Emma shot her hand into the air, cutting off Styles’ words.
“That’s not negotiable.”
“Emma, if I stay visible, they might think I have the drugs. Or that I know where you are. It’s better if they come for me.”
“Please don’t leave me. I trust you.”
His heart swelled. He thought for a moment. Would anyone protect her with their life, as he would? A deputy surely would because that is what they are trained to do, but he knew in his heart he would do better. How could he turn this around?
“Emma. This is the best plan.”
“That may be, but if I’m going to put my life in someone’s hands, I want them to be yours.”
That was about the biggest compliment a guy could get. He realized there was no way he could let her go to that safe house without him. A lump rose in his throat. Familiar full-blown stress from this situation had made its way back to him.
Cap met Chief Mertz’s gaze. He could see the wheels turning. The comment Emma had just made was not typical of a person who’d just met the other person the day before. He supposed his former boss wondered why Emma was so adamant that he stay with her. The last thing he wanted was for his former boss to think he’d taken advantage of a terrified woman.
“Chief,” Emma said with her gaze fixed on Mertz. “I know that probably sounds foolish to you because I just met Cap yesterday, but his actions on the boat proved to me how capable he is. You guys do this every day, I don’t. I’m scared to death. I trust him, and you must too, with what you are asking him to do. I also heard you offer his job back to him.”
From personal experience, Cap knew Mertz was a good and fair man. He would consider how Emma felt and make the best decision for everyone involved, no matter how hard that may be.
“You know, Chief, we could put Hunter on the boat,” Cap said.
Emma’s quick intake of breath caused him to pause, and let him know she felt hope he’d go to the safe house with her. It also gave him a moment to reflect. Would he really sacrifice his brother for Emma? What kind of horrible person does that? One who knows his brother is perfectly capable of protecting himself, he supposed. Or at least that’s what he’d convince himself of.
“Continue,” Mertz said.
“Hunter and I look enough alike that from a distance, he wouldn’t know the difference. At least not until he got close. Then, one of two things would likely happen. He’d realize it isn’t me and turn around, which is good because then we’d have a bead on him and your watch-boat could go after him. We’d know he’s still in the game. Or, he would think it is me and keep coming, and your watch-boat could close in.”
“And the possibility he or they may be armed with high-powered weapons doesn’t make you worry for your brother?” Styles asked.
That made him feel like a total heel.
“I would worry. But Hunter is capable, and Captain Tomie will be on the boat with him. In fact, we’re doing that now. He’s doing a charter with my sister, and Captain Tomie will be on the boat soon.”
“We all know it’s a long shot he’ll come after Cap on the water, especially if he’s a one-man show at this point. It would be more likely if he’s called in others to help. That could go either way. The bigger point of keeping Cap on the water is to show that he doesn’t know where Emma is, and he’s going on with business as usual, proving that she really is missing. Especially since the press release will say that she was last seen by Cap early this morning. So, putting Hunter on the boat isn’t a bad idea, in view of our charge requesting Cap. Our duty is to keep her trust so that we can keep her safe,” Mertz said.
Cap glanced at Emma. A look of relief and then hope washed over her suntanned face.
“I think we can make that plan work,” Styles confirmed.
“I’ll call Hunter and Cici. Or, we can wait and talk to them in person when they get in from the morning run. I’m sure they’ll do whatever they can to help.”
Mertz looked at Styles. “I know this family. They’ll give it their all, no matter the cost.”
Chapter Twelve
Inside the police garage, Emma climbed into the back seat of a vehicle with dark-tinted windows. Cap had told her this was the vehicle he used for undercover drug deal operations when he worked for the police department as a drug investigator. Even knowing that, the heavy door closing beside her sent a ripple of unease through her chest.
Cap pulled out of the garage and rounded the block until he reached Michigan Street, where he turned right and headed toward the highway. He crossed over the highway and took a left on the road just past a large buck statue. That road T-eed into another county road where he hung a right. They passed farmland before the scenery narrowed into woods on both sides. The road curved as it approached the water. She glimpsed a road sign that said Glidden Drive. The constant sway of the SUV on the overly curvy road churned her stomach. Or, maybe it was the anxiety from all that had gone on in the past twenty-four hours. Either way, she needed to get off this road.
Cap was quiet. In the rearview mirror, she studied his face. He was all business, jaw tight, eyes scanning, hands steady on the wheel.
“We’re almost there.”
“Good.”
Large, luxurious homes lined the water side of the road, with a few small cottages sprinkled between them. Probably ‘old’ family cottages. On the opposite side of the road, cabins and modest homes sat tucked among the trees.
