us.”
“I’m not sure how much help I can be. The canyon walls are steep on both sides and we are clearly in a gap in what used to be riverbed.”
“You wouldn’t want to be here if any of the three reservoirs go.”
“Can we tour the interior workings of the dam system?”
“Yes. I’ve arranged a tour for tomorrow.”
She gave a little laugh and shook her head.
“What?”
“My cousin knows that we aren’t seeing the interior until tomorrow?”
“Yes, I mentioned it to him.”
“And yet he sent me up here today. Where is it I will be staying? I didn’t see a hotel or casino.”
“Yeah, we don’t have a hotel, or rather we do and it is connected to the casino, but it’s being renovated. Grand opening is this November. Maybe you can come back.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Don’t worry, I have a bed for you.”
Agent Rivas was out of the car and marching toward the station before he could turn off the ignition. He didn’t see her again until he reached the squad room and that was only her back as she entered his chief’s office without knocking.
He slowed as Olivia, their dispatcher, gave him a look.
“I wouldn’t,” she advised.
He took her advice and waited. It didn’t take long. Rivas emerged red-faced and panting, her fists clenched. She cast him a murderous look and continued past him. He let her stride away, following until he returned to his seat beside her in his SUV.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Not even close,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me that we would not be alone?”
“You didn’t really give me a chance. It’s on our tribal gathering grounds. There are several cabins. I’ll be there along with some of the members of Tribal Thunder. But you’ll have a private cabin. It’s a beautiful place beside the river and we have a lodge with a generator for gathering at nights.”
“Nights? I only packed an overnight bag. You think there will be more than one?”
“Tinnin said we’d have you until Tuesday. Time enough to see all four dams, inside and out.”
She rubbed her slender neck and looked straight ahead. “Four days. After that I’m going home, even if I have to walk.”
They sat in silence, the A/C blowing in their heated faces. The air between them seemed to move with currents all their own. He hadn’t felt this kind of attraction, ever.
“Can I call you Jack?” she asked.
“Sounds fine. Shall I call you Sophia?”
“Fine.”
“You want to know why I’m stuck up here in the hinterland instead of working on a case?” she asked.
Jack shifted in his seat. “Sure.”
“I was involved in an incident of fatal force.”
That was a euphemism that told him she’d killed someone. Likely shot them.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“So I’m on administrative leave until they finish the investigation and clear me.”
“FBI conducts their own investigations, right?”
“Yes.”
“So you should be fine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think they’ll sweep any mistake I made under some rug bearing the FBI seal?”
He shrugged and set his vehicle in motion.
“Well, they won’t. I could be relieved of duty, permanently. And that can’t happen.”
“If you say so.”
“And they wanted me to see a shrink. When I said no, they extended my leave.
“It wasn’t even the assignment I’m working, which is going to hell, I’m sure. Luke thought I might like to go home to our rez.” She shook her head. “Can’t do that so he came up with this to distract me. A welcome diversion. Ha. Oh, anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m stuck here until they take me back.”
“You can’t go home?” he asked.
She cast him a look and then turned to stare out the window. Only then did he realize he had asked Luke nothing about her upbringing. All he knew was that she was of the Black Mountain people, butterfly born of spider.
But who was she deep down, where it mattered? Jack wanted answers.
“You want to talk about it—the investigation?”
She shook her head.
“Okay. I’m a good listener. Just saying. So, do you have brothers and sisters?”
She didn’t look at him. “Yeah. And tons of cousins. My mom came from a big family. Where are we going?”
“Top of the canyon. I thought I’d give you an overview. Okay?”
She nodded.
“I’ve got three brothers,” said Jack. “Carter is the oldest. He’s my twin and he’s coming home soon. He’s under protection by the Department of Justice.”
That sure got her attention. Her posture changed and she half turned to stare at him.
“Why?”
“Witness. He went with his wife, Amber, who survived the mass shooting at Lilac copper mine. She was going to testify in a federal case against Theron Wrangler.”
“But Wrangler is dead and so they don’t need witnesses.”
“That’s right.” She was quick and pretty.
“Then there are Tommy and Kurt. They are younger. Kurt flies in the air ambulance out of Darabee. Next town over. And Tommy is a Shadow Wolf on the border.”
“Border patrol?”
“They work under Immigration and Customs Enforcement—ICE. But he works with border patrol, too.”
“Shadow Wolves. That’s the all–Native American outfit, right?”
“Exactly. They’re on the Tohono Oodham lands.”
“I’ve been down there. It’s hot.”
“Most
