CORAM

by Bonnie Burrows

  Ahead of them a large structure peeked through the treetops. They were almost to the ranger’s station and Tom’s car. With any luck there would be enough people there that she could get away, but she wouldn’t count on it. Her luck so far had been lousy. And Tom was crazy. She wouldn’t put it past him to kill anyone that got in his way, no matter the consequences.

  Cambria’s suspicions were confirmed when they crested the small hill and the parking lot came into view. There were several cars, some parked and some just pulling in. A man got out of a minivan, stretching enthusiastically before opening a side door and letting the family dog and his young daughter out of the vehicle.

  Holding tight to her elbow, Tom’s voice was low and menacing. “Make a scene and I’ll kill that little girl and her dog. You’ll go with me anyway, and that man will bury his child. You don’t want that, do you?”

  Cambria shook her head, too afraid to speak.

  “Good girl. Now hurry up. We need to get as far away from this place as possible before your shifter finds out that you’ve gone missing.”

  *

  Egan’s heart sank when he reached the campsite, but he hadn’t been expecting to find her there. The part of him that felt that pull towards her had been growing with each step he took. She was gone, and from the feel of it, she’d been gone for quite some time.

  Egan shifted back to human form quickly, grabbing some clean clothes from the rocks where they lay and pulling them on hastily. He shoved an extra set of clothes into his back pack and headed into the tent, surprised to find the cash that Cambria had stashed missing. He mulled that over while he checked out the rest of the campsite, looking for anything she might have left to give him a clue of the directions they went.

  From the looks of it, Cambria had been finishing up laundry when Tom had interrupted her. He didn’t see signs of a struggle, but that didn’t mean much. If Tom were armed, which he likely was, she would have known better than to fight him. Or she left of her own free will and that’s why there was no sign of struggle. Egan roared in anger at the thought, and at himself for doubting her. She’d changed so much in the past few days, and she shared an enormous part of herself with him. He couldn’t believe that the woman she’d been since they came to these woods was all a lie. He wouldn’t believe it. She had transformed under his care and she was exactly the woman he believed her to be.

  But how had she had time to grab the money if Tom had forced her out of the campsite? Egan didn’t know, but he suspected that Cambria hadn’t overcome as much of her prejudices as Egan thought. Her entire life, hatred for his kind had been drilled into her. Even the strongest had to fight to overcome the prejudices of their upbringing.

  What would make Cambria so different from the rest? The answer was nothing, of course. She was no different and her miraculous transformation over the last week could have been her way of gaining his trust and disarming him. Maybe she’d been playing him this entire time, just buying time until she could escape. He slammed his fist on the ground, angrily denying that this could be the case. He had been there with her, every night. No one could fake that kind of intimacy.

  Still, the doubt lingered.

  The campsite was clean, with nothing but her canteen missing from the supplies. And the money. Everything else was still where he’d left it that very morning. Wherever they went, they obviously didn’t intend to stay in the wilderness overnight.

  Egan pulled out his phone, desperate to find a signal to call Sable for help. But there was none, not even enough to send a text message. Furious, he shoved the phone back in his pocket and moved through the camp until he spotted their tracks leaving the campsite. Maybe bringing her to the wilderness hadn’t been the genius plan he’d thought it was.

  Egan traced her steps around the soft dirt, tracking where she and Tom had walked, and following their paths to a narrow trail almost hidden by the low branches across it. He pushed through the trees and the trail opened up. Their prints were clear here, and the prints said that Cambria was leading the way.

  Egan tried to push down his hurt and rage. Maybe there was a logical explanation, though he couldn’t come up with one. But Cambria had opened up to him and admitted that she was happier than she’d ever been. Despite what it looked like, he had to believe that she’d been truthful when she said those things.

  He headed down the hill, taking the trail as quickly as he could without falling ass over teakettle down the path. He longed to shift and cover the distance faster, but this area of the park was close to the day use section and would be heavily traveled. He couldn’t find Cambria and save her-if she even need saving-if he was busy answering questions and dealing with authorities. Without access to the news since he’d first saved Cambria, he had no idea what the current attitude was towards tiger shifters and he couldn’t chance it.

  Frustrated, heartbroken and kicking himself for ever leaving her behind, he pushed on, carefully stepping around obstacles as he went. The ground in front of him was disturbed, and Egan crouched low to investigate. At first glance, it looked like a struggle, but the rock sticking up in the path where the dirt was first disturbed suggested that someone had fallen. Since Cambria was leading the way, Egan had no doubt that it was her.

  The footprints beyond showed someone limping heavily. Egan’s hopes were lifted. If she was limping along, that meant that they were moving much slower than they would be otherwise. Maybe he could catch them after all. He pushed faster, sliding down the steep trail at times, but somehow managing to keep his feet beneath him. When he came to a small clearing and saw the roof of the ranger’s station in the distance he breathed a sigh of relief. He was so close.

  The trail leveled out somewhat here, and Egan took the opportunity to run through the clearing and up a small slope. He burst out of the woods and saw the parking lot beyond. Several cars were leaving, but many remained. He slowed his pace somewhat, trying not to appear frantic as he came out of the woods and made his way into the parking lot.

