Page 56 of Fighting for Valor
“How’d they find us?” Dax asks.
“My guess? Her.” Ryker shoots me a glare over his shoulder as he carries Ripper into the hall, and I lunge for my bag, hugging it to my chest as I follow them.
But when we reach the garage, Dax and Ryker head for a big, black truck, and I turn on my heel and run as fast as I can in the other direction. I have to get as far away from Ripper as I can. He just got his life back. I won’t be the reason Jessup and Parr kill him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cara
Charlie keeps pace at my side. At the far end of the garage, another set of steps lead out into an alley. It’s how Ripper brought me here last night. Wedging open the door, I lean down and cup his muzzle. “Go to Ripper.”
He whines, and I swear the damn dog shakes his head. “I can’t wait, Charlie. I have to go. And you can’t come with me.”
“Cara? Caroline? Where the fuck are you?” Ryker’s booming voice echoes through the garage, and I sling my bag over my shoulder and try to force Charlie back through the door, but he won’t go.
“Fine. Keep up.” Tears burn my eyes. If anything happens to Charlie, I’ll never forgive myself. My heart won’t let me run all out, but I manage a fast jog up Latona until my lungs feel like they’re going to burst. Down Fiftieth, across the freeway, and over to Roosevelt Way, and I find a bus stop with a bench and collapse, wheezing.
Crap. I can’t take Charlie on the bus without a leash. Unhooking the strap on my bag, I fasten it to his collar, then wrap my arms around his solid body. “I don’t know what to do, Charlie,” I whisper. “They’re going to kill me.” The dog nuzzles my chin, and when I look into his eyes, I start to cry. “I know. I left him. I destroyed him and then I left him.”
I have to get somewhere with people. Somewhere Jessup and Parr won’t want to start a riot by shooting me. Swiping at my cheeks, I stand as a downtown bus pulls up to the stop. Pike Place. I can hide out there. This time of day, it’ll be packed, and since I’ve worked down there for almost a year, I know my way around.
By the time the bus drops me off three blocks from Pike Place Market, my stomach is twisting in on itself. I need food. My meds leave me shaky if I don’t eat. Charlie trots at my side, looking up at me every time I slow to figure out which way to go next. One level down, a whole bunch of tables and benches wait for lunch patrons who want a view of the water. Not crowded enough. But up amid the farmers market stalls, it’s so loud, I don’t know if I can make a call.
Ducking into a corner left vacant for the day by an absent vendor, I dig into my bag for the burner phone, then call Leland.
“Hello?” His voice is scratchy. Cautious.
“I need help. They found me.”
He clears his throat, coughs, and swears under his breath. “Where are you?”
“Seattle.” I scan the crowds, searching for anyone who looks out of place. For Jessup’s dirty blond beard and pale blue eyes, Parr’s slight limp and ruddy skin. You spend long enough down here, you get to know the tourists from the locals, but those who don’t belong? Who’ve been trained to blend in? I shudder as I crouch down behind the empty table. The tile floor’s dirty, and I tug at my shorts, suddenly very aware I ran out of Ripper’s apartment with no panties on. “You have to help me. Tell me where to go.”
“I’ll send someone for you. Within the hour. Can you get to the Space Needle?”
“The…Space Needle?” My hand shakes, and my shoulder hits the wall as I fall over. “You have someone in Seattle?” This is wrong. Leland didn’t know where I was until a few seconds ago, and now he has someone in Seattle? Staring at the phone in my hand, I swallow a sob as I end the call.
Leland told me to keep the phone on.
So they could track me.
“Come on, Charlie. We can’t stay here.” Wrapping his makeshift leash around my hand and tucking my bag under my arm, I check all around us, then dart out of the empty stall and weave my way through the crowds. If I can get down to the lower level, I’ll reach Alaskan Way. Cruise ships. Cabs everywhere.
The phone lands in the first garbage can I find, and I head for the stairs. A strong hand grabs my arm and pulls me back, hard. Charlie growls, and I stare into Jessup’s light blue eyes. His cologne burns my nose, the harsh scent making my head swim. “Let go!” I scream, and Charlie growls and rears up on his hind legs, sinking his teeth into Jessup’s forearm.
Metal flashes in my periphery, and I knee Jessup in the balls before he can aim the gun at Charlie. “Run, Charlie. Come on!” We sprint down the stairs, and I take us left, down a ramp, and to another set of stairs. Pounding footsteps echo on the concrete. It’s deserted here, the tourists opting for the elevators. Another left should get us to the last set of stairs.
Please, please, please…
I can barely breathe, and when we turn, my heart seizes, and I clutch at neck of the t-shirt. Construction has the walkway blocked. An eight-foot-high metal gate is locked in place, and there’s no way I can climb it. We’re trapped. Charlie’s low growl has me whirling around, and my gaze locks onto the gun pointed right at me.
“Ms. Phillips. It’s been a long time.”
Charlie growls again, and Jessup shifts his aim. “No!” I wrap my body around Charlie, whispering in his good ear. “Find Ripper, buddy. Go now. You have to go!” I end the command on a scream and slap his flank, and the dog bolts through a small gap in the chain-link fencing.
Springing up, I launch myself at Jessup, trying to force his hands skyward so he can’t shoot at Charlie. But the scent of his cologne is too much, and I retch, stumbling back, and then sinking to my hands and knees to heave up what little is in my stomach.
The world spins around me, and pain sparks across the back of my skull. Bile fills my mouth, something impacts my jaw, and now I taste blood. I can’t see anymore. He’s killing me. My head hits the ground, and my thoughts fuzz and slow.
