by Lisa Ladew
“How about this? How about, next time I see my coworker, I give them this picture and your card, and if it’s their guy, then you can expect a call?”
Talon wanted to bellow in frustration. “It can’t wait, John. Lives could be at stake. Can you call them and see if they’re willing to meet me? Anywhere is fine. Inside the damn police station, if that’s what it takes.”
He tried to convey with his eyes how vital it was that they work fast to find Dax. Knowing Dick Bailey was out there, the idea of Dax being on the loose with no memory filled Talon with trepidation. No way would he rest until this trail had run its course and he knew for sure whether the man John described was his missing brother.
Another long moment passed while John considered his request. Finally, he stood and took his phone out of his pocket. “Give me a minute.”
Talon’s leg started bouncing in anticipation. He knew it was stupid to get too hopeful, but after this long with no information, any lead was a good lead.
Besides, this made sense. If Dax had gotten shot and lost his memory, it stood to reason he’d have forgotten about his rental car and his motel room, leaving both of them to run out of funds. It also explained why he hadn’t called in, since all his identification had been at the Fernleaf Motel.
In fact, the only argument against it was how completely far-fetched the whole thing sounded. Talon scoffed silently. Amnesia? Leave it to the Rosesson brothers to keep things interesting.
He looked up to see John walking back toward him, phone pressed to his ear. “Yeah, sure, if you want to. Here you go.”
John held the phone out to Talon. “She wants to talk to you.”
Talon practically snatched the phone from the paramedic’s hand. Finally, they were getting somewhere! “This is Thomas Covina.”
A young, friendly-but-wary female voice replied. “Hi, I hear you’re looking for someone?”
“Yeah, my half-brother, Daxton Rosesson. I hear he might be a match with someone you rescued last week. I was hoping we could get together and I could show you his picture. You could let me know if it’s your guy. The sooner the better, we’re worried he could be in danger.”
The woman’s voice sounded smaller when she spoke again. “Daxton Rosesson?”
“Yeah, R-O-S-E-S-S-O-N. Brown hair, brown eyes, six-two, one-ninety-five. Nicest guy you’d ever want to meet.”
A humorless laugh came over the phone line. “That could be him, alright.”
“Well, listen, do you know where he went after he left the hospital? I need to track him down ASAP. He could be in serious danger.”
“Danger? Why?” Now the woman’s voice was panicked, stressed. If it turned out she didn’t know anything, Talon would eat his exhaust pipe.
“The guys he was looking for when he disappeared are bad news. Deadly bad. The last thing I’d want is for Dax to be a sitting duck with no memory if they came looking for him.”
A muffled stream of curse words reached his ears through the phone. Talon picked up enough to smile with warped admiration. He was ex-Special Forces, and she’d managed to whip out a couple he’d never even heard before; that was damn impressive.
“Language like that is a known side effect of being near a Rosesson. Are you sure we can’t meet somewhere? I’d just like to show you this picture and ask a few questions.” Talon held his breath as he waited for the nameless woman to answer.
“Fine. Meet me at the gas station, corner of Campbell and Eleventh Street. I’ll be the one in the ambulance.” She hung up and Talon passed John’s phone back to him.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate all your help.” The two men shook hands and parted company, John heading back to the hospital and Talon striding toward his Dyna and the next piece of cheese in this crazy-ass maze.
Chapter 17
“Holy shit.” Kate touched the red circle that ended the call, then stared at the screen until it went black. Joseph sat beside her, staring casually out the window.
“Sounds like your mystery guy might not be a mystery much longer. Also sounds like he’s in trouble.” In his fatherly tone, Joseph summed up the entire conversation she’d just had with a complete stranger.
“It does, doesn’t it?” Kate dialed Dan’s number as she turned the conversation with Thomas Covina over in her mind, trying to remember the details. Her brain had shorted out almost immediately when he’d said the name from the gossip rag: Daxton Rosesson. Even now a shiver moved up her spine at the memory. Dan’s phone went straight to voicemail and she sighed in frustration.
