Storm Warning

by Dinah McCall

  The tapes were well-marked as to dates and subject matter. What she needed was something on self-motivation. Yes. That should do it. All Phillip needed was a boost in the right direction. She began running her finger down the list, mentally reading them off as she went.

  Exploring the Human Psyche.

  Behavior Traits: Genetic or Learned?

  Enhancing Personalities.

  The list went on and on. Her fingers flew through the drawer, picking up one tape, then discarding it for another. It wasn’t until she came to Subliminal Messaging that she stopped.

  That was what she needed! Phillip would never agree to this on his own. She needed something that would work on him as he slept.

  She popped it into the tape player and listened briefly, making sure the tape was not mislabeled. The familiar sound of her husband’s sonorous voice brought tears to her eyes.

  Oh Emile, Emile…I need you so.

  Yes, this would work, of that she was certain. She took both the tape and the recorder. Tonight, when Phillip was asleep, she would slip this beneath his bed. Even though Emile was not there physically to help his son, she would use the wonders of his medicine to work its magic.

  Detective Anthony Pagillia hung up the phone, his elation evident. He’d just talked to Officer Smith. The fact that they hadn’t been able to trace the call was almost incidental to the fact that they had it on tape. He’d told Smith to make two separate copies of the tape, one for him and one to be sent to FBI Headquarters in care of Agent Dan Howard. He clapped his hands together in satisfaction and bolted up from his chair. This was their first break in the case. He needed to contact Howard now and warn him the tape was on its way.

  Dan Howard was helping Sullivan unload their baggage from the helicopter when his cell phone began to ring.

  “Go ahead and take the call,” Sully said. “I’ll get the last one.”

  Sully started toward the safe house as Howard paused to answer the phone.

  “Howard.”

  “Agent Howard, this is Detective Pagillia, with the St. Louis police.”

  “Yes, Anthony, what’s up?”

  “We got a hit on the phone at Miss Shapiro’s work.”

  Dan looked up. Sully was already in the house.

  “The hell you say! Did you get a trace?”

  “No, the caller hung up too fast, but we got it on tape. Maybe your people at Quantico can make sense of it. I’m told it’s mostly sounds. If someone was talking, my officer couldn’t hear what was being said.”

  Dan started walking rapidly toward the house. “This is great news,” he said. “Send the tape to my office in D.C. I’ll be there by tonight.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good work, Detective,” Dan said.

  “Thank you, sir. The sooner we catch this nut, the better we’ll all sleep at night.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Dan said.

  “Oh…Agent Howard…if it’s not out of line to ask, how is Miss Shapiro? I got your message about what happened to her.”

  Dan paused on the walk, unwilling to talk about this inside the house, where Ginny could overhear.

  “She’s hanging in there, and that’s about all I can say. It was rough on her.”

  “And Agent Dean? I understood he was injured, too?”

  Dan chuckled. “Oh hell, yes. The perp almost brained him, but he still managed to control the situation before it was too late. He’s worse than a mother hen with his charge, if you get my drift.”

  “Yes, I can see that happening. The day I met him, he was pretty focused on finding Miss Shapiro. Well, thanks again for the information.”

  “And thank you for yours,” Dan countered, then disconnected.

  “Hey, Sully!” he shouted. “Good news.”

  Ginny had gone through every room of the safe house twice, familiarizing herself with the location of bathrooms and bedrooms, and seeing the inevitable guards that would be their companions for as long as they were here.

  The house itself was nice. In fact, it was better than nice. In another situation, she would have enjoyed being here. The low-slung, adobe ranch-style house faced west toward the Maricopa Mountains, and she’d heard the men make mention of an Indian reservation to the east. Other than that, she had no earthly idea of where they were. What she did know was that whatever green there was around this house had to be the result of a watering system. The rest of the land was arid and desertlike, although she’d seen many fertile fields from the air as they’d flown over.

  A veritable forest of giant saguaros surrounded the house in all directions, along with many other varieties of cacti she couldn’t identify. But the tall, stately cactus, with its long, spiney arms pointing heavenward, was familiar, although she couldn’t say why. Something she’d probably researched for a story and forgotten about until now.

  Following the voices, she retraced her steps back into the main room of the house, once again noting the thick adobe walls, the tall, narrow windows and the high, domed ceilings. Energy savers.

  She entered the living room just as Sully broke into a grin and clapped Dan Howard on the back.

  “Did I miss the joke?”

  Sully turned toward her, a quick smile on his lips.

  “We’ve had a break in the case. They got a tape of a suspicious phone call made to your office at the Daily.”

  Ginny froze. “Tape? What kind of tape? What was on it? What did the caller say?”

  “We haven’t heard it yet,” Dan said. “All I know is what Detective Pagillia told me. He said it was mostly background noise, but we may be able to make something out at our lab.”

  “What kind of noise?” Ginny asked.

