“If you hadn’t been there, I’d have done the same thing.” Katie parked, and turned to her.
“I know and that scares me. I’m going to be gone and—”
“And what? You can’t be with me every minute.”
Sudden headlights behind them reflected across Katie’s hurt face. Grace and Tag got out of their vehicle, both in T-shirts and shorts.
“Got something from Jimmy’s for you,” Grace called out.
“How’d you know about what happened tonight?”
“They notified the chief when Katie pressed charges. He called us and added resisting arrest to keep the kid overnight. We went to the restaurant, and Jimmy gave me their security videos.” She handed her a flash drive.
“Jimmy would probably give you the whole restaurant. Come in. I’ll make some coffee.”
Tag had walked in with Katie and stood in the living room, pointing down the hallway. “She said she needed to change clothes. That dress was impressive.”
AJ nodded and put the coffee together. She’d loved the dress too and had wanted to come home and take it off her.
Katie emerged barefoot, wearing white cotton drawstring pants and a pink tank top. She took AJ’s hand as she went by, adding a light squeeze. Relieved, AJ sat next to her at the big kitchen table while Tag and Grace argued good-naturedly how to run the video on AJ’s laptop. Katie studied the screen. Suddenly, she pointed at the monitor. “There. See? I thought he was going to talk to you, AJ.”
Tag backed up the video and enhanced the figure. “It’s that guy again.”
“I agree,” Grace echoed.
“What guy?” Katie said.
“We saw him on the crap security video from the doctor’s office. Or at least someone who resembles him,” AJ said. “Did you get paperwork on him at the police station? A name or address?”
Katie handed the papers to AJ.
“You won’t believe this,” AJ said, reading the information. “He’s Robert Owens. Look at this address. It’s the house we took down.” She shoved the papers to Grace and Tag. “Worse, I thought he was high.” Her phone rang just as she reached for it. It was the chief. He had just seen the name and address and was getting a warrant to go back into the house. In all of their research today none of them had encountered another man named Owens.
“Do you want us to work on that first thing in the morning or do it now?” Grace stood. “Also, the chief gave all our information to the Milwaukee task force and they’ll start proceedings tomorrow against John Owens.”
AJ shook her head. “No, don’t do it tonight. Robert Owens will spend the night in lockup. Do what you can in the morning.” She closed the door behind Tag and Grace, set the home security, and reran the video. Katie put cups in the dishwasher and readied the coffeepot for morning.
“If this is the shooter, we don’t have to worry about Bonnie staying here.”
Katie kissed the top of AJ’s hair. “Let’s call it a night,” she said and tugged her toward the bedroom. AJ tossed her jeans in the hamper while Katie was in the bathroom and sank down on the side of the bed. Katie came in and stood at the closet, studying her business clothes.
“Aren’t you going to bed?” Katie said. Their eyes met in the mirror.
“Not until I apologize for tonight.” AJ began unbuttoning her shirt.
Katie finished the buttons. “I thought it was this.” She traced the bandage on AJ’s arm.
“You scared me tonight. I never want to see you hurt, and—”
Suddenly, Katie was on top of her, holding her down on the bed, her mouth a kiss away. “Do you have any idea how much I love you? I never want to see you hurt either.” She sat up. “I’d planned another ending to this evening.” She pulled the covers down and got in bed.
AJ scrambled up to the pillows beside Katie and claimed the kiss she’d missed. She’d wanted more too and inhaled Katie’s familiar fresh scent.
“You’re tired. I’m tired. Let’s talk in the morning.” Katie snuggled against her.
AJ held her until Katie drifted off, and then she stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She remembered Katie mentioning the men and the pickup next to Robert Owens’s motorcycle. Was there a chance in hell they were the same two men she’d seen in the police station parking lot this afternoon? She couldn’t remember much about them other than the Confederate flag tattoo on the one guy and what she’d seen on the surveillance video.
She eased out of bed and went to their office, searching the computer for tonight’s charges. Nothing yet. She searched the information and photos from the summer case. The biker kid certainly resembled John and Kevin Owens. The Milwaukee group had enough to nail John Owens, but who the hell was Robert Owens? Or had she missed it when she looked at the family?
She shut the computer down and walked out onto the deck. None of this would have gotten past her last spring. Where the hell was her normal alertness? Something had dulled her normally sharp edges. And what was all this snapping at Katie about?
She looked at the moon’s silky shadows on the yard and turned back, scanning the house with a new thought. This had become home, just what Tag had said last night. For the first time since she’d left her parents’ farm, she’d settled. It was everything from throwing her keys on the counter when she came home to knowing where the towels were. She ran on automatic here. AJ looked back at the yard again, the flowers and shrubs she’d planted. Katie was right. This had been a very special summer.
And as much as she loved working undercover and as worried as she was about Frog, she didn’t want to leave the house or Katie.
When she slipped back into bed, Katie woke up, her gray eyes sleepy and smoky in the moonlight. “Can’t sleep?”
AJ pulled her close, thankful to hold her. “Let’s have breakfast here in the morning.”
