Rescue Me (24 page)

Spencer charged and didn't stop until he was
face-to-face with Weber. “It wasn't more than three weeks ago that
you told me you intercepted a death threat, so don't tell me she's
not in any danger! She's not a part of this.”

Weber didn't back down. “She made herself a
part of this when she talked to Salazar.”

Fear and dread battled for domination inside
him. Without her by his side, he couldn't protect her. TREX wasn't
any closer at identifying the bastard who'd sent the threat to
Kathryn than they were the day they'd intercepted the email. He
would not fail in protecting her, not as a member of the agency
sworn to covertly protect the world, not as the man who's duty it
was to keep her safe.

Maybe he should let Weber bring another team
in for support. Spencer could monitor their progress while staying
by Kathryn's side and keeping her safe.

“I know that look,” Weber said, watching
Spencer. “You are not going to base camp.”

“Weber—”

“No, goddamn it. After that speech you just
gave me about letting your team finish this?”

“But she's in danger.”

“So are you if you go against a direct order.
Again
. I'll put someone else on her. You are not to go to
base camp. I need your total focus. I need hers, too. That doesn't
happen when the two of you are together. You owe it to your fallen
brothers. Stay away from her on this search. That's an order.”
Weber eyed him as he went to the door. “I'll give you a minute to
make up your mind. I'm telling you right now, Allen. You walk out
of this cabin, you'd better have your fucking head on straight. I'm
not having this conversation with you again. Are we clear?”

His gut wretched in painful uncertainty. If
he went against Weber, he'd be fired for sure. If he didn't,
Kathryn could be in trouble. He didn't trust anyone else to protect
her. “Yes, sir.”

Weber slammed the door behind him.

As Spencer contemplated his decision, he
conjured up the sound of Kathryn's voice when he called her. Every
feeling of anguish, every ounce of despair he'd had bottled up in
him from the events of the night dissipated the moment he heard
that melodic, soothing voice. She'd been there for him and even
backed down when he couldn't talk about them, and that meant
everything to him.

He was such a fucking coward. He loved her
more than anything, and he knew she loved him. So why couldn't he
just move past his fear of the inevitable and take her as his wife?
Why dwell on what might be? Why not focus on the present? Losing
Lyons, at first, solidified his belief that he should be alone for
the remainder of his days on this rock. Alone he'd never put
another person through the anguish his mother had suffered at
losing her husband. Alone he'd never force a thirteen-year-old boy
to grow up without a father. Alone he'd never put another person
through the hell he and his mother went through.

But then he thought about all the years Gabe
and Mary had together. Twenty-four years. They had three gorgeous
kids. Whenever that son of a bitch talked about his family life,
Spencer would picture him and Kathryn. He wanted that life. He
needed
that life. A life he could be proud of. A legacy he'd
leave behind should the inevitable happen. He'd provide a good life
for Kathryn and their children. He would love his family
unconditionally and make sure they knew that each and every
day.

Just in case she ever received that knock on
the door that would forever change her life.

He stopped, wishing it were that simple.
There would always be that
other
thing.

Would she find it in her heart to forgive him
if she knew his true role in the Haynes search? If she knew he'd
altered the outcome behind her back and then said nothing as she
blamed herself, it would destroy her. Was their love strong enough
to withstand something like that? Was anything strong enough?

It didn't matter. He had to at least try.
They both deserved a happily ever after.

* * * *

As Kat pulled up to the flat before Capital
Peak, her phone rang. “Kat Davis.”

“Ms. Davis, this is Damon Salazar.”

She almost slammed on her brakes at the shock
of hearing from him.

“Mr. Salazar,” she greeted, trying not to
sound too shocked. “I didn't expect to hear from you again.”

“I owe you an apology,” his voice slithered
through the line like a slimy snake. God, this guy creeped her
out.

“And why's that?” She pulled in next to the
Com Van and parked. Swallowing what she really wanted to say to
this man, she masked her hatred for him by playing the flirty chick
card.
Again
. Would he really be stupid enough to fall for it
twice? “Or are you using that as an excuse to call me?”

