Books by Linda Conrad

by Conrad, Linda

  Damn. Damn. Damn. He should’ve known better.

  “What…?” Reagan lifted her head and tried to look back toward the empty SUV and the doomed animal tied to it. “Is it my father? Is he hurt?”

  The supreme effort of dragging her away as fast as possible kept Kody from giving her any answers. He wished he’d had at least one second to decide which direction would be best to go, but it was much too late for that now.

  Just as they reached his pickup, he heard an ominous click. With no time left, he dropped to the ground, taking Reagan with him. Rolling them both under the truck’s cab, he covered her body with his own.

  And the world exploded around them.

  Heat. Flash. The stench of gasoline mixed with other chemical accelerants assaulted his nose as the ground shook beneath them.

  But the pickup above them held together and remained in one piece. Luckily, it sheltered them from the flames and flying shrapnel.

  By the time the worst of the heat had passed over, Kody was cursing his own stupidity again. He’d remembered to stash a shotgun behind the pickup’s front seat, and he’d secretly stored his Glock in the locked glove box.

  Great places for them to be now—when getting to them could cost Reagan’s life. How were they going to get out of here without being picked off like the perfect targets he’d foolishly let them become?

  “Are you okay?” he whispered.

  He felt Reagan nod her head silently.

  “We have to get out of here, Red. And I mean fast. But it’s going to be tricky. Can you stay with me?”

  She nodded against his chest again.

  “Good. I think our best bet is the driver’s side. There’s a clump of juniper that can give us cover. I’ll go first and open the door, then I’ll pull you up and inside the cab. When you get there, duck down on the floorboards.”

  Her moan was soft, but he knew how scared she must be.

  “We’ll make it, Red. I swear we will. You trust me, don’t you?”

  For a millisecond she gave no answer. Kody began to worry that her mind was still blank and she would be incapable of helping herself out of this situation.

  “Yes,” she finally mumbled into his shirt. “I trust you. But don’t call me Red.”

  He took a breath. “Stay where you are a second. I’ll be back.”

  Easing off her body and inching toward the driver’s side, Kody found himself mumbling an ancient healing chant. It was one of the special Sings that Shirley Nez had uncovered in one of her great-grandfather’s secret parchments.

  Since the modern Dine language had not been written down until quite recently, Shirley’s great-grandfather had determined that the stories and cures he’d discovered must’ve come from the special people in Dine early history. The Yei of legends. He believed the writings were meant to aid generations through the ages, but somewhere along the way, the translations had been lost.

  While the old man had still been alive, he’d managed to translate only a few pages. It was just enough to give Shirley and the Brotherhood an edge in their war against the Skinwalkers.

  Kody prayed that the particular chant he was using would work to fend off their attackers. But another big part of him also wished he had his shotgun.

  Slipping out from under the pickup, he tried to glue himself to the driver’s door of the dusty black truck. He wished he’d worn a black T-shirt today instead of this stupid white, long-sleeved FBI special that stood out like a sore thumb against the truck.

  The running boards could’ve been a few inches narrower, too, come to think of it. But he was damn glad he hadn’t stopped to lock the truck this time.

  Praying aloud, Kody stood, gripped the handle and ripped open the door all in one jerky movement. Using the open driver’s door as a cover, he pulled his shotgun from behind the seat, then dropped back down underneath the cab.

  Waiting for some kind of threatening response to his bold move, he held his breath again. But nothing happened.

  “You ready to go, Red?” he asked in a whisper.

  “I guess so.” She lifted her head from the dirt and pinned him with a pathetic stare. “Are we going to die?”

  “No way.” He reached for her hand. “A geek and a half-breed? Why would anyone bother?”

  As he dragged her by the arm toward open ground, he heard her softly chuckling. His nonchalant joking seemed to be doing the job of calming her nerves. Just one touch of her hand had calmed him.

  Two seconds later, Kody maneuvered the two of them and his shotgun out from under the truck and safely tucked them all under the dashboard. Slamming the door behind them, he reached up and locked it. Then he waited.

  Still nothing happened.

  He held his breath and listened. The crackling sound of the still-burning SUV brought terrible images to his mind.

  But along with the images came a certain peaceful stillness. An absence of vibrations. Maybe the evil ones would not continue their attack. Maybe his chants had done the trick.

  Trying as hard as he could, Kody couldn’t hear anything that sounded ominous.

  Perhaps…

  All of a sudden he caught the sound of a truck motor, straining as it made its way up the hill behind them. Would this be the evil ones, coming to make sure their trap had captured the prey?

  Kody couldn’t easily move, crammed under the steering wheel the way he was. But he managed to shift onto his back, then point the shotgun toward the open window.

  With one pump, he readied the gun. Gritting his teeth and concentrating on the window, he waited some more.

  The truck sounds came to a sudden halt, seemingly right behind the pickup. Then he heard a motor idling and a door opening.

  And then nothing except the frantic beating of his own heart.

  After a couple of minutes, Kody thought he could hear vague mumbling in the distance. Familiar mumbling.

