“Jesus,” Rocco mutters. “Who would have helped her leave?”
“Her grandmother,” Pop says. “She must have helped her hide so she didn’t meet the same fate as Elena’s parents. My mother-in-law was a shrewd woman with a wide array of contacts.”
“We can keep Elena safe here,” I growl and turn back to the room.
“Of course, we can,” Pop says with a nod. “So, we’d better find her.”
“We need Shane,” Rocco says. “He’s the tracker in the family.”
“I’ll call him,” I reply. “In the meantime, we need to step up the search through Grandmother’s things.”
“She lived in that house for sixty years,” Rocco reminds me. “It’s ten thousand square feet containing sixty-years-worth of shit. It’ll be like finding a needle in a haystack—if there’s anything there at all. Grandma knew how to cover her tracks and keep secrets. She wasn’t the wife and mother of bosses for nothing.”
“If there’s anything there, we’ll find it,” I reply.
“What if Elena doesn’t want to be found?” Rocco asks.
“That’s not how this works,” Pop says, his voice like steel. “And she knows it. There’s no leaving the family, and she’s had a long enough reprieve. It’s time we bring her home.”
I nod once. “I’ll go through Grandma’s house myself.”
“One more thing,” Pop says before we can walk out of the office. “Aside from Shane, this doesn’t leave this room.”
“Understood.”
Rocco and I leave Pop’s office, and I immediately reach for my phone. It’s time for Shane to come home, too.
My brother answers on the second ring.
“We need you here, brother. As soon as possible.”
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Elena’s alive, and we need to track her down.”
There’s a long silence as Rocco and I ride the elevator to the parking garage. “I’ll be there in seventy-two hours.”
“Good.” I hang up and slip my phone back into my pocket.
“She’s going to be punished,” Rocco murmurs, and my gut clenches.
“I know.”
“How could she put us in this position?”
“We’re going to find out.”
Chapter 5
~Elena~
I smell coffee. And bacon.
I don’t have any bacon.
I sit up and blink, surprised that the sun rose before me. The bed next to me where Archer was all night is empty and cool.
And it seems he’s making me breakfast.
I glance at the alarm clock and sigh before rubbing my hands over my face and through my hair.
It’s eight-thirty. I don’t remember the last time I slept this late, especially after the long nap in the car yesterday. But Archer’s Audi was so comfortable, especially with the heated leather seat, and I just couldn’t keep my eyes open.
“You’re awake.”
Archer carries two plates and two cups of coffee into the room. How he’s managing to hold it all is thanks to long arms and muscles for days.
At least he’s dressed this morning. Because a mostly naked Archer is way too tempting to my long-ignored libido.
“I didn’t have bacon in the fridge.”
“A travesty I fixed first thing.” He grins and sets the dishes on the bed, passing me one of the coffees. “I assume you don’t take sugar in it since you didn’t have any down there.”
“Just cream,” I confirm and take a sip, eyeing the eggs, hash browns, and bacon on the plate in front of me. “Where did you get all of this?”
“The grocery store in town.” He digs in and takes a big bite of his eggs. “You didn’t have anything down there. Are you trying to starve yourself?”
“You still have the same appetite, I see.”
He grins and chews some bacon. “Don’t worry, I bought us some stuff.”
“Archer.”
I set my coffee down and turn to him, but he reaches over and picks up a slice of my bacon and holds it up to my lips.
“Eat, E.”
“Ally.” I take a bite and chew, holding his gaze. “My name is Ally.”
“Ally what?”
I clear my throat. Lick my lips. Shit.
“Ally what?” he asks again.
“Look, thanks for the groceries, but I’m sure you want to get back on the road so you get home at a decent hour—”
He takes my chin in his fingers and makes me look him in the eyes. “Tell me.”
“Montgomery,” I whisper and close my eyes in embarrassment. “Ally Montgomery.”
“Look at me.”
“Archer, it doesn’t matter what my last name is.”
To my utter shock, he simply leans over and covers my lips with his own. Gently, but boldly. My inhale is sharp, but I don’t pull away.
I’ve dreamed of having his lips on mine for years.
And here he is. Kissing me as if he does it all the time, like it’s no big thing. Like my heart isn’t pounding out of control. Like he isn’t going to leave me alone any minute.
When he pulls away, his eyes are dilated, and his breaths come a bit faster than before.
“I’m not leaving.”
“Archer.”
“Just listen,” he pleads. “It took me a long damn time to find you.”
“No one was supposed to ever find me.” I stop short and frown at him. “Wait. How did you find me?”
He pulls a piece of paper out of his back pocket and holds it out for me to take. I recognize the lined notebook paper. It’s well-worn, the creases deep as if he’s opened and closed it a thousand times.
I unfold it and sigh.
“My list.”
“I remember that day like it was yesterday,” he says, still eating his breakfast. “You told me all the places you’d run away to if you had the chance, and I wrote them down so I could take you to every one of them someday.”
