Shot in the Dark

by Tracy Solheim

  “Alyssa?” she asked, belatedly remembering the graduate student.

  “I had to break her heart and send her back to Atlanta. Safety first.”

  Josslyn pressed her fingers to her temples. “We have to find Ngoni. Once he’s safe, he can help us unravel just who is behind this.”

  “I agree. In the meantime, we need to figure out what was on that video that was so damning.”

  “Did Hugh come with you?”

  Trevor shook his head. “He’s hiding out in Iceland, but we can download the video if we need to.”

  “It might be a good idea to have someone at Fish and Wildlife look at it. They have jurisdiction over animal trafficking matters.”

  Josslyn jumped at the sound of Adam’s voice behind her.

  “Aren’t Secret Service agents supposed to be strong, silent types?” Trevor joked.

  “Yes, they are,” Josslyn agreed, turning to glare at Adam. “This is a private conversation, Agent Lockett.”

  He had the nerve to look impish. “Yes, well, Nancy Drew, we’ve been ordered back to the Crown. It seems there are some leads on the African boy you’re looking for.”

  *

  Why don’t you get someone at Fish and Wildlife to look at it? Adam had seriously lost his ever-loving mind. And it hadn’t taken a lead pipe to the head to accomplish it—just a whirling dervish of a woman with no sense of self-preservation. Now it seemed that instead of reining the She-Devil in, he was encouraging her in her shenanigans.

  “Do we have a contact at Fish and Wildlife?” he asked the director as they made their way to the Map Room to meet with the FBI agents helping to flush out Mandla and his little brother. “They might be more tuned in to whatever Doolittle and her friends stirred up in Zimbabwe. Illegal animal trafficking is within their scope of authority.”

  “Way ahead of you.” The director indicated a tall black man admiring the ornate Chinese tea box just inside the room. “Allow me to introduce you to Terence Shaw, director of Fish and Wildlife’s International Affairs Division. Agent Shaw heads up our government’s investigations into animal trafficking. Agent Shaw, this is Agent Lockett. He’s been coordinating Miss Benoit’s security detail.”

  Agent Shaw extended his hand. “You don’t look too battle weary,” he joked. “But give her time. I’ve been tracking Miss Benoit’s activities for the past couple of years. That girl is like Joan of Arc, singularly focused on saving animals from extinction no matter what the consequences.”

  Two days ago—hell, two years ago—Adam might have described Josslyn the same way. But watching her interact with the school children, the elephants, and the staff at the zoo, he was beginning to develop a new-found respect for her as a scientist whose extreme activism was rooted in something more than just a bleeding heart.

  “If you’ve been following her for years, why the hell weren’t those Africans stopped before they left Zimbabwe? And why were tribesmen shooting at her while she was filming a damn documentary?”

  Adam’s angry outburst had the Fish and Wildlife agent eyeing him speculatively. “Interesting.”

  His response did nothing to cool Adam’s anger. “It would be nice if we knew what we were dealing with here. It makes it kind of hard to protect her if we don’t know all the facts.”

  “Stand down, Agent Lockett,” the director ordered. “Agent Shaw was invited here to do just that—give us the facts.”

  The director gestured for the Fish and Wildlife agent to take a seat in one of the chairs spread about the room. The two FBI agents were already seated, their faces giving nothing away. Adam slumped onto the sofa across from them.

  Before they could get started, Josslyn waltzed into the room, the Aussie surfer trailing behind her. She’d changed out of her zoo uniform to form-fitting brown denim jeans and a long cable-knit sweater that showcased her curves. The men all shot to their feet. Agent Groesch wore a bemused look as she took her position at the door. Josslyn had likely railroaded right through Christine to get to the meeting.

  “Please, don’t let me interrupt,” Josslyn drawled. “But since this affects me, I believe I’ll sit in.”

