Page 76 of Shielding Aubree

She could have kept quiet or made some sort of innocuous comment, but her anger and her desperation were making it difficult to hold herself together.

"The good person?" She scoffed at him. "I've been the good person," she drew in a lung full of breath and glared at him, "and just where did that get me?"

She leaned to the side and tried to lift her bound arms enough that he could see them. "Taped up in the middle of nowhere with a wannabe cop trying to get information so he doesn't get put in prison for life."

She breathed into the silence between them and waited to see what her outburst was going to get her.

"You think I want to be like you?" The incredulous tone of his voice became a shout. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Why?" She knew she was riding the edge of her fear, but it also gave her some courage as well. "You're here quizzing me on your file because you want to keep out of trouble? With all the time you've spent stalking women and killing them, you could have earned a master's degree in forensic science! You could be working for the 'good guys' and getting recognition for what you do instead of slinking around hoping to hide your dark deeds and live free to kill again. If this isn't about wanting to be in law enforcement, then I don't know what we're doing here."

He fisted his hands and glared at her. "I can step in and out when I want. I don't need to follow the rules like you have to."

"Sure, but you're also just lying to yourself and everyone around you. You have to worry about leaving behind evidence and being caught. Why not just do good instead of wasting all of your time being the bad guy."

He shook his head. "I bet you believe that anyone can be good. I bet you think you could turn me in, and I'd be rehabilitated."

"Me?" She shook her head. "I don't think you could. Not now.

"If you'd sought help before notching half a dozen deaths to your belt, maybe. But who's going to trust you now."

"Who the fuck cares about trust?"

She swallowed and the pain lanced through her shoulders because her hands were bound together with tape.

Aubree lifted her chin to stare at him. "You do."

He didn't move or even acknowledge that he'd heard her, but she wasn't about to stop now. She had to give herself time.

She had to hold onto hope.

Those were the only two things she could grasp at the moment. It wasn't just her hands and feet that were bound, it was her spirit, too.

Ruben couldn't trusthimself to help create the plan to save Aubree.

He needed to know that she was going to be okay but if he was allowed anywhere near the operation to get her back, he might be a detriment to the safety of others around him.

They were close enough that they could see the scene thought high-powered binoculars, but it would likely take a miracle to get officers or military close enough on foot to do anything without being spotted.

They'd already discussed using the fake cruiser as cover, but the ground was dry enough that dust might end up in the air.

However, if they could wait until the sun fell below the horizon it might work.

The trouble was. Did they have enough time to wait?

"One of the best things we have for our benefit is the never-ending stretch of rock between us at the car."

"The seemingly never-ending stretch," Antonio added in.

The officer sitting on the back bumper of the SWAT vehicle nodded. "For most, looking at the lay of the land they would think it was flat, but because of the different colors and hues of the dirt and rocks, even the brush growing across the land, there are shallow ruts in the dirt and rocks that can allow for people to sneak up closer."

"Can?" Drake leaned against the side of the truck beside the bumper. "Do we have a geological survey of the area?"

Tiny put a finger up into the air. "Ryleigh can get us maps via the satellites above us."

The officer with the NMPD lifted his gaze up toward the sky. "I'm not going to worry how you're going to get your hands on that."

"Just the digital files," Tiny explained. "She can drop it into anyone's phone here."

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