Rafe could tell she was upset without becoming irrational. That was a definite plus. Convincing her to step away at this last crucial juncture might not be as hard as he’d anticipated. One of the reasons he’d told her details of the plan ahead of time was to give her a chance to think things through and accept the inevitable. Fortunately, it was beginning to look as if that was exactly what she’d done.

  Swiveling in his seat as far as possible without removing his seatbelt, Rafe looked back at Hannah. Her features were as pretty as ever but there was a disquieting glint in her eyes. “I really am sorry about this. You know I’d have included you if it was possible. After all you’ve been through you deserve to be in on the capture.”

  “I’m glad somebody realizes that.” He saw her gaze dart to the back of her grandmother’s head for an instant. “I’m not the orphaned Lassiter kid anymore. I don’t need coddling.”

  “Loving and protecting you is not coddling,” Lucy shot back. “You will always be my precious grandbaby.”

  “I’m not a baby,” Hannah said. “Not anymore.”

  Rafe decided it was time to interrupt. “Okay, ladies, let’s talk about where we’re going and what’s expected of us when we get there.”

  Hannah huffed. “Why tell me?”

  He ignored the gibe. “Members of law enforcement attempted to infiltrate the hotel staff and failed. None of Fleming’s people could be bribed or coerced so they don’t have anyone inside who can pass them the information they need for the final takedown.”

  “Why not just storm the place?” Hannah asked. “They know where Deuce is and where the victims are, don’t they?”

  “That’s part of the problem.” Rafe looked to Lucy, wanting her okay to proceed. When she merely gripped the steering wheel and stared at the road ahead he continued anyway.

  “We believe that the people we want to rescue, including Kristy, are being held somewhere else. They’re supposed to be brought to the hotel and then leave with the Fleming gang.”

  “You’re sure?” Hannah asked.

  Shrugging, Rafe said, “As sure as we can be. Listening devices on the outside have picked up most of what we know. It looks like Fleming’s pride is going to be his downfall. He wants to be able to personally march those prisoners aboard the plane so they’ll all know who’s the boss. If he’d shipped them off in smaller bunches we might have already missed saving some.”

  “I don’t get why he chose to rendezvous on Gabaret. I’d think he’d be safer in a much more crowded area the way you’re planning on meeting the strike team.”

  “Overconfidence, I think,” Rafe said. “After everything he’s gotten away with, in and out of prison, I suspect he’s feeling invincible.”

  “I suppose it’s possible. He never struck me as foolish, though. I mean, look how he manipulated me.”

  “That success undoubtedly bolstered his ego which is another element in our favor.”

  “And a very good reason why the takedown should include me,” Hannah argued.

  Studying her expression as he commiserated, Rafe was certain she had come to terms with the inevitable change about to take place. One side of him wanted to continue to work beside Hannah. A more practical side insisted it was wiser to leave her behind and substitute an armed, trained professional. Assuming his goal was to protect Hannah, and it was, he had to choose leaving her behind. The problem was how to justify that conclusion without revealing how fond of her he’d grown in the short time they’d spent together. It was bad enough that he, himself, knew.

  If they hadn’t been currently confined to the car he’d have taken her hand again and led her aside to privately explain his dilemma. He could do that later. He would do it. In the meantime he stared through the windshield and wondered how such a clear, beautiful morning could be so fraught with danger, with the very real threat of death.

  “Not Hannah,” Rafe prayed in a whisper that was muted by the roar of the powerful engine. He blinked to clear his vision. “Please Lord, watch over Hannah.”

  That prayer was still echoing in his mind when Lucy pulled off the highway and into a spacious, busy truck stop.

  Rafe kept checking and assessing their surroundings until he spotted a handful of white patrol cars and a mobile command center van with a satellite dish mounted on its roof.

  If he had been positive there were no double-minded officers in this group he might have actually been able to let down his guard enough to relax.

