by Cathy Peper
The realization was almost enough for him to give up on the idea. Almost. The lure of the gold was too strong.
Bryce closed the laptop and sipped the rest of his coffee and considered taking the boat out again. Ari wouldn’t want him going out alone, but it seemed reasonably safe to him.
He used the plastic key to let himself back into their hotel room. He was quiet, but this time Ari woke up. Hannah continued to sleep.
“I’m going to take the boat out one more time.”
Ari slid out from under the covers. “Give us a few minutes to get ready.”
“There is no need for you to go. Let Hannah sleep, she looks tired.”
“It’s too dangerous to go diving by yourself.”
Bryce didn’t really want to take them along but decided to pick his battles. If he allowed Ari to accompany him this time, maybe she wouldn’t insist on traveling back to 1812 if that’s what he decided to do. “Very well, but hurry.”
He went back to the fast food restaurant to get them something to eat while Ari dressed herself and Hannah. They reached the tackle shop within the hour. The same man handled the rental.
“Going out for a second look?” he asked.
“We want to give the eagles one last chance before heading back to the city,” Ari said. “My little girl really has her heart set on seeing one.”
He took them out to the boat but skipped the instructions this time. Bryce steered them in the same direction he had gone yesterday as Ari fastened Hannah into her life vest.
“It’s colder than yesterday. Do you think you will be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Bryce said, although he didn’t really like the look of the sky. A flat layer of clouds blocked most of the sun, keeping temperatures low. The gunmetal gray of the sky reflected in the lake, making it appear harsh and unyielding. He would get in and out quickly before the snow fell.
“Look!” Ari stood, nearly capsizing them. She sat back down but continued to point off to the right. “I think it’s an eagle. Can you get closer?”
Bryce hated taking the extra time, but he didn’t want to disappoint Ari. He cut the motor as they drew closer, trying not to scare the bird. Ari pulled out her cell phone and took some pictures. Hannah caught her excitement.
“Mommy, do you think it’s a boy or girl? Does it have a name?”
“I don’t know, Hannah. You can give it a name if you want.”
“How can I name it if I don’t know if it’s a boy or girl?”
“Good point, but it’s a bird, it doesn’t have to have a person name. You can call it Windrider or something like that.”
“Call it Feather,” Bryce suggested.
Hannah giggled. “I like that.”
“Did you get a picture?” he asked Ari. She had given him a quick lesson on cell phones, but he still didn’t understand how such a small device could contact someone anywhere in the world, take “photos” which were more detailed than the most finely constructed painting, and even function as a mini computer.
“Yes, thanks. We can head to your stash now.”
Bryce didn’t see any more boats out and they were well beyond sight of the dock, so he directed the boat towards the copse of trees where he had buried his belongings. He suited up and lowered himself into the water. He spent a few moments drawing as much air into his lungs as he could before going below.
The lack of sunlight made the water seem murkier. Had he not known exactly where he was going, he wasn’t sure he could have found the place again. He stuck the shovel in the soft mud, digging as quickly as possible. If he didn’t go back in time to get the rest, maybe he could come out later with scuba gear. Having to surface for air every few minutes made his task difficult. By the time he returned, it seemed as if the hole he’d been digging had already filled back in with watery slush.
Still, he persisted. Even with the wetsuit, his time in the frigid water was limited, plus the threat of snow spurred him on. Another candlestick would double their take, but even a piece of jewelry would make the return trip worthwhile.
His head broke the surface and he gulped in air.
“Bryce?”
Ari’s voice sounded strained. Had the weather turned for the worse? Bryce looked over at the boat, freezing as he saw the man holding a knife to Ari’s throat. He recognized the man instantly, it was the same worm who had knifed him when he rescued the girl he and his buddy had been trying to rape. Reggie. The other man, the one he had shot, had been Kev. He should have killed them both when he had the chance. “Let her go.” He infused his voice with as much authority as possible, considering Reggie appeared to hold all the cards.
“I don’t think so. I heard you were back in the area, so I came to see what you were up to.”
Why wasn’t the man in jail? He seemed to recall that the authorities had caught the men responsible when they were admitted to a nearby hospital. “Just doing some diving.”
“I don’t think so. Kev’s in jail, you know. They wouldn’t let him out on bail since he was the one doing the raping and all. Me, I was just gonna watch.”
Liar! “Let my girlfriend go. She has nothing to do with this. Your grudge is with me.”
“Damn right, but she’s a pretty thing.” He ran a hand through Ari’s hair and she choked back a sob. As the blade grazed her throat, a trickle of blood ran down her neck. Hannah clung to the side of the boat with her small hands, tears running down her face.
“Daddy, help us. The bad man has Mommy.”
“I know, honey. It will be all right,” he said to calm his daughter, but his own heart raced double-time. How could he save his women while trapped in the water?
“I think you’re looking for something and I want to know what it is,” Reggie said.
“I heard some old river pirate buried his loot here before the lake was formed by the earthquake, so we thought we’d take a look. Haven’t found anything. It’s probably long gone if it ever even existed.”
