A Lawman's Justice
Don't miss the gripping conclusion of USA TODAY bestselling author Delores Fossen's Sweetwater Ranch miniseriesThe tip that sends FBI Special Agent Seth Calder to an abandoned warehouse in search of exonerating evidence brings him face-to-face with a familiar adversary. Thorn-in-his-side journalist Shelby Braddock is on her own search for the truth about a decades-old crime. Until they stumble on a crime scene…and end up fighting for their lives. Now, their only hope of survival is to work together. But something even more dangerous is drawing Seth closer to the gorgeous brunette. As he gives in to a passion so strong it can erase the sins of the past, he must evade a relentless killer…and confront a shocking revelation no one could have predicted.
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Seth had seen hard emotions in her eyes before, but this was a storm of a different kind.
A storm that he was going to have to stop before Shelby made up her mind to do something stupid.
So, he leaned in and kissed her.
A smart man would have come up with something a whole lot better, but Seth suddenly wasnât feeling very smart in that department. Heck, maybe he just wanted to kiss her. And it seemed to work. Shelby stopped talking about a deadly showdown and slipped right into his arms.
It obviously wasnât the first time Seth had kissed her, but like the other times, he felt that kick of surprise. Surprise that anyone could taste this good. Or feel this way in his arms.
Yeah, stupid.
Because kissing Shelby wasnât doing a thing to help them out of their dangerous situation.
DELORES FOSSEN, a USA TODAY bestselling author, has sold over fifty novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. Sheâs received the Booksellersâ Best Award and the RT Reviewersâ Choice Award, and was a finalist for a prestigious RITA>® Award. You can contact the author through her webpage at www.dfossen.net.
Contents
Special Agent Seth Calder slipped his gun from his shoulder holster and stepped from his truck. He eased the door shut so the sound wouldnât alert anyone.
If there was anyone around to alert, that was.
The criminal informant whoâd called him an hour earlier had said there was talk about some kind of evidence here. The CI didnât know exactly what the evidence was, but it was in an abandoned warehouse on Miller Road just outside the ranching town of Sweetwater Springs. Seth was already familiar with the warehouse, since the FBI had had it under surveillance a few months back.
Because itâd been a holding facility for a black market baby ring.
Just the thought of it put a knot in Sethâs gut. The FBI and local cops had shut down the black market ring, had made plenty of arrests, too, but maybe something inside would lead to yet more arrests.
Or, God forbid, even more missing babies.
That was why Seth had gotten out here as fast as he could.
The gray metal building showed no signs of life, though. No trees within a hundred yards. And no other buildings were nearby. Just a huge concrete parking lot with weeds poking up through the cracks.
Using slow, cautious steps, Seth started toward the building but came to a quick stop when he heard an engine. The road wasnât exactly on the beaten path, so he waited and watched as the dark blue car came around the curve.
The driver hit the brakes.
Seth took a closer look. Then he cursed. What the devil was she doing here?
He intended to find out.
No one had ever accused him of having a friendly face when he was on the job, and Seth put on his best scowl when he walked toward Shelby Braddockâs car. She didnât wait for him to reach her. She stepped out, her movements jerky and hurried, and she matched him scowl for scowl.
To say they were enemies would be like saying the ocean had a bit of water in it.
Shelby started toward him, the May breeze flying through her dark brown hair. âWhy are you here?â she snapped.
âWhy are you here?â Seth snapped right back.
And they stood there, both glaring and waiting for the other to answer first. To remind her that he was the one in charge here, Seth tapped his badge clipped to his belt.
Her eyes narrowed. âYouâre pulling the FBI card on me? Well, it wonât work. Iâm not leaving here until I have some answers.â
Seth didnât normally have it in for investigative reporters. On occasion a few actually had helped the FBI with active cases. But he had it in for this particular one. Shelby was a thorn in his thorn-riddled side.
âExactly what kind of answers are you hoping to get here?â he asked. And yeah, it sounded like an interrogation question that he would aim at a hostile suspect.
âObviously the same answers youâre hoping to get.â
Sethâs scowl got worse. They had another staring match before Shelby huffed.
âI got an anonymous call, all right?â she grumbled finally. âThe person said there was evidence here connected to your stepmotherâs trial, and I wanted to find out if that was true.â
Well, hell. Seth hadnât expected that answer. But it was true that his stepmother, Jewell, was just three days away from standing trial. For murder.
That didnât help his churning stomach, either.
Jewell had been charged with killing her alleged lover twenty-three years ago. Itâd taken all these years for the arrest to happen, and one of the main reasons for Jewellâs arrest was standing right in front of him.
Shelby.
Sheâd written dozens of scathing articles about what she called a police cover-up, and the articles had caught the eye of the new prosecutor, whoâd reopened the case. The evidence had been retested, new evidence found.
