by Debra
The warped wood wobbled but stayed intact. Then Cam froze. He needed to figure out where the voice came from. It took two seconds to locate the noise. Back of the house and coming around to the front.
Taking cautious steps, Cam headed in the opposite direction. The entire time he held eye contact with Julia, sending the silent signal that he would not go far.
He held up a finger as he moved, not more than a few inches at a time. His steps fell without making a sound. He slipped his gun out of its holster, then put it back in again. He needed this takedown to be quiet and simple.
He lifted one leg, then the other over the cracked railing at the side of the porch. It was a five-foot drop to the grass. No big deal, and the overgrown weeds should cover the sound of his landing.
When his feet hit the ground, he ducked down and waited. It didn’t take long. A man walked around the opposite side of the building. He held a gun and a radio. That explained the one-sided conversation. He was reporting back. To where was the question.
He got to the bottom step of the porch and stopped. He shook his head as if he couldn’t understand what he was seeing, and then a smile spread over his face. “Well, look who’s here.”
“Help me.” Julia’s voice shook.
Cam had to block the fear in her tone and the memory of her shocked face as her body fell in a whoosh. She needed him clear and focused. He would dig her out with his bare hands if he had to. He just had to get rid of this guy first. And that meant biding his time until the right moment, so Cam pulled back and continued to sneak a limited peek at the scene unfolding in front of him.
The guy’s gaze toured over Julia, then traveled to the porch. When he glanced around the area, Cam pulled back and out of sight. He had to do some scanning of his own to make sure no one sneaked up behind him.
“Where is he?” the man asked in a rough tone. “You were with a man yesterday.”
Cam tried to place this guy. He hadn’t been at the ferry, but there was no question he moved around the island with Ray. They shared the same dark pants, dark shirt wardrobe.
“He took off for the ferry, leaving me here to wait.” Julia sold it. She sounded convincing and scared at the same time.
Cam figured she probably was both.
The man unhooked the radio from his belt. Cam couldn’t let him click that button. He tore around the side of the house and hit the guy just as he turned to follow the sound. The knock vibrated through Cam. This guy was not little, but the hit sent them both flying.
The grunt registered as their bodies crashed to the ground and the guy’s gun tumbled away. Cam bounced on top of the guy’s side, then scrambled. He had to grab the weapon first. Get to that radio.
But this one wasn’t going quietly or easily. He shouted for help as he took to his knees and crawled in the dirt toward the weapon. Cam grabbed the guy’s leg, then his shirt and pulled him closer. His face scraped against the rocky ground. Cam didn’t care if the guy’s skin peeled off.
Just as Cam moved to straddle his back, the guy threw an elbow and connected. Cam felt the shot to his toes but ignored the shuddering through his body. He lunged again. This time he put his full weight behind it as he reached for the gun by his ankle, since the other had gone missing in the fall.
Cam hit the guy in the center of his back and sent him sprawling in the dirt. He pressed a knee into his spine as he crawled over him. Without waiting another minute, Cam snaked his arm around the guy’s throat.
The guy kicked out and pushed his weight back, which sent them rolling. But Cam didn’t let up on the pressure. He wasn’t aiming to make the guy pass out. He needed him gone as a threat. That meant holding and tightening the grip as the guy slapped and choked.
Then his body went limp. One minute Cam fought and held on. The next the other man’s body slipped out of his hold, boneless and unmoving.
Still fueled from the fight and ready for battle, Cam sat back hard on his butt and held up his gun. He shifted around, ready to fire if anyone else came running, but the morning stayed quiet.
His gaze shot to Julia. “You okay?”
She shoved against the wood around her. “Get me out of here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cam checked the guy for a pulse and when he didn’t find one went for his pockets. He came up empty there, but he got the radio, and that would help.
“Cam?”
He glanced up at her again. “Yeah?”
“Now.”
He knew the look of a woman on the edge, and she hovered right there. Without another second of thought, he walked up to the porch. With the danger past, the noise didn’t matter. Cam held one board after the other, breaking them as he made space to lift her out. When he ripped the third one out, her body bounced. He took that as a sign.
Reaching down, he dragged her out while his hands still shook. “You’re okay.”
She fell against his chest with her arms wrapped around his waist. “I thought he was going to gain the advantage and I’d have to watch him attack you.”
Cam smiled into her hair. “Have a little faith.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “We need to leave.”
“Yes.” Ignoring the aches and pains that now held his body tight, he held up the radio. “But now we have this.”
The corner of her mouth lifted. “Advantage us.”
“Exactly.”
* * *
RAY STOOD AT the outline of a wall near the main staging area of the old shipyard property. With supply low but demand high, Ray had come in to see what was happening. Instead of following the work production, he watched Ned shout into the radio with his voice rising with each sentence. Ray didn’t know what was wrong, but something clearly was. Not a surprise, since after months of smooth drug production, things had started to break down.
