“Your tail was Sean Wilkins. FBI.”
“Interesting. Why would the FBI be following me?”
“Good question. Think I’ll go find out in the morning.”
“I want to come.”
He shook his head. “Not a great idea. I’d rather deal with this without the object of our discussion hovering.”
“I don’t hover,” Kara said.
Jeff rolled his eyes. “Fine. You don’t hover, but I would appreciate if you’d let me do this on my own.”
“Why do you care so much?”
“We’re partners. That’s what partners do.” Besides she had already almost been killed on his watch once, and he didn’t plan to let that happen again. He needed to know if this Wilkins dude was friend or foe.
Her lips pursed, and she looked at him with doubt in her eyes. Hadn’t she ever had a partner that cared whether she lived or died? Kara definitely needed to get away from deep cover work if she couldn’t remember something as basic as that.
He cleared his throat. “How was your meeting?”
“Good. Turned out to be a Bible study led by a guy named Greg.”
“Tell me about it.”
“There were about ten or so in attendance including Tad Baker.”
“I didn’t mean tell me about the people. I was hoping to find out about the topic and what kind of speaker this Greg guy is.”
Kara stood and went to the refrigerator. “Oh. Sorry I can’t help with that. As soon as Greg started talking, my mind wandered to the case.” She held up a pitcher of lemonade. “Would you like some?”
He shook his head and stood. “No. I should be going.” Sadness for Kara gripped him. Running from God and blaming Him for all her recent problems only made things worse for her. Life was too complicated to deal with it alone. He wanted to help, but the only thing he could think to do was pray. “Come by the ranch tomorrow? I have a floorboard to replace.”
Kara turned from pouring her drink. “I’ll be there. See you tomorrow.”
Jeff let himself out. The lock on the door clicked into place before he moved toward his SUV. His skin prickled. He paused and looked around, listening for anything out of place. Just to be certain, he walked several feet down the alley and then back. Nothing seemed out of place, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
He reached for his sidearm at the screech of an alley cat. Rapid footsteps faded into the night. He ran to the end of the alley—whoever had been there was gone now. First thing tomorrow, he’d pay a visit to Wilkins.
Chapter 20
Kara looked up from a magazine when the salon door opened and Tad Baker entered. “Good morning, Tad. You don’t strike me as the manicure type,” she teased.
He chuckled. “Nope. Working on Saturday, huh?”
“Afraid so.” She motioned for him to have a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs.
He sat with his ankle propped on his knee.
“What brings you by?”
“I received your note to come and see you. What’s up?”
Kara frowned. “Do you have it with you?”
Tad reached into his shirt pocket and held out a piece of paper.
She scanned the handwritten note. “Do you mind if I hang onto this?” Maybe she could have it analyzed.
“Not at all. Is there a problem?”
“I didn’t leave this for you. Are you aware of who I am?”
He shot her a confused look. “Of course, I know who you are. The DEA sent you to assist with Operation Trail Ride, and you’re Jessica’s friend.”
Kara spoke in a low tone. “Yes, but my presence here has been kept quiet.”
She saw awareness in his eyes.
“Have you been compromised?”
“It’s possible. I’ve come to Sunridge with baggage of my own. I received an unsettling call yesterday.”
Tad frowned. “Tell me more.”
“The most powerful drug lord in Miami wants me dead and his people are said to be in the area. There have been a couple incidents, but nothing substantive. I spotted someone looking through my salon window, and when I went to investigate, they disappeared. That reminds me. Do you know a Sean Wilkins?”
“I do. He’s with the FBI. Why?”
“He involved in this operation?”
“Yes. What’s going on?” He sat forward.
“Hang with me a minute. Does he know I’m on the case?”
“I don’t know.”
She raised her brows.
“Normally he’d know, but my superiors made it clear that your involvement in this case was need to know only.” He sat in the chair across from her and leaned back. “Sean doesn’t need to know about you.”
Kara chuckled softly. “I caught him following me last night on my way to the Bible study. When it was clear he’d been made, he backed off.”
“I’ll talk to him and see why he was following you.”
“Thanks, but my partner is convinced that’s his job. Since he doesn’t know who I am, I think he followed me because I spend so much time at the ranch.” She shook her head. “To him, I’m a suspect.”
Tad ran his hand over his face. “There’s something I hadn’t anticipated. How do you want to handle this?”
If everyone knew she was on the case, they’d stop wasting valuable man-hours following her, but if even one of them was dirty, she could be asking for trouble. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “For the sake of the case, I think you should let them know about me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He rose. “Okay.” He turned to leave.
“Wait a second, Tad.” She stood and walked up to him. “Why do you think you were used to deliver the note? Any ideas?”
“No, but I’ll give it some thought. In the meantime, I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“Okay, and if I find anything new, I’ll let you know.”
He pulled out a business card and handed it to her after writing on the back. “My cell and home numbers are on the back if you can’t reach me at work.”
She added the numbers to her phone then stuffed the card in her jeans pocket. She locked up the shop after Tad left then flipped the open sign to closed.
