Especially when it was someone she thought was on their side.
“I’m ready,” Bree announced, hurrying out of the bathroom. No more cotton candy pajamas. She wore loose black pants and a pale purple top. Darcy’s colors. But they didn’t look so bad on Bree, either.
Kade also saw the change in her body language. No more lack of focus. Hers was the expression of an agent who wanted some answers. Or maybe she just wanted to throttle Anthony for making that accusation against her boss.
“I know, I know,” she mumbled when she followed his gaze. She went to Leah and kissed her forehead. “The clothes aren’t my usual style.”
“You look good,” he settled for saying.
Bree glanced down at the outfit and grumbled a distracted thanks. Her mind was obviously locked on seeing their visitor.
Kade aimed for the same mind lock. He pushed her clothes, Leah, the kiss and this attraction for her aside so he could deal with something potentially dangerous.
“You trust Coop?” he came right out and asked.
“Of course.” She answered without hesitation, but she stopped on her way to the door. Now, she paused and shook her head. “Of course,” she repeated it and slowly turned back around to face him. “What did Anthony have to say about Coop wanting me dead?”
“I wasn’t able to reach him, but I left a message and told him to call my cell.”
“Well, I’m sure whatever comes from Anthony’s mouth will be a lie,” she added and headed out of the room. “Coop’s not the enemy. I can’t say the same for Anthony, especially since he’s facing criminal charges.”
Kade hoped she was right about Coop, but just in case, he kept his hand over his gun. He also moved ahead of Bree, hoping that he could keep himself between Coop and her until he could determine if there was a shred of truth to Anthony’s allegations.
The maneuver earned him a huff from Bree.
He gave her a huff right back.
Kade disarmed the security system and looked out the side window. It was Coop all right. Kade had had many conversations with the lanky blond-haired man while he’d been searching for Bree. Conversations where Kade had been sure that Coop’s actions were the right ones.
He hoped he continued to feel that way when he opened the door.
“Bree,” Coop said on a rise of breath as if he truly hadn’t expected to see her. The man stepped forward, and Kade had to make a split-second decision about letting him in.
But Bree made the decision for him. She stepped around Kade and pulled Coop into her arms for a hug. The man hugged back and kept repeating her name. It was a regular warm and fuzzy reunion.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” Coop whispered, though it was plenty loud enough for Kade to hear.
“It was touch-and-go yesterday,” Kade offered.
“Yes.” Coop eased away from Bree and had the decency to look a little uncomfortable with his public display of affection for his subordinate.
Coop then turned his attention to Kade. “I heard about the shooting in San Antonio. About the dead gunman, too. You should have called me the second you got that anonymous tip.”
That would have been protocol, yes, but Kade hadn’t exactly been operating on a logical level. “No time for calls,” Kade answered. “As it was, I barely had time to get her out of there alive.”
Coop still seemed annoyed that he hadn’t been looped in. “Thanks for getting her out.”
“I didn’t do it for you.” Kade should have probably kept that to himself, but there was something about this reunion that riled him. Hopefully, it was Anthony’s accusation and not the possessive way Coop was holding on to Bree.
Coop took something from his pocket and handed it to her. Her badge. Bree closed her fingers around it, then slipped it into her pocket. “Thanks.”
“I got it from your apartment after you went missing,” Coop explained. “I figured you’d want it back right away. You always said you felt naked without it.”
Coop smiled.
Kade didn’t.
And he hated that at a critical time like this the naked comment had an effect on him. A bad one. The kiss had been a huge mistake, and worse, he wanted to make that mistake again. He hoped he didn’t feel that way because of the shot of jealousy he’d just experienced.
“I talked to the doctor who examined you,” Coop volunteered, dropping the smile. “He wouldn’t tell me much, other than you were okay. He did say there’d be no lasting complications from the delivery or your ordeal.”
“Other than the threat to her life,” Kade spoke up. He looked at Bree to give her a chance to ask Coop about what was on both their minds.
