Stargazer's Woman. Aimee Thurlo

then went down the hall.

      Detective Lassiter joined her again as soon as Emily disappeared from view. “She’s the tribe’s top gun,” he said. “Just remember my warning,” he added, then hurried away.

      A gazillion questions were going through her mind, but one stood above all the others. Just who exactly was Max Natoni? The guy had some serious connections, that’s for sure. One way or another she’d have to figure out who she was dealing with.

      Max came around the corner of the hall and joined her moments later. “Ready to go?”

      “Yeah, they’re through with me,” she said. “But where’s Ms. Largo?”

      “She’s got other business at the moment.” He led the way outside. “I know you’ve got a lot of questions, I can see them in your eyes. But let’s wait until we put some distance between us and this zoo.”

      She did as he asked. Neither spoke as she drove through the city and headed west, back toward the nursery, which lay between Farmington and the Navajo Nation along the San Juan River valley. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, he broke the silence.

      “There’s no turning back now. We’re in too deep. You realize that, right?” he asked at last.

      “I know we’re both targets, yes. That also means I’m going to have to stay away from the Smiling Cactus Nursery when it needs me most.”

      He nodded. “Otherwise you could endanger your employees or customers.”

      “I’ll turn the reins over to Maria as soon as we arrive. She can take care of business for me until all the details surrounding my sister’s death are settled.”

      “I think that’s the right decision,” he agreed.

      Her insides were knotted but pride kept her voice cool. “Who are you, Max? I mean, really.”

      “I’m exactly who I’ve told you I am. I’m a tribal employee.”

      She shook her head. “There’s more to you—and the job—than you’re saying.”

      “That could be said about almost anyone,” he replied with a slow smile. “There’s more to you, too, than just being the owner of a plant nursery.”

      Max scarcely moved when he spoke. Like a good fighter, he didn’t seem to believe in wasted motion. Yet there was a raw energy about him, an edginess, that made him exciting to be around. It was like watching the beginning of a storm.

      “Talbot, from Jewelry Outlet, was at the station,” she said, bringing her thoughts back into focus. “He thinks we’re all part of the gang who heisted the platinum.”

      “Talbot’s job is probably on the line. The insurance company doesn’t want to shell out a bundle of cash to cover the tribe’s claim and they’re probably putting heat on Jewelry Outlet.”

      Kris rubbed her temple with one hand. “When I came back home I thought I’d finally be able to sleep in peace at night knowing I had a good chance of waking up again. That’s all I wanted. But all I’ve found so far is more death.”

      “My people believe that when we restore the balance between good and evil, we walk in beauty,” he said. “You’ll find the peace you want once harmony is established again.”

      She lapsed into a long, thoughtful silence, then spoke. “Restoring that balance you spoke about is going to take a fight. The bad guys think we’ve got the answers, and the good guys think we’re the bad guys. That doesn’t leave us with many allies.”

      “Don’t assume we’re working alone just because you haven’t seen our allies,” he said in a quiet voice.

      There was something oddly reassuring about his confidence. “Who are our allies?”

      “The tribe, for one,” he said. “We’ve got good friends who can be counted on to cover our flanks if things get hot.”

      “Tribal employees, like you? You’re pretty sure of them?” she asked, her mind filled with even more questions.

      “I am.”

      There’d been a finality to his tone that told her he’d answered all the questions he was going to for now.

      As she glanced at Max she saw the way he held himself. His muscles were hard and tense. For a brief second she pictured herself running her hands gently over his arms and chest. Would he shudder at her touch, or would he be all hardness and control?

      A delicious shiver touched her spine but, with effort, she suppressed it.

      “You okay?” he asked. His eyes were dark and probing as they held hers.

      Did his imagination misbehave, too, when he looked at her? She pushed the thought back firmly. Max Natoni was a dangerous man—to his enemies, and to any woman who didn’t encase her heart in armor.

      “I won’t go back to work until this is resolved, but somehow I’ve got to make that clear to the ones who came after us. I have to make sure my staff stays safe,” she said turning back to the business at hand.

      “My guess is they’ll keep a watch on the nursery for a few days and once they see you’re not around, they’ll pull out and go on the move. We’re the ones they want. The cops will be coming around here often, too, now that the nursery’s on their radar. That’s company the guys after us will want to avoid.”

      Max’s voice was low and smoky, a hunter on the prowl. Yet in the confines of the car, it also seemed to hold an air of intimacy. She glanced over at him, then focused back on the road. Smoldering. That was the one word that best described him. So much lay just beneath the surface….

      “You must really have some connections if you rate the tribe’s top attorney,” she said, mostly to see his reaction.

      Max raised an eyebrow, then his lips curved in a wicked smile that made her breath catch in her throat.

      “No answer?” she probed, refusing to let him get to her.

      “As I told you, we have allies.”

      She pulled into her parking slot at the nursery. “I don’t know what to make of you, Max,” she said, honestly, “and I like to know the people who are by my side when I’m fighting. Overseas, the enemy generally didn’t bother to differentiate between a combat unit and noncombat one. Knowing and trusting the people I was with kept me alive.”

      “I hear you.”

      He held her gaze for a second or two and she felt the impact of that look all through her body. Liars were usually polished, but there was a roughness to Max, an edge of raw masculine power that made her want to trust him.

      “Your sister was a good judge of character,” he said at last. “You know that. If you trusted her judgment, then you should also trust me.”

      She could almost feel the layers of secrets that surrounded him. “Let’s take this one step at a time,” she answered, then pointing ahead, added, “Does that have anything to do with your connections to the tribal president?”

      Two Navajo men were working quickly to change the damaged tires on Max’s truck. She recognized the name of the company on their jackets, too. It belonged to a nationally known racing team based in Farmington.

      Following her gaze, he smiled. “Like I said, I have friends.”

      Again, a nonanswer. “I’m going to go talk to my staff and explain that I’ll be away for a few days,” she said.

      “This operation may take much longer than that,” he warned, opening his door.

      “I’m optimistic,” she answered.

      “Go do what you have to, but hurry. We can’t afford to hang around for too long. We’re going to be under surveillance by the cops and the bad guys.”

      “All right.