The Black Feather

by Olivia Claire High

  “Maybe because you’re not asking the questions I want to hear.”

  “There you go again dodging the issue. Listen up, Thad Novak. I’m hot. I’m thirsty. I’m scared and I’ve just had my vacation ruined, so you should know I’m in no mood for . . .”

  Another Jeep came crashing out of the jungle at that moment causing Suzanne to let out a startled shriek. A small projectile whizzed by her head before it smashed into the windshield poking a neat hole in the glass. Thad ground out a curse and pressed down on the accelerator, as he glanced over his shoulder.

  “Undo your seatbelt, and get down on the floor. Now!” he yelled when Suzanne hesitated.

  “Please tell me that wasn’t what I think it was. It almost gave me a new part in my hair.”

  “Get down unless you want that new hairdo,” Thad growled, as another bullet ricocheted off the rearview mirror followed by a third shot that grazed his upper arm causing him to swerve the Jeep.

  Suzanne clawed at her seatbelt while her heart pounded like a jackhammer. She scrambled to the floor a nanosecond before another bullet whistled over her head splintering a small branch. She watched in horror as blood began to seep through Thad’s shirt, staining a spot bright red.

  “Oh my God, they shot you!”

  Thad shook his head.

  “Just scraped me.”

  His expression became a mask of grim determination, as the Jeep careened crazily through the jungle cutting through the thick foliage like a huge machete. Thad crouched low over the steering wheel doing his best to dodge more bullets that continued to fly at them.

  “You’re bleeding. Let me see if I can use the scarf to try and stop it.”

  “No. I want you to stay down.”

  Suzanne fixed her eyes on his wound. She’d never seen anyone who’d been shot. If he continued to bleed would he lose so much blood he’d pass out? The thought of Thad being unconscious leaving her to face their assailants on her own made her shiver despite the warm air.

  How much longer could they go on like this with bullets popping around them like firecrackers at a Chinese New Year’s celebration? She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if one hit the gas tank. Suzanne decided she couldn’t stay down cringing like a coward while Thad risked his life, even if she did blame him for getting them into this jam.

  She grabbed the scarf, determined to help. She eased herself up onto the seat keeping her body bent low, as she faced Thad. “Please at least let me shove this under your shirt.”

  “No. We’ll be in the clear soon now.”

  “I’m happy to hear it. But in the meantime I want to try and plug up your leak.”

  “Forget about that, but you can drive as long as you insist on being up here.”

  “What!?”

  “You heard me. I’m getting tired of being used as target practice. Grab the wheel while I do something about that. Lucky for us they’re lousy shots.”

  Suzanne grappled with the wheel sending the Jeep wobbling over the trail like a malfunctioning pendulum. “Lousy? That’s not exactly tomato juice on your shirt.”

  Her mouth gaped open when Thad reached beneath the driver’s seat, pulled out a gun, twisted around, and took aim. The sound of it firing so close to her head made her ears ring.

  “One down, one to go,” he said with a steely calm Suzanne couldn’t help envying.

  “I think you just broke my eardrum, and I’m not sure how much longer I can control the Jeep at this speed,” she yelled gripping the wheel so hard her knuckles ached.

  “You’re doing fine,” Thad said, as more bullets flew back and forth.

  “Great, because I’m . . . ow!” she yelled while struggling to retain control of the wheel.

  White-hot pain ripped into her shoulder tearing a jagged line through the thin material of her blouse, burning the smooth flesh beneath. Suzanne stared, while blood crept over peach silk spreading across the fabric in a vivid red pattern.

  “Suzanne!” Thad shouted her name. “Oh, Jesus!”

  She shifted her eyes from her driving to his startled expression.

  “I . . . I think I’ve been shot.”

  Shock, fear, and the sight of her own blood made the inside of her head spin with dizziness. She blinked a few times struggling to focus her eyes while dots danced across her vision. Red became a gray mist, Gray began to fade, growing darker, taking with it all the surrounding light.

  Suzanne thought she heard Thad calling to her again, but she couldn’t be sure. Her body felt heavy and her hands slid away from the steering wheel. She was falling, tumbling helplessly into empty space. The jungle swirled around her and the ground rushed up to meet her seconds before a sudden sharp pain burst inside her head.

  Everything turned to black.

  Silent and black.

  Engulfed by deepening shadows, she closed her eyes and slid into the void.

  Her last coherent thought was how the bullet hole and bloodstain had probably ruined her new blouse.

  Three

  “Come on Suzanne, open those pretty green eyes and let me know you hear me.”

  A man’s voice penetrated her fogged brain. James? No, it sounded too deep to belong to her ex-fiancé. She struggled to answer, but couldn’t get the words out. The voice persisted.

  “Come on, sweetheart.”

  She was a child again. She’d fallen off her bike while visiting her father and bruised her shoulder. It hurt so much she couldn’t help crying. He’d comforted her. Had she fallen again?

  “Daddy?” she muttered.

  “No, but I’ll be your daddy if you’ll open your eyes and talk to me.”

