"Did everyone want to take a run as cougars tonight?" Hal hoped Tracey would want to. Not that he wanted Stryker along for the run. Ted would say he'd stay to watch Annie. But he figured Stryker would say yes, just to ensure he was able to take Tracey home tonight.
"Sure, if Tracey wants to run again," Stryker said. "I'm game."
"I'll watch Annie." Ted looked highly amused at their antics.
They all looked back at the glass door. Hal hoped everything was all right, concerning the call Tracey had received, surprised it was taking so long, and hoped her partner wasn't giving her word about the case so that she could look into it.
***
Frowning furiously, Tracey wanted to kill the informant who had led them into a trap. She hoped Hal and the others really believed she was talking to Anton. She didn't want anyone to get wind of the fact that she had every intention of working this case if she could get some clues. With Ricky calling her, she hoped that's where the conversation would lead.
"Okay, tell me your version of what happened." She bit back the urge to call him every vile word she could think of. She could have lost her partner! Not to mention she had been damn lucky when Hal had showed up.
"I didn't have nothing to do with it. You know. I didn't call you. Someone else did. I don't know who."
"What do you mean you didn't call me?" She couldn't believe he'd come up with such a ludicrous lie. Of course, it had been him. She'd talked to him a number of times, and she would recognize his voice anywhere. "He sounded just like you."
"Hell, anyone can copy anyone else's voice over the phone. It wasn't me. You pay me good money, you know. Why would I screw that up?"
She had to admit that was true, and it was possible, she supposed. Anything was in this business. "Okay, let's say you're telling me the truth. They have to realize you're informing on them. It's the only way they would think to contact me, if they believed you were talking to me about them."
Silence.
"Ricky?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm thinking, you know?" She heard him pacing around on gravel. "Okay. I've got a brother, you know? Kolby's twenty-one—three years older than me. I always looked up to him. But I'm thinking he heard something about what I've been doing. And then he might have set me up."
"You talked to him!"
"I didn't tell him. Not to his face. Maybe he overheard me talking to you. Maybe he got hold of this Mooney character, and he offered to pay him some big bucks to impersonate me and send you there. I swear I didn't know anything about it. When I saw the newspaper story that said that you had been ambushed in the old saloon in the ghost town, I figured it was some other case you were working on. So I didn't call you. But then a new story got out and it said your informant set you up. I got to thinking about it…believing it was some other informant because I didn't call you. And then I got to wondering more and more. Did you think it was me? I didn't know how you could because it wasn't me. But if you did, I wanted to straighten you out. I had nothing to do with it."
"All right. So what do you know?"
"Well, since my brother, Kolby, thinks I'm still clueless about who your informant was, because I was until you said you thought it was me, I believe he's the one who did this. We do sound a lot alike."
"Okay, so now you're going to sell out your brother?"
"Hell, yeah. If he set me up to take the fall if the two of you survived. Either of you could have come after me and killed me for it."
"We apprehend wildlife traffickers. We build cases against them. Put them on trial for their crimes. We don't go after anyone with the intent of killing him." Though she was sure rethinking her philosophy on that one.
"If I were you, I'd want to kill them for that. I mean, you could have been killed. Sure pissed me off." Then as if it sounded like he was coming across as too soft, he added, "You know, because I wouldn't get any more work from you."
She smiled a little, then frowned again. "Well, I don't kill for revenge. So what do you know?" She wanted to get this conversation over with in a hurry. She worried that her supper companions would be concerned that she was taking too long. Maybe worried something was wrong with Anton. She had no intention of telling them she was on the case again. She was a Special Agent, and now? A Secret Agent. On her own. She knew if they got word of this, they'd really watch her and try to stop her. And probably report it back to her boss.
"Nothing."
"Come on, Ricky," she said, irritated to the max. "After what happened, I need to know something. Anything that will help the case."
"Really. Nothing. I had to make sure that you knew I wasn't the informant who set you up. That this was a case of Mooney trying to have you killed. The papers didn't say who was involved. Now that I know for sure you thought it was me and we cleared that mess up, I'll make some inquiries, you know. But you don't kill bad informants, right?"
In case it was his brother? "No. But watch your back, Ricky. In these cases, normally we don't have the traffickers shooting back at us."
Silence.
Okay, so for her, this was the second case. Did she just tend to land really bad cases? Or was she just lucky? Not.
"Thanks. That's the first time anyone's told me that, you know? I'll get back to you when I have word." Then he ended the call.
She stared at her cell for a minute. She realized then that Ricky wasn't just some lowlife informant with a name she suspected was an alias. He was real. Someone who lived on the scuzzier side of life, just getting by, who needed her as much as she needed him. She prayed he wouldn't get himself killed over this like her last informant had.
She headed for the glass doors to the patio and realized everyone was sitting there quietly, waiting for her return. Trying to listen in on the conversation? She wouldn't be surprised, being that both Hal and Stryker were with law enforcement. She suddenly felt exhausted—from her early morning run and trouble with the wolves, to all the excitement with the foaling—and she was ready to call it a night.