  “Well, let me think. The officer said she could tell that it was coming up a storm when the call was being made, because she could hear the distant sound of thunder. And then she kept hearing something like a doorbell ringing over and over. You know…when a caller won’t go away. She thinks maybe the caller was disturbed by the arrival of an unexpected guest and disconnected.”

  A frisson of something long-ago buried shifted itself deep within Ginny’s mind. She closed her eyes, trying to hold on to the thought, but it wouldn’t come.

  Sully saw the expression on her face.

  “Ginny, what is it?”

  She frowned, then shook her head. “I don’t know. Nothing, I suppose. Are we going to get to hear it?”

  “Yes, sure…as soon as I—”

  Sully interrupted. “No. Not you.”

  Ginny frowned. “But—”

  “Until I know for certain that call won’t set off some ticking bomb in your mind, you don’t hear it, okay?”

  She paled. “Of course. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Sully laid a hand on her back, then pulled her close beneath the shelter of his arm.

  “That’s why I’m here,” he said.

  Ginny’s eyes brimmed. “Yes, but how long will I be here?”

  There was nothing the men could say to give her comfort. Her shoulders slumped as she turned and walked away.

  “Her attitude isn’t so hot,” Dan said.

  Sully glared. “Yours wouldn’t be, either, if a week ago some nut had tried to gut you like a fish.”

  “Sorry,” Dan said, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I didn’t mean to step on any toes…or hearts.”

  Sully’s glare deepened as Dan grinned.

  “Don’t you have someplace else to be?” Sully asked.

  Dan glanced at his watch. “Yes, actually, I do. FYI, besides yourself, there are three men on guard, none of whom will be intrusive. They’re staying in the guest house out back and have their own set of orders. Unless you need something specific, you will have little to no contact with them. By the way, two of them, Franklin and Webster Chee, grew up local to the area. They’re Navajos, and brothers to boot—two of the best agents the Bureau has. The other man, Kevin Holloway, is good, too. I’ve worked with him on several cases.r />
  Sully nodded. “I know the drill.”

  “Yeah, I know. But don’t take on too much by yourself. You just got out of the hospital, too, remember? If there’s any heavy work to do, ask for help.”

  Sully grinned. “Yes, Mother.”

  Dan grinned back. “Fine, if that’s the way you want to play, then give Mommy a kiss goodbye. I’ve got to leave.”

  This time it was Sully who held up his hands in surrender.

  “You win, Howard. You’re too ugly to kiss.”

  “Yeah, but I’m faithful,” Dan said.

  “Tell that to your wife. I’m not interested.”

  Dan waved goodbye. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Sully watched the helicopter ascend and then disappear into the sun. He turned, instantly moving into agent mode as he began his own tour of the house, checking out strong points and taking note of the areas where security might be breached.

  It wasn’t until he walked outside to the walled backyard that he found Ginny again. She was sitting by a small in-ground pool, dangling her feet into the water.

  “Why don’t you go for a swim?” he said. “It would probably feel good after that long flight.”

  “No suit,” she said.

  “Come with me,” he said, and took her by the hand. She followed, leaving wet footprints on the dark red tiles as they moved through the house.

  Inside the first bedroom down the hall, he pointed to an armoire.

  “I was snooping earlier. Look inside. Maybe one of those will fit.”

  Ginny opened the doors to find an assortment of both men’s and women’s bathing attire.

  “I suppose I’m not the first to pack and run,” she said, alluding to the fact that many other people must have been secluded here.

  “Find one for me, too,” Sully said. “I’m going to make us something cold to drink.”

  Ginny smiled as she turned and began digging through the shelves and drawers. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Sully was rooting through the well-stocked pantry for something to snack on when Ginny came into the kitchen. Her shoulder-length hair was in a high ponytail, and the only suit that came close to fitting her had been a black two-piece. It was modest, as two-piece suits went—more like a bra and panties than a bikini. But even so, it was what the lack of fabric revealed that she couldn’t deny. Again she wished for more flesh to fill out the suit, and if it had been anyone but Sully, she wouldn’t have had the guts to put it on.

  “I laid some trunks on the bed that might fit you,” she said. “What do we have to drink?”

  He smiled and turned, a package of pretzels in his hand. The smile froze and then died. He’d seen the bruises on her face and arms many times, but this was the first time he’d seen the ones on her body. Even though they were fading, they were a vivid reminder of what she’d endured.

  “I will regret not killing that man for the rest of my life,” he said softly.

  Ginny flushed and crossed her arms across her midriff in self-defense.

  “Don’t do that,” he said, and pulled her arms away from her body.

  “I just—”

  He cupped her face in his hands. She stood motionless, watching the changing expressions on his face. She saw his pupils dilate and then his nostrils flare, and she knew he was going to kiss her. It seemed as if they’d been waiting for this moment ever since the night he’d knocked on her door and come in from the rain.

  “Sully…”

  “Shhh,” he whispered, and rubbed his thumbs gently across the cuts on her lips. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m tough, remember?” Besides, you’re already going to hurt me when you leave.

