Beyond Risk

by Connie Mann

  He pulled back from her lips, stroked her cheeks with his thumbs as she blinked up at him in surprise. “We’ll find him, cher. I promise.”

  Her eyes flashed, and she spun out of his reach and kept pacing. “Don’t you dare say something so idiotic to me, Lieutenant. You know damn good and well you can’t promise me that. You can’t promise anyone that. This piece of garbage has already proven he’s unstoppable. He’s—”

  “Human,” Hunter interrupted. “And he’ll make a mistake. And when he does, we’ll get him.”

  She planted her hands on her hips, chest heaving as she vibrated with fury. “How many more empty platitudes are you going to throw at me?”

  He wondered if she had any idea how magnificent she looked with sparks fairly shooting from her skin. “No platitudes, cher. Ever. You know me better than that.”

  “Do I? No. I know nothing. Nothing. You keep yourself apart, hiding behind that stony mask so nobody ever knows what you’re thinking or feeling.”

  His eyebrows climbed to his hairline. Where had that come from? “What are you talking about, cher?”

  She mumbled under her breath as she spun away from him. Then she turned back, poked him in the chest, hard. “That attitude. Right there. Always calm and controlled, the man in charge.” She narrowed her gaze. “Reasonable. Untouchable.”

  Her words jabbed at his defenses, stirred his own anger. When she tried to sidestep him again, he’d had enough. “I’ll show you untouchable,” he muttered. He yanked her against his chest, enjoying her little squeak of surprise. Before she could throw any more verbal missiles his way, he buried his hands in her hair and poured every ounce of his frustration with this strong, stubborn, infuriating, amazing woman into the kiss. He didn’t know any other way to make her understand, especially since he didn’t understand it himself.

  She gasped and opened her mouth under the onslaught of his tongue. He fisted his hands in her hair and let out a little sigh of relief as her arms came up around his neck and she plastered herself against him. He hummed, low in his throat, as she moved in further, all her curves finally, finally right where he wanted them. She fit so perfectly.

  His heart hammered against hers as he plundered her mouth, desperate suddenly to get closer and closer still. To touch her. Show her everything she meant to him.

  Charlee gave as good as she got, and her hands slid up under his shirt, gripping his back. He spun them around and backed her up against the wall. He loved the way she felt pressed along his length, and he ran his hands up under her shirt, caressing her soft skin. He trailed kisses along the sleek column of her throat, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla on her skin as she held him tight, as desperate as he was to get closer still.

  “You feel so good, cher,” he muttered, sliding his hands up her rib cage, caressing the underside of her breasts.

  Her hands were everywhere, and they made him shiver. Soft and callused, they were part of the contradiction of Charlee. His hands stroked and caressed, propelled by the growing need to feel skin on skin. Charlee took his hand and somehow, after several more mind-numbing kisses, he found himself under those flowered sheets with her, both desperate to shed the layers that kept them apart. She looked up, and their eyes met, held, hers so dark and wide, he could drown in them. But beyond her obvious need, her eyes shredded him with a loneliness that mirrored his own. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to take it away, forever.

  When she sighed as he lowered himself over her and stretched out to his full length, all the jagged edges of his heart seemed to come back together. He kissed her mouth slowly this time, savoring the feel of her soft, soft skin against his.

  He trailed more kisses over her face while he stroked her arms, then down her legs, ignoring the buzz in his head.

  The sound came again, and Charlee froze. “Natalie.”

  He blinked, trying to get his bearings as she shoved against his chest. “I have to get the phone. It’s Natalie.”

  She scrambled out from under him and ran to the kitchen. He raced after her, careening off the doorjamb and biting back a curse.

  He blinked against the light and shook his head to clear it.

  Charlee stabbed at her phone. “Come on. Come on.”

  The buzzing came again.

  She looked up, frantic. “Not mine.”

  Phone. Right. He grabbed his off the counter, barked, “Boudreau.”

