* * *
Cassie waited under the trees, watching the cabin closely. After the first ten minutes she settled down behind a tree to watch and wait.
What was taking so long? What if this Alex guy had brought a passenger? What if...?
She realized she should have kept Nick’s pack and gun, and stayed up on the ridge too. She had let curiosity overcome her common sense. Without actually walking up to look in the window, she could only guess what was going on in there.
Speculation kept Cassie occupied while she waited. She silently debated whether she could trust Nick. His words and actions gave no indication of anything other than a man with an open book for a life. But the man in the photo was the one who had her kidnapped; she knew it was his father. Damn, but this web kept twisting further into a tangled mess.
The sound of a plane engine starting up caught her attention. Cursing, Cassie realized she should have been watching the front of the house. She stood up, moving through the trees to where she could see the dock. A figure stood there, watching the small plane maneuver out on the water. The sun had already dipped below the ridgeline, shadowing the lake, and she couldn’t see inside the plane.
The engine roared as the plane moved faster over the water, finally lifting off. Light flared in the cockpit as the plane pierced the shadow line to climb into golden evening sunlight. Cassie could make out two figures inside before the plane banked, circling west to soar into the reddening sky.
She walked toward the cabin as Nick came up from the dock, then waited for him on the porch. When he reached her, the light from the house lit his face, and Cassie saw the troubled look there.
“Who was it?”
“Pop.”
They went back into the house without a further word.
Nick opened the door on the woodstove and put another log on the fire. The cabin already felt warm, so Cassie knew the visitors had been inside for a while.
Cassie opened her mouth to ask what excuse his father had given for being here, but she decided against it. It would be more interesting to hear what Nick had to say without her prompting him.
She must have made some noise because Nick turned to look at her. “I didn’t mention you,” he said. “Neither did he.”
He bent by the coffee table and picked up the beer bottles staged neatly on the floor, bringing them into the kitchen. Cassie kept her silence, but she moved away from the door and took off her coat.
“I didn’t have to tell you who it was, Cassie.”
She looked up and found Nick gazing at her from the kitchen. “I know,” she said.
“You don’t believe his coming here was a coincidence.”
Cassie paused, but ultimately shook her head.
Nick thumped his fists down on the counter. “Dammit, Cassie!” She jumped, ready to run for the door. “You’re being paranoid.”
“Paranoid!” Anger flared inside her at those words. “How the hell should I act with what’s been going on?”
“You could keep an open mind about this.” Nick stalked into the front room.
“I could say the same thing about you.” Cassie kept the coffee table between the two of them. “You won’t even consider....”
“That my father, a man I’ve known all my life is some kind of criminal? Some kind of perverted, sick....” Nick faltered, at a loss for words.
“Who knows?!” Cassie threw up her hands in exasperation. “You won’t even look at it objectively. Look at what I’ve got.” She started counting off points on her fingers. “The office in that photo matches my first waking memory in Alaska. What floor is your father’s office on? Sixth, am I right?” She didn’t wait for Nick’s nod. “Does your father come all the way out here every time you cancel dinner? Why tonight? Someone may have seen you leave with me. I was probably being watched so they could be sure I went back to Seattle. Is it just a coincidence that your father looks so much like....”
“It all conjecture—you can’t prove any of it!” Nick swung around to face her.
“I haven’t got anything else to go on!”
“So that makes Pop the obvious bad guy.” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on Cassie.
“Look. I’m not saying he is the bad guy,” she conceded reluctantly, more interested in making him see reason. All I’m saying is you’re not looking at everything. And you’re not giving me a good enough reason to believe he’s not the bad guy.” She gestured at the photo album. “Not after seeing that photo.”
Nick flung himself onto the couch and pushed his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe it.”
Cassie sighed. “Just because a thing is not believable doesn’t mean it is false.”
He didn’t answer. She waited for a few moments, but he seemed lost in thought.
“I’m going to go take a shower,” she said at last. “You think about it.”
Nick stirred. “Yeah. Look, I’ll cook something. We’ll talk after we’ve had something to eat. I for one will feel better.”
“Okay.” Cassie trudged upstairs.
* * *
Nick watched her go, thinking about the things she’d said. Pop couldn’t be the one who had kidnapped her. But how was he going to convince Cassie of that?
When he heard the shower begin to run, he roused himself and dug around in the kitchen for what he wanted to cook. He busied himself cooking up mashed potatoes and a couple of venison steaks he had pulled out of the freezer when they arrived at the cabin two days ago, letting his activity shut off the whirling dervishes of thought in his head.
He had taught himself to cook—nothing fancy, just decent food. Living on his own up in the wilds meant he couldn’t just run to McDonald’s when he didn’t feel like cooking. He opened a can of corn, pouring it in a pot on the stove to warm it. Then he set up the folding table he used as a dining table.
Someday soon, he told himself, you’re going to have to do a better job of furnishing this cabin. In addition to the folding table and chairs, his uncomfortable couch, and well-worn armchair, his bed still sat frameless, with only bricks to keep it off the floor. He had never thought about it before, but now that someone else had slept in it.... Nick smiled at the memory of Cassie sleeping in his bed.
