SPY IN THE SADDLE

by Dana Marton

  Since there was still room in the back, he didn’t take Joey to jail just yet. He drove off to the next address.

  The small house, just a step up from a shack, stood deserted.

  “Any other info?” Lilly asked, picking up the guy’s rap sheet. She scanned the paper. There was no employment listed.

  “Car?”

  She nodded.

  “We can call the Pebble Creek deputy sheriff and have an APB put out on the license plate,” he suggested, and that was exactly what Lilly did while he drove to the next address they had.

  They didn’t run into any problems there. The man was so stoned he couldn’t have run if he tried. He sang raunchy Mexican folk songs all the way to the Pebble Creek jail.

  Shep stepped into the deputy’s office while Lilly dealt with the paperwork.

  “Anything on the APB?”

  “I’ll let you know the second I have something. Everything okay?”

  “The usual nonsense.” He considered Bree for a second. “If a bigwig was running all the smuggling from the other side of the border, who would be your best guess?”

  She leaned back in her chair as she tapped her index finger on the desk.

  “Politician? Chief of police?” he suggested.

  “I don’t think so. They’re on the take, but not running things. What I know of the ones I’m thinking of...can’t see them as a criminal mastermind. Mostly they’re men who got put into positions by their wealthy fathers. They know how to take money, not make it. Top criminals are rarely politicians—too much media scrutiny. They buy politicians for their needs.”

  Lilly came looking for him. “Ready?”

  “I’ll let you know if I think of anything,” Bree promised him before they left.

  “She’s very beautiful,” Lilly remarked on their way to his car.

  “She used to be Miss Texas.”

  “She was smiling at you.” They got in.

  “She’s very smiley.”

  “Are you and her...” Lilly’s face was a tight mask, without emotion.

  He blinked. “Jealous?” For some reason the thought made him happy.

  “Not in the least,” she snapped. “She’s welcome to have you.”

  He started the engine. “I don’t think Jamie would agree with that.”

  She didn’t say anything, but her shoulders noticeably relaxed.

  Had she really been jealous? Did that mean last night hadn’t been just a gigantic spur-of-the moment mistake for her? He wasn’t sure what it’d been for him. He was still evaluating it.

  He didn’t say that, however. In fact, they didn’t talk about anything personal for the rest of the day. He’d apologized for making love to her. She hadn’t liked it. He’d asked her to marry him. She hadn’t liked that, either.

  He wanted to figure out what she wanted from him so he could avoid her decking him again.

  The sixth man on their list gave them the runaround. They’d go to one address, be told he had moved. Go to the next, be told he temporarily lived someplace else. And it kept up like that. The man had disappeared.

  “Could be he’s been killed,” Shep said as he dropped Lilly off in front of her hotel at the end of the day. No way was he going up. Ever again.

  “Or got tipped off that we’re rounding up smugglers,” she said as she turned from him.

  He didn’t stay to watch her walk away. He stepped on the gas and drove off before he could do something stupid.

  * * *

  LILLY STOOD BY the window in her hotel room and looked out into the approaching darkness. Better than looking at the bed. Heat flooded her every time she did that.

  Shep seemed determined to ignore their night together. Because he thought it was a mistake. Because he still thought of her as some young idiot under his authority. She could have screamed with frustration.

  She’d sung her sets on Saturday night, and he’d shown up, supposedly to protect her, but that was all. Brian had been his slimy self, the crowd as drunk and rowdy as the night before. The band got it into their heads that they wanted to get to know her better, so she hadn’t had a minute alone between sets, hadn’t gotten a chance to investigate any further.

  After her last set ended, Shep brought her home again, in silence, let her out in front of the hotel then drove away.

  She refused to beg for his attention again. If he wanted to ignore what had happened between them, she wasn’t going to bring it up if it killed her.

  So she spent her Sunday with busywork, typing up a long report for her boss at the FBI and sending it off, then running personal errands all day. By the time night fell, she was tired from running around but her mind was too antsy to rest. When her phone rang, she grabbed for it, thinking it might be Shep....

  She had no idea what to hope for.

  She didn’t want to fall in love with him.

  But Jamie Cassidy’s voice came through the line instead. “Hey, want to go grab something to eat? Unless you have other plans.”

  Right. Because her social life was so happening. Hardly. Yet, she still hesitated. She wasn’t good at letting people in.

  Then she drew a deep breath and plunged forward. “I’m game. But shouldn’t you be on a hot date with the deputy sheriff?”

  “Nothing’s more important than family,” he said, which made her feel good. “Anyway, it’s girls’ night out. Bree is taking her sister to the mall. They’re getting pedicures and eyebrow shaping, whatever that means. I’d rather not know the sordid details. I have an hour before I go back on duty.”

  He didn’t sound very threatening. And an hour seemed manageable. “Know any good pizza places?”

  “Sure. But there’s a chipotle cocina not far from the hotel that will make you glad you came to Texas. I’ll pick you up.”

