by L. N. Carson
“What’s Amun-Ra want us to do with Atum once we have him?” Montu asked.
“We take him back alive.”
“So we can do whatever it takes to bring him in as long as he’s still breathing when we get him there.” He shoved a clip into his Glock. “Good to know.”
* * *
Sam had to wait only a moment before the Camaro pulled to the side of the service road. The trunk popped open, and Sam climbed inside. Once he’d pulled the lid closed, Kathleen drove off.
“Are you all right?” he called to her, trying to make himself more comfortable in the cramped space.
“Fine. You?”
“Peachy.”
* * *
Hathor swore under her breath as she and Montu came upon the discarded backpack. Now they had no Atum, no falcon tracking his whereabouts, and no sign of where he’d gone. Amun-Ra would be pissed.
“What do we tell Amun-Ra?” Montu asked.
Hathor delivered a hard right-hook to the left side of Montu’s face.
“Ow!” He staggered back. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“We’re telling Amun-Ra that Atum knocked us both out and took off. Your turn,” she said, steeling herself for the blow.
Chapter Six
Stifling a yawn, Kathleen called out to Sam that she saw a sign for a hotel. “I’m going to stop and get us a room. I’m getting too sleepy to drive.”
“All right.”
“Stay put until I give you the all-clear.”
She parked near the front door, locked the car, and hurried inside. “Hi,” she said to the clerk. “I’ve been driving most of the day, and I’m really exhausted. Do you have a room available?”
“Oh, sure, we have vacancies.” The clerk typed on her keyboard and peered at a monitor.
“Do you have anything ground level away from the traffic noise? I’m a light sleeper.”
She tapped some more keys. “Uh, yeah. We have a room at the far end of the right hall. You can pull around the side of the building and use your keycard to get through the door so you don’t have to come all the way back to the front with your bags.”
“Super. Thanks so much.”
Kathleen paid for the room and was handed a small envelope with, according to the clerk, two keycards.
As she pulled to the side of the building, she called out to Sam that she had them the perfect parking spot.
“We should be able to get in and out without anyone seeing you. I don’t even see a security camera on this side of the building.”
He didn’t answer.
“Sam? Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he called. “Just waiting until the coast is clear.”
“Right.” She parked the car as close to both the doors and the shadows as she could get.
After retrieving their bags from the back seat, she popped the trunk and helped Sam climb out. He stumbled, his legs unsteady, likely from his injuries as well as the cramped car ride.
Kathleen adjusted their bags. “Here. Lean on me.”
He took the laundry bag from her, put his right arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close. “That helps a lot.”
She enjoyed being so close to him, feeling his strong body next to hers. She had to remind herself that his presence in her life was only temporary.
When they got inside the room, they dropped their bags onto the floor. Kathleen put the chain in place and deadbolted the door. Sam sank onto the closest bed.
“Let’s order pizza,” Kathleen said. “You can hide in the bathroom when the delivery guy gets here.”
“Will you be getting naked like you did the last time someone knocked on our door?”
She grinned. “I would, but I’m afraid you couldn’t handle it after the day you’ve had.”
“You’re probably right,” he said with a laugh.
A card for the closest pizza delivery place lay on the nightstand by the phone. After checking with Sam to make sure pepperoni was all right, Kathleen took out her cell phone and ordered.
“It should be here in half an hour or so,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore.”
“Curling up in my trunk didn’t help matters. You should take a hot bath. I’ll get your water ready.”
She went into the bathroom, plugged the tub, and started the water. After checking the temperature, she stepped back into the bedroom where Sam was leaned back on his elbows with his eyes closed.
“I even unwrapped the soap for you,” she said.
He smiled but didn’t open his eyes. “That’s very accommodating. You don’t expect me to answer the door naked when the pizza arrives, do you?”
“Certainly not. I believe we’re a fairly safe distance from the park, but who knows how widely circulated your photo was.”
“Good point.” His eyes snapped open, and he sat up and stretched his arms up over his head.
“After we eat, we can figure out what to do next.”
Kathleen’s phone rang, and she looked at the screen. “I have to take this. It’s my sister.”
* * *
Sam gingerly lowered himself into the water. It was a little too hot, but it felt really soothing to his aching muscles and joints. He rolled up a towel and placed it at the back of his head.
Here he was in—okay, so he didn’t know where he was other than in a bathtub in a no-frills hotel. But he had to formulate a plan. When he’d taken off this morning, he hadn’t known where he was going—simply that he had to get his project out of the hands of Amun-Ra and his cronies.
Admiral Harper could help him. The admiral had clout with some major players in Washington, and he could put Sam in touch with the right person to determine what should be done with the project. He was stationed in Norfolk and had a home on Admiral’s Row in Hampton Roads. He could help shut down Amun-Ra’s operation.
Sam tried to concentrate on his plan, but Kathleen’s voice kept drifting in and out. She was apparently pacing as she talked.
