by Connie Mann
She went instantly back in warrior mode. “My priority, my only priority, is to find Mary, get her safely with me.”
“You’ve said that before. But what does that have to do with the gunfire? Was she there, too?”
“No! Neither was Mama. And John Henry and Aaron weren’t trying to hit anyone. They were just practicing.”
“The gun range is nowhere near there. Target practice anywhere else is only allowed during hunting season, which this is not.” He kept his voice neutral to keep her talking. “Did you see them before or after you found the victim?”
“After. I wanted to avoid the bear, so I took off running. I stumbled across their target practice.”
“Where?”
She hesitated for a long moment, then said, “There’s a spot my family has always stored stuff in.”
Crap. Was there a whole arsenal nobody knew about? Then a whole other worry occurred to him. “Did they see you?”
She swallowed hard. “Yes. But I’m not sure they recognized me. Aaron might have.”
“Which would explain him trying to keep you away from Mary, to keep you out of the family’s business.”
She sighed. “That’s what I’m thinking, yes.”
It also put a chat with Aaron and John Henry at the top of his list. Provided he could find them. “What else did you see?”
The question sent her into full-blown panic. She gripped his arms with both hands, her hold fierce, eyes frantic. “You can’t arrest them. Not until Mary is with me. Promise me, or I won’t tell you a thing.”
“Easy. Take a breath. Right now, we’re just talking. That’s it. Tell me what else you saw.”
“No. You know that’s not it. You’re FWC. You’ll investigate. You have to!” She spun away from him, clenched her fists. “You’ll burst in, and Mary and Mama will—”
He stepped in front of her, cupped her shoulders. “Delilah. Stop. Breathe.” Her eyes darted around and finally landed on him. He waited while she took several calming breaths. “You’re jumping way ahead. Just tell me what you saw, and we’ll go from there.”
She swallowed hard, and he stilled, waiting. Come on. Tell me all of it. You can trust me, he wanted to say. Which was absolutely true. But they both also knew he’d have to follow up on whatever she told him. He held perfectly still while she wrestled with herself.
“There were long wooden crates, several of them. And a bag with a whole lot of cash in it.”
Damn. That wasn’t good. “Do you know what was in the crates?”
She heaved a resigned sigh. “Since they took the rifles out of one, I’m guessing the others contained more of the same.”
Neither John Henry nor Aaron Atwood were licensed gun dealers. He wasn’t even sure they had driver’s licenses, what with their distrust of all things government, but he’d make it his business to find out. “How many crates were there?”
“Four.”
His mind was clicking through his next steps when she faced him again, arms akimbo, back in warrior stance. “I answered your questions, now I want that promise. You won’t arrest John Henry or Aaron until after I get Mary out of there. She’s not even sixteen yet, and her birthday’s in less than two weeks, which means I need to get her out of there. Fast.”
He wanted to ask what exactly Mary’s birthday had to do with anything, but he didn’t. Knowing Delilah was John Henry’s daughter, her distrust of law enforcement made perfect sense. He was surprised she’d told him as much as she had. “You have anything else to add to your story?”
She bristled. “Still waiting on that promise, Hollywood.”
He chose his words carefully, thinking through every angle. “You know I have to look into this”—huge understatement—“but you have my word that I’ll do everything in my power to give you time to get your sister away before we issue any warrants, if it comes to that. Right now, all we have is an ‘anonymous tip’ from a concerned citizen.”
It was the best he could do. He wouldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep.
She studied him carefully before she nodded. “I suppose I’ll have to take what I can get.”
He couldn’t prevent a smile at her disgruntled tone. “Right back at you, Madam Researcher.” There were more questions he wanted to ask, more secrets he sensed she was hiding—maybe not about the investigation but about her family. He’d have to earn her trust before he heard the rest.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do what he could to protect her. He glanced at her outfit. “You heading out into the forest today? By yourself?”
“I always go by myself. Besides, I have a report due, which means meeting those pesky deadlines.”
He mock shuddered. “Paperwork, the bane of law enforcement everywhere.”
She grinned, and this time, it lit up her whole face. “Call me a nerd, but I love taking all this information and compiling it into something useful, something that can make a difference.” She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Nothing I like better than a good research paper.”
He shook his head “Are you sure you weren’t abducted by aliens? You can’t possibly be a regular human.”
“We all have our gifts, Hollywood. Not all of us can get by on good looks alone.”
“Why, Miss Atwood, whatever do you mean?” He tried to bat his eyelashes and managed to cross his eyes.
She burst out laughing, and suddenly they were standing too close again, yet not close enough. He got another whiff of her citrusy shampoo and fought the urge to nuzzle her neck.
Nearby, a car door slammed, and someone called, “Morning, Hollywood, ma’am,” as they walked by.
He stepped away, cleared his throat. “Sure I can’t convince you to take someone with you today?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine, Hollywood. I have my Glock, too.” She held up a hand. “Properly documented, in case you were wondering.”
He smirked, looked down at her feet. “At least you have snake boots on.”
She sent him an arch look. “This girl’s not stupid. I grew up in the woods, remember?”
