by Gerri Hill
“Okay. What time?”
“I’ll let you know in the morning. You’re just a few hours away, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll hang around the rig, play with the algorithms.”
“Good. And I know we’re all stressed, Cameron, but let’s try to keep our cool.”
“So what’s up? Reynolds tattled on me already? Did he learn that from Collie?”
“You’re naïve if you think Collie is the only one who tattles on you, Ross. Everyone who works with you has a complaint.”
She smiled. “Great. Then my reputation is still intact.” She watched as Andrea zipped the bag closed, finally hiding Collie’s face from her view. “Oh, forgot to tell you. Collie’s badge and weapon are missing. He had no ID or personal effects on him.”
“Wonderful,” he said dryly. “So this lunatic now has FBI credentials and a gun. Always full of good news, Ross.”
As always, the call ended without pleasantries, although under the circumstances, it was enough. She slipped her phone into her pocket and hurried over to the others, helping to carry the rack across the rocks that littered Devil’s Bridge. She stood back as Randy and Joey lifted him onto the mule, then waited while Andrea strapped him down.
“Take him to Cutty’s,” Andrea said. “The ME is bringing their van from Phoenix to pick him up there.”
“Okay.”
“What’s Cutty’s?” Cameron asked.
“Funeral home. James Cutty. He’s been kind enough to house all the victims until they come for them.”
“Hell of a name,” she said.
“You want to ride out with Randy?” Andrea offered.
Cameron spied the two horses that Randy and Joey had rode in on, guiding the mule behind them. She thought maybe the least she could do was to take Collie out of here. She’d avoided him enough already. Besides, she needed to get this new data loaded.
“Yeah. I think so.” She glanced at Joey. “Okay with you, man?”
“Sure. I’ll walk out with Andi.”
She nodded, taking the reins of his horse. She turned to Andrea, silently thanking her before climbing in the saddle. She let Randy take the lead, her horse side by side with the mule... and Collie.
Chapter Twenty-One
After much debate with herself, Andrea set out to do what she’d intended all along. She drove to Cameron’s rig. She’d not heard a word from her since she’d left the canyon. When she and Joey made it back to the office, the medical examiner had already collected Collie’s body and was heading back to Phoenix. She’d placed a call to them, letting them know she’d e-mail her preliminary field report. She spent the next hour completing it, making sure she’d not left anything out. She still had Cameron’s digital recorder, but Cameron had the data for the coordinates. She noted that in her report.
She spent another hour going over everything with Jim, bouncing ideas off him. She wanted to go back to the other scenes and do a more thorough search of the perimeter. They’d initially checked twenty, thirty feet out in all directions. If Collie, who weighed two hundred pounds, was left more than fifty feet away, chances were the young college students were killed even farther away from where their bodies were placed.
She had ideas—theories—that she wanted to discuss with Cameron, but she’d hesitated going to her. She thought perhaps Cameron wanted to be alone or that she had work to do, the case becoming more urgent now. So she’d waited, hoping Cameron would call. As the dinner hour came and went, Andrea half-heartedly ate a cold sandwich she’d thrown together. Finally, as the clock ticked past eight, she could stand it no more. She grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge and the keys to her Jeep and sped away. If Cameron didn’t want to see her, she’d just have to send her away.
Now, as she parked next to Cameron’s truck, she had second thoughts. The rig appeared dark. Although there was still enough light in the summer sky, Cameron may not have turned hers on yet. She got out of the Jeep, hesitating. Maybe she should have called first. Maybe she should—
“Security is off. Come in.”
She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before moving closer. Cameron’s voice sounded strained, tired. She opened the door, taking the two steps to get inside. It was indeed dark, not a light turned on. Cameron was sprawled on the tiny loveseat, the black kitten curled in her lap. Her computer sat on the small table beside her, a view of the outside and Andrea’s Jeep on her screen.
“I should have called, I guess,” she said, moving inside and closing the door behind her. “I thought maybe you would need to talk.”
