Collision Course: A Romantic Thriller

by Susan Donovan

  “Tell me exactly what we missed,” Ruben said.

  “I’ll get to that,” Chavez said. He glanced at Howard. “The deal is you two get the scoop on the arrest, and you can use all your investigative data as background on the story. You’ll blow everybody out of the water. Every other media outlet in the country will have the basic news conference story, and you’ll have an entire package ready to run.”

  Cooper and Ruben frowned.

  “But you have to wait for our go-ahead.”

  Ruben turned to Howard. “You actually agreed to this?” He sounded as incredulous as he felt.

  “Let the man finish,” Howard said.

  “Again, you guys were close, real close,” Chavez said. “But what you didn’t see was that one or more of four particular patrol officers were at each of those arrests. The same four patrol officers wrote all the reports and were the first to handle the evidence. The same four patrol officers have been under investigation for six months–and that’s the real story.”

  Chisolm smiled at Ruben. “And if I remember correctly, I think you know one of those officers real well.”

  Salazar laughed and cracked his gum.

  Ruben slowly closed his eyes. Of course. How many times had they seen that name on reports? How could they have missed it?

  “Gayle Kimble,” Ruben mumbled.

  “Shiiit,” Cooper exhaled.

  “And three others – Trexler, Santiago and Munoz,” Chavez said. “So go back and re-think what you’ve got and wait for our word.”

  Ruben and Cooper were quiet.

  “I’m not telling you what to write, gentlemen,” Chavez said. “I’m telling you to wait to write. Are we all on the same page on this?”

  Cooper and Ruben nodded. “How long until you make an arrest?” Ruben asked.

  “Two weeks, tops. Are you going to be able to type by then?”

  “Oh, hell yeah.”

  Chavez grinned at Ruben. “I’m not such a bad guy once you get to know me,” he said, winking. The chief stood up from the table and was heading for the door when he turned back. “And Ruby? Why don’t you stick to typing from now on and let us chase the bad guys, okay? You look like hell.”

  Chapter 15

  Monday, May 22

  What amazed Ruben most was how it was downplayed. In newspaper after newspaper, and on one broadcast after another, it was just a small, routine story. Two dozen men arrested. A cache of automatic and semi-automatic weapons found in rural homes in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Another loosely organized, so-called militia group had been dismantled.

  Federal agents said they found evidence of vague plans and farfetched goals to attack undisclosed federal government buildings—but there was never any immediate danger to the public. Nothing to worry the American people.

  It made Ruben wonder how many times he’d been manipulated in a similar fashion by law enforcement agencies. How many times was he spoon-fed a story that served more than one purpose?

  At least twice—that he knew with certainty.

  Ruben set the paper aside and took a bite of his sandwich. It was hot out here today. Maybe he should have opted for a table in the air-conditioned cafeteria instead of in the Albuquerque Star plaza.

  “Can we join you?”

  Ruben looked up to see Lynn, Danielle, Leslie, and Olivia standing with their lunch trays in hand and smiles on their faces.

  “Sure!” Ruben pushed aside the newspaper he’d been reading.

  “Any room?” Cooper appeared next.

  “Oooh, an editor! Gross!” Leslie said with a giggle as she set down her tray.

  “Watch it, or I’ll pee on your lede,” Cooper laughed.

  “So how’s the police beat going, Liv?” Ruben had a lot of catching up to do—it was his first full day back at work after a combined two months of sick-leave and accrued vacation time.

  “Well, it ain’t the ballet, Ruby,” she quipped. “But I love it. I was definitely ready for a change.”

  Ruben laughed. “Working on anything good?”

  She shrugged. “Just the usual wankers, druggies and wife beaters.”

  Ruben and Cooper exchanged a quick smile.

  “Hey,” Cooper said. “Tell Ruby what you have planned for the sewer hole, Liv.”

  “Oh, it’s fabulous!” She took a bite of her salad. “Chief Chavez has agreed to seal off the sump pump and connect it to the janitor’s closet next door so it won’t smell so funky in there. I told him I was getting headaches.”

  “Really?” Ruben’s eyebrow shot up in amusement.

  “And he’s repainting the walls and putting in carpet for me, and Howard’s given me a budget to get new furniture. I’m going with kind of an off-white motif.”

  Ruben blinked at her. “Off-white is nice.”

  Cooper laughed so hard he nearly choked on his burrito.

  “How’s the new job, Ruby?” Leslie asked.

  “Great so far—human hours and everything.”

  “And a title, and your own little office,” Danielle added.

  “Yeah.” A slow grin crept over Ruben’s face. “Chief Investigative Reporter. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

  “Don’t let it go to your head,” Leslie said, smiling.

