Edge of Truth

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  EDGE OF TRUTH

  By Kimberly Rose Johnson

  Edge of Truth

  Published by Sweet Rose Press

  U.S.A.

  All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

  This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

  ISBN 978-0-9984315-6-7

  ASIN B07TKD4ZS2

  © 2019 Kimberly R. Johnson

  Cover Design: Jackie Castle

  Editor: Fay Lamb

  Printed in the United States of America

  Acknowledgements

  No book makes it publication without a lot of help. This book in particular has been years in the making with so many people helping me along the way I might have forgotten a couple. I’m leaving out last names on purpose since a couple of these people are or were in law enforcement. Special thanks to Tim, Mike, Dan, Teresa, Sherri, Miralee, Edward, Fay, Becky S., Becky D., and anyone else who helped me along the way. I could not have completed this book without each and every one of you. Thank you.

  Praise for Edge Of Truth

  Kimberly Rose Johnson's Edge Of Truth starts off with a bang. She doesn't disappoint her readers. The story is full of suspense and romance and is hard to put the book down.

  Margaret Daley USA Today Bestselling Author

  Dedication

  To Miralee Ferrell. Thank you for always encouraging me, believing in me, and pushing me to be better. You played a big role in helping to not only make this book what it is but who I am as a writer. Thank you.

  Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Psalms 97:10 NIV

  Chapter 1

  The hair on Kara Nelson’s neck prickled as she sat behind the wheel of her car parked near the Miami Beach Marina. Something wasn’t right. If she’d been made…She flung the door open and ran.

  A boom sounded, and heat stung her back. Running full speed, Kara tripped and flew through the air, hitting the pavement hard. Her hands smacked the ground first, and she flipped, her legs whipping over her head. She lay face up in the parking lot. Searing pain tore through her wrists, arms, shoulders, and neck.

  A second explosion sent a ball of fire into the mid-morning air. Kara covered her head as debris smacked the ground around her. She lifted her head with effort, first looking at her dismantled undercover car then back at the marina. Drug lord, Luis Alvarado’s yacht had moved out to sea and with it, her chances of wrapping up a year-long investigation. Where had the second blast come from? She struggled to sit up. Then the world went black.

  Special Agent, Jeff Clark sprinted from his position on the dock to Kara as she lay still on the hot pavement. He knelt and felt for her pulse—faint, but steady. Thank God. Several sirens approached the popular marina. He grabbed his cell. “Gary, Jeff here. Kara’s cover is blown. Someone just blew up her car. She’s unconscious, but alive.”

  His boss, and head of the Miami DEA, let out a series of expletives. “Stay with her.”

  “Will do.”

  Jeff pocketed his phone and grasped Kara’s hand. “Kara, wake up.” Shaking her risked further injury. “Come on, Kara.” He splashed a little water onto her face from the bottle attached to his belt. Her blue eyes fluttered open.

  “Welcome back.” He brushed blond hair from her face. “You had me worried for a minute.”

  “What happened?” Kara blinked up at him.

  “Car bomb. You are one lucky lady. Feel up to talking?” He spoke softly and tried to ignore several citizens who looked on with sick fascination.

  She nodded almost imperceptibly as pain washed over her face. “There was a woman aboard Alvarado’s yacht. About five-foot-ten, one hundred thirty pounds, brunette. Only saw her from a distance as she entered the cabin, but she knew about tonight’s bust.”

  It was worse than he’d expected. This sounded like an inside job. Who’d betrayed them?

  The whine of sirens grew louder. A fire engine rolled to a stop. Firefighters quickly got the car blaze under control.

  An ambulance parked nearby. Two paramedics, one male and one female, got out and grabbed their gear. The staccato of their shoes hit the pavement in regular beats. Couldn’t they move any faster? He glanced over his shoulder—about time.

  “Please move aside sir,” the female medic said.

  Tires squealed as a black sedan braked hard. Jeff glanced to his right where his boss stepped out of the car a few hundred feet away from where Kara lay. Jeff squeezed her hand once more. “I’ll just be over there. Holler if you need me.” He stepped back and walked over to Gary Rhine.

  “How is she?” Gary peered toward the paramedics.

  Jeff shook his head. “I don’t know. She has cuts and bruises and was unconscious for a short time. There’s more.” He explained his theory about a traitor among them.

  Gary’s face darkened. “Not much to go on, and that’s assuming the woman wasn’t wearing a disguise.” He raked his hand through his closely cropped hair. “Ride to the hospital with Kara, and don’t let her out of your sight. Luis Alvarado has people everywhere, and I don’t want them to get to her.”

  “Got it.” Jeff turned back to Kara and the medics. His Glock sat snug against his side. The medics lifted Kara onto the gurney, raised it, then wheeled her to the ambulance. He flashed his badge. “I’m riding along.”

  “Fine, just stay out of my way.” The female medic pushed the gurney into the vehicle then stepped in.

