"Hotel security." That tough male voice sounded familiar. It wasn't Will's, but she'd definitely heard it before. "We've had reports of loud voices in this room. Is everything okay?"
"Sorry about that," answered one of the guards. "We'll keep it down."
"Do you mind opening up so I can have a look around?"
The guards shared a glance, looking even more alarmed.
Merry bit her tongue, desperate to call out or say something. For a mouthy person like her, this was torture. Rescue was so close, but so far. Then a soft scratching at the sliding glass door that opened onto the balcony caught her attention.
Crouched next to the door, weapon in hand, was Will. From her position, she was the only one who could see him.
His finger covered his lips in a "quiet" gesture. She nodded, glad for the gag that offered an extra guarantee.
But the door had one of those horizontal sliders that locked. She'd seen them click it into position. She shook her head slightly with a glance at the lock. He scowled at her, shaking his own head.
Trust him.
She turned her attention back to the guards, who were still arguing with the man at the door. Neither of them was looking her way. Maybe she could reach the slider with her foot.
But he'd told her not to. And this was his realm. And those guys had guns. And face it, she was a reporter, not a soldier.
And then everything happened at once.
The hotel security guy pounded on the door, yelling to be let in or he'd call the cops. The balcony door slid open and Will slipped through. Chase looked over at him, eyes popping open. For a terrifying moment, Merry thought he was going to give Will away through sheer cluelessness. But he shut his mouth and said nothing.
Will gestured to them to stay quiet as he prowled toward the door. She went still as a statue and watched with her heart in her mouth as Will padded silently across the floor.
He reached the closest guard and jammed a gun into the back of his neck. "Sheriff's department, drop your weapons."
The first guard did what Will said, but the other one didn't drop his gun. Instead he aimed it at Will—and Merry felt her heart seize in her chest.
No. Please God, no.
Time seemed to freeze as Will and the other guard faced off with each other. She flinched, expecting a bullet, a retort, an explosion.
Instead, came a crash. The door burst open, slamming the other gunman in the face. Will's two brothers stormed in, weapons drawn. Will pushed the guard he'd been holding toward Tobias, who quickly spun him out of the way. Moving so fast he was a blur, Will kicked the door out of the way and jammed the second gunman's arm against the wall. He grabbed the gun out of his hand, then yanked his arm behind his back and pulled out a set of handcuffs.
Within moments, both kidnappers were face down on the carpeted floor while Will read them their rights. "Keep an eye on them, guys," he told Tobias and Ben.
Then, finally, he turned to Merry. The fierce look in his eyes burned through her. He strode to her side and pulled off the gag, then reached behind her to cut through the zip ties. She flexed her wrists. Blood poured back through her constricted veins. It felt as if sharp needles were jabbing her. When he sliced through the ties binding her ankles, she nearly cried from the physical relief.
"Are you all right?" he asked her.
She nodded, too overcome to speak. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her so deep and hard and true that her heart just about exploded. She surrendered to the overwhelming relief and joy of that kiss, until something tugged at her awareness, and she pulled away.
"Chase," she gasped. "Help him too."
He gave her one last lingering, scorching look, then crossed to free Chase from his bonds. "Trouble just runs in your family, doesn't it?" he asked the kid.
Chase grinned and rubbed his wrists. For a guy who'd just been kidnapped, he looked like he was having the time of his life.
After Will had called dispatch to pick up the perps, he walked Merry out to the parking lot, where Tobias' Land Rover waited. Chase was already inside, gesturing wildly as he told the story to Tobias and Ben. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, her mind was busy putting all the pieces together.
"Did you get their cell phones? I'm pretty sure they were on the phone with Buckaroo the entire time."
Will shot her a look that somehow managed to combine affection and irritation. It felt so blessedly normal to see that look on his face. "You don't say."
"I'm not trying to interfere with your investigation," she added hastily. "I'm sure you know what you're doing."
"Well, yes, I did rescue you, after all."
Yes, he had rescued her. In so many ways she didn't know where to start. But that didn't mean she couldn't tease him like always. "That's true, but I had something to do with it too. I did provide a pretty crucial piece of information."
"Yes, you did. Very clever, the way you slid "safe" in there. I had to listen twice before I got it. Way to think on your feet. Nice cover."
She frowned and stopped walking, still several yards from the Land Rover. "Wait. Hold up. You think what I said was a cover?"
He cocked his head at her. She noticed that he had a scratch on his neck, probably from the arrest. "Last I heard, you were telling me you didn't need me."
"No. No." Unable to bear the thought that he didn't understand, she gripped his arm. "I meant every word I said on the phone. I love you. I had it all wrong that night. I mean, not completely wrong—I still want to stand on my own two feet. But I do need you. Because I love you."
His forearm tensed under her touch, his muscles bunching in reaction. "But what about everything you said about respecting yourself? I don't want to get in the way."
"You aren't. I was getting in the way. I can respect myself just fine and be with the man I love. It's all in here, see?" She tapped her chest, over her heart. "It all starts here. And you know something else? I can respect myself without that damn job. Screw Douglas. Screw the paper. I don't need them. I need myself, and I need you. I need us. So if I never get another job in journalism, I'm fine with that. If I'm with you, I'll be happy. Maybe I'll switch to some other profession that doesn't require irritating my favorite deputy sheriff."