“And you kept it. These were just daydreams,” I say, but lovingly read over the words.
Maui
Horse ranch in Montana
California vineyards
Tuscany
Bandon, Oregon
Beach in Mexico
I see each item has notes and check marks next to them, clearly written recently.
“You never talk about something flippantly,” he says, making my heart skip another beat. “They may have been daydreams, but I know you, and I knew I’d find you in one of these places.”
“I notice you didn’t try Maui, Mexico, or Tuscany.”
“I decided to start more domestically, but if I hadn’t found you here, Maui was next on my list.”
I’ve cried so much over the past two days, I wouldn’t have thought I had any more tears left in me. But my eyes well as I stare at the list.
“We were on the boat that day,” I say. “Drifting around Lake Washington, and you just let me talk on and on about these places that I’d like to visit. You were always a good listener, Arch. A good friend.”
“I’m still a good listener,” he says. “And your eggs are getting cold.”
I take a bite of eggs with potatoes and fold the paper, then pass it back to him. “You can’t stay.”
“Why not? If you don’t want me, if you’ve moved on with your life and you truly want nothing to do with me, then I’ll go. Is that what you want? To never see me again?”
I can’t lie to him. Even if it would be best for both of us. I should tell him that I don’t want him, and send him far away.
To keep him safe.
He links his fingers with mine, the way he always did when we were so young and so in love we were stupid with it. And I know that I don’t have the strength to tell him to go.
“I want you to be safe,” I admit. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I’m a grown man, perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Archer.” I surprise us both and straddle his lap, fram
ing his face with my hands. “I need you to hear me. I know you’re able to take care of yourself, but my family is powerful. Ruthless. And if they find us here, they’ll kill you. Don’t you understand that everything I’ve done over the past twelve years has been to keep you safe from them?”
“I don’t take this lightly. That’s not what I’m saying, E. But the risk of being with you is better than the agony of being without you.”
I lean my forehead against his. “We don’t even know each other anymore.”
“We’ll learn.” His hands, those big, wonderful hands, glide to my ass, over my loose T-shirt, and then he buries his fingers in my hair. “Maybe we won’t like each other anymore, and I’ll be gone in twenty-four hours.”
That makes me smile. “You have started snoring in your old age. That could be a deal-breaker.”
His eyes narrow. “I don’t snore.”
“Uh, yeah. You do.”
He moves fast, pinning me to the bed.
“I think my ass is in my eggs,” I say, giggling like crazy.
“Take it back.”
“It’s the truth. I can feel them through my underwear.”
“No, the snoring. Take it back.”
“Sorry. No can do. I could have sworn there was a freight train in here last night. But look on the bright side. I didn’t have to use one of those white noise machines.”
He barks out a laugh and buries his face in my neck, biting the sensitive flesh just under my ear.
“Are you still ticklish?”
Shit. I’m so ticklish.
“Archer, no.”
But before he can do his worst, there’s a knock on my front door, and we both freeze and stare at each other in surprise.
“No one ever comes here,” I say as Archer climbs off of me, and I pull on a pair of sweats over my egg-soaked undies. “Stay here.”
I hurry down the stairs and look out the window.
Lindsey’s car is parked behind Archer’s.
Double shit.
I clear my throat and paste a smile on my face as I open the door to my friend.
“Hey,” she says. “I brought you some pastries from Marie’s. I heard you’ve been out of work because of a family emergency. Why didn’t you call me? I’m so sorry, Ally.”
“Oh, thank you.” I accept the box of goodies but don’t invite her in. “I’ve been pretty out of it, and it was a complete surprise.”
“I guess so. I mean, I was with you just a couple of days ago, and everything seemed okay. Whose car is that?”
She gestures to Archer’s car, and I blink rapidly.
“Oh, it’s, um, my—”
“It’s mine.”
I feel Archer walk up behind me, bracing his arm on the doorjamb above me, and I know he’s smiling at my friend. Lindsey’s eyes dilate at the tall drink of water standing behind me.
And honestly, I can’t blame her.
“Archer,” he says, holding out his hand for hers.
“Lindsey,” she replies, shaking the proffered palm. Her eyes dart to mine with a silent what the hell?
“Archer is a friend of the family. He came to help when he heard the news. He’ll be leaving soon.” I clear my throat again. “Thanks for the treats, Linds. I appreciate it.”
I back away, giving the universal signal for thanks, now go away.
And to my surprise, it works.
“Okay. Well, call me if you need anything. Nice to meet you, Archer.”
“You, too.”
We wave, and I shut the door then close my eyes on a sigh.
“Three days ago, I was safely hidden here. Nothing fishy going on to make me stand out or have people asking questions. Now, it feels like it’s all slipping out of control.” But it’ll return to normal as soon as Archer goes back to Seattle. I know he said he’s staying, but that’s just not possible. I’ll enjoy his company today, but then he has to go.
“There’s nothing fishy about a family friend coming when there’s been an emergency.”
“Right. A charming, handsome guy like you is definitely the norm at times like these.”
