by Robin Perini
“Help!” a voice cried out. “I’m here.”
They raced over to the rock. Zoe sat grinning in a small indentation.
Léon gave her a second high five. “Great job. You’d be out of the wind and rain if you hid in this little hole.”
Zoe looked at Léon. “Well?” she asked, her hands on her hips, an eager expression of expectation on her face.
He made a show of hemming and hawing and finally sighed. “Okay, I guess you’ve earned it.”
“What’s going on with you two?” Faith asked, biting her cheek to keep from smiling at their antics.
Léon placed something in Zoe’s hand. She ran over to her mother. “Look. A little flashlight to keep with me. And an arrowhead. Léon found it near the creek. I earned them for doing a good job.”
Faith hugged her daughter. Thank you, she mouthed over her daughter’s head.
A slight flush tinged his cheeks and he glanced at his watch. “Are you hungry?”
“I am,” Zoe shouted out. “We missed lunch and we’re out of peanut butter.”
“I think we may do a little better than peanut butter.” He led them back to the fire pit and dug into a sealed cooler. “Salmon okay?” he asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Faith’s mouth fell open.
“I may live out in the middle of nowhere, but I like a good meal at the end of the day.” He adjusted the rocks surrounding the ash-laden hole in the ground.
“Can I help?” Zoe asked.
“Sure. First I have to build a fire.”
Zoe’s eager expression made Faith want to wince. One look at her face and Léon sent her a stern look. “No fire-starting without an adult. Do you understand, Zoe?”
Much to Faith’s relief, her daughter nodded and hunkered down beside him. Faith pulled one of the chairs closer to the pit. She studied Zoe’s awestruck expression as she hung on Léon’s every word. He pointed out the magnesium fire starter; he showed her what grass made good tinder and how to pick out small, dry sticks for kindling, and even how a half-gutted log would help the fire grow at first. Within a few minutes, the flames gleamed brightly.
He pulled out foil, some corn ears and asparagus, a grill and two iron skillets, and a bag of what looked like cooked apples, and quickly threw a meal together.
“You come prepared.”
“Necessity breeds skill.”
As their dinner cooked, Léon poked at the blaze. “So, Zoe. Another quiz. If I walked toward the sun for a whole hour, how would I get back here?”
“Is this a trick question?” she asked.
“Nope. What do you think?”
Zoe stood up and started walking a few paces. She turned around to look at them. “You go backward,” she said with a triumphant smile. “You walk the same time with the sun behind you.”
“You’re a definite pro,” he said with a grin.
“What if there’s no sun?”
“Then you can find a special star and do the same thing.”
“Will you show me?”
“When it gets dark.”
“I like it here with you, Léon. Can we stay?”
“As long as you want,” he said quietly, sending Faith a sidelong glance. She shivered under his stare. She couldn’t deny the attraction between them. She hadn’t expected it, and could only see trouble if she gave into the feelings, but it was there just the same.
He clearly felt it, too. He strode over to her. “You okay?”
What was she supposed to say? She cleared her throat. “I appreciate everything you’re doing for Zoe. You’ve made her feel safe for the first time in months.”
“She’s a great kid.”
Faith cleared her throat. “You’ve let us horn in on your privacy when you didn’t have to. I don’t know what to say, how to...” Her voice trailed off and with a tentative touch, she reached for his hand. She wasn’t sure why. He didn’t pull away. Her heart skipped a beat. Faith raised her gaze to his. She recognized the awareness, the heat in his eyes. Another time, another place, she would lean into him and let him hold her all night long.
Zoe raced up between them, destroying the moment. “Is dinner ready yet?” she asked. “I’m hungry.”
Faith cleared her throat and turned to her daughter, shoving back her own desires.
Léon stood statue still and studied her with that inscrutable expression she’d come to recognize. What was he thinking? Did he want to hold her as much as she wanted him to? Even though she shouldn’t.
“Dinner’s not quite done, but soon. I need to gather some more firewood and make a call,” Léon said. “I’ll be back.”
Before Zoe could offer to go with him he disappeared behind a small hill.
Faith dropped her head in her hands.
“Mom? Are you okay? Your face looks hot.”
She forced herself to look at her daughter. “I’m fine, sweetie. Just figuring out where we’re going to go next.”
“Since that bad guy’s in jail, can we go home? Then can I call Danny? There’s a new coach for baseball, and I have to try out again.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie...” The impact of Zoe’s words hit Faith. “How do you know about the new coach?”
She grasped Zoe’s arms, but her daughter glanced away.
“Zoe? Have you been in contact with Danny?”
She swallowed. “I know I wasn’t s’posed to, but I... I sent him a video message from the library computer.”
Faith froze. “D-did you contact your father?”
Zoe dug her shoe into the dirt. “I...I thought about it.”
“Did you?” Faith held her breath. “I’m not going to be mad, Zoe, but I need to know.”
“I didn’t, Mom. I promise.”
Somehow Burke had traced the message Zoe had sent to her best friend. That was how he’d found her in Carder. Faith hadn’t even known Burke knew about Danny.
