“In some ways he’s really complex—this mass of contradictions and frustrations—and in another he’s transparent.” Like the part where he ran scared from emotional entanglements. She was far too familiar with that side of him.
“His dad messed him up.” Cam shook his head. “I never really saw how much before.”
Her gaze snapped away from the man walking toward her and back to Cam. “He told you about his upbringing?”
“The end-of the-world fears imposed on him. The foster homes. Being separated from his sisters and never truly reconnecting with them again.” Cam whistled. “Sometimes I’m amazed he can function, that he’s as normal as he is. Don’t tell him I admitted that either.”
Joel’s openness with Cam stunned her. Joel never hid his background or shied away from using his survival skills, but the idea of him talking it out with Cam was a surprise. She liked that Joel had someone close enough, and now she knew Cam wasn’t just some random work friend.
But he’d used the magic word. The same one Joel loved to throw around. “That’s the problem.”
Cam frowned. “You lost me.”
Through the dripping of the rain and soaking of the ground, Joel broke through the tree line. His footsteps hesitated for a second, and then he made a beeline for them.
She lowered her voice. “He thinks he can never be normal.”
“Then he needs a good kick in the—”
“What are you two doing out here? You shouldn’t be in the open.” Joel stopped right by her feet. The scowl stayed as he scanned the area around them.
“We were waiting for you to wander back in,” Cam said.
“I walked out a few hundred feet and did a perimeter check.” Joel turned in a semicircle as his hand traced the trail through the air.
He acted like leaving was no big deal if he was the one doing it. He wasn’t wearing a jacket and his shirt was soaked clear through. Never mind the fact there was some guy sitting out there waiting to shoot at them again. “Good thing a bullet can’t reach that far.”
“I was fine.”
She rolled her eyes as she wondered how he would react if the roles were reversed. “This time.”
Shuffling started behind her, then she heard footsteps and the low mumble of male voices. Following Joel’s gaze, she watched Lance and Jeff walk out to the fire pit area. Apparently no one wanted to stay inside where it was safer.
It wasn’t exactly easy to take the two businessmen seriously with the drawstrings pulled tight on their hoods so only a fraction of their faces stood out. They acted as if acid fell from the sky.
She bit back a joke as she stood up, doubting Jeff would appreciate the humor. He’d dragged designer gear with him, most of which was more suitable for Himalayan climbing than camping in cabins.
Amateurs.
Joel nodded to the new members of the group. “Good morning.”
“Where’s Charlie?” she asked.
He popped up in the distance over Jeff’s shoulder a second later carrying a steaming mug of something. “Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Forget that.” Jeff frowned at all of them. “What’s the plan?”
Joel didn’t move. “Survival.”
One second he stood there alone. The next, Cam got up and took the place beside Joel. Together they formed a wall of lethal males.
Not that everyone got the message or understood the peril. Jeff sent Joel a withering look, one that probably worked when he tried intimidating his assistants. “I’m serious.”
“So am I,” Joel shot back.
Jeff dragged a foot through the mud before balancing it on the edge of the log. Never mind that people sat there. “Your timing is interesting.”
Hope felt the conversation sliding sideways. Whatever point Jeff was trying to make had tension pounding harder than last night’s thunder. He kept poking the bear and sooner or later, Joel would unleash. He had the skills to make Jeff look like an idiot, and she feared that showdown inched ever closer.
“What are you talking about?” Joel asked as he spread his stance and folded his arms behind him.
“You two show up and Mark disappears. Now you claim to have heard gunfire.”
Joel’s eyebrow lifted. “Claim?”
Enough testosterone-fueled nonsense. She stepped in. “It happened. I was there.”
Jeff didn’t even spare her a glance. “I’m just saying there are easier ways to get a woman into bed.”
Joel took a threatening step forward. “That’s enough.” Only Cam’s arm held him back.
“You’re out of line, Jeff. Apologize,” Charlie said at the same time.
But Jeff wasn’t done. Clearly warming up to his theory, he stood taller and crossed his arms in front of him. “Maybe Mark snuck up on you? Maybe he was in the way? After all, the fight between Mark and Hope was explosive. Made me wonder if there was something behind all that anger.”
She was two seconds from kicking the guy in the shin. “You should stop talking.”
Joel nodded. “Listen to the lady.”
Jeff threw his arms wide. “You going to make me?”
“Damn, you’re stupid.” Cam shook his head as he mumbled.
“Oh, really?”
Before Jeff could move, Charlie clamped a hand on his shoulder. “Sit.”
Jeff shirked it off. “Why should I listen to you?”
“Because it’s obvious Joel could take you out in a second, and I know the truth.” Charlie took a long sip, drawing out the moment. “You and Mark had quite the argument after the gun incident.”
Now, there was news that would have been helpful yesterday. Could have lessened some of her guilt, too. Confiscating the weapon had been the right answer, but doubts had bombarded her ever since. Maybe she could have been less firm about it or taken him aside. She’d always found that a show of strength cut down on some idiocy, but maybe she’d miscalculated this time.
