Dark and Dangerous

by Jeanne Adams

  "Go off over there, the scenic area on the left."

  The sudden order startled her, but she reacted quickly, sliding into the turn lane. Crossing the median, she parked in an attractive, well-maintained lot with numerous placards at the various vantage points.

  "I need to stretch, try to limber up. I don't want to limp into the feed store. Nothing more memorable than a limp."

  She couldn't tell by his bland delivery if he was joking, but it made her smile, nevertheless. She and Xavy got out of the car, and she passed the keys to Caine. Xavy had Shadow's leash, and the pair walked to explore a bit of meadow beyond a low wall.

  Checking on Caine, she sucked in a surprised breath when she saw him. He was bent double, his long legs spread, his elbows resting on the ground. He leaned left, then right, to loosen the hamstrings, she presumed. Oh, did she presume. She nearly choked watching the muscular ripple of his taut backside. The trousers molded to his legs, and she had a sudden physical memory of his muscular thighs.

  "Mom!" Xavy's shout brought her into the moment like a whip crack. Caine was at her side in a flash, before she even answered.

  "What?"

  "Wow, Mom! Deer." The delight in his voice was so real, so ten years old, that she couldn't chide him, even as her heart pounded a mile a minute.

  "Beautiful, aren't they?" she called, willing her voice to come out at a normal level.

  "God, I thought something had happened," Caine muttered, beside her. She saw him quickly re-holster a gun at his waist.

  "Just ten-year-old stuff," she said, hand to her pounding heart. "But he scared the devil out of me too."

  "We need to go."

  "Yeah. Um, do you feel okay?" She could feel the heat from his body. He was standing so close, it made her skin hot. Her heart rate, which had begun to slow, picked up speed again.

  "Did you, um, get stretched out?" She had an immediate mental picture of his muscular thighs. Damn it. She could hear how funny-squeaky her voice sounded, so it was no wonder he looked at her strangely. His eyes flickered to where her hand lay, pressed to her breast, and something changed in his face. He looked ... hungry.

  Then the look was gone.

  "Yes. Some reason for the question?"

  "No, no. Just asking."

  It was an awkward moment. Something changed then, a softening, an easing. She couldn't tell if it was her, or him, or both.

  "Hey Mom, lookit," Xavy broke in, holding out an enormous pine cone. "I've never seen one this big, have you?"

  She blindly reached for what her son held out. It registered after she had it in her hand. "Wow, it is huge, isn't it? Got to be what? Fifteen inches long?"

  "It's humongous. It's a mutant or something."

  "Mutant pine trees take over western Virginia," Caine said, his voice unnaturally deep. "Film at eleven."

  She laughed in spite of herself as they all piled into the Escalade, but this time both Dana and Xavy got in the second door and they put Shadow in the passenger seat.

  "Once I pull into the lot and go in, you both have to stay down. I'll be as quick as I can. Don't worry about me unless I'm gone more than an hour." The car slowed, and she heard the dinka-dinka of the turn signal. "If that happens, there are extra keys here." He opened the center console and dug around for a moment, then handed a second set of keys back to her. "Head for DC, call Tervain, go to headquarters."

  "I know the drill, and let's hope that won't be necessary."

  "Amen, sister. Amen."

  As he said the last, he turned and the tires crunched on the gravel lot. From her prone position, she saw the tall forms of storage buildings rising over a low, one-story store.

  "You ready?"

  "For what?" she replied, puzzled.

  "To be alone out here."

  She had to laugh. "I'm not alone. Xavier, Shadow, and I are a team. You'll be the one who's alone."

  Chapter Five

  Alone. Yeah, Caine thought, as he strode into the feed store. He was alone. He didn't mind operating outside the bounds of a mission, but this one was seriously fucked. Nothing was on book, and it was perilously close to a free-for-all. That he hated. Donovan was alive and free. He hoped Tervain was alive. And clear. Who knew if Parlier was down, MIA, or even compromised?

  At least Spike and the annoyance weren't available tools anymore. He pondered the situation as he climbed the steps to the store. Who would Donovan use to come after Dana?

