Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

it in the few moments they had in the library before the guards opened the doors. The American had to already know about the passageway’s existence.
    Nathan remembered how the American acted in the meeting room. He knew how to handle a gun. Was he a soldier? An FBI agent? A mercenary? Nathan’s mind was all over the place as he entertained every possibility.
    Who was the man helping Sydney Dumas?

Chapter 20
    Declan Drake’s heavy boots had taken their toll on Sydney’s ankles. They were killing her by the time they reached Danny’s cabin.
    Danny performed a slow lap around the wraparound porch, watching the woods the entire time. After he was done, he noticed Sydney limping.
    “You okay?” he asked.
    Sydney took a seat on the first step of the porch and grabbed at her bootlaces. “It’s these boots; they’re too heavy.”
    “There are some women’s clothes and shoes inside. Maybe something will fit.”
    Danny turned and walked into the cabin. Sydney slid both boots off and held her legs out in front of her. She rolled her feet around in the air and then focused on the woods beyond them. The wilderness was foreign and endless. With Danny no longer there, she suddenly felt alone. It was a feeling she knew all too well.
    Sydney carried the boots with her as she padded up the porch steps and into the cabin. She could tell it was a man’s place. Several dead animals, deer heads and fish, were mounted on the walls. Two mismatched couches formed a sitting area in the living room, each with its own plaid blanket thrown over it. An oversized stone fireplace crowded the far corner.
    The gun cabinet across the room caught Sydney’s attention. She crossed to it and eyed each gun through the glass doors. She wasn’t scared of guns, but the sight of them had always made her uneasy, aware that the power to kill was within reach.
    “Try these on for size,” Danny said from behind her. Sydney jumped, dropping the boots and nearly knocking the clothes out of Danny’s hands. “A little jumpy, are we?”
    “I usually don’t act like a frightened mouse.”
    “It’s okay. I don’t think you usually have people trying to kill you either. Or do you?”
    Sydney smiled at him. “Not every day.” Silence fell between them, the kind of awkward pause that happened on a first date where the guy tried to decide if it was the right time to move in for the kiss.
    “Your family likes killing, yes?” Sydney finally asked him.
    “Excuse me?” Danny snapped.
    “I’m sorry; my English still fails me at times. It’s just all these guns, here inside your home. The French do not display the power to kill so—”
    “Obnoxiously?” Danny finished. “I never thought hunting was fair. I mean, what did the animals ever do to us, right?”
    “So then, it’s only fair when your opponent is also armed? Is that the idea?”
    Danny gave her an odd look. “Something like that.” He handed her the clothes along with a pair of white sneakers with socks rolled up and stuffed in them.
    “Thank you,” she said as she balanced everything in her arms. “Is that why you got into police work? For the thrill?”
    “I got into it strictly to rescue damsels in distress.”
    “Is that what you think I am?”
    “You tell me.”
    “I can take care of myself. But I’m not stupid enough to, what do Americans call it, look a horse in the eye?”
    Danny chuckled. “In the mouth. Look a gift horse in the mouth.”
    “Right. I’ll accept a gift horse or a gift … what did your badge read, ranger?”
    “Texas Ranger, yes ma’am.”
    “Are the Texas Rangers like cowboys?” Sydney asked.
    “Some folks think we’re nothing more than that.” Sydney didn’t get the joke and scrunched her face. Danny continued. “Are you familiar with the American FBI?”
    She nodded. “The Federal Bureau of Investigations.”
    “We’re similar to them, only we serve the state of Texas.”
    “So what are you doing down here in Mexico?” Sydney asked.
    Danny hesitated. “Vacation.”
    “By yourself?”
    Another hesitation. “Sometimes, I like being alone. Don’t you?”
    “Not really,” she replied, her honesty surprising her.
    Danny motioned toward the bedroom. “You can go in there to try on your new threads.”
    Sydney smiled at him and headed for the bedroom. As she tried on each item, she could hear Danny shuffling around the cabin. Drawers and cabinets were opened and shut, zippers unzipped and then zipped closed again.
    Sydney was