Hell’s

Highway

by

Gerri Hill

2011

Copyright © 2011 by Gerri Hill

Bella Books, Inc.

P.O. Box 10543

Tallahassee, FL 32302

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or

mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in

writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

First published 2011

Editor: Anna Chinappi

Cover Designer: Judy Fellows

ISBN 13: 978-1-59493-260-1

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via

the Internet or via any other means without the permission of

the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase

only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in

or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your

support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

Other Bella Books by Gerri Hill

Artist’s Dream

Behind the Pine Curtain

Cottage, The

Coyote Sky

Dawn of Change

Devil’s Rock

Gulf Breeze

Hunter’s Way

In the Name of the Father

The Killing Room

Love Waits

No Strings

One Summer Night

Partners

The Rainbow Cedar

The Scorpion

Sierra City

Storms

The Target

chapter one

“Will you hold still? I swear you’re worse than a child.”

Cameron winced as Andrea pulled out another stitch. “Need

I remind you that you are neither a doctor nor a nurse,” she

said.Andrea looked up, giving her an incredulous look. “You have

more scars than I can count and a penchant for jumping off cliffs

and you’re complaining about my nursing skills?”

“It hurts.”

“Big baby,” Andrea murmured as she cut through another

one.“And two cliffs do not make a penchant,” she countered.

“Besides, this one was not my fault.”

“No? Sticking with the rattlesnake story, are you?”

“I’m telling you, it was seven feet long, easy.”

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Andrea smiled, then leaned closer and kissed her. “Then I’m

glad you jumped. I’m just thankful there wasn’t a nasty cactus at

the bottom like in Sedona.” She patted her arm. “All done. Let’s

see if we can go a month without having to do this again.”

Cameron looked at the wound on her arm, now healed. It

wasn’t much of a cut and if Andrea hadn’t been around, she knew

she wouldn’t have even bothered with a doctor. But Andrea was

around and ten stitches later, they were on their way. That was

nine days ago as they’d left the canyons of Utah and headed for

the cooler climate of Colorado while they waited for their next

assignment.

She watched with a sense of contentment as Andrea scooped

up Lola and kissed her before putting the purring black kitten

on Cameron’s lap. She wasn’t certain how much longer she could

refer to her as a kitten—she was growing so fast. She ran her

fingers through the soft fur, reflecting on the last six weeks since

they’d left Sedona. It still amazed her how easily she and Andrea

had eased into their new life together.

They worked well as a team. That was obvious from the

Patrick Doe case in Sedona. Murdock had given her the okay

to add Andrea to their team despite his reservations, and their

partnership continued to flourish. But it was their personal life,

here in the motor home, which surprised her. They were able to

separate the two whenever they were in the company of others.

It was unspoken, yet they slipped into their professional roles

without many disagreements. But once back here, they reverted

back to Cameron and Andrea, friends and lovers still learning to

coexist in this tiny space they shared with one spoiled cat.

“How soon before Murdock sends us out on another case?”

Andrea asked as she started on their dinner.

“Hard to say. One time I went three weeks. Why?”

“I really need to get back to Sedona and do something with

my stuff. Not that there’s much, but I do need more clothes.”

Cameron eyed the faded jeans she wore, her gaze lingering.

Something about the sway of Andrea’s hips had mesmerized her

from the beginning. She looked up guiltily as Andrea cleared

her throat.

“You’re checking out my ass? Seriously Cameron?”

Hell’s Highway

Cameron felt her face blush and she laughed. “What? I can’t

do that anymore?”

Andrea’s expression softened and she walked over, leaning

down to kiss her gently. She pulled away with a smile, then

brushed the hair on Cameron’s forehead affectionately.

“You can check out my ass any time you want. I love you,

you know.”

Cameron nodded. “Me too.”

Andrea’s gaze held hers for a moment longer, then she

returned to the kitchen. Cameron’s mind flashed back to earlier

that afternoon when they’d come back from a short hike, only to

find themselves in bed, satisfying the sexual need that had taken

hold of them while they were out. Innocent touches, a brush of a

hand, lingering glances, finally a kiss—all igniting the fire that

seemed to always linger just below the surface. Cameron had

to stop herself from taking Andrea right there next to the tree

she had her pinned against. Andrea wouldn’t have minded, she

knew, as her hands had already crept under Cameron’s shirt with

a purpose. Andrea’s eyes had been filled with heated desire as

Cameron pulled away from her, nearly dragging her back to the

motor home for their afternoon tryst.

Her musings came to an end as a soft beeping on the console

told her Murdock was calling. She slipped on her headphones

before answering.

“Cameron Ross,” she said.

“Please hold,” came the pleasantly animated voice of the

automated secretary Murdock now used.

“Of course,” she said, half expecting the computer to answer

her.“Cameron? Not interrupting anything, I hope.”

“Now Murdock, what in the world would you possibly be

interrupting?”

“Oh, Cameron,” he said with a quiet laugh. “I know we did

a rush job on getting Sullivan her credentials, but her file finally

crossed my desk.”

“And?”

“And I’m assuming you took the photo that was

submitted?”

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“Yeah. And?” she asked, glancing at Andrea who was

pretending not to listen to the conversation.

“And you’re going to tell me this is strictly a professional

arrangement?”

“Of course, Murdock. I know the rules for that sort of thing.

You think I’d buck that?” She grinned at Andrea who had stopped

pretending not to listen and now had turned around and leaned

on the counter, blatantly watching her.

“I’m not even going to answer that, Cameron. Let’s do a

video conference. It’s time I met her face to face. Besides, I’ve

got some news. Five minutes.”

The call ended and Cameron removed her headset, a shy

smile directed at Andrea. “Video conference. He wants to

officially meet you.”

“Are we in trouble?”

“No. Rules are rules and he knows I break most of them.

I’m sure he’s just curious, that’s all.” She flipped open her laptop,

logging in quickly. “Five minutes,” she said.

“I’ll hold off on dinner then. I was just going to do a quick

veggie burger and fries.”

Cameron wrinkled up her nose. “We could order pizza.”

Andrea made a face at her. “I draw the line at three times a

week. Besides, I think we’re a little out of reach of pizza delivery.

Thank God,” she added.

It was an ongoing battle with them—Cameron trying to

see how many times a week she could get her beloved pizza and

Andrea trying to get her to eat a little more variety. Before she

could offer a retort, two quick beeps signaled that Murdock

had logged in to their session. She smiled as his face came into

focus.

“Hi Murdock, you’re looking well.”

“Thank you, Cameron. As are you.”

Cameron held Lola in her lap. “You’ve met Lola, of course,”

she said, stroking the kitten’s fur.

“Yes, your little tiger. How about I meet your new

partner?”

Cameron motioned for Andrea to join her on the loveseat.

“Andrea, come meet the boss.”

Hell’s Highway

Andrea smiled easily. “Special Agent Murdock, a pleasure to

finally meet you.”

“Deputy Sullivan,” he said with a nod. “Or should I say Agent

Sullivan. Welcome to the team.”

“Thank you.”

“I must commend you. I had nothing but compliments from

the authorities at Canyonlands. Even in regard to Ross here.

That’s a first. I’ll credit you with keeping her in line.”

“I have found she’s mostly all bark and no bite,” Andrea

said.“Must you two discuss me as if I’m not here?” Cameron

asked, feigning annoyance.

“Well, Special Agent Ross, it’s just rare that I send you on

an assignment and I don’t receive a dozen complaints about you.

Mostly from our own team,” he added with a smile.

Her eyebrows shot up. “Special Agent Ross?”

“Yes. Our group finally warrants recognition, it seems.

They’ve bumped up our status to that of real agents.” His smile

turned into a smirk. “We have more clout than they do and

we finally get equal billing. And I have a title change as well.

Director of Operations.”

“A director, huh?”

He nodded. “They had to come up with something. That’s the

only thing that’s changing. Andrea is technically on probation,

so her title won’t change for six months. And I’ll have you know

I had to pull some strings just for that. They apparently weren’t

impressed by her LAPD training.” He looked directly at Andrea.

“No offense.”

“None taken.”

“Are you finding the arrangements satisfactory? I’m sure it’s

a little cramped in there for the two of you.” His eyes drifted to

Cameron’s lap. “And a cat.”

“We’ve managed fine,” Andrea said, with just a hint of a

smile. “If we didn’t get along so well, it might make it difficult.”

“Yes, well, it was a rather rushed job. And a surprise. Ross

was never one for partners. I was shocked she requested one

now.”

Cameron felt a hot blush light up her face as Andrea turned

Gerri Hill

suspicious eyes on her. She had told Andrea that Murdock was the

one who insisted she take a partner, not the other way around.

“Really? Well that explains why she’s so bossy then,” Andrea

said, her eyes questioning.

Cameron cleared her throat. “Have we had enough chit-

chat? I assume you have an assignment,” she said.

“Unfortunately, yes. Where are you? Still in Utah?”

“We’re in southern Colorado,” she said. “Just outside of

Durango.”

“I’ll need you to head west,” he said. “Two weeks ago a headless

body was found twelve miles east of Barstow, California, along

I-40,” he said matter-of-factly. “Unidentified female, naked. She

was wrapped in a brown plastic tarp and dumped in the desert.

A motorist stopped with a flat tire found her.”

“And the motorist has been cleared?”

“Thoroughly. Yesterday, a second body was found. This one

just outside the boundary of Joshua Tree National Monument.

Same as the first. Naked. No head.”

“Okay, help me with my geography. I’m assuming they’re

close together?”

“Joshua Tree hits I-10 on its southern border,” Andrea

supplied. “But the northern part would be closer to I-40. They’re

both in the Mojave Desert, although Joshua Tree creeps into a

southern desert—Colorado Desert, I believe.”

“I forgot you’re from LA, of course,” Murdock said. “You’re

more familiar with that area than I am. The second body

was found along I-10 near what they call the Cactus City rest

area—near Indio—which I’m told is a major stopping point for

travelers,” he said. “So the two sites aren’t that close.”

“So another serial killer,” Cameron said. “Great.”

“I don’t know if either of you are familiar with the FBI’s

investigation of the Highway Serial Killings. They have a huge

database that I’ve given both of you access to. The concentration

is mainly along I-40, east of Oklahoma City. The database covers

every body found dumped along an interstate highway. There

are well over four hundred, if that gives you any idea,” he said.

“So multiple killers, obviously,” Andrea said.

“Yes. There could be dozens. But the two bodies found in

Hell’s Highway

the desert are obviously linked. It’ll give you a chance to play

with your algorithms again, Cameron.”

“Long-haul truckers?” Cameron asked. “That would seem

obvious. They almost exclusively use the interstates.”

“Most likely.”

“Don’t most trucks have GPS tracking now so their

companies can keep up with them?” Andrea asked.

Murdock nodded. “Yes. However, there are thousands of

companies and getting access to their records would require

subpoenas if they weren’t willing to volunteer the information.

Not to mention the small companies which don’t have GPS

tracking. And then there are individual owners of trucks who

contract out. It’s an endless search.”

“So the database is for information only?”

“They’ve been able to link some murders and they’ve arrested

a few. Very few. I’ll email you the links and you can take a look

yourself.”

“Okay. So who do we contact?”

“Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is investigating

the one in Cactus City. They have a substation and a coroner

in Indio who did the autopsy. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s

Department is looking into the one found near Barstow. The

county coroner did the post. I’ll email you both files.”

“And both victims are unidentified?” Cameron asked.

“Yes. One age eighteen to twenty-two. The other, twenty-

five to thirty.”

“Both departments know we’re coming?”

“Yes. And from what I understand, they are both happy

to hand it over to you. It’s a cold case as far as they are

concerned.”

“So we have no resources?”

“I’m afraid you won’t have the sheriff’s department at your

beck and call like you did in Sedona, no,” he said. “For the

investigation, we’re on our own. They’ll assist, of course, with

backup if necessary. But both of these are very large counties,

not only in population but also square miles. They’re stretched

thin. The bodies were found in remote, unpopulated areas in

the desert. They’ve done a check through Missing Persons but

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without a face, it’s pretty useless. Frankly, there’s not much to

go on.”

“And you naturally thought of me,” Cameron said. “Thanks,

Murdock.”

“Well, I figured you were getting bored since you wrapped

up the Canyonlands case so fast. By the way, I talked to your

guy Jason at Quantico. He said to give him a call if you needed

to do some searching in the database. He worked on the design

of it. He said you can incorporate what you use now for your

algorithms with it.”

“That’s what he said, huh?”

Murdock grinned. “No. He spewed off some technical

mumbo jumbo crap but that’s what I deduced from it.”

Cameron nodded. “Are we on our own with the motor home

too? Or do you have someplace in mind where we can park her?”

“I’m sorry but I don’t. There’s federal land all over out there,

but everything is so remote, I have no idea where you’ll want to

be. When you find a spot, let me know. I can make arrangements

for you, even in protected areas.”

“Okay, Murdock. We’ll head out in the morning.”

He nodded. “One more thing. Reynolds is putting together

his own team. He’s taken Jack from Collie’s old unit, the others

are new. I’ve got him on standby for this one.”

“Come on, Murdock. You know I don’t—”

“You don’t have a choice, Special Agent Ross,” he said. “If

these young women end up being locals, you’re not exactly the

one we want talking to the media.”

Cameron rolled her eyes. “You’re sending a whole team in

to handle the media? That’s about all they did in Phoenix, they

should be good at it.”

“Reynolds is good at it. Besides, I’m hoping this will be

low profile. Unidentified victims won’t have family members

demanding answers. Reynolds and his team need something to

get their feet wet with.”

“Surely you don’t expect me to handle that?”

“For some odd reason, Reynolds took a liking to you, despite

the complaints he had about you. That’s a first. I thought I’d take

advantage of it.”

Hell’s Highway

“I don’t want some newbie of a team following me around,”

she said. “I work alone.”

“Then why did you insist you needed a partner?”

Cameron glanced sheepishly at Andrea, then back to

Murdock. “Okay. Fine,” she conceded.

Murdock laughed. “Like I said, Reynolds is on standby. I

haven’t deployed them yet. I’ll wait for your first report before

deciding what to do, but I need to get them some action.”

“Okay,” she said with a nod, knowing that was Murdock’s

way of saying Reynolds would be joining them in a few days.

“Welcome to the team, Andrea. Try to keep her in line. Safe

travels.”

He signed off before either of them could reply as was his

habit. Cameron closed the laptop, embarrassed now to be alone

with Andrea. Murdock had completely blown her cover.

“Anything you want to explain?”

Cameron shook her head. “I think Murdock pretty much

covered it, don’t you?” She stood, running her fingers nervously

through her hair, trying to find the words to explain why she’d

lied.“So you thought you needed an excuse for me to come with

you?”

“Didn’t I? If I’d told you I didn’t want to leave Sedona

without you, would you have just given up your job and come

with me?”

“I’m not sure. When you found me crying in the bathroom

I was asking myself how I could just let you walk out of my life

so easily.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what I would have done.

I only know I was hurting because you were leaving.”

“Well, this was all I could think of. I wanted you with me,

but I knew you needed a purpose. Joining the team seemed to

make sense. We work well together.”

“Yes. And Murdock went along with it?”

Cameron took Andrea’s hands and pulled her to her feet.

“His team is ex-military but I convinced him your training in

LAPD was sufficient.” She squeezed tightly against Andrea’s

fingers. “I’m sorry I lied, Andi. But I just couldn’t leave without

you.”

10 Gerri Hill

Andrea tilted her head, eyebrow cocked. “I pulled my weapon

on my captain. Does he know that?”

“Yes, of course. Who do you think put together the files on

you?”

She shook her head with a smile. “The thing that got me

fired with LAPD probably helped get me hired with the FBI.

Amazing.”

Cameron hesitated. “Are you angry? I mean, about the whole

thing.”

“Of course not,” Andrea said. “Truth is, I think it’s sweet.”

“Sweet, huh? Well, it seems kinda silly now. I mean, I should

have just told you how I felt and we could have talked about it.”

“But?”

“But I was afraid you’d turn me down,” she admitted honestly.

“This way, if you said no, it was about the job and not about us.”

Andrea was studying her, and Cameron did her best not to

shift uneasily under her gaze. It had seemed like a good idea at

the time. Now, she was feeling a bit vulnerable over the whole

thing.

Andrea’s gaze softened and she moved closer, linking her

hands behind Cameron’s neck. She kissed her softly, then moved

her mouth to her ear. “I love you,” she whispered before pulling

away. “The thought of you and Lola walking out of my life was

killing me. So I’m glad you asked Murdock to let you have a

partner. And I’m even happier that I’m that partner.”

Cameron closed her eyes and held Andrea tightly, feeling

the completeness she always felt with her. She’d thought—after

Laurie died—that her chances of finding some happiness in her

life were gone. But Andrea filled her, heart and soul. She’d only

been half a person before Andrea. Andrea was the part that had

been missing. She’d recovered after Laurie. That’s because, while

she loved Laurie, it was never like this. She didn’t feel it deep in

her soul like this. If anything happened to Andrea, she didn’t

think she’d survive.

And that scared her to death.

chapter tWo

Andrea moved quietly through the tall trees, along the same

trail she and Cameron had taken yesterday. Dawn was already

chasing the shadows away, and she noted how much her morning

routine had changed since she’d met Cameron. In Sedona, she

always had such a deep-seated compulsion to race along the trail,

getting to her rock slab before dawn, as if she had somehow failed

if she wasn’t there in time to greet the sunrise, to meet the new

day head on. She knew that was a necessity then, that was how

she survived mentally, emotionally. That was how she lessened

the guilt that she carried.

All that changed when Cameron came into her life. She still

felt like she needed this time alone—and Cameron encouraged

it, in fact—but she wasn’t as compelled to find a spot for her

early morning Tai-Chi sessions and reflections as she had been

1 Gerri Hill

in the past. It was no longer a necessity to survive. She found she

needed it now, if for nothing else, than to enjoy the solitude and

to take time to give thanks for the peace in her life. It gave her a

time to look inside herself and recognize the changes there.

Today she climbed along the trail, the high altitude making

her breathing labored and she stumbled over a rock, catching

herself on a limb. She paused, looking for the spot they’d found

yesterday, a side trail that would take her to an open space and

provide a view of the mountains.. and the sunrise.

She tried not to feel guilty that she wasn’t back at the rig

helping Cameron get ready to move. She had planned to help

this morning, but Cameron had said she could do it just as easily

and had nearly pushed her out the door with a quick kiss and a

“please be careful.” Andrea couldn’t help the smile that came

to her face. Cameron would never admit it, but she suspected

Cameron needed her alone time as much as Andrea did. She

usually took a run in the evenings while Andrea started dinner,

much like Andrea took her morning hikes while Cameron took

care of breakfast. It was a practice that had now become habit,

which seemed to suit both of them.

She pushed on, finding the break in the trees after ducking

under a low-hanging pine. While certainly beautiful here, she

did miss the unobstructed views and the red glowing sunrises of

Sedona, the earth flaming in color around her as she raised her

arms to the new day, her skin bathed in the reddish hues. She

closed her eyes, picturing one of the hundreds of sunrises she’d

seen, not surprised by the clarity of it in her mind’s eye.

She took a deep breath, not minding the tall Ponderosa pines

blocking her view. In fact, the sweet aroma added to the stillness

of the morning as it came alive with chirping birds and chattering

squirrels. Finally, those sounds receded to the background as

she shifted into form, her practiced movements coming without

thought and she glided through her routine, her focus turned

inward as her slow, even breathing chased all thoughts from her

mind.

chapter three

“Christ, this is in the middle of nowhere,” Cameron said

as she peered through the windshield at the endless Mojave

Desert—sand, cactus and a smattering of creosote bushes

stretching out for miles in every direction, the hulking shape of

distant mountains the only bump on the horizon. “Who the hell

lives out here?”

“Desert dwellers,” Andrea said. “Some people love this.”

“Where the hell are we going to park the rig?”

“I vote for Joshua Tree. I’ve been there a few times hiking.

They have good campgrounds, both in the northern section and

southern.”

“If we camp close to where the body was found—in the

southern section—that’s a hell of a long way from Barstow,”

Cameron said.

1 Gerri Hill

Andrea had spent some time in the desert when she lived in

LA, but it wasn’t until after the ambush that she ventured as far

out as Joshua Tree and the Salton Sea. She knew they could find

camping—and water—in the National Park, but yes, it was a

long way from their first body.

“How about this,” she suggested. “Go to Barstow first. Find

the local police who Murdock said would show us the site. Then

visit the county coroner and go over the autopsy report. We can

just park for the night somewhere.”

“And then go to Joshua Tree?”

“Yes. I don’t think we’ll be able to sit in one place like you did

in Sedona,” she said.

“Okay,” Cameron agreed. “Find the email with the name of

the police chief who we’re to contact. Give him a call and let him

know we’re about an hour from Barstow.”

Andrea nodded, moving Lola off of her so she could open

her laptop. The kitten hopped down and moved to the back of

the rig, finding her favorite spot on the loveseat. Andrea turned

her attention back to her email, her gaze going to Cameron

occasionally.

Something was up with Cameron and she wasn’t quite sure

what it was. She could tell it was a relief for Cameron to leave

Canyonlands. Once they were away from people and alone

again, she was back to her old self. But now, since Murdock’s

call, she’d reverted back to being a bit distant from her. It was

as if each mile that brought them closer to Barstow increased

her apprehension. She wanted to find out what was going on in

that beautiful head of hers but she didn’t want to push. She knew

Cameron’s past affected her, knew of the protective shield she

put up around her.

But that shield had dropped in Sedona. It surprised her now

that Cameron was trying to put it back in place.

“This is it?” Cameron asked, hands on her hips as she stared

down at the spot he pointed out.

Andrea’s gaze followed Cameron’s, seeing nothing but rocks

Hell’s Highway 1

and sand. The heat of the midday sun baking the already crisp

desert—the temperature was still stifling, even for September.

Andrea was used to the desert around Sedona where September

finally brought a relief from the summer heat.

“Yep, this is it.”

“Crime scene tape?”

“Took it down a week ago,” the officer said as he spit a line of

tobacco juice a couple of feet away from Cameron’s boot.

Andrea saw the expression on Cameron’s face, and she quickly

stepped forward before Cameron took the man’s head off.

“Officer Burke, the crime scene investigators went over the

area though, right?” she asked, watching as he packed his wad of

tobacco tighter in his lower lip.

“Oh, yeah. After they took the body—what was left of

it—they took a bunch of pictures and some soil samples or

something.” He spit again. “Wasn’t nothing here. No blood,

nothing.” He shrugged. “Bet you a hundred bucks she was just a

fender lizard,” he said.

Cameron’s eyebrows shot up. “Fender lizard?”

“Hooker. That’s what the truckers call them. They hang

around truck stops, go knocking on the cabs at night.”

“Soliciting?”

“Yep. My brother is a trucker. He says sometimes those

girls won’t take no for an answer.” He spit away from Cameron

this time as his eyes raked over both of them. “You two really

FBI?”

“Really,” Andrea said as his eyes lingered on her chest. She

had ditched her shirt earlier and was left in only a tight white

T-shirt. She glanced at Cameron, wondering if she had more

questions for him but she shook her head as she turned her back

to them, her gaze moving across the desert. “Well, Officer Burke,

thank you for showing us the spot. We’ll find our way back.”

“If you need something else, just swing by the station.” He

tipped his hat politely at them, then spit one more time before

leaving them.

“Déjà vu,” Cameron murmured as his car pulled away.

“Dumped body and no evidence.”

“Yeah. Eerily familiar,” she said as she wiped the sweat that

1 Gerri Hill

threatened to roll down her cheek. “At least in Sedona, we had

trails.”

Cameron took the now familiar GPS gadget from her

shoulder pack and marked their location, then glanced at Andrea.

Andrea dutifully pulled up the notes on her cell phone where

she’d jotted the location from the report Murdock had emailed

them. She showed it to Cameron who nodded.

“This is the place.”

“Did you doubt him?”

“Didn’t you?” Cameron asked as she walked a circle, her eyes

scanning the desert floor.

Andrea waited patiently. She’d been through this routine with

Cameron in Sedona and knew she just wanted to be thorough.

“Why behead them?”

Andrea wondered if this was a test or if Cameron simply

wanted her opinion. “To prevent identification would be the

logical answer,” Andrea said. “But he left the fingers so he’s not

concerned with fingerprints.”

Cameron nodded. “So then why?”

“Trophy?”

Cameron smiled and nodded. “Some serial killers keep

trinkets, an article of clothing, a picture, something of each

victim so that they can go back and relive the kill.”

“Keeping the head is a bit extreme. Not to mention the smell

and decomposition.”

“Yeah. If he’s a trucker, he’s not keeping the heads in the

truck with him. He’d have to have a place somewhere, somewhere

remote.”

“If he’s beheading them, he’d also have to have someplace to

carry out his crime in private. You’re not going to do something

like that in a truck either.”

“So maybe it’s not a trucker.”

“A local?”

Cameron shrugged.

“Maybe he’s not keeping the heads,” Andrea said. “Maybe he

dumps them someplace else.”

“Why go to the trouble of cutting off the head if you’re just

going to dump it?”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Well, we learned from Patrick Doe that serial killers like to

toy with the police. Maybe that’s all he’s doing.”

“And maybe he’s keeping them as trophies,” Cameron said.

“Let’s go visit the coroner.”

chapter FoUr

The county coroner was located in Apple Valley, about thirty-

five miles from Barstow. Instead of leaving the rig in Barstow and

driving the truck, Cameron wanted to be closer to Joshua Tree

so they pulled into the small city in the motor home, towing the

truck behind them. Andrea sat back and watched as Cameron

handled the rig with expert ease, maneuvering through traffic as

the GPS guided them to the coroner’s office. Parking, however,

did not prove as simple.

“I hate cities,” Cameron murmured as she circled through

the parking lot and back to the street.

“Park illegally? We have government plates,” Andrea

suggested.

“Murdock hates when I do that,” Cameron said with a smirk.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“You enjoy pushing his buttons, don’t you?”

“What? You mean now that Collie is out of the picture?”

Andrea noted that Cameron rarely mentioned Collie’s name

since his murder. Even though she claimed their love-hate

relationship was mostly hate, Andrea suspected Cameron missed

Collie more than she let on. Of course, Collie just added to a

long list of comrades and team members who Cameron had lost

over the years.

“Was Murdock always in charge? I mean, did he recruit you?”

“He’s ex-military too. They formed two units to begin

with. He was going to lead one of them, but the guy heading

the operation dropped dead of a heart attack at fifty-two. They

pulled Murdock in to take over and only raised his level as high

as Special Agent. We have more clearance and leeway than your

typical agents, but they wanted to keep us on the back burner,”

Cameron explained.

“Are there still two units? You only mentioned Collie’s team.

Now Reynolds’s.”

“He’s got another team that stays pretty much on the East

Coast. I’ve never worked with them.” She pulled the rig to a stop

along a curb plastered with no parking signs. “Will this do?”

Andrea grinned. “Yes. Perfect.”

“Great. And we’ll be sure to tell Murdock it was your idea

when we get a ticket.”

“Dr. Agnew?”

“Yes, yes. And you are?”

“FBI. Ross and Sullivan.” Cameron showed him her FBI

badge as did Andrea. Dr. Agnew appeared to be in his eighties

with a head full of thick, white hair. She found it hard to believe

he was still practicing.

“FBI?” He looked them over head to toe, both dressed in

jeans and boots, although Andrea had put her shirt back on,

covering the tight T-shirt. “Are you sure?”

Cameron arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, quite sure. Are you sure

you’re Dr. Agnew?”

0 Gerri Hill

Andrea stepped forward and held out her hand to him which

he shook vigorously. “Special Agent Ross and I are here about an

autopsy you did a few weeks ago.”

“I’ve done a lot of autopsies, missy. You’ll have to be more

specific.”

“Headless female found east of Barstow,” Cameron

supplied.

“Oh. That one. Yes. I remember. Jane Doe 23, I believe.”

“Twenty-three? That many?” Andrea asked.

“Some years more, some less. The desert can be brutal if

you’re not prepared. Of course, the desert didn’t take them

all,” he said as they followed him into an office. “Gunshot,

knife wounds, strangulation. The occasional car accident,” he

continued as he motioned to the visitor’s chairs. “Some will get

identified over the course of the year so we’re not really left with

that many truly unidentified bodies. May I ask why the FBI is

interested in this one?”

“Serial killer,” Cameron said.

“Not in this county,” he said with a shake of his white head.

“I would have surely heard of another victim matching this one

if it was in one of the other districts.” He scratched his head.

“Although I recall something similar seven, eight, maybe even

ten years ago now. We seemed to have had a rash of headless

victims. That’s not something you forget.”

“The one we’re referring to is recent. Riverside County,”

Andrea said. “Near the southern border of Joshua Tree. Just last

week.”

“Oh? That would be Dr. Copeland’s area then. Indio?”

“Yes.”

“I’m surprised I wasn’t consulted. But he’s good. A little on

the young side, but competent.”

Cameron hid her smile. Young to this man would be someone

in their sixties. Instead, she leaned forward. “Can we see the file,

please?”

Dr. Agnew looked from one to the other. “FBI and all, I’d

have thought you’d already hacked our computer and taken a

look.”

“There is certain protocol to follow,” Cameron said, glancing

Hell’s Highway 1

at Andrea, hoping for a little help. She was ready to get the file

and get out of there.

“Dr. Agnew, if the file is electronic, a copy would be helpful.

You can just email it and we’ll be out of your hair,” Andrea said.

He smiled at her, the kind of smile a grandfather might give

a young child who’d asked a silly question.

“The official copy is on the computer. They insist on it. My

copy, however, is kept locked in the file cabinet. As it should be.”

“And the two copies are different?” Cameron guessed.

“Well, one of the secretaries takes my notes and puts together

the file for the computer.” He gave them a sly smile as he took his

glasses off. “I don’t trust those damn computers. You never know

who all is out there in the World Wide Web.” He put his glasses

back on before continuing. “Not sure I trust the whole process

really—a secretary, most likely without a college education, is

writing up something as important as an autopsy report. No sir.

Probably doesn’t even spell half the words right.”

Cameron sighed and grabbed the bridge of her nose. “Andi,”

she said quietly. “Do something.”

Andrea cleared her throat. “Dr. Agnew, if we could take a

look at your hard copy, then perhaps compare it to the electronic

version, that would be helpful. Maybe even make a copy of your

file. We want to be thorough,” she said with a smile.

He nodded. “You can have a copy of mine, sure. But you’ll

have to get one of the secretaries to get you the one off of the

computer.”

“Great, not a problem,” Andrea said as she glanced at

Cameron.

“Do you remember if she had any tattoos or piercings?”

Cameron asked.

“That’ll be in my notes. I don’t recall,” he said as he sorted

through his keys.

“And she was Caucasian?”

“Yes,” he said, opening one of the file cabinets and thumbing

through what appeared to be color-coded files. “Here it is. Yes,

Jane Doe 23.” He handed it to Andrea. “The head was removed

post-mortem,” he said. “Sexual trauma, as noted. This one was

odd in that she had a strange mixture of drugs in her system.”

Gerri Hill

“How so?”

“High dose of phenobarbital, which is used to euthanize

animals. Sleep aid. And cocaine, if I recall.”

“Cause of death?”

“There were no obvious injuries to the body that would have

caused death. She had ligature marks on her wrists and feet,

indicating she was bound. The amount of phenobarbital in her

system, well, based on her weight, I would assume it was enough

to kill, although I’m not positive. Obviously, it’s used in animals

that weigh far less than a human.”

“You list cause of death as drug overdose,” Andrea said as she

skimmed the file.

“Yes.”

“But you’re saying the phenobarbital wasn’t enough to kill

her?” Cameron said.

“With the mixture of drugs she had in her system, who

knows?”

Cameron’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re saying you settled on

drug overdose because there was no conclusive cause of death?”

“What are you implying, Agent Ross?”

“Did she die of a drug overdose, did she die from phenobarbital

or is it inconclusive?”

“Does it really make a difference? I’ve listed it as a homicide.

Her head was missing.”

“Of course it makes a difference,” Cameron said loudly. “A

defense attorney would have you for lunch with this.”

“Young lady, I have been through my share of defense

attorneys, thank you very much. They don’t scare me.”

“Dr. Agnew, if we do have a suspect who lives long enough

to go to court, we’ll need to prove COD. Beyond a shadow of a

doubt,” she added.

“Excuse me,” Andrea interrupted as she read through the

file. “Two small burn marks at the base of her neck, above the

shoulder.” She raised her eyebrow. “Stun gun? Taser?”

“I don’t recall.” He held his hand out. “Let me see that.”

Andrea glanced at her, giving her a slight smile. Cameron

returned it. How could she not? The situation was bordering on

comical.

Hell’s Highway

“Yes. They were beginning to scab over, but yes, a Taser

could have made those marks.” He grinned. “So too could a

vampire.”

“Oh dear God,” Cameron murmured.

“I’m kidding, of course,” Dr. Agnew said with a chuckle.

“Let’s go with stun gun. That would be easier to prove to your

defense attorney,” he added as he smirked at Cameron.

“A Taser usually doesn’t leave a mark,” Andrea said. “Unless

it was administered at very close range. What is your opinion?”

“Judging by the size of the wound, I would say it was a

repeated action at very close range, yes.” He glanced at Cameron.

“The stun gun, not the vampire.”

Cameron sighed as she’d had enough of this conversation

with the peculiar Dr. Agnew. She stood, urging Andrea to do

the same.

“May I have a copy?” Andrea said, motioning to the file he

now held.

“Of course. Let’s go out front, and I’ll have one of the ladies

copy that for you. If you want them to email you the other file,

they can do that too.” He grinned. “Or so I’m told.”

They followed him back out the way they’d come. Cameron

bumped Andrea’s shoulder playfully and leaned closer.

“You want to take the vampire angle? That could be fun.”

“Hush,” Andrea whispered as she elbowed Cameron away

from her. Their eyes met for a moment and Cameron saw

matching amusement in Andrea’s. She smiled affectionately at

her before again slipping into her professional role.

chapter FIVe

It was well after six when they drove into Indio and the

temperature had yet to dip below the century mark. She could

see the heat waves radiating off of the pavement and Andrea

glanced at Cameron, wondering where they would park for the

night. She’d called Dr. Copeland earlier and they were scheduled

to meet him at nine in the morning. He was kind enough to

email them his report so they’d have a chance to compare it to

Dr. Agnew’s.

“City park?” Andrea suggested.

“We could always find an RV resort with full hookups,”

Cameron said. “Running the AC nonstop will drain our solar

batteries in a hurry.”

Andrea touched the console screen, loving that she had

Internet and a browser at her fingertips. “I’ll find one.”

Hell’s Highway

Cameron sighed. “I miss Sedona.”

“Yeah? Sonny Winfield had you spoiled?”

“It was a great place to park, wasn’t it? A few junipers, some

oaks. Great view.”

“And temperatures below a hundred,” Andrea added. “This

is brutal.”

“Yeah. And I don’t foresee this being a quick and tidy case.”

“Okay, here’s one. The Thorny Cactus RV Park,” she said.

“Sounds sleazy.”

“Check the price. That will let you know whether it’s a local

joint with a lot of permanent residents or not.”

“What am I looking for?”

“Monthly rates at least seven hundred. That’ll be a real

resort.”

“Then we’ll skip The Thorny Cactus. They only want two-

fifty.” She went back to her search, finding another. “Mojave

Luxury Resort. Eight-twenty-five a month.”

“That’s more like it.”

“Pool. That sounds great, doesn’t it?”

“Do you have a suit?”

“No. Do you?”

Cameron shook her head. “Skinny-dip?”

“Sure. We can add getting arrested to Murdock’s list of rules

we’ve broken today.”

“We didn’t get a ticket,” Cameron reminded her.

“Only because the meter maid was lying in the street from

the electric shock she got.”

Cameron grinned. “It was funny, wasn’t it?”

Andrea laughed. “Yeah, it was. You were quite helpful. She’d

just gotten knocked on her ass from the shock, and she was still

able to flirt with you.”

“She wasn’t flirting.”

“The piece of paper she handed you wasn’t her phone

number?” The onboard GPS kicked in, silently directing them to

the resort. Andrea had muted Clair’s voice the first day. “Looks

like four blocks to the north and you’ll turn right,” she said.

“Okay. And she only gave me her phone number in case we

needed help with something.”

Gerri Hill

“Sure she did.”

Cameron gave her a cocky smile. “Well, what was I supposed

to do? Ignore her?”

“Of course not. Drop-dead gorgeous meter maids don’t come

along every day.” Even though they were teasing, Andrea still

felt a tiny bit of jealousy and she hated it. Truth was, Cameron

wasn’t really flirting, she was simply helping the woman to

her feet and offering apologies. The woman—who was drop-

dead gorgeous—had batted her eyes and had nearly ended up

drooling on Cameron’s feet. Andrea stared at Cameron now, her

beautiful smooth tan face, the unruly sandy blond hair, which

was in need of a trim, the smile playing on her lips. No, she

couldn’t blame the woman for fawning over her. Back in Sedona,

Andrea had resisted Cameron for a whole week before falling for

her charms.

“You’re staring,” Cameron accused. “What are you

thinking?”

“None of your business. Turn here,” she said.

“You could put Clair on so you wouldn’t have to monitor

it.” Andrea laughed. “Your affair with Clair is over, remember.

I’ll be your GPS voice. It looks like it’s about five, six blocks

down.”

“Andi,” Cameron said quietly.

“Hmm?” Andrea met her eyes, already knowing what

Cameron’s question would be.

“Can we have pizza for dinner?”

“Seriously?”

“Please? I’ve seen signs. Local joints, the chains. It’s been

like a week since we’ve had it.”

“It’s been four days.” Then she laughed. “No. It’s been

two. You grabbed a couple of slices when we stopped for fuel in

Flagstaff.”

“That hardly counts.”

“Your obsession with pizza is bordering on, well, an

obsession,” she said. She also knew they would indeed have

pizza for dinner. Pizza and sweet red wine. Normally they’d

talk. Cameron telling her stories from her military days, Andrea

Hell’s Highway

sharing events when working for LAPD. She could talk freely

now about her team, about Erin and Mark, without the guilt

suffocating her. Tonight, though, they’d talk about the case and

they would most likely go over Dr. Copeland’s file so they’d be

prepared in the morning. And she wanted to take a better look

at the database on the highway killings. Now that she had FBI

credentials, she wouldn’t be as limited. Cameron also said she

wanted to give Jason at Quantico a call so she could understand

how to use the algorithms with this new case. So yes, pizza would

be in order.

“I currently only have one obsession,” Cameron said,

interrupting her thoughts as she wiggled her eyebrows teasingly,

causing Andrea to smile. “Now this looks like a resort,” Cameron

murmured as she turned into the complex. “And look. A pizza

place right across the road.”

“How convenient is that?”

“Why do I always feel so stupid after talking to Jason?” she

asked as she reached for a piece of pizza.

“I think computer geeks enjoy doing that to us common

folks,” Andrea said. “But did you learn anything?”

“Oh, hell, he logged in remotely and is tweaking it because

he was afraid I’d jack it up.” She held her pizza up. “This is pretty

good for a local joint.”

Andrea only flicked her eyes at her, causing Cameron to

laugh. Their good-natured battle over pizza was mostly for show.

Andrea was quickly becoming a connoisseur.

Cameron took the recliner, mimicking Andrea’s position on

the loveseat with a laptop balanced on her legs. Minus one cat, of

course, as Lola was busy begging from Andrea.

“Anything jump out at you on the autopsy report?” she

asked.

Andrea shook her head. “They read surprisingly the same,

except for the tox reports. Both had sexual trauma. Both had

phenobarbital, but Dr. Copeland’s doesn’t mention any other

drugs.”

Gerri Hill

“So no sleep aid or cocaine,” she said. “That indicates the

first girl was a user.”

Andrea nodded. “The concentration of phenobarbital was a lot

higher on Dr. Copeland’s girl. He listed that as cause of death.”

“The other—Jane Doe 23—already had drugs in her system.

Maybe it didn’t take as much,” she suggested.

“True. But would he have known that? Wouldn’t he already

have had a syringe set up?”

“Maybe he’s really cruel. Maybe he administers it drip by

drip, slowly, so they know what’s coming.”

“Or maybe the dose he administered to Jane Doe 23 was the

norm. Maybe it wasn’t enough for the second victim, and he had

to give her a second shot.”

“Logical, I suppose, if this is his first experimentation with

it,” Cameron conceded. “Not nearly as cruel as mine though.”

“And I suppose we are looking for cruel and nasty since we

don’t have heads.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “We also

need to consider the vet angle.”

“You mean a rogue veterinarian murdering women?”

Andrea smiled. “Well, I was really just thinking of one whose

clinic was broken into and had drugs stolen.” She shrugged. “Of

course, we can go with your rogue vet if you’d like.”

“Again, yours is more logical. And probable,” she said. “I’ll

email Murdock and ask him to run a check.” She watched as

Andrea’s eyes scrolled across her screen. “Are you still looking

over the reports?”

“No. I’m actually in the database. It’s really fascinating.” She

looked up. “Murdock was right. Most of it is concentrated in the

east but California has its share as well. Some of this information

goes back thirty years.”

“Headless victims?”

“Yes, some. Also heads found but no bodies to match. Torso

minus the legs. Legs and arms found, no other body parts.” She

shook her head. “People are crazy.”

“Indeed.”

Andrea’s brow drew together as her eyes still scanned the

screen. “Listen to this,” she said, glancing up quickly. “Eight

years ago a headless body was found between Barstow and

Hell’s Highway

Needles, on I-40. She was ID’d by fingerprints. A prostitute.

