“I owe you an apology.”
“For?”
“Last night. I shouldn’t have…”
Immediately her eyes seemed to hold serpents ready to strike. “You … shouldn’t … have!” Melanie started to leap from the bed, but he caught her arm. She tried pulling away, but he only pulled her down pinning her under him.
“Let me finish.”
“Haven’t you said enough already? Do you know how badly it hurts to hear a man apologize for his actions later?”
“Melanie, lie still and let me finish, girl. What I meant was I should have waited until all this was over. Here we are in the middle of this and if the killer finds you … What I mean is he will use that to take advantage of either of us. Once he discovers you or I have feelings for the other he’ll use that against us. I don’t want that to happen. I can’t bear to lose someone special to me.”
“Duncan, I’m a therapist. Do you know how many people come into my office telling me that they want a child, but can’t wait until they can afford it? Or want this out of life but can’t because they don’t have the time or money?”
“Melanie what does that—”
“Have to do with anything? Just hear me out. If a person waits for all that to happen, they might as well give up. Time is too short. You have to enjoy every day. Live every day to its fullest. If you aren’t going to be able to have a little luxury now, then you may never have it. I, for one, am not sorry it happened. And even if it hadn’t, I’m in too deep now. I love you. As soon as you pulled the children and me into this caper, it meant we had to take a chance on feelings getting the best of us. We have to beat the odds against Riley and his men. We have to be the stronger. And being knit together helps.”
“I don’t deserve you, Melanie.” Duncan lowered his head to her chest then lifted it as he released his hold on her arms.
Her soft hands circled his ears and neck. “Kiss me, Duncan.”
He brushed his lips to hers, burying them tighter and tighter, savoring every taste. She’d brushed her teeth and they tasted fresh and minty.
Her nails raked his back as she pulled him closer to herself.
He reached to peel off her gown when he noticed she wasn’t wearing any underwear. “Why you sly fox, no wonder you were smiling when I said I’d charmed the pants right off you. I bet you were expecting…”
“Are you going to talk the whole time or ravish me? Those kids will get suspicious after a while. They’re smart, but I’d rather have them believe we aren’t having a real honeymoon. Got your watch on?”
“Is that going to happen every time?”
“Maybe.” Melanie handed him the watch.
Hurriedly he slipped it on his wrist then devoured her luscious breasts over and over, delighting in the almost silent whimpers she offered in return.
“Duncan, how I do love you. Always remember that, whatever happens, you have made me so happy, so extremely happy.”
Two hours later, they had checked out of the Inn. They decided to walk around the Antebellum Plantation and go to the gift shop before lunch. Afterwards they planned to get on the road for the cabin.
Duncan had spent fifteen minutes going over some things with the children, while Melanie was getting dressed and checking any messages or text on her cellphone from work. He again warned them to stay close under all circumstances. Matt had asked if they could stop at a Wal-Mart so he could turn in his photos at an hour photo shop. They agreed.
“Thanks for getting me doubles on my photo’s, Dad.” Matt spoke as the SUV wheeled down the Interstate. He thumbed through the snapshots and passed them on to Tiffany.
“Anything for my son.” Duncan smiled at him in the rear view mirror.
“You and Mom sure are full of smiles this morning.”
“Matt, they’re on their honeymoon. Crazy in love, I guess.” Tiffany grinned.
“When I become a detective I don’t want to get married and have a honeymoon. I just want to be by my lonesome.”
“I don’t know, Matt. Being by yourself isn’t always a good thing. Being lonely isn’t fun. Just having you guys around me sure has made a difference in my life.”
Tiffany handed the snapshots back to Matt. “That one guy was in all your pictures, Matt.”
“You mean that one in the background?” Matt pointed to the man.
“Yes. He sure did keep jumping into the picture.”
Duncan lent an ear to their conversation as he watched Melanie skimming through a magazine. Putting on his turn signal, he turned off at the next exit.
