"Fine, but you do realize there's no room for you in this cover story, don't you?"
"Yes. As much as I'd like to grill her myself, I don't think she'll talk to me. She needs someone to give her a reason to give up information, and I think you're the only one who can make that happen. It's like that saying...
Hell hath no fury like a scorned woman
. We need Tania to get angry at the Packers."
"I just hope that we have the right Packer. Otherwise, this whole thing goes out the window."
* * *
By the time they parked in the lot at Barclay's Barn and Equestrian Center, Dani had come up with a pretty good tale to tell. She just hoped that there would be a way to get Tania alone so she could initiate a conversation.
Barclay's Barn was an impressive equestrian center. Encompassing fifty acres, there was an indoor riding arena as well as several outdoor arenas with jump courses, and a vast expanse of land for trail riding as well as a cross-country course. In addition to the riding facilities, the enormous hundred-year-old mansion that served as the operations center also housed a gourmet restaurant, a luxurious spa, gift shop, and private dining areas for groups and parties.
Being back at Barclay's reminded her of her youth. As they walked by one of the outdoor arenas, she said, "I used to come here with my dad." She paused by the fence to watch a teenage girl put her horse over a series of jumps. "That was me. I loved jumping. I was fearless back then."
"Did your father ride?"
"He did. It was actually one of the few things we both loved. He and Jake had their shared passion for flying, and he and Alicia were always talking about lightning and legends. We had our horses."
"Your mother didn't join you?"
"No. She had a bad fall when she was young. She didn't ride after that, and she didn't like that I did, but she didn't get her way. I was too stubborn, and my dad backed me up. He told her not to let her fears become my fears. She didn't like that."
"I can understand both sides," Patrick said diplomatically. "It's probably difficult to watch your child do something that caused you pain."
"Well, she would love you for saying that."
They started walking again, checking the arenas, before heading to the stables where riders were picking up horses. Dani saw a tall, slim blonde, in tight-fitting jeans and a gauzy shirt, getting on a beautiful palomino, and her pulse quickened. "That's her, isn't it?"
"Yes," he said, a note of excitement in his voice. "We better get some horses. She's taking off on the trail."
It took about ten minutes to sign up for horses and get out of the stables. Dani hoped they wouldn't be too late to catch up with Tania.
"I thought this was my deal and you were staying out of it," she said, as Patrick rode along next to her with more than competent agility. "You've ridden before, too."
"Texas boy," he said with a smile, repeating her earlier words with a twist.
She smiled back. "I sometimes forget. Rarely does a y'all cross your lips."
"I've spent a lot of time away from Texas in the past decade, but once I'm here for a couple weeks, I start talking like everyone else. Anyway, I'll lag behind, but I want to stay close enough to help in case you need it."
"I think we'll be safe. No one will be looking for us here."
"Probably not."
She frowned at his noncommittal response, but she was also glad that he hadn't bothered to lie to her just to make her feel better. With Patrick, she always felt like she was getting the truth.
There were several other riders on the trail, but as they got farther away from the barn, the space between horses grew larger. Patrick fell behind, and she urged her horse into a trot, wanting to catch up to Tania. The woman was on her own; this was her best chance to talk to her.
Despite the fact that she was on a mission, it felt good to be on a horse again. She'd missed the rhythm of riding, the wind in her hair, the feeling of flight, the power of the animal beneath her. Riding had always made her feel free, strong, adventurous, and she was happy for the reminder. Over the past few days, she'd been feeling unlike herself, which was probably because of all the secrets she was keeping. It had been difficult to be at work where there were so many eyes on her, where so many people were worried that she was going to do something to bring down the senator.
She didn't want to take the senator down. She didn't want him to be guilty of anything. But it was beginning to look more and more like he had something to hide.
But first things first; she had to find Tania. She was the best lead they had.
