Hide Away (37 page)

The chill returned as she turned away from MacDuff. “I think I'll go to Jock's tent and see what's keeping him, Cara. Will you stay with MacDuff while I'm—”

Cara was gone.

Panic.

“Shit!”

Jane ran out of the tent.

Fog. Darkness. Fear.

“Cara!”

Smother the panic. Maybe she'd gone to Jock's tent to look for him.

She ran down the row of tents.

Jock's tent was dark.

No Jock.

No Cara.

Jane's heart was beating hard, painfully.

But there was a note scrawled on a piece of paper pinned to the canvas beside the door.

It won't take long, Jane.

“Damn, damn, damn.” She dialed Jock.

No answer.

She took a deep breath and phoned Caleb. “I need you to come back to the camp right away. Things are happening, and I need help.”

“I'm already on my way,” Caleb said. “Jock called me and told me that. I should be there soon.”

“Jock called you? When?”

“About ten minutes ago. He said MacDuff was better but that you were going to need me.”

“He must have called you right after he sent Cara to get me.” Her hand tightened on the phone. “I was so damn happy about MacDuff that it didn't occur to me right away. Why would he have to send her to get me? Why not just phone me and tell me to come.”

“He wanted to get rid of her.” Caleb asked, “He's gone, Jane?”

“You're not surprised. Did he tell you?”

“No, but I knew it was bound to happen. Jock would have gone for Salazar after he found MacDuff if he hadn't had to try to save him. He cares about MacDuff. He wasn't going to let anyone who hurt him live. When he called to tell me that you'd need me, I thought that he judged it was time.” He paused. “I wouldn't worry about him. From what I've heard about Jock, it's Salazar who should worry.”

“I do worry about him. I know very well what Jock is capable of. Do you think I want him to start killing again?” Her voice was shaking. “And what about Cara? I suppose I shouldn't worry about her either?”

“Cara?”

“I turned away for a moment to talk to MacDuff, and she was gone. I'm sure she went after Jock. She's out there in the darkness and the fog looking for him. Hell, she wants to take
care
of him.”

“We'll find her.”

“Before Salazar finds her? Before Franco finds her?”

“I'll call Jock and tell him to locate her and bring her back.”

“I tried. He's not answering. He obviously doesn't want anyone to interfere with what he's going to do. Which means Cara can't reach him either. She's alone out there.”

“She won't be alone long. As soon as I assign some men to taking care of you and MacDuff, I'll start tracking her.”

“I'm going with you. You assign men you can trust to care for MacDuff. I'm not going sit here and twiddle my thumbs while Cara is out there.”

“I can travel faster without you.”

“No, you can't. I'll do whatever I have to do. I promised Eve when she went to help Joe that I wouldn't let anything happen to Cara. I
promised
her. I'm not going to break that promise.”

“Okay, calm down. We'll make it work. We already have a start.”

“What start?”

“Jock took down a sniper on the scene where Colin was blown up. He told me he broke him but didn't kill him. He sent me to get information from him while he tended to MacDuff.”

“You didn't tell me that.”

“It wasn't pleasant, and what I did to get that information wasn't pleasant either. I didn't want to shock your delicate sensibilities.”

“But you got the information? Will it help?”

“It will help.” He hung up.

*   *   *

He was close, Jock thought as he moved silently through the forest. He could hear Salazar's men up ahead. No conversation, just breathing, and the sound of footsteps on the wet leaves. Salazar had probably told them to be quiet, so that the team Caleb had patrolling the perimeter wouldn't spot them.

But they were amateurs, Jock thought. Even Salazar and Franco would have been disposed of in a matter of moments if they'd been designated as prey by Reilly, the man who had trained Jock all those years ago.

He increased his pace. Get it over with. He didn't know how many men Salazar had stationed around their camp. He might have to get back and help Caleb take them out.

He stopped and listened. At least six men moving single file through the forest.

Single file. That would make it easier.

Remove them one by one until he got to the head of the column.

And hope it was Salazar.

No, not six men. One stride was lighter, shorter-spanned, the rhythm different. Boots, but not like the others.