Reggie stood motionless for a moment. “Then why come back, if there’s nothing here? Mike, back at the dock, he’s my Facebook friend, and he thinks you found something.”
Thank goodness they had left the candlestick locked in Ari’s car. “We have to get back to town today, but had enough time to give it one last shot.” Cold seeped into his bones. He had to end this before his muscles seized up. A canoe bobbed alongside their boat, that’s why he hadn’t heard a motor.
“You’re already in trouble, Reggie. If the police find out you’re threatening women with a knife, they won’t let you out on bail either.” He raised his hands slowly, kicking with his feet to keep himself afloat. “All I have is this shovel. Just get back in your canoe and I won’t breathe a word to the police.”
“I could kill all three of you and dump your bodies in the lake where no one would ever find them.”
Bryce swallowed a wave of panic. How best to deal with him? Threats? Pleas? No, pleas wouldn’t work with this weasel and he wasn’t in much of a position to threaten. They would have to attack, but he needed Ari’s help. He stared straight into her eyes. If only he could project his thoughts into her mind. He needed her to distract Reggie, an action that put her at considerable risk, but was their only chance of getting out of here alive. Kick him, elbow him, do something. He lowered his arms, never breaking eye contact. Comprehension dawned in her gaze.
“Now!” he yelled, and to his relief, Ari exploded into action. She stomped on Reggie’s foot and became dead weight in his arms, slipping from his grasp. She screamed as she went down and Bryce guessed the knife had cut her but prayed it hadn’t gone deep.
He moved along with her, propelling himself towards the boat as fast as he could. The boat rocked as Ari fell to the bottom and as Bryce grabbed for it, it capsized, spilling Hannah, Ari, and Reggie into the water. He ignored their screams, focused with deadly intent upon Reggie. He brought the shovel down on the man’s head with all his strength. It hit with a satisfying, sickening crunch and he di
d it again, just to be sure. Leaving the body floating face down in the water, he swam towards Ari. Her lips were blue with cold.
“Get Hannah first,” she said, barely able to speak.
Bryce grabbed their daughter and lifted her into the boat. Silent tears streamed down her face and her body shook uncontrollably. He pulled himself in and then motored the boat over to where Ari bobbed in her life jacket. “Take my hand.”
Ari barely seemed able to move, but she put her hand in his. He pulled her right up to the boat, grabbed her under the armpits and hauled her up with a strength he didn’t think he possessed. He glanced over at Reggie. Top priority had to be getting Hannah and Ari warm. He would come back for the body.
His own limbs were stiff with cold as he turned the throttle to full speed and zoomed straight back to the dock. No time now for evasive maneuvers. He pulled into the slip, threw a rope around the pole and scooped Hannah into his arms. He ran with her to the car, but couldn’t open the door. He needed Ari’s keys.
He ran back to the boat and grabbed Ari. Her slim figure didn’t weigh much, but she was heavier than Hannah and cold and shock hampered his movements. He stumbled as he reached the car, nearly dumping her on the ground. “Keys?”
Ari tried to reach into her jean pockets, but her hands wouldn’t cooperate. “Can’t move.”
Bryce reached in, dragging the keys free of the sopping fabric. He opened the car, lifted them both inside and turned the heat on high. “You have to get out of those wet clothes.”
“Get Hannah first.”
Bryce didn’t argue. His fingers fumbled on the ties of the life jacket, but he couldn’t help but feel grateful for the ugly, ungainly garment since it had probably saved Hannah’s life. He tossed it on the ground and went to work on her clothes, removing her coat, shirt, pants, and undergarments.
“Blanket in trunk,” Ari said. She had removed her own life jacket and coat, but her frozen fingers couldn’t navigate her jeans, which seemed to be plastered to her legs.
Bryce popped the trunk. Only one blanket. He wrapped Hannah in it. “We need more blankets. I’ll see what they have at the shop.”
“Help me with my jeans.” Ari’s face had drained of all color and her blue lips stood out in her pale face like those of a teenage girl he had seen who had worn black lipstick. Goth, Ari had called her. His eyes met hers and for a second he was transported back to the barn where he had first seduced her. The night had been warm and sultry, the hay fragrant and flexible beneath their bodies. She had worn a simple skirt and bodice instead of the ubiquitous jeans that dominated the twenty-first century. She had been breathtakingly lovely and he had wanted her more than anything. More than common sense. More than honor.
He could see in her eyes that she was remembering it, too. How she had followed his lead, giving herself to him freely with all the love in her heart. He wanted that again. Yes, she had accepted him back into her life, agreed to marry him and had done all she could to help him make his way in this strange new world, but she was wary. He had hurt her and needed to earn back her trust.
“Bryce?” Her voice shook. “My fingers won’t work.”
He snapped back to the present, dire situation. The zipper parted easily, but he struggled with the button and peeling the skin-tight fabric down her legs. At last the despicable garment came free and he threw it aside. She pulled her shirt over her head, leaving only a strip of material around her breasts and another at the juncture of her thighs. He shook his head at the unusual undergarments worn by women in the future, although he approved the lack of a corset.
