“You mean you know how they’re following us?” Cassidy demanded.
“We’re leaving clues, Sunshine. The only way to avoid leaving any clues is to hole up and keep our heads down. But if we do that, we’ll never figure out who’s after us.” Jake merged into a stream of traffic. “We’ll just have to stay one step ahead of them.”
“How?”
“We’ll try to be as unpredictable as possible.”
Cassidy yanked the wig off her head and studied the map. “Hang your first left and then a right.”
Jake checked the gas gauge and saw that they had only a quarter of a tank. He figured he had to lose their tail within the next half hour. His job would have been easier in a major city, at night or in a major thunderstorm. But the traffic remained light, the sun wouldn’t set for several hours, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight.
Sometimes a man had to make his own luck. Jake saw the other car speed right through a red light. Two cars avoided a head-on collision, but crashed into vacant parked cars along the curb. Unfortunately the car chasing them kept right on coming.
“We’re holding our own,” Cassidy told him.
“We need to lose them before we hit the interstate. And I can’t do that unless we widen our lead. Hold on.”
Jake swung a hard right, then two quick lefts. Several cars honked, but at least he didn’t cause any accidents. Beside him Cassidy stiffened. He caught sight of her pale face, her eyes wide with fear, but she didn’t say a word in protest.
Instead, she pointed. “There, Jake. We can pull into that empty car wash and hide.”
Jake checked the rearview mirror and realized he’d gained enough distance on the chase car to follow Cassidy’s instructions. He veered into the self-serve car wash.
Beside him Cassidy tensed. He had to remind himself to breathe. Sixty seconds later the chase car barreled down the street. Jake kept his vehicle in gear, ready to speed off if they were spotted. But the other car sped by.
“How long until they figure out what happened?” Cassidy asked.
“A minute or two if we’re lucky.” Jake pulled a U-turn and headed back the way they’d come, wanting to put as many miles as possible between them and Gainesville.
He pulled onto the highway and headed north. At the same time, he took out his cell phone. He had to risk another phone call to Harrison. He dialed the number, hoping he wouldn’t have to stop at a pay phone. By now, Harrison should have the encryption working so, even if the phone was still tapped, the conversation would sound like gibberish to outsiders.
“Are we clear?” he asked without any preliminary conversation.
“Keep it short,” Harrison told him.
“Cassidy’s going to read you a list of names. I want you to find out where these alumni currently live. The University of Florida has them registered.”
“Gotcha.”
“And Harrison?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“Don’t leave any tracks.”
Chapter Eight
Jake didn’t want to drive too far in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, until Harrison got back to him, he had no idea where they would head next. He stopped for gas and asked if there were any local folks who ran a bed-and-breakfast and could put them up for the night.
The area didn’t have many hotels, and Jake feared it would be too easy for their pursuers to find them if they checked into any national chain—all had computerized registries that could be hacked. When the gas-station attendant didn’t make any suggestions, Jake returned to the car. He considered driving through the night, heading straight north to Georgia. But he hadn’t slept much the night before, and tired people made mistakes.
“You ever heard of Blue Spring State Park?” he asked Cassidy.
She looked at him warily, her nose scrunched with distaste. While she enjoyed the outdoors, she preferred the creature comforts of luxury hotels to camping with mosquitoes. “I haven’t slept in a tent since I was a kid.”
“You didn’t have a good time?” he asked, more to take her mind off their pursuers than to hear her version of the story again. He’d heard it before, a long time ago, and was surprised how clearly the details had stayed in his mind and how little the words had changed.
“Dad took me camping and a raccoon sneaked inside our tent. The animal uncapped our toothpaste and squirted it everywhere. He ate my candy bar, too.”
She sounded just as indignant about that stolen candy bar as she had a decade ago. “You aren’t supposed to keep food in your tent.”
Suspicious, she peered into the back seat. “You don’t have a tent in the trunk, do you?”
He shook his head. “As I recall, Blue Springs has cabins. It’s off the St. John’s River and shouldn’t be crowded at this time of year. Plus, it’s out-of-the-way. I don’t think anyone will come looking for us there.”
Cassidy folded up the map. “Cabins with beds, clean sheets and a hot shower?”
“Yeah. But I don’t think they have a restaurant. So we’d better buy some food on the way.”
Jake took a roundabout route, making sure he hadn’t picked up a tail before stopping at a grocery store. While Cassidy shopped, Jake made an overnight reservation at the state park. Half an hour later they were back in the car.
The earlier tensions of the day slowly diminished, chased away by the bright Florida sunshine. As they turned off the highway onto a series of two-lane roads, it was almost as if they were traveling back in time and leaving their present-day problems far behind.
They pulled into the family campground after dusk. Jake registered for their cabin under an assumed name. They unloaded their supplies and belongings, working together easily, almost like an old married couple. He took the heavy bags inside, she stowed the supplies.
Their cabin sat on a small hill overlooking the natural spring that fed the river. The one-room interior, a combination of kitchen, living room and bedroom, might have been little more than functional, but it was clean and adequate for their needs. While Cassidy put away the food in the refrigerator, Jake lit the charcoal on a grill.
