by Rebecca Deel
“Where’s Josh?” Alex cleared the doorway with Ivy in his arms. He set her on the stool next to Del and crossed the kitchen to the refrigerator. A minute later, he returned with two Cokes, one for Ivy, the other for himself.
“He’s outside making phone calls. Ivy, Josh recognized Catherine Wright’s name.”
“No kidding?” She took a few swallows of the sweet drink. “So who is she?”
“Was.” Nausea swelled in her stomach. Oh, boy. Del took a few more swallows herself before continuing. “Catherine Wright was the sister of Xavier Wright.”
Clutching the bottle, Alex’s hand stopped halfway to his mouth. He muttered something under his breath, pivoted on his heel and followed Josh outside.
“What’s going on? Who’s Xavier Wright and what happened to Catherine?”
“He’s a gun dealer. The government’s been trying to put him in prison for years. According to Josh, Catherine was murdered about a month ago.”
Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “And Mae went to her estate sale and bought her books. Do we know if the underlinings mean anything?”
“Not sure. Did Alex tell you what happened at the store?”
“Yes.” She frowned. “Granger’s a menace. Is Madison okay?”
“Black eye.”
“Guess now we know why Granger’s so desperate to catch us.” She shivered, her hands wrapped around the drink. “What will he do if he slips by Alex and the rest of the guys?”
“He won’t. Durango’s been coming through here in waves for water and food while you slept. The traps are almost complete. One more day, Ivy, and they’ll have Granger.”
The sound of footsteps grew louder as somebody approached the kitchen. Del knew the marshals were close. Didn’t stop her from grabbing a skillet. No point in getting a knife. If Granger had slipped by everyone and gotten into the cabin, she would have to get too close to use the knife.
Stella traipsed into the room, covering a wide yawn with her hand. “Morning,” she murmured. “Or rather, afternoon. Didn’t think I would sleep that long. Where’s Deke?”
“Patrolling. He comes through every fifteen minutes.” Del set the skillet on the stove top. “Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I saved breakfast for you. Would you like me to warm that or cook something else?”
“Anything, as long as coffee comes with it.” She sat beside Ivy. “How are you?”
“Not bad. Rio’s dogging me to keep my foot elevated with ice on it.”
“Do what he says, kiddo. We need you mobile as soon as possible. What did I miss?”
Del retrieved Stella’s plate from the refrigerator and removed the plastic wrap. While the food was heating, she summarized the events of the past few hours.
Stella whistled when Del mentioned the connection to Xavier Wright. “No wonder Granger is persistent. May I see the paper you worked on?”
Ivy slid the paper to Stella. The marshal studied it a moment, frowned. “The two strings of numbers are too long to be GPS coordinates. Bank account numbers?”
Del stared at the paper. “Is there any way to check?”
“We need a computer geek.”
“According to Josh, Jon is a computer geek.” The microwave beeped, signaling the end of the reheating cycle. Del retrieved the plate and handed it to Stella along with utensils and a steaming mug of coffee.
Stella’s first bite elicited a sigh. “This is fabulous. Your handiwork, Del?”
“Nate was on patrol this morning.”
“This might be the cushiest protection detail Deke and I have ever had. Maybe we should find an excuse to keep you and Ivy sequestered for a while.”
“No, thanks.” Del smiled. “I miss my books.” She also missed her customers and the Christie Club with their busybody ways and noses for mysteries. Del missed her mother. She knew the Cahills would take good care of her, but she couldn’t help the concern for her mother’s safety. What if Granger tracked them down?
The door opened to admit Josh and Alex. “Stella.” Josh smiled. “About time you woke up.”
She smiled. “Heard about all the excitement in Otter Creek. How’s your sister?”
“She’ll have a black eye to brag about, but she’s fine.” He waggled his cell phone. “I just talked to her husband. He made her go to the emergency room. Doc Anderson says she has a slight concussion and needs rest for a few days.”