“Duncan, what’s wrong?” Melanie asked, closing the magazine.
“I think I need a pit stop. Too much tea. And we might as well top up this tank. I appreciate the insurance loaning us another SUV, but face it, Melanie, these things burn gas like we drink water.”
“Aunt Melanie doesn’t have an SUV, Dad. She drives a little Toyota.”
“I see.”
“Sorry, Aunt Melanie. I meant Mom. Tiffany and I might as well continue calling you Mom and Dad.”
“Yep, might as well,” Duncan said, pulling into the gas station. “Okay, I’ll pump the gas, then we’ll all go in together to pay and go to the bathroom. In fact, let’s park across the street and have an ice cream cone. That way you can show me those pictures, Matt. I’m curious to see the mountain again. You had the ones from Dollywood in there today, too, right?”
“Sure did. Got them all.”
“Give me a minute.” Duncan eased out of the vehicle. He could hardly wait to see which man kept jumping into the pictures.
After placing their order and finding a table, they took their frozen treats and sat down. There had been no ice cream cones. Instead, each of them had opted for sundaes. Duncan flipped through the photos, very carefully studying each one. And just as the children had noticed, he saw that the same man kept appearing in all of them.
Dark hair, dark glasses, and tall, with a cigarette clinging in his left hand. Possibly left-handed or just a ploy to have others think that way. So they were being followed. Not only at Stone Mountain, but the same man appeared in a few of the snaps taken at Dollywood. Even their good friend Harris was in the distant background. Matt might not have made him out, but Duncan sure did.
Duncan traced a finger down Melanie’s arm. “A penny for your thoughts, dear.”
“I’m just blissfully happy.”
“I wish we could go to Disneyworld,” Matt interjected, looking at the pictures. “Bet the bad guy would have a hard time finding us there.”
“One day we will, Matt,” Tiffany assured him.
Duncan pushed his empty bowl aside. “Melanie, when do you have to get back to your practice? I mean, do you have to make sure Harris is doing his job?”
Melanie noticed the tone he used for Harris. Was he jealous of the man? “I took a month off. Remember, I told you that the first day we met. The children were supposed to join me for a month.”
Duncan rubbed his chin. Odd that Allison was going to take that long for a honeymoon. “Harris seemed a bit young to be your assistant. Have you known him long?”
The man really was jealous. Well imagine that. “I’ve known him for two years. Allison introduced us at one of the conferences we attended. She was getting bored, then he happened by and chatted with her. Seems he was looking for a practice in Nashville as well. He had one in Florida but he was tired of the heat so he’d moved to Tennessee.
So Allison had introduced Harris to Melanie.
“I think she was trying to set us up because, as usual, poor Melanie had no date or anything,” Melanie hinted.
“Not that she couldn’t get one,” Tiffany spoke. “I mean she’s a knockout. Always has been.”
“She certainly is at that,” Duncan seconded. “But you know what I think it was?”
“She wanted to wait for you to come along and be her Prince Charming?” Tiffany smiled.
Duncan cupped Melanie’s hand in his. “I do believe that was the
plan. So, are we set to go? You done, Matt, or you want another one?”
“I’m all done.”
“Tell you what. Why don’t we put all these photos in one envelope and let me hold onto the negatives in this folder. We might want to get more. I think my parents would love to see these.”
“That’s fine with me. Do you have horses where your parents live, Dad?”
“No. But if you want us to get one, I’m sure once your grandpa meets you and Tiffany, he’ll spoil you rotten and get you anything you want.” Duncan stood, lifting Melanie along with him. He breezed a kiss to her cheek. “Let’s go, sweetheart. Oh, by the way. Thanks for wearing these great fitting jeans. I love the way they hug your body.”
“Duncan!”
“Hey, we’re legally married.”
“And on your honeymoon,” Tiffany reminded them, pushing her chair back under the table.
“This is a conspiracy,” Melanie said as they left.
