Night Tide (35 page)

search! of! more! places! she! might! be! hidden.! My! arms! quickly!

tired! and! my! breath! came! in! ragged! gasps! as! I! thrashed!

aimlessly!through!the!woods.!

!

Get*a*grip*and*think!
!

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!

I! stood! still! for! a! moment! and! listened! again,! letting! my!

breathing! return! to! normal.! I! closed! my! eyes,! thought! of! a!

mantra,!and!let!it!tumble!and!burble!through!my!head!to!help!

find!a!
drishti
.!Calmer!now,!I!went!back!to!the!spot!where!I’d!left!

her,!and!worked!my!way!out!in!concentric!circles,!covering!the!

ground!slowly,!fixating!on!every!movement!and!change!in!color!

in! the! brush.! Sweat! trickled! into! my! eyes! and! dripped! off! my!

nose,!and!salt!stung!the!myriad!cuts!and!scratches!on!my!arms!

and!face.!Thirty!feet!out,!cold,!hard!metal!pressed!against!the!

back!of!my!neck,!stopping!me!dead.!

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—Sherer&

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!

!

Chapter&37&

!

!

“Easy,! Legs.”! Wink’s! voice,! still! familiar! after! all! these!

years.!“Put!the!stick!down.!No!sudden!moves.”!

!

I!let!the!stick!drop,!raised!my!hands!and!slowly!turned!to!

face! him.! He! took! a! half6step! back,! lifting! the! barrel! of! the!

shotgun!until!it!seemed!I!could!almost!see!straight!down!to!the!

crimped!end!of!the!shell!in!the!breech,!waiting!to!be!fired.!

!

“Okay,”! he! said! quietly,! “now! ease! that! gun! out—two!

fingers,!that’s!it—and!toss!it!in!the!dirt!here.!Gently!”!

!

Still! lean! and! wiry,! he! was! bigger! than! I! remembered,!

broader! across! the! shoulders,! biceps! bulging! below! the! short!

sleeves!of!his!T6shirt.!His!face!was!lined,!but!youthful,!a!more!

grown6up!version!of!the!one!I’d!seen!last.!!

!

I!wet!my!lips.!“You!don’t!seem!surprised!to!see!me.”!

!

He! cocked! his! head,! brows! knitting.! “I! heard! you! were!

looking!for!me.”!

!

“Holden.”! I! saw! acknowledgement! in! his! eyes.! I! glanced!

down!at!the!shotgun.!“Is!that!necessary?”!

!

“Let’s! see,! here! you! are! in! the! middle! of! nowhere,! on! my!

property,!no!car.!Armed,!no!less.!I!haven’t!heard!word!one!from!

you!since!my!ass!got!sent!to!prison.!And!when!you!do!show!up,!

so! do! a! bunch! of! heavily! armed! assholes! intent! on! starting! a!

small!war.”!

!

“I! had! nothing! to! do! with! that.”! I! lowered! my! arms!

halfway.!

!

“You!brought!them!here.”!

!

“No,!I!didn’t.!I!swear!it.!Christ,!Wink,!I!tried!to!stop!them.!

What! the! hell! you! think! they! were! shooting! at! over! here?!

Raccoons?”!

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—Sherer&

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!

“Tell!me!why!I!shouldn’t!kill!you!where!you!stand.!You!
led
!

them!here.”!

!

I!shook!my!head!violently.!“No!way!!They!want!me!dead.!I!

don’t!want!them!near!me.!And!nobody!followed!me,!either.”!I!

thought!back!to!the!ferry!and!the!drive!from!Kingston.!No!black!

SUV!that!I!could!recall.!!

!

“A!blind!man!could!follow!you.!Hell,!I!was!on!your!tail!for!

hours!yesterday.”!

!

I!blinked!and!tried!to!wrap!my!mind!around!what!he!was!

saying.!“You!followed!me?!Why?”!

!

“Why! the! sudden! interest! in! a! reunion,! Legs?! For! twenty!

years!I!don’t!hear!jack,!and!all!of!a!sudden!you’re!looking!for!

me?”!

!

I!put!my!hands!out!palms!up.!“I!was!just!trying!to!help.”!

!

“Help?! Now! you! want! to! help?! Where! the! hell! were! you?!

You!skipped!out!on!me.!After!all!those!times!I!had!your!back,!

you!left!me!hanging.”!

!

I!flushed,!and!felt!my!fingers!close!into!tight!knobs.!

!

“You!never!had!my!back.!
Ever
.”!I!thought!the!words,!once!

spoken,! would! taste! bitter.! But! the! truth! tasted! as! clean! as!

new6fallen!snow.!!

!

“What!the!hell!are!you!talking!about?”!

!

“Every!scrape!you!got!me!
out
!of,”!I!hooked!two!fingers!on!

each! hand! around! a! two6foot! stretch! of! air,! “I! wouldn’t! have!

been!in!if!I!hadn’t!been!hanging!out!with!you.!If!anything,!I’m!

the!one!who!had!
your
!back.!Who!else!was!crazy!enough—or!a!

big!enough!chump—to!go!along!with!your!schemes?”!

