When Lightning Strikes
Aimee Thurlo
He was a force of nature, with piercing dark eyes and muscled flesh honed to strike fast. Daniel Eagle, code name Lightning, was an agent with the Gray Wolf Pack, an elite investigation agency that specialized in difficult cases in the Four Corners area.His assignment: to find Hannah Jones, possible amnesia victim, as well as a large sum of money reported to be stolen. Despite the warnings Daniel was given about her, his gut told him there was more to this case than met the eye. And when Hannah was almost kidnapped, he was sure of it. Hannah might be a living, breathing temptation, but she was no thief. The only thing she could be guilty of would be stealing Daniel's heart.
“I won’t let you down,” Hannah said firmly
He believed her. “While you’re looking through the mug shots, I’m going to talk to the sergeant.”
They rode in silence the rest of the way. Daniel made an effort not to glance at her, but he was aware of everything about Hannah.
Misinterpreting his silence, she looked over at him. “If you’re worried that I won’t be able to handle this, don’t be.”
“I like to worry about you.” His voice was low and masculine.
Her breath caught and her cheeks tinged pink. Hannah looked away quickly as if trying to hide her reaction. Daniel found himself remembering the last time he’d heard that little hitch in her breath. She’d been beneath him, her warmth open to him.
His body suddenly grew hard. He cursed himself silently. He would never get this woman out of his system. He knew it with a certainty that frightened him. For a man who had never feared anything in his life, this was a new experience….
Dear Reader,
We have a fabulous fall lineup for you this month and throughout the season, starting with a new Navajo miniseries by Aimée Thurlo called SIGN OF THE GRAY WOLF. Two loners are called to action in the Four Corners area of New Mexico to take care of two women in jeopardy. Look for Daniel “Lightning” Eagle’s story in When Lightning Strikes and Burke Silentman’s next month in Navajo Justice.
The explosive CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL continuity series concludes with Adrianne Lee’s Prince Under Cover. We just know you are going to love this international story of intrigue and the drama of a royal marriage—to a familiar stranger.… Don’t forget: a new Confidential branch will be added to the network next year!
Also this month—another compelling book from newcomer Delores Fossen. In A Man Worth Remembering, she reunites an estranged couple after amnesia strikes. Together, can they find the strength to face their enduring love—and find their kidnapped secret child? And can a woman on the edge recover the life and child she lost when she was framed for murder, in Harper Allen’s The Night in Question? She can if she has the help of the man who put her away.
Pulse pounding, mind-blowing and always breathtaking—that’s Harlequin Intrigue.
Enjoy,
Denise O’Sullivan
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
When Lightning Strikes
Aimée Thurlo
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aimée Thurlo is a nationally known bestselling author. She’s written forty-one novels and is published in at least twenty countries worldwide. She has been nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award and the Career Achievement Award by Romantic Times.
She also cowrites the Ella Clah mainstream mystery series, which debuted with a starred review in Publishers Weekly and has been optioned by CBS.
Aimée was born in Havana, Cuba, and lives with her husband of thirty years in Corrales, New Mexico. Her husband, David, was raised on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Handler—Just who was the faceless owner of Gray Wolf Investigations and why did he have so many friends in high places?
Hannah Jones—Would the truth keep her out of jail, or destroy her future?
Daniel Eagle—He was the only Gray Wolf operative who didn’t carry a weapon. An expert in martial arts, he’d vowed to protect Hannah. But he’d never dreamed it would cost him his heart.
Deacon Robert Jones—He was Hannah’s uncle, but what was his real reason for hiring Gray Wolf Investigations to track her down?
Pablo Jackson—All the church’s money went through his capable hands. So where were the missing funds now?
Reverend Brown—He loved his church, and trusted everyone—perhaps too much.
To the three editors who helped us on this project:
Angela Catalano, Patricia Smith and Priscilla Berthiaume
Contents
Prologue (#u8e36fc4e-43bd-5cbc-a9c4-863a41704bff)
Chapter One (#u189cc2a5-7034-5512-b821-79966c791eb7)
Chapter Two (#u9cd3a372-c8c5-599f-81cc-8ebccc0a87e8)
Chapter Three (#uff21a61e-a96d-5b32-a211-1664be3526a1)
Chapter Four (#ud88832e6-a347-597b-9eb7-84f6f1e1a0c6)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
Hannah Jones opened her eyes and looked around in confusion, fear squeezing her heart. She was alone in the passenger seat of a car, but it was one that was totally unfamiliar to her and, worst of all, she couldn’t remember how she’d gotten there.
A faint ray of sunlight stabbed at her eyes and she shut them, trying to will away the merciless pounding in her head. Gathering her courage, she drew in a deep breath, but regretted it instantly. The smell of cheap cigars that permeated the worn upholstery made her gag and start coughing.
She tried to sit up, but something yanked her arm back hard, pinning her down on the right side. Pain swept across her skull in waves that left her feeling weak and shaky.
Moving more carefully this time, she leaned forward slightly and looked down. Her right wrist was handcuffed to the seat belt bracket that was bolted to the floor of the car beside the door.
Her heart began drumming frantically, one thought paramount in her mind. She had to find a way to get out of the car and escape. Every instinct she possessed screamed that she was in mortal danger.
As she tugged at the handcuff, Hannah became aware of a man’s voice nearby. She raised up slightly in her seat and looked out the driver’s side window. A tall, disheveled man was standing a dozen or so feet away beside a juniper tree, speaking into a cell phone. Shadows crossed his face, distorting his features, but even without that she knew he was bad news. His beefy hand was wrapped around a can of the area’s most popular beer, and he was pacing as he spoke, his steps slightly unsteady.
“Isn’t there some other way? You never said I had to kill her.”
Terror seized her like a cold, clammy hand squeezing her throat. Desperate to escape, she tugged and twisted the handcuff looking for a weak spot. The bracket was rusted and worn, and the more she tugged, the looser it became.
Putting everything she had into it, Hannah yanked once more and the bracket broke loose, freeing her hand. Though she still had the handcuff on her right wrist, she was now able to move.
Hannah looked over at the driver’s side and saw that the key was in the ignition. She had her chance now. She started to slide over when the man turned and looked right at her.
“No you don’t!” he growled, lunging toward her through the open window.
Ducking back, she grasped the dangling metal cuff in her right hand, and using it as makeshift brass knuckles, turned and punched him. Hannah heard the sickening crunch that signaled she’d broken his nose.
Her attacker groaned and stumbled back, blood flowing down his face.
In a heartbeat, Hannah slipped behind the wheel, switched on the ignition, then pressed down hard on the accelerator. The tires spewed gravel and the rear end fishtailed on the loose road surface as she raced away. One quick look in the rearview mirror revealed her injured attacker running after the car, but losing ground rapidly.
Hannah spotted the highway ahead of her in a gap between the trees and aimed for daylight. Too afraid to slow down, she swung out onto the pavement, tires squealing, leaving the scent of burning rubber in the air. She knew she was in an old car, and it was dangerous to proceed at this speed for long, but the alternative, falling into the hands of a killer, was not an option.
From the road sign, Hannah realized she was south of Shiprock, heading west up the road that led to Narbona Pass. A cop car suddenly raced past her in the other lane, sirens wailing. She hit the horn, but he kept on going. He probably hadn’t heard her over the siren and that meant she was out of luck.
She needed a new plan, and she needed it fast. Remembering that her assailant had been speaking to someone else, and afraid that the other person would show up to help him, she turned off the highway and drove down the first dirt road where she could see a roof among the trees. She needed to get to a phone and call for help, and the roof she’d seen was bound to be attached to a house back here somewhere.
Hannah had only gone about a quarter of a mile when she suddenly heard a dull pop and the steering wheel jerked out of her hands, pulling the car toward the piñon and juniper trees that lined her route. As she wrestled with the wheel, she took her foot off the gas pedal and slowly braked to a stop.
Still fearful of pursuit, Hannah looked up and down the road but, for the moment at least, it appeared deserted. She climbed out, guessing she’d blown a tire, and a quick look proved her right. There was no spare in the trunk. From now on she’d have to travel on foot but first she had to hide the car, in case the man came after her.
Hannah climbed back into the sedan, started the engine, and managed to coax the vehicle down to a low spot among the trees before it got stuck. Here, below the road level, it would be hidden somewhat from her attacker if he came down the road.
Hannah climbed back up to the road and, using the soles of her shoes, smoothed out the tire tracks as best she could that showed where she’d left the road. Then she looked around again carefully, trying to spot the roof she’d seen from the highway. Up ahead was a well-constructed fence, a graded road, and a metal gate with a sign that read Private Property. With luck, she’d find a cabin or someone’s house up that road.
The fence was strong and tightly constructed, and it was easy to climb over, but the hike became difficult after that since it was mostly uphill. As she pressed on, she searched her mind for answers. She still didn’t know how she’d ended up in that man’s car. The last thing she remembered was going to the church where she worked as an accountant part-time to search for her uncle, who was a deacon there.
As Hannah concentrated, willing herself to remember, vague images of out-of-focus faces and the sound of angry voices echoed in her mind, filling her with cold terror. She held on to that fragmented vision, trying to make sense of it all, but answers eluded her.
Focusing on the present again, she looked around, unable to suppress the feeling that danger was still close by. There would be time to remember later, after she’d reached safety. Right now she had to concentrate on finding help.
The road was not graded here, and the going was rough. Hannah jumped as a squirrel darted out in her path. The small, frightened animal froze, stared at her, then raced off into the bushes.
Sympathy filled her heart. Fear was the common denominator that bound all of nature in its daily fight for survival. But, in order to stay alive, she’d have to push back her fears and allow instinct and intelligence to guide her. It would be dark soon and she didn’t want to be wandering about then. She was alone and no one, except the wolves, ever spared a thought for those lost and seeking shelter in the night.
