Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Author's Note: Many thanks to those who reviewed Chapter 1. I hope you enjoy Chapter 2.

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Chapter 2

Dawn was breaking over Dallas Monday morning as a dark red truck pulled up outside a rundown warehouse on the outskirts of town. The Boss stepped out and looked around, making sure he was alone, and then entered through a side door. Inside he found several men waiting for him. Crates were stacked around them.

"Welcome to Dallas, Boss," said one of the men as he stepped forward and extended his hand. He was just a bit taller than The Boss, stocky, with thick, sandy colored hair and brown eyes. "I trust you'll be pleased with what I've done here."

The Boss took the man's hand as he replied. "Greg, good to see you again. I hope you've checked all the men thoroughly. I can't believe Jim managed to hire an undercover cop. But I don't think they're looking for me here."

"I was extra careful, Boss," Greg stated. "When you sent me ahead of you two weeks ago I got in touch with some of my contacts here. They helped me find some men we can trust. As you can see," he continued as he indicated the crates around them, "the goods made it safely, too."

"That's good. We were busted Saturday night in Houston, and everything there was confiscated. I think I was the only one to get away. But I did manage to take out that cop first, so he won't be sharing any information." The men shared a laugh at this. "Because of the bust, I took a round about way here. I swung through Louisiana and saw Thomas and found out what he wants." He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Greg. "I'm going to be laying low for awhile. Take care of things here, and make sure Thomas' order gets pulled. I have some other business to take care of." With that said he left.

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"Walker, I'm tellin' ya," Trivette nattered on as they entered the office just before eight Monday morning, "this stock is the way to go. You'll be rich before you know it."

"No, Trivette," replied his partner with a decisive shake of his head. "I'm not letting you invest any of my money."

"But, Walker,…"

"No." suddenly the phone rang on Walker's desk. "Finally some relief," he exclaimed as he moved to answer it. Right then the door opened and Syd, Gage and Max came in laughing about something.

"Walker," he said as he picked up the phone.

"Walker, Jake Marks."

Walker smiled and sat down. "Jake, how are you?"

"Not too good. Listen, we have a case down here that I might need your help with."

Walker sat up and grabbed a pen and paper. "What is it, Jake?"

"We've been trying to bust a weapons dealer down here who is only known as The Boss. His business is huge. He will buy large orders and sell them off bit by bit, or if you need a large order he'll find what you want. This guy is ruthless. He keeps a very low profile, his own people don't know his real name, but anyone who crosses him ends up dead."

"Sounds like you've got a lot on him."

"We do, Walker. For the last two months we've had a man inside, Bryce Daniels, a DPS officer and a good one. Saturday night we had a bust set up. Bryce was finally going to meet The Boss. We planned to take him down then. Unfortunately, he made Bryce. We hit, got most of his men and some stock, but he got away. Walker, he shot Bryce execution style first. By the time we got the others under control, The Boss was gone and Bryce was dead. Nobody's seen him since."

"I'm sorry, Jake. What do you need from me?"

"We know he has been talking for the last few weeks about making a move. We were really turning the heat up here. But he never told anyone where. His lieutenant, Greg Palmer, hasn't been seen for two weeks now, and we think he may have sent him ahead to wherever he plans to set up shop next. It's just a hunch, but I think it may be your area."

"What makes you think that?"

Jake sighed and paused before he responded. "That's kind of complicated. No one knew for sure who The Boss was. But Saturday night, before he got away, I got a look at him. Walker, I know who he is and I know why I'm sure he'd go to Dallas. His name is Tobias Granger, and he's obsessed with Sam."

"The ambitious acquaintance you told me about. What does Sam think of him?"

"She can't stand him. I hoped when she moved he would leave her alone. We tried to keep her leaving under wraps. But then, as soon as she was gone, Bryce got word out that The Boss was planning a move. Now I'm sure I know why. Walker I have nothing to base this on, other than gut instinct. But like I said, I know this man."

"Did he see you at the bust?"

"No, our eyes never met. But, Walker, it was him. I've known him for years."

"Alright," Walker said, "we'll keep a watch for him and start cracking down on any arms deals. Can you send me a picture of Granger?"

"I'll fax one up this morning, along with a picture of Palmer. The thing is, Walker, I'm sure he killed Bryce, but we have nothing concrete to prove it. Nobody saw it happen. There's also nothing more than me seeing him at that warehouse to prove Granger is The Boss. All the men we arrested are too terrified to turn on him. Bryce was wearing a wire, and we have a tape that includes what The Boss said when he shot him, but Granger's name was never mentioned. We need to tread carefully. I don't want him to get away just because some slick lawyer claims circumstantial evidence."

"We'll keep that in mind. I'll make sure before we arrest him that our case is air tight."

