Imminent Danger (A Counterstrike Novel Book 3)

by Jannine Gallant

  “I’m sure I’ve had worse.” He turned on a second burner. “How’d you sleep last night?”

  “Not bad.”

  From the tone of her voice, he guessed she was lying. Faint shadows darkened the delicate skin beneath her eyes, and she looked drained. He didn’t mention her less than perky appearance. Instead, he dropped some butter in the skillet to sizzle before pouring in the eggs.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  She pushed her hands into the pockets of her robe and stared at the kettle. “I need to go into town to mail those packages and get some groceries.”

  “You’re out of bacon.”

  “I don’t usually buy bacon, but we can add it to the list if you’re going through withdrawals.”

  “Funny. I’ve missed your sense of humor.” He finished scrambling the eggs in silence and scooped them onto two plates. “And your muffins.” Taking three from the container, he set them on his plate. “How many would you like?”

  “One.” She poured steaming water over a teabag while he filled his cup with coffee. “Thanks for cooking this morning.”

  “I don’t expect you to wait on me.” He followed her to the table and sat opposite her. “How’s your internet service?”

  “Excellent. I paid to put a dedicated line in from the main road and wrote it off as a business expense. Ninety percent of my sales are online, though I do sell my products at the local farmers market in the summer.”

  “Products?” He took a bite out of a muffin and closed his eyes. “God, that’s good. You should sell these.”

  “Perishable food would be a hassle. I make candles, lotion bars, and lip balm from beeswax to sell along with my honey.”

  “Sounds very industrious.”

  “I stay busy.” She forked up a bite of eggs. “I imagine you’ll go crazy, hanging out with nothing to do while we wait for that creep to strike again. You aren’t one to sit around, twiddling your thumbs.”

  “I have plenty to do. Since getting online won’t be a problem, I’ll work on tracking down Thanos. Luna is our computer expert, but my skills aren’t half bad.”

  Arden regarded him over her muffin. “You mean she’s a hacker?”

  “Pretty much. We don’t have time to waste when we’re trying to locate a victim. That’s why we’re more effective than government agencies. No paperwork to wade through. Our top priority is rescuing the victim, not making sure a conviction will stick. Generally, the kidnapper doesn’t walk away from the situation alive.”

  She set the muffin back on her plate. “You shoot first and ask questions later?”

  “If that’s the only way to get the job done. My sympathy for the criminals involved is pretty thin.”

  “You don’t make mistakes?”

  “My team is highly trained with exceptional skills. We don’t screw up.”

  “Oh.” She picked at her eggs. “I know how valuable the service you provide is. If a group like Counterstrike had been around at the time, maybe they could have saved River.” She raised pained eyes to meet his gaze. “I think about what happened every day, but it’s all so damn ugly. Doesn’t it bother you, living in that world?”

  “Yes, but the good we do far outweighs a nightmare or two.”

  “I bet it’s more than a few.”

  He didn’t respond right away, putting his thoughts into order. “Despite our wealth, the Grants have always worked to make a difference. Maybe because we have the means. Dad chose the political route. I went into the service, but taking orders wasn’t easy for me. I’ve found my purpose with Counterstrike. Even on the worst days, I know I’m giving back.”

  “I’m not suggesting you should lead the life of a playboy. Your commitment is laudable.” Her throat worked, as if she was holding back tears. “I try to remember the happy times, the joy River brought us. When I let myself dwell on his kidnapping for too long, I sink into a very dark place. I honestly don’t know how you can do what you do and not go crazy.”

  “We’re hardwired differently. For me, working with my team to save innocents helps me get through each day.” He picked up a second muffin. “Eat your breakfast. You’ll need energy to go snowshoeing later.”

  “Who said we’re going snowshoeing?” The hurt in her eyes faded and was replaced by a spark of temper. “I have things to do.”

  “You always used to exercise daily. Surely that hasn’t changed?”

