The Puppeteer

CHAPTER 12



SHE KNEW SHE WAS BIASED, but Savendra felt wrong. Even his friends were unremarkable. There was just nothing. And that was what Dani couldn't wrap her mind around. Dani was feeling grumpy. If Savendra stuck to his usual haunts and friends, her trip to San Diego would be extremely uneventful.

The wheels hit the tarmac and she gathered her things. She needed to remember her primary objectives. The weapons and the drugs. Not Sonny Carlyle. If Smythe was involved in arms dealing, they'd be due for some very long paperwork when this whole thing wrapped up. And if Eagle's Wing got ahold of the arsenal they believed Getz had stored in his seaside fortress—well, ugly wouldn't even begin to cover what it would be like.

Knowing how the drugs were coming into the country, and through whom, would make it easier to build the case against Getz once the bust was over. And the more they had against Getz, the more he might give up about the weapons. But maybe when Sonny was in custody, just maybe, she could get some answers.

Her phone rang as she walked down the stairs onto the tarmac and into the hot Southern California spring air.

“Williamson,” she said.

“It's me,” Ty's voice responded.

“Good timing, I just stepped out of the plane. Christ, it's hot. Hold on, I need to take my jacket off.” Dani moved the phone away without waiting for an answer.

“Can I help you with your bag ma'am?” a young soldier appeared.

“Thanks, I have a car in the parking lot,” she said. “I do have a car in the parking lot, right?” she asked Ty, bringing the phone back to her ear. He told her the make, model, and color, which she repeated to the young man who headed off to find it for her. It would have been chivalrous, but Dani knew it was more about security than anything else.

“Who was that?” Ty asked.

“Some sweet, young soldier. A cutie, too,” she couldn't help but add.

“How young?” Ty asked, a tad more interested.

“It's quite possible he's still nursing,” she answered. “God, I hate flying into military bases. It makes me realize how old I am,” she added, following the young man at enough distance so he couldn't hear her.

“I'm not old, and you're younger than me,” Ty responded.

“Yeah, well I feel old when I come to these places.”

“If it makes you feel any better, you don't look old.”

Dani could hear the smile in Ty's voice. “So says the man I'm having sex with,” she responded.

“We had sex one night, I'm not sure that qualifies me as the man you're ‘having sex with.’”

Dani stopped mid-step. “Please tell me you didn't just say that in front of anyone,” she demanded. She knew it was her fault, she'd baited him. But that was before she'd remembered he wasn't the kind of guy to refrain from responding just because he was surrounded by colleagues. Even if they were her colleagues. Of course, very little got by any of her teammates, and while she'd like to think she and Ty weren't obvious about whatever was going on between them, some things were too hard, if not impossible, to hide completely. She would have preferred it if Ty hadn't announced their personal connection, but in all honesty, she doubted he'd said anything that shocked anyone.

“Marmie's here, doing her best to pretend she's not listening. She's not doing a very good job of hiding her laughter though,” he added, not at all contrite. “Oh, and Spanky is here, too. What's that Spanky?” he asked, and Dani could hear her colleague saying something. Ty let out a bark of laughter. “Spanky wants to know if you're going to come through the phone and emasculate me now, or if you're going to wait until you get back here? Either way, he wants a heads up so he can take bets.”

“Later. Definitely later,” she muttered as she reached the car. The keys were inside and she popped the trunk. The soldier placed her duffel in the back, closed it, and gave her one last look. He was very cute, in an Opie Taylor kind of way.

“Stop smiling at the private, you'll make him blush,” Ty commanded.

“Too late,” Dani answered, as the young man murmured his goodbye, blushed, and walked away.

“You in the car now?” Ty asked, bringing her back to the task at hand.

“Yes, now you can give me the specs.”

And he did. Ty rattled off the name of the hotel they'd reserved for her, the names of local DEA agents she'd be working with for the next few days, and a few pieces of intelligence that had come in during her flight. The only surprise was the fact that Sonny's trip to Miami had been delayed by four days. He'd leave the militia compound the same day Savendra was scheduled to return. Maybe they didn't like too many people to be off the compound at the same time.

“So, what's the plan?” Ty asked when he finished giving her the details.

“I'll go to the regional office, meet the agents, and then scout the area. Savendra doesn't come in until this time tomorrow, so I have plenty of time to check things out.”