"Merry…" His eyebrows drew together in a frown, his gray eyes serious. Why was he frowning? Was he about to say 'no, too late, you lose?' Out of sheer terror, she kept on talking. If she kept the words coming, he couldn't break her heart, could he?
"I thought about it, and the reason I love reporting is to speak up for people. I can do that in a lot of different ways. Police work is one way, for instance. Legal work. I could even be a teacher. Journalism just happens to be the career I chose, but now I'm choosing you, and—"
"Merry. Stop it. Don't leave journalism. You're a great reporter, and you've worked too hard to give that up."
"Oh," she whispered, looking down. She couldn't come up with anything else to say. For once in her life, she was at a complete loss for words. She'd laid her heart completely on the line. Offered to give up her profession, and Will, of all people, knew how much that meant. But he didn't want what she was offering. Maybe he didn't want her. Maybe she'd ruined everything with her harsh words the other night.
Will swore under his breath, then took hold of her chin and lifted her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. "What I mean is, I love you and I intend to be with you. No matter what our jobs are."
Her heart gave a thump, as if he'd just brought her back to life with emergency verbal CPR. "You do?" She blinked back the mist of tears.
"I do. I love you. You can pester me with questions for the rest of your life and I'll be happy." He blotted a stray tear that rolled onto his thumb. "And I want you to start with my father. I want to share it all with you. No more 'keep out' signs. But as as for our jobs—it's not an issue anymore. This incident is going to get me fired."
And just like that, she forgot all about her own troubles. She forgot everything except the injustice of
Will—Will, the best deputy in town!—getting fired. "No! That's unacceptable. You rescued us, why should you get fired?"
Ben rolled down the window of the passenger seat and leaned out. "You coming, Merry?"
She barely heard him, focusing completely on Will.
"I didn't follow protocols. I got two civilians to assist in this takedown."
"But it worked. They can't fire you. I'll write an op-ed for the paper, I'll start a petition. Everyone in Jupiter Point knows you're the best."
He threw his head back and laughed. "Listen, Merry. It's not a bad thing at all. As soon as I made the decision, I felt free. Some people have been saying that I've been in a rut."
"Total rut," called Ben. "Good thing you showed up to kick him in the ass."
"He's right," said Will. "Chasing you around is practically a full-time job all on its own. Besides, I have some other things I want to do, and we should talk about them, but not now. I need to get our suspects booked."
She sighed, realizing that the moment for privacy was gone. She rose on tiptoe to kiss him, a sweet, intimate touch that promised heat and passion and devotion. "You know, I just realized something. I always say I want to take care of myself. But today I had three Knights come to my rescue. And I'm not complaining one bit."
Will wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, so she gazed down into his stern, smiling face. "You're forgetting the fact that you told us where to find you. I wouldn't exactly call you a damsel in distress. More like a damsel in command."
She smiled joyfully down at him. "I'll stick with 'damsel in love.'"
30
Will didn't get fired; he resigned. He didn't want to create a publicity problem for Sheriff Perez, who came back from his honeymoon to a big, complicated mess. The DEA was upset, his own department was upset, and Cindy…Cindy was missing.
Will blamed himself for that.
"I should have seen it," he told Perez. "I went through everyone's background in detail except for hers. If I had, maybe I would have seen the problem."
The sheriff, whose tropical honeymoon glow was quickly fading, scratched his tanned face. "I never saw it coming either. Cindy Tran, Jesus. She's a star employee. We need to find her and get her into custody."
"I don't think it's her fault. I dug a little deeper and found out her family owes Buckaroo money. He probably made her do it in exchange for not calling in the loan."
"Maybe. We won't know unless we find her." Perez longingly eyed the tin of Altoids on his desk. "And now that you're leaving, how's that supposed to happen?"
"I have a suggestion about that, as a matter of fact. Did you know that Jupiter Point doesn't have a single private investigator?"
Perez stared at him, then gave in and grabbed his Altoids. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Nope. I need some free time to pursue a few things. Family stuff."
Perez looked at him as he turned the tin over in his hands. "Your father. The Robert Knight case."
Will had never discussed the topic of his father with the sheriff. It felt strange, but he'd better get used to it. If he was going to start down this path, he'd have to talk about it a lot.
"Yes. In fact, I was hoping that I could take a look at the files once again, while I'm still employed here."
"Sure, but I have one stipulation."
"What's that?"
"Don't do anything stupid or reckless. If you find something, come to me or to Chief Becker. Let us handle it."
Will nodded slowly. He'd done his lone wolf act for Merry's sake. But when it came down to it, he was a law-and-order guy, not some vigilante. "I can live with that. As for Cindy, I'd like to take on that case, no pay necessary. I feel responsible. And I'm worried about her. If she's on the run from Buckaroo, she won't last long. If she's under his control, same thing. Are you okay with that?"
