Not Without Risk (Wolff Securities Book 2)

by Jennifer Lowery

  Macy wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. And, she wasn’t a crier. Instead, she focused her attention on slowing her breathing and getting through the next couple weeks. One day at a time, that was her new philosophy.

  ****

  The lid to the trunk opened and blessed fresh air filled the tiny space. Nate shook Macy’s shoulder, but she had already awakened. In fact, she began moving so fast he barely had time to catch her before she fell out of the trunk.

  He stepped out beside her, stretching his limbs. Damn, that had been one cramped ride.

  “Are we home?” Macy asked, hope in her eyes.

  Nate glanced at Salim who shook his head and flashed his hands twice. “Sorry, not even halfway.”

  Her face fell. “Is it safe for us to be out here?”

  Salim stepped forward, offering an arm. “No one will bother us now. The horses are my responsibility. Come, have something to eat.”

  Macy took a step, wobbled, and gripped Salim’s arm. “Haven’t gotten my sea legs yet.” She said with a small laugh.

  Nate followed them to the small living area behind the stalls. It wasn’t more than a wooden table built into the wall and two benches. A cooler. A couple bags that belonged to Salim. A hammock swaying with the movement of the ship.

  “The facilities are crude, but functional.” Salim said, motioning toward a curtain to their left.

  “Me, first.” Macy piped up. She let go of Salim’s arm and took a cautious step toward the head. With the sway of the ship, her limp, and tight muscles she didn’t get far before she started to stumble.

  Nate grabbed her and guided her behind the curtain. Crude for sure with simply a toilet and sink that had seen better days.

  “You good?” He asked Macy.

  She nodded, nose wrinkled. “Better than nothing.” She said, making the best of it.

  “It’s only temporary.”

  “Yes. And I’ve seen much worse.”

  He left her alone to do her business and went to talk to Salim. The man had two plates served up and sitting on the table.

  “Thanks.” Nate said, sliding onto one of the benches. “Anything I need to be concerned with beyond the obvious?”

  Salim shook his head. “I have made this trip many times with more cargo than this. I can’t let you be out in the open, but at least you’re out of that box.”

  “Agreed.” Nate took a bite of flat bread and chased it with some tender meat and thick cheese slices. “Where do you want us to hide out?”

  “With the straw. You will be hidden within it and it will be more comfortable.”

  Nate nodded and continued to eat while he waited for Macy. She emerged a few minutes later, face a bit pale, but looking positive. She made her way slowly and carefully toward them and dropped down on the bench across from him.

  “Thank you, Salim.” She said, helping herself to the food on her plate.

  When they finished, Salim showed them to where the straw for the horses was held. In the corner, away from the door. The bales had been set up like a wall, with one broken open to provide a layer between the floor of the ship and them. There were even a couple horse blankets folded there.

  “We can stay here?” Macy asked.

  “Yes. For the duration.”

  “Oh, good. No more box.”

  “Not unless we run into trouble.” When she sent him a sharp look he amended, “Which we shouldn’t.”

  “I hope not. My nerves are shot.” She said, walking onto the straw and finding a soft place to sit. She maneuvered pretty well considering her muscles were probably still stiff and her leg wasn’t completely healed.

  Nate went to use the facilities and returned to find her leaning against a bale, looking a bit green around the gills. He sat down next to her. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Maybe a little seasick. It’ll pass.”

  Being in the belly of the ship tested even the most hardened sailor. He wasn’t bothered by the movement of the ship. In fact, it felt like home. He loved the water. Loved being in it, on it, near it. Probably why he lived on a houseboat during the spring, summer and fall months. There was just something soothing about the sway of water beneath his feet.

  “So, how are we going to pass the time?” Macy asked. “Got a deck of cards hidden on your person somewhere?”

  “Sorry.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “Worth a try. Is it always going to be this rocky? I feel like I’m on a roller coaster.”

  Nate didn’t tell her that this was nothing compared to what it could be. Right now, they were coasting along at a comfortable pace. When they picked up speed it would get worse.

  “Nineteen days, huh?”

  Nate grinned and got comfortable. “You got this.”

  If anyone could get through this, it was Macy. That, he had no doubt about.

  ****

  “Oh, dear, God.” Macy moaned, holding her stomach. With each swell and dip of the ship her stomach rolled. The first week hadn’t been so bad. Nate made sure she stayed hydrated and ate enough to keep her from starving, but eating only made her seasickness worse. “Make it stop.”

  Beside her Nate said, “I wish I could. Might suffer some rough seas for a while.”

  “Not helping.” She grumbled. “I swear if I make it through this I am never setting foot on a boat of any kind for the rest of my life.”

  The ship lurched again, taking her stomach with it. Another week of this? No problem. She’d be dead in a day.

  She groaned and curled up into a tighter ball. Not even Nate’s reassuring hand rubbing her back made her feel better. Which sucked because a hot guy touching her should be heaven.

  Salim’s voice murmured in the distance. Speaking to the horses who didn’t like the stormy seas any more than she did. Their hooves danced nervously on the floor and she heard an occasional whinny. It didn’t give her comfort to know she wasn’t the only one suffering. She felt sorry for the poor animals.

