Читать книгу Off The Grid Christmas - Mary Ellen Porter - Страница 12
ОглавлениеSomeone had breached her security perimeter.
Someone else was on the beach.
Through the shed window, Arden could see the light moving along the shore—a small dot of white in the blackness. She doubted it was just one person. And she doubted it was the FBI.
Grayson probably told Kane to monitor the PetID database for a potential hit on Sebastian’s microchip, but there’s no way her brother would have shared that information with the FBI.
Arden’s ex-boyfriend Randy Sumner was another story.
He knew about Sebastian, and he’d have no qualms about tipping off GeoArray Corporation. He was in this deep and had just as much to lose if the company went down. And he, more than anyone, knew Arden could bring them all down.
She hadn’t been exaggerating about GeoArray’s power, resources and reach. The corporation was an army of sorts, and it would send its best soldiers to bring her in.
Soldiers? Thugs was probably a more accurate descriptor, and unless Arden missed her guess, they were trying to hem her in.
But she’d be gone before whoever was on the beach managed to make it up the bluff. Kane would be with her. She wasn’t happy about it. It would be easier to leave him behind, but he had no idea what Arden was up against; what he was now up against.
Arden knew. They’d killed before. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill again. No, she couldn’t, in good conscience, leave Kane to face off against them.
Sure, he was former Special Forces and looked like he could take care of himself. She’d seen him sparring with her brothers at the gym while he and Jace were on home leave one summer. She knew he was quick, sharp-minded and lethal, but GeoArray had money and power behind it. So did its CEO, Marcus Emory. They wouldn’t fight fair and could afford to hire the best fighters and trackers to hunt down what they wanted.
At this moment, what they wanted was Arden.
They were desperate to get their hands on her and the files she’d taken from their networks.
She’d given them a golden opportunity, thanks to her love for Christmas and Sebastian. Now, she had to get out of their reach, and she needed to get Kane out, too.
She dragged the canvas tarp off the motorbike her landlord had left in the shed. A 1952 Vincent Black Shadow. Admittedly, the bike had seen better days. But Arden appreciated the handcraftsmanship of the vehicle and the fact that, in its heyday, the model broke speed records. Very few had been made.
Arden suspected the property owner had no idea of the value the bike would bring if restored. If he did, he might not be so quick to leave it in an unlocked shed for his renters to use.
“A motorcycle?” Kane pressed close to her back, in her space again. Usually, she despised having people that close. Currently, she didn’t have time to worry about it or to tell him to back off.
“Does it look like something else?”
“It looks old.”
“It is.”
“Does it work?”
“Yep. It came with the rental—it’s a way residents can get up and down the access path to the parking area more quickly.”
“I’m afraid to ask how loud it’s going to be when you start it up.” He glanced toward the window. “There’s someone out on the beach. I can’t tell if he’s alone.”
“It’s too far down with no easy way up. Anyone on the beach shouldn’t pose much of a threat. The bigger threat is whoever’s coming up the access path. The shed’s in clear view of it. Once we’re in the open, we’d be easily picked off by anyone with a high-powered rifle.”
“What are you suggesting?”
She turned her attention back to her phone, scrolled through the live video feed from her security system. “They’ve got no clue I know they’re coming. Logic says they’ll head for the house. As soon as it’s breached, we can start her up and head for the trail at the back of the property. We’ll be out of the line of fire before they can make it to the back door.”
He glanced at the phone in her hand. “You’ve set up an elaborate monitoring system.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, but I’m in the security business.”
“I am, too. It’s just a different kind of security.”
Kane cracked open the shed door, his broad back blocking her view.
“See anything?” she asked. She’d have edged in closer, stuck her head under his arm to get a look, but Sebastian was getting restless. His fuzzy ears poked through the top flap of the carrier and bumped against her collarbone as he tried to figure out what was going on.
“Just a lot of darkness, but I don’t like the way it feels.”
“Darkness has a feeling?”
“Danger does.” He grabbed the bike’s handlebars, tugged the motorcycle forward and out of her grasp. “We need to move.”
She could have argued, but she’d heard her brothers talk about going with their guts so many times, she didn’t think it would be prudent to ignore Kane’s instincts.
“The trail’s kind of hidden. It’s just behind the shed and winds toward the bigger path you walked in on.” She leaned past, poked her head out the door and pointed at what looked like driftwood and scrappy bushes covered with a fresh layer of ice-crested snow. She wasn’t sure if the owner of the property had meant to provide a quick escape, but she’d known as soon as she’d seen the narrow trail that she’d have one if she needed it.
She hadn’t expected to need it.
