“No, I don’t think so,” he continued. “In fact, I’m sure I’ve kept my thoughts to myself.”
A fire burned under his hand. “W…what are you talking about?”
His hand increased the pressure on her back, and she stumbled against him, her heart jerking. He brought his mouth down to hers, its gentleness lasting but a moment. His arms tightened, and the intensity of the kiss increased. She groaned, generating a deeper response from him.
When he drew away, she struggled with her feelings, trying to find a “You did not shake me” attitude, but all she could do was look at him. “What…are you doing?”
“You don’t know?” The words’ roughness countered their amusement. “Let’s try that again then.”
“No…I…”
The second kiss drained the strength from her, each limb washed with weakness.
“Lynn…”
The third kiss drove the air from her lungs. In a moment, she drew away, drawing deep for air. When she tried to step back, his arms tightened, and he cleared his throat.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you the other day. At your office. It got personal with you way too soon. It threw me. I’m used to going with my gut, but I couldn’t do that with you. I needed to prove—to myself and to others—that you didn’t have anything to do with this.”
“And did you?”
“Well, enough to prove to my partner that it’s not…”
“Not what?”
“That the lady is hot, and my hormones out of control.” He grinned. “Keith’s description.” His glance dropped once more to her mouth, and he pulled her in for another kiss.
Every nerve she had stirred. What was she doing? If she thought he wanted only this, the word idiot would fit her like a slinky dress. She put a hand on his chest and pushed.
He raised his head slowly, his eyes questioning hers.
Lynn cleared her throat and shook the telltale unevenness from her voice. “Detective, I don’t know what you want, but be warned—I don’t hook-up, toss salad or give benefits to anyone.” She held up a hand. “I’m waiting for a ring. No ring. No sex.”
He leaned away, eyeing her. “And yet, you know all the terms.”
“Whatever you’re calling it. I just want it out there.”
He met her gaze. She saw the change, something uncertain. The pause lasted awhile, and then he nodded before leaning over and letting his lips trail down her neck. “You’re sure about that?”
She sucked in her breath, the fire inside matching the flames igniting on her neck. She put a hand against his chest again. “Yes, I’m sure.”
He raised his head and probed her look. She met his, steeling herself against their blue inquisition.
He dipped his head. “Okay then. I hear you.”
Lynn lifted her hand and covered the area on her throat where his mouth had trailed.
One side of his mouth curled. “You make it hard to be good, though.”
Replying to that might plunge her into more trouble.
“Let’s get back to the case then.”
Lynn shook her head. “One-track mind. I thought you said this was personal.”
“It is, but you’ve only given me one place to go. Unless you want to order in pizza and a movie?”
“What?”
“It’s been a long day. I’m hungry.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“Watch the sarcasm, woman.” He caught her hair again and twirled it.
“Hey, if you want to stay, leave my hair alone.”
He dropped it, but his fingers made the trip down her back again. “I’ll buy dinner, but perhaps…” His gaze went to her mouth. “Perhaps we could explore things a little more.”
***
Maria’s fever had spiked during the night, and Lynn heard the doctor say she’d be staying another day or two. Maria groaned but didn’t argue. She’d fallen asleep soon after, and Lynn had settled in the chair next to Lily.
She shoved thoughts of Rich and last night to the back of her mind and studied Lily’s face. The strain of the last few days showed in the girl’s appearance—dark smudges under her eyes, a new hollowness in her cheeks. Her mom’s setback had shaken the teen. Since the doctor left, Lily’s tears had flowed without stopping. Lynn’s words of comfort flowed, also.
“I’m sure she’ll be okay, Lily. So many people are praying. God hears.”
“I should be in that bed, not her.”
Lynn strained to hear the girl’s voice. During her morning prayer time, pressure had filled her that drove her to the hospital instead of work. Lily’s distress over her mom’s setback echoed her own. Lynn wanted to ask the girl about her mother’s attack. The teenager might not say everything to a detective but might open up to her. If she could discover even a small bit of evidence to help the investigation, she’d be thankful.
