by Susan Cliff
Losing Jenny had torn him apart. Being with Tala made him feel whole again.
He was faced with another dilemma about what to tell her, and when. Yesterday he’d been reluctant to bring up contentious topics. Today the stakes were even higher. Last night hadn’t been a one-off for him. It had felt like a new beginning.
His stomach growled again. “Are you hungry?” he asked, releasing her.
“Starving.”
“We can eat breakfast before we leave.”
She nodded her agreement. He put on his boots while she finished getting ready. They brushed their teeth side by side at the bathroom sink. It was quietly domestic, and he relished every second. She’d borrowed one of his flannel shirts to wear with her leggings. She had to roll up the sleeves. The hem reached her upper thighs. The outfit reminded him of the day they’d gone shopping together in Fairbanks. It seemed like weeks ago. They’d spent more consecutive hours together than some couples who’d been dating for months.
“I like you in my shirt,” he said gruffly.
“It doesn’t fit.”
“That’s why it’s sexy.”
She laughed at the claim, as if she didn’t believe it. He felt the urge to scoop her up and carry her off to bed again. Instead, he let her slip away. He didn’t want to scare her by coming on too strong. She’d escaped an abusive relationship less than a year ago. She’d witnessed a murder and been attacked by strangers. He understood why she’d be wary of entering a new relationship. He was willing to take things slow, but he was also ready to fight for her. She was in danger, and he would protect her by any means necessary.
That was one of the benefits of becoming a rough, tough Alaskan trucker. He could get uncivilized quick. He’d tear apart anyone who hurt her. He’d fall on them like a grizzly ripping into a salmon. Teeth bared, roaring.
But he couldn’t let his caveman instincts take over with Tala. She needed space, not domination. She needed the freedom to make her own decisions. He’d been an animal last night. Today he would soften his approach. Instead of tossing her over his shoulder and declaring her his woman, he had to win her gently.
The hotel café was empty except for two other customers, single men at separate tables. One was reading blueprints. The other was focused on his plate, facing the opposite direction. Despite the late hour, there were some buffet-style breakfast items available. Cam piled a plate with turkey sausage and scrambled eggs. Tala had oatmeal and fruit. They both went for seconds. They’d worked up quite an appetite.
“What’s the plan for today?” she asked.
He took a sip of coffee. “First the ice road, then the Dalton. I always try to drive straight through on the way back.”
“We won’t stop in Coldfoot?”
“Not if we don’t have to. The return trip is mostly downhill, so it goes faster. When the weather’s good, I can get to Fairbanks in fourteen hours or less.”
She went quiet, glancing around the café. The airport runway was visible through a single window. He vaguely remembered hearing a few planes take off and land during the night. There was a mounted television in the corner displaying weather updates, but no news. It was a cold, clear day. Perfect for the ice road.
“Have you decided on coming with me to Seattle?” he asked.
She arched a brow. “Is that what you wanted me to focus on last night?”
“No,” he admitted, raking a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t think at all.”
He couldn’t prevent the rush of male satisfaction her words inspired in him. He’d given her hours of mindless pleasure. He couldn’t wait to do it again.
“I was hoping my performance had convinced you.”
She swallowed hard and looked away. He didn’t press her for answers. She wasn’t ready for a long-term commitment. Maybe he wasn’t, either. The physical component was more comfortable for both of them than exposing themselves emotionally.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he cleared their empty plates from the table. They returned to the room to gather their belongings. His bag was already packed. She still had some toiletries in the bathroom.
“I’ll warm up my rig,” he said. “Meet me in ten minutes?”
She nodded, picking up her hairbrush.
He left the hotel and crossed the parking lot in purposeful strides. Despite the brilliant sunshine, the chill in the air stole his breath away. He doubted the high would rise above zero. In the dark afternoon and early night, temps would plummet further. He’d driven in cold shots of –30 and –40 before, so he wasn’t worried about freezing. Even if he broke down on the road, he had survival gear. He could handle the weather.
Tala was another story. She might be the death of him.
His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. It was Mason.
“Hello?” Cam answered.
“Where the hell have you been?”
“On the road. You know I don’t get service out here.”
“Then how are we talking?”
“I’m in Prudhoe Bay. It’s more developed.”
“I’ve been trying to call you all morning.”
“I had a late night.”
Mason made a huffing sound. “I’ll bet.”
“Did you mention Tala’s name to the local police?”
“Not yet, but the sheriff from Willow keeps leaving me messages. He wants to know why I was so interested in the missing waitress case. I have to return his call.”
Cam dragged a hand down his face. “Can you blow him off?”
“No, Cam, I can’t. It’s regarding a homicide. I can’t blow him off just so you can get blown by some hitchhiker.”
“She’s not a hitchhiker.”
“Stowaway. Whatever.”
“You’ve got the wrong idea about her.”
“So you weren’t drilling her all night?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“I’ve seen pictures of her, Cam. I understand the attraction.”
