by Unknown
“Will my new prison guard be on my doorstep to greet me or will I have one night alone.”
“There has been a change in plans. I’ll stay with you until we have an agent that will fit the part of a relative.”
“You mean to tell me the FBI doesn’t have any black female agents?”
He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “Of course, there are black female agents working for the FBI. We don’t have a female agent working undercover on this case. The agent we had was pulled from the case due to a family emergency. Once we get another agent briefed on the case, she’ll replace me.”
“Okay but I’m warning you up front. My apartment is one bedroom, so I hope you don’t have a bad back because you will be sleeping on the sofa.”
Zach rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say.”
Carla got in the car while Zach loaded the cooler in the trunk. The fresh food he’d purchased had to go with them once he turned off the power. Loud gun shots rang from deep within the woods. Something struck the old car flattening the front tire. Zach dropped to the ground aiming his gun towards the woods. He scooted around the car keeping his cover. “Carla, are you okay!”
“Zach, what’s happening?” Carla asked as she slid down in the seat to sit on the floor.
He opened the passenger’s door and reached for her hand. “I don’t know. We’ve might have been found. Look, slide out of the car if you aren’t hurt. Are you hurt?”
“I’m not hurt but I’m scared.”
“Come on, Carla; don’t wimp out on me. You can do this—you’re tough.”
Her body stiffened as she eased from the car to the ground beside him. “Zach, what are we going to do? We don’t have any way to escape without a car.”
Unstrapping a gun from around his ankle he checked the chamber. “We’ll get out, but I need a diversion. “Here, take this,” he instructed. “I want you to run, Carla. I’ll catch up.”
She shook her head, she wasn’t leaving him. She couldn’t think of anything good coming from them splitting up. “No, I’m staying with you. We have a better chance if we work together.”
“We have to split up to get out of here, Carla,” he barked under his breath. “When I start shooting, I want you to make a break for it and head north. When you get to the red barn, a SUV is there covered under a tarp. Get in the car and wait for me. If I’m not there in fifteen minutes, take off. The keys are under the driver’s side floor mat.”
Her heart raced wildly as he pressed the gun in her hand. The veins in her neck throbbed to the beat of her quickened pulse. “I don’t want to go without you. Let’s go together. I’ll be able to keep up with you.”
“We don’t have time to argue about it. On the count of three, get ready to run the race of your life. I promise I’ll catch up with you.”
She fought hard against the urge to argue. Instead, she pushed the gun into the waistband of her shorts and waited for him to give her the signal to run.
“Get ready to go now!” He instructed.
She heard multiple shots go off and echo through the trees as she ran.
A male voice cursed out. Her heart seized and she stopped running. Tears formed in her eyes as she imagined Zach hurt. Crouching low to the ground, she had to go back to help him.
The fresh scent of pine filled her nostrils along with the scent of fear emitting from her body. Carla’s heart pumped hard as she ran back to the cabin. Branches, weed and low-growing thickets made long cuts on her legs. Dying roots poking from the ground tripped her and she fell. She rolled over on her knees and looked down. “Dang it, poison ivy.” Resting on her knees, she was buried up to her thighs in a pile of it. “Crap!” With no time to worry about it, she got up and started to run again.
Far in the distance she heard a noise and stopped to hide behind a large tree. Determined to get to Zach, she looked up. The tree was her only option. Carla climbed up the tree, and hunched down low on the wide branch hidden by its heavy vegetation. She held her breath not to make a sound. The thug hunting her would never know she was perched high above him if she didn’t make any noise.
The footsteps got closer and she peered through the leaves to get a glimpse of the villain stalking her. Her hands shook as she held the gun. Carla knew that pointing a gun at or shooting another human was out of the question. Her best bet would be to sit still. Hopefully the killer would continue his trek through the woods to look for her and she could escape in another direction.
She felt a bug crawling on her leg. Another reason she hated camping with her ex; she and insects did not get along. Thinking it was an ant, she reached to knock it off her leg before it tunneled under her shorts. Her eyes widened when she saw it wasn’t a tiny ant but a huge Pyrrharctia Isabella otherwise known as a woolly bear.
Carla cringed, shaking her leg to dislodge it. It stuck to her. With the luck she’s been having lately it was probably a blood-sucker searching for a meaty vein. Eww, eww, eww! She kept one eye on the insect and one on the approaching footsteps that were getting closer. She also was losing her grip on the limb as she fought with the woolly bear that had reached the back of her thigh and closed in on the hem of her shorts.
“No, no, no,” she cried swinging at it and flinging it from her leg. With that, she lost control and felt herself falling from the tree.
“Whoa!” She hollered as she braced to hit the hard ground below. She waited to hear the cracking of her bones from the crash landing. There was none but a jolting thud on something firm and warm. Had she fallen on the man chasing her? She was too afraid to look. What a bitter ending to realize that she had delivered herself to the man that sought to kill her.
Carla opened her eyes slowly. She had to see the eyes of the killer. Just maybe there would be a way to convince him not to go through with it. And it was not beneath her to beg for her life like a coward. Expecting to see the eyes of a cold-blooded killer, what she saw were the piercing blue eyes of Zach holding her in his strong tattooed arms. Her arms went around his neck. “Zach, you’re alive!”
