by DiAnn Mills
“Can’t we return them?”
She bit her lip in an obvious attempt to keep from laughing. “That’s not ethical. I’ll pay my way.”
The red in her hair sparkled golden highlights in the sun, and he softened a little. “We’ll talk about it after Friday night. How about eBay?”
She frowned. “I might want to keep them. What else did you learn?”
He took a long drink from his Diet Coke. “We have more ammunition.”
“How’s that?” She held up a finger. “Remind me later to discuss the details about Friday night’s escapade.”
He nodded. “I had the bag of coke evaluated. Found out it’s pure cocaine.”
Meghan took a deep breath and focused on Lindsay swimming laps. “Snorting coke that hasn’t been stepped on would have taken care of Burnette’s problem. No one would have a clue what happened other than that she overdosed.”
“Can I talk you out of Friday night?”
“I told you I’d pay for all of it.”
“This is not about money, and you know it. This is a setup to get you killed, not Lindsay. Burnette is on to us.”
“Have you forgotten I’m a crack shot?”
“Don’t they check for guns at the entrance?”
She shrugged, but it didn’t ease his trepidation. “They check IDs for age, not to see if you’re packing. This is rural Texas.”
“I want you to forget the whole thing.”
“Can’t talk me out of it. You’ve just reinforced how quickly we need to stop Burnette before another person is hurt or killed.”
Chapter 56
After supper, Meghan invited Lindsay to see Ash’s purchases. She had yet to open the bags, and the excitement had nearly driven her crazy. Nothing like new clothes and the love of a good man to make a girl happy.
“Can you imagine the horror on the salesgirl’s face if she knew he’d put this merchandise in Walmart bags?” Lindsay lifted the jeans and nodded her approval.
“I wish I could have watched it all.” Meghan pulled out a sleeveless, green knit top that dipped to a low cowl neck—a little too low.
“Great color for your hair.” Lindsay held it up. “Good choice.”
“Definitely top of the line.” Meghan laughed. “What in the world?” Her whispers caused another laugh. The red panties were totally unexpected. Whoever had waited on Ash had led him around by the nose. Her cheeks flushed warm at the thought of pulling out the panties in front of him.
“Those weren’t on the list. I know the brand, absolutely necessary for no panty line.” Lindsay tilted her head and peeked into the bag. “Making sure nothing else is tucked inside.”
“Uh, let’s hope not.” Meghan slipped the panties back into the bag and lifted the lid off the boot box. “Whoa. These I like.”
“Me too. Glad we wear the same size. The heel’s not quite as high as I like, but they complete the outfit. Glad he found black ones.” She stood back. “You’d think we were girlfriends.”
Meghan smiled. “Difference is you’d look better in this than I will.”
“Don’t think so. Ash will notice, trust me.” Lindsay picked up the last bag containing the wig. “Try it on, Meghan. I’m anxious to see if you can pull this off.”
So was Meghan. Although the smoky bar would hide their differences, she needed to look like her protectee. After slipping the blonde wig over her red hair, she arranged it. “Stand beside me at the mirror.”
The resemblance startled both of them. Lindsay shivered. “By the time you add makeup, you could fool Burnette.”
“That’s the idea.” Meghan removed the wig and set it on her dresser.
“What you’re doing for me is risky. Burnette is sending someone after me, and you’ll be the target.”
Meghan reached inside the closet for hangers. She wasn’t going to debate who the target really was. “This is what I choose to do. I can handle myself.”
“You’ll have a gun?”
Meghan grinned. “Yes. It’ll be inside the waist of my jeans.”
“What about martial arts?”
“I can fight with the best of them. Don’t worry about me. We need evidence to take to your father. Proof that Burnette is behind a conspiracy against him and the country.”
Lindsay swallowed hard. “Do you have any idea why?”
Meghan toyed with what to say. If Lindsay had access to a computer, she could search online and draw the same conclusions. “We think he’s seeking revenge for what happened to his son.”
