“He’s going to stay here with Leigh while you and I nab Rasmussen.” He sniffed. “You got coffee?”
Leave it to Monteith to tick him off even more than he’d been before opening the door. “What I got is a big problem with him.” Jake punctuated the last word with a rude point at the dark haired man standing a few feet away.
Face dark with anger, Mike Madrid stepped forward. “You got something on your mind, Vanderpol, maybe you ought to lay it out.”
Jake didn’t hesitate. “As far as I know you gave up our location to Rasmussen.”
“Son of a—” Madrid lunged at Jake.
Rick caught his arm and hauled him back before either man could throw a punch. “Knock it off.” He jammed a finger at Jake. “Madrid didn’t give you up any more than I did.”
Muttering a profanity, Madrid shook off Rick’s hands. “I’m out of here.” Turning on his heel, he started for the SUV parked in the driveway with a brisk stride.
“Madrid!” Rick called out.
But Madrid didn’t slow down. He didn’t even look back.
“Damn it, Vanderpol.”
“Screw him,” Jake said.
“Bull.” Rick poked a finger into his chest. “You have about two seconds to call him back.”
“We don’t need him.”
“Madrid is going to keep an eye on your woman, my man. If you want to keep her safe, I suggest you get your head out of your ass and get him back here.”
“How do I know he didn’t give us up?” Jake asked.
“Because I trust him with my life,” Rick said. “That’s going to have to be good enough for you.”
Jake cursed.
Rick sighed. “Maybe Cutter was right about you. Maybe when it comes to her you think with a different part of your anatomy than your brain.”
“What part of his anatomy would that be?”
Both men swung around. Jake groaned when he spotted Leigh standing in the hall. The look on her face told him she’d heard every word of the exchange.
“Leigh…”
“I want to know what’s going on.” She’d dressed in jeans, a turtleneck and a blue flannel shirt. Her face was pale and she was eyeing both of them with unconcealed hostility.
“We’re here to help you get Rasmussen.” Monteith looked at Jake and shook his head. “He’s not cooperating.”
She crossed to Jake. “You can’t do this on your own. Let them help you.”
The front door stood open. Beyond Jake heard a car door slam, and he cursed.
Leigh looked at Rick. “Who’s out there?”
“Mike Madrid,” Jake spat.
Her eyes widened. “The man who—”
“He didn’t,” Rick cut in. “I’ll stake my life on that. He’s here to help. Like me. Jake ticked him off.”
“He’s got a real knack for that,” Leigh said dryly.
Rick grinned at Jake. “She knows you pretty well, eh?”
Jake scrubbed a hand over his face. The truth of the matter was he trusted Rick Monteith with his life. If Rick said Madrid was on the level, Jake had no choice but to believe him.
Shoving his pride aside, he brushed past Rick and headed out the door. Madrid was kneeling at a trailer hitch upon which two snowmobiles were parked. He didn’t look up when Jake approached.
“I trust Rick’s judgment,” Jake said. “If he says you’re on the level, I believe him.”
Madrid frowned. “You suck at apologies.”
“Yeah, that’s what everyone tells me.”
He finished with the hitch, then rose to his full height. Jake took that moment to extend his hand. “Let’s nab us a bad guy,” he said, and the two men shook hands.
Chapter Sixteen
“So the story ran in this morning’s edition?” Rick Monteith asked.
“And the online edition,” Jake said.
“That Rasmussen could read from anywhere,” Mike Madrid put in.
Leigh stood at the counter in the small kitchen and poured four cups of coffee. It didn’t surprise her that her hands were shaking; her nerves were as tight as piano wires. As soon as they got the go-ahead from Ronald Waite telling them the call had been traced by Rasmussen, it was showtime.
She carried the tray to the table and sat down next to Jake. His gaze met hers. “You okay?” he asked.
No, she thought. She wasn’t okay. Not by a long shot. She hated this plan. She hated putting Jake and the other two men in danger. She didn’t want anyone getting hurt. But she knew if she wanted her life back—if she wanted Jake to have his life back—she was going to have to face this nightmare once and for all. “I’m okay,” she said.
He squeezed her hand, then his gaze swept to each of the other two men. “This is how it’s going to go down.” He spread a small, computer-generated map on the table. “Leigh stays here with Madrid. Rick, as soon as we get the call from Ronald, we take the snowmobiles to the other cabin. It’s exactly twelve miles from here.” He set his finger on the map. “Across this frozen lake. There’s a shed at the rear of the property. We stash the snowmobiles there and wait for Rasmussen to show.”
“Rules of engagement?” Rick asked.