Threat of Exposure

by Lynette Eason

  “Yes, I’m fine. Just processing everything. How about you?”

  Instead of giving him a pat answer, she said honestly, “I’m tired.”

  He placed an arm around her shoulders. “As soon as we’re done here, let’s head back to the hotel and you can crash. I’ll stay on duty tonight.”

  “On duty?”

  Brock shook his head and gave a forlorn sigh. “Something’s bound to happen. Might as well be expecting it.”

  She gave him a light punch to his ribs and he smiled, catching her gaze and holding it. “You’re…”

  “You guys coming?” Niles interrupted.

  Brock gave a grimace and Gisella’s heart beat faster at the thought of what he might have been getting ready to say.

  Placing a hand at her back, Brock guided her toward Niles. Gisella watched the man disappear around the side of a small building.

  As she rounded it, she found him down on one knee pointing at the fence. “Found this just a little while ago.” Gisella cocked her head wondering what he was talking about. She didn’t see anything unusual.

  Reaching out, he snagged part of the fence and pulled. A section came off in his hand and he held it up, leaving a gaping hole, big enough for a large man to crawl through.

  Brock let out a low whistle. “Clever.”

  “Yep. And there’s no camera on that side of the building that hits this corner. They found themselves a sweet spot and went at it. Any further away, and the cameras would have caught it. Right under our noses, and we can’t see a thing.”

  “But how did you not see someone approaching with the tools to do this kind of thing?” Gisella asked.

  His jaw tightened. “Good question.” His gaze flicked toward the other building. The one where other agents worked and pedestrians could cross through the opening after providing the appropriate credentials. “A camera’s being installed tomorrow to take care of this little problem. My guess is before using this for the first time, someone camped out on the inside and learned the routine of the station. Took notes, etc. Then all he had to do was figure out the times that would work best to sneak out. Times such as shift changes, meetings when there are fewer agents on duty.” He shrugged. “Pretty easy doings, if you ask me.”

  “All right,” she said. “Let’s get this hole plugged.” She felt her energy drain to near-sub-zero levels and looked at Brock. “It’s getting late. Why don’t we head back into town and grab a bite to eat?”

  His sharp gaze showed concern. She hadn’t fooled him with her casual suggestion. “Sure. Let’s do that.” He turned to Niles and shook the man’s hand. “We’ll catch you later.”

  Gisella climbed into the car and wilted.

  Brock leaned over and brushed a wisp of hair from her face, leaving a tingling sensation where he touched. “You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

  “I have to,” she whispered. Her phone rang. She looked at the ID and sighed. Her dad. Maybe she should answer it.

  The sun had disappeared five minutes ago. Brock cranked the car and turned on the headlights.

  She clicked to answer the phone. “Hi, Dad.”

  “Gisella, finally. You haven’t learned how to dial a number yet?”

  “Ha ha, Dad. And I did call and leave you a message.”

  He grunted. “When you knew we’d be out of the house and eating dinner with friends.”

  Gisella had no argument for that. He was right. “I’m on a case so I’ve been a little busy.”

  “Tell me about the case.” She heard the eager anticipation in his voice and knew being a Ranger would be in his blood until he died.

  “I can’t right now. Maybe in a few weeks, okay?”

  “Sure.” Disappointment rang. Then he changed the subject. “Your mother wants to know…”

  “When I’m going to quit my dangerous job, come home and let her teach me how to cook, right?” She was so tired of this. Gisella flicked a glance at Brock. He didn’t even try to hide his curiosity as he listened with rapt attention. She resisted sticking her tongue out at him. She’d chosen to answer the call in his presence.

  “Yes, yes, of course,” her father was saying. “Gisella.” He lowered his voice. “Your mother needs you here.”

  Alarm shot through her. “Is she sick?” He hesitated and she firmed her jaw. “Dad, shoot straight with me. Is she sick or is it another one of her ploys to get me to come home?”