  A young family milled about outside the visitor center, reading the information plaques displaying the many trails while the young girl clutched her dog’s leash with both hands. Egan approach them first, smiling at the father when the man turned.

  “Hi. I was hoping you could help me.”

  The man smiled back.

  “I’m looking for a woman. About this tall,” he held his hand up, showing about five feet high, “with brown curly hair. She’s with my friend. He’s tall.”

  The men shook his head no. “I haven’t seen anyone like that since we’ve been here, but we just arrived about fifteen minute ago-”

  “Daddy, I saw her. And the man too.” The little girl turned to Egan. “The lady was really pretty and she smiled at me when I waved. The man was mean and I could hear him saying mean things to her. He pushed her into the car and he slammed the door. You’re not supposed to slam doors. It’s rude.”

  Egan nodded to the little girl, his face mirroring the serious expression on hers. “You’re right, you should never slam doors. Did you see which way it went or what color the car was?”

  “It went that way,” she pointed to the north entrance for the interstate. “The car was brown. Like mud. It was an ugly car.”

  “Carrie, don’t say ugly,” her mother admonished.

  The father was staring at Egan, and Egan thanked them before turning to leave.

  “Do you need to call someone? Is she going to be all right?” The father was no fool and had seen right through the situation.

  “No. I’ve got it under control. Carrie, you’re the best!” The little girl beamed with pride as Egan ran towards the road, pulling out his cellphone and dialing Sable.

  “Sable, Tom’s got her. I need your help.”

  “Anything.”

  “I need a car and I need money. I don’t know where they went, but I know they headed north. They could be going anywhere, but I don’t think they’re going back to Florida.”

  “What makes y
ou think that?”

  “I don’t know, just a gut feeling.”

  “Your gut is what got you to her in the first place. If your gut says north, that’s the way I would go.” He covered the phone, speaking low to someone in the room before coming back on the line.

  “Where are you exactly, Egan?”

  Egan relayed the address to his brother, who repeated it to whoever was in the room with him.

  “Alright, we’ve got it. We’ll send a car over as quickly as we can and I’ll transfer funds for you. Egan?”

  “Yeah?” Egan was wound up tight, the minutes ticking in the back of his head as Cambria got further and further away from him.

  “Try not to worry. You found her once before and you’ll find her again. Just trust your instincts and be careful. Tom is insane. From what Grace has said, he’s not playing with a full deck of cards.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m just hoping that Cambria will be safe until I can find her.”

  He said goodbye to his brother, hanging up and trying to keep it together while he waited for the car to show up. He made his way to the farthest end of the parking lot, watching the highway and hoping against hope that any moment would find Cambria alone in a mud colored car, racing back to him. She was strong, and Egan wanted to believe that she could take care of herself until he sound them. But Tom was driven by insanity. The way Grace described him, the man had suffered a serious break from reality. Seeing his beloved Laskin was a shifter probably pushed the man completely over the edge. No, Cambria was in grave danger, whether she wanted to believe it or not.

  Less than twenty minutes later, two cars pulled into the parking lot. A large man in his forties stepped out of the first car and tossed the keys to Egan.

  “Man you look just like your father. Good luck, Egan.” The man handed Egan a gun wrapped in a holster.

  “It’s loaded, extra rounds in the glove box. It’s an unregistered .357. If you have to use it, wipe it clean and toss it.” The man hugged Egan quickly, and wishing him well before stepping back. Egan thanked the man and jumped into the car, speeding away and jumping on the interstate as the man got into the second car.

  The highway stretched before him, heading north keeping his eyes open for a brown sedan. He slammed his fist into the dashboard, angry at the entire situation. He had missed them by a mere fifteen minutes, and now he was less than forty minutes behind them with no way of knowing if he was on the right track. If he had just pushed a little harder, or if the store clerk had spoken up sooner, he would have had them.

  Egan shoved the gas pedal to the floor as he debased himself internally. Over and over he had felt like leaving her was the wrong thing to do, yet he’d gone ahead with it anyway. If he hadn’t been so arrogant, so sure that logic trumped his instincts. He’d been so wrong and now Tom had Cambria. Whether that was entirely against her will or not was yet to be seen, but it didn’t matter. Gone was that contentment he’d felt while Cambria was near. Once again, he was filled with that soul-searing pain that compelled him to find her.

  Even if she’d left of her own free will, he couldn’t stop himself from going after her if he’d wanted to. In the back of his mind something nagged at him, some information that might help him find the pair of them. Whatever it was drifted away every time he tried to focus on it. He pushed whatever it was out of his mind, focusing on his inner compass. He’d found her once before, he knew he could find her again. He just hoped it wasn’t too late when he did.

  Egan turned on the radio, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. A breaking news update broke through the music as he drove, catching his interest when he reached to change the station.

  “Authorities are searching for a man wanted for questioning in the murder and attempted murder of two rest stop clerks along the Interstate; one in Florida and one in Alabama. Britney Channing was nearly killed when the suspect gave her large doses of horse tranquilizer. James Davis was found murdered and locked in the exterior bathroom at a remote gas station near the Alabama-Mississippi border.

