WindSwept Narrows: #23 Molly & Natasha

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “Hi…Tasha Banks,” she said after clearing her throat a few times and fighting muscles that seriously did not want her to raise her hand.

  Then Molly peeked around the broad shoulders, the fingers of one hand in the band of the guard’s jeans. She tugged on them, a lot braver and stronger than Tasha was feeling at the moment.

  “Tasha…don’t mind him…come inside,” Molly stepped to the side and used her hip to nudge the behemoth. “Jonathon, stop it…you’re being deliberately intimidating. She’s on our side. This is Jonathon Shepherd, Tasha and please, forgive him. I’ve been arguing with him about this for that last few days.”

  “And I’m not wavering,” he said flatly, taking the palm with a firm handshake.

  “Maybe I should have waited until Monday,” Tasha murmured, pulling her fingers free and flexing them a few times. She looked quickly from the implacable gaze to her friend. “Are you okay?”

  She hadn’t meant for her voice to come out in a whisper, but it did and Molly laughed, gripped her hand and tugged her into the suite.

  “No, she is not alright. She is convinced that confronting these fools is the only answer,” Jonathon growled, the door closing with a little more force than necessary.

  Tasha jumped and wondered when she’d become so nervous.

  “Well…not being a fan of confrontation…without a great deal of back-up…” Tasha felt the wince on her face and knew it was the wrong time to let her mouth ramble. “Anyway…perhaps something staged where we can invite them to lunch with you and I, would be helpful. Because I’m just not finding what I need to know.”

  “She is not…”

  All heads turned toward the closed door of the suite when the knock came. Tasha just stared; Jonathon frowned from Molly to her.

  “I didn’t…” Tasha began, her head shaking. “Maybe it’s room service?”

  “We haven’t ordered anything,” Jonathon gripped the handle and pulled the door wide, blocking the path with his body. “Yes?”

  “I was told…Tasha…” Dell exhaled slowly, his hand up and offered. “Dell Russell. I don’t mean to interrupt…”

  “What are you doing here?” Tasha stared at him in disbelief. “I’m sorry…Molly Fielding…Jonathon Shepherd, this is…a friend…”

  “Too old to be a boyfriend?” Jonathon guessed with a laugh, his head shaking. “Come inside, please,” he said after shaking Dell’s hand. “Jon Shepherd. We had the discussion on identifying titles earlier this afternoon.”

  “I…he is not…okay, well, maybe he is, but still…” Tasha stopped and closed her mouth and her eyes. “You were working on fixing your fence to keep the animals inside.”

  “I got back to the house in time to see you tearing out of the ranch,” Dell filled in patiently, his gaze shifting between the platinum haired woman to the honey blonde watching him, blinking and looking so darned cute behind those glasses.

  “You live on a ranch?” Molly asked politely. “I summered on one a long time ago. I’d love to find a place where I can have a few chickens…just for the sweet morning noises.”

  “He has a huge chicken enclosure,” Tasha said with a proud grin. “I had no idea chickens came in so many colors, or the eggs, either, for that matter. I picked up some that were a really pale green with speckles on them. And he has a place for the baby animals so schools can bring kids to explore. It’s pretty neat.”

  “Says the little city girl,” Dell commented.

  “I got juice…three kinds and some ale, if you’d like one,” Jonathon said with a look at Dell. “If this has to do with the guys shadowing Molly, you might want something stronger than water,” he strode into the kitchen, one brow raised questioningly at Dell.

  “I’m sorry about bursting in on your evening. She left me a note, but she forgot to mention that she was looking out for the idiot from Utah, and I shouldn’t worry,” Dell remarked, the concern he felt under taut control. “I’ll take an ale, thanks.”

  “You went to Utah?”

  “You think he followed me?” Tasha whispered hoarsely, her head shaking. “No. How could he? He wouldn’t know where I was from.”

