Off the Grid Christmas Page 10

  He’d been a sharpshooter in the military. He was well trained. He could hit his target. But he had enough innocent blood on his hands.

  His memories were vivid and unrelenting. Lexi’s blue lips, the gray tint of her skin as he pulled her from the bottom of the pool. The strong scent of chlorine. Water dripping from his face as he’d tried to breathe life into her.

  Through Evan’s tears and pleading to God, through their friend Tyler’s panicked phone call, Kane had counted breaths. Counted compressions. He could never forget. Every moment was etched in his mind. She’d been four years old. Even his dreams were not safe from remorse. He’d prefer not to add an officer of the law to his list of regrets.

  Arden slowed the snowmobile and gestured farther up the mountain. “See that? Looks like someone cleared the trees. Do you think it’s a road?”

  He could see the area. The trees were sparse against the black-gray sky. These mountains had once been filled with logging camps, so it was likely that old logging roads still crisscrossed the landscape. If they were looking at a road, there might be a cabin at the end of it. Maybe an old vehicle with enough gas in it to hot-wire and drive.

  “If you think you can get this thing up there, we can check it out.”

  She nodded, gunning the engine again.

  They left the deer trail, bounced along snow-covered leaves and over thick root systems and deadfall, and finally burst out onto a road. Although coated in a layer of snow, it showed signs that vehicles had passed through earlier in the day. Tire tracks were coated with a fresh layer of icy snowfall. He wasn’t sure if it was an actual paved road or some sort of access road, but it was definitely a road.

  If they went downhill, it would probably bring them to Berlin faster. The thought of making it to town was appealing. Arden was cold. Running on fumes. But in reality, going downhill might bring them closer to danger. For sure, it was the direction anyone following them would think they’d gone.

  “Up or down?” Arden asked, her voice tight with tension.

  The first snowmobile had gone silent. The driver had either stopped to help his fallen comrade or he’d come up with a different plan of attack. Either way, Kane and Arden needed to keep moving.

  “Up,” he said.

  She gunned the engine again, speeding along the road, passing old wooden signs that pointed the way to camping areas.

  As they rounded a bend in the road, the road forked off in two directions. At the intersection, three wooden arrows on a painted post pointed them in different directions. Two of the arrows pointed up the mountain, identifying Milan Hill Picnic Area and the fire tower. The third arrow pointed left and announced the campground office. It was off-season; the office would likely not be staffed.

  “Left?” Arden asked, heading in that direction before he answered.

  They were finally in sync, working together as a team, thinking in the same direction. He’d experienced the same on the battlefield, the connection between the men and women there almost mystic in its intensity.

  The need for survival trumped just about everything else.

  Except love. He’d seen how powerful that could be, and he knew how much people were willing to sacrifice for it.

  Arden pulled up in front of a small wood-sided cabin. Several outbuildings were scattered nearby. A freestanding display case stood near the cabin—a map of the campground inside it. Nearby, a long carport housed three pickup trucks. Two were new, with shiny paint and gleaming windows. Both were Parks and Recreation vehicles.

  The third truck was older, with a dented hood and cracked windshield. There’d once been a New Hampshire Parks and Recreation logo on the door, but someone had sprayed a light coat of green paint over it. The words For Sale had been scrawled across the top of the front window, the lettering old and nearly worn off.

  If it worked, they could take that. Its age should make it easy to hot-wire. If Kane had to, he could syphon gas from one of the other two vehicles.

  He hopped off the snowmobile and tried the truck door. Unlocked. Just like he thought it would be. The interior was as worn as the exterior, but the inside light came on. Hopefully an indication that the battery was in working order.

  He tossed his duffel bag behind the seat, then slid into the driver’s seat, pulling out his Swiss Army knife.

  “What are you doing?” Arden peered into the truck, her face dripping with melting snow, her hat listless and sopping wet. She’d unzipped her jacket and freed Sebastian, holding the giant animal in both arms.

  “Big cat,” he commented as he opened the ignition switch.

  “That’s not an answer to my question.”

  “I’m hot-wiring the truck.”

  She frowned. “We can’t steal a truck, Kane. It’s against the law.”

  “Would you rather stay here and get caught?”

  “No.” She set the cat down. “Do your business, Sebastian, and be quick about it,” she said, then tugged at the pack Kane still wore. He grabbed her wrist. No way was she getting the pack. Not until he had her somewhere safe.

  “We don’t have time for this,” he muttered, looking straight into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.

  “I’m just grabbing some cash.” She pulled back, waving a wad of bills at him. “How much do you think this thing is worth?”

  “Arden—”

  “Seriously, Kane. How much?”

  “A couple hundred. At most.”

  “Okay.” She pulled out a few bills and shoved the rest back in the pack. “I’ll be back.”

  “Don’t go far,” he warned. “I’ll have this started in a moment.”