Her knees buckled and she fell into the chair behind her. “Zoe, I know it’s hard for you to understand, but it’s important your father doesn’t know where we are. Not yet.”
“Because Daddy wants me to live with him?”
The words skewed Faith’s gut. “How do you know that?”
Her daughter refused to meet her gaze. “I’m not s’posed to talk about what I hear by accident. You said so.”
She clasped Zoe’s shoulders. “This is important. Tell me, Slugger.”
Her daughter scuffed her toe in the dirt. “One time I heard him tell Grandpa that if you were in an accident, I could go be with them forever.”
* * *
THE THOMAS FAMILY’S palatial estate stood well off the main road in the exclusive neighborhood of Preston Hollow. Burke strode up to his parents’ home, livid. He’d never been more embarrassed in his entire life than when the waitress at the most exclusive restaurant in all of Dallas had refused to return his credit card. He couldn’t believe his father’s audacity.
The butler answered the door. “Good evening, Mr. Burke.”
“Where is he?” Burke asked.
“His study.” The butler cleared his throat. “He’s not in a good mood.”
“Neither am I.”
Burke stalked into his father’s domain. When he was a child, he’d never been allowed inside. Sometimes entering the dark, mahogany-lined room made him feel like a ten-year-old kid.
Of course, his father treated him like one.
“You cut off the money,” he said, slamming the door closed.
His father leaned back in his chair. “You didn’t control your urges, did you? And this time you picked someone from my company. The whole place is freaked out. I had to bring in a damned psychologist for grief counseling. Do you know how much productivity you’ve cost me? And all because you couldn’t keep your hands off that woman.”
&nbs
p; The vein on the side of his father’s temple bulged; his mouth tightened. Burke hadn’t seen him so upset in a long time. He narrowed his gaze. “Did you know her?”
His father’s cheeks flushed.
Burke recognized the guilty expression. “Unbelievable. You were sleeping with her.” He crossed the room and poured two fingers of Scotch. “I should’ve known. She’s your type.” He downed the shot in one large gulp. “Does Mom know?”
His father bristled. “She doesn’t need to. I give your mother what she requires of me. Always have.”
At the words, Burke rushed across the room and grabbed his father by the throat. “You betray her every day.”
His father shoved him away. “And what do you think she’d do if she learned that her precious son is a murderer?”
Burke found his footing and glared at his father. “You wouldn’t.”
“Don’t push me, son. I could stop protecting you and send a very informative envelope of evidence, complete with photographs and video, to the district attorney.”
Burke dug his fingernails into his palms.
“That’s right. I caught you on videotape. And I’ll use it.”
This couldn’t be happening. Burke stared down at the floor. His father had to be bluffing.
“Don’t worry. It’s safe. The camera equipment was damaged...somehow.”
Burke’s head jerked up. What was his old man playing at? His father had threatened more than once to hold Burke’s hobby over his head. He’d gone so far as drafting commitment papers, though he doubted the old man would ever use them. If he did, the world would learn too many secrets about the Thomas family, and his father couldn’t have that.
Burke glared at his father; the veneer of civility had vanished. “What do you want?”
“Control yourself and get my granddaughter back permanently so she’s no longer poisoned by her low-class mother. Can you do those two simple things, or do I have to take care of you like always?”
“I’m dealing with Faith. You’ll have Zoe back soon.”
“And the other?”
“Fine. I’ll find another outlet for my...urges. You happy?”
His father sighed, that disappointed sigh that made Burke’s belly burn with resentment.
“I’ll have to be. Your mother only gave me an heir, not a spare.”
Burke spun on his heel and stumbled on the carpet. The barb shouldn’t have fazed him, but instead had made him appear vulnerable. He dug his fingernails into his palms again so hard a bead of sweat popped on his forehead. He straightened his back and strode across the room, careful with each step.
“Burke, don’t screw up again. You’ll find me to be a difficult enemy.”
So am I, old man. So am I.
* * *
THE GENTLE COOS of quail pulled Faith out of a death-like night’s sleep. Zoe slept curled next to her mother, cocooned in Léon’s tent. Even though they had no walls, no solid door and no alarm, Faith felt safe.
She liked the feeling.
Easing away from Zoe, Faith stretched her arms and shoulders. Keeping her movements as silent as possible, she quietly drew down the tent’s zipper and peered outside.
Dawn peeked over the horizon, with brilliant purple and orange and pink meshing in a kaleidoscope of color.
One thing about sunrises in the desert, they really couldn’t be topped. The scent of coffee wafted over to her. She rubbed her eyes and a figure in black, loose-fitting pants that rode low on his hips and no shirt made her freeze.
Léon shifted his foot forward, his movements deliberate and practiced. He threw a series of vertical punches, his arms straining, muscles quivering. He drew in a deep controlled breath and executed two complex sliding kicks before finally bringing his hands slowly together.
She’d never witnessed anything quite so beautiful. He controlled every movement with precision. His chest was dusted with hair and gleamed with sweat. Her belly quivered in response.
