Burn on the Western Slope (Crimson Romance) (30 page)

Her boots clomped against the floor as she paced, waiting on Garret as he showered and dressed. He was probably taking his sweet time on purpose, hoping she would cool down, but he only aggravated her anger with his slowness. Which was a good thing. She wanted nothing but anger. No pain, no sorrow, no remorse.

She considered stealing the snowmobile, but admitted her powerlessness, at least to herself. Even if she was able to handle the machine, she didn’t think she could find her way out of these mountains.

Neither of them spoke as he prepared the cottage for vacancy. What was the point? She didn’t know anything about Kyle, so Garret had no use for her now.

She bit on her cheek to keep from crying, from lashing out, from doing anything that might indicate she cared, but she hurt like she’d never hurt before. Walking in on Kyle with another woman hadn’t fazed her, but her heart broke at Garret’s deception.

Why hadn’t she held back? Why hadn’t she kept that wall around her heart firmly in place? Garret wasn’t the person she thought he was, yet she’d fallen for him.

She had no choice but to grieve and go on, but she wouldn’t show him her tears or let him know much she hurt. She wasn’t the kind of woman to beg for a man’s love, solicit explanations, or define a reason for why he did what he did.

He was a jerk. A lying FBI agent pursuing justice only in his own mind. The obedience of his vocation didn’t respect the boundaries of right and wrong. In his mind, right and wrong were obscure pieces of facts that would never fit together.

That’s why he did what he did.

Chapter Twenty

Garret didn’t follow Reagan to her condo and she didn’t wait for him to garage the snowmobile. Dread branched into her heavy limbs, her heartbeat sick with loneliness. She avoided the elevator and took the stairs, hoping each step would calm her ache.

They hadn’t visited the hot springs he’d promised and they hadn’t gone snowshoeing, but Reagan couldn’t dwell on the disappointment of missing the landscape he’d promised to show her. She’d planned to take her sketchbook, but it was too cold to stay outside anyway so it was best this way. Garret wasn’t staying here forever, so it was best this way.

Her heart was going to break anyway. Now, instead of despair, she felt angry. It was best this way.

Struggling with her backpack up three flights of stairs, she wondered how anyone in their right mind could possibly mountain climb. She had trouble climbing steps, she couldn’t imagine finding a perch on rocky and unstable ground. She’d been trying to find her way and for once she thought her ground had leveled and she’d found her home.

Wrong.

When she stepped over the rim of the staircase, huffing and puffing, she saw her father pacing by her door. For a moment, she thought she was in a dream. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe Garret confessing his involvement in Kyle’s investigation was one great big, ugly dream.

Or nightmare.

Her dad stopped pacing when he saw her and opened his arms. “Darling.” He kissed her on the cheek and took her bag.

No, it wasn’t a dream. Her steps faltered when she noticed Tanner at her door.

She pulled away from his embrace. “Dad, I’m glad you’re here.” And she was, no matter how terrible she felt.

“Can we go inside?”

She glanced at Tanner. “I see you met Tanner. Tanner, if you don’t mind, I’d like to visit with my dad alone.”

“No, Tanner has something you need to hear.”

“What?”

Tanner snatched her elbow. “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you.”

Her hands shook as she unlocked the door. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take. First the news from Garret about Kyle, now this? Maybe her dad was here about Kyle. Maybe he was afraid she’d take the news badly so he came in person to tell her.

“I know about Kyle, if that’s what this is,” she said as she slung her parka over the couch.

Frank’s eyes clouded with confusion. “What about Kyle?”

Reagan shrugged, her hope diminished. “He’s dead.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Her dad dropped her bag to land on the floor. She didn’t care, it could stay right where it was. She’d never need those winter clothes anymore. Maybe she’d sell the whole condo and everything in it.

“Is everybody okay, Dad?”

“Yes. Everyone is fine. I just wanted to see you. And as I waited, I met Tanner. We got to talking and, well, there are some things you need to hear.”

Cutting her gaze to Tanner, she wondered where he’d been all this time. She thought he’d gone home. Had she been so involved with Garret that she hadn’t noticed anything or anyone else? Hell, her dad could have been here and she would have never known.

