Part of him almost wished she’d never come to British Columbia, too. Not because he regretted her as an assignment, but because she clearly already had enough tragedy to deal with—enough bother from her family and the other people in her life—and adding this trauma to what was supposed be a special season of celebration was clearly only making things worse.
And for some reason, his dumb brain had tried to make it better by kissing her forehead as if they belonged to each other. The gesture had been presumptuous and overly familiar, and he’d been relieved she hadn’t been angry.
However, his rebellious emotions wished that he’d been able to kiss her somewhere else instead—with permission first—but that would be even less appropriate under the circumstances. And she’d not given any indication of wanting that, so it was unhealthy to allow the desire to take up any more mental space.
“I’m so sorry,” he said again, this time in reference to everything that had happened. “I know I can’t make it better, and it must be horrible to be going through this with someone who’s essentially a complete stranger. Is there someone I can call? A family member who you do get along with who can just...talk with you for a little while? Maybe we can try a Skype call if the internet is stable enough.”
Cally sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue from her pocket. “Honestly, I just want this to stop. I can’t go home, not after what I said to my mother and my family—I don’t want to give them a reason to continue bothering me—but I also clearly can’t stay here on my own. Nowhere is safe, not the rental cabin, the spa, the church...”
Aaron shared the same concern. Under different circumstances, he’d take her out of Fort Mason and bring her to another town or put her up someplace with a stronger, better-equipped police station, or even just take her to stay with Ellen and her brother. The more people in a house, the less likely a thief was to break in—and it helped that Ellen’s brother, Jamie, was also an RCMP officer and could watch her, while having someone else cover his shift. In Fort Mason, that simply wasn’t an option.
“I’m going to recommend we go back to the police station,” he said. “And I hate to say it, but I think you should probably spend the night there. One of the three of us will be on duty at all times, and I’ll open up the back rooms so that you can use the shower and changing area for pajamas, brushing teeth, whatever. I’ll grab blankets and pillows.”
He slid into the driver’s seat and drove them slowly back to the RCMP station. While he had faith that he could get the generator running again to make the place functional for an overnight stay, it was far from ideal. Aaron couldn’t help feeling guilty for not being able to offer more.
When he unlocked a side room with a cot, Cally shattered again. She dropped onto the end and buried her face in her hands.
“Hey,” he said, sitting next to her. “I’m going to be here until Leo comes to relieve me. I’ll be at the front keeping watch. No one will get inside this station to harm you. Do you understand? Not a single person enters this building without RCMP permission. So please, get some rest. Use the facilities as you want, and don’t feel bad about asking for a single thing.”
She nodded but didn’t meet his eyes as he stood and moved to the doorway. Just before Aaron stepped out of the room, Cally spoke, her voice so soft and quiet that he almost didn’t hear it.
“Aaron?”
He froze, uncertain if he’d imagined it, but when he glanced over his shoulder, she was staring at him. “Yes?”
Cally sighed and interlaced her fingers in her lap. “Sorry if this seems odd, but you said anything, so...will you sit with me for a little while? Just sit with me?”
His insides, which had turned to black ice after realizing that the 911 calls had been fraudulent, began to melt.
He moved to the edge of the cot and sat down next to her, taking her hand and this time interlacing his fingers with hers instead. “Of course I will.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.
He prayed that the morning would bring some clarity and peace. For both of them.
TEN
Aaron found Cally in the RCMP station break room the next morning. Her complexion was pale, and the puffiness under her eyes told him that she’d spent most of the night crying. He’d been true to his word and kept watch until Leo arrived to relieve him for a few hours of rest, though he and his brother had talked for a while about what had happened with the fake 911 calls and how they were going to handle it.
But truthfully, that was the crux of the problem. They weren’t equipped to handle it, and until the roads were unblocked and they could get some backup assistance from Fort St. Jacob, tracing the source of the calls was nearly impossible. And while Cally might have implied last night that she wanted to just give up and go home, Aaron wasn’t certain that was a wise move, either. The individual or gang involved continued to be one step ahead, always knowing where Cally would be. She was being watched, and that would make getting her to the airport, on a plane and through the entire process to get back to Amar that much more difficult to safely manage.
Not to mention that having handguns in the mix added an extra level of complexity that the Fort Mason detachment was totally unprepared to deal with. In Canada, handguns were illegal, almost impossible to obtain and required several permits if the owner wanted to move their gun from one place to another—and even those took ages to acquire and had strict regulations. For Cally’s attacker to have a handgun meant the weapon was illegally obtained, adding another tally mark to the incidents in northern British Columbia using these weapons. A shooting earlier in the year had resulted in the arrest of a number of individuals using illegal weapons, but the intel they’d given up on their suppliers had led to several dead ends. The last he’d heard, Ellen’s RCMP officer brother, Jamie, was taking over the investigation, but it was slow going.
