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Prologue
Logan strode into the conference room and acknowledged the men seated at the table with a brief nod. Each agent had a file in front of them to review. Logan opened his folder and felt his heart drop into his stomach as he gazed at the photo of the stunning redhead staring back at him.
“That is one good-looking woman,” remarked another agent.
“That’s Dixie McCarthy,” their boss announced as he entered the room.
“McCarthy?” Logan queried.
“Yeah, daughter of Charles McCarthy. Since we need intel on her father, we’re headed to Clifton, Montana.” Logan glanced up and saw his boss looking at him, knowing what was coming next. “This is your case, Townson.”
“Why me? I’m still working on one.”
“I’m reassigning someone else to that case. We need you in Clifton. You were born and raised there; you know the town, the people, and can probably gather more information than someone who has never been there before. You’d blend in, unlike another agent. Unless, of course, you happen to know her or her father personally.”
Logan shook his head. “I don’t.”
“Good. It’s settled then. You’ll get close to her so we can get to her father. We need to bring him down. He’s managed to evade every charge against him so far, but we need more evidence.”
“Hey, Townson, if you don’t want the case, I’ll take it,” an agent chimed in while studying the photo.
“Agent Townson will handle this.”
“Pretty boy always gets the good cases.”
“Yeah, fuck you Jeffers,” Logan retorted, giving him a sharp glare.
“You’ll have a few agents with you, but they’ll be keeping a low profile.”
With a brisk nod, Logan carefully lifted the photo and held it up to the dim light in the office. The woman in the picture was stunning, her features delicate but commanding. He set the folder down on the desk and flipped through the bio sheet, taking note of her age of thirty-four, her relationship status; never married, but had been with someone for five years.
“What happened to end the five-year relationship?” he asked.
“Apparently, she didn’t want to get married, and he did,” another agent chimed in.
Logan couldn’t help but think that this situation was usually reversed, but he pushed that thought away as his boss continued speaking.
“The agents backing you will be stationed in a rented house on the outskirts of town. You won’t be communicating with each other directly; all communication will go through this department. I don’t want anything going wrong here.” Logan’s gaze flickered to his boss, then back to the photo of Ms. McCarthy.
“You do what you have to do to get close to McCarthy,” his boss said. “We know she’s veryclose to her father. Although she doesn’t live with him, she does stay there when he goes out of town. I guess to keep an eye on the property. If you can gain her trust and get close to her, I’m hoping she’ll lead you right to her father.”
“Do you suspect she’s involved in her father’s activities of committing embezzlement and misapplication of funds?” Logan asked, still studying the woman’s face in the photo.
“No,” his boss replied firmly. “There’s been no evidence of that.”
Logan exhaled slowly and nodded again, accepting his orders despite not wanting this particular case. But as an undercover FBI agent for five years now, he knew that he couldn’t always choose his assignments. He went where he was sent and did his job. It was what he was trained to do.
And for now, he focused on the task at hand and braced himself for what was sure to be a challenging undercover operation. He would do anything for justice, even if it meant infiltrating into the world of criminal activity.
When the day was over, he headed home, packed a few suitcases, then drove to Clifton. He was glad it was July so he wouldn’t have to deal with snow. The only good thing about this was he was anxious to see his dad, but Dixie McCarthy… not so much.
Chapter One
Two years later
Dixie McCarthy smiled as she watched people coming in and going out the door of the coffee shop. It was tourist season in Clifton, and she loved meeting new people. It was the end of August, and the Bur Oak Guest Ranch in Spring City was now closed, but the Clifton Bed and Breakfast was open for another month, closing at the beginning of October. Dixie knew the towns would soon slow down and snow would move in, and she was looking forward to cooler weather.
Her smile slipped when she saw Drew Cummings enter the coffee shop. When he spotted her, he smiled and headed toward her.
