Special Ops Bodyguard

by Beth Cornelison

  Hannah retrieved the discarded towel and squared her shoulders as she turned to leave, muttering, “Seems about right.”

  Gage frowned and settled back in the sofa cushions. Had Hank heard anything his son had just said about the precarious position he was in with getting his herd to market? Gage hated to think the senator was really so self-absorbed, so unconcerned about the trouble his son was facing that he could be complaining about his own life just seconds after Cole’s explanation of the hurdles he was facing.

  “What are you fixing for lunch?” Hank called to Hannah before she disappeared into the laundry room.

  “For you? Nothing,” came the brisk reply.

  Hank glowered at the doorway where Hannah had exited, then faced Gage. “Looks like we’re going into town to eat.” He gave a humorless chuckle. “Lucky you. You get to see your girlfriend at the diner again.”

  Gage swallowed the urge to respond to the senator’s comment, even to tell him today was Kate’s day off. What was the point?

  Within minutes, Hank had his coat on and was waiting impatiently by the door for Gage to drive him to town. Gage ruffled Ace’s fur as he walked out to the senator’s Town Car and earned a tail wag and a lick on the hand. When Ace started toward Hank, Gage caught the old dog’s collar and squatted beside him. “He’s not a dog person, remember, boy?”

  With a last pat for Ace, Gage climbed behind the steering wheel and headed into Maple Cove. The diner was bustling as usual but still felt empty to Gage without Kate there. Laurie Emerson, their waitress from last week, was working again today, and she smiled warmly when she recognized the senator.

  “Senator Kelley, I didn’t know you were still in town.” Laurie handed Hank and Gage each a menu. “Are you enjoying your vacation here in Maple Cove?”

  “It’s not a vacation,” Hank said flatly, before apparently realizing he should be in politician mode and plastering a toothy grin on his face. “But the town is just as beautiful and friendly as I remember from my youth, thank you. Maybe when I do get some time off, I’ll come back to do some fly-fishing.”

  “Oh, yes! My husband loves to fly-fish in the Yellowstone and Boulder rivers. I tell you, Paradise Valley has the best fly-fishing anywhere.” She grinned and nudged Hank’s shoulder. “But then you’d know that, having grown up here, huh?”

  While Laurie took Hank’s order, Gage stole away from the table long enough to catch Janet at the counter. “Was everything all right when you got home this morning? Any problems with Larry?”

  Janet glared at him as she started a fresh pot of coffee brewing. “Everything was fine. No thanks to you.”

  “Me?” Gage leaned on the lunch counter and arched an eyebrow in query.

  “Larry says you threatened him.”

  Gage pitched his voice low for Janet’s ears only. “Someone needs to stand up to him, tell him he can’t get away with beating you.”

  “I don’t know what Kate’s been telling you, but I don’t need your help. I’m fine. So back off.” She wadded the trash from the coffee pot and tossed it in the wastebasket.

  “Kate’s worried about you. And frankly, so am I. Larry’s not going to change until he gets counseling, if then. You need to get out while you can.”

  Janet scowled at him. “My marriage is none of your business. I already have to leave work early today to appease Larry. He thinks on the days I work late at the diner I’m meeting someone. After finding out you were at Kate’s at the same time I was last night, he’s demanded I be home to make his supper and stay in with him tonight.”

  “You see? He’s got you changing your life and jumping through hoops to cater to his baseless jealousy. Who’s going to work the dinner shift if you don’t?”

  “Kate, of course.”

  “Today is her day off.”

  “I explained the situation, and she agreed to come in for me tonight.”

  Gage gritted his teeth. “She works two jobs here already and needs time to rest and relax.”

  “And I’m her only sister and needed a favor. When your family needs you, that comes first.” Janet looked a tad smug to Gage. As if she knew she had a trump card with Kate because of her views on family.

  “When’s the last time you did Kate any favors?” Gage said, his voice tight with irritation.

  Stay out of this. Their family dynamic is not your job. Don’t get distracted.