“Good thing Ethan closed the stores,” Ivy said. “Now Madison won’t fight Nick to return to work.”
Josh snorted. “It’s a crime scene. She’d lose the argument.”
“We might have something else for Jon to look into,” Del said. She handed the paper to Josh. “What are the chances these are bank account numbers? Or maybe one account number with a password?”
Speculation lit his gaze. “Decent. If Wright is after the numbers, it would explain Granger’s determination. If Jon figures out what bank this account is in, might be interesting to know when the account was opened.”
“About the time Wright’s problems began?” Alex settled on the stool beside Ivy. “Maybe his sister created the issues he’s been experiencing.”
“Interesting supposition.” Josh positioned his phone and took a picture of the paper. He typed in a quick message and hit send. “Jon will get back to us as soon as he hits on something. Excellent work, ladies.” He leaned over and dropped a kiss on Del’s lips. “We know where the real brains are in this unit.” He ruffled Stella’s hair and tapped Ivy’s nose with his finger. “Guess Alex and I should shower before we get too close.” He gave a wry smile. “Hot and dirty work don’t make us very pleasant to be around right now.”
“Are you hungry?” Del asked.
“Do you have to ask?” Alex scanned the kitchen. “What do we have?”
“I’ll make sandwiches while you shower. Roast beef sound good?”
“We’ll hurry.” And they were gone.
“Guess that was a yes.” Stella hopped down from the stool and gathered her empty plate and utensils. “I’ll help you.”
By the time Josh and Alex returned, Nate, Rio, and Deke were seated around the dining table, having washed up in the other bathroom. Del handed each a plate filled with two sandwiches, piled high with meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and a side helping of chips. She figured they lost a lot of salt sweating in the heat.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” Josh dropped into a chair beside the medic and started eating. He motioned for Del to sit on his other side. While he and his unit ate their meal, Josh told them the latest news and speculation.
Nate pushed his plate aside and sat back. “Wright will be hard to pin down, Major. He lives in a fortress. Security is tight. They have double guards patrolling the grounds with trained dogs. He never goes anywhere without at least two bodyguards.”
Del jerked. Armed guards? Trained dogs? She twisted in his direction. If Wright found out Josh was a cop, he would kill him. His team wouldn’t be able to reach him in time.
Under cover of the table, Josh reached over and clasped her hand in his. “I’m not going unprotected, Nate,” he said, his tone mild. “Get the estate plans and map out multiple escape routes. I need contingency plans.”
“You need a miracle.”
Josh’s head swiveled in her direction. “You don’t believe I can do this?” Disappointment gleamed in his gaze.
“I know you can. I don’t want you to.”
“Even though it will free you and Ivy from constant fear?”
“I’d rather be afraid and have you alive and unharmed.”
“I’m not going alone, baby.” He lifted his free hand and trailed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “I have no intention of dying on this op. I have a strong incentive to live.”
“What’s that?” she whispered.
“You.”
“You said you’re not going alone.” Ivy’s stare grew intense. “Who’s going with you?”
“I am,” Alex murmured.
> Her face drained of all color. “Why?”
“Someone has to watch his back, angel. He stands a better chance coming out in one piece with a partner and we’ve been through similar ops together.”
“And it has to be you?”
“We’re partners, best friends. It was always going to be me.”
“There’s no other way?” Del asked.
“Sure.” Deke set his glass on the table with a thud. “You can go back into protective custody. Stella and I will relocate you to a different part of the country and hope Granger doesn’t break our security a second time. Of course, you wouldn’t have Josh and his friends to keep you safe and there’s no telling when law enforcement will catch Granger and lock him away. Could be years. That means a new identity for each of you and no contact with family or friends for the duration. In the meantime, Granger keeps hunting you. Eventually, he’ll get to your family and friends to smoke you out. The real problem isn’t the shooter. The problem is Wright. He’s desperate enough to hire more than one hunter. As long as Granger makes progress or is close, Wright won’t hire someone else. While he searches for you, your life is on hold.” He paused, letting his gaze touch Alex and Josh for a few seconds. “All parts of your life are frozen. Your family and friends, though, go on without you. If you’re gone from Josh’s life indefinitely, Del, he might meet someone else. Do you want to take that chance?”
