Author: Jaci Burton

Diaz inhaled, let it out, trying to relax the knots of tension in his shoulders. “You’re right. Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal to me. I can handle it just fine. But there’s obviously something going on between you and Jessie.”

Diaz dragged his fingers through his hair. “Shit. No, there isn’t. There can’t be.”

Spence drained his coffee and placed the cup on the tray. “Why the hell not?”

“For the obvious reasons.”

Spence laughed. “She’s an adult now, Diaz. She’s beautiful, smart, the kind of woman any guy would be lucky to have, and the great thing is, she wants you. Unless you’re stupid and blind you have to be able to see that.”

“Yeah, I see it.”

“So what’s the problem?” Spence asked with a shrug. “You’re two consenting adults. Go for it.”

If only it were that easy. “We’re supposed to protect her.”

“And we will, just like we always have.” Spence stood and grabbed his tray. “I couldn’t think of a better guy for her to be with.”

Diaz studied his friend, stunned speechless by his words.

“But if you hurt her, I’ll have to kill you.”

Diaz watched Spence walked away, realizing he’d stepped into a no-win situation with Jessie. He wanted her so badly he couldn’t think straight. Typically the solution to that kind of problem with a woman was simple—fuck her, then forget her.

But this was Jess, and she was special. She wasn’t just another fuck.

Which meant he’d have to screw his head on straight and forget about Jessie as a woman, do this assignment, then stay the hell away from her after that. He’d convince Grange not to assign the two of them together again, that there was a conflict. It would work out, if he could get them through this case.

He and Spence headed outside, met Jessie out there.

“I think we should try and get into that wooded area we rode past yesterday,” he suggested. “I could have sworn I saw an encampment there.”

“Shouldn’t we meet up with Crush’s gang?” Jessie asked.

“Not necessarily. I don’t want us to appear too eager, following him around like we have nothing better to do. We do want an invite to initiation, but I’d like him interested in us as independent riders, not hangers-on. Let him wonder where we are today.”

Jessie nodded. “Oh, good point. So where are we supposed to be today when he asks?”

“Since we’re heading east, we’ll tell him we went north. Once we check out the area, we’ll take one of the roads that jogged up north so we can report back and answer any questions. Remember, this is his backyard so we don’t want to be caught in a lie.”

Jessie climbed on her bike, looked to Diaz. “You’re a pretty smart guy.”

Diaz leaned over, smiled, and tipped her nose with his finger. “That’s why I’m in charge.”

They fired up their bikes and rode out of town, heading east toward the back roads they’d traveled yesterday. Diaz remembered clearly the mile marker where he’d spotted the smoke and glimpsed the flag. When they came around the curve toward it again, he searched for the smoke but didn’t see anything. At the lead, he slowed, pulled off at the side of the road and stopped.

“Is this the spot?” Spence asked.

“Yeah. I don’t want to call attention to ourselves in case someone’s watching.” Diaz bent over to look at his bike as if there was a mechanical issue. “But over my left shoulder at about eight o’clock there was smoke, and I thought I saw a white flag with a red mark on it deep within the wooded area.”

“You decoy bike maintenance,” Spence said. “I’ll walk across the road and into the woods to take a leak and check it out.”

“Then I’ll stay here,” Jessie said, doing a quick about-face to join Diaz. She squatted down underneath him and looked up. “What will we do if we spot something?”

“You mean like a camp?”

“Yeah.”

He grabbed a wrench out of his saddlebag. “Hold this nut for me. Might as well tighten it so I look like I’m actually doing something. As far as a camp, if we investigate and see something, we’ll do . . . nothing for the moment. We don’t have the manpower or adequate firepower to combat an entire survivalist camp. And we wouldn’t be certain that’s even the right one.”

“There’s more than one?”

“Honey, there could be hundreds of survivalists in different encampments in this state alone. No way of knowing. They pack up here in the hills like ant colonies, hiding out from organized government.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t like anyone telling them what to do, do they?”

Diaz frowned. “Or how to do it. They make their own laws, have their own way of doing things. They resent government interference in any form. That’s only minor compared to their other . . . thought processes.”

“Running guns is still illegal.”

“And if we find them, we’ll work with the government in taking them down. That’s what we’re here for.”

Spence came up behind them. “There’s a road. Camouflaged pretty well, but it’s there. Didn’t see smoke or any flags, but thought I heard a twig snap so it’s possible we’re being watched. I think we should make some noise about seeing it, then let’s go off-road riding, see what happens.”

Jessie met Diaz’s gaze. “Dangerous?”

He nodded. “Stay with me and get ready to hightail it out of there in a hurry if there’s trouble. No arguing, understand?”

“Got it.”

“Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Right now we’re just biker tourists doing a little off-road exploring, and that’s it.”

Diaz tossed the wrench in his saddlebag.

“Bike okay now?” Spence asked, loud enough to be heard across the road.

“Good as new.”

