I'll Be There

by Deborah Grace Staley

  “I do.”

  “Sheriff, I need to pick up supplies before this bad weather lays in. If I could kill two birds—”

  “You and everyone else in East Tennessee. Meet me at the Wal-Mart just outside of town.”

  “All right. I’ll park outside the garden center. I’m in an older dark Jeep Wrangler.”

  “I’ll find you. And Goins?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re likely to hit a roadblock before you get to that shopping center. Think you can handle that?”

  Goins let loose several curses before replying that he could. “Be there soon as I can.”

  Grady put his hat on the seat next to him and drove as fast as he dared out of Angel Ridge. He didn’t need to draw attention and have anyone follow.

  The sky was overcast and heavy with moisture. The temperature had dropped even more. Jenny pulled Cord’s coat closer around her. She pressed her back to the tree where he’d left her while he scouted the parking area at the trailhead. If she knew how to hotwire a car, she’d be out of here. Lord how she hated being at the mercy of others—particularly men. She was an independent, competent woman accustomed to taking care of herself. But since the explosion, she’d been at the mercy of a string of people who could barely read a map much less keep her safe, not that a lot of the area around Angel Ridge was even on a map.

  And now she was with this man, Cord... On the one hand she wasn’t sure she should trust him and frankly, he terrified her. On the other hand, he’d helped her, if grudgingly. He was the most compelling and mysterious man she’d ever encountered. Even with the few times she’d seen him in town, she’d been curious about him, but he kept to himself and talked to no one. When she’d asked Dixie about him—and Dixie knew everything about everyone in and around Angel Ridge—she’d gotten next to nothing. Just that he lived in the mountains and kept to himself.

  The man had secrets, no doubt, and there was nothing that intrigued her more than a mystery that begged solving, but she no longer had that luxury. If she would survive this, she couldn’t get distracted by an uncommunicative mystery man. She had to stay focused. Only a couple of facts about Cord mattered. One, he knew how to kill a man, and two, she couldn’t give her trust to a man she knew nothing about. Furthermore, the marshals had proven over and over that they couldn’t keep her safe. So, she was going to have to find a way to take matters into her own hands.

  “Jenny?”

  She nearly jumped out of her skin when Cord touched her shoulder.

  Good Lord, the man moved like a cat. With a tree between them, the result was a nasty scrape across her cheek as she jerked away from him. She touched a hand to her stinging face and looked at it. Blood smeared her fingertips. “Dang it!”

  “Sorry.”

  Before she could move away, he’d reached into his pocket, removed a bandana, and pressed it to her cheek. Jenny took the handkerchief and moved away from his touch. She needed to keep a clear head.

  “Is it safe? Can we go?” she asked, looking around as she had been the entire time he’d been gone.

  “That needs cleanin’.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “What’s this?”

  “What?”

  “These.” He lifted her hands, displaying the scrapes crisscrossing her palms, the result of her struggling through the earthen tunnel twice. “Looks like you have splinters that have already started to fester. I have a first aid kit in my pack.”

  Jenny shoved her hands in her coat pockets. “I can do it while you drive.” Turning the conversation back to the task at hand, she asked, “What’s the plan?”

  He nodded and looked away. Had she seen a flash of emotion in his cold dark eyes? What was that about?

  “I’m taking you to meet the sheriff at a shopping center outside Angel Ridge.”

  “Grady Wallace?”

  “Yeah. I called him when I got to the car. You’ll have to hide in the back of my Jeep because there could be a roadblock between here and there.”

  “That doesn’t sound at all safe.”

  He stared up at the sky, still not looking at her. “It isn’t.”

  Jenny laughed harshly. “Of course it’s not. It’s not safe for me anywhere around here.”

  “The sheriff will correct that as soon as I get you to him. We should go. The longer we wait, the more likely we are to encounter other hikers.”

  “Or the people looking for me. They probably have the parking lot staked out.”

  “Could be, but you can’t stay here.”

  Jenny pressed the fear down. “Let’s go, then.”

  He reached behind her and pulled up the hood of the coat so that it covered her hair and partially concealed her face. “Keep your head down.”

  Cord pulled a ball cap low over his eyes. He turned to lead the way down to the parking area, then decided to make it look like they were a couple to throw off anyone who might be watching. He took Jenny’s hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She looked at him, surprised. “Just play along,” he said softly.

  She cooperated and didn’t try to pull away. They quickly emerged from the woods at his Jeep. He unlocked her door and helped her in, then came around and got in on his side. The gloom of the coming snow hung over them like an ominous warning.

  He tossed her the first aid kit before putting his pack in the back, and then said, “Crawl back behind my seat. It’s pretty junky, but you can clear out a spot and pile some blankets on top of you.”

  Jenny hesitated. She looked over her shoulder at the tangle of blankets, fishing tackle, hunting fatigues, and a gas can. She tried not to wrinkle her nose and wondered for the thousandth time in the past couple of months how this had become her life.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “No.”

  “Then get into the back before someone sees you.”

