Catching Cara: Dark Horse, Inc: Book 2

by Amy J. Hawthorn

  If there was a miracle and she hit him with her left hand, she’d feel absolutely zero remorse. She held her position, took a breath and answered Rick. “We’re okay, but I need cover, ASAP. Mary and I are pinned under fire.”

  Noah responded first. “Under fire? No shit, Mayhem. Sounds like a warzone.”

  “Nah. That’s her norm, remember? She excels under fire. My girl’s got this.” Holloway’s words spoke of confidence, but she heard the underlying thread of worry.

  Pete checked in—as always, raring to go. “I’m in position. Let’s get these fuckers.”

  Rick spoke next, his words so much more than an order. “Call’em out as you fall in. I’m at your nine o’clock, Mayhem. We got you.”

  “I know.” She couldn’t let the soft reassurance go without acknowledgement.

  “I got your three o’clock,” Trent drawled.

  “I’m at your seven. We got you.” Noah, her gruff bear, offered his support.

  Holloway spoke softly, but she saw the hard line of his jaw clench in her mind. “I’m at your four o’clock. I dare those motherfuckers to blink in your direction.”

  “Cara, I got your six.” Joe added his support. “Get your ass out of there.”

  “Mayhem, you’re covered. Grab Mary and run for it.” Rick gave the final command.

  Cara wrapped her right arm around the girl’s chest and spoke close to her ear. “My team’s here. This is our chance. We’re going to run for that big oak tree. They’ll protect us. No matter what happens, stick close to me and we’ll be fine.” She lifted the girl then released her only long enough to grab her hand in a brutal grip. She wasn’t taking any chances.

  She stayed low and raced for the shadowed safety of the woods.

  A warning shot fired out from her left. The girl flinched, but stayed close to Cara’s side. Another immediately followed from her right. She had no fear. The guys would die before they let any harm come to her.

  Time blurred and seconds felt like days as they ran across the short distance until finally she entered the cover of the forest and pushed Mary behind the large trunk.

  Rick jerked his head toward the direction they’d come in. “Take her back to the rendezvous point. MacDonald, go with them. We’ll take care of this and meet you there.”

  “Copy. Let’s get you somewhere safe, sweetheart.” She tucked the girl under her arm.

  “Where are we going?” It didn’t escape her that, even though he gave them a little space and stayed quiet, the girl tried to stay as far away from Joe as Cara’s reach allowed.

  “Back to our safe point. It’ll be a good meeting place and it’s out of harm’s way. Getting you somewhere safe is our priority. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” Cara listened but her mic had gone silent. She wondered what the guys were up to. She suspected Rick chose Joe to go with her because of his position in the Sheriff’s Department. “We’ll figure out what to do, where you’ll go from there.”

  “I don’t need to go anywhere. You can’t make me.” The girl’s blue eyes took on a stubborn edge.

  “Mary, honey, we want what’s best for you. I promise we’ll get you to a good place. I swear it.”

  The girl cocked her head again. Her words took on a hard, resolute edge. “My name’s not Mary. It’s Addie. I’m not leaving my home. You can’t make me go to one of those stupid group homes for bad kids. I’m not bad.” Her volume rose with each word, until she nearly yelled. “No!”

  Like a cornered wild animal, she lashed out, tripping Cara. When her bad knee hit the ground, she cried out and fell, the side of her head hitting a rock. Her vision dimmed and pain spliced through her skull.

  “Fuck.” Joe appeared at her side, cradling her head. “Cara, babe?”

  “I’m fine. I think. She got away, didn’t she?” She turned her head back and forth, testing for pain. The forest spun around her, and she grabbed her ears, trying to stop the spinning.

  “Yes. It’s my fault. You fell and I blinked and hesitated. Then she vanished. I fucked up.” Sorrow marked his features.

  This was going to kill Rick. She hated to break the news, but the sooner the better. There was a miniscule chance that they might run across her on their way back in. “Kate? Break in and tell Rick that Mary, or Addie, is loose. She ran from us.”

  “Oh no. Will do.”

