Primal Instinct

“Yeah.”

“Just you and her working here?”

“Yeah. Although we get some kids from the 4-H Club who come in on weekends and stuff like that. And some horticultural students from the local community college every once in a while.”

“May I get your address, Vincent? Just in case we need to talk to you again after we speak to Ms. Jeffries.”

Vincent paused so long Conner thought he might not answer at all. “I live in the house here.”

Conner glanced at Seth with an eyebrow raised. “So you live with Ms. Jeffries in the house?” Interesting.

“Yes.”

“And it’s just the two of you?”

“It’s not like what you boys are thinking. We both live in the house, but it’s not like that.” Vincent glared at them both, then spat to the side again.

Okay, maybe not romantic, but protective. Still interesting.

Seth seemed about to ask another question when a female voice from outside the barn interrupted him.

“Vince! I officially love Ruby Tuesday! I so hope the owners end up boarding her here. Maybe I should offer a discount just so I can see this pretty girl all the time.” A burst of joyful laughter drew Conner’s focus.

The woman’s voice faded as she started talking to the horse, obviously common practice around here.

A moment later a woman in her mid-twenties—probably one of the college students Vincent had mentioned—led Ruby Tuesday into the barn. She stopped, noticeably shocked when she saw Conner and Seth. She looked at Vincent with concern then rubbed her head and took a few steps back.

“You okay, kiddo?” Vincent asked.

The young woman looked almost panicked. Conner stepped toward her with his arms held out in a soothing manner. “We didn’t mean to startle you, miss. My name is Agent Perigo. This is Agent Harrington.”

“You’re FBI,” she stammered out, still panicky. Did everyone here have an aversion to the FBI?

Conner smiled and tried to reassure the young woman. “Yes. We’re actually looking for Adrienne Jeffries. Mr. Vincent said she was riding. Did you happen to see her while you were out?”

The woman took a deep breath and rubbed her head again. She looked at Vincent, then back at Conner. But she didn’t respond.

Seth decided to take a shot. “We can assure you Ms. Jeffries isn’t in any trouble. We were just hoping to talk to her for a bit.”

The young woman took a couple of breaths and seemed to compose herself. “Okay.”

Seth looked at Conner, who shrugged, then asked, “Okay, what?”

“Okay, I’m here. You can talk to me.”

Conner could feel the shock rolling over him. This could not be the Adrienne Jeffries they were supposed to contact. She was too young, with her pixie-short hair and big brown eyes.

She was too damn beautiful.

“No.” Conner denied it before he could help himself. “Your mom, maybe? Is there another Adrienne Jeffries at this address?”

The young woman sighed and shook her head. “Nope, just me.” She led the horse over to Vincent and gave him the reins. “Let’s go inside the house to talk. I think we’ll be more comfortable.”

“I’ll come, too,” Vincent was quick to interject.

Conner watched as Adrienne laid a gentle hand on the older man’s arm. Obviously the protectiveness went both ways. He felt a little guilty that they were about to use that protectiveness against her.

“I’m fine, Vince, I promise.” Adrienne smiled at Vincent then turned to look directly at Conner. “If they’re FBI, I know why they’re here.”

There was definitely no smile when she said that. Vincent was obviously reluctant but agreed.

Adrienne Jeffries silently walked out of the barn, leaving Conner and Seth to follow, or just as obviously not to follow. They made their way behind her wordlessly. Conner couldn’t help admiring how well she filled out her worn jeans as she walked ahead of them. They obviously weren’t designer jeans, but who the hell cared if she looked like that in them?

Seth reached over and nudged him with his elbow.

“What?” Conner whispered, reluctantly drawing his eyes away from Adrienne’s jeans.

“I don’t have a hankie so I’m offering you my sleeve.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“To wipe the drool from your mouth, man. You missed some.”

Conner thought just a moment about gut-punching his partner before reaching the house but decided it wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t drooling, for God’s sake.

But his eyes were drawn back to her jeans one more time.

Adrienne Jeffries was definitely not some middle-aged woman who had worked for the Bureau a decade ago. Something was not adding up between what Chief Logan Kelly had told them and what Conner was seeing with his own eyes.

