“They’re hoping to at least confirm which direction they headed, especially gauging which side of the road he was picked up from.” He dipped his chin. “Weren’t you listening?”
She frowned, deciding not to answer him. “Thought they already spotted him nearby.”
He shook his head. “These guys check and double-check, and some rancher thinking he might have seen Nazari doesn’t really narrow the search.”
With anger rising to once again heat her face due to his continued dark gaze, she glanced at Tess, whose head had moved left and right, oscillating between them. “Fuss!” she said, giving her the German term for “heel.” She led the way outside and headed straight to her car.
“I’m riding with you,” he said, catching up with her.
“Hope you don’t insist on driving.”
Shaking his head, he raised both hands. “Never had a complaint about your driving, Burke.”
She pulled to a halt, and Tessa sat beside her, again gazing upward, and probably wondering why the two humans were becoming increasingly tense. Jamie fisted her free hand on her hip. “Then what do want to complain about, Reynolds?”
Sky’s mouth tightened.
“Didn’t think so. Let’s just get to work.” She began walking again. Briskly. A sour taste filled her mouth, and foolishness for ever having mooned over this jerk muddied her thoughts.
Behind her, Sky muttered, “Well, hell. All I wanted to say was you look pretty in civvies.”
3
Sky Reynolds suffered the drive to the crime scene in silence, watching Jamie from the corner of his eye. She was still a touchy little thing. He should have remembered how easy riling her was.
And he couldn’t help notice, she was still easy on the eye. Blonde hair worn in a thick braid, lightly tanned skin, golden-brown eyes. Back when he’d first met her in Afghanistan, he’d thought she looked like the wheat fields of his father’s farm near Great Falls. Although he was pretty sure a woman wouldn’t be flattered by such a comparison, he liked it because she’d looked like home.
Still did. Just...prettier. Dressed in jeans and a dark, long-sleeved blue tee with a Montana Bounty Hunters logo across the front, all her curves were visible for him to enjoy. He angled his body toward hers, so he could study her some more.
He hadn’t noted those curves the first time he’d met her, wearing full battle gear—helmet, vest, web belt loosely sitting at her waist, a large rucksack, looking far too heavy for her slender frame. But she’d moved swiftly, after she’d arrived with her D-Force team near the compound they were preparing to storm. He’d been as taken aback over the fact they’d sent a female dog handler as his buddy Franco had been. Only Franco hadn’t lasted two seconds before complaining.
Not that Jamie had done more than grind her jaw and hunker down beside them. They’d lost the Army handler who’d worked with them through several missions when he was injured by a blast. Kujo and Six had been missed. When their mission commander informed them a replacement was on the way, they’d all been relieved. A good dog team could save their asses. Dogs trained to sniff out explosives gave them an edge and a little bit of comfort in a firefight when they already had eyes trained for movement and ears strained for sounds. And watching a dog, with its teeth bared and growling, intimidate the shit out of an insurgent—well, that was just gravy.
He’d always wondered about Jamie. A temporary fix to his team’s long-term need, she’d haunted him long after she’d returned to her unit. Seeing her now and then when they’d dropped off prisoners had only been a tease. A time or two, he’d sought her out. Checking in to see how she was doing. Bringing chew toys or bits of thick rope to play with Tessa. Any excuse to spend a few minutes with the girl with the golden hair.
His buddies had teased him about his interest. Franco had once mentioned it would be worth being written up or losing a grade just to have one go at her. They’d nearly come to blows, until Franco had raised his hands and said, “Sorry, man. Didn’t know I was overstepping.”
“Just don’t be an ass. She’s a soldier, Franco. Same as us. She deserves respect.”
Franco quickly returned to his usual dick operating mode when it came to women and smirked. “Can’t help it. That mouth, man...” He shook his head. “Tell the truth. You’ve thought about it wrapped—”
Sky had shoved him, and they’d wrestled until a whistle sounded, and they popped up from the ground. But the quick, physical release had done the trick. They stood, both grinning and slapping the sand from their clothes.
“Haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘Bros before hoes’?” Franco whispered.
Sky had pushed him again, shaking his head as Franco chuckled. Franco was a smartass, and his coarseness was hard to take at times, given the fact Sky had been raised to treat women with respect—whether or not they were around to hear. Still, Franco was his buddy, and they’d both had each other’s backs through numerous missions. But why he was thinking about Franco right now?
Maybe because sitting this close to Jamie, her clean, lemony scent all over the cab of her pickup, was making her damn near impossible to ignore. The attraction caused his dick to stir. How many times had he daydreamed about kissing that full mouth?
She cleared her throat and shot him a glance, questions in her eyes. “So, you left the SEALs. Hank said you’re not with his group.”
He let out a soft sigh, glad the potent silence had ended. They’d make small talk, which would be better than letting his mind wander down roads he’d likely never travel. “I work for another spec ops outfit, The Charter Group. They’re based in Texas, but Hank knows I still hang my hat here in Montana. I’m his for this op only, seeing as he was a little short-staffed.”
“You like the work?”
“I do,” he said, gazing out the window and noting that the terrain was becoming hillier. They were getting closer to the mountains. “Friends of mine from my old unit joined Charter. And the work’s similar to what I did when I was with the Navy, only the pay’s way better and my down time’s my own. How about you?”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “I had trouble adjusting to civilian life. I thought about applying for police work, but...” She took a deep breath. “I don’t like too many rules. I work for Montana Bounty Hunters out of Kalispell.”
His mouth stretched into a grin. “I saw the logo on your T-shirt but thought maybe it was like all my concert shirts. A bounty hunter…seriously?”
She darted a quick glance his way, her gaze going to his smile, which she mirrored. “Yeah. Seriously. Haven’t been out in the field much yet, but I like it.” She shrugged. “Most of the work is boring—the investigating part—but the takedown...”
He chuckled. “I get it. The chance to get physical—it’s the same kind of rush as entering a battleground hot zone.”
She nodded, and her posture eased. “Only thing I miss is working with Tessa. That’s why I jumped on this assignment.”
“I was surprised to see her.”
Her smile faded. “Yeah, she was Army property, all the way up to the day she sustained injuries from that blast. Nothing big. Shrapnel hit her. But after that, she became nervous when she scented gunpowder or explosives. When they deemed her unfit, I was lucky the timing worked. I was on my way out, too.” She tapped straightened fingers on the steering wheel while she tilted her head side to side, looking as though she was easing away a knot of worry. “I’m a little worried about how she’ll react when she gets a whiff of that vehicle.”
They topped a hill. In the deep trough on the other side, black vans and a couple of sedans were parked beside wreckage at the side of the road. A large, ragged-edged crater marred the center of the right lane. Sheriff’s cars sat, lights strobing several hundred yards to either side of the wreckage to direct traffic—only there wasn’t any at the moment.
Jamie parked her truck on the shoulder behind the vans. They both exited the vehicle.
“I’ll go see where they want us,” S
ky said.
“Be sure to ask about the scent bag we’ll need.”
He left her as she walked around the back of her truck, but already he could hear soft whines coming from inside.
Tessa had detected the bomb.
Having witnessed how well Jamie and Tessa worked together in a war zone, like a single entity, moving fearlessly through hails of bullets, he was saddened the dog had been hurt, and that Jamie was worried for her animal friend.
He approached a tall, lean man in a black suit and black cowboy boots, standing to the side as techs worked with saws to dismantle pieces of the twisted wreckage to place in the back of the larger van.
The man frowned as he drew nearer.
“Hank Patterson sent me,” Sky said, reaching out to shake the agent’s hand. “We brought the tracking dog.”
His frown cleared. “Won’t help much. No doubt another vehicle picked him up.” He pointed to the place where tire marks were being filled with plaster to take prints. “Would be nice to have confirmation of which direction they headed. I’ll get the bag the detention center sent.”
