I.N.E.T 5

by Brenda Cothern

  “Don’t mention it, Marshal.” Woods smiled. “Without you guys, I’m sure I wouldn’t be here to help. You need anything else?”

  “I’m good.” Lita stepped out of the truck. “Take care of yourself, Greg,” Lita said as he leaned down to look at Woods.

  He received the nod in reply before he shut the truck door. Woods didn’t wait for him to enter Enterprise. Lita was more than fine with that. He actually hoped they’d never see the deputy again. Not only for their safety and Burke’s, but for his, as well.

  Obtaining a 4 x 4 SUV took about as long as Lita estimated. He pulled up his Google Maps and took a screenshot of the map which would ensure he didn’t get lost trying to find the safe house again. Lita made one stop before he jumped on I-5 to head north. It only took him ten minutes to pick up a few steaks from the grocery store. After seeing all of the foodstuff supplies at the house, he wanted to have one last meal that wouldn’t be freeze-dried or from a can.

  He tried not to keep glancing at his phone to note when he lost cell service. Lita was sure it would disappear at any moment the further north he went. He was roughly thirty minutes from the safe house when he figured he wasn’t going to get anything from Hunt before he lost bars. No sooner than he had the thought, his phone dinged to notify him of an email. Lita grabbed his phone from the cup holder. He used his knee to steer and opened the email to take a screenshot. It was a good thing he had because by the time he re-gripped the wheel with one hand, all the bars on his notification bar disappeared.

  ##~~##

  Chapter Nine

  Randy closed the front door once Woods’ F150 disappeared from view. He still couldn’t believe he gave the sheriff the address to bring them here. Hell, he couldn’t believe he brought them here at all. He turned to look at the living room and kitchen he hadn’t stepped foot in for almost five years.

  Memories of his last visit and his childhood threatened to replay in front of his eyes. He fought them off and pushed them back into the box in his mind which was labeled “fucked up shit.” The last thing he wanted to do now, or ever, was walk down this particular memory lane. He didn’t want to analyze why he brought them here instead of the Marshal’s safe house in Redding, either. Randy gave himself a mental and physical shake of his head. He had a job to do regardless of why his fucked up subconscious brought them here.

  It was time to check on Burke. He hadn’t even given any thought to getting an update on their charge from Lita before his partner left. So, he returned his camping coffee cup to the kitchen before heading down the hall.

  Burke was standing, but bent over at the waist next to the bed. She couldn’t stand upright and Randy couldn’t suppress his grin when he realized why. The way Lita had cuffed Burke to his childhood headboard was creative to say the least. Still, he dug in his pocket to retrieve the cuff key. Burke said nothing as he approached, reached around her, and unlocked the cuff that was cinched around the chain between the set that secured her wrists. She stood upright and groaned with what was clearly relief at being able to stand up straight.

  “Are you hungry?” Randy asked her and once more ignored the glower of hatred she leveled on him. For a second he didn’t think her stubbornness would allow her to reply. Apparently, her hunger won out.

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s get you something to eat, then,” Randy replied. “Do I need to cuff your hands behind your back or are you going to behave?”

  “Fuck you,” Burke grumbled.

  “That sounds like a yes to me.” Randy lifted a brow at her.

  “I don’t even know where the hell we are, so I’m not stupid enough to try anything.”

  Burke leveled her baby blues on him, but Randy didn’t believe her for a second. He was more than sure she was trained well enough that even without knowing her exact location she could eventually find civilization. All he offered her was a grunt by way of reply before he took her by the bicep and maneuvered her into the hall. He didn’t march her toward the kitchen, but instead toward the bathroom. There were no windows in the bathroom, so he felt sure he could allow her some privacy to do her business.

  As they approached the bathroom, Randy realized he hadn’t allowed Burke to shower in a few days. “Do you want to shower?” Burke looked at him like she couldn’t believe he asked.

  “Yeah,” she replied almost passively.

  “Okay.”

