Undercover Warrior

by Aimée Thurlo

  “If we just lock the doors...”

  “They could set us on fire, and shoot us when we try to get out. We’re vulnerable. Let’s go.”

  They climbed out and Kyle retrieved his M4 assault rifle, along with the two extra magazines before locking up the SUV with his key fob.

  “There’s no cover close to the road, with the wide shoulders and the vegetation stripped from beneath the power lines. How about hiding among the trees over there?” Erin suggested, pointing across the road.

  “Let’s try to stick to our side of the highway. We don’t want to go too far. It won’t be long before help arrives. All we have to do is buy some time.” He looked over at a large, flat rock surrounded by tall junipers, standing about twenty-five yards from the road.

  “Climbing up on that rock is the obvious answer. We’d be able to see quite a ways up and down the road,” he said. “Follow me and try to make sure your tracks are clearly visible. Stay on soft ground.”

  “Wouldn’t it be smarter if we hide our tracks?” Erin asked, confused, then slowly smiled. “Wait a minute. I get it. The best defense is a good offense.”

  “You a history buff?”

  Erin shook her head. “No, I just watch a lot of football.”

  * * *

  FIVE MINUTES LATER they’d climbed up the front, and slid down the back of the big rock, leaving a well marked, false trail. Anyone tracking them would assume they were still up there, laying flat on their bellies on top of the rock.

  As they moved to a different area, Kyle showed her how to rub out her tracks. Quickly, they made their way uphill until they reached hard sandstone. From there, they moved laterally to an area filled with junipers. Crouched low, they could still see the road and the false trail they’d left for whoever came after them.

  They waited in silence, Kyle watching through the night scope on his M4. Soon they heard a vehicle moving slowly in their direction from up the road.

  “It’s the van, lights out,” he whispered. Had he been alone, he would have gone down beside the rock and ambushed the perps, but he had someone to protect. Reinforcements were on the way and, for now, they were in the safest place he could find.

  Two people got out of the van and jogged down the far side of the road, approaching within fifty feet of the SUV. They split up, circled the vehicle carefully, then, while one of them stood still, weapon aimed, the other approached the SUV and looked inside. He tried the door, failed to open it, then backed away, shaking his head. The second person turned in a slow circle, searching, then crossed the road.

  “From the height and build, the smaller one’s Frieda. I’m almost sure of it,” Erin whispered.

  Kyle looked through the scope again. If they came much closer, he’d have to start shooting, and he wanted to take at least one of the terrorists alive.

  A man shouted from the van and the two on foot ran back toward the van, which drove up and met them halfway. In a heartbeat, the vehicle wheeled around and raced back up the road.

  “I recognized that man’s voice. It was gravelly, like Mike Bewley’s,” Erin said.

  “The same guy Hank fired?” Kyle verified.

  “Yeah.”

  “Let’s go back to the SUV. The crew in that van won’t be coming back. They either figured out we’d set up an ambush, or realized they were out of time.”

  “I can’t believe Mike’s involved with these creeps. I’d really hoped he’d figured out a way to put his own life back together.”

  Preston arrived just as they reached the SUV. “We managed to get in touch with a forest ranger driving in from the north and he spotted the van abandoned off the road a few miles farther up. They must have switched vehicles. Did you get a close look at the perps?”

  “I think one of them was Frieda Martinez, the other, Mike Bewley,” Erin said.

  Preston looked at Kyle, as if waiting for confirmation.

  “Neither one of us saw Frieda’s face clearly, but the general physical description matched,” Kyle said. “Erin identified Bewley based on his voice.”

  “I know that he used to drag race on weekends, too, and is real good behind the wheel,” Erin added.

  Kyle quickly gave Preston the rest of the details, including their plan to ambush the two who’d left the van.

  “What about the other guy, the one who went to check out your SUV?” Preston asked just as Daniel and Paul arrived.

  “Even through the scope, I never saw him clearly enough to pick out his mug shot.

  “For what it’s worth, I want you to know that you handled today like a pro, Erin,” Kyle said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

  She smiled slowly, and to Kyle, it felt as if she’d just lit up the darkness.

  “There’s something I still can’t figure out,” Preston said. “These terrorists are operating on my turf. What I want to know is how they’re recruiting people without making any waves.”

  “There are always bottom feeders who can be bought.”

  “Like Mike Bewley,” she said. “He needed money to crawl out of the hole he was in, and he hated Hank.”

  “Real revolutionaries tend to have a history that can be identified and traced. Their best soldiers are often people who’ve never been connected to the issue—people under the radar.”

  Preston’s cell phone interrupted them. “Your phone works?” Kyle asked, surprised.

  “Those big transmission lines are hell on satellite links, something about the frequency, but cell phones seem to work just fine,” Preston said and answered the call.

  Preston listened for several moments then spoke. “Keep an eye on him, and if he does anything illegal, bring him in. Call for backup if you need it.”

  “What’s up?” Kyle said as Preston ended the call.

