by Allie Adams
“And the fact that you have a hard-on for the owner doesn't have anything to do with it?”
He tensed but said nothing. It was none of Miller's fucking business how Spencer felt about Kathryn or what body parts stood up to take notice. “Anything else, sir?”
“I want to talk to her.”
“I can arrange that.”
“Alone.”
Spencer glared. “Sorry. If you want to talk to her, you have to do it with me there.”
Miller sighed. “I know I'm not privy to the same information since I'm no longer an active TREX agent, but I still deserve a little respect. I know you were ordered to come up with a story. I know she's probably bucking you every step of the way. And I don't give a shit about any of that. Bring my grandson back to me and I'll make sure the board looks the other way this time.”
Shock stunned Spencer and it took him a second to recover. He kept his voice calm, even, as he asked, “On?”
“You and Kat Davis's relationship.”
“There is no relationship.” His chest pinched as he said it. Miller had the most influence on the board. Did he just give Spencer permission to be with Kathryn?
“If you say so.”
Shit. He couldn't think about that right now. He had to stay focused. “Let's get that coffee.”
As they rounded the Com Van, Spencer literally ran into Kathryn. She stumbled back and if he hadn't reached out and caught her, she would have fallen right on her sweet ass.
“Who's this?” Miller asked.
“Why are you out of the Com Van?” Spencer growled at the same time. They only planned their cover if Miller arrived alone. Nothing in their plan made any allowance for Martha or her little shadow. He couldn't allow Kathryn to talk to Martha or the boyfriend.
“I wanted to see if anyone wanted coffee.”
“I'd love some,” Miller announced, a gleam in his eye.
Son of a bitch.
“I'll bring it in with me. Then you can tell me more about the cabin.” She smiled sweetly and Spencer grit his teeth. Goddamn her. She did that on purpose. And, just like that, everything they'd gone over for the last hour went right out the window.
How in the hell did she know about the fucking cabin?
“Perfect.” Miller even smiled as he gave her a nod.
“I'll be right there,” Spencer told Miller and waited until he disappeared behind the flap of the tent before grabbing Kathryn and dragging her ass far enough away so their guests wouldn't hear them. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Running my search.”
“This was not part of the plan.”
“Neither was Martin Miller having guests. Plans change.”
He couldn't argue that, even though the way she responded to it pissed him off. “How did you know about that cabin?”
She pointed at the window directly above their head. The open window. Unbelievable. She'd heard everything. Fucking perfect.
“You cannot talk to them.” Spencer's stress level edged higher. She now knew the truth surrounding Tommy Miller's disappearance. If she said the wrong thing, she could put the kid in even more danger. Or worse. She could put herself in danger.
“Watch me.”
“Kathryn—”
“This is my search, Spence. I will run it the way I see fit. If you or any of your TREX men get in my way, I'll have your ass. Tommy's life is more important than this agency turf war you seem to have with K-SAR. I'm sure Mr. Miller would agree.”
Her stormy eyes pulled him in, biting at him like the bitter wind that had picked up in the past ten minutes. He knew that look. She wasn't about to back down. Oh, no. That look in her eyes, that stubborn expression on her face told him she had no intent on following his, or any, plan. This was her show.
And she was about to prove it.
EIGHT
Kat held the tent flap open for Spencer. He walked in and set the coffee and Styrofoam cups down on the table while she processed what she'd overheard when he and Martin Miller stood below the Com Van's open window. She'd heard everything. Pros. Mercs. Dead kidnappers. No wonder TREX was involved.
The fact that Tommy was never at Larch Mountain changed everything. Knowing Mr. Miller kept all of this from his daughter both shocked and irritated Kat. But she understood why. Martha sat at the table, her head in her hands. She was clearly distraught over this and didn't need even more reason to worry. Having a missing child was enough.
