Ranger came in barefooted and bare-chested, wearing low-slung jeans. He looked completely relaxed and as drop-dead gorgeous as ever.
“You didn’t sleep long,” she said casually.
“I got nearly four hours,” he said with a shrug. “That’s all I need.”
Dana looked at the clock in surprise. As it usually was whenever she was immersed in something, she’d lost all track of time.
“What you been up to?”
She shrugged. “I watched a little TV, then I decided to do a little light reading.”
He picked up the book she held. “‘Medicine Men, A Navajo Perspective.’ That doesn’t seem like light reading to me.”
It took everything in her not to react. She’d only given the shelves a cursory look after seeing mostly a collection of popular fiction. Yet it was entirely possible that the information she’d tried so hard to find was sitting on her lap.
“I’m interested in all kinds of things,” she replied, hoping it didn’t sound as lame to him as it had to her.
He went to the laptop computer and, touching it, glanced back at her. “Still warm. This computer’s encrypted. Did you try to get online?”
“Yeah, but the password got in the way.”
He studied her expression for a moment, probably just to see if she squirmed, then picked up the laptop and carried it over to the coffee table. He sat down in nearly the same spot she’d chosen.
Ranger typed in a password and then another that took him to a screen she hadn’t seen before. After two more passwords that appeared as asterisks on the screen, he reached a very official-looking government site. It was blue, with a gold emblem and shield in the center, and she thought it might have been the FBI’s Web page. She moved closer to confirm, but he’d already reached yet another screen requesting a password.
“What are you doing?”
“Some creative information-gathering,” he said.
“By hacking into…what, an FBI site?”
“I assume you referring to my status as a ‘Full Blooded Indian,’” he answered. “Let’s see what’s new on the kidnapping suspects.” He paused for a minute, reading what was on the screen, then continued. “The body they took from the cabin is still being processed at the Albuquerque OMI’s office. They’re checking dental records. Since the victim was wearing a Four Corners area high school ring, that should speed up the ID process.”
Hearing several rapid beeping tones, he suddenly disconnected.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I had to log off. I got access through a site that spoofs my Internet address, but they have new software that can eventually backtrack to this location. If I’d stayed on, they would have had me.”
“Looks like you’ve learned to cut some corners,” she said. “So, assuming we aren’t raided by the feds anytime soon, what’s next on our schedule?”
“We lay low. The police advised me to keep you under wraps,” he said.
She shook her head. “Bad idea. Growing up with my mom, I learned a lot about survival. The first rule is never wait around for others to do something on your behalf. That’s a good way to become a victim.”
Ranger gazed at her for a long time, then finally replied, “I understand what you’re saying but, in this case, you do have someone working on your behalf. Going proactive now will only put you in the line of fire.”
“I’m already there. I’m the only one who can make a positive ID and the police still haven’t arrested any of the kidnappers.”
Ranger took a deep, slow breath. “Putting myself in Ignacio Trujillo’s head, I’ve come up with an interesting theory. Want to hear it?” Seeing her nod, he continued. “Now that Ernesto’s dead, Ignacio will want to take over his brother’s business. But until he proves himself by avenging Ernesto, he won’t be able to command any respect. He has to succeed or he’s nowhere. This is more than a personal vendetta, so don’t underestimate the threat he still poses to you.”
“That only emphasizes the point I was trying to make. I’m in his sights no matter what I do. And after he gets the information he thinks I might have, I’ll be of no further use to him.”
“What kind of information would he be hoping to get from you?” he asked, pressing her. He was almost certain she’d heard Hastiin Sani give out names.
“By now he knows how close the medicine man and I were. So, for starters, I’m sure he’ll want to know if he told me anything about the law enforcement officers who brought his brother down. He’s hot on their trail.”
“You don’t have to worry about them. The officers who were involved in that operation have undoubtedly been informed of the danger,” he answered.
“Maybe, but I remember reading that civilians were part of that case, too. They were never identified by name, even by the police, but I understand that they were responsible for supplying the evidence used to get the arrests. We have no way of warning them, and neither do the police if they don’t know their names. Something has to be done-quickly. Those people are in danger.”
Dana made her argument sound as logical as possible. She had to find a way to get Ranger to agree to let her out in public. That was the only way she’d be able to find Hastiin Dííl.
He considered it for a long moment. “We’d have better luck tackling that from a slightly different angle. Maybe you can help me ID the people currently working for Trujillo. They’d be the ones he’d call on to do his dirty work.”
“The police wanted that from me, too, but I went through several books of mug shots and they weren’t there.”
“We could visit a few bars-the type of places that attract people who need money and are willing to do whatever’s necessary to get it.”
Ranger was playing things by ear. If he could get Dana to trust him more, he’d have a better chance of persuading her to stop holding out on him.
“Good plan. If we get lucky, we may even end up running into one or two or his men,” she said.