Chapter One
It was such a great morning to be outside that Daniel Eagle was reluctant to step into the warehouse that housed Gray Wolf Investigations. The sky was a clear blue, and the weather cool though it was late September. It was his kind of day. Even having a flat tire to change on the way here couldn’t spoil his mood. He felt energized, and the last place he wanted to be was inside the stark warehouse on the eastern outskirts of Farmington, New Mexico, sitting through a briefing. Unfortunately, it was his job. Using his key, Daniel let himself in through the windowless metal door, then walked over to one of the four overstuffed leather chairs that occupied the small office area.
“Lightning,” an electronically altered voice coming over a microphone said in greeting. “You’re late.”
“Couldn’t be helped,” he answered curtly, facing the video camera attached on the wall opposite the chairs. If “Handler” wanted a long explanation, he’d ask for it.
“You’re part of the Gray Wolf Pack. We have an impeccable reputation, and that’s partly because I won’t tolerate unprofessional behavior like tardiness.”
Daniel said nothing. A warning had been given, and excuses about car trouble wouldn’t help. At Gray Wolf Investigations the only thing that mattered was results. The agency specialized in catching thieves, finding missing people, and retrieving lost or stolen property around the Four Corners area, or beyond if required. They were the best. Gray Wolf usually took on cases the police wouldn’t or couldn’t accept, and their reputation had been built on the nearly one hundred percent success rate they maintained.
The agency also assured secrecy and privacy for both clients and personnel. Cases were kept strictly confidential, and known only to Handler, who was the owner of the agency, Mr. Silentman, his assistant, the operative assigned to the case, and the client. Names were kept to a minimum, once the case was accepted. Each operative had a code name assigned to them by Handler. Daniel’s was Lightning, and his cases usually involved a high level of action and/or quick extractions that suited his nature and training perfectly.
The fact that none of them, except possibly Mr. Silentman, ever saw Handler had certainly piqued Daniel’s curiosity, especially at first. To make sure everything was legit, he’d done an exhaustive background check on the agency before applying for a job with them, but everything had checked out.
He’d speculated that Handler had chosen to keep his identity a secret because he was a public figure, or maybe Handler and Mr. Silentman were one and the same. Mr. Silentman looked like a man who wanted to be thought of as polished, but knew he didn’t quite make the grade. Perhaps inventing “Handler” had been his way of adding a touch of mystique to the agency so that clients were bound to remember. But no matter what the explanation, the bottom line was that Handler continued to be a mystery.
Yet, despite all the open questions, being associated with the best private investigation agency in the southwest had certainly appealed to Daniel. He’d worked hard to get the job though it hadn’t been easy. At first Handler had been skeptical about hiring him. Daniel was told that all the operatives were required to carry a firearm, something Daniel refused to do. He’d obeyed that policy during his eight years as a cop, but he’d sworn the day he left that he would never pack a gun again.
Yet, after seeing the full extent of Daniel’s skills as a master of several martial arts disciplines, Handler had changed his mind and offered the tough Navajo loner the job. As Lightning had proven, even something as innocent as a straw, in the right hands, could become a deadly weapon.
Now, even after three years with the agency, Daniel only knew two other members of the Gray Wolf Pack—as Handler called them—his cousin, Ben Wanderer, who had recruited him, and Riley Stewart, a former Denver cop they’d both known for many years.
“Lightning, I’m going to turn you over to Mr. Silentman now. As always, he’ll be your contact,” Handler said.
A tall Navajo man with black hair and brown eyes strode into the room. He was a big, self-confident man who could appear threatening simply by changing his posture and standing ramrod straight. Daniel always got a feeling that Silentman was a street kid who’d spent most of his life trying to forget his roots, and the taint that had left on his soul. Although Daniel knew his first name was Burke, Silentman had made it clear that he preferred to be addressed by his last name.
Daniel wondered if Silentman was a code name or his real name. He’d probably never know. The name wasn’t unusual for a Navajo, but he’d never met a family by that name. Then again, the Rez was a very big place.
At the moment, in his Western-cut suit, he looked like a cross between a cowboy and an oilman. Yet something about his eyes and the tension in his rigid shoulders told Daniel that he was a man who’d seen violence up close and personal and was capable of dishing out as good as he got.
Silentman handed Daniel a large, brown envelope. “Examine the contents, please,” he said, then sat on the leather chair across from Daniel.
Daniel opened the envelope, and a photo of an attractive dark-haired Anglo woman fell into his lap.
“Meet Miss Hannah Jones. She’s the twenty-eight-year-old niece of Robert Jones, a real estate broker and deacon at the Riverside Mission Church in Farmington.”
Daniel studied the portrait. Hannah Jones was beautiful in a girl-next-door kind of way. A man would remember Hannah for life once he’d gazed into those hazel eyes. Her black hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves like a dark veil against her alabaster skin. She didn’t use much makeup, and that fact only served to heighten the natural innocence mirrored on her face. She was the type of woman who would make a man willingly give up a playoff game to take her grocery shopping.
Hearing a knock, Silentman stood up and opened the door leading to the waiting room reserved for clients.
A tall, balding man wearing a herringbone jacket, conservative brown tie and coordinating slacks came in and greeted Silentman.
He walked stiffly to one of the leather chairs, and as he passed by, Daniel noticed the large bandage that covered an apparent injury on the back of his skull.
“This is Robert Jones. He represents our Riverside Mission clients,” Silentman explained, taking the paper sack Jones handed him. “He’ll brief you on the rest.”
The man never offered to shake hands with Daniel, making him wonder if it was out of respect for the investigator’s Navajo ways, or for another reason entirely. Prejudice reared its ugly head everywhere, even here, a stone’s throw from the Navajo Nation. Or maybe Deacon Jones just didn’t mingle with the hired help.
“I’m very worried about my niece, Mr.…Lightning, is it?”
Daniel nodded once.
“She’s been…fragile most of her life.”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Daniel said.
Robert Jones pressed his lips together and stared at the floor for a long time before answering. “My niece has had severe psychological problems in the past. She’s not usually violent….”
“You don’t have to mince words with me,” Daniel said, addressing the man’s obvious reluctance to speak freely. “I’m on your side. But I need to know exactly what I’m up against, and what’s expected of me.”
“Fair enough.” Deacon Jones leaned forward to speak, grimacing from the effort. “Hannah spent time in a psychiatric institution many years ago, and perhaps should be there now. Truthfully, my niece hasn’t been right since she came to live with me after her father committed suicide fifteen years ago. But this time, I think she’s really gone over the edge.”
Daniel thought about the bandage on Jones’s head, wondering if someone had coldcocked him. It was clear Jones was in pain.
“There’s a bandage at the base of your skull. Did she do that?”
“I was clobbered from behind, so I can’t honestly tell you if she’s responsible,” he said in a heavy voice. “All I can say for sure is that I saw Hannah’s purse on a desk when I came into the church office. I heard movement behind the door, then suddenly felt this incredible pain. I went numb and passed out. When I came to, I had the biggest headache in the world, and my hair was wet with blood. Hannah’s purse was gone, along with the church’s operating funds—about two thousand dollars, give or take. That was yesterday after lunch. Now, nobody can find Hannah. Her car is gone as well.”
“What about your niece’s mother? Have you spoken to her, and has she heard from Hannah?” Daniel asked.
“Hannah’s mother died of cancer sixteen years ago. My niece has had a hard life and, in the past, she’s suffered from depression and fugue states. She could turn up just about anywhere without the slightest idea of how she got there, or how to get back. The one thing that surprises me is that she’s never been violent before.”
“So why is she going sour now? Any ideas?”
“I think it’s pressure. She’s been trying to run her own business from her home, a small bookkeeping firm, though I advised her against it. In my opinion, she simply took on more than she could handle. A month ago, I learned that she’d been having problems meeting deadlines and that she was losing clients left and right. My guess is that things got too tough for her to handle, just like I feared they might.”
“What you’ve presented to us sounds like a police matter. Why not just go to them and save yourself a private investigator’s fee?”
“I don’t want to have my niece thrown in jail, or leave her at the mercy of the police, who might end up shooting her if she resists arrest or becomes violent. When I spoke to Mr. Silentman, he assured me you don’t carry a weapon. That was one of the reasons I asked the board at the church to let me hire you.”
“What about the money she stole. Is that low priority?” Daniel asked.
“It’s secondary to getting her back safely, and avoiding unnecessary publicity.”
“You didn’t mention a husband, so I assume there isn’t one. But what about a boyfriend or fiancé? Have you talked to him?” Daniel asked.
“There is no boyfriend at the moment. We haven’t asked her clients or anyone else if they know her whereabouts because we’re trying not to reveal the fact that she’s disappeared. We don’t want the police involved and discretion seems the best way to insure that. We’re trusting you to be equally discreet,” Jones answered.
“I’ll respect your wishes. Now tell me, do you have any idea where she might have gone?” Daniel asked.
“No, I really don’t. Hannah’s probably confused and desperate, and that makes her unpredictable, even more so than normal. I know she hasn’t gone home, and hasn’t reported in with her clients. I got that much from checking her answering machine. She had several urgent calls waiting there.”
“What are her favorite hangouts?”
“Hannah wasn’t raised to be frivolous. She works hard, and when she’s not working, she does volunteer work at the church.”
Daniel said nothing. From the look on Deacon Jones’s face, it was clear that he didn’t approve of leisure time. Daniel had met people like that on occasion, but it wasn’t a mind-set he understood. The extreme form of the Anglo work ethic was quite a bit different from that of the Navajos, who believed that work held no virtue in and of itself. It was only a way to live one’s life comfortably.
