Scorched (11 page)

She took a deep breath. “You heard about Blake.”

He gave a slight nod. “Lot of people looking for you.”

“I know, I just—” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I had to get away.”

“You’re running.”

She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t bring herself to explain. She didn’t want to involve him in this. She wanted him to walk right out that door and stay out of it.

At the same time, she felt impossibly grateful that he was here. Just seeing him, hearing him, being in the same room with him made her feel as if she hadn’t completely lost her grip on the normal life she’d had only a few days ago.

His expression hardened. She recognized the look. He didn’t like to be stonewalled, which was funny given that he was one of the least communicative men she’d ever met.

“Forget it. You can tell me later.” He pushed off from the wall. “Right now we need to get you out of here.” He walked around the room and picked up her phone from the counter. “You got a bag or something?
Anything besides the purse?” He held the phone out to her.

She gaped at him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Rule number one, Kelsey. Never, ever go where the enemy might expect you to be.”

“But nobody knows I’m here.”

“I know you’re here. Joyce knows you’re here.”

“But—”

“Save the argument. We need to—”

Glass shattered. Gage launched himself across the room and tackled her. They crashed to the floor and she smacked the side of her head.

He pushed up on his hands. “You okay?”

She managed a nod. “What—”

“Rifle.” He glanced over his shoulder. A pistol seemed to have materialized out of nowhere and he gripped it in his hand. He turned around and must have seen her look of horror.

“Don’t worry, all the shades are down—he’s shooting at shadows.” Gage reached across her to yank the lamp cord from the wall and the cabin went black. “We need to get out of here.”

Kelsey’s heart hammered. Her lungs didn’t seem to want to work.
Someone was shooting at them.

Gage moved into a crouch beside her. “Stay down. Grab your purse and anything else you need. And here, give me your keys.”

Dazed, she fumbled around in the darkness and followed his commands. Then he folded her hand around something metal—a key.

“I’m parked two lots down, at an empty cabin. You’re going to make a run for my truck.”

“What?”

“I’ll create a diversion.”

Before she could voice any of her objections, he reached up and opened the back door. He went perfectly still as he peered into the darkness. When he seemed satisfied it was safe, he slipped out the door, ducking low and towing her behind him. Together, they eased down the steps.

Kelsey gripped the keys in one hand and Gage’s arm in the other.

“Come with me,” she whispered. “Let’s stay together.”

He shook his head. Then he pointed her shoulders toward the woods.

“Just over there, all right?” His voice was warm against her ear, but barely audible over the frenzied beating of her heart. “Count to five, then run like hell. Get in on the driver’s side, then move over for me.”

He gave her arm a squeeze and disappeared into the shadows.

Kelsey stood motionless. She felt a swoosh of wind, heard the rustle of bushes. A loud squeak as he yanked open the door to her car.

She’d forgotten to count!

The car sputtered to life. Kelsey glanced around, then darted for the nearest spruce. She felt like a cartoon character running from tree to tree, trying to make herself invisible. Her breath came in shallow pants. She scanned the area, but it was nearly impossible to see anything in the dimness. She sprinted for the next tree and the next.

Crack.

The sound was unmistakable this time, and her heart skittered.
Gage!
She wanted to scream at him. What kind of crazy plan was this?

Through the gloom, she saw the outline of another cabin. A black pickup sat out front. Kelsey made a mad dash, trying so hard to stay low that she tripped to her knees right beside the truck. She wrenched open the door and scrambled across the seat and over the gear shift. She huddled on the floor.

God, where were the
keys
? She groped around. Her hand encountered a soft-drink can, a hat. Her fingers closed around the key chain. She shoved the key in the ignition as Gage leaped behind the wheel.

“Go!” she yelped.

He started the truck and thrust it into gear. “Get down!”

She crouched into a ball on the floor as he shot backward, jerking his door shut as he went. He hunched low over the wheel, but his bulk was an inviting target, and Kelsey held her breath as they roared down the dirt road. The tires hit asphalt and he stomped on the gas.

Kelsey gazed up at him, unable to speak or breathe or even formulate a thought.

“You all right?” He glanced down at her.

She nodded.

“Stay down,” he said, but even as he said it, he was straightening up to check his mirrors and switch on the headlights.

The car vibrated under her and she squeezed her eyes shut. It was happening again. She couldn’t get away from it. And now Gage was involved.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. His jaw was set, his lips pressed together in a grim line. He looked fierce, determined.

“Are they following?”

He glanced over his shoulder. He checked the mirrors again. Kelsey waited, sure that at any moment the windshield would explode.

“Gage?”

“We’re good for now.” He patted the seat beside him. “Come on.”

Her arms quivered as she pulled herself into the seat. She dragged the seat belt over her body and it took two tries to get it buckled because her hands were shaking. She looked at Gage. Then she looked out the window at the woods rushing by in a blur.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I’ll put some distance between us.” He shot her a look. “Then we’ll stop and you can tell me what the hell’s going on.”

CHAPTER 6

Elizabeth glanced around the dark motel parking lot as she gathered files from the backseat. It wasn’t the best neighborhood she’d ever been in, but it wasn’t the worst, either. Still, she didn’t think it wise to leave anything in the rental car overnight. She hitched her computer bag onto her shoulder, grabbed her purse, and balanced a few more files against her hip as she slammed the door. She strode across the pitted asphalt, darting her gaze around.

“Need a hand?”

She whirled around as a figure emerged from the shadow between two cars.

Derek Vaughn.

