She didn’t know, since she’d never experienced such a soul-touching kiss before, but Tempest was the last person she’d admit that truth to. “When Mom met Peter, she thought he was some sort of golden guy – perfect – like a knight of old, he virtually swept in, took care of all her problems and then swept her off her feet.”
“And got her pregnant with me.”
Ariel nodded. “It took a decade for her to figure out that everything that she thought was wonderful was a lie.” Ariel took a step closer and lowered her voice. “About five percent of males have sociopath tendencies.” Tempest gasped. “I’m not saying Link and Stone are in that bracket, but I’m trying to make you realize that sometimes people simply are not as wonderful as they seem.” Tears swam in her sister’s eyes. Ariel relented. “Go brush your teeth.”
Tempest wiped her tears on the back of her hand, gave Ariel a mulish look, and then kissed the back of her hand. She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I can find a way to make a real comparison.”
“I’m warning you.”
“Was that kind of kiss what a guy does when he wants sex?”
“Tempest! Didn’t you hear a word I said about how people can pretend to be one person and actually be something worse?”
“You don’t want me to trust Link and Stone. But I think you’re the one who needs to watch out, after all, I didn’t kiss Link back, but you were kissing Stone like – Wowser!”
Ariel sprinted toward the stairs. Tempest shrieked and ran toward her room.
Ariel caught up with her a second before her bedroom door closed. Within seconds, they were rolling on the midnight-blue carpet, locked in a tickle fight. Tempest twisted out of her grasp, doubled over and yanked off her loafer. As Tempest tickled her arch, Ariel’s entire leg went into a spasm. Shaking her off, Ariel pinned Tempest down and tickled her ribs. “Uncle!” Tempest gasped, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Exhausted, but exhilarated, Ariel flopped off her and lay on her back.
Tempest rolled onto her side and propped her cheek on her hand. “Want to talk about it now?”
“About what?”
“You really do like Mr. Stone, don’t you? Isn’t that why you’re so worried about me ‘n’ Link?”
“He unsettles me.”
“’Cause he reminds you of Father?”
“They have the same coloring and size.”
“Stone doesn’t give me the heebie-jeebies, like Father.”
“Intuition is good, but it isn’t infallible.” Tempest stared wide-eyed. “That doesn’t mean he’s nice deep down.” Ariel glanced at the ceiling’s cottage cheese texture.
“I think that if some guy looked at me the way he looks at you, I’d just melt.” Tempest sighed. Ariel rolled onto her side and studied Tempest’s dreamy expression. “Maybe he’s just as nice as he seems and you’ll fall desperately in love with him. If you do, we can stay here and never have to hide again.” Tempest exhaled.
“Love certainly wouldn’t cure our problem or make it possible to stay here,” Ariel said. “If anything, a romantic relationship would only make everything harder.” Tempest snickered. “You know what I mean.” Her sister gave her an innocent look. “A romance would mean stronger emotions and stronger emotions mean a deeper hurt once it ends.” Ariel knew that first hand. So did Tempest. Still, Stone O’Banyon could certainly kiss. Shoot, he could look into her eyes and make her forget the world existed. That scared her to death, because she couldn’t forget about the world and the evil in it. Peter was out there, somewhere, looking for her and Tempest and once he found them, he would murder them in the most painful way possible.
“But for now, it might be nice to make everything harder.” Tempest laughed like a hyena at her own joke.
Ariel refused to think about the possibility. “Did loving your father feel good?”
Tempest gasped, her amusement gone in an instant. “That’s not the same thing.”
“Isn’t it?” Ariel challenged. “I know each relationship is different, but if you’re going to have a close relationship love should be the basis of it.” Ariel knew she was being harder than necessary, but she was still irritated at the way Tempest had forced her into agreeing to go camping in the middle of nowhere. Ariel gritted her teeth. “Just how is loving one man different from loving another?” Tempest started to make a flip answer, then snapped her mouth shut. Ariel held down a smile. “Don’t know, do you?” Tempest reluctantly shook her head. Now that her sister was finally listening, Ariel softened her tone, “That’s because all men have the potential to become predators. Which means that they all can get angry and take it out on weaker ones.”
