Targeted For Murder
“I thought you should know it’ll be a while before anyone shows up to check on the guy who went into the river.”
Her face scrunched up. “So you did call the sheriff.”
“I tried. But deputies run thin around here.” He wouldn’t go into population to square mileage.
“Thanks, but you’re not helping. Why did you come again? To hold me for the law?”
Cooper wanted to kick himself. “Just trying to do the right thing.”
“You mean you were trying to cover yourself.”
“And you. But hey, I don’t even know your name.”
“Megan Spears from Iowa.”
Cooper frowned. Scratched his head. Megan Spears from Iowa? Right. After refusing to tell him anything earlier, she was suddenly willing to share her full name and where she was from? Unlikely. It had to be a false identity. But it was better than just calling her “the woman” in his head. “It’s nice to meet you, Megan Spears from Iowa.”
Megan Spears from Iowa sagged, probably just realizing her faux paus.
“So you don’t want to give me your real name. It’s okay.”
What am I getting myself into? I don’t have anything left to give, especially to help a girl in this much trouble.
“I need to disappear and yesterday.” Her words were strong, but they belied her appearance—scratched, bleeding and exhausted.
She tried to push past him.
“Wait,” he said. “I can help. I teach survival training. I have a military background. Just...let me help you.”
Hadley shrank if only a millimeter. “I’m listening.”
A half grin cracked into her lips. But why was she staring? “What?”
“You have a gash on your forehead. You’re bloody and bruised and you don’t even care. I saw how you fought. I think... I think I could believe your background.”
So she had trust issues, huh? Well, with trained killers after her, he could hardly blame her. Cooper had just offered her the first real chance to believe someone in a while, it would seem.
Cooper offered his own half grin. Except his smile wiped away the moment.
Her lips flattened. “It makes no difference. I need to leave.”
“Do you know where you’re going next? Where to hide?”
“It’s none of your business.” This time Megan pushed by him and he let her.
The sun was setting and the air grew chilled. “If you need to hide, I can help you. Don’t you get it?”
She whirled on him. “Why would you help me? You don’t even know me.”
He’d been asking himself that same question, and wondering if he even still had what it took to deal with this kind of life-and-death situation, that is, after failing so miserably. “I’ve trained my whole life to help people. It’s what I do. My business is about training people to survive. So I recognize when someone is desperate and needs help. I can’t turn my back on you. I won’t.”
His reasons went deeper, much deeper, he suddenly realized. He hadn’t seen how desperate his brother was until it was too late and he’d taken that suicide plunge. That had shaken Cooper’s confidence to the core. Even his father had blamed him. Hadley was desperate for far different reasons—he could see that and had no excuse this time. Without Cooper’s help she would die.
Now, how did he convince her to let him help?
“The kind of survival assistance I need goes far beyond what you train people for.”
“How do you know?”
She cocked a brow.
“And you’re up to the task?” he asked.
She turned her back on him and started for the old Jeep Wrangler soft top.
Cooper followed. He’d been on foot all day and had found his way here, trailing her from a distance.
How did he convince her? “How about just for the night? Just so you have time to think and rest. You can stay at the apartment above the storefront for Wilderness, Inc., in Gideon.”
“Whose apartment is it?”
He’d be embarrassed to admit it was his, once she saw it, but she’d figure it out soon enough. He’d have to be up-front with her from the start. One small white lie and she would run. “Mine. I’ll sleep in the office downstairs until you figure out your next step.”
“How do I know you’re not trying to keep me here until the sheriff comes?”
Another good question. That hadn’t been his intention.
“You want to know if the man is dead, don’t you? Getting the sheriff involved will mean people searching for a body down the river.” That was the wrong thing to say—she wanted fewer people involved, not more. “He doesn’t have to know about you. I’ll tell him I saw a woman getting attacked, I fought with a man and the woman disappeared. That’s all.”
“So you want to do the right thing and call the sheriff but you’re not going to tell him the whole truth?”
