“I’m fine,” Nina kept telling everyone. “It’s a flesh wound.” Sam now stood at attention near where she sat in the back of the open ambulance, with a heavy blanket around her and a big bandage wrapped around her upper left arm. “I’ll be okay. I just want to go to bed and sleep for twelve hours.”
“Not in this house,” Thomas told her. “You’re coming to the inn with me.”
Nina shook her head. “I want to stay here.”
“No,” Max said from behind Thomas. “It’s either the inn or the bunk room at headquarters. Or I’ll take you out to the ranch.”
Nina let out a groan of frustration. Three windows shot into rubble and gunshot holes in the side and front doors. The landlord would not be happy, but at least she had renter’s insurance. Filing that report would be such fun.
“I’ll probably have to move, anyway,” she said, with another huff of frustration.
Agent Zeke Morrow strolled up with his Australian shepherd, Cheetah. “Penny has your room ready. We have plenty of dog food and whatever else you might need.”
“Isn’t that inn getting kind of crowded?” Nina retorted, glaring at Thomas.
“Always room for one more,” Zeke replied, his dark eyes solemn and sure. “And I have a temporary apartment not far from there while the house we bought is being renovated, so you’re covered if anyone tries to mess with you again.”
“I can take care of myself,” she said with a weak whine.
“We know,” all three men said in weary unison.
Then the SAC leaned over her. “Look, Nina. You’re a good agent, but you have a target on your back. Do you really want to sleep here tonight?”
Nina glanced from her shattered little cottage to the man who’d been by her side the whole time. Thomas gave her an understanding glance and waited for her response.
“No,” she said, tossing off the blanket. “What I want is to find whoever is behind this. He got away again.”
“He had a car right around the corner near the stream that runs along this property. The land on the other side of the stream is fenced and private, but we’re working on locating the owner. Sam tracked the shooter to the water and took a bite out of the long trench coat he left behind.”
“A DNA petri dish, I hope,” Nina said, gaining hope.
“Already on its way to the lab,” Thomas replied. “Now, let’s go find you some clothes so you can get that sleep you need.”
He reached out to help her out of the ambulance. Nina winced when she tried to move her left arm. She’d have a nice bruise just below her shoulder. The bullet had hit her in a bony area, leaving a deep gash that would hold a permanent scar.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the ER?” Thomas asked, his voice low.
“No. Just a little sore, is all.”
“Do you have the pain pills the EMT gave you?”
“Yes,” she said. But she didn’t intend to take them.
“Okay, I’ll drive you to the inn.”
“I can take my vehicle.”
“You can get your SUV tomorrow once the crime scene techs are done here. Tonight, I’m driving you.”
Too tired to argue, she followed him into the shot-up house, past the little tree, which was now toppled over on the floor, its lights and ornaments shattered and crushed. Nina bit her lip, then grabbed her go-bag and her weapon, and allowed him to guide her to his big truck. When he opened the passenger side door, there was a moment when she thought the man was actually going to pick her up and put her inside. But he only stared into her eyes, the storm clouds in his gaze telling her that he was loaded for bear on finding Russo.
Nina tried to hop up onto the seat, but winced in pain.
“I got you,” Thomas said, not lifting her, but assisting her with a strong hand that held her with such a sweet strength, Nina’s composure almost melted. She got settled and then stared out the window at the yellow crime scene tape now holding her house together.
Thomas got in the truck and put on a cowboy hat. Just like some western hero.
When she looked at the road, news crews were swarming all around, but the FBI team and the local police held them back from her house and yard.
“They’ll keep digging,” she said. “They might scare Russo away. I hope the reporters don’t find Kelly and lead him right to her.”
“Kelly is fine. We checked on her at the hospital. They’ve moved her to a more secure area and Tim Ramsey and his K-9 partner, Frodo, are guarding her, along with the sheriff’s deputy.”
Breathing a little sigh of relief, since Tim was good at his job and very capable, she kept staring ahead. “Thomas, Russo’s getting sloppy. He wants both of us dead, but...this doesn’t seem like a hired killer’s MO.”
“Agreed,” Thomas replied, as he pulled the big truck up close to the inn’s carriage drive. “While you rest here, we’re going to do more digging. Hopefully, we can figure out who the other two victims were. Someone knows something. I might have to make a trip to Helena and ask around about Kelly’s life there.”
“I’m going with you if you do,” she said, determination adding punch to the words.
“No.”
“Yes, Thomas. Yes. You said this is my investigation, that I can do the job. So let me. Either help me or get out of my way.”
“Nina,” he said, turning toward her in the seat. “This man is dangerous.”
“I think I’ve figured that out, since I witnessed him trying to kill a young girl, and especially when I found the bodies he possibly left nearby. He’s tried to kill me twice now, so I get it, Thomas. My job is to get to him before he can kill one of us or Kelly Denton. So if you go to Helena to investigate, I’m going with you. And there will be no discussion on that matter.”
Thomas didn’t argue with her, but Nina had a feeling there would be more discussions between them.
The next morning, Nina woke up and realized where she was and why she’d spent the night in this beautiful room at the Wild Iris Inn. Sam woofed a greeting and stared at his food bowl with doleful eyes.
Her partner never complained. He’d hold off on eating and relieving himself in order to protect her or anyone else. Glancing at the clock, she noted it was six in the morning. She was usually up and ready to go by this time. When she lifted her arm, her wound reminded her that she’d had a close call the night before.
A knock on the door caused her to bolt straight up, sending pain shooting through her body. Sam stood at attention, but didn’t seem too worried. A friendly.