  With all the poise and decorum of royalty, she perched her fine ass on the edge of a spindly antique chair. Her partner in crime stood behind her, resting an elbow on the chair back. The director looked as though he might object, but he was a man who picked his battles wisely. Instead, he introduced the other men in the room to Josslyn and her friend.

  “With all due respect, what does the US Fish and Wildlife Service have to do with poaching?” Trevor asked.

  To his credit, Shaw didn’t even flinch. “Poaching has many implications beyond just the threatened extinction of animals. Selling ivory can be a lucrative cash influx for terrorists. While you and your counterparts are working to protect the elephants, many of the tribes are fighting among themselves to protect their livelihood. The effects of which are felt internationally. Therefore, the US has multiple agencies dedicated to monitoring and eradicating poaching. I happen to chair a task force coordinating those investigations throughout the world.”

  “Got it,” Trevor responded.

  “I understand you have some leads on the men we suspect of trying to confront the car carrying Miss Benoit and her detail yesterday,” the director began.

  “Doctor Benoit,” Adam interjected.

  He was just as surprised as everyone else in the room at his interruption. But given her passionate defense of her work earlier—not to mention the respect from her colleagues he’d witnessed over the past several days—Adam figured someone needed to speak up for her.

  Director Worcester cleared his throat. Agent Groesch’s eyelids fluttered briefly before she regained her composure. For her part, Josslyn rewarded his outburst with a soft smile, its warmth making Adam shift uncomfortably in his seat. He didn’t need any more of the woman’s hero worship. Hell, all he’d done was point out the obvious.

  “The passenger, whom you chased through the zoo, Agent Lockett, is part of a gang of international animal traffickers,” Agent Shaw explained.

  Josslyn heaved a sigh. “Really? You’re going to lead with that? We’d already established who they are and who they work for. If this is the level of investigating the government is doing, I’ll take my chances finding Ngoni on my own.” She started to rise from her seat.

  Adam was inclined to agree with her. So much for the Fish and Wildlife Service. But no way was she running off to find her informant unchaperoned.

  “If you’ll indulge me.” Agent Shaw waved her back into her chair. “I’m leading up to your friend Ngoni, who is fine by the way.”

  Josslyn gasped. “You’ve seen him?”

  One of the FBI agents chimed in. “The task force has been tracking him and his brother since they left Zimbabwe. Mandla left Ngoni with relatives at a home in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia.”

  “Again, that would have been nice to know before now,” Adam snapped. “How about the brother? Do you have eyes on him? Or is he going to jump out of the shadows at her again?”

  Agent Shaw relaxed into his chair, leveling Adam with a chilly look over his steepled fingers. “That’s highly unlikely.”

  “I’m afraid that isn’t a satisfactory answer to those of us in charge of Miss—Doctor Benoit’s protection,” the director said.

  Adam dug his fingers into the sofa to keep from decking the arrogant Fish and Wildlife agent.

  “Mandla is no longer a threat to the First Lady’s sister,” Agent Shaw announced. “He was found earlier today with his throat slit.”

  The color drained from Josslyn’s face. Adam itched to comfort her, but her surfer friend was already doing a good job of it. Trevor’s hands massaged her shoulders with a too-familiar intimacy.

  “Any leads?” the director asked.

  “None so far, but we’ll let you know if and when we do.”

  “How? Why?” Trevor demanded.

  “You tell me, Mr. Kearn,” Agent Shaw replied. “W
hat were you filming out in the bush that day?”

  “Elephants,” Josslyn answered for him, her tone biting. “It wasn’t supposed to be anything more until the poachers showed up.”

  “But you intended to meet Ngoni?” Shaw asked.

  “He was going to give us information on the ringleaders,” Trevor said.

  Agent Shaw leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Give you? Or show you?”

  A taut silence settled over the room.

  Trevor swore quietly.

  “It’s doubtful Ngoni could give you names because this ring is careful not to use them. If they weren’t, our operatives would already know who to arrest,” Shaw explained.

  “We need that film,” Adam said.