!

“That’s!bullshit.!Nobody!forced!you.”!

!

“That’s!right.!You!never!twisted!my!arm.!So!don’t!go!telling!

me!I!left!you!hanging.”!

!

“Yeah,! well,! the! one! time! you! decide! to! bail! ended! up!

costing!me!my!freedom.”!

!

“So!you’re!going!to!kill!me!for!it?”!

!

He!shrugged.!“It’s!an!option.”!

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!

A! soft! voice! from! over! Wink’s! shoulder! froze! us! both! in!

position.!“Put!the!weapon!down!”!!

!

A! woman’s! voice.! Familiar,! but! not! Keely’s.! I! frowned.!

Wink!tensed,!eyes!flicking!from!my!face!to!his!sides,!trying!to!

get!a!glimpse!of!the!speaker.!

!

“I’m!training!an!HK!Forty6Five!Compact!with!ten!rounds!of!

plus6P!ammunition!at!the!back!of!your!head,!Mr.!Langford,”!the!

voice! said.! “And! at! this! distance! I! won’t! miss.! Please! rethink!

what!you’re!considering!and!lay!down!the!weapon.”!!

!

Wink! stooped! slowly! and! set! the! shotgun! down! next! to!

him!on!the!bed!of!pine!needles!covering!the!ground!under!his!

feet.!

!

“Thank!you,”!said!the!voice.!!

!

A! slight! figure! stepped! out! from! behind! a! tree,! arms!

extended,!black!semi6automatic!gripped!in!one!hand.!She!wore!

a!green!T6shirt!and!woodland!pattern!camo!pants!held!up!by!a!

nylon!web!belt,!pant!legs!tucked!into!lightweight!black!combat!

boots.! The! sides! of! her! dark! hair,! normally! worn! in! a! chin6

length!bob,!were!tied!up!in!a!short!ponytail!on!top!of!her!head.!

Her!face!was!smeared!with!dirt.!She’d!blended!into!the!foliage!

so!well!that!had!she!not!moved!I!wouldn’t!have!known!where!

to! look! for! her.! Now! I! couldn’t! look! anywhere! else,! the! stark!

contrast! between! her! looks! and! toughness! mesmerizing.! Her!

symmetrically!sculpted!face,!with!its!delicate!nose,!full!lips!and!

doe!eyes,!sent!my!heart!up!into!my!mouth.!

!

“Reyna?”!My!mind!was!reluctant!to!believe!my!eyes.!

!

A!small!smile!passed!over!her!lips!as!she!gave!me!a!quick!

glance.!!

!

“How’ve!you!been,!civvy?!Looks!like!you!really!stepped!in!

it! this! time.! Might! want! to! close! your! mouth! now! before! you!

start!catching!flies.”!She!returned!her!attention!to!Wink.!

!

My!head!reeled!with!confusion!and!my!chest!felt!too!tight!

to!take!a!full!breath.!Reyna!walked!up!behind!Wink,!crouched!

and!pulled!the!shotgun!away.!Still!aiming!the!pistol!at!him,!she!

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lifted!the!shotgun!with!the!other!hand!and!stepped!back!to!lean!

it!against!the!trunk!of!a!fir.!

!

“What!are!you!doing!here?”!I!said.!!

!

“Saving!your!butt,!maybe.!Again.”!

!

She! circled! to! Wink’s! left,! forming! a! triangle! where! Wink!

could!see!her!and!she!could!cover!both!of!us.!!

!

Wink!took!her!in,!eyes!taking!a!casual!walk!from!her!head!

to!her!toes!and!back.!

!

“Someone!want!to!clue!me!in?”!he!said.!

!

“Wink,! meet! Reyna! Chase,! Lieutenant! Commander,! U.S.!

Naval! Intelligence.”! I! looked! at! Reyna! for! confirmation.! “It! is!

still! Lieutenant! Commander.! They! haven’t! promoted! you! to!

admiral!or!something,!have!they?”!

!

She!looked!amused.!“Nope.!You!got!it!right.”!

!

“Hasn’t!been!that!long.”!A!little!more!than!five!months.!And!

she’d!made!an!impression.!

!

“Excuse!me,”!Wink!said.!“Am!I!interrupting?!You!two!want!

to!go!somewhere!and!reminisce?!Get!a!room,!maybe?”!

!

The!day!suddenly!seemed!warmer!by!degrees,!but!Reyna!

took!no!notice.!!

!

“The! only! reminiscing! I! want! to! hear,! Mr.! Langford,! is! an!

account!of!how!you’ve!spent!the!last!few!weeks.”!

!

“Perry,”!he!said.!“And!why!am!I!going!to!tell!you!what!I!did!

on!my!summer!vacation?”!

!

She!shrugged.!“You’re!a!fugitive,!a!convicted!felon.!I!could!

call! the! local! cops.! Parole! violation,! possession! of! a! firearm…!

Want!me!to!keep!going?”!

!

He!shook!his!head.!

!

“Besides,”!she!said,!“I’m!holding!a!gun.”!

!

