Chapter Sixteen

They arrived at the campground not long after dark, edging into a small spot at the end of the acreage. The ride back had been anything but silent, Helen and Lucy talking about the students’ reaction to the presentation and Mark adding in his thoughts. Erik took a bit of ribbing for being an internet celebrity, laughing even as he winced inside. Jake had focused on driving, not saying much.

Brenna stayed quiet. From the moment they’d left the school’s parking lot until they drove into the clearing, her attention had been on everything around them. He’d caught her glancing at the side and rearview mirrors, sometimes locking eyes with her for a second before they both pulled away.

She knew the danger Kara represented.

They pitched the tents and broke out the hoagies donated by the school, the long buns piled high with sliced meats.

After the camp chairs were set up around the fire, Erik settled next to Jake, both of them working on the thick sandwiches.

Jake poured out another cup of coffee and passed it to him. “Good food. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to break out the MREs just yet.”

Erik chuckled. “Say what you want, but I sort of like the mac and cheese.”

The Vietnam vet wrinkled his nose. “Gotten better over the years but they all still taste like cardboard and wet cigarettes to me.” He glanced over at where the women were pitching the two large tents. “Thanks for taking a rotation on the night shift. Mark’s tough, but he needs a break. Not right to stay awake all night, takes a toll on the body.”

“No problem.” Erik looked into his coffee. “I’ll help out as long as I can.”

“Yeah. About that.” Jake stared him for a minute before continuing. “At the start, you said you were interested in coming along with us to lie low, recover from the bad fight. I was cool with it ’cause we had the space. Figured you’d hop off in a few days but if you wanted to ride all the way to the East Coast it’d be fine.” His eyes narrowed. “I caught the way you jumped when you thought that woman was coming at you.” He studied Erik’s face. “You spooked really bad. We got issues here I need to know about?”

Erik paused for a second, weighing the options.

Jake continued. “I can understand if you’re having problems with camping out. Maybe it’s reminding you too much of being back in the field. We can deal with that, like we have with Lucy. Hell, you told me ’bout Brenna’s problem, and I was fine with it. Except I can’t have you freaking out and attacking audience members or worse. You were about to jump off the stage and go at that teacher.” He gestured at Erik’s hands. “You don’t have to be armed to do a lot of damage. So spill whatever had you going on there.”

“I…” Erik swallowed hard. “I got to be honest with you. Someone’s after me and Brenna.”

Jake rubbed his salt-and-pepper beard. “How bad? We talking upset fan, pissed-off sports bookie?”

“No. It’s…complicated.”

There’s an understatement.

“Someone wants to kill us. She won’t stop coming until we’re both dead.” Erik sighed. “Believe me, we never wanted to drag you guys into this. We were just looking to grab a quick ride out of town and heal up.” He put one hand against his left side. “I wasn’t in any shape to hoof it much longer.”

Jake studied his cup of coffee. “This got to do with drugs? I’m not a big fan of the hard stuff.” He mimicked taking a deep drag on a joint. “MJ, I’m good with.”

“No. No. Nothing like that.” His mind spun as he tried to come up with something that wouldn’t sound like a bad action movie script. “It’s a woman. She holds me responsible for her brother’s death. Brenna’s hanging with me, so she’s caught up in all this.”

“Hmm.” Jake chewed on his lip. “Are you? Responsible?”

“It was a fellow soldier. In my squad, got caught in the same ambush I did.” He didn’t like to lie, but it was all he could think of to explain away the circumstances. “She’s ticked off at the world. Hunted me down at the venue, got at us in the parking lot—almost took me out when I was weak from the fight.” He grimaced at the memory. “You saw the beating Matty put down on me. Kara attacked, put us on the run, which is how we ended up meeting you.”

Jake eyed him. “I trust you to be telling me the truth. Got no reason to doubt you—told you I was a fan of yours. I read your bio. Lots there simmering under the surface but I’m not going to push.” He reached out and poked the fire with a stick. “This woman coming after you, is she another vet? Serve with either of you?”

“No.” Erik refused to give Kara that status. She didn’t deserve it. It’d also possibly put Jake in an awkward spot, the same Erik had been in when he first had to deal with the Valkyries. He might approach the situation differently if he thought their stalker was another vet with issues, and Erik couldn’t afford to have that holding them all back. “The important thing is she’s not going to stop until she gets to us.”

“Hmm.” Jake rose and went to the coffee pot, refilling his mug.

Erik stayed seated, waiting for the senior to return.

Jake came back to sit. “I didn’t want to mention it before I had to—but we’ve got weapons on hand. When I planned this trip out, I worried about running into trouble. One pistol under the front seat. Crowbar under the middle seat.”

Erik nodded.

“We’re not looking for trouble. They’re a last resort if someone threatens us. I won’t let anyone hurt Helen or Lucy. Mark knows ’bout the weapons.” He grunted. “You’re part of the team now. We’ll keep you safe until Washington.”

“You want us to stay?”

Jake nodded.

“You can’t speak for the rest of the group,” Erik replied.

“True.” Jake scratched his beard. “We’ll talk about it tonight once everyone gets settled in. I can tell you now they’re not going to throw you two out. Wouldn’t be right.”

“We’ll see.” Erik eyed him. “You sure about this? You didn’t agree to this when you took us in.”

“One thing I learned back in the field is to keep your friends close.”

“And your enemies closer,” Erik said, finishing the saying.

“To a degree.” Jake pressed his lips into a tight line before continuing. “I watched people abandoned when we bugged out of ’Nam, those who had helped us left to die. I won’t drop the two of you by the side of the road and wait to read about some crazed knife brawl. Not on my watch.”

“Thank you.” Erik shook his head. “I still can’t wrap my mind around this.” The truth was hidden in the lie, but the emotions were true.

“Listen to me. There’s more to this. The way you acted at the school…” He paused. “You lost your people.” There was a sadness in Jake’s voice. “You never get over it. No matter how often you read the paperwork clearing you of all misdoing, it sticks in your craw.” He tapped his chest. “I’d rather be with a man who feels bad for losing his squad than one who doesn’t give a crap. Those, those are the ones you gotta escape—the ones who don’t feel anything.” He glanced over at Brenna. “Don’t sell her short. Don’t cut her out of this.”

Erik nodded, not sure what to add.

The older man studied the three women finishing up setting out the sleeping bags. “She’s a fighter, no doubt about that. She’ll hold her own and then some if and when she has to. The way she dealt with Lucy. Girl’s got strength inside.” Jake shrugged. “But what the hell do I know? I’m an old man, far past falling in love with a sweet woman.”

“I told you…”

Jake cut him off. “I see how she looks at you—been a long time since I had a woman look at me like that.” He shook his head. “Don’t mess up what you got ’cause you figure you’re going to sacrifice yourself to save her. She’ll likely save herself. And probably drag your ass out of the fire along the way.”

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll take it under consideration,” Erik said, glad for the response.

Jake eyed him. “Dying is easy. Takes a lot to live for someone.”

Erik paused, his mind racing as the women came toward them.