Constant Risk

by Janie Crouch

  The hunters

  Become the hunted.

  Deputy Tanner Dempsey and Bree Daniels are tasked with unraveling a deadly mystery in Dallas—one that involves transmitting live feeds of victims trapped in tanks as they fill with water. Bree’s computer genius is their only hope at solving the crime. Knowing the darkness in Bree’s past, Tanner is determined to make sure she comes out of this emotionally unscathed. Especially once they both become a killer’s next target...

  “The program I built is tracing his and we should have a location on the latest victim any minute now,” Bree said.

  She tried to stand up but dizziness immediately assaulted her.

  “Whoa, there,” Tanner’s arm wrapped around her, and a water bottle was lifted to her mouth.

  “Did everybody make it out of the fire okay?”

  It felt so good to rest against Tanner’s chest as he pulled her against him. “Yes. He set the whole house to burn.”

  “We’re going to catch him. What I was able to remember was more than enough.”

  He kissed her forehead. “You’re spooky scary when that giant brain of yours gets going. Sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Then how about we catch this guy and you take me to the hotel and show me exactly how sexy you think it is?”

  “That would be my pleasure.”

  Bree’s computer chirped. She pushed away from Tanner, ignoring the dizziness.

  “That’s it. We’ve got him.”

  CONSTANT RISK

  USA TODAY Bestselling Author

  Janie Crouch

  Janie Crouch has loved to read romance her whole life. This USA TODAY bestselling author cut her teeth on Harlequin Romance novels as a preteen, then moved on to a passion for romantic suspense as an adult. Janie lives with her husband and four children overseas. She enjoys traveling, long-distance running, movie watching, knitting and adventure/obstacle racing. You can find out more about her at janiecrouch.com.

  Books by Janie Crouch

  Harlequin Intrigue

  The Risk Series: A Bree and Tanner Thriller

  Calculated Risk

  Security Risk

  Constant Risk

  Omega Sector: Under Siege

  Daddy Defender

  Protector’s Instinct

  Cease Fire

  Omega Sector: Critical Response

  Special Forces Savior

  Fully Committed

  Armored Attraction

  Man of Action

  Overwhelming Force

  Battle Tested

  Omega Sector

  Infiltration

  Countermeasures

  Untraceable

  Leverage

  Primal Instinct

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com.

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  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Tanner Dempsey—Deputy captain of the sheriff’s office in Grand County, Colorado. Lives and works in Risk Peak.

  Bree Daniels—Shy computer genius, now living and working in Risk Peak, teaching computer classes at a women’s shelter.

  Michael Jeter—Head of a terrorist organization and the person who made Bree’s life a living hell when she was growing up; currently awaiting trial for his crimes.

  Noah Dempsey—Tanner’s brother; they own a ranch together.

  Cassandra Dempsey Martin—Tanner and Noah’s sister; she runs the women’s shelter in Risk Peak.

  Richard Whitaker—Deputy of the Grand County sheriff’s office; currently working in Dallas helping his colleagues with a serial killer case.

  Penelope Brickman—Dallas PD detective in charge of the current serial killer case.

  Jeremy Zimmer—Dallas PD computer specialist.

  Gregory Lightfoot—One of the prosecuting attorneys in the Michael Jeter case. Working with Bree on her testimony.

  This book is dedicated to Lissanne J. What a huge source of support and encouragement you are—thank you! I look forward to holding your own book in my hands soon.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Excerpt from Wanted by the Marshal by Ryshia Kennie

  Chapter One

  “Here’s the paperwork you need to look over, Mr. Jeter.”

  Michael Jeter barely noticed when the handcuffs pulled at the skin on his wrists as he reached for the piece of paper his lawyer, Beau O’Boyle, slid over to him. After the past five months of being in handcuffs regularly, he did not pay much attention to something that had irritated him to no end when he’d first been incarcerated.

  There were many other things that irritated him to no end now.

  The lack of flavor in all the food. The lack of quiet in the jail. And most definitely the lack of anything to do.

  Up until five months ago, his hours had been filled from sunup to sundown running a worldwide, multifaceted charity that touched thousands of lives.

  If that hadn’t taken up enough of his time, the network he’d developed underneath said charity—where information, privacy and lives themselves could be sold to the highest bidder—certainly had filled his hours.

  But now there were so many hours of nothing.

  Nothing to do but plan. And wait.

  He looked at the paper, immediately spotting the code within the sentence structure that provided him with the real information he needed.

  All messages, hidden or official, now had to be sent archaically—on paper. He didn’t even like the feel of the parchment on his fingers. He much preferred a keyboard and screen. But he hadn’t been allowed any sort of computer or internet access since the moment he was arrested. When Michael’s lawyer came to see him, the man was required to leave every electronic item outside of the room.

