Night Tide
Page 31
it!across!the!water’s!surface.!I!tried!to!remember!the!last!time!
I’d!done!that.!
!
I!found!the!key!to!the!cottage!where!Reyna!said!it!would!
be.!It!turned!smoothly!in!the!lock.!I!swung!the!door!open!and!
replaced!the!key!before!going!inside.!The!air!in!the!cottage!was!
close! and! musty,! ripe! with! mold,! suggesting! water! damage!
somewhere.! A! stain! on! the! ceiling! in! the! kitchen! indicated! a!
leaky! roof! could! be! the! source! of! the! problem.! The! weather!
service!forecasted!showers!once!the!heat!wave!ended,!but!they!
wouldn’t!arrive!for!a!few!days,!so!leaks!wouldn’t!be!a!problem.!
I!opened!all!the!windows,!despite!the!heat,!to!air!the!place!out.!!
!
The! cottage! was! simple,! but! reasonably! comfortable.! The!
main! room! took! up! nearly! three6quarters! of! the! space,! and!
contained! a! couch,! two! easy! chairs,! a! low! coffee! table! and! a!
secretary’s!desk!on!one!side.!On!the!other!were!a!small!round!
dining! table! and! four! chairs.! In! lieu! of! a! kitchen! was! a!
refrigerator!in!one!corner!next!to!a!sink!and!a!butcher!block6
topped! worktable! on! which! sat! a! propane! camp! stove! and! a!
coffee!maker.!Off!the!main!room!were!a!single!bedroom!and!a!
bathroom.! A! combination! bookshelf! and! cabinet! in! the! living!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
250&
area! held! a! stereo! and! collection! of! CDs,! mostly! classical.!
Otherwise!the!place!appeared!devoid!of!modern!conveniences,!
somewhere!to!go!to!get!away!from!the!bustle!of!the!real!world.!
I! saw! no! television,! computer,! or! phone,! even.! A! telescope!
standing! in! the! corner,! binoculars! on! the! table! and! small!
collection!of!bird!books!in!the!bookshelf!gave!me!a!pretty!good!
idea!of!how!the!owner!occupied!his!time!there.!
!
A! door! on! the! other! side! of! the! refrigerator! opened! to!
reveal! a! small! walk6in! pantry,! its! shelves! stocked! with! a! few!
dishes,! dry! and! canned! goods,! cleaning! supplies! and! other!
sundries!like!paper!towels,!light!blubs,!toilet!paper!and!plastic!
garbage! bags.! I! found! a! box! of! coffee! filters! and! after! more!
searching,!a!sealed!bag!of!whole!bean!coffee!in!the!freezer.!The!
pantry! offered! up! sugar,! but! there! was! no! milk! in! the!
refrigerator.!An!open!box!of!powdered!milk!stood!on!a!shelf!in!
the! pantry! wrapped! in! a! plastic! bag.! I! took! it! out,! sniffed! it!
warily! and! set! it! next! to! the! brewer! while! the! coffee! dripped!
into!the!pot.!
!
Cell!reception!sucked,!but!I!managed!to!find!a!spot!outside!
clear! enough! to! call! Chance,! and! asked! him! to! take! over! my!
route!again.!I!told!him!I!didn’t!know!when!I’d!be!back!and!not!
to!worry!if!a!bunch!of!suits!came!knocking!on!my!door.!When!I!
told! him! not! to! mention! any! of! our! conversation! to! Molly,! he!
knew!I!was!in!real!trouble,!but!he!didn’t!press.!A!true!friend.!
!
I!finished!a!mug!of!coffee!and!was!pouring!a!second!when!
the!sound!of!an!approaching!car!stopped!me.!I!traded!the!mug!
in! my! hand! for! my! gun,! sidled! over! next! to! a! window! and!
peered!out.!A!muscle!in!my!thigh!bunched,!and!my!palms!grew!
sweaty.!!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
251&
!
!
Chapter&39&
!
!
Too*late!*
!
Anger! coursed! through! his! veins,! a! river! of! molten! steel!
hardening!his!resolve!as!it!cooled!in!his!extremities.!He!wanted!
to! pull! his! weapon! and! start! blasting! at! everyone! and!
everything! in! the! cabin,! but! while! that! might! make! him! feel!
better! it! wouldn’t! solve! anything.! They’d! really! screwed! the!
pooch!this!time.!The!couple!was!gone,!and!probably!any!chance!
at! the! intel! he! knew! they! possessed! gone,! too.! Not! only! were!
they! too! late,! but! everybody! and! his! brother! had! gotten! here!
before!them.!He!vowed!to!have!someone’s!head!on!a!pike!for!
that.! To*get*beaten*by*a*rank*amateur…*Christ!*!
