Riding the Night

by Jaci Burton

Page 28

  Author: Jaci Burton

  She grinned, surprised. “Really?”

  He showed her how to work them. “It might take your eyes a few seconds to adjust to them, but then you’ll be able to see like it’s daylight. ”

  She looked through them. Pax was right. At first, everything was fuzzy, but after a while she adjusted.

  Wow. It was easy to distinguish what was what in the campground. She couldn’t see someone’s eye color, but she could identify people easily enough.

  “Look south, all the way to the edge, beyond that thick group of trees. The Fists are there, separated off by themselves. ”

  She followed Pax’s instructions, moving the binoculars slowly so she wouldn’t lose her bearings. There, beyond a cluster of tents where people had gathered to be together, were the Fists, settled by themselves at the far corner of the campground, cut off from the main group by a line of trees.

  She handed off the binoculars to AJ and turned to Pax. “Gives them plenty of privacy, doesn’t it?”

  Pax nodded, frowning. “Also makes it damned impossible to go riding in there to check them out. ”

  “Because there’d be no reason to go that far in. They’re at the end, the facilities are midway. No one would have any reason to breach their campground. ”

  “That sucks,” AJ said.

  “Yeah,” Teresa said, wrinkling her nose as she pondered a solution. “So now what?”

  “Maybe one of us stays here to keep watch. I assume you didn’t spot your guy?”

  She shook her head. “Well, no. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t there. ”

  She waited for Pax and AJ to doubt her, to tell her they’d tried, but they’d located the Fists, the guy she claimed had killed Larks wasn’t among them, and it was time to pack it up and head home.

  “They could be hiding him. There’s a motor home tucked in behind their tents,” Pax said.

  “Really? I didn’t see that. ”

  He handed her the binoculars. “Look again. It’s butted up against a group of bushes. Hard to see because all the tents are set up in front of it, but it’s there. ”

  She did look, straining her eyes like she was trying to find what was different about two pictures that looked exactly alike. Then she spotted it. “I see it now. Wow, I totally missed that the first time. ”

  “They’re hiding it,” Pax said.

  “For a reason, obviously. ”

  “What reason?” Teresa asked AJ.

  AJ shrugged. “Don’t know. But we’re going to have to find out. ”

  “How are we going to do that?”

  AJ grinned at Teresa. “We need Grange’s RV. ”

  THEY’D GOTTEN LUCKY WHEN THEY SHOWED UP AT THE ENTRANCE to the campground. There were a few spaces available, and one just happened to be on the southeast side, behind the Fists. The owner of the campsite said it wasn’t an ideal spot because it was remote and a good walk to the facilities, but to them it was perfect. A wall of trees and bushes separated them from the Fists, so they wouldn’t be able to see them from their campsite, but the three of them could damn sure hike through that thicket and spy on them.

  Their second round of luck was the RV Grange owned. Pax had gone back to the house to grab the RV and trailer his bike behind it. They looked just like a bunch of travelers, now, not out of place at all.

  Teresa thrilled at the thought as they set up camp, then went inside the RV. Spacious, but one bedroom, and that was pretty tiny.

  “No way are all three of us going to fit in there. ” Two people, yes. Three, and considering two of those persons were sizeable males? She didn’t think so.

  Pax gave her a lopsided grin. “You can sleep in there. AJ and I will sleep on the couches. ”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I’m not sleeping in that bed without you. ”

  “Then I guess we’ll be snuggling. ”

  Despite the chill coming in from the open windows and the goose bumps on her skin, the look Pax gave her and the thought of sharing the tiny bed with both of them heated her from the inside out. “I like snuggling. ”

  AJ came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Much as Pax and I would like nothing more than spending the rest of the night warming you up, we need to get to work. ”

  He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, then released her. She zipped up her jacket to ward off the chill and turned to him. “What do we need to do?”

  “Get close enough to the Fists’ encampment to get a glimpse of who’s there. ”

  “And see if the guy who killed Larks is camped out there?”

  AJ nodded.

  “Which means I get to go with you. ”

  “We’re not about to leave you here by yourself,” Pax said. “And you’re the only one who knows what this guy looks like, so yeah, you’re going with us. ”

  Excitement shot through her at the thought of skulking through the woods in search of the bad guy. Okay, maybe she watched too much television. But it still felt good to be included in something that had the potential to be dangerous. The old adrenaline junkie inside her awakened and jumped up and down, eager to get started.

  “So what do we do?”

  AJ glanced at his phone. “It’s almost one-thirty. They might be in bed for the night, but maybe not. I say we head over now. ”

  “Do we want them asleep or awake?” she asked.

  “Awake. I want to know who’s out there. If they’re all in tents or in that RV, we’re not going to get a chance to check them out. ”

  “What if they’re all asleep?”

  “Then we’ll be back there in the morning to scope things out. ”

  She nodded and let AJ and Pax take the lead.