  It was almost as if law enforcement thought Michael would be able to vanish into thin air if he even came anywhere near any sort of computerized item. Like a computer-age Houdini.

  In their defense, that wasn’t totally untrue. If he had five minutes with a smartphone he could probably manipulate enough data to make the prison warden and guards think the wrong person had been arrested and maybe even let him out. After all, Michael was the most brilliant computer hacker on the planet.

  Actually, no.

  He was the second most brilliant computer hacker on the planet. The most brilliant hacker was the reason he was in jail to begin with.

  For now.

  Michael forced himself not to grimace at the feel of the paper as he continued to read. The encoded message was nothing less than he’d expected.

  Michael read the letter again, a habit he developed around other people since hi
s exceptional reading speed tended to make them uncomfortable. They thought he wasn’t giving the document thorough attention since he finished so quickly. In this case it was probably better anyway. The second read through would allow him to almost memorize the info.

  He looked over at his lawyer, unsure of how much the man was actually aware of. Almost everyone who’d been involved with the top tier of the Organization had been arrested. Anybody who was capable had immediately started flipping on others. That was to be expected. Loyalty dived out the window when the death penalty for treason entered the room.

  Michael looked over at the lawyer. “Mr. O’Boyle, what exactly is your job here?”

  His response would tell Michael everything he needed to know. Any response about law, the trial or the case would mean he didn’t know the true contents of the letter.

  “I am here to assist in all ways needed.”

  So, someone loyal. Good to know, not that they could talk openly about the real content of the message anyway. They were supposed to have a confidential conference room, but Michael was more than aware that Homeland Security was listening. He also knew there were cameras in this room right now surveilling what was written on the letter.

  The most brilliant law enforcement minds in the country would be looking for encoded messages in it, starting immediately.

  They wouldn’t find any.

  “Good to hear that.” Michael held up the letter. “Thanks for the paperwork. Has there been any progress on the case in any other areas?”

  “We are continuing to gather evidence for the trial. Things are going as best as can be expected.”

  “The cost is high. We have people willing to pay the price?” The security footage Homeland would run of this conversation would lead them to believe Michael was talking about the costs of trial preparation.

  He was talking about something much different.

  “Yes, sir. There are those who are loyal and look at the bigger picture, willing to sacrifice short term, for the long-term good.”

  Michael gave a brief nod. “I’m glad to hear that is still true.”

  They had been prepared for this contingency. Perhaps not exactly in the way it had occurred—a young woman back from the dead taking them all down so swiftly and efficiently. That had definitely been unexpected. But from the beginning, the Organization had known there would be enemies, and that drastic methods might be needed to evade those enemies.

  It was time for the drastic measures.

  “What sort of schedule are we talking about?” he asked O’Boyle.

  “The tentative court date is set two months from now. We can certainly push that back to give us more time to—”

  Michael shook his head. “No. It’s time to move forward.”

  He had plans of his own. Plans that couldn’t be put into play until he was out of this hellhole of boredom.

  O’Boyle nodded. “Of course. The trial itself could take weeks, which will give us plenty of time to continue gathering...data and anything else needed.”

  “No. I want to move forward now, not during the trial. Call the district attorney.”

  “But, sir...”

  “Now, Mr. O’Boyle. Prison is inevitable for me. Let’s not pretend it’s not. I’m ready to not be in limbo any longer. I want to know my sentencing and move on with my life.”

  O’Boyle nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ll start making the necessary calls today. But I must forewarn you, I think this might be a little premature. The closer we are to the end of your trial—”

  “That will be all, Counselor.” Michael didn’t know if the man was unaware of law enforcement, who would be poring over their discussion, or if he’d momentarily forgotten. Either was unacceptable. “Make it happen.”

  Color leaked out of O’Boyle’s face. “Yes, Mr. Jeter. It will take a little bit of time, but I can get the wheels set in motion immediately.”

  Wheels in motion. Good.

  He’d been still for too damn long.

  Chapter Two

  “Remember that time when we were kids and Mrs. Ragan found that rattlesnake in her mailbox?”

  Tanner Dempsey dragged his eyes up from the diner booth table to his brother, Noah, sitting across from him.

  “Yeah, I remember. We were all terrified to get the mail all summer. Why?”

  Noah grinned at him. “Because that’s the same look you’ve got right now.”

  Tanner muttered a low curse and resisted the urge to flip his brother off like he would’ve done that summer of Mrs. Ragan’s rattler. His eyes dropped back down to the small box on the table.

  A ring box.

