Attracted to Fire (17 page)

Slipping into his running shorts, T-shirt, and tennis shoes, he made his way down the stairs, stopping to greet Victor, who kept vigil outside Lindsay's door. His old friend knew about the nightmares and what caused them, but he never mentioned the incident.

Ash stepped outside and slumped into a rocker. Sweat dripped from his temples, more from guilt than the heat.

Meghan's face entered his tortured mind. He admired her, respected her. They were in line for the same coveted position. The self-condemnation of the past warred with a generous portion of admiration for her. More than admiration, and in such a short time.

Loneliness crept inside and took root like a vicious weed.

He swore never to have a woman on his team again, always blaming Annette. But he knew who was responsible, and it wasn't a woman agent. Had he claimed the lie for so long that he believed it? Why was it so hard for him to face the truth?

Meghan knew her stuff and was rightfully a strong contender to serve on the presidential team. He licked his dry lips. He needed that promotion for more reasons than he dared to count. His soul needed cleansing.

His organized future held no complications until Meghan entered the picture, messing with his mind and threatening to take residence in his heart.

So why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

The door behind him opened, and there stood the object of his most recent dilemma.

Chapter 24

“Morning.” Ash gave Meghan a quick look, then motioned to the rocker beside him. Even in the shadows, she took his breath away. “Have a seat. However, there's a bad wind from the north, giving ‘fresh country air' a whole new twist.”

She laughed and sat beside him. “Can't sleep or taking an early run?”

“Both. I sent Rick inside to get a little rest until I decide what I'm going to do.”

“I might join you on a run. That would throw off Chip's schedule.”

Remembering Chip's words about his interest in Meghan sliced through him. The resident statistician had no idea what it would take to make a woman of her caliber happy. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

She huffed. “Sure you want to know?”

“I asked. Got a hunch about something?”

“Sort of. But nothing about the problems surrounding Lindsay. I was aroused from my slumber with a scorpion crawling across my face.”

His attention whipped her way. “You're kidding.”

“Wish I were.”

“You weren't stung, were you?” Her file indicated an extreme reaction to bee stings. “Does your allergic reaction to bees include scorpions?”

“I've never been stung to know for sure. But it's off limits as far as I'm concerned.”

“What did you do?”

“What every special agent would do. I rolled out of bed and grabbed my SIG, flipped on the light, and there he was.” She stood and walked to the edge of the porch. “He met his maker.”

Ash chuckled. An image of Meghan blowing a scorpion into a million pieces bannered across his mind.

“Very funny.”

“How did it get into your room?”

“I think this one crawled through the air duct. Doesn't look like there's any wire mesh covering it.” She sighed. “Anyway, I made a list of what needs to be done to ensure none of us has any unwelcome nightly visitors. I can only imagine how Lindsay would handle one of those creatures.” She shrugged. “Anyway, this needs to be handled tomorrow for everyone's safety. But I'm too keyed up to go back to sleep.”

“Will we need to call an exterminator?”

“Possibly. My guess is the Leonards can handle it. Maybe we can put Pepper on scorpion detail. She could sprinkle jalapeños around the attic.”

“Good call.”

“How soon will we be flooded with agents?” The light, citrusy scent coming from Meghan sure beat the scents floating downwind.

“0600. Now that Lindsay is a priority, we'll get the best that's available.”

“I'll feel better when everything is in place. I'd feel even better if DC found who was causing all the havoc.”

The nearness of her distracted him, causing his mind to whirl with thoughts better left alone. The light from a high mount on the stable caused her face to glisten, almost sparkle. He pushed himself away from the rocker and walked to the porch steps. Being that close to her messed with his head.
Think, Ash. You're the agent in charge.

“I'm surprised you're not married. Most women agents don't last long. They find an agent who wants understanding, and then they're married and raising babies.”

She joined him and stretched. “I'm not one of them, Ash. I'm in the Secret Service for the long haul. But I was engaged for about two months. Not to an agent.”

