Lucky Charm

by Valerie Douglas

  “Mr. Morrison,” Lovell called. “We have the lovely Miss O’Donnell. Unless you want her damaged you’ll turn those lights back on. Come here so we can talk and no one will get hurt.”

  Ariel tried to pull away as she felt Lovell’s hands on her, searching along her collarbone to her breastbone.

  “Lights, Mr. Morrison?”

  He pressed.

  Ariel bit back a cry of pain, locking her teeth closed but a keening sound still escaped her. Her muscles twitched and jumped, utterly strengthless as the pain shot through her.

  Matt steeled himself, hearing that small cry, holding to his training. Doing what needed to be done to get her and all of them out of this, moving swiftly and silently toward his first target.

  “Ariel will tell us, instead. Lights?”

  Lovell’s voice in her ear, as his hands shifted to dig a knuckle into her breastbone again. Pain shrieked through her. She gave him what he asked for, not what he wanted. Ariel went limp, pretending to collapse. It wasn’t all pretense. Her legs were wobbly but she gathered herself and waited for the right moment. She wasn’t going to let them use her to get Matt.

  “Torches, behind you,” Ariel whispered.

  Lovell let her go, shoved her toward the chair.

  “Genardi,” he said.

  The other man moved away in search of the torches.

  She heard the metallic sound of the slide of an automatic chambering a bullet. Her heart twisted with fear. Be careful, Matt.

  A torch flared and she could see the pool. They’d viewed it as a barrier. To her it was the only escape route available. Stumbling only a little, she ran and launched herself at it like an arrow. It wasn’t a huge pool but the bullets would only go so deep into the water, she hoped. Arching, she dove deep instead of shallow, remembering as she hit the water making love to Matt in this pool.

  Her hands scraped the bottom as she kicked hard toward the deep end, building speed and momentum. She heard noises. Bullets? Somebody splashed noisily into the low end but she was already kicking up, stroking hard…

  Matt was taking out one of stooges with a sleeper hold when he saw Ariel race for the pool and dive. His heart nearly froze and then she erupted from the water. Her hands grasped the apron, pushing up as she scrambled forward. Then she was out and running, racing for the safety of the darkness. Not a hostage. Not anymore.

  Several guns fired. Matt saw her twitch, stumble, clutching her side but she kept running. His heart shuddered. She sprinted for the shadows.

  Above them on the hill, Darrin fired, making them all duck and dive for cover.

  Now they knew he was there, so they’d keep their heads down.

  Dragging the unconscious man behind the shed, Matt ran to intercept Ariel.

  Ariel knew Matt was out here somewhere, he would come for her. They would, too but more cautiously. Ariel was betting on Matt. Wearing only her white t-shirt, with her fair skin she was the whitest thing out here against the darkness of the sand. She thought she knew where he’d been last and turned that way, toward the moon. There was a sharp stinging along her side and she pressed a hand to it. It was warm, wet and sticky.

  Matt saw her, a blur of lightness.

  “Ariel,” he said, softly.

  She turned, dark hair swirling, to come into his arms. He snatched her up, wrapped his arms around her and held her. His mouth came down on hers, upturned to meet his. He tasted tears.

  “Matt,” Ariel whispered.

  There was the crack of a rifle and a return volley of fire. Darrin giving them cover and a little time.

  He remembered seeing Ariel flinch and dropped his hands to her waist. She winced. There was dampness beneath his hand. One side was cold, the other was warm. A chill went through him.

  “Are you hit?”

  “No, no, I’m all right, it’s only a scratch,” she said, a hand to his face.

  Matt couldn’t chance a light here to look for himself. For now, he needed to get her to Darrin where she’d be safe, while he took care of the rest.

  “Stay close,” he said, taking her hand. “Darrin’s up on the hill.”

  He knew the best place to find him.

  They ran, Ariel keeping up with him surprisingly well, despite running nearly two steps to every one of his. He signaled her to slow and stay behind him as they crept up the hill. He gave a low whistle and got an answer back.

  Darrin was there, lying flat behind an outcropping of rock. Matt put Ariel between them as they dropped behind cover.

