by Diane Leyne
“I rest my case. Go. Enjoy yourself. Let Noah look after your diner. Didn’t you say he was supposed to open this morning? Go now before he or anyone else arrives and tries to change your mind. Get in your car and go home and pack.”
“I can’t just get up and leave. What was I thinking? And what about the diner? It wouldn’t be fair to Noah.”
“You need this getaway. In fact, I insist on it. I’ll wait here and let Noah you’ll be gone for a few weeks and he’s to look after the diner for you. Don’t protest. If you know about his background, then you know he used to have his own restaurant in Chicago. The diner will be in good hands, Candy. I can’t let him leave the country, but you can, and I suggest you go now. If you wait for him to arrive, you’ll just change your mind.”
She looked at the stranger and shivered. He was right, and yet, she had a feeling that he wasn’t telling the truth about something. She met his gaze and shivered again. This man was dangerous, she knew it in her bones. And he wanted her to leave town. He badly seemed to want her to leave.
The coffee was ready. She took the opportunity of some busy work to delay answering him. She poured him a cup and walked around the counter and brought it to him. He stood and she caught a glimpse of the weapon in a holster under his arm. She looked up and reluctantly met his eyes as he took the cup.
“Candy. Listen to me. I want you to go outside and get in your car, go home, pack quickly, and then drive the nearest airport. Then I want you to get on a plane for this Island. Libertine Island, you called it?” She nodded. “You’ll be safe there. It’s not good for you to be here right now and the diner will be fine in Noah’s capable hands. Do you understand me? It isn’t safe and you need to leave town. Now.”
She started to tell him that she’d already packed a bag and that it was in the trunk of her car, but looking into his eyes, it was easier just to nod in agreement. Something about the intensity of his expression scared her.
She reached down to remove her apron before realizing that she hadn’t put it on. He really wanted her gone. He said she wasn’t safe. Her heart started pounding as he walked around the counter. He continued walking past her and then paused. When he turned, he held her purse in his hand. He thrust it at her.
“I’ll just call…”
“No, Candy. You know who I am and you know where I work. Since you know Tait and Aaron, you understand that sometimes we can’t explain ourselves.”
She nodded reluctantly.
“You won’t call anyone. You are just going to go. Once you get to your destination, give it three days. Then you can call. But not before. If you call before, I’ll be very, very unhappy. Now go.” She watched as he shifted so his jacket and she could see his gun. She shivered. “I can’t promise I can protect you if you stay. More importantly, I can’t promise that I’ll be able to protect Tait and Aaron. If you care about them, you’ll go. Now. Before I change my mind.”
Candy went.
Chapter Three
Tait Sorenson and Aaron Day pulled up in front of Candy’s house.
“She’s going to kill us, you know, Tait. We were supposed to be here last night. We promised her that we’d come no later than midnight. Then we texted her that we’d be in this afternoon.”
“And it’s morning. We’re early. That’ll make her happy. And she’ll forgive us for all the changed plans, Aaron. She always does.” Tait frowned. “The lights are off and her car isn’t in the driveway. I thought she said she’d arranged to Noah to take the morning shift so we could spend the morning in bed.”
“Yes, but that was when we were supposed to arrive last night. Maybe she decided to go into the diner since we told her we weren’t coming until later.”
Tait nodded and put the car in gear, arriving Candy’s Diner in short order. There were no cars in the small parking lot. Frowning, he hopped out of the dark SUV he was driving and walked over to the door. He couldn’t see a light and when he tried the door, it was locked. He peered through the window and could see a faint light in the vicinity of the kitchen, and he thought he saw some movement. He knocked anyway as Aaron approached.
It wasn’t long before there was the sound of the lock being undone and the door opened a few inches.
“What’s up, guys? You wear Candy out and come here for sustenance? Sorry, but I haven’t even fired up the griddle yet.” Noah stood in the doorway, blocking their entrance.