“Not a whole lot to talk about, really.” Cameron looked at her for the first time and Andrea wondered if she’d been crying. “I’m sorry. I won’t be very good company I’m afraid.”
“I didn’t really come for the company,” she said. “I just thought you might want to talk.” She nudged Cameron’s legs out of the way and sat down beside her. Cameron’s normal jeans were replaced with shorts and Andrea noted her hair was still damp from an earlier shower. “Have you had dinner?” Andrea asked, knowing it was a silly question that she didn’t need an answer to.
“Not hungry.”
Andrea leaned back, saying nothing, just watching as Cameron continued to stroke Lola’s fur. The kitten’s loud purring was the only sound.
“I didn’t really like the man,” Cameron said finally. “In fact, most days, if you’d asked me, I’d have said I hated him.”
“Did you really?”
“No. But he liked to push my buttons. He knew which ones to push, and I let him. He drove me crazy.”
“Maybe it was just a game that you both played,” Andrea guessed. “You still respected him and he you.”
Cameron gave a bitter laugh. “No. I’d be lying. There wasn’t any mutual respect between us. I just...well, he was someone I loved to hate. It went both ways. But you’re right. It was a game to see who could piss off the other more.” She pushed Lola onto Andrea’s lap as she stood. “And now I goddamn feel guilty,” she said. “I hate myself. All the times I called him an asshole, a fucker,” she said loudly. “Now he’s dead. He let himself get abducted, for God’s sake...and now he’s dead.”
“Cameron—”
“Don’t tell me I shouldn’t feel guilty,” she said. “You know all about feeling guilty, don’t you?”
Andrea didn’t say anything as Cameron paced. Yes, she knew all about feeling guilty. She was the queen of guilt.
“So many people have come and gone in my life. Why are there so many tragic endings? Why?” She held her hand wide, touching a finger. “Gloria. She was ten years older than me, a British agent. We were on a joint assignment. We became lovers. I let my guard down, they got past me. She was killed.” Cameron touched another finger. “Ten members of my team. Roadside bomb. I survived. They didn’t.” Another finger. “Max Caldwell, sniper. He taught me everything he knew. Took a knife to the back when he thought he’d scored an easy lay. She was a spy.” She closed her eyes. “Laurie. Swallowed by the sea at the age of twenty-eight.” She opened her eyes again, her stare cold as she looked at Andrea. “My mother. My brother. Dirk Walker, my best friend in high school. He jumped off a fucking bridge and killed himself.”
“Cameron, stop,” Andrea said.
“No, I don’t want to stop. There are so many more. So many dead. Yet I go on. I keep going on, just waiting my turn.” She met Andrea’s eyes in the lengthening darkness. “I sometimes wish it would hurry up and get here already, you know.”
Andrea stood then, going to her. “Stop it. You don’t mean that.”
“Don’t I? What good is it all, Andrea? What good has come of any of it?” She pulled away when Andrea reached for her. “No. Don’t,” she said as she jerked her arm from Andrea’s grasp. “I told you I wasn’t going to be very good company.” She plunged both hands into her hair. “I need to get out of here. I need to take a drive, clear my mind.”
“No.”
“No? You’re not really in a posit
ion to stop me.”
“Cameron, please. You’re scaring me. You’re scaring Lola,” she said, pointing to the kitten who was huddled in the corner of the sofa, her eyes wide with fright at Cameron’s loud voice. Cameron’s intense stare finally left Andrea as she glanced at the kitten. Andrea saw her expression soften immediately.
Cameron closed her eyes again and tucked her head. “I’m sorry, Andi. God, I’m so sorry.” She moved then, scooping up the kitten and bringing it to her chest. “Hey, furball. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She looked at Andrea, her eyes gentle now, asking for forgiveness.
Andrea nodded. “It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry,” Cameron said again, then sighed. “I hate the name Lola, you know.”
“So what do you want to call her?”