“You’re cooking?” Katie murmured with a smile in her voice. “That’ll be fun.”
AJ buried her face in Katie’s hair and bit back a tease. Not fair. She’d worked on her breakfast skills all summer long. She now knew her way around an egg.
Chapter Nine
Tag drove them home from Katie and AJ’s while Grace entered notes on her tablet. She glanced at the dim lights shining on Grace next to her but looked away, concentrating on the road. She had to stop this glancing stuff.
“AJ’s right,” Tag said. “Jimmy’s eyes actually dilate when you’re close.”
Grace rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Does that happen often?” Tag asked.
“What?”
“Men’s eyes dilating around you?”
“Who has time for that? And why are you driving so slow?” Frowning, Grace stared out at the highway.
“Because it’s been years since I’ve driven in traffic like this, not to mention this vehicle. I mean, look at all the stuff you’ve got.” She pointed at the electronics on the dash.
“Never even thought of that. AJ says it’s a huge adjustment to come back to the States, especially when you’ve been gone as long as you have.”
“She’s not kidding. I feel like everything’s new. I was in Afghanistan four years and came home. When I got back they formed the Dragons, so it’s been six years since I’ve been here.” She changed the conversation. “AJ said that scene at the restaurant was dicey and she came down hard on Katie.”
“Those two have to be true love. It was a battle from the beginning last winter. Neither of them gave an inch, and I teased AJ every chance I got. Still, I’ve never witnessed what they have. It’s truly special.” Grace stared at the road again. “Finding a new Owens guy is weird.” She shook her head. “The new task force is off, too. Everything has that odd little shimmer like last winter and spring. Were you ever in a situation that began to feel bad, then things happened and it really was bad?”
“Yeah. That happened to me in the field.”
“Exactly, and we have to be up north soon.” Grace closed the tablet, and Tag could feel her eyes on her. “
I’ve never seen combat and it looks like you did, a lot.”
“Yes, and I have some scars, but I’m okay.” She could still feel Grace watching her. “I’m fine,” she said defensively. “You’ve seen my psych evaluation.”
“No, I haven’t because we don’t have it.”
“That’s wrong. It’s usually automatic.”
“It’ll be here eventually.” Grace shrugged. “But why did you leave? It looked as if you were about to be promoted. You were a captain?”
“My tour was up in June and I was up for a promotion, but something happened.” Tag parked the car, but Grace didn’t move and just looked at her expectantly.
“My best friends on base were doctors, a man and woman. They’d done time with Doctors Without Borders before they joined the army, and a lot of us helped them save abandoned women and children.” Tag shifted to face Grace. “We had a building off base where we’d bring victims for clothes, water and food, medical stuff, that kind of thing. Last May, we got a truckload and brought them back to the doctors in the middle of the night. Everything was fine when I left, but the next morning someone had killed them all, including my friends. Cut them all up. The place reeked of blood…and other things.”
“Did you ever find out who did it?”
“Oh sure. The usual terrorists. The children were the worst, but my friends…” Her voice trailed away. “That was the day I was done with Afghanistan.”
“God,” Grace said over a deep breath and got out of the car.
Tag followed and heard the dishwasher begin. They had been cleaning up from dinner when the chief called. They had dropped everything and left.
She went on to her bedroom and dropped her bag on the desk. Where was her psych eval? And of all the things she could have said, why in the hell had she told Grace that story? Shadows of that moment always lurked inside her. She’d walked outside and thrown up. The doctors had said it would go away. It hadn’t. And why had she told Grace?
She stood for a moment, searching her mind. Well, it was the truth, and something about Grace demanded that piece of her. Actually, something about Grace made her want to talk, period. If they’d sat in the car any longer who knows what else she’d have said? AJ was right. Grace was quiet and a straight shooter and smart, all of those things, but that quiet somehow rewired her. For the first time in a long time, she wanted a conversation, but she’d have to be careful, considering what she was carrying around. AJ would have to hear that first.
With a calming breath, she looked at the room, examining it for the first time. The light on the desk was soft and inviting against the warm rose color of the walls. All the furniture was wood, even the desk, with lots of old gold and burgundy accents. It was comfortable and she’d slept deeply here. She caught the light scent of furniture polish and bent over the small desk, tracing the scrollwork at the edges.
There was a wall of books. She took time to see what Grace read. There was some pretty good fiction and poetry but also psychology, behavioral science, and what? Survival? She scanned those books further. A book at the end of the row caught her. The Last Unicorn. She pulled it off the shelf and took it with her to the kitchen.
Grace was standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open.
“Hungry?” Tag said.
“Nope. Are you up for watching the end of the movie we started last night? It’s either that or I go to bed, stare at the ceiling, and worry about that kid in jail or who burned up the cars today.” They’d watched the first part of Spielberg’s Lincoln last night but had been too tired to finish it. “Want a beer?”
“That’d be great.” Tag did want to finish the video. She loved history. “I’ve been meaning to mention that bedroom back there. It’s the most comfortable room I’ve slept in for a long time. On base or in the military, everything’s metal…well, except for the mattress, and sometimes it felt that way too.”
