False Security

She nodded. “Well, when you put it that way.”

When she peeked at him, he showed her that half grin she remembered and liked. What was he thinking? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she accepted the warmth he offered then pressed her face into her knees again. Maybe she’d warm up enough after a while to scoot away from him. But right now, she couldn’t think straight. Somehow she had to come to grips with everything that had happened over the last several hours. Images swirled like snowflakes in her mind.

Rich’s disappearance.

The blood in the snow.

The snowmobile tracks.

The men with the guns.

And...Zach.

She could hardly believe she was waiting out a storm in this cave with him and that he had his strong arm around her. Life had a way of going in circles. He was right—without survival gear, they had no choice but to use their body heat to stay warm. They couldn’t risk discovery by building a fire when lunatics pursued them, openly firing at them, shooting to kill. She hated that these men had turned the woods she loved into a crime scene.

And Rich. God, please, please keep him safe wherever he is out there.

“So, what’s the plan then?” she asked.

“It’s pretty simple. Stay warm and alive until the storm passes. We might even be here all night. Then in the morning we find our way back to civilization and keep well away from those shooters. Maybe we can find Rich, too.”

“Tell me about Rich. Until he showed up yesterday, I hadn’t talked to him in a long time.”

“I haven’t spoken to him that much myself. I’m sure you at least know he’s been in the Middle East working security for a private military contractor.”

“That was the last thing I knew about.” Grief thickened in her throat. So much of what she felt inside couldn’t be spoken out loud because it involved Zach’s own personal tragedy.

And the mistake he’d made that had cost his sister’s life. Olivia wouldn’t add to his torment by bringing it up. He seemed to sense she needed a moment to process. His thoughts had likely turned to the past, as well.

But in this moment, regret permeated her bones.

Why hadn’t she talked to Rich? Why had she been so quick to blame him for their mother’s death? Four years ago, he’d been grieving the death of his fiancée—Zach’s sister, Sarah—and after his tour of duty was over, he decided he wouldn’t return to the States, after all, because there would be no bride waiting for him.

No wedding.

So he took that job in private security instead.

Their mother had taken his absence too hard, just like she had Dad’s death when he’d been killed in the line of duty with the Portland PD. Her mother had used alcohol to console herself for a couple of years after their father’s death but had found her way to sobriety and had been sober until Sarah had been killed and Rich made the decision to stay away. Mom had needed him, perhaps too much. Their mother had been killed in a drunk-driving accident when her vehicle ran off a bridge.

Olivia had blamed Rich and hadn’t spoken to him since Mom’s funeral three years ago.

She squeezed her eyes against the tears threatening to spill. He had needed time and space to heal. Olivia could hardly blame him for that. It was exactly the reason she’d resigned her job as a biology teacher in Portland two years ago and moved to the family vacation house situated in the pristine wilderness of the Siskiyou Mountains. She’d wanted a new life and had run from all that had gone wrong in her old one. And until yesterday, when Rich had shown up, peace and solace had filled her days, replacing tragedy and drama.

But her efforts had been for nothing. Trouble had found her out in the middle of nowhere.

Now she realized she had wasted those precious years avoiding communication with her brother. Her mission now was to find him and keep him in her life. Somehow. Someway.

She buried the pain of the past encroaching on her present situation—and entered survival mode. Clearing tears from her throat, she asked, “What else can you tell me?”

“Not much, I’m sorry. He called me three days ago and asked me to meet him today. Said it was urgent but he couldn’t tell me anything more. In fact, he didn’t mention the cabin by name, only the place we used to vacation together. Until I got there, I wasn’t completely sure he’d meant your family’s cabin. It wasn’t the only place we went in the summer. He said he couldn’t trust anyone except me. Obviously, he was in some kind of trouble.”

The wind whipped flakes around, driving them deep into the cave to blanket them as they huddled together. Zach brushed the snow off them both.

“Do you think it has something to do with his job?” she asked. “He told me he was done working for them.”

“We can’t know when he was done or how long he’s even been back in the States.”

