Aimée Thurlo - Restless Wind

“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.”