He nodded, like he always did. “I’m fine for now.”
“Maybe we should all be in on the questioning. I mean, I already checked the woods.”
Joel knew that would eat up too much time. “This go-round we’ll look for tracks.”
“Want me to do that? It’s more of my specialty than yours,” Cam said.
“We’ll be fine.”
Cam reached for the doorknob. “I bet.”
“Can I have a gun?”
Her question stopped both men. Cam froze and Joel did a quick count to ten. She could handle it, but she was still spooked and he had to be sure she was back in full control before he handed her a loaded gun. Still... “No.”
“Can you shoot?” Cam asked.
“Been practicing since I was ten.”
Joel wasn’t having this conversation right now. He reached around and shoved the door open, bringing the warm breeze inside. “Shooting a person is different.”
Her head snapped back. “Are we doing that?”
He hoped not. “Maybe.”
“And you would know how hard that is.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Yes, I would.”
* * *
THEY’D CROSSED OUT of sight of the campground before Hope broached the difficult subject. Actually, about a hundred feet away she opened her mouth and then closed it again, focusing on the sway of branches against the increasing wind and the clomp of their feet against the ground.
Later they hit the point where she could see sunlight up ahead and knew the helicopter sat a short distance away. She didn’t hold back. “Are we going to talk about it?”
He stopped scanning the trees and large expanse of forest around them to spare her a glance. “About what?”
Men were clueless. “Us.”
He exhaled. “Hope—”
“I know. You don’t have to list off the reasons why we should pretend we’ve never slept together.”
“I never said that.”
“You act like it.”
“And, for the record, it was more than sex.”
“Was it?” She asked even though she couldn’t stand to hear him dismiss their relationship as unimportant—again.
True, they hadn’t been together in what felt like forever. She’d convinced herself she didn’t care and could move on, but seeing him made her realize how untrue that was.
He picked a leaf off a branch that nearly whacked him in the face. “We can’t do this now.”
The world around her barely registered. Not when this topic came up.
She’d heard all of the excuses. They ran through her mind on constant play. They spilled out of her now before she could call them back. “This is the wrong time. I’m the wrong guy. You deserve better. My background is a mess. My job is dangerous.”
He stopped. “Excuse me?”
“Have you invented more reasons? I’ve heard all of those, and none of them sent me running.”
“Wow.”
She debated storming ahead, leaving him floundering, but refrained. Childish wasn’t the answer when what she really wanted was for him to treat her the way a woman deserved to be treated. “Imagine how I felt as you ticked off that list, or some version of it, day after day. You always had a new reason to push away and leave, but you never found one to stay.”
“That’s not true.”
She knew it was because she had lived it. “All those months ago I asked you to move in with me since you were basically staying there every night anyway, and you flew out of town on a business trip the next morning instead of giving me an answer.”
“That was legitimate.”
“Joel, come on.”
The leaf disappeared as Joel crushed it inside his clenched fist. “Your father said you were dating again.”
Her gaze slipped back up to his. “What?”
“No?”
The conversation had her mind spinning. Her dad still talked with Joel? And since when was her dating life up for discussion? Not that she really had one. She struggled through a few setups from friends and had a perfectly nice time with a guy from her climbing club.
Handsome men, fun places and she didn’t experience so much as a spark. Not even a tiny nibble of interest.
But that’s not where her mind went when Joel asked the question. It zoomed right to her nightmare scenario. The one where he walked away and found someone else. Where the truth turned out to be not that he wasn’t ready to make a commitment but that he didn’t want to make one to her.
“Are you?” Two simple words, but it actually hurt her to say them.
“I didn’t leave you so I could date other women. My decision wasn’t about being a playboy.” His voice rose and anger slipped in as he spoke.
As if he had a right to be upset about the fallout. “Well, I guess that’s good to know.”
Instead of standing around arguing, she headed in the direction of the helicopter. This was a waste of time and they had more important things to worry about than her broken heart.
Joel grabbed her arm before she got more than three feet. “Hey, wait up.”
She didn’t shake out of his grip, though she could have because his hold was more gentle than confining. Seeing the pain in his dark eyes killed off any thought of pulling back anyway.
He closed in, bringing his body within a few breaths of hers. “You know I’m telling the truth, right?”
“I know you had a lot of excuses. Still do.” And she couldn’t hear them again. Not and still function.
“Hope, look...I want...”
“What?” She heard the pleading in her voice.
His eyes closed and when they opened again the wary expression hadn’t faded. “Maybe we should stick to finding Mark.”
Just like that, the mood changed. Something snapped and the tension that had been building blew away.
Because he seemed to want an out, she gave him one. Maybe a change of topic made sense. There had been so much pain and disappointment, so many tears. She needed her head in the game and her mind on Mark. “Fine. Why are we headed back to the helicopter instead of following tracks?”
“I want to check in at work.”
