“What do you have in mind, Bro?” Travis looked at him through the rearview mirror.
“If she agrees, Kellie and I’ll take the SUV up to the cabin. I’d like to find a spot to drop you and Blake so you can approach from another direction—maybe hang back and see what’s waiting for us.”
“I may know a place. It’s been a few years since I’ve been here, but there used to be a deer trail from the lake that skirts around the back of the property. The brush is thick, but you should be able to see the cabin from there and get fairly close without being noticed.” Kellie unbuckled her seatbelt and slid forward. Her knees brushed MacGyver’s thigh, but she didn’t seem to notice the contact or the hitch in his breath.
He cleared his throat before trusting his voice. “Outbuildings?”
She nodded. “Just a carport and a woodshed on our property, but there are other cabins close by, and this time of year, some may be vacant.”
MacGyver nodded. She was good. Simple but thorough plans were what he was used to, and Kellie was calm and factual in giving them the info they needed. Definitely an asset since she was the only one familiar with the area.
Travis focused on her through the mirror. “Your stepdad—what’s his first name?”
“Charles. His friends call him Charlie.”
“Tell us something personal about him—something he’ll recognize as coming from you.” Travis slowed and merged into the right hand lane of the highway. Any of the next several exits would take them into Coeur d’Alene.
Kellie snuck a peek at MacGyver, and he ached to reassure her they were on her side—that there was no malevolent motive for asking about her stepdad. “One of us might find Charlie before you do, and we’ll need to convince him we’re the good guys. It’ll be easier if he believes you sent us.”
Her brow creased, and she focused on something beyond the windshield. “Charlie met my mother when I was twelve. One day, this fireman was wheeled into the hospital where she worked as an ER doctor. He’d fallen through a roof while fighting a fire. Both of his legs were broken and Mom said he’d been lucky to survive. Pop told us later that when he woke up in the ER and saw Mom, he thought he’d died and she was his beautiful guardian angel. They were married six months later, and he still loves her like crazy, even though she’s been gone for nearly two years.”
Kellie swiped at a tear that had swollen over the rim of her eyelid and rolled down her cheek. MacGyver pretended not to notice, and no one spoke right away. Travis had asked for personal, and that was what she’d given them. Her eyes held a sadness that hadn’t been there before. MacGyver gripped the edge of the seat to give his hands something to do besides reaching to comfort her. He’d already proven he couldn’t be trusted not to turn comfort into something entirely different.
“Okay. I’d feel better if we were armed. What kind of gun laws does Idaho have?”
A derisive snort preceded Blake’s glower over the seat back. “Hey, man. Have I ever let you down?” A smug grin spread from ear to ear.
“No, you haven’t. That’s why your damn duffle’s so heavy?”
“Hell yeah. I took a chance. When you said you were lookin’ to get out of town fast, I packed a few things…just in case.”
“Good thinking. I knew I liked you.” Travis nodded his approval.
“I didn’t bring radios, though. We’ll need a signal to let us know if you run into trouble.”
“You’ll know.” MacGyver and Kellie uttered the words at the exact same time, and they both laughed, prompting a suspicious glare from Travis through the mirror.
“What the hell’s going on back there?” He gave the mirror a twist and darted a glance at Kellie. “I thought you were pissed at this poor slob. Now you’ve gone and made up? Shit! I miss all the good stuff.”
Kellie’s eyes sparkled. “Travis, you didn’t think I was mad, did you? Hell no. That was just a warning shot. When I get angry…you won’t have to wonder.”
Travis laughed uncertainly. Kellie’s cheeks turned an attractive shade of pink as she turned to wink at MacGyver, and her smile brightened his world.
“Well hell. Knowing my friend’s slow learning curve, he’ll likely be in trouble again before the day’s done.”
Everyone chuckled at Travis’s observation, except Blake, who’d gone quiet again.
MacGyver shrugged one shoulder as he basked in Kellie’s openness. “I hate to admit it, but he’s probably right.” He laughed when she cocked her head and pursed her lips.
Her perusal lowered to his mouth, and another of her gorgeous smiles broke over her face like sunshine. MacGyver couldn’t get enough.
Shifting toward the front, she bobbed her chin at something ahead. “Take the next exit and turn right. I’ll let you know when we’re getting close.”
MacGyver leaned back against the seat, threading his fingers together behind his head. Why the weight of the world had just lifted from his shoulders was a question he’d save for later. Right now, he wasn’t going to waste the truce he’d won. He kept Kellie engaged by asking about the Veterans Memorial Bridge that seemed to cling precariously to a steep section of I-90 above them. Obvious pride lit up her expression as she described all that the City of Coeur d’Alene had done to honor the fighting men and women of America. To hear the gratitude bordering on reverence in her words soothed some of the rough edges from his war-weary soul.
The lake was beautiful, the water clear, calm and crowded with boats in spite of the weather being overcast with intermittent rain showers. Fifteen minutes later Kellie directed Travis to pull over into a recreation area where fishermen with more boats waited for their turn to launch.
They piled out of their vehicle, and Blake opened his duffle, displaying a cache of semi-automatic handguns. MacGyver and Travis each chose one and grabbed extra clips, while Kellie hung back.