Sam shook his head. “What? No! He paid me to bring you back. Kill you? What would ever make you think —”
A scream burst from her lungs. Sam had confirmed her worst fear. He’d made her fall for him, bedded her, and now — She backed up, reaching for her backpack.
“Nora, you can’t leave —”
“Stay back, Sam!” She snatched up his rifle, and he retreated again. Nora slipped into her boots, then thought better of it. Why should she leave? She had the gun. She edged her way to the kitchen side of the small cabin, then waved the barrel in the direction of the door. “Get out, Sam!”
“Nora, you can’t possibly believe —”
“Get dressed, Sam. Grab your shit, and leave. If you try to get back in, I’ll blow your head off, I swear.”
“Nora, please … Listen to me. I was planning to find you. I’d looked everywhere, and then I’d taken the time off work. I was planning to leave the next day when your fiancé showed up on my doorstep —”
She waved the gun again. “How much did he pay you, Sam?”
Sam inched his way toward the door, to where Arwen had settled back down but hadn’t moved.
He unzipped a pocket on his pack, so Nora cocked back the hammer. “Easy, Sam. I know how to use a gun. My father taught me well.”
Sam splayed his fingers, showing he wasn’t grabbing a weapon. “Please listen to me, Nora.” He pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “I didn’t cash the check.” He held the check up for her inspection. Sergio’s large illegible signature adorned a fifty-thousand-dollar check — contract. Sam tore the check in half, then again and again, ripping it into shreds that fell to the floor. “I never had any intention of delivering you to another man, Nora. How could you think —”
Nora shook her head, attempting to keep the tears from breaking free. “I know him … Sergio never would have paid you in full for an unfinished job. He paid you half, which means there’s another half waiting for you. Leave, Sam! Now!”
Sam dropped his head, then stared at Arwen. Ignoring Nora, he stooped in front of the enormous wolfdog. “Arwen?”
Nora lowered the gun, realizing something was wrong. The dog should have been concerned that they were shouting at each other. In the past few days, Arwen had gotten excited every time Nora had. If he’d wanted to, Sam could even have given Arwen a command to attack.
“What happened?” Nora’s concern for the beautiful shepherd who’d saved her life took precedence over her anger.
Sam forced opened the dog’s mouth, then her eyes. He rested his head against her muzzle. “She’s breathing, but it’s labored. Her heartrate is dangerously weak.”
Nora stared at the dog, wondering if Sam had given her a hand command to play dead. “Arwen?”
The dog twitched one ear, but didn’t move. Didn’t even open her eyes.
Sam glanced over his shoulder and closed his eyes. “Please put down the gun, Nora. It appears your fiancé isn’t just after you; he’s hunting both of us now. Arwen’s been poisoned.”
~ Sam ~
Everything made sense now, Sam realized. First Strider was poisoned. His SPOT had been tampered with. The camp had been baited.
Sergio had never planned to pay him to bring back Nora. He’d sent Sam to find her, and then had sent another tracker after both of them. If their tracker had succeeded by baiting the camp, he and Nora would have been two casualties to the Alaska wilderness. Stupid. He knew he hadn’t liked that man from the first time he’d seen him.
Sam looked over his shoulder at Nora again. She’d lowered the gun, but nothing kept her from lifting it the moment he moved. Would she really shoot him? She was scared … no doubt about it. Even when the grizzly had been honing in on her fish, Nora hadn’t looked as frightened as she did currently. Sergio definitely had her running. Yet, she’d said he never laid a hand on her, so what was it?
Sam stroked Arwen’s head, and his faithful shepherd tried to open her eyes. “It’s okay, girl. You don’t have to move.” He called over his shoulder, “Look under the cabinet, Nora. Should be some hydrogen peroxide. Pour a shot and a half into a cup.”
Thankfully, Nora seemed more concerned with Arwen than she did shooting him. She rested the rifle against the wall, then proceeded to do as he requested.
Nora grabbed the cup off the table and inspected the brown bottle. “How much is a shot?”
“Pour me three tablespoons,” Sam offered, careful to keep his tone light.
