Guardian Ranger by Cynthia Eden Read Free Book Online Page B

furious. He was justified. Someone had just blown up his station. Gunner was surprised he was keeping any level of cool.
    Sydney kept staring at him. Waiting. He could see her from the corner of his eye. The woman never gave up. Not on anything.
    Or anyone.
    “I don’t have a death wish,” Gunner told her quietly because it was obvious she wasn’t going to let this drop. “So don’t go running to Logan telling him I’m dangerous.”
    “That’s not what I meant—”
    He knew that. Sydney cared— that was the problem for them both. He tried to distract her, saying, “I didn’t even realize you had surveillance set up last night.” Now he felt as though he could glance back at her. “Tell me you caught sight of our killer.” An image of Cale would cement the case against him.
    She shook her head. “I’d just installed one camera. Thought it might be good to keep eyes on the station. I’d made it back to base and was testing the equipment when I saw—well, the flames were pretty hard to miss.” Her voice dropped. “I saw the men fall, then I saw you take off. I knew I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”
    “I can handle myself.” She should know that.
    “Can you?”
    Before he could respond to what Gunner was sure had to be a deliberate taunt, the sheriff glanced his way. Then Wyatt began to march toward him.
    “Wyatt Halliday,” Sydney murmured. “Divorced, age thirty-four. Did a brief tour in the army, got a BA in criminal justice from Texas A&M. Got shot in Dallas, almost died tracking a perp, and then the guy came out here. Guess he was looking for some peace and quiet.”
    Peace and quiet weren’t on the day’s agenda.
    Wyatt huffed as he approached. “You.” He jabbed a finger at Gunner. “We need to talk.”
    Gunner shrugged. Then he inclined his head toward Sydney. “This is Special Agent Sydney Sloan.” That was her title at the EOD. He hadn’t exactly lied to the sheriff just now. He was just letting him believe Sydney was a special agent with the FBI.
    Wyatt hesitated. His gaze darted to Sydney. Lingered just a little too long for Gunner’s comfort.
    “You wanted to talk?” Gunner snapped, trying to draw Wyatt’s attention away from Sydney.
    Wyatt jerked his gaze back to Gunner. “I want to know what’s going on. I got a friend at the bureau. I called him. He said there weren’t any missing persons’ cases that fit this attack profile, that he didn’t know of a suspected perp who—”
    Gunner raised his hand. “I’m not in town to investigate kidnappings. That was a cover I needed to give until we could get my team better established in Whiskey Ridge.” Just like his cover with the FBI. But Sydney would have put safeguards in place for the FBI bit. If anyone investigated, if the sheriff got too curious, he’d find that there was a record for a Special Agent Gunner Ortez and a record for Special Agent Sydney Sloan.
    Sydney was always good at creating the covers.
    “Then just why are you in town?” Wyatt pushed. “And why is my station destroyed?”
    How much should he reveal? How much did the sheriff already know? It was hard to get a good read on the man.
    “It’s about Cale Lane, isn’t it?” Wyatt dropped his voice and edged closer. “Veronica was right. Something has happened to him.”
    Not to him so much. With the sheriff’s question, Gunner knew how to play the case now. “We are in town following up on Cale’s disappearance.”
    Wyatt grunted. “I knew Veronica wouldn’t give up. She called you in, didn’t she?”
    “Yes,” Sydney said. “She got our attention.”
    Well, Gunner knew that the lady had certainly gotten Jasper’s attention.
    Wyatt glanced over his shoulder at the charred remains of his station. “What Cale does, it’s dangerous. He knows the risks that he takes, but I don’t think Veronica ever really understood just how deadly his job could be.”
    Gunner frowned as he got what Wyatt was saying and what he wasn’t saying.