Connie Bernstein, age twenty-four.”

“Fender lizard, as our very helpful cop from Barstow calls

them,” Cameron said.

“Yeah. But that’s not all. Over a two-month period, four

bodies in all were found, same as this. Two on I-40, one on I-10

and one on I-15, between Barstow and Vegas. Two were ID’d,

two remain unidentified.” She shook her head before Cameron

could ask. “No, none in the same location as our two. The one

on I-15 was much closer to Vegas.”

“Same MO? Wrapped in a tarp?”

“No. Wrapped in sheets. No mention of phenobarbital

though. The other girl who was identified was also a prostitute.

She worked out of Las Vegas. Connie Bernstein worked a truck

stop outside of Needles.”

“Four bodies. Why did he stop? Serial killers don’t stop.”

“Maybe he goes underground for a while like Patrick did.”

“For eight years? Doubtful.”

“So maybe he couldn’t kill,” Andrea said. “There’s only one

place that can prevent you from it.”

“Prison.”

“Yes. Maybe he was convicted of another crime, was locked

up for eight years—”

“And is now out and carrying on his killing.”

“Yeah.” Andrea set her laptop aside. “Plausible?”

“Sure it is. Just don’t know if it helps us.”

“Why not? We find inmates who went in eight years ago and

were just released, say, in the last six months.”

“Released from where? In this area? In California? In

Arizona? Nevada? You’re talking thousands, Andi.”

Andrea leaned back with a sigh, nodding when Cameron

offered her more wine. “With all of our forensics and technology

available today, how can we possibly have a crime scene without

any evidence? I mean, a fingerprint smudge on the plastic at

least. But no. Nothing. No fibers, no hair.”

“Our second victim has tattoos,” Cameron said. “Maybe

that’ll help with an ID.”

“Haven’t they already run that through Missing Persons?”

0 Gerri Hill

“Yes. I was thinking maybe we could show it around. Maybe

some of the busy truck stops.”

“So you like my eight-year-hiatus theory? That he’s back and

going after hookers again?”

“Well, the MO is not exactly the same. We have plastic

now, not a sheet. And phenobarbital wasn’t used either. But it’s

someplace to start.”

“You know, if we think it’s a hooker, I could always go

undercover. Hit some of the trucker hangouts.”

Cameron was surprised by the sudden panic she felt in her

gut and she shook her head. “No way.”

“Why not? We might get lucky.”

Cameron stood, nearly pacing now as she envisioned Andrea

dressed up like a hooker, trying to lure their serial killer to her.

She met Andrea’s gaze head-on. “No. Absolutely not.”

She wondered what look she had on her face as Andrea

studied her quietly. Finally one eyebrow shot up.

“You want to talk?”

The words were spoken softly, and Cameron was afraid by

what Andrea meant by them. Talk? Talk about the case? Or talk?

She looked away, trying to buy time.

“Cameron, sweetheart, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. I thought we were talking,” she said, hoping to

appease her. The look in Andrea’s eyes told her she had not.

“Cameron, something’s going on with you. I can see it, so

don’t tell me nothing is wrong.”

Cameron took a deep breath, trying to keep her expression

as normal as possible, even managing a smile. “Really, I’m fine.

Just trying to focus on the case.” They both knew she was lying,

but Andrea’s next question surprised her.

“Do you love me, Cameron?”

Again, she felt like someone had punched her in the gut.

“God, yes. Why would you ask?”

“Why don’t you ever tell me?”

“I tell you,” she said. “I tell you all the time.”

But Andrea shook her head. “No, you don’t. You say ‘me too.’

But you never say the words. In fact, I don’t think you’ve said

those three words since we left Sedona.”

Hell’s Highway 1

Cameron felt her chest tighten, and at that moment she

wanted to be anywhere other than stuck inside the motor home

having this conversation. She must have had a look of panic on

her face, and she guessed Andrea thought she was about to bolt

from the rig. Andrea got up and took her hands, her smile as

reassuring as if she were talking to a frightened child.

“Cameron, I don’t mean to imply that you don’t love me.

I know you do. I see it when you look at me. I feel it when you

touch me, when we make love.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Cameron asked weakly.

“Tell me why you won’t say the words.”

Their eyes held for a long moment, then Cameron finally

let out a defeated breath, realizing how childish she must seem

to Andrea. She cleared her throat and reached over for her

wineglass.

“I haven’t had great luck with people I’ve loved,” she said

before taking a sip. “I’ve lost so many.”

“So you think if you lost me, it wouldn’t hurt as much because

you didn’t say the words?”

“No, Andi, that’s not it.” Cameron turned away, embarrassed

now, but Andrea pulled her back around.

“Tell me.”

“Everyone I’ve loved is gone. My parents, my brother. Laurie.

Partners, teams.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Hell,

even people I didn’t love. Like Collie,” she said. “I thought, well,

if I don’t say it out loud, then maybe,” she shrugged and tried to

smile. “Maybe the fates won’t know and you’ll be spared,” she

finished in a whisper.

She expected Andrea to laugh at her foolishness but was

surprised to see the threat of tears in her eyes.

“Trying to fool the fates, huh?”

“I know it’s silly, Andi. But I feel so strongly about us, about

you. I feel like, finally, I have a family. You and Lola. This rig

feels like home now. If something happened to you, I couldn’t

survive. Not this time. I. .I couldn’t go on.”

“You’re the strongest person I know, Cameron. You’ve been

through so much. You would—”

“No. I don’t think so. I couldn’t take losing you.”

Gerri Hill

Andrea looked like she was about to protest again but she said

nothing. Instead she gave Cameron a gentle smile and squeezed

her hand as she motioned toward the kitchen.

“I’ll clean up from dinner.”

“Andi, wait. I—”

“I know, sweetheart. Me too.”

chapter SIX

Leaving Dr. Copeland’s office, Andrea studied Cameron as

they headed back to the truck, wondering at her sullen mood

this morning. She assumed it was either from the lingering

effects of their conversation last night or Murdock’s earlier call

informing them that Reynolds and his team were on their way.

She guessed it was the latter, especially since they’d ended the

night making love with wild abandon, Cameron finally giving

voice to her feelings. She was so tough and in control when in

her professional mask, yet sometimes—when they were alone—

Cameron displayed a vulnerability that made Andrea’s heart

break. It was a side of her that she’d only let Andrea see once

in Sedona, the night Collie was killed. Andrea had seen years’

worth of grief cross her face that night as Cameron tried to run

from it.

Gerri Hill

Last night, too, as Cameron had made love to her, Andrea

knew she was trying to tell her without words what she was

feeling. Andrea had stopped her, rolling them over and pinning

Cameron to the bed with a hard kiss.

“I love you. And I know you love me,” she said. “You don’t

have to convince me.”

“I just—” Cameron’s eyes held hers fiercely and Andrea didn’t

dare look away. “I love you,” she whispered, as if still clinging to

the hope that the fates would not hear. “Everything feels right in

my world now. You make everything feel so right, Andi. I don’t

want to lose this.”

She didn’t ask Cameron to say the words again. As she’d

told her, she didn’t need to hear them to know. But as Cameron

made love to her, those words slipped out time and again, as if

Cameron were freeing herself from the bounds she’d placed.

She’d been nearly shy this morning, avoiding any conversation

of the hours they’d spent pleasuring each other. Too many hours,

Andrea thought as she fought back a yawn.

“Tired?” Cameron asked unexpectedly.

“Yes.” Then Andrea playfully bumped her shoulder. “But I’d

do it all over again.”

Cameron laughed and her dark mood seemed to dissipate.

“Dr. Copeland wasn’t any more helpful than the vampire

doctor.”

Andrea smiled at Cameron’s reference to Dr. Agnew. “Were

you expecting him to hand you a suspect?”

“Well, you did when I landed in Sedona,” Cameron reminded

her.“I think you were the only one who believed me.” Andrea

held up her phone, showing Cameron the pictures of the tattoo

she’d taken. “This might help us ID her. The lion is unusual.”

Andrea paused. “Or did you want Reynolds and his team to do

the truck stops?”

Cameron snorted. “I don’t want Reynolds or his guys

anywhere near this case. God, what the hell is Murdock

thinking?”

Andrea hid her smile at Cameron’s outburst. She’d been

expecting it all morning.

Hell’s Highway

“I mean, he could have at least waited for us to give him

some feedback or something,” Cameron continued. “What the

hell is Reynolds going to do? We have no leads, no evidence. We

don’t even know where to start with this one and Murdock is

sending in a whole goddamn team?”

“Covering both I-40 and I-10, there are probably a lot of

truck stops,” she said. “It wouldn’t hurt to have extra bodies

doing the legwork.”

Cameron stopped abruptly. “You do realize that if we have

company on this one, we have to be very careful.”

Andrea stared at her questioningly. “Careful?”

“Yeah. Us. You and me,” she said, motioning between

them. “What we did last night is not allowed,” she said, her lips

twitching in a smile before she started walking again.

“Oh. Well, I know it’s frowned upon,” she said. “And you

told Murdock we weren’t—”

“Murdock knows I’m lying,” Cameron said. “He’s willing to

ignore it as long as no one calls him on it.”

“So when Reynolds gets here, we have to pretend that we

have a business relationship only?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, come on. We live in a motor home that has one bed.

Who’s going to believe we’re not lovers?”

“They don’t have to believe it. We just can’t give them

anything to go to Murdock with. Like, oh, ‘the two dykes can’t

keep their hands off each other’.”

Andrea grinned. “Well, that much is true.”

Cameron stopped again. “Last night was fantastic,” she said,

her voice low. “I’m sorry I got so weird about—”

“Don’t be, Cameron. But you can’t protect me to the point

that I can’t do my job. The profession we’re in.. there are risks,

we both know that. We’ve both seen that.”

“You’re right. I know.” Cameron’s gaze lingered, as if she

wanted to say something else, then she smiled. “So, sheriff’s

department next?”

“Yeah. Let me call them.” She was already looking for the

notes she’d put in her phone earlier. “Deputy Morales,” she said.

“He’s listed as the one to contact.” She eyed Cameron, her face

Gerri Hill

damp with perspiration. “You want to do it from the truck with

the AC running?”

Cameron wiped her brow and nodded. “I’m not really the

desert type,” she said.

“No? You fared pretty well in Sedona,” Andrea said as she

listened as the call went through.

“You can’t compare Sedona to the Mojave Desert,” Cameron

said. “At least we had trees there.” She opened the door for

Andrea and winked. “Let’s hope our next investigation takes us

to a beach somewhere.”

Andrea laughed, then slipped back into her professional

mode as the phone was answered.

“Yes, this is Agent Sullivan, FBI,” she said, still not comfortable

with her new title. “I would like to speak with Deputy Morales,

please. Is he at the station?”

“No, he’s on patrol. What is this in reference to?”

“The unidentified female, found out at”—Andrea glanced

again at her notes—“Cactus City rest area,” she said. “Special

Agent Ross and I are assigned to the case. Is there someone else

I can speak with?”

“Yeah, hang on. Let me see if the chief deputy is

available.”

Andrea glanced at Cameron. “Morales is on patrol. She’s

going to get someone else.”

“Ask if they can email us the coordinates for the site. We

don’t really need an escort out there,” Cameron said.

Andrea nodded as a male voice came on the line.

“I’m Chief Deputy Grace. What can I help the FBI with?”

“Yes, thank you. Agent Sullivan here. I’m calling about the

unidentified female, found out at the Cactus City rest area,” she

said. “I’d like—”

“The headless woman?”

“That’s the one,” she said, flicking her eyes to Cameron.

“Yeah, we got word you would be involved in this one. I don’t

have much to tell you, Agent Sullivan. The report is barely a

page long. Of course, I can pass on the coroner’s report. That’s

not a lot of help either.”

“We’ve already spoken to Dr. Copeland and have a copy of

Hell’s Highway

his post. I understand forensics came up empty. I’m assuming

you’re aware of the victim that was found outside Barstow?”

“Oh, sure. Headless bodies being found tend to make the

news,” he said. “We just don’t have any leads. Hell, we don’t have

any evidence. San Bernardino County doesn’t either.”

“I understand. Is it possible for you to email us the report?

We’d also like to take a look at the dump site.”

“Sure. I can have a deputy run you out there.”

“If you have GPS coordinates, we can find it,” she said,

smiling at Cameron.

“Yeah, they’re in the report.” He paused. “So you guys are

going to totally work the case?”

“It’s been assigned to us, yes.”

“We’d like to be kept in the loop, Agent Sullivan. Especially

if the victim turns out to be a local.”

“Of course,” she said. “Understood.”

“Hang on a second,” he said quickly and she could hear

mumbled voices as he covered the mouthpiece.

She glanced at Cameron who stared at her questioningly.

“Someone interrupted him,” she explained.

“Sorry, Agent Sullivan, but you’ll probably be interested in

this. Just got a call. .a bicyclist down near Blythe reported a body

near the road. Headless.”

“Blythe? I’m not familiar with it,” she said, trying to picture

a map in her head, but Cameron was already using the onboard

computer, pulling up a map on the console.

“It’s on I-10, at the Arizona border. The bicyclist estimated

it was about ten miles west of Blythe. We have deputies en route.

It’s outside of the city limits but the Blythe PD will be the first

at the scene. Highway patrol as well.”

“We’d like to be involved, of course,” she said.

“Yes, but this is our call until we determine if it’s linked to

the other victim.”

“I think it’s safe to assume that, don’t you?”

“No offense, Agent Sullivan, but this is our jurisdiction. You

may observe only. If the ME confirms the same killer, then we’ll

gladly step aside and let you work it as a serial. Until then, it’s

our case.”

Gerri Hill

“Understood,” she said. “We’ll head toward Blythe now.”

“Deputy Morales will be on the scene. I’ll make sure he gives

you a complete briefing.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it. We’ll be in touch.” She nodded

at Cameron, who started the truck, knowing the conversation

had come to an end.

“Good job,” Cameron said as she pulled away. “You have

much better diplomacy than I do.”

“Maybe it’s because I remember all too well how it felt to

have the FBI come in and take over,” she said.

“Me?”

“No, not you. You were actually very nice about the whole

thing, other than the two files you had on me,” she said with a

smile. “I mean when I was in LA. They were normally a bunch

of pricks.”

Cameron laughed out loud. “Yes, I can name several who fit

in that category,” she said. “So? What’s up? Body?”

“Yes. Blythe is on I-10 at the Arizona border.” Andrea looked

at the map on the console. “Looks like it’s over an hour’s drive.

We’ve been told to stand back until the ME confirms the link.”

“He can dictate all he wants but my badge trumps his,”

Cameron said with a rakish grin. “As if having a rash of headless

victims isn’t linked to the same killer. Maybe you should shadow

their crime scene, make sure they don’t miss anything.”

“I appreciate your vote of confidence in me, sweetheart, but

my forensic training was years ago, as you well know. I doubt I

could offer anything to them.”

Cameron sighed. “I guess I need to call Reynolds and see

where his team is. They were flying to Palm Springs. He wanted

to make that their base.”

“Palm Springs?”

“Yeah. Apparently Collie taught him well. He shot down my

suggestion of the Holiday Inn in Indio,” Cameron said. “We’ll

meet tonight at their hotel to go over everything. Now that we

have a third victim, we might have more of a pattern.”

“Do you still want to check out the dump site?”

“We’ll see how much time we have. I’d like to, yes.”

She nodded, knowing Cameron wasn’t expecting to find

Hell’s Highway

anything at the rest area, but she suspected it gave her a sense

of the killing—a sense of the killer—to see where the body was

dumped. She’d recognized that need in Cameron when they were

in Sedona. The dump sites were nothing but disturbed rocks

yet Cameron would study each one, methodically writing in her

tablet what she saw and sometimes what she thought she saw.

Andrea had no problem giving Cameron that time.

“You think it’s silly that I want to see the sites?”

“Of course not,” Andrea said, surprised that Cameron had

guessed the direction of her thoughts. “It’s what we do.”

chapter SeVen

Cameron gritted her teeth as she watched as many as

fifteen people traipsing near the spot where their victim lay.

“Goddamn idiots,” she murmured, already reaching for her FBI

credentials.

“Cameron,” Andrea warned. “We need to work with these

guys. Don’t piss them off first thing.”

“Excuse me,” she said loudly, ignoring Andrea’s words as

she held up her badge. “Excuse me,” she said again. “Who’s

Morales?”

A middle-aged man separated himself from the others, his

sheriff’s uniform drenched in sweat. “I’m Morales.”

“Special Agent Ross, Agent Sullivan,” she said, glancing at

Andrea.

Hell’s Highway 1

“Yes, I’ve been expecting you. Please note that this is still

our—”

“Have the crime scene investigators finished?”

“No. They just started,” he said, pointing to two men who

hovered over the body.

“Then why the hell are all these people contaminating the

scene?”

“No one’s touched the body,” he said, “although the bicyclist

opened the tarp. Blythe PD was first on the scene.”

“Can you please ask everyone to back away? Jesus, have they

had training? Don’t they watch TV?”

Andrea stepped forward with a stern look at her. Cameron

closed her mouth, but her gaze never wavered from Morales.

“Deputy Morales,” Andrea said, her voice calm. “I’m a former

sheriff’s deputy myself. The FBI is always a little. .pushy,” she

said, glancing at Cameron. “We know you have jurisdiction until

the ME verifies the link. But just between us out here in the

field, that’s pretty clear-cut, don’t you think? I mean, you were

at the Cactus City scene, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.” He looked toward the body, the brown tarp having

been removed. “It’s the same,” he nodded. “No doubt in my

mind. But my orders are—”

“I understand. We’re not trying to jump the gun,” Andrea

said. “We just don’t want to leave anything to chance. Like

contaminating the crime scene,” she said, glancing at the group

of officers still watching the crime scene investigators.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have secured it better. We’ve

got highway patrol, Blythe PD, us,” he said. “Everyone wants a

piece. Now you.” He stepped away, addressing the collection of

officers. “Guys, let’s back up. Let CSI do their thing,” he said.

“The FBI is going to oversee this one.”

He glanced at them and Cameron nodded her thanks as

the officers dispersed. “You’re amazing,” Cameron said quietly.

“Thank you.”

Andrea smiled at her. “Do they watch TV? Really, Cameron?

That’s what you came up with?”

“Sorry. It just popped out.” She headed to the body. “Let’s go

take a look.” At Andrea’s hesitation, she stopped. “What?”

Gerri Hill

“We just asked them to move back so they wouldn’t

contaminate the scene. Why, then, are we allowed near the body

if they’re not?”

Cameron bit her lip, wanting to play her FBI trump card,

knowing she could do anything she damn well pleased. She

knew how to examine a scene without tainting it. But once again,

Andrea’s logic won out. “I hate when you do that.”

“What? Contradict you?”

“No. Logically tell me that I’m a conceited, arrogant bully.”

She watched Andrea try to hide her smile as Deputy Morales

came over.

“I called it in. I told them it was the same killer. They still

want to wait for the ME to confirm but he did say you could

bring in your own forensic team, if you’d like.”

Cameron shook her head. “Our team,” she said, glancing at

Andrea, “is en route to Palm Springs now, but we’ll leave the

forensics to your guys.”

“If it’s like the last one, there won’t be anything. Tarp

appeared to be brand new, right out of the bag. Nothing special

about it. One you could pick up at any sporting goods store,” he

said. “Body was clean. You’ve read the report so you know there

was sexual trauma but no fluids found. I did a quick glance at this

body and—”

“Morales?”

He looked over at the forensic guy who had called for him.

“Excuse me.”

Cameron didn’t wait to be invited. She followed him over,

recognizing the portable fingerprinting device they used out in

the field now.

“Got a hit,” the technician said. “Monica Riddle. Has priors.

Solicitation. Prostitution.”

“Address?” Cameron asked.

“Last known was LA.”

“Morales, where would these girls work? Truck stops?

Hotels?” Andrea asked.

“Both, yes. We don’t have the manpower to monitor the

truck stops. Fender lizards, they call them,” he said. “There are

a few popular stops here along I-10 but the biggest two are on

Hell’s Highway

I-40. One west of Barstow, the other west of Needles. There

might be five or six hundred trucks parked a night. A lot of girls

work those two.”

“That’s San Bernardino County?” She seemed to recall

the big truck stop as they’d driven down I-40 on the way to

Barstow.

“Right.”

“So really, Needles isn’t that far from here,” Cameron said.

“Not far, no. Head up Highway 95 from Blythe. It’ll take

you right into Needles. You thinking trucker?”

Cameron hesitated, wondering if she should voice their

suspicion this early in the case. Yet it was obvious that a trucker

would be a prime suspect. “If this girl worked the stops, then

yes, a trucker,” she conceded.

chapter eIGht

“I feel like we’ve left Lola alone too much,” Andrea said. The

kitten had been all over them when they’d stopped at the rig

to shower and change before heading to Palm Springs to meet

Reynolds and his team.

“I know. It’s tough working a case that’s all over the map.”

“Maybe when this is over, Murdock will give us some time to

go back to Sedona. I can clean out my things and we could park

for a week or so,” she said, envisioning hiking the red rocks.

“Maybe so,” Cameron said. “Do you miss it?”

“Sedona? Some, yes. Jim and Randy. I miss the routine,” she

said.“Second thoughts then?”

“About this? Oh, no. I wouldn’t go back, if that’s what you’re

asking. You were right. I was stagnant there. But it was what

Hell’s Highway

I needed at the time,” she said. “Of course, I didn’t count on

falling in love with you,” she added, watching a slight blush cross

Cameron’s face.

“You know, if you ever do have second thoughts, I want you

to tell me. The constant travel, no place to put down roots—I’m

used to that. If you need a home, solid ground, then you—”

“I have a home,” she said, stopping Cameron. “It’s not something

I’m used to, no, but it’s home. You and Lola make it home.”

“And the job?”

Andrea smiled. “The job is perfect. I have a great senior

agent showing me the ropes.”

Cameron laughed, then reached over and squeezed her thigh.

“Thank you.”

Andrea captured her hand, holding it lightly as Cameron

drove. They slipped into an easy silence, their fingers caressing.

A simple touch, but one which served to reinforce the bond they

had. Partners and lovers—a pairing that seldom worked out. But

right now, she had no fear for either. They worked well together

despite using nearly opposite means to achieve their goal. They

were good partners. But they were better lovers. The fact that

they separated the two as easily as they did gave her hope that

they could make this work long term. She brought Cameron’s

hand up, kissing her knuckles gently before lowering it again.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Cameron squeezed her hand but said nothing. And that was

okay.

She watched the desert flash by them on her right as they

drove the Redlands Freeway, the interstate bouncing from

Indio to Thousand Palms and on to Palm Springs, the cities all

flowing together. Cameron followed the GPS to the hotel where

Reynolds was staying. It seemed he had taken her advice and

secured one on the east side of the city.

“This is nice,” she said. “Fancy.”

“Taxpayer dollars at work,” Cameron said. “Apparently

Murdock’s budget hasn’t been cut.”

Cameron held the door open for her and they bypassed the

lobby, heading to the elevators instead. Reynolds said they had

five rooms on the third floor.

Gerri Hill

“Do you know anyone on his team?” she asked.

“Murdock said he kept Jack Temperton from Collie’s team.

Jack’s been around longer than anyone. Don’t know about the

rest,” Cameron said, pausing to allow Andrea to exit the elevator

first.“This way,” Andrea said when she saw the room chart on the

wall. Their shoes sank into the plush carpet and she felt terribly

underdressed. They were both still in jeans and boots, although

she’d chosen a button-down shirt instead of the T-shirt Cameron

had sported. She glanced at Cameron now, the deep blue T-shirt

tight against her skin, her sandy blond hair a nice contrast. “You

need a haircut,” she said absently.

As if on cue, Cameron ran her hand through her hair and

nodded. “Too unruly for you?”

“No. You do unruly well. It’s bordering on shaggy.”

A few more steps and Cameron stopped. “Here we are,” she

said, rapping her hand loudly on the door.

It opened quickly and Reynolds flashed a brilliant smile at

them, his teeth inordinately white against his ebony skin.

“You made it. Come in.” He nodded as Andrea passed.

“Deputy Sullivan, good to see you again.”

“Agent Sullivan,” she corrected. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” He directed his gaze to Cameron. “Very Special

Agent Cameron Ross,” he said with a smile. “Come meet my

team.”

Sprawled across the suite were three other men and a woman.

The men all wore suits and ties and the woman—a strikingly

attractive brunette—was in a skirt that showed off long, well-

toned legs. Andrea felt uncomfortable in her jeans, but Cameron

looked as confident as ever. The woman stood and walked over,

glancing once at Andrea and dismissing her, her eyes focused on

Cameron instead.

Andrea arched an eyebrow at being overlooked so easily by

the beautiful woman. Dark skinned, sharp features—she didn’t

appear to be American.

“Cameron,” the woman said, the name rolling off her tongue

with a slight accent. Italian, Andrea guessed. “Our paths cross

again. How lovely.”

Hell’s Highway

Andrea watched Cameron’s reaction, wondering if this

woman was friend or foe.

“Carina,” Cameron said rather formally. “How are you?”

“Much better now,” she said with a flirty smile. “Hopefully

we will have time to reacquaint, yes? It was so much fun the last

time we were together.”

Andrea’s eyes narrowed at the obvious innuendo. Not friend

nor foe. Just an old lover. She felt the stirrings of jealousy, and

she had to remind herself of the warning Cameron had issued

earlier. Nonetheless, she had to bite her tongue as the woman

leaned closer, kissing Cameron on both cheeks in greeting. She

finally cleared her throat, her gaze now locked with Cameron’s,

who had the grace to blush.

“This is my partner, Andrea Sullivan,” Cameron said.

“Carina Moretti.”

The woman studied her—Andrea assumed she was trying to

decide if they were lovers or not. Andrea politely stuck her hand

out which Carina reluctantly took.

“A pleasure,” Carina said and quickly turned her attention

back to Cameron.

“How do you two know each other?” Reynolds asked.

“We had a joint mission,” Cameron said evasively. “Years

ago.”“Five, to be precise,” Carina added.

He nodded. “Well, let me introduce everyone. Cameron, you

know Jack, of course,” he said. “Sullivan, this is Jack Temperton.

That’s Eric Scales and then our computer expert, Rowan

Casper.”

Andrea nodded at them. Jack was an older man, his hair

graying at the temples. Eric Scales was almost too pretty to be

an agent. Dark hair and eyes, smooth skin, he wasn’t shy about

letting his gaze travel across Andrea’s body with a bold smile.

Rowan Casper was painfully thin with dark glasses and wispy

blond hair. His features appeared almost delicate compared to

that of the handsome Scales.

“Quite a team, Reynolds. Five of you?”

“I started with four, but Murdock urged me to add my own

computer guy. Jack, as you know, is a weapons expert. Eric is

Gerri Hill

my undercover guy. He’s quite talented. And Carina speaks five

languages besides being somewhat of an explosives whiz.”

“Yes, I remember you had a fondness for blowing things up,”

Cameron said dryly.

Carina laughed, making her appear even more beautiful.

Andrea hated her.

“So dinner first? Or do you want to get down to business?”

Reynolds asked.

“Business. We’ll skip dinner,” Cameron said, surprising

Andrea. “We’ve had a really long day and we’ve still got to drive

back to Indio tonight.”

“Murdock strongly suggested dinner,” Reynolds reminded

her. “A chance for us to get to know each other since we’ll be

working together on this one. A bonding if you will.”

“You’ll only be assisting on this one, Reynolds,” Cameron

countered. “Our rig is in Indio. That’s why I suggested you put

your hotel base there. It’s more centrally located than Palm

Springs.”

“Rig?” Scales asked.

“Motor home,” Andrea supplied.

“Really?”

“It’s FBI custom built,” Cameron said. “A traveling office.”

“So you won’t be staying here at the hotel with us?” Carina

asked. “Pity.”

Andrea tried not to scowl. Pity, my ass.

“Did Jason Tremble really design your computer setup?”

Rowan asked, his eyes lighting up as if Jason was a rock star.

“He really did,” Cameron said. “I didn’t realize he was so

famous,” she said. “Next time I talk to him I’ll—”

“You talk to him?”

Cameron glanced at Andrea with an amused smile and a

quick roll of her eyes.

“I’ve emailed you both coroners’ reports from the first two

victims,” Andrea said, speaking to Reynolds. “The body that was

found today, we should have the post by midday tomorrow.”

“But you think it’s the same killer?”

“Yes. Everything was the same. We’ll just have wait on

tox.”

Hell’s Highway

“We’re going with prostitutes,” Cameron said. “The first

two victims are unidentified, but this last one’s prints got a

hit.”“Monica Riddle,” Andrea supplied.

“Last known address was in LA. We don’t know where she

worked. Our thinking is truck stops.”

“Why?” Carina asked. “That’s hardly glamorous.”

“And prostitution is?” Andrea asked.

“Agent Sullivan found a pattern from about eight years

ago that matches this one,” Cameron continued. “Victims

were wrapped in a sheet, not a tarp. Phenobarbital wasn’t used

though. There were four bodies in all. Two were identified by

fingerprints, both worked as prostitutes.”

“That’s a stretch, isn’t it?”

Cameron stared, one eyebrow raising. “Jesus, Reynolds, you

learn that line from Collie?”

“He taught me not to assume,” he said.

“Yeah. He also told you Patrick Doe was only a figment of

our imagination and didn’t believe our theory then either. But,

oh, guess what? He’s dead now,” she said.

“Come on, Ross, there’s no need to bring Collie into this,”

Jack said. “He was a good man.”

“Right. Was. So quit acting like he’s still here. If you want

to work with his mindset, then get the hell out of my case,” she

said loudly. “We can do this ourselves. But I won’t have you

questioning every goddamn thing we bring up just because that’s

what Collie used to do.”

There was silence in the room, and Andrea watched their

faces as they stared at Cameron. It seemed even from the grave,

Collie could push her buttons.

“That was uncalled for, Ross. Collie was our colleague and

team leader,” Reynolds said.

“Yeah? He was also a jerk.”

Carina’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling then a slow, sexy smile

formed. “Oh, Cameron,” she said, “you still have that fire within

you. It’s so attractive.”

Eric spoke for the first time, his glance going between

Carina and Cameron, a smile growing with each pass. “Just how

0 Gerri Hill

well did you two know each other?” He laughed. “Because I’m

getting a visual and it’s looking pretty good.”

Cameron’s blush confirmed Andrea’s suspicion that they

were lovers, but she couldn’t help smiling at Eric’s playfulness.

Thankfully, that seemed to ease some of the tension in the

room.

“Okay guys, can we get back to the case, please,” Reynolds

said. “I’m sorry, Cameron. Continue with your. . theory.”

Cameron glanced at her and Andrea thought there was a bit

of an apology in her eyes. She wondered if it was because of her

outburst. .or because of Carina.

“If we can pinpoint where she worked—Monica Riddle—

then that might give us an idea of her killer. Our thought is it’s

a trucker, but that’s pure speculation. If Monica worked a truck

stop, then speculation becomes probability.”

“We have an unusual tattoo on vic number two. A lion’s

head,” Andrea said. “If I could get all of your email addresses,

then I’ll supply each of you with a copy of it, as well as the

coroners’ reports. I’ll also include the file I put together of the

murders eight years ago.

“Since phenobarbital was found in the victim, I’ve asked

Murdock to run down any vet clinics that may have reported

a burglary recently. They would have been required to list any

drugs that were missing. Not sure how much that’ll help us,

other than to get a better location.”

“It could always be someone who works at a vet clinic,” Jack

said. “An assistant or someone who is stealing.”

“Maybe someone pays him for the drugs,” Eric added.

“Of course those are possibilities,” Cameron said. “And if

that’s the case, then it’s a dead end. Patrick Doe not withstanding,

serial killers normally work alone. If you’re buying phenobarbital

and the media is reporting that these girls were injected and

killed with phenobarbital, then don’t you think your supplier is

gonna throw up a red flag?”

Reynolds sighed. “So, I see that you really don’t have anything

then,” he said. “Speculation only.”

Before Cameron could speak, Andrea came forward. “We

have what little evidence there is,” she said. “Actually, there is

Hell’s Highway 1

no evidence. We have matching tarps with no prints. That’s it.

We have ID’d one victim, so that’s all we have to go on. Trace

her whereabouts and try to determine where she was last seen.

That’s our course of action.”

“If your computer whiz here could locate truck stops within,

say, a hundred-mile radius, then that gives us someplace to

start. Since her body was found in this area, we’ll concentrate

our search here,” Cameron said. “There are seven of us. We can

break out into two or three teams, show her picture around as

well as the tattoo.”

“I’ll be happy to join your team, Cameron,” Carina offered.

“I already have a partner,” she said, glancing at Andrea. “If

Rowan can email us the list of truck stops, then we’ll head out

in the morning. There’s a large one near Needles that I’m really

interested in.”

“I guess we’ll concentrate in this area,” Reynolds said. “And

I suppose you were right. Palm Springs is a bit out of range.

Perhaps we should relocate to Indio.”

Cameron nodded. “Yes, you should. Enjoy your last night of

luxury then. We need to head back,” she said. “We’ll be in touch

tomorrow.”

“I’ve set up a group email,” Rowan said. “I’ll add you and

Agent Sullivan to it, then send it to you. We can communicate

that way. I’ll also list everyone’s cell numbers. If you’d reply with

yours, that would help.”

“Sure.” Cameron made a show of glancing at her watch, then

she flicked her eyes at Andrea. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll let you get on to dinner then,” Cameron said.

“Good to meet you, Ross,” Eric said. “And you, Agent

Sullivan,” he said, walking over and taking her hand. “It’s going

to be a pleasure getting to know you.”

He was simply too pretty and charming to be offended by

him so she smiled good-naturedly. “Likewise,” she said.

“Me, too,” Rowan said without looking up from his laptop.

Reynolds held the door open for them and she noted Carina’s

eyes never once left Cameron. Oh, this is going to be so much fun.

They were silent as they waited for the elevator and Andrea

Gerri Hill

wondered if Cameron was going to explain Carina or if she was

only going to offer an explanation if Andrea asked.

Once inside the elevator, their eyes met and Andrea raised

hers questioningly. Cameron let out a heavy breath.

“What do you want to know?”

“Lovers?”

“Yes.”

Andrea nodded but said nothing.

“You’re thinking I make a habit of sleeping with everyone I

work with, right?”

“I was thinking no such thing. But now that you mention it,

do you?”

“No. Carina and I worked together for nearly a year in Rome.

She’s.. well, flirtatious.”

“And beautiful.”

“Yes, she is. We slept together. That’s it. There was no

emotional involvement for either of us,” Cameron said. “I haven’t

seen her since.”

“And she assumes you two will pick up where you left off?”

Cameron smiled. “Is that what you inferred from it all?”

“Yes. Didn’t you? She dismissed me very easily. I doubt she

thinks we’re lovers,” she said.

“Oh, I’m sure she suspects it.”

Cameron motioned for Andrea to exit the elevator ahead of

her, then guided her out to the parking garage.

“Is that why you changed your mind about dinner?”

“Partly. But I could see she was making you uncomfortable.

And of course she was doing it intentionally.” She held the door

open to the truck and Andrea got in. “Besides, I’d rather pick up

a pizza and have it back at the rig.”

Andrea laughed. “Of course you would.”

chapter nIne

The truck stop was as busy as Deputy Morales had said.

Literally hundreds of big rigs filled the fuel bays and parking

lots, the smell of diesel thick in the air as engines rumbled.

“He wasn’t kidding,” Andrea said, her gaze going from one

end of the parking lot to the next.

“It’s like a small city. Restaurants, laundry, showers. Grocery

store.” Cameron had no idea where to start. She looked at Andrea.

“What do you think?”

“Obviously the main hub is the convenience store and fuel.

They’re also open twenty-four-seven. Let’s start there.”

“If they support these women, they might not be willing to

talk,” she said.

“She’s dead. They’ll help us,” Andrea said as she headed

inside.

Gerri Hill

Cameron let Andrea take the lead. They waited until one

of the clerks finished up with the customer in front of them.

The smell of freshly baked pizza wafted through the air and

Cameron’s stomach did a roll.

“Don’t even think about it,” Andrea whispered.

Cameron gave a quiet laugh, turning her attention to the

clerk instead.

“Excuse me,” Andrea said. “I’m Agent Sullivan, this is

Special Agent Ross.” She discreetly flashed her FBI credentials,

Cameron doing the same.

“Yes?”

“We’re investigating a murder. We’d like to ask you a few

questions.”

“Me?”

Cameron noticed the trembling of the clerk’s hands and the

nervous twitch of her eyes. Unfortunately, FBI badges tended to

have that effect on people.

“You’re not in any kind of trouble, ma’am,” she said quickly.

“Do you have. .working girls here?”

“Huh?”

Cameron glanced at Andrea for help.

“Prostitutes,” Andrea supplied.

“Oh, no. Of course not,” she said, her face turning red.

“That’s not allowed.”

“I know it’s not,” Cameron said. “Look, is your manager here?”

“Yes,” she said with relief. “I’ll get him.”

Andrea turned to her and grinned. “Why do you scare

people?”

“Me? No, this one’s on you.” She stepped aside, gently

guiding Andrea around the counter where they waited for the

manager. “They may have two managers, one at night. If so, they

would probably have a better knowledge of the working girls,” she

said. Her phone vibrated against her leg, and she pulled it out of

her pocket, sighing when she saw Rowan’s name. “I should have

never given him my number,” she mumbled. “Ross,” she said,

moving farther away from the counter.

“Rowan here again. I wanted to let you know that I found

our vet clinic,” he said.

Hell’s Highway

Cameron drew her brows together, wondering when she

asked him to search. “Murdock was going to run that down.

What did you find?”

“Well, I’ve got a program that will dump data from several

different databases and compile and sort at will. I downloaded

the—”

“Cut to the chase, Rowan,” she said impatiently.

“Sorry. A vet clinic in Morongo Valley reported a break-in

ten months ago. Phenobarbital was on the list of drugs stolen.”

“Good job. I’m hoping Reynolds is on his way there now?”

“Yes ma’am. He and Carina. Jack and Eric are going to talk

to the police and see if there were any suspects.”

“Great. Keep me posted,” she said and disconnected quickly

as the manager walked over.

“I’m Donald Auger, what can I do for the FBI?”

“Can we speak in private?” Andrea asked.

“Sure. My office is back here,” he said, motioning between

the rows of chips and peanuts to a back door marked ‘private.’

They followed him inside what appeared to be no more than

a cluttered storeroom with a desk shoved in one corner. A large

monitor broken into four sections streamed surveillance camera

footage and another one showed snapshots of the registers out

front. There was only one visitor’s chair and Cameron nodded at

Andrea who claimed it.

“Sorry. I don’t normally have visitors back here,” he explained

as he sat at his messy desk. “What can I do for you?”

“How well do you know the ladies who work the lots at

night?” Andrea asked.

He didn’t pretend to not know what she was talking about.

“Look, we don’t condone it, but we can’t really keep them away.

The security guys we hire are just for show really,” he said.

“We’re not here to bust you,” Cameron said. “We have three

dead women, two are unidentified. One had a tattoo on her

shoulder.” She glanced at Andrea who pulled up the photo on

her phone and handed it to Mr. Auger. His eyes widened.

“Linda. Linda Blake.” He took his glasses off and rubbed his

eyes. “She’s been around a while. Everyone knew her.”

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

Gerri Hill

“Maybe a week, maybe more. It’s hard to know. They come

and go.”

“Does the name Monica Riddle ring a bell?”

He shook his head. “But they don’t all use their real names,”

he said. “Linda actually goes by Lori Lou on the streets. What

happened to Linda?”

“Her body was found along I-10,” Cameron said, omitting

any details.

“Damn,” he muttered.

“Did Linda have any problems with any of the truckers?”

Andrea asked. “Anybody ever threaten her?”

“No. She was well liked.” Then he blushed. “I mean, you

know. She’s been around here on and off for ten years or so.”

“Do you know her age?”

“She looked older than she was. It’s a hard life for these girls.

She may have been thirty,” he said.

“On and off?” Andrea prompted. “What do you mean?”

“The girls will hang around for a few months, then next

thing you know, they’re gone. Six months later, they show up

again.”

“So no one would really consider them missing. Like Linda,”

Andrea said.

“Right.”

“They get rides out with truckers?” Cameron asked.

“Yeah. Mostly. They take them to another stop along the

way and the girls work that one for a while. It’s like a circuit,” he

said. “Unfortunately, it’s one most of them can’t get out of.”

“Do you think some of the girls would talk to us?”

He shrugged. “Hard to say. They don’t trust cops. But if you

want to talk to them, they come out at dark.”

“What do you think?” Cameron asked as they sat in the

truck, the AC blasting cool air around them.

“I think we’re damn lucky to get a hit on our first stop,” Andrea

said. “But still, he picks her up here and then what? Where did he

kill her? Did he promise to take her somewhere? LA maybe?”

Hell’s Highway

“Does he have a bag with him, syringe all ready?”

“From where her body was found and here is over a two-hour

drive. Is that all the time he has with her? You would assume

he’d take her somewhere to kill her and not use his truck. Then

there’s the matter of the heads.”

“So you’re not liking the trucker theory now?” she asked.

“Local?”

Andrea shrugged. “No, I don’t think a local. Too dangerous.

Too many people would know you.”

“I agree. You can remain anonymous at truck stops. Pay by

credit card at the pumps, you never have to go inside.”

“Have we thought about that?” Andrea asked. “Credit card

receipts?”

“What?”

But Andrea shook her head. “Never mind. I’m overthinking,”

she said. “We only have the one truck stop so far.”

