Jed looked at the expanse of tousled, fiery hair. She said she had cut it because of him. She knew how much he enjoyed seeing her hair flowing down her back and across her naked breasts when they made love. Had those memories tormented her that much?
He settled back against the opposite wall of the cave, where he had a clear view out and an equally advantageous view of Shelby’s back. The soft sound of her breathing as she slept reached his sharp ears, as did the trickle of rain dripping off the rocks. They seemed to him to be lonely sounds. Just as lonely as he suddenly felt.
“When I find that bitch and whoever helped her get away, I’m going to skin them both.” Chris’s coarse voice floated through the cave opening.
Jed stiffened and reached for his rifle. He looked across the cave and noticed that Shelby’s eyes were open. She looked apprehensive but didn’t say a word or move a muscle. She kept her gaze trained on him as she lay stiffly under the blanket. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her as his mind ran through various plans of action.
“Maybe they got all the way down.” It was Andy’s voice.
“With all this rain?” Eric snarled. “You look over that way. There’s a cluster of trees that makes a natural umbrella. They could be hiding there. Don’t go charging in like a herd of elephants. Whoever’s with her might have a gun. I’m gonna look in the other direction.” As he walked away, he graphically described what he’d do to Shelby once he found her, what would happen to the bastard who’d freed her and what would happen to Andy and Chris for letting her escape if she wasn’t found.
Jed hated that Shelby had to hear Eric’s tirade. What he said didn’t surprise Jed. He sensed the man had seen the military as his life and war as his sustenance. When there wasn’t a war for him to fight, he must have had no idea how to function. Like others, he’d retreated to the mountains where he could live the way he felt he was meant to—off the land. Jed also had an idea that if Sheriff Rainey went back further in his files, he’d find more reports of women disappearing. Jed had seen enough of Eric to know the man had lost his handle on reality a long time ago.
Jed looked across the dim interior at Shelby, sitting against the wall. He was pleased that she hadn’t moved a muscle, although her expression changed as she listened to Eric’s description of what he wanted to do to her. Jed wanted to assure her that Eric wouldn’t get a chance to touch even a strand of her hair. The men’s voices finally receded as they moved farther down the mountain and Jed breathed a silent sigh of relief. As soon as he felt it was safe enough, he crawled across the cave until he was sitting cross-legged next to her.
“They still might come back this way in hopes we’ll get overconfident and give ourselves away,” he said in a voice that wouldn’t travel any farther than her ears. “He thinks he’s dealing with amateurs.”
“Little does he know,” she murmured.
Shelby sat quietly, allowing her senses to reach out. The gamey aroma in the cave hadn’t receded, but she could also detect the musky scent of Jed’s skin, the barely muted sound of his breathing, the rustle of bushes outside as the breeze moved through them. The longer she sat, the more she imagined she could hear Eric furiously ordering his nephews to just shut up and look for clues.
It seemed like hours before Jed moved.
“Old Uncle Eric seems to have a one-track mind,” he murmured.
Shelby grimaced. “And unfortunately, I seem to be the prey this time.” She stretched her legs out in front of her, then bent at the waist, touching her toes. She could feel the faint pull in her legs as stiff muscles started to stretch and relax. “Why doesn’t he just give up and send his idiot nephews out for another woman?”
“He doesn’t appreciate that you got away from him,” Jed explained. “He also doesn’t want anyone knowing he’s the one taking women.”
“What makes him think I couldn’t get away on my own?” She sounded disgruntled as she stretched one arm over her head, then the other arm.
Jed smiled at that. “You forget he’s from another era, when women wouldn’t have had the courage to escape on their own. He figures you couldn’t survive out here alone. No offense, but someone who looks like you usually can’t take more than two steps without screaming because a bug crawled across her feet.”
Shelby’s eyes dropped to her feet, then to the cave floor. Jed chuckled. “See what I mean?”
