Arden was scared.
She could admit it.
She’d seen the campground map. She’d memorized it. She knew exactly how far up the mountain they were and exactly how sharp the horseshoe curves were that would lead them down.
In the best of weather with the best of road conditions, they’d have to take those curves slowly. The weather was horrible. The road was icy, and Kane was racing along like they were on an open stretch of highway in the middle of the desert.
Yeah. She was scared, so of course she opened her mouth and started talking.
“Velocity is the change of position relative to time. Based on the speed we’re going and the fact that the first horseshoe curve we’ll encounter is roughly three miles from the campground, we have a good shot of becoming airborne in the next couple of minutes.” The words just kind of spilled out, and she was certain Kane’s lips curved. His focus was on the road, though. He didn’t even glance in her direction.
“Are you asking me to slow down?”
“Statistically speaking, the chance of you making the first curve at this rate of speed is slim to none.” There she went again. She pressed her lips together, sealing in more information that wasn’t going to help their situation at all.
Kane was smart. He could have figured it all out without her spiel.
To his credit, he just nodded, easing off the accelerator and slowing down.
“You know, Arden,” he said, and she braced herself to get an earful. How many times had Randy pointed out that she’d embarrassed herself and him by saying too much, offering too many details, talking incessantly? Too many.
But he was a jerk, so she really shouldn’t care.
Except that she knew he’d been right. She did talk a lot about the things she liked. And she liked a lot of things.
“What?” she finally asked. She told herself she wasn’t going to care about Kane’s opinion any more than she should have cared about Randy’s. But of course she was lying.
“Until tonight, I’d never met anyone who could make me smile while I was running for my life.”
“I’m glad I could amuse you,” she replied, her cheeks hot with embarrassment. Amusing other people was something she excelled at.
“I didn’t say I find you amusing, Arden. I find you pleasantly surprising,” he continued. He took the first steep curve without difficulty, the truck only shimmying a little on the ice-and snow-crusted road. “I knew you were smart, but you’re so much more. The way you handled the snowmobile back there, the fact that you took the time to leave money for this beat-up truck just because it’s the right thing to do. The way you’ve pushed yourself all night. It’s refreshing. You’re refreshing.”
They’d reached a long stretch of gently curving road, and he did glance her way. Just a quick look, but she saw something in his eyes that made her breath catch. She’d never ever seen it in Randy’s. Admiration mixed with respect. That’s how she’d describe it if she was asked.
She looked out the window, focusing on the grayish night, the ice-covered trees, the swirling snow. Anything but Kane. There was something different about him. Something down to earth and honest that made her want to talk more, ask questions, find out who he really was when he wasn’t hanging at the edge of her family’s holiday celebrations.
She wasn’t going to do it.
He’d be too easy to fall for. And she wasn’t ready for another relationship. Being made a fool of once was more than enough.
“There’s another horseshoe curve coming up,” she said, eyeing the dark stretch of road. There was no sign of the snowmobile, but the truck’s engine was loud enough to mask any sound of pursuit. She glanced back. The road was empty and still.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the sharp curve easily.
“Where are we headed? Town?” Arden asked, pulling Sebastian out of the carrier and depositing him on her lap.
“Not Berlin. We’ll need to stop for gas at some point, but we’ll do it when we’re farther away.”
“You really are very good at avoiding my questions,” she said.
He smiled. “We’re going to Massachusetts. Cape Cod, to be specific.”
Arden’s heart jumped, her pulse racing. “You do realize GeoArray headquarters are in Boston, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And you want to go to Massachusetts because...?”
“It won’t be expected, and because I have a cottage there.”
“You have a cottage?”
“It belonged to my grandparents. They left it to me. I haven’t been out to it in over a decade, but my parents use it in the summer, so it should be in decent shape.”
“Decent shape for what?”
“Laying low until we can come up with a better plan.”
She almost protested. She had no intention of staying anywhere near GeoArray. She sure didn’t plan on staying in a cottage with Kane. It was only a matter of time before someone linked Kane to that plane. Any property that could be traced to him would be the first place they’d search.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but for once common sense won out. Until she had a better plan, she’d just have to go along for the ride. Let him think she was cooperating. It was becoming increasingly clear that giving him the slip was not going to be easy. Perhaps she should try another tactic. Get him on her side, then convince him that she’d be safer going off the grid again. Alone.
