Intimate Stranger

by Jan Springer

  “Just relax.”

  “Hiring a kid to do your dirty work. That’s low, Skip. Real low and to come back here in Sweet Lies. Talk about putting salt into the wound.”

  “I needed some help keeping an eye on Emily, so the kid was the fastest help available. As to the tug, well, a local fisherman recognized the boat as Emily’s. It was drifting out to sea. The storm was heading in fast. The fisherman thought there might be a problem and boarded. No one was there so he called in a mayday and brought the boat in. You did good leaving the keys in the ignition. It saved your boat so the fisherman could drive it in. The Coast Guard is quite busy with the fallout from the storm this morning. Several missing people. They couldn’t get out a search party to look for you, so I volunteered to come out. I was worried about you two.”

  “I bet you were,” Steve sneered.

  “I’m disarming. Can I put my gun down on the floor?”

  God, it wounded him to keep eye to eye contact with Skip. The burn of betrayal hurt so much. Skip was acting so casually as if he’d never done anything to Emily and himself. He wanted to believe Skip was a good guy. But the guy could simply be toying with him. Gaining his trust so he could kill them.

  “Move slowly, Skip. Or you’re dead. No second chances.”

  Skip nodded and gingerly removed his finger from the trigger on his gun then cautiously began to squat. Steve tensed, fully expecting Skip to try for his gun and when it didn’t happen and Skip placed the gun on the wood floor, Steve found himself letting out a slow, calming breath.

  “Okay, step into the living room and away from the gun. Get your hands up in the air and keep your back to me,” Steve ordered.

  Skip did as Steve asked and moved into the living room. As Steve swooped over and grabbed the gun, he noted Skip scanning the living room.

  “Okay, so now I’m unarmed. Where is Emily? Is she all right?”

  “Such sweet concern from someone who has brought her so much grief.”

  Skip made a move to turn around.

  “Don’t turn around. Keep moving into the living room and have a seat.”

  He needed to get back into the kitchen and make sure no one else was around, but first he’d peek out the windows.

  “You got it all wrong, Steve. I work for the U.S. Marshals Service.”

  Yeah, right.

  “Nice try, Skip. Sit your ass down on this couch and stay put.”

  Skip did as Steve asked.

  “Okay, Emily. It’s safe.”

  When he looked over to her hiding place, he noticed she’d already risen and with knife in hand came around the couch to stand about ten feet from Skip. She looked pissed off. Her cheeks were flushed and her dark brown eyes blazed with anger.

  “Prove what you said, Skip. Prove to us you are a marshall. And even when you do, we still won’t believe you. Not after what we know,” she stated as Steve handed her his own gun.

  Shit. She’d said too much. He wanted to throw her a warning look but he doubted she would listen to him anyway.

  “Keep it on him at all times, Emily. I need to see if he’s alone.”

  He turned his attention to Skip again.

  “Don’t say a word to her and don’t make a move. If you do, she’ll shoot you and I’m not kidding,” he said, giving Emily the hint that he was serious.

  He noted Emily and Skip both nodded.

  Steve checked the clip in Steve’s gun to make sure there really were bullets in there. It was loaded. As fast as possible he slipped to the nearest window which gave him a good view of the wharf. Sweet Lies was docked and he didn’t detect any other movement along the steps to the house nor any movement along this side of the keeper house. But that didn’t mean Skip had come alone. Checking the other windows, he saw nothing.

  He’d hoped that the sign of no one else being here would calm him. It didn’t. Unless Skip Cole had taken lessons over the years Steve had been incarcerated, he didn’t know how to operate a tugboat. That meant they had company out there somewhere.

  He joined Emily and trained his gun onto Skip again, keeping himself alert for any suspicious movements as his ex-friend smiled and focused his gaze on Steve.

  “May I go for my ID now?”

  “Like Emily said, I’ll need more convincing than a possible forged ID.”

  “No problems.”

  Steve tensed as Skip carefully drew aside his suit coat. His eyes remained steady, confident…maybe even friendly?

