3. Angel
Chapter three
Angel
“The cameras are up and you shouldn’t have any blind spots around the cabin,” Vinny says as he wipes his boots off on the “Welcome” mat on the front porch. “The trail cameras are up as well.”
I nod and thank him as I set up the hotspot, linking my laptop and two additional screens. “They aren’t nearly as sophisticated as the ones the Southern Knights use, but it will be one less thing Daisy has to do when she gets here.”
Vinny glances around the single-room cabin that has a bed in the corner, a pullout couch, and a small kitchenette with a two-burner hotplate. Thank the Lord there’s a coffee maker as well, and a small fridge that comes up to my chest.
“You couldn’t have sprung for a two-bedroom cabin?” he asks. “I doubt Daisy is going to be keen on sharing a bed with you until you put a ring on her finger.”
The cameras slowly come online and fill up the additional screens that I plugged in, each box showing the geolocation and time in the bottom right corner.
Not bothering to look up, I gesture in the direction of the sofa.
“I’ll use the pullout couch. However, the studio cabin was a strategic move on my part.
There will be no place for Daisy to run to or hide, and no bedroom doors to slam in my face.
Daisy will have no choice but to talk to me. ”
Laughing and slapping my shoulder much harder than necessary, Vinny says, “Angel, you don’t cage a tiger unless you’re prepared to get mauled. Do you honestly believe that trapping Daisy and forcing her to listen to you is going to go well?”
“Probably as well as a fart in an elevator,” I reply.
“But I need to apologize for not standing up to my sister when she confronted me about the kiss. I’m certain that Daisy has blocked my number since she never answers.
If she hasn’t, then saying ‘I’m sorry’ via a text message seems like the coward’s way out. ”
“Are you sorry for kissing Daisy?” Vinny asks.
“Not the kiss itself, but the reason behind it? The truth is that you barely knew her at the time, and it’s not like you to have regrets, Angel.
You’ve broken plenty of hearts and have never once looked back.
Why are you so hung up on Daisy? Why can’t you let it go? ”
He already knows the answer, but he wants me to admit my feelings and is goading me. But how does one explain that instant connection when eyes lock and no words have to be uttered to know that they’re the one? Or at least you hope that they’re the one.
“When I first met Daisy, her beauty didn’t escape me.
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely noticed her slender legs and long hair as black as a moonless night, but it was her eyes that captivated me, Vin.
I could see past the smile she had in place and beyond the sparkle in them to know that she was hiding pain.
Not the kind of pain that’s physical, but the emotional type that takes its toll on the soul.
For some unknown reason, I wanted to be the one to help her heal even though I had no idea what had wounded her. Does that make any sense?”
“It does,” he says as he sits down on the sofa, the cushion dipping under his weight. “You want to be her hero. It’s why you have taken such an interest in her case.”
“Daisy doesn’t need a hero. She’s strong and more than capable of taking care of herself.
I guess I want to be there to support her; to fight alongside her when she faces her demons.
I’ve never felt drawn to a woman like I am with Daisy.
I can’t stop thinking about her.” Running a hand through my short blond locks in frustration, I let out an exasperated sigh.
“There’s a deep-seated feeling in my gut that she might be the ‘one.’ Otherwise, I should be able to let it go, right? ”
“Are you in love with her?” Vinny asks point-blank.
I take a moment to ponder his question before shaking my head.
“No, I’m not in love with her. It’s much too soon for that.
Like you said, we barely know each other.
But she’s the type of woman I could fall in love with easily enough.
We have enough in common that conversations wouldn’t be dull.
For the first time in my life, I want to discover the differences; to learn what makes her smile.
Is she the kind of woman who likes flowers, chocolates, and romantic walks on the beach?
Or does she prefer random acts of kindness like me doing the dishes and massaging her feet?
These are the things I want to find out. ”
“You’re such a sap,” Vinny jokes. “When is she supposed to arrive?”
I frown. “She should have been here by now.”
Movement on the furthest trail camera catches my attention before it goes dark. “We have company.”
“It’s probably a deer,” Vinny says. “No one knows you’re here or investigating yet, and I hid the cameras well.”