  Jeff peeked into the back of the ambulance—not much room, but he wouldn’t risk leaving Kara alone with anyone. Not even a medic. He stepped in and sat, folding his six-foot-five frame until his legs scrunched up to his chest in the tight quarters.

  Kara stared up at him, her face pale. He smoothed the hair draped along the sides of her cheeks away from her face. Awareness jolted him. He dismissed the sensation and let his eyes rest on her tanned skin that was already beginning to bruise. They weren’t well acquainted—something he’d like to change. He’d admired her from a distance this past year. Anyone who could go under deep cover like she’d done had his respect. Due to the sensitivity of the operation, Jeff, along with several other agents, had been assigned to keep an eye on her from afar. This was the first time in nearly twelve months anything had gone wrong.

  Thanks to Kara, they’d made several arrests and closed down more than a few drug cells. She took a deep breath and moaned. He looked to the medic. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Not my job to say.”

  He frowned at the woman—liking her less with each passing streetlight. Kara had to be okay. She was good at what she did, and the DEA needed her.

  Kara stared out the window at the breaking waves along Vero Beach. Much like the shells being pummeled ashore, her body had taken a beating when the bomb exploded. She glanced at Jeff who sat nearby—her constant companion since last week. He said it was a miracle she was alive—according to her doctor, he was right. But if God cared whether she lived or died, why had He let this happen?

  An entire year undercover wasted. She’d been up for the challenge because the payoff would have been huge. They
were within hours of taking down the biggest drug lord in Florida. How had her cover been blown? She’d racked her brain for the past week and a half, trying to figure it out. Luis Alvarado had welcomed her into his organization. After months of grooming, she’d worked her way up the ranks—a whole year wasted! She slammed her fist on the cushion beside her.

  “Easy there. This place is a rental.” Jeff walked into the room from the kitchen. He carried two glasses.

  She reined in her thoughts. “Sorry.”

  “No harm done.” He quirked a brow. “At least to me. Now that cushion…” Jeff handed her a glass of sweet tea, brushed her feet off the ottoman, and sat where they had been. “You’re looking better.”

  Kara took a long draw from the glass then set it on a coaster. “Thanks. I’m feeling more myself too.” She’d been confined to that miserable room for too many days. “Any word on Alvarado?”

  “Negative. He vanished.”

  She focused on a lone seagull. “He’s out there.”

  “We’ll find him, but he’s gone deep.”

  “When can we leave this place? Don’t get me wrong. A cottage on the beach is a dream, but I’m bored.”

  “Admit it. You’re a workaholic.” He quirked a grin.

  “Guilty as charged. I’ve been working non-stop for too long. It’s a little hard to turn that off.” She reached for the new phone the DEA had supplied—still no messages. Sitting around here was almost worse than nearly getting blown to smithereens.

  “We’re halfway through your doctor-ordered recovery time. Relax and enjoy the quiet while you can.”

  “Easy for you to say. You’re on the job.” Jeff had been assigned to keep her safe in case Alvarado or one of his cronies came to finish what they’d started. Alvarado was as bad as they came. Kara had no doubt if the man learned she’d survived the blast he’d come after her. She’d be ready. Jeff wouldn’t be assigned to her indefinitely.

  Chapter 2

  Three Weeks Later

  Kara slid beside Jeff into the backseat of Gary’s sedan, parked at the Vero Beach Municipal Airport. The tinted windows allowed privacy from the outside world.

  Gary turned and studied Kara’s face.

  She met his gaze.

  “You’re looking a lot better than the last time I saw you. I trust your accommodations were satisfactory.”

  “Yes, sir. Finding fault with a cottage along the beach would be difficult.” Although torture at times, she’d needed to recuperate from the blast. Even after three full weeks, her body still hurt, but duty called. The DEA needed her, and she’d never been able to say no to the job.

  Gary nodded and handed them each a file. “Once a doctor clears you, you’ll be working on Operation Trail Ride in a joint taskforce of local and federal authorities assisting CODE, the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement.” He handed them each an intelligence file and opened his own.

  Kara’s heart lurched—Oregon! She worked out of Miami. What was her boss thinking, and what was Jeff doing here? She opened to the first page, skimmed through several pages, then looked up.

  Jeff opened the file and looked down. “The field office in Bend can handle this. Why are they involving us?”

  “CODE, in cooperation with the DEA, has an ongoing investigation that runs from Mexico’s border through California and into Oregon, Washington State, and Canada. This is a huge operation. You’ll be investigating a husband and wife team. We want to know the extent of the couple’s involvement. The local authorities suspect they could be cell heads.”

  “I still don’t see why you’re sending us all the way to Oregon.” Kara crossed her arms.

  Jeff slumped into the back of his seat, the file open to a series of snapshots of a man and woman along with a teen girl. His brows furrowed.

  “You okay, Jeff?” Kara placed a hand on his forearm.

  Gary cut in. “This isn’t just any husband and wife team.”

  “I’m not doing this. I recuse myself.” Jeff closed the file, a steel glint in his gray-blue eyes.

  “Hear me out before you say anything more.” Gary’s voice held a sharp edge.

