When I Find You: A Trust No One Novel (11 page)

She broke up in laughter at the contrite expression on his face, even though she felt sure the subject had only been tabled, not forgotten. He took her arm in his as they walked down the street.

In front of their motel room, Walker slid the key card from his shirt pocket and guided it quickly in and out of the slot on the door. The lock clicked twice and the red light turned green as he glanced down at the tape and froze.

The air seemed to crackle with tension. Terror closed around Darcy as she followed his gaze. The tape hung loose and folded back on itself.

He grabbed her hand. “
Shit! Run!”

Her heart beat wildly as she clung to his hand and tried to keep up. They raced down the block with no apparent goal except to put distance between them and the evil that had somehow found them against all odds.

They were eighty feet away when Walker shoved her off the sidewalk and up against the wall of a brick building. A second later the door of their motel room exploded outward in a fiery blast.

Chapter Five

A
S THE DETONATION
shook the windows in the building beside him, Walker ducked down and used his body to cover the young recruit who crouched next to him. Son of a bitch! Friendly fire—too damn close. The air sizzled with heat and foul smoke as the mortar rounds continued to pound the concrete walls of the compound just ahead. Fighter jets screamed overhead and dropped their payloads on the enemy artillery that had his men pinned down. A fiery glow lit up the streets of Kabul with every explosion. Burning debris and smoke stung his eyes and singed his nasal passages. His unit’s position became more vulnerable with each passing moment. What the hell was taking so long? They were sitting ducks out here.

Someone called his name over and over again and tugged on his arm insistently. With a scowl, he turned to the recruit beside him. “Pull it together, marine, if you . . .”

He stared into the green eyes of the redheaded woman crouching beside him and his two worlds collided.

Darcy clung to his arm with both hands, and her lips moved. Confusion turned to dismay as he grabbed her and used her as a lifeline to fight his way out of the nightmare that had blindsided him.

“Walker, what’s wrong?” Her voice was frantic, his confusion reflected in her eyes.

He shook his head, clearing away the last of the flashback. “Shit. How long since the explosion?”

“I don’t know . . . a minute, maybe two.”

“Shit!” He grabbed Darcy’s hand and pulled her with him into the shadows between two buildings. With a finger in front of his lips, he silently moved her along beside him. Her body trembled, and her breathing came in short gasps. Who could blame her for being terrified? Not only did their room just blow up, but Walker had checked out and left her to face it on her own. He had to get her off the street, out of sight, before she lost it completely.

Already sirens wailed in the distance. The guests at the motel were evacuating and would mill around in the street waiting for someone to tell them what to do next. People from nearby homes and businesses would come out to see what happened. It would be a block party before it was over. Perfect cover to abduct and dispose of one twenty-four-year-old woman who knew too much.

He pursed his lips. The commotion could work in his favor too.

He slipped his arm around her waist and drew her toward the alley, through some tall brush to a sandy trail that led down to the beach. They skirted a large bonfire where a group of kids laughed and drank beer. Young lovers walked along the shore in comfortable silence, arms intertwined, heads close together. A thick blanket of fog limited visibility, and Walker scrutinized each person, rock, or piece of driftwood that came into sight, assessing the danger. His gut was tied up in knots, and that was never a good thing. Despite the fog cover, they were too exposed. One distraction could take his focus off Darcy long enough for someone to grab her. It was time to get off the beach. What he wouldn’t give for his Jeep right now, but he couldn’t afford to go back for it. It could be wired too.

He found a trail that led off the beach toward some homes above them. Darcy hung back, but he couldn’t let her stop yet. He had to find someplace where she’d be safe first. “Hang on a few more minutes for me, okay?”

Lights shone from every room of the closest house and a car was parked in the driveway. A modern security system protected the next home. With enough time, he could bypass the alarm, but time wasn’t a luxury he had right now. The third house, smaller and set back from the street, lay in total darkness. The grass was tall and uneven and the house needed a coat of paint. A
FOR SALE
sign in the yard clinched it. Walker pulled a small toolkit from his backpack and went to work. Thirty seconds later he opened the door and shoved Darcy inside.

