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  Chase let the steam escape from Benjamin’s anger. He knew a cool head would prevail after the shock of the day’s events began to be absorbed. The rise and fall of Benjamin’s chest slowed to a steady rhythm as the silence of the room began to smother the fire of his temper. When Benjamin sighed, Chase knew it was safe to speak.

  “The doc fixed Jamaal up. He’s waiting downstairs to be interrogated.” Grasping the arm of the chair, Chase pushed himself up. A stiffness began to attack his bones. It had been a hell of a morning. The adrenalin rush prevented pain earlier, but now that order had returned to his world, Chase felt his age. “I’ll take Zoric with me.”

  Zoric and Chase shared a history neither talked about to others. Each knew the other had their back. Chase regretted that the men helping earlier in the day nearly lost their lives at the hands of the terrorists, but was grateful that Zoric had not been available for the job. Few got Chase’s respect and trust. Nicholas Zoric was one of them.

  Taking Zoric into an interrogation situation usually proved successful. His dark hollow looks made him seem more like a vampire than an American agent with Enigma. His cold bloodshot eyes showed no emotion. The scars across his cheek and neck hinted at a dangerous past. A thick, black mustache peppered with gray spoke of middle age unlike his straight black hair he pulled back into a ponytail that rested on his lean neck. Zoric wasn’t a big man, only five foot eleven compared to Chase’s six foot one frame.

  He had been an accomplished artist in Sarajevo before the war. Young, optimistic and talented, Nicholas Zoric married his childhood sweetheart and quickly started a family. The war took everything; his family, his talent, his reason to live. He became a cold blooded killer in the name of justice. Zoric became one of the walking dead of Serbia. Now, when he wasn’t on mission, he taught art classes at the university. His ability to inflict pain on the deserving proved a great asset to Enigma and they took advantage of that talent whenever it suited them.

  ~ ~ ~

  Nicholas Zoric marveled at how Vernon Kemp had suddenly emerged from his shy, awkward self into a babbling idiot as the pretty lady handcuffed to the chair drew him into a normal conversation. He’d never seen Vernon so relaxed around a woman. Zoric admitted even though Mrs. Scott was disheveled, the bruises, smudges and ripped clothing failed to hide a pretty woman. Those blue eyes swallowed a man’s common sense. Their intense attention to Vernon’s voice swayed even him, a lost soul.

  Zoric nudged Vernon’s shoulder with a fist. “Boss waiting. Better come,” he said moving toward the glass wall where Benjamin and Chase watched with sour looks. “Now, Vernon.”

  Vernon said one more thing to Mrs. Scott. It sounded like some kind of promise. He passed Zoric as he shoved his hands back into his jean pockets. His whistling drowned out Zoric’s warning, but Vernon ambled into the glass office carefree and smiling.

  “What the hell were you doing?” Chase’s low controlled voice sent a disgruntled message.

  “Nothin’.” Vernon suddenly looked confused. Chase gave a side long glance at Mrs. Scott then back to him. “Oh. Tessa and I were just...”

  “Tessa?” Benjamin Clark interrupted as his strange grey eyes focused on Vernon with a kind of liquid fire consistency. “Tessa! Who gave you permission to fraternize with the prisoner?”

  Vernon blinked rapidly. “You’re right. I shouldn’t let people who humiliate us know we’re human.” Vernon’s habit of trivializing a reprimand annoyed Benjamin Clark’s ‘total control’ attitude. Just as Benjamin straightened to his full height and pulled back his shoulders, Chase stepped in front of Vernon.

  “Until we get this straightened out its best not to talk to Mrs. Scott.”

  Vernon shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and rolled his eyes disrespectfully. “Whatever, dude.” Everyone knew Vernon took pleasure from irritating Benjamin Clark. The thought of angering Chase was another matter entirely.

  The discussion quickly moved to strategy for extracting more information from Jamaal, the remaining terrorist. The four men had showed up at the Scott house to retrieve a bomb. Clearly they were not aware the vessel found in the backyard was a decoy. How had they known to look there? If that wasn’t the bomb where was it? Why had their equipment failed and given a false positive for radioactive matter?