“But such a blissfully nice one, darlin’,” Duncan drawled.
Duncan couldn’t get the photos of that one man out of his mind all the way to the cabin. The guy was too camouflaged to remind him of anyone. The photos, followed by the part about Harris being from Florida. What part of Florida? And funny how Allison just struck up with him.
“I’m tired,” Matt said, as he sank on the sofa at the cabin. “I think it’s the long ride. And, for some reason, I am getting hungry again.”
Melanie smiled at him. “You don’t mind having some soup and sandwiches do you?”
“No, that’ll be fine. Do we have to stay locked in this cabin all our lives, Dad?”
“No, Matt. Things are going to get better, just you wait and see. I need to go and make a phone call. Keep an eye on the women. I’ll only be outside on the porch. It’s top secret.”
“You can count on me.”
Duncan cast a wink at Melanie, then eased out onto the porch. He flipped the cellphone open and dialed the number.
Melanie took some paper plates from the shelf, and she and Tiffany started making the sandwiches.
“Aunt Melanie, when all this is over, do you want us to continue to call you Mom?”
“Honey, I want you and Matt to call me what makes you feel comfortable. I want you to know one thing. I am really proud of you both. I only wish that all this could have been stopped.”
“The man who hurt Mother—Agent McGregor will be able to stop him before he harms you, won’t he?”
Melanie took a breath as she watched Tiffany place sliced meat on the bread she’d spread with mayo and mustard. “I believe in my heart that Duncan will stop him before he harms anyone else again.”
“You really do love him, don’t you, Aunt Melanie?”
Melanie turned her lip up halfway chewing on it. She thought of the night of love they’d shared, then this morning before they’d left. “Yes, I really do.”
Tiffany embraced her. “I’m happy for you. I really am.”
Duncan stepped down a little further pacing a bit on the porch. “Ramon, I’ll have to look at those when they aren’t in the room. Thanks. And you will need to check on that other thing for me. Get them to take care of it in the morning, if not tonight. But we’ll be there tomorrow night. These people want to go on a tailspin with us. We will take them on one. And make sure the agents are right behind us. Just tell the Bureau I will flip the expense for this.”
“I’m sure they’ll understand that part is for the children.”
“Concerning Spencer, was there any way of telling how badly he suffered before death?”
“No way of telling if, or how long. The sicko just inflicted enough torture, I’m sure, to get his kicks. The burial will be the day after tomorrow. You know his home wasn’t far from Orlando?”
“Heard him mention it a few times. I’ll try to pay my respects. Thanks, Ramon—for everything. And that was a good idea to put that reading material in the bathroom.”
“What better place? One thing about Spencer’s burial … he didn’t really have any family. Remember, he told us he was a loner?”
“I remember.”
“A friend he knew is taking care of the arrangements. All Spencer wanted was a graveside service. So that’s what the guy is giving him. Just him, a preacher and a few words before they lower his box into the ground.”
Funny how Ramon always called a casket a box. In reality isn’t that what it was? Just a box to sleep in, closed up for eternity. “Yeah, guess he wanted to be a loner in death like in life.”
“Yeah, that was Spencer. No one could really get too close to him. I’m just glad I have family.”
“I’m beginning to know what you mean, Ramon.”
Tiffany and Melanie had the sandwiches and soup ready when Duncan came back in the door.
“Let me go wash up and I’ll be right down. Matt, anything good on the tube?”
“I’m searching.”
Duncan made sure the door was secured then stepped toward the stairs. He hoped he had enough time to scan through the papers before they started looking for him.
After locking the door to the bathroom, he searched on the top shelf, pulling the papers down. Quickly, he scanned through each of them. So, Riley and Harris were cohorts together in all this mess—with Melanie right in the middle. But no one knew why they were using her office for Harris’s part in all this. She was a therapist. Did she ever dispense drugs to any of her patients?