Sky followed the agent to his car.
The man pulled out a large zip lock bag filled with dirty socks and underwear, which he handed to Sky.
Together, the men headed toward Jamie’s vehicle, where she stood with Tessa leashed, her foot on the lead close to Tessa’s body to keep the dog lying on the ground.
Sky’s gaze met Jamie’s. Her mouth pressed into a thin line. He saw the problem right away. The fact she’d had to force the dog to the ground, the high-pitched whine, and the brown-and-black tail jerking hectically side to side—Tessa already had a nose filled with the scent of explosives.
Still, Jamie held out her free hand for the bag.
“How about I keep it until we’re past the wreckage?” Sky kept his voice even, not wanting to alert the agent to the problem, knowing Jamie already had her hands full controlling the Malinois.
“Right.” Jamie shifted her foot off the lead. “Sitz!” As soon as the dog rose to a sit, she said, “Fuss!” and moved out, holding the leash shortened to ensure the dog kept close to her left side as she marched past the vehicles then made a wide arc around the crater in the road.
Tessa began to dance on the end of her leash, tugging hard to move farther to the left, but Jamie gave a firm jerk of her lead to bring the dog close.
Sky darted a glance toward the agent who frowned as he watched the dog and her handler.
“Hank said she was experienced.”
“She is. They both are.” But he offered no further explanation for the dog’s behavior.
When they reached the white plaster-filled tracks, Jamie gave a soft, “Sitz.” Then she glanced over her shoulder toward Sky.
He moved forward, opened the bag, and handed it to her.
She went to her knee beside the dog and held the bag beneath her nose. “Here you go, Tessa. Come on, girl. Take a whiff.”
At first, the dog moved her head away, trying to glance backward toward the wreckage, which was still causing her alarm.
But Jamie smoothed her palm over the top of the dog’s head, scratched behind her ears, then lifted the bag again. “Such, Tessa.”
This time, the dog dropped her nose into the bag, rooting at the clothing.
When Jamie pulled it away and handed it back to Sky, he took the bag.
Then she rose.
Tessa’s gaze remained locked with Jamie’s.
Jamie unclipped the leash from the harness and pointed toward the tracks. “Voraus, such!”
The dog darted forward, her nose dropping to the ground near the casts, drifting right and left.
He spotted the moment the animal caught Nazari’s scent. Her nose stopped drifting, and she followed a straight line, never shifting left or right as she moved forward, ignoring the crater as she passed it, her tail straightened rather than curled, her attention on the traces of the scent she found. At fifty yards past the vehicles, she halted, her nose going left and right again at the side of the road.
This was the spot where Nazari had been picked up. Since it was on the side opposite the wreckage, Sky knew the agent surmised the vehicle was headed west, toward Eagle Rock.
Jamie went to her knee, gave Tessa a big hug, and snapped on her leash. When she pulled back, she continued to praise her and pet her. “Good girl, Tessa. Good girl.” At last, she rose, Tessa happily glued to her side. Jamie flashed Sky a little smile then turned her attention to the agent. “What’s next?”
“Well, we had an eyewitness who said he saw Nazari near the Crazy Mountains. Wouldn’t hurt to have the dog with the search teams scouring that area. Especially around the caves where his cell used to store their munitions, and then nearer his old training camp. She might pick up his scent.” He shrugged. “We have planes searching from the air, dozens of teams on the ground, but the dog’s worth a try.”
Jamie nodded and shook hands with the agent.
As they walked back to the pickup, she let out a deep sigh.
“You were worried,” he said unnecessarily, just to get her to talk.
“Hell, yeah,” she said. “When she started dancing away, I thought no way in hell would she settle enough to follow his scent trail, especially off-lead.”
“She trusts you, Jamie. You remained calm. She picked up on that.”