“Go, get blankets.”
Bryce tore his gaze from the delectable sight and raced back towards the store. The bell rang as he barged in and the attendant looked up, brow furrowing as he saw Bryce still dressed in his wetsuit. “We overturned. I need blankets.”
The man led him to the camping section. “This is what we have.”
Bryce seized five of them. “Add them to the bill,” he said as he rushed back to the car. He wrapped two of them around Hannah, who had stopped crying, but continued to shake, and handed another two to Ari. She drew them tightly around her. Her trembling hands seemed to have a bit more dexterity and her lips weren’t quite as blue.
Bryce stripped off the wetsuit and replaced it with his own dry clothes. He draped the last blanket around his own shoulders, stepped into the car and pulled the door shut. Heat blasted from the dashboard, worming its way into their quivering muscles. They kept silent as warmth stole back into their bodies, violent shudders eased and blood began to flow again.
Ari checked on Hannah as soon as she was able. She pulled her onto her lap and ran her hand along the girl’s wet head. “Hush, honey. It’s okay.”
“You were right, Mommy. It’s too cold to go swimming.”
“Mommy’s always right. Remember that.”
The second wetsuit and Ari’s change of clothes had been lost in the lake, but the clothes she had worn the previous day were in her suitcase. Bryce fetched them, along with something for Hannah, from the trunk. He turned his head while Ari changed. Then she dressed Hannah and replaced the blankets. The blue around her lips had begun to fade, but her eyes still looked haunted.
“That man appeared out of nowhere. How did he know where to find us?”
“He’s one of the men that tried to rape that girl. Maybe he was following me, hoping to get back at me, or it might just be bad luck that he found us. He is familiar with the area.”
“Do you think the man from the store told him about us? He gave me a bad vibe.”
“Maybe.” Bryce gazed out at the lake. The cloud cover had increased and the color had deepened to indigo. They were running out of time. “I’ll have to go back and take care of the body.”
“What?”
“I’ll take it somewhere else, weight it down and hope no one ever finds it.”
“But it was self-defense. He held a knife to my throat. He threatened to kill us all. He’s a known criminal!”
“I have no identity, Ari. You’re the one who is always talking about how important it is to have papers and a number. I can’t even get a decent job without them. If we bring the authorities into this, they’re going to keep digging.”
Ari hunched her shoulders and draped a blanket around them. “How?”
“Go pay the bill. Then we’ll figure it out.”
Chapter 9
They chose a McDonald’s with a play area so Hannah would have something to do. They ordered food, including coffees for the adults and hot chocolate for Hannah. Hannah ate a few fries and a chicken nugget before disappearing into the tubes.
Ari leaned in and spoke in a whisper. “I still think we should tell the police. This isn’t the nineteenth century anymore. They use advanced scientific evidence to find killers. Everywhere we go we leave evidence behind. Our hair and skin cells can be studied for their DNA—a sort of code about how we are put together. Everyone is different, although blood relatives share some traits. You can be identified through your fingerprints or your whereabouts tracked through your cell phone.”
“I don’t have fingerprints or DNA on file. Nor do I have a cell phone.”
“I don’t think my fingerprints are on file, but I do have a cell phone. If they decide you’re a suspect, they will know I was here and if they question the store attendant or the employees at the hotel, they will find out you were with me.”
“If they never find the body they will think he jumped bail.”
Ari closed her eyes. “Probably.”
“I think it’s worth the risk. If I turn myself in, they’re going to ask me questions I can’t answer even if they believe I acted in self-defense.”
He had a point. She had worked hard to fit in and not draw attention to herself. But whatever decision they made mattered. A man had died.
She should be used to death. She had been, four years ago, but living in the twenty-first century had distanced her from mortality. “I was only
a teenager when I watched my mother waste away and die from a fever. Less than a decade later, my father died while trapping, but I took comfort in the fact that he was doing what he loved.”
Bryce remained silent, his face impassive.
“Once I saw a man thrown from his horse. He broke his neck.” Her hands were clenched so tightly in her lap her fingers were starting to go numb. Deliberately, she relaxed them. “But I’ve not seen anyone die since coming to this time, not until today. And never in such violent circumstances.”
“I’ve experienced a great deal of violence on the river, but I don’t want to bring that part of my life into your life or Hannah’s. So I deal with the body and then, if necessary, we disappear.”
“Into the past?”
Bryce looked startled. “Only as a last resort. But we were already going to forge a new identity for me. We do one for you, too.”
Hannah ran back to the table and grabbed a few more fries. “What ya talking about?”
“Nothing important. Grown up stuff.”
“’Cause I thought you were talking about the bad man.”
Ari’s breath caught. “Don’t worry about the bad man. He’s gone now and won’t ever hurt us again. Don’t think about him and don’t talk about him.”
“Daddy hit him.”