by Elle James
Hank greeted them at the door. “Sadie had to go into Eagle Rock for a few things at the store. She took Emma with her.” He showed them into the house. “Trevor’s been to my bunker before, but this will be a new experience for you, Lana.” He pressed his thumb to a scanner on a wall between the kitchen and living room. A moment later, a door slid open, and a light blinked on in a stairwell descending into a bunker below the house.
“Wow,” Lana said. “And I thought this was a cool house before I knew it had a bunker beneath it.”
Hank led the way down the steps and into a room lined with computers. A blond-haired man sat in front of one of them. When they entered, he rose from his chair and seemed to brush the ceiling with the top of his head. He was so tall and broad-shouldered he made big men like Hank and Trevor look short next to him.
Hank waved toward the big guy. “Swede, this is Lana Connolly. Her husband was Con Man Connolly, that Navy SEAL who died last year on a mission in Afghanistan.”
Swede’s brow furrowed. “Sorry for your loss. I heard about that on the news.” He turned to Trevor. “You were there, weren’t you?”
Trevor nodded. “Connolly was one of our best.”
Swede nodded and returned his focus to Lana. “Hank said you’ve done some digging into what was going on back then and came up with some rotten potatoes.”
Her lips twitched. “You could call them that.” She pulled her laptop out of her purse and set it on the table beside the computer Swede was using. “I started all this because the doctor who pronounced my husband said he was shot in the back.”
“Friendly fire?” Swede asked.
“Or not so friendly,” Lana said. “I found out the contractor working with government money to help rebuild Afghan infrastructure wasn’t using the money the way he should. He was funneling it back to the States. He and a director in Homeland Security deposited the funds into a secret bank account in the Cayman Islands.”
“Why didn’t you turn it all over to the FBI when you found out about it?”
She pressed her lips together. “I couldn’t. My information was from a source on the dark web. I couldn’t hand over my data. It wouldn’t have been considered legitimate. And it might have led to exposing my contact on the dark web.
“So, I went to work for the DHS where this director worked, hoping to get into his systems there and find some legitimate evidence I could turn over to the FBI.”
“And did you?”
Lana nodded. “I worked with a colleague on the inside and dug up some emails I think were pretty damning. They pointed to an organization in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana that, on the surface, looks like a construction company. After a little digging and following some leads provided by my hacker, I discovered this group in Montana has connections to a social media group called Free America. They’re encouraging people to stage a coup to overthrow the US government.”
Swede took his seat at the table and rested his fingers on the keyboard. “So, the money from the contracts in Afghanistan is going to Cayman banks, and you think it’s finding its way into the coffers of this militant group…?”
“Yes. I turned over everything, except my dark web connection, to the FBI yesterday. They said they’d look into it.”
“So, tell me about the contractor in Afghanistan and work your way through everything you’ve found. I’ll take notes.” Swede brought up a blank document and started keying in the data Lana provided.
While Lana and Swede talked, Hank took Trevor into the arms room of his bunker.
“I’m worried about Lana. Based on the number of attacks and the intensity of their determination to kill her, I don’t think they’ll give up just because she left the state.” Hank pulled out a drawer filled with electronic gadgets. “I think it would be a good idea to put a tracker on her. If she gets…misplaced, you’ll find her.”
Trevor liked the idea. “As long as the tracker remains with her. What are the choices? It would have to be something she’d always carry with her, something that doesn’t scream tracker.”
Hank smiled. “I have just the thing.” He dug a small case out of the box and handed it to Trevor. “Give it to her like a gift. She’ll never know she’s being tracked.”
Trevor frowned. “Wouldn’t she feel safer knowing?”
“Then give her one to put in her pocket. If she gets separated from her pocket, you can be sure she’s still wearing any gift you give her. It’s waterproof, so it can be submerged and can be worn in the shower. Tell her she can wear it at all times.”
Trevor flipped open the box and stared at the gold necklace. He liked this idea, and the necklace was nice enough he would have given it to her anyway. “Thank you.”
“Oh, we’re not done yet. You might need some firepower in case you get into a shootout again with this guy.” He opened a cabinet with a display of handguns. “Pick your poison. And take a shoulder holster as well.”
Trevor selected a Sig P226 and the holster to carry it.
“Get a knife as well.”
“I have my Ka-Bar from my Navy SEAL days. It’ll do.”
“Good.” Hank moved onto another cabinet with smaller devices. He pulled out what appeared to be a small, pink, handheld flashlight with a wrist strap and handed it to Trevor. “Give this to Lana.”
He weighed it in his hand, studying it. “Stun gun?”
“Yup. I got one for Sadie for her birthday. She carries it on her wrist when she’s out at night in LA.”
“Good idea. It’s not going to go off on me if I put it in my pocket, is it?”
Hank laughed. “No. You have to activate it before it’ll work. We can show Lana how to use it before you two leave today. I’d offer her a gun, but I don’t know if she’s familiar with firing one, and she probably doesn’t have a conceal carry permit.”
“We can ask when she’s done with Swede.”
