Lost in Bliss

Chapter Nine

Laura thought seriously about climbing back into bed. Rafe and Cam looked so scrumptious lying together. She stared at them for a moment, enjoying the way the early morning sunlight caressed their naked flesh. Cam was lying on his stomach, his arm outstretched. It had been wrapped around her waist, but now it looked as though he was reaching for Rafe. Rafe’s dark hair fell over his angelic face. He looked years younger while he slept, as though all of the worries he normally carried fell away when he closed his eyes. She had the urge to kiss those gorgeous lips of his, but she knew where that would lead her—on her back, where she’d spent the majority of the night before.

Four rounds of nasty, athletic, sweaty sex had left her a little bit sore. A nice, hot shower had taken care of the sweat, but she was still moving just a bit slower than normal.

Laura glanced up at the clock. Damn it. She needed to hurry if she was going to make her shift. Just because she’d broken her five years of celibacy didn’t mean that the gas station was going to run itself. If she didn’t make it in, Bart would either have to call in someone else or work himself. He was almost seventy-two. He didn’t need to be on his feet like that, so this time, Laura got to be the one who walked out the morning after sex.

Cam shifted in his sleep, a little huff coming out of his mouth as his hand found Rafe’s stomach and wrapped around his waist. Rafe turned, but his hand slipped over Cam’s. She could have sworn he called Cam “bella” in that deep voice of his, and then they stilled again. She wished so much that she had a camera.

Laura slipped out of the bedroom, leaving the men to their much-needed rest. Coffee. She needed coffee. Damn, she could even smell it. She shut the door, careful to not make a sound and then nearly screamed when she turned and saw a man sitting at her table.

“Wolf,” she hissed the words out. “You nearly gave me a damn heart attack.”

Wolf took a long drink of coffee. “Sweetheart, you have no idea.

First, I suppose this means our fake engagement is truly off. I’m deeply wounded. I expected you to take at least a few days to mourn our lost love before you hopped into bed with actual, real human beings.”

His sarcasm was getting on her nerves this morning. She strode across the room, grabbed a mug, and poured herself a cup. She had to give it to Wolf. He knew how to make coffee. “I thought we worked this out last night.”

Had she really been thinking last night? She stared out her small kitchen window as she sipped her coffee. The Rio Grande was visible, the river shining like a jewel in the early morning light. The river was always in motion. Was that what she’d craved the night before? She’d been stagnant for a while. She loved the peace of her new life, but everyone else was moving forward. In the years she’d been in Bliss, she’d watched Max and Rye find their perfect woman, Callie had come out of her shell for Nate and Zane, and Stef had finally stopped hiding from his love. Even Holly seemed to be moving on. Only Laura felt like she was stuck.

“Was it bad, sweetheart? Did they hurt you?” Wolf was studying her with a single-minded intensity.

She shook her head. “It was wonderful. I’m just thinking about what it meant. Why do I do that? Why can’t I just enjoy it? Why do I need a label on it?”

His lips curled slightly. There was a beard coming in across the skin of his jaw. He looked the slightest bit scruffy. It suited him.

“You’re not a good-time girl, Laura. You’re always going to want a home and a family. You’re always going to seek out stability.”

Was that what she was trying to do with them? Was she racing headlong into another disaster because she needed a family? She had a family. She had Holly and Nell, and even Henry. Henry stopped by Laura’s cabin at least twice a week, a toolbox in his hands. He did it because Nell loved her and Henry loved Nell. Damn it, she wanted that.

Wolf leaned forward, his elbows making contact with the table.

“Your brain is racing, but I wonder if you’re making the right connections. I want you to think about this, sweetheart. You didn’t rush into a relationship with the first man you saw. You waited. You want them. Those two men in there aren’t interchangeable for anyone who would put a ring on your finger, or you would have been dating all this time.”

“Maybe they just showed up at the right time.” She’d needed a while to get over what happened to her in DC. Hell, she wasn’t sure she would ever get over it, but last night had proven that at least she was ready to get physical again.

“Don’t fight this,” Wolf said with a sigh as though he knew his words would go unheeded. “You’re only going to cause more trouble for all three of you. Now, I came out for a reason.”