“What are you talking about? Candy’s not at home. That means she has to be here. Hell, Noah. We know she’s probably pissed at us for not arriving when we promised, but she knows we don’t always have a choice. Can you tell her we are sorry and we’ve got a surprise for her?”
“I’d love to guys, but she’s not here, really. I just arrived, but all the lights were off. Unless she’s hiding in the dark, she’s not at the diner. And I didn’t see her car in the parking lot. Maybe she’s gone to see her brother or maybe a girlfriend. Or maybe she’s at home and too pissed at you guys to answer when you knocked.”
Tait pulled out his phone and dialed Candy’s home number. Then he tried her cell. It went right to voice mail. He tried IM’ing her. No response. He looked over at Aaron. “No answer.”
“You wait with Noah. I’ll head over to her place. I’m sure it’s just some kind of miscommunication. Or maybe she had a car accident of something. You call her brother. He can check with emergency services.”
“Look, neither of you have to wait with me. I’ll be fine here alone. The customers should start trickling in any time now. I have to get started. Go. Find Candy. Have lots of great make-up sex. I’ll be fine…” Noah’s voice trailed off. “What’s wrong?”
“We were delayed because we got word that The Hammer escaped from jail yesterday. We’re not sure where he is, but odds are he’s looking for you. We need to discuss relocating you until you testify. Just in case.”
“And how’s he going to find me? I thought no one knows where I am?”
“Yes, that’s right. No one knows except agency people. You should be fine. It’s just that we don’t want to take any chances. Besides, you hate it here, right? You’d probably be happy if we moved you.”
“Actually, not anymore. I’m thinking of settling here once the trial’s over.”
“Really?”
“Really. Now, you two, go look for Candy. I’ll phone the sheriff and ask him to send someone over, and while I’m at it, I’ll ask if there have been any accidents reported. She’s his sister, after all. If anything’s wrong, he’ll find out. But I’m sure that there’s nothing to be worried about, not about me or Candy. Now go!”
And then he shut the door and Tait could hear the sound of the lock being closed.
“Did his behavior seem a bit off to you, Aaron?”
“We’ve never been best buds since we’re the ones who insisted he hide out in Satisfaction. And the news about the Hammer probably has him rattled.”
He checked his watch. “The place should open in a few minutes. Want to wait around and grab a cup of coffee?”
“No. I want to see Candy. If you need coffee that badly, we’ll get Candy to make us some to make up for not being home and ready for us when we arrived. I can’t wait to spank her ass, Tait, and then fuck it. It’s been too long. I miss her so much.”
“Yes, on all counts. I have no interest in fast-food coffee when we have a hot woman who can also cook waiting for us. Her coffee is the best. But I think I’d rather fuck her first. Then get some coffee, spank her ass, and then fuck her all over again.”
“And when do you want to tell her that we’ve decided to leave Southport and settle here in Satisfaction? I thought we were going to lead with that?”
“That was when we expected her to be waiting in bed for us like a good little sub. Now she’s earned a punishment for worrying us. After all, if we are going to settle down with her permanently, we need to start as we go on.” Tait grinned as he thought about what it would be like living with Candy. “The sooner she learns what
life submitting to us on a permanent basis is like, the sooner we can collar her and formalize our relationship.”
“But we are the ones who were late and didn’t call. You want to punish her for not waiting”—Aaron checked his watch—“more than five hours for us? Sorry, buddy, but I have to give her a pass on that.”
“You mean you don’t want to spank her?”
“Did I say that? I’m going to blister her ass, but because I want to, not because I’m punishing her.”
Tait nodded. “That works for me.”
A few minutes later, they were back at Candy’s.
* * * *
“Something’s not right, Tait. I feel it in my bones.”