Daniel watched Jones squirm for a few more moments. The man was clearly nervous as well as being physically uncomfortable. Daniel had a gut feeling that there was more to Hannah Jones’s story than her uncle was saying.
“Who are her close friends? I need to talk to them and see if they can give me any leads.”
“Hannah has many friends. I’ve made a list. But most of these people are ones I also know well. I haven’t asked them directly, but I know from conversations I’ve had with them that they don’t even know she’s missing.” Robert Jones reached into his pocket, brought out a list, and handed it to Daniel. “I wish I had more information, but that’s all the help I can give you.”
Mr. Silentman, who’d been silent until now, suddenly spoke. “In that case, we’ll take care of things from here, Mr. Jones. Lightning is your operative and will handle your case exclusively. You can expect results, and soon. One more thing. May I assume that this paper sack contains what I asked for—an item of her clothing with her scent on it?”
Jones nodded. “It’s a blouse from her laundry hamper.”
“Thank you for coming to meet with us, Mr. Jones. Lightning will be in touch just as soon as we have something.”
After the client left, Daniel waited for Silentman’s final instructions.
“Your usual backup is ready, Lightning. He’ll meet you in the garage by the agency’s SUV. Your cousin will deliver him to you.”
“I really prefer to handle this on my own.”
“It’s not your choice to make,” Silentman said handing him the paper sack. “Here. Should the right opportunity arise, your partner will put this to good use.”
Daniel didn’t argue further, knowing it would be futile. After parking his pickup in the warehouse’s garage, he went to retrieve the SUV. The agency’s sport utility vehicle was equipped with a lot of extras. It came with camping gear, a cell phone and pager, flashlights, shovels, special “run flat” tires that would allow them to be useable even after being punctured, and a global positioning system that enabled the operative to determine his exact location at any time.
Taking the paper bag containing Hannah Jones’s blouse, he walked across the garage. Suddenly, an enormous black-and-gray German shepherd mix came bounding across the covered parking area toward him. Right before he reached Daniel, the dog stopped abruptly as if he’d suddenly hit the brakes. Unable to counter his momentum, the wild-looking dog slid a few inches farther, then came to a rest sitting perfectly, his front paws touching the tips of Daniel’s boots.
Daniel stared at the dog, then nodded to his cousin, Ben Wanderer, who followed half a dozen feet behind. Ben’s code name was Wind and he specialized in a different type of case—those requiring subtlety, a low profile and a minimum amount of violence. He’d just returned from assignment today.
Daniel glanced back down at the dog. The massive beast’s head came up to Daniel’s belt, though Daniel was five foot eleven.
“Why the hell did they name him Wolf?” Daniel muttered, glancing over at Ben. “You can tell he’s mostly German shepherd.”
The animal’s eyes seemed to narrow, and Wolf growled low and deeply.
“You could try explaining genetics to him if you feel that strongly about it,” Ben said with a shrug.
Daniel stared at the dog, whose eyes remained riveted on him. “Maybe not,” he said, wisely recanting. “Time to go to work, Wolf.”
The animal trotted off, leading the way back to the SUV and waiting by the passenger side for Daniel to open the door. When Daniel reached for the back door, Wolf barked once.
Daniel muttered a curse. “Yeah, yeah. I forgot. You ride shotgun.” He opened the front passenger’s door and Wolf leaped up gracefully onto the seat, then turned to look forward, sitting upright.
As he backed out of the parking space, Daniel waved at Ben, then caught a glimpse of Riley Stewart coming to join his cousin. Ben and he had accidentally discovered that the muscular blonde was a member of the Pack a few months ago. They’d been dressing in the locker room at the gym in Farmington and Riley had just returned from the showers. As they’d each seen the very small tattoo of a gray wolf inside their left forearms at their pulse point, a spot normally concealed by their wristwatches, the three had known they were brothers in arms.
That knowledge had strengthened their friendship although they’d never spoken of their affiliation or their assignments. Neither Ben nor he knew Riley’s code name, but an awareness of the role they shared had created a formidable bond between them despite the fact that agency policy dictated the investigators remain anonymous, even to each other, except under dire circumstances.
The reasoning for that rule was admittedly sound. As investigators, their ability to go undercover as well as their safety would have been severely compromised if their identities weren’t guarded.
As an added precaution for the investigators who lived and worked in the same area, the agency’s P.I.s, as a general rule, were prohibited from actively trying to identify the other members of the Pack, or if by chance they already knew another member, from fraternizing in public. This would prevent someone who knew one of them was a Gray Wolf from identifying the others by checking on his associates.
The tattoo itself carried the most risk, of course, but it served a vital function. Special care had been taken to make it small, and easily concealable by a wristwatch, but in case one of the investigators ever needed emergency assistance—when undercover and with a fake ID, for example—the small tattoo would always insure allies had a way to identify each other.
As Daniel pulled out into the street, Wolf moved sideways, panting in Daniel’s ear.
“Wolf, give me some room, will ya? Only ladies are allowed to blow in my ear.”
The animal gagged as if he’d just eaten grass.
“Can the sarcasm.” He’d never wanted to work with a dog, but Handler hadn’t given him a choice. Since all the Gray Wolf operatives were expected to work alone, Handler provided Wolf when backup would be a benefit.
The problem was, Daniel had never been a dog person. As far as he was concerned, having an animal around, especially one the size of Wolf, was just one more complication. Still, he couldn’t deny the big beast was smart, and had made himself useful on every job they’d been paired for.
“For your information, our mission this time concerns a lady, so try to keep the dog hair and slime off the seats.”
Wolf stared at him a moment, then turned to look out the window.
A BRIEF STOP at the tribal police station in Shiprock gave Daniel his first lead. One of his ex-colleagues had reported passing a car driven by a woman resembling the photo Daniel had showed him, though he’d only had a glimpse of her and couldn’t be sure. He’d thought he’d heard her honk as he drove by and glanced back, but she’d turned off the road and had seemed to be all right, so he’d gone on to answer the emergency call he’d been assigned.
On the strength of that information, although the description of the car didn’t seem to match Hannah Jones’s vehicle, Daniel drove farther into the Reservation until he reached the narrow paved road that led through the foothills and piñon forest. Out of habit he checked his rearview mirror periodically and, before long, spotted a vehicle in the distance.
Heeding the prickle at the base of his neck, he turned off the road at the next dirt path, then looped back. He’d either lose whoever it was, or end up behind them, if he was being followed.
He waited, watching in both directions, but the highway appeared empty. Confident now that the vehicle he’d seen hadn’t been a tail, he continued on his way.
Daniel kept turning off on side roads, looking for houses where Hannah Jones might have gone to ground, but he found no sign that anyone had passed that way recently. Eventually, he reached a place that had a new gate locking the access road and a fence that suggested there was a house or dwelling somewhere farther up the hill. The Private Property sign on the gate backed that idea up.
There was only one way to find out if Hannah Jones had come this way. Daniel parked beside the padlocked gate and climbed out of his vehicle. Checking the ground he saw footprints.
Retrieving the paper sack from the back of the SUV, Daniel came around to the passenger side and opened the door. He held up the cotton blouse the deacon had provided in front of the dog’s nose, allowing him to catch the scent.
“Wolf, track!”
Daniel opted not to leash the dog, knowing Wolf would work faster in this rough terrain without it, and in the event they met trouble, they’d both need room to maneuver.
The dog walked down the road, sniffing the ground, then suddenly froze, pawing at the dirt. Wolf barked sharply, then dug beneath the fence and shot up the slope on the other side.
Daniel climbed over the wire fence, and followed him. It didn’t take long to reach a modern-looking cabin hidden among a stand of tall Ponderosa pines. Wolf was near some waist-high brush, again pawing the ground. The sound of a stream was close by, somewhere to Daniel’s right.
Below the cabin was a redwood deck jutting out over a deep pool fed by the stream. A woman was kneeling at the edge of the deck, washing something in the pond. Her glossy black hair cascaded down her back, caressing creamy white skin.
She was wearing only a thin, light pink bra, and bikini panties with images of a popular cartoon mouse all over them.
Though her whimsical choice of panties amused him, there was nothing funny about the way his body reacted to the sight of her.
She stood up, holding the blouse that she’d just washed, and turned to look around, almost as if she’d sensed his presence. Her bra and panties, dampened from her efforts to clean her clothes, now clung to her like second skin, revealing clearly what lay beneath.
Daniel reminded himself to breathe. Hannah Jones was innocence and raw sensuality all rolled up in one devastating package. The photo of her he had in his jacket pocket didn’t even come close to doing her justice. Her perfectly proportioned body cried out for a man’s touch.
Miss Jones was a living, breathing temptation but, as tantalizing as she was, he had to push those thoughts aside and focus on the job he’d been sent to do. He wasn’t a teenager ruled by his hormones. He was a man, a professional investigator, with a job to do.
As she draped the shirt over a nearby tree branch to dry, Wolf crashed through the brush and leaped onto the deck, landing less than five feet away from her.
She gave a startled cry, and Daniel caught the look of stark terror on her face as Wolf moved closer.
Holding her hands up to ward off the dog, Hannah Jones took a step back, then another. Daniel started to call out a warning, but it was already too late. The woman slipped on the wet deck, and tumbled backwards into the water.
Chapter Two
Normally, the absurdity of the situation might have made Daniel laugh, but the way Hannah Jones was flailing in the water warned Daniel that she didn’t know how to swim.
Daniel shot forward, pausing only to yank off his boots as he reached the redwood deck. A heartbeat later, he was in the water.