  A sigh filtered through the line. “A ploy. I think.”

  Gisella closed her eyes. At least he wouldn’t lie to her. “All right. Tell her as soon as I finish this case, I’ll come see her. And stay a while. Deal?”

  “I’ll tell her.”

  They hung up and Gisella groaned.

  “So, your parents aren’t supportive of your career, huh?”

  She didn’t bother opening her eyes. “Like I said before, they’ve lost one child; they’re not real keen on losing another.”

  Like to drowning. She shuddered.

  “Are they hounding you about grandchildren yet?”

  She laughed. “Of course. My mother mostly. When she gets the chance.” Her smile faded. “I try not to give her the chance very often.”

  A hand rested on her left shoulder, another cupped her jaw. Her eyes popped open and she looked at him, light from the moon illuminating his intent. She had no chance to react before he leaned over and captured her lips with his. Gisella froze in shock for a brief moment, then let herself adjust to the moment. Her stomach did that weird swooping thing and her heart stuttered in her chest. His left thumb caressed her jaw—and she slammed back to earth with a thud.

  Pulling back, she covered her lips with a hand. “Brock, we can’t…” she whispered.

  He held up a hand to stop her words. “I know. That might not have been the smartest move I’ve ever made, but I…” He stopped.

  “You what?”

  “You fascinate me. You have from the moment you saved my life.” He swallowed hard. “What is it about you that I’m so drawn to?”

  Shock made her catch her breath. She’d never had a man express himself so openly with her. Then pain clouded his eyes and he looked away.

  “Hey.” She grabbed his hand. “Look at me.”

  At first he didn’t respond and she wondered if he would. Then slowly his head turned and his eyes made contact.

  She said, “What was that I just saw in your eyes? What are you thinking?”

  Those sky-blue eyes clouded over. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” she said. Although her tone was mild, her rebuke rang loud and clear.

  A sigh slipped from him. “I…had a partner once, a very short-lived pairing.”

  “Did he get killed?” Her heart clenched at the thought.

  But he shook his head. “No. Before we were partners, Paul was paired up with a female agent.”

  Gisella studied him. This was really hard for him to tell her. She decided to wait him out, see if he would finish the story.

  He swallowed hard. “Paul fell in love with her and she was the one killed.”

  “Oh, Brock, I’m so sorry.”

  “He lasted three more months on the job after that and quit.”

  Looking away, he rubbed his eyes then caught her gaze again. The moon seemed to sharpen the angles on his face, cause his eyes to glow. But it was his words that she was most interested in. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I’m falling for you and I swore I’d never get involved with someone I worked with.”

  Gisella felt a pang of joy followed swiftly by sorrow. “I see.”

  So, why had he just kissed her?

  Brock slapped the wheel and she jumped. He clenched his fist. “I’m sorry, Gisella, I don’t go around just kissing women—not even when I’m attracted to them. I’m not like that. With you, though,” his voice lowered, “there’s something different about you. Special.”

  What did she say to that? One minute she wanted to punch hi
m, the next she wished he’d lean over and kiss her again.

  “Brock…”

  “No, let me finish.”

  Gisella bit her lip.

  Sucking in a deep breath, as though gathering his courage, he finally looked at her again. Really studied her. “I’m going to sound like a real wimp telling you this, but…you scare me. And—” another deep breath “—I’m not sure what to do about that.”

  She swallowed hard then narrowed her eyes at him. He wasn’t the only one scared of the feelings running between them. “I understand what you’re saying, Brock. I really do. However, until you figure out which way you’re going to go with your feelings, then no more flirting, no more kisses. Just business, okay? I don’t need you messing with my head—or my heart.”

  His confession stunned her. And reinforced what she’d figured all along.

  He wasn’t someone she was interested in falling for. She didn’t need someone who didn’t know what he wanted. Or one who was too wrapped up in being afraid to love. From now on, she’d be professional, kind—but distant.