If she had been the Bloodhound for the FBI, then she would have been a teenager when it had happened. He knew that couldn’t be right. Something did not fit in this situation.

Adrienne made her way through the back door, not gesturing for the men to follow, but at least not slamming the door behind her. Conner and Seth followed her and found themselves in the kitchen. The room, like everything else they’d seen on the ranch—the front porch, the steps, the barn, her jeans—Conner quickly pushed that thought away—was clean but worn.

Adrienne crossed over to the sink, filled a glass with water and drank it down without stopping. Only afterward did she place the glass on the counter and turn to face them.

“Have a seat.” She gestured to the four chairs at the kitchen table. Conner took one and Seth took the one across from him.

Adrienne stayed where she was with her back against the sink counter. She didn’t offer them a drink or any food. Nor did she offer them any information. She didn’t exactly glare, but her gaze definitely wasn’t inviting. Conner reclined in his chair and returned the almost hostile look.

If this was the way she wanted to play it, that’s how he would play it.

Seth noticed Conner’s angry expression and sighed. They had played Good Cop–Bad Cop many times over the years, but it was usually Conner who was the good cop. He had a way of putting people at ease when he wanted to. But looking at the woman staring at him so haughtily, Conner had no desire to play good cop today.

“Ms. Jeffries,” Seth took over, “we’d like to ask you a few questions about your...contract work for the FBI.”

“What about it?” Adrienne spoke to Seth but continued to glare at Conner. Conner glared back.

Seth sighed again. “Can you tell us the nature of the work you did for the Bureau?”

Adrienne finally looked over at Seth, her stance softening a bit. “Why don’t you tell me what you know, and I’ll fill in some gaps.”

Conner cut in. “How old are you?”

The glare was back at him now. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you that is a rude question? Besides, I’m sure you have a fancy FBI file on me with that sort of information.”

Seth smiled engagingly. “You’d be surprised at how sparse your file is.”

Some of the heat left Adrienne’s eyes. “I’m twenty-eight.”

Conner shook his head. That could not be right. “Are you sure?” he demanded more gruffly than he intended. He heard Seth sigh again.

“Am I sure?” All the hostility was back. “Am I sure how old I am? Wait, let me get out all my fingers and toes so I’m sure I haven’t miscounted.”

“I didn’t mean that. I just mean, now is not the time to lie about your age for vanity’s sake or some such nonsense.”

“I am quite sure of how old I am and have no need to lie about it. Twenty-eight.”

Seth jumped in, obviously trying to instill some reason into the situation. “I think what my partner means, Ms. Jeffries, is that, if you are twenty-eight years old and worked for the FBI ten years ago, that would’ve made you pretty young.”

Adrienne looked away but not before Conner saw shadows looming in her eyes. “Let’s just say the FBI made a special exception in my case.” She walked over and got her wallet from a purse hanging on a wall hook. She took out her driver’s license and threw it down on top of the table.

“Twenty-eight.” Seth glanced at it then slid the license over to Conner.

She wasn’t lying. He supposed the ID could be forged, but it didn’t seem like there was much purpose to it.

That meant she had been eighteen years old when she’d been the Bloodhound for the FBI. No wonder all the information was blacked out in that damn file.

“Still rude to ask,” Adrienne muttered under her breath from back at her perch at the sink.

Conner knew he should apologize but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Twenty-eight or not, this woman was getting under his skin.

Seth attempted to start again. “Obviously there’s a lot we don’t know, Ms. Jeffries. If you would be willing to help us fill in the holes, this would probably be a lot easier on all of us.”

“Please, call me Adrienne, Agent Harrington.” The invitation was very obviously not extended to Conner.

“Thanks, Adrienne. And you’re welcome to call me Seth.” She smiled sweetly at Seth, and Conner thought he might have to jump out of his chair and stand between the two of them. Neither of them seemed to notice his strange behavior, thank God. He needed to calm the hell down.

“Could you tell us what you did for the FBI?” Seth asked her with a smile that had Conner ready to jump up again.

Calm. Down. What in the world was the matter with him?

“I’m sure you’ve heard rumors. I have a special talent. I can profile evil very well.”

