by Karen Kirst
Cade headed for the door. “I’ll be right outside.”
“Wait, you’re not staying in here?”
“We need a lookout.”
She pushed to a standing position, hating that her legs felt like gelatin and hoping he didn’t notice. “I’m not hiding in here, safe and protected, while you’re in the open. I’ll rest where you rest.”
“Don’t be stubborn—”
The door crashed open. A masked figure barreled into Cade. The men landed on the floor, each one jostling for position, a blur of thrusts and punches.
“Tori, run,” Cade grunted.
Dashing out of the way, she searched the shelves for a weapon. A gasoline container would have to do. If she could strike the man hard enough to stun him, even for a minute, it would give Cade an edge.
The cocking of a gun had her spinning around. Moonlight bathed the second man in scant light. Aaron stalked toward her, a satisfied gleam in his eyes.
“Hello, Tori.”
Dread curdled her stomach. She inched backward until the shelves dug into her shoulder blades.
Cade dodged his attacker and leaped to his feet, short of breath and fresh blood oozing from his head wound. “Don’t you dare touch her.”
The masked man also gained his feet and produced a gun, which he trained on Cade. He was shorter and slighter, but he’d obviously been trained in hand-to-hand combat. And there was no evidence he’d been injured, which meant Aaron was the one who’d been hit.
Aaron’s weapon pointed at her head, he kept coming. He was walking fine. But he held the gun at an awkward angle, like he wasn’t used to holding it with that hand. She couldn’t see bloodstains on his black hoodie. Too dark.
She could see his twisted smile, however. It struck terror in her heart. They were trapped. Vulnerable to this madman’s whims.
“Why are you doing this?” she demanded, her nails digging into her palms.
His hand clamped on to her nape, and he yanked her closer. Cigarette smoke clung to him.
He ran the tip of the gun barrel past her temple and along her cheek before jamming it beneath her chin. A whimper escaped.
Cade lunged.
Aaron reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, maneuvering her in front of him. His arm clamped on to her waist. She was under his control again. Only this time, she didn’t have drugs making everything fuzzy and dreamlike.
“Give my friend here your weapon,” he ordered.
Cade’s reluctance plain, he removed it from his holster and dropped it to the ground. The masked man kicked it beneath the shelves.
“You’re postponing the inevitable, Cade,” he taunted. “You will pay for what you did. You and your girlfriend. But she’s first. You’ll see what it’s like to suffer.”
Tori’s heart squeezed into a tight ball. This was about Cade?
“What are you talking about?” His voice shook with fury. “What did I do, Aaron?”
“Two words. William Poole.”
The name sounded familiar. Tori racked her brain. Then it hit her. The Marine who’d died during Cade’s last deployment. Aaron must blame him for William’s death.
“William was a good man. You were close to him?” Cade asked.
“Like brothers,” Aaron growled.
Aaron shifted, and the distinct coppery odor of blood hit her. She angled her face and caught sight of the slippery substance on his upper arm.
“You weren’t stationed with us,” Cade said. “You didn’t see what happened during the foot patrol. We were ambushed.”
“You were in charge. You ignored orders to return to the FOB.”
FOB? What did that stand for?
Then she remembered. Forward Operating Base.
“That’s not how it went down. You’re acting on false information.” Cade shook his head, frustration evident in his strained features. “Let Tori go, and I’ll walk you through everything that happened that day.”
Aaron snickered. The cold metal dug into her skin. What was his plan? Shoot her in front of Cade as some sort of sick revenge?
He started to propel her toward the door. “The next time you see her, she’ll be in pieces.”
Cade audibly inhaled.
Tori couldn’t overpower or outfight her captor. But she could create an opening for Cade.
Sending up a desperate prayer, she reached up and dug her fingers into Aaron’s wound.
He howled in her ear and lost his grip on her. Cade spun around, knocking the gun from the masked man’s hand and sending it flying. He landed a kick in the man’s midsection. The man hit the wall behind him and doubled over.
Tori slammed her heel into Aaron’s boot. Spouting his fury, he tried to regain control over her. She struggled and thrashed.
And then Cade was there, his arm around Aaron’s neck, cutting off his air supply.
The second man abandoned the fight and darted through the open door.
Tori managed to wrest free. She combed the cement floor for his abandoned gun.
“Found it,” she called out.
Turning, she watched as Aaron slumped to the floor.
TEN
“Is he dead?” Tori demanded with a mixture of horror and relief.
“Unconscious.” Cade grabbed the gun Aaron had dropped and tucked it into his waistband. “But not for long.”
Charged on high emotion, Cade went and wrapped his arms around her. “You were so brave,” he murmured against her hair. Tucked against his chest, she was warm and soft and alive.
Thank you, Lord, for Tori’s quick thinking.
He’d tasted fear before. Sensed the scepter of death swinging for him more than once. This was worse. This was Tori’s life on the line. He couldn’t lose her. Having her in his life again—as a friend—was a priceless gift. He wasn’t willing to give that up.