  Randy turned her back around and they walked into the bedroom. He sat her on the bed and didn’t need to turn his back on her to dig through her duffel bag. He grabbed her a set of clothes: jeans, sweater, undies, and socks.

  “Kick off your sneakers,” he ordered and once she had, he kicked them toward the wall near her duffel bag.

  If anything else, he doubted she would attempt to escape in just her socks. She wasn’t stupid enough to think she would get far in the cold without shoes.

  “Okay, over there,” Randy ordered and nodded to the corner of the room which was furthest from the door.

  With one eye on Burke and the other on the cuffs which could only belong to Lita, he removed them from where they were attached to the headboard. He pocketed the second set and waved Burke toward the door. His precautions seemed extreme even by his standards, but he wasn’t taking any chances with her. Randy didn’t have back up and he was sure she knew it. So, he wouldn’t put it past her to attempt another escape, again.

  A few steps brought them to the open bathroom door. Randy handed Burke her clothes and retrieved a clean towel and a toothbrush still in its packaging from the hall closet. He ignored her look when he piled both on top of her clothes which she still held.

  “Put it all down.” Randy nodded toward the toilet. “Everything you need is in here. I’ll give you fifteen minutes.”

  Burke didn’t comment on the minimal amount of time he was allotting her to shower. Randy would have ignored anything she said anyway. He motioned to her hands and she held out her wrists. Quick and efficiently, he removed the cuffs.

  “Time starts now.” Randy glanced at his watch and shut the bathroom door behind him.

  Randy took several steps down the hall and leaned against the wall. If Burke were to attempt escape, she would either need to go by him or into the bedroom where he slept earlier. The bedroom had a window and the treated three-inch glass would be next to impossible to break. So, Randy was sure he’d have plenty of time to restrain her if she attempted anything stupid.

  The shower started and Randy leaned back to wait. In exactly fifteen minutes, he knocked on the bathroom door. In all honestly, he didn’t care if she was finished or not. He was going in if she didn’t open the door. It turned out he didn’t need to because Burke opened the door and held her dirty clothes.

  “Drop those behind you,” Randy ordered. He looked around the bathroom once she turned around. Nothing looked out of place as far as he could tell. However, one thing was missing.

  He frowned at Burke when she turned to face him. “Toothbrush.” Randy waited without holding out his hand.

  Burke reached behind her and Randy prepared himself for anything she may try. She glared and removed the toothbrush from where she must have hidden it in the back of her jeans. She held it up for him to see. Randy had no idea how she carved the thin plastic down to create a point where the bristles had been. She had effectively created a shiv.

  He looked her over from head to toe. She appeared as if she’d showered. If he hadn’t noticed the toothbrush was missing, he never would have thought she did anything else. He’d inspect the bathroom more thoroughly once he secured her again.

  “Drop it.” Burke continued to glare and did as she was told. “Hands.”

  She didn’t resist being handcuffed again and Randy stepped to the side to indicate she should walk down the hall. Burke paused in front of the room they had assigned her. Randy was mildly surprised, but nudged her forward. There really wasn’t a good place to secure her in the living room or kitchen. He could cuff her to the stove, but there wer
e too many things in the small kitchen she could turn into a weapon. He could also cuff her to the couch legs since the damn thing was heavy as hell, but he’d rather re-cuff her to the bed if it came down to fully restraining her again. So instead, he directed her to the small table surrounded by four chairs.

  “Sit.” Randy pulled out a chair and ignored her still glaring expression. “I may not like Lita’s threat to shoot you, so I’ll give you mine. We are miles from anywhere and surrounded by woods. If we didn’t catch you first, the cold would be sure to stop you before you could find anyone to give a bullshit story to for help. Understood?”

  Randy watched Burke as she looked around the house and out the four windows she could see. The trees were still covered in snow. There was enough shade that even the few inches of snow they had gave the impression the trees were covered more.

  “Yeah,” Burke grumbled when her gaze returned to his.

  “Good.”

