Angel Fire

Chapter Nine

“It’s too early to stop,” Agent Hunter said. “There’s still daylight.”

Cameron sighed and bit back her retort. She’d promised Andrea she would be nice. But really, Hunter was getting on her last nerve. As if she was the one doing the goddamn tracking.

“We’ve made good time,” she said. “I don’t want to ruin that by getting off his mark.”

“You said Sam was leaving tracks,” Hunter said. “We found the wrapper by the stream. We can keep—”

“We can’t, Hunter. Okay? Will you just trust me?”

“We’re wasting time, goddamn it!”

“Jesus Christ, we’re not wasting time,” she said loudly. “There are too many shadows.” She tossed her backpack down with more force than was necessary. “We’re tired. We’re hungry. We’ll pick up in the morning.”

“I just think—”

“I don’t care what you think,” Cameron shot back.

Andrea raised her hands. “Will you two stop already? You’re driving me insane with your constant arguing.” She glared at Cameron. “Can we please try to get along?”

Cameron raised her eyebrows. Andrea was mad at her? No way. Hunter was the one being an ass about it. Hunter was the one who had questioned her every move all damn day. But the look in Andi’s eyes told her not to argue. So she nodded, then flicked her glance to Hunter.

“I need to rest,” she said. “It’s mentally exhausting trying to follow their trail when there really isn’t a trail.”

Hunter nodded too. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t think about it like that.” She ran her hands through her short hair. “I’m just…I’m not used to feeling helpless like this.”

“I’m sure you’re not. And the only reason you’re even on this trip is because Andrea told me to put myself in your shoes. So yeah, I’d have told Murdock to fuck himself and I’d have gone after her too.”

She turned away and started gathering up firewood. She saw Andi doing the same. Hunter finally took off her backpack and tossed it to the ground as well.

“It feels good to get that off,” Hunter said. “I’m not used to this. I’m a city girl.”

“I was a city girl too,” Andrea said. “Los Angeles. I moved to Sedona—that’s in Arizona—and grew to love hiking.” She looked at Cameron. “Cameron is the backpacker though. Military.”

Hunter gave a quick laugh. “I should have known.”

Cameron bristled. “What does that mean?”

“Bossy.”

Andrea laughed too. “Oh, trust me. That’s not the military talking.”

Cameron looked at her. “What are you saying?”

“Oh, sweetheart, you know exactly what I’m saying.”

Sweetheart? So Andi didn’t feel the need to keep their relationship a secret? Hunter was FBI. And not that Murdock was oblivious, but it wasn’t anything they talked about. Ever. They didn’t know Hunter. Certainly not enough to trust her with this. She looked at Andrea with a question in her eyes, and Andrea gave her the “don’t be stupid” look. Yeah. They were sharing a tent. Hunter obviously knew they were more than just work partners.

Okay then.

* * *

“We’ll stop here for the night,” Angel said.

Sam glanced up, noting the sun was still streaking through the trees. As if reading her mind, he motioned to a cleared-out area with a previous fire ring.

“Flat ground. Not many rocks.”

“Oh. That’s good. Because I slept like crap last night.” Then she smirked. “Not that I actually slept,” she added. He looked at her blankly and she held her bound wrists up. “Uncomfortable.” She didn’t mention that sleeping next to him, with his gun and knife, was even more uncomfortable.

He pulled her arms up, his brow furrowed. “You’re bleeding. Why didn’t you say something?”

She shrugged. “You intend to kill me. I didn’t think you’d be concerned with blisters on my wrists.”

He met her eyes briefly, then quickly pulled his knife from its sheath. She took a step back, wondering if she’d said the wrong thing.

“For the rope,” he explained.

So she held her arms out and he cut the rope from each wrist with surprising gentleness. She did note that the knife cut through the rope as if it were little more than thread. She immediately rubbed her wrists, then stretched her arms out to each side. She gave a satisfied moan as her muscles released some tension.

“I trust you won’t do anything stupid?”

“I’m tired,” she said. “And I’m really, really hungry. And please say there’s something other than beef stew.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I’ll find something better.” He pointed to a fallen pine limb. “Gather some wood for our fire. Once we get it going, I’ll put something on your wound. I have a first-aid kit.”

* * *

“So you live in a motorhome?” Tori asked as she stirred hot water into the pouch of mac and cheese. “That’s your office?”

The question was addressed to Andrea, but it was Cameron who answered.

“She’s a supercharged, custom-built motorhome,” Cameron said. “It started out experimental. There is quite an impressive computer setup. I’d be dangerous if I really knew how to use it all.”

“And your guy Murdock? He’s the boss?”

“Murdock has three teams,” Andrea said. “The other two are more conventional than us.”

“But not as conventional as, say, your office,” Cameron said. “We don’t play by the same rules.”

“I’ve heard about these teams that are made up of ex-military types,” she said. “FBI’s version of special ops?”

“A little, yes.”

“So what kind of cases do you get?” she asked as she sampled the mac and cheese. It was decent. Not great.

“Mostly remote. Pretty much west of the continental divide. We had a serial killer in the California desert. We had a kidnapping in Idaho.”

“There were the remains found in Nevada,” Andrea said. “That ended up being from drug wars. And of course, the Patrick Doe case in Sedona.”

Tori’s head jerked up. “Patrick Doe? That was you?” She frowned. “Yeah, you called me. I thought your names sounded familiar.”

“That was us,” Cameron said. “That’s where Andi and I met.”

Tori nodded. “That’s right. Andrea Sullivan. You were with the sheriff’s department. I remember Casey saying you’d contacted her too.” She arched one eyebrow. “So? That’s where you met? And then you became…colleagues?”

Andrea laughed. “Yes. Colleagues.”

“It’s not advertised,” Cameron said. “Murdock doesn’t—”

“He knows,” Andrea said. “Don’t pretend he doesn’t.”

“Well, he pretends he doesn’t,” Cameron countered.

Tori smiled slightly. “When Sam and I first got together, Malone pretended he didn’t know either. Malone was our lieutenant,” she explained. “But Sam transferred to CIU, so we didn’t have that issue.”

Her smile faded completely. What was Sam doing right now? Was she cold? Hungry? Scared? How long before he didn’t need her anymore?

“What do you know about this guy? Angel Figueroa.”

Cameron shrugged. “We served together for a few of years. Same team.”

“Doing what?”

Cameron met her gaze. “We were on a sniper team. Middle East, mostly. He got out a couple of years before I did,” she said. “From what I heard, he didn’t leave the Middle East or his profession. He’s very good.”

“Gun for hire?”

“Yeah.”

“So what’s he doing here? Murdock said everything was related, starting with a robbery in Santa Fe,” Tori said.

“Yes, that’s what he told us too. It was an armored car facility. Three million dollars.” Cameron stuck another small limb on the fire. “Doesn’t sound like the Angel I knew, but who knows? People change.”

“But he’s a killer?”

Cameron nodded. “Yes. He’s a killer.”

They were silent for a moment, then Andrea leaned closer. “I’ll trade you some of this chicken stuff for some of your mac and cheese.”

“Chicken stuff?” Tori looked at her pouch, not really hungry anymore, but she nodded.

“I think we made good time today,” Cameron said as if to ease her mind. “Another two days, we might get close.”

“Two days?” Tori felt her spirits sink. Did Sam have two days?