by Dale Mayer
He grinned. "Glad you've enjoyed it. Maybe we can do it again."
"Absolutely." She'd love to repeat this evening – several times if possible.
"If you don't have any plans for tomorrow, maybe we can go for coffee or take a walk. Something simple."
She smiled. "That would be lovely."
***
Parked outside her hotel twenty minutes later, Dane studied her fine-boned features, the delicate blush of color. She didn't have the same suntan that most of the other team members sported. He loved the relaxed peacefulness he read on her face tonight.
Jade often looked like life was a serious business…that reaped few rewards. He wanted to show her how much fun life could be. How good relationships could be. How good the two of them could be. If she gave them…him, a chance.
But he didn't want to scare her off.
Somewhere in all of this he needed her to feel comfortable with him. For her to move at her own pace. For her to be in control.
He leaned back, turned slightly to face her and opened his arms, waiting to see what she would do.
When she smiled shyly, it made his heart melt.
She slid across the bench seat and snuggled close. She grasped both sides of his face then stretched up, slowly oh so slowly and put her lips against his. In a kiss so gentle, so special, it almost broke his heart. Gently stroking her arms with one hand, the other moved soothingly down and across her back and tucked her closer against his chest.
He felt a shiver slide down her back so drew her in closer, warming her slowly beneath his caressing hands. He wanted her. Had wanted her since he first laid eyes on her. And a little cuddling in the truck was a great prelude, except he was no untried kid. He wanted so much more. And not in the truck like two crazed teenagers. She deserved a soft bed and all the trappings that were possible for their first night together. And him? Well he deserved time. Time to savor her, to explore, to enjoy. He moaned softly against her lips.
She pulled back slightly and smiled at him. "That's your good night's kiss."
He smiled slowly, wickedly. "Good, then here's your good night's kiss," he whispered, caressing her lips with his breath. His warm hands slid up her back to comb through her silky hair, anchoring her in place. Then he lowered his head. He didn't ravish; he didn't take. He coaxed, soothed and enticed. When she sagged against him, he pulled back slightly, dropping his forehead against hers. "If you're going in alone, you need to go now."
She smiled and nuzzled against his face and chin. "And if I don't?"
"Then you'll be going in with company. And I don't want to cheat either of us by rushing you at this stage. If you need time, I'm happy to move slowly, well as slowly as we can go when we're short on time." He laughed self consciously.
She laughed, a soft joyous sound that enchanted even as he questioned it.
"What part was funny?"
"Slightly slow is good, but I'm finding I'm much less affected than I thought I was." She dropped a kiss on his chin.
His breath caught. Damn. Images ripped through his mind. He almost groaned aloud. "Meaning?"
"I might be okay with quick, but there is this voice of reason telling me to slow down slightly." She retreated, a regretful smile on her face. "Have to say, I'm not comfortable with sex on the first date. No matter how tempting.
He kissed the tip of her nose before she retreated out of reach. "Tempting? So how about dinner tomorrow? The next day? The day after?
Her gaze widened.
He rushed into speech. "I want to spend as much time with you as I can. To find out what we have. So think about me. About there being an us. And if a weekend away appeals, give me some dates that work and I'll set it up."
She laughed. "So I get to decide?"
"Absolutely. I can get away any weekend. Your schedule is a little different. I'm serious about seeing you after we return to the U.S. too, but I'd like to spend as much time as we can together here."
Dane's cell rang, interrupting the intimate moment. Jade slid back slightly to give him room. She'd been snuggled tightly against him and he hated the immediate coolness that drifted into the space. He wanted to tug her back, but the moment was lost.
He pulled his phone out, wondered at the number on display and answered it.
***
Dane twisted on the front seat of his truck and clicked a button on his phone. "I've just put it on speaker. It's Bruce. Something's wrong."
Jade's eyes widened and she cast a glance out her window toward the hotel. "Bruce, what's up?"
"Have you seen or heard from Dr. Mike?"
The anxiety level coming through the phone made Jade's stomach knot and her throat catch. "Not since lunchtime. I worked in the office all afternoon. I don't think he'd returned by the time I left."
"Right. He's not answering his phone. He's got one of the SUVs and we don't know where he is."
She swallowed and stared at Dane. Dr. Mike wasn't old but anything could have happened. "Could he have gone out for dinner or into town for a little fun after a tough week? It is Friday night."
"Maybe." Bruce's doubtful voice didn't put any credence to her theory though. "He should be back if he went for dinner."
"What time is it?"
"Almost midnight."
Dane pointed at his lit watch display to confirm the time. "Wow. I had no idea it was so late. What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know. I can hardly raise an alarm just because he didn't come back from the job site and isn't answering his phone. So I guess we wait." He sighed heavily. "But I don't like it."
"We're in the truck, almost at the hotel," she lied, rolling her eyes at the wicked grin that flashed on Dane's face. "We can take a run past the site if you'd like us to check for him there. Just to make sure he's not still working. You know how he felt about processing those remains."
Bruce's voice brightened. "Hey, I never thought about that. Maybe that's what he's doing. But he should have answered his phone then."
