By the time Jake finished, they were all staring at him, enraptured and captured by the old vet’s story.
Helen leaned over to Erik, a proud smile on her face. “He’s always a hard act to follow.”
She rose and took his place, running through her own experiences during the Gulf War, serving behind the lines driving supply trucks. Her story was in some ways in direct contrast to Jake’s, the public’s support upon her return overwhelming. She detailed what she’d seen and experienced, the men and women she knew, and how the war changed them and their lives. The screen showed more recent images, all in color, following her time line.
Brenna put her hand on Erik’s leg, drawing him close. “I had no idea,” she whispered.
“About what?”
“That Jake had gone through so much…” She paused, pressing her lips together in a tight line, her forehead furrowed. “So much controversy for being a warrior.”
“It comes and goes,” he replied, thinking back to the drop-in center and Mike. “The price we pay for serving.”
Brenna looked over at Jake, who was now seated, his full attention on Helen as she strolled across the stage. The images on the screen had shifted from jungle warfare to desert scenes, the smiling troopers waving at the photographer as they flashed victory signs.
Something caught his eye, something at the far right of the auditorium.
Something out of place.
His pulse shot up as he scanned the crowd, searching for whatever had triggered his reaction.
There.
A blonde woman stood at the back of the room, her arms crossed as Helen continued her talk. She was staring at Erik and Brenna, all her attention focused on the pair. She shifted to the side, moving across the last row of chairs.
He squinted into the dark auditorium, his night vision disjointed due to the presentation still running.
Is it…
It’s her.
His stomach clenched up, tightening as he realized the danger.
You screwed up.
He started to rise off the chair, fingers pulled into fists as his mind ran through possible scenarios. How to intercept Kara, how to draw her away from the students, outside where their fight would endanger as few civilians as possible. Give Brenna a chance to break away.
He took a shallow breath, his heart racing.
The school was a soft target. Minimum security and possibility of maximum casualties if Kara went berserk, cutting through the crowd to reach him and Brenna.
This was the worst place possible for a confrontation. If they began to fight here and she brought out her lance.
The world narrowed as Erik focused on her, his thoughts racing. He tried to form a battle plan, but all he could think of was the desert, the explosion and seeing those he cared about torn to bits.
I’ve got to do something…
I’ve got to do…
I’ve got…
He couldn’t take a deep breath, only short huffs catching barely enough air to keep going.
Brenna’s nails dug into his thigh, the sharp pain slicing through the red haze circling his vision.
He jerked his head to one side, suppressing the urge to yell.
Don’t you see?
“I know what you’re thinking. But it’s not her,” Brenna said in a low, soft voice. “Look again.”
The blonde moved down the aisle, coming out of the shadows as she approached the front of the room.
Her grip increased on his leg, holding him in place.
“It’s not Kara,” Brenna murmured. “Trust me, I know my sister.” Her voice turned sharp. “Look at her, Erik.”
He blinked, the tunnel vision lessening with every flick of his eyelids as the rest of the world came back into focus.
The woman came fully into the light cast from the emergency exit signs, and Erik let out a long, deep breath.
Not Kara.
She had the same basic body type and hair color, but after that the similarity ended. The woman wore a white blouse, the top few buttons undone, a flowery scarf draped around her neck. She smiled at him and held up her cell phone, displaying his image on the bare-knuckle fighting website.
A fan.
Mentally he kicked himself, flashing back to their brief stop in Las Vegas and the headache he’d had in the casino, the sense of foreboding. He wasn’t ready yet to say it was anything other than a coincidence, having no proof Kara had been anywhere nearby, but he’d felt fine during the presentation.
Brenna’s grip on his thigh eased up as he sat back down, forcing himself to relax.
Jake leaned in. “Seems you’ve got a few admirers.” He gestured out to the audience where some of the students were also staring at Erik, their fingers dancing over their phones. “Should have known I wasn’t the only fan.”
“Fuck.” It was all Erik could think of saying. “They’re going to paint us up like lasers.”
Brenna frowned. “What?”
Helen finished speaking and the crowd burst into applause, rising to their feet.
Erik did the same, choking back his growl.
“I just sent up a big flare, telling Kara exactly where we are.”
…
The gaggle of students didn’t take long to work through, some of them demanding a selfie with the fighter. Erik couldn’t think of a reason to deny them—saying he didn’t want to do it because he was being hunted by a Valkyrie would earn plenty of attention. Complying gave him some control over the situation. He told them he was resting up due to injuries, showing off the almost-healed bruises to explain why he was traveling with the troupe. A few of the young women giggled as a few of the men stepped away to demonstrate their own fighting techniques.
The principal stayed close, arms crossed and watching the students intently for any signs of someone going too far and causing a scene.
Brenna stood nearby as the teenagers swarmed around and bragged about the fights, thrilled with having met Erik in real life. He worked his way through the small group then dealt with Kara’s look-alike.
Up close Erik admitted Brenna was right—the resemblance was faint, barely enough to make a mistake in a crowd. But his hypersensitivity had kicked in, and he wasn’t about to apologize for staying frosty.