  Randy walked in to the kitchen and started another pot of coffee. The open floor plan allowed him to keep an eye on Burke and she could see him. He opened the pantry and removed the can of condensed milk and a few cans of chicken soup. Randy didn’t look at the expiration dates. He was sure they were expired, but knew expiration dates were just recommendations for freshness and they were still edible. They would likely taste like shit, but still edible.

  “Cream and sugar?” Randy asked Burke after he poured her cup coffee.

  “Both.”

  Randy ripped open a packet of Sweet’n Low, dumped it in her coffee, and then poured in some of the condensed milk. That shit was disgusting as far as he was concerned, but the only type of liquid milk they had. There was plenty of powdered milk in the cellar, but he hadn’t had a chance to retrieve anything from down there yet. Burke would just have to deal with what he had at the moment. He really didn’t care if she enjoyed the taste or not. Randy set her coffee on the table and returned to the kitchen to pour himself another. Straight up black.

  “God, this is horrid,” Burke complained.

  Randy smirked. He didn’t reply before retrieving a pot from the cabinet and the manual can opener from the drawer. It only took him a moment to fire up the camping stove and start the soup. He tried to ignore how disgusting the blob that came from the can was when it plopped into the pot. Randy pulled bowls from the cabinet and spoons from the drawer before he turned down the propane on the camping stove. He would let the soup simmer and they would eat once Lita returned.

  He grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and joined Burke at the table. She barely touched her coffee. Randy didn’t blame her. He wouldn’t drink it, either. They sat there in silence for several minutes. Randy watched her as she studied the house. He noted when she spotted the bookshelf in the corner. Every shelf was crammed to overflowing. Randy knew every book from the sci-fi to the fantasy, to the romance, and puzzle books. There were more books in the cellar, but there was no way in hell he would offer the survival books for Burke to read.

  “Do you want to read?”

  Burke looked back at him. He was more than happy to give her a book to occupy her time and hold her attention while they were at the house. He wouldn’t offer her one of the many puzzle books, though, because he wasn’t about to give her a pencil that could easily be turned into a weapon. Hell, she wouldn’t even need to modify the damn thing like she had the toothbrush. He didn’t offer to play any of the many games stored in the hall closet for the same reason.

  Burke shrugged nonchalantly. “I read mysteries.”

  Randy didn’t reply. Instead, he stood and walked over to the shelf. Every book was from the 80s or earlier. Randy picked out three: James Patterson, Lee Child, and Dean Koontz. He returned to the table and dropped them in front of Burke before he resumed his seat. Burke read the blurbs on each book before she selected Dean Koontz’s Watchers.

  “Can I at least sit on the couch?”

  Randy stood and indicated she could. Burke left her coffee on the table and Randy watched until she settled on the couch. He returned to the kitchen, poured himself more coffee, and stirred the soup before taking a seat and a chair closest to the front door. His back wasn’t to the door, but he was still between Burke and her easiest avenue of escape.

  Randy wouldn’t mind reading or playing solitaire to pass the time, but there was no way in hell he’d risked allowing his attention to be on anything other than Burke. She’d already tried too many times to escape protective custody for him to do anything but keep his eyes on her. Once Lita returned they could take turns being hypervigilant with her. Thinking of his partner, Randy looked at his watch. Lita should be back within the next thirty minutes unless he had some sort of unforeseeable trouble.

  Randy shifted his gaze to the front window. The heavy blackout curtains were open and he had no difficulty seeing through the sheer curtains still covering the window. Snow was falling again. If Randy had to guess they were more big fluffy flakes. He wasn’t concerned over being trapped by the snow at the house. It wouldn’t be his first time snowed in here and they had more than enough supplies.

  He was, however, slightly concerned for his partner. It could be difficult finding the house depending on how bad it was snowing. If they got more than a foot of snow it would be practically impossible. He didn’t know his partner well, but still had a feeling Lita would be fine. However, that didn’t mean Randy didn’t split his attention between Burke and the window where he could see the snowfall getting thicker by the moment.

