Sun Storm (The Gathering Storm Book 1) Read online

  “Sounds good.” The hairs on the back of his neck rose, reminding him the airport, a place where Portman’s men were bound to check, was risky. But what else could he do? She’d made her decision. He wasn’t capable of doing what it took to keep her alive. He was a shell of a man who couldn’t trust his own decisions, and he didn’t want to be responsible for her survival. Besides, this was what she wanted—to be free of him. He would put her on a plane and send her to her father. All he needed to do was ignore his unease and forget about her pretty brown eyes.

  He had sixty dollars in his wallet. Once he left her at security, he’d call Finn and then get away from the airport as fast as possible. He’d dump his truck, change his appearance, hitch a ride west, and hide out in the mountains for a while. They were in a flight or fight situation, and his only option was to run. “Take my advice and lay low until you can figure out what’s going on.”

  She nodded.

  He winced when the check-in machine scanned her ID as she changed her return ticket. Then it spat out a boarding pass. If PDE employed a competent hacker, they would know she’d been here. Come to think of it, they didn’t need a hacker. They had the police.

  He tried to drink in every detail. Hiding her curves was her black, down-filled coat zipped up to her neck. Her legs, clad in pink long johns, were stuffed into thermal boots. She was probably still wearing his socks. He liked that idea. He wanted her to have a reminder of him, even if it was just an old pair of socks.

  The lineup for security stretched for two hundred yards. She took a step toward the end of the line. He put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I just want to check…” He scanned the area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. People from all walks of life filed into the line. There was a mix of business types, tourists, and families. A little girl wearing a tiara informed the security personnel she was going to see a princess. There was nothing threatening or out of the ordinary as far as he could tell. His stomach lurched at the idea of her going on without his protection. He inhaled. They had just come from PDE headquarters. There was no way Portman could have tracked them down in such a short time. If she left now, she should be safe.

  He turned her toward him as he tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear, enjoying the soft texture on his fingertips. He stared at her mouth and then brushed his lips against hers. He straightened, shocked by his actions. “Stay safe.”

  He walked away before he could do something stupid like give her a real kiss.

  Chapter Nine

  Marie stared at David’s retreating back and then touched her lips. It had been a chaste kiss, the kind a relative might impart. And yet, she felt it deep in her core, and her body wanted more. And that was the problem. His nearness caused an erotic reaction that made it hard for her to think. An unerring sense of loss told her she’d allowed something important to get away, which was madness.

  As she moved with the queue, her mind flashed to him checking her toes for frostbite. His touch had been so gentle. Under all that hair, she suspected there was a handsome man with a strong, rugged physique.

  He was argumentative and confrontational. She had to let him go and put this whole ordeal behind her. She inched forward, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. There was only one scanner in operation, and six passengers waiting to be patted down and searched by hand. She shouldn’t be surprised by the delay. Small airports like Granite City probably didn’t have the budget for the efficient full-body scanners she’d seen in SeaTac.

  She scrutinized the procession of people going through the scanner and collecting their belongings from the conveyor on the other side of the x-ray machine. An elderly couple helped each other. The wife grabbed her husband’s belt and shoes, while he hefted their carry-on luggage. Having set off the metal detector, a young woman took off her cowboy boots and walked through it a second time.

  A man caught her eye. He stood in the lineup three people ahead of her. He seemed familiar, which was strange because she didn’t know anyone in Granite City. She scrutinized his broad back and short-cropped dark hair. He turned, stared straight at her, and smiled. Her heart stopped, and a scream lodged in her throat. It was one of the twins from the cabin.

  She took a step back, trying to put some distance between them, but the person behind pushed against her backpack, moving her forward. She recoiled at the acrid smell of body odor that stung her nose.

  At that moment, the security personnel opened another scanner. People dashed from her lineup, desperate to be the first to go through the newly opened lane. She whirled around, ready to make her exit, and found herself staring into the face of the other twin—the one with the white, jagged scar across his chin.

  “Hello pretty lady. Imagine meeting you here.” He gripped her arm. “We’re going to walk out of here, nice and slow. You don’t want me to use my knife, do you?”

  He hauled her out of the line-up. She glanced behind. The first twin was working his way back through the crowd. Once he joined them, she would have no chance to escape.

  Strong fingers dug into her elbow, catching the nerve that ran to her shoulder, making her wince. He leant close to her ear. “Don’t make a fuss.”

  A cold trickle of fear crept down her spine as her vision blurred. She had to think. Don’t make a fuss. The words echoed through her mind. That was it. There were people here. If they didn’t want her to make noise, then that was exactly what she should do.

  “Help.” But what she hoped would be a loud roar sounded more like a dull croak. No one looked at her or offered her help. The other passengers continued going about their business. The security personnel didn’t spare her a glance. She was being taken under their very noses, and no one noticed. The second twin was ten feet away. Soon it would be too late.

  She couldn’t let them drag her out of the airport. Once they had her alone, they would do terrible things to her. She swung her backpack as hard as she could, aiming for the twin’s stomach. He bent forward, absorbing the blow. Then she stomped on his instep. He yelped and released her arm.

