Page 1 of Relentless
CHAPTERONE
Dr. Sakara Kenyonclosed the trunk of her SUV then turned around and gave her street one last look. Her gaze drifted to the familiar corner store, then to the palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze, before settling on the small coral-colored casita she’d just cleaned out.
After today, the little house she’d been renting in Malibu for the past ten years would no longer be her home. In truth, it had never beenhome. She hadn’t had a home since her mother’s murder nearly twenty years earlier. That was about to change, though. She might not be sure how, but over the next two months she’d figure out whathomemeant to her.
“Are you sure about this, Kara?” her friend Scarlett Mitchell asked. Kara turned toward her. Scarlett quirked a brow and gave her a half smile. “I ask because you don’tlooksure.”
Kara smiled back. She and Scarlett had met years ago in Haiti during Kara’s first assignment. Kara had been a wet-behind-the-ears doctor, fresh out of her medical residency. And Scarlett, despite being two years younger, had been the field-seasoned nurse who’d taken her under her wing. They’d worked together on and off for the next eight years in some of the most desperate and dangerous spots around the world. Their friendship was forged in fire and strengthened by the quieter times they shared together while stateside. Although admittedly, for both, those quiet times were rare. For their own reasons, they each preferred to be on assignment for the international aid organization they worked for.
Or rather, the organization Kara hadpreviouslyworked for.
“It’s time, Letty,” Kara said. “I love the work we’ve done over the years. But we both know that I only got into it because it was easier to hide if I was out of the country.” At the age of eighteen, Kara and her sister, Sabina, witnessed their mother’s murder. It hadn’t been until recently that the man responsible for her death had been brought to justice and she and Sabina had come out of hiding. Now that her survival didn’t depend on staying under the radar, she wanted to benormal. She wanted to spend time with her sister and Sabina’s new husband, Chad. She wanted to take walks in the woods and not have to look over her shoulder. She wanted to stay in one place for more than a few months. She wanted to learn whathomemeant to her.
Scarlett made a face at her. “I know. And you deserve it. But don’t rule us out completely, okay?” she urged, as a breeze blew several strands of her long black hair into her face. Letty was as tough as they came. She’d grown up in South Central LA and lost both her parents to gang-war crossfire her last year of high school. They’d had the foresight to buy life insurance, and she’d used the money to pay for nursing school. Like Kara, from the day she qualified, she’d rarely spent more than a few months at a time in her home state.
“I won’t,” Kara promised. And she wouldn’t. With time and distance, she might find that the work she’d been doing was the work she wanted to continue doing. But she wanted it to be achoice. Not something she did because she felt she needed to.
Letty’s amber-colored eyes studied her, then she stepped forward and wrapped Kara in a tight hug. Kara returned the embrace as memories flooded through her—memories of all the places they’d been, all the people they’d saved, all the people they’d lost.
“I’ll miss you,” Letty said, stepping back.
“And I’ll miss you. You’ll come visit, though?” Kara asked.
Letty nodded. “I’m leaving for Honduras tomorrow. It’s a three-month assignment, but I’ll come up when I get back. If you’re still there,” she added.
Kara was house-sitting for her sister’s friend in Mystery Lake, a small mountain town several hours northeast of Malibu. Sofia had offered the use of her lake house while she and her partner, Josh, traveled Europe for two months. At the end of those two months, though, Kara had no set plans for what she’d be doing. Or where she’d be.
It was possible—likely even—that she’d end up staying in Mystery Lake. The quaint town was everything she thought she wanted—small enough to be charming, yet big enough not to feel stifling. It also had an influx of skiers in the winter and hikers and boaters in the summer who livened things up. Most important, though, her sister was there.
But that decision was a few months away. For now, she had two months to decompress. Eight weeks to sleep in as late as she wanted. Sixty days to have leisurely breakfasts on the porch. Maybe she’d even go out a night or two to the local drinking hole, the Dirty Boom.
“Call me when you get back?” Kara asked, moving to the driver’s door.
“As soon as I land,” Letty confirmed. “It’s fire season up there, be safe,” she added. Kara’s mind flashed to Mitch Warwick, one of Chad’s many cousins and a wildland firefighter and occasional hotshot. It was only August, but the fire season stretched well into the end of October. And the season had already been a rough one with several blazes tearing through mountain forests.
Still, the irony of Letty’s caution made her smile. Considering some of the places they’d traveled, cozying up in a lake house in the mountains felt as safe as staying at Fort Knox. Sure, shit could happen anywhere. But if it happened in Mystery Lake, she’d manage it. After all, that’s what she was known for in the field—the doctor who got it done. Whatever “it”happened to be.
“Always,” Kara replied, sliding onto her seat. She started the engine and flipped the AC on. It wasn’t that hot, but she’d made the bad choice of picking a car with a black interior. Most of the time it wasn’t an issue. Occasionally, though, it felt like climbing into an oven.
“Call me when you get there?” Letty asked.
Kara looked at her friend then smiled. This was a big step for her. She never had the luxury of truly relaxing. Now, she had no job, no responsibilities, and nothing but time stretching ahead of her. A dark chasm of unknowns hovered in the periphery of her mind. But all those unknowns also left her giddy with the possibilities. She had no idea what the future would hold, but she was looking forward to finding out.
“I will. Love you and be careful in Honduras. I heard Sean Faherty has been assigned as well,” Kara said.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. Sean had been after Letty for years. He was polite about it. But determined. Letty did not return the sentiment. “You know I eat men like Sean for dinner,” Letty replied with her own grin. Then, stepping back, she gave the door a gentle nudge.
Kara grabbed it as it swung toward her and pulled it closed, the lock clicking into place. She glanced at the little casita one last time. Then, putting her car in Drive, she gave Letty one last wave and pulled away.
CHAPTERTWO
The gentle rhythmof the windy roads—roads that hugged mountainsides and bisected beautiful evergreen forests—soothed some of Kara’s ragged edges as she made her way to Mystery Lake. Twenty miles from her destination, though, the pleasant drive came to an abrupt end when a flare appeared on the shoulder. Then a few yards up the road, another. Her stomach pitched at the implication. Not everyone drove carefully, and accidents weren’t uncommon.
Several more flares came into view as she rounded a bend. Mentally, she cataloged her go bag as she slowed even further. She liked to be prepared, if needed, and always kept a backpack in her trunk stocked with emergency supplies. But in this case, with so many flares in place, she expected the emergency responders were already on-site.
After inching around yet another curve, she came to a full stop behind a minivan filled with luggage. Three boys played in the forest off the side of the road. And two women, with thermoses in hand, leaned against the side of the car.
Kara turned on her flashers, then put her car in Park and killed the engine. Both women turned as she climbed out.
