All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel (22 page)

Sam was silent for a moment and, when he spoke, his mood had lightened. “Where are you from, Cara?”

“Oregon.” The word slipped out before she could stop it. Damn! That was stupid. Sam went on as though she hadn’t just screwed up.

“When I came here from Florida, no one told me it was going to be so darn cold.”

She laughed, his straightforward manner putting her at ease. “It’s hardly cold yet. How long do you plan to stay? Winter is coming, you know.”

“I’m aware. I’ve got a project I’m working on right now. When that’s finished, I’ll probably head back to Florida, for the winter at least. Ever had a desire to see the Everglades?”

That sounded more like an invitation than a question, but she pretended she didn’t get it. “Alligators, snakes, and poisonous bugs? I’ll take my chances with the cold winters.”

“You’ve got a point there.” He laughed. “There’s always a trade-off, isn’t there?”

“I have to go, Sam.”

Rayna hurried toward her from across the compound.

“Listen, you’ve got my number now. If you get lonely, give me a call. I’d love to hear from you.”

“Bye.” She cut the call short just as Rayna reached her.

“Who was that?” Rayna asked. “I thought you were trying to fly under the radar.”

“I’ve got a few friends I need to keep in touch with. Joe wouldn’t have given me the phone if he didn’t expect me to use it.”

“I think Joe would want to know who you’re calling.”

“This doesn’t concern him. Does he really have to know?”

Rayna studied Cara with a hard glint in her eyes. Then her expression softened and she smiled. “No, I guess not.”

She and Rayna ate a late lunch before going back to the gym, to the mat with the heavy black bag hanging from the ceiling. They each pulled on a pair of padded gloves.

“Tell me again what kickboxing is supposed to do for me?”

“Strength, endurance, balance, coordination, flexibility, not to mention a full body workout,” Rayna said. “You’ll be sore after this.”

Cara groaned. That first night was still fresh in her memory. Did she have any of Joe’s ointment left?

Rayna demonstrated a series of quick kicks and punches. Then she let Cara practice the moves, while making notes. “Pivot your body toward the target. Bend your knees. Hit the target with the outside of your foot.”

So many things to remember. If Walker thought she lacked concentration this morning, he’d have a coronary if he saw this. Luckily, Rayna didn’t have the same urgency he did, or maybe she’d never seen what could happen in a life-threatening situation without proper training. Rayna knew kickboxing and was doing the best she could to teach her, but suddenly Cara had a whole new appreciation for Walker.

By the time their session was over, Cara’s breathing came hard and sweat soaked through the front of her T-shirt.

“Tomorrow, same time,” Rayna said.

With no breath to agree, Cara simply waved as she headed for the house to get cleaned up. Afterward, she’d find Walker and apologize for not taking today’s training session seriously.

Tyler caught her just before she got to the house. “Ready for the high ropes?” His eyes crinkled with amusement.

“I haven’t seen Joe. I didn’t know if he would still want to…”

“Joe’s gone. He got a call from Murphy and flew to Portland. I thought you knew.”

Emptiness washed over Cara in an instant and she frowned. Surely her life hadn’t become so intertwined with his she’d forgotten how to get by when he wasn’t around.

“He’ll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, he asked me to take you up, if that’s all right with you.”

“Sure.” What did it matter who took her up?

The course got easier each time. If Joe was here, he’d think of some way to make it harder. Maybe he’d even have her do it without a harness, the way some of his students did.

Walker showed up and manned the belay rope, helping them off the zip line afterward. Cara got her chance to apologize. He barely grunted in response and left without another word as soon as they were finished.

Apparently, Walker was still mad at her. No doubt Joe was too. Rayna obviously didn’t understand why Cara was keeping secrets from Joe. It was only day six and already she’d alienated everyone who was trying to help her.

She showered, changed, and went downstairs for dinner. The dining hall was well lit, with jovial banter and laughter spilling out into the foyer. The men usually enjoyed this time after a hard day and, suddenly, she couldn’t bring herself to go in. Disgusted with herself, the thought of exchanging snappy repartee with a roomful of carefree soldiers was more than she could stand. She went outside to get Dillon and returned to her room instead.

