Free Attracted to Fire by DiAnn Mills Page B

doesn’t think she’s worth saving.”
    â€œYou’re contradicting yourself.”
    â€œDrug addicts don’t make sense.”
    â€œSounds like firsthand information.” Ash stared at the navy-blue sky. Clouds had rolled in, casting an ominous aura across the sky along with decidedly lower temperatures.
    â€œMaybe it is,” Meghan said. Ash looked at her, but she was watching the sky. “What if she has no idea who this guy is?”
    Ash pointed to a greenish-black area to the west of them. “Then we have more trouble than the storm headed this way.”

Chapter 11
    Early Sunday morning before her shift, Meghan read Chip Leonard’s background check for the third time. Although those who were trained to track down killers were working nonstop to find who had threatened Lindsay, that didn’t deter her from investigating every angle.
    Chip had cleared the Secret Service radar, but not to her satisfaction, and she intended to find out the source of her doubts. Something didn’t ring true about a man with an MA in statistics leaving a lucrative job in Dallas to help his dad breed and train horses. He was twenty-eight years old. No wife or kids. His dad was fit, and Meghan had Ethan’s latest medical checkup in front of her. That ruled out responsibility to an ailing father. Chip had never been in trouble. Had no questionable ties to any of Homeland Security’s blacklisted organizations, and he was extremely intelligent. The latter picked at her like a pesky mosquito. Wasn’t he bored living out in the middle of nowhere with only his father and horses for company?
    Ethan Leonard swore allegiance to Jesus, Texas, and the Republican Party in that order. He’d buried his wife ten years ago after a long battle with breast cancer. Chip came to live with him about the same time the VP took office. That could be a coincidence or part of strategic planning. She’d ask Ash and the team about a possible link. If her theory proved true, Chip had the advantage of keeping an eye on Scottard Burnette and any of his high-ranking political guests. The idea Chip might have overheard some of the agents’ conversations surfaced again. Did he have a listening device tucked away beneath his belt buckle?
    Thunder cracked across a dark sky, and she jumped. Another storm increased the likelihood of Ash threatening to send them to the storm cellar again. He knew nothing about Texas twisters. Yesterday afternoon’s light and sound show was a baby kicking its feet.
    â€œChip a puzzle for you, too?” She hadn’t heard Ash enter the room, and now he stood behind her. Dangerously close for a woman who found him attractive.
    â€œHe’s no hayseed, and he’s watching every move we make.”
    â€œWhat do you think motivates him to live here and work so hard?”
    Ash’s interest in her thoughts was a rarity, but she’d play along. After all, yesterday he’d talked to her like a real human being. “Curiosity. Maybe boredom with the normal routine. But a smart man can only be stimulated for so long before he starts looking for other means to occupy his time.”
    â€œMy concern too.”
    â€œI’d like to find out why he really gave up a prestigious career for mucking out stalls.”
    â€œMucking?”
    â€œShoveling manure.” Meghan bit back a grin. Ash needed a fast-track course in ranch life.
    â€œAccording to Wade, Chip said he was finished with the fast-paced life.”
    â€œWhat does Wade make of it?”
    â€œThinks he’s the real thing.”
    Meghan’s skepticism remained intact, but she could be wrong. “He knows when I run in the mornings and my path, which I change every day. And he knows the moment you’ll stick your head out the door to check on me, and he picks up on the agents’ conversations.”
    â€œI wasn’t exactly checking on your running status.” Ash rubbed his