Risk It All. Anna Perrin

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      Not anymore. Chad had dumped her a few weeks after she’d been shot. Brooke pushed away her own hurt to focus on her sister. “You’ll wreck your marriage if you keep being jealous. Trevor doesn’t deserve it.”

      “Yeah, well, it’s hard for me not to worry. Women flirt with him all the time. It happened the other day in the grocery store. I came back from getting cereal, and some woman in a low-cut top and a skintight skirt is asking his opinion about melons.”

      Her sister’s tendency to blow things out of proportion usually amused her, but not today. “I swear to you that his trip to Langeville today had nothing to do with a woman.”

      Silence on the other end of the line. Then a long sigh. “Trevor and I used to be so happy,” Savannah said wistfully. “What’s happened to us?”

      Brooke felt a rush of sympathy. Her sister might be melodramatic, but she was really hurting and needed some encouragement to get through this rough patch. “Maybe you and Trevor should spend some time together and figure out how to connect again.” Well, listen to her. Giving advice to the lovelorn when her only serious relationship had ended badly.

      “I like that idea,” her sister said. “Maybe we could go away somewhere.”

      Somewhere far away, Brooke thought suddenly. A place where they’d be safe from Sidorov, Latschenko and their guns. A plan began to form in her mind, and she spoke in the compelling voice she’d perfected during her stint as a police officer. “I need you to call your husband and tell him to meet you at—” she dipped her head to better see the red-and-white sign at the far end of the plaza “—Dean’s Diner. Immediately. It’s located in a plaza near Highland and Conestoga.”

      “Why? What’s wrong?”

      “I can’t discuss it over the phone, but it’s extremely important you get in touch with him and insist he do this.”

      “He won’t answer his cell phone if he’s driving, and even if he does pick up, he’s not going to like being asked to come to some diner. He’ll want to know why.”

      “Tell him it’s an emergency and if he truly loves you, he has to come without knowing the reason. As for you, leave your house right away. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”

      “Jeez, Brooke. You’re starting to worry me, and that’s not like you. You’re the one always telling me to lighten up.”

      “Not this time,” she said grimly and disconnected.

      Satisfied she’d done all she could for the moment, Brooke gazed at the diner she’d decided on as their meeting place. She’d have preferred the comfort and privacy of her sister and Trevor’s home, but she couldn’t be sure it would be safe there. Who knew what Sidorov was capable of, especially after he discovered his security guard had been attacked?

      She felt her eyelids droop and determinedly forced them back open. Her lack of sleep was making it hard to stay alert and focused. She needed a blast of cold water to her face and a jolt of caffeine to her brain, but the effort required to walk over to the diner seemed as monumental as running a marathon. A five-minute rest. That was all she needed. Then she’d push herself to keep going.

      * * *

      Jared approached Brooke’s SUV from an angle with as much stealth as possible, considering he was still wearing work boots. The last thing he wanted was for her to notice him and take off out of the plaza parking lot. He’d already returned the Green Thumb truck, given its owner two hundred bucks and an apology for the complaint about him that would surely be forthcoming and picked up his own car, a blue Mustang.

      When he drew level with the open driver window, he glimpsed Brooke slumped against the car door. His heart rate kicked up a notch, and his training took over; he reached inside the SUV and laid his fingers across the base of her throat to check for a pulse. Her skin was soft and warm from the sun, her heartbeat a steady rhythm.

      She jolted upright and shoved his hand away. “Don’t touch me.” The alarm in her voice turned to confusion as recognition dawned in her eyes. “You! What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

      He opened his mouth to answer her, but she didn’t give him a chance. “You couldn’t have followed me. I’d have noticed a Green Thumb truck on the road anywhere behind me.”

      “I took the truck back to the lawn company and picked up my own car.” He pointed to his vehicle parked several spaces away.

      Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How have you turned up here? That can’t be a coincidence.”

      “I put a GPS tracker on your SUV.”

      Her skin flushed with anger. “Okay, that’s creepy, but it also explains why you made a point of checking my tires. It was just an excuse to get close enough to my SUV to attach something. I knew that Boy Scout routine was too good to be true.”

      “Sorry about the deception, but I knew I had to talk to you again.”

      “As I recall, our last conversation ended because you weren’t being honest with me. If that hasn’t changed, then we’re done talking.”

      Her blunt words didn’t surprise him. She seemed to be the type of woman who wouldn’t take crap from anyone. Normally, her straightforward manner would strike him as annoyingly brusque, but instead he couldn’t help admiring her guts. “Okay, let’s start over. You were right. I’m not a gardener.”

      She looked pointedly at his Green Thumb shirt and grass-stained jeans. “Nice disguise. What’s your name, and who do you work for?”

      “Jared Nash. I’m a special agent with the FBI.”

      Her dark blue eyes shone with satisfaction. “I knew it. You were way too calm about Latschenko and his gun, and you lie really convincingly. Speaking of lying, I’d be naive not to ask to see some ID.”

      He retrieved his credentials from his jeans pocket and passed them over. She studied them carefully, then returned them to him.

      “Now that we’ve established I’m not a creep stalking you for nefarious purposes, will you let me sit in your vehicle while we talk?”

      She nodded, and as he moved to the passenger side of the SUV, he heard the door locks release with a click. Once he’d settled next to her, she asked, “Would you mind taking off those sunglasses? I’m tired of seeing myself in them.”

      He removed his mirrored glasses and tucked them in the neck of his T-shirt. “Is that better?” he asked, giving her a long, penetrating stare. Most people tended to shy away from his intent gaze, but not her. She didn’t look away or even blink. Once again, he felt a grudging respect for her. Not that it mattered. He was here because she had information he wanted. “You said you were going to call the police. Did you?”

      She shook her head. “I started to, but Trevor drove away, so I decided to hold off for a while. Now that I know the FBI is involved, I’m not sure if that’s necessary. But before I decide what to do, I have a few questions. Why is Sidorov under surveillance?”

      He was tempted to tell her it was none of her damn business, but if he wanted her cooperation, he had to give her something. “He’s a person of interest in an investigation.”

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