Oh, he was pretty sure there were plenty of people concerned. The right people. And the wrong ones. The problem was determining which category everyone belonged in.
“Your father died about ten years ago when you were in your first year of college,” Gabe explained. “Your mother remarried some guy from England, and you haven’t spoken to her in ages. But you and Philip—that’s a different story. He’s your only sibling, and I’m sure you’ve kept in touch with him. Too bad we don’t know where he is.”
“Yes, too bad.”
She leaned closer. Too close. From that angle Gabe could see right down that skimpy top. He quickly turned away, but that one glance made his body clench. And beg. Gabe decided it was a great time to keep his eyes straight ahead.
“When we were still at the clinic and that man had a gun on me, you said that I had money,” Leigh commented. “Any truth to that?”
“All truth. You’re loaded. Your father invented some little gadget on an offshore oil rig. When he died, he left just about everything to you and Philip. Of course, Philip blew most of his on expensive wine, cheap women and there’s-a-sucker-born-every-minute business ventures. When his inheritance was gone, he managed to talk you out of some of yours, but you still have plenty.”
“So, I’m not broke. That’s good.”
It wasn’t something he’d ever expected Leigh to say. She’d always dismissed her sizable inheritance, rarely tapping into it except for emergencies. But Gabe had to remind himself, again, that the woman sitting next to him wasn’t Leigh. Not the old Leigh anyway. Even if she hadn’t had amnesia, the past two years would have probably changed her in many ways. It had certainly changed him.
“Is having money important to you?” he asked.
She nodded. “It is if I need long-term medical care to help restore my memory.”
So, that’s all there was to it. Gabe didn’t know why that made him feel better. Nothing about their situation—except for the fact they were alive—should make him feel better.
Especially that outfit she wore.
Gabe took a deep breath and forced his attention back on the conversation. “I suspect if you hadn’t had such unlimited funds, I’d have found you sooner.”
“Maybe,” she agreed. “If I have so much money, why was I working at that bookstore in Austin?”
Gabe smiled. The woman didn’t miss a thing. “I believe you wanted to make us think you were working there. Jinx and I spent some off-duty time staking it out, but I never saw you in the place.”
“Ah, I get the truth, finally.” With that look of triumph on her face, she pressed her foot to the dash.
That wasn’t the best place she could have put her foot. Nope. It caused the shorts to ride up even higher, and Gabe got more than an eyeful of her thigh. This might be his estranged wife, and a woman who didn’t remember him, but his body had no trouble recalling why he’d been attracted to her in the first place.
“That’s a good start,” she continued. She was obviously unaware of the effect she had on him. If she glanced in the direction of his jeans, however, she just might see that effect. “But rather than me ask a whole bunch of question that you might or might not answer, why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”
That encompassed a whole lot of territory. Territory that Jinx and Teresa didn’t want him to cover, but Gabe wasn’t so sure there was any reason to keep things from Leigh. After all, it was a long drive to the safe house, and recounting her life history might jog her memory. It would no doubt jog his as well, but Gabe figured he didn’t have a choice but to relive some of the things—both good and bad—that had gone on between them.
Besides, he needed something to get his mind off those clothes.
“Well?” Leigh prompted.
Gabe didn’t pull any punches. “About eight months ago, I stepped up my search to find you when I learned someone was going through the Justice Department’s computer files to try to locate you.”
Because she was so close to him, he heard her breath hitch. “Who was doing that?”
“I don’t know. But it’s not just a hacker, nor is it someone who’s idly curious. These probes are specific, calculated and thorough. And they specifically lead to you. Or at least that’s what they’re trying to lead to. I don’t think the person was any more successful than Jinx and I were, but they’ve been at it a lot longer than we have. In fact, this person has apparently been searching for you since you disappeared two years ago.”
Her tone took on a new urgency. “They’ve used my name in these probes?”
“Yes, and your brother’s.”
“My God.” Leigh touched her fingertips to her mouth. “This person that’s trying to kill me might go after my brother, too?”
Hell. Just about all the color drained from her face. That was something he probably should have waited to tell her.
Gabe resisted the urge to reach out and comfort her. But it wasn’t easy. Keep her alive. Catch the bad guys. Be nice to her. Getting involved with her again wasn’t on that list, and he wasn’t about to add it either.
There wasn’t much he could do about the physical attraction his body still had for her, but there was a hell of a lot he could do to stop himself from getting emotionally involved with her again.
“I don’t think anyone’s after Philip,” he let her know. Gabe gripped the steering wheel to make sure he didn’t slide his hand in her direction. If he wasn’t careful, he might take that be nice to her and turn it into an excuse to hold her hand. “I think they just wanted to use him to try to locate you.”
“Maybe they were successful,” she said softly.
Yes. And that was all the more reason to find Philip, so Gabe could make sure he was safe and stayed that way. “I think what’s going on has to do with Joe Dayton, the corrupt Justice Department official that we talked about last night.”
“The one you don’t want to tell me much about.”
