Mountain Midwife

by Cassie Miles

  “Did she say anything about him?”

  “Not a word. She said she didn’t want to betray Penny. I never should have allowed my daughter to spend time with her. It was inappropriate. Why would a high school economics teacher want to hang out with one of her students?”

  Why, indeed. “Jenna seems to have a lot of secrets.”

  “I never thought so before, but you’re right. She threatened me on the phone, told me that I wouldn’t get custody of Goldie because the baby belongs with her father. That’s not true, is it?”

  Not if the father was Baron, a criminal mastermind. “I don’t think you’ll have a problem keeping Goldie.”

  He passed the phone to Rachel so the two women could talk about the wonderful world of baby care. The fact that Jenna had checked up on Pearl gave him cause for worry. Was she acting for Baron? Was he looking for his child?

  No way in hell would Cole allow that bastard to touch one precious hair on Goldie’s head. Her survival was a miracle. She had to be kept safe.

  When Rachel finished talking, she handed him the phone and gave him a familiar kiss on the cheek. “Pearl and Goldie are okay.”

  “For now,” he said.

  She stepped back and regarded him. Her head cocked to one side. Her fists planted on her hips. “Why so ominous?”

  “Baron might take it into his head that he wants Goldie. Think about it. The first thing Prescott asked about was the baby. Now Jenna wants to get her hooks into Pearl.”

  “We can’t let that happen.” Rachel shuddered. “We have to end this now.”

  They got back into the Jeep and drove. Though he was glad for the beautiful clear skies, the weather provided nothing in the way of cover. They were exposed. But no one knew they were driving Loughlin’s car. With their collars turned up and hats pulled down, he doubted there would be facial recognition on traffic surveillance cams.

  When he turned onto U.S. 40, Rachel said, “I have a theory about the engagement ring.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Penny told me that Jenna referred to Baron as Mister Big. A powerful man. An attractive man. Maybe Jenna is more than a secretary. What would you call it? A secretary with benefits? She might be having an affair with Baron, and the ring is wishful thinking.”

  “If that’s true, she would have hated Penny.”

  “Exactly,” Rachel said. “She might be the one who sent those guys to shoot up the house near Shadow Mountain Lake.”

  Her theory was sound until she got to the shoot-out. “She wouldn’t go against Baron. He’s vicious with people who don’t follow his orders.”

  “Then why?” she asked. “Why would he send his men to kill the gang at the hideout?”

  “The gang screwed up. Almost got caught.”

  Baron ran his organization according to strict rules: do as you’re told, and you’ll profit. Make a mistake, and you’ll pay.

  “But he almost got his own child killed,” she said. “He must have cared something for Penny and she was murdered.”

  “Collateral damage.”

  He didn’t expect Rachel to understand the workings of a criminal mind. A man like Baron made up his own rules. Penny’s murder sent a powerful message to the other people who worked for him. Nobody—not even his pregnant lover—got in his way.

  “When you’re around someone like that,” she said, “how do you keep yourself from showing your emotions?”

  “It’s my job.”

  He couldn’t explain why he was good at undercover work or why he could beat a lie detector test without breaking a sweat. The FBI shrinks called it a skill. Cole was beginning to think he was cursed.

  “Okay.” She shrugged. “What do you think about my theory? That Jenna is in love with Baron?”

  “I like it.” He grinned. “You’re one smart detective, Special Agent Rocky Logan.”

  “It’s about time I did something to prove my worth.”

  “You’re the most valuable part of my investigation. Without you, I could never have saved Goldie. It was your connection with Loughlin that got us this transportation. You’ve helped me. More than you will ever know.”

  She leaned back against her seat. “This is turning into quite a vacation for me. I can’t wait to get to California.”

  “I have plans for what we’ll do when we’re there.”

  In general, Cole considered himself to be good at interrogation and not so much when it came to small talk. But he went at length, telling her about the places he would take her to see and the foods they would sample. “And a sailboat ride on a balmy night. There’s nothing like making love at sea.”

