A Whisper of Trouble

by Susan Y. Tanner

  When she scooted her chair back and stood next to him, she realized how close they were. Apparently Will did as well but instead of stepping back, he eased forward and, holding her gaze, he lowered his head. She could have done a lot of things in that moment, she thought, but none of them felt as right as lifting her lips to his.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The sun had warmed the day nicely. Liz slid out of the flannel shirt she’d buttoned over a tee shirt and tied it around her waist as they walked. Jana waved to them from her lounge chair on the tiny deck at the front of Tucker’s apartment over the clinic. Liz noted the laptop and wondered if Jana was digging again, still hoping for another hit on one of the remaining stallions.

  “We’re frying fish tonight,” she called down to them. “Some river trout Tucker caught late in the summer.”

  “Sounds amazing,” Liz called back, then said to Will. “I don’t eat much fried food but fish is one of my favorite foods, not matter how it’s cooked.”

  “I think I heard Trouble purr,” Will told her, glancing down at the cat at her heels.

  Liz chuckled. “No doubt.”

  “Jana seems more relaxed than I expected after what Tucker told us happened with Vincente when he was gone.”

  “Tucker’s home now,” she reminded. “I expect he makes her feel safe.”

  “What makes you feel safe?” He wondered if he’d regret the question the moment he asked.

  She looked at him quizzically. “Me?” She hesitated. “What about you? What makes you feel safe?”

  “Is this a ‘you go first’?”

  Liz laughed out loud. A pretty sound. “I suppose.”

  “My cabin in South Carolina.”

  She stopped and turned to face him. “This is still a ‘you go first’. What makes you feel unsafe?”

  “If I’m going to be truthful, there’s not much that scares me. What I call safe is probably more a feeling of comfort, of being home and able to just…be.”

  “Then I’ll answer the same. For me, it’s being on the back of a horse. We know we have to trust each other so that neither of us ends up hurt in body or soul. That’s where I can just…as you say…be.”

  “So it’s not a place. Not a city or a community or a state.”

  “None of the above.”

  Will wasn’t sure why but that felt like a plus for him. Or maybe, he thought, he wasn’t ready to explore it yet. But he knew he would be. And soon.

  His phone rang and he glanced at it, then Liz. “Cervelli,” he told her. He hit speaker and answered. “Chandler here.”

  “You have my gratitude once again, Mr. Chandler. The Tolfetano is safely on Italian soil and soon to be headed to his home in Reggio Emilia.”

  “I’ll have to give Jonas the credit on this one. The groundwork was all his.”

  “Ah, but Mr. Lundy was clear he was but following the direction you had given him. He did agree with me that you had put together a good team but made it clear he was on your team.”

  They spoke a few minutes more as Will assured Cervelli that there would be no rest for any of them until the remaining horses were home. After the call, Will looked at Liz and raised a brow. “Damned if I don’t think Cervelli might have tried to steal Jonas.”

  She smiled at his consternation “Sounded like that to me but at least you know you don’t have to doubt Jonas’s loyalty.”

  He held her gaze. “I never did. I’ve learned to choose well.”

  * * *

  Hmmmm, it sounds to me as if this conversation is going to drift back into the personal. As fascinating as that seems to humans in this stage of their relationship, it holds little interest for me, at least in the specifics. I decide to check in with Jana. I don’t disagree with Liz that Tucker’s fiancée feels safe as long as he’s home but that Vincente fellow rattled her plenty.

  As I approach the vet clinic, I’m saved the tedium of climbing the steps. Jana is already halfway down.

  She stops to give me a rub about the shoulders which I appreciate.

  “Hello to you. I’m headed to check on the barns if you want to come.”

  Not particularly, I think to myself, but I suppose she would like some company. Humans are funny that way. The paddocks are relatively quiet, a private lesson here and there. Earlier there was a buzz of group work going on. I’m not sure what we’re checking on but Jana walks carefully through each barn, up and down every aisle, stroking noses and chatting with the equines. She has a nice, calm way about her that they seem to appreciate but I am more discerning. Under that calm, I can almost feel her nerves humming. I’ve no doubt at all it’s the result of the recent unpleasantness. Time will ease that, I’m sure, and she’s doing a fine job managing in the meanwhile. A stalwart young lady.