“The suicide over the court-martial.” Lindsay sat on the bed. “Dad told me Burnette was using me as a surrogate child because he’d lost his own.” She shrugged. “Burnette must have fed Dad one lie after another. I know I got the whole buffet.”
“When this is all over and he’s on trial, will you testify?”
“Yes. Although I realize his defense attorney will discredit me in every way possible, I can handle it as long . . .” Her blue eyes watered. “As long as I know you’ll be there. If I can look out into the courtroom and see your face, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“I wouldn’t abandon you.”
“There are days I want a drink, when I can taste it. Feel it trickling down my throat. And some days I want to get high and stay there forever. But if I were free of him, I think I could be strong.”
Should she tell Lindsay the truth? “When you’re tempted to get high, remember this: the coke Burnette hid for you was pure.”
Lindsay paled. “No one would have ever known.”
Meghan touched her arm. “You can beat this.”
Lindsay swiped beneath her eye. “Keep telling me that, and one day I’ll believe it.” She sighed. “Someday I want to have an intelligent conversation without crying.”
“One day you’ll be helping other people fight their demons.”
Lindsay stared at her through watery eyes. “I hope so. I really do.” She shook her head. “All right, what about earrings, bracelets, rings, and a necklace that drops into—”
“I’ve got it all. Except wheels. Did you make any progress with Chip?”
“I believe so. We talked, which is more progress than before.”
“If he saw me dressed like this at night, I don’t think he could tell the difference.”
“I’ll do my best. He’s pretty much a stickler for the rules. I’ll ask him tomorrow afternoon. I think he’s riding in the morning.”
Chapter 57
Lindsay spotted Chip several yards from where he normally worked with the horses. Today he was training a cow horse for competition. In the last few days, she’d come to realize the hours he spent training Burnette’s horses were a way of working through his grief. Sounded like a better option than drinking and snorting coke. The thought of Burnette’s attempt to kill her with the same drug he’d once introduced her to made her even more determined to stop him.
She climbed over the fence, noting Ash and Trey were not far behind. Ash understood she needed alone time with Chip and would keep Trey at a distance.
“Hey, he looks good.” Lindsay’s words brought a grin from Chip.
“We’re getting there. His stops are good. But his spins aren’t.”
“Shows how much I know. When do you plan to compete?”
“In the fall. Burnette sometimes shows up, but now that he’s the vice president, I doubt if he has the time.”
Lindsay hoped he was in jail before the weekend. “I have a favor.”
He rode up to her. “You want to ride?”
“No.” She smiled, wishing she had time to invest in a relationship with Chip. “I want to get away for a few hours Friday night. A girlfriend is meeting me at the Silver Spur.”
“Ash and Trey are taking you to a bar?”
“No. They don’t exactly know about it.”
Chip grimaced. “Lindsay, I won’t take you. Can’t imagine the trouble I’d be in.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to, and I’m not going to drink. Just
see my friend. But could I borrow your truck?”
“It’s a manual transmission.”
Lindsay moaned. “I have no clue how to drive one of those.” The words were out before she remembered Meghan would be driving it.
“Sorry.”
“I hate being cooped up here. One hour. That’s all I want.”
Chip dismounted. “I have a car.”
“I’ve never seen it.”
“It’s parked in the garage with Mr. Burnette’s truck.”
She tilted her head. “The Mustang? Could I borrow it?”
“I don’t know. If you started drinking and then got into an accident, I’d—”
“I’m not drinking.”
“But you have a drinking problem.”
“Chip, this isn’t about sneaking off to party.” This was about ending Burnette’s reign of terror.
“And you think you can sneak off the ranch without those agents finding out?”
She nodded and waited.
“I don’t think you can pull it off.” He reached inside his pocket. “I have the keys to my Mustang.” He shook his head and dropped them back inside his pocket. “I’m probably being really stupid here, but I’ll go with you. I have to know you’ll be all right. You’ve come a long way in your sobriety, and I’d hate to see you ruin it in one night.”
