The information would have been good to know before now. Funny how Rafe had left that out. “Some?”
“More than one.”
The steady thumping touched off a headache. Tony had enough of that right now. “Care to tell me why?”
Connor shrugged. “As a favor to Rafe.”
Looked like he wasn’t the only one indebted to Rafe Algier in some way. Tony wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The idea of the old man moving the chess pieces around, using them all, had Tony balling his hands into fists on his lap.
“Does he know his daughter is tangled up in this?” Tony had put her there for a reason and now it could all unravel thanks to this Corcoran Team and Rafe’s meddling.
“Not all the details,” Connor said. “Rafe is breaking away from his meetings in Vietnam and should be taking off soon to head back.”
“This is that serious?” Tony noticed only the one in charge talked. Tony appreciated the chain of command as much as the next guy, but the silence from Davis proved unnerving. The guy sat and stared.
A lesser man would get twitchy and start talking. If that was the plan, these two sorely underestimated him. Tony Prather could not be intimidated. Others had tried and failed at using that tactic.
He hadn’t won his current position by shaking hands and saying yes all the time. He’d pushed his predecessor out and never looked back. He’d won the office and the hot young wife. That’s what he did—he won.
Davis finally shifted in his chair. The movement was slight, but it had the focus switching to him. “You didn’t ask which executive is missing.”
Tony knew all about Mark’s situation. Knew and was watching, but these two didn’t need that information. “I’m assuming whoever it was got lost on a hike and this isn’t really a big deal.”
Davis and Connor exchanged glances. Connor started talking again after Davis nodded. “Right before I spoke with one of my team members earlier today, he came under fire.”
Tony was more interested in which man was in charge than about this conversation. Still, he had a role to play. “You mean—”
“Gunshots.” Connor exhaled as if explaining bored him. “At the camp.”
Time for concern. Hitting the appropriate level would be the trick. Tony went with pushing his chair back and reaching for the phone. “I need to get them all out.”
“My people are working on that.” Connor glanced at the phone and continued when Tony returned it to the cradle. “Once the weather breaks we’ll move in.”
Not the response Tony had expected. He figured they’d rush in and rescue, or whatever they normally did. The change in expectations and protocol sent a new push of adrenaline rushing through him. “Send in the park rangers. Do something.”
Davis’s eyes narrowed. “If we didn’t have a ‘shots fired’ situation, maybe, but we can’t risk putting anyone else in danger.”
All reasonable answers. But Tony couldn’t shake the feeling he was being sized up and checked out. That was probably fair because he was playing the same game at the moment.
Right now he needed to know their real plan. He guessed they wouldn’t share most of it, but maybe he could drag out something. “So, what’s next?”
Connor thumped his fingertips even louder. “My guys will secure the scene until I can get emergency personnel in there.”
Tony glanced down but Connor didn’t stop. “And in the meantime what happens to my executive?”
“We try to find him,” Davis said.
Definitive and solid. Tony looked for a chink in their show and didn’t see one. The routine came off as practiced but appropriate. He had to admit a part of him was a little impressed. These two could give lessons in remaining cool and detached.
“Should I contact his family or at least notify the board?” he asked.
“Let’s see where we are tomorrow.” Connor stood up. “We need to get back, but I’ll keep you updated.”
“Absolutely.” Tony reached across the table and shook their hands. “Thanks for coming in.”
Connor nodded. “I’m sorry I don’t have more definitive news.”
“I’m going to continue to believe this is a case of wandering away from camp and not a disaster.”
“Except for the gunshots.” Davis delivered the line in a flat voice. He didn’t say much, but what he did force out came with a punch.
Tony admired the skill. “That could be hunters, anything.”
“I have a conference call scheduled with search and rescue. You’re welcome to listen in.” Connor slipped a business card out of the pocket of his dress shirt and set it on the table.
Tony left it there. “I appreciate that. My assistant can give you all my contact information, including the home numbers.”
“Good.” Connor headed to the door with Davis right behind him.
At the last minute, Davis turned around again. “Mark.”
That fast the air sucked out of the room. “Excuse me?”
“Your missing executive. His name is Mark Callah.” For the first time, Davis smiled.
Tony found it more intimidating than the staring. “Connor already told me that.”
“Did I?” he asked.
Tony stuck with the story because he refused to believe he’d messed up and not asked what would be the obvious question. This was a trap and he would not fall into it. “Yes.”
“I’ll call in a few hours.” After one last up and down, Connor left, taking Davis with him.
* * *
JOEL TRIED TO think of a way the past hour could have gone worse. Hope wanted to have “the talk” in the middle of a potential missing persons case. Add in bad weather, gunshots and no answers, and Joel wanted to yank all of them out of there and go home.
He might have done so if the flight wasn’t dangerous and he didn’t have a missing camper lost out in the unforgiving woods somewhere. Still, the idea of shoving Hope on the helicopter and telling Cam to fly her to safety was compelling. The fact that she would refuse wasn’t Joel’s biggest concern. He could—would—make her if that’s what he had to do to keep her safe.