"Not if his battery is dead. Besides, I don't think Dane will mind driving out there with me." She glanced over at Dane, who nodded in agreement. "Dr. Mike may also have stopped in at the authorities to talk to someone…and that could take hours."
"You're right." Bruce paused. "He could be anywhere. I'm just paranoid."
"Better than uncaring. We'll take a drive to the lab to be sure."
She closed the phone and handed it to Dane. "Sorry, I guess I should consider picking up a cell phone of my own while here."
He started the engine. "I gather Dr. Mike is missing?"
"I don't know that he's missing, but no one's seen him in hours and he's not answering his phone."
Dane pulled the truck to the main road. "I know it's none of my business, however, what's with the going-to-the-authorities business?"
"Dr. Mike found something – well, we all did actually – that raised a few questions." She smiled apologetically. "I'm not at liberty to say what. But Bruce stopped and spoke with the police yesterday. Said they weren't too bothered." She frowned. "They told him if we came across definite proof then we could come back and talk to them again."
Dane raised an eyebrow at her before turning his attention to maneuver through the surprising amount of traffic for a Friday night. He pulled out onto the main road. "Hmmm. Drop a bomb like that, then don't fill in the details. Okay. I don't like it but I can understand you not being able to speak freely." He thought for a moment. "I don't know how effective the police are here at this time. They are dealing with high-priority issues that affect their people now. If whatever you found is associated with the grave from a year ago...I don't think it's going to be a priority."
"True enough." She shrugged. "It's easy to judge. From their perspective, we waltzed in here with fancy degrees and equipment and tore open a grave that everyone had been happy enou
gh to leave alone. Now we want to make waves because of a few of the bodies."
"A few. So not an isolated case?" Dane frowned. "That's not great."
"Nope." The sky had taken on a dark on darker splotching look. Stars had all but disappeared behind clouds. She pointed it out. "I hate to say anything superstitious but now the sky's almost angry looking."
He laughed. "Wait until you've been here a bit longer. I've never known such a people for their rituals and beliefs. Tasha helps her cousins make and sell these little eerie dolls and totems to the tourists. The house is full of them in various stages. I honestly don't know why anyone would pay good money for them."
Jade shuddered and told him what Magrim had said to her that day she'd gone shopping. "What freaked me out the most was the weird look her eyes when delivering the message."
"Did you believe her?" Dane raised an eyebrow as he studied her face.
Shifting uncomfortably, Jade wished she hadn't brought it up. "I didn't not believe her. Her message was just so weird." Jade quoted, "Danger stalks you. You see it but you don't understand it. Careful. Or you will join those that have gone before." She shuddered. "If I'd gone to a séance or something else as ridiculous, then I'd have tossed it off as a marketing ploy. However, the hotel manager says Magrim is for real and I'd better watch my back."
She shivered in the slightly cooled air. Magrim, murder victims and now Dr. Mike. Not an uplifting series of events.
"Well I wouldn't let her worry you. Just be careful. If there is anything suspicious going on at the gravesite then you don't want the news to get out. Things are still pretty primitive here; the laws, minimal. People disappear all the time."
Horrified, she stared at him. Swallowing hard, she asked, "Like Dr. Mike?"
***
Dane drove fast in the building darkness. He had bright headlights and great night vision and he pushed the truck to eat through the miles. Though she was quiet, he could tell Jade was beyond freaked out. He should not have said anything about disappearances. Still, if something had gone wrong, there was no point in sugarcoating it. Bruce hadn't brought in the necessary security and there could already be one casualty.
He hoped he was wrong.
"Do you have to drive this fast?" The timid voice penetrated his thoughts.
"Sorry." He eased back on the gas. "I'm used to it and I know the roads."
"I thought you might have been angry at something," she said in a small voice.
Startled, he looked over at her. "In a way I am. But not at you. I texted my brother to see if they'd found his father-in-law earlier and your conversation about Dr. Mike reminded of that conversation."
"What? Is he missing, too?"
He kept his gaze focused on the road ahead as he answered slowly, hesitantly. "Not really. He's walked away from home again, something he's done many times over the last few years. It's more worrisome now as he's not himself mentally anymore. I spent time looking for him earlier before I picked you up. Now the family doesn't want me involved. They don't like what I was saying."
"Saying?"
He felt the intensity of her gaze rather than saw it. "Yeah. You know, like call in a search party, notify the authorities. Basics." Dane turned to watch the shock develop on her face. She was so open and expressive, she'd make a lousy poker player.
"And they didn't want to get help to find him? Why not?" she said, incredulously.
"Beats me. I expected more from John. That's what I meant earlier. He's changed – and not in a good way. Or, if he's been this way for years, and I haven't seen it because we've not had much to do with each other over the last decade."
"Do you think he's influenced by his new family?"
"I suspect so. Tasha was muttering something at the kitchen table when I left. Looked like she was creating more of those damn dolls."
"Yuck." Jade explained what she'd learned about vodou from Susan. "The ones I've seen were beyond freaky."
