Bree was having a ball, swinging her hips and laughing at herself and her competition, which included a few teenagers, senior citizens and even a toddler.
And for a few minutes, all of Billie’s anxiety and worry left her mind and her body. She soaked in the laughter and music, and took a mental picture of this joyous scene to remember if she felt down in the future.
She smiled and leaned against her chair. She felt relaxed. Normal.
Suddenly the piercing sound of a fire alarm cut through the music. Dining room guests rushed off the dance floor. Aiden tried calming them via the PA system, but he couldn’t be heard over the frantic blare of the alarm.
Joe grabbed Billie’s arm and pulled her toward the crowd. Someone bumped into her on the right and she stumbled. Joe suddenly let go and they got separated. Shoved left, then right, Billie crossed her arms over her chest to protect her bruised ribs, and she pretended to be a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks.
But she wasn’t a six-foot, three-hundred-pound football player. Billie was petite and barely five four. Jostled one way, then the other, anxiety knotted her stomach as she focused on remaining calm.
Someone slammed her against the wall.
She gasped.
A firm hand gripped her arm and yanked her into the kitchen.
TWELVE
Heart racing, Billie staggered into the abandoned kitchen and tugged free of her attacker. She grabbed a knife off the counter, spun around and pointed it at—
Will.
The fire alarm clicked off, blanketing them in eerie silence.
Will put out his hands. “Sorry, but you looked like you were in trouble.”
“I was, I am. Why did you bring me in here?”
“You were being shoved back and forth. You seemed freaked out and this was the closest door to get you away from the crowd.” He lowered his hands.
Billie didn’t lower the knife. Adrenaline hijacked her mind and wasn’t letting go.
“Aren’t you supposed to have a twenty-four-hour guard?” Will said. “What about Donovan? Where is he?”
“Why do you want to know?” Suspicion tickled her senses. Or was it fear?
“I’m worried about you.” He shoved his hands into his pockets.
Will had a sweet, boy-next-door face, which usually put her at ease. Yet Quinn’s words haunted her: People aren’t always what they seem on the outside.
“Look, I’m trying to help,” he offered.
“Why?”
“You’re my friend. You’ve always been there to help me with the girls. I feel so inadequate without Megan,” he said, glancing at the floor. A few seconds passed and he cleared his throat. “You looked terrified in the dining room. My instinct was to protect you.” He eyed the knife. “I realize you’ve been through a lot but I’m not the enemy, Billie.”
She slowly lowered the knife. Was she crazy? Threatening Will with a weapon she never intended to use?
“It’s his influence, isn’t it?” Will said.
“What? Whose influence?”
“Donovan. He’s taught you to be cynical and suspicious of everyone, even your friends.”
“No, it’s this case.” She placed the knife in the sink. “I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“But you trust him?” His voice cracked. “I don’t get it. He’s a ruthless businessman and, from what I hear, a womanizer. Why would you trust a man like that?”
“You don’t know him.”
“I know enough.” He shook his head.
Shame tweaked her chest and she didn’t like it.
“You may be my friend, Will, but that doesn’t give you the right to judge me or my decisions. I know Quinn, the real Quinn, not the man everyone else thinks they know. I’m disappointed that you wouldn’t trust my judgment.” She turned to leave.
“Wait, Billie?”
She hesitated.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. I guess, well, you’re a bright woman. You must have figured out that if there’s anyone in Echo Mountain I’d love to be in my girls’ life permanently, it’s you.”
Billie sighed. She turned to him and smiled. “I’m honored, truly.”
“But your heart belongs to someone else?”
“As does yours. Don’t rush things. When you’re ready I’m sure the perfect woman will walk into your life.”
“What if she already has?”
She motioned to him. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
With a nod, he crossed the room. She slipped her arm through his and they left the kitchen to join the others outside.
They wandered through the empty hallway and out the front door where guests gathered a safe distance from the building. She’d been so worried about who’d grabbed her that she’d completely blocked out the reason for the commotion: a fire.
She spotted Quinn racing toward them. She smiled, anticipating a relieved hug. Instead, he ignored her, grabbed Will and shoved him against a nearby post.
“Quinn, stop!” Billie said, but it didn’t seem to faze him.
“Who are you working for?” Quinn accused.
“I’m not—”
“How did you know she’d be in the dining room? Were you stalking her? Hanging around the resort until she came out of her room?”
“Quinn.” Billie gripped his muscled arm. “Look at me.”
“I want to know who sent you. What’s his name?” Quinn demanded.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I stopped by the SAR building to drop off equipment.”
“And found your way inside the resort and, what, went looking for Billie?”
“Donovan!” Detective Issacs rushed toward them.
Billie noticed Aiden direct the guests back into the resort.
“I saw that Billie was in trouble and went to help,” Will said.
“I’ll bet you did,” Quinn ground out.
“And where were you? Isn’t it your job to protect her?”
Quinn fisted his right hand.
