Chapter 10 - Andi’s Hideout
Chapter 10
Andi’s Hideout
Cloudy Saturday afternoon
Andi Delane was dressed in jeans and an orange sweatshirt with GO COYOTES across her chest when the deputy knocked on the cabin door.
He straightened to full attention as if making a formal call. “Morning, ma’am. I wasn’t sure you’d be here. I was called into the office to be briefed.”
She managed a quick smile as she lied. “I try to be truthful, Deputy. If I say I’ll be somewhere, I will. Besides, I have a tell when I lie.” Andi moved back into the cabin to pick up her jacket. “If you ever discover it, you’ll be able to read me.”
Andi watched him as he told her he’d left a twig in the tiny crack between the door and the frame. “If you’d opened the door one inch, I would have known you went out. If the twig had fallen, I’d know someone tried the lock while you slept.”
“Thanks for telling me, Deputy. I found the twig ten minutes after you left. I set a few traps, if anyone tries to bother me. I appreciate you watching over me, just don’t get in my way. I’m used to working alone.”
For a few minutes they just stood there at the door staring at one another. She noted the facts. Tall, muscles from working at something other than investigating, she guessed. Hair more rust colored than red. Gave off a nonchalant attitude but watched everything. She had thought he was a complete doofus at first, an easy assessment. But she’d also learned how deceiving first impressions could be. It was one thing she was very careful about when in deep cover, to keep reinforcing those initial perceptions to prevent perps from reassessing her. Even though this was a small town, there was no such thing as too careful. He might give off dumb jock vibes, but she suspected there might be more under the surface.
As she kept studying the deputy, she felt a sadness about him. For once he wasn’t smiling his happy-go-lucky smile. She told herself she didn’t believe in aura, but she did trust her gut, and this morning it sensed a sorrow, a loss so deep she wanted to know more, to reach out.
I’m cracking up, she almost said aloud. Andi never, never, reached out to people. Maybe it was better if she knew nothing about the deputy’s thoughts and simply focused on facts.
The deputy looked nervous. She hadn’t asked him in and she didn’t close the door in his face. It was like life had stopped for a second but her brain was still firing.
She pointed to the porch chair. “I won’t be long. I have research to finish.” Leaving the door open, she turned and walked back in, watching him in the mirror on the opposite wall above the recliner.
The deputy seemed to have some trouble getting comfortable in an old chair on the porch that needed to be turned into firewood. “It’s a bit cool out here,” he grumbled.
A blanket flew through the open door and landed on his chest, and he spread it over himself. He was quiet while she typed and cussed silently. Frustration grew as the computer misspelled word after word. Her focus was clearly not what it should be this morning. She called the device several creative names, but it still refused to work right. She cursed under her breath every time she had to backspace and try again.
His words came softly. “I worried about you out here. You’re tall, but you’d be no match for a bar fighter. And from your cussing you’re losing that fight with the laptop.”
“Thanks for sharing,” she said between silent cusswords. “But you can rest easy; I’m well-armed.”
“I know you’re armed and aware of how alone you are out here.”
“Right,” she said and smiled in spite of her irritation at the computer.
He straightened and watched her directly. “You’re clearly not a criminal, but the sheriff talks about you like you’re made of glass, which is the direct opposite of what I’m seeing. No one in the office is allowed to ask, or answer, questions about you. The sheriff doesn’t even talk to the Texas Ranger who revolves through our back door like he’s welcome.” The deputy paused his monologue.
Without a word she stood and walked out of his sight and over to the bed. Andi buckled her customized duty belt around her waist. It was a special stripped-down version for undercover work, with a small flashlight on one side and a hunting knife on the other. It molded to her form over her jeans and was well covered by the Clifton College sweatshirt she’d bought in the bookshop. It’s not that his words made her nervous, but it was more the fact that an easygoing place like Honey Creek could lull anyone into complacency. Knowing these tools were within her grasp was a reminder that things were never as calm or simple as they seemed.
She glanced toward the porch and couldn’t resist goading him a bit. “A few more hours and we can get some food, maybe.”
He growled as he tried to get comfortable and she fought down a giggle. The big guy was so completely real. In her world of fake identities and lying criminals, it was a nice change and one she was starting to get used to. Part of her liked the fact that this was one person who was what he was, all the time, every day. A little piece of her wondered what it might be like to live in a world of real, honest people again. It was attractive and a little scary. Even honest people can disappoint you and she knew better than to open herself up to someone, anyone, so completely. She’d been there before. Still, this place fit like a well-worn shoe. Comfortable, welcoming, and easy.
She worked while the deputy slept on the cabin porch like a protective Rottweiler.
