Ally climbed inside a tight grove of trees growing in a clump above the water. The hidden niche was a tighter fit than she remembered. Then again, she’d been much younger the last time. Thankful the moss was dry and she sat down. The scent of the lake, dirt, and wildflowers filled her nose. She lifted her face to the warm sunshine, letting the breeze caress her anxiety attack away.
She was in no rush to die, but neither could she allow Greg to sacrifice people he cared about. His sister had nothing to do with any of this. Lucas had nothing to do with any of this. Their biggest mistake had been coming in contact with her. She blinked back the flash of tears, crossed her fingers, and prayed he’d come up with a brilliant plan to save everyone.
She could see most of the lake from her well-concealed spot. Her cousins had searched forever trying to find her when they played here. Eventually, they gave up and found someone else to torment.
Male voices drifted on the light wind. Concealed in the shadows, she wriggled forward. Several men stood in the shade on the other side of the lake, unaware or uncaring how well voices carried over water.
“We need to have a few guys hidden, back-up in case Marsing tries anything. I wouldn’t put anything past the guy. He’s always had a hero complex.”
The man sounded vaguely familiar. Swallowing hard, Ally struggled to match the voice to a face.
“All I care about is the girl,” another man growled.
She shivered and hugged herself. Marsing and some girl. They had to be talking about her.
“Just spread ’em out. I intend to walk out of here afterward.”
“He’s just one guy. Quit being so paranoid, Smith.”
Jerking back, she smacked her freshly stitched forehead on a low branch and gasped. Tears stung her eyes at the sharp pain. Abrupt silence fell. Even the birds’ cheerful chorus stopped.
Ally hunched down, wishing she’d stayed with Greg, pulled on her big-girl panties and dealt with the panic like an adult. She had to get back. No way would she repay Greg by skipping out when he needed her to save his sister and Lucas.
She’d been lucky the men hadn’t spotted her when she arrived. They must have heard her gasp. Now they’d be looking for her. Well, looking for someone anyway.
Oh, God, she was too stupid to live.
A hand closed over her shoulder and she choked on a scream. Greg’s head appeared between the tree trunks. She sagged with relief. His blue eyes glittered, promising retribution. She couldn’t recall ever being so happy to see someone.
He pressed a finger to his lips and she nodded, relieved he knew they had company. He gestured for her to follow. Quietly, she edged out of her spot, wondering how he’d found her little nook. Thankful he had.
Keeping a firm grip on her hand, he led her through the brush and paused alongside a big tree. He scanned the trail in front of them. Nothing moved. They darted across into the cover on the other side.
Easy movement was next to impossible with the thick ground cover and she tripped. Greg didn’t slow or glance back. Yep, he was ticked. She brushed her hands off and glanced down. A foot stuck out of the brush where she’d stumbled. The rest of the body was covered by a thick pile of bushes and tree trunks.
She stared at Greg’s back. The leg had to belong to one of the guys they had talked about placing in strategic locations. Greg must have disposed of him. Maybe even killed him. Her head swam. Overwhelmed and suddenly terrified, she clamped her lips tight and followed him.
The forest opened up into the parking lot. The unguarded parking lot, thankfully. Greg stuffed her into the passenger seat and drilled her in place with a glare, his lips a thin line of fury.
He circled the hood of the car and climbed in, clenching his hands around the steering wheel as a muscle ticked in his jaw. Reining in his temper, she hoped.
“Why did you run off like that?” he finally ground out.
“I needed some space.”
“Space? Space!”
Ally winced. “There’s no need to shout.”
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“It’s not like I knew this was the meeting place. You could’ve told me we weren’t here just to admire the view or waste time or whatever.”
“You’ve got men trying to kill you. I have to tell you not to run off into the woods by yourself? How stupid are you?”
Jaw dropping, she sputtered. Nobody called her stupid. Wimp, coward, boring, prissy, nerd, dork; the list seemed endless. Stupid had never come up.
