by Desiree Holt
“What if I shoot myself instead?” She tried to grin.
Quinn wasn’t having any excuses. “Trust me, when I get through teaching you, that won’t even be a possibility.”
His own guns were a .38 Smith and Wesson and a Sig Sauer 9 mm, powerful looking weapons.
Kate eyed them hesitantly. “They look so big.”
“That’s why we got you something you can handle. Come on. Let’s get started.”
She hoped she could stop shaking before she actually had to shoot the damn thing. The big lunch Quinn had insisted they stop and eat was bouncing around in her stomach like golf balls. How embarrassing if she threw up all over her brand new gun.
But Quinn spent a long time getting her used to the heft and feel of the little weapon and teaching her how to load it. Finally, he set up the paper targets he’d purchased from the range manager.
“Here we go,” he told her. “Don’t be nervous. This will be a piece of cake.”
“Easy for you to say.” She concentrated on breathing in and out and not heaving her guts.
He grinned and kissed her cheek. “Hold the gun like I showed you, just like we practiced, and you’ll be fine. Now. Raise both arms, sight along the line to the target. Take a deep breath, let it part way out, and pull the trigger.”
He reached around her, supporting her arms but not touching her hands. Sighting along the gun barrel, she drew in a breath, let it out part way, and squeezed.
“Damn!”
She tensed, looking at Quinn anxiously. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Oh, hell, no. You got him right through the heart. Okay, let’s do this again and see if that was a lucky accident or if you’re a sharpshooter in the making.”
She emptied the clip, going through the same routine each time. When she was finished, she looked at him for approval. He was grinning.
“What?”
“Are you sure you never held a gun before? You’re not pulling my leg?”
“Absolutely. Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Come take a look.” He walked her up to the target and pointed. “See that? We call that burning a hole. All six shots in a tight little circle, right in the middle of his heart.”
“Is that good?” she asked.
“Good? Are you kidding? You have no idea how hard that is to do. You can’t get more perfect than that. I’d have been happy if you got him anywhere in the chest, which is the best place to aim for. The stopping zone. But”—he took the gun from her hand—“let’s reload and see if you can do this again.”
They worked at it until mid-afternoon. By the time they’d gone through nearly all the target ammunition they bought, Kate’s arms were trembling from the strain and her shots were beginning to stray. Nevertheless, a wild exhilaration gripped her.
All right, Peter, bring it on. I’m ready.
Quinn spent the next half hour on his own practice. He was totally focused on what he was doing and unbelievably accurate. Kate watched, mesmerized. She could see what he meant about a gun becoming part of your body.
But of course, it wasn’t just his marksmanship that had her attention. With his black T-shirt and well-worn jeans molding his body, he looked like a sculpture standing in the gravel. The muscles in his arms and back rippled as he fired each shot. If her body had reacted before, now it tingled all over.
Finally, Quinn was done, and came back to the table. “We’ll do this again soon,” he told her. “I want to keep at it until I’m satisfied you can do it in your sleep. If nothing else, it will give me peace of mind.”
As soon as they were back at the house, Quinn pulled three steaks from the freezer. “Jake is big on red meat. I’ll defrost these and get the grill started.”
Kate found the dishes and silverware while he took down two bottles from his wine rack. She looked up and saw him watching her as she set everything out, arranging the table. The expression on his face gave her a sudden feeling of warmth. Of rightness.
When she had the last item in place, he put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
“You fill this house, Kate. And my life. It’s the last thing I expected to happen, but I guess the man upstairs had plans for me. For us.”
“Oh, Quinn.” She blinked hard at the tears that suddenly wet her lashes.
“I haven’t felt like this for a long time. You look so right in this house.”
When he bent his head to kiss her, she lifted her face to him, sliding her hands up through the silk of his hair.
Like an alarm clock intruding on a dream, the telephone rang, its tone harsh and strident. For a moment, neither of them registered what the sound was. Then Quinn swore, relaxed his hold on Kate, and reached for the offending instrument.
