by Rebecca Deel
“Rio?”
“Over-the-counter only. I’m afraid to give her anything stronger until they x-ray her foot.” He dug into the medical kit and shook out a couple pain tablets, passed Ivy a bottle of water. “Sip, okay?” Rio smiled. “No indoor plumbing.”
“Drink what you need,” Alex said. “We’ll work something out for you and Del.”
After taking a few sips to wash down the medicine, Ivy passed the small bottle to Del. By the time she finished, the hillside crawled with feds, Jordan in the lead.
“Federal agents,” he shouted. “Throw down your weapons and come out with your hands behind your head.”
Right. “Come on up, Jordan.” Josh holstered his weapon. Wouldn’t give the fed an excuse to shoot him. “Stand down,” he said to his unit. The badges clambered up the slope. The Washington law enforcement people weren’t dressed for the terrain. Their slick dress shoes didn’t have traction. One of the feds hit the dirt, face first. Josh grinned. That dude wasn’t destined for a dancing career. Graceful, he was not.
More slips, cursing. Jordan and a couple of his team crowded into the entrance, weapons drawn. “What are you doing here, Cahill?” Jordan scowled his direction before squinting around the small area. “Who are the rest of these clowns?”
“Safe house was compromised. Del and Ivy had to run.”
“And you played the white knight. Isn’t that cozy?” The special agent holstered his weapon, a sneer on his face. “Too bad for you this reunion is short lived. After interrogation where these so-called innocents explain how one of their protectors ended up dead, they go back into a safe house.”
“No.”
“Don’t need your permission, Cahill.” A grin. “My federal badge trumps your local one. This time we’ll keep them locked down so tight, you won’t remember what they looked like.”
Ivy started gasping for air.
Del grabbed her cousin’s hand. “Ivy?”
Alex slung his rifle strap over his head, draped it across his chest. He slid one arm under her knees, the other across her back. With one motion, he lifted Ivy into his arms and stood. “Move.” The sniper hurried across the dirt and rock floor toward the entrance.
Jordan, arms crossed, shifted into Alex’s path.
Del’s stomach knotted. Stupid move.
One quick movement from Josh and the FBI agent’s back was to the wall, arms spread to his sides, leaving the path clear.
In seconds, Alex was outside, Ivy wrapped securely in his arms, her head buried against his neck. Thankful her cousin was out of range of Jordan’s ire, Del eased back against the wall to watch the showdown between Josh and the FBI agent.
“I’ll have your badge for this, Cahill. Even Blackhawk won’t be able to salvage your job by the time I’m finished with you. She’s faking. Ms. Monroe was fine when we arrived and two minutes later she’s not? If you believe her act, I’m amazed you lasted as long as you did in your off-the-books missions.”
In the shadows, his unit, almost as one, straightened away from the cave walls. Waving them off with a hand signal, Josh shifted away from the agent, seeming alert to the possibility of a physical reaction from Jordan or his teammates. She hoped the agents were smart enough not to engage him or his men. The feds would lose.
“Ivy has claustrophobia,” she said.
A sneer crossed his face. “You expect me to believe that, Ms. Peterson? How could she enter this cave at all?”
Del’s cheeks burned. Idiot. “Desperation makes you do anything necessary to survive. Whoever shot the marshal was shooting at us. This was the only shelter available.”
Jordan’s jaw hardened. “Doesn’t explain why the wheezes started when we showed up.”
“Maybe that says something about you, doesn’t it? Can’t say I blame Ivy. You don’t inspire confidence in me, either. The last time we entrusted our lives to you, a killer showed up.”
“Alex has been helping Ivy,” Josh said, voice soft. “That’s the only reason she made it this long in the cave. Look, you can argue about this with your men as long as you want. I’m taking Del and Ivy to the hospital. They’re both injured.”
“Wait a minute. You aren’t in charge of this operation. That’s not your call, Cahill.” His voice rose, echoed in the stone cavern.
“Take it up with Ethan. See you in Otter Creek, Jordan.” Josh signaled his men to vacate the cave and held out a hand to Del.