Why weren't the feds involved? Kidnapping was their jurisdiction. But, with TREX here, she had a feeling jurisdiction meant absolutely nothing. The egotistical agency did what it wanted when it wanted and didn't give a damn who it trampled along the way.
Which meant she'd never get any answers out of Martin Miller. He screamed TREX and mentioned something about being an ex-agent. Kat flicked a quick glance at the boyfriend and decided to start there. Damon Salazar, she'd heard the men call him. Since Spencer already had Martin Miller under control, and Martha Miller didn't even have control of herself, Damon Salazar was hers.
“Mr. Salazar? I'm Kat Davis. I'm in charge of the search for Tommy.” She reached out her hand. When he didn't offer his in return, she grabbed it and shook it hard. The man stiffened and pulled away. “It's so dark in here. Are you sure you want to keep those sunglasses on?”
He gave Kat a shifty smile and a shiver crawled up her spine. That wasn't just a smile. He suspected something. As she nonchalantly scratched her forehead to hide her eyes, she shot a quick glance Spencer's way. He had his gaze narrowed in on Salazar with pinpoint precision and she knew. He picked up on her quick hint and gave her a slight nod, telling her he had them in his sights.
Hesitantly, Salazar removed the glasses and shoved them into a coat pocket. Those beady little black eyes rested on her.
“Much better. I really like to look into my informant's eyes when I interview him.”
“Your what?” Salazar immediately stiffened and took a step toward the tent opening. Casually, Spencer made his way over to the front and stopped, blocking Salazar from leaving.
Interesting. So he didn't like that word. Kat would bet her thumb he'd spent time in prison. “How about we move over to the woodstove. I'm feeling a chill from the opening.”
Salazar jerked a glance Spencer's way before giving Kat a nod. He wouldn't be getting out of there without Spencer's permission. They walked to the rear of the fourteen-by-twenty tent. She made sure to keep her back to the rest of their guests, giving Salazar the false sense of control. He may just let his guard down enough for Kat to read him. She hoped.
She had to play this very carefully. If he suspected anything, he'd close up on her and she'd lose her window of opportunity. She'd learned over the years how to interview witnesses. Some told her the truth and nothing but. Others told her nothing but lies. Her ability to be able to decipher between the two held the key to her success.
“How well do you know the Millers?”
Salazar shifted his gaze from the others in the tent to her. His ebony eyebrows spiked. “Excuse me?”
She made the grand gesture of looking over her shoulder before leaning closer to him. She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “What can you tell me about the circumstances surrounding Tommy's disappearance?”
That eyebrow lifted higher. “Disappearance?”
“Missing. Disappeared.” She flashed a flirty smile. His shoulders relaxed and he even offered her a hint at a smile.
“Why ask me?”
“In my experience,” she went on, using a soft, gentle voice that had Salazar's posture continuing to relax with every word. “If I want the truth, I ask outside the family.”
“Is that so?”
“I knew as soon as I saw you that I could trust you. Right now, I need you to talk to me.”
That curl of his lips slithered into a full-on grin. A creepy, thin grin that sent a ripple of shivers crawling across her skin. His tone warmed as he asked, “What is it you need to know?”
She offered a shrug and another smile, hating that she had to pull the flirty, chick card but used it anyway. And it seemed to be working. Salazar held Kat in his warming gaze. She suppressed a shudder.
“When was the last time you saw Tommy?”
He broke their eye contact to lift his gaze to the ceiling, a classic stall tactic. Whatever he said next would be a lie.
“Yesterday.”
When he rested his gaze back on her, she swallowed hard. Dear God. He actually had lust swirling in those black orbs. He smiled and licked his lips as his attention bounced to hers. Seriously? In the middle of a search for his girlfriend's son? Then again, she'd started it.
And now she'd have to keep it going. Another shiver ripped up her spine.
“How close are you to Martha?”
He scraped his gaze over Kat's body, slow and steady. “I make it a point of knowing every inch of my women.”