  "Afternoon," the clerk called. Her friendly smile wavered as he spun toward her. Dammit. Don't frighten the natives, he told himself.

  "Hey, how're you today?" He managed a smile and a casual wave. "You got any paintball supplies? I'm headed out to the course over in Bryce, and some of m'caps busted, got on my clothes."

  "Oh, well, yeah. Over there along the back wall. There's a little bit. We got a local group, so we carry some things."

  "I met one of them I think, over in Herndon a while back. He said you carried stuff if I was up this way. It's why I stopped."

  "That's great that he recommended us."

  "Hey," Caine shot her a warm smile, flirted with her a bit. "If he'd told me how pretty the ladies were running the place, I'd've stopped before."

  "Oh, pshaw, boy," the older woman said, laughing at his over-done posing. "Go on with your joshing."

  "Caught, but not joshing," he pantomimed being shot in the heart. "Back wall, you said?"

  "Yup, over yonder, by the dog food."

  "Oh, good, I need that too."

  Scanning the walls, he found what he needed. Picking up a pack of the paint gun pellets and shouldering a fifty-pound bag of the kind of dog food Dana had described, he made his way back to the counter. He'd noted the clothes on sale, but didn't want to jump into that right away. It wouldn't be in character.

  Instead, he dumped the bag and the paint pellets on the counter. Looking down, he spotted work gloves. "Hey, you got Mule Team gloves. These are great," he said, slapping a pair into his hand. "I can't get these over in Alexandria."

  "Got Mule Team shirts too. They're on sale."

  "Really? Where?" He let the girl point them out, then pulled out four shirts, three denim, one black. From the pants, he found three in his size, all khakis.

  "Got some Levis on the far rack too, sir," the older woman mentioned, holding her hands out to take the shirts and pants for him. "They're on sale as well."

  "I can always use another pair of Levis. I don't think any of the paintball stuff got on my jeans or socks, but just in case ..." He let that hang as he snagged three pair of jeans.

  He was headed back to the counter when his phone rang. It was a special ringtone.

  Shit fuck goddammit. Not now.

  "Mind if I try these on?" he asked the older woman. "Can't remember my size."

  "Dressing room's back that way," she motioned, looking at him quizzically since he wasn't answering his phone.

  "Girlfriend," he said, rolling his eyes and grinning. "I was supposed to call her last night."

  "Better answer that boy, or she'll make you pay."

  "Yeah," he pulled the phone from its holster and went into the dressing room.

  "God dammit, Donovan," he growled into the receiver, his voice pitched low and deep, so neither clerks nor customers could overhear. "You didn't tell me she'd fucking have explosives."

  "You were supposed to be ready for anything, Pollack," Donovan answered coolly. "Even a bomb. She does have a degree in chemistry. You knew that."

  "Fuckin' bitch you got there. I can see why you want her dead. Spike's out. Petey too."

  "I'd heard. Do you have her?"

  "Trackin' in. Feds copped her, but that's no big. I got a bead." He cupped his hand around the phone to further muffle the sound as if he were being surreptitious. "Doc's here, I'm getting stitched. Can't talk. Call you later."

  He disconnected with a heavy heart. It would have been better if Donovan thought him dead. That he'd even called meant Donovan knew he was alive with his phone in
tact. HQ was going to have to figure out who Donovan had bribed at the cell phone company and what kind of technology he'd wired to make that happen. Dangerous and terribly useful.

  "Y'all all right in there?"

  "Yes ma'am," Caine answered, acting as if he were pulling his own boots back on. "Hey, you got any work boots?"

  A pair of work boots were handed over, wrong size, but right type. After he finished in the dressing room, he managed to change the boots in the box to his size, piling three pairs of heavy socks onto the stack for good measure. Delighted with his excess, the ladies folded everything into a large shopping bag as he chatted with them, continuing to keep it light and flirtatious.

  "You need help getting this to your car? I can call Billy from the back," the older woman offered.

  "No thank you, ma'am," he flattered. "I can manage."

  He hefted the bag and, with the dog food on his shoulder, headed for the exit.

