Soldier's Promise Read online

  He stiffened and struggled to conceal his annoyance. Hadn’t she gotten the message that he didn’t want anything to do with her so-called Prophet? “I don’t want to stay here,” he said. “I don’t want to live in the wilderness or follow your Prophet. You need to be where you can have proper medical care—where Sophie can go to school and have friends.”

  Phoenix released his hand. “We can’t leave here,” she said. “We have to stay, for Sophie’s sake.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “While I was alone with the Prophet yesterday, he told me a secret.” She wore a dreamy expression he knew too well—an expression that meant she was caught up in one of her fantasies that had little relation to reality.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “You have to promise not to tell Sophie. Not yet.”

  He said nothing, his eyes locked on hers, tensed for her next words.

  “The Prophet told me he wants Sophie to be his wife,” she said.

  “She’s only fourteen!” The words exploded from him and, as several of the others looked in his direction, he forced himself to lower his voice. “That isn’t a good thing, Mother. That’s one more reason to get her out of here. Why can’t you see that?”

  “Don’t be so reactionary, Jake. He isn’t going to marry her right away. He’ll wait until she turns eighteen. In the meantime, she can begin studying, learning all the things she needs to know in order to be a good helpmate to him.”

  “The only thing she needs to learn is how to be a normal teenager. For a grown man to even think of a fourteen-year-old that way is sick.”

  “No, it’s not,” Phoenix insisted. “It’s a great honor.” Her expression grew dreamy again. “Imagine, my daughter married to such an important man.”

  “No.” Jake wouldn’t let it happen. Maybe it was too late to save his mother from Daniel Metwater’s clutches, but he would protect his sister at all costs.

  Chapter Seven

  Flames leaped from the pyramid of dry logs, orange light painting eerie shadows across the faces and bodies of the men and women who danced around the bonfire to the hypnotic beat of a deerskin drum. Daniel Metwater, with his chiseled body stripped to a loincloth, and his muscular chest and back gleaming with oil, led the procession of dancers, head thrown back, eyes closed in an expression of either pain or ecstasy—Carmen couldn’t tell.

  She stepped farther into the shadows, wary of being seen and pulled into the line of dancers. Starfall wasn’t dancing, either. Moments before, she had slipped away from the group around the fire, her figure merging with that of a man at the edge of the woods. Jake had shown up right on time—Carmen had recognized his broad shoulders and military stance, even in the dimness. She ignored the churning in her stomach at the sight of the two of them together. Jake was every bit as devious as Starfall, since he hadn’t bothered to tell Carmen—a cop—that he was also law enforcement. And he had stormed off this afternoon after talking to his mother without saying good-bye to her or his sister. So, as far as she was concerned, he and Starfall deserved each other. The only reason she was helping him was because he was a fellow cop. She believed in loyalty to the badge, even if he didn’t.

  She hurried away from the fire, into the deeper shadows behind the tents and trailers. She moved carefully, guided by memory and instinct more than by the faint light from a quarter moon and the now distant glow of the fire.

  The tent Starfall shared with Asteria showed pale in the darkness, a white cocoon illuminated from within by a battery-powered lantern that sat on a TV tray near the tent’s entrance. The white-walled tent was the kind favored by hunting outfitters, tall enough to stand and move around in, and big enough to house a crowd for a meal or a poker game. The two women had furnished the space with colorful rugs, cots, a folding table and chairs, and a crib for Starfall’s six-month-old son.

  Carmen didn’t spot a lot of potential hiding places in the sparsely furnished space. She switched off the lamp and made her way to Starfall’s cot and dug a small penlight from her pocket. Shielding the light somewhat with her body, she swept the beam over the cot, stopping at the foot of the bed and the metal trunk that sat there.

  A black-and-silver padlock secured the hasp of the trunk. Carmen tugged, but the lock held tight. She added buy Starfall a new lock to her list of things to do as she took out a penknife and went to work on the cheap security measure. The lock popped, and Carmen eased up the lid of the trunk.

  The items Starfall felt the need to keep under lock and key were pitifully few—a small photo album with old pictures of people Carmen didn’t recognize. Her son Hunter’s birth certificate shared an envelope with a certificate for someone named Michelle Munson—probably Starfall’s real name.

  A tattered envelope held a faded Polaroid photograph of a little girl with a mass of brown curls—Starfall? With it was a postcard showing a beach scene on one side and a scrawled message on the other. Hope you’re being good for Aunt Stef. Love Mom. Costume jewelry and old clothing filled most of the rest of the trunk. Carmen found a manila envelope tucked in the bottom, full of newspaper clippings. With a start, she realized the articles were about Daniel Metwater—not Metwater the Prophet, but Metwater the son of a wealthy industrialist. Carmen read through the first article—a description of the finding of his brother David’s body. One sentence was underlined: The body was identified by a distinctive tattoo on his left shoulder.

  Why would Starfall be so interested in articles about the Prophet’s life before he began his preaching? Had she known his brother David? Or was it merely the case of a fan collecting every bit of information she could about her hero?

