'Any ID?'
'Nothing connected with Marrok.'
But if Marrok had men already at the farm to protect the Brady woman, then they'd have to move faster than anticipated.
'Forget about being safe. Go get her.'
FRASER WASN'T ANSWERING his phone.
Not good. Marrok had tried to reach him twice on the plane when he hadn't checked back in with him. He'd called a third time once he'd reached the ground.
Marrok strode out of the airport and jumped into the rental car.
He got the call from Bridget when he was pulling out of the parking lot.
'Something's wrong.' Bridget's voice was shaking. 'Something bad.'
'Take it easy. Do you know what it is?'
'Something's… gone.'
Shit.
'Look, hold on, Bridget. I'll take care of it.'
'Too late. It's already started. Fraser…'
'We don't know that yet. And if it is, we have to keep it from getting worse. I'm on my way to Devon Brady's office right now. I'm pulling her out.'
'And I'm going to that farm to find Fraser.'
'No,' he said sharply. He didn't want Bridget blundering into Danner's hands if he'd already made his move.
'Don't tell me no,' she said fiercely. 'I worked with Fraser for three years. He's been as close to a friend as I've had here. I owe it to him.'
'You don't owe it to him to get yourself killed.'
'I'm going.'
'Okay.' Try to get something positive out of this since he couldn't convince her. 'But take a team and try to get the housekeeper and Nicholas Gilroy out of there before you go looking for Fraser. Will you do that for me?'
Silence. 'Yes.'
She'd agreed too easily, Marrok thought. Because in her heart, she believed it was too late for Fraser. 'Good. Keep in touch.'
'Marrok.'
'Yes.'
'Hurry. Devon Brady's office, the clinic. It's not safe there either.' She hung up the phone.
Marrok muttered a curse as he punched in the number Walt had given him for Nick Gilroy.
'Gilroy, you've never met me. My name is Jude Marrok.'
'No, but I've heard about you. Devon is very irritated with the way you-'
'Where are you? Have you gone back to the farm yet?'
'How did you know that I-'
'Are you at the farm?'
'No, I'm filling up my gas tank at the BP station.'
'Good. Stay there.'
'Can't do it. I have to find that damn don-'
'You'll not find the donkey. Stay where you are. Don't go back to the farm. Devon is going to meet you. She'll call you when she's on her way.' He hung up.
He doubted if Gilroy would obey him, but he'd probably call Devon, and that might delay his going back to the farm. Bridget would move fast, but he needed all the time he could muster.
He phoned Devon Brady. 'Get my dog out of that office. Close up and send everyone home.'
'I beg your pardon.' Devon's voice was icy.
'Lock the doors. I'll be there in five or ten minutes, but you can't take a chance I'll be in time. Get out of there.'
'I've no intention of doing anything you order me to do. I have appointments that-'
'Then get Ned out of there. He's the draw that will make them come after you.'
'Who are you talking about? Who's coming-'
'Stop asking questions and get my dog away from there. I don't want him shot again.' His voice lowered, and every word came out charged with intensity. 'And I don't want anyone else shot either. I'm not crazy, and I'm not joking.'
'Shot?'
'That's what's going to happen. I hoped we'd have more time, but I think they're on their way. They have their orders, and they won't care who they have to kill to get what they want.'
'Dammit, who's supposed to be on the way? The man who shot Ned?'
'No, I took him out of the equation. Look, you don't have time to ask me questions. Lock the doors. Where's your car?'
She hesitated. 'It's parked in the back parking lot behind the clinic.'
'What kind of car?'
'Toyota SUV.'
'Good. Put Ned in the back and tell him to play dead. I've seen that's one trick he knows to perfection. Cover him up with a blanket. Then get the hell away from the office.'
'This is nuts.' She was silent a moment. 'You mean it.'
'I mean it. Get moving.' He hung up the phone. He'd done all he could do. It was up to Devon now. He had only one more call to make.
CRAZY. DEVON SLOWLY PRESSED the disconnect. She should ignore the call and go on with her day.
But Marrok's voice had been dead serious.
And she believed he thought he was telling the truth even if it was completely bizarre.
Get moving.
Whatever was going to happen, he thought there was urgency.
Ignore it?
She got to her feet and moved toward the reception room. She didn't ignore warnings if she thought they held even a grain of truth. She had seen too many tragedies, too many villagers caught in mudslides and rushing floodwater and other disasters when they'd ignored warnings that might have saved them.
The reception room was empty of clients, and Terry was sitting cross-legged on the floor, patting Ned's belly. Red-haired, pretty, and voluptuous, she always reminded Devon of a model or showgirl. But her receptionist was smart as a whip and amazingly efficient. Terry glanced up with a guilty grin. 'Okay, so this isn't my job. I was just massaging him. I thought it might help.'
'Yeah, sure.' Evidently Terry was clearly bewitched by Ned. 'Do we have any more appointments today?'
'There's one at four.' Terry got to her feet. 'But that's for Dr. Dalks.'
'I think we're going to call it a day.' She clipped a leash to Ned's collar. 'Call the client and postpone. Then lock up and go home, Terry.'
'Really?' Terry smiled eagerly as she picked up the phone and started to look up the number. 'Right away. You're not going to get an argument from me. I've got a hot date tonight, and I need to get a pedicure.'
'I doubt if he'll be looking at your toes, Terry.'
'You can never tell. Maybe he has a foot fetish.'
Devon started for the back of the clinic and stopped. What the hell. She turned and locked the front door herself. 'Go out the back door. We don't want any drop-ins delaying you.'
'Good idea,' Terry said absently as she started to dial the phone.
Devon stopped at the examining room where Hugh Dalks was filling out reports on the way to the back door. 'Go home, Hugh. I'm declaring an official holiday.'
'What?'
'You heard me.' She opened the back door. 'It's my first day back, and we're breaking early.'