Seth nodded. “Exactly how did you use your talent to help the Bureau?”

“The closer I am to a person with malicious intent, the more clearly I can sense what the person is thinking. And I don’t have to be near the actual person. I can be around something he or she has touched or been near and be able to ‘read’ the evil.”

“Bloodhound,” Conner muttered under his breath, shaking his head. He still didn’t believe any of it.

“Yes, it’s an accurate description, I suppose.” Adrienne’s smile was rueful. “Although I was glad nobody ever called me that to my face. Teenage girls don’t respond well to being told they’re like a dog.”

Conner still did not like this teenager talk. He planned to have a discussion about Adrienne with Chief Kelly as soon as possible.

“So you’re a psychic? Or an empath or something like that?” Harrington asked gently, although his doubts crept into his tone.

“No, not really. I don’t have superpowers. I can’t read people’s minds or anything. I don’t feel what other people are feeling. Like, if you were sad right now, I wouldn’t feel your sadness. Really it’s just evil I feel, malicious intent. It’s kind of like they draw me into their thoughts.”

“Why? How?” Conner didn’t attempt to hide his incredulity at all.

“I don’t know. Some people are terribly sensitive to heat or light. My brain is just sensitive to negative energy.”

“Do you feel it about everybody?”

“No. Most people aren’t menacing. They can be catty and rude, but usually it’s due to their own insecurity rather than actual malevolence.”

“So how do you ‘sense’ it? Do you see images? Have visions?” Seth asked.

“Hear little voices in your head?” Conner tagged on.

Adrienne ignored Conner. “The closer I am to the person—in terms of physical proximity—the clearer I can sense everything. From far away it’s like seeing and hearing through multiple panes of glass—difficult to make out the details. If I am close, it’s like being inside someone’s head. I can see and hear everything.”

Conner didn’t believe any of this. “So what if I want you to demonstrate your ‘powers’? Can you do that?”

Adrienne’s irritated gaze swung around to Conner again. “Not really.”

“Well, that’s pretty convenient, isn’t it?” Conner snapped.

More glaring was shared between Adrienne and Conner. “It’s not a dog and pony show, Special Agent Jackass.”

That got a snicker from Seth.

“And no offense, but I don’t owe you anything.”

Conner stood up before he was even aware of what he was doing and took a step toward Adrienne. What was it about this one tiny woman that made him feel like he was about to jump out of his own skin?

Fortunately Seth waylaid him before he had a chance to... Conner had no idea what he would’ve done when he reached Adrienne.

“Adrienne, can you excuse us for a moment? I need to discuss a text I just received with Agent Perigo out on the porch.”

Seth grabbed Conner’s arm—hard—and began pushing him through the small living room and out the front door.

“What?” Conner barked at him the moment the door was closed.

“You’re asking me what?” There was obviously no text Seth wanted to show him. “I was just wondering if you wanted to arrest her. Maybe you’ve got her fingered as our killer.”

“What?” Conner felt like a parrot.

“Well, the way you’ve been treating her, Agent Jackass, is like she’s a perp, or at the very least some sort of hostile witness.”

Conner rubbed his hand over his face wearily. Everything Harrington was saying was true.

“I don’t know what the hell’s the matter with me, Seth.”

“I don’t know either, but you’ve got to get yourself under control. She’s not the bad guy here.”

“I know.”

“You think this is a waste of time, Con, I get that. And to be honest, I don’t know what to believe, either. But if what she’s saying—what Chief Kelly said—is true...”

“Then it could really be the break in the case we’ve been hoping for,” Conner finished for him.

“You don’t like her, for whatever reason. Fine. But let’s see what she can do.”

Conner almost corrected Seth but stopped. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Adrienne Jeffries—he hadn’t made up his mind whether he liked the little spitfire or not. But liking or disliking didn’t really seem to matter. He was affected by her. And it made him damn uncomfortable.

“All right, I’ll behave.”

Seth looked relieved. “Good.”

They walked back through the door and into the kitchen.

“Saving the world one text at a time?” Adrienne asked with one brow cocked. She had taken a seat at the table in the chair farthest away from where Conner had been sitting.

