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Jay abruptly let her go. “Aw, sorry, ma’am.” He stepped back, looking sheepish.
“Jay is our Communications and IT specialist,” Blane explained to Anne. “He’s very…friendly.”
“Now that we’re all besties,” Kade said, “let’s move out. Tate take point. Rodriguez, bring up the rear.”
Blane grabbed the backpack and swung a coat over her shoulders. Anne pushed her arms through the sleeves. It was too big and reached her thighs, but that was a good thing. She zipped it up as they stepped back into the chill of the Maine woods.
“How far to the chopper?” Blane held her hand as they walked. She had no excuse to let go and it would look strange if she did, so she let him.
Kade was the one who answered. “A couple of miles. The closest place we could find to land was a clearing about a mile from the main road.”
Kade walked directly in front of them, and Anne couldn’t help staring. Every time he spoke, she wanted to scream and attack him, dig into him with her nails. Claw him and make him hurt. She shook with the effort of keeping her rage under control. She couldn’t lose it. Not now. She had to bide her time.
“Did you spot any retrieval teams on the way in?” Blane helped her over a fallen log. Her ankle was holding up.
“No, but you’re all over the news. Plane crash, rough terrain, no survivors. Your sudden rise from the dead will cause quite the stir.” Kade paused until Blane and Anne drew even, then fell into step with them. “Then an engagement announcement. You’ll be dominating the news cycle for weeks. Name recognition is going to go through the roof. If she throws in with a ‘he saved me’ routine, you’ll gain godlike status.”
Anne clenched her jaw. He was talking about her in third person. And wanting her to play the Damsel in Distress to boot. An accessory, in other words.
After a while, they finally approached a clearing somehow made right in the middle of the trees. Anne couldn’t imagine why the area had been cleared but didn’t care. She stopped walking. Blane looked at her, questioning.
“I, um, need another lady’s moment before we get on that thing.”
Blane nodded. “Sure, I’ll wait for you.” He turned to Kade. “Go ahead with the team and get the chopper started. We’ll be along shortly.”
Anne walked off into the trees, keeping her pace normal. She walked until she couldn’t see Blane any longer, then she began to run.
Chapter Thirteen
Anne ran as if her life depended on it, and she wasn’t completely convinced that wasn’t the case, whether Blane wanted to marry her or not. She certainly wasn’t beloved by anyone on his security team, except maybe that Jay.
She was glad she’d kept up her jogging. Her endurance lasted the mile to where the road was that Kade had mentioned. Her lungs tried to remember what air was and she bent over, panting. Step One down, now for Step Two. Pray for a car to come along. Until then…
Straightening, she glanced up at the sun, what little was showing through the clouds. Vaguely determining a southeast direction, she started jogging alongside the road, staying close to the trees. By now, they would have figured out she was gone. She wanted to be close to the trees should the helicopter fly along the road, searching for her. Though she should hear it coming with plenty of time to hide.
As she ran, her thoughts tumbled furiously. What was she going to do? Go to the police with what she knew? Right. D.C. cops against a senator and his brother. Like that would fly.
Retaliate and kill Kade and avenge her brother? Not only would finding him be next to impossible, she didn’t know if she had it in her to kill a person in cold blood, even with the impetus of vengeance.
The only thing she could think of was to take up the investigation where Matt left off. She already knew Blane had done it. He’d confessed. That wouldn’t fly in court, though. She needed some kind of proof. What that could be, she had no idea. Her brother’s files had been on the plane, but she had a copy.
Anne knew her jogging pace and judged she’d gone a little over two miles when she heard the rotor blades. Leaping from the asphalt, she scrambled down the embankment and into the trees. The canopy was thick and would do an excellent job of concealing her. She waited, taking the opportunity to catch her breath. Still, she couldn’t help ducking down as she heard it fly directly overhead.
After a few moments, the helicopter receded and Anne let out a breath. She stood, climbed back up to the road, and began jogging again.
* * *
Blane watched Anne head into the trees for her “lady’s moment.” His lips twisted slightly at the term. Before yesterday, he doubted she’d ever pissed in the woods in her entire life. She’d figure it out. She wasn’t stupid.
While she was gone, he opened the pack to grab a bottle of water. The hike had only been a couple of miles in cold weather, but he was still thirsty.
As he grabbed a bottle, Anne’s pack caught his eye. He’d grabbed it off the plane. Curious, he unzipped it.
There wasn’t much in there. A thick manila folder, zip ties, a knife inside a sheath. The knife surprised him. Had she meant to use that on him? Blane snorted. Anne had a gentle, sweet nature. She wasn’t ruthless enough to torture someone. Blane? Yes. Anne? No.
He swigged some water then, still waiting for Anne, pulled out the folder and casually flipped through it. A picture caught his eye, and he froze.
A figure was following a man. The figure looked familiar.