  “David,” she screamed, and then ran.

  ****

  David stood on the sidewalk, staring at the terminal building. He needed to leave. There were cameras everywhere. If Marshall owned the police, then he had access to the cameras. Get in the truck and go.

  He would feel better if he could talk to Finn. He wanted to hand himself over to the FBI and let them deal with it, but Finn’s line had been busy so he’d left a message.

  He pictured Marie with her pretty dark eyes and messy hair. He should’ve obtained a gate pass and made sure she made it to the plane in one piece. Hell, he ought to have purchased a ticket and accompanied her on the flight. Then he would know she was safe instead of standing here, wondering.

  He groaned. He was a burnout who was no good to anybody. Shaking his head, he headed back into the building. Maybe he could still catch the flight.

  He turned to his left at the sound of a high-pitched scream. His heart slammed against his ribcage—Marie.

  Alex Paxton was tearing after her. “Come back, you bitch.”

  Her unseeing eyes were wild with fear as she ran down the escalator toward him and sprinted past. Alex didn’t even make eye contact with him. His whole focus seemed to be on his target. Unbelievable. He could understand Marie not seeing him. She was a civilian with no training, but he’d been told the twins were ex-military.

  David didn’t stop Marie, but when Alex reached the bottom of the escalator, David whirled around, aiming a kick at Alex’s head. The twin’s upper body stopped, while his legs kept going. He slammed to the ground, landing on his back, gasping for air.

  Shane dashed down the escalator steps, coming to his brother’s aide. His small beady eyes took in the situation in a glance. As he reached the bottom, his hand went for his sidearm.

  David kicked him in the stomach so he couldn’t draw his weapon. Then before the twin could
recover, David grabbed his arm, straightened the elbow, and twisted until he heard a snap. As Shane collapsed, screaming in pain, David relieved the twins of their weapons and tossed them in a nearby garbage can.

  He glanced at Alex, who was still lying on the ground. The twin clutched his head. David knew a kick to the face could do a lot of damage to the soft tissue of the neck, and he doubted the twin would be able to threaten anyone for a while.

  Marie ran through the exit a hundred yards ahead. He chased after her and caught up to her in the middle of the one-way street that ran in front of the terminal building. He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. She swung her bag, aiming for his head. He managed to deflect the blow with his elbow. She stopped, stared at him for a moment before recognition registered in her gaze. A small cry escaped her throat, and she threw her arms around him, pressing her soft body to his. He reciprocated, holding her close. God, it was good to see her again. From now on, he was keeping her by his side. He’d keep her safe even if it killed him.

  “Time to go, sweetheart.” He tugged her to the side of the road and flagged down a passing taxi.

  “Where to?” The driver asked.

  “Granite City.”

  The driver nodded and stepped on the gas.

  As the car pulled away, David saw Alex through the glass windows. He was helping his injured brother. Shane’s face was pale and distorted with pain as he cradled his broken arm. They didn’t look happy.

  Chapter Ten

  A blast of warm air welcomed Marie as she trudged through the sliding glass door of the truck stop. It was a large gas station. The entrance led them into a central hallway with a convenience store on the left and a diner to the right. She headed for the coffee counter near the back wall of the store.

  They’d trekked along the ice-covered side road for what seemed like hours, but was probably only ten minutes. The extreme cold made everything hurt, not just her hands and feet. She’d pulled up her collar so that it had covered her mouth, which prevented cold air from entering her lungs. David had held one of her hands, keeping it warm. She’d stuffed the other into her pocket to prevent frostbite. But her ears hurt, not just the lobes, the pain seemed to have seeped through her ear canal into her brain.

  His beard encrusted with ice, David stepped next to her at the counter. He grabbed a Styrofoam cup and poured himself a hot drink. She did the same. She didn’t need the hit of caffeine. She was still tense after her near escape at the airport, but a warm coffee would help her thaw out.

  “Are you okay?” He took a sip of the hot, black liquid.

  She nodded, adding three packets of sugar and two servings of cream to her cup. “Tell me again why you ordered the taxi to stop on the highway before we reached Granite City?”

  “They have tracking software in cabs. I didn’t want them to trace us to this spot.”

  “How do you think they knew we were at the airport?” She tried not to think about her close call. Instead, she inhaled the scent of the sweet brew, hoping it would replace the memory of the twin’s foul body odor.

  “Maybe they put a tracker on my truck.”

  “They can do that?” Her chest constricted. Her life was out of control. It was as if she were inside a tornado, being tossed about, with no idea where, or even if, she would land.

  “Sure, we live in a digital age, and we’re being chased by a man with unlimited funds. He can afford the latest technology and experts.”

  “They’ll know we were here even though we walked?” She had never felt so powerless. “We’re not going to get out of this, are we?” With a shaky hand, she lifted the cup to her mouth and took another sip. Panicking was not going to make the situation better. She needed to think clearly, but that was beyond her at the moment.

