When Lightning Strikes

by Aimée Thurlo

  Unwilling to take any unnecessary risks by remaining in public any longer than they had to, he hustled her outside as soon as he’d settled the bill.

  “You should have given me time to change clothes inside. Now you’ll have to find someplace for me to do that—unless you want me to just get into the back…”

  “No.” He’d spoken too fast to pass off his answer as casual and the tiny smile on her face told him she’d guessed his thoughts. Damn, what did the woman expect? Did she really think he’d keep his thoughts on the road while she lay down right behind him and stripped? His body and brain would reach meltdown temperature in zero seconds flat.

  “There’s an outcropping of boulders beside the road up ahead. You can go behind them and change in privacy.”

  Hannah opened the bag and glanced inside. “These additional clothes will come in handy now that the weather’s cooling off even more. I heard over the radio in the store that the temperature is going to drop into the forties tonight.”

  “That’s one of the reasons I knew we needed different clothes. You would not only be cold in that light blue sweater, you would also stand out too easily moving around inside a darkened office if a security guard happened to pass by.”

  A few minutes later, he pulled to the side of the road and gestured toward the tall boulders beside a cliff. “I’ll stay here. It won’t take me long to change from this tan sweater into a dark one, and I don’t need the privacy. Take Wolf with you.” He signaled to the dog, who eagerly followed her.

  As she and her furry escort walked toward the rocks, Daniel changed sweaters quickly. The new one fit well, something that was a pleasant surprise considering how much time he’d spent watching over her and how little time he’d spent picking out his own sweater and jacket.

  Minutes ticked by. Glancing at his watch, he climbed out of the SUV and called to Hannah, a little concerned. “You okay?” How long could it take for her to put on a sweater and a pair of pants? Maybe he’d hurried her too much and she’d picked out the wrong size.

  “One moment,” she answered.

  As several more minutes passed, Daniel swore to himself repeatedly. He should have known that the word moment was only a relative term, compared to an ice age, when uttered by a woman.

  An eternity later, Wolf walked into view, and then Hannah finally stepped out from behind cover. As his gaze took her in, he forgot all about the dog.

  The jeans conformed to Hannah’s body as if they’d been tailor-made for her. Instead of a sweater, she’d picked a black pullover that seemed to have melted over her gentle curves. She had her dark blue jacket thrown over her shoulder and stood casually before him, totally unaware of the effect she was having on him.

  “I’m ready,” she said. “I wish you would have given me a little more time at the store. One of the back pockets of my jeans has a small tear at the top.” She turned around and leaned over slightly, showing him the pocket.

  His mouth went completely dry. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Come on, Wolf.” He opened the door and the animal hopped into the back.

  “What’s wrong? You told me to pick out dark colors and there wasn’t much of a selection. Dark blue jeans were all they had in my size.”

  “You’re fine,” he muttered, gesturing toward the SUV.

  She gave him a thorough once-over and a slow smile that made it hard for his brain to work, though other parts of his body weren’t having the same problem.

  “You look great, too—like a warrior, hard and dangerous.”

  “You say it as if you don’t think I’m either of those things,” he said, his gaze intent on her.

  “You’re both, Daniel, but around me, you’re a different man—kinder and gentler.”

  He gave her a cocky half grin. “Are you calling me a wuss?”

  She laughed. “Hardly. You’re a man who makes his living in a very rough profession and yet, despite everything you’ve been through, you’ve never forgotten when and how to be gentle.”

  Her soft words penetrated all his defenses. Daniel looked away, getting himself together and didn’t say a word as they both climbed into the vehicle. His entire body was throbbing, but he couldn’t afford to get distracted now. One mistake was all it would take and they’d both end up dead or dying tonight.

  “Once we get to the real estate office, I want you to do whatever I tell you without question, is that understood?” he said harshly, pushing aside all other concerns except the job ahead. “Our lives could depend on a split-second decision and I have to know I can count on you not to improvise or go off on a tangent. Agreed?”