Dropping a kiss on her cheek, he nodded to the gun in her hand. “It’s doubtful our second guy left prints. He had gloves on. But it might be registered to him.”
“You think he’s another friend of the fallen Marine?”
“Or he’s being paid to help Aaron.” He crossed to the doorway and studied the woods. “He bolted at the first opportunity. Doesn’t speak of loyalty or conviction.” He mentally wrestled with the bomb Aaron had detonated. “We’ve been searching for someone in your life, your past, when in fact you’re in danger because of me.”
Her cool fingers encircled his forearm. “We’ll figure this out.”
“You’ve been home little more than a month, and until the car explosion, we hadn’t spent time together.”
“Aaron learned of our history somehow. Maybe he did some digging into your life. Talked to your friends or Marines you work with.”
“The only one who knows about us is Brett.”
“The one who didn’t show at Mom’s party?”
“He’s not one to run his mouth. He wouldn’t have told anyone.”
When Cade had called and explained the situation with Tori, Brett had voiced his concern. He’d pointed out the potential problems that might arise from spending time with her. He’d even tried to convince Cade to leave her safety to someone else. As if that were possible.
Aaron groaned.
Tori swallowed hard. “What are we going to do with him?”
“With no phone signal, we’re going to have to escort him back to the main road and flag someone down.”
After retrieving his gun from beneath the shelves, he nudged Aaron with his boot. “Get up.”
Aaron slowly came awake and gripped his head.
“Yeah, you’re gonna have a bit of a headache.” Cade wrestled with the urge to vent his loathing on the man who’d attacked Tori. “Let’s go.”
When he didn’t budge, Cade aimed his Beretta at him. “Give me an excuse to shoot you,” he
dared. “You’re familiar with the damage hollow-point bullets can do, I’m sure.”
Grimacing, Aaron shuffled to his feet and preceded them through the door. On the dirt track, he said, “If you think this ends with me, you’re wrong.”
The full moon hung high in the black sky, which was good. He was reluctant to use the phone’s flashlight in case Aaron’s buddy had hung around.
Walking close beside Cade, Tori sent him a worried glance.
“Oh, yeah?” he replied. “Your friend deserted you. What makes you think he’s still interested in helping you?”
“He didn’t desert me. He went for reinforcements.”
The revelation that there were more who shared Aaron’s skewed outlook troubled Cade. They needed to get to the main road as soon as possible. By now, someone must’ve come along and called the authorities.
He prodded Aaron’s shoulder. “Pick up the pace.”
“I’ve lost a lot of blood. Thanks to you, I’ve got a killer headache.” He glanced behind him. “You got anything that can help me feel better, Tori?”
Cade’s blood boiling, he seized the man’s throat in a punishing grip. “You don’t talk to her. You don’t look at her. Understand?”
He chuckled. “You got it bad for the librarian, don’t you?”
“How did you know about that?” Tori demanded.
“Oh, I know a lot of things, like how you dumped McMann and fled to Knoxville. I know you have a thing for bad boys.”
Tori gripped Cade’s arm. “He found out about Patrick.”
“Who tipped you off about our past?” Cade asked. “Who’s driving this plan? Because you don’t strike me as capable of being the brains of an operation.”
He clamped his mouth tight, finished talking for the moment.
Shoving him away, Cade nodded at the track. “Maybe you’ll feel like answering the police’s questions once you’re wearing metal bracelets.”
They walked in tense silence along the track. A half hour passed before they reached the point where he and Tori had exited the woods earlier.
“I’m dizzy and dehydrated,” Aaron announced. “I need to sit.”
“Negative. Keep going.”
His accomplice had had ample time to regroup. It was anyone’s guess whether he’d called for backup or fled the scene.
The woods were eerily quiet. No birds singing. No wind.
Cade divided his concentration between navigating them to the right spot and watching for unwelcome guests. He estimated they were halfway to the main road and had about another twenty minutes’ walk. Tori remained quiet. She didn’t complain, even though she had to be exhausted and scared.
In the distance, a motorcycle engine revved. Cade did a full circle, scanning the terrain. There were no lights to indicate it was nearby. Was the accomplice coming back to attempt a rescue?
Aaron stumbled and fell to his knees in the dirt. Cade moved to seize his arm, but Aaron vaulted up. The glint of a knife blade registered too late. Tori called out a warning just as searing pain sliced across his thigh.
Aaron’s fist connected with Cade’s cheek, inches from the gash on his temple. Dazed, he worked to stay upright. He couldn’t prevent Aaron from knocking the gun from his grasp.
When he bolted in the direction of the motorcycle, Cade removed Aaron’s own weapon from his waistband and got off two shots. The sound of his retreating steps meant he’d missed.
Tori rushed to his side and curved her arm around his waist, steadying him.
“How bad is it?”
“I’ll live.” He wasn’t going to shine the light to inspect the wound. “We have to hurry, Tori. Can’t let them circle back.”
He wasn’t functioning at 100 percent, and their enemies weren’t above taking advantage. But then, Aaron also needed medical attention.