The pond was as cold as ice, but Daniel had swum all his life in ditches and rivers that were equally as cold. He reached Hannah in seconds but, as he tried to get a grip on her, she struggled wildly against him, gulping water and coughing, completely out of control. Her head went beneath the surface briefly, but he brought her back up, then tightened his hold on her to stop her efforts to escape. Wrapping his arms around her middle just beneath her breasts, he pulled her close, pinning her arms to her sides.
“Don’t fight me, not if you want to live,” Daniel commanded, his voice hard.
She stopped struggling, but he could still feel the tremors that passed through her body.
“You’re going to be fine as soon as I get you back onto solid ground,” he said more gently now, trying to ease her fears.
He could feel the delicate curve of her breasts resting on his forearm as he moved them both toward the edge of the pond with powerful kicks. Hannah was as soft as velvet in his arms, and she fit against him as if she’d been made to be his.
He disciplined his thoughts, remembering where he was, who she was, and what he was doing there. As he reached shallow water, Daniel stood and carried her to dry land.
Before putting her down, he gave in to temptation, and lowered his mouth over hers, taking a tender kiss from her lips. She didn’t fight. She simply melted into him with a sweetness that made his body grow impossibly hard.
It became too hot, too quickly. Surprised by it all, he drew back, then set her down gently. The smoky, dazed look in her eyes, told him she’d felt the same fires coursing through her.
She took a few uncertain steps away from him, then picked up a stout piece of a pine branch, and held it out before her like a sword. “That was your thank-you. And it was nice,” she said, her voice husky. “But now I’d like you to go.”
Wet, her body glistening in the sun, Hannah Jones was magnificent. The thin cloth of her undergarments did little to shield her from his hungry gaze.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” Daniel said, trying to reassure her. He could take the branch away from her in one swift move and pin her to the ground before she ever knew what happened. But he didn’t want to hurt or frighten her. As he continued to gaze at her, the thought of her beautiful body beneath his made him tense.
Moving sideways slowly, he reached for her slacks, which were on the deck nearby. The shirt she’d been rinsing out was draped over a low branch a little farther away, and a quick look at the reddish brown stain still marring it suggested she’d tried to wash out somebody’s blood.
Wolf crept up silently and took a position behind Hannah, blocking her escape, then barked once. Hearing him, she turned her head and gasped.
“Don’t let him frighten you again. He’s harmless as long as you behave.” Daniel came toward her slowly, holding at arm’s length the clothes he’d retrieved for her. “Here. Get dressed. I have a feeling you’ll feel better that way.”
“Who are you?” she said, glancing back at the dog as she dropped the stick, then slipped her slacks and wet shirt on.
“A friend with a big dog—someone who didn’t want you to drown, obviously.”
“That’s very chivalrous of you, considering it’s your fault that I fell in.” Watching them both, Hannah walked back onto the deck, picked up her shoes, and slipped them on. Glancing again at Wolf, she added, “Are you sure he’s just a dog? He looks like a German shepherd, but I’ve never seen one that big.”
“He’s a dog, all right.”
Wolf turned his head and curled his lips slightly.
“He’s part wolf, I’m told,” Daniel added quickly.
Daniel pulled on his boots. The breeze that had come up within the past few minutes made his own wet clothes feel icy.
“You’re not in uniform, but are you a cop?” she asked, her voice unsteady.
“I’m one of the good guys,” he said, not answering directly. As he looked over at her, he saw she was shivering.
“It’s freezing,” she said, teeth chattering.
“It’s great September weather, but still too cold to be outside, even at noon, when you’re wet. Can we go inside? I suppose this is your cabin,” he said, deliberately playing dumb. He knew she didn’t have a cabin out here, but right now he had other priorities. Bringing her back suffering from hypothermia was not a good idea.
“I’m using it for now,” she said, not answering him directly. Hannah headed toward a set of flagstone steps leading up from the pond to the cabin.
He noted Hannah’s reluctance to come right out with a lie. The fact struck him as odd. She’d found it okay to steal, but balked at telling a lie? Well, he’d been warned she wasn’t in her right mind.
“I hope you have some warm clothes in there,” he said.
“There’s an old flannel shirt hanging in the closet,” she answered. “I’ll put that on.”
Daniel followed her through the sturdy wooden door that faced the pond, and Wolf padded in behind them as Daniel held it open.
Hannah reached for some towels on a shelf and handed him one. As she patted her long hair dry, Daniel studied her appreciatively.
Hannah Jones was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, crazy or not. And those eyes! They were evocative and sensual, the kind that could steal a man’s soul. Quickly, he reminded himself that they were also, apparently, the eyes of a woman with a damaged mind. There was no way of telling what would happen if he inadvertently pushed the wrong buttons.
Hannah started to go into the next room to change clothes, but he knew he couldn’t risk letting her out of his sight. He motioned to Wolf to follow and guard.
Daniel heard her startled cry as Wolf joined her. “Don’t worry. He’s a pussycat. Really.”
She came back out in seconds wearing an old flannel shirt. It fit snugly around her breasts, reminding him of things he had no business dwelling on.
“Let’s get going.”
“Where?” she asked, immediately on her guard.
“You are Hannah Jones.”
“How did you know?” Her eyes widened with fear and she stepped back.
“Wait. You already know I’m not your enemy. Remember, I pulled you from the water? If I’d wanted to harm you, I could have let you drown.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. But how did you find me, and who are you?”
“I go by the name of Lightning,” he said. “Your uncle sent me to find you and bring you back so you can get some medical help. I’m also supposed to bring back the money you took from the church.”
“The money I…what?”
“You took around two thousand dollars from the church, then hit your uncle in the back of the head,” he said quietly. “But he’s okay now, and nobody’s pressing charges. The police aren’t involved in this at all. Your uncle and the people on the church committee just want to help you. They’ve even kept your disappearance a secret.”
Hannah shook her head. “None of what you’ve said makes sense. I couldn’t have harmed my uncle. He’s the only family I’ve got left. I love him. And I’m not a thief,” she added flatly.
“Then tell me. What’s your version of what happened at the church, and how did you end up here?”
She hesitated, then exhaled softly. “Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened at the church. I remember walking in there, then the next thing I recall was waking up in a strange car with a man nearby who was planning to kill me. I got away from him as fast as I could,” Hannah said, explaining her escape.
Daniel gave her a long, speculative glance. Her story might have been part of her delusion, or simply an attempt to get him to let her go. “Do you have any idea how you ended up in that man’s car, or what happened to your own vehicle? It’s missing.”
Her eyes welled up with tears, but she didn’t let them spill. Instead she met his gaze with a level one of her own. “I don’t remember, and I don’t understand why I can’t. It’s not for lack of trying, believe me.”
Daniel gazed at the face that was beginning to mesmerize him. There was a slight bump on her forehead, mostly covered by her bangs, which were starting to dry now, but it scarcely looked significant enough to have created a memory loss. “What exactly do you remember?”
“I was at the church waiting to see my uncle. I remember going into his office. Then, after that, nothing—that is until I woke up in the car of the man I told you about, handcuffed to a bracket by the seat. I heard him talking to someone else on the phone who, apparently, was telling him to kill me.”
“Where are the cuffs? Did you find a key?”
“No. I found some of those little hexagonal L-shaped tools in a drawer. One was small enough to fit into the lock, and I fiddled with it until the lock opened.” She walked to the kitchen and held the handcuffs up for him to see. “Here.”
He took them and put them in his back pocket. They were definitely not police issue and flimsy enough that her story could be true. But that still didn’t prove a word she’d said. She could have had her own pair of handcuffs, depending on what kind of games she liked to play, or maybe she’d had a security guard boyfriend at one time.
“You don’t believe me,” she said, disappointment evident in her tone.
“Truthfully, I’m just not sure. But it looks like you believe it.”
She shook her head. “That’s a non-answer. You think I’m a few French fries short of a Happy Meal?”
“I have no idea,” he answered. “But you sure look and sound okay to me,” he said, in what had to be the understatement of the year.
Hannah laughed, but it was a sad laugh, inspired by despair—not mirth. He started to say more, but Wolf’s whine alerted him.
The dog stood on his hind legs, and stared out the window, sniffing the air as he rested his front paws on the sill.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Company’s coming, and I don’t think it’s the sweepstakes prize patrol.”
The off-the-cuff remark reminded him of one of his objectives, and Daniel made a quick visual search of the nearly empty cabin. There was no money to be found there in any readily accessible place. For now, they had to leave. Silentman could send someone to search more thoroughly later.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, taking her hand, and letting the dog lead the way as they slipped out the back door.
Wolf stopped suddenly, then, hackles raised and body low to the ground, crept forward. Daniel knew the move. Someone was close and the dog didn’t see whoever it was as a friend. More than likely, Wolf had scented alcohol, gun powder, or some other substance he’d been trained to recognize as trouble.
“Hurry,” he urged Hannah.
Suddenly two men wearing ski masks and carrying baseball bats stepped out from behind a sandstone boulder. “Hit the trail, Geronimo,” the tall, blue-eyed Anglo said, using a worn-out racist label. Their short-sleeved shirts revealed white, but suntanned skin. “We have unfinished business with the lady but none with you. Come with us, Hannah.”
Hannah looked startled, and stepped back, away from the men.
Wolf was nowhere to be seen, but Daniel knew the dog would be nearby. He’d probably circled around to wait for Daniel’s signal to attack.
“You’re out of your league. Take a hike while you can still walk,” Daniel warned, bracing himself for a fight.
“You want to dance? It’s okay with me. It’s your funeral.” The big man moved toward Daniel like he was stepping up to the plate but, before he was close enough to take a swing, Daniel whistled sharply.