He smiled. “I remember. You have my number in your phone?”
Another lovely flush spread over her skin. “Yes, though there’s not much signal out there.”
“Text often works when calls won’t go through. Don’t hesitate if you run into any, shall we say, unwelcoming folks.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”
He wanted to argue, the offer to go with her on the tip of his tongue, when his cell buzzed with a text from Sanchez. “I have to go. Be careful out there, Delilah.”
“Yes, Officer,” she quipped.
“Josh,” he corrected and climbed into his truck.
He backed out, met her eyes in the rearview mirror, and smiled. Her answering grin sent a wash of heat through his body.
But as he drove away, his smile faded. Someone had her in his sights.
Chapter 9
Delilah hiked into the forest and tracked down one of the troops of monkeys she’d been studying, but she couldn’t focus. She went through the motions of taking photos and scribbling notes, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to read her own writing, her mind still focused on her conversation with Josh. But her advisor didn’t care about personal issues. She expected a report, on time and well written, neither of which Delilah felt capable of today.
She still couldn’t believe she’d told him about the guns. Had she completely lost her mind? She knew he’d have to investigate. He’d said as much. But would he give her the chance to get Mary away first?
She’d have to trust that his word meant something. Meanwhile, she’d keep looking for her sister. Somebody had to know who they were marrying her to.
As she stood behind a tree taking photographs, her mind circled back to the note and shotgun shell. That didn’t seem l
ike something her brother would do. Certainly not her father. So who was trying to scare her away? Why? To stop her research?
She shook her head and raised her camera again, determined to corral her thoughts. The sooner she got her work done today, the sooner she could search for her sister.
She watched three of the tiny young monkeys scamper around on a tree branch, jumping back and forth over one another, cavorting like rambunctious toddlers. She zoomed in, searching for the mamas. Where were they? Usually, they were close by.
In a nearby tree, she found another infant crawling over and around his mother, generally making a total pest of himself in the way of children everywhere. After a few minutes, Mama had enough and gave him a quick swat to the rump, along with a scolding that clearly implied, “Settle down.” He chattered back and scrambled onto another branch, safely out of her reach.
Delilah grinned as she slid down the tree trunk and leaned against it while she looked through her photos. These were some great shots. The few minutes of video she’d captured would round out her assignment nicely.
She raised her camera again and zoomed in on the first trio of infants. Then she slowly, carefully panned the tree, looking for the mamas in case she’d missed them earlier. They weren’t there. Uneasiness crept up her spine. This wasn’t good. Come on, mamas. Where did you go?
One of the young monkeys suddenly started looking around, frantic, and she realized it was Oscar. His little cry wrenched Delilah’s heart as he scampered back and forth, obviously looking for his mother. She tightened her grip on the camera, following him as he searched, climbing first one branch, then another, crying all the while.
Delilah stood, ready to spring into action—though what she’d do, she had no idea—when a monkey leaped out of a nearby tree and grabbed him. But instead of cuddling him close to nurse, the mother turned, and he climbed on her back. Delilah zoomed in, her relief changing to worry when she realized that wasn’t his mother. It was one of the aunties. She was too young, and she wasn’t lactating.
So where was Oscar’s mother? Had the auntie run her off so she could kidnap him? Delilah took a breath. Sometimes, like human moms, the mothers needed a break and let the younger females babysit. But as she continued searching, she couldn’t find the mothers anywhere. Where were they?
The alpha male suddenly screeched in alarm. Within seconds, the whole troop disappeared into the forest as though they’d never been there. Delilah rose slowly, scanning the area, trying to pinpoint what had set them off. She heard faint rustling behind her and froze, the hair on the back of her neck standing at attention. Man or beast?
She pulled out her weapon and kept it at her side, heart pounding. Sweat trickled down her back as she stood motionless, listening. She didn’t move a muscle until the sound faded into the distance and the squirrels around her resumed their activity. But the sense that someone was still watching persisted.
The researcher in her wanted to follow the troop, but this morning’s warning made her cautious. When several mosquitos found her, meaning her essential oil had worn off, she called it a day. She tucked her camera into her backpack but kept her gun handy as she hurried toward her truck, all her senses on alert.
She glanced over her shoulder every couple of steps on her roundabout path. She couldn’t spot anyone, but instinct told her someone kept pace behind her.
* * *
“Hi, Delilah. It’s good to see you,” Charlee Tanner said when Delilah walked into Tanner’s Outpost a while later. “How’s that essential oil mixture working?”
Delilah smiled. “You read my mind. That stuff is amazing, and I need more.”
“Told you. Best stuff ever.” She came from behind the counter and handed Delilah a bottle. “This one is bigger and should last a bit longer. How’s the research going? Josh said you grew up around here, but I don’t remember you from school.”
Normally, Delilah would’ve stiffened at such obvious probing. But coming from Josh’s sister, it just seemed like friendly interest. Delilah figured she could do a little probing in return. “Our family didn’t socialize with the outside world very much. I was homeschooled.”
