Tate (Lighthouse Security Investigations Book 6)

by Maryann Jordan

  “You need me to get there tonight?” Clay asked.

  “No, first light will be good. You can get to us, and Levi’s group will need hazmat suits.”

  Levi piped up. “Don’t worry about it, DEA is here, itching to shut down that lab.”

  Glancing to the side, he observed Nora staring up at him, looking both ridiculous in her oversize clothes and adorable at the same time. Grinning, he disconnected. “Come here, babe.”

  She stepped to him, her palm placed gently on his chest. Bending, he kissed her lightly. Glancing down at her feet, he said, “I’m gonna look in the back room and see if I can find a pair of boots.”

  “I can look—”

  “No!” She jumped and he winced. “Sorry, but I’ve got Kenneth restrained in the back room. I don’t want you near him. I’m also going to check on the others before we leave. Stay here and I’ll be right back.”

  He slogged through the snow toward the smallest outbuilding. Throwing open the door, he scanned the interior, satisfied that Bob was still securely bound. Popping off the top a water bottle, he tilted it up and allowed Bob several sips.

  “You gotta let me out here,” Bob cried.

  Skewering him with a glare, he said nothing but secured the door before he made his way over to the old outhouse.

  Opening the door, he saw that David was still sitting on the wooden platform. Offering him a few sips, he said nothing, checked the bindings and then closed and locked the door after him.

  Not wanting to be away from her for another moment, he tramped through the high snowdrifts and made it back to the cabin. His next check was on Kenneth in the back room. Repeating his actions, he assured that Kenneth was still bound before giving him a few sips of water as well. No begging for mercy came, and Tate figured Kenneth was smart enough to know it wouldn’t happen anyway.

  Looking around, he opened several boxes, finding nothing but canned goods. He glanced down at the boots on Kenneth’s feet but immediately dismissed taking them for Nora, considering they been all over the meth lab.

  Leaving the room, he closed the door behind him. He jerked his head around at a noise from the hall and spied Nora walking out of the bathroom.

  A light pink blush hit her cheeks. “After drinking a whole bottle of water, I was about to pop.”

  He chuckled and said, “I think I’ll take care of the same thing.” He slid off his jacket and handed it to her.

  He headed back to the tiny bathroom and quickly took care of his business. Once back in the living room, he said, “Pull on my socks over your nursing clogs. We’ll get a couple of plastic bags and tie them over your feet and lower legs. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll work to keep your feet warm and dry until we can get to another cabin.”

  With only a lifted eyebrow giving evidence of her surprise at his request, she immediately grabbed the socks. Pulling out his phone when it vibrated, he said, “Talk to me.”

  “Sending GPS coordinates,” Josh said. “Not much around, but it looks like a small wooden structure about a mile to the southeast.”

  “That’s away from the truck I used, but it’ll be covered by now anyway. Clay will get us down by snowmobile tomorrow.” Disconnecting, he turned back to Nora and watched as she pulled plastic bags over her feet and tied a string around the tops to secure them to her ankles. “Looks like we’re moving.”

  20

  Once Tate knew where they could go when they left the cabin, everything seemed to go at full speed. Perhaps to keep me from worrying about what we’re doing. She looked as though she was wearing a padded suit considering she had on several shirts, pants, and socks. Glancing down at her plastic bag-covered feet, she wondered if facing the snowstorm was truly better than staying in the cabin regardless of the possibility of meth contamination. But, having given her trust over to Tate, she remained quiet.

  He pulled a face mask hood over her head so that only her eyes showed. He started to wrap his huge coat around her, but that’s when she finally objected. “Tate, I can barely move as it is! If you try to get that coat on me, I’m not going to be able to walk.” He started to retort, but she placed her hands on his lips to still his words. “Look, the faster we get there, the better it will be. At least start out with a coat and you can hurry and I’ll be able to keep up.”

  “There’s no way I’m going to let you walk for a mile without some kind of outerwear.”

