by Rebecca Deel
The SEAL scowled. “Dirty pool, Cahill.”
“Someone else should be on the hot seat for a while.”
“Sounds like a great story,” Stella said, her eyes sparkling. “Talk, Eli.”
He sighed. “Our team was on a mission in an unnamed hot zone.”
Josh carried his dishes into the kitchen. The men scraped plates and dumped dishes in the dishwasher. Josh shook his head. “I’d rather not buy my brother-in-law a new set of plates because you clowns hate kitchen duty.”
That started a whole new round of good natured ragging on him and his domestic diva tendencies. Right. He relegated that duty to Serena. Madison and Megan burned water, though they could both clean. Mom had made sure of that.
As he shut the dishwasher, Quinn’s voice sounded in the dining room, followed by laughter. Josh trailed his men into the other room, held out his hand to Del. Surprise registered on her face. “Let me walk you to your room. Take pain meds so Rio doesn’t come after me with a stick.”
She gave him a slight smile. “Can’t have that. I like your face.”
“Oh, sugar, you shouldn’t tell him tales. His head will grow so big he won’t fit through the doorway.” Eli grinned at her.
Del turned back to Josh. “Some friend.” She gripped his hand and rose.
He scowled at Eli. “I’m rethinking his status on my friend list.”
“Won’t help.” Jon’s lip curled. “He’s like an overgrown puppy. Thinks everybody loves him.”
“Well, he is cute,” Del said.
Stella laughed, Ivy shook her head. The guys threw out catcalls. Eli waited until the furor settled down before sighing. “You wound me, sugar.”
“You’ll survive.”
Still chuckling, Josh laced his fingers through hers and escorted her to the second floor. Behind him, he heard Alex climbing the stairs with Ivy in his arms. He got the impression Alex liked carrying Ivy.
He opened the last door on the right and ushered her inside. On the king-size bed sat her backpack and Ivy’s. A large dresser was against the wall by the door, an armchair in each corner, and a door leading to a bathroom. Crutches were propped against one of the chairs. “We gave you the master suite. Alex and I are across the hall. We don’t want to be more than a few feet from you during the night.”
Alex angled Ivy through the doorway, trailed by Stella. He placed her on the bed. “Same instructions, Ivy. Take your meds. Get some sleep.”
“What if Granger finds us?”
“If he shows, we’ll handle him.”
“Okay if I stay with Del and Ivy?” Stella asked.
Josh’s text tone chimed. “Excuse me,” he murmured, grabbing his phone. He scanned the coded message from a former teammate working in intelligence. He raised his gaze, zeroed in on the marshal. “Keep your weapon close. Anything feels weird, yell. We’ll update you on the plan as soon as we hash it out.” He dropped a quick kiss on Del’s mouth, tapped her nose, and signaled Alex to follow him.
In the hall, Alex grabbed his arm, pulled him to a stop. “We’re leaving Stella alone with them?”
“Zane cleared both marshals. Let’s set a trap.”
“We got sent to our room while the big, bad military men plot to save our skins.”
Del grinned at Ivy’s outrage. “Did you really want to sit in on that discussion?” She couldn’t imagine her cousin wanting to hear the war plans being discussed in the dining room. She hoped the plans were overkill, but knew better.
The men standing between them and Granger were the best. If they weren’t, Ethan wouldn’t trust their safety to Josh and his team. Made her wonder what the man who’d won her heart was capable of.
Her arm ached something fierce. Hated to admit Josh and Rio were right. She needed pain pills. The throb was becoming unwieldy.
Ivy wrinkled her nose. “Probably not. I would like to sleep sometime this century.” She shuddered. “When I close my eyes, I see a shadowy figure stalking us with a gun.”
Stella grabbed the crutches. “Why don’t you get ready for bed? Even if you can’t sleep, at least you’ll be comfortable.”
Del and Stella helped her stand. Once her cousin was balanced, she hopped toward the bathroom. When the door closed, Del turned to Stella. “We slept in clothes at the safe house.”
“You were ready to run.” She studied Del. “How did you get help from Josh and his friends?”
