by Connie Mann
She walked over, gave him a long, lingering kiss. “Sorry. Good morning. I’m a little wound up.”
“Do you still want coffee, then?”
“Oh, I’m never that wound.” She smiled and reached past him for a mug, brushing a hand along his jaw as she did.
After breakfast, they drove to the same location as before, but it took longer to find the troop, since they’d moved much farther into the forest. As before, Josh kept his eyes on their surroundings while Delilah pulled out her camera and started cataloguing the monkeys’ faces.
“Did you name them all?” he asked after he overheard her talking to them.
She flushed. “Not all. Several of the alpha males, certainly, some of the females. But mostly the little ones.”
“I’m onto you, Miss Atwood. It’s not really about research. You’re just a sucker for an adorable monkey face.”
She lowered her camera. “Busted. Aren’t they sweet?” She showed him several pictures of Oscar, then sobered. “But I still can’t find the mothers. It’s like they’ve vanished.”
“You’re absolutely sure?”
She drew a shaky breath. “As sure as I can be. Not only are those four gone, but two more are missing.”
“Mothers?”
“Yes. It looks like two of the other mothers adopted the infants.” She scrolled through her photos. “See, they’ve each got two now, where they only had one before.”
Josh scrubbed his chin. “Hunter checked. Nobody has a permit to trap them out here. Let’s see if there is any more evidence of humans in the area before we go.”
There wasn’t, but that didn’t make Delilah feel any better.
“We’ll get our biologist to check it out, see if he can give us any answers,” Josh said as they returned to the truck.
When they reached the main road, they had barely enough time to get to the church before services let out. Josh reached over the truck’s console and gripped her hand. “Breathe. It’ll be okay.”
Worry hummed under her skin. “What if she can’t get away? What if John Henry—”
He gave her hand an extra squeeze. “Let’s just get there first.”
They parked in the dense forest and quietly wound their way to the secluded clearing she and Mary used to disappear to.
Josh propped one leg on the log where Delilah sat, leaned on his forearm as he looked around. “Why this spot?”
She smiled. “As soon as the preacher said amen, the men would congregate outside on one side of the church and the women on the other, and rather than stand around in the heat, starving, Mary and I would sneak into the woods until we heard Mama calling. It was cooler here and quieter, and as a bonus, it kept me from getting recruited to help with canning and birthing.” She shuddered. “And from getting shanghaied into babysitting or meal prep duty for moms who had just given birth.”
“I take it those weren’t your favorite assignments?”
Delilah shook her head, remembering. “I’d much rather fish or be part of target practice. But I only got to do those things when we were alone. Otherwise, things were strictly divided along male-female roles.”
“Have you really helped deliver a baby?”
Just as she opened her mouth to respond, she heard a whooshing noise. Without thought, she dropped down beside the log. Josh landed on top of her, covering her with his body.
They stayed that way for several seconds before Delilah raised her head. She locked eyes with him, and they both looked up and spotted it at the same time.
There was a knife embedded in the tree just beyond where they had been sitting. Had they not ducked, it would have hit one of them.
“Stay down.” Josh crouched by the log, weapon drawn, prepared to head into the forest.
“Mary! Let’s go. What are you doing out here?”
At the sound of John Henry’s angry growl, Delilah froze. Had he followed her? She waited, heart pounding.
“I’m sorry, Papa. I was just taking a walk.”
Delilah’s heart clenched at the way her sister’s voice shook.
“You know better than to disappear without permission.”
This was her chance. Delilah opened her backpack and closed her hand around her gun. She’d force him to let Mary go. Right now. She lurched to her feet, gun down at her side, ready to burst out of the trees and get her sister.
From somewhere nearby, she heard pounding feet and children’s laughter as they ran by.
She hadn’t taken more than a single step when Josh wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her back against his chest. She elbowed him in the ribs and tried to break free, but he simply tightened his hold. “Let me go,” she hissed. “What are you doing?”
His voice was quiet in her ear. “Too many people. Children. And whoever threw that knife is probably still out here.”
She hadn’t considered any of that, all her focus on Mary. Had John Henry thrown the knife, knowing Mary was coming to meet her? That didn’t make sense. So it had to be someone else. If Delilah showed herself, would whoever it was hurt her sister? Or the children?
More childish giggles rang out, and she froze. Oh God. She couldn’t get her sister without risking innocent lives. With every passing second, Mary and John Henry’s voices faded, and her window of opportunity disappeared.
Delilah stepped out of Josh’s arms, saw the way he eyed her gun, and anger flared, hot and bright. Right. FWC officer. He couldn’t stand by and watch her threaten her father at gunpoint. Dammit. Another reason she shouldn’t have gotten involved with him. She squeezed her eyes shut, beyond frustrated with him, herself, the whole freaking situation.
She tucked her weapon in her backpack, cataloguing options, searching for another way to rescue her sister.
Josh pulled gloves and a plastic bag from one of the pockets of his cargo pants. After a quick look around, he stepped over to the tree and quickly bagged the knife. “Let’s find a better hiding place. Whoever threw this will be coming back to see what he hit. I want to be ready.”