His smile would light up Times Square. “You think I’m handsome?”
“Have you seen you?”
“I mean, I clean up okay. I’ve never had any complaints.”
“You’re a smartass.”
“That hasn’t changed, sweetheart. Let’s eat these donuts.”
“What is it about Bandon that you’ve always liked so much?” he asks me later as we walk the beach. Large rocks stick up out of the sand around us. They remind me of Stonehenge. Sometimes, when I walk here in the very early morning, I expect to see witches and faeries in the mist. It’s a magical place.
“The beach here is beautiful,” I reply and step over a dead jellyfish. “There aren’t quite as many tourists as northern Oregon, so I’m less likely to run into someone I know. That happened before, in California.”
“So, you haven’t been here the whole time?”
“No, I was Paige Williams and worked at a vineyard down in California for a couple of years. But one day, a girl I used to go to middle school with came through on a tour and recognized me.”
I sigh at the memory and then point out into the ocean as a whale sprays water into the air.
Archer nods but doesn’t let me quit the story.
“It’s ironic that your last name was Williams. My cousin Natalie married Luke Williams.”
“I know.” I smile up at him when he glances down in surprise. “I’ve kept track of everyone. And your family is in the spotlight pretty much all the time.”
“True. But you didn’t know about Lia?”
“I knew.” I shrug a shoulder. “I feigned surprise. I just didn’t want to seem like a stalker or something.”
“You’re a stalker.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Curious. I like the term curious better. Anyway, after Sheila saw me, I went directly to the place I rented and texted the number my grandma gave me. Within an hour, a man showed up at my door with a packet. No words were exchanged, he just gave it to me and left.
“Inside was my new life. Name, bank accounts, birth certificate, passport, driver’s license. The works.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, Grandma was impressive. I texted her after I arrived in Bandon and told her I was here but was vague. She didn’t want to know specifics in case anyone came looking for me. We always knew how to reach each other, though.
“I love it here, even more than California. It was fine there, but I realized that I need to be by the water. It energizes and soothes me. But none of this is what we really should be talking about.”
“There’s something we should talk about?”
“So many things,” I mutter. “Let’s start with this. I know you said you’re staying, but Archer, that isn’t possible.”
“I don’t have to be in Seattle for a bit,” he says as if he’s being deliberately obtuse. “I guess I should catch you up on what I’ve been up to. I sold the fishing boat about five years ago. Now, I buy and sell real estate. Mostly commercial properties, but sometimes, I buy residential places here and there.”
“You’re a landlord?”
“Sort of. Anastasia works in one of my buildings. She used to live there, too. She makes wedding cakes. She was living above her shop, but since she recently got married, she’s now living with her new husband out on one of the islands.”
“Anastasia got married?” I feel immediate regret that I didn’t know that. That whenever I contact her, I just ask about Archer, never about how she’s doing. “Good for her.”
“She’s happy. She married Kane O’Callaghan.”
“The artist?”
“That’s the one. Anyway, my point is that I am self-employed. And as such, I think I’ll take a look at some property around here. Mostly out of curiosity.”
“I don’t know what there is for you to look at,” I admit with a gusty breath. “You can’t be here. It’s not s
afe for you. For either of us.”
He stops short and waits for me to face him.
“I’m not trying to make things unsafe, E. I worked so hard to find you. I just want to enjoy you for a while. I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. All I know is that I don’t want to leave here without getting to know you again.”
I shake my head. “It can’t happen, Archer. I wish it could. More than you know.”
God, I missed him so much. It still hurts.
“You can’t stay.”
But he doesn’t respond. He just looks down the beach and then gestures with a shake of his head.
“How far are we going?”
“Not much farther.” I gesture ahead. “See those two rocks there?”
“The ones a half a mile away?”
I laugh and look up at him. “You’re an athletic guy. An extra half-mile won’t hurt you.”
“You were never the sporty type,” he says.
“I decided to start exercising more when all of this started,” I admit. “I’ve always been an introvert. That hasn’t changed, but I didn’t realize that being isolated could be so lonely. And one of the things I found that helps is working out. I do yoga and meditation most mornings, and I like to come out here to walk or run in the afternoon if the weather isn’t too bad.”
“Run, you say?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll race you, then.”
And he takes off jogging. I pause, just to watch his sexy body from behind. Tight ass, broad shoulders, muscular back. I need to soak it all in because in a couple of hours, he’ll be gone, and these few stolen moments on the beach are all I’ll have to hold close.
Holy hell in a handbasket, he’s hot.
I take off, enjoying the push and pull of my muscles as I sprint closer to him and then run past him, reaching the rocks a good twenty yards ahead of him.
We stop and bend at the waist, trying to catch our breath.
“Holy shit,” he says as he works to take in air. “You’re fucking fast.”
“Been doing it a while.” And I wanted to impress you.
Which is kind of dumb, but there you have it. The appreciation in his bright blue eyes was worth every step.
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