“Just wanted to let you know I’m on the way,” Jake told him. “I should be there pretty soon.”
“Yeah, great.” Quinn was still trying to steady his breathing. “See you in a few.”
“Jake?” Kate asked, her face still flushed. She was busy rearranging her clothing and working on her own breathing.
“Yes. With his usual impeccable timing.” He pulled Kate against him, tenderly this time. “It’s all right, darlin.’ It’s just as well he called. I don’t think the kitchen table would be too comfortable for what I have in mind. Let’s get some iced tea to cool down.” He dropped a light kiss on her mouth. “But watch out later on.”
With potatoes baking in the oven and the coals heating in the grill, and needing to distract themselves, they took the last of the iced tea out to the front porch and sat in the rockers to wait for Jake. The sun was draping its evening colors over the far hills when a Ford Explorer came down the road and turned into the driveway.
Quinn rose from his chair. “There’s the man himself. Are you ready for introductions?”
“I guess I’d better be,” she said, standing up and smoothing her hands against her thighs.
Okay. Here we go.
Seeing Jake the day before had brought back memories Quinn kept shut up and locked for a long time. As he waited for his friend to pull up the driveway, the painful, horrific images came tumbling back, like a movie unwinding in slow motion.
Jake standing next to Quinn the day his wife and daughter were shot down. Jake beside him like a rock as he’d watched them buried on one of the coldest days South Texas had ever seen. The ice on the ground must have found its way into Quinn’s heart, because it had been stone cold since then. The killing of his parents had tipped him over the edge.
The day Quinn walked out of Kane Barton’s office was the last time anyone saw him until months later, when he arrived with five members of the Ramirez cartel, bound and restrained and slightly the worse for the wear. He’d simply called for Jake to meet him at the front of the building and bring a couple of agents with him.
At the curb, Quinn opened his door and indicated the waiting men should remove the prisoners in his vehicle. Then he’d handed Jake an athletic gym bag and a thick file folder, bound with rubber bands. The gym bag contained a collection of guns. The folder held fingerprint cards, Polaroid pictures of the men, and about three inches of paperwork on the cartel.
“Everything you need is in there,” he said, got in his truck, and drove away.
****
When Kate shook Jake’s hand, his grip was warm and firm, friendly yet somehow reserved.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me” The smile he gave her didn’t quite reach his eyes, and Kate couldn’t miss the trace of suspicion lurking there. The way he was handling this was solely out of friendship for Quinn, and he was expecting her not to jeopardize that.
He’s making up his mind about me. Reserving judgment. I guess I don’t blame him. If it were my friend involved I’d probably feel the same way.
She arranged her face into what she hoped was a welcoming expression, praying her quaking stomach would settle down. “Thank you for coming out here. I appreciate the fact you’re in a difficult situation.”
>
Jake’s eyes took in every bit of her. Assessing. “I owe Quinn a lot, as does my boss. We agreed to bend the rules a little for him. Once.”
Message delivered.
“Thank you again. For that.”
“Well, then.” The surface smile was back.
Quinn’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, either. “Anything to make things easier here. I hope maybe we can catch a little break.”
“You know I’ll do my best,” Jake told him. “But I’ve got my orders. We all know that, right, folks?” He looked from one to the other. “I’m ready for a good steak and some fine wine. And after we eat we’ll get down to business.”
“After we eat,” Quinn agreed.
Jake followed them into the house and dropped his jacket and briefcase on an arm chair while Quinn went to see about the steaks.
Despite the fact the men, especially Quinn, made an obvious effort to keep the conversation light, everyone knew what the evening’s agenda was. Kate did her best to enjoy her meal, but tension coiled in her stomach like a snake ready to strike at any moment. She had no idea what would happen after she told Jake her story or whether he’d believe how she came to have the flash drive. That wasn’t something she’d discussed with Quinn, but it had gnawed away at her.
