Page 24 of Tango (Hunt Brothers Search & Rescue #4)

Tucker

“ Y es, I did exactly what you said to do,” Kara says, her voice clear through the bug I planted in her apartment when I’d straightened that photo on the shelf. “Yes, exactly. But he said they have proof that it’s me in that video. You promised me that you’d protect me.”

It’s nearly eleven at night, and though she made a call right after we left, it wasn’t to the police, and it wasn’t until right now that she’d gotten a return call—something she was definitely not happy about, given all the muttering she did while pacing around waiting for it.

“If they take me down, I’ll tell the truth,” she threatens.

Bad move, Kara. “No, I don’t care what you say.

You promised me. I did what you asked and now—” She falls silent.

Man, I wish she’d put it on speakerphone.

Knowing it’s not Alice in that video is enough to clear her of the murder, but if we don’t know who put Kara up to it, we can’t solve the rest of it. “Fine. I’ll see you then. Goodbye.”

I hear her phone hit the counter relatively hard and mark the time the call ends.

I have no idea who was on the other line, though I imagine it was Wilbur Huck.

He’s the only one with high enough clearance to pull off what Alice is saying they’re trying to pull off.

Plus, he’s the one Logan claims is in on it.

Wilbur Huck.

Since we recorded this call without a warrant or permission, the information I overheard won’t be admissible in court. However, it helps us to get closer to finding the truth because now we know that Kara is involved. She’s a lead, a thread to tug until the rest of the truth falls out.

My gaze drifts to the couch where Alice is sleeping. She passed out from exhaustion about an hour ago, and I covered her with a blanket. Try as I might, I haven’t been able to keep from looking at her from time to time.

She’s just so beautiful. So kind. Though not incapable of anger, that’s for sure. I’d genuinely thought I was going to have to hold her back when she’d lunged for Kara. Part of me toyed with not holding her back and letting her have that outlet. Who knows, maybe it would’ve gotten Kara talking.

It’s not right—but the thought did cross my mind.

Dylan is sleeping—or what he calls sleep—which is really him lying in bed, catching thirty minutes at a time. It’s the most he’s gotten since we pulled him out of that prison. Instinctively, I glance toward the door.

It’s not uncommon for him to be thrown into a full-blown PTSD episode in those brief moments he gives up control to rest. More than once, he’s come at me with a knife or other weapon he managed to get his hands on.

Never a gun though.

My guess is that’s because it was an old, rusted knife he was carrying when we found him. He’d nearly taken Riley’s hand off with it because he’d been so disoriented he couldn’t even recognize us. And in those moments, in Dylan’s mind, he’s still in that pit.

As it does whenever that particular memory assaults me, the knot in my chest tightens, and I rub the heel of my palm against it. I lower my head, trying so hard to breathe through the ache.

“Are you all right?”

I nearly jump out of my skin at Alice’s voice. “When did you wake up?”

“A few seconds ago.” She keeps the blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she drops into a kitchen chair beside me. “So are you?”

“I’ll be fine.” I take a deep breath and offer her the earpiece. “Kara got a return call,” I tell her.

Interest piqued and topic of conversation successfully changed, she takes the earphones and presses one side to her ear as I hit play. The expressions that play out on her face showcase the battle she’s fighting against her own anger.

It’s something I can relate to.

“Does that help us?”

“Unfortunately, it was recorded without a warrant, so it’s not going to do us much good unless we can find out who she was talking to and get that information to someone we can trust.”

“Which, in this state, is no one. Web Safe has contacts all over the place.” She runs her hands over her face.

“We’ll figure it out. We’re going to head back to the ranch first thing in the morning. It’s the safest place for you until we can get some concrete evidence. But I’m about ready to kick the doors of Web Safe in myself.”

She nods. Then her piercing crystal gaze narrows on me again. “Spill.”

“About what?”

“You looked like you were walking through fire when I woke up.”

“I’m just tired.” The lie tastes vile on my tongue. “Look, it’s not something I want to talk about, okay?”

“I didn’t want to talk, either, but it helps.”

“Not this time.” I’ve talked until my face is blue. To Pastor Ford, to a therapist I saw briefly…to God. Only the latter has helped, and it’s still a struggle. Every day I wake up, I’m reminded of my greatest failure.

Trusting in the word of a government I vowed to serve and nearly losing my brother in the process.

Being back home is always a breath of fresh air. An early flight home, thanks to Jesper—the private pilot we use for nearly every mission—and I’m sitting on my own front porch, drinking a cup of fresh coffee, with Tango at my feet.

With Kara, and whoever she spoke to, aware that Alice is with us, it seemed the most logical choice to return to the place where it’s the easiest to protect her.

Here, we have security, and six of us—including Elliot’s wife, Nova—who are all tactically trained and prepared for war, should it reach our doorstep.

Which, in this case, might happen. Web Safe is desperate to get their hands on Alice. And I’m starting to believe it’s for a lot more than the fact that she was in that server room with Ramiro.

We have all of these questions and not enough answers.

Alice is out for a ride with Kennedy and Nova now, the three of them somewhere on the ranch. While I’m not thrilled that I’m not there too, I trust Nova to keep her safe. As a former detective and a member of our team, she’s more than capable.