“You’ve gone quiet,” Kane said. “You don’t like the plan?”
“I’m tired.” She sidestepped the question, and she was certain he noticed.
He didn’t comment. Just turned up the heater that was blowing lukewarm air into the cab. He pulled the sopping knit cap from her head, his fingers brushing against her ear and the side of her neck.
He’d taken his gloves off at some point, and his fingers were warm and calloused against her cold skin.
“Go ahead and close your eyes for a while. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us, and you’re probably going to want to work on those files once we reach the Cape.”
She did want to work on the files, but she wasn’t planning to rest now. She had too much on her mind and on her heart.
Juniper had trusted her to prove her husband’s innocence and to clear his name. Arden had foolishly promised to do it. She’d had no idea what she was getting herself into, and she had no way of letting Juniper know what she’d learned. She also had no way of letting her friend know that she was safe.
“Juniper is probably worried sick,” she murmured.
“So are Jace and Grayson. I’d put in a call to let them know you’re with me, but the FBI is probably monitoring their cell phones.”
“Right.” She sighed, leaning her head back against the cracked leather seat and closing her eyes. Not because she planned to sleep, but because she didn’t want to talk.
She was afraid everything would spill out. All her dramatic speculations about just how dangerous those files might be, about what they might be hiding, was better left unsaid. The less she told Kane, the better off he’d be. Two people were already dead because of those files. She was certain Juniper’s husband had been murdered and that his boss had suffered the same fate.
She just had to prove it.
She had to decrypt those files.
Most of all, she had to make sure that whatever GeoArray had started was stopped.
And she’d really like to do it all before Christmas. She missed her family. She missed baking with her mother. She missed shopping with Juniper. She missed being home where she knew exactly what each day would bring.
She sniffed back unexpected tears, disgusted with herself. She wasn’t a crier. She’d never been a crier. Even when she’d discovered the truth about Randy, she hadn’t cried. She certainly wasn’t going to cry now. She sniffed again, trying to prove that truth to herself.
“Are you crying?” Kane asked.
“Why would I be?” she asked, not opening her eyes. She was afraid a tear might slip out.
“Because you’ve been running for weeks? Because you’re tired? Because it’s almost Christmas and you’re far from home?”
Yes. To all those things.
“I’m this close to decrypting those files, Kane. I just want to get somewhere where I can concentrate on doing it,” she responded.
He didn’t say anything. Just let the truck fill with their silence.
That was fine.
She was fine.
Or she would be. Once she fulfilled her promise to Juniper and made it back home.
Please, God, let that happen. Please, she prayed silently, her eyes still closed as the truck descended the mountain.
* * *
They made it down the mountain in twenty minutes with no sign they were being followed. Kane fished his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Silas. The call went directly to voice mail.
“Hey, it’s me. I’ve got Jace’s sister. The plane’s down just outside of Berlin—I’ll need you to handle it for me. We’re headed to the Cape. Give me a call when you get this.”
Another few hours, and they’d be at the Cape.
Unfortunately.
He hoped he was making the right decision.
His name wasn’t on the Cessna’s title and hadn’t been used to file the flight plan. The plane was owned by Shadow Wolves Security. They’d purposely not tied any of their names directly to the company to help maintain anonymity for the benefit of their clients. Discretion would be paramount to their future success.
It would be difficult for anyone to put his name together with Arden’s but it wouldn’t be impossible. If the FBI tied Kane’s name to the company and the plane, they’d be able to quickly figure out that he owned the cottage.
A good reason to stay away, but he figured it would take time for the Feds to realize he and Arden were together. He could use that time to make plans.
For now, the Cape was his best option, but he didn’t want to go there.
He’d left it almost thirteen years ago, and he hadn’t looked back. There were too many memories, too many regrets.
