Special Agent

by Valerie Hansen

  He rolled his eyes and cautiously peered over the side of the patrol car, watching reinforcements arrive. “You qualify for something, all right. I’m just not sure what to call it. Not in polite company.”

  Before Katerina could come up with a suitable retort he’d gotten to his feet and holstered his sidearm.

  “Is it safe?”

  “For me, not for you. Stay down until we’ve made sure the shooter is long gone.”

  “He probably is, right? I mean, with all the police cars he must have taken off.”

  “Assumptions like that can get you killed,” Max warned. “Just like the idea that if you’re on a rescue mission you can’t be shot.” His icy stare returned. “You can either stay put right there or I’ll have the sheriff’s men cuff you and throw you in the back of one of their cars.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  She knew otherwise when Max gave her a lopsided smile and said, “Try me.”

  * * *

  “I wish I had the whole team here with me,” Max told Dylan O’Leary when he finally checked in with headquarters again. “Have you had any success tracking down the owner of the prints I took from the car at the park?”

  “Yeah. I think so. I’m sending a mug shot to your computer and cell. There was a petty criminal associated with Kowalski years ago. It was a juvenile offense so the records were sealed until I opened them.”

  “I do not need details you’re not supposed to know,” Max told him. “Just give me a last name.”

  “Take your pick. I found three besides Smith and Jones. He went by Kinder, Farth and Wilson.”

  “Sounds like a law firm.”

  The tech chuckled. “That was my first thought. Then I got to thinking he may have added another alias since then. I would have.”

  “Yes, but you have a devious mind,” Max joked. “I don’t think this guy is too bright.”

  “Doesn’t have to be bright to be lethal.”

  “No kidding. He shot a deputy yesterday. At least I think it was him. Makes me wonder why the shooter didn’t try for me.”

  “Maybe he did.”

  “I thought of that. Trajectory of the bullet makes it a remote possibility.”

  “What about the girl? Katerina Garwood? Have you gotten any more out of her after this last scare?”

  Max sobered. “I already told you. She’s given us everything she knows. What we can’t figure out is where Kowalski stashed those missing diamonds.”

  “Or where he got the money to buy them in the first place? It’s my guess he stole from Dupree and decided it was easier to hide his sudden wealth as little stones than to lug around a suitcase full of cash.”

  “I agree. What about a getaway plan? Have you turned up any solid leads?”

  “No. If Kowalski intended to skip town before he was arrested, he wasn’t going to fly. At least not under his own name. There’s no record of ticket purchases.” Dylan paused. “Not even a single seat.”

  “To show he was going alone? I get it. I wish you had found some record. It would uphold Katerina’s innocence.”

  “Hey, you trust her.”

  “I do. Implicitly. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the people in her life feel the same. You wouldn’t believe her father’s rotten attitude.”

  “Is that your problem, buddy? Are you thinking of stepping in as an older brother?”

  “No way! Besides, I do not think of her as a little sister. She’s every bit a grown woman. Boy, is she.”

  “Uh-oh. Here we go again. Another one bites the dust.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. She lives here and I do not intend to get involved in a long-distance romance.”

  Dylan laughed into the phone. “Sounds to me like you already are. Talk to you later.”

  “Yeah. Later.”

  Picturing Katerina kneeling beside the bleeding deputy and trying to doctor him, Max had a moment when he yearned to take her in his arms again and hold her tight. She was more than pretty. She was extraordinary. And the more he saw of her, the more his admiration blossomed.

  That’s all it is, Max insisted. Countering that thought made him clench his jaw. He might be able to fool his team and the general population but he wasn’t fooling himself. He loved Katerina Garwood even more than he loved his K-9 partner. And that was a lot.

  * * *

  Katerina didn’t spot another note shoved under the door of her hotel room until she’d finished dressing the following morning. Recognizing the paper, she immediately phoned Max.

  “West.”

  “A note. Another note.” She was nearly hysterical. “You have to come to my room.”

  “On my way.”

  She managed to unlock the door in the seconds before he got there and stood back. The instant he threw open the door she raised both hands. “Stop! Don’t step on it.”

  Max skidded to a halt.

  “I didn’t touch it,” she said, trembling. “How did he get this close?” Her eyes darted to the narrow hallway. “He had to be right here!”

  “Not if he paid somebody else to deliver it.”

  “If that’s supposed to be comforting, it isn’t.”

  She stepped back, leaving the door open as the agent used a glove to handle the paper. He took it to the dresser to unfold and read.

  Katerina peered past his broad shoulder. Her vision began to blur. It was worse than she’d expected. Not only did it threaten her, it clearly promised death to Bertrand Garwood—and her dear horse Moonlight—if she failed to show up at the ranch at an appointed time and disclose information on the location of the diamond stash.

  “What—what can I do?” she asked.

  Max was already on the phone to the sheriff’s office. Judging by his half of the conversation they were formulating a plan.

  “That’s right,” Max said. “Garwood. I need you to get in touch with him and convince him to leave his ranch for the time being. And tell him to put a guard on his property, particularly the horses.”

  When Katerina saw Max scowl she assumed he was being told that her father had already refused to comply. That figured. If he was anything, he was stubborn. And proud, which was why he had disowned her in the first place.