Lindsay blinked back the emotion. Chip acted as though he really cared, and she was starting to care for him. Lying to him didn’t build trust. She should know. And yet she had to persuade him to let her go alone to the Silver Spur.
“Lindsay, if you want to see your friend, I’ll take you.”
She didn’t have any idea how this would work. She hoped, oh how she hoped, he wasn’t helping Burnette. Perhaps Meghan and Ash could devise a solution. “Okay. I’ll be at the garage Friday night at nine thirty.”
Burnette had to be stopped . . . soon.
Chapter 58
Thursday morning, Meghan and Ash jogged in silence. The threat was still there for a sniper to pull the trigger, but she didn’t believe lightning struck twice in the same place. However, the weasel reporter was always waiting for them at the gate.
Meghan’s thoughts bubbled to the surface. “I’ve been thinking about our problem.”
“Too bad we’re in the dark. When you’re concentrating on something, your freckles deepen.”
“Were you the class clown?”
“Nope. I was the class nerd.”
“The studious type?”
“You got it. The oldest of three. Ultraresponsible.”
“I see. So did you go into law to ensure the world became a better place to live?”
“You are too good, Agent Connors. Pair that assumption with a Christian who couldn’t seem to get past the rules, and that’s me.”
“That was you. Past tense. Right?”
“You bet. My spiritual awakening while you attended your sister’s funeral has me on an uphill climb.”
She sighed. Her heart had dipped into admitting her love, while his heart climbed closer to God.
“You had a question?”
His comment brought her back to the topic pressing her mind. “Did Kyle Burnette have a wife?”
“Yes. She was in the Marines too.”
“Any kids?”
“I don’t think so. If Burnette had grandchildren, he’d be spending all his spare time with them.”
“True. And nothing in the house indicates children visiting. Okay, nix that.”
“But you have me thinking, Meghan. We can’t exclude anything.”
His use of we gave her a warm feeling, one she couldn’t deny. “Okay. What happened to his wife?”
Ash turned to Meghan. “I have no idea, but we need to find out.”
He did it again with the we. The implication now gave her chills. Focus, Meghan. Later, after Burnette is brought to justice, you can explore your feelings for Ash.
“I wonder if Chip could give us any information,” Ash said. “He’d know if Burnette’s daughter-in-law ever visited here.”
“He’d have to think it came from Burnette. And don’t forget, I’m using his car tomorrow night.”
“I wonder how he’d feel about his boss if he knew about the cocaine in the tack box.”
“That’s edgy.” Meghan didn’t want her plans tomorrow night ruined.
“Isn’t edgy what we do best? I mean, our job description is Secret Service, and we’re acting like a couple of FBI agents.”
“Oh, spare me. Don’t even put me on the same team.” Any other time, Meghan would laugh. But nothing was funny about what they’d uncovered. “The FBI thinks they’re the best out there, so we’re out to prove them wrong. After all, are they even working on this?”
“I’m sure they are. Should we both approach Chip, or do you want to handle it alone?”
Meghan wrestled with the whole idea. “He’ll be inside the stables starting his morning routine when we pass. Look, I think he cares for Lindsay, and she likes him. I’ve noticed that when she’s around him, she’s more mature, confident.”
“Hadn’t noted a possible romance. Must be a woman thing. For both their sakes, he’d better be innocent. But if you think we can get his cooperation based on his feelings for Lindsay, then let’s reveal just enough to get a few questions answered. I’ll go with you.”
“Either he’s working on an Academy Award or he’s ignorant of Burnette’s scheme. No more analyzing the situation?”
He frowned, but she knew he was faking it. “You do try my patience. But as soon as we’re done, I’m going to see what I can find out about Kyle’s wife.”
“And make me wait until I have a break to find out what you’ve learned?”