“About what?” she asked, not trying to keep the seething anger out of her voice.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” Jeff stepped back, separating himself from the group as he glanced around like a cornered animal. “This is insane. Charlie is just protecting her.”
“My name is Hope.” The guy was just not getting it. His coworkers were missing. This was not some game. “And what fight?”
Charlie shrugged. “I couldn’t hear, but there was a lot of pushing and shouting.”
Lance had stayed quiet, just watching and frowning. Now he moved, shoving a hand against Jeff’s chest. “About what?”
“Don’t touch me.”
The more the minutes passed, the less Hope liked Jeff. He acted entitled and childish, and because neither Cam nor Joel looked ready to step in.
She did. “Boys, knock it off.”
The shots rang out as she said the last word. Through the misty air and steady wind, the pings echoed.
“Everybody get down!” Joel yelled the order as he made a dive for Hope.
Lance beat him to it. He knocked into her stomach and they both went flying. She hit the ground hard, making a breath hiccup in her lungs. Knowing she had to move, she scrambled up and crawled on her knees and elbows to the log and tried to lie flat behind it.
Lance half covered her as he reached up and tugged on Jeff’s sleeve, breaking the spell that had frozen him in place and dragging him down in the mud beside them. Gunfire rang out. Glass shattered somewhere behind her and pieces of wood kicked up when a bullet slammed into the log right by her head.
She heard shouting and scuffling. The sharp smell of gunfire hit her, and a smoky haze filled the air.
Then Joel was there beside her. After a quick look up and down her torso, he and Cam crouched like a protective shield around the group. All but Charlie, who took off for the cabins behind them.
Noises blurred together and crescendoed to a rolling thunder. Everything seemed to rattle as her stomach rolled.
To steady her body, she reached forward and put her
palm against the back of Joel’s shirt. She wanted to pull him down and out of target range but settled for the touch. Anything to keep the contact.
In a blink it all stopped. No more loud banging and constant movements. Silence fell over them.
The wind blew and branches shifted. But the roar of noise that filled her ears ceased. Her hand clenched in Joel’s shirt as the world came rushing back to her. She could make out Lance’s heavy breathing as his weight fell against her. Jeff’s whimpering sounded in the background. At least he’d stopped screaming his wife’s name.
She heard the crunch of metal and looked behind her. Charlie stood on the cabin porch, half behind a post, with a shotgun in his hands. She had no idea where that had come from.
“Okay, let’s double-time this before our friend comes back.” Joel shifted around in his position, his gaze taking in the huddle of people behind him. “We need to get everyone inside.”
Cam nodded as he came around the far end of the log and pulled Jeff to his feet. “Go right into Hope’s cabin. Do not stop or hesitate.”
An eerie quiet whispered through the trees. It made her want to bolt for the indoors. Sitting up proved impossible with Lance pinning her leg to the ground.
“We need to go.” She pushed against his shoulder, trying to get him to pull out of his ducking position, but he didn’t move. “It’s okay now. You can move.”
Joel stood watch. “Cam, get them inside now.”
A new sensation stabbed at her. One of pure panic. The type that had something twisting in her gut. “Lance?”
The tone must have caught Joel’s attention because his sweeping gaze landed on her. “What’s wrong?”
She put a hand on Lance’s shoulder and shook. Still nothing. Pulling it back, she saw the red.
The color drained right out of her as she looked up at Joel. “Blood.”
* * *
TONY HADN’T ENJOYED his first conversation with Connor Bowen and didn’t relish a second one. From the time the man left the office yesterday until this morning, Tony had conducted an impromptu investigation.
It paid to know the man on the other side of the conference room table and be ready for anything. Tony always was, but he hadn’t counted on this guy. He expected Hope to be connected, thanks to her father, but word was her life focused on climbing and, now that she’d messed up that career, she was floundering.
That had proved to be only part of the story. Looked like she knew powerful men in dangerous places. Men who didn’t know when to back off.
Connor and his team worked in the intelligence field, and his record possessed the shiny, perfect look that came with false IDs. Tony would bet they dealt in hush-hush projects. That made Connor and anyone who worked for him a huge liability.
Tony stared at his closed office door and reasoned out his next steps. He’d worked too long and too hard to get to this uncertain place.
He’d earned his reputation for being ruthless the honest way. He’d move into a company and cut staff and streamline costs and personnel, rarely getting the credit he deserved. The career had him relocating and trading positions while trying to make a series of corporate boards happy.
But this position was his ticket. Show the right numbers and growth, and the big desk would stay his. He would be in charge and the impressive paycheck and windfall bonuses would come his way.
With one sharp knock, his office door opened. So much for his crack staff and the security measures he’d put in place to keep anyone from getting into his office without permission. Connor somehow broke through the protocol after one visit to the place.
That meant one thing: Tony had to get the pseudo-detective out of his business and off his trail. Fast.
He didn’t give Connor the satisfaction of mentioning the unapproved entrance. “You’re back.”
Connor didn’t bother with small talk. He walked right across the large office to stand in front of Tony’s desk. “I have a few questions.”
Not that Tony had any intention of answering them. “Where’s your assistant?”