  “I won’t.” She was humming as she jogged away, the cat scurrying along beside her. She shoved the money through a mail slot in the cabin’s door. He tracked her movements as she walked to the display case.

  She must have felt the weight of his stare. She met his eyes again.

  She was lovely. The unwelcome thought popped into his mind. He pushed it out just as quickly. Arden’s brother was his best friend. There was no room for thoughts like that.

  “You’re not going to ever get done if you don’t get started,” she pointed out. “And you really do need to get started. I think I hear the snowmobile again.”

  He did, too, the distant hum of the engine echoing through the snowy clearing.

  It took him seconds to get the truck started, the engine sputtering for a few moments before it sprang to life.

  He checked the gas gauge. Over half filled. That was plenty to get them past Berlin. There were other small towns interspersed through the region. They could fill up when they reached one. He shrugged off the pack and tossed it behind the seat with his duffel.

  A flash of light caught his attention, and he glanced at the tree line. Definitely a light, there and gone as it was blocked by trees and revealed again.

  “Arden!” he shouted, but the passenger door was already opening and she was sliding into the vehicle. Cold air and snow seeped in with her. Sebastian was in his carrier again, eyeing Kane balefully.

  “Hurry,” Arden huffed, slamming the door shut.

  “I plan to,” he responded. He pressed on the gas and prayed that the old truck was more reliable than it looked—and that it could outrun a snowmobile and whatever else might be waiting for them when they got off the mountain.

  NINE

  Arden was scared.

  She could admit it.

  She’d seen the campground map. She’d memorized it. She knew exactly how far up the mountain they were and exactly how sharp the horseshoe curves were that would lead them down.

  In the best of weather with the best of road conditions, they’d have to take those curves slowly. The weather was horrible. The road was icy, and Kane was racing along like they were on an open stretch of
highway in the middle of the desert.

  Yeah. She was scared, so of course she opened her mouth and started talking.

  “Velocity is the change of position relative to time. Based on the speed we’re going and the fact that the first horseshoe curve we’ll encounter is roughly three miles from the campground, we have a good shot of becoming airborne in the next couple of minutes.” The words just kind of spilled out, and she was certain Kane’s lips curved. His focus was on the road, though. He didn’t even glance in her direction.

  “Are you asking me to slow down?”

  “Statistically speaking, the chance of you making the first curve at this rate of speed is slim to none.” There she went again. She pressed her lips together, sealing in more information that wasn’t going to help their situation at all.

  Kane was smart. He could have figured it all out without her spiel.

  To his credit, he just nodded, easing off the accelerator and slowing down.

  “You know, Arden,” he said, and she braced herself to get an earful. How many times had Randy pointed out that she’d embarrassed herself and him by saying too much, offering too many details, talking incessantly? Too many.

  But he was a jerk, so she really shouldn’t care.

  Except that she knew he’d been right. She did talk a lot about the things she liked. And she liked a lot of things.

  “What?” she finally asked. She told herself she wasn’t going to care about Kane’s opinion any more than she should have cared about Randy’s. But of course she was lying.

  “Until tonight, I’d never met anyone who could make me smile while I was running for my life.”

  “I’m glad I could amuse you,” she replied, her cheeks hot with embarrassment. Amusing other people was something she excelled at.

  “I didn’t say I find you amusing, Arden. I find you pleasantly surprising,” he continued. He took the first steep curve without difficulty, the truck only shimmying a little on the ice-and snow-crusted road. “I knew you were smart, but you’re so much more. The way you handled the snowmobile back there, the fact that you took the time to leave money for this beat-up truck just because it’s the right thing to do. The way you’ve pushed yourself all night. It’s refreshing. You’re refreshing.”

  They’d reached a long stretch of gently curving road, and he did glance her way. Just a quick look, but she saw something in his eyes that made her breath catch. She’d never ever seen it in Randy’s. Admiration mixed with respect. That’s how she’d describe it if she was asked.

  She looked out the window, focusing on the grayish night, the ice-covered trees, the swirling snow. Anything but Kane. There was something different about him. Something down to earth and honest that made her want to talk more, ask questions, find out who he really was when he wasn’t hanging at the edge of her family’s holiday celebrations.

  She wasn’t going to do it.

  He’d be too easy to fall for. And she wasn’t ready for another relationship. Being made a fool of once was more than enough.

  “There’s another horseshoe curve coming up,” she said, eyeing the dark stretch of road. There was no sign of the snowmobile, but the truck’s engine was loud enough to mask any sound of pursuit. She glanced back. The road was empty and still.

  “Thanks,” he said, taking the sharp curve easily.

  “Where are we headed? Town?” Arden asked, pulling Sebastian out of the carrier and depositing him on her lap.

  “Not Berlin. We’ll need to stop for gas at some point, but we’ll do it when we’re farther away.”

  “You really are very good at avoiding my questions,” she said.

  He smiled. “We’re going to Massachusetts. Cape Cod, to be specific.”

