Ben shook his head as another wave of grief flowed through him. Layton blew out a breath and tears misted the older mans eyes. Greg and Karl had been close friends from way back.
Layton swiped a hand over his face. Dispatch relayed the 911 call.
The sound of an ambulance arriving let Ben know they only had a few minutes to collect information before the body was remanded to the local police force. His gut twisted with grief. Greg wasnt just any body. Hed been a father figure to Ben for more than a decade.
Shifting his focus from Greg, Ben said to his men, Work the scene. Get the SAPD crime response unit in here pronto while the evidence is still fresh.
Already made the call, Cade replied, his normally tanned skin ashen.
Gently, Ben took the phone from Corinnas hand and passed it to Oliver. Her skin was pasty white; her dark hair had loosened from her normally severe bun. And her dark eyes were glassy as she stared off into space. Taking Corinnas shoulders in his hands, he pulled her to her feet. She didnt resist. Ben figured shock was setting in.
When she turned to face toward him, his heart contracted painfully in his chest. Youre hurt!
She didnt seem to hear him.
Blood seeped from a scrape on her right upper biceps. He inspected the wound. Looked like a bullet had grazed her. Whoever had killed her father had tried to kill her. With aching ferocity, rage roared through Ben. Get the paramedics.
On it. Cade pivoted to disappear out the door. A moment later, he returned with one of the emergency personnel in tow while the rest rushed by to help the injured man.
Excuse me, sir, the young blond man said to Ben.
Let me take a look at her injury.
Ben stepped back but held firmly to her slender hand.
Its a surface wound that will probably leave a small scar, the paramedic stated as he placed a bandage over the gash. The heat of the bullet cauterized the flesh. It will heal quickly enough.
But Ben had a feeling that her heart wouldnt heal anytime soon. Shed adored her father. That had been apparent from the moment Ben stepped foot into the Pike world. Shed barely tolerated Ben from the get-go with her icy stares and brusque manner, making it clear she thought him not good enough to be in her world. But when it came to her father
Greg had known that if anything happened to him, shed need help coping with the loss and ensuing devastation.
Ben, I need you to promise me if anything ever happens to me, youll watch out for Corinna. Shell need an anchor. I fear shes too fragile to suffer another death.
Of course Ben had promised. Though hed refused to even allow the thought that any harm would befall his mentor and friend to form. Hed wanted to believe Greg was indestructible. But he wasnt. None of them were.
The Rangers were human and very mortal, performing a risky job that put their lives on the line every day.
Never before had Ben been so acutely aware of that fact.
Now his captain was gone. It was up to him to not only bring Gregs murderer to justice, but to protect and help Corinna.
Tucking her small frame against his side, he led her away from the scene of the crime and into the living room. He flipped on the table lamp before guiding Corinna to the worn navy blue leather couch.
Shed been a gawky pre-teen with a mouth full of braces and an attitude of superiority that had grated on Ben when hed first met her. Hed watched her transform into a Texas Rosebeautiful, poised, aloof and way off-limits.
At least for a guy like him.
Now Corinna was an orphan. Something they had in common. His heart twisted with empathy and remembered pain. All the confusion, anguish and utter helplessness of losing his parents still swirled around his heart, even after more than two decades.
Ben gathered Corinnas hands in his. Hed walk through this with her every step of the way. But first he had to know what had happened. Corinna, I need you to talk to me.
Her lips trembled but no words came. Large tears slid from her eyes to mingle with the blood on her cheek. It hurt him to see her so distraught.
Can you tell me what happened? he asked.
She blinked, a slow sweep of long dark lashes. Turning her head to meet his gaze, she said in a soft, broken voice, Someone killed him.
Did you see who shot your father?
She shook her head. I heard the gunfire as I arrived.
He hated to push Corinna for fear she might break, but he needed to know what shed seen so they could follow the fresh trail to Gregs killer.
I need you to walk me through this. You arrived and heard the gun. Were you in your car?
She shook her head. On the porch.
How many shots did you hear?
Two.
He rubbed her arms, careful not to go near the stark white bandage wrapped around her biceps. Okay. Thats good. You heard two shots. Then what happened? Did someone run out?
No. I ran in. The study light was on. Then it wasnt. I She closed her eyes.
