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TWENTY-FIVE

The air thrummed with a powder keg of emotions. One wrong move and this would end badly.

For everyone.

Ellie kept her hands raised and resisted the natural human instinct to stare at the gun in Tyler’s hand.

Instead, she forced her gaze up. Undercover work sometimes required decisions to be made in a split second.

This was one of them. She had little to go on beyond her own impressions.

Behind the stony expression, there was genuine fear.

Sweat beaded on Tyler’s forehead and his focus darted between Ellie and Daniel.

He didn’t want to shoot them. But Ellie would need to talk him down with logic. With the truth.

“The FBI faked my death because the Iron Fist put a price on my head.” She kept her tone steady and soft-spoken, but her voice was filled with conviction. “It’s true I was shot in the warehouse on the same day that Lena was killed, but I didn’t die. I am Agent Elizabeth Conway.”

Ellie kept her attention locked on Tyler, although she could feel the tension radiating from Daniel who was on her right. To his credit, he’d stepped back and let her take the lead. A difficult thing for many in law enforcement to do, but the goal was to get out of here alive.

“Last week, masked men attacked me in a church parking lot and attempted to kidnap my foster son,” Ellie continued.

“That’s when I found out the evidence Lena had stolen was still out there somewhere.

There are a lot of dangerous people looking for it, Tyler.

I don’t blame you for being cautious. But I’m not a threat to you.

” She gestured with her fingers toward Daniel.

“Neither is he. Meet Texas Ranger Daniel Perez.”

Tyler’s brow lifted slightly, but he didn’t lower his weapon. The suspicion didn’t leave his face. “You could be lying.”

“I’m not. I can prove it.” Moving slowly, Ellie removed the glasses from her face and lifted off the wig.

She deposited them both in the chair before raising her shirt to reveal the gunshot wound in her abdomen.

The skin was mottled and white. “This is where I was shot. A few transients found me bleeding out in the warehouse and called 911, which saved my life. By the time I came out of surgery, the Iron Fist had put a price on my head. Going back to my normal life wasn’t possible, so the FBI gave me a new identity.

For the last three years, I’ve been living as Ellie Brooks in a small town close to here called Silver Creek. ”

She lowered her shirt. Her heart beat a rapid tempo as Tyler studied her face intently. Recognition dawned across his features, and he lowered his gun slightly, although he didn't relax his stance. Ellie nodded. “You know who I am.”

“I’ve seen photos.”

“Daniel has his Texas Ranger badge in the front pocket of his shirt. Can I reach for it to show you?”

Tyler gave a sharp nod. Ellie kept her movements slow as she turned. Daniel didn’t take his eyes off Tyler, but as she removed his Ranger badge with her left hand, his fingers brushed against her right wrist. A light touch, one easily missed, but it had the weight of all the words he couldn’t say.

Be careful. I love you.

Ellie’s chest tightened momentarily. She drew in a steadying breath and placed the badge on the desk in front of Tyler. “Daniel is a Texas Ranger. He’s been protecting me since the first attack.”

“Why aren’t you here with the FBI?”

“Long story short, there’s a leak in the FBI. They can’t be trusted.”

“And you can?” Tyler countered.

She held his gaze. “Lena trusted me.”

“And Lena ended up dead!” he shouted. Grief creased his features, but he locked it away and inhaled sharply. “How do I know you didn’t kill her?”

“Because she was my friend,” Ellie said softly. “She told me things, Tyler. About you. About the dog you rescued from the gas station and the silly way you used to put cheese puffs in her jacket pockets when she had a rough day. She said leaving you was the biggest mistake she ever made.”

Tyler studied her for a long moment. His expression was unreadable, his breathing uneven.

He was a man backed into a corner on the cusp of a decision.

Ellie wasn’t sure which way he would go.

From the way Daniel shifted his body weight to the balls of his feet, readying himself to tackle Tyler if necessary, neither was he.

She held her breath, praying Tyler would make the right decision. “You and I are the only people Lena trusted completely. She sent the evidence to you, but she gave me the passcode to open it. Put the gun down. Let’s work together to finish what she started.”

He hesitated for one more second, then lowered his gun.

Ellie released a shaky sigh of relief. “Where is the evidence?”

He didn’t move. “Did Lena really say that leaving me was the biggest mistake she ever made?”

Tears shimmered in his eyes, and they gut-punched Ellie hard, undoing the lock on her own grief. She felt her lip tremble as she fought back the emotion and nodded. “Yes. She loved you, Tyler. I’m sorry you both didn’t get a second chance to set things right.”

“So am I.” He blew out a breath and holstered the weapon. “Sorry about holding y’all at gunpoint. Lena told me I could trust you, Agent Conway, but I’ve had a lot of strange things happen over the last three years and it’s made me cautious.”

“What things?” Daniel asked.

“My house and the bar were both broken into. Searched. It felt like people were watching me, off and on. Recently, there haven’t been any incidents, but I’ve grown paranoid, especially since Lena’s letter instructed me not to trust anyone, including the cops.”

“The Iron Fist was looking for the evidence.” Ellie glanced over her shoulder, and although the office door was closed, she could hear country music and the sound of laughter.

A chill walked down her spine. Had the Iron Fist hired locals to monitor Tyler?

Or was she becoming like him… paranoid and jumpy?

She shot a worried look toward Daniel before focusing back on Tyler.

“That’s why they broke in. Why they’ve been watching you. ”

“That’s what I figured.” He marched over to a series of giant filing cabinets and pushed on the last one. It scraped against the concrete floor.

