“If you’d stuck around to read the rest of it, you would’ve found out that my contact at the CIA had passed our info onto someone in the code breaker division. And—” he tapped the phone in his pocket “—he just got back to me on the way over and told me it’s a go. They want Gil’s journal.”
“We did it!”
She flung her arms around Logan again and as he started to bend his head for a kiss, a high-pitched scream drove them apart.
Lana twisted her head over her shoulder and squealed as Alexa broke away from a deputy and flew toward her and Logan.
She nearly knocked them both over. “I’m so sorry, Lana. I hope you’re okay.”
“I hope you’re okay. You must’ve been terrified.”
Logan nodded toward the sheriff coming his way. “Now you both better hope I’m okay because I have some questions to answer.”
Lana caught his hand as he turned away. “You saved my life, Logan. I’ll defend you to my dying day.”
“I did it for you, Lana...you and Gil.”
As Logan dropped his gun on the ground and kicked it toward the sheriff, Lana whispered, “I know you did. And now Gil knows it, too.”
Epilogue
Lana folded her hands around the coffee cup and blew on the steaming liquid. “So, that secret shed at the embassy outpost contained weapons earmarked for a terrorist group?”
“That’s what Gil discovered.”
“And you think Major Denver knew about it and that’s why he’s being set up?”
“If Denver went out to Nigeria to visit that outpost and ask questions, he suspected something and probably got his answers. Maybe Gil helped him get those answers, which put both of them in danger.” Logan pushed his half-eaten breakfast away.
“What does that mean, Logan? Who was using a U.S. Embassy to move weapons to terrorists and why?”
“Right now, everyone’s pointing fingers at the assistant ambassador out there and his staff, who are all conveniently dead. During the attack that killed your brother, the weapons went missing. I don’t know if they got into the intended hands or if they wound up somewhere else, but these are some serious accusations.”
Lana set down her cup, the slight tremble in her hand sloshing the coffee over the side and into the saucer. “There’s something going on at the deepest levels of the government and military, isn’t there? Denver must’ve gotten too close to the truth.”
“That’s exactly what’s going on, but the people who aren’t involved, the people on the right side, are beginning to see the accusations against Denver for what they are—a sham.”
“Then why doesn’t the army drop the charges against him, bring him in?”
“Easier said than done. First of all, they’re scared. They don’t know who to trust...and then there’s Denver himself.” Logan scooted back his chair and stretched his legs in front of him. “He’s not coming in until he’s good and ready, until he accomplished what he set out to do from the beginning.”
“Which is what?”
“Expose the people in the U.S. Government who have secret ties to terrorist groups in the region—and discover their ultimate goal.”
“Foster unrest?”
“That’s a given, but there has to be something more.” He glanced over her shoulder and put a finger to his lips.
Alexa sailed into the dining room. “I know you two are trying to spend as much time as possible together before deployment, but you’re teaching your first lessons this morning, Lana, and I promised to help you.”
“And I am so grateful.” Lana took a quick gulp of coffee. “I’m almost done. I’ll meet you at the stables in about ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” Alexa winked. “That’s not nearly long enough.”
Logan pointed at the door. “I’m here another five days. Don’t rush me.”
“If you insist—there is another new ranch hand I wanna check out.”
“Be careful.” Lana’s voice shook. She still couldn’t quite believe she was safe now.
“Don’t worry. Becca’s known him forever. He’s completely vetted.”
Logan mumbled under his breath. “Poor guy.”
When Alexa flounced out of the room, Logan turned his chair to face Lana and patted his thigh. “She’s right about something. Ten minutes isn’t nearly long enough for what I want to do with you.”
Lana landed in his lap and curled her arms around his neck. “We make a pretty good team, don’t we, Tex?”
“We do.” He ran his hands beneath her shirt and kissed her mouth. “Are you going to miss Carla?”
“I am, but I’m still going to visit her and you were right. Dale needs a chance to be her mother.”
“You’re as selfless as you are beautiful.”
“About that...”
He put a finger against her lips, still throbbing from his kiss. “Let’s save some of our confessions for the next time we’re together.”
“I’ll try not to judge you so harshly the next time. I know you were following orders. Gil would’ve done the same. He had his suspicions about the shed at the compound, but he stayed away as commanded.” She tapped her fingers along his forearm. “I know you would’ve saved them if it had been up to you.”
“I would’ve. You know, that’s something Major Denver would’ve done and damn the torpedoes.”
She smoothed a thumb between his eyebrows. “Denver is in a lot of trouble right now. I’d rather have you follow orders and come home safely to me.”
“Home. You’ll be here waiting for me when I get back?”
“Damn right, Tex.”
“You think you’re going to be okay on the Double H without me?”
She raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Well, there are plenty of hot cowboys on the ranch, and I’m sure Alexa would be more than happy to give me the 411 on each and every one.”
