by Katlynn Rose
Thief
The Dove in the Darkness
~ ~ ~ ~
By Katlynn Rose
Copyright © 2015 D.R.J. Publishing
All rights reserved.
Cover design and artwork by Debra Johnson
https://drjpublishing.blogspot.com
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. For information or to obtain permission, contact Deborah Johnson, Grand Prairie, Texas. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
To… Myself. Is that odd? But sometimes I need a break from stress, and this book was the perfect outlet for me. It was fun for me to create this indulgent novella, and we have to remember to give a little bit back to ourselves every now and then.
Table Of Contents
Dedication
Part One
Chapter 1 – Candy Bar
Chapter 2 – Distraction
Chapter 3 – Chase
Chapter 4 – Revelation
Chapter 5 – Highway
Chapter 6 – Motel
Chapter 7 – Alone
Chapter 8 – Night
Part Two
Chapter 9 – Free
Chapter 10 – Storage
Chapter 11 – Accomplice
Chapter 12 – Thief
Chapter 13 – Foiled
Chapter 14 – Diner
Chapter 15 – Forever
Additional works from DRJ Publishing
About The Author
Part One
The Catch
Chapter 1 – Candy Bar
The small, lake-side store was packed, flooded by rowdy college students participating in their yearly spring break ritual. Lea ground her teeth as she waited in line, trying not to glare at the obnoxious boys that were trading punches in front of her. Even though they were only a year or two younger than her, she classified them as boys in her mind. Immature and green.
Lea imagined she already knew their life stories; sheltered and pampered in high school and receiving the same treatment in college. They couldn't possibly know what it’s like to live on their own in the real world. Bitter with a hint of envy, Lea struggled to keep her eyes from rolling. Instead, she fixed them on a magazine rack and pretended to read the headlines.
Damn you, Ox, she cussed her friend in her mind. Lea blamed him even though she was fully aware it wasn't his fault. She had volunteered, knowing this whole week was going to be chaos, needed to be chaos, but her nerves were working against her, cranking her irritation level to the max. Maybe this whole week wasn't his fault, but he was the one who sent her up here for his damn chocolate fix.
Lea fiddled with the Snickers bar in her hand. She briefly toyed with the idea of putting it back on the shelf and deserting the store, but the cold bottle of Diet Coke in her other hand sang to her. She swallowed dryly and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, resigning herself to the wait.
The line moved forward, and two giggling girls walked past Lea to the exit. She ground her teeth and once again, consciously put a halt to her eye-rolling. She imagined her stoic glare at the magazine rack would make a passerby think she wanted to rip them to shreds, but no one was paying attention to her. They were all self-absorbed with only two things on their mind; alcohol and sex.
Suddenly, a loud smack jostled one of the boys toward her. Lea side-stepped quickly, narrowly avoiding him, but the girl behind her wasn't as quick to move. Absorbed in her smart phone, she squealed as it was knocked from her hand, careening to the hard-wood floor. Landing hard, it busted into several pieces as the protective case popped off, and the back cover snapped free as the phone bounced, sending the battery sliding across the floor.
"Watch it, dick!" the thin blonde screeched, not even bothering to look up. She was already darting for the pieces of her busted phone.
"Woah. Sorry, sister." The boy who had fallen backward apologized in a deep, slow voice. He bent to help her while the clown that had punched him turned away, hiding his laughter. Lea exhaled sharply, exasperated.
"Get off me, you prick!" the blonde yelled as she hauled back and punched him solidly in the arm. "Don't touch my shit!"
"Ow," the big guy whined, handing the cover back to the angry coed. His free hand was rubbing his arm where she'd slugged him. He gave the girl a wounded, puppy dog frown and sounded sad when he spoke again. "I said I was sorry."
"If you broke it, you're gonna be sorry," Blondie barked as she snatched the cover from his hand.
Lea almost smirked when the blonde turned violent, but it quickly faded as the lummox stood up. He was tall, but to Lea, everyone was tall. That wasn't what bothered her. Lea's annoyance turned to alarm because he had finally noticed her.
The confrontation with the blonde had already slipped from his mind as he became fully focused on Lea. His smile slowly curved his thick lips at the corners, crinkling his large nose, and his droopy eyes lit up when Lea accidentally made eye contact. "Hey there, little sister."
"Oh, Jesus." Lea sighed under her breath. She figured he was either a bit slow or high. Probably both. Either way, Lea felt she was going to have a tough time shaking him if something else didn't grab his attention. One thing Lea lacked was social grace, and these types of guys only took rudeness as a challenge.