Two hours passed with lightning speed as she searched for anything to lead her to her brothers or tell her more about the man that fathered them all. She read town histories, searched local family trees, and even looked through online cemetery records trying to connect people together. While she didn’t find much about Morrell, she did learn that the people of this whole area were woven together like thin strands of a spider’s web. They were either directly related, related by marriage, or offspring of hookups and poor decisions. It was good information, as it was clear that any poking around that was not done carefully would be town gossip in hours, if not minutes.
There was movement on the porch and Andi grinned to herself as the deputy woke, roared like a hungry bear, and poked his head into her one-room cabin. “I kept you safe as promised. Now are we gonna eat?”
She looked at him a moment and thought. From what she’d learned, the gossip wagon was probably already trying to figure out who she was. Some kind of believable cover story, within the sheriff’s department at least, seemed prudent. No information was worse than some information, even if it wasn’t exactly true. She quickly improvised something believable.
“To answer some of the questions I’m sure you have, Deputy, I’m actually a pilot hired by the Dallas PD. Mostly I make maps over rough land or fly some big shot to a meeting. I don’t tell people where I’m headed. It’s safer for me and them.” She lifted one eyebrow as she watched him take in every word. The job description wasn’t quite accurate, but it was just enough to dull the roar of questions that swirled around. “Because of my job I stay on alert. There are a few bad guys who’d pay money to know my flight plan or get to people that I’m transporting.”
She hesitated, allowing that information to sink in, and could tell the deputy believed the story. She might need this man’s help at some point, so creating an ally was critical.
“I never fly around here because this valley doesn’t have an airstrip.”
“A few months ago, I was spotted somewhere by the wrong people. I reported it to my supervisor. He said for me to stay out of that region for a while. Then a man, who shouldn’t even be in the States, was arrested. He had a photo of me in his pocket. It was grainy but it was me, and that’s how we learned there’s a price on my head.”
The deputy stepped back as she walked out on the porch and turned toward him, leaning back on the railing. “Most of the time my job is boring, but now and then I fly into a place where criminals don’t want company. It’s usually best if I’m just a ghost passing by. I get out of danger as fast as I can.”
She smiled a sad smile. “This isn’t where I want to be right now, but I’m grateful for a place to hide out and stay off the grid until things blow over. So far, I have to say the town and the welcome”—she motioned to him—“has been top-notch.”
“I understand. I’ll keep that information private; you can rest assured. It also lets me know how serious the threat is and that we really need to be as aware as possible.” He crossed his arms and met her gaze with solid confidence. “I appreciate you trusting me.”
She nodded as if they’d just shared their deepest secrets, but she knew that too much information wouldn’t help either one of them, so giving just enough was the right move.
Pop told her once that she had an ear for the truth and because of that, she knew how the truth sounded and how to create full confidence in another person that her words were real. In deep cover you had to tell believable lies and she was very good at it. From the time she was a child, Andi could accurately read people and it still amazed her how many people didn’t have that same skill, especially in law enforcement. The deputy seemed to be one of those rare souls who assumed people were mostly good, or at least well intentioned, and the others were just misguided.
The deputy waited as she grabbed her jacket.
“You think you could call me Danny or even Dan?” he asked with a smile. “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together and we ought to be on a first-name basis. Especially if I’m going to be Festus to your Marshal Dillon.”
She looked at him, confused.
“You know, Gunsmoke.”
“What is Gunsmoke?”
He shook his head as she walked in front of him and down the steps. “Bless your heart, girl. How could you not know Gunsmoke? My grandpa has every episode ever made. Had me convert eighty-four old VHS tapes so he could still watch them. When I was a kid, I thought the actors were my relatives because we talked about them so often.” He grinned. “I’ll download a few episodes and bring them by for you to watch.”
“Okay, thanks. Let’s go get some lunch.” She couldn’t have cared less about some old Western show, but if that was part of creating an ally then so be it. The deputy double-checked that the cabin door was locked securely and reset his twig trap, then got into the truck with her.
Andi said, “I also need to talk to you about that idea you had last night.”
“What idea?” He backed the truck out of the campground and headed toward the center of town. “I don’t remember many ideas lately. I average four hours of sleep after following you around, and in my sleep, I’m usually guarding you.”
Andi noticed one side of his hair was sticking straight up. She had to fight the urge to push it down.
Bad idea. Don’t get too close.
Half the time she wanted to slug him for tailing her so obviously, but she had to remember that she needed allies, not friends. Stay on point, she reminded herself.
