Daphne gripped the Bible and stared at him. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You think they’re Mafia, don’t you?”
Josh nodded.
She glanced away and bit her lip until the urge to cry eased up a little. “It’s my fault,” she said at last, still not looking at him.
“The hell it is. You didn’t know anything about this. Your father should have told you.”
“Or your mother should have told you!” she retorted hotly, glad for a chance to be angry.
“There’s such a thing as client confidentiality, you know. But your dad brought you up here supposedly on vacation, when he was really investigating this whole thing with missing steel. You had a right to know that.”
“Oh, yeah?” Daphne shook the Bible at him. “If your mother had done her job, instead of seducing her client, the pictures would’ve been taken a long time ago, and we never would have gone to that dumb rock concert, because I would have been doing all sorts of fun things with my dad!”
Josh’s face reddened with anger. “You don’t know anything about what happened that night. Gramps said they had two rooms.”
“That proves zip!”
“It proves a lot in my book! Just because you have a suspicious mind, doesn’t mean they”
“Pipe down in there!” yelled a man from the other side of the door. “Or we’ll do it for you.”
Daphne and Josh each froze in their belligerent stance and looked at each other. After the fake police car had pulled them over just outside Las Vegas, they’d been tied, gagged and blindfolded, then brought here, where the restraints had been mercifully removed. Daphne rubbed her cheek where the duct tape had irritated her sensitive skin. She never wanted to be gagged again.
“That’s better!” shouted the man.
As far as Daphne knew, he was the only one out there, but he was enough. She called him the Incredible Hulk in her mind. Besides that, he had a gun.
Then in the silence, she heard somebody talking to him. She knew that voice. Hurrying to the door, she pressed her ear against it. Yes, it was him! They were saved!
“Barnaby!” she shouted, banging on the door. “Barnaby!”
Josh crossed quickly to the door. “Who?”
“I know the other man out there!” She laughed as tears of relief poured down her cheeks. “Barnaby, let us out!”
“Pipe down, I said!” growled the Hulk, slamming his fist against the door so hard the jolt knocked Daphne a foot away.
Her mouth sagged open in disbelief. She strained to hear Barnaby’s voice again, but now there was only silence.
“Who’s Barnaby?” Josh whispered.
They weren’t getting out. The acute disappointment made Daphne sick to her stomach. “My...my mother’s fianc;aae.”
“Your mother’s fianc;aae was out there?”
She nodded, sure she hadn’t been wrong.
“Daphne, what”
She waved him to be quiet and sank cross-legged to the floor. “I have to think.” She propped her head in her hands and let her hair fall around her face in a protective curtain. Resolutely, she blinked away tears and focused on the problem. Barnaby Haskett. He was a contractor, or something. She struggled to remember things that hadn’t mattered to her at the time. Her father had so many deals. But Barnaby Haskett had been the contractor for one of them. That’s how her mother met him. Was his deal this dumb bridge? Think, Daphne!
The gentle weight of Josh’s arm settled on her shoulders. He didn’t say anything. She liked that about Josh. When they weren’t fighting, he seemed to understand when to talk and when to be quiet.
The bridge had to be it, she decided. Barnaby was in on this. That’s how the Mafia guys had known to pick up her and Josh, because Barnaby gave them a description of them and their car. Her mother was going out with a horrible crook and didn’t even know it. Fear spun like a whirlpool in her stomach. Her mother could be in danger, too, and there was no way for Daphne to warn her.
She shoved a length of hair behind her ear and glanced over at Josh. “I hate to tell you, but this is a bigger mess than I thought. My mom’s fianc;aae is the contractor who was taking steel for the Mafia from my dad’s shipments.”
“Do you think your mom knows?”
“No way. That’s what has me worried. She’s supposed to spend a week with him in Reno. I have to warn her.”
“My mom and your dad will get us out. Don’t worry. My mom’s really smart.”
