this sooner.” Lifting her head, she added, “The killer must be using that site as his burial ground since, according to the ME, one body has been there longer than the other one.”
“Sam knows his business. He wasn’t working when you jogged by before and he could have false alerted, since he was on downtime. But tonight, like you said, he picked up on the dangerous situation. The shooter’s scent—maybe a cologne or aftershave, or maybe even from the coat he was wearing—caused Sam to search the area, and then he alerted on the bodies. Which makes it highly likely the same man killed those two.”
“Not good news for any family, especially this time of year.”
“No,” the marshal said, his expression grim. “But it sounds as if you have a strong faith to carry you through. That’s a plus.”
“I couldn’t do this without it,” she admitted.
“I hear that,” he said, that long Texas drawl moving like gentle fingers across her heart.
Nina didn’t talk about her faith much but it was there, instilled in her by a strong, loving family. She was glad to hear Thomas apparently had the same shield.
They continued to talk about the details until she’d given him as much information as she could and he’d done the same for her.
“I think I’m going home,” she said, standing to stretch. “I’ll pick back up on the details there, since I probably won’t get any sleep.”
“I’ve got a room at the Wild Iris Inn,” he said. “Sounded like a nice out-of-the-way spot. I didn’t want to stay in Billings.”
“The inn is the only place available near Iris Rock, and not far from my house,” she said with a grin. “But you’re in good hands. Miss Claire still works there part-time, but she’s turned over management to Penny Potter, soon to be Penny Morrow. Penny plans to marry one of our agents—Zeke Morrow—on Valentine’s Day next year.”
She went on to tell him how Jake Morrow had been a double agent and how his half brother, Zeke, had come to help track him and had been in on his capture and death. But in spite of the horrible tragedy, several of the team members had somehow found true love. Why Nina had decided to share the joy with the marshal, she didn’t know. Except that she wanted to believe in hope and love, even if she didn’t have a significant other in her life right now.
And she didn’t need anyone. She had enough trouble trying to prove herself as an agent.
“This year was rough for all of you,” Thomas said, bringing her back to reality. “I’m glad everyone is safe and sound.” They’d reached the doors to the parking garage. “Speaking of that, I’m walking you to your vehicle.”
Nina blinked and stared up at him. “I’m parked near you, anyway, and I have Sam.”
Thomas shook his head. “Look, let’s get this part over with. I know you’re strong and capable and tough or you wouldn’t be here, but...a killer saw you tonight. You’re a witness to an attempted murder by a very dangerous man. You’re gonna need someone to watch your back.”
She turned when they were almost to her vehicle. “Have you appointed yourself for that job?”
Before he could respond, a shot rang out and the windshield of the car next to them shattered. Thomas threw his body over Nina and pushed her to the ground. Another shot rang out, blasting a nearby wall.
Nina’s heart pressed beats against her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. And she couldn’t get past the sure knowledge that Thomas had probably just saved her life.
* * *
An hour later, Nina and Thomas were back inside headquarters filing yet another report, and Thomas was now a partner in this investigation. He didn’t mind that, since he needed to be a part of it if Russo was involved.
But that hadn’t been established. This pattern didn’t match Russo’s way of taking care of business.
The shooter was nowhere to be found, and surveillance cameras didn’t show anyone sneaking into the garage. So the shooter must have had a good view of where they were parked from an off-site spot. They’d canvassed the whole place and the surrounding buildings, and they’d put out more alerts on Russo. The techs were still trying to establish where he’d been hidden. But the destruction from the shots indicated a shotgun. Which meant he’d been close. Too close.
“He’s after you,” Thomas said to Nina, when they were alone. “You can’t go back to your place tonight.”
“I’ll bunk here,” Nina retorted, obviously not in the mood to be told what to do. “I’ve done it before. And I intend to keep digging. Dylan O’Leary is our best tech and he’ll be back on this tomorrow. He’ll do research based on what you’ve told us. Thanks for your help.”
Thomas put his hands on his hips. “Are you dismissing me, Agent Atkins?”
She gave him a tired glare. “It’s almost two in the morning. Don’t you ever sleep?”
“Do you?”
She stood and paced, her green sweater long and droopy, her jeans old and worn. Locker clothes. But she looked cute in them. “Have you considered that he might have been aiming at you, Thomas?”
He rubbed his jaw. “Always a possibility, and yes, he could have taken both of us out and called it a day. But he missed, which is kind of surprising.”
“Do you think he blinked, got the shakes?”
Thomas figured this man knew how to use any kind of weapon. “He could have been interrupted or startled, but why a shotgun? Maybe the darkness and seeing both of us together shook him. He sure wasn’t expecting to see me here.”
“Now he knows you’re in town,” she said, her fingers twisting in the cuffs of her sweater. “You might need to bunk here tonight, too.”
Thomas hadn’t planned on that. “I could hang around.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“And I’m saying I can hang around.” Seeing the objection on her heart-shaped face, he held up his hands in defense. “Hey, neither of us is gonna get much sleep. We can get a head start on the facts and get our ducks in a row.”
She stared at him, her eyes changing so swiftly he felt as if he was chasing glints of pure copper. “Are you hungry?” she finally asked.
Did this mean she would listen to reason and let him do his job?
“Starving. That snack cake I found in the machine went stale in my stomach a couple hours ago.”
“I think we have leftover hamburgers in the fridge. Somebody brought in a whole dozen or so from our favorite downtown eatery.”
“Sounds good. Lead me to the kitchen.”
Nina shot him another mixed-message glance. “We’re in this together now, Deputy Marshal. And I have orders from my SAC to cooperate with you whether I like it or not.”
“Won’t be the first time a woman has tried to resist my charms,” he quipped, hoping to lighten the mood.
“I’m an agent first,” she retorted. “And a woman second.”
Okey-dokey. “Whatever you say, ma’am.”
Thomas followed her through the maze of offices and cubicles, thinking at least he had someone interesting to work with. This one would try her best to keep him on his toes.
And he’d try his best to keep her alive.
“The girl’s awake.”
Nina rose from her chair, boots hitting the floor, and followed