Black Ops Brotherhood: Tightrope Part 11

"I met him at his house and picked her up."

"That was really sweet of you."

"I want to be your hero, cape and all."

"My very own Superman, huh?" she said, laughing.

"Nah, he's a p.u.s.s.y, I like a guy who can think for himself, a real superhero."

"You are a real superhero, Danny, and you have been for a very long time," she said, a little more seriously than she'd intended.

"You think?"

"You definitely were when I took Algebra in tenth grade. I don't think I would've gotten through that cla.s.s without you."

Lifting herself off the couch to walk to the table, it amazed her how the smallest movements seemed to take so much energy.

"You really did struggle, didn't you?" he said, chuckling as he set the table.

"I've always struggled in school. I remember when your mom was my teacher. She tried to tell my parents I had a learning disability, but they wouldn't listen."

"I didn't know that, but I guess it makes sense. I remember when you were in my mom's cla.s.s, and I used to help you with your spelling list. I think you struggled with that, too."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Rio dug into her food.

"Is the border patrol something you want to do?"

Rio shrugged. "It's fine, and I like what I do."

"Tell me what you really want."

"I want to be FBI. As much as I love working with dogs, I want to be a profiler."

"Why don't you?"

"I need a degree."

"And?"

Setting down her fork, she pushed her plate away. "I've been going to college since I was in the Air Force. I did manage my a.s.sociate's degree in criminal justice, but it's always been a fight. I'll keep at it because it's a goal, but right now with my shifts, I can't do it."

Education had always been a sore subject with her. She never seemed to be able to get the basics down and had to work so much harder than everyone else around her. Refusing to give in to the belief that she was illiterate, she knew something else was going on with her but never took the time to figure it out. So, she battled and managed to do enough to get by and pa.s.s. Her mother always seemed to think that because she struggled so hard with school she'd somehow been diminished. Davey, on the other hand, seemed to be able to breeze through school without ever cracking a book. Danny squeezed her hand.

"So what do you think the problem is?"

"One of my professors said he thought I was dyslexic and wanted me to get tested, but I never did."

"Why not? They might've been able to help you."

Not wanting to focus on something so sensitive and negative, she pulled away her hand. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Sitting back he stared at her for a moment. "Babe, you need to learn how to talk about things that are hard for you. I need to talk to you, and it will be uncomfortable at first. What we're discussing right now is easy."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how are we building a life together if we can't talk about things that are difficult?"

A shiver ran through her. Ten years ago, Danny saying he wanted to be with her would've been a dream come true, and she wouldn't have hesitated. Now, there were a few things she had to consider before jumping into a relationship with him because she wasn't sure how serious he was about this.

"Don't mess around with my feelings. What are you telling me?"

The tiger had returned and his seriousness didn't escape her. In fact, it excited her whenever he shifted into his protective territorial mode.

"I mean, I'm not leaving home without you this time," he said.

She smiled. "Are you telling me what to do?"

"Maybe just this once."

Even though being with him had been something she'd wanted for so long, life had happened and they were different people now. There was something he wasn't telling her. The secret she sensed he held back made her pause and think about a future with him. It would be full of secrets, and so much about their respective careers would be off the table for discussion because of the nature of their work. Even though he hinted about what he wanted from her on a s.e.xual level, she wasn't sure if this was a pa.s.sing thing for him. He got easily bored and went on to the next thing that caught his fancy. What he pulled from her made her realize that she wouldn't be happy with just anyone. She wanted to satisfy the yearning that had taken hold since he'd started all these head games with her.

The night she cuffed him to her bed and dominated the s.e.x between them made her crave something more than the traditional relationship men and women had. She fought the overwhelming desire that ran through her every time he got that smoldering look that propelled their banter into something that left her hanging on with both hands to the delicate balance of power between them.

"What do you want to do after dinner?" he asked.

She needed to think about what he'd said and put some distance between them.

"I don't know about you, but I'm lying on the couch and watching TV. I'm just so glad to be home."

"Wanna cuddle?" he asked, tracing one of her fingers.

For some reason, she didn't want to be touched right now and had to curb the impulse to pull away. She smiled and said nothing because she didn't want to seem like such an ungrateful b.i.t.c.h. The last thing she needed to do right now was fool around, and every time he touched her, it seemed to escalate. She had to think about what her future looked like with him in it or even if there could be one. He settled on the couch and held out his hand to her. She couldn't resist the warmth and security his embrace offered her. Snuggling into him, she closed her eyes as he tightened his grip, and she sighed, finally safe.

"It's all right, babe. You're okay."

Rio awoke with a start. Fear gripped her as she fought to take deep breaths. She grabbed the arm that held her.

"Danny?"

"I'm right here, babe. You're safe."

In an effort to calm her racing heart, she closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. She'd been in a nightmare, and the visions slipped away like water through her fingers as she struggled to recall what she'd been dreaming about. In an effort to control her fear, she sat up and moved away. Nausea suddenly rocked her as she buried her face in her hands.

"Babe?"

"I'll be okay in a minute," she said, breathless.

The slight touch of his hand on her back made her jump in panic. What the h.e.l.l is wrong with me?

"You need to talk to someone about what happened to you." Had he read her thoughts?

"I'm okay," she said, fighting back tears.

For chrissakes, she'd only been stuffed in an attic. They hadn't raped her, and it could've been much worse. She'd be d.a.m.ned if those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds would make her cry. She was safe in her home, so what the h.e.l.l was happening to her?

"Come here baby." Danny pulled her close again.

The sob that tore through her hit him like a gut punch, making him involuntarily close his eyes in pain as he tightened his grip. After surviving a harrowing ordeal, she was in the throes of its aftereffects. He'd seen it last night when he watched her shake in her sleep. If she hadn't been so weak, she'd have probably sat up and screamed. He found it difficult to sit still and watch her contend with the wake of such a trauma, and being so d.a.m.ned stubborn she wouldn't let him help. All he could do was watch and comfort her.

