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My heart raced as I reached for my phone. I needed to get a closer look to see if I could identify the driver. I dialed the station number, keeping my voice low when the deputy answered.
"Hey, it's me. I'm heading outside. If you don't hear from me in five minutes, send backup."
"Got it," he replied, the tension in his voice mirroring my own.
I slipped out the back door, keeping to the shadows as I moved towards the lot. The car was still there, a dark silhouette against the night. I crept closer, my hand hovering over my gun.
The car's engine revved suddenly, and it lunged forward, headlights flaring to life. I barely had time to react, diving to the side as the car sped past, the rush of air and roar of the engine filling my ears. I rolled to my feet, pulling my gun, but the car was already gone, taillights disappearing into the darkness.
"Shit!" I swore, panting as I scanned the empty lot. Whoever it was, they’d been waiting for me. Watching. And they'd just tried to kill me.
I called the station again, my hand shaking as I held the phone. "They tried to run me over. Get out here and secure the area."
The deputy's voice was sharp. "On it."
I holstered my gun, adrenaline coursing through me. This was no longer a game of cat and mouse. It was a goddamn war, and they’d just fired the first shot.
Minutes later, the station lot was flooded with lights and deputies. We combed the area, looking for any clue or trace of the car or driver. But it was like they’d vanished into thin air.
Back in my office, I leaned against the desk, my mind racing. Whoever was behind this was getting desperate. Desperate enough to make a move on me. I needed to be wiser and more cautious. Heather's face flashed in my mind, her determined eyes. I had to protect her.
The door creaked open, and the sheriff walked in, his face grim. "I heard what happened. You alright?"
"Yeah," I said, though my hands still trembled. "They got away, but it was a close call."
He nodded, folding his arms. "This changes things. They're getting bold. We need to tighten security around the ranch and get more eyes on the town. Whoever did this is likely watching us."
"I agree," I replied, pacing the small office. "But we can't just sit back and wait. We need to keep pushing, make them slip up."
The sheriff sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Alright. We'll increase patrols and set up checkpoints. But I need you to be careful. No more solo missions, got it?"
"Got it," I said, though the words tasted bitter. I hated feeling like a target, hated that Heather was caught up in this mess. But the sheriff was right. We had to be smart about this.
After he left, I sat back down, staring at the evidence spread out before me. Tom Halverson's name kept coming up, but something about it felt off. Too obvious, maybe. But I had nothing else to go on.
I picked up my phone, dialing Heather. She answered, her voice tense. "Hey. You okay?"
"Yeah," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Just had a little run-in with a car. They missed."
"Jesus," she breathed. "Are you hurt?"
"No, just pissed off. We need to tighten security at the ranch. They're getting desperate."
"I figured as much," she replied. "I've got a bad feeling about all this, Danny. We need to be careful."
"I know," I said, my heart aching at the worry in her voice. "We'll get through this. I promise."
After hanging up, I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes. The room was quiet, but my mind was anything but. I needed to find the missing piece, the connection that would blow this case wide open.
Sleep was a distant dream, so I poured myself another cup of coffee and went back to work. As I sifted through the files, a pattern started to emerge, faint but there.
Tom Halverson was connected to several businesses in town, most of them legitimate on the surface. But a deeper look revealed ties to known associates of the drug ring we were investigating. It was a thin lead, but it was something.
I pulled out my phone, snapping photos of the relevant documents. I'd need to follow up on these leads, but I couldn't do it alone. I needed a team, people I could trust.
The following day, I gathered the deputies for a briefing, laying out the connections I’d found. "Halverson's got his fingers in a lot of pies. We need to dig deeper into these businesses to see if we can find any direct ties to the ring."
One of the deputies, a grizzled veteran named Jones, spoke up. "You think he's our guy?"