“Other than to scare the crap out of me?” He grinned. “That was a bonus.” His face lost its jovial expression. “The feds took over the Movie Motel last night. Men in suits rented out every room Gene had.” Laura felt a cold chill cross her skin. “Did Gene get them talking?”

Gene liked to talk to everyone who came to his place. The Movie Motel was the largest inn in town.

“They followed Rafe and Cam out here. According to one of the lead men, your boys were well aware that the team, as they called it, was on their way. I take it they didn’t bother to mention that they were bringing all their friends out here?” She tightened her grip on the coffee mug. There was only one real reason to bring the whole crew out here. She was pretty damn sure de Sade wasn’t working here in Colorado.

“Did they tell Gene if there had been a threat made against me personally?” It would explain a lot.

“No,” Wolf replied. “But they did ask for directions out to your place. Gene had never heard of you. Strange.” She couldn’t help a little snort. The feds were going to find Bliss a bit hard to manage until she’d gotten the word out that she was cooperating.

Was she cooperating?

Damn it. She couldn’t think straight. All she could think about was the fact that Rafe and Cam had lied to her. Again.

The sweet feeling she’d had looking at them together dissipated, replaced with a hole in the pit of her stomach.

“The minute my momma heard the news that the feds had descended, she and Mel took to the shelter. She’s sending out radio messages that anyone in town who wants protection from the coming invasion should come out to Mel’s place. On the plus side, she made pecan pie. I love pecan pie.”

Laura turned to Wolf. Her current dilemma was going to have consequences for everyone in town. Just as she had the thought, a Bronco with the logo for the Bliss County Sheriff’s Department rolled into her driveway. Logan Green slid out of his vehicle looking a bit cranky, but then he was always cranky these days. Laura was pretty sure what he was here about. If she let them, the feds would have everyone in town on edge.

“I’m sorry about it. I don’t know how long they’re going to be here. Maybe if I go to DC with them, things can go back to normal,” Laura said as she walked across the small room to throw open the door for Logan.

Whatever they wanted to do, they could do in DC. She didn’t have to upend the whole town.

“Don’t you even think about that,” Wolf said, getting up. His face was set in hard lines. “You are not leaving this town. We can’t protect you if you’re off in DC.”

Logan jogged up the steps, pulling the aviators off his face. “Wolf is right. I read that file this morning. You nearly got killed in DC. No place is safe anymore, but at least here you know everyone will watch out for you.”

Laura opened the screen door and allowed Logan in. His big frame filled the doorway. In the last several months he’d gone from lanky boy to muscular man. He’d put away his precious comic books and now spent a lot of time in the gym. And at bars, if the rumors were true.

“Are you here to bring me in?” Laura asked the deputy.

Logan settled his hat on his head. “It’s not like that. Nate’s got a whole bunch of men in his office who want to talk to you. He wouldn’t tell them where you live. He sent me out to see if you want to talk or if you would prefer to join Mel and Cassidy. No one is going to look for you there. You could hole up for a week or two, and this should blow over.”

“It’s not so bad,” Wolf offered. “Mel’s made that place quite comfortable.”

“I am not going to hole up in a shelter and hope they go away,” Laura said with a long sigh.

She’d dreaded this moment. It was so much worse because, once again, Rafe and Cam were involved in her utter humiliation. “It was really far too much to think I could hide forever. I’ll go talk to them.

Who’s the agent in charge?”

“A man named Joseph Stone.”

Wolf suddenly held up his right hand, making a fist.

“Is he going to punch someone?” Laura asked.

Wolf shushed her and started to move around the table. His voice was low. “Someone’s outside. They’re moving slow and quiet, but they’re not used to rural terrain. He’s making a bunch of noise, and he doesn’t even realize it.”

Logan’s face had gone stony, and he had his gun in hand. “I thought I was being followed. Damn. Back of the cabin?” Laura’s heart rate sped up. The whole world suddenly seemed far too quiet. Every little noise felt like a threat.

“You protect her,” Wolf said, his voice a mere whisper.

“You don’t have a gun.” Logan pushed her none too gently to the nearest corner and placed his big body in front of hers.

