Chapter Eight
Cassandra Grigsby lifted her gaze as Gene Dempsey walked into her office. “Lock the door.”
He raised an eyebrow but did as she asked before settling in one of the chairs in front of her desk. He watched while she pressed the intercom button.
“Hold my calls, Stacey. I’ll be in a meeting for a while.” She turned to Gene. “I read what you emailed me. Do we have a tiger by the tail here?”
“That remains to be seen. But I can tell you these aren’t the kind of people you want to mess around with.”
She pulled up his email on her computer, as irritated now as when she’d first read it. It seemed they no longer dealt with a little scientist who might possibly be tempted by a big payday or easily pushed around. What she had in her corner was more formidable than a private army.
“The Phoenix Agency,” she mused. “They sound like something in covert ops.”
“They could be,” Gene told her. “The partners are all former military.”
“So what on earth are they doing in Clayton? Surely Grant Summerfield didn’t hire them to protect his little scientist. I didn’t think he knew of the danger to her.”
“The other guy whose pictures you sent me is the answer.”
Cass lifted an eyebrow. “So who is he?”
“Cole Martin. He’s—”
She snapped her fingers. “Of course. I’ve seen him at recent meetings of the Cattlemen’s Association. I guess he’s gotten involved with JL.”
“More than that.” Gene looked at the notes he’d transferred to his phone. “He’s the newest partner in the Phoenix Agency.”
Cass stared at him. What the hell? “He’s a rancher. What’s he doing with black work?”
“He’s also a former Force Recon Marine, and to put frosting on the cake, he’s a sniper. I’m guessing those things made him attractive to Phoenix. That doesn’t make me feel good.” Gene paused, then joked, “Though I don’t think he’ll be lying on a roof or sitting up in a tree, waiting for someone to attack her.”
“This is not funny, Gene. Snipers are lethal. They’ll do anything to protect the people in their charge. How the hell does a rancher end up with a group like the Phoenix Agency?”
“Read his bio. He served in the marines with the agency president, Dan Romeo. I guess going back to ranching was too tame for him after two tours overseas.”
“But he still runs his ranch,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, but I checked around. Quietly,” he added quickly. “He’s got a very capable foreman, so he’s free to do whatever.”
Cass studied the computer screen, not liking anything she saw. This had all sounded so easy in the beginning. Now it was getting fucked up six ways from Sunday. “You said here their headquarters are in Maryland. So what are they doing with another agent from here?”
“Three of the partners married women from San Antonio and have permanent homes there, although they spend some of their time on the East Coast. But maybe they’re creating another office in this area.”
“Just what we need,” she muttered. “That still doesn’t answer my question. Why him? Why now?” She clicked on an icon and opened a folder with photos in it. “I don’t want to ask what it costs to charter a helicopter to fly over the Martin ranch, but I’m glad you got these pictures. Any idea what this massive steel building is, way at the back of the spread?”
“Still working on that.”
Cass ground her teeth. Maybe she had put the wrong person on this. “It has to be something important with a fence this high and all the concertina wire topping it. You can damn well bet there’s a top-of-the-line security system, too.”
“Which is why I didn’t waste any time trying to get in,” he pointed out. “I was pretty sure you weren’t interested in bailing me out of jail.”
She glanced over at him. “Damn straight.”
“I got as much info on Phoenix as I could.” Gene shifted in his chair, a sign of his discomfort with the conversation. “I was lucky to find the one guy willing to open up to me without making too much noise about it. I managed to get the names of a couple of their clients, but, again, calling them for references didn’t seem to be the wise move.”
“Good. We don’t need to do anything to call any more attention to ourselves at the moment. Not until I have a better feel for the whole thing.” She studied the photos on the computer screen. “What in hell can they be hiding in a building that size? Certainly not cattle.”
“Maybe they plan to move the lab there.”
Cass frowned. “I suppose livestock’s always a possibility, but I don’t think so. No, something else is going on. See if your source has any more info. But be subtle.”
He gave a hoarse laugh. “Subtle’s my middle name.”
“What about the other pictures I sent? You didn’t get me anything on that other man.”
Gene was silent for a moment, as if he was choosing his words carefully, and it made her uneasy.
“What? What’s so terrible you can’t figure out how to tell me?”
“The other photos were of Leo Guerra.”
The words fell like stones between them. Cass’s stomach knotted, and she clenched her fists. Guerra! Damon Horner’s dark henchman. No other words described him. Whether smoothing wrinkles in a bad situation or getting rid of people who impacted Horner in a negative way, Guerra was the dark ghost who handled it. She knew he’d been with Horner since the early days, before the evolution of the conglomerate. He knew so many secrets that if Horner ever wanted to shut him up, he’d have to kill him and hide the body.
