“Emma! Come on, baby! It’s me, Adam. Wake up!”
Adam’s voice had grown closer. She struggled to find him in the darkness. “Adam?” His name came out in a whisper.
Strong arms wrapped around her. “I’m here. Wake up, Emma. It’s just a dream. Come back to me, sweetheart.”
Slowly she pulled herself from the dream and opened her eyes to see Adam’s worried expression as he leaned over her. Emma reached up and pressed her palms to his cheeks. “Adam. It’s you.”
“Yes. You’re okay now. It was all just a dream.”
She sighed and let her hands drop to her sides. “It was awful.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.
“The gunman was there. He tried to kill me. I was tied up and I couldn’t get free.” She looked down at the blanket and sheet on the bed. They were wrapped around her like a giant burrito.
Adam ran his hand over her damp forehead, pushing her wild hair back from her face. “You’re safe, Emma. I won’t let him get to you.”
She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “Do you remember when we were kids? All those late-night talks and walks we had?”
“I remember.” His eyes confirmed it.
“I never felt afraid. I knew, even then, that you’d always be my protector. I think that’s why I went to you when all this started. It’s not fair, Adam. I’m so sorry I dragged you into my mess.”
He smiled down at her. “Hey, it’s my mess too, remember? And besides, if it took a deranged assassin to bring my best friend back into my life, then I’d say it was all worth it.”
“It hasn’t exactly been the reunion I’d imagined all these years but I’m glad it’s happened too. Otherwise, we might have been too stubborn to ever get out of our own way.”
Adam looked around the room, then back down at her, grinning. “I only see one stubborn person here.”
Emma swatted at him lightly. “Oh hush! You know that’s a total lie.”
“Go ahead and tell yourself what you have to.” He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. “Do you think you can sleep now?’
Emma nodded. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“I wasn’t asleep yet. My brain decided it needed to rehash the entire past twenty-four hours before letting me rest.”
She patted the bed. “Will you stay? I don’t want to be alone anymore. Just to sleep. Like we used to.”
Adam studied her for a moment then slowly nodded. “Okay. Just until you fall asleep.”
When he’d heard Emma scream, Adam had flown off the couch and crashed into the bedroom so fast, he’d left his gun on the coffee table. If someone had been in there with her, they’d probably both be dead.
She had him so tied up in knots he’d forgotten everything he knew about procedure and process.
He settled back against the pillows and willed his brain to let him sleep. The clock had already struck midnight, and he had a long day ahead of him, starting very early in the morning.
It felt like he’d barely closed his eyes when the alarms went off on his watch and cell phone. Emma didn’t stir, so he slipped off the bed. Adam stretched then headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. When he exited the bathroom fifteen minutes later, Emma stood in the kitchen, dressed and making coffee.
“Good morning,” she said as he joined her by the small counter. “I’m really sorry about last night. I don’t know what came over me.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We all have bad dreams. It’s nothing to apologize for.”
She handed him a steaming cup of coffee. “I’ll feel better once this is all over. That much I know. But I mean it when I say I’m glad you’ve got my back.”
He took a sip. “Mmm… that’s good. From here on out, you can always count on me. I promise. I called my lieutenant last night after you went to bed.”
“Oh?” She stopped rinsing a dish and turned to look at him.
Adam scowled. “I don’t like what he had to say.”
Emma raised an eyebrow with interest. “Which means I’m going to like it.”
“He said I could take you back to the mountain but only as a confidential informant doing an identification. You have to stay out of sight and as soon as you ID the shooter, we’re out of there.”
She gave him the sweetest smile. The kind of smile that could bring a man to his knees. “I’m ready to go whenever you are.”
“We should stop for some food. Bagels or something. It’s going to be a long day.”
Emma nodded. “I packed some waters and a few snacks in a little cooler I found in a cabinet.”
“Assuming I’d let you go with me.” It was a statement, not a question.
She shrugged. “I hoped you’d changed your mind overnight. Just in case, I wanted to be ready. Plus, I might have overheard you on the phone.”
He shook his head. “I don’t even know what to say to that. You were eavesdropping?”
Emma gave him an innocent look. “You talk loud. With my ear pressed to the door….”
Adam opened the cooler and peeked inside. “It’s like you’ve done this stakeout thing before.”
She tossed her ponytail as she walked out of the kitchen. “I don’t like to be hungry. I get angry.”
“So many things that haven’t changed.” He followed her, yanking her ponytail lightly. “I just need to get a few things and then we can head out.”
Adam grabbed his cell phone off the charger where he’d plugged it in the night before, as well as his laptop bag and his truck keys. His holster sat on his hip but he kept his gun in his hand. He handed the bag to Emma. “Can you carry this while I clear the yard?”
She nodded, accepting the bag.
“Stay behind me, okay?”
“Okay.”
Adam opened the door and looked out in the yard. Seeing nothing, he stepped outside. “Hold up here, I want to check the sides of the cabin and the truck.”
