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Undercover Warrior
A NAVAJO UNDERCOVER AGENT COMES TO THE RESCUE OF AN INNOCENT VICTIM IN ANOTHER COPPER CANYON MYSTERY BY AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR AIMÉE THURLO.
Erin Barrett was the sole survivor of an armed assault on her company. Her saving grace? Undercover agent Kyle Goodluck, who’d grown from troubled youth to total warrior. Though he agreed to protect Erin, he still had unanswered questions. Starting with how much she could be trusted. But only Erin knew what these terrorists wanted—and were willing to kill for. Kyle just had to gauge how forthcoming she was going to be about it. Standing their ground as New Mexico heated up with cross fire, Kyle wouldn’t settle for anything less than absolute victory. And with Erin as his spirit guide, he wouldn’t have to settle for anything anymore….
“From this point on, expect the unexpected. That’s how you’ll stay alive.”
His bluntness made a chill run up her spine.
Agent Goodluck stood straight, shoulders thrown back—a warrior’s stance. The black leather jacket enhanced his powerful build. Everything about him spoke of unwavering self-assurance.
The full impact of what had happened slammed into her again. Men she’d never seen before had tried to kill her. One of the gunmen had actually died less than ten feet from her. What was worse, she might still be a target.
Tremors ripped through her and she folded her arms around her middle, as if trying to hug herself.
A heartbeat later, Kyle threw his black leather jacket over her shoulders.
“No, I’m okay,” she managed.
“You’re holding it together, but that’s not the same as okay,” he said, his voice gentle.
Maybe not, but she couldn’t show him how badly she wanted him to wrap his powerful arms around her and never let go.
Undercover Warrior
Aimée Thurlo
AIMÉE THURLO is an internationally known bestselling author of mystery and romantic suspense novels. She’s the winner of a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews, a New Mexico Book Award in contemporary fiction and a Willa Cather Award in the same category.
Aimée was born in Havana, Cuba, and lives with her husband of forty-three years in Corrales, New Mexico, in a rural neighborhood filled with horses, alpacas, camels and other assorted livestock. Her husband, David, was raised on the Navajo Indian Nation. His background and cultural knowledge inspire many of her stories.
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Kyle Goodluck—His last assignment for NCIS ended in tragedy. Now he was at home, working undercover, on the trail of terrorists. His chief suspect was dead, and the only witness, Erin Barrett, was under his protection. Erin was temptation itself, dangerous to be around—no matter where her loyalties lay.
Erin Barrett—Her boss, Hank Leland, was killed right before her eyes, but she’d been rescued just in time by the rugged Navajo man who insisted he was with the IRS. All she wanted in life was to raise enough money to buy her own farm. Now her life was a nightmare, and her only hope rested with a man she couldn’t trust. Kyle was destined to break her heart...if they lived long enough.
Preston Bowman—He was a Hartley detective, and Kyle was his foster brother. Together they had to learn why Hank Leland had been killed, and what his connection was to a terrorist cell planning an imminent attack. Who were Hank’s contacts, and why were they so interested in Erin Barrett?
Bruce Leland—Even Hank, his brother, couldn’t trust him, and after Hank was killed, Bruce was caught breaking into his home. Bruce was clearly a man with a gambling addiction, but was he also a traitor?
Frieda Martinez—Hank’s flashy girlfriend easily attracted men, first Bruce, then his brother. Yet the moment he was killed she dropped out of sight. Now the search was on for the woman who held the key to murder...and maybe more.
Ed Huff—He was the bartender at the Quarter Horse Bar where Frieda worked as a waitress. He knew she was trouble from the start. The woman had secrets, but Ed knew how to use those to his own advantage. Just how far he could push her was anyone’s guess.
Joe Pacheco—Joe was a retired police officer well known in the community. Now he worked for Secure Construction, Hank’s company. When Hank was killed, Joe became a target. He needed help, but Joe didn’t trust the Feds, NCIS included.
