by Tess MacKall
“Someone has been here recently. Maybe too recently. As though our presence scared them off.”
“How do you—”
“Living out here you get a sixth sense. And I smell them. Smell anger.”
Lucia stared at his profile. His jaw muscles pulsated and his mouth was a straight slash. Brow creased, he moved on, tugging her with him.
“Remain alert. Do not move far from me.”
A buzzing vibrated in her ears, the sound she always heard when frightened, as if her nerves hummed. Her stomach rolled over and an image of the moon-faced man sprang to mind. He’d looked menacing, annoyed, though startled when he’d realized he’d been spotted. It had to be him who had been here, didn’t it? And back there, Sam had said someone was close by. Was the man following them? Watching them from the forest?
She gripped Sam’s hand tighter. “Thank you. For arriving when you did. That man could have overpowered me in a second if he’d caught up with me and I’d still been alone. I can’t stand to think what he’d have done.”
Sam brought her close and she rested her cheek against his chest, the sound of his fast-beating heart giving comfort, yet at the same time frightening her. If he was fearful…
“I’ll find him.” He stroked her hair, taking in a deep breath, then released her and looked into her eyes. “Everything will work out.”
Lucia nodded and they pressed on, apprehension ensnaring her the closer they got to their destination. After a few minutes, Sam steered them nearer to a ridge and pointed at a smaller mound that protruded, its shape triangular, covered in brown earth of the mudslide that had been smoothed by the recent rains. She looked up at Sam and he nodded. Here she was then, at the place she’d been seeking. Emotion flooded through her, so intense she wanted to run, to escape the burden. But if she ran it wouldn’t change a thing. She’d still have to face this place again. Peace would never be hers until she’d accepted that her father rested beneath that hump. Until she’d found the man who had killed him.
She stared into the distance, another jut of fallen mud reminding her how lucky she’d been—and how close she’d camped to her father’s resting place. Tears burned her eyes and she took a deep breath and let go of Sam’s hand. She approached the mound, expecting to see…what? Loose earth with a camera, rucksack, or maybe a tent pole poking out of it? Yes, that’s exactly what I’d expected to see. I wanted to find something, anything that had belonged to Dad.
She sighed, her limbs heavy, her head achy.
Rest well, Dad. I miss you. Miss you so much.
Lucia blew out a breath, trying to get a hold on her feelings. If she allowed them to run out of control she’d be no good for anyone, a burden for Sam, who didn’t need to aid a blubbering woman back to his cabin. Not when an unknown man seemed to be following them. No, she’d remain strong until this was all over, and the tears could come when she’d returned home, where no one would hear her or have to suffer her company.
She walked on, blurry gaze fixed to the mound, and wondered exactly where her father rested. It must have been around one hundred feet wide. Looking up at the bluff, she imagined the force of the mud as it spewed over the top and slammed onto the ground. Sam placed his hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him, wanting nothing more than to rest her face against his chest and have his arms around her. But her emotions were too fragile for such an action.
“Did… When did this mudslide happen? I mean, day or night?” She stared into his eyes, seeing his compassion.
“Night. I heard the rumble.”
“And it would have been quick?”
He nodded.
“A blessing, then.” Relief swept through her. He wouldn’t have known a thing. Still, she winced at the image of his broken bones from the weight of the mud and the lump in her throat expanded. “I…I stupidly thought I’d find something here. Some…”
Sam looked behind her, his eyes narrowing, head tilting. “Come with me.”
Pulse throbbing in her neck, Lucia spun to follow him and slipped her hand in his. They walked quickly to where a shovel lay against the mound and hunks of mud, recently dug, littered the ground. Someone had been here.
Someone hoping to find a camera?
A chill skittered up and down her spine and goose bumps peppered her skin. The sense of being watched assailed her and she looked out at the ravine, and then at the forest. Something sparkled there, as if the sun had glanced across a shard of glass embedded in a tree trunk.
“Sam?”