  “All right. We can filter in on foot, a few at a time. I’ll meet you in the lobby of my hotel at eleven and we’ll go over strategy. Just make sure everybody stays well hidden. This guy has already wounded one deputy and I know he won’t hesitate to shoot another.”

  “No.” Katerina grabbed Max’s arm, but he ignored her protest. The note had insisted she come alone. If they broke that rule and arrived like a posse, surely her dad and Moonlight would be killed in retaliation.

  “Yes,” Max said, looking as if he meant his terse comment for her. He bid the sheriff goodbye and turned to give Katerina his full attention.

  She raised her hands, palms out. “We can’t do it your way. The note said no police.” As she realized the full extent of the command her eyes widened. “That means you, too.”

  “Oh, no. I’m not letting you go anywhere without me so don’t even think of trying it. Understand?” He was scowling.

  “Yes, but...”

  “No buts. I’ll let you phone the ranch and try to convince your dad to leave but you are not going out there.”

  “I have to.” Panicky, she pointed to the top of the dresser where the threatening note lay. “They still think I know where Vern hid the diamonds. It’s them I need to convince, not my father.”

  Quietly, calmly, Max cupped her shoulders. “Only if we can be absolutely positive he didn’t have anything to do with the illegal operations taking place out of his ranch.”

  Katerina jerked free. “Of course he didn’t! Look at how he’s been treating me since you raided the place.”
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  “That might be a good way to cover up his guilt.”

  She whirled. Paced, then turned. “No way. Not him. He may be a pompous...never mind...but he isn’t crooked. I’d stake my life on it.”

  “I believe you, Katerina. Which is why I’ve decided you’re not going with us when we gather at the ranch again. It’s too dangerous. You have nothing to add except to put yourself in unnecessary danger. We’ll close in after Kyle gets on scene and grab him. There will be no need for you to leave this room.”

  Gaping at him, she stared. “You must be joking.”

  “I have never been more serious.”

  She fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Give me one good reason why I should take orders from you.”

  Hesitation on his part took her aback. What did he know about the planned attack that he wasn’t revealing? Was it really going to be as dangerous as he’d indicated to the sheriff or was he merely trying to control her? Yes, she loved his powerful persona and forthright way of doing things, but it galled when it was directed at her.

  “You can’t go. That’s all there is to it.”

  “Not for me, it isn’t all. Either you share your reasoning or I’m going, whether you like it or not.”

  Max came closer. His expression was grim, his gaze steady and uncompromising. When he reached for her again she almost fled. Almost, but not quite.

  The touch of his hands on her shoulders was gentle but firm. “It’s time for you to put your trust in me the way you want me to trust you.”

  “I have. I do. I just want...”

  In a low, rumbling voice he asked, “What? What do you want, Katerina?”

  The intimacy of the moment was so powerful, despite the open door, it wiped her mind of answers the way rain washed summer’s dust from the petals of a flower.

  Max urged her closer with the slightest pressure.

  She slipped her arms around his waist and waited. It was up to him this time. He’d rejected her in the park and she wasn’t going to set herself up for another failure.

  He lifted her chin with his forefinger and her heart raced as anticipation flooded through her. His lips brushed hers so gently she wondered if her imagination was playing tricks.

  Then he whispered her name with such tenderness she melted into his embrace.

  At that moment she would gladly have promised him the moon and then tried to deliver it.

  Their kiss deepened. Lingered. Left Max trembling almost as much as Katerina was. The thrill of finally knowing he cared for her was so encompassing she willingly lost herself in it.

  Before she could fully regain her senses, Max broke contact, stepped to the door and said, “That’s why you have to stay here.”

  Alone, she leaned against the dresser for support. He’d as much as said he loved her. And that kiss... Oh, my. No wonder she had been so unsure about marrying Vern. There was no comparison between the two men. Max was the one. Now all she had to do was...what? Follow his orders?

  Breathing deeply and pulling herself together, Katerina realized that letting him walk into danger on her behalf was the last thing she’d do. When he had taken her in his arms and kissed her that way he had given her undeniable reasons to stand by his side. Katerina folded her arms and hugged herself, smiling as she recalled every moment of that captivating embrace. Max might be a hotshot government profiler but he didn’t have a clue what a woman in love might do. A woman like her.

  She glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. She had hours to come up with her own perfect plan and put it in motion. Or talk herself out of doing something so stupid she’d be forever sorry.

  Given her heightened emotions and the way she was unable to force herself to consider staying back while Max risked his life, she figured she was bound to choose with her heart rather than her head. That was okay up to a point. The point where she put herself in real danger.

  Ideally, she could reach the ranch early and remove both her mare and her father from the premises before any harm came to them. Or to her.

  And then Max would be free to arrest Kyle without incident.

  SEVENTEEN

  Katerina’s mare, Moonlight, was both the easiest potential victim for her to reach and also the most tractable, so she began her rescue efforts there.

  Since Kyle expected her to show up to meet him anyway she didn’t try to hide the green muscle car the FBI had rented for her. Instead, she parked it in roughly the same place she’d left her ruined truck, one building over. Arriving very early for their appointment did impart a positive feeling but it wasn’t nearly as reassuring as being with Max had been.