“I don’t believe you. And I don’t believe those statistics you’re always telling me about.” Ariel raised a brow. “You know, like five percent of males being sociopaths.”
“Why don’t you believe the figures?”
“Uncle Link and Mr. Stone seem really nice, and you always ignore the fact that there is another ninety-five percent. Like you said, five percent of guys are whacko, not every male.”
“True. Until we overheard Uncle Giovanni talking to Peter, we thought they were compassionate men, who would protect us.” Ariel forced herself to keep her voice soft. “Is it better to know that you need to beware of the real person behind the smiles and bon-homme, or be wary to begin with, then happy to find out the person really is who you thought?”
“Neither.” Tempest rubbed her eyes and sniffed.
Ariel hated to destroy her childish faith in people, but loving people was deadly. “How many years did it take us to figure out that they were criminals?”
Tempest wiped away tears. “Father will never give up looking for us will he?”
“I doubt it. Revenge is very important to him and I’ll wager that every time we escape, he just wants us more. Despite the fact that no one is paying him to murder us, I’ll bet we’re at the top of his hit list.” They both shivered.
“Don’t get even, get ahead,” Tempest quoted in a grave tone. She lay on her back, hands folded across her stomach. “Life stinks. I’ll live in an igloo before I let him get revenge.”
“I hope it never comes to that.” How long would it take Peter to track them in the wilderness, where there weren’t bureaucrats to pay off or computers to hack? Probably less time than it took him to learn compassion. Ariel swallowed, but the lump in her throat remained.
“Living in an igloo would be nifty,” Tempest said.
“Why do you think that?”
“Just think of all the animals you’d get to see. It’d be better ‘n a bird feeder.”
“More dangerous, too.” Tempest shook her head. “Hypothermia. Frostbite. Ravenous polar bears. And just what would we eat? Snow?”
Tempest sighed. “I suppose you’re right, but I still think the wilderness is cool.” She grinned. “At least you said yes to going camping. I thought for sure you were gonna say no.”
“About the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge –“
“Don’t you dare back out!” Tempest shot upright, like she’d been fired from a cannon. “You promised. You told Uncle Link and Mr. Stone we’d go.”
“Isn’t the refuge near the Alaskan oil field?”
“So?” Tempest glared at her. Ariel tried to hold her gaze, but failed. “Environmentalists wouldn’t let anyone drill a well on a national refuge and if it’s a refuge, that means there’s no hunting, either. So, there’s no way Father would ever go there.”
That seemed reasonable. Peter wouldn’t be there, but Stone would. Ariel contemplated the ceiling and wondered how she was going to endure a weekend in such close proximity to Stone O’Banyon. Worse, she would be at his mercy since he owned the airplane. The refuge loomed like a giant million-acre trap, and she was stepping into Stone’s snare. Perhaps that was why a deep sense of dread overcame her when she thought about the trip. Ariel frowned. “I didn’t say we weren’t going, but I want you to know that I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”<
br />
“That’s cause you’re the queen of paranoia.”
“True, but when I get those feelings, something generally goes terribly wrong.” Tempest grunted in agreement. Ariel added, “I wasn’t going back on my word. I only wanted to let you know that you shouldn’t wear your rose-colored glasses.”
“Let me guess, I’m about to hear your life isn’t like a fairytale speech.”
“If you haven’t learned by now, it’s a waste of breath.”
Tempest rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Life stinks.” She sniffed.
“There are good parts,” Ariel said.
“Not according to you. If I believed everything you said, I’d think every handsome dark haired guy was a murderer or some sort of monster.” Tempest sniveled. “Well, I don’t believe it. That’s like saying every blond is stupid. We aren’t dumb.” Tempest touched Ariel’s hair. “You may have dyed yourself some artificial intelligence, but I got myself a snazzy look.”
Ariel laughed. “You think I look smarter as a brunette?”
“No.”
“Me, either. Maybe I didn’t have to dye my hair. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I feel safer with dark hair.”