  But he’d come to care about Kate and that did make her his business.

  Janet pulled her eyebrows into a frown. “I do her favors.”

  “When? You ever work an extra shift so she could get some well-deserved time off? Have you ever uprooted your whole life to be close to her and help her with a difficult marriage?”

  Janet’s chin hitched up. “Butt out, Gage.”

  Butting out might be exactly what he should do, but he couldn’t stand to see Janet take advantage of Kate. “This Thursday night, you’re going to offer to work Kate’s shift so she can have the night off. Got it?”

  Janet scoffed. “What makes you think so?”

  “Because I’m going to ask her to dinner that night, and you owe her that much and more.”

  He hadn’t known until the words left his mouth that he’d decided to ask Kate out. Who knew how long he’d be in town and what would come of their relationship? Starting up a relationship with someone as sweet and vulnerable to heartache as Kate was dangerous. And yet…the time for second-guessing had passed. Because last night he had started something with Kate. Now he could only pray his association with her didn’t destroy the innocence and inner beauty he found so irresistible in her.

  “There you go, darlin’,” Hank said, handing Laurie Emerson a hundred dollar bill with his lunch ticket. “Keep the change.”

  Laurie’s face lit when she saw the denomination of the bill he’d given her. “Oh, my! Thank you, Senator! And you have a nice day.”

  He gave her a wink and smile, and the waitress practically swooned.

  Gage suppressed a groan. Women were popping up across the country claiming adulterous affairs with the married man, trashing his reputation as a family-values politician, and still the man flirted shamelessly with every attractive woman he met.

  Hank strolled toward the diner door, then waited for Gage to check the sidewalk and open the Town Car door for him before leaving the relative safety of the diner. At least he was partially following Gage’s instructions now.

  As soon as they were on the road, headed back to the Bar Lazy K, Hank had his cell phone out, calling his assistant. “Have you gotten in touch with Rick Garrison yet?”

  Gage assumed from the terse curse word Hank muttered under his breath that the reply was a negative.

  “Well, when you do reach him, tell him he doesn’t see another penny of his fee until I have proof Lana is safe. And call Senator Goldsmith and reschedule next week’s lunch. Clearly this situation with…you know what…is going to take longer to clear up than I’d thought. I’ll probably be stuck up here a few more weeks.”

  Gage couldn’t help the lift in his spirits at the thought of staying in Montana, close to Kate, for the next several weeks. A smile twitched at his lips as anticipation of seeing her again filled his chest like a balloon.

  “No. I don’t want to do any interviews until this mess with all those women blows over. Not even by phone. Continue to tell them I’ve said all I have to say on the matter and have no further comment at this time.”

  Wham!

  Gage’s head snapped forward as the Town Car was rammed from behind. His gaze jerked to the rearview mirror. Where had that truck come from?

  Hank barked, “What the—!”

  Bam!

  Sweat popped out on Gage’s lip. The dark blue truck was intentionally ramming them! He reached with one hand under his jacket for his weapon and steered the Town Car along the two-lane highway with the other. “Get on the floor!”

  With a roar of its motor, the pickup truck sped around them. The muzzle of a rifle appeare
d out the passenger window—aimed at the backseat.

  “Stay down!” Gage shouted.

  “Who is—”

  Crack! Thunk.

  The rifle kicked up as it was fired, and the bullet hit the side of the Town Car.

  Gage lowered the driver’s window a couple of inches and squeezed off two rounds. Adrenaline pumped through him, but he kept a steady hand.

  Squealing tires, the truck sped away.

  “Senator, are you all right?” Gage slowed to a stop, pulling off the road and giving the area an encompassing glance. Other than the retreating pickup, they were alone on the rural highway.

  “I— Yes.” Hank pushed up from the floor, looking dazed but clearly unhurt. “Where did they come from? There’s…there’s nowhere to hide out here.” He waved a hand to the sprawling landscape with miles of unimpeded visibility.