  “The equipment didn’t fail. Just came from the lab. The readout rang true.” Vernon took out his glasses from his shirt pocket and began twirling them in his left hand. “Which means…?”

  “The bomb is still at her house.” Benjamin groaned as he ran his hand through his short grey hair. He had never looked more like an angry American eagle than at this moment. “Maybe Mrs. Scott can recap the last twenty four hours for us.”

  “I doubt it,” Zoric said in his gravelly voice he’d acquired from years of smoking.

  Benjamin straightened as if being challenged. He didn’t really trust Nicholas Zoric. Too dark. Too everything suspicious and creepy. “And why not?” he snapped.

  Zoric nodded to the spot where he’d left the innocent housewife. “Because she’s gone.”

  All eyes turned to the outside office where an empty chair sat with only a pair of handcuffs dangling down one side.

  Chapter 6

  T he park ranger moved with stealthy silence through the trees until she reached the crystal blue lake. One hundred yards to the north she could see a large cabin bustling with activity. Kids skipped rocks across the waters that gently ebbed to shore. A good-looking man in a red baseball cap sat nearby in a lawn chair with his hands locked behind his head. That would be Robert. Sunglasses blocked the direction of where his eyes rested but the ranger guessed it focused on the children. From time to time he would smile and appeared to make a comment about their rock skips. She listened in on the conversation as she moved forward.

  The little girl began to cry when the oldest boy let loose his rock too quickly and it flew back, hitting her. The man jumped from his chair and quickly scooped up the child as if he’d just saved her from stepping on a landmine. Dads could be so dramatic when it came to their little girls.

  “There, there, Heather. Let Daddy see,” Robert coaxed as he tried to remove her chubby hands from the large red spot above her right eye. His pulse quickened at seeing the trickle of blood.

  “Dad, I’m sorry!” Sean Patrick looked horrified and gently patted his sister’s leg. “Sorry, Pookie!” He often called his sister silly names that made her smile. She angrily pushed his hand away. “Let Daddy see, Heather. Please,” Sean Patrick begged.

  Daniel joined them, concern showing on his young face. “Better get something on that, Dad.”

  Robert frowned down at his sons. “You need to be more careful around your sister. She’s little!”

  “Am not!” Heather protested as she pushed against Robert’s chest with both hands. “I’m a big girl!” she insisted.

  “She sure is,” came an unknown feminine voice a few feet away.

  Robert flinched at the surprise intrusion. A park ranger dressed in a green uniform carried a faded camouflaged backpack which she slung down to rest on a tree stump. Her wide brimmed hat shaded her oval face, revealing only a hint of soft tan features. Light brown hair, the color of a baby fawn, strayed from her ponytail and framed her cheeks. Robert noticed the top two buttons on her snug fitting shirt had been undone. She nonchalantly wiped perspiration from her neck with a man’s handkerchief, and then stuffed it in her pants pocket.

  “Let’s have a look, shall we?” The ranger squatted as Robert lowered Heather to the ground.

  ~ ~ ~

  Heather pushed out her lower lip and wiped the last of the tears away before jerking up her chin in a show of bravery. She looked like her mother in that moment, Robert thought warmly. Tessa always put on a brave show when she became worried, frightened or confused. The world thought she was a rock. Robert knew, however, his Tessa was the best con artist in the west. Just now Heather showed signs of that determination to overcome the situation with bravery an
d strength. He was glad Tessa had passed that trait on to his precious daughter.

  “Us girls are a lot tougher than men realize.” The voice of the ranger carried a slight Irish accent adding to her comforting appeal. “Can I see your injury?”

  Heather cocked her head slightly. “What’s injury?” She said batting her eyes and unconsciously lifting her fingers to the spot where the rock had connected.

  The ranger smiled, revealing teeth that had been whitened. She pointed to the spot on Heather’s forehead. A small round bump had begun to rise. “There. Can I see? Looks like these guys don’t have a clue on how we girls need to be treated.”

  Heather took a hesitant step toward the ranger. “Okay,” she said softly.

