Page 15

FIFTEEN

P enny rubbed her eyes and took another swig of coffee. She was going to need so much caffeine to stay awake today after her all-night surveillance op.

She walked into Jude’s office. He looked way too put together for this early in the morning in his pristine button-down shirt and impeccably knotted tie. She, on the other hand, plopped into the uncomfortable office chair in a wrinkled shirt and proceeded to scratch the pink bumps covering her arms.

Jude looked up. “It went that well last night scoping out the Prescot place?”

“Let’s just say the mosquitos had a Penny Mitchell–sized feast.”

“You didn’t pack bug spray?” He gave her a “duh” look.

“I didn’t think I’d have to hunker down in the weeds the whole time. That place is guarded like Fort Knox.”

“So, what did you find?”

“Not Emma Kemper.” She sighed as she pulled up photos from her phone and then emailed them to Jude. “But once things quieted down enough, I was able to sneak into the big barn. They have a whole arsenal there. Boxes of weapons with serial numbers filed off. Some short-barreled rifles and silencers. Are those registered?”

Jude typed something on his keyboard. “One Conway Wallis Prescot has a permit to run a shooting range on that premises and has one homemade Sbr registered.”

“I guarantee you there’s more than one Sbr there. What about silencers?”

“Nothing on record.”

“When was their last inspection?”

“Good question.” He clicked a few more keys. “Looks like it’s been over five years.”

“It is within normal business hours and the scope of your authority to make sure he has his paperwork in order.” She gave him a cheesy forced grin.

“You want me to walk onto a suspected militia compound alone for a routine inspection so you can see if your girl Emma is there?”

“Who said you’ll be alone? I’ll come with you. As backup. Besides, there’s something going on. Big Bobby made it sound like they had plans.”

“You know you can’t do a thing if you come. And what if Bobby Prescot sees you? You’ll blow your cover.”

“I’m okay with that.”

Jude paused, studying her. “Would you come back to the ATF?”

Penny stilled. “What do you mean?”

“You’re good at this, Pen. We could use the help. I know Last Chance feels like it’s the middle of nowhere, but we’re not far off the major routes between Denver and Salt Lake City. There’s more than enough work here for the both of us. You could recertify. Be close to your family. Pick things up with Bryce.”

Her stomach clenched. After everything she’d gone through? No way. She’d joined the ATF thinking she would fight for justice. She’d never expected to fall for her boss. Or what had happened later. But it had been enough to know that working with others on a permanent basis was not for her. She couldn’t afford to get attached.. Because the fallout had been devastating. She’d lost her job, her heart, and her identity. She would never go through that again.

Not even for Bryce Crawford.

And the longer she stayed in town—for any reason—the more at risk she was of falling for him.

Falling for anyone only made her easy pickings. No more of that, thanks!

“First off, I’m not even gonna touch the whole Bryce thing. That’s done. In the past. Finished. As for the job…I’m flattered, Book. It’s high praise coming from you. But we both know I don’t exactly like following the rules when they get in my way. I like calling the shots. And you would hate what I would do to this very boring and gray office.” She grinned at him, trying to let him see the professional reasonings so she could continue to conceal the personal ones.

“All right. Can’t say I didn’t try.”

Penny forced her body to relax. Jude bought her reasoning. Bryce never would’ve let her off with such lame excuses. He would’ve kept pushing for the real answer.

Good thing he wasn’t here.

It had been bad enough in the downtime waiting last night. All she could think about was how sweet it had been watching him on the bottom of a doggie pile of sweaty kids on the baseball field. Or the sense of something new under all the energy and passion that drew her to Bryce Crawford.

He was still the same Bryce in most ways. But a difference she couldn’t pin down piqued her curiosity. And although she didn’t know what it was, obviously it was dangerous. Her guard was already slipping.

“Sooooo…are we going on a little field trip or what?” She leaned on the desk and batted her eyes.

Jude stood with a sigh. “Let’s get this inspection over with. I’m going to loop in the police chief, though, so we have backup ready if needed.”

She popped up off her seat. “Sure thing, boss.”

Finally, something to get her blood pumping.

She rode with Jude out to Prescot’s property. A gate barred access with a mounted camera and speaker.

A crackly voice blared through the speaker. “If you don’t know the code, you’re in the wrong place.”

Jude held up his badge and ID to the camera. “This is Jude Brooks with the ATF. Just doing a routine inspection of the shooting range, making sure your paperwork is in order.”

“We weren’t given notice of no inspection.”

“Don’t need to. By law, as an ATF officer I can inspect without a warrant.”

“You should call first or come back when we’re not so busy.”

“Are you refusing this inspection? Your permits won’t be renewed if you are.”

After a long pause, the speaker crackled again. “Wait there.”

“Think they’re hiding everything?” Penny kept her voice low.

“Most likely.”

It took a good ten minutes for a faded red truck to meet them at the gate. The man that came out from behind the wheel wore a brown cowboy hat and a shoulder holster with a Beretta 92. With his average height and lean frame, he was pretty much the opposite of Big Bobby in build. His weathered face was wrinkled, the mustache and beard all gray.