  “He sent me with you two because of my badge, didn’t he?” He gently cupped her face in his hands and looked at the injured side.

  “Probably. Don’t be offended if he leaves pieces of what happened out. He’s trying to protect you, not shut you out.” She winced when he pulled a flap of torn fabric off her abraded knee.

  “I figured as much. You know, I almost had a heart attack when I heard the gunfire and then saw you on the ground. Even after I realized you had it under control, it took a minute for me to get my pulse to slow.”

  “Sorry, but there was no time for me to do anything other than act. That’s just the way combat is.”

  He ran a hand over his hair and smiled wryly. “Mayhem, my ass. You are one rock-solid warrior, aren’t you?”

  She smiled back. Not a compliment she was used to, but she was more touched than if he’d called her the most beautiful woman in the world. “Shh. It’s my secret. Don’t tell the guys.”

  “Can you walk?”

  “Hey. I’m a badass soldier. I can’t let a little tumble ruin my reputation.” Her brave words didn’t stop her from groaning aloud as she tried to stand. Mid-crouch, he put his hands under her arms and gently hoisted her the rest of the way. For the briefest of moments, she gave him her weight and savored the sensation of having someone to lean on.

  “Shit, Cara. I should have chased after her. Not one of us will be able to sleep tonight for worrying about her.” Joe took her hand in his as they walked back to the rendezvous point.

  “I doubt you would have found her. She grew up here and knows the territory like the back of her hand.”

  “My brain knows that, but my heart doesn’t care.”

  “I know. I think, short of tying her up, she would have found a way to escape.”

  Late evening turned to night as shadows overtook the landscape, matching their moods.

  Chapter Eight

  Cara watched Trent’s home come into view through Joe’s windshield. At the end of the long, curving driveway he stopped his truck. Low on energy and spirits, no one seemed to notice the tension between her and Joe.

  Holloway and Trent hopped out of the extra cab behind them and grabbed their gear from the bed. Everyone had been subdued on the way back for their routine post-op meeting. As always, Rick insisted that everyone attend while the details were fresh in their minds. Nothing short of hospitalization excused an absence. Thankfully, Kate didn’t mind having a houseful of soldiers from time to time.

  “Stay put. Let me come around and help you down.” Her hand paused on the door handle at Joe’s order.

  “I can get down, really. I think it’s just skinned and bruised.” When she saw his face, she decided it might be best to obey. She waited, watching his long-legged stride eat up the ground. Her mouth watered. His natural, unconscious swagger spoke of earned confidence.

  Why did he have to be so damn sexy?

  Here she was battered, bruised, sweaty, and stinky while he looked like a hero on book cover. He opened her door, revealing fatigues, boots and sweat mussed hair. It was so unfair. Feeling all sorts of awkward, she held out an arm, planning to use his shoulder to brace herself for the climb down.

  He shook his head and used both hands to grab her waist, but instead of setting her feet down on the ground, he gently pulled her to the edge of the seat and moved in between her legs. His arms flexed in the glow of the truck’s interior light. Thick veins displayed against a backdrop of muscle stole her focus.

  “Babe?”

  “Uh?” She looked up dazedly. Maybe she’d hit her head harder than she’d thought.

  He smirked and she almost swallowed her to
ngue. “I owe you an apology. I was an ass the other morning, and you deserved better.”

  His apology caused something warm to blossom deep inside her. Then again, she’d be lying if she said his forearms didn’t contribute to her case of warm and fuzzies. “It’s okay. It was bad timing. No big deal.”

  “My sister’s timing had nothing to do with me being rude to you. That’s all on me. I hadn’t planned on things going that far, that fast. I panicked and I used Kylie’s appearance as an excuse to lash out and retreat.” His shoulders slumped and as if defeated, he touched his forehead to hers. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  She cupped his face. “It’s okay. There aren’t any rules. We’ll figure it out as we go.”

  He closed his eyes then hugged her to him in a tight, yet gentle hold. She worried that she might actually need him to carry her to Trent’s house, not because of her injuries, but because he’d turned her bones to jelly. Engulfed in his solid, comforting warmth, she wasn’t sure there could be a safer haven.