“Don’t blame yourself.” Lynn touched Lily’s shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but if it were my mom, I’d be so angry with the person who did this. And…I’d be mad at God, too.” She stopped and stared at Lily’s lowered head. “Things happen that we don’t always understand.”
The girl remained quiet.
“Lily?”
The girl raised her head. Tears welled again in her eyes. “It’s my fault.”
Lynn started to lean forward, to say anything that would rescue her from the guilt, but something halted her. She watched the girl’s tears slide down her face.
“Why do you feel that way?”
“Because… because he came for me.”
“He tried to kidnap you, and your mom tried to stop him. Why would you blame yourself?”
“I…I changed my mind about going with him, and he tried to drag me out. That’s when mom woke up. If I’d just gone, she would be all right.”
“You knew him?” Lynn tried to keep the shock from her voice.
The girl’s head hung again. “Yeah. Mom didn’t want me with him, but he always had money. He brought me things.” She looked at Lynn. The next words rushed. “Even at the homeless camp, he had plenty. He said he was staying there to help his friend—that Warren guy. I know mom didn’t like him, and he was older; but he said he had a real nice place, and he would take me when he left—that mom would do better without me. She wouldn’t have me to worry about. It would be easier for her.”
Lynn forced herself to stay calm. The man was a pedophile. A hundred and one scenarios played through her mind. Rich needed to know. Right away. “Lily, you need to tell the police.”
“I can’t!” She shot up from the chair. Maria stirred.
“Shhhh. Don’t wake your mom.” Lynn made her voice calm and waved the girl back to her chair. “I don’t understand. The man almost killed your mom.”
“He wouldn’t have done that if I’d gone with him. It just threw him. Her jumping on him like that. He’d never do that intentionally.”
“Lily, he stabbed your mom.”
“I know. I know.” The look of pain that flashed across her face caused Lynn to put out her hand a second time. She’s only thirteen. She’s too young to understand men like that. “You said he wanted you to go away with him?”
“Yes. He…had a place for us. He wanted to take me there. He said he might have to leave at any time, but when he showed up the other night, I…I just wasn’t ready. I wanted to write a note to mom before I left to let her know I was okay.”
“Lily, I’m not sure who you’re talking about. What man?”
“Afton. He’s only been there a few weeks. He was helping his friend.”
“But…you couldn’t have known him well, and you were ready to leave your mom?”
“You don’t know him. He…He’s wonderful and caring.”
“But you weren’t ready to leave, you said.” Lynn’s mind shuffled the information. “How old is he?”
“Why does that matter?” Lily’s voice rose. “That’s all people see.”
“Because that’s important. I take it he’
s older than you by a long shot.”
“He said no one would understand. That they’d only give us trouble. That no one would understand.” She jumped from the chair. “I shouldn’t have told you!”
In the bed, Maria stirred. Her eyes opened. “Lily? What’s wrong? What…” Her voice stretched. Her eyes sought her daughter.
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” But the glance the girl flashed Lynn held a threat.
Chapter 17
The hum of conversation surrounded Sharee at the airport. She ignored it. Too many emotions surged through her—the pain of the miscarriage, the ache from John’s phone call, the anxiety of wondering what he thought after hearing Zeke’s voice.
His head appeared farther down the gangway, his height allowing her to spot him before he walked into the actual airport. She moved forward when he stepped through the doorway. Their eyes met. Something passed over his face, but she couldn’t read it.
He looked more tired than she’d ever seen him, and he hadn’t smiled. She swallowed the lump in her throat and edged past the other passengers, even as he did. She stopped in front of him. He carried a fedora in one hand and nothing else. His clothes were wrinkled, and he hadn’t shaved for days.
“John.” Her voice broke on his name.
