“What?” Cam rubbed his face with one hand then checked his watch. “Shit. We overslept. It’s five after ten.”
“Oh, crap.” Everly was out of the car and around to stand beside Cam before his still-sluggish, pre-caffeinated senses registered what was happening. “Listen, before this goes any farther, I want you to know that when I kissed you it wasn’t because of any distractions or—”
“Huh?” Cam pushed away from the Aeon and started toward the door, her words barely entering his thoughts. His plan was to get rid of whoever was on the other side of that door then get the hell out of there as soon as Everly finished putting the car’s engine back together. It couldn’t be the guys from the team. Loki was waiting for his text before he’d intervene and no way was Hunter up and moving around this early in the day. Which meant it had to be those thugs that had been chasing them.
Shit. Just fucking shit.
Before he pulled the crowbar free of the door lock, he turned to call to Everly, “How fast can you get the Aeon up and running?”
She raked a hand through her hair, then opened the drivers’ side door to pop the hood. Cam did his best not to stare at her perfectly formed ass or remember the way said ass had felt rubbing against him just a few blissful minutes ago. His traitorous cock twitched in response.
Everly grabbed several smaller parts off the floor, along with her trusty wrench. “Give me five minutes.”
Great. He could stall them that long, even without his morning coffee, right? If not, then he’d resort to brute force. Nothing like a righteous ass-kicking to get him going in the morning. Cam yanked the crowbar free then held it at his side as the door creaked open, ready to strike should the need arise. But instead of the two mob goons who’d been tailing them for days, he found some random dude in a tailored business suit staring back at him. Cam’s reflection gleamed in the guy’s aviator shades and two hulking bodyguards flanked the sharp-dressed stranger on either side.
“Can I help you?” Cam asked, leaning a shoulder against the metal doorframe, blocking the entrance. “You lost?”
“I’m here to see Everly Knight. We had an appointment.”
“She’s busy,” he started to say, but was cut off by Everly wedging herself in beside him.
“I’ve changed my mind. The Aeon’s not for sale anymore.”
Cam scrunched his nose and looked over at her. “What the fuck are you talking about? That car was never for sale to begin with.”
“It was, but I’ve withdrawn my acceptance of the offer.” She glanced at Cam then back to the stranger. “I’m sorry.”
“I still need to collect my property,” the guy said, stepping forward as his bodyguards barreled through both Everly and Cam to head inside. “I don’t give a shit about the car.”
“Wait a minute.” Everly trailed along beside him, scowling. “There’s nothing that belongs to you here. Get out. I said I don’t want your money.”
Cam stalked over as one of the bodyguards raised a beefy fist and prepared to bash in one of the Aeon’s taillights. “Stop it. What the fuck is happening here?”
He grabbed for the guard’s fist, but it was trying to grab a solid block of granite. Cam was two-hundred-fifty-pounds of solid muscle, but even he was no match for these behemoths. Whoever the hell the guy in the suit was, he paid for the most gigantic protection a man could get. The guard slammed his fist into the car’s rear end and plastic shattered. The guard didn’t even flinch. He pulled away, taking a hunk of broken taillight and twisted metal with him while his cohort reached inside to pull the safety latch. The trunk hissed open to reveal twelve neatly stacked plastic kilos of cocaine inside and Cam’s stomach bottomed out.
At the man’s nod, the guards began collecting the drugs and carrying them outside to their waiting Humvee while their leader leaned against the Aeon like he was strolling through a DC park and not smuggling enough coke to make a Columbian cartel lord proud.
Common sense told Cam he should just let this dude take his stash and leave it at that. But something about the guy’s narrowed gaze and calculating expression had his hackles rising.
He cocked his head toward Everly, signaling for her to get back to fixing the engine in case things went south on them. Luckily, she didn’t argue this time.
“Tell me,” the guy said as his guards carried off another armload full of coke. “Why is such a fine automobile stuck out here in the middle of nowhere? Seems odd, unless you knew about what was hidden in the trunk.”
