“What will you do if they get closer? The helicopters, I mean.”
“We’ll take cover.”
“Yeah, but what if they have heat-seeking imaging technology?”
He shook his head. “You’ve watched too many movies, Sam.”
“Come on, Angel. You were military. Even in Dallas, we have the capability.”
“Sounds like they’re using a search and rescue helicopter. It’s not military though, which is surprising.”
“How do you know it’s not?”
“I just do.”
Sam trudged after him. He seemed to be in a bit more of a hurry today. And while her sense of direction wasn’t great, she felt like they’d turned. Of course, which way, she couldn’t tell. She looked up, finding the sun. Maybe they were heading to the north or northwest now. She opened her mouth to ask, then closed it. He didn’t seem to be in a talkative mood today. Maybe the helicopters had him more spooked than he let on. He appeared to be all business now. That frightened her a little.
Okay…a lot.
Chapter Seventeen
Tori knew their day would be coming to an end soon. Clouds had built up to the west, obscuring the sun. Even if there were no clouds, she knew the sun was dangerously close to slipping behind the mountain anyway. Once it did, she knew Cameron would slow their pace to make sure she didn’t lose the trail. With the thick clouds overhead, it was only a matter of time before she called a halt to their travel.
And there was still no sign of Sam.
Each time they crested a ridge, each time they came to a vast clearing, Cameron got her binoculars out and scanned the area. Nothing. Cameron thought they were getting close and Tori felt it too. She could almost sense Sam’s presence nearby.
Her apprehension had faded only a little after finding the bones of what Cameron had said were squirrels. It could have explained the shots they heard. And Cameron said Sam was still leaving evidence along their trail, pointing out an overturned rock or a broken limb, however subtle it may be. So surely Sam was okay.
But how much time did she have? If Angel was heading to the highway, would he try to steal a car? Would he take Sam with him? Or would he feel safe and no longer need her?
For that matter, did he ever really need her at all? They hadn’t been close to catching him. Why was he still hanging on to Sam? What purpose had she served him?
She had no answers to her questions, and she followed behind Andrea silently. All too soon, she noticed their pace had slowed. Cameron was being careful not to lose the trail.
“We’ll have to stop soon,” Cameron said unnecessarily.
Tori didn’t comment.
* * *
Sam sat silently by the fire, eating a pasta dish that wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t as horrible as the beef stew but it did remind her how good the fish…and even the squirrel had been. Angel had been unusually quiet, even for him. Her attempt at conversation was usually met with curt answers or no comment at all. She had finally taken the hint and stopped talking. She was surprised he’d stopped to make camp as early as he had.
There was no stream here, but they’d passed one a few hours earlier where they’d filled their water bottles. It was a flat, grassy area surrounded by rather large pines. They’d left the junipers behind again. He already had their tent up, a safe distance away from the fire.
“Looks like rain tonight,” he said, breaking the silence.
His voice startled her as it was the first words he’d spoken since they’d made camp. When he’d stopped, he’d gone about the business of setting up the tent. She’d collected firewood, as had become the norm. She’d tried not to let his silence frighten her, but his mood had definitely changed.
“It feels cooler than normal,” she said, contributing to the conversation.
“You can use the sleeping bag tonight,” he offered.
She smiled at him. “And what will you use?”
“I’ll use your coat, like you’ve been.”
She tilted her head. “Why have you been so quiet?”
He met her eyes across the fire but said nothing.
Oh.
She looked away from him, her appetite disappearing. She attempted another couple of bites before putting the container down. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering where Tori was.
And wondering how much time she had left. The look in his eyes frightened her a little. And frightened was something she had not truly been in several days.
Chapter Eighteen
Sam was cold and she pulled the sleeping bag up higher around her neck. Angel had already gotten up, saying he would get a fire going. The rain that had threatened had finally hit during the night, a brief downpour with thunder off in the distance. Light rain ensued, the quiet tap, tap, tap on the tent lulling her to sleep.
The rain had ended earlier, and she saw streaks of sunlight slashing across the tent now. She sat up suddenly. By the time the sun was this high, they would have already been on the trail.
“Fire’s hot,” he called.
Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t their routine. The apprehension she’d been trying to push aside hit her full force this morning. She unzipped the tent, finding him kneeling by the fire, his hands held out to its warmth.
He glanced at her, and she thought she actually saw a smile in his eyes. He appeared relaxed this morning, showing none of the tension that he had yesterday. He motioned around them.
“What do you think? Nice, huh?”
She looked around, not understanding his question. Then she took a deep breath and it hit her. The forest was alive with smells she hadn’t experienced before. She held her arms out to the side, breathing deeply again.
“Oh, my God, that’s wonderful. It smells like vanilla or…or maybe butterscotch,” she said as she turned in a circle. “What is it?”
He pointed at one of the huge pines near the tent. “Stick your nose against the bark of that ponderosa there.”
Sam went to it, feeling like a tree hugger as she wrapped her arms around it and took a deep breath. She actually moaned at the intoxicating smell. She released the tree and looked around. Everything was damp and fresh and clean from the rain. The sun was streaking through the trees, warming the air around her already.
“It’s a glorious morning,” she said with a smile. “Beautiful.”
“Yeah. I’m glad you think so.” He stood up, staring at her, the smile leaving his face. “Because…it’s time, Sam. It’s time we part company.”
She stared at him, feeling her heart tighten in her chest. “Oh. I see.” She turned her back to him quickly, her eyes darting around frantically. “Is this where I should make a run for it so that you can shoot me in the back?” She turned around to face him again, meeting his gaze. “Or do you want to do it while I’m looking at you?” She felt tears in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. “Either way, I’d prefer the gun to your knife. I have this…this thing with knives,” she said with a quick shake of her head.
He walked toward her and reached out a hand, and she flinched from his touch.
“God, Sam…I’m not going to shoot you.”
“Please, Angel, not the knife,” she whispered.
He held his hands up. “Sam, I’m not going to hurt you.”
She stared at him, confused. “But you said—”
“I know what I said. But you’ve…well, you’ve…” he said, not finishing his thought. “Maybe my old, hard heart is softening up. I’m not going to kill you, but I can’t take you with me. You’ll be safer here than with me.”