Charlotte Bell
Natalie Templeton
WindSwept Narrows
Book Twenty-Three
Karen A. Nichols
Copyright 2011 by Karen A. Nichols
Smashwords Edition
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Chapter One
Faith Morrison stood with two seventeen year olds, talking games and waiting. They had a match set and a room reserved for them for a four played shooter game in the arcade at the resort. They’d been working together and talking to one another for almost three months before the teens had moved into the local area.
“You think dad would freak if he knew?” Jamie Hunter asked his twin sister when Faith Morrison wandered to the main desk to get their room code.
“That we’re meeting some gamers we met online? Oh, hmm…” Jenna rolled her dark eyes and shook her head. “Freak probably isn’t a strong enough word for his reaction.”
“Yeah, probably not,” Jamie watched the older woman and friend meet up and hug. “You just never get the picture right in your head when you’re playing, you know?”
“They don’t look old,” Jenna agreed, smiling broadly as the pair of woman approached.
“Hi! I’m so glad to finally meet you guys,” Charlotte Bell offered a hand. “Charlie and you’ve already met Faith. This is going to be a great match,” she promised, taking the lead and guiding them to the small room where the game was waiting.
You learn a lot about people talking and gaming, Charlotte realized as they played the popular shooter game. Working as a team, as they had been for months, they had an advantage over the other teams that appeared when cued for play.
Jamie and Jenna Hunter enjoyed the social part of the game as much as the action and strategy. Both had dark hair and eyes. Both were smart, listened well to instructions and had good ideas when the team discussed how to play a mission. Faith and Charlotte had gone through several people trying out to join their team until they both agreed on the twins. Anyone watching from the outside saw a blonde, a redhead and two brunettes all about the same age. Few would realize the women were over ten years older than the teenagers.
Ninety minutes later, controllers were set down and congratulations rang through the room. Water bottles and tall containers of soda were drained when the door opened, Charlotte’s eyes and body stopping in the entry.
“Now what is wrong with that picture?” She said softly, watching the two definitely out of place men wander around machines and people. Her hand went up to automatically twirl the long red ponytail she wore while gaming, full lips pursed and taking in the size, shape and demeanor of the pair. They were searching, she thought. And the only thing to search for in the arcade, was people. Mostly kids in the portion they were stalking.
“They don’t belong,” Jenna said instantly, stepping forward and standing next to Charlotte.
“You look lost,” Charlotte said loudly, catching their attention with a quick step forward. She saw their eyes do a quick scan, taking in the low scooped tee shirt, her chest dotted with freckles. Men. “Can I help you?”
“Just lookin’ for someone,” the shorter one commented, casting his glance around at the group. “You kids go play.”
“Who’re you looking for? Maybe I know them?” Charlotte pressed, fixing a bright smile on her face and sinking her other hand in the pocket of her jean shorts.
“Kid brother,” Came an absent answer, the pair of them looking around the large area.
“Hmm…I wouldn’t need a photo to find my brother,” Faith commented casually.
“Go find security. Give Cat a call…I’ll keep an eye on them,” Charlotte turned to Jenna and Jamie. “You might want to stay…”
“I’m going with you,” Jenna declared instantly, frowning. “If they were after my brother, I’d want to stop them.”
“I…alright…good…” Charlotte moved easily around people, looking casual and watching the various games being played. “Please don’t get hurt. I don’t want to explain to your parents.”
“Just dad…besides, I can take responsibility for my choices, Charlotte. You know,” she chatted comfortably. “One thing about dad…he never ever sent anyone to fetch us. He always told us he’d come for us on his own, never send a delegate,” she grinned at the thought and met the pale brown eyes. “And he never did. He always looked for us by himself, even in the mall and he hates the malls.”
Charlotte laughed. “Most dad’s do, I think,” she stopped abruptly, her palm up. “It’s a kidnapping,” she whispered, her head shaking.
“The kid’s just playing games,” Jenna whispered back, remaining in place when Charlotte told her to stay back. She wanted to be a doctor, not a cop. Fighting in games was fun, but she wasn’t interested in it in the real world.
“You get him away from the game when I get the pair of them distracted. Take him to the game room we used and lock the door,” Charlotte told her firmly, understanding in the nod the younger woman sent her way.
Charlotte drew in a slow breath and applied what she called a nothing smile. Something most guys never realized was there just to distract them. Worked every time.
