shelter.
The helicopter rose up through the gorge like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, its engines now audible. It hovered just south of them, rotor wash whipping tree branches and bending saplings.
She looked at Lucky, and his face reflected her dismay.
“I told you they had money and resources,” he said. “You need to leave me and get the hell out of here. I can’t be responsible—”
“It’s all or none, Cavanaugh. You’ll never make it alone.”
“It’s not about me. It’s about getting the job done. You can do that. Right now, I can’t.” He gestured to his arm in the sling. “I’ll create a diversion, get them off your back.”
“Don’t even waste your breath trying,” she said, hoisting her pack onto her shoulders and turning her back on him. “I will not leave you here to die.”
“Vinnie, I’m not Michael. I can take care of myself.”
They both knew it was a shot in the dark, but it hit home. She shook her head, started down the trail. She’d made a solemn vow.
Besides, she had a sinking feeling that his confidence in her was misplaced. He knew how these men thought, how they planned. Without Lucky, she would most likely blunder right into a trap.
“Face it, Cavanaugh,” she told him, “we need each other.”
He followed after her, a frown on his face. “Yeah, yeah, all or none. I heard you.”
Lucky was beginning to think that Vinnie was right about their attraction being lust and not love. Was it love when all you could think about was throttling the woman in front of you? When you wanted to pepper the air with curses about her pig-headedness?
He skidded into a snow pile, wet slush slipping down his boot top and swore. She certainly seemed to think he wasn’t going to make it off this godforsaken mountain alive. Was that the premonition she’d had earlier when they first met?
Didn’t matter, he was a scientist, he knew better than to believe in luck or fate or destiny. Give him nice, predictable chemical reactions any day of the week.
It was nuts to even fantasize about getting involved with a woman like her, especially not now when he had a job to do.
He grunted, used the walking stick to leverage his way over a fallen tree trunk, hating the way she moved so effortlessly through the forest. She was right about one thing—they did have a better chance at success working together than going their separate ways.
He walked a bit farther before realizing that, without saying a word, Vinnie had somehow convinced him to come around to her way of thinking. Maybe there were witches in these woods after all.
If so, he wished she’d use some magic to get them out of here, because he knew something she didn’t.
He knew it was The Preacher himself on that helicopter. Which meant their chances of getting out of this alive had just plummeted.
CHAPTER 15
“This is getting us nowhere!” Chase Westin barged into Rose’s office without knocking, interrupting her perusal of the latest situation reports from the NSA monitoring stations.
She shot him a glare that halted him in his tracks. He still wore his tuxedo, although the suspenders were now hanging around his hips and someone, probably KC, had gotten at least half the shirt studs in place. His hair was rumpled and his cheeks darkened with stubble.
“I’m going up there,” he announced in an unapologetic tone.
“Where?” she asked.
“What do you mean where? To find Lucky!”
Rose came around her desk, slid a large topographic map out from under the stack of NSA updates and spread it out before him. She pointed to the former location of the Liberty Hunt Club.
“Here’s where they found Tillburn’s body—at least they think his was one of the ones they pulled from the ashes. You have training in arson investigation that I don’t know about?”
He frowned, ignored her question. They both knew the answer. Chase was a field guy, give him men to train and lead,
The helicopter rose up through the gorge like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, its engines now audible. It hovered just south of them, rotor wash whipping tree branches and bending saplings.
She looked at Lucky, and his face reflected her dismay.
“I told you they had money and resources,” he said. “You need to leave me and get the hell out of here. I can’t be responsible—”
“It’s all or none, Cavanaugh. You’ll never make it alone.”
“It’s not about me. It’s about getting the job done. You can do that. Right now, I can’t.” He gestured to his arm in the sling. “I’ll create a diversion, get them off your back.”
“Don’t even waste your breath trying,” she said, hoisting her pack onto her shoulders and turning her back on him. “I will not leave you here to die.”
“Vinnie, I’m not Michael. I can take care of myself.”
They both knew it was a shot in the dark, but it hit home. She shook her head, started down the trail. She’d made a solemn vow.
Besides, she had a sinking feeling that his confidence in her was misplaced. He knew how these men thought, how they planned. Without Lucky, she would most likely blunder right into a trap.
“Face it, Cavanaugh,” she told him, “we need each other.”
He followed after her, a frown on his face. “Yeah, yeah, all or none. I heard you.”
Lucky was beginning to think that Vinnie was right about their attraction being lust and not love. Was it love when all you could think about was throttling the woman in front of you? When you wanted to pepper the air with curses about her pig-headedness?
He skidded into a snow pile, wet slush slipping down his boot top and swore. She certainly seemed to think he wasn’t going to make it off this godforsaken mountain alive. Was that the premonition she’d had earlier when they first met?
Didn’t matter, he was a scientist, he knew better than to believe in luck or fate or destiny. Give him nice, predictable chemical reactions any day of the week.
It was nuts to even fantasize about getting involved with a woman like her, especially not now when he had a job to do.
He grunted, used the walking stick to leverage his way over a fallen tree trunk, hating the way she moved so effortlessly through the forest. She was right about one thing—they did have a better chance at success working together than going their separate ways.
He walked a bit farther before realizing that, without saying a word, Vinnie had somehow convinced him to come around to her way of thinking. Maybe there were witches in these woods after all.
If so, he wished she’d use some magic to get them out of here, because he knew something she didn’t.
He knew it was The Preacher himself on that helicopter. Which meant their chances of getting out of this alive had just plummeted.
CHAPTER 15
“This is getting us nowhere!” Chase Westin barged into Rose’s office without knocking, interrupting her perusal of the latest situation reports from the NSA monitoring stations.
She shot him a glare that halted him in his tracks. He still wore his tuxedo, although the suspenders were now hanging around his hips and someone, probably KC, had gotten at least half the shirt studs in place. His hair was rumpled and his cheeks darkened with stubble.
“I’m going up there,” he announced in an unapologetic tone.
“Where?” she asked.
“What do you mean where? To find Lucky!”
Rose came around her desk, slid a large topographic map out from under the stack of NSA updates and spread it out before him. She pointed to the former location of the Liberty Hunt Club.
“Here’s where they found Tillburn’s body—at least they think his was one of the ones they pulled from the ashes. You have training in arson investigation that I don’t know about?”
He frowned, ignored her question. They both knew the answer. Chase was a field guy, give him men to train and lead,
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