She flexed her eyebrows and sucked in a quick breath. “Anthony McClendon called the ranch. He made some, uh, accusations against you.”
Coop’s eyes widened, and he tossed his concerned gaze first to Kade and then back to Bree. “What kind of accusations?”
“Anthony said you were dirty,” Bree explained, then paused. “And that you’re the one who’s trying to kill me.” She waved it off before he could say anything. “He’s lying, of course.”
“But he said he had proof,” Kade added.
“Then he’s lying about that, too,” Coop said as gospel.
Coop caught Bree’s arm and turned her to face him. “Anthony’s guilty of a lot of things that went on at the Fulbright clinic. It was pure luck on his part that we didn’t get those missing surveillance backups that would have no doubt proven that he’s guilty of even more serious charges. If he’s trying to put a spin on this, it’s because he knows I’m going to put his sorry butt in jail.”
Kade agreed that Anthony was likely guilty of something more than harboring illegal immigrants, theft and embezzlement, but he still wanted to hear what the man had to say. Especially what he had to say about Coop.
“What’s the status of the Fulbright investigation?” Bree asked.
“It’s still active,” Coop said. “Kade and you gave us a good start with your undercover work, and I’m still digging. Trying to connect the dots. I do know that Anthony was skimming money from the clinic, and that’s why father and son are now at odds.”
Kade had learned the same thing, but realized that he hadn’t brought Bree up to speed on the case. Of course, there hadn’t been much time for that between dodging bullets and sleeping off the Valium.
“And what about the shooting yesterday?” Bree pressed. “Any word on who might have hired a hit man to come after me?”
“Nothing yet. It’s SAPD’s jurisdiction. For now. But I’ve requested that the FBI take over, since the shots were fired at two agents.”
Yeah, but moving it to the FBI would take Nate out of the investigative loop. Kade preferred his brother in on this. Nate had an objective eye, and Kade needed that right now. Clearly, his objectivity had taken a hike. First the kiss. Now the jealousy.
He wasn’t on a good track here.
Bree blew out a long, weary breath. “Is there any evidence about why someone would have kidnapped me in the first place?”
Coop shook his head and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry. I’m trying hard, but I haven’t been able to prove anything. Of course, my theory is that McClendon did all of this so he’d have some leverage over the investigation.”
“But he hasn’t contacted Bree, me or you to try to tamper with evidence or anything.” Kade tried not to make it sound like a question. He also tried not to be so suspicious of a fellow agent.
Oh, man. He couldn’t let a suspect like Anthony play these kinds of mind games.
“McClendon hasn’t contacted me yet,” Coop verified. “I figured it would happen as Anthony’s and Jamie’s trial dates got closer. But since Bree managed to escape and since the baby is here and safe, the person responsible has lost their leverage.”
Kade wanted to believe that, because if it were true, then that meant the danger to Bree and Leah had lessened. Well, maybe. That didn’t mean the person wouldn�
�t try to kidnap them again. But at least both were safe now.
And it had to stay that way.
Even if he had to check out Anthony’s crazy allegation. Kade would do that and anything else that it took. He made a mental note to recheck all the security measures at the ranch. And to try to convince Bree to take him up on his offer to send her to a safe house.
“So, what are your immediate plans?” Coop asked Bree. But he didn’t wait for her to answer that. “How soon are you returning to work?”
She glanced at Kade, and he was certain that he looked as surprised as she did. The timing was all off, but Kade didn’t jump to answer for her.
“I’m not sure,” she finally said. Not an answer, but it appeared that was all she was going to give him. She fluttered her hand toward the stairs. “I want to spend some time with my daughter. Get to know her.”
Coop’s forehead bunched up. “I thought you’d want to figure out who kidnapped you right away.”
“I will.” But then she paused. “I just need some time.”
Coop’s gaze shifted to Kade, and the man instantly frowned. “Not too much time, I hope. Bree, you haven’t worked in nearly a year.”
