“Safe,” he said.
She nodded and he lumbered inside.
Mason hung his head. “Please go inside with him.”
“Not a chance.”
“You know we can’t just march into the woods and shoot him, right?”
“No?”
“No. We’re in America. Not a movie.”
She shrugged. “Accidents happen.”
He walked down the last step to join her on the ground. “Look, if you go inside—”
She grabbed his shirt with the hand not holding her gun. Curling her fingers into a fist she pulled his face toward hers.
“Mason, I’ll shoot you before I let you do this without me.”
She released him.
He leaned back. “Hm. That would be the one thing you haven’t done to me yet.”
The hotel’s lights shut off, plunging them into darkness.
Mason’s fingers gently gripped Shee’s jaw, holding her still as his lips brushed hers. He pressed, lingering there for a moment before pulling away.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure why.
“You’re insane,” he said. His left hand slid down her arm to take her hand, his fingers entwining with hers.
“Let’s roll.”
&&&
Chapter Fifty
With only the dimmest light glowing from the houses down the street, Shee and Mason sprinted across the short patch of grass to the adjacent woods. They secured a spot behind one of the larger trees, placing the trunk between themselves and the river that was still, several hundred yards away.
Shee slapped at her neck, using the tips of her fingers to keep from making noise.
“If Scotty doesn’t get us, the no-see-ums will,” she whispered to Mason. “All they’ll find are our gnawed bones.”
Mason cocked his head. “Listen.”
The sound of voices echoed from the opposite side of the forest, near the water. At least two. Maybe more.
“Not just Scotty,” she said.
“No. Stay here. I’m going to move in.”
He pecked her on her forehead and moved away, striding from tree to tree.
The spot where his lips touched her forehead seemed to warm, as if he’d branded her. She reached up to touch it.
Does that mean he forgives me?
The poisonous red fog enveloping her brain lifted. For a moment, he’d stunned the rage out of her.
Maybe that was the point.
She peered around the tree and caught a flash of movement fifteen feet ahead. He’d gotten far, quietly, in a short amount of time, with one good leg.
Almost like he does this for a living.
Tiptoeing her way in his wake, she squinted through the darkness, stepping over branches and other earthy bits she thought might be more noisy than others, pleased with her stealthy approach.
She didn’t make it to the next tree before Mason’s head swiveled and he waved her back.
Shee tucked behind the tree.
So much for my career as a ninja.
The voices still chatted near the water’s edge. Mason stood half way between herself and them.
He might be close enough to hear them.
She moved to the next tree and then another. In her haste to get as close as possible before Mason caught her creeping again, she stepped on a twig.
It snapped.
She froze.
The voices stopped.
She’d been about to lean her shoulder against a tree before her misstep. At least she wasn’t standing in the open. She held her breath.
The talking began again.
She released her air in a slow steady stream.
“You really are trying to get us killed,” hissed a voice one tree to her left.
Mason had backtracked.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
He moved to her tree, standing close in front of her, her back against the trunk.
“There’s at least four of them. Looks like they’re wearing body armor.”
Shee frowned. Their clothes could stop bullets. Her attire couldn’t even stop biting flies.
“I—” Mason raised his index finger to his lips. Shee had heard it, too. A sharp bark of a noise, as if several voices had chanted a word in unison. She heard the crunching of leaves and swiveled her attention to the left to watch shadowy figures move toward the hotel.
She looked at Mason. She could tell he saw them, too. She slapped her pockets and groaned, realizing she’d left her phone in Mason’s truck.
“Do you have your phone?” she asked. He shook his head.
“They left one behind,” he said, motioning toward the water.
“They’re headed to the hotel. I have to get back,” said Shee.
He took her hand in his and held her gaze.
“Listen to me. They’re going for the back. Go to the main entrance. Warn them. I’ll be there in a second. I’m going to take out the straggler while the odds are in my favor.”
She put a hand on his cheek and gave him a stare she hoped conveyed her thoughts.
If it’s Scotty, and you kill him, I’ll kill you.
The corner of his mouth curled into a smile and she blinked.
Did he read my mind?
He pushed her toward the hotel and she stumbled from behind the tree. Exposed, her options were to throw herself back at Mason or run for the hotel.
She ran.
&&&
Chapter Fifty-One
The lights of The Loggerhead Inn went dark. All of them. The outdoor floodlights, the porch lights, the indoor lighting—even the landscape lighting blinked out.
From his spot in the small patch of forest beside the hotel, Scotty Carson’s mood blackened as well.
They know something.
Scotty pulled on the vest brought to him by his team, eyeing the young men around him as they bounced from toe to toe, overcome by boundless energy. For the money he’d dropped on them, he expected a more seasoned group. They looked as if they’d spent the afternoon in a frat house crushing beer cans on their heads. He had to remind himself he’d