The woman turned out to be one of the school’s history teachers as well as a rabid fighting fan, recognizing Erik from afar. She waited until the kids had moved on before sliding in, taking a slew of photographs with her cell, with and without her in the picture.
She smiled and gave him her phone number and address. “Next time you’re in town, I’d love to have you do a talk for my class. Maybe demonstrate some of those moves.”
It was obvious by the way she wetted her lips while handing the note over she wanted a private exhibition.
In another time and place, he might have taken her up on the offer. But not now.
“Thanks,” Erik said with as much politeness as he could muster. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
The teacher moved off with one last wink, returning to her students.
Erik looked around, seeking a way out of this disaster of his own making. The embarrassment of almost launching himself at the woman was offset by the fact he’d tipped his hand to their travelers. The initial explanation of why they’d sought to travel with the group wasn’t going to be enough, not now.
Another crowd had formed around Jake and Helen, more interested in their battle experiences than talking to a washed-up cage fighter. Mark hung off to one side with Lucy, chatting to the teachers as they waited for the others.
It was a rousing success.
It was a horrifying failure.
As soon as he could escape the teenagers, Erik went to Brenna, shaking his head. “Damn it.” He lowered his voice. “I’m an idiot. The underground fighting, the matches are all online. These kids, these fans are hooked in. The second I stepped on that stage, it was inevitable this would happen.”
She touched his arm and nodded. “Don
’t take this all on you. Hell, I didn’t think of it, either. And I’m the one who tracked you using those same damned websites. The good news is that it’ll take time for the word to spread and for her to get here—we’ll have to move and move fast.”
Her attention turned and focused on the blonde walking away. “She’s an interesting fan. I don’t recall seeing a lot of women at the fight.” The cool tone reminded Erik of a fighter sizing up possible competition.
He held back a smile. “It depends on the venue. Mostly we’re in bar basements, warehouses you don’t take your lady to—not if you want to keep her.” He shook his head. “I spotted her coming down the aisle, and all I saw was Kara. Thank God you pulled me back before I went at her. That would be hard for Jake to explain away, me attacking one of their history teachers.”
Brenna glanced after the retreating woman. “She looks…nice.”
The uptick in her tone on the last word burst across Erik’s ears, an emotional firecracker. He pulled the note out of his jean pocket and tossed it into a nearby garbage bin.
She frowned. “What did you do that for?”
Erik shrugged. “Not interested. I don’t need any more complications in my life. At least, not of the romantic type.”
“Oh.” A light blush tinged her cheeks. “I didn’t say… I see.”
“I’m alone. By choice.” He smirked, enjoying her discomfort. “Don’t be jealous. She’s not my type.”
“I didn’t say that,” she snapped back, her face still red. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
He leaned in, relief making him giddy. “I can think of much more interesting things to do with your mouth.”
She pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes wide.
Before she could gather herself together to form a response, Erik turned away, heading toward Jake. The crowd had moved off, the kids finishing their questioning and the teachers herding them out of the auditorium.
The older man glared at Erik. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the doors.
“We’ll talk at the campsite. No use getting into it here. Time to get moving.” His expression left no room for discussion.
Erik said nothing, falling in behind Mark and Lucy. All joking aside, there was about to be a reckoning for his overreaction at the presentation.
The decision about leaving the group might have fallen out of his hands.
Chapter Sixteen
They arrived at the campground not long after dark, edging into a small spot at the end of the acreage. The ride back had been anything but silent, Helen and Lucy talking about the students’ reaction to the presentation and Mark adding in his thoughts. Erik took a bit of ribbing for being an internet celebrity, laughing even as he winced inside. Jake had focused on driving, not saying much.
Brenna stayed quiet. From the moment they’d left the school’s parking lot until they drove into the clearing, her attention had been on everything around them. He’d caught her glancing at the side and rearview mirrors, sometimes locking eyes with her for a second before they both pulled away.
She knew the danger Kara represented.
They pitched the tents and broke out the hoagies donated by the school, the long buns piled high with sliced meats.
After the camp chairs were set up around the fire, Erik settled next to Jake, both of them working on the thick sandwiches.
Jake poured out another cup of coffee and passed it to him. “Good food. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to break out the MREs just yet.”
Erik chuckled. “Say what you want, but I sort of like the mac and cheese.”
The Vietnam vet wrinkled his nose. “Gotten better over the years but they all still taste like cardboard and wet cigarettes to me.” He glanced over at where the women were pitching the two large tents. “Thanks for taking a rotation on the night shift. Mark’s tough, but he needs a break. Not right to stay awake all night, takes a toll on the body.”
“No problem.” Erik looked into his coffee. “I’ll help out as long as I can.”
“Yeah. About that.” Jake stared him for a minute before continuing. “At the start, you said you were interested in coming along with us to lie low, recover from the bad fight. I was cool with it ’cause we had the space. Figured you’d hop off in a few days but if you wanted to ride all the way to the East Coast it’d be fine.” His eyes narrowed. “I caught the way you jumped when you thought that woman was coming at you.” He studied Erik’s face. “You spooked really bad. We got issues here I need to know about?”
Erik paused for a second, weighing the options.