  Her head started to spin so she sat up, still clutching her midsection. Nate wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. It helped, a little, being near him.

  “Talk to me.” She said. “About anything except your boat.”

  Nate chuckled, the sound echoing through his chest. Then, he began telling her a story about six brothers and a sister who used to get in so much trouble the sheriff named a cell after them. Before she knew it, she had drifted off, the sound of Nate’s voice lulling her to blessed sleep.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Avery paced to the kitchen, fiddled with the coffee cups in the sink, and paced back to the living room. “Where are they?” She asked Quinn, who lounged on the sofa, watching some sports channel on the television. “Nate said they’d be here an hour ago.”

  “Flights get delayed. They’ll be here.”

  She huffed out a breath. She’d been waiting nine long weeks to see her best friend. Hell, sister. They may work together, but she and Macy were more than friends and associates. Macy had been her first true friend in college and that hadn’t changed.

  Quinn had warned her about Macy’s condition, told her the long, horrific story of everything Macy had gone through to get home. It fractured her heart to hear how her friend had suffered. Avery had been held captive and tortured for three days. Macy endured six weeks. The thought made her sick. She was still dealing with her ordeal and it was nothing compared to Macys.

  Six weeks of captivity, wanted for murder, a trek through the mountains with a wounded leg, a stint with the CIA—not that anyone was telling Kell—then a train ride and three-week ship stowaway. She’d had to pull all of the details from Quinn. He wanted her to know just the bare essentials of what Macy had been through and she understood why. Loved him for wanting to protect her, but she couldn’t help Macy if she didn’t have all the details. Knowing her friend as she did, Macy would want to move on as if nothing had happened. Avery loved her dearly, but Macy struggled with confrontation. Well, confronting her o
wn demons, that is. She had no trouble confronting other people.

  “Can you call Nate again? See if they’re home and just not telling us.”

  Quinn rose to his feet and strode to where she stood by the window. “He’ll call when they’re ready. Come on; let’s go find something productive to do.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the back deck. Not up the stairs like she’d expected. Making love to him was the best kind of distraction.

  “I’m not in the right frame of mind for a swim.” She said, allowing him to pull her through the sliding doors. She still wasn’t able to swim in the deep blue lake that made up their back yard, but with Quinn’s help she could now wade in. Or, if he carried her in and didn’t let go she wouldn’t panic. Her therapist said it was a residual part of captivity and being water boarded.

  She shuddered even in the warm sunlight. If she never went back to that dark place it would be too soon. Ramil Diakameli had tried to ruin her, but Quinn had saved her. If not for this tall, handsome, stubborn man she might not have made it out of Azbakastan. Out of her worst nightmare came her soulmate, and for that she would never regret her past. Mourn it, yes, but not regret.

  Quinn gently pushed her down into one of the Adirondack chairs then stretched out in the one next to her. He didn’t speak, simply stared out at the lake, hands folded over his rock-hard abs.

  Avery sighed and followed suit, getting comfortable as she could. She knew what he was doing. And she adored him for it. But, she wasn’t sure the tranquility of Bleu Lake could work its magic on her today.

  ****

  Ellen Wolff patiently whipped homemade vanilla bean frosting in a mixing bowl with her favorite spatula. She had a brand-new stand mixer sitting on her counter that the kids had gotten her for Christmas two years ago, and she loved it very much, but she had yet to use it. She guessed she was old school, preferring to mix everything from scratch using a bowl and spoon. Her recipes had come from her mother and her grandmother, passed down for generations and they didn’t have fancy mixers back in the day so Ellen continued making the recipes in the tradition originally used.

  Now, that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy some of her modern-day conveniences like a zester. She always used fresh lemon, lime or orange zest when she cooked and baked, and boy did that little tool make scraping the skin off fruit so much easier. And, she’d been known to use a garlic press on occasion.

  Today, however, she made everything from scratch. Her best white cake with vanilla bean frosting. Triple layered and decorated with delicate pink roses. Her mother had shown her how to pipe roses when she was just a girl and she only made them for special occasions. And this was a special occasion. Nate had found Avery’s dear friend, Macy, and was bringing her home. He’d told the family not to overwhelm her because of what she’d gone through. It broke Ellen’s heart to know what that poor girl had suffered. She knew from experience with Avery what captivity could do to a person and she didn’t like it one bit. It was inhumane. Although she worried about her boys and what they did for a living, she also respected it. If not for her sons, these women may not have made it home.

  The little voice in her head that argued that if her sons weren’t in such a dangerous career she would still have six living sons instead of five.

  “Hush, now.” She said aloud to the empty kitchen. No one bothered her when she was baking and if they tried, she chased them out with a rolling pin. What’s done was done. The Lord felt the need to bring her son to him and Heaven was a better place for it. She was pretty certain her youngest son was keeping the Lord on his toes.

  “Talking to yourself, sweetheart?”

  At the sound of her husband’s teasing voice she turned and sent him a warning look as he approached the bowl of frosting. “Frank Wolff, you know better than to interrupt me when I’m baking.”

