by Nancy Radke
“Concerned,” he said. “Very.” He hugged her closer.
“Oh.” She wiggled her way deeper into his arms, and laid her head on his chest.
Hugo pulled up to Kyle’s car. “Follow me to my place,” he said. “I’m going to change Stormy’s appearance. Then you can take her back to Vegas while I see how Perri’s doing.”
Kyle didn’t want to leave Stormy, but he wrapped her more snugly in his shirt and hopped into his car. He would have preferred having her in his car, with him, but made himself wait as he followed Hugo into Arizona to the town of Kingman. He was extremely elated at having Stormy safe. He almost shook with relief.
Now that he had her back, he wasn’t going to let go of her. She was a fighter, a double-do trier. She had the spirit of a champion. When he allowed himself, he could recognize it in her.
He wondered anew just what kind of work Hugo was in, to know how to change someone’s appearance. He seemed competent in all he did.
It was around nine when they arrived at the ranch. Stormy was asleep and Kyle ran across and opened the Range Rover’s doors so he could pick her up and carry her inside.
The blonde from the wedding photos greeted them, dressed in jeans and a white blouse. “See, I told you she’s hard to drown. I’m Perri. Who are you?” she asked Kyle.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I’m Kyle,” he said to Perri as he carried Stormy into the warmth of Hugo’s sprawling Arizona home. “I’m the one fighting Jerry.”
“Oh. How’d that happen? I mean, how did you come to be with Hugo?”
“I’ll tell you later, dear,” Hugo said as Stormy struggled awake in Kyle’s arms. “Get Stormy something to wear while I fix some food.”
“I already have a meal ready. It’s in the oven. Come with me, Stormy, and get some clothes on.”
“And a shower,” said Stormy. “I shared that crevasse with a small tarantula and it crawled over me several times. I told it I’d leave it alone, if it left me alone.” Still yawning, she handed Kyle back his shirt, then the two left.
Kyle looked at Hugo, who grinned and shook his head. “It must have understood her. She was lucky a rattlesnake hadn’t decided to sleep with her.”
Hugo led the way into the kitchen and handed Kyle four plates.
“We’ll eat here. Then, when you back, you won’t have to stop for anything. Avoid the valet service when you go in.”
“Won’t someone recognize her? Her picture is on all the news right now.”
“She won’t look like her picture,” Hugo said. “Not when I get through with her.”
Stormy and Perri joined them and Stormy ate enough for both. Then Hugo took Stormy into his study and after a while brought her out looking like an elderly lady.
Kyle shook his head, amazed. “How did you do that?”
“I trained under a Hollywood makeup artist. This is actually a simple transformation that Stormy can do herself. She has to walk a certain way, and make her voice a whisper when she talks. You can say your grandmother is staying with you, if anyone asks.”
“Hi, granny.”
She grinned, the sparkle once again in her eyes. “Hi.”
“Keep your regular schedule. Be sure to inquire about Jerry’s sister ever so often. I’ll tell Jerry when we get close to the match. In the meantime, I’ll keep digging to see what exactly is going on.”
“Have you talked with Jerry about why he feels he must fight?” Stormy asked.
“No. I figured if he would’t tell you, he’s not going to tell me. I don’t want him to know I’m looking into it.”
“Just what is your job?” Kyle asked. “Are you police? FBI?”
“I write music.”
“What?”
“I’m officially a rancher. And a songwriter. And a few other things. Just don’t ask.”
“And don’t tell,” added Perri.
“Why don’t you two pack a suitcase for Stormy,” Hugo said. “She’s going to have to leave hers in her hotel, now that she’s dead. And fix her up with a purse and jacket. Make sure everything has long sleeves. Her arms look too young.”
“Sure. Come on, Stormy,” Perri said. “It’s a good thing we’re both around the same size.”
The two women walked out and Kyle stood up. “I’m going to have to leave right away to keep to my schedule. I always get an early night and an early morning workout, and it’ll be midnight before we get back.”