  “How’s the house going?” Lynn asked.

  “Good. The roof’s done and the new windows are in and the bathroom’s getting there. I finished the sunroom – only took me three years! And I’m putting in a skylight in the bathroom, did I tell you guys that?”

  There were nods all around.

  “The contractors are done with the kitchen, and it looks amazing. I wake up and don’t even recognize my own place.”

  “Thank God,” Cooper muttered.

  “When is Janey coming to visit?” Danielle asked.

  Ruby felt his throat close up. That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? And he had no answer. He and Janey had not been in charge of their own relationship–the FBI was. And they’d been dead serious about ensuring Liberty Path had no way to connect Ruben to Janey, or vice versa. That had meant no letters and no phone calls, emails, or social media. Nothing. “Soon, maybe,” he said. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

  Leslie patted Ruben on the forearm. “How’s the puppy? What breed did you get?”

  “She’s great. She’s a mutt, part yellow Lab and part horse, I think. I’m training her to terrorize Gina’s geese.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Hey Ruby,” Cooper said. “Tell them what you named your dog.”

  Ruben grimaced. “I named her Aurora, after the part Janey danced in Sleeping Beauty. So what?”

  “And get this,” Cooper added. “The dog’s the same color as Janey’s hair, which I think it’s pathetic and possibly even perverted.”

  Ruben laughed. “Gina said the same thing. She said I need therapy.”

  “Well, you do,” Cooper mumbled, his mouth full of carne asada.

  “Are you doing okay, Ruby?” Danielle asked.

  “Sure. Yeah. I’m not as stiff and sore anymore. I’ve got full rotation back in my shoulder.”

  “I’m glad, but I meant the Janey situation,” she said with a kind smile. “How’re you coping with that? It’s got to be hard being separated.”

  Ruben shrugged. “Things are kind of up in the air right now.” And before he could censor himself, Ruben heard his own voice say: “I really loved that woman. I’ll never get over her, as long as I live.”

  The women at the table looked at each other with knowing smiles.

  “You’ll learn to live with it, Ruby,” Lynn said.

  Chapter 16

  Saturday, June 10

  The sun was pounding down that afternoon, and Ruben pulled off his tee shirt as he finished up the yard work. With a satisfied look around, he had to admit that Pura Vida had come a long way since April.

  Nothing sagged anymore. The adobe walls were repaired. The new windows and shutters provided a unified and t
idy look.

  Gina had called the window boxes charming. Pookie said it looked like a girl lived here now.

  And the last time Ruben brought Old Gallegos down for a visit, he said that Pura Vida looked like one of his mother’s paintings. It was the highest of compliments, Ruben knew.

  “Hey! Cut that out!” Ruben gave Aurora a friendly squirt with the hose. She’d just dug a hole in the gravel he’d raked along the perimeter of the house.

  While he was at it, Ruben sprayed the water all over himself and gave his head a good shake under the cold sprinkle. Boy, it felt great.

  Aurora suddenly started yapping, and Ruben heard the tap of a car door out on the road. The geese began to scream.

  “Get the geese, girl!” he encouraged the dog, smiling wickedly. “Sic the geese, Aurora!” He bent over to take a long drink from the hose–and stopped dead.

  The dog had come to a halt at the end of the driveway, and her tail wagged furiously as someone stepped around the privacy fence.

  “Aurora, huh? Since when do you have enough time for a dog, Ruby?”

  Ruben straightened up. Through the water droplets on his eyeglasses he thought for a moment it was… no. It couldn’t be. He had to be hallucinating.

  But she was walking toward him now, the puppy jumping at her side. He could not mistake the grace of that walk for anyone else, or the way she held her arms at her sides–without a cast, he noticed.

  Janey stared at him and giggled. He stood frozen, the garden hose hanging limp in his hand, the water pumping out in the dirt. He was wet, and his bronzed skin glistened in the sun, the front of his cotton shorts soaked through and clinging to him.

  She could already smell the clean and powerful scent of him. She already knew what he would feel like to touch. Her stomach twisted in knots.

  Ruben stared. It had been seventy-four days since he’d seen her, and she looked seventy-four times more wonderful than he remembered.

  His eyes traveled over her. A thin gauze blouse lay untied beneath her throat and a short blue skirt showed off her slim, strong legs. She wore funky sandals covered in rhinestones. The Zia earrings she got from Old Gallegos flashed in the sun and sparkled beneath her shining hair.

  “Your place looks great.” She didn’t move any closer, but gave him a hesitant grin. She was unsure how to do this. “I see you’ve fixed the fence and the mailbox, too.”