“Don’t know why you gotta bother honest folks out here just tryin’ to run a business. How long is this gonna take?”

“Are you Conway Prescot?” Jude asked.

“I am the owner of this property.” He stood, hands on hips, boot-clad feet spread wide.

“Good. Then as soon as you open up the gate, we can get on with this, and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Let’s see that identification again.”

Jude pulled it out and showed the man. He studied every part of the badge and card. Silent seconds ticked by. Total power-play move. She had to give it to Jude. He started whistling and smiled like he had all the time in the world. All Penny could think about were the places Emma Kemper or her boyfriend might be hiding.

With a big sigh, Conway finally released the gate. “Follow me.”

The dirt road in was bumpy and dry. The cloud of dust kicked up by the truck made it impossible to see much. They pulled into the heart of the compound, which Penny had scouted last night. Dogs—some kind of heelers or pointers—left the front porch of the big log ranch house and rushed toward them.

“Down, boys.” Prescot shooed them away.

Penny’d had to wait until the dogs were penned up last night before she could sneak into the buildings. Today at least five vehicles were parked in front of the barn. A handful of men milled around. All obviously armed. Penny smiled at them, hoping to find the weakest link. No one smiled back. Thankfully, Bobby Prescot was nowhere to be seen. But neither was Emma.

That was probably just as well. If they realized who they were, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill her and Jude and bury them out in the back forty.

Conway led them to the shooting range, showed Jude his store where he sold ammunition, and retrieved the one short-barreled rifle he had the permit for. While Jude waited for the paperwork, Penny milled through the little store. Through the window, she watched a couple men in camo and dirty blue jeans scramble around the corner of the barn after another drove a skid loader. What was going on out there?

“So, are we done here?” Prescot said from the counter.

Penny whipped around. They’d better not be.

“I’ll need to see the rest of the premises. Where you receive deliveries and store overstock. And I’d like to see the shooting range.” Jude paused. “I might even join.”

Penny almost laughed at that.

Prescot didn’t seem amused. He simply marched out the door, leaving it open for them to follow. They walked out back to the shooting range.

Still no sign of Emma Kemper or the men she’d been with the night of the warehouse fire.

After inspecting the shelves of ammunition in one of the sheds, Conway faced Jude and planted his feet. “There. I’ve complied. You’re welcome to go now and let me get back to work.”

“What about the barn?” Jude didn’t back down at all.

“What about it?”

“I need to see it.”

Prescot’s eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing there but animals and old tractors.”

“Still, I have to be thorough if you want to keep your permits.”

The crusty rancher’s mustache drooped as he frowned. “I think you’ve seen all you’re legally required to see.”

“You don’t want me coming back here and shutting this whole operation down for not complying with a federal agency.”

It was all Penny could do to keep her mouth shut. She hated bullies like Prescot. But she and Jude were severely outnumbered if it came down to it. A muscle in Prescot’s jaw twitched. He looked over at the stocky guy leaning on the barn door.

“Tray, our nosy ATF agent here wants to see the barn. Give him a tour and then escort him to the gate.”

“Yes, sir.”

He opened the large barn doors. The space had completely transformed since last night. Huge straw bales created a wall around the shelves of boxes of weapons Penny had seen last night. Two rusty red tractors were in the back, and a couple stalls held horses. The skid loader was nowhere to be seen, but she’d give her last dollar to bet that they’d used it to quickly move the huge bales and hide all the illegal guns and ammo.

There was nothing she could do about it without revealing that she’d been there. Penny seethed. Tray made a point of letting them see everything, even the hay loft above. They climbed down.

“I’ll take you to the gate now.”

Penny went over to the wall of straw bales. She wanted to punch it, tear it all down and show Jude what they were hiding. She gave the bale a small kick. Of course it didn’t budge, but something black glinted in the sunlight streaming in from the open door.

“What’s this?” she asked as she bent down and picked it up.

Jude looked at what rested in her palm. “That looks like a Glock clip.”

Tray shrugged. “Looks like tractor parts to me.”

“Do you know where this came from?” Jude asked.

“Never seen it before.”

Obviously they would get nowhere now. But this might be the evidence Jude needed for a full-blown raid. Better not tip their hand yet.

They left and went back to the conference room at city hall, where the rest of the task force was already assembled, since Penny had texted them as soon as she and Jude left the compound.

“We got them.” Penny set the small clip on the table.

“You found a Glock clip?” Olivia asked.

“It looks exactly like the one we found in her car. That means there’s a good chance Emma Kemper is tied to this militia, which means they are part of our investigation with the explosives and fires.”

“Glad someone made some progress. We wasted a night at the Riviera Club trying to track down a dead man,” Bryce said.

The Riviera Club? How did Bryce wind up there? Not that Penny had a right to even care, but the thought of him at a dance club, surrounded by music and probably beautiful women, dancing the night away, left a horrible taste in her mouth. She forced herself to relax her jaw, not even aware of when she’d clenched it.