  She nodded once, seemingly as tense as he was, but the expression on her face told him she was still determined to see it through. Daniel’s body was wound tighter than a drum. He remembered another similar operation—the night his partner had died.

  Nicki and he had gone to check out the warehouse of a gang of car thieves. An informant had told them they’d have the place to themselves for at least an hour and, at first, everything had gone like clockwork. They’d checked through every window, spotting cars inside and pairing them to a list of stolen vehicles. Then, in a matter of seconds, everything had gone sour. Following procedure, he’d gone back to their unit to call for a search warrant. But while he was gone, Nicki had spotted someone inside the warehouse and taken the offensive.

  He’d hurried to catch up, moving in textbook fashion, looking for cover and a clear line of fire, but she’d walked into a trap. To this day, he could still hear the shots and Nicki’s voice as she’d called out to him for help.

  “Stick close to me. Don’t get too far ahead or behind,” he ordered brusquely. He parked the SUV, and putting her in the middle between Wolf and him, the three of them crossed the parking area and entered the landscaped rock garden. Hannah retrieved the key quickly and hurried to the front door.

  Everything was quiet, and there were no outside security cameras, but Daniel couldn’t shake the tension that tightened every muscle in his body. Training and instincts were a cop and P.I.’s greatest assets, but right now he wasn’t sure if his subconscious was picking up something he should know about or if his tension was simply a result of that other operation that had gone bad years ago.

  “Okay, we’re in,” she said, after unlocking the front door.

  “I’ll go inside first,” he said, looking for alarm sensors around the door.

  “It’s dark inside and no one’s here,” she protested.

  He transfixed her with a cold glare. “Remember our agreement.”

  She stood back and saw him enter in a crouch.

  “Okay, come inside and close the door. But don’t go any farther yet.”

  Wolf worked beside Daniel as the two searched the office methodically and with precision, using only a penlight and acute senses. Finally satisfied, he gave her the all clear.

  “Start your search,” he said.

  Using her own small flashlight, she located her uncle’s computer, switched it on, and, keeping the screen at a dim setting, tried the password she knew. It didn’t work. “He’s changed the password. That’s going to make things a little tougher.”

  “Keep trying,” he said, keeping a lookout by the window.

  She gave it several more shots then, at last, typed in the word deacon. “We’re in!”

  Hannah accessed his accounting records, then remained quiet, searching each file.

  As she worked at the keyboard, Daniel listened for sounds that didn’t belong. It was eerie how much all this reminded him of the night Nicki had died. His thoughts drifted back. He remembered the bitter taste of fear when he’d realized that he and Nicki had ended up across the warehouse from each other. Yet, though unable to provide any close mutual support, they still managed to take out three men, but the fourth had flanked Nicki and she’d failed to see him in time. With a clear line of fire, Daniel had tried to make the shot, but his pistol jammed. Though he’d run directly at the shooter then, yelling as l
oud as he could, he hadn’t been able to divert the killer from taking the easy shot.

  Nicki was hit four times. Daniel finally reached the killer after being shot twice himself. But he never even noticed being hit until backup finally arrived. They’d found him holding Nicki, her blood mingling with his own. Her killer lay close by in a crumpled heap, his neck broken. He regretted many things about that night, but not that his partner’s killer had paid with his life.

  He glanced at Hannah, bringing his thoughts back to the present. He’d failed one woman he’d cared about, but it wouldn’t happen again. He wouldn’t fail Hannah—not tonight, or any other night.

  “Hurry it up, will you?” he whispered.

  “I’m trying,” she answered, “but it isn’t easy to sort through this. From what I can see he made two really bad land deals. He wanted to build a strip mall, but there was a problem with groundwater contamination. The contractors pulled out and he had to sell at a big loss. But there are also deposits here that come in on a regular basis. They’re for substantial amounts—in the five figures—but I can’t tie them to anything. I know his codes for real estate and housing sales, but these entries aren’t classified at all. There are also dates showing that electronic withdrawals were made from the church’s building fund bank account, but the dollar amounts are missing. All you see are asterisks, like when a password is typed and the characters don’t show up on screen. I have no idea whether the amounts were small or in the thousands. But why would he code them with asterisks? He’s already implicated himself by withdrawing the money. I don’t recognize the bank account number the money was transferred into either. What I suspect is that someone hacked into his system and is trying to make it look like my uncle’s the thief.”

