She was some kind of crazy to attempt this.
Besides, if Buck really was involved, and he really was after the diamond, then putting it in a safe-deposit box in the bank like any normal person would virtually guarantee Jewel’s death. Kill Jewel and the items in her safe-deposit box would go to Meral, who was named in Jewel’s will after she’d lost Silas, a fact she’d shared with her sister shortly after her arrival in Mountain Cove. That had been her way to make sure the diamond went back to her family. Maybe that was why her attacker had tried to kill her. He thought it was stored safely away—whoever he was. A man and a woman working together.
Meral and Buck.
Her heart sank.
Jewel hung her head. I don’t know, I just don’t know anymore.
She didn’t want to believe it of Meral. Yet doubt suffused her. This trip had been Buck’s idea, just like coming to Mountain Cove.
Her pulse raced and jumped. Had agreeing to this been a wise decision?
What did it matter? If there was any chance that Meral was not involved, then Jewel had to be with Meral to spend time with her and protect her, if she could.
Meral set Jewel’s bag next to her feet. “You okay?”
The question pulled Jewel back to the present. “Sure.”
“You don’t look okay.” Meral eyed her.
Buck paid the cab driver.
“I’ll be fine, Meral.” Jewel gave her sister a quick hug.
Buck’s dark eyes and fake smile landed on Jewel. “Let’s go.”
Jewel released her sister to Buck. Two men and a woman appeared on the yacht and came down the gangplank to greet them.
The older of the crew members thrust out his hand and shook Buck’s in a hearty greeting, then turned his attention to Meral and Jewel. “Good afternoon, ladies. I’m captain of The Alabaster Sky. You can call me Mike or Captain Mike, whatever you prefer. This is Gary, our deckhand, and Stella, your hostess and steward. And Mack’s the chef, but he’s in the kitchen preparing your meal for this evening.”
Private and chartered yachts and cruise ships were a familiar sight in southeast Alaska, and some even stopped in Mountain Cove. But Jewel had never met any of the staff that operated those vessels, so it was strange when a sense of recognition pricked her at Stella’s smile. Gary had a familiar face, too, but maybe they each just had one of those faces that everyone thought they knew. Jewel was sure she’d never met either of them.
Buck grinned. He gave the captain’s hand a second good, hard shake. “Captain Mike here is one of the best. Decades of experience and he knows all the sweet spots in the channels, full of isolated and undisturbed nature. This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime. I’m going fishing for the catch of my life.”
With his last words, Buck’s eyes locked with Jewel’s.
“Let’s get the adventure of a lifetime going,” Stella said, smiling sweetly.
Jewel bent to lift her luggage.
“Oh, no, I’ll get that,” Stella said. “All part of the package.”
The crew gathered up their bags and lugged everything up the gangplank. Jewel stared at the luxury cruiser yacht. Arm in arm, Meral and Buck followed the crew.
“Come on, Jewel!” Meral yelled over her shoulder.
Jewel’s throat went dry.
What am I doing? Was she getting on this boat with a killer? Jewel felt like the absolute worst kind of traitor to think these awful thoughts. Meral was giddy with excitement and looked much younger than her years. Jewel should be happy for Meral.
Instead, she felt seasick and she hadn’t even boarded the yacht. She was leaving her self-proclaimed protector behind. Yet, she wasn’t truly alone.
God had been her refuge and would continue to be. And she had let Colin go, what small part of him she had held on to in her heart. She had no right to think about him or hang on to him when she simply wasn’t willing to risk that much.
Tears threatened, burning her eyes and throat.
But she focused on the yacht in front of her and this new adventure, praying it wouldn’t be deadly. A piece of her hoped this trip would force the truth—good or bad—to come out and she would at last be free from the threats on her life.
Finally, Jewel followed her sister and Buck onto the boat, where Stella, carrying Jewel’s luggage, showed Jewel to her quarters. Jewel trailed her, containing her gasp at the spacious room, though she shouldn’t have been surprised. Stella set Jewel’s luggage next to the king-size bed covered in an elegant seashell spread in shades of teal.
Stella held out her hand. “Can I take your bag?”
Jewel tugged it closer. “Uh, no. I can unpack my things, thank you.” She forced a smile and tried to relax.
Stella never lost her bright smile and went around the expansive stateroom explaining all the amenities like a well-practiced tour guide. The woman was in her mid to late twenties, slender and athletic, and a full head taller than Jewel. Her warm brown hair was secured in a ponytail and hidden beneath a white cap.
She stood at another door. “And in here, you’ll find a full bath with a large shower.”
“Thank you, Stella. I appreciate you showing me around.”
She clasped her hands in front of her. “Will there be anything else?”
“No. I’ll unpack my things and freshen up for dinner. When do we leave?”
“In half an hour or less, when everyone is settled in.”
Once alone, Jewel paced the luxurious room, feeling completely out of place, though she’d grown up in an old-money family and shouldn’t have felt uncomfortable. Had she been away from it all so long that she felt out of place here?