  Nearby, a door on Rick’s new, monstrous SUV slammed.

  Pete called, as he headed to the front door, “Let’s go, lovebirds! I want to get home to my own honeybee sometime before dawn.”

  “Man, one day somebody’s going to shut that mouth with their fist.” Noah grumbled and went inside.

  She felt Joe’s heavy sigh a pat on her side. “We better go. The peanut gallery’s waiting.” He helped her down and offered to take the weight off her bad knee.

  “I’m good. I promise.” His narrowed eyes said he didn’t quite believe her, so she gave him another way to help. “Will you carry my gear for me?” It cost her to ask him to do that much. She always carried her pack.

  “Absolutely. But don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, stubborn woman.” He kissed her temple and unknowingly soothed the sting.

  She couldn’t help it. She flashed him a big cheesy grin.

  “You stupid motherfucker! What were you thinking? You just announced our presence to half the county.” Boyd watched as Dale Hawkins spat in the face of Jimmy, the idiot cousin who’d started a Wild West shootout with Dark Horse.

  He huddled in the garage corner and sniveled, making excuses. Jimmy had likely fried the majority of his brain cells with each and every cheap high he’d crossed paths with in the past ten years.

  He’d like nothing more than to dropkick both of them over the quarry pond’s cliff. Unfortunately, he needed them, especially Dale. They were short on time and manpower. It wasn’t like he could go down to the local bar and recruit a new lowlife every time the Sheriff lost his temper.

  “What have you been into? You swore that, if I brought you in on this, you’d keep your nose clean.” Dale’s volume grew, making Jimmy’s tremors worse. Boyd hoped the pitiful excuse for a lackey had enough brain cells remaining to understand that silence was his best friend. They didn’t have time for family drama.

  “Just a little something from my girlfriend’s brother. Just a sample is all.” Jimmy wiped his nose on the back of his hand.

  Smack!

  Dale backhanded Jimmy hard enough to bust his lip, splattering droplets of blood on the dusty wall behind him. "Family ties will get you only so far, boy. You get your shit together, or you’ll end up at the bottom of the pond like Smith.

  Boyd stepped in. “We need to get out of here. I doubt anyone will show tonight, but I still don’t like it.”

  “Let’s get out of here and regroup, let the dust settle.” Dale picked his phone and keys up off the long table. “Who was that crazy chic? Never seen anything like it.”

  “I suspect she’s had some military training. I’ll see what I can dig up through my contacts.” He wasn’t showing Hawkins all his cards yet. Pawns had to earn their entrance into his world and the good Sheriff didn’t have the control to cut it. Too much rode on this, and he wasn’t giving anything away to a man whose bottom line was greed.

  Money might be important, but it wasn’t the only motivator.

  Dale looked at him through narrowed eyes. “You’ve mentioned these mysterious contacts of yours more than once. You better not be doing anything shady behind my back. Don’t you forget who owns this county. You’re a guest in Potter County, nothing more.”

  Boyd stifled the urge to deck Hawkins. He’d love nothing more than to be far away from po-dunk Riley Creek. He bit his tongue and reminded himself of his end-goal. “Let’s roll out before anyone shows, or we’ll all be up shit creek.”

  Cara eased down to sit on the couch beside Noah. Straightening her leg out in front of her, she held back a wince of pain. She mentally crossed her fingers and hoped she’d be able to stand after the debriefing was over.

  She didn’t have to remind herself that the minor sacrifice had been well worth the pain. Every time she closed her eyes, the memory replayed in a horrifying loop. Her stomach dropped to her knees, and she shuddered when she remembered the moment the girl broke through the woods and into the clearing surrounding the quarry. Thinking back on it, the only thing she could figure was that maybe the girl thought to show Cara her find, and then split before they guys caught up with them.

  She heard that first gunshot and stopped dead in her tracks. There’d been the slightest pause before someone down in the old garage had shouted. “You fucking idiot!” The familiarity in that voice kick-started her heart. As if the first gunshot wasn’t warning enough, Boyd Campbell’s voice plunged her into action.

  Whatever the girl found had to be a hundred kinds of dangerous.