“And?” Joel’s face went blank and she wasn’t falling for it. “Oh, please. Maybe I didn’t see you walking out on me, but I do know you. Part of you, and you are fixated and worried.”
“I didn’t leave you—”
“Joel.”
His hand dropped. “Okay, yes. I’m concerned.”
“You’re admitting it?”
“You deserve that much.” He motioned with his head for them to start walking again. “This is your job, and I think something is very wrong here.”
The honesty flooded her with relief. “Good.”
“Why good?”
“Sharing even that much is a big step for you.”
“I thought you’d be happy I left.” His voice dropped to a near whisper. “Back then, I mean.”
The words stunned her and she stumbled. She stared at him, thinking he had to be playing a sick joke, even though that wasn’t his style. But he looked ahead, not even blinking.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” She was about to pull him to a stop when a crack echoed through the trees. Dirt kicked up a few feet away from her, and birds swooped out of the trees in a rush.
“Get down!” His full body smacked into her before he finished talking.
The ground rushed up and she put out a hand to stop the free fall. Her legs twisted with his and the second before she slammed into the ground he turned them.
Landing on his side with a grunt, he absorbed the majority of their combined body weight on his shoulder. His body bounced and she tried to move away and let him brace for impact, but he curled her body into his. Still, the jolt rattled her teeth and she heard him swear under his breath.
She could taste dirt and feel sharp sticks jabbing into her bare legs and ripping off her bandage. Her mind finally focused and the sounds o
f the forest came rushing back. “Joel—”
“Don’t move.”
It had sounded like... But it couldn’t be. “What was that?” She whispered the question as she frantically looked around.
Before she could scramble to her feet, he shoved her against the ground and covered her body with his. His fingers slipped into her hair as he held her down. She heard a steady stream of reassuring words, but they barely registered over the fear and panic pounding through her.
She expected shouts and more pops. When nothing came, she glanced up. His gaze scanned the area, and his gun was up and ready. She swallowed hard at the vulnerability of their position. Right there on her makeshift path with nothing covering them or blocking their view in any direction.
“A gunshot.” He was so close the words vibrated against the side of her head.
Adrenaline pumped through her, and her heartbeat hammered in her ears so loudly she thought for sure she’d give away their position. “Where did it come from?”
“I’m more worried about who and how many.” He shifted his weight until most of it fell away to her side. “Stay under me.”
“Are you wearing a bulletproof vest?”
“Didn’t think I’d need one.”
She waited for the attacker to rush them. Listened for another shot. “I can’t hear or see anything.”
“I need to get to the helicopter.”
A vision of him running and getting shot hit her with the force of a crashing train. The horror of it stole her breath and had her fingernails digging into the dirt. “No.”
“I have a vest and binoculars in there.” He slipped farther off her. “Other weapons.”
“You can’t risk going into the open.”
With barely a touch he moved them to the left. She felt his deep inhale before he rolled them over and stopped close to a large tree trunk. He tapped the back of her legs. “Curl up.”
When the world finally stopped spinning she looked up and saw rough bark right in front of her face and threw a hand out to touch the surface. “What are we doing?”
“You are going to make yourself as small as possible.” He gave the orders without looking at her. His head kept moving as he glanced around them. “Then you’re not to move.”
“You can’t—”
“I’m serious. You move and I will come back, which is more of a threat to me than racing over there.” With a hand between her shoulder blades, he lowered her closer to the ground. “Stay down.”
Before she could grab on or call him back, he was gone. In a crouch, zigzagging he broke through the last line of trees. He hugged close to the helicopter as he lifted a hand. The door must have stuck or his angle was off because she saw him pulling and tugging.
With all her concentration, she focused on him. Her teeth clicked together as terror spun through her. She waited for footsteps to fall and a hand to pull her up. The only thing that kept her from screaming was watching Joel. Even as her vision blurred around the edges, she stared.
After some fiddling and a yank, he got the door open and bonelessly slipped inside. One minute his dark hair provided a beacon and the next he was gone.
Her breath hiccupped in her chest as she fought the urge to run after him. She’d just decided to do that when she saw his head again. He held binoculars and swept his gaze over the forest. The door inched open and he was off again, this time running toward her.
He slid in beside her, kicking up twigs and leaves around her. He held up a vest. “Put this on.”
“You need it.”
“I think the person is gone, but I don’t want to risk you getting shot.”
When he continued to hold the vest, she took it and slid it on. The way he stared at her with that I-can-wait-all-day expression had her adjusting the straps and securing it tighter to her body. “Happy?”
“Not really.”
That made two of them. She looked at the binoculars. They weren’t the standard bird watching kind.
“Do they do something special?” She half hoped they functioned as a grenade launcher. She’d be satisfied with any weapon that could protect them all and get them out of there fast.
“Increased magnification and brightness. Plus the universal mil reticle.” He spit all that out without lowering the glasses.