“He’s after the same prize.” She picked up a pen from the desk, twisted it idly in her fingers. “That really ramps things up. We have to look at this differently. Figure out a new approach.”
“It’s none of my business,” Gene said, “but you’ve never resorted to the kind of tactics Horner uses.”
A lot he knew.
“I hear you. And I’d like to think I’m better than that. But Gene? We’re in a bind here. Horner and others are cutting into our market. This grain would be the shot in the arm we need.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“First, I’d like you to eyeball that lab situation. My antennae are working overtime, telling me something’s new. Go get something to eat in that restaurant with the stupid name of Feed Me. Sit at the counter. Chat up the waitress. See if anything pops up in conversation.”
“Like what?”
“You’ll know it when you hear it. Then tap your sources. Find out where the situation stands with Horner and what he has on the line for Guerra.”
Gene shrugged. “I’ll do my best. But you know that’s harder than getting water from a dry well.”
Cass forced a smile. “I have every confidence you can handle it.”
But after he left the office, she leaned back in her chair, eyes closed for a moment. She had a sick feeling things were going to get unpleasant before too long.
Tomas Cervantes picked up his cell phone from the seat beside him and asked Siri to dial a number for him.
“¡Hola!” The familiar gravelly voice snapped out the greeting. “Business or pleasure, Tomas?”
“Always business, but with you it’s a pleasure.”
“A compliment.” The voice on the other end chuckled. “You must want something important.”
“I thought everything I want is important,” Tomas chastised. “But enough of this. I dropped Thiago at the airport. He will be in San Antonio, Texas tomorrow. I told him to check into the hotel and get a little sleep before tackling our problem again.”
“So you’re no further along toward a resolution than the last time we talked?”
Tomas grunted. “Not a bit. And I fear time is running out. I want to know who else is sniffing around the prize. Everything about them you can find out. You have people who can check that out?”
“Don’t I always?” The laugh had a slight malicious tinge to it. “I seem to be the international go-to man.”
“So you have people in place in the area you can tap?” Tomas pushed. He wanted to make sure.
“Yes.” The voice sounded a little testy. “Just tell me what you want.”
“Get someone out to take a look at the setup where the lab is. What’s around it? Is it easily accessible? I’m not sure Thiago gave me a full picture.” Tomas took a puff of his thin cigar. “Or even knows what to ask. If I didn’t have problems to handle here, I would have gone myself.”
“I can do that.”
“It’s in a small town,” Tomas warned, “so whoever you send has to blend in.”
“You don’t need to remind me. By this time, you should know I’m no novice at this, and I know the area very well. What else?”
“There have to be others after the same thing. They’re sure to be sniffing around, too. Be careful about what you do, keep it all low-key, but dig deep. See who they are.”
“Also not a problem,” the man assured him.
“Then I want everything you can find out about that lab, the woman running it, the status of the experiment, and what security steps they’ve taken.” Tomas swallowed his frustration. “Much as it pains me to admit it, I don’t think my brother quite has the talent for getting to the heart of things.”
The other man chuckled. “A little larceny in the heart always helps.”
“I want to know the woman’s weak spots. Where pressure can be applied.” Tomas paused as he wheeled the car into traffic. “What leverage I can use if I have to.”
“You think it will come to that?”
“I don’t know. We’ll see. But I want to be prepared.”
“And your brother?”
Tomas thought for a moment. “It distresses me to say this, but I think he lacks the, shall we say, sophistication to properly pursue this. I sent him back because these are his contacts. Stay away from him for the time being. I’ll make all the decisions from now on.”
“As you wish, amigo.” The man clicked off.
Tomas mulled the conversation over in his head on the long drive back to the estancia. As much as he loved his brother, the man was a babe in the woods when it came to dealings under the table and what one needed to apply leverage. But he, Tomas, had been to that well many times. He’d go there again, as often as needed, to save their business. They were rapidly approaching a crisis point, something he had yet to share with his brothers. He wanted to have a solution before he broke the news to them. He was damned determined no one would stop him.
Damon Horner glanced at Leo Guerra, sitting once again across the desk from him.
“Well?” Horner lifted an eyebrow. “You said you had something new for me.”
Guerra nodded. “For one thing, I nosed around and discovered Cass Grigsby is after the same prize we are.”
Horner made a rude noise. “She’s chump change. She’ll never be able to compete with us.”
“Don’t dismiss her so easily,” Guerra warned. “Desperate people do desperate things. Didn’t you tell me not too long ago you heard Grigsby Industries is slipping?”
“I did. But she doesn’t have the cojones to get down and dirty in a fight like this.”
Guerra snorted. “Damon, you’re always so dismissive of women. This one might come back to bite you in the ass.”