He’d been a stupid punk when he’d spent summers and winter vacations there with his grandparents. His parents had never had time for more than a couple of days off during school break. They’d had busy lecture schedules that took them to many universities, hospitals and research facilities around the globe. None of those engagements would be considered fun for an active kid like Kane.
So when he wasn’t in boarding school, he’d been shipped off to his grandparents at the Cape. Seventeen years of hanging out with the same spoiled summer crowd. Seventeen years of being Mr. Popular, Mr. Cool, Mr. Least-Likely-to-Get-Caught.
Seventeen years, then it all changed.
One bad decision. One stupid choice. One moment forever etched in his mind.
Like Kane, Evan had never forgiven himself for Lexi’s death. The party had been his idea. They’d been distracted and it had cost Lexi her life. Two months later, Kane was left shouldering the guilt alone. Facing Evan’s mom and siblings across another mahogany casket. Knowing he was one of the reasons they were grieving. There was no way he wanted to face Arden’s family under similar circumstances.
He’d caused enough harm to last a lifetime. He’d enlisted in the army, both to honor Evan’s plan to join the military and to atone for his role in Lexi’s and Evan’s deaths. Evan had intended to send money to his mom to help support his siblings. Instead, Kane did that for him. Every month. While in the army, Kane had found God. He’d been forgiven, but he’d never been able to forgive himself.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, his heart pounding painfully.
That summer had altered the course of his life for the better. He knew that. But he’d still give anything to go back, to change what had happened, to make a different decision. He’d lived with those regrets for thirteen years. He definitely didn’t need any more.
* * *
The drive into Cape Cod took longer than it should have. Sudden winds and icy snow hampered their progress along I-93. The blinding, relentless storm didn’t let up for more than an hour.
Arden was silent for most of the four-hour ride.
She’d handed him cash when he’d stopped in a small town to fill the tank, asked once how many miles stood between them and the Cape. Other than that, she didn’t speak.
Though she’d dozed on and off, she’d stayed awake for the majority of the trip. He felt her tension as he crept along the nearly empty highway. He hoped she wasn’t planning her escape.
She could plan all she wanted, but she wasn’t going to succeed. The more he knew about what she’d gotten herself into, the more dangerous it seemed. She needed help and protection. Whether she wanted to admit it or not.
“We’ll be at the cottage in less than ten minutes,” he said quietly, and she opened her eyes, straightening in her seat and stretching a kink in her neck. Sebastian protested as she disturbed his sleep.
“Silly boy,” she said, patting the cat’s fuzzy head. “I’m sorry I woke you. Just a little while longer and you’ll be able to freely roam about for a bit.”
“He’s been a pretty good traveling companion.”
“Running-for-our-lives companion is more like it. I should have left him at home, but I’d have had to ask someone to watch him, and that would have meant explaining why I needed to leave. Plus, he’d have missed me.”
“And you’d have missed him?”
“Of course. Aside from my dad and brothers, he’s the only guy who’s ever been loyal to me.” She must have realized what she said. “What I mean is, he and I have been buddies for a long time.”
“Randy isn’t loyal?” he asked, not really surprised and not really disappointed that she must have finally seen the guy for what he was. Kane had met him a couple of times, and that had been a couple of times too many. The guy was an arrogant blowhard who seemed to get a kick out of poking fun at Arden. All Arden’s brothers had thought the same.
“He’s not part of my life anymore, so how about we change the subject?”
“To?”
“The weather seems like a safe choice. The storm is breaking. It should be a good night for coding.”
“Or sleeping,” he suggested.
“I’m too wound up, and I’m way too close to accessing what’s in those files.”
She leaned her forehead against the window as they crawled through town. The roads were lightly layered with snow, the businesses decorated for the season with bright lights, wreaths and ribbon. “I’ve never been to Cape Cod, but I like it. They know how to do Christmas right.”
“So there’s a way to do that?”
“Sure.” She pointed at several pine trees decorated with colored lights and red bows. “That’s the right way. Bright. Fun. Happy.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“You’re not a Grinch are you?”
“What?”
“A Scrooge? A Christmas curmudgeon?”
“I like Christmas as much as the next person,” he said, turning onto a side road that would bring them closer to the beach.
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it.”