His voice was flat as he asked. “Why were you in the tree, Carla?”
“Well, I was running and then I heard the gunshots and the terrifying yells. I thought you’d been shot. I turned around to come help you but I heard a rustling in the trees and thought it was killer so I climbed the tree to hide. But then this big bug attacked me and I freaked.”
He put a finger to her lips to stop her from talking. “Let me get this straight. You were coming back for me but went up a tree where you had a fight with a bug…never mind explaining anymore, I’ve heard enough.” He set her on her feet. “How gallant of you to want to help me, but I gave you an order.”
She smoothed down her shirt. “Really, I was supposed to leave you out here in the middle of nowhere to die? I’m not that type of person.”
“Bullshit! Save your own neck first if we get separated again. Do you understand?”
Her jaws filled with air. “You are unbelievable! There is no way to get through that iron-clad shell of yours is there? Nothing penetrates the brave FBI agent.” She shook her head and shoved her hands in the pocket of her shorts to keep from snatching a plug out of him. “You know, even Superman has a weakness to kryptonite.”
His lips curled in a snarky smile. “Did you know that while kryptonite did drain Superman of his strength, it gave humans superhuman powers?” His expression switched and his brows creased. “What you did was dumb, Carla, both of us would be dead if those gunshots weren’t from a bunch of idiot teenagers shooting at cans they tossed in the air. You have to stay focused and think with your head and not your emotions.”
“Ugh! You are so freaking annoying.” Carla handed him the gun. “So, are we going back to the cabin?”
Zach in turn handed her a backpack. No, the cabin has been breached by outsiders. We can’t stay there and risk the locals running their mouths. It could get back to the foreign man the shop owner was talking about. My commander has
n’t been able to locate this subject and verify he isn’t Yezhov.”
“Yezhov?” she asked with a perplexed look.
“Yeah. Does that name sound familiar?”
Carla slipped the straps of the heavy backpack over her shoulders and followed behind Zach as he started to walk. “I’m not really sure, but I overheard Ty and Phil talking about a man named Yezhov. I didn’t pay close attention to what they were saying since they weren’t talking to me.”
“Remember, whatever you can, Carla. This man is the reason you are in my custody. Your cousins ran off with a lot of his money and he wants it back, and at any cost.”
“I don’t have his money, Zach. My bank account is not bloated. You can have your people check.”
“We already have flags on your bank account.” He chuckled. “You take it right to the edge don’t you?”
She rolled her eyes at the back of his head. He was an asshole on so many levels, yet she found herself mildly attracted to him. “I’ll have you know that I live within my means and never go over.”
“That’s fine and dandy that you have control over your spending but Yezhov won’t care about that. Tyrone and Phillip have tied your name to their operation. He’s under the impression you have his money or know where they are.”
She doubled her steps to keep up with him. “Is this why he has come from his safe haven to look for me? Why not send his henchmen after me and keep is hands clean?”
“He enjoys watching his victims suffer. He’s sending a message to your cousins. Carla, he’ll torture you little by little. His trademark is to start with locks of hair and then different body parts. If he doesn’t get a response, he’ll finish off a victim by dismembering the body and depositing limbs in places where he knows you’ll be found. He has no soul, Carla. You’ll be found by either other family members or in a schoolyard where kids will be sure to stumble across you.”
A chill went through her body. “If you’re trying to scare me, it worked.”
He slowed his pace to walk next to her. “I’m not trying to scare you; I’m giving you cold hard facts since you think this is a game.”
Her legs were getting tired. With no exercise or real food for the last three days, she was dragging. “So, why just you, Zach? Why isn’t there an army of FBI agents protecting me? You could be taken out and I’m on my own.”
He clapped his hands together. “Now you’re getting it! There are other agents working around the clock; you just don’t see them. But, consider yourself lucky because I am the best at what I do. I told you I haven’t lost a victim yet. That is bound to change if you keep defying me.”
She frowned. “I guess I won’t be doing that anymore since you’re dumping me on another agent. But, if you are the best why are you deserting me when I need you the most?”
He looked at her. “You need me now? I should record this conversation.”
She stopped walking planting her dark eyes on him. “It’s not your life in danger. So, go ahead and laugh it up at my expense.”
“Carla, they have to come through me to get to you, so my life is in danger. Every damn victim I protect seems to forget that.”
chapter ten
In silence, they walked through the woods. He kept an eye out for animals on the hunt for food. Zach had to admit that he’d formed a newfound respect for Carla. She was smart and used her head when backed against a wall and he shouldn’t have yelled at her for wanting to help him. She was willing to get killed to help him. He didn’t expect the person he was in charge of protecting to protect him.
Sunlight beamed ahead as they came to a clearing in the woods. A herd of deer grazed in an open corn field, and they stayed a distance away so not to disturb them. Zach saw Carla struggling with the weight of the backpack under the scorching heat. He took the heavy backpack from her shoulders and hitched it up on his. “We’re almost to our destination,” he said breaking the silence.