“The idea you had about me being your girlfriend, Deputy. I mean, Danny. That might be a good cover. It would explain why we are always together.” She plunged into her reasoning before he asked too many questions. “Unless we want the gossip to get out of hand, we need something plausible. If they see us together, eating, riding around town or whatever, I think it’s much better to say we are old friends that are dating rather than them make up wild stories.”
She stared at his errant hair while he processed what she was saying. She thought a moment. “We knew each other at Texas Tech. Noah told me you went there. Around here it’s a good idea to know the school song. Alumni tend to break out in song when they meet.”
Danny propped one elbow up on the open window of the truck and rubbed a finger across his chin, thinking it through. Finally, he said, “You’re right about the gossip in this town; it makes ‘might have’ into ‘probably a fact’ lightning fast. Truth rattles around on the country roads. Just the number of reports we get of someone scratching their own car door is nuts.”
Andi frowned. What? She doubted the people here were that crazy, but whatever. She could see him getting on board with this idea.
“I appreciate you considering it. Now that you know how vital it is that I lay low, you know it’s not just a game we are playing.”
“Understood. I can certainly play the part of an old friend, or even boyfriend if you like, and people in town might be a bit more friendly toward you.”
Andi breathed a sigh of relief. There was now no time to waste with the second part of her plan. From her research, she knew this deputy’s family roots ran deep in the whole area and he could be very helpful getting the information she had been searching for.
“One other thing you should know. I chose to come to Honey Creek because apparently my real father, who I never met, is from here. The lawyer called my mother and told her he had died and that I had brothers. I thought that would be a good excuse to hide out here instead of somewhere else. I’d like to find those brothers if possible.”
Danny rubbed his chin again. “Who was your dad?”
“Not dad really, more like sperm donor.”
The deputy grinned and she smiled back. This was going well. “Jamie Morrell.”
He frowned. “Hmm. Jamie Morrell. It doesn’t ring a bell right off, but I’ll think on it and ask around a bit.”
“I’d appreciate it.” Andi reminded herself to remain stoic, but she was thrilled at how easily he agreed to everything.
She looked at his solid, muscular frame. “What about pretending we are a couple? Do you really think you can do it?”
“I can pull it off, of course.” He raised a skeptical brow. “But not sure you can. No one will believe we are a couple if you keep treating me like a brainless chump.”
Andi stilled. She hadn’t been vigilant enough, big mistake. She studied him out of the corner of her eye as he focused on the road. The deputy didn’t play himself up, but she caught him logging everything he saw or heard. She always prided herself on being the smartest person in the room, not only because her life depended on it, but because she could accurately read everyone else’s motives. Had he guessed hers?
She chose a different angle. “Well, clearly you were a jock in high school and I’ll admit I didn’t have many deep conversations with those types back in the day.”
He smiled. “People can surprise you.”
Not likely.She blew it off and refused to be rattled. “Well, if you don’t think it’s believable that you’d be dating someone like me, then we can rethink it.”
“I don’t know if that is an insult or a compliment.” He pushed back his hat and dug fingers through his sunshine-red hair. “Let me be sure I have your story straight.”
The way he said the word story got another glance from Andi.
“You came to Honey Creek to lay low because some bad guy put a price on your head. So now, because you don’t have anything to do, you plan to find brothers you don’t even know?” He looked at her again.
“Well, yeah. That’s how it has worked out.”
Moments ticked by as he slid the hat back into place and pulled up to the café. “I can toe that line for a while.”
Andi’s gut flashed warning signs. She’d had less trouble convincing cartel chiefs she was on their side. She was definitely losing her touch if she couldn’t convince one mid-level deputy in Tiny Town USA.
She wondered at his hesitancy. “Don’t tell me you already have a girlfriend or a wife. That will kill the plan.”
“No. No girlfriend or wife, not even a woman who talks to me on a regular basis. So, the problem isn’t me so much as it is the perception in town that I don’t date.”
“Why? Are girls not your thing?”
They sat in the silent truck a moment as the deputy turned a stone face in her direction. “Lady, you’re the one asking for my help and I don’t appreciate women who manipulate and push people’s buttons to get their way, understand?”
His tone shivered up her spine and gave her the idea this guy had a real bad-ass side he rarely showed. She went into professional cop mode. “Got it. My apologies, Deputy. How do you want to proceed?”
He opened his door and looked at her. “Follow my lead and don’t act stupid.” He got out and headed to the sidewalk.
Andi almost kicked her door open. The nerve of this guy. In no way did she put him in charge of this little theater act, and who was he, of all people, to tell her not to act stupid? As far as she could see, he’d pretty much cornered the market on that. She marched up to him as he put a hand on the café door. Her head leaned back to allow him full view of her withering glare.
