TENDER TREACHERY (Mystery Romance): The TENDER Series ~ Book 2

by H. Y. Hanna

  She was persuasive. Toran hesitated, then blew out a breath of frustration. “Fine. But if you and Angela aren’t here at sundown tomorrow, I’m going to call the police and storm the retreat. I don’t care if I have to tear the gates down myself.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Here. Take my phone. Forget the photo evidence. Don’t do anything risky, but at least you’ll have it for emergencies.”

  She took it and looked down at herself irritably. “I wish this stupid outfit had pockets. I don’t know how I’m going to hide it.”

  Toran followed her gaze, thinking to himself that the outfit had other compensations. Soaked through, the thin cotton fabric was slightly transparent now and it clung to Leah’s curves in a way that was seriously distracting. Forcing his mind away from the direction it was heading, Toran bent and opened the cooler, selecting a small baguette from the inside. It was freshly baked and the crust was still warm. It gave off an enticing smell as he pulled it out.

  “Oh my God, is that bread?” Leah snatched it out of his hands and sank her teeth into it, closing her eyes blissfully. She opened her eyes again as she chewed and laughed at his expression. “They don’t feed you much in this bloody Bona Dea place. I think it’s one of the ways they keep control. I’ve barely eaten enough in the last two days to make up a normal meal.”

  “I’ve got a whole picnic here,” said Toran, opening the cooler and gesturing with his hand. “I brought it for appearances, but you might as well take advantage of it.”

  Leah needed no further urging. As he spread the blanket on the ground, she was already busy diving into the cooler and helping herself to several items. Toran had stopped off at a downtown bakery and grabbed things at random. It was a bit of an eclectic mix of pastries and freshly-baked bread loaves, but Leah didn’t look like she was complaining. They sat down on the blanket and Toran watched in amusement as she gorged herself, oohing and aahing about how wonderful the food was.

  While she ate, Toran helped himself to another small bread roll and did what he had originally intended to do: carefully broke open a slit at one end, gouged out some bread with his finger, and then slowly pushed his mobile phone into the middle of the roll. Luckily it was a slim model and fit relatively easily into the soft centre of the roll. It wouldn’t pass on close inspection, but it should be okay at a distance.

  “Here.” He handed the bread roll to Leah. “That should camouflage the phone a bit.”

  “It won’t help. They’ll still wonder where I got the bread from,” objected Leah. “Food is really strictly regulated.” She picked it up. “If only there was somewhere to hide things in this stupid outfit—”

  “Try tucking it into the waistband of your skirt,” Toran suggested. “Your top is pretty long and comes down over it, so that should hide it.”

  Leah lifted the top half of her outfit and wedged the bread roll between the top of her skirt and her waist. She dropped the blouse back down. The bread roll was hidden from sight. She made a face and pulled it back out. “Yeah, it fits pretty snugly. But it feels weird.” She sighed. “Anyway, I just need to make it back to my bed in the dorm and then I can hide it somewhere.” She plucked at her top where it clung to her ribs and gave a small shiver.

  “What’s wrong?” Toran asked in concern.

  “Nothing,” Leah said, shivering again. “It’s just a bit horrible, having damp clothes sticking to you, and now that I’ve stopped moving, I’m getting a bit cold.”

  Toran noticed that there were goosebumps on her skin. Twilight was setting in and, with it, a cool breeze was blowing in off the sea. He reached out and pulled Leah to his side, wrapping his arm around her. She leaned into him gratefully, sliding her arms around his waist, her head tucked under his chin.

  “I should really get back…” Leah murmured, although she made no move to get up.

  “Mm…” Toran stroked her arm absently, his thumb grazing rhythmically over her bare skin. He knew she was right. But he also didn’t want to let her go.

  Leah tilted her head to look up at him. Something electric passed between them. No, thought Toran. Wrong time, wrong place. And yet he couldn’t stop himself lowering his head and letting his lips graze hers.