“Great. Because I think I might have found a trail over there,” Spence said, motioning with his head and keeping his voice normal, but making sure anyone listening could hear him.

“Yeah? Let’s go check it out.”

They fired up the bikes and turned around, easing down the barely discernible path. Spence had been right. The road was covered with brush and leaves, deliberately hidden from regular traffic’s view, but fairly easy to follow once they were on it. The wind from Diaz’s bike in the front blew the leaves out of the way, clearing the road in his wake. The road twisted and turned around a dense crop of trees and bushes.

Jesus. How easy it would be to hide up here in the hills. One turn and you could get lost. The road snaked out tendrils in multiple directions. They should have probably left a bread-crumb trail so they could find their way out.

A flash of movement to Diaz’s left caught his eye. He cut his engine. Spence and Jessie did the same, bringing their bikes up level next to his.

“What’s up?” Spence asked.

“Movement on the left,” he said. “I wanted to cut the engines to listen.”

They climbed off the bikes and looked around. The quiet was incredible. Birds, the rustle of limbs and leaves in the wind whipping through the trees. The sound of water somewhere far off in the distance. No footsteps, though.

Until the crack of a branch on the ground caught their attention. Diaz swiveled, reaching around to palm the gun tucked into his pants. He didn’t want to pull it out unless necessary, though, didn’t want to cause suspicion. So he waited, trying to maintain a relaxed posture while positioning himself in front of Jessie just in case someone came at them or, even worse, fired at them.

“Someone’s behind a tree,” Spence whispered, coming up beside Diaz.

“Where?”

“About ten o’clock. They’re not very good at this. I see weaving movement. Just watch.”

Diaz saw it, too. Whoever was there kept low to the ground. “Okay, stay alert and ready for anything, including jumping on the bikes and getting the hell out of here if we find ourselves outnumbered.”

“Is someone there?” Jessie finally asked, loud enough to be heard.

A little boy around eight to ten years old came out from behind the tree, followed by a woman. Not at all who he expected to see, but then again, it didn’t surprise him that they’d use a woman and a kid as fronts. Scary-looking woman, too, wearing a ball cap, brown pants, a sweatshirt, all baggy. And not a friendly expression on her face. Her entire outfit was designed to disguise her appearance. He’d never be able to describe her, from hair color to build to eye color.

“We fooled you,” the little boy said with a wide grin. His face was dirty, his hair wild and uncombed. The mother didn’t look much more put together, either.

“Sorry to scare y’all,” the woman said. “My boy wanted to play hide-and-seek.”

Bullshit, Diaz thought. These two were decoys. He could tell from the suspicious and wary look on the woman’s face. It wasn’t that she was worried for the kid. She was protecting something, or someone. Instinct told him these two weren’t the only ones out here. He could feel other eyes on them.

“So you were out playing?” Jessie asked, crouching down as the boy came up to her.

“Yeah. Hide-and-go-seek.”

“That’s a fun game.”

While Jessie interacted with the little boy, Diaz checked out the surrounding area.

Yeah, they weren’t alone. He couldn’t see anyone, but there were others nearby. Well hidden, but close, watching. And he’d bet his bike they had guns trained on them. He kept his hand on his hip, within reach of his gun. He took a quick glance at Spence, noticed he did the same thing, his body language showing he was ready for anything.

Diaz searched, but didn’t see even the slightest movement through the trees or beyond.

These people were good.

“Is this your property?” Diaz asked.

The woman shook her head. “We’re camping.”

Diaz nodded.

“So, is this your mom?” Jessie asked the little boy.

The kid jerked his head up to the woman, who nodded.

“Uh, yeah. It’s my mom.”

Another lie.

“How’s the camping out here?” Diaz asked.

“Good,” the woman said. “Our whole family’s here. Got a spot a ways back in the deep woods. We like our privacy, like to be alone. And your bikes are loud and scarin’ away the fish.”

That message was clear: Don’t come any closer.

“Sorry to intrude,” Spence said. “We found a road and went exploring.”

“Nice bikes,” the boy said. “They yours?”

“They sure are,” Jessie said. “Do you ride?”

“Nuh uh. We don’t even have a car.”

“Bobby.”

One terse word from the woman and the little boy took a step back.

“Of course we have a car,” the woman said, laying her hands on the boy’s shoulders. “It’s just my brother’s. Ours is being repaired so we came in his motor home. Ya know, back there where we’re campin’.”

“Yes ma’am,” Diaz said. “We’ll let you two get back to your game and we’ll head out. Sorry to disturb you.”

The woman nodded and stepped away, motioning to the boy, who moved with her. Diaz noticed neither of them turned their backs as they retreated, but walked backward, keeping watch over Diaz and Jessie and Spence as they climbed back on their bikes and rode away. He didn’t pull over again until they’d reached a gas station about twenty miles away from the area where they’d stopped.

“That was interesting,” Spence said. “What do you make of it?”