First, one of the workers asked too many questions and had to quietly disappear. Then Rudy balked at running errands and started to call in reinforcement. He’d had to be put down, and they were almost too late.
Now Ray had to deal with Cameron Roth and his team. The same team that had him driving around in circles, chasing the wrong car. This Cameron turned out to be a bit smarter than Ray had originally thought. He’d thrown off the tail without trouble.
Tired of being ignored and having his time wasted, Ray walked over to Ned. With each step Ray tried to remember the name of the guy who seemed to be missing from his informal mental check-in.
“Where’s your sidekick?” Ray decided that was good enough to get the point across.
Ned shook his head. “He’s not checking in and I don’t understand it, because he’d been giving me a play-by-play.”
“You were just talking to him.” Ray had heard the conversation as the other man fanned out, checking the area in and around the old shipyard.
Not that taking the lead on the search made up for losing sight of Cameron Roth and the woman. Ray didn’t like losing and hated being made fun of even more. Now he had to sit through a meeting where the boss ranted and raved.
The only way to appease the guy was to catch someone. Grab the woman or one of the team members. Ray still wasn’t sure how many lurked around, but he guessed at least two.
When Ned didn’t offer any additional information, Ray raised his voice. “Start talking.”
“Craig cut off.” Ned shrugged. “He was talking and then just stopped.”
The shrugging almost got Ned shot. If Ray could afford to lose more men he might have done it. At least he now had a name to go with the stupid face of the guy Ned had brought with him to the operation.
“I am familiar with the concept of being cut off.” It was the incompetence Ray couldn’t handle. With every passing hour, it became clearer that losing Bob would cost the operation something. “Where was Craig when you lost contact?”
“Scanning the area.”
Ray ground his back teeth together. “Be more specific.”
“Checking some of the small outbuildings on the edg
es of the shipyard property. Apparently the place is lined with them. Construction workers used to live there and now some hunters do during season.”
Now, that sounded promising. The island had numerous seasonal and low-residency houses. Roth and the woman could be anywhere, but for some reason he sensed they’d stuck close. Though it was only a hunch, he played it.
“Show me on a map.”
“It’s not on a map. Locals talked about these construction trailers all along the border with—”
That was enough talking for Ray. Besides, it was time he ventured out. “Show me and stay off the radio just in case.”
Chapter Eleven
Many more incidents like that and she’d have to cut off the leg. First the ankle and then the jolting fall through the porch. Julia knew she’d been lucky to sneak away with a few scrapes and little else after that one.
Cam stopped fiddling with the radio he’d lifted off the dead guy. The thing had been silent since almost right after they grabbed it.
“You still doing okay?” he asked without lifting his head.
He was being sweet and acting concerned, but if he asked one more time she was going to scream. And that would be a problem, since they were trying to be quiet and stick to whispers.
They’d walked away from the safety of the building, since it no longer seemed that safe with a dead guy on the front lawn. The walk took them out wide and farther into the trees. Except for a few wild animals and any stray hikers they might come across, they were alone.
She knew Cam planned to dump her off at the ferry once he made sure it was safe for her to get on board. She knew that was ridiculous.
“The abandoned shipyard.” That was the right answer, but she had to convince him.
He stopped and stared at her. “Excuse me?”
At least she had his attention. “There’s an abandoned shipyard not that far from here. Plenty of buildings and places to hide. We can go there and regroup.”
He stood there for a few extra seconds and then started walking again. “You’re going to the ferry.”
Time to take a stand. And that was what she did. Stood there holding her backpack, trying not to think about the breakfast bar she’d put in there even though her stomach growled every two seconds. “I can’t.”
He glanced over to the space where she would have been had she kept moving and did a double take. He spun around to face her. “You can.”
His single-minded focus on this point trumped any stubbornness she’d ever shown. She knew this came from a place of protecting her, but still. “Sandy made it clear the entire island knows about Rudy and us breaking out of jail. Even if the ferry crew thinks I was kidnapped, they’ll still call the police.”
Some of the tension over Cam’s eyes eased. “I see you’ve thought this through.”
“And that’s the best-case scenario. If they think I’m an accomplice, I’ll be arrested immediately.” She couldn’t even let her mind go to that place.
Forget about losing her job, which she would. Conservative offices did not like having their receptionist’s photo splashed all over the news in association with a series of murders. This was way worse. It involved charges and lawyers and statements. She didn’t even know what, if anything, she could say. For all she knew, the Corcoran Team’s identity was top secret.
So many questions...
“The plan was to sneak you on board the ferry.” When she started to talk, Cam just talked louder. “Shane will go with you, act as your bodyguard and clear every space.”
He wanted to pass her off to Shane? That bordered on insulting. “Too risky.”
Cam swore under his breath. “You sound like Holt.”
With that piece of information Julia felt secure in thinking she’d win this argument. She just had to get Cam there.
“What does your boss suggest?” She emphasized the job title, thinking that might move the conversation along.
“We lie low.”
Now, that sounded familiar. “Ha!”