  “I’ll meet you there.” She always preferred to have her own ride. It was an independence thing. “Just let me know where it is.”

  He did. “How soon can you be ready?”

  She laughed out loud. “I’m an FBI agent.”

  “Right. Born ready and all that.”

  “You bet.” He was easy to talk to, she thought as she hung up.

  She’d barely seen him since she’d arrived. The team was working full steam, everyone pursuing leads, the team members off gathering information and tracking down any possible connections to the Coyote. They were all running around nearly 24/7, with breaks that were few and far between.

  She’d meant to catch up with Jamie, just hadn’t found the right moment yet.

  Family was new to her. But now that she had some, maybe she could explore the possibilities a little. Without going in too deep. She didn’t fully trust the idea of one big happy family. Had never seen one truly work, up close and personal.

  Her only experience was that the second she let her guard down and let people into her heart, they dumped her or hurt her. Her operating life rule had been not to trust. Part of her equated that with keeping herself safe. It was a false assumption and an unhelpful rule, however.

  Past experiences created life assumptions that influenced one’s attitude toward life and his or her actions, which formed their new life experiences. She’d spent enough time with the FBI shrink to know that. She had to, to pass a psych evaluation for the job.

  Understanding her hang-ups, however, and shaking off old habits were two different things. But she knew what she wanted: to move forward. She wasn’t about to let the past bind her forever.

  So while she didn’t feel a big wave of warmth and pleasure at the thought of building some kind of family link with Jamie, she made herself go. Just as she would make herself give him a chance.

  She brushed her hair and changed her T-shirt. She walked down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, needing the exercise.
The drive wasn’t long. The cocina was just a few blocks from her hotel, run by a family who’d been in the area before there was Texas, according to a framed newspaper article near the front door. The place was loud but smelled amazing, and Jamie had somehow managed to find them a quiet corner where they could talk without having to shout at each other.

  “Do you live around here?” she asked once she slid into the booth across the table from him.

  “Renting a place in the unsavory section. The better to keep an eye on the local troublemakers.” He grinned.

  Their order was delivered in minutes. They were sharing a chipotle chicken-and-shrimp platter that just about covered the small table.

  “I met your sister, Megan,” she said, wanting to start with something positive. “She helped my brother find me. She’s very nice.”

  “You think that because you didn’t have to grow up with her,” he said in a droll tone. “Once she put pink nail polish on me while I was sleeping. Sisters are the devil’s instrument. Be glad you have a brother.”

  She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. “When was that?” She popped a shrimp into her mouth. It tasted like heaven.

  “Don’t know. Tried to repress the memory as best I could. Middle school maybe.”

  “I’m sure you did your best to annoy her, too.”

  He studiously kept his gaze on the platter. “I’m not saying I never cut her hair. Or shoved the odd frog or lizard down her shirt.” He flashed a nostalgic grin as he looked up.

  “You have a ton of brothers. Seven?” She popped a giant shrimp into her mouth and let the flavor spread through her.

  He sobered for a moment. “Six now. Billy was killed in action.” He paused. “But when we were kids, the seven of them put together were less trouble than Megan.”

  “I missed that,” she told him as an old sense of longing awakened inside her. “The family thing. I have no memories of my birth family.” And although she’d met Mitch and spent an entire afternoon with him, it still felt a little strange.

  “So I take it when Mitch showed up on your doorstep, you didn’t recognize him?” He shook his head. “Of course you didn’t. You were a toddler when you last saw him. That had to be strange.” He took a sip of his drink. “Him showing up out of the blue.”

  “I thought he was some scam artist. He was lucky I didn’t put him on his back.”

  Jamie choked on his drink for a second before he finally swallowed. “I would have paid money to see that.” He coughed some more. “You ever go up against Shep by any chance? And if you did, is there video footage?” He grinned.

  She took a big bite of chicken so she wouldn’t have to answer.

  Jamie narrowed his eyes. “His jaw looked kind of purplish this morning.”

  Yeah. She’d seen that. She kept chewing in silence.

  “If he’s getting fresh with you...if you want me to beat him up, just say the word. That’s what family is for.”

  She rolled her eyes. “There’s way too much testosterone in that office. What is it with men and violence?”

  He had the gall to look hurt. “What are you talking about? You’re the one who socked him.”

  “I shouldn’t have.” She really regretted that. She sighed. “I ruined his life, you know. Back then.”

  He didn’t look too concerned. “You were probably the most excitement he saw until he joined the team. It was good training.”

  “I was on the wild side,” she admitted.

  “I heard.” He took a bite of his food before he asked, “So what’s the first thing that you do remember?”

  “Foster families. Lots of them. I got passed around. I might have acted out now and then.” She took a drink as she remembered. “The adults were all right. The kids...” She shook her head. “In places it was so bad you didn’t dare fall asleep. Cutting my hair off in my sleep would have been the least of it. You had to show you were the toughest. Then you got in trouble for that.”

  “Is that how you ended up with Shep as your parole officer?”

