Chapter 211
1037 Words
Foxburg Falls, Oregon
Sully scanned the darkened street. Every instinct in his body was telling him that he and Cordelia were about to hit pay-dirt.
Why would the good sheriff be four towns over, at almost midnight on a Thursday, in a grocery store parking lot? He’s up to something.
Next to him, Cordelia looked tense. He longed to touch her hand, but held himself back. He needed to be cool and alert, not distracted by her absolutely amazing soft skin and lush curves.
Focus, man. Come on now.
He saw headlights in the rear view mirror, and without a word, he pushed Cordelia down and covered her body with his. She went rigid with surprise, but she stayed quiet and motionless. Sully inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and almost groaned.
Goddamn. She’s so sexy.
Cordelia was barely breathing: Hunter was right on top of her, his massive chest pushing her down and into the front seat. She felt his strong, steady heartbeat against her back, felt his warm breath on her neck. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her still and offering safety, and she closed her eyes to savor the sensation of being completely surrounded by this gorgeous man.
Dear God. He feels good.
Cautiously, he raised his head a bit. Ferguson was getting out of his car, talking with the two men who had just arrived. Sully and Cordelia were mostly hidden in a small loading area behind the grocery store, but he could see enough. He reached for his binoculars and peered through them.
“Anything?” she whispered.
“Yeah. Hand me the camera, OK?”
She picked it up off the floor and gave it to him. She stayed flat on her chest, and watched him snap a dozen pictures before lying down on her again. She clutched the seat, beating back the insane urge to turn over to face him, to pull his mouth down to hers.
“They’re leaving,” he breathed into her ear. “Stay still, OK?”
She nodded.
Hunter lifted his head a bit, ducked, looked again. He sat up all the way, and started the car. Cordelia followed his lead and sat up too, trying to look unaffected by having had his muscular body flush up against hers.
“We’re going to follow them?” she said, relieved when her voice came out steady.
He glanced at her. “Yeah. I’ll keep my lights off, and we’ll see where they go now. You OK with that?”
“Yes.”
They drove for about twenty minutes, following the car tail-lights ahead of them. The back roads were surprisingly well-lit, and the moon gave lots of illumination, too. Cordelia stared straight ahead, wondering just where the hell Ferguson was going.
Is he going to do something that we can actually use to help Kat? God, I sincerely hope so.
The brake lights flashed up ahead, and Hunter gently pressed down on his own brakes. They followed more slowly, both looking to see if the men had stopped, or turned off.
“That way,” Cordelia said, pointing to the right. “You see them? Just past that patch of trees?”
“Yeah.” He followed, looking around to make sure nobody else was nearby.
“Look.” Cordelia pointed again. “What’s that place?”
He squinted. “I don’t know. Maybe an abandoned building?”
“Why would the good sheriff head out to an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere?”
“Damn pertinent question.” Hunter pulled off the road and drove a little ways into the trees. He killed the engine. “Stay here, OK? I’m going the rest of the way on foot.”
“OK,” she said, trying to quell her feeling of unease.
He checked his gun, then looked at Cordelia. “Now, listen.”
“I’m listening.”
“No matter what you hear, you stay in the car. If you see anybody, you duck. If anyone tries to get in here, you drive away. Run them over if you have to. You hear me?”
“Yes. And you?”
“Don’t worry about me, Cordelia. I can take care of myself.” He opened the door. “You stay here, on this side of the car, ready to bolt if you have to. If anything happens, you drive like hell and don’t look back. Get to the hotel and call Dallas when you get there and you’re safe. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“OK. I’ll be back soon.” He eased the door shut, and she slid over to the driver’s side. She watched his broad shoulders in the rearview mirror until the darkness swallowed him whole. Her stomach tensed up, but then she reminded herself that Hunter Sullivan was a trained Marine who’d seen years and years of action in Iraq and Afghanistan. If anyone could approach a group of questionable people without being seen or heard, it was him.
He’ll be fine. Just stay here and stay calm.
Time passed. After thirty-four minutes, she officially started to worry. After an hour and six minutes, she was scared. And after an hour and thirty-eight minutes, she was ready to run through the woods after him. But she stayed put, her eyes darting around and around, listening hard for anything at all. But all she heard was the wind in the rustling branches.
Finally, after one hour and fifty-one minutes, she saw movement in the mirror. She jumped, stifling a startled yelp, and watched as Hunter stealthily came back to the car. Cordelia heaved a huge sigh of relief, and moved back to the passenger side. He opened the door, slid in, shut it quietly.
“They’re leaving now,” he said. “We’ll let them go, and head back to the hotel.”
“OK.” She suddenly realized how happy she was to have him back safe and sound. “Did you see anything interesting?”
“Oh, yeah.” His dark eyes were hard. “I did.”
“Something to get this guy?”
“Hell yeah, Cordelia. We’ve got him.”
- Writer