  “Hugh and I looked at it for days. We couldn’t identify anything or anyone out of the ordinary.” Trevor pulled out his phone. “I can get it from him, though.”

  Shaw looked over at the FBI agents. “Can your lab run it through artificial intelligence databases?”

  “We’ll do it,” Adam interjected before the other agents could speak up.

  “Agent Lockett is correct,” the director added. “Our cybercrimes lab doesn’t have the backlog of cases that the FBI’s does. And Ben Segar is a master at finding a needle in a haystack using AI. Since these individuals pose a threat to a member of the First Family, it falls within our purview.”

  The FBI agents nodded.

  “Do we know who we’re looking for?” the director prodded.

  Agent Shaw sighed theatrically. “Our intel reports that someone high up in the organization was in Zimbabwe that day. We have conflicting accounts as to exactly where in the country he or she was, with some saying that this person was hunting big game at the time of your encounter.”

  “Any names to get us started?” the director asked.

  “Just theories.” Agent Shaw evaded answering. “But I understand you’ve already made the acquaintance of Kuan-yu Tseng, Doctor Benoit?”

  Josslyn exchanged a look with Adam before responding. “Yes. Is he the one financing this operation?”

  “All roads point to his involvement, but we’ve been having trouble making anything stick. He was supposedly in the air on his private plane on route from Asia to DC when you shot the video, but we have no way to confirm that.” Shaw was back to hiding behind the steeple of his fingers. “We can’t seem to get anyone close enough to eke out any evidence against him.”

  Adam didn’t like the way Agent Shaw was eyeing Josslyn. For her part, Josslyn sat up a little taller.

  “He offered to buy me dinner,” she stated.

  “Not happening,” Adam said at the same time.

  “I agree,” the director added. “It’s one thing to allow her to perform her work duties, but thrusting her into a covert role in your operation is totally out of the question.”

  “You’re forgetting that I can decline protection at any time,” she argued.

  “Josslyn.” Trevor placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Shrugging off her friend’s palm, she jumped to her feet. “We are so close to blowing this ring out of existence, Trevor. Think about how many more elephants will be lost if I don’t help out. It’s just dinner.”

  Adam shot from his chair. “Until it isn’t!” He stalked over to her. “You said yourself these guys all used to deal in drugs and guns. It’s too dangerous. Someone has already had his throat slit. And don’t argue that he was a bad guy. We can’t ensure your protection. No way, no how. You’ll have to send one of your other Mouseketeers in to get the evidence because it’s not going to be you.”

  They ended up facing one another like a pair of duelists, each one waiting for the other to make their move. Impatience radiated off of her. It crackled around them in the tense silence. Josslyn blinked slowly. Once. Then twice. She opened her mouth to speak, but surfer dude beat her to it.

  “I agree,” Trevor said, earning him a gold star in Adam’s book. “It’s too dangerous to meet with this guy. We’ll have to find another way.”

  With a slap to his thighs, Agent Shaw rose from his chair. “Well, it was just an idea, anyway. We’ll continue digging on our end. If anything comes up on that video, please contact me immediately, Director Worcester. Day or night. I’m usually in the office until seven each evening.”

  He headed for the exit.

  “What about Ngoni?” Josslyn asked, her concern etched on her face.

  Agent Shaw turned to address her. “We have someone on the inside keeping him safe. Don’t worry. He’s quite enjoying his time in the US.”

  “I want to see him,” she insisted.

  “I don’t recommend it,” Shaw replied. “A visit from you would attract too much attention. We don’t know if whoever killed Mandla could be after the boy, as well. I’d rather keep his presence here in the US a secret for the time being. As I said, Ngoni is safe where he is.”

  “And what of Dr. Benoit’s safety?” Adam added. “Mandla may be dead but how do we know the threat to her is over?”

  “The poachers’ fears of you finding something on the video recede with each passing day you don’t announce it to the world,” Agent Shaw said. “And so does the threat to Dr. Benoit’s safety. If there ever was any real danger. I suspect this has more to do with a dispute among the poachers.” He gestured to the FBI agents. “Between our informants here and in Africa, along with these gentlemen, we have them closely monitored now. If anything changes, we will, of course, alert you immediately.”