She raised her chin. “Cell phone.”
A wry smile from the marshal. “I won’t scold since it saved your life.”
“The phone was a safety net. We weren’t to use it except in an emergency. When I saw Vance on the floor, bleeding, I wasn’t sure who shot him.”
“You must have wondered if Burns turned on his partner.” She nodded. “I’m glad you had the phone, Del.” Stella sat on the side of the bed. “Why is Granger after you? I thought you didn’t see him.”
Del dropped beside the marshal. “He had on a baseball cap, pulled low. We wouldn’t recognize him if we ran into him on the sidewalk.”
Stella frowned. “Doesn’t make sense he’s so determined to kill you.”
“If this guy is a former soldier, how could he miss us? Our progress didn’t brake speed records.”
“I thought about that, too,” Ivy said from the bathroom doorway. She hopped back into the room, collapsed on the bed in a huff, and laid the crutches on the floor. “I know we were wobbling all over the place, but he should have nailed us.”
Stella furrowed her brow. “Maybe he wanted to scare you.”
“For what reason?” Del moved toward the bathroom to start her bedtime routine. “We can’t identify him. Scaring us seems pointless. If he doesn’t want us dead, then what does he want? That’s what we should figure out.”
Minutes later, she returned to the room to find Ivy asleep on top of the quilt. Del’s heart clenched. Her cousin looked exhausted. Hopefully, Granger’s information network wasn’t good enough to find them for a few days. The longer Ivy had to recuperate, the better chance she had to escape if he located them and blew past Josh and Alex.
“Try to sleep,” Stella whispered.
“What about you?”
“Night watch. I’ll sleep tomorrow after you’re awake.”
Del crawled beneath the covers, still clad in jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt. She lay still for a few minutes, couldn’t still her mind. She rolled to her back. Waited. No dice.
She sat up, shoved her hair away from her face. Cross, Del swung her legs from under the covers and stood.
“What’s wrong?” Stella whispered.
“Can’t sleep. Arm hurts and my mind won’t shut down.” She sighed, grabbed her book from the backpack. “I’ll read a while.” She tiptoed across the room and eased the door open. The murmur of male voices drifted up the stairs. She considered joining them in the dining room, shelved the idea. Ivy was right. Too many details about Granger and what Durango team might have to do to stop him. Not the best idea to join the war party.
Del eyed the open doorway across from their suite. Would Alex and Josh mind if she sat in their room to read? Probably not. She stepped into their room, closed the door to a crack and turned on the light. Twin beds with pine headboards and matching log cabin quilts occupied either side of a nightstand made from the same material. A small glass lamp sat on the table.
Perfect. Using the hall light to illuminate her steps, she turned off the overhead and substituted the soft lamp light. She studied the open bags at the foot of each bed. Two Robert B. Parker books lay on top of clothes in one of the bags. Must belong to Josh.
She propped the pillow against the headboard. After settling on top of the quilt, she relaxed, book on her stomach. Before long, she was lost in the story. She finished one chapter, began the next. Halfway down the following page, she noticed different letters on the page were underlined. Same on the facing page. She’d seen sentences underlined in used books, but never individual letters. With a shrug, she continued read
ing.
A couple chapters later, the same pattern of underlining popped up again. What did it mean? Yawning, she closed the book, laid it on her stomach. She’d rest a minute before returning to her room.
Josh scowled at the two SEALs sitting across from him. His expression matched those on his team’s faces. None of them liked the news the computer guru was giving them.
“You won’t convince him to talk,” Jon said. “Not only does he have training to resist interrogation, pain isn’t a motivator. He has no feelings about pain. Considers it one more thing to conquer because that’s what a super soldier does.”
“Super soldier?” Nate shook his head.
“That’s how he thinks of himself. More machine than man. He truly has no conscience.”
“Why don’t we just take him out?” Alex asked.
“Because I’m a cop,” Josh said. “I can’t sanction a kill. This isn’t the Sand Box with everybody out to murder us.” A noise upstairs made him pause. He held up his hand, listened a minute. Voice lower, he continued. “Granger had more than one chance to kill Del and Ivy.” A world without Del didn’t bear thinking about.
