In Darkness Transformed

by Alexis Morgan

  “I really, really hate this, Dad.”

  “We all do, sweetheart.” Her father’s smile was achingly sad as he tapped the badge on his chest. “But we took an oath to protect the people of this town.”

  She glanced down at her own badge and repeated the vow both he and her grandfather had said to her in the past. “It’s our duty, and we’ll see it done.”

  Even if it destroyed her soul in the process. With that happy thought, she stepped out into the sunshine and started the long walk home.

  9

  Eli stepped out onto the porch intending to soak up the late afternoon sunshine and read. Although not tired physically, mentally he needed some downtime after spending hours wandering around up on the ridge. Will and his crew arrived right at nine as promised, and Eli had guided them up to where he’d found Halder. Once there, Will had requested Eli stick around in case they had questions. At the same time, he was told to stay out of their way. Oh, the deputy had couched both requests in polite terms, but there was no mistaking them as anything but direct orders.

  Eli had obligingly parked his ass on a handy boulder to watch the men and women set about their investigation with quiet efficiency. The one oddity in the process happened when Will had abruptly announced he’d be the only one to check out the cave.

  Will had then ducked inside and stayed there for several minutes before finally reappearing. He immediately strung a spiderweb of crime scene tape across the entrance and loudly warned the others to stay out. Something about part of the ceiling in danger of collapsing or some such thing.

  What was in the cave that the deputy didn’t want the others to see? There hadn’t been a chance to check it out with all of them watching his every move. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t go back on his own at some point to do a little more poking around. For now, he was going to kick back with his feet propped up on the porch railing and enjoy a cold drink and his book.

  One chapter and half a beer later, he heard the soft rumble of a car engine heading his way. Who would be driving up the mountain now? Safara was his first hopeful thought, but the vehicle that he could just barely glimpse through the trees wasn’t the right color for her police cruiser. Her father had no reason to come calling, and Will had said he’d call if the sheriff’s department needed anything else from him. He couldn’t think of anyone else local who’d make the long trek up to the cabin.

  But he could think of another group that might’ve finally tracked him down. His boots hit the ground hard as he rolled up to his feet. He wouldn’t run and hide, but neither would he face a potential threat unarmed and helpless. If he had to surrender, he’d do it on his own terms.

  He hustled inside to grab his sidearm and then stepped back outside to wait. In real time, it wasn’t all that long before the vehicle finally made the last turn to head directly toward the cabin. However, it felt more like the slow drag of those last few seconds between the time his team had moved into position and finally got the signal to execute their mission. He fought against the familiar rush of adrenaline pouring into his veins.

  Widening his stance, he held his gun down at his side. No use in going on the offensive until he knew for sure he was about to come under attack. The big SUV rolled to a stop a short distance away. The sun glared off the tinted windshield, making it impossible to identify the driver, but at least he appeared to be alone. That didn’t mean he wasn’t the decoy while more men slipped into position around the cabin.

  Finally the car door opened, but the driver was clearly in no hurry to leave the sanctuary of his vehicle. When he eventually did, Eli could hardly believe his eyes. He stuffed the gun into the back of his waistband and charged down the steps.

  “Jamison? Is that you?”

  No response. Well, shit. From his rigid stance, Eli’s unexpected guest could’ve been a statue. Jamison hadn’t changed much since he’d last seen him other than his blond hair was longer and tied back in a short ponytail, and he looked a little thinner. Back in the day, Jamison “Doc” Shaw had been the medic in Eli’s unit. On their last mission together, they’d taken heavy fire while out on patrol. Jamison had pulled a wounded soldier to better cover. While he was working to control the bleeding, another insurgent got off another lucky shot and hit Doc in the leg. That bastard would never pull a trigger again, but Jamison ended up with nerve damage in his right ankle.

  After extensive rehab to regain his mobility, he’d taken a medical discharge when the doctors finally told him that his slight limp was permanent. Last Eli had heard, Jamison had gone back to college to become a registered nurse.