“So’s my dad.” Her laugh was hollow. “I mean anybody’s smarter than the ape-man out there, right? If he’s any example of the brain power of this operation, my dad’ll run right over them.”
“Yeah.” Josh squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll be out of here in no time.”
“Yeah. In no time.” The implication of Barnaby’s actions were beginning to sink in. Once this was over, Barnaby would be out of the picture. She could definitely testify in court that he’d been in that room with the Hulk. And if her dad turned out to be a hero during the rescue, then her mother would see that he cared more about his family than his business. Then maybe her mother would forgive him, they’d remarry and everything would be okay again. If that happened, this whole nightmare would be worth something.
She smiled at Josh. “Let’s ask ape-man to order us a pizza. I’m hungry.”
* * *
ADAM WAS RELIEVED Loren agreed to wait before bringing in the police. If both she and Walt had insisted, he’d have given in, but he wanted to try it another way first. He already had some ideas about how they could get the kids safely out of the hands of the enemy. For that was what they had become in his mind. He’d deal with the kidnappers the same way he’d dealt with the Vietcong. You had to outthink them. He was alive today because he’d become an expert at that.
“We should try and get some rest,” he said, evaluating the lines of exhaustion in Walt’s face. Loren looked as keyed up as he felt, but Walt was sixty-eight and looking years older at the moment. Adam figured he might need Walt’s expertise tomorrow night, and he wanted him alert.
Walt shook his head. “I don’t think I can sleep.”
“I don’t, either,” Loren said.
“Do you have anything in the house you can take to help both of you sleep?”
“I think there’s something in my medicine cabinet,” Walt said, “but I don’t”
“Then you’d better get it.”
Walt shrugged and walked toward his bedroom, but Loren’s chin came up in defiance.
Adam smiled at her. “What?”
“You know what. You sound like a top sergeant.”
“That’s exactly what I mean to sound like. I’m treating this like a military operation.”
“And we’re just two of your recruits?”
He crossed to her. “You’re not just anything, and you know it. But I’ll want you to take orders when the time comes. We can’t all be chiefs or we’ll have mass confusion.”
Her brown eyes flashed. “I’m not used to taking orders, Adam.”
He considered whether or not to lay it on the line and decided he might as well. “That’s because you’ve never been through a war. This is a lot like war, Loren. Can you concede that I’ve had that experience and you haven’t?”
Her expression became grim. “Yes, unfortunately.”
“And because of my experience in that war, I understand some things that you don’t?”
“I”
“Here’s the stuff,” Walt said, returning with a small cardboard box. “But it really knocks you out. I don’t like the idea that I might not hear some commotion.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll hear it,” Adam said. “I don’t think we’ll be bothered by anyone tonight, but I’ll wake you both up if necessary.”
“All right.” With a resigned sigh, Walt took a capsule from the cardboard holder inside the box. “I hate to admit that I’m not as sturdy as you are, but I suppose if I’m going to be up until all hours tomorrow, I’d better get some sleep t
onight.”
“I’ll wake the two of you up about four-thirty.”
Walt handed the box to Loren. “Here you go. See you in the morning.”
Once he’d disappeared into the back of the house, Loren tossed the box on the kitchen counter. “I’m not taking one of those. If you’re keeping watch, so am I.”
He knew better than to smile at her show of defiance, although he felt like it. Neither would he fight her on this. “If you insist,” he said. “But I wasn’t planning on standing here in the kitchen like a sentry. I thought I’d relax on the living room couch.”
“Oh.” She hesitated, and he could tell she didn’t relish the idea of being alone in the kitchen. “Maybe I’ll go into the living room, too, then.”
Good. He might still coax her into getting some sleep. “Then you take the couch.”
“That’s okay. One of the chairs is fine.”
What a stubborn woman. “Suit yourself.” He flipped off the kitchen light, then the dining room light as they passed through. Then he turned the three-way switch on the living room lamp to its lowest wattage.