  “Kody?” Reagan asked in a loud whisper from her spot on the floor. “What’s—”

  “Shush. Hold on.” With great difficulty, grasping the shotgun, he slid off the floorboards and into the driver’s seat. From there, he was able to peek out the back window.

  “Damn it,” he shouted as he threw open the door.

  He jumped out of the pickup and glared at the tribal cop standing beside an SUV parked about twenty feet behind the pickup—a local cop mumbling a Brotherhood chant.

  It was the one tribal cop who just happened to be a member of the Brotherhood…and also Kody’s brother, Hunter Long.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Kody barked as he headed toward him. “You scared me half to death. Why didn’t you yell or honk the horn so I would’ve known who it was?”

  Hunter smiled while he pulled his radio phone from its place on the dash. “Didn’t especially want to have a shotgun blast to the head today, brother.”

  “But…” He saw Hunter glancing over his shoulder toward the pickup—at exactly the same time as he heard Reagan opening the passenger door behind him.

  Hunter’s grin widened as he punched the talk button on the speaker end of the radio. “I also decided to wait until you invited me to come closer. After all, I am one Navajo who doesn’t wish to be rude.”

  “You are so busted, Snake,” the Wolf snarled. “I don’t have time to deal with this at the moment. So far you have not made the slightest headway. And you’re only managing to prove you are not worthy of the Skinwalkers.

  “Our cult still wants to exert enough control to bring the daughter to us,” he added wearily. “And it would’ve been nice to be rid of the Brotherhood FBI scumbag at the same time.”

  The Wolf glared but didn’t wait for an explanation. “Instead, you detoured them in the wrong direction and then nearly killed them both. We want the daughter alive for now. It’s the half-breed who can be eliminated.”

  “It was all his fault.” The Snake broke in with a hiss. “But I did make her go to where I wanted. I was controlling her. Then the half-breed used some kind of magic chant
that made me back off. It was beyond my control.”

  “Silence! Do not dare speak about losing control, you incompetent…” The Navajo Wolf lowered his voice and fisted his hands in the front of the other man’s shirt, drawing him closer. “You have one more chance. Lead the white woman to us by controlling her thoughts. And do it within the next twenty-four hours.”

  The Wolf shook off his blinding rage and let go of the other man. “Then get rid of that Navajo FBI half-breed for good.

  “But for God’s sake make it look like an accident so the entire federal agency will not descend upon us,” he added with a growl. “A car explosion? You are such an idiot. What were you thinking?”

  11

  “N ever again,” Reagan mumbled as she swiped a hand across her gritty eyes. The sun was about to set behind the smoky-blue mountains as they drove through ever darkening shadows toward Kody’s home.

  It had been hours since the explosion, and she and Kody had spent most of that time trying to explain their version of what had happened to the tribal police and then to the FBI. But Kody’s brother, Hunter, was the only one they had told about the numbers in her head being stolen.

  “The next time I ever get the sudden urge to jump you,” she said with force, “I will expect the numbers to go missing next. And I swear, I’ll fight it. This control stuff won’t ever take me by surprise again.”

  Kody cast her a dark look, then turned back to the road ahead. “Yeah. Great idea. That’ll work.”

  “You think not?” She studied his profile for a minute before it hit her. “Oh, I get it. You’re saying you wouldn’t mind me jumping you again. But it’s a bad idea, Kody. Really it is.”

  She found the image as tantalizing as he apparently did, but didn’t think that saying so would be too cool.

  Kody scowled, and she watched as a nerve in his jaw began to twitch.

  “I liked what we did.” How could he not know that she thought their time together had been fantastic? “Don’t misunderstand.” Was he deliberately baiting her—wanting her to say how great she thought it was? How great he was?

  Sheesh. She really wished she was better at these relationship games. Twenty-four hours ago she’d been positive that she loved him. Now…not so much.

  He was a nice man. A kind and gentle man. That much was certain. And he actually had saved her life—at least twice. But could she love anyone this annoying?

  The poor guy did look tired, though. His white, long-sleeved shirt would probably never come clean again. And though his black cowboy hat was back on his head, she knew underneath the dusty brim his hair was as filthy as hers was. She longed to be able to shampoo it.

  That thought led to another. Them together in a shower. With the water streaming over them and then sliding down into sensual corners she’d like to visit again herself.

  Reagan noticed a furrow growing between his brows, and she wanted to be able to reach over and soothe it—and him. But she was afraid to touch him.

  As he remained silent, Reagan looked down at his wide male hands, that were, at this very moment, viciously gripping the steering wheel. Images of those hands touching her with gentle reverence and controlled lust dashed through her mind and played tag with her better judgment.

  Damned if she wasn’t dying to have him touch her that way again. Their one night together had been beyond anything in her experience. She’d never imagined sex could be that way for her. For a goofy math geek? Who would’ve ever guessed?

  But it was just sex and not a real basis to build a relationship. Wasn’t it?

  Turning her face away from the temptation, she opened her side window and let the chilled wind cool her desires. It was well past time for her to start acting like the responsible adult she had always been. Scientific principles would save her life, if she would allow them to work for her.

  And if she could find a way to keep far away from whoever had been trying to control her.