She resisted the urge to scratch her back. Now that she thought of it, she did wonder if that itch along her spine might be due to a creepy-crawly.
“Women are very resourceful and he should realize it,” she grumbled.
“Do you want to be the one to educate him?”
Shelby wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I’d rather eat mud.” She took a deep breath. “Speaking of mud, do you have any more of those granola bars?”
Jed pulled a couple out of his backpack and dropped one in her lap.
“There’s a stream not far from here. I’ll go out later and fill the canteen,” he told her.
“How long will we have to stay here?”
“I’d like to wait until tomorrow. By then they might have given up and returned to their cabin.”
“But they also might not have,” she concluded. “They took a big risk kidnapping me. I can’t imagine they’ll give me up all that easily.” She toyed with her shirt buttons. “You’re right, they don’t have a good grip on reality. None of them do. I guess it’s all that clean air up here. Their lungs can’t handle it.” She chuckled, then burst out laughing. “Isn’t it funny, Jed? That it’s the clean air that makes people crazy, not the smog?” She giggled so hard she started to choke.
Jed grasped her shoulders and shook her hard. “Stop it!” he ordered. “Shelby, you’ve got to snap out of it.”
Her head bobbed back and forth. It took her a moment but she swallowed the sobbing laughter that kept bubbling up. “I can’t imagine why I ever thought I led an uneventful life,” she said once she’d regained her breath. She took several deep breaths. “I don’t suppose you have a deck of cards in that bottomless pit, do you?”
He shook his head. “Sorry.”
“A good book?”
He shook his head again. “All I cared about was reaching you and getting you back down the mountain. I didn’t expect I’d have to entertain you, too.”
Shelby leaned back against the wall. “Since it appears you do have to entertain me, you may as well start off by telling me the truth. What exactly do you do for my father?”
“You already know.”
“I don’t think so.” She examined her nails, grimacing when she noted broken ends and chipped polish. “My manicurist is going to have a fit when she sees these nails.” She turned her head so she could look at him. “I’m seeing you in a much different light up here.”
“Oh? In what way?” He didn’t appear concerned that she was trying to dissect him.
Shelby shifted her body so that she leaned sideways against the wall. “The Jed Hawkins I know wouldn’t have had any idea how to track those men. He would have hired someone experienced in tracking and come up with him, perhaps, but not gone on his own. The Jed I know wouldn’t handle guns and knives so familiarly, either. Or while tracking us, manage to find a few hideaways at the same time.”
Jed still didn’t appear fazed by her observations. “When you travel overseas as much as I do, you learn to use a weapon and carry one for protection.”
She held up her hand. “That’s another thing. I call it a gun. You call it a weapon.”
He shrugged. “Means the same thing.”
Shelby shook her head. “I remember hearing that people in law enforcement or any field like that call a gun a weapon just as you do.” She leaned forward slightly. “I always ignored my father’s habit of keeping secrets. But I’m remembering things now that are bringing up a lot of questions.”
He looked at her warily. “Such as?”
“Such as the windows in all his cars having bulletproof glass. Such as my being d
riven to school every day. Now that I think of it, the driver always carried a gun.” She ticked the items off on her fingers. “Such as all the times Daddy took trips the way you do now. Such as the time he was hospitalized and claimed it was emergency surgery. Such as I’ve never truly gone to his office. Oh, he’s taken me to the place he calls his office, but now that I think about it, I realize it didn’t feel like one.”
“And what does an office feel like?” Jed asked.
“As if someone really does work there.” She paused. “Your office felt the same way. That building is tall, more than twenty-five floors. I’d say your real office is somewhere else in it. Perhaps it’s on one of those floors that require a key card and palm print to get off on.”
Jed grew still. “How do you know about that?”
“It’s easy when you try to go up to a certain floor and the elevator won’t stop there,” she replied. “My father is also on speaking terms with a great many higher-ups in the government. A mere owner of an import/export firm wouldn’t know so many of them.”