“Since when does a SEAL need a gun?” Wolf asked.

He opened the screen door and disappeared. As far as Laura could tell, he didn’t make a sound.

She stood there feeling like an idiot for hiding behind Logan, but she didn’t have a gun, and she was out of shape. Bliss had made her feel secure. She’d stopped practicing judo and given up on lifting weights. It was so much nicer to sit with her friends at Stella’s and have pie and think about summer. Laura blinked back tears. She’d gotten too used to Bliss. She’d forgotten how crappy the world could be, but now it was crashing in on her.

Suddenly, the door to her bedroom opened and Cam stepped out, a gun in his hand. He wore his boxer shorts and nothing else.

“Put it down,” Cam growled at Logan. The Glock in his hands was perfectly aimed at the deputy’s head.

“You put it down, motherfucker. I don’t see a badge on your chest.” Logan didn’t move an inch to put down his gun, and Laura could feel the tension tighten in the room. “I’m giving you to the count of three before I blow your fucking head off. You understand me?”

“Logan, please, he’s not here to hurt me.” Laura needed to diffuse the situation.

“I don’t give a damn,” Logan replied. “He’s threatening an officer of the law. I don’t have to take that.” Laura looked to Cam, hoping he would be the reasonable one.

“Cam, please.”

Cam’s gun didn’t waver. “Not on your life, baby. Someone is moving around outside. Rafe is taking care of it. I’m taking care of you.”

“Everyone can stand down.” Rafe showed up in the doorway. He had put on some pants, but he was barefoot and bare-chested. He pushed someone through the doorway. All Laura could see was a man’s dark suit and his head covered in one of her pillowcases. Rafe had a gun to the back of the man’s head, and Wolf followed after them.

“He didn’t need a gun, either,” Wolf said with a smirk on his face.

“It was actually pretty cool. I was edging around the house to catch this guy when the fed here managed to get out that little window of yours, jump him, take the asshole’s gun, and get a damn bag over his head. Are you sure you’re not Special Forces?” Rafe tightened his grip on the pillowcase. Logan finally stood down, but Laura could feel the tension pouring off of him.

“Can you vouch for these guys, Wolf? This one pulled a gun on me.” Logan practically snarled the words.

The man Rafe was holding had his hands up, and he seemed to be trying to shout something through the case on his head.

“They’re law enforcement, Logan,” Wolf explained. “The sheriff should have warned you they were in town.” Logan holstered his weapon. “He didn’t warn me that they would come at me with guns and their dicks hanging out.” Cam looked down and readjusted his shorts. “I’m sorry about the hard-on. It’s the adrenaline. I’ll put on some pants as soon as we figure out if we need to bury this asshole.” Rafe gave his partner a stern glare. “We’re not burying anyone.

We’ll take him into custody.”

Wolf pointed to Cam. “I like that one, Laura. He’s the one you should keep. Sorry. I’m really good at burying bodies. I was looking forward to it.”

“No one’s burying anyone. Cam, get the hood, and let’s see what we caught.” Rafe forced his prisoner into the kitchen chair and took a step back.

Cam pulled the hood off, and the man suddenly had two guns pointed at his head, and he had a pair of her socks stuffed halfway down his throat.

“Well, if it isn’t Brad,” Cam said, shaking his head. “I should have guessed you would show up like a jealous girlfriend.” Rafe lowered his gun. “Brad? What the fuck?” He pulled the gag out of the man’s mouth.

Laura studied the newcomer. She hadn’t met him before, but she knew a fed when she saw one. He wore the uniform, dark suit—not too expensive, not too cheap—comfortable loafers, white shirt, and bland tie. He was built, but there was something about his face that reminded Laura of a weasel.

“You nearly killed me, asshole.” Brad spit the words out along with no small amount of phlegm.

“What the hell were you doing sneaking around like that?” Rafe asked. The guns had all been lowered. The tension notched down.

“I was trying to figure out where our target was,” Brad replied.

“No one around here seemed willing to help. The whole damn town seems intent on interfering with a federal investigation.”

“He followed me from the station house. I remember you,” Logan said. “You were the jerk who wanted us to haul in an innocent citizen.

