by Anne Conley
Well, at least her house was mostly unpacked, if not completely moved into. Salem had rediscovered his youth, taking out every issue he’d ever had on the newspaper she discarded as she unpacked. But as she looked around at all of her things in this new place, she could only remember how they fit into her old farmhouse, a relic from her parents when they’d been living. They felt so much better there. Even her old tomcat hid under the couch, his tail the only thing visible, swishing from side to side. It was as if he were mad she was here, too. Knowing Salem, he probably was. He preferred her to be at work and leave his home alone. She smiled as she watched the crotchety old cat.
This wasn’t home yet. And she didn’t know what to do to make it homier. All she could think was she hadn’t gotten the right vibe yet, even with her artwork on the walls and her scented candles flaming.
Austin wasn’t her home.
She was restless and didn’t know what to do with herself. She had worked herself silly, trying to clear her mind that wouldn’t shut down, and now that her physical work was done, Amber was left only with her racing thoughts.
According to the news, Perkins had gone underground. His face was plastered on everything, and a full-on manhunt was underway as they looked for him. Nobody knew where he was, nor could they find his silver-haired accomplice from Dallas. And that bothered Amber. She couldn’t help but think she was the reason behind the fact they didn’t already have the bastard in custody.
In Serendipity, when she got stuck, she would go hike around her parents’ place. Something about the peace of the property and wildlife gave her a renewed sense of purpose. It recharged her soul to walk around and smell the outside, touch the leaves wet with dew, and listen to the birds in the treetops.
She needed to go outside and do something. At home, there were pastures and forests and lakes to clear her mind while she hiked. Surely, there was stuff like that here. Amber got online and found a state park nearby.
That would do for a daytrip to get out of the house. Maybe it would bring some clarity and make her think of this place she didn’t fit in as home. Her cat would certainly enjoy his solitude again.
Two hours later, she was deep in Pedernales Falls State Park, a prime example of the wilderness of Central Texas, with its rocky waterfalls and scrubby mesquite woods. As she walked one of the trails that meandered through the park, Amber marveled at the beautiful rural landscape less than an hour from where she lived. The trail widened at a large pool of water with a series of small waterfalls for which the state park was named. The landscape was stunning, even with the leafless trees and shades of brown and white surrounding her. White limestone created everything from the riverbed to the waterfalls, and it contrasted with the earthy tones showing through it all. It began to rain lightly, and the rain was cold, but she could forego a little comfort. She’d come all the way out here to be part of something real, and there wasn’t anything more real than this. Amber felt closer to everything in the rain.
Some people believed God was in a church, but at times like this, Amber felt God seeping into her soul. She felt Him through the pores in her skin, via the rain, the fresh air, the scent of the mesquite leaves, even the dirt. Times like this, she felt so small and insignificant with the wonder of nature surrounding her, infusing her. Her problems were washing away with the soft rainfall.
It was all so beautiful, she lost herself to the wildness of the setting—becoming one with all of it—and didn’t notice the man who walked up on her flank.
“What are you doing out here?” The soft voice was a balm to her frayed nerves, soothing what was left of the restlessness inside her with memories of late-night whispers and rough fingertips along her skin.
She turned to find Dex standing there, his arm in a sling, leaning on a stick. He looked awful, but in a good way she couldn’t explain. Water droplets cascading down his hair and face accentuated everything about his features, molding his clothes to his skin, the texture on his face bringing its features out in a stark relief. Dark circles under his eyes made him look like he hadn’t slept since she saw him last, or longer. His hair was mussed, as if he’d just rolled out of the bed he hadn’t been sleeping in. But his color was good, the ruddy complexion rosy with exertion.
“Um, I’m trying to settle myself. I don’t know how to explain it.” Her honesty poured forth unbidden, and the immediate concern in his eyes had her struggling to change the subject. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
He sank to a rock, sitting with a sigh. “I come here a lot when I’m stuck on a case. It’s relaxing.”
She sat next to him. “You stuck on something?”
A rough bark of laughter came from him, and she thought it might have been painful with the slight groan the laugh tapered into. “Yeah, I am.”
Amber didn’t press, choosing instead to watch the water and chase her peace. Water dripping onto the surface of the water created rings which bumped and merged into each other. The calm ripples of the water spoke of underwater currents, pools and eddies swirling gently. That was her. Outwardly calm, she felt a tumult under the surface, as if she were about to break any second.
She sighed. The soft sound of the rain was relaxing, and if she were just a little bit warmer, she fancied she could take a nap in the rain.
“You finding it?” His voice next to her whispered over her skin like a caress.
“What?” She turned and saw him staring at her.
“Your peace? Do you feel more settled out here?”
Amber shrugged, unsure how to answer. She didn’t want to tell him she had been having an almost spiritual moment until he showed up and changed everything slightly, making the setting and spiritual experience she had been having so much more. So she settled with a lame “Yes.”
Truth was, now that Dex was here with her, she felt more at peace than she had at her own house. And she couldn’t explain that. Not totally.