  “You talked to people, Tasha. Towns’ people and he can probably just as easily chat them up and get answers. You weren’t exactly secret about where you lived,” Dell crossed the room and gazed into the small fridge Jonathon held open for him. He reached in and made a choice, the bottle cold in his closed fingers. “He saw the rental car you used and the information is in the hotel we stayed at…” he swore beneath his breath, the bottle set quickly on the counter before he was across the room and catching her shoulders when she swayed. “Natasha!”

  “I’m okay…I should have thought of all that,” she inhaled slowly. “I’m good, Dell. I know how to take care of myself.”

  “You’re not a field agent that does this stuff on a regular basis,” he answered, the look in his eyes daring her to deny it. His fingers opened very slowly, his gaze sweeping along her to make sure she was stable before shaking his head and striding back to the kitchen-bar set up.

  “You went to Utah?” Molly repeated softly, her gaze stuck on Tasha. One hand slipped to the handle on the balcony door and slid to the glass.

  “Molly…” Jonathon left the unopened ale on the counter, offering the opener to Dell before going to Molly. He ignored the mild resistance and pressed her into the corner of the sofa. “Don’t fight with me, damn it. Sit down. If you get any paler, they’ll put you in the zoo as a polar bear.”

  “Gee…that’s romantic,” Molly growled, flashing one of her canine teeth at him.

  “I’ll order up some fresh salmon for you,” Jonathon teased, kissing the top of her head.

  “Tasha?” Molly leaned over, elbows on her knees and hands in the center. “Show me.” She met the evasive look. “I know you. I know how things work. If Cassidy sent you to Utah, you documented everything, Tasha. Show me.”

  The instant, firm voice made Tasha sigh and nod once before lifting the computer bag at her side. She slid onto the sofa and pulled the long coffee table in front of them.

  “Someone was bothering you there?” Molly asked, waiting patiently while the computer powered up for Tasha.

  “I…well…he was kind of following me around a little…”

  “He stalked you,” Dell corrected after a long swallow of the cold ale.

  “You went to the school,” Molly stared at Tasha, sighing when her friend only winced. “Cassidy is thorough.”

  “She also got a name of who I’m guessing is one of the guys bothering you,” Dell met the scowl Tasha sent him with an open expression that dared her to contradict him. “She actually picked his pocket in the lobby, made quick copies of everything in his wallet and was then confronted by the guy,” he paused when Molly gasped and gaped at her friend. “Fortunately, she’d given the wallet to one of the security personnel who arrived in time, because he’d been watching for the men.”

  “We could have waited on that tidbit of information,” Tasha hissed, pale lashes narrowed.

  “Tasha…who was in Utah?” Molly asked quietly, her hands twisting as they dangled between her knees.

  Tasha exhaled slowly. “Okay…I went to the ruins first,” her hands moved over the keys on the laptop, opening the folder with the photos and setting them up to cycle through. “I was snapping pics and this guy…” she stopped the show on the three photos she’d set up into one that she had snapped when he wasn’t looking. “Wanted to know why I was there and what I was looking for. I told him I was just a tourist,” she said firmly with a continued glare at Dell that went ignored.

  “I just bet that worked,” Jonathon remarked drolly.

  “I actually thought that was the end of it but he…he showed up in town and followed me to the fire station and then the police department,” Tasha rolled her eyes. Two of them. Swell. “Which is how I came to meet Dell. For some silly reason, I thought seeking the safety of a stranger was safer than a man following me o
utside the diner.”

  Molly looked from the photos to Tasha and then over to Dell.

  “Thank you for being there for her,” she said with a glimpse of a smile. She shook her head, the unruly shank of pale blond falling over her brow. “I tried telling them this didn’t concern any of them but no one will listen to me. I tried to…”

  “You tried to run and leave us all behind,” Jonathon crossed to stand in front of her. Dropping to one knee he framed her face and tilted her chin until their eyes met. “I couldn’t let that happen. To either one of us.”

  Tasha sniffled.