  She didn’t like the fact that the thought caused her heart to ache—and a little voice to say it was too late.

  He flinched. “Gisella, that’s not what I meant…”

  “I’m exhausted. Just drive, Brock, okay?”

  Leaning her head back against the seat rest, she shut her eyes, closing out the world around her—and the man next to her.

  SEVENTEEN

  Seven hours later, after skipping supper and sleeping pretty well considering she woke coughing every so often, Gisella blinked as the sun peeked around the edges of her curtains and the beat of helicopter blades came from overhead. Taking a deep breath, she waited for a coughing spasm to hit her and felt relief when it didn’t.

  She used her palms to scrub away the last dregs of sleep and realized she’d fallen asleep over the little black book with all the numbers and letters she was still trying to decode.

  Setting it on the end table, she took a deep breath. No lingering effects from her attempted murder yesterday.

  What still bothered her was the conversation she’d had with Brock in the car.

  And the kiss.

  She could definitely fall in love with a man like that, her heart insisted. Her mind shouted warnings loud and clear. He had his own issues about her and her job. She certainly didn’t need to add that stress to her life.

  But she found herself thinking about the idea of what it would be like to have him in her life on a permanent basis.

  It would be crazy. They’d probably argue about everything. But their minds worked amazingly alike, too.

  Definitely crazy.

  She gave a wry smile. And to think she hadn’t liked him just a few days ago. It was incredible how first impressions could be so wrong, snap judgments so unreliable.

  I’m sorry, Lord, for judging him before getting to know him. Brock’s a good guy. Just help me guard my heart, please?

  Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she rose and headed for the shower. No doubt Brock would soon be knocking on her door, ready for breakfast and for questioning Boot Hill residents.

  Determination sat heavy on her. She was going to find how those drugs were coming in—one way or another.

  As she pulled her hair up into a no-nonsense bun, her phone rang. Exiting the bathroom, she snatched it from the nightstand and glanced at the caller ID.

  “Hi, Ben.”

  “Just got your message. Are you all right?” he barked.

  “I’m fine. No lasting effects, I don’t think.”

  “Do I need to send help? Levi and Evan can be there within a few hours. Even faster than that by helicopter.”

  “No. Don’t pull them from what they’re working on. Brock and I’ve got it covered. We’re just having to be a little more vigilant than we planned.” An understatement, but she knew Levi and Evan were working hard to uncover who had sent threatening letters targeting the Alamo anniversary celebration, and making sure security was as tight as it could be.

  “Don’t end up dead on me, Gisella.”

  “No, sir, that’s not in my plans. And hopefully not God’s, either.” She changed the subject. “Have you gotten anything out of Jorge Cantana?” Dr. Cantana had been arrested after trying to kill Quin Morton, the man still hospitalized in San Antonio.

  “No, nothing. He’s got two small daughters that he’s trying to protect with his silence. He knows if he talks, the Lions will kill them. As a result, he refuses to talk other than to say he can’t talk. But he’s one of the upper echelon of the Lions. We’re making progress, Gisella. We just need to know where the drugs are coming from.”

  “I know, Ben. The two guys we arrested, Jasper and Steve, still aren’t talking, but we’re working on it.”

  “I know you are. All right. Keep me in the loop.” He paused. “Corinna says hello.”

  She smiled. Ben’s fiancée had been Gisella’s roommate for a short time. “Give her my love.”

  “Always. Take care and let me know if you need anything. I’m going to put pressure on the lab to get that cement block and handcuffs processed ASAP.”

  “Thanks, Ben.”

  They hung up and Gisella rubbed at the headache that had just made itself known over her right eye. She wasn’t holding her breath on the lab finding anything. In the desperate struggle to escape the cuffs, she and Brock had both had their fingerprints all over the items and had probably smudged or covered up anything there.

  But Ben would try anyway.