At least she wasn’t boring. Running for her life with a hunky police detective playing hero to her damsel in distress—such things didn’t happen to cowardly, boring, prissy nerds. She smiled.
“Your smile terrifies me, Ally.”
Her smile grew.
“Look, I’m sorry. You’re not stupid and you’re right. I should have told you more about what was going on.”
He shifted in his seat, fiddled with the gear shift and shot glances her way. Greg Marsing. Nervous. Because of her. Cool. And educating, considering the way he started apologizing in the face of her silence.
She filed that tidbit away for future reference. Her smile faded. If she had a future.
“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have run off like that. I just… freaked.” She glanced at the woods lining the parking lot. “It’s all a trap, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.”
She’d almost messed up everything. They could have captured her without letting Lucas and Celia go. They probably would have killed all three of them.
“I’m really sorry.” Hunching her shoulders, Ally curled her legs up on the seat and rested her forehead on the door’s window.
“It’s not your fault.” Greg sounded calmer. “Did they say anything else?”
“They talked about sticking men in a couple of places to surround the area. Their main interest is me. Oh, and Smith is with them.”
“Interesting.”
A trickle of sweat rolled down Ally’s hairline. Dark clouds rolled in, obscuring the sun. Thunder rumbled through the humid air. The electricity of the storm buzzed along her damp skin.
Fat raindrops fell, splatting against the windshield. Greg grinned. The storm grew in intensity, until the rain hitting the car became a dull roar.
Greg laughed out loud. “Perfect.”
Had he lost his mind? Probably to be expected, what with the pressure and all. Poor guy.
He grabbed her by the upper arms, tugging her close. “Don’t you see? We’re supposed to meet out in the open, in the park. Now that it’s pouring rain, we have the advantage. You can barely see in this stuff.”
He kissed her, his lips firm and warm on hers. Sighing into his mouth, she opened to him. Every time he touched her, she melted. His lips on hers revved her up and turned her insides to liquid heat.
He wrapped her in his arms, freeing her to grab fistfuls of his silky hair. Determined to enjoy every second, she pushed back the desperation. The kiss spiraled out of control. Heaven.
Under her shirt, his hands smoothed up her back. His thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts and her nipples pebbled. She pressed them into his chest, moaned into his mouth and basically behaved like all the easy girls she’d envied back in high school. Groaning, Greg broke the kiss and sat panting, eyes glazed, color high.
“We have to stop. I have to think, make a few phone calls.”
She nodded but didn’t move. He groaned again and pulled her in for another desperate kiss, all tangling tongues and shared breath. Cupping her breast in his palm, he kneaded it. He pinched her nipple. She almost came.
Chapter Eleven
Thunder boomed overhead and they jumped like teenagers making out in the parking lot after Homecoming. Ally giggled and dropped back into her seat, belatedly realizing he’d pulled her into his lap. No grunting and groaning had been involved either. She would have noticed. Maybe there was hope for her, after all.
Ally straightened her clothes and cleared her throat. “S
o…what’s the plan?”
He didn’t answer and she glanced up. His cell phone was pressed to his ear and he held up a finger.
“That’s right. Thirty minutes ought to do it. Yeah.” Greg snorted. “Funny. It’s my butt on the line here.”
He thumbed the phone off and met her eyes. “We have back-up, but they’re gonna be five minutes behind us. We’ll be on our own initially. You okay with that?”
Like she had a choice. She swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. “Sure.”
Reaching across the console, he snagged her hand. “It’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
It was a sweet sentiment, but she was too much of a realist to believe him. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe. She knew that, but fate had a way of royally screwing her over lately.
“I’m going to get another look at the lay of the land, maybe take care of another one of their back-up. There’s too many entrances to this place for them to watch them all, but it won’t hurt to give Lady Luck a helping hand. I’ll be back in fifteen.”
He dropped a kiss on her knuckles and climbed out of the car. The sheeting rain provided such good cover, Ally lost sight of him well before he reached the tree line.
