Council Of Fire

by Aimee Thurlo

• ISBN13: 9780373887620
• ISBN10: 0373887620
• Edition: Large
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-05-08
• Publisher: Harlequin

Summary

Hunter Blueeyes was sent to retrieve a stolen ceremonial dagger. Unbeknownst to him, security expert Lisa Garza was after it, too, to prove her father's innocence. But Lisa's savvy was no match for the brute force of those who wanted the priceless artifac

Excerpts

It was a clear early autumn evening, and a full moon filtered through the ancient cottonwood trees lining the graveled driveway to Lisa Garza's home in Albuquerque's South Valley. For her, tonight was just the beginning--the first step on what promised to be a long, hard road to justice. "You've been a million miles away all night," Bruce Atcitty said while parking. Lisa looked at her Navajo friend. She'd met the young police officer two years ago when he'd agreed to moonlight for Rio Grande Security Services. An Albuquerque policeman's salary made it a challenge to meet all the expenses of raising a family. "Tonight we identified the client's security threats and recommended fixes. But it's the last job on the schedule. Business has dried up. No one wants to hire a firm owned by a man most people have been told was a thief. To make matters worse, they're not totally sure I'm innocent either," Lisa said. "I'm concerned about you and particularly the decision you've made. Field ops is not your area of expertise. Intelligence gathering, threat analysis and countermeasures, those are your strengths. You don't even carry a weapon. As far as I know you've never even fired a gun." "I hate guns. But Icantake care of myself without one. The self-defense instructor for the police department was a friend of Dad's and taught me privately for years." "Think long and hard about this, Lisa. Once you start down this road, there'll be no turning back. If you're right and your father didn't commit suicide, but was murdered,you'llbe walking right into themight start pointing guns in your direction." "It's a risk I've got to take. But I won't be alone. I've got Dad's contacts, people trained to carry weapons, who'll work alongside me. There's one man in particular Dad trusted and suggested I get in touch with if I ever needed an ally up in the Four Corners. That's where I'm headed tomorrow." "Who's this guy?" he asked. "He's Navajo, like you, but Dad said I should keep his name to myself," Lisa said, remembering the call she'd put in to Hunter Blueeyes. "Dad saved his life once, and he said that the man was a pro and would honor the debt. So I left a call for him a few days ago." "Just be careful, Lisa. You're diving into the middle of something that has the potential to become lethal in a hurry, especially if there is a conspiracy involved." "I'll take things as they come. But I do have a favor to ask. Will you keep an eye on my mother while I'm gone and find someone to watch out for Dad's assistant, Happeth Kincaid? I'll be stirring things up, so I need to know they'll be safe." "Consider it done," he said, then, gesturing toward the porch with his lips, Navajo style, added, "The light must have burned out. Let me walk you inside." "Thanks, but don't bother. It's probably a fuse again. I'll take care of it before Mom gets home from her quilting meeting." She fumbled for her key as he drove off, then went inside, her hand over her shoulder bag. Unable to locate her father's diary after his death, she'd carried with her since his death his daily planner and the last note he'd written, in order to safeguard them. In the note, which Lisa had found in her desk drawer a few days after his death, her father had explained that if anything ever happened to him, her search for answers should begin with their fishing trip. She'd gone only on one fishing trip with her father. It had been on her ninth birthday, and she'd hated every second of it. But that clue had led her to page nine of his daily log, where he recorded his trips. There, she'd found a sketch of a trading post she was able to recognize. She'd be heading there tomorrow. Lisa went inside the house, suspecting they'd blown another fuse, the third in two weeks by her count. The porch light-switch was on. She flipped it off then back on. Then she turned on the light in the hall. Nothin