  He checked the mirrors and the parking lot. Back to reality... and her companion’s surliness. Despite the camaraderie she’d felt developing between them at the creek and the easy way they’d held hands, as soon as they’d gotten in the car, he’d gone all intense, clearly intent on unloading her so he could be on his way.

  Jenny did as he said. As she moved things around trying to get settled, her mind did what it had always done; churned with questions.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  No response, but she forged ahead, like she always did. She’d made a career out of coaxing answers from reluctant people. Cord was just another person for her to work her magic on. “How’d you get out of the cabin? Did you use the tunnel?”

  “No.”

  “Then how?”

  He paused a long moment, then said, “What difference does it make? Are you set back there?”

  It made all the difference. She had to have answers. They were all she had now. “Almost, and humor me,” she said with a smile. Even though he couldn’t see it, maybe he could hear it and would feel comfortable enough to answer.

  Silence. Then Cord muttered a blistering expletive and started the car.

  “What is it?”

  “Stay down and be quiet.”

  He put the car in gear and got them moving. Jenny tried to find something to hold onto as he took a curve out of the parking lot onto the road and hit the gas. She slid across the back of the Jeep into something solid and grunted as a sharp pain pierced her side. Jenny wedged her feet against one panel of the car with her shoulders pressed up against the other panel. She held her side as pain tore through her midsection.

  “You all right?” he muttered.

  “No,” she said through clinched teeth. “Not that it matters.”

  “Sorry,” he grumbled.

  “What happened?”

  “It didn’t feel right.”

  “Did you see someone?”

  No response.

  Still holding her side, she eased up so she could look out the window. Maybe someone was following them.

  “Are you crazy? Get down! The roadblock is just
ahead. Cover up and don’t move.”

  “What if they decide to search the car?”

  “They won’t.”

  “If they’re looking for me, they likely will.”

  “Settle down and be quiet.”

  Cord got in the line of stopped cars and waited as the patrolmen spoke to each driver and then let them go. Car after car moved up and pulled out. Finally, he pulled up alongside the highway patrolman standing in the road. Since he didn’t have a traditional window in the Jeep, he opened his door and stepped out. “Morning, officer. Mighty cold morning for a roadblock,” he said, hunching his shoulders against the wind while he scanned the tree-lined roadside.

  “Mornin’. We’d like to see your license and registration.” The officer looked over the car. “This sure is some vehicle.”

  “Thanks,” Cord said as he handed over the requested documents.

  “’65?”

  “’66.”

  “Wrangler CJ-5?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ve took real good care of it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Everything seems to be in order here. Where you headed?

  “Home.”

  “Looks like you been hiking,” the officer said, looking at the backpack behind the passenger seat. Cord shifted to block the man’s view of anything further.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Where ’bouts?

  “Up around Elkmont,” Cord lied.

  “We been looking for a little lady that got lost up on Laurel Mountain. Haven’t seen any strangers on the road have you?”

  “Hard to say with as many tourists as we get around here this time of year.” Cord forced himself to be calm when the deputy shined a flashlight inside the Jeep.

  “Bein’s you’ve been out of touch while you were hiking, I guess you ain’t heard about the storm headed this way.”

  Any idiot with eyes in their head could tell there was a storm coming, but he said, “No, sir.”

  “Yep.” The big man hooked his thumbs in his gun belt and rocked back on his heels. “Big snowstorm. They’re predictin’ it might rival the ’93 blizzard. But you know, when they’re callin’ for it, we usually don’t get a drop. Just the same, it might be smart if you stock up before you head home. Up where you live, you won’t be getting out for awhile if there’s bad weather.”

  That was the plan, just as soon as he dropped off his unwanted guest. “Thanks. I’ll do that.”

  “All righty. If you see any strangers around, anybody suspicious lookin’, we’d appreciate you givin’ us a call.”

  “Will do.” Cord got back into the Jeep and wasted no time putting the car in gear.

  When they were on their way, Jenny peeped out from under the blankets and sneezed about a half dozen times. “I didn’t think I was going to make it. These things you call blankets are stiff with dust!”

  “Keep your head down,” Cord mumbled.

  “Stop barking orders at me. I’m no happier to be with you than you are having me.”

  Ignoring that, Cord retreated into his thoughts. How stupid could you get? If this was how the police were handling such a sensitive situation, what would happen to her when he turned her over to the sheriff’s department? He looked out the windshield up at the sky. The first snowflakes floated down. If he left her in Angel Ridge, she’d get snowed in there. With blood thirsty criminals crawling all over the area, she’d be a sitting duck.

  Jenny sniffed. “What are you thinking?”

  “Anybody ever tell you that you ask too many questions?” He could barely hear himself think, she talked so much.

  “Occupational hazard.”

  What did he care if she lived or died? It was none of his concern after he turned her over to the sheriff. He’d go back to his cabin and forget all about her. He looked over his shoulder and their gazes met. Her unguarded blue eyes looked huge in her pale face. Dark smudges under her eyes told of too many sleepless nights. His heart constricted involuntarily. How could anyone want to harm anything so gut-clinching gorgeous?