“That explosion . . . our room?” Her voice trembled and she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, stepping close to him as he peered out the window.

“Apparently someone knows we’re here.”

“How did they find us so quickly?”

“Don’t forget, they knew what plane you were on. Grant may have called in after he made contact with you. DeLuca would want to be absolutely sure you were no longer a threat. He could have had someone here to verify the kill.”

Darcy’s stomach rolled at the stark reality of his words. “It could have been a gas leak . . . or something.”

“That doesn’t fit with the uninvited guest in our room.”

“What do we do now?”

“That blast was triggered when I unlocked the door. It was set to go off once we got inside. When he finds out we weren’t, he’ll probably wait for us to make an appearance. We’ll stay here until things quiet down. Then I’ll find us alternate transportation.” Walker let the curtain drop back in place.

“What about your Jeep?”

“Can’t trust it right now. It would be too easy for whoever set a charge in our room to plant a bomb under our ride.”

Darcy’s eyes went wide. “You could have been killed too—because of me.” She backed away from him, shaking her head. “I can’t . . . you shouldn’t . . .”

Aw, hell. Didn’t she have enough hanging over her head without worrying about him too? Damn Johnny Fontana for putting her in this situation. If he wasn’t already dead, Walker would be sorely tempted to finish the job himself.

“Come here.” When she just gaped at him, he took her hand and tugged her with him as he walked through the empty house and up a flight of stairs. A short hallway opened into a master bedroom with a walk-in closet. He pulled her inside the small, dark room, closed the door, and shrugged out of his coat, placing it around her shoulders. Rummaging through his backpack, he found a small flashlight and turned it on, then handed it to her. Now the storm brewing on her face came into view, and the closet would hide the light from anyone outside who might be watching.

She placed her hand on his sleeve, fear and anxiety in her wide eyes as she met his gaze. “This is my problem. I won’t have anyone hurt because of me. You have to leave before it’s too late.”

Her voice held more determination than a body that small should possess. Those eyes, so full of fear, roped him in. Just the idea of leaving her alone and unprotected turned his stomach inside out. “I’m not going anywhere. First of all, you didn’t cause this. Second—we’re in this together now. That means your problem is my problem. Okay?”

Tear tracks lined her face and he couldn’t resist the urge to dry them with his thumbs. Her lips called to him, but somehow he let his hands drop away from her before he crossed that line. She’d clearly reached the limits of her endurance. He didn’t know how she’d kept going this long. This soft-spoken, softhearted girl was certainly no pushover.

Her eyes blazed and her lips pursed in a fine line. She might have some argument left, but she dropped her gaze, then fisted her hand in his sleeve and laid her head against his arm.

“We could have been in that room.”

He barely caught her whispered words, and the anguish in her voice tugged uncomfortably at his heart. He wanted nothing more than to protect her. So close to gathering her in his arms and kissing away her fears, he slammed the door on that stupid idea just in time. Walker sighed as he leaned against the wall beside her. “We’re safe here for now. Try to get some sleep.”

She didn’t argue when he patted his shoulder and held his arm out in invitation. Instead, she crawled inside the protective circle of his arm and found a spot to lean her head that fit just right.

“What happened back there, Walker? After the explosion?”

He’d been dreading that question, not because she didn’t deserve to know, but because putting it into words brought all the memories flooding back. He hesitated until she tilted her head to look at him and the uncertainty in her eyes nailed him.

“That . . . was a walking nightmare . . . commonly referred to as a flashback.”

“You were in the army?”

“MARSOC—Marine Special Operations Command. Spent a few years in the Gulf. Silent Warriors they called us, due to our ability to sneak up close and personal before the enemy knew we were there. I’m still dealing with some of the things I saw and did. Seems like when I get cocky and start thinking I’ve got a handle on it, something comes along and triggers my little piece of hell just to prove I’m wrong.”

“Like the explosion?”