“Good. I’m tired and hungry,” she said with a whiny twang to her voice.
Weighed down by the two heavy backpacks Zach forged through the woods fighting off the urges to sneeze. Summer time was his enemy since grass and trees rained havoc on his allergies. Cold weather months suited him just fine since everything green was hibernating. He felt tension ride through his body. He wished this ordeal was over. He sniffed. “That wouldn’t be the case if you’d pick up a fork and eat. You don’t eat enough to keep a child going. Are you one of those women that refuse to eat in front of a man?”
“I eat in front of men. When I stopped competing I ceased the high protein diet.”
“I’ve meant to ask why you don’t compete anymore. You’re still young enough to defend your records.”
Carla swatted at bugs swarming around her head. “An injury to my foot ended my track career. Besides, the new blood entering the sport are faster and broke records left and right. Then that scandal with steroids being used to enhance the athlete’s abilities just ruined it for me. It wasn’t my scene anymore.”
“As long as your nose was clean, why’d you care about the scandals?” He was talking again. He should stop before another insult slipped.
“I had become friends with some of those accused. I wasn’t going to talk about them or judge them. Everyone knows how the media alters the words of people.”
“Loyalty. You can’t be loyal to everyone, Carla. There are ways to remain friends and not get caught up in their drama.”
“Do you think I'm loyal to my cousins?”
He looked over at her. Cuts and scrapes covered her arms and legs. Red marks from bug bites dotted her pretty face. She appeared fatigued. He couldn’t help but think he attributed to her exhaustion. He’d been pretty rough with her. When he returned from the bathroom, she had fallen asleep.
Zach still felt guilty for sleeping with her. He had better control of himself and let his selfishness get to him. Although, the guilt was kicking his ass the memory from the pleasure he got from sleeping with her was singing his praises. Carla was the best lay he’d had in a long time. He came to the conclusion that Rodney was crazy. Black women were very sensual and sexy. Her body under him was magical. He grew hard thinking about the way she molded around him. He sighed. Any man that got Carla would be one lucky bastard.
He pulled his thoughts away and answered her. “No, I don’t think that. I think if you knew where they were you would tell me. You’d prefer them in jail rather than killed by Yezhov.”
“As stupid as that sounds, I would. We have always been close. Ty and Phil are more like brothers to me than cousins. Their mom did everything she could to raise them once their dad left. They always promised to take care of her once they got older and got jobs. They loved her so much and when she died it did something to them.”
Zach heard the emotion creeping into Carla’s voice. She was all about family; something that he could not understand. They came to the next big clearing, and the barn was in sight up ahead. Soon they would be on the road back to civilization and exposure to Yezhov if he’d stuck around; which Zach knew he would. He’d been studying Yezhov for years. He had the credentials to hide behind diplomatic immunity to escape charges if anything happened to Carla.
Yezhov had connections in Washington by way of his family. His grandfather was a former ambassador and maintained strong relationships with former presidents and other high-ranking members of the United States government. Bringing down Yezhov would be a task and Zach was determined to do it at any cost.
They reached the barn and Zach removed the tarp that covered the Ford Explorer. Carla looked around while he packed the vehicle. “This barn is beautiful. If I liked living in a remote area, I would restore it and make it my home.”
Zach closed the hatch. “Really? You’re a people person. There aren’t any other people around here for miles.”
She giggled. “That’s true. It would be perfect for a person like you.”
He opened the door and motioned for her to get in the passenger’s se
at. Handing her two apples and a bottle of water, he asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You like being by yourself. It's clear that you don’t care for people. We’ve been together for three days and not once have you mentioned a girlfriend or a special lady in your life.”
“That’s because I don’t have one,” he answered as he got in the driver’s seat.
“Why not, Zach? Do you only need a woman when you have the desire to have casual sex?”
“Casual sex?”
“Yeah. Casual sex. Since you aren’t involved with one woman but apparently enjoy having sex, the sex you have is non-committal and pretty much meaningless since it is with women you feel nothing for.”
His jaw tightened, and he felt it twitch. He needed her to stop talking and pointing out his flaws. “That’s brutal, Carla. My work prevents me from having a relationship. I’m gone all the time, and I can’t always reveal where I am or what I am doing. That wouldn’t be fair to a wife or kids.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so blunt, but that’s not answering my question. At any time in your life, will you ever want that?”
He put his sunglasses on as they hit the paved road. She was asking too many personal questions. He didn’t like talking about himself or answering personal questions. “Probably not.”
“Care to explain?”
He thinned his lips and tightened his hands on the steering wheel. This is gonna be a long ride. “Not really but I know you won’t stop pestering me until I tell you something. First, I don’t care for kids and secondly, the thought of being tied to one woman for the rest of my life is scarier than what I do for a living. I’m a bachelor for life. I like my life this way, and that’s how I intend it to stay.”
“I’m not judging you for wanting to stay single, Zach. In my opinion I think people put too much emphasis on coupling together. I’m not one for casual sex, as you can tell. But if I never get married it won’t be the end of the world either.”