  Arden’s heart jumped, her pulse racing. “You do realize GeoArray headquarters are in Boston, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you want to go to Massachusetts because...?”

  “It won’t be expected, and because I have a cottage there.”

  “You have a cottage?”

  “It belonged to my grandparents. They left it to me. I haven’t been out to it in over a decade, but my parents use it in the summer, so it should be in decent shape.”

  “Decent shape for what?”

  “Laying low until we can come up with a better plan.”

  She almost protested. She had no intention of staying anywhere near GeoArray. She sure didn’t plan on staying in a cottage with Kane. It was only a matter of time before someone linked Kane to that plane. Any property that could be traced to him would be the first place they’d search.

  The words were on the tip of her tongue, but for once common sense won out. Until she had a better plan, she’d just have to go along for the ride. Let him think she was cooperating. It was becoming increasingly clear that giving him the slip was not going to be easy. Perhaps she should try another tactic. Get him on her side, then convince him that she’d be safer going off the grid again. Alone.

  “You’ve gone quiet,” Kane said. “You don’t like the plan?”

  “I’m tired.” She sidestepped the question, and she was certain he noticed.

  He didn’t comment. Just turned up the heater that was blowing lukewarm air into the cab. He pulled the sopping knit cap from her head, his fingers brushing against her ear and the side of her neck.

  He’d taken his gloves off at some point, and his fingers were warm and calloused against her cold skin.

  “Go ahead and close your eyes for a while. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us, and you’re probably going to want to work on those files once we reach the Cape.”

  She did want to work on the files, but she wasn’t planning to rest now. She had too much on her mind and on her heart.

  Juniper had trusted her to prove her husband’s innocence and to clear his name. Arden had foolishly promised to do it. She’d had no idea what she was getting herself into, and she had no way of letting Juniper know what she’d learned. She also had no way of letting her friend know that she was safe.

  “Juniper is probably worried sick,” she murmured.

  “So are Jace and Grayson. I’d put in a call to let them know you’re with me, but the FBI is probably monitoring their cell phones.”

  “Right.” She sighed, leaning her head back against the cracked leather seat and closing her eyes. Not because she planned to sleep, but because she didn’t want to talk.

  She was afraid everything would spill out. All her dramatic speculations about just how dangerous those files might be, about what they might be hiding, was better left unsaid. The less she told Kane, the better off he’d be. Two people were already dead because of those files. She was certain Juniper’s husband had been murdered and that his boss had suffered the same fate.

  She just had to prove it.

  She had to decrypt those files.

  Most of all, she had to make sure that whatever GeoArray had started was stopped.

  And she’d really like to do it all before Christmas. She missed her family. She missed baking with her mother. She missed shopping with Juniper. She missed being home where she knew exactly what each day would bring.

  She sniffed back unexpected tears, disgusted with herself. She wasn’t a crier. She’d never been a crier. Even when she’d discovered the truth about Randy, she hadn’t cried. She certainly wasn’t going to cry now. She sniffed again, trying to prove that truth to herself.

  “Are you crying?” Kane asked.

  “Why would I be?” she asked, not opening her eyes. She was afraid a tear might slip out.

  “Because you’ve been running for weeks? Because you’re tired? Because it’s almost Christmas and you’re far from home?”

  Yes. To all those things.

  “I’m this close to decrypting those files, Kane. I ju
st want to get somewhere where I can concentrate on doing it,” she responded.

  He didn’t say anything. Just let the truck fill with their silence.

  That was fine.

  She was fine.

  Or she would be. Once she fulfilled her promise to Juniper and made it back home.

  Please, God, let that happen. Please, she prayed silently, her eyes still closed as the truck descended the mountain.

  * * *

  They made it down the mountain in twenty minutes with no sign they were being followed. Kane fished his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Silas. The call went directly to voice mail.

  “Hey, it’s me. I’ve got Jace’s sister. The plane’s down just outside of Berlin—I’ll need you to handle it for me. We’re headed to the Cape. Give me a call when you get this.”

  Another few hours, and they’d be at the Cape.

  Unfortunately.

  He hoped he was making the right decision.

  His name wasn’t on the Cessna’s title and hadn’t been used to file the flight plan. The plane was owned by Shadow Wolves Security. They’d purposely not tied any of their names directly to the company to help maintain anonymity for the benefit of their clients. Discretion would be paramount to their future success.

  It would be difficult for anyone to put his name together with Arden’s but it wouldn’t be impossible. If the FBI tied Kane’s name to the company and the plane, they’d be able to quickly figure out that he owned the cottage.

  A good reason to stay away, but he figured it would take time for the Feds to realize he and Arden were together. He could use that time to make plans.

  For now, the Cape was his best option, but he didn’t want to go there.

  He’d left it almost thirteen years ago, and he hadn’t looked back. There were too many memories, too many regrets.