Explosive Alliance

by Susan Sleeman

  “I’ll meet you at the house after the all clear to keep you from waddling back here.” Brady grinned as he settled the helmet on Cash’s head.

  Cash chuckled at yet one more of Brady’s easygoing quips. Others thought this lighthearted side was all there was to Brady, but he had a depth that he let few people see. He came from a low-income family living in a run-down trailer and had faced all the stereotypes heaped on his head as a kid. He’d learned to joke as a way of deflecting problems.

  Cash grabbed a pair of disposable gloves on the way out, earning a raise of the eyebrows from Darcie. Many people thought bomb techs wore protective gloves, but they rarely did. There was nothing more important to an EOD guy than dexterity of his fingers. One wrong move and...

  Darcie was another story. She knew he didn’t wear gloves, but he wasn’t about to explain that he needed them to pick up a potential firearm. He stepped down from the truck and trudged toward the house. Even a hint of clear skies during the rainy season usually made him smile, but his mood was far too gloomy after finding the gun to let the sun cheer him. Inside, he scanned everywhere, remaining on alert. Even with his vigilant approach, he soon confirmed his initial assessment of everything but the gun. He snapped on the gloves and dropped to his knees by the bed. He shone his light underneath.

  A pistol lay near the head of the bed.

  Shoot. The thing was real, but was it Krista’s?

  He pulled it out and examined it. The old Colt .45 was fully loaded with a bullet chambered for quick use. Not something he’d ever recommend for gun safety reasons. He made sure the safety was engaged and laid it on the bed.

  Disheartened, he went to the front door and gave Brady a thumbs-up. It would be easier if Cash had a communication device to talk to the team, but with bombs often controlled by radio-frequency devices there was no point in paying for a wireless comm unit in his helmet when he couldn’t use it.

  He went back to the bedroom and stared at the Colt.

  What in blazes did he do about this? More important, why would Krista need a gun—a loaded one at that—at her fingertips? It sure wasn’t purchased as a result of last night’s attack. There was no way she could’ve procured a weapon since then.

  And if it was as simple as owning a gun like many people did, why didn’t she mention it to him after the attack? He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but this omission, added to the other secrets, sent his anger firing. Granted, he had no right to know her personal business, but he was sticking his neck out for her. Was it too much to expect her to tell him she owned a gun?

  Brady clapped him on the back, then removed the helmet. “Not a good sign if she didn’t tell you about it.”

  “You think?” Cash fired off the sarcastic comment and turned to give Brady access to the suit’s many zippers. Cash wanted to jerk the quick-release toggles and rush over to Krista to demand an explanation. Thing was, if this gun was legally registered by the state where she purchased it, she had every right to have it in her home. And as long as it had nothing to do with their investigation, then even as a deputy he had no right to know why she owned it. That made him madder still.

  Brady pulled a Velcro strap on the jacket. “What’s Krista’s story anyway? Knowing to put something in the door to warn off intruders. A gun under her bed. Sounds to me like a woman running from or scared of something.”

  “She says she saw the paper idea on TV. And anyway, lots of people own guns.” Cash couldn’t believe he was defending her. Not when he had the exact same concerns.

  “Come on, man. Open your eyes. She’s snowing you and you can’t even see it.” Brady eyed him. “Or don’t you want to?”

  Cash shrugged.

  Brady removed the jacket and set it on the bed. “Let me at least run the gun to see if she has a carry permit.”

  “You might not find anything. If you remember, she said she’d just come back to town. She could have purchased the gun in Georgia and I’m not sure if they require registration or not. Since we don’t require it here, if she doesn’t take it out of the house, she doesn’t need a carry permit and it’s legit.”

  Brady ignored Cash and dug out his phone while Cash shed the suit pants and packed them in the case Brady had set on the floor.

  Brady’s conversation with records was short and to the point and Cash didn’t like his buddy’s gloomy expression when he disconnected. “Georgia doesn’t have firearm registration, but they do require a carry permit. I’d like to request that information, and run the serial number through NCIC.”

  Cash didn’t want to search the National Crime Information Center’s database that held records of stolen weapons and ones used to commit crimes among other things. “I don’t want to go there. Not yet anyway.”

  Brady appraised him.

  “I’m not saying this because I have a thing for the woman,” Cash said. “I’m saying it because once we open this door, we can’t shut it.”

  “Meaning?”

  “If we find the gun was used illegally, then we have to do more digging. Not sure it’s appropriate to do that without talking to her first.”

  “You can ask her permission to run it.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you’re not using your head here.”

  Cash didn’t like the fact that she might be in possession of a stolen firearm. But he also didn’t like the thought of invading her privacy, or even asking her if he could run the gun’s serial number, making him think Brady might be right about his motives.

  “I’ll be glad to ask her,” Brady offered. “That way she’ll be mad at me.”

  “I’m a big boy, Brady. I can ask if I think it’s necessary.”

  “Probably doesn’t matter. As lead investigator, Skyler’s gonna question Krista about it anyway.”

  Cash scowled at his friend. “So why all this fuss, then?”

