by Zara Chase
Rick sighed. He was tired of all the in-fighting and backbiting going on between the families that owned this outwardly beautiful place. Things had changed at Hadleigh’s, too. Until recently, the six ex-pat Americans living there had been footloose and fancy free. Now two of his buddies had hooked up permanently, and Rick was happy for them. Tania and Darcy were just what Ward and Ross had needed to kick-start their lives again. The ladies were fun, happy to put on hot displays in the dungeon with their partners, and generally added that extra dimension to life at Hadleigh’s.
I’m jealous. I want some of that.
The unbidden thought almost made Rick lose his footing. Where had that come from? He hadn’t realized he was even considering settling down. Whenever a woman had tried to go down that path with him in the past, he had run for cover. But now…suddenly, the idea had taken hold without him even noticing and didn’t scare him shitless. He glanced at the new girl, Sabine Carter, chatting to the German guy as they made their way down the mountain toward the cable car that would drop them in the village. She kept a lot of space between herself and Helmut. He’d noticed that about her today. She always stood at the back of the group, slightly away from everyone else, as though she didn’t enjoy bodily contact. What was that all about? She had only been with them for a day, and so had Rick’s restlessness. Could the two things be related? Very likely, because he had taken one look at her and something inside of him had unlocked.
Rick shook his head. Hell if he knew what it was about her that got to him. Cassie was way better looking, and she had impressive qualifications in the environmental field, too. Rick chuckled. Pillow talk wouldn’t be a problem with Cassie, excepting for the fact that her breathy little girl voice would drive him crazy, and so would her ego. She was overconfident and would be possessive and demanding.
Sabine, on the other hand, had appeared out of nowhere, which ought to have made Rick more suspicious about her. She was tall—at least five seven, perhaps five eight—with endlessly long, slim legs that looked damned good in tight jeans. So did that pert little ass of hers. A guy could get ideas about an ass like that. Rick already had plenty. Whipped until it was striped pretty pink, and then fucked hard, it would look adorable.
Rick cleared his throat, hoping no one would notice the rock solid erection pressing against his zipper. He ought to think about something else, but his mind was having none of it, so he went with the flow and continued to dwell upon Sabine’s assets. Her tits were half the size of Cassie’s, but Rick would bet his bank balance they were the real deal. He suspected Cassie’s weren’t and found silicone a real turn off. Sabine’s babies were pretty damned perky and he’d noticed earlier in the day, when it had gotten hot and she stripped down to a vest, that her nipples, all dark and pebbled, were real peaches. Feasting on those would stave off a man’s hunger indefinitely.
Sabine was quiet, like she didn’t want to put herself forward. She was new, so perhaps she was finding her feet still, but if she really wanted to hide, why did she have pink highlights in her shoulder-length brown hair? Rick thought they gave her character, as did the pretty butterfly tattoo on her lower back he’d noticed when she bent over earlier and her vest rode up. It disappeared beneath the waistband of her jeans and he wondered precisely where it ended up. Her large, soft brown eyes were arguably her best feature. They gave her averagely pretty face real character as they assessed everything and appeared to miss little. Sabine Carter was a very attractive package indeed, especially with that cute line of freckles decorating her nose.
Rick wondered if she knew she exuded sensuality by the bucket load, the more so because, unlike Cassie, she made no attempt to make an impression. That, in itself, was impressive. Perhaps she just wasn’t interested in him. Again Rick chuckled to himself. How to blow a man’s ego? Still, it served him right. He had gotten used to his students coming on to him, even though he didn’t encourage them. Well, he would put his theory to the test later. They were all heading back to Hadleigh’s for their evening meal, which came as part of the deal. If she didn’t show any signs of interest in Rick’s housemates, especially Leo whom absolutely every female under the age of fifty appeared to have the hots for, she had to be either already spoken for, gay, or had another reason for being in Nevella.