He pinched her waist. “Then I’m just gonna have to make sure I leave you plenty of memories to keep you warm on a cold winter’s night.”
“Mmm.” She wriggled in his lap. “Can we start now?”
“You have to teach your first lesson. Do you want to get fired already? I’m just the younger brother here. I don’t have enough pull to save your job.”
“I guess a kiss will have to do for now.”
“I’ll make it the most memorable kiss you ever had.”
Lana’s mouth curved into a smile beneath Logan’s lips. She believed him. He’d come into her life just when she’d needed him most.
Maybe her little brother had been watching over her. She’d spent most of her life looking after him. Maybe he’d returned the favor by sending her a Delta Force cowboy to have, hold and love like crazy.
* * *
Look for the next book in Carol Ericson’s
Red, White and Built:
Delta Force Deliverance miniseries,
Undercover Accomplice, available next month.
And don’t miss the connected books in
the Red, White and Built: Pumped Up series:
Delta Force Defender
Delta Force Daddy
Delta Force Die Hard
Available now from Harlequin Intrigue!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Ransom at Christmas by Barb Han.
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Ransom at Christmas
by Barb Han
Chapter One
Torpedoing through trees at breakneck speed, Kelly Morgan drew a frustrating blank as she glanced down at the intricately detailed bodice of the white dress she wore. Branches slapped at her face and torso, catching the puffy layers of the full-length dress. She pushed ahead, anyway, because a voice in the back of her mind rang out, loud and clear.
It shouted, Run!
Trying to recall any details from the past few hours, let alone days, cramped her brain. All she remembered clearly was that there’d been a man in a tuxedo trying to force some kind of clear liquid down her throat.
Other than that, Kelly was clueless as to what she was doing in a white dress and her dress cowgirl boots barreling through the woods on a random ranch.
A cold front had moved in and she was shivering in her formal attire. Instinct told her to follow the creek.
As she fought her way through the underbrush, a vine caught the toe of her right boot. Her ankle twisted, shooting pain up her leg and causing her to stumble forward a few steps as she tried to regain balance.
Those couple of steps couldn’t stabilize her.
Momentum shot her forward onto all fours.
Thankfully, she missed banging her head on a mesquite tree by scarcely two inches. Her knees weren’t so lucky. They scraped against thorny branches. Rocks dug into her palms as she landed on the hard, unforgiving earth.
It was probably adrenaline that stopped her from feeling the pain of her knees being jabbed by rough edges and her hands being cut by sharp rocks.
Or whatever was in that glass of water the tall, bulky tuxedo-wearing male figure had forced down her throat.
“Tux” seemed familiar but she couldn’t pull out why. And the drink he’d tried to shove down her throat? Kelly had instantly figured out that it was laced with something. The second that tangy liquid had touched her tongue, she realized how much trouble she was in. The tacky metallic taste must be what it would have been like to lick a glue stick that had been dipped in vinegar.
Of course, she’d spewed out as much of the liquid as she could, but then the dark male figure—why couldn’t she remember who he was or the details of his face?—had pushed her a few steps backward until her back was flat against the wall. He’d pressed his body against hers, pinning her. He’d been so close, mere inches from her face, and yet she couldn’t recollect the details of his face. She’d struggled for control of the glass before he forced the liquid into her mouth.
All she recalled next was the gross metallic taste and the overwhelming feeling she wanted—no, needed!—to vomit. The cool liquid had made gurgling noises in her throat as he forced back her head. The room had spun as a dark cloud wrapped around her, squeezing, suffocating her.
Instinct told her to fight back and get out of the bride’s room of the small wedding chapel. But why she’d been there in the first place was still fuzzy.
The memory caused a rocket of panic to shoot through her and her brain to hurt. She pushed up to a standing position and grabbed a tree trunk to steady herself.
Kelly blinked her eyes, forcing them to stay open by sheer force of will. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that she needed to find shelter while she was still conscious. Temperatures were dropping every minute. There had to be a place she could hide and lie low until the effects of the contents of that glass wore off.
The minute she gave in to darkness and blacked out, any wild animal—coyote, bear or hog—could come along and use her as an easy meal.
Keeping a clear head was getting more difficult. Darkness nipped at her even though the sun shone brightly through the trees. She had no idea what had really been in that drink or how much longer she could fight it off.
At least she’d stopped the man in the tuxedo, aka Tux, from giving her the entire glass like he’d threatened to do, like he’d tried. Her quick thinking and action—a sharp knee to the groin—was the only reason she could still function. Otherwise, she’d be splayed across the velvet sofa, pliant. Dead?
That swift knee to Tux’s groin had put a halt to those plans.
Was he trying to subdue her or kill her? To what end? What could Tux possibly have gained from either?