Nora used her mess kit spoon to measure out three tablespoons, then brought him the cup. She stopped just short of his reach and held out the cup, then hopped up.
Damn. How had they gone from lovers to enemies in less than an hour? He couldn’t think about it now. He needed to save his girl first. Sam lifted Arwen’s head, forcing her mouth open. Even though she was nearly dead, she struggled, refusing to release her jaw. He couldn’t very well hold her mouth open with one hand.
“Here.” Nora squatted next to him, taking the cup so he could open Arwen’s mouth.
Nora poured the liquid down the back of Arwen’s throat, and Sam immediately clamped his hands around the dog’s muzzle, making sure she drank the fluid. Then he was able to hold her mouth shut with one hand, as he used the other to massage her throat, making sure she swallowed several times before he released her.
Next, he lifted her slightly, massaging her belly. “You’ll be okay, girl. I promise.”
Arwen collapsed in his arms, so he moved her from in front of the door. As cold as it was, he opened the door quickly. First, he made sure there was no one on the other side, then he grabbed the bucket he’d left by the door.
He closed and bolted the door, then set the bucket near Arwen.
“Will she be okay?”
Sam turned to see Nora by the sink. She wasn’t holding the rifle, but it was within reach.
“I hope so. If it works, she should expel the poison within the next fifteen to twenty minutes. If not, we might have to try one more time.”
Nora nodded.
No words passed for a few minutes, then they both said, “Sorry” at the same time.
Nora huffed a breath through her nose, then continued. “Sorry for pulling a gun on you, Sam. That was uncalled for.”
“Yes, it was, Nora. I can understand being upset … but threatening me with a gun?” He tried to speak calmly, but he was ticked. His father had taught him never to pull a gun unless he was prepared to use it. And he sure the hell hoped Nora hadn’t been ready to shoot him. “If you’d tell me the truth, it might be easier for me to understand why you would aim a cocked rifle at me.”
Nora inched toward the dinette chair, then slumped into the seat.
As much as Sam wanted to go to her, he couldn’t leave Arwen’s side. If she started to throw up, he needed to make sure he held her up so she didn’t choke.
“Your reaction, Nora,” he started, “was a little …” He sighed. “Picking up the gun wasn’t the response I’d expect from a woman who just wasn’t in love with her fiancé anymore, especially since you said he never hit you. So … will you please tell me what that was all about? Because … umm … I’m starting to doubt that you love me when you’re able to point a loaded rifle at me.”
“I really am sorry, Sam.” Nora gulped, her mouth so dry he could hear her trying to get moisture.
Sam huffed. “Sorry doesn’t cut it, honey. Not sure how you folks handle guns in L.A., but here in Alaska, we take them seriously.”
Arwen jolted in his arms, so he steadied her, forcing her to stand. She weighed plenty when she was healthy. Her dead weight made it nearly impossible to keep her on all fours.
“A little help here, please, Nora.”
Nora bolted out of her chair from across the room and held the bucket under Arwen’s mouth.
It took a while, but eventually, Sam was confident that Arwen ousted everything she’d consumed in the last twelve hours. Not just the poison, which he assumed had been wrapped up in the same meat the tra
cker had used to bait their camp, but also leaves and even a stick.
“What is wrong with you, Arwen?” Sam groaned. “When we get back, I’m going to train you and your brother only to eat what’s in your bowl.”
Arwen finally settled back on the floor, so Sam set the bucket outside and brought in her water dish. He filled her plastic dish with fresh water, setting it beside her, then cleaned himself up over the sink.
Nora had moved to the dinette again, but at least she wasn’t holding the rifle.
Sam tossed the bath wipes into the trash, then eyed Nora as he settled across from her.
Without him asking her to explain again, Nora released a large sigh. “No, Sergio has never laid a hand on me, but he’s controlled me from the moment he brought me to the States. He took my passport. Made it clear I could fight or work on my back. Nothing’s in my name. Since he’s my agent, he gets everything. But … I coped. I’ve never wanted for anything in the last seven years. With marriage, I would have citizenship, so I was just buying my time. But six months ago …”
Nora dropped her head, so Sam waited patiently for her to continue. He’d heard about slave trafficking … How rich individuals brought women in from other countries, taking their papers for safekeeping, controlling them by threatening to kill their relatives. But someone as famous as Nora? How was that even possible?
