That damned shifting back and forth drives me crazy. Why can't the idiot stand still for five bloody seconds?
"Don't worry, I'll handle it."
The key is to act like you belong here, Daniels thought. If people think you're a part of things, they tended to ignore you and not remember you later. He was an average man; nondescript in height and weight and coloring. When he needed to, he blended into the background with an ease of long practice. Except at home in Cougar Hills. There he was the big man. An important man. He ran the place and nobody ever overlooked him or belittled him there.
Right now though, he needed to be unobtrusive, unremarkable. Pretty much the invisible man. A smile spread across his lips at the thought. Yeah, that's the ticket. He was the invisible man. A spectre from his daughter's past come back to haunt her and collect payment for all her sins. No, he mused, not a ghost. An avenging angel, ready to smite the wicked girl for her sinful ways.
"Follow me and keep your trap shut." Daniels motioned for Baxter, not waiting to see the other man scamper to keep up. Striding through the huge glass doors, the warmth of the lobby provided a welcome respite from the bone chilling cold. Colorado winter couldn't be more different from Texas, that was damn sure. He'd take Texas any day. Even his bones felt numb with cold as he strode purposefully toward the reception desk.
"We have a reservation. Charles Mason and Robert Dixon." Daniels gave the false names he'd called in the day before without missing a beat. Aliases he and Baxter had used in the past when the occasion arose. They even had false ID ready, good enough to pass just about any scrutiny.
"Of course, Mr. Mason." The lovely blonde clerk tapped away at the computer terminal, accessing whatever information they needed, and Daniels drummed his fingers on the spotless countertop while he waited, the perfect picture of a traveling businessman checking in.
"If I may see some identification and your credit card, sir?"
"Of course." Pulling a leather wallet from his trouser pocket, Daniels passed the phony information across to the clerk with his most charming smile, silently assessing the pretty woman. Dark blonde hair pulled back into a neat twist at the nape of her neck, pretty blue eyes framed with long dark lashes. Trim yet curvy figure encased in a navy blue blazer and matching skirt, she was attractive in a homespun understated manner. Not bad. Maybe he'd give her a spin after he'd dealt with his problems. A bit of celebratory sex might be just what the doctor ordered. He chuckled softly at his own joke.
"Thank you, Mr. Mason." She handed his license and credit card back. "You're in room three twelve." Passing across an electronic key card in its paper sleeve, her hand skimmed across his. For a moment he tightened his hold, staring into the depths of her intense gaze, allowed the brief contact of his fingers with the softness of her hand before taking his room key. A coy smile graced her lips. Oh, yeah, he thought, he definitely wanted to take her for a quick tumble.
"Would you like some help with your bags?"
"No, thanks. We can handle them." Daniels answered, eager now to get onto the task at hand—finding Cassie. The faster everything was over with, the quicker he could turn his focus to more pleasurable pursuits. After all, he'd soon be able to afford the best—of everything—and he'd be willing to splurge on the beautiful blonde standing in front of him.
"Very good, sir. The elevators on the right will take you to the third floor. Enjoy your stay at Destiny's Desire Lodge."
Grabbing up his suitcase, he started across the lobby and Baxter followed along like a well-trained hound. He opened his mouth to speak but Daniels cut him off with an abrupt "not now."
Behind the counter Merena wiped her hand on her skirt, trying to get the slimy feel of Daniels touch off her skin. The door behind her opened and Quinton Chase stepped through. A frown marred his otherwise handsome face. Merena didn't like seeing that frown. She's much rather see him smiling or laughing though that was a sight rarely seen whenever they were together. Her aunts, The Fates, with their manipulations and machinations pretty much ensured she'd never get the one thing she wanted above all else—him.
"Any problems?" Quin asked.
"Of course not. He is one sleazy, evil man though. Want to tell me exactly why you haven't disposed of him?"
The corner of Quin's mouth hitched into a little half smile. "Disposed of him. I like that. Getting rid of him is like taking out the trash, predictable and necessary, although often messy. Other things have to happen first, though."
