Chapter 15 #2
Once Taylor had helped Paul and Kam hoist Ian in between the two of them, she picked the tranquilizer gun off of the fallen log all while trying to slow her racing mind.
When she had heard that shot, her mind conjured up Kam in the boat with all that blood.
She took a deep breath to slow her thundering heart.
She would not cry on an op. Although she was going to have to lean into emotion when she got back to the bus.
A light touch on her elbow had her spinning around right into Kam. "You good, Annie?" Paul was headed toward the trail with Ian in a fireman's carry, leaving them alone.
"Annie?" She blinks at him.
One side of his lips ticks up, "As in Annie Oakley, the best shooter in the west."
How could Kam be joking at a time like this? She almost lost him again. The tears came this time and she didn't stop them.
"Hey." He wrapped her in a hug. "Everything turned out fine."
She knew that in her head, but her heart was still living in the what ifs. Pulling back she rubbed the tears from her eyes. They still had a mission to finish. "You better live through this because we have a life together to figure out."
Taylor took another step back towards the direction of the bus. She handed him the tranquilizer. "Take it. He shouldn't need another dose, but I'd rather you have it. See you at the airport."
Kam nodded then headed after Paul. Taylor started back toward the scene. Pictures of Kam bleeding out on the boat filled her mind and she let them come. Big emotions were needed to sell this next part.
As she approached the scene voices filtered to her, she stomped through the tree line in time to hear Davin tell the other guard that the man who broke Ian out was his right hand man.
The guard's face was stormy. Taylor needed to lock down all of the defenses she wanted to use for Kam's honor, but Kam was playing a part and that man was a criminal.
Davin put his hands on his hips. "Where are the fugitives?"
Taylor swallowed, here went nothing. "They got away, sir. Maybe we can ask for a bird to search…"
"A bird won't help us with this kind of foliage. We'll need some K9 help." Davin paced away already on his phone, leaving Taylor there with the other guard and a bus of prisoners watching the whole thing.
"He said he was working with you." The guard was shaking his head. "I can't believe I fell for it."
The truth wanted to bubble out of her, so she settled for a small part of it. "This is the second time he's alluded capture."
Davin looked like he wanted to punch something. She had never seen him so upset before, but their band of witnesses didn't need to know that he was usually more level-headed than this.
"This is the second time Gregor has slipped through our fingers." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ertz, without Ian and Gregor, I'm afraid I'm going to need your badge."
Davin had given her badge back to her and told her about this added part, but the words still hurt hearing them a second time from her friend. Her eyes began to burn with unshed tears, but she wouldn't let them fall this time.
"Here." She slapped the badge into his outstretched hand.
A cruiser with the Seward Police logo on the side pulled up behind the bus. "Good. Transport is here."
Kirk Peters got out of the SUV, taking in all of the details around him. Why did SPD have to send Peters? As far as Taylor knew, he had no knowledge of what was actually happening here.
He looked over Taylor then at Davin. "Everything okay?"
"I don't want to talk about it." She bumped past him and made a beeline for Davin's vehicle.
"Taylor, wait." Kirk jogged toward her. He reached out his hand as if he wanted to touch her, but then let it drop. "Did Kam hurt you? Where is he?" He scanned the scene.
Taylor took a step towards him. "Lower your voice, Peters. Transport the bus to the prison. I promise to explain everything once we know those three are safely at Spring Creek."
Kirk clenched his jaw then nodded once. She knew that he cared for her, but she would not have him inadvertently ruin this operation.
Pretending to be someone else while undercover with people you don't know or would probably never see again was one thing, but having to lie, even by omission, to people you consider your friends, that stuck under her skin.
Was this what Kam felt the night of the fundraiser?
Remembering how he had attempted to come to her rescue from Chad made the deception she aimed at her friend ease some.
She hadn't known who Kam was then, but looking back on it now, she could only imagine what he must have been going through.
If she would have seen a woman flirting with Kam across the room, she wasn't so sure she wouldn't have stepped in to put the woman in her place.
Taylor watched from the SUV as Peters talked with the guard before returning to his cruiser. They were so close to this nightmare being over, yet so much could go wrong. Now that they had Ian, they needed to sell it to Dasha.
The ride toward town was silent. Once they hit Moose Pass, Davin and Taylor went on to Seward while Peters escorted the bus to Spring Creek.
Davin broke the silence, "Will you be coming back once Dasha is in custody?"
Taylor considered the question. There was so much about her future that wasn't settled. "I don't know."
Davin hmphed, but said nothing else. For some reason, she had hoped that he would have given her advice or encouraging words or even a Bible verse, but he choose silence instead.
"You and Paul are like family to me, but God has given me a second chance with Kam and I honestly don't know what that looks like."
"When you know what door God opens for you, just let me know." Davin gave her a half smile. "You are a part of this team and you will remain so until you're ready to move on."
They bounced down the road that ran along the airport at Seward.
The only air craft using this airport were helicopter tours and small personal air planes used to reach those deeper inland.
The road came to an end next to an abandoned hanger.
Their headlights washed over Paul and Kam leaning against the car they had driven here.
The two weren't laughing like old friends, but they weren't trying to kill each other either, which was an improvement.
She didn't want to have to choose between her family at the Seward Field Office and Kam, but she didn't know how she would get to have a life with Kam if she stayed.
Davin put the car in park and greeted the two men, "Any problems?"
"Nope. Gimpy here was even half helpful in loading the package in the backseat," Paul joked.
So maybe they had come further than she thought. A bit of hope flickered to life in her.
Kam pushed off the car. "More like you wouldn't let me help."
"And bare the wrath of Ertz when you showed up here with your shoulder all jacked again? No thanks." Paul bit out the words, but the twinkle in his eye gave away his true intent.
Kam slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. She clearly wasn't the only one who struggled being away from each other.
"I'll take the package to the safe harbor. You make your phone call." Davin caught the keys that Paul tossed his way. The three of them watched as the taillights of the car shrunk into the distance then turned at the end of the way.
"Ready to wear some orange?" Kam asked Paul.
"It's my favorite color," Paul mumbled.
Kam pulled out his phone as Paul walked towards the underbrush to change into the prison jumpsuit. Kam texted Dasha,
I have what you want. Meet at the exchange.
Taylor watched as three dots danced on his screen. Dasha demanded proof of life.
Kam snapped a picture of Paul walking toward them in orange. It was dark enough that you could make out a person, but not the facial features.
A text came back almost immediately,
0200. don't be late.