He argued with Nate that we should put out an APB and treat Laura like a criminal.”

The man named Brad’s face twisted. “She can’t be too innocent.

She’s done a hell of a lot to cover her tracks. I’ve found innocent women don’t walk away from their lives and go off the grid. Innocent women don’t get the locals to cover for them. This whole damn town has made sure no one can find this bitch.” Rafe’s fist came out and made sharp contact with Brad’s nose.

Laura stepped aside the minute she saw Rafe draw back. Rafe knew how to punch. Brad’s head snapped back, and his nose crunched, a splatter of blood flying out.

“You broke my nose,” Brad said, though it sounded more like

“nobe” instead of nose.

“I’ll break more than that if you refer to her that way again,” Rafe said.

“I’ll do worse than break your nose,” Cam threatened.

“I’m your partner,” Brad said, holding his nose.

So the asshole was Rafe’s new partner. That was interesting news.

Cam was staring at him like he couldn’t stand the man. Laura walked into her kitchen and wet a kitchen towel. She grabbed some ice and wrapped it up before she handed it to Brad.

He put it to his nose. “You need to think about why we’re here, man. The whole team is holed up at that shithole sheriff’s office waiting around with their dicks in their hands because you won’t answer your damn phone.”

The words kicked Laura squarely in the gut. So Rafe had known they were coming. Well, she’d pretty much figured that out. Hearing it hurt, though.

“The team was supposed to wait for us to call back,” Rafe said.

He was looking at Brad. His eyes seemed to be avoiding hers.

“We have some new information. I’m not talking about it here,” Brad said, his mouth setting in mulish lines. “Now, maybe you can do your job, partner, and bring this…lovely woman in where we can talk to her.”

“That’s up to Laura,” Logan said.

“What new information?” Cam asked.

“Rafe didn’t share that news with you?” Brad asked, smirking.

“Joe called and talked to him yesterday. I guess he decided to withhold that little nugget. I would have done the same. Rafe is a Bureau man in the end. Now you need to step back, Mr. Private Investigator, and let the real men take over.” Cam’s face flushed. Laura knew that look. Asshole McSmartypants was about to get a fistful of Cam. She’d really had enough testosterone for the morning.

“I’ll ride with you, Logan.” Laura walked past Cam. “You should get dressed. Both of you. Wolf, can you give my boss a call and explain why I’m not going to be at work?” He nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll find someone to take your shift.

Everyone is going to want to help out. You be sure to take care of her, Logan. Call me if you and Nate need some backup.” Brad stood up. He still held the icepack to his nose. “You are not going to interfere with an official investigation.” Cam moved into Laura’s space. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

“Everyone stop,” Rafe ordered. Even dressed in nothing but his slacks, there was an indefinable air of authority about the man. “Laura can ride with us. We’ll get dressed and get to the station house. We will sort this out.”

Laura nodded. It wouldn’t do any good to argue with him. It was far better to let him believe that she would be reasonable. Of course, she was being reasonable. Last night she’d been an idiot, thinking that they could try again.

Rafe tried to lean over and kiss her, but Laura pulled away.

Rafe’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll talk about that, too, bella.” Cam stared at her for a moment before they both walked back into the bedroom to get dressed.

Laura grabbed her purse the minute the door closed behind them.

“I’m ready, Logan.”

“Hey,” Brad said before Wolf put a hand on his shoulder.

“I would keep my mouth shut, G-Man. I wouldn’t want my fist to slip and take you out.”

Brad sat his ass back down.

“I promise, I’m going to be a good little girl and talk to the SAC,” Laura said. Apparently the special agent in charge was her old boss, Joseph Stone.

She stared at her cabin as Logan pulled away. She wondered how long it would be before she could sleep there without feeling their arms around her.

Cam heard the car pull away and cursed as he zipped up his slacks from the night before. He shoved the feminine curtains aside and watched the deputy’s Bronco pull out of the drive and fly down the road. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew the deputy wasn’t alone in that car.

Laura was gone, and it was Rafe’s fault.

“You knew the unit was coming in?” Cam finished getting dressed in a hurry, his hands closing buttons in angry, impatient motions. Rafe had known all along, and he hadn’t bothered to tell him.

