Chapter Four
SEDONA SAT AS still as a statue on the tree branch, afraid any movement would draw an eye to her precarious hiding place. Should she reveal herself now that Cam was here?
For that matter, how did Cam know where to find her? Tension wracked her muscles as she watched the action play out in the clearing below her.
Linebacker slowly turned to face Cam and said, “Well, look who we have here. The boyfriend, Cameron Sims.”
Sedona’s blood ran cold through her veins. He knew Cam’s name. How did he learn that information, and how much more about them did he know? Even though the thug got their relationship wrong, he had too much information about a law enforcement officer. This situation was too dangerous for Cam.
She swallowed hard. Would he have to move somewhere else and start over? She hoped not. Sedona liked Cam.
Her conscience poked at her until she admitted silently that she more than liked Cam Sims and had since the day they’d met. He was a great man and fun to be around. And yes, Cam was a great help in clearing out her grandfather’s white-elephant house, the gift that just kept on giving.
“Who are you?” Cam asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Linebacker said. “But your being here proves that you care, doesn’t it?”
Cam remained silent a moment, then said, “What do you want with Sedona and me?”
And that was the real question, wasn’t it? Why did these men want her, or rather, why did their boss want her?
“You know better than that, cop. I’m no easy pushover, unlike most of the wusses you deal with on the job. You might have caught me, but it won’t do you any good because I’m not talking.”
“That’s your right,” Cam said easily. “I don’t recommend it, though.”
Her kidnapper shrugged his broad shoulders. “Not my problem.”
“I suppose not. Too bad. I thought you were smarter than that. Turn around and put your hands on your head.” After Cam patted him down and removed two guns and a wicked-looking knife from Linebacker and cuffed him, he slid the weapons into three bags and tucked them into his pack.
In the meantime, David had searched and cuffed Skinny. “What about Sedona? We can’t leave her out here, but we also need to transport these two and the other thug to the station.”
Skinny gave a bark of laughter. “You’re out of luck, man. She ran. That kitty has to be miles from here by now. You’ll never find her.”
Cam’s lips curved. “That’s where you’re wrong.” He glanced around the small clearing before focusing on the tall oak tree that had given her refuge. “It’s safe to come out now, Sedona.”
As soon as Sedona heard those words, every muscle in her body relaxed, as though she had nothing else to worry about. She carefully turned around on the limb until she could hug the trunk. A minute later, she slid to the ground and headed toward Cam.
He shoved Linebacker toward David. “Watch him.” Cam slid his weapon into its holster and opened his arms wide.
Seconds later, Sedona threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. Now she knew she was safe. If she hadn’t been safe, Cam would have left her in the tree and come back for her. He would never expose her to more danger.
This was what she’d been needing for the past hour as she ran from her kidnappers. What did these men want, and did she have whatever it was?
Although she longed to stay in his arms, Cam still had a job to do, and David needed his help to transport these men to the station.
Taking a chance, Sedona pressed a gentle kiss to Cam’s jaw. Every muscle pressed against Sedona hardened. Beyond that, Cam didn’t move.
She swallowed hard. Had she just torpedoed their chances of shifting from the friend zone to the dating zone? She hoped not. He was the first man to hold her interest in a very long time. If she’d screwed up something special, Sedona would never forgive herself.
She tried to step away from Cam, but his hold on Sedona tightened.
“Did they hurt you?”
She stared, dreading his response. “I don’t know.” How did she explain her answer?
Cam cupped her cheeks. “Sedona, you can trust me,” he murmured. “I’ll never judge you if someone hurts you.”
“I’m telling you the truth.” Her voice came out as soft as his. “I remember going to school, then nothing until I woke up in some horrible cabin.”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead, disappointing her. She wanted a proper kiss. Did a kiss that parents give children mean Cam didn’t see her as a woman he wanted to date?
A whistle soared through the night.
Cam glanced at David, who gave a slight nod. His brown eyes swung back toward her. “As much as I’d love to hold you, we have to meet Elliot
This time when she pushed against his hold, Cam let her go.
He threaded his fingers through her silky hair. “I need to take the big guy off David’s hands. Stay behind me, all right? I don’t want you anywhere near the men who took you.”
She nodded, then stepped back from Cam.
“Not too far,” he reminded her, then walked to David to take Linebacker off his hands. He gripped the kidnapper’s upper arm.
“Let’s go.” David shoved Skinny into motion.
“You’ll be sorry you came to her rescue,” Skinny warned. “Nothing is as it seems.”
