Page 70 of Canyon of Deceit
“Did I pick up some romantic vibe between you and Therese?”
“I’m right here,” she said. “Half asleep but my ears work just fine.”
I laughed. “I think we might be headed in the right direction. Had to face death to admit it. But we’re talking.”
“Both of you havethatlook.”
“Which is?” I said.
“Puppy dog eyes and a bit of sparkle.”
“Please,” she said, her blue-green eyes narrowing. “I haven’t sparkled in years.”
“You’ve spent too much time with your girls,” I said.
“Your time’s coming, brother. Don’t go against my orders and stay low. Have you seen the bruises on your left side? Your body’s gotta heal, and then we’ll arrest a few nasty Russians.”
Therese and I lingered by our assigned cars, me with a cast and head bandage and she with a body that Falin had used for a punching bag and a face-first fall.
“No more peregrine falcon feathers,” I said. “Hey, trivia here. Russia’s national bird is an eagle.”
Therese chuckled. “News to me. Strange since the two countries have different ideals.”
“Russia’s coat of arms is a two-headed golden eagle. Not sure why that popped into my head. Except to show what we’re up against.” I hesitated, convinced I was rambling. “I need sleep.”
“I’m right there with you. Text me later,” she said. “I want to make sure you’re all right.”
I blew out my frustration. “You’re the one. With a little rest we can talk about Rurik and the steps forward.”
“I want to call him tonight,” she said. “Conference you in?”
“Yep. We keep learning new things he’s neglected to tell us. If he and Falin were at one time brothers-in-law, what else is he hiding?”
“I doubt Alina knows he’s her uncle. She referred to him as sir or Mr. Falin.”
“Does seem odd... as though the two men weren’t as close as Rurik claimed.”
“I need to think about why Rurik kept the info from her.” She paused. “Why was Falin with his sister when she died instead of Rurik? And we can’t neglect Falin and Daria’s affair.”
“Should we record the call to Rurik?”
Loyalty to Therese’s friend and crossing the lines of professionalism warred in my sleep-deprived body. “I’d like Sergio be kept aware of every detail.”
She drew in a ragged breath. Without a doubt, Therese valued Alina’s welfare over logic. “I’m having problems thinking clearly. But at some point, I want to process Jurg Falin, the type of man who’d kill his family and friends.”
“The kind of ideology that has no room for sentiment or human values.”
—
THERESE
The Ranger and I talked little on my ride home, falling into the stereotypical quiet cowboy-Texas Ranger image. An unfamiliar black SUV, parked across the street from my brick one-story, caught myattention... Neighbors must have company. I slipped back into exhaustion mode, and I ignored the vehicle.
Gunfire broke out the moment we turned into my driveway. Bullets flew through the rear window and cracked the windshield. I ducked down into the backseat, and Wes did the same from the driver’s side. He lowered the windows and returned fire to whoever attacked us. Falin had taken my handgun, or I’d be firing back too. I needed a firearm, and I refused to sit there and have some shooter fill me with holes.
Wes phoned for backup while skepticism zipped through me of help not arriving in time. What about neighbors getting hurt or kids?
“Do you have another gun?” I said.