  He inhaled slowly and lowered his head. Her lips were soft and yielding. Tunneling his fingers through her hair, he pulled her closer, tasting the hesitation and then acceptance of a question that had yet to be voiced—a question he wasn’t sure he could ask.

  Sullivan was the first to break away. He groaned beneath his breath and then touched her forehead with his own, feeling the heat of her breath upon his chest.

  “Forgive me, Ginny. I stepped out of line.”

  Two small creases appeared between her eyebrows as she studied the expression on his face, then she shook her head and walked away.

  Sully started to call her back, but he didn’t know what to say. Hell yes, he wanted to make love to her. Worse than he’d ever wanted anything before. But he’d gotten careless once, and it had nearly cost Ginny her life. He stood at the kitchen door until he was certain she was safely in the water. One of the men on guard stepped around the corner of the house long enough for Sully to know he was there. Satisfied for the moment that she was safe, he hurried to change.

  Ginny had tried to swim a lap but found it too much of an effort and had opted for hanging on to the side of the pool and just letting the water lap around her body. The water was lovely in the almost unbearable heat, but the longer she lay there, the more aware of her surroundings she became.

  It was the quiet that got to her. No cars. No planes. No sirens. Not even the sound of other people’s voices. Just the water lapping against the side of the pool and the occasional hum of the central air-conditioning unit as it kicked on.

  “Ginny, come out of the water for a moment.”

  She looked up. Sully was standing near her head, dangling a small plastic bottle in the air. From this angle, he looked about ten feet tall, with bulges in all the right places.

  “Sunscreen,” he said.

  She felt her arms. They were already hot.

  “Oh. Right.” She lifted a hand, and he pulled her out of the water.

  “Ouch, the concrete is hot,” she muttered, as she began to dance from foot to foot.

  Sully tossed down a towel. “Stand on that,” he said.

  Gratefully, she stepped on the terry-cloth, thankful for the barrier.

  “This won’t take long,” Sully said. “I’m going to undo the back of this top so I can put it on your shoulders.”

  She nodded and grabbed the front of the bra with both hands as the back came undone. And then his hands, slick with lotion, were cupping her shoulders and rubbing her.

  It was reflex that made her tense, but Sully felt it. He stopped instantly.

  “Damn. Ginny, I’m sorry. I didn’t think. Maybe you’d rather do this yourself than cope with the feel of a man’s hands on you.”

  She shook her head. “No. Don’t be silly. It was just a reflex. The lotion was cold, that’s all.”

  She was lying, and he knew it, but it made him all the more careful of letting his thoughts get out of hand.

  “I’ll be quick,” he said. “Tilt your head down a minute, will you? I need to get some on the back of your neck.”

  She did as he asked, absorbing the feel of his fingers against her skin, stroking, rubbing, over and over. The image of Carney Auger straddling her body suddenly popped into her mind, but before she could panic, his features began to morph into Sully’s. Suddenly the gut-wrenching fear was gone, too, replaced by the feel of Sully’s body between her legs. She knew without ever having experienced it that he would make love as superbly as he did everything else. With total focus on her, mindful of nothing but bringing her pleasure.

  She moaned.

  Sully stopped. “Am I hurting you, honey?”

  “No. It just feels good.”

  Jesus. “Okay, I think that’s good enough,” he said. “You do your legs.” He handed her the bottle and then dove headfirst into the pool, thankful to be hidden within the tepid water. He needed to put a barrier between him and Ginny, and it was the only thing at hand.

  Ginny fastened the top of her suit and then quickly rubbed the sunscreen on her legs. When she straightened, Sully was in front of her, chest deep in the water and waiting.

  “Are you ready to get back in?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Need some help?”

  “I can manage,” she said, and
then had to deal with the spurt of disappointment as he swam away.

  Dinner that evening was almost as strained as that night back at the cabin when they’d been at each other’s throats. Only now Sully could look back and know what had been at the root of their dissension.

  Attraction. Yes.

  Lust. Hell, yes.

  But there was more, at least for him. The moment he’d seen her face in the picture at her apartment, she’d become more than Georgia’s friend—more than an intended victim. She’d become real. And then, when he’d crawled between the sheets of her bed and laid his head on the pillow she’d slept on the night before, it had been like crawling into her skin. He’d gotten too close, too fast, and it was too late to take it back. Sully was falling in love, and the timing couldn’t have been worse.

  Ginny tried not to stare at Sully, but his casual grace was impossible to ignore. Dressed in a white polo shirt and pale blue slacks, he looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of a men’s fashion catalogue. That Hollywood look was unexpected, especially after the jeans and T-shirts he’d worn at the cabin. She wondered if he’d had those clothes all along, or if they were something he’d scrounged up on the premises. Even the small patch of hair they’d had to shave to stitch up his scalp was starting to grow back. It blended quite well with the somewhat spiky hairstyle he seemed to favor.

  “Is your hamburger not done enough?” he asked, noting that she’d taken all of three bites.

  Ginny blinked and then looked down at her plate.

  “Oh…no…actually, it’s quite good.”