Deadly Cargo

by Jodie Bailey

  Brandt jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “In the locker over there. I’ll go get it.”

  Will nodded his assent, then focused on Jasmine. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

  She nodded with a loud exhale, then dropped her head back against the seat and stared at the ceiling. It was obvious that the adrenaline ebb and emotional crash were slamming her hard.

  At least he hoped that was all that was wrong.

  Will climbed out of the plane. Two bullet holes marred the metal below his window. So close.

  Too close. The one that had nearly shattered the window had likely come within inches of ending one of their lives.

  No time to think of that at the moment. His first order of business was to make sure she was safe.

  He reached across the seats and helped Jasmine from the plane and to the ground. He accepted the first-aid kit from Brandt and then assisted her into a chair that the older man had wheeled over.

  “Can you find us a bottle of water or something?” The last thing Will needed was the man breathing down his neck or having to worry that maybe he wasn’t so trustworthy after all.

  With a nod, Brandt jogged over to a small cabinet on the other side of the hangar.

  In the distance, sirens wailed, growing closer by the second.

  Good. Backup was on the way.

  Will cracked open the case and rested it in Jasmine’s lap.

  For the first time, she met his eye. “You bring too much adventure into my life, Trooper.”

  Relief almost made him drop the antiseptic wipe he’d pulled from the kit. If she could crack a joke, she was going to be okay. “Yeah?” He drew on a glove, ripped open the antiseptic and gently tipped her chin so he could get a good look at her temple. “I could say the same about you. I may have been shot at before, but I’ve never narrowly avoided a plane crash in the bush.”

  She smiled, then winced as he dabbed at the wound.

  “Sorry.” The cut was small, but it had to sting. “It’s not bad. It’s already pretty much stopped bleeding.” He grabbed gauze and wiped the blood from her cheek. “Looks like I’m a bigger danger than the shooter was. Sorry.”

  His fingers still rested on her chin, and they moved when she shook her head. “Danger?” Her eyes caught his, a haunted look darkening her expression. “What if I’ve been found? What if I have to start over again?”

  The fear in her eyes was too much for him. In that instant, Jasmine became his to protect. He had brought this violence into her life, and he would watch over her until the threat was gone.

  “That would be too coincidental.” He slid his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her head to his chest. “I’m going to make sure you’re safe.”

  As the sirens echoed off the buildings, Will hoped that was a promise he could keep.

  EIGHT

  Jasmine sat in Keith’s office with her elbows on her knees and her head buried in her hands. She stared at the tile beneath her feet. The dingy gray seemed to pulse with the beat of her pounding heart.

  Wouldn’t it be ironic if she dropped dead from the stress and saved whoever had attacked them the trouble?

  Not quite two feet away, Scout sat with his back to her and his eyes on the door while Will stood in the hallway, talking in low tones with another trooper who’d arrived with another K-9.

  She’d always wanted a dog, but having one by her side who was ordered to guard her wasn’t exactly the way she’d imagined. In her daydreams, there had been more camping and stick throwing and less gunfire and drug smuggling.

  Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Jasmine’s eyes slipped shut.

  All she’d done for the past hour was pray while it seemed every one of Alaska’s finest patrolled the area around the airport.

  Because of her.

  Please don’t let this be about my testimony. I don’t want to leave. She couldn’t bear to walk away from flying or from the people she was privileged to serve. There was no doubt in her mind what she was called to do with her new life, and turning her back on it felt wrong.

  A lump rose to her throat. She didn’t have it in her to once again become another person when she’d only just begun to feel comfortable as this one.

  “I brought your backpack in.” Twin thuds hit the floor, then the couch beside her sank and a hand rested gently on her back. “You doing okay?” Will’s low voice was as warm as his touch. Both brought a measure of peace that they really shouldn’t.

  “Somebody shot at me.” The bitterness in her voice wasn’t intentional. It was simply there, welling up from deep in her gut.

  “Yeah, that was probably not the smartest question to ask.” He moved his hand slightly from side to side. “It’s not the best day of your life when that happens.”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, the good news is that the shooter isn’t out there. We found where he drove up. Looks like he fired from the window of a car, because we have tire tracks and shell casings but no footprints.”

  Jasmine sighed. “The bad news is he got away.” Which meant he was still out there, ready to try to strike again.

  “Our crime scene techs are measuring tire tracks. They’ll look for prints on the shell casings. It’s only a matter of time before he’s in custody and we know exactly what’s going on.” His hand paused its soft motion on her back. “I talked to Deputy Marshal Maldonado.”

  Jasmine’s heart lurched. This was it. The moment when her life shredded once again. She couldn’t even make her throat push forth the words to ask what he’d said.

  It almost seemed as though Will understood. He slipped his hand to her opposite shoulder and drew her close, his voice so low she could barely hear it. “He’s put his entire team to work on your case. So far, there’s no indication that you’re being targeted or that your identity has been compromised.”

  Goose bumps raised on her arms. Her heart tugged toward him. He was close. Really close.

  Of course, he was also saying exactly what she wanted to hear, so the softness in her emotions probably had more to do with relief than with the man bringing the news.