“I will tell him, but not until I know you’re safe.” What are you getting yourself into, Cooper Wilde?
But he knew the sheriff would understand after he told him everything. This woman could be dead by the morning if he didn’t find a way to help her tonight.
“I’m sorry, but my fa— I can’t trust anyone. Not even the police.”
“You’re not from here, so there’s no reason to believe the sheriff is connected to any of the people after you, right?”
“No, but he might tell other people. I don’t want any information about me to get out.”
“He won’t—not if I ask him not to.”
She looked skeptical. “How well do you know this sheriff?”
“I’ve known him for years.”
“And you trust him?”
Did he? But Cooper hesitated too long and she huffed her way past him and climbed into her old clunker.
Helping someone survive had never been this grueling.
FOUR
Hadley jammed the key in the ignition.
Cooper didn’t follow her. He’d let her go. For that, she was grateful. So why did disappointment swirl around inside?
She couldn’t have another death on her conscience. She’d have to keep her distance from everyone until this was over. If it ever was.
Except how could she really do this all on her own?
She needed someone to help, but it was too risky to trust anyone, on all fronts.
The engine turned over once. Twice. Then died. She tried again. Good thing she wasn’t running from an assassin at this moment. Why had she bought such an old vehicle? With the cash in her bag, she could have bought something new and sturdy.
She was aware of Cooper watching her in the waning light of day, hands on his hips. Why didn’t he just go away? He had no idea. No. Idea. What he’d be getting into if he stayed.
She squeezed the steering wheel, frustration building in her chest. She couldn’t accept his offer of help.
Could she?
Exhaustion overwhelmed her. She eyed the cabin with longing—but there was no way she could spend the night there.
How had that man found her? He’d said someone else would come after her. Even if she ran, would they find her next hiding place just as easily? If she didn’t figure out this most basic problem of how to cover her tracks—and soon—she was dead.
Cooper knocked on the window.
She jumped. Too tired to stay alert, she hadn’t realized he’d approached the Jeep. Her inattention could have been deadly.
He stared down at her, waiting. The vehicle was so old, she had to physically roll down the window. It squeaked with each crank of the handle.
He folded his arms against the window frame and leaned in, too close for comfort. An image of him fighting the assassin—like some fine-tuned war machine—accosted her. Something about him, something feral in his presence, made her insides hum. Would it be so wrong to rely on him a little? She didn’t have to trust him with everything...well, just her life.
Trust no one.
But her father hadn’t met Cooper Wilde when he’d said the words. Could he have known she’d be tracked into the heart of the wilderness? He’d given her no instructions on how, exactly, to stay hidden. All she had in her toolbox were implements to help her disappear.
And now, this one guy...
In a way, Cooper was the missing piece in her backpack. He was a weapon. And from what she’d seen so far, he appeared to be the most capable person she’d ever met.
“You’re risking your life by sticking around.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
She averted her gaze. “Don’t you get it?”
When she looked back at him, he proffered that crazy grin. He had some charm about him, but she didn’t think that was his intention. He came across as more of a warrior.
“Okay, if you’re going to stick around—” was she really saying this? “—then you should know what you’re getting into.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
Hadley climbed out. Cooper slid into the driver’s seat.
“What are you doing?”
“Let’s get out of here and you can tell me while I drive.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Anywhere would be safer than this cabin.”
Hadley ran around and climbed into the passenger seat. “Can you get it started?”
He turned the key. Kept trying until the engine turned over. Then smiled at her. “I have the right touch.”
“You just tried longer than I did, that’s all.”
“Like I said. The right touch.”
Shifting into gear, he steered the Jeep onto what barely counted as a road. Hadley felt like she was handing her life over to a complete stranger. She held on to the handgrip, feeling the strain of the geriatric vehicle as it bumped and jolted over the potholes and through the darkening forest.
“I’m listening.”
“What?”
“You were going to tell me what I’m getting into.”