“Why didn’t he?” Quinn asked. “If the point of this cat-and-mouse game is to take them out, what held him back?”
“Maybe he wants to know who they told,” Nate said.
“For what purpose?” Alex shook his head. “Even Curt can’t kill all the cops who know he’s connected to Reece’s murder.”
“So what does he want?” Deke asked. His voice echoed the frustration boiling in all of them.
Eli downed part of the Coke in his bottle. “They know information or have something Granger’s client wants.”
“And if he gets what he wants?” Alex asked.
“They’re dead.” Jon folded his arms. “Granger doesn’t care if they recognize him. He’s nicknamed the Ghost for a reason.”
“His client.” Josh rose, paced the length of the dining room and back. “He’s afraid Del or Ivy will connect Granger to him. Look, when Rod and I ran into Granger, he was tearing apart the library.”
“Maybe the client wanted something hidden in there.”
“Must not have found it,” Eli said. “He still wants them.”
“Is it possible Del or Ivy have what Granger’s after?”
Josh frowned. “They didn’t take anything from the crime scene except Del’s computer.”
“What about before that day?” Jon asked. “Were they in the house before Reece’s death?”
“Probably. Mae Reece was one of Del’s best customers. She collected books like some people collect fine art.”
“Hardbacks?”
“She had several hardbacks. Her passion, though, was mass market paperbacks. She had thousands in the library.” He paused. “What if Judge Reece was killed for something involving his mother instead of a political vendetta?”
“Should we return to Otter Creek?” Alex’s hands clenched.
“No.” Josh dropped into his seat again. “I’m not taking them home until Granger’s under wraps. He’ll use my family as leverage. Though Mom, Dad and Del’s mother are out of town, my sisters are vulnerable when their husbands are on duty.”
“Then we need to draw Curt down here. Should we take out an ad in the classifieds?”
“We leak our location after we’re ready.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Jon said. “Still have contacts in the right places. I’ll drop crumbs.” A baring of his teeth. “Make him work for the information. Too easy and he’ll suspect a trap.”
“And once he’s here?” Quinn asked. “If we play it straight, what do we do with him?”
“Tranq him,” Eli said. “We know he won’t talk because we wouldn’t, and we have more at stake than he does. We can make sure he doesn’t talk to anybody.”
Jon glanced at him, nodded. “Black site. Fortress can put him on ice.”
“We’ll spread the word he’s dead, killed in a firefight,” Eli continued. “His client needs a replacement since he still doesn’t have what he’s after.”
“You want the job?” Jon asked, his gaze locked on Josh’s.
“Oh, yeah. I’d love to meet Curt’s client. Have to bring in Jordan, though.” His mouth curved. “I’m out of jurisdiction. We need the feds to make this work in court.”
A general round of complaints filled the room. Josh held up his hand like a traffic cop. “I hate it, too. I’d hate even worse for this dirt bag to keep hiring guns to come after Del and Ivy. If it means playing nice with Jordan, so be it.”
After finalizing their plans, the men dispersed to their rooms; Jon and Eli left, promising to remain available and to scour the Internet for more information. Outside his room, Josh noticed a light shining from inside. He eased open the door. Del was asleep on his bed, a book on her stomach. He held up his hand, signaled Alex to wait. He approached the bed with silent steps.
Josh sat on the edge, heart turning over in his chest. So beautiful and so vulnerable. He cupped her cheek.
Del nuzzled into his palm. “If you’re not Officer Cahill, go away. I was just getting to a really good part of my dream.”
“Hope you’re dreaming about me.”
“Not telling unless I’m offered an outstanding bribe.”
He smiled into her green eyes. “What’s your price?”
“A goodnight kiss after you walk me to my door.”
“I think I can accommodate you, love.”
The sleepy haze cleared from her eyes. “You have a great bedside manner, Mr. Cahill.”