  Will’s chin moved against the top of her head. “That shot came so quickly, it’s doubtful the shooter even had time to determine who he was aiming at. He went for the first movement he saw. My team and I are still operating on the theory that this is about me being on the plane with you. That I’m the target.” He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze then pulled away. “You don’t have to do this. I can fly with anyone. We have our own planes. It doesn’t have to be—”

  “I want to do this.” Jasmine shoved to her feet and walked over to Keith’s desk, staring down at his papers without actually seeing them. “You can fly out there all you want with your pilots, but when you get into some of the remote villages, they aren’t going to talk to you.” She faced Will, who was looking up at her, his face etched with deep lines of concern. “You should consider going in civilian clothes. Might make it easier on you.”

  His jaw tightened, and he studied something over her head. “I don’t—”

  A door slammed.

  Jasmine jumped, her knees nearly betraying her.

  “What about my plane?” Down the hall, Keith’s shout punctuated the crash from the door. “I have a Piper Archer sitting in my hangar with a cracked windscreen and looking like Swiss cheese. I can’t get it off the ground and use it for deliveries until it’s been declared airworthy again. Who’s going to pay for that?”

  Will was on his feet, and so was Scout. Both faced the door.

  A lower voice drifted behind Keith’s bluster. “We can sit down and talk about that later. We’ll make sure you have an official report that you can use to contact your insurance company, and—”

  “That’s not helping me today is it? The fool shot up my plane.” Keith stormed into the small office. “I want it fixed.�
� He stopped short when he saw Jasmine, his eyes wide. His mouth opened slightly, and he glanced from her to Will, then back over his shoulder to the trooper behind him, the one Will had been speaking to earlier. “Jasmine.” Keith’s shoulders slumped and he stared at the ceiling, regret edging his expression. His voice dropped. “Were you hurt?”

  Had it really taken him having to face her to ask that question? Two years of working for him and his plane came first? Glancing at Will, who was watching Keith, she swallowed the words she wanted to say. “Just a scratch on my forehead.” From Will’s badge, not from the shooter.

  “I’m sorry about the rant.” Her boss pulled her into a brotherly hug and let go quickly. “It’s easier to worry about the plane than what might have happened if that guy had better aim.”

  Jasmine’s knees still wobbled. She planted her hand on the desk by the printed flight schedule. Keith had always been more business minded and less emotional, so it made sense he’d run from anything that scared him. She forgave his plane first attitude.

  If only the plane was all she had to worry about.

  “I wish I knew what was going on.” Keith looked at each of them in turn. “Our safety record at Kesuk Aviation is impeccable. Now I have a shooting on my airfield and, according to Jerry, a plane that’s been tampered with. Nothing like this ever happened before you came on the scene, Troopers.” Picking up a pen, he tapped it on the desk, eyeing Will. “You won’t be flying with Jasmine again.”

  Before Will could speak, she squared her shoulders. “No.” Her boss could think whatever he wanted. It was his business to run after all. But she wasn’t ready to cut ties with Will or his investigation. If she was going down, she was going down fighting for the people she cared about.

  Five pairs of eyes swung toward her—three male and one canine.

  Keith was the first to speak. “No, what?”

  Will’s arched eyebrow echoed Keith’s question.

  “I want Trooper Stryker to fly with me.” She needed to go with him and, after the chaos of the past twenty-four hours, she needed him to be with her.

  The pen’s tapping ceased. Keith’s lips tightened, and he seemed to try to read her mind.

  Jasmine met his gaze and held it, refusing to back down. While she was well-known for being one of the friendliest pilots around, she was also well-known for being one of the most stubborn.

  “You were shot at because of him.” He shook his head and dropped the pen to the desk with a clatter. “I’m not going to have you flying into danger. And, not that this is as important as you, but Darrin and I can’t afford to have any more planes damaged.”

  “You can’t prove this is about the trooper.” She bit her lip. She’d almost said too much. Her mind scrambled to backtrack.

  “Jasmine’s already been seen with me.” Will stepped to her side, his shoulder brushing hers in a subtle show of support. He had her back. Despite the fact that he’d tried to back out of flying with her, he was going to honor her wishes. “Anyone who wants to come at us is going to come at her, assuming she’s acting as my eyes, even if I’m not with her.”

  “And they’d be right.” Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest.

  “She’s safer if I’m with her. At least she’ll have someone watching her back.” Will tilted his head, aiming his chin at Scout, who rested at his heel. “Make that two someones.”

  Keith picked up the pen and started tapping again.

  “You’re already short a pilot because of Manny’s surgery.” Jasmine stepped closer to the desk. “You don’t want me to step away because I feel unsafe without Trooper Stryker at my side, do you?”

  For the briefest second, Keith’s expression hardened, but then he tossed the pen across the desk and crossed his arms, mimicking Jasmine’s posture. “Darrin and I will discuss it.”

  “He’s flying with me, Keith.” Jasmine brushed past Will, headed for the door. “And I’m going home.” The exhaustion dumped on her like the sudden squall had the day before. In the time it took her to reach the door and step past the other trooper, her entire body felt like it doubled in weight. She craved her bed and the hours of sleep she’d been robbed of the night before.