“Wait. Since some of them know what you look like, we’ll have to change our appearance. Or more to the point, you’ll have to change yours. I was only seen from a distance, and didn’t make the evening news-center stage-like you did,” he said with a tight-lipped grin. “Go through the stuff in the bedroom closet. You’ll find clothing, and wigs inside the boxes on the shelf. There’s makeup, too, on the dresser. See what kind of a disguise you can put together.”
“This place is looking more and more like an undercover officer’s vacation home, or an actor’s retreat,” she said. When he didn’t comment she added, “And what will you be doing?”
“I’m going to make a few phone calls and see if I can find out anything that might help us tonight.”
As she went into the bedroom, her thoughts were racing. Ranger wasn’t just some ex-military racing-team mechanic who moonlighted guarding witnesses for the police. With the knowledge and equipment he was using, it was beginning to look more and more like he was a plainclothes policeman…or maybe even a member of the Brotherhood of Warriors. The fact that he knew Hastiin Sani well enough to mourn over his death suggested a close association. But she needed facts, not guesses. His name hadn’t been on the partial list she’d been shown.
It would have made matters easier if she could have trusted Ranger and told him that what they had to do was find Hastiin Dííl. But she’d promised Hastiin Sani not to divulge the information he’d given her to anyone except Hastiin Dííl. And even if it hadn’t meant breaking her promise, it would have still been risky telling Ranger anything. There was no way to predict his reaction once he learned that she was in possession of names no Anglo was supposed to have, especially because she’d never be able to prove how she got that information now that her friend was dead.
There were other reasons why that wouldn’t work, too. She had a feeling he still wasn’t totally convinced that she hadn’t set up Hastiin Sani. He’d never take her to see Hastiin Dííl under those circumstances. In fact, he might have taken steps to make sure she stayed as far away from Hastiin Dííl as possible.
As those thoughts circled in her mind, she realized that there was also another serious problem with her trying to find the new Brotherhood of Warriors leader. She was currently Trujillo ’s target. If they were somehow followed, she’d be taking Hastiin Sani’s killers right to Hastiin Dííl’s doorstep.
Of course she’d have a far better chance of going undetected if she traveled alone…but that wasn’t going to happen, at least for now. The best she could hope for was that Hastiin Dííl had already gone into hiding and was well beyond everyone’s reach.
When she’d given her word to pass the names on to Hastiin Dííl, she’d had no idea how complicated that would become. The names, for now, would have to remain locked away in her mind.
Dana opened the closet door, and saw the vast array of clothing inside. As Ranger had promised, there were plenty of styles to choose from, everything from formal evening wear to medical scrubs.
It took her forty-five minutes to complete a look that was totally unlike her own and still a good comfortable disguise. Wearing a short, dark-haired wig, a contrast to her shoulder-length copper-colored hair, black slacks and a hot pink long-sleeved T-shirt, she surveyed herself in the mirror. She didn’t even recognize herself.
As Dana went back down the hall to show Ranger the results, she heard him on the kitchen phone. Judging from his end of the conversation, he was giving FBI Agent Harris an update.
Not wanting to interrupt him, she stayed well back. Standing to the side of the large bay window that faced the fenced backyard, she caught a glimpse of movement to her right. Suddenly a furry head with large ears poked out between the wooden slats of the fence. Then a small body followed, barely squeezing through. It was a domestic rabbit, probably the neighbor’s pet. She smiled, thinking some child would soon come looking for the bunny.
Realizing in a heartbeat the danger of anything that might call attention to them-unfamiliar residents at the house-she stepped out into the yard through the side door.
It took only a few minutes to gather up the rabbit, which came right to her, and push it back through the space between the slats. She was down on her knees, having just placed a large rock in the gap so the rabbit couldn’t get back through, when someone grabbed her arms firmly from behind.
She jerked her head back, hitting her attacker, and twisted away, rolling onto her back and kicking out. But her attacker was already too close. He evaded her legs and straddled her at the waist, pinning her arms down by her side.
She saw Ranger’s face clearly and relaxed. But there was no immediate recognition on his face-just deadly intent. It was a side of him she’d never seen, and it was directed at her.
“It’s me,” Dana said quickly, forcing him to look past the heavy makeup and wig.
“Dana?” He stared, but didn’t release her. “What were you doing out here?”
She could sense his anger and gave him a cold, level stare. “Isn’t it obvious? I was trying to run away through a six-inch hole in the wooden fence. Now would you please get off me?” As she shifted her hips, she heard him bite back a groan.
“Why should I move? I like this position.” He smiled slowly. It was one of those killer grins guaranteed to melt any normal female’s heart.
“Because we’re outside-in the open.”
“Spoilsport,” he said, then gave her a hand up. “Good disguise. But what were you doing out here crawling around on the grass?”
“I wasn’t crawling around. I was returning the neighbor’s bunny, who’d just sneaked through the fence. I didn’t want anyone coming over who might start asking questions.”