  A knock sounded at her door and she pocketed her cell phone, hid her laptop and grabbed her gun.

  Instead of using the peephole provided, she pushed a small amount of curtain aside and looked out.

  Brock.

  Opening the door, she shoved her weapon into the holster on her hip. “Good morning.”

  He smiled, crinkling the corners of his eyes. Her heart thumped and she nearly groaned out loud. Her response to this man made her “just business between us” statement from the night before a mockery.

  Telling herself to put a lid on her emotions, she smiled back, hoping it was cooler than the heat she felt in her cheeks. “Good morning.”

  His smile slipped a fraction. “Are you ready to see if Mr. West or Mr. Billings has anything to say this morning?”

  “Absolutely. I hope a night in jail made one of them decide to cooperate.”

  “Let’s find out.”

  Five minutes later, they walked into the jail.

  Gisella immediately knew something was wrong. From the tense set to one deputy’s shoulders to the grim look on the receptionist’s face, they all advertised trouble. Grabbing the nearest person by the arm, she asked, “What happened?”

  “Jasper West escaped and the sheriff’s having a fit.”

  Gisella’s gaze shot to Brock’s and frustration curled through her. Every time she thought they were about to take one step forward, they were pushed two steps back.

  “When? How?”

  The tall worker nodded. “Here comes the sheriff. I’ll let you talk to him.” And then he was gone, no doubt anxious to escape the impending storm.

  “Sheriff, what happened? Where’s Jasper West?” Brock demanded.

  Sheriff Johnston’s tight lips drew tighter. “He’s gone and I’ve got a deputy near death. He’s been airlifted to the hospital in El Paso. His gun was stolen so West is armed.”

  The helicopter she’d heard this morning.

  Gisella’s stomach twisted again and her fingers curled into a fist by her side. Brock caught her eye and shook his head in disgust. “What about Steve Billings?”

  Sheriff Johnston said, “He and West got into a fight. West managed to knock him out cold by the time my deputy arrived. Jasper jumped the deputy, grabbed his gun and lit out.”

  “This means Jasper was probably going to talk and Billings didn’t like it,” Brock growled.

  “So Billings was going to beat him to a pulp but Jasper did a go
od job of defending himself.”

  “And when my deputy arrived, West acted like he was hurt. When my deputy checked on him, he got his head slammed against the floor. Locke found the two of them, the deputy and Billings, out cold on the floor.” His lips twisted in disgust. “Locke!”

  Chris looked up from the woman he was talking to. “Yes, sir?”

  “You finish questioning the staff?”

  “Almost.”

  “Anything we can do, Sheriff?” Brock asked.

  “Stay out of my way.” He glowered. “Ever since you two showed up, things have gone from bad to worse in this town.”

  With those words, he turned on his heel and headed for his office.

  Gisella blew out a sigh. “Hmm. That went well.”

  “Yep.”

  She looked at him. “Something major is going on. I can feel it.”

  “Does this have anything to do with what you meant last night when you said everything that happened was meant to be a diversion?”

  “Yes. Like I’ve said before, I just have this feeling that we’re either supposed to be dead—which would be the preferable option for whoever has tried to kill me—or have our attention on something else.”

  “Something other than…”

  “…the border,” they said together.

  He rubbed his chin in that endearingly masculine way he had. “I feel like a stakeout. How about you?”

  “Hate ’em. But agree they’re a necessary evil.”

  “Tonight?” he asked with a raised brow.

  “Tonight.”

  Darkness fell swiftly, swallowing the remaining daylight with one big gulp. Once again, Brock found himself in close quarters with Gisella.

  And not minding it one bit.

  Unfortunately, he had a feeling he might have ruined any chance at a relationship with her because he’d let his fear rear its ugly head.

  And yet he didn’t want to be dishonest and lead her on, either.

  His mind swirled. His heart thudded. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew out of all the women he’d dated and flirted with, Gisella was the one that he could easily lose his heart to.