“Go to Mamarita's for dinner, if you have a chance,” Ty suggested. “It's the best Mexican in town.”

As far as Dani was concerned, good Mexican food was the best thing Southern California had to offer.

“What's the address?”

“It's in your email already,” he answered. “Marmie told me how much you like Mexican food—figured we'd toss it in the reports we sent.”

“I have high standards, so don't get offended if I don't like it.” She was only partly teasing. After spending a couple of months in Mexico on three separate occasions, her standards were high. But, outside of Mexico, she was pretty easy to please.

“Well then, when this is all over, I'll take you to a little place near my parents' place in Taos. You'll love it.”

Dani almost drove off the road.

“Ty,” she half-warned.

“Gotta go, Drew's giving me the stink eye. I think I blew my chance to give you any more updates. I'll talk to you later.” Ty ended the call. Dani pulled the phone from her ear, looked at like it might bite her, sighed, and tossed it onto the empty seat.

* * *



An hour and a half later, most of which was spent in traffic, Dani was sitting across from Agent Alicia Gordon in the San Diego field office of the DEA. Both women were watching the figure of Agent Jeffery Diamond disappear down the hallway in a huff.

“Whose puppy did you kick to get him for a partner?” Dani asked.

“Just another day on the life of a pregnant DEA agent,” Agent Gordon replied with good-humored resignation—which was more than Dani would have been able to muster.

Dani turned her attention back to the woman sitting at the table. Agent Gordon was a few years older than her, and about six months pregnant. True, Dani wouldn't want her on a high-risk stake out or other physically demanding assignment, but Agent Gordon's attractive face held eyes that were intelligent and sharp. Dani would bet, hands down, that even six months pregnant, Alicia Gordon was the better agent.

“I'm not sure about the wisdom of partnering up a misogynistic SOB with a pregnant woman. What did they think that would accomplish?” Dani asked. Agent Diamond had done nothing but insult her intelligence and ogle her breasts for the past thirty minutes. Well, to be fair, he also ogled her legs. She wished Ty was there. It would be funny to watch Ty do his he-man thing.

“Yeah well, I have to stick to desk work or—” she added with a nod to the Savendra file, “low risk surveillance. Diamond is already skating on thin ice, that's why we're assigned together; they needed to get him off the streets for a while. He has no idea what a bad move it is to go complain to the captain right now.”

As if on cue, Dani and Agent Gordon heard the captain yelling, a short scuffle that sounded like a chair being knocked over, and then a door slamming. Dani cast Alicia a look and they both burst out laughing.

“So what'd he do? Do I need to worry about him?” Dani asked, before Diamond made it back to the room.

“Nah, not like that. He's good at surveillance. He's not a loose cannon or anything like that—he won't go cowboy on you. In fact, it's more like the opposite. He's a bit terrified of guns, so try not to get in his line of fire if it ever comes to that.”

“Did I miss any makeup secrets?” The man in question sneered as he walked into the room. Dani glanced at Alicia who shrugged.

“No, but I have a report I'd like you to run,” Dani replied, off the cuff. She didn't want to spend a second more with this man than she had to.

He looked at her, waiting for her to continue. His eyes drooped with age as his jaw set in furious resignation. Dani had to admit, after a long career in the DEA, he might be entitled to be a bit grumpy.

“What? Did the air suddenly leave that little blonde head of yours?” he barked.

But it did not entitle him to be an a*shole.

“Savendra's mother is a real estate agent. I want the addresses of all the houses she's listed as a seller or worked on as the buying agent. I also want a list of the buyers and sellers of all the properties and I want that cross-checked with the names on this list,” she slid a sheet of paper across to him. A list that held the names of a bunch of men in Savendra's uncle's cartel. “Go two degrees deep on all of them for the past three years,” she ordered. Out of the corner of her eye Dani saw Alicia bite her lip to keep from grinning.

“Bullshit,” Diamond exploded.

“There a problem, Dani?” Captain Young stuck his head in. Dani turned and smiled. She'd known Craig ‘Buster’ Young for several years. He was the only person, outside her team, who knew who her real employer was.

“I don't think so, Buster,” she responded with a nod toward Diamond. “Agent Diamond, is there a problem?”

