by Penny McCall
“You never got stabbed by a beauty queen.”
“Not with a real knife.” She turned away, started pacing again. “That wasn’t the biggest problem with the pageant circuit. The biggest problem was the men. Sometimes escorts were provided, but there were men hanging around at all the pageants. That’s how I met Bennet.”
Fuck, Tag thought, the name hitting him like a solid right to the gut, even though she’d said it once already. He still had trouble believing Alex would have anything personal to do with a man like Harper. Sure, it had been six or seven years ago; she wouldn’t have been the suspicious soul she was now… Until Bennet Harper got through with her. And Tag would have bet his right nut that whatever Harper had done to her, she’d paid him back, at least in part. Why else would he be so hell-bent on dragging her into this mess that he’d burn her out of her home?
The really tragic part was that that should have been his first clue, and looking back now there’d been plenty of other opportunities to figure out the connection. Not to mention Mike Kovaleski. Mike had been trying to tell him something about Alex that first morning in Casteel. Giving the phone up to a bad-tempered hick with sewer-breath might have been the right decision; not calling Mike back, that was sheer stupidity.
But hindsight was twenty-twenty, and if he kept looking over his shoulder he wasn’t going to see what was about to hit him in the face. That would be the biggest mistake of all.
“Tag?”
“I’m listening,” he said, focusing on her face but tuning her out almost immediately. Nobody was dead, he reminded himself. Alex was going to be pissed off. He caught sight of the rumpled bed behind her. Okay, she was going to be really pissed off, but he could get around that. He’d just have to find the right time to tell her the truth. And the right time, he decided, would be when they were out in the middle of nowhere and she wasn’t anywhere near her horse. Or her gun.
“—after my money,” Alex was saying when he checked back into the narrative, “or rather my mother’s and stepfather’s money. Bennet started his career off as an investment banker, and when he failed at that, he decided to become a financial planner.”
And now that he’d failed at that, Tag thought, he was selling fantasies.
“He was building a client list when I met him,” Alex continued. “About five seconds after we began dating he started filling that list with friends of my parents’.”
“And then he lost their money.”
“Sounds like you know him.”
“I know the type,” Tag said. “He’s a user. He wants—no he deserves certain things in life and he’ll use anyone he has to to get them. It probably wasn’t personal, Alex.”
She winced a little at that.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“No, you’re right, it definitely wasn’t personal. I was just another of those things he wanted to acquire, a wife with a pedigree who opened the door to a class of people with nice, plump portfolios he could hijack. It took me a little too long to figure that out, but once I did I called off the wedding. My mother didn’t want to go public with the reason, but it was enough for her friends and my stepfather’s business associates to know we broke up. He’d already made so many bad investments, lost so much money… Once we were through, nobody wanted anything more to do with him.”
Nobody in Alex’s social class, Tag thought. Harper had found investors somewhere.
“I went back to college after that,” she continued, “took classes year round until I finished my PhD. Then I won the grant to study mountain lions and came out here.”
“He wasn’t just marrying you for your money,” Tag said, taking that for the end of the story.
“No, he was getting social standing, too.”
Alex might choose to believe that, but Tag had seen Bennet Harper’s face when he talked about her. And a man, even one like Harper, didn’t go to such lengths to get revenge on a woman if there weren’t any feelings involved. “If all he wanted was social standing and exposure to people with money, he would’ve found someone less intelligent to marry.”
Alex stared at him blankly for a few seconds, and then she smiled. “You’re good for my ego, Donovan.”
“You’re entitled to your ego, Scott. Colorado couldn’t have been easy, compared to Boston.”
She bumped up a shoulder. “It was a big transition, but I fought my way through it and I’m glad I did. Bennet Harper may be a large part of the reason I came out here, but he’s not the reason I stayed. And on that embarrassing note, I think I’ll take a shower.” She started for the bathroom, then thought better of it and came back, resting one hand on his bare chest and leaning in to kiss him.
It was a hell of a kiss, too; it would have incinerated his thoughts, if his thoughts hadn’t already been on fire, burning with questions. He finally understood why Alex was in this mess, and it wasn’t good news for anyone on her side. Revenge was definitely part of Harper’s game plan; the question was, what could he do to her that was worse than what he’d already done? And what part did he expect Tag to play in getting even?
As soon as he heard the shower running, he got Mike Kovaleski on the phone. He filled Mike in on what had happened since their last conversation just three days ago— omitting the hour he and Alex had spent in bed—and gave him the high points of the story Alex had just told him.
“She was engaged to Bennet Harper,” Mike confirmed, “which I tried to tell you the last time you called.”
“I don’t have time for a lecture,” Tag said. “Harper doesn’t trust me anymore. I handled the meeting with him all wrong. The fact that he ended the conversation with a threat proves that.”
“You think he knows you’re…”
“No. If he knew who I was, I’d be dead. He said as much, said he has an investor who knows how to deal with cops— he’s heard stories the law enforcement agencies would be interested in, is how he put it. Including the FBI.”
“Zukey?”
“The thought crossed my mind.”
