Page 21 of Stray Cat

“Yeah? What happened to your boyfriend?”

Lindsay didn’t know how to answer, especially when the DX guys who worked with Xav every day showed interest in the question.

She was spared thinking of a response by a voice that washed giddy relief over her.

“If you’re talking about me, I’m right here.” Xav stepped out of his office down the hall and waited for them. “Let’s do this.”

CHAPTERSEVEN

Lindsay didn’t have a chance to ask Xav why he’d suddenly appeared, because Diego hustled them all out the door, and she got directed into a different vehicle from him.

The three DX Security men Lindsay rode with were good guys—she’d met their wives and kids—but Lindsay really wanted to be side-by-side with Xav. She wouldn’t be able to interrogate him in front of the others, but she could at least enjoy his closeness.

She made herself acknowledge that Xav hadn’t come forhersake. He’d probably decided to help Diego, doing his job. Even so, Lindsay kept her gaze longingly on the SUV ahead of her, wishing she could be in it and near Xav, even if he didn’t speak to her.

Traffic thinned as the convoy drove through less densely inhabited areas, until finally the SUV’s headed into empty darkness. The shooting range AC referred to was a few miles past the outskirts of town, closed now under the wintery night sky.

The lead SUV that Diego drove continued past the range a few hundred yards then turned onto a dirt road that led into the desert. Not long later, Diego pulled to the edge of this road and halted.

The other vehicles eased in behind them. Lindsay hopped out once they stopped, glad she’d worn thick boots and a jacket. The fine day had become a cold night, the wind sharp.

She tried not to look at Xav as she joined the others. Xav studiously avoided glancing at Lindsay as well, but she knew he was aware of her exact whereabouts.

Neal closed in next to Lindsay, while Diego’s men surrounded the still-bound AC.

Once AC indicated the direction they were to go, Diego signaled for them to start off. Lindsay marched behind a contingent of security men, with Neal and Xav bringing up the rear. She knew this placed her protectively in the middle of the pack, but she let them do so, for now.

They followed a faint trail that headed toward a low mountain range to the east of the road. Lindsay’s boots ground on fine gravel of the desert floor, and she pulled her jacket closer as the wind strengthened.

She began to scent the presence of humans as they went on. By Neal’s quiet growls, he could as well.

The scent was old, though. No one was out here but their little group and a few coyotes, puzzled by the nocturnal intrusion.

“Here.” AC halted when they reached the foothills of a craggy mountain and gestured at a depression in the ground.

Mountains in this range were knifelike ridges that rose more or less straight from the desert floor. Rocky folds hugged their base—they stood in one of those folds now—and from there, the mountain soared upward. It would be a steep scramble to the top even for those who enjoyed rock climbing.

Neither Xav nor Diego would allow any of their guys to dive into a hole in the ground, though it appeared to be a natural cave, not a mine shaft. Lindsay recalled what Xav had warned her about AC tossing her inside to see if it was dangerous, and she shivered.

If the hole trulywaspart of a mine, it could drop a long way. People had sunk shafts in myriad places across this area in days gone by, seeking silver, gold, copper, and other minerals that might turn a profit. Most mines had been abandoned but few had been filled in or even boarded over.

Diego ordered his men to lower lanterns on ropes into the cave, and Xav, in charge of gadgets as usual, sent in a surveillance camera.

Lindsay dared move close enough to peer over Xav’s shoulder at his tablet’s screen. The images from the camera showed jagged walls that glittered with granite and quartz, but no sign of human presence—no discarded cans or bottles, tent stakes or cables. No critters, either, which was odd. Rabbits, gophers, or snakes might like this hidden space to hole up in. But maybe they didn’t like the lingering smell of humans either.

Xav glanced at Lindsay as she leaned closer, and her body instantly heated. “I need to know what I’m getting into,” she said to explain why she was at his elbow.

“She doesn’t have to go all the way inside,” AC stated. “I just need her to find my brother’s scent.”

“Why did they bring him here?” Xav asked him. “Why drag your brother all this way only to disappear with him again?”

“Hell if I know,” AC snapped. “This was the intel I had, but when I checked it out, the place was already empty. That’s why I wantedher.”

Lindsay examined the image on Xav’s screen, memorizing the layout of the cave. “I’m on it. Give me a sec.”

She turned away to look for a big rock to hide behind, feeling the night grow even more cold the moment she left Xav’s side.

Neal followed her for a few yards, then stopped and turned to face the others. He planted himself between the men and Lindsay, his sword glinting in warning.

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