“That explains it, then.” Delilah expected a pitying look or the raised eyebrow that often accompanied the word homeschooled, but Charlee simply cocked her head. “Does it feel weird to be back in town? You’ve been gone a long time, right?”
“Right. And we weren’t really part of the community, so I felt like I grew up in a parallel universe. In some ways, coming home feels like coming for the first time, if that makes sense.” Delilah snapped her jaw shut to keep from spewing more personal information. Charlee’s openness made the words pour out. Sort of like what happened whenever she was around Josh.
Charlee looked her up and down. “I’m thinking you were out in the forest this morning.”
Delilah decided not to mention her worry that she was being watched or her concern about the mama monkeys. A good researcher didn’t jump to premature conclusions; they documented facts. “I was. And I got some great shots of several of the infants.” She hesitated. “Want to see?”
“Absolutely.” Charlee stepped closer as Delilah scrolled through the morning’s photos.
“So you must know everyone around here, right? Keep an ear to the ground on all the locals?”
Charlee looked at her oddly, and Delilah winced. She’d come on too strong.
“Sure. Comes from working in two places the locals hang out. Why do you ask?”
“I’m trying to figure out who—”
The door swung open, and none other than Josh Tanner strolled in. He’d been in his FWC uniform this morning, but now he was sporting swim trunks, a T-shirt, and flip-flops, dark shades propped on his head. “Hey, Sis. Hey, Delilah. What are you girls up to?”
“I thought you were working today,” Charlee said.
“I am. I’m just doing a little, shall we say, incognito work this afternoon. You have a group coming in a little while, right?”
Some kind of look Delilah didn’t understand passed between the siblings before Charlee said, “I do. You coming along?”
Josh nodded. “I thought I would if you’ve got room for one more.” He turned to Delilah. “You coming too?”
Delilah looked between the two, unsure. The invitation in Josh’s movie-star grin made warning signs flash in her brain, reminding her how easily she opened up to him, this morning’s unexpected truth-fest case in point. The fact that he wasn’t chasing down her family this instant reassured her. If she went along, she could keep an eye on whatever “incognito” work he was doing and might get what she needed from Charlee, too, if she phrased the questions just right. “Um, sure. Maybe the monkeys will be around, too, which would be perfect. Do you have room?”
Charlee grinned. “Of course. This will be fun. The new college kid we hired will be here in just a bit to mind the store while we’re gone.”
Delilah returned her smile and then made the mistake of glancing in Josh’s direction. His gaze had heated, and the look he shot her before he jerked his eyes away—like he wanted to run his hands over every inch of her skin—made all the reasons she should keep her distance seem murky and foolish.
They were two consenting adults who clearly had chemistry on their side. And they liked each other. Why not indulge while she was here? Even as the thought registered, she knew why. Josh Tanner didn’t just turn her on. It was much more than that. He made her feel things she’d never felt before and inspired thoughts of children and picket fences and all the things she thought she’d never have. That was scarier than looking down the barrel of a loaded shotgun. She could never fall for a man who lived in Ocala of all places, because she wasn’t staying. Ever. Distance was safer.
For today, she was looking for information. Period. No longing looks, no smoldering glances, no flirting.
If only her body could remem
ber that.
* * *
Josh returned Delilah’s smile, and guilt smacked him like a baseball bat to the head. She had an amazing smile, the kind you could get lost in, and that was what brought him up short. He’d vowed not to get lost in anyone’s smile. Not after Elaine and her secrets. But somehow, the need to make Delilah feel safe, to coax her to let down her guard, had made him careless with her.
He’d been acting like a jerk, sending mixed signals, and that wasn’t fair. Until he was ready to risk his heart fully in another relationship, he needed to back away from the flirting and keep things firmly in the friend zone. Never mind that she was connected to an active investigation. Everything about Delilah said she wasn’t a casual-relationship kind of girl, and he never wanted to hurt her or lead her on in any way. So what if she was hot enough to melt pavement and seemed to want him as much as he wanted her?
He would keep things casual while making sure whoever had left that note and bullet wasn’t dumb enough to do anything more serious than that. He agreed with Delilah that it probably hadn’t been her brother or father—wasn’t their style—but that raised the question, who then?
He’d stay close.
As Delilah filled out paperwork, he checked his phone for updates from Byte and Sanchez, who were in Tallahassee searching Black’s house. Delilah changed clothes in the restroom, and when she reappeared in board shorts, a tank top, and flip-flops, he glanced up and sucked in an audible breath before he could stop himself. Damn, she was beautiful.
Charlee walked past him and hissed, “Quit drooling, Hollywood.”
Embarrassed, he shot her a cocky grin, but she didn’t smile back.
Her expression turned serious. “I think she’s been hurt, Josh. Be careful.”
“I don’t have any intention of hurting anyone. I just—”
Charlee held up a hand. “Stop. This is me you’re talking to. I know you loved Elaine—I did, too—but I’m still pissed off about what she did, and I’m pretty sure you are too. She hurt all of us. Until you’ve sorted it out in your head, don’t go starting something with Delilah. That’s not fair to either one of you.”