Dan's heart broke with every gut-wrenching sob she released. This had to be one of the hardest things he'd ever done-hold her trembling body and try not to quiet her or stop the process that only she could get through. He understood trauma and it relieved him that she was at least reacting to her feelings. The grief would be the first step in healing. It still wouldn't be easy to watch the process take its natural course. Encouraging her to let it pa.s.s, he rubbed his chin on the top of her head. Rio pushed away, sitting back to take a breath. He lifted her small hand to his lips and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. It relieved him to see her smile. He leaned into her hand when she caressed his cheek.

"Don't worry. I'm okay," she whispered.

"You will be. It'll take a little time. How about we watch a movie?" He picked up the remote control and switched to the guide menu. "Look, babe, Twilight is on in fifteen minutes."

Rio's arm shot out and she lightly punched him in the chest. "Clown! You know I wouldn't watch that."

Soggy laughter instead of tears filled the room. Yes, he knew she'd never go for something like that, but he wanted to see if he could get this sort of reaction from her. Relief washed through him to hear her laughter. She grabbed the remote and switched over to her TiVo. Selecting Blade: Trinity, she tossed the remote to him.

"Now this is a vampire movie."

"That would be a h.e.l.l of a movie, Twilight: Blade the Second Coming."

"More like Twilight versus Blade. Now, that would be something I'd pay to see." She giggled.

"Come here."

While they curled up on the couch, he wondered what he could do to help put her dream of becoming an FBI profiler in her grasp. There had to be a way he could help her through school one more time. Now, with his career, there would be no way he could tutor her again, and he wasn't sure she'd even accept his help. While he thought about his role as her tutor, he recalled she'd grasp the concepts just fine. It seemed to be getting it from her brain onto paper that had been difficult.

With technology, there had to be something he could do for her, but first, he had to figure out what he needed to contend with. He left her to lie there while he dug out his laptop and started doing some research on dyslexia.

By the time the movie ended, Rio had pa.s.sed out and slept soundly. He lifted her into his arms and waited a moment before he moved. He didn't want to drop her if she struggled. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, and he carried her to bed. He gave her a kiss as she snuggled into the pillows. Ever vigilant, Schotzie laid herself against Rio's back, facing the door to the bedroom. Dan recognized that she understood her alpha was still weak and needed to be protected. He gave Schotzie a quick rub and left Rio in the dog's care. He returned to the living room to continue his work, but just as he got started, his phone vibrated.

The FBI computer forensics technician went through the video from the onboard dash camera they'd acquired from Deputy James's vehicle.

"Where do you want me to start?" the technician asked Gavin.

"Start about seven p.m. on June twenty-third."

Selecting forty-five minutes before Schotzie made her appearance at Dan's house, he wanted to see the actual abduction to piece together what had happened. Kidnapping a federal law enforcement agent and turning them over to a known cartel whose operation she interrupted on a regular basis was a serious threat. CBP and ICE agents gone missing or outright murdered had become an alarming trend.

"What the h.e.l.l happened? We're at nine thirty. Where's her traffic stop?" Gavin asked.

"I don't know. Let me go back a little farther."

The video of Rio's traffic stop never appeared. They backed up the digital recording several hours and still couldn't locate it.

"Did we get the right vehicle?"

"I copied the hard drive from the vehicle they said belonged to him. It's a pretty standard procedure."

"We've got a problem because her traffic stop isn't here. By the investigation, it didn't look like anyone forced her off the road," Gavin said.

"Let me go through this again." The technician stopped the feed and enhanced the screen. "Look here, the time"-he pointed to the corner of the screen-"and now, look here. The font jumps, doesn't it? It looks like this has been tampered with."

"Ah, s.h.i.t! Here we go again."

Dan picked up his phone and answered the call from Gavin.

"I need your expertise, lieutenant."

"What's going on?"

"Meet me at the CBP station ASAP."

When he arrived, he found Gavin and Friday with the FBI team in the conference room they were using. It was filled with all sorts of computers and screens. A huge satellite map of the stretch of road where Rio had been stopped covered the whiteboard.

"What's up, Bada.s.s?" he asked, stepping into the room.

Gavin motioned to one of the workstations where a young technician searched through what looked like video footage.

"Terry, this is Lieutenant Dan Gamez. He's the department head of Combat Systems in my group back in San Antonio. I think he might be able to help because he's seen this before. Dan, we can't find the video feed where Rio was stopped by Deputy James."

"What do you mean? We know he stopped her because Rio told us."

"It's not on his dash cam," Gavin said.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I want you to look at it and tell me what you think."

Dan took a seat beside the technician who sat at a workstation with a huge monitor. They reviewed the feed, and it didn't take long to pinpoint the area where the video had been modified. To Dan's trained eye, it seemed like an amateur hack. He looked away from the screen.

"Did you see something?" Gavin asked.

"Yes, it's a sloppy hack. Roll that back a few seconds. Stop!" He looked closer at the screen and studied the toolbar for the software Terry used. He had more sophisticated software on his work laptop in San Antonio. "May I?" Dan asked, indicating use of the mouse.

"Sure." Terry rolled his chair over.

Taking control of the computer, Dan quickly enhanced the frame. The software wouldn't do everything he wanted, so he had to make do with what he could get. He searched the apps for something that would allow him to look at the actual code. When he found it, he did a quick string search for the date and closest time frame. Gotcha! He'd spotted a line break that didn't belong, making it easy to see the hack. Switching windows he went back to the actual images, found the frame, and zoomed in several times.

"Holy s.h.i.t!" Gavin said behind him.