by Elle James
“We should check in with the sheriff, don’t you think?” Aubrey fumbled with the buckle.
Matt swept her fingers aside and fastened it for her. Then he brushed his lips across the tip of her nose. “You’re cute in a helmet.”
Her cheeks heated. “You’re just being nice.”
“Nope. I call it as I see it.” He swung his leg over the seat and scooted forward to give her room.
Aubrey climbed on and pressed her body to his. Riding on the back of a motorcycle required being close and wrapping her arms around him. She liked it. Maybe a little too much for having just met the man. She felt closer to Matt than she ever felt with her first husband. Matt didn’t bail on her after a traumatic incident. He stuck with her and made sure she was all right, instead of nursing his own wounds and feeling sorry for himself.
Matt might have been the town bad boy, but Aubrey saw through the front to the man beneath the leather jacket. He had a good heart and he did the right thing, no matter the risk or cost.
She could fall in love with a guy like Matthew Hennessey. Too bad she wasn’t ready for another man in her life. Or was she holding back because she was afraid to be hurt again?
Chapter Twelve
Before they reached Whiskey Gulch, Matt slowed the bike and pulled off the side of the road at an intersection. He killed the engine so that Aubrey could hear what he had to say.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.
“One of the places Marcus suggested is on this road. We could do a drive-by and report what we see to the sheriff when we get to town. No point taking his people off of other searches until we know more. Are you up for that?”
“Yes,” she said.
His eyes narrowed. “On second thought, it might be too dangerous.”
“You’re talking about the church, aren’t you?” Aubrey’s brow wrinkled. “I seriously doubt the cartel would hole up in a church. I don’t think we’ll be in too much danger.”
“I hope you’re right.” He started the engine and made the turn onto the road leading to the Hilltop Church. In less than a mile, they headed up to a rise. At the top stood a small white church with a steeple. As they neared, Matt could see a large building made of metal behind the main structure. It was large enough to hide a truck towing a trailer full of ATVs.
He slowed as they came abreast of the buildings, continuing past until they were out of sight in his rearview mirror. Nobody came out wielding rifles and firing at them. The whole place was eerily quiet.
Aubrey tugged on his arm.
Matt found a spot, out of sight of the church and revival hall, to pull off the road before he turned to find out what Aubrey wanted.
“Can we park the bike and walk back?” Aubrey asked.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Matt said.
“To me, the place appeared to be deserted.” Aubrey swiveled on her seat to look behind her. “I don’t think anyone is there. But, if there is any evidence that they were here, it might give us a clue as to where we can find them.”
“No. They could be lying low. If you poke the hornet’s nest, they’re likely to come out in swarms.”
Aubrey’s lips twisted and her brow dipped. “If they aren’t there, we can look around, gather what evidence we can find and save the Sheriff another place to check into.”
Matt hesitated. The place did look deserted. If they went in on foot, they would have a better chance of seeing without being seen should there actually be someone there. “I’m still thinking this is a bad idea.”
Aubrey grinned. “Which means we’re going in.” She slipped off the back of the motorcycle and started pulling at the strap beneath her chin.
“Yeah. A really bad idea,” Matt muttered beneath his breath. Louder, he said. “Let me hide the bike. And when we go in, you have to do what I say, or we turn around and leave right away.”
Aubrey stopped fooling with the strap and held up her hand as if swearing in court. “I’ll do whatever you say.” Then she pulled the strap free and slipped the helmet off her head and shook out her auburn hair.
“Okay, you look cute in the helmet, but even better without it.” He winked. “I’ll be right back.” He pushed the motorcycle off the road onto a rutted track and hid it behind thick brush. When he emerged, he found Aubrey on the other side of the road, staring in the direction of the church though it was out of sight.
“I think we can cut through the woods,” she said, “and come up on the side of the metal building. If I wasn’t mistaken, it didn’t have that many windows.”
“It didn’t have any windows. Which makes it an even better hideout for someone who doesn’t want to be discovered,” Matt said. “We’ll do like you said and go through the woods. When we get close, we’ll hunker down and observe.”
She nodded. “Gotcha.”
“Tread lightly and keep the talking to a whisper.”
Aubrey nodded and fell in step beside him.
They hurried through the woods, moving in the shadows, avoiding the areas of late afternoon sunlight. It wouldn’t be long before the sun set, and the cartel would make whatever move they were going to make. They had to find them before that happened. Weeding out yet one more potential hiding place would help to narrow down the playing field.
As they neared the clearing where the church and revival hall were located, Matt put out his arm, stopping Aubrey from moving forward. He pressed a finger to his lips and dropped to a squat beside a tree.
From where they were, they could see the large revival building and the steeple of the church on the other side.
After careful perusal, Matt whispered. “No guard on this side. Stay here and stay low. I’m going to check the other sides. If you hear anything weird, or I don’t come back in fifteen minutes, get the hell out of here. Make for the main highway, flag down someone and get to the sheriff’s office. Under no circumstances are you to try to find me.” He gripped her arms and captured her gaze. “Do you understand?”
