Harlequin Intrigue June 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: To Honor and To ProtectCorneredUntraceable

by Debra

  Cam wrapped his fingers around the bars as he studied the small space. One cell and a place for a guard to sit, the place where Julia sat now. During the walk into this place, Cam had noticed an outer room and two doors leading to somewhere—he wasn’t sure where—but this building on the outskirts of nowhere couldn’t be a thousand square feet or house that many officers on a regular basis.

  “I gave you the number to call,” Cam said for the third time, suspecting Kreider would ignore him this time, too.

  “Of your boss, who would explain. Yeah, I got it.” Kreider shut the file. “I’d rather hear the story from you. But first, you.” He turned to Julia and didn’t say another word.

  She frowned. “Me?”

  Cam’s hands clenched tighter around the bars. “Leave her out of this.”

  “You’re the one who dragged her into it.” Kreider focused his attention on her. Didn’t break eye contact. “Or do you and Cameron here have a relationship of some sorts that might keep you from being honest with me?”

  Her eyes went dark. “What exactly are you asking?”

  “I’m trying to figure out why Gideon...I mean, Cameron skipped our meeting and showed up at your house instead. Maybe this is a plan the two of you had.” Kreider looked back and forth between them. “Though I can’t figure out why you would want to hurt Rudy or what you two might be planning here on Calapan.”

  “You can’t be this incompetent.” Everything about this guy ticked Cam off. He had a look of practiced ignorance. From the oversize belly and stain on his shirt to the swagger in his walk. He looked like a man who had traded a favor for a comfy desk job long ago and hadn’t worked in the field or on a real case since.

  “I wouldn’t call catching a multiple murderer incompetent.” Kreider stood up. The look of satisfaction on his face mirrored the way he held his body, all confident and sure. “The Seattle police don’t. There’s a detective here to question you about some cases that look a lot like this one.”

  Julia stilled. Her feet stopped moving and her palms came to rest on the table in front of her. “What are you talking about?”

  “He’s making it up.” But Cam knew he wasn’t. At the mention of a detective, Cam’s blood ran cold. He knew of one other man running around the island wearing a uniform and pretending to be in charge, and that guy was lethal enough, steady enough, to kill a man Cam was holding.

  “You’ll see when the detective gets here.” Kreider did a little stretch, complete with a grunt. “He’s been at the ferry waiting for you to get in. Apparently you slipped past him.”

  That clinched it. Detective, ferry...the guy who was after him was going to walk right into the station and grab him the easy way. Might just put a bullet through his head and end it. Cam feared what would happen to Julia then.

  Now to convince Kreider. “You’re being set up.”

  “Julia, now would be a good time for you to pick sides.” Kreider nodded in Cam’s direction. “Is this really the guy you want to tie your future to?”

  “He saved me.”

  Kreider shook his head and shot her a look of pity. “Or did he make it look that way so he could really kill the two men with the Seattle detective? Maybe your so-called rescuer is really a man on the run and he’s using you.”

  She slumped back in her chair. “You’re saying the guy at my house really was police?”

  Cam could not let her thinking wander in that direction. “He claimed to be you, Kreider.”

  “Did you hear him do that, Julia?” Kreider kept up that pitying stare. “You think about that and we’ll talk more in a second.”

  Silence screamed through the room the minute Kreider stepped out. Cam had hated the guy before. He detested him now, but the reason had changed.

  Looked as though he had underestimated the other man, as well. A few well-placed words and doubt filled her eyes. Cam could see the change wash over her as she questioned every conversation. “Julia, you can’t believe—”

  The chair squeaked as she turned around to face him. “Who is Gideon...whatever the last name is?”

  This part likely wouldn’t make sense to anyone outside the business. Cam’s brain scrambled as he tried to figure out a way to deliver the information without sounding like a bad television show. “Gideon Rodgers. My cover name.”

  “Why did you need cover if you were on Calapan on an official assignment?”

  She asked the right questions and didn’t just agree with whatever he said. The smarts were so hot, but right now they had the power to trip him up even though he was telling the truth. “We didn’t know who was involved. Rudy’s intel suggested powerful people on the island were in on the drug dealing. That meant assuming the police had been compromised.”

  She stood up and walked over to him. Stayed just out of touching range with her hands in her pockets. “You see how everything you’ve done and told me fits into Chief Kreider’s scenario as easily as it does yours, right?”

  “Yes.” Cam leaned in, trying to get closer, to will her to believe in him. “But if I’m right, we’re about to be in the middle of a bloodbath.”

  The wariness didn’t leave her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “If the guy who escaped at your house is who I say he is, then he is after us, or at least me, and I don’t think he cares who he takes out in this station to get to me.” That guy wisely saw Cam as a threat and wanted him out of the way.

  The attacker had killed his own man to make a point. He’d go through Kreider and Julia and anyone else. Which was why Cam needed to get out, get away from her before she became collateral damage, and find his men. They had to piece together what they’d walked into the middle of, and fast, before it exploded on them.

  Some of the tension left her face. “What do you want me to do?”

