Rival Forces (7 page)

Finally, Lily stopped short as they neared the buildings to sniff the frosty air.

Kye knew that Yardley had the Czech wolfdog with her. Belatedly, he wondered if Oleg was off the leash.

Before his thought ended the dog, lean, wolfish, and silver, shot out from behind the building. Oleg was moving full-out, straight at him.

Yelping in surprise, Lily turned and shot like a red-and-white rocket back toward her handler.

“Fuck.” Kye grabbed Lily as she leaped up and twisted to angle his body so that she was protected. At the same time he braced for what he suspected would be at least one bad bite.

Yard appeared from behind the building. In relief he heard her voice, high and clear, giving orders.

“Oleg!
Fuj!
”

The wolfdog stumbled to a halt within a few feet of Kye with head lowered and hair lifted along his spine. Unable to ignore his handler's command, he simply growled low in his throat as he watched his quarry. That's when Kye realized he was muzzled.

Yardley's voice broke the silence again. “Oleg,
ke mne!
”

The dog disengaged and rounded back toward her with bright barks and high yips.

Kye felt like a pork chop that had been dangled before the maw of a hungry wolf and, at the last second, snatched back.

Yard had the leash but Oleg wouldn't come the last few feet to be leashed. Instead, he came to a stop half a dozen feet away, turned his back on her, and stared off into the wooded area in the distance, always the outlier watching for trouble.

Yardley followed the wolfdog's intent gaze but didn't see anything unusual in the distance. Probably, the dog was still getting accustomed to his surroundings. The breed was very sensitive; a new environment could be overstimulating. Their attentiveness made them great guards in unfamiliar territory. Oleg had most likely heard a deer snapping twigs and breaking branches as it slipped unseen through the underbrush. “Oleg,
nech to.
”

The Czech wolfdog's erect ears twitched, the only indication he'd heard the command to leave alone whatever had his drawn attention. But he didn't move.

Satisfied that he wasn't about to run off, Yardley stalked toward Kye, her face pinched with anger. Without even another word from his handler, Oleg moved forward as she did, keeping his advance position in front of her like a VIP bodyguard.

“Are you a complete idiot? Bringing another dog out here without warning me!” She was finally able to leash Oleg.

Kye put up a hand. “My bad. I didn't stop to think you could be working him off the leash.”

“That just proves you weren't trained by
me
. And don't try to sneak up on me again. I might not be so quick to call him off next time.”

“Copy that.” He knew she didn't mean it. She wouldn't misuse a dog for her own ends. He didn't correct her, either, by pointing out that the dog was muzzled and so couldn't harm him, though he might still have been able to injure Lily with his paws. “What are you working on? I wouldn't mind playing decoy but I'd prefer to be suited up.”

Mischief sparkled in her eyes. “You probably won't fit in our suit. But you can hide if you want. Let them work at finding you.”

“Them?” Somehow Kye suspected that wasn't a free-lunch offer. She had something in mind. Still, he hadn't come up with any better way to spend time with her while working on getting her to open up. “Sure. What are your objectives?”

“Oleg needs companionship. Wolfdogs are hardwired for pack. He's beginning to show signs of separation anxiety. That almost-attack just now was the first time I've seen him work effectively.”

“Lily and Oleg as road buddies? Sounds interesting.” Kye didn't know much about wolfdogs, had never worked with the breed, but he was game. “You want me play the prey that brings them together?”

Yard stared at him for several seconds. Even when he was being obnoxious, he was damn attractive. And he knew it. That didn't mean he couldn't be useful.

Finally she gave a single jerk of her head in agreement. “Here's the key to the equipment room.” She reached into her pocket, only to have a tennis ball pop free.

As the ball hit the ground, Lily leaped from Kye's arms and made a beeline for it.

Oleg, seeing his moment, swung around as Lily passed him and charged after her. Taken by surprise, Yardley lost her grip on the leash and the wolfdog was again free. Yard's shout of surprise echoed his as Kye's heart went into overdrive.

Lily snatched up the ball. In true toller fashion, she jerked her head back to toss it skyward, unaware of the menace barreling down on her.