“What do you want to ask?” Lana appeared in the doorway. “Swede’s off and running with what I gave him. What are you two cooking up in here?” She glanced at the racks of rifles and handguns and let out a long, low whistle. “Wow. You know how to stock an arsenal. Should the US government be worried?”
Hank shook his head. “I don’t expect my guys to provide protection without options.”
“Nice to know.” Lana raised her brow. “Am I to assume you’re packing?”
Trevor nodded and opened his jacket to display the P226 nestled in the holster there. “Hank said he’d offer you one if you want.”
She shook her head. “Guns scare me. If I had time to learn how to use one, maybe. But for now, I’ll rely on my self-defense lessons.” Her lips curled, and she shot Trevor a sassy smile.
He held out the stun gun. “You can at least carry this on your person, should you need a little help subduing an attacker.”
Lana stared down at the stun gun. “Is that what I think it is?”
“If you think it’s a stun gun, then yes.” Trevor smiled. “Hank will show you how to use it.”
In a few quick, easy steps, Hank showed Lana how to activate the stun gun.
When they were done, Lana sighed. “As much as I enjoy your company, Hank, I’d really like a change of clothes.” Her gaze met Trevor’s. “Could we make a run into town?”
“Hank, could you give us a lift into town?” Trevor asked. “That way you can keep your truck. Mine is still at the Blue Moose Tavern. I can pick it up from there.”
“Sure. Let me get my hat.” Hank led the way out of the bunker and shut the door behind them. “I’ll be right back.”
Lana palmed the stun gun. “I hope I don’t have to use this. Most likely, I’ll end up zapping myself instead of the bad guy.”
“You’ll be okay. Better to have it than to be defenseless.”
“Oh, I have moves,” Lana said and stepped up to Trevor.
“I remember.” He dropped a kiss on her lips and stepped away as footsteps sounded on the wood floors.
“Ready?” Hank plu
nked his cowboy hat onto his head and jerked his head toward the door. “I might even meet my wife in town for lunch.”
The three of them walked out to Hank’s truck. Lana insisted on sitting in the back where she turned the stun gun over and over in her hand.
Hank talked about some of the assignments his men were getting and how business was booming. He had a new guy signed up to cover assignments on the east coast, working out of Cape Cod.
Trevor remembered John Decker’s name. He’d never served with him, but he’d heard the guy was one of the best of the Navy SEALs on SEAL Team 10. The man had lost his wife in a terrible accident.
The thought of losing Lana made Trevor’s gut bunch into a knot. Losing Mason had been hard enough. The man had been like a brother. If he lost Lana…he wasn’t sure how he’d carry on.
So, he had to make sure she was safe, and he didn’t lose her. She was his everything. Staying away from her for the past two years had nearly killed him.
It was noon by the time they pulled up in front of the Blue Moose Tavern. Sadie and Emma met them out front.
Lana spent a few minutes playing with the baby before she excused herself and joined Trevor. “I really need to get some clothes. If you want to stay and have lunch with the Pattersons, I can manage shopping on my own. No one will bother me in broad daylight.” She held up the stun gun. “And I have this in case someone steps out of line.”
“I’m going with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, I don’t need you to babysit me every hour of every day. I need time to try on bras and purchase panties. Do you want to stand in the lingerie department while I’m doing that?”
“I don’t care what department I have to stand in. I’m going with you,” he insisted. The fresh thought of losing her made him even more adamant.
Lana shrugged. “Suit yourself. But you were warned.”
She turned to Sadie and asked about local clothes shopping.
“There isn’t much here in Eagle Rock. You might have to drive into Bozeman if you want more than jeans and flannel shirts.”
Lana’s gaze met Trevor’s.
He grinned and held up his truck keys. “Guess you’re stuck with me.”
“You can loan me your truck and I can go by myself,” she suggested.
“And miss the fashion show?” He winked and hooked her arm. “Not on your life.” Over his shoulder, he said, “See ya later, Hank. Good to see you, Sadie. Give Emma a kiss from Uncle Trevor.”
Hank and Sadie laughed and waved.
Trevor led Lana to where his truck was parked and held the door open while she slid into the passenger seat.
“Most men hate shopping,” Lana said.
“Normally, I do, too. But if shopping means I get to see you in lace bras and underwear, I’m in.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
She waved a finger at him. “Forget it. You won’t be in the changing room with me.”
“You mean, you won’t be modeling your lingerie for me?” He pouted. For a big guy, the pout was pretty darned cute.
“No.” She relented. “But if you play your cards right, I might model them for you tonight.”
Trevor closed her door, rounded the front of the truck and opened the driver’s door. He grabbed a cowboy hat off the back of the seat and settled it on his head.
Lana grinned. “I don’t ever recall seeing you wear a cowboy hat.”
“You’ve never been to Montana with me.”
“Do you even know what a cow is?” she asked.
“Know them and have worked with them growing up. And I ride like nobody’s business. Used to bust broncs in the rodeo when I was a teen. Won the teen state championship once.”
Lana stared at him as if for the first time. “I did not know that.”
“It didn’t seem important, living in San Diego where all you have is sun, sand and ocean. Here in Montana, we have mountains, plains, horses, cattle, bears and wolves.”