Horner laughed, a low sound, full of lechery. “She can bite my ass anytime, as long as we’re both naked.” He leaned forward. “Okay, you keep track of her. Put someone on her if you have to, but don’t let her catch them.”
“What is this, my first rodeo?” Guerra snapped.
“Yeah, yeah, I know how good you are. What else did you find out?”
Guerra’s mouth kicked up in a satisfied smile. “Got the goods on that guy hanging around with her. The former marine who owns the ranch I scouted. You aren’t gonna like it.”
“So what. Spit it out. Come on.”
But by the time Guerra finished his report, Horner was about to snap the cigar he held in half. He’d heard of the damned Phoenix Agency. Usually they stayed in the shadows, but a couple of years ago they’d been all over the news after babysitting a shipment of arms to the security force they’d trained in Iraq for Grainger Caldwell, a construction firm with government contracts. Horner’s friend, Matt Caldwell, had figured out a sweet way to “lose” the shipment, then sell it to Iraqis and collect on the insurance. Fucking Phoenix was supposed to take the fall for it, but they’d blown that all to hell, and Matt now sat in a federal prison. Assholes. Maybe he could get some payback for Matt if he played this right.
“If they’re involved in this, it’ll be a pistol to get to her. Can you take another trip to Clayton and see if anything new is going on with the lab?”
“Sure, but like what?”
Horner shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got an itchy feeling, and it needs to be scratched, so humor me.”
“You call the shots. But I’m not going to hang around. I don’t want anyone to get used to my face. Anything else?”
“Yeah.” Horner fiddled with his pen a little more, thinking. “I want to know what’s in that building Martin’s got out on his back forty.”
“I told you. I’m guessing, but I’m pretty sure that place is wired for more security than Fort Knox.”
“Hire a helicopter. Take some aerial shots and fly low enough to use an infrared detector. I don’t like not knowing everything I’m up against.”
Guerra frowned. “If you say so. I don’t want to tickle their suspicions, though.”
“Then find someone who might have a good reason for being in the air. And do it soon.”
“I want to go by Dad’s place again tonight.” JL hung up her lab coat, shut down the stand-alone computer, and grabbed her purse from her desk drawer.
“Any special reason?” Cole asked. “I thought maybe we’d grab a bite of dinner at Charlie’s. We haven’t been out to eat in a while.”
She grinned at him. “Are you trying to wine and dine me, Mr. Martin?”
He grinned, a hidden dimple flashing at the corner of his mouth. “Is it working?”
“If you’re thinking romance, you’d better pick someplace better than Charlie’s Barbecue.” She stood on tiptoe to press a soft kiss to his mouth. “How about if we pick some up and take it out to the ranch? I haven’t been home to see my dad in a week. Besides, he’ll love the barbecue. I don’t think he’s had any in a while.”
He wound his arms around her, pulling her close to his body. Even through the denim of his jeans and the fabric of her slacks, she could feel the hard, thick length of his erection. Heat bloomed between them, intense enough to steam the air.
“If we’re not careful,” he murmured against her lips, “we’ll give the guard out there an X-rated show.”
She laughed. “Good thing I let Miles leave early.”
“You sure we need to go see your father? Not that I don’t like Jed a whole lot, but—”
She pressed her fingertips to his mouth. “Yes, we do. I don’t like not being home for this long. I worry about him. Lately, he seems tired all the time and, oh, I don’t know. Not quite himself.”
“Jed Mitchell’s going to outlive us all, I think. But I get where you are with this. Yes, we’ll take dinner over. If you want to stay the night there, I can come back and pick you up in the morning.”
She took a step back. “First of all, there’s no reason why I can’t drive my car. Second, you are more than welcome to spend the night there with me. All you need is a razor and clean underwear.”
He frowned. “But Jed—”
“Knows I’m old enough to have sex. I’m sure he doesn’t think I spend all those nights at your house playing video games.” When a tinge of red touched his cheeks, she laughed. “Why Cole Martin, I do believe you’re blushing.”
“I’ve known Jed for a long time. I don’t want him to get the wrong impression of me.”
“Oh? And what would that be?” she teased. “You’re taking liberties with his daughter? I think he’s got that figured out already. So, here’s the deal: I’ll leave my car if you’ll spend the night at Dad’s place with me.” She shook her head. “Dad’s place. Your place. I feel like I don’t have my own place.”
He tucked two fingers beneath her chin, his fingers warm and calloused, and tilted up her face. “It could be our place if you’d just say yes.”
“Cole, I . . .” She took a step back, her insides tightening. What was the matter with her? The best man in the world, a man she loved beyond anything, wanted to make her his wife, and she was running from something she couldn’t even identify.
“It’s okay.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I won’t push. But we do need to deal with this, JL.”
“I know, I know.”