“I thought you guys were best friends.”

Right, and she was his sister. She felt his gaze on her, but stared straight ahead and puzzled over the rough drawings that she and Rich had carved in the wall as children. They had somehow remained after all this time.

“Life happens. People go their separate ways. He had a job on the other side of the world, and I had mine here. I think Sarah’s death changed him. Talking to me, well, that just reminded him of what he’d lost and my part in it.” Zach’s voice had turned harsh.

Yeah, she got that. Though Olivia had not been super close to Sarah, the woman had been her brother’s fiancée, and of course, the sister of the guy she used to love. Sarah’s death had changed their lives in ways they couldn’t have imagined. Olivia tried not to think about the burden that put on Zach, who blamed himself for her death.

Still, she didn’t like the harsh, cold tone coming from him. That wasn’t the Zach she’d known, but she had to get over it. Like he’d said, they were just two people doing what they had to in order to survive.

They weren’t a couple again. They weren’t in love. How he sounded shouldn’t matter to her. Besides, he’d hurt her, choosing danger over love. Choosing to become a police officer like his father instead of being with Olivia.

After losing her father, who’d been shot and killed during a simple traffic stop, Olivia knew she couldn’t handle that life. Couldn’t handle being married to a police officer. She thought Zach had understood that, and yet he’d still chosen that path. His dream had been more important to him than her.

Regardless, Sarah’s death had affected them in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

All their lives had been wrapped up in a big tangled mess of tragedy from which each of them had tried to escape, and yet here they were, tangled up together again.

She drew in a shuddering breath.

Zach squeezed her. “Hey, are you okay?”

No! No, she wasn’t okay. But talking about it would just dredge it all up again and hadn’t he said they didn’t want to do that? How could Zach not be thinking about everything that had happened? She leaned forward and pushed his arm off her. She’d leaned against him for the warmth. That made sense, but she didn’t need his arm around her for that.

Not now.

Not ever.

She wasn’t the least surprised when the storm’s intensity increased and the wind picked up, creating an eerie howl in the cave to add to her torment.

* * *

Zach sensed the subtle shift in her attitude, the change in her. He’d hoped they could endure and survive their predicament without the past coming between them, but clearly, ignoring their familiar surroundings and forgetting the memories had been hoping for too much.

“Try to get some sleep, if you can,” he offered.

He might find the situation as intolerable as she obviously did if he let his mind drift back.

Instead, he would think about her brother, Rich. Zach hadn’t wanted Olivia to know just how concerned he had been for his friend. But things didn’t look good. Sure, he believed the guy’s survival training could keep him alive until help reached him, but these circumstances didn’t bode well for Rich. In fact, Zach feared that even he and Olivia wouldn’t escape unscathed, though he would do his best to get her somewhere safe.

But with his track record, he didn’t know if his efforts would be enough.

What kind of trouble forced Rich to flee to the family cabin? Brought men to this neck of the Siskiyou Mountains in order to kill him? And yeah, Zach concurred with Olivia’s assessment that the men who’d shot at Zach and Olivia had been after Rich, too, but Zach hadn’t said that out loud.

As a former detective, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions, even when they appeared obvious. He couldn’t begin to presume what kind of trouble Rich had brought with him to Olivia’s door. To be fair, Rich hadn’t known he would find his sister here, any more than Zach had.

That didn’t prevent Zach’s rising fury with Rich for involving Olivia, even though Zach had brought trouble to his own sister.

Trouble that had cost her life.

He couldn’t stand by and watch the same happen to Olivia.

As if sensing his tumultuous thoughts, she shifted against him, trying to get comfortable, then finally turned her back to him and leaned against his shoulder. His insides ached with her nearness.

Sweet Olivia. How did he keep her safe?

God, I need Your help.

That’s what Rich would want from him now—to protect his sister. They weren’t going anywhere in this storm, especially with nightfall fast approaching. The only thing left to do involved wrapping his arms around her as they sat in the cave and tried to stay warm without a fire. But Olivia wouldn’t have that, and frankly, he didn’t want it either. He’d said they should leave the past behind them.