“So you were handling a security issue?” He grinned, and rubbed his chest where she’d whacked him with the back of her head.
“Yeah…that is, until I got assaulted.” She could still feel the warm outline of his body against the cradle of her thighs. She sighed softly.
“Yeah, you do that to me, too.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. The grass was cold,” she protested primly.
“Not anymore,” he answered, hurrying back inside with her, then closing and locking the door.
Trying to focus her thoughts, Dana stared across the room at nothing in particular and forced her breathing to even out. His reaction to a perceived threat had been lightning fast and very effective. His training was obviously top-notch and the incident proved that she was in very good hands. And those hands…so rough, yet so incredibly gentle. She shivered.
“Stop fighting the attraction between us,” he whispered in her ear. “Put yourself in my hands.”
The temptation was overwhelming, but she stepped away from him. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m nowhere near that attracted to you. Now let me go fix this wig.” She stormed down the hall, went directly to the bedroom and slammed the door shut.
Alone again, she plopped down on the edge of the bed and took a deep, steadying breath. She had no idea how to deal with her feelings for Ranger. She wasn’t an innocent. Casual sex might have been an option if she hadn’t been absolutely positive that there’d be nothing casual about it with Ranger. Her feelings, though undefined, were too strong, and went well beyond a physical attraction. Ranger simply wasn’t the kind of man who brought out halfway emotions.
Finding grass stains on her wig and clothes, she opted for an entirely new disguise. Dana selected a long, blond-haired wig, jeans, and a light knit royal blue sweater. After adjusting her makeup to match her new look, she went back down the hallway.
When she drew close to the kitchen, she heard Ranger speaking softly on the phone. The fact that he was deliberately keeping his voice down made her curious, and she stopped to listen.
“I’ll find out what she’s holding back and if she’s really as innocent as she claims to be. But with Dana, if I rush it, I’ll get nowhere. I need time to work.”
Ranger’s words squeezed the air out of her lungs. He hadn’t been attracted to her at all. It had all been a game of manipulation-a way to soften her up and get her to lower her defenses. Seething, she walked back to the living room. But as her gaze fell on the laptop computer her anger gave way to logic…and a crushing sense of disappointment.
She couldn’t really blame Ranger. Undercover cops worked to achieve a greater good and had to use whatever tools were at their disposal. Ranger was trying to find Hastiin Sani’s killers, and he’d known she was holding out on him. He’d simply done what he’d had to do.
As her anger faded, an unexpected sadness took its place, filling her, and draining her of all other emotions. Thinking that he really cared for her had given her comfort in a time of violence and fear. Now that comfort had been taken from her.
“There you are,” Ranger said, coming out of the kitchen and giving her a once-over. “I think the dark-haired wig you had on before was a better disguise. You’re going to attract attention no matter where you go because of your looks, but a light-haired wig in a community filled with mostly dark-haired women and men will make you stand out too much.”
Earlier she might have thanked him for the compliment, but now she only saw it as insincere flattery. “I’ll put the other one back on before we go to the bars tonight,” she responded without expression.
“Good. For now, why don’t you change into something loose and comfortable. Then I’ll teach you some moves.”
“Excuse me?” Her heart automatically started thumping overtime, but she forced herself to calm down. She couldn’t allow him to play her like this.
“You need to know how to defend yourself in case someone comes after you and I’m not right there to help.”
She’d already seen what the men after her were capable of doing. “I dislike violence, but that’s a good idea.”
“Just remember that this is about survival, not choice.”
Dana nodded once, bracing herself. Like her mother before her, she’d learn to do whatever was necessary to keep going.
“There’re some jogging pants and sweatshirts in the chest of drawers in the bedroom. Pick a fit that’ll give you maximum mobility and plan on a workout.”
The promise of a workout with him teased her imagination but, with effort, she banished those feelings to a dark spot in her mind. Survival was all that mattered now.
By the time she joined him again, she’d already done some stretching exercises. It hadn’t been to loosen her muscles, but more to focus her mind. Now, she finally felt ready.
“I’ve set things up for us in the garage,” he said. “It’s unheated and cold in there, but after a few minutes of heavy exercise, you won’t notice it.”
Dana followed him, her gaze straying across his shoulders and strong back. She’d seen how he’d made short work of those men who’d run them off the road. Ranger’s body was well-toned and hard as steel. Suppressing a sigh, she trained her gaze on her shoes instead.
As they entered the two-car garage, she saw that he’d rolled out a large mat that covered half of the area not occupied by that deceptive-looking car. Ranger kicked off his shoes and she did the same.
“Okay, to the mat,” he said.
They’d both stepped onto the soft surface when he suddenly took a step forward and swept her legs out from under her. She went down hard.
“Hey, I wasn’t ready,” she said, catching her breath.
“That’s your first lesson. Never lower your guard. Your enemy will always use it against you.”