Jake continued. “I can understand if you’re having problems with camping out. Maybe it’s reminding you too much of being back in the field. We can deal with that, like we have with Lucy. Hell, you told me ’bout Brenna’s problem, and I was fine with it. Except I can’t have you freaking out and attacking audience members or worse. You were about to jump off the stage and go at that teacher.” He gestured at Erik’s hands. “You don’t have to be armed to do a lot of damage. So spill whatever had you going on there.”
“I…” Erik swallowed hard. “I got to be honest with you. Someone’s after me and Brenna.”
Jake rubbed his salt-and-pepper beard. “How bad? We talking upset fan, pissed-off sports bookie?”
“No. It’s…complicated.”
There’s an understatement.
“Someone wants to kill us. She won’t stop coming until we’re both dead.” Erik sighed. “Believe me, we never wanted to drag you guys into this. We were just looking to grab a quick ride out of town and heal up.” He put one hand against his left side. “I wasn’t in any shape to hoof it much longer.”
Jake studied his cup of coffee. “This got to do with drugs? I’m not a big fan of the hard stuff.” He mimicked taking a deep drag on a joint. “MJ, I’m good with.”
“No. No. Nothing like that.” His mind spun as he tried to come up with something that wouldn’t sound like a bad action movie script. “It’s a woman. She holds me responsible for her brother’s death. Brenna’s hanging with me, so she’s caught up in all this.”
“Hmm.” Jake chewed on his lip. “Are you? Responsible?”
“It was a fellow soldier. In my squad, got caught in the same ambush I did.” He didn’t like to lie, but it was all he could think of to explain away the circumstances. “She’s ticked off at the world. Hunted me down at the venue, got at us in the parking lot—almost took me out when I was weak from the fight.” He grimaced at the memory. “You saw the beating Matty put down on me. Kara attacked, put us on the run, which is how we ended up meeting you.”
Jake eyed him. “I trust you to be telling me the truth. Got no reason to doubt you—told you I was a fan of yours. I read your bio. Lots there simmering under the surface but I’m not going to push.” He reached out and poked the fire with a stick. “This woman coming after you, is she another vet? Serve with either of you?”
“No.” Erik refused to give Kara that status. She didn’t deserve it. It’d also possibly put Jake in an awkward spot, the same Erik had been in when he first had to deal with the Valkyries. He might approach the situation differently if he thought their stalker was another vet with issues, and Erik couldn’t afford to have that holding them all back. “The important thing is she’s not going to stop until she gets to us.”
“Hmm.” Jake rose and went to the coffee pot, refilling his mug.
Erik stayed seated, waiting for the senior to return.
Jake came back to sit. “I didn’t want to mention it before I had to—but we’ve got weapons on hand. When I planned this trip out, I worried about running into trouble. One pistol under the front seat. Crowbar under the middle seat.”
Erik nodded.
“We’re not looking for trouble. They’re a last resort if someone threatens us. I won’t let anyone hurt Helen or Lucy. Mark knows ’bout the weapons.” He grunted. “You’re part of the team now. We’ll keep you safe until Washington.”
“You
want us to stay?”
Jake nodded.
“You can’t speak for the rest of the group,” Erik replied.
“True.” Jake scratched his beard. “We’ll talk about it tonight once everyone gets settled in. I can tell you now they’re not going to throw you two out. Wouldn’t be right.”
“We’ll see.” Erik eyed him. “You sure about this? You didn’t agree to this when you took us in.”
“One thing I learned back in the field is to keep your friends close.”
“And your enemies closer,” Erik said, finishing the saying.
“To a degree.” Jake pressed his lips into a tight line before continuing. “I watched people abandoned when we bugged out of ’Nam, those who had helped us left to die. I won’t drop the two of you by the side of the road and wait to read about some crazed knife brawl. Not on my watch.”
“Thank you.” Erik shook his head. “I still can’t wrap my mind around this.” The truth was hidden in the lie, but the emotions were true.
“Listen to me. There’s more to this. The way you acted at the school…” He paused. “You lost your people.” There was a sadness in Jake’s voice. “You never get over it. No matter how often you read the paperwork clearing you of all misdoing, it sticks in your craw.” He tapped his chest. “I’d rather be with a man who feels bad for losing his squad than one who doesn’t give a crap. Those, those are the ones you gotta escape—the ones who don’t feel anything.” He glanced over at Brenna. “Don’t sell her short. Don’t cut her out of this.”
Erik nodded, not sure what to add.
The older man studied the three women finishing up setting out the sleeping bags. “She’s a fighter, no doubt about that. She’ll hold her own and then some if and when she has to. The way she dealt with Lucy. Girl’s got strength inside.” Jake shrugged. “But what the hell do I know? I’m an old man, far past falling in love with a sweet woman.”
“I told you…”
Jake cut him off. “I see how she looks at you—been a long time since I had a woman look at me like that.” He shook his head. “Don’t mess up what you got ’cause you figure you’re going to sacrifice yourself to save her. She’ll likely save herself. And probably drag your ass out of the fire along the way.”
Her Alpha Viking Page 12