What if he thought she was lying? That she was actually part of the cartel and had fled over a disagreement, taking the flash drive as a bargaining chip.
No. She pushed the thought away. She’d make him believe her. And Quinn would help.
Finally, when the dishes were cleared and the second bottle of wine opened, Jake leaned back in his chair and looked hard at Kate.
Quinn took one of her hands in his. “Jake’s on our side, darlin’. Keep that in mind.”
Is he? Or am I making a mistake here?
Jake cleared his throat. “All right, Kate, why don’t you clue me in on how you and my friend, Quinn, here just happened to get together.”
Kate tensed at the barely concealed sarcasm. “What do you mean, happened to get together?” She looked at Quinn. “Is that some kind of slam?”
“He certainly doesn’t sound like it.”
Jake looked directly at her. “Kate. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t know anything about you and neither does my boss. Either of my bosses. One of my assignments tonight is to make sure you aren’t just yanking Quinn’s chain. Okay? Can you understand that?”
Her dinner threatened to heave itself back up in her throat. She should have expected this. She started to get up, but Quinn put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. “That’s uncalled for, Jake, and less than I would have expected of you.”
“Hey, Ace,” he protested. “You’d feel the same way in my place, and don’t deny it.”
“I appreciate the fact that you’re all so concerned about Quinn,” Kate told him, her voice very formal and cold. “But if you really are Quinn’s good friend, then you know no one could possibly yank his chain, as you so delicately put it. I would be a fool to try. What you see tonight is what you get. Period.”
“Kate, it’s okay.” Quinn squeezed her hand. “I know it’s Jake’s job to be suspicious, despite what I say. Don’t let it throw you. All right? I can deal with it.” He looked at Jake. “But that’s the end of that kind of thinking, buddy. Old friend. Old pal. Or you’ll be back on the road to the city with nothing to show for it but a good steak dinner.”
All the good humor from dinnertime disappeared with the snap of a finger. Jake narrowed his eyes at Quinn’s words, studying him for what seemed an eternity. Then he dipped his head once. “If you say so.” Looking back at Kate, he said, “Shall we get started, then?”
Kate took a large swallow of her wine and glanced at Quinn.
He gave her a reassuring nod. “From the beginning, darlin’. Just like you told me. We’re past time to hold anything back.”
He linked his fingers through hers, giving them a gentle squeeze. The gesture was as much a signal to Jake as it was to her.
She’s mine. Be careful here.
Doing her best to ignore Jake’s barely concealed skepticism, Kate laid out her story one more time. She gave him everything. The death of her parents. Her suspicions about the fire. Peter. The pills. The conversation she overheard. Her crazy bus odyssey, changing her appearance, pulling money out of her accounts, and what happened when she did. And finally, about meeting Quinn on the side of the road.
Jake listened attentively, watching her face the entire time. When she finished, he leaned back in his chair. “You know, when we started looking into Burke-Fleming, and you came across our radar, we tried to figure out if you fit into this puzzle anyplace. But it just didn’t make sense. You didn’t seem to have a clue what was going on or a role to play.”
“That’s because I don’t.” She tried to keep the hostility out of her voice. “If I know anything at all, it’s by sheer accident. As far as my mother and I were concerned, this was just a regular corporate law firm. That’s the God’s honest truth. Trans Global was a major client, and their people took up a lot of my father’s time. And Peter’s when he came on board. Quinn’s the one who clued me in on reality after he met with you.”
Jake’s lips thinned. “Then you know your father’s law firm was created solely to create a legitimate structure for the Osuna cartel, a way to manage its business. The Osunas are about the worst I’ve seen in a long time. They’re into drugs, weapons, money laundering. Probably even smuggling people and dabbling in prostitution. Selling guns to terrorists. It would take a team of very good forensic accountants years to dig through it all. If we even had a place to start.”
Kate folded her hands together so tightly her knuckles were white. “I just have a hard time believing my father was part of this. And my uncle, until he died in a small plane crash.”
