What if he was in there?
She could picture him inside, crouched in a dark corner, waiting to spring at her the moment she opened the door. But in her imagination, just as in her nightmares, her abductor’s face had morphed into the horned monster on his chest. She could almost feel those glowing red eyes on her now.
Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself firmly. Even though the kidnapper had never been caught, the odds that he had somehow found them fourteen years later and followed them to the island were remote. He was probably dead by now or incarcerated for another crime. He couldn’t be here on Cape Diablo, as fitting as the name might be. Carrie was letting her imagination run away with her again.
Maybe she hadn’t done as good a job at putting the past behind her as she’d thought.
Taking a deep breath, she edged toward the door.
Don’t let him see your fear, a little voice warned her. That’s what he wants.
Trying to tamp down her panic, Carrie grabbed the door and flung it back, jumping when it hit the wall with a bang. Quickly she stepped inside the closet and flipped on the light switch.
No one was inside.
She let out a shaky breath. Okay, she really was letting her imagination run wild here. Monsters in closets? Come on. She’d been cured of that particular phobia years ago.
Or so she’d thought.
Switching off the light, she backed out of the closet, closing the door behind her with firm resolve. As she turned to look for her bag, she saw something shiny on the floor near the dresser.
Frowning, she walked over and picked it up, then gasped in recognition. It was the silver friendship pendant she’d given Tia before they left for camp that summer. Carrie ran her hand over the inscribed Friends.
The other half of the breakaway heart, engraved with the word Forever, was buried someplace in her jewelry box back home. She’d never worn hers again after that summer, but she couldn’t bring herself to get rid of it, either. Instead, she’d hidden it away and hadn’t thought about it for a long, long time.
Until now.
She clutched the chain in her fist. The necklace hadn’t been there earlier. She would have seen it on the floor. Which meant that someone had come in after she left.
But who? And why?
And then realization crashed over her, and her heart thudded in excitement. The necklace hadn’t been dropped by accident. It had been left on purpose by someone who knew that Carrie would understand its significance.
Tia!
She was still on the island!
For some reason she couldn’t come to Carrie openly. Maybe she was in hiding or in some sort of trouble. Maybe she was on the run. Whatever her motive, it was obvious she needed help. The necklace was a message, a desperate plea that only the two of them could interpret.
“Don’t leave me here, Carrie. Please, please don’t leave me.”
Chapter Four
Carrie stood at the end of the dock, clutching a key to Tia’s apartment in her hand as she watched Trawick’s boat disappear from view. Cochburn had reluctantly given her a spare key after he’d tried to talk her out of her plan, but Carrie had remained adamant.
Now, however, as the sound of the engine receded in the distance, she almost wished she’d succumbed to his persuasion. She’d just stranded herself on an island in the middle of nowhere for three whole days.
Was she out of her mind?
The initial shock of finding the necklace had worn off by now and panic was starting to set in. She couldn’t swear with any certainty that the necklace had been left as a message. Maybe it had been there earlier and she’d somehow overlooked it. Maybe the wind had blown open the garden door. It was entirely possible that no one had come into the apartment after she’d left, and now she’d isolated herself on Cape Diablo for no good reason.
What if she got sick or hurt out here? How would she get help?
And even if Tia really was still here and in some kind of trouble, how was Carrie supposed to find her? She didn’t even know where to start looking for her.
Obviously, she hadn’t thought this through, but when had that ever stopped her? She’d always had a bad habit of leaping before she looked.
In hindsight, instead of overreacting and jumping to conclusions, she should have gone back to Everglades City and filed a missing person report with the local authorities. Or insisted that the police accompany her to the island and mount a full-scale search.
She should have done something, anything other than isolate herself on the same island from which Tia had gone missing. How stupid was that?
Now it was too late. The boat was gone, and as the sound of the engine faded away, an almost preternatural silence fell over the island.
It’s okay, Carrie told herself firmly. She’d done the right thing. The police in Everglades City probably wouldn’t be of much help anyway. She had no proof that Tia was in trouble. There was no sign of foul play in her apartment, nothing to suggest that she hadn’t left the island of her own accord.
Besides, the boat would be back in three days. That would give her ample opportunity to conduct a thorough search on her own. Maybe her instincts were right and the necklace really had been a call of distress from Tia.
If there was even a slight chance that she was in trouble, Carrie would do everything in her power to help her. She wouldn’t turn her back on her no matter what. She’d left her behind once, and neither of their lives had ever been the same. She couldn’t do it again. This might be her last chance to make things right.
“That wasn’t too smart, you know.”
Carrie wheeled at the sound of Nick Draco’s voice. He’d moved up behind her so silently she hadn’t heard him approach, and even when she turned, she still couldn’t see him in the fading light. The long shadows of twilight seemed to absorb him.
And then he disengaged himself from the trees and started toward her.
Carrie’s first impulse was to back away from him. To turn and run as far and as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She was still wary of everyone on the island, but especially Nick Draco. He seemed to have a strange, unsettling effect on her.