Delilah marched after him, and they crouched in the bushes for almost an hour, but no one showed up. Frustrated anger still churned under her skin when Josh stood and pulled her up beside him, apology thick in his expression. “I’m sorry.”
Without a word, she headed for his truck. Logic told her he’d done the right thing, but she still wasn’t feeling very logical. She only knew Mary had been close enough to touch and she’d lost her chance.
* * *
Neither said a word as they waited outside the community center. Delilah used the time to wrestle her frustration under control and think about her upcoming meeting with Mama. Would she be able to convince her?
When her mother appeared, Delilah’s heart clenched. She looked so much older than her years. Her life was not an easy one, and her body bore the evidence.
“What are you hoping to accomplish?” Josh asked quietly as she opened her door.
She glanced over her shoulder, ignored the caring in his expression. “Ideally, Mama will agree to help me get Mary away from the campsite. But I’m not holding my breath on that one,” she added when Josh started to protest. “If not that, I want to know who they’re marrying her off to.”
“You’ll try to convince the groom to back out of the deal?”
Delilah kept her expression bland. “Something like that. Though I don’t figure this scumbag will want to give up his child bride willingly,” she muttered.
“You know you can’t just pull a gun—”
Delilah held up a hand. “Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. I am going to keep my sister from getting married at sixteen. End of story.”
“It’s not the end of the story and you know it. I said I’d help. But you have to follow—”
Delilah missed whatever else he said, because she slid out of the
truck and slammed the door. Let Mr. By-the-Book do things his way. She’d make her own plans.
At the door to the clinic, she paused and took a deep breath before she walked inside. Then another. Honesty forced her to admit that her anger at Josh was misplaced. She was beyond furious with her father and the whole situation. Josh was just a convenient target. And that wasn’t fair to him. At all.
She forced a smile at the older woman who manned the receptionist desk. “Good afternoon. I’m here to see Kimberly Gaines.”
“I’m sorry, but Ms. Gaines is currently with another patient,” the woman said.
“Yes, I know. I’m supposed to be part of that meeting. Thank you.” She strode down the hall and straight into Kimberly’s office, closing the door behind her before the woman could cause a ruckus.
“Hello, Ms…ah…Kimberly.
Hello, Mama.” She leaned down to her mother’s chair and gave her a quick hug.
After a stunned moment of disbelief, Mama hopped up and wrapped Delilah in a fierce hug. “Oh, baby girl. I thought you were dead.” Tears poured down her cheeks as she pulled back and cupped Delilah’s face with her warm hands. “You’re okay. Oh, thank you, Jesus, you’re okay.”
Delilah met Kimberly’s chiding expression. She’d totally forgotten that her mother thought she had died, too. She’d always felt socially inept, like she regularly missed social cues, but never more so than now. “I’m sorry you thought I was dead, Mama.”
“But why are you letting people think that?”
Again, she and Kimberly exchanged looks. Could she trust Mama? How much would she feel compelled to tell John Henry? “It’s better this way.”
“Better for whom? What’s going on, Delilah?”
“Why don’t we sit down and talk this through?” Kimberly ushered them to the sagging love seat while she took the chair opposite.
Delilah opened her mouth, but all her carefully rehearsed words didn’t seem appropriate. Or maybe they were, since the bottom line was the same. “I need to talk to you about Mary.” Delilah leaned forward and grabbed both of Mama’s work-worn hands in her own. “She’s only sixteen, Mama. It’s too young to get married. She wants to go to school and be independent and choose her own husband someday when she’s ready. Can you understand that?” she asked gently.
Mama waved that away. “She doesn’t know her own mind. She needs a strong man to guide her, to help her mature and give her the chance to be a mother.”
Delilah’s stomach turned at hearing the exact same words Mama had said to her so many years ago. Words John Henry had clearly drilled into her. “Wouldn’t it be better for her to make her own choices? When she’s older and does know her own mind? Don’t you want that for her?”
Mama reared back as though Delilah had slapped her. “You don’t think I want what’s best for my daughters? I’ve spent my whole life trying to do right by my family.”
“I’ve never doubted your love for us, Mama. Not once. But right now, if you love Mary, you need to convince Papa to call this off.”
All the color drained from Mama’s face. She gripped her hands together and looked away, and Delilah’s hope sank.
“Your father makes the decisions he thinks are best. It is my job to support them.”
“Even if he’s wrong? Even if this is a terrible idea?” Mentioning it was also illegal wouldn’t help.
“Eli is a good man. He’ll take good care of Mary.”
“Eli Foster?” she asked. Nausea threatened as Delilah pictured the tall, middle-aged man they’d met at the campfire putting his hands on her sister.
“He’s a good man, Delilah,” her mother repeated. “His son needs a mother. And Mary needs a firm hand.” Then her chin came up, and accusation filled her eyes. “When you turned your back on Nate, you brought shame to our family. This is your father’s chance to make it right. John Henry needs to reclaim his place in our world. Mary is the key to that.”
Delilah gripped Mama’s hands, hard. “Don’t allow this, Mama. It’s not right. Please, let Mary come live with me.”
