Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat by Josh Lanyon

dust motes floated above the wheat-colored grass. And far down the hillside—much farther than he"d thought from the sound of their voices—were the man and woman from the black sedan.

    84
    Josh Lanyon

    Chapter Nine

    He almost stepped on her.
    Hedwig had taken shelter beneath the ragged boughs of a big juniper bush.
    Will spotted the white of her jeans. Probably the only white patch left.
    He squatted, keeping a wary eye on her hands. She was clutching a thick, short branch, and he didn"t think it was to chew on during labor. “All right. Come out of there.”
    “I…can"t.”
    He controlled himself, but it wasn"t easy. Every time he thought about Taylor wandering around in that underground cavern, he felt he felt the rein he was keeping on his emotions slip. “Kelila, get your ass out of there, or I"m coming in after you. Believe me; you don"t want that.”
    She stared back defiantly. “The baby is coming.”
    “We"ve all heard that before. Tell the baby she needs to postpone her flight.”
    “He. It"s a boy.”
    “I don"t care what it is.” He felt a warning prickle down his scalp, that sixth sense that had kept him alive and in one piece as a marine and later in the DSS.
    Turning, Will spotted two dark-clad figures switchbacking down the golden hills behind him. From the way they seemed to study the ground, he didn"t think they"d spotted him yet.
    “Company"s coming, so unless you want an audience for the delivery, you better get moving.”

    Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat

    85

    Kelila half crawled, half rolled out from under the bush. Will helped her to her knees.
    “Don"t stand up. Where the hell did you think you were going?”
    “Mexico.”
    “On foot?”
    “Plenty of people do it on foot.”
    “I don"t think most of them are ready to drop a kid any second.”
    “I could make it.”
    He was beginning to believe she could.
    He felt her stiffen as she spotted the sleek figures moving down the hill in the fading light. “You recognize them. Who are they?”
    “Gretchen and Victor Hart. They work for Mikhail.”
    “Let me guess. Not bill collectors?”
    “No. Mikhail must have found out about the baby.”
    “You mean it would be news to him?”
    “I left when I realized I was pregnant. I didn"t tell Mikhail.”
    Will had been helping her crawl along from bush to rock perpendicular to their pursuers, but at that he stopped. “I thought you left when you realized your life was in danger from someone highly placed in the DEA.”
    Kelila nodded. “Yes. That was why I knew I had to run. I had to think of my baby at that point.”
    “And who were you thinking of before then?”
    She looked confused, throwing nervous glances at the figures still relentlessly combing the hillside blocking their way back to Taylor.
    Will said, “You had a thing about Bashnakov from the time you were in high school. You apparently broke up his marriage—”
    “He was widowed.”

    86
    Josh Lanyon

    “But then before you ever know you"re pregnant, you start working for the DEA as an informant. Why?”
    “ Why ? Because I learned my husband—my wonderful, charming, handsome husband—was a murderer and a drug dealer.” Will must have looked as baffled as he felt. She spat out, “That"s not okay!”
    “I know it"s not okay. Are you saying you went voluntarily to the DEA?”
    “Yes.” She met his eyes unswervingly. Not that that meant much. Will had met plenty of bald-faced liars in his time.
    “You volunteered to act as an informant for the DEA?”
    “Yes.”
    “And what"s the name of the highly placed DEA official you believe set you up?”
    “Deputy Administrator Ted Bell.”
    If it wasn"t the truth, it was a damn good facsimile. Even Will had heard the rumors about DA Ted Bell.
    She said, suddenly alarmed, “Where"s your—Where"s Agent MacAllister?”
    “He"s waiting for us. I hope.” Will scanned the hills. The Harts had reached the flatland now. If they could circumnavigate them, if Will could get