by Diana Duncan
At the height of their pleasure, she’d bitten back a dangerous declaration of love that would have killed their fledgling bond before it had a chance to grow. She shuddered. Aidan wasn’t ready to hear “I love you” yet. Strong emotions strained his comfort zone. A smart woman would give him time to adjust before putting the big whammy on him. The last thing she wanted was to scare him into backing off. But her feelings shone inside her, as glittery and warm as a newly-minted coin.
She loved him…body, heart and soul. Though he hadn’t committed in words, his actions spoke loud and clear. He might not realize it yet, but she was pretty sure he loved her, too.
For the first time ever, the future beckoned with possibilities.
They were again dressed in dry clothing. She in the tux shirt and high-heeled sandals, Aidan in dress slacks and shoes. After a breakfast of her next-to-last box of Cracker Jack and hideous hot mineral water, Aidan had discovered a second passage at the rear of the cave. They had nothing to lose by exploring.
Zoe stubbed her toe on a protruding rock. “Ow! See daylight yet?”
“No, but the sand is compacted, like this path has been used before. Good sign.” He squeezed her hand. “Doing okay?”
“Better than okay.” She no longer cared about the claustrophobic darkness threatening their small, brave flare. She would follow him into the bowels of hell.
As it turned out, she didn’t have to. Right before the last flare sputtered out, the passage opened onto a wide beach. Sunrise gilded the horizon pink and gold, and foamy green waves kissed the shoreline. She smiled at Aidan. “No matter how long or dark the night, the sun always triumphs in the morning.”
He jerked, his face startled. “Where did you hear that?”
“You said it when I was swimming us to shore. I was so cold and tired and I started to wonder if we would make it. Your words gave me the strength to keep going.”
“Pop,” he whispered. “After the armored car robbery money went missing and he was forced into desk duty, he used to say that all the time.” He hesitated as if unsure whether to continue. “I’ve felt him close by since I fell over the cliff. I was so whacked, I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud.”
Joy resonated inside her. Her cop had risked confiding something deeply personal, a belief some might ridicule. He would never share anything so private if he didn’t trust his heart with her. Near tears, she touched his cheek. “That tenacious Celtic warrior’s blood is his legacy. Passed from father to son, part of him will always live on in you.”
He swallowed hard. “I never thought of it that way. It’s comforting.” He pressed a tender kiss to her palm. “Have I mentioned how much I love the way you think?”
Zoe shivered, impacted by both the warm emotion thrumming in his deep voice and the cool morning air. “Not lately.”
“I love the way your mind works, Zoe.” He slid his arm around her and drew her close to his bare chest. “Summer mornings out here are chilly.”
He loved her mind. It was a good start. She shivered again. “Yeah, a hot cup or six of espresso would be great.” Careful not to bump the sling, she snuggled into his reassuring heat. “Why aren’t you cold?”
He pulled back slightly, and his smoky glance drifted down her body, warming her from head to toe. “With you dressed like that? I’m not anywhere near cool.”
His arousal nudged her stomach, and she grinned. “I noticed. Hard to keep a good man down, huh?”
His forefinger tilted her chin up, and his intense gaze caressed her face. “I’m not turned on 24/7 with every woman. Only you, Zoe.”
Her heart stuttered. The world disappeared as she gazed into his compelling brown eyes. He lowered his head, and his soft lips enticed hers into a deep, sensual kiss.
He pulled back, and her eyelids drifted up. Her pulse tripped through her veins double-time. “Who needs espresso, when I have you?” She brushed a tousled lock of hair from his forehead. He was even more appealingly male, more ruggedly handsome, sporting dark morning stubble. He looked like a beautiful bad boy who had tumbled directly out of bed after a carnal night of sin. She probably looked like his partner in crime, only not nearly as gorgeous. “Ooh! Smoke!”
He grinned. “I admit, it was hot, but…”
She pointed. “No! Behind you! Through the trees…smoke! Several columns of it!”
He spun. “I’ll be damned. Civilization!”