Cameron tilted her head, her gaze lingering on the kitten. “I was thinking I’d name her Sedona. That way, when I leave here, I’ll have something to remind me.”
“Will you need something?” Andrea asked quietly.
The rig was nearly surrounded by darkness, but Andrea could still make out Cameron’s thoughtful expression. She slowly returned Lola to the loveseat then reached for Andrea.
“No. I won’t need a reminder.” She paused, lightly touching Andrea’s face with both hands. “I need to be with you tonight,” she whispered, her mouth inches from Andrea’s. “Will you please stay with me?”
Andrea closed the distance, accepting Cameron’s hard kiss. Cameron pulled her into a tight embrace and just as quickly pushed her away, leading her through the darkness and into her bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Andrea sat at her desk, knowing she had several things she could be doing—should be doing—but she couldn’t seem to focus. Her mind, her body, was still filled with Cameron. Never in her life had she made love with the intensity that Cameron had demanded last night. Each touch, each kiss, took her breath away. Cameron had been insatiable and Andrea had given her what she needed, to the point of pure exhaustion. She’d collapsed on top of Cameron finally, her fingers still inside her. She couldn’t remember Cameron’s mumbled words as she pulled the covers over both of them, but she remembered feeling completely safe as Cameron’s arms wound around her as she slept.
She’d left without waking Cameron, pausing only to feed Lola before escaping to her Jeep, thankful the security wasn’t on. Apparently, Cameron—in her haste—had forgotten to arm it.
Now, exhausted as she was, she wished she’d stayed. Her body came alive at just the thought of waking up with Cameron. She was delightfully sore, her muscles aching, but she could still feel the remnants of her arousal, could still picture—with intimate detail—Cameron’s mouth as it left her breasts only to travel much lower, Cameron’s loud moan was so sensual as she claimed Andrea, her tongue slicing through her wetness, raking over her swollen clit, bringing her to orgasm yet again.
Andrea squeezed her legs together tightly, nearly moaning out loud at the sweet tightness that ached to be touched. She stood quickly, heading to the bathroom to perhaps do just that when she saw Cameron’s truck pull up outside. She had a sudden, wicked thought, wondering how much she’d have to beg Cameron to slip into the bathroom with her and give her the release her body suddenly craved.
She shook that thought away, trying in vain to appear somewhat professional when Cameron walked in. Randy and Joey were already eyeing her suspiciously. But her professional mask slipped away when she met Cameron’s eyes. Their gazes locked for long seconds before she finally pulled hers away, embarrassed as surely Randy and Joey knew exactly where her thoughts had been.
“Good morning, Deputy Sullivan,” Cameron said. “I’m wondering if I can have a word?”
“Of course.” She looked around, but Jim was in his office and the guys showed no interest in leaving. That left the somewhat exposed break room in the back. She motioned with her head and Cameron followed.
“I missed you this morning,” Cameron said quietly. “You should have woken me up before you left.”
“If I did, it wouldn’t have been to say goodbye,” she admitted, her voice just as quiet as they stood mere feet apart.
Cameron smiled, but her eyes belied how tired she was. “I... well, thank you for staying last night. I’m sorry that I freaked out and got a little crazy. I didn’t mean to scare you. It just, well, everything got to me at once.”
“I understand. I’ve been there.”
Cameron took a deep breath then moved away, clearing her throat. “I have to go to Phoenix. I’ve got to meet with Reynolds. He’s taking over for Collie. Murdock is going to do a video feed so we can all meet and talk this out.”
Andrea had a moment of panic. “You’re leaving?” Of course she knew Cameron would be leaving eventually, but she thought—
“No, no. I’m leaving the rig here. But I was hoping maybe you’d stay there.” She looked around them quickly, seeing Randy and Joey blatantly watching them. “Take care of Lola for me,” she said.
“Oh, okay. Sure. Will you be long?”