Ron Mora—The paralegal worked for Moe Jenner, Hank’s attorney. When the well-known lawyer disappeared, Ron refused to help them find his boss. Either Ron was covering for Jenner, or something illegal was going on.
Every author has special friends. This is our way of thanking those of you who have made our work possible through a smile, an encouraging word or by simply believing in us.
With that in mind, this book is dedicated to DZ, Sheila and Duffy.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Extract
Chapter One
Kyle Goodluck liked living on the edge. He carried his NCIS badge with honor, stood tall and faced things squarely. He’d served his country well, first as a marine and now as a federal agent. This time the case he was working on had brought him back home.
Kyle watched his brother, Hartley Police Detective Preston Bowman, take a call. Preston’s face was characteristically impassive and hard. Once finished, he put the cell phone back in his pocket.
“Sorry for the interruption,” Preston said. “Now talk to me. What’s going on? I thought you were going to turn in your badge and come home for good this time.”
He wouldn’t lie to his brother, but Kyle wasn’t above sidestepping the issue. “You know how it goes. Sometimes you have to step back and think hard about long-term decisions, particularly ones that’ll affect your future.”
“So you’re not ready to talk about what’s really going on.”
He laughed. “Nothing much gets past you, does it? Forgot who I was dealing with for a sec.”
“You and I have always been able to read each other,” Preston said. “I’m guessing you’re under orders, but this is my turf. You may need my help and HPD’s cooperation somewhere along the way. Keeping us in the dark is a bad idea.”
“I hear you—loud and clear.” Preston’s warning was unmistakable. He wouldn’t take it well if an undercover op went down under his nose and he knew nothing about it. Unfortunately, orders were orders.
“I better be shoving off,” Preston said. “Where are you planning to stay? You can use the ranch house at Copper Canyon, if you want. We’ve continued with the upgrades and it’s in pretty decent shape right now. You’ve also got Hosteen Silver’s letter waiting for you there...,” he said, pausing for a reaction.
“No way I’m opening that, buddy. The first four of us who did ended up getting married. I’m leaving that envelope unopened in the desk drawer for the foreseeable future.”
“Coward.”
“Guilty,” Kyle answered laughing. “Hosteen Silver was a good hataalii,” he said, using the Navajo word for medicine man. “He could do some amazing things, like predicting future events, but sometimes it’s better not to know.”
“There’s a lot to be said for advance notice,” Preston said. “Forewarned is forearmed.”
“Maybe, but my work, my life, is all based on what happens minute by minute. The future...well, it’s still going to be there waiting for me to arrive.”
“I hear you,” Preston answered.
Kyle phone’s rang, and seeing the display, he glanced back at his brother. “I’ve got to take this.”
Preston stood. “I’m going to work. You know how to get hold of me if you need me.”
As Preston left the table, Kyle answered the call. “Kyle here.”
“We’ve had a new development,” Martin Hamilton said. “Call me back on a secure phone.”
The next thing he heard was a dial tone.
Slipping into his black leather jacket—the early-morning fall breeze was brisk—Kyle walked out to his service-provided SUV. He’d arrived about three hours ahead of the man he was supposed to tail, and had found the $100K prize waiting for him at the airport. His ride had come equipped with bulletproof windows, integral ceramic and Kevlar armor, a special mobile data terminal and satellite phone in the center console. GPS tracking gear was also hidden within the body, so his exact location would always be known to any agency with the right equipment.
Under the seat was an easy access M4 selective fire assault rifle with night vision capability and three thirty-round magazines. The spare-tire compartment contained tear gas, smoke and flashbang grenades beside a first-aid and survival kit that would provide a week of food and water for two people. No spare tire was needed because they were all run-flat, immune to road hazards, spike belts and any weapons smaller than fifty caliber.
He picked up the satellite phone and entered the number. It was answered almost immediately at the other end by a female voice he recognized.
