chance she’d be able to pick them out of this crowd.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she knew it was because of her internal alarm system. It had never let her down before. She turned her head, scanning the crowd. At first, she didn’t see anything. Then she noticed a glint of dark hair moving through the crowd behind her. It wasn’t definitive, but she thought it might have been someone watching her, then moving away to not be seen.

Something must have shown on her face, because Landon turned to look as well. “What is it?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He dropped his head, catching her eyes. “Hey, if you think you saw something, you probably did. Let’s get out of here.”

Baylee blinked at his closeness, and she drew in a breath. It smelled of sandalwood, something she’d noticed him wearing. She wasn’t sure if it was deodorant or soap, but it teased at her senses. It spiked something in her belly, and she was very aware of how close they were.

Then he took her hand in his and tugged her from the chair. Baylee was more than happy to go, and she followed him through the crowd, her fingers tangled with his. Yes, she knew she was in danger, but that didn’t keep her from not registering other things. Landon was strong and decisive, and he cut through the crowd like he meant to keep her safe at all costs, his broad shoulders angled to protect her. She couldn’t see the weapon in his waistband, but he had to be wearing one.

Man, her emotions were in a jumble. Determined to protect herself, she scanned the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She had her own weapon in her cross-body bag, and she knew she could get to it fairly quickly. Her anxiety had ridden her hard this morning, and she hadn’t been able to leave without her protection.

It was quiet all the way back to her car. When she caught sight of her vehicle, though, she gasped. Red spray paint decorated the windshield and along the body panels. Killer, it said. There was no gang symbol, but it was easy enough to work out who had done it.

Baylee felt the blood drain from her face, and she clenched her jaw. Shock rippled through her, and flashes of the men she’d killed. Even years later, she could still see their faces. This vandal had no idea how close to the mark they’d hit.

It took her an incredibly long time to catch her breath. By that time, Landon was already tugging her away from her car. On down the line, he pushed her into the passenger side of the black sedan he drove. Then he circled around the front of the car, climbed in, and cranked the ignition. He screamed out of the lot, sending two oncoming cars into a flurry of honking.

Baylee didn’t say anything for several minutes.

“Are you okay?” Landon asked her.

She flicked a glance at him. His strong hands held the steering wheel in a death grip, and she didn’t like seeing him on-edge. “Yeah, I’m fine. Do you think you can call a tow company to take my car to a paint place? I’ll call insurance when I get home.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” He paused. “I think I need to take you somewhere other than home.”

Baylee cringed, because she’d kind of been thinking the same thing. There were a lot of innocent people in her building, and she didn’t want any of them being caught in her mess. “I know,” she said, and she hated that her voice wavered. Turning her head, she looked out the window again.

She felt him cup her shoulder in his hand, and it took everything in her not to lean into his touch. Eventually, he drew away and called the police department.

Landon filled his boss in on what happened, and he also told her about the CI that had come forward. Baylee turned to watch him speak, listening as he related the details of the meeting. It explained why he’d been shadowing her.

Chino Vega’s brothers were after her for revenge. After she’d shot their crazy brother, who was shooting innocent people. How was that even fair? What was their reasoning behind coming after her?

Once he hung up the phone, she shook her head. “I just don’t understand why they’re after me.”

“It’s cocky male gang bullshit,” Landon growled, “and you’re caught in the middle of it.”

“What, exactly, am I supposed to do?” she said, exasperated. “Go into hiding indefinitely? I can’t do that. I have a job, and people that rely on me.”

“I know you do, Baylee, and I’m so sorry this has happened to you. For the next couple of nights, we’re going to a safe house.”

She turned to him incredulously. “I don’t have any clothes. Or anything,” she cried.

Landon winced, and she could see in his expression that he felt bad for her. “I know. We’ll make do or I’ll run to the store for you. At this moment, you need to go underground. For your safety and everyone else in the building.”

Baylee crossed her arms over her chest and clenched her teeth. Anger was moving in, and she seriously hoped she would get the chance to watch the brothers go down.

She clamped her mouth shut and watched out the window as he drove them into the suburbs. When he eventually pulled into a very plain tan vinyl ranch house, she wasn’t surprised. The place was a boring box in a long line of other boring boxes.

