by Lynde Lakes
“Thanks,” Amber murmured. But no one could help. It wasn’t just her injuries hurting—her heart was breaking. But darned if she’d wait for Luke to discharge her. It would be less painful to leave on her own. After all, she had a logical and truthful reason that defied any argument. She had to face the things she’d run from in her home town before facing the San Antonio police—and before making a fresh start. After she said good-bye to everyone, she would hitch a ride with one of the truckers to the nearest town, and then catch a bus to Edinburg.
The front door bell rang, followed by pounding. Everyone exchanged unsettled glances.
“I’ll get it,” Molly said. When she returned, two men in rumpled suits trailed her into the room. Molly was frowning. “Amber, these men are here to see you.”
The tallest guy flashed a badge. “San Antonio Police Department, Ma’am. I’m Detective Reilly and this is Gomez. We have a warrant for your arrest.”
“What’s the charge?” She hated the tremor in her voice.
“Murder of Phillip Rhoades.”
Amber’s heart sank. Her knees were shaking so badly she couldn’t stand. She took their cards, glanced at them, then placed them on the table. She picked up her mug of tea and took a long sip. Finally calmer, she lifted her chin. “May I see the warrant?”
Detective Reilly pulled the folded document from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to her. She unfolded it and tried to make out the words that seemed to be all jumbled together.
She’d known detectives from the SAPD would eventually find her. She was eager to get the interrogation over with, but today was too soon. She needed time with Alicia and Luke—time to say good-bye. And she needed to face the ghosts in Edinburg.
Luke stood to his full height, which was several inches taller than Reilly, and placed his hand on her uninjured shoulder. “The sheriff has the guys who killed Rhoades in jail. Amber had nothing to do with the murder.”
Amber appreciated Luke’s help, but she had to stand up for herself. “I didn’t kill anyone. Can’t we just handle this here?”
“You’ll have to come with us, ma’am,” Reilly said.
Matt shot to his feet, and flipped open his FBI badge. “That won’t work for the bureau. She’s in my custody. National security matter—until she’s debriefed by the Feds, she stays with me. I’ll bring her to San Antonio to answer your questions after we’re through with her.”
Through with her. Amber bristled at his choice of words. But what did she expect? Matt never was the most tactful man in Texas. Apparently, he was authorized to use that badge.
She’d come to realize that, like Luke, Matt was a highly honorable man, who’d said more than once, that the badge was something to live up to. Relief flitted through her, and she felt like a canary who’d escaped her cage. This could work out great—she wouldn’t have to go with these men. That made Matt her number two hero. Suddenly, Amber wanted to hug him. He was in her corner—just like everyone said.
Her heart skipped a beat. Wait a minute. He’d just said that she was in his custody. No one had told her that. Was she a prisoner here?
This turn of events confused the police detectives as much as Amber, and they called their chief. He contacted the Feds to verify Matt’s authority, then returned the investigator’s call and gave them the okay to let Matt bring her in.
After they left, she turned to Matt. “Okay, what’s the deal with the FBI? What does in-your-custody mean?” She had to get this straight.
Matt’s cell phone rang and he held up a hand. “Hold on a minute,” he told her. “Matt here,” he growled. He listened a few minutes, then said, “I’ll be right there.” He turned to Luke. “Emergency meeting with the sheriff. Take Amber into the library and explain the tricky situation to her.”
What was it the family couldn’t hear?
Before Matt grabbed his Stetson, he leaned over and whispered something to Luke, then raced out the door. Amber wanted to stop Matt and make him stay and clear things up, but the idea of talking to Luke alone kept her silent.
Luke stood and extended his hand. When she put her cool fingers into his warm grasp, he drew her to her feet. The momentum brought her so close that she connected with his solid chest and felt the rapid beating of his heart. Their gazes met and held. She had an insane urge to pull his head down and kiss him breathless. Before she could weigh the consequences of doing something so brazen in front of his family, Luke took her arm and guided her to the library. She was as unnerved by Luke’s warm touch and her own reaction as she was by Matt running off and leaving her with a slew of questions.