“Really? So far, I believe you and your friends kidnapped Ms. Hart.”
“Hey, wait a minute. Nobody said anything about a kidnapping. We offered her a ride. That’s all.”
“All right. You transported Ms. Hart from her school and drove her out of Morgan County without her permission. That, my friend, is the definition of kidnapping, and in Tennessee, that means this is a Class A felony with the chance of a twenty-five-year prison sentence. More if I can persuade the judge to see things my way. Of course, I might be persuaded to ask the judge for leniency.”
Skinny stared at David, suspicion in his eyes. “What do I have to pay?”
“Not a penny.” The sheriff propelled him into motion. “All I want is a name.”
“Whose name?”
“Your boss.”
“Don’t do it,” Linebacker snapped. “You’ll wind up dead.”
Skinny’s face lost all color. “I want a lawyer.”
And there were those magic words no law enforcement officer wanted to hear.
The procession from the forest took a while. By the time they reached the police cruisers and Cam’s SUV, Sedona was frozen to the bone and so tired she stumbled the last few feet to Cam’s vehicle.
Cam stopped Linebacker beside the SUV. “David, do you have room for this big guy, too?”
That’s when Sedona noticed Elliot lounging against David’s SUV.
“I can take him. Why?”
“I need to take Sedona to the hospital.”
Elliot and David’s eyes went as cold as ice. “Do I need to add additional charges against the men?” David asked.
“I’ll let you know.”
Elliot came alongside Linebacker and studied his face for a moment. “Looks like you’ve got a black eye. Who laid into you?”
“That crazy kitten can do more than hiss.”
Elliot laughed. “No kidding? What do you think about that, David?”
“I think these jokers got more than they bargained for when they went after Cam’s woman.”
She blinked. That was the second time someone had called her that, and Cam hadn’t denied it. She frowned. But what did that mean?
As soon as the prisoners were sitting in the back of the SUV, David inclined his head toward Cam’s vehicle. “Run hot until you’re close to the hospital. I want a report as soon as you have one.”
“Copy that, sir.”
A minute later, the prisoners were gone, and the silence between Sedona and Cam seemed larger than the universe. Talk about awkward silences.
Cam cupped her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. Those beautiful chocolate-brown eyes locked with hers. “Do I need to ask one of your friends to meet us here?”
She blinked. “Why?”
Cam’s expression went blank. “You may not feel comfortable being in an enclosed space alone with me.”
She tilted her head. “We’ve spent a lot of time alone.”
“That was before.” His voice petered out.
“Before what?”
Pain filled his eyes. “Before those men might have hurt you.”
Hurt? Oh. She finally understood what he was trying so hard not to say. And just like that, her legs gave out. If Cam hadn’t been close enough to catch her, Sedona would have landed in a heap on the ground. Good thing the handsome deputy was fast on his feet.
“Whoa!” He gathered her close, then slipped one arm across her back and one behind her knees. “Are you all right, Sedona?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Let’s get you to the hospital so a doctor can check you out.” He quickly settled her in the shotgun seat and fastened her seatbelt for her when Sedona fumbled so much that she couldn’t click the belt on her own.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
“I’ll be right back.”
Seconds later, Cam opened the cargo area, then came back to her.
He unfolded a plush blanket and held the warm fabric in front of her. “May I tuck this blanket around you?”
Man, Cam was trying so hard not to trigger a panic attack, which Sedona appreciated. But how did that help when she remembered nothing except that she’d wanted him to touch her for months and still did? “Yes. Please.”
Cam was careful to touch her only enough to tuck the blanket around her, then paused. He held his hand where she could see it, silently asking permission.
Sedona nodded. “Cam, it’s okay to touch me.”
He slowly slid his hand along her jaw until his palm cupped her nape. “Trust me,” he whispered. “Please.” Cam moved toward Sedona slowly, then pressed his mouth to hers, light as a feather.
When he raised his head a second later, Sedona noticed that both of them were breathing fast.
Cam smiled and then eased back, satisfied. “Time to get you to the hospital.” He came around the hood of the SUV and slid behind the wheel. A minute later, they drove from the forest onto a highway.
“Where are we?”
His head whipped toward hers. “Of course you wouldn’t know. I apologize for not telling you sooner. The men took you to Silverwood Forest.”
Sedona scowled. “But why? And why can’t I remember things?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” He reached over and threaded his fingers through hers. “Don’t push to remember. It will come when your brain is ready.”