by Vella Day
“He headed back home. And no, he doesn’t know about you.”
“Crap. I was hoping if I remembered something, we could have compared notes.” She dropped back onto the pillow and blew out a long breath. “One thing is certain. I’m going to nail those bastards. You in?”
Chapter Eighteen
Sky held her breath waiting to see if Kane would jump ship and hightail it back to his job in Phoenix, or stay around to see this crime solved. However, it wasn’t the only reason she wasn’t breathing. She really wanted to know whether he cared enough about her to stick by her. She understood he wouldn’t be there for the long haul, but she wasn’t ready to let him go just yet.
He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s too dangerous for you to do anything.”
So much for the brief sexual fantasy of him wanting to work with her because he couldn’t leave her side. She gritted her teeth, mostly for effect. If he wanted to play protector, fine. She understood that, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t give him some grief over his comment.
“What’s that supposed to mean? They could have killed me, but they didn’t.” His intense stare made her cast her gaze downward. So much for trying to add levity to the situation.
He scooted closer and took her hand in his, sending her right back to fantasyland. “The drugs are still in your system and clouding your mind.” He leaned so near he was almost invading her space—not that she minded—but if he wanted to get this close, he should kiss her and put her out of her misery.
What did he say? Oh, yeah, the drugs. “I’m fine, really. Don’t forget, I’m a cop with a job to do. This is my big chance to prove I’m worth something to the Chief.”
He sat back. “Is that what this is about? Showing off to the boss?”
Was it? “No, it’s more than that. I’m not going to let the government or the aliens take anyone else. They need to leave Savory alone. Wouldn’t you do the same?”
Kane eased off the bed and stood at the window, keeping his back to her. His absence intensified her longing. “Sure, I’d fight back,” he said, sounding far away, as if he’d been in the same situation before—or someone he knew had been.
She relaxed. “Are you willing to help me then?”
“Affirmative.”
Her pulse slowed, and the ache behind her eyes lessened. Clearly, his actions weren’t tied to how he felt about her. To him, this was a job. That was okay as long as they brought the perpetrators to justice.
Liar.
“So where do we start?” She tried to put some cheer into her voice. All this serious talk was not only depressing, it was downright scary.
“I told you before.” He faced her. “There is no, we here. If the government is involved, next time they could make you disappear—permanently.”
She flicked a hand in the air. “I’m willing to take that chance.” She pulled the blanket up to her chin. If she didn’t think she’d look stupid, she’d yank the dang thing over her face so he couldn’t tell she wasn’t being completely honest with him. Her chin wobbled, and a set of chills pricked her legs and arms.
“Let me handle it.” He spread his legs wide, looking like a damned pirate or a gunslinger ready for a fight. “You don’t know who you’re up against.”
“Neither do you. I’m not giving up until these bastards are behind bars.” The bravado helped push the chills away.
“If they find out you’re gunning for them, you’ll be more dangerous to them. No telling what they’ll do.”
“I can say the same for you. Remember, I’m still the law.”
His face contorted. “I won’t let you die!” She’d never heard him shout before. His lips hardened, and then he stomped out of the room, the slamming door shaking the walls.
What the hell was that about? He went from concerned to irate in an irrational second. Kane never lost control, which caused her stomach to clench even more.
She tightened her grip on the soft blanket. Going after him in his state of mind wouldn’t achieve anything, so she flopped back onto the pillow. He’d be back. After all, she was in his bed. Her muscles ached, and her lids became heavy.
Sky closed her eyes to think for only a second before something woke her up. It was a soft shake to the shoulder. Eyes open, her vision started out blurry then cleared.
Kane held out a steaming cup of cinnamon tea, his face looking more gaunt than when he’d run out. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.” Her stomach was doing a tumbling act, and the headache had just returned in full force. “You do have a point about me not investigating.”
Tomorrow she’d work the case—not today. She sipped the hot brew then set it on the nightstand next to her.
He raised a brow. “You aren’t going to give up that easily, so what gives?”
Damn. He could see right through her. “I’m tired, that’s all.” And I have a headache from hell.
He sat on the bed and clasped her hands again. His callused palms set off tremors of heat between her legs, and she wished he’d put her out of her torture and have sex with her—rough passionate sex. She wanted him now—or at least as soon as her headache went away.
“How about if you rest then?” he said.
She’d have asked for some aspirin, but she wasn’t sure that would be a good idea to mix it with whatever drug was in her system. “As soon as I’m feeling better, I want to speak with Dan Joe. Are you okay with that?”
The pressure from his fingers increased. “Who’s he?”
“Didn’t I tell you about him the other day? He claimed he was abducted and lost time for two days. I dismissed his claim because he used to be a falling down drunk. Now, I’m not so sure what happened to him wasn’t real.”
His jaw slackened. “How many other people do you know have had missing time?”
“Over the years? Maybe six or seven that I’m aware of. There could have been others who were too embarrassed to come forward.”
His jaw hardened. “Did your department follow up on their claims?”