Once Landon parked, she slipped out of the car and followed him up the front walk. He typed a 5 number code into the deadbolt keypad on the door, and let them in.

Yeah, it was just as boring inside as outside.

Baylee looked around, feeling totally out of her element. “I have to get stuff from my apartment. And somebody needs to watch my cat.”

Landon looked at her as he closed and locked the door. “Didn’t know you had a cat.”

Baylee walked into the room. Overstuffed couch, a recliner, all in shades of brown. There were a few decorations on the walls, but nothing spectacular. Looked like garage sale rejects. She moved into the kitchen. Same uninspired look and feel to the place. She opened the fridge. “We may have to split the bottle of water,” she said, swinging the door shut.

“My partner Morgan will be bringing some groceries in a couple of hours.”

“I thought Cass was your partner,” she said, moving into the doorway.

“No, Cass was my partner years ago, before she went to gangs. She trained me to be a detective.”

Baylee’s brows quirked. They’d seemed very chummy. She wondered what else she’d trained him on.

She shook her head at herself. Why was she even thinking about that? It was none of her business if he was in a relationship with his former partner.

She glanced at him. Even he was looking around the space, his lip slightly curled with disgust. “Hopefully, we won’t have to be here long.”

Sighing, she wandered through the rest of the house.

There were two bedrooms and a bath upstairs. And only one actual bed. Somebody was going to be sleeping on the couch.

Even more restless than she was before, she headed back downstairs. “Do they have TV at least?”

Landon grabbed the remote from the coffee table and hit the power button. The screen came on, but it cycled through to a blue screen and stayed there.

Oh, this was going to be a lot of fun.

Landon hadn’t been in this safe house before. It was new. The county had bought it at a foreclosure sale. The code had worked on the front door, but it was obvious nothing else in here was working. He cringed as he looked at Baylee. She was trying to be okay with everything, but he could tell she was on edge. He had taken her out of her comfort zone and dropped her into a damn prison.

“Hopefully we won’t have to be here long,” he said again, aware he was stuck in a loop.

Baylee shrugged at him and dropped to the corner of the couch. “At least I have my phone. I am going to need some stuff from my apartment, though.”

Yeah, he was too. “I’ll run over in the morning and get you a few things, if you don’t mind giving me your keys.”

She looked at him, blinking, then looked down at her lap. Her mouth had tightened, highlighting the scar on her lip. She did not like the idea of him invading her space.

Landon seemed to sense her reluctance. “I’m sorry, Baylee, but we’re going to have to get used to each other pretty quickly. Obviously, they were following you at the farmer’s market. You’re in danger, and I wouldn’t be putting you, us, through this if I didn’t believe it needed to happen.”

Sighing, she nodded. “I know. I just wonder what the end point will be, though? I can’t stay here indefinitely.”

“The end point will be when they’re in custody,” he said shortly. “The gang task force is looking for them now.”

Baylee nodded, but he could tell she wasn’t happy about the situation. Personally, he was a little excited to be here with her. After seeing her in the apartment and wondering about her, it was nice to have some face time to get to know her.

She pushed her hair behind her shoulder. “And if you don’t get them? How long am I supposed to stay here?”

He shook his head. “I can’t answer that.”

And he wished he could. If only to ease that look in her eyes.

Baylee wandered off to look out the back slider doors, her arms crossed over her middle. “I need to call my boss, at the very least.”

“That’s not a problem. Considering you were acting in the best interests of the hospital, I think they’ll be willing to give you as much time off as you need.”

“Maybe,” she sighed. “I might go lay down for a while. Do you mind if I take the bed for now?”

He shook his head. “The bed is yours. I’ll sleep down here.”

She eyed the medium-sized couch. “We’ll argue about it later,” she said, and tromped up the stairs.

Landon found himself grinning despite the situation they were in. Baylee Mitchell had spunk and heart, and though she’d been knocked for a loop, he had a feeling she would rally and be ready to kick ass in no time.

Maybe she would let him share the bed with her.

Baylee kicked off her shoes and flopped to the bed. And immediately regretted it. The mattress had to be the hardest mattress she’d ever laid upon! What the heck!

She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the water-stained ceiling. How the hell had her life gone to shit so quickly? She wanted to text Rex and Olivia, but she didn’t want to worry them. Olivia had been settling into a new position at her work, and Rex was getting ready to get married in a few weeks.