He had left her to give her a normal life. Forfeiting that now was not okay with him. Not after all he’d lost.
They stepped into camp. When Joel saw the flat expression on Cam’s face, he knew something was wrong.
“What’s going on?” Joel called out.
Cam joined them at the line where the trees met the open space. “Perry’s officially missing.”
Hope let out a stifled gasp. “You’ve got to be kidding. We’re missing two now?”
“Charlie last saw him in the kitchen area around breakfast, but there’s no sign of him at all.” Cam kicked the dirt under his feet.
Joel tried to ignore the uncharacteristic shifting, but it made him nervous. “His bed?”
“Slept in and all of his stuff is in his cabin.” Cam looked up. “Good news is we don’t have blood this time.”
“I can’t believe that now qualifies as good news.” She leaned against Joel.
Cam shrugged. “Well, it’s not as bad as it could be.”
Without thinking, Joel put a hand against her lower back and brought her in closer to his side. Despite the warm weather, her skin felt cold and the chill seeped through his clothes to his skin. The wind had cooled, but not enough to explain the shivers running through her.
Cam’s gaze shot to the lack of space between Joel and Hope, then back up again. “Jeff and Lance are pretty jumpy. Charlie is on the side of that last cabin, walking them through some camping tips.”
As far as Joel was concerned, that was the sort of thing that should have happened before the retreat started. “Now?”
“I did that before,” she said.
Cam waved off the concern. “I think he’s trying to keep them calm.”
“Well.” Hope rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Maybe I should listen in then.”
Joel knew she was suffering from a case of nerves. She d
idn’t need a class on wilderness survival. In their months apart she’d taken more and more risks, climbing higher mountains and guiding tours thousands of feet into the air. He hated the idea of her up there, but he knew she loved it. And they were no longer together, so he limited his complaints to her dad. Not that they worked.
The corner of Cam’s mouth lifted as his gaze wandered over Hope and Joel. “What happened to you two?”
“Get ready for more bad news,” she said.
Joel didn’t feel like playing games, so he skipped right to it. “Someone shot at us.”
Cam’s mouth fell into a flat line again. “What?”
She blew out a long, labored breath. “One shot but it had us ducking.”
Cam nodded. “I’d think so.”
“Well then.” She stepped out of Joel’s hold. “I should go do some work.”
Joel admired her courage to not sit in a corner and rock. Most people would, but not her. But he still worried about her shell-shocked expression and wavering voice. “You okay?”
Cam cut off any chance of getting her to stay. “I need to talk with you.”
Even though he wanted to follow her, Joel let Hope go but not before one more reminder. “You need to check your knee and put on another bandage.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. That didn’t stop him from staring. He watched her walk across the campground, ignoring the gentle swish of her hips and not breaking focus until he saw her stop next to Charlie in the distance.
Cam took a few steps and came to stand beside Joel. “The others were with me the whole time. None of these three could have taken the shot at you.”
Joel had already come to that conclusion. Ruling some people out narrowed their choices. He didn’t like any of the remaining ones. “Then we need to deal with the very real possibility either Mark or Perry, or both, are at the bottom or this.”
“There’s another possibility.” Cam matched Joel’s stance and stared at the others as well. “We could have an unknown out here stalking people.”
There it was. The worst possible answer. An unknown meant they were dealing with a surprise. The person could be on drugs or unstable or just enjoy killing.
Joel didn’t want Hope near any of those types. “I’ve been trying not to think about that option.”
“It would explain the gunshots.” Cam stared at him then. “I’m guessing you didn’t see anyone.”
“Nothing. The guy totally got the drop on me.”
Cam made a face. “Weird.”
“I know.” Joel understood the surprise. He wasn’t the type to miss someone sneaking up on him.
He’d been training for surveillance his entire life. He had tracked and practiced from the day after he turned seven and his dad insisted the family go totally off the grid. Maybe those early lessons grew out of his father’s sick paranoia, but he instilled a sense of caution and taught certain skills. The same skills that served Joel well as he passed from one position to another in the intelligence community.
That likely meant the attacker was equally well trained. Joel hated that prospect.
Cam let out an impressive line of profanity. “What did Connor say?”
“He’s on the way and will bring everyone from the forest rangers to the local police with him.”
Connor was solid that way. No questions or explanations needed. Joel was on a few days of leave, but he knew if he sent up the red flag, the team would come running.
He’d missed that in his other employment positions and throughout most of his life. He didn’t know the sensation of someone putting it all out there for him. His mom had died before he could really know her, and his father’s idea of love was handing over a rifle and teaching him to shoot.
Now Joel needed to fill Cam in on the bad part. Joel owed him that since Cam was only out here as a favor. “One problem.”
“I’m not sure we need another.”
“A storm is moving in.”
“Of course it is.” Cam groaned. “There’s always a storm right when you don’t need one.”