After tossing toiletries, extra ammo, and a change of clothes into a duffle bag, Kara went out the back door. She wouldn’t run, but she refused to sit around and wait for trouble.
Chapter 21
Jeff forced himself to take one stair at a time as he came down the porch. He’d had a busy morning, thanks to Sean. The guy had been more than a little miffed at him for waking him up at eight thirty on a Saturday, demanding to know why he’d been following Kara. For some reason, Sean believed he should be allowed to sleep in on his day off. Jeff smirked. Sean had thought Kara was involved with the drug smugglers. He’d set the guy straight in short order. Boy, was he angry when he found out Kara was DEA, and he hadn’t been notified.
Jeff spotted Kara’s parked car. His pace quickened as he strode to the barn, her typical first stop. He wasn’t disappointed. He found her in the tack room snooping around. “Find what you’re looking for?”
Kara sucked in a breath. “You scared me.”
“Sorry.” He walked further into the room. “So, did you?”
“Did I what?” She placed her hands on her hips.
“Find what you’re looking for.” Jeff held back a chuckle that threatened to escape his lips. Mud streaked across her nose. He sauntered over to her, invading her space. Her eyes opened wider. Jeff touched her nose. The tingle zinged up his arm. He saw the confusion in Kara’s eyes, which mirrored his own. “You have mud on your nose.”
Kara’s face reddened. “I wonder how that got there.” She moved past him toward the door.
He’d made her blush. Had she felt the same connection he had? Is that why she moved away so fast? He understood the instinct to flee. They couldn’t get involved. A little voice in the back of his mind pointed ou
t they wouldn’t always be partners. Jeff followed Kara into the tack room.
She had her back to him as she removed the bridle from the wall. “You want to go riding?”
“Sure. But before we go, you can help me with that loose board. Eric wants it replaced.”
Kara whirled around to face him. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot.” She put back the bridle.
He grabbed a hammer on the way to the office.
“Where’s Jake?” Kara walked beside him.
“Out on a trail ride. I figured now would be a good time to take care of this. Even with Eric’s go ahead, I don’t want to irritate Jake.”
“I hear you.”
He glanced up at Kara as he pried the nails from the board. Her eyes danced, he assumed, in anticipation of what they might find.
With the last nail removed, he lifted the board. Jeff sat back on his haunches and stared into the empty space.
He grinned wide and replaced the board, pounding down the threaded nails with a little more zest than necessary. He and Eric may not have been close as kids, but he didn’t embrace the thought of someone in his family being involved in drug smuggling. He’d do his job and do it well, but he had a right to feel happy about not finding any incriminating evidence.
Kara slipped from the room without a word.
Jeff stood and went to find Kara. He didn’t have to go far. She was in the process of saddling Blaze. He chose Lulu, Lauren’s quarter horse. They saddled the horses in silence then mounted.
“You want to ride to the river?” Jeff asked.
“Sure. I think we should try a different route though. I’d like to get a better feel for the land, and I don’t want to be predictable.”
Made sense. With Alvarado’s people here it likely meant one thing—a hit man or multiple hit men would be studying Kara’s habits. Jeff rode beside her, alert for anything unusual.
At the river, they tied the horses to a tree. He’d planned to climb the same boulder as last time but thought better of it. “How about if you spread that blanket in the shade?”
She responded without comment. The area was protected on three sides by dense foliage. No one would be able to sneak up on them without being heard.
Kara laid face down, eyes closed while cradling her head in her arms. Jeff sat next to her staring at the river and keeping an eye out for trouble. He knew Kara too well by now to believe that everything was fine. Something was definitely bothering her, and it seemed to be more than a possible hit on her life. “You’re quiet this morning.”
“Nothing to say.”
“That’s a first.”
“Very funny.” She sighed. “Someone sent a message to me through Tad.”
Jeff shifted. “What kind of message?”
“They know where I am.”
“Who is they?”
“Wish I knew. But if I had to guess, I’d say Alvarado is messing with me. Trying to get under my skin. He likes to play mind games.”
No wonder Kara had seemed distracted when she’d arrived at the ranch. “You okay?”
“Peachy.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
He remembered the uneasy feeling he’d had outside Kara’s apartment last night and frowned. “Trouble seems to follow you. Do you have the note? I’d like to see it.”
Kara shook her head. “Wish I’d never heard the name Luis Alvarado.” She rolled over and shielded her eyes with her hand.
Jeff looked around. He knew she was in danger but hadn’t believed she’d been found. Things just changed. “You’re an easy target out here. We should go.”
“No,” Kara said.
“But—”
“I said no.”
“Fine but not for long.” He frowned, lifted binoculars to his eyes, and studied the land around them. It seemed they were alone, but it was hard to say for sure. “I don’t understand something.”
“What’s that?”
“Why you’re still alive. If Alvarado’s hit man has found you, he wouldn’t waste time. You’d be dead.”
“What’s your point?”
“What’s there to gain by letting you know you’ve been found? I suspect there’s more to this than we realize.”
“You mean, maybe the note was more innocent than I thought?” Kara sounded hopeful.