“Something like that.” Seth smiled.

Conner didn’t say anything. He figured opening his mouth would just get him in trouble.

“You two must be on some pretty big case for the FBI to put you at my doorstep after all these years.”

“We are. It’s gruesome,” Seth informed her.

“And you were told I could help.”

Both men nodded.

Adrienne continued. “And when they sent you out here to bring me back, did they warn you I would tell you to go screw yourselves?”

Chapter Three

Adrienne could not believe it was all happening again.

She would not let the FBI just walk in and take over her life. She was older now, wiser. And she knew the toll using her gift to help the FBI would take. She had lived through it before.

Barely.

She knew Special Agent Friendly and his sidekick Special Agent Hot-But-Annoying sitting at her kitchen table really had no idea what her gifts were or what her life had been like ten years ago when she had worked for the Bureau.

Worked. Adrienne barely restrained a bark of laughter. More like duped and manipulated.

She knew Agent Hot, excuse me, Agent Perigo was particularly skeptical. Adrienne wasn’t offended by that. But there was something about him that made her slightly crazy. She had spent the past twenty minutes itching to slap the alternating smug and hostile looks off his face. Either that or jump his bones.

Adrienne had been downright shocked when she had returned Ruby Tuesday to the barn and found the two men standing there with Vincent. Whenever someone unfamiliar was around, Adrienne could always sense it.

Unless they had some sort of malevolent side, she couldn’t see their thoughts, but everyone—good or bad—gave off some sort of buzz that she picked up on in her brain. With familiar people she had learned to ignore it, the way someone ignores the slight sound a computer or TV makes when it’s on but has no volume. Just the slightest buzz. The more people that were around, the louder the buzz.

But Adrienne had heard nothing when she had walked into the barn. That’s why she had been so shocked to see the agents—she hadn’t heard their buzz.

Nothing. As a matter of fact, she still couldn’t hear it.

But they were here, and they wanted her help. She couldn’t afford to help them. The best thing she could do, she knew, was be cold and turn them away. But looking at Agent Perigo, she knew turning them away would not be easy.

“Guys, I appreciate that you’ve come all the way out here. But Chief Kelly shouldn’t have sent you. Whatever your case is, I can’t help you.”

“Adrienne...” Agent Harrington began in a cajoling tone.

“Can’t or won’t?” Perigo interrupted Harrington and got right to the point.

The urge to slap Perigo was itching its way through Adrienne’s palm again. “I have responsibilities here.”

“The FBI would more than compensate you for your time. Plus, don’t you have Vincent to run things for you if you’re gone?” Perigo continued.

“It’s not just that,” Adrienne backpedaled.

“Then what is it, Adrienne?” Seth asked in a concerned voice. He sounded completely sincere. Adrienne wondered for a moment if he practiced that voice.

“There’s a discomfort that comes with using my gift.” That was putting it ridiculously mildly. “Plus, like I said, I can’t—or am not willing to—uproot my life. I’m needed here.”

Adrienne watched as the two men looked at each other across the table, communicating without speaking. Obviously there was a plan B, although it looked as though both of them found the thought of it distasteful.

“Adrienne, we were sent here by our superiors with a directive to obtain your cooperation in our case.” Agent Harrington paused, but she knew his statement wasn’t finished. She didn’t have long to wait. “By any means available to us.”

Adrienne looked at Harrington, then Agent Perigo, confused. “‘Any means available?’ Are you planning on making me leave the ranch at gunpoint?”

“No. Nothing so drastic, I assure you,” Harrington responded with a smile. “But our instructions are to either bring you back with us or bring in your ranch manager, Mr. Vincent.”

“Why Vince? What does he have to do with this?”

Agent Perigo interjected, “Do you make a practice of hiring and cohabiting with convicted felons or fugitives on your ranch?”

“What?” Adrienne expressed her shock before she could help herself. Not a good logistical move.

“So you’re unaware of Mr. Vincent’s past history and that he is currently wanted in the state of Nevada for parole violation?”

Adrienne shook her head. “I knew he had some trouble with the law a while ago. But he never offered much information about it, and I never asked.”

