“So you failed.” Paco turned from him and paced toward the massive picture window.
“It was just the one time. I’ve made all the other exchanges to your contact.”
“This one, Mr. Worton, held information essential to our business operations. It would be most unfortunate if it fell into the wrong hands.”
Perry’s eyes darted between Paco and his bodyguards. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry is not enough. The package must be retrieved and given to our contact.” He walked to within a foot of Perry and stared down at him. “You, Mr. Worton, will recover the package and deliver it as we agreed.” Paco looked to one of his men and reached into his pocket. “Julio, you will meet Mr. Worton at this address in one hour and accompany him to make certain he does not forget what he is after.” He turned back to Perry and handed him the same address. “Do we understand each other, Mr. Worton?”
Perry rubbed his eyes and stood. “Yes, we understand each other, Mr. Bujazan.”
Chapter Four
“It’s good to have you home.” Eric, Brooke’s younger brother, wrapped her in a hug. “We’ve been worried about you.” He dropped his arms and grabbed her suitcase from her SUV. “I’ll bring this. Go ahead and say hi to everyone.”
She didn’t have to walk far before being engulfed by her mother, Heath, Cam, and his wife, Lainey.
“We’re so glad you came home.” Annie gave her daughter a hug, then stepped away so the others could have their turn.
“This is the exact place I want to be after this last week.”
“Cam told us most of it. Come on inside and you can fill in the missing pieces.” Heath wrapped an arm around his stepdaughter’s shoulder as they walked inside and took seats in the large great room. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Ice tea would be perfect, if you have it.” Brooke continued standing as she looked around the room which hadn’t changed since her last visit. Over six hours in the car had left her muscles stiff and a little sore so she welcomed the opportunity to stand and stretch.
“Here you are.” Annie handed her a glass. “Has anything happened since Cam left?”
“No, nothing. I made the decision when Cam came home to drive over here as soon as I could. Dr. Krueger knows how to reach me.”
“Nothing from Special Agent Taylor?” Cam asked.
“Not a thing. I’m glad to get the egotistical pain in the ass out of my life. Sorry, Mom.”
Annie shrugged, knowing her daughter needed to work through her frustrations.
Brooke sat on the arm of a large easy chair and sipped her tea. “I know he followed me from the airport after Cam’s plane took off. I almost called Gus, then decided to wait and see if he showed up again today, but I saw no sign of him. I’m hoping he’s finally out of my life.”
“What did he do to set you off?” Lainey asked. “Was he rude or rough with you?”
Brooke scrunched her face and shook her head. “Nothing like that. He was…I don’t know. Exasperating. There was something about him that had me on edge. Didn’t you feel it, Cam?”
“Nope, can’t say I did.” He shot his wife an amused look getting a quick nod from Lainey in return. “He seemed like any other lawman to me, just doing his job.”
Eric watched the exchange, the corners of his mouth turning up, although he remained silent. Brooke was smart, brilliant in some ways, yet still naïve in others.
“Well, I found him irritating.” She rubbed the back of her neck and twisted it from side to side, trying to get the kinks out. “I’d get a strange prickly feeling whenever he was around. It was maddening.” She finished off her tea and looked toward her mother. “Do you need some help with dinner?”
“No, honey. It’ll only take a minute to get it all on the table. Heath, do you mind carrying the casserole to the table?”
“Not at all.” Heath followed Annie to the kitchen, knowing she didn’t need help, but going along with her request. “What was that about?”
“It appears to me Special Agent Taylor made a strong impression on Brooke. And not all bad, either.”
“She seems adamant about never wanting to see him again. What am I missing?” Heath picked up the large serving platter and looked over his shoulder at his wife.
“Call it a mother’s intuition if you want, it just seems her protests are a little too strong. For whatever reason, I’m not convinced she wants to be rid of Special Agent Taylor.”
******
Kade followed Brooke until she started down a long private drive. Trailing her onto the property wasn’t an option, his truck would be too easy to spot, but at least he knew where she’d be staying. He noted the numbers on the fence and decided to call it a day.
It took about twenty minutes to find a motel, register, and get settled in a room. Nothing fancy, a couple of queen size beds, desk, television, and not much else. He threw his wallet and keys on a table, fell back onto the bed and dialed his boss’s number.
“Johnson.”
“It’s Kade. I’m in Fire Mountain.” He gave Dennis Johnson the name of the motel and his room number. “I need someone to check an address and let me know who it belongs to.”
“Go ahead.”
Kade rattled off the route number, and the number on the fence. “That’s all I have.”
“It should be enough. What about the notebook?”
“I didn’t see it, but my guess is she has it with her. I’ll know more tomorrow after I’ve checked out the property. I couldn’t get a good look from the road, but my sense is this won’t be some small nondescript home in the mountains.”
Johnson snorted. “It’s never that easy. Look, I’ll check out the address and let you know what I find.”
“Thanks.” Kade tossed his phone on the bed as his stomach started to growl. He’d grabbed a couple of energy bars earlier when Brooke stopped for gas, but those had worn off long ago. Now he needed real food to fill him up.