  A glimmer of hope began gnawing against his rage and betrayal at seeing the familiar twinkle of friendship in Skip’s face. Once again Steve clamped down on it.

  Hard.

  He couldn’t afford the least bit of wishful thinking at this point. One mistake and Emily and he would be dead. He watched Skip produce a laminated ID folder from an inside pocket. He held it up for Steve and Emily to read.

  It looked legitimate enough, but it could be a fake. As he said earlier, he would need more proof.

  “I had no idea,” Emily gasped.

  Then Skip held up a marshal’s badge. Steve had seen a few of them in his line of work and this really looked real, but he wasn’t quite ready to believe.

  “Anyone can get an ID like that made up. How do I know it’s for real?”

  “You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.”

  “I don’t think so,” Steve said tightly.

  “After everything you’ve been through, I’d be surprised if you could trust someone. It’s okay, you keep the gun. Just don’t shoot try to them because they’d have to protect themselves.”

  Shoot them? What the hell was he talking about?

  Steve watched Skip’s gaze shift to the other door in the corner of the living room. He heard Emily gasp and felt his stomach drop in a sickening lurch as he spotted two men dressed in black. Guns drawn. Pointed at both Emily and him. Obviously they’d come in through the other door.

  “Everything’s fine here. Both of you can wait in the boat,” Skip said.

  The two men nodded, shoved their guns into shoulder holsters and quietly disappeared.

  Jesus. That was too close.

  “I almost blew your goddamn head off,” Steve whispered as the anger against Skip began to crumble like an avalanche.

  “You wouldn’t have. You don’t have the murderous gleam in your eye. Why don’t you both have a seat with me in the kitchen? I’ll explain everything. But first if you don’t mind I’ll just help myself to some of that spaghetti you have in the pot. It smells good. I’m starved.”

  * * * * *

  “You’ve been working undercover spying on Helena all these years?” Steve still couldn’t quite believe what Skip had told them, and he couldn’t quite allow himself to lower the gun he still held in his hand as the three of them sat at the kitchen table.

  “Yep,” Skip said as he swallowed his final forkful of spaghetti.

  “A disgruntled employee of hers who got fingered for extortion in a separate case tipped the Feds off that Helena was a shady character. He told us Helena was using her newspaper journalists as a cover for smuggling drugs in from other countries.”

  “Is that why you stuck to me like glue when we worked together? Pretended to be friends with me? To see if I was one of her goons?”

  “At first, yes.”

  Steve frowned as that familiar feeling of betrayal reared its ugly head again.

  “But I have pretty good instincts about people,” Skip continued. “I knew early on you weren’t involved in her shady dealings. Hey! Cheer up! I wouldn’t waste my great sense of humor on just anybody.”

  “I thought you were behind everything.”

  “Don’t look so down, man. You give me too much credit, Steve. I’m not that powerful, but apparently Helena is.”

  “So who the hell sent me that anonymous disc I gave to you?”

  Skip frowned and a blank look crossed his face. “What disc?”

  “The one I gave to you the day I resigned? When you were in her office? Loo
king for a pen? I snuck up on you and scared the shit out of you.”

  Skip’s blank look continued then suddenly he swore.

  “Oh man. I remember. You said it was a big story. I put it on Helena’s desk right on top of your resignation letter. Then I went back to searching her office. When I left, I forgot the disc.”

  He forgot the fucking disc? On Helena’s desk? How could he forget the fucking disc?

  “You forgot the disc on her desk?” Emily whispered in a strangled voice.

  Skip turned to Emily.

  “Well, at the time I assumed it was just a big story. Journalism stuff. My workload was already heavy so I really didn’t think much about it. And I was in the process of searching Helena’s office. I had that on my mind. I’m hoping you can tell me if you have another disc around? Maybe that’s why they didn’t kill you because they didn’t know if you had one.”