“Do whatever you want with your hair, but I’m gonna keep my spikes. Maybe I’ll go purple, though. This black looks sorta goth. Or maybe blue. Or how about orange?” Her face scrunched in concentration. “I know! I'll dye some of the spikes pink and leave the rest black! Perfect!”
Ariel sat up and crossed her legs Indian fashion. Unwilling to get into the frivolities of a discussion on hair color, Ariel changed the subject back to a topic that worried her, “What you expect to see in the refuge?”
“Wide open spaces big enough for humongous herds of animals.”
“I hope you do.”
“What are you looking forward to seeing?”
Ariel shrugged. “I haven’t thought about anything except my packing list. And that’s more climate related.”
“This is only Sunday. We don’t leave until Friday. We’ve had a lot less notice a couple of times when we had to leave whole lives behind, so how come you’re worried about a packing list?”
“For one thing, living in the Arctic in a tent worries me.” Her sister appeared to accept that explanation. In less than a week, she’d be camping in the wilderness with the only man she’d ever met who turned her mind to mush and inflamed her body. Ariel groaned.
Tempest went to instant alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Tempest flopped onto her belly and propped up her head. “I wish I could help more.”
“You want to help me organize the curriculum?”
Tempest rolled her eyes, then stiffened. “Shoot!” She scrambled to her feet and dashed across the room. “I forgot to turn off my computer… Sherry, we’ve got a voice-mail.” Her voice trembled. “I didn’t think anyone had our magic jack number.”
“Elizabeth has it.”
Tempest’s expression brightened. “She does?” She tapped some keys. “It’s from area code 704, so it must be Grandma.”
“Are you going to play the message?”
Tempest tapped the mouse.
“Hello. How was your trip? Is there any decent timber there? I miss you two… I know I never got to see you much even when you lived closer, but it was nice knowing I could have driven there, if I’d wanted to.”
“If she hadn’t figured she was being watched and her phone was tapped,” Ariel said.
“Shhhh.” Tempest hit the ‘pause’ button. “I want to hear what Grandma says. Maybe she’ll send a crew up here to harvest lumber, then maybe we can see her.”
Ariel laughed. “You really think she’d cross a nation to harvest these big bonsai for her paper mill?” Tempest’s expression soured as she shook her head. “I don’t think so, either, but it sure would be great to see her.”
Tempest nodded, then pressed the ‘resume’ button. “Actually, Peter is the reason I’m calling. The investigator I hired lost him in O’Hare. I don’t want you to panic, but we believe he took a flight to Anchorage.”
Tempest smacked the mouse. “Sherry, is that anywhere nearby?”
Ariel’s stomach felt like acid had been poured in it. “About four hundred miles south of here.”
“Well, that’s okay, right?”
No! He could still be in the same state. And she was being totally paranoid for thinking so. Unwilling to allow her terror to invade Tempest’s happy mood, Ariel hedged, “We didn’t drive within one-hundred miles of Anchorage. It’s doubtful that he could pick our trail up from there.” She wished she could believe as easily as her sister.
Tempest pressed resume. “Talking to this machine is almost as irritating as talking to your demented parrot.” The sound of coins being deposited punctuated Elizabeth’s words. “Mr. Bell and his money hungry machines… Now for the latest family news…” Ariel and Tempest sat in rapt silence, listening to the beloved voice. After more coins were added, Elizabeth’s voice sounded tired. “Now for the bad news. Yesterday, Mitch stopped a speeder to issue a traffic citation.” She sniffed. “The young man was high on drugs and shot him at point blank range. Mitch never had a chance." Elizabeth sniffed. “Sorry to end on such a sad note, I know how much you liked him. That’s all the news. I love you. I miss you. Please stay safe.” The recording abruptly ended
Tempest stared at her. “He can’t be dead.” She played it again, but the message was the same. Tempest rocked back and forth, clutching her stomach. “How could someone do something that awful to Uncle Mitch? He was so nice.”