  “New twist on the case,” Preston said. “I’ve had an officer watching Erin’s house. He just saw a man approach the front door, then go around when no one answered. He ran the plates on the truck, and it’s Bruce Leland.”

  “How often does he come over to your place?” Kyle asked Erin.

  “He dropped me off one time. That’s it, but maybe he just wanted to talk to me about the business. Moe’s out of town, remember?”

  Preston answered his phone again. “I’m not buying it,” he said. “Arrest Leland and bring him in. I’ll meet you at the station.”

  “You’re going to arrest him for going to my back door?” Erin asked, surprised.

  “No, for B and E. He broke a rear window and crawled inside,” Preston said.

  “We’ll follow you back to the station,” Kyle told him, then glanced at Paul. “Looks like I’ll need a full background on all the key players. Keep looking for any Spanish ecoterrorist connections. I want to find out who’s running their operations here.”

  “I’ll make it my top priority,” Paul said.

  Kyle looked at Erin and saw she was trembling now. Intending to comfort her, he walked to her side, but she stepped back.

  “I’m not shaking ’cause I’m scared. I’m angry,” she said, her eyes flashing. “If Bruce is involved with the people who murdered his brother, he has to answer for it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Standing outside the interrogation room, Kyle pointed with his lips, Navajo style, at the man inside. “We’re deliberately keeping the room hot to see if we can wear him down a little. In a while I’ll go in and question him. You watch from here.”

  “Bruce has always seemed more pathetic than dangerous to me, but I was never afraid of him. Maybe I should have been,” Erin whispered.

  “I don’t think he wanted to hurt you. He knew you wouldn’t be home. Bruce was there to conduct a search.”

  “For the detonators Hank brought back from Spain?”

  “What el
se could it be? The terrorists already have the explosives they need. They’re going to do whatever’s necessary to get those detonators now. They have a timetable to keep.”

  “I almost feel sorry for Bruce. He was manipulated and now just looks lost,” she said, watching through the two-way glass.

  “I hate to tell you this, but he fits the profile of someone recruited to betray his country—an individual looking for direction and someone to blame for being a failure,” Kyle said. “Maybe you shouldn’t watch this....”

  “You don’t want me to see you work?” she asked. “I know you have to be tough, and I can handle it. Innocent people have died, and that’ll continue until you put a stop to it. Do what you have to do.”

  “All right, then,” he said, then moved away to meet Preston.

  “You sure you want her here?” Preston whispered. “What if she’s been playing us all? Anything Leland says could end up being passed along to the wrong crowd.”

  “I trust my gut on this. Erin’s the kind who’s almost impossible to recruit,” Kyle said. “She’s motivated, a patriot who believes in the American Dream and is working within the system. No way she’s with them.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s go,” Preston said.

  They went into the interrogation room together. Kyle sat across the desk from Bruce while Preston remained standing, arms crossed in front of his chest.

  “We’ve got enough to charge you for breaking and entering,” Preston said, “but that’s just the tip of the iceberg, Bruce. The people you’re involved with are terrorists. They’ll kill you the second they no longer need you. They don’t leave loose ends.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I wasn’t breaking in. Well, I was, but I heard someone inside, calling for help. I thought Erin was in trouble.”

  Kyle’s gaze was flat. “And you just happened to be in her yard when you heard that call for help from nobody? That’s a lot of bull.” He leaned over the table, getting into Bruce’s face. “You’re involved with terrorists planning an attack on our country. That makes you worse than a traitor,” he said. “I’m here to give you the only chance you’re going to get. Cooperate, and we’ll do our best to keep you alive. Otherwise, the ones who murdered Hank will turn on you. They’ll torture you until you give them what they want. Afterward, if you’re lucky, they’ll kill what’s left of you.”

  “But I don’t have them—” Bruce said, then stopped.

  “You didn’t get the shipment?” Kyle pressed, choosing his words carefully. He needed Bruce to incriminate himself.

  “What shipment?” he said, his voice rising. “I’m telling you the truth, I don’t know what’s going on. All I can tell you is that Frieda convinced my brother to do her a favor when he was in Spain.”

  “You introduced them,” Kyle said coldly.

  “Yeah, I know. Frieda wanted to meet my brother, said she wanted to work for his company. I told her Hank and I didn’t get along and that I owed him some money. She offered to help me pay him back if I introduced her. She loaned me the money, too,” he said, then added, “I didn’t realize till later that she had her sights on Hank, not the job.”

  “What happened to the money she gave you?”

  “I used it, but not to pay Hank, and that pissed her off. She’d wanted to use the fact that she’d loaned me money to put herself in Hank’s good graces,” he said. “Thing is, I had other, more pressing debts.”

  “Gambling?” Kyle asked.

  “Yeah. I sold off everything I owned, squared most of the debt, and got some real bad people off my back.”

  “If she needed a job, didn’t you wonder where she was getting the bucks to help you?” Kyle asked.

  “Priorities, dude. My creditors had threatened to give me a real beatdown if I didn’t come across with the cash.”

  “So you got involved with people who’ll just as soon kill you instead,” Kyle said. “Bad plan. The second they find out you’ve cooperated with us, you’re as good as dead.”