“No, damn it. I got a call from Joe yesterday, but you can’t get decent cell service here. All I knew was that there was some new information. I didn’t know that he was coming here.” Cam sat down on the bed he’d shared with Laura last night. Rafe had been there, too, but Cam didn’t really want to think about that right now. “You told me we were coming out here to talk to her, to make sure she was safe.”

Rafe didn’t look up from tying his loafers. “Yes, that’s what we came out here to do.”

“You’re not telling me everything.” Cam could hear the hesitation in Rafe’s voice. There was something the bastard was keeping from him. Maybe he would have seen it before if he hadn’t been thinking with his dick.

“I was supposed to bring her back to DC for questioning and, if the SAC deemed it necessary, protective custody.” Cam got up, clenching his fists at his sides. “And you didn’t bother to tell me that we might have to drag her kicking and screaming back to the city where she was nearly killed? There’s a reason she was hiding. You know I didn’t want to tell the Bureau at all. I didn’t see that we had any reason to. She didn’t do anything wrong. If she feels safer in this tiny town, then what’s wrong with that?”

Rafe stood, his shoulders set for a fight. “What’s wrong with it?

First, she is not safe here. That lock on her door wouldn’t keep out a toddler. Second, as long as that asshole is out there killing and torturing women, there’s the possibility that he finds her. Do you think he’s happy that she got away? This killer is obsessive. He won’t be happy that she’s still alive. He’ll feel the need to tie up that loose end.”

Cam was sick of it. It was an excuse. An ugly suspicion was forming in the back of Cam’s mind. “Don’t feed me that profile crap.

This is about getting Laura back to DC where you think you have the advantage. If she goes into protective custody, where does that leave me? I’m not on the payroll anymore. I guess it gives you a lot of time with her.”

Rafe’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you accusing me of?”

“I think you know.”

“Are they going to hit each other?” A feminine voice spoke from just outside the bedroom door. Holly stood there with Wolf. There was a small loaf of bread in her hand and a worried look in her eyes.

Cam wasn’t sure when the bedroom door had come open, but he was pretty sure those two had heard more than he wanted them to. “I don’t have time to beat him up right now.”

“Like you could,” Rafe growled under his breath.

“Maybe you should put that on hold for a second. We have another problem,” Wolf said. “Holly just had a woman knock on her cabin door.”

Holly’s hair was up in a messy ponytail, and she gestured toward her own cabin as she spoke. “She said she was with a news station in Washington. I thought she was talking about the state and maybe they had heard how great our coffee was here. It’s really good. Everyone says so. There’s something about the way Stella…”

“Holly, stay on task, darlin’,” Wolf urged her.

“Oh, well, I started talking about how nice Bliss is, and how very few tourists have met grisly deaths. That part is totally exaggerated, but then she started asking about Laura. She said she’d heard I was her best friend and how did I feel about potentially being the target of a serial killer.”

Fuck. There was only one person that could be. “Skinny? Long, flat blonde hair?”

Holly frowned. “I’m ashamed to say I barely got past her boobs.

I’m not interested in females, but those boobs were…well, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them.”

Cam shuddered a little. “They’re fake. Yours are better.” Holly’s smile lit up the room. “Thank you.” Rafe’s mouth was a flat slash as he brushed by Wolf and Holly and walked straight to his partner. Brad still had the ice pack on his nose. He looked like an idiot. What had he been thinking, sneaking around the side of the cabin?

Rafe’s hands came down on either side of the table, and he looked at Brad the same way Cam had seen him look at a suspect. “What the hell is Jana Evans doing here? Who gave her the tip-off?” Eyes wide, Brad leaned back a little in his chair. “Now, Rafe, you know I can’t stand that bitch. She’s always on us, calling us incompetent fools. Why the hell would I give her a tip-off?”

“Someone is tipping her off. This was supposed to be a secret.” Yeah, even for him. Cam didn’t like any of it. He really didn’t like the fact that Jana Evans had shown up. That reporter was trouble. It had been her story that led to Laura’s kidnapping. He could still remember getting that note. It had been sent to the SAC, but he and Rafe had been called in. The note had explained that de Sade was angry. He was far smarter than anyone in law enforcement, and Laura Rosen would pay for the insult.