Merena pulled the pins loose from her hair, letting it spill around her shoulders and down her back in a cascade of curls. Ah, much better, she thought.
"So what do we do now?"
"We?" Quin's softly voiced question drew her gaze to his sculpted lips. She wondered, once again, what they might feel like against her own. Stop it. It can never be. Focus on the task at hand.
"Yes, we. Whatever his plans are, I know you've got your own to foil them. I didn't do much here; let me help."
Quin shook his head, his hand reaching toward her. Touch me, she thought. Let me feel your hands on my skin. I want . . .
"Go home, Merena. You've delivered your aunts message. I appreciate your help but Daniels is dangerous. The events about to unfold—there are too many variables, too many people could be hurt. I need to focus on fulfilling the destiny of more than one person today. You . . . make me lose that focus."
Merena rolled his words around in her head. She had that kind of affect on him? The way her body always responded whenever he was near—she'd wondered if it was all one-sided, her own libido out of control for a man she'd never have. Maybe if she stayed, she could . . .
"Merena, come home now!" The words reverberated throughout the lobby, resonating with power and authority. She gasped at her aunt's audacity, speaking aloud where anyone might hear, before she realized only she'd heard the imperial command.
On impulse, she wrapped her arms around Quin's neck, hugging him close, her body pressed against the rock hard muscles his thousand dollar suit failed to disguise. His arms wrapped around her, pulled her close, her body and his melding together in a perfect fit. A tall woman at just under six feet, Quin towered over her by several inches and made her feel feminine, not like an Amazon. Near him she felt sexy, like a woman, not a pampered princess.
She closed her eyes, savoring the moment before pulling back enough to whisper in his ear.
"Please be safe, Quin. Please." Walking swiftly down the short hallway toward his office, within the blink of an eye she was gone, back to her home with her aunts. And her loneliness.
Chapter 16
"Stay here." Jake's voice echoed in Cassie's ear as he pushed off her prone body.
"You can't go out there. He'll kill you." Her voice held the panic and fear she couldn't hide. Her fingers clutched at his shirt, gripping the fabric and held on, refusing to let him get off the floor. Kneeling beside her he brushed back the stray hair across her forehead, his touch whisper soft, a warm caress against her skin.
This can't be happening! Not now, I've only just found you again. Damn my father. I hope he rots in hell!
"Cass, I need to see what the noise was. I'll only go as far as the door, okay?" Jake gently pried her fingers loose from his shirt and she curled them into fists, her nails biting into the flesh of her palms. She fought back the fear coiling deep in her belly. She took a step back. Her father was out there; she knew it. Felt it deep inside and the terror almost overwhelmed her. She wasn't afraid for herself but for Jake.
"Please, Jake . . . wait. I have a gun, I'll get it."
"Shh, honey, I'm gonna look out the window, that's all. Stay right here." Jake walked over to the window, rubbing at the condensation gathered on the glass. At his chuckle Cassie sprang up and rushed over to him.
"What is it?"
"Look to your right. The weight of the snow broke off a branch and it hit the side of the cabin. No big deal." Jake wrapped his arms around Cassie, pulled her close against his chest, and she leaned in, relaxing against his tall
er frame.
He made her feel safe, always had. Every single time they were together, the rest of the world fade away and she was home. In his arms, encircled within the steely cage of his embrace, that was her safe harbor, her port in an otherwise unsettled, stormy world.
"Thank goodness." Turning in his arms, Cassie raised her hand to thread her fingers through his dark hair. Beneath her touch it was soft as silk. Shorter than it had been in high school, straight as an arrow, long enough to brush against his collar—if he'd been wearing a shirt, which he wasn't. She grinned. She'd missed this so much. It was such a simple thing, touching him, but everything felt right. Here and now, this moment in time, she wished time would actually freeze. No more worrying about her father. No more separation from Jake. The hardest thing she'd ever done in her life had been getting in her beat up old station wagon with its rusty red paint and ratty torn seats. Instinctively she'd known time was running out—her father would reach a breaking point from which there was no coming back.
