by Alison Bliss
Good grief. “Um, I think it’s time for us to—”
“Hold up, girl. I was still talking.” She looked directly at Seth. “So as I was saying, when I met you, you were playing with little Miss Bobbie Jo here when she was a baby. You two rolled around on a blanket for two hours straight, and she wouldn’t leave your side. Now it looks like you two are rolling around together again, but this time, you’re doing it in the sheets while you’re both naked as jaybirds.” Momma Bell cackled at herself. “Fate sure works in funny ways, doesn’t it?”
Seth leaned over and whispered, “Is she being serious? Or has she been hitting the sauce a little too hard?”
“Uh, maybe a bit of both. However, I did meet you back when I was a baby. My mom told me that story the first day she met you at my house.”
“Really?” He grinned. “Guess nothing was going to keep us apart.”
I smiled. “Apparently.”
He nuzzled his face into my neck, and I laughed.
“Oh phooey,” Momma Bell said. “You two should just get a room already.”
Seth lifted his head and grinned. “I like Momma Bell. She gives good advice.”
“Of course I do, Sonny. Why, if my Earl were around, he’d tell you that I know everything. That man was a smart one, ya know? And, since you’re my granddaughter’s new beau, you’ll be seeing lots more of me around, Sonny.”
“Earl was Momma Bell’s husband. He passed away some time ago,” I explained.
Seth lowered his voice and whispered, “On purpose?”
I nudged him with my elbow as Momma Bell’s attention drifted.
He grunted and said, “Does she realize my name is Seth and not Sonny?”
“Just go with it,” I whispered back, stifling a giggle.
“Hell no,” he whispered. Then his voice rose. “Well, Momma Bell, it was nice to meet you. We should really get going now,” Seth said, pushing into my back to get me to walk.
But Momma Bell wrapped her loose-skinned arms around both of us and crushed us together in a group hug. By the time she released me, I was pretty sure that one of my ribs had splintered off and punctured my lung. “Oh, look. There’s my little Jakey,” she said, waving at Jake and Emily as they passed by. She turned back to us. “You two don’t be gone long. I want to spend some time getting to know my new grandson, Sonny.”
“Okay, Momma Bell. See you later,” I said as we walked away, thanking our lucky stars that she didn’t stop us from leaving.
Seth waited until we got well away from her before he spoke. “Bobbie, I’m sorry, but if you think I’m going to go back and hang out with that crazy woman, you’re as nuts as she is.”
…
After a while of walking around the fairgrounds and getting sweaty from the trees blocking what little wind there was blowing, I decided to show Seth one of my old hangouts from back when I was a teenager.
The small lily pond with dragonflies darting above it didn’t look like much. But it was deep enough to swing and drop into from the other side of the bank using an old piece of knotted rope that had probably been hanging there since I was little. That ratty rope was eventually going to give out on someone one day. But thus far, it had been holding strong to the large oak tree.
“So this is your little oasis in the woods, huh?”
I grinned. “Yep. It’s a pretty secluded spot. Not many people know about it.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Oh yeah? So you mean we’re alone out here all by ourselves?”
“Uh-huh. Just us. It’s a great place to get…soaking wet.”
“Mmm,” he said, brushing his lips over mine. “I like the way you think.”
“Good, then follow me.” I pulled away from him and climbed up the steep bank with Seth right behind me. When we reached the top where the rope hung looped over a low brand, I grinned. “Ready to show me your best Tarzan move?”
His brow lifted. “Seriously?”
“Oh, come on. You’re not scared, are you?”
The challenge lit a fire in his eyes. “Baby, you know me better than that.”
I laughed and kicked off my shoes before placing them on a nearby rock. Then I grasped a hold of the rope just above one of the large knots, lifted my feet, and swung out over the water, letting go of the rope. I flailed my arms as I dropped out of the air and into the cold water. Then I kicked my way to the surface to hear Seth laughing as he hurried to strip off his shirt.