He cupped his hand to his chin. If she did, surely it was a prescription note? Melanie had stood up to Riley. Allison had introduced Harris to Melanie. Harris was from Florida. Whatever happened after the wedding with Riley and Allison? Allison had been determined to put an end to Riley’s career, but only after they’d gotten away from the children.
Someone knocked at the door. Duncan hurriedly put the papers back on the shelf and turned on the tap. A minute later, he opened the door.
“Melanie, what’s wrong?”
“I came to ask you the same question. You okay?”
“Yes. What, a man can’t use the bathroom anymore? Is that what happens when you marry? You going to take that privacy from me, too?”
“No, I was concerned.”
“I’m fine. Too much tea.” Duncan rubbed his stomach. “That sugar and caffeine plays havoc with me.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Yeah, let’s go eat. I’m starving.” He reached for her when she started walking ahead of him. “And tonight after the children are in bed, who knows, I just might be starving for some dessert.” He growled softly in her ear, making her blush all the way to her toes.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter 10
“You mean it?” Matt asked for the tenth time. “I can’t believe this. When did you decide? Why didn’t you tell us last night?”
“And have you stay up all night knocking at our door, asking if I was serious? Come on, Matt, it worked out better this way,” Duncan answered. He looked at his watch. “I mean, it’s only six o’clock and I did wake you early enough so you could get ready.”
“But Disneyworld. Can we afford it? Is it safe? Is it because I kept insisting?”
“Yes, we can afford it. As safe there as here. No, not because you kept insisting. I want to do this. Already got the reservations in the park and everything. Of course, the only place that had a room available right now was at the Disney All-Star Resort with the movie themed rooms. Might have to get the room with the Dalmatians.”
“I don’t mind. Gosh, we’ll be so busy in the park that by the time it’s closing for the night, we’ll go in that room and hit the pillows. I’d sleep inside a sleeping bag. Wow, Tiffany. Disneyworld! Isn’t he just the greatest Dad alive?” His words rambled on. Matt raced over to Duncan almost knocking the kitchen chair over and threw his arms around the man. “I love you, Dad. I love you.”
Duncan didn’t know what to say. First, he thought of his son, Johnny. Second, he looked at Melanie and Tiffany. Third, he
threw his arms around Matt and hugged him as if he was squeezing the life out of him. “I love you too, son. I love you, too. And you and I are going to have the best time there. I don’t care how long we have to stand in those long lines.”
“Even to ride Dumbo and the tea cups?”
“You bet. And Aunt Melanie will have to get on the scary rides too, and go in the haunted house. She might get scared.”
“She might.”
Matt pulled away and eyed Duncan carefully. “But what if we all can’t get in one seat? Do we have to keep looking over our shoulder?”
“Yes, but if we can’t all get into one seat, then you can ride with me. Tiffany with Melanie. And if anyone grabs any of us, we’ll scream and kick them so hard, they’ll wish they never touched a McGregor.”
Matt balled a fist then struck his other hand with it.
“Are you going to use that fist to knock them out?”
“You bet, Dad. Can we go now?”
Melanie eyed Tiffany and grinned. “We got enough shorts to take?”
“I think we do. How many days were we staying, Dad?”
“The four-day hopper, so we don’t miss a thing.”
“Aunt Melanie, I have enough.”
“So do I. We best get our things together. We don’t want to keep these men waiting.” Melanie leaned over and kissed Duncan on the lips as Matt and Tiffany raced off upstairs. “Thank you for making his day. But will this hinder the case?”
“Don’t think so. I think we’re just going to throw him off guard and give him a little road trip that he won’t easily forget.”
“I’ll get packed. Oh, I can help with the trip.”
“No, this is all on me, toots.”
“Just remember that I can pay our way.”
“I will keep that in mind. But this is something that I want to do for the children, our children.”
She kissed his cheek. “You are such a special man. I love you so very much, Duncan. More than any man.”
He pulled her arm back toward him when she started to walk away. “Got a minute?”
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