Wolf erupted like a furry explosion from the bushes to Daniel’s right, and hit the big Anglo hard in the side, knocking him to the ground. The bat flew out of the man’s hand as Wolf’s massive jaws gripped his arm. Screaming, the man hammered at the dog with his fist, but Wolf seemed oblivious to it.
Daniel kicked the second man in the chest at the same time Wolf neutralized the first, then delivered another blow to his target’s midsection that knocked him to the ground.
The Anglo fell hard, rolled, then scrambled to his feet, and took off running.
“Out!” Daniel ordered Wolf, who had pinned the taller attacker to the ground. The one-word command caused Wolf to release the man instantly and sit.
The man sprang to his feet and fled, holding his tattered sleeve, now wet with blood. Daniel didn’t pursue them. He had other things to worry about. Going after the men would have been satisfying, but not in line with his primary duty.
Expecting Hannah to have fled during the confusion, he glanced behind him. What he saw took him by complete surprise. Hannah had retrieved the tall man’s baseball bat, and had it cocked back, ready to swing. Her body was trembling so hard, even the bat was shaking as she held it.
Her gaze remained on his rapidly retreating opponents as he approached her.
“Easy there,” he said. “It’s over now.”
Hannah lowered the bat, then dropped it on the ground. “Get me out of here,” she said, her voice surprisingly firm.
“Two minds with one thought,” he said, quickly leading her down the dirt track to where his SUV was parked.
Hannah’s show of courage made him look at her with newfound respect. She could have cut and run, but she’d stayed with him, ready to help. That spoke well of her.
Events had also revealed another important fact. He was certain now that Hannah was in real danger, and that put a different slant on things. He couldn’t turn her over to anyone else until he was sure it was safe to do so. He’d lived all his life by certain rules, and he wouldn’t walk out on a woman who needed his protection…even if that meant risking his job.
AS SOON AS THEY REACHED Daniel’s SUV and were safely underway, Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. “They wanted me. But why? What have I ever done to them? I don’t even know who they are!”
“I don’t have the answer to that. But don’t worry. No one’s going to hurt you while Wolf and I are around.”
Hannah wasn’t used to anyone defending her, yet this man and his dog had fought to protect her, and had probably saved her life.
“But there’s something I want you to tell me.” He glanced over at her and she nodded. “You could have run, yet you stayed with us. Why?”
“I couldn’t just leave you in the middle of that. You were in that fight because of me. But, by the time I got the baseball bat, it was obvious you two didn’t need any more help.”
She saw the way he looked at her, his gaze missing nothing. Hannah forced herself to suppress the shiver that ran up her spine. This man exuded power of every kind. He was tall and broad-shouldered, but his strength was more than physical. It came from inside him. He had confidence, the kind that said he wasn’t afraid of a challenge because he knew he’d defeat whatever stood in his way.
He was truly a warrior, one whose skills had been honed to the maximum. He’d flattened a much larger attacker with a few effortless moves. Lightning was as quick and powerful as the force of nature he was named for. He was a dangerous man, too, of that she had no doubt, but he was not a danger to her—at least not yet.
Lightning smiled at her with a gentleness that belied all she’d just seen and thought. As their gazes met, Hannah felt a stirring deep inside her and her heart began to hammer in a way that had nothing to do with fear.
She shivered slightly, wondering what it would take—and what it would cost—to win this man’s trust. She needed an ally with his extraordinary qualities. But a man like Lightning did nothing halfway, feminine instinct assured her of that.
Hannah’s thoughts drifted and she remembered how secure she’d felt in his arms as he’d pulled her out of the water. Raw, carnal emotions had flooded through her as she’d seen the darkness that had smoldered in his eyes and recognized the force of his desire. Most surprising of all, that knowledge had held an eroticism all its own.
“Now it’s your turn to answer me. Why did you expect me to abandon you?” she asked, her voice steady.
He blinked, but otherwise gave no indication of what thoughts lay behind his narrowed eyes. “You weren’t a match for those men. Running would have been a sensible choice.”
“Maybe, but I couldn’t abandon someone who was fighting for his life because he chose to protect me. You were in that situation because you stood up for me and that deserved something in return,” she answered.
In the quick glance he gave her she saw respect and admiration.
As the SUV reached the main road, she saw the way her rescuer glanced around, studying the area carefully as if he were expecting more trouble.
Wolf, now in the back seat, gave a low growl, his gaze scanning the wooded section behind them.
“Do you think he sees them coming again?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“No. He’d be reacting differently if he’d sensed approaching danger.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it, then gave her a playful smile. “Don’t worry. Wolf’s just itching for another piece of them. We’re on top of things.”
Chapter Three
From the moment he’d reached for her hand, cradling it with his own, Daniel hadn’t been able to find a good enough reason to relinquish it. He caressed the back of it now with his thumb, making lazy circles he hoped would reassure her, and was satisfied when she made no move to pull away.
“You can’t take me back to Farmington,” she said, her voice soft. “Now you have to believe that I told you the truth. Someone is out to get me. And the fact that they found me here, right after you did, can mean only one of two things—either you’re with them, and I know you’re not,” she added quickly, “or they somehow used you, hoping you’d lead them straight to me.”
Daniel considered everything that had happened. Only Handler, Silentman, the deacon, and the church committee who’d hired Gray Wolf had supposedly known about Lightning and his assignment. There was also the police officer he’d shown her photo to, but he seemed a pretty remote possibility.
Yet the fact remained that those two men had called Hannah by name. That meant there was nothing coincidental about the attack. They’d either trailed her on their own, or followed him there.
“If you take me back, you could be throwing me into the lion’s den,” she warned.
Hannah’s gaze was so direct and guileless, he felt the impact of her look all through him. “I have to call someone,” he said after they’d traveled a few more miles down the highway.
He pulled off on a side road, took out his cell phone, then stepped out of the SUV. Thinking about the trust he was trying to build with Hannah, Daniel decided to leave the keys in the ignition. “Sit tight. Wolf will guard you.”
The animal jumped to the front seat, positioning himself between Hannah and the steering wheel. As Daniel walked a few feet away, so he could speak privately, he saw Hannah reach out to the dog and begin to stroke its massive head. Daniel could see the animal was still focused on his job, but there was something special about the woman that made Wolf treat her like a friend. His tail was wagging, and he actually tried to lick her in the face.
Daniel had seen that dog snarl viciously whenever strangers attempted to touch him. Yet that same beast was now acting like a puppy eager for attention—well, almost. His gaze was clearly focused on the surrounding area, not on the woman scratching him in just the right place behind one ear.
Daniel’s call was picked up on the second ring. “I’ve got a problem,” Daniel told Silentman, and proceeded to recount the recent events surrounding his retrieval mission, including the fact that Hannah didn’t know the location of her car.
“Handler doesn’t like complications, Lightning,” Silentman responded. “What’s your take on the situation?”
“I can’t just turn this lady over to people I’m not sure about—not until I know how those muscle boys found us. I can’t take her to the Farmington police either, because the minute they hear about the theft and her supposed attack on her uncle, they’d have to take action. And if they think she’s dangerous, she could end up in a psychiatric ward someplace and possibly in more danger from whoever’s after her. Besides, our clients specifically wanted to avoid the police. I figure that the best thing I can do is keep her out of sight until I can get to the bottom of this.”
Silentman said nothing for several moments, then finally spoke. “Okay. It’s your call. Just remember, she may be unstable, so her word isn’t worth much.”
“Understood,” Daniel said.
“The hours that she claims not to remember probably hold the key to what’s really going on,” Silentman said. “Her uncle can’t help us fill in any more details on that, other than with his own suppositions, so start with the last thing she remembers doing and try to trace her steps from there. In the meantime, let me do a full background check on Hannah Jones. And get me a description of the man who supposedly abducted her. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Daniel returned to the car and found Hannah playing tug-of-war with Wolf, using her seat belt. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing. He’d tried to play tug-of-war with the massive animal once, but Wolf had shaken the knotted rope and nearly yanked him off his feet, making it clear that he played to win. Yet, with Hannah it appeared Wolf was going out of his way to be gentle.
“Back seat,” Daniel ordered Wolf, and the dog jumped through the gap. If Hannah Jones could even get the dog to soften his style for her, the woman was trouble.
“I need to know what you’ve decided,” she said, her voice calm, but firm. “I don’t like dragging anyone into my business, or depending on strangers. Unfortunately, I’m in trouble and I could use your help—but only if you’re truthful. I’m not interested in lies, no matter what the reason.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, his tone guarded.
“I know who you are and Lightning isn’t your name.”
Daniel studied her, saying nothing. She had guts, he had to give her that. She confronted things squarely. “Who do you think I am?”
“Your name is Daniel Eagle, you’re thirty-two years old, and you’re an investigator for Gray Wolf Investigations.”
He checked for his wallet. It was still in his hip pocket. “Okay. And how do you know all that?”
She gestured to the glove compartment. “I looked in there while you were talking. This car is registered to the agency, but it’s leased to you. The agreement is there on a piece of paper inside the owner’s manual.” She didn’t give him a chance to comment. “I’ve heard of your firm, and I know it’s supposed to be one of the best. But I’ve also heard that Gray Wolf doesn’t always play by the rules.”
“I apologize for underestimating you, Hannah. I should have kept the papers in my wallet, I guess.”
“I may have a blank in my memory, but I’ve still got a brain. I know I’m in trouble, and my life is probably hanging by a thread, but I don’t know why. I could sure use an ally, but the next move is yours. Are you my friend or my enemy?”
He considered trying to placate her with soothing, comforting words, but decided the truth would be better all the way around. Telling her a lie now would only complicate things if the truth came out later. “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll tell you this—I won’t turn you over to anyone until I’m certain who the victim really is in all this.”
“Fair enough.”