He sensed she was close to the edge, but he had to know. You what?
I opened the door.
What did you see?
She began to rock slightly, back and forth. Back and forth. Nothing. Gabby startled me and I jerked back. She lifted her gaze, her obsidian eyes filled with horror.
Someone shot at me.
Did you see anyone?
Too dark. I hid. The person ran out through the patio doors.
Grateful that shed had the presence of mind to hide, he asked, When you turned the light on, wasyour dad like you found him?
Yes. Buthe wasnt breathing. Her voice broke on a sob.
Do you know the other man? Do you know why he was with your father?
No. No, I dont.
Did you hear anything else? Voices? See anyone?
She shifted her gaze away toward the window. I heard the distant sound of an engine.
Ben glanced out the picture window at the back of the living room to the acreage where he knew a dozen or so horses grazed. The killer could have used the propertys rear gate.
We should question the neighboring ranchers. See if anyone saw a vehicle leaving the premises, Trevor stated in his brusque manner. Cade, Levi, go.
The two agents looked to Ben for confirmation. Ben nodded. And check the gate. That could have been the escape route.
The two men hustled out of the house. Ben noted Trevors frown but now was not the time to deal with the pecking order within the Rangers.
He refocused on Corinna. Do you normally arrive home at this time?
No. Im usually much later, but Kyles sick. Hard to practice the duet routines without him, she said.
Was it coincidence that her dance partner had been sick or a ruse to get her home? Was she the intended target? Ben knew of Kyle Dennison, though theyd never met. He would run a check on Dennison as a precaution. At this point, he couldnt overlook anyone as a potential suspect.
Anything out of the ordinary required examination. They didnt know what or who they were dealing with.
If only Greg had kept Ben in the loop on what hed been working on before it became a dire situation. If only hed contacted Ben sooner
Oliver stepped forward, his dark eyes on Corinna. So you heard nothing that would tell us who did this?
No. Just the gun A sob broke from her and she buried her face in her hands.
Ben gathered her stiff form close, letting her cry. He hadnt had much opportunity to comfort grieving women. Doing so felt awkward and yet, tenderness rose to the surface, making him tighten his arms around her. She felt so delicate and defenseless in his arms.
The white bandage covering her biceps glowed like a neon sign. A few more inches and the bullet could have lodged in her heart. Shed come close to dying tonight.
Just like her father. Grief battled to be loosened. He held it in check. This was not the time to give vent to his emotions. He had to stay focused. Greg would have counted on Ben to find his murderer. As well as protect Corinna. Failure at either task was not an option, which only served to increase the pressure building in Bens chest.
Corinna clutched the front of his chambray shirt. A haunted look darkened her eyes. You have to find the person who did this.
I will, he vowed as he pulled her back to his chest.
No matter what it took, he would bring down Captain Pikes murderer. For Corinna. For all of them.
TWO
Bens strong arms encircled Corinna, buffeting her from the raging nightmare going on around her as uniformed San Antonio police officers filled her house. She shifted on the couch. Biting pain from the wound on her arm zinged through her. Never in a million years would she have thought shed be in this position.
Acutely aware of Bens closeness, she allowed him to hold her, needing his strength. At the moment, she had none of her own.
His heart pounded like thunder in her ears through his shirt, drowning out the crackle of radios and dismay of law enforcement officers as they discovered one of their own had been murdered. The cotton fabric of Bens shirt, so soft against her cheek, smelled freshly laundered. She focused on the little things. Thats all she could do right now.
She squeezed her eyes tight.
Why couldnt this be a nightmare? Why couldnt she open her eyes and find herself back at the dance studio? Or better yet, back to this morning when shed kissed her father goodbye for the day, not realizing it would be the last time shed ever see him alive.
A sob of pain and grief lodged in her throat. Tears leaked from her closed eyes. She fought to hold them back. She was usually so good at keeping her emotions under control.
But the image of her father lying in a pool of his own blood blazed in her head, forever imprinted in her mind. She shuddered. Bens hands smoothed over her back in a calming rhythm. He would find whoever had done this. Her father had trusted Ben.
