Winter Hawk's Legend. Aimee Thurlo

to the scene. “Whoever was following me is long gone,” Holly added, “and his license plate was covered, maybe with tape. It’s a dead end.”

      “That settles it. I want you and Daniel back in my office as soon as you’re free.”

      Holly hung up and slipped the phone back into her jacket pocket. Her hands were still shaking, but her fear was slowly giving way to anger. She’d never purposely harmed anyone in her life, yet for some unfathomable reason, a very crazy person was coming after her. If he was hoping she’d panic and do something stupid he was in for a surprise. This wasn’t her kind of battle, but she was a fast learner.

      Her gaze drifted to Daniel, who was talking to a uniformed Navajo officer. Soon the officer nodded, and Daniel came over to join her.

      “I just got a call from Martin,” Holly said. “He wants to see both of us.”

      “Ready when you are.”

      As they drove back to the plant, Daniel glanced over at her. “Martin can be hard-nosed about security matters. Don’t be surprised if he downgrades your clearance until this matter is settled.”

      Surprised, she stared back at Daniel. What he’d said was logical, but until now, she hadn’t even considered that disastrous possibility. If Martin restricted her access, she’d be unable to continue her work at the facility. In essence, she’d lose the account, and at the worst possible time. Every cent she had was tied into her fledgling company. She couldn’t afford to forfeit a contract.

      She’d been worried about being forced to accept protection, but that no longer seemed like such a bad alternative. Holly took a deep breath. Part of her job entailed persuading people to open their minds, and that’s exactly what she’d have to do now. Her livelihood depended on it.