He turned and stared at the trees. The glint sparkled again, the laser of light longer, wider this time, then winked out. Foreboding encompassed her and she knew someone stood there.
“It’s him, isn’t it?” she asked, her gaze on the spot where she’d seen the light.
“I would say so, yes.”
The light flashed once more. Knowing that he watched them, had possibly killed her father, and now wanted her…
“We should go back.” Sam pulled her along beside him, heading the way they had come. “It isn’t safe out here. We’re exposed.”
Lucia nodded, walking double time to keep up. A loud crack rent the air a second before something hit the mudslide to their right, a spray of earth shooting up before slapping back down, the sound like rain on tin. She jumped, shrieking before she could stop herself.
“Fuck!” Sam shouted.
He pushed her down to the ground. Her knees and hands sank into the damp earth and she flattened herself, facedown, terror careening through her. Would she be safe down here? She turned her head to look at Sam. He remained standing, his hands bunched into fists, a tic flickering beneath his eye.
“Sam! Get down!” Lucia tugged the leg of his jeans, frantic to keep him safe.
“He’s gone. I saw him running away. It was just a warning.”
Lucia stood, rubbing her hands down her coat front then flicking off stubborn clumps of mud. “A warning? Shit, what the fuck will the real thing be like? One of us wounded? Dead?”
“No.” He drew her close, arm about her back, fingers curled into her waist. “I won’t allow that to happen. I’ll find him before he comes back.”
“I can’t expect you to put your life in danger for me. Much as I want to find the bastard who killed my father, that little episode there has me changing my mind. I should go. With me gone, he’ll come and find me in the city. I’ll have police protection. And it means he won’t be here looking for the cougar. If I go, this will get cleared up quickly. I can tell the police about Jacob. About everything.”
He smiled, but he didn’t seem to find anything amusing. “These people won’t stop. Not until they have what they want. And I want to help. Need to help.”
“But why? This is nothing to do with you!”
Sam cupped her face. “Lucia, this has everything to do with me.”
“This isn’t your fight. He was my father and I won’t let you get killed trying to help me.”
“This is my home.”
She pulled away. “Home or not, it’s not worth your life!”
Their bond was growing. Sam felt it and he knew she did too. And that’s why the need to protect him was so strong within her. Only she didn’t have the advantage of understanding exactly what was going on.
“It’s more than that, Lucia.”
“Then explain it to me,” she said.
“We need to get back to the cabin. Keep moving.” He brought her close against him once more.
“All right,” she groaned. “But you can talk while we walk.”
He trudged forward, continuing to scan the forest, sensing the man wasn’t far. The shot had definitely been a warning. Whoever he was, he’d become so desperate he hadn’t even tried to hide the fact he was there. A picture of the cougar might be valuable to some, but valuable enough to murder her father for, risk coming back to the scene, and now possibly kill them as well? But he hadn’t shot them, had he? There was more to all this than just a picture of a legendary cat.
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One thing was for certain, though. Whatever it was he wanted, the killer wasn’t sure where it was—buried, or in Lucia’s possession. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be digging, and he wouldn’t have missed when he aimed that gun. He thought Lucia had whatever it was he was after.
Sam was almost dragging Lucia along and slowed his pace to accommodate her much smaller steps. “I’m a part of this place. The spirits talk to me here.”
“Spirits?”
The disbelief in her voice made him smile. “The spirits of my ancestors.”
“Oh, but you don’t really mean they talk to you, do you?”
“It’s not as simple as that. They come to me in visions and put me on the right path. They are here with us now.”
Lucia’s head bobbed back and forth as if she were looking for the spirits.
Chuckling softly, Sam shook his head. “You won’t see them.”
A covey of quail flew into the air up ahead. Sam’s gaze followed their short flight. The blue sky stretched, its endless palette dotted with wispy white clouds. A crisp autumn breeze blew and rustled the tree leaves.
“I’m not sure I understand. Is this your religion, Sam?”