“Just a minute,” she said, grabbing a robe she’d tossed into her bag last night to put over her T-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms.
Nina opened the door, expecting Thomas to be standing there. But Penny Potter greeted her with a smile, her dark eyes full of concern. “I have strict orders to keep you out of trouble.”
Nina laughed but shook her head. “Let me guess. Thomas Grant?”
“Him, and Max West, too. Both very formidable when they need to be.”
“They wouldn’t treat a man that way.”
Penny put down the tray she carried and stared over at Nina. “You’re wrong there. When Zeke lost his brother, it was rough for all of us. You’ve no doubt heard that Jake was the father of my son, Kevin. I fell in love with his half brother, Zeke. We both had a lot of guilt to deal with.” She poured coffee and motioned for Nina to sit at the little wooden bistro-style table by the big bay window. “Max told Zeke to take some time off. Ordered it, actually. And he told both of us to talk to counselors and to make sure Kevin got help, too.”
Feeling contrite, Nina nodded. “I’m aware of some of that, yes. Zeke was in a lot of pain.”
“Yes, but Max went with us to bury Jake in Utah. He didn’t have to do that, but he did. He’s a good man who guards his team members like he’d guard anyone else, except with his team he not only guards them, he makes sure they are safe and healthy so they can be the best at the dangerous jobs they do.”
Nina took a sip of coffee and stared at the blueberry bagel covered with cream cheese on the pretty floral china. “I’m sorry. I just fought against so many condescending colleagues early in my career that I have to remind myself Max is not that way. He expects the best of us, and I’ve tried to give that, but right now I’m under pressure. If I fail at this case, I fail all of us.”
Penny tossed back her long golden-brown hair and smiled. “You won’t fail, but you do need to rest. Zeke told me you’ve been at this for days now.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “It did feel good to actually sleep last night.” Tearing off some of the bagel, she asked, “So where is the notorious Thomas Grant this morning?”
Probably out getting the jump on her.
“He’s at headquarters. Said he had to clear something with Max.”
“Really?” Nina wished she knew what that something was. He wouldn’t demand they remove her from this investigation, would he? Last night, they’d agreed they were in this together.
Penny leaned close, her smile full of understanding. “I’m talking out of school here, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about. The man likes you, a lot. Why else would he have guarded your door all night?”
Thomas parked in the covered garage at the back of the inn’s property. Dog-tired and needing a shower, he strolled up to the sunporch that covered the entire back of the big, Victorian-style house.
“Well, you’ve been a very busy man.”
Nina sat there, dressed in jeans and a long cardigan sweater over a white blouse, her hair falling in spiky strands around her chin and neck. Sam lay at her feet, doing his job even if he looked deceptively docile.
“I have at that,” Thomas admitted. Sinking down in a cushioned wicker rocking chair, he crossed his ankles and took a long breath. “And I’m exhausted.”
“Maybe you should stop sleeping in a chair in front of the door to my room.”
“I like sleeping in chairs. Builds character.” Then he made a face. “But my back is not happy.”
“I’m refreshed and anxious to get back to work,” she retorted, a bad attitude all over each syllable. “My arm is sore, but workable.”
“That’s good,” he replied, taking his time because she was so amazing when she was in a snit. Her eyes flashed a dark gold, her foot tapping against the porch floor.
“So, how was your day?” she said with a fake smile. “Mine was really boring.”
“My day was productive,” he said, wishing he could just catch his man and get away from these strange feelings clawing at his heart. “Are you going to let me explain or would you rather have a hissy fit and get it over with first?”
She got up and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes shooting sparks. “Explain, Thomas. Now.”
“I spent most of today clearing things for us to go to Helena together.”
Her eyes went wide. “Us? I figured you’d take off without me.”
“I did consider that...but I’m not completely stupid. I figured you’d hightail it after me.”
“You’d be right on that.”
He nodded. “I promised Max West I would protect you with my life, then I talked to Dylan O’Leary and some of the other techs and found out that the other two girls have been ID’d and they were both also from Helena.”
She forgot to be mad and sank like a rock on the chair next to his. “Wow.”
“Yeah, but the wow gets even more wowee. They all worked at the state capitol in Helena as interns while they attended school nearby.”
Another wow and he had her listening.
“One girl disappeared earlier this year and the other one about three months ago. The bodies we found have definitely been identified as these two. No doubt there. I have pictures of all three of them now.”
“And...can we prove Russo killed them?”
“Based on particles and hair follicles found on the trench coat, and some fibers and epidermis particles we found on Kelly’s coat and underneath her nails, we can prove Russo was with her that night. The lab is comparing fibers they discovered on the remains of the girls, too, but they haven’t come up with a match yet.”
“Russo,” she said, standing up again. “So he’s not as meticulous as we thought, and we have him for shooting Kelly Denton. When do we leave?”
“First thing tomorrow,” Thomas replied. Then he pulled something out of his coat pocket and handed it to her.
“The hot chocolate mix?” she said, her eyes widening, both hands holding tight to the glass jar.
“For tonight.” He gave her a Thomas Special grin and winked. “I’m going to take a shower. I hope Penny planned something good for dinner. I’m starving.”
Nina watched as he walked inside. Then she stared at the mixture of sugar, cinnamon, powdered chocolate and powdered milk in her hand. He’d found it and saved it for her. Which meant he’d been back to her house today.
A wonderful gesture that touched her heart. But she had to wonder if he’d found something else there that had him ready to do battle on her behalf.
Nina intended to find out if Thomas knew more than he was telling her. And if she had to do it over hot chocolate, she would.