“Dammit, Joseph, I found it. I stumbled across Dan’s - I mean Daxton’s - identity days ago, I just didn’t chase it down. He could have known. All this crazy shit with him tracking down white supremacists in the woods, it could have been avoided.
“I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to him, Joseph. I mean it. I lo-” Her voice caught on the words and she shut her mouth with a clack of teeth. Joseph looked over in concern.
“Hey, kiddo, take it easy. You’ll meet this guy and find out for sure, and then you’ll figure out what to do next. All you can do is keep moving forward, Kate. You know how to do that in a crisis.”
Joseph’s warm hand squeezed Kate’s shoulder briefly in a gesture of encouragement, and Kate let go of the breath she’d been holding. He was right. All she could do was take the next step and see where it led.
As they pulled into the gas station she’d chosen, a man in a motorcycle jacket stood upright from where he leaned on his bike and walked toward Kate’s window. “That must be him.”
Joseph took a good look at the man before glancing at Kate. “You want me to stay?”
“Nah, I’m good. Go grab a snack or something.” She smiled at Joseph. The man’s appearance didn’t intimidate her. He’d been conscientious and kind on the phone, and that said more about his character than his clothes.
“You bet. I’ll be out in five.” Joseph jumped lightly out of the ambulance and headed into the convenience store. Kate lowered her window and watched the biker approach, a business card in his outstretched hand.
“Hi, I’m Thomas, with Alpha Security. I go by Talon, actually. I’m guessing you’re the woman I spoke to on the phone?”
“That’s right. So, where’s the photo?” Kate took the business card and glanced at it. She hadn’t given him her name yet and she didn’t intend to until she felt comfortable. Sure, he could probably find it out with a few well-placed calls, but she didn’t have to make it easy on him.
From his leather jacket, Thomas retrieved a four by six photograph of a smiling, expensively-suited man with brown hair and eyes and the ghost of a smile on his face. Kate’s breath caught in her throat. It was Dan, without a doubt. Daxton. Shit.
“So, if it is him, what do you want me to do about it? He left the hospital over a week ago. What makes you think I have any idea where he is?”
The man who called himself Talon recoiled slightly before collecting his cool. “You don’t have to do anything about it. In fact, this is the first good lead I’ve had in days, but if you tell me your guy isn’t the one in this photograph, I’m back spitting into the wind.”
His eyes pleaded with her, unabashed worry on his face. “But if it is him, tell me what I can do to make you feel safe saying so. You could call Alpha if you wanted, check me out. Whatever it takes, because he’s got three more brothers waiting for some kind of word, just hoping to find out he’s still alive.”
Talon’s words tugged at Kate’s heart, and her gut said he was telling the truth. The concern in his eyes when he spoke about his family was exactly the sort of look she knew she’d have if something happened to one of her brothers.
Kate took a deep breath and leapt. “It’s him. For sure. And I can tell you that he’s fine, health-wise, except for the amnesia. He’s been staying with me and my family.”
The smile that lit up Talon’s face was all the confirmation Kate needed. The whoop of triumphant laughter was icing on the cake. “Are y
ou for real? He’s alive? You don’t know how relieved I am. Can you call him? I’ve got to get him home.”
Kate’s gut twisted. She told herself it was just the surprise of it all, but underneath she knew it was more. Was this the beginning of the end of her time with Dan, aka Daxton? She swallowed against a lump in her throat.
“I’d, ah, love to, but he’s not picking up his phone. His new one, I mean. His old one got trashed in the rain.”
“Well, where is he? Can you take me to him? Or give me directions, I know you’re on duty right now.” Talon’s eagerness was palpable. Kate didn’t think he was going to like what she had to say next. In her anxiety, it all came out in a rush.
“Actually, I can’t. He’s out at Malheur right now, trying to find the cabin where he apparently filmed some guys making explosives and then got shot running away. He just found out about it today. The detective said it was probably deserted, so he’s trying to get out there before the cops find it and catalogue evidence that he thinks might help him discover his identity.”