  The ranger eyed a tiny cut. She stood and went to her backpack where she retrieved a first aid kit. “This might sting just a bit but at least you won’t get an infection and have to go to the doctor. I think if I do this you won’t have to get a shot.” Heather’s eyes widened at the word “shot” and nodded enthusiastically. The ranger gently cleaned the area and applied some antibiotic cream. “It just so happens I have some pretty cool bandages too. Would you like one to wear? That should remind your brothers to be more careful.” Heather nodded again, this time with a wide smile. The bandages had Disney princesses on them.

  “That didn’t hurt a bit!”

  “You see! Us girls are tough!” the ranger laughed as she stood. Her hazel eyes went to Robert. “She’ll be fine.”

  Robert removed his hat and wiped his brow as if by doing so would remove the fright he’d suffered in the last ten minutes. “Thanks.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Robert Scott. This is our first day of vacation. Wouldn’t you know there’d be an accident right off the bat?”

  ~ ~ ~

  His smile, the ranger noticed, was a little flirtatious. She didn’t mind. After all, Robert Scott was a very good looking man. Nearly six foot, Robert’s lean body looked like a tennis player. Although not muscular, he was in great shape. Neatly shaven, Robert’s skin looked tan and healthy. The narrow nose where his sunglasses rested gave his face an angular shape that spoke of masculinity. The hand that gripped hers was strong, accustomed to physical work. Her father had always said you could tell a lot about a man by his handshake. If this were true, Robert Scott might just turn out to be an interesting visitor to Lake Tahoe.

  “I’m Ranger Lynch. Honey Lynch.” she said holding onto his hand a little longer than considered proper. “No Mrs. Scott?” she inquired looking back at the cabin.

  Robert suddenly appeared nervous. “No Mrs. Scott.” He smiled again looking down into the her face. “I mean my wife may come later,” he stammered a little too quickly. “I insisted she take a few days for herself. You know, let me take care of the kids. I thought she’d appreciate the time off. She certainly deserves it,” he laughed as he glanced toward the kids watching with curiosity at the scene unfolding.

  “Mom is eating lunch with friends and getting her nails done,” Daniel offered up the information with sarcasm.

  “Really,” Honey said smiling down at the little boy then back at Robert.

  “This is a test to see how Dad does with us,” Sean Patrick interjected.

  “How’s he doing?” Honey asked with amused interest.

  The kids looked at each other as if to confer. They all nodded. “So far so good,” Sean Patrick offered offhandedly as if his father wasn’t standing there.

  “Go play, guys. Get some ice out of the cooler for Heather’s bump too! And watch out this time!” Robert warned as they ran back to the water’s edge.

  ~ ~ ~

  Robert turned his eyes back to the ranger. She looked like a no nonsense kind of person. Although petite her grip a moment ago revealed Honey could handle herself. She wore no makeup, only a little clear lip gloss. The natural, wholesome features of her face made her look like an ad for ski equipment.

  “On foot?” Robert was still unclear about how the ranger had materialized. His radar was up and something made him sense caution.

  Honey put her small hands on her hips. She wore a gun, Robert noticed. “No. My truck is parked just on the other side of that stand of trees. There’s an old logging road.”

  “Looking for something?” Robert still didn’t understand why she was here.

  Honey’s smile faded as she took out sunglasses from her shirt pocket and placed them on her delicate nose. “Actually, Mr. Scott,” Honey lowered her voice. “There has been a jail break in Carson City. The fugitives are on foot.”

  “Geeze!” Robert sighed taking another look at his children. “Are they up here?”

  Honey shrugged. “This is a good place to get lost if you don’t want to be found.” She followed his gaze toward the laughing children. “Don’t wander too far off the beaten path. There is plenty of law enforcement out looking for these guys. I’ll swing back by tonight to check on you. I’ll let others know you’re here. Got a phone?”

  Robert removed his cell phone from his hip pocket. “Can’t get very good service up here.”

  Honey casually took his phone and pretended to inspect it.

  “Daddy! I caught a fishy!” Heather screamed with delight. “Help me! Help me!”

  Robert ran to her side to help reel in the four inch small mouth bass. The wiggling fish slopped water in Heather’s eyes. She squealed with delight as Robert removed the hook from its mouth.

  “Why is it breathing like that, Daddy?” Heather’s look of concern made her reach out and stroke the little creature.

  “It can’t breathe out of the water, sweetheart.”

  “Oh no!” Heather sighed sympathetically. “It’s so little. Does it have a mommy?”