“We were in Vegas. I’d just finished a fight and had gone to bed. He’d said he had business to attend to.” She inhaled deeply as she looked Sam dead in the eyes. “I couldn’t sleep, so I took the private elevator to the bottom floor. I was just going to do a quick workout. I’d knocked out the woman in the second round, so I was still wound up. When I got to the garage, I heard a man whimpering. I thought it was a drug deal gone wrong or a john beating up one of his boys. Until the man pleaded for Sergio to forgive him … Then …” She choked on her words. “Sergio ordered, ‘Do it.’ I heard a muffled POP, and I bolted back up the stairs. I had nowhere to turn. No one to trust. I waited for news of the man’s death or disappearance, but there was nothing. I don’t even know who he was. Without proof Sergio had killed someone, I wasn’t even sure how to go to the police. I didn’t know what to do then or now. I’m scared. If he knows …”
All the doubt Sam had carried faded to nothing as Nora’s head fell to the table. Pleadings not to tell Sergio poured from her lungs, causing Sam’s own heart to shatter again.
“Oh, God, Nora!” Sam jumped up and skirted the table, pulling her up into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
Nora’s words were muffled by his chest. “I’m so scared, Sam.”
He sat down with her in his arms. “You don’t have to be, Nora. Now that I know, I won’t let him anywhere near you.” He brushed her hair back. “God, what were you thinking? What if he sent someone other than me?”
“Sam, I’m not worried for me. I can disappear. I’m worried for you.”
Chapter 16
~ Sam ~
Sam stared at Nora. She’d just aimed a cocked and loaded gun at him, and now she had the nerve to claim she was worried about him?
“Worried about me? I assure you, Nora. I can take care of myself. If you’d told me while we were in town, we could have already contacted an attorney.”
Nora edged herself out of his lap. “Didn’t you listen to anything I said, Sam? I don’t even know who the dead man is — was. I didn’t recognize his voice. Probably one of Sergio’s underground fighters. Sergio has as many illegal dealings as he does legal. Without a body —”
“You’ve watched too many cop dramas,” he cut her off before she got upset again. “If Sergio shot someone, there’s proof, believe me. No way would they have been able to clean up all the DNA left behind from shooting someone in a public place.”
Nora released a long breath through her nose. “Now who’s watched too many cop dramas? Don’t you understand? Sergio stays at that condo every time he has a fight in Vegas. Even if they do find Sergio’s DNA at the scene — which they won’t — he’d brush it off that it’s practically his home. Besides, he didn’t pull the trigger. He ordered someone else to do it, so what would he have left behind? The victim’s blood might be there, but what will that prove? Especially if the dead man was an illegal, which is more likely than not.” She dropped her head, looking defeated.
Sam stood and approached her, hoping she was done accusing him or pulling a rifle on him. “Nora …” She looked up, but didn’t back away, so he took her hands in his. He lowered his head to meet her gaze. “I know it must be hard to trust someone after everything you’ve been through, but I’m asking you to trust me. I won’t let anyone near you, and I’ll stand behind you. You don’t have to run anymore.” She fell into his embrace, so he lowered himself to the bed, pulling her onto his lap. “I love you, Nora. I promise I won’t let him hurt you ever again.”
“Sam … I know you think that’s possible, but —”
He kissed off her words. She gave in after a few seconds, and Sam delighted in the feel of her in his arms again. If the storm kept up, maybe the alleged tracker would freeze to death, and they could stay in the cabin indefinitely. Of course, the moment the storm let up, Vince would have a team out looking for him. More than likely, if Alex didn’t take off for the coast, as he’d done last time, he’d have a bird in the air.
Sam pulled back, gazing into the eyes of the woman he would never let go. Even if it meant following her back to the strange land of L.A., he would. His thoughts scattered. Nora had said she wasn’t going back to Sergio, even though she’d said she was going home. So where was home?
