Mission Undercover

Gabriel sighed then moved toward the sink in the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and Holly noticed his hands shaking, no doubt from the adrenaline of having a gun shoved in his face.

“I’m sorry about all this,” Blake said, obviously noticing it, too. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Gabriel gave a small laugh. “I’ll admit when I saw you I thought they’d finally sent someone to kill me.”

“They? Do you know who is in charge of the operation?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Will you help us?” Holly asked him. “We need to get out of town but all the roads are blocked.”

He nodded and set down his glass. “They’ve got the town locked down looking for you.” He glanced at Holly. “You’re Jim Mathis’s wife, aren’t you? He was a good cop.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Holly said, her heart warming at the memory of Jimmy.

“Why is Mason after you?” he asked Holly.

“I thought he was obsessed with me, but now I believe he found out my husband was investigating him and was only trying to find out if Jimmy had told me anything about him. I guess he’s decided it doesn’t matter and he’s trying to cut his losses. I should have filed charges against him for harassment months ago, but I’d hoped it would go away on its own.” She sighed and glanced at Blake. “Now I know it wouldn’t have done any good anyway. Chief Waggoner is just as dirty as Mason.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened. “The chief?” He shook his head as if absorbing the new information. “I should have known. That’s why none of the reports of Mason’s activities ever brought any consequences.” He sighed and looked at Blake. “How do I know you’re not feeding me a line? How can I believe you?”

Blake handed him a card. “Call this number and ask for Matt Ross. He’s my DEA contact. He’ll fill you in on the investigation.”

Gabriel glanced at it then reached for his phone and stepped out of earshot to make the call.

Holly watched Blake wearing a circle in the old shag rug, but she was feeling optimistic. She touched his arm, wanting to reassure him. “I think this was a good call. He seems like a decent guy.”

“Hopefully, he can help us.” He placed his hand over hers and she felt a spark of electricity. She glanced up to see if he’d noticed it, too, and found his blue eyes gazing longingly at her. “I’m sorry I got you into this,” he said, his voice low and deep.

She shuddered at the timbre of it but rushed to reassure him.

“You didn’t. You saved my life today. Twice.” She felt the sudden urge to fling herself into his arms and find comfort in his embrace. But she tamped down that feeling and took a step away from him, breaking the connection. She had to remain on alert and that meant reigning in her emotions, especially in front of someone she was depending on to get her through this.

Gabriel reappeared from the kitchen. “You checked out. How can I help you?”

“We need to get out of town. Any suggestions?”

“Well, the roads may be blocked, but you could go across the lake. I have a boat docked at the marina. They might not be able to monitor the entire lake.”

Blake glanced at her and Holly nodded. That was the best idea she’d heard in a while and hope bubbled anew. “We’ll try that.”

Gabriel removed a set of keys from a hook by the door. “It’s at the Bridge Bay Marina, slip eighteen. I’ll drive you.”

“That’s not necessary,” Blake said.

But Gabriel wouldn’t hear of it. “I insist. I want to make certain you make it out of town safely. I’ve been working secretly with Mayor Banks to try to clean up the force. We had no idea the Feds were already involved. It’s good to have someone else on the side of justice.”

They loaded into his SUV and headed toward the lake.

Holly sat back and found herself praying they would make it. It was still her instinct to go to God with her troubles, but she wouldn’t allow herself to. God had let her down too many times. She had only Blake to depend on now.

Gabriel turned into the marina and cut the engine.

Blake pulled out his gun and reached for the door handle. “Let me check it out first to make sure the coast is clear.”

He got out and disappeared down the pier. Holly watched him anxiously. Her nerves were on edge, but with a hopeful excitement for a change. If they were able to reach the boat and make it across the lake, she might finally be able to put this nightmare behind her. She wished she had Jimmy’s journal with her to hand over to Blake. She could trust him with it now. He could pass it along to his DEA friend and perhaps some good would come from Jimmy’s final investigation. She smiled, liking the thought that he was still reaching out, still helping the fight for justice, even from the grave.

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