  “Well, probably. Should we put it back in the water and send it home?”

  Heather stuck out her lip in disappointment. “I guess so. I want to name it first.”

  Robert nodded in agreement. His sons were now looking on, watching the ultimate release of the fish. “Swimmer. I name her Swimmer.”

  “How do you know it’s a her?” Sean Patrick asked with a frown. Releasing a perfectly good fish was just ridiculous.

  Heather squinted against the afternoon sun as she looked up at her brother. “How do you know it’s not? Besides it’s pretty so it has to be a girl.”

  Sean Patrick threw up his hands in defeat as he turned back toward the ranger. He saw her close up his father’s phone. She smiled at him innocently. He eyed her with reserve as he watched her approach. The ranger wasn’t sure of his age but realized this one probably had watched enough American television to suspect anyone examining someone else’s phone.

  “How’s the fishing this year?” She looked out over the tranquil blue waters and distant snowcapped peaks. Was there any place more beautiful than Tahoe?

  “Are you really a ranger?” Sean Patrick inquired.

  “Sure!” she laughed. “Do you think because I’m a girl I can’t be a ranger?”

  Sean shook his head and picked up another rock only to skip it four times across the water. “Because you don’t know how the fishing is.”

  “Well it changes from day to day. Any fisherman will tell you that.”

  “You don’t look like a ranger either.” Sean Patrick looked up at Honey one eye closed against the bright sunlight.

  “Really? What does a ranger look like?” Honey expected him to tell her how pretty she was or that most rangers looked like Smokey the Bear. She never tired of being complimented.

  “They dress different than you.” Sean Patrick said matter of fact.

  Honey could feel tightness in the back of her shoulders. Her fingers twitched nervously as she removed her hat and wiped her forehead against her sleeve. She didn’t respond to Sean Patrick’s observation.

  “My friend Jose’s father is a ranger and his uniform is different than yours.”

  “This is Nevada, you live in California. Our uniforms could be different.”

  “How’d ya know I live in California
?” Sean Patrick eyed her with increased suspicion.

  Honey smiled and reached down to ruffle his dark hair. He looked like his handsome father. The eyes were a little sharper and his demeanor a little less trusting, but the resemblance was there. “Your license plates.” She nodded toward their car.

  Sean Patrick looked back at the car then up at the ranger. “Oh.” he said simply. He then moved closer to the water seemingly forgetting about his concerns.

  Kids. Honey thought. Why would anyone want them? They smell, eat you out of house and home, and can make you have the pediatrician on speed dial instead of your favorite restaurant. They wrecked your bank account, not to mention your figure.

  Honey watched Robert stand up after releasing the fish. “Bravo! A job well done, Mr. Scott.”

  “Please call me Robert.”

  Honey handed back his phone. “Robert, I need to go. Look, I have a string of fish in my truck. They’re filleted, iced down and ready to go. I think this particular cabin has an outdoor gas grill. Why don’t I fix them for you guys tonight? If these felons aren’t caught I’ll have to look around this area again anyway.”

  Robert shrugged. “That would be great. I have some potato salad and baked beans my wife fixed. We’ll have a feast!” his boyish smile made Honey offer her hand again and gave it an extra squeeze that seemed to make Robert withdraw his hand a little quickly. She waved to the kids and headed toward the stand of trees where she soon disappeared.

  She glanced back to see him watching her until she disappeared among the towering trees. Her sensuous walk usually drove guys like Robert crazy. By now he would be thinking about the suggestive farewell handshake. His smile spoke volumes. “He’s probably thinking ‘I still got it,’” she mumbled to herself. “I bet he’s delighted that a sweet young thing like me noticed him.”

  Honey picked up speed as she pushed through the low hanging branches. She nearly lost her hat but grabbed it just as it slipped onto the back of her neck. A breeze moaned softly through the top of the trees making them creak. Pine needles crunched beneath her boots. The warm afternoon smell of summer engulfed her suddenly. She began walking slowly, enjoying the sounds of branches moving in the wind and the solitude she rarely experienced. When the forest opened back up, Honey saw that her government issued park truck had a low front tire on the passenger side. She’d need to take care of that before coming back up here tonight.