Grace smiled and handed her the beer. “I hit estate sales when we found out we were assigned to Milwaukee for another year. Katie and I were redoing AJ’s office so I grabbed some things and redid that room. Glad you like it.”
“And how did you happen to have this book?” Tag held up The Last Unicorn so Grace could see it. “I used to carry it with me to relax my mind.”
Grace froze, staring at the book. “Where did you find that?” she said.
“Behind a row of books.” Tag handed it to her. Something, a piece of paper, fell out, and she picked it up. It was a photo of a young Grace. The person taking the photo had caught her looking kind of afraid, as if she hadn’t expected someone to take a picture. Tag handed it to Grace.
“I’m sorry.” Tag fumbled her words and felt like she had somehow pried into a place she shouldn’t have been. “You were young. Twelve…thirteen?”
Grace held the picture as if she were searching the years. “Probably.” She tucked the photo back into the book. “I thought I’d lost this. You’ve read it?”
“My mother gave it to me and I read it to pieces. Loved it. She loves magic and hope, and so do I.” She settled back into the couch. “Are you from Wisconsin?”
“No. Arizona, but I spent a lot of time on my grandparents’ farm and horse ranch in southern Illinois.” She sat beside Tag, still staring at the book in her hands. “I wouldn’t mind living on a ranch after I retire or whatever happens to me. I work with horses every chance I can. There’s a ranch here where I go when I have time. I bought a horse this summer, and I love being out there with her.”
“I can ride but don’t know much about horses. I agree, when all of this is over, I’d like to teach history and live in the country somewhere. AJ said she’d always wanted to open a law office and live on a farm.” Tag took a long drink. “And we talked about her Presidential Commendation last night.”
“That’s odd.” Grace looked up. “She never talks about that. It’s been a strange last few months for her. I’m glad you’re here with your experience. It’s good for her. Actually, she didn’t want the lead here and told Lawrence Kelly as much.” Grace rested her gorgeous long legs on the coffee table in front of them. “Maybe we should all buy farms and ranches up north, together. Why didn’t you do that when you left the military? Come back here and teach?”
Tag swallowed and looked away. “I guess I just wasn’t ready to stop trying to make a difference.” Her mind swirled as she tried to figure out where to go next. “How did you meet AJ? I mean, were you assigned to her unit or…?”
Grace shook her head with a little laugh. “The second year I was in Cyber Crime we screwed up an assignment for the task force Charles Ryan was running. They sent some of us down there to see what we could do to fix it. AJ and Charles were regrouping after the misinformation we’d given them. It was a mess.”
“So was it bad?” Tag grinned.
“Oh yeah. Luckily, no one died, but it cost a lot, and I mean a lot, of time and they weren’t very happy with us. Some of the people they were after had gotten away over the border, not to mention lost informants, all the kind of things you rely on in the drug trade. They started over in northern New Mexico. The rest of my group went home, but I stayed because of AJ. She wanted to know more about computers and asked if I could go with them, showing her how to access certain things along the way. So much of this is out there if you know how to find it.”
“I’ve never chased drugs, Grace.”
Grace studied her. “I’ve seen you work. I’ll show you the nuances, especially social media, but I think you already know.”
“I’d like that, but back to AJ. What’s the rest of the story?”
“She was so alive. Your first day here, you said she was striking, and I think I felt that too, as well as smart and tough. And you should see her train a group. Not just shooting or other skill sets but how to follow someone without them knowing you were there, and I’d never seen anyone use martial arts. She’d see me hanging around, watching them. Finally, she included me, and I was, um, honored I guess. She always
told me that it was my sense of humor.” Grace frowned. “I wasn’t aware that I had one. I don’t know. Maybe she just showed me how to be…me. Anyway, that was years ago. It’s been a learning curve for me. Still is.” With the book still clutched against her stomach, she gave Tag a tired smile, picked up the remote, and began the movie.
Tag stole another glance at Grace’s incredible body. She certainly liked that, but there were other things that intrigued her as well. Grace was totally unaware of herself. She had a sort of odd innocence that fascinated her. She wondered about the book Grace still gripped. It certainly had upset her, or maybe it was the photo?
She’d grown used to checking everything in Afghanistan, mind and eyes constantly reviewing. It wore her out. She’d hoped to leave that behind when she came home, but it hadn’t happened yet.
The night breeze moved the curtains, and she took a deep breath. The air was fresh and light, unlike the dusty, heavy smell of the base in Afghanistan. She watched the actor playing Lincoln and began to get involved in the story. Lincoln must have felt the weight of constant vigilance too.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, AJ realized that she had to swear Bonnie in today and she’d forgotten to tell Katie. At that moment, the back doorbell rang and she went to answer. Katie yelled from the deck, “Who is it?”
“It’s your wonderful, loving mother,” the older version of Katie answered. Liz Blackburn stepped into the kitchen.
“AJ? It’s not often I see you home in the middle of the week,” she said.
“We had a little dustup after dinner at a restaurant last night.”
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