“Quinn, look at me,” Billie demanded.
Clenching his jaw, his fist poised to strike, he glanced down at Billie.
“I’m fine. I’m safe. Let him go.” She didn’t break eye contact, even though the intensity of his blue eyes could have burned her to ash where she stood. He was insanely worried about her, and probably furious with himself for leaving her alone.
“That’s enough.” Detective Issacs shoved Quinn away. “I’ve got this. Will Rankin, I need you to come with me.”
“What, why?”
“I need to ask you some questions.”
“About what?”
“We can talk about that at the station. Come on,” Detective Issacs motioned him to the car.
Will didn’t move. His face drained of color.
“Or do I need to officially arrest you?” Issacs pressed.
With a stupefied expression, Will glanced at Billie. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“I know.”
Another officer led Will to a waiting squad car.
“The candy was spiked with diazepam,” the detective said to Billie. “Not lethal but it would have knocked you out. We got a partial print off the card.” He turned and headed to the squad car.
At least most of the guests had gone back inside and didn’t witness Will being escorted away. She worried about locals seeing the exchange, which could ignite the gossip mill.
“Inside, now,” Quinn snapped at Billie.
She slowly redirected her gaze from Will to Quinn. “Check your tone, Quinn. I realize that you’re upset, but that doesn’t give you the right to speak to me that way.” She spotted her security guard standing a few feet away. “Joe, can you escort me to Quinn’s—to my quarters?”
“Of course.”
She walked away from Quinn, giving him space to calm down. She understood he was frustrated, but why take it out on Will?
Will. Now she’d dragged him into this mess simply because he was trying to help her. What did the detective want with him, anyway?
She should be relieved that the chocolates sent to her room didn’t contain poison. Yet they were spiked with a sedative, which meant what? They wanted her to pass out so they could kidnap her?
Her mind spinning with questions, she hesitated in front of room 118.
“Down here, remember?” Joe said, motioning to Quinn’s apartment door.
“Oh, right.”
She was rattled, first by all the pushing and shoving, then being yanked into the kitchen and finally by Quinn’s violent behavior. She’d never seen him like that before, not even when his big brother got in his face and challenged him in ways no one else dared. Quinn would click on the aloof persona and smile, but it wasn’t real. She could sense the real smiles from the pretend ones.
Joe swiped the keycard and they went into the apartment. He pressed the keypad deactivating the security system so another alarm didn’t go off. She’d had enough of blaring alarms, panic, confusion and noise.
She went directly to the guest room and shut the door, closing herself off from the rest of the world. With a sigh, she flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe she shouldn’t have turned away from Quinn so abruptly and left him standing there, but she didn’t know what else to do.
Feeling anxious and frustrated, she decided to read to distract herself. She glanced left at the bookshelf and her eyes widened. There was actually a Bible sitting on the shelf. She rolled off the bed and stared at the bookshelf, thinking maybe she’d imagined it. She pulled it off the shelf, cracked it open and began reading to calm herself.
* * *
An hour later someone tapped on her door, probably Joe wanting to see if she needed anything. Her tummy growled and she realized she hadn’t eaten much when they’d gone down for the luau.
She climbed off the bed and opened the door. No one was there, but soft tones of a ukulele drifted through the apartment.
“Hello?” she said, stepping into the living room.
A bouquet of flowers was at the center of the coffee table and colorful paper flowers hung from the ceiling. The aroma of the freshly cut flowers was almost as good as whatever was simmering on the stove. She went into the kitchen and found Quinn, wearing a BBQ apron, stirring something in a big stainless-steel pot.
He glanced at her. “I thought you might be hungry.”
She was glad he chose not to talk about what happened in the parking lot, but she knew they couldn’t avoid it forever.
“I am, thanks. What’s for dinner?” she said.
“Barbeque pork, sweet potatoes, coconut lime skewers and spaghetti.” He nodded at the pot.
“Spaghetti?”
“Wanted to cover all my bases, in case something didn’t turn out.” He flipped off the burner. “Oh, and we’ve got entertainment.”
He motioned her into the living room and clicked on the flat screen. They were watching guests dancing in the decorated dining room on the closed-circuit TV.
“They didn’t cancel the luau?” she said.
“No, ma’am, and I didn’t want you to miss out on the fun, even if you can’t be there in person.”
“Thanks, I—”
A timer went off in the kitchen. “Hold that thought.” He rushed into the kitchen.
She smiled. He’d done all this to make up for being a jerk before, threatening Will and snapping at Billie.
Following him into the kitchen, she said, “I’m worried about Will.”
He handed her plates and utensils. “Can you set the table?”
“Quinn, do you know why the detective wanted to speak with him?”
Quinn shrugged. “Not sure. I guess he made the suspect list.”
“No, not Will. He’s got two little girls, and he’d never do anything to hurt me.”
“Go sit down. I’ll bring the food out.”