Maybe that was part of her problem. She trusted in her intelligence a little too much. She relied on herself more than she relied on anyone else. She’d been one of the guys for as long as she could remember—the ultra-capable younger sister of four ultra-capable men. She’d never been in a situation she couldn’t handle on her own, and she hadn’t expected to find herself in one. She’d expected to go off the grid, get the proof she needed to take GeoArray down and go right back to her life. That wasn’t how things were turning out.
She found that more irritating than alarming.
“You’ve ridden a motorcycle before, right?” she whispered, pocketing her phone as Kane pushed the vehicle outside, putting the shed between them and the access path to the cottage. The wind stole her words, but he must have heard.
“Not one this old,” he responded.
“The age of the vehicle is irrelevant,” she said, ignoring his sarcasm. She loved old vehicles and had restored several of them with her dad while helping out in his shop during the summers. She’d ridden this one enough to know it was in good working order. It was also fast. That was going to be an asset.
“Its working condition is not irrelevant.”
“It works.” They’d reached the brush, and she skirted past him. Not an easy feat considering his size, but there was no way she was letting him drive them out. She knew the trail. She knew the bike. She’d be the driver.
She brushed his hands from the handlebars and climbed on, balancing the bike as she scanned the dark path and the beach below. The light was still there. Farther away and moving at a steady pace, parallel to the shore. Whoever it was wouldn’t find a way up from there, but night vision goggles and a long-range rifle could make a long-distance kill easy.
GeoArray wanted her alive. For now. That was one thing she had in her favor.
Kane, on the other hand, was simply in the way.
Her phone chirped, the sound chilling her blood.
“They’re in,” she muttered.
Kane climbed on the bike, wrapping his left arm low around her waist. “Just be careful,” he warned. “The temperature’s dropped and the snow’s crusted over with ice. If we wreck, it’s over.”
“Warning duly noted.” Arden zipped her jacket up to her chin, completely covering Sebastian. She didn’t need Kane to tell her to be cautious. Wrecking the bike and getting herself caught was not on her agenda. Seeing her brother’s business partner—one of his closest friends—killed wasn’t, either.
She was sorry Kane had been dragged into this, but she wasn’t surprised her brothers called for reinforcements. Grayson and Jace were cut from the same cloth, both willing to do anything to help those they cared about. It would be hypocritical to fault them for that. After all, that’s how she ended up in this mess in the first place. Of course, Juniper Westin wasn’t just anyone. She was Arden’s best friend, the sister Arden had never had.
They’d met halfway through first grade. Juniper had walked into the classroom, and Arden had known they were kindred spirits—two oddball mavericks sitting in a room filled with average Joes.
The whispering had started right away, and Arden had felt the overwhelming need to stand up for the new girl the way she’d always had to stand up for herself. It wasn’t Juniper’s glasses or curly black hair that had all the kids talking; it wasn’t her light brown skin—even though there hadn’t been many kids of color in their elementary school.
No, it was the dark purple bruise on her cheek that accompanied the healing split on her lip. And the too-big sweater she’d had on with well-worn jeans that were almost too short. Jeans that had bright red patches with pink hearts carefully sewn on the knees. During recess, Robby Dixon had laughed at her for those hearts, and Arden had done the only thing she thought she could. She’d punched him right in the middle of his smug face. She’d earned herself a three-day suspension, the respect of every kid in the school and a life-long friend.
Since then, she and Juniper had been through good times and bad times together. There was nothing Arden wouldn’t do for her friend—including hacking into GeoArray’s secured network—which, unfortunately, had led to this.
Kane leaned in, his breath tickling her ear. “I just saw a light go on in the house. If we’re getting out of here, now’s the time to do it.”
“Right.” She cranked the engine, the sudden roar drowning out the sound of the surf. No doubt everyone within a mile radius had heard. She gunned the motor, and the bike charged forward, speeding through the narrow space between old shrubs, bits of leaves and branches breaking off as she raced along the trail.
To Kane’s credit, he had no problem holding on and keeping his balance. He didn’t shout instructions or tell her to watch out for the rocks and debris that littered the narrow trail.
And he’d been right about the ice. It coated everything. The bike’s nearly threadbare tires barely held on as she sped around a curve.
She thought she heard shouting, but she couldn’t be certain. The engine was too loud, the wind too wild. They’d be at the parking area soon. It was a small lot used by a few seasonal residents whose cliff-side cottages weren’t easily accessible by car. It was mostly unused this time of year. Her Jeep was there. Kane’s vehicle must be, too. She wasn’t sure they’d be able to get to either of them. GeoArray’s thugs probably had the area staked out.
“Pull off here,” Kane shouted.
She almost ignored him.
She wanted off the trail and on the open road. The more distance they put between themselves and their pursuers, the better. Then again, if guys with guns were waiting in the parking lot below, she’d have to drive straight into their trap before she could get out on the road.
She coasted to a stop and cut the engine, her pulse racing.