  There was nobody there. He pulled the phone away and realized it wasn’t a call, but an incoming email and a text. He sagged against the counter and read both.

  “Who is it?” she demanded. “What’s wrong?”

  The last of his brain fog cleared as the panic returned to her face.

  “Byte. Frank, the carnival boss, has quite the rap sheet. One definitely worth looking into. He wanted me to know right away.”

  Charlee slumped against the counter.

  “Nothing yet from Natalie?” When she gave a quick negative shake of her head, he held out his hand. “Come to bed, cher. We both need some sleep or we won’t be worth spit.”

  Something in his heart loosened when she didn’t hesitate, just put her hand in his and walked with him. He’d meant to simply hold her, but when she turned in his arms and slowly ran her hands over his face, then cupped his cheeks and kissed him, slow and deep, Hunter was lost.

  “We’ll figure it out,” she murmured, and he felt the words like an electric shock. Shouldn’t he have said those words to her? In the middle of her fears for her family, she’d reached out to comfort him, and it brought him to his knees. He tried and failed to find the right words. Finally, he simply pulled her close and stroked her soft skin as the remaining barriers between them slid to the floor, and he did his best to show her what he couldn’t say. That she was beautiful and amazing and strong and fierce. That he didn’t deserve her.

  And that he loved her.

  As their heartbeats slowed and Charlee drifted into sleep, the truth hit him, and he swallowed hard. He brushed a kiss over her shoulder and tried to sleep, but on the heels of that knowledge, fear reared its ugly head. She filled every inch of his heart and mind, and that scared him to the marrow of his bones. To keep her safe, he needed all his focus. He couldn’t miss the tiniest clue. Because he realized right then that if something happened to Charlee, he didn’t think he’d survive. Sappy? Yeah, definitely. But as sleep finally claimed him, he realized it didn’t matter. It was the truth.

  * * *

  By the time Charlee stumbled into the kitchen after a quick shower, Hunter had coffee ready and was talking on his cell phone.

  “Thanks. I appreciate you getting me whatever you can ASAP.”

  He poured Charlee a cup and then sipped his own. “Morning, cher. Did you get some rest?”

  Charlee nodded absently as she studied him, remembering the feel of his arms around her during the night, keeping the nightmares at bay. She hadn’t slept that well in a year. A stab of longing hit her at how much she liked waking up to him in her kitchen, his hair still damp from his shower. She walked over to him and pulled him close, desperate to keep reality away for just a little longer. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a slow kiss that muddled her mind. Reluctantly, she eased away and cleared her throat. “Who was that?”

  “I’ve had Byte run down Tommy Jennings’s background.”

  “Did he find—” Charlee’s cell phone rang, and she grabbed it off the charger. “Hey, Dad. How’s Mom?”

  “About the same. They keep saying she’s going to fully wake up anytime, but so far, it hasn’t happened.” He let out a sigh. “Have you talked to your sister?”

  Charlee pulled the phone from her ear and checked, a chill slithering down her spine. No calls or texts from Natalie. “I left her a text during the night to call me and check in, but I haven’t heard back yet.” She glanced at the clock. “She may have an early
class.”

  “When I spoke to her yesterday, she said she’d be here in a few hours and stay with Mom overnight so I could get some sleep.”

  Charlee’s heart rate speeded up. “She didn’t show up?”

  “No. That’s why I’m calling. I thought she got held up at school, so I stayed here at the hospital. I didn’t want to leave your mother alone.”

  “Of course you didn’t. Let me give her a call.”

  “I’ve tried several times. She’s not answering her cell phone, and I’m getting a bit concerned.”

  Now the hair on the back of Charlee’s neck stood straight up. She tried to keep her voice calm, keep the panic from showing through. “I don’t blame you, Dad. Let me see what I can find out, and I’ll call you back, all right?”

  “Sure. Thanks, hon. I just hope she didn’t have car trouble somewhere without cell service.”