He shoved the hat onto his head, reached out and pulled her into his arms. His kiss was long and rough. When he stepped back, his gaze searched her face then rose to look past her. Sharee twisted around. Bob stood a few feet away.
Bob smiled. “It’s good to see you, Sharee. Good to be home.”
“I’m glad you’re both home and safe.”
John nodded at Bob. “I know Sue couldn’t make it to meet the plane. Come home with us and get something to eat. I’ll drop you off later.”
“Thanks, but I’ll take a cab.”
“Not happening. We have a car, and you live too far away to take a cab.”
“You two have things to talk about. I’ll catch a cab.”
“No.” John shook his head. “I didn’t leave you stranded in Jakarta; I won’t leave you stranded here.”
Sharee heard the trace of amusement in John’s voice and glanced at Bob. The bond between the two men had tightened during the short time overseas.
Bob’s glance held amusement, too. “All right, you can drop me off, but if I hadn’t insisted on taking the plane, we wouldn’t have ended up in the ocean and wouldn’t be here now.”
“Ended up in the ocean?” Sharee’s gaze jumped from one man to the other. “Is that why you’re home early? What happened? What—”
John interrupted her. “We’ll talk about it later.”
She stared at him. His words sounded cool, detached. That combined with the fedora and the rumpled clothes made him seem like a stranger. Was he upset about Zeke? He’d obviously mentioned it to Bob. As soon as possible, she’d tell him about that and the miscarriage. Her heart clenched. No…how could she do that when he’d just arrived?
But… They’d ended up in the ocean? Had she almost lost him? Fear froze her to the carpet. She tried swallowing but couldn’t. Both men paused.
She put her hand out. John glanced at it, back up at her, and then wrapped it in his own.
His mouth touched the top of her head. “Later. We’ll talk later.”
***
After a week of dirt, heat, and humidity, John sat in the recliner, clean, dry, and cool. He pulled Sharee onto his lap. This was what he’d wanted after the second day overseas—to be able to come back home after everything was over, to her, to her love. He shoved the other thing aside for now.
She nestled into him. “What was it like?”
He knew what she meant, but did he want to put any of it into words right now? The death, the hurt, families torn apart, and the little they could do.
He sighed. “It’s hard. Once, we got to Medan, the director of the missions group there had plans for us already. We flew to the islands on their list. One by one. Small islands. Hit hard by the earthquake and the aftershocks and a small tsunami. Small to our thinking, not so small when you live in grass huts near the beach. We flew people to hospitals and bodies to morgues or to mass graves.”
“Oh, John…how terrible.”
“We picked up whatever supplies we could get and flew back to the islands, and started again. Sitting here with you is what I pictured when everything else crowded in. But now, I keep thinking how many people are back there, how much more needs to be done.”
“Where did you sleep?”
“Wherever we could, sometimes in the plane.”
They were silent for a while. Sharee touched his jaw. “What did Bob mean? What happened with the plane?”
He shuddered, not knowing why the emotions coursed through him so strong. Processing the crash had taken last place on the list of other things he had to deal with. Pulling bodies from the mud or from the smashed buildings and huts—men, women, children. And through it all, asking God why, knowing there were no answers now. Maybe never while on this earth. Yet, feeling the presence of God in everything—finding more concern, more compassion within himself than he ever had before. Without a plane, it would be impossible to do what they’d come for, so the ministry had decided to send them home. Extra baggage. That’s what they were. Now he knew what Sharee had meant. He stared past her.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“But…I…” she remained quiet for a while. He felt the resistance rise inside him until she said, “Okay.”
Free then, his mind traveled in a dozen directions, but always came back to the same thing. Zeke Richmond’s words had reverberated clear and distinct from America all the way to Indonesia, and he had ridden halfway around the world with them. John straightened in the chair.
“He called you ‘sweetheart.’”
“I know,” Sharee pushed back and looked up at him. “He did it on purpose. He was trying to get to you. You were right about him. I’m sorry.”
