“But that doesn’t mean—”
“He’s already linked the car to Renfro. His
prints were all over the steering wheel. That’s what we were
talking to headquarters about.”
She pulled his arm. “What in the hell are we
doing out here, then?”
Donovan pushed her hair off of her forehead
and tucked it behind her ear. “It’s part of the plan. Right now he
knows we’re all up and on guard. We want him to see you here at the
house.”
“Why?” She turned her head to scan the area,
but Donovan kissed her before whispering in her ear. “Don’t act
paranoid. I’ll explain more to you later. For now, you’re going to
go back in the house and try to take a nap.”
“W-why?”
“Tonight, we’re going to use the darkness to
our advantage and sneak out of here on foot. We can’t chance
driving down the mountain. There’s only one way in and one way
out.” He held her in front of him, sheltered from any danger that
might be lurking in the yard.
“Hike down the mountain?” She pressed her
hand to her chest. “I can’t do that.” Shaking her head, she lowered
her voice. “We’ll be out in the open. Renfro or his men will kill
us.” Her chest pounded, and she looked away. “I want to stay at the
cabin…around all the others.”
He held her head in his hands and forced her
to face him. “Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“Then let me take care of this. All you have
to do is follow my directions.” He opened the door to lead her back
inside, paused, and frowned. “I’m sorry to say that you can’t tell
Jolene about our plans. Bryce and Taylor will leave like they are
going back to work, but will be helping us. Tony is staying behind
to guard the house, because we hope to escape unnoticed. It
wouldn’t be fair to leave Jolene unguarded if Renfro or his men
come looking for you here.”
She nodded. Heaviness
settled on her chest. She didn’t want any of them hurt because of
her. It wasn’t even fair that she was paying the price for being an
innocent bystander at the club. She'd had no idea she’d walk in and
witness Renfro blowing someone’s head off, and the shipment of
cocaine in his office.
Hell, it wasn’t
even my night to work, but Sherri called in sick.
“Okay.”
Chapter Four
Knock. Knock.
“Marie?”
Josie froze with her jeans around her knees
and swung around to blink at Donovan. “I thought you said Tony was
taking Jolene to bed early?” she whispered.
Donovan shrugged. “That’s what he said.”
She wiggled and pulled her pants up, and
moved closer to Donovan. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Open the door.” He chuckled. “She’s not
going to know what is going on. Be cool.”
“Easy for you to say, Agent D.” She stuck
out her tongue. “You’re the picture of calm. I’m a nervous
wreck.”
She inhaled, ran her fingers through her
hair, and opened the door. “Hi.” Josie smiled and leaned against
the door.
“Oh, good, you guys are still awake.” She
stepped inside the room and shut the door behind her. “I need to
talk with you.”
Donovan stood up and moved in front of the
backpack he’d already packed and prepared to wear on their
excursion down the mountain. “We were just getting ready for bed,
Jolene. Maybe we can talk in—”
Jolene waved her hand in the air. “Don’t try
to bullshit me, Donovan. Do you really think I don’t see the
whispers and the meetings all you G-men have had today?” She
scoffed. “Even if I did ignore all that, do you really think Tony
would go to bed at nine o’clock without touching me once?” She
shook her head and smiled. “I know something is up, and since you
brought Marie to my mountain, and I really like her, I want to know
what is going on. I don’t want anything to happen…to either one of
you.”
Silence filled the bedroom. Jolene gazed at
Donovan. He remained closed off and in agent mode. She nodded.
Jolene was right. It wasn’t fair of them to put her life, her home,
and the life of her lover at risk without telling her what was
going on. The more she knew, the bigger the chance that they’d all
make it out alive.
“There is a man…actually a mob of men, who
would like to kill me.” She moved back and sat on the edge of the
bed. “I worked at Castle Casino in Seattle, a real swanky place
where I served drinks and once in awhile filled in at the blackjack
table.” She stood back up and flung out her hands. “One night, I
walked into the owner’s office to turn in my receipts, something I
did all the time, but this time when I opened the door…he shot one
of his goons.” She dug the heels of her hands against her eyes. The
picture of that night was branded in her head. “I tried to run
away, but one of the men dragged me back into the office.” She
moved over and wrapped her arms around Donovan’s waist. “I thought
I was going to get away with just having them threaten me if I
told, but the police busted in. The boss got away, but decided I
was too big of a liability. Now I stand between him and
prison.”