But one thing was certain. Meral hadn’t been disinherited—at least not yet—if chartering a private yacht for a few days was nothing to her. Or maybe Buck, who could have his own money, had paid for it. Jewel didn’t know a thing about him, and maybe that was what disturbed her the most.
But after the life Jewel had lived in Alaska, which consisted of hard work to earn a living and make ends meet, Jewel found this kind of wealth difficult to handle.
It didn’t feel right. She didn’t belong here. Jewel grabbed her bag. Forget her luggage. Easier to sneak off without it. Loathing herself for her indecision, loathing herself for doing this to Meral, she stepped into the hallway. Quietly, she shut the door behind her.
Then froze.
Buck stood at the other end of the hall in a wide stance.
He didn’t smile or speak.
He just stood there and stared at her. She should move or say something, but she felt the urge to turn and run. The skin on the back of her neck crawled, and she had the keen sense that Buck would react like a rabid dog at the prospect of a chase.
No. She couldn’t run.
Meral stepped from a room and leaned against Buck, who hugged her to him, but his eyes were slow to pull from Jewel.
After planting a kiss on his lips, Meral laughed and pulled away, only now noticing Jewel. Her smile dropped. “Jewel, what’s the matter? Why don’t you get settled in your room?”
Oh, how did Jewel tell her sister there was no way she could stay? Her heart crashed against her ribcage.
Suddenly, Meral’s eyes focused beyond Jewel’s shoulder. Buck’s eyes narrowed.
“I finally made it,” a familiar voice spoke from behind. “Thought I was going to miss the boat.”
Colin.
Jewel whipped around. Chief Colin Winters confidently strode toward her. Her heart bounced around at the sight of him. At the relief that he was here. He was dressed in a casual polo shirt and jeans and carried a duffel bag and jacket slung over his shoulder. He’d always looked good—authoritative and powerful—in his police attire. But now Colin was not the law. He was just a man and not just any man. A slow hum started in her stomach. She couldn’t find the words to greet him.
“What are you doing here?” Buck asked.
Jewel almost opened her mouth to ask the same question, but without missing a beat, Colin answered, “Jewel invited me. Didn’t she tell you?”
Buck laughed.
Meral gave him a jab. “Shush. Well, we’re delighted to have you, Chief Winters.”
“Colin. It’s just Colin. I’m not on duty now.”
A million questions ran through Jewel’s mind. Like how had he swung this? Would Meral and Buck make him pay for the ride? Would that clean out the man’s savings? But it didn’t matter. Jewel wanted to run into his arms like Meral had done with Buck, but she and Colin weren’t in that kind of relationship.
There was a question in his eyes.
Would she play along?
Yes. Yes, she would definitely play along. “I’m sorry, Meral. With everything going on, it must have slipped my mind. But remember, he promised not to leave my side until this was over.”
Meral giggled. “Yes, but the whole purpose of the trip was to keep you safe. You don’t need a protector here. Uh-huh. I’m on to you two. You can’t fool me for a minute.”
Jewel opened her mouth to correct Meral, but hesitated. She wasn’t sure what to say to Meral’s innuendos. Protesting that there was nothing between them would make things even more awkward. She had no idea how to act or respond.
Meral filled the silence with her exuberance. “But this will be so much fun!”
Could Meral be so incredibly clueless?
Stella appeared and showed Colin to his quarters down the hall. Jewel slipped back into her own room and let the bag slide to the floor. She was staying after all.
Now, where could she hide a diamond worth a fortune?
* * *
They traveled from Mountain Cove, heading north a short distance to stop and anchor for the night at an isolated cove off a nearby island. From there, they could watch for whales and sea lions. Maybe do some fishing. Buck claimed he was looking forward to catching halibut with Colin.
At dinner that evening they were served on the deck outside, under the stars. This time of year in southeast Alaska, the sunrise and sunset, as well as the weather, was more like that in the lower forty-eight.
A gorgeous night in a beautiful, secluded cove. Colin had to fight hard against relaxing into this dream vacation. It would be easy to imagine or pretend he was here with Jewel for personal reasons. That could be dangerous on too many levels, and if his hunch was right, cost their lives. That sober reminder kept him focused and on task.
Meral and Buck laughed, and the conversation was stimulating, but never veering too close to personal topics for any in the group, which was just as well. Colin didn’t want to answer questions about his life before Mountain Cove. Interesting to think they each had secrets—pasts they weren’t willing to share. Yet the conversation never ran out. Buck was intelligent and an eloquent conversationalist, knowledgeable on more subjects than most people Colin had met. Which would make him a great con artist.
Buck grinned at Meral, his gaze flicking to Jewel and back.
A memory flashed. Something at the edge of Colin’s mind. Why couldn’t he remember? He’d gone through photos of past investigations and had come up empty.
It would come to him, but would it come too late?
Jewel excused herself and left the table, promising to return in a minute or two.
While she was gone, Buck turned his attention on Colin.
“So tell me, Chief...er... Colin. How did you get away from town with a killer on the loose?” Buck asked. “I mean, Jewel’s here with us and obviously safe, so why would they let you leave in the middle of an investigation? It’s hard to imagine that the police chief would be assigned to bodyguard duty in these circumstances. Unless...oh, I know—” Buck snapped his fingers “—you assigned yourself.”