“We didn’t know about your drugs,” Cam said, keeping his voice low and steady. “My only concern is the vehicle.”
“Huh.” The guy pushed away from the car and walked slowly around the perimeter. “It is a fine piece of machinery. What’s your interest in it, specifically?”
Cam swallowed hard. He’d spent the last forty-eight hours protecting the Aeon and its technology with his life. He wasn’t about to give it all up now to some random dealer with delusions of grandeur.
“Parts mostly,” he said, hoping his lie sounded convincing.
“Parts?” the guy raised a dark brow at him. For some reason, he reminded Cam of a crazy-ass drill sergeant he’d had to deal with once during SEAL training camp. The guy had thought he was so clever, questioning everything, but Cam had always seen right though the man’s bullshit. Same here. This dude might be dressed like he stepped off the pages of GQ, but he was nothing more than a criminal. And chances were good both Cam and Everly had seen too much. No way was this dealer letting them walk out of here alive.
He inched toward the front of the car to see how close Everly was to getting the engine back together, all the while keeping an eye on the guy in the suit, matching him step for step on the other side of the Aeon. “Yeah, parts. This is a rare model of vehicle. Only a few in the whole world. Owners pay top price for black market parts. Since you said you don’t give a shit about the car, figured we’d turn around and scrap it to make up for our lost revenue from the sale.”
“Right.” Suit guy narrowed his beady black eyes on Everly. “You failed to mention any of this in our text correspondence.”
She looked up at Cam before flicking her gaze back to the engine. “Didn’t think it was relevant.”
“I see.”
From what Cam could see, Everly had all the parts back inside the Aeon and was just finishing tightening the last bolt. Good thing she was quick. The two guards returned from making their last run of drugs outside and now stood blocking the entrance to the factory.
Suit man walked past the front of the car just as Everly slammed the hood shut and joined his colleagues by the door. “Too bad, really. You shouldn’t have lied to me, Ms. Knight. I know your father too well.”
“My father has nothing to do with this,” she said, raising her chin defiantly. “This was my deal. My money.”
Cam gave her a sideways glance as the guards drew their weapons and aimed at them. He prayed their silent communication wouldn’t fail them now. With one hand he reached slowly behind him, fumbling for the Aeon’s door handle while taking Everly’s hand with the other. They’d have only seconds to make it inside the bulletproof vehicle once the shooting started. He’d do his best to protect her from the fire.
“Time to say goodbye,” suit guy said, nodding.
Tugging hard, Cam dove fast for the floor, pulling Everly down beside him. He managed to get the Aeon’s door open and shove her inside as bullets pinged off the car’s exterior. Thank God above the guards seemed to have poor aim. He managed to get inside and lock the doors, then fumbled for his passcode device. “Please tell me this thing will run.”
“It should.” Everly crouched on the passenger side floor while Cam did the same on the drivers’ side, plugging his device into the ignition and turning it on. Seconds crawled by as one-by-one the numbers clicked into place then finally a beep signaled it was ready.
Cam raised up higher to peer out the windows. The thugs were closer now, still blasting the Aeon with ammo. The trunk was still ope
n and they aimed inside it—he guessed to hit the gas tank and cause the whole damned thing to blow.
Time to get the hell out of Dodge. He jammed the Start button on the car. The engine churned, but didn’t fire.
“Shit!” He glared over at Everly. “I thought you said it was ready to go?”
“It should be.” She frowned. “Try it again.”
He did. Nothing.
The longer they stayed here, the less chance they had of escaping this alive. Getting out of the Aeon was a death sentence, but cowering inside wasn’t much better. Eventually those bullets would hit something not protected and they’d all be fucked.
“You’re sure you put it all back together correctly?” All the fury and hurt inside him bubbled over, spewing out in his words. “Or is this just another lie, huh? Have you ever told me the truth, even one damned time, Everly?”
“Of course I did.” Her scowl darkened. “Maybe it’s your stupid device that’s the problem.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my device. My coding skills are exemplary.”