“What’s the joke,” Cassie asked.
Nick looked up to see her standing in the front room, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, toweling her hair dry. The close fitting shirt revealed the points of her firm breasts and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra, and his breath caught in his throat.
Deciding to tell her what was on his mind, Nick took a deep breath. “I was remembering the night before last, and you in my bed.”
Cassie blushed, startled by the reference. “Oh.”
Nick persisted. “It was very...nice.” He pushed a chair up against the table so he could walk around it toward her. “Better than nice. It was wonderful, amazing.”
“Is that dinner?” Cassie tried to evade him, but he took her by the shoulders.
“You won’t get around this topic for long. We talk after we eat.”
“About a lot of things.”
“About a lot of things,” Nick agreed.
Cassie nodded, and Nick let go of her shoulders to caress her chin tenderly. She shivered, and he looked into her troubled eyes to see if he could tell what her thoughts were. Scooting around him, she refused to meet his gaze. He pulled out a chair, then adjusted it for her, still watching her intently.
Her hand twitched and her lips parted, almost like she wanted to pull him into her arms and kiss him. Then a small frown suggested she wanted to transport herself back to the safety of Seattle and pretend none of this had ever happened.
When he realized he was reading an awful lot into a woman’s facial expressions, and he knew he wasn’t skilled at that, he shook his head slightly and turned away.
He brought two plates out of the kitchen, setting hers in front of her while she watched him from her seat. Then he brought out a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice alon
g with two silver goblets. Cassie raised her eyebrows in surprise, and he clinked the goblets together to show off their fine plastic manufacture.
“The wine hasn’t had much time to chill. We’ll wait a while before opening it.”
“Don’t you want to shower first?”
“I washed up down here. I like to eat my food while it’s hot. A shower can wait.”
Cassie shrugged. “Suit yourself. This looks delicious.”
“Eat up.” Nick sent her a thoughtful smile over a forkful of potatoes.
After the meal, Nick moved the wine bucket to the coffee table along with the glasses. They sat down together on the couch, and Nick poured two cups, then took a sip of wine, wondering how to start.
“Someone went through my bag,” Cassie said suddenly. She watched him as he nearly choked on his wine.
“What?” He wiped a drop of wine from his chin.
“Someone went through my bag. It was on the floor up in the loft. Now it’s on the bed.”
“You’re sure? You left in a hurry.”
“I’m sure. I remember it falling when I pulled my sweatshirt out yesterday morning. I didn’t pick it up.”
Nick digested this news in silence. This changed everything he had planned to say. He had been ready to sit and recite all the reasons Pop couldn’t be her kidnapper. But if Alex or Pop had searched her bag....
Why would either Pop or Alex look through Cassie’s bag? Maybe one of them saw it on the floor when they went upstairs to use the bathroom, and picked it up? Maybe Alex was working for the guy who kidnapped Cassie?
“Well? What do you make of that?” she asked finally.
Nick looked at her, leaning back on the couch. “Good question. I don’t know what to say. If Alex or Pop is in on this whole thing—and I say if—what would you do?”
Cassie finished her wine and poured herself another glass before answering. “I still want to know what this is all about. There’s still Felicity Santiago, and you. Without either of you, I’d probably go to the police, file a report, and go home. And there the case would sit, falling further off the back burner with no one to push for a solution.” The look of consternation on her face spoke volumes about her faith in the police.
“My father always said detectives are well meaning,” she continued, “but caseloads being what they are, it takes a real bulldog to bring something as uncertain as this to a close.” She shook her head. “And Felicity is out there somewhere. If she knows they are looking for her, she’s scared. Who knows what they will do to her when they find her. I want proof solid enough to put away the son of a bitch who did this to me so he can’t hurt anyone else.”
Cassie fell silent, staring into her wine glass. Nick watched her, not at all surprised at her anger, but surprised at the intensity of her concern for a woman she’d never met.
“And me?” he asked gently.
“You?” She took another drink of wine before answering. “You add a whole different dimension to this...this thing.” She put her glass down and reached over to place her hand on Nick’s knee. “Your father could be the one behind all of this. Yes,” she said when Nick shook his head. “He could be the one. I know you don’t believe it, and that’s the only thing that makes me doubt what I remember.”
“But....” Nick began, but she put her fingers to his lips. He looked into her brown eyes and saw pain there. Pain for what, or who, he didn’t know.
“I’m falling in love with you, Nicolas, despite everything. I tried to deny that, tried to run away from you, but you just do everything right. You came after me, saved my life, and gave me your gun and the freedom to keep on running. I don’t want to hurt you, Nick. I don’t want to put your father in jail. I don’t know what to do. Help me figure this all out, please?”
Nick took her in his arms, understanding the indecision she felt, knowing the hurt she felt inside.
“I just want to forget it ever happened. I want to stay here with you and pretend I’ve known you forever.”