It was on the tip of Gabe’s tongue to deny that, but then he realized it was true. He didn’t want to talk about Dayton nor about what had gone on right before Leigh left him.
Too bad it was necessary.
So, just how should he go about delivering what might be a bombshell? If she’d turned ashy at the mention that her brother might be in danger, what he was about to tell her certainly wasn’t going to do anything to calm her fears. Still, it was vital information that she eventually had to know.
“Two years ago you came across some information that led you to Dayton,” Gabe explained, trying to sound clinical. He’d just give her the bare facts and then hope like the devil it jogged something in her memory. “He was involved in a plot to sell huge quantities of weapons—items that the Justice Department had originally confiscated in various raids throughout the country.”
“I see,” Leigh said after several moments. “And Dayton’s after me because I learned this information?”
“No. Dayton’s out of the picture. He committed suicide a couple of days after you found the evidence. Unfortunately, he killed himself before we could learn where he’d stored all those weapons.”
She didn’t say anything. She sat there apparently processing that information.
“The one behind all of this is more than likely Dayton’s accomplice,” Gabe continued. He made the turn that would take them to the westbound highway and checked the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following them. “We never did find out who that person was. In fact, we didn’t even know for certain that there was an accomplice. Not until some of those previously confiscated weapons showed up during an ATF raid of a militia compound about two weeks ago.”
“You’re sure the weapons were from Dayton’s original cache?” she asked.
“We’re sure. The weapons aren’t of the ordinary variety, so we know what’s out there. I’m talking some with biological and chemical components. Some are prototypes for weapons the FBI definitely doesn’t want to see on the street. They’re worth millions on the
black market, and they’re not easily moved because of the volume. My guess is they’re still in the same storage facility where Joe Dayton originally had them placed.”
She groaned softly, apparently grasping the motive of the person who wanted her dead.
“There’s more,” Gabe continued. “Those computer inquiries about you—they stopped a little over two weeks ago, at the same time those confiscated weapons showed up at the militia compound.”
“I see.” Yeah, she probably did. “So, the inquiries stopped because the person either found me, or he no longer needed to find me.”
That’s the way Gabe saw it, too, or maybe it was a combination of both. All he knew is someone wanted Leigh dead, and it was probably all related to the person making those inquiries.
“Is it possible that I know who Dayton’s accomplice is?” she asked a moment later.
“I doubt it. If you knew that person’s identity, you would have gotten it to me somehow.” That was a stretch of the truth. Gabe hoped she would tell him, but he had no way of knowing that for sure. However, he was sure that Leigh wouldn’t have kept that kind of information to herself. Despite their personal differences, she was a law-abiding citizen.
“Unless I was trying to protect someone,” Leigh added softly.
Even though she had practically whispered it, Gabe didn’t miss a word. “Why would you say that?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure why that came to my mind. I certainly don’t remember anyone that I’d go to such lengths to protect.”
She might go to such lengths to protect her brother. But that didn’t make sense either because Philip had no association with Dayton. At least, Gabe was almost certain that Philip didn’t, and Gabe had been looking for that connection, any connection, for two years.
“So, we’re right back where we started—again.” Leigh put the bottle of water she’d been drinking from back in the cooler and rested her head against the seat. “Joe Dayton’s dead, and I don’t know who his accomplice is.”
“But that person might think you know something.”
Just as quickly, she lifted her head. “Yes. Kill the messenger, and he’ll kill the message.”
“Something like that.” Even though Gabe didn’t like her choice of words. “Except there’s another messenger.”
Leigh turned to him. “What do you mean?”
“There was someone else, someone who was with you when you learned about Dayton’s operation. During your search of an unrelated crime scene, you ran across a disk that detailed the proposed deal. The disk had a program virus that our systems didn’t detect in time. The virus erased the data after it had been on the screen only a few minutes. You were only able to learn that the weapons were somewhere in Texas.”
“That covers a lot of territory,” she mumbled.
Loads. “Of course, you had no idea how important the information would be, or you would have tried other measures to remove the virus before you loaded the disk. You and a lab assistant, Frank Templeton, saw the information. No one else even got a chance to look at it.”
She nodded and took it to the next logical conclusion. “Then what happened to Frank?”
“He disappeared about the same time that you did.” And that might be the reason he’s still alive. For that matter, he could say the same thing about Leigh.
“So Frank and I must have thought it was very important to keep our whereabouts a secret from everyone,” she continued. “Including you.” She angled her eyes in his direction. “Why would I do that, Gabe?”
His stomach didn’t appreciate the question. It began to churn, and he could almost feel his blood pressure rising. It was one of the questions he would have liked to avoid, but avoiding it wouldn’t make it go away. Still, if he told her everything, she just might jump out of the truck. She most certainly wouldn’t cooperate with him.
“Joe Dayton was a friend of mine, and I didn’t think he was guilty.” There. That was it in a nutshell. Well, a sanitized version of a nutshell anyway. “That caused some problems for us.”