  He dragged a hand down his face. How had that happened? He wanted her to be safe, and he hadn’t cared about anything or anyone in a long time.

  “There’s a snowstorm coming.”

  “We’ve established that.”

  “I don’t know who these people are that want to harm you, but they’re determined to get to you. Being snowed in so close to where we last saw them is suicide.”

  “That’s not your concern. All you have to do is turn me over to Grady and be on your way.”

  “When it snows, I can’t get off the mountain where I live, sometimes for weeks. If a blizzard hits, who knows?”

  Cord looked in his mirror and saw Jenny roll onto her back. The movement stirred up more dust.

  Somewhere between sneezes, she managed to say, “Sounds perfect... for you.”

  “If I can’t get out, no one can get in.” He reached into the glove box, grabbed some napkins, and handed them to her. Jenny blew—an inelegant sound. Cord couldn’t help smiling.

  “If there’s a point to this, state it.”

  “You could hide out at my place. No one would ever find you there. If these people lose your trail, maybe they’ll give up and go back to where they came from.”

  Jenny laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

  “I’m sure the sheriff will agree.”

  “I’m sure he won’t, not if I have anything to say about it. Let me tell you one thing—there is no way in hell I’m holing up in some cabin in the middle of nowhere, snowed in for God knows how long, with you.”

  “Why not?”

  “It’s not happening. I can’t believe you’d suggest such a thing.”

  “It’s the safest option for you. If the sheriff takes you back to Angel Ridge, you’re sure to get stuck there, and that’s the worst possible scenario right now.”

  Jenny sat up. “Are you saying you’re not taking me to Grady?”

  No response.

  “What if it doesn’t snow?”

  “It’s already started.”

  “It could blow over or turn out to be just this. A few flurries.”

  “I’ve lived in the mountains most of my life. I know the signs. It’s not blowing over.”

  “No. Take me to the sheriff like we planned.”

  “You’d be safe at my cabin.”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “No.”

  “It’s remote. There’s no one and nothing for miles, no phone, no mail.”

  “No electricity.”

  “I have electricity.”

  “We’d kill each other inside of twenty minutes.”

  He waited before he spoke, weighing his words carefully. “If it means you live to see another spring, I’m willing to tolerate you if you’re willing to tolerate me.”

  “What do you care if I live or die? Turn me over to Grady and be on your way.”

  “I can’t do that.” Hearing the words, it sounded like someone else talking.

  “Why not?”

  He could tell from the edge in her tone that she was frustrated and focused on getting away from him. From everyone. He’d heard it before when he was in the military and then later in the bureau, transporting prisoners, officers and civilians. When things went bad, this happened. Jenny was there. Desperation. That made her a danger to herself and everyone around her. What if she ran when the sheriff got her to Angel Ridge? What if she wound up dead?

  He sighed and said, “I have to live with myself. That’s why.” It was one thing to have to live with an op that had gone bad. He had the nightmares to prove it. It was another thing when he knew what to do to save someone and willingly walked away. That was not an option.

  He glanced over his shoulder and caught her nervously chewing on her thumbnail. “You know I’m right,” he pressed

  She glanced up at him, then focused on the side of the J
eep again. “I want to talk to Grady.”

  “You’ll get your chance soon enough.”

  “I am not, do you hear me, not going to hole up in a remote cabin with you for the foreseeable future.”

  “It’s either me or the next set of marshals. Your luck with them, up to now, hasn’t been so good.”

  “Right, so why would my luck be any better with you? No. I won’t do it.”

  He gripped the wheel and said between his teeth, “Has anyone ever told you that you are a frustratingly difficult woman?”

  “Yeah. It’s just one of the many things that makes me good at what I do.”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong, but the only thing you have to do now is try to stay alive.”

  The only sound for several minutes was the engine, the tires turning on the pavement and his own breathing. “Jenny, think about what I’m suggesting. You could be safe for the first time in weeks.”

  “What if they need me to appear at trial and I can’t get out to testify? And if they did find us, what would we do? No one could get there quickly enough to help us.”

  He almost laughed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had the urge to laugh. “Do you ever ask just one question at a time?”

  “Only if I like you,” she fired back.

  Cord was glad she couldn’t see him smile. He was sure it was so rusty it creaked audibly. “They won’t find us, and I can get out if I want to. It’s just that usually, I don’t want to.”

  “That’s why this makes no sense. Why do you care what happens to me?”

  He thought for a minute before he said, “It’s the right thing to do.”

  “Lord, do they breed that in to southern men or what?”

  It sounded like she was talking to herself.

  “Look, I know this is hard—”

  “You have no idea. Try not having control of your own destiny for even five minutes.”

  “You’ve put your trust in a lot of people who didn’t deserve it, but I’ll see that you’re taken care of now.”

  She laughed. She was actually laughing? “What’s so funny?”

  “I can’t remember a day in my life that I needed ‘taking care of’. I’m the one that takes care of everyone, including myself.” She paused, then added, “This is absurd. How can this be my life? I’ve been reduced to someone with absolutely no control over her own fate and as a bonus, I can’t trust anyone either.”