Reckoning

“Can you walk?”

A nod.

“Okay, baby, let’s take it slowly. I want to make sure there’s no one out there.”

She sniffed, then drew her head back. “I killed him,” she said.

“That was good. You did great.”

“He pointed his gun at me, but I shot first. There was no time.”

“You did the right thing,” he said. She was freaked, and he got that. Ordinary people freaked about death. About killing. They weren’t trained for anything else. “He was a bad guy, so don’t sweat it. Right now, we have to get out of here. They could come back.”

She hung on to him as he bent for her gun. He could feel her body tremble as he led her on a circuitous route through what was left of the building. It took a lot longer to get back to his truck than it had to get to her. They kept the light out for most of the journey, and toward the end she had slowed to a crawl, but finally they were in the truck and on their way.

He’d decided where to take her as they’d walked through buildings, so he knew to get on the freeway toward the San Fernando Valley. She sat close, resting her head on his shoulder.

He would have put his arm around her if he hadn’t been so worried about the rest of the team. Although it hurt him to bother her, he had her shift so he could get his cell, a new one that couldn’t be traced, and dialed Kate and Vince.

“Hello?” Kate murmured sleepily.

He had no idea what time it was, just that it was late. “Tam’s been compromised,” he said.

There was silence on the phone and when Kate said, “Where do you want us?” she didn’t sound in the least bit sleepy now.

“Meet up with Seth and Boone. We’ll follow.”

Kate hung up, but Nate knew two things. One, that she and Vince were alive, and two, that they would be out of their rented house in an hour, on their way to Nevada.

He dialed Cade’s phone. Being the soldier he was, he knew the drill, too. Only he’d have to pack Nate’s stuff as well as his own, and since Nate had the truck, he’d have to find some other transportation.

As Nate drove onto the 101 Freeway, he dialed his sister’s cell. As he’d expected, Boone and Seth were out on recon, but Christie assured him that no one had been snooping around. She promised to be vigilant and discuss the situation with the guys as soon as they returned. Harper, a doctor who’d also been in Kosovo and joined their cause, was out pulling double duty on her waitressing job.

The four of them were staying in a ratty motel in a tiny town just outside of Nellis Air Force Base. They’d wired the place like Fort Knox, so if anyone had been asking about them, they’d most likely know it. If they had the least bit of doubt, they’d pack and leave.

He got onto Ventura Boulevard then glanced at Tamara. She was sleeping, her lips slightly parted, her face smudged with dirt. Probably blood, too, but it was dark, so he didn’t have to think about that. Somehow, she still managed to look innocent.

He put the phone on the dash so he could shift her into a more comfortable position, but he picked it up again as he remembered one more call that couldn’t wait, even if it meant waking Tam.

He dialed Eli Lieberman. He was just a kid, a junior reporter for the L.A. Times, but he’d taken up their cause and was willing to run with it. Nate wasn’t sure if he was braver than hell or just nuts. The last reporter who’d tried to help them had been buried several weeks ago.

But Eli had insisted, and Nate had taken him into the fold. The kid didn’t answer right away, and after the phone switched to voice mail, Nate hung up and dialed again. He did that two more times, then heard Eli’s groggy voice.

“You okay?”

“What? Who the hell is this?”

“It’s Nate.”

“Oh, shit. Why?”

“One of the team was compromised. I wanted to make sure they hadn’t found you.”

“Oh, shit,” he repeated, more fully awake.

“You have your weapon?”

“Yeah, but I can’t hit the side of a barn door.”

“You don’t have to. You stick the gun in your assailant’s stomach and pull the trigger. Easy as pie.”

“I don’t know how to bake, either.”

“I think you’re in the clear.” Nate turned on Sycamore, then on Vanowen. “If they were going to go after you, they’d have been there by now. Just keep an eye out.”

“As if I’ll ever sleep again.”

“We’re changing our base of operations. I’ll call you in a day or two.”

“Are you leaving the city?”

“More than that. I have to go. Stay safe.” Just as Nate was hanging up, he heard Eli’s, “Oh, shit,” one last time.

There was the hotel. It wasn’t one he’d usually choose. This place had an elevator and room service. It also had a great big bathtub and beds soft as a cloud. His only problem was going to be getting Tam up to the room. He’d use the service elevator, but he hadn’t checked out the place and he wasn’t sure where it was.

He turned the truck into the underground parking, and his problem was solved almost instantly. There was a delivery truck by the restaurant back door, and Nate could see the service elevator right inside.

He parked close to the exit, and as the truck’s motor cut off, Tam woke. She blinked, looked around. “Where are we?”

“Hotel. I’m going to get a room, but you’ll need to stay in the truck while I do it.”

She looked at him with terrified eyes, but she nodded. He handed her the Glock she’d dropped back at the fail-safe, and she had enough wits about her to check the safety. “Go. I’ll keep low.”

He smiled at her, wanting to do more. Instead, he opened his door.

“Wait.”

He turned back.

She reached up and wiped his temple with the flat of her thumb. “Ash.”

He got out of the truck before he did something stupid. Like kiss her. Not that wanting to do that was anything new. But it still wasn’t right. He was responsible for her safety. How could she trust him if he came onto her? So he didn’t. Even though he wanted her as fervently as his old life.

By the time he’d spent too much on a room and returned to the car, Tam was trembling again. He’d known it would be difficult for her, but he hadn’t realized the desk clerk would move like molasses. Tam had cleaned her face a bit, but there was no way to get her in through the lobby.

There was no one near the delivery truck, so he did a very brief check, then practically carried her into the service elevator.

Though he had his gun at the ready, he doubted he’d need it. He’d know if they had been followed. At least, he had to believe that or go insane.