Sam halted his steps. Turning his head to the east, he breathed deeply. The man was moving farther away. At least Lucia was safe for the time being.
“Sort of. But it’s more of a way of life,” he said. “It’s in my blood. Who I am. The cougar is a part of me. Just like these mountains.”
Moving in front of him, she asked, “And you would die for the cougar, for these mountains?”
“Yes. Yes, I would. And…”
Her beautiful brown eyes stared at him, searching. “And?”
And he would die for her—a realization that momentarily paralyzed him. He couldn’t tell her. They’d only met last night. Yet it seemed as though his soul had known hers forever.
“I’m the caretaker of the Shaconaque.”
“The what?”
“The ‘place of blue smoke’. The Great Smoky Mountains. This place is sacred to my people. The Cherokee have lived here for over a thousand years. Our blood is in this soil. The spirits of our ancestors are here.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Who made you ‘caretaker’?”
Staying as close to the truth as possible, he said, “I was born with this responsibility. Marked by it.”
“But how?”
Sam looked deeply into eyes that shone with questions, trying to convey his belief. “I feel it. Just know it.”
Her voice tinged with sadness, she looked down at her feet and said softly, “I wish I believed in something like that.”
He crooked his finger beneath her chin and tilted her head so her gaze met his. “It’s there inside you. When the time comes, you’ll do the right thing.”
“You make it sound as though something is about to happen.”
“Are you telling me you don’t already know this?”
She had said to him earlier that she believed something was going on between them but she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Her eyes said she still wasn’t ready. Unable to look at him, to answer him, she turned away. Sam dropped his hand. He would take her to see White Owl. He could help Lucia discover who she really was.
Certain the man was gone and that Lucia was safe, he walked away from her, threading his way through the trees. Seconds later, he heard the crunch of her hiking boots behind him. He would spend the day with her, his woman—the woman promised to him by the spirits. Already his cock hardened for her.
Later, he’d take her to White Owl.
Chapter Six
Back at the cabin, a sense of despondency settled over Lucia. Visiting her father’s death site was supposed to be therapeutic, healing the raw wounds inside her heart and mind. Instead, it had turned into a frightening experience with sinister overtones. She thought of her father as she lowered onto a sofa and stared out at the forest. Why was such a kind man targeted? Oh, she realized he was expendable to those who wanted the cougar pictures, but she railed against the unfairness of it all. Her father was deeply loved, respected, and so kind he didn’t deserve such a drastic end to his life. All for a damn picture?
Tears stung her eyes and she clamped her teeth to stave off the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. No, she wasn’t going to break down. She was stronger than that. She could get through this, see it through to its completion, and then cry. Sucking in a deep breath, Lucia stood and walked into the kitchen.
Sam turned from making sandwiches and smiled. “You okay?”
“Yeah. My mind’s kind of full, but I’ll be all right. It’s just…so much information at once thrown me, that’s all. And then seeing that mudslide and knowing my father is beneath it, and that shot…the thought someone intends to harm us… It’s all too much, but shit, I’m damned if some money-hungry men are going to get the best of me.” She gave a wobbly smile and moved beside him.
“Good. You’re focusing on the positive, giving yourself something to anchor onto. We’ll get through this—one way or another.”
She smiled again and tilted her head. “What are you doing?”
“We’re going out to lunch.”
“We are? A picnic? Out there?” She glanced out the kitchen window at the mountain, her stomach bunching.
“Yes, out there.” Sam walked to the fridge and took out some sodas and fruit. “But he’s gone for now, so it’ll be all right.”
Lucia nodded. “I came here to finish my father’s job. Do you think they’ll come for me?”
Sam shrugged and placed the food in a backpack. “Who knows? But they’ll have to get past me first.”