Another twenty minutes passed before she saw Tania. The woman had paused to look at the view. There was a melancholy expression on her face, and her thoughts seemed very far away. Maybe she would be receptive to an approach. But first Dani needed to get Tania's respect and make it seem like she was no threat. She thought she knew just how to do it. They both loved horses. And she had a feeling the other woman would love a chance to compete.
Tania moved her horse back onto the path. Dani sped up, coming up next to her. She gave her a friendly smile and seeing nothing but open space in front of them, she said, "Feel like a race?"
Tania's eyes lit up. She didn't even hesitate. She kicked her horse into gear and took off. Dani did the same.
Her horse seemed just as delighted to be running as she was, and it was a joyous gallop for both of them. Tania was also an experienced horsewoman, and she knew how to ride. They flew across the flatlands, finally coming to a stop as the path narrowed by the creek.
"That was fun," Dani said, stopping alongside her.
Tania patted her horse's neck. "Brandy needed that. She hasn't had a good run in a while."
"She's beautiful. She's yours?"
"Yes. We're a team. She doesn't ever let me down."
There was something in Tania's words that told Dani this was her opening. "That's hard to find."
"Tell me about it."
"I know you," she said.
Tania stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"You're Tania Vaile. I've seen you before—with Reid Packer." It was a calculated gamble, and Dani bated her breath as she waited for Tania's reaction.
"Who are you?" Tania asked warily.
"I'm Dani Monroe. I work for Senator Dillon."
"Oh." Tania looked a little less uptight with that information. "The senator has been a good friend to the company I work for."
"Yes, he's very honored to have the Packers' support. But then, he gets millions of dollars, so it's easy to see where his gratitude comes from. I don't feel quite as generous."
"Why is that?" Tania asked, her sharp gaze raking Dani's face.
Dani looked over her shoulder. She didn't see Patrick, but she suspected he was somewhere in the trees, unless he was still trying to catch up. "I'll be honest with you," she said, turning back to Tania. "I came here today hoping to run into you."
"Why? What's going on?"
She drew in a deep breath. It was now or never. "Reid and I—we had something going on. I thought he was falling in love with me, but then he told me about you and about Yvette. He said there were others, too—that I was a fool for thinking our hook-ups were anything more than sex."
Tania's face paled. "You have no idea what kind of relationship I had with Reid."
"I know what he told me about you," she said, going all in on her story. "He said you were together for a long time, that no one knew. But he said he was never going to marry you. And he was never going to marry me. And he didn't. He married Yvette."
"Why are you telling me this?" Tania asked.
"Because I don't like being played. And I did not like the way he blew me off as if I didn't matter. I want to make Reid feel as bad as I do, but I don't think I can do it alone. I thought you might possibly feel the same way. If I'm wrong, you can forget this conversation ever happened. I just thought I'd take a shot and see if you were up for a little payback."
Tania stared back at her, but there was temptation in her eyes. "You can't hurt him. Reid is invincible. He's the most powerful man on earth."
"I know he thinks that, but do you? I know some of his secrets. And I think you do, too, because he likes to brag."
"He wouldn't tell you anything. I'm going back to the barn."
Sensing that she was about to lose Tania, she tried one last shot. "He told me that he had a US senator killed," she said boldly.
Tania's jaw dropped. "He did not tell you that."
"Then how would I know?" she challenged. "Aren't you tired of being taken for granted, Tania, dismissed for being not important enough to worry about? I know I am. If we put our heads together, we can teach Reid not to mess around with smart women."
Tania let out a sigh. "The last thing I've been with Reid is smart. But he didn't kill a senator. I know what you're talking about. He had nothing to do with that."
"Are you sure?" she challenged.
She saw the doubt in Tania's eyes.
"I'll think about it," Tania said.
She wanted to push, but she was afraid if she pressed too hard, Tania would just say no. "Can I give you my number?"
"All right." Tania took her phone out of her pocket and entered Dani's number. "But I don't know if I'll call you. I have a lot to lose."