“That looked like fun.”
I smoothed my wet hair out of my face. “It was. Always has been. Why do you think I loved coming here so much?”
Seth stretched his arm out to grab the rope. His lean, muscular male form sent my tongue wagging. The man had the most amazing body I’d ever seen with all that smooth, dark skin and bulges everywhere the eyes could see. He pulled back on the rope and swung himself out over the water, letting go in time to do a somersault before splashing into the water.
When he didn’t come up right away, I started to get a little nervous. I looked around, but I didn’t see any movement beyond the ripples that his splash into the water had created. Shit. “Seth?”
Something grasped my ankle and pulled me under the water. I kicked back to the surface to see Seth there laughing at me. I splashed him. “Damn you. Don’t do that. You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” He reached for me and pulled me against him. “You forgive me?”
I wrapped my legs around his waist and clutched at his brawny shoulders. “I guess so. But don’t do it again. I hate being dunked underwater. My boys used to always do that to me when we would come out here.”
“You came out here with the guys?”
“All the time. We always had so much fun together.”
His jaw tightened. “Like this,” he said, pressing his hard length against me through our clothes.
“No. We were just friends. Mostly.”
“What do you mean mostly?”
“Well, uh…Jake and I used to date back in high school. I lost my virginity to him.”
His lips pursed. “Don’t tell me that. You’re going to make me not like the guy anymore.”
I grinned. “That was a very long time ago. You have nothing to worry about. He’s married to Emily and they have Lily together. Jake and I are nothing more than best friends.”
“Would you like it if I said my best friend was a woman?”
“To be honest, no. Probably not. Emily didn’t like it when I first met her, either. I never once blamed her for that, though. I’m glad she gave me a chance to be her friend, too. I hope you’ll be the same way with Jake. He’s a good man and a great friend. The best, really.”
Seth nodded. “I don’t have anything against the guy. Unless he pulls another gun on me. Then we might have a few problems.” He grinned.
“How about we stop talking about Jake?”
“I’ll do you one better. How about we stop talking altogether?” A large hand fondled my breast.
My mouth slid over his as his tongue probed between my wet lips. Our bodies squeezed tighter together, our hips grinding against one another. His mouth moved to my neck as he licked at my skin and then nipped at the outer shell of my ear, sending tingles through my body. I shivered and held my head to the side to give him better access.
As he continued his assault on my ear, I opened my eyes, enjoying the pleasure of his lips nibbling on me as I looked out over the smooth surface of the pond. It resembled glass, mirroring the fluffy white clouds above us and the cardinal chirping in the cypress tree on the opposite side of the bank.
But then something moving caught my eye as it blurred the image on the surface of the water. “Um, Seth.”
“Hmm,” he said, still working on my neck.
The moving object was getting closer, and I could see it more clearly. My body tensed. “Oh shit. Seth!”
He lifted his head, looking mildly confused. “Baby, there’s no way you’re that close to coming just
from me kissing your neck.”
“No, damn it. There’s a snake!”
He turned with me still in his arms, which only put me closer to the damn thing. I screamed and started splashing frantically to get away from it. Realizing what he did, Seth shoved me toward the bank and stayed in between me and the snake until it swam directly past him. How the hell he had stayed so calm was beyond me.
I climbed out of the water and headed for my shoes that were still on the rock. I was wringing out my hair by the time he joined me. “This is the last time I come here. Why the hell was I thinking this was so much fun when I was younger? It’s dangerous as shit.”
Seth laughed. “We are always braver when we’re younger. Stupider, too.”
“I don’t know. You’re four years old than me and you didn’t seem the least bit scared of that snake.”
He pulled on his dry shirt. “Sweetheart, I’ve swam in the Amazon River with crocodiles, caimans, predatory fish that could swallow a man whole, and snakes a hell of a lot bigger and more dangerous than that one.”
