Jake’s brows rose. If he wasn’t mistaken Brother Rick was scared of something or someone.
Outside the bank, Brother Rick said, “We need to go to Auckland. We’ll drop you at the store. The women aren’t there today. I want you to sell the rest of the stock. Get rid of it. Discount prices if you have to. The lease is due for renewal. Since Sister Bitter has left there’s no one available to make stock. I’ve decided to let the lease drop.”
“What about the key?”
“There’s a spare one in the book shop next door. They won’t ask any questions because you’re wearing a Children of Nature robe.”
“No problem,” Jake said. “Should I wait there for your return or should I walk back to the compound?”
Brother Rick hesitated and exchanged a glance with Brother Felix. “We’ll be gone overnight. You’ll need to walk back.”
“All right,” Jake said. “I’m sorry about the money. I’d forgotten about the notice period.”
Brother Rick grunted and pushed past Jake. Jake hesitated a few seconds, before leaving the bank to go to the store. The blue truck sped past and disappeared around the corner. Jake pulled out his phone and dialed Luke.
“Something is up,” he said. “Brother Rick is behaving weirdly. I thought he was gonna hit me when the teller informed us I couldn’t have the money for ten days. He’s heading for Auckland and said he’ll be gone overnight.”
Jake paused to listen. “Nah, he’s only just gone. I’ll do some snooping around later this afternoon and tonight. Yeah, okay.” He hung up and returned the phone to his pocket.
He had a lot to do, but he might have a quick solution for the stock. Aware there might be spies lurking, and he’d already pushed his luck, he strode toward the shop. He stopped at the book shop to ask for the key. Once inside the cult shop, he pulled out his phone again and rang directory services for the number to Fancy Free.
He glanced around the shop while he waited for someone to pick up the phone. The shelves were full of stock, but if he discounted everything to a dollar again he should make two or three hundred dollars. It would be enough stock to start Sorrel up in business for herself, if that’s what she wanted.
Someone answered, and he asked for Alice. He explained his proposal and Alice let out a girly shriek that almost deafened him.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes.” The phone clicked in his ear.
Jake found the boxes Sorrel used for packing stock out the back and started stripping the shelves. A tap on the rear door announced Alice’s arrival.
Jake cracked the door open a fraction, saw it was Alice and opened it wider.
“Sorrel.” Without taking his eyes off her, he stood aside for Alice to enter the dim store. When Sorrel went to pass him too, he seized her, wrapping his arms around her and stealing a kiss. When he lifted his head both of them were breathing hard.
“Ahem,” said Alice. “This is a time-sensitive issue. We need to move fast before stupid Brother Rick finds his brain again.”
Jake released Sorrel but couldn’t make himself drop her hand. “Brother
Rick told me to sell the lot, discounting if necessary to clear the shelves. The lease is up and he doesn’t want to renew.”
“Silly man,” Alice said. “Don’t you see, Sorrel? We buy your stock, at a discount, and approach the owners of this building. You already have customers, and we can start experimenting with our gift boxes to work out what sells best. This is perfect.”
“Will I still work in developing the cream for sale?”
“Of course. We’ll hire some staff. Maybe Katarina and Harriet would like to take over the shop. At the very least it would get them out from under my feet.”
“Brother Rick will be furious.”
“Let him have his tantrum,” Jake said. “There’s nothing he can do about it, as long as you move on the lease quickly.”
“What do you think?” Alice asked. “Once we get ourselves sorted out we can set up a lab for you and work out how to mass produce everything. Would you be all right with that?”
Jake watched the wonder on Sorrel’s face, her building excitement and realized there was no damn way he was leaving Sloan. He’d have to put his mind to a new career, one that would keep him close. As his friends would say, he was toast.
“I’d like that very much,” Sorrel said.
“Good. I’ll leave you to help Jake since you’ll know best how to pack up everything. I think it’s best if we store the stock at Fancy Free. We don’t want anyone from the cult coming in and destroying everything. I’ll go and get my car so you can pack everything inside.”
