“Think she bought it?”
“Daniel, I know what I’m doing. Besides, I didn’t lie. There really are several deficiencies in her security system. Duvall is doing a piss-poor job, if what she’s got is any indication of his level of expertise.”
Ridge sipped at his coffee. He’d left Mary Margaret’s property and drove to the closest town, giving her some much needed time to call and verify his ID and his credentials. Rafe had already called back, saying she’d given him the fifth degree, checking out his story. Good thing he’d thought to give Rafe a heads-up yesterday. Once again, his instincts were proven correct. Now he wondered if she’d call Austin and grill Williamson about him.
“Just remember, Boudreau, we need you on that property ASAP. You need to find that route, and we need it closed now. Our informant called two hours ago. There’s going to be another run going through in a week. So, unless we can catch them in the act, who knows how long we’ll have to wait for the next shipment.”
“Daniel, she’s going to take the bait. I suspect I’ll hear from her before the day is over. You’ve got Henry ready to play his part, right? Because if he cracks and spills the story to her, it’s over before we even get started.”
“He’s agreed. Swears there’s no way anybody is running drugs across that property, and I believe he believes it. But if the security is as bad as you think, this guy might not even know what he’s looking at when it’s right under his nose.”
“Think he’ll keep the story straight?”
“We’ve gone over it a dozen times. He’s gonna call her, tell her he’s got a family emergency and has to go out of town for a little while. Once that’s done, he’s got a ticket to Maui on Uncle Sam’s dime, as long as he keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t contact Ms. White until the case is over.”
“Do you trust him not to contact her? I got the impression he hangs around a lot.”
“We’ve got somebody that’ll be watching him twenty-four seven until we determine if Javier Escondido’s pipeline is broken, and he’s behind bars. Nobody wants to put this guy away more than me. I’m not taking any chances that Duvall will screw things up.”
“She’ll call. Probably sooner rather than later. I could see the wheels turning before I left, questioning where they’d screwed up. Though, I’ve got to admit, they did a lot of stuff right. There are a couple of places I probably couldn’t access, not without a lot of time and specialized equipment.”
“Always wondered why you decided to join the DEA with your background being security work. You’ve worked with some pretty highly placed clientele, and your references are topnotch. Ever gonna tell me?”
Ridge sighed. He knew Daniel had questions, though he’d been pretty good about not voicing them. Until now. “Maybe when this pipeline is shut down, we’ll go out, have a few beers, and I’ll tell you my sob story. Deal?”
“I’m gonna hold you to it, Boudreau. Now, I’ve got to go. Apparently, Ms. White is calling Henry.”
Ridge couldn’t hold back his grin. “Told ya.”
“Jackass. Talk to you later.”
Leaning back in his chair, Ridge took another sip of coffee.
“It shouldn’t be long now.”
Maggie dialed Henry’s number, listening to the ringing and thinking about the tall, handsome stranger who’d shown up on her property. Something about him intrigued her. He didn’t look like any security expert she’d ever seen. At a guess, she’d have pegged him as the criminal type, not the other way around.
His long dark hair had reached just past his shoulders, though he’d pulled it back into a low ponytail tied at his nape. It was dark, a rich, deep brown like strong coffee, though there were hints of blue-black in there, too. What had surprised her, though, was the startling blue of his piercing eyes. The combination of dark hair and light-colored eyes had always been her kryptonite. There was something about the startling contrast that made her heart skip a beat, but she’d never had a visceral reaction like she had with Ridge Boudreau. The second she set eyes on him, her heartbeat raced. Her breath caught in her chest until she felt lightheaded. An instantaneous attraction unlike anything she’d ever felt swept through her, and she’d wanted nothing more than to hear his voice. Touch his skin. Run her fingers through his shiny hair, see if it felt soft beneath her touch.
Henry answered on the fifth ring, right before it would have clicked over to voice mail. “Hey, Maggie.”
“Listen, I need to ask you something. I—”
“Wait, Maggie, I need to tell you something.”
Uh-oh. She didn’t like the sound of that. There was something in his tone that immediately caused the little hairs on her arms to stand straight up. Whatever he had to say, it wasn’t good news, of that she was sure.
“Okay, shoot.”
“I have to go out of town for a little while. Not sure how long it’s gonna be, and I hate leaving you in the lurch. I feel really bad, but there’s a family situation and I gotta deal with it. I hope you understand.”
“Of course I do. Anything I can do to help? Do you need anything? You know all you have to do is ask and it’s yours.”
She heard a soft sigh through the phone. “You’re the best, Maggie. No, there’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m sure I can get things handled and I’ll be back before you know it. It’s just—I’m leaving today—this afternoon, as a matter of fact. But, I forgot to tell you, I made a call to a buddy. Name’s Ridge Boudreau. He owns a security company, Sentinel Guardians, and trust me, he’s really good at what he does. I asked him to come by your place, and take a look at the security we’ve got installed, and see if there are any upgrades we need to put into place. I meant to discuss it with you, but then I got called away, and now…”
“Mr. Boudreau already showed up, Henry. I’m afraid I wasn’t at my most welcoming.” She chuckled. “I pulled my Remington on him.”
“You what?”
“The computer showed another drone doing a flyby, so I shot it down. Figured I’d see if we could determine where they’re coming from. I think we both know what they’re looking for. Anyway, I was on my way back to the house and I saw this stranger sneaking around, and I pulled my shotgun and demanded he get off my property.”
Henry laughed. “I bet he loved that. And I doubt he was sneaking around, or you’d have never seen him.”
“He left his card, and told me to check out his references. I talked to his brother, Rafe, who’s the sheriff in Shiloh Springs. Gave him a glowing recommendation as being a law-abiding citizen and that his security services are legit. Course, him being his brother, I’m not sure how much stock I can put in that particular endorsement.”
“He’s definitely legit. I know he’s done some government work.”
“Yeah, he told me to contact the FBI office in Austin, said they’d attest to his qualifications.”
“You know, Maggie, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Ridge to be there while I’m out of town. I know I’d feel better having somebody there with you, keeping an eye on things while I’m gone. He could fix any holes in our security, and be an unofficial bodyguard until I get back. Kill two birds kinda thing.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“Until the threats stop?”
“Jerk.” She raked a hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “It’s not a good time for a stranger to be here, Henry. We’re gonna have company in a couple of days, and I can’t afford to have anybody sneaking around or snooping into my business. You know that.”
“Figure out a way to keep Ridge occupied when you need him out of your hair. Trust me, Maggie, let him stay.”
She leaned back against the kitchen barstool, and glanced through the huge window over the sink, loving the blue of the sky framed within its white border. Having Ridge around every day? It could be the biggest mistake of her life. But it also might be the chance to figure out if this instantaneous attraction between them could be…more.
“Alright. But if he steps one inch out of line, he’s out on his behind.”
“Fair enough. Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Thanks, Henry. Don’t forget to let me know if there’s anything I can do. Bye.”
Maggie disconnected the call, and leaned against the marble peninsula, her chin in her hand, wondering if she’d lost her ever-loving mind. Had she really just agreed to have a total stranger move into her house—her sanctuary? Ridge seemed a little too good to be true, and Maggie wasn’t about to ignore her gut. She’d learned the hard way to never doubt her instincts, especially about men. Even with Henry’s recommendation, she wanted a little more reassurance.
With a determined stride, she walked across the house to her office, and opened her laptop. Time to do a little research on Mr. Ridge Boudreau.