She shrugged. “I can ask the Chief, but he hasn’t been here that long. The guy before him died, so he won’t be telling us. I’m guessing we didn’t do much about their claims, or I would have heard the stories about whether or not they’d captured the perpetrators. If you haven’t figured it out by now, Savory has a lot of kooks.”
“I’ve noticed.” His gaze shot to the right as if he was doing mental math. “Go ahead and talk with this Dan Joe guy, as long as you trust him.”
“I do. I’ve known him my whole life.”
Kane dragged a hand down his jaw, and the hard plains of his face stretched taut. “Did that website you looked at tell you how long the base has been in existence?”
“No.” She bet he was trying to calculate how many people were taken on average each year.
“I’m going to call my general friend again and tell him about the recent incident. Perhaps he can shed some light.”
“Earl might be able to help too.” Her stomach made noise.
Kane sat back on the bed. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Forever ago?”
“How about I take you to Page for something to eat? We can get away from all the prying eyes.”
“For that, I’ll dub you a saint.”
And he would remain one unless he tried to interfere with her investigation.
* * *
Their meal turned out to be a bit of a challenge because Kane started off by insisting he move into her place. He claimed he could protect her better that way. At least her fierce headache had dulled, and she was better able to concentrate.
Needless to say, Sky argued at first, but in the end, she decided she would feel safer having him around. If by some chance she was able to seduce him, so much the better. Besides, with all that had happened, it might be better to have someone to discuss things with, and Kane seemed to be a good sounding board.
On the way back to Savory, she convinced him to drop her
off at the office while he packed up his stuff next door. “I need to check in with Dad and speak with the Chief.”
“Sure. You’ll be safe there.”
No longer could she keep what happened to her a secret and not raise suspicion when she asked her boss about the other abductees. She planned to fill him in on her drugging and the Senator’s threatening note.
As soon as she stepped inside, Harriet hugged her and wanted to hear about her ordeal. “I’m fine. We’ll talk as soon as I speak with the Chief.”
Harriet waved a hand. “Sure.” She picked up a plate of sweet rolls and handed her one.
Sky smiled and took one. “Thanks.”
She knocked on the Chief’s office door and stepped inside. After he asked questions about her health, the Chief studied her, but she couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. To avoid his hard stare, she looked around his office. Papers were piled up on his desk, and three used coffee cups sat next to his computer. The man hated clutter of any kind, which implied he might have been upset over her disappearance or else was distraught over her crashing the cruiser.
He leaned forward in his chair. “Elmer told me about the cruiser. Tell me exactly what happened. You’ll have to fill out a report.”
So much for him being worried about her. Knowing this would take a while, she pulled up a chair. “First off, Richie swears he can fix it.”
He blew out several heavy breaths through his nose. “You need to be more careful.”
She fisted her hands and inhaled, trying not to explode. She took pride in her ability to handle a vehicle. “I was careful. A Hummer pushed me off the road. It had nothing to do with my steering ability.”
He stared at her for what seemed like a minute. “At least you’re safe.” He fiddled with his coffee cup but didn’t drink from it. “You know you scared the crap out of everyone at the office when you disappeared.”
Perhaps he had been concerned. She always figured her boss would have been happier if he hadn’t inherited her when he took over.
“About that.” She told him what she remembered. “Please note it wasn’t my choice to be abducted.”
“I know.”
Right now, she needed information more than she wanted sympathy. “Have you ever come across any record of other abductions?”
He went to the cabinet and pulled out a file. “Kidnappings?”
“Yes, either of the human kind or by something else, though I’m convinced the government was behind mine. I remember Robert Danvers and Margaret Hill were both abducted and then returned, but their abductors were never found. Danvers died over ten years ago, several years after his incident, and Margaret left town right after she was taken though I don’t blame her for moving.”
For the first time in a long time, sympathy filled his face. “Are you thinking of going away?”
She never thought she’d see the day her boss would show any affection toward her. “No, I’m fighting back.”
“Good, but be careful. If, as you suspect, the government is involved, there’s no telling what they’ll do.”
Lapahe sounded like Mr. Bodyguard. “Kane Cornell is helping, and trust me, he won’t let me near the factory.”
“Smart man.” The boss leaned back in his seat. “What else do you know?”
She filled him in on what she’d learned, including what was written in the Senator’s note.
“Interesting. So you didn’t get a look at these people who nabbed you?”
“No.” At least he seemed to believe everything she said, including the information about the Base. That might have been a first.
“Not even a glimpse?”
“I’m afraid not. All I felt was a needle in my neck. The drugs knocked me out right away.” There were dreams, but she’d keep those erotic thoughts to herself. Sky then told him what she’d learned about the Base.
“I’ll put out some feelers. Several folks in town work at the factory. There has to be someone who’s suspicious about the goings on there. You can’t have a five-level military base and hide it from everyone in town.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” She held up a finger. “It would make sense for the Base to change shift only during the night.”