He’d already asked more of Kathleen than he’d ever intended. He couldn’t possibly ask her to drive him to Norfolk. Hopefully, he had enough money to buy a used car in the morning, and he and Kathleen could go their separate ways.
Sam remembered the way she’d looked standing before him in her bra and panties—turning and unhooking that bra…and he wondered if she’d object to a one-night stand. She was wild and seductive, and—
His thoughts were interrupted by a shriek.
* * *
A knock sounded at the door, and Kathleen told her sister she had to go. “Kiss the baby for me. See you soon.”
She ended the call and looked through the keyhole to make sure it was the pizza delivery person standing in the hallway. Hollering that she’d be right there, she got the money and then made the exchange. The pizza box was hot and the aroma delicious. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she smelled food.
As she kicked the door closed, Sam came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Nice.” She started to offer some other witty comment, but he didn’t give her a chance.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” She stilled, straining her ears for whatever it was Sam heard. “Do you think we were followed? Are the police out there?”
“No—I mean, I don’t think so. I’m talking about the falcon. Do you hear a falcon crying?”
She slowly shook her head. “I don’t hear anything.” She set the pizza box on the table near the window, the one large surface—other than the bed—in the small room.
“Be right back.” He hurried into the bathroom and returned fully clothed.
When he went to the door, Kathleen put her hand on his arm. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going out to see the bird.”
“Why?”
“I think it might be one of mine.” He stepped out into the hall.
Kathleen grabbed one of the keycards and followed him.
> Sam went out the side door where the car was parked. When he held his left arm out, a falcon swooped down and perched on it.
She gasped.
“Shh. It’s all right.”
Kathleen wasn’t sure if he was soothing her or the bird.
“What’s it doing here?” she asked. “Did you call it here somehow?”
Sam shook his head. “I saw a falcon when I was on the hiking trail leading to the service road. I suspected he might be one of mine, sent by Amun-Ra to find me.”
“How could it find you?”
“Through the GPS device. And it could send coordinates back to Amun-Ra’s security team.”
“But the device was in your backpack, and you ditched it in the woods, right? How could the bird track you here? Is there another device?”
“I don’t think so. Horus here has excellent eyesight. I’m sure he recognized me, saw me get into your car, and followed me here.”
She groaned. “So we have to leave. Again.”
“No, we don’t.” He smiled at her. “You’re giving him too much credit. I mean, Horus does only what he’s programmed to do. He was ordered to find the GPS device. He did so, and the coordinates were uploaded to Amun-Ra.”
“But didn’t he already know you were in the park?” Kathleen asked. “Isn’t that why the cops were there?”
“Yes. The GPS gave off a general location. Amun-Ra would have sent Horus to narrow it down.”
“All right. So, why did Horus follow you here?”
Sam grinned. “Because he likes sardines. And I just happen to have some in my pack—or, rather, your laundry bag.”
“Ew! You’ve got sardines in my laundry bag?”
“They’re packed away.” With the falcon still on his left forearm, he walked toward the door. “Stay to my right please. Horus is likely to get antsy if you come up behind him.”
* * *
While Sam fed Horus sardines, he asked Kathleen if he could borrow her smartphone again.
“After you wash your hands, you may.” She scrunched up her nose.
He laughed. “Thanks. I’m going to deprogram him and set him free.”
“Really? That’s great.” She paused. “But if you log into the government computer, won’t they find you through my phone’s IP address?”
“I’ll be using a web proxy.” He placed Horus on the back of a chair and stepped into the bathroom to wash his hands. When he returned to the bedroom, Kathleen handed him her phone.
He could tell she was nervous around Horus, so he quickly logged into his web proxy server to begin the process of liberating the falcon.
“Why are you setting him free?” she asked. “I mean, couldn’t you reprogram him so that he could give you intel on what Amun-Ra and his cronies are doing?”
“I could. But I’m guessing Amun-Ra has already replaced me. When it becomes apparent—almost immediately—that I’ve logged into the system, they’ll be alerted to the fact that I’ve done something to Horus. If he then returns to his post, he’ll be reprogrammed or killed.”
“That’s terrible!”
“That’s why I’m cutting him loose. I’m shutting down the chip that’s inside him.”
“And they can’t turn it back on?”
He shook his head. “No. There’s a self-destruct mechanism that will dissolve the chip without causing harm to the animal. It was put into place for us to have deniability in case we got caught.”
“That’s great! Can’t you make all the animals’ chips dissolve?”
“Theoretically, yes. But we don’t have the time or resources. Besides, I’d rather shut down the entire program.”
Within five minutes, he was done. He looked at Horus. “You’re free, buddy.”
The bird merely gave him a piercing look.
Sam took one of the keycards and held out his left arm. Horus dutifully flew to his perch, and Sam carried him outside. Kathleen remained behind.
No one was in the hallway as he turned and strode once more to the side door. He opened the door and took Horus outside.
“Have a good life, Horus. No one will force you into service anymore.” He gently jerked his forearm up, signaling the bird to fly. Horus circled the parking lot once and then flew toward the mountains against the backdrop of the sunset.