She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. Leigh might have had amnesia, but he recognized that look in her eyes. She was trying to piece all of this together. Eventually, she would, with or without his help.
“And that’s why you and I went our separate ways?” she asked.
He confirmed it with a nod, but that was all he intended to confirm about their breakup. Besides, there were other things about this that she needed to know. “For two years a lot of people have been trying to track you down and find out if Frank is still alive. We needed to know what else, if anything, you two learned from that disk.”
“Well, obviously it was something that signed our death warrants. But I can’t remember a thing, so you’re back to square one.”
“Not quite,” Gabe explained. He checked the rearview mirror and frowned. “Frank Templeton surfaced yesterday. Just as I was leaving my apartment to meet you at the lake, he called. He said he was coming in, that he needed protection and he wanted me to provide it.”
“I take it that this isn’t a coincidence—that Frank and I came out of hiding at the same time?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Gabe said, looking away from her. He sped up so he could pass a big-rig truck. “Something made both of you come from underground. About the time I was fishing you out of that lake, he called back and left a message on my answering machine. He wants me to meet him tomorrow night at a safe house in Grand Valley, Texas. It’s not too far from Beaumont.”
“We’re going to Grand Valley?”
“That’s the plan.” Gabe added some pressure to the accelerator and went around two cars. He didn’t take his attention off the rearview mirror. “Frank Templeton doesn’t have amnesia, Leigh. If anyone can give us answers…hell.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Someone’s following us.”
Chapter Seven
Leigh’s gaze shot to the rearview mirror. There was a dark blue car about thirty yards behind them. Just the sight of it sent the pulse in her throat hammering. God, had those gunmen from the clinic somehow managed to find them?
“How long have they been following us?” she asked. Leigh grabbed her gun from beneath the seat and braced herself for whatever was about to happen.
“About five minutes.”
That was about how long it’d been since they got on this particular highway. Despite the rush of adrenaline that raced through her body, Leigh tried to force herself to concentrate. How could those gunmen have found them so quickly? She didn’t care much for any of the answers that came to mind.
“Someone tipped them off?” she suggested.
Gabe didn’t answer her. He gunned the engine, passing two other vehicles. The moment he got around them, he veered off onto the next exit. The truck wobbled and shook when Gabe forced it around the tight turn.
Leigh’s grip tightened on her weapon while she watched and waited to see what the other car would do.
It followed them.
The profanity that Gabe spat out let her know that he was aware of that as well. He reached for his gun, moving it on the seat next to him.
“Get down,” he ordered.
Leigh debated it. After all, if those men started to shoot again, she would likely need to return fire—if she could remember how to do that. But Gabe didn’t give her a choice. He caught onto the back of her neck and pushed her down on the seat. “I want you to stay down!”
She did, begrudgingly, but only because she figured he must have some kind of plan. “What now?” Leigh asked.
“We lose them.”
He sounded so calm and confident—and so vague—but she saw the concern that had a hold on the muscles in his jaw. If these were the gunmen from the clinic, then they wouldn’t give up easily, and losing them on an open highway might be next to impossible.
Leigh lifted her head just slightly so she could check the side mirror. The car was ri
ght behind them, and she thought she could see two people inside. No sign of any weapons, but that didn’t mean they weren’t armed.
“Hang on,” Gabe let her know.
She barely had time to grab onto the armrest on the door when Gabe twisted the steering wheel and sent the truck barreling onto a narrow side road. It sent her sliding into him as well. There wasn’t much space between them, and her cheek collided with his thigh.
When she moved away, Leigh fished through the gym bag that Jinx had given them and took out the extra magazines of ammunition so she could place them in her lap. She prayed they wouldn’t need them.
“Stay down,” Gabe warned again.
She glanced in the side mirror to see what had prompted him to reissue his order. Leigh saw someone in the car lowering the window. Moments later, she saw the man’s hand. And the gun that he held.
Before she could even bring up her own weapon, Gabe took another hairpin turn. She peeked over the dash just as the truck bounced its way onto a dirt road. Gravel pummeled the tires and undercarriage, and dust seeped inside, causing her breath to clog even more than the fear had done.
Gabe dodged a scrub oak, its scraggly branches slapping against the window. Without taking his gaze from the path ahead, he cursed.
“Should I shoot at them?” she asked.
“No. Not yet.”
Leigh braced herself for the bullets that she was sure the gunmen would fire into the truck.
But that didn’t happen.
She lost sight of the car when Gabe took the next two turns. He maneuvered onto a series of back roads and then cut through a narrow clearing that was lined with cedars and oaks. Whirling the steering wheel around, he circled them back in the other direction so they would face the car if it followed them. Just as quickly, he turned off the engine.
He didn’t waste even a second of time. Gabe latched onto his gun, brought it up and braced his hand so that he was ready to fire. Leigh did the same. They were shoulder to shoulder, but since Gabe was left-handed, it didn’t interfere with either of their aims.
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