  Dell tilted his head to the side, his head shaking in return. “If you want me to say everything would have been better off if you’d left, I have to disagree. You don’t stop bullies by running and hiding. But when you confront them, be prepared. I plan on making sure Tasha is damned well prepared, Molly.”

  “I’m doing my job, Molly,” Tasha put a hand on her shoulder. “And believe it or not, I can manage and I would have managed but I am glad I met him,” she whispered the last part and offered a little wink at Molly.

  “She just likes pretending it’s Easter and gathering eggs,” Dell tossed back, his grin crooked and more than a little relieved.

  “Well, there is that,” Tasha agreed, sobering the next second. “Does he look at all familiar? He gave me a story that his sister had been in the school when it was destroyed.”

  Molly shifted the laptop, her hands moving expertly over the keyboard.

  “How did they locate you, Molly?” Tasha Asked thoughtfully, leaning back and letting Molly look through her notes. “In the beginning, I mean. How old were you?”

  “I found a file on me…just before…well, before I left…” she stared at the stone and overgrown grounds of the ruins. “I had a teacher when I was just a little past nine…she sent me for some tests. I never figured out how they knew I was…that I was a little brighter. I wasn’t unruly or bad. But the place they sent me for tests was run by Harrison. The teacher evidently received money for finding him students. I spent a week going to this special place and they presented me with all kinds of puzzles. Problems that needed just a little tweak, you know? And on the shelves around me, were all the reference books with the answers, if I would read and find them. It was almost like being in an amazing, magical place. There were supplies and everything I needed and when I asked questions, someone always showed up and answered it. Some argued points with me and…and it was just amazing. It was the first time I felt I could be me and no one would stare at me like I was…was a freak,” she finished with a whisper.

  “That’s quite a network he had,” Tasha said thoughtfully. “I’m not sure his name is Harrison, though…and that, I’m having a hard time tracking. But I will crack it,” she said with a confident nod. “Okay, so they found you through the gifted child program at school. The teacher sent you to their facility to be put through the paces…then they went to your parents and told them what a wonderful school they had available for you! You were a brilliant child, gifted in so many areas and they were not only going to provide for your education, but present your parents a cash reward for allowing you to attend their academy,” Tasha stopped talking and met the expression on Molly’s face. “What? I read a lot…and it’s fitting the pieces…well, some of the pieces, at least.”

  “I don’t like the pieces you’re fitting together,” Jonathon remarked quietly, his gaze on the paled features of Molly. “It looks like it’s fitting a little too close to home.”

  “I can’t change what happened to her, Jonathon, but I can find a way to fill in the blanks and stop it,” Tasha told him confidently. “What I’m not getting is…I don’t doubt they know where you are…and they want to talk to you badly enough to go through all kinds of hoops to locate you…so where are they?”

  Tasha was positive she about jumped off the sofa when a solid knocking echoed through the suite. Her gaze shot to the door, her eyes wide and body stiff. Just like Molly’s at the moment.

  The men however, she realized a few seconds later, not so much.

  It was almost a tie to see who would react first with Dell tipping his head in acknowledgement of territory to Jonathon. Tasha looked them both over, swallowed hard and watched the door when it was pulled open.

  A collective sigh went through the suite, the carefully uniformed bellboy holding up two hangers. “Your costumes for tonight’s charity function, Mr. Shepherd.”

  “Thank you.” Jonathon took the hangers, dipped his free hand into his pocket and offered a few dollars from the clip he carried when he wore jeans.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “The charity event,” Tasha said. “I’m messing up your plans. I’m sorry. I’ll get this out of here and come talk to you Monday, Molly.”

  “You’re not attending? It’s historical Pacific Northwest costume night,” she said with a grin that showed just a little strain. “I’m a saloon girl.”

  “I heard Emily had set up a suite here for last minute costumes,” Tasha commented as she worked to shut down the laptop.

  “That’s where we found these this afternoon. She’d just opened the boxes and was setting things up this morning,” Molly nudged her with her foot. “Come on…it sounds like you could use the distraction as bad as me.”