  With that question, delivered in a soft tone, relief washed through him. He bent over slightly as he blew out a long breath. “Come close enough so I can grab you.”

  “What?”

  “We’ll make it look like I forced you to let me out. We’ll play it for the cameras, but I won’t actually hurt you.” It was the only way to keep from dragging her deeper into this logistical and legal mess.

  Right now she had deniability on the criminal charges. She could, and he would make sure she did, claim that he kidnapped her. Anything to take away the sting of her being an accomplice.

  “You still have to get out of the building,” she pointed out.

  She wasn’t wrong and he’d thought that through. Being on the run would stink, but it was better than going down in a hail of bullets in the corner of this cell. “This is a police outpost. There’s barely anyone here. And this guy was dumb enough to leave us together even though he thinks he can turn you against me.”

  “Okay, but...” She rocked back on her heels as she chewed on her bottom lip. “Even if you make it to the outside, then what?”

  “I’ll figure it out.” He could run fast and far and hide in the trees while he reconnected with Holt. “Julia, I know this looks bad and I’m asking for blind faith when you barely know me, but—”

  “Be quiet.” She put her head in her hands for a second. When she straightened up again, a new determination thrummed off her. She walked to the far side of the room and hit the button. The one that opened the cell.

  He heard a click and the lock disengaged. The cell door moved under his hands.

  But this was the wrong way to do this. “What are you doing?”

  “Picking a side.” She held out a hand to him. “Let’s go.”

  He didn’t argue. He should have, but it was too late. Anyone watching the security tape would see she’d staged the escape. That meant his sole task now was to protect her.

  After a quick look out the door, they slipped out of the room. He wanted to go right and storm through the front door. He didn’t really see another way.

  She pulled him to the left. “There should be a door to the parking lot from here.”


  With quiet footsteps, they walked down the short hall and into what looked like a closet turned storage of sorts. One with three lockers and civilian clothes hanging on pegs on the wall.

  They kept going until they hit the door at the far side. Cam disengaged the lock and waited for alarm bells to ring. Nothing happened.

  With the door opened, they walked into the cool dark night. More time had passed than he thought, but he had a bigger question. “How do you know about that exit?”

  They flattened against the outside wall. Cam stared across the small parking lot. Only two cars and one official vehicle sat there.

  “I grew up here. I’ve been in the police station before.” Her voice stayed flat.

  For some reason her comment made him smile. “Misspent youth?”

  “More like picking my dad up after he got caught driving around drunk.” She pointed toward the line of trees to their left. “This way.”

  “Hold up.” He caught her just before she cleared the side of the building and walked into the open area. He peeked around the corner. “It’s clear.”

  They ducked and ran. He didn’t have a weapon to fire for cover and had no idea where the fake Seattle policeman was lingering about, so they took off. No talking. Just darted out.

  They made it the whole way and dived into the trees on the side of the lot before he remembered her ankle. She paced around in a circle now with a slight limp, likely trying to walk off the ache.

  Guilt smacked into him. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “That wasn’t too bad.”

  He had the exact opposite reaction. “Actually, it was too easy.”

  She froze. “Meaning?”

  Incompetent police or not, there was no way they should have been able to escape custody that easily. An alarm hadn’t even sounded yet. “We need to find a place to hide.”

  * * *

  JULIA POUNDED HER fist on one of the towering double doors of the sprawling two-story log home with the A-frame front. She was tired and hungry and two seconds away from being full-on grumpy. Her ankle thumped and the realization that she’d broken Cam out of jail kept running through her head.

  She’d likely have a criminal record now. She, the person who led her entire life by the rules and without fanfare. She looked over and glared at the guy who’d brought so much trouble into her life.

  His eyes widened. “What?”

  “As if you don’t know.”

  She was about to say more, but the door opened. Sandy Bartlet stood there. Her father’s friend and exact opposite. He had more gray around his temples and lines at the corners of his eyes, but he wore the same wide smile he always did as he ushered them inside and wrapped her in a giant bear hug.

  He stepped back and looked her up and down. “You didn’t tell me you were back in town.”

  “Only to clean up Dad’s house for sale so I can settle the estate.”

  Sandy and her dad had grown up together, raised like brothers. She viewed him as the uncle she’d never had. The one stable force in her life when her mother left and her father’s disposition turned more and more sour.

  He was the one who had given her dad a job and cleaned him up when he fell down. He was everything her father wasn’t—successful and dependable being the main two things. He’d owned the shipyard on the island and made a fortune when he sold it to the company that eventually ran it into the ground and put her father back on the unemployment line.

  Sandy squeezed her one last time, then let his arms drop to the sides. “I would have helped you, but whatever you planned on doing with the house might be impossible now.”

  Something clunked inside her. She felt it around her stomach. “You heard.”

  “The news is all over the island.” Sandy put his hands on his hips and switched his gaze back and forth between her and Cam. “What really happened?”

  The move had her jumping to make an introduction. She was half-surprised Cam hadn’t done it himself. “This is Cameron Roth.”

  The men shook hands as Sandy talked. “I assume you know something about the shooting.”