  Ruben suddenly inhaled, and realized he hadn’t been breathing for several moments. He turned his back to her long enough to shut off the garden hose and wipe off his eyeglasses.

  It gave Janey an opportunity to watch his body move, his muscles ripple. Then she saw the scar at his shoulder, the thin line at his throat, and she gasped softly.

  “Enough of the chit-chat, O’Connor.” Ruben turned back to her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I’m really glad you’re home, Ruby.” She took one uncertain step toward him and a deep breath, as if readying herself for something.

  “I’m here on business. I just got into town, and I have an appointment Monday morning. I wanted to stop by to see you.”

  Ruben scanned her face, watching a variety of emotions wash over her expression. What he saw confused him, devastated him, sent his heart reeling.

  “What kind of business?” he managed to ask.

  She took one more step toward him. “Ruben, I’m auditioning with New Mexico Ballet, principal dancer with some choreography duties.”

  “You’re what?” Ruben ran his hands nervously through his dark hair. “Say that again.”

  “I came to ask you what kind of contract you think I should negotiate for. One year? Five years? Forever?”

  His eyes narrowed, but he’d already started smiling. “Spit it out, Janey. What are you telling me?”

  As she came yet another step closer, Ruben saw the breeze ruffle a golden strand of hair against her cheek. He didn’t think he could live without touching her. If he couldn’t touch her immediately—right that second—he would die.

  “I know who I am now, and what I want. I want you, Ruben.” She smiled shyly at him. “Does your offer still stand? Do you think you still love me?”

  Ruben brought a hand to his forehead and laughed. “Wow. Bam! Here you are, out of nowhere.”

  She shifted her weight and stared at him. “Kind of like the first time.”

  “Kind of like that.” He tried to collect his thoughts. “Are you really here to stay, Janey? You came back to me?”

  “I am. I did.”

  Ruben held out his arms. “Don’t make me wait another second.”

  As she fell against his bare chest, Ruben realized that in one instant his entire world had changed. This woman in his arms was happiness.

  Janey’s hands stroked him. She pressed the length of her body into him.

  “We’ll never be apart again,” she whispered.

  Ruben gazed up through the pear trees into the sun until his eyes watered. She was home.

  Epilogue

  Sunday, October 8

  The crowd grew impatient waiting under the cloudless blue sky and white clapboard steeple of San Ysidro Catholic Church.

  Finally, the carved pine double doors opened and Janey and Ruben stepped out, into the cheers and downpour of rice and confetti.

  Janey used the small bouquet of colorful daisies to shield her head, and they ran through the well-wishers to the horse and buggy. As they climbed aboard, a line of cars on Corrales Road slowed to a crawl, and the drivers gawked at the newly married couple. Some honked their horns and waived.

  The footman clucked the horses forward, and as they began their short jaunt to Pura Vida, a convoy of cars snaked out of the parking lot behind them.

  “You’re married now, Ruby! You can kiss her!” Ricky Chisolm leaned out the window of his unmarked car and hooted.

  “Kiss her! Kiss her!” The command was repeated down the procession – a rowdy carload of Philadelphia ballerinas with Old Gallegos riding shotgun, Howard, Suzie and Chief Chavez, Gina, Pookie, and Salazar, Agent Lofton with the single women from the paper, Cooper and his wife and baby.

  “Who invited all these people?” Ruben turned to Janey with a smile.

  “We did.”

  “Oh, right”

  “Kiss her! Kiss her!”

  Ruben sighed. “The natives are getting restless. Would you mind?”

  Janey’s eyes sparkled with happiness and love. She looked at her husband’s wide, strong mouth and sighed. “You know me – I’m always up for kissing.”

  He gathered her in his arms and dipped her backward on the carriage bench, covering her lips and neck in kisses. The crowd erupted in cheers.

  “God, I love you, Miss Doe.”

  “And I love you, Ruby.” She smiled up at him, his sweet, strong face framed by the blue New Mexican sky. “But the name’s Mrs. Har-a-mee-yo now.”

  He laughed and kissed her again. And again. And again.

  And the carriage took them to their wedding reception under the pear trees at Pura Vida, and to the start of something wonderful.

  The End

  About the Author

  SUSAN DONOVAN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of novels Publishers Weekly calls “the perfect blend of romance and women’s fiction.” Her books have been published by Penguin/Random House, St. Martin's Press, Hachette, HQN, and Kensington, and translated into dozens of languages. Susan is a former newspaper journalist with degrees from Northwestern University. She lives with her posse in New Mexico.

  Collision Course is not a reprint. It is a never-before published book available as an eBook and paperback for the first time.

  Connect with Susan at:

  www.susandonovanbooks.com

  www.amazon.com

 

 

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