  She went back to eating her breakfast. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get defensive. No, it hasn’t, but first I need to drive into town.”

  “Sounds like a plan since the temperature is still in the single digits. I can wait for it to warm up some.”

  After their meal, Brody washed the few dishes while she took a shower. He retrieved his holstered revolver from his duffle bag and strapped it in place, then covered the weapon with an insulated jacket. By the time she’d fed all the animals and was ready to leave the house, he had neatly stacked the mailer boxes in the backseat of his car.

  “Thank you.” Arden flashed a quick smile. “You’re useful to have around, and I haven’t exactly been pleasant. I’m sorry about that. While I was showering, I decided to be nicer. None of this is your fault.”

  “It kind of is my fault, since I’m the one that asshole is trying to punish. You have every right to be prickly.”

  “We’ll both be happier if I’m not.” She shooed the dogs into the cabin and locked the door. “I take it you want to drive?”

  “Yep. The roads are in decent shape since it hasn’t snowed in a few days.” After she settled on the passenger side, he started the engine and turned around to head down the access road. “You’re pretty isolated out here.”

  “Just a couple of neighbors on this road. A single father with two teenagers he gets on alternate weekends, and an old guy who’s practically a hermit. I’ve seen him out in the woods now and then. Rusty nods to me but doesn’t have much to say.”

  “What about the single dad?” Brody jerked the wheel to avoid a pothole.

  “Jim is a nice guy. So are his kids. Oh, I should have told you the shooter was driving a big green diesel pickup. Ellie passed him on the road. At least I assume it was the shooter since the timing was right. She didn’t get a look at the driver.”

  He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “Did she take down a license number?”

  “No.” Arden gave him an incredulous look. “She didn’t know there was a problem when they drove past each other. Do you routinely look at license plates?”

  “I do when I’m in an area where there aren’t many cars, and my memory is good.”

  “Of course you do.” Her tone didn’t make the observation a compliment. She stared out the window at the thick woods on either side of the car.

  When the silence lengthened, he decided to break it. “How’s your sister? I bet your nieces are getting big.”

  “She’s great. The girls are nine and twelve. They’ve grown so much you probably wouldn’t recognize them. I see Ellie’s family pretty regularly. That’s a big plus to living in Vermont.”

  “And your parents?” He glanced over at her.

  “They spend their winters traveling in their motorhome, mostly in the southwest where it’s warm. They say they’ve had their fill of snow and ice and sub-zero temps.”

  “Good for them.”

  They had just passed a turnoff that Brody assumed led to one of her neighbors when a sharp crack echoed in the still morning. The rear windshield shattered, and a bullet lodged in the headrest of the passenger seat.

  “Get down!”

  Arden bent double in the seat and covered her head with her arms. He swerved back and forth on the road, the tires sending up a spray of gravel, as a second shot rang out. The bullet pinged harmlessly off his side mirror as he sped around a bend.

  “We should be out of range.” He slowed the car. “Where does this road lead?”

  Arden cautiously raised her head. “Jim Downey’s home.”

>   Turning sharply, he bumped down the dirt road.

  “Where’re you going?” Her voice rose. “Shouldn’t you be trying to get away from that lunatic?”

  “I don’t run when someone shoots at me. I shoot back.” He bit down hard as they ground through a rut. “I’ll drop you off and then go after the bastard.”

  She turned in her seat to stare at him, her face pale and eyes wide. “Why? So you can wind up dead? Jesus, Brody.”

  He pulled to a stop in front of a two-story house next to a black truck. “I don’t intend to die today, and you sure as hell won’t, either. Out. Now.”

  She opened the door and slid off the seat. Giving the door a hard shove, she slammed it behind her.

  As he turned the car around and stepped on the gas, he glanced in the rearview mirror. Arden stood with her hands fisted on her hips. She didn’t look frightened, more like fighting mad.

  Who’s she more pissed at—me or the shooter?

