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More importantly, the sheriff’s department didn’t have Peckham in custody yet. No way he was letting her out of his sight until their number one suspect was neutralized.
He parked the Jeep between the hangar and the one usable airstrip. The sun was behind them, ready to slip behind the ten thousand foot Sierra peaks and plunge the broad valley into darkness. But for now, it bathed the eastern hills in golden light. The desert stretched out in front of them, shimmering beneath the red-gold rays. Anyone who thought the high desert had nothing to offer had to be blind.
Tai crunched a sunflower seed between his teeth and spit out the hulls. “Jay-man picked a choice piece of property. I’m not a desert guy, but this is…” He shook his shaggy head. “I had no idea it would be this beautiful here.” He offered the open bag to Jane.
She plunged her hand inside. “Most people don’t.”
Tai smiled. “A well-kept secret.”
“Exactly.” Jane popped a seed into her mouth.
She reached for the coffee she’d set on the Jeep’s bumper, her eyes on the sapphire sky. “So run this by me one more time. How’s this going to prove Billy has been the one threatening the pastor and me?”
Bridger waved off Tai’s offer of sunflower seeds. “I figure if we make it known that your pastor’s skipping town in the morning, whoever’s been after him will make a final run at him.”
“Or it’s Billy, and nothing will happen.”
“Or that. In which case, your preacher gets to take a private jet to pick up his wife.”
The sweet sound of a finely-tuned Pratt & Whitney engine caught Bridger’s ear. Shielding his eyes against the late afternoon sun, he watched the elegant turboprop circle around for a landing.
“Right on time,” Tai noted.
Not that Kate Hackett would be anything less. The woman was as precise as she was fierce. Unlike the man she was hauling with her. Bridger laughed silently. What had it taken to get the mess that was Fenn Scarborough into that plane on schedule?
Despite his fears for Jane, and Jason, the anticipation of being reunited with his teammates lifted his spirits.
“Too bad they’re not bringing the rest of the crew,” Tai said, reading his thoughts, as usual.
He shook his head. “Overkill.”
Tai snorted. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Reinforcements were hardly necessary. He and Tai could handle things, but this ruse would end things more quickly. Plus, he wanted to bring his friends up to speed on Jason’s situation in person. And, though he’d never admit it, he missed his peeps.
“Use the eastern-most runway,” Tai instructed over the portable radio. “It’s the only functioning strip.”
“Roger that.” Kate Hackett’s calm voice came over the speaker. “East runway.”
Face hidden behind her dark aviator shades, the major floated the plane to the tarmac with her usual finesse.
Tai whistled softly. “Woman hasn’t lost a step.” He pointed the handheld at the cockpit. “Looks like Scarborough arrived in one piece.”
“Yup.”
“He and Hackett get along about as well as ice cream and tuna,” Tai explained to Jane.
Bridger grinned. “It’ll be good for them.”
“No,” Tai insisted. “It won’t.”
Yeah. Maybe not. If the look on Kate’s face as she exited the plane was any indication, ol’ Fenn was lucky he was still breathing. Good thing it had been a short flight from San Diego.
Kate strode down the steps, head high. The dark blue tie of her borrowed pilot’s uniform flapped in the cold breeze. Funny. He’d never actually seen her in uniform in all the years they worked together. Covert ops didn’t lend themselves to spit shine and chest medals.
Tai hooted, waving the pair over to the hangar. “What’s the deal, Scarborough? Couldn’t you find a tighter uniform?”
Probably not. If the guy breathed deep, he was going to pop a button. Not that the man they called Boy Toy would care if he did. Tall, blond, and handsome, Scarborough was a babe-magnet of the first degree. Perfect cover for the brilliant mind behind the too-white smile.