She nodded, her eyes wide. “I do.” She reached out and cupped his cheek. “Be careful. I kind of like your face.” Then she leaned close and pressed her lips to his in a brief kiss.
Matt froze for a second. He hadn’t expected her lips on his. Then he tightened his grip on her arms, pulled her close and kissed her hard, his tongue slipping past her teeth to caress hers in a long, slow glide. When he lifted his head, his heart was pounding hard against his ribs and his groin was tight. “Save that for later. I’m not done.”
Her lips curled on the corners and she lifted her hand in a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”
One more look into her beautiful green eyes and he left her there, moving closer to the building, clinging to the shadows.
The tree line ended twenty feet from the metal building.
For a long moment, Matt studied the perimeter, the shadows of the trees and the corners of the structure. He didn’t see movement, nor were there any security cameras that he could identify. Taking a deep breath, he left the cover of the trees and ran toward the building and the shadows it threw.
Once he had his back up against the metal paneling, he moved to the far end away from the structure and peered around the corner. Nothing moved. No sentries stood guard. He ran to the next corner and looked around to the side that faced the church. This side had a set of double doors in the middle of the building. Again no guards, no sign of life.
He listened for voices. All he heard was the sound of birds and insects.
Instead of exposing himself to potential observers who might be hiding out in the church, Matt backed up and circled the building to the other end where another set of double doors allowed entrance to the structure. He tried the door handles, surprised when they turned easily. Standing away from the door, he reached out, turned the knob and pushed the door inward, letting it open slowly, as if carried by the wind.
Matt stood away from the open door, hunkered down in case someone inside decided now was a good time to start shooting.
Again, nothing happened, no sounds, no movement. With his handgun in his palm, he dived into the interior, rolled to his feet and held his gun out in front of him, ready to shoot.
The interior was a cavern of emptiness with chairs stacked against the walls. At one end of the building was a set of doors and an open window into what appeared to be a kitchen.
Matt hurried through the building, realizing his fifteen minutes were quickly ticking away. If he didn’t complete his search quickly, Aubrey would be headed back to the highway and hitching a ride into town.
Still, he was careful not to take anything for granted. He didn’t know what was behind the doors at the end of the vast room. He peeked through the open window into the kitchen. It was filled with commercial sinks, refrigerators, stoves and ovens, large enough to feed a lot of people. The door to the right of the kitchen was a pantry lined with shelves and just large enough for one person to get in, grab what they needed and get out. The other door was a utility closet with a hot water heater, a bucket, brooms and mops.
No people were hidden in any of the rooms. As he headed back to the door he’d entered through, he noted the concrete floor had black tire marks as if someone had driven into the building. A dark pool of something slick lay in the middle of the floor between the tire tracks.
Matt bent, touched his finger to the liquid and brought it up to his nose.
Oil.
What had the sheriff said? The barn where he’d found the child’s hair bow had oil on the floor.
The cartel had been in this building. Yes, they had been here, but had everyone left?
He headed out the door, ran to the corner and looked across at the church. When he didn’t see any movement, he sprinted across to it.
Here, again, the doors weren’t locked, and he entered through the main ones. The church was small and simple with a sanctuary filled with wooden pews, a raised dais and a pulpit. Near the entrance on either side were little rooms. They were empty. The church was empty.
The cartel had been here but were now gone.
Matt ran back to where he’d left Aubrey.
“Oh, thank God,” she said, and flung her arms around his neck. “I was about to head for the highway.” She clung to him for a moment.
He held her close, glad she’d stayed. The thought of her on the highway, hitching a ride, scared him as much as if they’d run into the cartel in the church. For a long moment, he held her close. When they finally backed away, she looked up into his eyes. “You didn’t find anyone, did you?”
He shook his head. “No. But they were here. Come on.” With her hand in his, he led her back to the revival building and in through the open doors. He showed her the oil spot on the floor and stood looking around, now that he had more time to study the interior.
“Any sign of hostages?” she asked, her voice echoing off the walls.
“No, but I didn’t search thoroughly. He walked to the end of the building where the kitchen was and entered through a swinging door, holding the door open for Aubrey.
Aubrey sniffed the air. “Smells like food.” She walked to a large rubber trash container and lifted the lid. “Someone helped themselves to some cans of beans and diced fruit.” She held up cans that appeared to have been emptied recently. “It’s reassuring to know they could be feeding Isabella.”
“If it was Isabella they fed,” Matt said, his lips pressing together. He walked to the other end of the kitchen and opened a door that led through the pantry and out into the main room.
Aubrey entered behind him. “It was nice of the church to leave the shelves stocked with canned goods. Makes it easy for the coyotes to hole up here. They have what they need to sustain them until they have to move to the next location.”