“Probably arthritis, but hell, I can’t even make a decent joke about it. I think you are right. Only two places Candy would be at this hour, in her own bed or in the diner. Her house seemed empty when we were here earlier, but we need to double check. Maybe there’ll be a clue as to where she is.” He walked up the steps to her porch and took a look in the front window. Place looked as empty as it felt.
He looked around as Tait approached the front, too. In less than a minute, the door was unlocked and they were inside. It was empty, as they expected. It wasn’t right, not at all.
“Maybe we just passed each other while we were driving. Maybe she’s at the diner?” Tait’s voice sounded uncertain. “I’ll call.”
A moment later, he put the phone down. “No answer.”
“I have a really bad feeling, Tait. Why isn’t Noah there? Try again.”
Tait dialed and again the call went to voice mail.
“I’m calling Dace.”
“Don’t jump the gun. There might be a simple explanation. You have a look around upstairs. I’ll check out her downstairs office. We’ll meet in five.”
It didn’t take Aaron long to know that something was very wrong. They’d always made fun of Candy for insisting on making the bed even though they were just going to mess it up again, so when he saw the tangle of bedclothes, he could feel the icy finger down his spine. This wasn’t good.
He checked her dresser, closet, and bathroom. It looked like a small bag had been removed along with some clothes and a few toiletries. He headed quickly back downstairs.
Tait was in her den and the computer was on.
“It looks like she packed for a short trip. You find anything, Tait?”
“She left the computer on. She was on Google Maps looking for directions to the El Paso airport.”
“Shit! We’re late and she leaves town?”
“Looks like it.”
“Any clues about where she went?”
“She was on the site for a place called Libertine Island, but I can’t get in. It’s password protected and she logged out.”
“Can you check her e-mail?”
“No, she logged out of that, too, Aaron. Damn, now she pays attention to the security protocols we taught her. I knew we should have installed a keystroke logger, just in case.”
“Oh, yeah. That would go over well with her, Tait!”
He looked at the screen again. “I say we head to El Paso while we set the dogs on her trail.”
“Agreed. You call her brother to see if he knows anything. I’ll call SSP and get them to put a trace on her movements. If she booked an airline ticket, they can tell us where to a lot faster than even Dace can. He’ll need a warrant. They won’t.”
It was a short conversation so he listened to the end of Aaron’s call to SSP. “I want you to find out if Candy Lowe from Satisfaction, Texas has purchased an airline ticket, and if so, to where. She’s probably flying out of El Paso. You are right. Candy may be a nickname. Search on any female last name Lowe, L-O-W-E, has bought a ticket. No, I don’t have a case number. Just do it and get back to me as soon as possible.” He hung up and looked at Tait. “Why do you think she left town without telling us?”
“I don’t know, Aaron, but I’ll find out if I have to beat it out of her.”
“What did her brother say?”
“Dace said he had no idea she had any plans to go out of town. He offered to go by the diner and talk to Noah while we head to El Paso. He’ll call us as soon as he has any information. Aaron, Noah didn’t call him. He promised but didn’t. I had a bad feeling. Now it’s worse.”
“Shit. Let’s get back to the diner.”
They drove in silence for a moment.
“Do you think it was because we were late again? I mean, we called, for once, but we’ve never talked about leaving SSP or settling in Satisfaction. And, Tait, we’ve never talked to Candy about becoming exclusive and never told her we planned to quit the agency. What if she doesn’t want a relationship with us? What if she has someone else, someone she’s going away with?”
“Goddamn it, Aaron. Could you be any more of a girl about it? She loves us. Of course she does. I don’t know why she’s left Satisfaction without telling us, but she’d damn well better have a good reason or she’s going to find herself tied to our bed for a good long time!”
* * * *
They were halfway to El Paso before Aaron’s phone rang. Tait felt all of his muscles clench. Let it be Candy, let it be Candy.
The conversation was short. Aaron hung up and turned to his friend. Tait didn’t like his expression.
“There was an attack on Noah.”