She opened the patio door and all the men stood.
"I've had a lovely time," she said. Hal's face fell a bit. She suspected he had hoped she'd stay longer. "But after the day I've had, I'm ready to say goodnight."
"I'll take you home," Stryker said quickly, as if he was worried Hal would get to it first.
She smiled. "Sure. Thanks."
"Tomorrow morning, we'll go on a run like we talked about?" Hal asked.
"Yeah, sure."
"And you'll wait for me?" he asked.
She laughed. "Yeah, you can show me the safe areas to run as a cougar."
She said her goodbyes to the men and climbed into Stryker's black jeep, then they drove to the cabin, the stars lighting the night sky. She loved it out here.
"I had a really nice time visiting with you tonight." Stryker was tall, maybe six-one, with dark brown wavy hair and a genuine smile. At least when he wasn't looking all serious like earlier when she was running as a cougar and had been treed by a pack of wolves. Golden highlights streaking his hair said he was out in the sun a fair amount, as did his golden brown skin. Green eyes glanced in her direction, and she knew he wanted to see more of her.
But she seriously wasn't on the market for heavy dating with anyone.
"It was a lot of fun. Lovely company, great vista, wonderful food. I just had a really lovely time."
Out of the blue, Stryker asked, "Is your partner all right?"
"Anton?"
When Stryker glanced at her, she quickly said, "Uhm, yeah. He's fine." She screwed that up big time. She had to remember that no matter how nice these guys were, as officers in law enforcement, they were used to watching for people's actions and reactions.
"So… he just wanted to let you know he was recovering all right?"
"Yeah."
"That's good to hear. When is he returning to duty?"
"I'm not sure. He'll be in rehab when he's released from the hospital. Could be months before he's recovered enough to go on another assi
gnment." She hated to think of it. She really liked working with him, but she suspected she would get a new partner when she returned to work herself.
"So who called you?"
Blast it all. That was the problem with people in law enforcement. What had the men been discussing all this time? Who the caller really was? Just because she'd taken the call inside? Though if she'd been in their place, she would have considered the same things.
When she didn't say, Stryker cleared his throat. "I was wondering. What kind of dog do you like?"
He probably didn't think he would make points with her if he kept questioning her about her caller, but it didn't mean he'd totally let it go, she was certain. "Is this about the puppy again?"
He smiled.
When they reached her cabin, the whole place was dark. She normally wasn't afraid of the dark—it certainly wasn't a cougar weakness—but having a firefight in the ghost town twice now had put her on edge a bit, and she really hadn't thought it would.
"I hate to ask you this," she said, as he parked his Jeep in front of her door. "Would you mind coming in with me?"
"Hell, no," he said, smiling. And then he frowned a little, as if he realized why she wanted him to come in with her. He quickly sobered. "Yeah, sure." They both left the Jeep, and he offered to take her keys.
She wasn't going to go that far, but it was too late to say she was okay with opening her own place up.
He reached in and turned on the light, and they both went inside. "Do you want me to check out the place?"
"Uhm…"
"Listen." He took hold of her hand and looked down at her, frowning a little, looking concerned for her well-being. "I fully understand what you're going through. I've been there. No one's going to think any less of you if you need a little backup."
"I don't want this to get back to headquarters."
"As long as you're not returning to duty, no problem."
She appreciated him for saying so. "Do you want a drink?"
He smiled.
"My boss asked Chase to buy some wine for me. Probably so I'd have a little fun and quit thinking about the case, knowing him. I'll get us some."
"Sure. I'll check out the place while you're doing that."
"Do you want to watch a movie?"
"Hell, yeah. I'd love to."
She took a deep breath, smiled, nodded, and went to get the wine and a couple of glasses. She really was tired. But she felt guilty for having forgotten about her supper date with Stryker. And she felt bad that Hal had outmaneuvered him with the barbecue. After the foaling, she really had loved the idea of sitting on the deck and having the meal, enjoying the view, then watching the beautiful sunset. So when Stryker was agreeable, she'd been glad. And she'd really appreciated him for it too. Not only that, but it had indicated she wasn't dating anyone.
She headed for the couch, saw her blamed nightie resting over the arm, where Hal must have laid it, and quickly shoved it beneath the couch cushions. Then she took a seat and Stryker joined her.
She didn't want either man to think she was setting up housekeeping with him. Best to keep this on more of a professional basis, spend some time with both men, while they sort of served in a bodyguard capacity.
She and Stryker agreed on an action thriller, and after she started the movie, he said, "Have you got popcorn?"
"Chips."
"Do you want some?"
"Sure."
Despite wanting to keep this on a professional basis with both men, she ended up tucked under Stryker's arm, watching a doozy of a thriller, sharing chips and wine and wondering what she was getting herself into.
When the movie ended and they called it a night, Stryker carried the half empty wine bottle and bag of chips into the kitchen, while she placed the wine glasses in the dishwasher. She wondered if he was just being sweet, or he was delaying his departure. She wasn't about to have him sleep over for the night. She didn't even want to consider what would happen if Hal showed up for their morning run and found Stryker eating breakfast with her here.