“Yeah?” Everly raised a sarcastic brow at him. “Then why the hell are we still sitting here, Geek Squad?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
More shots fired. This time a bullet zinged through the trunk, clean through the plush leather backseat, and out the floor of the car.
“Fuck.” Cam said a silent prayer and jammed the Start button one final time, eyes closed and hopes dwindling. The engine churned, churned, then purred to life. “Yes!”
“Get us the hell out of here!” Everly cried, covering her head as several more bullets whizzed out of the backseat and through the floor. “Please!”
Cam maneuvered himself into the drivers’ seat and yanked the steering wheel hard to the left toward the entrance. Loki was going to kill his ass when he saw all the damage to this car, but it couldn’t be helped now. With a snarl, he jammed the accelerator pedal to the floor and charged straight for the door of the factory. Suit guy’s eyes widened as the Aeon barreled toward him and he leapt out of the way at the last minute, leaving the path clear to the outside. Cam ducked as the car smashed through the thin metal walls of the warehouse and out into the bright sunshine. Tires squealed and the smell of burning rubber filled the car’s interior as they peeled out onto the two-lane highway and sped away, heading out of Virginia once more.
10
They’d been on the road about an hour when Everly couldn’t keep silent anymore.
“Like I said, I’m really sorry about what happened back there in the factory. I honestly didn’t know much about that buyer, only that he had the cash to back up his offer and that he wasn’t on my father’s list of preferred customers.”
Cam didn’t look at her, just focused straight ahead, his fixed expression as unreadable as it had been since they’d escaped the shootout. It hovered somewhere between disappointed and coldly furious.
“I need the money. I gave up my dream for you back there, refusing that deal. Isn’t that worth something?” she said, slumping back in her seat to stare out at the landscape blurring past.
“You could at least tell me where the hell we’re going.”
“Why?” Cam’s normally smooth voice sounded jagged and sharp. “So you can text your buddy and tell him where to find us again? Maybe this time he and his guards will finish the job.”
“You’re pissed about what happened,” she observed.
“Damn fucking straight I’m pissed!” A small muscle ticked near Cam’s tight jaw and he gripped the Aeon’s steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip. “Having people try to blow my head off will do that. Haven’t even had any damned coffee yet.”
“Then stop and get some.”
“Right. For all we know that asshole drug dealer is following us. I’m not stopping until I’m sure they’re gone.”
“Fine. At least stop to close the trunk then. You can’t see shit out the back window and next thing we’ll get pulled over by a cop. This car’s stolen, in case you’ve forgotten. And I’m sure law enforcement would be mighty interested in all those bullet holes in the trunk and the smashed taillight.”
With a muttered curse, Cam slammed on the brakes, squealing to a halt on the berm. Mumbling to himself, he yanked off his seatbelt and threw open the door, stomping around the car to slam the trunk closed—didn’t help that it took three tries—then stalked back to climb into his seat once more. Everly kept her gaze lowered, biting back inappropriate laughter. The situation wasn’t funny, not really. If anything, it was terrifying. She’d lost her dream and nearly her life. Yet at that moment, all she could picture was Cam slamming that trunk, only to have it turn right around and pop back open in his face. Perhaps it was the absurdity of it all. Perhaps it was the excess adrenaline still shivering through her system. Whatever it was, Everly’s eyes stung and her shoulders started to shake and pretty soon she dissolved into a quivering mass of giggles.
Cam gave her a stern, disbelieving stare. “This is not funny.”
By then, she was too far gone, tears streaming down her cheeks as she rolled with laughter. “I-I’m s-sorry,” she managed to get out.
“Sorry?” Cam’s full lips puckered into a sour-lemon look, but his chest started to tremble. Soon, he was chuckling right along with her. The tension curdling in the air between them dissolved at last. When they’d both laughed themselves silly, sagging in their seats like a couple of sacks of potatoes, Cam rolled his head to the side and looked at her, his devastatingly sexy grin firmly back in place. “What a fucking mess, eh?”