She twirled a few strands of hair around her finger. For the life of her, she still couldn’t figure out who wanted her dead. Searching her brain until no dusty corner was left unexplored hadn’t helped. A bizarre, terrifying case of mistaken identity was all she could come up with.
Normal, mundane routine had filled her life. Grocery shopping, work and quiet evenings at home. Alone. Her solitary existence had started to chafe, but nothing remotely interesting had happened.
The only exception was the amusement park. Could she have seen something there? The park had been busy; families and groups of teenagers everywhere, standing in line for rides, eating greasy park food, toddlers fussing and babies crying. No cruel-looking men in business suits, no muscle-bound dudes with unidentified bulges under out-of-place jackets and nobody roughed anyone up.
The only dramatic thing happened on the ride, but numerous other people witnessed the same thing. Other people had sat closer to the action, a fact she was eternally thankful for. She doubted any of the other people knew Michael, but she didn’t see how being acquainted with a murder victim made her a target.
Ally wrapped her hair so tightly around her finger the tip turned blue and she quickly freed the abused digit. She hoped Greg was having some luck. If he eliminated the threat of somebody coming up behind them, she would feel a little better.
Heck, would they even have Lucas and Celia with them? Criminals didn’t seem the type to use an honest playbook.
Greg appeared out of the rain. He slammed the door shut behind him, splattering rain everywhere as he flung his arm into the backseat. When he brought it forward again, he held a big gun. She fidgeted, watching him check it, slip an extra clip in his pocket, turn his phone on and off, until she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer.
“Well?”
“I found another guy. Trussed him up like a turkey. So long as none of his friends decide to check on him, we’re good.”
“What if they don’t bring Lucas and Celia?”
“That’s a possibility.”
“What will we do?”
He sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. “I’m trying to think positive thoughts right now, Ally. We’ll deal with it if it happens, okay?”
“I’m sorry.” Her stomach twisted. She kept forgetting they were talking about his sister and best friend. This was so much worse for him.
“I know you’re nervous, but I’ll keep you safe. Ready?”
His grim expression did little to bolster her confidence, but she nodded.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Stick close.” Hand on the doorknob, he paused. “Ally? Don’t try to be brave, okay? Let me handle this.”
He was worried about her being stupid again and she couldn’t blame him. “I promise.”
Hand wrapped around the back of her neck, Greg pulled her close for a quick, searing kiss. Tears stung the back of her eyes, but Ally blinked them away. She refused to be a weepy, wimpy girl. Not when he needed her to be strong.
Greg tucked his gun in the back of his pants, took her hand and led the way to the path. Five steps and her clothes were soaked through. Rain pelted her, gathered her eyelashes into clumps and obscured everything more than a foot away. She had to blindly trust Greg to lead her.
And she did, she realized with a start. She trusted him with her life. In essence, she had for several days now. But this felt different.
The deep silver of the small lake appeared through the myriad tree trunks. The protective canopy of tall pine trees sheltered them from the full brunt of the storm. Ally wiped the rain from her eyes. As they passed the tight grove where she’d hidden earlier, Greg tugged her close behind, offering the protection of his body. Her heart clenched. The man standing between her and harm could so easily claim every part of her.
He slowed and she peeked over his shoulder. A group of men stood on the path with an array of guns on display. A quiet air of menace sucked the peace and serenity out of the rain-saturated forest.
Greg released her hand and patted her thigh. She understood the unspoken command to stay put and curled her fingers into his shirt. She didn’t want him getting hurt on her behalf. Tears flashed to her eyes.
“None o’ your tricks now, Marsing,” a man said, an odd lisp to his words.
Greg spread his hands. “It’s your show, Victor.”
“Yeah, jus’ remember tha’.”
Ally stared at the reed-thin man, his reptilian eyes glued to Greg. Something was wrong with his lips. They drooped oddly. And what was with the way he talked? He spit a stream of brown sludge onto an innocent fern on the side of the path.
“Tha’ her?” Victor jerked his chin in her direction.