  She turned and hurried to the table and picked up a smaller coat from one of the chairs. Wrinkling her nose, she said, “This was what Bob was wearing. It looks clean enough.” She slipped it on and zipped up the front. “It’ll work.”

  Now, both somewhat appropriately attired, Tate threw open the front door. The blast of icy wind whipped through and she shivered. She had not taken a step outside and already regretted their decision to leave. With his hand clasping hers, he stepped out into the snowdrifts and she followed, shocked when the snow came almost up to her knees.

  The moonlight reflected on the white ice crystals, making the dark night much brighter than normal. She tried to look around, but the snow hitting her face stung and she ducked her head.

  “Follow my footsteps,” he called out. “It’ll make it easier.”

  Concentrating on the path he was creating, she appreciated his attempts to shorten his gait to match hers. She reached out and held on to his backpack, focusing on one step at a time. It only took a few minutes and she was already winded, the cold seeping through her feet. They crossed the open area in front of the cabin and reached the tree line away from the lane. As soon as they neared the trees, she was grateful for the forest rising in front of them. The snow was less deep under the thick branches and the wind was not able to batter them with such ferocity.

  She wanted to ask how much further they had to go, but a glance over her shoulder proved that the cabin was still visible in the distance. We haven’t even gone the length of a football field! She stumbled, and he turned to grab her arms. Steadying her feet, she nodded, not wanting him to stop and worry about her.

  They pushed through the thick forest, keeping a quick pace. With the snow under the canopy of trees being less, they were still able to see where they were going. Another time and for another reason, she would have loved the scenery—nighttime walking through snowy woods with Tate—but now, she just wanted to get to their destination. Deciding to focus on counting her footsteps to keep her mind off their situation, she made it to fifty but discovered it wasn’t working.

  Tate stopped suddenly, and she ran into his back. Jerking her head up, she started to ask him what was wrong when she noticed he had something in his hand and was looking around. Assuming he was checking their directions, she remained quiet.

  He turned around and wrapped his arm around her, bending low so that his face was directly in front of hers. “How are you?”

  “Okay.”

  He held her gaze, his eyes searching deep.

  She reached out and grabbed his arms, giving a little shake. “Really, I’m okay.” Glancing down at the instrument in his hand, she said, “I know we haven’t come far.”

  “We’re about a fourth of the way there.”

  Her eyes jerked wider before she had a chance to hide her reaction. He pulled her in tighter and she reveled in his strength. He’s worried about me. Leaning back, she assured, “I’m okay. Let’s keep going.”

  His smile warmed her heart and he turned, and they continued through the woods. With a multitude of clothes and socks on, she was no longer feeling as cold as when they first started out. The terrain grew rockier, and they came to the edge of the woods, where the snow had piled higher.

  He yelled over the wind, “We’ve got to get to the other side of this and then down the mountain just a bit.”

  She offered a nod, not having any other choice. No longer shielded from the wind or the deep drifts, she trudged forward, stumbling often. Once again, trying to stay on the path Tate’s feet and legs were creating, exhaustion set in, causing her to s
tumble. Whatever adrenaline she had been running on, her tank was officially empty.

  Tate turned, and before she had a chance to object, he scooped her up into his arms. He carried her as though she weighed nothing. Grabbing around his neck, she held on, her objections dying in her throat. Even with her weight, they seemed to make better time. She was grateful when they reached another line of trees, although not nearly as thick as what they had been in.

  He set her feet down and lowered his head again so that she could hear his words. “According to my GPS, we don’t have too much further to go. It’s downhill, but we can stay in the edge of these woods for most of it.”

  Nodding, she was grateful for the reprieve and glad they were going downhill instead of up. Once again holding onto his backpack, she followed along. The plastic bags provided no traction, and she found that while her feet were not wet, she slipped continually as though skating on solid ice.

  Tate stopped again and said, “New plan. I should’ve thought of this earlier.” He slid off his backpack and jerked it around to the front, putting his arms through the loops and securing it next to his chest. With one hand braced against a tree, he squatted and shouted, “Climb on.”