“Okay, yeah. If we can find where Monica Riddle worked,

then we can have Rowan run receipts and see if we have a match

at both places.”

“Of course, seeing as how big this place is, we could have

hundreds of matches.” She paused. “What was Rowan’s call

about earlier?”

“He found a vet clinic,” Cameron said. “Reynolds and Carina

were going to check it out. Morongo Valley. Do you know where

that is?”

“It’s north of I-10. Not that far from Indio.”

Cameron watched Andrea’s reaction to the mention of

her former lover. It was very subtle, but she could see a slight

tightening of Andrea’s jaw. It had been as much of a surprise to

her as Andrea that they’d meet up with an old lover, much less

team with her. She hadn’t seen Carina since she left Rome, and

she hadn’t really given her much thought over the years. They

were lovers, yes, but nothing more. And no matter how flirtatious

or how many sexual innuendos she dropped, Cameron wasn’t the

least bit interested. She was no longer that person. What she had

with Andrea was far more than she thought she’d ever have with

someone. .far more than she thought she even deserved.

“Burglary or rogue vet?”

Gerri Hill

Cameron smiled. “Burglary. But you have to admit a rogue

vet would be much more interesting.”

“Did he have details?”

“I didn’t ask. Eric and Jack were checking with the police.

He said it was reported about ten months ago.”

“Will this help us?”

Cameron started the truck and pulled out to the highway.

“Only if they have suspects.” She glanced at Andrea. “What’s

next on the list?”

“Barstow.”

“I don’t remember seeing a truck stop,” she said as she sped

up to beat a truck.

“It’s on the west side, before the city limits. We didn’t take

that route,” Andrea reminded her. “By Rowan’s notes, it appears

to be as large as this one.”

They were silent as she drove, Andrea reading through the

notes on her phone. Cameron’s gaze traveled across the desert,

wondering at the attraction. While remote and wild, it held none

of the charm that Sedona did, at least not for her. It appeared to

be devoid of life—only sand and rocks, cactus and scrub brush

with no vibrant green to be found.

“Tell me about you and Carina,” Andrea said

unexpectedly.

As was her habit, Cameron tried to find a deeper meaning

to Andrea’s request other than simple interest on her part. Was

it just curiosity? Did Andrea feel threatened? So she shrugged

nonchalantly.

“Nothing much to tell. We were in Rome. She was working

for the CIA back then. We had a joint mission.” She glanced

at Andrea quickly, then back to the road. “It was a short-lived

affair.”

“Because you left?”

“Yes. Like I said, I haven’t seen her since.”

Andrea put her phone away. “She’s very pretty. Glamorous.

She could be a model.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “She’s also very good at her job. Or she

was back then. The sign of a good operative is to never let it get

personal,” she said.

Hell’s Highway

Andrea stared at her. “Is that why you think you failed? You

let it get personal?”

Cameron knew Andrea was no longer speaking about Carina

but rather her days as a sniper, as the assassin she turned out to

be. “Yes.”

Andrea reached over and rubbed her hand against her thigh,

squeezing lightly. “I’m glad you failed then, Cameron. Killing

should be personal. I’m glad you’re not that person anymore.”

Cameron covered Andrea’s hand, holding it against her leg.

It was one of the things she loved about Andrea. Such simple

words, yet they had profound meaning to her. Andrea had no

more questions and the silence settled around them again, their

hands still linked as she drove toward Barstow.

chapter ten

After a fruitless visit to the truck stop in Barstow—no one had

heard of Monica Riddle—they once again found themselves in

Reynolds’s hotel room. This time, a much less luxurious Holiday

Inn in Indio, not far from the resort where the rig was parked.

“Clean entry,” Eric said. “The alarm was disabled.”

“With the code or a bypass?”

“Bypass. It wasn’t anything sophisticated,” he said.

“Police did the standard check on all employees, including

the doctor himself. They didn’t have video surveillance. It’s just

a small-town clinic, one doctor,” Jack said.

“And no suspects?” Andrea asked.

Eric gave her a smile, a smile Cameron was growing to hate.

He seemingly couldn’t keep his eyes off Andrea. “Not a one.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Besides the phenobarbital, propofol and ketamine were also

stolen.”

“And ketamine was on both coroner’s reports,” she said,

nodding. “So we’ve found our source. Who’s our guy?”

“I don’t see your normal long-haul trucker pulling a vet

clinic burglary,” Andrea said.

“So back to thinking it’s a local?” Cameron asked.

“I disagree with your partner,” Carina chipped in. “Why not

a trucker? The clinic is just off of the highway. He may pass it

every time he travels this route. He would know it well.”

Cameron again saw the slight tightening of Andrea’s jaw, yet

she hid it with a smile.

“I suppose you’re right,” Andrea said. “But it’s a little

conspicuous having a big rig parked in front of a vet clinic in the

middle of the night.”

“We can speculate one way or the other all day long,”

Reynolds said. “It doesn’t really help us.”

“Speculating is how you form possible scenarios,” Cameron

countered. “We have no evidence, no suspects.”

“Speculating can send you down the wrong path,” he

said.“At least it’s a path, Reynolds. Unlike you, using Collie’s

habit of sitting on your ass until evidence is dropped in your

lap,” she said a bit louder than she intended.

“Are we going to start this again?” Jack asked. “Every time

you two have a disagreement, Collie is going to be brought into

it? Can’t the man rest in peace?”

“I agree,” Reynolds said.

“Great,” Cameron said. “Quit acting like Collie and I’ll quit

bringing him up.”

Andrea cleared her throat, her eyes purposefully avoiding

Cameron’s.

“How about dinner?” she asked. “I’m starving.”

“Me too,” Eric chimed in. “Perhaps we can discuss our

evidence—or lack thereof—over a drink.”

“Dinner is sounding better and better,” Carina said as she

moved beside Cameron, linking their arms together. “Maybe we

could catch up, yes?”

Gerri Hill

Cameron’s eyes flew to Andrea then realized everyone was

watching so she nodded. “Sure.”

“Okay, dinner,” Reynolds said. “But I want normal food.”

“Normal?” Eric asked.

“Yes. Not Mexican, not Italian, not Chinese. Normal. In

other words, I want a steak.” Then he looked at the group as

he adjusted his tie. “Please tell me no one’s a vegetarian on this

team.” He smiled when no one spoke up. “Great. Steak it is.” He

looked pointedly at Cameron and Andrea. “You two are going

to change, right?”

“Change?”

“Clothes,” he clarified.

“No,” they said in unison.

Reynolds was a stickler for suits and ties, she knew, but

Cameron didn’t know he had a fetish about it.

“I hardly think what you’re wearing is proper.”

“Well, if they won’t let us in, we’ll have to settle for pizza

or something,” Cameron said with a smile as she glanced at

Andrea.

Rowan was able to locate the most popular steakhouse with

a few keystrokes and he announced that it appeared to be casual

attire. Cameron was hoping for the opposite. Not that she

wouldn’t mind having a steak, but she was actually afraid of what

Carina might be planning.

They settled on taking two vehicles and thankfully, Eric and

Rowan got into Cameron’s backseat before Carina could. Even

then, for a second she wished her truck wasn’t a super cab as she

saw Eric’s eyes following Andrea’s every move as she brought the

monitor to life.

“Sweet,” Eric murmured. “You have an onboard computer?”

“Yes.”

“Always connected?”

“When we have service.”

Rowan stuck his head over the seat. “Did Jason design

this?”

Cameron and Andrea exchanged amused looks. “Yes,” she

said. “When they asked me what I needed, they put this together

along with the motor home’s computers at Quantico.”

Hell’s Highway

“What kind of computer do you have in your motor home?”

Rowan asked. “Do you have a server? Do you—”

“There’s a lot of stuff,” she said. “I don’t know what all of it

is, and Jason won’t let me touch most of it so he logs in remotely.

But yes, there is a server. I’ve got some algorithms that Jason

wrote that I can run.”

“How cool,” he said. “I’d love to see your setup sometime.

Do you know how big your server is?”

Cameron had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Jesus,

he wanted to do the geek-speak with her. “He said it’s a beefy

server, whatever that means,” she said.

“Can I see it sometime?”

Cameron again glanced at Andrea. “Sure.”

“Calm down, man,” Eric teased. “You got a hard-on for her

computer. We get it.”

Rowan blushed profusely but thankfully sat back without

asking any further questions.

Ten minutes later they were pulling into the crowded

restaurant parking lot and Cameron wondered how much work

they would be able to discuss if the place was packed. She scowled

as Eric politely held Andrea’s door open for her while she got

out. Rowan tried to do the same to her but apparently the look

on her face scared him away.

“Be nice,” Andrea whispered as they waited for Reynolds’s

group to join them.

“I’m hoping for a ‘no jeans’ sign on the door,” she murmured

back with a smile.

As soon as they were led to a table, Andrea and Cameron

became separated as Carina took the opportunity to sit next to

Cameron. Andrea found herself between Eric and Rowan with

Cameron at the opposite end. She smiled a thank you when Eric

held her chair out for her. He was attentive, and she hoped it was

only politeness on his part.

“So, what’s a pretty gal like you doing in a job like this?”

She laughed. “Same thing as you are, I guess.”

Gerri Hill

He grinned. “Can’t be the money. Love of country?”

She shrugged. “Once a cop, always a cop?”

He leaned back as a waiter placed a glass with water next to

him, then he put his arm behind her chair and moved closer.

“So you really live in a motor home?”

“Yes, we really do.”

“Pretty crowded for two people, isn’t it?”

“A little. But the loveseat makes into a bed, so we still have

our own space.”

He laughed quietly. “I’m going to guess you don’t even know

how that loveseat works, do you?”

She felt a blush but could not hide it. She doubted it would do

any good to deny it. “Is it that obvious?”

“Oh, it’s not talked about if that’s what you mean,” he said.

“But obvious, yes.” He leaned closer, his voice quiet. “Because

Cameron is giving me the stare down.”

“I don’t know why. She’s got Carina all up her ass,” Andrea

said without thinking.

Eric laughed loudly causing everyone else at the table to

stare at them. Again, she felt a blush and only dared to meet

Cameron’s eyes briefly.

“Sorry,” he said to the group.

“Something funny? Want to share?” Reynolds asked.

“No, no. Andrea just. .made a funny,” he said. “Sorry,” he

whispered to her.

Andrea sipped from her water, trying to contain a smile.

This was the first time she’d even spoken to Eric one-on-one

and already they were co-conspirators. She chanced a glance

across the table, only to find Cameron’s attention wrapped up

in Carina.

“Do you know her?”

He followed her gaze. “Yes, I know her. She’s a vixen,” he

said. “She knows you and Cameron are together, yet she’s going

to do everything she can to bed her.”

“Really? Why?”

He shrugged. “That’s what she does. Men or women, she

doesn’t care. It’s her game. But she’s damn good at her job. Top-

notch, when she’s on the clock. When she’s off the clock, she

Hell’s Highway

likes to party. And now she’s set her sights on your partner. Of

course, they do have a history, I’m assuming.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter and Andrea

joined everyone else in ordering a steak. Most ordered wine or

something stronger, but she decided to join Eric and ordered a

beer instead.

“Are you seeing anyone? Married?” she asked after their beer

was served.

“No. Marriage isn’t conducive to this line of work,” he said.

“You have a case, you may have a couple of days in between,

maybe a week. It’s hard to jet back home to a wife and kids.”

“Don’t you want that?”

“I don’t know. I always thought someday I’d have that, but this

is what I’m used to. Military. You move around all the time.”

“You never learn to put down roots?”

“No, you keep moving. What about you?”

She shook her head. “Not military, no.”

“Really? I thought that was a prerequisite.”

“LAPD. Then I was a deputy in Sedona. That’s where I met

Cameron.”

“On a case?”

“Yes. Patrick Doe.”

“Oh. The one where Collie—”

“Yeah,” she said quickly. The image of Collie sprawled out

on the rocks, his throat sliced open, was something she could

still vividly picture. Thankfully, he did not ask any questions.

“I was in Sedona once,” he said. “Years ago. Lovely place.”

“Vacation?”

“No. Furlough. I was in between tours.” He smiled and she

again thought how handsome he was. “I was on my way to visit

my parents and I met this girl. She was all into the spiritual

stuff and Sedona had all these places where, what do they call

them?”

“Vortex,” she supplied.

“Yeah, that’s it. There were different spots where the vortex

energy was supposed to be very high.” He grinned and finished

off his beer. “Don’t know about that, but she was plenty full of

energy.”

Gerri Hill

“Ditched your parents, huh?”

“Yep. Spent a week in Sedona with her.” He paused as the

waiter came around. “I’ll have another beer. Andrea?”

“Yes, I’ll have another,” she said, taking the opportunity to

glance at Cameron. Even though Cameron was pretending to

listen to Carina, Andrea knew she was keeping an eye on her

and Eric.

“If I was at a place in my life to settle down, I would have

chased her,” he continued. “She was unique. She brought out a

side of me that no one has before. Or since.”

“How long ago was this?”

“Oh, six or seven years ago, I guess. Never saw her again

after that.” He leaned closer. “Even though Carina is all over her,

Cameron is keeping a close watch on us.”

“Yes. Carina is practically in her lap,” she said quietly. “I

think I hate her.”

He smiled. “Are you jealous?”

Andrea glanced again at the pair. “I’m not sure. I should be,

shouldn’t I? She’s a beautiful woman who’s an ex-lover of hers. I

should be.”

“I think Cameron only has eyes for you. But it has to drive

you crazy. It would me,” he said.

“Don’t think I haven’t considered shooting her already.”

He laughed again, and again conversation ceased around

the table as all eyes were on them. They were spared having to

explain as dinner was thankfully served.

Surprisingly, discussion of the case was put on hold as everyone

seemed content to make small talk over dinner. The steak was

very good and Andrea enjoyed Eric’s company, managing to

ignore the chattering couple across from her. Actually, Carina

was chattering. Cameron was quietly eating her dinner, glancing

up occasionally.

As their eyes held across the table, Andrea wondered which

of them was more jealous. Cameron’s eyes seemed to be full of

questions.

chapter eLeVen

The drive back to the rig was made in silence and Cameron

didn’t know if it was her doing or Andrea’s. She, for one, was

afraid of what Andrea’s reaction was to the evening. Carina had

monopolized her time and attention throughout the meal, so

much so that she and Andrea hadn’t even exchanged words. Of

course, Andrea wasn’t lacking for conversation. Pretty boy Eric

had apparently kept her amused, judging by the laughter the two

of them shared. She was nearly embarrassed to admit that she

had been jealous of the good time they seemed to be having.

She sighed as she disabled the alarm, letting Andrea go first

up the steps. Lola was waiting for them and Andrea scooped her

up, cuddling her against her neck as she walked inside. Cameron

locked the door, then went to the fridge and got a bottle of water,

the silence finally getting to her.

Gerri Hill

“So, you and Eric seemed to get along well,” she said as she

followed Andrea down the hall.

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy. I really like him.” Andrea stopped at

the bathroom door. “And you and Carina looked like you were

getting along really well too. Catch up, did you?”

Cameron swallowed. “Some.”

“Good. She’s very beautiful. I’m sure you enjoyed having her

sitting practically in your lap.”

“Look, Carina is Carina. I promise you there’s nothing

there. Nothing at all.”

Andrea smiled. “I know. I’m just teasing you.”

Cameron was confused by how easily Andrea dismissed it.

Maybe Andrea didn’t care that Carina was throwing herself at

her. While Andrea brushed her teeth, Cameron leaned against

the door.

“So tell me about Eric,” she said, hating the pang of jealousy—

and insecurity—she felt.

Andrea looked up, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “What

about him?”

“Well, he’s an attractive guy, he obviously likes you.”

“Likes me? Seriously, Cameron?” Andrea wiped her mouth.

“He’s a guy. I’m a lesbian. You do know what that means, right?”

“Yes, but he’s a really attractive guy. What better way to

say ‘Hey, I’m good. I nailed a lesbian’.” As soon as she said the

words, she wanted to take them back. She was acting like a damn

teenager and she knew it.

“Nailed? Did you just say nailed?”

“You know what I mean.”

Andrea shook her head and smiled. “You’re way off base

here, sweetheart. He actually reminds me of Mark. He’s so easy

to talk to.”

“Oh, I. .oh,” she said, now embarrassed. Mark had been

her best friend, her buddy. How silly of her to think something

romantic might occur with Eric.

Andrea came over and touched her arm, rubbing her fingers

lightly across her skin. “Get ready for bed, okay?”

She nodded, her gaze lingering on Andrea as she left. She

didn’t know why she was feeling insecure all of a sudden. What

Hell’s Highway

she and Andrea had, it was good, it was true. Carina could dance

naked in front of her, and Cameron knew she wouldn’t even be

tempted. Andrea held her heart. She finally pushed off the door,

taking her turn in the bathroom. As she was drying her face, she

heard Andrea in the kitchen, talking softly to Lola as she readied

the coffeemaker for morning. Cameron met her own eyes in the

mirror and smiled. Little domestic things like that made her so

content, so happy. .made her realize that it had been missing for

so many years. Missing and she didn’t even know it.

She looked past her shoulder, seeing Andrea lounging in the

doorway, much as she’d done earlier. She turned around, wanting

nothing more than to take Andrea to bed. There was a bit of a

hungry look in Andrea’s eyes that thrilled her. But that must

wait.

“Listen,” she said, “I think we should split up.”

Andrea’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “What?”

Cameron frowned, seeing the look of disbelief and panic on

Andrea’s face. “What? No, no. God, Andi, no,” she said quickly.

“The case. That’s all.”

“Jesus, Cameron,” she said as she let out a deep breath. “You

scared the crap out of me.”

“I’m sorry. No, I mean when we’re out. I don’t trust them.

Reynolds and Jack were trained by Collie. You can tell by

their questions, their attitude, they don’t like the way we’re

running this,” she said. She raised her eyebrows. “You think I’m

overreacting?”

Andrea shook her head. “No. You’re probably right.”

Cameron ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it back

on the sides, trying to split up everyone in her mind. “Two teams,”

she said finally. “I can’t believe I’m even thinking this but, we

could let Rowan come in here and play with the computers. He

could coordinate us through phone and email.” She paused. “I’ll

take. .I’ll take Eric and Reynolds. You take Jack and Carina.”

Andrea raised both eyebrows in surprise, then shook her

head. “No way,” she said.

“Why?”

“I’m not taking Carina.”

Again, Cameron was confused. “I thought you’d like it better

0 Gerri Hill

if she was with you instead of me. I mean, you think she’s trying

to get in my pants, right?”

Andrea laughed. “She is trying to get in your pants. But I

don’t want her with me. There’s a chance I might shoot her. No,

I’ll take Eric and Jack.”

Now it was Cameron’s turn to pause. Eric was a guy—albeit

a very attractive guy—and that should give her no reason to

be jealous that they might spend time together. Really, did she

think Eric was a threat to her relationship with Andrea? Really?

A straight guy?

“What’s going through that pretty head of yours now?”

Andrea asked as she closed the distance between them.

“Nothing,” Cameron lied.

“You know I don’t believe you.” Her hands rested at Cameron’s

waist. “But that’s enough talk. I think we’re off duty now.”

Cameron nodded, recognizing the look in Andrea’s eyes,

knowing that soon she would be naked and giving herself to

Andrea. It was a hungry, possessive look, one that she loved.

“With all that flirting Carina did with you,” she said, her

hands pulling Cameron’s shirt out of her jeans, “I think I need

to remind you that. .you belong to me.”

Andrea pulled her shirt off in one motion then made quick

work of her bra, the cool hum of the AC chilling her skin. Cameron

felt her pulse pounding in her ears as Andrea lowered her head,

her lips capturing a nipple. Cameron’s head fell back as Andrea’s

tongue and teeth tugged at it and she couldn’t contain a moan.

“You’re mine,” Andrea murmured, her mouth moving

against the scar on her chest, finding her lips just as her hand

slid between their bodies, cupping her, pressing the seam of her

jeans against her center.

“Yes,” Cameron hissed, her breathing labored now as she

pushed against Andrea’s hand. But Andrea’s hand stilled, moving

again to cup her breasts.

“Come to bed,” Andrea said against her lips. “I have a long

night planned.”

Cameron’s shirt and bra lay where they’d fallen as she

followed her blindly into the bedroom, their hands clasped

tightly together.

chapter tWeLVe

“Don’t screw up anything.”

“Can I call Jason if I do?”

Handing the number, along with Jason’s email address

to Rowan was something Cameron might live to regret as he

clutched it tightly in his hand like a prized diamond.

“And don’t let Lola out.”

“Who names a cat Lola?” Reynolds asked as he stared at the

ball of fur curled up on her usual spot on the loveseat.

Cameron ignored him, more concerned with Rowan as his

fingers flew across the keyboard.

“You have access to everything with this,” he said in awe.

“Are you sure I can get clearance?”

“Murdock said he’d clear it. I told him to call you directly.”

She looked around, seeing Carina inspecting the rig. She’d made

Gerri Hill

her way into the bedroom and Cameron was thankful she and

Andrea had tidied up that morning. Their clothes had been

strewn about, the bed a rumpled mess as Andrea had indeed

made Cameron hers last night. Cameron felt the now familiar

flutter in her stomach as she remembered Andrea taking her,

leaving her mark upon her breast as she did.

“Nice,” Carina said as she caught Cameron watching her.

Cameron turned back to Rowan. “Look for Monica Riddle.

She must have used a street name. Find out what it was and where

she worked.”

He nodded. “I’ll access her police records. They would have

known aliases.”

“If we find out where she worked then our next step is to

start pulling credit card receipts and see how many matches we

get for both the stop in Needles and the one where she worked.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Can you hack?”

He grinned. “Well, yeah.”

“No way, Ross,” Reynolds said. “We do this by the book.”

“When you have your own case to work, you can do it by the

book. We don’t have the time it would take to get a subpoena to

access credit card accounts.”

“And there’s a reason for that. Privacy,” he said. “And Rowan

works for me, not you.”

She was about to point out the obvious, that Rowan was right

now sitting—drooling—at her computers, taking instruction

from her, but she could still hear Andrea’s whispered words from

earlier that morning. Be nice. So, she simply gave him a smirk of

a smile and turned and winked at Rowan instead. “Let’s hit the

road then.”

Carina took the backseat, letting Reynolds ride shotgun.

The plan was to hit the big truck stop in Barstow again and

show Monica’s picture around and hopefully get some of the

girls to talk. Now that the sheriff’s department had officially

released the case to them, they were free to work it without

stepping on anyone’s toes. The picture was a mug shot from

five years ago when Monica was eighteen, but it was all they

had. Andrea and her group were heading to Needles to do the

same.

Hell’s Highway

“How long have you and Agent Sullivan been partners?”

Carina asked from the back.

Cameron refrained from glancing in the mirror to look at

her. Carina was baiting her, nothing more. “A few months,” she

said evasively.

“Not counting the time in Sedona?” Reynolds asked.

“Oh, yes, Patrick Doe,” Carina said. “Reynolds has told us all

about it.” She leaned forward and put an arm along the backrest.

“Did you really jump off a cliff?”

Cameron flicked her eyes at Reynolds who gave her a coy

smile. “It was more like a high ledge than a cliff,” she said.

“Still taking risks, I see.”

Carina had monopolized the conversation at dinner the

other night, filling Cameron in on her exploits since the last

time they’d seen each other. Cameron, on the other hand, had

shared very little. That wasn’t going to change, so she ignored

Carina’s comment.

“So if we find traces of Monica, what then is our plan?”

Reynolds asked.

“Credit card receipts.”

“I told you—”

“And I told you this was my case,” she said. “If you want to

play by all the rules, then get off of Murdock’s team. You should

know by now we have more leeway than most.”

“Collie—”

“Jesus Christ, Reynolds, not Collie again.”

“I’m just saying, we’re not above the law. And arbitrarily

gathering credit card receipts is a breach of privacy.”

“And I don’t care. I’m trying to stop a serial killer who is

raping his victims then cutting off their goddamn heads. I don’t

care about privacy,” she said.

“That evidence won’t stand up in court.”

She laughed. “You really think this will make it to court?

He’s a dead man the minute I see him.”

Reynolds stared at her, slowly shaking his head. “Now I

know why Collie wanted to distance himself from you. You’re

dangerous, Ross. Out of control.”

She laughed again. “No, Collie wanted to distance himself

Gerri Hill

from me because he disliked me. It had nothing to do with the

job and everything to do with a raven-haired beauty in Greece

who chose me over him.”

Carina laughed from the back. “Do tell, Cameron. This

sounds like fun. Maybe she was someone I know.”

She glanced in the mirror and smiled. Yeah, there were some

fun times during her military days. She was young and reckless,

everything was a thrill. She hadn’t really lied to Andrea, but she

never told her the extent of her adventures.. or how many lovers

she’d had. Nameless, faceless lovers, most. Carina being one of

them.

“And for the record, I’m not out of control.”

“What exactly is it we’re hoping to accomplish?” Jack

asked as they sped through the desert, just on the outskirts of

Joshua Tree. Instead of taking I-10 all the way to Blythe and up

Highway 95 to Needles, the GPS was taking them through the

desert where they would intersect with Highway 95 just south of

Needles. It was still over a two-hour drive.

Andrea turned in her seat and glanced at Eric with a frown.

It was the third time Jack had asked the question. Eric leaned

forward and tapped Jack on the shoulder.

“You didn’t like her answers the first couple times you asked

that question?” Eric laughed. “Or are you getting forgetful in

your old age.”

“So we show her picture around. Then what? So what if

someone recognizes her? I deal in facts and concrete evidence.

Neither of which seem very abundant.”

“If someone knows her, or can remember a date, we pull

security video. Or someone may remember the guy she was

with.” Andrea tried not to lose her patience with Jack, reminding

herself that they all had military training, not police. Sometimes

snooping for clues and asking questions was all you had. Like

now. “Or maybe someone remembers what his truck looked like,”

Eric added.

Hell’s Highway

“At least it gives us a timeframe,” Andrea continued. “We

don’t know if he holds them somewhere for days before killing

them or if he kills them the same night. All we know about Linda

Blake is that she hadn’t been seen around there for a few weeks.

That’s way too vague to do us any good.”

“The whole thing is vague,” Jack said. “All this driving

around to the middle of nowhere. Hell, if something goes down

in Barstow, we’re hours from there.”

“Logistics is a problem, yes,” Andrea said. “But it is what it

is.” Thankfully, Jack had no more questions or comments and

the drive continued in silence. That is, until Eric reached to the

front and tapped her shoulder. She turned around, seeing the

playful look on his face.

“So, whose idea was it to split up?”

Andrea glanced at Jack before answering. “Cameron’s.”

“And who picked sides?”

She smiled. “I did.”

“I see. Still afraid you might shoot?”

“Shoot who?” Jack asked. “Carina?”

Andrea and Eric exchanged glances and Eric shrugged.

“She’s a bit obnoxious, don’t you think.”

Jack snorted. “A bit? Hell, everything is always about her.

She’s been there, done that and did it a lot better. I told Reynolds

she wasn’t going to be a good fit but he wanted a female and she

was available.”

“Equal opportunity employer,” Andrea murmured, causing

Eric to laugh.

“She’s got credentials, I’ll say that for her,” Jack said. “CIA

operative. Seems like she’s taking a step down.”

“Maybe her cover was blown,” Eric offered.

“Maybe she wanted something new,” Andrea said, thinking

of Cameron and how she’d grown weary of that life.

“Well, I’m just glad I don’t have to ride with her,” Jack

continued. “I’d rather listen to Rowan talk computers than listen

to her.”

Andrea glanced back at Eric, matching his smile. She had

no idea the normally quiet, stoic older man would be so vocal in

Gerri Hill

his dislike of Carina. She sighed as she looked out the window

again, watching the endless desert flash by, her eyes drawn to

some distant mountains on the horizon. Splitting up their teams

was a good idea but she found she missed Cameron’s presence.

She allowed her mind to wander back to last night, picturing

Cameron’s face as she climaxed, hearing the whispered Andi as

Andrea had continued to suckle her breast long after the tremors

had left her body.

“What did you break?” Cameron asked when she saw Rowan’s

name come up on the console.

“Do you have any idea how fast your server is? I ran one of

your algorithms—”

“You’re playing with my algorithms?”

“I was just testing them. Jason is a genius. I mean—”

“Please tell me you didn’t call just to talk about

computers.”

“Oh, no. Sorry. I got a name for Monica Riddle.”

“Great,” she said, quickly losing patience with him. “You

want to give it to us or what?”

“Sorry, Cameron.” He paused. “Can I call you Cameron or

do you prefer Special Agent Ross?”

“Jesus Christ, Rowan, what’s the goddamn name?”

“She. .she either went by Angel or sometimes Rose.”

“Okay. Good job, Rowan,” she said.

“There’s more. There’s a sister. She lives in Redlands. I’ve

emailed you the address and her phone number, in case you

wanted to contact her. She’s a bank teller. Gets off work at four

thirty. Picks her kid up at daycare, then home by five thirty.”

She laughed. “Excellent work. You can call me Cameron.”

“Thank you. I hope you don’t mind about the algorithm. I

just wanted to see some of Jason’s work.”

“Play all you want,” she said as she touched the screen to

disconnect. “Where did you find him?” she asked Reynolds.

“Murdock recommended him.”

“He’s good.”

Hell’s Highway

Carina sighed. “He’s a nerd. He’s only twenty-five. Hasn’t

even lived yet.”

“He got his PhD at twenty-one,” Reynolds said.

“Like I said, a nerd.”

Cameron wondered what she ever saw in Carina. Well, other

than a sexy body. Back then, she hadn’t realized how negative

Carina was. Or maybe she just didn’t care. Sex was an outlet for

their stress and as she recalled, they used that outlet frequently.

“If someone can remember Angel or Rose, remember the

last time they saw her, then I want Rowan to pull their security

tapes and try to get footage. If we can’t find anyone, then we’ll

need to hang around until the girls come out to work.”

“What about the sister?” Reynolds asked.

“I’d like to talk to her too.”

“How about you leave me at the truck stop? I can interview

the girls. You and Carina can head to Redlands,” Reynolds

suggested. “Ask Agent Sullivan and her team to swing by and

pick me up.”

“They’re at least two hours east of here.”

“I can hang out. Observe.”

She nodded. “Okay. Let me call Andrea.”

chapter thIrteen

“Alone at last,” Carina said with an exaggerated sigh as

Cameron pulled away from the noisy truck stop in Barstow.

“Alone?”

“Yes. You have to admit Reynolds was getting on your nerves

too.” She smiled and pursed her lips. “And we can finally catch up.”

“What is there to catch up on?”

“Oh, come now, Cameron. You must have fond memories of

our time together? I know I do,” Carina said as her hand reached

out to lightly stroke Cameron’s arm.

“Fond memories? I don’t know if I would call it that, Carina,”

she said. “We were nothing more than fuck buddies.”

Carina laughed. “Yes. That’s what made it so delightful.” She

let her hand drop to Cameron’s thigh. “Would it be forward of

me to say I’d like to pick up where we left off?”

Hell’s Highway

Cameron bristled at her touch, amazed that Carina would

be so bold. She stopped her hand before it slipped between her

legs.“Not interested,” she said.

Carina’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“My, you have changed. Your exploits are legendary.”

Cameron shook her head. “Not really. I believe you hold that

honor.”

Carina again let her hand fall to Cameron’s thigh. “If I

didn’t know better, I’d say you’re involved with someone. But the

Cameron I remember wasn’t into that sort of thing.”

“People change. I’m not the same person I was back then.”

She glanced at her. “The missions we were on, we never knew if

each day was going to be our last.”

“Maybe that’s why the sex was so good.”

Cameron removed her hand again. “I’m still not

interested.”

“Surely you and Agent Sullivan aren’t involved,” Carina

said. Cameron said nothing.

“Oh, Cameron darling, she is so not your type.”

“You think not?”

“No. You always went for the more worldly, glamorous

types.”

“Oh? Like you?”

Carina smiled and for a third time placed her hand on

Cameron’s leg. “Yes, exactly like me. Your Andrea is far from

that. Not that she’s not attractive. She is. She just seems so

young, so naive.”

“Naive? She hasn’t lived the life we have, no, but she’s not

been spared from life’s cruelties.”

“So how long have you been lovers?”

“I never said we were.” She glanced at her again. “And take

your hand off of me.”

Carina did but her smile was coy. “Are you in love with her,

this partner of yours?”

How wonderful would it have been to be able to say, yes, she

0 Gerri Hill

was in love. Madly, crazy in love. But she couldn’t. “You know

that’s against the rules.”

“Yes, love is definitely against the rules. Sex, not so much.”

Carina shifted away from her finally. “I should warn you though,

I believe Eric has his sights set on her. When I talked to him

earlier, he was planning a nice, romantic dinner out.”

Cameron felt that seed of doubt creep in again, that tiny

nibble of jealousy. She hadn’t had a minute alone today to talk

to Andrea and here she was, speeding down the highway toward

Redlands, hoping to catch the sister at home. Andrea would be

dining out, no doubt at a nice, fine restaurant with Eric. Not

grabbing a pizza and taking it back to the rig, not staying in and

making dinner herself, but going out, something they rarely did.

She wondered if Andrea missed that. Maybe they should make it

a point to go out more often. But really, any time she mentioned

it, Andrea was content to stay in. As was Cameron. It was the

quiet, alone time that they both seemed to savor. Now Carina

was placing doubt in her mind. No, trying to place doubt. All

Cameron had to do was think back to last night, the way Andrea

had made love to her, her murmured words and soft kisses telling

her how true their love was. No, she wouldn’t fall into Carina’s

trap. Not this time.

“I hope he takes her someplace really expensive then,” she

said. “I usually only splurge on pizza.”

That seemed to put Carina off enough that she quietly stared

out the window, leaving them to continue the drive in silence.

They hit heavy traffic in San Bernardino and she glanced at the

monitor, noting that she would be turning left onto I-10 in a few

miles. She contemplated calling Andrea, just to let her know where

she was but that would be just an excuse. Reynolds would fill her

in. Besides, she didn’t want her to think she was checking up on

her. She needn’t have worried, however, as a soft beeping indicated

a call. Instead of tapping the monitor to answer, she grabbed her

phone instead. She knew they would not be able to say anything

personal, but she didn’t want Carina to listen to every word.

“Hey,” she answered. “What’s up?”

“Hi. Just wanted to check in,” Andrea said. “We have

Reynolds and we’re now heading back to Needles.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Why back?” she asked.

“We were able to talk to three of the girls who work the

lot. They weren’t giving us much, but Eric used his charm and

finally got them to talk,” she said with a laugh and Cameron

heard Eric’s voice in the background teasing Andrea. She bit

down the jealousy she felt at their easy camaraderie. “There’s

a girl missing. Street name is Susie Bell. That’s all I got. They

haven’t seen her in over three weeks. Young girl about twenty,

they say. Could be Jane Doe 23,” Andrea said.

“Okay. What’s the plan?”

“She was staying at a cheap motel in Needles. We want to

check it out, talk to the manager.”

“Did Reynolds get anything in Barstow?”

“Not really. They knew her as Angel, but no one could

pinpoint when the last time they saw her.”

“Let’s get Rowan to go over the security tapes. Maybe we

can—”

“Already on it,” Andrea said. “It’ll be late when we get back.

It’s about two and a half hours from Needles to Indio.”

“Yeah. We’re almost in Redlands. It’s only an hour to Indio.

I’ll take care of things at the rig.” Meaning Lola, mainly. It was

going to feel empty without Andrea around, she knew.

“Okay. Well,” she paused. “Me too, Cameron.”

Cameron frowned. Me too? Then she remembered their

conversation from last week when Andrea accused Cameron

of being afraid to say I love you. She laughed now, sporting a

grin.“Yeah, me too,” she said, hearing the soft chuckle from

Andrea as she disconnected.

“Anything new?” Carina asked.

“They have a possible lead on the Jane Doe. They’re on their

way back to Needles with Reynolds.”

“Oh. Well it looks like it’ll just be the two of us for dinner

then. How convenient.”

“I think I’ll let you and Rowan share dinner. I need to spend

some time with my cat.”

“Oh Cameron, a cat? I thought surely that furry thing was

your partner’s. I can’t see you with a pet.”

Gerri Hill

“Like I said, people change.” She merged into traffic on I-10,

heading to Redlands.

She followed the GPS directions and only a few blocks past

the freeway they were in a residential area. The homes were

modest but well kept. She turned into the driveway of the sister’s

home.

“They all look alike,” Carina said, glancing down the street.

“Yeah. I would hate living here.” She got out, wondering if

perhaps they should have called first. She didn’t know if they

would walk in on a grieving sister or not. She heard footsteps on

the other side of the door but it was not opened.

“Who is it?”

“FBI,” she said, holding up her FBI credentials to the

peephole. “May we come in?”

The door opened revealing a slightly overweight woman,

older than Cameron was expecting. She held on tightly to the

door.“Yes?” she asked nervously.

“Melinda Appleton?”

“Yes.”

Cameron sighed, wishing Andrea were here. She was better

at this part of the job. “I’m Special Agent Cameron Ross. This is

Carina Moretti. I’m sorry, but we’re here about your sister.”

“Why would the FBI be interested in Monica?”

“May we come in?”

“Of course.” She opened the door wider. “Please excuse the

mess. I wasn’t expecting company.”

“No worries,” she said, following Melinda inside. They

walked through the living room which was cluttered with

children’s toys. The TV was on and a small girl was lying on the

floor watching cartoons, oblivious to their presence. The kitchen

counter was covered with bags, indicating Melinda had just come

from the grocery store. She immediately began unpacking them

as she motioned for them to sit at the table.

“I just got home a little while ago. My husband won’t be

home for another hour,” she explained.

“We won’t take up much of your time,” Cameron said as she

sat down. “When was the last time you saw Monica?”

Hell’s Highway

“A couple of years, I guess.”

“You weren’t close?” Carina asked.

The woman shook her head. “Monica was.. messed up. I

can’t blame her really. Our mother was a drug addict. Monica

was around it all the time. I tried to get her out of the house

when she was in high school but our mother wouldn’t allow it.”

She opened the fridge and put in a carton of eggs. “I don’t think

Monica really wanted out. She was hanging around with the

wrong crowd, you know what I mean? She was in and out of

trouble.”

“Did you know that she was arrested?”

“For prostitution? Yes.” She smiled. “That’s actually how

I met my husband. He’s a probation officer. We both tried to

reach her, but she wasn’t interested.”

“Where’s your mother now?”

“I have no idea. I haven’t seen her in four or five years.”

Cameron paused. “Do you know the circumstances of

Monica’s death?”

The woman looked away quickly. “Yes. It’s horrible.” She

shook her head. “But it’s hard to think of her as my sister. I’m

eight years older. I moved out of the house as soon as I could.

I worked and put myself through college, but I couldn’t get her

out. I finally stopped trying.”

“But you kept in touch?” Carina asked.

“No, not really. She came around when she needed money.

The last time, Joey—that’s my husband—he told her not to come

around anymore. We have the baby now.” She smiled. “Well, not

a baby. She’s nearly three. But we didn’t want Monica around.

Not like she was. Like I said, she was messed up.”

“Any other family?”

She shook her head. “We never knew our father. I have an

aunt who lives in Pomona, but we don’t really keep in touch.

She’s the complete opposite of our mother so you can imagine

they weren’t close when we were growing up.”

“Do you know where Monica worked?”

“Worked? She didn’t work.”

“I mean—”

“Oh. Prostitution.” She took a deep breath and closed her

Gerri Hill

eyes, as if to chase away the thought of her sister being a hooker.

“I know she was up in Barstow a lot. She seemed to prefer to

hang out at truck stops.” She shook her head. “I really didn’t ask

a lot of questions. I didn’t want to know.”

Cameron wasn’t sure what she was hoping to find, but they

learned nothing new really. She stood up, handing Melinda

Appleton her card.

“Thank you for your time. If you think of anything else,”

she shrugged, “please call.”

“Why is the FBI on this case?”

“Monica wasn’t the only girl killed,” she said.

“I heard about the lady they found out near Indio. Is it the

same killer?”

“We believe so.”

“Was she a prostitute also?”

Cameron smiled politely. “I can’t really discuss the details of

the case with you. Again, thank you for your time. We can see

our way out.”

“That was a complete waste of time,” Carina said when they’d

settled back in the truck.

“Yeah. I think I was expecting to find a grieving sister,”

Cameron said as she drove them back to the freeway. “At least

Barstow is confirmed. Reynolds told Andrea that Monica went by

Angel. No one could pinpoint when they last saw her so Rowan

is going to go over security.”

“We have estimated times of death on all three victims?”

“Yes. So without knowing when they went missing, we have

no idea how long he holds them, if at all.”

“A trucker or a local?”

“Could be both,” she said, something she and Andrea had

discussed. “Number one, a trucker.”

Once they got out of the heavy city traffic, the trip back down

to Indio was made quickly and silently. Driving through the pass

into Coachella Valley, they passed a huge wind farm, the blades

of the turbines spinning round and round in the constant breeze.

The barren mountains were a backdrop for the giant windmills,

the white a perfect contrast of the brown drab surroundings. As

they approached Palm Springs, Cameron declined Carina’s offer

Hell’s Highway

of dinner. Instead, she drove straight on to Indio and the rig,

happy to see that Rowan was already running programs to pull

credit card receipts.

“A lot are going to be useless though. Company credit

cards.”

“Surely they have a truck associated with them.”

“Yeah but that’s just one more thing to sort through.” He

pointed at one of her computers. “Let this one run. Don’t touch

it,” he said.

She cocked an eyebrow. “You do realize that this is my office,

right?”

