Aimee Thurlo - Undercover Warrior

Her eyes widened. “Are you trying to kill us?”

“Relax, I’ve got this.”

“And you expect me to believe you’re an accountant? Sure, and there’s a glacier in that arroyo over there,” she grumbled.

He didn’t answer, but slowed even further as the road narrowed into a pothole-ridden pathway. Ahead, he could see the fading rooster tail of dust trailing behind Preston’s vehicle.

Kyle slid to a stop behind the Ford pickup, which had been backed up and parked in front of the garage, its tailgate next to the overhead door.

“He’s blocked off now. Grab my keys out of the ignition, and lock up,” Kyle said, jumping out.

She reached for the keys just as he shut the door.

Hand on the butt of his holstered weapon, Kyle raced toward the front porch in a crouch, looking through the windows of the single-story ranch-style home. If anyone opened the garage door, he’d hear it and turn back.

Stepping silently onto the porch, he opened the screen door, then reached for his lock pick.

Just then he heard a click and the door swung open. Kyle found himself face-to-face with a big man wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.

Kyle slipped halfway inside before the intruder could shut the door. Pinned for a second, Kyle gave it all he had and shoved. As the heavy door flew open, the man stumbled backward across the foyer. He bounced off a small deacon’s bench and fell to the floor, losing his sunglasses.

The intruder recovered quickly, scrambling to his feet and racing toward a door just beyond the kitchen area.

That door suddenly opened and Preston moved in, another officer right behind him.

“Damn.” The man ducked left toward a long hall.

Kyle dove across an easy chair and tackled the big guy waist-high. They both fell to the floor of the hall, Kyle on top.

“Police!” Preston yelled, running over. “Give it up!”

Kyle pinned the guy’s arms and placed his forearm at the man’s throat. Up close now, with no sunglasses and the intruder’s cap lost in the struggle, the face looked eerily familiar.

As the uniformed officer moved in and placed the man in handcuffs, Preston read him his rights. He then checked the man’s wallet for an ID. “You’re Bruce Leland, Hank’s brother?”

“Yeah, and I’ve got a right to be here. Call Hank, he’ll tell you. Get these cuffs off me before I press charges.”

Preston nodded to the officer, and as Bruce was uncuffed, Kyle focused on the man’s face. The photo on file looked much younger, but it was the same man.

“Bruce!” Kyle heard Erin’s voice behind him.

Kyle glanced at her. “I told you to stay in the SUV.”

“Once I saw the window sticker for casino parking, I realized who you were chasing.” She glared at Bruce. “What do you think you’re doing, breaking into your brother’s house?”

“I just came to return that power drill,” he said, gesturing to the one next to a bookcase under construction. “I didn’t have my keys, but I remembered Hank told me that all the back door needed was a credit card in the lock and a good shove.”

Kyle glanced at the drill, noting the handle was dusty. From the looks of it, it hadn’t been touched in weeks.

Bruce gave Erin a quizzical look. “What are you doing here, Erin? Don’t tell me you saw my pickup and called the cops?”

“No,” Erin said, but before she could say more, Kyle interrupted.

“We need to speak to you, Mr. Leland.”

“Who’s we?” he asked, fear making his voice rise.

Preston flashed his badge, and Kyle did the same.

“You’ve got a gold badge,” he said, looking at Kyle. “What are you, FBI?”

Kyle didn’t answer. “We need to search your truck. You can give us permission or we can get a warrant while you remain in custody. Your choice.”

“Go ahead, search all you want.” He looked back at Erin. “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Leland, we have some bad news for you about your brother,” Preston said.

Kyle saw the fleeting, panicked look Bruce gave Erin. Maybe they were both involved in what was happening. Hadn’t she mentioned needing money for her future?

Too many questions, not enough answers. He intended to fix that—and soon.

Chapter Five

As Preston gave him the news, Bruce, now standing, swayed slightly then caught himself. “Murdered? That can’t be...” he said, shaking his head.

Preston gave him the details.

Bruce clamped his mouth shut so tightly, his lips turned pale. “This has something to do with you, doesn’t it,” he said, glaring at Erin. “My brother trusted you, but you’re still alive and he’s dead?” He stared at her, as if trying to process the unthinkable. “What kind of trouble did you get him into?”

“I had nothing to do with what happened to your brother,” she snapped.

He gave her a disgusted look, then glanced at Preston and Kyle. “Look at her, she’s beautiful. Erin had my brother under her thumb. Hank was a good man. Nobody would want to hurt him,” he argued. “Not so much with Erin. She’s the one who decides who gets a raise and who doesn’t, she hires and fires. If anyone has enemies, it’s her.”

Kyle watched them with interest. As the two of them finally lapsed into an uneasy silence, he spoke. “You had that much influence at the company, Erin?”

“There’s no way my job had anything to do with what happened!” she said, glaring at Bruce. “This was never about me,” she added, appealing to Kyle, then Preston. “I told you, their attention was on Hank this morning. I just...got in the way.”

“And made things worse, no doubt,” Bruce said. “What’d you do, piss them off even more?”

“You think Ms. Barrett was involved?” Preston asked. “If so, what’s your explanation for the second kidnapping attempt, the one where your brother’s ambulance was ambushed on the way to the hospital?”

Bruce tried to sit, but his legs suddenly buckled and he fell down onto the sofa cushions with a dull whomp. “I don’t know. Finish the job they started?

“You’re a federal cop,” Bruce continued after a beat, looking at Kyle. “My brother just came home after spending two months in Spain. What are you really, CIA?”

“No, I’m not CIA,” Kyle answered. “That agency has no directive to work within the U.S.”

“So then you’re FBI or Homeland Security.”

“I’m a federal agent investigating some business irregularities that track back to your brother, among other things,” Kyle said. Bruce seemed to accept his answer, but as he glanced at Erin, he could see the open skepticism on her face.

“Agent Goodluck is currently coordinating his investigation with the Hartley Police Department,” Preston added.

“So now what?” Bruce said. “Am I under arrest?”

“You’re free to leave—after you give your statement,” Kyle said. “In addition to explaining what you were doing here, we’ll need you to account for your whereabouts during the past twenty-four hours.”

“What about me?” Erin said. “Am I free to go?”

“No, sorry. I’ll need you to stick with me a while longer,” Kyle said.

As Bruce left the room with the uniformed officer, Erin shook her head. “Hank was nothing like his brother,” she said, “but in all fairness, I seem to bring out the worst in Bruce.”

“Why’s that?” Kyle asked.

“Hank set it up so Bruce had to go through me to get to him. Bruce couldn’t con me, so my job was to screen his visits and keep him at bay unless it was absolutely necessary that Hank speak to him.”

“Okay, have a seat. I’ll be right back.” Kyle went to the back room where Preston was looking around. Standing in the hall so he could keep his eye on Erin, he spoke softly. “NCIS obtained a warrant and placed some listening devices in this house. A team took care of that a few days before I arrived in town.”