!
It! rankled! him! that! Sanders! had! figured! out! Langford’s!
location! before! him.! More! concerning,! however,! were! the!
mercenaries!who’d!grabbed!up!the!couple.!They’d!conjectured!
that! Langford! had! hired! some! guns! to! help! him! go! after! the!
pair!who’d!planned!the!bombing!that!put!him!in!jail!most!of!his!
adult!life.!That!cop!getting!shot!had!been!their!first!break,!their!
first!inkling!that!the!Wilsons!had!been!hiding!in!plain!sight!all!
this! time,! not! up! in! Canada! like! some! people! thought.! But!
Langford!was!sitting!here!swearing!up!and!down!that!someone!
else!had!suckered!the!couple!into!the!job.!That!he’d!been!trying!
to!sweat!it!out!of!them!when!the!kidnap!team!had!blown!in!and!
snatched!them.!
!
He!had!a!pretty!good!idea!of!who!might!be!behind!it!even!
though!Langford!wasn’t!saying.!No!way!was!he!about!to!share!
that!hunch,!though.!For!now,!he!might!be!able!to!use!it!to!his!
advantage,! maybe! jump! a! step! ahead! of! everyone! else! for! a!
change.!He’d!better,!or!he!wouldn’t!be!able!to!deliver!squat!to!
his! “clients.”! And! he! was! determined! to! deliver.! What! they!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
252&
were!willing!to!pay!meant!early!retirement.!No!more!worries.!
He!was!damned!if!he!was!going!to!end!up!his!career!broke!and!
bitter!with!nothing!to!show!for!years!of!service!to!the!agency—
to!his!country,!for!fuck’s!sake—save!a!lousy!pension.!!
!
The!other!wrench!in!the!works!was!this!ONI!gash.!Where!
the! hell! had! she! come! from?! She! was! obviously! clued! in.! The!
question!was!how!much!she!knew,!and!what!she!wanted.!Jesus,!
he!hated!surprises,!hated!it!when!someone!else!knew!as!much!
or! more! than! he! did.! Her! mere! presence! meant! his! own! intel!
had! fallen! short.! It! made! him! look! stupid.! The! one! thing! he!
decidedly!was!not!was!stupid.!Not!like!the!dumb!fucks!in!this!
room.! He! wasn’t! ending! up! like! them.! There! was! a! way! to!
salvage!this!situation.!There!was!always!a!way.!!
!
He! turned! to! another! agent,! pulled! him! aside! and!
murmured!some!instructions,!keeping!his!voice!low!enough!to!
prevent!others!from!hearing.!The!agent!nodded!and!walked!out!
the!front!door.!He!felt!instantly!better.!He!could!still!save!this!
play.!Langford!was!still!his!ace.!He!knew!he!could!convince!his!
partner!to!let!Langford!go.!They’d!just!have!to!keep!him!on!a!
tighter! leash! this! time.! He! could! definitely! save! this! play.! The!
thought! of! all! those! millions! in! an! off6shore! account! even!
started!to!make!him!smile.!
!
Until! his! agent! ran! back! inside! shouting,! “He’s! gone!!
Sanders!is!gone!”!
!
His! head! whipped! around,! sharp! eyes! taking! in! every!
expression!in!the!room,!u
ntil!he!focused!on!the!woman,!his!lip!
curling,!nostrils!flaring.!
*!*!*!*!*!
!
A!small!dark!sedan!pulled!up!out!front,!the!little!cloud!of!
dust! in! its! wake! slowly! catching! up! and! coating! the! rear!
bumper! and! trunk! before! the! door! opened.! My! index! finger!
lifted! off! the! barrel! of! the! pistol! and! twitched! toward! the!
trigger.!I!pressed!it!firmly!back!in!place.! Breathe. !Reyna!got!out!
and! stood! next! to! the! open! door! and! did! a! slow! pirouette,!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
253&
scanning!the!surroundings!before!turning!to!the!cottage.!She’d!
traded!the!boots!for!a!pair!of!sandals.!!
!
I! lowered! the! pistol! and! set! it! on! the! table! with! shaking!
hands.!!
!
Reyna!marched!up!to!the!door,!mouth!set!in!a!determined!
line.! I! waited! for! her! knock! before! opening! it.! Relief! flashed!
across! her! face! when! she! looked! up! at! me,! but! it! vanished!
quickly,!replaced!by!a!small!frown!and!brows!that!threatened!
to!do!battle.!She!put!two!fingers!on!my!sternum!and!pushed.!
!
“That! was! the! dumb est,! most! am ateur! move! you! could!
poss ibly! make! back! there.”! With! each! stressed! syllable,! she!
pushed!again,!forcing!me!back!into!the!room.!“Are!you! try ing!to!
get!yourself! killed?! Damn!it,!civvy!”!