“Maybe it’s time to pull Sappresi in for questioning.”
Tag almost said yes. It lodged in his throat, that single word, and it went perfectly with the picture in his brain. Tony Sappresi in an interrogation room, spilling his guts, was the one thing he’d wanted for months, right before Tony went to trial and then to jail for the rest of his life. And if they brought him in, what would happen to Alex? For the first time since Zukey’s murder, something, or rather, someone, was more important.
“Nothing I’d like more than watching Sappresi sweat,” he said to Mike. “Problem is, we don’t know if Harper is talking about Sappresi, and if he is, Sappresi is just an investor. A victim.”
“We could bring Harper in. How long do you think he’d hold up in interrogation?”
“Forever. We don’t have any proof yet that he’s done anything wrong. No proof, no leverage, so how do we get him to roll on Sappresi?”
“I think you’re overestimating his ability to withstand questioning,” Mike said.
“I think you’re underestimating Harper’s fear. He was real careful not to name names, and trust me, he was trying to scare me because he’s scared himself. He knows exactly what will happen to him if he rolls on somebody nasty enough to take out an FBI agent. And what about Alex?”
“What about her?” Mike asked in his usual terse style. “Taking Harper out might solve her problem—”
“Or it might not. Harper is after more than treasure here. He wants something from Alex, but he doesn’t want to hurt her,” at least not physically, “as long as she’s of use to him.”
“Okay.” Mike went silent, thinking.
Tag heard the water cut off. “Can’t talk much longer,” he said. “Put somebody on Harper’s investment list. We need to find out if Sappresi is on there, and there’s no way I can do it myself right now—not with Alex around anyway. She won’t agree to stay in Denver while I wait for an opportunity to search Harper’s room unless I
give her a good reason.” Which meant he’d have to tell her the truth, and if he did that the whole fiasco was going to blow up in his face.
“Jesus, Donovan, you really have got your nuts in the wringer on this one.”
“Brilliant observation,” Tag said.
“I’ll put Jack Mitchell and Aubrey Sullivan on digging out Harper’s investor list,” Mike said.
“Wait, Aubrey Sullivan? She’s an agent?”
“Yep.”
“Jack Mitchell took a partner. Never thought I’d live long enough to see that. Or he’d live long enough to do it.”
“It’s quite a story. I’ll tell you about it someday when you’re not in mortal danger from Miss USA and her boy toy.”
“Funny,” Tag said. “Just get Mitchell started on that end. I’ll take care of things in Colorado.”
“How?”
“Play the game. What else can I do?”
The only response he got was a dial tone, none too soon, it turned out.
Alex poked her head out the bathroom door just as Tag put the phone down. There was a question in her eyes.
“I was going to order room service for lunch, but I thought maybe you’d rather get out of here for a while.”
“I was kind of expecting you to join me in here.”
“I’m still recovering,” Tag said, but he couldn’t help grinning.
She smiled faintly in return, but she obviously had something else on her mind. “I— I’ve had pretty bad luck with men,” she said, and when she lifted her eyes to his the gray was clouded with uncertainty. It was a powerful emotion to see in a woman who was nothing if not confident. “I hope you understand that this…” her eyes cut to the bed and quickly away, “what happened earlier, that was just…”
“Sex?”
“I’d like to think there was some friendship involved.”
“There is.”
She nodded, easing the bathroom door closed. In a minute Tag heard the blow dryer whine to life.
He laid his head against the back of the chair and called himself every kind of fool there was.
He’d walked into this case thinking it was just busy-work, something to keep him out of trouble while he dealt with losing a partner. All he needed to do, he’d thought, was hang Bennet Harper out to dry for running a con.
And then he’d been dumped out of an airplane on an innocent and unsuspecting woman, who’d saved his life and wormed her way into his affections. There, he’d admitted it. This wasn’t a game anymore; it was personal. And he and Alex were in a whole lot of trouble if he didn’t start figuring some things out.
Like where did the treasure fit in? In the beginning, Tag had believed the treasure was nothing more than a white elephant, a shill for the investors and a wild goose chase for him. It seemed, however, that Harper actually believed there was a treasure. Why else hire two teams to search for it, and why else shanghai Alex into guiding him? And if Harper believed there was a treasure, and he didn’t trust Tag, why was he letting them go after it? Why take the chance he and Alex would find it and double-cross him?
He was pretty sure Harper would have answered some or all of those questions this morning, if Tag had kept his head in the game. All he’d had to do was play along, find out exactly what Harper hoped to gain by bringing Alex into this mess, and deal with it. Instead, he’d let it slip that Alex was more to him than just the pawn Harper intended her to be. As a result, he’d become a pawn himself, and the odds sucked for pawns surviving the chess game.
If Alex found out he was working for Bennet Harper, those odds would drop sharply. It would have been bad enough when she only thought he was lying to her. Now they’d slept together; there weren’t any excuses good enough to get him off the hook for taking advantage of her that way. It wouldn’t matter that he was an FBI agent, or that he was trying to put Harper in jail. It would matter that he was using her. He wouldn’t just lose her trust, she’d hate him.
