Chapter 4

4

Brooklyn opened the door to the conference room at precisely ten a.m. She wished she could say she’d slept the night and woke refreshed, but she would be lying if she did. The bed was surprisingly comfortable for a cabin, the bedding luxurious—which she credited Gage for providing for the people who enrolled in his classes—and the room was quiet. Maybe too quiet. Just a few hoots of an owl and the wind buffeting the thick walls.

But honestly, thoughts of working around others after such a long break from people kept her sleepless. That, and thoughts of Colin. She easily imagined him in one of the classic movies she watched. Suave, debonair, a real movie star of days gone by.

She glanced at him at the head of the classroom. He wore tactical pants that fit his trim waist to a T and a polo shirt with the Shadow Lake Survival logo embroidered on the chest. Right . Reality check, and time to let go of her very vivid imagination of him in one of her fave movies. This guy was more rough and tumble. An action star in one of the movies Nick loved. Still, if Colin were to pose for the old classic movie posters wearing the right clothing, his dark hair and intense look would have women flocking to the theater.

He shifted and caught her watching him.

The heat of a blush crept up her face, and she gave a little wave.

He acknowledged it with a quick tip of his head and continued on, wrapping up his talk by asking if anyone had any questions about protecting themselves online. A woman with sleek dark hair sat at the table in the front of the room. Her head came up, and she surveyed the group.

She had to be Eryn Sawyer, the Cold Harbor IT specialist who Nick had praised. Maybe she was teaching the class along with Colin. Brooklyn wouldn’t be surprised if the two teams worked together.

Hands went up, and Colin called on a woman in the front row.

“I read that once something is on the internet you can’t get rid of it. Is that true?” she asked. “I mean, you offer the service to help us clean up things, but does it even work or are you scamming us?”

Colin flashed her a professional smile. “I can assure you that we aren’t scamming you. We can’t eliminate things just by deleting them on your end. So for example if you have a Facebook account, we can delete your photos and posts, as it will stop other sites from picking it up in the future. But once uploaded, a digital file can be copied and stored in many locations. We have to find the sites that are storing the files and ask them to destroy them. They may or may not comply.”

Eryn stood and planted her hands on the table. “Social media sites are very hesitant to help, but they are more apt to comply when the information was posted by you. If it was posted by a third party there is little chance to get them to take it down. Freedom of speech and all that.”

“That said, there are tools to help us remove a lot of data like phone numbers and addresses,” Colin said. “In fact, Google has a tool we use to do that, and in the future you can use it yourself.”

“How?” The woman challenged with a suspicious look.

“Just search for your name,” Eryn said. “Then in the pages that come up with data you want removed, click or tap on the three dots for the menu on that item. Next select remove result and Google will walk you through how to do it. They won’t remove all items, but they will usually do addresses and phone numbers.”

A guy with a shaved head perked up. “If this is so great, why don’t they tell people about it?”

“That you would have to ask Google. Maybe search for an answer.” Colin chuckled, then moved on to answer other questions. It took him and Eryn nearly an hour to take care of them all and for the class members to exit.

Brooklyn approached Colin, who’d started packing up his laptop. He looked at her. “Sorry that took so long.”

She smiled at him. “No worries. It was interesting. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know Google had the removal tool. I did know you could have your home photo in their map program blurred by them, but since I don’t own a home I never used it.”

“It’s good to see they’re trying to help out this way.” Eryn held out her hand and introduced herself. “Nick says you’re one talented hacker.”

“I do my best.”

Eryn arched a perfectly tweezed eyebrow in the same rich black color as her hair. “And now you’re going to help take care of Colin’s mom.”

There was a question in her statement, but Brooklyn ignored it and looked at Colin, who was zipping his laptop case closed. “We probably should get going, right?”

Both of Eryn’s eyebrows went up this time. Fine. She got that Brooklyn was avoiding the question, but she wouldn’t add anything else.

He looked at Eryn. “I’ll be back after I get Brooklyn settled.”

“I’ll be taking a long lunch to spend with the kids while you do.” Eryn glanced at Brooklyn. “Do you have children?”

“No. I’ve never been married. Not even engaged.”

“Trey and I have three, but he wants five. I have not agreed.” She laughed.

Brooklyn laughed along. Eryn was a very likable woman, and under any other circumstance, Brooklyn would continue the conversation, but not when she was on the run.

