Dave slid into the sedan beside him and fastened his seat belt with a grimace on his face. “Did she give you her last name? I should start running the sheets on any family members.”
“Rivers, but I think it’s Carley’s sister.”
“Holy shit.”
The radio interrupted Dave’s ongoing stream of curses. “Dispatch to 1903.”
Hunt snatched the radio and pressed the talk button. “1903, go ahead, dispatch.”
“Please be advised we just received a 9-1-1 report of a blue late model sedan going into the Ashley River.”
His intestines knotted and Hunt broke out in a cold sweat. As the fingers of his left hand tightened around the steering wheel his right hand squeezed the radio controller. “Acknowledged, dispatch. 1903 is en route. Have divers respond to same location.”
“Affirmative, 1903.”
“Bastards,” Dave muttered. “Are they really going to fucking kill her in broad daylight?”
So many emotions spun through Hunt’s brain. He wanted to be wrong, hoped like hell he was. In the space of five minutes he’d gone from being able to tell Carley her sister was alive to possibly confirming her worst fears.
The few miles to the scene, which had now been blocked off by patrol units, seemed to take forever, and when Hunt finally slowed the car to a stop his muscles were in one big knot.
“The divers could reach her in time.” Dave offered a dismal ray of hope.
“Yeah.” Hunt didn’t need to tell him the odds were so slim they were practically nonexistent. Dave wasn’t any blinder than he was and they’d both faced their fair share of hard, cold reality. And it was about to get much more frigid.
Carley met him at the door, inviting him in by stepping aside. “It’s still early. I was going to wait until after nine to call.”
Hunt walked inside and took the door from her hand to close it. One look into those chocolate brown eyes told her he wasn’t there because of a phone call. She took a stumbling step backward as her heart began to thud.
“You found her, didn’t you? You found Dani.” Even as she asked the question she was already shaking her head. “No. No.”
“Carley, I’m so sorry.” Hunt walked toward her but she held up a hand.
“No. You’re wrong. It’s not Dani.” The denial tasted bitter but she needed something, anything, to fight back the waves of grief approaching. Those same waves would drag her under and she’d never survive. How could she survive?
One hand reached behind her, found the arm of the sofa and Carley sat so her legs wouldn’t give way. “Are you positive it’s Dani?” She drew in a hitching breath that made her lungs ache.
“Yeah.” Hunt put his hands on his hips, dislodging his suit coat and making the black leather holster holding his gun visible.
Carley stared at the butt of the weapon, wondering how many times he’d used it to kill. Then hysterical laughter bubbled up in her throat. Why was she thinking about killing when her sister was dead? Because she wanted to kill Franklin. He’d taken her sister away from her. Dani, who had been so young and innocent. Sweet, trusting Dani, who wouldn’t even kill a spider, was dead.
And Carley so desperately wanted to take the life of the man who’d murdered her sister.
“How did it happen?” Did she really want to know? Carley tried to talk herself out of asking the question but she had to know if there was a mistake. Could Dani possibly still be alive?
“Dani called us, Carley.” He walked around her and sat down on the sofa cushion closest to her. “She was in the trunk of a car when it went over the Ashley River Bridge.”
Carley clasped her hands so tight together the tips of her fingers went white. Oddly, she noticed she needed a manicure. What stupid things one tended to notice in the throes of pain. “Have they… Did you see her?”
Hunt touched her leg and she jumped like she’d been shot. She didn’t want sympathy right now, couldn’t handle it. If he treated her like a porcelain doll she would crack, and she might never be able to put the pieces back together again.
“No, but I talked to her. She identified herself as Dani Rivers.”
Carley covered her mouth with her fist. “She took Mom’s maiden name.” She didn’t need to tell him why.
“Has she been…” She couldn’t bring herself to ask if her sister’s body had been recovered. The blood in her veins was so cold her teeth chattered, and just the thought of voicing those words aloud made her physically ill inside.
“Carley, don’t do this. You don’t have to have all the details. It won’t do any good.”
Needing distance, she stood and walked away, paced for several moments then stopped with her back to the kitchen. “She could have gotten out of the trunk before it went over the bridge.” The look on his face gave her the answer she didn’t want. “It’s possible, isn’t it?”
He watched her for a long moment with those brown eyes so full of compassion for even a thief.
Just as she was about to prod him for answers again, Hunt responded. “There wasn’t a lot of time between the disconnection of her call and the car going into the river.”
Carley held her stomach like she’d been stabbed. She might as well have been. Dani was her last remaining relative and the only one who really gave a damn about her. Without her baby sister she had nothing left, nothing but revenge.
Hunt nodded slowly, still watching her. When was he going to look away, to give her time to regain some elusive composure? “I stayed on the phone with her until the car stopped. Then the line went dead. We tried to track her but she was on a cell phone and the signal was sketchy. My partner and I were heading out to try to find the vehicle she’d described when the call came through that it had gone over the bridge.”
Carley needed to sit again but there was nothing close by so she sank to the floor. “Where will they take her? Won’t she need to be identified by next of kin?” How could she even think about seeing her sister lying on a cold metal table, naked, covered with only a sheet?