She'd had one last night with Jake. A few precious stolen hours lying in his arms, making love and hiding from the rest of the world, the night of prom. Voicing the promise she'd meet him the next day at their special place near the creek running behind his family's home. She hadn't known these stolen hours would be their last. When her father lost control the next day, Cassie finally made the hardest decision of her young life. Torn between love for the boy who filled her heart with joy and hope, or protection and safety for the mother who'd kept her safe from her father's abuse at the ultimate cost.
What choice did she have? She been brave enough to take her mother and run away from the sadistic bastard who called himself her father but a coward when it came to saying one little word to the man she loved. Somewhere in her heart, in her head, she'd known if she said that final good-bye Jake would be gone from her life forever. In her mind, if she didn't actually voice the word to him she could lie to herself, make believe things might have a different, happier ending and she'd lie in his arms, reunited for her fairy-tale happy ending.
Some fairy-tale. My father's trying to kill me and Jake's life is in danger—all because of me. A shiver of premonition tingled, raising goose-bumps along her skin.
"Honey?" The concern in Jake's voice drew her back to the present. She gave him a hug, squeezing extra hard before dropping her arms. Pasting on a smile, she asked, "Is there any coffee left in this place?"
"Let's find out." Wrapping her hand in his larger one, she allowed Jake to tow her toward the small kitchen. Within minutes he'd started another pot and the smell of coffee again perfused the air.
Leaning back against the counter, Jake had a far-away look in his eyes and Cassie dreaded whatever he planned to say. Rubbing hands along her upper arms, she hunkered down on the stool beside the small carved wooden peninsula where they'd shared breakfast earlier. A childish impulse had her wanting to slap her hands on top her ears to block out whatever he was going to say.
"Cassie, we need to talk."
With a muffled sigh she responded. "I know."
"I mourned you." Her head snapped up at his words, eyes searching his, reading the truth behind his quietly uttered statement.
"I never believed you'd left me . . . I knew something happened to you and your mom. When you both went missing, nobody in town knew what to think. Your father was distraught. The sheriff called in the Austin and Houston police, the FBI, anybody and everybody trying to find you. We waited for a ransom note from kidnappers, a phone call you'd been in an accident, anything." Jake turned around to face the tiny sink, presenting her with a view of his shoulders and muscular back, the muscles tense as his arms braced against the countertop.
"Time passed and no new leads came in. Everybody went back about their business. Cougar Hills citizenry returned to their day-to-day lives. Your father continued his medical practice, all the while the anxious husband and father, looking for his missing family. Nobody suspected you'd run off because neither of you took a damn thing with you."
Swinging back around, he hopped up, sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter, dark hair obscuring his eyes. Cassie half wished he'd look at her but the other half was glad he didn't. Her heart was already breaking at his words. To view the hurt in his gaze would be more than she could bear.
"I kept waiting, knowing you'd call or write, somehow contact me when you could. Weeks turned into months and I still waited. Never lost hope. I drove by your house every single day, searching for a sign you'd come back."
"Jake. . ."
"I get it now. You couldn't. To save your lives, to keep your mom safe, I get it." He raised his head, his blue-eyed gaze meeting hers and the despair and anguish visible sent a stab of pain through her chest. She couldn't breathe from the torment reflected in the depths of his stare.
"Six months after you disappeared without a word your father came to see me."
"What! Why?"
"He asked me to stop driving by your house. Said my daily vigil did nothing but cause him pain, served as a constant reminder of what he'd lost. Damn him! Son of a bitch knew why you'd left and let me go through such. . ."
His words tore Cassie apart inside, shredded all her logic and reason to jagged edged regret, leaving behind the bloody tattered cloth of remorse.
"Jake, stop, please. I'm so sorry. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life, walking away for you—from us. But it wasn't supposed to be forever, I swear!"