I shook my head. “God, you sound just like the other boys. I’m starting to agree with Emily. You’re all fucking crazy, you know that?”
He grinned and wrapped his arms around me. “Crazy about you.”
My heart stopped. Was that his way of telling me he loved me? I wasn’t entirely sure, but it sounded like it to me. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part. Either way, I was glad to hear it. Because I was crazy in love with him. Even if I still refused to say it first. “Why don’t we head home to finish what we started?”
He kissed me. “I love the way your mind works.”
We made our way out of the woods behind the fair grounds and headed straight for the parking lot. Seth had parked my truck at the end of a row, and by the time we got there, it was already starting to get dark.
He opened the driver’s side door and motioned for me to get in, swatting me on the rear as I started to climb up into the truck. But I froze halfway in when my eyes fell on something disturbing. Austin’s little spotted stuffed bull that he named Cody was stuck to the dash with a large knife sticking out of him.
“Oh my God. What kind of sick joke is this?”
Seth maneuvered around me to see what I was looking at and climbed up into the truck. He pulled the blade out of the stuffed animal and then handed me the toy while he twisted the knife back and forth in his hand. “Fuck. It’s not a joke.” He rubbed a hand across his distressed face. “Damn it.”
Confusion swamped my body. I probably shouldn’t have left my vehicle unlocked, but who the hell would do something like this? “I don’t understand. What’s happening?”
He shook his head. “I’ll explain later. Right now we need to go.”
My head snapped up at his urgent tone. “No. Tell me what’s going on. Now, Seth.”
“Later,” he repeated, his tone even more demanding. “Right now we need to get to Austin.”
“Austin?” My whole body stiffened at hearing my son’s name, and my heart pounded against my rib cage. “Seth, what are you saying? Are you telling me my son’s in danger?”
“Yes.”
Fear and panic bubbled up inside of me. “Why? Who did this?”
“There’s only one person I can think of. Bishop.”
Chapter Nineteen
I couldn’t have heard him right.
“T-the man you killed?” When he nodded, I said, “Seth, Bishop’s dead. You said so yourself. Why in the hell would you think this has anything to do with him of all people?”
He held up the large dagger. “Because this is the knife I shoved into his chest before he fell into the river.”
I blinked rapidly. “How do you know it’s the same one?”
“It’s one-of-a-kind. Junior made it for me and engraved my initials into it.”
“Show me.”
He pointed out the little S and L at the base of the blade. “There’s other things, too. My old commander at The Resistance called last week. He told me that someone with strong connections was inquiring about me. He didn’t know the specifics, so we just assumed they had heard about me and wanted to hire me for job. And there’s the fact that lately, I’ve been getting the feeling someone was watching me. I thought it was just your friends checking up on me, but now I have no doubt who it is.”
“There has to be some explanation. It can’t be what you’re thinking.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m right. I know I am. I can feel it. If the knife is here, so is Bishop. I don’t know how, but he somehow made it out of that crocodile-infested river alive.”
My heart jolted in my chest. Panicking, I turned and ran as hard as I could toward the fairgrounds with Seth on my heels.
I would’ve never thought I could outrun him, even if I had been on the track team in high school. But my son needed me, and I couldn’t get there fast enough. I yelled out his name as I ran through the crowd, scanning the distance for him.
“Over there,” Seth yelled, pointing across the way.
I stood on my tiptoes and peered in that direction and spotted Jeremy talking to one of his buddies. I took off toward him at a dead run, and made it to him about the same time Seth did. I grabbed Jeremy’s arm to get his attention as my head spun back and forth looking for my son. “Where’s Austin?”
Jeremy jerked his arm away from me. “Chill out. What the hell’s the problem?”
“Where’s my son?” I spun circles looking for him, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. “Damn it, Jeremy. It’s important. Where’s my baby?”
“I don’t know. Hell, he was right here a few minutes ago. I think.”