“Is there another way out?” Kane asked, his voice tight.
“We can head up the bluff.” She nodded toward the south and the scraggly pines that dotted a steep hill. She’d walked there a couple of days ago, trying to clear her mind after hours in front of the computer. “But I don’t know how far we can take the bike. The terrain’s steep and icy and the bike’s tires have definitely seen better days. We need a vehicle, and mine’s in the lot.”
“I parked off the street. About a half-mile from the lot.”
A light flashed at the head of the trail, there and gone so quickly Arden would have missed it if she hadn’t been looking in that direction.
“A signal,” Kane muttered. “They’re going to try to trap us. Can we make it to the road, or should we ditch the bike and try to make it out quietly? You know the area best. It’s your call, Arden, but make the right choice. We’re probably outmanned and outgunned.”
“We can make it out on the bike.” It would take a little finesse and a whole lot of guts, but their odds were better on the bike than walking out.
She started the engine and took off again, leaving the trail and bouncing onto ice-coated grass, speeding between spindly pine trees as she raced up the bluff and toward freedom.
* * *
Kane had been in a lot of dangerous situations, but riding on an ancient motorbike behind a woman who seemed more daredevil than computer whiz was right up at the top of his list of experiences he never wanted to repeat.
He was concerned about the icy conditions, Arden’s driving skills and the fact that whoever was after her might have already spotted his rented Chevy Tahoe. It was unlikely, though. He’d parked behind a small copse of trees, and the vehicle would be difficult to spot from the road.
Still, if the people who were after Arden were as desperate as she seemed to believe, they might have been scoping out the area, looking for signs that someone besides Arden was around.
The bike bounced over an exposed root, and he tightened his grip on Arden’s waist. He’d have preferred to drive, but this arrangement left his gun hand free. Arden navigated the rocky, snow-covered bluff with surprising ease.
Kane leaned forward, his chest pressing against Arden’s backpack. The wind whipped at strands of hair peeking out from her hat, the soft tendrils brushing against his cheek.
She slowed as they reached the crest of the hill. Even at this speed the cold air was merciless on their exposed skin and eyes. They needed to get to the Chevy. He had a duffel of supplies there, hats and gloves, an extra jacket.
His work required preparedness, and he’d tried to think of all the possibilities when he’d set off to find Arden. He’d been hoping to be a few steps ahead of whoever was after her, but the army that was following her seemed to have a lot of tech power behind it—they’d been able to access the PetID database and register the hit on the microchip just as he had. They also had at least some knowledge of Arden’s private life. Kane had only known about her cat and its microchip because Grayson had told him. Was it possible someone Arden knew well had set her up?
He glanced over his shoulder, his arm still tight around Arden’s waist.
Bright lights illuminated the path they’d left, what looked like an ATV zipping along the narrow passage.
“They’re coming. Looks like they have a vehicle that can make it,” he warned.
“Hold on,” she shouted, hitting the throttle and propelling them over the top of the bluff. The way down was as steep as the trip up, but the bike managed to cling to the rocky, ice-coated ground as Arden wove her way through sparse pine growth.
There weren’t enough trees to provide adequate cover, and the hair on his neck stood on end. He may as well have had a bull’s-eye on his back. One well-trained sniper, and he’d be down.
He glanced back. The ATV had crested the hill and seemed to be idling there. It was a good vantage point, and the shot would be easy enough to take.
Arden must have sensed the danger.
“Hang on!” she shouted. Hitting the throttle once more, she increased their speed and veered sharply to the right, steering the motorcycle toward what looked like a shallow ditch. Beyond that, the road curved across the landscape.
The first shot rang out as the motorcycle jumped the ditch. Bits of bark flew into Kane’s face as the tires hit the snowy pavement. The motorcycle wobbled dangerously, yet somehow remained upright.
“Left!” he shouted, calculating their distance from his Tahoe, the likelihood of the next bullet hitting its target, the chance that Arden would make it out of this situation alive if something happened to him.
He’d promised Jace he’d get her home in one piece.
He’d do it.
A second shot rang out, and the pavement behind them exploded. A high-caliber rifle, but the gunman couldn’t seem to hit his mark.
There are always blessings in the trials.
His grandmother had reminded him of that dozens of times when he was a kid. Maybe she’d been right.
He could see the patch of trees where he’d parked the Tahoe, and the dull gleam of the street sign he’d used as a marker just ahead.
A bullet hit it, bouncing off the metal with a loud crack.
“Just past the sign. Behind those trees,” he barked, and Arden veered in the direction he’d indicated, the motorcycle slowing as she bounced off the road and into knee-high grass.
She cut the motor as they reached the Tahoe.
The night had gone silent except for the wind that howled through the trees. No engines roaring, people shouting, bullets flying.