He nodded, and they rounded the bend in the road before the front gate—and the sharks. “The possibilities have my head spinning. We both know Burnette isn’t working alone.”
“Don’t let your head explode, A2Z.”
He sucked in a gasp. “You’ve referred to my alias! I thought we’d gone beyond condescending nicknames.”
“Oops. Guess I let my guard down.”
“Between you and me, I like it. Fits my persona. But if you ever breathe a word of that, I’ll have to—”
“Kiss me?”
He chuckled. “Not exactly. But I could be bought.”
They kept their gazes away from the sharks searching for blood. Meghan had fallen for one of their tricks. Never again.
The half-mile stretch to the house filled her with anticipation, not for finishing the run, but for the outcome of talking to Chip.
They entered the stables and found Chip in Strait’s stall. He ignored them, but that was about to change.
“Chip, we’d like to talk to you. Won’t take long.” Ash’s tone was calm, even.
His eyes never left the colt. “Got another tack box to open?”
“We’d like to tell you what we found in that box.”
“Not interested.”
“What if we told you it concerned Lindsay?”
“Maybe.”
“Would you take a walk with us away from the stables?”
In the shadows, Meghan saw a flash of anger. “You can talk to me right here.”
Meghan stole a glance at Ash, then concentrated on convincing Chip of their sincerity. “This isn’t a conversation we’d like for anyone else to hear. In fact, if Lindsay were awake, we’d have her join us.”
“Then wait until she’s up.”
“Every minute that passes increases her chances of being killed.” Meghan’s words caused him to snap to attention.
Chip opened the stall. “Okay. But I’m not in the mood for a pack of lies.”
“I’m going to let Ash explain the tack box and its contents. Either you’re for us and protecting Lindsay, or you’re working for the other side. We’re taking a chance, and I hope we’re not wrong.” She punched her last two words. For sure, if he was in any way aligned with Burnette, she’d kill him herself.
“I’m ready, Ash. Don’t waste my time.”
“All right, I’ll get right to the point. Did anyone else have a key to Burnette’s tack box?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Have you heard from Burnette?”
Chip stiffened. “How would I? You’ve taken everything that could link me to the outside world.”
“I had to ask. Part of my job.”
“So why mention the tack box? It’s back in my dad’s bedroom.”
“Meghan found a bag of cocaine in the bottom of it.”
“Now you’re telling me Burnette uses coke? Get real.” He hesitated. “Or are you saying someone planted it?”
“We’re wondering if someone else could have a key.”
“Makes sense. Planting drugs in the vice president’s personal effects diminishes his position.” He looked at Ash, then Meghan. “What does this have to do with Lindsay?”
Meghan took a deep breath. “If someone can plant cocaine in the VP’s tack box, then he can get to her, too.”
“I don’t know a thing about this. I’m willing to help Lindsay, even if I can’t stand the agents guarding her.”
“I’m sure you’ve had your fill of disruptions—and tragedies. I imagine the VP’s guests are usually quiet.”
“Barely know they’re here.”
“Does his daughter-in-law visit often?”
“Erin?”
Bingo. Meghan might have found something useful after all. “I’ve lost track of where she lives.”
“Ask her father-in-law.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re just concerned about the key to the tack box.” Ash reached out to shake his hand, and Chip took it. “Thanks for your help. We’d appreciate it if you’d keep all of this to yourself.”
“You got it. Hey, Erin was here a few days before you arrived.”
Meghan’s insides danced. “Was the vice president with her?”
“No, she left before Pepper got here.”
“Did Ethan cook her a fabulous dinner? I remember what he did for me.”
“No. She spent the afternoon in the house and drove off right after sunup.”
Ash watched the clock, anticipating Meghan’s arrival during Lindsay’s counseling session. What had Erin Burnette been doing prior to the Secret Service’s arrival? Could Speaker of the House Randolph be involved in the plot too? How many others had fallen under Burnette’s spell?