“Oh, Marie.” Jolene stepped over and
smoothed her hair back from her face. “The G-men will keep you
safe. I believe that with all my heart.”
Donovan cleared his throat. “We’re leaving
tonight. I’m taking Jo-Marie down the mountain. Let Tony know that
we’ve told you what is going on. He’ll keep you safe.”
Jolene nodded. “You’re hiking?”
“Yeah.”
Her face broke out in a smile. “See…there
was a reason why I listened to the talks today.” She slapped her
leg. “Wait until I tell Tony how stealthy I’ve become.” She
laughed.
“Jolene…” Donovan frowned.
“No, really. I did really well.” She crossed
her arms. “If I hadn’t found out, you two would be suffering from a
seven-day hike into some of the roughest territory in the state.
Now you don’t have to.”
“What are you talking about?” Donovan cocked
his head.
“Think. I own a fishing charter company.
I’ve got rafts, canoes, kayaks, even a row boat.” Her grin grew.
“You could be off the mountain in six hours…eight at the most. All
you have to do is let the river float you downstream.” She crossed
her arms. “This is my starting point, and the rangers who use this
cabin during open season let me store my supplies in the old shed.
Everything is right here, ready for you to use.”
Jolene stared at Donovan. He paced the small
room, rubbing his stomach. “Donovan?” She moved to block his path.
“It makes sense. Renfro and his men wouldn’t have access to a boat
right away, and by the time they stole one, we’d be even farther
away.”
“All they’d have to do is shoot at the raft,
and our lives would be in a different kind of danger. No.” He
turned to Jolene. “Thanks, but no.”
“Then don’t use the raft. I’ve got two
aluminum canoes. You’d only need one. Plus they're faster in the
water than a raft.”
Josie squealed and hugged her friend.
“That’s perfect.” She turned to Donovan. “Isn’t it? And you have to
know I’m not really the wilderness type.”
“Get Tony.” Donovan’s forehead scrunched up.
“Fuck if you girls haven’t saved our ass,” he muttered.
Jolene ran out of the room, and Josie threw
her arms around Donovan’s neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
She peppered kisses along his jaw.
“Don’t thank me yet, baby. We both have to
get out of here alive first.”
* * *
The sky was darker than anything she’d ever
experienced. No streetlights, no neon signs, no blinding lights
from headlights pointed in her direction from cars going home.
Josie snuggled down further in the boat and laid her head on
Donovan’s backpack. Thank goodness with the glow of the moon she
was able to make out most of Donovan’s face or she’d go crazy.
The roar of the river seemed incredibly loud
in the dead of night. In the day, the rush of water over rocks
created a gentle lullaby that soothed and relaxed. At night, it
could have been the background music for a low-budget horror flick
with all its heavy footsteps and deep breathing.
“We just passed Bryce.” Donovan lifted the
oars out of the water and gazed down at her. “He’s the last safety
net. We’re on our own for the next hour or so.”
She chewed on her lip. Donovan was more than
competent in his job. “How do we know when we reach the bottom of
the mountain and what do we do when we arrive?”
He slipped the oars back into the water.
“Once we reach the dam, we’ll walk about two miles to a little town
called Yale. Bryce has arranged for us to have a car available to
use.”
“Dam?” She shot up. The canoe wobbled, and
Donovan lost control in the current. She shrieked and lunged over
the bench seat for him. The dark, swirling waters frightened her
more than toppling over the dam and killing herself did.
“D-Donovan—”
A loud
crack
followed with Donovan’s
dammit
nearly stopped
her heart. She let go of his arm and sunk down in the canoe. “What
was that?”
“Lay flat.” He pulled the broken oar that
was shot in half out of the ring holder and flung it in the
water.