“Second in command.”
He leaned back in his chair and slid his palms over the smooth leather of the armrests. “Is there a difference?”
Connor took a quick look around the office. His gaze roamed but he didn’t move. “Davis is back at the office, working on this case.”
“Case?”
“Yes.”
“Exactly how long are you in town?” The man needed to head back to Annapolis and stay there. Tony was half ready to throw him in a cab to make it happen.
“For as long as it takes.”
“Interesting response.”
Connor’s stance relaxed from attack mode to soon-to-attack. The dark suit didn’t fool Tony. He knew a fellow fighter when he saw one. This man could ruin everything. He would dig and push, and those were the two things Tony could not afford to have happen.
Without being asked, Connor launched into whatever he came to say. “I thought you could give me some intel on your officers.”
The man had guts. Tony had to give him that, but the request, if that’s what it was, would never happen. “Intel?”
“Who, what, backgrounds. Personality types.” Other than blinking, Connor still didn’t move. “Likelihood for trouble.”
Tony tapped his fingers against the end of the armrest. He aimed for mild disinterest. Inside his mind was spinning with ways to end the conversation. “This is starting to sound a bit like an interrogation.”
“If it helps you to think of it that way, I’m good with that.” The flat tone only added to the feeling of menace.
“It’s also a clear case of overreaching.”
“Your executive is missing.”
And what a mess that had turned out to be. “I let you get me upset last time, but this is nothing. Mark wandered away from camp. That’s hardly a reason to dig around in people’s personal lives.”
Connor’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s not your business where they—”
“I meant the part about Mark. Why do you think he walked off?”
“It’s the most logical explanation.” That was the story. That was the plan. Simple and straightforward. Except for the part where it all blew apart and now Tony had to deal with bad weather, Rafe screaming on the phone from thousands of miles away about his baby girl’s safety and the man across the desk who wanted to rush in and save everyone.
“I told you there were gunshots.”
“I doubt it,” Tony said. “If that were true, if there were really trouble, the police, park rangers and everyone else would be out there. I’d be getting calls and this would be on the news. You see, Mr. Bowen—”
“Connor is fine.”
“Conner then.” Though Tony would prefer not to get so personal. “I turned this company around by being patient. I don’t run off or act in panic mode.”
“You think I do?”
“Technically, isn’t other people’s panic your business?” Tony continued to drum his fingers. With each tap he inhaled, trying to slow down his pounding heart and keep his breathing under control. There was no need to show weakness. “Look, Mark likes to show off. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of a young woman running the retreat.”
“How evolved of him.”
Little did Connor know the woman, Hope, had been a vital part of the plan. Talk about a miscalculation. “My guess is his male ego got wounded and now he’s stuck trying to find a reasonable way to save face and come back to camp.”
“Is that it?”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you done?” This time Connor moved. He leaned forward with his fists on the far edge of Tony’s desk and kept the eye contact locked on him. “If so, let me tell you about my men. They don’t panic. They also know what gunfire sounds like because they’re experts at rescuing. When they issue a warning it’s because something is seriously wrong.”
“So you’re
impressed with your men.” By the time he finished, the words rang out in the room. It took all of Tony’s control to keep his expression blank and not shift in his chair. “Your point is?”
Connor pushed up and stood straight again. “I take off as soon as the weather clears.”
“This is a waste of time and money.”
“Possibly, but it’s my time and my money to waste.”
“Not really since it’s my men out there on the retreat.” Tony needed to bring them in clean and without them being subjected to questioning. Not unless he could control it, and he knew Connor wouldn’t let that happen “My suggestion would be to let this play out. I paid for a certain number of days and want those men out there, including Mark, who will show up soon, in the woods, building rapport as promised.”
“While getting shot at.”
“I think we’ve discussed that issue enough.” Until Tony knew more about the who and why of the gunshots, he pivoted around the topic.
“I agree.”
Forget relief. Anxiety smacked into him. “You’re still going.”
“I’m getting my people out.”
That superman complex was going to ruin everything. Tony sensed it. “I guess that’s your choice.”
Connor nodded. “I’ll let you know what Mark says.”
“Meaning?”
“When I find him, I’ll get him to talk. Because, Tony, I will find him. That’s what I do.”
Chapter Eight
Hope stood behind Cam and looked out the small window next to her cabin door. The rainy gray sky beyond didn’t provide much light, so they had to rely on a few dull bulbs.
The small space was lined wall to wall with mud-soaked men. The mixed scent of wet clothes and stale air in the confined room gave it the feel of a locker room, though he’d smelled worse, but for her this couldn’t be good.
After the frantic racing around outside and piling inside the cabin, Joel could finally breathe. Hearing the familiar crack and watching Hope fall had taken a good twenty years off his life. When she’d moved and Lance had covered her, Joel forced his mind on the attacker, but the twisting-gut fear about her getting hurt had kept him off his game.
Somehow they’d made it with minimal injuries. Hers being the biggest cabin and having the only indoor shower, it won as the staging area—a good place to regroup and plan. And in Lance’s case, receive medical treatment.
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