Her head began to spin. They’d still been watching her, following her, and she’d had no idea.
“Were you there?”
“Outside. One of my colleagues, the one assigned to watch Paco, followed you into the building. Later, he took pictures of the same man when he met with Paco. We were able to identify him.”
“Do you have his name?”
“Perry Worton.”
“What?” Brooke could no longer contain her calm at the mention of her ex-fiancé and her eyes blazed with anger.
“Do you know him?”
“I’m surprised his name didn’t come up when you did a background check on Brooke,” Heath said. “Perry is her ex-fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancé, huh? It may be you dodged a major bullet by not marrying Mr. Worton. He’s suspected of being an accomplice to the Bujazan drug cartel.”
“Perry? That’s ridiculous. He wouldn’t have the nerve to get involved with any criminal element.” His betrayal had been hard, but to think of him breaking the law, and in such a major way, made no sense.
“Do you mind getting your notebook?”
“Not if it will help.” Brooke dashed upstairs, anxious to discover what she may have linking her, or rather Paco, to the cartel. She grabbed her notebook, turned it around, looked inside and out, but found nothing to support the agent’s theory. “Here you go.”
Kade pulled on evidence gloves and took a quick look at the binder before inserting the edge of his knife on one end and splitting the seams, which were held together with an almost imperceptible strip of Velcro. He tapped one end and opened his palm to catch a thin object, the size of a credit card, slipping from the binder. Kade looked up, a smile cracking his normally stoic face.
“What is it?” Annie asked.
“A flash drive.” He turned it over to expose the concealed USB connector.
“I’ve heard they’re making them smaller these days, but I’ve only seen the ones used for business promotions. This one is much slimmer and the connector would be hard to detect.” Eric didn’t hold out his hand even though he would’ve liked to inspect it more closely.
“This type is new and can hold up to 16 gigabytes of memory. In a thick binder such as Brooke’s, they’re virtually undetectable.” He looked around the room. “Does anyone have a computer I can use?”
“Follow me.” Heath took off toward his office, flipped on the light and fired up his laptop. “Here you go.”
Kade slipped the drive into the slot and waited. Within minutes he found himself staring at columns of names, numbers, and dates, as well as code names. He ejected the drive and looked up at Heath.
“It’s what I’d hoped to find. Do you have any blank flash drives? I’d like to make some backups.”
Heath pulled open a draw and handed Kade three unopened packages.
“They aren’t state of the art, but they are 32 gigabytes each.”
“This will take a while. Is it all right if I continue to use this?” He tapped the laptop.
“Be my guest. You know where to find us.” Heath backed toward the great room, a feeling of déjà vu nagging at him. Something about Kade Taylor triggered a memory. He couldn’t place it, didn’t know if it were a recent event or one from his past. It hit him the moment he walked into the great room to see Kade looking at the pictures on the wall. He didn’t believe it had anything to do with one of the photos. Nevertheless, it tugged at him and wouldn’t go away.
“Did he find anything?” Brooke asked as Heath lowered himself next to Annie.
“Yes. He’s copying the information to some extra flash drives I had in a drawer.”
“So Paco has been using me.” Brooke’s voice sounded resigned, as if she’d expected it.
Eric knelt down before his sister and took her hands in his.
“It was never about you, Brooke. It appears your fellow student is part of a vicious drug cartel. Hell, his family runs it. He did his job, picking someone without a trace of suspicion around her.”
“You mean someone naïve, don’t you?”
“No. I mean someone who sees the good in people and trusts them. You’re a thousand times better person than Paco is capable of being. He’ll be extinguished like the vermin he is. But you? You’ll be fine because you are a good person, with strong values, and a pure heart.”
Brooke worked to contain the tears forming at her brother’s words. Her mind told her he spoke the truth. At the same time, her heart ached knowing she’d been made a fool of, again.
She squeezed Eric’s hands. “Thank you.” Her voice cracked before she cleared her throat and tried again. “I know you’re right. The last week has been hard, now this. I just feel like such a fool.”