She moistened her lips. “I beg your pardon?”
“You should have gone back to the mainland when you had the chance.” His voice was dark and menacing, yet somehow seductive…like the island itself. Carrie shivered as he continued toward her. “With Carlos’s boat out of commission, there’s no way off the island.”
“I realize that, but I wasn’t ready to leave,” she said with what she hoped was a negligent shrug.
“Like I said, not a smart move.” Nick’s gaze pierced through the dusk and slid along her nerve endings. Carrie didn’t want to stare at him, but she couldn’t seem to glance away.
“And why is that?” she demanded.
“Haven’t you heard? People have a bad habit of disappearing around here.”
Carrie’s heart skipped a beat. Was he warning her…or threatening her?
A chill shot through her veins as he came even closer. He’d taken off his shirt and draped a towel over one shoulder as if he were on his way down to the beach for a swim. Even in the vanishing light, she could see the hard definition of his shoulders and chest, the smooth ripple of muscle down his abdomen.
He looked lean and raw, not at all the sort of man she was normally attracted to. She went for the more offbeat, artsy types. Nick Draco’s overt sexuality drew her and repelled her at the same time.
And then as he slipped the towel off his shoulder, she saw the tattoo that had been hidden beneath. It was some kind of symbol that she didn’t recognize.
She caught her breath as she instantly thought of another tattoo. She hadn’t been able to look away from that one, either, as the man had grabbed Tia and held her at knifepoint. “Don’t run,” he’d warned Carrie, “Or I’ll slit your little friend’s throat. You don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”
The memory was so vivid that when Nick
took another step toward her, she gasped and jumped back. She couldn’t help herself.
He froze, obviously puzzled by her reaction. “What’s wrong? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
She couldn’t answer him for a moment. Her heart was beating too fast. In spite of all her hard work, she suddenly found herself trapped in the past.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?”
Don’t let him see your fear, her inner voice warned her. That’s what he wants.
Carrie’s head snapped up. “You…startled me, is all. I didn’t hear you come up before, and I guess I’m still a little jumpy.”
She could feel the power of his eyes and trembled, wanting to run away, but knowing she had to stand her ground. She’d vowed a long time ago that no one would ever make her feel weak and helpless again. Not her abductor. Not Nick Draco. No one.
He watched her steadily. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I came down to see the boat off. I was surprised to find you still here.”
She ignored the pulse that was suddenly throbbing in her neck. “What did you mean when you said people have a bad habit of disappearing around here?”
He shrugged. “It happened a few years ago. A family disappeared off the island and no one ever knew what happened to them.”
Carrie frowned. “I know about the Santiagos. Are you sure you weren’t talking about something more recent?”
“Like your friend, you mean?” He used the towel to slap at a mosquito on his leg. “I don’t consider her missing. I thought we agreed that she’s probably gone back to the mainland.”
“That’s what you and Mr. Cochburn seem to want me to believe,” Carrie said coolly.
“You can believe whatever you want,” he said in a dismissive tone. “I simply offered an opinion. I think your friend probably got bored on the island and took off for civilization. Maybe for a few days, maybe for good. Either way, I don’t think you’re going to find what you’re looking for on Cape Diablo.”
Why did she suddenly have the feeling he was no longer talking about Tia? “Maybe you’re right,” Carrie said. “Maybe Tia has gone back to the mainland. But I won’t have any peace of mind until I know for certain that she’s not here.”
“So what’s your plan?”
Carrie drew a breath, trying to calm her still-racing heart. “Search the island, of course. Every square inch if I have to.”
He gave her the longest stare. When he finally spoke, his tone remained casually indifferent, but somehow Carrie thought there was an underlying tension in his voice. For some reason, her presence on Cape Diablo mattered to Nick Draco, but she had no idea why. “Take my advice and at least wait until daylight.”
“Why? The sooner I search the island, the sooner I’ll find her.”
“Assuming she’s still here,” he said with a frown. “Cape Diablo may be small, but there’s a lot of rugged ground to cover, especially on the southern end.”
“You mean the swamp?”
He lifted a brow. “You know about that?”
She nodded. “Cochburn warned me about it earlier.”
“Did he? Well, good for him. But the swamp’s not the only thing you have to look out for.”
“What do you mean?”
He gave her another enigmatic look. “Do you know what a bog is?”
“Isn’t it the same thing as a swamp?”
“Not exactly. A bog is a marshy area that’s like a quicksand pit. The only safe way to get across is to lie on your belly and crawl to the other side. But the problem is, you may not know you’re in it until you feel the mud sucking at your feet. By then it’s too late. You’re already stuck and the harder you struggle, the quicker you sink.”
Sink? Carrie glared up at him. Good lord! Was he serious? “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to discourage my search?”
“I’m just trying to keep you out of trouble. People come out here from the city and think this place is like a resort. It’s not. It’s primitive and dangerous, and if you’re not careful—” He paused, his gaze raking over her in the darkness. “You may need someone to come looking for you.”