Hugo nodded. “I’ll leave my cell phone with Stormy, in case she has to call either of us. Keep her hidden.”
“What will you do for a phone?”
“I’ll use Perri’s. Here’s her number. And here’s the number here, just in case you can’t get me. I’ll keep Perri posted.” He wrote them down and handed the paper to Kyle. “Just don’t use your phone.”
“I won’t. You must have done undercover work before.”
“Yes. I have a wig I wear. This is what I’ll look like.” Hugo pulled out a driver’s license and handed it to Kyle. “Just don’t approach me unless it’s absolutely necessary. And never call me by name. It might not be the one I’m using at the time.”
Kyle looked at the picture of a transformed Hugo, complete with a heavy dark wig. He would’ve walked right by him. “Got it.”
Stormy came out and joined them. “Let’s go,” she said to Kyle. “I know you have to get back.”
“I do,” he said, marveling at her will power. A whole day of hiding out after swimming across a lake and she was ready to go again.
Hugo must have thought the same, for he said, “You and Perri are alike in one way. You’ll both fly to the rescue of someone you love.”
Perri joined them and Stormy hugged her. “Thanks. You certainly married a man to count on. I’ll keep you both as cousins.”
“Take care of yourself,” Perri said.
“And let me do the investigating now,” Hugo said. “You stay dead.”
“Yes, master.”
They put the suitcase in Kyle’s rental car and headed back to Vegas.
“You’ve got quite a cousin there,” he said, reaching out to squeeze Stormy’s hand. Now that he had her back, he wasn’t going to lose her again. Ever.
“I agree,” Stormy said, kicking off Perri’s shoes. “When I met him at their wedding, I thought he was good-looking, but didn’t know anything else about him.”
“Right. We need to give you a name. Stormy doesn’t sound like my grandmother.”
“Victoria. It is my name. Victoria Tempest Drake. Just drop the Drake.”
He thought about that. One problem. “They used your name on the radio, when talking about your death.”
“Oh. Then call me Vicki.”
“Okay. Vicki. Vicki Torrin. You’ll be my grandmother on my father’s side.”
“What was her name?”
He thought a moment. “Uh. Granny. We never used any other name. I don’t know what it was.”
“Then call me ‘Granny.’”
“I hope this works,” he said.
“Hugo seems to think it will. He says people don’t look at old women. They are non-threatening and don’t catch the eye.”
“Everything you aren’t,” he said, glancing over at her. He reached over and turned the heater on, to make sure she didn’t get chilled. She had had a long day. This car had heated seats so he also turned on the one on her side.
“Are you saying I’m threatening?” she teased, stretching her feet out toward the warmth.
“You live up to your nickname, but I was thinking of the eye-catching part.”
“Hum. What do you think Jerry is mixed up in that would cause someone to want me dead?”
“Money. It has to be that.”
“Gambling maybe?”
“We’ll see what Hugo turns up.”
She was quiet for a moment as if considering that. Then said, “Do you think Jerry will still go through with the prize fight?’
“We’ll see. Thinking that you were killed mi
ght make him refuse to cooperate with them.”
“You’re right. Although they might have threatened Amy too.”
As they neared his hotel, Stormy pulled on Perri’s shoes. “Hugo told me to walk like my feet hurt,” she said. “Actually, in Perri’s shoes, they do.”
Kyle let her out, pulled out her suitcase, and headed indoors with her. He called Tommy as he went inside. “The car’s sitting there. Just put it away for me.”
“Will do, Mr. Torrin.”
They maneuvered the maze of slot machines and had reached the elevators when a group of men spotted Kyle. They quickly surrounded him. Stormy stepped aside as they handed him pieces of paper to sign.
“One at a time,” he said, quickly scrawling his name. He did this several times and finally waved them away. “Enough.”