  “Hey, sprite,” Darrin said, softly.

  They could hear the smile in her voice as she answered. “Hey, yourself.”

  “It’s good to see you,” Darrin said, then added to Matt. “They’ve scattered.”

  “They’ll be more dangerous now. They can’t leave witnesses. It also gives us a problem,” Matt said, “I can’t watch your back if I’m cleaning up down below.”

  Ariel said, “Give me a gun and I can do that. If they get close enough, I’m sure to hit something.”

  A soft chuckle. That lovely, low voice of Darrin’s. “She can handle it. It’s better than nothing, sport.”

  “Point. Have I told you I love you, Ariel?” Matt asked, pulling one of the guns he was carrying from the holster. “Safety is off.”

  Ariel smiled, “So don’t point it at anyone I don’t want to kill. I love you, too, Matt. Be careful and please come back.”

  He touched his lips to hers briefly and then he was gone, silently, disappearing into the pale moon and torch-lit darkness.

  Just don’t break my heart, please, don’t, she pleaded, as much to the heavens as anywhere else.

  Wishing she could see, Ariel crouched at Darrin’s side. If she couldn’t help Matt down there, she would help him up here. Pressing her fingers against her mouth, she fought back the fear.

  “He’ll be all right, Ariel, he knows what he’s doing,” Darrin said, hiding his own worry, remembering what he’d read in Lovell’s file.

  A bullet ricocheted off a rock near his head. “I guess I’d better keep my head down. I think it’s time to call in the cavalry.”

  “Good idea.”

  He stretched out a little, shot the bolt on the rifle and fired. “Now, he’ll keep his head down while I do that.”

  Flipping his cell phone open, Darrin dialed 911.

  Ariel left her eyes a little unfocused, the better to sense movement in the shadows cast by the thin moonlight.

  In the darkness against the stooges, Larry, Moe and Curly, the odds were much better. They were easy to find. Whatever training they’d had, they’d forgotten a good bit of it. They also hadn’t grown up around here so they didn’t know how to move in the desert. They were noisy. Using a gun would have told Lovell where he was, so it was strictly hand to hand, but easier in the dark. Now they were all out and it was down to Genardi, Lovell and Lovell’s people. Who might be watching each other’s back. It was Lovell he wanted, though. It had been his hands on Ariel.

  Lovell’s men were better trained. Groucho, Chico and Harpo had faded into the darkness.

  Matt went hunting, quartering through the darkness. He found Genardi, checked his instincts and circled around to make sure that Lovell wasn’t laying a trap, knowing it wasn’t beyond the man. Lovell was by far the more dangerous target. It was taking time and Lovell was out there somewhere.

  To Genardi, he must have been like a ghost out of the darkness, as Matt appeared as if from nowhere. The man flinched. Once, Genardi might have been some kind of fighter but not in a long while. His reflexes were slow. Matt caught his hand, the one with the gun in it and twisted it in a way it wasn’t naturally meant to go.

  “Remember when you tried to hurt Ariel?” Matt said, softly. “I had to watch you hurt her. Now I didn’t like that one bit.”

  He hit him. Then he used the man’s belt to secure him, as he had the others.

  Only Lovell, the snake, the ex-Marine was left now.

  A cold chill trickled down
Matt’s spine.

  That moment of hesitation nearly cost him, but he saw the movement from the corner of his eye. With no time, he snapped off a quick shot, and saw the other man go down. Moving quickly, he circled, kicking the other’s gun away. In the dim light, all he could be sure of was that it wasn’t Lovell.

  However, the gunfire had undoubtedly told Lovell where he was. Matt moved away as quickly and silently as possible.

  Now that Lovell knew where he was he had a pretty good idea where he might find Lovell.

  Ariel was alert to every sound and even the suggestion of movement. Listening to the sounds of the night, her nerves were stretched nearly to the breaking point. The earlier crack of a gun had startled her, put all her senses on alert.

  Something shifted in the corner of her vision.

  “Darrin!”

  Hearing the alarm in her voice Darrin rolled, getting behind cover as a bullet spanged off of a rock where he’d just been and Lovell came in a quick rush.