Right. He still felt the sting of her rejection as if it had happened yesterday.

What was the matter with him?

Memories, that’s what. This close to the woman he used to love and his mind flashed right back as if ten years had never passed. Except...well, the pain of his hurt surged all over again.

He’d had to follow his calling. His lot in life. He’d had to become a police officer and work his way up to detective like his father and grandfather before him. That was in his blood. Olivia knew that. He couldn’t understand why she would give him up because he had to follow his dream. Her father had been an officer, as well, God rest his soul. She hadn’t loved Zach enough to let him be who he was supposed to be.

In an ironic twist, he’d given it all up anyway a year ago. The cost of following his dream had been too high. First, his decision to join the police force had cost him Olivia, and then his subsequent failure had been like a domino effect. Had he succeeded in protecting his sister, Sarah, she would still be alive and Rich would be married to her. Maybe Olivia and Rich’s mother would still be alive.

He groaned, hating where this night in the cave with the wind howling like an underscore to his past tragedies drove him. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind. When he opened them again, he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

“Zach?” Olivia whispered next to him. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s dark in here.”

And cold.

She hadn’t said the words but he figured she didn’t want to admit she needed anything like, say, warmth.

“You’re not scared of the dark, are you?” Zach grinned to himself. In the dark. Olivia would never admit she was scared either.

“Of course not. It’s just unnerving. I thought I heard something scurrying around in here. You don’t think there’s a rodent or a raccoon or any number of other possible creatures sharing the cave with us, do you?”

“It’s hard to say but I don’t have a flashlight or a match, so we’ll just have to tough it out.” And, since he remained cold as well, and knew she would never admit she needed his warmth again, he wrapped his arm around her and drew her in close.

She didn’t resist.

There. That would keep them both warmer. Now only one thing remained. Waiting. They would wait for the storm to go and wait for morning to come. Seemed like there was a Bible verse on that theme that he’d learned somewhere in Sunday school class. The thought caught him by surprise.

Zachary hadn’t prayed in far too long. Maybe he’d been mad at God for everything he’d lost, but he tried not to think about it. Just ignored that aspect of his life, but now, here alone in the blackest darkness he’d ever experienced, just him and Olivia in this cave where the wind would probably howl all night, sitting close to one of his biggest hurts, biggest regrets, he thought maybe God was trying to get his attention.

“It’s going to be all right, Olivia. We’re going to make it through.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to say the words, but maybe it had a whole lot to do with wanting to sound off something positive to combat the doleful cry of the wind in the cave.

She scooted closer to him and shivered. He held her tight until her breathing shifted to a steady slow rhythm that told him she’d finally fallen asleep. Then he let himself drift, too. He didn’t know what they would face tomorrow and he didn’t want to borrow trouble, but he needed to rest. Needed his strength.

Except the worst of dreams accosted his restless sleep.

“Detective Long. You recognize my voice?”

“Jimmy Delaney.” The man had gotten out of prison a week ago. What did he want? Why was he calling?

Fear clawed through Zach.

“That’s right. I have someone here with me you might miss.”

“Zach?” Sarah’s voice rasped, then she sobbed. “Zach...” A scream broke through.

“What do you want?” Zach let all the anger he possessed pour through the phone connection. He would kill Jimmy Delaney when he got his hands on him.

“You. Just you.”

Then gunfire split his eardrums.

A sound stirred Zach awake and he bolted to his feet, rousing Olivia, too. “What was that?”

“What?” She glanced up, sleep clinging to her eyes.

“I heard something.”

He grabbed his weapon, his palm still slick from the recurring nightmare that always hit him at his lowest. Of course he would relive that day, that bad dream, here in this cave under these circumstances.

He shook it away and waited, listening and watching the entrance.

The storm had stopped. Morning light spilled through the opening.

Had it brought the men who wanted to kill them?

A rifle shot rang out somewhere in the woods near them, echoing through the cave.