“Maybe I just want to help her.”
“If that’s true, you have more issues than I thought.”
“You know who has issues?” Cam shot back. “You have issues. You’re so messed up over your divorce that you can’t imagine spending time with a woman for any reason but sex. Angry revenge sex.”
“Some women like angry revenge sex.”
“Yeah? Do they come back for more?”
“They would if I let them.”
Cam grunted his skepticism.
“I can’t believe you’re lecturing me about women. You’ve been avoiding them for years. You probably don’t remember how to get one off.”
“I remember.”
Mason laughed in approval. “Good for you. Next time find a partner who isn’t under investigation.”
Cam headed back into the hotel lobby, which was deserted. “Did you call to heckle me or share information?”
“Both,” Mason said. There was a sound of rifling papers, as if he’d made notes. “They found a dead guy in Willow with a receipt for Walt’s Diner in his pocket. He was a hardcore criminal with an extensive record.”
“Local?”
“From Anchorage.”
“What else?”
“I talked to a detective in Whitehorse, where your girl was arrested. He had a vivid recollection of her. Everyone who saw her thought she was innocent.”
“Why?”
“Pretty young women don’t assault police officers very often. Her blood alcohol level was zero. The arresting officer said she seemed more afraid than defiant. She refused to give a statement, other than an apology. When her husband came to bail her out, he was a real asshole. They immediately suspected him.”
“Why not drop the charges?”
“They were hoping she’d roll on him.”
<
br /> “Did they follow up?”
“They sent a unit to question the husband after she failed to appear. He claimed he didn’t know where she was and declined to file a missing-person report.”
“He doesn’t want her found.”
“Not by them, no.”
Cam nodded in agreement. “This matches everything she’s told me.”
“Did she say he sent some thugs to kidnap her? Because that doesn’t add up. Laramie’s a scumbag, but he’s a low-level scumbag. He doesn’t have the money or power to hire professionals.”
“She said he wasn’t involved.”
“Who is?”
Cam didn’t answer. “Have you seen the case file?”
“No, I don’t have access. But now this sheriff is breathing down my neck because I reached out first. I have to tell him something.”
“I need more time,” Cam said.
“More time to do what? Screw the truth out of her?”
“I’m trying to convince her to come to Seattle and sit down with you. She doesn’t trust the cops here. She’s afraid they won’t believe her.”
“What if I don’t believe her?”
“You will.”
“Cam, you’re my brother, and I love you, but I can’t do this. I can’t stall for three days while you drive halfway across the country. You’re asking me to ignore a direct request from a colleague while you continue to harbor a fugitive. And get laid.”
Cam turned to stare out the lobby windows, searching for the words to convince Mason. His brother was a diehard skeptic on a good day. On a bad day, he was an unfeeling bastard. Cam had been numb for years, so he could relate. Accessing his emotions wasn’t easy. Communicating them to Mason was damned near impossible. “I don’t care about getting laid. I care about her.”
“You hardly know her.”
“You don’t understand how I feel.”
“I understand everything,” Mason replied. “You couldn’t save Jenny, and it broke you. That’s why you went to Alaska, to be broken and alone and miserable. Now you have the chance to save someone else, and you’re obsessed with playing the hero. It’s not about her. It’s about you, and your rescue fantasy.”
Cam couldn’t dispute any of Mason’s observations. “Do you ever get tired of being the most cynical person on earth?”
“You brought me into this. You called me first, remember?”
“I wanted your support,” Cam growled. “Not your judgment.”
“I withheld judgment about your stupid ice-road job.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“What do you expect me to say? I think you’re making a huge mistake. You’re putting your life in danger for a piece of ass.”
“I already told you—”
“I know what you told me, so save it. I’m required to share information with other law enforcement officials unless I have cause to suspect corruption or negligence. I have to give them her name and let them investigate.”
Cam cursed under his breath. He returned to the breakfast area and sat down at a quiet table. After a short hesitation, he told Tala’s story. It was a betrayal of her trust, but he didn’t have a choice. If he didn’t share the details, Mason would cooperate with the investigation and they’d never make it to Seattle. He’d get pulled over in Fairbanks, or even sooner.
“You’re saying that a statie is part of this crew?” Mason asked.
“Yes.”
“Jesus, Cam. You need to file a report.”
“With who? The state police are the only agency out here. There’s nothing else for hundreds of miles.”
“What about tribal police?”
“They don’t have jurisdiction on the Dalton.”
“You can call the FBI.”
“I can, but I doubt Tala will talk to them, and what help could they offer at this point? A field agent wouldn’t get here for days. They’ll tell us to come to them. Until we get back to Fairbanks, we’re on our own.”
Mason didn’t dispute him.
“If you give Tala’s name to the sheriff, there’s a chance he’ll notify state police to be on the lookout.”
“So what? They don’t know she’s with you.”
“Yes, they do.” He summarized the incident on Avalanche Alley.