  Ariel scrambled to get away as Darrin swung around to try to get a shot off.

  Ariel saw Lovell, faintly lit by the silvery moonlight and the distant torches. There was no smile now, his face was more like a mask. Moonlight glinted off the gun in his hands as he turned it toward her. She fired.

  He dove and rolled, his eyes widening in surprise and then narrowing in fury.

  From out of nowhere it seemed, Matt hit him in a flying tackle. The gun went flying as the two men rolled down the small slope.

  Matt? Her heart wrenched, trusting that Matt could, indeed take care of himself. She went for Darrin, first. If anything happened to Darrin, it would almost kill Matt.

  “Darrin?” she whispered.

  His low voice came back. “I’m fine, he missed. I’m watching to make sure there are no surprises.”

  All she could do now was watch.

  In the distance, she heard sirens approaching.

  Rolling away, Matt sprang to his feet at about the same time Lovell did. Lovell launched a kick at him that would have taken his head off if it had connected. Lovell had not forgotten his training.

  He’d have to watch that but Lovell would have to watch for him. He’d hurt Ariel.

  Snapping a kick at Lovell’s head Matt dodged a punch but followed it with two of his own, a feint to the head and a solid shot to the body. Matt took the kick Lovell aimed at him on his arm and then shot a kick of his own that glanced off Lovell’s cheekbone.

  He heard the familiar sharp crack of Darrin’s rifle and guessed that he’d found one of Lovell’s clowns.

  Every blow Matt took wrenched her heart but he gave back two for every one of Lovell’s. He was younger and quicker. She couldn’t bear watching but couldn’t bear not to watch. Then Matt threw a punch that penetrated Lovell’s guard and a flying kick that took him in the head and Lovell went down.

  Please let it be over, she thought.

  Matt was on guard, backing away carefully from the man sprawled on the ground, knowing the man’s history. There was no sign of movement from Lovell but Matt wasn’t taking any chances until he put some space between them. Then he turned and looked for Ariel.

  A thing of light and shadow, she was, with the moonlight on her skin. She was running toward him, her ebony hair flying and he caught her up in his arms.

  Wrapped in his arms, Ariel clung to him, her arms around his shoulders as he swept her off her feet. She buried her face against his throat. His hand curled around her head. Looking over his shoulder, Ariel saw movement.

  “Matt!”

  He turned, shielding her with his body. Lovell came fast with something shiny in his hand.

  A single crack and Lovell stopped in his tracks as it smashed him backwards. Ariel clung to Matt as he held her, tightly.

  From above, there was a scattering of stones as Darrin came down the hill.

  “A shoulder shot,” he said, evenly, “he should live.”

  Even so he kept the rifle at his shoulder, both he and Matt watching Lovell carefully.

  “Matt,” Ariel said, softly, looking up at them, “Darrin, I know who killed Bill or at least I know who ordered it.”

  Both of looked at her.

  “Lovell told me that Genardi did it. He didn’t say why, just that it was mishandled,” Ariel finished.

  Gently, Matt cupped her face. “You’re sure? When did he say that?”

  “Earlier today,” she said quietly, “before they made me call you.”

  His jaw tightened. Lovell wouldn’t have made that dangerous admission unless he’d been sure Ariel wouldn’t repeat it. Looking into Ariel’s eyes, he could see she’d known that. Matt pulled her closer, curled his hand around the back of her head.

  “Ariel, I could have lived the rest of my life not knowing for sure, not to have put you through that.”

  “I know,” she said.

  “So, now we know. You’ve done it, son,” Darrin said, “you’ve caught the man who murdered Bill.”

  Looking first at him, then down into Ariel’s eyes, Matt said, “No, we did it.”

  The police arrived, explanations were made, statements were taken and a little patching up was done before everyone was finally gone. Even Darrin begged off.

  “I think you two probably need some time alone together,” he said and kissed Ariel on the forehead before clapping a hand to Matt’s arm on his way out. “I’m getting too old for this shit, I’m heading for bed.”

  “Darrin,” Matt called.

  Waving a hand over his shoulder, Darrin said, “I know.”

  They heard him chuckle.

