Nora Roberts Land

by Ava Miles

  “Or maybe their operations fell apart in the other towns.” Meredith pushed her food around her plate. “Do I even want to know where you got your listening devices?”

  Tanner shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of you coming.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” she said in a flat voice. “I’ll only follow you.”

  He cursed under his breath.

  Arthur chuckled. “Good to see your spirit back, girl. You always were a firecracker, but I was afraid your time in New York might have sucked it out of you. Does anyone want coffee with dessert?”

  Tanner declined. He would be jittery enough doing a B&E with Meredith along for the ride.

  “Trying to think of a way out, son?” Arthur pushed back from his chair.

  In response, Tanner just folded his hands and glared.

  “You’re stuck with us. Bring your plate to the kitchen. Everyone works in this house.”

  Tanner picked up the gold-edged china. “Aren’t you worried something could happen to your granddaughter?”

  “You’ll protect her.”

  “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Meredith said. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Glad you remembered that.” Arthur bent to kiss her cheek.

  “She’s not wearing black,” Tanner observed even though he knew it was a lame excuse. “You need to wear black for recon.”

  “You can swing by my place. Let me change.”

  “Do you have an answer for everything?”

  “Yes. Isn’t it maddening?”

  Arthur put his arm around Meredith. “Come slice the pastry, dear.”

  Tanner followed them into the kitchen. He’d never had a partner before, he realized.

  It was overrated.

  Chapter 33

  Nerves and excitement had Meredith’s feet bouncing in Tanner’s SUV as they drove to Dare Auto Care. And, well, a healthy dose of fear, if she were being completely honest. She and Tanner kept glancing over their shoulders to make sure they weren’t being followed. He’d been driving around for a while. So far they were in the clear.

  Now she really felt like she was in a Nora suspense book. She needed to channel Jack Burdett, the security expert adept at breaking and entering in The Three Fates. What did it matter if he was the hero and not the heroine?

  “You should go home,” Tanner snarled. “I don’t need you here.”

  His insistence only made her dig in deeper. “Stop being mad. You know we’re right. Besides, this is a small town. People look twice at a guy who’s walking alone in the cold after dark. I’m good cover. And thank God the snow stopped, because otherwise they’d really think we’re nuts. Now a walk seems romantic.”

  Even in the dim light from the console, Meredith could see his clenched jaw. His eyes were predatory as they scanned the street. She wanted to shiver. Part of her still couldn’t believe they were on their way to break into Dare Auto Care. She reminded herself two kids were dead.

  “I’ll park the car a few blocks over. Keep your cap on. Your red hair shines like fire.” He shot a glance at her. “And you need to do whatever I say if something happens. I want your promise.”

  Suppressing the desire to gulp, she lifted her chin. “Why are you in charge?”

  “Because I’ve been in hot spots, and you haven’t.” He took her gloved hand, squeezing it. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  She stared at his thumb rubbing circles on the leather. Her body crackled with lust like wrapping paper being opened. “Okay, but not if what you tell me is stupid.”

  “I don’t do stupid.”

  “How are you planning on getting inside?”

  “You’ll see.”

  She didn’t like surprises, but since she’d pushed him, she let his cryptic answer slide. This outing was about trust.

  After parking the car under a low-hanging tree near Washington Elementary, he took her hand. Snow-coated swings rocked gently in the wind, giving her the heebie-jeebies. Their breaths puffed white in the cold air. Oak Street was quiet, and most houses had their lights off. Since it was after midnight, Meredith wasn’t surprised.

  A dog barked to the right, and her body coiled with tension. Tanner kept right on walking, scanning the street. He brought them through an alley to the back of the garage. Even with the cold, the metallic smell of trash tickled her nose.

  “Stay in the shadows,” Tanner whispered.

  He headed for the door. Thankfully, Kenny’s place didn’t have any flood lights. Most people didn’t in Dare since animals set them off all the time. Besides, Dare didn’t have any crime, right?