“Hello, Kyle,” a rich, sultry voice greeted. “In place yet?”
“You bet. Just heard the boss wants to talk.”
“I know. Don’t I always? Patching you through now.”
A moment later, a male voice came through clearly. “Regarding your target, Lieutenant Henry Leland. Any suspicious activity, any contacts?”
“No. This morning Leland’s at Secure Construction. I’ve monitored his movements since his arrival. I’m currently down the street. He’s there with his regular staff.”
“Unless there’s a specific reason for keeping him under surveillance, I suggest you break cover and meet up with him. He just called NCIS and asked for our help. He says he’s being blackmailed by terrorists.”
“Interesting development. What are my orders?”
“Check out his story, then stick to him like glue. Find out every detail of what’s going on, and keep me in the loop. Leland just spent weeks in Spain at a U.S. naval base, working in restricted areas. We could be talking about a major breach in security.”
“Copy that.”
Kyle switched on the ignition, pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street, alert for anything that might seem off or unusual. Nothing drew his attention. It was just another weekday morning in Hartley, New Mexico, a town just off the rez in the Four Corners region of the state.
This section of town was industrial, and most of the businesses were oil and gas field related. There were container-storage or building-supply warehouses and the occasional hole-in-the-wall fast-food place or gas station.
Kyle approached Secure Construction’s five-acre, fenced compound from the east, passing the large warehouse and model structures, which were facing the street for maximum exposure. Ahead was the big double gate, parking lot and offices. All the buildings were constructed from the strong, corrugated metal-ceramic laminate components the company had built its reputation upon.
Making a right hand turn through the open gates into the parking lot, Kyle noted two vehicles in front of the office. One was Hank Leland’s Silverado pickup, the same truck Kyle had bugged, followed here from the airport last night and, lastly, to Leland’s home. This morning its travel route had been more direct—home to office.
Just then a man in a light jacket and ball cap stepped out of the office’s front entrance, Leland right behind him. Another man was on Leland’s heels. Behind them, a woman was being forcibly pulled along by a third man.
Kyle recognized the stunning brunette from her file photo. It was Erin Barrett, Leland’s office manager. Either Leland and the woman had just been arrested by undercover cops, or something was seriously wrong. His gut went with the latter option.
Kyle whipped his SUV around and skidded to a stop, placing his vehicle between him and the people coming down the sidewalk.
The man closest to him suddenly raised a pistol and pointed it at Kyle. “Stay in the car!” he ordered.
“Help!” the woman screamed.
Operating on instinct and training, Kyle threw open his door, reaching for his holstered Glock at the same time his feet touched the asphalt.
The men opened fire and he ducked down, moving forward behind the engine block as he heard bullets slapping against the passenger’s side of his SUV. Taking a quick glance around the front end bumper, he saw Hank and the woman trying to pull free of their captors.
All three men had pistols out now, pointed in his direction. As Kyle ducked below the engine block, two more rounds whistled just over the hood. Kyle hit the ground, rolled left, and brought up his .40 caliber Glock.
The kidnappers sidestepped to their right, holding their hostages in front of them. They were moving too quickly for him to get a clear shot, so he rolled back to the right under the open door, jumped up and reached into the SUV. Holstering the Glock, he unhooked the latch holding the M4 assault rifle in place beneath the seat, and brought out the weapon.
Kyle ran around to the rear of his vehicle, still staying behind cover. He fed a round into the chamber, and thumbed off the safety, aiming his weapon as he came into view. The kidnappers had already slipped out of sight around the far corner of the office building, pulling along their hostages.
In a crouch, Kyle hurried to the opposite end of the building, veering to his right, sights on the back corner, waiting for someone to poke their head around.
He went down on one knee, and waited, finger on the trigger. Suddenly someone hurtled into view. His training forced him to ID the target before firing, and in that split second he saw it was the woman, Erin. She’d been shoved out to draw his fire.
