LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Now what?”

      “That was a warning shot.” If they wanted to do real damage, to shoot their way inside, they would have. For some reason they stalled out there, and Cam couldn’t figure out why.

      He’d deal with that later. Now he needed an exit strategy, and the options appeared pretty limited. Running out the back door might work if she hadn’t been wearing a bright red shirt. That would stick out with her streaking through the woods. Which led to the other issue—she lived in the middle of nowhere.

      This part of Calapan consisted of lush greenery, dirt roads and little else. Her cabin sat with the water on one side and towering trees on the other three. That made running for help problematic. So shooting their way out won as the best scenario. And that was not good news.

      “What exactly did you do to them?” The hand with the gun fell on her lap as some of the color seeped back into her cheeks.

      Anger and blame—good. He could handle those. “My job.”

      “Could you be more specific?” The demand for information was right there in her tone and the flat line of her mouth.

      He ignored both. “No.” When she started to talk again he put a finger to his mouth. “Do not move.”

      “Where would I go?”

      He decided to wait until later to explain hand gestures and go over the definition of the word quiet. Making sure he was dealing with three men and not more trumped everything. He could take them down one by one, but only if another line didn’t loom behind this one.

      Crouched and keeping out of sight, he shifted with quick movements around the cottage. Checked the side yards and the one in back where he’d found her a few minutes ago. It took about a minute thanks to the size of her place.

      By the time he made it back to the window with Julia, he knew they were in serious trouble. “They’re getting smarter.”

      She shifted her weight and sat up with her knees tucked under her. “Meaning?”

      “They’re spreading out.” They’d finally mobilized. There was no reason to do that unless an attack came next. Cam still didn’t know what was happening on this island, but it wasn’t good. “They’ll likely come in firing.”

      With her palms on the hardwood floor, she leaned forward. “You brought these guys to my door. Take them away.”

      If only it were that simple. But he did have a plan, and it involved taking her out of the cross fire. “Is there an attic?”

      She made a face. “What?”

      “Julia, I need you to focus.” She could be angry and frustrated later. Now he needed her with him, because when the quiet broke this time he sensed it wouldn’t stop until bodies littered the floor. “An attic?”

      She shook her head. “There’s only a crawl space.”

      He’d make that work. “We need to get you in it.”

      “Where will you be?”

      He liked that she didn’t balk or question what he wanted her to do. “You go up and I’ll cover the downstairs.”

      “One against three?” She sounded appalled at the idea.

      “I’ve beaten worse odds.”

      “Cal—”

      “Cam.” His temper flared unexpectedly. For some reason her not remembering his name dug at him, but he pushed the feelings aside. “Do you really know how to shoot?”

      He’d handed her a gun, which was a risk. Now he needed to make sure she wouldn’t shoot him in the head by accident.

      “Of course,” she said.

      “Anyone but me comes near you, you shoot.” He heard a noise. Faint but there. The attackers were closing in. No question about it. “That attic space?”

      “Right.” She crawled on her hands and knees until she cleared the sight line from the window, and he followed.

      Smart woman with skills. She became more intriguing by the second.

      They got to the short hall leading to the bedroom and bathroom and she pointed up. No string, but there was a small handle. He rose to his feet, nice and slow, while waiting for a new round of shooting to start. When that didn’t happen, he went the rest of the way. He lifted his hand and felt nothing but air. On the second try, he jumped and his fingers brushed the handle. Grabbing it, he brought the door down.

      Before she could argue, he took her by the waist and lifted. Her feet left the floor and she let out a half yelp before clamping her mouth shut again.

      With only the rustling of clothing as noise, her body and then her legs disappeared into the dark hole above. A second later her face popped into the space. “Be careful.”

      He shut the door before she could say anything else. Now to bury the obvious entry. After a short mental countdown, he jumped, using the wall as leverage, and grabbed the handle. The yank pressed the hard metal into his palm but didn’t come off. He only managed to knock the handle loose.

      The second lunge cut his palm but did the trick. With a crack the handle fell off. He stuffed it into his pocket and hoped the shadowed hallway would do the rest to provide cover.

      Then he moved. The corner at the end of the hall qualified as the perfect place. He could squat down and wait for the inevitable. Problem was, Julia sat right above. A stray bullet could ricochet and hit her, and he couldn’t let that happen. That meant moving into the open, being more vulnerable, but he’d take the chance.

      The kitchen worked as an alternative. He pivoted around the edge of the small island and hunkered down by the stove. Now began the game to see who would flinch first.

      These guys didn’t disappoint. One kicked in the front door and another stormed in the back. With the size of the house, they could have run right into each other if they hadn’t stopped their momentum. They whispered and traded theories on his location. Cam heard it all.

      Not seeing them, he had to concentrate on the voices and the footsteps to plot their positions. He had two in the small family room and one unaccounted for. Close enough.

      When one came within range of the kitchen, Cam still held his position. Not moving. The preference was to take them alive. Much easier to question a breathing man than a dead one. Then the one who acted like the sidekick almost stepped on Cam’s hand.

      He sprang to his feet with an arm wrapped around the guy’s throat as he faced down the one dressed as the police chief. The one who had all the facts and who’d sat in the office, pretending to be the police chief, which raised a lot of questions.

      “Put the gun down.” Cam issued the order as he backed his hostage into the family room and away from the hallway where Julia hid above.

      The fake chief wore a smile that could only be described as feral. “You have been a problem.”

      No kidding. That was exactly what Cam got paid to handle. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.”

      “Lower the weapon and we’ll let the woman live.” One gave the orders while the other tightened his hold on Cam’s arm to keep from being choked.

      They’d seen her or guessed. Either way, them knowing limited Cam’s options even further. Pretty soon he’d be down to about one.

      Still, there was no reason to make it easy for them. “What woman?”

      “Don’t play dumb, Mr. Roth.” That sick smile widened. “Yes, I know your real name.”

      That wasn’t good at all. That wasn’t the name he’d given as cover for the witness pickup. If the guy knew who he really was, he likely knew that the Corcoran Team was on the island. The mission could be blown. The same mission that was supposed to be

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