Emma gave him a thumbs up and he slipped along the porch, stopping at one end to slowly look around the side. Everything looked clear, so he moved to the other end of the porch and repeated the process. Once he’d convinced himself that it was safe, he moved to the ground and looked in and around the truck.
He waved to Emma. “Everything’s good. You can come out now.”
She stepped out of the cabin and pulled the door tight behind her, checking the knob to make sure it was locked.
He pulled open the passenger side door and offered Emma a hand to step up into his truck. She tossed the bag lightly into the back seat and accepted his assistance.
Neither of them spoke until they’d left the dirt road and hit the highway. Adam reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “You okay?”
Emma looked over at him. “I’m fine. Why?”
“There’s tension rolling off you in waves.”
“It’s still new to me having to be escorted around with an armed guard.” She laughed. “I guess that’s better than being dead though.”
“I’d have to agree with you there.” They left the highway and entered a smaller, two-lane road that would take them into town. He always preferred to avoid main roads when he could. That need definitely served a purpose now.
Emma pointed to a street sign. “I remember this road. We used to think it was haunted, remember?”
Adam chuckled. “You might have thought that. I never did.”
She stuck her tongue out at him, like she would have done when they were sixteen. “Of course. Adam Marshall has never been afraid of anything.”
He’d missed her so much more than he realized. Her teasing him, riding around town together like they hadn’t had a care in the world. That something he’d felt like he’d been lacking in his life had been Emma.
“There was one thing I feared back then.”
“What?” she asked.
He pulled up to a stop light. Across the street sat the local bagel and donut shop. Their destination. Emma watched him intently, waiting for his answer.
“What were you afraid of?” she asked again.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I was always afraid of losing you.”
“And then I left town.”
Adam frowned. “Not before I made sure to cut you from my life.” A car pulled up behind them and honked. Adam accelerated through the intersection and drove into the parking lot of the bagel shop. He parked the truck but neither of them made a move to exit.
Emma reached over and placed a hand on his arm. “We both made some emotional choices, Adam. What matters now is how we move forward. Time heals all wounds; that’s what my mom always says.”
He looked over at her. The beautiful girl he’d dreamed about so often in his youth had become a stunning woman who, it seemed, still held his heart in her hands. How could life have kept them apart for so long?
It was pride. The thought flashed through his mind so quickly, he wasn’t sure he’d actually thought it.
Pride goeth before the fall. That’s what his own mother had always said. A quote he’d never quite understood until just that moment.
“Let’s get some food and head up to the mountain. The sooner we get that surveillance going, the sooner we can close this case.”
“And get on with our lives?” Emma tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, something else she’d always done when they were young. The early morning sunlight glinted off the natural strawberry-gold highlights.
“Yes.” He just hoped she didn’t mean their separate lives.
Seventeen
The stop at the bagel shop took less than ten minutes. They grabbed a couple bagels each, as well as a half dozen donuts and a couple of coffees.
“I can’t wait to dig into those donuts.” Emma opened the bag and took a long sniff of the sweetness it held.
“Uh-uh, little girl. You need to eat your good food first before you have dessert.” Adam turned the key and brought the truck’s engine to life.
“Bagels being said good food?” She pointed at the other bag on the console between them.
“Of course.” Adam reached into the bag and grabbed one. “The cream cheese is the protein.”
“Oh, right.” Emma laughed and grabbed her own bagel with cream cheese from the same bag.
Adam backed out of the spot and pulled onto the road, headed toward the Blue Ridge Parkway. “The rest of the team should be there by now.”
“Do you expect there to be a drop today?” Emma licked some cream cheese off her fingers.
Adam pulled onto the parkway. “If they follow the pattern I found on the memory card, then yes. Sometime after lunch.”
“So, all of this could be over by tonight?”
He nodded. “Possibly. If we get the guy who’s been after you. That could take a day or two.”
Emma frowned. “Oh.”
The rest area came into view ahead of them. He pulled off the parkway and drove around behind the building, where he parked the SUV. “Can you give me one of those donuts now? I ate my good food first.”
She reached in the bag, pulled out a powdered-sugar-covered donut, and handed it to him. “Don’t make a mess.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Adam took a big bite, sending white powder everywhere, making Emma laugh. Adam laughed with her. “I know you gave me this one on purpose.”
She handed him a napkin. “It used to be your favorite. I just don’t remember you being so messy about it.”
He reached in the bag and pulled out a chocolate-covered pastry filled with Boston cream. “This still your favorite?”
“Of course, it is!” She tried to take it from him, but he took a big bite out of it instead. “Ugh! You’re an animal.”
He handed it to her. “Want the rest?”
Emma swiped the donut from his hand. “Isn’t it some kind of felony to eat someone else’s donut?”
“I don’t remember seeing that one in the code books.” He reached for her donut again but Emma ducked out of the way.
“Oh, no you don’t, mister.” She turned toward the window with her snack. “This little piece of heaven is mine, so just back off.”
Adam finished his coffee while Emma ate her donut. They both went into the restrooms to wash up and take care of business, then began the climb to the hidden cabin on the mountain.