Her muscles loosened for the first time since their ordeal began two hours before. Fingers threaded through Josh’s, Del passed the three agents and stepped outside. She drew in a deep breath. Amazing. Nothing much had changed since she and Ivy took shelter in the cave, except the hill was alive with people carrying flashlights, searching the area. Seemed like the whole world should have shifted on its axis as a result of their ordeal. How could things appear so normal when minutes earlier, a killer shot her in the arm?
“Where’s Ivy?” She glanced around, didn’t see her or Alex.
He pointed down the hill to the rocks that had first sheltered them. Ivy sat on a rock with Alex standing to her side, arms wrapped around her. The position still allowed Ivy the security of his presence while ensuring she didn’t feel closed in. Though he hadn’t known her long, Alex understood Ivy’s psyche enough to provide security and freedom in one hug. Smart man.
“How’s your arm?”
“Bullets hurt.”
“Understatement of the year, baby.”
“Is Jordan really going to put us back in a safe house?”
“He’ll try.” Josh stopped their forward progress, tugged her into his arms. “I’m not letting the marshals have you again, Del. I don’t know why the security was compromised, but I will find out. Until we know everything, we can’t trust the feds to protect you.”
“Why not?”
“Leak. That’s the only explanation that makes sense.” He brushed her lips with his, turned her and started them toward her cousin.
“Don’t let them take us again,” she whispered. “The marshals wouldn’t let us out of the house. Ivy was miserable.”
“They were trying to keep you safe.”
“Didn’t keep the walls from closing in.”
They reached the other couple, who were in a loose circle made of Josh’s men. “Ivy.”
Her cousin flinched. “I can’t go back there. Please don’t ask me to do that. The cave’s too small. I can’t.”
“We won’t let the feds do that to you,” Alex said. “Right, Major?”
“Next stop is the hospital. Can you hang on to Alex for a three-mile hike?”
Del’s mouth dropped open. “Three miles?”
“Amazing how far you can run when you’re motivated.”
“I’ll be too heavy,” Ivy protested. “If we go slow, I can make it.”
“Ivy, you don’t weigh much more than a hundred pounds.” Alex swept her off the rock and settled her in his arms. “Compared to the rucksack and equipment I carried in various sand pits and cesspools around the world, you’re a lightweight. You can’t walk on that temporary splint. If you injure your foot further, you’ll be on crutches or in a cast for a long time.”
“Don’t argue with the man holding you. Ask him about the time he didn’t take the advice he’s dishing out. Paid for it. Let’s move,” Josh said, squeezing Del’s hand. “Quinn, take point. Nate, watch our six.” When Rio, gun in his hand, shifted to Alex’s left side, Josh nudged Del into the center of the loose circle.
She did her best to keep up with Josh’s unit. The men had long strides and were in excellent physical shape. Not too many minutes into their trek, she was gasping for air and stumbling over exposed tree roots. She would have hit the ground if not for Josh’s quick reflexes. “Sorry,” she murmured.
“Do you need to stop?”
She shook her head.
“See that rise?”
Del strained to see the dark mass rising in front of her. “Did we climb that?” She frowned. “I don’t re
member running uphill except to reach the cave.”
“We came into the forest from a different direction,” Rio said. “Didn’t want to run into the feds.”
Josh squeezed her hand. “Get over that rise, and it’s downhill from there. Thirty minutes to the SUVs.”
She could last that long. Maybe. “I’ve had enough of the wilderness. I want our next date to be in town.”
“A date that doesn’t include trees. Got it.”
“If you can’t figure out what to do for that date, Major, I’d be happy to stand in for you,” Rio said.
“Get your own woman.”
“Seems all the good ones are taken.”
Del grinned though she remained silent. She had a few single friends in town who would enjoy meeting the medic. He had a great smile and a snarky sense of humor.
A glance at her cousin and she caught the smile Alex shared with Ivy. If a relationship developed between Ivy and Alex, she hoped Lee had the pleasure of meeting Josh’s friend. Alex had more honor in one finger than Lee did in his whole gym-buff body. Arrogant and a braggart, Ivy’s ex-boyfriend acted like he was a real man. Alex simply was one. Quiet, confident, capable. Del suspected Alex wouldn’t treat a woman’s career as a threat to his manhood.
