Page 45 of Becca's Trouble
“Oh, I wouldn’t say it was all for nothing.” He smiled down at her and kissed her once again. “We discovered how much we mean to each other.”
“Yeah, which makes it even harder to let you go,” she admitted.
The watchtower room door opened and Emerich stepped onto the roof next to them.
“Where’s his bag?” Becca demanded, spinning toward him.
Emerich shrugged. “Sorry, one of my men threw it away. It is so hard to find good help these days. But here, have a jacket on me.” He handed him one of the green uniform jackets. “It gets really cold up here at night.”
“Jeez, thanks,” Cameron said, taking the jacket and slipping it on. He shoved his hands in the pockets making sure they were empty. He wouldn’t put it past Emerich to place a tracking device on him. He should dump the jacket at his first chance, but without a gun, compass, or even a water bottle, it was going to be a tough night as it was.
Emerich gestured toward the ladder leading down to the ground. “Well then, you’re free to go.”
With one last squeeze of Becca’s hand, Cameron swung his legs over the side and started to climb down. He looked up at her one last time. “Come with me,” he pleaded.
She shook her head, her eyes filling with pain and regret. “I can’t.”Not yet, she mouthed the two words. He’d hold on to that.
If he survived the night.
He continued down the ladder as Emerich stood next to Becca at the rail to watch him descend.
“Good choice,” Cameron heard Emerich say to her and cringed inside.
Then they turned and stepped out of sight.
Cameron dropped down to the ground and then as quickly as he could, disappeared into the trees. He didn’t need Becca’s insight to tell him this was a trap. They would come after him. An accident in the woods would be hard to trace back to Emerich. Even if they were able to find his body.
He retraced their earlier steps as quickly as he could. He had to survive the night and make it back to Kyle if he was ever going to be able to get Becca out of there.
Marcie was the mole.
How had he never seen that coming?
Chapter21
Becca whirled back to the railing and stood for as long as she could, watching as Cameron disappeared into the woods. Even after Emerich tried to make her leave, she pushed him away. She needed to think, to plan, to try and figure out what Emerich was up to.
To keep Cameron safe.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” she told Emerich.
“Good. You didn’t eat lunch and I’m having the cook make your favorite dinner—beef stroganoff. We’ll be dining together in an hour. We have a lot to discuss.”
She took a deep breath and clutched the railing. The thought of throwing herself over the side was tempting. Cameron didn’t have anything to eat for his dinner, not even one of his MREs.
“I can’t wait for you to see all the new clothes I picked out for you in your apartment,” Emerich said, blathering on about jackets and shoes. “It will be like a fresh start for both of us. A do-over, if you will.”
It took everything she had to face him and smile. She lightened her tone. “I’ll be there soon, I promise. I just need a minute to gather my thoughts. This…” She spread her arms wide. “This is a lot to take in. If you don’t mind, I’d like to walk the roof and get some air. Maybe run a little.”
“Of course, darling. You have exercise clothes in your room. Go put some on and go for a run. The entire perimeter is a half mile.”
“Thanks, Emerich. That’s exactly what I need. How do I find my apartment again?”
“At the bottom of the stairs, turn right.” He turned and walked away.
She closed her eyes and tried to sense what he was feeling. Did he believe her? She couldn’t tell. All she got when she poked was his thoughts about Cameron.
And Marcie.