  Charlee fervently prayed it was as simple as that, but she couldn’t be that naive. “We’ll check it out, Dad. Don’t worry.” She hung up and met Hunter’s concerned expression. “Natalie never showed up at the hospital last night. Dad can’t reach her on her cell, and she never returned my text.” As she talked, Charlee dialed Natalie’s number, listened. “It went straight to voicemail.”

  Hunter poured coffee into two travel mugs. “Why don’t you call your brothers while I check with the deputy who’s been watching her. If no one’s heard from her, we’ll have Byte ping the GPS on her phone.”

  Her hand shook as she dialed Josh’s cell. “Hey, Sis. You holding up okay? I heard about Jennings. And about somebody throwing bean bags at you last night.”

  Charlee didn’t have time for small talk. “Have you talked to Natalie? She didn’t show up at the hospital last night. Dad just called me.”

  “What? No. Want me to call her?”

  “I already did. It goes right to voicemail.”

  “What about Pete? He talk to her?”

  “He’s my next call.”

  Charlee heard a muffled curse. “I don’t like this. Not with everything else going on.”

  Hearing him mirror her thoughts made Charlee’s worry ratchet up another notch. “If Pete hasn’t talked to her, we’ll locate her phone. Maybe she had car trouble or something.”

  “Then she would have called. What about Sanders? I thought he was watching her?”

  “Hunter’s calling him now.”

  “Keep me posted. I’ll make a few calls on my end. She’s going to be fine,” he added, then hung up.

  She called Pete next, but he hadn’t heard from her either. Hunter walked back into the room, expression grim. “Deputy Sanders isn’t answering his cell, either.” When Charlee made a sound of distress, he held up a hand. “But there was a big accident near the campus yesterday, so he may have gotten called to help with that.”

  It was a stretch, but Charlee appreciated his effort.

  His cell buzzed with an incoming text. “Byte sent GPS coordinates on her phone. Looks like it’s at her apartment. You ready?”

  Charlee grabbed her backpack, and they hopped into Hunter’s truck, the need to hurry a living thing. She wanted to believe her sister was merely sleeping in, maybe overdid it at a party last night. But her mind kept going to a far greater concern. What if the killer had Natalie?

  Hunter climbed into the driver’s seat, handed her a travel mug and two pieces of toast slathered in peanut butter wrapped in a napkin. “You need to keep your strength up.”

  * * *

  Charlee tried to keep the panic at bay as Hunter made the hour-long trip to Gainesville in record time. She usually enjoyed driving through the University of Florida campus, with its redbrick buildings and stately live oaks. Since it drew thousands of students from all over the world, most of the businesses in town obviously catered to the university one way or another. But today, she wished everyone would just get off the road already.

  Hunter drove about a mile past the main campus to an apartment complex wedged up against other apartment complexes. “Easy, cher. We’re almost there.”

  “Turn right here, then go past the mailboxes to the third building on the left.”

  Hunter drove past bicycle racks and a swimming pool to a three-story building at the back. Since only a small number of summer classes were in session, he found an open guest spot without a problem. He leaned over the steering wheel and scanned the woods that backed up to the buildings.

  Charlee followed his gaze, then looked away. Until they had proof, she was going under the assumption that her sister had gotten tied up with homework, forgot to charge her phone, fell asleep, had car trouble. Any plausible explanation that didn’t include the person who had targeted her family.

  They climbed out of the truck, and both scanned the parking lot. “Her car’s not here,” Charlee said. When Hunter opened his mouth to respond, she added, “I know it may not mean anything.”

  Charlee led the way to the apartment her sister shared with a girl from Ohio, Calisa. She knocked. “Natalie. It’s Charlee. You home?”

  They waited, and Charlee’s nerves stretched thin. How would they get in if Natalie or Calisa weren’t home? Finally, they heard rustling inside, and then the dead bolt opened. Calisa’s sleepy face appeared, red hair matted on one side.

  She managed a wan smile. “Hey, Charlee.” She looked past her to Hunter. “Who’s the hunk?”