!
Her!final!shove!was!hard!enough!to!knock!me!off!balance,!
and!I!fell!backwards!onto!the!couch.!She!was!on!top!of!me!in!a!
flash,!straddling!my!hips,!fingers!fumbling!with!my!belt,!mouth!
hot!on!mine,!lips!devouring!me,!tongue!darting!into!my!mouth.!
She!broke!the!kiss!with!a!moan!and!pressed!her!cheek!against!
my!face.!
!
“Reyna,!I—”!!
!
“Shut! up,”! she! whispered.! “God,! I’ve! been! thinking! about!
you!for!the!past!two!hours.!Wanting!you.!Don’t!say!a!word.!Just!
kiss!me,!damn!it.”!
!
I!took!her!face!in!my!hands!and!kissed!her,!gently!at!first,!
then!with!increasing!hunger!as!she!pressed!her!breasts!against!
my!chest!and!ground!her!hips!on!me.!We!tore!at!each!other’s!
clothes,!she!yanking!my!trousers!down!over!my!raised!hips!as!I!
pulled!her!T6shirt!over!her!breasts.!She!relinquished!her!arms!
long! enough! to! let! me! strip! off! the! shirt,! then! resumed! her!
efforts!on!my!pants.!I!kicked!off!my!shoes!to!help,!stroking!her!
face,!her!hair,!her!soft!rounded!shoulders.!She!stood!and!pulled!
my!cargo!pants!all!the!way!off.!I!sat!up,!stripped!off!my!shirt,!
and!wrapped!my!arms!around!her!waist,!drawing!her!close!and!
pressing! the! side! of! my! face! to! her! breast.! Her! heart! kaH
Night&Tide—Sherer&
254&
thumped! loudly! in! my! ear,! strong! and! fast.! She! bent! and! I!
turned! my! mouth! up! to! meet! hers,! my! fingers! now! frantic! to!
unfasten!her!fatigues.!I!pulled!them!down!to!her!ankles!and!she!
stepped! out! of! them,! dressed! now! in! only! black! bra! and!
panties.!!
!
I! leaned! back! for! a! moment! to! savor! the! sight! of! her,! the!
curves! of! breasts! and! hips! and! ass,! hard! lean! muscles! under!
soft!smooth,!flawless!skin,!long!slender!fingers!resting!casually!
on!my!shoulder,!wings!of!dark!hair!framing!her!face.!My!breath!
caught.! I! reached! out! and! touched! her,! letting! my! fingertips!
trail! down! her! belly,! tracing! the! line! of! her! panties! down!
between! her! thighs.! The! fabric! was! damp! with! anticipation.!
With!a!single!motion,!I!hooked!my!fingers!into!the!waistband!
and! pulled! them! down! to! the! floor.! Putting! my! hands! on! her!
hips,!I!turned!her!around!and!traded!places,!gently!pushing!her!
down!on!the!couch,!kneeling!on!the!floor!next!to!her.!!
!
I! kissed! her! hard,! felt! her! hands! roaming! over! my!
shoulders,! arms,! back,! and! moved! my! lips! to! her! earlobe,! her!
throat,!kissing!my!way!down!to!her!pert!breast!until!I!sucked!
the!nipple!into!my!mouth.!She!gasped!as!I!rolled!it!gently!in!my!
mouth.!I!planted!little!kisses!down!her!belly,!stopping!to!tease!
her!navel!and!trace!the!outline!of!her!pubis!with!the!tip!of!my!
tongue.!My!face!hovered!over!her!center,!my!breath!hot!on!her!
sex.! She! cried! out! when! my! lips! closed! over! her! and! I! parted!
her!with!my!tongue.!
!
A! fever! raged! through! me,! setting! my! face,! my! flesh,! on!
fire.!I!wanted!her!as!much!as!she!said!she!wanted!me,!with!a!
surge! of! lust! and! desire! that! made! me! grow! almost! painfully!
hard! and! cleared! my! mind! of! anything! that! didn’t! have! to! do!
with!her,!the!scent!and!taste!of!her,!the!texture!of!her!skin!and!
her!hair,!the!heat!coming!off!her!body,!the!sound!of!her!rasping!
breath! and! tiny! moans! of! pleasure.! I! focused! on! that,! on!
bringing!her!to!the!brink,!pleasing!her!with!hands!and!lips!and!
tongue!until!she!twined!her!fingers!in!my!hair,!threw!her!legs!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
255&
over!my!shoulders!and!shuddered!in!a!series!of!gasping!cries!of!
delight.!!
!