“It was nice meeting you.” She didn’t wait for Colin but rushed to the door and outside. She should probably be more aware of her surroundings, but for the first time in years she had a moment where she felt safe, and she wanted to embrace it before she left the compound.

She drew clear, crisp air into her lungs and admired the fluffy white clouds in the blue sky. Though in the low fifties at the moment, forecasters said they were in for a sunny day in the mid-seventies. A typical June day after a long, rainy spring, and the warmth of the sun on her face gave her hope.

Could she really find Kane, along with a reason that would stick for him to be arrested and convicted? To get her life back where she could follow her interest in a man like Colin or a friendship with a woman like Eryn?

Not as long as Kane was stalking her. Hunting her. But?—

“The black SUV is mine.” Colin’s voice came from behind.

She jumped.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He clicked the remote for his vehicle, and the device beeped as it unlocked the doors.

“No worries,” she said but hated that her brief moment of hope had ended so abruptly.

He strode ahead and opened the hatch for her suitcases and the passenger door for her, then walked around to the other side. She slid in, enjoying the soft buttery seats warmed by the morning sun.

Colin didn’t speak but quickly got them out of the locked gate and on the road. When they were cruising on the highway, he glanced at her. “Sit back and relax. We have about an hour’s drive.”

She shifted to get more comfortable. “Tell me more about your mother.”

“Are you familiar with lupus?”

“Not really.”

He clicked on the cruise control, and the vehicle held a steady speed over the two-lane highway. “It’s an autoimmune disease with no cure. In people with lupus, their body’s immune system attacks their own tissues and organs. Causes inflammation that affects many things in the body.”

“Things like what, specifically?” she asked, very interested now as she had no idea what parts of the body the disease impacted. She would need to know as she cared for his mom.

“Joints, skin, kidneys. Even blood cells. Heart, lungs. Brain.” He took a long breath. “One telltale sign of the disease is a red rash over the nose and cheeks in the shape of a butterfly. The doctor who first diagnosed it thought it looked like a wolf’s bite and named it lupus—the Latin word for wolf.”

She had no idea. “I’ve heard of it. I think most people have, but I never knew it involved so much of the body. It sounds awful.”

A deep frown marred this handsome man’s face. “It really can be if the medicines don’t control it. Mom had a long run of good health when they did work, but then her insurance refused to pay for the one that was working.”

“How awful.”

He gripped the wheel tighter, and even in the sunlight streaming through the window, his fingers looked white. “Her doctor is appealing the decision, but we haven’t heard anything yet. Anyway, she’s been tired a lot and has pretty severe joint pain. She’s on high doses of steroids to make up for the loss of meds. That’s worked in the past, but for the first time it’s not working well.”

Brooklyn couldn’t even imagine seeing her mama suffer from a chronic disease. She was sure she would feel helpless as she suspected Colin did. Like she had felt with her granny. “I’ll pray for her for sure, but specifically what kind of help does she need?”

“She needs assistance with anything that involves using her hands, which is pretty much everything. So dressing, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etcetera. Dev and I work odd hours sometimes—taking groups out camping for days—and we need to get back to doing that full-time. Our teammates are picking up the slack for us, and that has to stop.”

She had no idea they’d be gone for days. “Exactly what is it that you do?”

“We train people how to live off-grid. So how to live off the land. Things like hunting, fishing, gardening, foraging. Also building fires and shelters. First aid and weapon usage.” He glanced at her. “As you heard this morning, I teach participants how to eliminate their electronic footprints and keep them gone, but I also do the basic introduction class and camping trip.”

Interesting. “So these are people who have had it with society and think they’re better off alone?”

“Yes. Some are die-hard preppers, thinking Armageddon is coming, and others just want a simpler life where they don’t have to depend on anyone else.”

Sounded exactly like what she needed right now. “I can see the appeal.”

He glanced at her again. She didn’t meet his gaze. No way she would encourage him to press her for additional details. She couldn’t tell him living off-grid would be the only way to completely hide from Kane, and even then, he could potentially track her to the property she moved to if it belonged to her or a relative.

“What did your mom like to do before she got so sick?” she asked, in order to change the subject.

“She was a big baker. Spoiled us rotten with baked goods.” He grinned and rubbed his hand over his belly. “She was an avid photographer too. She continued to bake until the past few months but had to give up photography sooner when she lost her steady hand.” He sounded so sad for his mom.