“What’s wrong?”

Tanner dug in his coat pocket for something, took it out and flipped open a badge. “I’m with the FBI. I’ve been working here undercover for a while now.”

She stumbled back a step, cold shock slamming into fury
. Are you kidding me? Him too? What else in my life is a lie?
The FBI was obviously labeled wrong. It should be called the FB Lie.

The breath she’d inhaled loitered in her throat before escaping in a quiet cry at the realization of why he was here. This again? Didn’t he already know Garret had badgered her? There was nothing else she could tell them.

“We have reason to believe that Garret and his brother are involved with nefarious acts, including jewel fencing.”

Reagan’s defenses spiraled. Up, down. Out of control. No matter how mad she was at Garret, she could not be hearing this right.

“But Garret works for the FBI, too.”

Tanner’s eyes shifted, and she thought she caught uncertainty. “Yes, well, we’ve been investigating him for a long time. He and Chayton have been working with Ray for years fencing stolen jewels. Has Garret told you anything? Given you anything? Any funny jewels lying around?”

Reagan contemplated the necklace and how it disappeared, and thought about Garret’s last assignment and how his partner had been killed. Could it be true? Had Garret been using her to see if she hoarded jewels? Had Garret killed his partner to cover his vile acts?

She couldn’t possibly see that in him. He was kind to children and animals, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a murderer. He was a liar, but that didn’t mean he was a murderer.

She glanced at her dad. She knew nothing about Ray. He didn’t look at her. Was he hiding something?

“FBI agents aren’t always good people,” Tanner continued. “That’s what makes this so important. That’s what makes your role so important.”

“What role?”

“I need your help.”

She glanced at her dad again. Why would he be involved in all of this? “Dad?”

Frank didn’t say anything for a long moment, then he looked at Tanner. “Can I talk to my daughter alone?”

Tanner turned and walked to the window, not giving them much privacy. Her dad didn’t seem to care. His chest swelled heavily and he puffed his mouth as he let out a breath. He pulled his shoulders to his neck and kept them stationary.

“Dad?” Reagan asked again. He was hiding something from her.

His shoulders fell.

“What are you not telling me, Dad?”

“Your mom told me she told you everything. Your brother was involved with the mafia. It tore up your mother to find this out. She thought it best if no one knew he had a family. She only wanted to keep you safe. Chayton and Garret are involved with him. They’re dangerous.”

“No.” She couldn’t possibly imagine. But wasn’t that what Tanner had basically told her? He was investigating them both. They were both friends of Ray’s. Her father knew first hand that Ray had been involved with the mafia.

Could it be true?

Chayton was such a good person, a good friend. And Garret … well, she didn’t know what Garret was anymore.

Reagan threaded her fingers through her hair and left them as she stood, pacing the couch where her dad sat wringing his hands.

“Garret and Chayton killed him,” her father said. “I believe that.”

“No, Dad. You must be wrong.” Reagan bit back hiccupping tears, but they balled out of her eyes into fat drops. She wanted to scream, cry, wail, but nothing would change the truth. She’d fallen in love with a man who wasn’t anything like she’d thought. Sleeping with him would not change the fact he was a killer, a jewel fence, involved with the mob.

She squared her shoulders and sniffed her nose. One thing about this mess, she couldn’t love someone who didn’t exist. She couldn’t love Garret if he wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with. It was only an image.

That thought didn’t drive away the despair.

“I knew one day your brother would hurt our family with his business,” Frank continued. “I wanted to call the FBI on him, but your mother was so sure he’d never involve us. He should have never left that money to you. That involved you.”

Tanner reeled around and smacked a handful of pictures against his palm, interrupting her dad’s spiel. He handed one to Reagan.

“What is this?”

“A picture of Garret entering your condo when you weren’t at home. Searching for who knows what. Something he thought Ray had hidden, probably.”

Tanner handed her a few more, all of Garret entering her apartment. The next picture he slapped down on the coffee table. With trembling fingers, she bent to retrieve the photo, unsure if she really wanted to know what it revealed.

Garret by a helicopter, a large black bag in hand.