  There were no grooms bustling around, she noticed. That was a little strange but she chalked it up to hot weather and the aftermath of the daylong celebration and parade. Anyone who had partied much at the park or elsewhere was liable to be sleeping it off, and that included the ranch foreman.

  Heath McCabe usually managed the Garwood barns pretty well even if he was under the weather. She couldn’t remember one instance when he hadn’t at least shown up to make sure that the valuable animals were fed and watered adequately no matter what.

  Keeping her eye out for Heath so she could warn him to steer clear for a while, just in case, she checked the chart in the tack room listing Moonlight’s new stall and headed straight for it. Each step seemed more perilous. This idea had seemed sound back at the hotel. Now, as the minutes ticked by, the doubts started to creep in.

  Reaching the stall, Katerina gazed fondly at Moonlight and took several deep, calming breaths. Her beloved, dapple gray mare had darker ears, nose and long black eyelashes, making her even more striking than she would have been in solid gray. Her beautiful coat had always reminded Katerina of moonlight on snow, although there was precious little of that where they lived. The agile mare’s Arabian roots showed in her fine bone and facial features, as did the cross with a Standardbred for greater size.

  Although Katerina wasn’t the only trainer and rider who could handle her she was definitely the person the horse preferred. That affinity came in handy at times like these. Times when she needed to put a halter on the horse in a hurry.

  Had she had more advance notice she might have considered camouflaging the mottled gray with hair dye. Sadly, coloring an entire horse was not a job to be done in haste. Besides, if anybody saw her with Moonlight the coat color wouldn’t matter as much as the mare’s attitude. She dearly loved Katerina. And the feeling was mutual.

  She spoke softly, cajoling as she entered the stall and displayed the blue halter. “Here you go, baby. That’s a good girl.”

  Moonlight’s upper lip quivered. Her nostrils flared. Then, to Katerina’s astonishment, she tossed her head and snorted.

  “You are so spoiled,” Katerina said, reaching to stroke the silky neck beneath the mane. “Come on. Be a good girl for me. I’m not going to hurt you but I am in a hurry.”

  That was the problem, she realized with a start. The sensitive animal was picking up on her nervousness and it had caused a negative reaction. She paused and breathed deeply again in another attempt to calm herself, as well as the mare, before trying again.

  Although the horse did back up a little more and shuffle her feet in the bedding scattered on the floor, this time she let herself be haltered. Katerina buckled the chin strap and clipped a lead rope to the D ring. All the while she kept up the affectionate banter Moonlight had become accustomed to when they had trained and competed as a team.

  Thick, braided rope in hand, she peeked out of the stall to check the aisle. It was empty except for a couple of the ranch dogs who were going about their usual business, napping, scratching or yawning with boredom.

  “A little boredom would be nice right now, wouldn’t it, girl?”

  Moonlight nickered quietly, blowing hard enough to
lift her upper lip and make it quiver.

  Katerina shushed her with a hand on her velvety nose. “Easy, girl. That’s it. Come on. I need to get you out of here so you’re safe.”

  Where she was going to hide a thousand-pound animal was the biggest conundrum. There wasn’t time to hook up a trailer and take her away, even if Katerina still had a pickup truck, and she wasn’t about to help herself to one of her father’s transport vehicles because she had no desire to be arrested for auto theft. A bareback ride might be the best answer once they reached a place where she could stand higher to pull herself onto the horse’s back.

  An uneven cadence of the hooves hitting the packed dirt got her attention. “Whoa.” Katerina stared at all four legs. Hocks and pasterns looked good. Nothing seemed swollen. Still, something was wrong.

  With her back to Moonlight’s head, she bent and tried to lift a foreleg. “Foot.” Not only did the mare resist, she tossed her head and began to fight the halter.

  Katerina stopped. If Moonlight jerked the rope out of her hand and escaped there would be no way to make sure she was out of harm’s way. Her grip tightened. She cast around, knowing what she should do yet reluctant to rethink her escape plans. Time was passing faster than a fractious colt who had thrown his rider.

  “Okay, back to your stall so I can use both hands to figure out what’s wrong with you,” Katerina told the nervous animal. “I don’t want to ruin you for life by making you run.”

  She grabbed a metal hoof pick that hung on a nail, pocketed it and retraced their path. Hands shaking, she checked her cell phone for the time. She could probably count on about an hour before Max and the other lawmen arrived. That would be enough time to figure out what was wrong with her horse. It would have to be.

  Katerina’s heart went out to the mare. Heath McCabe was supposed to make sure all the horses were groomed regularly, including having their feet cleaned. He’d been taking Moonlight in for a vet check the day the other barn had exploded. How could this problem have shown up so quickly or been missed in the past?

  “Well, whatever’s ailing you, I’ll fix it, baby,” she promised Moonlight. Drawing a hand along the horse’s side and giving its rump a pat she urged it back into its stall and shut the bottom half of the door so she could work without an assistant. There weren’t many show horses Katerina trusted enough to doctor them alone. This one was the exception.