Don't Back Down, page 29
Cameron didn’t respond, and Rusty wasn’t going to announce her resignation in the middle of a takedown. It seemed a little tacky.
She was grateful for Cameron’s steadying arm as they went back to the Jeep, and when he started the engine, she leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes as they drove away.
“I’m so sorry, darlin’,” Cameron said. “I should have been there.”
Rusty reached for him. “You were there. You and Ghost saved me. Then she sighed. “I’m going to be sucking my food through a straw again.”
“We’ll be fine. As long as I know you’re okay, I don’t give a tinker’s damn what we eat.”
Ghost whined.
“I think Ghost just voted against soup,” Rusty said.
Cameron shook his head. “He’s sad because he smells your hurt.”
“Oh my God,” Rusty whispered. “Are you serious?”
Ghost’s head appeared between the seats again, and once again he nosed her cheek.
“See? He can smell the hurt,” Cameron said.
Too moved to speak, Rusty wrapped her arm around the big dog’s neck and hugged him.
“I am the luckiest woman in the world. My two best guys saved my life today.”
***
It was after dark by the time Cameron got Rusty home. The good news was she had not suffered a concussion, and her jaw was intact. But her entire head was throbbing to the point that it hurt to blink.
She staggered when she started to get out of the Jeep, and seconds later she was in Cameron’s arms. “I’ve got you, darlin’. Let’s get inside out of the cold.”
Ghost shot into the house first and did his usual run-through, then went back to the fireplace and flopped down.
“What do you need first?” Cameron asked. “Food? A shower? You name it and I’ll make it happen.”
“I just want to go to bed,” Rusty said.
Cameron carried her all the way through the house to his bedroom, put her down on the side of his bed and went to get her pajamas. When he came back, she was trying to get out of her shoes.
“Let me,” he said, and gently began stripping her down, then dressing her for bed as if she was a child.
She pointed to the bathroom. “I need—”
“Can you walk?”
She nodded and went to wash up, then took some pain meds while he was pulling back the covers. When she came out, he was waiting for her.
“You are my love, but you’re also my best friend,” she mumbled as she climbed up onto the bed and stretched out.
He tucked her in, then leaned over and brushed a kiss across her forehead.
“Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be in later.”
“I’m fine,” she mumbled.
Cameron sat on the side of the bed for a few moments, looking at every nuance of her face, touching the tumble of curls lying on the pillow beneath her head, waiting for her breathing to shift. Waiting for her body to relax.
And when he was certain that she was okay, he left the room.
Ghost was lying in the hall, waiting.
“She’s okay, boy. Wanna go outside?”
Ghost jumped up and trotted to the back door. Cameron turned on the porch light as they walked out, and then he sat down in a chair beneath the light as Ghost began to make his rounds, sniffing bushes, sniffing the woodpile, trotting in circles as he traced the tracks of random animals that had crossed into his territory.
Cameron didn’t know he was crying until the tears turned cold on his cheeks. He swiped them away with the heels of his hands and drew a deep, shuddering breath. He’d never loved this hard before. Not in this way. And she’d dodged death twice today…both times at the hands of brothers.
God, please…this has to be enough.
He needed her in his life like he needed to breathe.
As he was sitting, his cell phone rang. It was Howard.
“I’m checking in to make sure she’s okay,” he said.
“No concussion. No broken bones. But she has the headache from hell and staggers when she walks. I just put her to bed.”
There was a long moment of silence, and then Howard sighed. “I didn’t think it was going to get that bad that quick.”
“You can’t predict stuff like this,” Cameron said. “But having this happen on the heels of still healing from the other case she was on has really taken it out of her.”
“Thank you for stepping up,” Howard said.
“I’ll never regret that. It brought her back to me,” Cameron said.
“Is the agency losing her?” Howard asked.
“You’ll have to ask her that,” Cameron said.
“Understood. I’ll send details later. We’ve found records that might help us locate some of the women who were sold. That would be the icing on the cake, but that’s all on us. We think we’ve located the money trail. Oh, and tell her that Danny Biggers’s autopsy was inconclusive. There is no reason for why he died, other than the doctor at the prison said Biggers wanted to. We’re sending our best wishes for her to get well soon.”
“I will tell her,” Cameron said.
The call ended, and so did Ghost’s sortie into the wilderness behind the house. Cameron whistled, and Ghost came running. Cameron leaned down and hugged him.
“Thank you for saving our girl,” he said softly, and buried his face in the fur on Ghost’s neck.
***
The house was quiet.
Rusty’s sleep was restless, likely from the pain, but Cameron wasn’t sleeping at all. He was on alert with every uneven breath she took, every tear that rolled down her cheek, and every moan that came from between her lips.
She woke up with a jerk, mumbled something about “hitting the deck,” and then fell back to sleep.
Cameron got up, stirred the embers in the fireplace, and added another log. Ghost opened one eye long enough to see what was happening and huffed softly as if he was acknowledging his master’s presence, then snuggled deeper into his bed.