A woman.

Natalie Castino?

It didn't matter. It wasn't as if he hadn't killed women before. And, according to what Quinn had told Eve, this woman might have tried to kill Cara.

So just block out the ingrained hesitance and concentrate on being the assassin that Reilly had created. It would be no problem. He could feel the past training slipping effortlessly into place.

No joy. There had never been joy. Just a steel-like intensity and determination that was focused on the prey.

No, there was something more that was involved. Because this was not the usual prey.

Revenge.

*   *   *

“Done.”

Joe turned to face Eve. “We've cleared enough of the road for the cars. Let's get the hell out of here.”

Eve breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't taken as long as she'd thought it would for Joe to disarm those IEDs, but every minute that had passed had been excruciating. “I'll second the motion.” She looked down at the lake, and she could see a faint watery outline in the darkness. “And it appears to be just in time. Some of the fog is dispersing. It was going to be easier for them to see what we were doing soon.”

“But we'll be able to see his men if they try to plant any more explosives, too.” He took her arm, led her across the road to the slope, then carefully helped her start down the slippery incline. “Now let's get down to the camp and get you all packed and out of here.”

“We've already packed up most of it. It's MacDuff we have to worry about. Lord, I hope we have to worry about him.” She took out her phone and dialed Jane. “When I left, I wasn't sure if he was going to make it. I know Jane knew what we're doing and wouldn't have called and disturbed me, but I have to check on—” She broke off as Jane picked up. “Jane, we're through up here. Joe got the job done. We're coming down.”

“Thank God,” Jane said. “At least, that's one thing that's positive.”

Eve stiffened. “MacDuff?”

“No, he's doing better. Which freed up Jock to go hunting.” She paused. “And for Cara to get it into her head to follow him.”

“What?”

“I know. I'm as afraid as you are. Caleb and I are searching the forest for Cara now. We haven't found any sign of her yet. We've just got to hope that Cara finds Jock before anyone else finds her.”

“Yes,” Eve said numbly. “We've got to hope. Joe and I will start searching as soon as we get down. We'll split up the territory.” She hung up and told Joe, “Cara's gone. She followed Jock when he went after Salazar.”

Joe muttered a curse. “Why in hell would she—”

“We both know why she'd do it,” Eve said. “She's had too many people die trying to keep her alive. She can't help but blame herself. She cares about Jock. She couldn't bear the idea of not going with him, helping him, if he was going to be in danger.” She started at a half run down the slope, slipping and sliding, catching herself. “We've got to find her, Joe. There has to be some way…”

*   *   *

Jock twisted hard, and the man's neck snapped.

His knees buckled and Jock lowered him carefully to the ground.

Three down.

Four men to go.

And the woman.

She was clumsier than the men, and occasionally someone in the party would try to steady her, help her.

Everything was going smoothly.

He'd soon have them all.

His phone was vibrating again. He'd been ignoring it since he left the camp. It was a rule that you never answered a call when you were on a mission. Particularly this mission. Too many people he cared about would be trying to interfere.

He prepared to ignore it again. He moved down the path, making no sound, listening. There was a curve up ahead. He could detect the swish of bodies on the shrubs as they took the turn. If Jock cut left into the trees, he should be able to bring down the next prey before he made that turn.

He moved swiftly into the trees.

His phone vibrated again.

Ignore it, as he'd done since the hunt began. He should have turned it off. But he couldn't do it while MacDuff was lying in that tent injured.

It vibrated again.

He impatiently glanced down at the screen.

A text.

I CAN'T FIND YOU. I'M ON THE HILL NEAREST THE LAKE. WHY DON'T YOU ANSWER ME? YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE. WHERE ARE YOU, JOCK?

Oh, my God.

Cara.

He was standing in the woods on the hill nearest the lake at this moment.

And he'd just killed three of Salazar's men on this hill.

Don't call her. Don't make a sound that would draw anyone's attention to her. His fingers flew over the keys.

PUT YOUR PHONE ON VIBRATE. DON'T MOVE. STAY WHERE YOU ARE.