She gave him a curious glance. “You have experience with dogs?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Pets. Herding dogs. My dad’s a farmer and likes to make sure whatever animals he keeps either feed the family or earn their feed. He always runs a few head of cattle. Growing up, we had a German shepherd, but mostly we kept Australian Cattle Dogs.”
She unclipped Tessa’s harness, opened the door to the crate, and tapped the truck bed. “Crate!”
Tessa backed up and jumped straight into the crate. Then she circled to face outward before lying down.
Jamie gave her a quick pat, locked the crate, and closed the gate.
After they were back on the road, heading toward Eagle Rock, Sky asked, forcing a casual voice, “So, did you have time to find a place to stay in town?”
Without looking toward him, she bit her lip then let it go. “Not yet. I considered commuting...”
Sky shook his head. “Kalispell’s too far.”
“I know.” She grimaced. “I hope we finish early enough in the mountains so I can find a place.”
“Eagle Rock has a nice B&B and a motel, but both are likely already filled with law enforcement.” He schooled his face into a neutral mask before adding, “Look, my place isn’t far from here. I live in a cabin, so it’s a little rustic, but I have a spare room. You’re welcome to stay with me.”
She didn’t answer right away.
He worried that maybe he’d overstepped, because her hands tightened on the steering wheel. Watching her from the corner of his eye, he forced himself to face forward as he waited. He didn’t want to seem too eager. Didn’t want to pressure her.
Again, she bit her lip. “Do you have running water?”
He stifled a hell-yeah fist-pump by curving his hand against his thigh. “No outside conveniences. You won’t have to make a trip to an outhouse in the middle of the night,” he teased.
“Well, if you don’t mind...”
Mind? Hell, he doubted he’d rest easy with her under the same roof, just a wall between them. Then a strange feeling fell over him, very much like the same emotion that had struck the first time he’d met her. A feeling like walking through the door of his father’s house after a long tour. Of homecoming. She belonged under his roof. And fuck if he knew what to do about that thought.
And they had serious work to do. A terrorist to track. Wasn’t like they’d be spending the evening with their feet propped up on the porch rail, watching the sunset. Still, the idea appealed. Maybe when this was all over, she’d give him her number. He’d ask her out on a real date. Now that he knew she was home, within reach, he didn’t think he could si
t easy and waste the opportunity. Decisive, aggressive action was the hallmark of any SEAL.
4
Hours later, Jamie followed Sky’s SUV down a graveled drive to his cabin, deep in a wooded area near Eagle Rock. They’d spent the afternoon moving Tessa through a series of caves Nazari and his cell had used, but came up with nothing. At least Tessa had seemed to enjoy the outing, her confidence growing as the afternoon led into evening. Only at the last had her tail drooped and her pants grow louder from fatigue.
The truck’s headlights swept the long porch of a log cabin.
“Rustic, my ass,” she whispered as she took in the house that sat on the crest of a hill. A work in progress, yes, she conceded as she noted the tarps covering stacks of lumber and a small concrete mixer. An area had been cleared beside the house and framed for flooring for a garage.
She didn’t kid herself why she’d accepted his invitation. She’d always been attracted, even from day one when they’d dodged bullets during their one and only firefight together. And from his glances throughout the day, she was pretty sure he was equally as attracted to her. Maybe she was making more of this in her mind, but she thought maybe there was shared curiosity about what it would be like being skin-to-skin with someone who’d endured a similar life journey. Someone who’d suffered the same hell.
All she knew was that her body was alien to her at the moment, firing on all cylinders—hot and cold, nervous one minute, scared shitless the next. She didn’t want to disappoint. Was worried that maybe he didn’t intend to sleep with her at all, and then she’d feel stupid about all this buildup of tension and lust.
She parked beside his truck in front of the porch and grabbed her go-bag from behind her seat, a plastic tub holding Tessa’s food and bowls, and let herself out of her vehicle.
And he was there, lifting away her burden before she’d even realized he was near.
Brotherhood Protectors: Big Sky SEAL (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Uncharted SEALs Book 10) Page 3