  Emily made eye contact with Steve and he wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was. Skip could be setting this whole thing up so he could have them hand over the disc and laptop. It would save them looking for it. He shook his head in warning to her and she remained silent.

  “Still don’t trust me.” Skip nodded slowly. “I can understand that. So, shoot. Er, okay bad choice of words with you holding a gun on me. Fire away. I mean with the questions. What do I need to do to prove myself?”

  Skip grinned and another round of irritation gripped him. How could Skip be so easygoing with all the shit he and Emily had been through?

  “How did you know it was me when you walked into my gun?” Steve found himself asking.

  Skip pushed away his plate and rubbed his hands with amused anticipation.

  “Okay, test questions. That’s a good start. It means you are at least willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. Okay, well, I hope I don’t shock the shit out of you, but I’ve known about you for months.”

  Steve’s finger found the trigger of his gun. If Skip already knew who he was, then he had knowledge of his kidnapping.

  “Easy, my man. I’ve known because your brothers contacted me.”

  “Bullshit. They would never trust you after what I told them I suspected.”

  “Aside from their busy married lives they did have undercover jobs, Steve. I was first contacted by your brother Matt. Whoever he hangs around with has quite a few connections. He came to me with knowledge that I was working undercover investigating Helena and told me about you being alive. At least your brothers trust me.”

  Skip let the sentence dangle in the air.

  “They would have told me. I know they would have.” He knew that without a doubt. If his brothers knew Skip was one of the good guys they would have told him. He knew that deep in his heart.

  Skip shook his head.

  “Unfortunately with all the shit hanging over your head, your anger issues and my not knowing how extensively damaged you were mentally, I asked your brothers to not mention me at all. I couldn’t take the chance of you blowing my cover. You understand that, don’t you?”

  Steve could read the desperation in his friend’s eyes. The hope that yes, he could understand. That maybe he could forgive him for leaving that damn disc on Helena’s desk. Yes, he could forgive Skip. It was his own fault for being in a hurry that day and for not explaining to him what the disc contained.

  “I need to talk to my brothers to verify your story. I hope you understand that.”

  “No problem. I’ll get them on my cell.”

  He made a move for his jacket pocket and Steve stiffened. Obviously Skip noticed his reaction and stopped.

  “It’s just my cell phone. You can dial.”

  “Okay, go ahead.”

  Keeping his finger on the trigger, he watched Skip dig out a cell phone. Flipping it open, he placed the cell onto the table and pushed it over toward Steve.

  “Keep him covered,” he instructed Emily as he dialed Daniel’s number. His brother picked up on the second ring.

  “Hello,” came his brother’s easygoing voice.

  “I have one question,” Steve said tightly. “Can I trust Skip Cole with Emily and my lives?”

  “Steve? What’s going on? What’s wrong?” His brother suddenly sounded frantic.

  “Answer my question. Can I trust Skip with our lives?”

  Daniel swore. “Is he there?”

  “He’s here.”

  “Can I speak to him?”

  Steve held out the phone and Skip accepted it with a frown. He listened for a moment then said yes. That one word carved a hole right through Steve’s gut and his hands shook as he accepted the cell and listened to his brother.

  “Yes, you can trust him, Steve. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

  “I have to go now,” he said, burying his feelings of betrayal deep inside. Without waiting for Daniel to reply, he disconnected. He would have to deal with his brothers at another time. Right now they needed to get this shit fixed.

  “We have the disc and people are still looking for it,” Emily blurted, and Steve suddenly felt relieved that at least Emily could still trust someone.

  Skip cocked an inquiring eyebrow at her.

  “Trouble?”

  It was as if a dam burst. Suddenly she was revealing everything from the night in the tower when she found the laptop, to when they discovered the empty fuel on Sweet Lies, the drugs planted on the boat and to what she’d seen on the computer screen.

  Steve remained quiet as he watched the two interact. Skip grilled her for every piece of information and she so easily gave it.