Sam inched her off his lap onto the bed. “Can I ask you a question?”
Nora furrowed her perfectly sculpted dark brows. She looked nothing like the blonde he’d seen fighting. He loved her dark flowing hair, instead of being pulled back in a severe bun like his third-grade teacher.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she finally answered. “The last question didn’t go so well, even though I’d told you the truth.”
Sam tipped his head to the side. “True. Okay … Let’s promise each other to listen to all the facts before jumping up or pulling guns, okay?”
Nora released a nervous chuckle. “That’s a … good rule, I’d say. And I did tell you I was sorry. I am. Normally I wouldn’t pull a gun, but since it was there.”
“Got it!” Sam laughed. “I’ll … umm … keep the gun locked up from now on. Anyway, this isn’t a Truth or Dare type of question. I was just wondering … You said you were going home, but you also said you weren’t returning to him. What was your plan … to get away from him, I mean?”
~ Nora ~
Nora sighed. Sam had said that it wasn’t a Truth or Dare question, but it was. If she told Sam, she wouldn’t be able to disappear without him coming after her.
Still, even if she disappeared now, Sam wasn’t likely to give up looking until authorities produced a body, so maybe Sam was right. Maybe the strength of a family backing her would protect her. It wasn’t as though any of Sam’s brothers were small or out of shape. Staying with Sam would be like having five bodyguards around her. Even Sergio only had four. One for each quarter position of the clock: 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00. But what about her mother and grandmother? They were her real concern.
Sam lifted his hands, awaiting an answer to his question of how she planned to get away from Sergio. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m just curious.”
Nora leaned back against the wall, the way Sam had done earlier. “I guess it doesn’t matter at this point, does it? It’s not like you’re going to let me out of your sight, are you?”
He laughed and patted her calf. “Now you’re learning. But I assure you, I’m nothing like him. I’d be happy to let you out of my sight, if I knew you were safe and coming home to me.”
Nora ran a hand across her face. His comment certainly didn’t sound like he wanted to turn her in. In fact, it sounded like … She shook her head. She couldn’t think about wha
t Sam had insinuated. Either way, she needed to return to Argentina. For her mother and grandmother. Sergio hadn’t ever allowed her to go home. He’d said that her mother could come to the States, but Nora had been afraid that if she brought her mother to L.A., Sergio would somehow hurt her. Instead, she’d told him that her mother couldn’t leave her grandmother.
Sam said nothing, but his eyes told her he was waiting.
“So,” she started, “it was a simple plan really. Hike into Denali for three weeks, but as you saw, I left the path and headed straight west instead of up. I actually did walk up the peak a ways, but then I threw my cellphone off a cliff and back-tracked.”
Sam smiled. “Arwen’s good. She knew it. I tried to lead her up, and she followed for a few yards, but then backtracked. She recognized that the fresher trail was straight in. So, after that … you weren’t heading all the way to Russia, were you?”
Nora laughed weakly. “No … Too cold. I planned to head to Fairbanks, restock, and then follow the Alaska Pipeline all the way to Anchorage. From there, I planned to buy a kayak and paddle all the way to Seattle, and then make my way to Central America via the Pacific Crest Trail. Once in Mexico, it would be easy to secure transportation to Argentina.”
“I’m impressed. You know … that sounds like an amazing adventure even if you’re not running from someone.” Sam stared at her. “So … that would take you what, into August? Sergio would give you up for dead, and then you’d be free.”
“That was the plan.”
Sam shook his head. “But what about your career … Your mother and grandmother?”
“I figured once I was back in Argentina, I’d be safe. I certainly don’t plan on fighting again.”
He shrugged. “You probably have a nice nest egg after a three-million-dollar purse, huh?”
Nora huffed. “No, Sam. I don’t have anything. Just what cash I could save. He controlled everything. But, I’m not a naïve twenty-four-year-old girl anymore either. I figure I can make a home in El Chaltén. Start guiding like my father used to. Eventually, bring my mother and grandmother there.”
Sam's Folly (Midnight Sons Book 1) Page 16