“My family never made that big of a deal about the holidays.”
“No big family celebrations when you were a kid?”
“I mostly celebrated with my grandparents. It was nice. Quiet. A good meal and a couple of gifts.” And parents who’d called around noon to ask if he liked whatever they’d given him.
Kane could only remember one or two times that his parents had been home during the holidays. Even then, they’d shipped him to his grandparents during his school breaks and joined him on Christmas Day.
“That sounds...lonely.”
“It wasn’t. I always had a good time. My grandparents were great.”
“Did they raise you?”
“Mostly. What they didn’t do, boarding school took care of. My parents were busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Being internationally renowned geneticists. They spent a lot of time traveling to hospitals, labs and universities.” He turned onto Sea Street and followed it to the end. His grandparents’ 1835 cottage sat on two acres there. Surrounded by tall evergreen trees on three sides, it was bordered on the fourth by a sandy section of beach. He’d spent a lot of time there. He thought he knew it and remembered it well, but it looked different now—the cottage more quaint than he remembered, the yard larger.
“Is this it?” Arden asked as he pulled into the snow-covered drive.
“Yes.”
“It’s cute. It would be even cuter with some Christmas lights, a Nativity scene, a wreath.”
He followed the driveway around to the back of the house, driving under the boughs of an overgrown spruce. Everything was locked up for the winter. His parents used the place a few times a year. Usually in the summer and spring. Other than that, it stayed empty, the skeleton key that opened the back door hidden in a faux rock that sat at the edge of the flower bed.
He pulled up to the detached garage. A motion-activated light above the garage door flicked on and illuminated the area. There were no footprints in the pristine snow, no tire tracks on the paved drive. Kane cut the engine.
“Here’s how it’s going to go,” he said, reaching over the seat and grabbing Arden’s backpack. “We’ll go in the back door. You’ll stay in the house. I’ll get the key for the garage and move the truck into it.”
“Okay,” she responded.
“You’re agreeing that easily?” he asked. He eyed the back of the cottage. His grandmother’s gnome was still standing guard in the barren flower bed. Beside it, the cement birdbath stood empty. The place had an air of neglect that bothered him. Sure, it was still charming but in a few years, it would look like so many forgotten properties—lonely and old.
“Of course. I’ve got work to do, remember?”
He remembered. He also remembered that she didn’t want to go back to her family. She didn’t want other people involved in her trouble, and she’d been wanting to lose him since the moment he’d found her.
He grabbed his duffel as well, and got out of the truck, listening to the winter silence. Cape Cod was busy in the summer, but this time of year, it quieted down. Mostly locals and a few die-hard visitors who loved the beach in the winter.
“It’s quiet,” Arden whispered as she climbed out of the truck, Sebastian in her arms.
“The quieter the better,” he responded. He put a hand on her back and urged her to the rear stoop. He stopped at the flower bed, lifting the rock his grandfather had bought decades ago. His grandmother used to constantly lock herself out of the house.
Thinking about what a great couple they’d been, how committed to each other and to their only daughter and to him, made him smile.
“Are you planning to break a window?” Arden asked, eyeing the rock as he turned it over in his hand. The compartment that housed the key opened easily, and he dumped the key into his palm.
“Not unless this key doesn’t do its job.”
“I hope it does. It’s freezing out here.”
“I can’t promise it’ll be any warmer in the house.” He shoved the key into the lock and turned it. He opened the door and held it so that Arden could walk into the mudroom at the back of the house.
He followed her inside, pulling the door closed and turning the lock. The mudroom was small, the kitchen just beyond it pitch-black. He expected the place to have the closed-up musty smell of a house that hadn’t been used in a while, but it smelled like...
Christmas?
Cinnamon for sure.
Pine.
Something else that he couldn’t quite place. Cookies maybe. Or bread.
Whatever it was, it didn’t belong. He grabbed Arden’s arm, pulling her back.
“Something isn’t right,” he muttered, the hair on his nape standing on end. “We need to get out of here.”
Too late.
A floorboard creaked and the kitchen light flicked on.
Kane stepped between Arden and the threat, dropping her pack and pulling his gun in one quick movement.