Bow Down(74)

He was never going to let Trip and me get away.

“See you in a few hours,” I said, climbing out of the car.

Trip rolled down the windows. “Don’t do anything stupid, Cam.”

“You know me,” I said, grinning. “I’m as careful as they come.”

“Seriously, man. We’re not in Mexico anymore. You can’t get away with shit up in the States.”

“I know. I’m just keeping an eye on them.”

“A few days,” he reminded me. “Then we have to go.”

“I’ll have them ready.”

“I hope so. Otherwise, I’m out of here.”

He rolled up the window and pulled away.

I never expected Trip to come with me. Frankly, the second we crossed the border I assumed he would high-tail it up north the second he could. He had contacts in Alaska, people we had worked with who could hide us until our handlers came up with a way to extract our asses from danger, and I figured he’d go right there. I knew my own people and could probably make a run for it without him.

But he stuck with me. Trip didn’t have family like I did. He grew up in New York, ripping off tourists and snorting coke at the age of twelve. He only knew a life on the run, stealing when he could and robbing people when he couldn’t. He was a criminal through and through.

He owed me, though. He owed me a lot, and it seemed like he was more loyal than I gave him credit for.

I walked back toward the house and stopped at the corner. I leaned up against a light pole and made sure I had a good sightline to the house.

Now the boring part started. They weren’t nearly ready to do what they had to do, and I needed to give them time to adjust to the idea of my being alive. Trip was right, though. It was only a matter of a few days before Castillo caught up to us, but in the meantime I had to play it right.

My mom was happy to see me, but that was going to wear off. Soon, she’d have questions, most of which I couldn’t answer without more lies. I knew my little visit was quick and shocking, and maybe I should have stayed longer, but it was hard. Being back in Hammond was dredging up more strange emotions than I thought I had left.

The way Lacey looked at me made me want to leave. But it was also that same look that made me want to make sure they were all going to be safe, no matter what.

I fingered the gun in my waistband, feeling its reassuring heft and hardness.

Only a matter of days. I had to make sure they were going to be safe. Even if they hated me for it, I was going to keep Castillo away from my family.

I leaned back farther, preparing myself for a long and boring evening.





3





Lacey





I rolled out of bed early the next morning, eyes bleary from not sleeping well.

I couldn’t get him out of my head. The way he looked, so confident and cocky, yet still so handsome, drove me insane. It was like he had shed any bit of youthful uncertainty and had turned into this totally different man.

He both was and wasn’t the Camden that left four years ago. I wasn’t sure if Lynn saw it or not; she was probably just too happy that he was alive, and wasn’t looking too deeply into the situation. But there was definitely something new and intriguing about him, as much as I hated to admit it.

Why was he back? Sure, he had a story, but I didn’t believe it. I’d been suckered by his lies too many times in the past to just accept what he said at face value. I wanted to believe he was telling the truth, wanted desperately to believe that he got out of jail and decided to come right home, a changed man. But there was something else in him, something that couldn’t be explained by a long stay in a prison.

I wasn’t sure exactly what that was yet. But I had a feeling I was going to find out sooner or later. Say one thing for Camden, as infuriating as he could be, he rarely disappointed.

I rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom, starting to get ready. A quick glance at the clock told me that I was running a little behind schedule and had to hustle.

Back in high school, I worked part time at a used bookstore. As luck would have it, the owner was looking for a little extra help during the summer. Since I needed something to do, I applied and was hired on the spot.

I had to admit, after all the craziness of college life, the bookstore was a nice change of pace. It didn’t get much traffic, and the owner was a really decent guy, which meant that I had plenty of time for reading between stocking and running the register. He wasn’t creepy, either, which was more than I could say for most of my bosses in the past.

I dressed and headed downstairs, grabbing a quick bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. Lynn and Dad had both already left for work, which meant the house was eerily quiet.