Which left the matter of how Aaron was going to handle the issue with Cally, and he still wasn’t entirely certain what to do next. Especially after what he’d learned while doing a sweep of the precinct last night after Cally had fallen asleep.
“Did you sleep all right?” Aaron sat across from her, but she didn’t look up. He knew it was a terrible question the moment he’d said it—it was clear that she hadn’t slept well, and he wasn’t helping the matter. “Is there anything I can get for you? Name it, and I’ll do my best.”
She didn’t respond for several minutes, but when she finally looked up, he flinched at the hard look in her eyes. He hoped it wasn’t directed at him.
“Anything?” Her voice was flat but strong, and a nerve flared in his gut. What was she going to ask him for?
But he still nodded and tapped his fingers on the table. “Anything that I have the power or ability to get or do. Legally, of course.”
Cally sighed and dropped her gaze again. “This might sound crazy, and I know last night I said I couldn’t do it, even after saying I wanted to, but I’ve changed my mind and I think I should go home.”
There it was. “I thought you might say that. But I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
She raised her hands, palms up, and lifted her face to the ceiling. “Then I don’t know what else to do, Aaron. I’m not safe here, and I’m putting you and everyone else in this town in danger at every turn. Everywhere we go, someone is after me, and it’s only getting worse. Someone could have been seriously hurt at the spa, or in town, or what if somebody had been strolling by when I was being shot at inside the car? We don’t know what this person or people are capable of. Just because they haven’t killed me yet doesn’t mean they won’t harm others to get to me.”
Her voice grew higher in pitch and she spoke faster with each phrase, becoming frantic. “I know you’re doing everything you can, but...I can’t do this. I just can’t. And I know I’ll be safe back at home with my extended family. There’ll be a million people around watching my every
move—no stranger will be able to get within feet of me without someone noticing.”
The pain in her voice made Aaron’s heart hurt. “And if it’s not a stranger?”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“That’s the thing. I’m not ruling any angle out at this point. I’m at a total loss.” Aaron held a palm out toward her. “Cally.” He moved to the seat next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m not going to dictate your choices, but let’s think this through. Who would take you back to Amar? You can’t go on your own, not while there’s an armed criminal after you. Regardless of whether it’s one person or two, at least one monster has made a point of showing that he can find and get to you almost anywhere. We haven’t figured out how he’s doing that yet, which means I can’t in good conscience send you to Vancouver alone.”
“I’m a foreign dignitary, right? Someone can escort me. You can come. Make sure I get on the plane for home, and I’ll have my family arrange to be there on the other end. Maybe the embassy here can even contact law enforcement at home and have an escort waiting for me there or tighten security.”
“You’d trust your family to be there for you? After all you’ve told me about them?”
She flinched, lowering her eyes, then grew silent.
He wished he knew the right thing to say to make her feel better, to lessen the fear and pain that had built overnight and was now consuming her. “Cally, I’m not sending you on an international flight right now while your life is in danger. There might be something to the suggestion of involving your embassy, but the risk of letting you go, even taking you myself, is too high. This attacker is brazen and smart.” He sighed, took a deep breath and continued. “Someone tried to break into the station last night. While we were responding to the 911 calls. I believe the fake calls were an attempt to separate you from law enforcement, with the intention of breaking in and getting to you while the power and security system was down and no police were around. The person must have quickly realized you weren’t there and tracked us down at one of the call locations.”
Her face fell, but within the sadness was resignation. “But, the power outage—”
“It was tampered with. We have the generator back online, but a team from BC Hydro has to come in today to fix the lines. They should be heading in anytime now.”
Cally’s eyes widened and her jaw tensed before she shook her head emphatically. “I’m so stupid. Everything I do is one bad idea after another.” She rested her elbows on the table and dropped her chin into her hands. “I can’t go anywhere, and I can’t stay here and continue to put everyone in this town in danger.”
Aaron felt a surge of determination at her words. “You’re not stupid. Far from it, in fact. We’re both flailing for ideas right now, and mulling over every option is necessary, no matter how far-fetched the ideas might end up being. This isn’t your fault, all right? Lord willing, we can wrap all of this up within a few days—before tomorrow night, I hope, because I think you would love the annual Christmas tree lighting in the center of town. I realize that might sound strange, but in spite of all that’s happened, you’re still a visitor here and it’s still my job to try to help you experience what the town has to offer. It’s been interrupted so far, but I haven’t forgotten why you came here, what you said you’d like to enjoy and experience during the holidays in Canada. We’re not going to cancel the tree lighting, but as of right now I can’t allow you to attend. It’s far too dangerous.”
“You think I’d be fired on or attacked in a crowd?”
He shrugged. “I doubt it. And in fact, RCMP protocol is to just beef up security and stay alert. But if it was happening today, I’d tell you to stay here. Hopefully by the time it rolls around, though, we’ll have this all taken care of and you can have a relaxing Christmas.”