She hurried off leaving him alone with Sorrel.
“You look beautiful. Most people wouldn’t recognize you.” He studied the snug black jeans and red shirt. “Sexy.”
“You recognized me.”
“Ah, but you forget. I’ve seen you naked.” He watched in fascination as a wave of red crawled up her neck and into her face. “I missed you last night. I sleep better when I’m with you.” The truth. When he was with her, Greg stayed out of his head. He reached for her, pulling her to him. Her soft breasts flattened against his chest, and when he looked down, he could see the swell of her curves.
“You had another nightmare?”
“Yes.” He didn’t want to talk about it, so he used distraction. For both of them. His lips covered hers, holding back any further questions. Then he was drowning in her touch, her scent. Her taste. What had started as a diversion backfired on him, dragging him into a world of sensation. He took the kiss deeper, stroking his tongue along hers, molding her body to his. She felt right, perfect in his arms. He wanted to go on kissing her, to strip off every single item of clothing and take her, thrusting deep.
“God,” he said with a hard shudder. “This isn’t the right time.” He pressed her forehead to hers, resting it there for long moments. “Soon, okay? We’d better start packing. I want to get back to the compound and do a search as soon as I can. Brother Rick said he intended to stay away over night, but I can’t trust anything he says.” Jake picked up a box and started to stack soaps into it. “He seemed panicked this morning. You don’t know what he does when he leaves the compound and goes to Auckland?”
“No.” Her smile held an edge of mockery. “We mere women weren’t informed of the day-to-day running of Children of Nature. Nothing to worry our little brains over.”
“I know better. This book you mentioned to Luke—can you tell me what it looks like? I’ll look for it when I search the office.”
“It’s a book with a red cover. I’m positive I saw it on the bottom row of the bookshelf in Brother Rick’s office along with my mother’s other herbal books.” She made a scoffing sound in the back of her throat. “He wouldn’t know a book if it bit him on the butt. Why don’t you go back to the compound now and leave this to me?”
“No.” He was definite in his refusal. “I don’t want to leave you alone, just in case Brother Rick turns up unexpectedly.”
“You haven’t taught me the self-defense moves yet.”
“Tonight.”
Something about the way he said tonight suggested he had a lot more in mind than self-defense. She placed some violet-colored bath bombs into a box and surrounded them with wads of newspaper to lessen the chances of breakage.
With both of them packing products it didn’t take as long as she’d thought.
“How much money are you giving to Brother Rick, and where is it coming from?” she asked.
“I’ll withdraw some money from my account.”
She laughed out loud. “You have another account Brother Rick doesn’t know about?”
“Of course,” Jake said. “And it has more money in it than the one I was going to sign over to Children of Nature.”
Alice knocked on the rear door and stuck her head inside. “Sorry. That took me longer than I wanted. I had to take a couple of calls.”
“We’re done with the packing,” he said.
“Yes,” Alice said. “I’ll help Sorrel with the stock.”
Jake strode the three steps separating them and seized her for a quick kiss. Sorrel didn’t fight. She melted against him and enjoyed the physical contact. Unfortunately it was over too quick, and soon Jake left.
“Well,” said Alice. “That was quick work on your part.”
Sorrel frowned.
“I wasn’t being snarky. From the little I’ve seen of him he seems a nice guy.”
“He is, although nice isn’t the word I’d use to describe him.”
A laugh burst from Alice. “I know what you mean. He sort of prowls and slinks despite his limp. He doesn’t smile much either.”
“He smiles at me,” Sorrel said.
“Well that’s all that matters,” Alice said. “Is that everything?”
“Apart from the dust. I suppose I should sweep up.”
“Why? The cult is responsible for the lease. They can clean up.”