He shrugged. “The workers have to live somewhere. They might not all be from Savory, but there aren’t that many towns nearby for them to live.”
She told him about Randall Tyler, thrilled the chief was spending so much time discussing what happened to her, or even believing her.
“I read about him in the murder book, but I didn’t put the pieces together. Good detective work.”
This was a banner day. Her chest swelled with pride. Maybe she should go missing more often, though his sudden reversal seemed odd. “Thanks.” She took a sip of her coffee. Cold and weak, yuck; “I’m going to call Earl to see if he can shed any light on what happened to me.”
“What would he know?”
“Earl seems to hear things.”
“Just don’t let him convince you it was aliens.”
“I won’t.”
She thanked her boss and when she stepped back to her desk, she called Earl. They only spoke for a few minutes before Kane arrived. “We’ll talk later. Kane’s here.”
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Earl said.
“Thanks.” She disconnected, not wanting to keep Kane waiting.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yup.” Once they stepped outside, she told him about the Chief’s reaction. “He’s going to ask around too.”
“Great.”
“I have to admit I’m in some shock.” She told him how the Chief had suddenly been nice to her.
“Maybe he cared all along.”
She doubted that. “He has a funny way of showing it.”
Once they arrived at Sky’s, she made a nice cup of Kona coffee, hoping that the caffeine would help jar loose some details about her capture. She had to admit that having Kane close by brought her comfort.
“You said you called Earl. What did he say?” Kane asked.
“He said he had some contacts that might be able to help find out who could have taken me.”
“What kind of contacts?”
She laughed. “I didn’t ask. He’d probably say they were aliens.”
Kane pulled out the kitchen chair and sat at the table while she finished preparing her drink. “While you were at the station, I called the General and told him about your abduction. He thinks whoever took you is escalating, especially in light of the recent threat to Overton’s family.”
“Do you think the Senator will vote for the Base appropriations?”
“I can’t say, but since his family’s lives were threatened, I’m betting he will.”
“That’s got to be tough.” She swung toward him. “Did the General say what kind of research the Base is conducting?”
He looked down for a second. “As a matter of fact, he did.”
A slow smile crept up her face. “It’s mind control, isn’t it?” She stepped away from the stove and stood over him.
“That and genetic research.”
She pumped her fist. “I told you. What about aliens? Did he know anything about them?”
“He’s looking into it.”
Well, hot damn.
Chapter Nineteen
Without waking Sky to tell her what he was about to do, Kane left her house for his reconnaissance mission at the factory a few minutes before midnight. Between where he parked and his destination a mile away, he had to lie low for minutes on end in case motion sensors were strategically placed nearby. From his military experience, the intermittent stop and go often confused those machines. What he really wished for were a few trees along his path or a large rock to hide behind. The ground was dirt strewn with small rocks, which if accidentally kicked, would bounce and ping down the ravine to the river below. He might as well use a bullhorn to announce his arrival if that happened.
His goal for tonight was to
find out how many men arrived and in what kind of transport. That was all. There’d be no heroics, as he did not intend to enter the Base to see what the military was keeping secret. Despite his credentials, they’d frown on his intrusion. In fact, they might imprison him underground for life if he snuck in.
Kane took close to an hour to reach his secret ledge, timing his entry to the sentry’s movements around the building. Except for the wind occasionally slapping the side of the glass greenhouses and the even pounding of the sentry’s boots on the pavement as he marched in a large circle around the perimeter, the place was as still as the ravine was deep. Up above, clouds swirled across the moon in a rhythmic fashion, gaining speed with each minute. One strong gust while he was standing on the narrow ledge, and he’d be free-falling the thousand feet to the river below, which was exactly why he’d snuck out while Sky was still asleep. This mission was too dangerous for anyone but a trained Special Forces operative.
Unfortunately, after four hours of surveillance, Kane still had no idea when the workers would arrive for their shift or if they had already arrived. He hoped their day didn’t run from ten at night until six in the morning, as waiting until the sun rose would put his escape plan at risk.
He also worried Sky might wake and find him gone if he stayed away too long. She’d freak, but he needed answers about the military base in order to ensure her safety. If he’d written a note regarding his mission, it would either have calmed her, or prompted her to follow him. In the end, he opted for the safe route and said nothing.
All of a sudden, the drone of engines set him on alert, and with his night vision goggles, or NVG’s, in place, he peered at eye level across the barren ground. All kinds of trucks, cars, and military vehicles came around the back of the building with their headlights off. The stealth implied a secret base existed after all. No one lived on the other side of the canyon to see their lights, but perhaps they worried a satellite view would show the stream of lights entering a normally dark region. These men were either paranoid or smart.
The vehicles stopped in front of a tool shed that was wide enough for one double garage door yet was rather tall. The door lifted up, and like robots, the convoy followed the first truck into the shed—a shed that couldn’t house more than four cars end-to-end. After the fifth vehicle piled in, he figured there must be a ramp that led down to a parking garage as nothing else made sense. Sky and the General had both been right. There was a deep underground military base.