He threaded his fingers through hers and, ignoring the nagging sting in his leg, forged a path between the complicated network of pines. He could hear her whispered prayers and added his own silent entreaties. Without God’s guidance and protection, they weren’t going to survive long enough to discover the other players in this deadly game.
When flashing blue-and-red lights pierced the shadows, Tori squeezed his hand and picked up the pace. But as they approached the tree line, he dragged his feet.
“What’s wrong?”
“Between us, we have three weapons, two of which aren’t ours. They’re going to have a lot of questions.”
“We’ll explain everything.”
He gave a tight nod. Together, they entered the circles of light coming from the cruisers parked behind his wrecked Jeep. The sight of the mangled metal and splintered glass twisted his stomach into knots. They could’ve been gravely injured or even killed. God had protected them. Had been since the beginning.
A deputy spotted them. With a word to his partner, he strode between the Jeep and the first cruiser. “You the owner of this Jeep?”
“Yes, sir. The name’s Cade McMann. This is Tori James. We were run off the road and ambushed in the woods. The perpetrators are still at large. One of the men who’s after us is Aaron Waters, retired Marine.” He could see the other officer typing the information into his handheld device. “During the scuffle, we managed to get their weapons. Tori has one. Mine is in my holster and the other is here.” Keeping the barrel pointed to the ground, he slowly held it out for them to see.
At this, the first officer pulled his gun and the second one strode over. “On your knees. Both of you.”
“He’s wounded,” Tori protested. “Aaron had a knife.”
“We’ll take your statements once we’ve secured the weapons, ma’am.”
“It’s okay,” Cade told her, complying with the order. “We’ve done nothing wrong.”
The officers’ stern demeanors didn’t ease until their IDs had been run through the system and their story confirmed with Deputy Claxton. Meanwhile, he was bleeding all over his pants and Tori was about to have a conniption.
“Cade suffered a head wound during the accident, as well as a laceration on his leg,” she said, worry stamped into her pale features. “How bad it is, we have no idea, since we haven’t had a chance to tend it. He could very well bleed out while we sit here.”
The younger one, who’d introduced himself as Deputy Avery, frowned. “Why don’t I give you two a lift to the naval hospital on Lejeune? Or I can call an ambulance, if you’d rather.”
“I don’t need an ambulance,” Cade told her. While his leg did hurt, he wasn’t in agony.
Her relief evident, she gripped his hand and assisted him up. “We’ll take you up on your offer.”
As they passed through the gate manned by armed Marines, Cade should’ve felt safer. But their enemies were military and had the same access as he did. He was beginning to wonder if there was any place where he and Tori would be out of their reach.
* * *
It was almost 0300 hours by the time Claxton dropped them off at Cade’s house. The deputy had met them in the ER department and stayed with Tori while Cade received treatment. The six-inch cut in his leg wasn’t deep enough to cause major damage, but he hadn’t been able to avoid stitches. His head wound was another story. He’d insisted on a butterfly bandage.
Claxton entered the house and, once the alarm was disarmed, cleared the rooms. He left with a promise to contact them the next day.
“You hungry?”
After removing his shoes, he padded into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Tori settled on one of the stools tucked along his island. Her hair was in disarray and her face smudged with dirt, but she’d never looked more beautiful.
“I could eat.”
“I can make you a basic omelet or buttermilk pancakes. Or both.”
She cocked her head to one side. “I’m in the mood for a sugar hit.”
“Pancakes it is.”
He set the ingredients on the counter. Tori joined him. “I’m not thinking straight. You should be resting your leg. I’ll cook.”
“The leg’s fine. Barely a scratch.”
She snatched the measuring cup from his hand. “You Marines and your pride.” She sighed good-naturedly. “You’ll have to settle for my help, then.”
Cade smiled to himself. They’d done many things together, but cooking wasn’t one of them. Should be interesting.
They didn’t make small talk while they worked. Probably because they were both mentally rehashing the weekend’s events.
When their plates were stacked high with pancakes, he topped them with whipped cream and powdered sugar. Tori poured the milk and arched a brow at him.
“I may not sleep after this.”
“You might be surprised.” He sat next to her at the island, liking the feeling of domesticity. “Remember, I have to be at my unit’s headquarters bright and early. Until I get those leave papers signed, it’s not official.”
She drizzled maple syrup on the pancakes. “Tell me about your job?”
Pleased she’d expressed interest, he talked about his time in garrison, when he trained in and out of the classroom. He told her about deployments. Not the gut-wrenching stuff that sometimes kept him up at night. He told her what he could, which was even more than he’d told his parents.
Tori had that effect on him. Their friendship had united them like a two-person team on a life raft, navigating the perils of high school together.
She took a sip of milk. “It sounds like you’ve served alongside some wonderful people.”
“I have.”
He leaned over. “You have a milk mustache,” he murmured, wiping the liquid with the pad of his thumb.
Tori swallowed hard. It felt like forever since she’d looked at him like he was her favorite person in the world. His gaze lowered to her mouth, and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest.
What would she do if he kissed her?