Dead Run

She winced, her brother’s name in Lucas’s mouth like crossing two universes. It was part of the reason she’d never mentioned Kyle to him in the first place. The two pieces of her life didn’t mesh. “Yes.” She reached for the door and grabbed the handle. “I have to go. I’ll—I’ll see you later.” This was too much. Her brother. Lucas. Feeling.

He backed away and let her slam the door with a little too much force, even though he acted like he had so much more to say.

Kristin wrenched the key in the ignition and jammed her SUV into Reverse. Lucas thought some crazy guy with her house key was a problem. As far as she was concerned, the biggest danger in her life right now was letting her emotions get tangled with Lucas Murphy.

* * *

Lucas stared at his computer screen, reading the Record of Emergency Data for Specialist Kyle Coleman, unable to deny what he saw. Coleman’s sister listed as next of kin.

Kristin James.

Her name tensed every muscle in his body. Lucas wanted to pace the room, but that would draw the attention of his first sergeant and a CID agent who stood talking in the hall. Three agents had arrived after the soldiers left for lunch. With the events of the past couple of days, he’d forgotten Travis’s warning. Seemed like they were about to find out which of their guys was in trouble...and why.

Right now, though, he had to deal with his own problems. Now he had double the reason to downshift this attraction to Kristin. He wouldn’t date the sister of one of his soldiers, even one who was gone. It crossed too many lines, made things too volatile.

Under cover of his desk, Lucas balled his fists and pressed them into his knees, thankful the men outside were engrossed in their conversation. He didn’t want to think about any of this, let alone talk about it with Travis or CID, not when he couldn’t fully explain her silence and his feelings to himself.

Specialist Kyle Coleman had barely made the cut as a soldier. He’d made no secret of the fact he’d joined the army for the sign-up bonus, and he was broke more often than not. He’d found every way to skirt the rules and to flout authority. The kid had been a slacker, mouthy and disrespectful. So much so that he’d been busted down a rank and had to work his way to specialist all over again, a slow climb due to continued borderline behavior. Coleman had spent about a month in Lucas’s platoon before getting sent to the S1 shop, working in the mail room. He’d been nothing but trouble...

Until a bullet found him while he was on guard duty.

Specialist Coleman had done a lot of things, but nothing deserved death, especially not at the hands of a cowardly terrorist.

Lucas scrubbed the back of his neck. Why hadn’t Kristin told him? Seemed easy enough. “You’re in the First of the 504th? So was my brother. Small world, huh?” Keeping quiet made no sense, unless she hadn’t realized they were in the same unit. The possibility was remote. The information hadn’t surprised her, and if she’d sent her brother mail, she’d have written the unit designation right on the envelope. It made no—

Three taps on the metal door frame jerked him to attention. Travis and the CID agent stood there, watching him.

Travis stepped into the room first. “You busy?” The silent question he fired Lucas’s way was stronger. What’s wrong?

Nothing he wanted to discuss. He stood and turned to the stranger at Travis’s side. “Sergeant First Class Lucas Murphy.”

“Major Randall Draper.” The agent dipped a chin. “Murphy. You get a lot of flak for that name?”

Too much. “Private Murphy’s Law” was a well-known comic strip about army life, and Murphy’s Laws of Combat had been around forever. While both were spot-on, Lucas had grown tired of the comparison. He faked a smile and hoped it looked real. “More than I ever wanted.”

The major grinned, then dropped the humor just as fast. “It’s time we filled you in on what’s going on in the battalion.”

Lucas aimed a finger at a nearby chair and sank into his own. Right now was the time to shut the lid on his personal life box and open the professional one. Whatever was happening, the look on the major’s face said it was serious. Lucas braced himself.

Draper wasted no time, speaking before he’d even settled into the chair. He swept a hand over his dark hair. “Over the years, you’ve probably heard how we’ve had some issues with missing antiquities in Iraq. Civilians, contractors, even a few of our guys grabbing art and small artifacts as souvenirs or to sell off. We started checking equipment coming back, caught a few guys bringing things in rucksacks and Conex containers, but it’s been mostly small stuff, souvenirs, innocent pilfering. Illegal, yes, but nothing on the level of a smuggling ring.”