She watched him suspiciously. “I hope you’re not dimming the lights because you imagine I’ll drift off to sleep. I couldn’t sleep in a million years.”
“I understand you have no intention of sleeping.” This was getting almost funny. He sat on the huge, old leather couch, which had been a terrific make-out spot years ago. He imagined it still contained the impression of his body. He’d sat there often enough.
Loren perched on one of two wing-back chairs opposite him, her spine straight, her eyes determinedly open.
He remembered the fabric on the chairs, cream-colored with tiny blue flowers. “Those chairs are in great shape for being as old as they are.”
Loren glanced down and smoothed the chair arm. “Mom had them recovered.”
“Really? But they look exactly the way I remember them.”
“They should.” She gazed at him across the room, her eyes misty. “She picked the same pattern. Dad told her he’d always liked the flowers because the color matched her eyes. She special-ordered that fabric from some company that buys up remnants.”
That’s how it is when you’re in love, he thought with sharp regret. “I’ll bet you miss her a lot.”
“Yeah, I miss her a lot.”
“Funny how I keep expecting her to walk down the hall or hear her banging around in the kitchen. Remember how she always seemed to know when we were getting too carried away on the couch? That’s when she’d call out, ‘How about some milk and cookies, kids?’”
“The old milk-and-cookies ploy,” she said, her smile tinged with sadness.
“I’ll say this. They were good cookies.”
“Josh says I still can’t make them as well as she did. So one day I gave him the recipe to try, and he made these little things that were as hard as golf balls.” She chuckled. “But he wouldn’t admit they were bad, and he almost broke his teeth eating...” Her laughter faltered and she pressed a hand to her mouth to hold back a sob.
He didn’t stop to think, which was probably just as well or he might have hesitated, might not have done the human thing. He went to her, helped her rise from the chair and guided her over to the couch.
“It’s going to be a long night,” he said gently, sinking onto the couch and settling her into the crook of his arm, his touch devoid of any sexual overtones. “I think we’ll need all the strength we can give each other.”
She nodded and took the handkerchief he offered to blow her nose. “I...I guess you’re right,” she murmured. “But I don’t want to complicate”
“Hey.” He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. “This isn’t about you and me right now. It’s about them.”
She nodded again.
“We’ll get them back safe,” he said. “I promise.”
“We have to,” she whispered. “I couldn’t”
“I know.” He urged her head down against his shoulder. “I know.”
Gradually, she relaxed as he stroked her hair. She needed to sleep, he thought, as a wave of tenderness spread through him. And he needed to hold her.
Gradually, her breathing settled into a steady, shallow rhythm. She was asleep. He leaned against the couch back and brought her more securely into the cradle of his arms. She moaned softly in her sleep, and he carefully, reverently, kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry,” he murmured. “Don’t worry, my love.”
With a sigh, she cuddled closer to his chest and sank deeper into sleep. His throat grew tight as he absorbed her gift of trust. He had that much at least. But at what cost?
* * *
ADAM SLEPT LIGHTLY, in the manner of jungle animals, with a portion of his senses alert. He’d hoped never to have to use the skill again. He awoke before dawn, his muscles cramped from holding Loren all night. Yet, knowing she’d felt secure enough to sleep in his arms made every bit of the discomfort worth it.
“Loren,” he whispered close to her ear. “Wake up.”
Her eyes snapped open and she scrambled to a sitting position, nearly falling from the couch in her haste. “What time is it?”
“Early yet, but we need to get going.”
She pushed her hair back from her face. “Right. I must have fallen asleep. Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He touched her cheek.
She met his gaze, and pink tinged her cheeks. “Thank you. Did you sleep at all?”
“Some.”
“Good.” There was a softness in her eyes that made him want to weep. Then she seemed to mentally shake herself, and she was all business again. She stood and glanced down at him. “You go make coffee while I wake Dad. Then we can each shower and change. You can borrow some clean clothes from Dad.” She looked at the wall clock behind the couch. “We should make it out of here in half an hour, check you out of Los Arboles and be in the air by five-thirty.”
