Aimée Thurlo - Restless Wind

Dana took a slow, deep breath. “I won’t be able to go back to my job teaching on Monday unless all this is settled. Do you think it will be by then?” she added hopefully.

“Miracles happen, but the way things are going right now, I really doubt it.”

“If they’re after me because I can identify them, why don’t we set them up using me as bait? They’re sure to come for me and you guys can be ready and catch them. Then I’ll be able to pass on the names and go on with my life.”

“What names, and pass them off to whom?” he asked quickly.

Mentally thumping herself on the head, she came up with a quick answer. “I was talking about the names of students who won’t be passing this semester. There are a lot of forms, calls and so on. Just teacher stuff.” It was weak, but it was the best she could come up with quickly. She was too tired to even think straight anymore.

Frustration tore at him. He was almost certain now that Dana had overheard at least some of the names of the Brotherhood of Warriors members. That was undoubtedly the information Trujillo had been after. But he couldn’t be sure of anything except that Dana knew something, and he had to find out what it was.

“It’s too early for a sting. The ones who come after you would only be the tip of the iceberg, hirelings like those we think are working for Trujillo.”

“We need to take control of the situation, not just react. I’ve learned that in teaching. And don’t think I’ll stand passively by while you guys make all the decisions. It’s not my nature to let others do my thinking for me.”

Normally, ultimatums irritated the hell out of him, but he understood where she was coming from. As a kid, her life had been out of control. As an adult, Dana was determined to make sure that never happened again.

“We still have a lot of intelligence to gather before we can strike back,” he said at last. Taking her hand, he held her gaze for a moment, then focused back on the road. “We’re both having a problem trusting each other-except when it comes to mutual survival. You agree?”

She nodded.

“So let’s simplify things. You know I can keep us both alive. Will you trust my skills and decisions on security matters?”

She considered it, then nodded. “I will. And it’s a good starting point toward building more trust.”

“It’s settled then.”

They reached their destination just as the first rays of sunlight peered over the horizon. “We’re here,” he said. He hadn’t looked over, and she’d yet to move a muscle, but somehow he’d known she was awake. There was a strange but powerful link between him and Dana.

The fifties-era residence was just outside the eastern city limits of Farmington, and there were no neighbors in the immediate vicinity. Fields, apple orchards and a fenced pasture with four horses butted up against a hillside of what seemed like a peaceful, ordinary ranch-style home.

Ranger retrieved the key from under a rock in a flower bed beside the porch, then unlocked the door for her.

As she stepped up to the threshold, Dana noted a tiny carving in the wood near one corner of the door frame. It looked like flames bounded by a circle. Before she could give it much thought, Ranger ushered her inside.

As they stepped into the comfortable-looking living room-with a contemporary brown leather sofa, matching love seat and recliner-the smell of fresh coffee greeted her.

“Coffee!” she said, ignoring the rest of the furnishings to focus on the sensory delight. Following her nose, Dana went directly to the kitchen and poured herself a cup from the large coffeemaker that had been left plugged in. Ranger put the car inside the garage, then came back into the kitchen to join her.

Several dishes were in the drain rack, dry, but the sink was still wet on the bottom. “Where are our hosts? They haven’t been gone long, have they?”

“No, but they won’t return till we leave. Safety precaution.”

“You arranged for someone to give up their home so we could stay here tonight?”

“That’s the way it works,” he said, not elaborating.

She offered him some coffee, but he shook his head. “I’m going to try to catch a few hours of sleep.”

“You’re going to need more than that. You’ve been up all night.”

“A few hours is all I need,” he answered.

“Do you think anyone will mind if I take some food from the fridge?”

“No. We can take as much as we want,” he said. Looking around, he spotted some fry bread in a plastic storage pouch on the counter beside a container of honey.

“Fry bread,” she said, hungrily, following his gaze. “Care to share?”

He pushed the bag with the puffy, saucer-size pieces of golden skillet bread to the center of the table and placed the honey beside it. They each took a few pieces from the bag, then poured honey liberally over the tops.

“This tastes great,” she said, licking the honey from her fingertips.

Hungry, they almost ate the entire contents of the bag.

“Now that my stomach’s no longer empty, I’m going to take a shower,” he said. “Then I’ll catch some shut-eye.”

“I like the way you set your priorities,” she said, laughing.

He stood. “There’s only one bedroom, so if we stay the night, the bed is yours.” He tilted her head up and brushed a crumb from her lip with his thumb. “But if we share the bed, I promise not to hog the covers,” he added, his gaze holding hers.

The impact of that look melted her insides, but somehow she managed to find her voice. “No sharing. Behave.”

“I behave very well in bed. I guarantee you’ll wake up with a smile.”

Her thoughts blurred and her skin flushed with an almost seductive warmth, but she managed to keep her voice steady. “You need that shower-a long, cold shower,” she answered, her heart beating so fast she was close to having a heart attack.

He smiled, then walked away.

“Ranger?”

He glanced back at her. The look in his eyes was filled with just a touch of promise and sent a shiver racing through her. “I just wanted to ask you if I could use the phone…”

“Of course. Anything else? The shower here is large and modern. What are your feelings on water conservation?”

His gaze held a caress more intimate than should have been possible. For a brief eternity, Dana’s brain stopped working.

He raised one eyebrow and smiled slowly. “Don’t think about it so much. Sometimes it’s better to just follow your heart.”

Suddenly aware she’d been holding her breath, she gasped, her face turning scarlet. “Go take your shower,” she managed to say.

He came toward her, stripping off his shirt as he did. “But playing in the water can be such fun.”

His bronzed, muscular shoulders and that beautiful strong chest were like a playground for consenting adults. Her fingers tingled as she fought the urge to touch him…to press herself against him.

Ranger held out his hand. “Come and play,” he whispered.

The deep resonance of his voice traveled straight to her center. She wanted to…and it was crazy. She never acted on impulse. It just wasn’t her. Yet, at that moment, following him made all the sense in the world to her.

She rose to her feet, then a loud explosion from somewhere down the highway rattled the windows. “What was that?” she asked, flinching.

He looked out the window, careful to avoid being seen from outside. “A backfire from a badly tuned car. Don’t worry. I work around cars. I know the difference between that and a gunshot.”

Breathing again, she averted her gaze. Ranger was too much of a temptation. It was like looking at hand-churned ice cream with whipped cream on top after a two-month diet. “Go take your shower. It’s not too early to call my principal,” she said, checking her watch. “I’ll need to request an emergency leave of absence.”