“Shh,” Nick hushed her gently, stroking her hair. “We’ll look into this. We’ll go into town tomorrow and I’ll ask around discreetly, contact some of Alex’s friends and see if I can find out what he’s been up to. Then on Monday we’ll check out all the high-rises. We’ll see if we can find out what is going on, okay? I know Pop’s not involved. I’m sure we can find out who is.”
Cassie sighed against his shoulder, and he hoped his words comforted her. They didn’t comfort him. He wanted to help Cassie, but he feared what they would find when they started poking around the shady side of Juneau. A lot of illegal activities went on behind closed doors. He’d read enough news articles to know that Juneau fell far short of Utopia. He had always distanced himself from anything but the tourist industry. But now he teetered on the brink of jumping right into the frying pan, if not the fire, for the sake of the woman he loved.
When had his life turned into such a soap opera?
Chapter Eleven
Nick realized Cassie had fallen asleep sometime during his ruminations. Gently, he lifted her and carried her upstairs. He set her down gently on the bed, which was still unmade from the previous morning. After covering her with the blanket, he took a quick shower, slipped into his most comfortable jeans, and went back downstairs to clean up the dinner mess. He washed the dishes in the sink and stored the half empty wine bottle in the fridge.
He put away the folding table and chairs and finally cracked a beer. Shutting off the light, he leaned against the counter, sipping on the beer.
“Nick?”
Cassie’s voice floated down to him from above as the bedroom lamp switched on. He set down the beer and walked out into the front room, looking up to see Cassie standing at the edge, looking down. Her smile looked relieved. “I woke up, and I was afraid you were gone.”
“Gone where, woman?” Nick smiled as he mounted the steps. “This is my house, remember?”
Cassie blushed. “I know. It’s just—that’s what I thought when I awoke. Are you coming to bed?”
“If you want me to,” he said, unable to keep from looking her over, remembering their first night of lovemaking with anticipation for a second.
“Yes,” she said shyly. “I would feel terrible if you had to sleep on the couch again after sleeping under a space blanket last night.”
Nick moved to her cautiously, giving her plenty of time to retreat if she wanted to. She held her ground, allowing him to slip his arms around her waist. He held her close to him for a long moment, closing his eyes to just enjoy the feel of her, glad beyond measure that she allowed his touch at all.
She nestled her head into his shoulder.
“I’ll be warm enough tonight, if you let me.” He bent to kiss her, and she angled her head to receive it.
Rising up on tiptoes, Cassie’s return kiss radiated heat. A shiver worked from his belly up to his arms and down his legs. Her sigh of desire struck him to his core.
“Oh, Nick.”
Nick lifted her off the floor, and she wrapped her legs around him. Grinding her hips against his groin, she ran her fingers through his hair, kissing his face.
With a low moan, Nick carried her to the bed. They fell together in a jumble of limbs and writhing bodies. He couldn’t get enough of the taste of her. His kisses traveled over her skin like a bear after honey, pushing back her shirt to reach more.
She fumbled with the buttons of his jeans, pushing them down his hips. He inhaled sharply as she took his ready member in her hands.
“Oh, Cassie!” He pushed back from her. “Hold that thought.”
“Looking for one of these?” she asked, pressing a package against his hand. She smiled, tearing it open. “I was rather hoping you would need this.”
“Woman, you don’t know how much I need it.” He gasped as she carefully slid the condom on, smoothing it slowly down to the base of his shaft while he groaned at the pressure.
“I think I do, if you want me as much as I want you.”
>
Nick playfully grabbed her hands, bringing them to his lips. “Stop that. You’ll make it all go too fast.”
Cassie’s laugh was low and throaty. “Come on, then.” She pulled him down to her, kissing him soundly.
* * *
Cassie lay awake in the darkness, the silence broken only by the hum of the refrigerator below and the more distant hum of the generator outside. Sleep had evaded her since Nick had gathered her in his arms, telling her how glad he was to have found someone like her. He had stroked her hair for a while, and then fell still, sound asleep.
As she lay against him, feeling his heart beating, his breath stirring her hair, she wondered about the things he had said to her that night. He had agreed to help her find out who had engineered her unexpected vacation, but she didn’t share his belief that his father was innocent of the whole affair. She wondered what Nick would do when he found out his father was responsible.
This pilot, Alex...Cassie wished she had seen him. Nick hadn’t put it past him to be involved. He might have been the pilot who flew her up from Seattle, but she couldn’t believe Juneau was that small a town. If Alex had played a part, Cassie figured Nick’s father had hired him to be in on it.
Realizing she had jumped way ahead of the game, Cassie stopped. She hadn’t heard Alex speak or even glimpsed him.
She mentally backed up, still inclined to put even money on Nick’s father as the man who had abducted her. What would Nick do when they found hard evidence of that? Would he follow through with her and see his own father put in jail? Or would he deny it and let her go the hardest mile alone? Would he walk away from her?
A better question to ask was what would she do? She wanted to think that she would follow through on her own if she had to, even if it meant losing Nick. But Nick’s heart beating against her fingertips offered tender vulnerability, and she liked that. She liked the feel of Nick’s naked flesh against hers. She liked his arms wrapped around her and the way his breath warmed her skin.
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