"So do I. But more importantly, so does Reid. He can't always win, can he?"
"Up until now, I thought he could, but maybe not." Tania turned her horse and trotted back down the path.
Seventeen
Dani let out the breath she'd been subconsciously holding. All things considered, her conversation with Tania had gone pretty well. She stayed where she was, certain that Patrick would show up soon. Several moments later, he came through the trees.
"Well? It looked like you had a good conversation," he said.
"I made my case that she should help me get revenge on Reid. He was obviously the one she was sleeping with. She pretty much admitted that, although she didn't say much else."
"Did you ask her any questions?"
"I thought it was more important to try to get her on my side. I did take one gamble. I told her that Reid had bragged to me about killing a senator."
Patrick raised an eyebrow. "What was her response to that?"
"She said that wasn't true, that she knew what I was talking about. I asked her if she was sure, and there was doubt in her eyes."
"So you proposed revenge?"
"Yes. I gave her my number. I told her we could take him down together. She's going to think about it."
He nodded approvingly. "You did good, Dani."
"I didn't really ask her anything, though."
"You went with your instinct; that's what I would have done. She would have never answered your questions. I think you took the right approach."
"I just hope we have enough time to play all this out before…" She didn't even want to venture a guess as to all the bad things that could possibly happen.
"We can only do what we can do. Today was a good day."
"At least better than yesterday," she said. "I definitely had her attention. Whether she'll reject my offer or not, I think she's going to consider it. There was anger in her eyes when she said his name, and there was pain, too. He hurt her. I just hope she wants to hit back."
"If she doesn't, she may go running to Reid, and then your whole cover story will be blown."
"It's a risk, but even if he denied everything I said, she might think he was lying. She knows he's a player. I'd bet a lot of money that he has slept his way around the Capitol. In fact, we might want to pursue that angle a little more, see if we can lure out any other ex-girlfriends or hook-ups."
"I'm impressed, Dani. You've got a lot of ideas going on in your head right now."
"Like you, I'm tired of being one step behind. I want to get out in front. But we'll see if Tania gets in touch." She paused. "Do you feel like riding a little longer? It's a beautiful afternoon, and I'm not quite ready to go back."
"Sure. You do look happy on that horse," he said, as they continued down the trail. "I watched you race Tania. You had a lot of fun, didn't you?"
"I did. She was a good competitor. I have a feeling you would be, too."
He smiled. "You're up for another race?"
"We've got more flatland coming up," she said, as they left the narrow part of the trail.
"You're on," he said, taking off a split second before she did.
She wasn't worried. Patrick might beat her at a lot of things, but not this.
* * *
Patrick didn't mind losing the race to Dani, because watching her ride past him had been totally worth it. Her blonde hair had flown back in the breeze and her joyous smile had sparkled in the sunlight. He felt like he was seeing the real her: the fearless, adventurous girl with big dreams, and the willingness to make them happen.
They had a lot in common. He liked to dream big, too. But right now his biggest dream had a lot to do with her.
She wouldn't believe that. She thought all of his focus was on his mother's plane crash, but in truth, he couldn't stop thinking about Dani, couldn’t stop wanting to be with her, and not just as her friend, but as much, much more.
As their thundering pace slowed down, Dani glanced back at him with a smile, and whatever ice he'd put around his heart a long time ago began to crack. He hadn't even realized the ice was there until now, until he felt the warm, unsettling heat run through him. It was desire but it was also something else, something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time.
He shouldn't let those feelings in now. As soon as all this was over, they'd probably go their separate ways. But right now it was difficult to imagine a day without Dani in it, much less a lifetime.
Dani turned and rode back to him as they came to the end of the trail.
"That was fun," she said. "I beat you, even though you took a head start."
"I had to. You have a better horse."
"Or is it that I'm a better rider?" she challenged.
He grinned, liking her cocky attitude as much as he liked everything else about her. "I would never admit that."