by Janie Crouch
“Better. Much better than when we were running.”
“Yeah, you were running a fever. The ibuprofen brought it down.” Cameron got the remaining pills out of the bag. “Here, take these. We’re going to have to head out in just a little bit, in order to meet my brother on time.”
“Okay. My arm is pretty stiff. I don’t think I’m going to be able to run very fast.”
Stiffness wasn’t good; it meant the infection was more pronounced than Cameron had thought. “It’s okay. We’ll make it. Dylan is bringing a dose of antibiotics so we can get that into you as soon as you’re on the plane.”
“I wish you were coming with us.”
“Me, too. But it’s better this way.”
Cameron prayed he was telling the truth.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Everything in Sophia’s body hurt, but her heart felt light. They were about to make it out of this nightmare. She wasn’t in Smith’s clutches anymore. She didn’t have to make up lies and pray they were the right ones and wouldn’t cost her and Cameron their lives. And, come tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to wear the clothes that creep picked out for her. For some reason that weirded her out most of all and she wanted out of these clothes Smith had chosen for her as soon as possible.
And speaking of being out of her clothes… Cameron. Sophia felt a little like a giggly schoolgirl. Cameron Branson wanted to go steady with her. He was so dreamy. A little chuckle slid out from where she was perched against Cam, trying to rest.
“What?” he asked. She heard the amusement in his voice.
“Nothing.” There was no way in hell she was telling him her thoughts.
Sophia had never been able to forget Cameron. She didn’t dwell on the past, but he had never been far from her thoughts. She had always imagined they would meet again, but definitely not under these conditions. This entire situation was surreal.
But Cameron wanted them to spend time together when everything wasn’t crazy. Sophia thought back to all those talks they’d had together at the diner before he had joined Omega Sector. Those times together hadn’t been sexual—although there had certainly been a sexual undercurrent—but they had been special. Important. She looked forward to having times like that again.
And knowing Cameron wanted them also made it all even more special.
Sophia could’ve gladly stayed in the cave all day under different circumstances, listening to the rain, snuggling up against Cameron. Her therapist had definitely been right about the refocusing exercises because nothing about the enclosed nature of the cave was bothering her now.
It seemed like just a moment later when Cameron nudged her. “Are you ready to go?”
Sophia nodded and began to put the sweatshirt back on. It was still wet and not very comfortable, but at least it would provide a layer of protection against the rain. “Yep. Are they still out there?”
“I haven’t heard anything for a while, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gone. We’re going to have to be as quiet as possible.”
They made their way to the edge of the overhang. Cameron gently moved the branches he had used to camouflage the entrance. Motioning her to stay where she was, he headed out of the cave, gun in hand.
Sophia waited, mentally preparing herself to run if needed. Cameron came back a few minutes later.
“I didn’t see them. Hopefully they’re gone. But try to stay right behind me and be as quiet as possible just in case.”
Sophia nodded and made her way out of the cave. The rain still came down in a steady drizzle. She followed along behind Cameron as silently as she was able, but every step they made seemed terribly loud to her.
“We’ve got about four miles to go and just a little over an hour’s time to get there,” Cameron told her a few minutes later. “We’ll need to pick up the pace. If those guys are anywhere around the airstrip when my brother is landing, he’ll be a sitting duck.”
“Is Omega Sector coming to the airstrip, also?”
“No, they’ll get me out via helicopter. There’s a number of places they can do that. I’ll establish a place with them soon.”
They began a light jog, much less quickly than their run earlier, but it didn’t take long for every step to cause a jarring pain in Sophia’s arm. And the rain didn’t help; it just made her totally miserable. She grimaced but didn’t say anything to Cameron. What could he do? She’d have to gut it out until she got on the plane. She could do that.
Thirty minutes later keeping that promise to herself was becoming more difficult, but still she tried. She was relieved when he called for them to slow back down to a walk.
“Hey, you okay?” Concern was written all over Cameron’s face. He walked over to her and rubbed his hands gently up and down her arms. Sophia leaned forward until the top of her head rested against his chest. She just needed a break. Just a couple of minutes.
“I’m okay. It’s just…” Sophia trailed off. She didn’t have to say it.
“I know, sweetheart. You’re doing great.” Sophia all but snorted from against his chest. “Seriously. It’s less than two miles. Let’s keep going at a walk.”
Walking she could do. More than that? She just didn’t know.
“Okay.”
Cameron slid Sophia’s hand through the crook of his elbow and they began again. He kept his other hand around hers. She must really look like hell if he was keeping this close to her. It definitely wasn’t the most stealthy way to travel. She knew he was afraid she would fall flat on her face again.
Sophia could admit she was afraid of the same thing.
Cameron let Sophia set the pace and she moved as quickly as she could. Every step was agony.
They both heard it at the same time. A small propeller plane. Circling not far overhead.
“That’s Dylan. Damn it.”
“How far are we from the landing strip?”