That note had been the beginning of the worst years of Cam’s life.

Now the trouble with de Sade was all starting over again.

Damn. He wanted to be in bed again. He wanted to be snuggled beside Laura in this quiet, safe place. He wished he’d never woken up.

He was wasting time. God, he was going to look like an idiot. His day-old clothing was wrinkled and hadn’t managed a shower or a shave, but he wasn’t going to let her face the unit alone. He was going to have to suck up his pride and ask for a favor. He looked at Wolf.

“Could I get a ride into town from you?” Cam sure as fuck wasn’t riding with Rafe.

Rafe sighed. “You’re going to play the wounded idiot aren’t you?

I told you I didn’t know they were coming. I didn’t cut you out of this. I convinced them to let you come in with me.”

“And I found her. Don’t pretend like you were doing me a favor.”

“I’m going, too. I have banana bread. Everyone likes banana bread,” Holly said. “From what it looks like, Laura hasn’t had any breakfast. So, I’m coming, too.”

“Ma’am,” Brad began in that whiny voice of his, “this is serious investigative work. Just stay in your cabin, and I’m sure there’s a secretary who can keep you informed.” Holly stared at him for a moment, then turned back to Wolf. “If he touches my banana bread, I’ll kick him in the balls. Can we go now?” Wolf nodded. “Come on, Cam. I’ll give you a ride in.” Rafe pulled on his arm. “Don’t do this. The last thing we need is to let this thing come between us. I never meant to leave you out. I would think last night proved that.”

Cam wanted to believe him. He did. The night before had been the best of his life, and part of that had been sharing Laura with Rafe.

Perhaps Rafe hadn’t lied to him, but he hadn’t been truthful, either. “I think you need to take a step back and decide, really decide, what’s more important to you, Laura or your career. I know where I stand on that. I’ll see you at the station. I understand that I’m not on the ‘team.’

I’m strictly there to provide support for Laura. And to keep that fucking reporter off her back.”

“I’ll get rid of her,” Rafe promised. “I know no one in this room is going to believe me, but my main concern is Laura. However, I believe the best way to keep her safe is to catch this killer. I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it because I know he’s going to come after her, and I’m going to get to him before he does it.”

“Would he come for her here?” Holly asked, a little tremor in her voice.

Wolf’s arm went around her. As far as Cam could tell, there was nothing in his stance but friendly concern. Wolf Meyer seemed to like to touch the women around him. As long as he kept those paws off his Laura from now on, Cam didn’t have a problem with it. Holly didn’t seem to have a man to watch out for her. In Cam’s mind, that meant every man who knew her should watch out for her.

“Laura’s going to be okay. We’re having a town hall this evening to discuss the situation. Stef called it.” Rafe groaned a little. “There’s no need to bring the town into this, Mr. Meyer. We’re working with the sheriff. He’ll keep you updated.”

“That isn’t the way things work here in Bliss,” Wolf pointed out.

He started to lead Holly to the door. “We’ll grab some coffee from Stella’s. That crap Nate drinks is like motor oil. You coming?” Rafe stood there, his eyes on the table in front of him. His face was stony, but Cam could feel the anger practically vibrating off of him.

He wanted to believe Rafe, but it had been one little deception after another with him. How much was he supposed to take? When would Rafe decide to fully cut him loose?

“Yeah, I’m coming.” He followed Wolf out the door. He had enough problems to deal with without sorting through all the things that were wrong between him and Rafe at the moment.

He’d woken up cuddled around the dude. That was just wrong.

“Shit, I take it that’s the reporter?” Wolf asked.

And there was another problem Cam didn’t need. Sometimes he thought his life had been a fuckload easier when it was just him and his computers. He’d had a promising career as a potential hacker. He could have had all the Hot Pockets he could eat and all the comics he could read, but no, when the FBI had recruited him, he’d just had to go. Now he had to deal with waking up with his dick on his best friend’s thigh and catching serial killers and dealing with eighty pounds of pure evil in designer clothes. Yep, he should have gone the geek route.