  “Toran, we shouldn’t…” Leah murmured. But even as the words left her mouth, she was kissing him back, her arms tightening around him.

  He knew she was right. They were practically in enemy territory; they could be discovered at any moment and she shouldn’t linger any longer than necessary. But that very fear made him want to hold her closer, to kiss her harder until they both forgot everything around them. What if something happened to her and he never saw her again?

  They were leaning so far over that they over-balanced, falling sideways onto the blanket. Toran tilted his body to cushion Leah’s fall, rolling onto his back so that she landed on his chest. He reached out and cupped her face with one hand, drawing her down to him. Her lips were soft and sweet, and tasted of the pastries she had been eating. She sighed against his mouth and he felt the sensual weight of her body on his like a slow tease. He slid his hands down her back to her hips, feeling the wet fabric of her sarong outfit wrinkle and slide, until he pushed it aside and touched her heated flesh. She gasped softly and arched against him.

  Toran rolled over, pressing Leah down under him, and then his mouth was on hers again, hot and demanding. She responded with a passion that matched his, straining against him, her hands tightening convulsively in his hair. Toran felt his heart thundering in his chest and knew that any minute now, things were going to get out of control. They had to stop. He started to pull back regretfully, trying to ease gently out of the kiss… when something made him freeze.

  He raised his head sharply.

  “Toran?” Leah looked up at him, her lips swollen, her blue eyes slightly dazed. “What is—?”

  “Shh!” Toran strained his ears to listen.

  Leah’s eyes widened suddenly. “Is that—?”

  Faintly, in the distance, came the unmistakable sound of barking.

  Leah jerked upright, her eyes wide with fear. “It’s the dogs. They’ve realised I’m missing. They’re coming for me.”

  CHAPTER 21

  The barking was getting louder, but it was coming from further inland, deeper in the undergrowth. Leah hoped this meant that if she kept to the water’s edge, she might be able to skirt around them and get back to the compound fence without meeting anyone. It was a long shot, but it was the only one she had.

  She gripped the fabric of her sarong skirt in one hand to lift it clear of her legs as she stumbled and splashed over the mangrove roots. Mud sucked and squelched with each footstep. The light was fading fast now and it was hard to see where she was going. She wondered if Toran had managed to get away smoothly—they had barely had time for more than a hurried goodbye as he had bundled everything back into the cooler, while she had snatched up the bread roll with the hidden phone and started making her way back through the mangroves. The further they could get away from each other, the safer it would be for her if she was found. Toran’s presence as an annoying tourist would be fine as long as Sanctum Bona Dea didn’t suspect that Leah had gone to meet him.

  Something caught at her ankles, sending a spasm of pain shooting up her leg, and Leah stumbled, nearly falling to her knees in the muddy water. She reached out and caught hold of a tree trunk just in time, pulling herself upright. Wincing, she lifted her foot and rotated her ankle. It seemed okay. The pain was subsiding and it didn’t look or feel swollen. Gingerly, Leah put her foot back down and squinted into the distance. Her spirits lifted as she saw something through the mangroves. The pale beige wood of the compound fence. She was almost there. Another couple of hundred feet.

  The barking was coming from behind her now—she must have successfully passed around the search party—and they were unlikely to find her now, even if they doubled back. She would be back at the compound before them.

  Smiling to herself, Leah started forwards again—th
en jerked to an abrupt stop as something moved in front of her. She had almost missed it in the twilight gloom. She stared at the long, coiled mass which resolved into the head and body of a large, muscular snake. Its black tongue flicked out, tasting the air. The rows of dull grey scales on its body looked almost purple.

  A shore pit viper.

  Leah had already come across one on her way out to meet Toran. But that one had been up in the trees and it had been a lot smaller. This one was right in her path and its body was thicker than her arm. She swallowed, remembering Crystal’s warning. Shore pit vipers were notoriously aggressive and quick to strike. She was not going to risk going anywhere near it. But the only way around it was either to wade out, into deeper water, or to head back onto drier land.