I AM ON VIBRATE. IT WOULD BE PRETTY STUPID NOT TO BE. JUST AS YOU'RE STUPID TO HAVE TRIED TO FOOL ME. I TRUSTED YOU. NOW YOU COME BACK WITH ME. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE HURT. I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN. IF YOU DON'T CARE WHAT I THINK, DO IT FOR MACDUFF. NEVER MIND, HE PROBABLY LIKES THE IDEA OF EVERYBODY'S KILLING EACH OTHER, TOO. IT'S NOT WORTH IT. DO YOU HEAR ME? IT'S NOT WORTH IT. NOW WHERE CAN I FIND YOU?

CARA, WHY ON EARTH DID YOU FOLLOW ME?

YOU WERE ALONE. I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO BE ALONE.

Such a simple answer. An answer that had led her to risk everything. Dear God, an answer that he should have known would be triggered when he'd left MacDuff's tent tonight.

WHERE ARE YOU ON THE HILL? ARE THERE ANY LANDMARKS? WHAT DO YOU SEE?

FOG. THOUGH IT'S NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS IT WAS BEFORE. JUST TREES. LOTS OF TREES.

No help at all.

CARA, LISTEN TO ME. STOP LOOKING FOR ME. FIND A PLACE WITH SOME COVER AND HIDE. I'M NOT SURE HOW CLOSE SALAZAR IS TO YOU.

WHERE ARE YOU?

CLOSE. STOP LOOKING FOR ME. TRUST ME. I'LL COME TO YOU RIGHT AWAY. WAIT FOR ME.

Silence.

I'LL WAIT FOR YOU.

Thank God. He had bought some time. But now he had to move fast and try to neutralize any threats to her. He could no longer hear Salazar and his men. They had passed out of his range while he was texting Cara. He dashed off a text to Caleb.

CARA. ON THE FIRST HILL NEXT TO THE LAKE.

He stuffed his phone in his pocket and took off through the woods in the direction he'd last tracked Salazar's men.

*   *   *

Find a place with cover and hide, Jock had said.

Cara had no idea where that would be, she thought desperately. As she had told Jock, there was no cover, no boulders. Just a few shrubs along the path. Well, then use what there was available. She scavenged around and found a few large branches on the ground, then dragged them deeper into the woods and tried to rig a barrier among the shrubs.

Hide.

She started to move behind her barrier.

She stopped.

A sound.

A footstep.

Jock?

Don't take a chance.

She had to take care of Jock.

Her fingers were flying over the keys.

STAY—

It was the only word she had time to type before the phone was knocked out of her hand.

Then an arm was around her neck, cutting off her breath.

“How nice to see you again, Cara.” Ramon Franco's voice in her ear was the last thing she heard before a cloth was rammed over her mouth and nose. “I've been looking forward to this. You've been making me look very, very bad.”

Chloroform.

Darkness.

STAY—

*   *   *

Jock gazed blindly down at the phone he'd just picked up from the ground where Cara had dropped it. Her phone and the single word that was tearing him apart.

A warning. Even at that moment when Cara knew she might be caught, lost, she was trying to save him. If she hadn't taken the time to type in that word, could she have saved herself?

He didn't know, he couldn't think. All he could do was look at that word.

She was the target. How long would they let her live? Maybe they'd killed her already. Maybe he'd find her body within yards of this barrier she'd built.

Agony. So deep, so sharp, that he couldn't bear it.

He had to bear it. Because there was a chance. He couldn't let that chance vanish.

STAY—

Block it. Look at the scene. Look at the footprints that usually told the story.

He knelt on the ground and examined the prints of the man who had taken Cara. Concentrate. Tell yourself she's alive. Don't give up and fall apart.

STAY—

*   *   *

“They've got her,” Jock said jerkily as he handed Eve Cara's phone over an hour later, when Eve and Joe met with him in the woods. “I found this on the ground in the woods. She was trying to text me a warning, but she didn't get the chance.”

When had Cara ever had a chance, Eve thought numbly as she gazed down at the one word on the screen. “You didn't find her body?”