  For once, she didn’t counter with a comparison about how the mountains were better. Instead, she beamed a smile. “I know I’ll love it.”

  The long drive into the snow passed quickly. Before he knew it, they were entering the Granby area. He clammed up. Time to put his game face on.

  As he drove along the street where Jenna’s house was located, Rachel pointed to the address. “That’s a nice little place. If I stay in Granby, I might look for something like that.”

  “If you stay?”

  “I’m keeping my options open.”

  Jenna’s cedar frame house with a two-car garage in front was nothing spectacular. An evergreen Christmas wreath hung on the door, and Jenna hadn’t yet taken down the string of lights that decorated the eaves.

  Cole would have preferred a more secluded location. The house stood on the corner in a residential area with large lots, but the house across the street had a window looking directly at Jenna’s front door. The sidewalk and driveway were shoveled, but there was no way they could sneak up on the house through the mounds of snow left behind by the blizzard.

  He braked for the stop sign, and then drove on. Though there were no other cars on the street, he had the sense that they were being watched.

  “What’s the plan?” Rachel asked.

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  He’d rather not risk being seen, but there didn’t seem to be any approach other than parking in the driveway and marching up to the door. If she didn’t have an alarm system, he could pick the lock.

  Circling the block, he checked his mirrors. Two blocks away, he saw a truck cross an intersection. Nothing else seemed to be moving in this quiet neighborhood. Still, he decided to retreat and consider their next move.

  Several blocks away, he backed into a parking space in a lot outside a supermarket. The snow that had been cleared from the lot made an eight-foot-high pile at the far end. Damn this Colorado snow.

  He passed his cell phone to Rachel. “Call Jenna and make sure she didn’t stay home from work.”

  “You think we might be walking into a trap.”

  “Something isn’t right.”

  “I trust your instincts,” she said. “I still remember how you sensed the attack on the hideout before a single bullet had been fired.”

  Before she could make the call, a red SUV pulled up in front of them, trapping them in the parking space.

  The back door swung open, and Xavier stepped out. His heavy-duty parka was as red as his vehicle. Stealth had never been his strong point.

  He opened the back door to their Jeep and climbed in.

  “Hi, kids.” His gold tooth flashed when he smiled. “Did you miss me?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Wearing her hat with the earflaps, Rachel doubted she could pull off her super-cool undercover identity as Special Agent Rocky Logan. She turned around in her seat and glared at Xavier. “How did you find us?”

  “A good poker player never tells his secrets.”

  Without turning around, Cole growled, “He must have planted a GPS tracker.”

  “Where?” she demanded. “How?”

  Xavier chuckled. “Under your collar, sweetheart.”

  Leaning forward, he patted her shoulder, slid his hand up toward her neck and detached a tiny circular object from her parka. Like a magician, he held it up so she
could see. “Ta da!”

  Though she didn’t remember him touching her at the casino, the evidence was there. He had bugged her parka.

  She drew the logical conclusion. “That’s why we didn’t see you tailing us. You knew where we were all the time.”

  Xavier pocketed the device. “If I’d thought you two were going to stop for the night at a motel, I could have arranged for classier accommodations. But then, you might be seen and recognized. Other people wouldn’t be as understanding as I am about harboring a fugitive.”

  “What do you want?” Cole muttered.

  “To get my money back. The insurance company isn’t going to be understanding about my losses in the robbery, and I can’t afford to be out forty-two thousand bucks.”

  “Is that right?” She heard the anger in Cole’s voice. “Why should I do you any favors?”

  “For old times’ sake. We go back a long way, buddy boy. You know things about me that nobody else does. And vice versa.”

  “You don’t know squat.”

  “Come on, now. There’s no need to be hostile.”

  Cole stared through the windshield at the red SUV, and she followed his gaze. The driver was visible through the front window, but she didn’t see anybody else. “How many men did you bring with you?”