“Oh,” Sorrel said, chagrined by her first instinct. “I forgot. I’ve lived at the compound for so long I—”
Alice touched her arm in silent sympathy. “Don’t apologize for thoughtfulness. There aren’t enough people in the world who think the way you do.” She squeezed Sorrel’s arm and released it. “Do you know who owns the building?”
“A Mr. Montgomery,” Sorrel said. “I know because he came to buy a gift for his wife, and he mentioned he liked the scents in the shop. The previous tenants sold exotic goods and burned incense. He told me the incense made him sneeze.”
“Jason Montgomery?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, I do hope so. Jason is Gaby’s father. Remember Gaby from our tour?”
“Of course. The woman who designs condoms and sex toys for Fancy Free.”
“That’s the one. I’ll ring Jason as soon as we get back. If we manage to get the lease would you set things out differently?”
“The interior walls need painting—maybe cream with stenciled borders around the top and bottom of the walls.”
“Something classy,” Alice mused. “Yes, I can see your products displayed in that way. We could even do mail order like we do with our Fancy Free products.”
The rest of the day passed before Sorrel knew it. For the first time in months she felt excited about making her products and the challenge of taking her cream and turning it into a mass-marketed product. Alice gave her a lift back to Luke and Janaya’s house, just after five-thirty. It was strange entering a building with no other people present, no chatter or laughter. No whispers or insults.
Woof.
Sorrel jumped and spun around. Her right hand slapped over her leaping heart, as she attempted to still the racing. The small dog barked again and trotted away, its tail wagging.
Shaking her head, Sorrel wandered into the kitchen. Her stomach grumbled. She rubbed her belly, wishing she had something to eat.
The dog walked around the corner of the kitchen counter, stopped by the fridge and barked again. It looked at Sorrel expectantly then at the fridge door.
“I guess we’re both hungry,” she told the dog. She pulled the fridge door open, the novelty of helping herself both foreign and wonderful. She decided on a chicken and salad sandwich, hunting out a plate, knife and a chopping board. The entire process of assembling her sandwich was a novelty and immensely satisfying.
A few pieces of chicken found their way down to the dog.
Finally she cut her sandwich in half and sat at the breakfast counter. From the first bite, the flavors and scents rolled across her senses. Delicious. She swallowed and sighed happily.
“So this is what freedom tastes like,” she murmured to the dog. “I think I like it.”
Janaya arrived home from her shopping trip, and handed several bags to Sorrel. “These are for you.”
“But I don’t have any money.”
“I’m not worried,” Janaya said. “From what I hear you’re gonna be rolling in cash soon. Pay me back then.”
The evening passed in a pleasant fashion with Luke and Janaya making her feel at home. Sorrel helped make dinner and enjoyed every moment of the changes in her routine.
“I’m going to take cooking lessons,” Sorrel announced.
“Don’t you know how to cook?” Janaya asked in surprise. “I thought you’d know how to do all that sort of stuff.”
“There’s a clear division of labor at the compound. As youngsters we either go into child care and teaching or food prep and cleaning. Once we’re in a category, we don’t change.”
“Huh.” Janaya fished a pot out of the cupboard. “Who made the rules?”
“Brother Samuel. The founder of Children of Nature,” Sorrel said.
“What about you? How did you end up working with herbs?”
“My mother. She needed a helper, and I showed both aptitude and an interest.”
Conversation drifted onto other topics, and then dinner was ready. It was a change not to worry about food and to wonder if she’d get any dinner. And she absolutely didn’t miss having to act subservient to every male present.
Luke rose at a tap on the window. “That’ll be Jake.” Seconds later he was back with Jake at his heels.
Jake’s gaze went straight to her when he walked into the room.
“Did you find it?” she asked.
“I couldn’t search the office today. Two of the brothers set up shop there this afternoon. They were still working on something when I left. It looked like a set of accounts. They had a laptop and several of the old-fashioned ledger books open.” Jake glanced at Luke. “I have no idea what’s going on. Brother Rick was frightened today and they needed money.”
