Atonement

by Winter Austin

  “Let’s just find them first. We’ll hash out the details when the time comes,” Con said and then gave a departing nod. Gesturing for Cadno to lead the way, they took off along the road.

  When Nic caught up with them, Con frowned at her. “You don’t need to provoke them. We’re all on the same side.”

  “Why don’t you remind them of that? Everyone seems to think I should have been the one to put down Walker instead of letting him do the job. Yet I was in the wrong when it came to taking out his cousin.”

  He sighed. “Everyone is confused about the current events. Let’s just remember we’re all human here and we’re prone to mistakes.”

  “There you go again, looking on the bright side of things. For a cop, you sure are optimistic about life and people in general,” she said.

  “Nic, I’m Irish. We’ve had only our luck and our charm to keep us going, and that amounts to about jack-shite. Maybe I’m a bloody fool for wanting to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I just remember somewhere, someone is having a worse day than me.”

  She snorted. “Can’t argue with that,” she muttered.

  A few hundred yards away from the nearest patrol car, Con halted Cadno and then knelt to the dog’s level. Nic stood behind them, her head swiveling back and forth as she scanned the area. The pained expression on her face worried a knot in Con’s gut. She’d been on high alert from the moment they left her stepmother. Was the concussion bothering her? Oh, feck it, he never should have allowed her to sway him to do this.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I don’t know this place. Sheriff Hamilton usually assigned this side of McIntire County to Walker when we did patrol.”

  “It can’t be that big of a problem.”

  “Con, I’m not familiar with the lay of the land. I can’t plan for prime sniping positions. We didn’t exactly pull up land maps before we came out here.”

  “Nic, look at me.”

  She turned sharply, staring at him. He resisted the urge to grin at her; it would only provoke her, even when he meant to ease her mind.

  “You’re worried, I get it. Cassy’s out there, and you want to make sure conditions are perfect. But can you truthfully say all of your missions went perfectly?”

  A tick started in the corner of her eye. She blinked rapidly and then shook her head. “You’re exasperating when you’re right, you know that?”

  “I don’t try to be.” He held up Cassy’s discarded jacket—they found at the house—for Cadno to sniff. “Let Cadno do his thing, and while we’re out there, you can scout for a good spot, if it comes to that.”

  Her sigh eased some of the knots out of Con’s gut. She was a better asset when she was relaxed. “God, I hope this works.”

  Once Cadno had the scent locked in, he sat back on his haunches, waiting for the command to go.

  “Are you ready?” Con asked. “Once he finds it, he’s going to move fast.”

  “I’ll deal with the pain later. Put him to work.”

  With a nod, Con gave Cadno the hand signal to search. The German Shepherd took off, nose to the ground. Back and forth, he swept the area, pausing to take something in, then moving on.

  Come on, where are you hiding, you little prick?

  Con chanced a sidelong glance at Nic and did a double take. Her face was puckered, like she was sucking on a sour candy, and pale lines streaked across her cheeks. She stood rigidly, staring in one direction, oblivious to what Cadno was doing.

  “If I’m reading your expression right, Nic, you need to stop it. Dark thoughts about Cassy and your father won’t help us any.”

  “I can feel it in my gut. Patrick has him.”

  “Hmmm. Good thing Emma gave me something of his for Cadno to scent.”

  Nic stopped walking and gaped at him. Yep, he was still shocking her.

  Cadno stopped, lifted his head and sniffed the air. Con and Nic waited. Anticipation hovered like smoke around them. Had he found something? Shaking his head, Cadno dropped his head and came back to Con.

  “What’s that mean?”

  Con pulled another item from the backpack he carried and knelt. “I gather that it means he’s not picking up what he wants.” This time, he held out a shirt that The General had worn, heavily covered in his scent. “Come on, boy, you’ve got this.” His phone shrilled from his belt.

  “Shane, have you found anything I could use right now?”

  “Possibly. Con, do you remember Bill Roberts?”