"It's not turning on!" The squeal came from the forgotten blonde moments before the angry girl grabbed his arm and jerked him around. She slammed the phone against his beefy chest as he stared down at her in surprise. "Fix it or pay for it!"
Lea's eyes widened as she watched the lummox get slugged in the arm again. His companion – the one actually guilty – finished up at the counter and was turning back to intervene. Lea took the chance to slip silently behind the commotion and breathed a sigh of relief as she escaped anymore unwanted attention.
Setting her items on the counter, Lea pulled a five from her pocket and impatiently waited for the cashier to accept her money. He was distracted by the scene playing out behind her, and Lea huffed, wanting nothing more than to get her change so she could get the hell out of there. The attendant didn't seem to be concerned with her or her irritation.
By the time he passed the change back to her, the blonde was shouting at both of the boys with neither one able to get a word in. Lea ducked out behind them as the cashier's voice added to the rising tumult, yelling for them to take it outside.
No, no, no! Lea thought, wanting to get safely away without the bickering group following her out the door. She needn't have worried. In fact, she was actually quite impressed by the tirade that followed. The blonde turned her rage on the cashier, and everything else in the small store ceased to matter.
As Lea made it to the door, she allowed herself a look back at the scene she narrowly escaped. Distracted by what was happening behind her, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. She failed to notice that someone outside had opened the door, and she proceeded to stumble gracelessly through the opening.
The weight of the door Lea had expected to be there was gone, and she flailed for a handhold somewhere – anywhere – to keep from going down. Her hands grasped a strong bicep as an arm shot around her waist, and her body collided with a stranger as he caught
her before she fell.
Cheeks already flaming, Lea quickly regained her footing and spun away. She automatically began to stutter out an apology before she looked up. "Thank you. I'm sor..."
Her voice trailed off, the words getting tangled in her throat and then forgotten when she finally met his eyes. Beautiful eyes. They sparkled a brilliant green in the sunlight and stole Lea's breath. She stared at him stupidly, mesmerized by the intent way he was looking at her, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his lean, handsome face. He was the one to look away first, to eye the ground purposefully, and even then Lea couldn't break free of his thrall.
She intently watched him, noticing how his t-shirt clung to his thin frame and the thick locks of brown hair that fell into his face as he bent to pick something off the ground. She gaped over the strong muscles that flexed in his arm as he reached for a Snickers bar – the Snickers bar she had just bought for Ox – and finally her loopy brain snapped back into focus.
"You dropped this," he said as he held the candy bar out to her. Lea reached for it, noticing her fingers were trembling, and quickly snatched it from him. Her stomach was twisting in nervous knots as the man continued to watch her expectantly.
Thank you! I should say thank you!
Lea opened her mouth to speak when the furious blonde inside the store kicked her tirade up a notch, and the cashier and the two culprits were facing a full on meltdown. The heightened shouts caught the stranger's attention, pulling his penetrating gaze away, and Lea stole the opportunity to escape. She spun and hastily walked down the gravel path toward the lake. Her cheeks were on fire, and she didn't dare slow down.
Finally, when she reached the bend in the road, Lea chanced a look over her shoulder. She didn't know what she expected, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw he was still standing in the shade of the small awning, watching her. Blushing even more, Lea continued on her way.
She was supposed to meet Ox at one of the many campsites, but the trip to the store had taken longer than expected. He wasn't one to get irritable, but Ox was too hyperactive to sit in one place for long. Lea actually hoped he had gotten bored and wandered off so she could have a few minutes to collect herself, to let the flush die down. She felt the blush clinging to her skin, branding her, a tell-tale sign that something wasn't right. If anyone noticed, it would be Ox.
As the awning came into view, Lea whistled happily through her teeth when she saw it empty. It could have been suspicious that no one was sitting at the campsite, considering all awnings were prime real estate this week, but Lea knew of a few well-placed rumors that would keep the coeds far away. After all, who needed their good time ruined by a bunch of undercover cops?
Only it couldn't really be a rumor if it were the truth, could it? Lea smirked as she looked at the group of supposed family and friends at the adjacent campsite, and she took her seat at the picnic table. The hard concrete bench was uncomfortable, but here she could sit and watch unsuspected.
And sit she did, the uneventful minutes stretching out to impossible lengths. Observe was the word they had used, but what they had actually meant was die of boredom. She didn't bother masking her eye-roll this time. She had calmed down and was hoping Ox would show up soon to keep her company.