"I had a lovely time," Stryker said, holding her hand, caressing it with his thumb, waiting for her to indicate she wanted something more.
"Me too. I'm so sorry about standing you up earlier."
"No problem. The night turned out even better than I could have planned. The barbecue at Hal's place was perfect. And I was glad I got to see Annie."
He sounded sincere, and she appreciated him for it. The next thing she knew, she was kissing him. She wanted to blame it on the past, the present, the future, the wine, but the truth was she needed this. Nothing more, just a little bit of tenderness.
He was a nice kisser, she thought, his mouth warm and agreeable, and eager, but she kept it at sweeter, no tongues, just melded mouths, for a precious moment in time.
She knew she really couldn't do this again. She had to keep this professional, and she was afraid as soon as her informant, Ricky, got back with her on any scuttlebutt he'd heard, she was going to be investigating the case again, and she didn't want either Stryker or Hal getting in her way.
Chapter 7
When Hal got a call from Stryker at two in the morning, he sat bolt upright in bed. "What's wrong?" A million thoughts were running through his mind. Chase, the babies. A need for a deputy. Top of the list? He worried something was wrong with Tracey.
"Okay, Tracey was afraid to go into the cabin tonight," Stryker said.
Hal looked at the clock again. "And you're telling me this now? At this hour? Why couldn't you have told me earlier after you dropped her off?"
"She was worried about her place. So I went in to check it out for her."
Hal narrowed his eyes. Now, he knew where this was headed since Stryker was calling him at two in the morning.
"She invited me in to have a drink and to watch a movie. To make up for forgetting about our supper date because she was helping you with the foal. So I said sure. But it was more than that. I think she needed someone to stay with her for a time. I think she's kind of spooked."
"Okay, good to know." Hal was trying to quell his annoyance because Stryker was right. She'd missed her date with him and then Hal had outmaneuvered him with the barbecue. He was glad that she was nice enough to try to make up for it with Stryker. But he hoped that didn't mean he'd won a bunch of points with her. And then he began worrying about her being alone out there if she was feeling spooked.
"There's more."
Hal knew it before Stryker even had to say anything. "It was about the phone call, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. When we'd discussed it on the deck, we figured it was either bad news for Anton, or something else was going on. When I asked her how Anton was doing, at first she wasn't sure why I had asked her."
"Because it wasn't him."
"That's what I suspect. I figure she's working the case. I thought Anton might be feeding her information, but I doubt it. From the way she talked, he's going to be in months of rehab, and he might not even be working as a field agent any longer."
"So someone else in the organization called her?"
"Maybe. Or another informant. I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you can learn what she's up to before or after you go running with her tomorrow."
"Thanks," Hal said.
"Yeah, remember, we're working on the same team here. Protect the lady at all costs."
"You didn't kiss her did you?"
"Some costs run a little higher than others. Hey, you don't have any more mares that are about to foal, do you? I don't want to have that conflict with my dates with Tracey in the future. Still need to learn what kind of dog she likes best. Better let you get your beauty rest for your run tomorrow morning. Night."
"Wait! You kissed her?"
But Stryker had already hung up on him.
Now, Hal couldn't sleep. He couldn't believe Stryker had kissed her!
He stared at the clock. It was fifteen minutes later than the last time he looked. Maybe she was still scared. He stared a
t his phone. It wouldn't hurt to call her, would it? If he didn't, he wouldn't get any sleep. But what if she had finally fallen asleep?
He pulled up her phone number in his list of contacts, but before he touched it, he hesitated. What if she realized Stryker had let him know that she was scared?
Hell, he didn't want her to know that.
He considered the phone. He wouldn't let on. He'd have to pretend he thought Stryker had dropped her off lots earlier, and he was just checking on her to see how she was doing.
He punched in her number and took a deep breath. And waited for her to answer.
She didn't answer. This felt like déjà vu all over again. Hell. She could be showering. She could be sleeping.
He called Chase.
"Hey, it's Hal." As if Chase didn't have caller ID and very well knew just who it was.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you up?"
Chase didn't say anything for a minute, as if he was getting his bearings. "What time is it?"
"Two-fifteen. I talked to Stryker, and he said he's worried Tracey might be looking further into the case that she was working. Anyway, he said she was also feeling uncomfortable when they first arrived back at the cabin. So he suspects the call she got tonight at my place—"
"Your place? I thought she was having supper with Stryker last night."
"Yeah, it's complicated. Anyway, so she got this call and said it was her partner, but both Stryker and I were suspicious. Then he asked her about Anton's health when he was taking her home, and she didn't know what he was talking about. With the business of her being worried about entering the cabin on her own and not telling us the truth about who she was talking to—unless she was just really tired, which I doubt—we believe she might have had news about the case, but she's keeping mum about it."
"And?"
"Well, I tried calling her, and she didn't answer her phone."