Cameron covered him with the old quilt again, and then went to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. When he looked out, the ground was white and the air was full of snowflakes so huge they looked like feathers. He stood at the window, watching the snow spinning into an eddy beneath the security light and drinking coffee simply for the boost of caffeine. He’d sleep when she was well.
***
It was just after sunup, but Cameron’s phone was on fire. After a half-dozen texts and three phone calls, all from family, the secrecy of Rusty’s presence and what had been happening in Jubilee was unraveling. But it didn’t matter. His entire focus was on the woman in his bed.
The snow was still falling but lighter now, and Ghost was thoroughly disgusted by the depth of it to the point that he’d cut his ramblings short and meandered only far enough away to do his business before running back to the house.
Cameron was watching from the back door, and when Ghost started running, he opened the door and stepped back, knowing the moment the dog’s wet feet hit the floor he was going to slide.
Cameron grinned. “Nice landing,” he said, and shut the door.
He grabbed a towel and began digging the snowpack from between Ghost’s toe pads, then gave him a chew bone for his troubles.
Ghost trotted off with it hanging from his mouth like a big cigar.
A few moments later Cameron heard footsteps, and then Rusty walked into the kitchen. She was wearing her heaviest sweatshirt and oldest jeans and thick fuzzy socks with her house slippers. Her curls looked like she’d combed them with her fingers and called it done, and the side of her face where Kelly hit her was purple and the eye above it was turning black.
“Ah God…honey. If you’d looked like that yesterday, I wouldn’t have stopped at winging him,” Cameron muttered, and wrapped his arms around her. “Want some coffee?”
She nodded and slid down into a chair at the table.
“How about oatmeal? I made some, and you won’t have to chew,” Cameron said.
Rusty nodded again. She could talk, but every time she opened her mouth, her jaw popped so hard it felt like it was falling off her face, so it wasn’t worth the pain.
Cameron brought the hot cereal to the table. It had a pat of butter melting on top, and he set a bowl of brown sugar and a carton of half-and-half in front of her to let her do her thing.
She gave him a big thumbs-up and doctored the cereal to her liking, then opened her mouth just enough to slide in the first bite.
“Ummm. Thanks,” she said.
“Just eat. I’ll talk.”
She nodded and took her second bite.
“So here’s the scoop,” Cameron said. “Various scenarios of the truth are all over Jubilee, but close enough not to be libelous.”
She smiled at the phrasing and then winced and nodded instead.
“Agent Howard called me last night after you were asleep. He thinks they’re going to be able to locate some of the women who were sold, or at least a starting point to finding some. He also said they’ve found a money trail. I’m paraphrasing here, but he kind of apologized for sending you into a volatile situation. He thought they’d get Barton before that happened. He thanks you, and he’ll be in touch.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’m done,” she mumbled.
Cameron sighed. Thank you, Lord.
“I’m not going to pretend that’s not the best news I’ve ever heard, because that would be a lie. I’m not sure I’d survive long watching you running into burning buildings instead of away from them. And yes, that was an analogy, but you get my drift.”
“Not sure I’d survive it again, either,” she said, then finished the oatmeal and carried her bowl to the sink, then went back to the table and plopped down in Cameron’s lap. “You. Me. No more wars,” she said.
Cameron cupped the back of her head and laid his cheek against the curls.
“You. Me. Forever after?” he said.
She met his gaze.
“Deal. Love you,” she said, then winced again. “Ice?”
“Yes, for your jaw?”
She nodded.
“Go find a comfortable place to be. I’ll bring it to you.”
She hugged him, then chose the sofa in the living room and stretched out by the fire. He was moments behind her with one of the ice packs he kept in his freezer. He had wrapped it in a hand towel.
She laid it on the side of her face, but she could tell he was at war with himself. He couldn’t fix her, but he didn’t want to let her out of his sight.
“Do what you need to do,” she mumbled.
“I need to do for you, because right now you hurt my heart,” Cameron said, then unfolded the blanket from the back of the sofa and covered her up. “I think we need to let your family know you’re okay. I’ll call them for you if you want.”
She gave him a thumbs-up and closed her eyes.
“TV, please?”
He picked up the remote and hit Power, then put it in her hands and walked out of the room to make the call.
Chapter 19
Liz Caldwell was already at work, but Ray was still in the penthouse.
The town was buzzing with news about the arrests and the shootings, and the stories ranged from the absurd to horrific. He couldn’t focus enough on work to bother going to the office until he’d heard from Rusty, and he didn’t know if it was kosher to call her first.
Patricia was due to come home today, and he could only imagine the fit she was going to have when she found out about all this. When his phone rang, he didn’t recognize the number, but at this point screening calls was the last thing on his mind.
“Hello, this is Ray.”
“Mr. Caldwell, this is Cameron Pope. Rusty wanted me to call and let you know she’s fine. All of the bad guys have been rounded up.”
“Thank God. I’ve been worried sick, but where is she? Why didn’t she call?” Ray said.