“Who’s ‘we?’ And what dead man?” she asked.

“I was with Izan Collins last night. His ex said there’s rumors that Sosa’s back from the dead. We went to see what all the fuss was about and wound up empty-handed.”

“Not exactly empty-handed,” Olivia said.

Penny’s back snapped rigid. What did that mean?

“Huh?” Bryce looked confused. Or was that guilt?

Not that it should even matter to her. They had no understanding. He could do whatever he wanted. If he went home with another woman on his arm…It. Didn’t. Matter.

“You said you took some video footage when you thought you saw someone that looked like Sosa, didn’t you?” Olivia asked him.

Video footage? That’s what he’d had with him when he left? Tension in Penny’s middle melted away.

She really shouldn’t be so relieved by that. What was wrong with her?

“Yeah, but I don’t think it was anything. Besides, the lights were getting to me. I was probably just seeing things. Dead end.”

“Let me see the video.” She wasn’t likely to forget Diego Ruiz Sosa after all they’d gone through to find him.

Bryce sent it to Penny. With such a big file, it would take a while to download.

“Don’t start it without me, but I’m going to run and grab a drink,” Olivia said as she stood. “I’ll be right back.”

Jude, Allen, and Anthony all gathered on one side of the table and chatted baseball. Bryce scooted his office chair closer to her. She tried not to make it too obvious that she breathed a little deeper, wanting more of his ocean-inspired aroma. His gaze drew her in with its equally enticing spark.

“Hey, are you doing okay?” he asked.

“Of course. Why do you ask?” She broke eye contact, watching the bar on her phone showing the progress of the download.

“You look a little…tired. Or maybe you’re still sore from everything that happened?”

He always saw too much. “I’m fine. Still on a regimen of drug-store pain meds. But I was up all night doing surveillance.”

“Alone?” A muscle in his jaw twitched.

“I’m a big girl, Bryce.”

“Believe me, I know. But you’ve also been thrown in a closet, left to die, and almost mowed down with automatic weapons. A little concern isn’t completely unheard of.”

But Bryce Crawford didn’t do anything in “little.” He cared. Deeply. It was there in his gaze—steady, intense. In the energy and warmth always radiating outward from him.

She swallowed hard, lifted her chin. “I’m good. No need to worry.”

“But I do. Worry about you. Not because I think of you as incapable, but…uh…”

The wavering in his voice snagged her curiosity. Was he flushed?

She stayed quiet.

“I was…wondering if maybe we could spend some time together.”

Her heart swelled with warmth.

Stupid, stupid heart. Hadn’t it learned? She checked her phone again. Still over twenty-five percent to go. “We are. Spending time, I mean. Right now, for instance.” She sent him a brief smile.

“Yeah, but—” He grabbed the back of his neck. “I know you said we’ve both moved on. But we’ve both changed in the last year or so. And I’d like to get to know you more. Or again. Or…something.”

“So you want to spend time together doing that?”

“Exactly.” He picked at a crumb on the table, then looked up at her, the tenderness in his eyes unmistakable. “So what do you say?”

“Sure.” Wait. What did she just agree to? Spending more time with him?

“Yeah?”

Hope lit up his whole face. There was no way she could back out now. Not when he looked at her like that. Like she was the one he wanted to be with. Like he would do whatever it took just to be with her.

Oh, she was in so much trouble.

But maybe he was right. Maybe they’d both changed enough that this wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she’d learned enough to not completely lose herself this time.

Before she could say more, Olivia walked in. “I’m ready. Thanks for waiting.”

Right. The video. It had finished downloading. Penny cast it to the television in the room. The grainy images of people dancing played. The flickering lights made it hard to focus, but suddenly a familiar face filled the screen. Penny gasped.

“What? Is it him?” Olivia asked.

“No, but I recognize someone else.” Penny studied the screen. Finally.

“Who?” Bryce leaned over to look at her phone.

“Her!” She paused the video. “That’s Emma.”

“The girl who came on to me is your Emma Kemper?” Bryce sat straighter in his chair.

She came on to Bryce? But she’d seemed pretty attached to her boyfr?—

A sense of dread filled Penny. That little minx. “She was distracting you.”

Bryce balked. “Distracting me from what? The horrible music and lighting?”

Oh, she really shouldn’t be so relieved to know that Bryce hadn’t enjoyed clubbing last night. But a weird sense of victory surged through her.

“The man you thought looked like Sosa. What happened to him once she approached you?”

“I…don’t know. I didn’t see him after that.” Bryce shrugged.

It made sense. Bryce would stick out in a place like that, studying a crowd, searching for someone in particular. Not that women didn’t throw themselves at him all the time everywhere he went, but Emma was good at acting. She was on the run. She’d be on the lookout for suspicious people trying to track her down. Or her boyfriend. Because something inside Penny told her that this Sosa lookalike was the man that had ordered her to be burned in the warehouse.

“I think we need to go clubbing tonight.”