  Pax took her hand, his gaze direct. “Be careful of every step you take. Walk where we walk, especially when we get close to their camp. One snap of a branch of crunch of a leaf under your boots will alert them to us. ”

  “Okay. ”

  “It’s not going to be easy, because it’s going to be dark in there. We’ll move slow and stay close so you can follow easier. ”

  “You can trust me. I’ll be careful. ”

  He palmed her neck and brushed his lips against hers, then smiled. “I know you will. ”

  She shuddered at the warmth of his kiss; she always felt enveloped by something she couldn’t put words to when either Pax or AJ touched her or kissed her. She wanted time to think about that, to sort it out, but now wasn’t that time.

  They headed toward the thick trees that separated them from the Fists. AJ went in first and Teresa followed, with Pax taking the rear. True to her word, she was attentive, mirroring AJ’s every careful move. The woodsy floor was littered with twigs and leaves and just about anything and everything that made noise if you stepped on it. Teresa cringed each time their boots made a crunch or snapping sound. It was late enough that most of the camps had quieted down for the night—but not all the camps, fortunately. And those raucous sounds carried, thankfully, masking whatever missteps the three of them took as they made their way through the woods.

  The first thing Teresa saw was a faint light, then she heard the low sounds of voices. AJ held his hand up and she stopped, Pax coming up next to her.

  They crept toward the entrance of the Fists’ camp, staying low and out of sight. AJ led them to the north, where they had a clear view but were still hidden within the shelter of trees and bushes.

  Now Teresa could see the Fists’ campfire. There were six of them sitting in a circle around the fire, drinking beer, smoking and talking. The wind picked up and smoke blanketed the circle, partially obscuring her ability to identify them. She waited, her heart pounding, for the wind to shift.

  Now. She leaned forward and blinked, wishing it were daylight so she could see better, but hoping the campfire would provide enough light. Two of the guys were bald. She scanned their faces and necks, but she knew without a
doubt that neither was the guy who killed Larks. Disappointment sank into her stomach. She turned to AJ and shook her head.

  Pax gently tugged on her arm to lead her back toward their own camp. Teresa shook her head and pointed toward the RV.

  “Can’t. Too dark and too many people. Later,” AJ whispered against her ear.

  Still, she resisted, her gaze lingering on the darkened RV. What if he was in there? They were so close.

  But Pax pulled on the sleeve of her jacket again, and she knew he was right. There was no way they could get in there with those guys hanging around outside. Better to try again in daylight.

  They did the slow creep back through the woods, and Teresa tried not to think of bugs falling into her hair or snakes slithering across her boots. She kept her eyes trained on AJ’s back until they were clear of the foliage. She ran her fingers through her hair—just in case—before entering the RV.

  It was warmer in there, so she shed her jacket and pulled off her boots. It wasn’t a huge RV, but there was enough room for the three of them to stretch out on the two cushioned sofas that sat parallel to each other. AJ had grabbed beers for him and Pax, while Teresa only wanted water. That whole escapade had made her throat go bone dry.

  “So now what?” she asked.

  “Now we’ll work in shifts so we can keep an eye on who comes out of that RV,” Pax said. “The only way to do an accurate count of who’s really staying at that camp is to keep constant watch over it. ”

  “So we’re going to take turns?”

  AJ shook his head. “Not ‘we,’ honey. Pax and me. ”

  She crossed her arms. “That’s not right. I’m perfectly capable of hanging out in the woods and watching a campsite. ”

  “You’re not a trained agent,” Pax said. “AJ and I are. So don’t even think about arguing with us. ”

  “Pax is right,” AJ said. “There’s no way we’re going to put you in danger. We can handle ourselves. ”

  Teresa couldn’t believe this. “I have a gun and know how to use it. ”

  AJ picked up her hand. “And what if they hear you and you have a dozen guys come crashing into the woods after you? You gonna shoot all of them?”

  Irritation piqued within her. “That’s the worst-case scenario. ”

  Pax nodded. “Exactly. Which is something you should always be prepared for when you’re going on surveillance. ”

  Dammit. She hated not being part of this. “You can’t identify the guy. I can. ”

  “I think we have a pretty good idea which one he isn’t. And you gave a damn good description of his appearance and neck tattoos. If we spot him, we’ll notify you and you can ID him. ”

  She glared at AJ and blew out a long, frustrated sigh. “Fine. But I don’t like not contributing. ”

  AJ squeezed her hand. “Honey, without you we couldn’t do this. You’re the biggest contributor. ”

  Somehow that didn’t make her feel better.

  SEVENTEEN

  AJ HAD TAKEN THE FIRST SHIFT, LEAVING PAX TO STAY WITH Teresa. Not that he minded being alone with her. They’d both taken a shower—unfortunately not at the same time, since the shower was nothing more than a small box. Since then Teresa had been watching him and not saying much at all.

  She was wound up tight and pacing the confines of the RV. Pax sat at the table and watched her walk past, her arms snugged tight under her breasts, her head down. She took the steps slow, but the tension rolled off of her in waves.

  Finally, he’d had enough. He stood and blocked her path. “Babe, you need to calm down. ”

  Her head shot up. “I’m fine. ”

  “She says through gritted teeth. ” He offered a teasing smile she didn’t return. Okay, he’d just have to try and figure out what was wrong. Maybe she was worried about AJ being out there.

  “AJ’s fine. ”