“Point! taken.”! Wink! swung! his! arm! in! an! arc! toward! the!

cabin.!“Might!as!well!be!more!comfortable.!Iced!tea,!anyone?”!

!

“Sure,”!Reyna!said.!She!motioned!with!her!gun!hand.!

!

Wink!nodded!and!turned.!Tension!drained!out!of!me!and!I!

took!a!step,!falling!in!behind!him.!He!stopped!abruptly,!bent!at!

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the! waist! and! lashed! out! with! a! back! kick! that! I! barely! saw!

coming.!Instinctively,!I!shrank!from!the!motion!and!caught!his!

foot!high!on!the!hip.!He!followed!with!a!roundhouse!kick!aimed!

at! my! head,! but! I! anticipated! him! this! time! and! warded! it! off!

with! a! forearm! block,! stepped! inside! the! arc! of! his! foot! and!

punched! him! in! the! chest! with! an! open! palm.! He! staggered!

back,! quickly! regained! his! balance! and! bounced! into! fighting!

stance.!I!dropped!back!and!did!the!same,!watching!him!warily.!

!

“Hey,!you!two!”!Reyna!said.!“Cut!it!out!”!

!

The! menace! on! Wink’s! face! dissolved! in! laughter.! He!

straightened.!

!

I! scowled! at! him! and! rubbed! my! hip.! It! would! bruise.!

“What!the!hell!was!that!for?”!

!

“For! being! such! a! chickenshit,! candy6assed! pansy! back!

then.!Looks!like!you!learned!a!few!tricks.”!

!

“It’s! not! fourth! grade! anymore,! Wink.! I! can! fight! my! own!

battles.”!

!

“Jesus,!boys,!there’s!so!much!testosterone!floating!around!

here!it’s!making!my!eyes!water,”!Reyna!said.!“Let’s!say!we!dial!

it! back! a! bit! and! go! have! that! iced! tea.! It’s! too! damn! hot! to!

fight.”!

!

Wink!and!I!locked!eyes.!He!relented!first,!averting!his!gaze!

with!a!small!shrug.!Reyna!retrieved!the!shotgun!and!tucked!it!

in!the!crook!of!her!arm.!I!found!Charlie’s!pistol!under!a!sword!

fern,! brushed! off! the! dirt! and! stuck! it! back! in! my! waistband.!

This! time! Wink! led! the! way! without! a! word.! Halfway! to! the!

cabin! I! remembered! why! I’d! been! tramping! the! woods! in! the!

first!place!and!stopped.!

!

“Keely,”! I! muttered.! I! did! a! slow! three6sixty.! The! others!

turned!to!look!at!me!curiously.!

!

“Your!girlfriend?”!Wink!said.!“She’s!gone.”!

!

“She’s!not!my!girlfriend,”!I!said,!sounding!more!defensive!

than!I’d!intended.!“And!what!do!you!mean!gone?”!

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!

He! put! his! hands! on! his! hips.! “I! mean! in! all! the! ruckus! I!

saw!her!running!up!the!road.!My!guess!is!those!guys!grabbed!

her!on!the!way!out.!Or!else!she!made!it!up!to!main!road!to!hitch!

a!ride!somewhere.”!

!

Reyna’s! eyebrows! reached! for! the! sky! and! she! mouthed!

the!word!“girlfriend?”!I!scowled!at!her!and!caught!up!to!them.!I!

wasn’t! sure! what! to! make! of! either! scenario! Wink! had!

suggested.!!

!

Inside,!the!cabin!was!as!rustic!as!the!log!exterior!promised,!

consisting!of!little!more!than!a!great!room!with!a!big!fireplace!

on! one! wall,! a! small! galley! kitchen! tucked! in! a! corner! and! an!

oak! dining! table! large! enough! to! seat! ten! in! another.! A! small!

hallway! led! to! two! bedrooms,! and! a! narrow! staircase! on! the!

wall!just!inside!the!front!door!climbed!to!a!balcony!overlooking!

the!main!room!and!doors!to!two!more!bedrooms.!

!

The! log! walls! were! dotted! here! and! there! with! mounted!

fish,! a! creel! and! net,! and! framed! photos! of! people! in! mostly!

outdoor! poses—on! the! water! in! boats,! on! shore! holding! up!

large! salmon,! in! group! shots! with! mountains! as! a! backdrop.!

Picturing! family! and! guests,! probably.! Cedar! paneling!

weathered! a! dark! brown! sheathed! the! interior! walls.! Large,!

overstuffed! couches! and! chairs! formed! comfortable! seating!

areas! around! the! room! without! entirely! dominating! or! filling!

the! space.! Braided! rugs! and! animal! skins! covered! a! dark!

hardwood! floor! worn! smooth! by! years! of! traffic.! Tall!

bookshelves! lined! the! walls! on! either! side! of! the! entry! to! the!

hall,! the! shelves! bowed! with! the! weight! of! hundreds! of! old!

hardbound!volumes.!

!

Picture!windows!on!the!side!facing!the!water!opened!onto!

a!view!of!Hood!Canal!and!let!in!lots!of!light.!Yet!the!cabin!was!