  We exit the last barn and move toward the fields. She laughs at the younger horses at play then stops at the pasture of the rescue twins she showed off to Liz. “There will be more rescues,” she murmurs, more to herself it seems than to me, “I’ll see to that.”

  It’s a nice thought and one with which I can sympathize. So many animals are simply thrown away by their owners. It’s a thing to break a tender heart. I’m fortunate mine is not tender in the least but I can be sympathetic. To a degree.

  “I think I’ve found another of the stallions, Trouble. I hate they took one of the Giara. They’re small, ugly-cute little horses and they live mostly wild. He won’t be used to being cooped up and it will be horrible for him.”

  My ears prick forward. Why am I hearing this without Will and Liz present?

  “I’ve got to follow through on this one myself. I trust Will but his team let the Ventasso slip through their fingers. These stallions must get home.”

  I hear the fierce determination in her voice and I can empathize but I’m more than a little alarmed. Surely, she means only to follow through from the safety of her online research. She cannot be so foolish as to hope to find and rescue the stallion herself and risk coming face to face with his thieves. People have been murdered for heaven’s sake. She knows this. Oh dear, however am I to convey my concern to Will? I’ll find a way, I’m sure. Meanwhile I mustn’t let Jana out of my sight unless I know she’s securely with Tucker. What an unfortunate turn this could take. I want to be mistaken. I really do.

  * * *

  “Tucker, these are outstanding.” Liz licked her fingers before picking up her napkin. She caught Will watching her. “Hey, so I’m a country girl!” she said, giving him a wink.

  “Not quite from river to table,” Tucker commented, “but close.”

  “River to freezer to table works.” Will winked back at Liz.

  “They are good, babe. And fried just right.” Jana grabbed another from the platter that Tucker was replenishing as fast as they could eat and he pulled her in for a quick hug. He wouldn’t let them wait to eat until he’d finished frying them all, complaining the first would be cold by the time the last were done. To placate them, he’d begun eating standing up while manning his post at the fryer.

  Liz felt more relaxed than she had in days. She didn’t know what the future would hold, didn’t know if Will would be successful in getting all of the stallions back home to Italy, didn’t know where she would next be asked to work. There were a lot of unknowns ahead but she was beginning to accept the possibility that Will might have a place in her future and she in his.

  When she got up for another piece of fish, she took one for Trouble as well. He rumbled appreciatively as she put it on the plate beside hers and carefully picked the bones from it.

  She looked up to find Will watching her and they exchanged a smile.

  It was dark but not late when she and Will walked back toward their cabins. She was feeling mellow from the bottle of wine they’d shared as Will walked the few steps past his cabin to her door.

  “Were you born a gentleman?”

  “Hardly. I had it thumped into my head by a woman who’d learned the hard way to respect herself and demand that other
s did as well.”

  “She sounds wonderful.”

  “She was.” Liz heard the memory of loss in his tone.

  “I’m sorry.”

  As she touched his jaw, he turned so that his lips brushed her fingers and when he pulled her in for a kiss, she met him halfway. She stepped back with a softly exhaled breath and—ever the gentleman—he let her go.

  He watched as she walked inside. She was careful to turn the lock, knowing he’d listen to be sure she did before he went into his own cabin.

  * * *

  I hadn’t intended to fall asleep after that delicious repast. Tucker fries a mean fish! And Liz ensured I ate my fill. I do believe she selected some of the more substantial pieces for my plate. Such a dear girl.

  I feel some disappointment that we were all play and no work but humans have their idiosyncrasies and put all discussion aside for the evening. And, perhaps, that will make minds sharper when we return to the intellectual fray on the morrow. Will believes so at any rate.