She had to swallow down the contents of her stomach from the visual. “So you're very close?”
“I'm afraid my time with Martha may have run its course.”
He'd make that decision in the middle of searching for her child? What a dick. “What do you do for a living?”
“I'm a lawyer.”
That explained it. The only vermin in her book lower than the press. “Impressive.”
He puffed out his chest as he spiked an eyebrow. “Do you like men of power, Ms. Davis?”
She was surely going to go to Hell for this. Taking a tiny step closer, she then tilted her head up at him. “I do.”
“I knew the minute you walked in. You were attracted to me right away.”
Arrogant ass. “What can I say? I have good taste.”
“That you do.” He flicked a glance behind her. His lips slithered into a grin as his gaze lowered, no doubt onto Martha. He then lifted his attention to Spencer and lost his smile as some of the color drained from his face.
He drew his gaze back to Kat. “I don't think your boyfriend approves of you talking to me.”
She looked over her shoulder, locking her gaze with Spencer's. Those dark eyes swirled with uncertainty and irritation. He flexed and relaxed his jaw over and over. She'd have some serious explaining to do after this.
Facing Salazar once again, she offered him a hint of a smile. “I prefer men over boys.”
The color returned to Salazar's face, and then some. “I knew there was something between us.”
“When this is over…” she trailed off, waiting to see if he'd take the bait.
He did. Pulling out a card from his coat, he wrote down a number on the back and handed it to her. “Call me.”
She took the card and tucked it into her back pocket. “Let me ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“How long have you known the Millers?”
“I've been a family friend for years.”
Busted. Martin Miller told Spencer that Salazar had only met Martha three months ago. She kept going to see what other lies she could get out of him.
“You said you saw Tommy yesterday?”
“That's right.”
“Before he came up here with those three adults?”
Something in his gaze shifted, hardened. “Martin said he was up here with the Robinson family.”
That didn't answer her question. “Do you know the Robinsons?”
“I never did meet them.”
Another lie. And he spoke about them in the past tense. He knew they were already dead. That gave her enough. Casually, she brought her hand behind her and curled her finger, motioning for Spencer to join them.
He did. His gaze bounced from her to Salazar. “Is everything okay?”
Time to come clean. She pulled the card out of her back pocket and handed it to Spencer, her gaze never leaving Salazar's. “Check the number on the back of this with the text from that burner phone.”
At once, Damon Salazar transformed from the flirty man trying to get into Kat's pants to a cold, expressionless son of a bitch. His eyes darkened as anger hooded them, his attention on her. “Playing the femme fatale to gain information. How very TREX of you.”
In an instant, Spencer latched onto Salazar's throat, pushing him up against the woodstove with one hand. Years of training as a TREX agent had hardened his body into a well-tuned, deadly weapon.
“Oh, my God!” Martha cried and jumped to her feet.
“Allen!” Martin barked. “What in the hell do you think you're doing?”
“My job,” he replied in a low and even, dangerously lethal tone, his burning glare never leaving Salazar. “You have three seconds to tell me what you know.”
“Daddy, do something!”
“One,” Spencer ground out, his focus on Salazar. Kat stepped back and watched, knowing better than to get in the middle of Spencer's actions. He could be downright terrifying at times. Like now. It scared her, and yet thrilled her to see him in action.
“I don't know anything!”
“What's going on?” Martha cried. Martin Miller pulled his daughter into his arms. Apparently he knew not to get in Spencer's way when he got like this, too.
Martha fought her father as she tried to get to Damon. “Let me go.”
“Stay out of it, sweetheart.”
She punched at her father's arms around her. “He's killing him! Damon? He can't breathe. Let him go, you monster! Daddy, do something.”
“Two.” Spencer squeezed tighter. Salazar was turning purple. He clawed at Spencer's hand but it didn't make a difference. And now he was turning blue.