He'd probably offended her, but he'd only voiced what she already knew. “My guess is you scared him off.”

“Maybe I did. He couldn't handle my commitment to my job. Gave me a choice.”

“If he loved you, then your job shouldn't have mattered.” Why had he made such a stupid remark?

“My thoughts exactly. And you? Do you have a special someone?”

“Not with the schedule I keep.”

He should walk away, ignore the tension that kept his heart captive. He frowned on agents fraternizing. Interfered with their responsibilities. Although it wasn't against the rule book, it was against his personal code. But that didn't diminish Meghan's intoxicating presence, the way her red-gold hair fell past her shoulders and curled against her chest. He envisioned the depth of her brown eyes and the lashes veiling them as though she held the secrets to unlock a man's mind.

“This isn't fair, you know.” His thoughts were uttered before he could stop them.

She turned to face him, his downfall. “What isn't?”

“You,” he whispered, “are the one agent who goes against everything I hold in high regard.”

“Is that so bad? My skills are good, Ash. You can trust me to do my job.”

“Oh, I do. No problem there.”

Shoving aside logic and protocol, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her.

Chapter 25

Lindsay knew abandonment was her biggest issue. She lay awake listening, thinking, wondering. The old fears mixed with the new ones, creating more horror than she'd ever experienced. Daddy was now president, an honor he'd always wanted and one he deserved. He and Mom had dirtied their hands and risked their lives in Uganda to help children. Mom had nearly died from malaria and would battle its effects the rest of her life. Although Lindsay didn't fully appreciate or understand their sacrifice, most of the American people acted as though President Hall and the First Lady were saints. They had accomplished good and courageous feats, while Lindsay had waited at the boarding school for a phone call or a letter. That part hurt so very much. Their relationship would never be good. Chances were she'd die before true reconciliation ever began.

She'd seen her parents' love for her in the hospital when she'd tried to kill herself. All those years she believed neither of them cared, not realizing they didn't want to endanger her and Kelli in the disease-infested jungles. She rationalized their absence by convincing herself they didn't want her. Being sober had its pitfalls because the truth injected a poison that had no antidote.

It took getting clean and hours with Dave Sanchez to see how stupid she'd been. He'd helped her to see beyond her personal pain to circumstances that demonstrated Mom and Dad's love for her—not disgust, as she'd been told in the past. Kelli must have accepted their parents' role in saving the children of the world, because she was following in their footsteps by representing clients who could not afford legal counsel.

If only she could stay clean and have a life of meaning. But she'd thrown in with the devil, and he demanded payment.

Who worked with him? If she'd been hurt or killed today as a result of the sliced girth, evidence would show it wasn't an accident. She thought about each one of the agents on Ash's team and Chip and Ethan and Pepper. No one appeared to be on his payroll. But the demon responsible had once appeared to be her friend too.

She gasped and sat up in bed. Meghan. Yes, that made sense. How like him to have planted a woman agent to make sure Lindsay only talked to her. She thought Daddy had selected her, but maybe not. Was there a way to find out?

But Meghan had held her during the hallucinations. The agent listened to her rantings, made her laugh.

How sad if Meghan was no more than a commodity.

Chapter 26

“Why did you do that?” Meghan dug her fingernails into her palms to keep from smacking Ash's face.

“I don't know. It happened.” Ash stiffened, his voice dangerously low. “You, Special Agent Connors, didn't fight it.”

“And you, SAIC Zinders, had no right to take advantage of me.”

“Take advantage of you? Give me a break. What was I supposed to do with you standing there dressed like—?”

He had to be kidding. “What? I'm in appropriate running gear. No cleavage, and my shorts are knee length.”

“Please. You know exactly what I mean.”

“Oh, so I lured you?”

“As I said, you didn't stop me.”