Cassie sent an imploring look at Jake. She had to make him understand.
"I thought if we got away, after a few months I'd find a way to contact you. Call or write, something. Mom and I made it as far as New Mexico before he caught up with us. Barely managed to get away from him by the skin of our teeth. That was the pattern, over and over. It was never safe. Until we met Brad and he introduced us to Clayton. They've managed to keep us off the radar until now. I would have come back, Jake. Everything I did was to keep us all safe."
"Remember the last night we were together?" His low-voiced question brought the memories to the forefront of her mind, as vivid and colorful as the moment they'd happened.
"Every single day. I think about it every single day."
"I told you I had something to tell you. Something important."
Cassie flushed, guilt making her feel about an inch tall. She'd deliberately stopped him from talking their last night together. Teased him with kisses and caresses until they were both wild, uninhibited and free. Somehow she'd know this might be their last time together and it needed to be special, romantic. Nothing was more important than holding him in her arms one last time before she fled Cougar Hills, knowing she'd never return as long as her father was a free man, walking around wielding the kind of power he held in that town.
"You know my family is Native American. My grandmother's grandmother was full Apache."
Cassie nodded and smiled, remembering the times she'd spent in the parlor of his grandmother's house, listening to her tales about her grandmother and the shaman warrior.
"I remember."
"There's a special legend, passed down through my bloodline. Told only to those belonging to our tribe—or those who join the family through the marriage bond."
Cassie's whole body trembled at his words. Did he mean what she thought?
"You sat beside me, your head on my shoulder, holding my hand. I remember wishing time would freeze right then because there could never be a more perfect night. I loved you, you loved me and the rest of the world didn't matter. At least that's what I thought." Jake's harsh laughter hurt, rubbing salt into the open wound on Cassie's soul.
"Jake, I wish things were different too. If I could go back, I'd do everything differently. There just didn't seem to be any way out except running. Can't you see that?"
He must believe her. She wanted to jump from her seat and race into his arms. Make him understand she'd had no choice. If they'd stayed in Cougar Hills, her mother would be dead. The next time her father wouldn
't have stopped until he'd killed her. She'd know it then and still believed it to this day. Leaving Cougar Hills and Texas behind was the only option they'd had.
"I started to tell you that last night—about the legend. My family forbid me telling you but I didn't care. I was young and foolish and in love. The silliness of prom night behind us, all I thought about was being with you forever. Time got away from me. I promised myself I'd tell you the next afternoon. We were supposed to meet behind my house. Man, the naïvety of youth. Love conquers everything and people in love live happily-ever-after."
He pushed off the counter, landed on the balls of both feet before straightening to his full height. "Only that's the biggest lie of all, isn’t it Cass? If love was enough, you'd have trusted me, come to me."
"I couldn't!" The protest burst from Cassie's lips. "Don't you get it? If I'd told you, my mother would be dead—and so would I. My father hated you, Jake. He never knew we dated. If he'd even suspected we saw each other, he'd have lost it. He already kept tabs on me. I went to school and home. Never anywhere else or he knew. The few times I met with you, I had to sneak out because he had the house watched."
"What?"
Cassie laughed and it wasn't a happy sound. "Sheriff Baxter did routine checks, a quick drive-by, making sure I was home. The sheriff's deputy routinely picked me up on my walk home from school because my father sent him to "make sure I got home okay." Such concern—I was as much a prisoner in his house as my mother was, only I didn't take the beatings, she did. Up until the end, that is." Cassie straightened her spine, forcing herself to turn away from Jake. She couldn't let him see her tear up. Her father had a hell of a lot to answer for, the least of which was costing her the love of her life.
Bracing herself, she swung back around, saw Jake's spine stiffen, his posture going impossibly still at Cassie's words. She could see the ripple of muscles contracting, his hands clench into fists. He closed his eyes, drew in a ragged breath, a sharp indrawn sigh of air, letting it out slowly through his lips.
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