“I’m sorry that you doubt me, Gage, but you’ve got to know that I wouldn’t do that to you. I want him as far away from all of us as possible.”
“I’ve really gotta go.” Gage ended the call and then patted his thigh for Hope to sit on his lap. She cradled the baby to her chest as she sat on Gage.
“What are we going to do?”
“I’m not going to let him get to either of you, no matter what has to happen. I live for you, Hope. He can pull this bullshit, but I’m not falling for it.” He rubbed circles on her back, trying to get her to calm down.
“Do you think he’s faking the attack?”
“It’s a possibility. Or he crossed the wrong people. He’s the type of person to steal from a crook, and that never ends well.”
“Thank you for being my hero, Gage. Regardless of whether he dies or goes to prison, I just want a life with you and the family we’re making.” Careful not to squish the baby, she leaned down and kissed Gage’s lips.
“Same here. I just want you. Until they come, let’s play with this little guy and forget that Cummings may or may not be after us.”
“Wait, what’s this?”
She looked at the surveillance screen he pulled up. All she saw was woodgrain. “What is it? Something’s blocking the camera.”
“No. I think the camera fell. That’s the fence post. Shit. I don’t have time for this. How the hell could it have fallen? I’m sorry, but I need to call Bill and deal with this. We didn’t have a big storm last night. Damn it, I’m going to contact Cavanaugh and complain about his equipment.”
The nurse entered the isolated, well-guarded room after getting cleared from the officer outside the door. “Mr. Cummings, how are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been run over by cattle.” He quietly laughed, which caused him to wince in pain.
“Well, it looks like you have. I’m sorry, but this will make you feel better.” She injected a dose of morphine into his IV to ease his pain. Just then, Daxton Chambers came to speak with the barely lucid man.
“Ah, Chambers, come to help me?” The sneer in his expression showed that he had no intention of stopping the shit talking.
“Not on your life, but I need to know how you were injured.” Dax pulled up a chair next to Cumming’s bed.
“I was beaten. Didn’t you hear?” There was humor in his voice, but he groaned since the pain meds hadn’t kicked in yet.
“That’s what you say, but the beating seems too perfect.” Cummings read the accusation in his voice and narrowed his eyes.
“Too perfect? That makes no damn sense. I could have died,” he roared, although the drugs had started to work and dulled his bark.
“More’s the pity you didn’t, but I need answers.”
“You won’t get them.” Dax turned to the voice at the door. “I think you remember me, Ranger Chambers, and you know my client has nothing to say to you. Please leave, or I’ll file a harassment case against you and your department.”
“Fine, but we’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
“Good. Then you can find the one out there trying to kill me.”
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” Dax left the room with a load of questions for the Emergency Department staff who received Cummings. From the appearance of where the attack happened, nothing seemed out of place. No real scuffle took place.
An hour after leaving the hospital, Dax was called in on another incident, forcing him to take all he learned and put it on the back burner.
Chapter 6
“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Gibson, but this email was sent through a type of untraceable source.” The Cybercrimes Department at the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office came about two hours later like Dax had said.
“Untraceable?” Hope asked, unaware of a lot of things outside of her home, but Gage knew exactly what that meant. He couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. The bastard had a way around it. In his gut, he knew they wouldn’t find anything. Cummings wasn’t stupid enough to leave a trail.
“Yes, well, it bounces around to throw us off the trail. The origin of the email has led to a place just outside of Moscow. Do you know anyone that lives in Russia?”
“No. I don’t have friends.”
“I haven’t dealt with a Russian in years, and he was deported.” There was no doubt in Gage’s mind that this had everything to do with Cummings. He looked around the room, trying to control the fury building. His wife’s sperm donor had played his cards well. Gage wondered if Cummings had actually been injured or had faked it. The more he thought about the spiderweb of IP addresses, he knew that it couldn’t be anyone else. No one would put in that much effort and not point it to Cummings directly.