She sat for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts and figure out where to begin. He seemed to take her hesitation for reluctance, because he said, “Megan Spears from Iowa... I promise, you’re safe with me. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Okay, well for starters, my real name is...” Should she do it? Should she jump in with both feet? But Hadley needed to tell someone. “My name is Hadley Mason.”
He glanced at her intermittently, but then focused back on the hazardous road out. Her cabin hadn’t been too far from the nearest town and soon enough, they saw the lights flickering between the trees, dotting the forest like stars in the sky.
Gideon, Oregon—a quiet, remote historical town smack in the middle of the Wild Rogue Wilderness.
Cooper urged the old Jeep into the shadows behind a two-story home near the center of the tiny town. He turned off the ignition, then shifted in the seat to give her his full attention.
Oh, boy.
“What are you doing? Why are we...parked in the shadows?”
“This is the back of my business. The house is both storefront and home.” He gestured to the second story. “That’s the apartment, should you choose to stay. I’m parked in the shadows so nobody will see or bother us. I didn’t want to assume, though, that you had agreed to stay. I’m still waiting to hear your story.”
“Yeah, and after you hear it I’m waiting to have that invitation withdrawn.”
“Not likely.”
Hadley drew in a breath and spilled everything that had happened this morning. She shared about the passport but stopped just short of telling him about all the cash in her backpack. Money changed people. And if he chose to steal from her, what recourse did she have? He knew she didn’t want to go to the police.
The events of her day seemed like a lifetime ago but it hadn’t been twelve hours. The words made her sound crazy.
“And now, here I am. With you. But you don’t have to be involved. You can let me walk away.”
Hadley waited for him to respond.
But Cooper Wilde just stared at her.
Right. Why had she hoped he wouldn’t think she was as crazy as she sounded? Oh, yeah, because he’d fought with her assassin. He had some evidence she spoke the truth.
“Are you going to say anything?”
He blew out a long pent-up breath he’d obviously held through her entire story.
* * *
Cooper scraped a hand over his face. Again. At the look on her face, he realized his action hadn’t exactly conveyed confidence. He was doing a poor job of reassuring her. She’d run if he didn’t respond right away and with the correct answer. But he had no idea what to say. How to respond.
That was one wild story.
So he just said, “Give me a second to think. That was...a lot.”
Still, he knew she had to be telling the truth.
“You don’t believe me.”
“I do, actually.” And wished he didn’t. “Remember, I fought with the guy trying to kill you.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to believe the rest of the story.”
“No, but it sounds right. He wasn’t the typical thug one would run into around here.” Or anywhere else. Nor was he a backwoods drug runner. Clearly she was involved in something high level. The only thing that wasn’t certain was whether she was lying about being an innocent victim—but his gut told him she was telling the truth.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye.” She opened her door and stepped out.
“Wait a minute.” Cooper jumped out and ran around the vehicle. Stepping in her path, he held out his hands like he tried to calm a skittish mare. “Where are you going to go? You can’t run from this on your own.”
“What do you suggest I do? Wait for the sheriff? This is above his pay grade.” Hadley started pacing, the dim light from his apartment above lighting her path. “I didn’t ask for any of this.” She stopped and stared at him. “And neither did you.”
Her curly, strawberry-blond hair askew, weary didn’t begin to describe her. She appeared fragile and yet he’d seen her combat skills firsthand. Knew she was physically strong. Believed there had to be something strong inside, too, that had kept her alive. She’d said her father had taught her the skills. He must have suspected this day might come. What had he done that resulted in this happening to his daughter?
“I’m sorry about your father,” he said. “He obviously loved you. Wanted you to be safe.”
She hung her head. “Thanks.”
“What do you do for living, Hadley?”
“Why does that matter?”
“I’m forming a plan. Just work with me.”
“I’m an artist—a painter. I have a following on Etsy that pays the bills. I’m slowly building my career with exhibitions in small galleries and museums and a few commissioned pieces. But this coming Friday I have an exhibit that will propel me onto the national scene. I’m making my big debut, you could say. Or I was, until all this happened.”