  “Only two. It was never my intention to overpower you. I’ve seen you in action, and I’m too old to recover from a busted kneecap.” Xavier turned to Rachel. “He can be a dangerous fellow. Are you aware of that?”

  Since he wasn’t treating her like an FBI agent, there was no reason for her to try to outbluff this canny old man. “I know him well,” she said. “He’s only dangerous with people who need to be taken down.”

  Behind his glasses, his beady little eyes narrowed. “Be careful about standing too close to the flame, my dear. You might get burned.”

  Cole turned in his seat to face Xavier. “I don’t like the way you followed us. And I’m not making any promises about what happens to the money. But the truth is, I could use some backup.”

  The old man massaged his chin while he considered. Then he said, “Fine. I scratch your back and you—”

  “Here’s the deal,” Cole said. “Rachel and I are going to break into a house. You and your men wait outside. If we don’t come out in ten minutes, it means we need your help.”

  “I’ll do it, and we’ll settle up afterward. Aren’t you lucky that I turned up when I did?” Xavier opened the car door. “You never appreciated all that I did for you back in the day. It takes guts to be a snitch.”

  “Guts and greed,” Cole said. “Follow us and don’t be too obvious.”

  “By the way.” A wide grin split the old man’s wrinkled face. His gold tooth gleamed. “How’s your wife?” His wife?

  The inside of her head exploded.

  Cole was married?

  She watched Xavier scamper to his red SUV like an evil leprechaun. She couldn’t trust a word he said. He wanted to get back at Cole, to cause him strife.

  Desperately wanting to believe that Xavier had been lying, she turned her gaze on Cole. His cognac eyes held a seriousness that she had never seen before.

  “Rachel,” he said, “I’ve never lied to you.”

  That wasn’t an answer. She’d asked him dozens of questions about his prior girlfriends and relationships, but she had never actually asked if he had a wife. “Are you married?”

  “I can explain.”

  He hadn’t denied it, and she didn’t want to be sucked into whatever deceptive ruse he was playing. The man lied for a living. He changed identities every other day. “Yes or no?”

  “It’s a technicality. No big deal.”

  She repeated, “Yes or no?”

  “Yes.”

  Anger and hurt knotted in her gut. A flush of heat crawled up her throat and strangled her. Once again, she’d fallen for a bad boy—another man in the long line of dashing, sexy, handsome jerks who ultimately betrayed her. “Don’t say another word. I don’t want to hear your phony explanations. Let’s get this over with and say goodbye.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “Damn right.”

  She held up his cell phone and tried to remember how to contact Jenna Cambridge. Pearl had given them the phone number. Was it in the memory? She thrust the phone toward Cole. “Get Jenna on the line.”

  “I should make this call,” he said.

  “Because I’m not a natural born liar like you? Because you don’t think I can pull it off?”

  He grasped her arm near the wrist and pulled her closer, forcing her to confront him. “Settle down, Rachel. If we’re going to get through this in one piece, you need to concentrate.”

  “Don’t tell me what I need.”

  She locked gazes with him. His eyes were intense, volatile. He was nearly as angry as she was, and that was just fine with her. She was done with him and his lies.

  With a strength born of fury, she yanked her arm away from him. “Go ahead and call her. I don’t care.”

  While he made the call, she stared through the windshield at Xavier’s red SUV. She could see the old man’s face in the window of the backseat. He was laughing and she knew the joke was on her.

  COLE DROVE INTO Jenna’s quiet, residential neighborhood where every sidewalk was shoveled. No one was outside. Nothing seemed to be moving. Beams of sunlight glistened and slowly melted the snow.

  He hadn’t been able to reach Jenna on the phone, but he’d called the high school and been informed that she was teaching her senior economics seminar and couldn’t be disturbed. She wasn’t at home; that was all he had to know.

