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But then why chase Nina in the woods? The pieces of the puzzle didn’t quite fit.

Yet if he and Creed were the true targets in this mess, they needed to be extremely cautious moving forward. If they didn’t testify next week, Diego Sanchez would walk away a free man.

FIVE

Nina shivered in the back seat of Creed’s SUV, despite the balmy September temperatures. Listening as the two men calmly discussed who was behind these shootings hit hard. She didn’t believe her Uncle Mark had been involved in drugs, and she still thought the gunman had targeted her, not the two rangers. She understood, though, that they needed to consider all possibilities.

It was very different being involved with the rangers out in the field, rather than simply supporting them through phone calls and texts. The echo of gunfire still reverberated through her mind to the point she wanted to stick her fingers in her ears. It was only her imagination, but she couldn’t seem to shut down her thoughts. Being this close to danger was unnerving. Yet she was touched by Jackson and Creed’s willingness to surround her with their cloak of protection.

She was one of them. It hadn’t really felt like that before, but Jackson’s comment had struck a chord deep within. She liked being a part of their group.

And even though she had been burned in the past with Sean, she liked Jackson, far more than she should.

“We’ll find a place outside of Dallas,” Creed said, breaking into her thoughts.

“That sounds good.” Jackson glanced at her, then added, “We’ll need connecting rooms so Nina can have her privacy.”

She smiled in gratitude. Not that she didn’t trust Jackson and Creed; she did. But having some downtime would be good.

“Works for me,” Creed agreed.

“Hey, there’s a hotel that has suites for a reasonable price.” Jackson looked up from where he was working his phone. “It’s in Forney, and according to their website, they have plenty of rooms available.”

Normally it would be Nina who would find them a place to stay. She suddenly felt naked without her phone. “Any chance I can get a replacement phone?”

Jackson glanced at her. “A disposable phone, yes. Something tied to your name, no. And it’s too late to grab one tonight. We’ll get that done tomorrow.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

They drove in silence for another fifteen minutes. When Creed slowed near their destination, she was glad to see the hotel Jackson had chosen was nicer than she’d expected.

“Stay here.” Creed put the gearshift into Park and pushed his door open. “I’ll get the room.”

Jackson didn’t argue. When Creed headed inside, he shifted in his seat to face her. “How are you holding up?”

“Fine.” She forced a smile. “I wish we had a computer, though, so I could work on digging into Anna Lange.”

“I’m sure Creed has his device.” Jackson’s dark eyes held hers. “Do you know how old your mother was when she had you?”

“I don’t have a date of birth.” Another question she’d hoped to ask her Uncle Mark. “But according to my adopted parents, she was pretty young, possibly only eighteen or nineteen. I’m assuming she was from Dallas, where her body was found. Especially since she’d been crawling toward the fire station.”

He frowned. “That seems logical, but it’s still odd that nobody reported her missing.”

“I agree.” She sighed. “It won’t be easy to find her since social media wasn’t nearly as prevalent twenty-eight years ago, the way it is now. I’ll start with Anna Lange in Dallas and see what I can come up with. Hopefully she lived there, since that’s where she was found.”

Jackson smiled encouragingly. “You’re a pro, Nina. You’ll find her.”

His praise warmed her heart, and she forced herself to look away. No point in thinking of Jackson as anything other than a colleague. Getting too close would be a disaster.

Too bad she found it difficult to ignore him. She reminded herself that dating a ranger was foolish. A path to heartbreak.

She startled when Creed opened the driver’s-side door. She hadn’t heard or seen him approach.

Get a grip, she silently admonished herself. Stay focused on what matters.

“We’re set.” Creed slid behind the wheel. “We have a nice two-bedroom suite. One has double queen beds. The other room has a king.”

“Perfect.” Jackson gave a satisfied nod. “Let’s get inside.”