“One would if he does a lot of business with them, and I wouldn’t call your father a mere owner,” he countered easily. “You know Warren moves freely in Washington, D.C., circles.”
She shook her head. “It’s too pat. I’ve read too many spy novels where an import/export firm was a front for—” She stopped abruptly as the truth hit her.
At the same time Jed said, “Don’t get your imagination working overtime now.”
“Spies,” she murmured. She lifted her face. “Yes, I can see it. The travel, the secrecy, the way Daddy cut himself off from having another relationship after Mom died even though he knew I wouldn’t have minded if he found someone else. The way you’ve always kept to yourself.” Her smile held a hint of sorrow. “Oh, I used to hear a lot about you. How you’d break my heart. That you couldn’t commit to anyone. But considering what you really do for a living, it’s understandable you wouldn’t want anyone too close to you. The enemy would see that as a weakness and go after that person instead. Not to mention you have an apartment that could easily double for a hotel suite—there isn’t one hint of you anywhere to be found. Nothing that could give you away. Am I right, Jed? Do you and my father work for the government?”
He silently cursed the twists and turns of her quick mind. “You’ve seen too many James Bond films.”
“I must admit you wear a tuxedo as well as he does,” she said, tongue in cheek.
He sliced a searing glance in her direction. “I don’t remember this smart mouth of yours.”
She lifted her chin and flashed him a smile worthy of a duchess. “It appeared about the same time as Chris and Andy.”
“Then logically, it should have left with them,” Jed muttered.
“But I’m a woman,” she cooed, offering him that same smile. “I don’t have to be logical.”
His reply was blunt and to the point.
Shelby rolled her eyes. “Typical male response. Listen, buster.” She poked him in the chest with her forefinger.
Buster? Jed cocked an eyebrow.
She ignored his expression and went on. “A lot has happened since you flew off into the wild blue yonder.”
“That’s the air force,” he murmured.
She shot him a quelling look. “What I’m saying is I took stock of our relationship and decided the best thing that ever happened was our breaking up.”
“We didn’t break up,” he grunted, not liking this conversation at all.
“Yes, we did,” she stated.
“You said it was over. I told you we would discuss it when we got back.” Only with willpower was he able to keep his voice low.
“And I told you there was nothing more to discuss,” Shelby retorted. “What I’m trying to explain is I realized I didn’t like the person I was turning into. I decided the best thing I could do was have a life of my own.”
“You have a life of your own,” he argued. “What about your personal shopping service? Not to mention you serve on a couple of charity boards.”
“Yes, but I still allowed my life to revolve around you,” she noted. “I realized that was a big mistake and decided I would take back my life. My first step was going to the cabin with Meredith.”
“Which didn’t turn out all that well,” he murmured.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Not my fault. And it’s not an experience I intend to repeat.”
“I’ll make sure of that.”
As Jed’s words sunk in, Shelby glared at him. “Wait a minute. You’re trying to get me off the subject, aren’t you?” she said accusingly. “I’d rather you tell me the truth instead, Jed. Are you or aren’t you a spy?”
Most people would grow uneasy under Jed’s silent regard. Shelby merely waited patiently, her arms still crossed in front of her.
“I believe the correct term would be government agent.”
She tapped her fingers against the opposite arm. “I gather our government?”
He exhaled a breath of frustration. “Yes, our government, dammit! Why can’t you ever take what I say and just let it be?”
Chapter 7
Shelby’s eyes gleamed with anger. “I should have known there was something odd going on. Why didn’t I see it?” Sha threw up her hands. “How could I have missed something this important?”
“It’s not something we care to advertise to the public,” Jed said from between clenched teeth.
She turned on him with the ferocity of a cornered wildcat. “I am not the public,” she coldly informed him. “This is not a secret a man should keep from his own daughter.”
“It’s safer for all involved if you don’t know all the particulars,” he said. “Your father’s position and my own require a very high security clearance. We are frequently involved with sensitive issues. The fewer outsiders who know about us and what we do, the safer they’ll be.”
