All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel

by Dixie Lee Brown

  “What do you want from me, Cara?”

  “I want you to let me leave.” When he frowned, she smiled sweetly. “I didn’t think so. Well, this is me being civil. What’s next?”

  He watched her for a moment. This was a waste of time. Maybe he should let her go. But he’d be damned if he would.

  “Shower, breakfast, and then the high ropes course.” He pointed to a grouping of utility poles, towering thirty feet high, with ropes, platforms, and cables at the very top.

  She stared at the course with wide eyes, her mouth open as though to speak, but no words formed.

  Finally, a break. With a bit of luck, she’d be afraid of heights. If she was, she’d have no choice but to trust him up there. Abruptly, he turned toward the house, refusing to be moved by the fear in her eyes.

  Twenty minutes later, Joe was in the dining hall finishing his breakfast and visiting with the handful of men still there. Everyone fell silent when Cara walked in. She faltered at the door then straightened, raised her chin, and continued to the sideboard where a buffet-style breakfast waited.

  He could have stepped in, introduced her to the men, made it easier to be accepted by the team, but that wouldn’t have been fair. Joe had to treat her the same as the rest, and they each had to stand or fall on their own merit. He held his breath, waiting to see how she did.

  “Please, don’t stop on my account.” She flashed a brilliant smile and looked around the room, meeting each set of eyes, while ignoring Joe completely. “It smells delicious. I’m starving.”

  Steve and Jim scrambled to hand her plates and the rest were looking for something they could do for her. She had it made… if Rayna hadn’t walked in about that time.

  Suddenly, the empty plate Cara had accepted from Steve was jerked from her hand. She swung around and took a step back in the face of the angry young woman in front of her. Rayna was daunting. Young, strong, bleached-blond hair pulled back and braided, tanned, muscled, and looking for a fight. Decked out in combat boots and olive drab, she’d give hardened soldiers reason to pause.

  Still, Joe waited.

  As the two women stared at each other, Rayna smirked. “Let her get her own like the rest of us.” She turned away to dish up food on the plate she’d taken from Cara. Every man in the room watched them, waiting to see what the new girl would do, and how far Joe would let it go.

  Cara accepted the other plate from Jim and smiled gratefully. She tipped her head toward Rayna. “Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed.”

  Steve and Jim chuckled uncertainly.

  Rayna dropped her plate on the table and stepped back toward Cara. The two men still hovering nearby closed ranks in front of Cara, and she set her plate on the sideboard. Her smile never wavered.

  Surprise turned to admiration as Joe took in her ramrod-straight back, her legs spread slightly apart, her braced feet. She wasn’t backing down, even though the little bit of self-defense training she’d had would do absolutely nothing against the highly trained, combat-wise woman bearing down on her.

  Joe stood and let loose a long, shrill whistle. The men turned, but Cara never looked away from Rayna. He motioned Steve and Jim back to their seats, leaving Cara vulnerable as the younger woman continued to advance.

  “Rayna!” Joe growled her name and she flinched, but she didn’t take her eyes off Cara. “If you want to be part of this team, you follow the rules just like everyone else. We don’t fight amongst ourselves.”

  She stopped in her tracks and looked toward him, her fists clenched at her sides. “She doesn’t belong here, Joe.”

  “I say who belongs and who doesn’t.” He stared back at her until she looked away. As much as he might want to, he couldn’t be angry with Rayna. She’d been through too much. Obeying the rules was paramount, however, and she was no exception. Her life, and the lives of everyone else on the team, depended on that.

  “Wait for me outside.” He nodded toward the door and was gratified Rayna moved immediately. Of course, glaring at Cara as she passed was to be expected. She walked by him, then he turned his gaze on Cara.

  Her face was flushed and her hands shook, but her eyes shone with intensity and she smiled as Jim slid from his seat and placed her partially filled plate in her hand. She’d handled the confrontation as well as could be expected.

  “Are you all right?” Joe came alongside her.