Breakfast and the hectic hours since seemed far away. Jake knew they would return to the dangerous outside world all too soon and was determined to appreciate this peaceful interlude.
Around him the sounds of children at play slowly wound down as mothers and fathers put the kids to bed. A light breeze chased away mosquitoes, leaving him to tend the grill while he listened to the pleasant chirp of crickets and the croaks of tree frogs.
Cassidy joined him on the porch, handing him two steaks, shrimp with barbecue sauce and corn on the cob that she’d slathered in butter and wrapped in aluminum foil. “Be right back.”
He placed the steaks on the grill and set aside the shrimp and corn to cook later. Her face flushed, probably from heat, since the cabin lacked air-conditioning, Cassidy returned and handed him a glass of white wine with an ice cube. She’d changed into short shorts and a skimpy top, twisted her hair onto her head and placed her own glass against her forehead.
“Mmm. That feels so good.” Cassidy swirled her chilled wine with a finger.
Jake suddenly had the urge to lick the wine from that finger, but he didn’t act on the erotic thought, although his voice veered toward husky. “I hear you’re supposed to drink it, not bathe in it.”
As if by mutual agreement, they put aside the problems of the day. Cassidy plucked her finger from the wine and flicked a few drops in his direction. “In my younger days I might have tossed the glass at you and given you a shower, but now…”
“Now?”
“I’d hate to waste a good drink.” She sank into a chair, raised her wineglass to him in a salute, then sipped, her lips soft and full against the glass, reminding him of when those lips had been pressed to his.
He shoved the image away, concentrating on her last words to him. Did she expect him to believe that she no longer allowed her playful impulses to dictate her actions? That she wouldn’t douse him wi
th the wine if he teased her? Even now, he could see the mischievous upturn of her lips, the sparkling flash of daring in her eyes and the challenging tilt of her chin.
What did she want from him? That Cassidy was ready to relax, he had no doubt. The sensuous way she tucked her toes under her tush and the indolent way she let her head rest on the lounge chair, wisps of curls escaping her magnificent golden hair, appealed to him in a place where rational thoughts couldn’t quite overcome primitive needs.
His every instinct told him to pick her up, toss her over his shoulder and carry her into the bedroom. Take what her teasing offered.
Jake, instead, turned back to the steaks. Just because they weren’t in immediate danger was no reason to let her sway him from his course of action. He might think he had himself under control; he believed he could handle the ramifications of his actions, but did he really want to put himself to the test?
Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Cassidy sipped her wine. “I hope you like onions and garlic.”
He suspected he’d like anything she prepared. “You made a salad?”
“And there’s watermelon for dessert. I’ll bet I can still spit the seeds farther than you can.”
He’d bet she could, too. Especially since his mouth went dry every time he looked at her. She wasn’t a classic beauty with model thinness. Her face was round and healthy, glowing with vitality. Her eyes could be fierce when she concentrated on a problem, or they could go soft and misty when she relaxed, as she was doing now.
“Want to place a bet?” he asked, his gaze lingering speculatively on her face, letting her set the terms.
“Sure.” Her face brightened with amusement. “If I win, I get to kiss you again.”
Jake made his decision, determined he could handle the simmering tension, after all. He’d resisted her kisses before; he could do so again. And perhaps his kisses could persuade her to care about him more than she’d thought possible. “And if I win, we go for a midnight swim.”
“I didn’t bring a swimsuit.” Cassidy grinned up at him, neither particularly alarmed, nor the least bit intimidated by the idea.
“I didn’t bring a suit, either.”
“It’s a family park.”
Jake checked his watch. It was only nine-thirty. Several couples still strolled along the banks of the spring. One man fished, his line static in the water. Jake suspected that by midnight, they’d have the place to themselves.
“It doesn’t matter,” Cassidy teased him. “You’re going to lose. We have a deal?”
“Deal.” He felt more than satisfied with the arrangement. How could he not be? A steak dinner, with Cassidy to share it, followed by a moonlit walk. A watermelon-seed-spitting contest and either another of her wonderful kisses or a midnight swim. Jake could handle the evening and keep his emotions locked down tight while enjoying himself. What could good conversation and a few kisses hurt?
“Oh, Jake…”
“Hmm?”
“You didn’t specify where I get to kiss you, so the choice is mine.”
At her suggestive words, Jake’s stomach knotted. How could he have forgotten what a giant tease she could be? However, he had no intention of letting her know how her suggestion could get to him. Instead, he simply handed her his empty wineglass. “The chef is thirsty. How about another drink, woman?”
“Sure.” She rose to her feet with the ease of a dancer, leaned over to take his glass and peered at the steak. “I like my meat pink.”
“Is that so?”
“Tender.”
She leaned a little closer. Jake refused to step back. He tried to say something but ended up just clearing his throat.
“And juicy.”
Cassidy must have seen the gleam of recklessness in Jake’s eyes because she suddenly whirled, snatched the glass from his hand and escaped to the kitchen.
It took several minutes after Cassidy’s departure before Jake’s breathing returned to anything approaching normal. The woman certainly knew how to turn up the heat. But this was no longer the innocent teenage girl of his memories. Cassidy was all woman, capable of caring and friendship and even love. And he suspected she knew exactly how she was affecting him—physically.