Lying awake on her bed in the dark, she thought about Joe. A twinge of remorse jabbed her for allowing him to believe there was something between her and Walker. But, damn it, why was he so willing to believe the worst? He was so big on trust. Perhaps it was only a one-way street with him. On the other hand, if she hadn’t refused to explain, maybe it would have been different. Cara hated to admit, even to herself, she missed him. If he were here, she could explain. Would it make any difference now?

Again, she was startled by the vibration of her cell phone. This time the caller ID flashed Joe’s name. “Hi. Where are you?”

“Who was the call from, Cara?”

She hesitated, surprised he knew about the call and angered by the suspicion in his voice. “There’s an awful lot of interest in my private life today.” Someone had sold her out… again. Obviously, loyalty ran deep with Joe’s strays.

“This is all about your private life. It’s about keeping you alive so you can have one. I ran the number. It’s untraceable.”

Walker. He was the only one who saw the number. “That could just mean he doesn’t like contracts and prefers a preloaded phone.”

“Or it could mean he doesn’t want anyone to know how many times he checks in with Dennelli while he waits for an opportunity to grab you.”

The angry words died on her tongue. Practically from the moment she met Sam, she’d thought stalker. After he told her about the death of his wife and daughter, she’d thought lonely old man, but not once had she considered Sam might work for David. A shiver ran down her spine, and she wished Joe was here even more.

“I need a name.”

“His name is Sam. I don’t know his last name. He said he was an artist from Florida.”

“How did he get to you?”

“We met standing in line at the fair.”

“
Son of a…
” A crash on the other end obliterated his expletive. “Description?”

“Five ten or five eleven, two hundred pounds, mid-forties, blond hair, blue eyes.”

“Anything else?”

“He tried to pull me out of the line. He said he wanted me to meet his niece. It scared me, so I broke his hold. I think he might have seen you coming, and he disappeared pretty fast.” Of course, Joe would blame himself for taking her there.

“Why in the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“We were having such a nice time, and I honestly never once thought… I’m sorry.”

“Did you give him your number?”

“No. He said he overheard someone picking it up in the electronics shop. I really think he’s harmless. He’s just a lonely man who recently lost his wife and daughter in an accident.”

Joe took a deep breath and when he spoke, his voice was calmer. “He may very well be, but wouldn’t you rather know for sure?”

“I’m sorry, Joe.”

“You’ve got his number. Are you going to call him back?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

“If you do, try to get more information. His name, where he lives, any friends. Don’t let him know you suspect anything is wrong. Like I said… maybe there isn’t.”

“Joe, I’d like to explain about this morning.”

“I talked to Walker. He explained.”

If he knew what happened, why was his voice still so cold?

“Is Dillon in your room?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Get some sleep.” He hung up before she could say anything more.

Stunned, Cara stared at the phone. Her heart ached and it hurt to breathe, and all she could do was shake her head. She’d accomplished what she was after—driving a wedge between them. She should be happy. Now, all she had to do was learn to live with the loneliness that washed over her.

Right now, however, she was going to see if she could trap a rat. She took her cell phone, scrolled to Sam’s number, and dialed. He answered on the first ring.

“Hi, Sam. I couldn’t sleep. Is it all right that I called you?”

Chapter Twenty-One

Thursday, 8:13 am

C
ARA HAD JUST
taken a bite of her eggs when Joe walked into the dining hall and stopped beside her long enough to say, “Come to the study when you’re through here.”

Everyone at the table grew quiet as he walked out of the room.

Then Walker whistled softly and winked at her. “Uh-oh… Cara’s in trouble.”

She frowned at him while she tried to swallow the eggs that were now too dry. Joe hadn’t seemed as angry as he was last night, but something was bothering him. He was tense and his eyes were dark and brooding. Pushing the rest of her food around her plate, she pretended to eat, but curiosity won out. She cleaned and stacked her plate and reported to his study.

He stood at the window, staring out at the lake. “I have a request from Murphy.” He didn’t turn around. There was an angry edge to his voice.