Her breath caught when Dex twisted his body, looking at her fully. His eyes were so intense, the blue deepening to a cobalt color, reminding her of the sea.
“I need something good, Amber.” He licked his lips as if he were going to kiss her, and she decided if he did, she wouldn’t stop him. Seeing him here had set something right in her gut, and she trusted that. Even if she couldn’t explain it and didn’t want to examine the reasons behind it.
But he surprised her by talking more. It was so off-topic, she took a moment to process it. “What’s your favorite song?”
“Um, Christmas music. Why?”
He didn’t answer but went somewhere inside himself, turning to look out over the falls in the distance that fell into more falls. The ripples of the water were mesmerizing to Amber, and she followed his gaze.
“I was married once. We were young and didn’t really know what we wanted out of life, except I knew I wanted to be a cop. She stayed with me through the academy, but as soon as I got out and started the beat, she left me. Said she couldn’t handle the danger involved, not knowing if I would come home every night. I don’t think that was the real reason, but I didn’t argue. I was more passionate about being an officer than I was about the marriage, and she left amicably. She remarried and moved to Dallas, and we haven’t talked in years. But there aren’t any hard feelings.”
Still looking out over the falls, Amber thought they might be rising a bit but couldn’t be sure. The drizzling rain still fell steadily, but neither of them seemed to notice. “Why are you telling me this?”
He shrugged. “It’s just something you should know before we get into a relationship. Like I need to know your favorite song, apparently.” He smiled, looking at her again, and if she hadn’t been sitting, Amber was certain her knees would have given way. The way the smile lit his eyes and made them crinkle around the edges did something to her.
“Who says we’re getting in a relationship?” Her voice lacked the conviction she wanted it to have, coming out more of a breathless flutter.
His
smile turned into something a little bit secretive, a little bit wicked, and a whole lot sexy. Dex leaned closer, and Amber couldn’t take her eyes off his lips as they muttered, “I do.”
Then he kissed her.
It started out soft and slow, more of a statement of intention than anything else. Dex was telling her he wanted something with her, the soft caress of his lips against hers warm in the cold rain. But as they kissed, the intensity grew and the meaning of it changed.
He sucked her bottom lip between his teeth, and her mouth opened to capture his, swooping her tongue inside his to explore and taste. He reciprocated, the kiss more demanding. He had made his intentions clear, and now he was demanding an answer. Amber was lost in the moment—the natural landscape, his soft voice, his warmth against the rain—and as she kissed him, she wound her arms around his neck, being careful of his shoulder, letting him in and telling him she wanted more.
That’s all it took for the kiss to turn wild. Dex nipped at her, suckling her into his mouth with a low moan that made so many promises. Amber pressed against him, her insides suddenly heated in the chilly, wet air. It was as if steam were rising from the two of them, and as he pulled her closer, she felt the hard ridges of his muscles against her soft curves.
A series of clicks that sounded an awful lot like a bolt action rifle being cocked had them separating in a millisecond.
Terry Perkins stood across the water, at the other edge, with a deer rifle aimed at them. He wasn’t very close, but his features could be made out, the sneer on his face chilling.
“Perfect!” he shouted across the dim roar of the water rushing and rain falling. Dressed in camouflage, Amber wondered how long he’d been hiding here. Presumably, he’d come here after the explosion to hide out, which would explain why no one could find him inside the city limits. “This is just perfect. I can’t get away from you two.”
Amber’s head spun at the unexpectedness of Perkins’ arrival in her lusty fog. She’d been ready to invite Dex back to her house, to see if his being there made it seem more homey. And now she was tossed back into the case she’d been kicked off of.
Dex didn’t really react, except to awkwardly raise his one good arm while spreading his slinged arm wide. She raised hers as well. Out of the corner of her mouth, she asked, “Did you know he was here?”
“Suspected it. Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry? Amber was armed but couldn’t see a way to get to her weapon with it in her back holster. She presumed Dex was as well, but how could he get to his? Did he have some sort of grand plan?
What the hell was going on? She’d come out here to find some peace and had found it, but now it was all shot to shit since she was being held at gunpoint.
Dex’s heart raced and mind spun as he stared down the barrel of a rifle that was pointed at Amber. Where the fuck was Ryan? Asshole was supposed to be here, somewhere, since he supposedly knew this park like the back of his hand. The park edged up against his own property, somewhere beyond this peaceful patch of wilderness.
He had called Ryan and convinced him to lie to Simon about what he was working on today and come out here to search for Perkins. That’s what they were up to when he’d seen Amber standing here, looking out over the falls like a lost little girl trying to find her world.
He’d lost his focus.
Big mistake.
Evan had found out Perkins had season passes that got him into any of the state parks he wanted in the area. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where he’d gone. It was just a matter of figuring out which one. They’d searched McKinney Falls yesterday, and today was this one. And judging by the wild man standing on the shore aiming a rifle at them, they’d hit the jackpot.
The rain started coming down harder, and Dex hoped it was obscuring some vision for Perkins.