Have a care now how you answer. How much should he reveal?
Meral put her hand on Buck’s cheek and forced his face toward hers. “Now you leave him alone,” she said, but Buck’s gaze never left Colin’s. It was clear the man had not been happy to see him. Didn’t want him on the boat. Why not?
“The mayor trusts me to follow my instincts,” Colin said. That should be answer enough.
And then a slight curve came to Buck’s lips—that smirk again. A challenge?
A tingling sensation crawled over Colin. He knew that smirk. What good was he if he couldn’t remember?
He’d been right to resign from his job and come, of that he had no doubt. When he’d walked into the hall and caught that feral look in Buck’s eyes as the man had looked at Jewel, he’d known.
Maybe on this yacht Jewel would finally tell him what she hadn’t been willing to share so far. But he had to keep his heart out of it and use his head at all times.
He thought back to the cell phone call he’d received from the mayor right before boarding the yacht.
“Chief Winters, I don’t accept your resignation.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know what I said in the heat of the moment, but despite our recent troubles, I don’t believe we’ll find a better man for the job. So I’m going to give you the time away you need. I’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone, so to speak. I’m not sure whether to tell the boys you’re on a covert mission or that you’ve taken some time, but just do me one favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Get this guy, Colin. You return with our murderer, and that’ll save me a lot of explaining.”
Jewel returned, and they finished the rest of the dinner talking about the Alaska scenery.
Stella approached the table and removed their plates, then Meral and Buck excused themselves to go for a walk on the deck.
Colin was left alone with Jewel at the table. A candle burned in the center. While planning ahead for this adventure, he’d known he would be thrust into a romantic setting, and this certainly fit the bill. He just had to remember that it was set against a murderous backdrop. Still, no matter how he mentally prepared himself, he hadn’t fully grasped how much being here with Jewel would impact him. Jewel, with her ash-blond hair and striking, lovely hazel-green eyes that shined with a soft inner light had Colin struggling to breathe.
Being here with her like this without reaching over and grabbing her hand, touching her face, reaching out to hold her, might be the most difficult thing Colin had ever done. Jewel was so beautiful. If they let their hearts have free rein, she could be all he wanted. He never doubted that.
But danger lurked on the yacht with them. Whether that danger had anything to do with Jewel’s attacker remained to be seen. But he could feel it, sense it. Now that he let himself feel again and listen to his instincts, that danger reading was off the charts.
Focus, man. Focus.
He cleared his throat and tensed, forcing a harsh expression that felt completely wrong for the moment. “Now that we have a moment alone, I want to thank you for covering for me. I meant to...well... I meant to talk to you first and get myself an actual invitation.”
“I guess I should have invited you. I didn’t think it was appropriate. Or that you could leave your job.”
Oh yeah. That. If she only knew.
“So why did you come?” In her eyes, he thought he saw that she was searching, wanting to know a deeper truth. One he couldn’t admit.
“The reason you gave them. I’m not leaving your side until this is over.”
“But how will you catch my attacker if you’re on the boat with me?” An odd look washed over Jewel’s face, and the moonlit sparkle in her eyes vanished.
“I thought getting away was the answer, but as soon as you made plans to leave, I realized that your attacker might follow you. I’m going to keep you safe just like I said.”
She scoffed a laugh like she didn’t believe him. Didn’t trust his abili
ty to protect her.
Or was it that she knew he didn’t have all the information?
“What haven’t you told me, Jewel?”
“I haven’t told you thank you.” She smiled. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Jewel stood and moved to the rail to look out over the waters of the Inside Passage. He followed her and leaned against the railing next to her.
The only thing to make the moment more perfect would be to see the aurora borealis.
Yeah. This was definitely the hardest thing he’d ever done. Beautiful woman at his side on an amazing Alaskan cruise, and his senses were heightened to her every breath, her every look, her every smile, her shimmering gaze. But not fifty feet from them stood a dangerous man. Colin didn’t want Buck to be her attacker. But he also wanted to catch the person who’d tried to kill Jewel and had succeeded in killing Jed.
He watched Buck with Meral in the shadows at the bow. What a strangely precarious situation he was in now. Here to protect Jewel from a killer while he protected himself from Jewel.
God, You have a way of testing us, putting us through trials to make us stronger. But right now I feel weak. And maybe that’s Your plan. But doesn’t mean I have to like it.
And he didn’t like this familiar feeling. Like he was right back where he had been before, trying and failing to protect a woman he cared deeply about from a man set on killing her.
And this time, they were all together like one happy family on the boat ride of their lives.
ELEVEN
The room was spacious, but Jewel still felt trapped. Jewel sat up in bed against a couple of pillows and held another wrapped in her arms as if it could protect her.
How was she supposed to get any rest on this opulent yacht in this crazy situation, which was both dangerous and awkward? It was as if she had jumped from the proverbial frying pan right into the fire. And not only where her life was concerned. When Colin had showed up just in time to fend off the strange vibes coming from Buck, her heart had been instantly in jeopardy.
Mountain Secrets Page 11