  “All right might be an exaggeration, but I’ve still got all my arms and legs. Mind telling me what I’ve done to that young woman?”

  “Rayna will tell you… when she’s ready.”

  Disbelief registered in her eyes as he turned away, and he felt her gaze on him all the way to the door.

  Tyler was entering the dining hall as he left. “Stay close to Cara until I get back, Ty. She just had a run-in with Rayna.”

  “So soon? Is she okay?”

  “That’s the problem. Neither of them is okay.”

  Chapter Nine

  * * *

  Sunday, 7:50 am

  SHE ALMOST FELT sorry for the woman. Cara had never seen Joe so angry. No, that wasn’t the right word. He was more… authoritative, commanding, dominant, and totally intimidating. With few words, he’d proved his absolute power. A grudging respect began to grow as he left the dining hall.

  What had she done to annoy this woman? Joe obviously knew and yet his cryptic reply had only increased the mystery. Did he think Rayna would explain as she was beating the crap out of her? She shook her head and started down the table, helping herself to food with no idea what she was choosing.

  From the corner of her eyes she caught Joe whispering something to Tyler, who was just walking in. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was said. Tyler’s gaze immediately sought her out and he walked over, an easy grin on his face.

  He eyed her plate. “Your breakfast is getting cold.”

  “I’m not really hungry anymore.” The thought of forcing food down made her queasy. Others had already finished eating and cleared their table before leaving. She surveyed her plate doubtfully.

  What was she trying to prove? She was worlds apart from these people. They knew no fear. She lived with it, breathed it. Even Rayna could see the difference. The cold hand of loneliness squeezed her chest. She didn’t belong with these people, trying to become something she wasn’t. If she couldn’t convince Joe to let her leave, she’d find another way, and soon.

  “I hear you didn’t eat last night,” Tyler said. “You’re going to need your strength, you know. Joe has quite a day planned for you.”

  Cara followed Tyler to an empty table and managed to choke down two pieces of sausage, a few bites of scrambled egg, and an English muffin while he talked nearly nonstop about his job.

  As Joe’s right-hand man, Tyler was in charge of securing supplies, weapons, intelligence. Whatever the order of the day happened to be. He gave her a brief rundown on Jim, Steve, and a few other men who’d been in the dining hall earlier. Strange, he didn’t mention Rayna once. Of course, she didn’t ask, either. She didn’t plan to be around long enough for that to matter.

  “Tyler, would you take me into town, please?” She held her breath. There was a slim chance Joe hadn’t mentioned her confinement to him yet.

  Tyler hesitated a second, his fork halfway to his mouth. “Why?”

  “I assume there’s an airport or a bus station or someplace I can rent a car.”

  He shrugged. “I’d have to clear it with Joe.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll tell Joe. Will you take me, or should I ask one of the other guys?”

  For a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer.

  “I’ll take you, as soon as I finish my breakfast.”

  Sunday, 8:06 am

  JOE UNLEASHED HIS rage on her door, sending it crashing back into the wall. Cara swung around to face him, fear in her eyes for an instant before anger replaced it. Her chin came up and she tensed, obviously preparing for a fight.

  That was good, because s
o was he.

  “It’s a generally accepted formality to knock, even if it is your house,” she said.

  “What is it about you’re not leaving you don’t understand?” He struggled to control his temper.

  “Well, I see Tyler sold me out. It’s good to know who I can trust.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she swiped at them cursorily. She spun away from him and went to stand in front of the balcony doors, her body trembling.

  “Ty works for me, Cara. Did you think he wouldn’t tell me?”

  She continued to stare out the window. Joe sighed in exasperation and, that quickly, his anger was gone, diffused by her tears and her determination. Against all good sense, he wanted to take her in his arms and somehow make everything right. He stepped up beside her until their shoulders touched. She flinched away from him, moving closer to the glass. Damn it to hell! This just kept getting worse. Somehow he had to get through to this woman. Not an easy task with her mad and hurt and convinced she didn’t need his help.