Oleg hit her low, sweeping Lily's legs out from under her.

Lily yelped in surprise as she went tumbling over and over in the grass. The ball landed and bounced away.

Oleg was making a sharp turn. So did Lily, because the thing she lived for—a toy—was getting away. As she righted herself, Oleg made a sprint to reach the ball before her. He moved around to the other side so the ball was between them.

Lily paused several feet away, and Oleg, trembling with excitement, seemed unsure of what he was expected to do.

Kye had waited for his moment, not wanting to distract either dog, which might cause the big one to attack. “Lily—!”

“—Wait.” Yard grabbed Kye's jacket sleeve. “I think they're playing.”

Kye scowled at her. “He'll snap her in two.”

“Muzzle, big guy.”

As Kye watched, Lily bent down, bringing her head to Oleg's level with her rear still in the air, tail down as if about to pounce on the ball.

The wolfdog matched Lily's pose, head down near paws, rear end high, tail wagging furiously. Not making eye contact, Oleg growled and jumped toward her. Lily backed up a few steps whining.

“Not yet.” Kye felt Yard's fingers hard on his arm. He could break her grip easily, but he didn't. He didn't trust the wolfdog but he did trust Yard's judgment about him. That only moderately assured him that his toller wasn't going to be wolfdog dinner, muzzle or no.

Lily suddenly grabbed the ball as it lay within a foot of Oleg's nose then turned and sped away. Lily was fast but Oleg was like a gray flash of fur, smooth and accelerating with every bound. He was on her in no time, all snarls as he tried to nip her hind legs through the muzzle. It was rough-and-tumble, yet Kye noted that the wolfdog wasn't showing serious aggressive signs. Without the muzzle that might be a different story.

Yardley spoke. “Oleg,
ke mne!
”

This time the silver dog obeyed instantly. He loped over to her side and fell into heel position. He was breathing a little fast but didn't appear to be in distress as she attached his leash. Once again, his attention was directed toward the woods in the distance.

At the same time Lily ran to him, ball in mouth, and jumped up in the full confidence that Kye would catch her, which he did. When she was safe in her handler's embrace, she looked back over her shoulder and yipped at Oleg.

Kye grinned at her. “You were right.”

She smiled back, easily this time. “I'm always right, about dogs.”

Eye contact. It hit her with the impact of a star falling on her. Something in his gaze, as warm and powerful as a tropical tide, pulling her in despite her misgivings. Like his kiss, everything about Kye McGarren communicated the power of nearly irresistible persuasion. How could she feel like this when David was still a stinging memory of loss?

The sound of a car horn startled the quiet morning. Humans and dogs turned at the same time to see that a dark sedan had entered the gates. The car rolled to a stop about ten yards away from them. Two men exited, looking for all the world like an reenactment of
Men in Black
. Kye smirked. “Friends of yours?”

Yard shook her head, folded her arms, and cocked out a hip. She couldn't begin to guess what this was about. But she suspected that she wasn't going to be happy about it.

The younger of the two men approached while the other, a middle-aged man with a shaved head and brown complexion, remained near the sedan. They both looked deadly serious.

Yardley's heart stuttered. Bad news to be delivered by the subordinate?

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

The younger man, with crisp blondish hair and a slash for a mouth, paused out of range of the length of leash Yardley held. She couldn't be certain that behind the shield of his sunglasses he watched Oleg warily. But his voice held a trace of tension as he spoke. “Ms. Summers?”

She gathered up more of the leash to show she wasn't about to set her K-9 on him. “Who's asking?”

“I'm Agent Glaser. And this is Agent Jackson. FBI.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder before flipping open a badge. Yardley only saw a gold shield with an eagle on top before he flipped it closed and pocketed it. “We'd like to ask you a few questions.”

“May I see your badge?” Yardley's heart skipped a beat as she felt Kye move in behind her. She really didn't want an audience for this. The less he knew about her life, the better.

As the agent reluctantly removed it for inspection Kye leaned in over her shoulder to get a look. “That's DEA. What business could the Drug Enforcement Agency have with Harmonie Kennels?”