  “I’m just saying what’s in that box is not going to hurt you,” Noah continued. “No snake is going to jump out of it. Or at least not a very big one.”

  Cheryl Andrews, owner of the Sunrise Diner with her husband, Dan, was making her way over with their lunch. Tanner quickly grabbed the box on the table. He definitely didn’t want word to get out around Risk Peak that he had a ring box. That would spread like wildfire.

  Noah was right. There were no rattlesnakes in the small jewelry case, just their mother’s engagement ring. The one their father had given her when he’d asked her to marry him nearly forty years ago.

  It was the ring he planned to present to Bree Daniels when he asked her to marry him.

  “Did it bite you?” Noah whispered with a laugh as Tanner slipped it into his pocket.

  Now Tanner did raise his middle finger, pretending like he was rubbing a spot on his cheek under his eye. He and Noah had been flipping each other off that way for so long that Noah immediately caught sight of the gesture and laughed.

  So did Mrs. Andrews. “I’m going to pretend like I don’t see you making rude gestures at your brother the same way you two have been for the past twenty years. I’d hate to have to call your mother down here to pick you up at your age.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Tanner muttered, dropping his hand immediately. He wasn’t completely sure the older woman wouldn’t actually follow through on that threat.

  Tanner loved the town of Risk Peak, where he’d been born and raised. He loved it enough that except for the four years when he’d gone to college in Denver, he’d never even been tempted to leave. Loved it enough to have followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Grand County Sheriff’s Department. Might even decide to run for sheriff someday.

  This town had given him everything that was important to him, including Bree Daniels, the love of his life and hopefully soon-to-be fiancée.

  She hadn’t been born here like so many of the other residents. She’d shown up nearly eight months ago, broke, exhausted and hunted. When he’d caught her shoplifting at the town drugstore, stealing formula and diapers for twin babies who ended up not being her own, he would have never dreamed that she would become the woman he couldn’t live without.

  “Enjoy your meal, boys.” Mrs. Andrews set the plates down on the table in front of them. “Noah, it’s good to see you here.”

  Noah gave the older woman a nod. He didn’t tend to come into town very often, preferring to stay out at the ranch he and Tanner owned together. Noah had his own house on one side of the property and Tanner, with Bree for the past three months, lived in a house on the other side of the two hundred and fifty acres.

  Once Mrs. Andrews was gone, Tanner took a bite of his food. “Look, jackass, I only told you at all because Mom wanted to make sure it was okay with you that I use the ring. If you think you’ll want it for whatever unfortunate sucker you talk into marrying you, then that’s fine. I can pick out a different one.”

  Noah shoveled a forkful of the renowned Sunrise Diner meat loaf into his mouth. He was already shaking his head before Tanner even finished his sentence/insult. “Pretty sure marriage is not in the cards for me. So you go right ahead and use Mom’s ring.”

 
; “You might be a little closer to marriage if you would actually date anyone.”

  Noah shrugged and kept eating. Tanner didn’t push it. Noah had returned from his years as an Army Green Beret different than when he’d gone in. Stronger. Harder.

  Colder.

  His brother had never offered many details, and Tanner hadn’t demanded them, but Tanner knew Noah had seen and done things in his time overseas that had changed him.

  “So when are you going to ask Bree?” Noah said between bites.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Because you’re trying to make it all romantic? You know stuff like that just stresses out your little brainiac.”

  Noah was right. Bree was a computer genius, but due to her upbringing—first within a terrorist organization, then almost completely alone and on the run—she wasn’t great at interpersonal interaction. Normal things most people took for granted, like a conversation or casual touch, were often a challenge for her.

  Tanner loved Bree because of this, not in spite of it.

  “I’m only planning on asking a woman to marry me once. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make it special. I want to take her someplace romantic.”

  Noah shook his head and continued his lunch. “You do remember what happened last time you decided you were going to take Bree on a romantic holiday and make things perfect?”

  Tanner rolled his eyes. “Considering I’m still recovering from my wounds and Bree barely made it out of that situation alive herself, yes, I remember it. And that’s the exact reason why I need to make the proposal romantic and special. Get back up on the horse so to speak.”

  Bree had missed out on so much in her young life. She deserved a little romance. Deserved to travel and see somewhere besides a small town in Colorado.

  “You know she loves the ranch more than anywhere else. Hell, brother, the woman just loves you.”

  “And I love her.”

  Noah shook his head. “Believe me, you two are so gooey, the whole town knows. Don’t make the proposal more complicated than it needs to be.”

  They both finished their meal and pushed their plates toward the center of the booth. “I’m not making it complicated. I just want to make it perfect.”