Daniel pulled back onto the highway and continued east, still trying to make up his mind about Hannah. The bits and pieces he knew about her refused to fit into one neat package. On one side there was the innocent beauty who wore panties decorated with mice—the woman whose sense of loyalty had kept her from running away in the face of danger while others fought on her behalf.
Then, there was the other side of Hannah. If the reports he’d been given were accurate, he was dealing with a woman who had a history of psychiatric disorders and was capable of bashing her closest relative on the skull, stealing a church’s money, then going into hiding.
Daniel glanced over at Hannah again, noting the bump and discoloration just beneath her bangs. He needed to take things one step at a time. “Our next stop is a free clinic I know of in Farmington.”
“I can’t go there. What if the people after me have places like that staked out?”
“I doubt they have the resources to cover a large area. The two back there weren’t high-priced talent. I figure they’ll be watching your house, and maybe places where you work. Widening the search beyond that would take a lot of manpower. Besides, we need to check out that bump on your head and see if that’s the reason your memory’s been impaired. I promise you’ll be safe. There’s a doctor at the clinic who’s on the agency’s payroll and who has worked with us before on sensitive cases when we’ve needed him. He’ll keep our visit quiet and check out that bruise to make sure you don’t have a concussion or something serious, and then we’ll talk.”
“I hate doctors and I hate hospitals. This isn’t necessary.”
“It is to me,” he said flatly. “You took a blow to the head, based on that bruise, and you’re going to see a doctor. No argument.”
“That’s what you think. Stop the car.”
He glanced over at her.
“Stop the car,” she repeated. “I’m not going another mile until you listen to me.” When he didn’t respond, she started to open the car door, but he reached over to her and grasped her arm. She kept her free hand on the door handle. “Slow down and park, or we’re both going to be statistics to the highway department.”
He wasn’t sure if she was bluffing or not, but he couldn’t keep her steady and in the car while he was still at the wheel. Muttering a curse, he pulled over to the shoulder of the road and stopped. “What the hell are you trying to do?”
“You’ve seen what I’m up against, Daniel. Sure I took a blow to my head, and there are things I don’t remember, but fear and my instinct to survive tell me that there are certain things I have to do. I need an ally, but one who’s really on my side. From what I can see, you’re not certain which side you’re on and that scares the daylights out of me. And nobody I’m unsure of is going to order me around.”
She started to get out of the car, but he reached for her arm, stopping her.
She jerked free. “I don’t care if you can fight like a martial artist, Daniel. No one has the right to manhandle me either.”
“I can’t let you go, Hannah. It’s my job to make sure you remain safe and that’s exactly what I intend to do. I’m going to protect you, even from yourself.”
“I’m not crazy,” she said, her voice trembling. “I won’t be treated as if I can’t make my own decisions.”
“In this case, you can’t. I have a lot more experience in these matters than you have. You’ll have to play by my rules.”
“And your rules are to force whatever you want on me?” Tears filled her eyes.
Seeing it, Daniel groaned. Now he felt like a heel for not having taken the time to treat her with more care. He smoothed his palm across her cheek. “I’ve been too hard on you. I should have taken more time to explain things. Don’t be upset. I really am trying to protect you.”
He saw her trying to manage a smile, and pieces of the armor he’d always kept around his heart broke off, dissolving as if they’d never been. “I’m really sorry.”
“Your apology is accepted,” she said quietly.
As he looked at her, he felt himself drowning in her gaze. His heart hammered in his chest and he ached with the need to kiss her.
He glanced away. This woman made him feel all soft and crazy inside. What the hell did he think he was doing?
“I really think you need to get that bump checked out, if you expect to make it through the next few days. Concussions are serious, Hannah. What kind of protection would I be giving you if I saved you from those guys back there, then let you get hurt even more seriously because I didn’t follow up on an injury.”
“All right. At least I know why you’re so intent on doing this. But they won’t find anything wrong.”
“Then that’ll be good news we can both live with.”
Being with Hannah was like working with nitroglycerine—there was an undeniable excitement about it, but if you got overconfident, or made the wrong move, it could spell disaster. Daniel couldn’t be sure of her, and to trust the woman could prove to be a lethal mistake. Yet, despite all that, he liked having her with him.
The plain truth was that he couldn’t remember ever being around a woman who fascinated him as much as Hannah did. She was an enigma hidden in beautiful packaging. But he would have been a fool not to realize how dangerous that made her to him. His attraction to her was already undermining the control he always exerted over himself and his emotions. That fact alone made him uneasy and guarded. An investigator needed to know himself and depend on his reactions. Without that, he was headed for trouble.
IT TOOK LESS THAN AN HOUR to reach the free clinic in Farmington. He parked in the small graveled lot, and walked inside with Hannah, guarding her back with his body. He’d left the windows down in the SUV for Wolf, knowing that with him inside the vehicle, there was no danger of a break-in, even in this poor neighborhood.
As they walked inside, Daniel saw the waiting room was nearly empty. As soon as he identified himself to the nurse at the desk, they were shown to an empty examining room.
“Do you plan to stay in here with me?” Hannah asked irately.
Daniel considered it. “I’ll give you some privacy once the doctor gets here, but I’ll be right outside in the hall.”
A short time later, the doctor came into the room. Hannah didn’t recognize him, and he apparently had no idea who she was either.
After enduring a thorough examination, and having generous blood samples drawn for tests, Hannah was left alone in the room to dress. Hearing Daniel call out to the doctor in the hall, she went to the door and listened. The doctor was telling Daniel that he’d check for drugs and for any serious injury that might have affected her memory, but that the blood test results wouldn’t be available for a few days.
She already knew that they’d find nothing, but understood that Daniel had to make sure. The sad truth was that he couldn’t be sure about her, and that uncertainty would undermine their partnership.
Hannah tried to face the situation squarely. Without his trust, she was better off without him and he without her. It made no sense for Daniel to risk his life for someone he didn’t truly believe in.
What she needed to do now was catch a ride or walk back to the church. She’d wait until no one was around, then go inside and try to reconstruct the missing pieces of her life. She was convinced that everything she needed to clear herself was there. All she had to do was find some way to trigger her elusive memory.
As Daniel and the doctor’s voices moved away from her down the hall, Hannah slipped noiselessly out of the room. A door marked Emergency Exit was only a few steps away.
This was her chance.
She hurried toward it and was nearly there when Daniel stepped around the corner. Hannah ran right into his chest, and before she could take a breath, he clasped her wrist, holding her fast.
She stared at him in mute shock. She wasn’t going anywhere and they both knew it.
“I… I was just going to—”
“Save your excuses,” he said with barely disguised anger. “I’m here to take you to talk to the doctor.”
The young physician looked at them both curiously as they came into his office. The new tension between them was impossible to miss. Hannah sat down in a chair across from the doctor, and Daniel stood behind her.
“The results of your blood test won’t be back for three days or so,” the doctor began, “but from your pupil reaction and reflexes, Miss Jones, I don’t think there are any drugs in your system now. You also don’t have a concussion. Your memory lapse, as far as I can tell, isn’t being caused by any physical trauma.”
“Then that leaves psychological, right?” Daniel pressed.
“That’s a fair guess, but you’re going outside my area of expertise. All I can say is that I found no sign of an injury that would explain her inability to remember recent events.”
Daniel reached down and took Hannah’s hand, holding it firmly but without hurting her. “Then we’ll be going on our way. You know how to bill the agency for this,” Daniel said.
“Good luck,” the doctor answered with a nod. “I’ll send the test results along when they come in.”
As they walked to the door, Hannah felt her stomach sinking. Daniel would never understand why she’d wanted to get away, and why it would have been the best thing for them both. The only thing he’d see in what she’d tried to do was another reason to distrust her. Trying to make things better, she’d succeeded in making them far worse.
She let out a small sigh. For years she’d prided herself on not needing anyone for either her comfort or safety. Depending on a stranger now, and putting him in mortal danger because of it, went against everything she believed in.
“It would have been better for you if I’d managed to get away,” she said simply.
Daniel laughed bitterly. “You were doing it all for my sake, right?”
“No, but what I said still stands. It would have been better for you.” He walked her to the SUV, and opened the passenger door, waiting until she was in and buckled up before he walked around to his side. Wolf looked at her from the back seat, but sensing something was wrong between her and Daniel, remained still.
They drove away silently, Daniel concentrating on the traffic as they headed west.
She could clearly sense that what disturbed Daniel the most was that she’d tried to trick him. He’d never lower his guard around her again but, unless she could somehow gain his trust, he would be as much her keeper as her ally.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To a safe house about halfway to Shiprock. It’s the best place I can think of for us right now.”
They’d gone a few miles out of town before he spoke again, keeping his attention fixed on the road and not even glancing at her. “Is there someone who has known you for a long time who I can talk to—preferably a person who sees you a lot.”
“What do you want, a character reference?” There had been no sympathy or caring in his tone. Daniel was all business now that she’d shaken his trust.
He glanced at her coldly. “Answer my question, please.”
She thought of responding that he hadn’t answered her, but changed her mind. She’d pick her battles carefully from now on. “I wouldn’t drag either my friends or clients into this. I’m not sure why those men were after me, but this is a deadly business. I don’t want anyone I know getting hurt on account of me.”
“We need to find someone trustworthy who might have seen you during that time you can’t account for. They might be able to shed some light on what happened during those hours.”
“My guess is that only someone who works at the church could do that, but I doubt they’d speak freely to you if you came in asking questions. They don’t know you. And I obviously can’t vouch for you right now.”
“Tell me about your clients and your business.”