“Less than a mile. But if any of Smith’s goons are in the area, they’re going to hear him, too.”
Sophia took a deep breath. “Let’s move faster. I’ll be okay.”
Cameron reached over and kissed her hard and quickly. His hands framed her face. “You are amazing.”
Sophia tried to smile, but couldn’t quite succeed. “Tell me something I don’t know. Now quit flirting and let’s go.”
Cameron took Sophia’s uninjured arm and wrapped it around his shoulders. He put his other arm around her waist, anchoring her to his side. He took off at a brisk run, not nearly as fast as he could go, Sophia was sure, but fast enough to take her breath away. She focused all her energy into putting one foot in front on the other and not slowing Cameron down. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to Cameron’s brother because of her.
Sophia wasn’t prepared for Cameron’s sudden stop a few minutes later before they even got to the landing field. She would’ve fallen to the ground hard if he hadn’t had such a tight hold on her. He wrapped his arms around her and swung them both behind a tree and slid to the ground.
“What’s happening?” Sophia asked between breaths.
“I saw one of Smith’s goons.” He shook his head with a grimace and Sophia knew something beyond just seeing one of the men was troubling him.
“What? Is he blocking our path?”
“No. That’s just it. He’s heading back toward us, not the airfield.”
“That’s bad.”
“Yeah, it’s bad. Plus, it doesn’t make any sense. If he’s that close, he should’ve heard Dylan’s plane, too. I have no idea why he isn’t trying to intercept Dylan.”
“Maybe he has other orders or something.”
“Maybe.” But Cameron shook his head again.
“Can we go around him?”
“We’ll have to. Stay close behind me. But we have
to move fast. If the other men know Dylan is here, they’ll be headed toward him.”
They moved as fast as they could and were both careful to be silent. Sophia could tell when Cameron would spot the man, flinging them both to the ground or behind some sort of forest cover. With every bounce her arm throbbed.
Backing around one of the trees, Cameron cursed under his breath. “We can’t catch a break. It’s like he knows where we are.”
“Could he be tracking us?” Sophia didn’t know what sort of equipment DS-13 had, but the ability to track them seemed feasible.
“I thought of that, but if so, they should’ve found us at the cave. I don’t know.”
Cameron reached into his backpack and pulled out the communication unit thingy. He punched in digits while dragging himself and Sophia lower onto the ground.
“You landed?” he asked without greeting.
Sophia couldn’t hear what was being said on the other end.
“Good. Anybody around?”
More talk from the other end.
“New plan. We’ve got a tail I can’t shake. I’m going to get her to the end of the field and let her run to you. I’ll lead whoever’s attention I can get off in the other direction.”
Sophia caught the word stupid from Cameron’s brother.
“Yeah, I know. Just get her out. I’ll take care of myself.”
Cameron hit a button and threw the phone back into his bag. “Are you ready? We’re going to make a run for it.”
“Um, I was right here. Don’t you mean I’m going to make a run for it and you’re going to get yourself killed?”
“Soph, I’ll be fine.”
Sophia shook her head. “Didn’t I just hear your brother call this plan stupid?”
Cameron grinned and winked at her. “Actually, he was calling me stupid in general, not the plan. We’ve got to go, baby.”
“There has to be another way.” Sophia would not allow Cameron to sacrifice himself for her.
“Sophia, listen. I promise I will be fine. Once I get you on the plane, I will be a ninja—fast, silent, stealthy. They won’t catch me.”
Sophia knew she was slowing him down. If he had to fight or make a real run for it, he’d be much better off without having her to worry about. But she still didn’t like it.
“Promise?” His face was right next to hers and she took the opportunity to kiss him briefly.
“Absolutely. Ninja pinkie-swear.”
She would’ve chuckled if she wasn’t so scared. “Okay, let’s go.”
He led her the rest of the way to the airfield as quickly as possible, continuing the darting between trees and zigzagging. Sophia only once caught a glimpse of the man who was following them, but he was very definitely only a couple hundred yards away.
Sophia saw the small airplane at the end of the runway. Cameron’s brother had obviously tried to make the plane as inconspicuous as he could, but that was nearly impossible.
“Okay, you need to make your way down the tree line to the end of the runway. Don’t cut over to the plane until you have as much of a direct route as possible. Use the tree cover to your advantage. Do what we’ve been doing—darting back and forth between trees.”
Sophia’s head nodded like a bobblehead doll. “Okay. What will you be doing?”
“I’ll make sure I have our tail’s attention and head the other way.”
“I still don’t like this plan.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about!” Sophia barely remembered to keep her voice to a whisper. “I’m the one about to get on a safe, dry plane.”
“I’ll be fine. Ninja, remember? I’ll be catching a ride with Omega in just a few minutes and will see you in a couple of days.” Something caught Cameron’s attention in the distance. “But I need you to go now. And I need you to keep going no matter what you think you hear or see.”
