By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

people knew they’d put a hit on their own bagman.”

      “If you have evidence, why not take them into custody?” Tucker had promised himself he’d keep his mouth shut. Tough. “Why Annie?”

      “Because we can’t use the recording of Annie’s phone call in court. These guys are tricky and they’ve run us in circles. I’m not too proud to say that Annie stepping up now is a godsend. We need to get at least one of them to speak. We’ve fed Annie specific questions to ask them.” She smiled at Annie. “You want to reassure your friend that you know what to say?”

      Friend? The word was like a slap to Tucker. They were so much more. He saw in Annie’s eyes that she was thinking the same thing.

      She gave him a serene smile. “I warned them on the phone that I have a duplicate set of flash drives in a safe deposit box, and that if anything happens to me, the information will go directly to the police. I’ll remind them as soon as I walk in. They know I’ve disappeared once and think I only came back because I’m broke. It’s perfect, really.”

      “Believe me.” Agent Wellman nodded her dark head with confidence. “They’d rather pay the blackmail than take a chance on their empire crumbling.”

      Screw her authoritative blue suit and her sensible black shoes and her calm demeanor. Tucker was sweating. And he had a few things to say about the “perfect, really” remark. Later. “Unless they decide she’s bluffing and kill her when she walks in the door.”

      “If one of them lifts a weapon we’ll shoot him. We have the best snipers in the country armed with infrared scopes at all windows. It doesn’t matter that the drapes are closed. Right this second, we’re watching them move around that old house. In fact, according to the man who’s in a van a few blocks away, Mickey just went to the toilet. To pee.”

      Annie captured his gaze. “I can’t give these people any more of my life,” she said. “Neither can you. I heard Bell’s doubt on the phone. I can’t believe someone could be that good an actor with no warning. He was worried about what I might have on them. He wanted more information, and I’ve memorized everything I’m supposed to say. I’ll be out of there in the blink of an eye, and we’ll be long gone before the world caves in on those bastards. It’s going to be fine.”

      “I won’t stop worrying until we’re out of New York, and they’re in jail. But I can’t help asking one more time. Please don’t do this. There has to be another way.”

      Annie leaned in for a kiss, and when she pulled back, her relaxed expression made him ache.

      “I know you think you’re doing this for all of us.” He touched her hair. “But nothing is worth you getting hurt.”

      “I won’t be hurt. When it’s over, I’ll have immunity. I’ll be free, for the first time in over two years. And it’ll open the door for Christian to come home.”

      “To jail.”

      “That’s true, but at least it’ll probably be at a country club prison in Dallas. For so little time, it’ll give your mother a chance to get to know him before it’s too late. Give you a chance, too.”

      “There’s nothing I can do to get you to change your mind?”

      She shook her head. “Just be waiting for me when I’m finished, okay?”

      “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

      Unfortunately, being where he’d promised turned out to be unimaginable torture. He’d suspected it would be, but waiting in the van three blocks away, putting on the headphones that let him listen to what was happening, only to pull the damn things off…and then repeating the cycle until he’d nearly ripped an ear off, was almost unbearable. It was all he could do not to run out of the friggin’ van, get to her and take her away.

      But that wouldn’t happen. They’d reached the point of no return, where anything he might do would put her in even more danger.

      There was no doubt in his mind that if his prick of a brother ever came back to the States, Tucker would punch his lights out. How dare he put Annie in this kind of danger.

      How dare Tucker let her go.

      He moaned, and Agent Wellman brushed his arm in sympathy. She had no idea. None. They were all about the case, the people in the van and on the nearby rooftops of this rough neighborhood. Practically every person on the street was an undercover agent. There was more firepower on this residential street than at FBI headquarters. Or so he’d been assured.

      Yes, he knew it was an exaggeration, and even though he’d wanted to deck the person who said it, he’d held his fist close to his body. Although he dared anyone to make one smart remark. He wished someone would.

      He stopped breathing the second the door opened, and he could have sworn he didn’t start again for the next ten minutes. He barely moved, didn’t blink, thought he was going to be sick, or at the very least have a heart attack.

      Annie was amazing. She played her part as if she’d rehearsed her whole life. The two men were disgusting, which wasn’t a shock…that Tucker managed to not rip a seat out of the van was.

      Every minute felt like an hour. Nothing had ever frightened him so deeply. He wasn’t even allowed to see her, only hear her when she climbed into the back of a taxi that wasn’t really a taxi.

      He shook on the way back to Times Square, where Annie left the cab. She walked to a small hotel almost hidden by a huge marquee, and went up to her room.

      He had to wait until the FBI was certain she hadn’t been followed. Thankfully, they’d detected no wires or bugs or worse in the bag that held the cash.

      Finally, when he was about to burst out of his own skin, he was allowed into the room with her. He slammed the door behind him, locked it, bolted it, dragged Annie straight into the tiny bathroom, locked that.

      Then he kissed her. Held her so tightly she almost choked, but then she laughed until he kissed her again. And again.

      It took a long time for his heart to stop pounding as if it wanted to jump out of his chest.

       Epilogue

       Two months later…

      IT WAS AMAZING TO MAKE the turn to Safe Haven. Annie was smiling like a kid, leaning forward as if she’d never seen the long dusty road.

      Tucker laughed at her, but he was grinning pretty hard, himself. “You okay?”

      “I think so. It feels like coming home.”

      “It is. But I’m hoping that it won’t take you too long to feel that way about the Rocking B.”

      “It’s an adjustment, I’ll admit.” She grabbed his hand as the first corral came into view. “A wonderful adjustment.”

      By the time they made it to the parking area, she could see the construction going on. The quarantine stable was framed, and some of the walls were up. They weren’t quite as far on the new cabin, but that construction was fancier. It would be a real house, with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. Whoever ended up taking over Safe Haven for good would be happy there. She knew, because she’d seen every stage of the design.

      Tucker’s foundation had come through like champions. They’d hired quite a few people from Blackfoot Falls, which was fantastic for the economy, and they hadn’t had to turn away nearly as many horses.

      Annie couldn’t wait to see Shea, who had temporarily taken over the reins but shared responsibility for decision making and managing volunteers with Melanie.

      “Maybe tomorrow, when we’re not so tired, we can go for a ride, check out the newly plowed field.”

      “Yes, absolutely.