“Could be. Or the weasel is toying with you like you said.” He winced at the look of despair his words brought to her sea blue eyes. “You want to leave town?”
“No. I’m on a case, and I’m depending on you and Tad to keep your eyes and ears open.”
“I don’t like it, Kara. You’re allowing yourself to be a target, and to what end?”
“We lock up several lowlifes. I figure I’m safer with you by my side than if I go off on my own.”
Sooner or later Alvarado would tire of his game, and Jeff couldn’t stop a sniper’s bullet. But arguing seemed futile.
Kara rested her hand on top of his. “Let’s talk about something more pleasant.” She grinned. “Invite me to stay for dinner tonight?”
“Okay. Stay for dinner. What about lunch?”
“Thanks, lunch sounds great,” Kara said. “And I’d love to stay for dinner too. But don’t forget to let Veronica know you invited me.”
Jeff chuckled and leaned across her torso, resting his palm on the blanket blocking the sun from her face. “You’re rather conniving today. What else is going on in that head of yours?” He tapped her forehead with his finger.
“Nothing special. I hate cooking and a meal invite keeps me here for the day—where ironically, I feel safest. Since my investigation revolves around the ranch, it’s a no-brainer.”
Jeff looked down at her pixie-like face and saw vulnerability. This wasn’t the same Kara he’d been keeping an eye on for the past year as she bamboozled Miami’s most notorious drug lord. This Kara had looked death in the face one too many times. His gut clenched at the thought of losing her. When had he started to care so much? No matter what, he’d make sure she was safe. She flashed an unsteady grin. If only he could tell her that everything would be okay. His fingers itched to touch her long hair, but he held himself in check. “Do you want to head back now? You shouldn’t be out in the open like this.”
Kara sighed. “I suppose we should.”
“You suppose so, huh? And I thought you had better things to do than sit out here with me.”
Kara chuckled. “I never said that.” She stood and folded the blanket.
A few minutes later, the horses clopped along the tree-lined dirt trail at a slow pace. “Do you have a map of this ranch?” Kara asked. “I’d like to see how far it spreads.”
“I’m sure Eric has one. What are you thinking?”
“Thought I might map out our camping trip. You’re still working on that?”
“Yeah, but it’s not going to happen as soon as we’d hoped. Eric said we needed to wait a couple of weeks.”
“Why?”
Jeff shrugged, hating to voice his real thoughts on the subject.
She turned toward him. “He doesn’t want us to stumble onto something. A drug run must be planned sometime in the next two weeks. We have to be out there no matter what.”
“I know. I know.” How would he do it without Eric finding out? “Any ideas?”
“Let me work on it. I’ll think of something.”
“Fair enough.” Jeff kept an extra watchful eye on their surroundings as the horses plodded through the wooded area.
Back at the ranch now, he followed Kara into the barn and saw the surprised look on her face when Veronica greeted them from the office as they went into the barn. Jeff went into the office and closed the door behind him. “I invited Kara to spend the day here and to stay for dinner.”
“No problem, Jeff. Thanks for letting me know. Did the two of you have a nice ride?”
“We did, and thanks for being cool about Kara.”
Veronica rose and made her way toward the door. “I like her, and it’s nice to see you two together
.”
Jeff forced a smile. He liked Kara also—too much. He left the office and nearly bumped into the object of his thoughts as she rounded the corner of the stalls from the direction of the arena.
“Everything okay with Veronica?” Kara motioned with her head toward the office.
“Sure is. You, lady, are playing on the ranch today. I have a call to make. Blaze is taken care of?”
Kara nodded. “Just turned him out.”
“Good. Would you mind taking care of Lulu for me?”
“Not at all. Jake helped me with Blaze, but I don’t mind rubbing down Lulu.”
“Thanks. I’ll catch up with you in a bit. I have an errand to run. You going to be okay?”
“Of course. Go.”
Jeff double-timed it to his SUV then headed down the driveway. He didn’t want anyone to overhear this conversation. It was time he and Tad had a talk.
After Kara finished with Lulu, she slipped into the office. There had to be some reason Veronica kept coming in here other than to spy on Jake. She scanned the papers on the desk without touching anything. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.
Kara felt along the paneled walls for a trigger to open a secret compartment. She had one hand raised to feel the wall and the other at about waist level when she sensed a presence and looked over her shoulder. “Jake.” She yanked her hands to her sides. “I uh…”
His eyes twinkled. “You dancin’ with the wall?”
She crossed her arms and grinned. Dancing? Now there was something she hadn’t thought of. Was he serious? “I haven’t had a better offer lately, and I didn’t want to get out of practice.”
Jake chuckled, flipped the switch on the radio to a country station, and opened his arms. Kara stared in disbelief.
“Don’t leave a fella hangin’. You wanted to dance, didn’t you?”
Kara moved into the circle of his arm and rested one hand on his shoulder. He took the other in his hand. “Now isn’t that better?” Their bodies swayed to the music.
“You’re a few steps up from the wall.” Kara did a spin under his arm. “Tell me, how did you get so good at dancing while working a ranch?”
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