  There were still obstacles to breaking into her house. She might have an alarm system or a guard dog or a lock he couldn’t pick. Logistics. He needed to concentrate on logistics. In normal circumstances, that wouldn’t have been a problem. He was good at honing in with sharp focus, doing what had to be done. But Rachel had distracted him.

  He glanced over at her. In defiance, she’d torn the cap with earflaps off her head, and her short hair stood up in spikes. A feverish red flush colored her throat and cheeks. Anger sizzled around her like static electricity.

  Later, he’d explain about his alleged wife. He should have said something before, but he wasn’t accustomed to baring his soul. Damn Xavier for bringing up his wife and making him out to be a liar. Or an unfaithful husband.

  Why the hell had Rachel jumped to the worst possible conclusion? It was almost as though she’d been looking for a reason to cut him off at the knees and end this thing that was growing between them. They had a connection, a relationship.

  Oh, hell. He might as well face it. He loved her. And she loved him back. But she was as scared of commitment as he was. Why couldn’t she understand? He wasn’t like all the other creeps she’d dated. He was one of the good guys, damn it.

  He shook his head. For now, he had to maintain a single-minded objective. Get into Jenna’s house and find the money.

  In the rearview mirror, he saw the red SUV following them. Tersely, he said, “You should stay outside with Xavier. I’m not sure what I’ll find in the house.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “It could be a trap.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  He considered. The evidence connecting Jenna to Baron was largely circumstantial. The only thing they knew for certain was that Penny had sent Jenna the bundles containing the haul from the casino robbery. “Even if she is Baron’s secretary, she has no reason to suspect that we’re coming after the money.”

  “So we ought to be fine,” Rachel said. “And I’m coming with you to search. Two sets of eyes are better than one.”

  He pulled into Jenna’s driveway and parked. “I go first. If I tell you to run, do it. No questions.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  “I’m not kidding around,” he said.

  “You don’t need to remind me about the danger.” She kept her head averted as though she couldn
’t stand the sight of him. “I’ve seen Baron’s men in action.”

  They got out of the car and followed the shoveled path through the snow to the front porch. He saw no indication of an alarm system, but that didn’t mean much. Most of these systems were invisible. “We’ve got five minutes to get in and out. If she has a silent alarm that rings through to a security company, it’ll take that long for them to get here.”

  He pressed the doorbell and listened for any sound coming from inside the house.

  Rachel moved along the porch to the front window. “I can’t see inside. The drapes are closed.”

  “Any of the windows open?”

  She shook her head. “Triple pane casement windows. They’re sealed up tight.”

  The lock on Jenna’s door was a piece of cake, but she also had a dead bolt, which could be a pain in the butt. He squatted so he was eye level with the door handle and went to work.

  “Of course,” she said, “you carry a lock pick.”

  “My version of a Swiss Army knife.”

  He had the lower lock opened in a couple of minutes. When he pushed on the handle, the door swung open. Jenna hadn’t bothered with the dead bolt.

  “Five minutes,” he reminded her as he took his gun from the holster and stepped inside. “You go left. I’ll go right.”

  He was only halfway down the hallway to the bedrooms when he heard her call out. “Cole.”

  Something had gone wrong. He whipped around, raising his gun to shoot. A man with a shaved head held Rachel by the throat. His gun pointed to her head.

  Cole sensed someone behind his back. A deep voice with a western twang said, “Drop your weapon or she dies.”

  If he’d been alone, he might have taken his chances with these two. But he couldn’t risk Rachel’s life. He set his weapon on the floor and raised his hands. “We’re not going to cause trouble.”

  “Too late,” the guy behind him said. “We’ve been chasing you two all over the damn mountains. We halfway froze to death.”

  If these were the same guys who chased them onto Shadow Mountain Lake, they’d talked to Frank. What had he told them? Cole had to come up with a story that would convince these guys to let them go. Was it better to tell them he was a fed, and the full force of the law would be after them? Should he act like he was still a loyal member of the robbery crew? His mind raced.