  * * *

  Watching her grandmother and Rafe greeting the officers at the command center vehicle, Hannah took a deep breath and sighed once before leashing Thor. “Okay big boy, you behave now, you hear?”

  Panting, he seemed to smile up at her.

  “That’s a good boy. Let’s go.”

  In no hurry to relinquish control of the basically untrained K-9, she stepped out of the SUV. Thor was behaving as though he had accepted her authority. What he might do if they were physically separated was another story. Besides, she reasoned, Deuce Fleming knew what she looked like. He’d been in her training classes at Lyell. How any substitute expected to fool him was beyond her.

  Nevertheless, she did respect the police and the tough job they were tasked with doing. Under her breath she murmured a surrender prayer and approached the people Gram and Rafe were speaking with.

  A man wearing a black protective vest over totally nondescript black clothing nodded to acknowledge her and went on addressing the others. “We’re waiting for news from our spotters on the arrival of the victims. They’re being delivered in small batches, which is why we didn’t move in sooner. Once Fleming knows we’re on to him and his operation he’ll stop everything and we might lose any who haven’t already arrived.”

  “You don’t have info on all branches of his organization?”

  “We know a lot. Trouble is, we can’t be sure we’re not missing anybody.”

  That made sense to Hannah. Sort of. If she had been in charge she knew she’d have wanted to storm the hotel ASAP and clearly that was not for the best. Which is why they’re running things and I’m not, she told herself. In the background she noticed a young woman whose build and hair color were similar to hers. Although this woman wore the same kind of protective vest the other team members did, she wasn’t in uniform.

  Hannah tightened her hold on Thor’s leash. Sensing her nervousness the dog pressed his shoulder to the side of her leg and leaned in. She rested her free hand atop his broad head to comfort him and spoke softly. “It’s okay, boy. It’s okay.”

  But it wasn’t, was it? The dog might not know they were about to be separated, but he’d sensed tension in the atmosphere around the group of vehicles.

  The agent in charge motioned to her. “Bring the dog.”

  “Thor, heel,” was all Hannah said, starting forward. She was met halfway by the woman officer she’d noticed.

  “My name is Layla,” the policewoman said, taking off aviator sunglasses, then offering her hand.

  Hannah shook it reluctantly. “This is Thor. Please understand. He’s new and hasn’t had a lot of training. He understands basic commands, just don’t make the mistake of counting on him the way you would a fully vetted working K-9.”

  Scowling, Layla turned to her superior. “I thought you said the dog was a pro.”

  “We thought he was.” Stepping aside he spoke into his radio, then returned. “We’ll use him anyway.”

  Layla held out her open hand. It was all Hannah could do to force herself to pass the leash. Once the officer had assumed command she gave a tug. “C’mon, dog.”

  Thor sat on his haunches and refused to leave Hannah’s side.

  “Tell him to come with me,” Layla ordered.

  “Even if I do that and he obeys here and now, what’s to say he’ll act normal later when you need him? Deuce not only knows my face, he’s seen me handling Thor. No matter how good your disguise is, you can’t fool the dog and that means you won’t fool Fleming and his men, either.”

  When Layla wrapped a length of Thor’s leash around her hand and dragged his paws across the asphalt, Hannah had had enough. “Stop that. You’ll hurt him.”

  “Then do something about him,” the female officer said in a raised voice that was attracting the attention of her fellow officers as well as passersby.

  “Give me that.” Hannah jerked the leash from her hand and resumed command of the frightened shepherd. Together they approached and faced the agent in charge. “The dog stays with me.”

  “We want to use him as part of this operation. If I’d known he wasn’t properly trained I’d have had another German shepherd standing by.”

  “Well, you don’t. You have Thor and you have me. I’ve worked one-on-one with Deuce Fleming, and even with those sunglasses on, your substitute won’t pass for me. We both know it. Otherwise, why would you insist on using Thor to convince him?”

  Up to now, she had been ignoring Rafe and Gram. Now, she looked to both of them. “Tell him. Make him understand how right I am for this job.”