He chuckled and disgust ripped up her
spine.

“You are quite a woman.”

“You have no idea.”

“I'd like to.”

Gross. The man still thought he had a chance
with her. “Let me ask you a question. Did you really have something
to do with Tommy's disappearance?”

“I think we both know the answer to that. I
knew about it, but I did nothing to put that boy in harm's
way.”

“I believe you,” she lied to get him to open
up more.

“I wish your TREX friends did.”

“Are you there with them now?”

“No. They released me.”

“They did?” That surprised her at first. But,
the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. They'd
probably gotten all they could out of him and turned him over to
the police. Being a lawyer, he knew what to say and what not to say
to get the judge to release him on bail. “So, what can I do for
you, Mr. Salazar?”

“I was up at the Peak with a friend and got
separated. I really need your help to find him.”

“You returned to the Peak?” That made no
sense. Her suspicions jumped to attention. “After everything that's
happened? Why?”

“I needed to clear my head. Riding does
that.”

“I'm assuming snow mobiles since it's the
middle of winter with two feet of snow on the ground in the
mountains.”

“Yes.”

“Why don't you come meet me at base camp?
It's at the flat before the Peak.” That way she could watch him in
case he knew more than he let on.

“I would love to see you again, but if TREX
saw me, they'd think I had something to do with Sam's disappearance
and would focus on yet another bullshit interrogation than on
finding my friend. I apologize for my language.”

She'd heard worse when Spencer stubbed his
toe. Hell, the man could cuss for ten minutes straight and never
repeat a word. “Are you asking me to not let TREX know you're in
contact with me?”

“I hope that's not too much to ask. I really
want Sam found and I know you can do it. I just don't trust those
men-in-black. They keep too many secrets.”

Didn't she know it.

Still, she didn't feel right keeping
something like this from TREX. “I'm sorry, Mr. Salazar. I can't
help you.”

“He's injured,” he suddenly declared,
desperation causing his voice to shake. “And he doesn't know this
area. He needs your help. Please.”

“I'm sorry. I don't have the resources to
spare.” The instant she said the words, she sucked in a breath. She
did not just use the same excuse with him that fueled her each and
every day to help everyone else. This guy may be a complete dick,
but did his friend deserve to die simply because she didn't like
the man asking for her help?

No. No! Damn it. Regardless the circumstances
of the loss, it was her job to find the subject. With a resigned
sigh, she agreed to help him. “Actually, I will help you, Mr.
Salazar.”

“Good. I was hoping you'd say that.” Salazar
sounded relieved and even oddly calm for having a friend lost
somewhere out in the wilderness.

She stepped out of her vehicle as Travis
rounded the Com Van. He saw her, gave her a slight wave, and knelt
down in front of one of the compartments holding the power cords
for the halogens they used to illuminate base camp after dark.

“What can you tell me about the subject?” She
didn't want to talk to Salazar, but without any details, she
couldn't even pin the tail on the donkey, let alone find a person
lost in the Capital Forest of the Black Hills.

She glanced over at Travis still playing with
that latch. Kat brought her attention back to Salazar as he
spoke.

“His name is Sam Green.”

“When did you two get separated?”

“This morning on our ride. We were on the
switchbacks.”

She stilled and switched ears. “Why were you
on the switchbacks? They're gated.”

“Better riding conditions. No traffic. Total
privacy.”

She didn't believe him for a minute. They had
to have been up here looking for something from Tommy's search.
Which meant Sam Green was more than a friend to Damon Salazar. He
was an accomplice. She tucked that away until she could talk to
Spencer. TREX would need to know that.

“And?”

“And what? That's it.”

Evasive son of a bitch.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Salazar. If I don't have more
to go on, I can't help you.”

He growled through the line. “I need Sam back
and can't do that without your help.”

Kat held her triumphant smile under wraps.
“Then how about you stop trying to hide something and tell me what
I need to know to help you.”

