But he didn’t know how to tell Cheyenne that. From what he could tell, what they each wanted was vastly different than the other.
His gaze was resting on Cheyenne when there was a pounding on the front door. Brendon shot to his feet and skirted Mason and Cheyenne as he took off to see who was there. They weren’t expecting anyone, so whoever it was better have a damn good reason for being there.
Brendon checked through the small window beside the door, making a mental note to put a security hole in the door. It wouldn’t do much good for Cheyenne to have to make herself visible if someone were to show up out of the blue.
Another pounding on the door, followed by, “Bren! Open the fuckin’ door. Now!”
Z was standing on the front porch, his face a blank mask.
Pulling the door open, he took a step back and allowed Z to enter.
“Where’s RT?” Brendon asked.
“Followin’ the suspect,” Z stated firmly, his eyes darting from one person to another.
Kaleb had snatched up Mason, holding him on one hip, his other arm protectively around Zoey’s shoulder. Cheyenne was standing beside them, her eyes wide with fear.
Before Brendon could even lock the door, RT appeared on the front porch. He looked as though he’d been running, but surprisingly he was only slightly out of breath.
“Any luck?” Z asked.
RT shot him an are you fucking kidding me look before stepping inside.
“So, he’s here? In Coyote Ridge?” Cheyenne asked, her voice hoarse. Brendon moved to her, pulling her against him and holding her tight as he looked to Z for a response.
“Looks like it.”
“Y’all know who this person is yet?” Kaleb questioned.
“As of fifteen minutes ago, yes,” RT confirmed. “Martin McDonald.” RT looked to Cheyenne as he said the name. “Sound familiar?”
Cheyenne shook her head.
RT’s phone chirped and he pulled it from the clip on his belt, glancing down at the screen. He started reading off details, “Thirty-seven-year-old male from Austin, Texas. Two previous restraining orders against him for stalking women in the apartment building he lives in. Neighbors say he’s a little unstable, but otherwise a nice guy.”
“Nice guy?” Brendon snorted.
“What do we do now?” Cheyenne questioned, her voice quavering.
“We catch that fucker,” Z answered, his eyes darting to Zoey and then back to Cheyenne. “ ’Scuse my language.”
“We’ve heard worse,” Zoey told him.
“Austin’s workin’ to get a complete profile. Strange that we get the intel at the same time we spot the suspect,” RT said, his attention turning to Z.
“Too much of a coincidence,” Z added.
“What does that mean?” Brendon asked.
“It means this guy just happens to live conveniently nearby and shows up all of a sudden,” RT stated.
“We don’t believe in coincidences,” Z informed them. “We need to get these three home.” Z looked at Kaleb. “And we’ll call the sheriff in on this one. My guess is our guy is close, too fucking close. If RT’s hunch is correct, this Martin McDonald is a red herring—someone to throw us off the trail.”
Brendon feared this asshole was smarter than they’d given him credit for. The question was … why was he going to all this trouble?
chapter TWENTY-FIVE
Cheyenne was at a loss for what to say or do. The entire afternoon had been ruined because of some stalker wannabe? She wasn’t sure she understood what the hell was going on, but she knew that Kaleb, Zoey, and Mason had been whisked away by RT, and Z was looming over her in the kitchen as she attempted to make something for dinner.
It wasn’t that she minded Z being there. In fact, the guy was quite witty. She liked listening to the stories he told about growing up with Brendon, but it was how astute he was that kept throwing her off. It was as though he heard and saw every little thing. Although he wasn’t jumpy, she damn sure was and she had nowhere to send that nervous energy.
Brendon set the table and when Cheyenne finished with the Shake ’n Bake chicken, she brought the food in. About the time they were going to sit down, there was another knock on the door, but Z had already started heading that direction, so Cheyenne figured RT was back. Hadn’t stopped her heart from going from zero to one hundred in two point one seconds.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Brendon assured her when they were alone in the kitchen. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Promise.”
Cheyenne wrapped her arms around him and tried to soak up his warmth, his security. She trusted him with her life, there wasn’t any doubt there. However, she feared for his. If anything happened to him, she wasn’t sure she’d survive it.