  “This is Hunter; he’s a friend of mine. Is Natalie here?”

  Calisa shrugged. “Not sure. I got in pretty late. Or I guess it was early.”

  She opened the door wider and led the way down the short hall into the main living area. Charlee went to Natalie’s room, tapped on the closed door. “Nat? You here?” When she didn’t get an answer, she opened the door to chaos. Clothes, shoes, books littered the floor and the unmade bed. The closet doors hung open, clothes spilling out there, too.

  Hunter stepped into the room behind her. “Is this typical for Natalie? Or did someone toss the place?”

  Charlee almost smiled. “No, this is typical Nat. If it had been neat, I’d have wondered if I were in the wrong room.” Hunter crouched down and started sifting through the stuff on the floor while Charlee went to the closet, pushed some clothes aside. “Her favorite overnight bag from the designer outlet is missing. She must have packed it to head home.” Charlee grabbed her phone, dialed Natalie’s number, and scanned the room as she waited to hear it ring. Her worry ramped up another notch when she heard nothing.

  She met Hunter’s eyes, then turned and saw Calisa hovering in the doorway. “What’s going on? Why are you wondering about her overnight bag?”

  “Did you see Nat yesterday at all?”

  “Um, yeah, for a few minutes, maybe eleven or so? We were both heading for an afternoon class.”

  “Did you come back to the apartment during the afternoon?” Hunter asked.

  Calisa looked from one to the other. “No. After class, I went to work and then hung out with some friends till pretty late. Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Our mom is in the hospital. Natalie said she was heading there, but we haven’t seen her.”

  Calisa covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh my gosh. Is she okay?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.” Hunter pulled out his little notebook. “Do you know what class she had yesterday?”

  “Um, not really. Summer school is weird, you know. The schedules are different. Except for the one yesterday, I don’t know. I don’t think she had another one. You could maybe ask at the registrar’s office.”

  “Was she supposed to work last night?”

  Calisa shrugged. “We’re roommates, but we don’t, you know, hang out. We both just do our own thing.”

  Hunter tucked his notebook in his pocket. “Thanks, Calisa. Here’s my card. Will you call me if you hear from Natalie?”

  She n
odded solemnly. “Of course. I hope she’s okay.”

  “We do, too, thanks.” Charlee gave the girl a quick hug, then they left.

  “Try her phone again,” Hunter said when they reached the parking lot. They both spun in a slow circle, straining to listen, but heard nothing. Hunter kept walking, expanding the circle. “Call again,” he said.

  Charlee kept pace, letting the phone ring several times before hanging up and dialing again.

  Finally, as they rounded the corner of the building, they both heard it. Faint, but there. “Natalie!” Charlee yelled, but there was no answer. Her eyes landed on the dumpster, and she shouted “No!” and leaped toward it.

  Hunter grabbed her around the waist before she got there. As Charlee tried to free herself, he said, “Let me look first.”

  Charlee met his eyes, knew what he was trying to do, and shoved out of his arms. “Natalie!” She reached the dumpster and pushed the lid up, steeling herself against what they might find.

  It was empty. Except for Natalie’s phone.

  Charlee let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Hunter put an arm around her to steady her. “Take a breath, cher.”

  Charlee’s relief turned to panic. “She’d never ditch her phone, especially since Mom’s stroke.” She swallowed hard. “He has her.”

  Hunter didn’t agree or disagree. Instead, he said, “Let me bag her phone, see if we get lucky and he left prints on it.” He started for his truck.

  “We need to find her, now!”

  “Agreed. Which means we take it step-by-step, so we don’t overlook something obvious and end up wasting time.” He scanned the area around the building, walked several feet, scanned the other direction. “No security cameras.”

  Charlee huffed out a frustrated breath, fighting to stay calm, think logically. They hurried over to the registrar’s office and found out Natalie had checked in to her class yesterday. But it was a three-hour class, so she could have left partway through, and no one would have noticed.