  “Just wanted you to see you weren’t thinking clearly.” He raised a brow. “How’d I do with that?”

  He’d been successful. More than successful. When it came to Krista, Cash had to examine his motives constantly, and Brady could help keep Cash on track going forward. Not that he’d do anything about Brady’s advice, but Cash would at least be aware of his mixed motives. “You did good, man. Think you can call me out again if needed?”

  Brady grinned ear to ear. “Oh, yeah, I’ll call you out any day.”

  Cash nodded, appreciating his friend even more. He glanced at the gun one more time. He had a clear mind now. A mind that told him to be watchful. The gun might only be the first of many unsettling secrets he would learn about Krista.

  TWELVE

  Krista felt like a wayward child as Cash and Skyler trailed her around Opa’s house while she looked for anything missing or out of place. They’d only made it through the first room, and Krista was perspiring under their scrutiny. Skyler continued to keep Krista under the microscope, but since Cash had asked about the paper in the door, he’d been looking at her funny, too.

  She hadn’t lied to him about it. She had seen the technique in a television show once, but that wasn’t the whole truth. Not one to lie, she could hardly look him in the eye without flinching.

  At this rate, she’d never make it through the whole house. She faced Skyler. “Isn’t one of you trailing me enough?”

  Skyler stared at Krista for a few moments, then held up her hands. “I’ll step out.”

  “No, wait! That’s not what I...” Krista let her words fall off as Cash cocked an eyebrow. “Never mind.” She went back to work.

  “You got this?” Skyler asked Cash.

  “Yeah,” he responded. “Maybe you should take Otto to the fire station while we do the search. He looked pretty beat last I saw him on the porch, and he could rest on our couch. I’ll bring Krista over once we’re done here
. We can all sit down to talk about how to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

  When Skyler didn’t respond, Krista turned to look. Skyler’s gaze was fixed on Cash. Maybe Skyler was wondering if it was a good idea to bring Krista into their home.

  Cash seemed to have no such concern. “C’mon, Skyler. Otto’s sick. He needs rest and he’s not going to get it here with all the commotion going on.”

  Skyler chewed on her lip and glanced at the door. Krista had seen Skyler’s compassionate side and suspected Skyler wanted to do what was best for Opa as long as it didn’t compromise her investigation.

  “Fine,” she finally said. “I’ll take him and assign Brady to oversee the forensic team. You can continue to supervise Ms. Curry’s review of the property.”

  Krista felt like a fraud. She’d wanted Skyler to call her Ms. Curry, but the name rang false each time, and as Krista got to know this team, it bothered her. Still, she wasn’t ready to tell them her real name.

  She forced out a smile and called over her shoulder as she headed for the door, “I’ll just say goodbye to Opa.”

  When Krista returned to her search, Skyler stepped outside and closed the door. Without looking, Krista felt Cash move closer. She could smell the clean, fresh scent she’d come to associate with him and wished he’d back off.

  She wanted his protection—needed his protection—but after this incident, he was bound to stick even closer to her. She couldn’t handle the stress of this emotionally charged chemistry between them on top of everything else. It was high time they got it all out in the open. She turned, catching him by surprise, and he bumped into her. He gripped her elbow. She took a hasty step back and nearly tripped over a footstool.

  “You’re sure jumpy.” He carefully watched her.

  “I wanted you to leave instead of Skyler.”

  “I’d have to be blind not to have noticed that.” His lips tipped in his trademark cocky smile. She should find his attitude irritating, but it had the opposite effect on her.

  She took another step back for good measure. “It’s this thing between us. The chemistry or whatever you want to call it. I’m not in a place for a relationship right now and it’s making me uncomfortable.”

  “Afraid you can’t resist me, huh?” he joked.

  “I’m serious here, Cash. I can’t deal with it, and I want to make it perfectly clear that this isn’t going anywhere.”

  His jaw tightened for a moment, then a thin smile claimed his mouth. “I get it. Hands off. All business. Just what I want, too.”

  “You seem mad.”

  “Mad? No. I’m good.” He gestured at the hall. “Let’s get back to the job at hand.”

  She went to work, but even after sharing her feelings, she remained uncomfortable under his scrutiny. Not only because of his intense study, but also because her mind kept going to her escape bag in the crawl space. It was well hidden, and she wasn’t worried about them discovering it today, but she had a strong urge to grab the bag and run.

  She entered her bedroom and saw her gun lying on the bed.

  Oh, no. How had she not realized he’d find the gun on his sweep of the house? She could have prepared an explanation instead of standing here looking suspicious.

  “Is that your gun?” His tone was casual, as if they were talking about the weather instead of a loaded pistol.

  She flashed a look at him, saw the steely resolve in his eyes, his rock-hard expression. Withholding the truth would be a mistake.

  “It belonged to my dad. I keep it for protection.” She faked a laugh. “You know, single girl and all that.”

  “You have a permit for the gun?”

  “No, I mean...he gave it to me so I... Do I need one?”

  “Depends on where your dad bought it and if you ever take it out of the house.”

  “It stays here,” she said, keeping to what she was certain of. “Is that a problem?”