  It took a lot of effort, but Suzanne finally managed to drag her eyelids open. She groaned when she realized it was Thad leaning over her.

  “Ugh, it’s you.”

  “Oh good, you recognize me.”

  She turned her head, so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

  “Go away, and let me die in peace.”

  “You’re not dying. How’s the shoulder feel?”

  “Like a huge gorilla took a bite out of it. He’s also pounding on my head.”

  “I’m pretty sure there aren’t any gorillas living around here.”

  “Oh shut up.”

  She looked at Thad again and touched her temple.

  “I know why my shoulder hurts, but why do I have a bandage on my head?”

  “You fell out of the Jeep and hit your head on an exposed tree root before I could grab you.”

  “Well, that was clumsy of me.”

  She looked around the room. “Where am I?”

  “In a safe place.”

  “Kind of late for that, isn’t it? Does this place have a location?”

  “You’re still in Belize – but in a different area than I’d originally intended, due to our reception committee.”

  “Why were those men shooting at us?

  Thad pulled a chair over and sat down by the side of her bed. “It’s about your father.”

  “Dad? Oh no. Did someone try to kill us because he stole their money?”

  “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

  “How complicated are we talking here? How about enlightening me?”

  “Let me ask you something first. Do you have any idea who your father worked for?”

  “No. He never stayed with a job very long. All I know is he was keeping books for some guys.”

  “That would be the Montane brothers. You were right about him having his hand in the cookie jar. He’s been siphoning money off the top for the last several months. He kept the amounts small enough so no one noticed. That all changed a couple of months ago when he took a much larger handful.”

  Suzanne wrinkled her nose. “No doubt for his latest female conquest.”

  “Her name is Muriel Montane. Her family’s been involved with a myriad of criminal activities for many years. I can only assume your father apparently couldn’t resist her feminine charms and decided to do
something really big to impress her.”

  “Dad was working for crooks and fell for a family member? Way to go, Dad,” she said with heavy sarcasm.

  “He may not have known the full extent of the Montane’s illegal operation when they hired him. They have a way of covering things, so they appear to be legitimate businessmen.”

  “But you think he’s aware of it now?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “So what has my dad done besides steal their money and run off with this Muriel?”

  “The Montanes have been slipping through the cracks for years because no one has been able to provide enough solid evidence to convict them, until your father came along. He contacted the Feds. He said he’d give them his information in exchange for protection. They agreed. We’re not sure why he chose this particular method, but he said he put everything on a couple of phones. His plan was to mail one phone to your mother and one to you.”

  “Really? Well, I certainly hope you don’t think I’m in cahoots with my father because I haven’t received anything from him; and as far as I know my mother hasn’t, either.”

  “That’s because he hasn’t mailed anything yet. It appears Muriel is just as infatuated with your dad as he is with her. Either that or she’s using him to help her get away from her family. Her father’s been keeping tabs on you and your mother hoping you’ll lead him to your dad. That’s why the people on that yacht were watching the house and we were chased. Someone was also on the cruise ship keeping an eye on you. They followed us to Linc and Maya’s.”

  “I see. So I take it you were on that cruise to babysit me. Are you a cop or something?”

  “Or something.”

  Suzanne rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.

  “You’re as secretive as a woman hiding her age.”

  “Well, I can’t have you thinking that. I’m thirty-six.”

  “It’s looks good on you. How is it you know how to handle a gun so well?”

  “I was in the military.”

  “Good thing. Those men would have killed us if it hadn’t been for your expertise. I assume it was the Montanes trying to get revenge.”

  “Revenge is like life’s blood to them. They only wanted me dead, so they could kidnap you to lure your father out of hiding. I’m sure you getting shot wasn’t part of their plan.”

  “So you had to kidnap me, to save me from being kidnapped. What a strange irony. I thought things were bad enough being chased. Obviously, I was wrong.”

  She shook her head, winced in pain, and closed her eyes.

  “Do you want another pain pill?”

  “What I want is to have my old life back. It wasn’t exciting, but at least it didn’t involve being shot.”

  “You’ll get your life back. Until then just concentrate on getting well. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  She opened one eye and looked at him.

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Not really.”

  Suzanne felt well enough by the end of the week to go outside. She reclined on a lounger watching Thad as he lifted weights. Either his shoulder wasn’t bothering him or he was too macho to admit it. His body gleamed with sweat. She’d kidded Heather about drooling over him, but Suzanne knew she was close to salivating every time his muscles bunched and relaxed between reps. She may be angry with him, but he still presented a treat to the eyes.

  She supposed he needed the exercise to burn off some of the excess energy he seemed to have in abundance. He was relegated to lifting weights and running on the treadmill that stood in one corner of the patio, since coming to this isolated spot. The house was on the small side. The floor plan included a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom all with a minimum of space.

  They were sharing it with two burly young men, Louis and Kenny. Kenny turned out to be a pretty fair cook while Louis helped keep the place clean. But Suzanne had a feeling they were here so they could serve as extra bodyguards, and not to take care of domestic chores.