  “Old widower that lived over on Redbud Lane? He’s in a nursing home if I recall.”

  “That’s him. He has no family to speak of, and his place is being rented out to help offset his expenses. He used to go hunting a lot, even had a place staked out way back on one of his properties. I just remembered because I went with a party out there one time. It’s several miles from where you are.”

  “You think Patrick found it and is hiding out there?” Con asked.

  “It would certainly make sense. Stop what you’re doing and head west of your location. I’d say it’s probably four or five miles farther. I’m on my way to meet you there, with Agent Hunt hot on my tail.”

  “Copy that.” Con disconnected the call and relayed what Shane had told him.

  “This will make it easier,” she said.

  “Stay here with Cadno. I’ll get the truck and tell the guys to go.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Con located the dead-end gravel road leading to the property Shane had talked about. He parked at the juncture of the gravel and pavement for the other men to find them and got out. Nic and Cadno met him in front of the truck. It was coming on nine in the morning, and the temperature was expected to get into the upper sixties, a perfect warming trend for Cadno to use.

  “All right, boy, let’s try this again.” Con held out Cassy’s jacket.

  His gaze drifted up to Nic. The strain was evident on her face and in the way she stood, rigid and at attention. She held on to the rifle sling like it was her lifeline. Damn it, why couldn’t she just let go and hang on to him?

  Cadno turned from the shirt and pointed in the direction he wanted to go, waiting for the command. Con straightened then signaled the command. The MWD took off, a bit faster than last time. Both he and Nic had to jog to catch up.

  “Do you think he has a better scent?” she asked.

  “Appears so.”

  They kept pace for a few yards, but Nic’s injuries finally got to her. She slowed, breathing heavier than Con liked. Thankfully, Cadno pulled up short and began testing the air and the ground for scent. Nic came to a stop and cradled her midsection as she arched her back.

  “Maybe you should have followed in the truck.”

  Her eyes flashed. The scowl she gave him might have peeled paint from a house. “I can do this.”

  Holding up his hands in surrender, he focused his attention on Cadno’s progress, but his mind wouldn’t shut out what he’d been dwelling on for the last twenty-four hours. He loved Nic, but he couldn’t get a read on whether she felt the same way. One minute she’d stare at him, her emotions written out for the world to see, the next she’d shut it away and turn hard as stone. He got that she had a difficult time expressing any kind of tender feelings toward anyone, all thanks to her da’. What did Con have to do to show her it didn’t have to be like that with him?

  Should he tell her? He’d considered it so many times but couldn’t bring himself to say it because he didn’t know how she’d react. Maybe the direct, blunt route was the best to use on her. Now was as good as any time to tell her. He opened his mouth.

  “Look.” Nic was pointing toward Cadno, who had dropped to the ground, facing an overgrown lane that led into the timber.

  They both took off at a run to catch up with the dog. Con spotted the freshly bent grass where a vehicle had passed through. Signaling the German Shepherd to continue, Con drew his weapon as he followed his dog down the path. He glanced back to check on Nic’s progress; she
was planting a marker device for the sheriff and Agent Hunt to locate them. Then she caught up to them.

  Cautiously, they made their way along the lane. Their boots began to sink into the spongy ground. Through the dense timber and brush he caught a glint of light.

  “I think I see a car,” Nic whispered.

  Sure enough, there was a car, parked off the lane and hidden in the foliage. Water sparkled under the shafts of sunlight that broke through the trees. From the front of the car and as far as he could see it was a marsh.

  “Explains why he ditched the car here.” Con rewarded Cadno for a job well done.

  Nic slipped past, her boots barely making a sound as she walked through the large puddle. “Listen.”

  Con strained to hear what she was hearing. It hit him as soon as his ears picked it up. A motor was running. “Generator?” he guessed.

  “The hunting cabin probably isn’t far.” Nic did a complete three-sixty, scouting the area. “There’s no high ground. The trees are thick; we might be able to get close enough without being spotted.”