Dex would be willing to bet Perkins couldn’t hit a moving target, if Amber’s life weren’t on the line. Knowing his luck, Perkins could be a marksman and wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if they ran. He couldn’t chance it. Neither could he chance reaching for his side arm. Concealed carry permits were only as good as the situation, and this situation didn’t lend itself to success.
He’d be willing to bet Amber had her piece, too, but was smart enough not to reach for it.
Come on, Ryan. Where the fuck are you? Dex chanted in his head, schooling his body language, knowing Perkins was watching him carefully.
Amber hollered over the roar of the water and rain that was suddenly pounding down. “To be honest, we were just here trying to clear our minds. We’ve both been taken off your case, for whatever that’s worth.”
Dex’s head swiveled around to look at her as she spoke, her chin jutting out in a familiar pose. If he could see her eyes, he knew he’d see the dick-twitching fire in them. Probably a good thing. He really needed to focus right now. He looked back at Perkins to see he had his rifle firmly trained on Amber. Dex needed to say something.
“That’s not why I was here. I knew you were here somewhere, Perkins.” Success. The slight recalculation of the rifle now had him firmly in its sights and not Amber. That was good, but she stiffened next to him. “She was just a bonus.” He grinned, trying to stay calm, when all he wanted to do was launch himself at Amber and cover her with this body. But there was no place to hide within twenty feet of them, and they’d both be dead before they found cover if Perkins was any sort of shot.
Something cold lapped at his feet, and Dex realized the water had risen over his shoes. Between his now chattering teeth, he murmured, “Flashfloods happen a lot here. Be ready to run for it, back behind us, away from the water.”
Then his backup appeared. Behind Perkins, Ryan emerged from the woods, silently creeping up behind the man with the rifle so intent on aiming at the two of them, he hadn’t noticed yet.
Amber gasped, and Dex whispered out of the side of his mouth, “Part of the plan, doll face.”
“I just didn’t want the bats to be homeless. Why can’t you guys understand that? They’re important to Austin’s economy, the ecosystem, and they’re beautiful, living creatures that deserve a home just like everyone else.” The water was up to Perkins’ knees, but he either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care. Ryan was tensing up behind him to pounce, and Dex looked on, a little horrified.
The rushing water had his own legs swaying in the current, almost up to his calves. He planted his feet firmly and wondered if Perkins would shoot him if he stood to get a better grip on the ground.
Probably.
“I mean, all you had to do was reroute construction, build a different bridge, something! But to mess with the bats is unconscionable.”
“Did you talk to the City Council? I’m sure they would listen to your concerns.” Dex knew he had, but at this point, he just needed to keep the guy talking.
“Of course I did. They thanked me for my involvement but said this was the best solution they could come up with, which is bullshit. I know more than anybody thinks I do. You’d be surprised at what I hear in my car, driving people around. I know things.”
If his hands weren’t full of rifle, Perkins would probably be tapping his temple. Half his words were lost in the sound of the rushing water falling and rising around them.
“Terry, we’re in danger here. We’ve got to get away from this river,” Dex warned, hoping Perkins would heed the threat. Ryan waited for his signal, and Dex waited for the time to give it.
He and Amber still sat on the rock, hands in the air, with the water at their feet rising inches by the minute. It wouldn’t be long before they were swept off their rock and into the Pedernales River. He reached over and squeezed her hand, hoping to impart some reassurance he could get them out of here.
“Stop touching each other! I don’t know what tricks you have up your sleeve, but I’m not having it!” His voice had risen in pitch, and Dex saw the uncertainty in his actions. He didn’t know how long Perkins had been living in the woods, but the guy was clearly coming un
hinged. And that didn’t bode well for any of them.
He nodded as he spoke, giving Ryan the signal. “Look, Terry, up until this point you haven’t killed anybody. You don’t want to do this, man. If you shoot us …”
Ryan pounced, tucking the rifle under the man as he tackled him to the ground. Dex used the moment to get Amber off the rock and into the trees behind them, out of the way of the roaring water.
Ryan struggled with Perkins, who dropped his weapon and tried to fight his attacker. They rolled briefly, and Ryan got the upper hand almost immediately. Then the roaring got immensely louder, and everyone froze, looking upstream.
A huge wave of water was coming over the falls. The rocks couldn’t be seen anymore, and with the water level rising, it looked like a tsunami. Dex and Amber watched, helpless on the other side of the river, as Ryan and Terry Perkins were trapped in an undertow, sucking them back toward the immense surge of water before it broke.
And they both disappeared.
“Shit.” Dex reached for his phone to call emergency services, or the park rangers, somebody—anybody to fish Ryan out of this mess—but his phone was soaked. He turned to Amber. “Is your phone working?” She’d already pulled hers out and was looking at him with a tragic expression on her face.
Dex started stripping down to his skivvies, knowing his clothes would be too heavy to fight against this raging current. Before he could get past his gun holster, he remembered the sling on his arm, the recent surgery to his shoulder, and he knew there was absolutely no way he could save Ryan in this. Amber stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“Don’t. It’s too rough.” She swallowed, tears shining brightly in her eyes. “I don’t want to lose you, too.” Those last words gave him pause.