  At the door, Tanner drew out a key and a small hammer from his bulky fleece. Her mouth dropped as he inserted it into the lock and whacked the hammer against it. The dull pinging sound made her want to scream. He opened the door with ease.

  Well hello, Roarke, Divorcée Woman suddenly intoned in a sultry voice.

  Meredith fought the urge to press her hands to her temples. She didn’t need a reference to J.D. Robb’s famous male hero. Can’t you see we’re breaking and entering? she saucily replied. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel much like Roarke’s fearless wife, Eve Dallas, right now.

  They wiped their boots with the rag he’d brought before walking inside. Tanner dug out a pen light and scanned the garage.

  “Fuck,” he hissed, when they caught sight of the twisted and dented metal of Ray’s totaled car. Tanner craned his neck like he was listening for something, and then walked forward. She followed.

  The windows were all shattered except for the one in the back, which was intact, but resembled a spider web. Two wheels were torn, the rubber shredded to bits. The car’s body looked like an accordion. She tried not to think of the kid who had died inside it, but she couldn’t stop the images. She only knew what Ray had looked like from the photo in the layout for tomorrow’s paper. Tanner was right. He hadn’t looked like a drug dealer. Just a short, pimply college kid.

  “How did you learn to do that?” she whispered.

  Tanner walked around the car, running his hand over its ruined frame. “What?”

  “Break into a building.” She angled closer carefully. There were jugs of various auto care products scattered across the floor.

  “I got involved with a bad crowd in my youth. We liked to break into buildings. I didn’t like the stealing, but I liked getting into forbidden places and looking around.” He focused the light on the tire. “It’s come in handy.”

  She ran her hand over a single, sharp piece of glass protruding from the passenger window. “I still can’t believe you’ve done this as a journalist.”

  Tanner leaned into the driver’s side, sweeping the light around. “Honey, the places I’ve posted don’t have much law and order. Trust me, I’ve only done it when there was no other choice.”

  He rifled through some papers in the glove compartment while she stood there mute. She was learning a hell of a lot about him on this outing. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

  “Think less of me?” he asked, shining the light near her face.

  Raising a hand to ward off the glare, she said, “Ah…I’m not sure.”

  He snorted. “Well, at least you’re honest.”

  The light faded as he shifted it to the bumper. He squatted down and ran his hands along the dented metal. His sigh filtered out into the quiet, cold garage.

  “There’s some red paint and scratches on the bumper. Any idea what car Kenny drives?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because I’m pretty sure someone helped Ray off the road.” He produced a Swiss Army knife and a Ziploc bag.

  She realized she was really in over her head when he scraped the bumper with the blade. “Are those paint shavings?”

  “Yep. More evidence. Match the car with the paint, and you have more than circumstantial evidence. Too bad his car isn’t here.”

  “If Kenny’s ride has dents, he won’t drive it. Plus, he can fix his o
wn car.”

  “We’ll check with the DMV. Tie up another thread for the authorities.”

  “We still don’t have much.”

  He unzipped his fleece and drew out his phone. The camera’s flash made her blink. He took a few more pictures.

  “Tomorrow, I’ll see if I can find a second set of tire tracks where they found Ray’s car and take some pictures. Those fuckers.” He pocketed the phone. “Sorry, but I’m pissed.”

  She rubbed her arms. “Me too. Besides, I’ve heard that word before.”

  A door slammed.

  Her head turned sharply, and her whole body locked in place. “Someone’s coming.”

  “Shit,” he hissed, scanning the garage with the light.

  He grabbed her arm and darted to the next car over, opening the driver’s side door. The car’s overhead light turned on as he reached down and popped the trunk. He shut the door and dragged her to the back. Lifting the lid, he pushed her toward it. She caught sight of a bag of ice melt, jumper cables, and a blanket.

  “Get in.”

  She hesitated, but when she heard the sound of muffled voices approaching, she threw her leg over, squeezing inside, her spine against the back of the trunk. Tanner plowed into her, arranging his body against hers in spoon fashion before closing the lid. The trunk went dark.