“Now remember to smile, sweet pea.” He grinned and opened the door, firmly guiding her forward with a beefy hand on her back.
Dan hesitated for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the café interior and then followed Andi to an open table. He set his hat on an empty chair and grabbed a menu from the center of the table. Andi followed suit. A fifty-something waitress with glasses and short salt-and-pepper curls quickly appeared and grinned at him. “Well, what do we have here, Dan?” She looked at Andi.
He gave her a big goofy smile. “Just an old friend from college, Betty. Wanted to bring her by for a real green-chile cheeseburger.” He motioned across the table. “This is Andi.”
Andi nodded at the waitress. “Nice to meet you.”
They quickly ordered and Dan could tell there was still a little steam coming off Andi’s face from their exchange in the truck. Good. She deserved it. She’d been downright nasty since he’d started tailing her, and he had discovered that getting under her skin was more fun than expected. Sure, she was hot, but she knew it too and used it effectively, and that was not exactly attractive. However, seeing her riled up made his heart beat triple time, and what was the harm in that?
He wasn’t quite sure what her game was, but this little turn of events was interesting. He had to watch her either way and this way was a lot more fun, not to mention the fact he got to eat on a regular basis.
“So”—he smiled at Andi’s clenched teeth and lowered his voice—“I have to tell you I’m not a pro at dating. Haven’t done it for a long time.”
“You don’t say.” Sarcasm dripped off her words.
“I know it’s hard to believe,” he continued as if clueless to her irritation, “but it’s true. I seem to struggle to figure out what makes women happy.”
“Shocking.”
“I guess my real skill is pissing them off; that I’m really good at that.”
“You seem so proud.” Her lips drew into a thin, tight smile.
He shrugged as their iced tea arrived. “It’s a gift I think.”
He could almost feel the eye roll as he took a big gulp of tea. It occurred to him this could be the highlight of his year, so why not just go with it? She’d treated him like he was stupid from the first second, so playing that role had come easy. No reason not to, she’d be gone soon anyway, and it was better than writing reports.
They sat in silence for a while and Dan glanced around the café. It was clear they were the center of attention. “This little act isn’t gonna fly if you sit there angry and pouting the whole time we eat.”
After lunch, Dan paid at the counter. When he saw her frown, he said, “You can get the next bill if you like, but I don’t mind picking up the tab. After all, you are my date.”
She started to argue but then stopped. If they were playing this game in front of the town, they might as well make it look real.
He slipped his arm around her shoulder and looked down at her as if he’d just ordered dessert.
She smiled as she circled his waist. Nothing personal, just part of the game.
Dan noticed a light honeysuckle scent rose from her hair that tickled his chin while the rest of her body fit right into his. He’d never held a tall woman this close and had to admit it was fantastic. She was slender, but strong.
A teen rushed past Andi with a bump.
Dan pulled her a few inches closer.
“Sorry,” the kid yelled to apologize to Andi as he pulled the door open. “I’ll be late to class.”
Andi smiled. “No harm done.”
The teen glanced up at Dan’s frown and quickly disappeared.
Dan loosened his grip on her. “You okay?”
“Yep.” She slid to the side and grabbed his arm, and they walked out together looking very much like a couple.
Her touch on his bicep was feather soft, but he felt every single nerve cell firing. His skin tremored involuntarily, and he hoped she didn’t notice. He opened the truck’s passenger door and her hand slid from his arm and down his back a short distance as she got into the truck. The firestorm across his skin was like a lightning bolt and he breathed deep, trying to calm his racing thoughts as he walked around the truck and climbed in.
This is never going to work, he said to himself. Playing this game was the most frightening thing he’d done in three years.
They rode in uncomfortable silence until they arrived back at the cabin. Dan turned the engine off, and Andi smiled a little but didn’t look at him.
Dan waited a moment in silence, then said, “Sorry if I overstepped a little back in the café.”
She didn’t say a word.
He tried again. “I guess I’m not used to being touched or touching anyone. When the kid ran into you, I may have overreacted.”
No reason not to admit it, he decided. “I guess I’m a born protector.”
“Noted.” She climbed out of the truck, walked toward the porch, unlocked the cabin, and disappeared. No comment.
Dan sat in the quiet for a minute wondering if maybe, just maybe, he’d bitten off more than he could chew this time.
With his luck, Dan wouldn’t figure Andi out before he was to date for real.
It occurred to him that maybe he should protect himself from her. She seemed to be made of steel.
A grin spread across his face as he remembered the fire that shot through him when she was against him for a moment.
No doubt. He was the moth and she was the light. He’d be careful or he’d be burned, and at this point he didn’t care.