Hill, Gerri - Angel Fire

“I think that’s part of it, yes,” she said. “And I think she genuinely wants a house, wants to put down roots somewhere. She grew up in a military family. She’s been in the military her whole life. I think she’s ready to settle down.”

“Does she have a family? Siblings?”

Andrea shook her head. “No. She doesn’t have family.” She paused, wondering if Cameron would mind her telling Sam about her father. It wasn’t something Cameron ever talked about. “Her brother was in the military too. He was killed,” she said. “And…well, her father, he was also in the military. He found her mother with another man, an officer. He killed them both.”

“Oh, God.”

“So he’s in prison.” She decided she wouldn’t mention the fact that Cameron’s father had kidnapped her and taken her into the wilderness in Canada to avoid capture.

“You’re her family then,” Sam said. “Tori doesn’t have any family either. Her father was a cop too. A home invasion…well, her whole family was killed. I hate to think about it, and Tori doesn’t talk about it, but the guy killed everyone but Tori. He left her tied to a chair at their dinner table, all her family dead around her. I think she was twelve years old.”

“God, how did she mentally survive that?”

“She used to think she hadn’t,” Sam said. “She lived with a very loving aunt and she helped her heal. She wanted to become a cop so that she could solve her family’s murder.”

“No one was ever arrested?”

“No. And after all this time, I think she’s resolved herself that no one will be.”

“That’s got to be very hard for her.”

“Yes. But we’ve made a home, we are our own family. And Casey and Leslie, they’re our best friends. Casey and Tori are like sisters.”

“With our lifestyle now, that is the one thing I miss,” Andrea confessed. “Friends.”

“Another reason to settle down,” Sam said. She paused. “It’s odd how similar their lives have been, isn’t it? I mean, minus the military, of course.”

“Yes. Maybe that’s why they’re so much alike.”

Andrea settled back in her seat, enjoying the coolness of the evening. She could hear the breeze stirring the leaves on the aspen tree they were parked under. Daylight had dwindled and she could no longer make out the subtle gold color that was just starting to show. She knew from their travels in the west that they were missing the peak color by about two weeks. Maybe when this was over, Cameron would want to head up into the mountains again.

* * *

“Hey guys,” Eric said. “There’s a black Mustang cruising by. That’s at least the third time I’ve seen it.”

Cameron and Tori looked at each other. “Surveillance,” they said at the same time.

“Goddamn,” Cameron murmured.

“It’s pulling in the driveway,” Eric said, his voice low.

Cameron felt her adrenaline kick in, and she squeezed her hand around her rifle. She knew it was too dark to take a shot. Not from here.

“Can you see?” Tori whispered beside her.

Cameron shook her head.

“Okay, it’s not Angel,” Eric said. “Judging from the looks of him, I’d say a local thug.”

“I’ve got to get closer,” Cameron said. “I can’t tell how many people are in the house from here.”

“I’ve got eyes on the door. All is quiet now,” Eric said.

“He’s put no lights on,” Tori said. “He’s got to know we’re here.”

“If he hired a local and that was indeed surveillance, then yeah, he must suspect we’re here,” Cameron said.

“Are you ready to call for backup?” Reynolds asked.

“Yeah, let’s shoot up the whole goddamn neighborhood, Reynolds.”

“If not backup, then what do you suggest?”

“How about…‘FBI. Come out with your hands up!’? You think that’ll work?” She heard nothing but a quick laugh from Andrea. Reynolds didn’t bother to reply. She glanced over at Tori. “Everyone is so uptight.”

Tori raised her eyebrows. “Plan B then?”

“Do we have a Plan B?”

“We wait him out,” Reynolds suggested. “He’s got to come out sometime.”

“We still don’t have a positive ID that Angel’s even in the house,” Eric said.

“I’ve got to get closer,” she said again. “Let me see if I can pick something up with the thermal imaging.”

“Be careful,” Reynolds whispered.

Even though it was a pleasant evening and a light breeze was blowing through the open truck windows, she felt perspiration trickle down her neck. She got out quietly, making sure not to close the door. She had already turned the interior lights off.

“I see light inside,” Eric said. “Looks like maybe the kitchen window. It’s over here by the carport.”

“Looks like a flashlight,” Reynolds said.

“Copy that,” Cameron whispered as she pressed up against a blue spruce that separated the two houses. She held the device out, making sure to stay in the shadows. She finally got a reading and was shocked to see four people inside. “Got four inside,” she said.

“Makes no sense,” Reynolds said. “He’s on the run. He’s been all over the news. Who in their right mind would team up with him?”

“He’s got three million dollars,” Tori said . “Money talks.”

Cameron crept back to the truck and slipped inside again. She tossed the device on the seat with a heavy sigh. Four? Who were they and how well trained were they?

“What are you thinking?”

She turned to Tori. “I’m wondering if these are local thugs, like Eric thinks, or if these are part of his team. Maybe a second team he had lined up, just in case.” She held her wrist mic closer to her mouth. “Sam? What do you think?”

There was only a slight pause before she answered. “I don’t think he had any other team here,” Sam said. “He was used to working alone. I don’t think he would trust that many people.”

“I suppose if he had another team, he would have called them in right away,” she said. “So if they are locals, we can assume they aren’t well trained.”

“So what do you want to do?” Reynolds asked. “I still think we should wait them out.”

“Wait them out? Wait for them to come out?” she asked. “So if he comes out with his three friends around him, do I just take them all out? Or do we let them get in the car and have a chase?” She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “Hell, maybe he gets away long enough to take another hostage. Maybe we can play that game all over again.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m tired, Reynolds. I’m frustrated. And I’m sick to death of Angel Figueroa.”

“I’ll second that,” Tori said quietly beside her.

Cameron closed her eyes. She needed to focus. She couldn’t be tired. She couldn’t be frustrated. She couldn’t be at the point where she was ready to just walk away from it all. She allowed herself a glimpse of the future, with she and Andrea in a little mountain town, maybe living in a cabin. Hell, maybe getting a dog or even another cat.

“Cameron?”

It was Andi, and she smiled, recognizing the gentle tone of her voice. How did Andrea know that she had reached her limit?

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, answering her unasked question. She cleared her throat. “Okay, let’s talk this through. Does he know we’re out here? Was the guy in the Mustang doing surveillance? Angel is smart. He’s leaving nothing to chance.” She paused, feeling out of sorts. “We could wait, as Reynolds suggested. Maybe I could get a shot when he comes out. But if I don’t, then what?”