  It’s time for me to make my way to Liz’s cabin. Usually a single meow at her door suffices to wake her to let me inside.

  I’m halfway between Avery’s garden and the first of the cabin’s, when I hear a sound. I pause to study my surroundings. How odd. Jana is slipping from the apartment she shares with Tucker over the clinic. She stops on the tiny deck and looks back with the oddest of expressions, a mixture of sorrow and apprehension and…oh, dear…guilt! She’s about to do something unwise and is very aware of the fact. She turns toward the stairs.

  Oh, no, no, no! I must be quick. Jana has not the skills she will need to confront these criminals if that is her goal. I know I have only moments to act and race for help.

  Will’s cabin is dark but there is a light on in the cabin I share with Liz. Her window is open, which fact would be of great concern to Will but that is a conversation I can have with him at another time. For the moment, Jana is the focus and she must be routed from a plan that puts her at great risk.

  A single leap gets me to the window ledge and I drop inside voicing the urgency of my mission. If Liz has drifted to sleep with the light on, she will soon be awakened!

  * * *

  Liz put aside the book she’d been reading as Trouble vaulted onto the bed then jumped to the floor in almost the same instant. She’d never heard him yowl with so much agitation. She grabbed her phone along with the light corduroy jacket she’d tossed on the dresser. Grateful she was still fully dressed, she pulled on her boots and opened the cabin door to follow him into the night.

  Trouble headed straight back to where they’d spent the evening but even as she thought that, the door to Jana’s truck opened. Her first thought was thieves but the cab light glowed softly on Jana’s fair hair as the young woman slid behind the wheel. Without stopping to think, Liz stepped in front of the truck as it started. She absorbed Jana’s startled look as she moved quickly to the passenger side. As Trouble bounded for the running board, she scooped him up and climbed aboard. Trouble settled onto her lap with a growl.

  “Please get out.” Jana sounded frantic. “I’ve got to go.”

  “I’ll ride shotgun,” Liz said with as much calm as she could muster considering she had a very bad feeling about whatever was going on with Jana.

  “You can’t go with me,” Jana said fiercely. “Please, please get out now.”

  “I go or we sit here, which is probably the better idea.”

  Jana leaned her head on the steering wheel then reached to put the truck in gear. Liz pressed her lips to Trouble’s head. He was not going to be happy with her decision.

  “Please get Will. Hurry,” she whispered and opened the truck door. Flattening his ears at her, he sprang away from the wheels.

  As Jana pulled out of the drive, Liz tapped the face of her cell phone so that the screen lit.

  “What are you doing?” Jana sounded more anxious than suspicious.

  Liz decided that wasn’t a bad thing. Anxious seemed like a normal and much less worrisome emotion than suspicion.

  “Putting my phone on silent.” It wasn’t a complete lie, she told herself, as she also sent a share location to Will. “I thought maybe you’d want to tell me what’s going on and it would be better not to be disturbed.”

  Jana turned smoothly onto the road leaving the ranch. “I may have found the Pentro. I’m going to get him.”

  “Without a trailer?”

  “I want to be positive first. If he’s where I think he is, there should be a trailer close by. If not, I’ll ride him out.”

  Liz stayed silent. There was so much about this that didn’t fit, too many undercurrents she didn’t comprehend.

  “Why were you going alone? Why isn’t Tucker with you?” And why not ask the man who had been hired to take the risks to bring the stallions home?

  Jana was silent a long time before she said, “It’s mine to do.”

  There was such finality in her voice that Liz let it go. She hoped Will was up and looking for her and that he checked his phone sooner rather than later.

  * * *

  Will awakened to the sound of yowling at his front door. With his room still dark, his first thought was that Liz had let the cat out on demand and now slept too soundly to let him back in. His second was that he’d never heard Trouble sound even half that disturbed. Flipping the covers back, he pulled on his pants and reached for his gun and his phone.

  When he opened the door, Trouble didn’t rush inside as he expected but whirled around his feet and then started toward Liz’s cabin. Will’s heart gave a hard thud at the realization that her lights were on and the front door stood slightly ajar.