  Recriminations lashed Gage. He’d been thinking about Kate, not keeping a watchful eye on other vehicles on the road. Even if a large pickup like the one that had attacked them was a common sight in Montana, he should have been more alert to the truck’s approach. Damn it!

  Hank brushed imagined dirt off his shirt as he settled on the back seat again. He narrowed a glare on Gage. “Why didn’t you see them following us?”

  Gage’s temper spiked, fueled by adrenaline, guilt and frustration. “And why won’t you level with me? I’m having a hard enough time keeping you safe when you don’t obey my instructions, but when you won’t tell me who I’m protecting you from, what the threat is, why someone wants to hurt you, I’m working blind!”

  Hank sat taller and met Gage’s glare evenly. “I can’t tell you. My hands are tied. I was warned that if I said anything to anyone, I’d be destroyed.”

  “And yet they seem to be gunning for you regardless of what you have or haven’t told me.” Gage hitched a thumb in the direction the truck had gone. He clenched his teeth so hard his molars hurt. “Now start talking. Who has threatened you?”

  Hank only stared at him for long seconds.

  “They’ve already taken your daughter hostage and shot at you. How much more danger are you going to put the people around you in before you do something to stop them?”

  “I’m handling them my own way.”

  “With your mercenary? He hasn’t been in touch in days. What does that tell you?” Gage shifted closer to Hank and lowered his voice. “Who has threatened you? And why?”

  The senator turned his gaze out the window, his jaw tight. “My political enemies.”

  “Be more specific.”

  Hank sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. “They call themselves the Raven’s Head Society. They’re a highly secret organization of businessmen, financial leaders, lobbyists and high-powered statesmen who are working through nefarious means to push their own political agenda.”

  “How do you know about them if they’re so secretive?”

  “I was invited to a meeting. When I saw what they were about, I wanted out, but—”

  “But?”

  “They’ve threatened me, warned me not to tell anyone what they’re planning. They…want me to take the fall for their scheme.”

  A tingle nipped Gage’s spine. “And what are they planning?”

  Hank shook his head. “I can’t tell you. I…shouldn’t have said that much. They took Lana to force my hand. They want me to do…things…illegal things to promote their agenda and—”

  “Who are they? Name names.”

  Hank sent Gage an incredulous look. “Are you insane? If I started naming names, I’d be as good as dead!”

  “Ernie Bradshaw? The owner of that insurance company?”

  Hank paled. “How did you—”

  “That’s whose cabin Lana indicated she was being held at. If his cabin is involved in her kidnapping, it stands to reason he’s part of this Raven’s Head Society.”

  Hank rolled his shoulders and huffed an irritated sigh. “Yeah, I think he’s involved.”

  “Who else?”

  The senator shook his head. “No. You know enough to protect me. I won’t say any more. But understand this…these people are well-connected and have access to a great deal of money. They could hire people to do their dirty work while they sit back and pull the strings.”

  Gage chewed his bottom lip, considering the facts. “If that’s the case, the people in that truck were probably local yahoos bought off to take a potshot at you.”

  “It was a warning, I’m sure,” Hank leaned his head back, his expression pure misery. “So far, I’ve refused to cooperate with them…except that I haven’t called the police or brought in the FBI. They were very clear that Lana would die and my career would be ruined if I talked to the authorities.”

  “How would they know if you talked to the FBI?”

  “Hell, they could have people planted in the FBI for all I know!” A vein at Hank’s temple pulsed as he shouted. “These are powerful, dangerous people we’re talking about!”

  Gage swiped a hand over his mouth. Acid churned in his gut. This assignment was bigger and more complex than he’d had any idea. “You need to tell Cole.”

  Hank’s eyes widened. “No!”

  “You’re staying at his ranch, putting him and his employees in the line of fire. He has a right to know what’s at stake.”

  Shaking his head, the senator held up a hand. “He’s got enough to worry about with his lost cows and the bad weather coming and—no.” So Hank had been listening to his son earlier…

  “The Society was very clear. I can’t tell Cole. His life would be at risk, as Lana’s already is.” Deep creases formed beside Hank’s eyes and mouth. “I haven’t been there for my family the way I should have been over the years, but…I love them. I won’t do anything to put them at risk.”

