Shadow Bound
Page 70
I studied him, trying to understand what had happened two months earlier, and latent anger at Cam crashed over me with the weight of every wrong I’d suffered in the basement. Alone. Because when he’d switched sides, he’d left me to bear the brunt of Tower’s fury.
Ian glanced from face to face, trying to make sense of a discussion he couldn’t possibly understand. “What am I missing?” he said finally, but no one answered.
“I had no choice,” Cam insisted, and I could read the guilt on his face. But I couldn’t see any regret. “Cavazos was going to let Olivia die unless I signed, and I didn’t have a chance to tell you. But I tracked you every day, to make sure you were alive.”
“He put me in the basement.” I shrugged and spoke through clenched jaws. “Obviously death is a mercy I haven’t yet earned.”
Cam looked like I’d just punched him. “I’m so sorry, Kor,” he said. “Tracking you was the best I could do.”
“Well, now you have a chance to make it up to me. Leave. Just tell Cavazos Ian is using a fake name and you couldn’t track us.”
“His name’s real and Ruben already knows we found you.” Liv’s gaze shifted to Ian. “Ruben knows everything he needs to know about you, which means you’re either stupid or naive for sticking with Tower when there’s a better offer on the table.” Liv frowned and her gaze slipped to me before centering on Ian again. “Or maybe it’s not Tower you’re sticking with…”
I ignored her inference and focused on the implied threat. “Whatever Cavazos knows, Jake knows, too,” I insisted. “And Ian’s made up his mind.”
“Really? Is that what he told Meghan Hollister?”
Ian froze at my side, and I glanced at him quickly before turning my attention back to Olivia’s words and Cam’s gun, trying to pretend I hadn’t seen Holt’s reaction. “Who’s Meghan Hollister?”
When Ian didn’t answer—I couldn’t even tell if he was still breathing—Olivia took over once again.
“Meghan is Ian’s girlfriend. They’ve been together for twelve years.”
I tried not to react, not to let my disappointment and anger show through on my face. Ian groaned, but I could practically feel his posture relax, his arm brushing mine. He seemed relieved. What had he thought she’d say?
“That’s not true,” he said to me, without taking his gaze off the threat. “She’s got her wires crossed. Meghan is my brother’s girlfriend.”
“Bullshit.” Cam bit the last syllable off, leaving a sharp edge to the word. “Your brother died seven years ago. KIA overseas. What kind of a gutless loser pawns off his lies on a dead serviceman?” Cam demanded, and Ian’s entire bearing changed, though he didn’t move a muscle. He was just suddenly taut. Furious. Wound so tight the slightest vibration might set him off.
“They don’t know what they’re talking about,” Ian said through clenched teeth. “I swear on my own name. Just please believe me, Kori. Trust me.”
I didn’t know what to believe. I didn’t know who to trust. Nothing had made any sense since I got out of the basement.
Cam laughed, and again the sound was bitter. “Shows how well he knows you, huh?” Then he turned back to Ian. “Kori doesn’t trust anyone. She just doesn’t have it in her.”
“I don’t anymore,” I spat. “The last person I trusted was you,” I said, and Cam flinched.
“I’m sorry, Kori,” Olivia said.
But I couldn’t concentrate on yet another worthless apology, because I was busy trying to figure out something else. “Why are you still with Cavazos, anyway?” I asked Olivia, stalling for time to come up with a new plan, since the “you owe me” attempt had gone south. “I thought your mark died.”
“It did.” Olivia scowled. “Then this big dumb ass signed on for a fifteen-year term to pay for my medical care.”
Cam transferred his gun to his left hand, which wasn’t a handicap for him, unfortunately, and lifted his left sleeve. Above the three chain links that had connected him to Tower—now the pale gray of dead marks—were three freshly inked black rings, one and a half of which were already dead and gray, like the chain links beneath them.
“She died, Kori,” Cam said. “I killed her, under orders from Tower, and Cavazos had doctors on hand, just standing there with a crash cart. He wouldn’t let them touch her until I signed.”
“So why are the marks half-dead?”
Olivia twisted to show her own bare arm, where there were two more rings, one half-dead. “Ruben said I could let Cam serve his fifteen years alone, or I could take half of it. Seven and a half years each, served together. A ring and a half for each of us.”
“Liv…” I moaned, my anger at Cam momentarily swallowed by my ache for her. “You were free.”
“And I will be again. But for now, Ruben’s still calling the shots, and if Holt doesn’t come with us peacefully, Cam has to put a bullet in your leg.”
Cam strengthened his aim with a double-handed grip, and Ian exhaled.
“Fine, I’ll go.” He held his hands, palms out in the universal posture of surrender. “Just leave her alone.”