  “Where were you planning to go?”

  “Home,” she whispered.

  “Where exactly is home right now?”

  “Not here.”

  Her short, terse answers were getting them nowhere. He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to shake her. “Well, let’s think about this. You could go back to your apartment in Portland and wait for Sinclair’s hired guns to show up. That’s if Dennelli doesn’t get to you first. God knows what he’d do. You might be able to leave the country, but there’s no real guarantee one or both of them wouldn’t find you anyway. Or… you could stay here until the threat is over.” Stepping in front of her, he lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him. “It’s not so bad here, if you’ll give it a chance. I promise I’ll take you home as soon as this is over.”

  “When will it be over? When everyone’s dead?”

  Her eyes were about to rim over with tears, and he wasn’t surprised when she jerked away and turned her back.

  “Cara, damn it! Look at me.”

  A moment passed as she brushed angrily at her cheeks, before she turned back, her arms crossed. When she met his gaze, he smiled, but she quickly looked away.

  Beneath her brave front, he knew she was scared. Was she afraid of what was out there or what was in here? In either case, he’d made a tactical error. He wasn’t going to get anywhere keeping her here against her will.

  “Look… I know I tend to get a little overzealous when I get an idea in my head. Trying to keep you here wasn’t fair, even though I did have your best interest at heart. It’s not safe out there for you right now. You know I’m right. Please stay here, Cara, at least until we take Brian out of the equation.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms and took a step closer.

  “I’m not like you and the rest of these people. I can’t do this.”

  “You’re not packing up because one young girl got in your face, are you? I’m pretty sure you’re tougher than that.”

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with her. I just don’t belong here. It was a stupid idea, thinking I could actually do what Charlie couldn’t.” The words came out in a rush.

  “You’re right. It’s too dangerous, and I can’t teach you everything you need to know in two weeks. So, if you decide not to go through with it, I’ll back you up. Murphy won’t be happy, but he’ll get over it. I’ll come up with another plan. It might take a little longer, but it’ll be just as effective.”

  She was shaking her head. “No… putting Brian behind bars is the only way I can rid myself of this unbearable guilt. I have to try. Please, let me try.”

  Against his better judgment, he nodded. “I want something in return, though. I’m asking you, as a favor, to stay here until it’s safe to go home. Besides, learning what I have to teach isn’t the worst thing that could happen. It might save your life someday, considering the circles you seem to run in.”

  “Like dangerous men who lock me in dungeons?” She leveled an accusing glare at him.

  He tried to hide his amusement. “Irene would be hurt if she knew you referred to your room as a dungeon.”

  “I would never hurt Irene.”

  Her distrust was born of hurt and betrayal, and Joe had unintentionally contributed to that out of frustration and the ill-concealed desire to take her ex-husband out of the picture. The pain in her eyes twisted the knife in his gut. He had to make her believe he would never hurt her, and he wouldn’t let Sinclair or Dennelli hurt her either. Emotions, so overpowering… and ones he shouldn’t have for a woman he’d met only yesterday, bred guilt within him. She’d been Charlie’s girl, for God’s sake. What the hell was he thinking?

  Right or wrong, he’d do what was necessary to keep her here until the danger was over. After that… well, first he had to earn her trust. With a wry smile, he remembered something he’d read somewhere. You can’t make someone trust you. All you can do is be someone trustworthy. It was a place to start.

  “I’ve never lied to you, Cara. I’ve been brutally honest and that’s the way we’re going to keep it. I told you before. I’m on your side. I’ll answer your questions honestly and tell you what I think is best. The decision will be yours as long as it doesn’t endanger you or the rest of the team. Does that sound all right to you?”

  She regarded him in skeptical silence.