“That wasn’t exactly her fault,” Kade pointed out.
Coop’s frown deepened, and he moved even closer to Bree. “Officially, you were listed as missing in the line of duty, but we both know your Jane identity was compromised when things went wrong at the Fulbright clinic. Your face was on those surveillance videos, and your cover was blown.”
Kade couldn’t deny any of that. But what he still didn’t know was how their cover had been blown. It was definitely something he wanted to learn, but for now, he had other things that were much higher priority.
“What are you saying?” Bree asked Coop. “That I can no longer be a Jane? Well, that’s okay. It would have been hard to pull off deep-cover assignments now that I have Leah.”
Coop looked as if she’d slugged him. “I didn’t think you’d ever give that up without a fight.” He shook his head and stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. Or as if Kade had brainwashed her. “But that’s not the only problem we have here. Bree, there are people in the Justice Department who feel you brought this kidnapping on yourself. That you didn’t take the proper security precautions.”
Kade tamped down the rush of anger and stepped by Bree’s side. “They’re blaming the victim?”
Coop huffed. “No. I’m not saying that—”
But he didn’t get to finish because Mason appeared at the top of the stairs. He had Leah’s carrier in his left hand, and he had the baby positioned behind him in a protective stance.
“We have another problem,” Mason called down to Kade. “The ranch hand that I’ve got watching the security cameras just called, and we have some more visitors. He’s running the plates, but it looks like Anthony McClendon and Jamie Greer.”
“Good,” Coop spat out, and he drew his gun. “Because I can confront the SOB about the lies he’s spreading about me.”
Kade look at Bree, and her expression verified how he felt. This wasn’t good. Far from it. Two of their suspects were way too close for comfort, and they had a riled agent with his gun drawn.
“Keep your gun down,” Kade ordered Coop. “And you need to stay with Leah,” he added to his brother. “Call a couple of the ranch hands to the front in case I need backup.”
“I’m your backup,” Coop snarled, and with his gun ready, he stormed out onto the porch.
Kade caught Bree’s arm to stop her from following. “I know you won’t wait upstairs with Mason.” He reached down and pulled the Colt .38 from his ankle holster. Kade had no idea if she had a steady aim yet, but even if she didn’t, he preferred Bree to be armed.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, but her attention was on the stairs where Mason had just left with Leah. “He’s a good cop?” she asked.
“Yeah. And we’re not letting anyone get past us.”
She nodded, licked her lips and looked a little shakier than Kade wanted. However, he couldn’t take the time to soothe her because he didn’t want bullets to start flying this close to Leah. Even though Coop was a well-trained agent, he seemed to be working on a short fuse when it came to Anthony.
Kade stepped onto the porch, with Bree behind him, just as the white Lexus stopped next to Coop’s car. It was Anthony and Jamie all right. Kade had interviewed them enough to recognize them from a distance.
Anthony got out first. He definitely didn’t look like a killer or even a formidable opponent. The man was lanky to the point of being skinny, and his black hair was pretty thin for a man in his early thirties. But Kade knew that Anthony had some strength. During their undercover assignment, Kade had watched Anthony get into a shoving match with an irate illegal immigrant father who was looking for his daughter. Anthony had some martial arts skills to make up for all that
lankiness.
The man wore no scrubs today, as he’d worn in all his interviews with Kade. He was dressed in khakis and a white shirt. He looked like a nerd. If he was carrying a concealed weapon, Kade didn’t see any signs of it. That didn’t mean Kade would let down his guard. Neither would Coop. Or Bree.
“No reason for those guns,” Anthony called out. “I’m just here to talk.”
“You mean you’re here to lie,” Coop shouted back.
Oh, yeah. This could turn ugly fast, and Kade was thankful when he spotted the three armed ranch hands round the east corner of the house. The men stopped Anthony in his tracks, probably because they were armed with rifles that no amount of martial arts could match.
