They worked it out so that Conrad drove Cal’s truck with Sierra and Dakota because he couldn’t stand to be away from her for five minutes. And Sierra and Dakota were due a visit. Cal drove back with Maggie. Of course that meant Connie sitting through another recitation of all the events that led up to the capture of a serial rapist named Craig Dixon. Fortunately for him, Sierra was not quite as graphic with this brother.

“Are you going to be all right now?” Dakota asked.

“One in five women is sexually assaulted. Some figures claim one in four. Yes, I’m going to be all right. It stole a year and a half of my life. I’m not letting it have any more than that.”

“Plus, she got a little payback,” Connie said.

When they got back to Sully’s there were four campers waiting for them. The first thing Pete wanted to show Sierra was the inside of Priscilla and Clyde’s RV. Even though there was quite a crowd waiting for an explanation, only Sierra was taken inside the RV. Behind a closet pocket door were some computer screens that were operated by electricity and WiFi, controlled by laptop computer and tablets and smartphones. “This is a surveillance van,” Pete said.

“You had him under surveillance?” Sierra asked.

“No, we had you under surveillance,” he said. “Our suspect had a pattern. He picked up strangers in bars all over the map, played the role of a rescuer in taking them home when they appeared to have had too much to drink, brutalized and raped them, threatened their lives if they told anyone, stalked them, and then to be absolutely sure, he found an opportunity to assault them again, proving to them he was in control and they would be punished for going to the police. At last count we know he assaulted seven women in three states. I’m sure there were more, probably at least twice as many. His first known victim was fifteen years ago when he was a heating and AC repairman, aged twenty. But, you were the only one who ran, that we know of. And you ran far and deep. You really threw him off his game. Not only did he have trouble finding you but when he got in the general vicinity, you were never vulnerable. You didn’t live alone, you didn’t go out to bars, you were always one step ahead of him. Sierra, we think he was obsessed with carrying out his ritual, for lack of a better word.”

“So you were stalking me?” she asked.

He nodded. “Priscilla and Clyde took turns watching the screens. We had a tracking device on your car, cameras in a few of your commonly visited locations—the Crossing, Conrad’s house, the street outside the diner. It wasn’t just to keep you safe, I’m afraid, although that was intended to be a fortunate by-product. We knew he was in Colorado—we had positive ID. We couldn’t locate him or his vehicle but he’d been seen and identified. We thought he’d eventually find you and we were going to be ready for him.”

“You didn’t have a camera at Cal’s house,” she said.

He shook his head. “But we had your location. You were traveling at high speed, changed your direction abruptly and stopped. We knew where you were but didn’t know why, since your brother wasn’t there. It looked like it could be a confrontation with Dixon.”

“He must have been lying in wait for me,” she said.

“I think once he learned where and when you worked in town, that was his only option.”

“Has he murdered anyone?” she asked.

“Not that we know of but after we have him in custody and conduct a thorough forensic investigation at the federal level there’s no telling what might turn up. Each of the states in which he committed crimes has his DNA from the few victims who came forward.” He put a hand on her arm. “Let’s go have something to drink with your family. We can answer a few of their questions, and then I’m afraid we have to leave.”

“Where’s he going? Dixon?”

“He’s going back to Detroit. Federal agents there will book him and the federal prosecutor will press charges and take him to trial, unless there’s a full confession. In which case he’ll go to federal prison. It’s a much more secure and punitive establishment than state or county detention.”

“I wish you had told me you were watching me,” she said. “I was terrified and had no idea help was on the way.”

“If we’d told you beforehand, everything might’ve progressed differently. I haven’t seen a criminal as slippery and invisible as Dixon in my career. If you had known, he’d have smelled it. I’m sorry it had to be that way. I’m glad the plan worked.”

* * *

There was something comforting about all the questions Sierra’s friends and family had for the agents. There were ten of them in all—four agents, Sully, Maggie, Cal, Sierra, Dakota and Connie. Some of their questions had to go unanswered—police procedure that wasn’t discussed or the future of the prosecution that was at best unknown.

She learned that Lucas and Pete got around the back roads and through fields on those ATVs, often sitting near roads that led to the Crossing or into town or that long, isolated road to Connie’s house. It had seemed she’d seen these agents around town because she had. While she was working, they were poking around town, looking for familiar faces. And she also learned that Pete was well-known as Sneaky Pete, a seasoned undercover agent.