She!pulled!my!face!up!to!hers!and!kissed!me,!arms!around!
my! neck,! pulling! me! close,! and! inexorably! my! hardness! was!
drawn! into! her! wet! center! until! I! was! deep! inside! her.! We!
rocked!together!slowly,!until!the!tension!in!both!of!us!built!to!
the! point! of! explosion.! With! each! touch,! each! kiss,! we!
anticipated! each! other’s! needs,! desires,! finding! a! natural!
rhythm! with! no! awkwardness,! no! hesitation.! As! if! we’d! been!
lovers!for!years.!Yet!her!hands,!her!mouth,!her!body!took!me!
places!I’d!never!been!before.!!
!
Our!tempo!slowly!increased!until!all!that!energy,!the!pent6
up! desire! turned! combustible.! One! final! touch! sparked! a!
searing! flash! of! heat! and! light,! a! crackling! bolt! of! lightning!
followed!moments!later!by!the!slow!rolling!rumble!of!thunder!
that! went! on! and! on,! shaking! us! to! our! very! core.! The! sheer!
power! of! it! rendered! me! senseless,! turning! my! vision! black,!
shutting! out! all! outside! noise,! but! creating! an! explosion! of!
colors!inside!my!head!and!the!roar!of!some!gigantic!waterfall!
in!my!ears.!
!
I! lost! track! of! time! and! space.! When! Reyna’s! face! finally!
materialized! in! front! of! me,! her! eyes! shimmered! in! the! light!
and!a!shiny!trail!of!wetness!followed!the!line!of!her!nose!and!
disappeared!at!the!corner!of!her!mouth.!
!
“What’s!wrong?”!I!said.!
!
She! leaned! forward! and! kissed! me! lightly! on! the! lips.!
“Everything’s!right!for!once,!you!big!dope.!Can’t!you!tell!when!a!
girl!is!happy?”!
!
I!shifted!my!weight!onto!one!elbow,!chin!in!my!hand.!“So,!
that!wasn’t!just!a!reaction!to!getting!shot!at?”!
!
“You! mean! like
! last! time?”! She! smiled! and! touched! my!
face.! “You! really! are! clueless,! aren’t! you?! I! wanted! you! even!
then.”!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
256&
!
My! eyebrows! wrinkled! my! forehead! in! an! effort! to! climb!
up!to!my!hairline.!“You’re!kidding.!Then!why…?”!
!
“I!didn’t!know!you.!And!the!timing!wasn’t!good!for!me.!For!
either! of! us,! it! turned! out.”! One! corner! of! her! mouth! turned!
down.!“Are!you!okay!with!this?”!!
!
I!checked!in!with!my!feelings.!Surprisingly,!no!alarms!went!
off,!no!voices!implored!me!to!reconsider,!no!gremlins!tweaked!
my!sense!of!guilt.!
!
“I!am!very!okay!with!this,!Reyna.”!
!
Her! eyes! filled! with! concern.! “I’m! not! making! any!
promises,!you!know.”!!
!
I!put!my!finger!on!her!lips.!“Shh.!I’m!okay!with!whatever!
happens!with!us.!I!don’t!have!any!expectations.!But!just!so!you!
know,!that!meant!a!lot!more!to!me!than!simple!sex.”!
!
She!grinned.!“Yeah,!but!that!part!was!pretty!good,!too.”!!
!
I!laughed!for!the!first!time!in!what!felt!like!weeks.!
!
Night&Tide—Sherer&
257&
!
!
Chapter&40&
!
!
Reyna!scooted!down!until!she!snuggled!into!me,!head!on!
my!chest,!my!arm!curled!around!her!shoulders.!We!lay!like!that!
until!our!breathing!slowed.!Our!bodies!cooled,!and!the!sheen!of!
perspiration!that!coated!us!dried,!leaving!a!salty!residue.!!
!
Her!eyelashes!fluttered,!the!slow!beats!of!butterfly!wings.!
She!peered!up!at!me.!
!
“Are!you!all!right?”!
!
She!wasn’t!asking!about!us!this!time.!
!
I!nodded.!“Maybe!I’m!not!supposed!to!be.!I!don’t!know.!A!
shrink!would!probably!have!a!field!day!with!me.!I’m!supposed!
to!feel!bad!about!shooting!people,!but!I!don’t.!I!wanted!to!kill!
those!bastards.”!
!
Her! fingers! touched! my! face! and! her! palm! rested! on! my!
cheek.! She! finally! swung! her! legs! over! the! edge! of! the! couch!
and!stood.!
!
“We!need!to!compare!notes,”!she!said.!“I!don’t!know!how!
much!time!we!have.”!
!
“Probably!a!good!idea.”!
!
“I’m!going!to!rinse!off!first.!Is!there!any!coffee!left?”!