“Hey, can you guys give me a hand here?” She put her hands on her shoulder as if she were holding a strap in place. Both men turned away from the boy playing the arcade game. He looked to be all of twelve. Maybe, Charlotte thought, turning her back and pretending to fall back. “Oh…I think I’m not feeling so good…”
Faith approached with Cat and snorted at the thought. She watched two men struggle between whatever they were after and a woman falling, literally, into their arms. Until said arms snapped back with two elbows catching them unawares. Faith caught the photo of the boy as it fell and Cat stepped forward, leaning over one of the men.
“I thought I recognized you, Jerry,” she wagged a finger when he made a move she didn’t like from his position on the ground. Dark eyes looked over at Charlotte. “Nice move. These two gentlemen, and I’m using the word very loosely, specialize in child snatching for estranged spouses, particularly ones with more money than brains,” she nodded to two people who had come in behind her.
“We haven’t done anything. This crazy bitch fell on us,” Jerry said as he was helped to his feet.
“Then you can explain to the cops,” Cat said with a shrug, accepting the photo Faith handed her attached to a letter. “And they carry around the client information. How much move helpful can an idiot be?”
“Damn cop,” one of them mu
mbled. “What’d you come work for the resort for? Shoulda stayed a cop.”
“Previous careers come in handy, huh, Charlotte?” Catherine chuckled and glanced at the already restrained wrists. “Nice work…belt loop catch.”
“New book out – a hundred things to do with zip ties,” Charlotte offered with a wink.
“She a cop, too?”
“Used to be…another life,” Charlotte answered, nodding to the twins approaching with the young boy. “This is Catherine, guys, she’s part of security here. They’re staying in the resort, Jamie and Jenna Hunter. We had a four person match played today.”
“Kick ass?” Cat asked casually, leading the pair toward the entrance.
“Of course,” Faith answered with a chuckle. “They couldn’t have got him past the gates,” she commented casually.
“Alex Grantham,” Catherine checked the list at the front desk. “Father signed him in and he’s wearing the bracelet. So the alarms would have gone off. We’ve found the father in a seminar being held on the third floor. I swear…” she watched the older man come forward, stepping into the middle and taking control, leading them off to an office to wait for the police.
“You guys did good,” Charlotte said with a clap on Jamie’s shoulder. “Let’s get something to eat,” she accepted the nods and headed the four of them to the refreshment center.
“What was going on?” Jenna asked, two pairs of brown eyes going from one woman to the other. “He was a little confused, but thought it was cool when we showed him the game we were playing. I don’t think he’s very old…maybe ten.”
“I’m going after a smoothie…I’ll bring you back some water, Charlotte,” Faith said, wandering off to the main counter, her employee badge out.
“The boy they were after,” Charlotte leaned back in the chair, looking from one to the other. “The mother wanted to snatch him from his father. The father has custody in the divorce.”
Jenna sighed and sat back, watching a tray settle in the middle. A large pitcher of ice water with lemons floating in the center and a tall cup of something with a spoon in the middle placed on the table.
“What’s that?”
“Strawberries and crème and beyond good,” Faith said with a sigh.
“I’m after that,” Jenna said quickly, following the pointing finger.
“Girls are freakin’ weird. I’m after real food,” Jamie shook his head and headed for the burger section, hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Faith looked after them then at her friend, fingernails toying with a slice of lemon in her water. “Good kids.”
“They start college programs next week, Faith,” Charlotte laughed. “Were we kids at that age?”
“I’m still a kid,” Faith responded with a firm nod.
“I’m kind of glad there’s no one to mess with our family,” Jenna said out of nowhere when she sat down, a tall cup of something crème colored. “It’s gotta mess up your head when you got parents fighting over you.”
“Too many kids go through it,” Charlotte agreed quietly.
“Are you ready to hit the campus?” Faith asked with a healthy spoonful of her smoothie on its way to her mouth.
“Tomorrow morning,” Jenna answered instantly.
“We thought we’d get there before nine and explore then find the rooms to fill out papers and stuff,” Jamie added after a healthy bite of his stacked burger.
“Neither of you drive,” Charlotte said with a little frown. “You want a ride? It’s Thursday and my morning crew is good. I can take you over and call me when you’re finished. It’s a great campus. You’ll find tons of things to prowl through.”
“It’d be nice to have a ride, thanks,” Jenna said with a bright grin. “We can drive but buses are a lot more fun and it gives you reading time.”
Jamie cast a curious look at his sister but said nothing about the ride. “I’ll be glad to get the trash courses out of the way and into the good ones in the fall.”