Luke released her arm, reluctantly, she thought. After drawing the wooden library sliders closed, he faced her. His presence filled the room, overwhelming her with his masculinity—his sexuality. They were alone—totally alone. It was what she wanted. Was she strong enough to handle it? His eyes darkened, and she felt the clear and present danger down to her toes. She fought the intensity between them with all her might.
Only a surge of anger saved her from melting into his arms. “Okay, what do you know about this so called tricky situation?”
Using his cane, he limped over to the chair in front of the desk and eased down into the black leather. “All of it, I guess. Matt and I discussed it earlier this morning.” Luke’s voice was tired. He’d gone through hell—so much pain, so much worry.
Amber fought her urge to go to him—to put her arms around him. She had to remember that when she was no longer in FBI custody, he would send her away. “Since it concerns me, I should’ve been invited to your powwow.”
He watched her, his gaze probing, making her heart thunder with desire. The intensity in his dark, smoldering eyes made it clear he still wanted her. That hadn’t changed. His eyes narrowed. “You’re here now,” he said in his low Texas drawl.
“Only because this was forced on you.” She didn’t try to hide the resentment in her voice.
“It’s my choice to stay in this until it’s over. You should know that.”
His statement flowed out, so reasonable, so maddening, giving rise to more questions. She would get back to those after she cleared up the custody issue. “Okay. What’s the deal?” She drew a shaky breath, and seeking support, she leaned her bottom against the edge of the mahogany desk directly in front of him.
“The Feds need to debrief you. They’ll want your testimony. You’re a key witness. Until we’re sure we got all the players in this Nevada terrorist setup, you might still be in danger.”
That was it. That was why he hadn’t told her to leave. He cared for her too much to send her away—until he was sure she would be safe. She loved him for that. Would always love him. “Carrillo admitted killing his partner—that makes him head honcho,” she said.
“Of his crime ring, maybe. But as you know, there’s more involved. We’re lucky he didn’t kill you on the spot.”
“That was his plan. But when he looked through the journal and found missing pages, he thought I hid them. He mumbled something about account numbers.”
“Might be for offshore bank accounts—payoffs for providing explosives to terrorists. Any idea where Rhoades stashed the pages?”
Memories swirled in Amber’s head, stunning her with their clarity. “Mr. Rhoades rented a safe deposit box in San Antonio two weeks before his murder.”
Luke went very still. “Where?”
“San Antonio Commercial Savings and Loan in Davy Crockett Plaza.”
“What about a key?”
She shrugged and winced from the pain that shot through her shoulder.
Concern deepened the brown in Luke’s eyes. “That’s okay. The Feds won’t need a key. They’ll get a locksmith and drill the thing open.”
Using his cane for support, Luke rose and sat down on the desk beside her. When he turned and faced her, it brought him startlingly close. He smelled like leather and coffee. Amber’s breath went shallow as sexual electricity in its most primitive form rocked her senses.
He gently touched her shoulder. “Did you take the pain pills the doctor gave you?”
“They make me sleepy. And I have too much to do.”
“What’s so important it can’t wait a few days?”
Escaping your rejection and getting on with my life. With the new developments about the Feds, she decided to keep her sharp retort to herself. “Matt whispered something to you. What was that about?”
“The FBI raided the plastic factory. They wanted Matt to look at some documents and letters. They think they’ve got some kind of ticking clock by the ringer and—”
“Has anyone talked to Nina Carson?” The woman struck her as no dummy, the kind of person who would make it a point to know what was going on.
“Clammed up, same as the others.”
Amber’s heart pounded, thinking of the horror of Nine-Eleven. She had to try to stop a repeat of the senseless killing. “I’d like to go to the sheriff’s office and talk to her.”
Luke stared at Amber as if she had completely lost her mind. “What the hell for? Questioning her is the FBI’s job!”