Besides, the ranch is the only place where I can put some safe distance between us.

Around Alice, everything is jumbled. I barely know the woman, and she’s got me thinking about her every moment of every day. And not just because she’s a client.

No matter how badly I’d wanted to settle down at some point, that all changed when Dylan nearly died. He needs me, and I need to be present for him. So why does Alice have my head in such a mess? Why can’t I logically convince myself that jumping into anything with her would be a bad idea?

Tango gets to his feet, tail wagging, as my dad comes around the corner on foot. “Hey there, son. I thought I saw you out here.”

“Morning, Dad.” He takes a seat in the rocking chair beside me.

“Where’s Alice?”

“Out for a ride with Nova and Kennedy.”

“Aah, that’s right. I think Jemma said something about that earlier. She and your mother have become inseparable.” He laughs.

“How about you and Fred?”

“He’s a good man. At the house working right now.”

“They do seem like good people.”

“I agree.” He shifts his gaze out toward the ranch.

“Things have always felt so simple here. Sure, there’s a lot to do, but everything has its place.

The animals have a routine, and every day is the same.

When it comes to the ranch anyway.” He winks at me.

“Throw other people and situations like the ones you and your brothers deal with into the mix, and things get a lot more complicated.”

“You can say that again.”

Dad turns toward me. “What’s complicating things for you today?”

“Why do you think anything is?”

“It’s all over your face.”

I set my mug aside and cross my arms. “This case is tangled. We have a video showing Alice shooting Ramiro, only it’s not Alice or Ramiro in it.

We have a dead man found at his computer and no concrete leads to follow.

I’ve been trying to get into Web Safe’s documents since we got back first thing this morning, so I can figure out what information they believe was taken.

But I’ve hit wall after wall. Apparently, they’ve upped their security since the last time I broke into it. ”

“Is that something Alice can help with?”

“I doubt it. She told me that they have so much security in place, the important information isn’t even stored online.

It’s in the server room with backups that are stored on site.

” I take a deep breath. “She’s right though.

We’ve been so focused on proving her innocence that I worry we’re losing sight of what the real threat is. ”

“Whatever data Ramiro said they were trying to leak.”

“Exactly,” I reply. “But I don’t see how I get to it without being inside Web Safe.”

“Do you have anyone inside of Web Safe you can trust?”

“Nope. We have no idea how far up the chain the corruption goes. My guess is Kara has already told whoever is behind this that Alice is with us too, so there’s no going in pretending we’re just trying to help. I’m actually surprised a SWAT team hasn’t shown up already.”

He laughs. “That would certainly be a complication.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” I smile at him. “Dad, can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Anything, you know that.”

“If you made a promise to yourself, but now you aren’t sure that you want to keep it—” I trail off because I have no idea where I’m going from there. “Never mind. I’m overthinking.”

“Tucker. I love you, but you are not the overthinker of the group. That title belongs wholeheartedly to Elliot.”

I snort. He’s not wrong. I’m typically an excellent decision-maker. As soon as I have the facts, I make one. No overthinking involved. Most of the time, it works out. It’s the same reason why Dylan is alive today.

My decision, based on facts presented.

I knew he was alive despite what I was told. And I acted on that knowledge.

“So tell me what’s on your mind.”

I’ve never told anyone that I decided long ago that I wouldn’t settle down until Dylan found happiness. I know that if I were to tell my dad now, he would likely understand but also tell me all the reasons why that’s not necessary. How Dylan wouldn’t want me to feel that way.

He’s not wrong, but I can’t bring myself to find joy when my twin suffers.

It could have just as easily been me in that cavernous jail cell, clinging to life and never knowing if I would be rescued.

“Alice.”

“Ah, I suspected as much.” He chuckles. “It’s the look you give her when you think she’s not looking. The very same one I noticed your brothers giving their wives back when they, too, were being stubborn.”

“I don’t want a relationship, but I can’t get her out of my head.”

“You don’t want a relationship because of her—or you?”

“Me.”

My father falls silent. “That’s a bit more troublesome, then.” He crosses his arms and leans back in the rocking chair. “Care to elaborate as to why?”

“Not particularly.”

My relationship with my father—all of our relationships with him, really—are based on trust. He trusts me to come to him when I need to, and we can trust that he won’t press until we’re ready.

“I’m not sure I can offer much advice, but I can tell you that it’s okay to change your mind.

If you made a promise to yourself, but now you want something different, that’s okay.

You’re allowed to grow, and oftentimes the things we think we want—or don’t want—in the past are not the same things we desire in the future.

Pray, and let God lead you where you need to be. ”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime, kiddo.” He pushes to his feet.

“I need to go help your mother load her car for the silent auction tonight, but I want to leave you with this. If you’re withholding happiness from yourself because of something you had no control over, you’re not helping anyone. You’re only punishing yourself.”

I shouldn’t be surprised that he sees right through me. The man might as well be a mind reader for all he knows. And his words echo through my mind even though I can’t bring myself to act on what I’m feeling toward Alice.

Despite the promise I made to myself, she’s a client. Anything more than that would make her a distraction. And distractions lead to mistakes.

In this case, those mistakes will lead to death. And hasn’t there already been enough of that?