Cam shook his head. “Don’t do that.”
Fine, she’d be quiet about winning this argument, but they both knew she had. “The shipyard.”
“The rain isn’t letting up.” He looked up into the trees. Rain fell, but the umbrella of branches covered them from most of the downpour. “We should be inside.”
Not his most impressive stall, but she appreciated him trying to maneuver and analyze and think of ways to keep her safe. At heart, that was what this was. He had a singular focus in taking her out of harm’s way. Usually she would agree to go. She was not the martyr type, but none of the solutions sounded all that great.
The only option that worked for her was one where she stayed with him. Attraction or not, she did trust him to keep her safe and she trusted almost no one.
“There are buildings at the shipyard,” she said, pointing out what should be obvious.
“We’re talking five outbuildings and a warehouse, not to mention the partial walls and rusted-out ship hulls.” Cam listed off the hiding places on one hand. “No one has cleared any of it.”
Just as she thought, he knew all about the location. Probably researched it before coming to the island. Despite his attempts to act disconnected, Cam struck her as the never-miss-a-briefing type. “Last time Holt picked a place, I fell through the floor.”
The corner of Cam’s mouth twitched. Looked as though he was trying to fight off a smile. “You make a good point.”
“So?” She held out a hand and let the rain puddle there. “We’re getting wet just standing here.”
He let out a dramatic exhale. “How’s your leg?”
She didn’t see any reason to lie about that. If he planned to use her injury as an excuse, he would no matter what she said. “A throbbing mess.”
“You’re not convincing me we should walk.”
“Are you going to steal another car?” The guy was an expert at hot-wiring on top of everything else.
“No, much more of that and the poor people on Calapan are going to start shooting each other if anyone goes near a car that’s not theirs.” He rubbed his face. “But fine.”
Without another word he started walking. He’d switched directions and now they headed toward the shipyard. She half wondered if that had been the plan all along.
They’d gone a few steps with the relative quiet of the forest cocooning them. She’d spent so much of the past few hours on edge that it was hard to train her system to calm again. She tried a few deep breaths. That didn’t help. She thought about slipping her hand into his...until he started talking.
“Tell me about Sandy.” Cam’s gaze roamed around them as he never lowered that protector shield.
Some part of her had seen this coming, but still she hadn’t really braced for it. “Why?”
“Conversation.”
She knew Cam had to research all the angles. He believed someone with power was in charge, and Sandy’s house suggested he had some. Still, he’d helped raise her and that made her defenses click into place “Nope, not buying it. You’re digging.”
Cam shot her the side eye. “You have trust issues.”
She had to accept that argument. She didn’t trust easily, and there was a reason for that. “You should have had my father.”
Cam shrugged. “I didn’t have a father.”
“What?” Her footsteps faltered and she kicked a piece of wood instead of stepping over it but managed to regain her balance.
“Raised in foster homes.”
He casually dropped the piece of personal information. She guessed he didn’t share that much very often, and part of her was humbled by the realization. “Cam, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“That explains your whole man-as-island thing.” The way he held himself. The loyalty to his team and the absence of talk about anyone else. The drive to do the job right. Something about those features combined with his need to get things done on his own and without input pointed to
ward a loner upbringing.
“My what?”
“You strike me as a guy with few emotional commitments.” She saw reflected in him the same way she led her life. Free from entanglements. Cutting off meant less pain.
“True.”
“I can relate to that.” But now that she’d met him she had to rethink her strategy. A part of her wanted to open up and share.
In such a short time he had her turned around and wanting things she’d never wanted before. All while they ran and ducked and tried not to get killed.
It was surreal and weird and kind of messed up. She couldn’t explain it, and for the first time in her life she didn’t try to. She just went with it.
“One more way we’re compatible,” he said. Before she could chime in, he glanced at his watch. “Interesting.”
She was beginning to hate that word. Up on her tiptoes, she tried to look over his arm. “What is it?”
“Kreider.”
She looked around, half expecting him to ride in with guns blazing. “Where?”
“Shane tagged his car with another tracker, and this one stayed on.” Cam used his fingers to zoom out and make the map bigger.
“I have a feeling there’s more to this story.” Kreider riding to the grocery store or something equally innocent could not be the issue. She knew it would take more than that to grab Cam’s attention and hold it.
“He’s not far from here.” Cam pointed to two dots, one green and one blue.
She assumed they were the blue dot and feared they were about to change course one more time. “Please tell me we’re not going to go hunt him down.”
Cam winced. “Okay.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She slipped the bag off her shoulder and unzipped. Taking one granola bar, she handed the other to him. “Any chance we can get through the next hour without you having to kill someone?”
He eyed up the bar and then her. “I can’t promise that.”
* * *
THEY SLIPPED THROUGH the trees and around obvious trails and potential landmarks, getting from the construction trailer to the area near what looked like a storage shed. Forging a route close to the top of the hill risked their position but also gave them the advantage of elevation if it came down to a firefight.