“Well, if it isn’t the FBI’s least wanted,” Jana said with a wrinkle of her cosmetically perfect nose. She’d once told him she had Reese Witherspoon’s nose, Angelina Jolie’s lips, and Halle Berry’s chin.

She might have paid for all of that, but she hadn’t had to pay for Hitler’s soul. That, she’d been born with.

“You’re going to get your ass thrown in jail for obstructing a federal investigation.”

Jana smiled, but it was more like a snake baring its fangs. How had Laura ever considered this woman her friend? She waved her hand, and her cameraman appeared. He was a lanky guy with stringy hair poking out of his baseball cap. He didn’t say anything, merely shoved the camera on his shoulder and looked through the viewfinder.

“You should know I’m always rolling tape of one kind or another.” Yeah, he knew that all too well. “Even when your best friend is pouring her heart out to you? Tell me something, Jana, how do you sleep at night? How do you rest knowing that your little story almost got Laura killed?”

She shook her head, but her hair didn’t move. It was like the rest of Jana, utterly and perfectly under control and potentially very fake.

“I didn’t kidnap her. I was trying to help the public. That monster had been killing for years, and you guys couldn’t get your thumbs out of each other’s asses long enough to find him. The public had the right to know that there was important information the BAU was overlooking because the profiler was female.”

“That had nothing to do with it, and you know it.” At least Cam hoped it didn’t. Laura had always been treated like a valued member of the team, yet Joe and Edward Lock, the senior analyst on the case, had utterly discounted everything in her profile.

Jana looked down at her nails as though the whole conversation was boring her on a fundamental level. “Seemed like a cover-up to me. It’s my responsibility to keep the public informed. The FBI sat on Laura’s information because she’s a woman, or they hid it because they were trying to protect their own. Either way, it was wrong. I got her information out to the public. I did her a favor.” Cam had to clench his fists to stop from winding them around her neck. He wouldn’t need both hands. He could crush her throat with one. “Yeah, I bet she felt like you had really helped her out when she was fired and humiliated and then nearly killed because your fucking news report gave out her address.”

Wolf was in his truck, revving the engine. Holly had been perfectly still beside Cam, but now she took his hand.

“Come on, Cameron. I think you’ve said enough. Let Rafe handle her.” Holly’s hand was shaking as she started to pull him away.

“Yes, Cam, run away. I don’t need you. I want to talk to a real FBI agent,” Jana said. “You’re useless now, but then you’ve always been useless unless someone needs their computer fixed or backup in a bar fight, you hick.”

He followed Holly because she wouldn’t let go of his hand. There was a rigid set to her jaw as she climbed into the backseat, leaving him sitting next to Wolf. Wolf stared holes through the reporter, and he hadn’t even heard everything she’d said.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that, Holly,” Cam said. Humiliation flowed over him. “Uhm, I should have walked away. You’re right.

Rafe is the agent. He should handle her.” She slapped at his shoulder. “Dummy, I wasn’t saying that. I think Rafe deserves to have to handle her. She’s a horrible human being. I needed to get out of there or I was going to stuff my banana bread down her throat. And it’s good bread. It shouldn’t be wasted on revenge.”

Cam felt a deep surge of gratitude for his woman’s best friend. It looked like Laura had been much more fortunate in her choices of friends in this place. Even that kooky Nell seemed sweet and loyal.

Just a little insane.

His stomach was utterly in knots. How was he going to convince Laura he hadn’t tricked her? He couldn’t lose her again, but how could he keep her after this?

And Rafe. That son of a bitch. The betrayal burned in his gut. Had Rafe really used him? It would be easy to get rid of Cam once the feds swooped down. Cam wasn’t on the team, and he wasn’t local law enforcement. He had not one lick of clearance or standing when it came to the case, and after this morning, he doubted Laura would even consider him a friend. He could get frozen out entirely.

Cam looked out the side mirror back at the cabin where he’d almost found heaven. Rafe was getting into their rented SUV. He shouted something at Jana before slamming the door.

Cam forced his eyes forward.

He couldn’t think about Rafe now. Laura. Laura was all that mattered.

And keeping her alive had just become Cam’s full-time job.