The color drained out of Talon’s face. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Kate shook her head. “I tried to get him to wait until I could go along, but he wouldn’t listen. He borrowed my car and left about two hours ago. Why, what’s the matter?”
“I got a call from a guy in Redding, California, keeps an eye out for the kind of groups Dax was hunting. He said a whole contingent from Oregon showed up a couple days ago, but they were missing the guy we’ve been looking for. The leader of the group said they were the vanguard, heading out before the rest of the pack. There could still be people left in that cabin. Dax could be walking into a trap.”
If the bottom could have literally dropped out of Kate’s stomach, it would have. She felt like someone had socked her in the gut. “But the police said it was safe, that the whole group had moved out. Maybe your guy was wrong.”
Kate felt Talon studying her for a moment before he responded. When he did, his voice was calm, reassuring. “Maybe so, but I’d feel better if I knew for sure, so I’m going to go check it out.”
Some quick math in her head did nothing to calm Kate’s fears. “He’s had two hours to work with. By now he’s made it to where I found him and is heading southeast, where the detective told him the cabin might be.”
“Okay, then you have to give me directions. Where do I park, and how do I find the cabin from there?” Talon was on his phone, presumably pulling up a map of the forest. Kate’s mind spun with logistics.
How could she give Talon directions to the ravine, let alone to where Daxton suspected the cabin was located, when there weren’t any landmarks to follow and dusk would be falling by the time he arrived? And even if he got there, what was he going to do if Daxton was hurt? Carry him out by himself? Strap him to his motorcycle? No, she’d have to go with him. And Daxton had her car.
“Get in.” Kate spoke without thinking as she turned the key in the ignition. Talon looked at her blankly for a moment, then launched himself around the front of the ambulance and into the passenger seat.
“You sure about this?” He looked over at her with a mixture of what appeared to be admiration and doubt in his eyes.
“You got a better idea?” Kate backed hurriedly out of the parking space she was in, aiming west on the main road. They had a ninety-minute drive ahead of them, and they were in a stolen ambulance. Her brothers were going to have a fucking field day when they found out.
“No, ma’am.” Talon grabbed hold of the oh-shit handle as Kate gunned the engine and sped into traffic. Her phone rang, startling them both. Kate made a grab and answered it, hoping against hope that she’d hear Daxton’s voice.
“Kate, what the hell are you doing?” Joseph’s panicked voice filled her ear instead, making Kate wince. She’d completely forgotten about her partner.
“Dan’s in trouble. I mean Daxton. It’s him, he’s the guy from the paper I told you about.”
“The billionaire?” Her partner’s voice rose another octave in disbelief. Kate laughed in spite of herself.
“I guess so. I forgot about that part what with the threat of imminent death.” She joked, but the worries were real. What if they were too late to help Daxton at all?
Joseph whistled. “You can’t steal the rig, Kate. Rich guy or no.”
Kate flinched. “I know, bad decision. But what am I supposed to do, waste precious time calling rental agencies? We’ve got to get there now, Joseph.”
Her partner’s voice was resigned in response. “You know I can’t cover this one for you, Kate. They’re going to find out.”
“Just buy me a little time, okay? I’ll switch us out of service and tell them you went to the bathroom with stomach cramps. You tell them that when you came out, I was gone and I was nowhere to be found. I’ve got to do this, Joe.”
A heavy sigh greeted her ears. “I know you do, kiddo. Just try not to get yourself killed doing it, would ya?”
Her heart swelled with affection. “Thanks, Joseph. I owe you big time.”
“Damn right you do. You’ve got forty-five minutes. Get gone.”
Kate hung up the phone and looked over at Talon. “Pull up a map of the forest. I’ll show you where we’re heading.”