  The need to protect and explain rushed up on her. “I was there. Men came in, threatened me, and Cam protected me.”

  Still, Cam said nothing. He stood there, unmoving, with his hands linked behind his back. Maybe he thought Sandy would turn him in or was too stunned by the inside of the house. Sandy didn’t exactly go for subtle. There were large-screen televisions everywhere and overstuffed sofas. The man lived in comfort.

  “Well, then.” Sandy clapped his hands together. “That’s certainly a different story from the one Kreider is telling.”

  “You heard from him?” Cam asked, talking for the first time since they’d stepped inside.

  “He called right before you came to the door. Told me this wild tale about a jailbreak.” Sandy shot Cam one of those man-to-man looks. “But instead of hauling you in, it sounds as if I should be thanking you for keeping her safe.”

  Julia had no idea what was going through either man’s head. Sandy looked impressed, though concerned. Cam’s expression had gone blank, which was really not helpful or new.

  She zipped right to the basics. “We need somewhere to stay until Cam can figure this out.”

  “Maybe it’s best if Cam explains to the police and you stay here.”

  Cam nodded. “Maybe.”

  “No.” She was not going down this road again. He’d tried to lose her at the police station by making things look even worse for him. She couldn’t let that happen. Not after the insane time they’d been through.

  Truth was, she felt safe with him. And the tiny voice in her head kept repeating that she really didn’t want him to lose her.

  That part she couldn’t deal with or understand. The guy thrived on danger. He was everything she wasn’t. Still, the one place she wanted to be was by his side.

  She pushed the topic. “Someone is framing Cam for Rudy Bleesher’s murder.”

  “What?” Sandy’s head snapped back. “Rudy is dead?”

  “We found the body. That’s where the police spotted us.” It all made sense in her head, but as the words spilled out she could hear the oddness of it all. No wonder Kreider had taken them both in. The only real question was why he hadn’t thrown her in a cell, too.

  Sandy looked over at Cam. “Seems death is following you.”

  Cam nodded for a second time. “It does appear that way.”

  The whole quiet act was working on her nerves. She needed Cam to stand up and defend himself. She planned to tell him that the second she got him alone.

  First she had to make an ally out of Sandy, which shouldn’t be hard with their history. “Sandy, please help. We need a few hours without questions or being chased.”

  “I’m not sure what that last part means, but fine.” He held up one finger. “For one night only, and then Cam and I are going to have a serious talk in the morning about how to fix this and keep your name out of it.”

  That was the last place her mind went at the moment. “I’m not worried about that.”

  Cam shot her an are-you-crazy look. “I am.”

  “And that answer just bought you twelve hours, even though I want to question you both right now.” Sandy let out a long exhale. “Take the two rooms down here. You can go wash up and I’ll make something to eat.”

  Relief swamped her, nearly knocking her down. “Thank you, and thanks for the reprieve.”

  She sensed it wouldn’t last.

  Chapter Seven

  No way was he staying. Cam didn’t like the look of the place. From the outside it looked spacious and homey, all lit up with security lights as the night fell. And with a very impressive security system. Cam recognized the name and wondered what exactly he was walking into and if he’d be able to get out again.

  Now he stood in a bedroom and watched Julia slump down on the bed. The wise thing would be to wait for her to fall asleep and then sneak away. But after all they’d been through and the w
ay she’d stuck up for him, that seemed like a pretty jerky way to handle the situation.

  Then there was the timing problem. The ticking at the back of his neck said he needed to move. Sandy might claim to give them twelve hours, but his loyalty was with Julia, not him. In Sandy’s place, Cam would get her to safety and turn someone like him—with the questionable story and police on his tail—in.

  She smiled up at him. “I told you it would be okay.”

  Man, she actually believed it. That was why it was so hard to hit her with the truth. Well, part of the reason. The idea of leaving her made something inside him clench. He couldn’t get wrapped up in her or her life. He should get her out of the trouble he’d created for her and move on...but the memory of that kiss kept smacking him.

  He wanted her more with each passing second. The driving need threw him off. He didn’t operate like this. He never got involved during a job. He met a woman, they went out, they had sex, it trickled to nothing and he moved on. Just the way he liked it.

  But he knew forgetting her would not be that easy. Which was why he needed to get out now. Because of his attraction and the danger. Nothing pointed to a good reason for him to hang around.

  He inhaled. “I’m not staying.”

  “Why?” She shot the word back at him before he even finished the sentence.

  “He can keep you safe.” Cam pointed out into the hall and the general direction of this Sandy guy’s family room. “He’ll turn me in.”

  “But he said he’d help.”

  Spoken like someone who never dealt in danger and lies. He liked that about her. The girl-next-door sensibility of living her life without fear. Family troubles or not, she was grounded and not looking for a fast fling. He got that.

  “I don’t trust easily, Julia. Don’t ask me to trust this situation. Nothing feels right about any of this.” He sat down on the bed next to her when he should have been walking out the door.

  “He helped raise me.”

  Cam took her hand in his. Let his warmth seep into her cold fingers. “You, not me.”

  She twisted on the mattress to face him. “You have to trust someone.”