Greg laughed. “Seriously? You’ve been hired to kill her and you don’t even know what she looks like? Sloppy.” He shook his head and Victor’s eyes narrowed. Not a man who took ridicule well. “Sure wish I’d known that earlier.”
Victor spat again then nodded toward the man beside him. “Go ge’ them, before I shoot this moron jus’ for the hell of it.”
“About time you quit with the chew, don’t ya think, Victor? Before long you won’t have any teeth left, what with your gums rotting out of your skull.”
Ally fisted the back of his shirt, biting her tongue. Why was Greg egging the guy on? He might be a scrawny, sickly twig of a man, but he still scared the bejeebies out of her.
“Wha’ the hell do you care?”
Greg shrugged. “I don’t care if your whole face falls off. Just making conversation. You seem nervous.”
Between one breath and the next, Victor’s laugh became a hacking cough. His face turned red and his whole body convulsed. Not a healthy specimen.
The compact, wiry man Victor had sent off returned with Lucas and Celia in tow. Some of the tension seeped out of Ally’s muscles. Greg’s muscles hardened beneath her hands and as the small group drew closer, she understood his reaction.
A brilliant bruise colored Celia’s porcelain cheek. Lucas looked like he’d fought with a bus. And lost. Multiple cuts and bruises covered his face, his shirt was torn, his hair stood on end and he was limping. Quite the change from his prior GQ perfection. Ally flinched, guilt choking her.
Lucas and Celia were handcuffed together and the guy led them forward like animals on a lead. Lucas’ expression did not bode well. When his gaze focused on her, his face darkened even more. The accusing look he turned on Greg confused her.
“There they are,” Victor said. “Safe and sound.”
“Hardly.” Even from behind him, Ally could tell Greg had forced the words through clenched teeth.
“Well, they may be a little more … colorful.” Victor grinned.
Ally shivered, shifting more of
her body behind Greg. Please, God in heaven, she did not want to go with that man. His slimy gaze touched her and she had an urgent need to bathe. With really, really hot water.
“I don’ have all day, Marsing. We’re all getting soaked. You want these two or no’?”
“Well, I don’t know. That all you got, Vicky?”
The men behind Victor chuckled. Victor whirled and they jumped back like frightened children, smoothing their expressions.
With Victor’s back to them, Greg shoved her behind a thin sapling and pulled out the big gun he’d stuck in the rear waistband of his pants.
Lucas moved at the same time, delivering a hard kick to the wiry guy holding his and Celia’s cuffs. The guy doubled over but came back up fighting. Lucas unleashed a blurred flurry of vicious kicks and the man collapsed, out cold.
“Hey!” One of the other guys rushed to take the downed man’s place. Ally gasped. Officer Smith. His was the voice she’d recognized.
Greg fired his gun and Freddy Smith dropped in his tracks.
The gunshot galvanized everyone. Victor and his men darted for cover. Greg followed hot on their trail, the hard look on his face unmistakable.
Ally wiped rain out of her eyes and hunched down behind the young tree. More gunshots rang out. She braved a glance in Greg’s direction. The rain picked up, isolating her in a world only a few feet wide.
The solid thwack of a bullet hit her tree. She ran. Her feet slipped on the slimy pathway and she went down hard in the mud. The earthy smell filled her nose and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Lovely.
She wiped her face off. She’d fallen in a group of massive ferns. They’d grown tall in the shade of the pine trees and their broad leaves covered her completely. Ally couldn’t see anything beyond the deep-green canopy. Hopefully no one could see her.
Shouts and gunfire sucked away her minor victory. The slap of feet on mud came close and she huddled farther back. Holding her breath, straining to hear beyond the pound of her heartbeat thrumming through her ears, she held still and crossed her fingers. Please let the new arrivals be Greg’s back-up.
The rain, forest and protective ferns distanced her from the sounds of violence, lending a surreal feeling to her misty cocoon. She shivered in her damp clothes. Please let Greg be safe. Lucas and Celia too.
Sweet Deception Page 12