  Kara looked from Gary to Jeff and pursed her lips. The tension in the car was so thick it’d take a chainsaw to cut through it. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who didn’t want this assignment.

  “As I said, the smugglers have been crossing the border from Mexico into California and then up to Oregon on a regular basis. The only place they’ve been consistently tracked is to your stepbrother’s ranch.”

  Whoa! She hadn’t seen that coming. No wonder Jeff looked ready to crush Gary like an empty soda can.

  “Eric and Veronica have been boarding horses that belong to known drug traffickers for approximately a year now. CODE has been trying to plant someone on the inside without success.” He chuckled dryly. “It appears your stepbrother doesn’t need any more employees. That’s where you come in. You’ll be on assignment at his ranch near Sunridge. We need someone who can infiltrate the operation and feed us information. Your job will be to keep your eyes and ears open and report all your findings.”

  Kara cleared her throat and never took her gaze off Jeff. “With all due respect, sir, you can’t expect Jeff to investigate his own brother.”

  “Stepbrother,” Gary corrected. “And they are only related by marriage. You have a problem with this?” He looked directly at Jeff.

  “Yes. This is nuts.” Jeff rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Maybe, but you’re CODE’s last hope.”

  “What about Kara? Why’s she involved?”

  “You need a partner, and she needs to lay low until we find Alvarado and company. Who better than Kara? Besides, I believe she has a friend in Sunridge.” He turned to Kara.

  “That Sunridge?” Her voice squeaked.

  Jeff looked at her with raised brows. “Problem?”

  She shook her head. “No.” Except Gail Foster lived there, and the last thing she wanted was to endanger a friend.

  “The local contact is the taskforce leader, Sheriff Deputy Tad Baker,” Gary continued.

  “There’s no one else who can do this?” Jeff’s shoulders slumped slightly.

  “They’re out of options. You’re a topnotch agent, and I have complete faith that you can remain objective and do your job.”

  Kara scowled. Of course, Jeff could do the job. But did he want to? She certainly didn’t. Then again, what choice did they have? Jeff was perfect for the job, and she needed to lay low. No one would ever think to look for her in Oregon even if she had spent several years living there as a teen.

  Jeff closed the file. “Fine. I’ll do my job, but I don’t like it.”

  “I understand,” Gary faced forward and looked at them through his rearview mirror. “I know this is unusual, but you’ll have the perfect cover. You mentioned once that your family believes you work for a bank. Is that still your story?”

  Jeff closed the file in his lap. “As far as Eric is concerned, yes. My parents know what I do, but I never shared my change in careers with Eric. We aren’t exactly close.”

  “Perfect. If Eric checks up on you, we’ll make sure he thinks you work at a bank. If any of the suspects start digging, they’ll be led to believe you have connections in high places. I’ll add a few extracurricular activities as well. We want the smugglers to think you’re not the clean-cut guy you appear to be.”

  Jeff scrubbed his hand over his face. “I haven’t seen Eric in almost seven years.”

  “Then I guess it’s about time you two get reacquainted. Everything you need to know is in that file.”

  “What if Eric’s involved?” he mumbled more to himself than to them.

  Gary’s brown eyes hardened. “You’ll do your job.” His words were short and clipped. “This goes without saying—follow protocol. We don’t want anything to come back and bite us when it goes to trial. I find out that you compromised this operation in any way, your career is over. Am I clear?”

  Jeff m
oved to open the door. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Since you’ve both been lying low, I took the liberty of having some of your stuff packed. Figured you’d need some of your belongings.”

  “Thanks.” Jaw clenched, Jeff took the packet of information, grabbed his bag from the trunk, and walked toward the waiting Beechcraft.

  “Do you have any questions, Kara?” Gary asked.

  “When will I see a doctor for medical clearance?”

  “I’ve arranged to have a doctor meet you at the DEA field office in Bend. There will be a vehicle for each of you at the Redmond Airport. You’ll go on to Sunridge after you see the doctor in Bend, and Jeff will head to the ranch just outside Sunridge.”

  “You must have confidence I’m going to pass inspection if you’re sending me all the way to Oregon,” Kara said.

  Gary pursed his lips.

  She cleared her throat at his silence. “What’s my specific role in this operation?”

  “It’s all in there. We’re reprising your nail technician role since you’re still licensed in the state of Oregon.” He nodded at the file she held. “Use Jeff to access his family. You’ll also find that there’s another suspect. His name is Jake. Get close to him and see what you can learn.”

  She nodded. “And what about Gail? You mentioned she’s the reason I was chosen for this job.” She didn’t like the sound of this assignment, but what choice did she have? Stay hiding in Florida indefinitely or work in Oregon. Neither choice appealed. Good thing Gary had managed to keep her and Jeff’s name out of the media coverage of the car bomb. Alvarado might have discovered her true identity, but others had not. Otherwise, her undercover days would be over, even in Oregon. It was a miracle none of the onlookers had posted video or pictures to the Internet of them in the aftermath.