Perez rolled a mint between his fingers. "Do you know how nice it was to just lie on a tropical beach for two weeks with no decisions to make? Nothing except blended or on the rocks? Dancing before dinner or after? Who's turn is it to be on to—"
"Okay, I get the point," Will interrupted hurriedly. "I'll make the decision for you. Let me find Cindy, no charge, and you handle everything once I locate her. Deal?"
"Deal."
They shook hands on it, then Will got to his feet. "One more thing. All this vacation and tropical-island shit—can you tell me a little more about that?"
31
A few days later, Will lay with Merry on a woven straw beach mat. His hand rested on her left thigh, while her left foot rubbed against his. Their dip in the ocean had covered their skin with salt, which was now being baked in by the sun. He kept wiggling around trying to get the most comfortable position for his ass. But every time he shifted, he hit a stone or a seashell or God knew what. He stared up at the sky. Even though he wore sunglasses, it seemed too damn bright.
Beach vacations sucked.
But he refused to utter a word of complaint, because no doubt Merry was loving this. This was their first getaway together. Their first vacation. And the fact that Merry was at his side made up for all the discomfort.
He had no idea why people raved about this beach thing. But he'd lie here in this roasting oven, on this bed of sand, sticky and salty, as long as Merry wanted him to.
"Having fun?" he asked, turning his head toward her. She too wore sunglasses, along with a white head scarf to keep the sand out of her hair. The seaside sun added a rosy depth to the bronze of her skin. She looked glorious and insanely sexy in her tiny orange bikini.
So there was that.
"It's so pretty here," she said in response. "And we have the whole beach to ourselves."
He noticed that she hadn't exactly answered the question. "We can go in the water again."
"No, that's okay," she said quickly. "My hair's had enough salt for one day."
"More ice tea?"
"Sure."
He opened the cooler with one hand and fished out a cold bottle of lemony ice tea. He screwed off the top and handed it to her. "Beachside cabana boy, at your service. Tips accepted."
"In kiss form?"
"Won't argue."
She kissed his shoulder, then his biceps. Her soft lips pressed against his flesh, and just like that, he felt complete. "Any news about the arraignment?" she murmured.
"I thought we weren't going to talk about work out here."
"Right. But this isn't about work so much as about public safety. Those two jerks do work for a convicted drug lord, after all."
"Last I heard, they're singing like birds and things aren't looking good for old Buckaroo."
Merry rolled back onto her side of the mat. "Well isn't that a shame. Chase is writing about it on his Tumblr, too. He picked the wrong intern to kidnap."
"Oh yeah, real tough guy," said Will dryly.
"In his own way, he is. I have to give him credit. Oh, did I tell you my mother's headed back to the States next month? She's coming to Jupiter Point to meet you. She calls you the man who 'captured my heart'."
"I pursued it long enough. It was just a matter of time before I captured it." He brushed a kiss onto her lips, and they took a moment to revel in the bone-deep knowledge of how much they loved each other.
She pulled away to flick a sand flea off her stomach. "What's with all the bugs out here? Is that normal?"
"Probably. We're outdoors, and that's kind of their territory."
"I'm not complaining," she added hastily. "This is great. Vacation. Wow. No wonder people are always raving about vacations."
"Right." He peered at her, but couldn't read her expression behind her dark sunglasses. "Have you decided what to do about the offer from the Gazette?"
"I thought we weren't talking about work out here?" She nudged his leg with her toe.
"It's not really a question about work," he countered. "It's about your future. Your passion. Your dreams. Those things all matter to me. I want you to be happy."
"I am happ
y. I'm with you, and that makes me happy. But you're right, I do have my dreams, and running a new investigative unit at the Gazette would be awesome. First, I'd wrap up the Buckaroo story. That should never have been shelved. Next, I'd do your family's story the way it ought to be done. After that, there's this story about pesticides that—"
"So you're going to take it?" he asked, amused.
"Maybe I ought to take it. With a job like that, I can really make things happen. I can choose which stories we follow. I can shake things up. Put our newspaper on the map. A few great investigative pieces, and we could really get some attention. The downside is having to work with Douglas, but I can't let that stop me. The board ordered him to hire me back, so he probably won't mess with me again."
"Congratulations, I'm really proud of you. You're going to do great."
"Well, I haven't decided yet. I told Douglas he'd have to wait until the end of our vacation. Vacation comes first. We both deserve one. Work can wait."
"Uh-huh." He knew his Merry, and her decision had been made. Most likely, she'd made it as soon as Douglas had made the offer. A little crab crawled across his foot. He shook it off. "The local wildlife sure is happy to have us here."
"Yup." She pointed at a seagull flying past. "I swear that same bird has been cruising around up there, just waiting for a chance to peck us."
"It's a seagull, and of course it's not the same seagull," he scoffed. "There are tons of them out here."
"Whatever. I don't trust any of them." She lifted her sunglasses to stare balefully up at the soaring bird.
He laughed, finding her delightful as always. He loved her in all her moods, including bird-phobic. As long as none of her moods involved kicking him to the curb again, he could handle them. And since she'd accepted an engagement ring and his second wedding proposal—made on this very beach just an hour ago—he had high hopes that wouldn't happen.
"Speaking of circling vultures…" she said.
He laughed again. He couldn't help it, she just amused him without even trying.
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