  With that, the three men left the room.

  “Well that was reassuring,” Trevor mumbled sarcastically. “Does anyone else feel like he was leaving out a chunk of the story?”

  “That wasn’t the best example of interagency coordination,” the director agreed. “Let’s get that video to Agent Segar right away. The sooner we find the missing clue, the sooner we’ll be able to bargain for the rest of the story.”

  He and Trevor headed for the Cross Hall. Josslyn was still remarkably quiet, a fact that should have had the rest of them scared shitless, because a contemplative She-Devil was a dangerous She-Devil.

  Adam couldn’t stand her silence any longer. “Out with it.”

  She tilted her head at him.

  He sighed. “Whatever scheme you’re hashing out in that overactive brain of yours.”

  Shaking her head, she took a step closer. “Actually, I was thinking of us.”

  What the hell? Feeling almost as blindsided as he did when he’d been cracked in the head, Adam glanced around the room to make sure the others were gone. “There is no us.”

  She took another step closer so only inches separated them. “You stuck up for me. You called me by my honorific.”

  “Of course I did,” he argued. “It’s my job.”

  Josslyn shook her head. The warm smile was back on her lips—the one that made his chest tight. The gray eyes studying him so intently were full of wonder. “No. That’s not part of your job. And neither was it part of your job to disappear immediately after we were rescued in Asia.”

  Adam’s head had begun to pound. Just like a woman, she was reading too much into things.

  “Since I know a little bit more about what my job entails, I’m going to have to disagree. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to help Ben figure out what’s on that damn video.”

  Her hand on his arm stilled him. “Adam.”

  “Don’t,” he urged her. “You’re making this more than what it is.”

  “Am I?”

  He squeezed his eyelids shut hoping to lessen the throbbing that had begun behind his pupils. Her fingers slid up his arm to his shoulder.

  “You’re going to deny there’s something between us?” she whispered.

  “No.” His eyes snapped open. “But it’s just chemistry. And we’re not ever acting on it because women like you always confuse it with something more.”

  Pulling his arm free, Adam turned on his heel and marched ou
t of the room.

  Chapter Nine

  Exhale before you pull the trigger. Focus on the sights, not the target.

  The familiar refrain of his grandfather’s gruff instructions echoed inside Adam’s head whenever he aimed his rifle. It was good to hear the old man’s voice again. It meant Adam was finally regaining that part of his mojo the pipe-wielding terrorist had knocked out of him. He blew out a slow, relaxing breath, willing his grandfather’s pack-a-day timbre to drown out the other damn voice in his head.

  You’re going to deny there’s something between us?

  Closing one eye, Adam squeezed the trigger on the SR-16 rifle. The target at the edge of the range kicked back when the bullet sliced through the kill zone. He repeated the action nine more times until the target was a tattered shell waving frantically in the late October breeze.

  Adam might have lost his mind, but he could still shoot, damn it. Next, he’d calibrate his scope. That ought to relax him enough that he could concentrate on solving the mystery of why Mandla and his cohorts would be stupid enough to go after someone as high profile as the sister-in-law of the president of the United States. Ben had been toying with the video all night, but still, no leads. The five tribesmen had nothing distinguishing about them.

  Fortunately, Josslyn wasn’t due at the zoo until later today. She was meeting a fellow zoologist at the University of Maryland for coffee. Using the excuse that he had physical therapy this morning, Adam sent Christine and another agent to chaperone.

  Following PT—which was conveniently not with Kasey because he wasn’t sure how he’d handle that situation right now—Adam hurried off to the Secret Service’s Rowley Training Center in Laurel, Maryland. He needed time to blow off some steam at the rifle range. He’d meant what he’d said to Josslyn the day before. They could never act on the chemistry between them. Too bad his body was pissed off at his brain’s decision.