  Chapter Five

  As Brody roared off down the road and disappeared from sight, Arden took a couple of deep breaths in a futile effort to calm her jumping nerves. Finally, she walked toward the house.

  Jim Downey opened the door and gave her a questioning look. In his early forties, her neighbor had graying brown hair and warm hazel eyes. They helped each other out now and then, and Jim had hinted that he’d like to take their friendship to the next level. So far, she’d resisted, despite the fact they had a lot in common and he was easy on the eyes. Which probably made her an idiot.

  “What’s going on, Arden? First, I hear gunshots, and then you turn up on my doorstep with no warning. Who dropped you off and lit out of here like an Indy car racer?”

  “My ex-husband.” She gave him a shaky smile. “Do you mind if I come in?”

  “Of course not. I could use a coffee break. I still have half a pot left from breakfast.” He shut the door behind her. “Do you care to explain?”

  She followed him into the kitchen and sat on a stool at the counter. He poured two mugs of coffee and slid one over to her. She added a little honey from the jar sitting nearby and thought about how much of the truth she wanted to reveal.

  “Brody runs an agency that rescues people who’ve been kidnapped. Needless to say, he’s made a few enemies out of some very nasty people. Apparently, one of them thinks I’m fair game when it comes to revenge.”

  “My God. How can he put you in that kind of danger?”

  “He’s doing what he can to protect me until they find this man. Which is why he went racing off a minute ago. He didn’t want me in the line of fire.”

  “Big of him when he brought the trouble to you.”

  “No one is angrier about that than Brody.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I learned years ago that despite our best efforts, we can’t always control what happens.”

  “I suppose.” He was quiet for a moment. “Is something wrong with the coffee?”

  “Huh?” Arden focused on him instead of straining to hear more gunshots. “No, it’s fine. Why?”

  “The way you were scowling, I thought it tasted bad.”

  If anything had left a bad taste in her mouth, it was Brody, practically dumping her out of the car before he tore off to fight another battle. Knowing a killer with a rifle could easily pick him off didn’t seem to bother him. She wasn’t nearly as complacent.

  For the second time in as many days, she’d come within inches of death. Just the thought of Brody facing that lunatic made her stomach ache.

  She produced an apologetic smile. “I’m not at my best right now. How are you? I haven’t seen you around lately.”

  “I haven’t been out much. I’m working on a big project for a sustainable green conference center. My architectural drawings are due to the engineer at the end of the week.”

  “Then I’m doubly sorry I pulled you away from your work.”

  He laid a hand on her arm. “I don’t mind. Actually, I was going to stop by in the next day or so. I scored tickets to a jazz festival in Burlington at the end of the month, and I was hoping you’d like to go with me.”

  A car engine hummed faintly, and she turned to look out the window, even though she couldn’t see the driveway from the kitchen. “I wonder if that’s Brody.” She slid off the stool.

  “My timing is bad. You have a lot going on right now.”

  “A concert sounds fun, Jim.” She faced him as the engine went silent. “But, you’re right. I can’t commit to anything until the current situation is resolved.”

  At a knock on the door, he stood. “Let me know if things change. The tickets aren’t going anywhere.”

  “I will.” She hurried toward the entry and opened the door. Scanning Brody from the top of his head to the tips of his boots, she let out a sigh of relief. “No blood. That’s good.”

  “The bastard took off. He was gone by the time I got back to the road.” He glanced over her shoulder and held out a hand. “Sorry to drop Arden off like that, but I’m sure she explained. I’m Brody Grant.”

  “Jim Downey.” He shook Brody’s extended hand. “No problem. Arden knows I’m here for her whenever she needs something.”

  Brody’s blue eyes cooled. “I appreciate it.” He met her gaze. “Ready to go?”

  She nodded before turning to Jim. “Thanks. Tell the kids I said hi if you have them this weekend.”

  “I will. Take care of yourself, Arden.”

  With a final smile, she followed Brody to the car. He didn’t say anything, just turned around and drove toward the road, this time keeping his speed down.