  Seeing them look at each other for long, silent moments Hannah was afraid they wouldn’t back her up. Then, in unison, they said, “She’s right.”

  Hannah was far too nervous to continue pleading her case so she simply stood there under the scrutiny of the top agent and tried to appear unruffled.

  Finally, he motioned to Layla. “Give her your vest and earbud.”

  “But, sir...”

  “We have to take a chance.” He pointed to Rafe and Lucy. “These two are experienced enough for all three of them. We’re closer to breaking up this trafficking ring than we’ve ever been and I’m not about to let a four-legged problem mess things up. Lassiter goes with the dog.”

  Hannah’s heart cheered and she grinned so broadly her cheeks hurt. They were going to let her help avenge her murdered parents and make up for all the sacrifices Gram had made raising her. Moreover, she was going to get the chance to help Rafe rescue his partner’s daughter. Having met Andy, she knew how desperately Rafe needed to accomplish that, to be directly involved in not only solving the kidnapping but to also make amends for Andy’s on-the-job injury while they were working together.

  A sudden shiver snaked up her spine and prickled the hair at the nape of her neck. She had just talked her way back into imminent danger and it was dawning on her that she was about to walk smack into the presence of the man who hated her most in all the world. Plus, there was Thor to think of.

  “That’s why I need to go,” she muttered to herself, following Gram and Rafe back to their SUV. “The others are here to rescue people. I’m here to look after this loyal dog.”

  That conclusion made perfect sense. It also made her tremble all the way to her core and left her mouth so dry she could barely swallow.

  What she didn’t expect when she climbed into the vehicle with Thor was a barrage of intense chastisement from the very people she was there to help.

  SEVENTEEN

  Lucy led the tirade so well Rafe didn’t feel the need to do anything but agree. “What did you think you were doing back there, huh? Don’t you realize that taking care of you will put the rest of us in jeopardy?”

  “I’ve done all right so far,” Hannah reminded her grandmother.

  “Hah! You may be a crack shot but paper targets are a lot different than human ones.”

  “I could give her a crash course in tactics while you drive,” Rafe offered.

  “And accidentally shoot me through the seat back? No thank you.”

  The more he thought about it, the better he liked his idea. “No bullets. I’ll make sure the gun is empty. I just want to see how she handles it in case of emergency.”

  “Gram was right, I could never shoot anybody,” Hannah said.

  “You could hold someone at bay who didn’t know you were so softhearted.”

  It surprised him when she joked, “At least you didn’t say softheaded or wimpy.”

  “There is nothing wimpy about you,” Rafe assured her with a slight smile. “If anything, you’re too brave. Put that vest on under your hoodie so they can’t tell you’re protected.”

  Pausing as she complied, Rafe did the same with his. Lucy had already hidden her protective clothing like the old pro she was.

  “Okay,” Hannah said, smoothing the soft black fabric over the top of the bulky vest. “I just have one question.”

  “Shoot.”

  She snorted a chuckle. “Lousy choice of words. What I want to know is what happens if they don’t shoot me in the middle of my body where this thing protects me? Huh? What then?”

  Rafe answered, “You get hurt. Badly. So I suggest you plan to duck as often as possible. Best-case scenario, if we get captured, would be getting thrown into the holding cell with the prisoners so we could tell them they were about to be rescued and try to confirm that they’re all there.”

  “Terrific. What makes you think they’d let us keep our cell phones to report to the strike team?”

  He produced a tiny black object and held it out to her. “They won’t. That’s what this is for. It clips onto fabric and transmits up to a mile under ideal circumstances.” He fitted a pliable receiver into his ear and handed one to Lucy. “These will pick up what’s being said without any action on your part.”

  “Any crook worth his pay will find it on me.”

  “I agree,” Rafe said soberly. “That’s why you’re going to pin it on the inside of Thor’s harness. Only a fool would try to frisk a dog.”