Truth be told, so did she, even if she did harbor anger and resentment toward Ben for invading their lives and taking her fathers attention away from her. Every time they went off to do guy things, Corinna had seethed inside and longed to be included. She never was. They had locked her out of that world. Though as shed grown older shed resigned herself to being excluded, she still blamed the man her father had taken under his wing. The son hed never had.
Ben, we need you in here, said a deep voice that Corinna recognized as Ranger Marvel Jones. He was a tall African-American man with a shaved head.
She felt Ben nod.
In a minute, Ben replied. Can you ask Gisella to come here?
Sure thing, Marvel said.
Ben tried to ease Corinna out of his arms. She resisted, unwilling to face reality on her own. Here, within Bens embrace, she felt safe, felt protected from the grief waiting to overwhelm her.
It didnt make sense. He was the last person in the world she should be looking to for solace. Old wounds full of antagonism stirred, but the overpowering anguish wouldnt let anything else in.
Corinna, honey, I need to talk to you. Please, look at me, Ben said, his voice soft and coaxing.
She shook her head. I cant, she whispered, not wanting to break the protective barrier of isolation that kept reality at bay. She squeezed her grip on his shirt, pulling herself tighter against his chest.
With gentle yet firm pressure he pushed her away and lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers. Open your eyes.
Reluctantly, she did as he asked. For a moment her eyes wouldnt focus, but then his familiar and handsome face came into view.
She stared at him dispassionately and took in his features, the strong jaw, lean cheekbones, straight nose. She liked the way his warm brown, close-cropped hair spiked up in front, giving him a roguish appeal. His dark brown eyebrows slashed over hazel eyes.
Eyes so full of the same pain and grief she felt.
Fresh tears burned the back of her eyes. Tears for this man whom her father had loved like a son. Ben was grieving, too.
From the moment her father had brought him home when he was a teenager, hed been her rival for her fathers attention. Hed won.
Ben had become the son her father had wanted. The one hed confided in, the one he took to his favorite sports events, the one whod been groomed to follow in her fathers footsteps.
Oh, shed never doubted her fathers love for her. Hed always attend her recitals, made a big deal of her birthdays and lavished her with gifts at Christmas, but it wasnt the same as wanting to be with her.
An intense pain, a familiar ache of losing a parentlosing the person who knew, supported and loved you no matter whatlanced through her. Her chest tightened. Daddy. She would give up everything to have him back with her even for just a moment so she could tell him she loved him. But that would never happen.
Neither she nor Ben had had a chance to say goodbye.
You got here before the police, Corinna said aloud, realizing that several Rangers had arrived before shed even heard the sirens.
He nodded. Yes. The captain sent out a message to come here.
Her pulse spiked. He needed you.
Guilt flashed across his face. Yes. If only Id been closer, arrived sooner, maybe I could have prevented his murder.
She wanted to blame him. To shout that yes, he should have been here to stop this from happening, but deep inside she knew that wasnt fair. If you had been here, you probably would have been shot as well. She swallowed back the bile that rose. If I had come home any earlier Her voice trailed off as the thought played itself out in her head. If shed arrived any earlier, she, too, could very well be dead right now, not just injured.
Ben took in a sharp breath. Thankfully, you didnt. He eased apart from her and stood. I need to talk with Gisella for a moment.
Her gaze slid to the female Ranger standing in the doorway, patiently awaiting Ben. Pallor underscored her olive skin and her dark eyes were sad. Dressed in worn blue jeans, soft leather boots and a Western-cut pale blue blouse, she didnt look like a Ranger. Corinna wondered fleetingly what she did when not on duty.
Ill be right back, Ben said and walked away.
Wrapping her arms around her middle, Corinna kept her gaze trained on Ben as he stood quietly talking with Gisella. From her peripheral vision she saw the EMTs roll in a gurney. Deep inside she knew it wasnt for her father. Her father was dead. Hed be leaving with the coroner.
No, the gurney was for the man whod survived the attack.
The man who might know who killed her father.
After a few moments, Ben and Gisella walked over to the couch, blocking Corinnas view as the unidentified man was wheeled out. She dropped her gaze to her clenched hands. Her mind replayed the last images she had of her father. His body sprawled across the floor, blood staining the shirt shed ironed for him that morning. His dear face frozen in death. A shudder ripped through her.