Cassie's Cowboy Crave: Witness Protection - Rancher Style (Sweet Montana Bride Series) Read Free

her.
    “And the other officers out that window?”
    Two patrol cars were nudged up to the curb alongside the restaurant.
    “One of those cars is for me and Miss Lovell. The other is for the two of you. We leave now.” With that, the detective opened the badge-carting wallet, pulled out four crisp twenties and set them on the table. “Will this cover it?”
    The waiter stood there with his tray full of drinks. “Uh. Yeah,” he stammered,
    But they were already leaving. Zoe had closed her flip-phone. Even she looked scared. Zoe The Fearless, stunned into silence.
    As Cassie followed the detective into the squad car, she heard Zoe ask the officer for identification. A breath later they were driving down the street. She looked over her shoulder to see what looked like Ann trying to convince Miss Fearless to get into the car.
    “What are you going to do with my friends?” she asked.
    The detective slid a dark pair of shades over his eyes. “Depends.”
    “On what?”
    “On how desperate these guys are. We don’t think they’ll resort to those related to the jurors, but because your friends were with you, we thought we’d better escort them away from the dangerous situation.”
    “Where’d that guy go? Was he a Lawson brother?”
    A pucker formed at his brow. “Yes. He’s a relative, anyway. We had an undercover officer at the back entrance but he slid past him. We don’t really have enough to arrest that one yet, to be honest. But with everything going on, we would have come up with something.” He shook his head and glared out the window. “Is that the overdue library book you owe so much money on?”
    His question was so random, Cassie wasn’t sure he was talking to her. “What?”
    Without turning to look at her, he said, “The book in your hand. Is that the one you owe so much money for?”
    Cassie hadn’t realized it, but she was clinging tight to Ann’s romance novel. “Umm. No. This isn’t mine. It’s my friend’s.” She sighed as a question occurred to her. “Where are we going?”
    Her prompt seemed to remind the man of something. He nodded and reached into his thin leather coat, retrieving a folded stack. “We’re putting you in something similar to a witness protection program.”
    “But I’m not a witness.”
    “Right. But we’ve got two more Lawson brothers awaiting trial as we speak. The Lawsons have a tight group of extended family involved. This type of mafia relies on intimidation. If they can wipe out an entire jury – one that had the gall to put their own blood away – they’ll likely make fair trials impossible with all the publicity.” He clicked a pen and handed it to her, along with the stapled sheets.
    “We don’t have the funds or resources to provide twenty-four-seven protection from a U.S. Marshall,” he continued, “but we do have a number of safe homes. Retired Marshalls or trusted acquaintances capable and willing to house those in need.”
    Numbly, Cassie scanned over the print on the page. Skimming over parts to see where it was she’d be going.
    “I Just need you to sign a few lines, showing that you’ll cooperate and not do anything to jeopardize the safety of yourself or those harboring you.”
    “Oh. I wouldn’t.” She skimmed the document further. A red X waited next to a blank line at the bottom of the page. She signed there and flipped it over. Another X stood out among the black text. After scribbling her name once more, Cassie scanned over the final page.
    “This doesn’t say where I’m going.”
    “I’ll tell you once we’re en route.”
    The officer behind the wheel veered onto the interstate.
    “Wait,” she said, a beat of panic thrumming through her. “Aren’t we going to my apartment?”
    “Too risky. The guy had to have followed you from work to the restaurant. No doubt he knows where you live too.” Gonzalez gave the stack of paper a flick. “By signing this, you’ve given my team permission to retrieve your property.