She blinked and smiled brightly. “Breakfast?”
“Maybe just some eggs and toast. I can handle that.” He reached across the counter and snatched a lock of hair from her messy ponytail. “Why don’t you get dressed, and then see if Dale is willing to talk to us?”
“I’m sure she is.” She flicked her fingers at the cupboards. “Do you think you can find everything?”
“I’ll rummage around.”
She took her coffee with her as she left the kitchen.
Banging around the cupboards and drawers, he located a frying pan, spatula and bowl. He may have exaggerated his bachelor skills to Lana, but he could handle scrambled eggs and toast.
As he beat the eggs and milk with a fork, he heard the shower from the bathroom and the sound was enough to fire up his imagination about Lana and her petite but curvy body. She’d made it clear last night she had no interest in bedding him but now that he knew she’d gotten pregnant as a teenager, he understood her desire to keep her reputation shiny and clean here at the ranch.
That didn’t mean she was celibate—did it? He hoped to hell not because he had every intention of getting to know that woman better, of gaining her trust.
The butter sizzling on the stove jarred him out of his daydream, and he dumped his eggs in the pan.
By the time Lana emerged from the back, he had two plates of only slightly browned scrambled eggs ready to go with some sliced and buttered toast tucked next to them. He’d found grapefruit juice in the fridge and had poured out two glasses.
Lana’s damp, wavy hair snaked down her back as her bare feet slapped against the tile floor. She grabbed the fridge handle and said over her shoulder, “This looks perfect. Thanks.”
“Liar.” He pointed to the ketchup she had in one hand and the salsa in the other. “If it looked so perfect, you wouldn’t be scrambling for condiments to make it better.”
“These?” She hoisted them in the air and winked. “I eat everything with salsa.”
After breakfast, Lana cleaned up the kitchen while he hit the shower. He could’ve waited until he got back to his hotel, but at the rate they were going through Gil’s books that might not be for a while. They’d probably be dropping in on the McGowans, too, and he didn’t want to look like a slob.
If he was going to be the one on Lana’s side, he wanted to look worthy of the part. Why hadn’t Carla’s father helped Lana? Thinking about the father of Lana’s child caused his blood to percolate in his veins. Did she want to protect him for some reason? He didn’t deserve it, but he was probably a dumb kid who’d been afraid of telling his parents he’d gotten a girl pregnant.
Logan did his best with the female toiletries available to him in the bathroom and finished off by brushing his teeth. When he returned to the living room, Lana had claimed the end of the couch again, book spread open in her lap.
She looked up and rubbed her chin. “You could’ve used one of my disposable razors for that scruff—not that it doesn’t look...okay.”
“As long as it looks...okay, I’ll wait to use my own stuff at the hotel. Did you talk to Dale yet?”
“I called the landline at the house. She’ll call us when Bruce leaves to do some errands to get ready for their trip. It’s always easier to talk when Bruce isn’t there.”
“I thought he was a changed man and they were ready to start a new life together.” Logan grabbed his phone charging on the kitchen counter and got his camera ready for another round of pictures.
“Baby steps. You can’t expect Bruce to leap into a new persona.”
“What’s his problem with you, anyway? Did he start harassing you after he found out you’d given birth to Carla?”
Her lashes fluttered as she returned her gaze to the book open in her lap. “Pretty much.”
“Because he was angry at you for being in on the scheme? For not telling him?”
“Worse.” She flattened her hands against the pages of the book and drew back her shoulders. “I always kept to myself when I came back here to live with my father. Bruce had always fancied himself a ladies’ man and thought he could crook his little finger at any woman and she’d come running. He crooked at me, and I didn’t.”
“That ticked him off.”
“It did, and then when he found out about Carla and realized I wasn’t as pure as I pretended to be, the torment started.”
“What an ass that guy is.” He formed his hand into a fist. “I could clock him for you if you want.”
Pursing her lips, she tilted her head. “That would be a very bad idea, and you know it.”
“Yeah, but the satisfaction.” He drove his fist into his palm where it landed with a smack.
“It would be short-lived—until your arrest for assault and battery and probably court martial.”
They worked in silence until the phone on the wall in the kitchen jangled.
Logan dropped his cell. “I almost forgot you had a landline in here.”
“Sometimes the cell reception falls off, so I keep it in case of emergency, and it’s an emergency now because the cops have my phone.” She jumped up from the couch on the second ring and grabbed the receiver.
“Uh-huh. Okay. We’ll be over in about fifteen minutes.” She hung up the phone. “That, in case you didn’t figure it out, was Dale. Bruce just left and the kids are at school.”
“What are the kids going to do for school when they leave? It’s not even close to summer break.”
Logan had just finished photographing the pages of the fourth book, which he closed and stacked on the other two. Lana had the third on the couch, and he grabbed that, too, along with her notes. “I’m going to put these back in the box. Now we just have one left.”
“Good idea. I’m not sure what Carla and Daniel are going to do about school. Should I even ask, or would I seem too much like a hovering bio mom?”
“Ouch. Did I say that? What do I know, anyway? Ask away.”
