In Plain Sight (Otter Creek Book 7)

by Rebecca Deel

  He unlocked the door, deactivated the alarm, and ushered her inside. She walked to the kitchen for a bottle of water, skidding to a stop as she crossed the threshold. Oh, goodness. Cambridge must have searched in here for the coins while she played the piano. Drawers and cabinets had been emptied, the pantry shelves cleared. Anger burned hot and bright at the history professor.

  “What’s wrong, Darcy?” Rio stepped into the room behind her and whistled. “I’m assuming you ladies didn’t leave the kitchen like this.”

  She shook her head, fury burning in her gut. If she’d known about this mess, she would have whacked Cambridge a couple more times. Jerk.

  “Darcy, after a really bad day, what do you do to unwind?”

  Yep, that’s what this day was, all right. Colossally bad. “Light candles and take a hot bath.” She opened the refrigerator and selected a bottle of water.

  “Come on. I’ll walk you upstairs. While you take a bath, I’ll clean down here.”

  She shouldn’t let him do this, but Darcy was too tired to argue.

  Rio curled his hand around hers and led her upstairs. She expected him to leave her at her door, but he nudged her inside, followed her and closed the door. Next, he took the bottle from her hand and placed it on the floor.

  Between one breath and the next, he had her backed up against the wall, his mouth covering hers. For several minutes, he took her mouth in series of long, deep kisses. By the time he drew back, her legs would have given out had he not been holding her so tight against his chest.

  “I’ve never been so afraid in my life as I was when you didn’t answer your phone.” Rio rested his forehead against hers. “I was terrified I wouldn’t reach you in time.”

  “I was afraid Cambridge would kill you the minute you showed up. You were walking into a trap, Rio.”

  He raised his head, cupped her cheek with his palm, and stared deep into her eyes. “You know what upset me the most?”

  She shook her head.

  “That I could lose you before I had a chance to tell you I love you more than my own life.”

  “Rio.” Tears burned her eyes. She never thought she’d hear those precious words from this Delta warrior. He acted laid back, but she wasn’t fooled. Like Trent, Rio never talked about his feelings. Laying them out like this was a huge risk for him and made her heart melt all the more.

  “I know this is fast, baby, but my heart is yours. It belongs to you for all time. There is no one else for me, Darcy. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect gift than you.”

  Even as the tears fell, she smiled and pressed her lips to his. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  He threaded his fingers through her hair and crowded in for another kiss before easing her away from him, his face devoid of expression. “Enough that you can handle my job?”

  “You save lives, Rio. How can I ask you to stop doing what you love for your brothers-in-arms? I could be selfish and beg you to stop, but I love you enough not to. You being here with me might mean Josh, Nate, and Alex don’t come home to their wives. I can’t do that to my friends.”

  Hope sparked in his gaze. “Durango doesn’t take as many missions as Trent’s team, Darcy. Our primary assignment with Fortress is the bodyguard school.”

  “How often do you go on a mission?”

  “Maybe once a month and the missions are short.”

  “Even if your team was like Trent’s, I love you enough to take the risk. I’ll treasure every moment we have together, Rio.”

  He wrapped his arms around Darcy, his heart racing beneath her ear. “You won’t regret it, baby.” A moment later, he released her and stepped toward the door. “Take your time with the bath. Relax. I’ll make you a cup of tea while I clean the kitchen.” With a blinding smile, he opened the door and walked out.

  She pressed her hand to her stomach, hardly daring to believe she was blessed to have this amazing man in her life. The one thing she regretted was not being able to introduce him to her parents. Her mother would have loved Rio.

  Darcy gathered what she needed for her bath, then returned to the collection of candles against the wall. She perused the selection, chose one in a mix of lavender and white.

  Reaching for her selection, she knocked over another candle. This one rolled a short distance away from her. When she crouched to retrieve it, she noticed metal on the bottom of the candle. She frowned and picked up the candle, turned it over to examine the metal.

  Shock rolled through her. It couldn’t be. Could it? Darcy hunted around for something to help free the metal. The only thing she had was a letter opener and she didn’t want to scratch anything.

  She turned each candle over. Every one had metal on the bottom. Grabbing one of them, she walked downstairs to the kitchen. Maybe Rio had an instrument in his medic bag to free the metal from the wax.

  Rio swung around as she crossed the threshold. “Something wrong?”

  “Look at the bottom of this.” She handed over the candle.