He sighed and growled at the same time. Now
they'd get somewhere. “Tell me what you need to know.”

“Let's start with the subject's full name,”
she said as she jumped into her Com Van and grabbed an Informant
Questionnaire Sheet to write down his answers. The IQS served as
the bible on any search.

“As I've told you, his name is Sam
Green.”

“Can you describe Mr. Green?”

“Dark hair. Brown eyes. Built much like
me.”

Her mind conjured up the image of Damon
Salazar standing in the wall tent. In shape. Trim physique. Average
height and looks. No one she would have ever given a second glance.
“Age?”

“Mid-thirties, I believe.”

“Do you have an address for Mr. Green?”

“I do not.”

She stopped writing. “I need an address.”

Irritation seeped into his tone. “What good
would that do? He isn't home.”

She sighed to ward off the headache growing
behind her temples from the way she clenched her teeth to stop
herself from unleashing her silver tongue on this asshat. “If Mr.
Green found his way home, I need to know that.”

“I can make a few calls.”

“Do that. What sort of health is Mr. Green
in?”

“Generally good health.”

“Do you know of any medical conditions?”

Salazar cleared his throat. “Such as?”

“Diabetic? Bipolar? Asthmatic? Anything? You
said he was injured.”

“He may be,” he corrected. The sleazy son of
a bitch. “And I'm not aware of any medical conditions.”

That didn't mean he didn't have them. “What
about habits or hobbies? Interests?”

“He's a survivalist. He adapts to any
situation.”

Kat paused, her guard up and internal alarms
screaming.
What are you hiding?
“Then why wouldn't he just
turn up when he was good and ready?”

“I need him found before that.”

She set her IQS aside and grabbed a record
sheet. She filled in the information she could and made it half way
down the page. “What are the circumstances of the loss?”

“Circumstances?” he asked cautiously.

“How did you two get separated?”

“When we started our ride, he was behind me.
When I stopped at the midway point and turned back, he was gone. I
waited for quite some time but he never came down.”

“Did you ever go back up to look for
him?”

Salazar cleared his throat and swallowed.
“I'm afraid that wasn't possible.”

“Because?”

“We were being chased.”

She stopped writing, her heart suddenly
beating wildly. “By what?”

“Animals. We heard them and decided it would
be in our best interest to get the hell out of there.”

“What sort of animals?”

The look in his eyes bordered on maniacal.
“The worst kind.”

“That doesn't answer my question.”

“Wolves,” he responded and nodded for her to
write it down. “Predatory. Hungry. They travel in packs and prey on
weakness.”

Kat wanted him to expound on his cryptic
message but decided his friend's return meant more to her than
understanding the bullshit Salazar fed her. “Do you ride up here a
lot?”

“We both do.”

Her irritation grew. “What do you think
happened?”

“I think he decided to take a different
path.”

“A different path? You mean like another
route?”

“Yes,” he answered quickly, almost before she
had the entire question out. Her suspicions went into high alert.
“I'm sorry if I'm acting a bit off, Ms. Davis. I'm just worried
about Sam. What else do you need to know before you search for
him?”

Kat thought about that. She couldn't come up
with anything else. “Stay by your phone. I have your number in my
cell in case I need anything else.”

“Kat?”

She really didn't like him calling her by her
first name. “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Not able to bring herself to say you're
welcome, she answered instead, “It's my job.”

And then she went to work.

Spencer approached the outskirts of base camp
and hesitated in the shadows of the trees. He thought about
sneaking around to the backside and just watching.

Where the hell was his head? If she spotted
him out there, he'd have some explaining to do. Although it would
damn near kill him, he'd wait in the seclusion of the trees until
he could figure out what the fuck he wanted to do. He chose TREX
over Kathryn last time and it gave him a year of misery. Choosing
her over TREX this time had seemed like a solid plan back at the
cabin. But now as he stood there in hiding, no contact with his
former agency, he questioned his decision. As a TREX agent, he had
endless resources. Now, if Weber figured out where Spencer was,
he'd just had a very pissed off ex-SAC and no team.