Savior in the Saddle by Delores Fossen Read Free Book Online Page A

and she spotted the police station just ahead.
    Brandon put his hands on her shoulders and forced eye contact. “Look, when we get inside, I have no idea where they’ll take us or what SAPD will tell you when they arrive.”
    That seemed like some kind of warning and Willa stared at him. “What do you mean?”
    He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Then, shook his head. He pulled her closer to him and put his mouth right against her ear.
    “Shore was hired to kill you,” Brandon whispered. “That part is the truth. So is the part about another hospital hostage situation.” He paused. “But almost everything else that Bo and I told you is a lie.”
    It took a moment for that to sink in, but when it did, it felt like a punch. She gasped, a sound of outrage, and she tried to pull back, but Brandon held her in place.
    The driver hit his brakes and brought the bus to a stop directly in front of police headquarters. Officers poured out from the building and began to run toward them.
    “What do you mean everything else was a lie?” Willa demanded.
    Brandon looked her straight in the eyes. “I’m not your ex-boyfriend, Willa. Before today, I’d never laid eyes or anything else on you.”
    BRANDON DIDN’T HAVE TIME to soothe that look in Willa’s eyes. It was a mixture of anger, confusion and hurt. He also didn’t have time to try to justify the lies he’d already told her.
    Besides, there was no justification for that.
    After SAPD had come to him and explained what was going on with a possible new hostage incident, Brandon had agreed to help them, but the plan had felt wrong from the very beginning.
    And look where it’d gotten Willa.
    She’d nearly been killed today, and they weren’t out of the woods yet. As long as Shore was alive, the threat would be there.
    “What do you mean you lied to me?” Willa demanded.
    Brandon heard her, barely. That’s because several officers ran onto the bus, and the sounds of their voices and footsteps drowned her out. One was plainclothes, in his late thirties with sandy-brown hair, and the other was younger and in a uniform. Both had their weapons drawn.
    “I’m Sheriff Brandon Ruiz,” he said, showing his badge. He slipped his gun back into his holster. “Any word about Lieutenant Duggan?”
    The older officer shook his head. “Nothing yet.”
    Hell. Bo had to be all right. Brandon barely knew the man, but on the drive from San Antonio, Bo had talked all about his four-month-old twins. He’d also talked about his late wife, who’d died shortly after the maternity hostage incident. If something happened to Bo, those babies would be orphans.
    Willa latched on to his arm when Brandon stood. “What do you mean you li—”
    Brandon stopped that question by pressing his mouth to hers. The kiss was hard, rough and way out of line, but he didn’t want her to say anything in front of the other officers. He wasn’t sure how much SAPD wanted him to explain about Willa and what might end up being a second hostage situation.
    “We’ll talk later,” Brandon whispered and hoped his tone was enough of a warning for Willa to stay quiet.
    He wouldn’t blame her if she refused to cooperate, but he prayed that she would.
    “Are you hurt?” the uniform asked them.
    Brandon took the overnight bag from Willa and pulled her to her feet so he could check her out. She was riled to the core and confused, but she didn’t appear to be injured physically. That was something at least.
    “Do you need to see a doctor?” Brandon asked, and he held his breath hoping that she wasn’t having contractions or anything.
    “No,” she answered through clenched teeth. “I only need to talk to you.” Her gaze drifted to the police building, and she swallowed hard.
    Don’t trust the cops was probably racing through her head right now.
    “SAPD is sending up some officers,” the older cop relayed to Brandon. “They’re already on their way. You can wait inside headquarters until