If only he would look at her so she could get some idea what was wrong and how bad it was, but his eyes were fixed toward the west.

“He wants to move up the time frame for going after the notebook.”

“Sooner? When?”

“Now. As soon as we can get there.”

“Why?”

“Sinclair is leaving town tomorrow. He and his wife have reservations for the south of France. Sounds like he’ll be gone for a while. Murphy thinks it would be safer for you, and we’d have more chance of finding what we’re looking for, if we go in when he’s not there.”

“What do you think?”

He swung around.

She was shocked by the anger that darkened his expression.

“I don’t think Murphy gives a damn whether it’s safer for you or not. I think he’s rushing into this without enough intel or preparation. If Sinclair will be gone for a while, why do we have to go in right now? Next week should be soon enough.”

“Tell him no then.”

Joe gave a short laugh and shook his head. “There’s more. After all this time, I underestimated Murphy.” His eyes locked on hers. “If we go in now, he won’t charge you as an accessory in the murder of Charlie Dugan.”

“What!” The breath caught in her throat. She reached for the desk to steady herself. “That’s ridiculous. He knows I didn’t have anything to do with Charlie’s death.”

“You’re Sinclair’s sister. You worked there. You’re an officer of the corporation, and you were dating Charlie. Murphy thinks he can make it stick.”

Confusion and pain swamped her, quickly followed by white-hot anger. Murphy was wise to have Joe come to him. If he were here right now, she’d tell him to shove his investigation. She was willing to help make sure Brian got what he deserved, but apparently that wasn’t good enough. Murphy seemed to think he could intimidate her, and she’d pressure Joe to conform to his schedule. Well, it wasn’t going to work. She wouldn’t give in to his coercion. If he wanted her help now, it was going to cost him.

“Get him on the phone.”

“I tried talking to him. I did everything, including threatening his miserable life. He wouldn’t budge.”

“Will it be easier going in if Brian isn’t there?”

“Possibly. It depends on how many of his employees are in his confidence and how loyal they are to him. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking the sooner I’m done with Michael Murphy, the better. Would you get him on the phone, please?” She held his gaze for a moment and forced a smile to her lips. Poor Joe. She’d been trouble for him since the day they met.

“Damn it!” He shook his head as he dialed the number. “Murphy—Cara wants a word.” He handed her the phone.

She took a deep breath and stared in Joe’s eyes, drawing on his strength. “Got your message, Murphy. Very brave of you to have Joe deliver it.”

“Joe is paid well to face all the dangers for me, including angry women. But I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you personally.”

“I bet. Here’s the deal. You screwed up. All you needed to do was ask me and I’d be on my way to Portland right now. But blackmail? Did you really think that would work?”

“You should think about it, Cara. Jail time for women is no picnic these days.”

“I’ll take my chances with a jury.”

“That’s it, then? You’ve made up your mind? You know what’s at stake here as well as I do.”

She detected a note of uncertainty in his voice.

“Oh, I know what’s at stake. My brother tried to kill me, remember?” She paused. “There is one thing that could change my mind.”

“And that would be…”

“A new name and a new life somewhere out of the country when this is over. If you’ll do that, I’ll be in Portland tomorrow ready to go to work.”

Joe stiffened, and a frown turned his expression even darker.

She tore her eyes from his.

“Be reasonable. That takes approval from my superiors. I can’t just go around handing out new identities. Anyway, it would take some time.”

“I’ve got time. Do you?”

He hesitated. “How can you be sure I’ll come through on my end of the bargain?”

“You do realize Joe is teaching me how to hurt people, don’t you?” There was a long silence.

“Perhaps we can come to some kind of an agreement. Where is it you’d like to go?”

“I don’t know yet. I haven’t had time to think about it. None of this would have come up if you hadn’t tried to force the issue.” She’d made a mistake. She should have planned it all out before getting Murphy to agree. Would he take her seriously now? Or would he promise her what she asked for but not come through?

Joe stepped in front of her and held out his hand for the phone. “Do you trust me?” he whispered, his scowl black and heavy.