Part 10 (1/2)

”Where is she?” Nick asked.

”This is my investigation,” Chief Haden said. ”The FBI has no place here.”

Nick and Noah had entered the police station expecting to deal with a competent law enforcement professional. They were mistaken. And neither of them was in the mood to put up with foolish territorial issues.

”He asked you a question,” Noah barked. ”Where is she?”

”Never you mind where she is,” Haden countered. ”Like I just told you, this is my investigation. You and your friend need to get out of my police station.”

Nick had already told her that Jordan was his sister, and he'd shown her his identification and credentials. Now it was her turn. She d.a.m.n well was going to answer his questions.

Chief Haden would have taken a step back to get away from his anger, but the railing was behind her, trapping her. She knew she had started out on the wrong foot, but she wasn't about to back down. The sooner the two of them realized who was in charge, the better.

The man who identified himself as Agent Nick Buchanan was intimidating and fierce, but he wasn't nearly as frightening to her as the agent who walked in with him. There was something in his piercing blue eyes that told her not to get in his way. She knew it wouldn't take much to get him to pounce, and she didn't want to be the one he pounced on. Her only option was to strike first.

Nick was about to lose his temper when the young woman sitting in front of a blank computer screen piped up, ”Your sister is sitting in a cell just around the corner. She's doing okay, but wait until you see her.” She was winding a strand of her long curly hair around one finger and smiling up at Noah when she shared the information.

”My sister is locked in a cell?” Nick asked.

”That's right,” the chief answered after flas.h.i.+ng a glare at her a.s.sistant.

”What are the charges?”

”I'm not willing to share that information just yet,” she said. ”And you're not going to be seeing your sister or speaking to her until I'm finished with her.”

”Nick, did she just say, until she's finished with her?” Noah asked. He sounded amused.

Nick didn't take his gaze off the chief when he answered. ”That's what she said.”

The chief's lower lip jutted out, and her eyes narrowed. ”You don't have any jurisdiction here.”

”The chief thinks she can mess with the federal government,” Noah remarked.

Haden was furious. The two agents were pressing in on her. She pushed through the swinging gate and stood alone near the doorway, blocking access to the cell.

The FBI agents were arrogant thugs, she thought, smart-mouthing her. The two of them were so full of themselves and so c.o.c.ky the way they tried to throw their weight around. But they didn't know who they were dealing with. The fact that a woman had risen to the position of chief of police in Serenity, Texas, should have been an indication to them that she wasn't a powder puff. Even though Serenity was a bit-of-nothing town, she had had to work hard s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g others, both figuratively and literally, to get where she was. Two muscle men carrying badges and guns had rattled her for a few minutes, but she was back in control now, and they weren't going to tell her what to do. Screw them. This was her town and her rules. She was the power here.

”I'll tell you what you can do. You can leave your phone number with my a.s.sistant, and when I've finished interrogating my suspect, I'll give you a call.” She addressed Nick. ”Now go on and get out of my police station and let me get back to work.”

The suspect's brother smiled at her. She thought he might start laughing. The possibility didn't sit well.

”What are we gonna do about this situation?” Nick wanted to know.

Haden's bravado ended abruptly. Noah started walking toward her. She stepped out of his way. If she hadn't moved, he would have walked over her or through her. He didn't leave any doubt about that.

Noah glanced over his shoulder at Nick and grinned.

Nick conceded, ”Yeah, yeah, you've still got it.”

The ”it” was spook tactics. Noah had always been able to freeze anyone, male or female, with one hard look. Nick, on the other hand, according to Noah, had still not perfected the art.

”You can get the key from her,” Noah said.

”You listen here. I'm not letting that woman out until she starts cooperating.” Haden's voice was loud and surly.

On the other side of the wall Jordan patiently waited for someone to come and get her. She knew that Nick and Noah had arrived because she could hear the chief of police arguing. When she saw Noah, her shoulders sagged with relief. She was so happy to see him.

He was appalled by the sight of her. ”What happened to you? You look G.o.dawful.”

”Thank you. It's lovely to see you too.”

Noah ignored her sarcasm. Given the circ.u.mstances most women would have been a little upset, he thought, but Jordan wasn't like most. As miserable as she looked, she could still give him att.i.tude. He had to admire her s.p.u.n.k.

He leaned against the steel bars and smiled at her. ”You want out of here?”

Exasperated, she replied, ”What do you think?”

”Tell you what. You tell me what happened to that pretty face of yours, and I'll let you out.”

She gingerly touched her cheek and winced. ”A fist ran into it,” she said. ”Is Nick still out there? I don't hear him.”

”I can't imagine you could hear anything over that woman's screeching.”

”How did you get here so quickly? I thought you were going to send some agents from the district.”

”I was able to charter a small plane, so I didn't need to call them.”

”Nick willingly got into a small plane? It takes a lot of coaxing to get him into a commercial jumbo jet. I can't imagine he'd fly in a small one.”

”I didn't say willingly, did I? I had to do some pus.h.i.+ng and shoving.”

She was impressed. ”Did he get sick?” she asked, smiling over the possibility. It was comical to see him turn green.

”Yeah, he did.”

She laughed. ”I'm so happy you're both here,” she admitted.

He shrugged. ”You should be.”

His arrogance didn't bother her so much today. She heard the chief's raised voice again and asked, ”What's going on out there?”

”Nothing much. Your brother's just having a little chat with the chief of police.”

”Chief Haden's a real softie, isn't she?”

Noah laughed. ”She's about as soft as a rattlesnake,” he said. ”She's trying to give my home state a bad name, but don't you worry about her. Nick can handle her.”

Jordan stood and tried to brush the wrinkles out of her blouse. ”Do you think you could find the key and get me out of this cell?” she asked sweetly.