  "Let me get that door," the younger woman hustled around the counter to open it.

  He gave her a warm smile and winked at her. "Thank you, ma'am."

  Knowing the women were watching, he took his time crossing the lot, making sure he didn't limp. His leg ached with the effort, but he didn't feel any dampness or pain where he'd been stitched. Going to the back of the Caddy, he lifted the hatch, dumped in the dog food, and stowed the bag.

  "Stay down, the clerks are watching from the door," he warned Dana and Xavier.

  As he moved to the driver's side, he raised a hand and saw the blushing young clerk wave back. The older woman had already gone inside.

  Good. They'd remember a lone male, a nice man with his dog, going paintballing in Bryce. A guy from Alexandria, they'd say if they even remembered that. He'd bet the girl wouldn't remember that, but she'd be able to describe him physically better than the older woman. Hopefully, neither had gotten a good look at the car or its plates.

  Waiting was dreadful, Dana decided as she listened to cars and trucks come and go in the parking lot. Another few minutes went by, and she began to get antsy. Shadow whined and his tail thumped twice which meant Caine was on his way. Shadow only reacted to people he knew. She loosed a breath.

  Closing her eyes she tried to let her anxiety go, but she couldn't. The tailgate lifted and something heavy thudded down, along with Caine's warning. There was some rustling as well, then the breath of fresh air was gone as the rear hatch closed. It wasn't until Caine climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine that she unclenched her hands and let her muscles relax.

  "Everything go okay?" she asked.

  "Fine. I got a few looks, dressed this way. I told the clerks I was going paintballing and she did the 'Oh, that explains it' kind of comment. I got the dog food. They carried the right brand. I also got a few pairs of jeans and some shirts. They were on sale, so I didn't have to make up any reason about why I was getting more than one."

  From monosyllabic to garrulous. It seemed as if Caine was talking a lot.

  "Caine, are you okay? How's your leg?"

  "It hurts. Why?"

  "You're talking. A lot. You haven't said anything for hours and hours, and suddenly you're Mr. Chatty. What's going on?"

  He was silent for a long minute. "I got a call."

  "Tervain?"

  "No," his voice was dark, sharp.

  She sucked in a breath. "Donovan."

  "Yeah."

  "Shit."

  He was quiet, then said, a touch of humor lightening his voice. "I believe that's another twenty-five cents you owe."

  Closing her eyes, she let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah. What'd you tell him?"

  "That I was tracking you and Xavier. Told him I was going to grab you soon, then stash you. He'll call back tonight, give me my orders."

  "Oh, God."

  They rode in silence for a while. She finally wrapped her mind around the knowledge that Donovan essentially would be in the house with them later that evening. She hated it.

  "You can sit up now," Caine said. With a sigh, she did just that. Shadow whined and stood, turning in the seat to peer at her, his tail waving in the front window.

  "I can't imagine what oncoming cars think of that view," she said, as much to the dog as to herself.

  "Dog waves at passersby?"

  "Ha, as good a title as any. How much farther?"

  "Not too much longer. I want to do some doubling back before we make the real turn."

  "Okay," she said with weary resignation. The cabin was probably within a mile or two, but it would take forever to get there, with all the doubling back and switching roads to avoid detection.

  "You want to climb up here and send the dog to the back to take your place?"

  "Sure." She patted the seat calling Shadow to jump over. With a happy bark that made her ears ring, he landed beside her and licked her cheek. She checked Xavy and, to her astonishment, he was asleep once again. She patted the seat once again, encouraging Shadow to lie down. Burying her cheek in his fur, she hugged him. "You can go back with your boy if you want to or stay here. Cm going up front."

  He bestowed another lick, then jumped back as she climbed over the console and into the spacious front passenger seat.

  "Do you always talk to the dog as if he were a person?"

  "Yep, and I always pay my son twenty-five cents when I break the rules and cuss."

  "There's the turn," Caine said, nodding toward a nondescript, one lane, gravel road. He passed it, scanning the surrounding lanes and turnoffs. Several miles down the twisting route, he turned around. Cruising back, he whipped into the driveway and under the sheltering trees. Out of sight of the road, a cattle grate preceded a barred fence.