“Hug the wall,” he yelled to her, firing at the corner of the building just to the right of her. There was a groan and a man staggered out into the open, pistol falling from his outstretched hand as he clutched his chest.
It wasn’t Hank—he’d known it wouldn’t be. Only the bad guys would have pushed Erin out as a target.
Whirling around to his left, he heard then saw another of the armed men who’d circled back around the front of the building. As the man raised his pistol and fired, Kyle dodged, stepping toward the side of the building and out of his line of sight. The bullet tore off a chunk of building corner, but whistled behind him.
Kyle ran to the woman, who was crouched low, hugging the wall and staring in wide-eyed shock at the man on the ground in front of her. Kyle could tell at a glance that the gunman wouldn’t be getting back up—at least not in this world. “Stay down. They’re going to circle back around to the front!”
Just to be sure, Kyle took a quick glance around the back, and, as he’d guessed, nobody was there anymore. He stepped closer, placing himself between Erin and the front, his M4 in position to take out anyone stupid enough to look around the corner.
“They’ve got Hank!” she whispered, reaching for the pistol on the ground. She pulled back the slide just enough to verify a round was in the chamber, then checked the safety.
Surprised, he looked directly at her. “You know how to use that?”
“I was born and raised in rural New Mexico. Of course I do.”
He gave her a quick grin. Beautiful and gutsy. He liked her already. “Okay. Watch yourself,” he said, never taking his eyes off the corner as he stepped forward.
Crouching low, he inched around and aimed his weapon at the two men holding Hank between them. Both were looking away, one at the far corner, the other at the street.
Silently, he moved across the gravel and managed to outflank them, placing himself in a position to cut them off if they ran for the street exit. “Put down your weapons or I’ll drop you!” he yelled.
Both spun around and fired, one shot shattering an office window behind him, the other tugging at Kyle’s left shoulder, ripping fabric not flesh.
The sudden distraction gave Hank Leland a chance. He broke free and ran for his life toward the street.
Hearing screeching tires as a gray van raced into the parking lot, Kyle hit the ground and rolled. “Hank, watch out!” he yelled seconds too late.
The van’s passenger-side front end suddenly struck Leland head-on, throwing him up into the air. Hank landed with a thud on the asphalt fifteen feet away, right in front of the fleeing gunmen.
As the van skidded to a stop, Kyle rose to one knee, weapon up. That’s when he saw the assault-rifle barrel poking from the driver’s-side window. He only had one quick look at the face but it was a woman, and she looked pissed.
He dove behind a whiskey-barrel planter to his left as a flurry of rounds dug into the ground where he’d been only a few seconds ago.
Prone, Kyle brought his M4 around and aimed it at the van. The men had stopped long enough to grab Hank by the arms and were dragging his inert form toward the van.
Kyle fired two quick rounds, aiming high, not wanting to hit Hank, but hoping to force them to let him go.
It worked. They dropped him and piled into the van.
Kyle rolled behind the barrel just as the woman fired another burst, showering him with chunks of the oak barrel. He moved to the left this time, but his own SUV was in his line of fire now, shielding the van as it backed up.
Jumping to his feet, Kyle tried to get a clear shot, but there was a school bus passing by on the street. He couldn’t risk it.
Hearing running footsteps behind him, he turned his head and saw Erin Barrett jogging toward him in a crouch, gun down at her side. Her eyes were on Hank.
As the van raced down the street and disappeared around a corner, she ran across the asphalt and knelt by the wounded man. “Hank, don’t you dare let them win. You fight and stay here with us!”
Kyle was already dialing 911 when she turned her head to look up at him, fear mirrored on her face.
“Who are you, and why didn’t you get here sooner?”
The question threw him for a beat. “I’m an agent with the IRS,” he said, using the cover that usually brought questions from the curious to an abrupt stop. “Help will be here soon,” he said, coming up to her. “Mr. Leland’s still breathing, so he’s got a chance, just don’t move him. The bleeding isn’t bad, but he undoubtedly has broken bones and internal injuries.”
