Operation: Midnight Guardian by Linda Castillo Page B

only for a moment. “One of us can sleep on the floor.”
    He turned back to the clerk. “We’ll take it.”
    Cutter paid with cash, and a few minutes later they were opening the door of an A-frame cabin. Once they were inside the first thing Mattie noticed was the warmth. A fire crackled merrily in a beautiful stone hearth. The smell of cloves and sage filled the air. A bowl of ripe fruit sat on the small table. Through the bedroom door, she saw a tall bed piled high with frilly pillows.
    “I don’t know whether to eat or shower or sleep first,” she said.
    Cutter smiled, but Mattie sensed an underlying tension she didn’t quite understand. Crossing to the table, he picked up two oranges, passed one to her and began to peel the other. “Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll go round us up something a little more substantial to eat.”
    “I’ll have two of everything,” she quipped. “Something rich and French and—” She cut the words short when he just stood there saying nothing. Suddenly it dawned on her that they were not here for relaxation. She was his prisoner. An assignment. He was going to take her back so she could begin her prison sentence. Reality crashed down with all the weight of a boulder.
    “Are you going to cuff me to the bed while you’re gone?” she asked.
    “I was going to tell you to lock the door and not let anyone in.”
    Uneasiness washed over her. She glanced toward the window. The door. “You think The Jaguar is here?”
    “I think he’s a determined and ruthless son of a bitch. It’s only a matter of time before he finds us.”
    Mattie knew Cutter wasn’t going to sit around and let that happen. He didn’t say the words, but she knew he had to call his superiors at whatever agency he worked for. He was going to tell them he had her in custody. Then they were going to come for her.
    “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He gave her a hard look as he opened the door. “Lock the door behind me and don’t let anyone in.”
    Mattie watched him disappear into the night, then closed the door and set the dead bolt. She should have been relieved to be safe and warm and alive. But there was a knot in her gut the size of Montana. She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but at some point in the past two days Sean Cutter had become more friend than persecutor. It hurt to know he was going to turn her over to the authorities. Mattie wasn’t sure what she’d been hoping for, but it wasn’t that.
    Attributing her melancholy mood to exhaustion, she headed toward the bathroom, shed the poncho and flipped on the light. The image of herself in the mirror caused her to gasp. Her clothes were torn and dirty. Soot streaked her face. Her hair looked as if some big bird had nested in it. She couldn’t help it; she laughed out loud. It was either that or cry.
    She turned on the shower, stepped beneath the spray and let the hot water beat down on her. Putting her face in her hands, she sobbed and tried desperately not to think about spending the rest of her life in prison.
     
    CUTTER PICKED UP clothes at a local boutique and two cell phones at a small electronics store. He found a sandwich shop one block over and stopped in for sandwiches and soft drinks.
    On his way back he kept an eye on the streets and sidewalks, but no one seemed unduly interested in him. To make sure he wasn’t followed, he circled the block twice and cut through an alley before heading to the bed and breakfast.
    He unlocked the door and was immediately aware of the sound of the shower. As he set the food on the table, he tried hard not to think about Mattie, but his efforts were in vain. In his mind’s eye he saw water sluicing over milky flesh. He saw soap bubbles clinging to secret curves. He saw her head thrown back in ecstasy as he drove into her…
    “Smells wonderful.”
    Cutter never blushed. But standing there, semierect and indulging in thoughts he had no business indulging in, heat crept into his