“Kate, here’s the plain truth.” Jake leaned forward and pinned her with his gaze. “Someone financed that law firm so it could open its doors. It just appeared one day out of whole cloth, fully operational. We traced your father’s finances and your uncle’s all the way back to when they opened their offices. They didn’t have any money of their own to speak of. Then suddenly they did. Do you think the money fairy just left an envelope on their doorstep?”
Kate felt hot and cold at the same time, and the snake inside her stomach was coiling and writhing. She squeezed Quinn’s hand harder. “And Peter? How did they find him? My father said he was the son of an old friend.”
“I’m sure he is.” Jake’s mouth twisted in a cynical grin. “Or something like that. We know about Peter Fleming. The man is dangerous and too smart for his own good.”
“Don’t I know it.” Her tone was bitter.
Jake took a minute to fetch a pen and yellow pad from his briefcase, then took his seat across from her again. “If you don’t mind, can we go through this one more time? Just to make sure there isn’t something you might know that you didn’t think was important. This time I’d like to take notes.”
“Believe me, Jake. You’ve got it all. What little there is.” She took another sip of her wine. “But if you want it again, let’s get it out there.”
Wearily, she gave it to him one more time, all of it, watching as he made notes in his sprawling style of writing. Her uncle’s death. Peter’s appearance. The propane tank that exploded, killing her parents.
“And by the way,” she interjected. “They had that tank checked regularly. My father was a fanatic about it.”
And finally, in even greater detail, the conversation she walked in on that night that sent her fleeing for her life.
Jake was thorough with his questions, taking Kate back and forth for what seemed an eternity, prodding, poking, making her repeat things three and four times. She tried to remember everything she knew about Burke-Fleming, dredging up any tiny thing, trying to visualize people she’d met or remember anything she’d heard.
“And you’ve been running ever since,” Jake said matter-of-factly.
&
nbsp; “Yes. I have. And believe me, it wasn’t any picnic.”
“I’ll say this for you,” Jake commented. “Not too many people could have done what you did, evading them so successfully. You’ve got a lot of guts.”
“They almost got me twice,” she reminded him.
“Yes, but they didn’t, and that’s what counts.” He might be suspicious, but his eyes showed a new respect for her. “Well, Kate. Or Kathryn. What should I call you, anyway?”
“Kate, definitely.” She tried to smile. “I’m happy to be rid of Kathryn.”
“Something else bugs me.” He looked at Quinn and back to Kate. “Why do you think they wanted to get rid of you in the first place? What was the point in killing you? As far as Fleming was concerned, you were no danger to him.” He narrowed his eyes. “Were you?”
“I’ve been thinking about this.” Quinn leaned forward. “From what she heard Miguel say, I’d have to guess it was just too big a risk having her around. Not knowing what she might stumble over, ask questions about. She was the last survivor, and you know the Osunas don’t leave survivors.”
A shiver rippled over Kate, and her blood seemed to freeze in her veins. “It’s hard to believe they wanted to kill me just in case I might learn something.”
Jake shrugged. “Not unheard of in this business.”
She leaned closer to Quinn. She knew he was waiting for her to bring up the flash drive herself, but giving it up meant leaving her with no bargaining chip. “So now what, Jake? Where do we go from here? I don’t seem to have given you anything you can use.”
He studied her as he spoke. “We’ve had a very interesting conversation here, Kate, but I hate to be the bearer of bad news.” He looked back at Quinn. “You know she’s gonna have to come in and talk to the bosses.” He gestured at his yellow pad. “This won’t be nearly enough to satisfy them.”
“No. No way.” She shook her head. “I thought that’s why you came out here, so I wouldn’t have to do that.”
“When I give this information to Dean Morgan and Kane Barton, they’ll want to question you in person to satisfy themselves. You’re the only link we’ve been able to get our hands on. As a matter of fact, I think they were hoping you’d show up with me first thing tomorrow morning.”