Talon did as she said. At a stoplight, Kate showed him the parking lot where she’d walked in that Sunday she’d found Daxton. In turn, Talon pulled up the GPS coordinates from the car rental agency, showing that Dax’s car had been found in a different parking lot further south. They agreed to follow the path Kate was familiar with, but use the location of Dax’s car in relation to the ravine to guide their search from there. They only had a couple hours of light left and a trek through the forest still to make.
“So, what’s he been doing since you found him? Anything?” Talon didn’t seem to be a man given to much conversation, but Kate suspected they were both nervous enough to not want too much silence right then.
“Yeah, he’s been waiting tables at my family’s restaurant. Doing a great job, too. Everyone loves him.” Geez, could she sound lamer? The man had been hunting criminals for a living, for heaven’s sake, and now his half-brother was supposed to be impressed by his service skills?
But Talon’s shoulders shook with a quiet chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds about right. Dax is an easy one to love. Always worrying about everyone else being settled, making sure they have what they need to feel right. I’m not surprised that’s worked out for him. And he’s really okay? That guy John said he was shot.”
Kate glanced at Talon and saw the worry in his eyes. “He’s fine. The arm was no big deal, healed up real quick. The amnesia is really the only thing lingering.”
She hesitated, holding her breath, before continuing. “Sometimes he has dreams that he’s on fire.”
Talon’s eyebrows went up and he made a noncommittal noise of acknowledgment. Kate returned her focus to the road, crossing her fingers he wouldn’t ask how she happened to know what kind of dreams Daxton had in the first place.
Chapter 18
“I think this is where we go off the path. The ravine should be over here.” In front of Talon, Kate’s voice was winded, but she kept her pace steady.
They’d been moving at a jog ever since they left the ambulance behind, even with each of them carrying a red tackle box of medical supplies and Kate sporting a reflective backpack that she said held a collapsible aluminum stretcher. There was still enough light to see the path without using the flashlights they carried, but it wasn’t going to hold much longer.
“That’s where I found him.” Kate scrambled up the wall of a shallow ravine, pointing with her left arm to a small outcropping of stone shelves. “Well, my dog, Molly, did. Right over there.
“So which way is southeast?” She looked at Talon expectantly and he pointed without hesitation before sharing his thoughts.
“We’ll have to move more slowly now. We don’t know how far we have to go, and I don’t want anyone who might be in that cabin
knowing about us before we get there. And we’ve got to cover up the reflectors on your pack and jacket. It was great when I was following you, but now they’re a liability.”
Talon watched in silence as Kate unceremoniously dropped her pack and whipped her jacket off, turning it inside out so the black lining showed. She put her pack back on, the jacket over it, and worked the zipper up from the inside. Not thirty seconds after he’d made the request, she turned to him with a smile.
“Okay, that’s handled.” Talon grinned. Kate reminded him of his feisty Crystal, and he hoped suddenly that Dax had had the good sense to fall in love with her in the last week and a half. “Let’s get moving.”
Talon led now, his senses on high alert for anything unusual or threatening. He took a zigzag pattern through the woods, moving northeast to southwest in lengthening lines, hoping they wouldn’t miss anything. He knew the odds weren’t good with only two of them.
They’d been sweeping for twenty-five minutes when Kate put a hand on his arm and pointed to her ear. Talon paused to listen. Nothing.
He started to move again, but Kate squeezed his forearm, prompting him to stay put.
Then a noise. Not close. Talon strained his ears, trying to identify it, but it stopped. He looked at Kate, puzzled. She mouthed a word: “Shouting?”
Talon listened harder, willing the sound to manifest. There. It could be shouting, off in the distance. He started in that direction, Kate close on his heels.
Fifty yards further, he stopped to listen again. This time the sound, when it came, was more distinctive. Definitely a human voice. Talon moved faster, his steps light and quiet. He said a silent prayer of thanks for the doctors who’d fixed his busted leg after the military docs bungled the original repair. Kate held her own behind him. He would order her to stay or head out of the forest the way they’d come, but good sense told him she wouldn’t listen and they’d waste time fighting about it.