An artist? He hadn’t expected that. The news left him unsettled. Disturbed.
Cooper squeezed his eyes closed, remembering. His brother Jeremy had been an artist before he committed suicide. Cooper caught himself. Now wasn’t the time to relive the horror or wallow in the guilt. He focused back on Hadley.
Were those tears shimmering in her eyes? She blinked them away. Back at the cabin, before daylight had faded, he’d noticed the greens and golds swirling in her irises.
Cooper had to stay on task.
If only something about Hadley and her situation didn’t tug at his heart, tipping it a little bit in her favor. He gently pushed the feeling back. He was nowhere near ready to let himself care about someone. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t help a person in trouble, especially this kind of inescapable deadly trouble.
He was all over making sure she stayed safe. Who was Cooper Wilde if he couldn’t protect someone in her position? His business, Wilderness, Inc., would mean nothing.
“I was thinking you could stay in the apartment. Work in the back office, if you want. Was hoping you’d say you were a bookkeeper.” He tossed her an apologetic shrug. “That would keep you safe and out of sight until we can form a plan.”
Find the source of this contract and end it for good.
“You’d want me to stay long enough to work here? That’s crazy. Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said? I can’t stick around here when someone’s after me. What if something happens to you because of me? I can’t be responsible.”
“Let me worry about myself.” Cooper was all for justice. Unfortunately he wasn’t sure Hadley was going to get it the usual way. There was no one else he could trust with her safety, not even the authorities.
He thought back to her story about the official-looking man who burst through the door of her apartment, weapon drawn, before the police even arrived. Then how she’d seen him speaking with the police when she left, confirming to Hadley the man worked in some official capacity. But the fact that he’d mumbled to himself about taking care of loose ends raised the hairs on Cooper’s neck.
No wonder she was scared to trust anyone, even the police. And if the CIA was involved, all bets were off.
She watched him now, waiting on him to lead on if he meant his invitation. The night closed in around them, and Hadley shivered. What kind of guy was he to keep her out here waiting? And what kind of guy was he if he didn’t use every resource he had to help her?
“I have connections. Someone who can help me find out who is after you.” Someone he didn’t want to contact. He’d wait until there was no other choice.
Hadley studied him.
First things first. “Let me show you the apartment. You can crash there, and make a decision in the morning, if you’re not ready tonight.”
She sagged. “Honestly, I can’t think straight. I haven’t eaten. I’ve been running all day. I’m fried.”
Cooper didn’t want to say he was counting on that. “Let me show you my humble abode.”
He grabbed her backpack from the Jeep, locked it up—as if that mattered much—and together they hiked the outside stairs up to the apartment. He shoved the door open. It hadn’t been locked. He’d never had a need to lock the door.
Until today.
She eyed him before walking into his apartment. He’d left a light on in the corner. Hadley stood in the middle of the small efficiency apartment and looked around.
“It’s not much,” Cooper said apologetically.
Her gaze landed on a painting of old-town Gideon, then drifted back to him. “Thank you,” she barely croaked out.
Cooper had the sudden urge to reach out and grab her, draw her to him. Hold and comfort her. He fisted his hands against the unwelcome emotions, preventing them from acting out his desires.
No. No, no. He wouldn’t let her crawl under his skin. He was just doing his job as a good person. One who knew something of the world. “You’re welcome. The shower and bath are through there. I’ll see if I can find something for you to eat, and then I’ll crash in the office downstairs.”
“My father told me not to trust anyone, Cooper. Anyone. And here... I’m letting myself trust you.”
He swallowed the knot in his throat. Determination filled him to see this through with her. To the end. He was nothing if not committed to his missions, if not loyal to his assignments. He might try to think of Hadley as just an assignment, but she was much more. She was a person who mattered. A beautiful woman who had fought an assassin and survived. And Cooper would listen to the alarms resounding in his brain and stop his heart from connecting, nip this attraction before it started. Keeping her safe was what mattered. He could do that and keep his heart in line at the same time because he had the training.