He chuckled. “I thought I was in charge.”
She smiled, her arms crossed over her chest. “Oh, really? I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
As she whisked down the hall, he shook his head and got up to make the coffee. Insubordination had never looked so damned appealing.
* * *
LOREN KEPT the schedule she’d outlined, he thought with admiration as he pulled the Geo into the circular entry of Los Arboles a little after five o’clock. Walt followed in Josh’s old truck after Adam realized that the three of them plus Daphne’s extensive luggage wouldn’t fit in the Geo.
Adam drove past the valet and parked by the curb. “This shouldn’t take long,” he said, reaching for the door handle.
“I’ll help.” Loren was out of the car in a flash.
Adam didn’t object. Her presence comforted him more than a little. He waved to Walt, who had parked the truck behind the Geo and followed Loren into the lobby.
The resort grounds were deserted in the soft, predawn light except for a gardener snipping quietly at a hedge and the pool crew setting up the vacuum hoses. Adam and Loren didn’t talk as they covered the distance to his room. He unlocked the door and they walked inside.
The light he’d left on when he’d taken her home was still burning. He remembered standing in this room, looking at Loren holding the envelope possessively against her chest. He would have given anything at that point to know what was wrong. Now that he knew, he wished to hell it could have been something else.
“This shouldn’t take very long,” he said, walking through the connecting door.
He wasn’t even slightly prepared for the emotional effect of seeing Daphne’s belongings strewn around, as if she’d be back any minute to change clothes and head out for another adventure. He stood in the doorway, gripping the knob until the metal imprinted itself on his flesh, while he fought the urge to scream and rage at the unfairness of it all.
Loren put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. So this was why she’d offered to help, he realized with a flash of insight. She’d known all along that see
ing Daphne’s things would sucker-punch him in the gut.
“I’ll do Daphne’s room, if you’d like,” she murmured.
His shoulders slumped in defeat as he realized he’d never get through it without breaking down. “Thanks.”
She gave him a quick squeeze of encouragement, slipped around him and began picking up discarded clothes the minute she stepped into the room. Adam turned away. When this nightmare was over, he wouldn’t rest until Daphne knew how much he loved her.
Finally, they had everything together. Adam carried the bulk of it while Loren took two smaller bags. He remembered kidding Daphne about how much luggage she’d brought. On the next trip, he’d let her bring twice as much. Just let there be a next trip, he prayed.
They stopped at the checkout desk in the lobby, where a bellman hurried up to take the bags out to the Geo. Adam shoved the keys across the marble registration desk and waited impatiently for the clerk to get the bill off the computer.
“Looks like you had one long-distance phone call,” the clerk said, sliding the bill toward Adam. “And of course, the room-service charges. Is everything in order?”
The room-service charges were staggering, but he wasn’t surprised. He hadn’t made any long-distance calls, so it had to be Daphne. He signed the credit-card slip, folded the bill and put it in his pocket. He couldn’t make an issue of one long-distance call. After all, he had brought Daphne here and he had left her alone. He just wished he knew whom she’d called.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“THE PLACE is surrounded with a cat’s cradle of power lines.” Loren peered through the telephoto lens of her hand-held .35-millimeter camera as her father guided Whiskey Foxtrot over Hoover Dam. She’d suggested using the smaller camera and aiming it out the open passenger window. The prints wouldn’t be as detailed as she could get with the Wild RC-10, but they could have them within an hour of landing. Adam crouched behind her and used binoculars with which to study the site.
Loren hadn’t noticed all the power lines until Adam suggested that Walt could helicopter her and the kids out of harm’s way after the exchange. But now she gazed at canyon walls bristling with transmission towers, each of them sprouting tentacles of high-voltage cable. “It could be a real suicide mission to fly in here, Dad.”
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