  He flipped the votive candle over. His eyes widened. “That looks like the back of a silver dollar.”

  “Do you have something we can use to extract the metal?”

  “Be right back.” He returned with forceps. In a couple deft moves, the metal was free. He whistled softly. “A Morgan silver dollar. Know what that means?”

  “Ms. Bond hid the coins in plain sight. Every candle has coins on the bottom. But why would she do that? Why not put the coins in a safe deposit box?” She rolled her eyes at her own statement. “Never mind. We saw how secure the safe deposit boxes were. If you and your teammates hadn’t been in town, Walsh and the rest of Sutton’s crew would have gotten away with the coins.”

  “What are you going to do with them?”

  Darcy frowned. “Ms. Bond meant them for her family. Do you think Mrs. Watson would give me the family’s contact information?”

  “Stella can help with that.” He leaned back against the counter. “You know the coins are technically yours, sweetheart. They sold you the house along with everything inside it.”

  “They would never have signed away the contents had they known about the coins. I can’t keep them, Rio. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “Contact Stella tomorrow. I think she’ll enjoy closing this part of the case. It’s not often she delivers good news.” He brushed her mouth with his. “Still want that bath?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I’m too revved up.”

  “Sit down and keep me company while I finish cleaning.” He slid a mug of tea to her.

  Darcy thought she’d feel guilty for sitting while Rio worked, but he didn’t seemed to mind and she enjoyed watching him. Crazy as it might seem to someone else, the medic had a rhythm to his movements, almost like music. Right. Trent moved the same way and he didn’t have any musical talent. More likely, they both were using what the military taught them. Smooth movements were less apt to catch a terrorist’s eye than jerky ones.

  Before long, the kitchen was in order and she had finished her tea.

  “Sit with me for a while.” Rio asked. “I’m not ready to turn in yet.” When she nodded, he entwined their fingers and drew her into the living room. Once there, he turned the television on with the sound low and turned the lamp off, plunging the room into darkness. “Preferences?”

  “A mystery.”

  He flipped channels until he found an episode of an older television series, then settled on the couch beside her. He wrapped his arm around her and encouraged Darcy to rest her head against his chest, much as she had on the plane.

  The next thing she knew, Rio was laying her on her bed and slipping off her shoes. “Rio?”

  “Shh. Sleep well, baby. I love you.” A soft kiss and he was gone.

  She thought about getting up to change into her pajamas, decided it was too much trouble. With a sigh, she rolled over and snuggled into the pillow to dream of the man she loved.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Rio stood at the back of the c
hurch, exchanging greetings with various residents of Otter Creek who streamed into Cornerstone Church.

  Marcus Lang stopped beside him, arm in a sling and a huge grin on his face. “This place is packed.”

  He chuckled. “Bet you wish our worship services were this well attended.”

  “You’re right about that. I’m hoping all these folks will be generous for Julia’s sake.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry. That little elf is the town sweetheart.”

  “I heard Darcy and Nick practicing earlier.”

  “She wouldn’t let me stay around for their rehearsals. Are they good?” He couldn’t imagine their collaboration being anything other than spectacular. Both of them were gifted musicians.

  “They should record an album together. They’d bring joy to many through their talent.”

  Rio’s lips curved. They’d also make a bundle of money, he thought, watching Allen White strut around the auditorium. Though he still didn’t like the man much, Darcy’s agent had taken care of the stage decorations, set aside the tickets she asked to be reserved for Schiller and the Edgertons as well as doing sound checks and arranging makeshift dressing rooms for Darcy and Nick. The detective had rolled his eyes at all the fuss from White.

  Nick strode toward him at that moment, dressed in a tuxedo. Rio grinned. “Nice monkey suit, Nick.”

  His friend scowled and tugged on the collar. “I hate these things. How are you, Marcus?”

  “Good. Doc says I’m healing fast.” One of the church members motioned for his attention, so he excused himself and stepped away.

  “Did you find out why Sutton’s crew was at the bank instead of Darcy’s house?” Rio murmured.

  “Red herring. The professor got them out of the way while he went to the house to find the coins.” Nick’s face darkened. “He was going to force Darcy to tell where they were.”

  “At the time, she didn’t know.”

  “Then it’s good your lady is smart enough to defend herself with something simple. After he retrieved the money, he planned to leave the country.” He glanced over at Marcus Lang. “Cambridge is the one who shot Marcus. Ethan was right. He intended to kill Darcy that night. He was also responsible for her car wreck and the attempt to run you over.”