On the bright side, she was finally able to crack open her soda, and the hiss of carbonation was music to her ears. The feel of the cold liquid hitting her tongue and running down her throat helped her relax. As she sat the bottle back on the table, she looked at the Snickers bar.
"I hope you melt." She said snidely, but she was grinning to herself. She felt more mischievous than angry and knew a little thing like melted chocolate wouldn't slow Ox down.
The playfulness was short-lived, though, and Lea's mood began to sour the longer she sat alone in the hot afternoon. The awning shaded the table at least, and she openly stared at the people she was spying on, envious of their two fancy RVs. A low hum made it to her ears, and she knew it was the sound of the generator and the AC it powered. Lea let out a long, drawn out sigh. They were the dullest undercover cops ever.
"Oh, but she's young. She looks like a coed. They won't suspect her," Lea scoffed under her breath, her voice nasally as she mimicked Scott, the jackass that had volunteered her. He had been wrong, though. Sitting there alone, she was probably the most conspicuous coed at the lake. Taking another swig on her soda, she sighed, "And then I agreed to it, so it's my own damn fault."
Lea casually looked around, saw no sign of Ox, but was really making sure no one had been in earshot. Satisfied it was clear, she went back to picking at the plastic label on her bottle to pass the time. She began to yawn, but her breath was stolen as she caught site of a dark haired man joining the other camp. Her pulse instantly went into hyper drive.
"Oh, shit." She groaned, recognizing the gorgeous stranger she had literally run into outside the store. Her eyes were glued to him as he stopped to chat with the man tending the grill, and then he disappeared inside one of the RVs.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Lea grumbled, standing to flee before he came back outside. "He's a cop? Of course he's a cop!"
A hushed tirade of words came out under her breath as she tried to casually run away. Her face was hot again, but this time from panic. Nikki was not going to be happy with her! She had struggled for that one's acceptance the whole time she'd been with this operation, and if she drew unwanted attention down on them because she'd caught a cop's eye, she was dead!
"Lea!" The deep voice jolted her, but she recognized it. She looked up to see Ox grinning at her from the road, and she frowned at him. She was angry he had taken so long getting back to her, but the feeling of relief at seeing him standing there was undeniable.
"Hey, hold up!" The call came from behind her. Instinctively, Lea's head shot around before the thought entered her mind to pretend she hadn't heard anything. She knew who it was before she met those striking green eyes. Even at this distance, they sparkled like emeralds.
Lea stalled, captured again by the intense way the stranger looked at her. Her heart was fluttering from more than panic, but she was aware enough to know how dangerous her situation had just become. Lucky for her Ox had shown up when he did.
As soon as the stranger spotted the large man heading toward her, he paused. Ox's sleeveless shirt was designed to show off his bulky biceps and thick chest, and even though he sported plaid swimming trunks and flip-flops, the man looked intimidating. He came to tower over her, and pulled her close with a possessive arm around her. Goosebumps crawled across her skin as she denied her impulse to pull away, and his huge lungs filled up with air.
"What you want with my woman?" he barked at the cop, and Lea winced. A rebellious emotion stirred inside her, and she wanted nothing more than to correct the lie. She wisely held her tongue, and for a brief moment, saw the stranger's confidence broken. It wounded her, and her wayward feelings added confusion on top of everything else.
"Sorry. I thought she was someone else." The stranger said and turned back to his camp. Ox had to pull her along with him to get her moving, and it took several steps before she was able to shake off the strange feeling. That's when she noticed Ox's hand becoming a bit too familiar. As Lea pushed it back to her waist, he leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"Give me head, and I won't tell Nikki."
"Ugh!" she squealed, finally pulling away and slapping his arm. "Nikki can kill me first!"
Ox laughed; a deep rumble that started in his belly and shook his shoulders as it burst out. Once his amusement died down, he smiled at her sincerely. "She'll never know. Scott's set up down at the boat house, and I'll send the twins back here. I think we're covered."
"Thanks, Ox." Lea started to breathe easier, knowing Ox was true to his word. He would protect her. Still, she couldn't let him get away with deserting her for so long. She fussed at him. "God, I was dying out there. Where the hell were you, anyway?"
"Sorry about that. Scott held me up, so I went to meet you
at the store." Suddenly, Ox's eyebrows shot up and his hands moved excitedly as he remembered something. "You must have missed it! Someone seriously beat the shit out of the cashier. The dude had scratches all over his face and there was blood everywhere, and..."
As Lea listened to him in astonishment, she began to laugh.
Chapter 2 – Distraction