Quinn held up a fist and the men stopped. Alex crouched, his upper body curving over Ivy’s as if to cover as much of her as possible. Josh tugged Del down into a squat, finger pressed to his lips. Her heart rate zoomed. What now? Did Quinn see or hear something? Not far away, something cracked. A person stepping on a branch or a wild animal? Neither possibility dropped her heart rate.
Quinn gave another hand signal and shifted away from them, toward where Del had heard the noise. No one moved or spoke. Minutes passed. Just when Del knew she’d shake apart from the tension wracking her body, Quinn returned. “Clear. Animal tracks.”
Josh helped Del stand while Rio gave Alex a boost up. “Move out,” Josh said.
“Need me to carry Ivy a while?” Rio murmured.
Her cousin darted a glance at the medic before looking at Alex. “It’s okay if I’m too heavy.”
Alex shook his head, settled her higher in his arms, and followed Quinn. The rest fell into the same positions as before.
Their journey passed in a blur, darkness so deep in places it seemed they were walking through a tunnel. Some sections of this part of the forest were so dense it appeared to absorb light. More than once, Josh righted her when she stepped wrong or tripped over obstacles she couldn’t see. Just when she thought she couldn’t go on without the rest break she’d been offered earlier, the group walked through a line of trees. Two black SUVs waited a few yards away. She staggered the last steps.
Josh caught the keys Alex tossed his direction. He unlocked the vehicle and opened the back door. Alex climbed into the back with Ivy and shut the door. “You’re riding shotgun, baby.”
“Why isn’t Alex driving?”
“Someone needs to help Ivy keep pressure off her ankle. She’ll be more comfortable with Alex than me.”
“I could do it.”
“It will make your arm hurt worse.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Pass.”
Josh opened the passenger door, placed his hands on her waist and lifted her into the seat. “Let’s get out of here, baby.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“How much longer?”
Alex’s voice had Josh checking on the couple in the backseat. Ivy’s stark white face told the level of pain she was in. “Twenty.”
“Make it sooner.”
As soon as they hit a straight stretch, he pressed the accelerator close to the floor. The SUV shot ahead. The miles passed in silence except for road noise and an occasional whimper from Ivy. He wanted two minutes alone with Reece’s killer. No woman deserved to be a victim. Ivy was fighting her way free from the cycle of abuse. No one had the right to put Ivy back in that victim’s role.
He grabbed his phone from the holder, punched in Ethan’s number, and hit the speaker button.
“What do you need?” was his brother-in-law’s greeting.
“Safe passage into the emergency room.”
“How soon?”
“Twelve minutes, max.”
“We’ll be ready.”
Josh glanced in the rear view mirror at Ivy. “A few more minutes.”
“Thank you.”
“Part of the service, ma’am.” He turned his head toward Del. “You hanging in there, babe?”
“I’ve never driven Highway 18 this fast before. Why aren’t your co-workers pulling you over?”
Her words had a bite to them. He’d take her ire if it focused her attention on irritation rather than pain. “They might.” He grinned “Ethan will call in a few favors if that happens.”
“Lucky you.”
“Don’t tell Meg. She’ll be ticked off at the favoritism.”
“What names have you guessed for Del?” Ivy asked.
Josh played along though he preferred to keep the game to themselves. “Delaney and Delilah. I don’t suppose you’d have pity and throw me a few hints?”
“Oh, no.” Ivy squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds. “Wouldn’t dream of short circuiting the entertainment. She’ll learn about everything about you before you figure out her name.”
“What’s this about?” Alex asked.
“Figuring out Del’s first name. She challenged me to discover it on my own.”
“Look it up.”
“Cheating,” Del said, glaring over her shoulder. “He must figure it out the old-fashioned way.”
“What’s the penalty for wrong guesses?”
“He answers a question.” A glance at him. “Within reason. I know there are things he can’t tell me.”