Mason made an incredulous sound. “This girl is even crazier than you are.”
“She saved a man’s life.”
“Is she an adrenaline junkie?”
“I don’t think so. She fainted from stress afterward, and she doesn’t like the Dalton.”
“No one with common sense would like the Dalton.”
“Thanks,” Cam said, sarcastic.
Mason fell silent for a moment. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“You have feelings?”
“Maybe I can get on a late flight to Fairbanks.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I do. I’m your brother.”
“Okay, but promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“Don’t tell Mom.”
Mason let out a short bark of laughter and hung up. Cam stared at the screen of his phone for several seconds, smiling to himself. He couldn’t dismiss Mason’s concerns, but the remoteness of Prudhoe Bay added a measure of security. The police presence here was tiny. They’d already met a state trooper on the road, and they’d left a good impression on him. The danger of getting apprehended in this area was very low.
Once they returned to Fairbanks, he’d have to proceed with caution. Cam assumed the killers were still there, waiting for another opportunity to strike. His smile faded at the thought of a second attack on Tala. He couldn’t let anything happen to her.
Here in Prudhoe Bay, the main challenge wasn’t avoiding the bad guys. It was surviving the elements, and navigating the tricky space he’d entered with Tala. He hadn’t convinced her to stay with him.
Tucking his phone away, he left the breakfast area. Tala still hadn’t come down, so he went back outside and warmed up his truck. He’d get diesel in Deadhorse. He didn’t need chains. His gauges looked good. When Tala didn’t arrive to meet him, he started to worry. She didn’t take that long to get ready.
He got out of his rig and glanced around. Miles of vast oil fields stretched toward the ocean in the west. On the east side of the hotel, a plane took off from the airport and accelerated with a low roar. The airport was within walking distance.
His blood went cold at the sight. While he’d been on the phone with Mason, he’d kept his back to the lobby. Had she quietly approached, without him realizing? Had she overheard his conversation?
“Son of a bitch,” he said, turning off his engine. He rushed toward the front entrance of the hotel and ran down the hallway. He still had the key card, so he opened the door. The room was empty. He searched every inch of the space, frantic. He even looked in the shower stall. She wasn’t there.
He couldn’t believe it. She was gone.
Chapter 17
Tala found a laundry room with an alternative exit.
She snuck out the door, her heart racing. It opened to the opposite side of the building. Frigid air sucked into her lungs as she started running across the hard-packed snow. The airport was less than a block away, and she moved fast, but the distance seemed endless. She was completely exposed. Her light gray parka and dark leggings made a stark contrast to the blinding white tundra.
The cold soaked through her thin leggings and stung her cheeks. She didn’t dare moisten her lips. Her breath huffed out in telltale clouds, like a flag waving over her head. She clutched her fur-lined hood with one hand and kept running.
Running was what she knew. It was her fallback.
What else could she do? She’d seen Cam on the phone in the breakfast room. He’d looked like he wa
s trying to have a private conversation, which triggered her suspicions. Instead of making her presence known, she’d stood hidden in the doorway to listen. She couldn’t hear every word, but she’d heard enough. He’d called someone, probably his police officer buddy in Seattle, and told her story.
She hadn’t agreed to that. She hadn’t even agreed to go to Seattle.
He’d betrayed her. She couldn’t believe he’d shared her secrets. He’d argued about giving her name to the state police. She didn’t trust the person he’d spoken with at all. She didn’t know if she trusted Cam anymore.
Which was a real shame. Because she was in love with him.
Her chest seized at the realization, adding to her anguish. Less than twelve hours after she’d bared her soul to him—and her body—he’d broken her heart.
Tears froze on her face as she stumbled forward. She felt conflicted about leaving, despite his shady behavior. He’d given her the best night of her life. He’d been sweet and caring in the morning. His desire for her wasn’t in question, and his feelings seemed sincere. Even so, he hadn’t said a word about calling his contact. He hadn’t consulted her.
He’d also searched through her belongings.
While she was packing up, she’d noticed some rearranged items in her backpack. Her book was in the inside pocket with the stolen ID. She was already upset about that invasion of privacy when she’d caught him on the phone.
She didn’t look back as she raced toward the airport. She half expected him to stop her, or to call out her name. He must not have noticed her escape, because he didn’t come after her. There was a twisted sort of irony in her actions. She was fleeing the hotel the same way she’d fled the diner. One hosted a love scene; the other, a murder scene.
She arrived, breathless, in the terminal. She didn’t have any money for airfare. Even if she did, she was afraid to use the ID. She’d headed this direction on impulse. Instead of approaching a kiosk for ticket information, she sat down in an empty seat and bent forward with her head in her hands.
She had to think. Think.
She didn’t feel safe in Prudhoe Bay. Cam had been right about the extreme isolation of the place. If she hadn’t given the police her real name for the accident report, she might have been able to lay low here. That was no longer an option.