FOUR

Gunfire jolted Olivia fully awake. She attempted to stand, but her body, stiff from sitting on the hard ground in a cold cave all night, refused to cooperate. Zach assisted her to her feet before she could protest.

“Thank you.” She rubbed her arms to get the blood going and noted his attention on the more urgent matters outside the cave entrance. Had they been discovered?

She’d much prefer coffee to the fear curdling in her stomach. “What are we going to do?”

Zach edged to the cave opening, staying in the shadows created by the rays of light spilling in. So focused on his task, Olivia wasn’t sure he’d even heard her question.

Then, finally, “First I’m going to check around outside and see if it’s safe.”

“And?”

“Then we’re getting out of here.”

“And what if it’s not safe? What if those men are out there? And what about Rich? We have to find him, or at least, if you’re not willing, then I have to find him.” Oh, why had she said that? But she needed to make him understand.

He turned to look at her then. Under the cold intensity of his ice-blue eyes, she was hard pressed not to look away, but she held his gaze.

“One thing at a time,” he said. “Besides, I don’t think the gunfire we heard was meant for us. That was a rifle. Not a semiautomatic like the shooters used. Like mine.”

Olivia closed the distance then. Approaching Zach, she stood just behind him and peered outside into the winter wonderland. Standing this close, she could once again feel the heat emanating from him. Olivia felt chilled to the bone and wished she could have his arms around her again. Finding the thought surprisingly much too comfortable, she took a step back. She couldn’t let herself grow attached to him again. He’d just leave her to return to his job with the Portland PD.

She focused her thoughts on their predicament. Then whom had it been meant for? Rich? Her heart pounded too hard for this early in the morning, but she was worried for her brother. She hadn’t gotten him back only to lose him again. And once they found him—and they would find him, she wouldn’t think otherwise—she would never again let time and distance separate them. She’d keep in touch.

Pain burned behind her eyes. She had to stop thinking about Rich.

The gunfire hadn’t been about him. Could it have been hunters? Olivia thought of the poachers she’d seen in the region killing deer out of season, and how furious she’d been. She’d reported them to the local game warden, but they had never been caught.

Zach tensed and stepped from the shadows and into the light, his form now silhouetted in the cave entrance.

“Stay here.” He didn’t bother glancing back to see if she agreed, but stepped from the cave, expecting her to follow orders. Simple as that.

She ground her molars.

Then exhaled.

Her reaction to his instructions hadn’t been fair to him. He’d only been trying to protect her. It was in his blood. Olivia should appreciate his protective nature. She should give him a break and be grateful, as well.

Crossing her arms, she waited.

And waited.

After twenty minutes, Olivia wasn’t waiting anymore.

She crept from the cave, the gray light blinding her for a moment as she hugged the wall. She knew her way around, but wasn’t certain about Zach. Inching along the rock wall that led out of the hidden entrance, Olivia pushed back her concern that something had happened to him. He was skilled and trained to handle criminals. He knew what he was doing.

Finally, she came to the place where she’d have to climb down over the snow-covered boulders. But she spotted Zach’s path cutting into the thick white layers and followed his trail down as gusts of wind tossed snow around her. She tugged the hood of her jacket tight around her face.

Come on, Zach. Where are you?

She hadn’t realized his searching the area meant disappearing for this long. At the bottom of the boulders, she hopped to the ground and sank to her waist. Great. She followed his more than obvious plow through the depths of white and then she spotted him. Hidden behind a thick fallen tree trunk that was almost unrecognizable after the storm, he peered out into the quiet forest, cold gusts making the white-frosted trees clack together and drop loads of snow.

She crept in close and, just as she reached forward to touch him, he whirled on her with his weapon aimed point-blank.

Olivia lifted her hands in surrender. “It’s me.”

Dropping his shoulders, he released an exaggerated breath and lowered his weapon. Eyes blazing, his gaze turned on her. “What were you thinking? I told you to stay in the cave.”

Olivia moved next to him behind the trunk. “I’m not much for following orders.”

