The Escape (US Marshals #1) - Lisa Harris Page 0,38
trust him. I want you and the kids and Daddy to go to your in-laws’ for a few days. At least until we catch the fugitive we’re after.”
“Madison—”
“Promise me you’ll do what I said.”
There was a long pause on the line. “Fine, but—”
“No buts, just promise.”
“I promise.”
“Good. I’ll be in touch.”
She hung up and began dialing Michaels but stopped when Jonas approached her.
He stepped in front of her. “You look upset. What happened?”
She hesitated, not wanting to tell him the truth. She didn’t want him to ever believe she wasn’t capable of doing her job objectively. Hated that the last twenty-four hours had left her feeling vulnerable and out of control.
“You look like you just saw a ghost.” He sat down next to her.
She drew in a breath and told him about the threat. “I’m worried my sister and her family might be in danger.”
“Wow. I’m struggling to understand how and why he did that, but I certainly don’t blame you. If you feel like you need to leave—”
“I will if I feel like I have to, but I talked to her about going to her in-laws’ for a few days.”
“I think that’s a great plan. Ask Michaels to put a detachment on them until we can figure out what’s going on.”
She nodded, pulling her phone back out. She set things up with the deputy director, but her mind refused to stop running through all the worst-case scenarios.
Jonas gave her a look. “What are you thinking?”
“How would Barrick arrange something like this, and if he did, what does he really believe he’ll accomplish getting my sister involved?”
“I don’t know,” Jonas said. “But Michaels will be able to get to the bottom of this.”
She stared out across the pastureland and let the mountain air fill her lungs. “What happens when no matter what you do, you can’t fix things?”
“Are you talking about the case, or something else?” Jonas asked.
“I don’t know. Both maybe. People count on us. Expect us to bring these guys in so it doesn’t happen to someone else. But sometimes everything goes wrong. Luke died. My sister’s being threatened—”
“I promise we’ll do everything we can to keep your sister and her family safe no matter who’s behind that note.”
“I know that. On one level, anyway. But I keep thinking of Katy Phelps and wondering what will happen if she finds out she lost the father of her children because he tried to do something good? Because I know what that is like. How are we supposed to stop things that are simply so unfair?”
“Is this about Katy Phelps or is it about not saving Luke?”
She shrugged at the question as she tried to put things into words. “It’s about stopping it from happening to someone else. It’s about hating lying to her to make her feel better.”
His gaze narrowed. “You told her what she needed to hear. Besides, you could be right. We don’t know what happened to him. There’s a chance he’s just stranded on the side of the road where Barrick dumped him.”
“You know as well as I do that the chance of that father never coming home is pretty high.” She stepped around him and started to leave, then turned back. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually ramble like this.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. This isn’t a normal situation and on top of that, we’ve been through a lot the past twenty-four hours.”
“I still shouldn’t let it get so personal.”
“But it is. There’s no way around it. We were in a plane crash. You were attacked, shot at, then held at gunpoint by a bunch of ranch hands, and now your sister’s life has been threatened. If you ask me, that’s pretty personal.”
She shot him a half smile. “Well, when you put it that way . . .”
“And all of this while you’re grieving the loss of your husband. Give yourself some grace, Madison. You might be a marshal, but you don’t have to be Superwoman 24/7. It’s okay.”
She studied his face and shook her head. “You’re not like most men I know.”
His cheeks turned a bit pink before he smiled. “It’s why you became a marshal, isn’t it? You lost your husband and decided you don’t want it to happen to someone else.”
She let out a low chuckle. “You make my decision sound so valiant.”
“Isn’t it? Why else do you do what you do?”
“I don’t know. It’s just always been a calling. Wanting to defend justice. Wanting to make a difference somehow in