She ached with him. She couldn’t see her mama right now, but she was healthy. Or at least Brooklyn thought she was as she hadn’t been in contact for years.

“What about your mom and dad?” he asked. “Are you close to them?”

Ah, a question she didn’t want to answer, and yet, she didn’t want to lie or blow him off when he’d been so forthcoming. “They’re very important in my life. I couldn’t ask for better parents.”

“I wish my dad hadn’t passed away.” He got a far-off look. “I think of him a lot but especially with Father’s Day coming up.”

“I can’t even imagine. That would be so hard.”

He nodded. “This year might be even worse. Reid—one of Shadow Lake Survival’s owners—has daughters who are planning a big Father’s Day celebration on Saturday. They invited all the team members, but I’m not sure I’m up for it and might skip it.”

“I could see that,” she said. She wouldn’t be able to attend an event like that and her dad was alive, just not someone she could talk to right now. She pointed out the window to change the topic. “Oh, look. A sign for the lake. Is it a big lake?”

“It’s a decent size. Lots of good fishing.” He clicked on his blinker. “You ever fish?”

“Plenty of times with my dad when I was little. Not as an adult though.”

He made a left turn onto Shadow Lake Road. “I’ll have to take you. My mom can do a mean fish fry. She might not be able to fry the fish herself, but she can instruct us on how to do it. And by us , I mean you because I can hardly make toast without burning the bread.” He grinned at her.

She laughed. “What makes you think I can cook?”

“You didn’t balk when I said the job included cooking, so…” He shrugged.

“As it happens, I’m pretty good in the kitchen but a bit rusty. I don’t take the time to cook much just for myself.”

He held her gaze for a moment before swinging his focus back to the road. “So no significant other then?”

“No, and you? Someone special in your life?” She held her breath in wait for his answer.

“Not besides my mom, my brother, and sister.”

A horn honked behind them, and she jumped. She smoothed her hands down her jeans to try to hide her unease.

He eyed her as he slowed the vehicle. “Something wrong?”

She couldn’t answer that for sure. “Tell me about your brother. You said you lived with him. I figure I should know something about the guy if I’ll be spending time with him too.”

Colin’s eyebrow went up, likely at her sidestepping. She would have to get better at keeping her secret, or he would be questioning her before the day was out.

“Dev’s two years younger than me,” Colin said. “A former Clackamas County Sheriff’s Deputy who specialized in water rescue. A real joker and pretty carefree.”

“Sounds like a fun guy.”

“He is.” Colin frowned.

“Something wrong with that?”

“No. Not at all.” He turned into a narrow opening in the trees that led to a dirt driveway. “I just wish I could be more like that, but I take things pretty seriously.”

“Yeah, me too. Maybe I’ll learn to lighten up from spending time with him.”

“Maybe, but I sure haven’t.” He gave a wry smile.

“What did you do before taking your current job?” She leaned forward to search out the front window for any sign of the Shadow Lake Survival team compound ahead but saw nothing but evergreen trees and giant hostas and ferns growing below them.

“I was an FBI agent.”

She whipped her head to look at him. “Seriously? FBI?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong with that?”

“No, but you don’t seem like an FBI agent to me. Not that I’ve ever met one or know what they really are like. I guess I’m going on what I see on television.”

“Well, I’m an IT guy through and through and just happened to apply to the FBI to use my skills with them. So I guess I’m more of a nerd than anything.” He laughed, but it was a nervous laugh.

“I’m a card carrying nerd, too, so we should get along just fine.” She smiled at him.

Their gazes connected and held. Something warm traveled between them, reminding her of a ray of sunshine breaking free and lighting up her world on one of the many gloomy, rainy days in Oregon, and compelling her to move closer to him.

She sat on her hands and didn’t act. Not at all. She didn’t want to get connected with a guy. Correction—she would love to start a relationship with a guy, but it was impossible now. Not without losing her focus, which had to be pinned on staying alive.

From her purse on the floor, her phone pealed in Nick’s ringtone, and she jumped again.

Stop it. Calm down. If she didn’t, Colin would soon figure out that something was up.

“Hey, Nick,” she answered. “I’m in the car with Colin, and we’re just arriving at the compound. Can I call you back?”

“Yes, but see that you do as soon as you can. It’s about our mutual friend, and it’s urgent.”