"Good." Jake paused before he continued. "Walker, I know I shouldn't ask you, but I'm worried about Sam. If he's in Dallas, he'll go after her. If he sees that she's being guarded, he'll be tipped off and disappear. But I hate to think of her alone, with no help."

"Don't worry, Jake. Right now she's staying with one of my best, and she's surrounded by good friends, five of whom are Rangers. We'll take care of her, and I'll advise them all to keep their jobs to themselves."

"Thank you," Jake said as relief filled his voice. "I wish I could come up, but we got a computer in the bust which had contact information for buyers and suppliers. We're going to be busy tracking all of them down."

"Good luck; we'll take care of this end." With that the men ended their conversation and Walker called the others over. After briefing them on his conversation with Jake he turned to Syd. "Has Sam told you anything about this guy?"

"Some. I don't want to share details without her permission, but I will say that from what she told me, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw your truck."

"Do you know what she had planned for this morning?"

"She said she was going to be at C.D.'s all day," Sydney replied. "It's the first Monday of the month and a lot of supplies are going to be delivered."

"Trivette, see what you can dig up on Granger and Palmer. Max, get to work on making a list of known arms dealers in the area. Both of you keep an eye out for Jake's fax. Gage and Syd, come with me to pay a visit to Sam. And everyone remember, we don't want Granger to know that Sam is surrounded by Rangers." Trivette and Max went to their desks and Walker led Gage and Syd out the door, at the same time instructing them to stow their badges.

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Sam was sitting on a barstool at the bar, going over invoices. Her first delivery would be in soon. She glanced at her watch and noticed it was almost 9:30, and then Walker, Gage and Syd came in. She looked up at her friends and smiled.

"Hey," Sam called to them, "to what do I owe this honor?"

"I need to talk to you about something," Walker began. Before he could continue the door opened again and a young delivery woman entered carrying a long, white box that was tied with a ribbon.

"I have a package for a Samantha Dawson," the lady said.

"That's me," acknowledged Sam with trepidation. The package was set on the bar near her as she signed a receipt. Then the woman wished her a nice day and left. Sam pulled open the bow and removed the lid to reveal two dozen long-stemmed, red roses. But instead of joy, apprehension filled her face.

"Who are those from?" asked Syd, afraid she already knew the answer. She watched as Sam picked up the card and read it. Then she looked at Syd and handed her the card which she read aloud. "It says, 'I found you. T.G.' Oh, Sam."

Several emotions rapidly crossed Sam's face; confusion, frustration, disgust, hatred, rage. Before any of her friends could react she turned, picked up a chair, and threw it across the room. Then her hands went to her face and she sank to her knees on the floor as tears came unbidden to her eyes. "Why can't he just leave me alone?"

Walker was immediately at her side. He picked her up and held her in a fatherly embrace. "It's going to be alright, Sam." Gage and Syd stepped closer, and Syd reached out to rub her friends back.

"He's here, isn't he?" Sam questioned. "That's why you're here right now."

"I got a call from your uncle this morning," Walker informed her gently. "We don't know for sure, but there's a good chance he's in the area."

She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. "He's here. If he sent these he's here. No wonder I had that dream," she stated as her eyes met Syd's. "You know, I haven't thought about that incident in years."

"You should tell them," Syd encouraged her.

Sam sighed and gave Walker and Gage a brief overview of her encounter with Toby. "Like I told Syd, I don't think he will try anything now. It took him awhile to recover from the, shall we say, persuasion my brothers used to encourage him to never touch me again. I'm sure he's harmless. I just wish he'd take a hint and leave me alone."

Syd spoke up. "Honey, following you across the state when you didn't even tell him you were leaving is not harmless." She held up the card that came with the flowers. "This note is practically a threat."

"I'll give you that his pursuit of me goes beyond bold, but I don't think he'd try to hurt me," responded Sam. "He's smarter than that."

"There's more, Sam," put in Walker. "Saturday night your uncle led a bust on an arms dealer, known only as 'The Boss.' No one knew for sure who he was, because he always stays in the background. Jake saw Granger there, but he got away. Everyone else that was there was arrested, and none of them were 'The Boss.' Jake thinks Granger might be. Now there's no hard evidence, but there's enough to give us reason to watch him closely."

"Well, now I know why he always gave me the creeps," Sam replied. "What do I need to do?" Resignation filled her voice.

"Nothing special," supplied Walker. "Just don't be upset if you see us a whole lot for the next several days. You might think he won't hurt you, but we want to make sure he won't."

"If he shows up, you call us," put in Gage. "And don't worry, your brothers might not be here, but Max and I are."

"Thank you all," Sam finished with a smile. "If I see him, you'll be the first to know." Sydney gave her a hug, and then they turned to leave.