Rick reminded himself not to lose focus. One of his volunteers had dropped out. It happened frequently. The idea of saving the world one species at a time was often more glamorous than the realities of making it happen. Sabine just happened to be in Nevella—he didn’t know why and she wasn’t saying—and offered to fill the vacancy. Unlike the others, who came from all over Europe but had one thing in common—they were university students in various environmental fields—Sabine claimed to have no experience, just an amateur interest and a willingness to help. Rick didn’t usually take people with no background in conservation, but he took one look at Sabine and decided to make an exception.
All he needed to do now was figure out what had driven him to do so. What it was, other than animal attraction—make that lust—drawing him to her. And why, in spite of that attraction, did he feel slightly uneasy about her sudden appearance?
“Okay, guys,” he said when the cable car dropped them at the main street of Medina village. “Hit the showers and we gather in Hadleigh’s bar in an hour.”
Rick watched them go. The original eight in one direction. They had accommodations arranged by Rick in a nearby apartment building. Sabine was in a hotel in the opposite direction. He had offered to move her into the apartments with the others, thinking to save her money and help her to bond with her fellow volunteers, but she had declined.
Why?
Chapter Two
Sabine got back to her room in the small wooden chalet on the edge of town. It was a bit off the beaten track, but clean and inexpensive, which suited her just fine. She had no wish to reside with the other volunteers and have them asking her intrusive questions about her reasons for being in Nevella. Besides, she would have to share a room with one of the other girls and couldn’t risk her roomie searching through her gear. No, it was better this way. Besides, if Rick was who she thought he was, her expenses would be taken care of by her client.
She threw off her clothes and stood for a long time under the hot shower jets, allowing the water to wash away the dust of the day and sooth her aching muscles. All that hiking up steep mountainsides had taken it out of her physically. She obviously wasn’t as fit as she thought she was. Rick, on the other hand, hadn’t even seemed out of breath. Well, the air was thinner up here, she thought, vindicating herself because she hadn’t had time to acclimatize.
After vigorously shampooing her hair and rinsing it off, she finally switched off the water, which was starting to cool. Wrapped in a large fluffy towel, with another around her head, she applied cream to her face and cleaned her teeth. With her hair brushed out and left to dry as it saw fit, she pulled on clean matching underwear, jeans, and a sweater. Rick was right to say it cooled down in the evenings, but at least at this altitude there was none of the humidity that clung to the coastal towns this time of year.
Sabine fired up her laptop and downloaded the pictures she had taken of Rick from her smartphone. She gasped when his profile filled the screen. He was one fine-looking man, no question. She had caught him unawares, his eyes alight with amusement at something someone had just said to him. Free to gaze at him for as long as she liked, she drank in the sight of his symmetrical features, feeling disgruntled by his physical attributes. It didn’t seem fair that one man could be so goddamned perfect. His broad forehead, defined cheekbones, and that chiseled jaw with a day’s worth of stubble decorating it, were too good to be true. And as for those eyes, crinkling in amusement at the corners…well, it shouldn’t be allowed. She refused to acknowledge the attraction she felt toward him by reminding herself he was her meal ticket to a better existence. He was a thief, one of the bad guys. Just because he had a pretty face, it was no reason to go all soft and start havi
ng doubts about him. Anyway, she didn’t care if he was guilty or not. All she cared about was getting paid.
“He’s probably got an ego larger than Nevella and thinks he’s God’s gift,” she muttered. “I’ve met people like him before.”
Sabine didn’t do relationships, never got involved. She had seen too much evidence of where it ended, which was almost always in tears, to be tempted. And if that didn’t happen, the guy always seemed to want to control the woman, and Sabine couldn’t live like that. She was a free spirit, rather like the eagles they had seen today, and her existence was every bit as much under threat. She fought for what she wanted, lived on her wits. She didn’t know any other way and had no wish to change for the sake of a man, even one who looked as good as Rick.
Especially not for Rick, because she knew what he had done.