“But they haven’t gotten anything out of her, and I think I can. Nina has no stomach for all this.” Amber knew she had to convince herself that Nina wasn’t all bad, or she’d freeze. “Alicia would’ve been treated a lot worse without her help. I think on a woman-to-woman level I can get Nina to tell me what the terrorists are planning.”
Luke frowned. “I don’t like it. But with the stakes so high… I’ll call the sheriff and see if they’ll go along with it.” He grabbed the phone and dialed. Someone came on the line after only a few rings. From the conversation, Amber could tell the sheriff was desperate enough to let her try. After hanging up, Luke said, “It’s a go. Matt’s at the sheriff’s office with some Feds. He’ll wait for us.”
Luke stroked her back and shoulder. Instead of calming her, he’d stirred feelings that had been building for a long time. She ran the fingers of her good hand through his hair. The texture was thick, and as soft as Alicia’s. “Thank you for supporting me on this.”
“It’s too important not to try.” Their gazes met and held.
Possessed by an undeniable force, she drew his face down so close to hers that his breath tickled her nose.
He moved his head back a little. Now, he was looking at her lips. “Do you plan ahead to get the timing right, or does frustrating me come natural to you?” His voice was husky.
“Sorry, Luke,” she whispered. “It’s definitely the wrong time and the wrong place.” What if this moment is all we ever have? How much time can a few kisses take? She stroked the strong column of his neck slowly. Good grief, what was she trying to prove with her brazen behavior? Was it that she could tantalize him, then walk away unscathed? Drat. Now she was lying to herself.
His mouth found her earlobe and she shivered at the delicious tingle. The effect was definitely better than any pain pill. To face Nina, she needed his kisses like a double shot of adrenaline. Luke slid kisses down her neck to the hollow, breathing fire onto her skin, stirring a savage fever. He crushed her lips, and his tongue slipped inside and ravaged her mouth. She matched his out-of-control hunger. Skimming his broad chest with her hand, she explored his hard, lean muscles, wanting to touch all of him. The tip of his throbbing arousal pressed into her thigh, the thrill of the contact sending flames of desire to her core, giving her a heady sense of power. When he drew her closer, excruciating pain shot through her shoulder. She stiffened. “I guess this wasn’t such a good idea.”
He swore and dropped his hands from her. “Sorry. I should have known better than this, but you have this persuasive way about you.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “I hope my supposed convincing powers work on Nina,” Amber said, as if getting Nina to talk was all that was on her mind. Too bad her damnable injuries had gotten in the way. She would have liked to have more than kisses to remember for the rest of her life.
****
Fighting shivers of fear, Amber met with Nina in a room with one-way glass. Nina wore an orange jumpsuit and shackles. Her once beautiful blonde hair looked dull. She had pulled it back in a ponytail and secured it with a rubber band. She wore no makeup and had a black eye and a cut lip.
Amber slid into the chair across from her and cleared her throat. “What happened to you?” She hoped it wasn’t the local law’s way of interrogating a prisoner.
“What do you care?” Nina narrowed her eyes and glared at Amber.
If looks could kill, Amber figured she would be dead. “I do care. No one should hit you.” She wouldn’t wish a beating on anyone, even this vile kidnapper.
“Yeah? Well, the special welcome was compliments of cell mates who claimed I was too pretty.”
Amber wished her knees would stop shaking. “Probably beat up others because they weren’t pretty enough. Bullies always find an excuse to pound someone,” she said, hoping to establish some common ground.
“Cut the crap,” Nina said. “What the hell are you doing here? I’d think you wouldn’t want to come within a hundred miles of any of us.”
“I wanted to thank you for what you did for Alicia. She would’ve been treated worse without your help.”
Something unreadable flickered in Nina’s eyes. “It was a mistake,” she said. “Look how things turned out.”
“You protected a helpless little girl. That says something very good about you.”
Nina snickered. “Peddle your Mary Poppins’ drivel to someone else. I’m not buying.”
Amber caught herself before she frowned. She was blowing this. Luke had warned her this could happen. Was he gloating behind the one-way glass? No, this was too important. Besides, he wasn’t the kind of man to take pleasure in her failure. Oh, God, she couldn’t fail. According to the documents the Feds seized from the plastic factory, the clock was ticking toward disaster.