Her first thought was sexual motivation, but for reasons she couldn’t explain she knew that wasn’t right.
Figuring out exactly who Tux was and what he wanted would have to wait until her mind was clear again. There was another threat closing in. It felt like it wasn’t more than a few feet behind her, gaining ground.
Trees were thickening and the underbrush felt like hands gripping her legs, stopping her from forward progress.
Was there anything or anyone around? Could she shout for help? Or would that draw the wrong kind of attention?
Fear that Tux would be the only one to respond kept her quiet as she dredged through the thicket. Her body was getting weaker, she was moving slower.
What was in that drink?
Rohypnol? She’d read about the date-rape drug being used rampantly on college campuses.
Kelly leaned on a tree’s sturdy trunk to stay upright as her body trembled and she tried to shake the overwhelming feeling of doom as it enveloped her.
* * *
THE WORDS HIGH ALERT didn’t begin to describe the mood at the Kent family ranch as Will Kent walked his horse, Domino, along the fence on the north-eastern border of the property. A few days ago, one of the heifers was found near the base of Rushing Creek. Her front left hoof had been cut off, mangled. As disgusting as that act was, it didn’t end her life immediately. From the looks of her when she’d been found, she’d been left to bleed to death.
Will couldn’t allow himself to believe the killer had stuck around and watched, although speculation about what had happened was running wild. Jacobstown was a small, tight-knit community that had seen little crime.
Thinking about the incident caused Will’s trapezoids to tense. His shoulder muscles were strung tight to the point of pain. It didn’t help matters that his older brother, Mitch, and his wife had been targeted by criminals and had narrowly escaped, as well. Thankfully, Mitch, Kimberly and their twins were safe. The jerks who’d been tormenting Kimberly were securely locked behind bars.
A year had passed since that incident, and there was no sign that the person or group who’d brutally killed one of his heifers planned to return. The Kents didn’t leave much to chance. They decided to remain vigilant, anyway. As far as they were concerned the threat to the herd still loomed.
Life was beginning to return to normal around the ranch. And normal for a rancher meant up by 4:00 a.m. every day. Will suppressed a yawn. Early mornings had been always been Mitch’s thing, not Will’s. He’d never been a morning person. His night-owl tendencies were being pushed to their limits since moving back to the ranch to work full-time.
Will, like everyone in his family, was paying extra attention to the threat to their livestock. So far, only one heifer had been affected, but who knew where this would ultimately end. Their cousin, Zach McWilliams, was the sheriff and he had no leads in the case, which had horrified and disturbed the bedroom community of Jacobstown. He tugged at the collar of his shirt.
Anger caused Will’s shoulder blades to lock up. Hurting an innocent animal, whether out of ignorance or blatant torture, was right up there on the list of things Will would never tolerate. Especially not animals in his and his family’s trust.
The Kent family fortune had been made from owning thousands of acres of land across Texas and the accompanying mineral rights. Their mother, the matriarch, had passed away four years ago and their father nearly two years later. Will and his siblings had inherited the ranch and all its holdings, and were sewing up other business pursuit
s as each made his or her way to living on the land full-time.
Will circled the base of Rushing Creek again in order to cover the area one more time. Normally being out on the land brought a sense of peace. Not today. Not since the heifer.
Other than the occasional and rare prank of cow tipping, the ranch was normally a peaceful place and Jacobstown would be considered a sleepy town by most people’s standards. The kind where everyone was on a first name basis, a handshake was considered similar to a legal document and the streets rolled up by eight o’clock every night. Will ran his finger along the shirt of his collar again, needing a little more breathing room.
He took in a deep breath, trying to breathe a sense of calm into his soul. He was restless. Had been since the heifer. Longer than that if he was being honest. Analyzing himself like a shrink wasn’t at the top of his list. Protecting the herd was, however, and he was all-in when it came to the animals on his family land.
A streak of white caught his eye in the distance. He couldn’t see clearly between the trees and it was most likely nothing. But he turned his horse toward the object, anyway.
As Domino moved closer to the area, Will could see more movement. The white figure was zigzagging between trees and he could tell someone was on the move. A woman?
He nudged Domino into a trot. At the faster pace, the person was no match for his horse, even as he slowed his horse enough to wind through the thickening trees.
“Stop!” Will shouted, not wanting to surprise the person. He was close enough to see that the material was expensive and was wedding-dress white. It was some type of gown that trailed behind her as she whipped in and out of the trees. The cloud-puff-looking garment alternated between the trees, flowing behind her. The scene was something out of a bride’s magazine and was oddly mesmerizing. It also caused his chest to squeeze.
She kept running, which made her look guilty of something quite frankly. He doubted she was responsible for the heifer but she was up to something or she would have stopped when he called out to her. Innocent people didn’t run.
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