Lana left him again to finish getting ready, which by the sound of it involved drying her hair and, by the look of it when she returned, putting on some makeup. She looked pretty without a scrap of makeup on, but a little went a long way on her already-striking features. Even in a pair of faded jeans and a denim work shirt, Lana took his breath away.
“Sorry.” She grabbed her jacket. “I always feel like I have to put on my face with Dale.”
“So you don’t get taken advantage of again?”
“Maybe that’s it.”
They stepped outside and she locked the door behind them.
Logan nodded at Jaeger, who must’ve been on one of his patrols of the ranch.
The grim man touched two fingers to his forehead. “Be careful now, Lana.”
She tipped her head and kept walking, her boots crunching against the ground.
Logan put a hand on her back. “Why is that guy always lurking around?”
“He’s Bruce’s right-hand man, grew up with him. Bruce gave him a job when he got out of prison.”
“Prison? What for?”
“Stalking and battery.”
“That’s the kind of guy Bruce wants around his family?”
“Like I said, Jaeger is as loyal as the day is long. He’d never do anything to hurt Bruce or his family.”
“Yeah, but what about you and others?”
“He’s been behaving himself ever since he was released. His ex-wife moved far, far away and changed her name. I think she was his obsession and he doesn’t pose a danger to anyone else.”
Logan snorted. “Ringing endorsement.”
When they reached the big house, Dale swung open the front door before they even had a chance to ring the bell. “C’mon in. I don’t know what I can tell you though.”
“How are you feeling, Dale?” Lana tapped her temple. “That looks like a nasty bruise.”
“I’m doing okay even though I have to drink through a straw. I got a few painkillers from the doc.” She held up one hand. “I know what you’re thinking, but I’m off the booze.”
“I hope it lasts.” Lana pulled at Logan’s sleeve. “I know you two didn’t formally meet by the side of the road when you were dodging bullets or this morning when you barged in, but Dale this is Logan Hess, Logan, Dale McGowan.”
Dale sized him up with her dark eyes as her hand lay limply in his grasp. “I got your name from the cops at the hospital. Said you saved my life.”
Logan dropped her hand and put his arm around Lana’s shoulders. “I think we both have Lana to thank for that. If she hadn’t moved the truck into the line of fire, we both might be dead.”
“That’s our Lana—brave and self-sacrificing as always.”
Logan opened his mouth and Lana bumped him with her hip. “Are you up to answering a few questions about your abductors? I know you probably spoke to the police about all this at the hospital, but since it concerns me I’d like to hear it straight from you.”
“Sure, I can talk about it.” Dale clapped her hands. “Rosa, refreshments, please.”
A middle-aged Latina scurried into the room. “What would you like, Mrs. McGowan?”
Lana waved. “Hi, Rosa. How’s Manuel and the kids? How’s Jamie doing at Berkeley?”
“She’s fine, Miss Lana, majoring in political science. What would you and your friend like? Coffee? Iced tea?”
Dale rolled her eyes. “Just bring us something, Rosa. This isn’t a restaurant.”
Lana winked at the housekeeper. “Coffee would be great and some of Alma’s coffee cake if you have any.”
Logan had watched the entire exchange through narrowed eyes. It told him everything he needed to know about Dale and Lana. Dale might be able to offer Carla all the material comforts of life, but Lana would’ve been the better mother to the girl—hands down.
Dale reclined on the couch, smoothing her hands over the silky material of her dressing gown. “Now, what do you want to know about those SOBs who grabbed me and beat me up?”
“I suppose you weren’t able to identify them? Detective Delgado said they were wearing masks when they invaded the house and kept you blindfolded and drugged.”
“That’s exactly right.” Dale’s long fingernails dug into the material she’d been stroking before. “They burst in here with ski masks covering their faces, made some ridiculous demands and then tied something over my eyes and dragged me from the house. All I could think about was Carla and Daniel.”
Logan coughed. “They asked you about a journal?”
“They kept screaming in my face about it. I tried to tell them I didn’t know what they were talking about.” Dale pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “Once they got me into the back of the van, they put a cloth over my nose and mouth and knocked me out. When I came to, I was inside a building, but I had no way to identify the place. I already told the detectives that.”
Lana scooted up to the edge of her seat and planted her hands on her knees. “When did you realize your abductors had mistaken you for me?”
“When they started asking me about my brother and what he had told me about the embassy.”
As Rosa maneuvered back into the room carrying a tray loaded with cups and plates, Dale put a finger to her lips, made plumper by the swelling from her injuries.
Logan jumped from his chair and took the tray from the small woman. “I’ll get this, thanks.”
Rosa’s gaze darted to Dale’s face and then back to Logan. “Thank you, señor. Anything else, Mrs. McGowan?”
“No, thank you, Rosa.”
Since Dale seemed disinclined to move even her pinkie finger, Lana took it upon herself to stir some cream and sugar into a cup of coffee and hand it to her hostess.
Logan reached for the tray on the coffee table and nabbed a piece of coffee cake. He broke off a piece and pointed it at Dale. “You set them straight, right? Told them you weren’t Lana Moreno. Told them Lana Moreno lived in a back house on your property. Told them Lana Moreno received a delivery from her deceased brother, Gilbert.”