  Leah hesitated, looking towards her left at the open water. She didn’t know how deep it was and the thought of swimming in the murky water—with no idea of what else was in there—didn’t appeal. Sea snakes were common in these waters too, she remembered.

  Leah turned to her right instead and started climbing back onto the bank. Pushing her way through the mangroves, she soon found herself back on the more solid ground of the inner island. At least she could move faster this way, Leah thought, as she turned and resumed heading in the direction of the compound fence. When she reached it, she would have to follow it to the left, back down to the waterfront again, then wade out into the water to navigate around the fence in order to get back into the retreat grounds—but that was okay. She could manage the detour.

  Leah quickened her pace. She was almost at the fence when she saw something that made her slow her steps. A section of the fence was open. The lights of the retreat dwellings showed clearly through the gap.

  Of course, that was how the search party had come out! Sanctum Bona Dea obviously had an easy way to get out of the retreat from the back of the compound, without having to go all the way to the front gate or having to wade through the water to get around the fence, like she did.

  Leah saw a slim figure she recognised in the open doorway. A wave of relief washed over her. Fay! She broke into a smile as she walked towards the girl. The next moment, another figure stepped out from behind Fay and stood framed in the doorway. The Matronae.

  Leah’s steps faltered. Her mind worked furiously. What could she say? Her face was mud-streaked and her hair wild, her clothes soaked and plastered to her body. The smile felt stiff on her face as she approached the gate. The best lies are a version of the truth, Leah reminded herself frantically.

  “Miss Fisher?” The taller woman’s pale blue eyes swept over her coldly. “Where have you been? We have been looking everywhere for you.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Leah gushed. “I know it was naughty of me. I was just really curious to see what the mangrove swamps were like so I waded out. We don’t get these sorts of things in London, you see.” She giggled, playing the wide-eyed tourist for all she was worth. “It’s so fascinating, the way the trees grow straight out of the water! I… er… I’ve seen some reed swamps in the U.K., but this is totally different. And—”

  “Why did you go beyond the perimeter of the retreat?”

  “Uh… well, I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn’t realise that I had waded past the fence. When I realised and tried to turn back, I… uh… I suddenly saw a snake in my path. Crystal did tell me about them.” Leah offered a sheepish smile. “But I guess I didn’t really believe her. This one was huge. It had these purplish scales and it looked just like the way she described a shore pit viper. She said they’re really aggressive. So I thought I’d better not go near it. I thought if I come inland and find my way back to the fence, I could follow it along to the front gate and get back in that way.” She smiled brightly. “I was so glad to see this open door! I didn’t realise there was a back gate in the fence. It saves me having to walk all the way around the compound to the front.”

  “Your clothes are wet through,” said the Matronae, her eyes still hard with suspicion.

  “Yeah, I got a bit of a shock when I saw the snake and fell in the water,” Leah lied blithely. She gave a mock shudder. “Yuck. Crystal was right about the water being disgusting. I’m desperate to have a shower now. So if you’ll excuse me…?”

  “Members can’t just break retreat rules and go unpunished.”

  Leah stopped and stared at the woman. From the corner of her eye, she could see Fay looking terrified. She gave an awkward laugh and said, “I’m beginning to feel like I’m back at school. So are you telling me that there’s detention at Sanctum Bona Dea?”

  Before the Matronae could reply, they heard a rustle in the undergrowth to the right. Leah turned around sharply, expecting to see the search party returning. She wondered nervously if they would bring news of any sightings of Toran and his boat. It would raise the Matronae’s suspicions immediately if there were reports of a stranger lurking on the island at the same time that Leah happened to “wander out of the retreat by mistake”.

  A wild pig came ambling out of the bushes and stopped near them, snuffling the ground.

