Kade took a moment before he climbed out from under the trailer, listening for any sound that might be out of place. None of the motion sensors had triggered, but if these people had access to such high-tech tracking devices, they might also be well trained.
Cautiously, he slipped from his hiding place into the nearby trees, his mind racing. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid. How had he let this happen? Had Renee’s presence distracted him so much that he had missed such a basic step of sweeping everything for electronic signatures before bringing the items into his home? Or had he trusted the Saint Squad too much in assuming they would have already done so?
Regardless, his clients deserved better. That thought circled through his brain once and landed with a dose of reality. Renee was more than a client. He wasn’t sure exactly what word he would use to describe what was between them, but the simple truth was that he hadn’t cared for anyone this much in a long time.
Memories from the past bolted through him, and he willed his heartbeat to slow. He wasn’t the CIA agent’s kid anymore, hiding in the trees from Russia’s secret police. He didn’t have to worry that his mother and little brother would be discovered in the hidden closet beside their cellar. No, now he was an adult with a woman he cared about who could very well be in jeopardy because of his oversight.
Moving quietly through the trees, he headed for the outlying camera. He and Renee would have to relocate, and he was determined to get her out of here before it was too late.
* * *
An alarm sounded five minutes after Kade left her alone. Renee looked at her watch again, wondering if the Saint Squad had been closer than Kade had thought. And then logic surfaced. She doubted the well-trained SEALs would trip a motion sensor.
She pulled up Kade’s surveillance program to see which sensor had been activated. Maybe in his haste, Kade had tripped one himself. The moment the video feed appeared on the screen, her heart froze. Though she caught only a glimpse of movement, she remembered well the features of the burly man who had broken into her motel room.
A second alarm went off, this time on the opposite side of their camp. Renee retrieved her phone to call Kade, but she stopped. What if the sound of her call alerted these men to Kade’s location? Realizing the tracking device would lead them to him anyway, she dialed his number. Less than two seconds later, ringing sounded from the kitchen table. She looked down and saw his phone lying beside his computer. Feeling helpless, she called another number.
“Hannah. They found us.”
“What? Where are you?”
“I’m in the back of Kade’s truck, but he’s outside, and I don’t know how to warn him. He doesn’t have his phone.” Renee looked at the security feed again and saw a second image rush past in a blur. “One of them is heading right for him.”
“I’ll call the Saint Squad.”
“They’re already on their way.” Renee looked at her watch again. “They should be here in five minutes. Can you let them know what’s going on?”
“I will. In the meantime, hold tight.”
“What about Kade? I have to warn him,” Renee said. “He doesn’t know these guys are here, and he’s carrying the tracking device we found.”
“If you try to warn him, you’ll put yourself in danger.”
Her mind racing, she stood beside the hatch and considered her options. Kade had already put himself in danger for her more than once. It was time to return the favor. “Hannah, how much do you know about where Kade lives?”
“If you’re talking about his truck, I helped design it. Why?”
“Is there another way out of the trailer besides through the hatch?”
“What are you thinking?”
“If I can get to the cab, I can honk the horn to warn him. That might also give him the distraction he needs to slip past these guys until the Saint Squad gets here.”
“Unless you have the keys, you won’t be able to unlock the cab, but I have another idea,” Hannah said. “Go into the bedroom and open the closet on the left.”
Renee did as she was told and, following Hannah’s instructions, found a hidden panel that connected the living quarters to the storage area of the trailer. She nearly smiled when she saw the flashlight tucked beside the lever that opened the panel. Leave it to Kade to always be prepared.
She turned on the beam and made her way through the opening, immediately enveloped in a wave of heat. Eager to get to fresh air, she passed through a false wooden crate and finally emerged in the section where Kade kept his motorcycles. When she retrieved a helmet, she took note of the other supplies. Following instinct, she pulled on a pair of riding gloves and a jacket that was much heavier than it looked.
Once she had a motorcycle ready to go, the key already in the ignition, she cautiously opened the back of the truck high enough to slide the ramp into place. Relieved to have some fresh air, she edged forward and poked her head out to make sure she couldn’t see anyone coming her way. She then climbed on the motorcycle, squeezed the clutch, and started the engine.
Without waiting to see if anyone was nearby, she drove slowly down the ramp, and the moment she reached the bottom, she hit the horn three times and pressed on the gas.
* * *
Kade heard the horn a split second before a branch cracked beneath someone’s foot less than twenty yards away. He froze in place, a trickle of sweat dripping down the center of his back. With the tracking device still in his hand, he aborted his original plan of placing it near one of his cameras and instead dropped it where he stood.
Another footstep sounded from the opposite direction. Uncertain if the newcomers were friends or enemies, he gripped his rifle tighter and ducked behind the nearest tree.
The honking sound repeated, and Kade heard a rustle of footsteps heading toward his rig, followed by a man’s shout.
“She’s over here!”
“No!” The word exploded in Kade’s mind and came out as a whisper under his breath. The only “she” currently in these woods was Renee, but she was tucked away safely in his trailer. Wasn’t she?
Unwilling to gamble with her safety, Kade shifted his rifle to the ready position. Leading with his weapon, he peered out from behind the tree he was currently using for cover. The only man in his view was running away from him, but his height and build was consistent with Greyson. He couldn’t hear the footsteps over his pounding heart, but the rev of the motorcycle engine sent a wave of apprehension through him.
Why would Renee voluntarily come into harm’s way? Unless it was to warn him.
Another shout. “Don’t let her get away!”
A gunshot echoed and sent a jolt of fear rocketing through him. Abandoning his normal tactics, Kade rushed forward through the trees in pursuit. He reached the edge of the campsite in time to see a motorcycle on the ground, a figure sprawled beside it. The helmet on the body was his, and his heart squeezed in his chest.