Why had she gotten herself into this argument? Why . . . why was she so angry? At this rate, every agent on the ranch would hear them.

She had ended the kiss, but not soon enough. “Do I need to remind A2Z of your rules?”

“I know my own standards.” His condescending tone had her bordering on completely losing her temper.

Then she remembered Rick was out there on his shift. “If you don't lower your voice, everyone will hear.”

“No one's around but those blasted bugs.”

“And Rick.”

He blew out a sigh. She'd like to think kissing her had disoriented him, but fat chance.

“What about the Leonards?”

“Oh, so you wouldn't want Chip knowing what happened?”

Had he lost his mind? “What are you talking about?”

“Not a thing, Agent Connors. I suppose you're going to file a sexual harassment charge against me?”

“I could, and it would stand because of your reputation as a woman-hater. I'd simply add womanizer to the list.” Meghan stepped back and studied him.

Cool down. Evaluate the situation. Was his kiss so bad?
No matter that he'd made her furious. Meghan took several breaths to calm herself. “No. I'm not filing anything. I regret what happened, so maybe my anger is self-directed. I should have pushed you away.”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “Hey, I'm sorry. We're alone. The chemistry was there . . . at least on my part.” He stepped down from the porch, and she recognized his professional stance in the darkness. “Let's forget it ever happened. Hit Delete. We're under a ton of stress trying to figure out who's after Lindsay. And this desolation is the pits.”

He wanted her to forget his kiss? Forget the touch of his lips on hers? Was he that mechanical? Did he think chemistry did its work in test tubes with hypothetical formulas, not on a front porch in the moonlight?

“Meghan, I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I'm just stressed.”

“Sure. And I exploded.” However, when she considered how he attributed his kiss to relieving stress, she wanted to smack the smug look off his face—again.

“What do you say we take a run?”

A run? Emotions were flaring like fireworks on the Fourth of July, and he wanted to run? Oh, why not. Then she'd take a cold shower.

Chapter 27

The attic door in the upstairs hall slammed shut. Ash handed Chip a towel to wipe the sweat from his face, while animosity flared from every square inch of the rancher.

“I'm telling you the truth.” Chip frowned. “Every air duct is securely covered with wire, except the one above Meghan's room. Caulking's in place, and the attic is tighter than a drum.”

“Why her room?” Ash wasn't believing this. He wanted answers now.

Chip moistened his lips. “How would I know? I'm paid to help keep this ranch running, not play errand boy for the Secret Service. Why don't you crawl up there in 110 degrees and look for scorpions with a black light? You could use your night goggles. And by the way, they are smart enough to avoid any areas over 100 degrees, which means they're smarter than I am. If the house had a problem, they'd be dropping into the kitchen or laundry or bathrooms looking for water.”

“I'm trying to clarify how this happened.” One more time, he faced the possibility of someone at the Dancin' Dust working for the other side.

“Then talk to the scorpions. They're nocturnal and forage at night.”

“What did you mean by that remark?” Did Chip see him and Meghan early this morning? That's the last thing he needed.

“Any way you want to take it. You've already accused and convicted me of a crime I didn't commit, so fire away.”

Ash should back off, but his temper was edging toward a cliff. “Did you put out any poison?”

Chip scowled, his fists clenched at his sides. “I hauled a full bag up there, and it's now empty.”

“Did you double-check your work above Meghan's room?”

“She's the only reason I crawled into that inferno. If you continue to dish out much more, Special Agent Zinders, I'm going to be laying my fists into you. An agent on this ranch has brought out the good ol' boy in me.”

“Do you know who you're talking to?”

Chip stared at him. “If you'd offer a little respect to the other people around here, maybe you'd get some in return.”

He was probably right, but that didn't stop him from wanting to explode. “Thank you for taking care of the problem. Since I have no experience with scorpions, is there anything else you'd recommend?”

“We have a barn cat. Possibly another one would help. My dad claims chickens keep them away.”