De opresso liber.
Liberator of the oppressed was the Green Beret motto. Never mind he hadn’t been able to save his brother from his internal torments.
“I’m not just anyone. You can count on me to do my best to help you, Hadley.”
That seemed to satisfy her. She grabbed her backpack along with another small bag, then closed the door to the bedroom. Cooper brushed off the faint stirrings in his heart and searched his refrigerator, scolding himself for not keeping it reasonably stocked. Eggs. That was all he had. It would have to do.
While he whipped up scrambled eggs, minus butter or bacon on the side, he considered all his options.
God, how do I keep her safe? How do I stop this contract out on her?
First thing he should do starting tomorrow was give her a few wilderness survival pointers, in case she really had to disappear on her own. In case the worst happened and Cooper was taken out. He couldn’t discount that possibility.
Then there was the fact that even if that bad guy was dead, another would come after her. The next attempt on her life might be the last if they succeeded. The new guy might not be interested in playing first.
So Cooper needed to keep her good and hidden.
And he needed to warn the others around him, his family and employees, to keep an eye out for anyone who acted suspicious.
He finished the eggs and dumped them on a plate and set it with a fork on the small table. Poured a glass of water. Grabbed the salt-and-pepper shaker and searched for a paper towel. A napkin. Something to show her he was civilized.
The fixings were slim around here. If he were looking to impress her, he was sure to fail. Good thing he wasn’t looking.
A knock came at his door.
That would be either Deputy Callahan or...
Someone to kill Hadley.
FIVE
A hot shower had never felt so good. Too bad she couldn’t stay there forever. When she was done cleaning up, Hadley dug in the bag for the few extra items of clothing she’d bought and found something to wear. She changed into a clean T-shirt and pulled on sweats, which she’d sleep in tonight. She tugged a hoodie over towel-dried hair, her bruised muscles and sore body aching with the effort.
Too bad the shower hadn’t washed away the treachery of the day. Today had been the worst day of her life, and it seemed there was no end in sight. How would Hadley know when it was over? How could she find out about the contract on her life?
Was she wrong to take Cooper up on his offer? Was she too naive to see that she couldn’t trust him? And even if she could trust him, she had to remember that she was putting him in danger and he could die, too, because of her.
Her thoughts shifted away from her plight when her stomach rumbled at the aroma of eggs, and her heart melted, just a little, at the idea of Cooper cooking for her—taking care of her. She opened the door and walked into the small kitchenette to see the plate of food set out for her. Water, utensils and a napkin. But no Cooper? The chair scraped when she tugged it from the table to sit. The food would get cold if she didn’t eat it. Cooper had more to take care of than her, so she wouldn’t worry about him.
Hunger overtook her. Hadley ate the eggs and could have easily licked the plate but she remembered her manners, even though she was alone. She finished off the water and went to the kitchen to get more.
Images flashed from her terrifying ordeal. A shudder ran over her. She was alone in this apartment. She didn’t even know who this guy was. Not really. But she’d made up her mind that she had to take shelter here at least for the night.
If only it weren’t so eerie and quiet. Hadley had never lived in fear before. Didn’t want to now, but she had no control over her trembling hands. Her spiking pulse.
Was she having some sort of PTSD episode? After what she’d been through, she wouldn’t be surprised. She didn’t want Cooper to see her like this.
Where had he gone? Hadley decided he must have gone down to his office to sleep. She locked the dead bolt on the door that led out back, surprised he hadn’t done that for her when he’d left. The door that opened up this apartment to the rest of the house only had a privacy lock on the knob. Anyone could open this with a kitchen utensil. She would have appreciated if he’d at least told her he was leaving for the night.
Guilt suffused her. Who was she to run this guy out of his apartment? To mess up his life?
God, I don’t know what else to do.
Cooper had been a lifesaver for her today—literally—and she shouldn’t be ungrateful. But she had no real way to show her gratitude. If anything, just being around him was punishing him by putting him at risk.