Diamond opened his mouth to protest, saw the warning look on the captain's face, and closed his mouth. “Nope, no problem at all,” he muttered, pushing away from the table.

“Two more months, Alicia,” Buster said apologetically after Diamond was out of earshot. “Two more months until he retires and I promise you'll get some sort of combat reward.”

Alicia smiled and rolled her eyes. “It's fine, Captain. I appreciate the thought, and wouldn't say no to a bonus, but we're all just doing our jobs.”

Buster looked at the two women again and gave a quick smile. “You two will work well together. I take it you gave Diamond a long and solo assignment?”

“It should take him a few days.” Dani grinned as Buster turned and left.

“You know the captain?” Alicia's eyes were bright with interest.

“We've worked together in the past,” Dani replied. She could see the thoughts bouncing around in the agent's eyes but discretion won out and Alicia let it drop.

“So have you been by the house yet? Done any recon?” Alicia asked.

Dani shook her head. “No, I will in the morning.” It was heading on toward six in the evening and Dani didn't need to keep anyone late when the morning would be fine. “Is it okay for a pregnant woman to ride around in a car? I'd love the company.”

“As long as you don't mind stopping for bathroom breaks, I'd like nothing better than to not have to hear Diamond bitching about everything all day.”

* * *



After making plans to pick up Agent Gordon in the morning, Dani checked into her hotel and then headed for Mamarita's. With a little sigh of contentment, she tipped back in her chair on the restaurant's deck and took a sip out of her long-neck bottle, enjoying the taste of the cold, crisp beer and the soothing feel of the setting sun on her face. Judging by the clientele, it was a popular dinner locale—with the military crowd. The place was full of them, both in and out of uniform.

But lost in her own thoughts about the investigation, Dani didn't mind the curious looks pointed in her direction. Taking another bite of her empanada, she stretched out her legs, feeling the night air wash over her bare skin.

“She's gotta belong to someone,” she heard a voice to her right say. He was speaking to a table of four other guys. Dani had noticed the group in her quick survey of the patio when she first sat down. There were two men, probably a couple of years older than her, and three men several years younger. They were definitely from the nearby base, even though not one of them was in uniform—they just had that look.

“Girls like that don't come here without belonging to someone from the base, or hunting for someone from the base,” another one of the young men agreed. Dani had to bite back a grin and stop herself from rolling her eyes at his use of the word ‘girl.’

“She doesn't look like she's hunting anything,” another pointed out.

Dani knew exactly what they were talking about. Other than talking about her, they were talking about the military groupies. Women that looked for men in uniform for the sole purpose of putting another notch in their bedposts with someone they see as dangerous. And she never could figure out why some women found killing to be sexy, anyway—even sanctioned killing. Having done her fair share, she could say with complete honesty that there was nothing sexy about it. The men and women in the military who did it, did it for a living and, she was pretty sure, most didn't enjoy it—understood it yes, but enjoyed it, no.

She cocked her ear toward the table of men, wondering what they would say next. For a while they said nothing, so she sat back and stretched again, propping her feet on the empty plastic chair on the other side of her table. She took another sip of beer and closed her eyes.

“Shit, I'm going to ask,” she heard one of the men mutter and she couldn't help the grin that stole across her face.

“Excuse me, ma'am,” the man said as he came to stand next to her. Dani looked up into his face. It was one of the two older men from the table. He was tall and handsome and hid his eyes behind a pair of sunglasses. His brown hair was military short and his chest was defined under a gray t-shirt. Baggy shorts hid what Dani guessed was a lower half that was a perfect match with his upper half.

“Yes?” Dani said, tilting back her bottle for another sip.

“I was wondering what brings you to town?” he asked. His question was direct, nothing subtle about it, but there was an underlying hesitation that Dani found endearing—like he was trying to be more nonchalant than he was—which was difficult, coming from this six-foot-plus man.

“Work,” she replied, knowing he hoped for more of an answer, but not willing to give one yet. This was probably the most fun she would have in San Diego.

“Uh huh,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “At the base? I mean, I'm just curious. We don't usually see…well, let's just say that you—”

The sound of Dani's phone cut him off. “Excuse me for a minute,” she said, taking out her phone.

“It's me,” came Ty's voice.

“Drew gave you phone privileges again?”

“Yeah, well,” he cleared his throat. “What are you doing?”