  “What are you talking about?” Bruce’s eyes widened. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know!”

  “And you think they’re going to believe that?” Kyle said, then shrugged. “Your funeral, guy.”

  Preston walked to the door. “While we process you for breaking and entering, you might want to think things over.”

  “One more thing,” Kyle added. “When you finally leave the station, make sure you watch your back. These guys are everywhere, and they don’t care what direction a man’s facing when they kill him.”

  * * *

  KYLE LEFT THE room and went to see how Erin had handled things.

  She gave him a shaky smile as he approached. “I don’t understand why Bruce isn’t cooperating. The only choice he really has is to accept your help.”

  Kyle smiled. No recriminations, no disappointment, just a factual observation. Erin understood the nature of his work, and had taken it in stride. No wonder he was crazy about her. “In spite of all you’ve been through and seen, you can still stay focused. You’d make one helluva agent.”

  “If that’s a compliment, thank you, but all things considered, I prefer agriculture.”

  He barked out a laugh. “I’ll say this. You’re the toughest farmer I’ve ever met.”

  “It goes with the job description,” she answered, then after a beat, added, “I miss it, you know. Watering in the morning, and all....”

  “You’ll get back to your life after this is over.”

  “That’s just it. I’m not sure how much of my old life is left. Right now, I’m essentially unemployed. I still need to talk to Moe—”

  Preston approached. “That’s going to be tough, unless you have connections at the highest level,” he said, and pointed heavenward. “Moe’s dead.”

  “What?” she asked, and swallowed hard.

  “How did it happen?” Kyle asked.

  “Shot. We have the round. It came from a forty-five. Some tourists found his body beside one of the hiking trails in the Angel Peak Recreation Area.”

  “Who killed him? The same ones who went after Hank?” Erin asked in a shaky voice.

  “We don’t know yet,” Preston answered. “The rounds we recovered so far have all been nine millimeter or .223 caliber.”

  “What about his paralegal, Ron Mora?” Kyle asked.

  “Mora’s also missing. Their office is locked up tight, and he’s not home.”

  “Everyone connected to Hank is in danger now. That’s true isn’t it?” Erin asked.

  “Yeah, that’s my guess,” Kyle said with a nod. “Erin, you knew Hank better than any of us. Think. What could he have done with those detonators?”

  “I don’t know!” she said. “I’m not holding out on you, Kyle. I have no reason to do that—unless you still think I’m part of this conspiracy.” When neither man answered right away, her shoulders slumped. “I don’t believe it. You’re not sure, even after all this....”

  “Until we have all the answers, we can’t eliminate anyone,” Kyle said, his voice gentling, “but instinct tells me you aren’t involved. I wouldn’t have turned my back on you if I felt differently, or let you listen in when I did.”

  “You knew I wasn’t armed and, besides, I’m sure you know all kinds of Ninja stuff, and could have turned me into a pretzel,” she said, giving him a tremulous smile.

  “All true, but the fact remains I do trust you.” He brushed his knuckles on her cheek. “We’ve been through a lot together, and I wouldn’t lie to you.”

  “Without your help, I would have been dead by now,” she said. “I may be terrified three-quarters of the time, but I’m also grateful for what you’ve done.”

  “No one will hurt you on my watch. Guaranteed.”

  “Kyle, I need to talk to you,” Prest
on said.

  “Wait here for me. I won’t be long,” he told Erin.

  “My office is the second door to the left,” Preston told her. “I brought that desert plant you were worried about to my office. Go take a look at it if you want.”

  “Thanks!” she said, her expression suddenly brightening.

  * * *

  KYLE MET WITH Preston in the conference room, then waited as Preston shut the door. “Okay, what’s up?” Kyle asked.

  “You have to get that woman to trust you, Kyle, and you’re not making it happen. What’s holding you back? You losing your touch?”

  “We’ve been a little busy dodging bullets.”

  “Bull. It’s more than that....” He stared at Kyle, and a second later, smiled. “Erin’s getting to you. You really like her.”

  “She’s a witness and a person of interest. That’s all there is to it.”

  “But this time, you’re the one with the interest. You’re keeping your distance because she’s making you uncomfortable.” He paused. “You need to get Erin to open up to you, and to do that you’ll have to meet her halfway and tell her about yourself. She’s going to have to trust you—not as a federal agent, but as a man.”

  “Under other circumstances there would have been time for that, but my priority has been a trade-off between conducting an active investigation and keeping her alive.”

  “Why don’t you take her to Copper Canyon? Daniel, Paul and I will work the leads while you take her out of the line of fire for a breather. That’s the best chance you’ve got of jogging her memory.”

  Kyle nodded. His brother was right—on all counts. He had to help Erin figure things out. It could be the key to the entire investigation.

  “I’ll need transportation.”

  Preston handed him the keys to his own SUV. “Here you go.”

  As Preston was called to meet with his captain, Kyle went down the hall to his brother’s office and saw Erin studying her plant, which was on a file cabinet near the window.