But those rifles didn’t stop Jamie from getting out of the car.
Jamie spared the ranch hands a cool, indifferent glance before she slid on a pair of dark sunglasses and strolled toward them as if this were a planned social visit. No nerd status for her. Jamie was tall and lean, and she had her long auburn hair gathered into a sleek ponytail. Kade had always thought Jamie looked more like a socialite than a nurse.
“How did you know I was here?” Coop demanded.
“I didn’t.” Anthony looked past him and put his attention on Bree. “I came here to see you. It’s all over the news about the shooting, and since Agent Ryland wasn’t at his office in San Antonio, I thought he might bring you here. Obviously, I guessed right.”
Kade hoped it was a guess, and that Anthony didn’t have any insider knowledge. Of course, Anthony could have learned Bree’s location from his father, but Kade didn’t think the two were on speaking terms.
“Why’d you want to see Bree?” Kade demanded while Anthony and Coop started another glaring contest with each other.
“Because SAPD has been hassling us again,” Jamie calmly provided. “And Anthony and I thought we’d better nip this in the bud.”
“What are you planning to nip?” Kade asked, and he didn’t bother trying to sound friendly. He wanted all three of these people off his porch and off his family’s property.
“You, if necessary.” Jamie turned toward Kade, though with those dark shades, he couldn’t tell exactly where she was looking. “You had your shot at investigating us, and you found nothing on me other than a few charges that you can’t make stick.”
“Not yet. But at least you’ll do some time in jail. That’ll be enough for now.” Kade knew it sounded like a threat, and he was glad of it. “Bree’s been through hell and back, and someone will pay for that.”
Anthony pointed toward Coop. “What about him? He should be the one paying.”
“I warned you about those lies.” There was a dark, dangerous edge to Coop’s voice.
Still, Anthony came closer, but he pleaded his case to Bree, not Coop or Kade. “Did Agent Cooper tell you that he provided security to the Fulbright clinic and that he was paid a hefty amount for his services?”
“Security?” Kade repeated over Coop’s profanity-punctuated shouts that this was all a crock.
Anthony nodded, and Jamie strolled closer until she was near
the bottom step and standing next to Anthony. “It’s true. Anthony’s father told me that Agent Cooper kept the local cops from digging too deeply into what was going on.”
Coop turned that profanity tirade to Jamie, but it didn’t stop the woman from continuing.
“Hector said Cooper was stunned when he realized Bree, one of his own agents, had been sneaked into the undercover assignment at the clinic that could ultimately land him in jail.” Jamie paused, a trace of a smile on her dark red lips. “And Anthony here has proof.”
Anthony had a bit of a smile going on, as well. Kade could understand why—if there was proof. And it was that possibility of proof that kept Kade from latching onto them and giving them the boot.
“Anthony and you have nothing on me,” Coop fired back. “Neither does Hector McClendon.”
But Jamie only shrugged. “You’re investigating the wrong people, Agent Ryland. You need to be looking closer to home. You need to investigate Agent Cooper.”
Bree huffed and stepped around Kade, between Coop and him. But she didn’t say anything. She just studied Jamie from head to toe, and Kade had to wait just like the others to hear Bree’s take on all of this.
“Are you the woman who held me captive all those months?” Bree asked.
With all the other accusations flying around about Coop, Kade certainly hadn’t expected such a direct question from Bree. But he waited for Jamie’s answer and watched her expression. He wished he could strip those glasses off her so he could see her eyes because he was certain that question had hit some kind of nerve.
Jamie shifted her posture and folded her arms over her chest. “I did nothing wrong,” she insisted.
Kade looked at Bree to see if she believed Jamie, but Bree only shook her head. It made sense. After all, Bree had said her kidnappers had kept on prosthetic masks, but he’d hoped that she would recognize something about Jamie or Anthony.
Of course, maybe there was nothing to recognize because they hadn’t been the ones to hold her captive.
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