“This will all work out. I promise. It always does.” Eric stood and looked toward his mother and Heath. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starving.”
They watched him move into the kitchen before Annie spoke up.
“He’s right, you know. Perry and Paco are poison, plain and simple. You just got caught in their net.” Annie walked over and put her arms around her daughter. “In a few months, we’ll be calling you Doctor Sinclair. Your father would be so proud of you.”
Kade stood in the hallway, taking in most of the conversation, and feeling a tinge of guilt for his part in the events of the last week. He knew his job depended on his ability to keep suspects at arm’s length and work logically through the evidence uncovered. Sometimes all the logic in the world couldn’t make up for the destructive outcomes of some of his work. He put a hand over his mouth and coughed, giving them notice of his presence.
“All done, Mr. MacLaren.”
Kade grabbed his phone on the second ring. “Taylor.”
“Kade, it’s Clive. Perry Worton is missing. Took off sometime in the last twelve hours—after the break-in at Miss Sinclair’s. He didn’t show up for his classes today and his car’s gone.”
“Any idea where he might have gone?”
“No. My concern is he’s on his way to Arizona. Johnson’s ordered me to join you. Get me your location and I’ll be there later tonight.”
“You got it. Thanks, Clive.”
Kade turned to see Heath coming up beside him.
“What is it?” Heath asked.
“Looks like you’re going to have a couple of visitors—I’ll be one of them. Do you have any extra bedrooms?”
“We can work it out. Now, tell me what’s happening.”
Chapter Five
“Cam, there’s been a change in plans. I’m sending you to Montana, along with Doug, and Colt’s associate. Jace and I have decided we want to get this evaluation completed sooner than we originally anticipated and either make an offer or tell them no.”
Cam and Lainey had stopped by to visit with Brooke and have supper with the family. He’d been surprised to see Agent Taylor, and his mother setting up the guest rooms. Heath’s announcement caught him off guard.
“Whatever you want. When are they leaving?”
“Monday on the company plane. Will that work?”
“I’ll need to move some appointments, but I can make it work.” Cam looked over Heath’s shoulder to see Kade talking on his phone. “Excuse me, but what’s going on here?”
It didn’t take long for Heath to explain what had occurred over the last few hours, culminating in the reaction he’d anticipated.
“I’m not leaving if there’s a chance anyone connected to Paco Bujazan will show up here, including Perry Worton.”
“Perry only visited here once with Brooke. There’s no way of knowing if this is his destination, but Agent Taylor isn’t taking any chances. As a precaution, Taylor and his colleague, Clive Nelson, plan to stay at the house. Jace and I will both be here, and I’ve ordered heightened security around the ranch.”
“What about mom, Brooke, and Caroline?”
“They’ll stay at Caroline and Jace’s place until the situation is resolved.”
“And Eric?”
“He’ll stay at Jace’s with the women. I’m not worried about Lainey as I know she plans to stay in Cold Creek for a week. That’s still the case, right?”
Cam shook his head, annoyed he was being shuttled off to Montana while most of the family might be facing danger. “Yes, that’s still the plan.”
“Good. Make sure she gets out of here.” Heath took a swallow of his now cold coffee and set the cup aside. “There’s a general alert to law enforcement agencies to watch for Perry. Agent Taylor doubts Perry will ever make it to Fire Mountain.”
“And what if Bujazan sends others, or worse, comes himself?”
“It’s doubtful he’d put himself in danger. Taylor doesn’t believe he has any idea the DEA knew about the transfer or has found the flash drive. For now it appears the most likely person to show up is Perry.”
“I hate leaving while all this is going on.”
“There’s nothing for you to do here. It’s important to Jace and me to finalize our review of RTC and make a decision. We don’t want to keep Chris and Ty hanging if we don’t plan to move ahead.”
“And Rafe?”