  Protesting would’ve been fruitless, so she simply obeyed. Wrapping her arms around his neck and with her thighs perched on his waist, she was jostled as he stood and shifted to balance all the weight. Continuing to move through the snow at the edge of the woods, his feet were sure and steady. She closed her eyes and tried to remain as still as possible to make the progress easier for him.

  After a few minutes more, he shouted, “There it is!”

  She could have wept with gratitude, holding on tight as he finished the last of the trek to their new shelter.

  With his hand braced against another tree, he twisted his head and said, “You can climb off now, babe.”

  Finding it harder to move her limbs than she thought was possible, she managed to clamber off his back, her hands grabbing his coat to keep her legs from buckling underneath her. He dropped his pack to the snow-covered ground and turned toward her.

  “Let me go in and see what we’re facing.”

  Not waiting on her to answer, he moved away and she obtained her first clear view. More of a tiny lean-to than a cabin, it appeared ramshackle and she could not imagine what critters found their shelter inside. The door was hanging askew on its hinges, and Tate jerked it open, shining a light inside. Another blast of icy wind sliced through her and she suddenly no longer cared if she shared the protection with all the animals of the forest. Forcing her legs to move, she stepped closer to the entrance.

  He turned around and nodded. “It’ll be fine.”

  She nodded and followed him in.

  When he said ‘It’ll be fine’, he should have added the caveat ‘fine for just a few hours of being out of the storm’. As he ducked his head to enter and stepped inside, it was easy to see how crude the shack really was. The wind whistled through a few cracks in the wood, and where a previous visitor had placed stones in the corner to bank a fire, they’d also cut a hole in the roof to allow the smoke to ascend but now allowed snow to fall in.

  The floor was hardpacked dirt, a few leaves blown into another corner, and no windows to allow in any light. The shack was only about eight feet square, and he had to continue to duck considering the height was only about six feet tall. It was hard to imagine this crude structure was technically better than the much larger and furnished cabin, but not being next to a meth lab made it superior. Shining his light toward Nora as she entered, one look at her face and he knew she did not share his opinion.

  Eyes wide, her head swiveled as she took in the rudimentary interior before her gaze landed on his face. Schooling her expression, she simply nodded. With his light still illuminating the area, he grinned. That had always been Nora, even as a child. No matter what he and Nathan got into, she always went along—usually having as much fun as they did.

  But the light also illuminated the fatigue etched on her face. Dark circles under her eyes. The droop of her shoulders. And a shiver. That last jolted him into action. “I’m gonna run out and see if I can grab some wood.”

  He headed back out and within a few minutes came back with an armload of sticks and a few larger pieces of cut wood he found behind the shack. Stepping inside, he noticed that she had already swept the leaves to one side with her foot.

  “Do you think you’ll be able to get the fire started?”

  He looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Babe, as a SEAL, I learned to start a fire in almost any situation or weather. This will be a piece of cake.” Chuckling, he added, “Plus I’ve got a firestarter in my bag.”

  He worked efficiently and soon had a small fire in the corner, banked by the same stones placed there before. The smoke rose to the ceiling and escaped out the hole in the roof.

  “Wow, you did it!”

  Nora's soft voice, full of awe, humbled him. Still in a squat, he twisted around and looked up at her standing close by, her fingers reached out toward the flames. “Come on babe, let’s get you as warm and dry as possible.”

  He pulled off his coat and held the inner lining close to the fire for a few minutes. Once warm, he lay it on the ground, weather-proof side down, and said, “Sit down and we’ll work on your feet.”

  There was little room to maneuver, but the advantage was that the interior of the shack soon warmed a little with the fire even though it was not weatherproof. Once she sat on part of his coat and stretched her legs out, he joined her. The plastic bags had kept her feet from getting wet, but they had become caked with packed snow and ice. With those now off, they peeled off the larger socks that had been put on over her nursing clogs. By the time he got down to just her socked feet, he had her twist around so that her feet were closer to the fire.