  Fuck. He swore he felt jealous at how easy they were able to talk to one another. He, on the other hand, was reeling. His brothers knew Skip was a good guy and had never told him. They could have saved him a year of aggravation with the shrink.

  “I’m going to need that disc and your laptop, Steve.”

  “What happens if I hand them over to you?” If he did, he would have no bargaining chips to work with.

  “Before we hand it over, we need guarantees,” Emily stated. Steve found himself grinning. Was she was thinking the same thing he was?

  “What happens to Steve? He still has the drug charges hanging over his head. When the police find out he’s not dead, they’ll put him right back in jail.”

  “We can make a deal with the Feds. I won’t hand over the disc and laptop until I have their guarantees you are pardoned. How’s that?”

  “You get it in writing and we have a deal,” Emily stated.

  “She’s quite the lawyer, Steve,” Skip chuckled, and Steve found himself grinning at her.

  “She’s quite a woman too.”

  He enjoyed the way Emily’s cheeks flushed pink at his comment and loved the frown on Skip’s face at the comment. Obviously Skip must have had some feelings for Emily or he wouldn’t be reacting, would he?

  “It’ll only take an hour to get it in writing. I’ll have them fax it to your brother and I can tell him to call me and verify it. Is that good for you?”

  He looked at Emily and awaited her answer.

  She nodded and Skip turned to Steve again. This time there was no sign of humor in his friend’s face. Just a grim smile.

  “Good. After I make the call, I need you to do some work on your own. But it will be dangerous as hell. You up to it?”

  Before Emily could answer, Steve nodded.

  “Let’s hear it.”

  * * * * *

  The gentle sway of Sweet Lies rocking against the ocean swells did nothing to comfort Emily as she stood at the helm, peering down to the bow area where Steve and Skip were engaged in an intense discussion on how to bring down Helena and her empire.

  She felt sick to her tummy at the thought that Skip wanted Steve to help him. And she felt even sicker that Steve dared considering putting his life into danger once again in an effort to get Helena who just happened to be involved in this underground transplant organization.

  Sure, Skip said Steve would have plenty of backup but, God,
if something went wrong and something happened to him… Emily shivered at the memory of the magnitude of emptiness she’d experienced when she’d been told Steve was dead. Now he was home and she was whole again. They were together. Why did he want to casually throw what they have away?

  A tear betrayed her as she tried to remain strong. It streamed down her cheek and she angrily swiped it away. To top everything off, the woman she had trusted all these years was the one behind this whole nightmare of Steve being kidnapped, hurt and held in prison. Helena had found the disc on top of Steve’s resignation and must have believed Steve had been the one who’d dropped it there. It was too much to take. She felt like screaming, or better yet, having it out with Helena. One on one.

  She didn’t hear Skip come up behind her until he spoke.

  “I’ll take the helm, Emily. You go and be with Steve.”

  “For how long?” she snapped, suddenly losing her grip on control. “Until Helena kills him?”

  “We’ve gone over the plan numerous times, Emily. Chances of something going wrong are small.”

  “There is a chance. That’s already too big a risk for me to take.” Another tear betrayed her and she angrily swiped at it.

  “It’s up to Steve, Emily. He’s the one who’s been sitting helpless in a prison. I know him. He’ll want to avenge what the two of you have been through. He’s going to want to take down Helena. And then maybe he can live with his demons.”

  “He won’t live if he fails, Skip. I’d rather have him alive and with his demons.”

  Skip smiled. There was a really sweet tenderness in his eyes as he reached out and gently wiped away another stray tear from her cheek.

  “Maybe you should tell Steve how you feel?”

  “Apparently he doesn’t care. He made the decision on his own. Didn’t even bother to ask me, did he?”

  “I guess we got caught up in the excitement. You know us adrenaline junkies.”

  “Just like old times. Right, Skip? Chasing adrenaline rush after rush.”

  He avoided her gaze and her heart plummeted with guilt.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s Steve I’m mad at, not you.”

  “No harm done. Now go and talk to him. I’ll take the helm.”