  Leah relaxed and turned back to the Matronae. The interruption seemed to have distracted the other woman and, quickly, Leah pressed her advantage. “I’m so sorry—really, I am, for all the hassle I’ve caused. I won’t do it again. I really didn’t think it would turn into such a big thing. I thought it was just a bit of fun.”

  “Your ‘bit of fun’ has caused a lot of worry and forced us to instigate a whole manhunt.”

  “Yes, I know—I’m sorry,” Leah lowered her head and tried to look repentant. Something moist and bristly touched her hands. She stifled the urge to yelp. She glanced down. It was the damn pig, she realised. It was standing next to her now, sniffing her intently, shoving its nose against her hands.

  She looked up to see the Matronae watching the pig as well, curiosity now in the pale blue eyes. Leah remembered the other thing that Crystal had said—about the pigs having a great nose for food. It must be able to smell the pastries that she had been holding and eating earlier with Toran.

  Suddenly, Leah remembered something else. Shit. The bread roll. It was still tucked into her waistband, at the back of her sarong. If the pig found it and it was exposed, her story would go up in smoke. The retreat didn’t bake bread rolls like that. She would have to explain to the Matronae how she happened to have what was obviously a piece of freshly baked bread from a Singapore bakery. Or worse, why there was a mobile phone hidden in the piece of bread.

  Leah shifted surreptitiously, trying to move away from the pig. The animal followed her, nosing even more insistently at her hips now. Leah tried to ignore it, keeping the smile fixed on her face as she looked at the Matronae, while her heart thumped in double time. The leader of Sanctum Bona Dea stared at Leah wordlessly, her lips compressed in a thin line, then she stepped forwards.

  Leah inhaled sharply, but the woman simply reached down and gave the pig a shove. It trotted off with an indignant squeal, and a minute later, they could hear it grunting and snorting as it moved away into the undergrowth.

  “Nature has no respect for the weak and the timid,” said the Matronae.

  “Er… yes… yeah, I must remember that,” Leah mumbled.

  “Seeing as you are new, I will make an exception this time,” said the Matronae. “But do not leave the retreat again without informing anyone. It is just for your own safety,” she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach those pale, blue eyes. “I would hate for anything to happen to any of my members.”

  “Um… thank you,” said Leah. “I’ll… uh… I’ll just go and wash and change now.”

  The Matronae made no comment. There was an uncomfortable silence, then Leah slipped past the Matronae, through the doorway and back into the safety of the retreat grounds. Fay looked away quickly, refusing to meet her eyes.

  Leah forced herself to walk slowly back towards the dormitory hut, even though she could feel the Matronae’s eyes following her all the way, like a pair of d
aggers stabbing between her shoulder blades.

  CHAPTER 22

  Toran recognised the black Mercedes that was parked in front of his apartment tower and his mouth tightened. He swung his car around and pulled it into one of the spaces reserved for residents at the front of the building. Getting out, he glanced over at the black Mercedes again and was not surprised to see an attractive young Asian woman alight from the passenger seat and come hurrying over to him. She wore an expensive-looking shift dress and dainty stiletto heels, and she had a large Prada handbag over one arm.

  “Julia.” Toran turned to face her, crossing his arms across his chest and giving her a curt nod.

  “Toran—I’m so glad I caught you! I didn’t know who else to go to.”

  Up close, Toran realised that Julia wasn’t looking like her usual bubbly self. Her face was pale and she looked like she had been crying.

  “I… I’m trying to get in touch with Leah. She won’t answer my calls. I’ve left messages, I’ve been calling every day. Please…” she said brokenly. “I know she’s angry with me. But I just want a chance to say how sorry I am—to see if there’s any way I can make amends.”

  Toran looked at her. He had never liked Julia, even when they were at school together, and could never understand Leah’s fondness for her best friend. He had always thought Julia was nothing more than a bossy spoilt brat. And yet now, he couldn’t help being slightly moved by her distress. For all her faults, it seemed that Julia did care deeply about Leah.

  “She’s not in Singapore,” he said.