He got to his feet and walked toward her. “Carley, look at me.” He sat down beside her, taking one of her hands in his. “There’s plenty of time to think about all that, to face all of that. Don’t punish yourself with the details.”
She gripped his hand then tried to pull her fingers away but Hunt held fast. “What about the owners of the car? You had to have found something on them, right? We can track—”
“Carley.” Hunt leaned forward, took two fingers and turned her face to his. “You just found out your sister is dead. Let me worry about finding the bastards who killed her. Right now you need to cry for her. I know if she were my sister, I would need to let the pain out.”
“Letting the pain out doesn’t always have to involve tears.” She tried to turn her head away from his but he slid his palm alongside her cheek. “If you don’t find the person who did this, I will.”
“I promise you I will find Dani’s killer.” He ran his thumb along her lower lip.
“But you’re interested in justice.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth.
“Don’t do this to yourself. Thinking about revenge serves no purpose, and even though I never met her, I’m thinking Dani wouldn’t have wanted that.”
She swiped away a lone tear and managed a shaky nod. “She’s was always a tough little thing. Smart. Funny.” The memories flowed, taking Carley back to a time when life was different. Maybe even a little easier.
Summers at the lake house with her parents and Dani and all the long nights of endless ghost stories.
The many fights she and Dani had over stupid, inconsequential things, which had seemed of the greatest importance back then.
Dani getting ready for her first prom and scared her date might insist on the obligatory sex. Carley’s advice had come with a can of pepper spray.
“Pepper spray?” Hunt chuckled. “Now that’s a big sister.”
She hadn’t realized she’d been talking aloud. Lifting her head, she swi
ped the back of her hand across her cheeks. She aimed a watery gaze at him, her chest burning. Though the fist of agony still lay in her stomach, she could draw in a deep breath. Talking about her sister had helped.
“It sounds like you have a lot of wonderful memories of your sister.”
“And that’s all I have now.” She closed her stinging eyes and shook her head. “Her life shouldn’t have ended like this, Hunt. Dani was a sweet, honest, loving person who was just trying to live a normal life which,” she gave a little laugh devoid of humor, “given our parents, proved to be difficult at best. But Dani was determined.”
He stroked her hair, and she wasn’t even sure if he’d pulled her closer or she’d just gravitated toward him. She dropped her head to his shoulder anyway. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without her. We talked every day, saw each other as often as possible.”
“I’m sorry. I wish there was something else I could say, some way to make this easier for you, but none of this is easy.”
She tipped her head back to see his face, now shadowed by the dimming of the sun’s rays coming in through the open blinds. “Promise me you won’t stop until you put Franklin and whoever else is involved in the ground.”
He didn’t wince at the words like she’d expected him to. Instead he just brushed her hair again and urged her head back down to his shoulder. “How about I just promise you I won’t stop until Dani gets justice?”
She sniffled, and she wanted to hate herself for that, to curse her weakness even though if there was ever a time weakness was deserved it was now. But with Hunt so close, so comforting, all she could think about was sinking into his warmth and, for once, releasing control.
“Come on.” Hunt eased her away from him and got to his feet, offering his hand.
Carley brushed her hair away from her face. “Where are we going?”
“Some place more comfortable than the floor.” When Carley slipped her hand in his, his fingers curled in a protective gesture that brought the tears rushing back to her eyes.
How long had it been since she’d felt so safe, so secure with a man, hell, with anyone? Never. Her father had taught her to trust no one but family. In this harsh, cold world, all you had was family to depend on. Now she was wondering if he just hadn’t opened himself up enough to the rest of the world to give it a chance.
Of course, his line of work didn’t encourage trust. He didn’t want people to get close to him, didn’t want to like them. It was a lot easier stealing from strangers than friends. So Ben Morgan had rarely made friends.
Hunt tugged her to her feet, settled her in the link of his arms. “What are you thinking about?”
She started to tell him then shook her head. She’d already said too much. “It’s not important. I’m going to go wash my face.” Pulling out of his embrace, she caught the tension on his face, wanted to ask about it, but changed her mind. If there was something Hunt wasn’t telling her, that just put them on even ground.
There were a lot of things she hadn’t told him, things she wasn’t sure she ever could. Maybe it was better that way. She wasn’t looking for a relationship and it was only a matter of time before he decided to do what was best for his career and arrest her.
How could he not? Putting criminals behind bars was his job, one he was very good at. Wasn’t that one of the reasons she’d chosen him because she knew deep down inside she could really trust him?
What did it matter anyway if she ended up behind bars? Did she really think she could return to her life as if nothing had happened, nothing had changed her? She slipped inside the bathroom and pressed the door shut with her palm.
She wasn’t the same person she’d been before Dani had been kidnapped and she couldn’t go back to who she had been, what she had been. She’d find a different path, maybe even a better one. One that Dani would have liked better. It was the least she could do to honor her sister’s memory.
Chapter Eight
“They won’t look for her now.” Franklin brushed a lock of hair away from Rena’s cheek, breathed in the scent of her perfume. “I solved our little problem.”