  “No. The only permit you need in Oregon is to carry a gun outside your home.” He eyed her, his expression begging her to offer additional information.

  “Funny story,” she said to dodge his curiosity. “Did you know the law requires you to own a gun in Kennesaw?”

  “What?” He laughed, just as she’d hoped.

  She smiled back. “I’m not joking. If you live in the city limits, the law requires the head of households to own a gun. Keeps crime down.”

  He scrunched his brows together.

  “Look it up online if you don’t believe me.”

  “Trust me, I will.” His lighthearted tone gave way to another suspicious look. “You didn’t mention your father’s name.”

  No, of course she hadn’t. She never mentioned him if she could help it. He was in prison, and she didn’t want to be tied to him, but Cash would dig if she didn’t respond.

  “Max Nealy.” The bogus name her father had taken when they’d moved to Georgia came much easier to her lips than his actual last name. He’d chosen a different last name from her so if he was arrested he wouldn’t drag her into his mess. Now it could make it harder for Cash to locate her father.

  Before Cash could ask anything else about her past, she turned her focus as quickly as she could to finishing her inspection.

  “Nothing’s missing or disturbed,” she said, keeping her gaze on the ransacked room.

  “Don’t you find that odd?” Cash asked. “Someone enters your house, but nothing’s taken?”

  “I don’t know what to think.” She turned to get a read on his thoughts “You seem to find it odd, though.”

  He nodded. “Why go through all the trouble and risk exposure to break into your house, then do nothing? Makes no sense.”

  “Then maybe we are missing something. If so, it’s not obvious to me.”

  He rubbed his jaw, his gaze a million miles away.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “That I don’t have enough experience here. Let’s go pick up Otto, and we can run this past Skyler and the other team members.”

  Cash led the way out of the house and stopped next to Brady, who was talking to Veronica, the same forensic tech from last night.

  “We’re heading to the firehouse,” Cash said. “You good here?”

  Brady nodded, then looked at Krista. “I’ll need your keys to lock up.”

  Right, she was leaving him in charge of her home. She hadn’t thought of that. Hadn’t thought of Brady being in Opa’s house alone with access to every nook and cranny. Access to the crawl space. “You know, on second thought, I think it’s a good idea if I stay to lock up. Maybe Veronica will find something that you’ll want to talk to me about. Plus, Opa’s very particular about his house.” She spoke the truth. Still, it felt like a lie.

  Cash’s eyebrows shot up but not faster than Brady’s.

  “This situation is my fault,” she said quickly. “I already hate that I’ve disturbed Opa’s peaceful sanctuary and if I stay, I can help ensure nothing else is moved or changed. I’ll go sit on the couch while you do your thing.” She retreated to the house and heard footsteps jogging up behind her.

  “I’ll keep you company,” Cash offered.

  “If you like,” she said pleasantly, but she knew the next few hours would be some of the longest of her life.

  * * *

  Krista followed Cash across the firehouse’s polished concrete floors. They stepped through a large open bay area that was once home to the fire trucks and into a huge family room with air ducts and plumbing running above. A spicy, mouthwatering aroma came from the open kitchen, where Darcie was preparing the meal that Cash had offered to share with her and Opa while they discussed the break-in.

  “If you want any food, you’d better pick up your speed,” Brady called over his shoulder as he charged through the kitchen.

>   “Better listen to him,” Darcie warned, but she had a smile on her face. “I made my famous enchiladas and he’s not apt to leave any on the plate.”

  Cash shook his head and led her to a dining room with a long table and chairs for twelve. Plain white plates ringed the table and platters with cheesy enchiladas, rice and corn sat in the middle.

  “About time.” Brady winked from his seat next to Opa. Jake sat at the end of the table and Darcie dropped onto a chair on the other end.

  “We have left seats open for you.” Opa grinned and pointed at two available chairs next to Skyler.

  Krista didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out Opa wanted her to sit with Cash. She made a mental note to tell Opa to back off his obvious matchmaking when they got home.

  “Let’s say grace before we pass the food.” Darcie gestured for everyone to link hands, and the team members silently complied.

  Interesting. The entire team prayed together. Not a common thing in law enforcement, Krista suspected. After the amen, food seemed to fly from platters and onto plates as teammates talked over each other and laughed at puny jokes. Opa smiled through all of it and even took more food than he’d been eating of late. Despite the stress, this was turning out to be good for him.

  In a lull, she heard someone fumbling with the front doorknob. She shot a look in that direction, but she couldn’t see the entryway.

  “Relax.” Skyler’s eyes sparkled like a child’s on Christmas. “That’ll be Logan.”

  Cash leaned closer. “Her fiancé.”

  “I should move. He’ll want to sit here.” Krista started to get up.

  “Please, don’t.” Cash stopped her. “They spend enough time hanging all over each other. We could all use the break. Right, guys?”

  “Isn’t that the truth,” Jake grumbled.

  “Amen to that,” Archer added, then the others started laughing.

  Skyler shook her head and looked at Brady. “You made sure Veronica covered everything?”

  “Subtle change of subject, Skyler,” Darcie said. “Real subtle.”