  Tasha looked quickly at Jonathon and then away. “I’m not sure dragging another person along on your date…”

  “Then it’ll be a couple,” Dell interrupted, tossing back the rest of the ale and exhaling. “It’s high time I got to know the people working this reclamation in person, anyway.”

  “You’re joining them?” Jonathon hung the covered costumes on the hook on the back of the door and crossed to perch on one of the breakfast stools.

  “I’ve been working on it the last month or so,” Dell replied with a nod. “Making sure we were able to meet the requirements and become one of the vendors as well as one of the firms working toward something better for people. Most of the items we were already meeting, a few we have to tweak.”

  “Well…let’s go find you a costume,” Molly jumped to her feet and grabbed at Tasha’s hand.

  “Are you inviting me out on a date?” Tasha asked with a teasing grin at Dell.

  “No. I’m telling you we’re going to the costume thing so I can learn how to be a little more social to the rest of my new neighbors,” Dell answered with a wink.

  “I’m not sure that’s possible,” Tasha mumbled. “Cowboys usually have manners…”

  “They also toss their woman over their shoulder and wear her ass out when she gives them grief,” he informed her with a flat expression. He looked at the barely hidden grin on Jonathon’s face. “Is it safe enough for them to go find her costume on their own? I’d like a few words with you.”

  “Yes. The resort has incredible security, especially now and especially around Molly,” he answered. “Take your key card, babe, just in case we go off looking around. We’ll leave here at seven-thirty, since it’s just downtown Tacoma tonight.”

  “Alright,” Molly went to the bedroom and was almost right back, the card sliding into the front pocket of her jeans. She wrapped her arms around Jonathon’s neck and kissed him quickly. “Thank you…” she watched the brow arch and sighed. “For not letting me run. I’d miss you,” she whispered and was out of his arms and across the room, grabbing Tasha’s hand and towing her along.

  “I bet that didn’t even hurt,” Jonathon called after her, laughing at the sight of the tongue he was given as they slipped out the door.

  “I’m sorry, Molly,” Tasha waited until they were almost to the elevator before speaking. “I don’t mean to make you sad.”

  “Oh, I know that,” dark eyes gazed at her friend. They’d only met during the process of having Molly certified and cleared through security, but they’d become friends and spent time together. “I don’t guess I was a very honest friend. Somehow…I thought it was…just gone, you know?”

  “I don’t thi
nk you’re a bad friend and I really didn’t want to make memories come back,” Tasha hugged her and pulled her into the elevator. “So where is Emily set up?”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Molly sniffled and tapped the bottom floor button. “One of the lower level rooms so guests and employees can find her.”

  “And I definitely did not want to make you cry or force Dell into an expensive event.” Tasha stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

  “I’m pretty sure not much could force Dell into anything he didn’t want,” Molly returned tartly, nudging her friend with her hip. “So spill it…you met him in Utah? Seriously?”

  “I ducked into this little diner for food and to get away from the kid following me and thought it would be…” she frowned at the memory. “For some reason, I thought he’d protect me. Isn’t that weird?”

  “Since we’re both claiming we can take care of ourselves, yeah, pretty weird,” Molly sighed and put one hand up on the edge of the open elevator. “Let’s find you a costume. And I do believe we can take care of ourselves. Our methods are very different from theirs, though.”

  “Friends don’t let you be hurt or run, Molly,” Tasha looped her arm through her friend’s. “So maybe the guys are right this time and we have to find a different way. I still need more answers.”

  “Ladies!” Emily Temple zipped around the large open space she’d been given for the costumes and all the accessories the store sold. She looked back to make sure the other two girls who worked for her were doing alright before grabbing Tasha’s hand. “I just sent your outfit to the suite,” she told Molly with a little frown, the honey brown hair pulled up and back off her face and neck into a long ponytail high on her head. “Things have been hectic,” she pushed the words out with a puff of breath.