“You think? You weren’t watching him?” I yelled, my hands clenching at my sides.
Seth put his hands on my shoulders. “Calm down. It’s okay. We’ll find him.”
Hard breaths panted out of me as I glared at Jeremy. “If anything happens to my little boy, I’m holding you personally responsible.”
He rolled his eyes. “Figures. The kid goes wandering off, and of course, I get the blame. If you’d beat the hell out of that kid one good time, he’d mind better.”
“You sonofabitch,” I said, launching myself at him.
Seth wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back. I struggled against his tight grip. As mad and scared as I was, if I could’ve gotten to Jeremy, I would’ve ripped his head off and shoved it up his ass.
Jake, Emily, Cowboy, and Anna must’ve spotted the commotion and came over to investigate. The moment they walked up, I said, “Austin’s missing. Possibly abducted. I need everyone to help look for him. Right now.”
Jake put on his game face. “Abducted? What the hell are you talking about? What’s going on?”
We quickly filled them in on Bishop and the knife we found sticking out of Austin’s favorite stuffed animal, the look of sheer terror on Emily and Anna’s faces probably resembled my own. “Are you sure,” Anna asked. “Maybe he just went to get a balloon or something.”
God, I hoped she was right. But I had a horrible feeling that she wasn’t. “Please, just everyone spread out and help us find him.”
As everyone fanned out, the overwhelming sense of helplessness took over, and my stomach knotted with dread. What if we didn’t find him in time? What if Bishop… Oh God.
Perceptive as ever, Seth held me against him. “It’s okay. We’re going to get him back.”
I took several slow breaths. Emily and Anna had separated and were heading different directions while calling Austin’s name. Cowboy was on his radio, dispatching out to his firemen a description of my little boy. And Jake was on the phone getting police and FBI backup. Everyone was doing something.
Everyone, except Jeremy.
He had gone back to talking to his friend as if he didn’t give a damn whether Austin was found or not. The bastard. But I didn’t have time to deal with him right now. I needed to find my son. The sun was almost gone, and Austin was scared of the dark.
I took off in the opposite direction of Seth. I checked the bathrooms, the jump castle, and then jogged around the entire fair grounds twice. But I didn’t see him. Damn it. Where the hell was my child? I felt myself starting to crumble inside, but I didn’t have time for that right now. I wouldn’t be of any help to Austin if I fell apart instead of looking for him.
I made it back to the area where we had found Jeremy, and spied Seth talking to Jake. I sprinted over to them. “Did either of you find him?”
Seth grabbed my arms to steady me. “A woman said they saw a little boy matching his description heading toward the forest trail. Since there were other people near the entrance, she just assumed that he was with one of them. But he was walking alone.”
Jake nodded. “It’s a good lead. I’m organizing a search party right now to scour the woods. We have about fifty people already who are going to be out looking for him. I’m just trying to get enough flashlights for everyone before I send them out.”
“We can go now,” I told him. “I have a flashlight in my truck.”
He shook his head. “No, you should stay here in case someone finds him. He’s going to want to see his mother.”
“No, Jake. He might not come to a stranger calling his name. I need to be out there. If he hears my voice, he’ll come to me.”
“Bobbie, damn it. You can’t go out there in flip-flops. It’s dangerous. Especially after dark. Just stay here and let us find Austin for you.”
I wasn’t going to stand there and argue with him. I was going to find my son, whether he liked it or not. I took off running for my truck. Seth caught up to me just as I made it to the truck. I pulled open the passenger door and rummaged through the glove box, looking for my flashlight. It wasn’t a large one, but it was bright as hell. That was all that mattered.
Seth grabbed it out of my hand. “You stay here. I’ll go.”
I whirled on him. “Like hell I will. That’s my son we’re talking about.”
He grabbed me by both of my arms. “I can find him much faster on my own. You’ll only slow me down.”
“Seth,” I said, my voice cracking.