They approached cautiously. Hidden in the woods, they peered at a dozen log homes hunkered inside a clearing chiseled from the forest. A wide dirt road bisected the encampment. Tangy smoke drifted from chimneys, and a dog barked. Nearly every house sported a pickup, several with trailered boats. Most doors stood ajar. A middle-aged woman watered pink petunias. A man in overalls retrieved a bucket from a red truck. Zoe pursed her lips. “It’s awfully early to be up and around.”
She watched Aidan’s cautious gaze assess the situation. The weathered wooden building at the far end looked like a set from High Noon. A sign reading General Store and Post Office hung over the doorway. Three carved totem poles stood sentinel in a turnaround out front. The wide front porch sported a bench where several gray-whiskered men sat chugging from steaming mugs. “A fishing community has to get going before sunrise.”
A curvaceous redhead in khaki slacks and a yellow cardigan stepped out of the largest house and strolled toward the store. She chatted with the grizzled seniors on the porch and tossed her head in laughter. Aidan nodded. “We’re good to go. The perps won’t pursue us in front of so many witnesses.”
Zoe breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t wait to escape this godforsaken island and start her future. The sooner the better. “What are we waiting for?”
He kept her slightly behind him and his left arm free as they walked down the dirt road. The only time he stopped being a cop was in the bedroom.
The men and woman on the porch fell silent and turned to gawk. Unseen, wary stares burned into Zoe’s spine from every window they passed. Even the totem poles glared malevolently. She edged closer to Aidan and murmured, “If someone starts plunking on a banjo, I am so out of here.”
He choked back a laugh. “Don’t diss the natives.”
She studied the solemn faces riveted on them. “They’re not exactly rolling out the Welcome Wagon.”
“We’re half-dressed strangers who look like Survivor rejects. They probably think we’re shipwrecked druggies.”
They reached the porch, and he nodded at the group, which had been joined by a slim blond woman and a short, balding man. “Good morning, folks. I’m Officer Aidan O’Rourke with Riverside PD.” He flashed his badge. Thank goodness she’d rescued his wallet from Muscles. “We had an accident with our boat, and need to use your phone.”
The balding man smiled and stepped forward. “Sure thing. I’m Dave. Own the store. C’mon in.”
The store’s interior was scrupulously clean, the well-organized shelves fully stocked. The yeasty scent of freshly baked bread made Zoe’s stomach grumble. Though she’d learned to subsist on very little, her stomach wasn’t always a team player.
Dave turned and waved at a partially open doorway. “The phone is in the back office.” He studied Aidan’s sling. “I hope nobody was hurt too badly. Should I call Doc Adams?”
Aidan slid his arm around Zoe’s waist. “Don’t wake him. We’re anxious to get back to the mainland. Our people will have the entire Riverside PD out on search and rescue. Where are we, by the way?”
“Satisfaction, on Five Mile Island off the Washington Coast. While you’re making your phone call, I’ll rustle up something to eat.” Dave slanted Zoe an appreciative male grin. “And maybe warmer clothes for the little lady?”
Her cheeks heated, and she tugged down the hem of the tux shirt. “That would be very nice, thank you.”
She and Aidan headed into the tidy office, and Dave disappeared. Zoe spotted someone lurking in the corner and jumped. The other person jumped, too. It was the ghost of her reflection i
n a large mirror on the side wall. She touched the imprint of Aidan’s kiss at her throat and smiled as the wonderful memories rushed back.
Aidan picked up the cordless handset from the desk and stabbed the on button. With the receiver at his ear, he frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Puzzled, he punched another button. “No dial tone.”
She peeked over his shoulder. “Is it charged?”
He checked the battery light. “Yeah.”
“Weird. Maybe the base is unplugged or something.” She glanced around. “I don’t see it. We should let Dave know—”
As if on cue, Dave poked his head in the doorway. “Problem?”
Aidan indicated the receiver. “Phone isn’t working.”
“Yeah, I took it off the hook out front.” The storekeeper strode inside, his hands clenched around a shotgun.
Screaming terror froze Zoe’s insides as Aidan stepped between her and the gun, shielding her with his body. He snapped, “What the hell is this?”
Dave’s pleasant expression didn’t change. “I figure you know. Put the phone down, nice and slow.”