  Carmen replaced the clippings in the envelope and tucked it back into the bottom of the trunk. She felt along the sides and in the lining of the lid, checking for any place Starfall might have hidden Jake’s badge and law enforcement ID. She might have slipped it under one of the rugs or sewn it into a tent flap, but neither of those options seemed as secure as a locked trunk.

  She replaced everything in the trunk and started to close the lid, then stopped and took out the photo album again. The pink, embossed cover of the album looked old—maybe something Starfall had inherited from someone. The hairstyles and clothing in the pictures inside dated from the 1990s and earlier. The only image Carmen recognized was the eight by ten photo that filled the album’s last page. Starfall smiled out from the photo, which might have been a school photo from high school. Carmen turned the page over—it felt heavier and thicker than the others in the album.

  She eased her fingers between the photograph and the album page and felt a surge of triumph as she brushed what felt like leather. Working carefully, she snagged the edge and dragged the item out. Bingo! The solemn face of Special Agent Jake Lohmiller looked out at her, across from a gold shield on the other side of the leather folder’s crease.

  “What are you doing in here, snooping through Starfall’s things?”

  She slipped the ID into the waistband of her jeans seconds before the flashlight beam lit her up. Pivoting on her heels, she glared at the man who had spoken and shielded her eyes with her hand. She could just make out a pale, bearded face and relaxed a little. “Starfall asked me to get something for her,” she lied, rising.

  “No, she didn’t.” The speaker, a lean, athletic blond who went by the name Reggae, lowered the flashlight and frowned at her. He was one of a handful of men who hung around the younger women, flirting and offering to do errands, though Starfall usually ignored him.

  “Believe me or don’t, I don’t care.” Carmen started to move past him, but he put out a hand to stop her.

  “I saw her just now with that new guy—Phoenix’s son,” he said. “They looked pretty cozy.” His scowl told her he wasn’t pleased about this.

  “Then what are you doing here?” Carmen asked.

  “I was waiting for her to come ba
ck.”

  “Why? So you could spy on her and her new boyfriend?”

  “You heard the Prophet. That guy isn’t supposed to be here. I was going to warn her she could end up in trouble if she let him hang around.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Carmen asked. Metwater talked about “consequences” for people who disobeyed the rules but, other than kicking them out of the group altogether, what kind of power did he really have over these people?

  “I don’t know, but it can’t be good. The Prophet might make her leave.”

  “I’ll let her know you’re concerned.” She tried to move past him, but he grabbed her wrist, his grip surprisingly strong.

  “Hey!” She tried to pull away, but he held her tight.

  “What were you doing in here?” he asked. “And don’t lie to me this time.”

  * * *

  JAKE HAD NO trouble persuading Starfall to slip off into the woods with him. Was she so trusting, or merely overly confident of her own powers? “I want that badge,” he told her when they were out of earshot of the crowd around the bonfire.

  “I’m sure you do.” She turned toward him and pressed her hand to his chest. “And I’ll be happy to give it to you, but you’ll have to pay me for my trouble.”

  “Is that why you took it?” he asked. “For money?”

  She moved in closer, her body pressed to his. “I like knowing people’s secrets,” she said. “I especially wanted to know what makes you tick, Soldier Boy.”

  “So you went through my pack?”

  “It was just lying there.” She walked her fingers up his chest. “Finders, keepers.”

  “The man in my camp—was that the man who asked you to collect cactus for him?”

  “What man?” She sounded annoyed. “I didn’t see any man. I followed you because I wanted to talk to you. When I saw the pack, I decided to take a look, and I found the badge.” She slid her hand around the back of his neck. “I never cared for lawmen before, but for you I could make an exception.”

  He pulled her hand away. His first instinct was to tell her he had no interest in thieves, but he didn’t want to scare her off. He had to keep her occupied until Carmen could get out of the tent. Besides, this might be his best chance to find out more about Werner Altbusser. “How much do you want for the badge?” he asked.

  She took a step back. “I figure it ought to be worth at least a thousand dollars to you.”

  “What if I decide to arrest you instead?”

  “I’m a very good liar. I could convince your superiors that you planted the badge on me after I turned down your advances. After all, what competent law enforcement officer loses his badge?”

  He winced, grateful she couldn’t see him in the dark. He had the feeling this wasn’t the first time she had played this particular kind of poker game. He had to be cautious about his next move. He wasn’t going to pay her the money. And he wasn’t going to arrest her. Doing so would possibly destroy the undercover operation he was assigned to—a project which his agency had spent a great deal of money and time putting together. He had pulled out every persuasive argument he could think of to keep his supervisor from taking him off the case altogether, when he had called in to report his encounter with Werner in his camp that afternoon. He had managed to convince his bosses that Werner saw him as just another camper, which would make it even easier for Jake to follow him. His supervisor had admitted they had no one else to put on the case right now, but Jake knew if he screwed up again he’d be out—ordered back to Texas and away from Phoenix and Sophie before he could do anything to help them.

  Starfall was right—the embarrassment she could deal out to him might be enough to wreck his career.

  “I thought the whole point of living in a group like this was that you don’t need money,” he said. “Everyone pools their resources, and the Prophet provides the rest.”