  She switched off the computer and began searching through her uncle’s file cabinet using her small penlight. “I’m going to take a look at his written records.” She glanced over at Daniel. “I could use some help,” she added.

  “No can do. I need to stay right here so I can spot anyone coming.”

  “Wolf can do that.”

  “Not from all four directions at once.”

  She continued to search, then suddenly stopped, pulling a sheet of paper out of a red file folder at the back. “This is a strange letter.”

  “To or from your uncle?”

  “To,” she answered. “It’s from a contractor.”

  “What’s unusual about that?”

  “The contractor is Pablo Jackson, and the letter reads funny, like it’s in code. ‘Your windfall has ended. Vantage points shift and every contract has an expiration date,’” Hannah read aloud.

  Daniel came over then, grudgingly leaving his post by the window. He stood close enough to feel the warmth of her body as she held the letter out beneath her flashlight.

  “It sounds like a veiled warning,” she said.

  She turned around quickly to look at him and the tip of her breast brushed his chest. Daniel felt the impact of that contact all through him. His hands balled up into fists and he bit back a groan as he took a step back.

  “I have a feeling that your uncle’s blackmailing someone, Hannah, probably Jackson,” he said, fighting to keep his thinking clear. “That would explain the large unspecified deposits that he’s getting regularly.” He paused, then added, “If Jackson’s figured out who his blackmailer is, he’ll put a stop to it any way he can. That’s probably why your uncle hired off-duty cops.”

  “My uncle blackmailing another person—and one who’s a member of our church?” She shook her head. “If that’s true, there’s a lot more to that story than appears at first glance.” She turned back to the file cabinet. “I’m going to keep looking.”

  Daniel felt trouble coming before he ever saw it. When the back of his neck began to prickle, he immediately glanced at Wolf. The dog’s ears were up, but otherwise he gave no indication that there was something wrong.

  Unwilling to risk it, Daniel kept his voice low. “Move away from the file cabinet and stay out of view of the windows. Turn off the flashlight and don’t move a muscle,” he ordered.

  Hannah did as he asked immediately, without demanding an explanation.

  Daniel moved to the front window and, with his back to the wall, peered out. It was quiet, and there was no movement outside. Was the pressure getting to him? Then he noticed a security van rounding the corner of the parking lot, apparently making a routine patrol. It drove past the building slowly, then finally came to a stop. Wolf growled low.

  In a crouch, Daniel hurried to her side. “Stay down, don’t make a sound, and lock the front door and the side door after I leave.”

  “Where are you going?” she whispered.

  “Haven’t got time to explain. Do it.”

  His tone must have worked, because she didn’t argue. “I’ll be back.” He paused. “If something goes wrong and I’m not, Wolf will come back to the door for you. Wait until the guard is gone, then go to the safe house. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.”

  “But—”

  Daniel didn’t give her time to say anything more. He saw her shadowed eyes wide with fear, and followed an instinct as old as time itself. Wrapping his hand behind her neck he pulled Hannah toward him.

  He kissed her hard and hungrily, taking everything from her. He wanted to memorize her taste and feel her passion.

  When he released her a heartbeat later, the fear he’d seen in her eyes had vanished. Now her eyes were smoky, filled with desire. And it was time to leave her.

  “Why did you—”

  He placed one finger over her lips, stilling them. “For luck.” And because he couldn’t have left her there, afraid, thinking of nothing except the possibility that they’d be arrested.

  Handing her the keys to the SUV, Daniel went to the door, signaled for Wolf and, without looking back, stepped outside.

  “Time to go to work, furball,” he said. “Look sharp.”