The man was, quite possibly, the last person she wanted to see tonight.

“Are you lost?” she asked.

“Nope.” He reached over and took the stack of files.

“Hey!”

“Let me give you a little tourist tip.” He spoke in that lazy Southern drawl as he smiled down at her. “This isn’t a great part of town. Not a good idea to walk
through dark parking lots with your hands full. Makes that Glock you’re packing next to useless.” He tugged the computer bag from her shoulder and transferred it to his own. “Damn, you got encyclopedias in here?”

Rather than engage in a wrestling match over her stuff, she crossed her arms.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Vaughn?”

“It’s Derek.” The side of his mouth curled up. “And you can let me walk you to your room. This way?”

He started off in the direction she’d been walking. Elizabeth watched his back. He’d changed clothes since before, when he’d been dressed as Gage Brewer’s twin. Now he wore faded jeans and a black T-shirt that fit snugly over his muscular build. Now that he wasn’t wearing the Bears cap, she got her first look at the thick brown hair that curled slightly at the back of his neck.

“What are you, 103?” He glanced back at her.

Elizabeth huffed out a breath and followed him. They reached the concrete walkway in front of the rooms, and she sidestepped him to take the lead. She halted in front of 103 and flicked him a glance.

“How did you know?”

He shrugged. “The other ones look occupied.”

She shook her head as she took out her key card. At least she didn’t have to go raise hell at the front desk because they’d given out her room number. But still, she didn’t like him sneaking up on her in a parking lot late at night. What was he doing here? Either he was hitting on her or he had information related to the case. She suspected he was hitting on her.

Elizabeth rested her hand on her holster as she stepped inside and flipped on the light. The room hadn’t
improved since this morning. It smelled of mildew and cigarette smoke. She gazed at the faded orange bedspread and sighed.

“Nice digs.”

She turned around, and he handed over the file folders. He’d put her computer bag on the floor just inside the door. Maybe he sensed her uneasiness or maybe he simply had manners, but he hadn’t entered her room without permission. He stood on the threshold, his shoulder propped against the door frame.

Where did they get these guys, Beefcakes R Us? At six-four, he was almost a foot taller than she was. Practically every SEAL Elizabeth had seen today had been almost as huge. She’d watched them doing their morning workouts as she’d waited for Lieutenant Brewer. All of the men she’d seen were impressive, but particularly the SEALs. They seemed to relish pain. And they were distinguishable from the others by their longer-than-regulation-length hair and—in some cases—their beards, which helped them to blend in in countries where American servicemen might not be welcome.

Derek Vaughn was eyeing her now with a look she couldn’t quite read. Elizabeth stacked her files on the table. She tucked her hands into her pockets and saw his gaze drift to the sidearm at her hip.

Some men had a thing for women with guns.

“What can I do for you?” she repeated.

“Let me take you to dinner.”

She stared at him.

“You’re ticked off about earlier. Let me make it up to you.”

She watched him, annoyed now. She
was
ticked off about earlier. She was embarrassed, too. But she was also starving and it was nearly midnight. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew she’d be safer going on a quest for food with a jacked-up Navy SEAL beside her than she would by herself. Yes, she was armed, but as a young blonde, she tended to attract attention.

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“Ah, you know. Thought I’d show you some of the culinary adventures San Diego has to offer. Maybe a little international cuisine.”

“You’re talking about the IHOP across the street.”

“Good coffee.” He nodded at her files. “Looks like you plan to be up late. And they’re open, too, which is always a plus.”

Ten minutes later, Elizabeth found herself sharing a vinyl booth with a ridiculously attractive man whose mission tonight was probably to separate her from her tailored gray pantsuit.

She distracted herself by checking out the menu. After a waitress took their orders and filled their coffee mugs, Elizabeth folded her hands on the table in front of her.

He was grinning at her.

“What?”

“Big appetite for a little woman.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Good for you.” He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “So, Liz—can I call you Liz?”

“It’s Elizabeth.”

“Yeah, but what do your friends call you? Liz? Beth? Betty?”

“Betty?”

“No one goes by Elizabeth. Too much of a mouthful.” Derek smiled, and something in his look made her stomach flutter. He had light brown eyes with gold flecks in them. Besides his build, he didn’t look a thing like Gage Brewer. How had she confused them?

She took a deep breath. “My mother is Beth. I go by Elizabeth. Less confusing.”

“All right.” He leaned back and watched her. “
Elizabeth,
how’s the investigation going?”

“It’d be going a lot better if we knew where Lieutenant Brewer was.”

He looked at her blankly.

“Do you care to tell me?”

His eyebrows arched. “Is there a warrant out for him?”

“No.”

“Then I can’t tell you where he is.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“
Can’t
because I don’t know.
Won’t
because even if I did know, he’s my best friend.”

She tamped down her irritation.

“What do you want with him, anyway? You just talked to him this morning.”

She felt almost sure he knew the answers to all the questions he was asking. “We need to ask him some more questions. And we need to talk to his girlfriend, Kelsey Quinn.”

“Ex-girlfriend.”

“Whatever. She’s been missing since Monday evening, the night Blake Reid was murdered.” Elizabeth watched closely, to see if any of this seemed to come as
a surprise. As she’d suspected, he seemed well aware of the situation.

Just as he was probably well aware of Gage Brewer’s current location. Elizabeth tried a new tactic.

“So, what do you know about her?” She took a sip of coffee.

“About Kelsey? I know she’s a nice lady. It’s not every woman who spends her summer vacation in some armpit jungle digging up bones.”