“I should be back tomorrow, I’d think.” She pulled out her remote. “Listen, this is easy. To arm it, you push this,” she said, pointing to the “program” button. “Punch in the code—I’ve written them down for you—and hit ‘enable.’ Simple as that.”
“And to disarm?”
“Hit ‘program,’ do the code, and ‘disable’.” Cameron handed her the remote. “You can use this from the inside too. There’s a keypad and the controls for the cameras in my office, but it’s too complicated to try to explain, so just use this. Now, I drove the rig to the campground this morning and dumped the holding tanks and filled her up with fresh water, so she’s ready to go.”
“But it’s back where you normally park it?”
“Her,” Cameron corrected with a smile. “Yes. And thank you for doing this.”
“Of course.”
“You might want to change the sheets on the bed,” she said, her voice again quiet, teasing.
“I’m thinking that’s probably a good idea.”
“Feel free to snoop around. The sheets are in one of the pull-out drawers under the bed.”
“Okay.” Andrea held her ground as Cameron took a step closer.
“I wish I could kiss you,” she whispered.
“Yes. So do I.”
Cameron’s gaze dropped to Andrea’s mouth and Andrea took a step back, afraid she would really do it. “Don’t you dare.”
Cameron smiled. “No, I wouldn’t dare.” She glanced at her watch. “I need to get going. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know when I’ll be back.”
Andrea almost said something foolish, like “I’ll miss you,” but thankfully came to her senses before the words tumbled out. She simply nodded, squeezing the remote tightly in her hands as she watched Cameron saunter out of the office.
“Damn, but she’s hot,” Joey said as he stretched his neck to the side, watching as Cameron got in her truck.
“I’ll say. She looks so buff. Wonder what she looks like naked,” Randy murmured.
They both turned and looked at Andrea, eyebrows raised. She felt a blush cover her face.
“How the hell should I know?” she said as she sat back down at her desk, making a show of straightening the clutter.
Randy laughed loudly. “I have never seen you blush before, Andi. What’s up with that?”
Andrea ignored them, not wanting to get into a teasing battle with either of them. The fact that she and Cameron were sleeping together was completely unprofessional. The fact that they were partners on this case made it even more so. The last thing she wanted was for someone to question her ability or dedication to the case. So far, she and Cameron had been able to work together fine, despite the intimacy between them. She hoped they could keep it that way.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I’ve already explained about the dump sites, Reynolds. What is it you don’t get?” She pierced him with her best glare, pleased to see some
unease in his eyes. Then he flashed a fake smile, his teeth white against his ebony skin.
“We’ve been searching in vain for the murder scenes, that’s what I don’t get.”
“And we’ve been looking too. As I explained to Murdock, it was quite by accident we found this one.”
“Then maybe we should send the team up there to go over the other sites again.”
Cameron leaned back in her chair, taking in his fancy suit and tie, his shiny, polished shoes, his perfectly manicured hands, the pristine white shirt beneath his black coat. She gave a lazy smile. “Sure, Reynolds, you come on out to the desert. Bring your friends.”
“You don’t think we can handle it?”
“You wouldn’t last half a day.”
“I’ll have you know—”
“Agents, can we not have one discussion without testosterone getting in the way?” Murdock’s voice sounded through the speakers.
“About time you get here,” Cameron said as the monitor sprang to life and Murdock’s somewhat hazy image appeared. She frowned. “You’ve lost weight,” she said.
“Yes. Thanks for noticing. I’ve also gotten gray. Working with you does that to me.”
She also noticed how tired he looked. This case was obviously as stressful for him as anyone. Particularly because of Collie. Whereas Cameron and Collie never saw eye-to-eye, Murdock and Collie usually did. Being the go-between must have taken its toll on him.
“I’ve already given her what little we have,” Reynolds said. “We’re still going over the security tapes. We managed to find his car on one of the traffic cams, but it’s only for a block. It never shows back up, so we don’t know what street he took.”
“Possible that he was on the way to the shelter?” Cameron asked.