  None of that explained why he’d shown up at Martin’s cabin. How had he known he could find Eli there? The only logical answer was that he’d been in contact with Mike. He slowed his approach and waited for some sign of how his old friend was going to react to the fact Eli hadn’t died in the helicopter crash.

  He stopped just shy of where Doc remained frozen in the same position. “So are you going to punch me or come up on the porch and have a beer?”

  If anything, the former medic looked even more angry. “I haven’t decided yet, you worthless son of a bitch. I’m thinking it might take both to make me happy.”

  Eli edged within an arm’s length. “Fair enough. All I ask is that you don’t hit me in the mouth. I hate the way blood makes beer taste.”

  They were both of similar height, although Doc was built along leaner lines. If the situation did come to blows, it was even money on which one would come out the winner. Not that he had any intention of fighting back. He’d put all of his friends through hell by letting them think he’d died. He still wasn’t sure if it wasn’t better in the long run if none of them had ever found out any differently. It had only taken a couple of punches for Mike to make peace with the truth. Eli could only hope that by offering Jamison the same terms, they’d get past the anger, too.

  Finally, Jamison drew back and swung straight at Eli’s jaw. At the last second, he angled his fist to give him a glancing blow, one meant to sting rather than shatter bone. It still hurt like hell.

  He rubbed the side of his face. “Are you done or do I have to turn the cheek and let you pound on the other side now?”

  Jamison crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. What kind of beer do you have? If it’s some off-brand cheap stuff that tastes like canned piss, I’m going to land a good one on that beak of a nose.”

  “Please give me credit for having good taste in something, especially when it’s obvious that I suck at picking friends.” He held up his fingers to count off their options. “I’ve got three different microbrews, all local. One is a pale ale, one is a pilsner, and the other is a nice red that I’ve grown quite fond of.”

  Jamison brushed past him on his way to the porch. He dropped into the closest chair. “Fine, start pouring while I listen to how you ended up parked on this godforsaken mountainside drinking beer. Some food wouldn’t hurt, either. The major said you made a mean sandwich.”

  Feeling better than he had all day, Eli followed Jamison up the steps. “Fine. How long are you staying?”

  “Not long. Mike sent me, but he doesn’t want us to draw unwanted attention by spending too much time up here. There’s no sign anyone is watching either of us, but then we might not notice if they’ve got the right training.”

  Eli pegged his friend with a hard look. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Mike. Don’t put yourself at risk for me.”

  Jamison shrugged, clearly not worried. “Don’t sweat it. We both know I’d sell you out for a six-pack and a large pizza.”

  Then he offered Eli a dimpled grin. “Maybe even a medium if it’s the deep-dish meat-lover’s special.”

  “Well, as long as you’ve got your priorities right.”

  Eli found himself chuckling as he threw together the sandwiches and grabbed a couple of bottles of each type of beer, then carried them out onto the porch. After setting the tray down on the sawed-off s
tump that served as a table, he handed a plate to Jamison but let him pick his own beer.

  They were on their second bottle when Jamison started talking. “Mike gave me the basics of what happened. It took some serious arm twisting on his part to convince me that he wasn’t bullshitting me.”

  He glanced at Eli’s hand. “He said you sliced yourself open for a bit of show-and-tell, but I don’t want a repeat demonstration. Hell, if half of what he told me is true, I’m already pretty freaked out.”

  “Imagine how I feel.”

  “I’m not sure I can. But regardless, I’m glad you’re not six feet under or in pieces scattered over a mountain slope somewhere.” He took another long swig of his drink. “Mainly because you buy good beer. I don’t want you thinking I’m getting all girly emotional about you or anything.”

  “That’s good. I’ll sleep better knowing that.”