“Let me help you.” Daniel joined him, and together, they shifted the heavy cabinet aside. Then they had to move the one next to it as well before a small safe hidden in the floor became visible.

Tyler bent down and rapidly typed in a code on the front panel. The safe popped open. He reached in and pulled out a single flash drive. “This is what Lena sent me.”

Ellie’s heart pounded against her rib cage.

She rounded the corner of the desk and accepted the flash drive from Tyler.

All this time… all the threats… there was a small piece of Ellie that hadn’t truly believed she would ever find the evidence.

Holding it in her hands was both a relief and a burden.

They needed to get whatever was on this flash drive into the right hands ASAP.

Her gaze shot back to the desk. “Can I use your laptop?”

“Of course.”

She was already moving to the chair and opening the computer. Tyler used his fingerprint to unlock the machine. Both he and Daniel stood on either side of the chair, watching over Ellie’s shoulder as she plugged the flash drive in and quickly entered the password.

File after file appeared on the screen. She flipped through them in rapid succession, her heart beating fast with excitement at every new document.

“Offshore bank accounts. Financial tracking of funds. Safe house locations where they store the weapons and drugs for sale.” Her breath caught as a list of names popped up on screen.

Ellie instantly recognized some of them from murders the FBI had investigated. “Sweet mercy, this is a hit list.”

It was a treasure trove of information. Far more than she could have ever expected.

No wonder Gideon was desperate to get his hands on it.

His name appeared on many of the documents, including the financial ones.

No amount of money or influence would keep him out of prison now.

She looked up at Tyler. “Do you have another flash drive? I want to make a copy of this.”

He fished one out of a drawer while Daniel used the flip phone to call his boss. Ellie half-listened as she attempted to copy the material to the second flash drive. It wouldn’t work.

“I can’t hear you, Lieutenant.” Daniel pulled the phone away from his ear. He faced Ellie. “I don’t have a signal in here. Be right back.”

When he opened the door, a blast of country music and voices spilled out.

Ellie barely noticed. She was too busy trying to copy the files over.

Nothing she did worked. Frustration had her back teeth clenching.

“Lena locked the files down somehow. We can’t make a copy of them.

” She turned to Tyler. “Give me your phone. Hurry.”

"What for?" Tyler asked, but handed it over anyway.

"I'm taking photos of the documents," Ellie explained, already snapping pictures.

"I didn't bring my phone to prevent the Iron Fist from tracking us, but we can't risk having only one copy of this evidence.

" She also needed something smaller and more portable than the laptop, in case they were attacked on their way back to the ranch.

Tyler frowned. "You're keeping my phone?"

"Just temporarily?—"

A crash from beyond the office door jerked her head away from the screen. Ellie half rose. “What was that?”

A second later, the bartender burst in. Her eyes were wide, and beer was spattered across her clothes. “Carl kicked off again.” Another crash followed along with the sound of splintering wood. “We’ve got a bar fight.”

Tyler cursed and ran around the desk. “Not again. They’ll tear the place apart!”

The two darted down the hall toward the sound of flesh hitting flesh and glass shattering.

Ellie debated following behind to help break up the fight, but she figured a bar fight in this neck of the woods was common enough that Tyler could handle matters.

She went back to taking photos of the documents.

The phone lit up in her hand as a call came through. Unknown caller. Ellie ignored it, her sole focus on creating a second record of the evidence Lena had paid for with her life.

Then a text popped up.

Elizabeth, answer the phone.

She froze. Tyler’s cell rang again. This time, she answered it.

“Hello, Elizabeth.”

She immediately recognized the deep Southern drawl layered with mock amusement and more than a hint of cruelty.

Adam Parish, the Iron Fist’s top enforcer.

A cold wash of panic gripped her insides, even as a mass of questions muddled her mind.

How had he known to call her on Tyler’s cell phone? To text her?

She scanned the ceiling, searching for a hidden camera. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Tyler mentioned his office had been broken into. To hedge their bets, it would’ve been smart for the Iron Fist to install surveillance devices.

“Yes. I can see you.” He laughed. “You’ve been busy. So have I. There’s a little boy with blonde curls and a stuffed dog named Scout right next to me. Here, Owen. Want to say hello to your mommy?”

Ellie’s blood turned to ice as the familiar babble of Owen’s sweet voice came over the line. She gripped the cell phone tight enough to make her hand ache as her body trembled with a mix of fear and fury. “If you hurt him?—”

“Stop wasting time with empty threats. Remove the flash drive from the laptop and bring Tyler’s phone with you.

I’ll text you the address once you’re on the road.

Oh, and leave the ranger behind. This matter is between the two of us.

” He paused. “It’ll be good to see you again, Elizabeth.

I’ve been waiting a long time to correct my mistake. ”

“You mean shooting me in the warehouse?” She scoffed, despite the terror running through her. “You had your chance at the diner, Adam. You missed. Two screwups in a row. Hard to be the top enforcer when you can’t take out one FBI agent.”

“Don’t anger me, Elizabeth, or you’ll regret it. Get moving. Tyler keeps the keys to his truck in the top left-hand drawer. No tricks, no secret messages. I have eyes on you, and your son is right here with me. If you want to protect Owen, you’ll do exactly as I say.” Adam hung up.

She was out of time. After ejecting the flash drive, she grabbed it, Tyler’s cell, and the keys to his truck before racing to the door on the opposite side of the office.

Humid night air washed over her when she opened it.

Ellie stole one more glance over her shoulder, desperately hoping Daniel would be there, that he would see her leaving, but the hallway was empty.

She bolted into the night, her heart pounding with a single, searing prayer.

God, help me save Owen. Spare his life, even if you don’t spare mine.