“Why don’t you call Faith Halloran and get her to set you up with her aunt Vivi? She can help you harness your gift, understand it, and maybe use it to put some of your fears about my situation to rest. Things aren’t the same as they were with Brian. You’ve met all the Phoenix partners and gotten good readings from them. Besides, this will give you some time to talk to Faith. You spent time with Mia. Did you discuss it with her?”
“Yes, and she suggested I talk to Faith, also.” She tugged her lower lip between her teeth. “She brought up that Psi Department thing again, too. The one they spoke about at dinner at the Romeos’?”
“I remember.” One corner of his mouth kicked up in a grin. “I think it would be great for you to explore, but only if you want to. It sounds like a place you might feel more comfortable about your ability, though. A place where you can get the kind of support you’ve never had. And maybe learn how to deal with it better.”
Could she? She’d fought it for so long. Since Brian’s death, she’d tried to keep it shut away, only allowing it out to get a reading on the people from Phoenix.
“You think she’d be willing to do it on a Sunday?”
Cole pulled out his cell and scrolled down to the Hallorans’ phone number. “Call her and find out.”
JL felt awkward about the conversation at first, but Faith Halloran was so warm and friendly she felt at ease almost at once.
“Aunt Vivi will be happy to do it,” Faith assured her and laughed. “That’s when she’s in her element. Can you make it this Sunday?”
“Of course. And thanks.”
“Oh, hold on a minute.” Faith spoke to someone in the background then came back on the phone. “Mark says to have Cole bring you, and the two of them can go over some agency business while we’re at Aunt Vivi’s.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
By the time she hung up, she had a promise from Faith to call her back later that evening with a time.
“I would have insisted on driving you even if Mark hadn’t said anything,” Cole told her.
“I can certainly drive to San Antonio by myself,” she pointed out.
“Not while there’s any threat out there.” He stroked his fingers down her cheek. “I take your protection very seriously.”
“I still have a hard time believing any of these people would do anything extreme. They’re business people, for God’s sake.”
“On the hunt for a big prize,” he reminded her. “And remember what Andy found out. Every one of them needs a big prize right now. They all have problems they’re juggling.”
“Still . . .”
He put his arm around her and guided her toward the door. “We’re not taking any chances, so deal with it.”
And, truth be told, it did make her feel a lot better to know her safety was such a high priority. How stupid not to realize what a magnet this project would be for all kinds of people. Her goal was to help people like her dad and Cole and other ranchers as Texas went through one siege of drought after another. Isolated in the contained atmosphere of her lab, she forgot about the people out there who would do anything to get their hands on a moneymaker. And this grain, which she was so close to finalizing, would turn out to be exactly that.
At Cole’s insistence, they made sure the computer was securely locked. JL waited patiently while he stopped by the monitors in the lab. When they got to the guard’s desk he stopped a few moments to chat with the man.
She smiled as he took extra care checking the security lock on the front door, then guided her toward his truck parked at the side of the building. As she stood beside the passenger door, waiting for him to unlock it, she glanced idly across the street. And every muscle in her body tightened.
“What is it, darlin’? You just got tighter than a stretched rubber band.”
“There’s a man across the street.” She forced herself not to point. “See him? The one in front of Barton’s Boots.”
“Yeah. Probably someone after a new pair of boots. Why?”
JL swallowed. Hard. Forced herself to be calm. “I see black all around him, Cole.”
“Get in the truck.” He opened the door and nudged her into the passenger seat. “And don’t look over there again.”
But it was hard for her not to. Her eyes were drawn to him like steel to a magnet. He certainly appeared innocuous enough, dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, hands shoved in his pockets as he studied the window in front of him in obvious concentration. Maybe too much concentration. She glanced sideways, catching him with the corner of her eye. The black still flickered around him like a dark, smoky haze.
Who on earth would give off such a negative aura? And what was he doing here?
Cole climbed into the truck beside her and pulled out his cell phone.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we get out of here?”
“In a minute.” He dialed a number. “Need you to take a little ride down Main Street,” he told whoever answered. “I think you need a new pair of boots. And someone else does, too. Find out who it is without chasing him off.” He paused. “What? Let’s call it a hunch.”
He disconnected but kept the phone in his hand.
JL looked at him curiously. “Who were you talking to?”
“One of the two guys camped out in the little house I told you about. I want him to scope out the situation. And here he is now.”
A nondescript pickup slid down the street and parked in front of Feed Me. JL watched as a man got out and strolled over to the boot store. Cole backed up and drove out of the lot, heading away from town.
“Van’s got it,” he told JL. “It’s his shift. He’ll call me later and fill me in.”
“Who do you think it is?”
“Don’t know yet, but I’ll bet he’s up to no good.” He reached over and took her hand. “My money’s on you, darlin’. If you tell me he’s got bad karma, I’m not about to argue.”