  The cabin proved empty and her truck stood beside it. He touched the hood and found it cold. He down at Trouble. “Take me to her.”

  The fact that the cat sat and watched him unblinking was not reassuring. Will took a deep breath and reached for his phone. If Liz didn’t answer, he’d call his team in for a search of the premises.

  The first thing he saw when the screen lit was a share location from Liz. He accepted then waited while her cell phone was found. She was between the ranch and Montgomery. He called, then listened to the unanswered rings until it went to voicemail.

  “Let’s find her, Trouble.” Instead of racing for the truck, the cat stood and began to whirl around his feet before taking a few steps toward the vet clinic. As they started that way, the door to the apartment above opened and Tucker stepped out.

  Knowing he wouldn’t see him in the dark, Will called his name and Tucker started down the steps toward them. Will and Trouble met him half way.

  Tucker looked bewildered. “Jana’s gone. Her truck’s gone and she’s not answering her phone.”

  “It would seem Liz is with her and also not answering her cell.” Will felt a little better at the deduction but not entirely. It didn’t mean they weren’t in danger. Trouble certainly thought they were and, if Will had learned anything in the past week or so, it was to trust the cat. “Have you and Jana ever shared location by cell phone?”

  Tucker shook his head. “We’re almost always together or not far from home.”

  “I think I’ll have to go with my gut and Trouble’s knowledge on this. They’re together and,” he paused to pull up Liz’s current location, “on I-65, heading north.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “I think it would be better if you let me take this one.”

  “The hell,” Tucker said furiously. “Jana is my fiancée. I’ll go or I’ll follow. I’ll get dressed and be down in five.”

  Will hadn’t had a lot of hope that Tucker would stay behind so all he did was shrug. “Five is about all we can spare. I’ll get my truck and call in my team.”

  Tucker nodded and took off at a sprint.

  Will pulled Carson and Jonas in on a conference call and gave them what little information he could. He placed Carson on standby and asked Jonas to hit the road for I-65. “Wait near Birmingham and I’ll give you a locat
ion as soon as I can figure out what the hell is going on.” As Tucker came down the steps, Will reluctantly accepted that Jana was the wildcard, even Tucker admitted theirs had been a whirlwind romance. He didn’t want to think bad of her but why would she disappear and take Liz with her? “Carson, one more thing. I’m going to have a photograph texted to you shortly. Now would be a good time to put that new facial recognition software to good use.”

  “Matching against what?”

  “Start with international news clippings then shift the search to the States. I don’t know what the devil I’m looking for.”

  “That’s a broad range, boss.” Carson sounded dubious.

  “I know but it’s all I’ve got for now.” Trouble pinned his ears at Will’s words and it was enough to make him hesitate. “Wait, key on anything horse related.” Trouble’s ears lifted and he blinked at Will.

  “Got it. I’ll be watching for that photo.” If there was something to be found, Carson was the one who could do it. Will hoped like blazes that whatever turned up didn’t link Jana to Italy.

  He put in a final call to Stack who simply answered, “I’ll be ready to roll or fly. Whatever you need, when you need it.”

  Tucker stepped into the cab as he ended the call with Stack. He gave Will a sharp look when asked to text a photograph of Jana to Carson but didn’t comment. He pulled up a photograph and entered the cell number Will gave him.

  The first glimmer of dawn hit the horizon as they made Montgomery. A quick check showed that Liz was still on I-65 and almost to Birmingham. Will said a prayer and settled his truck at the fastest safe speed he could. A trooper might not agree with him but Will would take a ticket if it meant getting to Liz in time. ‘In time for what’ was a thought that scared him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Liz had had enough time to think. Too much. Jana was hiding something and not just from Liz but from Tucker as well. “You may as well talk to me,” she said. “Whatever’s going on will come out anyway. Even if we make it back with the Pentro, you’ll have a ton of explaining to do to a lot of people.”