“Ian…” I said, but he ignored me and stepped slowly toward Cam and Olivia. “Ian, stop.” I reached for him, but he stepped around my arm.
Ian glanced from face to face, trying to make sense of a discussion he couldn’t possibly understand. “What am I missing?” he said finally, but no one answered.
“I had no choice,” Cam insisted, and I could read the guilt on his face. But I couldn’t see any regret. “Cavazos was going to let Olivia die unless I signed, and I didn’t have a chance to tell you. But I tracked you every day, to make sure you were alive.”
“He put me in the basement.” I shrugged and spoke through clenched jaws. “Obviously death is a mercy I haven’t yet earned.”
Cam looked like I’d just punched him. “I’m so sorry, Kor,” he said. “Tracking you was the best I could do.”
“Well, now you have a chance to make it up to me. Leave. Just tell Cavazos Ian is using a fake name and you couldn’t track us.”
“His name’s real and Ruben already knows we found you.” Liv’s gaze shifted to Ian. “Ruben knows everything he needs to know about you, which means you’re either stupid or naive for sticking with Tower when there’s a better offer on the table.” Liv frowned and her gaze slipped to me before centering on Ian again. “Or maybe it’s not Tower you’re sticking with…”
I ignored her inference and focused on the implied threat. “Whatever Cavazos knows, Jake knows, too,” I insisted. “And Ian’s made up his mind.”
“Really? Is that what he told Meghan Hollister?”
Ian froze at my side, and I glanced at him quickly before turning my attention back to Olivia’s words and Cam’s gun, trying to pretend I hadn’t seen Holt’s reaction. “Who’s Meghan Hollister?”
When Ian didn’t answer—I couldn’t even tell if he was still breathing—Olivia took over once again.
“Meghan is Ian’s girlfriend. They’ve been together for twelve years.”
I tried not to react, not to let my disappointment and anger show through on my face. Ian groaned, but I could practically feel his posture relax, his arm brushing mine. He seemed relieved. What had he thought she’d say?
“That’s not true,” he said to me, without taking his gaze off the threat. “She’s got her wires crossed. Meghan is my brother’s girlfriend.”
“Bullshit.” Cam bit the last syllable off, leaving a sharp edge to the word. “Your brother died seven years ago. KIA overseas. What kind of a gutless loser pawns off his lies on a dead serviceman?” Cam demanded, and Ian’s entire bearing changed, though he didn’t move a muscle. He was just suddenly taut. Furious. Wound so tight the slightest vibration might set him off.
“They don’t know what they’re talking about,” Ian said through clenched teeth. “I swear on my own name. Just please believe me, Kori. Trust me.”
I didn’t know what to believe. I didn’t know who to trust. Nothing had made any sense since I got out of the basement.
Cam laughed, and again the sound was bitter. “Shows how well he knows you, huh?” Then he turned back to Ian. “Kori doesn’t trust anyone. She just doesn’t have it in her.”
“I don’t anymore,” I spat. “The last person I trusted was you,” I said, and Cam flinched.
“I’m sorry, Kori,” Olivia said.
But I couldn’t concentrate on yet another worthless apology, because I was busy trying to figure out something else. “Why are you still with Cavazos, anyway?” I asked Olivia, stalling for time to come up with a new plan, since the “you owe me” attempt had gone south. “I thought your mark died.”
“It did.” Olivia scowled. “Then this big dumb ass signed on for a fifteen-year term to pay for my medical care.”
Cam transferred his gun to his left hand, which wasn’t a handicap for him, unfortunately, and lifted his left sleeve. Above the three chain links that had connected him to Tower—now the pale gray of dead marks—were three freshly inked black rings, one and a half of which were already dead and gray, like the chain links beneath them.
“She died, Kori,” Cam said. “I killed her, under orders from Tower, and Cavazos had doctors on hand, just standing there with a crash cart. He wouldn’t let them touch her until I signed.”
“So why are the marks half-dead?”
Olivia twisted to show her own bare arm, where there were two more rings, one half-dead. “Ruben said I could let Cam serve his fifteen years alone, or I could take half of it. Seven and a half years each, served together. A ring and a half for each of us.”
“Liv…” I moaned, my anger at Cam momentarily swallowed by my ache for her. “You were free.”
“And I will be again. But for now, Ruben’s still calling the shots, and if Holt doesn’t come with us peacefully, Cam has to put a bullet in your leg.”
Cam strengthened his aim with a double-handed grip, and Ian exhaled.
“Fine, I’ll go.” He held his hands, palms out in the universal posture of surrender. “Just leave her alone.”
“Ian…” I said, but he ignored me and stepped slowly toward Cam and Olivia. “Ian, stop.” I reached for him, but he stepped around my arm.