“Um, okay.”
“The last is a special feature snipers use.” This time he looked at her. “It allows for better targeting and range estimates.”
The techno-jargon filled her with a strange sense of relief. It was as if they had walked right into his wheelhouse. She was fine to stay there with him.
Despite all their personal troubles, she never doubted his competency on the job. He was the man any sane person would want on her team when things fell apart. Now qualified.
Still, the sniper talk had her attention. “I don’t know most of the words you just used.”
“It means—”
She put a hand on his arm. “Don’t explain. I’m just happy you know what you’re talking about.”
He nodded. “We need to get back.”
The comment started a new round of thundering in her chest. “How do we know it’s safe?”
“I’ll feel better when we’re in the cabins.”
She’d feel better in her town house. “Any chance your team is on the way?”
“I called them. Yes.”
“That’s good news.” But she noticed he wasn’t smiling and didn’t look one ounce more relieved than he was before he crawled into the helicopter for reinforcements. “Right?”
“I’ll explain later.”
Something inside her shriveled. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
Chapter Five
Tony Prather had no idea who or what Connor Bowen was, but the man was on his way up to the executive floor of Baxter Industries. Tony glanced out of his conference room window to the Washington, D.C., skyline in the distance. His Rosslyn office had a view across the Potomac River to Georgetown.
He’d worked hard for his position with the big office, complete with private executive bathroom and two administrative assistants. He wasn’t accustomed to jumping when others issued orders. If anyone other than Rafe Algier had phoned in from a trip abroad and asked, Tony would have had someone on his staff offer an excuse and insist he couldn’t be disturbed.
But Algier Security had sent work Baxter’s way, and back when business was floundering Rafe had provided some much-needed contracts and personnel to help keep Baxter’s doors open. Tony had a strong loyalty to the man. It was why he had agreed to hire his daughter for the executive retreat.
Well, part of the reason. Tony didn’t get where he was by being soft. His obligation didn’t pass from Rafe to his daughter.
Tony had taken over the reins of Baxter after a coup by the old board of directors. When the bottom fell out of the financial markets and business dried up, the old president and chief executive officer lost the confidence of everyone from shareholders to the management staff. Tony stepped in and got the place running again. He expanded the company’s services.
They no longer just provided tech and personnel to government agencies. Now his people staffed Fortune 500 companies and smaller businesses. Anyone who didn’t want to pay employee benefits and could afford Baxter’s bills was welcome.
But that didn’t mean he had time to babysit some guy with an agenda. And Rafe hadn’t taken the time to explain anything, which ticked Tony off. He had other worries. All his plans, those tenuous pieces he needed to come together and fit just so, were breaking down. He had a partner he didn’t trust and a problem he needed to fix.
He’d rebuilt it all and couldn’t afford to have it crumble now. Not when he was so close to the end.
The phone on the credenza buzzed and he gave the okay for one of his assistants to usher in their unwanted guest. Better to get it over with and move on.
The man who stepped through the glass doors and stopped was not what Tony expected. Tall with dark
hair, he wore a business suit minus the jacket. But that’s not what stuck out. It was the lethal look. The man appeared ready for battle. So did the muscled man behind him.
Earlier, Rafe had talked about needing to get in touch with his daughter. Tony had barely listened because the mere mention of Hope Algier’s name at this point in the process had Tony speed dialing his partner. Not that he could get through.
“I’m Connor Bowen.” The man motioned to the guy with him. “This is Davis Weeks.”
“Gentlemen.” Tony nodded because that’s what protocol demanded.
Inside, his rage boiled. He’d prepared for one of them. Bowen was president and owner of something called the Corcoran Team. The Internet and paperwork trail pointed to a threat assessment group. The kind of team that taught businessmen how not to get kidnapped while playing in Mexico and made plans for getting them out when they did.
All aboveboard and clean, but Tony recognized an off-the-books undercover operation when he saw one. And that had his interest. So did this Weeks character. The guy hadn’t blinked and if the bulge under his jacket was an indication, he’d somehow snuck a gun through security.
“I’m Tony Prather.” He motioned toward the seats across the conference table from him. “I was told only one of you would be coming.”
“Davis is my second in command. He understands the situation.”
Because Tony needed to know what that was, he played along. Still, this was his turf, so he took the lead. “What can I help you with?”
Connor leaned forward with his elbows folded on the table in front of him. “There’s a problem at your management retreat.”
A stark silence followed the statement. Tony guessed that was the point. Drop the bombshell and then assess his reaction.
He had no intention of giving them anything. “Meaning?”
This time Davis spoke up. “One of your executives is missing and there’s been some other trouble.”
“This is a get-away-from-it-all retreat. How would you know what’s happening there?” Tony had been trying to check in, and the messages he’d received made no sense.
Connor’s hand dropped to the table, and his fingers drummed on the top. “Some of my people are there.”
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