“She’s at my house. She has been working from here ever since she left the hotel. We were in on the episode out at the campground. Rusty has a sore jaw and a black eye, so talking is not on her agenda right now. But nothing is broken, and other than being miserable, she’s fine.”
“Thank you, Cameron, thank you. I feel like I can breathe now. Please give her our love, and ask her to let us know before she leaves town again.”
“She’s not leaving. And since her father isn’t alive to hear this, I’m asking you. I’m going to marry your niece, and I’m asking for your blessing. She’s put her life on the line for Uncle Sam for the last time.”
“This is wonderful news! And of course you have my blessing. Welcome to the family,” Ray said.
“And welcome to mine,” Cameron said.
Ray laughed. “I suspect you have us outnumbered, but Rusty never wanted to be an only child. She will be elated.”
Cameron laughed. “She hasn’t met them all yet, and some of them are characters, but there’s not a bad one in the bunch. And they’re going to love her. With all her heart and fire, she’s going to fit right in.”
Ray was still chuckling when he hung up, but it felt like a weight had just lifted from his shoulders. He dropped his phone in his suit coat, patted his pocket to make sure he had his key card, and headed for the elevator.
Just as he reached the foyer, the door opened in front of him and one of the bellhops emerged pushing a luggage cart full of bags, packages, and suitcases, with Patricia right behind him.
“Darling!” Patricia said, and threw her arms around Ray’s neck as the bellhop pushed the luggage cart down the hall to the master suite. “I’ve missed you terribly. I can’t wait to tell you what we did and the shows we saw while I was gone.”
Ray shook his head, smiling wryly. “You didn’t miss anyone. You called me once and Liz twice, and wait until you hear what all you’ve missed while you were gone.”
Patricia blinked.
The bellhop came back with the empty luggage cart, got on the elevator and went down, leaving them staring at each other in the foyer.
“What do you mean? Oh, never mind. Liz will tell me. I’m going to wake her up. She’ll be furious but she’ll get over it. I brought prezzies.”
“Liz is at work, and I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. I’ll be back to have lunch with you later. We can talk then. Love you, darling. Don’t work too hard unpacking.”
Patricia was aghast. “What do you mean, Liz is at work?”
“Oh, she came and asked me for a job while you were gone. She’s interning for my event coordinator and loving every minute of it. And Gerald says she’s doing a bang-up job. Gotta go.” He paused and looked at her again, only closer, then gave her a long, lingering welcome-home kiss. “You’ve lost weight. I love that shade of blond in your hair, and you look sexy as hell. Hold that thought.”
Patricia’s cheeks were burning but there was a twinkle in her eye.
“Well then,” she said, and turned around to face the empty penthouse, then decided it felt so good to be home it didn’t matter if she was alone.
***
Cameron had one other call to make, and that was to Leslie Morgan.
He knew she’d already be at work, but she would be hearing all the gossip and he wanted her to know that she was safe.
He pulled up the number to the vet clinic and called the office.
“Carson Veterinary Clinic. This is Amber.”
“Amber, this is Cameron Pope. Is Leslie at work?”
“Yes, she is.”
“I need to give her a brief message, but if she’s busy she can call me back.”
“It’s kind of slow this morning, Cameron. She’s just down the hall. Hang on a sec.”
Moments later, Leslie picked up the call.
“This is Leslie.”
“Hey, Leslie. This is Cameron. I just wanted you to know you’re in the clear. You can go back to your place anytime you want. All the bad guys are in custody in other parts of the state.”
“Oh, thank God,” Leslie said. “That’s the best news I’ve had in a while. Thank you so much for keeping my name out of all that and for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome, and my best to your family.”
“Hey, Cam, one other thing.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“Is it true about you and the pretty redhead?”
“I don’t know what you heard, but she’s in my life and not going anywhere, if that’s what you want to know.”
Leslie smiled. “Yes. That’s what I heard. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Take care,” Cameron said.
“You too,” Leslie said. She shivered as she laid down the phone, so grateful that the nightmare was over, and in that moment she heard Granny Cauley’s words. And this, too, shall pass.
***
Rusty wrote her final report on the case, including the important part Cameron Pope had played in helping solve it, and sent it to Agent Howard. Then she wrote her letter of resignation, signed it personally, and faxed it to her superior in DC. The feeling afterward was of relief. There was no one left to whom she owed allegiance but the man who held her heart.
She sent a text to Liz to tell her she was okay, that she was recovering from a slight injury that made talking a little uncomfortable, and she’d be in touch.
A few minutes later, she got a text back from Liz.
What the hell, Rusty? Do you still have all your teeth?
Rusty laughed out loud, and then groaned from the pain of movement, took a selfie of her face, and sent it to Liz.
For your eyes only.
Liz sent back a series of emojis registering shock, tears, and added an eye roll for good measure.
Oh. My. God. You freaking rock. Love you. Oh. You’ll be proud of me. I’m interning with the event coordinator at the hotel. Don’t tell anyone, but I love it. Even getting up early to go to work. You were a terrible influence on me. I have become an adult.