  She had one of the bedrooms to herself, while the three men alternately took turns sharing the two single beds in the other bedroom and the couch in the living room. Whoever had stocked the house with food and other creature comforts obviously expected her, as a small cache of feminine toiletries and some clothing suitable to the climate had been left in her room.

  Suzanne wondered if Maya had done the honors. Maybe the clothes belonged to her. Had she and Linc suspected Thad would end up bringing her to this house on that crazy Jeep ride, or had Thad contacted them later, as he’d promised?

  She discovered only recently that Louis and Kenny were already here when she finally got up the nerve to question them. But that was about all they would say. The more she asked, the more they clammed up.

  Thad finished working out and ambled over to the table standing between the two loungers. He poured himself a glass of water and quickly drained it. She watched while he lifted the pitcher and emptied it over his head before grabbing up a towel to wipe his face. Suzanne stared as the water dribbled down over his body in tantalizing streams, pooling in his navel and disappearing beneath the waistband of his dampened swim trunks.

  He stretched out on the lounger next to her. Suzanne caught the scent of his sweat and almost moaned out loud when the sunlight played over his long, lean body kissing the smooth muscles with its warm rays. She wouldn’t mind doing a little kissing there, too. Talk about driving her hormones crazy. The man should be made to carry a sign warning about the dangers of all that testosterone emanating from him.

  Kenny appeared, breaking into her erotic thoughts. He set two plates down on the table.

  “Lunch.” Kenny was a man of few words.

  He went back into the house and returned with a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses. Suzanne eyed the large avocado halves filled with crab salad. Four toast triangles covered in melted cheese lay neatly surrounding the main course. His meals were simple with few ingredients, but tasty.

  “It looks delicious as always, Kenny. Thank you. I’m feeling much better now. I want to start helping you with the kitchen chores.”

  He shrugged his massive shoulders.

  “Whatever.”

  “Thanks, buddy,” Thad called, as his friend headed back inside.

  Suzanne looked over at Thad. “I hope I didn’t hurt his feelings. I wouldn’t want him to get the impression I didn’t like his cooking.”

  “Kenny’s too easygoing to be offended.”

  “I bet he’s not always so laidback. He and Louis are here to help you watch over me, aren’t they? And please don’t insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise. I’m not stupid, you know.”

  “I never said you were.”

  “Then level with me. Do they do this kind of thing for a living? Are you expecting more people to come and shoot at us?”

  “They’re on vacation. Now eat your lunch like a good little girl and let me do the worrying.”

  Her cheeks blushed a furious red.

  “Stop treating me like a child. I am not a little girl. I may be short, but I’m a grown woman in case you haven’t noticed.”

  Thad’s eyes moved slowly over her soft curves amply exposed by the skimpy blue bikini she wore.

  “Believe me, I’ve noticed.”

  Suzanne recovered to the point that she began to feel fidgety. How much longer would she be expected to stay cooped up here? Some women might think finding themselves trapped in a tropical setting with a stud like Thad would be akin to being in paradise. The problem was they were not here as lovers, and were both being very careful to give each other a wide berth.

  She assumed Thad received updates on their situation from Linc even though he never gave her any information. It infuriated her that he wouldn’t tell her anything. She felt like she was in prison, despite the fact that the house didn’t have any bars.

  Thad continued to evade her questions about how much longer she’d have to stay hidden. Her frustration level reached a peak one evening ma
king her yell at him in the hopes he’d get mad enough to slip and reveal something. He merely arched a brow and told her to go to bed.

  She’d stormed off to her room where she paced and plotted ways to punish him for his annoying reticence. Suzanne did realize he was being vigilant about her safety because he or one of the other men continued to check outside the house every night. But that didn’t mean she had to like being the focus of their attention.

  All the stealth and evasiveness finally frayed her last nerve making her think of ways she could get away. Maybe then she’d be able find some kind of road and hitch a ride back to civilization. But her three bodyguards never let her out of their sight, except when she was in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the window in there was too little even for her small stature to use as a means of escape.

  She tried going on a hunger strike. Thad threatened to force feed her after the first day. She faked feeling ill and demanded to be taken to a doctor. He offered to bring one to her instead. It didn’t take long to realize appealing to Kenny and Louis turned out to be a waste of time because they were completely loyal to Thad.

  Suzanne stood at her bedroom window now, after another round of pleading with Thad. She stared at the night. Moonlight coated the green jungle turning it to silver, while pungent plant life filled the air sending a rich aroma drifting through the screened window. Mysterious sounds of nocturnal animals murmuring their strange chorus flowed through the house.

  She went to bed, but ended up kicking off her sheet and getting up after only a few minutes. She slipped on a short robe over her nightshirt and eased her door open before tiptoeing into the living room. Thad instantly rolled to his feet, gun in hand, alert and ready to investigate what had disturbed him.

  “What are you doing out of bed?” he demanded, startling her.

  Suzanne tried to ignore how tantalizing he looked and how the sight of his bare chest made her pulse race. She was young and healthy and hadn’t been with a man in a long time. But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about sex. She nailed him with a hostile glare.

  “Relax warden, I’m not armed. I want a drink of water. Don’t you ever sleep?”