Attracted to Fire (32 page)

“All right. You made your point.” The man backed away.

“Too late.” Ash replaced his radio. “I want your name and who you work for.”

“My employer is none of your business.”

“Suit yourself. Doesn't stop the charges. And you might want to call your lawyer.”

Meghan bit back a grin. Having A2Z on an agent's side felt good.

Chapter 52

Mid-morning, while Dave engaged Lindsay for a counseling session, Ash stepped outside to find Meghan. The heat nearly stole his breath, or was it the gravity of what he'd learned about Burnette?

She waved from the garden. Crazy woman, she held two tomatoes. As he drew closer to her, he laughed.

“What's so funny?”

“Your freckles match the tomatoes.”

“The last person who said that ended up with a bloody nose.”

“A reporter?”

She handed him a tomato. “Good save. Fifth grade church camp.”

“Why am I not surprised? Where do you suggest we eat these, Miss Fiery Redhead? Remember we're supposed to look cozy.”

“Cozy?” She laughed. “Yeah. Rick told me at breakfast to be careful, that you had a reputation.”

He raised a brow. “What did you tell him?”

“That I was using you to make a point.”

He hoped not. He was in too deep.

She wiggled her nose, looking much too cute. “Ash, I have to tell them something. If we're going to be an item, I need to deny it as though no one has noticed.” She paused. “I have a favorite spot to eat our tomatoes, and I have a knife and two napkins.”

“Is it the oak tree in the front?”

“Yes, sir.”

They walked around the house. This morning, he hadn't been ready to talk about it. Now he had much to tell her and little time. Worse yet, his answers complicated the situation.

“I have questions about Burnette,” she said. “And we haven't had a spare moment to discuss the bug.”

“What do you know about him?”

“A little. I'd forgotten about his son's suicide until I saw the photograph of Kyle in his officer's uniform and then read the newspaper headlines.”

Ash looked to see if anyone was watching. They needed to appear like two people enjoying each other's company. “His death occurred a year before Burnette's appointment as press secretary.”

“I remember his son's court-martial. The world watched to see if Kyle would be convicted of killing civilians in Afghanistan.”

“I never thought there was enough evidence. Especially when the defense claimed the civilians were armed and fired at his men first.”

“But he was still sentenced to twenty years at Leavenworth—which never happened because he committed suicide.” She glanced at him. “How do you get over something like that?”

“I'm thinking he didn't.”

They sat beneath the tree, but he had no appetite for the tomato. He focused on the court-martial, searching his memory bank for details about the case.

“Ash, I'm now remembering Burnette's wife appeared on national networks and protested their son's conviction.”

“She left him before the sentencing. I still remember her interview on
The Barry Knight Show
in which she blamed US foreign policy, claiming our priorities were centered on looking good in the eyes of the world. She maintained we handled terrorists with kid gloves while our country's sons were killed defending our freedoms.”

Meghan stared at the reporters at the front gate. “If Burnette held the same views, then he had motivation to get even, seek change in foreign policy . . . which would explain the recent disagreement between him and the president. But I don't recall his reaction to his son's conviction and suicide.”

“He maintained a stoic front during the trial. Refused to give a statement. Said he wanted to put the tragedy behind him.” Ash's thoughts wove Lindsay's story with Burnette's past. “With his son dead and his wife gone, he had nothing to lose. I wonder if he voiced how he felt about his son's court-martial to President Hall.”

“Lindsay might have an answer, but I doubt it. Doesn't seem like the kind of conversation he would have while filling her with lies and drugs.”

Ash considered how Burnette could have deceived the president. “Maybe Burnette convinced his old friend that he'd put the past behind him.”

“And Burnette keeps his emotions in check while in public.”

“However, we saw a different side of him at Ethan's funeral. Inappropriate remarks don't make a man a killer. But providing drugs and threatening the lives of others is a different story.”

“And now he's the vice president.” Meghan's face hardened. “Lindsay's concerned he's planning an assassination. With President Hall out of the picture, Burnette would really be a dangerous power.”

“If I piece together why Wade was killed, I bet he learned something about Burnette or who's betraying us here. If this blows up in our faces, we could be tried for treason. But I can't ignore it.”

Meghan sighed. “Neither one of us would make the presidential team.”

“We might find ourselves slinging burgers on a chain gang.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“I think it's up to us to track down the truth. Lindsay is right about one thing—who can we trust?”

She rubbed her arms in the heat. “I have more questions for her. Oh, she asked me this morning about acting like she was using again.”

“Good for her. We have to act fast before Burnette finds out we've been in his tack box.”

“I've been thinking about that too. Remember I wanted to pose as Lindsay to see if we could draw out who's been sending her e-mails?”

“Meghan, that's even more dangerous than before.”

“The stakes are higher. Someone lower on the totem pole might be willing to plea-bargain. Respond to that e-mail. It may be untraceable, but that doesn't mean someone's not monitoring it. Say Lindsay's willing. State she's using or drinking again. In fact, let's buy a phone and send it from there. Burnette might think she's found a way to make contact with the outside world.”

“I can't allow you to do this.” Ash studied Meghan. She had his heart, and he'd do anything to protect her.

