Denali Dreams (33 page)

Josh didn’t know what kept him up so late. He was bone tired. But the thought nagged him that something wasn’t right. His mom would tell him to pray when he felt these proddings. Maybe he should. Faith was strong in him, but he had a hard time showing any outward evidence of it. Maybe it had been his time in the Army, or just the simple fact that his dad disliked his mom and her “religion.”

He folded his hands behind his head and looked to the ceiling.
God, I know You’re listening and I haven’t been the best talker, but I feel this urgency in my heart. You’re the only One who can help in a time like this. You know what’s going on. I don’t even know who I’m praying for, but You do.

A simple peace flowed through him then, but the urgency stayed. With sleep miles away, he decided to go for a late run. Maybe the brisk air would clear his head and help him sleep.

The road disappeared beneath his sturdy shoes. Long strides worked out the stress and worry in his muscles. He probably just needed to decompress. The upper mountain rotation was a tough one, and add to that David’s words about Deanna. No wonder he was feeling uneasy.

Josh turned a corner toward the station. Deanna only lived a few blocks away. Maybe he would see if there were any lights on.

Who was he kidding? That wasn’t even remotely appropriate. His brain must be malfunctioning. But as he passed the station, he turned toward her home. She lived on the corner. There. He could see the house. But there weren’t any lights on. Bummer.

Maybe he’d better just head home. This was a bad idea.

As Josh turned to head back, a black car raced up the street. No lights. Dark windows.

Who would drive at night with their lights off? And that fast in this little bitty town?

Josh ducked behind a tree one house over. The black car stopped in front of Deanna’s! The engine died, door opened, and a man climbed out. He shut the door without a noise, glanced around him, and walked to Deanna’s house.

Who was that guy? And what did he want with her?

On the other side of the street, Josh heard rustling. Someone else was moving in the opposite direction. The man had been watching Deanna’s house? He started running toward the woods.

What was going on?

Josh felt as if he was in a spy movie. Except he wasn’t supposed to be here. He had no idea what to do next. He crept toward Deanna’s front door, keeping a close eye on the guy who stood on her stoop. The man barely tapped on the wood.

Snow muffled Josh’s steps until one shoe slipped and he grabbed hold of a tree branch.

Before he could right himself, Josh heard Deanna scream and he was staring into the unmistakable barrel of a Glock .45 pistol.

H
er heart wouldn’t stop racing. Thank God it was Josh out there. But what
was
Josh doing out there? Deanna looked to the agent for help.

“Get inside. Bolt the door.”

“But I know him. I work with him. He’s not the stalker.”

“You sure?” His gun still trained on Josh.

“Yeah. I’m sure.”

“Get inside. Let me talk to him.” The guy was serious. Didn’t flinch.

“Um, Agent …” Deanna said. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know who you are, but you should probably bring him inside before the neighbors start talking.”

He lowered the gun. “Make it fast.” The guy looked to Josh. Signaled for him to come to the door.

Josh approached with his hands in the air.

“Put your hands out in front of you so I can see them,” Agent-man whispered. “Okay, now put them behind your back.”

Josh’s eyes widened as he was frisked at Deanna’s front door. With a shove from behind, he stood in Deanna’s living room. He looked to her. His usual awkwardness replaced by a steely look in his eyes. “Wanna explain what’s going on here?”

“I’ll ask the questions.” The man in black stood tall.

Deanna held up her hands. “Please, stop.” Every part of her shook. “Josh, what are you doing here?”

His eyes softened just a little. “I was jogging, when I saw this black car drive up with no lights. And then it stopped at your house and the guy went to your door.” He stepped closer. “I got concerned.”

For a brief second, she wished she could spill her guts. Tell him everything. But the agent spoke instead.

“She’s all right.” The agent held out his badge. “I’m with the FBI. Everything’s fine. You can go—”

“So the other guy across the street was with you, too?” Josh looked from the agent to Deanna.

Deanna’s heart sank. The trembling started in her feet and worked its way up. No. It couldn’t be.

“What other guy?” The agent went to the window and peered through the blinds.

“A man. Watching the house. He walked a few steps then ran away when you went to the door.” Josh scratched his forehead and took off his cap. He turned to Deanna. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” He stepped closer.

Deanna fell into the chair behind her. Her legs would no longer hold her up. Tears sprang to her eyes. She could’ve sworn she’d spent them all earlier. How could this be happening?

The agent turned to them and holstered his weapon. “I’m Agent Williams. I need to know everything you saw. Can you describe the other man?”

Josh shook his head. “I’m sorry. Too dark, and he was covered with dark clothing and a hat. But if I saw him again, I could recognize him by the way he walked. Is Deanna in danger?”

“I can’t answer that at the moment.” Williams shot her a look.

If she could just stop this trembling, she might be able to think. How could she explain this? If she disappeared now, what would Josh do? Would he search for her? What would everyone at the station think?

She placed her head in her hands. This
couldn’t
be happening.

But it was.

Josh’s sneakers appeared by her feet. He squatted down in front of her and lifted her chin. “Deanna, talk to me. How can I help?”

She shook her head. No one could help. This nightmare would never end. Not until the murderer was gone or he got to her first.

Agent Williams approached. “I didn’t catch your friend’s name.”

Josh stuck out a hand. “Josh Richards. Ranger Josh Richards.”

“Ranger Richards, could you go outside for a few minutes? Keep an eye on things? I need to make sure that guy doesn’t return, and Miss Smith and I need to chat.”

Josh looked to her, stared into her eyes. Then he nodded and walked to the door. “I’ll be just outside if you need me, Deanna.” Doubt clouded his eyes as he left.