Aidan carefully set the phone on the desktop. “You’re making a huge mistake, pal.” A lethal threat vibrated beneath his quiet, even tone. “I’m a police officer.”
“I know who you are. And I’m racking me up a nice bonus.” Trembling, Zoe watched in the mirror as he waggled the gun at Aidan. “Boss wants to talk to the little lady. But I get money for you dead or alive. So don’t be trying anything stupid.”
The muscles in Aidan’s back knotted. “If you shoot me with a shotgun at such close range, there is no way you can avoid hitting her.”
Dave shrugged. “She might get hurt, but you’ll still be dead. And I guarantee, nobody will find your body.” There was nothing charming about his smile this time. “Nobody ever does.”
Aidan held the storekeeper’s gaze. His taut readiness said he was waiting for the chance to lunge. Zoe grasped his arm, willing him not to. He shook her off. “I’ll stay as a hostage. Let her go, and I’ll double the reward.”
Zoe opened her mouth to protest, and Dave snorted. “On a cop’s salary?”
“My family has money. We can afford it.”
“They can pony up a million bucks?”
Zoe inhaled sharply. Who wanted her so badly they’d pay half a million dollars? And why? What hornets’ nest had she stirred up with her investigation? She hadn’t discovered anything important. Or had she?
“Sure.” Though the lie flowed easily from Aidan’s lips, Zoe knew darn well his family couldn’t scrounge up that amount.
“Don’t think so.” Dave motioned with the gun. “Outside.”
Aidan tugged Zoe in front of him and stayed between her and the gun as they walked through the store. His valiant protection both warmed and terrified her. “I have three brothers, all cops. They won’t rest until they find us. No amount of money is worth the price they’ll make you pay.”
“We ain’t never been found out. I’ll take my chances.”
They stepped onto the porch, and Zoe’s frantic gaze spun over the watching men and women. “Please, help us. Call nine-one-one.”
Four dispassionate gazes slid away. Not one citizen of Satisfaction moved. The moisture evaporated from her mouth. What kind of place had they stumbled into? She tried again. “The man with me is a cop. You’re aiding and abetting a kidnapping that crossed state lines. The Feds will stomp you hard.”
Dave chuckled. “Folks around here like breathing too much to doublecross the Boss.” He inclined his head toward a large log building looming behind the store. “Move it or lose it.”
As Dave marched them inside, his right hand shot out. She heard an electric crackle, saw a blue flash of Taser fire, and Aidan convulsed and crumpled at her feet. Dave left, and slammed and bolted the heavy steel door behind him.
“Aidan!” Heart pounding, she fell to her knees and gently lifted his head into her lap. His eyes were closed, his body limp. His breathing and pulse were slow, but even. “Aidan?”
He didn’t respond, and she glanced anxiously around. Their prison appeared to be a large warehouse. Casement windows opened outward at the top, near the beamed ceiling. Big ceiling fans circled in slow motion, and plants in various stages of drying hung from the rafters. Wired bundles of the same plant were stacked on wooden pallets scattered around the room. The stuff didn’t look like oregano.
She sniffed, analyzing the sickly sweet odor. They’d found a marijuana farm of gargantuan proportions. KKEY had done a feature on wilderness pot farmers. They viciously defended their territory, regularly shooting hikers unlucky enough to stumble into their midst. She glanced down at Aidan, and her stomach cramped. They also shot law-enforcement officers on sight.
She retrieved a towelette from her survival bag and wiped Aidan’s face. “C’mon, SWAT, wake up.”
He stirred, moaned.
She patted his cheek. “Aidan. Open your eyes.”
His eyelids drifted up. His glazed eyes studied the ceiling and he slurred one pithy word.
“Yeah, I think that about sums it up. Apparently, ‘the Boss’ manages a big-time pot farm. I bet they use that cave for smuggling.”
He blinked. Groaned again. “One more SOB zaps me…I’m gonna shove the Taser up his—” He struggled. “Can’t move yet.”
She stroked his hair. “Take it easy for a few minutes.”