The cameras were installed for security measures once Daisy and I start “poking the bear” and asking questions around the area.
The campground we’re in is one of several that will be closing for the season soon enough, and one of the larger ones in the area.
It wouldn’t be difficult for someone to figure out where we’re staying if the wrong person gets wind of why we’re here.
I don’t want any surprises if someone comes after us because we’ve gotten too close.
“Well, that deer knew how to turn off the camera,” I retort, standing up and checking the Rock Island 1911 that’s in my holster to ensure there’s a bullet already chambered. I grab my coat from the back of my chair and a pair of gloves. “You can stay here if you want.”
Vinny’s response is to grab his jacket, hat, and gloves. “It’s probably nothing; just kids being kids and exploring the woods for a place to smoke that isn’t near their parents.”
“Kids should be in school, and the weekend family campers won’t arrive until Friday night. That’s still a few days out.”
I open the front door and step onto the front porch to wait for Vinny; my breath forming a thin fog as I exhale.
The sun is descending to the west of us, taking the warmer temperatures along with it.
Based on the density of my foggy breath, it’s about 40 degrees outside and will most likely be near freezing tonight.
After locking the door, we head down the trail that leads to the defunct camera.
The frozen leaves and pine needles crunch beneath our boots, along with the thin crystalline layer of snow that had fallen shortly after we arrived last night.
I scan the area, looking for boot prints or any sign that we’re not alone.
“There,” I whisper, pointing to a set of visible tracks about 50 feet to our right.
Once we get closer to inspect, I notice that the boot prints lead in the direction of the trail camera.
They come from the parking area near Vinny’s cabin a quarter of a mile away and can’t be larger than a men’s size six.
“Do you think Daisy got lost trying to find the cabin?”
Vinny snorts. “Daisy has made it her mission to know how to hunt and track. Following a gravel trail from the parking lot to the cabin wouldn’t be a challenge.”
I look toward the parking lot to see if her rental car is there, but I can’t see it through the dense forest. The evergreen trees have trunks large enough that two fully-grown men could hide behind them without being spotted.
They’re also grouped close enough together that they form a barrier of sorts.
“Well, someone is out here and veering from the path. Turning off the trail camera is a clear sign of nefarious intentions.”
For the next ten minutes, Vinny and I follow the tracks until the boot prints disappear along with the snow. A sense of foreboding washes over me as the hairs on the back of my neck stand at full attention. “Is it me, or do you feel like we’re being watched?”
The words barely leave my mouth when movement to my right captures my attention. A shadow of a figure darts behind a tree. I immediately reach for my gun and keep it in the high-ready position. “Whoever you are, come out with your hands up!”
The sound of a woman cackling greets us just before I see a person dressed in woodland camouflage and face paint aim a rifle at me. “Angel, run!” Vinny shouts at me as I take off through the woods, waiting for the crack of gunfire that never comes.
When I look back, Vinny is still rooted in place and has his arms folded across his chest, smiling in a way that tells me he’s up to something.
He doesn’t look panicked in the slightest. I don’t even have a chance to slow down when I feel it: the sting of a bullet hitting the back of my thigh.
That’s not right. It feels more like a high-velocity paintball round rather than a bullet; sharp and biting, but without enough force to break the skin.
My legs become heavy and my body pitches forward as I collapse to the ground. I manage to roll over before my limbs reach full paralysis. My eyes roll back, but I’m still conscious enough to register the click of a cellphone camera and Daisy’s voice. “The ‘smart’ rounds work.”
Of all the reactions I should have to being shot in the leg and photographed while paralyzed, relief is the one I don’t expect. Daisy came, and that’s what matters to me.
Vinny replies to her, “You promised if I let you use Angel as a test subject, you’d hear him out. You never said anything about taking pictures.”
“Oh, the pictures are the price for Faith’s permission to shoot her brother,” Daisy says. “That was her price. As for you, if giving Angel the chance to apologize is the price I have to pay so that the CIA doesn’t press charges against me, then so be it.”
I don’t know how much time passes, but it’s dark outside when there’s a tingling sensation as my appendages slowly come back to life. The inside of the cabin comes into view when my eyes finally crack open.