“Sorry. Yes. But please don’t touch it. Hopefully by morning

I’ll be able to put some data together for you.” He looked at her

expectantly. “That is, if I can come back here and play with your

stuff again.”

She laughed. “Sure, Rowan. It’s all yours. Now let’s go. I’m

tired and hungry.”

After dropping them both off at the hotel, she picked up a

pizza for dinner then settled back at the rig. After a long shower,

she sat in her recliner in shorts and bare feet, fighting off a

purring kitten who was trying to steal the pepperoni from her

pizza.

She sighed, wishing Andrea were there with her. She glanced

at her phone but refrained from calling. If Andrea needed

anything, she would call.

chapter FoUrteen

“My God, this is a dump,” Eric murmured as they followed

the manager to room number eleven.

Andrea had to agree with him. Most of the outside lights were

dark, bulbs broken or missing. Beer bottles and cans littered the

area, and she saw what looked like a diaper against the chain-link

fence.

“She paid for a month,” the manager said. “Haven’t seen her

in weeks though.”

“She pay cash?” Andrea asked.

He laughed. “You think I’m going to take a check from

someone?”

“I don’t suppose you see an ID when you book a room?”

Reynolds asked.

Hell’s Highway

“No,” he said. He unlocked the door and pushed it open.

“She signed it Susie Bell. That was fine by me.”

“Step aside, please,” Andrea said as she reached in and turned

on the light. The bed was unmade and there was a towel tossed

on top. Black pants were draped over a chair and two pairs of

heels were lying on the floor. “Check the bathroom,” she said.

“We got a brush,” Jack said, pointing to the table.

“Toothbrush in here,” Eric said from the bathroom.

“Great. Bag it.” She turned to the manager. “I’m going to

seal off this room. No one enters. Understand?”

“I could lose money. Someone may need—”

“She paid for the month. We still have a few days left.” Then

she smiled. “Besides, it looks like you have quite a few empty

rooms should you have a sudden demand. This room stays.”

He nodded. “Okay. No one enters.”

“Jack, call Needles PD. Let them know what we have. I’ll

call the sheriff’s department. We’ll need their lab to run this for

DNA.”

“Even if DNA matches, that doesn’t really help us,” Jack said.

“Susie Bell?”

“At least she’s not Jane Doe 23,” Eric said.

“Let’s wrap this up,” Reynolds said as he adjusted his tie.

“This place is filthy.”

Reynolds was still dressed impeccably in his suit and tie, even

after spending most of the day at a truck stop in Barstow. At least

Eric and Jack had ditched their ties. She was probably the only

one comfortable after such a long day.

“I’m starving,” Eric said. “Burgers on the way back?”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, wanting nothing more than to

get back to Cameron. It was really the first day they’d spent any

significant time apart and she found she missed her terribly.

After making calls to the Needles PD and San Bernardino

Sheriff’s Department, they were finally on their way back to

Indio. She was beyond exhausted, having been on the road the

majority of the day. The others must have felt the same way as

they all ate their greasy burgers and fries in silence.

It was nearly midnight when they dropped her off at the

rig. She quickly said her goodbyes and hurried to the door. She

Gerri Hill

paused, wondering if Cameron would have armed the security or

not. As a precaution, she went to the keypad and punched out the

code, thankful she did as the familiar “all clear” sounded.

She entered quietly, thinking Cameron was in bed. She found

her large frame curled on the loveseat, Lola tucked in against her

stomach, both of them sound asleep. She couldn’t help but smile,

her heart filling with love at the sight. This was home. Her lover

asleep, no doubt after waiting up for her, she succumbed, curling

up as best she could. She spotted the pizza box and shook her

head. Was she surprised?

Andrea knelt down beside her, gently stroking her arm.

“Hey,” she whispered.

Cameron jumped, her eyes opening immediately. They

softened when they saw her and she sat up, flexing her

shoulders.

“God, Andi, what time is it?”

“Late. After midnight.”

Cameron reached for her, pulling her closer. “I missed you.

Today, all day, I missed you.”

Andrea nodded. “Me too.” She leaned forward, kissing her

softly. “I have thought about doing that for the last two hours,”

she whispered, letting her lips linger.

Cameron tangled her fingers in her hair, holding her close.

“Did Eric take you out for a romantic dinner?” she asked before

kissing her.

“When would we have been able to slip away from Reynolds

and Jack?” Andrea leaned back, watching her. “We grabbed

burgers on the way back. Way too late to eat but we were

starving.” She tilted her head, her eyes questioning. “Why would

you think that?”

“Something Carina said. It doesn’t matter.”

Andrea stood, pulling Cameron to her feet too. She slipped

deeper into her arms, letting them wrap around her as she buried

her face in Cameron’s neck.

“You do know what she’s doing, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She pulled out of her arms and took her hand. “Bed.

I’m exhausted.”

Hell’s Highway

They went about their nighttime routines, Andrea feeling

like she could fall asleep on her feet, but she forced herself

through a quick shower. She’d been working eighteen hours

straight, something she’d done many times before. There was

just something about being in a car all day that zapped the

energy from her.

She turned off the bathroom lights, then made her way down

the short hallway to the bedroom, the soft light of the lamp

illuminating the room. She found Cameron sitting up against

the pillows, her breasts shadowed but bare. Lola was already in a

tiny ball down by her feet, her preferred sleeping spot.

Andrea stood at the side of the bed, watching Cameron

watching her. As tired as she was, she couldn’t resist the look

in Cameron’s eyes. She slowly took off her shirt, revealing her

breasts to Cameron. She could see Cameron’s chest rising as

her breathing increased. She slowly lowered her panties, seeing

Cameron’s tongue wet her lips. God, after last night, she thought

she’d be sated, but the sight of Cameron watching her, knowing

she was aroused, made Andrea forget all about the fatigue she’d

been battling. She lifted the covers, finding Cameron as naked

as she was. She slid closer, bending her head to Cameron’s breast,

her tongue bathing the nipple, feeling it harden against her lips.

“I love you,” she murmured before taking it inside.

Cameron moaned, her hands finally reaching out to touch

her, moving across her skin, lower to cup her hips and bring

Andrea between her legs.

“I love you, Andi,” she whispered, finding her mouth. “I

missed you so much today.”

Andrea wondered if it was her insecurity showing, or just

the fact that Carina had filled her head with Eric, but Cameron

nearly clung to her, her mouth possessive as she kissed her.

She decided it didn’t matter which. She rolled over, letting

Cameron’s weight settle over her. She sensed Cameron’s need to

be in control tonight, much as she’d been last night. She parted

her thighs, opening for Cameron, feeling her wetness coat her

skin. Her hands moved slowly across Cameron’s strong back,

down her sides then back up again, sighing softly as Cameron’s

tongue teased her nipple.

0 Gerri Hill

“I don’t like being apart,” she murmured, arching into

Cameron as she suckled her breast. “God, I love when you do

that,” she breathed.

Cameron moaned again, moving to her other breast.

Andrea held her head tightly against her, her hips beginning

to move against Cameron, her arousal reaching a fevered pitch.

She wanted to beg Cameron to take her already but she knew

Cameron wouldn’t be rushed tonight. Her mouth moved ever so

slowly downward, making Andrea squirm with desire. She raised

her hips, pressing hard against Cameron, moaning when they

made contact, but Cameron pulled away, her mouth continuing

its downward path.

“Cameron, do something,” she breathed. She felt Cameron

smile against her skin.

“I thought I was.” She lifted her head, her gaze smoldering.

“Much like you were last night.”

Andrea tried to smile as she remembered how she’d teased

Cameron mercilessly, but her aroused state made it difficult to

do anything other than urge Cameron to continue. She closed

her eyes, pushing Cameron down, pleading for her to hurry.

“I promise I’ll never do it again,” she managed between

breaths.

“Promise?”

“God, Cameron.. yes, I promise.”

Cameron laughed quietly, allowing Andrea to guide her.

When Cameron spread her thighs, Andrea groaned, her fists

clutching the sheets, her chest heaving. She lifted her hips,

offering herself to Cameron. Cameron didn’t prolong it any

longer as her tongue snaked through her wetness, swirling around

her clit, making Andrea moan louder. She tried to keep her eyes

open, wanting to see Cameron as she made love to her, but her

head spilled back as her hips rose, Cameron’s mouth claiming

all of her, sucking and nibbling until Andrea exploded, her body

jerking violently as she climaxed against Cameron’s face.

She was spent, too exhausted to even move and she felt

Cameron gather her close, heard her whispered words, but her

eyes remained closed as sleep claimed her immediately.

chapter FIFteen

The motor home was crowded as everyone tried to find a

place to sit. Lola was hiding in the bedroom under a pillow, and

Cameron closed the door on the frightened cat. Reynolds was

in the middle of a tirade. He’d just found out Rowan had been

running the program to retrieve credit card receipts. Cameron

thought she’d let him have his say before she interjected.

“I am the leader of this team. Me,” he said, tapping at his

chest. “You work for me. You do not work for Special Agent

Ross.” Cameron could see the vein bulging in his neck as he

continued yelling at Rowan. “I thought I made myself clear. I

told you—”

“Give it a rest, Reynolds,” Cameron said as she’d had enough

of his ranting. Rowan looked like he was about to cry. “We

needed the receipts. Why do you think Jason wrote all of these

Gerri Hill

programs for me? So that we can wait and get a nice and tidy

subpoena?” She shook her head. “No. So that we can get what

we need when we need it. So lay off Rowan. He was just doing as

he was told. Murdock gave the okay on this.”

“Murdock? Then why the hell didn’t he run it by me.”

“Because he doesn’t have to. Now sit down already. Jesus, it’s

not even nine o’clock and you’ve already stressed me out.” As if

on cue, Andrea handed her a cup of coffee, their eyes meeting

briefly.

“When will they have DNA back on the stuff from the motel

room?” Jack asked.

“They said they’d put a rush on it,” Andrea said. “I hope today.”

“Okay, let’s go over everything we have so far.” Cameron

nodded at Rowan, who had been busy putting together a timeline

and best guesstimates. “Rowan’s been having a little affair with

my computers in there so let’s see what he’s got for us.”

Rowan blushed profusely as he stood in the kitchen, a laptop

held in his hands. His eyes darted around the room nervously

and Cameron wondered if this was the first time he’d had to

address anyone like this. She didn’t know much about him but

she guessed being on Reynolds’s team was his first assignment.

He cleared his throat before speaking.

“Remember a lot of this is speculation based on.. well, we

don’t really know when they were abducted. Now—”

“Speculation seems to be the only thing we have here,”

Reynolds said with a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Speculation is my middle name,” Cameron said with a smile.

“Go on, Rowan. Speculate away.”

“Let’s start with the first victim, Jane Doe 23. If she turns

out to be Susie Bell, the missing girl from Needles, she was last

seen approximately three and a half weeks ago, give or take a

day on either end of the equation. The profile on Susie Bell that

Andrea supplied me with is a blond female, age twenty-one. She

had a history of drug use, according to her associates, so that fits

the coroner’s report for Jane Doe 23.” He looked up nervously,

avoiding Reynolds but smiling slightly at Andrea. “I should say

approximate age twenty-one, which also fits in the range the

coroner reported.”

Hell’s Highway

“Age is probably not a factor in how he chooses his victims

though,” Eric said. “The second victim, Linda Blake, was thirty-

one.”“Neither is hair color a factor,” Jack added. “Both Monica

and Linda were brunette. If Susie Bell is Jane Doe 23, she was

blonde.”

“If we go by the last time they were seen—which as I said is

an estimate—versus when their bodies were found, he is holding

them for shorter periods each time. Again, that’s if Jane Doe 23

is Susie Bell.” He clicked quickly on his laptop. “By the way, I’m

running a face recognition program against the security tapes

from Barstow, trying to get a last visual on Monica Riddle.”

“Let’s take this in order,” Cameron said, seeing Reynolds

start to fidget as Rowan was bouncing all over the place.

“Sorry. Okay, victim one was found twenty-one days ago.

Susie Bell’s been missing twenty-six days, give or take. Victim

two, Linda Blake, was found eight days ago now. We have no

known last seen date other than she may have been missing a

couple of weeks. I’ll run that security file next for face recognition

to see if I can get a better date.”

“So once a week or so he grabs a girl,” Eric commented.

“Approximately. Monica Riddle, our most recent victim,

found two days ago, again was thought to have been missing a

week. If that holds true, he grabs them, holds them for nearly a

week, then dumps the body. But there was a longer gap between

the first and second victims. Two weeks. Only one week before

the third killing. In all three cases, time of death was twenty-

four to thirty-six hours from when the victim was found.”

“Not surprising as they were most likely dumped at night,

found the next day,” Carina said.

“But tox report showed Jane Doe 23 had cocaine in her

system. She had to have been using while being held, if our

timeline is correct,” Rowan said.

“If it’s correct? This is crazy, Ross,” Reynolds said with a

shake of his head. “We have nothing. This is just grasping at

straws.”

“What would you rather do, Reynolds? Sit around on our

asses, hoping some evidence will fall in our laps?”

Gerri Hill

“Actually,” Andrea said. “It’s not all that crazy. If Jane Doe

23 was a user, then most likely she had a supply with her. In her

purse, for instance. So when he nabs her, he finds it. Maybe they

do a line together. Maybe she’s an addict, maybe she’s freaking

out so he gives it to her.”

“Again, more speculation,” Reynolds said.

“Right,” Cameron agreed. “Plausible? Possible? Probable?”

She smiled. “Yes. Now, Rowan, tell me what my lovely computer

spit out on your receipts.”

“Oh, yeah, that was cool,” he said as his fingers again tapped

quickly on his laptop. “I pulled data on credit and debit card

transactions,” he said, glancing quickly at the disapproving

Reynolds. “Then I dumped all of that into one of Jason’s programs

to sort out company cards by individual drivers. I was expecting

a huge return since our dates and times are a little imprecise, but

there are only twelve hits.”

“Explain, please,” Carina requested.

“Well, I first used an estimated date of abduction. Well, the

computer did,” he said. “Do you want me to tell you the program

I used? Because—”

“Just the facts,” Cameron said.

“Okay. So what I did was put in all of our data, with a range

for disappearances and the coroner’s times of death. Using

only the two truck stops in Barstow and Needles, twelve hits

came back where the same credit card was used during all three

timeframes.”

“Have you run their names?” Reynolds asked.

“I’ve got eight company credit cards and four individuals.

I’ve separated the eight out into distinctive trucks.” He glanced

at Cameron. “I’ve not yet been given the okay to hack into their

servers to get truckers’ names.”

Cameron nodded. “Do it.” She expected Reynolds to protest

but he kept quiet.

“So we’re going to stake out the stops?” Eric asked.

“That’s what I would do,” Reynolds said. “We could get help

from the local PD or sheriff’s department.”

“Absolutely not,” Cameron said.

“Why not? If we want to prevent—”

Hell’s Highway

“We’re not trying to prevent another murder,” Cameron

said. “We’re trying to catch the bastard.”

“We don’t want to alarm him,” Andrea said. “If you plan to

rob a bank and you get there and you see cops patrolling—extra

security guards—then most likely you’re going to abort. We

don’t want him to abort.”

“There’s more,” Rowan said. “I used an algorithm to determine

the next most likely hit. I’ve got an eighty-two percent chance he hits

tomorrow night, a sixty-three percent chance for Thursday night.

The likely hit will be at the Barstow truck stop, not Needles.”

“How can you know this?” Carina asked.

“Because the data complies, using—”

“Because the computer said so,” Cameron interjected. “With

the range you’ve given, are all of the hits during the week?” she

asked him.

“Yes. In fact, Wednesdays got the highest probability.”

“So, the computer says he’s going to abduct someone tomorrow

night? In Barstow?” Reynolds asked. He looked at Cameron.

“You actually believe all this stuff?”

“How do you think we caught Patrick Doe? You think we just

accidentally happened to be on that trail the night he brought

up his next victim?” She stood, pacing in the tiny space that

was available. “But what do we do with this information? Like

Andrea said, we don’t want to alert him.”

“We pose as a potential victim.”

Cameron’s eyes flew to hers. “What?”

“I’ll go undercover as a hooker. We can—”

“No,” she said forcefully. “Absolutely not.”

“I agree with Cameron,” Carina said. “It would hardly be

believable. There is nothing,” she said, pointing at Andrea, “that

says hooker here. You couldn’t pull it off.”

“I have experience,” Andrea said, glancing at Cameron. “I

could pull it off. I just don’t have the outfit.”

Cameron felt panic tighten her chest. She knew that

determined look in Andrea’s eyes. And here, in front of everyone,

was not the time for Cameron to plead her case.

“Okay. So you go under. We wire you. We follow you.” She

shrugged. “Is that the plan?”

Gerri Hill

“Yes.”

“And so what happens when you have the wrong guy? How

do you get out of it?”

“Not tonight honey,” Eric said as he rubbed his temples. “I

have a terrible headache.”

They all laughed, even Reynolds. But Cameron still didn’t

like it.

“I think our guy travels,” Andrea said. “I don’t think he’s

one who parks for the night. I think he picks up our girls, maybe

with a promise to take them to the next stop.”

“Maybe he offers them more money if they’ll go with him,”

Eric suggested.

“He could use that as a ruse for company,” Jack said.

“Grasping at straws again, people,” Reynolds said.

“I think our guy does the soliciting,” Andrea said. “I think

he approaches the ladies first.”

“Why do you think that?” Carina asked.

“Because if your intent is to kill, do you chance waiting to

be approached? What if it’s a busy night? One of the ladies that

works the stop might not ever come to your truck. So you’re all

geared up to kill but you have no victim.”

“Makes sense,” Eric said. “But how do we target him when

we don’t even know who he is?”

Andrea glanced at Rowan. “He’ll give us a name with the

highest probability.”

“And how will he do that?” Reynolds asked.

“Look, Reynolds, do you really need to know how algorithms

work?” Cameron asked. “Once he finds the names of the twelve,

he’ll dump that in along with their traveling history.” She raised

an eyebrow at Rowan. “Right?”

“Right. I’ll be able to trace their movements using the

receipts. The algorithm will tell us who is most likely our guy.”

“And that’s how you want to work this?” Reynolds asked.

“I’m not crazy about having Andrea be the target, no,” she

said, glancing at her. “But we don’t have a lot of options.”

“I can be the target,” Carina said, giving her a flirtatious

smile. “I can pull off the hooker act.”

Cameron shook her head. “No offense, Carina, but I haven’t

Hell’s Highway

worked with you in a lot of years. I trust Andrea with this. Not

you.”

“Well, she is your. . partner,” Carina said. “No offense taken.”

“Okay, let’s let Rowan get to work,” she said. “Reynolds,

divide your team. We need the post and tox reports on Monica

Riddle. We also need to get with San Bernardino’s crime lab and

see if DNA is back on Susie Bell. We need this today so push

them if you have to.”

“What will you do?”

“Andrea needs an outfit for tomorrow. We’ll be shopping.

We need to test out her wire and bug too. I’ll need Rowan for

that. Then we’ll have to put together a plan for how we’re going

to make sure Andrea has eyes on her at all times.” She looked at

her watch. “Let’s meet up at your hotel at seven. We’ll order in.

Chinese or something. Then we’ll go over everything again.”

Eric put his arm about Andrea and pulled her close. “I think

your name should be Cherry Ann,” he said. “How about it?”

“Cherry? Really?” Andrea shook her head. “I don’t think

so.”“No? It’s perfect.”

“No.”

“Then how about Candy?”

Andrea laughed. “I like Candy better than Cherry. But I

think I’ll just stick with Andrea.”

“Not nearly as much fun,” Eric said and kissed her cheek

quickly before following the others out.

With a slight blush on her face Andrea looked at Cameron,

who raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

“Well, I guess I’ll get to it,” Rowan said.

Cameron took Andrea’s hand and led her back into the

bedroom, closing the door again behind them. Lola was curled

on the pillows and didn’t even bother to lift her head.

“Can we talk about it now?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Andrea said.

“I don’t like it.”

“You don’t get to make that decision.”

“The hell I don’t. This man is a monster. I don’t want you

anywhere near him.”

Gerri Hill

Andrea put her hands on her hips and stared at her. “Do you

think I can’t handle it?”

“That’s not it and you know it.”

Andrea sighed, then moved closer, letting her hands roam up

Cameron’s arms. “Why are we bothering with this conversation?

We both know it’s a done deal, Cameron.”

Cameron pulled her into an embrace. “I know, Andi. I just

don’t like it.”

Andrea kissed her, letting her lips linger. “I think I fell asleep

on you last night,” she said.

“Yes, you did.”

“Well, we’ll have to take care of that tonight, won’t we?”

Cameron closed her eyes and just held her tightly for a long

minute, wishing they could spend a lazy day together. She finally

released her.

“Shopping?”

“Yes. I’ll even let you buy me lunch.”

“It’s a date.”

chapter SIXteen

“This egg roll is fantastic,” Eric said as he licked the corners

of his mouth. “Good choice, Ross.”

Andrea had to agree, and she wished she’d ordered more than

two. She looked at Cameron who had yet to touch hers. She was

busy reading the coroner’s report on Monica Riddle.

“No drugs in her system other than ketamine and

phenobarbital. Yet according to everyone, she was a user. Even

her sister said as much.”

“So unlike Jane Doe 23, she didn’t have anything on

her. Any drugs in her system were out by the time she was

killed.”

“Rowan, you get a video match?” Cameron asked as she

picked up her carton of kung pao chicken.

“The last footage of Monica was six days before her body was

100 Gerri Hill

found. It was at six twenty-three p.m. as she left the convenience

store.”

“And Linda Blake?”

“So far nothing.”

“What about Susie Bell?”

He shook his head. “No. They only keep surveillance footage

for two weeks.”

“Okay.” She rubbed her eyes, and Andrea could tell how

tired she was. “So no new data to enter other than we have

confirmation on Susie Bell?”

“No. And I put in the date and time for Monica but it didn’t

change the results.”

“What time are we going out?” Jack asked.

“As soon as it’s dark, I want Andrea in place,” Cameron said.

She put her Chinese food aside and reached for her bottle of

water. “Rowan, let’s go over the logistics.”

Rowan wiped his hands on a napkin then pulled his laptop

closer. Andrea, too, put her food aside. As good as it was, she’d

suddenly lost her appetite. Talking and planning was one thing.

But laying it all out, going over the procedures, brought it

closer to home. Tomorrow night, she’d be putting herself out

there, hoping their guy took the bait. And hoping in all of their

planning they didn’t leave the smallest thing out.

“We’ve got a tracking device that Andrea will attach to the

truck.” He glanced at her. “Stick it on the door, under the cab,

inside or out. Doesn’t matter. It’s magnetic, so anything you can

find. I’ve implanted a microphone in these earrings,” he said,

holding up a small gold loop. He then held up a gaudy yellow

plastic watch. “I’ve also put a tracking device in the watch, just

in case Andrea is separated from the truck.”

“Will she have an earpiece too?” Carina asked.

“No. We didn’t want to take the chance he might spot it,”

Rowan said.

“A weapon?”

“Not on her,” Cameron said. “She’ll conceal one in her purse.

Reynolds, did you let Barstow PD know what we’re doing?”

“Yeah. I spoke to the chief. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea

but said they’ll be ready to assist if need be.”

Hell’s Highway 101

“Good.” Cameron turned to Eric. “You, Jack and Carina will

be in one vehicle. Reynolds will ride with me. Rowan will rig up

our communication where we can all be on—listen and talk—at

the same time. You’ll also have a feed of Andrea’s mic. Once she’s

in the truck, we follow.”

“And you think he’s going to just take her to where he does

his killing?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

Andrea saw them all looking at her, perhaps because she’d

been quiet through it all. She and Cameron and Rowan had been

over it several times already, so she didn’t feel the need to say

anything. She’d been undercover several times in LA, usually for

a drug sting, but she knew how to play it. The worst part would

be maneuvering in heels. She calmly looked back at them as she

picked up her last egg roll and took a bite.

“So did you get a sexy outfit?” Eric asked, his eyebrows

wiggling teasingly.

“Strapless,” she said after she swallowed. “You’ll love it.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will,” he said with a grin.

“Did Cameron pick it out?” Carina asked with a sly smile.

“Actually, she did,” Andrea said. She’d spent very little time

around Carina, thankfully, but she had a strong dislike for the

woman. Andrea had a hard time believing that she and Cameron

were once lovers.

“Well, she does have excellent taste. Or rather she did.”

Carina rolled her eyes to Cameron. “Remember that black, sleek

dress you got for me in Rome?”

Cameron frowned. “No. I don’t recall,” she said with a shake

of her head. “But I think that’s all we have for today. Unless some

new developments occur, let’s take it easy tomorrow. We might

be up all night. I want to be in Barstow by six so let’s meet back

here at three tomorrow.” She glanced at Rowan. “You’ll have a

name?”

“Yes. It’s running now. Jason is awesome, by the way. I’ve

never seen such a complicated program. It’s using data from like

ten different sources and is sorting—”

“Yeah. Right.” Cameron smiled. “He’s a genius.”

“I’ll come over in the morning and compile it all.”

10 Gerri Hill

“Wonderful. Can’t wait.”

Andrea hid her smile as Cameron’s gaze landed on her. She

knew Cameron didn’t like the plan they had set up, but someone

had to be the bait. She wasn’t really crazy about the idea herself.

Getting inside a truck and driving away with a man who could

possibly be a serial killer didn’t exactly thrill her. Cameron raised

her eyebrows in a silent question and Andrea nodded.

“See you guys tomorrow,” she said.

Their short drive to the rig was made silently and they both

went about their nighttime routines, sidestepping each other in

the small bathroom. Andrea didn’t need an explanation from

Cameron. She knew Cameron was worried and this was her way

of dealing. She found Cameron in bed, cuddling the purring

Lola who was stretched out in her arms.

“She misses us,” Cameron said.

“When this is over, let’s ask Murdock for some down time,”

Andrea suggested as she pulled the covers back on the bed. “I

miss us too.”

Cameron put Lola down at the end of the bed and rolled over,

pulling Andrea closer to her. “Me too. I don’t like this whole team

stuff.” Her hand slid under Andrea’s T-shirt, boldly cupping her

breast. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, right?”

Andrea smiled. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“There aren’t any cliffs around. I think I’m safe.”

Andrea rolled toward her, entwining their legs together.

“Please don’t worry about this so much. Nothing’s going to

happen. Besides, you’ll be following right behind me.”

“I know. I just have a bad feeling about this.”

“I’ll be fine.” She nuzzled Cameron’s neck, inhaling her

unique scent. While she would have been content just to snuggle,

her hands slid across Cameron’s soft skin, making their way to

her breasts. Cameron’s breath hitched and Andrea’s lips found

their way to Cameron’s mouth. “I love you,” she murmured.

Cameron rolled them over, settling her weight on top of

her. Their eyes met and held, then Cameron lowered her head,

kissing Andrea softly.

“I love you too.”

chapter SeVenteen

The smell of diesel fuel and the constant rumbling of engines

permeated the air. Cameron tapped her foot nervously, her eyes

jumping from one truck to another, wondering how they were

going to find their guy in this crowded lot.

“You really think Rowan’s on target with this guy?”

Cameron flicked her gaze at Reynolds, then back to the

trucks. “It’s not just Rowan, it’s the algorithm. You put in the

data, it gives you a probability.”

“Sixty-eight percent? Is that high?”

“The more data you have, the higher the accuracy,” she said.

“It’s all we have. If he’s not our guy, we go on to the next one.”

She eyed his clothes with a raised eyebrow. “Really Reynolds?

We’re on a stakeout and you’re in a suit? Couldn’t you have

dressed down a little to fit in with our surroundings?”

10 Gerri Hill

“This is what I wear.”

“At least take your tie off. Jesus, even an idiot could make

you for a cop.”

He sighed but finally loosened his tie before removing it. Her

gaze went back to the trucks. It was full dark now, only a sliver

of a moon visible in the sky. She could see people moving in the

shadows, walking between the parked trucks. Some stopped to

talk, others kept moving, heading to the convenience store or the

showers. The name Hank Waters popped up with a sixty-eight

percent rating. The troubling part was that he didn’t register in

the system. Not anywhere. Rowan had pulled his name from the

credit card receipts for the small trucking company he works for,

based out of Riverside. No hits in the system meant he was using

a false identity, probably driver’s license as well. Her gut told her

he was their guy, but it seemed too easy.

“Cameron, his card’s been used. Bay Four,” Rowan said, his

voice loud and clear over the console speaker.

“Copy that.” Andrea was in Eric’s car, parked in the back and

out of sight. “Show time.” She heard a car door open and close,

assuming Andrea was on the move.

“We’re going to swing around, see if we have a visual,” Eric

said.“Slow and easy, Eric,” she murmured. She took a deep breath,

trying to quell the tightness in her chest. She had a bad feeling

that she couldn’t shake. She’d learned over the years to trust that

feeling, but there was nothing she could do about it now. The

plan was in motion.

Andrea thought the chewing gum was a bit much but Eric

had insisted. She chewed deliberately, concentrating on walking

in heels, something she was not used to at all. She swung her

hips, smiling as a trucker gave an exaggerated whistle.

“Like what you see, sugar?” she asked as she kept moving.

The tight strapless dress hugged her body, so short it barely

covered her ass. She’d added black fishnet hose and a garter belt

that peeked out enticingly. When she’d modeled it for Cameron

Hell’s Highway 10

her jaw had dropped open, and she’d pushed Andrea back into

the dressing room, taking several minutes to let her know just

how enticing it was. She smiled at the memory of their quick

make-out session, still picturing Cameron’s flushed face as the

saleswoman had knocked on the door, asking if they were okay.

She clutched her purse tighter as she approached Bay Four.

Her only means of defense was a small caliber handgun hiding

inside along with a phone. The phone was an afterthought, but

Cameron wanted her to take it. Just in case.

She slowed her walk, wishing she knew who their target was,

other than the truck in Bay Four. She turned her head, trying

to see if anyone was about when she walked right into the solid

chest of a man. She instinctively held her hand out to steady

herself, trying to remain in character.

“Hey, big fella. You startled me.”

“You lookin’ to play?”

“That depends.” She took a step back, sizing up the man. He

was tall, easily over six feet, his frame muscular. A stubby beard

indicated he hadn’t shaved in several days. He was close enough

to smell tobacco on his breath and she had to stop herself from

turning away. When she finally met his eyes, she saw a soulless

man in front of her and the tiny hairs at the back of her neck

stood out. She knew instantly he was their guy.

“I’m lookin’ to take a drive,” he said.

“And you want company?” She tilted her head. “It’ll cost you

more.”

He smiled, a smile that never reached his eyes. “I can pay.”

“Two hundred,” she said.

“That’s it?”

She took the gum out of her mouth and tossed it aside. “Two

hundred to get in your truck. And then another two hundred

when I get out.”

He pushed aside a well-worn NASCAR cap and scratched

his head, seeming to contemplate her offer. She was worried that

perhaps she’d shot too high but he nodded. “Deal.”

She glanced at the dusty red rig in the bay, the trucking

company’s logo just a faded puzzle of letters on the door. “That

yours?”

10 Gerri Hill

He nodded. “Give me just a second to finish up.”

“Sure, honey. You take your time,” she said, giving him a

flirty smile. When he walked around the truck, her smile faded.

“I hope you guys can hear me. I’m in. I’m putting the tracker on

the truck now,” she said quietly as she walked into the bay. Diesel

engines rumbled loudly under the cover of the bays, and she

doubted they would be able to hear her any longer. She looked

about, making sure he was still tending to the fuel. His back

was to her and she slipped the small magnetic box from under

her garter belt and nonchalantly attached it to the fender of the

truck.

She was about to make her way out of the bay when he turned

around, looking past her. She turned, surprised to find another

man walking toward her.

“About damn time, Hank,” the man said. “You couldn’t have

called?”

Andrea stood still as the two men approached each other

between the two rumbling trucks. She put her hands on her hips

and smiled broadly.

“We doing double duty? It’ll cost you more,” she said to her

target.

“Jesus, Hank, you still picking up fender lizards?” The man

looked at her and shook his head. “No thanks, honey.”

“Where you parked?” Hank asked.

“Bay Twelve.” He tipped his dirty hat at them. “See you next

round.”

Andrea’s arm was squeezed hard as Hank Waters led her

away. She turned back, confused, as the other man got in the

truck in Bay Four—with her tracking device—and drove away.

Oh fuck.

“I can’t hear a goddamn thing, Rowan. Clean it up,” Cameron

said.“I’m sorry. That’s the best I can do. The engines are too

loud.”

“This is not helping us,” she said.

Hell’s Highway 10

“Okay, they’re on the move, pulling out. I’m putting it up on

your screen now.”

Cameron took a deep breath, then started the truck. “Eric,

you copy?”

“Yeah. We don’t have a fancy console like you have but it’s

up on our phones.”

“Stay behind me,” she said as she drove slowly through the

parking lot, her eyes darting between the red dot flashing on the

animated map and the trucks surrounding them.

“Don’t follow too close,” Reynolds said.

“I won’t,” she murmured as she pulled onto the highway,

letting the big rig in front of her gain some speed. “Signal is

strong, Rowan. Good job.”

“Okay. I’m overriding our feed with Andrea’s. It’ll run

continuously, but you can talk over it now.”

A few seconds later, Andrea’s voice could be heard.

“What’s your name, sugar?”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, I just like to know what name to scream out,” she said.

Cameron smirked. “She’s a natural.”

“Henry. But they call me Hank. What’s yours?”

“You can call me. .Candy.”

This time Eric laughed. “I win,” he said, referring to the

names they’d tossed out for Andrea to choose from.

“Candy? I like that.”

“So, where are we heading? I’m used to doing my business right

away, you know what I mean?”

“I got a place. I don’t like the truck.”

“Yeah? So where’s my two hundred bucks?”

“I’m good for it. Don’t worry.”

“Baby, I’m not worried. My legs don’t spread for free.”

Reynolds chuckled beside her. “She’s good. You think this is

our guy?”

“It sounds like it. But something’s not right. It’s too easy.”

She tapped the wheel, keeping an even distance between her and

the truck they were following.

“You know, I used to be married,” Andrea said. “I wasn’t always

in this line of work.”

10 Gerri Hill

“But you like it, right?”

“Baby, I’ll make it good for you, don’t worry.”

“I ain’t worried.”

“I would like to know where we’re headed though.”

“Why so curious?”

“I don’t want to get too close.”

“Too close?”

“My husband was a gambler. When we lived in Vegas, he lost

everything. Our savings. Our house. I left his ass and moved to LA but

I couldn’t find work.”

“You got a job now.”

“Yeah, and I’m good at my job, baby, don’t you worry.”

“I bet you are. I can’t wait to find out.”

“I just get nervous now whenever I’m heading to Las Vegas. Bad

memories.”

Cameron frowned, her gaze going to the red dot on the

monitor heading steadily toward Los Angeles.

“What the hell?”

“What?” Reynolds asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you just hear what she said? Rowan, activate the

tracking device on her watch.”

“What for? We have a strong signal already.”

“Just do it.” She took a deep breath, her chest tight. She

waited only seconds for the monitor to change. “Son of a bitch,”

she murmured.

They were following the wrong truck.

chapter eIGhteen

“Eric, stop that goddamn truck and find out where the hell

our guy is,” she said as she slammed on her brakes, causing horns

to honk around her. She bounced across the median, barely

conscious of Reynolds beside her. Her hands were tight on the

wheel, squeezing painfully as they bounded across the highway,

now heading east instead of west.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get us

killed?”

“Rowan, how far out?” she asked, ignoring Reynolds.

“Based on their speed and—”

“Just give me a guess.”

“Twenty-three point four miles.”

“Twenty-three point four miles,” she repeated. “Great,” she

murmured as she sped up, passing cars at an alarming speed. She

110 Gerri Hill

almost felt like they were flying down the highway. Judging by

the grip Reynolds had on the dash, they were. “You’re turning

white, man.”

“Not funny,” he said.

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

“You talk too much.”

“Just trying to get to know you, baby.”

“We’ll have plenty of time for that.”

“Yeah? I hope it’s soon. I don’t normally do this, you know.”

“What?”

“Travel. Most just want it in their rig.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m different. I think you’re going to like it.”

“Hey guys,” Eric said, drowning out Andrea’s conversation.

“Got the truck. Tag team drivers. They switched trucks in

Barstow. The truck Andrea is in is heading to Vegas on I-15.”

“Eric, find out everything he knows about our guy. Then

find out who manages the trucking company. We need to know

who the hell Henry Waters is. Copy?”

“We’re on it.”

“You know, those guys work for me, not you.”

“Shut up, Reynolds.”

She glanced at her speed as she neared a hundred, thankful

the traffic wasn’t too heavy. She passed another truck, then

glanced at Reynolds.

“Sorry. I know they’re your team. But Andrea is mine.”

“I know you’re worried. We’ll get there. If you don’t kill us

first.”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m taking your purse.”

Andrea swallowed down the panic she was feeling, trying to

stay in character. .praying Cameron was not still following the

other truck.

“Baby, why do you want my purse?”

“Shut up.”

“What did I do?” Her eyes widened as he opened her purse.

Hell’s Highway 111

“Well, well. A gun.” He flicked on the overhead light in the

cab, taking the gun out. “Take off your jewelry.”

“What’s wrong with you? You’re scaring me. I think I want

you to stop.”

“Too late for that, pretty lady. Now take it off.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a cop, that’s why. You probably have a bug

on you. Now take it off.”

She tried to laugh. “A cop? Why do you think I’m a cop?”

“I can smell it. Now do it. Put it in the purse.”

He waited—watching—while she removed the watch and

earrings. She couldn’t hide the watch from him, but she needed

to hide the earring with the mic. Their plan was unraveling

quickly, and she needed to hold on to something linking her

with Cameron. She felt real fear for the first time as his soulless

eyes watched her.

“You don’t want to do this,” she said as she dropped the watch

in the purse, then made a show of taking off her earrings.

“Oh, I do want to do it,” he said. When his eyes turned back

to the road she stuck the earring under her garter belt, then

dropped the other one in the purse. “And I’m going to love to

fuck you. I’ve always wanted to fuck a cop. And I’m going to fuck

you until you bleed.”

“Goddamn bastard,” Cameron said between gritted teeth.

“Rowan, how far are we?”

“His speed is slowing. They’re eight miles ahead.”

“Jesus, that’s too far.”

“What are you doing? You can’t just throw my purse away.”

“I just did. Now shut up.”

Cameron and Reynolds both looked at the monitor, seeing

the red dot stop moving, while the green, indicating her truck,

crept closer.

“Rowan, talk to me,” she said.

“She’s obviously still got the earring on her.”

“Can you locate her with that?”

11 Gerri Hill

“No. Not. .not with what I have. I mean, I could try but it

would take. .could take an hour. The best I can—”

“We don’t have an hour. Give me something,” she said

quickly, interrupting him.

“Okay, based on his average speed of sixty-eight, I can

calculate their distance from where our tracker stopped. We

should still be able to locate the truck.”

“He’s got a place, he said. That means he’s getting off the

highway.” She pounded her fist on the steering wheel. “How the

hell did he make her for a cop?”

“Serial killers are not dumb,” Reynolds reminded her.

“They’re calculating. Meticulous about details.”

“She played it right,” Cameron said. “Right down to the

damn garter belt.”

“I think that might have been it,” Reynolds said. “New

clothes. Hookers don’t have new clothes.”

“Oh come on. The man’s not going to know whether the

clothes are new or not.”

“Attention to detail, remember. Something must have clued

him in.”

“What are you doing? Why are you turning?” Andrea asked.

“Shut up.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“I think you know where I’m taking you. You owe me a fuck,

remember?”

“Look, you don’t want to do this.”

“I said shut up.”

The slap they heard and Andrea’s soft cry afterward was

deafening in the silence that followed. Cameron tried to keep it

professional, she tried to think of it as any other mission, but her

heart wouldn’t let her. Her body was tense, aching.

“Goddamn it, Rowan. Talk to me,” Cameron said. They

had just passed the marker where Andrea’s purse had been

thrown.

“Based on his speed, still seven miles ahead of you.”

“Pull up a map. Show me a satellite.”

“Will you watch the road,” Reynolds said as she zipped

around a slow-moving car. “I can check the map.”

Hell’s Highway 11

“He was turning. Do you see the road to the right that heads

to the Nevada border?”

“Yeah. See it.”

“I think he turned off the highway,” Rowan said.

“You think?” she asked tersely.

“Okay, there’s a private road to the left, about a mile down.

It looks small though,” Rowan said. “Can an eighteen-wheeler

make it down something like that?”

“I see it,” Reynolds said, pointing the monitor. “Any

dwellings?”

“Yes. There’s a building of some kind,” he said. “It’s at least

a half mile off the highway.”

“Anything else?” Cameron asked. “We need to be sure.”

“There’s another road, about a mile farther,” Rowan said.

“But based on my calculations, I don’t think they were that far.”

“You better be right,” she murmured, her rigid gaze fixed

on the highway. “Get us some backup,” she ordered. “And an

ambulance.”

chapter nIneteen

Andrea winced as he grabbed her arm, pulling her roughly

across the seat and out of the cab. She nearly twisted her ankle as

the high heels folded under her. Catching her balance, trying to

formulate a plan, she found herself staring into the barrel of the

gun he’d taken from her purse.

“That way,” he said, motioning to what appeared to be a

long-abandoned shack. “I want you alive, but don’t think I won’t

shoot you.”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She dealt with

victims her whole career, never once truly understanding their

fear. Right then, at that moment, she felt it deep in her soul. She

listened absently at the whir of traffic, thinking they were a good

half-mile away from the highway, maybe more. She wondered if

Cameron was rushing to find her.

