Stargazer's Woman

She pulled into her parking slot at the nursery. “I don’t know what to make of you, Max,” she said, honestly, “and I like to know the people who are by my side when I’m fighting. Overseas, the enemy generally didn’t bother to differentiate between a combat unit and noncombat one. Knowing and trusting the people I was with kept me alive.”

“I hear you.”

He held her gaze for a second or two and she felt the impact of that look all through her body. Liars were usually polished, but there was a roughness to Max, an edge of raw masculine power that made her want to trust him.

“Your sister was a good judge of character,” he said at last. “You know that. If you trusted her judgment, then you should also trust me.”

She could almost feel the layers of secrets that surrounded him. “Let’s take this one step at a time,” she answered, then pointing ahead, added, “Does that have anything to do with your connections to the tribal president?”

Two Navajo men were working quickly to change the damaged tires on Max’s truck. She recognized the name of the company on their jackets, too. It belonged to a nationally known racing team based in Farmington.

Following her gaze, he smiled. “Like I said, I have friends.”

Again, a nonanswer. “I’m going to go talk to my staff and explain that I’ll be away for a few days,” she said.

“This operation may take much longer than that,” he warned, opening his door.

“I’m optimistic,” she answered.

“Go do what you have to, but hurry. We can’t afford to hang around for too long. We’re going to be under surveillance by the cops and the bad guys.”

“All right. I’ll meet you here at my truck in five minutes.”

He shook his head. “You’ve got a great truck, but mine has a few extras that could come in handy. Bring your Beretta along with you, too, and the extra clips.”

Kris watched him stride off. He was in superb physical condition…like an active duty soldier. In a way, maybe that was exactly what he was. What made Max Natoni even more dangerous was that underneath all the mystery that surrounded him beat the heart of one ultra sexy man.

Chapter Four

The Navajo man tightening lug nuts with an air hammer glanced up as Max approached. Turning the task over to his associate, a younger Navajo man who appeared to be just out of high school, he took Max aside.

“Thunder, Hastiin Bigodii wants an update,” he said quietly.

Max looked at his cousin, Ranger Blueeyes. Under other circumstances, he would have greeted him as family, but an operation was underway and security procedures were required. The man before him now was simply Wind, just as he was Thunder—not Max Natoni.

Max told him about the voice he’d heard during the kidnapping attempt. “They were both wearing masks, but I’m one-hundred-percent positive that one of the men was Harris.”

“John Harris is supposed to be dead. The authorities concluded that he drove over a cliff a few days after the theft of the platinum.”

“The charred body found in the wreckage of Harris’s car couldn’t have been Harris’s because he was here this morning, trying to kidnap the woman and me.”

“Then it looks like we’ll have to operate under the assumption that the man is still alive, no matter what the police have been led to believe. I’ll pass that information along. Is the woman going to be a reliable asset?”

He knew what Wind meant. “I don’t know her well enough yet to answer that. Her sister once told me that they were alike in all the ways that mattered, that there was a bond between them. But whether she’ll be able to second-guess my old partner is something that remains to be seen.” He sighed. “What complicates matters is that she doesn’t really trust me. She’s been trained to look past the surface. She’s got an intelligence background in the military, so she’s skeptical of halfway answers.”

“Do whatever you have to do to get her complete trust.”

“I’m working on it.”

“If you’re right about Harris being alive—”

“I am,” he interrupted.

Wind nodded. “Then he’ll come after her again. We’ve suspected that Harris had—has—a partner on the inside, so he probably already knows about the note. That could explain why she’s become a target—and an asset that’ll have to be protected.”

“I haven’t told her about Harris being alive, but she knows she’s in danger. She’s chosen to stay with me, but with her skills and training, she’s more than capable of looking after herself.”

Wind nodded. “Maybe so, but she’s still an asset and it’s our duty to guard her. The body count is high enough already.”

“Harris killed my former partner. He won’t touch this woman, not while I’ve got breath in my body,” Max growled.

Wind nodded once. “I’ve got a source in the County Sheriff’s Department. He said that Lassiter warned the woman—marine to marine—that your current activities are suspect.”

“That could damage any seeds of trust that may have started to develop.”

“Then handle it quickly, Thunder.” Wind looked around for a second, then continued. “Have you tried…really tried…to use your gift? That could simplify things, stargazer, and put a quick end to at least one of the problems we’re facing.”

“I’ve tried, but nothing happened,” he admitted.

“So I’m working on this case the only way I know for sure works—dealing with reality, not metaphysics. I’ll get results.”

Wind shrugged, then turned off the air compressor and began to help his assistant put the tools away.

Seeing Kris coming in his direction, Max went to meet her halfway. “Are you ready?” He looked at the oversize purse she was carrying—big enough to conceal her pistol.

She nodded. “I’ve done all I can do here for now. We need to plan our next move. How about if you take me to the exact spot where you and my sister first came under fire? Then I’d like you to go over every detail with me.”

He nodded. “I plan to take you there and talk you through it, but first we need to shake off any possible surveillance.”

“As soon as you’re sure we’re not being tailed, I’d also like to stop by my place so I can pick up a few changes of clothing. You can keep watch.”

He drove down the highway in silence. Somehow he’d have to find a way to convince Kris that even though he guarded more than his share of secrets, he was worthy of her trust.

As the miles stretched out before them, he thought of Tina. “Your sister died doing the work she loved, Kris. She liked living on the edge and the job fit her like a glove. That may not be much consolation to you right now, but it will someday,” he said somberly.

“Is that what keeps you in your line of work, the lure of danger?” she asked.

“Partly, yeah,” he admitted. “I’d die by inches in a nine to five. But it’s more than that. By working to restore the balance, I make a difference. That’s the most any of us can ask for.”

“I still don’t understand your relationship with my sister. Neither of you was in the police force anymore, so how did you end up working together on this operation?”

“After she went freelance, I’d throw work her way as often as I could. I trusted her and she trusted me. In our line of work that’s all that matters.”

“Was there anything more between you other than work?”

“No,” he answered flatly. “Not that your sister wasn’t interesting or attractive to me.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He’d have to give Kris some glimpses into who he was as a man if he wanted her to trust him. “I’m not one for involvements, and neither was she—at least by that point in her life. If you’re envisioning some sort of unspoken romantic attraction like you see on those TV cop shows, forget it. We stayed professional.”

He paused, then grudgingly answered the question he could see still mirrored in her eyes. “Did I ever think about having a physical relationship with her? Sure I did. She was tempted, too, on occasion. If it hadn’t been for our jobs, who knows what might have happened.”