When they reached the clearing, Adam stopped just inside the trees. “This is as good a spot as any. We can see the front porch and the back of the house.”
“Where’s everyone else?” As soon as she asked the question, Bill Ryan, an FBI agent from the regional field office appeared.
“Hey, Marshall. Glad you could join us for your op.” He pointed to Adam’s chin before sticking his hand out to shake Adam’s. “You got a little something on ya.”
“Good to see you, Ryan.” Adam swiped at his chin, coming up with a little bit of chocolate frosting. “Oops. Had us a little snack on the way up.” He accepted Bill’s outstretched hand, then turned to Emma. “This is Emma Thomas, an investigative reporter from Richmond.”
Bill’s entire demeanor changed. “You brought a reporter to a sting?”
“She’s got clearance from my boss to be here.”
“Bad idea, man. Bad idea.” He turned to Emma. “I heard you got Pablo Vasquez after you?”
“You know him?” Emma asked.
“He’s been on our radar for a while. I’m looking forward to locking him up, for sure. This whole dang thing has been a thorn in our sides for much too long. If this pans out, I’m buying you dinner.”
Emma toyed with a piece of hair and gave Bill a smile that made Adam want to throat punch the other man. “Sounds fantastic. I’m sure Adam and I would enjoy that.”
Adam secretly enjoyed the look of pain that crossed the other man’s expression briefly at the mention of a three-person dinner date.
“Here.” Agent Ryan handed Adam a radio. “We’re on two. You got an earpiece?”
“Yeah.” He patted his jeans pocket.
“I’ll leave ya to it then. I still think you oughta send the girl back down the mountain.” Bill disappeared into the forest, and Adam pulled out his earpiece.
“Your opinion has been noted. She’ll be out of here soon enough.”
Bill waved something that looked a lot like his middle finger over his shoulder.
“He seems nice.” Emma made a face that told him she meant exactly the opposite.
“Yeah. I’m sure he’s a great guy.” Adam grunted as he looked around and found an old log from a downed tree that would make a perfect seat for them.
“Is the great Adam Marshall jealous of Agent Bill Ryan?” Emma sat on the log and patted the spot next to her. A large daddy longlegs spider stopped strolling across the wood and looked up at her. Emma grabbed a twig and lifted the arachnid, relocating him the brush beside them.
Adam watched as she moved the spider, then took a seat on the old tree trunk. “Why would I be jealous of him? He’s just another government desk jockey looking for his big break.”
“Yup. No jealousy there.” She poked him lightly in the ribs. He grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist.
“You don’t fight fair.”
Adam winked at her. “Never have. You know that. Shh… do you hear that?” Adam put a finger to his lips. “Sounds like an engine.”
“Got an SUV coming up the road to the cabin. Black, tinted windows, Tennessee tags,” someone said in his ear.
“There’s a truck coming up the mountain,” he whispered to Emma.
She nodded.
As they waited, the sound of the vehicle drew closer. A full minute later, the SUV came into view. Adam and Emma watched as the driver pulled to a stop and two men got out of the car. They walked to the back of
the truck, opened the gate, and grabbed two boxes.
Quiet chatter filled his ear as the other members of the sting passed around information in excited whispers.
“On my count, we go in,” he heard Agent Ryan say.
“10-4.” Adam thought about arguing he was in charge but decided it wasn’t worth it. Getting the bad guys and their drugs had to be done first. They could hash the credit for the operation out later.
“3—2—go!” Ryan whispered into the radio.
“Stay here!” Adam said to Emma as he took off into the clearing, following four other guys as they breached the porch.
“Drop your weapons!” someone yelled.
“FBI! You’re under arrest!” Ryan said.
Adam ran into the cabin and over to where one of the suspects was putting up a fight. “Get down on the floor! Stop resisting!” He plowed into the group, knocking the suspect to the floor. The gun he’d been holding slid across the room and went under an old cabinet.
“Ouch! Did you have to hit me so hard?” The suspect lay on the floor whining. “I need a medic! My neck hurts!”
“Stop crying,” Agent Ryan said, snapping cuffs on him. To Adam, he said, “Nice take down. Football player?”
“Varsity, all four years. I always knew that move might come in handy on the job.” The team rounded up the two suspects and dragged them outside.
Ryan motioned to them. “I’m going to send these two down the mountain with my two guys over there. We got a transport waiting. The pickup man ought to be here soon, if your intel is correct.”
“Sounds good. I’m going to go back and wait with Emma. It shouldn’t be but an hour before they show up.” Adam went back into the cabin first to grab the suspect’s gun. After handing it off to an officer with an evidence bag, he walked back toward the woods and stepped through the trees, expecting to see the old tree with Emma perched on it, waiting for him.
What he saw was an empty tree trunk and no sign of Emma.
“Emma?” he called as loudly as he dared. Maybe she’d snuck off to relieve herself. “Where are you? We got the two guys. Now we just have to wait for the next round.”
Murder on the Mountain: A Marshall Brothers Novel Page 15