  Above them the sky was bathed in glory, glowing in shades of rose and gold. The sun was coming up.

  Standing beside the pool, Matt combed his hands into her dark waves. “I need to ask you something.”

  “Anything,” Ariel said.

  “Stay with me,” he said.

  Her blue eyes stared at him, stunned, her lips parted, soft. That mouth. He wanted to kiss it and often, for the rest of his life. He was fairly, almost positively, certain what she would say.

  For a moment Ariel was speechless, looking into his beautiful green eyes. Stay. With him. With Matt. Here. She loved him. Knowing what he did and the risks he took? It wouldn’t always be like this, though. Panic swept through her and fear. The fear she’d felt out there in the desert, the fear of losing him. Her breath was short.

  She swallowed, hard. “Yes.”

  His mouth locked on hers and hers on his. Heat roared through him.

  Mine. She said yes. It was all he could think. He had her off her feet and was carrying her into the bedroom before she could change her mind.

  “God, I want you,” he said, “I always want you. I need to see you, touch you.”

  He stripped the t-shirt and shorts from her, reaching a hand around her back to unhook her bra and free the fullness of her. Sliding his hands down her hips to glide her panties down her lovely white legs to reveal the dark curly mound between her smooth white thighs. Kneeling before her, he stared at her, at the beauty of her. Like smooth ivory she gleamed whitely. All of her. Her rich black hair was such a contrast to the whiteness of her skin. Those black-lashed blue eyes looked at him, her hands touching him, stroking his hair. Her mouth. Ariel’s mouth. His to kiss and possess.

  Slowly, he stood, running his hands up those ivory thighs, over the curve of her hips to the indentation of her waist, the vault of her ribs, brushing lightly over her breasts to cup her face in his hands.

  “Ariel. God, I love you.”

  “Matt, I love you,” she said, heat pulsing within her. “I need you.”

  He looked into her beautiful blue eyes. Her rosy mouth was soft.

  Fiercely, Matt drove his mouth down on hers. He ravaged there, driving his tongue between her lips, penetrating, taking possession, owning her and she answered. He loved the taste and the feel of her, her body melting against him as his hands slid into her rich waves.

  Running her hands up into his thic
k blond hair, Ariel reveled in the feel of it. His beautiful face, all the strong firm lines of it but his eyes, those beautiful green eyes. His mouth, so firm to look at, so soft and wonderful to kiss. She brushed her fingertips across it.

  “Please,” she said, her blue eyes wide, “I need to see you, to touch you.”

  She needed to see him, see all of him. Her hands were tugging at his shirt. He stripped it off as her shaking hands undid his belt and then the rest. Her hands caressed the strong firm muscles of his shoulders and his chest.

  “Oh, Matt, you are so beautiful,” she whispered.

  He was. A golden man with his tanned skin.

  His mouth was on hers again, her own was as hungry back, tongues tangling.

  The brush of his hand had her nipples hard.

  He had to taste that, feel that, he attacked her breast as he plunged his hand between her thighs. She cried out as he tried to devour her breast. His fingers caressing, teasing, stroking between her thighs. Writhing, quivering, she tried to give him everything he wanted but she was everything he wanted.

  Ariel’s knees were shaking and Matt eased her down onto the bed.

  Sliding one arm beneath her hips, with the other he coaxed her thighs apart to expose her to him. He needed to taste her, to touch her, to drive her wild, to brand her as his with his mouth and his hands. He closed his mouth on her, on that little bud nestled within the dark curls, suckling, teasing and nibbling. She began to tremble, crying out his name, calling to him, begging him. Sliding his free hand up her smooth white thighs, he found her moist heat, circling it as her body flexed, her hips rising and falling in a demand for more. He wanted her, wanted her badly, wanted to fill her up and possess her but not yet. His mouth moved on her, demanding, insistent, feeling her quiver to each quick flick of his tongue. Her body shuddered, trembling ecstatically as his fingers plunged into her. Bringing her quivering to the brink, holding her there, teasing, her body trembling uncontrollably as he slid his fingers deeply into her, stroking as he suckled on her and she arched, crying out his name.

  “Matt, I love you, dear heaven, I love you.”