  When the silence grew uncomfortable, Arden let out a frustrated breath. “How do you know that lunatic left the immediate vicinity?”

  “I found tire tracks in the snow on that second driveway. One set going in, and another leaving. I had to walk in since the track wasn’t plowed, but it seemed pretty obvious the shooter found a vantage point with a view of the road and set up camp. There were coffee stains in the snow where he’d parked. He must have sat there waiting for some time, hoping to get lucky.”

  “Why didn’t he just come back to my cabin?”

  Brody shrugged. “Maybe he did, saw my car, and changed tactics.” He gave a cursory glance in both directions before turning onto the main road. Now he’ll have to come up with a new plan.”

  “And you’ll have to get your car fixed and clean the glass out of the rear seat.” She shivered as the wind coming through the broken window whipped her hair around her face.

  “Sorry it’s so cold in here.” He turned up the heater.

  “Not our worst problem.”

  He smacked a hand down onto the steering wheel. “This could have been over if I’d found that asshole before he took off. I wish he’d stuck around to try to take another shot at me.”

  Arden gripped her hands together in her lap and didn’t respond. Instead, she turned to study his profile. Lips clamped in a tight line. Rock-hard jaw. Anger radiated from him.

  “I’m grateful neither of us was hurt.”

  “I was careless.” He picked up speed on a straight stretch of road. “I should have done a little reconnaissance before we left the cabin.”

  “You couldn’t have known he’d be waiting on the road.”

  “I should have anticipated it.”

  She let out a sigh. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  Over the next few miles, he focused on driving. They were nearing Whitetail Crossing when he finally spoke again. “Are you dating that guy?”

  “What?” She narrowed her eyes. “You mean Jim?”

  “Yes.” He seemed to force out the word.

  “If I were dating him, it wouldn’t be your business.”

  “True.” He pulled up in front of the post office and turned off the engine before looking at her. “Are you?”

  “Not really. He’s asked me out a couple of times. I made him dinner after he helped me stack wood last fall.” Arden’s stomach did a funny little flip as she tried to
convince herself there was no reason in hell for her to feel guilty. “We’re divorced. You don’t get to question me about who I spend my time with.”

  “You’re right. Doesn’t mean I don’t care. I don’t want you to get involved with some loser.”

  “A, we’re not involved.” She gritted her teeth. “B, Jim isn’t a loser. He’s an architect who makes a decent living—from what I can tell—and has two nice kids. C, don’t even think about checking up on him.”

  “Are you sleeping with him?”

  She closed her eyes and counted to ten. “If I were, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  He opened the car door and stepped out onto the street. “Because if you are, I wouldn’t want things to be awkward while I’m staying with you.”

  “Things couldn’t be any more awkward.” She got out and slammed the door.

  “Sure, they could.” He sounded almost cheerful. Levering his seat forward, he picked up a stack of boxes from the rear seat and shook the small glass pebbles off them. “It’s safety glass, but be careful.”

  With an irritated growl, Arden wrenched her door open again and leaned into the back to gather up an armful of packages. When she could speak without yelling, she looked over at him. “Is the interrogation over?”

  He nodded. “I found out what I wanted to know.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  “You aren’t sleeping with him. If you were, you’d be defensive instead of angry.” A slow grin slid across his face. “Since I’m pretty sure you want to kill me right now, I concluded you aren’t hooking up with the architect. Simple.”

  She kicked the car door shut and stalked toward the post office entrance with her arms full. “You’re right about one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Somehow, he managed to hold the door open for her without dropping anything.

  “I do want to kill you.”

  His quiet laugh followed her inside. By the time the postmaster weighed all the packages, and she’d paid for shipping and collected her mail, she was feeling slightly calmer. When she approached the outer door where Brody leaned against the wall, talking on his phone, she managed to walk past without hitting him. He shoved his phone into his pocket and unlocked the car with the remote.