Ariel swallowed, but the lump in her throat remained. Had Peter figured out how much Mitch had assisted them? She’d hidden their friendship, to protect him, but now… Tears burned her eyes. “He was one of the few people brave enough to help us.” If Elizabeth hadn’t specifically said a doper murdered him, she’d be certain Peter had pulled the trigger.
“Poor Aunt Jade.” Tears streamed down Tempest’s cheeks.
Jade and Mitch had only been married a short time. Now this. Ariel wished life didn’t keep reminding her how fragile it was.
“What will Aunt Jade do with the farm and horses?”
“I imagine she’ll keep them.”
“And Lucifer, too?” Tempest sniffed. “He’s such a nice dog.”
Lucifer was a powerful police-trained rottweiler-mix and the best guard dog Ariel had ever seen. “If I were Jade I’d keep him.” When Jade and Mitch had decided to marry, she’d thought they had it all. Now, their hopes and dreams were destroyed.
“I always wished we were more like Aunt Jade.”
Ariel wiped a tear from her eye. “How so?”
“She can stay there as long as she likes because no one is trying to kill her-”
“At least not that we know about.”
Tempest’s expression looked forlorn. “Aunt Jade has such a nice little house and pretty horses and she-“
“Now, she’s even more alone than we are.” So was Elizabeth, who had outlived both of her children.
“No she isn’t. Aunt Jade can see grandma whenever she wants and call her or her mom or sisters, or just anyone whenever she wants. And she has Lucifer.”
“Dogs aren’t the same as a husband.”
“That’s right.” Tempest straightened her shoulders. “They’re better… I’m glad Aunt Jade didn’t get hurt when she pretended to be you.”
“So am I.” Ariel couldn’t get past the feeling that Peter had figured out how Jade and Mitch had helped them escape. What if Jade was next? Ariel shivered. “I should never have agreed to let them help us.”
“They offered.”
And look at the results. “I’ll never endanger anyone like that again.” It was too dangerous. Icy fear numbed her.
Tears rolled down Tempest’s cheeks. “You don’t think some psycho shot Uncle Mitch. You think Father had someone kill him because he found out they’
d helped us.”
“Maybe.” It wouldn’t be the first time Peter had paid someone to eliminate a problem for him. And they were certainly a problem. “If that’s what happened, it’s probably the Suburban.” She swallowed. “There would have been a paper trail after that FBI auction.”
“I didn’t think Father was powerful enough to hack their files.” Tempests forehead furrowed. “How would he even know to do that?”
“He probably didn’t. The druggie was probably just a coincidence and I’m paranoid.”
Tempest studied her. “Still, it’d be just like something Father would do.” Ariel nodded in agreement. Anyone who helped them could pay with their life. And even if Peter never discovered it, if something horrendous happened to them, she’d never know if she was responsible for involving them or not. To keep family and friends safe, they needed to stay out of touch. Yet their need for Elizabeth’s information made that impossible. Twice, they’d escaped Peter because of data provided by her private investigator. In addition to keeping track of Peter, the PI was building an incriminating file. One of these days, that file could free them by putting Peter behind bars. Ariel hoped she lived long enough to breathe without the shroud of paranoia. If the PI had lost Peter, it usually meant someone was about to die. And it would be just like him to fly to Anchorage, then switch flights. Ariel covered her lips with trembling fingers.
“Sherry, I love you.” Tempest cuddled close.
“I love you, too, Sabrina.” If they’d been discovered, there was no reason to hide. “Tell you what. Let’s call Elizabeth.”
“Could we?” Ariel nodded. Tempest scrambled to her feet. “Where’s the closest pay phone?”
“Alaska bounces phone calls off satellites. I don’t think there’s any way to trace our number through both satellites and the Internet. Just make certain not to say anything which could give anyone a clue where we are.”
“Because of the wire tap.” It was a statement, not a question.
Ariel nodded. “Don’t make it sound like we know about the PI losing Peter. And for heavens sake –“
“Don’t call her grandma because she doesn’t like being reminded how old she is. Aunt Jade has Lucifer, but Elizabeth has lost both her kids and for all intents a purposes, she's lost us, too. Understand?” Tempest interrupted.
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