They left, scattering, and Kyle turned to Stormy. “Let’s get you upstairs, Granny.”
She entered the elevator with him and rode silently up to his suite. He knew there were surveillance cameras in every section of the public places, so was glad she stayed in character until they were inside.
The first thing she did was kick off Perri’s shoes.
“Ouch,” she said. “I think I will spend my days barefoot.”
Kyle laughed and threw the dead bolt, effectively preventing anyone from coming in on them unannounced. He didn’t care what she did now. He had Stormy back. He had her safe. He was very happy.
“I’ll be up at five tomorrow to do my road work. Sleep as long as you want. We can have breakfast as soon as I get back.”
“I don’t mind. I’m so glad to be alive, I’ll eat anything, anytime. It’s the least of my worries.”
“Go ahead and get ready for bed. You can have that room.” He pointed to the room she had rested in the first time she was here. “I’ll call the hotel staff and request that they discontinue service.”
Stormy picked up the small suitcase Perri had loaned her, thinking it weighed far too much for the small amount of clothing inside. She was tired, but so happy to be here with Kyle. If she could get the fight stopped, she would be totally content.
She took her suitcase into the second bedroom, pulled out the pajamas that Perri had given her and headed for the bathroom. She had taken a quick shower while at the ranch and now spent the time washing off the makeup that Hugo had used to age her. A quick toothbrushing and she was ready for bed. She opened the connecting door, waved to Kyle who had stripped to his waist, and headed for bed.
She had no apprehensions over sharing a suite of rooms with Kyle. But man, did he look appetizing without a shirt. She crawled into bed. Now if they could just find out who had...
She woke up to sunlight streaming in the large windows. A glance at the bedside clock told her it was already ten A.M. She had slept for eleven hours.
Hopping out of bed, she ran to the bathroom, then returned, put on some clothes and peeked out.
A rolling cart sat by the table in the sitting room. She entered, sat down and read the note scrawled there. “Roll the cart into the hallway when you’re through. I have an appointment with the press about the match.”
Stormy lifted the lids. Fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast. Water.
There was only the one plate and set of silverware. Stormy ate off the platter and fruit bowl, using the serving utensils. She cleaned up all the food, even though the eggs and toast were cold by now, and sat back with a sigh. She was still tired, although no longer sleepy.
As a dead person, she couldn’t use the phone, call room service or even turn on the TV very loud. Maybe Kyle would bring her a good book.
She looked around the room. A deck of cards, still in its wrapper, caught her eye.
Solitaire. She knew several games. She broke off the hotel’s seal, pulled out the jokers, and dealt herself a game of Klondike. It was a mindless game, keeping her hands busy while she thought about what had happened to her.
She had indeed been fortunate, ending up in a luxury suite instead of a watery grave.
The lock clicked, and Stormy shot out of her chair and into the other bedroom. The hallway door opened, then closed.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
“Stormy?” It was Kyle, whispering. “You awake?”
She came out to see him. “Yes.”
He looked at the cards on the table. “Bored already, are we?”
“Sort of. I wanted to keep quiet and didn’t know if I could turn on the TV or not.”
“You can turn it on in your room, I think. Just keep the sound down. There should be a personal set of headphones for it. So one person can sleep while the other watches. Check the drawers.”
“Okay.”
He walked into his bedroom and came out with an ipod and headphones. “If you like country western music..,” he said.
“I do.”
“Then you might enjoy what I’ve got loaded on this. I listen to it while I’m running, but the rest of the day, you can have it.”
“Thanks.”
He pushed the cart out into the hallway and shut the door again. “How’re you doing?”
“Would you believe, I slept eleven hours?’
“Yes. I can easily believe it. You had quite a day yesterday.” He walked over and hugged her. “You really had me scared. After not paying much attention to your account of an exploding car...”
She looked up at him. “It did sound strange.”
“Then you showed up with a credit card when you said you had no money.” He put his hands on her shoulders, as if to assure himself she wasn’t going anywhere.