He chuckled. “It’s late. Let me walk you home, Ms. Peterson. Can’t be too careful this late a night.” Holding out his hand, he helped Del to her feet, kept her hand in his. As soon as they cleared the doorway, Alex slipped into the room and closed the door.
“Is Alex okay? He didn’t say anything.”
“It’s part of the best friend code not to interfere with the after-date kiss.”
“Some date,” she whispered. “Lasted all of two minutes.”
He turned her so her back was to the wall beside her door. Josh wrapped his arms around her. “Rain check for a longer date after Granger’s behind bars?”
“Deal. Did you finish laying out the war plans?”
“Yes. It’s late. You’re tired. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” He leaned down, took his time kissing the woman in his arms. When he lifted his head, Josh nudged her toward the bedroom door. “Better go on to bed.” While he still had some self-control left. Del Peterson went to his head, fast.
Hand on the doorknob, she glanced over her shoulder. “You’re going to bed, too?”
He shook his head. “I’m on watch in fifteen minutes. I’ll be back in a few hours. Alex is across the hall if you need him.” If she felt the need to rouse Alex, it meant he’d miscalculated Granger’s resourcefulness and they were all in deep trouble.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Del woke to Ivy’s grousing as she hopped to the bathroom. She glanced around the room. No Stella. She rolled over, grabbed her watch. A little after six. Time to either start breakfast or help Nate feed this crowd of big eaters.
She changed clothes and dragged a brush through her hair. Down the stairs and into the kitchen, she slid to a stop. Josh was leaning against the sink, steaming mug of coffee in one hand, cell phone pressed to his ear with the other, hair wet from a recent shower. A smile lit his face when he noticed her. He put down the mug, held out his arm in invitation, a request she was happy to fulfill.
A sigh escaped as his arm snugged her against his side. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She angled her head up to smile at him, took a minute to revel in his presence, then eased away from his hold.
“Hold off for forty-eight hours, Jon. After that, we should have Granger on ice and we’ll leak the info to his employer.”
Sounded like the guys made many plans last night. Should be an interesting discussion with him. She opened the refrigerator, scanned the contents. S
crambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits sounded good. Del loaded her arms with the necessary ingredients.
As soon as the bacon started sizzling, sending an enticing aroma upstairs, Del heard footsteps overhead. She grinned. Worked every time with her brothers, too. Biscuits in the oven, she broke two dozen eggs into a bowl, mixed them with milk, salt, and pepper. She poured the concoction into a large skillet.
By the time the eggs and biscuits were ready, the kitchen overflowed with hungry men and a grumpy Ivy. She grabbed a mug, poured her cousin coffee. Ivy’s first sip elicited a moan of appreciation.
Stella didn’t show. She set aside a plate of food for their nighttime bodyguard. Once she’d wrapped it in plastic and placed it in the refrigerator, Del set up the plates, silverware, butter, and jam on the counter and started another pot of coffee. “Food’s ready.”
“Smells great.” Deke smiled. “Much better than anything I put together. My wife’s the chef in our house. I just man the grill.”
“Yeah?” Quinn turned to stare at the marshal. “What kind of grill?”
That started a conversation on the pros and cons of gas versus charcoal grilling. Del shared a look with her cousin. Ivy rolled her eyes, sipped more coffee.
Alex grabbed a plate and piled on food. “Does Ivy like all this?” he murmured, indicating the plate in his hand.
“Yes, but not as much. She eats that amount spread over the day.”
He scowled. “She’s not eating enough.”
Delight raced through Del. Alex Morgan was a keeper, like Josh. “You should tell her that sometime. She’d appreciate your comment.”
Speculation lit his gaze. “Maybe I will.” Alex set the plate down on the counter, grabbed a clean one and filled it with smaller portions for Ivy. He placed the food in front of her cousin. Ivy’s face turned pink, but she smiled as though he’d given her a priceless gift. Her former boyfriend, Lee, had told her repeatedly that she needed to lose weight. Del thought her cousin was perfect. Alex agreed with her. Now to convince Ivy she didn’t need to change her appearance. Maybe that job belonged to the former Delta soldier.