The tension in JL’s body eased slightly. He’d actually paid attention to her gift. Intuition. Whatever. This had been a major hurdle to get past. For the first time since she’d run from Seattle, and in spite of the escalating situation surrounding her, she felt things might just work out between her and Cole.
Rod Vetter waited until he was far enough away from Clayton before he pulled over and took out his cell phone, speed-dialing a number.
“Yeah, it’s me. And no, I didn’t get to spend a lot of time there.”
“Why not?” the voice on the other end asked.
“First of all, you know that town’s the size of a peanut. Strangers stand out unless they’re in a bunch of tourists.”
“I said to make yourself as invisible as possible,” the voice reminded him.
“And I did. What’s more invisible than a cowboy looking to buy new boots?”
“First tell me if you saw anyone else sniffing around. At least in the short time you were there.”
“There were a few people walking up and down the street, going in the stores. But no, I didn’t see anyone paying special attention to that building.”
“So, what happened? Why did you leave?”
Rod pulled a cigarette out of his shirt pocket, lit it, and took a drag. Nasty habit, but he couldn’t seem to get rid of it. “I did a slow stroll up and down the street, keeping an eye on that lab building without being too obvious. Not much activity there, by the way, but they got a fucking damn bunch of cameras on the roof.”
“You saw them? They’re that visible?”
“I saw them because I know what to look for.” He blew out a stream of smoke. “I’m dawdling right across from the building, pretending to window-shop, when this SUV drives up, a guy gets out, and goes in without any problem at all. I figure, in a building with all those cameras, the security’s gotta be top-notch, so he’s got a magic pass.”
“Did you get his picture?”
“And one of his license plate. I’m no dummy, you know.”
“Go ahead,” the voice snapped. “What happened next?”
“In a few minutes, he comes back out, and he’s got the woman with him. They get in his truck and sit there for a few minutes. And then, fucking swear to God, some guy shows up, walks up next to me, and starts talking to me.”
He waited, but for a long moment only silence answered him.
“You still there?” he prodded.
“I am,” the voice came back finally. “You must have done something to attract someone’s interest.”
“You think I’m an idiot?” Another long drag on the cigarette. “This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, you know. And I’ve never been picked up on before. I blend in well. If you want my take, I think the guy who picked her up is either covert ops or ultra-top-secret security. Those guys have some kind of internal radar, I swear.”
“Shit.”
“If he’s taking care of this woman, we need more than me ambling along the sidewalk. I’m betting he’s got people stashed all around he can rustle up in seconds. What is she doing in that lab, anyway? Building some kind of new bomb?”
“Something far more valuable,” the voice said.
“Shouldn’t they be someplace other than the middle of this dinky little town?”
“I would have said they didn’t think they were all that vulnerable, but if they’ve got some kind of superspy on her and high-tech security, maybe I misjudged them.”
Rod snorted, took one last drag, and tossed the cigarette. “I never thought I’d hear you say that.”
“And I won’t say it again. This is the last time I’ll be caught off guard.”
“So what now?”
“You can’t go back there during daylight. That’s for sure.” The words were edged with ice. “Get the hell out of there for the moment. Call me tomorrow. I have another idea, but I want to think about it first. It’s plenty dicey. Risky.”
“Are you saying I can’t handle risks?” Vetter growled.
“Not at all. Let me mull it over a little. Tomorrow. Don’t forget.
“Tell me,” Rod said, “what the fuck is so damn secret and important to bring all this down?”
Another pause. “Money.” The word was almost whispered. “And power. Lots of both. And I plan to get it before anyone else does.”
Jed Mitchell leaned back in his chair, wiped the last speck of barbecue sauce from his fingers, and lifted his bottle of beer. “Thanks for bringing out the ribs and stuff. Haven’t had anything from Charlie’s in too long.”
“It was Cole’s idea,” JL told hm. “I knew you’d love it.”
Jed took a swallow of beer and looked from one of them to the other. “But you know I’m old enough to stay home without a babysitter.”
JL gave him a sheepish grin. He’d been encouraging her more and more to go ahead and move in with Cole. “I like spending time with you, Dad. I’m sorry I don’t get to do more of it.”
“Honey, you’re a grown woman. I was real delighted when you moved back from Seattle. There’s only the two of us, and I wasn’t all that happy with you being halfway across the country. But I figured after a bit you’d get your own place.” He winked at Cole. “Or live with someone closer to your age.”
“You trying to get rid of me?” she teased.
“No.” The smile disappeared. “All I want is for you to be happy. When you came home, you looked like someone had killed your puppy. You never said what happened, and I never asked. Figured you’d tell me in your own time.” He shrugged. “Then you took up with Cole, and I was real pleased about it.”