“Low blow, Marshal.” Del sighed. Even if she might be willing to chance protective custody again, she knew her cousin couldn’t live in terror for possibly years into the future. Ivy had done that for months and was just starting to rediscover herself. Ivy might not survive a second round of virtual imprisonment with her sanity intact.
Besides, she wanted to see where this relationship with Josh headed. Josh Cahill was a very special man, one she would be honored to walk beside the rest of her life. That wasn’t going to happen if she disappeared from his life for a few years. What if the marshals never found Granger? Her gaze locked on Josh’s hazel eyes. She might never see him again. That thought sent a spear of pain so deep into her body, she almost couldn’t breathe. No. A thousand times, no.
Del’s grip on Josh’s hand tightened. “Promise to be careful.” She couldn’t make him promise to be safe. She had to trust his partner. He and Alex had survived their dangerous missions in the military to arrive at this point in their lives. Could this be any more dangerous?
“Always,” Josh said.
She gave a short nod. “What’s the plan?”
After an amazing dinner of chicken and dumplings along with some kind of green bean casserole and a fruit salad, Josh held out his hand to Del. “Walk with me?”
“I should help clean.”
Josh glanced around. Everyone was pitching in to clean except Ivy, who sat on a stool again, and Rio, who was on patrol. “I think they can handle it.”
Del glanced at the back door, fear in her eyes. “What about Granger?”
He gently turned her toward him. “I’ll know if he shows. We’re not going far, baby. I have something I want you to see.”
A quick glance at Ivy. “She needs to get out, too.”
Josh bent down so his mouth pressed against Del’s ear. “Alex is planning to take her to the porch in a few minutes. He’ll take care of her. Let me take care of you.”
He slid his arm around her waist and guided her to the door. A glance at Alex followed by a hand motion garnered a nod of agreement. Once outside the cabin, Josh took Del’s hand and led her to the back of the detached two-car garage. Behind the building, a faint footpath led into the forest. He followed the trail in silence. Though he didn’t expect Granger yet, Josh remained vigilant as he moved deeper into the woods. Birds chirped, squirrels chattered in the distance, all giving him confidence in his assessment of their safety.
Josh led Del to a fallen log beside a burbling creek. Though only about one thousand yards from the cabin, the path they’d taken wound through the forest, around rock outcroppings and bushes, making it seem the place they sat was miles from civilization, an oasis of peace in the midst of chaos and danger.
He sat beside her, watching the water flow by at a decent pace. Must be fed by an underground spring. The drought should have dried the creek to a trickle. For the past two months, Murfreesboro’s rainfall total was about the same as Otter Creek’s. Though the humidity in this part of Tennessee was worse than at home, sitting in the shade beside moving water made the air temperature feel several degrees cooler.
After about fifteen minutes of sitting in silence, Del leaned her head against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Letting me brood.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I did my own share of brooding when you were in protective custody. Figured you could stand a few minutes of normal.”
“I’m scared, Josh.”
“Fear will keep you alert.” He turned her toward him. “I want you safe, baby. I’ll do anything necessary to make that happen.”
Heat simmered in her gaze. “Even compromise your own safety.”
“You know the answer to that.” He’d already put his life on the line more than once and would again. “A few more days. We will end this so you can get on with your life.”
She watched him. “What role will you play in my life?”
Josh longed to tell her how he felt, but the timing couldn’t be worse. He wanted the kind of marriage with her that his parents had, the forever kind. “Any role you’ll allow me. What would you like me to be?”
She started to turn away. He caught her, turned her back. “Tell me what you want, sweetheart.” He prayed she wanted the same things he did.
“You,” she whispered.
“As?”
“Mine.”