  Before she could get out of his reach, he caught her arm and pulled her back. “Nic, have you considered that he wants you to find him and has something planned?”

  She swallowed, giving him a curt nod.

  “What’s your counterattack?”

  “I don’t know yet. I have to get a lay of the land before I make a plan of action. We’re going in blind here, Con, and it gives me the damn willies.”

  His hand trailed down her arm until he took her hand in his. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, feeling the tremble that moved through her hand. With a tug, he pulled her closer, and cupping her face, he looked into her eyes. What he hoped to see was there, mingling with her determination.

  Lowering his mouth to hers, he brushed a tender kiss to her lips. “I love you,” he whispered against her mouth.

  She closed her eyes, drew in a quick breath through her nose, then gave him a hard kiss before stepping out of his grasp. They stared at each other for a heartbeat, then Nic turned on her heel and, like a ghost, disappeared into the trees.

  • • •

  Damn it to hell!

  Why’d he have to go and say that? Now? When she needed to be focused on the mission and what she had to do.

  Elation coursed through her veins. He loved her. Then sadness circumvented the elation. His love might be short-lived. She had no idea how this was going down. If given the choice between her life and Cassy’s, Nic would switch with her sister in a heartbeat. It was the only way she knew how to appease The General’s longstanding animosity toward his oldest daughter. Nic wasn’t a fool—had she been the one to die instead of her mother, he might have remained the happy, loving man she vaguely remembered.

  A twig snapped underfoot, and she froze.

  Shit. She was too busy daydreaming and not paying attention to her movements. Why didn’t she just yell an announcement to Patrick that she was here and scouting for a place to shoot him?

  Puffs of smoke peeked through the trees. The smell of burning hickory filled her nostrils. At least he was keeping the place warm for Cassy. The generator was louder now, and Nic was able to get a visual on the cabin.

  Interestingly, Patrick had cleaned the neglected place up, clearing the yard of fallen leaves and debris and patching worn parts of the roof. There had to be a self-serving reason for it, but his particular need for cleanliness fed into Nic’s profile of him. He needed to control his environment and the people in it.

  Nic hunkered down and scanned the area. By all appearances, there seemed to be a lone door; she’d have to check the back to make sure. The smoke drifting from the chimney stayed below the tree line, so he wasn’t building a large fire, which prevented anyone from noticing it out on the road. Camouflaged canvases were set up at the far corner of the cabin, probably to disguise the generator. Seemed odd to have them just hanging out like that, but from a distance, they’d dissuade anyone from being suspicious of someone using the cabin.

  The scene triggered a memory, and she rocked back on her heels, the gun stock preventing her from falling on her rear. She shook free of the flashback and, using her hand as a tripod, leaned forward. She wouldn’t let the PTSD get to her. This was where her training kicked in, putting her in her element as the predator.

  Digging out her binoculars, she adjusted the sights to get a better look at the cabin. No movement appeared in the few, small windows. The whole structure couldn’t have been more than one big open room. So where was Patrick hiding?

  Those windows proved problematic, too. They were small and didn’t allow for much space to shoot through. She’d have to draw him outside, knowing full well he’d use Cassy as a shield. Cowards drugged and tricked people into killing themselves, and this one would have no problem using another human to shield himself from harm.

  She checked her watch. Sheriff Hamilton should have found her marker by now and would be coming—hopefully quietly—this way. As much as she trusted Hamilton to do a good job at being the sheriff, she wasn’t comfortable letting him take charge of this situation. Especially with Agent Asshole in the mix. Nic still burned with resentment against that man for putting her sister in trouble.

  Why had Cassy agreed to it? Nic asked her to assist in going through the cases, not get sucked in neck deep.

  Leaves rustled behind her, and she jerked, the rifle swinging around into position to fire.

  “Hold your horses. It’s just me and Cadno,” Con hissed.