“Something escalated?” Lucas glanced at Travis, who sat stone-faced, probably hearing this for the second time. “What’s this got to do with our guys?”

“Some of the items have shown up on the black market, been advertised on the dark web. We picked up chatter from your area of operations and traced it to some computers on your forward operating base. Some pretty valuable items were brokered when you guys were deployed, and some had multiple buyers for the same item. There’s a lot we’re still deciphering, but someone in this battalion was the deliveryman. The items weren’t large—some vases, a few sculptures—but they have value and are highly collectible. They were never delivered, and we believe they’re in the States somewhere. We’re interested in the specialist who was killed on guard duty near the end of the tour.”

Lucas schooled his reaction, calling on every trick he’d ever devised to keep his face impassive. Kristin’s brother. Kristin...whom he had seen handing off a package to another soldier.

His gut clenched like he’d run a twenty-miler without hydrating first. No. Please, God. Please let this all be a huge misunderstanding.

Draper nodded, unaware of the war going on inside Lucas, but it was Travis who spoke. “They’re not prepared to say Coleman was involved, but his death was unusual.”

“How?” Lucas’s voice was tight, a rubber band ready to snap.

Travis noticed, but he only arched an eyebrow.

Draper stared at something outside the window. “Blood spatter at the scene indicated he was shot by someone inside the forward operating base.”

“And we’re just hearing this now?” There was no reason to hide the anger. CID knew the shooting was from inside their FOB and no one had told them there might be danger?

“Active investigation.”

Lucas slammed his palm on the desk, but a quick cough from Travis stopped him from unleashing on a ranking officer. Major Draper was merely the messenger. There was no reason to invite trouble by letting his anger loose now. His mind raced. Kristin’s brother might have been murdered by one of their own, and she might be involved. This had to be a nightmare. “You think Coleman was involved and it got him killed?”

“It’s a distinct possibility.” Major Draper hardly batted an eye. “Since he was in your platoon for a short time before he went to Sergeant Heath’s platoon, we wanted anything you might remember. Anything would be helpful.”

“I can’t think of much,” Travis said. “Coleman wasn’t fun, but nothing said he was doing anything like you’re suggesting.”

Lucas wrestled his anger into place and recounted what he could remember, with Travis furnishing additional details. “Honestly? Other than being a slacker, nothing stood out about Coleman.” He kept his eyes off the computer screen. Nothing stood out until now.

Travis sat forward, resting a hand on the edge of Lucas’s desk. “What are you not saying?” He’d always been able to read Lucas, ever since the first day they’d met at Ranger School. Being stationed together at Bragg had contributed to a company that worked well because the platoon sergeants knew each other, respected each other and could tell what the other was thinking.

Lucas addressed Travis. “It’s Kristin.”

“What about her?”

“Kristin James?” Major Draper sat straighter. “You know her?”

“She’s my neighbor.” Lucas turned the computer screen toward Travis. “She’s Coleman’s sister.”

“You didn’t know?” Travis turned from the screen to Lucas.

“Didn’t even know she had a brother until today.” His gut dropped clear to his boots. He didn’t want to say what he had to say next. “She was here earlier.”

Draper’s eyes narrowed. “To see you?”

Lucas ground his teeth together, unsure what to say. If Kristin was innocent, she didn’t need Lucas casting suspicion on her. If she was guilty...

No. He was certain she was innocent. She had to be.

“Who was she here to see, Sergeant?”

“Specialist Lacey.” Lucas braced, waiting to see if Draper reacted to the name.

Draper didn’t flinch as he keyed something into his phone. “Know why?” He didn’t look up, just kept his thumb poised and ready to type.

Lucas stood, trying to get on level ground with the other man. What he was about to say looked bad. Really bad. “Dropping off a package.” He held out a hand as the other men’s heads lifted. “Something her brother mailed to her for Lacey. I’m certain—”

“Certain what, Sergeant?” Draper lowered his phone. “Certain she can’t be a criminal because you’re friends?”