He wanted to make love to her. What red-blooded American male wouldn’t? She’d kindled the slow-burning embers into a white-hot flame.
But Jake was no longer a kid, either. And he had feelings for this woman, feelings that Cassidy knew nothing about.
To him, Cassidy Atkins had always been special. She had a warmth that drew him, an openness that never promised more than she was willing to deliver. And what she wanted was a night of passion where they could forget the danger closing in on them.
He didn’t know if he could continue to resist her bold flirting. Didn’t know if he could keep his physical needs on the back burner. Didn’t know if he could deal with the emotions she’d stoked. Didn’t dare let himself believe there could be more.
CASSIDY COULDN’T EAT another bite. Jake had cooked the steaks to perfection, and the shrimp sauce had just the right amount of sweet with the tart. She wished she could say the same for Jake. Although he held up his end of the conversation and his smiles seemed genuine, he kept an air of reserve around him at all times that left her wondering what was going through his mind.
Maybe it was the danger, maybe it was running into a wet and naked Jake as he’d stepped out of the shower, or maybe it was sharing every minute of their day, but Jake seemed to be growing more appealing by the hour. And Cassidy longed to delve into her emotions, open herself to the possibilities. But she had to guard herself against her impulsive nature. Maybe she should be cautious, play it safe. Then again maybe her normal impulsiveness was her way of avoiding dealing with consequences.
She’d tried to consider a relationship between them with all the logic she could command. She liked Jake, always had. He’d been a good friend to a teenage girl, a better friend to the woman she’d become. Jake had saved her life, and he might be the only person keeping her alive as he hid her from their pursuer.
Yet while she had no doubt he would risk his life to save hers, he guarded his emotions as if they were a treasure she might be out to steal. One minute he seemed to trust her, sharing a glance or a touch, and the next he withdrew into himself with an intensity she found alarming.
She thought that if he didn’t want to share his thoughts, it meant he didn’t have a high opinion of her. And who wanted a man who didn’t appreciate her?
You do.
Her conscience intruded and Cassidy didn’t like it one bit, since it always seemed to happen when she was trying to fool herself.
So maybe I do want him, she admitted.
What are you going to do about it?
Well, kissing him didn’t work. He’d had no trouble resisting the temptation to step things up to the next level.
Yes, he did. You heard his ragged breathing. Saw the gleam of passion. Heard the—
Okay. You made your point. Now go away and let me think.
Thinking isn’t getting you anywhere.
I don’t know what to do. He’s holding back a part of himself I can’t reach.
You aren’t trying hard enough.
Easy for you to say. He’s as stubborn as a mountain. I can’t budge him.
Then make the mountain come to you.
How?
No answer. Where was her conscience when she needed it? Frustrated with her thoughts, she took their empty plastic dishes into the cabin and tossed them into the trash can. She rinsed her hands at the sink, turned around and almost bumped into Jake.
She took the paper towel he handed her and dried her hands. “Dinner was great, but I can’t eat another bite.”
Jake looked from the watermelon on the counter to Cassidy. “Going to welsh on our bet?”
“How about a walk? Maybe my stomach will make more room if we exercise.”
“Sure.”
Jake opened the door for her, and together they
walked outside. She breathed in the warm night air, the earthy scent of cypress trees, springwater and grass. “It’ll be good to stretch my legs.”
“Hold on a second.” Jake shook a can of mosquito repellent and sprayed some into his palm. “A former occupant left this and we should—”
“There’s a breeze.”
“Turn around, I’ll do your shoulders.”
That’s not all he wants to do.
Hush. Let me enjoy.
Cassidy gave Jake her back and faced the deserted spring. Except for the night creatures, an owl, a few ducks and the frogs, they had the place to themselves.
His hand was warm, the bug spray cool. While his fingers on her neck and shoulders were no more personal than a masseur’s, Cassidy enjoyed every efficient stroke. She was tempted to turn around and ask him to do her front. But then she recalled that the mountain had to come to her.
She took the can from Jake and sprayed some into her palm. The lemony scent was pleasant, and she decided there were other ways to play this game. “I’d better do my legs, too.”
Cassidy found a log that a former camper had dragged over, probably to sit on and watch his family swim in the spring. She had a better use for the log. She propped one foot on it, then proceeded to spread the spray along her ankle, calf and thigh. She took her time, totally ignoring Jake, smoothing in the lotion and hoping he was wishing his hands were on her legs. Slowly, sensuously, she repeated the procedure on her other leg. Last, she dabbed more on her neck and upper chest.
Finally she turned to Jake. He wasn’t even pretending not to watch. She stifled a grin, tugged his hand and made him sit on the log so she could reach his face. “Now, let me get your neck.”
He wore full-length jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. She took her time, making sure she rubbed behind his ears, down his neck and forward to his throat and lower jaw. Jake sat still as stone until her palm caressed his cheek. Slowly he stood, took the can from her and set it on the log before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“There’s a path along the spring that leads to the river.”
The Hidden Years Page 11