Page 138 of The Vigilant

“That was where they planned on taking me until my buyer got to town, but after they came for you and ended up with three men dead, the man—Carson—took me. I don’t think he trusted them to keep me safe for Shazad, and I think they were too worried about the risk to Jack, though I don’t understand why.”

“The Straw Sandal of the Wah Ching is Jack’s uncle,” I explained. “That’s why he got away with so much. Why they kept him close but never let him in.”

Her mouth made a small “o.”

“Mara…” I swallowed. “What happened at the warehouse? With Remington?”

Her eyes flashed. “He saved me,” she said without hesitation.

“Did he…hurt you?”

“What?” she gasped. “No. Why would he?”

My brows knit together. “Did he tell you who he is?”

She was silent for a beat. “He said he was a private consultant…that he was trying to eliminate not only the man who bought me but the men who were selling me.”

Damn.

“That day, after he rescued me from the warehouse, he took me to a house on the bay. There was a doctor waiting. Food. Clothes. It was…I couldn’t believe it.”

“But he kept you there?”

“No, I mean, I said I would stay.”

“What?” My breath rushed from my chest.

“After he told me who he was—what he was there to do—he asked if I would be willing to help him,” she told me. “I didn’t need to do anything. He just asked if I could answer some questions for him.”

“Questions about what?”

“About what I’d overheard while I was held by the Wah Ching. About the man who’d taken me and put me in a cage—Carson. If there was anyone else I saw at the warehouse and could describe. He asked dozens and dozens of questions about what I’d seen and heard while I was there.”

“And he never told you you couldn’t leave?”

“No.” Her throat bobbed. “He said he would take me to you as soon as I said the word.”

“But you wanted to help…”

Her jaw hardened. “I wanted to do whatever I could to take those men down.”

I gave her a tight smile and then hugged her again, heaving a deep breath as I held her close. This time, she was the one who drew back first.

“Who is he, Sutton?”

I grimaced. “Damon Remington is a criminal. He’s at the top of the FBI’s Most Wanted List.”

“What?” She jerked and shook her head. “No…I don’t—I can’t believe that. He saved me. He was so…nice. So concerned.”

And a good liar,I thought, but kept the words to myself. There was no point in arguing about his character now. Mara was safe, and Remington would soon be in custody.

“Do you want to eat? Shower? Take a bath. I can bring you some clothes to change into and some food?—”

“Is this where you’re staying?” She took a moment to look around.

I tensed. “Not this cabin, no.”

Her brow furrowed, and then, like a thought suddenly struck her, her eyes went wide.

---