  She wished she could call the police, but David’s concerns gave her pause. Those horrible men at the airport had attempted to take her in broad daylight, in a public place where there were an abundance of cameras and security personnel. They seemed to have no fear of being arrested. What if David was right and Marshall Portman had bribed the police? Had he only perverted the Granite City-Elkhead County Police or did his corruption reach farther afield?

  “What now?” She glanced at David who stared blankly out the window, lost in his own thoughts.

  He leaned in close so that his breath warmed her ear, sending an unexpected shiver tingling down her spine. “First we need to get away from Granite City and Elkhead County.

  “Why did we come back here? Shouldn’t we have gone in another direction?”

  “First, the nearest city is over an hour from here, and I can’t afford the cab fare. And second, the dispatcher at the taxi company would be able to track the car. It’s all done by GPS.”

  “That’s why we got out on the highway.”

  “Yeah. My original plan was to hitch a ride out of the state and hide out until Finn can sort out this mess. I think it’s still viable.”

  That made sense. All they needed to do was stay alive long enough for the FBI to catch the bad guys. “Good plan.”

  “There’s a cabin northwest of here on the Idaho border. It belongs to a friend. I haven’t been there since I was in basic, so it’s doubtful anyone will look for us there.”

  “I like the sound of that.” She stepped back, needing to put some distance between them, not wanting to be distracted by his intoxicating scent and her attraction to him.

  “Good, cause I wasn’t asking. As soon as I can, I’m handing you over to Finn, and then he can protect you.”

  The thought that he couldn’t wait to be rid of her stung, which was strange because she wanted the same thing—to be away from him. That was why she’d insisted on going to the airport. David wanted to pass her off to the FBI as soon as possible. He wasn’t interested in her in a romantic sense. They had been thrown together, and he was just doing his best to keep them alive. She’d been behaving like a self-important little brat when she should be helping.

  This whole situation was so insane, so over the top, she struggled to comprehend Marshall Portman’s reasoning. It left her shocked and bewildered, and her only option was to go along with this hard, confrontational man who’d warned her that going to the airport was a bad idea. “How are we going to get there?”

  “Like I said, we’re going to catch a ride, but no one will help us if we seem too desperate. The drivers will know something’s up. I think we need to sit and eat just to appear ordinary.”

  “That makes sense, but I really don’t want to stay here too long.” She scanned the store again. Everything looked normal, but would she be able to spot a deviation—an anomalous or strange customer? Probably not.

  “I hear you. From now on, we’re a couple. Our car broke down. We’re heading to Libby. I have a job waiting for me there.”

  “What kind of job?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “I’d ask if I were giving us a ride. People like to know that kind of thing. We define ourselves by our professions.”

  He tilted his head. “We do?”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “Okay, I work in the family store.”

  “Selling what?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Styrofoam cups. Does it matter?”

  “Oh yes, I’d—”

  “Ask if you were giving us a ride.” He threw his cup in the garbage and grabbed a wire shopping basket. He loaded it with Band-Aids, aspirin, a small emergency foil blanket, waterproof matches, toothbrushes, toothpaste, a pack of razors, a pair of scissors, two knit wool hats, two pairs of thermal mittens, a cheap purple backpack, and some feminine hygiene products.

  Marie picked up the sanitary napkins. “Do you know something I don’t?”

  “I have a twin sister. I’ve learned that it’s essential to stock up on these kinds of things.”

  “You have a twin? Is she like you? No, don’t answer that. I can’t even begin to imagine what the female version of you would look like. Right now, I’m picturing your si
ster as a hairy woman in a skirt.”

  His mouth twitched in what could have been characterized as the beginnings of a smile. “Do you have any allergies I should know about?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good.” He pushed the basket into her hands. “Get some food and water. Energy bars, jerky, trail mix, stuff like that. Don’t buy anything that won’t fit in the purple bag. We need to travel light. And from now on we’ll have to pay cash for everything, no credit cards. How much money do you have?”

  She rifled through her wallet. “Forty dollars.”

  “Okay, you can pay for breakfast. Here’s some money for our supplies.” He stuffed three twenty-dollar bills in her hand. She deposited the cash in her wallet as he retrieved their phones from his pocket and reassembled them before heading for the door.

  Marie hunted the aisles for food that would boost their energy. She collected some protein bars, a box of crackers, a small jar of peanut butter, three large bags of nuts, and some jerky. Then she added a few chocolate bars to satisfy her sweet tooth. She eyed the popcorn and chips. Both were filling, and the chips were high in calories, which might be handy in the cold, but she doubted they would fit in the backpack. She grabbed two half-gallon water bottles. It wasn’t enough. The average human needed eight glasses of water a day, but they were limited in how much they could carry, so these would have to do. She joined the line-up to pay, watching David through the window.

  He stood at the gas island, seemingly intent on throwing away garbage. With his other hand, he dropped something, probably one of the phones, into the back of a pickup. If she hadn’t been watching, she wouldn’t have noticed.