“What?” she asked.

I realized I had been staring, blinked, and looked away. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She shifted and stared out the window, arms crossed over her knees. “Guys stare at me all the time. It’s like when a boy sees a pretty face his brain falls out of his ass.”

I felt my face burn, embarrassment rousing my temper. “I said I was sorry, Sophia. You’re beautiful. I’m human. Sue me.”

“Just don’t get any ideas. You try anything, and my dad will break your neck.”

I snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Even in the gloom, I could see the anger on her face. She started to say something else, but the radio interrupted her.

“Okay, got it.” Blake said. “Route is plotted. Mike, please tell me you have a compass up there.”

The big Marine keyed his radio. “Who you talkin’ to? Just give me a bearing.”

Blake did, and we were off. Sophia stewed in anger next to me, eyes focused out her window steadfastly refusing to look in my direction. That was fine by me. She may have been pretty, but I did not appreciate her implying I might try to do something against her will. The fact she would even think me capable of something like that knocked her down several notches in my book. Furthermore, I was willing to bet I had a better relationship with her father than she did, and Mike knew damned well I would never lay a hand on a girl without her permission. For her to threaten me with his wrath, a man I loved almost as much as my own father, rankled even worse than her accusation of being a pervert. We did not speak to each other for the rest of the ride to the lake.

At just after 2300, our little convoy turned onto Colleen Drive and rolled through the dark, silent neighborhood to Dale’s cabin. Dale Forester was one of Dad’s old army buddies, a man he had gone through basic training and AIT with. They had served in the same infantry unit before Dad moved on to Special Forces, and they had stayed in touch over the years, getting together at least once a summer to start drinking too early in the morning and feign interest in catching fish. Dad always brought me along, claiming it would give me a better appreciation of nature. This was a lie. He just wanted someone to fetch his beer and drive the boat when he and Dale got too drunk.

As we approached Dale’s place, I searched the neighborhood around us for signs of habitation. At that time of year, there should have been at least a few people vacationing in their lake homes, not to mention retirees who lived in the area year round. But only a few driveways had cars in them, and there was nary a light to be seen. This struck me as odd until I noticed that even the streetlights were out.

Grid must be down. Good thing Dale has a generator.

At a word from my father, all the cars cut their headlights. Mike and Tyrel switched to the Humvees’ blackout lights, making them practically invisible in the darkness but still allowing them to navigate easily with NVGs.

At Dad’s direction, Mike pulled into the appropriate driveway and drove around to the other side of the house, out of sight of the road. The rest of us followed suit, lining up and parking near the shore of the lake. The property’s sizable backyard sloped down a hill to the shoreline, not too steep, but enough to keep us hidden from the casual observer. If someone wandered into the yard, however, they would have no trouble spotting the five vehicles.

The cabin cruiser sat atop its large trailer in the backyard looking like a white beached whale. Since Canyon Lake did not allow private docks, Dad would have to drive it north to Comal Park to launch it. From there, it would be a short transit to anchor out away from the property. A dinghy near the shore would allow us to travel back and forth.

Once parked, I climbed out of the truck and had a lengthy stretch. It had been a long, grueling day, and I was exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to collapse into one of the guest beds in Dale’s cabin and pass out for twelve hours. But there were things to do before I could allow myself the luxury of sleep.

“All right,” Dad said, motioning everyone to gather round. “First things first: Caleb, you’re on refueling detail. When you finish, reposition the cars so we can get out of here quickly if need be. Got it?”

I gave a thumbs-up. “Got it.”

He turned to Blake and Tyrel. “Y’all mind helping me launch the boat?”

Tyrel grunted assent. Blake stifled a yawn and said, “Not at all.”

“Mike,” Dad said, “how about you fire up one of the emergency radios and see what you can pick up?”

The big man nodded tiredly. “Will do.”

Dad dug his keys out of his pocket, found the one that unlocked the cabin, and held the keychain out to Lauren. “You and Sophia go inside and get some rest. We’ll be along shortly.”

Lauren accepted the keys, then stepped in and leaned her face against Dad’s chest. “Don’t be too long, okay?” she said, arms tight around him.

“I won’t. I promise.”

She kissed him, then walked over to me and stood on tiptoe to give me a peck on the cheek. “You be careful too, you hear?”

I nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

She hugged me around the waist, her arms too thin and her shoulder blades too sharp under my hands. The hard knot of worry plaguing me since her attack had begun aching anew. It might have been my imagination, but I could swear I felt her trembling against me. I gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

“It’s gonna be okay, Lauren,” I said. “Dad and I will take care of you.”

She looked up and gave me a weak smile. “Thank you, Caleb.”

I watched her walk toward the cabin, motioning to Sophia to come with her. Sophia took a moment to shoot me a baleful glance, daring me to look away. I kept my face blank, showing nothing. When a few seconds passed and she didn’t get the reaction she wanted, she rolled her eyes and stomped along behind Lauren. Mike watched the exchange and waited until Sophia was inside before walking over to me.

“Mind telling me what that was all about?” he whispered.

I looked him in the eye. “She’s pretty, Mike. I got caught looking. She took offense and told me not to get any funny ideas or she’d have you break my neck.”

Mike closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead. “And what did you say to that?”

“I told her not to flatter herself.”

At that point, I fully expected some kind of indignant reaction from Mike, even going so far as to brace my feet in case I had to elude his grasp. But instead, I watched his shoulders hitch as he fought down a chuckle. “You really said that to her?”

“I’m sorry, Mike. She insulted me for doing nothing worse than telling her she was beautiful. I was angry. I wasn’t thinking.”

He gave me a conciliatory pat on the shoulder. “And you think she’s pissed at you, now, right?”

“Isn’t she?”

“You don’t know much about girls, do you, boy?”

Now I was confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

This time, there was no attempt to hide the laugh. “You’ll figure it out soon enough, kid. In the meantime, do what your dad says and go gas up the cars.”

He grabbed an emergency radio out of his truck and then disappeared into the cabin. I stared after him, brow knitted.

What the hell is he talking about?

SIXTEEN

Canyon Lake, Texas

Dale’s cabin had an open floor plan on the ground level, a two-car garage, a basement, and three bedrooms upstairs. Walking in the front door, the living room was to my right and the kitchen was to my left. An island with a countertop made of the same material as cutting boards separated the two rooms, complete with a few stools positioned under the overhang on the living room side.

Mike sat at the table, head low, thick fingers adjusting the tuner on the emergency radio. Lauren and Sophia had already gone upstairs, leaving the big Marine and me alone downstairs. I pulled up a seat next to Mike and kept quiet, listening. After a minute or two, Mike shook his head in frustration and turned off the radio.