  Seeing the sparkle in her eyes and the lopsided smile she was obviously trying to subdue endeared her to him. This was no normal woman. Hannah was so special he had no words to adequately describe her. She had adapted so well to their situation, it was akin to working with a fellow officer. Tenderhearted or not, she had what it took to do this job and do it well. She was intelligent, brave and quick-witted.

  And adorable, his mind added. No argument there.

  Tempted to voice his thoughts he spoke to Lucy, instead. “Pull over for a sec so I can trade seats with Thor and teach Hannah how to safely handle an automatic.”

  “The Glock I gave you?”

  “Yes.”

  She produced a smaller pistol and also handed that to him. “Use this one. It’s easier to work the slide. I had to switch to a smaller caliber when arthritis weakened my grip.”

  He accepted the extra gun, got out and waited until Hannah had sent Thor over the center console into the front passenger seat before he joined her. Judging by the way she was frowning, she was not thrilled with the lesson he was about to give while Lucy continued driving toward Gabaret.

  Rafe emptied both guns and checked to make sure there was no ammo left in the chambers after he dropped the clips. “First rule, never point a gun at anything unless you plan to shoot it.”

  “Well, duh. I know that. So, how am I supposed to hold anybody at bay if I don’t aim at them?” Hannah made such a ridiculous face he almost laughed. Instead, he said, “Okay. One exception. Just keep your finger off the trigger and lay it beside the trigger guard like this. See? It never touches the trigger unless you’re ready to fire.”

  As he handed it to her, empty, he felt her tremble as his fingers brushed against hers. Truth to tell, he wasn’t feeling all that steady about it either. To help distract himself, he concentrated on watching her hands and continuing the lesson. “Here’s the safety on this gun. It’s almost the same as the other weapon. You can disengage it with your thumb.”

  It pleased him that Hannah was able to follow his orders and had the grip strength to pull back the slide and chamber a round in the larger Glock 9mm. With his encouragement she handled both guns appropriately—until he reloaded them. Then, she acted as if she was holding a live rattlesnake. “I thought you were used to firearms.”

  “I am,” she countered. “It’s just different when I think about harming somebody.”

  Rafe reclaimed the guns, checked the clips before replacing them, then passed Lucy’s to her over the back of the seat. “Lesson finished. Too bad this isn’t the time or place to do some live firing so I can check her accuracy.”

  Snorting, the older woman tucked the gun into her belt. “Trust me. She’s got good aim. The question is whether or not she’s got the guts.”

  “Don’t be so cynical,” he warned, hoping the disparaging remark didn’t undermine Hannah’s confidence. He had no way of knowing what they were about to face or whether she’d need to actually use the gun to defend herself, but he hoped she’d never be tested under fire.

  “I won’t chicken out,” Hannah chimed in. “I promise. But shooting at somebody is going to be a last resort.” The wisp of a smile she gave Rafe grew broader when she added, “I’d much prefer swinging a frying pan or a baseball bat if I have to fight back.”

  “Let’s hope and pray this assignment is nothing like that,” Rafe said, almost ready to smile in spite of the circumstances.

  When Hannah added, “Or steaming hot water from a doggie spa,” he broke into a grin. “You are really something, you know that?”

  From the driver’s seat he heard Lucy muttering. “We all need our heads examined.”

  Sobered, Rafe stowed his Glock, reached for Hannah’s hands and clasped them in both of his. “What we’re about to do is very dangerous. You do realize that, don’t you?”

  “Meaning we could die? I get that. I also don’t think it’s my time to go.”

  “Nobody ever does.” Her grip on his fingers tightened as if she meant to comfort so he held fast, too. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes, making his own begin to water in spite of the macho image he carefully maintained. This woman got under his skin the way no one else ever had and he sensed a shared empathy that unnerved him. She understood how important it was to him to rescue Kristy and how Lucy had waited half a lifetime for the chance to avenge Hannah’s parents, but that wasn’t all. Somehow, Hannah had tapped into his heart and made herself at home there.