  “Anything else, you mean. Aren’t they already at risk because of the choices you’ve made?” Gage knew he’d crossed a line, but he needed Hank to stop dancing around certain truths and be completely up front.

  Hank flinched as if taking a physical blow.

  “Look,” Gage said, raking fingers through his hair, “Things are going to be different from here on out. Clearly these people know where you are. You will listen to me and follow my directives. You will stay at the ranch, inside, away from windows, where you are better protected.”

  Hank’s scowl let Gage know how his ultimatum was being received.

  “No more lunches in town.” Gage took solace in the fact he still had nights off and could see Kate in the evenings, if not at lunch. “You will not use your cell any longer.”

  “Wha—!”

  “If you have to make phone calls, we’ll get you a phone with a secure line.”

  The senator glared out the window and grumbled under his breath.

  “Do you want my protection or not?”

  Hank sent Gage a quick churlish glance. “Yes. I just hate being a prisoner like this.”

  Gage resisted the temptation to point out that Cole’s luxury ranch house was a far cry from a prison. “Those are my terms going forward. Do we have an understanding?”

  Hank closed his eyes, and his shoulders drooped. “We do.”

  Chapter 10

  When they returned to the Bar Lazy K Ranch, Gage filled Bart in on the attack and the new understanding he and Hank had reached. Hank chafed under the new rules, insisting that he had to use his cell to be in touch with his assistant on business.

  Finally, Bart told Gage he’d start his shift early so that Gage could go into Livingston to arrange for a cell with a secure line. As he made the short trip to the nearby city, Gage’s mind wandered frequently to Kate and how she was likely spending her day off. Had she given much thought to their kiss? Was she regretting it? Anticipating seeing him again?

  He’d told Janet he was going to ask Kate out for Thursday night, just two nights away, so, good to his word, he stopped by Kate’s house on his way back to the ranch.

  “Gage?” Kate’s face reflected surprise then de
light when she answered the door. “To what do I owe this honor?” She opened her door wider and stood back to let him in.

  “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by.”

  She tipped her head and gave him a skeptical look. “In the neighborhood? Really?”

  He grinned. “Well, yeah. I was in the neighborhood, because I wanted to see you, wanted to ask you to go to dinner with me on Thursday.”

  “Oh, I see.” She chuckled, then sobered and blinked at him as if she’d just realized what he’d said. “Wait, you’re asking me out? On a date?”

  “That’s what they call it where I come from.” He quirked an insouciant grin that belied the nervous patter in his chest. Geez, he felt thirteen again, asking Carol what’s-her-name to the Valentine’s dance. When was the last time he’d cared enough about a woman to ask her out? When was the last time he’d been in a position to actually take a woman on a date? Months…years…since before he’d been deployed to Afghanistan.

  He drew a slow deep breath, hoping to calm his schoolboy jitters. Her answer mattered a great deal to him. Maybe too much. He wasn’t supposed to care this much about a woman if he was going to keep his head in the game protecting the senator.

  “I’m supposed to work on Thursday.” Kate wet her lips and took a seat on her couch, next to her fluffball cat.

  Sinatra. That was his name. Gage settled on the other side of the cat and gave the feline’s soft fur a tentative stroke. He’d never been a cat person, but Sinatra seemed pretty easygoing.

  “At lunch today, I took the liberty of asking Janet to cover for you. You should be all set.”

  Kate blinked, lifting her eyebrows, and Gage worried that he’d overstepped his bounds.

  “And Janet agreed to cover for me? Really?”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “I guess I am a bit. Janet isn’t usually so obliging about working extra shifts.” Kate flopped back on the cushions and gave him a suspicious look.

  “Which is one of the things I’d like to talk with you about when we have dinner.”

  Her mouth curled up at one corner. “I haven’t said yes.”