  Daniel pulled the regular flashlight from his belt, and started walking around to the front of the building. The light beam aimed before him would announce his presence before he met the guard on duty. With luck, the guy wouldn’t turn out to be a “shoot first, think later” type.

  As Daniel turned the corner of the building, a young uniformed security guard intercepted him, his gun trained on Daniel’s chest.

  “Don’t move, man. Don’t even breathe,” the guard said in TV police-drama style.

  The guard took a step back, nervously trying to decide whether to aim his pistol at Daniel or at Wolf. Daniel was sure he could disarm the kid long before he could squeeze the trigger, but that would have long-term consequences and he had a better plan in mind.

  “Ease up, Ricketts.” Daniel noted the name tag on the kid’s uniform shirt. “I saw you pull up in the van. I’m a P.I. hired by Jones to keep an eye on his business and home. Wolf’s my patrol dog. Sit, Wolf!” Daniel commanded, and Wolf sat instantly, never taking his eyes off the guard.

  “I’m calling this in,” the guard said in an unsteady voice.

  “Before you do, you’ll want to take a look at my ID. It’s in my back pocket. Let me pull it out and you can check it over,” he said, reaching slowly for it. “Keep in mind that if I’d wanted to neutralize you, we could have done that already. The dog knew you were here long before you ever saw us,” Daniel said matter-of-factly. “All you would have seen was fur flying toward your face. You wouldn’t have had time to draw your weapon or grab your radio.”

  He saw the guard look down. Wolf stared up at him, scarcely moving. With his eyes riveted on the man, he growled low. “I should also tell you that the gun is making him very nervous,” Daniel said. “He’s trained to take down threats to his handler. That’s me.”

  Wolf growled again, baring his teeth for maximum effect.

  “You say that Jones hired you?” the guard said, his voice an octave higher.

  “Yeah, the real estate guy. Fifties, losing his hair.” Daniel flipped his wallet op
en, giving only a quick glimpse of his P.I. identification before putting it away. “Jones has been really jumpy ever since someone assaulted him in his office at the church.”

  The guard nodded. “That’s not public knowledge, and we’ve been told to keep the deacon’s troubles to ourselves.”

  “Jones has some off-duty cops at his home guarding day and night now. And he has me checking his business here and his office at the church twice a day.”

  Wolf barked spiritedly, saliva shooting from his mouth as the security guard shifted from side to side. The guard froze.

  “Listen, I know you’re legit, so I’m going to put my gun away,” the guard whispered. “Tell your dog to chill, okay?”

  “He won’t attack—unless he gets mixed up and thinks you’re a threat that needs eliminating.” He shouldn’t have said it, the guard was scared enough, but Daniel hadn’t been able to resist messing with his mind a bit.

  “Don’t you have a leash for him?” The guard moved slowly and carefully as he put his gun in its holster.

  “It’s okay. He’s really well trained,” Daniel said, trying not to smile. “In fact, he’s the reason why I was able to go through the building so quickly. We’ve already secured the site. All the doors and windows are closed and locked.” He turned the knob and pushed, hoping that Hannah had remembered to lock it. The door wouldn’t budge. “As I said, secure.”

  “I guess I’ll move on to the next place on my list,” the guard said. “I’m covering over a dozen businesses tonight. My partner is out sick.”

  “It’s time for me to shove off, too. My vehicle’s across the parking lot. Stay safe, Ricketts.”

  Daniel turned and pretended to walk to the SUV as the guard got into his vehicle and pulled out into the street. The moment the security van disappeared from view, Daniel jogged with Wolf back to where they’d left Hannah.

  Chapter Sixteen

  As Hannah waited, minutes stretched out into eternities. The taste of Daniel was still hot on her mouth. She touched her lips with the tip of her tongue. Maybe that was why he’d kissed her like that—to leave a piece of him behind. Did he plan on simply being a decoy and leading the guard away, or getting himself arrested so she could avoid detection? And what if his plan went wrong and he ended up getting shot? Fear snaked through her and her heart began to pound so hard and fast she could barely catch her breath.