Hell’s Highway 11

Surely she was. Andrea knew she had time. He liked to play

with his victims. She shivered, thinking of all the things he

would most likely do to her. She was beginning to understand

it all. He grabbed his victims and drugged them, holding them

here most likely while he finished his route. Then he would come

back and have his fun. He could hold them here for days. If his

truck route stayed the same, he could stop in anytime he liked

without causing suspicion.

She nodded slowly, turning toward the building. Her police

training told her to try to disarm him but she hesitated. Surely

Cameron was coming for her. What if she couldn’t disarm him?

She wasn’t Cameron. She wasn’t trained in martial arts, she wasn’t

as strong. If she failed, he might indeed shoot her. Or worse. No.

She had to play this out. This was the plan. So she walked on,

feeling him close behind her, imagining she could feel his foul

breath on her neck. Imagining she could hear Cameron coming

for her.

“Stop.”

She did as she was told, waiting. She heard keys jingling, then

the barrel of the gun touched her back as he reached around her

to unlock the door. He pushed her inside, not bothering to turn

on any lights. She squinted into the darkness, seeing little.

“This way.”

Again, he unlocked another door and shoved her inside. She

blinked several times as a bright light was turned on. What she

saw made her gasp. A bloody table complete with shackles for

arms and legs, a countertop lined with needles and vials. She

turned quickly, flight instinct taking over, but he was prepared.

She registered the electric shock in her neck, was conscious

enough to recognize the Taser before her limbs gave way.

“Jesus Christ, where’s the fucking road?” Cameron yelled.

“Almost there,” Reynolds said.

“One more mile,” Rowan said.

Cameron’s hands were sweating, her heart pounding loudly

in her ears. The only sound from Andrea’s mic was of him

11 Gerri Hill

dragging her, and then the sound of chains. There was a rustling

sound and her gut told her he was removing her clothing. There

was static, then deadly silence. He’d apparently found the mic.

It seemed like an eternity—the last few miles. She was

driving as fast as she dared. Reynolds was right. They would be

of no help to Andrea if they had an accident, but her fear was

real. She was terrified of what he was doing to Andrea.. what he

was going to do.

Andrea shook her head, still feeling numbness in her right

shoulder. She tried to move, then felt the chains digging into her

flesh. She was cold and only then did she realize she was naked.

She lifted her head, her eyes wide. An IV was in her arm, a clear

liquid slowly dripping. Oh, dear God.

“Welcome back,” he said as he inserted a needle into a vial.

She blinked several times, fear blocking any sound from

her throat. She shook her head again, trying to clear her mind,

trying to focus.

“I learned something in prison,” he said as he smiled at her. “I

was a good boy. I got to work in the infirmary. You learn a lot in

sickbay,” he continued. “How to give shots. How to properly set

an IV.” He laughed. “What drugs do what. That kind of stuff.”

She yanked hard on the chains, crying out in pain as her skin

tore from the force.

“I got you now, don’t I?” He laughed again. “But what am I

going to do with you?” He ran his hand up her leg between her

thighs and she flinched. “I must say, compared to the others, you

look mighty good. Fresh.”

“Take your hand off me,” she managed.

“I’ll do what I please,” he snarled, grabbing her breast roughly

and squeezing hard until she cried out.

She strained against the chains, trying to pull away, only to

have him squeeze harder. She relented, biting her lip until he

finally released her.

“Oh, yes. You’re going to be fun to fuck. I might keep you a

little longer than the others.” He gave a sickly laugh. “Of course,

Hell’s Highway 11

I like to fuck them dead too.” He threw his head back and laughed

harder. “Oh, yes indeed I do.”

She groaned as he raised the syringe, showing it to her, the

needle glistening in the sharp light.

“Do you know what this is?”

She shook her head.

“I think you do. You want it fast and quick? Or do you want

it slow? Slow. .drip by drip.” He waved the syringe in front of

her face, her eyes following its jerky movements. “Slow. I think

slow,” he said.

“No,” she whispered, finally turning her head away. She tried

to fight it but she couldn’t. The last thing she saw was a bloody

rag on the floor before her world went black.

“Hold on,” Cameron said as she turned sharply, her tires

squealing as she left the highway and bounced onto the dirt road

that shot out into the desert. A horn honked behind her but she

hardly noticed, her only focus was Andrea as she sped down the

bumpy road.

“There.” Reynolds pointed. “There’s the truck.”

Her headlights flashed across the truck and she skidded to

a stop, not even taking the time to kill the engine. She had her

weapon drawn as she raced to the door.

“Protocol, Ross,” Reynolds called after her. “This is a crime

scene.”

“Fuck protocol,” she snapped. “That’s my partner in

there.”

She kicked the door with all of her force, the old wood

splintering as the lock broke. She leaned against the wall in

the darkness, motioning for Reynolds to take the opposite. She

held up one finger, then another, then moved along the wall,

seeing light pouring out from beneath a doorway. She pointed

and he nodded. She hesitated at the door, so afraid of what she’d

find inside. Then, with a deep breath, she brought her foot up,

kicking in the door easily. Her eyes swept the room, finding an

empty kitchen, save for a lone table and two chairs.

11 Gerri Hill

“Goddamn,” she muttered, then turned, hurrying back out

into the dark hallway. “Reynolds? Anything?”

He snapped on his small flashlight, shining it along the wall

until they found another door. There was no light seen under

the door and she stood by it silently, listening, but there was

no sound from within. She stepped back, one powerful kick

opening the door. The air left her lungs when Reynolds’s light

flashed across Andrea’s body.

“My God,” she whispered.

“Focus, Ross,” Reynolds said, his light flashing in the corners

of the room, illuminating medical equipment that looked like it

had been scattered in haste.

“Clear,” she said. She turned, finding the light switch, nearly

gasping as it all came into view. Dried blood covered the floor,

the countertop, the table. .and Andrea lay naked on top of it,

chained by the arms and feet.

“We should,” he said, clearing his throat as he stared, “we

should secure the house.”

But Cameron didn’t move, her eyes were glued to Andrea,

her heart filled with fear. She felt sick to her stomach. Andrea

couldn’t be dead. She just couldn’t be. It was then she saw the

needle sticking out of Andrea’s arm, the IV drip, the vials. It

jolted her into action, rushing forward, reaching out, then

pausing, hoping to feel warm flesh, not cold. Her hand trembled

as she touched Andrea’s arm, relief flooding her as she saw her

shallow breathing. She jerked the needle out of her arm and

flung it to the countertop. She did the same with the IV, tugging

it out of her arm, feeling remorse as blood seeped out from her

actions.

“Oh, God,” she murmured, bending low, feeling her faint

breath on her face. “Hang in there, baby,” she whispered. She

looked up, seeing Reynolds staring. “Find the goddamn keys,”

she said as her hands tugged at the chains.

“She’s alive?”

“Yes.”

They both looked up, hearing sirens in the distance. Their

backup, she hoped.

“Here,” he said, tossing keys at her.

Hell’s Highway 11

She fumbled with them, finally finding one to open the locks

and release the chains holding her arms. When she did so, they

fell helplessly off of the table, dangling lifelessly beside it. She

went to her feet, glancing at Reynolds who was trying to avert

his eyes.

“Find me something to cover her, please.”

But there was nothing in the blood-filled room. Reynolds

took off his suit coat, handing it to her.

“Use this.”

“Thanks. Remind me not to give you shit anymore about

wearing a suit all the time,” she said as she covered Andrea the

best she could. She tucked her arms along her sides, bending

down again, making sure she was still breathing. She patted her

face several times. “Wake up, Andi. Wake up.” The sirens were

loud now, the emergency lights flashing against the window.

“You go. I’ll stay with her.”

After he left she very nearly broke down, her chest still so

tight with fear. She choked back tears that were threatening. She

didn’t have the luxury of tears. Not now. She squeezed Andrea’s

hand tightly, making herself move away. It was a contaminated

crime scene already so she didn’t bother with proper protocol as

Reynolds had suggested.

An empty vial lay on the countertop, tipped on its side.

Two others were beside it. .waiting. There was a pile of unused

syringes, all still neatly wrapped in their plastic containers. She

glanced around the room, her eyes landing on a bloody saw, pieces

of mangled flesh caught in the blade. She turned away, trying not

to picture Andrea meeting the same fate as the others.

“In here,” she heard Reynolds say and she stepped aside as

two paramedics rushed in.

They unceremoniously ripped off Reynolds’s jacket, leaving

Andrea naked again.

“What do we have here?” one asked as he held a stethoscope

to Andrea’s bare chest.

Cameron was about to protest when Reynolds grabbed her

arm. “Come on. Let them do their job.”

“Yeah. Okay.” She pointed to the countertop. “There’s an

empty vile. Ketamine.”

10 Gerri Hill

The paramedic only nodded and Cameron supposed it wasn’t

his place to ask questions. That was her job.

“Come on,” Reynolds said. “We have a job to do too.”

She nodded, knowing it was true, but she felt like she was

abandoning Andrea. She glanced back once again, seeing her

ashen complexion, so unlike the normal healthy, vibrant glow

that she associated with Andrea.

Out in the hallway, there were four San Bernardino sheriff’s

deputies waiting for instruction. She almost wished Reynolds

would take over as her emotions were all over the place but she

took a deep breath, summoning up the best professional face she

could muster.

“Is this it?” she asked, looking at them.

“Crime scene team is en route. They’re about fifteen minutes

out,” one of them said.

She nodded. “Our guy slipped away. He took to the desert, I

guess. Check the perimeter. We didn’t hear an engine so assume

he’s on foot.”

They nodded, all dispersing quickly.

She walked into the makeshift kitchen, the only room where

a light had been on. Reynolds stood watching her.

“Why was this light on?” she asked, not really expecting an

answer.

She looked around, seeing an old dorm room sized refrigerator

in a corner, a tiny microwave sitting on top of it. There was a set

of cabinets—shelves, no doors—on one wall. There was nothing

there but a couple of plates and a can of beans. There was a sink,

but no faucet. A bucket of water, half empty, sat beside it.

“Electricity, but no running water.”

“Explains the mess in the other room,” Reynolds said.

“No running water, yet not a shred of evidence was ever

found on the bodies,” she mused. She stepped back, looking at

the room as a whole, frowning. The table and chairs were off

center.

“What is it?”

She squatted down, seeing that the old dusty rug had been

moved. “Son of a bitch,” she murmured. She pulled the rug back,

revealing a door.

Hell’s Highway 11

“Trap door,” Reynolds said. He bent down, reaching for the

handle but she stopped him.

“Don’t be stupid,” she said as she lay down on the filthy floor.

“Give me your flashlight.”

She shone it along the seam of the door, slowly lifting it. She

felt the tightness and stopped, seeing what appeared to be trip

wires on the latch. She let out a breath, gently closing the door

again.

“What?” he asked.

“It’s wired.”

“Wired?” He shook his head. “He wouldn’t have had time to

wire it. Chances of there being a bomb down there are slim.”

“Yeah, well you’re goddamn crazy if you think that.”

She jerked her head up, hearing the rolling of the gurney in

the hallway. She got up and went to the door, thankful they had

covered Andrea finally.

“How is she?”

“Vitals are good.”

She felt some of the tension leave her body and she nodded.

“Where will you take her? Vegas?”

“Needles. CRMC.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not from around here.”

“Colorado River Medical Center,” he said as they quickly

wheeled Andrea away.

They had no sooner left than three crime scene investigators

arrived. Cameron held up her FBI credentials to them, pointing

to the room Andrea had been held in.

“Did you guys work the scene where the headless woman

was found east of Barstow?” she asked.

“Yeah,” one said. “Jesus Christ,” he murmured when he

looked in the room. “Is this it?”

“We think so.”

“Where the hell do you start?”

“It’s been contaminated,” she admitted. “Us two,” she said,

pointing to Reynolds. “And paramedics. We had a live victim.”

She almost choked on the word, hating to call Andrea a victim.

“We’ll sort it out,” he said, the other two already getting to

work.

1 Gerri Hill

“Do any of you know anything about bombs?” she asked.

The lone female of the group looked up and shrugged. “Just

enough to be dangerous. What do you have?”

“Trap door. Trip wires,” she said.

“I’ll take a look.”

She got down on the floor much as Cameron had done,

lifting the door slowly. She stopped and nodded, lowering the

door again.

“Yep. Trip wires.”

“So the simple matter of cutting them should be safe?”

Cameron asked.

“They’re looped over the bars on the latch. That’s your

pressure point. Cut the wire as close to the center as you can.

Make sure there’s not a secondary wire.” She studied the floor.

“Even so, the blast radius is probably right here at the opening. I

doubt it’s rigged to blow up the whole place.”

She left them with that word of advice and Cameron and

Reynolds stared at each other.

“She doubts?” Reynolds said, apparently now convinced there

could be a bomb.

“Swiss army knife?”

“No.”

The woman stuck her head back in the door and tossed a

pair of heavy-duty scissors at Cameron, which she caught in one

hand.

“Thought you might need those,” she said, winking at

Cameron before joining her team again.

Reynolds shook his head. “Flirting at a crime scene. We’ve

lost all sense of professionalism.”

“Yeah. Especially you, without a coat and tie,” she said dryly,

resuming her position on the floor. She glanced up at Reynolds.

“Would you rather do this?”

“No, you’re doing fine.”

Cameron pulled the trap door up again, stopping when

she could see the wire. “Get down here. I need you to hold the

flashlight.”

He hesitated, looking first at the filthy floor then at his

properly pressed pants, then back to the floor.

Hell’s Highway 1

“Don’t piss me off, Reynolds,” she said. “It’s been a really bad

night so far.”

“God knows what’s been on this floor,” he muttered as

he joined her, holding the light under the trap door like she’d

asked.

“Over here,” she said as she scooted down. “There. See it?”

“Yeah.”

She took a deep breath. “On three,” she said quietly. She

closed her eyes briefly. Please don’t let us blow up. “One, two. .

three,” she said, snipping the wire.

They were both quiet, waiting, then grinned at each other.

“No big bang,” she said. “That’s a good thing.”

“You think he’s down there?”

Cameron pulled her weapon. “If he is, he’s a dead man,” she

said fiercely. “Open it up.”

He lifted the door slowly, flashing his light along the door

as if looking for more wire. Then he flung it open and it landed

against the rickety table with a crash. His flashlight illuminated

the room, looking like nothing more than an underground root

cellar. Cameron went down the steps first, nearly afraid the old

ladder wouldn’t hold her weight as each step made a creaking

sound.

“Whoa,” she murmured.

Reynolds landed softly beside her, his light held fast on the

explosives.

“Where the hell did he get C4?” she asked quietly.

He moved his light around the room, finding what appeared

to be a tunnel. “There,” he said, making a move for it.

She grabbed his arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Let’s go after him.”

She shook her head. “You’re insane. First of all, there’s a wad

of C4 staring at us that I’m not real crazy about. Secondly, if

the door was wired, then there are probably booby traps, maybe

more C4. No way.”

“What’s with you? I always heard you’d go in head first and

ask questions later. You getting scared in your old age, Ross?”

Cameron very nearly accepted his challenge, but she realized

the answer to his question was pretty simple. She no longer had

1 Gerri Hill

only herself to think about. In the past, yeah, she wouldn’t even

consider not going into the tunnel. But now there was Andrea,

now she had someone who loved her. Her responsibilities, her

priorities had changed. Because she had changed. But not so

much that she couldn’t glare at Reynolds with a near snarl on

her face.

“Why do you keep putting up the challenge flag? I’m sick of

it. You learn that shit from Collie?”

“I’m just saying, we have the bastard. Let’s go after him.”

“And I’m saying you’re goddamn crazy, Reynolds. You’re

dressed in your fancy, pressed suit, shiny shoes and you want to

go running blind into a tunnel?” She felt the pressure of the day

settle on her shoulders as her voice got louder. “That’s fucking

insane. You want to blow yourself up, go ahead. That’s fine.

But you let the rest of us get the hell out of here before you do

anything so goddamn stupid,” she yelled, feeling the vein in her

head about to explode.

“Ah.. excuse me.”

They both looked up, seeing two of the sheriff’s deputies

looking down at them.

“If you guys are through yelling at each other, we have

something you might want to see.”

Reynolds looked back to the tunnel, as if still considering it,

then climbed back up the ladder, Cameron close on his heels.

“We need a bomb squad,” she said to one of the deputies.

“Close this trap door. Gently. There’s C4.” She shook her head

as she followed the others outside into the darkness. It’s a wonder

they didn’t blow the whole damn building up earlier when they’d

just tossed open the door without a thought. She’d seen unstable

C4 detonate from only a cough.

“There’s a shed over here. It was locked up tight,” he said,

showing them the broken lock. “I ain’t never seen nothing like

this my whole life. I hope to never again.”

“Trophy room?” she asked.

“What?”

“You found the heads?”

He nodded, then stepped aside so she could enter.

An old dusty lightbulb hung on a wire, swaying now with the

Hell’s Highway 1

desert breeze that blew in. It swung gently back and forth, the

shadows dancing with its movement, skeletal and decomposed

heads going from light to dark to light again, like a bad horror

movie.

“Jesus Christ,” she murmured, absently taking the large

flashlight one of the deputies handed her. She covered her

nose with her shirt, breathing through her mouth. The heads

appeared to be attached to a sturdy peg or dowel stick, displayed

along shelves, just like a hunter might display his kill. Which was

exactly what he was doing.

“There’s so many,” Reynolds said quietly.

“Seventeen.”

Cameron shone her flashlight at each one, some so old they

were just bones, others decayed, still others with flesh on the

bones. She flashed to the most recent, expecting to find their

three women. Instead, she found four heads.

“What the hell?”

“There’s a body we haven’t found,” he said.

“There are apparently a lot of bodies that haven’t been

found.”

“We got more,” the deputy said. “In here.”

There was an open doorway going into a small room. There,

hanging on hooks and piled on the floor were clothes and shoes,

some purses and jewelry, even a couple of pretty hats. The light

landed on the dress and shoes Andrea had been wearing—the

latest addition to his collection.

“Goddamn bastard,” she said. She glanced at the deputy who

was standing in the doorway. “Get one of the CSIs. They’re

going to need to call in help on this. There’ll be an FBI forensics

team sent in too.”

Back out in the fresh air, she took deep breaths, chasing away

the decomp that still lingered on the latest victims. She tried not

to picture Andrea like this but, damn, it had been close. If he’d

thrown the watch out earlier, if Andrea hadn’t alerted them to

the fact that they were following the wrong truck, she’d still be

in there, chained to that table, waiting for him to play whatever

sick little games he liked. Waiting for him to eventually get tired

of her and. .and kill her like the others.

1 Gerri Hill

“Hey, you okay?”

She glanced at Reynolds and shook her head. “No.” But

she didn’t elaborate, not feeling the need to share her thoughts

with him. By the look on his face, she didn’t have to. He knew

exactly what she was thinking. “Call Murdock, would you? Get

a team sent down to help with all this,” she said, motioning to

the shed.

She walked over to her truck, realizing she had never turned

it off. As she leaned in to kill the engine, she heard Rowan’s

frantic voice.

“Can anybody hear me? Anybody?”

“Rowan?”

“Cameron? Thank God!”

“Oh, man. Sorry.”

“Please say you found her.”

“Yeah. They took her by ambulance to Needles. I’m headed

that way.”

“Is she okay?”

“She was drugged. Sedated. Something.” She watched

Reynolds as he approached. “I think she’ll be okay.” She cleared

her throat. “Have you been in contact with Eric?”

“Yes. They’ve got the manager of the trucking company.

They’re holding him in San Bernardino.”

“Hold him overnight. We’ll be there in the morning.” She

motioned for Reynolds to get in. “I’ll be in touch, let you know

how Andrea is.”

“Does this mean you didn’t get the guy?”

“No. He had an escape. .tunnel or something.” She turned

to Reynolds. “You give them our contacts?”

“Yes. But they said it would be days, if not weeks, before they

had it all sorted out.”

She nodded, then turned the truck back down the dirt road

to the highway. “Rowan, we found where he kept the heads.

There were seventeen. Some appeared to be decades old. But

of the recent ones, there were four, not three. San Bernardino

County is processing the evidence. Can you monitor that for

me? Keep us up to date with what they find until we get a team

in here?”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Sure. No problem.”

She sighed. “Thanks. Good work tonight, Rowan. Talk to

you tomorrow.”

“Thanks Cameron. Good night.” A pause. “Oh, and you too,

Special Agent Reynolds.”

Cameron smiled. “He’s a good kid. Sharp.”

“Yes, he is.” He stared at her. “You want me to drive?”

“No, I’m okay. It’s been a long-ass day, but I just want to

check on Andrea.” She hated feeling uncertain, especially in

front of Reynolds, but she needed some reassurance. “You think

she’s going to be okay, don’t you?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “I think she’ll be just

fine.”

chapter tWentY

Cameron’s chest felt tight as she stared into the brightly lit

room, a crisp white sheet covering Andrea. Other than an IV

drip, she appeared to be just sleeping. Her color was good, not

the pale, ashy color she’d had earlier.

“May I help you?”

Cameron glanced at the nurse, noticing the constant low

beeping of the monitor on the wall, Andrea’s vital signs updating

by the second as the numbers continued to change. She cleared

her throat, then held up her FBI credentials.

“I’m Special Agent Ross,” she said. “I’m just here to check

on my agent.” She finally moved into the room, her eyes again

going to Andrea’s face.

“We had to sedate her. She—”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Sedate her? She was sedated when she came in. I don’t

understand.”

“When she came to, she ripped the IV out of her arm and

attacked the doctor,” the nurse said with a slight smile. “Pompous

ass that he is, I’m glad she took a swing at him,” she said quietly,

looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t overheard.

“We had to restrain her. He gave her a sedative so that he could

examine her.”

“She was abducted and drugged. Using an IV. So I guess

she—”

“Oh, my. Well, we didn’t know. She was nearly hysterical.

She kept calling for someone named Cameron. I assume that’s

her boyfriend. Or husband. Maybe you could find him? She

would probably be more settled if he was here.”

Cameron felt a sting of tears but blinked them away,

somehow feeling as if she’d failed Andrea by not being here for

her. She nodded at the nurse, her hand reaching out to touch

Andrea’s.

“It’ll be awhile before she wakes up. You look like you could

use some coffee,” she suggested.

Cameron sighed. “Coffee? No. I need something much

stronger than coffee.”

The nurse leaned closer. “There’s a bar a couple of blocks

down. Is that what you mean?”

Cameron smiled her thanks. “I’ll be back shortly.”

She found Reynolds waiting, his phone to his ear. He

motioned her over when he saw her.

“Jack says the trucking manager is throwing a fit. Demands

an attorney,” he said.

She shook her head. “No. If we suspect terrorist activity, we

don’t have to follow all of the Miranda rights,” she said.

“Terrorists? That’s reaching a bit. Even for you.”

She smiled. “We found explosives. Could be a hideout of a

terrorist cell.”

He studied her for a moment then nodded. “Okay. I’ll buy

it.” He went back to his call with Jack and Cameron waited while

he gave the other man instructions. When he put his phone away

he looked at her questioningly. “Well?”

10 Gerri Hill

“They had to sedate her again. Seems she attacked the

doctor,” she said with a smile.

“She’s your partner. I’d expect nothing less,” he said with a

smile, showing a sense of humor Cameron hadn’t seen before.

“Come on. I’ll let you buy me a drink. We have about an

hour.”

They walked down the dark sidewalk silently. Cameron in

her dirty jeans and T-shirt, Reynolds in his suit pants and tie,

minus the jacket that he’d covered Andrea with. It was now part

of the crime scene. Her boots were silent, his dress shoes making

a nearly metallic clicking on the concrete.

It was late, or early, depending on how you looked at it. The

bar was sparsely populated, only a handful of tables occupied.

Some of the patrons were dressed in street clothes, others still

in scrubs, no doubt having just come from their shift at the

hospital.

They chose the bar instead of a table and Reynolds motioned

for the bartender. “What would you like?” Reynolds asked her.

“Bourbon. Straight up.”

The bartender waited, patiently wiping down the bar.

Reynolds held up two fingers and the bartender nodded.

They both sighed, then smiled at each other as their drinks

were served. They silently touched glasses.

“You married, Reynolds?”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “Like everyone else

on this team, I’m single. I’m not sure this job and marriage is a

good mix. This line of work is not really conducive to marriage.

Neither was the military.”

“You got someone?”

He smiled. “I have a friend,” he said. “In Chicago. I see her

whenever I get back there. But she knows our relationship will

never be permanent. I don’t think she’d want it to be. She’s a

surgeon. Dedicated.” He watched her for a moment. “You?”

She smiled. “Who would put up with me, Reynolds? Besides,

I’m a loner. Always have been.”

“Yeah, but now you’ve got a partner,” he said.

She shrugged. “I needed someone to watch my back. We

bonded quickly in Sedona. For not having trained together, we

Hell’s Highway 11

just seemed to be in tune with each other. That’s what you want

in a partner.”

He smiled and tossed back the rest of his drink. “You two

look really close. That’s good.”

“Yeah. We’re close.”

He looked at her drink and she nodded. He held up two

fingers again to the bartender.

“So? You and Carina?”

“That was a long time ago.”

“She doesn’t really fit in with the team, does she?”

“No. But she’s good at what she does. This must seem

very tame to her,” Cameron said. “Why did she leave the

military?”

“She is actually on loan from the CIA. Had a botched

mission. Civilians died, including her lovers.”

Cameron raised her eyebrows.

“A man and his wife.”

Cameron shook her head. “What was she thinking?”

“From what I understand, that was common for her.”

“I suppose,” she said, remembering the sexual appetite

Carina had. “So? Her request to get out?”

“No. The brass suggested she take a break. She’s on leave.

For at least a year. They handed her over to Murdock.”

She nodded, taking a sip from her fresh drink. “Eric seems

good. Jack is Jack.”

Reynolds laughed quietly. “I’m surprised you haven’t shot

Eric yet. Or at least punched him out.”

Cameron looked at him questioningly.

“You know, for how he flirts with Andrea.”

Cameron felt the slightest of blushes threaten. “I wanted to

shoot him. Andrea wouldn’t let me.”

Reynolds laughed outright. “Don’t worry. He knows what

the score is. We all do.”

“Really?”

“Really. It’s a dangerous position, Cameron. I’m sure you

know that. You let your emotions override your training.” He

looked at her pointedly. “Like tonight.”

“If breaking protocol saved her life, I’d do it every time.”

1 Gerri Hill

He studied her intently for a long moment. “Is it the real

thing? Or just an affair?”

Cameron didn’t know why she was trusting him, but she was.

“I’m in love with her. It’s not just a passing affair. She’s—” She

paused, not knowing how, or even if, she could explain Andrea’s

importance in her life. So she just shrugged. “Not an affair.”

He nodded again. “I like you, Cameron. I don’t always agree

with your tactics, but I like you. Collie made you out to be this

rogue agent who was out of control and who wouldn’t play nice.”

He smiled. “I see that too, of course. Not that I think you’re

out of control, mind you.” He finished off his drink and slid the

glass away from him. “You and Andrea seem to be a good fit. If

it works for you, then great. But just be careful. We still have a

serial killer to catch. That’s our top priority.”

She tipped her glass at him before swallowing the last bit

of it. “Thanks Reynolds. I like you too. Even if Collie trained

you.” She stood and shoved the barstool back. “Thanks for the

drinks.”

chapter tWentY-one

Andrea sat on the edge of the bed, still feeling a bit out of it,

but she was determined to prove she was fine. She just wanted to

get out of there. She glanced at her arm, a dark bruise showing

where she’d ripped the IV out earlier. She rubbed it, avoiding the

bandage they’d placed there. The doctor—who she had slugged

earlier—had released her. Whether or not it was because he truly

thought she was ready to be discharged, she wasn’t certain. He’d

kept a safe distance, even after she’d apologized for the fourth

time.

“Andi?”

She jerked her head up, then nearly collapsed as she tried

to stand. Cameron rushed to her, strong arms holding her tight

against her solid frame.

“God, Cameron,” she murmured, clinging to her, burying

1 Gerri Hill

her face against Cameron’s neck. She knew this wasn’t the time

or place for this but she couldn’t possibly let her go. Only when

she saw Reynolds watching from the doorway did she pull

away.

Cameron, too, took a step back, but she kept a hand on her

to steady her. “Should you be up?”

“I’ve been released. I just want to get out of here.”

“Are you sure? I mean—”

“I’m very sure.” She glanced at Reynolds, then back to

Cameron. “Did you. .did you find him?”

Cameron shook her head. “No.”

“We found an underground tunnel,” Reynolds said. He

came fully into the room. “Agent Sullivan, you did a fine job

tonight.”

She wanted to laugh. No, she wanted to cry. She found she

was too tired to do either. She knew they’d want a briefing but she

was still too raw, too emotional. She shivered as she remembered

his hands on her. When she’d woken up—the second time—the

first thing she asked the nurse was whether she’d been raped or

not. Her relief was visible as the nurse assured her she had not

been.

“If it’s okay with you, can we go over this in the morning? I

just want to go home.”

The drive back to Indio was made in near silence. Andrea had

taken the backseat, letting Reynolds ride up front with Cameron.

She’d positioned herself so that she could see Cameron in the

mirror, but the rocking motion of the truck lulled her to sleep.

She’d not even stirred when Cameron dropped Reynolds off at

the hotel.

Now, nearly three in the morning, she stood holding Lola,

watching as Cameron moved about the rig, getting ready for

bed. Cameron had been attentive, but quiet. Too quiet. Andrea

knew exactly what was going through her mind.

“You want to talk about it?” she finally asked.

Cameron looked at her but shook her head. Before she turned

Hell’s Highway 1

away, Andrea saw her tears. She put Lola down, then grabbed

Cameron’s arm as she tried to move away.

“Come here,” she said.

She thought Cameron was going to resist but she relented,

letting Andrea pull her into her arms. Cameron’s tears were

silent at first and Andrea rubbed her back, letting her cry. Then

a sob escaped and Cameron clung to her as she wept.

Andrea squeezed her own eyes tight, not willing to give in to

her emotions. Not yet. Cameron needed this right now. Andrea

could wait.

“I’m sorry,” Cameron mumbled against her neck. “I feel so

weak.”

“You’re not weak, sweetheart,” Andrea whispered.

“I am weak,” Cameron said as she pulled out of her arms.

She wiped at the tears on her face, rubbed a finger under her wet

nose. “I’m very weak.” She took a step away from her as if trying

to get herself under control. “I could hardly do my job. I was so

worried about you,” she admitted.

“But you did do your job. You found me. You saved me.”

“What if I hadn’t?” Cameron ran her hands through her

hair, pacing now. “Maybe this was a mistake. I’m not sure I can

do this.”

Andrea tilted her head. “What are you talking about? What’s

a mistake?” She raised an eyebrow. “Us?” Andrea was taken

aback, not knowing exactly where Cameron was going with

this. “Us?” she asked again, motioning between them. “This is

a mistake?”

Cameron nodded. “I can’t keep worrying about you. I can’t

keep being afraid I’m going to lose you. I could have lost you

tonight, Andi. Then what?”

Andrea felt a touch of anger, but she knew Cameron hadn’t

intended to sound so selfish. It was just her vast insecurity rearing

its ugly head again.

“So we’re back to that?” She walked closer to Cameron,

standing just in front of her. “Your sole existence is not dependent

on me. Just like mine is not dependent on you. I love you. You

love me. What we have is something. .what we have—us—is

something I’ve only dared to dream of. That’s why we’re afraid.

1 Gerri Hill

That’s why it hurts when we think about losing the other.” She

took Cameron’s hand, holding it tightly. “I feel it too. If we didn’t

have what we have, then you wouldn’t be so afraid. So this is not

a mistake. This is beautiful what we have between us.”

Cameron’s eyes searched hers but she didn’t say anything.

“Would it be better if we didn’t work together? If you had a

different partner?”

“God, no. No. I wouldn’t trust anyone else.” She dropped

Andrea’s hand, moving away again. “I almost went crazy

tonight.”

“But you didn’t. You did your job.”

Cameron met her eyes, holding them. “It was so close, Andi.

Too close.”

Andrea took a deep breath, hoping to assuage her fears.

“Cameron, our goal was to get him to lead us to his safe house.

That was the goal. When I realized he’d made me for a cop,

I could have done something. I had a gun. When he took it, I

could have disarmed him. I could have grabbed the wheel and

rolled his truck, something. But I knew you were behind me, I

knew what our goal was. I knew you were coming for me. I didn’t

want to abort the mission.” She reached out, cupping Cameron’s

face with one hand. “I knew what my job was and I did it. Just as

you did.”

Cameron finally nodded, turning her head to kiss Andrea’s

palm. Andrea watched as her eyes slid closed and a soft sigh

escaped.

“I’m sorry,” Cameron finally said. She tried to smile. “It just

occurred to me how selfish I’ve been.”

Andrea did smile. “Yes.”

Cameron gave up the fight, pulling Andrea into her arms.

“Now, do you want to talk?”

Andrea shook her head. “I’m tired. I just want to go to bed. I

just want you to hold me. Keep me safe.”

Cameron nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

Andrea kissed her neck, then moved to her lips. “That’s all

I ask.”

chapter tWentY-tWo

Andrea stood behind the glass mirror, along with Eric,

Jack and Carina. Rowan was at the rig again, which he’d

dubbed “control central.” Reynolds and Cameron were in the

interrogation room, questioning the manager of the small

trucking company.

“Where was he headed?” Reynolds asked.

“I told you. Vegas.”

“Then where?”

“Then he swings down Ninety-five to Needles.”

Eric leaned closer. “You okay?”

It was the second time he’d asked. She smiled and squeezed

his arm. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Carina watched them but said nothing. Jack’s eyes never left

the glass.

1 Gerri Hill

“And his name?”

“I already told you. Henry Waters. That’s all I got.”

“Henry Waters died in 1957. We pulled your records. You pay him

in cash. Now who is he?”

“I told you. I don’t know.”

“Why did you pay him in cash?”

“We pay a couple of guys in cash.”

Andrea watched Cameron as she stood in one corner, letting

Reynolds do the questioning. She could tell by the look on her

face that she’d had enough.

“Jesus Christ, Reynolds.”

Cameron nearly shoved Reynolds out of the way as she

grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, slamming him against

the wall.

“Listen, little man, I’ve had enough of your bullshit. I want to

know his goddamn name. Now!”

Eric gave a quiet laugh as the man’s mouth actually quivered.

Carina, too, laughed. “She’s so sexy when she’s like that.”

“She sure is,” Andrea murmured.

“He’s an ex-con. I’m not supposed to hire ex-cons, but I can’t keep

drivers so I do what I can. A cop put in a good word for him. I thought

it was cool.”

Cameron released him . “What’s his name?”

“Leonard Baskin.”

“And the cop?”

“Buddy Burke. From Barstow. It’s his half-brother.”

Andrea saw Cameron’s shoulders stiffen. She, too, recognized

the name. He was the officer from Barstow who had showed them

where the first body was found. Cameron was already walking

out of the interrogation room, phone to her ear.

“We move the rig to Barstow. Reynolds, pack up your team,”

she said, pausing as her call was obviously answered. “Murdock?

We got something.”

Chief Hudley of the Barstow police department looked from

Cameron to Reynolds in disbelief, still shaking his head.

Hell’s Highway 1

“No way my officer is involved. No way.”

Cameron leaned forward. “We just want to talk to him.”

Cameron watched the muscles in his jaw clench and un-

clench. He finally reached for the phone.

“Contact Officer Burke. Have him return to the station.” He

glanced at Cameron. “You may speak with him, but this is in no

way an interrogation. I know Buddy. He’s a good cop.”

“I’m not saying he isn’t. It’s his half-brother we’re interested

in.” “And this will be kept confidential. I don’t want—” His

phone buzzed, interrupting what Cameron feared was going to

turn into a lecture. He nodded without speaking, then hung up.

“Burke is not responding.”

Cameron stood, pacing. “Do you have a locater on his car?”

“Yes, we can track it. It’s going to take a little time. I’ll need

to get the tech guys to—”

“I want to be involved in this. I can have my—”

“No. This is my officer. This is my jurisdiction. The FBI

gets to back off,” he said, pointing at her.

Reynolds was about to protest but she stopped him. “Come

on.” She pulled out one of her cards and tossed it on the chief’s

desk. “Keep us in the loop.”

Once out of his office, Reynolds spoke. “What’s going on?

You never back down like that.”

Cameron took out her phone, already dialing. “We have our

own tech guy. We don’t need his.” Rowan answered immediately.

“I need Buddy Burke’s home address. Then I need you to locate

his patrol car.”

“Is this my okay to hack their system?”

“Yes. Just be quick about it. Call Andrea with his home

address. Reynolds and I will go after the car.”

The Burke home was in a newer subdivision, all of the

houses looking somewhat the same. Children’s toys lay scattered

in the driveway, as if a game had been interrupted. While Jack

and Carina went to the back of the house, Andrea and Eric

10 Gerri Hill

walked slowly to the front door. The drapes were pulled making

it impossible to see inside. Eric nodded at her and she knocked

rapidly on the door.

“Mrs. Burke?” she called. “FBI.” There was no sound from

within and she knocked again.

Eric reached down to try the door, finding it unlocked. “Our

lucky day,” he murmured as he pushed it open.

They went in with weapons drawn. The house was quiet

and dark, indicating no one was home. Andrea stepped into

the kitchen and froze. Blood was splattered on the walls and

countertops. She went to the back door, using the bottom of her

T-shirt to open it for Jack and Carina.

“Careful where you step,” she said quietly.

Eric rounded the corner into the living room and stopped

up short.

“Holy fuck.”

Andrea came up behind him, staring in disbelief as she slowly

lowered her weapon.

“Dear God,” Carina murmured beside her. “They’ve been

butchered.”

Working the streets of LA, Andrea had seen horrendous

crimes before but nothing could have prepared her for this. The

woman, who she assumed was Mrs. Burke, was laying on the

sofa, her belly ripped open, her intestines spilling out to the

floor. Two children—toddlers—lay on the carpet. Their fate

was that of their mother, one also had her throat slashed. A third

child, a boy, was tied to a chair, intact except for a bullet to the

head. A gun was lying on the coffee table, the same gun taken

from Andrea’s purse the night before.

She turned away, unable to look. Eric and Carina went into

the room, stepping over the bodies on the floor, seemingly

unaffected by it. No doubt they’d seen horrors like this in their

military days. Were they immune to it all?

“Why don’t you call Cameron?” Jack suggested, giving her

an out. She nodded numbly, going back into the kitchen and out

the back door.

She held her phone tightly, staring at the neat privacy fence,

the flower bed that was planted with assorted cactus, the swing

Hell’s Highway 11

set with two red seats, one of them moving slightly from the

breeze. A tricycle lay tipped over at the edge of the patio. She

went to it, righting it again. She couldn’t help but feel responsible.

If they’d captured the guy last night, if she’d stopped him, then

this family would still be alive.

Her body was trembling, and she fought to get herself under

control. She would be no good to the team—to Cameron—if she

broke down. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the bloody

scene from her mind, trying to push last night from her mind.

Several deep breaths later, she finally felt composed enough

to call Cameron, who answered immediately.

“We’ve got a crime scene,” she said evenly. “Four bodies.”

“Burke?” Cameron asked.

“No. Wife, three. .three kids.”

Cameron paused. “Are you okay?”

Andrea shook her head. “No. No, I’m not,” she admitted,

not wanting to pretend otherwise. “They’re butchered,” she said,

echoing Carina’s words.

“Okay. I’ll let Barstow PD know,” Cameron said, keeping her

professional mask in place. “Rowan got us a fix on the car. We’re

heading there now. When you’re finished there, meet us back at

the rig.”

“Yeah. Okay,” she said.

“Andi?”

“I’ll be fine, Cameron. Be careful.”

“Always.”

Andrea crossed her arms, trying to remain emotionless

and failing. The last two days had taken their toll. She’d only

managed a couple of hours of sleep—she wished she’d taken the

doctor up on his offer of sleeping pills. Her dreams were real—

the bloody table, the smell of death, the syringe and vials, his

soulless eyes, rough hands as he grabbed her breasts. Cameron

had found her sitting in the dark that morning, Lola on her lap,

untouched coffee beside her. They hadn’t really had time to talk,

not that Andrea had even wanted to.

Now, all she wanted to do was curl up beside Cameron

and close her eyes and let sleep take her away from all this.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

1 Gerri Hill

“There’s the car,” Reynolds said.

The sunlight reflected off of one mirror, twinkling at them

as they drove down the bumpy desert road a short distance from

the highway. Cameron could see the driver’s door was flung

open. She slowed, wanting to be cautious, even though her gut

told her the car was empty.

Reynolds got out first, his weapon drawn. She followed,

going to the passenger side of the car.

“Empty,” Reynolds said.

“Got blood,” she said. “On the dash.”

“Steering wheel too.”

“Could be transfer from the house.” She looked around,

trying to find footprints, anything to indicate in which direction

he’d gone. “Look at this,” she said, squatting down. “Motorcycle?

Dirt bike?”

“Maybe that’s how he escaped us last night,” Reynolds

said.“A smaller motorcycle, maybe. But a dirt bike? They’re noisy

as hell. We would have heard it.”

“So where’s Burke? And why ditch the car like this? It’s not

really hidden. What’s the purpose?”

Cameron turned in all directions, seeing the endless brown

desert, the occasional smattering of creosote bushes, cactus, the

hulking shapes of rocks. She shielded her eyes to the sun, looking

nearly longingly at the distant mountains. She impatiently wiped

the sweat from her brow.

“He’s got Burke somewhere. I don’t think he killed him. He

needs him.”

“So why the car?”