Since falling for Burke she’d been turned off by a pretty face, but Léon made her rethink that position.
His body relaxed and he blew out a long, slow breath. He adjusted his stance and turned away from her. She gasped. His back was covered in scars. They crisscrossed all over. Several long, thick discolorations appeared near his kidneys and they disappeared below his waistline.
He whirled around, cursed and grabbed his T-shirt, yanking it on.
They couldn’t pretend she hadn’t seen them.
“Coffee?” he asked, walking over to the fire as if nothing had happened.
“Sure.” What was she supposed to say?
He handed her the cup. She looked down. “Do you have sugar?”
In silence, he opened a tub and pulled out several packets. She dumped one in and stirred.
She stared at the swirling dark brown liquid.
“I was captured. It happened a long time ago,” he finally said. “My own choices led to my predicament.” Léon shrugged. “Part of my old job. My previous life.”
She lifted her gaze. She blinked slightly to clear the emotion from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“I survived. I have a new life now. It’s over.”
His words closed that conversation, but Faith let his statement reverberate in her mind. The warmth of the cup filtered through to her hand, but it didn’t touch the chill that had settled around her gut. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my future.” She held the warm cup in her hands. “Tell me more about Annie.”
That she’d brushed aside the idea that he and CTC could help her stung. “Are you sure?”
“I don’t want to run. I want Burke to pay for what he’s done, but I can’t trust the system. It’s stacked against us.” She raised her gaze to his. “I don’t have a choice.”
He sat beside her. “Your past will follow you. If not physically, emotionally. The question is, can you live in the present? Your new present? Without wishing for what might have been?” He took her hand in his. “It won’t be easy with Zoe. She’s old enough to remember, but not old enough for you to be sure she can keep this secret. She’ll have to get used to a new name, a new place. She won’t be able to tell anyone about her past.”
His words vibrated with truth...and with firsthand knowledge. She searched his gaze. “You’ve found a new life, haven’t you? You have friends, people who care about you? People you count on?”
Léon didn’t speak for a moment.
“Haven’t you?” she asked again.
He cleared his throat. “Do you have family besides Zoe?”
She didn’t like that he refused to answer the question. Maybe she’d assumed too much. “My folks died when I was twenty,” she said. “Right before I met Burke. I have some cousins, but we never saw them. They live back east. Vermont, or maybe New Hampshire.”
“That will make the transition easier. A new identity won’t weigh on you as much.” Léon sighed. “Annie’s a pro. I ought to know. She can help you and Zoe disappear. As long as you follow her rules, you’ll be okay. And safe.”
“Will the $10,000 I have be enough?” Faith had a feeling Annie’s services were much more valuable than anything Ray had offered.
“She owes me a favor. It’ll be enough. And you don’t have a choice, Faith.”
“And you know she’s the best.” Faith shifted in her chair. “Is Léon your real name?”
He tilted his head. “What do you think?”
She studied his closed-off expression. “You know too much about what Annie can do for us. Besides, I’ve never thought Léon fit you somehow.”
“You’re smart, and beautiful and very intuitive.” He cupped her face in his hand, holding her captive with his gaze. “I don’t let people see through me often. I don’t know what it is about you.”
She leaned in closer to him. “This isn’t a good id
ea. I’m leaving.”
“I know. Which is why I’m not fighting the temptation.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, exploring her with a kiss that was gentle and powerful at the same time.
Faith shivered under the touch of his lips. He didn’t press her body close. He held her face between his hands and his lips and tongue seduced her.
She couldn’t have stood if she’d wanted to. She finally knew what the phrase legs feeling like jelly meant.
He raised his head and looked deep into her eyes. “That was...surprising.”
The moment his lips left hers, a strange coldness invaded her. She hoped her mouth wasn’t hanging open in shock. Her heart raced, thudding against her chest. Her entire body trembled. She gripped his collar. “Don’t stop.”
Faith pulled him back to her. With a groan, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her tight against him. His kiss wasn’t gentle this time. But neither was hers. He demanded. She wanted.
The flames licked at her very soul. She couldn’t stop touching him. Her hands worked their way beneath his shirt, and she pushed it up. He lifted his mouth just long enough to let her toss his T-shirt away. She explored every inch of skin. His body was hard and firm. His back marred with scars. He sucked in a breath.
He’d been through so much, and he hadn’t hesitated to help her, to protect her. To save Zoe.
The worry and fear disappeared with the touch of his hand on the bare skin of her back. She couldn’t catch her breath. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted him.
She didn’t know his real name, but she knew enough to know she trusted him.
Suddenly, he lifted his head. His heart thudded against her palm. She took a shuddering breath.
Before she could ask why he’d stopped, a soft buzzing sound filtered through her fuzzy brain.
The noise got louder, closer. He stared up into the sky and let out a curse. “A drone.”
He grabbed her hand. “Head for cover. Now.” He dragged her to the tent and they ducked inside.
Zoe shot up, immediately awake. “What’s wrong?”