“Eating at Mamarita's and chatting with another handsome SEAL,” she replied. The man standing next to her straightened and, behind his glasses, she felt his eyes snap to hers in surprise. And suspicion. “You are a SEAL right? Or used to be?” she asked him.

His brows disappeared behind his sunglasses. “Yes, ma'am.”

“And he's going to ‘ma'am’ me to death even though he's older than me,” she added, speaking back to Ty.

“What's his name?” Ty demanded.

“What's your name?” she repeated the question. For a second it looked like the SEAL might not answer, and then he spoke.

“Dan Fowler. Fawkes,” he answered, adding what she assumed was his handle.

“Like a little, red, furry fox?” she asked.

“No, like Guy Fawkes. I like to blow shit up,” he added.

That didn't surprise Dani; he looked the sort. After repeating what he'd said into the phone, she laughed, then listened to what Ty had to say.

“I'm supposed to tell you that if you even think about trying to pick me up, Ty, who I am supposed to refer to as Folsom Fuller,” she added with a smile, “will make you wish you never even had balls.”

Shock registered on Fawkes's face for a split second, and then he rocked back in laughter. “Ty Fuller?” he laughed.

Dani nodded. “Big guy, scar on his right knee, bullet bite on his butt,” she added for clarification. Fawkes laughed again.

“Hey Roddy,” he called to one of the other men. “She's Folsom's girl, that lucky son of a bitch. I told you she belonged to somebody.” Dani opted to ignore his use of the word ‘girl,’ again, and turned to look at Roddy, who was rising from his seat.

“No shit? Folsom?” he said, as he walked toward them, leaving the younger men at the table, brows furrowed, trying to put pieces together. “Well, I'll be damned,” he added stepping close enough to shake Dani's hand as she introduced herself to the two.

“That him on the phone?” Fawkes asked. Dani nodded and handed the phone to him. He took it, stepped away and started talking trash with Ty.

“So what brings you to town?” Roddy asked, taking a seat across from her. “Last I heard, Fuller was working vice. Are you vice?”

“DEA,” Dani answered, the lie rolling easily off her tongue. “We're working on a case together.”

“Here in San Diego? That's a long way from Maine.”

“We have a suspect on the move, so they sent me,” Dani shrugged.

“Alone?”

Dani smiled at the disbelief in his voice and shook her head. “No, I've got backup from the local office. Not much, but enough. I don't think he's our guy but, hey, how could I turn down an opportunity for Mexican food and the chance to track down some of Ty's dirty little secrets? So, you got anything good on him?” she asked, steering the conversation away from her assignment. Neither of them were fooled.

“Yeah, right. He was my lieutenant before he left, but I have no doubt he'll still come kick my ass if I tell you any of his exploits.”

“And he had a lot?” She knew Ty would tell her if she ever asked. He had told her about his team and some of his friends that night on the ledge—he'd even told her about that last bullet he took.

“Nice try, Agent Williamson,” Roddy smiled but refused to elaborate. “Why don't you tell us a little something about yourself instead? You and Ty a real thing? How long have you been together? Is it driving him crazy to have you out here without him at your back?”

“Maybe, not long, and yes, probably,” she said.

Roddy looked at her, then at Dan Fowler—or Fawkes, as Dani had already started to think of him—who had removed his sunglasses. Fawkes's eyes kept darting to her, even as he stayed focused on a conversation that had turned serious. Dani could see Roddy putting two and two together.

“I'd say that both the ‘maybe’ and the ‘yes’ are probably both ‘hell yeses,’” he offered.

“Maybe,” was all she said.

“Here,” Fawkes said, walking back toward them and handing her the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

“I hope you've picked up The Care and Feeding of a DEA Agent,” she spoke after taking the phone back. “Because by some weird little twist of reality that occurred the minute I set foot in your SEAL-infested Mexican restaurant—which is good by the way—I now ‘belong to you.’ Even though I outrank you and I can probably outshoot you,” she added, knowing he would hear the smile in her voice.

Ty was silent for a long pause and then he chuckled. “Ah, Dani, in case you hadn't figured it out, you belonged to me long before you set foot in Mamarita's. Probably from the moment I saw you in that bar in Portland. And again, just in case you didn't know, I'm as much yours. Even if you haven't accepted it yet.”

