Metwater would be furious if he learned she was a cop, but that didn’t mean he would do anything more than kick her out of his camp. But even though she didn’t have any proof that he was involved in anything illegal, everything she knew about him told her he was capable of violence. Still, she was a cop. She knew how to look after herself. “I could have you arrested for interfering with an investigation,” she said.
“You could. But you’d have to deal with Metwater first.” He removed his sunglasses, and she found herself held by the intensity of his sapphire-blue eyes. His voice was a low, sexy rumble she was sure was intentional. “I’m thinking maybe you would prefer to deal with me.”
Jake knew his words had gotten through the tough attitude she wore like a shield. A rosy flush burnished Officer Redhorse’s cheeks, and he could almost see the sparks of anger in her eyes at what he could admit was his clumsily delivered threat. He wasn’t sure if she would scream at him or go ahead and shoot him, so he hastened to try to repair the damage.
“Look, all I’m asking is for you to help me out a little,” he said.
“I can’t help you,” she said.
“You can talk to my mother. Tell her you think it’s a good idea for her and Sophie to come with me.”
“I hardly know your mother,” she said. “Why would she listen to me? And I know even less about you. I have no way of knowing if going with you is a good idea or not.”
Couldn’t she see that he was a good guy? Well, maybe not. “Check me out,” he said. “You’ll see I don’t even have a traffic ticket.”
“Just because you’ve never broken a law doesn’t make you a good guy. Daniel Metwater doesn’t have any traffic tickets, either.”
He winced. Then another idea occurred to him. “Does Metwater trust you?” he asked.
She looked as if she had tasted something sour. “I’m not sure trust is the right word.”
“But he likes you,” Jake said. “He’s attracted to you. You’re a beautiful woman, and you’re a novelty.”
“Because I’m not his usual white and desperate type?”
Because that tough, don’t-touch-me attitude of yours is sexy as all get-out. But he thought better of saying that. He was already in enough trouble here. “From what I’ve seen and heard, the Prophet likes pretty much all young, attractive women—at least, the ones who follow him around and hang on his every word. If you’re working undercover in his camp, I assume you’re playing the part of devoted disciple.”
She pressed her lips together but didn’t comment.
“Maybe I can help you out,” he said.
“I don’t need your help.”
“I might be able to find out things you can’t. I could talk to the men in camp, let you know what I hear.”
She shook her head. “Talk to your mother, but leave me out of it.” She turned and walked away.
He watched her leave, her back straight and her confident stride quickly lengthening the distance between them. Should he follow her? He was going to have to go to Metwater’s camp sooner or later to confront his mother. He would have liked to have had the pretty cop on his side. The meeting with Phoenix wasn’t going to be an easy one, and it would have been good to have an ally. But, if he had to, he’d do the job alone. He was used to working solo—he’d been on his own since he was a teenager. And he knew how to tackle tough jobs. He had already let his sister down once. He wouldn’t let that happen again.
He waited a moment to let Carmen get ahead of him, then started to follow. He would see what she did when she got to camp, then make his decision about when to approach his mother.
Before they reached camp, however, Carmen caught up with the other women. He was too far away to hear what was said, but it appeared that a couple of the women greeted her. Then a figure broke from the group and ran up to Carmen. Though Jake couldn’t hear what the girl was saying, he recognized Sophie, and she was clearly agitated. Carmen put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, listening, then she and Sophie turned and headed back toward Jake.
He walked out to meet them. Sophie stared at him, eyes wide. “Jake? Is that really you?”
“It’s me, sis.” He held out his arms, and she ran to him and buried her head against his shoulder. The feel of her—bigger than the last time he had seen her, but still so slight and vulnerable—sent a tremor through him. He loved her so much. Why had he stayed away so long?
“Thank God you’re here,” she said.
He pulled her away a little, so that he could see her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Why are you so upset?”
“It’s Mama. Something’s really wrong with her.” She grabbed his hand and started leading him forward. “We have to hurry, before it’s too late.”
* * *
CARMEN FOLLOWED BEHIND Jake and his sister. If she had had any doubts about telling Sophie of her brother’s arrival, she knew now she had made the right decision. Sophie walked with one arm wrapped around Jake’s waist and looked up at him as if she couldn’t believe he was here. For his part, Jake studied his sister as if he couldn’t get enough of looking at her.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” he said as they headed toward Metwater’s camp at the foot of Mystic Mesa.
“We were walking back to camp, and Mama just collapsed,” Sophie said. “I mean, one minute she was fine, and the next she just—fell over.” The girl looked back at Carmen. “Starfall and Sarah got a couple of the men to carry her to the Prophet. They said he would know what to do for her.”
“Has Phoenix complained of feeling bad lately?” Carmen asked.
“No. She’s just acted, you know, normal.” Sophie turned back to Jake. “I still can’t believe you’re here. What are you doing?”
“I came to see you.” He tried to smile, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re growing up fast.”
Sophie hugged him tighter. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too.” His eyes met Carmen’s over Sophie’s shoulder, as if challenging her to deny that his sister loved him and was glad to see him.
“Mom’s going to be so happy to see you, too,” Sophie said.
“Is she? She wasn’t very happy with me last time we spoke.”
“She was just worried about you joining the military. But she’s in a different place now. A better place.” Sophie frowned. “Or she was, until this.”
“Maybe the heat got to her,” Carmen said. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.” She touched Jake’s arm. “You need to hide your gun before we get to camp. Walking in with it visible like that will only cause trouble.” She had already tucked hers back into the holster on her thigh.
She expected him to argue, but he nodded. “Okay.” He unstrapped the holster from around his waist and stuffed it into his pack. Sophie watched, wide-eyed and silent.
The US Forest Service allowed dispersed camping for up to two weeks outside of designated campgrounds. Through mysterious political connections, Daniel Metwater had wrangled a permit for his group to settle for an extended period in this remote area, near a natural spring at the base of a rocky mesa in the high desert landscape of Curecanti National Recreation Area. This was the third such camp the group had occupied in as many months. Like the others, it consisted of a motley collection