“So you thought I lied to you.”
“I couldn’t see how otherwise you had one. No bank would give you one on a moment’s notice. And you drove up in a very expensive car.”
She reached up to touch his face. “Oh, Kyle, I’m sorry. Hugo told me not to tell anyone I was getting help.”
“That’s some cousin you have.”
“Yes.”
“And you know something?”
“What?”
“I’d rather have you...and Hugo, on my side than anyone I can think of.”
“Why, Kyle. That’s, that’s...”
“That’s the truth. I’ve seldom seen anyone as dedicated as you. Jerry’s lucky.”
“Thank you.” She scooped up some of the cards to put them away.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Fine. Actually, extremely frustrated. I hate being inactive. It reminds me of when I was preparing for my last term tests. I locked myself in my room and devoured the books to refresh everything I’d learned. I’d spent so long writing my Thesis, I’d forgotten certain things. I was going spare, but I got my Masters.”
He picked up the last few cards and handed them to her. “And now you’re trying to decide where to teach.”
“Yes. When I’m not so irritated at these stupid cards that I throw them.”
“Better cards than a lamp. We need good teachers. What will you teach?”
“Applied math.”
That brought his head up. “I never figured you for a mathematician.”
“Why not?” She had always loved numbers. They were unchangeable. You could depend on them to always give the same answer if you did the problem correctly.
“I would think a mathematician would be rigid in her thinking. You seem like a free spirit. One who finds causes.”
“Who tilts at windmills?”
“Right. So what got you interested in math?”
“A good teacher who showed me the wonder of numbers. Math is logic, the purest form there is. Using math you can solve problems in several ways. You don’t need to always use one formula. My teacher made math fun. I intend to do that for my students.”
“So why teach at the college level? Why not high school, where you could give some kids a good start?”
“I was thinking of teaching teachers, so that this way of learning math would spread out.”
He nodded his head.
<
br /> Stormy put the cards back on the table. “What do you plan to do? You can’t box all your life.”
“I thought I’d run for office. A state seat, in congress. Texas.”
“Then you better learn more about the federal land grabs.”
“Then you better teach me.”
“Right now?”
“You doing something better?”
“No.” She guessed not. Now was as good a time as any. She showed him maps and statistics on his lap top. Articles written about the issue.
Kyle was amazed at Stormy’s quick mind. She had a wide range of knowledge on the subject.
“You’ve done a lot of research,” he said. “I’ve never even heard of some of this.”
“You need to read the farm journals, and listen to some land owners who have to put up with the regulations put out by the EPA. Private property rights are guaranteed by our constitution, but unelected people in the government put so many rules on the land, that it’s almost impossible to do anything anymore. They could have never built Hoover Dam today. They wouldn’t have gotten past the environmental study stages.”
A soft rap on the door sent Stormy scurrying into the next room.
Kyle waited until she was safely gone, then opened it. Hugo slipped in.
“It’s Hugo,” he said, and Stormy came out of the other room to join them.
“You’re looking better,” Hugo told her. “Here’s a cell phone for you,” he told Kyle, pulling one out of his pocket and giving it to him. “A disposable one. Use it to contact me. Use your other one the rest of the time.”
“Okay.”
“I just wanted to bring you two up to speed. After you left, I checked out Jerry’s finances. There is no record of money made or lost, except for his fight winnings. We’re going to have to rule out gambling. If he was gambling, there would be a fast outgo of money, in bunches when he lost, and a few big influxes when he won. The only big credits to his account is right after a fight he won.”
“It has to be something.”
“Do you think they threatened his wife? Or daughter?”
“If they did, only he knows about it,” Kyle said. “She arrived in Vegas yesterday and was all smiles and happy about the prize fight. I doubt that he’s told her about his condition.”
“You do believe me, don’t you,” Stormy said looking at the two of them. “About the soft spots?”