Dev was teaching a class, and Colin stood back as his mother and Brooklyn sat together on the leather couch, getting to know each other. His mom was exhausted, but she didn’t let it get to her and was still the warm and open person she usually was. Thankfully. She didn’t want a caregiver, and he didn’t want her to blow Brooklyn off before getting to know her. She said a helper made her feel even more powerless than normal and that the disease was winning. But she was practical too, and more than anything, she didn’t like disrupting his and Dev’s lives. So if they hired someone, that solved a problem for her.

Brooklyn was equally receptive to the conversation, though she kept glancing at her phone. She hadn’t returned the call from Nick, and she clearly wanted to. She’d been jumpy since Colin had met her and remained the same in the cabin, jerking at the slightest sound. Behavior that meant she was troubled or worried about something.

Was it the reason Nick called her in the car? Was it something Colin needed to know about? Should he ask?

Probably. But if he did, would it risk losing Brooklyn before she even got started?

Something to put aside now as his mom’s shoulders were drooping, and she yawned. He crossed over to her and held out his hand. “Enough talking for now. Let’s get you back to bed.”

She looked at Brooklyn. “But I can’t leave her alone when she just got here.”

“It’s fine.” Brooklyn gave a genuinely warm smile. “I’ll get some lunch ready so when you wake up, you can eat. Anything you’re craving, Mrs. Graham?”

“If we’re going to spend so much time together, you better call me Sandra…Sandy.”

His mom offered her megawatt smile that always cheered him up as a child. “Tomato soup and grilled cheese sounds really good if it’s not too much trouble.”

“We have what you need to make it in the kitchen,” Colin said.

“Then no trouble at all.” Brooklyn returned his mother’s smile with a wide one that could cheer up a child too. “Get some rest, and we can talk more over lunch.”

His mother patted Brooklyn’s knee. “You are a sweet thing for sure.”

Colin helped his mom to her feet and handed her the cane she’d been using to take pressure off her knees. He walked with her to the bedroom. Her alarm, labeled “pain meds,” sounded from her electronic communication device. He silenced it, then while she climbed into bed, he got out two acetaminophen tablets and handed them to her with a glass of water from her nightstand.

“I have to go back to work, but Brooklyn will be here,” he said. “I’ll update her on your meds before I go and make sure she knows when you’re supposed to take things.”

“I have alarms set for the rest of the day.” She swallowed the pills. “I do think she’s going to work out. Seems like a real special woman.”

“I agree, but it might be short-lived.”

“Oh?”

He explained about Brooklyn’s real career in IT, but he didn’t mention that she might be keeping secrets from them. The last thing he wanted was for his mom to have something else to worry about. But he also didn’t want her to get attached to Brooklyn only to have her leave in a few weeks for another job.

“Glub you, Mom,” he said, kissing her forehead and using the phrase that had stuck since he was a toddler and couldn’t say love.

She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand. “Glub you, too, and thank you for being such an awesome son.”

Her words were filled with such emotion it almost closed his throat, and he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t let this moment get to him. He would have many more times like this to get through without breaking down, and he had to practice being strong for her in a way he’d never had to experience before.

His best bet was cracking a joke. “Hard not to be an awesome son when I’m overall awesome.”

She swatted a hand at him and chuckled.

He left her laughing and wished he could do that more often. He silently closed the door to the main bedroom that had an attached bathroom. No question that she would have the main suite while he and Dev shared the hallway bathroom. Now they would be sharing it with Brooklyn too. Hopefully, they could make that work.

He stepped into the family room with a wall-to-wall stone fireplace and a large taxidermy salmon mounted above a thick wooden mantle. All the rooms held the fishing décor of days gone by, when the cabin was rented out as part of the family resort run by Barbie and Hank Maddox. Russ had lived here after the resort closed and never bothered to update the place other than the mattresses and living room furniture.

Brooklyn stood at the large picture window overlooking the lake. He approached.

She spun, and her eyes were wild before she connected gazes with him. Holding her phone to her ear, she let out a low breath. “Hold on, Nick. I have to finish this call in the bedroom.”

She looked at Colin. “Can you tell me where I’ll be bunking?”

“Down the hall, second door on the left.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “I’ll just finish up my call and be right back, if that’s okay with you.”

“Fine,” he said, not taking his eyes off her. “Just know that when you return, we’re going to have a long talk about what’s bothering you. And before you even consider it, don’t think I’ll let you get away without telling me what it is.”