He went back to the room and found Kathleen microwaving the pizza.
“Sorry,” he said. “I let it get cold.”
“No problem.” The microwave dinged, and she took their food out of the oven and moved it back to the table. Sitting down, she grabbed a slice.
Sam washed his hands again and then joined her. “The call you got earlier. Was everything okay?” He realized he should’ve asked her sooner, but everything had gone out the window when he’d heard Horus.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. It was just my sister calling to see how the jump went.”
He frowned.
“What?” she asked, tearing a piece of crust off of her pizza and popping it in her mouth.
“Well, you didn’t sound very excited when I heard you talking with her.”
“I’m exhausted. You know that.” She lifted and dropped one shoulder. “Besides, my sister doesn’t really approve of my jumping off bridges and stuff like that. She feels I take unnecessary risks.”
“She’d certainly believe I fall into that category.”
Kathleen laughed. “Yes, she would. She asked me how the cabin was, and I told her I’d decided not to stay there tonight…that there was some sort of fugitive on the loose near the park and so I got out of there. She thought maybe I was coming home, but I told her I was too tired to drive.”
“I can vouch for that. Are you and your sister close?”
“We are.”
Sam watched conflicting expressions flit across her face. She was holding something back.
“What about you?” she asked. “Are you tight with your family?”
“Yeah. We have a fairly tight bond. I’m the oldest, and I have a brother and a sister. My parents are both retired now, and they enjoy traveling, the grandkids, all that stuff.”
“So, you have children?”
“Not me. My sister does.”
“That’s nice.” She smiled softly. “I have a niece. She’s a doll.”
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. Kathleen finished first. When he pushed back in his seat, she asked if he’d like some help doctoring his arm.
“I’d be very grateful,” he said. “Thanks.”
He got the medic’s ointment and gauze from the pink laundry bag and placed the items on the table by the closed pizza box. He tugged his shirt over his head and let her remove the gauze from his right arm. The wounds still seeped.
“Wait here.”
She went into the bathroom and returned with a damp washcloth. “Let me see you now. I’ve got this soaped up with warm water.” As she gently cleansed the road rash, Sam tried not to wince. After the wound airdried, she applied the ointment liberally to his arm. Once she’d redressed the injury, she ran her fingertips gingerly down his ribcage.
“Was the doctor positive there was nothing broken?”
“I’m fine.” His voice was thick. It had nothing to do with any pain he felt and everything to do with her proximity.
He cupped her face in his left hand and covered her mouth with his.
She opened her mouth beneath his, and their tongues met.
Desire exploded within him, and he knew she felt it too because she moaned slightly and wrapped her arms around him, one hand buried in his hair, the other splayed against his back. They stood there kissing until he finally lifted his head to suggest moving to the bed.
Kathleen took a breath and stepped out of his embrace. “Good thing you stopped that. I make it a rule to never go all the way with a fugitive until at least our second day on the run.”
Sam swallowed his disappointment. “Does that mean you’re still willing to help me tomorrow?”
She ope
ned her mouth to answer, but he rushed on.
“I only want your help in finding a way to get to my friend who lives near Norfolk. But I know you’re tired. We can talk about that in the morning.”
“About the morning…would you like me to see if they have another room available?”
“Let me check the television first. If my face is plastered all over the news, then I don’t want to take the chance. But if it isn’t, I’ll get my own room.” He frowned slightly. “You don’t trust me anymore?”
She inclined her head. “Trusting you when I’m awake is one thing. Trusting you while I’m asleep is quite another.” She pulled the bedspread off the nearest bed and dropped it onto the floor. Then she reclined on the bed, waiting for him to turn on the TV.
He propped himself against the headboard of the other bed and turned on the television to see if there was anything about him on the news. No banner across the screen—no breaking alerts. He checked all the local channels and waited for the nightly news to come on. He soon heard Kathleen’s deep, rhythmic breathing. As his eyelids drooped, he flipped the button on the remote to shut down the TV.
* * *
Miranda closed the children’s book she’d been reading to her daughter. Her eyes drank in the sight of the sleeping child—eyelashes resting on plump cheeks, a slight smile still playing around her lips, light blonde hair hiding the face of Punky, her favorite teddy bear. That bear had been a gift from Kathleen when Rachel was first born.
Kathleen.
She sighed and quietly rolled off her daughter’s bed. At the doorway, she turned off the light but left the door cracked in case Rachel awoke.
“Where are you, Kathleen? And what are you doing?” Miranda murmured aloud.
She couldn’t understand why her sister felt the need to jump off bridges, skydive, or any of the other crazy things she did. Kathleen was always going off half-cocked to one adventure or another.
How had Miranda taken their shared experiences—well, shared for the most part—and become a responsible adult determined not to repeat the mistakes her parents made, while Kathleen simply used the past to dive headfirst into one potential catastrophe after another? Was she hoping to prove herself? Kill herself? And why wouldn’t she let Miranda help her?