  “I don’t want you to be a prisoner here.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he raised his hand to stop her. “Let me finish. You can come and go as you please… if you agree not to go back to Portland without talking to me first, if you’ll clear it with me before you leave the compound, and if you’ll take someone with you whenever you go. I swear it’s only for a little while.”

  “I can live with that… for a while. Thank you, Joe. It means a lot.” Her tentative smile softened her features.

  Watching her expression change from skepticism to guarded hopefulness tugged at his heart. He enjoyed seeing her happy. That was all it was. “Still think I’m as bad as Dennelli?”

  Her blue eyes sparkled. “You’re arrogant and bossy, and I really thought you were going to stand by and let that girl kill me downstairs… but no, you’re nothing like David. I was angry and just wanted to strike out at you. I’m really sorry. No one should ever be compared to him.”

  He frowned. “You realize you give that guy superhuman powers, don’t you?”

  “No, I don’t!”

  “You’re convinced Dennelli will kill me if I go after him. Have a little faith. I’ve got a few talents to bring to the table. What can I do to earn your trust?” His gaze held hers, waiting for an answer.

  She shrugged. “I want to trust you.”

  “Okay, that’s something. We’ll start there.” He watched her for a moment, wanting to move closer, to reach out and touch her cheek. How long was this urge to put his arms around her and slay her dragons going to last? These feelings would only complicate things. On the other hand, they weren’t entirely unpleasant. He stepped back and turned toward the door.

  “High ropes course in ten minutes.” He closed the door behind him.

  Chapter Ten

  * * *

  Sunday, 8:32 am

  THE UTILITY POLES jutting thirty feet in the air, with cables connecting each one, didn’t look insurmountable from the ground. Maybe she’d actually get through this. Tyler and Joe helped her into the harness and gave her a ten-minute orientation on transferring between cables. The bottom line—never have both carabiners detached from a cable at the same time. Seemed like a no-brainer to her, but she nodded in all the appropriate places.

  Joe climbed up the pole first, a rope attached to his harness, with Tyler belaying him from the ground. He made it look easy enough so, when it was her turn, she stepped up to the pole.

  Tyler hooked the belay rope to her harness. “Let me guess, scared of heights?”

  She forced a smile. “Is it that obvious?” She might have known he’d see through her.

  “You’ll do fine as long as you
follow the safety procedures.”

  Of course, he was right. It just didn’t make her feel any better. When he was in position, she put her foot on the first rung sticking from the side of the pole and began to climb, bending her knee almost to her chest, claiming the next rung on the opposite side and pushing herself upward. By the time she reached the platform where Joe waited, she was gasping and shaking from exertion. She clung to the pole and tried to catch her breath. So much for keeping her fear hidden. Her inability to unclasp her fingers from the pole must be quite amusing to him. He could go to hell if he thought she’d move from this platform any time soon.

  “Hey, Party Girl, you okay?”

  She didn’t answer. Some things should be self-evident.

  “You don’t have to move until you’re ready, but I’d like to get that belay off so Ty can go back to work. Okay?”

  She held on with one hand and turned halfway to face him. He helped her position her carabiners on the cable above her head and removed the belay rope from her harness, sending it back down to Tyler. The two of them so close on that small platform made her uncomfortable, but not even that could shake her loose from her perch at the moment. She sneaked a glance at him. He watched her. Heat crept into her cheeks.

  “Why do you call me that?” Making conversation would surely take her mind off the ground so far below.

  “What? Party Girl? You told me when you were in college, if there was a party, you were there. You don’t mind, do you?” A smile tugged at his lips.

  “These days I’m about as far from a party girl as a person can get.”

  “Maybe you just haven’t found the right party yet.”

  Cara rolled her eyes. “What’s the purpose of this exercise again?” She leaned her forehead against the pole, closed her eyes, and silently prayed she’d somehow get through this.

  “It’s part of my curriculum for the military types who come here. Although, they don’t use most of the safety devices we’re using.” Her shocked expression didn’t seem to faze him. “For you, it’s to build strength, balance, confidence… and trust.”