“To be honest, he’s the other reason we want to move fast. Any idea it’s MacLaren Cattle looking to buy him out and he’ll put up legal roadblocks to kill the deal. Time is our enemy here, Cam.”
“Excuse me, Mr. MacLaren. I need to speak with you.” Concern showed on Kade’s face.
“Whatever you need to say can be said in front of Cam,” Heath replied.
“All right. Perry Worton’s abandoned car has been found several blocks from his home. We must assume he’s rented another one. We’re checking with the rental companies and have updated the bulletins sent to all agencies along with his picture.”
“And Bujazan?” Cam asked.
“He boarded a private jet headed for Mexico, which isn’t surprising. We’re going with the theory Mr. Worton is on his way to Fire Mountain to retrieve what he failed to get before.” He turned his attention back to Heath. “Our Phoenix office is processing the flash drive now and it appears to be all we hoped.”
“Enough to make a case stick?” Heath asked.
“From my perspective, yes. Now it’s up to the Assistant D.A, Jeremy Flannigan, and his team. In the meantime, my goal is to keep Worton and anyone else away from you and your family until we can make an arrest.” Kade’s head swiveled at the sound of Brooke’s voice coming from the entry. He spotted her within seconds, noting the smile that made her face light up. He’d love to be the target of one of her smiles sometime.
“Agent Taylor?” Heath said for the second time.
Kade’s attention swung back to the other men. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Heath would’ve been amused at the agent’s interest in his stepdaughter if they weren’t facing such a dangerous situation.
“I asked if there was anything more I could do to support you.”
Kade glanced over his shoulder once more, noting Brooke had disappeared down the hall. “Uh…no. I believe we’re good for now.” He left Heath and Cam staring at his back as he jogged outside, passing Jace and Caroline as they entered the house. A gray, nondescript car made its way up the drive and stopped.
Clive stepped from his car and scanned the area. The main house sat in the middle of a vast amount of acreage. Various types of shrubs and pine surrounded the house, yet didn’t produce a dense cover which would make it easy for intruders to hide. He removed his sunglasses to inspect the two story ranch with lots of exterior windows and doors. Although impressive, he knew it would be difficult to protect if anyone did get this far. He doubted that would happen, as so many resources had been deployed to locate and arrest Worton, yet it didn’t relieve Kade or him from the responsibility of protecting the family.
“You got here fast.” Kade shook Clive’s outstretched hand.
“Johnson sent me by air. He’s anxious to find a way to wrap this case up.”
“We’re all anxious to close it. Come inside and I’ll introduce you.”
Heath, Jace, Cam, and Eric sat around a table, discussing business. Brooke, her mother, and Caroline had just started up the stairs when the agents walked inside.
“Miss Sinclair, I’d like you, your mother, and Caroline to join the rest of us downstairs for a few minutes.”
Brooke nodded at Kade, her face devoid of any expression. She’d tried her best to stay clear of him all day, although she’d been less successful than she’d hoped.
“Everyone, this is Special Agent Clive Nelson. He’ll be staying here until we know more about what’s going on. Clive, this is Brooke’s mother, Annie MacLaren, her stepfather, Heath MacLaren, and her brothers, Cam and Eric Sinclair. I believe you know Brooke.”
Clive acknowledged each one before turning toward Brooke. “We’ve haven’t been formally introduced, but yes, I do recognize you.”
“You’re the agent who followed me on campus yesterday, correct?” Brooke asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“And you’re sure the man who tried to retrieve the information from my binder was Perry Worton? There’s no mistake?”
“No, ma’am, no mistake. It’s Perry Worton all right. I spoke with him when I interrupted his attempt to recover the flash drive.”
“Agent Taylor told us you saw him meet with Paco Bujazan afterwards,” Brooke said.
“He showed up at Bujazan’s home. I don’t believe it’s a stretch to connect Perry with the cartel given what I witnessed.”
Eric leaned forward in his chair. “He’d be a fool to show up here after what he did to Brooke.”