They heard sirens and knew that Barstow PD was closing in

on their location. She smirked. “About time.” She looked around

again, back to the motorcycle tracks. “A diversion,” she said.

“A diversion?”

“Yeah. Make us think he ditched the car here and took off on

foot. Let us concentrate our search here.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“First of all, nobody takes off on foot out in the desert.

Secondly, he would have known we’d find the tire tracks.”

“Not necessarily. The way the wind blows the sand around,

they would have been covered up in no time. He didn’t count on

us finding the car this soon.”

Reynolds shook his head. “Nothing but damn speculation.”

“Are we going back to that again? Shit, Reynolds, I thought

we, you know, bonded or something last night,” she said as

she headed back to her truck. “Let’s go before the cavalry gets

here.”

chapter tWentY-three

“You’re wasting time,” Cameron said, her voice as loud as

his. “He’s not anywhere near the goddamn car.”

“You don’t get to make that call. And I have a mind to file a

complaint against you,” he said.

“Won’t be the first time,” she said as she glared back at

him.“I specifically told you to stay away.”

“I’m telling you the car is a diversion.”

“Don’t presume to tell us how to do our job,” he continued.

“We’re not some rogue FBI team. We’re processing the scene

at the house, not you. We’re by the book. That’ll take all day,

at least. We’re getting the car towed in. They found multiple

prints. They—”

“They’ll belong to the half-brother, Leonard Baskin, my

Hell’s Highway 1

goddamn serial killer,” she said, pointing at him. “The FBI has

jurisdiction on this one.”

“You don’t have any jurisdiction over my crime scene. None.

Right now, you have no evidence that your serial killer and this

family’s murder are related.”

“It’s the goddamn brother, of course they’re related,” she

nearly yelled, frustration creeping into her voice. “Don’t be an

idiot.”

His eyes flashed at her. “This is my town, my officers, my

case.” He stood in front of her, inches taller. “My case. Not

yours. So you back off right now. If you want to go chase your

serial killer, get the sheriff’s department’s help. It started out as

theirs anyway. But in Barstow, I’m in charge. Not you. My case,”

he said again.

Cameron felt her anger boiling just under the surface, but

she kept her voice as even as she could.

“No sir. It’s not your case.” She pulled out her phone, never

breaking eye contact with the chief. She waited only a few

seconds before it was answered. “Murdock? The chief of police

here in Barstow is not cooperating. In the least. You better do

something about it before I shoot him.”

Andrea felt a presence behind her and she turned, surprised

to find Carina watching her. She was still in the backyard, sitting

on the steps, watching the empty red swing sway back and forth.

Truth was, she was mesmerized by it, the wind moving it to and

fro.Before Barstow PD got there, Eric and Jack had already

begun to question the neighbors. Eric was chumming it up with

some of the officers now, asking questions about Burke. The

place was crawling with cops, some official, some curious, most

in shock as the reality of the situation hit home.

Andrea hadn’t been able to go back inside. She kept seeing

his face, the soulless eyes. She could picture him doing this,

could picture him killing them. She wondered if he’d made

Burke watch or if Burke was involved somehow. No, even the

1 Gerri Hill

most deranged father could never do this to his family. At least

she hoped not.

Carina sat down beside her, dressed in an expensive suit and

heels. Andrea thought again what a beautiful woman she was.

She was perfectly made up, not a hair out of place, her dress

pants as pressed as Reynolds kept his. She took a moment to look

at her own jeans, her T-shirt that clung to her in the heat, the

scuffed boots that had seen many a mile of trail in Sedona. She

and Carina were like night and day.

“That was quite gruesome in there,” Carina offered.

“Yes.”

Carina rested her arms on her knees, her gaze following

Andrea’s out to the swing set.

“Last night must have been frightening for you.”

Andrea turned to look at her but Carina kept her gaze on the

swing. She nodded. “Yes. I was terrified.”

“I was held captive once,” Carina said quietly. “For nine days.

In Sudan. They did. .they did unspeakable things to me.”

Andrea literally saw her shiver at the memory. She turned,

waiting for her story.

“It was a rescue mission. I was supposed to get captured.

There was a woman and child there. British diplomats. We

were on a joint mission to rescue them and the other women

and children who were being held there. They were all nothing

more than playthings to be used for the soldiers’ pleasure. Me

included.” Carina took a deep breath before continuing. “I had

to gain the trust of the women, as many didn’t speak English

and were wary of me. But the rescue mission didn’t turn out as

we’d planned. There were twenty-eight people being held there.

Eighteen women, nine children and me. We got the British

diplomat out, but her child was killed. We only saved ten of the

women and four children. It was a bloodbath.” She looked at

Andrea quickly, then away. “You get numb to it after a while.

Sometimes you see so much of this, you forget they’re people.

They just become subjects, just another casualty of war.”

Andrea shook her head. “I hope I never reach that place

where I’m immune to it.”

Carina offered a small smile. “No, I suppose you don’t.

Hell’s Highway 1

Sometimes the military turns us into nothing more than machines.”

She turned to look at her. “Cameron loves you, you know.”

Andrea was surprised at her comment. “Yes, I know she

does.”

Carina’s gaze went back to the swing set. “I tried my best,”

she said, smiling. “The night we were alone, I offered myself to

her on a silver platter. She wouldn’t have anything to do with

me.” She turned back to Andrea. “The Cameron I knew would

have never turned me down. You must have some hold on her.”

Andrea nodded. “Yes. Love. It’s because I love her too.”

Cameron sat quietly in the chief’s office, her legs crossed,

her fingers tapping impatiently on her thigh. She hadn’t said a

word, hadn’t responded to his continued discourse as to why the

Barstow PD should be in charge and not the FBI. She simply

stared at him, barely hearing his words.

“We do know what we’re doing. I know you think we don’t,”

he continued.

Again, she said nothing as she willed his phone to ring.

Finally, it did. He looked up, their eyes meeting, but he made no

move to answer it. She smiled, then glanced at the phone.

“You’re probably going to want to get that,” she said.

“Chief Hudley,” he answered quickly. “Yes sir. But—” He

glared at Cameron. “I don’t agree. I feel—”

Here it comes, she thought.

“Senator Orin?” He flicked his eyes at her. “I still don’t

think—” His eyes narrowed as he glared at her. “I see. Of course.”

He hung up the phone, then cleared his throat. “That was the

mayor. I’m. .I’m to give you full cooperation.”

“Wonderful. You’ve only wasted twenty minutes of my time.”

She stood, making a mental note to thank Murdock. Apparently

he wasn’t kidding when he said he could pull strings. “I want to

interview Burke’s commander. I also want to talk to his closest

friends. I want—”

He stood too. “I’m not going to let you run roughshod over

my department.”

1 Gerri Hill

“I’ll do anything I damn well please,” she said. “I don’t give

a shit if I piss someone off or hurt their feelings. I have a serial

killer to catch.”

“You don’t really believe Burke’s a suspect in this, do you?”

“No. I’ve heard what the crime scene looked like. He didn’t

do that. But whether he’s helping his brother willingly or not

remains to be seen.” She pulled out her phone, calling Rowan.

He answered immediately.

“I need some background on Leonard Baskin and Buddy

Burke. I need everything you can find. And I need it right now.”

“I’m good, Cameron, but I’m not that good.” She heard him

already tapping away at her computer. “Give me a few minutes.”

“You’ve got ten. Share it with the group when you’re done.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And don’t call me ma’am,” she snapped, turning to Hudley.

“How many officers do you employ?”

“We have forty-three.”

“My team is going to interview them all. I’ll need names.”

chapter tWentY-FoUr

Andrea jotted down some notes, waiting for the next cop to

come in for his interview. So far, all she’d learned was that Buddy

Burke was just a good old boy, following in his father’s footsteps

on the force. Everyone expressed disbelief that he could be

involved in any of this. All she remembered about the man was

that he had a fondness for smokeless tobacco.

“What’s your name?” she asked, offering a smile.

“Crowley. James.” He leaned his arms on the table. “Everyone

calls me Jimmy.”

“Okay, Jimmy. How well do you know Officer Burke?”

“Know him well. Me and Buddy came up together.” He shook

his head. “We were friends. I got a couple of kids too. His wife

and mine would share babysitting if the other had something to

do.” He paused. “We live in the same neighborhood,” he said, his

10 Gerri Hill

eyes looking past her. “I can’t imagine what hell Rebecca went

through. And those poor kids.”

Andrea knew well the hell they’d endured but she forced

those images away. “What about his brother? Leonard Baskin?

Do you know him?”

“Half-brother,” Jimmy corrected. “He was a year older than

us. He spent summers here when they were kids. We would hang

out, play. But when he got older, he didn’t come around much.”

“What is your opinion of him?”

“He was kind of shy back then. Didn’t really know us. Took

nearly half of the summer before he would warm up, you know.

He and Buddy were close though. They kept in touch throughout

the year.” He shrugged. “I haven’t seen him in years though.

Well, obviously, since he was locked up.”

“When did he move here?”

“The first time was, what? Ten years ago maybe?”

Andrea nodded. “When he was arrested, did Buddy support

him?”

“Oh, yeah. Buddy was convinced he was innocent.”

“What did you think?”

“Hell, I’m a cop. They had evidence. The woman had the

marks to prove it.”

Andrea folded her arms on the table, leaning closer. “You

know about the shack we found, right?”

“Yeah. Seventeen heads.”

“When Baskin lived in this area before, there were four bodies

dumped in the desert, all beheaded. That woman was lucky.

It’s also what sent him to prison and the killings stopped.” She

opened up a folder, glancing at the three photos of their victims.

She placed them on the table for him to see. “They started up

again. One found here near Barstow,” she said, pointing to Susie

Bell. “The other two were found on I-10.”

He nodded but said nothing.

“It’ll take awhile to get all the DNA sorted out, but we’re

confident that Leonard Baskin is our serial killer. Then and

now. We’re also convinced he killed Buddy Burke’s family.” She

gathered the photos again. “And we’re assuming he has Buddy.

Whether it’s by force or not, we can only speculate.”

Hell’s Highway 11

“Buddy loved his brother. But his family was everything to

him. No way would he go with him willingly, not if he knew

what he’d done to his wife and kids. No way.”

“You’re born and raised here?”

“Yes. Most of us were. Barstow is not a destination city, if

you know what I mean.”

“Where could they be hiding?”

Jimmy leaned back. “Hiding? It’s the desert. They could be

anywhere.”

“Is there some childhood place they had? Is there perhaps

another place like the old house he was using?”

“There are abandoned houses all over in the desert. Nothing

where you could live though. I mean, no power or water. Just

shelter.”

She nodded. “The place where we found him, he had solar

panels and batteries for power. No running water. Can you think

of another place like that?”

He shook his head. “No, nothing comes to mind. I mean,

like I said, it could be anywhere.”

She sighed, having heard the same answer time and again.

No one knew anything.

Cameron rubbed the bridge of her nose, shaking her head.

“Nobody knows anything. Nobody saw anything.” She

sighed, stating the obvious. “Nobody can offer a guess. Highway

patrol has nothing. Sheriff’s department has nothing. No activity

on credit cards. No phone calls.” She snapped her fingers. “Just

disappeared.”

She looked at the faces around her, all showing the weariness

that she felt. They’d interviewed every officer, they’d interviewed

neighbors. Jack had gone back to San Bernardino to interview the

other truckers Baskin worked with. Nothing. She heard Rowan

tapping away and she moved in the direction of her office.

“Rowan? Anything?”

He shook his head, not looking up.

“Cameron?”

1 Gerri Hill

She turned, finding Andrea standing close. She raised an

eyebrow.

“It’s late. We need a break.”

She was about to protest. What they needed were answers.

But they’d been at it nonstop all day, and she knew everyone was

tired. She could see that in Andrea’s eyes.

“Okay. Yeah.” She ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.

“Let’s call it a night. Meet back here in the morning.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Eric said, offering a hand

to Carina as he pulled her to her feet.

“We’ll be over by eight,” Reynolds said. “Rowan? You

coming?”

“Yes. One sec,” he called.

Reynolds eyed Cameron. “Do you know what he’s working

on?”“He may be...searching some databases,” she said

evasively.

“In other words, I don’t want to know?”

“Exactly.”

Rowan came out, glancing at Cameron. “Let it run. Maybe

we’ll get a hit.”

“I won’t touch it,” she promised.

She plopped down in her recliner once they’d taken their

leave. She closed her eyes, listening to the shower. The RV park

was a dump, but they hadn’t had time to be choosy. The owner

of the park hadn’t been thrilled when Cameron had flashed her

credentials at him. That was probably one reason he’d let them

park in a secluded part, far from the other residents.

She gave a weary smile as Lola hopped in her lap, a quiet

meow the response as Cameron threaded her fingers through

her fur. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She, like

the others, didn’t even have a guess as to where Baskin and Burke

might be.

Rowan was running a search, looking at property tax

records. Burke was fourth generation in Barstow and records

show the only property he owned was his house. While there

were no family homes on record—his childhood home having

been destroyed years ago—they were hoping to find something

Hell’s Highway 1

that may have once belonged to the Burke family. Something

familiar where Baskin could hide.

“Hey.”

She opened her eyes, finding Andrea watching her, her hair

damp and slicked back from her face. She looked clean and fresh,

but her eyes reflected just how tired she was.

Cameron pushed herself up, wrapping her arms around

Andrea. “Go on to bed,” she said, kissing her lightly on the

cheek. “I’ll be there soon.”

“I need to get the coffee—”

“I’ll get it, Andi. You’re exhausted.”

“So are you.”

Cameron nodded. “Yes.” She pulled Andrea closer, kissing

her lips this time, letting them linger. “Now go to bed.”

Andrea nodded, picking Lola up before turning away.

Cameron got the coffee ready for morning, then slipped into the

bathroom, intending a quick shower. Instead, she stood under

the spray until the hot water ran out. She ducked her head into

the cool stream of water, then stepped out. She didn’t bother

putting any clothes on as she brushed her teeth. She towel dried

her hair, then combed it with her fingers. She was too tired to

worry with it.

Andrea was sound asleep when she crawled in beside her. She

moved closer, then smiled as Andrea’s hands, even in sleep, found

their way to her body. She pulled Andrea into her arms, closing

her eyes as Andrea snuggled against her, never once waking. She

had no time for any other thoughts as sleep claimed her, chasing

Leonard Baskin and Buddy Burke from her mind.

chapter tWentY-FIVe

Andrea had to pee but it was too warm, too comfortable

where she was so she ignored the urge. She lay on her side,

Cameron curled protectively around her from behind. She

slipped her fingers through Cameron’s, moving Cameron’s hand

to her breast. She sighed as Cameron’s fingers tightened.

“You trying to tell me something,” Cameron murmured in

her ear.

“No. I just wanted your touch. Is that okay?”

She felt lips kiss behind her ear and she closed her eyes,

pulling Cameron’s arms tighter around her.

“Did you sleep well?” Cameron whispered.

“Yes. I don’t remember waking up once.” She rolled to her

back, her lips finding Cameron’s. “Did you?”

“Yes.” Cameron leaned up on an elbow, her fingers moving

Hell’s Highway 1

in lazy circles over Andrea’s breasts. Her nipples hardened

immediately.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” Andrea warned.

Cameron dipped her head, her mouth closing over one erect

nipple. Andrea moaned, holding Cameron closer. She spread her

legs, urging Cameron between them. Her hips arched, meeting

Cameron’s thrust. Her hands moved over Cameron’s back,

sliding down and cupping her, bringing her hard against her.

She moaned again as Cameron’s mouth went to her other

breast, her tongue swirling over her nipple. She could feel

Cameron’s arousal on her thigh and she arched again, opening

to her.

“Do we have time?” she murmured, her body craving more.

Cameron didn’t answer, instead, she took her lips in a fierce

kiss, her tongue moving wildly inside Andrea’s mouth. She felt

Cameron’s hand move between their bodies, felt fingers slip into

her wet folds, opening her, exposing her clit.

“Oh, God,” Andrea moaned, holding Cameron tight as

their clits rubbed together, each thrusting against the other,

slowly, grinding together in a perfect rhythm. She wanted to

stay like this for hours, their bodies wet against each other. But

they didn’t have hours, and she gave in to her body’s demand

for release, her breath held as she shuddered, her body pulsing

against Cameron’s as she, too, gave in to her climax.

Their bodies were damp with perspiration and Cameron

rolled off her, both of their breaths slowly returning to normal.

Cameron reached for her phone, then groaned when she saw the

time.“They’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

Andrea pushed the hair out of her face. “Great, company,”

she said dryly, her body still humming from Cameron’s touch.

Cameron leaned over, kissing her quickly. “I think to save

time, we should shower together.”

Andrea laughed. “Sweetheart, if we shower together, we’ll

never be finished in twenty minutes.”

But they were, even after enjoying a few playful wet moments.

They were both seated and sipping coffee when the team arrived.

Cameron’s hair had dried but Andrea’s was still damp and she

1 Gerri Hill

brushed at it now, chancing a glance at Cameron who gave her a

soft smile before opening the door.

“It’s like a hundred degrees already,” Eric complained as he

walked into the air conditioned rig. “How do people live out

here?”

“It’s a dry heat,” Andrea said automatically. “You get used to

it. Although it was never this hot in Sedona.”

Rowan mumbled a hello and headed straight for the office.

Cameron gave him a smile, then turned her gaze to the others.

“I trust everyone got a good night’s sleep.”

“Well, you two look like you certainly did,” Eric said, then

laughed as Andrea blushed.

Andrea looked at Cameron, pleased that she too sported a

blush. And why not? Only a half hour ago they had been naked,

making love.

“We slept. .very well,” Cameron said. “Thank you.”

Reynolds cleared his throat, an amused expression on his

face. “Coffee?” he asked.

“Sure. Help yourself,” she said, pointing to a cabinet where

they kept the cups.

“I got a call this morning from the sheriff’s department,” he

said. “The tunnel was indeed rigged to blow so thank you for

that.”

“My pleasure,” Cameron said.

“It came out about a hundred feet from the highway. Had a

little ramp going up.”

“Motorbike?”

“That’s the assumption,” he said as he took a sip of coffee.

“Seeing as how this crowd likes to speculate, I guess we’ll go

with it.”

Andrea was surprised by the gentle teasing of Reynolds.

Apparently he and Cameron had moved past their earlier debates

on the wisdom of speculation.

“No wonder we didn’t hear anything,” Cameron said. “It was

a half-mile to the road.”

“So you really think the patrol car was left where it was as a

ruse?” Carina asked.

“I think he wanted us to concentrate our search in that

Hell’s Highway 1

area, yes. We’ve found his house, his haven, so he’s no longer

comfortable. He feels hunted, which he is. I think he went to the

only person he could trust—Buddy Burke.”

“And maybe Buddy didn’t want to help,” Eric suggested. “Or

maybe Buddy put two and two together and threatened to turn

him in.”

Andrea shook her head. “We met Burke. He didn’t seem that

bright.”

Cameron nodded. “Yeah. All I recall of him was his constant

spitting of tobacco juice and his questioning us if we were really

FBI.”

Reynolds snorted. “Imagine that.”

“No, I think Buddy refused to help him so he had to be

persuaded.”

“By killing his family,” Carina concluded. “Of course, if

Burke had to watch all that, I can’t imagine him even being able

to function. That would drive most men mad.”

Rowan came out holding up his laptop. “Got a couple of

hits,” he said. “Three really, but one place is currently occupied,

so we can cross that one off.” He sat on the edge of the loveseat,

next to Carina. “There’s an abandoned house that used to belong

to the grandparents. Of course, they sold it way back in 1992 and

it’s had three other owners since then.”

“Burke would have been what? Ten? Eleven?”

“Yes. Eleven. This place is located in the high desert area

between Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms. Then I found

another property, this one no longer has a residence on it,

according to tax records anyway. But I pulled up a satellite image

and,” he said, showing them his laptop, “you can see there are a

couple structures here. A small shed or something. This one is

here in the Barstow area, on I-15 near Newberry Springs.”

“So right in his hunting area.”

“Exactly. It’s only a couple of miles from an abandoned water

park. Used to be called Lake Delores but now Rock-A-Hoola,”

Rowan said with a grin. “That was the last name it used. It’s just

off of I-15. It’s been closed down for the last ten years.”

“Okay. Who owns the place near Barstow?”

“Creosote Properties,” he said. “It’s currently for sale.”

1 Gerri Hill

“And the grandparents’ place in the high desert area?”

“The bank now. The grandparents used to own both of these

properties twenty years ago.”

“Are they still alive?”

Rowan shook his head. “Both deceased.”

“What about parents?”

“Divorced. Burke’s mother lives in Bakersfield. No location

on Baskin’s mother. The father—who is the biological father to

both Burke and Baskin—lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He’s

remarried.”

“Bakersfield is close,” Reynolds said. “Let’s put a call in to

the PD there, just as a precaution.”

Cameron nodded. “It wouldn’t hurt to have someone question

the father as well, but I don’t think Baskin would contact him. I

think this is his war and I think it plays out here.”

Jack, who had been silent, nodded. “I agree. This is his

territory. This is where he lives, this is where he hunts, this is

where he kills. He’s familiar with things here.”

“He may very well have any number of places where he

feels safe. As we learned from the interviews, there are a lot

of abandoned houses, businesses. A lot of places to hide,” Eric

said. “I’m still at a loss about the patrol car,” Andrea said.

“Obviously he needs to hide. But why take the time to ditch the

car? If it’s to try to throw us off of a search grid, that’s crazy.”

“Is it?” Cameron asked. “Chief Hudley was ready to put his

whole force in the area of the car.”

“And the car was left to the north, miles away from any of

these possible safe houses,” Rowan said.

“Right. Miles away,” she said. “Why is he taking the time

for that, taking that chance that he’ll get caught? Why isn’t he

hiding?”

“What are you thinking?” Cameron asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “But it just doesn’t feel right. The

whole car thing makes no sense to me. If he’s got Burke, why not

just take him and leave the car? Why take the car out of the way

and dump it?” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m overthinking it.”

Cameron shook her head. “No. That’s what we do. Speculate,”

Hell’s Highway 1

she said, glancing at Reynolds with a smirk. “I want everyone to

feel free to express their thoughts.”

“I think he dumped the car as far north as he did to make us

at least look in that direction,” Jack said. “If he’s headed south, to

Twentynine Palms, then he’d have a good head start.”

“Head start to what?” Eric asked. “The shootout?”

“And do we assume Burke is being held captive or is helping?

He may have a police radio. He may know everything.”

“Will he assume we’ll find these properties? His grandparents

are buried several owners deep,” Reynolds said.

“That’s the chance you take with speculating,” Cameron

said. “We may be off base with the whole thing. Hell, he may

have headed south and is in Mexico already.”

“I don’t think so,” Andrea said. “A serial killer is just that.

He doesn’t run. He keeps playing the game until he gets caught.

This is just a little setback for him,” she said. “He still has this

compulsion to kill, to torture. What he did to the Burke family—

will that satisfy him for a while?”

“I agree,” Carina said. “Like Jack said, this is where he hunts,

where he kills. I don’t think he’s running.”

Cameron spread her hands out. “Okay then. Which property?

South to Twentynine Palms?” She turned to Rowan with a raised

eyebrow as he typed quickly on his laptop.

“From all the data that we have, plus plugging in these

new properties, the highest probability is Twentynine Palms.

Seventy-three percent. The property here near Barstow is only

thirty-four.”

Cameron glanced at Reynolds, then at Andrea. Andrea wasn’t

surprised by Cameron’s next words.

“Reynolds and I will take Twentynine Palms. I want you

four here.”

Eric raised his hand to protest but Cameron stopped him.

“We’ll get the sheriff’s department for backup. So will you.”

“But why send four of us on the lowest percentage? If we—”

“It’s not up for discussion,” she said.

Andrea wasn’t sure what Cameron’s motive was regarding

the others. For her, she knew—after what happened the other

night—that Cameron would do everything she could to keep

10 Gerri Hill

Andrea out of a similar situation. A part of Andrea was angry at

that and she would have her say later, but she knew better than to

argue. As Cameron had said, it wasn’t up for discussion.

It was over an hour’s drive from Barstow to the high

desert area near Twentynine Palms. Rowan was still at the rig,

keeping up with both teams and providing GPS assistance and

updates.

“Heard back on the DNA from the items they took from

the motel in Needles,” he said. “Match on Susie Bell. Not that it

matters at this point.”

“And the forensic team made it?”

“Yes. They’re working out of Apple Valley.”

Cameron glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing the two

units following her. The sheriff’s department had been nothing

but cooperative. For that, she was thankful. There was no drama

like there’d been with Chief Hudley.

“Want to tell me why you split the team up unevenly?”

Reynolds asked.

“I think you know why.”

“Yeah. You want us to have all the fun, I guess.”

Cameron sighed. “She’s pissed at me.”

“No doubt.”

“I mean really pissed,” she said.

“I don’t blame her.”

“You think I’m wrong?”

“The way you’re trying to protect her, she can’t do her job.

You’re going overboard,” he said.

Cameron smiled. “Funny. Those were pretty much her exact

words.”

“But?”

“But I don’t think she’s recovered—emotionally, at least—

from the other night. Then, with what they found at the Burke

house. Outwardly, she’s acting like she’s fine. But I know Andrea.”

Cameron looked at him quickly. “He had her chained to that

bloody table, for God’s sake. He drugged her. She was about to

Hell’s Highway 11

meet the same fate as the others. That’s got to screw with your

mind.”

Reynolds shook his head. “I don’t think you’re giving her

enough credit. She was a victim because we made her a victim.

It was a plan we threw together chaotically that actually worked,

which still surprises me.”

“Considering it was based on speculation?”

“Mostly, yes.”

“No. Partly speculation, mostly Rowan and the algorithms.”

“But really, what are the chances we found our guy on the

first try?”

Cameron laughed. “I believe the chances were sixty-eight

percent.”

Jack drove them down I-15 with Carina riding shotgun.

Andrea was still a little miffed at Cameron and hated that they’d

parted in anger. Well, anger on her part. Cameron had still been

trying to reason with her.

“You’re treating me like a goddamn child.”

“No, I’m not. I’m not even treating you as my lover. I’m treating

you as an agent who had a traumatic experience and needs to back

away. If this had happened while you were still a cop, they’d make you

see a shrink before returning to duty.”

“That’s bullshit. If we weren’t sleeping together, you wouldn’t be

doing this.”

“That’s not true. If this were Carina, I’d be doing the same damn

thing.”

“Oh, well sure, since we’re talking lovers and all. Why don’t we try

it with someone you haven’t slept with?”

It was a childish thing to say, she knew, but she hated that

Cameron didn’t trust her enough to handle this. She wondered

why she didn’t trust any of them enough, since Cameron had

sent them off together to what amounted to nothing more

than a formality check. She knew from working in Sedona that

thirty-four percent was nothing. It might as well have been ten

percent.

1 Gerri Hill

“You okay?” Eric whispered.

“No. I’m pissed.”

“Get into a little fight, did you?”

“This is bullshit,” she said.

“What? This little trip we’re taking?”

“Yes. We should have gone as a group to Twentynine Palms.

Why trust the sheriff’s department as backup?”

Carina turned to look at them, obviously overhearing their

conversation.

“Cameron is following procedure,” she said. “In the military,

if you have two possible targets, you don’t send all of the elite

team to one and grunts to the other. Besides, she is trying to

protect you, you know that.”

“Yeah. That’s the part that pisses me off.”

“What does that say for the rest of us?” Eric asked.

Carina smiled. “Andrea and Reynolds are the only two who

Cameron really trusts. We are the grunts, unfortunately,” she

said with a shrug.

That much was true, Andrea knew. Although she might also

lump Rowan in with Reynolds. Cameron had come to rely on

him so much. She knew Cameron trusted him. She hadn’t called

Jason even once to help with the algorithms, simply letting

Rowan do his thing. The rest of them—Jack, Eric, Carina—no,

Cameron didn’t trust them. Not that they’d given her any reason

not to, she just hadn’t worked with them enough, or recently, in

Carina’s case.

She let out a heavy sigh, glancing out the window again.

They were passing the old water park, palms still growing and

flourishing on the site.

“Crazy idea for a water park, isn’t it?”

She turned to Eric. “What? In the middle of the desert?”

“Not just that. It’s in the middle of nowhere in the middle

of the desert. There aren’t enough people living out here. Who

were they targeting?”

“Traffic from LA to Vegas,” Jack said.

Eric laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m dreaming of slot machines

and show girls, but I stop off for a quick play day on the water

slides? I don’t think so.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Obviously their plan didn’t work.”

“Here’s the road,” Carina said as she followed the GPS on

her phone. “Rowan? You still with us?”

“Yes. The road should dead end at the larger of the two sheds.

The second shed is about two hundred feet north.”

“Okay. We can see the first shed,” she said. “I’m taking you

off speaker.” She glanced at the others. “Earbuds.”

Andrea turned her phone on, dialing the number Rowan had

set up for them. When she was connected, she put one earbud in.

“I’m on,” she said.

“Copy that,” Rowan said. “Eric? Jack?”

“I’m on,” Eric said.

“Me too.”

“Okay. As Cameron would say, slow and easy.”

chapter tWentY-SIX

Cameron turned down the driveway, the skeletons of long

dead palm trees lining the sides. The house was fairly close to

the road and in desperate need of repair. The constant wind

and blowing sand had taken its toll, leaving the paint nearly

stripped. An old, faded For Sale sign leaned haphazardly against

the front porch, nearly obscured by a cactus left to grow

unchecked.

There was no sign of a vehicle, no evidence that one had

been down the driveway, but she knew how quickly tracks would

get covered up out here. She stopped and got out, waiting for the

four sheriff’s deputies to do the same. Reynolds had his phone on

and she nodded at him.

“Let Rowan know we’re here. Find out where the other team

is,” she said before walking toward the deputies. “Two with me,

Hell’s Highway 1

two with Reynolds,” she said. “We’re doing a sweep of the house

and then the grounds.”

“The other team just checked in,” Reynolds said. “No sign of

vehicles. They’re just now checking the sheds.”

“Okay. You take the back,” she said.

The front porch creaked under their weight. She peered in

through a broken window, surprised that there was still furniture

inside. Maybe someone was living here after all. She motioned

for the deputies to stay to the side. She slowly opened the screen

door, the old hinges protesting, suggesting they hadn’t been

opened in years.

She turned the knob. Locked. She was about to step back

and kick it in when one of the deputies stopped her.

“I’ll do it, ma’am.”

She stepped away, then paused. “Don’t ever call me ma’am

again.”

“Yes, ma’am. .I mean, no, ma’am. .no, I won’t, ma’am.”

“Jesus,” she murmured, rolling her eyes. “Just do your

thing.”

One powerful kick and the doorjamb shattered, splintering

the wood. He pushed the door open, then let Cameron go in first.

Her weapon out and ready, she entered the small room which

was indeed still furnished. The thick layer of dust indicated it

was unused.

“Back here,” Reynolds called. “Kitchen.”

They headed for the sound of his voice, stopping up short.

Burke was tied to a chair, one side of his head missing from a

large caliber gunshot wound.

“Damn,” one of the deputies murmured behind her. “So

much for brotherly love.”

Cameron flicked her eyes to Reynolds, then turned to the

deputies. “Sweep the house.”

“His service weapon is missing,” Reynolds said, pointing to

his empty holster.

“Judging by the hole in his head, I’d say it was used to kill

him.”

“Yeah. And we can assume Baskin has it.”

1 Gerri Hill

The larger shed, while obviously abandoned, was in decent

shape. Andrea guessed it was twenty-by-thirty. There were no

windows and only a double door that was securely padlocked.

“Can I shoot it off?” Eric asked.

“How about we use bolt cutters,” Jack said. He raised his

eyebrows at one of the two sheriff’s deputies who had accompanied

them. “You got some?”

“Yes sir.”

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s been here recently,” Carina said

as she walked around the side, her gaze fixed on the rocks and

sand that surrounded the building. “No tracks.”

“You can’t go by that out here,” Andrea said. “The wind

moves the sand around all the time.”

“Here you go,” the deputy said, handing the bolt cutters to

Jack.They all stood back as Jack pulled the double doors open. A

swoosh of hot air hit them, then nothing. The place was entirely

empty. Using their flashlights, they went inside, inspecting the

floor and walls but there was nothing other than the stifling heat.

Andrea felt sweat trickle between her breasts and a lone stream

fell down her cheek. She wiped it away impatiently, then turned

to go back outside into the somewhat cooler temperature.

“Were we really expecting anything?” Eric asked.

“No.”

“Come on,” Carina said. “Let’s check the small one.”

Andrea holstered her weapon, then wiped again at the sweat

on her face, seeing Eric do the same. Jack and the two deputies

followed Carina to the shed.

“You guys copy?” Rowan’s voice sounded in her ear.

“What’s up?” Andrea asked as she and Eric followed the

others.

“Reynolds checked in. They found Burke. Dead.”

Eric turned and their gazes locked.

“Copy that,” Andrea said. “Nothing here in the large shed.

Checking the smaller one now.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Keep me posted. I’ll pass this along to Cameron.”

“Yeah. Sure.” She shrugged. “I guess that answers whether

Burke was helping him or not.”

“Got blood,” Carina called.

Andrea and Eric turned, watching as Carina and Jack stood

opposite the door, this one without a padlock. They had their

weapons drawn, the two deputies beside them.

“Wonder why that one doesn’t have a lock,” she murmured

out loud.

“Really. This one was locked up like it held gold or something.

Yet empty. That one—”

But his sentence was cut off as an explosion literally blew

the small shed apart. Andrea saw it all in slow motion—after all,

she’d seen it before—her team consumed by the blast. In a blink

of an eye, her breath was knocked from her as the force of the

explosion blew Eric off his feet and square into her body.

It was déjà vu—the blast, the fire, the pain. Only this time,

it wasn’t her lover, Erin. It wasn’t her best friend, Mark. No, but

still, it didn’t lessen the sting, the agony of it all.

She felt the hard desert ground beneath her, rocks cutting

into her back. Eric lay sprawled on top of her, shielding her, his

dead weight heavy on her chest. She let her head fall back, unable

to fight the inevitable, her eyes closing as blackness enveloped

her.

“There’s nothing else,” Reynolds said as they finished a

sweep of the outside perimeter of the house.

“Rowan called in CSI?”

“Yes. They’re on their way.”

She put her hands on her hips, surveying the land around

them, wondering where in the hell Baskin had slithered off to.

“You think he’s still on a motorcycle?”

“Pros and cons with that,” Reynolds said as he wiped his

brow. “He’s a sitting duck if he is. Exposed. Yet he would be

able to escape tight situations, much better than in a car.” He

shrugged. “What does your gut tell you?”

1 Gerri Hill

Cameron stared at him, shaking her head. “Still with the tie,

Reynolds? It’s a hundred and ten.”

He wiped the sweat from his face again. “Tie or not, it’s still

fucking hot.”

She laughed out loud, seeing the sheen of perspiration on his

dark skin. “I do believe that’s the first time you’ve dropped the

f-bomb, Reynolds. Am I wearing off on you?”

“Hardly.”

She looked back at the house, the desolate landscape

surrounding it, the four deputies talking quietly among

themselves. “My gut says he’s on a motorcycle.”

Reynolds nodded. “Mine too. I think perhaps—” He tilted

his head, holding the earpiece tightly to his ear. “Hang on.

What? ”

Cameron frowned, trying to read Reynolds’s expression.

Suddenly the deputies were a flurry of activity as they all reached

for their radios at once. Reynolds turned to her. “Get your

phone.”

“What is it?”

“It’s Rowan. Get your phone.”

A sense of dread settled over her as she fished out her phone.

Her hand was trembling and she wanted to throw the phone

down to the desert floor, not wanting to hear what Rowan had

to say.

“Yeah. It’s me.”

“There was an explosion, Cameron. I’ve lost communication

with the team.”

Cameron’s eyes flew to Reynolds, their gazes locking. “What

do you mean you’ve lost communication? No one is answering

you?”

“Not just that. There’s no signal. I’m assuming the blast. .

well, it would have disabled the phones, obviously, if. .”

Cameron was having a hard time breathing, the tightness

in her chest sucking the air out of her. She cleared her throat,

trying to focus. “Sheriff’s department?”

“I’ve notified them, yes. They are already en route.”

“Good. We’re on our way.” She paused. “You find out what

the hell is going on, Rowan.”

Hell’s Highway 1

She strode purposefully to the deputies, them just getting

the news too of the explosion.

“Do you know anything?” one of them asked.

She shook her head, wondering if her face gave away her

nervousness. “No. But I need you four to stay here.” She pointed

at the house. “Secure the scene until the CSI team gets here.”

“We know the drill.”

Any other day, Cameron would have come back with a biting

retort, but not today. She simply spun on her heels and headed

for her truck. Reynolds intercepted her.

“Let me drive.”

“Like hell,” she spat out, trying to open the door.

“You’re in no condition. Let me drive.”

She glared at him, wanting to tell him to get his ass in

the passenger’s seat, but the look in his eyes was genuine, not

condescending. She nodded.

“Fine,” she said, hurrying around to the other side of the

truck. “But I expect you to break every traffic law there is.”

“Will do.”

True to his word, Reynolds spun out of the driveway, sending

rocks flying in all directions as he skidded around the corner and

sped out onto the highway. Cameron held on, barely getting her

seatbelt fastened as she was flung against the door.

She said nothing, her eyes staring straight ahead. She didn’t

dare think of what she might find. She couldn’t bear it. All she

could see was Andrea’s face, her beautiful face trying to hide her

anger that morning. Despite her pleadings, Cameron had sent

her to the property which barely registered on the algorithm.

They both knew it was pointless. That’s probably why Andi was

so mad at her.

“You’re treating me like a child.”

Cameron squeezed her eyes shut. No, not like a child. She

was treating her like her lover. She was. She was doing anything

she could to protect her. She slammed her fist on the dash.

“Goddamn it,” she yelled. “There was supposed to be nothing

there. Thirty-four percent is nothing,” she said. “Nothing.”

“Quit blaming yourself.”

“Who the hell else should I blame?”

10 Gerri Hill

“How about Baskin?”

“I sent them there, Reynolds. I sent her there.” She grabbed

her chest as she felt her heart breaking. “I can’t lose her,” she

whispered, cursing the tears that had started to fall. “Goddamn

it,” she said again, wiping angrily at her face.

Reynolds glanced at her but said nothing. He was literally

flying down the highway and through her tears the desert was

but a blur as they raced back to Barstow.

Andrea blinked her eyes several times, conscious of the body

on top of her. Eric. She could smell the smoke of the burning

shed and she tried to guess how long she’d been out. Not long,

judging by the flames.

She pulled an arm free, reaching up to touch Eric, his skin

warm against her hand. She nearly gasped when she felt a pulse

in his neck.

“Eric. .God, you’re alive.” She was afraid to move him but

knew she must. Off in a distance she thought she heard sirens, or

maybe it was just wishful thinking. “Eric,” she said again. “I’m

going to roll you.”

He moaned as she did, moving him enough to sit up. She

got him on his back and slid her legs out from under him. She

immediately knelt by his side, gently patting his face.

“Eric, can you hear me?” There was a nasty cut on his head

and an obvious knot forming. She leaned closer, speaking directly

into his ear. “Eric? Come on, buddy, open your eyes.”

Another moan and she saw his eyelids flutter. She squeezed

his hand, waiting, but they never opened.

She finally looked around, seeing what was left of the shed.

She spotted the bodies, all four mangled and burned. For an

instant, her mind flashed back to LA, back to the ambush,

back to her team, back to Erin and Mark. She shook the vision

away, turning again to Eric whose hand was squeezing hers

painfully.

“Can you open your eyes?”

“My. .my ears are ringing,” he whispered.

Hell’s Highway 11

She nearly laughed, bending down close to his face. “So are

mine.”

The sirens were louder now and she knew they were coming

for them. She reached for her phone, finding the facing shattered.

She turned it on but got nothing. She patted Eric’s pockets,

looking for his.

“Stop that. I don’t want Cameron to shoot me.”

She glanced up, her smile turning into a grin as his warm

eyes met hers. “Phone?”

“I had it clipped on.”

She looked around them, but found no phone. She needed

to contact Cameron. Rowan would have heard the blast and

reported it. No doubt Cameron was frantic by now.

“The others?” Eric asked, trying to sit up. “Jack? Carina?”

She shook her head. “No. Just us. Now lie still. You have a

nasty cut on your head.”

He closed his eyes again. “It happened so fast.”

“Yeah. They. .they didn’t know what hit them.”

“I hear sirens,” he murmured.

“Yes. They’re almost here,” she said, still holding tightly to

his hand, so thankful he appeared to be okay. So thankful she

wasn’t left all alone again, the only one left alive to carry the guilt.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. No, she wouldn’t go

down that road again. But God, she wished Cameron was here.

She needed her. She needed her strength. She needed to look

into her eyes and know that everything was going to be okay.

She smiled ruefully. Even if she did get a phone, she had no

way of contacting her. Cameron’s cell number was locked away

in her phone. She’d had no reason to memorize it. And Rowan’s

temporary community number, as he called it, was there as

well.She sighed with relief as flashing emergency lights finally

came into view, signaling her that help was on its way. Help for

Eric, certainly. But for Jack and Carina? For the two innocent

deputies who just happened to get assigned to them today? No.

There would be no help for them.

chapter tWentY-SeVen

Cameron snatched her phone up, seeing Rowan’s ID. Her

hand trembled and she was nearly afraid to answer. She finally

took a deep breath, then nodded at Reynolds before answering.

“Ross,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “What do you

have?”

“I don’t know much, Cameron. All I’ve learned is from their

radio communications.”