  Oh, God, he’d better have a plan to get them out of here! Her heart pounded like a drummer on speed. She knew she was breathing hard, but she couldn’t stop.

  “Close your eyes,” Tanner whispered. “Take deep breaths.”

  Right. Having a panic attack in a closed trunk with potential killers outside would be a bad idea. Closing her eyes didn’t help much since it was dark anyway. She wiggled, the jumper cables pressing into her thigh.

  “Be still,” he ordered in a whisper.

  Another door slammed. The voices grew louder. They were male, Meredith recognized, and they were coming closer.

  “When’s the car going to the junk yard, Kenny?”

  Was that Barlow?

  “The truck’s taking it out tomorrow before I open. The compactor only works on Tuesdays. We don’t want any evidence.”

  “Shit, this whole thing’s a fucking mess. You were supposed to make sure he left town, not run him off the road.”

  “I told you it was an accident!”

  “Well, lucky for you, I was the first to arrive at the scene. I didn’t see any evidence, but dammit, Kenny, two bodies is a lot to explain.”

  Meredith squeezed her eyes shut. Suddenly it occurred to her that she and Tanner might have left something to give them away—a footprint in the grease on the floor. Anything. Her breathing shattered. She bit her lip hard enough to taste blood.

  “Let’s get the stash and go. We can’t keep any drugs here now.”

  “I’ll hide them in my truck until we decide what to do,” Kenny responded.

  “Things were going great until that stupid girl died.”

  A hand smacked the trunk, and the sound reverberated through Meredith’s bones. All the muscles in her entire body bunched, poising to spring. Oh, please don’t let them find us. Curled up like shrimp, they were defenseless. Especially if Barlow were armed.

  “We need to calm down,” Barlow said.

  Meredith could almost imagine him trying to convince himself.

  “We’ve covered our tracks. They’re both young. Kids do stupid things. No one’s going to believe otherwise.”

  “Yeah, but that reporter could cause problems, Larry. The kid called him when he was in trouble, and he called back. I found his name all over Ray’s school crap. He was taking a class from him—investigative journalism. Didn’t know the kid was into that stuff. I looked into this guy, and he’s some big-shot war correspondent. Not the kind to shut up because someone warns him off with a phone call.”

  “Fuck! This used to be a sleepy, quiet little town. This could fuck up everything!”

  “The reporter showed up today to get his oil changed. Stared me down good. I’ve seen the type. He won’t back down.”

  “Fuck that!” Barlow replied. “There’s no proof. We’ll shut down for a while. If McBride’s a temporary professor, he’ll be leaving in a few weeks when the semester ends. We’ll weather this. I don’t want to start up again somewhere else. We’ve got a cozy set-up here, and our new stash is freaking genius.”

  “But McBride’s…” The voice grew too muffled for Meredith to make out the rest of his words. A door slammed. Her body jerked, and her heartbeat sounded like it was being broadcast on loudspeakers. She focused on her breathing, while her ears strained to pick up any noises from outside.

  “I think they’re gone,” Tanner whispered finally, “but we need to wait a while.”

  “I’m pretty sure it was Kenny and Barlow.”

  “Yep, and now we know the truth. That asshole tried to drive Ray out of town, and he got the kid so scared he went off the road. Fuck!”

  She didn’t know what to say to comfort him.

  “And they know a hell of a lot about me now. Not a bad thing. He’s right. I won’t back down. We’ve got them running scared. That’s when people make dumb mistakes.”

  She thought of Ray. Chasing a kid out of town and accidentally driving him to his death was more than a dumb mistake. It was second degree murder.

  The jumper cables were digging into her skin, so she shifted her arm to pull them out. Either that or there’d be a permanent impression of jagged teeth in her thigh.

  “Please tell me you have a plan to get us out of here.”

  “This model has a trunk release. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t have stuffed us inside otherwise.”