“Ash, please. If you have a better way to trap him, then let me hear it.”

He didn't have another plan. And that's what scared him the most.

Late morning, Meghan and Lindsay jogged far enough from the pasture gate to keep the agents happy and the reporters at bay. They snapped a few pics, but Lindsay knew how to keep her face from view.

“If you'd get up in the morning when I do, we could avoid this afternoon heat.”

“Dream on. I used to come in at that hour, and now you're suggesting I climb out of bed then.”

“Just a suggestion. Ash and I run before dawn.”

Lindsay laughed. “Ash has an agenda.”

“And your meaning?”

“He is so into you that it's almost gagging.”

Good. Their act was working, but they weren't feigning a thing. “I thought we hid it from the others.”

“Bob and Victor think it's hilarious, since he's supposed to be the woman hater.”

Bob and Victor were to be on Burnette's VPPD. The thought of either of them being behind Wade's murder turned her stomach. “I'll try to do a better job of sneaking off.”

Lindsay laughed again. “I could teach you a few things, if you're interested.” They waved at an agent in a jeep. “I don't know how Burnette finagled the drug-dealer hoax, but there is no truth in it. I've always paid my way.” Lindsay slowed to a jog. “This heat zaps my energy.” She kept her voice low, obviously suspecting anyone and everyone.

“Does the name Medellín Cartel mean anything to you?”

“No. I'm assuming it's a drug cartel.”

Meghan brought her jog to a walk. Lindsay couldn't talk and run. “The man arrested in connection with the original threat has ties to the Medellín Cartel.”

“Burnette has to buy his stash somewhere.”

Meghan had toyed with asking Lindsay about helping them since she proposed her idea to Ash earlier in the day. “How far are you willing to go to help us bring Burnette to justice?”

“What do you mean? I'm in too deep to back out.”

Meghan took a cleansing breath. She hadn't expected Lindsay to cooperate this easily. “The guy who's been sending you e-mails wants to meet at a bar near here. I'm going for the gold. I want to pose as you and trap the jerk. So I need to borrow something from your closet and pick up a wig.”

“Not sure if that's fun or dangerous.”

Ash had mentioned the dangerous part more than once. “It's my job to keep you safe.”

“But I thought an agent would step in line of a bullet, not pose as the protectee.”

“I believe in doing whatever it takes to catch those who have threatened your life and the lives of others.”

“Okay. We're probably the same size, but I don't have a thing here that you could wear. But we could do a little role play so you'd sound like Lindsay Hall. Teach you the walk and the come-on.”

Meghan sensed the thrill of adrenaline begin to roll through her veins.

Chapter 53

Ash and Bob sat on the front porch rocking like two old men while Lindsay and Meghan strolled about a hundred fifty feet in front of them. He didn't know the ex-linebacker from the New Orleans Saints well, but his record was spotless. Had he been bought?

“Tell me how a guy who has made millions in football gives up fame and fortune to be a Secret Service agent?”

“Stats, Ash. When I looked at the guys who retired and walked with a cane or had their knees replaced, I realized the glory, big bucks, and stadium cheers didn't amount to anything if I had to force myself out of bed each morning.”

Ash chuckled. “So you substituted shoulder pads for a Kevlar?”

“Got to keep the excitement going.”

“How did you like your assignment with Bush Sr.?”

Bob grinned. “Great guy. A lot of wisdom. Age is slowing him a bit, but he still has the vitality and enthusiasm that we all remember from his earlier days. Barbara Bush is a true lady. She might not tell you what you want to hear, but she makes you like her just the same.”

“Do you miss the city?”

“Of course. This is boring.” He frowned. “And depressing. We're stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, and in six weeks' time, an agent is murdered, a good man keels over from a heart attack, and a suspect is returned to work the ranch.”

“Not what you thought, huh?”

Bob frowned. “I'm an agent. I do whatever it takes. But I'd like to know what's going on. Why hasn't Wade's murder been solved?”

“They say drug dealers are involved with connections to a cartel in Colombia.”

“Then force the ones in custody to talk.” Bob's language didn't fit a man being paid by a killer. “I could handle it.”

The answers Ash needed still weren't coming. “Do you think the new president is to blame?”

“I don't know. He's a good politician. A good man. But I don't agree with his foreign policy. He wants to shake hands and make friends with the ones who'd rather see us all dead.”

“Sounds like you agree with the VP.”

“I do. At least he has the guts to stand up for what he believes instead of being a yes-boy and directing the Middle East Peace Summit.”

“I thought the president and the VP came to an agreement. Makes me wonder if foreign policy will be a big issue in the next election.”

“Speaker of the House Randolph may toss his hat in the ring yet. He and Burnette share the same views on public policy. Politics is beyond me.” Bob shrugged. “But my guess is the party will stand behind Hall unless something major happens.”

Monday evening, Meghan and Lindsay walked through the stables. They stopped to admire the new colt that Chip had named Strait. Meghan sorted through how she felt about Chip's avoidance. His behavior had potentially thrown him into the same pot as Burnette. However, she hadn't discarded his innocence.