Her grip on the armrest loosened slightly. She no longer believed in coincidence, not since the Dakota Strangler. She wouldn’t let herself. “But it’s too much of a coincidence. It has to be him.” And if it was him, even the kids at school could be in danger, especially the girls. Elise scrambled for the button to lower the window so that she could shout out a warning to the female students still loitering on school grounds. Her hands shook and the tears filling her eyes made it impossible to see. “How do I open the window?”
Paul brought the truck to a halt. He reached across her lap and laid a hand over her shaking one. “Alice, it’ll be all right.”
She jerked her face toward his, heat rising up her neck and into her cheeks. “Don’t call me that! Alice Klaus is dead as far as I’m concerned. She was stupid and deserved to die along with all the other women her husband killed.”
Paul grabbed her hand and kept her from lowering her window. “No. Alice didn’t die. You’re alive and kicking and living in Texas.”
“No, she’s not.” Her faith in herself had died a little more with each one of the women Stan murdered. How could this man think she was the same woman?
“Alice—Elise.” He turned her to face him. “You’re beautiful and smart enough to realize you aren’t to blame for what happened. Stan, and only Stan, was responsible.”
“How can you say that? I lived with the man. I should have stopped him. Now that maniac is out there. These kids could be in danger. I have to let them know.”
“You can’t, Elise. You’ll have an entire town up in arms and like you said, you’ll lose your job.”
Anger burned in her chest and she wanted to take it out on Paul, but she knew it wasn’t his fault. He’d been nothing but kind to her and her children when her world had shattered. Even back then, she remembered thinking how nice it would have been to be married to a man like Paul—a man who cared enough to protect them from harm.
The steam fizzled out of her and she slumped in her seat, pulling her hand free of his. Paul was a nice man. Stan was nice, too, when Elise married him. But people changed. She’d changed.
She stared out at the lingering teens. She wanted to warn them. Warn everyone that she was the plague. That a killer had followed her all the way to Texas. “It’s not right for me to keep this secret. So many could be at risk.”
“We can’t be certain that Stan did it. We don’t know if you or anyone around you is the real target. This could all be a fluke.”
“I don’t think so.” She shook her head and stared out at the stunted live oak trees, gnarled and twisted by weather. “But you’re right. I can’t leave. I used all my savings to move us to Texas. I don’t have any money left to keep running.”
“You can’t keep running.” Paul spoke in low, steady tones, his voice caressing her with a calm she couldn’t manage on her own.
She breathed in and out, willing her heart rate to slow. But then it cranked up again. “We don’t know where he’ll strike next.”
“If he strikes,” Paul said.
Elise stared out at the clear blue sky, mocking her dark thoughts. How could it be so bright and sunny when a killer stalked the streets? “We can’t let him hurt anyone else.” She sat up straighter, squaring her shoulders. Now wasn’t the time to go soft. She had to be strong. A glance at the clock made her blood race. “I won’t let him take my boys. Can you go a little faster, Agent Fletcher? Their bus will be there in less than five minutes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” A hint of a smile flashed on Paul’s face before he pulled out onto the street, focused on beating the traffic.
For the first couple of minutes, she remained silent, her thoughts churning over her options. She didn’t have the money to gather her belongings and move to another city. Her house wasn’t wired with a security system and she’d used the last of her meager savings to replace the air conditioner, a must in the blazing heat of a South Texas Indian summer. “Do you think the bank would loan me enough money to install a security system?”
“You don’t know until you ask.”
With a sigh, she forced herself to lean back in her seat. “How long does it take to install one?”
“Depends on the contractor.”
Elise snorted softly. “Maybe a gun would be the better investment. More immediate.”
“There’s usually a waiting period to purchase a gun.” He shot a glance at her. “Do you even know how to use one?”
“No.” Her lips twisted. “Actually, they scare me.”
“And you don’t want to risk your boys getting their hands on a loaded gun, and loaded is the only way a gun is of use to you.”
Hopelessness washed over her and she shook her head. “So what you’re telling me is that I’m basically defenseless in my own home.”
“Not quite. I have a proposition for you.”
Her gaze narrowed on Paul. “What do you mean, a proposition?”
He didn’t look at her, but kept his attention on navigating the turn into her driveway. “I could stay with you at night until we catch him.”
Elise’s heart fluttered and her hands grew cold and clammy. She hadn’t lived in the same house with a man since North Dakota. Heck, she hadn’t trusted herself with another man since.
The last time she’d been with Paul, he’d played with her children in the evacuation shelter. She’d been drawn to the sexy federal agent more than she wanted to admit, but chalked it up to vulnerability. Tall, blond and incredibly handsome, Paul remained hard to ignore. But that didn’t matter. She couldn’t get involved with anyone, not now or ever. “No. That’s not possible.”
Her voice quivered and her hands shook as she fumbled for her seat belt, the interior of the truck suddenly too closed in, the air thick with tension. The scent of Paul’s aftershave drifted beneath her defenses, making her think thoughts she hadn’t dared to in a very long time.
Before she could climb down, he was out and holding the door for her. He helped her down and held her arms in his hands. “Please reconsider, Elise.”
The big, yellow bus turned onto Highland Street, its brakes screeching as it came to a halt halfway down the block. The doors opened and a backpack flew off the bus, landing on the pavement. Luke leaped to the ground, laughing.
Brandon clambered down after him, his gaze shooting immediately to where Elise stood in Paul’s arms. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed Luke’s hand, hurrying him home.
“You should go.” Elise could see the storm brewing in Brandon’s eyes.
“Okay, but I’ll be back later.” He stared down into her eyes. “To stay.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Paul climbed into his truck, feeling like he was running away when every instinct told him to stay. He, too, had seen the look on Brandon’s young face. The little guy had been through enough, losing more than a father. Elise wanted to handle her children her own way. He’d give her the space.
For now.
At least until he could get back to the office and have a powwow with Mel. He hadn’t planned on staying with Elise, but he didn’t see any other way to protect her during the dark hours when most people slept.
He slid his cell phone open and speed-dialed the Kendall County Sheriff’s department. “This is Special Agent Fletcher. I’d like to speak to Sheriff Engel.”
He pulled into a church parking lot and waited while the operator made the transfer.
“This is the sheriff. What can I do for you, Agent Fletcher?”
“I’d