Afraid to move and rock the canoe more, she
stretched out and tried to reach for Donovan. “Get down!”
“Don’t worry about me. We’ve got to get some
distance between us and them.” He pulled the one remaining oar
through the water before switching sides and repeating the action.
“Get my cell phone out of the bag. See if it works yet.”
It wasn’t easy to turn
around with the bench blocking her from the backpack. She wormed
her way over and past. Her hands shook, and she struggled with the
zipper on the side of the bag.
Come on,
come on…there!
She held the phone up in the air. “I got
it.”
“Fuck.” He dropped the oar in the bottom of
the canoe, dragged the pistol out of the holster under his arm, and
kneeled down in the boat. “Stay down. I just saw movement up
ahead.” He shoved the magazine in the pistol and pushed the safety
off. “Take cover.”
The quick
repetitive
pop, pop, pop
had her lying flat down on her stomach when the
cell phone vibrated against her chest. She jerked back. Two bars
showed up in the right top corner of the screen. She sat up, being
careful not to rock the canoe. “It works!”
Standing up, she leaned over to hand their
one lifeline for help to Donovan. Another blast came, she screamed,
and her body pitched over the side of the boat.
Donovan!
* * *
The second he spotted Josie attempting to
stand up, he lowered his shooting arm, threw himself toward her,
and his right shoulder exploded in a shower of pain. A deep burn
tunneled down his arm, leaving his hand useless. He scanned behind
the canoe for any sign of Josie, but in the damn darkness he
couldn’t tell a whitecap from a body.
More shots rang out, but he ignored the
threat. Lowering himself into the water, he swam with one arm while
trying to keep his head above the surface. He wanted to yell out
for Josie, but hoped his silence would make the men shooting at
them continue following the canoe downstream.
Diving under the water, he
put all his energy into his legs to fight the swift current. He’d
heard one shot at the time Josie toppled from the canoe, and the
way his body screamed in agony, he wouldn’t give up the thought
that she was okay, and that he’d find her. He broke through the
surface and scanned the area.
Where the
hell are you, Josie?
Donovan paused, and then
took off swimming faster than a man with one usable arm should be
able to swim. A shadow had moved farther up the river on the bank
at the water’s edge. His body cramped, and he sank under the water.
He came up coughing.
Josie.
He scanned the other side of the river,
searching for anyone out in the open who would take this
opportunity to take aim at their intended target, but his vision
was blurred. Little sparks of light flashed in front of him, making
it impossible to see anything. He changed directions and swam
toward shore. Time was of the essence. He’d promised to protect
her. She trusted him. He’d never renege on the deal of a
lifetime.
* * *
Exhausted, cold, and with a growing lump on
her eyebrow where she must have hit her head, Josie was too
frightened to worry about someone shooting her. Donovan was still
on the canoe and running right into trouble. She had to get back to
the cabin. If she made it back, she could send Tony down the river
to help Donovan.
Pushing up on her knees,
she squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden onslaught of nausea.
Why was she so dizzy? Not letting her body stop her, she stood up
and wobbled over the river rocks.
Whoa…I
can do this. I have to do this. I have to save Tony.
Gunfire broke through the
night. Josie fell. Sharp rocks pierced her knees and hands. Crying
out, she curled on the ground and covered her head with her
arms.
I’m sorry. Oh, God, I’m sorry. This
is my entire fault. If I hadn’t been—
The weight of the world fell on her, and she
fought to push it off. Her voice paralyzed, her movements stunted,
her hearing blocked from the pounding in her ears. All she could do
was scream silently in her head and push against the ton of
pressure crushing her into the rocks.
“Josie…stop. It’s me, Josie.” The arm
wrapped around her lifted her and brushed the hair out of her face.
“Sh…stop fighting. I’ve got you. I told you I’d keep you safe,
Josie.”
The short, sharp blasts of gunfire
continued. She loosened her arm enough to reach out and touch the
hand by her face. She grasped the rough, large, familiar fingers.
She’d know them anywhere. “Donovan?”