Special Agent

“What? No. I’m not going anywhere with you. I haven’t broken any laws. All I did was believe Vern’s lies and fall in love with him. It’s not my fault I was duped. And I don’t know anything about his secret life as a crook, okay? Despite all the nasty rumors, I’m a good person.”

“Then why are you so jumpy?” Max continued to crowd her until she was ready to literally shove him away.

Unable to help herself, Katerina darted glances back and forth between the immense house and the complex of stables where the foreman had stopped with the horse trailer. Was he on the phone to her dad already? There was no way to tell. And no way to avoid another terrible scene once Bertrand was notified.

There was only one sensible course of action. She had to plead her case in person, and to do that she had to reach Heath McCabe despite the determined agent. Staring into the distance on his opposite side, she used that momentary distraction to slip away.

Max was on her in a flash, grasping her arms and holding fast. Katerina began to thrash around. If her father saw her now he’d be even more positive she was worthless. Tears of frustration filled her eyes.

I will not cry, she insisted to herself. I’m through letting any man make me cry. Nevertheless, a few drops escaped and trickled down her flushed cheeks.

Suddenly, she was pulled free. The middle-aged foreman had come to her rescue. His arm was drawn back, ready to deliver a punch, and the agent’s hand was reaching for his sidearm.

Katerina intervened. “Stop!” She gestured at McCabe. “This is just a misunderstanding. I wanted to keep you from telling Dad I’m here and Agent... West? Agent West must have thought I was running away.”

The adrenaline in her system had bolstered Katerina’s courage and she faced him as boldly as she could while her insides quaked.

Max met her gaze head-on. “Your father? Why didn’t you just say so?”

“I did. You weren’t listening.”

“No, you were acting guilty, behaving like a scared kid trying to make a run for it.”

“I’m not a child. I’m twenty-two.”

“I know. I read your file.”

She was thunderstruck. “There’s a file on me? An FBI file?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Why am I not surprised?” She felt the starch go out of her like a sigh lost on the wind. Her concentration moved to the foreman. “Please don’t tell Dad I’m here and make him mad all over again. It was bad enough when he threw me out the first time because of my horrible love life. I just want to pick up a few of the personal things I left behind.”

McCabe doffed his cowboy hat. “I’d never do you that way, Miss Katerina. You know I wouldn’t.” He gestured back at the truck and trailer. “If I didn’t have to get these horses to the vet for checkups I’d stay here and help.”

“Do you have Moonlight with you? I looked for her in the stables when I got here and she wasn’t in her usual stall. That whole section was empty.”

“Your horse is safe and sound with me.” The wiry foreman eyed Max. “All right if I leave or are you plannin’ to shoot me?”

“I just came to talk to Ms. Garwood. If she had explained the reasons for her reluctance in the beginning we’d probably be done already.”

“You gonna be okay if I go, ma’am?”

Katerina smiled. “The horses come first with me. You know that. I’ll be fine.” She noticed both men staring at the house across the driveway. “If Dad catches me here and starts yelling again I’ll just do what I did before. I’ll leave.”

“Okay, then. You and this cop goin’ into the house now?”

She looked to Max for confirmation.

“I do need to speak to Bertrand Garwood. If that’s a problem for Ms. Garwood I see no reason to confront her father while she’s present. She and I can talk out here.”

“Now there's a good idea,” Katerina said. “You can go, Heath. Take good care of Moonlight and the others.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Watching him drive off, Katerina turned to Max. “All right. If you want to ask me questions let’s get it over with. There’s nothing I can tell you that I haven’t already told the local police and the agents who arrested Vern, but I suppose it won’t kill me to go over it again.” She made a face. “I learned a hard lesson.”

“Oh? Did you?”

Her grimace grew and her eyebrows arched. “Yes, Mr. Agent, I found out that my loving father will disown me and throw me out if I make a mistake. I also learned to never trust a glib-talking man, and that includes you.”

She would have been happier if he hadn’t seemed to find that final statement amusing.

* * *

“Let’s sit in my car,” Max said, gesturing with his arm. “After you.”

“Can’t I go get my clothes and stuff first? It took a lot of courage for me to drive back out here and as long as Dad hasn’t noticed me yet, I’d like to finish what I came for.”

“I take it you expect me to just hang around while you do as you please.”

“Why not? I’m no criminal.”

The unwavering look she was giving him as she spoke demonstrated determination. And she was right. Law enforcement had nothing on her, personally. He’d merely hoped that some small fact she didn’t even think was important would point the way to more of the Dupree associates, perhaps even to herself, although at this juncture he viewed the young woman as more of a pawn in a crooked chess game than a true player.

Blowing out a breath, he conceded. “Okay. Do you want any help?”

“No. The less noise I make, the less likely I’ll be noticed. It’s a big house and when my father works on his accounts he always shuts the den door.”

“All right. I’ll wait in the car.”

As soon as she started toward the garden leading to the nearest door of the ranch-style home, Max turned back to his SUV. There was something appealing about Katerina Garwood; something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She was far too young for him, of course. It was too bad she hadn’t been born ten years earlier.

Max’s thirty-three wasn’t exactly ancient but there were times when he felt like Methuselah, particularly when he and his team failed to prevent mayhem.

Movement at the edge of his peripheral vision snapped him around. Now what was she up to?

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” he called.

Turning to walk backward, Katerina waved. “I left some empty boxes in my truck. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure, you will,” Max muttered. He wasn’t taking any chances that she’d try to flee so he fired up his SUV, made a U-turn and headed for the main gate to block it. If worse came to worst and she got away from him he could always call for backup, but it would sure be embarrassing.

* * *

Katerina paused to watch his maneuvers. The man was paranoid. What did he think she was going to do, try to outrun his powerful vehicle in her little ol’ pickup truck? Talk about David and Goliath.

“Yes, but David won,” she mused, happy to have been reminded of a Bible story where the seemingly weaker combatant triumphed in spite of everything.