What had she done? Where had she slipped up? There was no way out, was there?

Agent Williams sat on the couch opposite her. “Deanna, we need to talk. I knew your father and have worked in the background on this case for a long time. I asked specifically to be given your detail. But let me be blunt. This guy has taunted us far too long. He’s a professional assassin. The only reason he’s after you is because it would be a failure on his card, and the profiler says that’s completely unacceptable to him. The director thinks the best plan of action is to move you to a safe location and bring in a decoy. If we can bait this guy, we think we can catch him.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “There’s no way you can bring in a decoy in this little town. I’ve lived here seven years. Even if I have kept them all at arm’s length, they would know. Especially everyone at the station.”

“You’re in serious danger—you need to reconsider.”

She shook her head. “No. Someone would tip him off unintentionally. Even though
he
hasn’t seen me in a long time—these people here know me. Have lived around me.”

Williams sighed. “Can I see the note?”

Deanna handed him the letter.

It only took a few seconds to read. He shook his head. “And now he’s here. At least, I’m assuming that’s whoever your ranger friend spotted.”

“I can’t go on like this. I thought I could. But this hurts too much. I love this town. I love these people.” The tremors returned. “I don’t think I can take it.”

The agent stood and moved closer to her. “It’s understandable you feel that way, you’ve dealt with this for a long time. But your father was a good man and you’ve got the same tenacity as him. It’s time to bring justice to so many senseless deaths.” He walked back to the window. “Maybe there’s another way.”

“What?” She was afraid of his answer.

“I’d have to make a call. But maybe we can get the help of some of your ranger friends. Are they trustworthy?”

She nodded. “Of course they are, they’re the best people I’ve ever known. They risk their lives every day … but I wouldn’t want to put any of them in danger.”

Williams pulled a phone out of his pocket. “I’ll be just a minute. Can I go into the kitchen?”

Another nod. With all the tremors and shaking and nodding, she felt like a bobble head. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the letter.

Rage started a slow burn in her belly. All these years, she’d hidden because of him. He’d stolen her sister, and in effect her mom and her dad. Now he threatened everything and everyone else she’d ever held dear. The shaking stopped as heat seeped through every pore of her body. A new understanding hit her.

She
would stop him.

No matter what it took.

It ended here.

J
osh awoke from the most miserable night of his life. Agent Williams ordered him home without a word of explanation or a good-bye from Deanna. He said it would all be explained today. Yeah, like that would help him sleep.

He ran a hand down his face and then rubbed his eyes. A glance at the clock told him it was only 6:00 a.m. Williams said he and Deanna would be at the station at 8:00 sharp.

Enough time for him to take a shower and rally the troops.

At 6:45, Josh met with David, Logan, Kyle, Zack, and John at Tsosie’s Café. He realized he was the new guy, but he trusted these men with his life. None of them had flinched at meeting immediately when he said one of their own was in danger.

It took him all of two minutes to lay out for the other rangers what he’d seen and heard the night before.

Logan whistled low. “Sounds like there’s way more to this than we know. But I don’t care if we’re in over our heads, this is Deanna we’re talking about.”

“FBI, you say?” John rubbed his jaw. “And you saw the badge?”

Josh nodded. “I’ve never seen Deanna so shaken. She trembled from head to toe.”

David leaned in closer, his huge frame filling up the table. “I don’t know about the FBI or anything else. I’m inclined to agree with Logan. Deanna’s one of us. We’re her family.

And we best be out there knocking any heads together that threaten her safety.”

The guys nodded in agreement.

Kyle looked at Josh. “There’s something else you aren’t telling us, isn’t there?”

Josh breathed deep. “I’ve only known her for six months—you’ve known her much longer so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong—but I’ve never seen her afraid of anything. She’s always been in control. Always a smile on her face.”

Josh watched each face around the table. David’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

“Well, that’s just it. The woman I saw last night … let me rephrase … it was her eyes. They spooked me.”

“Why?” Kyle took a sip of coffee.

“They were pure fear.”

By 10:00 a.m. Deanna’s exhaustion was complete. Every ranger she worked with, except for a few still at Base Camp, sat in the conference room with her and Agent Williams. Their faces all displayed different emotions—anger, fear, pity, shock. The gamut was covered today.

Mark Williams was a good man. Many years he’d been a shadow for her father, and now, he asked for this position to honor the man he respected. She couldn’t have asked for a better agent to be by her side, but she wished the need for one would disappear.

Her head pounded.

Williams stood. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to be here. I’m Agent Williams with the FBI. Ms. Smith has been in our protection for over fifteen years. This case involves a highly dangerous assassin. Her sister was killed by this guy. Since the town is so small, Deanna has requested that a decoy
not
be brought in, which means we are going to need your help. Your eyes and ears.”

After briefing everyone in the room on his plan, the questions began. Ideas were thrown out. Testosterone oozed from every corner as the guys all wanted to protect her.

Missy leaned over and grabbed her hand. She whispered, “It’s gonna be okay. I promise. We’re family, remember?”

Deanna managed a slight nod but kept her jaw clenched so the tears threatening wouldn’t spill. She closed her eyes and her mind to the conversation around her. What did all her friends think of her now? Would they hate her for lying to them and putting them in danger all these years?

What about Josh? No. Stop it. She should’ve never allowed herself to get attracted to him. Never allowed those feelings to grow. Now her heart just hurt. For everyone she’d failed. For the life she’d never get to live.

Maybe she needed to run now. The emergency cache was still there. The locker in Canada. The cabin in Montana. All she had to do was walk out the door, hop into her truck, and disappear.