“We all do, sweetheart.” Her father’s smile was achingly sad as he tapped the badge on his chest. “But we took an oath to protect the people of this town.”
She glanced down at her own badge and repeated the vow both he and her grandfather had said to her in the past. “It’s our duty, and we’ll see it done.”
Even if it destroyed her soul in the process. With that happy thought, she stepped out into the sunshine and started the long walk home.
9
Eli stepped out onto the porch intending to soak up the late afternoon sunshine and read. Although not tired physically, mentally he needed some downtime after spending hours wandering around up on the ridge. Will and his crew arrived right at nine as promised, and Eli had guided them up to where he’d found Halder. Once there, Will had requested Eli stick around in case they had questions. At the same time, he was told to stay out of their way. Oh, the deputy had couched both requests in polite terms, but there was no mistaking them as anything but direct orders.
Eli had obligingly parked his ass on a handy boulder to watch the men and women set about their investigation with quiet efficiency. The one oddity in the process happened when Will had abruptly announced he’d be the only one to check out the cave.
Will had then ducked inside and stayed there for several minutes before finally reappearing. He immediately strung a spiderweb of crime scene tape across the entrance and loudly warned the others to stay out. Something about part of the ceiling in danger of collapsing or some such thing.
What was in the cave that the deputy didn’t want the others to see? There hadn’t been a chance to check it out with all of them watching his every move. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t go back on his own at some point to do a little more poking around. For now, he was going to kick back with his feet propped up on the porch railing and enjoy a cold drink and his book.
One chapter and half a beer later, he heard the soft rumble of a car engine heading his way. Who would be driving up the mountain now? Safara was his first hopeful thought, but the vehicle that he could just barely glimpse through the trees wasn’t the right color for her police cruiser. Her father had no reason to come calling, and Will had said he’d call if the sheriff’s department needed anything else from him. He couldn’t think of anyone else local who’d make the long trek up to the cabin.
But he could think of another group that might’ve finally tracked him down. His boots hit the ground hard as he rolled up to his feet. He wouldn’t run and hide, but neither would he face a potential threat unarmed and helpless. If he had to surrender, he’d do it on his own terms.
He hustled inside to grab his sidearm and then stepped back outside to wait. In real time, it wasn’t all that long before the vehicle finally made the last turn to head directly toward the cabin. However, it felt more like the slow drag of those last few seconds between the time his team had moved into position and finally got the signal to execute their mission. He fought against the familiar rush of adrenaline pouring into his veins.
Widening his stance, he held his gun down at his side. No use in going on the offensive until he knew for sure he was about to come under attack. The big SUV rolled to a stop a short distance away. The sun glared off the tinted windshield, making it impossible to identify the driver, but at least he appeared to be alone. That didn’t mean he wasn’t the decoy while more men slipped into position around the cabin.
Finally the car door opened, but the driver was clearly in no hurry to leave the sanctuary of his vehicle. When he eventually did, Eli could hardly believe his eyes. He stuffed the gun into the back of his waistband and charged down the steps.
“Jamison? Is that you?”
No response. Well, shit. From his rigid stance, Eli’s unexpected guest could’ve been a statue. Jamison hadn’t changed much since he’d last seen him other than his blond hair was longer and tied back in a short ponytail, and he looked a little thinner. Back in the day, Jamison “Doc” Shaw had been the medic in Eli’s unit. On their last mission together, they’d taken heavy fire while out on patrol. Jamison had pulled a wounded soldier to better cover. While he was working to control the bleeding, another insurgent got off another lucky shot and hit Doc in the leg. That bastard would never pull a trigger again, but Jamison ended up with nerve damage in his right ankle.
After extensive rehab to regain his mobility, he’d taken a medical discharge when the doctors finally told him that his slight limp was permanent. Last Eli had heard, Jamison had gone back to college to become a registered nurse.
None of that explained why he’d shown up at Martin’s cabin. How had he known he could find Eli there? The only logical answer was that he’d been in contact with Mike. He slowed his approach and waited for some sign of how his old friend was going to react to the fact Eli hadn’t died in the helicopter crash.
He stopped just shy of where Doc remained frozen in the same position. “So are you going to punch me or come up on the porch and have a beer?”
If anything, the former medic looked even more angry. “I haven’t decided yet, you worthless son of a bitch. I’m thinking it might take both to make me happy.”
Eli edged within an arm’s length. “Fair enough. All I ask is that you don’t hit me in the mouth. I hate the way blood makes beer taste.”
They were both of similar height, although Doc was built along leaner lines. If the situation did come to blows, it was even money on which one would come out the winner. Not that he had any intention of fighting back. He’d put all of his friends through hell by letting them think he’d died. He still wasn’t sure if it wasn’t better in the long run if none of them had ever found out any differently. It had only taken a couple of punches for Mike to make peace with the truth. Eli could only hope that by offering Jamison the same terms, they’d get past the anger, too.
Finally, Jamison drew back and swung straight at Eli’s jaw. At the last second, he angled his fist to give him a glancing blow, one meant to sting rather than shatter bone. It still hurt like hell.
He rubbed the side of his face. “Are you done or do I have to turn the cheek and let you pound on the other side now?”
Jamison crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. What kind of beer do you have? If it’s some off-brand cheap stuff that tastes like canned piss, I’m going to land a good one on that beak of a nose.”
“Please give me credit for having good taste in something, especially when it’s obvious that I suck at picking friends.” He held up his fingers to count off their options. “I’ve got three different microbrews, all local. One is a pale ale, one is a pilsner, and the other is a nice red that I’ve grown quite fond of.”
Jamison brushed past him on his way to the porch. He dropped into the closest chair. “Fine, start pouring while I listen to how you ended up parked on this godforsaken mountainside drinking beer. Some food wouldn’t hurt, either. The major said you made a mean sandwich.”
Feeling better than he had all day, Eli followed Jamison up the steps. “Fine. How long are you staying?”
“Not long. Mike sent me, but he doesn’t want us to draw unwanted attention by spending too much time up here. There’s no sign anyone is watching either of us, but then we might not notice if they’ve got the right training.”
Eli pegged his friend with a hard look. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Mike. Don’t put yourself at risk for me.”
Jamison shrugged, clearly not worried. “Don’t sweat it. We both know I’d sell you out for a six-pack and a large pizza.”