Crap, surely it wouldn’t last that long?

Anyway, this was her issue, and she would deal with it. Landon would help her.

It was startling to her how quickly she’d come to trust his word. But then, it was hard to argue when you saw your car vandalized for the world to see. What would they have done if he hadn’t been there with her? Would they have tried to take her out then?

Landon seemed to be a good cop, and she would just have to trust the system. In the meantime, she’d have to stay occupied in this hellhole and not drool over him.

The man was delectable. She’d always had a thing for dark-haired men, and the fact that he was taller than her made it even better. And she got the feeling from the way he looked at her that he was just as interested in her. It was hard to even imagine starting a relationship under these circumstances. Once the case was over, they probably wouldn’t even see each other again.

Only in the hallway of the apartment building.

Every day. When they both left for work. And she would feel his eyes on her ass.

Sigh…

Siggy was going to be so mad at her for not being there with him. She never left him alone any longer than she had to, and if she was here for a few days or more, he was probably going to rip up her couch or something. He definitely had attitude, and he would make her pay for not being there for him .

Spoiled ass cat…

Thinking about Siggy calmed her, and within a few minutes, her eyes were sagging.

When she woke, she heard voices murmuring downstairs. Rolling from the bed with a groan, she slipped her tennis shoes on, scraped a hand through her mussed hair and headed downstairs.

There was a handsome, black-haired man downstairs. His thick dark hair was longer and pulled back into a braid, making her think Native American, and bright hazel eyes smiled when he looked up at Baylee. There was consideration in those eyes as well, and experience.

Landon gave her a long, slow look when she came down the stairs, and Baylee felt it all the way down her body. Well, that was interesting.

“I’m Baylee,” she said, approaching Landon’s partner.

“Morgan Clay. Nice to meet you.”

Baylee nodded and drew back, letting Morgan look at her scars. The guy was a lot more direct than other people Baylee had met, and she was sure it was because he was a cop. He’d probably seen a lot of heinous things. Hopefully, her scars weren’t too high on his list.

“I brought you some food and magazines. Hunter said there was no TV or anything.” Morgan motioned to several bags on the kitchen table. “I’m not sure what you liked, so I got you a variety.”

Baylee’s stomach grumbled as she looked through the bags. Several meal ideas popped into her head, and she gave Morgan a grateful smile. “I appreciate this. If nothing else, I can cook.”

Morgan gave her a light shrug. “I can’t take credit for it. I had one of the admin ladies that has a family order stuff for me to pick up. I’ll let her know you approve. If there’s anything else you need, you can let Landon know and we’ll get it to you.”

Baylee nodded, her excitement tempered. There was a lot of food here. She would still have to be stuck in this house for the foreseeable future. “Any word on the brothers?”

Morgan glanced at Landon as if for permission, and he nodded. “Nothing concrete,” he said, “just some rumors. There were some traffic cams near your car, and we can see a figure going by it, but we can’t see their face. We assume they were the ones that damaged your car.”

Baylee pursed her lips. “I felt like someone was watching me there.”

Morgan nodded. “There was probably a lookout and a second person to do the crime. That’s usually how they work.”

Who would have ever thought she’d need to know how a gang worked? Yeah, they dealt with them all the time in the hospital, but they’d never had a reason to explore the mechanics.

Maybe that was her bad for being na?ve. But would knowing how it worked have changed what she did the other night? No, probably not.

“Right now, the Tango Blast is under a lot of pressure. They’re about to be taken over by another gang, so dealing with you should not be their focus.” Morgan shrugged lightly. “But then, macho crap takes precedence all the time.”

Baylee snorted. “Yes, true.” She looked through the bags again. “Thank you for the supplies.”

“No problem,” Morgan said, smiling slightly. He turned to Landon. “I have a call in to a friend of mine, and if I hear back from him, I’ll let you know.”

“Roger that,” he said. “Keep an eye out,” he warned as he opened the door for him to leave.

Morgan gave him a jaunty salute. “Always, boss man!”

Landon closed the door behind his partner and slid home all the locks. Baylee watched him go through the process and felt like she was going to suffocate in the closed off brown room.

Do something with yourself. Turning, she grabbed the bags. It was a little early, but she would start making some dinner.