  Peering into the woods, Caine rolled down the window to press a code into an elevated keypad. The gate rolled away and he drove carefully in, avoiding large dips and rocks in the road.

  "Why such a crappy road?"

  "No one can approach at speed. Line of sight shot from the front porch, so stay down. And alert."

  "Charming appointment for the weekend home," she said sarcastically.

  He gave a wry laugh. "Yeah, great for the discerning buyer."

  "How long do you think we'll have to be here?"

  "Depends on Tervain." They drove behind the house and he reversed the car, putting its nose out so that they could make a run for it. "I'm just—"

  "I know."

  He gave her a long, appraising stare. "Yeah, you would."

  She didn't want to think about what that meant. "Hey Xav, rise and shine, dude. We're here."

  "Where's here?"

  "The cabin."

  "Cool," Xavy said, taking in the view. "It's big."

  "I'll secure the house." Caine unbuckled his seatbelt and eased a gun from under the seat. "Get behind the wheel, leave it running. I'll come onto the porch and wave. If I don't come all the way out or you get spooked, peel out of here. Got it?"

  "Got it," Dana said as she climbed over to take his place behind the wheel. She'd never realized that taking precautions could be so much easier with two adults. Xavier was never left alone. She and Xavy had practiced this exact maneuver; she'd even taught him to drive. Sort of. Enough to get to a police station, if anything happened to her.

  "I hope it checks out and we can stay," Xavy murmured, craning his neck to see the upper story of the house.

  When Caine came fully onto the porch, waving vigorously, Dana let out a pent-up breath. "I guess we're good to go. Let's go see what's inside, get the lay of the land."

  "'Kay." Xavy enthusiastically clambered over the seat, opened the door, and jumped to the ground. Shadow bounded down and blocked Xavier from going any further. "C'mon Shadow, give," the boy complained.

  The dog was off leash, and the territory was unfamiliar. He was doing what he'd been trained to do. "It's okay, Shadow. Siest," she gave him the off-duty command.

  Barking, Shadow ran out into the yard dashing around in an excess of canine delight. Xavy ran after him. The dog turned the
tables, chasing the boy. They switched places three or four times before Xavier collapsed giggling. Shadow pounced on him, and they rolled together in the grass, a laughing, barking, mock-growling pile of boy and dog.

  Leaning on the doorframe, she watched them play. It was a photo moment that made her wish for a camera. The thought had her thudding back to her own little hellish reality.

  Pictures didn't survive witness protection. You didn't keep photos where you sported a different appearance than your current alias. No family pictures, no baby pictures, no school photos, no candids. She took them, periodically. Then squirreled them away in her lockbox, hiding them until the one day in which they could, please God, stop running.

  "Call them in," Caine's deep voice broke her trance. He'd donned opaque glasses when driving, but had now taken them off. His dark eyes glinted in the light as he searched her face. "You okay?" He asked the question softly. The sound carried to her, but not beyond her to the boy innocently wrestling with his dog.

  "Yeah. Just wallowing in depressing memories. A shame on such a gorgeous day."

  "Truer words," he commented, glancing at the rich blue of the sky. "You're right about the day."

  "I am."

  "Go in. I'll get the bags."

  She walked up the steps to stand beside him. As the distance between them narrowed, she felt the warmth radiating from his body. It crossed her mind that if she were sleeping with him, she wouldn't need blankets.

  Instantly irritated—and aroused—by the image, she passed him and reached the edge of the porch. Across the property, in the distance, she saw fencing with barbed wire topping its six or seven foot height. The garage they'd parked beside hid the SUV from anyone spying down the mountain.

  She turned and bumped into Caine. "Dammit, will you quit sneaking around?"

  "Habit. It's saved my as—hide too many times for me to stop now."

  "Well, cough or clear your throat or something. I'm going to react one time, go with reflex, and you're going to end up with a busted nose at the very least. Or I'm going to get one, when I strike first and you react."

  He grinned a flash of white. "You're right. Your reflexes are strung pretty tight. Almost as tight as mine."