  Her tall, broad-shouldered husband grinned, making her heart dance. Even after all these years, he still made her feel like a schoolgirl with her first crush. He leaned over her shoulder, swiped his finger through the frosting and scurried away before she could swat him.

  “Scoundrel.” She called after his retreating back, smiling when she heard his laughter from down the hall. It was so good to hear. There hadn’t been much laughter in this house lately.

  She put the bowl down on the counter and reached for the three layers of cake cooling on wire racks. As she began assembling the cake, layering the circles with frosting in between and topping it with a single layer of frosting, she let go of her thoughts and worries for Avery’s friend. She was coming home safely and that was all that mattered.

  ****

  Macy watched the trees fly by, a feeling of euphoria in her chest. Somehow, she’d survived the nineteen-day ship ride. She’d been seasick nearly the entire time, but none of that mattered now. Nate had gotten her home and she was going to see her best friend soon. They had to stay in a hotel room in New York, near the shipyard because the only flight to Michigan had been at six a.m. They’d both been so exhausted they took showers and fell into bed. No touching, no caressing, no washing her hair this time. Neither had the energy for that. The last thing she remembered before falling into a deep sleep was the sound of Nate’s even breathing. Bringing her more comfort than knowing she’d made it home.

  Now they were in his Jeep, he’d had parked at the airport in Michigan, top down and free. The wind blew her hair around her face and she loved it. Made her feel free. And what a feeling that was. One she never thought she’d feel again.

  She looked at Nate. If not for him she wouldn’t be here. She owed him her life. He’d rescued her, treated her wounds, fought for her. A man like that didn’t come around every day.

  Feeling reckless and overwhelmed by emotions, she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over, her hand braced on his muscular thigh. He frowned at her, taking his eyes off the road for only a second.

  “What are you doing? Put your seatbelt back on.”

  “Pull over.” She said.

  They were on a deserted country road in Cedar Falls—close to Avery, he’d told her when they turned down this road. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with all the thoughts running through her head she might have enjoyed the peaceful beauty around her.

  “Why? Do you feel sick?”

  Nate tapped the breaks, clicked on his blinker and pulled off to the side of the road. He put the vehicle in ‘park’ and turned in his seat to study her. God, she could lose herself in those green eyes.

  “I’m not sick.” She said, leaning closer. “In fact, I feel pretty damn good.”

  Recognition and heat flared in his eyes. Smart man. He knew why she’d made him stop. She moved to kiss him, mindless of the pressure it put on her wounded leg. He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

  “We can’t do this.”

  “Why not? I know you want me as much as I want you.”

  A muscle leaped in his strong jaw. “I don’t deny that, but what you’re feeling right now is a normal stress response to the situation. You survived hell and made it home. Trust me, I get it.”

  She kissed the side of his neck, tasting salt on his skin. “Then you know what I need. Give it to me, Nate.” She’d always been impulsive but this felt incredible. Her body tightened and tingled. Electrified.

  He stopped her hand before it found the manly part of him she so badly wanted. “Macy, enough. You’ll regret this later.”

  “No, I won’t.” How could she regret being with him? Her attraction and feelings had done nothing but grow for him. This wasn’t just a fling. She didn’t know exactly what it was but certainly not a one-night-stand.

  Very gently he put her back in her seat and leaned over her to pull her seatbelt across her. With a final sounding click he buckled her in. To say she was disappointed didn’t begin to cover it. No man had ever turned her down before.

  The sting to her pride fired up her temper. “Is there a bar in this damn town?”

  Of course, Nate ignored h
er. He put the Jeep in drive and maneuvered back onto the road. His silence only made her more irritated.

  “You did your job. You got me home. Now, take me to a bar. I need a drink and a man before I face Avery.”

  The words were out before she could stop them. That didn’t help her mood any. She crossed her arms defensively over her middle and stared out the windshield. Avery was her best friend. She’d been through a similar situation as Macy. They had so much to talk about, tragedies to share, grief to overcome. She trusted Avery more than anyone with her secrets.

  Then why was she trying to prolong the meeting?

  Confused, scared, anxious, she started when Nate’s hand touched her leg. Not in a caress, but reassuring. Comforting.

  “Hey.” He said. “You got this.”

  She bit her lip and nodded. Yes, yes, she did. With him by her side she could get through anything.

  “I’d like to put myself together before we go see Avery and your brother.” She ran a hand through her tangled, windblown hair.

  “We’ll go to my place first.” He squeezed her leg. “We don’t have to see anybody today.”

  If she didn’t, she’d only get more anxious. Made no sense to her, but there it was. “I’ll be fine once I change.” She’d been wearing these clothes for much too long.

  Yeah, not the clothes. It was her. If she admitted the truth that she didn’t want anyone to see her like this that would admit weakness. How could she let Avery see her broken?

  Suddenly she wanted to be anywhere but here.

  “Nate—”

  “We’re here.”

  She looked up to see a small cottage with blue shutters and a cute front porch. Not exactly what she’d expect of a navy SEAL. Something more like a log cabin maybe. This was adorable with tall trees behind it, a manicured lawn and a basket of flowers swinging from the covered porch.