  ##~~##

  It started snowing again by the time Lita left the interstate. At first, it wasn’t snowing any differently than when they abandoned their car. However, the snow was increasingly getting heavier the closer he got to the safe house. Thankfully, there wasn’t any wind to speak of, but the lack of wind didn’t do shit to help with his visibility. In fact, he initially missed the turnoff for the house and had to make a five fucking point turn to back track. Several inches of snow covered the ground and had it not been for his concentration on the tree line, he may have missed the turn again.

  Lita had popped the SUV into four-wheel-drive a while back and had no problem driving up the snow covered, weed infested drive. He didn’t see any lights on in the house as he parked. However, he was sure Randy would have seen his headlights. Lita checked the time. He was within, barely, the timeframe he gave Randy for his return. Still, he hoped his partner didn’t shoot his ass when he walked through the door.

  Lita grabbed the grocery bag with the steaks and locked up the SUV. He took his time approaching the house. Lita wanted to give Randy plenty of time to look out the window and identify him. That didn’t stop him from calling out before opening the door, though.

  “It’s Lita,” he said loud enough to be heard through the wood. “Coming in, so don’t shoot my ass.”

  Randy would swear he heard a smirk in Lita’s tone. He holstered his gun and turned away from the window. Lita was covered in snow from just the short walk to the door. Randy watched him shut the door and shake his head at the same time he stomped his boots. Randy couldn’t help but grin at the way Lita’s long blonde hair barely moved because it was wet.

  “Any problems?” Lita asked as he removed his jacket.

  “Nah, not really.” Randy walked to the kitchen and poured his partner a cup of coffee.

  “Not really?” Lita asked without looking at Randy.

  He was scrutinizing Burke as she lay on the couch reading. Lita noted her hair was wet and she was wearing different clothes. It was obvious she’d showered and Randy re-cuffed her. Randy was wearing the same clothes since before he left, so Lita didn’t think his partner had to shower with Burke.

  “She made a toothbrush shiv,” Randy answered and handed Lita the cup of coffee. “What’s that?” Randy nodded to the plastic bag Lita held.

  Lita accepted the coffee and looked Randy over from head to toe before he gave his partner the grocery bag. Randy’s tone and body language didn’t indicate Burke had attempted to use the
shiv she made.

  “Steaks?” Randy raised a brow. Not that he was complaining.

  “Figured it might be a while before we get anything not freeze-dried.” Lita grinned and took a sip of his coffee. “But… If you’d rather have soup…”

  “Fuck you,” Randy said lightheartedly even though he wasn’t looking forward to explaining all the supplies in the house.

  He wasn’t upset or even disturbed Lita had searched the house and found everything. In fact, his estimate for the man would have lowered had Lita not investigated their location after he crashed. Randy would’ve done the same had their roles been reversed. He waited for Lita to ask about everything in the cellar, but his partner just turned and watched Burke as he took the seat Randy had recently occupied.

  Randy shrugged and took the other chair in the living room across from him. Lita was more than sure his partner was expecting him to ask questions about all the doomsday prepper shit. Lita didn’t plan on asking anything until after he read Hunt’s email. Hell, after he read his teammate’s Intel, he likely wouldn’t need to ask a damn thing.

  “We can cook those on the grill outback,” Randy said before the silence could become uncomfortable.

  Well, that’s a lie he told himself, anyway. He had to refocus on something other than how damned sexy his partner looked. Lita sat in the chair across from him with his legs spread enticingly. His wet long blonde hair was hanging over both shoulders. The water was soaking into the black material of his T-shirt. The T-shirt fit the man like a glove and didn’t hide a damn bit of his chiseled pecs and abs. It didn’t hide the hard pebbles of his partner’s nipples, either.

  “As sacrilegious as it will be, we will probably want to use the camping stove,” Lita informed and continued when Randy just raised a questioning brow. “There is already about six inches out there.” Lita waved his coffee cup toward the front window. “The weather report is predicting anywhere between eighteen and twenty-four.”