Jessica Andersen - Bullseye

The lean, black-haired bounty hunter used the blunt end of a scoopula—a tool that had a sharp blade on one end, a small rounded scoop on the other—to scrape a clump of dirt off the rattan mat. “Maybe nothing. But maybe something. I’m betting the latter.”

“Tell me.” Jacob gestured for Mike to join him and stiffened when Isabella elbowed her way into the huddle.

“Look at it very closely.” Tony held the small metal scoop up to the artificial light coming from an elegant chandelier above them. “What do you see?”

Jacob squinted. “Dirt?”

“Not just dirt.” Isabella pressed closer to the sample, nearly leaning across Jacob’s lap. “There’s something else in there. Something green?”

Jacob gritted his teeth and tried like hell not to breathe, but her scent enveloped him, swamped him, surprised him. It was nothing like the flowers-and-sun-shine perfume he remembered from before. This was a woman’s scent, sharp and spicy and take-no-prisoners.

Like Isabella herself.

“Exactly,” Tony said. “That’s oxidized copper ore you’re seeing, which means…”

Isabella leaned even closer, so her upper arm and the side of one breast pressed against Jacob’s shoulder. He ground his teeth and shifted away as she said, “Which means it could have come from one of the mining areas.” She sat back, frowning, and Jacob took a breath that was tainted with her essence, even though she wasn’t crowding his space anymore. “But how does that help us? There are hundreds of mines in this state.”

“True.” Tony smiled, his too handsome face folding into creases and dimples that never failed to attract the ladies.

Knowing it, and knowing Tony’s love-’em-and-leave-’em philosophy, Jacob angled his body between Isabella and the other bounty hunter and snarled, “So why are you grinning like this dirt is a clue?”

“Because,” Tony answered easily, “I’ve got degrees in geology and topology. I know my dirt. Copper was only mined in one area of the state, about two hours north of here. There are maybe a half dozen shafts, all within short drives of each other.”

“You think it’s worth chasing dirt?” Mike asked dubiously. “What if Cooper brought it in on his shoes? Or maybe one of the security folks? No offense, Agent Gray.” He nodded at Isabella.

She shrugged. “It’s Isabella, and no offense taken. But I can guarantee it wasn’t from the secretary or his family—they haven’t gone sight-seeing since we arrived. Hope…” Jacob saw her swallow after the name, but when she spoke again, her voice was firm. Unemotional. “Hope preferred to shop. And it wasn’t the local cops. They weren’t allowed in the chalet. I was the only one on internal security.”

Tony cut his gaze back to Mike. “So our best guess is that the dirt came along with the kidnappers. And if the kidnappers really do represent the MMFAFA…”

“Then our bounty could be hiding in or near one of these copper mines.” Jacob felt the beginning of a connection form in his brain. The beginnings of excitement. Hell, they might be onto something here.

“Bingo.” Tony dumped the sample into a small screw-top jar. “So the way I see it, we need to do two things. One, we head over to the mine area—it’ll be dawn by the time we get there—and search as many as we can. Maybe we’ll get lucky. If not, we can take samples from each site and I’ll run some basic comparisons. Once we’ve identified where the fugitives have been, we can plant some surveillance equipment.”

“Good idea.” Mike straightened to his feet. “Vermin usually return to their burrows.”

Jacob stood, as well, and offered Isabella a hand with his family’s good manners. She ignored him and rose unassisted. He scowled and told himself to focus on the job. Which reminded him of something. “And don’t forget about the break-in at the clinic.”

When the other bounty hunters turned to stare, he cursed. How could he have forgotten about that?

Isabella had arrived, that was how. Since the first moment he’d seen her that evening he’d been running on half a brain, with the other half stuck in remember when mode. Or, more honestly, remember when combined with a healthy dose of lust that had very little to do with past history and everything to do with the fact that Isabella had grown from a hot college babe to a striking woman who still had the power to unglue his brain.

And if he’d resented the power she had over him thirteen years earlier, he mistrusted it even more now. He was a grown man. She didn’t have the right to make him feel this way.

Yet in fairness, she had done nothing untoward. It was all him. His weakness. His anger. His lack of control.

“Jacob? You said something about a clinic?” Her husky voice cut through the confusion.

“Sorry.” He took a breath and forced himself to focus on the job. On his bounty. That was what he was now, a bounty hunter. He was proud of the work, and as an added bonus, his parents remained genteelly horrified by his career choice. “I e-mailed a friend over at the dispatcher’s office earlier tonight, to see if she had news on the fugitives. She said one of the local walk-in clinics was tossed earlier this evening. You add that to Isabella’s report that she shot one of the kidnappers in the leg, and we might have something.”

“You’re darned right we might.” Tony clapped Jacob on the shoulder nearly hard enough to send him flying. “Let’s head for the mines. I don’t think there’s anything else to see here.”

When the other men gathered their kits and headed for the front door, Jacob hung back. “You guys go ahead and update the others. I’m going to take Isabella to headquarters for some rest. I’ll meet you out at the mines.”

“The hell you will!” She rounded on him. “You’ve already been outvoted once on this issue. Do we really need to discuss it again? Like it or not, I’m working with you on this case. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t even have these leads if I hadn’t brought them to you.”

“That’s right.” Jacob scowled and stepped in until he could feel her body heat. “But let’s also not forget that you came to me. You’re cut off, discredited and counting on us for help. So you could try being a bit more cooperative.” She paled at his words and Jacob cursed inwardly. What was it about her that made him so mean?

Fighting the urge to grab on and shake some sense into her, he softened his voice, though he was acutely aware of the others listening with avid interest. “Be reasonable, Iz. You’ve had a hell of a day. You’re bruised, battered and probably concussed. And how much sleep have you gotten in the last couple of days? It can’t have been easy arranging the protection solo.” He continued before she could snap back at him. “You need rest and aspirin. You need to shut it off for a few hours, or you’ll be no good to us or to your protectees.”

He saw the war in her eyes, the need to dig her heels in fighting with the logic.

Logic finally won. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “You’re right. I know you’re right, but I don’t like it.”

“Nobody said you had to.” Jacob jerked his head at Mike and Tony, sending them on their way, and resisted the urge to reach out to Isabella when she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

“Every time I slow down, every time I blink, I see Hope and the girls. I see the look in Louis Cooper’s eyes when he woke up and realized they were gone. The expression on his face when he heard that message.” She pushed away from the wall. “But you’re right. I need to grab a few hours.” Her lips curved. “You won’t even need to lock me in while you and the others search the mines. I’ll sleep a bit on your couch, then call in a few favors I’m owed by people who might not have heard about my suspension yet.”