“I…can't…”
“Three.” He lifted Salazar clear off the ground, pulled a gun, and brought it up to Salazar's face. Salazar's eyes flew open wide and he put up his hands. When Spencer cocked the gun, Salazar snapped.
“He's on a peak.”
“We're on a peak. You'd better give me more than that.” Spencer dug the barrel into Salazar's cheek.
“They took him to a peak. That's all I know.”
Martha's cries of desperation silenced immediately as she stood in her father's hold, her eyes wide. “D-Damon? What are you saying?” When no one answered her, she started in, her voice an octave higher. “He said they took him. Did someone take my son? Talk to me, damn you!” She punched at her father. “Someone tell me what's going on!”
Martin Miller held her tighter as his expression displayed the same amount of shock as Martha's did. “Salazar? Did you have something to do with my grandson's disappearance?”
“Shut up.” Spencer lethal tone sliced into the air. The tent fell silent except for Martha's sobs against her father's shoulder.
Kat swallowed tightly and had to turn away from Martha. The anguish washing over her twisted in Kat's heart. No mother should ever have to deal with something like this.
Spencer spoke. “How about you start at the beginning?”
“I've told you everything I know.”
“You wouldn't be lying to me, would you? I'd hate to spray your gray matter all over the inside of this tent.”
“I swear.”
Spencer moved the gun up to Salazar's forehead.
Salazar cried out as his hands went up. He visibly trembled. “I swear! They took him to the peak.”
“The Peak?” Kat broke in as her pulse suddenly throbbed in her ears. “Or a peak?”
“I don't know.”
Spencer pushed the gun harder into Salazar's skull.
“The Peak! The Peak!”
Oh sweet Jesus. Kat's heart stopped and painfully started again. “Spence, we've been searching on the wrong side of this mountain. The Peak is Capital Peak and it's two miles south of here.”
Spencer jerked the gun away and touched the collar of his turtleneck. “Weber, get ready to move. We're on the wrong fucking peak. I need a team in here. Now.”
Almost immediately, TREX men in black poured into the tent, saw Spencer nod at Salazar, and surrounded the man.
“You son of a bitch!” Martha scre
amed and tried to break from her father's grasp. If it were Kat, she'd let Martha at him. He deserved to feel the wrath of a mother protecting her child. “What did you do with my son?”
Without a word the TREX men zip tied Salazar and dragged him out, no doubt to conduct their own interrogation. Kat shuddered at the thought of what they were about to do to him to get him to talk.
Dan Weber walked in, took one look at Martin Miller consoling his daughter, and then rested his gaze on Spencer and Kat. Spencer gave a nod at the Millers. Weber nodded in return.
Weber pressed his collar. “Aims. Cummings.” Within a few seconds, two TREX agents walked into the tent. “Ms. Miller? This is Bruce and Alan. They are going to sit with you while I talk with Spencer.”
He didn't wait for an answer from the Millers and stormed out. Spencer hurried after him. Oh, the hell with that. Kat refused to let TREX cut her out on this. She just broke this thing wide open and those were still her teams out there. She ran outside and spotted Spencer with his SAC off to her left. When she approached, they stopped talking.
“Tell me what's going on.”
“We don't have time,” Weber growled. “Get your teams over to that other peak.”
He did not just order her like he had a say in this. “Not until you talk to me.”
Weber glared at her. “If you don't—”
“I'll take care of it,” Spencer cut in and turned to her, his back to Weber. “Listen, there are some things about this find we are not going to be able to share with you, Kathryn. You're going to just have to accept that.”
“Tell me where the cabin is. We start there.”
“Jesus Christ, Allen.” Weber shook his head as he glared at Spencer. “Did you tell her anything else you were ordered not to?”
“She overheard Miller talking to me about the cabin.”
“I also know about the kidnappers. The dead kidnappers. If you want me to move my teams to the other peak, you'd better give me more to go on than what I've got.”
Spencer lowered his voice as he spoke to his SAC. “I think we need to read her in completely.”