“I don’t like this,” Arden whispered as she clambered off the bike.
“Get in!” he urged, opening the driver’s side door. “They’re probably coming from the parking area.” Before the words were out of his mouth, she was scrambling across the bench seat; he rushed in after her, pulling the door shut behind him.
Shoving the keys in the ignition, Kane cranked the engine and hit the gas. The SUV lurched out from behind the trees and screeched onto the road.
“Keep down!” Kane ordered as he floored it.
He didn’t know how many vehicles were coming from the parking area, but he could already see a set of lights in his rearview mirror. He might be able to outrun them.
Might.
He’d flown into a small airfield three miles away, just outside of Lubec. Bringing the Cessna had been faster and easier than driving or booking a commercial flight.
With the weather getting bad and the enemy on his tail, he wasn’t sure it had been the right decision. The airfield shared space with Tommy’s Truck and SUV Rentals, the town’s only car rental business; the pickings had been slim—mostly older model pickup trucks—and he’d thought he’d been fortunate enough to rent the Tahoe. Now he wished there’d been a faster vehicle to choose.
Arden shifted, and before he realized what she was doing, she was on her knees, peering out the back window.
“They’re gaining on us,” she commented.
There didn’t seem to be any panic in her voice. So far, she’d been unflappable. That was good. Panic only ever caused people to make mistakes that could get them killed.
“Get out of your pack and get your seat belt on.” He issued the order and ignored her comment.
“Are you expecting to crash?” But Arden shrugged out of her backpack and fastened the seat belt around her waist, carefully positioning the shoulder strap behind her so it wouldn’t bother her cat.
“I’m expecting that they won’t give up easily,” he responded.
“Logic agrees.”
“Does it?” he said drily as he sped around a curve in the road. The light disappeared from the rearview mirror. Gone for now, but not for long. If they hadn’t been on a two-lane highway that overlooked a twenty-foot drop to the ocean, he’d have looked for a place to pull off and hide until their pursuers passed.
“Of course,” Arden replied. “Now that they’ve used their weapons and shown their hand, they can’t let us escape. They’ll need to kill you to keep you from contacting the police once they’ve gotten their hands on me, so any way you cut it, they’re not going to give up easily.”
“Kill me, huh?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“No, but I’m curious.”
“About?”
“Their reasons for wanting to take you alive.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Yeah?” He glanced at the speedometer, its needle hovering around eighty-five. Any faster and the vehicle would start shaking like it was in need of a front-end alignment.
“Very.” She answered absently, giving no further explanation.
“Care to tell me exactly who wants to keep you alive?”
“In actuality, there are several entities who might be responsible for this. I am on the FBI’s most wanted list.”
“You’re avoiding my question.”
“No. I’m just avoiding giving you an answer.”
“Why?”
“My reasons are not your concern.”
She obviously didn’t trust him. He’d drop it. For now.
Arden twisted once more in her seat, looking out the back window. “Can this thing go any faster? I’m pretty sure I see headlights behind us again.”
He could see them, too, but he’d already accelerated as much as the Tahoe could. “We’ve still got some distance between us.”
“Not enough. Lubec’s less than a mile away. If you avoid Main Street, we might be able to give them the slip.”
“It’s a small town, and there aren’t many places to hide. I won’t feel safe until we get you out of Lubec, and Maine altogether for that matter.”
“That’s unrealistic. If we can’t beat them on this curved and twisting road, we can’t beat them in a race on the open highway.”
“You’re assuming I’m planning to drive us out of here.”
“Is there another option?” Her voice was sharp.
“I left my Cessna at the Coastal Airstrip just outside of town.”
“Cessna?” she said a little too loudly, her voice tight. “That’s your plan?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t fly,” Arden stated firmly.
“You’re about to.” He took a sharp curve in the road. The turn into the airport access road was up ahead, and the headlights behind them had disappeared again. If he was fast enough, he could turn onto the road, cut the lights and wait for their pursuers to pass.
As the SUV approached the turn, he cut the headlights and swung into the access road, tires squealing as they tried to gain traction.
“This is the airport,” Arden said.
“I told you. We’re flying out.”
“I told you, I’m not.”
She was.
Even if he had to throw her kicking and screaming onto the Cessna. He’d committed to getting Arden back to her family. He was going to do it. No matter who was after her. No matter what kind of trouble she’d gotten herself into.
No matter how determined she was to keep him from doing it.
He didn’t back down from challenges. That was one of the reasons Jace had asked him to do the job. It went deeper than that, of course. They’d served together, fought together. They’d saved each other’s hides more than once. Their bond was a brotherhood, and it couldn’t be broken. They’d do anything for each other.
Even fly a Cessna through a storm with a passenger who obviously didn’t want to be there.