A whistle. “Can’t believe you agreed to that, Major. Softening up in your old age.”
“Can’t be that hard. How many names begin with Del?”
Alex shook his head. “There’s a catch which means her name isn’t something usual.”
Josh narrowed his eyes. His partner was correct. Otherwise, Del wouldn’t have agreed so easily. Hmm. Maybe this wouldn’t be as simple as he thought. Still, each question Del asked helped her learn who he was, not who people perceived him to be. Allowed him to spend more time with her, too. “Love a good challenge.”
He hoped she wasn’t disappointed by what she learned about him. Wouldn’t be the first time a woman couldn’t live with his career. Would Del be the exception?
His friend snorted. “I foresee you divulging all your secrets before you guess the right name.”
“No faith in my deductive powers? That hurts.” Josh flipped on his right turn signal and zoomed down the deceleration ramp into Otter Creek. He weaved in and out of traffic on Main Street and hung a left on Hospital Road. His brother-in-law waited at the emergency room entrance with several other Otter Creek officers. The tension wracking his frame on the trip out of the forest and the race into town dissipated. With Del and Ivy injured, his and Alex’s attention would be split, leaving Nate, Rio, and Quinn to fill in the gaps. Right now, he’d bet on sheer numbers making the difference if the shooter followed them here.
Josh rolled to a stop, the second SUV close behind. They spilled from the vehicle and surrounded Alex’s SUV, baseball caps on, pulled low. He threw open the door. “Stay inside until I come around,” he told Del, and climbed out.
Ethan met Josh as he rounded the vehicle, flak vest covering his chest. “Doc Anderson’s ready in Room One. How bad are their injuries?”
“Gunshot to Del’s arm, possible ankle fracture for Ivy. They’re fed up with the Washington guests.”
“They aren’t the only ones. Inside. I have officers stationed outside the room. No one will reach Del and Ivy.”
Josh moved to Del’s door. “Heavy police presence for a ten minute warning.”
“Burns is in ICU. Marshals are at both crime scenes. Otter Creek’s providing protection.”
“And you
’re waiting to interview Burns. Very nice.” He rapped once on Alex’s window to signal his friend it was safe to bring Ivy inside, opened Del’s door. “Time to go, sweetheart.” Josh helped her to the pavement as Alex exited the SUV, reached over and lifted Ivy into his arms. He and his partner hustled the women away from the SUV. Ethan, two Otter Creek officers along with Josh’s team covered their passage into the hospital.
Rod met them inside the lobby. “Welcome back, Cahill. Stirred up a hornet’s nest on your little adventure.” He grinned. “Good job aggravating our least favorite fed.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Jordan won’t be far behind. He will be your problem and he’s threatening to take my badge.”
Rod exchanged a glance with Ethan. “You going to let him get by with that?”
“What do you think?”
“Hey,” Ivy said. “Can we go, please? I’m just about out of niceness for the day.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ethan motioned them to follow him. A minute later, he pushed open the door to the room.
Doc Anderson’s eyebrows rose as Josh and Alex walked in with full gear. Josh signaled the rest of his unit to take position in the hall alongside the officers Ethan had posted to stand watch.
“Ivy’s first,” Del insisted.
“At least you’re the walking wounded.” Anderson’s eyes twinkled as he looked at Ivy. “Now, young lady, have this strapping lad place you on the bed and I’ll examine you.” He waited until Alex backed away before approaching Ivy. “A vacuum splint. Interesting equipment to have on hand. Not standard police issue, is it, Josh?”
“No, sir. My friend is a medic. He’s prepared for anything.”
A slight smile curved the doctor’s lips. “Of course.” He reached over, fiddled with the splint, and removed it, handed the contraption to Josh. His eyebrows rose at the sight of Ivy’s swollen ankle. He probed her foot with gentle motions, accompanied by her hisses of pain. By the time he finished, Alex’s hands were fisted.
“We need x-rays. Any other injuries before I call for an orderly?”
Ivy darted a quick glance at Alex. “No, sir.”