“I...thank you.” Her features softened and she dropped her clasped hands onto the tabletop. “I appreciate hearing that. Maybe it’s not realistic to want this solved in time to enjoy a bit of Christmas, but I’m grateful for the thought.”
The tiny smile she gave him could have fueled him for a week. How was this woman having such an effect on him? She’s just an assignment. Stay focused on the endgame.
Which, of course, was the promotion. But somehow the shine of it had dulled.
A promotion would be nice, he admitted to himself, but it means nothing if I can’t protect the people I care about...and, uh, those I’m under orders to protect.
“In the meantime,” he said, “I’ll try to figure out a discreet, secure location today where you can stay that isn’t a police station. Does that sound good?”
She nodded, but looked uncertain about Aaron’s suggestion. Truth be told, Aaron wasn’t sure about his plan, either. Could he solve this in twenty-four hours? It was probably a long shot, but he’d try. And once Cally had a safe place to lay her head, he’d be able to think more clearly and perhaps even find a way to target the criminal. He had no idea how he’d draw the attacker out into the open without endangering Cally, but as much as he wanted to catch the perp and end this, if it came to choosing between keeping Cally safe and arresting the criminal, he knew which one he’d pick every time.
It’s my imperative to keep her safe as much as it is to bring criminals to justice, he rationalized. Nothing emotion-driven about that.
He’d always been a terrible liar.
* * *
Cally watched Aaron in her peripheral vision as she scrolled through the messages on her phone, reams of delayed texts and email notifications that she still hadn’t caught up on since cell service had returned the day prior. Her stomach squeezed with hope as she searched for some indication that Aaron had been right—that all her relatives wanted was for her to be safe and happy—but the squeezing shifted to a stabbing emptiness as she swiped to delete each and every one, until she came to a text from her uncle.
“Uh, Aaron?”
He glanced up from his paperwork, pen clamped between his lips. Cally almost smiled. He looked cute, vulnerable. He raised one eyebrow at her, and for a moment, her fear and anxiety melted away. And then his gaze flicked to her phone, and it all came rushing back.
“My uncle texted,” she said, turning the screen so Aaron could see. She’d hit the translate option so he could read it in English. “He’s boarding a plane soon to come up here. He spoke to my mother last night. She called him in a panic after speaking with me.”
Aaron took the pen out of his mouth. “He was already in Vancouver?”
“He is now. Until last night he was in Ottawa, for a conference. But he works for the Department of Natural Resources in Amar. He was about to fly home. There’s usually a plane change and a bit of a layover before going the rest of the way back. Nobody offers direct flights.”
Aaron sighed. “Can you tell him not to come? I don’t think it’s wise to bring someone else into this situation. Another family member might complicate things.”
Cally fired off a reply to her uncle and waited. “I agree. I was just going to call him and say Merry Christmas, not try to con him into joining me here. Of course my mother had to overreact and call him. She probably begged and guilted him into flying up to check on me in person. Why can’t she just...” Cally dropped her head to the tabletop, forehead pressed against her splayed fingers.
Her phone buzzed, and she nudged it toward Aaron without looking at it first.
“He’s boarding,” Aaron said a moment later. She didn’t miss the undercurrent of frustration in his voice, too.
Cally peered up at him, not at all surprised to see the tension increasing in his neck and jaw. “I’m sorry. This means someone is going to have to pick him up from the airport, too, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. And before you ask, no, you’re not going. I’ll send Leo. I’m not comfortable taking you on that journey. But there’s another problem we’ll have to deal with first.”
What now? She groaned and laid her head back down on the table. In the darkness behind her eyes, memories began to replay on a stuck loop.
The patrol car slamming into the ditch. The attacker in the grocery store coming closer as she ran out of places to hide. Feeling like a caged animal as she stared down the barrel of a gun through the car window.
She gripped her stomach with both hands, struck by a wave of nausea.
“Cally?” Aaron’s chair scraped backward as he jumped to his feet. “What is it—oh, your stomach? Hang on. I have a ginger chew around here that’s good for settling an upset stomach.” He rummaged in a desk for a minute, then handed her a candy. She took it and ate it as he talked. He settled into the seat next to her once again and ran his hand across her back while the ginger did its work.
He continued, “I was going to say—” and Cally was grateful for the distraction “—that my parents might be willing to house you and your uncle. You can’t stay here overnight a second time. We’re still on generator power and it’s going to run out any moment. We’ll only have until daylight fades, unless power gets up and running again before then.”
“Is that a possibility? Can the repair trucks or whoever get to us by then?”
“Yes, I just got an update that they’re already on the way. The roads are supposed to be fine today,” he said. “They’re probably almost cleared by now, actually. And from the sounds of things, the tail end of the storm moved out last night, so we’re in the clear for at least a few days. It’ll be cold, though. The temperature will drop, so none of the snow we have right now will melt. That said, don’t get too comfortable—there’ll be another wave of snow soon enough. There always is. Maybe not so much, though.”
Cally’s response was a groan. It was all she could muster at the thought of more snow.
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