She put her hand on Leland’s. “I’m here, Hank. Hang on.”
He watched her, trying to figure out if she was a well-placed mole working with terrorists, or the real deal. Until he knew, trusting her was out of the question.
Chapter Two
Erin held on to Hank’s hand and continued talking to him. She remembered someone, somewhere, saying that even if you were unconscious you might still be able to hear others.
“You can get through this,” Erin repeated, her voice trembling. Desperate to sound as if she believed what she was saying, she cleared her throat and tried again, squeezing his hand very gently. “Don’t give up.”
As the ambulance arrived and the medical team rushed over, she rose to her feet and stepped back, allowing the EMTs to work. The Navajo man who’d saved her life, shooting the gunman who’d pushed her out into the line of fire, joined her.
“What’s your name?” she managed. He was almost a foot taller than her, and his eyes were dark as midnight. They held an intensity that scared her a bit, too, even though she knew she had nothing to fear from him. If it hadn’t been for this man, she might have been dead by now.
“I’m Agent Kyle Goodluck, IRS. Who were those people with the guns? Do you know any of them?”
Goodluck... She was alive, and so was Hank at the moment, so maybe he’d lived up to his name. She tried to smile, but the sickeningly sweet scent of blood was making her head spin. “I’ve never seen them before.”
“Did Hank know them?”
“I’m not sure.” Seeing him searching the ground, she added, “Did you lose something?”
“I’m hoping to find a cell phone someone may have dropped during the gun battle. Do you have yours and did Hank have one on him?”
“No. Hank said he left his at home, and mine’s on my desk. They made me leave it behind.”
Fueled by intense fear, her mind was racing. Something about Kyle Goodluck didn’t add up. “You said you’re IRS, but you came armed...and you’ve had combat training,” she added, struggling to focus. She was so scared she couldn’t stop shaking. “I never knew the IRS carried weapons.”
“Field agents are usually armed,” he said. “Didn’t Hank mention I was coming to interview him?”
Seeing her shake her head, he continued. “I was sent to check out some discrepancies in the purchase orders he filed with the Department of Defense.” He pulled out his cover government photo ID, flashed his badge, then quickly placed it all back into his pocket. “If you’re worried, the local police will vouch for me.”
She wanted to trust this man, after all, he’d saved her life, but something was telling her to hold back. “You don’t have to protect me anymore,” she said, noticing how closely he stood. “They’re gone now.”
“For the moment. You’ve seen these people up close and that makes you a threat to them,” he said. “From this point on, expect the unexpected. That’s how you’ll stay alive.”
His bluntness made a chill run up her spine. Agent Goodluck stood straight, shoulders thrown back, a warrior’s stance. The black leather jacket enhanced his powerful build. Everything about him spoke of unwavering self-assurance. She didn’t know much about Kyle Goodluck, but she had a feeling that this was a man who seldom, if ever, second-guessed himself.
“There’s Detective Bowman,” Erin said, seeing a familiar face step out of an unmarked SUV. “I remember him from one of the fund-raisers Hank held for the local police. His brother Daniel’s in the security business, too.”
“I know. They’re my brothers,” Kyle said.
She blinked, surprised by the revelation.
As her gaze shifted to the EMTs still working on Hank, the full impact of what had happened slammed into her again. Men she’d never seen before had tried to kill her and Hank. One of the gunmen had actually died less than ten feet from her. What was worse, she might still be a target.
Tremors ripped through her and she folded her arms around her middle, as if trying to hug herself.
A heartbeat later, Kyle threw his black leather jacket over her shoulders.
“No, I’m okay,” she managed.
“You’re holding it together, but that’s not the same as okay,” he said, his voice gentle.
As Preston came up, he nodded to Erin, then glared at his brother. “Interesting meeting you here so soon after our coffee break. What’s the story?”