“Perhaps he expects to catch her at the library or somewhere else. She does have a habit of carrying her binder everywhere.” Kade’s gaze focused on Brooke, and he wondered if she had any idea how much he knew about her habits, and how much more he wanted to learn.
Brooke swung her head to look up at the man who stood just over her shoulder, and felt her breath hitch. He stared directly at her, causing heat to radiate throughout her body, as a jolt of comprehension hit her. She wanted this man, desired him beyond reason. She adjusted her position, trying to quell the unease she felt at the realization she had feelings for Kade, and they weren’t disgust or dislike. They were quite the opposite.
“Someone must accompany her everywhere,” Annie said.
“I’ll drive her wherever she needs to go.” Kade’s voice was firm and final.
Brooke flashed Kade an irritated glare. She stood and walked around the table to her mother, trying to create as much distance from him as possible.
“Good, that’s settled.” Clive took a seat next to Cam before continuing. “For now, there’s no reason everyone can’t go about their business as usual. The ranch is monitored and the house is hard to approach without detection. The one weakness I noticed is the number of windows and doors, which makes it easier for someone to track our movements inside the house. However, I agree with Kade when he says Perry will most likely attempt to intercept Miss Sinclair while she’s away from the ranch and has the binder in her possession.”
“You noticed the entry to the ranch?” Kade asked Clive.
“I did. The driveway ends about fifty yards from a main intersection. The stores, gas stations, and restaurants will make it easy for someone to park and observe who comes and goes from the property.”
“He won’t know if she has the binder or not,” Heath said.
“Correct. However, we’ll assume he’ll follow her regardless, believing she’ll stick to her normal routine of taking it with her most times.” Kade pulled a spiral notepad from his back pocket and made some notes. “Are there any questions?”
“What about notifying local police?” Cam asked.
“Is there someone specific I should speak with?” Clive asked.
“Buck Towers. He’s our police chief. I know him pretty well. He was extremely helpful a while back when Lainey was receiving threats when she first moved to Fire Mountain. I can call him i
f you want.”
“No need. We’ll handle it,” Clive said. “What about your sheriff?”
“Tip Andrews. I have his number.” Heath checked his phone and called out the number to Clive.
“Anything else?” Kade waited. He knew the hardest part lay ahead of them. Waiting wasn’t easy, even for DEA agents who did it as part of their job. You never got used to the boredom which accompanied sitting around, watching, and trying to stay focused. “All right. Brooke, do you have a few minutes?”
She’d bent down to talk with her mother but shot her gaze up to Kade’s when she heard his request. No, I don’t have time, she wanted to say. “Of course.”
The sun sat tall above Fire Mountain to the west as Kade escorted her outside.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I need some air.” He reached into another pocket and pulled out one of the electronic cigarettes Brooke had seen others use. “I’m trying to quit. This seems to be the best I can do.” He held it up so she could take a look at it.
She’d never seen one this close. “How do you turn it on?” Brooke turned it over in her hand, looking for some type of switch.
Kade took it from her and held it to his mouth then inhaled, letting out a stream of vapor. “Simple.” He looked past her to the large barn. “Do you mind if we walk?”
She didn’t answer as he started toward a fenced corral. He rested his arms on the top rail and raised a booted foot onto the bottom slat. A couple of horses grazed inside.
“That’s my mother’s horse, Rascal, and mine, Gremlin. Heath usually keeps Blackjack in his stable unless he’s being exercised.” She nodded toward the barn.
“Do you ride much?” Kade asked.
“When I’m here, yes, I try to ride every day.”
“If there’s a horse I can borrow, we can go out if you’d like.”
“You ride?” She looked surprised.
He let out a hearty chuckle. “Don’t look so surprised.” He took another drag from his e-cig while watching the two horses. “I grew up around horses and worked on a ranch during high school. You remember Marshal Salgado? He and I grew up together. His uncle worked for a rancher who hired both of us, full time for four summers and part time during the school year. We learned a lot.”
All Your Nights (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary series Book 4) Page 6