“I run a small bookkeeping firm out of my home. I don’t have employees—so basically, I’m it. My firm is my livelihood and I’ve worked hard to get it off the ground. Being accused of stealing is about the worst thing that can happen to someone in my profession. Make the victim a church, and you can pretty much write off your career. But ask yourself one thing—what kind of creep would be willing to hunt down a woman and kill her for two thousand dollars—money that, from what you’ve said, hasn’t even been reported missing? There are more blank spaces in that story than there are in my memory.”
“I know,” Daniel answered quietly. “But no one will hurt you while you stick with me. You can count on that.”
Hannah believed him. From everything she’d seen, Daniel Eagle was a man of his word. When he offered his protection, he meant it. To get to her, they’d have to kill him. And from what she’d seen of his fighting skills, it would take a lot to do that.
Like the stereotypical Navajo warrior, Daniel was cool under pressure, quiet and highly dangerous to an enemy. He also possessed a vibrant maleness that only a woman without a pulse could resist. Though at the moment he was a reluctant ally, there was something infinitely seductive about having a man like Daniel protecting her.
Yet that could all change, and she had to remember that. Once he found out the details of her past, would he still believe she was telling him the truth? That was a question she just couldn’t answer, and one she had every right to worry about.
“So how much farther is this safe house?” Hannah asked.
“We have less than a half hour of drive time before we get there. The house actually belongs to a buddy of mine. It’s near Hogback, just inside the Reservation. No one’s living there right now. Mitchell’s away for the next two months. He’s participating in law enforcement training back east. Nobody will bother us there.”
“Is Mitchell part of Gray Wolf?”
“All I can say is that he and I got to be friends when I worked as a cop a lifetime ago.”
“But what if the neighbors see us?”
“They know me. We won’t have any problems. You’ll be safe. It’s a tight community with a lot of cops or former cops, and ex-military.”
Hannah took a deep breath, then let it out again. “You realize that I don’t have a wallet, money, ID, or anything on me except the clothes on my back, and the shirt isn’t even mine. Is there any way I can get a few things from my home?”
“No, that’s out of the question. It’s probably being watched.”
She nodded. “Okay, fair enough. But I’ll still need a change of clothes and a few personal items.”
“We can stop at the trading post near where we’re going. You stay in the vehicle with Wolf. Give me a list with sizes, and I’ll get whatever I can find.”
The stop to buy the things she’d asked for was quick. After that, they continued the drive that took them past harvested cornfields west of Hogback and dry desert above the river valley. Daniel remained silent throughout and, after a while, Hannah decided to do something to break the unsettling quiet that was grating on her nerves.
“I’ve heard of the brooding hero, but I think I’d rather have a more talkative one,” she said, a wry smile touching the corners of her mouth.
“I don’t brood, and I’m no hero,” he muttered.
“Well, you handled yourself pretty well against those two men who came after me.”
“It’s part of what I do.” He paused, then added, “And, to be honest, I don’t like to lose.”
Hannah knew that already. Daniel wasn’t a man who took second place easily—if ever. “Then you may have picked the wrong side to be on this time. The odds seem to be stacked against me at the moment.”
“I follow my own judgment about what’s right and what’s not. Odds are never the issue. And I never shy away from a fight I believe in,” he answered, giving her a crooked smile that made her pulse beat faster. “Besides, your chances aren’t as bad as you think, providing you’re as innocent as you say you are.”
Hannah didn’t miss the disclaimer. “So, you still have doubts?”
“Under the circumstances, do you blame me?”
She sighed softly. “No, I suppose not. What can I do to change that?”
“Work with me. Let’s concentrate on what we know and try to piece the rest together. That’s the only way we’re going to find the truth.”
It was shortly after 3:00 p.m. when Daniel pulled off the main highway, drove a quarter mile south, then parked in front of a wood frame house located in a semirural residential area alongside the river. There were at least five acres between neighbors. “Let’s go inside. Mitchell has a computer program designed to make suspect drawings. I helped him install it a while back. If we work together, I think we can come up with a sketch of the man who abducted you.”
Hannah went into the house and looked around. It was a simple home with a bare minimum of amenities. A man’s house, and a spartan one.
As Daniel sat down at the computer, she tried to keep her spirits up, but it was hard. She couldn’t blame Daniel for harboring doubts. And it was going to get worse. Someone was clearly out to frame her and even the apparent kindness of keeping the police out of it was making it easier for her hidden enemy to systematically destroy her. If the missing money wasn’t found, she was sure that eventually she’d be arrested.
She’d lose everything but, in the process, she’d also blacken her uncle’s reputation as well. He’d vouched for her when she’d taken over the church’s accounts and their connection would mean that no one would ever trust him again either. He’d be ruined personally and professionally. A real estate broker needed people’s trust.
“I’m not guilty. I’m certain of that, even though I can’t remember what happened,” Hannah said.
Daniel nodded absently as he switched on the computer.
“And I’m not crazy.” She saw the thoughtful look he gave her, and realized that he already knew quite a bit about her history. Just how much, she was afraid to ask, but unless she could make him understand that her illness had only been a result of her parents’ death and that it was all in the past, it would shadow everything she said or did.
As she glanced over at him, she noticed the way he was looking at her and forced herself not to react. “I’ve spent my whole life trying not to let long, thoughtful looks filled with speculation—like the one you just gave me—get to me.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said, quickly looking down at the computer.
“It’s a certain expression that people get that says without words, ‘Poor thing. She looks normal, but she’s a little touched.’” She paused for a moment. “I hate it, but it’s followed me all my life.”
“I didn’t mean to give you the impression that that’s what I was thinking or doing,” he hedged, fully aware that she’d hit the mark squarely.
“So you weren’t assessing me, wondering what makes me tick?”
He started to deny it, but then decided against it. “Your uncle told me that you’re prone to fugue states where you don’t remember things, and that you spent time in a hospital for depression.”
“I went through six months of therapy after my father committed suicide. I was there when it happened and I went into shock. I was only thirteen at the time, and it was just too much for me to handle.” She took a deep, steadying breath then continued. “It took a while for me to find my way back. To this day I still don’t remember all the details of that night, but my uncle filled in the gaps and, to be honest, I know all I need. The past can’t be changed. I learned back then to accept that and go on with my own life. Mind you, it took a lot of sessions with the doctors before that sank in, but once it did, I never had to go back for treatment.”
“And now you can’t remember again,” he said slowly.
“I’m obviously blocking out something that scared the daylights out of me. Nothing less could have caused this. I know I had a similar problem when I was thirteen, but I’ve lived a normal life since that time. I’m not on medication, nor have I had to see a psychiatrist for many years. If you want to know the truth, my biggest problem has been that my history of mental illness has always followed me like a shadow. People see me as flawed, or weak, and no matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to escape that.”
“That’s not that unusual. People tend to see the person they knew, not the one you’ve become.”
“And this mess I’m in now will only convince them that they’ve been right about me all along. To them I’m just Bob Jones’s poor, crazy niece,” she said, exhaling softly.
“Once we find answers, things will get easier for you.”
She shook her head. “No, even if I’m completely cleared, my past will continue to make people feel uncertain about me. It’s not fair, but it is the truth.” She stuck out her chin. “But I will get through this and clear my name. Nothing can force me to become a helpless victim again. I’m not thirteen anymore.”
She knew she was in for the fight of her life but, somehow, she would remember what happened at the church. She owed it to herself, and also to Daniel, who was placing himself in the path of unknown dangers to stand by her now and protect her.
Chapter Four
“Okay, I’ve got the computer program running. Pull up a chair,” Daniel said.
Hannah did as he asked. There wasn’t much room and his leg pressed against hers as they sat beside each other. That fluid warmth filled her with awareness.
As Daniel captured her gaze, everything feminine in her came to vibrant life. In his eyes she could see the same fire that was coursing through her. Yet that knowledge did little to stop the crazy kaleidoscope of emotions swirling through her. This man was all male power—raw, immediate and unrelenting.
She tore her gaze from his. Daniel Eagle didn’t back away from anything—even this. It went against his nature. But one of them had to put a stop to the sexual tension rising between them. Otherwise things would spiral out of control.
Hannah looked at the computer screen. “Okay. How do we use this program?” she asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.
The work took more than an hour, but after the first fifteen minutes, Wolf trotted over and wedged himself between them, pushing their chairs aside enough to accommodate him. Hannah laughed, and shifted to make more room for him, but Daniel glowered at the animal.
“He’s such a nice dog,” Hannah said, burying her hand in the thick fur around Wolf’s neck.
Jealousy only increased Daniel’s irritation. “Yeah. He’s swell.”
Refocusing on the work at hand, Daniel continued adjusting facial features on the screen according to her directions, manipulating the shape of the face until she was satisfied. “That’s the man who was going to kill me,” she said at last.
He studied the sketch of the Anglo man, toggling the printer to make a copy. “I don’t recognize him. Do you have any idea who he might be?”
Hannah looked up at him and shook her head.
Daniel could see the pain and fear mirrored on her face. She looked fragile—a beautiful flower that had been buffeted by an angry wind. Daniel struggled with the sudden desire to pull her against him. He’d held her once, and her bare skin had felt like velvet and fire. It had left him wanting more.
Fighting himself, he forced his thoughts back to the case. For all he knew, Hannah was an experienced manipulator and he was playing right into her hands. Ignoring the gut instinct that told him he was off base with that, he tried to convince himself that all Hannah could ever be to him was major-league trouble.
Pensively, he dropped his gaze to her hands, which were now resting on the small computer desk. They were delicate and feminine. And memory told him they were impossibly soft. He wanted to feel them on his naked flesh.
Disgusted with himself, he pushed back his chair and walked across the room. What he needed now was a cool head, not a raging sex drive.