  Relaxing, she set the gun down on its tripod and shifted onto her knees. “Rustling leaves isn’t enough of a warning.”

  “Sorry.” He squatted down next to her. “You never did tell me what to do when approaching you like that.”

  Guess she never had. This was odd for her, since in the past her spotter had always been right with her, scoping and relaying intel as they prepared for the kill.

  “Nic, I didn’t mean to scare you off with—”

  Her hand went up and closed into a fist, cutting him off. The door was opening. When there was a sizable crack it opened no further. The overhang from the roof and the darkened interior prevented her from seeing who was standing there. Had she been set up for a shot, she wouldn’t have a clear line of fire. It was like Patrick had purposely chosen this place with her in mind.

  “There’s no need for subterfuge. I know you’re out there.”

  Stunned by how well his voice carried, Nic sat on her legs. That was the voice she heard the other night when he hit her with the branch. His voice was deeper, with more of a New England accent than she’d picked up during all those conversations at the Killdeer Pub. The difference between what she heard now and then could fool anyone.

  Shock wearing off, she lifted the binoculars and zeroed in on the open door. “If you know that, then you’re aware of what I have with me.” Nic liked how her voice bounced among the trees, keeping her actual position secret for now. “This could end peacefully.”

  “Sadly, Nicolette, the only peaceful solution isn’t the one of your choosing. Tell O’Hanlon to leave, insist that his presence be gone, and we’ll continue this conversation.” The door gradually closed.

  “He’s out of his bloody mind if he thinks I’m going anywhere,” Con said.

  She gripped Con’s arm. “Hang on a sec,” she said, keeping her voice low. “This might work to our advantage.”

  He looked at her cockeyed. “Have you gone daft? Separating and leaving you alone isn’t a good idea.”

  “You’re not leaving me alone. Besides, someone needs to check to see if Hamilton is here yet.” She dug out a few bullets, picked up her rifle, and handed it all to Con. “Take this and pretend to be taking it away; he’s probably watching. I want him to think I’m at a disadvantage without my rifle. Once I have his full attention and he’s not concerned with you being out here, come back, set up my gun within ten to twenty yards from the door. I need to know where the rifle is, and this is as good a place as any.�
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  “And what do you want me to do after that?”

  “Lock him in. If you have to the be the one to use the rifle, then so be it. Cassy and I get out of this situation alive.”

  “You’re forgetting someone.”

  She frowned. “If The General is in there, he’s on his own.” She shooed Con away and climbed to her feet, staying next to a tree.

  Con called Cadno to his side and stood, cradling the rifle in his arms like it was a child. It warmed her seeing him treat that object with care. Before he took a step to leave, she grabbed his collar and pulled him close.

  “You didn’t scare me off.” She shrugged a shoulder. “The timing was way off, but you didn’t scare me.” She caressed his cheek, staring at his mouth. The words were there, they just wouldn’t come out. She didn’t know how to say them; they were as foreign to her as his Irish language.

  The one man who hadn’t gotten away from her. Nor had he left her. He’d stayed even when it got ugly. He deserved to know, because she had no idea how this situation was going to play out.

  Dragging him closer, she looked him in the eye. “No matter what happens, know I … I love you.” She gave him a fierce kiss, then pushed him away. “Go.” She turned for the cabin and didn’t look back.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Moving tree to tree, she crept closer, keeping low to the ground and using as much of the shadows to her advantage as she could and as much as her injuries would allow. The concussion and her battered body were slowing her down. Her tactical clothing had been meant for night, and she wished she’d put on the camo ones instead. Easing behind a fat trunk, she squatted with her back to the rough bark and peered around the tree.

  Mere yards separated her from the cabin’s front door. She lifted the wide band strapping her sidearm in its holster and settled her hand on the butt. Before she went into sniper school, she was subjected to the rigors of being a combat marine. So many waited for her to fail, wash out, and become the laughingstock of the Corps. To this day, she couldn’t begin to explain how she managed to survive those months of hell and not break.