Tait nearly lost control of the SUV and was just able to swerve back into his lane in time to avoid a transport truck. He pulled onto the shoulder of the highway.
“What? Candy? How is Candy?
“She’s fine. They think.”
“They think?”
“No one’s seen her. But she wasn’t attacked. Noah was the target. He’s okay. It was Rodgers. He went after Noah, but everyone’s okay and he’s in custody.”
“The FBI agent Rodgers? Son of a bitch. I never did like the guy, but I never thought he was bent.”
“Yup. He was on the take. For years apparently, but now that they have him dead to rights for attempted murder. He’ll spill everything. He knows his only hope to live to see the end of the year is to go into witness protection. Ironic really.”
“And Candy?”
“Noah told Dace that Rodgers told him that she came by the diner really early this morning and he convinced her to leave town so he wouldn’t have to kill her when Noah arrived. Noah said he believed him. He wasn’t bragging. In fact, apparently he was laughing about how easy it was to convince her to go.
“There was no sign of anything happening in the diner. No blood. Nothing disturbed. He thinks Rodgers was telling the truth. Dace is going to question Rodgers and see if he can get anything out of him before he lets SSP or anyone else take him away.”
“Rodgers is a professional.”
“And Candy is Dace’s sister and a law enforcement professional in his own right. He’ll get Rodgers to talk.”
Tait felt the blood drain from his face as he thought of something. “You know, Aaron, the internet search I found on her computer supports what he said, and she researching El Paso before she went to the diner this morning. I still don’t understand why she’d leave town, though, when she knew we were still coming. Bastard had better not have laid a hand on her.”
“He swore he didn’t and there was no blood or anything in the diner. I say we keep heading toward El Paso. She searched for directions before she went in to work. Maybe she was planning to go even before…Wait. I have another call coming in.”
Tait swore under his breath as he tried to listen to Aaron’s call but couldn’t glean anything useful.
“That was SSP. She’s bought a ticket to Raleigh and from there to St. Maarten. Flight leaves from El Paso Airport in…” He checked his watch. “Fifteen minutes.” He sagged back against the seat. “SSP has confirmed she checked in at the airport more than an hour ago and her car’s sitting in the long term parking lot.”
“Shit! She’s going on vacation? Without telling us? Without asking us to go with her?”
“And apparently without telling her brother. But I don’t understand how Rodgers is involved. How did he even know she was going away?”
Aaron didn’t answer. He was on the phone again. This time he put it on speaker.
“Dace, it’s Aaron and Tait again. According to our sources, she’s headed to St. Maarten. Do you know why she’d do that? Has she been talking about going away?
“Dace, what do you know? Have you heard from her?”
There was a pause.
“I don’t know for sure where she went, but I think I’ve heard from her.”
“Think?”
“I got a text from an unfamiliar number about half an hour ago. The message was short. She said she was heading out of town for two weeks and she asked me to check on Noah.”
“What else? Anything about us?”
“Nope. Sorry, nothing.”
“Can you trace it?”
“I tried. It’s been stationary near the highway since the call ended. I figure she tossed it after she sent the message and I replied.”
“Damn. And this message…you weren’t going to tell us about it?”
“Why should I? You weren’t mentioned.”
“Are you sure it was from Candy?”
“I am. She signed it Betsy.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Her real name is Elizabeth. You have been dating her for almost a year and you don’t know her real name? I always called her Betsy or sometimes Bitsy when she was a kid because she was so small. She didn’t start dying her hair that vivid red color until she was sixteen. That’s when she became Candy Apple and for years, now, she’s just been Candy.”
“Oh.”
“Yes. Oh.” There was a pause. Aaron and Tait exchanged glances. “You mentioned St. Maarten earlier. She hasn’t talked about going there, not to me anyway.”
“What about Libertine Island. You know anything about the private resort on the island or why Candy would be looking at their website?”
“How do you know she was looking at their website? Don’t bother answering. You looked at her computer.”