A grin grew on his face. Thank God she felt the same way or was at least starting that direction. “Gladly, baby, as long as I can claim you as mine, too.” Josh cupped her face between his palms and kissed her. Minutes later, he eased back. “Enough. You’re a serious distraction and we should get back. The sun’s going down.”
Cheeks flushed, she stood. “I don’t relish another nighttime jaunt through the woods. I’ve had my fill of running scared in the dark, waiting for a bullet to smash into my back.”
In the cabin, Josh noted Ivy’s pink cheeks as she sat beside his partner on the couch. His eyebrows shot up as he caught Alex’s gaze. A wink was his response. Interesting. “How’s the foot, kitten?” He nudged Del to sit in the recliner near her cousin and dropped to the floor at her feet.
“Rio says the swelling is down.” She scowled at her foot. “I’m tired of ice packs. And I hate crutches. They make my arms hurt.”
“Rio said another few days and she should be able to walk,” Alex said. “He suggested a brace. Says it’ll be weak for a while.”
“Do what he says, Ivy. Your ankle will heal faster if you follow his advice.”
“Where is everybody?” Del asked.
“Nate and Quinn are keeping watch. Rio and Deke are asleep,” Alex said.
“Stella?”
“Monitors,” Ivy said.
Josh glanced at his watch. Not late enough to suggest Del and Ivy get some sleep. He suspected they wouldn’t have a full night’s rest. None of his team planned to sleep tonight. If Granger didn’t show overnight, Fortress would keep watch during the day tomorrow. “We have a few minutes before you should rest. Tell me about your family.”
With her leg pressed against his side, Josh felt Del stiffen at his question to Ivy. He reached over and patted her foot. Yeah, he knew the subject was touchy for her cousin. Still, she needed to get her mind off the circumstances and it would give Alex a chance to learn her family background. Couldn’t be any worse than his partner’s family. He’d told Del a slice of Alex’s background. The rest would be up to his partner to share.
Ivy’s eyes darkened. She glanced at Alex, bit her lip.
“General stuff, Ivy
,” Josh encouraged. “I want to know you better.” At those words, Del’s muscles relaxed. That pleased him. She never had to worry he’d embarrass Ivy. He liked her cousin. She had backbone hidden beneath fear. With enough time, the fear would ease and the real Ivy would shine through, the one he’d caught glimpses of in the last few days.
“My parents live in Belle Meade. It’s the part of Nashville where people with old money live.”
He thought about her word choice. “Did you grow up there?”
She nodded.
A telling statement. Ivy was from old money, just like Alex. Both rejected by their families. “Any siblings?”
“Only child.” A sad smile. “Sometimes I think my mother became pregnant by accident. She and my father are very polite to each other. Their marriage was a society match.”
“How are you and Del related?”
“Our mothers are sisters,” Del said. “Marigold and Dahlia Whitmore.”
“They go by Mari and Dee,” Ivy added.
“What about your side of the family, Del?” Alex asked. “Brothers or sisters?”
“Brothers. The rest of our families had a mixture of boys and girls.”
“Were there any siblings besides Mari and Dee?”
“Two more sisters, Rose and Peri.”
Alex blinked. “Perry? As in Perry Mason?”
Del laughed. “Short for Periwinkle.”
“What about your brothers, sweetheart?” Josh asked. “What are their names and what do they do?”
“Evan is a lawyer, Grant a contractor. Malcolm owns a gym. What about your family, Alex? Do you have brothers or sisters?”
“One brother. Porter. Dad’s a huge country music fan.”
“What do your parents do?” Ivy asked.
Behind Josh, Del drew in a quick breath. Again, he patted her foot. She must not have told Ivy about Alex’s family. Alex could handle it. He’d been fending off questions for fifteen years.
“My father is Senator James Morgan. Mom’s name is Cynthia. She’s heavy into Washington, D.C. society.”
Surprise registered on Ivy’s face. “I’ve heard stories about your parents and brother in the news. Why haven’t they said anything about you?”