“Exactly.”

“How often does it happen?”

“Last one was months ago. I thought I had it beat, but the truth is, I don’t know when it will happen again. I know I scared you back there. I’d understand if you’d feel safer with someone else watching out for you. I can call my boss as soon as we get where we’re going.”

She was silent a moment. Then she relaxed against him, stretching her arm across his chest. “I’m safe with you.”

He squeezed her shoulder gently and breathed in the delicate scent of her hair—honeysuckle. Her sweet acceptance of him, scarred and broken, touched a place deep within him long ago closed away. It was all he could do to keep from tipping her face up another inch and possessing her mouth. Should he be glad or sorry she decided to stick with him? If she hadn’t been there to pull him back from the edge, there could have been a totally different ending to the evening. She might have been killed while he was busy fighting his private war. That thought made him break out in a cold sweat. On the other hand, who would he trust enough to keep her safe? He gazed at her head resting inches from his lips. His arm around her rose and fell with her breathing as it slowed and evened out in sleep.

No one. He’d trust no one but himself with Darcy’s life. The realization shocked him.

Her warm, firm body, pressed up against his, reawakened the desire Walker first experienced when she clung to him in her inebriated condition by the light of the campfire last night. He’d wanted to kiss her then, but he knew where the kiss would lead, and she wasn’t prepared for that. Now, sitting on the floor of a walk-in closet in someone else’s house, he rejected the reaction he would have found natural, even compulsory, with someone else. She wasn’t like anyone he’d ever met. Innocent and pure, she was someone whose virtue should be protected. Definitely, no one should ever hurt her. When this was over he’d settle up with Robby . . . just as if Darcy
was
his woman.

Turning off the flashlight, he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

I
T WAS A
little after three a.m. when Walker opened his eyes again. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept five hours straight. Without moving, he listened for any changes in the house or outside. Nothing seemed different, but he’d have a look around just the same. Darcy still slept soundly. She stirred as soon as he tried moving her.

“What’s wrong?” Her voice was gravelly.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

“No. I’m going with you.”

“Darcy . . .”

“I’m going.” She scrambled to her feet.

“Okay. Since you’re so wide awake, we might as well get on the road. Maybe you can rest in the car.”

“What car?”

“The one I’m going to borrow.”

He frowned at her air of disapproval. “Have you got a better idea?” When she didn’t respond, he gave a short laugh. “I suppose you could wait here so you won’t be an accessory.”

She appeared to consider that for a moment, then shook her head. “We’re in this together, right? It goes both ways.”

At the top of the stairs, Walker paused. “Wait here a minute while I check downstairs.” He left her and descended silently to the lower level. The house was empty, the doors and windows undisturbed. At the foot of the stairs, he told her to wait again while he checked outside. He didn’t like leaving her alone and unprotected. One of the first things he’d do was get her a gun and teach her how to use it.

When she tried to give him his coat at the door, he pushed it back toward her. “It’s damp and cold outside. Put that on over yours.”

“No. You’ll need it.”

“Stop arguing with me. I’m bigger and meaner and I’ll win every time.” He opened the door when she had the coat on, but he caught the narrowing of her eyes and her soft whisper as she stepped through the door.

“Bigger doesn’t always win.”

Sassy and sweet—a provocative combination. A grin came unbidden as he led her away from the house, through an alley, and onto the next street. From there they caught a glimpse of their motel. It was still standing. The fire must have been extinguished quickly.

Should he try getting the Jeep? He couldn’t take the chance. Walker turned the opposite direction and started walking.

“Where will we find a car?” She matched his stride, her hands shoved into the pockets of his coat.

“There’s probably a bar around here. Usually at least one patron leaves his car there and takes a cab home. It’ll be hours before he looks for it, and when he does, he won’t remember where he parked anyway.”

“Two blocks inland—Rowdy’s. It’s a dive, but it probably has the kind of clientele you’re talking about.”

“Right.” He turned right at the next street. “I forgot I had my own personal tour guide.”