Billie went to the dining table and pulled out a chair. She couldn’t believe Will was involved in a theft ring. She worried that being brought in for questioning would threaten his relationship with the girls. Billie had heard rumors that his in-laws had never fully approved of Will, and Megan had married him against their wishes. Billie hoped they didn’t use this incident as an excuse to try to get custody of the children.
“I’m sure if he’s not involved Detective Issacs won’t detain him,” Quinn offered.
He must have sensed what she was thinking and was trying to ease her worry. Quinn set platters of food on the table, took off his apron and joined her.
“It’s beautiful, Quinn. I’m very grateful.” She interlaced her fingers and said a silent prayer.
“If you want...” he hesitated “...you can say it aloud.” He studied her hands, as if figuring out how to appropriately put his hands together in prayer.
She warmed at the thought that he was trying to open his heart to God.
“Okay,” she said. “God is good, God is great, we thank Him for our food. Amen.”
“Amen,” Quinn said. “Hope you’re hungry.”
“I am, thanks.”
“I’ll serve. What looks good?”
“Everything.”
“Good, so my plan worked.” He placed a kebab on her plate.
“What plan?”
“Butter you up with food so you’ll talk to me. I was a jerk in the parking lot.” He spooned some barbeque pork. “Want this as a sandwich? I have rolls in the kitchen.”
“I’ll start with the kebab, thanks.” She studied him. “Can I ask you something?”
He smiled as he served himself pork. “Do I have to answer?”
“Only if you want to.”
“Now there’s a mine field if I’ve ever heard one,” he joked.
“Why were you so crazed in the parking lot? I mean, you saw that I was okay, that I was unharmed and safe yet your tone of voice...” She shook her head.
He slowly returned the spoon to the pork dish. “You really want me to answer that?”
“Yes, please.”
When he glanced into her eyes, the vulnerability she read there made her want to look away because it felt as if she was seeing something so incredibly private and painful, but she didn’t dare break eye contact.
“I was insane,” he started, “out of my mind at the thought of you being stalked while trying to get out of the dining room. If anything had happened to you...” His voice trailed off. He shook his head and glanced down at his food.
She reached for his hand and clasped it between her own. “Nothing happened. I’m okay. And I’m here, safe in your apartment.”
“Yeah, but when I didn’t know where you were or who you were with...” He hesitated. “I was stuck outside trying to get into the building. Aiden was restraining me, and I was shouting your name. I almost slugged him to get away so I could find you. He told me no one was allowed inside until the alarm stopped, which only made me more crazy.”
“Thank you, Quinn.”
He glanced at her. “For being crazy?”
“For caring as much as you do.”
“I’m surprised you’re thanking me. I was pretty rough on your boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend? You mean Will?”
“It’s obvious he’s got a thing for you.”
“It’s a one-sided thing.” Still holding Quinn’s hand, she nibbled at a chicken skewer.
“I had Alex do a background check and Will came out clean. Before tonight I thought Will would be a good catch.”
“This coming from the guy who wanted to punch his lights out in the parking lot?”
“Like I said, I was crazed. I
’m okay now. I’ve embraced the reality of the situation.” He pulled his hand from hers.
“And what reality is that?”
“That after everything you’ve been through, you deserve a good man in your life. A guy with integrity, someone solid and dependable.”
“Funny, those are all adjectives I’d use to describe you.”
“You’re just being nice because I made you dinner.”
“No, Quinn, I mean it. You’re one of the best men I know.”
* * *
Speechless, Quinn glanced down at his plate. For an awkward few seconds he felt her gaze on him and wondered how she could see things in him that no one else could. There was a strange but amazing connection between them, a connection that touched him on a visceral level.
Luckily the closed-circuit coverage of the luau snagged her attention. “They’re adorable,” she said, watching a group of little girls compete in a coconut-decorating contest.
Quinn was awed by the joy he read on Billie’s face. She’d be an amazing mother someday.
Sadness settled low in his gut. There’d been no role model in his life, no supportive and nurturing parent, so he wouldn’t have a clue how to effectively raise a child. He’d surely never risk foisting his lack of experience on his own kid.
They spent the next few hours eating and talking about the case, and their lives. It was as if they existed in a safe bubble, free of judgment or threat. Was this what unconditional love felt like?
As she helped him with the dishes, he found himself dreading the moment she’d head into the guest room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Selfish jerk. She was probably exhausted and needed to turn in. He caught her covering a yawn with her hand.
“Go to bed. I’ll finish cleaning up,” he offered.
“You sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sunday. Church.” She smiled.
“I have a little work I’ll finish up here in the apartment tonight.”
“Okay.”
They ambled into the living room. She paused and turned to him. “Good night.” She slipped her arms around his waist in a loving embrace and he realized his arms naturally held on to her, as well. They stood there for a good ten seconds, his hand trailing up her back to stroke her hair.
Mountain Pursuit: Smoky Mountain Investigation ; Mountain Rescue Page 34
