Conceal, Protect - By Carol Ericson Page 0,57
ride back in the truck to your place. Did Zach ever come out to my ranch to tow your truck?”
“Yeah, he did. Too bad he wasn’t still there when I returned. Those clowns never would’ve tried that stunt if Zach had been there.”
Noelle gave her a tight smile. If Zach had been there at the same time as the clowns, he’d be dead.
J.D. followed her out of the sheriff’s substation and into the frigid air. The pale yellow sun had already disappeared behind the mountains, leaving a biting cold to take over the night.
Their boots crunched the snow in unison, the only sound between them, as they walked toward the Buck Ridge Lodge. The bright lights and warmth of the lobby had them shedding their jackets as soon as they walked through the door.
Chatty skiers and boarders looking for some warmth and atmosphere clustered around the fireplace, so J.D. steered her toward a couple of armchairs in the corner.
Noelle tossed her jacket over the back of the chair and swept the hat from her head before collapsing against the soft cushions. Extending her legs in front of her, she tapped her boots together. “If Abby put those plans on my laptop, Zendaris has them now.”
“How did he know to go after the computer?”
“You’re asking me?” She spun her cap around one hand. “They probably saw your rental missing from the ranch and when they saw Tara pull up in my truck, they figured they hit pay dirt.”
“You think they mistook her for you?”
“Makes sense. We look similar, unlike Bruce and Ted. By the time they realized their error, they’d spotted the laptop, some lightbulbs went off in their heads and they grabbed it.”
“I hope that’s the way it went down.” He chewed on the side of his thumb, deep lines bracketing his mouth.
“You hope? How is that in any way a good scenario?”
J.D. sat forward, wedging his forearms on his thighs. “Because the alternative is that they somehow knew about the laptop, and how could they know about the laptop unless they were bugging us.”
“Bugging us?” Goose bumps raced up her back despite the heat of the room, and she eyed the bag at her feet as if it had just sprouted ears.
“When were we talking about the laptop? In my rental SUV on the way over here.”
“But then they would’ve known Tara had my truck, and they would’ve known I wasn’t in it when she pulled into the ranch.”
“So? They weren’t after you at that point. They figured they’d check the truck for the laptop and if it wasn’t there, they’d break into your house again while we were gone.”
“And if they put some kind of listening device in your truck, maybe they put a GPS monitor on it at the same time.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know when they would’ve had time to do that. The only time the SUV was out of my sight was when I parked it in front of your house when I brought you home. I think we would’ve noticed a couple of men out front tinkering with my rental car.”
Noelle cleared her throat. “We were busy at the time.”
“You’re right.” He raised a brow in her direction. “During our, uh, interlude, I wouldn’t have noticed a 747 landing in your driveway.”
She pinned her hands between her knees. He’d admitted he’d been totally focused on her while she’d been focused on...a rug. “Then they could’ve done it.”
“I’ll give it a sweep when we get back inside.”
“However they figured out to nab the laptop, I’m so grateful they didn’t hurt Tara. I couldn’t take having three...” She broke off, a flush creeping from her chest to her face under his dark gaze.
“I’m glad Tara’s safe, but this still means Zendaris may have gotten those plans back. And if he did? The U.S. military can say goodbye to one of the most effective weapons we have against terrorists.”
“It’s all supposition, J.D. We have no idea whether or not Abby loaded that file on my laptop.”
“I guess only time will tell.”
“You mean we have to wait until our drone fleet starts mysteriously falling out of the sky?”
“I mean, we’ll know as soon as the threats against you stop.”
That little flare of hope danced in her chest, and she folded her arms across it. Besides, did she really believe J.D. would be hanging around Buck Ridge with her once Zendaris’s men absconded with the plans?
She’d shut him down when he’d been naked, ready and willing to