If he had an ounce of decency he’d yank her out of that bathroom and tell her everything—and she’d run. History told him that much. She’d take off and tell herself she could deal with whatever Harper threw at her. She was a capable woman, but she had no idea what she was up against, and Tag wasn’t about to let her out of his sight until he knew she was safe.
She’d find out the truth at some point, but with any luck that wouldn’t happen until they were out in the back of beyond, and she didn’t have anywhere to run. Of course he’d have to take her gun away from her first. And make sure they were nowhere near Jackass. And tie her up.
He looked over at the bed, hot at the thought of tying her up and completely forgetting about the moment of truth to come. He’d cross that bridge when he got to it. And hope to hell Alex didn’t throw him off it. Yeah, the truth could definitely wait.
If that made him a coward, then he was a coward.
And Alex really did have bad luck with men.
Chapter Seventeen
TAG AND ALEX HAD LUNCH ON THE ROAD, HALFWAY back to the Bar D. He drove again. Alex stayed on her side of the bench seat, gaze confined to the scenery outside the passenger window. Sleeping with Tag had seemed right at the time; so had telling him about Bennet Harper. Now it was just uncomfortable.
“Wishing you hadn’t told me about your ex?” Tag said.
“I’m struggling to come to terms with it, hence the silent contemplation.”
“Hence?”
She didn’t take the bait. Not that it discouraged Tag.
“So what platitudes are you using?” he wanted to know. “Water under the bridge? What’s done is done? One day at a time?”
“Actually, I was going for out of sight, out of mind, but it’s kind of hard to forget you when you keep talking.”
“That’s not a platitude, that’s an insult.” He grinned over at her. “I’m unforgettable.”
He had her there, but she thought it was best to keep that to herself. Tag wouldn’t be around any longer than he had to be. That was a reality she had no trouble facing.
At the moment he’d disappeared into his own thoughts, so Alex went back to looking out the window. After the noise and commotion of the city, the endless blue sky and wide-open spaces were soothing. Although the temperature was still crisp in the mornings and evenings, the weather had turned for good. She cracked the window and took a deep breath, the air gliding like silk into her lungs, without the aftertaste of exhaust to catch at the back of her throat.
An eagle was riding the thermals off in the distance. She watched it for a while and felt like she’d been gone a million years instead of two days. She wasn’t really free, not yet, but out here, with the mountains around her, she felt like she would be again, soon.
When they pulled into the Bar D ranch yard Alex went directly to the barn to check on Jackass and found Dee in there with him. Dee greeted her with a hug. Jackass greeted her with a long, reproachful look over the top of the stall. After that he turned his head to the wall and refused to acknowledge her presence.
“He dogged the mares for a while,” Dee said, “then he got bored with that and tried to bash his way out of the corral, so I put him back in here. Now he’s just depressed.”
“She’s only been gone for two days.”
Jackass didn’t appreciate Tag’s observation. Jackass enjoyed being the center of attention. Alex opened the stall door, prepared to give him what he wanted, but he nearly flattened her in his rush to exit the barn. They followed him out and found him at the corral just outside, Angel standing on the other side of the rail. The two horses nuzzled each other, Jackass not so depressed anymore. In fact, Jackass looked downright happy. For a horse.
“Huh,” Dee said. “Will you look at that.”
Alex just rolled her eyes and went back inside, returning with Jackass’s saddle.
Tag wasn’t quite so eager to be on horseback again, but after a long, level stare from Alex he retrieved his own personal torture device.
“Maybe you should spe
nd the night here,” Dee said to Alex, “for his sake if nothing else.”
“We have to get back to Casteel,” Tag and Alex said almost in unison.
Tag dropped the saddle.
Alex jammed her hands on her hips. “I thought you wanted to get out in the field right away.”
“Why do you want to go back there?” he demanded at the same time. “Because the sheriff of Mayberry asked you to?” She’d called him from the room before they left Denver. The side of the conversation Tag could hear had consisted of one-word responses. At least one of them had been “yes.”
“If you mean Matt, then you’re right,” Alex said, “and don’t change the subject. Why do you want to go back?”
“Does it really matter? Your mind is made up and you won’t back off until you get your way.”
“And you’re the soul of compromise?”
“What the hell are you arguing about when you both want to do the same thing?” Dee put in, then held up her hands when both Tag and Alex turned on her. “Fine, you two hash this out.” And she walked away. Not out of earshot, though; that wouldn’t have been any fun at all.
“There’s nothing to hash out. Alex has a date.” Tag hefted Angel’s saddle and headed for the corral.
Let Alex think he was pissed off because she was running back to Matt at a moment’s notice. He didn’t want to add another lie to the list he was already going to have to explain, and he couldn’t tell her the truth. They had to go back to Casteel because the only way to figure this thing out was to play Bennet Harper’s game. That would be kind of hard to do if the rest of the players didn’t know where they were, and the rest of the players were in Casteel.
And he wasn’t jealous.
“Knowing Matt, he has a good reason to drag you back there,” Dee said when she came over to help him saddle Angel.