“You should have run this by me first. This is my operation.” Rena folded her arms across her breasts and aimed an icy stare at him. “What in the hell were you thinking?”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug, more relaxed now than he had been since they’d discovered the truth about Dani Rivers. “I did what I had to do, and like it or not I probably saved your ass.”
Rena’s breath hissed out. “I don’t need you to protect me.”
“No, but you do need someone to be the voice of reason now and again. Trying to lure Carley Morgan in was a suicide mission. The woman is too connected, and there’s no way in hell that she goes missing without fallout.” He held up his hand to silence her upcoming tirade. “Yes, she’s a criminal, but she has more friends than Hugh Hefner. I’m surprised she hasn’t already found us both.”
“And what makes you think she’s going to stop looking for us now that her sister is dead?”
Franklin smiled and eased himself down onto the leather sofa inside Rena’s makeshift office. If there was one thing he could say about the woman, she operated with more efficiency than elegance. When outside the office she dressed like she owned stock in Dolce & Gabbana. The warehouse they used to hold the girls meant forgoing the diamonds and dresses, and he was more than a little surprised Rena allowed herself to be seen without a stitch of makeup. Here she was all about business, nothing more.
“Why haven’t you answered me?” She sounded petulant, almost like a little girl who’d been denied a lollipop.
“They might look but they won’t find us. You’ll finish up the few auctions you have left then move on to the next city just like we planned. I’ve already gotten you in with the Greenville Police Department. Seems a captain there would rather be sailing across the Atlantic on his yacht than sitting behind a desk shuffling papers. He’s ready to retire in style.”
The news seemed to perk her up for Rena gave him a blindingly white smile and snagged hold of his tie before giving him an aggressive kiss. “I knew I was making a wise choice when I approached you.”
The remaining vestiges of tension drained from Franklin’s muscles. He’d known she’d see things his way. Rena could be difficult, but she could be controlled.
Hunt twisted the cap off the bottle of beer and took a long swig. Leaning against the counter in the suite kitchen, he waited for Carley to return, wondered if the tears had gotten the better of her in the bathroom too.
Being an only child, he couldn’t imagine losing someone as close as a sibling. Hell, he’d never really lost anyone close to him. Even his grandparents were still alive— coasting into their nineties and enjoying each day better than the last. And here Carley had faced not only her sister’s abduction but her death as well in a little over a week. Soft footsteps padding across the carpet drew his attention and he pushed off the counter to join Carley in the living room area. “You okay?”
She nodded and twisted the bottom of the gray t-shirt she wore into a knot. She’d changed into a comfortable-looking pair of jeans along with it, leaving her feet bare. The fire-engine-red toenails peeking out from beneath frayed denim caused his stomach to knot way more than it should.
“So,” he cleared his throat, “are you hungry?”
“No. Just tired.” Carley dragged a hand through her long hair before pushing it back over her shoulder. “I think I need to lie down for a while.”
He didn’t want to leave her alone but he had no reason to stay. “That’s probably a good idea. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.” He walked to the door. “Be sure to lock this behind me.”
“Hunt.” Carley’s voice sounded fragile, uncertain.
“Yeah?”
“You could stay…if you want.” Her freshly washed face couldn’t hide the ravage the tears had left behind, and before Hunt’s answer left his mouth he knew he’d be staying.
&n
bsp; He clicked the lock into place and walked toward her, pausing to turn off the overhead light. When he reached her, he lifted her in his arms and carried her down the short hallway into the bedroom.
Carley curled her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder. And the knot in his stomach tightened.
He could try to convince himself not to feel anything, not to allow himself to care for Carley Morgan, the thief, but the heart spoke much louder than words. And right now, he was only holding Carley Morgan, the woman.
Pressing a kiss against her temple, he held her for a second longer before he laid her atop the downy comforter covering the queen-sized bed. “You’re going to be okay,” he whispered. He turned down the sheets and helped her beneath the blankets. Then he squatted down in front of her, taking one of her hands in both of his. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save your sister.”
Tears made her green eyes sparkle. “Dani would have liked you.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. She always had a thing for macho guys with soft centers.” A smile ghosted across her lips.
Hunt returned the smile. “You think I have a soft center?” No matter what tomorrow would bring, tonight he was just a man. He could lay aside his badge and his gun to be with Carley, to give her the only thing he could…comfort.
She scooted back in the bed, silently offering him space. “I think you work hard at trying to cover it up.”
He peeled off his shirt and climbed into the bed with her, bringing her into his embrace. “Well if I do have a soft center, it’s only for mouthy redheads.”
Carley’s body melted into his, instinctively seeking the reassurance he offered. “It’s a good thing you haven’t run into any of those then.” The last syllable ended on a quiet sob.
Hunt’s arms tightened and he held her while the storm rolled through again.
His arm held her safely against his body and Carley didn’t want to move. Since she’d woken up almost an hour ago she’d been content to just be still and listen to the rhythmic sounds of Hunt breathing. For a little while she could pretend that this was just another day, that nothing bad had happened.
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