“Hold it right there!” he called out, his rifle aimed at the man nearest him.
Greyson turned to face him, his weapon aimed and ready. Kade pulled the trigger, the bullet tearing into his target’s side. The man cried out in pain and stumbled into the brush.
The second man was more cautious and took cover before taking aim. Kade dove behind a large boulder an instant before a bullet struck the tree behind him. Safe for the moment, his eyes shifted from the threat to where Renee lay motionless on the ground. Emotions pulsed through him, and he found himself sending a dozen prayers heavenward. He couldn’t go through this again. He wouldn’t survive losing someone else he cared about.
Silence stretched out for several seconds, Kade struggling to function. He had yet to see Renee move. The faintest sound of a footstep pulled his attention away from her long enough for him to look up and see Brent on his right flank.
Using hand signals common to Special Forces, Kade indicated the area of concern, both where Renee was down and where the two shooters had taken cover. Brent signaled his understanding. Though Kade couldn’t hear any words spoken, he could see Brent’s lips move as he spoke into the communications headset he wore.
* * *
“Quinn, do you have either of them in your sight?” Brent asked, his voice low.
“Negative.”
“What about you, Tristan?”
“Our wounded guy is lying in the brush, but he isn’t moving. Can’t tell if he’s playing dead or if he’s really down.”
“We need to flush the other guy out. Ghost wants to get to the girl.” Brent studied their target’s location. He was surrounded by heavy brush, with the clearing in front so he could see anyone approaching. “Jay, circle around behind him and then make some noise. See if you can scare him out of there.”
“Roger.”
Brent signaled his plans to Ghost, concerned with the way the man was watching the clearing a short distance away. He suspected the woman sprawled beside the motorcycle was Renee Niezen. Not exactly what any of them wanted to see when she was one of the people the guardians were trying to protect. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he or his team came to the attention of the wrong people.
Jay’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “In position.”
“Tristan, keep an eye on our wounded target,” Brent said. “Jay, we’re ready when you are.”
Brent had envisioned Jay tossing rocks or breaking some tree branches to draw their target’s attention. Apparently Jay was too impatient to opt for subtle. A gunshot sounded, the bullet impacting the tree above their prey’s hiding place.
Like a hunted rabbit, the man bolted out of his lair; but unlike a harmless, furry creature, he came out shooting. The thought surfaced that this man could be useful to them if he stayed alive, but when he aimed at Ghost as he sprinted along the edge of the clearing to get a better angle, Brent reacted instinctively. A single shot dropped the man midstride.
* * *
Kade knew he should wait for the Saint Squad to give him the all clear, but his impatience and concern won out. He jumped up and started racing across the clearing. “Renee!”
He nearly fell over when she sat up instantly without any sign of injury and removed her helmet. She turned her head toward him a moment before he reached her, and he skidded to a stop and dropped to his knees. He gripped her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What happened?”
“I wanted to warn you that we had intruders and didn’t know any other way to get your attention, so I honked the horn on the motorcycle.”
“They shot at you.” His hands slid down her arms, searching for any sign of injury. “When I got here, you were on the ground.”
“I knew they’d keep shooting until they got what they wanted, so I pretended to be hit and did a controlled skid. I figured if they saw me come off the bike, they’d assume I was dead and leave me alone.”
“I thought you were dead.” Kade pressed his forehead against hers. “I haven’t been that scared in a long time.”
“Sorry.” One hand lifted and caressed his cheek. “I’m okay. Really.”
Kade stood and helped Renee up. He heard someone approaching and turned to see Brent heading their way. “What’s the status of our shooters?”
“Sorry, but neither one of them made it.”
“Another dead end.” Kade blew out a frustrated breath. “Literally.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Thanks for your help.”
“It’s the least we could do. I’m so sorry a tracker got past my men. We figured you’d do a scan when you got the stuff.”
“And I figured it had already been done. Bad assumption on my part,” Kade said. “The tracker was so tiny I probably would have missed it too had I only done a visual inspection.”
“At least these two won’t bother us again,” Renee said with a slight tremor.
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.”
“What are you going to do now?” Brent asked. “You can’t be sure your location wasn’t passed to whoever these guys were working for.”
“There’s another campground about twenty minutes from here. It’s not as convenient to where you’re staying, but it will serve our purposes.”
“What do we do about the men we killed? The cops are going to investigate as soon as they’re found.”
“I’ll call Hannah, our programmer. She can take care of it.”
“How?”
“She’ll report the shooting, but she’ll log the case with the FBI and label it classified. That will keep anyone from digging too deep.”
“She can do that?” Brent asked.
“The advantage of having access to all of the intelligence databases.” Kade waved toward his truck. “Can you guys stick around a few more minutes? I’d appreciate it if you can make sure we don’t have any more unexpected visitors while I load up and switch out our license plates.”
“No problem.” Brent nodded at Renee. “Glad to see you’re okay.”
“Thanks.” She offered a wry smile. “I’m glad to be okay.”
Kade thought through the potential threats still out there, the video of Anthony Barrett coming to mind. They needed answers, and finally they had someone who might be able to provide them. A sense of urgency pulsed through him, and he turned to Brent once more. “There is one more thing. I need a snatch and grab.”
Brent’s eyebrows lifted. “Who and where?”
“One of Renee’s coworkers. He showed up on one of the traffic cameras near Renee’s apartment. He must be the one who broke in and planted the tracking device.”
“Input the information into the message board, and I’ll talk over the possibilities with my squad. I’ll give you a call in a couple hours.”
“Fair enough, but keep in mind this guy is our only lead at the moment, unless Sava comes back on the grid.”
“Understood.”