  She was at the door to the enclosed entryway before Will and the other trooper caught up. He reached around her and grabbed the handle before she could walk out. “Wait.”

  Waiting was the last thing she wanted to do. “Will, I want to go home. Please. You can meet me back here the next time I fly. I’ll text you the flight details.”

  “You can’t just go charging out into the world. Someone shot at you—at us—today.” Will eased between Jasmine and the door. “Let Sean and me check your vehicle and ours, then we’ll walk out with you. We’ll follow you home and make sure everything there is secure, okay?” He slipped her backpack from his shoulder and held it out to her, his expression commanding, but with a slight plea.

  She jerked the bag from his hand. “Really?” She didn’t need a babysitter or a bodyguard.

  Or maybe she did. It was nice to be all tough-girl bravado like she was some action movie hero, but the truth was she was simply a regular woman who barely knew who she was. While she’d like to think she could take down an assailant with her bare hands, past history already said she could not.

  “Fine. You can escort me, but once you know my house is safe, we’re done for the day.”

  With a lingering look, Will walked into the enclosed entry, his head swiveling from side to side.

  Scout took up his place beside her as though he knew exactly what was going on, and Sean and his K-9 fell in behind them.

  Their presence ought to make her feel comforted and safe.

  But the fact remained that someone had sabotaged her plane and had opened fire at her.

  She’d never felt more trapped.

  * * *

  “We’re checking her car and following her back to her home?” Trooper Sean West cast a quick look to where Jasmine waited inside the enclosed entry to the building, then bent down to look under her car.

  Will gently opened the driver’s-side door and scanned the interior. Nothing looked out of place. He’d refused to let Jasmine get into her car until he and Sean checked it out to make sure no one had tampered with it. Whoever had taken those shots wasn’t playing.

  Neither was he.

  Right about now, he wished he had Trooper Maya Rodriguez and her explosive-sniffing partner Sarge by his side. Sure, he and Sean were good friends. His Japanese Akita Inu partner, Grace, was an amazing K-9, but she was a cadaver dog who was frequently called on in avalanches. Her nose was awesome, but it wasn’t trained for explosives.

  Same with Scout. It was too bad drugs were no longer his primary concern.

  “You ignoring me or are you totally absorbed in your work?” Sean’s voice was laced with sarcasm, belying his amusement.

  The situation wasn’t amusing. “Let’s just say I’m not a fan of her being unprotected after everything that happened the past two days. Let’s also say there’s more going on than you realize.” Will didn’t want to divulge any more of Jasmine’s secret than he had to. At the moment, his teammate didn’t need to know. “I’m leaning heavily toward Jasmine being shot at because of my presence, but there could be some underlying factors.”

  “Care to share?” Crossing his arms, Sean leaned them on the top of Jasmine’s Subaru as Will straightened.

  “If it becomes need to know, then yes.” When the other man’s eyebrow arched, Will exhaled roughly. He owed his friend more, but there wasn’t a lot he could offer. “Look, I’m not trying to be vague. It’s not my story to tell. Just trust me on this one.”

  “No problem.” Sean pushed away from the car. “You want backup from me?”

  Will tapped the top of the vehicle and tightened his lips. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. “You’re not on an assignment?”

/>   “Not at the moment. The Missing Bride case is still ongoing, but until we get a new tip, we’re busy digging into what we already have.”

  While their specialized team had assignments all over the state, Violet James’s was never far from their minds. With little new evidence, the case was in danger of growing cold, and Violet was in danger of being lost forever.

  No one in their unit wanted to see that happen.

  “What about Katie’s family and the reindeer ranch?” Their colonel’s assistant, Katie Kapowski, had presented them with another mystery, one they were working in their rare spare time. Her aunt’s reindeer sanctuary had been the victim of several attacks. A DNA match to evidence found at the scene suggested someone in the family, although Katie insisted her only living relative was her aunt.

  Sean tapped his fist against his thigh. “There’s new intel there. Brayden Ford had a talk with Katie’s aunt Addie. Turns out, she has a brother named Terence that Katie never knew about. He took off years ago. Eli’s trying to get a location on him now.”

  Eli was a busy man. “Why would Addie lie about having a brother?”

  Sean shrugged. “Who knows? We all know that family can be weird. Brayden’s still working that angle, so he should have some answers soon. It’s kind of thrown Katie for a loop. Here she’s thought all this time it was only her and Addie, and all the while, there’s been an uncle.” Scratching his chin, he tipped his head toward Scout. “In more pressing issues, are you paying attention to your partner?”

  Had something happened to Scout? Will jerked his head down and found his partner sitting at his heel, waiting patiently while the men talked. “He’s fine.”

  “He’s also not alerting.”

  Sean was right. According to Scout’s super sniffer, there had never been drugs in or around Jasmine’s car. If there had been, he’d either be pawing at the spot where they were hidden or he’d be sitting differently, in a passive alert. As it was, his partner was completely unconcerned. If there had been any reason to doubt Jasmine’s innocence, the complete absence of drugs or their residue in her vehicle was a mark in her favor.