“My constable followed them to the casino. They stayed there for most of the day, but they didn’t play the tables. He thought they might be waiting for someone.”
“Gambling?” Sorrel asked. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“What about blackmail?” Janaya asked.
“The constable is still tailing them,” Luke said. “I’m hoping he’ll discover something to shed some light on our questions.”
“Are the tests on those pills back yet?”
“What pills?” Sorrel asked.
“I suspect Brother Rick drugged the punch on the night of the gathering,” Jake said. “I found pills in Brother Rick’s quarters.”
“I thought everyone behaved a bit weirdly that night,” Sorrel said. “More than usual, I mean.”
“Did you check out the place where we went with the beast?” Jake asked.
Luke nodded, a gleam of satisfaction filling his eyes. “Mystery solved on that one. We recovered the cattle at the location you said. We’ve arrested the man we found at the farm.”
“What about Brother Rick?” Sorrel asked.
“I’ve organized a search warrant for tomorrow,” Luke said. “But I’ve decided to wait to execute it until Brother Rick is back. I want all the players in place first.”
“Can I stay the night?” Jake asked abruptly.
Luke glanced at his wife. “Will you be requiring a guest bedroom?”
Jake caught Sorrel’s gaze. “No.”
“Sorrel?” Janaya asked.
Sorrel wasn’t sure where to look, but she forced herself not to revert to habit and stare at her boots. “I…”
“Which way?” Jake asked her.
“I was going to make coffee,” Janaya said.
“Not for us,” Jake said.
“You don’t have to follow his orders,” Janaya said.
“Maybe I’ll have a cup of—” Sorrel broke off abruptly as Jake hauled her to her feet. The next minute she was dangling over his shoulder, her gaze on the floor.
“Which way?” Jake demanded.
“Down the hall, second on the left,” Luke said with a grin.
Janaya winked at Luke. “Will you be here for breakfast?”
“No, I wanted to be back at the compound befo
re the bell goes for breakfast. I’ll keep looking to see if I can find something useful for you.”
Sorrel eyed Jake’s ass as he strode from the kitchen. “That was very embarrassing.” The blood was rushing to her head from dangling upside down.
“I don’t care.”
“You don’t have to sit with them over breakfast,” Sorrel said. “It’s bad manners not to have coffee.”
Jake shouldered his way through a door and set her on the bed. “Don’t you want to spend time with me?”
All the starch went out of her. “Of course I do. Alice gave me lots of free samples today.”
Jake sat on the edge of the bed and yanked off his sandals. “I hate wearing this fuckin’ robe. I’ll be glad when I can get back to my jeans. Hell, even the army uniform is better than this.”
“I bet you look good in jeans.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re flirting with me.”
A gurgle of laughter escaped her. “Is it working?”
He nodded. “What sort of samples?”
“Condoms. Lube. Two different vibrators.” Her cheeks glowed with heat as she listed the taboo items. Brother Rick would have a lot to say about her evil ways. “There’s even a vibrating condom. We should try that one.”
“Whatever you like, sweetheart. Did I tell you how sexy you look?”
“I’m still the same person.”
“I know.” He reached over to tug on a lock of her hair. “I like your hair better this color.”
“What?” Her brows shot up in disbelief. “You don’t like the color of muddy mouse?”
“Your hair smells better too,” he said with brutal honesty. “Please don’t ever put the goop on it again.”
“Yes, sir.” She gave him a snappy salute, part of her amazed at the ease with which she flirted with him. It seemed easy to smile now.
“Stand up and take off your shirt and your jeans. Show me what you’re wearing underneath. You are wearing something sexy, right?”
“You make me feel shy.”
“But you’re going to do it for me.” Jake’s eyes glowed. Under his gaze she felt beautiful, feminine. Not even his honesty scared her or the hidden secrets simmering in him when he thought no one was paying attention. No, she’d rather have Jake’s rough and ready ways than Brother Rick’s charming subterfuge.
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