  She nodded. “He was okay. Not that I appreciated that at the time. I just wanted to be free.”

  They talked some more about that, then Jamie’s brothers, and Megan and her new baby.

  “I’m an aunt.” The thought still made her a little dazed.

  Jamie watched her. “How do you feel about that?”

  “Weirder than weird. I’m linked to this little kid. And I’m supposed to be someone she can look up to and depend on if needed, and all that. Scary.”

  “I know what you mean.” He nodded. “As long as they don’t ask us to change diapers, right?”

  She swallowed. “That ever happens, I’m joining the navy. I’d feel more comfortable with shipping out, honestly.”

  Jamie looked as if he’d considered the same. But when he spoke again, it was to change the subject. “So, you and Shep?” He shook his head. “Just trying to wrap my mind around it. I feel like I should ask him about his intentions.”

  “Don’t.” She looked down at her food. “It’s over. It never really was anything.”

  “Okay. Just want to let you know that if you need me for any reason, I’m here. I’m family. I got your back.”

  A different person might have taken that as a good thing, but it just brought all of Lilly’s insecurities to the surface. Why the hell did everyone want to protect her? First Shep, and now Jamie. Didn’t they think she was good enough to stand on her own? She was.

  She gave Jamie a flat smile and changed the subject, back to the family and all those other brothers-in-law she hadn’t yet met. And by the end, she might have relaxed a little, laughing at Jamie’s outrageous stories.

  They stayed for an hour, then parted ways in front of the cocina, Jamie promising to invite her over for dinner and introduce her to his girls. Apparently, Katie, Bree’s sister, lived with her.

  She thought about that on her drive back, how Jamie seemed happy. That hadn’t always been the case, from what she understood from the one-page summary she’d gotten on him before taking the job. He’d lost both legs, dealt with some serious PTSD in the past and heavy-duty depression. He’d been assigned to the team strictly for office duty in the beginning.

  Dinner with him had been nice, but she was still antsy. So instead of heading straight to the hotel, she took a small detour to drive by The Yellow Armadillo.

  Just because the bar was closed on Sundays, it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be anybody there. In fact, their day off might be the perfect time for Brian to run his illegal activities.

  She wanted to find something, wanted progress, wanted to prove to Shep and Jamie and the rest of the team that she was good enough, that she could take care of business. That she didn’t need them, didn’t need anyone. Her pride didn’t like that they all saw her as someone who needed to be protected.

  Of course, pride was a dangerous thing. Especially when it went hand in hand with her deep-seated need to always prove herself, always stand alone, never trust a hand offered.

  Pride goes before the fall. Unfortunately, she didn’t remember that bit of ageless wisdom until it was too late.

  Chapter Nine

  The sign on the door said CLOSED, but the lights were on behind the shuttered blinds. Maybe they’d been left on for security. Most of the stores on the street were lit up. Still, on an impulse, Lilly drove around the block.

  A small truck idled in the back alley, blocking her view, the empty cab facing out, the back lined up with the bar as if for loading. All right, so that could be something interesting.

  She thought about calling Jamie, but he was headed to work, and dragging him back on a hunch didn’t seem fair. It’d be taking him away from following other leads that might actually pan out. First she’d see if there was anything to call about. She didn’t w
ant to seem like some overeager rookie jumping the gun, trying to make something out of nothing.

  She looped back to the front and parked, then got out. The parking lot was deserted, less than a dozen cars, all of which probably belonged to the people who lived in the apartments above some of the shops. None of the businesses were open this time of the night on a Sunday, no reason for anyone else to be here.

  She walked up to the bar and tried to look through the gap in the blinds. But before she could have gotten a good look, the front door opened.

  Brian came through, his eyes narrowing at her. “What are you doing here?”

  Maybe he did have security cameras set up and they were just well hidden.

  She gave an easy smile. “Oh, good. I’m glad to see you. I think I might have left my cell phone here last night. I looked everyplace else.” She smiled again. “I was hoping somebody might be around to let me in to take a look?”

  “Let’s see where it rings.” He flipped his phone open and pushed a couple of buttons. He had her number in his phone; she’d given it to him the day she was hired.

  “If it starts ringing on the bottom of my purse, I’m going to feel really stupid.” She reached into the purse to shuffle around and powered off her phone before it could have gone off. Then she stopped searching and turned her attention back to him. “I have no idea where I put that thing.”

  He waited with his phone to his ear. He wasn’t leering at her or staring at her breasts, which was out of character for him. He seemed thoughtful, in fact. Maybe he didn’t want to mess with Shep.

  “Number unavailable,” he said as he put his phone away.

  “Great.” She grimaced. “The battery probably ran down.” She moved toward him. “It might be in the back where I was taking my breaks. Or in the bathroom where I was changing.”

  He didn’t look happy to see her there. In fact, his fat lips had a decidedly angry tilt to them. But then he seemed to make up his mind and stepped aside with a closed look on his face. “Hurry up. We’re restocking the liquor. We were just about to leave.”