She wiped her hands on her Levi’s. “Okay. Forget the thanks and answer a woman-to-woman question for me. How did a talented and beautiful person like you get mixed up with the likes of Carrillo?”
Nina’s laugh was bitter. “Ain’t love a bitch?”
Beneath the toughness and defensiveness in Nina’s eyes, Amber saw a flicker of vulnerability. Not all was smooth sailing on the love boat. “Things could go easier for you. What do you owe Carrillo and the others, anyway? I saw how he ordered you around. You can’t be an equal partner in all this, so why take the fall for him?”
Nina’s body stiffened. “What do you mean, take the fall?”
“You think one of your buddies won’t sell you out to escape the death penalty?”
Nina swallowed. “Death penalty?”
“By lethal injection. It’ll be every man for himself. You knew they were dealing with terrorists, right?”
Nina’s cheek twitched. “Terrorists? Everyone keeps talking about terrorists—”
“No one thinks you’re part of that. But you know something. I see it in your eyes. This is your last chance to—”
Nina slammed her shackled fists onto the scarred table, making Amber flinch. “What do you want from me?” Nina shouted. “Your worries should be over. If there were terrorists, they wouldn’t know, or even care about you—their business is killing many, not one.”
Amber struggled to calm her racing heart. “If you sit by and do nothing, you’ll be as guilty as they are. Nina, children will die!”
Fear flickered in Nina’s eyes. “Look, you gotta believe me. I didn’t know Ricardo was dealing with those guys until yesterday when I heard him talking to Pedro about it. I thought the kidnapping was about a big-bucks land deal. No one was supposed to get hurt.”
Amber found it hard to believe that Nina didn’t know about Mr. Rhoades, Elmer, and the others, but she’d let the cops sort that out—the risk now was terrorists.
“If you don’t tell what you know, no one will believe your innocence. Prove you care about innocent people, about your country.”
Nina went silent a moment as if mul
ling the idea over. “Even if I wanted to help, it’s too late. A terrorist cell led by a guy named Abu Binalshibh is going to blow up Boulder Dam at noon today.”
Amber looked at her watch—10:00 a.m. That meant it was 8:00 a.m. in Nevada. “Nevada time, right?”
Nina shrugged. “Wanta gamble on it?”
Amber heard a commotion behind the glass.
“Two way, right?” Nina said. “I figured that. Hey, guys. Get that all down? I want my deal whether you stop the fireworks or not.”
Amber’s stomach knotted. She could imagine busloads of tourists from Las Vegas arriving at the dam just in time to be blown to smithereens. Rigid with a rising panic, she thanked Nina for cooperating, and after motioning to the guard, hurried out to find Luke.
Chapter Fifteen
Amber paced the floor, her stomach in knots. The tourists visiting the dam felt safe! But if the Feds didn’t get there in time, unsuspecting mothers, fathers, and their innocent children would be lost forever!
Twenty minutes ago, Luke had told her the local FBI men had contacted ATF agent Carlos Brooks in Nevada. Luke was with the sheriff waiting for news. Would Brooks and his SWAT team stop the terrorists in time to avoid disaster?
God, what made humans want to harm each other? Luke had said the attacks were a reaction to the Persian Gulf War, the creation of Israel, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She’d read that the problem went deeper. It reflected an accumulation of deep-seated and widely felt humiliation and rage that had been brewing throughout the Islamic world for over a thousand years. Maybe one day some great mind would find a permanent solution. Right now she and the authorities had today—and a chance to save lives. Prayer-like, Amber entwined her fingers. “Please, God,” she whispered. “Don’t let this horror happen.”
At the sound of boot steps, she looked up. Luke came out of the sheriff’s private office, smiling. Taking her cold hands into his warm grasp, he said, “ATF got there in time.”
“Thank God.” Weak in the knees, she swayed toward Luke and gave a deep sigh.