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Granger walked into the warehouse with a cell phone to his ear. "Yes, sir. Your order is ready for pick-up. We'll see you then." He made his way toward his lieutenant. "Greg, I just got off the phone with Thomas. The exchange is set for tomorrow. Have you had any problems this morning?"

"No, Boss. We got Mr. Thomas' order separated out for him. Did you get your other business taken care of?"

"Yes." Both men knew Greg wouldn't ask what that business was. People who pried into Granger's affairs didn't last long. "Since this is all set up, I'm going to go attend to some other matters. I'll be back later. Tell the boys they have some free time, but make sure everyone stays alert. I don't want any problems with this place being found. They need to be back here at four to move Thomas' order to the exchange site." Granger turned and walked toward the door.

"You got it, Boss," called Greg after him.

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After returning to the offices, Walker relayed to Jimmy and Max what had happened at C.D.'s and their conversation with Sam.

"What did you find out about Granger and Palmer?" Walker asked Jimmy.

"Palmer has been in and out of trouble for years, mostly working for others. He's had his hand in almost everything once, but his strength is computers, whether hacking or setting up systems. However, in the last ten months he's been clean, which is to say, he hasn't been caught doing anything. Near as I can tell that's when he hooked up with The Boss. Granger on the other hand is squeaky clean. Not so much as a parking ticket."

"Jake said he liked to keep a low profile," responded Walker. "Keep digging. Let's go back as far as we can. Sam told us today that he lived in Georgia for several years. Maybe something happened there. Gage and Sydney, help Max with the list of anyone who's been involved with weapons trafficking, and start trying to get known addresses for them. It's getting close to lunch. Let's see what we can find out before then. Then we'll regroup." At this everyone went to their desks. Forty-five minutes later Gage's cell phone rang.

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Sam was behind the bar putting things away when she saw a familiar form pass by the front window and approach the door. Her heart leapt into her throat and her hands began to shake. She knew her staff would be coming in to help her open for lunch in thirty minutes, but right now that seemed like a long time to be alone. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed, just as the door opened, hoping the ringing on the other end would be answered.

"Samantha, it's so good to see you again," began Toby.

She didn't answer, instead she pointed to the phone to show she was busy, but she kept her eyes on him. "Pick up, pick up," she thought to herself, relieved when the voice finally came through the line.

"Gage."

"Sydney, it's Sam."

"Sam," Gage answered with alarm, "is everything all right?"

"Not at all. I knew you and the boys were supposed to be here in about five minutes for lunch, and I wanted to see if I could get something started for you."

"Is Granger there?" Gage asked as he stood up and motioned for Syd and Max to join him.

"Absolutely," she stated with as cheerful a voice as she could affect.

"We're on our way," Gage said as the three of them went to the door, tucking their badges in their pockets as they did.

Walker had heard Gages half of the conversation and signaled his okay for them to go. "I'll have a car meet you there to tail him," he called out as he picked up his phone.

"Sit tight," continued Gage to Sam."We'll be there soon. Do you want to talk to Syd until we get there?"

"No. I think I can manage it. See you soon." She hung up and addressed Toby. "Excuse me a minute. I need to attend to something in the kitchen." She went to the sink and began running water, then realized that, should he follow her, she could fend Toby off better in the front and there were less potential weapons there, so she turned off the water, grabbed a rag and quickly returned. "Sorry about that," she said as she moved from behind the bar.

"Are you?" he questioned as he approached her. "I was surprised to find out you left Houston without so much as a goodbye."

Sam began to wipe off the tables, making sure her back was never to him and trying to keep a table between them, as she replied. "Toby, I didn't realize you expected to be kept apprised of all my comings and goings."

"There you go being cold again. Why you gotta be that way?"

She tried to keep the alarm out of her eyes as she looked at him and saw the same cold, hard glare that she had seen so many years ago.

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Gage explained to Max and Syd what Sam had said on the phone as they hurried to the car. "He better not try anything," he finished.

"Well," put in Max as Gage began to speed toward C.D.'s, "Sam thinks he's harmless. I say we find out for sure."

"How do you propose to do that?" queried Syd.

"You two keep a close eye on him and see how he reacts while I try to make him jealous," Max responded as he tried to hide a grin.

Gage caught Max's eye in the rear view mirror and replied in disbelief, "You do know she carries a gun?"

"Look," Max claimed in defense of his idea, "if he thinks she's in a relationship one of two things will happen. If he's harmless, he'll back off. If he's not, he'll get mad. Either way, we'll know how much of a threat to her he is."

"It might work, as long as she plays along. But she's not expecting this, so it might backfire," put in Syd.