  Rio was silent a moment. “Cambridge is lucky to be in jail,” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

  “Ethan and the rest of your teammates say the same. We also closed Gretchen Bond’s case. Walsh killed her. He’d also heard about the coins. She wouldn’t tell him where they were. When Stella checked into his record, she found out Walsh was arrested for burglary two days after Gretchen died and was sent to prison for violating his parole.” Nick checked his watch. “Gotta go. See you later.” He walked to the front of the church and sat on the first pew.

  The lights dimmed and people still standing moved to find seats as the pastor welcomed everyone and introduced Darcy. By the time he left the stage, Rio was seated in the front row beside Julia and her family. The moment she stepped on stage, Rio’s heart turned over in his chest. He marveled that she loved him. He didn’t deserve her, but he would never take Darcy St. Claire for granted. She was a treasure beyond price, one he planned to cherish for the rest of their days.

  Pastor Lang was right. Darcy and Nick were incredible separate and together. Rio caught sight of White’s face as they played together and knew the agent would propose a collaborative project for the two musicians. If Julia was any indication of how the album would be received, Darcy and Nick were destined to be a hit as a duet in the classical music world. His little friend was literally bouncing in her seat.

  At the end of the concert, Nick called Julia to the stage. Her pixie face glowed as she climbed the stairs.

  “Julia, would you like to play with us?” Nick asked.

  She nodded her head. “What will we play?”

  “How about Silent Night?”

  The longer she played, the more amazed Rio became at her talent. His Tiger Lily was surprisingly good for someone who’d been playing for a few months.

  After they finished their song, Rio handed a small bouquet of pink roses to Nick for Julia, then presented a dozen red roses to Darcy. Her eyes sparkled as he leaned down and kissed her. When applause filled the auditorium, she stepped back, laughing, her cheeks flushed.

  Ushers stood at the back, collecting donations from the audience as they left. Forty minutes later, the church was empty save for a few people. Darcy sat on the stage stairs beside Julia. “Well, Julia, what did you think?”

  “You’re good.”

  “And Nick?”

  She beamed. “He’s terrific.”

  The detective’s face burned a bright red.

  “You’re right.” Darcy smiled. “He is terrific.”

  Marcus Lang walked down the aisle, a broad smile on his face. “Jim, the treasurer wrote you a check.” He handed over the folded piece of paper to Julia’s father.

  The policeman scanned the amount, stopped, looked more closely. “I can’t believe this.” His voice sounded choked. He turned the check around so his wife could see. She buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking.

  Darcy looked at Rio, alarm growing in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

  From Jim and Karen’s expression, Rio suspected that maybe everything was right. He turned to the pastor. “How much did we raise?”

  “All of it. We collected enough money to pay off the medical bills in total.”

  “How can we ever repay you, Darcy? You, too, Nick.” Jim stared at the check in wonder.

  “I know the perfect way to do that,” Darcy said and turned to Julia. “How about a hug?”

  The little girl threw her arms around Darcy’s neck and squeezed. Just watching Darcy with her made Rio long for a family of his own, a family with the woman who had captured his heart, the woman whose birthday was three months and four days away.

  Rio smiled. He had already bought her gift. The small velvet jewelry box was locked away. He was ready to place the diamond on her finger, but he wanted Darcy to be sure. And when the time was right, perhaps they would have their own son or daughter to love.

  Julia released Darcy and raced to Nick to share a hug.

  Rio drew Darcy to her feet. He cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking the velvet skin. “Let’s go home, baby.” And he knew he spoke the truth. Home was wherever Darcy happened to be.

  About the Author

  Rebecca Deel is a preacher’s kid with a black belt in karate. She teaches business classes at a private four-year college in Nashville, Tennessee. She plays the piano at church, writes freelance articles, and runs interference for the family Westies. She’s been married to her amazing husband for more than 20 years and is the proud mom of two grown sons. She delivers monthly devotions to the women’s group at her church and conducts seminars in personal safety, money management, and writing. Her articles have been published in ONE Magazine, Contact, and Co-Laborer, and she was profiled in the June 2010 Williamson edition of Nashville Christian Family magazine. Rebecca completed her Doctor of Arts degree in Economics and wears her favorite Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt when life turns ugly.

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