“Took up?” JL grinned at him. “Is that what I did?”
Jed cracked a smile. “I think you’re a little too old to call it hanging out, don’t you?”
“We’ve got it under control, Jed.” Cole reached over and squeezed her hand. “How’s that new bull doing?”
“Okay, okay. I know when to mind my own business.” He frowned. “Forgive me if I just want to see my girl settled.”
“I am settled, Dad. So about that bull.”
“I’d rather talk about how your experiment is coming. Those idiots still bothering you?”
“I can handle it.” She hoped.
“We’ve got a plan,” Cole answered. “I examined it from all angles, JL and I discussed it and we decided the best thing is to meet with each group. Once. Let them speak their piece, answer their questions, give them a polite but firm no, and tell them we’d appreciate it if they’d stop calling.”
“You think that will do it?” Jed grunted. “I don’t know about the others, but Damon Horner never gives up until he gets what he wants.”
“He won’t get it from me.” JL glanced over at Cole. “We’ll make sure he understands.”
Jed didn’t look satisfied, but he gave a short nod of his head. “As long as you’re safe. I wouldn’t put it past any of them to try storming the lab and stealing your work.”
“All taken care of,” Cole assured him and went on to describe the new security setup. “And she won’t be going anyplace alone, either. Until this is over, the research produces what she wants, and the Cattlemen’s Association has it firmly under lock and key, either I’ll be driving JL wherever she needs to go or one of the guards will.”
“I feel like a kid with a babysitter,” she complained.
And she did, even though she knew it was for her safety. She wished Cole would hurry up and get the damn lunches scheduled so she could get a read on the people and figure out the strength of each threat. They had agreed on the drive from town not to mention anything to Jed about the man they’d spotted in town.
She pushed away from the table and gathered the plates. “Let’s change the subject, okay?”
She was rinsing the dishes when Cole’s cell phone rang. He checked the readout and rose from the table. “I need to take this. Excuse me a minute.”
JL watched as he walked into the living room. Maybe this was about the man they’d seen. She tried to contain her impatience until he returned to the kitchen.
“Tell me about him.” Cole had demanded as he paced the living room, cell phone to his ear.
“Van only got a shot of the man as he walked away from him,” Dan said. “He was trying not to be obvious about it. But he did get the license plate. Andy ran it through the Dragon.”
“And?”
“Not real good, Cole. The truck belongs to a man named Rod Vetter. He doesn’t seem to have a job, but he lives well. Not lavishly. He’s got a nice house in San Antonio, high-end truck, stuff like that.”
“No visible income?” Cole rubbed the back of his neck. “That makes me nervous.”
“Yeah, well, so will the rest of this. You know Andy. He’ll dig all the way to hell if he has to. Vetter is apparently the go-to guy when you want something nasty done, no matter what it is. But he’s a slippery asshole. The cops have never been able to pin anything on him. And you won’t like this next bit.”
Cole tightened his grip on the phone, his body tensing. “Lay it on me.”
“Blake, Van’s shift partner, has spent a little time in Feed Me, that restaurant across the street. He usually sits at the counter and makes nice with the waitress.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know he’s Mister Charming.” Cole bit back his impatience. “What did he find out?”
“Seems Vetter tried out his charm on the waitress, too. Complimenting the town and Main Street. Gave her a bullshit story about being a writer and doing research for a book on the area.”
“Did she ask him what other books he’d written?”
Dan snorted. “Sure did. She said he sidestepped it nicely.”
Cole’s hand tightened on the phone. “What specifically did he want to know?”
“According to her, he asked a lot questions about ‘the building at the end of the street.’”
“Like what?” A mixture of anger and fear surged through him, but he forced it all back, reaching for the calm he’d learned as a sniper.
“Oh, you know. ‘What’s so mysterious they have all the windows blacked out? What’s going on in there?’ But, don’t worry. The waitress told Blake she got bad vibes from the guy and played dumb.”
“I’m sure the people in town have to know about the lab,” Cole pointed out. “The project hasn’t been kept secret.”
Dan chuckled. “Sure, but that little town of yours is something else. They get bad vibes from someone, they clam up and protect their own.”
“One of the many reasons I’m glad the lab is located there. Some of the ranchers thought it should be more isolated, but that’s only inviting trouble.” Cole blew out a breath. “Who does Vetter work for? Did you find out?”
“We’re still digging.” Irritation edged Dan’s voice. “Andy managed to find the guy’s bank account, or at least one of them, but he’s still trying to track the source of the money. It flows in from all over the globe and goes through a variety of banks until it gets to him. The people he takes jobs for know how to hide their trail.”
“Damn.”
“I agree. Word is Vetter only takes select jobs from a few people, that he’s done all kinds of wet work. He scopes out situations and searches for solutions. Whoever pays him, they’re very good at covering their tracks.”