  She glanced over at Kody again. A stray thought that maybe it was him who’d been trying to control her mind flitted in and back out of her consciousness.

  Impossible. Judging by how he had let her take the lead that wonderful night in the ancient ruin, she was positive he would never try to control her thoughts—or her body.

  Setting her jaw the same way Kody had, Reagan pursed her lips and made herself a promise. She would find the snake in the grass that was attempting to control her mind from afar. And then she would make him, or them, very sorry they had ever even heard her name.

  The sun dipped lower in the purple-shadowed sky and disappeared beyond the mountain peaks. Somewhere out in the desert, she knew, the sun would still be bright and high in the sky. But here in the mountains the deep shadows of dusk were quickly turning sunset haze to creepy darkness.

  A light chill ran up her arms. “Are we getting close to your mother’s house?”

  “Another fifteen minutes.” Kody turned, checking on her with a quick glance. “Are you cold? Or are you starting to accept that night in Dinetah can be dangerous?”

  “I’m not sure I buy into the whole Skinwalker scenario yet. But I am convinced someone on this reservation has found a way of using mind control from a long distance away. If that’s witchcraft, then I guess I accept it.” She hesitated a second and then decided to tell him her thoughts. “I not only accept it, I’ve decided to find that person and make him stop. I swear I will locate the bastard. And then…”

  She let the thought dangle dangerously in the ever growing darkness.

  Finally Kody turned to her. “You’re still upset about the goat, aren’t you?”

  “Damn right I’m upset. It’s bad enough I thought my father had exploded right before my eyes. But to use a poor defenseless animal as bait and then…and then…” She took a deep breath. “You’d better stick with me to make sure I don’t kill the guy who would do such a thing.”

  “I’ll stick with you, Red,” he promised softly.

  Reagan thought about telling him again not to call her Red, but changed her mind. It was the first time she had ever had a nickname. Well, if you didn’t count the times she’d been called “geek.”

  And she kind of liked that he’d become familiar enough to want to shorten her given name. Red. Funny, it seemed just perfect for her.

  It was quick and scientific. After all, that was the color of her hair. And somehow, coming out of Kody’s mouth, it had an endearing quality.

  She leaned back against the old leather seat and closed her eyes. Wanting a shower and a good night’s sleep, Reagan realized that her brain was tired, too. There were so many things she should be thinking about instead of the man sitting beside her.

  Her father was still missing. And more and more, she was convinced that someone, or something, had either kidnapped him or hypnotized him the same way whoever it was had tried to do to her.

  Dad was no artifact thief. And he sure as hell had not defected with classified documents.

  Reagan swiped a hand across her brow again, this time pushing the curls off her forehead. But that would mean her father was being held against his will and could be in danger of losing his life. She had better quit daydreaming about Kody and start focusing on finding her missing father.

  And she had better do it soon. Before she lost her one chance to connect with someone who loved her. And before she was once again left alone—for good this time.

  Kody flipped on the headlights and pushed down a little harder on the gas pedal. He knew it wouldn’t be dark yet on his mother’s mesa, but he did not want it to be pitch-black when they arrived.

  He gritted his teeth and vowed to start being more careful. Leaving both his weapons in the truck back at Sheepdip Creek had been the act of a careless idiot. It would not happen again.

  Earlier today, while Reagan was being questioned, he had requested and gotten a temporary leave of absence from the Bureau. It was important that the FBI not learn about the Skinwalkers, and so far they had no idea. The Bureau’s mission at
the moment was to find out if a terrorist cell had really arrived on the rez.

  Kody also wanted to keep Reagan’s father’s possible disappearance in Dinetah from becoming public knowledge. Just until he could get more information.

  He had to be free to give Reagan complete protection and also help in the search for her father. A leave would make it much easier for him to do things his way. He was counting on the Brotherhood to back him up.

  Sneaking a glance at Reagan, he absently patted the Glock, which was now residing in his shoulder holster where it belonged. He could understand how tired she must be. Her clothes were a mess and tiny stress lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes.

  Man, what he wouldn’t give to be able to fold her into his arms and protect her from everything. To smooth those lines away, rocking her into a peaceful sleep. All he wanted to do was keep the evil ones—and those mental ghosts of hers—at a safe distance.

  He wasn’t too sure why he felt that way. But she had to be protected.

  Reagan was so much more than she knew. So much more than he could ever be worthy of keeping.

  Her questions this morning about what he’d thought of their experience together had taken him by surprise. But in the back of his mind, he’d been trying to figure it out for himself ever since.

  He knew she had been asking about his emotional response to her, and not just about the sex. The sex was great. Beyond great. But emotions weren’t something he’d ever let himself think about.

  Of course, he had experienced a few emotional responses in the past. Loneliness. Fear. Overwhelming sadness when his father had died.

  Mulling over those for a second, Kody realized he had left out one big emotion—love. He narrowed his eyes and thought about it some more.

  Love was the most difficult emotion to get a handle on. If you let yourself love someone too much, it also hurt too much when that love went away.

  His father’s death had nearly killed him. Since then, he had held back his love for the rest of his family. He respected and cared for his mother and his brother, but never again would he allow himself to be consumed by love—for anyone.