Chapter 10
Heather looked around the hotel room, studying every luxurious detail except the massive king-sized bed. Sure, the bed filled the cover story—and the room—but the sight of it sent butterflies zooming through her stomach.
“Justice,” she murmured to herself, trying to turn her mind to the higher purpose. Unfortunately, those thoughts brought back her earlier jitters, compounding the unsettled feelings plaguing her.
It would be easier if she wasn’t attracted to the man pretending to be her fiancé. When he looked at her with his eyes warm and full of devotion she wanted to believe. And all the heat and innuendo he’d applied yesterday morning… Pretend or not, it had stroked her ego and given her a vivid picture of how she wanted a man to look at her.
But she wasn’t his type. He made that abundantly clear without saying a word. And this wasn’t the time or place for lust. She would do well to remember that.
“Justice,” she repeated, pulling open the sliding glass door and stepping out onto the balcony overlooking the ocean.
“Room service is on the way. Are you ready?”
His voice, strong and deep, rolled over her, much like the gentle surf several stories below. “Sure.” She reviewed the plan again, more than a little grateful this would be the last happy romantic couple routine for the night. She was more than ready to get to the purpose of their charade.
She’d already reorganized the bag she would hike in with. Her camera had a full charge and she packed the extra battery. Her pants and boots were in the closet out of sight. The chip scanner she’d taken from the shelter was in the cargo pocket, ready to go.
“Do we need to go over it again?”
“Please, anything but that.” She twisted the ring on her finger.
“What did you do with your nerves before I gave you that?”
She followed Dale’s gaze to her hands. Embarrassed, she fisted her hands and then shook them out. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” He sat back on the bed. “Come here.” He patted the space by his hip. “Just answer the question.”
She took a step closer, hesitating. “That sounds like an order.” Couldn’t they sit somewhere other than the bed?
“Does it need to be?”
Shaking her head, she sat down, not quite touching him. “Nerves aren’t usually a problem for me. I focus on the action and move forward.”
“Okay. But?”
“This is new.” She hated the defensiveness in her tone. “Not the ring… well, yes the ring obviously, but I mean the situation.” When she took a chance and met his gaze, she realized he understood. “Usually I rub this scar.” She pointed out the thin white line running from the base of her ring finger back toward the outside of her hand.
Her breath stalled out as he lifted her hand for a closer look.
“It, umm, would get stiff while it healed and my mom had me rub oil into it.” Her hand seemed so small and thin surrounded by his wider palm and longer fingers. “There was a lot of bruising and a terrible ache right about where the ring sits now.” Good Lord, she was babbling. Why wouldn’t he let go of her hand?
“It became a habit.”
“Uh-huh.” She sounded like a dork.
“What happened?” He rubbed his thumb down the length of the scar, stroking gently.
Her heart pounded in her ears and her voice sounded too loud as she related the story. “Childhood stupidity. I was trying to help with an oyster roast and my knife slipped.” She pulled her hand away and mimicked the path of the blade. “It stopped right at the knuckle. I couldn’t throw a punch with that hand for months.”
“Your siblings must have loved the reprieve.”
“They did.” She shifted away from him, would have stood up, but he caught her hand. “What?”
“You had an interesting childhood.”
“Didn’t you?”
She didn’t get her answer as room service chose that moment to interrupt them.
“Wait right there,” he said quietly.
With a nod, she stayed perched at the end of the bed, noticing how the mattress shifted when he got up and walked away. She called herself all kinds of foolish as she realized he’d only been interested in her story for the sake of their job here.
Why was she so determined to fall for another unattainable, inaccessible guy? Frustrated, she felt the heat of embarrassment in her face and hoped it painted the picture he wanted. Just because she wanted a man—the right man—in her life, didn’t mean she should cast Dale in that role.
This was temporary and she was proving her inexperience and naiveté, neither of which would earn Dale’s respect. No matter how this impromptu operation finished, no matter how much she was attracted to him, she realized she wanted his respect when it was over.
She wanted him to be the first person in her world who knew what she was capable of. She didn’t want to analyze why.
“All clear,” he said, waving her closer.
“This must be costing you a small fortune,” she said as she joined him in the front half of the suite.
“The ring was just gathering dust,” he said with a shrug.
Oh yeah, the previous fiancée. She shouldn’t wonder about that woman, about what had happened. Dale’s personal life really wasn’t her business. “You were engaged before?”
His back to her, the unhappy reaction was clear as his shoulders hunched like he wanted to take cover from her question. “That’s not up for discussion,” he said, turning his grim and unyielding gaze on her.
She held her hands up. “No problem. I’m not here to pry.” It didn’t seem fair that he could coax her past out of her so easily and yet keep everything about himself hidden away. But no matter how much she was starting to like him, this wasn’t a real relationship. It was a short-term operational partnership.
“If we succeed,” he said, “I’ll put in for reimbursement on the gas and hotel expenses.”
She watched him remove the covers from the plates of food on the cart. “What happens if we don’t succeed?”
“That’s not really an option in light of how much Lester knows about your involvement.”
Delivered so blandly, the statement sent a shiver of hard reality through her system.
“All right.” She went to the closet, ready to change clothes and get to work. “Let’s do this.”
“You don’t want to eat first?”
Just thinking about adding food to the butterflies and jitters in her stomach made her queasy. “I’m good.”
“It could be a long night.”
“That’s a given.” Pausing at the bathroom door, she smiled at him over her shoulder. “I packed meal bars and water.”
He frowned at the buttered bread in his hand. “Of course you did.”
She decided not to mention she’d packed enough for him too.
***
As they hiked through the state park in the fading twilight, Heather kept her mind on a short leash. She wasn’t going to like what they were about to witness, but it was necessary to getting the job done.
It helped her to think of it as a hunting trip. The weather was perfect with a clear sky and the full moon on the rise. If only this were as simple as bagging a deer.
Lester would walk in thinking only of cashing in on a sick sport. She smiled to herself, imagining his reaction when he realized he was wrong, that tonight marked the beginning of his downfall. Tonight, the predator would be prey and she’d have the best possible trophy, though she couldn’t imagine ever telling anyone about it.
Behind her, Dale moved with a confident, quiet step that impressed her. He’d only questioned her once, when they’d arrived, but he trusted her assessment of where the fight would be staged.
Being out here in the woods soothed her, despite knowing how much she’d hate what was coming. And it was a huge relief to be away from her phone as J.C. had started sending her text messages about “that ring” and her decisions.
“That ring” remained on her hand, even under a pair of thin gloves, since Dale refused to break character.
She held up her closed fist, and Dale halted two paces behind her. She checked her watch, knowing there were hours yet, so she took a chance and pointed at the shallow hole tucked back amid the trees. “They didn’t bury the losers deep enough last time they used this site,” she said, disgusted. “The increased scavenger activity was one of the first red flags.”
“The park ranger’s frustrated email didn’t hurt,” Dale replied.
“Not a bit,” she agreed. “Nor did the sudden rise in wounded, feral dogs in the neighborhood to the south.”
“Cocky criminals make mistakes. Remember that tonight,” he whispered at her ear. “Let’s get into position.”
She moved forward, leaving the remains behind as they scouted the perimeter of the clearing. Relieved to discover they were completely alone in this remote corner of the state park, she hoped Lester’s arrogance at not posting a patrol helped them bring down his operation.
Judging from the dirt road, they chose a small depression away from the natural clearing to set up their impromptu camp. It seemed the best way to get as many faces as possible without risking discovery once Lester’s team arrived.
“All we have to do is wait,” she whispered.