  "The man is described as a medium build, Caucasian man in his late thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call their local sheriff’s office or dial 9-1-1.”

  Egan cursed under his breath. Not only was she with Tom but he was wanted by the police. If the man decided to go out shooting, Cambria was likely to get caught in the crossfire. He had to find them before the police did.

  CHAPTER 13

  Tom clicked off the radio and laughed out loud. The sound filled the car and sent shivers down Cambria’s spine. There was no joy in the sound, which was almost maniacal. Yet he continued laughing as if he’d just heard the most amusing joke.

  “Late thirties? Are they insane? I don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

  “You killed those people?”

  “Only one. You heard the report. That stupid bitch Britney lived. When this is all over, I’ll have to find her and finish the job. I can’t have any witnesses milling about, waiting to lock me up and throw away the key.” Tom’s hand slid across the front seat and wrapped her hand up in his. “We don’t need that kind of negativity following us.”

  He squeezed her hand and she smiled weakly, wishing he would just let go. Her skin crawled where he touched her, but she couldn’t pull her hand away. Any indication on her part that she wasn’t interested would surely be a death sentence. If she wanted to get out of this alive, she had to play along with Tom’s crazy game.

  Tom started talking nonstop, all nonsense about his plans for world domination and how he was going to singlehandedly rebuild the resistance against the shifters. “Laskin was a fool and made so many mistakes. This time, we’ll be victorious because what we needed all along was a strong leader.”

  He didn’t take a breath or give any indication that he expected her to contribute to the conversation at all, so Cambria remained silent. She watched out the window, trying to keep track of their progress and hoping for an opportunity to escape.

  But then what? Even if she did escape, where would she go? She didn’t know how to get ahold of Egan and she had no transportation. She was stuck and alone. It was likely that Tom would do the same as Egan, stopping only at the most remote rest stops so that even if she escaped, he was free to hunt her down without an audience.

  Cambria fought back tears as they passed the sign welcoming them to Kansas. She had no idea where they were going, but it didn’t matter. The way she was feeling, he might as well kill her now.

  “Don’t you think so, Cammy?”

  Cambria wanted to rip his eyes out every time he called her that, but she had bigger problems. She had been brooding and had missed his question entirely. But he expected an answer from her, and she knew he would lose it if she answered wrong.

  “I think whatever you want to do is best. We’ve all seen what happens when I follow my ideas.” She managed to blush, hoping that what she said fit. “It’s best if you tell me what you want and I’ll follow you.”

  For good measure she reached out and squeezed his as she smiled at him. He didn’t speak for an eternity and Cambria braced herself for his anger.

  “You’re right. If I’m going to be a good leader, the first thing I need to do is quit asking other people what I should do.” He tweaked her nose affectionately. “Thank you, Sweetheart. You really are my soul mate.”

  Cambria managed to nod and smile. “So where are we going?” she ventured.

  “I don’t know. I figured I would drive until I figured something out. We can’t go back home, that’s for sure.”

  “What about Montana? There’s a lot of wide-open spaces and we can build a compound like our old one. Except it will be bigger and better.”

  He seemed to mull it over a bit and Cambria continued, trying to plant the seed. If she could get Tom to take them to Montana, maybe Egan would remember what she’d said.

  “Land is cheap there and I’m sure I can hack into the
bank account that Laskin had.”

  “There was an account? I didn’t know about it.”

  “He didn’t tell anyone, but I saw him access it on his computer a few times. He didn’t think I could see him, but I watched him. It will only take me a few tries to get the password right. Once I do that, I’m sure you can take that money and use it to build your army.”

  “Our army.”

  Cambria nodded. “Of course. Our army.”

  Tom seemed content as he drove. His expression softened and he slowed the car down somewhat as he relaxed.

  “Montana then?”

  “I would love to go to Montana.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll head.”

  Cambria sat back, wondering what she was going to do now. She’d convinced him to head for Montana, but it was at least three states away. What if Egan didn’t find her soon? What if he forgot about Montana? Then what would she do? “I’m really tired Tom. Maybe I can sleep awhile and I’ll drive when you’re ready to rest.”

  “I don’t need sleep,” he indicated a prescription bottle in the cup holder. “I have enough of those babies to get me wherever we need to go.” He playfully punched her thigh, “Besides, if I let a woman drive, what kind of man would I be? You go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when I’m ready to stop.”

  Cambria managed a weak smile and leaned against the window. She pulled the hood of her jacket over the side of her face so he couldn’t see her. She didn’t sleep. Careful to keep her body still and her breathing slow, Cambria watched the road go by, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

  Tom talked to himself from the driver’s seat as if he and a second Tom were the only two passengers in the car. When he answered himself, Cambria’s stomach turned. She’d missed all the signs over the last year, but there was something really wrong with this man. The more he talked, the more she wanted to shriek at him to shut up, just shut up. But then he would just kill her and be done with it. Or worse. And she would never see Egan again.