  They both laughed again, which felt damn good to Eli. Before the crash, he’d had a long list of friends he could hang out with and shoot the shit. Now he had Mike and Jamison. Well, there was also Safara, but there were two major differences when it came to her. First, he still had to watch every word he said to her. Second, and most important, he had no urge to kiss either of his friends.

  “So why did the major drag you into my situation at all? Not that I care, mind you.”

  “Mike said he thought long and hard before calling me. He figured I might not be on anyone’s radar since I’ve been out of the army for so long. If he made too many trips up here, someone would be bound to notice if they’re paying attention.”

  He set down his empty bottle and reached for another. “Me, I’m just a college student working part-time at a local hospital to pay the bills. I might have a beer with old friends once in a while, but mostly I’m ass deep in homework and midterms.”

  “That’s right. I hear you’re going to be a nurse.”

  Jamison nodded. “Yep, I plan to specialize in trauma care.”

  “You’ll be great at it. You were the best medic we ever had.”

  Eli meant that. The man had balls of steel when hell came raining down and each second could mean the difference between life and death. Maybe it was time to lighten the conversation.

  “So tell me this, Blondie. Are you sporting that ponytail to impress the ladies?”

  Jamison offered him the one-finger salute. “No complaints so far. Besides, you’re just jealous. We both know I’m not just the smart one. I’m the best looking, too.”

  “Asshole,” Eli responded with no real heat. Rather than continue in that vein, he changed the subject. “So, you’ve told me why Mike picked you, but I’m guessing this was more than a social visit. If he wanted to know if I was lonely, he could’ve called or e-mailed me.”

  Jamison stood up. “I’ve got some papers in the car he wanted you to see. He thought about attaching them to an e-mail, but he decided to err on the side of caution. Again, we have no hard evidence that anyone is still interested in what happened to you in the crash, but we don’t know they aren’t, either.”

  Doc returned with a file folder and dropped it on Eli’s lap. “Mike managed to get copies of a few pictures taken by the agencies that investigated the scene.”

  Eli couldn’t bring himself to open the file. “I already know what the scene looked like. I was there.”

  And those images haunted his dreams every night in living color and surround sound. The smells, the screams, the impact—all of it. He hated the sympathy in the other man’s eyes when Eli tossed the folder back to him.

  “He knows that, Sarge.” Jamison pulled out two eight-by-ten photos and held them up so Eli could see them. “That’s not why he wanted you to see the pictures. Whoever took these shots caught a few of the men he was telling you about. He wanted to know if you recognize anybody.”

  Eli angled the pictures to catch the best light. Two of the men had been caught in profile. Nothing about either of them looked familiar. There was a third one who happened to look right at the camera just as the picture had been taken. Didn’t look too happy about it, either. It was impossible to tell if the man’s eyes were blue or gray, but they were cold as ice. A killer’s eyes.

  “I don’t know any of these guys, but they do look like spec-ops, especially in those black uniforms.”

  “Mike has a few feelers out with people he trusts. He’s afraid to ask too many questions for fear of stirring up a hornet’s nest. If he learns more, he’ll let you know, but he thought you’d be better off if you could recognize at least a few of these guys on sight.”

  Maybe. If they managed to track him up to the cabin, they could have the place surrounded before he had a chance to defend himself. Damn, didn’t he have enough problems on his plate right now?

  The sun was now riding pretty low in the sky. “As much as I’ve enjoyed the company, if you wait until after dark to head out, it will take you twice as long going down. Those ruts are real nut busters.”

  “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.” Jamison stood up and stretched. “Not sure when I’ll make it back up here, but is there anything I can bring you the next time I come?”

  “Just your badass self.”

  He followed Jamison down off the porch to where he’d parked. At the last second, his friend spun to face him. His blue eyes looked extra bright and shiny with a thin sheen of tears. He muttered a curse and then threw his arms around Eli’s shoulders for a back-thumping hug.

  “I’m glad you didn’t get dead. I’ve lost enough friends. We both have.”