Warmth spread through her and she regarded Sam, tenderness for him coiling around her heart. He turned and their eyes met, the connection so strong her heart rate sped up.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, Lucia.” Sam stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “For the rest of the day we’re going to relax—or try to. We need to kick back so we can face whatever those bastards have in mind for us. Rested up, we’ll be ready for them. Coiled up and anxious we won’t. Come on.” He jerked his head toward the door. “I want to take you somewhere.”
Lucia trailed him through the living room to the front door. He stood on the threshold and inhaled a long deep breath, scanning the area with narrowed eyes. A quick nod and he moved aside for her to leave the cabin, closing the door behind them.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
Lucia followed Sam through the forest and they emerged from the tree line where a winding creek meandered, its scent pungent. The water tinkled over smooth, exposed stones, the surface illuminated by the sun hanging high in the cloudless, azure sky. The air remained as cool as it had been earlier that morning and she zipped her coat. Sam strode toward the creek and lowered his backpack to the long grass bordering the water. He turned full circle, face pointed to the heavens, head cocked. Lucia gazed around, anxious that they could be easily spotted.
“Is it safe here?” She looked at Sam.
“Yes. He didn’t follow us to the cabin and he isn’t here now.” He hunkered down and opened the backpack, pulling out two blankets.
“How can you be so sure? He could be back there in the forest.” Lucia glanced over her shoulder, seeing nothing but trees, but still, that man could be hiding.
Lucia shuddered. Despite her unease, she lowered herself to the blanket and looked out at the land on the other side of the creek. Ratty grass spread as far as she could see, waving in the slight breeze. She eyed the forest behind her. Nothing there.
“I promise you, he isn’t around.” Sam placed his hand on her thigh, his gaze serious. “If he was, do you think I’d have suggested lunch out in the open?”
She smiled and shook her head, telling herself to trust this man who she knew yet didn’t, parts of him an enigma she wanted to understand. An air of mystery surrounded him, yet he was so open in other w
ays, honest and to the point. He knew this area better than she did, and if he said they were safe, she’d just have to go with that. Relaxing a little, she covered his hand with hers and a glimmer of desire burned in her pussy. Never had she experienced such intensity with a man. The need to be fucked hard and fast gripped her, but she shoved it away, unused to the force that made her want him when she’d been with him so recently. Was it the novelty, or was the connection she felt between them real?
Sam buried his fingers in her hair and lowered his lips to hers. She opened her mouth to him and his tongue delved inside, inciting myriad sensations in her body. Her arms weakened and her legs and chest seemed to hollow, her head lightening with each swirl of his tongue. A low moan cut short in her throat and she lifted her hand to cup his face, his skin hot on her cold palm. He ended their kiss and eased her onto her back, straddling her, settling his ass onto her throbbing cunt. Deftly he unzipped her coat and pushed it aside, fingers gliding beneath her top to trace circles above her bra. Cool air soughed over the skin on her belly where goose bumps sprang up. Her nipples hardened and she longed for him to release her breasts, aching so fiercely she gasped. He pushed her top up, drew her bra down and swooped forward, the wet heat of his mouth on one nipple sending a jolt of lust to her core. She moaned, sliding her hands in his hair and arching her back for him to suckle harder. Nipple held lightly between his teeth, he flicked his tongue back and forth. All thoughts of where they were vanished and she gave in to the spikes of pleasure his mouth produced.
Cunt aching, Lucia gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into the soft down of his coat. Sam released her nipple, trailing his tongue across to the other. The abandoned nub grew harder as air settled over its wetness, exacerbating the sharp jabs his laving tongue incited. She smoothed her hands to his upper arms, drawing him away from her breasts, needing his mouth on hers. He lowered his chest and stretched out his legs, body covering hers. His nearness seized her breath and he pulled his head back a little, eyeing her with concern. She stared up at him, undoing his jacket. He raised his torso, hands on either side of her head, lifting them one at a time as Lucia wrenched off his upper garments, tossing them to the ground. Sam covered her again. The skin-on-skin contact thrilled her and she jerked her hips upward, closing her eyes.