“But Andy can still find them, right?” This was not good news. Cole wanted to take JL, lock her up in his house, and not let her out.
“Sure, but it’s taking longer than we expected. We’re trying some other angles. Checking situations he’s been involved in and working back from there.”
“You can damn well bet he was up to no good in Clayton.”
“That’s for sure,” Dan agreed.
“I’ll be driving JL wherever she goes from now on,” Cole said. “If for some reason I can’t, one of the guys hanging out in the house we rented will take over.”
“Good idea. They’ve gone through our training programs, and one of them is former Delta Force. But be alert,” Dan warned him. “Even the best people can be caught off guard.”
“Tell Andy to keep at it.” Cole disconnected the call and arranged his face as best he could into an untroubled mask before walking back into the kitchen.
JL turned away from the sink. “Anything important? Something I should be worried about?”
Cole glanced around. “Where’s Jed?”
“He got a call from the barn and went out to check on something. What’s up?”
“That was Dan. The guy you spotted across the street?”
“The one in the black cloud?”
“Yeah. Well, it’s plenty black. Andy is stilling compiling all the facts on him, but he’s a nasty piece of work.” He reached for JL, cupping her cheeks and staring into her eyes. He hated scaring her, but she needed to know how serious this had become. “From now on, until we know who’s ramping things up, you go no place by yourself. Understood?”
“But—”
He touched a fingertip to her mouth. “There’s no wiggle room. If for some reason I can’t drive you, one of the guys staying at the house will.”
“This is costing a lot of money, Cole.” He saw the worry in her eyes. “I can’t believe your partners are willing to fork out all this cash without a client.”
He wished she’d get that out of her head, but her concern was part of what he loved about her.
“Listen to me. They didn’t have a client when they went after Mark. Or when they rescued Kat D’Antoni’s sister and her boss. Or when Summer Arsenault was kidnapped. That’s who they are. We’re one big family, and family comes first.”
“But you haven’t been a partner long,” she pointed out. “Maybe they’ll decide I’m too much trouble, and it will affect your situation with the agency.”
“Get the idea out of your head. Right now.” He traced a finger over her soft lips. “Whatever it takes is worth it. That’s who we are, who they are. No one, especially me, is going to sit by and let something happen to you. I promise.”
Anger snapped in her eyes now. “I hate it that these people are screwing up my life and yours, too.”
“Me too, darlin’. But I’m going to make sure we get them out of your life as soon as possible.” He pressed his mouth to hers in a soft, brief kiss. “I’m going to set up those lunches.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “I’m going to call Faith back and take her up on her offer to meet her aunt. ”
“I really appreciate you letting me intrude on you like this.” JL held her hand out to the woman who opened the door.
“No intrusion at all.” She ignored JL’s hand and swept her into a hug. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Faith laughed. “I told you that’s what she’d say.”
“Come in, both of you. I’ve got brownies and some of my special tea. Let’s relax and have a nice talk.”
Whatever JL had expected, it certainly wasn’t the small, bright-eyed woman standing before her, her sable-brown curls streaked with gray. Hazel eyes with a ring of green sparkled with a combination of humor and warmth. The kitchen was an explosion of color, with mystical items like suncatchers and a whimsical array of ceramic and glass cats on the windowsill. The air was fragrant with the scent of chocolate and the aromatic tea.
“Have a seat.” Vivi waved toward the round table in the center of the room. “I’ll pour some tea for us.”
JL’s mouth watered as she spotted the plate of brownies in the center of the table.
“Go ahead.” Faith grinned. “One bite and I promise you’ll be addicted.”
JL helped herself, took a bite, and moaned in ecstasy. “Wow. You weren’t kidding.”
Vivi poured cups of tea for each of them and carried them to the table.
“Lotus tea,” she explained. “Please. Take a sip.”
JL lifted a cup and took a tiny sip. As the heated liquid coursed through her veins, she could feel herself unwind.
“I think I need a gallon of this,” she joked.
“Its primary benefit,” Vivi explained, “is to help you feel calm and stress free. All of us keep a supply on hand. It also helps us learn to use our gifts to their full extent.”
“Yes, about that.” JL set her cup down in its saucer. “I’m so conflicted about the whole thing. I’ve fought it for so long. The one time I tried to use it to warn someone, they didn’t believe me.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” Faith interrupted, “but I shared your story with Aunt Vivi so she’d have an idea of where you’re coming from.”
“No, that’s fine.” JL sighed. “It saves me from having to repeat it again.” She stared into her cup. “That was a very painful time for me. I still have trouble dealing with it.”
“I can understand.” Vivi put a reassuring hand on her arm. “We’ve all dealt with skepticism, although not with such personally painful results. So there are two things you need to remember: One, there will always be skeptics. And two, you are now in the company of friends, some of whom have similar gifts and will always treat yours with respect.”