The door creaked open, and the attractive redhead in the yellow sweater slipped inside carrying a plastic grocery bag. She was older than Zoe had first thought, probably in her midforties. “I brought food and water.” The woman halted when she saw Aidan. “I didn’t think he’d come around yet. Either of you moves, I leave.”
Aidan stiffened, and Zoe could tell he was surreptitiously gathering his resources for an attempt to gain his feet. “We need your help, ma’am.”
The woman edged back. “I don’t talk to cops.”
Zoe rested her hand protectively on Aidan’s shoulder. He needed sustenance to restore his strength. Even if he managed to gain his feet and disable the woman and they made it out without being spotted, he couldn’t run. “We’ll stay put.” She held the woman’s gaze, attempted to connect. “This is Aidan O’Rourke and I’m Zoe Zagretti. What’s your name?”
“I know who you are. I saw you on TV yesterday with that lady whose husband took her kids hostage. I’m Dorothy.” The redhead sidled closer, but stayed out of reach. She squatted, set out paper plates and napkins and then withdrew bottled water, wrapped sandwiches and two red apples from the bag. Her sharp green eyes lingered on Zoe’s throat, and then skimmed over her scraped and bruised limbs. She flicked a glance at Aidan, cradled in Zoe’s lap, and her eyes blazed with reproach.
Aidan tensed, and shock rippled through Zoe. Clearly, Dorothy held Aidan responsible for her injuries. “Aidan would never hurt me. I’m bruised from running through the woods.” Zoe’s gaze entreated her. “Dorothy, we haven’t done anything wrong. We don’t deserve to die. Please help us.”
“I wish…I can’t.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I can’t.” Her glance skittered past Zoe, to the wall. “What you said on TV, is it true? Are there safe places a woman can go?”
Realization dawned, and with it, empathy. This woman was as much a victim as they were. “Yes,” she said softly. “It’s the absolute truth. You can call 1-800-799-SAFE any time, and they’ll help you.”
Dorothy stood. “I have to leave, before…”
Zoe tried again. “Please, Dorothy. Phone nine-one-one and tell them we’re here. You don’t have to give your name. Make an anonymous report. Aidan won’t let anyone retaliate against you.”
Dorothy shook her head, edged back. “I did all I could. I’m sorry.” Her voice caught. “I’m so sorry.” She crept out.
Battling despair, Zoe helped Aidan sit up. Side by side, they wolfed the food.
He crumpled his napkin and tossed it on his plate. “Life with you is never bo
ring, Zoe.”
Weariness weighed her down. She’d thought they were on their way home. She’d barely blinked, and their lives were back in jeopardy. She couldn’t take much more. “Right now, boring sounds very appealing. Please, give me a few hours of boring.” He cuddled her against his bare chest. Beneath smooth, hot skin and hard muscles, his heart beat steady and sure. She smiled up at him. “Well, okay, maybe not totally boring.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “I need you gone. Need you safe.” She started to protest, and he put his finger on her lips. “Hear me out.”
“What do you want me to do?”
His intent gaze catalogued the room. “If you stood on my shoulders, you might be able to reach a window.”
She cringed. “Your pain would be excruciating.”
He snorted. “What’s a little pain between friends?”
“There you go, getting kinky on me again.” She trailed her fingertip over the fine, dark hairs on his forearm, and his heartbeat accelerated. “I can’t purposely hurt you.”
“Our captors have no such qualms.” His mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. “Honey, if we don’t get out of here, a little ding in my shoulder will be the least of our problems.”
“Seriously, Aidan, there has to be another way. I don’t want to leave you.”
“I can’t fight my way out of here one-handed and protect you. You have to go, or we’re both screwed.”
No way would she be a liability to him. “What’s the game plan?”
“Leave me the fishing lures.” She dug them out of her bag, and he continued. “When you make it outside, head for deep cover. The dock is west of here; follow the sun. Find a boat and head out to sea, toward the mainland. It’s east, away from the sun. I’ll catch up with you at the Riverside PD.”
“All right.”
He positioned himself beneath a back window toward the woods. Zoe removed her sandals, stuck them in her survival bag and slung it across her chest. Aidan crouched facing the wall, and she stepped onto his shoulders. He gripped her hand and rose to his full height, hissing out a slow breath.