“That’s his loot bag,” Tanner said. “He’s delivering his jewels.”

Blood drained from Reagan’s face and to her feet. She focused on remaining calm. He was going inside a helicopter, carrying a bag. It didn’t mean anything. He’d carry a bag if he was going skiing, or sightseeing, or any number of reasons he’d board a helicopter.

Sitting on the couch, Reagan cradled her head in her hands. She didn’t know what to think, what to do, how to feel.

“Garret killed his own partner,” Tanner said. “His partner discovered the truth about him and Garret killed him in cold blood, leading everyone to believe they never caught the suspect. He comes back here, to Chayton and his home, to take it easy. You ever wonder how Chayton owns so many businesses?”

Reagan shrugged. Actually, no, she hadn’t. That’s how pathetic she was, believing everyone was a good person and never questioning their motives.

“You ready to help me now?”

• • •

Reagan rode with Tanner on the snowmobile while her dad followed behind. They drove through valleys and trees and burst out of the covering into an expanse of wide, open spaces. Sky stretched above and flat earth stretched around her. In the distance, a mountain scaled the horizon. She tried to get Tanner’s attention several times by screaming, slapping on his shoulder. Everything but jumping off the machine, which she didn’t imagine was safe. He didn’t stop.

Something wasn’t right.

She glanced at her dad as he came up beside them, but it was hard to see his face covered by his beanie and goggles. His body slumped, and Reagan worried about him. He hadn’t had long to acclimatize himself to the weather.

Tanner had led her to believe it would only take ten minutes to get to their destination and travel by car was impossible. They were supposed to be heading to an undercover hideout, where other officers were waiting with surveillance equipment. He made it sound so huge and so official, and even handed her some court orders to show this was all legit. He described the house as being nestled on a slopeside, surrounded by trees and impossible to navigate.

At least an hour had passed, and he drove as if he didn’t care whether her dad kept up. Mountains loomed around them. Something didn’t feel right in her gut.

She tried one last time to get Tanner’s attention by tapping him on the shoulder and yelling his name. He didn’t respond. Fear gurgled within her as she realized wherever he planned to take them could not be good.

She knew Garret was investigating jewel fencing. Even though he hadn’t told her of his investigation, how could she believe he was as bad as Tanner said? Maybe Tanner was the bad guy. He’d convinced her dad so that her dad could convince her.

Without a plan, she grabbed her purse, swung it around, and caught him on the face. He righted himself before he tumbled from the machine. The machine slowed and she hit him again, this time sending him flying into the air.

The snowmobile stopped. Her dad came to a stop beside her. She glanced behind to see Tanner hurdling toward them. She didn’t have time to figure out how to drive one of these things, even if she had once with Garret, so she slung her purse across her shoulder and jumped on her dad’s. He gunned the engine and took off.

She forced herself to breathe. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Let’s just get the hell out of here.”

She longed to call for help but was afraid she’d fall if she tried to go through her purse. She held on to her dad as he tore through the mountains. Seconds later, a shot rang out. Snow shot upwards, showering them with powder. She hunkered down. Another shot rang out.

Her dad grunted. The machine slowed.

“Dad,” Reagan screamed.

Her dad tumbled to the ground. The snowmobile stopped as it lost its tether with the driver. Reagan quickly slid from the machine and fell to her knees. She pushed her goggles to her head so she could see and did the same to her dad’s. His coat was ripped at the shoulder.

She heard Tanner’s machine stop. The snow muffled the drumbeat of his footfalls. If he was the good guy, he wouldn’t hold this against her.

“Dad,” she cried as he slowly blinked. “Talk to me.”

“I’m okay,” he said, his voice weak.

“He’ll live,” Tanner said as he stopped beside them. “For now. The bullet only grazed him. Now get up.” Not giving her a chance to comply, he jerked her arm and pulled her up.

Her body shook. Tanner must be a super marksman to be able to hit her dad like that. They were helpless against him.

No. She’d go down fighting. Grabbing snow in her gloves, she came up and threw it as his face. He’d removed his goggles but still wore shades, so it didn’t do much to him except piss him off. He pointed the gun in her face.