Glaser glanced up sharply at Kye but directed his words at Yardley. “Can we go somewhere more private to talk, Ms. Summers?”

Yard shook her head, her emotions doing a one-eighty at his words. Any story that began with
Can we go somewhere more private …
wasn't going to end well. If this was bad news, she wasn't going to be treated like a civilian who needed to be coddled when told a hard truth. The truth was, thanks to Law's butting in, Kye already knew about David. No use trying to hide anything now. “This is my property. This is as private as I get.”

“Why don't you just tell Ms. Summers why you're here, Agent.” Kye's voice was calm, almost friendly. But Yardley could tell by the way he moved in a little closer, as if to offer her the support of his presence without actually touching her, that he was feeling anything but friendly.

Glaser glanced again at Kye. “Who are you?”

“Kye McGarren.”

“May I see some ID?”

“Not unless you have a warrant.”

Yard pressed her lips together as the testosterone cloud bloomed between the two men. She could look after herself. Always had. “I have things to do. State your business, Agent Glaser.”

The agent gave her a small smile. “Can you tell me the last time you saw or heard from Dr. David Gunnar?”

Yardley's heart jumped. Oleg begin to whine, breathing through his mouth as he stared up at her. Emotion down the leash was working on him. Without realizing it, she had tightened her grip, and Oleg could sense the pressure building inside her. She let the leash out, certain now that something bad had happened to David. Why didn't he just spit it out and put her out of her misery?

“Why are you asking?”

The agent shrugged. “You made inquiries into Dr. Gunnar's whereabouts a few weeks ago with the Department of Justice. I'd like to know why. How well do you know him?”

Yardley made her expression bland and jutted out a hip to force a relaxed pose she did not feel. “We're acquaintances.”

Blondie smirked. “No more than that?”

Kye reached forward and laid a possessive hand on her waist, fingers closing hard on that feminine curve, effectively startling Yardley into silence. “She knows him. Asked and answered. A friend goes missing, the other friend tries to find out why. Isn't that right, sugar?”

Sugar?
Yardley tried to keep the astonishment out of her voice. “That's right.”

Agent Glaser's gaze flicked to Kye's hand then up his face. “Did you locate him, Ms. Summers?”

“Locate?” Yardley's pulse stuttered. “I was told by the FBI he'd left the country.” Her gaze flicked beyond to the man by the car. “Has something happened? Do you know something more a-about him?” Damn. She didn't expect that beat of emotion.

A muscle jumped in Agent Glaser's cheek. “Have you seen or heard from Dr. Gunnar in the past few days, ma'am?”

“I think I just answered that question.”

Beneath Kye's touch Yard was stiff with anger and, knowing her, about to do or say something that wouldn't go down well. Kye slid his hand around to her front, spreading his fingers across her abs to draw her back against his body. “Go ahead, Yard. Tell them.”

“No, Agent. I haven't heard a word.”

“You're sure?”

Yardley brushed away Kye's touch and stepped forward. “Unless you're here to tell me exactly where Dr. Gunnar is or that something has happened to him, I'm not answering any more questions.”

“We have no further information to share on Dr. Gunnar. If you do hear anything, we'd appreciate it if you'd be in touch.” He handed her a card.

Yardley watched the two men reenter their car and drive away. Behind her she could hear Kye playing with Lily while Oleg sat at perfect attention at her feet.

Finally, she turned to Kye. He stopped playing with Lily and offered her a smile that really shouldn't do what it was doing to her insides, softening and melting her anxiety about David. So she heaped it all into her voice to push those feelings of thankfulness toward him away. “What do you think you were doing, provoking that agent?”

“Glaser? Force of habit.” He returned to petting Lily. “My work brings us into occasional contact with the feds. When that happens, they often try to muscle their way into my business. They take but they don't share. I've become pretty territorial. Didn't want you to get pushed around.”

Her dark brows drew together at his admission that he was trying to protect her. “What kind of business are you in, exactly?”

Kye glanced up at her tone and broke into laughter at the look on her face. “Not whatever you're thinking.” He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to her.