  She made a snorting sound. “Everyone needs money. And the Prophet provides what he wants us to have—not necessarily what we need.”

  “Why are you here if you don’t embrace the lifestyle?” he asked.

  “I’m getting what I need right now,” she said. “And you might be surprised at the opportunities living like this provides a resourceful person.”

  “Like selling cactus to an old German?” He still hoped she would give him more information about Werner, but she didn’t bite.

  “Or selling a badge back to a lawman,” she said.

  “I don’t have a thousand dollars on me.”

  “I can wait. But not long. Bring me the money tomorrow.”

  “All right. Tomorrow.” With a little luck, Carmen would have the badge, and Starfall would be disappointed.

  “In the meantime...” She moved in closer. “Sure you don’t want to come back to my tent with me?”

  “Don’t you have a baby to look after?”

  “He’s staying with Sarah tonight.” She smoothed her hand down his arm. “I told her I had plans.”

  “I’ll walk you back, but I won’t come in.” He needed to make sure Carmen was safely out of there before he let Starfall go in.

  “At least give me a chance to change your mind.” She took his hand, and he let her lead him back into camp. The bonfire had dwindled to glowing embers, and the drum had long ago fallen silent. No one took note of them as they strolled toward the white tent.

  They had almost reached the entrance to the tent when Starfall halted. “I always leave a light burning when I go out at night,” she whispered.

  “Maybe your roommate came back early and put it out.”

  “She wouldn’t do that.” She clutched his arm. “Someone’s in there. Don’t you see the movement?”

  He did see movement. In fact, at that moment, the tent flap flew back, and two people tumbled out. They appeared to be struggling—fighting. Jake pulled a flashlight from his pocket and aimed the beam at the combatants. Carmen was holding onto a skinny blond dude, one arm bent behind his back. “Let me go!” the young man shouted.

  “Reggae! What is going on?” Starfall raced forward.

  At her approach, Carmen released the young man, who fell forward. She straightened. “Hello, Starfall. Jake.”

  “She was in your tent,” the man said. “She was snooping around in there, and I tried to stop her.”

  “I was only getting that item you had in your trunk,” Carmen said. “The one you needed me to retrieve for you.” Her eyes met Jake’s, and she gave an almost imperceptible nod. He felt muscles he hadn’t even known he’d been tensing relax.

  “I didn’t ask you to get anything,” Starfall said.

  “The item you wanted to give to Jake.” She lifted the hem of her shirt and pulled a leather folder from the waistband of her jeans and handed it to Jake.

  He checked the folder—everything was in order. “Thanks,” he said and pocketed the credentials. He wouldn’t let them out of his sight again.

  “You went through my things!” Starfall charged at Carmen, but Jake caught her around the waist and held her back.

  “She took back something you had that didn’t belong to you,” Jake said.

  “I didn’t disturb anything else,” Carmen said. “And I’ll buy you a new lock.”

  “You can’t just go through someone’s things,” the man—Reggae—said.

  Starfall glared at Carmen. “You’re going to be sorry you ever crossed me,” she said, then shoved past her into the tent.

  Reggae looked after her. “Maybe I should go in,” he said. “And, you know, comfort her.”

  “Why don’t you do that?” Jake said. He didn’t care one way or another, but he wanted to get rid of the young man.

  Reggae lifted the tent flap and ducked in after Starfall. Jake took Carmen’s arm. “Let’s get out of here while we can,” he said.

  She looked back over her sho
ulder as they moved away from the tent. “That didn’t go so well.”

  “Not the best timing,” he said. “Now that she knows I’m a cop, she might figure out you’re one, too.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’m leaving here tomorrow. I didn’t find anything useful and I need to get back to more pressing cases.”

  “Such as?”

  She stopped and faced him, moonlight illuminating her face. “I want to help you with your case—if you still have one.”

  When her eyes met his, he felt a jolt in his gut that had nothing to do with being a cop, but he forced his mind back on work. “Why wouldn’t I have a case?”

  “Your cover is blown. As soon as Starfall figures out you’re tracking Werner, she’ll tell the German you’re a cop.”

  “She could, but she’s motivated by money. I’m thinking I can get my bosses to agree to pay her as an informant. We can use the evidence she provides to strengthen our case.”

  “That’s taking a big risk,” Carmen said.

  “I don’t think so. I think she’s bored. The chance to play secret agent would appeal to her.”

  “The chance to get closer to you, you mean.”

  No missing the snide tone in her voice. He suppressed a smile. “Are you jealous?”

  “Of course not!” She folded her arms over her chest. “I just know when another woman has her eyes on a man.”

  And who do you have your eyes on? he thought. “Why do you want to work with me on this case?” he asked.

  “If this plant theft and smuggling is on public land, the Rangers should be involved anyway,” she said. “In fact, we have an agent working on plant smuggling in the national park.”

  “We know about that investigation, and that isn’t related. This is bigger—international.”

  “I still want to help you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I think it’s important. And because, if Starfall is involved, she’d give me a remaining link to Metwater’s group. I can’t be undercover here anymore, but I still want to keep an eye on things. And you’ll give me another link through your mother and sister.”