Page 31 of Don't Back Down

She’d kicked back in her recliner with the television on, absently scanning social media on her laptop while waiting for the national news.

When her cell phone rang, she quickly picked it up.

“Hello.”

“Agent Caldwell, I have the info you requested,” Howard said.

“Rusty, please,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am. But your request for info on Cameron Pope has shifted our plans somewhat.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I’m sending files and information. You’ll understand as you read. Just know that he has agreed to work with you. We believe his presence will be valuable in gaining you easy access to people and places. If there are locals aiding the trafficking ring, he’ll likely spot them before you do.”

Rusty groaned. “Why would you saddle me with a civilian?”

“He’s ex-Special Forces. His security clearance is on a level with mine. Read the file.”

Rusty blinked. “You’re kidding.”

“Not even a little bit,” Howard said. “He’s awaiting your contact. He knows the cover you’re going in under. What he doesn’t know is that you’re a female. I thought I’d save that surprise for you.”

Rusty rolled her eyes. “You are too kind.”

She could hear Howard chuckling as she disconnected. But now she was beyond interested to read Pope’s file. It also added an issue to her visit with the family. She had to figure out how to explain him to her aunt and uncle without raising eyebrows and questions she couldn’t answer.

Curious to see what Cameron Pope was about, Rusty went to her email, downloaded the files Howard sent, and then opened the first one. It was a general background check that didn’t raise any flags. And then she opened the file with his military record and the first thing she saw was his picture and she forgot to breathe.

Oh my God! It’s you! You did make it home.

Tears spiked. She inhaled slowly, her fingers trembling as she began to scroll through the pages, from his first tour through his second tour and everything in between. The redacted parts gave her chills. Those were the stuff spy movies were made of, and he’d survived them. And now he was back where he’d been born. It’s what she’d dreamed for him all these years.

According to what she’d just read, he wasn’t married and never had been. But that didn’t mean he didn’t have a significant other. The thought crossed her mind to call Agent Howard and tell him that she knew Cameron Pope, that they had history, but she didn’t. The fact that they did have a history could solidify their cover and go a long way in explaining them being together during her stay—but only if there was no one else in his bed.

She couldn’t imagine a man like him alone, and if there was a woman, she was going to have to face that, and the woman, and pretend their one night meant nothing, when in fact it had been everything.

She’d never been afraid of starting a new case before, but she was now.

What was their first face-to-face going to be like?

If he didn’t remember her, she would die where she stood.

***

Cameron’s night had been filled with anxiety and even a small measure of guilt, and he’d awakened to the same sense of dread. He was sickened by the thought of an active human-trafficking gang using Jubilee as their shopping ground, and had to accept that when the corporation went into the tourist trade, it made Jubilee a draw for this kind of crime.

They might never have known it was happening beneath their noses had it not been for Lili’s kidnapping. But now that he did, he took it as his duty to do what was asked of him to put the traffickers behind bars.

The first meeting with the federal agent would happen today, and the hours of waiting for his arrival made Cameron feel like he had felt on active duty when they were going out on patrol. The tension of not knowing what they would encounter. Would it be someone they could trust? And then accepting as they left camp they might not make it back.

Sunlight was coming through a crack in the curtains when he finally got up. His movement set Ghost in motion, which meant grabbing shoes and a sweatshirt to go with his pajama bottoms. He turned up the thermostat on their way up the hall, then let Ghost out the back door for his morning patrol.

Cameron stood out of the wind next to the house, watching Ghost marking his territory and sniffing around the yard, and when the hair rose on the back of the dog’s neck, Cameron knew he’d caught the scents of uninvited rabbits and raccoons and the occasional deer that had invaded his space as they’d slept.

Finally, the cold air ended Cameron’s patience. There would be no long morning runs until Ghost’s paw was healed, so he called him back inside, put out his food, then left him eating as he went into the living room to rekindle the fire.

He started the coffee maker, then headed for the bathroom to shave. He wasn’t sure if he’d healed enough to do this, but his whiskers were thick and they itched. And every time he looked at himself in the mirror, that dark growth of whiskers reminded him of missions he’d rather forget.

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