He didn’t answer for the longest time, so she risked a glance and caught him studying her. When she looked at him, that half grin cracked his face. And her heart skipped a little. Oh, no, not that. Please not that. How could his smile do that to her after a decade? She’d once thought her reaction to him had been the fluttering of a young woman’s heart, but apparently her age and experience had nothing at all to do with it.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

He dropped the grin and turned serious. “No reason that matters.” Zach nodded, gesturing toward the woods. “There are a couple of guys out there.”

“You think it’s the shooters?”

“Could be. Or maybe it’s someone else. I was waiting and watching, trying to decide.”

She dragged in a breath. “Poachers, maybe it’s my poachers.”

“Your poachers?”

“Just a couple of men I’ve seen hunting the last two winters during the off-season. There was a sweet doe I’d see hanging around the woods near the house. She got to where she wasn’t even afraid of me. I think the men killed her. I’d seen them out there in the area one day, and the next day she never came back. Makes me so mad. I’ve been hoping to take them down.”

“I’m sorry about your doe.”

“She wasn’t my pet. That’s not legal for one thing. And the other thing, it wouldn’t have been best for her.” Olivia thought of the doe’s soft brown eyes when she’d lift her head and catch Olivia outside. The doe would stare at her for a few moments then go back to foraging. Olivia hoped it wasn’t the doe’s lack of fear of humans that had gotten her killed. “It was like...we had an understanding.”

The half grin again, this time revealing his dimple. “I have no doubt that you’ll succeed in getting your poachers. Surprised you haven’t already.”

She wasn’t sure how to take that. Had he meant it as a compliment or was there a hidden meaning behind his words? “Thanks for the vote of confidence...I think.”

“I meant that as a compliment, Olivia. You were always the nurturing type. Glad to see that hasn’t changed.”

Now, don’t go complimenting me, please. I don’t want to like you, at least not in the same way I once did.

Then she saw the men between the trees, heading in the opposite direction—one of them carrying a smallish deer—a doe?—over his shoulders. Now she understood what that gunfire had been about. They had illegally killed a deer. The two men wore the same hunter’s garb she’d seen them in before. One wore a bright orange beanie, and the other a camo face mask. “It’s my poachers!”

And this time, she had Zach with her. He was an officer of the law. He could do something. The hardest part about stopping them was catching them in the act. That was what the game warden had said. In the act or holding the illegally killed animal for evidence.

“Hey!” She ran out from behind the boulder after them. “Hey, you!”

* * *

This was a bad idea. Probably why she hadn’t bothered to ask Zach his opinion. She knew what he would’ve said. And now he had to expose himself to run after Olivia. She’d given them both away. “Come back!”

But it was too late. Still, poachers weren’t usually murderers, too. They’d get slapped with a fine, if that. Poaching wasn’t a capital crime.

She expected him to confront the hunters, but she didn’t know he was no longer a police officer, wasn’t carrying a badge, though even if he were, he’d be operating outside of his jurisdiction. Still, in Oregon the law would simply require him to obtain authorization, when practical, after the fact.

That is, if he were still a law enforcement officer.

Olivia wanted him to use the force of the law behind his badge and arrest these men carrying hunting rifles and an illegal kill. She’d always been passionate about animals, about wildlife. And with her sad story of the doe she loved, poachers beware.

Reluctantly, he trailed after her. With what they had faced, he wasn’t in the mood for a confrontation of this nature. Yet somehow he found himself wanting to do something to please her, to make her happy. Hence, he’d talk to these hunters. See what was what and do what he could.

Add to that, if they hiked out of here with these two men, maybe there would be safety in numbers. They had to make it to Gideon. Even if the men weren’t willing to accompany them, Zach owed them a warning about the two dangerous men. They should leave these woods and stay clear for a few days, at least.

The two men had stopped and, instead of running away to make an escape, were waiting for their approach.

Realization slowly dawned. It washed over him along with dread. Too late, he saw his mistake. These men were not her poachers. Olivia hiked ahead of him, but the snow slowed her down. Zach used the tracks she’d made to run for her. One of the men cracked a wicked smile.