Within minutes he parked in an area populated by restored buildings, small boutiques, neighborhood bars, and restaurants. It reminded him somewhat of where he’d grown up in Montana. He spotted a sports bar advertising food and found an empty stool as his phone rang.
“Taylor.”
“Where are you?” Clive’s booming voice could be heard even over the sports announcers on the various television screens.
“At a bar in Fire Mountain. What’s up?”
“Trouble. Someone called in a burglary at Miss Sinclair’s apartment and one of our team members heard about it. I’m here now.” Kade could hear him blow out a breath. “It’s bad, Kade. Someone tore her place apart.”
“Shit,” Kade muttered.
“They must be after whatever she has with her.”
“Any idea who did it?”
“From the neighbor’s description, it appears our boy from earlier today might be the one. I should have an I.D. back on him anytime, but he fits. The lady next door got a pretty good look at him.”
“That means Paco doesn’t know she left town.”
“That’s my guess.”
“Does he know where her family lives?”
“Don’t know, Kade, but you’d better assume he does. I just wanted to let you know. For now it’s considered a police matter, but I need to let Johnson know.” Clive stopped a moment to speak with someone else, then got back on the line. “I told the police we’d be in touch with Miss Sinclair about her apartment. The neighbor has her number but was too shaken up to call. I asked her to hold off until we’d had a chance to speak with her.”
“Got it. Get back to me when you have an I.D.”
“Will do.”
Kade needed to rethink his plan. The situation had taken a major detour with the tossing of her place. Whatever she had must be worth a great deal to Paco. From what Kade could tell, Brooke had no idea she’d been used as a pawn.
Now he had to inform her of the break-in at her apartment. He knew she’d want to return to San Diego right away which
meant he’d have to find a way to stall her. Kade didn’t believe it was a coincidence her place had been trashed the day she’d disappeared with whatever Paco had slipped into her notebook. He was certain the two incidents were related, he just needed to find out how.
What if she’d been home? The question flashed across his mind without warning and Kade felt a shiver run up his spine, a reaction he’d never felt in the past when a suspect’s property had been violated. He shook it off, deciding his reaction had nothing to do with the attraction he felt toward her and everything to do with his lack of food and sleep. He’d finish eating, crash at the motel, and visit Miss Sinclair early tomorrow.
******
“What’s got you up so early?” Eric strolled into the kitchen at six the next morning, having stayed at the main house instead of his cabin several miles away.
“It’s such a gorgeous day I thought I’d go for a ride. Do you want to join me?”
“Sounds great. I’ll let Mom and Heath know.”
By seven o’clock, they’d ridden a couple of miles from the ranch, heading toward the mountains to the northwest and a lookout point with incomparable views.
“What’s Heath got you working on now?” Brooke asked as they made their way to the top of a nearby hill an hour later.
“Another possible acquisition. This time in Montana.”
“What type of business?”
“Bucking bulls. If we go ahead with it, my thought is Heath may hold up on anything else for a while.” Eric reined his horse to a stop. “I think he’s picked up a rock.”
“I’m ready to take a break anyway. It’s been a while.” She slid off her horse and stretched, feeling her back muscles ease. “Have you flown there to check it out?”
“Just got back a few days ago. Heath’s sending the CFO and attorney up next week. If they give their okay, Cam will be the next one to go.”
“Why don’t Heath or Jace fly up there?”
Eric dropped the horse hoof and stood, glancing at Brooke as he wondered how to explain the delicate situation.
“It’s complicated. He and Jace are familiar with one of the three partners, and he happens to be the only one not interested in selling. Do you remember Heath ever mentioning their third brother?”
“Rafael or Rafe, right?”
“Good memory. Neither Heath nor Jace has seen or spoken with him since before Trey was born. Guess who the third owner is?” Eric grabbed a bottle of water and gulped down half.
“Oh no.”
“Small world. So, instead of Heath and Jace taking the lead, they have the rest of us providing our input. Cam, Doug, and Colt did the due diligence on the bucking horse business in Colorado, and the purchase went through without a hitch. I’m the only one new to the process.”
“It’s great experience for you. Have you met Rafe?”
“I have and I like him. He isn’t keen on selling but he’s agreed to talk to a few buyers to evaluate their options. I sat in his office. Rafe has one wall full of pictures of his family. I believe he said there are five kids. All grown and out of the house. It was eerie looking at the photos of people who resembled Heath and Jace.”
“And not being able to say anything.”
“Right. The interesting part is, if you take certain aspects of Heath and Jace, you’d get Rafe.”
“As I recall, he had a different mother, and he’s between the other two in age.”
“Their mom and dad separated for a while after Heath was born. He hooked up with some other woman before reconciling with his wife. Rafe is the result. When Rafe’s mother died, the MacLarens moved him right into the house and treated him no different than Heath and Jace.”
“But they had a falling out.”
“The father and Rafe did, and by association, Heath and Jace, who sided with their father. I don’t know specifics, but Rafe took off in a huff and never came back.”
“Well, it seems he did all right for himself.”