Dale’s hand jerked with the coffee cup midway to her lips, and the brown liquid sloshed over the side and dribbled onto her white dressing gown. “What did you expect me to do? Do you see my face? They didn’t stop with my face. They punched me in the stomach. They held a knife to my throat.”
Lana clicked her tongue. “I wouldn’t expect you to die to protect my identity, Dale. You did what you had to do, and Logan knows that.”
“I’m sorry, but in a way you can thank me for sparing you, Lana. If they hadn’t grabbed me first, they would’ve been on the hunt for you.” She pulled the plunging neckline of her robe up to her chin. “And you don’t want those guys finding you. I meant what I said when Logan rescued me roadside—my captors will kill you if they have to. They’re dangerous...and that’s why we decided to take the kids and relocate for a while.”
“Where are you going?” Lana brushed the crumbs from the coffee cake from her fingers into her plate.
“We’d rather not tell you—just in case. We’re hiring a nanny and a tutor to come with us, so Carla...the kids will be well cared for and will be able to keep up with school.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Logan leveled his finger at Lana. “And you should do the same, Lana. Get away from the ranch. I’m sure Bruce will understand. Right, Dale?”
Dale batted her long lashes at him in a futile attempt at flirtation. “Yes, of course. I’ll talk to Bruce. You aren’t teaching any lessons now, anyway, and we’re not buying any more new horses for the time being. In fact, there hasn’t been a lot for you to do on the ranch for a while, Lana. And with the kids gone...”
“Leave the ranch? I have no idea where I’d go.” Lana stacked up the empty plates on the tray and crumpled a napkin in her fist. “I can’t just take off for parts unknown.”
“You did that once before, didn’t you?” Dale snapped her fingers. “Oh, yes, that’s when you had a little money, isn’t it?”
Lana stood up suddenly, bumping her knees against the tray. “I just ask that you bring the kids to my place so I can say goodbye.”
“Of course.”
The doorbell rang deep in the house and Dale swung her legs from the couch. “I’ll get that and walk you out at the same time.”
Logan wedged himself between Dale and the front door to peer through the peephole. “It’s a really built guy with blond hair and a tight white T-shirt.”
“That’s Lars. He’s my massage therapist.” Dale placed her hands on Logan’s hips to nudge him aside. “I’m expecting him.”
She opened the door with a flourish and threw herself at the young, pumped-up man, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so glad you could come on such short notice, Lars. You heard what happened? I’m going to need some tender handling.”
“Of course, Dale. You’re going to feel like a new woman.” He nodded to Logan and Lana as he brushed past them to set up the table he carried in a case.
“Lars has heavenly hands.” Dale raised her eyes to the ceiling as if thanking the heavens for those hands. “I will let you know before we leave, Lana. Take care of yourself.”
“Take care of the kids, Dale.”
“We will, changed woman and all that.” Dale grabbed Lana’s sleeve and tugged as she jerked her head toward Lars. “This could’ve all been yours, too, Lana, if you’d played your cards right.”
Lana broke away from Dale and stumbled onto the porch.
Logan steadied her with a hand on her back. “What did Dale mean by that?”
“Just Dale being Dale.” Lana straightened her spine, shrugging off his hand. “I wonder if she’s really going to change her ways. I don’t think Bruce would be too happy to see massage-boy in ther
e doing his thing.”
“I guess that’s between them. I meant what I said in there about leaving the ranch, Lana. You’re not going to be safe here, especially with the family gone from the front house.”
“And I told you...and Dale, I have nowhere else to go and no money to get me there.”
She stomped off toward her house and despite her petite size, Logan had to lengthen his stride to keep up with her.
“I might have an idea...or two.”
“I’m not sure I want to hear your ideas.” She clumped up the wooden porch of her house and shoved the key in her dead bolt. She froze and stepped back, leaving the key chain in the door.
“What’s wrong?”
“I locked that dead bolt when we left.”
A spike of adrenaline flooded his system, and his muscles coiled. “What about the lock on the door handle?”
He answered his own question by reaching forward and twisting the handle. “That’s still locked.”
“Because it locks from the inside, too. The dead bolt does not.”
“Step back.” He hooked a finger in the belt loop of her jeans and pulled her back, tucking her behind him.
He pulled his gun out of his jacket with his right hand and slid the key out of the unlocked dead bolt with his left. He inserted the key into the door handle and turned.
As the door cracked open, he kicked it with his foot. It swung wide and he stepped across the threshold, leading with his weapon.
Lana’s neat house had been tossed, ransacked from top to bottom.
Before he could stop her, Lana darted past him and dropped to her knees next to Gil’s box. She twisted her head over her shoulder, her face completely drained of color.
She didn’t even have to say the words, he knew what was coming out of her mouth next.
“It’s gone—all of it. Gil’s journal, my notes, all gone.”
Chapter Nine
“Stay right there.” Logan charged past her and checked every door and window in the house.
He returned, his chest heaving and his face grim. “There’s no sign of a break-in. Nobody tampered with the locks on the front door. How did they get in?”
Enemy Infiltration Page 10