  She squirmed. Tanner’s butt clenched when her hips thrust forward.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m laying on a jumper cable. It’s digging into my leg.”

  “Jesus. Be quick about it.”

  She became aware of his body heat, and she felt drawn to it in the cold trunk. She shifted, her hand trailing across his body. They were fitted together like two pieces of metal in a modern sculpture.

  “I can’t reach it.”

  His arm crossed her body, searching. “Where is it? I’ll help if you stop wiggling like a greased pig.”

  Pig, indeed. “I can’t help it!” she hissed, rolling toward him.

  “Oh Christ, stop.”

  “What?”

  The sound he made was something between a chuckle and a groan. “You really have no idea what you’re doing to me, do you?”

  Her body went rigid. The car had felt too small before, but suddenly it was like all of the air had been sucked out. He was aroused.

  Duh.

  She almost pointed out the ludicrousness of the situation to her alter ego, but she stopped herself. Hell, she was getting aroused too. Maybe it was true what they said about adrenaline making you horny. They both should have their heads examined for getting hot in the trunk after almost being discovered by criminals. Still, she could control herself.

  Meredith tried to push up, moving an inch.

  “Let me do it. Where is it?”

  She nearly gulped. “Under my thigh.” Her control wavered like smoke.

  His breath released like a punctured tire. “This has to be bad karma, but I can’t imagine what I did to deserve it. Okay, hold still. I’ll get it. Tell me when I’m getting close.”

  Her body nearly undulated with desire. Closer. Please.

  He slid his arm behind her, clearly going by feel, tracing her body like she was some topographic map. His hand angled down her hip, making her leg jerk.

  “Jesus, Meredith. Hold still.”

  “I’m trying.” How could she be still when his hand was pressing under her thigh? “Higher.”

  He swore in the dark, and she could feel him pulling on something.

  She nearly moaned when his hand cruised her butt. “The metal part shifted, but it won’t move.”

  He muttered something she couldn’t hear. “Lift
your top leg over mine and roll toward me.”

  Her eyelids fluttered, and a shot of pure lust tore through her from her toes to the top of her head. While the metal was putting a crater in her thigh, the rest of this situation was downright sinful. She hesitated. “Can’t we get out now?”

  “Meredith, I have no idea how long it will take them to grab their stuff and clear out. We need to stay here a while longer. Throw your leg over, dammit, and stop wiggling.”

  She draped her leg over his hip. She almost moaned. God, the pressure of his body felt incredible. Given how tall he was, his legs were angled even more sharply than hers. His deep-throated groan made her wet. She realized her nipples were tight.

  At least it was taking her mind off her fear.

  He yanked hard, and the metal finally pulled free from her thigh. The immediate relief prompted a reaction. It allowed her body to totally focus on how hard his body felt against hers. She wanted to run her free arm up his side and tangle it in his hair. She thought about pressing her mouth to his neck and tasting his skin.

  “Meredith, you can take your leg back.”

  She didn’t want to, but he sounded pained. Her leg shook as she slid it off him. When her thighs met, her insides clenched at the locked heat. She bit her lip, but a shallow moan bubbled out. Get a grip.

  “Meredith?” he said in a silky voice. “Are you getting hot back there?”

  Had he heard? Oh, God. Locked in the trunk after breaking and entering, aroused beyond belief. Her mother would be so proud.

  “N-no.” Her voice squeaked as he shifted.

  “Dammit, I can’t turn over. Christ, I want to touch you. Which is insane. They could be out there.”

  Her skin tightened. “I know.”

  She felt his head lift. “Stop breathing on my neck.”

  “I need to breathe.”

  “Fine. Let’s pretend we’re somewhere else. Like alone on a life raft in the middle of the Indian Ocean, where our very survival is precarious.” He grew silent. “Great, now I sound like a moron. Look, try and fall asleep. Please. I’ll wake you when enough time has passed.”

  Fall asleep? Was he crazy?

  “Meredith, please stop wiggling.”