"I guess it would be better to take the chance," finished Max as they pulled up in front of C.D.'s in record time. After Gage placed his cell phone in a cup holder they climbed out of the car as nonchalantly as they could, while scanning the area for the car Walker sent. They noticed an unmarked vehicle pull in just down the street, and Gage saw the officer nod discreetly to him. He returned the gesture just before they went inside.

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Sam and Toby both looked toward the door as it opened.

"Hey, Sam," called Syd and Gage, not quite in unison, as they approached her hand in hand. Then their eyes turned to the man with her. He was easily four inches shorter than Gage with a slight frame. Syd would have called him handsome, with his beach blond hair and cool blue eyes, if it hadn't been for the empty, soulless stare emanating from them.

Max virtually ignored Toby as he gave Sam a very warm, intimate smile. Striding right up to her he slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into an affectionate hold, glad when she responded in kind and wrapped her arms around his waist as she gazed up at him. "Howdy, Beautiful," he intoned with a slow drawl, somehow dropping his bass voice even lower. Then he slowly leaned forward and planted his lips solidly on hers.

Gage and Syd tried hard to hide their astonishment, not only at what Max had done, but at how Sam had so easily gone along. They both saw the shock and dismay on Toby's face, followed quickly by seething rage and hatred. He kept his hands at his sides, but clenched his fists tight as his whole body tensed. He seemed to have developed tunnel vision, seeing only the two people before him locked in a decidedly passionate embrace.

After several seconds, Max finally pulled his face away from Sam's, but kept one arm around her shoulders. He was both surprised and pleased when she continued to grip his waist with one arm. He now turned his eyes to Toby.

Sam cleared her throat as she turned to face Toby. "Sorry, Toby. These are my friends Gage and Sydney," she stated as she indicated them with her free hand. Then she looked up adoringly at Max, placed her hand on his chest, and introduced him with, "And this is Max." She turned back to Toby and continued, "Everyone, this is Tobias Granger, someone I knew in Houston."

By this time Toby had regained control of himself. He gave a curt nod to each of them as they were introduced. Then he looked at his watch, as if for an excuse to leave. "Samantha, I need to go. We'll catch up later," he nearly growled, not even attempting to disguise it as a request. After that he turned on his heel and left.

"Honey, I forgot my phone in the car," Gage said to Sydney as he followed Toby out. Gage casually smiled at him, but Toby barely acknowledged him, he just started his truck and pulled out. Then Gage made eye contact with the Ranger in the tail car and gave a subtle nod as he opened the car door and reached in to retrieve his cell phone. Then he went back inside.

It wasn't until after Toby's car had sped away, followed discreetly by the unseen tail, that Sam and Max finally released each other.

"Thank you for getting here so fast," began Sam as she glanced around at her friends. Her eyes came to a rest on Max's, and took on a curious gleam to match the playful grin on her face, as she went on, "And, not that I'm complaining, but why did you do that?"

He smiled, but gave nothing away, as he replied, "You said he was harmless. So we figured that if we made him think you were in a relationship, his true colors would show."

"Uh-huh," she responded as though not convinced. "Well, I figured it must have been something like that. That's why I played along."

"By the way," Syd put in with mock seriousness, "you two were very convincing."

"You had me fooled," added Gage, mimicking Syd's tone.

"I don't know, Gage," continued Max as he watched Sam and his smile turned into a mischievous grin. "I think in case he comes back we better work on our kissing some." Then he stretched out his arms and took a step toward Sam. "Come here."

She quickly moved away from him and put a table between them as she turned bright red. "I think we've had enough practice for one day," she countered. Then regaining her composure she looked at Syd. "Do you think he'll leave me alone now?"

Syd looked at the floor before answering her friend. "No." Her face showed her grave concern for Sam's safety. "He was furious. I think, from his body language and expression, that if he thought he could have gotten away with it, he would have killed you both on the spot. And he made it clear he would be back."

"I can imagine he was very angry," responded Sam uncertainly, "but I have a hard time believing he would kill anyone. Hurt, yes. But I can't wrap my mind around kill."

A pained look crossed Syd's face. She knew her friend was trying to downplay the gravity of the situation, and Syd was loath to expose the danger Sam was in. "Sam," Syd continued, "I don't think Walker wanted to tell you this. And I'm not telling you to scare you, but I think you need to know the menace that Toby is. Your Uncle Jake told Walker this morning that at the bust in Houston Saturday, as The Boss was escaping he killed a DPS officer execution style." Sam's eyes grew wide and she sank into a chair at this news. "If it was Toby, and he could do that, he's capable of anything. And he is clearly intent on you becoming part of his life. Nobody can say for sure how far he would go to make that happen."

"Syd's right, Sam," added Gage as his voice and expression became grim. "This is not over yet." They decided to stay for lunch. Gage called Walker to let him know, and Walker said he and Trivette would join them shortly.

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To be continued….