Chapter 25
25
V iper had no reason to believe Sam or Nest, or anyone else, had found them, and yet awareness prickled over his skin. Maybe being so close to Arch Cape made him twitchy—the only place other than Eureka that could be traced to Lina. Or maybe the combination of his feelings for her and the looming specter of the apex of this adventure rapidly approaching heightened his anxiety. At least after today, though, they’d get to head home to California and his brothers. Where they’d finally pull it all together and, hopefully, understand what Dr. Kato wanted Lina to figure out. What he’d been killed for.
They took a seat toward the back of the pub, close to the exit, and ordered burgers, a beer for Lina, and iced tea for him. Halfway through, a text came in from Leo confirming that DIC played a role in both the deaths of Harold Cox and Samuel Ochoa—the man identified in the most recent certificate. He also confirmed that Mantis had passed the information along to Kara—minus any personal identifiers, as the less she knew about the specific people, the better—and she’d have her research ready to share when they arrived in Mystery Lake.
He kept his attention on the patrons of the pub as Lina texted Roxanne to confirm they’d stay with her that night before heading to California the next day. With an eleven-hour drive, including a stopover in Murphys, ahead of them, they’d leave early in the morning. Still, they wouldn’t reach Mystery Lake until well past dinnertime.
The staff seemed familiar with the few people who wandered in, raising no additional alarms, and they finished their meals—not rushing, but not lingering either. After using more of the cash left to Lina for the food and drink, they each visited the restroom before meeting at the front.
Pushing through the doors, the bright afternoon sun hit them square in the face, and Viper paused, wincing at the glare. “Hold up, I forgot my sunglasses,” he said, slipping back inside. Winding through the tables, he found the server clearing their dishes. The young kid smiled at him and held them out as he approached.
“Thought you might be back,” he said, handing them over.
“Thanks. Appreciate it,” Viper replied with a nod. The sooner they could lock themselves behind the gates of Roxanne’s property, the better he’d feel.
As he made his way toward the front, he caught sight of Lina through the double glass doors. She stood on the street corner, reading a flyer pasted onto the streetlamp. A shadow hid the familiar lines of her face, and the hint of a smile teased her lips.
A breeze lifted the end of her thick ponytail, tossing it over her shoulder. He stopped to watch, wondering what made her different from other women in his life. Over the years, a few had wanted more than a fun night or two. With his history, he should have relished being wanted by them. But he never had. Maybe because it always felt as if they wanted the idea of him more than the real him. Although, to be fair, that said more about him than them. Regardless, he’d never felt comfortable giving them more than the surface him—not dishonest, just not the whole of who he was.
Lina didn’t fit that bill, though. She never had. With her, he felt…lighter, surer, safe . He pondered that last word. Safe . Something he’d never experienced growing up—not physically, not emotionally. And the only safety the military gave him was a steady paycheck. Yet with her, something eased inside him, as if he were a puzzle piece that had found its spot.
She looked up and caught him watching her. She smiled and arched an eyebrow at him, her eyes dancing in the light.
Damn, he couldn’t wait to reach Roxanne’s. He wanted to strip that leather jacket off her body and slide those leggings down her legs. She might be an emotionally safe place for him, but she tied him in all sorts of knots physically. The two were related, he knew, and he’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted her—not physically, emotionally, or mentally.
He smiled, but she missed it, turning her head as something caught her attention. A frown touched her lips. The hairs on the back of his neck rose.
And in an instant, life changed.
The squeal of tires tore through the quiet street as Viper pushed through the doors. A truck engine revved, picking up speed.
Viper shouted for Lina to move, but caught in the moment, she stared, motionless, as it barreled toward her.
Everything inside him rebelled against what he couldn’t stop. He would not , could not, watch her die. But he couldn’t protect her. Only four steps away, and he wouldn’t reach her before the truck.
Finally, Lina broke from her trance, leaping toward him.
Only she moved too late. The truck clipped her, sending her body spinning as she flew toward him. His heart stopped when her cry of pain pierced the distance between them.
He caught her, but between the force of the hit and her momentum, he couldn’t stop their fall. Without thinking, he held on, twisting to take the brunt as they both went down.
Landing on his side, the air whooshed from his lungs, but his arms tightened around Lina. The truck’s engine revved again, then faded as it fled the scene. In seconds, they were surrounded by people.
“Oh my god, is she okay?”
“I might have gotten a picture of the truck.”
“I’ve called 911.”
“What can we do?”
He tuned them all out and carefully rolled Lina to her back, gently resting her head on the sun-warmed sidewalk.
Her eyes were closed, but when he set his fingers on her neck, her pulse beat strong beneath them—rapid but strong.
He quickly scanned her body. Blood seeped through her leggings at her hip, and a goose-egg bump was forming on her head where she must have hit it when they landed.
“Lina?” he asked, brushing his fingers along her cheek. Sirens sounded in the distance and chatter echoed around him, but nothing other than Lina existed.
He reached for her hand, needing to hold it, hold her, but stopped himself. He didn’t know the extent of her injuries, and he didn’t want to risk making anything worse.
“Lina,” he said again. “Open those beautiful eyes.”
Under her lids, they shifted. An ambulance pulled up, and he was vaguely aware of people clearing the way, but his focus stayed on her.
Finally, her eyes fluttered open—little more than a slit, but enough to hold his.
“Only one driver in the truck,” she whispered through labored breaths. She closed her eyes again. When the EMTs knelt beside her, she added, “The second. Watch for the second.”
“Sir? Sir? You’re going to have to move,” an EMT said.
Reluctantly, Viper shifted away, rising to loom over the paramedics. He wasn’t a trained medic like Hawkeye, but he knew enough about treating traumatic injuries that he intended to keep an eye on them. While scanning the crowd for the second person.
There was no doubt in his mind that Sam and Nest were behind the hit-and-run.
As the EMTs began taking Lina’s vitals, he studied the crowd. The seconds ticked by, and he split his attention between her and the people on the street. A handful meandered down the sidewalks, darting glances their way as they window-shopped. Five still lingered in concerned clusters around the EMTs. He recognized three from the pub. The other two were an older man—the one who’d called 911, he thought—and a teenage boy, skateboard in one hand, phone in the other.
Neither Sam nor Nest was anywhere to be seen.
“My head,” Lina said, drawing his attention back to her. “Harder than I’d like,” she added, answering a question one of the EMTs asked.
“We’re going to get you to the hospital to get checked out,” the other EMT replied.
Lina started to nod, stopping on a wince.
He kept a watchful eye as they transferred her to a backboard, then onto a stretcher. “It’s a short ride away. Are you okay to meet us?” the older of the two EMTs asked him before giving him the name of the hospital.
He hesitated, not at going to the hospital, but whether to leave Lina. She opened one eye and wiggled her fingers. He stepped forward, taking her hand.
“It’s fine,” she said, her voice unsteady from the pain. “Meet me there.”
He held her gaze, then nodded.
“And, Jackson?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
She pulled on his hand, and he leaned over. “Look where we are.”
With that, the EMTs wheeled her away. When the door closed and they pulled onto the road, heading north, he took one last look around before heading to their car.
His attention snagged on the opposite corner and the street sign tacked to the building. He’d already deduced that Lina had been targeted, that the hit-and-run was no accident. Still, a chill ran up his spine when he read the street sign, Maya’s words coming back to him: Sunset Boulevard.