"The ones she was working on today were just papier-mâché from the looks of it." He turned his attention back to navigating through the potholes on the road. "I didn't ask. I remember once when I first arrived, I made a comment that she didn't like. Not sure if she took exception to what I said or the way I said it. It was the first time I'd seen the temperamental side of her…"
"And you've seen plenty since?"
"Yeah, you could say that. John says the pregnancy isn't easy on her."
"Oh."
A weird silence filled the cab. Uh oh. He glanced sideways at her. "What did I say?"
"Nothing."
Now that was a lie. He didn't need to see her face to know something was wrong. "Yes, I did. You're different. As if I said something offensive."
She avoided his gaze, staring out into the dark of night instead. "It's not you. It's me. I lost a baby a year ago and sometimes I'm a little sensitive."
His sighed. "I am sorry. I didn't know."
"How could you? I didn't tell you."
Her voice was lighter but still there was something she wasn't saying. "Was that related to the bad breakup?"
"Yeah. I can't say the breakup caused the miscarriage as I was pretty broken up over everything going on in my life at that time – but my ex came back while I was in the hospital to let me know he wasn't upset about the loss, as my mental state was questionable. And maybe I should seek help."
"Bastard." Soft and deadly, his voice hardened with fury. "There is no excuse for that kind of stuff. Why are people such assholes, anyway?"
Her voice when she answered, was soft, contemplative. "I'd like to think he was hurting from the loss of our child."
"Losing the baby would have been rough, but it wasn't your fault."
"Maybe it was." She shifted uncomfortably on the seat. "I hadn't been home from Haiti for very long and I wasn't handling that experience well. It had been a terrible trip. I felt so guilty because I had a comfortable home and the poor people here had no place to go." She leaned back and stared out the window.
He had to lean closer to hear her next words.
"Worse, I wanted to stay home."
"Which is understandable." At the lack of a response, he added, "And you've stayed home since?"
She laughed. "Yeah. Until my brother forced me to face my fears and, you know what? I found out that it's much easier to let go than I thought."
He couldn't get his mind wrapped around what she'd been through already. But as long as she was handling it and moving on then he was good. Emotional women, as he was learning from Tasha, weren't the easiest to be around. He wouldn't expect caterwauling and screaming from Jade but one never knew what existed underneath.
The rocks shone in the headlights as he pulled into the small clearing. "No SUV."
She frowned. "I see that. I'll check the doors as I'm here anyway."
He drove to the small porch, his headlights shining on the first door. Jade hopped out and went to check the lock. Giving him a thumbs up, she went to the refrigerator truck.
On her way back, she told him. "Both are locked tight. I want to walk to the gravesite and make sure he isn't lying injured somewhere.
"If he was, his vehicle would be here."
"Not if it was stolen." She raised an eyebrow.
She was right. He turned off the truck, hopped out and pocketed the keys. "Let's go."
There was enough moonlight to show them the way. He reached for her arm and tucked it against his anyway. He didn't want her falling and hurting herself. The path was uneven and rocky in good light and with poor light this path could be an ankle breaker. In a few minutes they reached the gravesite.
"I don't see anything." Then again he hadn't brought a flashlight.
Jade motioned to the rocks in front of them. "I'm going to climb up to make sure. At least that way, I can have a good look around."
Dane moved fir
st. He stepped onto the first big boulder and then onto the second and the third. He held out his hand and helped her up beside him each time. The moonlight cast an eerie glow on the rocks and created squat blue shadows off others.
"I don't see anyone here."
She stared around at the empty vastness of dark trees and hills. "I guess you're right. It was a faint hope. I just thought that maybe..."
"It only took us a minute to be sure. Now we are. Are you good to go back to the hotel now?"
"I guess. What about you? Do you want to check in with your brother? See if they found the old man?"
"I'll text him."
Jade released his hand and made her way down to ground level. She walked around while he sent his brother a text. He waited for a moment, then sent a second one. "He's not answering."
She turned to stare at him. "Do you want to stop on the way back and check in?"
He stared at her. What he wanted was to spend the night with her and that wasn't going to happen...not this weekend. Next weekend – who knew? He did not want to take her to John's house because she'd be party to any scene that developed there. Perhaps an ugly scene he didn't want to expose her to. Lately there'd been plenty of those.
"No, I'll take you back to the hotel first."
She shrugged and started to walk back to the clearing and his truck. She stopped abruptly and pointed to something in the rocks over by the property line. "What's that red spot in the rocks just below the tree line?"
He frowned, barely making out what she was talking about. "Let's find out."
She led the way. The moon slunk behind the clouds, dimming their vision yet again. Dane hopped over several rocks and came down beside the crumpled figure in front of him. "Shit."
"What is it?" She reached his side as he answered.
"It's not what… It's Emile."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jade would like to think that, in emergency situations, life in Haiti would move at top speed. Only they couldn't raise anyone on the phone when they tried to get help. She didn't understand it. Bruce's line was busy. John wasn't answering. And the cloud cover was building, dimming their light even further.