  Reaching inside his pack, he pulled out two more protein bars and another bottle of water. She seemed a little lost, and he was sure she was about to succumb to exhaustion. Unwrapping one of the bars, he handed it to her. “Eat this and then we can rest.”

  She accepted it and began munching, alternating bites with sips of water. Several minutes later, she seemed revived, smiling as she passed the bottle back to him. The wind continued to howl outside, but the quiet in the shack was comfortable, something he always remembered about Nora. Even as a young girl she never felt the need to prattle endlessly, but instead, when she spoke it was usually something interesting or relevant. Nathan, like himself, had been an adventurer, but Nora was the calming member of their trio.

  Finishing her protein bar, she crumpled the wrapper and set it to the side. After brushing her hands over her pants, her gaze glanced around the shack before landing on him once again. “How did you find me?” She smiled and continued to prod. “Was it some of your super-secret security systems, otherwise known as SSSS?”

  He barked out a laugh. “SSSS? I’m going to have to remember that.” As his mirth slowed, he reached over and took one of her hands in his own. “The answer to your question is yes and no. We were able to use the cameras at the hospital to get the license number and registration of the vehicle. I worked with the FBI and my own people, and I interviewed David’s ex-wife.”

  “He was married?”

  “Yes, many years earlier.” Seeing Nora visibly shudder, he added, “She thought he was a normal guy, but when he started using and selling drugs, she didn’t want that around their children. She kicked him to the curb and hasn’t seen him in eleven years.”

  Her eyes widened. “So, she wasn’t able to help, was she?”

  “Her teenage son remembered that there were some pictures in the basement. He found one that showed his dad and some others outside a little cabin with mountains in the background. I scanned it and the Keepers were able to identify it as Elk Mountain. It was a longshot but considering the highway cameras had him heading this way, we thought it was a good lead. We were at the rest stop when I saw one of the nurses from the hospital. It seemed st
range that she was out in the middle of the snow, heading to the mountains. Turns out, she was stealing drugs from the hospital to bring here. So, you see, babe, investigations can be a lot of legwork and we can never discount luck.”

  Sighing, she held his gaze but shook her head slowly. “I felt sure you were going to find me, but when the storm got worse, I was no longer as certain. I was afraid I would be stuck here for a long time.”

  “I hate to ask this, but did they… hurt you?”

  Her fingers jerked in his, clamping tight. “Oh, no, Tate. The only time they did anything was when Bob hit me right before we got into the Jeep. He threatened a few times, but David always shut him down. I got the feeling that Bob was not particularly smart and the others put up with him for the reason of having a stooge to do their bidding.”

  “You’re probably right.” They sat in silence again, continuing to drink their water. The inside of the cabin was warm from the fire. He opened his mouth to ask another question but snapped it shut, hating to bring up anything that would cut into the easiness that they had found.

  “You want to know about the pregnancy, don’t you?” Her voice was soft and her eyes warm.

  “You always could read my mind.”

  “It’s not that difficult to imagine that you’re curious—”

  “Babe, you’ve been through a harrowing experience and the last thing I want to do is bring up anything bad for you. We can talk about this later.”

  She remained quiet for a moment, sipping more of her water. Looking back at him, she said, “No, it’s fine to talk about it now. I’m tired and yet very awake. Once tomorrow comes and we get outta here, it’s going to be a bit crazy. Right now, Tate, it’s just you and me.” She shifted slightly, keeping her legs crossed, but now was facing him directly. “What do you want to know?”

  He lifted his heavy shoulders in a shrug, wincing at the sting of his injury. “Honestly, I don’t know, Nora. I guess I want to know anything and everything you want to tell me. But I especially need you to know that I’m so sorry you went through everything alone. So, don’t spare me… give it to me straight.” Continuing to hold her hand, he also held her gaze. I’ve got a lot to atone for, and it starts right now.