Mama stood and grabbed the straps of her purse, chin up. “I will not go against my husband’s wishes. And I will not interfere between a husband and his wife. I’m very glad you’re okay.” She turned toward the door.
“Wait. When is the wedding?”
Mama paused, hand on the doorknob. She didn’t turn, just whispered, “On her birthday,” and then left.
Delilah tried to follow, but Kimberly stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Let her go. She won’t listen, not now.”
Delilah spun and slammed a hand against the wall. That was the second time today Mary had slipped through her fingers.
Kimberly wrapped her arms around her, and Delilah stiffened. She didn’t need comfort. She needed a plan. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out,” Kimberly murmured.
When Kimberly finally released her, Delilah said, “Thank you for trying to help. I need to go.”
She hurried out of the building and didn’t stop until she climbed into the cab of Josh’s truck. He sent her a sympathetic glance, put the truck in gear, and headed out of the parking lot.
Her mother’s predictable response shouldn’t hurt as much as it did. She rubbed a hand over the ache in her heart and focused on finding another way to get her sister. She wouldn’t stop until she did.
They only had four more days.
* * *
Josh watched her ruthlessly bring her emotions under control. He hadn’t expected the meeting to go well and figured she hadn’t either. But his heart still hurt at the anguish etched in her face.
“What are we doing here?” she asked as he pulled up at his place. Judging by the vehicles, the rest of the squad had already arrived.
“Quick strategy meeting to go over details for the Mayor’s Ball tomorrow night. County Commissioner Benson is slated to be the master of ceremonies, but no one has seen him in two days.”
Delilah nodded and climbed out of the truck, her mind obviously elsewhere.
“Look, about before—” he began, but she didn’t let him finish.
“I understand that you were trying to protect me—and Mary. I do.” She huffed out a breath, sighed. “Let’s just move on, okay?”
He narrowed his eyes, and his radar twitched at how easily she let him off the hook.
Once inside, Josh recapped what happened outside the church, and Sanchez offered to check the knife for prints and see if it matched the one used in Black’s murder.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t get your sister to come with you,” Fish said.
Delilah looked surprised, then nodded her thanks.
Hunter spoke up. “We think it’s time to shake a few trees, see what falls out. Commissioner Benson’s secretary said he’s checked in by phone, so he’s alive, but he’s not returning our phone calls. We’re hoping to question him at the ball. In the meantime, we’re still picking up rumors about gun shipments and trying to figure out if either of those things are connected to Black’s death.” He nodded to Josh. “Hollywood discovered that Nathan Hamm is a big contributor to Commissioner Benson’s reelection campaign. So is Eli Foster, although he’s not given nearly as much.”
Delilah’s eyebrows shot to her hairline. “You’re saying these two antigovernment types are now going to balls and contributing to election campaigns? That makes no sense.”
“Agreed. It’s out of character, which means there has to be some agenda we don’t know about.” Hunter leaned forward. “We believe you’re the thread that connects it all. If you’re willing, we’re going to send you to the ball as Josh’s date. We’re hoping the shock of seeing you alive will loosen a few tongues.” He quirked a smile. “A generous dose of free alcohol never hurts, either.”
She looked around the room, then back at Hunter, and a calculating expression darted over her fe
atures. “What about the rest of the team?”
“Everyone else will be working security. And we’ll be keeping a close eye on you. Don’t worry. You’ll be perfectly safe.”
“All right. I’m in.”
Her calm acceptance confirmed his suspicions. Josh tried to catch her eye, but she avoided his gaze. She was hatching a plan in that beautiful head of hers. He just had to figure out what it was before she put herself in danger.
Chapter 25
Delilah knew she’d go stark raving mad—or completely give herself away—if she hung around all day, so while Josh was in a squad meeting, she quickly slipped into the forest. It didn’t make sense that the mama monkeys would leave their infants without good reason. She hadn’t found any bodies, thank God, and no evidence that anyone was trapping them. So where were they?
She parked and then hiked to where she and Josh had seen the troop before, but they weren’t anywhere around. Which wasn’t unusual, as they regularly roamed over a pretty large area. She hiked a good half mile in every direction before she gave up. More worried than before, she headed back to her truck.
By six o’clock that evening, she’d forced everything aside except tonight’s mission. Her plan would only work if the timing was just right.
Earlier, she and Josh had met the squad at Charlee’s cottage as they reviewed last-minute details and tested earbuds and equipment.
But now, as Josh sauntered into the room wearing a perfectly tailored black tuxedo and crisp white shirt, she sucked in an audible breath. He looked that good. Be still, my pounding heart.
The rest of the squad looked pretty amazing, too, and Delilah felt a little overwhelmed by all the blatant maleness on display. She saw the way Charlee looked at Hunter and figured the look on her face was an exact match. Like she could eat Josh with a spoon.
He had been sending her speculative glances all afternoon, as though he was trying to read her mind. She sent him a flirty little smile, the way she’d seen Charlee do to Hunter, and watched as his eyes widened and the dimple popped out on his cheek. That should distract him.