Now Sophia was really scared. But she had to trust that Cameron knew what he was doing. Her head nodded again, but she couldn’t force any words through her clogged throat. Cameron took her gently by the shoulders and turned her around then gave her a gentle push toward the plane. Sophia began to run as fast as she could. She pushed past the agony in her arm and the weariness. She knew that the faster she made it to that plane, the sooner Cameron would start thinking about himself and get safely picked up by Omega Sector.
Sophia darted from tree to tree as Cameron had told her. She never saw anyone, but didn’t let that change her plan. When she got to the point that the plane was directly perpendicular from her she dashed out of the trees. She wasn’t out of the tree line for five seconds before the propellers on the plane started. But not before she heard the pop of gunfire. Sophia wanted to stop and look, but didn’t. Had Cameron fired or had he been fired at? Sophia had no idea. She ran faster.
The door that became stairs to the plane was lowered and waiting for Sophia. By the time she got there—gasping for air—a man looking remarkably like Cameron, but a little older, was standing at the top. He helped her as she made her way up the stairs and onto the plane. Quickly, he secured the door and showed Sophia where to sit—right next to him in the cockpit—which was open to the rest of the small plane.
Immediately he eased the plane forward and they began to gain the speed needed for takeoff. Sophia scanned frantically through the windshield, looking for Cameron, but found nothing. She told herself not seeing him was a good sign—much better than seeing him lying wounded, or worse, on the ground—but it didn’t ease her mind. As the plane pulled into the air, Sophia continued to look but never saw him. She told herself she should be thankful that at least the plane was away safely. Cameron had a much better chance on his own. But she couldn’t quite make herself agree.
Cameron’s brother took a pair of corded headphones and handed them to Sophia. She was so exhausted and in so much pain that she could barely understand his gesture for her to put them on.
“Hi. I’m Dylan, Cameron’s older and much more handsome brother. So you’re the gal who has stolen my little brother’s heart…”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Cameron was willing to consider that perhaps this plan was pretty stupid after all. Or at least it seemed that way as a bullet flew past his head and into a tree just beyond him. He dived to the ground and crawled backward so he could return fire if needed.
At least Dylan had gotten Sophia away in the plane. No matter what happened now—honestly, even if he was captured or killed by Smith’s men—Cameron wouldn’t be sorry. Knowing Sophia was safe made all the difference. Of course he had no intention of getting captured or killed.
Ninja, baby.
He had made sure he was able to be seen as Sophia was making her way to the plane, pretty much making himself an open target as he saw her streak out of the tree line in a dead run. He was just glad Smith’s henchmen had taken the bait and gone after him. Until he’d almost gotten shot in the head. Then he hadn’t been so glad. As soon as he saw the plane beginning its trip down the runway, Cameron had dashed for the cover of the woods. For a minute Smith’s men seemed undecided about what to do, go after Cameron or the plane—which told Cameron that Smith wanted them taken in alive. The men’s indecision had given both Cameron and Sophia the chance to get away without injury.
Cameron peeked his head out from where he was taking cover behind a tree for a split second before pulling it back. Sure enough, a moment later the area around him was riddled with bullets. There were definitely two people trying to pin him down, possibly even three. He had a good idea where one of them was and crawled a few feet away to take cover behind a different tree. Then he came around from the opposite side and fired three shots. A howl of pain reassured him that he had hit his target.
One down. But he knew there were at least two more still out
there.
It was time to set up the extraction with Omega. He had to get Ghost Shell far away from DS-13 hands. Cam got as low as he could and belly-crawled for hundreds of feet to put more distance between himself and the shooters after him. It felt like old army ranger times. He pulled out his sat-com device, but could not risk the noise of a voice call. An electronic message was less secure, but his only option in this case.
Cameron punched in his identification code and the code to send a message directly to his boss, Dennis Burgamy. The man was a jackass, and he and Cameron—hell, Burgamy and any of the Branson family—rarely got along, but he could get things done and that’s what Cameron needed right now.
Situation changed. Imminent danger. Request immediate extraction.
Cameron didn’t say it would only be him. He’d deal with that after he figured out if there was a mole or not. After a few moments Cameron received his reply.
Affirmative. ETA 17 minutes.
Burgamy provided a location based on the coordinates of Cameron’s sat-com’s GPS. Not far, but under fire it would take the entire seventeen minutes to get there.
Warning: hostiles present. May be coming in under fire.
Cameron put the sat-com back in his bag and began crawling forward. It was slow progress, but hopefully it meant he had lost his hunters. Cameron reached the small open area where the helicopter would land just moments before it did. As it lowered to the ground, Cameron could see the agents inside ready to lay down cover fire so he could get in. Cameron took off in a sprint to the helo. It left the ground just seconds after he was on board. No shots came from the woods behind him. Cameron was both relieved and confused.
Cameron sat back on the bench and put on the headset as the helicopter took off. One of the agents who had been standing guard in the doorway of the helicopter with his automatic weapon sat across from him.