“Okay.” She swallowed. “How bad?”

“Cameron.. there were four casualties. Two survivors.”

She felt her breath leave her and she squeezed her eyes tight.

“Andrea?” She brushed at the tears that fell again. “I need to

know if Andrea is okay,” she said hoarsely. “Please Rowan. I need

to know.”

“I don’t know, Cameron. I’m just repeating what came over

Hell’s Highway 1

the radio. I don’t know the extent of the injuries. I’ve been trying

to get someone to patch me through but it’s a little chaotic, I’m

sure. They had two of their own there too,” he reminded her.

“Keep trying, Rowan. We’re about fifteen minutes out.” She

disconnected, then glanced at Reynolds, no longer caring if he

saw her tears. “Four dead,” she said quietly. “He doesn’t know. .

who.”

Reynolds surprised her by reaching over and taking her

hand. “Keep the faith, Cameron.”

She nodded. “I can’t lose her. I just can’t.” She wiped at her

tears, angry with herself for her loss of control. “I swear, if you

tell anyone about this, I’ll shoot you myself.”

He put both hands on the wheel, not letting up his speed.

“You know, that was my team too,” he said. “I didn’t know Eric

or Carina before this, but Jack, hell, I’ve known him for years.”

“I know. I’m sorry, man. This whole thing is fucked.” She

squeezed the bridge of her nose hard, trying to remain focused.

Unfortunately, Andrea was the only thing she could focus on.

“My chest is so tight,” she said, rubbing between her breasts. “I

can’t. .I can’t even think about her being one of the four.” She

tapped her chest hard. “She’s in my soul, Reynolds. I know you

don’t understand, but she is. I feel like I’m losing control here.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Don’t say it,” she said, glancing quickly at him. “I know

what you’re thinking. That’s why they have rules for this sort of

thing. But you can’t help who you fall in love with.” She paused,

looking at him again. “I know, I know. We fell in love first, and

then were partners. But I couldn’t leave her behind in Sedona. I

just couldn’t.”

“Does Murdock know?”

“Of course. He pretends he doesn’t, but yeah, he’s not stupid.”

She clenched her fists tightly. “It shouldn’t be a problem,” she said.

“We’re damn good partners. We work well together. We bounce

ideas off each other, we. .we speculate,” she said with a smile.

“She knows what I’m thinking sometimes before I even do.” She

leaned her head back. “I can’t lose her,” she said quietly.

“Almost there,” he said. “Are you going to be able to hold it

together?”

1 Gerri Hill

“If she’s gone?” She shook her head. “No. And when I find

this son of a bitch, I’m putting a bullet in his brain.”

“Ross, we follow—”

“Don’t start that shit. We aren’t following any goddamn

rules. He’s a dead man.” Her phone buzzed before he could reply

and she held it up, showing him it was Rowan. “Jesus, I don’t

want to get this.”

“Answer it. Better we know now than when we get there.”

Her thumb tapped her phone, then she held it to her ear.

“Rowan?”

“Andrea is alive,” he said simply.

She let out a sob, then caught her breath. She was nearly

ashamed at the relief she felt. “Who else?”

“Eric. They’re going to take him. He’s got a gash on his head

from what I understand. Andrea is okay.”

Cameron looked at Reynolds. “Andrea and Eric,” she said.

He nodded, then turned his attention back to the road.

“Thank you, Rowan. I’ve been.. well, I’ve been a little crazy,”

she admitted.

“I know. I imagine she’s been too, not being able to contact

you.”“You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that,” she said. “I’ll be in

touch. We’re almost there.”

The relief she felt was palpable. She wanted to laugh out loud

with it, she wanted to yell at the top of her lungs. Yet they’d lost

two team members. She wasn’t close to Jack but she’d known him

for several years. Carina.. well, she was nothing more than an old

lover. She wouldn’t even call her a friend. But she was a damn

good agent. She was nearly an expert in explosives. How had she

not seen it? What kind of trigger had he used?

“God, amazing,” she murmured.

“What?”

“My brain is working again,” she said. “Carina was an expert

in explosives. How could she have not anticipated it? I mean,

especially since we found C4 at the safe house.”

She held on as he turned sharply, the desert road as bumpy

as the rest they’d been on in the last week. A dozen flashing

lights beckoned them. Reynolds skidded to a halt and Cameron

Hell’s Highway 1

jumped out even before the truck had come to a standstill. She

glanced around frantically, her eyes bouncing from one deputy to

another. Finally, she spotted Andrea, leaning in the ambulance,

talking to Eric. She would have bolted in her direction if not for

Reynolds’s grip on her arm.

“There are a lot of eyes out here, Agent Ross,” he said. “Play

it cool.”

He was so right, but all she wanted to do was run to Andrea

and wrap her arms around her and hold her close. She squared

her shoulders instead, glaring at him.

“Special Agent Ross,” she corrected.

Andrea turned then, finding her. Their eyes collided, both

trying to convey their feelings without words. Andrea finally

nodded at her, a slight smile on her face. Cameron felt everything

right itself in her world again.

Andrea was okay.

“She made it?”

“Finally,” Andrea said, turning back to Eric. “Now quit

arguing with me.”

“I’m not arguing. I’m simply stating that I don’t want to go

to the hospital. There’s no need.”

“Your head hurts. You have ringing in your ears.” When

he didn’t respond, she put her hands on her hips and raised her

eyebrows.

“Okay. Yeah. My head hurts like a son of a bitch. And I’ve

got bells going off. That doesn’t mean—”

“Oh, God, you’re as stubborn as Cameron, I swear,” she said,

grabbing his hand. “Please? Just to be safe. I promise I’ll come

and spring you out in the morning.”

He squeezed her hand tightly. “You promise?”

She leaned closer, kissing his cheek. “I promise.”

“You know, if Cameron ever ditches you. .”

She laughed. “You are so not my type.” She released his hand

as they loaded him into the ambulance.

“Don’t forget me tomorrow,” he said.

1 Gerri Hill

“Not a chance.”

She stood back, watching the ambulance pull away, stirring

the desert dust as they left the scene. She felt eyes on her and

she turned, not surprised to find Cameron walking her way. She

stood back, her eyes glued to Cameron’s.

“How is he?” Cameron asked.

“Probably a concussion. He’s got a nasty cut on his head.

Debris in his back. .superficial, but still,” she said, shrugged.

“He’ll be okay.”

Cameron nodded, her eyes searching, looking for what,

Andrea didn’t know. Then Cameron grasped her elbow, leading

her further away from the others.

“Are you. .are you okay?”

Andrea nodded, her eyes never leaving Cameron’s. “I’m

sorry,” she whispered, grabbing Cameron’s hand, needing some

contact. “I’m so sorry. All I’ve been thinking about is how we

were angry with each other.”

“I know,” Cameron said, her fingers tightening around

Andrea’s. “Me too.”

“Let’s don’t ever do that again. I love you. I love you so

much,” she said. “I don’t want to ever be angry with you.”

She could see the hesitation in Cameron, could see her chest

heaving, her eyes dark with emotion. Cameron looked around

them, everyone going about their jobs, no one watching them.

“Fuck it,” she murmured, pulling Andrea into her arms.

Andrea clung to her, her tears falling hard and fast. She felt

her body sag as all the emotion of the day took its toll on her. She

buried her face against Cameron, soaking up her strength.

“It was just like before,” she whispered. “Just like before. I

thought I was the only one spared again. Eric was thrown into

me, on top of me. He shielded me. Just like before.”

“I’m so sorry, Andi. God, I thought Reynolds and I would

be going into the firestorm, not you. I just wanted you to be

safe.”

“I know. And I was pissed at you for it.” She pulled away

slightly. “Maybe I wanted you to be safe and I was angry that you

were putting yourself in danger ahead of all of us. It works both

ways, Cameron.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“So maybe we just need to stay together so we won’t both

have to worry.”

She wiped at her face, running her hand under her wet nose.

She took a deep breath, then pointed to the large shed still

standing.

“That one was locked. A huge padlock. Jack got one of the

deputies to get bolt cutters from their unit. It was locked up

tight, yet there wasn’t a single thing inside. Not one thing.” She

paused, turning to the remaining rubble of the smaller shed.

“Carina and Jack went first. The deputies followed. Eric and

I were behind them. Carina said she found blood. That shed

wasn’t locked. Eric and I made the comment that there was no

lock on that one and then.. and then it just exploded as soon as

she opened the door.”

“As far as you know, she didn’t check to see if it was

wired?”

“No. I don’t think she did.”

She heard footsteps behind her and she turned, finding

Reynolds there. His eyes were filled with concern and she

surprised both of them by giving him a quick, hard hug. He held

her for a moment, then stepped back.

“No worse for wear?”

She shook her head. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “It was.. it was

so quick. They didn’t. .well, they didn’t know what hit them.”

He nodded. “Their bodies are. .well,” he shook his head, not

finishing his thought. “Eric?”

“He’s going to be fine. He didn’t want to go to the hospital.

Can’t say I blame him, but I promised I’d get him out in the

morning.”

“Very good. At least—”

“Got a body,” someone yelled from the burned-out shed.

The three of them turned, then rushed over with the others.

The charred remains were unrecognizable. Judging by the

positioning of the body, it appeared to have been folded into a

large box of some kind.

“Headless.”

Cameron turned to Reynolds. “The fourth victim?”

“What are you talking about?” Andrea asked.

1 Gerri Hill

“In his trophy room, there were four recent victims. We

only had three bodies.”

“So something happened that prevented him from dumping

this one,” she said. “Yet he still went hunting again. He picked

me up.”

“The killings were escalating.”

“And still are,” Cameron said. “The Burke family. Burke

himself. Obviously Leonard Baskin felt no attachment to Buddy

Burke.” She turned to Andrea. “We found him tied to a chair, his

head practically blown off.”

“Same as the oldest child,” Andrea said, remembering the

scene in the Burke home.

“Maybe Burke betrayed him,” Reynolds suggested. “Or

refused to help him.”

Cameron arched an eyebrow. “Are you speculating, Special

Agent Reynolds?”

Andrea noticed a slight blush on his ebony skin and she

smiled at him.

“Okay, so maybe you are rubbing off on me,” he said.

Cameron led them out of the way of the CSI team who was

sifting through the rubble. She followed Cameron’s gaze as the

last of the four victims were carried away. It hit her again how

easily that could have been her they were carting off. Not Carina,

not Jack. .but her. Cameron must have sensed her discomfort and

she put a steadying arm around her shoulders.

“Let’s get back to the rig,” Cameron said. “We need to give

all this data to Rowan and see what he can dig up. See if he can

find any sort of pattern with the algorithms.”

“I need to fill Murdock in,” Reynolds said. “Let him notify

next of kin. Jack has a daughter,” he said. “I don’t really know

what other family he had. Carina,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t

know anything about her.”

“She had a large family, from what I remember,” Cameron

said. “I think a couple of her brothers are in the military as

well.”

Reynolds eyed the rental car that Jack had driven to the shed.

“I’ve already checked with the deputies. I’m clear to take the car.

Where do you want to meet?”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Pizza at the rig. We’ll be doing a lot of speculating, I

imagine.”

“Okay. I’ll bring some beer.”

Cameron studied her for a moment and Andrea wondered

what question Cameron was hesitant to ask. Finally, she motioned

to the truck.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

chapter tWentY-eIGht

Andrea stood under the hot water, glad they were at an RV

park and not in a parking lot somewhere, even if the park was

just this side of sleazy. She didn’t want to have to worry about

running out of water. She turned the handle, changing to cool

water as she leaned against the wall, eyes closed. She was having

a hard time reconciling her feelings. When she’d lost her team

in LA, she’d been so consumed with guilt, it ate at her and ate at

her until she’d nearly lost the ability to function.

Of course she recognized the difference. This time, she

hadn’t just broken up with her lover. They hadn’t walked blindly

into an ambush today, her lover taking the lead. The closeness

she felt with her team was something that developed over time.

She and Mark had been best friends since their time in the

academy. It was only natural she would be more affected by their

Hell’s Highway 11

deaths than Jack’s and Carina’s. She barely knew them. It would

have been different if it were Eric instead of Jack. She and Eric

had bonded in a very short time. She would feel his loss. But the

others?

Was she in danger of being like Carina? Immune to death

after a while?

She finally turned the water off, wringing out her wet hair

before stepping out of the shower. As she toweled off, she caught

sight of her reflection. The last week had been a rough one. She

hadn’t been eating properly, she hadn’t been sleeping right. She’d

lost weight, she knew. And she was exhausted. She wished she

could just crawl in bed and stay there, letting Cameron wrap

around her, keeping her safe. She saw the irony of it. That’s

what Cameron had been trying to do. Keep her safe. Andrea had

fought her, saying she didn’t need Cameron to look after her. But

she did.

Well, all of that would have to wait. Reynolds was on his way.

Cameron had showered earlier, and she and Rowan were holed

up in the tiny office, playing with the computers. Lola, who had

become quite fond of Rowan, was last seen curled in his lap. She

sighed as she leaned on the counter, still perusing her reflection.

She brushed at her hair, wondering when they could find the

time for a trim. Cameron, too, was downright shaggy. Another

tired sigh and she pulled on shorts and a loose-fitting T-shirt,

slipped her feet into a pair of Cameron’s flip-flops and went in

search of something cool to drink.

She stood at the fridge, staring in. Bottled water didn’t appeal

to her. Neither did the carton of orange juice that had barely

been touched. A cold bottle of beer, did, however. She wondered

when Cameron had bought them.

“Find something you like?”

She smiled, holding up the bottle. “You want one?”

“I think I do.” Cameron called to Rowan. “You want

something to drink?”

“Just water.”

Cameron winked at her. “Good. More for us.” She cocked

an eyebrow, the playfulness leaving her face. “You feeling

better?”

1 Gerri Hill

Andrea nodded. “Some. Tired.” She took a swallow of the

cold beer, smiling. “Good stuff.”

“Yep. I ordered the pizza, by the way.”

Andrea laughed. “No doubt you did.”

“And Reynolds called. He’s on his way.”

“Murdock?”

“Yeah. I talked to him briefly. Reynolds had already called

him. Murdock and Jack served together in the first Gulf War,”

she said. “He had already notified Carina’s family.”

“Did you know any of them?”

“No. Just from what she told me.” Cameron reached up,

gently stroking her cheek. Andrea leaned in to the touch. “Carina

and I weren’t what you would call close, Andi. Never. I regret her

death, of course. Jack’s too. But I was nearly paralyzed with fear,”

she said, her eyes never leaving Andrea’s. “At first, Rowan only

knew that there were two survivors. He didn’t know who. I. .

I was praying you were one of the two. I didn’t care about the

others,” she admitted. “I wasn’t thinking like an agent. I was

thinking like your lover.”

Andrea finally shoved off the counter, moving close to

Cameron, their bodies barely touching. “Thank you. Because

right then I needed you as my lover, not as my senior agent.”

Cameron leaned closer, their lips touching in the briefest of

kisses. They both sighed, then stepped away, putting some space

between them. Only a thin wall separated them from Rowan, and

Reynolds would be there any minute, as would their dinner.

“I wish we were alone,” Andrea whispered. “I need some us

time.”

“Me too. When this is over, Murdock said we could head

back to Sedona. He’ll give us a week.”

“That’s great.” Andrea couldn’t resist one more touch, one

more kiss. “Tonight, however, I need you to make love to me,”

she said against Cameron’s mouth. “Can you handle that?”

Cameron nearly growled as she pulled Andrea tight against

her, her tongue dancing against her lips. “I can handle that right

now,” she murmured.

Andrea moaned, her body reacting to the contact like it

always did, her hips sliding intimately against Cameron’s. For a

Hell’s Highway 1

few seconds, they let themselves go, their kisses hungry as hands

roamed freely. Andrea wanted to rip her own clothes off and

Cameron’s too, and just let Cameron take her to a place that was

pure bliss, away from the chaos of the day. But a gasp and an

embarrassed cough brought them back to the present.

A red-faced Rowan stood staring at them, his eyes darting

around the room, landing on anything but them.

“My. .my water,” he said. “I just—”

Cameron cleared her throat, moving away from Andrea

again, her hands brushing quickly through her hair. “Sorry, kid.

I kinda forgot,” she said.

“Yeah, I see you were. .distracted,” he said.

Andrea laughed outright and it felt good. “I’m sorry, Rowan.

It’s my fault. I hope we didn’t shock you.”

He shook his head. “No. No, I. .I had assumed you two were,

well. .you know.”

“Yes, well, we are. . you know,” Andrea teased. She walked past

him, playfully patting his arm. Oh, it felt good to lighten the

mood, even if he did interrupt a major make-out session.

Cameron seemed at a loss for words as she wordlessly handed

him a bottle of water. He took it without comment and hurried

back to his computers.

Andrea followed him, leaning against the door, watching

him as he scanned through what looked like gibberish on the

screen.

“How long did you know them?”

He didn’t seem surprised that she was there and he didn’t

turn around. “Carina and Jack? Only a couple of days longer

than you. I was the last to join the team.” He turned to her

then, pausing to shove his glasses more securely on his nose.

“Carina called me a nerdy geek, which is obviously redundant,”

he said with a shake of his head. “She didn’t like me. Jack, well,

he didn’t say much. I can’t think of a time where we had a real

conversation.”

“Yes, he was rather quiet,” she said.

Rowan looked at her intently, as if he had more to say and she

raised her eyebrows questioningly at him.

“Do you love her?”

1 Gerri Hill

Andrea nodded. “Yes. Very much.”

“She was crying, you know,” he said quietly. “When I told

her I didn’t know if you were. .alive or not. I don’t think I’ve ever

heard such pain in someone’s voice before.” He met her eyes.

“She must really love you.”

“Yes. She does.”

He turned back to the monitor. “I like her,” he said. “She

treats me like an adult.”

“She relies on you,” Andrea said. “And she trusts you. She

must. She’s letting you play in here,” she said with a smile. “She

doesn’t even let me in here.”

Conversation was sparse as the four of them shared pizza and

beer. Well, Rowan shared pizza. He was still sipping on water

and trying to keep Lola from stealing off of his plate. Cameron

relaxed in her recliner, her eyes roaming over Andrea who sat

cross-legged on the floor. Reynolds, although he’d changed from

his suit, was still impeccably dressed in pressed pants and a crisp,

starched shirt. She and Andrea were both in shorts and bare feet,

Andrea having kicked off the borrowed flip-flops earlier.

“Murdock is sending in an explosives team,” Reynolds said.

“The C4 setup that we found was pretty rudimentary compared

to this.”

“They’re going to look for a signature?”

He nodded. “They haven’t even found the trigger yet.”

“Well, simple or not, there’s not a doubt in my mind that

Baskin is behind the bomb,” she said.

“He said he worked in the infirmary while in prison,”

Andrea said. “That’s where he learned about...drugs and

stuff.” She glanced at Cameron. “Maybe he also learned about

explosives there as well. Might see who his cell mate was,” she

suggested.

“But how does a guy fresh out of prison get his hands on

C4?”“Maybe he made some contacts while inside,” Rowan said.

“Or maybe the safe house was wired all along. I mean, some

Hell’s Highway 1

of the victims—the heads—were obviously more than a decade

old. Maybe he’s had the explosives all along,” Reynolds said.

“That could be why it’s considered rudimentary,” she said.

“He may have placed the C4 years ago when he first started

killing. Maybe Andrea is right. Maybe he learned more about

explosives while inside.”

“Of course, all of this doesn’t help us in trying to find him,”

Andrea said. “The so-called safe houses that he could use—we’ve

hit them all, haven’t we?”

Rowan nodded. “I haven’t found anything else that we could

link to him or the Burke family.” He stood up. “I’ll go play with

the data some more.”

After Rowan left, Reynolds turned to them, his voice low.

“Is he okay?”

“This is probably his first experience with losing someone,”

Andrea said. “I talked to him about it earlier. I think maybe he’s

feeling a bit guilty.” She turned to Cameron. “I can relate to that

emotion.”

“Why guilty?” Reynolds asked.

“Guilty because he’s not emotionally affected by it. He didn’t

really know them. Carina never showed him anything other than

disdain,” she said. “Yet they were a part of his team.”

“Maybe him being here so much while we’ve all been out has

made him feel less a part of the team,” Cameron said. “He might

feel disconnected from everything.”

“Everything but his computers,” Reynolds said. He wiped

his hands on a napkin, leaving his half-eaten piece of pizza on

his plate. “Well, I know Carina didn’t care for him and she didn’t

attempt to hide it. She was old school,” he said. “You do the work

out in the field, not on a computer.”

Cameron laughed. “This whole rig is one giant computer.

If I had only half of Rowan’s smarts, I might be able to use it

to its potential. If he wasn’t here, I would be fumbling with the

algorithms myself, taking time away from the field.” She smiled

at Andrea. “Or getting Jason to help me.”

Reynolds stood. “It’s late. I don’t know about you two but

I’m wiped out. It’s been a terribly long, emotional day. I think we

all could use some rest.”

1 Gerri Hill

“Yes. I’ll second that,” Andrea said. “I’d like to be at the

hospital early. I promised Eric.”

He nodded. “Of course. How about I swing by here in the

morning and drop Rowan off. We’ll head to the hospital then.

It’s not that far from the police station.”

Cameron motioned to the office. “I’ll go get Rowan,” she

said. Rowan was staring at the monitor when she walked in. He

glanced at her, then back to the screen.

“Time to call it a night,” she said.

“Yeah. Okay. I’ve got two programs running. Both with just

a little different data. I hope you don’t mind, but I emailed Jason

earlier. He wrote me back with some suggestions.” He smiled.

“He’s a genius. I still can’t believe I’m getting to use these

programs he wrote.”

Cameron watched him as he fidgeted with his laptop. “You

okay, kid?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Why?”

“It’s just been a trying couple of days.” She touched his

shoulder. “I need to thank you. I. .well, I went a little nuts earlier

today, when I didn’t know if. .well, if Andrea—”

“I understand. I’m really glad she’s okay.”

“Yeah.” She stepped back. “So we’ll see you in the

morning?”

“I’ll be here.” He pointed to the computers. “Don’t touch

them.”

She held up her hands. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

chapter tWentY-nIne

Andrea turned the small bedside lamp on, then pulled the

covers back on the bed. Despite the long, stressful day, she was

surprised at the early hour—half past nine. It felt like it should

be nearing midnight, not ten. She stepped out of her shorts and

tossed them aside, then pulled her T-shirt over her head, leaving

her in nothing but her panties. She was about to slip out of them

too when she felt Cameron’s eyes on her. She turned, finding

Cameron leaning in the doorway.

“You’re so beautiful,” Cameron said quietly.

Andrea stood there, exposed, the lamp casting a soft glow

on her body. She waited as Cameron came to her, feeling her

heart flutter in her chest. Cameron’s gaze was smoky hot, leaving

her eyes and drifting down to her breasts. A light touch and her

nipples hardened immediately. She closed her eyes as Cameron

1 Gerri Hill

lowered her head, her lips moving slowly across her skin, her

tongue bathing a nipple, making it harden even more.

She moaned when Cameron’s lips closed over her, suckling

her nipple, her hands gliding lower, slipping inside her panties,

kneading her flesh as she pulled Andrea closer to her. Her arms

snaked around Cameron’s shoulders as Cameron raised her head,

her mouth finding her own, their quiet kiss turning passionate as

Andrea let her tongue engage with Cameron’s.

The need to breathe separated them and Andrea smiled as

she tugged on Cameron’s shirt. “Off.”

Cameron obliged, lifting her arms as Andrea pulled it over

her head. It was her turn to stare, her hand following her eyes,

lightly brushing a fingertip across a nipple, hearing Cameron’s

quick intake of breath at her touch.

“I love you,” she murmured, moving in for another kiss,

her hands cupping both her breasts. The soft moan she heard

fueled her desire and her hands moved across Cameron’s body,

her fingertips gently touching scars, the one marring her upper

body still giving her chills.

She felt Cameron’s hands pushing her panties down and she

stood back, letting her remove them. She felt the dampness of

her desire wetting her thighs and she had to stop herself from

grabbing Cameron’s hand and leading her there.

Cameron removed the rest of her clothing, leaving her as

naked as Andrea. The sounds of their rapid breathing filled the

room and Cameron guided her to the bed, urging her back.

Andrea parted her legs, welcoming Cameron between them,

moaning as their bodies touched, skin on skin, both damp with

perspiration and desire. Cameron kissed her slowly, their passion

simmering, not boiling. Cameron’s lips paused at her ear, her

breath teasing her.

“I love you so much, Andi,” Cameron murmured. “So

much.”

Andrea’s head fell back, giving Cameron room. “Make love

to me,” she whispered. “I want you inside me tonight.”

“Anything,” Cameron said. “All night if you want.”

Andrea smiled against her mouth. “If only I had the energy

for all night.”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Then let’s make it good.” Cameron pulled away slightly.

“Roll over.”

She did, then groaned as Cameron covered her, her breasts

pressing hard into her back, lips trailing kisses along the back of

her neck. Andrea arched back, feeling Cameron thrust against

her.“Open your legs,” Cameron whispered.

Andrea did, gasping as Cameron entered her from behind,

her fingers sliding slowly through her wetness before going

inside her.

“God, yes,” she hissed as Cameron filled her.

Cameron rocked harder against her, each thrust shoving her

fingers deeper inside. Andrea raised up, giving Cameron more

room. Andrea was groaning, her face buried in the mattress,

unable to contain her moans as Cameron slammed into her from

behind. She felt Cameron’s passion as it soaked her, the sound

of wet skin slapping together with each stroke fueling her desire

even more.

She tried to hold it, wanting to prolong her pleasure even

longer, but Cameron pushed her over the edge with another deep

stroke inside of her and Andrea bucked back against her, her

orgasm taking the breath from her as she cried out. Cameron

continued to pound against her, seeking her own release. It came

quickly, her deep moan sending chills over Andrea’s body as she

climaxed, her weight resting on Andrea as they caught their

breath.

“I love when you do that,” Andrea murmured, her eyes still

closed.

Cameron pulled her fingers out before rolling Andrea back

over. “Maybe we should get a toy,” she said before kissing her.

“A toy, huh? That could be fun.”

“Yes. But I love being inside you.”

Andrea pulled her close, their legs entwining. “You know

what I love?” she teased, her tongue running along Cameron’s

lower lip.

“Tell me.”

“I love my mouth on you, tasting you, making you come

like that,” she whispered. “I feel so close to you.” She pushed

10 Gerri Hill

Cameron to her back, her mouth finding an erect nipple. “Let

me love you like that.”

Cameron moaned as she pushed Andrea down, urging her

between her legs. “Yes,” was all she said.

Andrea smiled against her breast, lifting her head enough

to meet Cameron’s eyes. They were filled with love and desire,

want and need. .for her. And at that moment, everything else

faded away. There was nothing but the two of them, loving each

other. And they had all night.

chapter thIrtY

Cameron smiled at Andrea over her coffee cup, getting one

in return, plus a wink. She laughed.

“Did you have a good time this morning?”

“Oh, yeah,” Andrea said, nearly purring. “Last night, this

morning. No complaints from me, sweetheart.”

“Well good. I aim to please,” she said, unable to keep the

smile from her face.

Andrea got up, pausing to stretch out her back. “More

coffee?”

“I’ll take a mug along with us. Reynolds should be here any

minute.”

Andrea peered out the side window, nodding. “Right on

time.” She opened the door before they could knock, stepping

aside to let them in. “Good morning, guys,” she said.

1 Gerri Hill

Reynolds glanced between the two of them, his gaze finally

landing on Cameron with a smirk. “I see you slept well.”

“Yeah. Very well. You?”

“I’ve had better,” he said.

Rowan pointed to the office. “Can I?”

“Of course. But wait a second. We need two new phones.

For Andrea and Eric. I already called Murdock. I wrote down a

purchase order number. Can you find a place in town?”

“Sure. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“Great. Then do your thing.”

“I’ll call you and let you know where you can pick them

up.”“What about what you were running last night?”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I compile the results,” he said as

he hurried away.

“I’m sure he dreamed about those things last night,” Cameron

said. “You want some coffee, Reynolds?” she asked, shaking her

head at his fancy black suit and crisp white shirt. A red tie today

had him looking quite dapper.

He shook his head. “Got Starbucks.”

“Okay then. Let’s hit it,” she said, nodding a thanks as

Andrea filled a travel mug for her. “I guess after we spring Eric

we should pay a visit to Chief Hudley and see if their lab found

anything at the Burke house.”

“Did you get a call from the county CSI yet?”

“No. But since we’ve got a forensics team and an explosives

team here, I’m sure they’ll go through them first. Murdock told

me he would run interference.”

“So we don’t worry about anything?”

“Our job is to find Leonard Baskin, not worry about the

details,” she said. She leaned her head down the small hallway.

“Rowan? We’re out of here.”

“Okay. I’ll call when I have something.”

“Lock up after us.” Cameron smiled as Lola was slinking

along the wall, heading into the office. “We’ll need to watch so

he doesn’t steal our cat when he leaves,” she said to Andrea.

“I’m sure Lola likes having company. We’ve left her alone so

much on this case.”

Hell’s Highway 1

Once outside, Reynolds headed to the rental car while she

eyed her truck. They had planned to all go together, but she

thought now it might be better to have two vehicles.

“You know what? Why don’t you go get Eric,” she said to

Andrea. “Reynolds and I can head over to see Chief Hudley, see

if he has anything to share.” She raised her eyebrows. “Okay

with you?”

“Sure.” Andrea turned to Reynolds. “You?”

“Yeah sure. I hate hospitals. And I’m sure he’d rather see

your pretty face than mine.”

Andrea laughed then deftly caught the keys Cameron tossed

at her. “Meet back here later?” she asked.

Cameron nodded. “Be careful.”

“You too.”

Cameron crawled in beside Reynolds, feeling his eyes on her.

“What?”

“You could have kissed her goodbye,” he said. “I wouldn’t

have minded.”

“Thanks, but we took care of that before you got here,” she

said with a laugh.

“I’m sure you did. You took care of a lot of things, by the

look of it.”

She laughed again. “You fishing for details?”

“I assure you, no.” He pulled out of the RV park, going in

the opposite direction of Andrea. “But it must be nice, having

that closeness. How do you manage it?”

“You mean working together, living together, being able to

separate it?”

“Yes. I would think that’s a little too much togetherness.”

She shrugged. “We love each other. When we’re at home, at

night, it’s not about the job. We enjoy each other’s company. It’s

hard to explain. Like now. We’re working. We’re partners now.

Not lovers.”

Reynolds looked away quickly, a light blush flushing his dark

skin. She smiled but said nothing.

1 Gerri Hill

The lights in the hospital seemed inordinately bright,

but the cool air was welcome after the oppressive heat from

outside. One of the perks of the job—being able to flash her FBI

credentials—granted her instant attention. She was led to Eric’s

room immediately.

“Still in the hospital gown? Aren’t you the sexy one.”

He quickly pulled the sheet over him, smiling. “You

came.”

“I told you I would.” She pulled up a chair and scooted closer

to him. “How’s the head?”

He looked around suspiciously. “Don’t tell anyone, but I still

have a killer headache.”

“You probably will for a few days.” She took his hand, holding

it lightly. “Ears?”

“Better.”

“Really?” she asked skeptically.

“Well, some. Why?”

“You’re talking really loud.”

“Damn.”

She brushed his hair away, revealing his neatly stitched

wound. “When are they releasing you?”

“They’re waiting on the doctor to come around. They won’t

even let me get dressed.”

“I didn’t even think to ask Reynolds to get you some

clothes.”

“Well I don’t have any. Mine from yesterday were ruined.”

“We’ll find something for you. I’ll take you by the hotel.

Cameron and Reynolds went by Barstow PD to see if their

lab turned up anything at the Burke residence,” she said. She

squeezed his hand briefly, then released him. “Did you call your

parents or anything?”

“No, hell, I didn’t want them to worry. They did enough of

that when I was in Iraq.” He leaned his head back. “I still can’t

believe what happened,” he said. “It was so fast. I mean, if we had

been just a few feet closer—”

Hell’s Highway 1

“I know, sweetie. I don’t want to think about it but it’s all

I can think about,” she admitted. She didn’t add that they had

made love last night until she was too exhausted to keep her eyes

opened. But still, it was the first thing on her mind this morning.

That is, until Cameron’s kisses had distracted her again.

“How is Reynolds? I didn’t even get to talk to him. I thought

maybe he’d come by last night. .” he said, his voice drifting

away.“Reynolds was at the rig last night until about nine,” she said.

“I’m not sure how he is, really. He’s acting okay, but Cameron

said he and Jack had known each other for years. I’d like to say

his death has affected him but I’m not sure I really understand,”

she said.

“Understand what?”

“The military life,” she explained. “It’s almost as if you are

totally unaffected by it all.”

He pulled his eyes away, staring at the ceiling. “We’ve all

lost buddies in war, lost men we were close with. I guess in some

ways you do get used to it. It’s a part of this life. You don’t ever

take the time to grieve. You never know when there’s a bullet—a

bomb—with your name on it.” He turned back to her. “Jack knew

the risks. Carina too. It’s almost like you’re living on borrowed

time as it is. You see a lot of shit when you’re in Special Ops,”

he said. “You see a lot of shit, you do a lot of shit. After a while,

nothing surprises you anymore. You stop feeling.”

“You’re still young enough to learn again,” she said with a

gentle smile. “Life is...life is precious. We should all enjoy it for

what it is, not live each day in fear of dying. That’s something

Cameron has had to learn too,” she said. “Mostly fear of me

dying, but still.”

He smiled. “I like you a lot, Andrea. I’m glad you have

someone who loves you like that. Someone who you love equally

as much.” He sighed. “I will admit I’m jealous though.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Not like that,” he said. “I’m jealous of the closeness you

have with someone. At the end of the day, it would be nice to

have that.”

“Don’t give up on finding it.”

1 Gerri Hill

He nodded. “Maybe some day,” he said wistfully. Then he

sighed again. “God, how did we get off on that subject?”

She stood, then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the

mouth, surprising him. “Let me go flash my badge around and

see if I can rustle up a doctor.”

“He’s got a stick up his ass or something,” Cameron said as she

slammed the door behind her. Chief Hudley didn’t know anything,

didn’t have anything for them, couldn’t even offer a guess as to when

lab results would be back. “That was a waste of an hour.”

“It’s a small department, Ross. They’re all shook up over

Burke,” Reynolds said. “Cut him some slack.”

“Slack? We’re trying to find the goddamn bastard who did

this,” she said as she stormed out of the police station. “You’d

think he’d bend over backward to help us.”

“Maybe if you hadn’t pissed him off by going over his head,”

he said.

“Maybe if he’d cooperated I wouldn’t have had to go over his

head. And it’s not the fact that I’m FBI,” she said. “It’s because

I’m a woman. I’m not stupid.”

Reynolds laughed. “Little does he know you could kick his

ass all over the place.”

She glanced back at the door, shaking her head. “Well, we

don’t need him anyway. We’ve got Rowan,” she said, following

Reynolds to the car. She was about to call Andrea when she

remembered Andrea’s phone was damaged in the blast. She

called Rowan instead.

“Sorry to interrupt, kid,” she said, then paused. “Unless you

have something?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. What about phones?”

“Oh. I forgot. Yes, you can pick them up. I’ll send you the

GPS location of the store.”

“Good job. Thanks. I don’t suppose you’ve heard from

them,” she said.

“No.”

Hell’s Highway 1

She got in beside Reynolds, adjusting the AC vents to hit her

in the face. “Damn, how do people live out here,” she murmured

as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Where to?”

Within seconds Rowan had activated the GPS device on her

phone, the bright red line indicating the route.

“How does he do this so fast?” She pointed up ahead. “Take

a left up here on East Fredricks Street. We’re going back to West

Main.”

“Rowan’s good,” Reynolds said as he followed her directions.

“Although I believe he thinks he works for you and not me.”

Cameron laughed. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“I still don’t like him hacking at will,” he said. “It’s not right.

It’s not legal. ”

“Get off your high horse, Reynolds. Why do you think

Murdock assigned him?”

“I doubt it was to hack other law enforcement’s systems,

which I’m quite sure he’s doing now to San Bernardino’s lab.”

“The quicker we get information, the better,” she justified.

No, Murdock hadn’t given them carte blanche privileges, but

she knew he’d back her if someone complained. Not that she

expected Rowan to get caught snooping around. He was very

good.

“Oh, my God. Will you quit complaining? You’re worse than

Cameron,” Andrea said as she pulled into the hotel’s parking

lot. “I’m in a hospital gown, for God’s sake,” he said, pulling it

tightly around his legs.

“And I’m going to get you some clothes.” She grinned.

“You’ve got nice legs. You should show them off more often.”

He glared at her. “I hate you.”

She patted his leg. “You told me you loved me earlier.”

“Yeah, well, I was having a weak moment.”

She laughed as she got out. “That’s because you were planning

your escape and you needed my help.” She leaned on the door,

1 Gerri Hill

a smile still on her face. “So, just bring you some jeans or what?

I’m guessing you want to go up for a shower,” she said.

“Definitely. Just bring down some shorts and a T-shirt.”

“Okay. Be right back.”

She didn’t anticipate having a problem getting a keycard

and she didn’t. The hotel staff knew the FBI had the string of

five rooms on the third floor. She rode the elevator alone, her

thoughts going to Cameron more often than not. Mentally,

she was feeling much better today. Last night had been nearly

magical and Cameron had loved her to the point of exhaustion.

So despite having to function on only a few hours sleep, she felt

sharp and alert today. More focused, at least. Like the others, she

was trying to put yesterday’s blast behind her. They’d lost two

agents. Whether it was negligence or just bad luck, that was to

be determined.

Eric’s room was tidy and it was evident that no one had slept

there last night. She rummaged through the drawers, finding a

pair of running shorts and a plain white T-shirt. She ignored the

underwear there, knowing he would be coming up for a shower

anyway. His running shoes were in the closet and she grabbed

them as well.

Out in the hallway, she glanced at the door to Carina’s room,

wondering if Reynolds had already packed her belongings,

shipping them off to her family as if that would make a difference

to them. Surprisingly, her mother’s face flashed through her

mind. Maybe it was time to call her, let her know where she was,

how she was.

Then she shook her head. No. Her mother wouldn’t want

to know what she was doing. The last time they spoke, she

seemed almost relieved that Andrea was in Sedona, away from

the city and its crime. Their relationship would never get back

to the way it was before her father was killed, but at least they

had talked. Now, if she knew Andrea was with the FBI, doing

these types of cases...well, that would probably sever their ties

completely.

Back outside, the desert heat attacked quickly and she hurried

to the truck, finding Eric anxiously waiting for her.

“Turn around,” he said as he took the shorts from her.

Hell’s Highway 1

“Trust me, you have nothing I’m interested in seeing,” she

said.He grinned mischievously. “You never know. One look and

I might steal you away.”

“Don’t think so, big guy.”

He laughed. “Big being the operative word,” he said as he

lifted his hips to slip on the shorts.

She dutifully turned her head away as his hospital gown

slipped open, causing him to laugh again.

“You’re evil,” she said.

“Oh, just having a little fun.”

She watched as he tossed the gown aside, his chest hairless

and well defined. He was a very handsome man. She couldn’t

believe some woman hadn’t latched on to him yet.

“What?”

“Just admiring your physique.”

“Told you so.”

It was her turn to laugh. “Not like that. But it does make me

wonder why you don’t have women falling all over you.”

“Who says I don’t?”

She only smiled. “Come on, stud. Let’s go in. You need a

shower.”

chapter thIrtY-one

“I refuse to eat pizza again,” Reynolds said. He glanced at

Andrea. “How do you put up with her?”

“Hey,” Cameron said. “I was just offering a quick solution

to an early dinner. That bag of chips you fed me for lunch just

didn’t cut it.”

“I could go for some Mexican food,” Eric said.

“Chinese,” Reynolds countered.

“Pizza,” she said with a smirk. “Andi?”

Andrea laughed. “You’re insane if you think I’m voting with

you.” She walked beside Eric, rubbing his back. “I’d vote with

Reynolds because Chinese would be a quick take out, but I’ll

have to go with Eric on this one.”

“How did I guess that?” Cameron said with a smile. “Your

fondness for Mexican food nearly matches my love of pizza.”

Hell’s Highway 01

“Hardly. I can actually go a week without it. You, on the other

hand, get very, very cranky if you don’t get your pizza fix.”

“That’s because—”

“I got it!” Rowan said excitedly as he rushed into the room.

“I know where he is.”

They all stared at him, waiting. His hands were shaking as

he tried to hold up his laptop.

“Slow down, Rowan,” she said. “Take your time.”

He visibly took several deep breaths, then grinned. “Jason is

a genius,” he said.

“Yes, you’ve mentioned that several times.” She pointed at

his laptop. “What do you have?”

“Well, you know I’ve already run every program with the

hot spots—his grandparents’ place, and the other property—and

we got our hits. But now, there’s no new data really. So I started

a list of abandoned properties and included data like how long

they’d been vacant, what structures were on the property, access

to a major highway, that sort of thing.” He took another deep

breath. “Nothing stood out. They all registered about the same.

Then Jason suggested—”

“Wait a minute,” she said. “How often do you talk to him?”

Rowan’s face turned red. “We email a couple. .well, several

times a day. He’s very nice.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“I’m not bothering him. I promise.”

“Okay. Continue.”

“Jason suggested I put in another variable. Distance between

occupied dwellings.”

“Meaning?” Reynolds asked.

“Meaning an abandoned building in town is less likely to be

used since there would be occupied buildings in close proximity.

Same as a vacant house might have a close neighbor. That would

also be less likely to be used. In other words, I started looking

for abandoned properties that were also isolated from occupied

properties.”