Harrington leaned toward her. “Isn’t it dangerous to work and live with a man you know so little about?”

Adrienne smiled grimly. She had never been concerned about her safety with Vince—she had known from the beginning he meant her no harm. That was one of the few good things about her gift. “Let’s just say that my talent makes me an excellent judge of character. Vince would never harm me.”

Agent Perigo sighed. “Regardless. Our instructions are clear. We’re either to bring you in or bring Rick Vincent in. You choose.”

Adrienne could feel temper rising up through her body. Obviously nobody in the FBI had changed in the past decade. They still didn’t care who they used—or used up—to get what they wanted.

“Common blackmail? Is that what the FBI has resorted to?” It was all she could do to keep her fist from banging down on the table.

Harrington reached a hand out toward her, but she jerked back in her seat. “Ms. Jeffries.”

At least he had the sense to revert to last names if they were going to use blackmail.

“We have to uphold the law. There is a warrant out for Mr. Vincent’s arrest.”

“That you will conveniently overlook if I agree to help the FBI on the case.”

Agent Harrington cleared his throat. “Let’s just say, if we had your help on the case, we would probably be so busy, we may totally forget we even saw Rick Vincent here.”

Adrienne was too angry to say anything. She did not want to be forced back into helping the FBI but couldn’t stand the thought of Vincent going to prison. The older man had no evil in him whatsoever. Whatever crime he had committed, it was in a past far behind him. Now he was kind and helpful and wonderful with the horses, if a little gruff with people.

They sat in silence for long moments. Adrienne had no idea what the FBI agents were thinking, but they wisely did not give voice to their thoughts. She glanced at Harrington first but found him looking down at his hands. She then glanced over at Agent Perigo with hesitation, unsure of what she would find.

He met her eyes directly. Instead of the hostility she had expected to see, she found sincerity and the slightest hint of compassion. No matter what he thought of her abilities, or her personally, he obviously found this stalemate distasteful.

And he had the most gorgeous green eyes she had ever seen. Just the slightest hint of gold in them. For the first time Adrienne wished she had met Agent Perigo under different circumstances. Wished he didn’t work for an organization that was sure to leave her broken by the time this was all over.

Adrienne looked away from Agent Perigo’s piercing eyes and down at her kitchen table. She couldn’t see any way out of this. She wasn’t going to let anything happen to Vincent, as long as there were any other options. Plus she was older now, wiser, more able to protect herself from the FBI. Because she had no doubt that what had happened before, ten years ago, would happen again if she wasn’t careful. The solution was making sure it didn’t repeat itself.

Of course she had no idea how to do that.

She looked up from the scarred kitchen table, hoping she didn’t resemble it by the time this was all over.

“Okay, fine. I’ll help you.”

An hour later, just before lunch, Adrienne watched Agents Perigo and Harrington drive away. She had been given instructions about where and when to report tomorrow, and had assured them she would be there. Then, just before leaving, Agent Perigo made a special trip out to the barn to say goodbye to Vincent. All for Adrienne’s benefit.

Jackass. Obviously, she had been mistaken about any compassion she had seen in him.

Vince immediately knew something was up.

“That FBI agent came out to the barn to say goodbye to me,” the older man stated as he washed his hands for lunch. “Seemed a mite odd.”

Adrienne rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know. If it helps, I think it was a gesture meant for me, not you.”

“We never really talked much about you working for the FBI.”

Adrienne began making each of them a sandwich. “I worked for them briefly years ago. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. Not something I discuss much.”

“I’ve found, in my general experience, that anything having to do with law enforcement is not a pleasant experience.”

Adrienne smiled at that. Although her and Vince’s experiences with law enforcement were different, the resulting feelings were the same.

“And now they want you to come back and work for them again?” the older man asked.

Adrienne slapped mustard onto the sandwich and rubbed it around with more force than necessary. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“But you don’t want to go back to work for them.”

“My life is here. My responsibilities are here.” More mustard was slapped on the other piece of bread.

“Well now, you know I can handle everything around here if you needed to go off somewhere. This place isn’t so big that one person can’t hold down the fort for a while. You did it for long enough before I came along.”