“Got that right,” Everly said, holding her sore stomach. She hadn’t laughed that long or that well in a long time. In fact, being with Cam was more enjoyable than being with any other man she could remember—minus the bullets, of course. The warmth inside her was short lived, however, as the magnitude of what she’d done sank in. She’d blown the deal, blown her one shot at getting out from under her father’s thumb, blown any chance she could go back to her father now and beg his forgiveness. His ties to the mob were too strong. They’d kill him too if they’d thought he’d gone soft on her. And why had she done it? Because of some sappy feelings for a guy who probably wouldn’t look twice at her after this was all said and done. Why should he? Cam was smart, successful, gorgeous. He could be with any woman he wanted. No way he’d pick a loser like her. She closed her eyes and sighed. “What the hell are we going to do now?”
Cam pulled out his phone and thumbed in a text. Seconds later the device buzzed with a response. “Well,” he said, “according to Loki, we need to lay low again. Too much heat on us right now to head back to the Norse Security offices. I’m guessing anywhere familiar to your father would be out too, correct?”
Everly nodded. “I’m sure you’re tired of hearing it, but I really am sorry. For everything.”
“I know.” Cam said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “Me too. I wish we’d met again under different circumstances.”
“Me too.”
He exhaled slow and stared out at the deserted stretch of back country road ahead of them. “There’s only one place I can think of where I’d feel one-hundred percent safe right now.”
“Where’s that?” Everly asked, straightening. Safe sounded like heaven.
He winked and gave her a crooked half-grin. “Nope. Fooled me once, sweetheart. Even old Geek Squad here wises up after a while.” He reached over and grabbed her wadded up fleece blanket off the passenger side floor and used his pocket knife to cut a strip off of it. “You want to come with me, you wear this.”
“What is that?”
“A blindfold.” He held it between his hands. “Can’t take any chances this time.”
She wanted to argue, but what was the point? If she got out now, she’d be a sitting duck, plus Everly had no idea where they were exactly. She could wander for hours before finding a kind soul to help. She swallowed hard. “Fine.”
“Good girl.” He tied the fleece strip aroun
d her head, then let her get settled in her seat again before starting the engine. With her sight gone, her other senses seemed hyper alert—the sound of Cam’s voice and the low, sweet melody of the classical station on the radio; the smell of fresh air and fertilizer when he cracked open a window somewhere along the way; the prickle of heat and light on her skin from the sunshine. Eventually, it all must’ve lulled her into a dreamless sleep because the next thing she knew, they were pulling to a stop. There was a grinding noise—a motor, a chain, a steady squeak, whirr, squeak. Garage door opener. Yep. Cam’s car door opened and closed, then his footsteps echoed as he walked around the car and stopped near her side. Another door opened, and his hands were on her shoulders, guiding her out of the vehicle—his touch warm and strong and reassuring. He shut the door behind her then clicked the locks on the Aeon before slipping off her blindfold.
Everly blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the cement garage. Unlike her father’s place, this space was neat and tidy, with everything put away where it belonged and even the bicycles hanging from racks on the ceiling. Along one wall were shelves of wires and cables and what looked like old computer parts.
Cam took her hand and led her across the garage to a door in the corner. “Please excuse the mess. I wasn’t expecting company.”
“This is your house?”
“Yep. And I should warn you that it’s completely off the grid. I run off solar panels on the roof, water comes from a well on the property, and my Internet connection runs through the dark web, not some commercial provider. Your cell phone won’t work here either. I’ve got the whole place on lock down.”
“Seriously?” She snorted and followed him inside what she expected to be some dingy pigsty a la The Matrix. What she found instead was a spic and span, if somewhat Spartan, ranch-style home decorated in tasteful shades of tan and white. There was no sign of the aforementioned mess either. This place was even tidier than the garage. For a bachelor, Cam obviously took care of his home. “Wow. This is really nice.”
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