The agents praised her for her quick thinking and resourcefulness. She did some damage, it turned out. “Too bad that nail gun didn’t hold the four-inch nails used for framing. But you did pop a couple end for end and drive ’em deeper,” Clyde said. And Clyde and Priscilla no longer had those lovely British accents!

They didn’t stay long. They had some coffee and sandwiches and by two in the afternoon they were ready to be on the road. Priscilla and Clyde were driving the surveillance RV back to Chicago, where it had come from. Detroit didn’t have one but they were quick to point out they had an army of FBI SWAT vehicles and equipment. Lucas and Pete were going back to Detroit where they were currently assigned.

There was a lot of hugging when they were leaving. Pete held her close for a long moment. “Thank you,” she said. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead now.”

“You know what, Sierra? I don’t know about that. You’ve got some amazing fight in you. Not to mention smarts and incredible instinct. As long as you remember that, you’re safer than ninety percent of the world. You trust your gut and you fight, young lady. Big battles, little battles, you refuse to give up, you hear me?”

She bit her lip and nodded. Her eyes welled with tears and a couple spilled over, running down her cheeks. “I haven’t been able to cry since that night,” she said in a soft whisper.

“Well, now you can. The danger from that night is gone. And once he’s locked up, we’re throwing away the key.”

“I think I’m changed forever,” she said tearfully.

“I want you to remember something, Sierra. It was something that happened to you. It’s not who you are. Permission to move forward.” Then he smiled and said, “Yes, Sierra. You’re a badass. Own it.”

* * *

Jackson Canaday showed up at the Crossing to work and Sully happily left him in charge. The family and dogs went to Cal’s house to find Tom was there, a screwdriver and tube of caulk in hand. He’d replaced the window that had been kicked open by federal agents and repaired the lock on the door.

“They said it wasn’t a crime scene anymore or anything, so I thought I’d fix it up before you got back. Jeez, Sierra, you’re the fricking talk of the fricking town!”

“Great,” she said, but she laughed a little in spite of herself.

“Um, there’s some blood on the floor of the master bedroom closet. I’ll replace the carpet before I finish the built-ins,” Tom said.

“A lot of blood?” Maggie asked.

“Nah. Some good quarter-sized spots, though—very noticeable.”

“Oh hell, I’ll have those out in fifteen minutes. Hydrogen peroxide.”

Tom’s eyebrows popped up. “You’re kidding! After all those bloody noses at my house, I could’ve used hydrogen peroxide? How’d you know that?”

“I’m a surgeon, Tom,” she said with a laugh. “We’re very closely acquainted with blood.”

“Gee, I should’ve asked you how to get out blood a long time ago! Well, if there’s even a shadow left, tell me and I can switch out that carpet really fast.”

Cal asked Tom if he could stay for dinner, but he was off to feed his kids and check homework. Maggie and Cal got busy in the kitchen. Since they hadn’t been prepared for a big crowd they’d pillaged through Sully’s refrigerator, their freezer and the last of the garden.

They sat around the picnic table for a pizza dinner with bruschetta and salad. What was left of the baguette was sliced and slathered with garlic butter. It was a celebration.

When the meal was almost done, Connie clinked his glass. “I have a request, since everyone is gathered. I don’t know when I’ll have Sierra’s big brothers in the same room together again so I’m sorry if this seems a little unusual.” He looked at Sierra, an arm around her shoulders. “Sorry, honey. Nothing required of you—this is between me and the big brothers.” Then looking back at those men he said, “I’d like your blessing to ask Sierra to marry me. I haven’t done it yet, but I’ve wanted to. Now, if you give your blessing, I’ll ask her when she’s had a little more time to recover and a little more time with me. You know—not too long, not too fast. So?”

Dakota shrugged. “Okay by me,” he said.

“I heartily approve, if that’s what Sierra wants,” Cal said.

“Nobody asked me, but I like the idea,” Sully said.

“I’m in,” Maggie said. “I’ve known Connie since he was a kid and he’s okay. I mean, he’s really okay.”

“That’s nice,” Connie said, smiling. Then he looked at Sierra.