“And?”

“The abandoned water park,” he said with a grin. “Eighty-

nine percent.”

0 Gerri Hill

“The water park,” she stated skeptically. “I didn’t get a good

look at it, but didn’t it have a fence around it? Everything locked

up?”“It’s got a fence but it’s not secure. Years ago, they used

to have guard dogs patrolling it but not any longer. It’s got a

multitude of buildings, good for hiding,” he said.

“But if there is a fence, secure or not, he stands the chance

of getting cornered,” Andrea said. “Would he take that

chance?”

“Only if he’s got an escape route,” Reynolds said. “Like at

the shack, he had the tunnel.”

“That’s where it’s interesting,” Rowan said, bringing his

laptop closer for them to see. He had a satellite image up. “Here,

behind the park, is a desert road. This,” he said, pointing to a

couple of smaller structures, “is private property, but there is no

residence. Outbuildings only. This is Cherokee Road. If he’s on

a motorcycle or a dirt bike—like you suspect—then all he has

to do is hop over this little hill here and he’s on the road. Then

he’s got options. Swing around and head back to I-15 or go north

farther into the desert.”

She felt everyone looking at her. “It’s worth checking out.

It’s not like we have a lot of options.”

Reynolds stood. “We can be there in what? Twenty

minutes?”

“No, no, no,” Cameron said. “We wait for nightfall. We’re

not going to just show up there. We’d be sitting ducks. We know

he’s got Burke’s gun and he knows how to use it, obviously.” She

motioned to the loveseat. “Sit. Let’s go over our options.”

“What kind of equipment do you have?” Eric asked.

“One pair of night vision goggles,” she said. “And a new toy

that we used in Utah. I’ve got a thermal infrared imaging camera.

Not quite as high-tech as the military, but it should serve us well

here. I have a couple of assault rifles but I’d like to think we could

manage this without using the big guns.”

“We could always do long range,” Reynolds said quietly, his

eyes questioning.

She shook her head, surprised at Reynolds’s subtle

suggestion. “I’m not a sniper any longer,” she said. “Besides,

Hell’s Highway 0

we need to at least make this appear to be a police mission and

not military.”

“In looking at the images,” Rowan said, “my suggestion

would be to come in from the back on Cherokee Road. You won’t

have a vehicle that can cross the desert without a road, but the

hike in wouldn’t be very far.”

“I don’t want us with only one option. We’ll go in with

two teams, one from the front and one in the back,” she said.

“We’ll have open communication again.” She glanced at Rowan.

“Right?”

“Yes. Not a problem.”

“Eric? Are you up for it?”

“Got a little headache, nothing more.”

He looked a little pale but she said nothing. They needed

him to go. Hell, if she thought Rowan could pull it off, she’d put

him out in the field too.

“What about the locals?” Andrea asked. “Do we want backup

again?”

“No. We do it alone. This bastard is ours.”

“I’ll be prepared to call them on a moment’s notice,” Rowan

said. “What would you like my role to be in this?”

Cameron knew he was speaking to her and not Reynolds,

confirming Reynolds’s assertion that Rowan thought she was his

boss. She glanced at Reynolds and couldn’t keep the smirk off

her face.

“Get us a good satellite image of the place, the back road

you want us to take, the escape routes. A layout of the buildings

and names of each, if you can find that. Make sure Andrea’s and

Eric’s new phones are up to speed so we can all link up again.”

“Will do.” He turned to leave, then stopped, glancing at

Reynolds. “Anything else?”

Reynolds actually laughed. “Oh, let’s don’t pretend I have

any say in this Rowan. You’re doing fine.”

Rowan nodded then fled back to the office, leaving the four

of them alone again.

“So? Dinner?” Eric asked.

“I think Mexican food is out, buddy,” Andrea said.

Cameron nodded. “No time for a sit-down meal. You two,”

0 Gerri Hill

she said, pointing at Reynolds and Eric, “need some proper

clothes for this mission. No damn suit, Reynolds. And wear your

vests. On your way back, why don’t you pick up something.”

“Chinese it is then,” he said. “And I don’t have military

fatigues, so don’t expect that.”

“It would shock me if you did.”

chapter thIrtY-tWo

They sat around the small living area much like the night

before, Chinese food cartons replacing the pizza boxes. Andrea

and Cameron shared an amused smile as Reynolds looked

completely uncomfortable in jeans, even though they were

starched so heavily they probably would have stood up on their

own. Eric looked every bit the military operative he used to

be with his dark fatigues and boots, a weapon secured to each

thigh. His bulletproof vest was military issued—a tactical vest,

Cameron called it. Her own vest was run-of-the-mill police

standard. She and Cameron were dressed much the same in jeans

and dark T-shirts under their vests.

“I think Andi and I will take the back road,” Cameron said.

“No offense, Eric, but I don’t think you need to be hiking across the

desert. You and Reynolds can take the easy route from the road.”

0 Gerri Hill

“My head feels fine,” he said, “but I won’t fight you for it. You

guys have fun out there.”

Andrea knew he was lying. She could see the pain in his eyes.

No doubt Cameron and Reynolds saw it too, but he couldn’t sit

this one out. They needed him.

“We’ll take the night vision goggles. We’ll need them to cross

the desert in the dark,” Cameron said. “There’s no moon so we

should have good cover. You get the thermal imaging camera.

Your job will be to locate him. We’ll come in from the north,”

she said, pointing to the satellite image. “These are the offices.

Here are the restrooms and the locker rooms. Around the side is

the old arcade. There is no power or water,” she said. “Unless, of

course, he’s got something rigged up.”

Andrea watched Cameron as she spoke, watched her hands

and fingers as they pointed and gestured. Her hands were strong,

yet elegant. Sure hands. Andrea knew that from their touch.

She brought her gaze to Cameron’s face, loving the strength

Cameron showed as she took them through the steps they would

take in a few hours.

“And you’re sure you don’t want backup?” Reynolds asked.

“No. This has to be precise. It has to be quick and quiet.

Less chance for a mishap if it’s just us,” Cameron said.

“Okay,” Reynolds said with a nod. “I agree.”

Cameron leaned back, her eyes moving from one to the

other. “Questions? Concerns?”

“I’m good,” Eric said.

Andrea nodded. “Me too.”

“Great. We all stay in constant contact. And we stay in pairs.

No unnecessary chances.” She paused, glancing at Reynolds.

“We shoot to kill.”

Andrea expected a protest from him, but he gave no indication

that he thought otherwise. Unlike Patrick Doe, where Cameron

had wanted to bring him in alive, Leonard Baskin would not be

given the same choice. A part of Andrea still clung to the police

training she’d received. A police officer is only that. Not judge

and jury as well. But she agreed wholeheartedly with Cameron.

And not because she had looked into his eyes, not because she

had been touched by him. Not just because it was personal. She

Hell’s Highway 0

suffered only briefly at his hands. She hadn’t been exposed to the

horrors the other women had endured, the horrors the Burke

family had to bear before he ended their lives. Leonard Baskin

didn’t deserve to take another breath let alone the privilege of

a judge and jury. Yes, it went against all of her training, all of

the morals, laws and ethics she believed in. Maybe that’s why

Murdock’s teams were made up of the ex-military elite. Morals,

laws and ethics were something for everyday life, not something

to be weighed and measured while staring into the eyes of a

serial killer, your weapon pointing at his chest, ready to pull the

trigger.

Rowan interrupted the quiet moment as their glances

bounced off each other, looking for confirmation.

“I’ve got your phones all set,” Rowan said, handing Andrea

and Eric the new devices. “I have everything loaded so I can

track you all by your phones. I’ll have the satellite image up, and

I’ll be able to help you coordinate that way.”

“Good job, Rowan,” Cameron said, giving him a quick

smile.

Andrea knew Cameron had developed a soft spot for him.

He blushed slightly at the praise, then escaped back into the

office. She glanced at Reynolds, seeing his amused expression

as he expertly used chopsticks to grab a shrimp from his carton.

She set her own food aside, her appetite vanishing with each tick

of the clock.

She crouched behind Cameron, her eyes adjusting to the

darkness. Cameron scanned the desert with her night vision

goggles, trying to find the best way to hike into the complex.

Above them, millions of stars twinkled in a cloudless, moonless

sky. The sound of their boots on the rocks, the cool night air

replacing the staggering heat of the day, the smell of the desert,

all teasing her senses, making her long for the quiet nights in

Sedona. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d grown to love

Sedona. It was where she fled to, where she healed, where she

became a person again, where she met and fell in love with

0 Gerri Hill

Cameron. No matter where they traveled, she would always

think of Sedona as the magical place it was. But the high desert

there in Arizona was nothing like this barren land they crossed

now. “Should be smooth hiking,” Cameron said quietly. She took

off the goggles, her hands reaching for Andrea. “You okay?”

“Yes. Ready for it to be over with. I’m tired of this desert.”

“I second that,” Eric’s voice sounded in her ear. She squeezed

Cameron’s hand. She’d already forgotten the microphone she

had attached to her wrist.

“Quit eavesdropping,” Cameron said. “We were having a

moment.”

“How’s it look?” Reynolds asked.

“Clear. We’re moving now.”

“We’re parked about a half-mile away,” he said.

“Give us about ten minutes, then head out.” Cameron pulled

her up as she slipped on the goggles again. “Can you see well

enough?” she asked.

“Yes. You’ll guide me around thorns, right? I have no desire

to tangle with an ocotillo cactus.”

“Yeah? What about this barrel cactus thing here?”

Andrea followed Cameron’s lead, sidestepping the round,

low-growing cactus. “Thanks.”

They moved quickly, heading south, neither speaking. The

sky had an eerie glow to it as the lights of LA illuminated the

horizon. Andrea’s eyes adjusted to the near total darkness, able

to follow Cameron now without keeping a steady grip on her

shirt. They crested a small hill and Cameron stopped, squatting

down again. Andrea did the same, her hand resting on Cameron’s

back.

“We have a visual on the buildings,” Cameron said.

“We’re just heading out,” Reynolds said. “We’re following

the road, right up to the gate.”

“Copy that. Don’t move in until we’re in position.”

“We copy.”

Cameron glanced at her. “Ready?”

Andrea smiled. “You look incredibly sexy in those goggles.”

Eric and Reynolds laughed in her ear. “Sorry,” she whispered.

Hell’s Highway 0

“Careful there, Agent Sullivan. Next time I may forget to

warn you when we’re near a cactus.”

“Special Agent Ross, I’ll try to control myself then.”

Walking faster now, she could just make out the bulky

shapes of the abandoned buildings. Cameron paused again as

she scanned the area around them.

“Creosote bush to the right,” she said, pointing. “Reynolds?

What’s your position?”

“We have a visual on the gate. Eric is setting up the camera

now.”

“Do you see a way in?”

“Yes. The fence has gaps in it. There is nothing secure about

this place.”

“Okay. We’re about two hundred yards out.” Cameron held

the earpiece tighter. “Rowan? You copy?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Can you bring up the satellite and our locations?” She

turned. “Andi? Get your phone out.”

“Sending it to you now,” Rowan said.

“Got it,” Andrea said, holding it up to Cameron.

Cameron took her goggles off, shoving them on top of her

head. “Rowan, the building directly in front of us, that’s the

office, right?”

“Yes. The long, rectangular building to the left of that

houses the old locker rooms. The arcade is closer to the main

entrance.”

Cameron studied the satellite image on Andrea’s phone, then

slipped her goggles back on, scanning the area again.

“There’s a group of creosote bushes and something else.

Can’t quite make it out. Could be old trash barrels or something.

Let’s head for that. It’ll give us cover. It looks like it’s maybe a

hundred feet from the back of the office.”

“Lead the way,” Andrea said, her hand again touching

Cameron’s back as she followed.

“We’re slipping through the fence now,” Reynolds said,

his voice quiet. “A lot of palm trees around but not much for

cover.”

“Slow and easy,” Cameron murmured.

10 Gerri Hill

“Holy shit,” Eric said, his voice excited.

Cameron stopped, a hand held to her ear. “What is it?”

“Got something.”

“On the camera?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah. Two images. One is moving. The other appears to be

prone.”

Andrea’s hand squeezed tightly against Cameron’s arm. “You

think it’s him? You think he’s got another victim?”

“The one moving appears to be pacing. No movement from

the other.”

“Location?” Cameron asked.

“I think it’s the old locker room,” he said. “I’ve got a visual

on the arcade and it’s past that. Rowan?”

“Yes. Behind the arcade and to your right is the locker room.

Cameron, the locker room is to your left.”

“That’s it then. We’re going to try to get closer and get a

better read on it.”

His voice tinged with excitement and Andrea felt her own

heart race as Cameron started to move again. Her pace had

slowed, her steps sure, deliberate now.

“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you to look for trip wires,”

Cameron said quietly.

“Copy,” Reynolds whispered.

Cameron took Andrea’s hand, guiding her behind her as

she crouched low. Andrea squinted, seeing the trash barrels

and creosote bushes. They hurried now, taking cover behind

the bushes. Cameron again removed the goggles, her gaze

landing on Andrea. She reached out and touched her face gently,

reassuringly.

“We’re at the trash barrels. We have cover,” Cameron

said.“We’re at the edge of the arcade,” Eric said. “I’m picking you

up now on the camera. He’s on your side of the locker room.”

“Rowan? Windows?” Cameron asked.

“I wasn’t able to ascertain that in my research. But I would

assume not. Locker rooms are for changing and showering. They

are adjacent to the restrooms. I wouldn’t think there would be

windows.”

Hell’s Highway 11

“We can speculate but we can’t assume,” she said. “Let’s

proceed with caution and assume there are windows.”

“Copy that,” Reynolds said. “We’re moving behind the

arcade now.”

“Remember, we don’t know for sure if this is Baskin,”

Cameron said. “Be sure of your target.”

“It better not be a couple of goddamn kids,” Eric murmured.

“They’re about to get the shit scared out of them if it is.”

“No. It’s him,” Andrea said. She couldn’t have told them how

she knew but she did. She could feel it in her gut. She felt her

adrenaline kick in and suddenly it was hard to breathe. He had

another victim. What was he doing to her? Had he drugged her?

Was he waiting now? Waiting for her to wake up so he could

play with her?

Cameron leaned closer, her lips to Andrea’s ear, the words

for her alone. “It’s okay, Andi,” she whispered. “We’ll get the

bastard this time.”

Andrea nodded, giving Cameron’s hand a squeeze. “I’m

okay.”

Still crouching down, Cameron moved quickly against the

wall of the old office building, then motioned for Andrea to

follow.

“Eric?”

“I’m picking you up fine. Hang on. He’s moving.”

Andrea’s heart raced. Had he heard them? Did he have a trip

wire to signal him? She followed Cameron’s lead as they both

grabbed their weapons. She took even, deep breaths, trying to

still her racing heart.

chapter thIrtY-three

“Eric? Talk to me,” Cameron said. She impatiently pulled the

goggles off her head, not needing them any longer. She could see

the alarm on Andrea’s face, and she took a moment to squeeze

her hand.

“It’s hard to tell where he is,” Eric nearly whispered. “He

could be at the door looking out. He could be on the outside of

the room.”

“We’re still behind the office building,” she said. “He’s still

on the south side?”

“Affirmative.”

“We’re moving to the back of his building.” She glanced

at Andrea, trepidation flowing off of her in waves. She wasn’t

concerned that Andrea couldn’t do the job. She’d seen how

Andrea reacted firsthand when Patrick Doe had been a threat.

Hell’s Highway 1

Andrea hadn’t hesitated in taking the shot. This time though,

it was personal. Leonard Baskin had stripped her naked, had

drugged her, had chained her to a bloody table. If Andrea was

forced to take the shot again, would she do it? Would she feel she

was doing it because it was her job to? Or would she feel like she

was exacting revenge? She knew Andrea’s character. If the latter

were the case, she doubted Andrea’s conscience would allow her

to pull the trigger.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Andrea said, her eyes finding

Cameron’s.

“Do you now?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”

Cameron nodded. “Okay. As long as you have my back.”

“I’ll always have your back.”

“Okay. Stay here. Wait for my signal,” she said. She peeked

around the corner, seeing no movement, then ran quickly but

silently between the two buildings, pressing herself close to the

weathered bricks. “Eric?”

“Hang on. He’s moving around again.”

“Where is he?”

“He must know we’re here. He’s made us. Somehow he’s

made us.”

“What the fuck? How?”

“He’s running. He’s outside the building. Running north.”

“Which building?”

“I fucking can’t tell,” he said, his voice loud in her ear.

“Goddamn it.” She whirled around, hearing the crunching

of footsteps across the sand and rocks as he headed for the desert.

“Andi?”

“I don’t see anything.”

Cameron fumbled for the night vision goggles, slipping them

on her head. She took off, around the old office building, finally

seeing him as he ran barely a hundred feet from them.

“Andrea, stay here,” she said, not bothering to look back.

“The hell I will.”

“Agent Sullivan, that’s an order.”

“Goddamn it, Cameron. No!”

“You can’t see shit out here, you know it. Check on the victim.”

1 Gerri Hill

She ran on, wondering where the hell the bastard thought he

was going. If he had a motorcycle or dirt bike stashed, no doubt

Reynolds and Eric had cut him off from it. It appeared he was

simply fleeing into the desert.

At night. With no moon.

“Son of a bitch,” she said. “He must have night vision goggles

too,” she said to anyone listening, her breath labored as she tried

to keep up with him. “He’s running too fast, too easily.”

Andrea met Eric and Reynolds at the door to the locker

rooms. She was furious with Cameron but she tempered it down,

nodding when Eric held up two fingers, then one. Reynolds

flipped on his flashlight, going in first, Eric behind him. The

main room was empty except for a row of rusted lockers along

one wall. Eric motioned to the hallway and proceeded slowly, his

weapon out, his flashlight’s beam bouncing off the walls.

They found her tied to one of the benches, naked. Rope this

time, not chains. Andrea stared, her eyes locked on the needle

lying beside her head. Is this how she appeared when Cameron

and Reynolds had found her? Had they stared like this, wondering

if she was dead or alive?

Reynolds moved first, placing a hand at her neck. He nodded

quickly.

“Still alive.”

Andrea let out her breath, finally rushing forward, trying to

untie her. They all jumped, heads turning to the door when they

heard gunfire. Two quick bursts, followed by a third.

Andrea dropped the rope, intending to go after Cameron

when Reynolds stopped her.

“I’ll go. You stay with the girl.”

“No. I need to—”

“Agent Sullivan, you need to stay here.” He looked at Eric.

“Both of you stay here.” Andrea was about to protest when

Reynolds grabbed her arms, holding her still. “Eric has a

goddamn concussion and that woman needs an ambulance. Call

it in.”

Hell’s Highway 1

Another two shots were heard and he didn’t wait for an

answer. He spun on his heels, running quickly outside and back

into the desert.

She ran her hands nervously through her hair, glancing at Eric,

then at the woman. “Okay, so I don’t have her back on this one.”

“She told you to stay behind. She was right,” Eric said.

“If it were the other way around, would she have stayed

behind?”

“Of course not.”

“Exactly. But she’s so goddamn stubborn.. and arrogant,”

she said. “We’re supposed to stay together. Her words. Let’s stay

in pairs. Let’s don’t take unnecessary risks.” Andrea went back

to the woman, touching her face, seeing her shallow breathing.

“And then what the hell does she do? She takes off by herself,

at night, running after a crazy man.” She paused. “Rowan?

Ambulance?”

“Already called it in.”

She jumped again when another two shots were heard. Her

eyes flew to Eric’s.

“She is highly trained,” Eric said. “Jack said she was the best.

You have to trust her.”

“I trust her with my life. I’m just not so sure I trust her with

her life.”

“I’m kinda busy right now, Andi, but you do know I can still

hear you, right?”

“Oh, shit,” she murmured as Cameron’s voice sounded in

her ear.

“I can’t see anything, Cameron. Where the hell are you?”

“There’s an old rusted-out car,” she said. “I’ve got him pinned.”

“That’s not helping me find you,” Reynolds said.

She turned and adjusted the goggles, seeing Reynolds some

fifty yards away.

“Christ, Reynolds, you’re in plain view. He’s got a—” But

a bullet cut off her words and Reynolds dropped like a rock.

“Reynolds?” she yelled. “Goddamn it! Reynolds?”

1 Gerri Hill

“I. .I took it in the vest. I’m okay.”

“Jesus, man.” She let out a shaky breath. “Stay down, will

you? I was trying to say he’s got a rifle.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

She chuckled. “Glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor,

Reynolds.”

“I wasn’t aware I had any.”

“You two are pissing me off,” Andrea said.

“Sorry,” they said in unison.

“Want to tell us what’s going on?”

“He took cover behind an old car,” she said. “Unfortunately

for him, I have a plain view of all sides. He has nowhere to

run.”“And what are you using for cover?”

“A pile of rocks.”

“And does he have a plain view of you?” Andrea asked.

“No. Hard to explain but there’s a space between the rocks.”

She instinctively ducked when another shot was fired from the

car. She fired back. “You got nowhere to go, Baskin,” she yelled.

His response was two quick bursts, one hitting the rock above

her head, shattering fragments onto her face. “Bastard,” she

murmured.

“Do we have a plan?” Reynolds asked.

“I’m hoping one comes to me pretty quick,” she said. “I’m

thirsty as hell, I know that.”

“So what? You’re just winging it?”

“Pretty much.”

“Agent Ross, you can’t just make this up as you go. For God’s

sake—”

“Special Agent Ross,” she corrected. “And I had a plan. It was

to shoot the fucker in the locker room. That kinda fell through,”

she said. “You got any ideas?”

“Yeah. Have Rowan call in our location and send in a

helicopter with a sniper.”

“You want to trust a county SWAT team sniper with this

guy? Besides, by the time they get a bird in the air, he’ll be

dead.”

“How so?”

Hell’s Highway 1

“Because I’m going in behind him.”

“How do you plan to manage that?”

“You’re going to distract him.”

“God, I hate when she does this,” Andrea said. “At least there

aren’t any cliffs around.”

“Cliffs?”

“She tends to fall off them.”

“I heard that,” Cameron said. “How’s the girl?”

“Still out.”

“Rowan? You call for backup?” Cameron asked.

“No, ma’am. Not until you give the word.”

“Ma’am? Haven’t we been over that?”

“Sorry.”

“Andi, if an ambulance has been dispatched, chances are a

unit or two will follow. You and Eric keep them there. I don’t

want a bunch of deputies with guns running out here.”

“Copy that,” Eric said.

“Will you please not do anything stupid?” Andrea asked.

“Like you said, there aren’t any cliffs around.” Andrea heard

the sound of gravel and assumed Cameron’s wrist microphone

was dragging along the desert floor. “Reynolds? Can you see

anything?”

“I can see stars.”

Andrea smiled at Cameron’s heavy sigh.

“Yeah? Try lying on your stomach and looking this way.”

Again, rustling sounds and Andrea found she was gripping

Eric’s arm tightly.

“I think I can make out the car. There’s a dark spot to my

left, about seventy-five yards or so.”

“That’s it,” Cameron said. “I’m southeast of the car, only

about twenty-five yards from him.”

Andrea’s eyes widened. Twenty-five yards? “She’s an idiot,”

she whispered to Eric.

“I can’t make out anything that looks like rocks,” Reynolds

said. “Everything is just dark.”

1 Gerri Hill

Cameron sighed again. “When we get out of this, would

someone remind me to buy another set of goggles? This is

fucking ridiculous to be blind out here. Baskin has a pair of

goggles, Reynolds. Why the hell don’t you?”

“Is now the time to be discussing this?”

“This isn’t really a discussion. I’m just pointing out the

obvious.”

“Is she always like this?” Eric asked.

Andrea nodded. “Pretty much, yeah.”

“Okay, here’s the plan,” she said.

“Great. You have one. That’s progress,” Reynolds said.

“It involves you getting shot at.”

“Of course it does.”

“I’m going to fire four rounds at him. When he starts to

return fire, you get up and run to your left—west—and start

firing. You’ll need to do a fast tuck and roll. There’s enough

of an incline there that he won’t have a good angle on you.

When he returns your fire, I’m going up around him from the

back.”

“You’ll be out in the open.”

“Yes. But hopefully he’ll think I’m still behind the rocks.

You have to keep him occupied.”

“I’m not crazy about this plan,” he said.

“It’s all I got.” She put a new clip in her gun and slammed it

in. “You ready?”

There was only a slight pause. “Yeah. Go.”

“God, I hope this works,” she murmured before raising

her hand above the rocks and firing four quick shots at the car.

Baskin returned her fire as expected.

Within seconds, Reynolds was shooting. She watched as he

ran west then when Baskin took aim at Reynolds, she sprinted

away from the cover of the rock pile, her eyes glued to the car and

Baskin. It seemed to unfold in slow motion—Reynolds shooting

while he ran before falling from her view, Baskin taking aim

at Reynolds then firing haphazardly at the rock pile again, she

Hell’s Highway 1

dodging a barrel cactus and a small creosote bush while she

circled behind him.

She could see him crouched low against the driver’s side

door but she didn’t have a clean shot. Her chest heaved from her

sprint and her breath sounded loud in her ears. She slowly took

her flashlight out, intending to use it to blind him, anything to

give her a few more seconds. As if sensing her presence, he tilted

his head, listening. Then he jerked around, a handgun replacing

the rifle she expected.

She shot once, doing her own tuck and roll as he returned

fire, feeling the whir of the bullet as it passed close to her head.

The flashlight fell uselessly from her grip as she landed on the

desert floor. Blindly, she fired again, four, five quick bursts, her

shots ricocheting off the metal with loud clanks before one

finally found her target.

He fell face down, the gun still clutched in his hand, his

fingers loosening and tightening reflexively. She got up, her eyes

trained on him, gun aimed at his head.

“Reynolds? You okay?”

“Yeah. You?”

“I think so.”

“Baskin?”

“He’s down. I’m moving in.”

Andrea was afraid Eric would have a bruise on his arm where

she’d been clutching him for the last several minutes. She sighed

with relief at the sound of Cameron’s voice, finally releasing her

hold on him.

“I’m sorry.”

“No problem. We need to go show them the way.”

“Huh?”

“The ambulance.”

Only then did she hear the wail of sirens, her focus had been

solely on Cameron. She nodded. “You go. I’ll stay with her.”

The woman was still out and they had not tried to wake

her. They’d found her clothes in a bag and had debated whether

0 Gerri Hill

to cover her or not. They finally decided evidence wouldn’t be

needed and they’d covered her the best they could.

Eric was just leading the EMTs in when more gunfire was

heard. They both instinctively touched their earbuds, their eyes

flying together.

“What the hell?”

Andrea took off in a fast run, Eric on her heels.

She kicked the gun from his hand, then nudged him.

When there was no movement, she almost let her guard down.

Almost. But Patrick Doe’s face came to mind, the knife he’d

hidden from her. So she took a step back, adjusting the goggles

as she looked for Reynolds. She felt sweat trickling down her

face and she raised her hand to wipe it away. In that instant, he

rolled over, a bright flashlight flooding her goggles, rendering

her blind.

She ripped at the goggles, her eyes feeling like they were on

fire. She heard him scrambling, knew he was looking for the gun

she’d kicked away. She fired—once, twice, a third time.

“Goddamn it. Reynolds?” she yelled. “I need backup.”

She hit the ground, rolling away, not knowing where she

was.. or more importantly, where he was. As shots rang out

around her, she curled into a ball, covering herself, blinking

feverishly, trying to clear her vision.

“Cameron? Where are you?”

“Reynolds?”

“I’m here.”

She squinted in the darkness, her vision finally clearing.

“Where is he?” She shielded her eyes as he flashed his light

around them.

“He’s not here.” Reynolds bent down. “Blood. Not much.”

“Goddamn bastard had a vest on. Burke’s vest.” She followed

his light, a few blood drops splattered on the sand, farther apart

now. “He’s running,” she said, pointing to a smeared footprint.

She looked up, following the direction of the footprint. “He’s

heading back to the water park.” She looked at her wristband,

Hell’s Highway 1

gritty with sand. She tapped it, not getting any feedback in her

ear. “Mine’s dead. Find out where they are.”

“Eric? Andrea? You copy?”

Cameron listened, hearing nothing. Then, finally, the

sound of heavy breathing. Her eyes met Reynolds’s, recognition

dawning on them both. “Son of a bitch,” she murmured, turning

and running back toward the water park.

chapter thIrtY-FoUr

It happened so fast. One minute they were running, being

swallowed by the darkness, Eric passing her with his long

strides. The next—Eric lay sprawled on the ground, the blow to

the head knocking him unconscious. She instinctively grabbed

her gun but it was too late. Leonard Baskin grabbed her from

behind, knocking the gun from her grip, a dirty hand covering

her mouth, silencing her scream.

“I told you I was going to fuck you, remember? Fuck you

until you bleed,” he whispered, his voice thick, uneven.

She struggled against him, kicking his legs, his shin, but he

lifted her off the ground and slammed her down hard. She landed

next to Eric, her vision swimming as she tried to clear her head.

Focus.. focus, her mind screamed at her. Blindly, she reached for

Eric, trying to find his gun. She found his combat knife instead,

Hell’s Highway

grabbing it only seconds before she was jerked up again, face

to face with Baskin, his foul breath heavy, a calloused hand

squeezing painfully against her neck, cutting off her oxygen.

She blinked several times, trying to draw breath.. trying to

find the strength to finish this. She tightened her grip on the

knife, bringing it up low, under the vest she knew he wore. With

one quick burst, she sliced through him, his hands loosening on

her throat immediately. Sucking down greats gulps of air, she

pulled the knife out, only to plunge it in again, harder. She felt

his blood on her hands, the warm liquid flowing freely from his

gut. She pushed him away, enough light for her to see disbelief

in his eyes.

“You bitch,” he gasped. “How dare you?” He coughed, the

sound garbled. “How. .how dare you?”

He stumbled forward, taking one last lunge at her. Then

a sound pierced the night—gunfire. He was knocked sideways

from the shot, his head nearly exploding from the direct hit.

Andrea fell backwards to the ground, landing again next to Eric,

her eyes searching the darkness, seeing two shadows moving

toward her.

“Andi?”

She squeezed her eyes, letting out a relieved breath. “Took

you long enough,” she said.

“Had a little equipment malfunction,” Cameron said,

dangling her night vision goggles from her fingers. She squatted

down beside her. “Are you injured?”

“No. But Eric took a blow to the head,” she said, reaching

for him now. She felt the wet stickiness of blood on his face.

“Flashlight?”

Reynolds shone his light on Eric, his previously stitched

wound open again and bleeding freely. His pulse was strong, his

breathing even.

“Knocked out cold,” Cameron murmured.

Reynolds held his wrist to his mouth. “Rowan? You

copy?”

“Yes. Your communication has been spotty. Is everyone

okay?”

Gerri Hill

“Cameron’s mic bit the dust. It didn’t work out exactly as

planned,” he said, his glance landing on Cameron. “But the end

result is the same. Call it in, Rowan. Leonard Baskin is dead.”

chapter thIrtY-FIVe

“I could sleep another hour or three,” Andrea said as she

stretched under the covers, her hands coming to rest on

Cameron’s stomach.

Cameron turned, faced her and twined their legs together

as she pulled Andrea closer. “I’m just ready to get the hell out

of here,” she said. “I want to see some trees. Something green. I

want some cool air, not this damn desert heat.”

“Will you settle for junipers and cottonwood trees around

Sedona?”

“Yes. At least it’ll be cooler there.”

Andrea leaned closer and kissed her. “Murdock is really

giving us a week?”

“At least a week, maybe more. Depends on what comes up.”

Gerri Hill

“Let’s hope our next case does not involve a serial killer.

They suck.”

Cameron brushed her fingertips across Andrea’s nipple,

watching in fascination as it hardened. She let her hand drift

higher, lightly touching the bruising around her neck, feeling

angry all over again that that monster had his hands on Andrea

like that.

“Don’t,” Andrea murmured. “I’m fine.”

Cameron pulled her eyes from the bruising, finding Andrea’s

instead. “I realize that no matter how hard I try, I can’t always

protect you,” she said in a near whisper. “I also realize that I

don’t always have to. You’re strong. You’re smart. You can take

care of yourself,” she admitted.

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing,” Andrea said.

“It’s because I want to protect you. I want to be the strong one.”

“Are you afraid I won’t need you then?” Andrea guessed.

“That I won’t need you as much?”

Cameron sighed. “I was always so. .so empty,” she said.

“I always felt that way. Even when I was younger, it was like

something was missing, something I couldn’t put my finger on.

When I met Laurie, she was so full of life, so happy, I thought

I’d found it.” She rolled to her back, staring at the ceiling, letting

in memories of the woman she’d loved so long ago. “I know

now that I hadn’t. She was a pleasant distraction from my life. I

loved her.” Cameron turned to Andrea. “But it wasn’t like this.

She didn’t completely fill that empty spot. You do.” She reached

over, tracing Andrea’s lips lightly. “I need you. And it scares me

sometimes to think that you don’t need me like that.”

“Sweetheart, I do need you like that. You equate it to feeling

empty. For me, it was more like I was drifting, never finding

a place to land, never feeling that pull from someone.” Andrea

moved closer, her lips brushing against Cameron’s mouth. “You

pulled me, Cameron. You are the one who grabbed my heart

and I let you take it and run. I need you for so many things, not

just emotionally and physically. I need your presence—I need to

see you, to be near you, to touch you. I need you as much as I

need air to breathe.” She smiled slightly, hers eyes locking with

Cameron’s. “And sometimes I need you to shoot bad guys.”

Hell’s Highway

They stood in the hotel lobby, the five of them sharing

glances and smiles. It had been a hell of a case and they’d grown

close in a short period of time. Eric sported a white bandage

on his head, his wound stitched for the second time. The rock

Baskin had hit him with had nearly cracked his skull.

Cameron smiled as Andrea touched his cheek lovingly, then

stared in shock as Andrea kissed him full on the mouth.

“Excuse me?” she said with raised eyebrows. “Something I

should know?”

“Oh, hush,” Andrea said as she pulled Eric into a hug. “You,”

she said to him, “take care of yourself. I won’t be around to watch

your back.”

“Maybe I should say the same to you.” He pointed at his

head. “I seem to take the brunt of it.”

“Yes. I like it that way.”

Cameron turned to Rowan, squeezing his shoulder. “If I had

more room in the rig, I’d steal you away from Reynolds. You did

a great job. We couldn’t have done this without you.”

He blushed freely and shoved his glasses up higher on his

nose. “Thank you. I enjoyed working with you. Thanks for

letting me play with your computers.”

“You’re welcome. And maybe the next time I get stuck on

something, I’ll call you instead of Jason.” Her phone buzzed and

she glanced at it, grinning. “Speaking of,” she said. “I’m pretty

sure this is for you.” She handed him the phone which he stared

at like it was a foreign object.

“Jason? For me? The Jason?”

“Take the damn phone,” she said, watching as he turned

away in embarrassment, the phone held tightly to his ear.

“Yes. I’m Rowan,” he said as he walked farther away from

them. “Oh.. wow.”

“I think he has a crush,” she said.

“I thought he was straight,” Eric said.

“So is Jason.”

“Ah,” he said. “It’s a computer thing.”

Gerri Hill

“Well,” Reynolds said with a sigh. “No rest for the weary.”

“Where are you off to?” Andrea asked.

“Portland. There’s been a kidnapping that’s gotten ugly.”

“Just the three of you?” Cameron asked.

He nodded. “Gonna keep the team small, I think. For a

while.”

Cameron touched his arm. “I’m sorry about Jack and Carina,”

she said. “It’s tough.”

“Yeah. But it’s something we face every day with this job. We

all know that.”

Cameron took a step away from him before she did something

stupid, like hugged him. “Well, I guess this is it. You guys—” She

frowned, finally looking them over. “What the hell, Reynolds?

You’re in jeans? Real jeans? Not even super starched?” She

laughed. “You loosening up your rules?”

He smiled. “You were right, Agent Ross. We’re not typical

FBI agents, with our suits and ties and expensive shoes. This

case taught me that. You taught me that. Sometimes you have to

get down and dirty. Sometimes you have to break the rules.”

She finally gave in, giving him a quick but tight hug. “Special

Agent Ross,” she corrected.

“Of course.”

He turned to Andrea who did not hesitate in giving him a

hug, hers much longer than Cameron’s.

“Thank you for everything, Reynolds. It was a pleasure

working with you,” Andrea said. “I hope we meet again.”

“Thank you. I wish you the best of luck.” He glanced at

Cameron and smiled. “You’ll need it.”

Cameron laughed with the others, and then stood by Andrea

as they left. Rowan, after returning her phone, gave Andrea a

hug but held his hand out to Cameron. She took it, squeezing

tightly, then pulled him in close, causing the young man to blush

again before hurrying after the others.

“I’m going to miss them,” Andrea said, almost wistfully.

“Surprisingly, I am too,” she said. She nudged Andrea’s

shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Andrea linked their arms together as they headed out into

the desert heat. The rig was parked illegally on the curb, the

Hell’s Highway

generator running, keeping it cool. Her truck was hitched behind

it, all ready to hit the road. She glanced up into the endless blue

sky, not a single cloud in sight. As a drop of sweat trickled down

her face she wiped it away with a smile.

“Can’t say I’m going to miss this place.”

“Me either. Come on, Sedona is calling.”

Her phone buzzed again and she stood at the door to the

rig, grabbing it from her pocket as Andrea went in ahead of

her. Murdock. She sighed, then answered after letting out a deep

breath.

“This better be good.”

“Cameron? Say, just how set are you on this Sedona trip?”

“Are you kidding me? Whatever it is, no.”

“It won’t take long, I promise. Just a quick trip into

Nevada.”

“Nevada? Do you know how hot it is in Nevada?”

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series and Lammy-winner.

978-1-59493-206-9

FAÇADES by Alex Marcoux. Everything Anastasia ever wanted

— she has it. Sidney is the woman who helped her get it. But

keeping it will require a price — the unnamed passion that sim-

mers between them.

978-1-59493-239-7

ELENA UNDONE by Nicole Conn. The risks. The passion.

The devastating choices. The ultimate rewards. Nicole Conn

rocked the lesbian cinema world with Claire of the Moon and has

rocked it again with Elena Undone. This is the book that tells it

all…

978-1-59493-254-0

WHISPERS IN THE WIND by Frankie J. Jones. It began as

a camping trip, then a simple hike. Dixon Hayes and Elizabeth

Colter uncover an intriguing cave on their hike, changing their

world, perhaps irrevocably.

978-1-59493-037-9

WEDDING BELL BLUES by Julia Watts. She’ll do anything

to save what’s left of her family. Anything. It didn’t seem like

a bad plan.. at first. Hailed by readers as Lammy-winner Julia

Watts’ funniest novel.

978-1-59493-199-4

WILDFIRE by Lynn James. From the moment botanist Devon

McKinney meets ranger Elaine Thomas the chemistry is unde-

niable. Sharing—and protecting—a mountain for the length of

their short assignments leads to unexpected passion in this siz-

zling romance by newcomer Lynn James.

978-1-59493-191-8

LEAVING L.A. by Kate Christie. Eleanor Chapin is on the

way to the rest of her life when Tessa Flanagan offers her a lu-

crative summer job caring for Tessa’s daughter Laya. It’s only

temporary and everyone expects Eleanor to be leaving L.A. .

978-1-59493-221-2

SOMETHING TO BELIEVE by Robbi McCoy. When

Lauren and Cassie meet on a once-in-a-lifetime river journey

through China their feelings are innocent…at first. Ten years

later, nothing—and everything—has changed. From Golden

Crown winner Robbi McCoy.

978-1-59493-214-4

DEVIL’S ROCK by Gerri Hill. Deputy Andrea Sullivan and

Agent Cameron Ross vow to bring a killer to justice. The killer

has other plans. Gerri Hill pens another intriguing blend of

mystery and romance in this page-turning thriller.

978-1-59493-218-2

SHADOW POINT by Amy Briant. Madison McPeake has just

been not-quite fired, told her brother is dead and discovered she

has to pick up a five-year old niece she’s never met. After she

makes it to Shadow Point it seems like someone—or something

—doesn’t want her to leave. Romance sizzles in this ghost story

from Amy Briant.

978-1-59493-216-8

JUKEBOX by Gina Daggett. Debutantes in love. With each

other. Two young women chafe at the constraints of parents and

society with a friendship that could be more, if they can break

free. Gina Daggett is best known as “Lipstick” of the columnist

duo Lipstick & Dipstick.

978-1-59493-212-0

BLIND BET by Tracey Richardson. The stakes are high when

Ellen Turcotte and Courtney Langford meet at the blackjack

tables. Lady Luck has been smiling on Courtney but Ellen is a

wild card she may not be able to handle.

978-1-59493-211-3

Table of Contents

chapter one

chapter tWo

chapter three

chapter FoUr

chapter FIVe

chapter SIX

chapter SeVen

chapter eIGht

chapter nIne

chapter ten

chapter eLeVen

chapter tWeLVe

chapter thIrteen

chapter FoUrteen

chapter FIFteen

chapter SIXteen

chapter SeVenteen

chapter eIGhteen

chapter nIneteen

chapter tWentY

chapter tWentY-one

chapter tWentY-tWo

chapter tWentY-three

chapter tWentY-FoUr

chapter tWentY-FIVe

chapter tWentY-SIX

chapter tWentY-SeVen

chapter tWentY-eIGht

chapter tWentY-nIne

chapter thIrtY

chapter thIrtY-one

chapter thIrtY-tWo

chapter thIrtY-three

chapter thIrtY-FoUr

chapter thIrtY-FIVe