Satisfied to have quelled her brief moment of weakness, Sabine pulled up the original picture she had been given of Rick when tasked with finding him, and observed the two side by side. There were huge differences, most noticeably the long hair. The guy in the old picture was in suit and tie, short hair slicked back, eye glasses perched on the end of his nose giving an impression of competence and dependability. The stereotypical company man. How deceiving was that?
It was the same guy. There could be no doubt about that. Sabine had been sure about it as soon as she heard about the eccentric Yank who got all hot under the collar if so much as a rare wild flower was picked without permission. Finally, a lead that had played out. But it also bothered Sabine that he wasn’t trying harder to cover his tracks. Overconfidence, or did he just assume his crimes weren’t serious enough for anyone to track him down? The only reason why she hadn’t found him sooner was because she figured he would be keeping a low profile and so had ignored the obvious channels. A chance conversation with an environmental studies student in London had pointed her toward Nevella.
“What am I going to do about you?” she asked Rick’s picture.
She knew the answer, of course, and wondered why her conscience was putting up objections. She wasn’t the bad guy here. Even so, she hesitated to pick up the phone and tell her client she’d found him. It couldn’t hurt to hang on for a day or two, make absolutely sure, before turning him in. There were always two sides to every story. Not that she had ever stopped to consider that question before, but still, she was curious. She knew a lot about his background, about his remarkable academic qualifications, and had seen today that his dedication to environmental issues was absolute. No one could fake that sort of enthusiasm. So what had made him commit industrial sabotage and kill off what had promised to be a dazzling career?
Whatever the reason, it made no sense for Rick to hide out here, still so close to the scene of his crime. He ought to have disappeared from Europe altogether. So why hadn’t he, and what of the five other guys he lived with? She hadn’t met any of them yet, but had heard about them and the famous Hadleigh’s from her fellow volunteers. Perhaps they had checkered pasts, too. It might be worth her while to find out what they had run away from. Once a bounty hunter…
Sabine glanced at her reflection as she brushed her now dry hair, telling herself she was only hesitating in order to be thorough. No other reason. She had no doubts, nor did she care if he was guilty or not. That would be for her client to decide. As though summoned by the force of her thoughts her cell phone rang. It was her boss.
“Is it definitely him?” he asked without preamble. He wasn’t one to waste words.
“Possibly. I need another day or two to be sure.”
“How hard can it be, Sabine? The client’s pushing for results. You’ve been there several days already.”
“You want this done fast, or right?”
A long silence. “Okay, two more days.”
He hung up on her, leaving Sabine feeling bad about herself. She had just lied to her boss, the man who very possibly saved her from self-destructing by offering her a job she enjoyed, and which challenged her, but which she had no qualifications to fill. He had taken a chance on her and she had just repaid him by being economical with the truth. Worse, she had absolutely no idea why she’d done it. There was just something not quite right about this particular assignment and she needed to figure out what it was before she threw Rick to the wolves.
Sighing, she grabbed her purse and headed for Hadleigh’s on foot. She deliberately intended to arrive late. She had learned through experience that she discovered more about people if they were a beer or six ahead of her. Alcohol had a way of loosening tongues. If she could find out a little more about the setup here, perhaps then she would understand why she was so hesitant to close this case and move on to the next one.
* * * *
Rick, Ruben at his feet, occupied the end of the bar at Hadleigh’s. Leo Hadleigh, friend and landlord to all five of the guys living there, leaned against the wall, swigging beer from the bottle. Jack Gower, the local helicopter pilot, followed his example. Tyrell, the chef, was busy in the kitchen and presumably Ward and Ross were doing whatever took their fancy with Tanya and Darcy, the lucky bastards.