  Mary—or Addie, as she’d called herself—stood frozen in place, an easy target. A second shot fired, and Cara sprang into motion. She’d drawn her weapon, tackled the girl, and flipped the safety off. She fired two shots for the single hope of buying them time.

  It worked.

  The guys provided the cover they needed to make it out safely.

  The only downside? They’d opened an enormous, ugly can of worms. When at the rendezvous point she’d relayed her suspicions about Boyd’s presence, she’d braced herself for disbelief.

  There’d been none. Not a single drop.

  Noah had shaken his head and muttered a single word. “Figures.”

  With a sharp head snap, James had looked straight to her and pointed. “You better watch your six. You get the slightest itch, you call me, call us in. I can’t wait to take this bastard down.”

  Now in the comfort of Trent’s home, they focused on her again.

  “Maybe it’s time you and your mother moved in with Trent or the Walkers.” Rick opened the lid of his laptop and leaned back in his customary chair at Trent’s table.

  “I’m all for that suggestion. Hell, Rick, make it an order.” Trent leaned back and slid his arm around Kate’s waist when she moved to stand with him.

  Brimming with warmth and concern, the gorgeous brunette added her support. “Seriously, Cara, you’re both welcome, wanted even. We’d sleep better knowing you’re safe.”

  “I will be, and I promise to call if I notice the slightest thing out of the ordinary.” She met their gazes squarely, letting them see the truth of her words.

  “I’m disappointed, Mayhem. Seriously, I thought better of you.” Pete shook his head as if disappointed by a child.

  “What did I do?” She looked to her friend, completely lost as to how she’d let him down.

  He looked at her, one hundred percent serious. “I thought you bled blue. Now I know differently after all these years. I’m ashamed. I mean, seriously, how many UK games have we watched together? You’ve screamed yourself hoarse for the Cats. Now I see you covered in red. I just don’t know if we can be friends any longer.” His words were totally ridiculous, but the emotion in his eyes was anything but.

  A lump formed in her throat. “Sorry, Pete.”

  “Yeah, well, you better be. If anything happens to you, who else am I going to get to throw popcorn at the TV with when the Cats play Louisville?” He pointed his finger at her then looked down to his
laptop, moving onto the next topic. Work.

  God, they hadn’t watched a game together in years. She’d have to fix that this winter, even if they met at the arena or if she had to make the long drive home.

  Home. She’d forgotten how much she’d left behind when she’d moved away for school years ago and then got caught up in the work race.

  Rick stood and turned his back to the group as he stared at a map. “Pete? We need a list. Put Mary at the top.”

  Pete looked from Rick to the computer and at the mess of wires spread across the table.

  “I’ll make the list.” Kate touched her hand to Trent’s shoulder and went to the kitchen. She returned with a legal pad and pen from one of the drawers. “Go ahead.”

  Cara rose her hand in a signal for attention. “When I called her Mary, she looked at me in an odd way and said her name was Addie. Might want to look into that.”

  “Got it,” Kate said.

  Rick looked to Joe. “I made a couple of phone calls on the way here. Last chance to back out. Concerning Potter County Sheriff’s Department, this the point of no return.”

  She watched as Joe met Rick’s gaze dead on, without hesitation. “I’m in, no matter what happens or who’s involved. There’s something dirty brewing in my hometown, I don’t care what it takes, I want whoever is responsible held accountable. Kids have access to drugs. A young girl was nearly killed by flying bullets. The choice is easy.”

  Rick nodded as if he hadn’t expected anything different. “Okay. Are they loaded, Pete?”

  “We have enough to start. The others are downloading as we speak.” The TV screen blinked to life.

  “Make sure you send copies to Bowie and the Kentucky State Police. We waited and watched after Cara and Joe left with the girl. We got pictures as they fled the scene. There were no real surprises, and we did get confirmation of what we suspected. Kate? Next on the list, I want this plate run again. We take nothing for granted.” A photo of a gangly, greasy-haired, male standing next to the open door of a battered Mustang filled the monitor. His face was slightly blurred by motion, but Cara thought he might have a split lip.