Lana’s brows dipped. “Bears and wolves?” She glanced around the small town. “Bears and wolves?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “Rethinking Hank’s offer of a gun to carry on you?”
“Damn right.”
“Don’t worry. They usually don’t bother people. Unless you get between a mama and her cubs.”
“Remind me not to get between a mama and her cubs.” Lana shivered. “What is this place you’ve brought me to?”
“The best state in the union.” He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway they’d come in on the night before.
As they left town, Trevor reached into the pocket in his jacket and extracted the long, slim jewelry box Hank had given him. “Got a little gift for you. Actually, Sadie had it and thought you might like it. Though I’d really like to take credit for it, I can’t.” Trevor congratulated himself on the little white lie about Sadie suggesting the necklace instead of Hank.
“Thanks…I think.” She opened the box and stared down at the necklace inside. “This is really pretty.”
“You had to leave all of your things behind in the rental car. Sadie and I thought you might like a little something pretty to go with the clothes you buy today.”
“That was nice of her. Remind me to thank her next time we see her.” Lana took the necklace out of the box and fastened it around her neck. The pretty gray-blue stone pendant matched the color of Lana’s eyes. “Beautiful,” Trevor said.
Lana’s cheeks flushed a pretty pink. “Thank you. It was really nice of Sadie.”
“She said it’s waterproof. You can wear it all the time. Even in the shower.”
“That’s great. I don’t always remember to remove jewelry when I jump into the shower.” She lowered the visor and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Trevor took that moment to dig the other little metal tracking device out of his pocket. “And Hank sent this.”
Lana held out her hand out, palm up. “What is it?”
“It’s a tracker,” he said, placing it on her open hand. “As long as you have this on your person, I can track you. If someone should snatch you away from me, I’ll be able to find you.”
Lana stared from the tiny metal object to Trevor, and her eyes shone with unshed tears. “That’s about the nicest gift anyone has ever given me.”
Trevor shot her a confused glance. “Really?”
“This gift tells me you’re all worried about me.” She smiled at him through tear-filled eyes. “Thank you.”
Trevor chuckled. “You are the strangest woman. You’d have thought I gave you diamonds.”
She hugged the little metal device to her chest. “This is better. It makes me feel better than any old diamond.” Lana looked at the clothes she was wearing and at her purse. “Where should I put it? If I change clothes, it might get lost. If I put it in my purse, what are the chances my purse will remain with me?” Her brow furrowed. “My shoes?” She stared at her sneakers. “I wish I had a needle and thread. I could sew it into the side of my sneakers.”
“We’ll look for needle and thread in Bozeman.”
“Thanks,” Lana said and blinked back tears.
“Also…” He dug out his wallet and tried to hand it to her. “Take out a couple hundred dollars.”
She frowned, refusing to handle the wallet. “Why?”
“You’ll need it to buy clothes.” He pushed it toward her. “Please, take it.”
“I can’t take your money. I have a credit card—” She stopped before she finished. “And it can be traced.” Her lips twisted into a frown. She took the money out of his wallet. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can access my accounts.”
“No hurry,” he said. “Just be safe.”
“I will.” She shoved the bills into her purse and handed back his wallet. “Thanks again.”
His heart was lighter than it had been in the past two years as he drove into Bozeman with the woman he loved at his side. A woman who got excited about a tracking device.
He hope
d both trackers remained on her should anything happen to her.
Since he would be with her every second, he doubted they would need them. But the extra security made him feel better, just the same.
Chapter 12
Lana tucked the tracking device into the pocket of her jacket, telling herself she’d find some other way to carry it as she shopped for clothes to replace the ones in the trunk of the rental car.
And while they were at it, she wanted to buy a burner phone she could use if she needed to make a call. No one would associate the number with her. She’d be safe using it in the case of an emergency.
The need to remain incognito wasn’t something she was used to. It took someone really special to be a spy. Lana wasn’t feeling that special. She’d always been an open book to everyone she knew. She looked forward to the day she could get back to a normal life. Whatever that was. Since Mason’s death, nothing had been normal. Not her, not the circumstances of his death and not the job she’d held at the DHS.
She wanted to call Peter and ask what was going on with the director. Had the FBI caught up to him and arrested him? Lana shook her head. They wouldn’t have been able to move that fast. Her data was a civilian’s attempt at solving a crime. She didn’t know squat about the legalities involved. The FBI would make sure they had all their ducks in a row before they went after the men plotting an attack on the government.
But would they be too late?
“Can we stop by Hank’s place on the way back? I want to know if Swede was able to verify what I came up with and see if he found anything else that would help the FBI’s case against the people involved.”
“We can do that. If you don’t mind, I’d like to grab lunch first. In fact, I’d like to get something to eat, now. I don’t know about you, but breakfast seems like it was ages ago. And while you’re shopping, find a pretty dress. I want to take you out on a real date.”
Lana pressed a hand to her chest and gave him a fake surprised look, raised eyebrows and all. “Are you asking me out?” Her heart fluttered in her chest.
“Yes. I’m asking you out.” He glanced her way. “You’re okay with that, right?”