“I’ll fax this to Silentman. He’ll run it through several databases and see what turns up,” he said, removing the drawing from the printer output tray and walking over to the fax machine on another desk beside the phone.
As he looked back at her, he saw Hannah wearily rubbing her eyes. “You look really tired. Have you had any sleep at all since this started?”
“I couldn’t get much sleep at the cabin the night I was there,” she said. “I was afraid someone might just walk in.”
“Why don’t you go lie down and get some rest now?”
“But there’s so much going on….”
“There’s nothing either of us can do at the moment. I have to wait for Silentman’s call. You might as well take advantage of the opportunity to sleep.”
Hannah stood up. “I’m so tired I can’t even think straight anymore. You really don’t mind if I take a short nap?”
“Go. The bedroom’s down the hall and to your left. I won’t be far away if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” Hannah met his gaze and gave him a gentle smile. “There are times when I’m firmly convinced that underneath that tough-guy image is one very nice man.”
Daniel watched her walk hesitantly to the room at the end of the hall. Wolf gave him a glance, received a nod, then followed her.
After several minutes, Daniel walked down the hall to the master bedroom to check on the mismatched pair. They were both on the bed, Wolf between her and the door. Wolf was lying on his side next to Hannah. His massive head rested on the pillow beside hers, his body vertical like a person would lie. Her arm was draped across his furry chest. The dog stared at him, but did nothing else, almost as if afraid moving would wake her.
Daniel glanced over at Hannah. The even sound of her breathing assured him that she was fast asleep and he allowed himself a moment more to watch her, studying her face. She looked at peace for the first time since he’d found her. As his gaze drifted down her body, he remembered the feel of those gentle curves against him, and his body hardened instantly.
He glanced away. Hannah Jones was a living, breathing distraction. That was all there was to it. Wolf raised his head as Daniel took a step back out into the hall. “Count your blessings, mutt. That really should be me next to her, not you.”
Daniel was back in the den when his cell phone finally rang. Silentman had received the fax and wanted a status report.
“Do you think she’s guilty?” Silentman asked immediately.
“I don’t know,” Daniel replied honestly. “She seems pretty straightforward to me but, then again, that may only mean she’s a great little actress.”
“I’d give that possibility some serious thought if I were you,” Silentman warned. “I’ve just received a confidential report from one of the nurses who knew her when she was a teen and living in a psychiatric hospital in Albuquerque. The nurse claims that Hannah was a very bright girl, and that was the reason she was released early—too early, the nurse believes. The woman said that Hannah learned to tell the doctors exactly what they wanted to hear. That, coupled with the fact that she was good-looking gave her an edge, one Hannah learned to use to take advantage of young men. But, in all fairness, this woman clearly didn’t like her, so the information may be tainted.”
Daniel listened, saying nothing. He felt as if someone were holding an ice cube to the small of his back. He couldn’t quite disregard the possibility that he may have allowed Hannah’s looks and her seemingly desperate situation to sway him too much. Was he being taken for a ride?
“Watch yourself, Lightning.”
“Always.”
Daniel hung up the phone and went to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat. The refrigerator was nearly empty. Good thing he’d bought some supplies for them at the trading post. He went out to the SUV, brought back some canned goods, dog food and the loaf of bread he’d bought, then began to prepare some food.
The sound of shattering glass in the bedroom suddenly broke the silence and he ran down the hall, his adrenaline flowing. As he entered the room, he found Hannah with tears rolling down her face, standing on one foot and balancing herself by holding on to Wolf.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I had a nightmare,” she managed to say. “I woke up scared and somehow knocked over the lamp and broke it. I’m sorry if I alarmed you.”
“It’s all right,” he said, breathing normally again.
As he looked down he saw that she was barefoot, and one foot was bleeding. “You must have stepped on some glass. Sit back down on the bed and let me get some bandages.”
Putting Wolf at stay so he wouldn’t cut himself as well, Daniel hurried to the bathroom, then came back with a small first aid kit and a dampened washcloth. Picking up Hannah’s injured foot carefully, he saw that the cut wasn’t deep and there was no glass in the wound. “You’ll be all right. It’s not very bad.” He cleaned the cut and bandaged it expertly.
As Daniel looked up from his work, he saw her expression soften. The gentleness in that gaze tore at his determination to close himself off from her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Let me get the broken glass picked up, then you can give your bandaged foot a test drive,” he said, teasing.
After the glass fragments had been discarded, he released Wolf from the “stay” command and watched Hannah take a few steps around the room.
“Good as new,” she said with a grateful smile. “Thanks.” She touched his upper arm and gave it a squeeze.
Desire, sudden and fierce, swept over him again. He nodded absently, and pretended to be only interested in her injured foot.
Her toenails were painted a pale peach color. Somehow that little detail had escaped him until now. The knowledge he’d overlooked something, even if it was insignificant, disturbed him. “Tell me about your nightmare,” he said, moving away from her to sit on the easy chair.
Hannah went back to her seat on the edge of the bed, facing him. “It was just a jumble of images and there was this bright red haze that covered everything,” she said, suppressing a shudder. “People were there but they were nothing more than bloody shapes.” Her voice broke but no more tears fell down her cheeks.
More than anything else, he wanted to wrap his arms around Hannah, but if he touched her now, he’d want to do a lot more than comfort her.
“Did you recognize anyone?” he asked.
“I didn’t see the people clearly enough for that.”
“Do you think this dream has something to do with what happened at the church?”
“I…don’t know.”
“Think back. Did anything look familiar?”
She shook her head. “It was an awful nightmare. Those bloody shapes…” She took an unsteady breath. “And there were voices and sounds that seemed to rip through me, like peals of thunder.” She held her hands against the sides of her head as if trying to push the memory back inside.
“Did the voices say anything you can recall?” He saw her shake her head, but he continued to press her. “You have to fight to get your memory back, Hannah. Do you understand? When you get dreams like these, hold them, force yourself to look at them squarely,” he said gruffly. “They might hold a clue.”
“That’s easy for you to say. But that dream was terrifying. I don’t want to hold on to it—not for anybody.”
“I’m trying to protect you. If that means forcing you to face your fears, then that’s the way it has to be.”
He saw the confusion and the pain in her eyes, and almost regretted his words. Then he remembered his conversation with Silentman. He had to stay focused. Hannah could be a one-way ticket to a hell he’d never even imagined.
She stood up slowly, gingerly putting her weight on her injured foot. “I’ll do my part,” she said, with that quiet dignity of hers that was either pure class or a great act. “You don’t have to remind me of my situation. I’m very aware of what I have to do.”
He nodded once. “Come on. It’s six-thirty and we haven’t eaten. Let’s have some food. Afterwards, we’ll try to come up with a plan of action.” Daniel walked with her to the kitchen, nuked a plate of pork and beans in the microwave, then set the dish before her along with two pieces of toast. “It’s not fancy, but it’ll have to do,” he said, getting a plate for himself.
“This is fine,” she said, munching on the toast.
After seeing her pick at the beans for a while, he realized that they were far from her favorite food.
“What other foods can’t you stand?” he asked with a grin.
She chuckled softly. “Eggplant, Brussels sprouts, and chile that’s too hot. It sets my mouth on fire.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” he said, offering her a can of soup to replace the beans. “When the chile kills the taste of the food, and you need a fire extinguisher, it’s too much.”
Smiling, she looked up at him, and the impact of those guileless eyes slammed through him once more. Swearing that he was going as loco as she was rumored to be, he looked down at his plate and took another forkful of beans.
“I have an idea that might give us some answers,” Hannah proposed, opening the soup and pouring it into a microwave-safe bowl. “But it’s risky.”
Daniel shrugged. “At this point, everything we do will entail risk. What’s your plan?”
“I want to go to my office at the church. I did some of their bookkeeping, mostly balancing the modest funds in their operating budget, but maybe something there will trigger my memory.”
Daniel nodded slowly. “Yeah, that thought occurred to me too, but we can’t just walk in there. You’ll be recognized. The only way we can go is if I can come up with a really good disguise for both of us. Fortunately, I have some background in that. One of my summer jobs when I was in college was working for a film company that had come to New Mexico to shoot on location. With Silentman’s help, we can get the supplies we need together, and then get going.”
“What kind of disguise do you have in mind?” she asked, setting the control on the microwave to heat her soup.
He reached past her to set the machine on, then turned her to face him. “Let me surprise you.”
IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER TEN the next day when they approached the church on foot, leaving Wolf in the SUV. “Stoop more,” he said quietly.
She did as he asked, knowing it would enhance the role they were playing—that of an elderly couple. “You put so much talcum powder in my hair to make it gray that if anyone sneezes, a cloud will lift into the air,” she muttered.
“Good. A cloud is good. Think of it as a smoke screen.”
Her loose skirt was so baggy it would have fallen to her ankles if it hadn’t been for the cloth belt she’d fashioned from the curtain tie-backs. “I feel guilty about having taken this skirt from someone’s clothesline.”
“Don’t. I left a hundred-dollar bill clipped to the line. They’ll be thrilled.”
“Those baggy pants don’t do much for you,” she said, “but I’ve got to say that the way you’re walking, in that halting style with the cane, you really do look like an old man.”
“Which is why I keep telling you to imitate me. They won’t look at our faces, believe me. Even if they do, that dark makeup will convince them. Just look down to the floor, and avoid catching anyone’s eye. Two old Navajos just stopping by a church won’t be noticed.”
They entered through a side door, and she led the way down an empty hallway to her office. No one was usually around this wing of the building in the middle of a weekday. The staff all had day jobs. But, farther down the hall, they could hear a cleaning crew busy inside the chapel, polishing the floors.
“That’s just the caretaker and his wife,” she whispered. “They clean when no one’s around.”
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