Matt tucked his handgun into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll let the sheriff know what we found.”
Aubrey grabbed his arm. “Do you hear that?”
Matt tilted his head. The sound of a vehicle coming up the road set off an alarm in his mind. They didn’t have time to run out of the building without being seen. The best he could do was get to the door, close it and pray whoever was coming went by without stopping.
“Stay in here,” he said, and ran back to the door and eased it closed as a dark truck pulled in behind the church and stopped at the end of the revival building.
Matt raced back across the floor as quietly as he could and dived into the pantry, closing the door behind him as the door to the building opened.
With his heart pounding he peered through the crack he’d left into the dim interior of the revival hall.
Four men entered speaking Spanish, arguing about something. Two carried semiautomatic, military-grade weapons.
Matt muttered a curse under his breath and leaned close to Aubrey. “They’re armed. What are they saying?”
“They’re mad about the oil on the floor,” Aubrey whispered softly in Matt’s ear.
One of the men shoved another toward the end of the room where Matt and Aubrey were hiding.
“He told him to get something to clean it up,” Aubrey said. “What are we going to do?”
“The mops are on the other side.”
Aubrey touched his arm. “He’s headed this way.”
Matt backed her into the corner niche and pressed his body to hers, praying his black jacket and jeans would be enough to hide them when the man looked into the pantry and realized he was in the wrong room.
He fit his hand into his jacket pocket and gripped his pistol. If he had to, he could fire through the leather. With four men to deal with between them and their exit, he preferred not having to make a move. Maybe the men would leave without knowing the two of them were here in there first place.
With his face close to hers, he could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
Footsteps sounded outside the door to the pantry.
When the door was flung open, Aubrey opened her mouth on a gasp.
Matt covered her lips with his, stifling the sound, praying the man would see he had the wrong room and move on to the other door.
Voices sounded in the revival hall.
The man at the door shouted back to them in Spanish.
For what felt like an eternity, the door was open. The dim light from the hall’s interior cut across the floor of the pantry, almost to where Matt and Aubrey stood flattened to the wall behind a shelf of canned goods.
Then the door slammed closed and the footsteps led away from the room to the other side of the kitchen.
More words were spoken in Spanish, now muffled by the closed door.
Matt remained where he was, his body pressed to Aubrey’s, waiting until the voices stopped and the men left the revival hall.
Minutes passed like hours.
The door at the other end of the kitchen opened and closed. A little while later another door closed farther away, on the other end of the hall.
When silence once again reigned, Matt leaned back and whispered. “I think they’re gone.”
Aubrey’s hands rested against his chest, her fingers digging into his T-shirt. “They are?”
He nodded, reluctant to move much farther. While he’d been leaning into her body, his own reacted to her nearness. His groin was tight, and his body burned for this woman.
Surrounded by darkness, all he could do was feel the way her chest rose and fell, her firm breasts pressing against his chest with each breath.
“Matt?” she whispered.
“Yes, Aubrey?” His pocketed his gun and slid his hands up her arms to cup the back of her neck.
“Are they really gone?”
“I thin
k so.” He rested his lips on her forehead. “At least for now. Let’s wait a bit to make sure they’re gone for good. I’ll text the sheriff, though.”
He pulled his phone up and sent a quick message to the sheriff about their location, what they’d observed, the area the ATVers were in. He got a fast response telling them not to pursue, that the sheriff’s office would take care of it. When he was finished, he looked into Aubrey’s eyes.
“If the sheriff can cut them off, maybe we’ll get Isabella sooner than we thought.”
“You said to save that kiss for later.” Her whisper grew softer. “Is it later?”
“I believe it is.” Matt buried his fingers in her hair and tugged, tilting her head back. He swept his mouth over her cheeks and down to her lips, feeling his way, tasting her skin as he went. When their lips collided, there was no going back. He had to kiss her, hold her, feel her body against his.
He pressed her back into the niche, her back against the wall, his hands on her, his tongue inside her mouth.
Aubrey curled her calf around the back of his and pressed her core against his thigh.
Matt groaned. “What is it about you that’s driving me out of my mind?”
“I had that same thought,” she said into his mouth, their breaths mingling, their tongues sliding against each other.
“We should go,” he said.
“We should,” Aubrey agreed, her fingers curling into his shirt, dragging it out of the waistband of his jeans.
“And we will,” he said, his hands finding the hem of her blouse and pulling it upward, his knuckles skimming across her bare skin. Fire burning through his veins.
She raised her hands above her head, her breasts jutting into his chest.
He pulled off her blouse and draped it over cans stacked on the shelf beside them. Still working in the dark, he found the button on the front of her jeans and flicked it open.
Aubrey pushed his leather jacket over his shoulders and laid it on the ground by his ankles, the gun in the pocket thunking against the concrete. Then she was back to his shirt dragging it up over his chest and shoulders. He helped her get it over his head and added it to where he’d left her shirt on the stack of cans.