CARRIE WAS AMAZED at how quickly twilight turned into night. By the time she got back to the apartment, the courtyard already lay in deep shadow.
In spite of Nick’s warning, she still felt an urgency to begin searching for Tia immediately. For all she knew, hours or even minutes could make a difference.
But as strongly as her instincts warned her that her friend was in trouble, her common sense prevailed. Even with a flashlight, the unfamiliar terrain would be difficult to navigate with any degree of confidence. And as much as she hated to admit it, her conversation with Nick had spooked her. She didn’t want to get stuck in a bog…if there even was such a thing.
She shivered now as she remembered his warning. His ominous tone only added to the menacing vibe of the island. There was something about Cape Diablo after dark that made Carrie want to retreat inside and lock her doors.
The rustling leaves in the courtyard sounded like whispers; the pounding surf, the echo of a human heartbeat. The whole island seemed personified somehow, as if it were a living, breathing entity.
Carrie could feel the panic welling inside her again, but she tamped it down. She was here for a reason. She couldn’t let her fears get in the way.
She’d proven a long time ago that she was a survivor. She wouldn’t let Cape Diablo—or her imagination—drag her back to the darkness again. No more cowering in corners for her. No more lying awake at night to ward off the nightmares. She’d vanquished her demons once before. She could damn well do it again…for her sake and for Tia’s.
Refusing to retreat inside, Carrie stood in the doorway, her gaze lifting to the towering facade of the main house where a single light glowed from one of the third-floor windows. As she watched, the window went dark.
She started to glance away, then paused when she realized that rather than extinguishing the light, someone had stepped in front of the window.
She could see the outline of a woman against the backdrop of light, and Carrie suddenly had the disturbing notion that Alma Garcia was staring back at her. She couldn’t see the woman’s features, but she felt those dark eyes on her, and Carrie remembered Cochburn’s assessment that Alma’s lucid days were getting fewer and farther between.
Carrie couldn’t help but wonder how thirty years of seclusion on Cape Diablo would affect one’s sanity.
Why had the woman remained on such a remote island after the Santiago family disappeared? Why had she exiled herself here for so long? Was she still waiting, as Cochburn speculated, for those missing children to come home?
Carrie was surprised at how intriguing she found the old mystery, but unlike Tia, she couldn’t allow herself to get caught up in it. She’d come to Cape Diablo to find her friend. Whatever secrets the Santiago family had left on the island would have to remain hidden for now.
But what if the missing family was the reason for Tia’s disappearance?
What if she’d discovered something that had put her in danger?
The last line of Tia’s letter came back to Carrie now: It’s as if the island itself is trying to tell me something…and it won’t let me rest until I uncover its secrets.
So she’d noticed it, too. The sense that Cape Diablo was a living, breathing entity with a heartbeat, a pulse and a dark, restless soul in which decades of secrets lay hidden.
“Looks like we may be in for some rough weather later.”
Nick’s voice startled her so violently that Carrie jumped. She’d been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard him approach. She didn’t like his habit of sneaking up on her. She didn’t like the way her pulse raced in recognition.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Again.”
“That’s the third time today,” Carrie said accusingly. “Maybe you should think about putting a bell around your neck.”
“What if I just cou
gh or clear my throat? Would that work?”
“Maybe.” Her breath quickened at his nearness.
She didn’t believe in love at first sight. She wasn’t even sure she believed in love at all. She’d had sex but never intimacy, and somehow over the years, she’d managed to convince herself that was the way she wanted it.
But Nick Draco’s mere presence awakened a restless yearning inside her that she couldn’t explain. She didn’t want to be attracted to him, but she was. She didn’t want to be afraid of him…but she was.
She had a bad feeling that he could hurt her in ways she’d never even imagined. Not physically, perhaps, but something far, far worse.
Sensing her unease, he paused, reluctant to close the remaining steps between them. He almost seemed worried that he might scare her away.
He wouldn’t. Not physically. But there were other ways to run, other ways to hide.
Their gazes met and the night, silent moments earlier, suddenly came alive with the pounding of Carrie’s heartbeat.
“The sky’s perfectly clear,” she finally said in response to his initial comment.
“For now. But something’s in the air. Can’t you feel it?”
“What?”
He glanced up at the sky, then back down at her. His eyes seemed to burn through the darkness. “Electricity.”
Yes, of course, she felt it. But it seemed to Carrie a brewing storm had very little to do with the way the back of her neck tingled.
He carried a large box underneath one arm, and after another moment, he moved forward and set it down at her feet.
“What’s that?” she asked in surprise.
“Some of the supplies Trawick left. If you’re staying until Friday, you’ll need provisions.”
The gesture caught Carrie off guard. Kindness wasn’t something she expected from a man like Nick Draco.
“Thanks, but I’m sure I can manage.” Although she wasn’t certain of that at all since she’d yet to check Tia’s refrigerator and cupboards.
“Suit yourself. But I’m leaving it here just the same. If you don’t take it, the rats will.”
Secrets of His Own Page 5