Shelby wasn’t sure whether to be frustrated by his words or sad that people were forced to live such clandestine lives.
“Then why wasn’t I at least told you worked for the government? What harm would there have been in saying that? All you had to do was allow me to think you were some kind of courier or attaché. Wouldn’t that have been kinder than saying absolutely nothing? And why use an import/export firm as a front?” She shook her head as she tried to assimilate all she’d learned so far.
“The firm is legitimate. Thanks to having the company, we’ve been able to make some excellent contacts in Southeast Asia and South America that have proven useful at times,” Jed explained. “Traveling there on a buying trip looks better than saying we’re going in for other reasons.”
“What kind of reasons?”
He shook his head. “You don’t need to know that.”
“Why am I not surprised?” she said wryly. “Fine, so when you were gone, it wasn’t to check out the offices or look into a special purchase, was it?” she asked, undeterred by his continued silence. “You had another reason for your trips, didn’t you?”
Jed shook his head again. “No more, Shelby. It’s up to your father to tell you what he wants you to know.”
“Which means he won’t tell me anything.” Shelby sat back. “I imagine he was very upset to hear about my abduction.”
Jed thought of the gray-faced man lying in the hospital bed. He imagined he could hear the soft whooshes of the ventilator hooked up to the older man. He’d already decided not to tell Shelby about Warren’s heart attack until they were off the mountain. He figured she had enough to worry about thanks to Eric, Chris and Andy.
“He was,” he said in a clipped tone.
She had a sudden horrifying thought. “Did he think my kidnapping had something to do with what he does?”
He shook his head. “He knew there was no chance of that happening.”
She sat back, frustrated at hearing so much and yet learning so little. She suddenly perked up as another thought occurred to her. “Did you bring your cell
phone with you? We could call Daddy to tell him I’m all right, and then we could call the local sheriff to come up and get those creeps.”
He shook his head. “I left it back in the car. There was no guarantee we could transmit with all the mountains around us, and as it is I wouldn’t count on any help from the local law. Sheriff Rainey is only interested in keeping tourism alive in his happy little town, which means keeping these guys out of the public attention.”
“I gather you made a good impression on the sheriff,” Shelby murmured, not missing the disgust in his voice. She had to admit she wasn’t feeling very charitable toward the lawman just now.
“Let’s just say he’s lucky he’s still in one piece.”
Shelby shifted her position and tucked her legs under her body. “I guess I’ll have to wait until we’re back down before I can call home.” She glanced over her shoulder at the cave opening. “Is there any chance I could sneak out there for a quick trip to the bushes?” she asked hopefully.
He nodded. “It should be safe enough. I’ll keep a lookout.”
She stood up and tied the shirttails at her waist as she walked toward the cave opening.
“Oh, Shelby?”
She turned around.
Jed was grinning broadly. “Make sure I see the top of your head.”
Shelby’s reply was silent, but her upraised finger told him how she felt about his quip. Jed’s low chuckle followed her out.
She would have preferred to spend more time outside, breathing in the crisp, clean air that still held a hint of rain, but she knew she couldn’t take any chances. As it was, she still felt Chris’s slimy hands on her skin. He had enjoyed touching her all too much during their trek. She rubbed her arms briskly, wishing fervently for a long hot bath.
Even with Jed as lookout, Shelby couldn’t help but peer over her shoulder every few seconds as if she feared Eric or Chris would suddenly jump out of the bushes. She spooked herself so thoroughly that she scurried back into the cave, with Jed following at a more leisurely pace.
“I just want to go home,” she moaned, dropping down onto the dirt floor. “I want to get away from here before Eric and his idiotic nephews show up. I want to see for myself that Meredith is all right. I want to hug my father and promise him I’ll never worry him again.” She looked up, forlorn as a child. “I want to sleep in my own bed.”
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