Before Dani could respond to his blunt assessment of their new relationship, he continued. “So what are your plans for the rest of the weekend? Drew had a conversation with someone named Buster. Says you're still the same ballbuster,” his voice was laced with amusement.

“Such a nice image, don't you think?” Dani replied. “I'm headed back to the hotel now. Tomorrow, Agent Gordon and I will do some scouting and then pick up the target when he arrives. She and I will be on day watch. I'll be on night watch with Agent Diamond, the agent with the now-busted balls, in case you were wondering.”

“And when are you going to sleep?” It wasn't actually a question, just Ty's way of looking out for her.

“Alicia, that's Agent Gordon, and I will be on from nine to seven. Diamond and I will be on from seven to midnight. Diamond and another agent, Buster is going to let me know who tomorrow, will be on from midnight until nine. Make you feel better, Dad?”

“Dear god, don't call me that, it makes me feel dirty,” Ty replied.

“Yeah, well, don't worry about me,” Dani protested. But it was halfhearted at best. Though the glare she turned on Roddy and Fawkes, who'd burst out laughing at her last comment, was genuine.

“Your friends aren't endearing themselves to me,” she said.

“Fawkes is going to walk you home,” Ty spoke.

“First of all, how do you know I walked, and second of all, no.”

“First all,” Ty mimicked. “Your hotel is less than a mile from the restaurant. You've been sitting down all day. I'd bet my pension you walked just to use your legs. And second, yes he is—whether you want him to or not—so smile and nod at the nice man.”

Dani glanced over at Fawkes. Standing there watching her—feet apart, arms crossed over his chest—he knew full well he was the topic of conversation.

“I could probably take him,” Dani said. Fawkes raised a single eyebrow at the statement. She reassessed him. “Okay, maybe not,” she conceded. “But, seeing as it's unlikely someone more skilled than me would attempt to attack me between here and the hotel, I think I should be okay on my own.”

“Hand to hand isn't the only way to ambush,” Ty pointed out.

“Last time I checked, SEALs weren't bullet proof either,” Dani snapped.

Ty took a deep breath, paused and then spoke. “Dani, please,” was all he said.

Dani bit her lip. The tone of Ty's voice was like a breeze clearing the fog and the clouds. They weren't talking about whether or not SEAL Fawkes would walk her home. They were talking about her letting Ty into her life—letting him care, letting him be a part of her.

She stood, knocking the chair back against the wall, and moved away from the watchful eyes of Fawkes and Roddy. She didn't harbor any doubts that moving ten feet away would make her conversation any more private. But she hoped, by turning her back on them, they would give her a measure of privacy.

“I'm sorry, Ty. This is all new to me,” she said. And it was. She had people in her life she'd let in, she'd let care, but she could count them on one hand and they were all related by blood or marriage. And in truth, Drew was the only one who she ever really let ‘take care’ of her. She hadn't been kidding when she'd told Ty that Drew was almost like a father figure to her. But what Ty wanted was different and they both knew it.

“I know, Ella,” he answered, using the name he'd whispered across her skin as they'd moved together in the dark of his bedroom.

He didn't push, he didn't demand or get angry. He didn't say another word as Dani stood staring out at the ocean. ‘I belong to you’ floated through her mind. How could he be so sure? Her breathing was shallow, her pulse erratic. It was her reaction to fear. Again. At least she knew what she was afraid of now—letting someone get close in a way she never had before. She'd turned and walked away from Ty the first time it had happened, just a few days ago in her hotel room. She could walk away again.

She swallowed. “Yeah, okay,” she said, almost to herself. But she knew Ty heard her when he let out a deep breath.

“I'll call you tomorrow?” he asked. He was giving her some space and time to absorb the decision she'd made.

“Yeah, sounds good,” she said, hanging up the phone.

“I find it a bit unusual meeting a DEA agent who thinks she can outshoot and out-spar a SEAL,” Fawkes commented when she returned to the table. His voice was light but his eyes were assessing her, as she had assessed him earlier. His insinuation—that she was more than a rank and file DEA agent—was accurate. There weren't many DEA agents who would tangle with a SEAL and think they could win.

She glanced his way and blinded him with a smile. “Honey, there's a lot that's unusual about me.” She gave him a wink and walked away, okay with the fact that he would follow.