“Connor can’t get in until morning, and even then that’s not a guarantee.” Joel doubted the timetable anyway. He could smell the rain in the air and feel the dampness on his skin, even though not a single drop had fallen. But Connor talked about violent thunderstorms rolling in and Joel guessed they were headed this way. At the very least, the weather grounded planes. “So, we hunker down.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
And it was about to get worse, so Joel braced. “I say we do a quick meal, stick together until dark or rain or whatever comes first. Then those of us with weapons split up and bunk with the others.”
Cam’s mouth broke out into a full grin. “Let me guess which cabin you’ll be in.”
Knowing the ribbing could go on for hours, Joel ignored the first shot. “You with Lance and we’ll let Charlie handle Jeff.”
“And you with Hope.”
Joel rolled his eyes. “Yes.”
“You ready to tell me what happened with her before you came to Corcoran?”
He still battled with the details. He couldn’t lay it out there. Not after he was barely holding together from Hope’s insistence they pick at it. “No.”
Cam nodded and Joel thought he might be in the clear. They needed to concentrate and—
“I’m thinking you’ll need practice,” Cam said, breaking into Joel’s thoughts.
He bit back a groan. “Meaning?”
“I don’t know much about women—”
“True.”
“—but even I know there’s no way you’re going to spend the night together without the topic of your relationship implosion coming up.” Cam ended the comment with a knowing look.
Joel ignored the description of his upcoming evening, even though he wanted to deny it. “We’re grown-ups.”
The nodding came back. Cam did love to nod. “I’m guessing that’s what she’ll say before she demands an explanation.”
“What makes you think we didn’t work this out already?”
Joel wished. He wanted to fix the damage and move on. Because forgetting her appeared to be out of the question, he’d settle for a healthy parting. One that took away the sadness that moved into her eyes when she talked about them.
“What was the word you used earlier on her?” Cam looked up and closed one eye, as if he were pretending to mull it over. “Oh, right. Experience.”
“We’re the same age and I doubt you’re any better at this women stuff than I am.” Joel hoped for Cam’s sake that wasn’t true.
“But I wouldn’t be dumb enough to let that woman go.”
This time Joel nodded. There was that.
Chapter Six
Hope tried busywork to calm the nerves somersaulting in her stomach. With her knee bandaged and everyone tucked away, she tried to settle in. She drew down the bed covers, then drew them up again and tucked them around the pillows.
Next came sitting. She dropped onto the mattress and looked around the cabin. It was a utilitarian space with dark furniture and windows that rattled when a strong gust of air blew in, like right now. Her space measured about twenty square feet more than the others and included an inside shower.
That was pretty much a prerequisite for her on a retreat like this. She’d rather go without than risk flashing half the camp. Here she didn’t have to make the choice.
But she had bigger problems ahead. Well, one. Joel.
He stood with his broad back to her and stared out the small window next to the door. He wore the same pants he was wearing when he’d landed. Charlie had lent him a clean T-shirt. The rest of Joel’s clothes sat in his bag on the helicopter. He insisted another run was too risky in light of the guy practicing his sniper skills out here.
Rain pelted the windows and had kept them all trapped inside for the past few hours. Now the sun had gone down and the ceiling light in the center of the room highlighted everything, including
all six-feet-whatever of him.
The ruffled dark hair and scruff around his chin had always been her favorite look for him. Made him look rugged and reminded her of his sexy ability to handle almost any situation.
“We’ve slept in the same room before.” He made the comment without looking at her.
She had to smile. “Many times, but we were dating back then.”
Sometimes she thought the phrase “eyes in the back of his head” was invented to describe him. He always seemed to have a clue about what was happening around him, even if he acted like he didn’t care or his eyes were closed.
“True.” He turned but didn’t move one inch closer. “And no one was shooting at us.”
“Now look at us.” She sat on her hands to keep from fidgeting or waving them around.
His gaze bounced to her lap, then back to her face. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Interesting how he had his lines and she had hers. Having him nod off during the next shoot-out was not her idea of a good time. “You’ll sleep in the bed with me.”
“That’s not a great idea.”
Oh, she knew that. His scent, his arms. The way he wrapped his body around hers and pulled her in tight. All dangerous for her self-control. “Agreed.”
He held out a hand. “Then throw me a pillow and—”
“But it’s still happening.”
With that his arm dropped to his side again. “You go to my head.”
And he didn’t look particularly happy about the idea. His face stayed blank and his eyes flat. He froze in place and looked as likely to bolt as he was to take a step closer.
The words both freeing and empty went to her head and stuck there. “What does that mean?”
“I’ve never been attracted to a woman the way I’m attracted to you.” He pushed away from the door and walked across the room.
With each step, his hiking boots fell quietly against the hard floor. The cabin walls creaked and thunder drummed in the distance. The harder the winds and heavier the sheets of rain, the more she waited for the outside to storm in. The sturdy structures held, but a dribble leaked in at the back left corner near the open closet.
All she could focus on was the soft tap of his steps until he stopped in front of her. With only a foot separating them, she could smell him. Feel the weight of his gaze upon her.
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