“What I really need,” JL told her, “is someone to help me understand it—how to deal with it.”
“And that’s why you’re here today.”
“It is.” She tried to control her frustration. “I don’t seem to be able to control this in any way. And sometimes I get mixed signals. Mixed colors.”
“Understandable,” Vivi assured her. “And not a problem. Most people do not have a single-color magnetic field. Personalities are complex. People usually aren’t all one way or another.”
“So how do I know what I’m seeing if I get a mixture?”
“There will always be a predominant color. If it’s very strong, it will override all the others. If not, and if they mix together that, too, can give you a picture of the person’s makeup.” She took one of JL’s hands. “Study your colors. You’ll learn a person’s predominant traits and how to deal with them. The only worry is if black dominates. Then you’re in the presence of intense evil.”
An icy shiver skated over JL’s spine. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Let’s practice a little, shall we?”
For the rest of the afternoon, JL ate brownies, drank the excellent tea, and listened as the tiny woman with the voice like a soft melody told her more about auras than anything she’d read. JL learned some auras are visible, some not. They wrap around the body in an oval shape. Some personalities are so strong a person with the gift can see them at once. And auras can’t be faked—they are the true definition of who and what a person is.
“Focus,” Vivi kept telling her. “Sometimes you can’t see the aura at first. Many people are good at hiding who they really are.”
“How do I do that?” JL asked. “Right now, with this situation, Cole is depending on me to read the people we’re going to meet with.”
“Think of a blank sheet of white paper. Concentrate on it. Imagine that person standing with the paper as a backdrop. Focus especially on the head. You want to see any mixture of colors, clues to other parts of the subject’s personality.”
Vivi took JL through the steps of concentration and definition one by one. She taught her how to pull up her internal shields but warned sometimes that wasn’t possible. By the time Vivi leaned back in her chair and pronounced them finished for the day, JL felt completely wrung out.
“Well.” She looked at Faith. “At least I feel more confident about these lunches Cole is setting up. I’ll be able to focus and tell Cole the makeup of each energy field.” She had told Faith about the lunches on the drive over here.
“I’m glad we could help.” Faith smiled at Vivi. “You really come through for us all the time. Thank you so much.”
“Honey, I’m happy to do it.”
JL checked her watch. “We’ve taken up enough of your time. But—”
“Whatever it is,” Vivi said in a soft voice, “all you have to do is ask.”
“Can I call you? Maybe come to see you again if I have questions?”
“Oh, you’ll have plenty of questions,” Vivi laughed. “You’re welcome anytime. If you’ll give me your email, I’ll send you the links to our website and my email.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“No thanks necessary.” Vivi gave her a hug. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“She’s an extraordinary woman,” JL told Faith when they were back in the car.
“She sure is. I don’t know what I would have done without her when Mark was a prisoner that time. A telepath in the group of terrorists holding him captive was powerful enough to intrude on our exchanges and even block me.”
“You’re kidding.” JL glanced over at the other woman.
“I wish. But Aunt Vivi and her friends taught me how to put up my own shields so only Mark could hear me, and how to get around the other telepath.”
“You must have been terrified for Mark.”
Faith was silent for a moment. “More like angry,” she said at last. “Every door in Washington slammed shut in my face. No one wanted to talk about it. Mark’s commanding officer was beyond mad, but his hands were tied.” She gave a soft laugh. “But then I found Phoenix.”
“They all seem so . . . confident.”
“They are. And with good reason.” Faith pulled into JL’s driveway. “They do remarkable things. You couldn’t have better people watching your back. And each other. This is a good place for you and Cole.”
JL let out a breath. Faith’s words offered the kind of reassurance she needed. “Thank you, for that and for today.”
Mark and Cole were in the family room, bent over a stack of printouts. The television was on low, more for background noise than for anything else. Cole glanced up at once when JL and Faith walked into the room.
“How did it go?” The concern in his voice was evident.
JL smiled at him. “Better than I even expected. I’ll tell you all about it later. But I think it’s time now to set up those lunches.”
“Mark and I have been discussing the best way to handle those.”
“My spaghetti sauce has been simmering all afternoon,” Faith told them. “So food first, and no shop talk at dinner.”
“Whatever you say, darlin’.” Mark stood and pulled his wife into a hug. “You’re the boss.”
Faith laughed. “As long as you remember that.”
When the Hallorans walked into the kitchen, Cole took JL’s hand and tugged her down beside him.
“We’re dealing with some bad folks here, sugar. We’re just finding out how bad they are.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. “But I promise you, we are going to keep you safe.”
“I believe you,” she whispered. And she did, despite the tiny seed of fear bouncing around inside her.