It wasn’t quite time to open the doors and the guys enjoyed a quiet beer together before the first punters arrived. This place was a zoo during the ski season−the only après-ski hangout to be seen in. In the summer the crowds were thinner, less raucous, but the place still enjoyed a healthy trade. There was a terrace that overlooked the river at the back of the bar, a quiet place to sit and gaze up at the majestic snow-capped mountains as the sun slowly disappeared behind them, and listen to the sound of the fast-flowing water cascading over the rocky river bed. It was inspiring. The sort of place that gave a guy the space to think. Nevella saw a lot of artists and poets during the summer months. Rick understood why.
“How did it go with your love-slaves today?” Leo asked, grinning at Rick.
“They’re keen to do their bit for our feathered friends, I’m pleased to say. Mind you, a couple of nights camped out in that shack and I predict half of them will quit before the end of the first week.”
“That’s why you take on more than you need, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“How about Cassie?” Jack asked with a languid smile. “What’s she keen to do?”
“Me,” Rick replied, grimacing. “I dunno what’s wrong with me. I’ve tried to talk myself into it but whichever way I come at it, she just doesn’t rock my world.”
Jack exchanged a loaded glance with Leo. “You don’t have to marry her,” Jack said.
“Yeah, I know.” Rick shrugged. “I just can’t find the enthusiasm.”
“Mind if I check her out then?” Jack asked.
“Be my guest. You’ll be doing me a favor.”
“Offer to take her up in your chopper so you can show her your…er, chopper,” Leo suggested, rolling his eyes.
Rick chuckled. “She’ll need a magnifying glass to find it.”
Jack flipped them both the finger. “You guys are real comedians.”
“Tell her she will have to hold that cyclic thing between her legs, and that it vibrates. A lot.” Leo grinned. “That ought to compensate.”
“You can mock, buddy, but it usually works.”
“Don’t you worry none.” Rick slapped Jack’s shoulder. “We don’t judge.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “What about the new girl?” he asked.
“Hmm, funny you should mention her.”
“Hello.” Jack shared a look with Leo. “Do I detect a modicum of interest? Thank fuck for that. I thought you’d gone all monastic on us. You were in danger of giving this place a good reputation. Can’t have that. Leo would have had to ask you to leave.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not ready to retire from the scene quite yet.” Rick took a swig of beer. “But the new girl, she’s a real enigma. She doesn’t have a background in conservation, hasn’t said what brought her to Nevella, but is keen to join the project. I can’t make her out.”
“A woman who does
n’t want to talk about herself. I’m in lurve,” Jack said with a dramatic sigh.
“It gets weirder. She doesn’t want to move into free accommodation with the others, if she had a job, she hasn’t said what it is, and she doesn’t like to be touched.”
“Sounds more like a challenge than weird,” Jack said.
“Perhaps she just wants to make herself useful,” Leo suggested. “You don’t have to have letters after your name to keep watch on eagles’ nests.”
“Yeah, I know, but I take environmental students because we’re on the same page, want the same things, and because they need to put the experience they get here down on their resumes.” Rick shrugged. “Still, it’s probably nothing. Take no notice of me. I’m seeing shadows where none exist.”
Leo nodded. He knew why Rick was in Nevella, and that he had good reason to be cautious. “Yeah, but she’s not much more than a kid, according to you. Surely they wouldn’t send—”
“No, probably not.”
“Paranoia distorts perception,” Leo said softly.
“You think she’s been sent to sabotage the program?” Jack asked.
“I can’t imagine why she would have been. One thing all the families agree on is that having the eagles back in numbers will be good for Nevella. They just can’t decide on who should fund the project.” Rick drained his beer bottle and signaled the bartender for another. “Besides, what could she do? No, I’m not worried about that. I just wish I knew what it was about her that’s gotten to me.”
“She’s hot?” both guys asked together.
“Not in an obvious sort of way, but yeah, I guess.”
“You guess. This is worse than we thought, buddy,” Jack said to Leo. “The guy can no longer recognize a hot chick. We call ourselves his friends. We have to do something to help. This is an emergency.”