“That he has. Ready to ride?”
“Sure am.”
******
“I’m Special Agent Kade Taylor. Is Miss Sinclair at home?” Kade stood outside, still reeling from the name of Brooke’s stepfamily. Dennis Johnson called earlier with the specifics about who owned the property—Heath and Jace MacLaren.
“Good morning, Agent Taylor. Please, come in. I’m Annie MacLaren, Brooke’s mother.” Annie stepped aside to let him pass. “Brooke and her brother, Eric, are out on a ride, but I’ll get my husband. May I get you anything to drink?”
“No, I’m fine ma’am.”
“All right. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
He looked around the spacious entry which opened into a huge great room on one side and a study on the other. Kade found himself drawn to a wall of photos in the study. He looked at each one, then stopped when he came across one with an image of a man he’d never met but recognized.
“That’s a photo of me and my brothers. It was taken many years ago and is one of the few I have with all three of us together.” Heath stood next to Kade as they both focused on the picture of three young men and their horses. “I’m Heath MacLaren. What can I do for you?” He extended a hand which Kade shook.
“I need to speak with Brooke, but I understand she isn’t available.”
“We expect her back soon. Is there anything we can help you with?” Heath gestured to a couple of chairs as Annie walked in with a tray of coffee.
“I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I already had the coffee made.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Kade grabbed a mug, added some cream and took a seat. “I suppose she told you about the last week.”
“I believe you played a big role in the adventure.” Annie settled next to Heath and waited for the agent’s response.
“I suppose that’s true. It’s a tricky situation—more dangerous than we first thought.”
Heath leaned forward, his gaze locking on Kade’s. “In what way?”
“We now believe Brooke is unknowingly being used as a courier for the Francisco Bujazan cartel. And, we believe she currently has in her possession some information critical to our investigation. However, the bigger issue right now is someone ransacked her apartment last night, looking for the information.”
“The DEA?” Annie asked.
“Not us. Whoever broke in trashed the place, turned everything upside down, slit open her mattress, and emptied her closets. I haven’t seen it, but I’ve been told they were quite thorough.”
“My God.” Annie placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.
Heath looked at his wife. “She’ll want to go back.”
“It’s the last place she should be right now. There’s nothing she can do and it might put her in danger. A neighbor saw the intruder and the description matches someone we suspect of being involved with Paco Bujazan, Francisco’s son.” Kade set his cup down. “I need your help convincing her to stay here.”
“Of course, we’ll do what we can. But the final decision will be up to her.” Heath grabbed the coffee pot and topped off his cup. “Is there any chance they know she’s here in Fire Mountain?”
“We must assume they know her location.”
They turned at the sound of laughter coming from the entry.
“Brooke, we’re in here,” Annie called.
She broke into another round of laughter at a comment Eric made then came to an abrupt halt when her eyes landed Agent Taylor.
“We meet again, Miss Sinclair.” Kade stood and walked toward her, taking in the sight as his chest tightened. Something about Brooke made his body go off track each time he saw her and he couldn’t seem to control the reaction.
Brooke stood erect, her chin jutting out, doing her best to quell the pulsing sensation of blood rushing through her veins.
“Agent Taylor. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Her gaze wandered over him. In contrast to the other times she’d seen him, he wore tan khakis with a deep brown shirt,
which set off his warm, olive-toned complexion. She looked down to see what appeared to be hand-tooled cowboy boots. As always, his long hair had been pulled back and tied with a leather string, and she found herself wondering what it would feel like loose with her fingers running through it.
“I need to speak with you.”
She looked behind him at her mother and Heath.
“They already know why I’m here.” He turned toward the man Brooke was with and extended his hand. “I’m Special Agent Kade Taylor.”
“Eric Sinclair.”
They took seats and Kade described once again what had happened in Brooke’s apartment, trying his best to not alarm her, knowing he couldn’t avoid it.
“My God. I’ve got to go back.” Brooked jumped from her chair.
“That’s the last place you should be right now.” Kade’s deep, steady voice stopped her. She swung around and glared at him.
“What do you mean?”
He could see the bewildered expression on her face and hear the slight tremor in her voice.
“I know you don’t trust me and would like nothing more than for me to disappear from your life. But right now, you need to listen to me and do as I ask.” His eyes never wavered from hers, imploring her to consider his help, while providing calm strength to her scattered thoughts.
She took a shaky breath and sat back down. “What would you have me do?”
“Everything you need to do can be arranged from here once the police release your apartment.”
“Release it?”
“Finish their investigation and allow access. The DEA is working with them since you are part of our case against the Bujazans.”
“I see.”
“There’s more, Brooke.”
He spoke in a firm, yet gentle tone, and she found she liked the way her name sounded coming from his lips.
“You have something Paco wants.”
Her eyes grew large with confusion.
“It appears Paco may have been passing information to someone at the university using you as the go between. When you were on campus yesterday meeting with Dr. Krueger, a tall, slender male tried to retrieve an object from your leather notebook. One of our agents interrupted him.”
All Your Nights (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary series Book 4) Page 5