  Eli couldn’t argue with that. He tried not to count the number of friends he’d lost even before the helicopter crash. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Yeah, well, someone’s got to keep an eye on you. God knows what kind of trouble you’d get into if Mike and I didn’t ride herd on your ass.”

  “Good luck with all that homework. Do you have a chart on the fridge that shows all the gold stars you earn?”

  “Damn straight I do. My mom’s so proud.”

  Eli was still smiling when Jamison’s car drove out of sight. After gathering up the empty bottles and plates, he carried them inside and locked the door, wanting its solid strength between him and the world outside. He started to put his sidearm back into the desk drawer but changed his mind. Even if the spec-ops guys weren’t lurking out there in the trees, the crazy guy with the sword might be.

  After cleaning up the kitchen, he studied the array of weapons hanging on the wall. He’d always thought Martin had collected them as a hobby, but his opinion on that subject had changed. After living on the mountain for a while now, he had to wonder if Martin had wanted to make sure he could defend himself against whatever two-legged dangers lurked out in those woods.

  If so, Eli knew just how he felt.

  10

  Safara strapped on her sword. It wasn’t her first choice when it came to weapons, but she might need it if she crossed paths—and swords—with Tiel inside the cave. Bullets could shred the barrier, leaving it down for hours and adding to the danger for people on both sides of the divide.

  She retrieved her gear from the back seat of her ATV. The pack contained a few necessities for standing watch up on the mountain, including the four extra boxes of ammunition that her father had insisted she take and they both hoped she wouldn’t need. As ready as she’d ever be, she started the long hike up to the cave. Every few minutes, she stopped to listen, letting the normal murmurings of the mountain settle around her. So far, she was pretty sure she was alone.

  That was good, although it wasn’t just Tiel she was worried about. Another man wandered in these woods, and she really didn’t want to cross paths with Eli right now. Well, that was a lie, especially after their kiss. Even as her head argued that it was a mistake to play with fire, other parts of her wanted to pour gas on the coals and toss in a lit match. Or maybe a whole box of them.

  That thought was not helping her ability to concentrate. She kept trudging through the trees as she gave hersel
f a stern lecture. “Safara, keep your head in the game. Getting lost in thoughts, especially hot ones, could get you killed out here.”

  Besides, if she had a lick of sense, that kiss would be a onetime thing for all the usual reasons. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d walked away from an attractive man because of the potential pitfalls of any long-term relationship. It made for a lot of loneliness at times, but it was the safer path to follow.

  Time to take another look around. With the sun already slinking down toward the western horizon, the trees cast long shadows that made it even harder to find a clear route through the undergrowth without stumbling over rocks and roots. The path she’d taken the last time was more open, but it passed too close to Eli’s cabin. Better to take the rougher trail and avoid alerting him to the fact she was back.

  After cresting the last rise before the final push up to her destination, she stopped to get her bearings and start looking for the best spot to serve as her hunting blind. It had to provide a clear view of the cave entrance while at the same time affording her enough cover to avoid being seen.

  She spotted a couple of likely prospects and settled on the one that offered the best view in three directions. A huge boulder roughly the size of a VW Bug would block the line of sight behind her, but then that worked both ways. Anyone coming from that direction wouldn’t be able to see her, either.

  She slid her backpack off her shoulders and dropped it on the ground. Before exploring the cave for any sign of recent activity, she needed to replenish her energy. A bottle of water and an energy bar later, she drew her sword and left the sanctuary of her small hideout. She was halfway to the cave entrance, which was still covered in a web of crime scene tape, when she noticed the back of her neck was itching. It was most likely the effect of drying sweat, but what if it wasn’t?

  Maybe she wasn’t alone on the ridge. Her grandfather was an expert on wilderness survival. Starting from when she was a young girl, he’d taught her to always pay attention to her instincts. If they said she was in danger, she most likely was. Stop, look around, assess the situation, and then act accordingly.