Chapter 24
“Does she seriously think she can outrun the best tracker on Earth?”
-Aaron
I watch the Flamingo Cove EMTs check Camellia for cuts and scrapes. They flush her eyes with saline to wash out the grit and dirt before she damages her corneas.
When I saw the tripwire, my heart nearly stopped in my chest. The argument, the evasive conversations, it all melted away. The only thing that mattered was getting Camellia to safety.
So, I yanked her backward and onto the ground. I ended up with a concussion for my efforts. Not that I’d tell her that. The only thing that matters is - she didn’t get blown up.
“Chief,” the head of the bomb squad pulls me aside. “Our search of the area is complete.”
“And?”
“Five improvised explosive devices,” he shows me a box full of deactivated bombs, then points to one in the corner. “This one was a particularly nasty piece of work. It’s chock full of nails and other metal shavings. They haven’t been here long.”
My stomach clenches. If we set off that bomb, there wouldn’t be much left of either one of us as close as we were to the blast.
“Thanks, man,” I slap him on the back. He heads back to his vehicle.
Flint Mendota arrived on the scene not long after the bomb squad. I could tell that he was even more worried about Camellia than I was by the look on his face. Which made me wonder, what did he know?
I pick my way through the first responders, bomb squad members, and police officers. Flint’s standing beside the ambulance where Camellia is being treated.
“I’m fine,” she argues with the EMT. “Slap a bandaid on it and send me on my way.”
“Cam,” Flint growls. “That’s not going to happen.”
“What’s going on here?” I raise an eyebrow at Flint.
He rolls his shoulders. “She’s more stubborn than mylalelei. The medics want her to go to the hospital. She wants to head back to D.C.”
Panic floods my system. I turn to Camellia. “Why?”
“There’s work to be done,” she won’t meet my eyes. “And we’re done here.”
“The hell we are,” I yell. My hearing is finally back to normal, but this new development causes a fire to rage through my system. “Everyone out of the bus. Now.”
The EMTs stop what they’re doing and jump out of the ambulance. Flint wisely steps out of earshot. I hop into the back of the rig and yank the doors shut.
“Camellia,” I grit out through clenched teeth.
She points a finger in my face. Something she’s been doing a lot of lately. “Don’t youCamelliame, Sparky! You are testing my patience, and the results are negative!”
Camellia moves toward the doors. I grab her wrist. “Wait. Please. Wait. Don’t go off half-cocked.”
She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “I’d love to get off full-cocked, but you look like you want to have a serious discussion. And I’m all out of fucks left to give today.”
Camellia pushes out of the ambulance and gingerly steps to the ground, the only concession to her bruises.
I follow her to my truck, still standing in the middle of the fire access road with the door wide open.
“Camellia, what in the hell is going on with you? Why would someone try to blow you up?” I jog to keep up with her.
She ignores me, getting into my truck and cranking the engine.
“Where are you going with my truck?” I frown.