“You went out with him after I asked you not to. Why?”
“It was not “out” with him, John. He…” Her phone rang. Her eyes went to the end table, but she didn’t move.
Disappointment warred with other emotions he wouldn’t identify. Her phone continued ringing.
“There was a reason.”
“A reason?” He heard the tone of his words, sarcasm mixed with disbelief. Zeke Richmond’s face rose again, the challenge John saw in his eyes the night of the banquet, clear now as it was then.
“Yes.”
He looked away and fought with the anger that rose. What reason could she give? “Answer your phone.”
“No, I…”
“Answer it.” He rose, forcing her from his lap, and strolled toward the back door. He needed some time. The plane going down, then being sent home, and hearing the man’s voice over the phone—the frustration of it swirled inside him. He snapped his fingers for the dog. “I’ll go for a run. We’ll talk when I get back.”
He was jogging on the back street behind the church when he heard her call. Why was she calling for him? He said they’d talk when he got back. No one hollered for someone unless it was a child. Anger surged again.
Cooper ran just ahead. Dogs, at least, were faithful.
He clenched his teeth. Where had that come from? If ever the enemy had invaded his thoughts, it was on the trip back from Indonesia. She loved him. He didn’t doubt that. Even if she had gone to lunch with Zeke Richmond, it meant nothing.
What if she went to lunch with the man to get back at him for not taking her to Indonesia. Stop. Sharee wasn’t like that. What if…
“Stop.” He said it aloud, whistled for the dog and headed home. Better to talk with her than have Satan drop this junk into his mind.
The dog passed him as he started across the field. His eyes rose. The space beside his truck was empty, her car gone. She’d left? His heart jolted. Hadn’t she wanted to talk, to explain?
When he reached the deck, he jumped the steps, stepped
forward, and yanked the door open. A piece of paper lay on the kitchen counter. Words scrawled across the sheet.
Lynn says she knows who attacked Maria. She’s going to the homeless camp to see if he’s still there. I can’t let her go alone.
Further down she’d scribbled, She called Richards, but he didn’t answer.
What? Was she crazy? Were they both crazy?
The surge of adrenalin hit as he tossed the note back onto the counter. He spun, heading back out the door, grabbing his keys and his phone from the shelf. He slammed the door shut on the dog, vaulted over the deck stairs, and headed for his truck. Dirt and grass flew from the drive as he hit the highway.
He punched in her phone number. No answer. The flames in the pit of his stomach grew. Why hadn’t she waited for him? He’d never met a woman so careless about her own safety.
But he’d gone jogging and not given her a chance to explain. How many times had the Lord dealt with him about his anger? Once again, it had directed his actions.
God, forgive me for letting my anger get out of control again. Protect Sharee, protect Lynn.
Ten minutes later, he turned the truck off the road into the woods and slid to a stop before the homeless camp. Sharee’s CR-V was parked next to Lynn’s Lexus. Several people stood looking his way. His glance skimmed each one. No one he knew. Behind him, another car tore around the corner and braked. He looked over his shoulder to see Detectives Richards and Carpenter climb out.
“Where is she?” Richards shoved the car door closed.
“Lynn? I don’t know, but Sharee’s with her.”
***
Sharee stopped in front of the tent’s door. When she’d asked about Lynn, a number of people pointed this way. Lynn stood just inside.
Sharee hissed her name.
Lynn looked over her shoulder, her face a mixture of emotions. “He’s gone.”
“How do you know? What if he comes back? This is crazy, Lynn. Do you have any idea—”
“I said I wouldn’t do anything stupid. I wanted to see if he was here. That’s all. He wouldn’t know I knew anything.”
“Still, you—”
“I was so angry after I talked with Lily. She knows him. He’d planned to take her with him when he left. I called Rich, but couldn’t get him. I thought…Oh! I don’t know what I thought.”
Splashdown: A Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense (Dangerous Series Book 3) Page 12