“A vet and a doctor,” Charlotte looked impressed. “You have some long school hours ahead of you. I know people who would kill to have a path in their brains like you’ve done.”
“It’s just always been there,” Jenna said with a shrug, biting her lip before asking her next question. “You think people are types?”
Charlotte swallowed a long drink of iced water and frowned at the look on Faith’s face. “Type like…a brain, a jock…that kind of type?”
“Yes…well…I guess…”
“You lose the type thing once you’re out of school,” Faith answered thoughtfully. “You really do. Once you get thrown into real world things, not academic, people aren’t so easily pressed into slots. I mean…Dominic likes running, but he’s not all that athletic. He works out, too but he’s not a jock,” she shrugged.
“So you wouldn’t say you had a certain type?” Jenna pressed curiously, looking specifically at Charlotte.
“Me? I’m typeless,” she said with a laugh. “And it’s safer that way, believe me.”
“So what would be your type?”
Faith lowered her gaze from the puzzled expression on Charlotte’s face and smiled.
“You have someone in mind for her?”
“Just curious. He’d probably have to be a gamer type,” Jenna said casually.
When the coughing stopped, Faith continued to pat her friend’s back. “I don’t have a type,” Charlotte repeated carefully, looking from Jenna to Jamie with a little frown. “What brought this up? I look lonely? What?”
“She’s always been like that. Nosy,” Jamie said, popping several fries into his mouth.
“Hmm…” Jenna just scowled at her brother.
“We’ve been chatting for almost three months,” Charlotte said easily, offering a half shrug. “Why do you think people have to have types? It’s very restrictive.”
“You don’t date?” Jenna looked from Faith to Charlotte.
“I date Dominic all the time,” Faith said through a slurp of her drink. “I think the key is to find someone who is…” she frowned a little. “Adaptable. But exclusive. He’s all mine,” she breathed happily.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Charlie?” Jenna asked persistently.
“Feel free to slap her,” Jamie said with a dismissing shrug. “Only thing that’ll break her spell, trust me.”
“Why the interest in my personal life, Jenna?” Charlotte poured herself more water, her curiosity aroused.
“I don’t mean to pry, I’m sorry. Just if I meet someone interesting,” she said cheerfully with a bright, beaming smile. “I like to help.”
“Hmm…I’m thirty-four, single, naturally paranoid, definitely a non-neat freak, except in my kitchen,” Charlotte looked at Faith with slight pout. “Like filling out an application for those dating sites. Maybe you should ask my friend here,” she tipped her wrist up and leaned down to grab her pack from the floor. “I’ve got evening duty and have to be off. Message me for the next team game, otherwise, I’ll see you online. Bye, guys!”
A round of good-byes echoed after her, Faith looking at Jenna almost without blinking.
“You already have someone in mind.”
Jamie snorted and took a long draw on the straw in his soda. “And here comes the lucky candidate now,” he tapped his foot against his sister’s sharply.
“Hi, guys,” Jesse Hunter looked from the new addition to his twins, a neutral smile on his face. “How’d the big team match go?”
“We kicked ass,” Jamie said without thinking. “We got the best team on the server. I’m after more soda. What something, dad?”
“I’m good. Meetings offer food,” he pulled a chair out, aware of the blonde watching him and the engagement ring on her finger. He breathed an unconscious sigh of relief. “Jesse Hunter.”
“Oh, sorry, dad…Faith, this is our dad, Jesse Hunter,” Jenna was deep in thought. She hadn’t got to ask the questions she wanted to before Charlotte vanished.
“My pleasure,
” Faith said with a grin at Jenna and a slight nod that was instantly recognized. He might be just what her friend needed.
“Since we’ve only been in town a week, how’d you meet my kids? If you don’t mind…do you attend the college?”
Faith gulped her last spoonful, raised an eyebrow at Jenna and bit into her lip.
Jenna cleared her throat. “We’ve been talking for almost three months, Dad. Faith, Charlie and us. That’s how we formed the team…” she paused and inhaled deeply. Now came the freaking out part. “We met online in the game.”
“I…” dark eyes went from one to the other, his mouth snapped shut.
“I finished college a few years ago,” Faith offered brightly. “But the extension where these guys are going has an amazing campus and courses. I take some refreshers there now and then when new tech stuff pops out and a new language changes give me grief at work.”
“You work with computers,” Hunter said carefully, taking a longer look at the woman at the table.
“I work for the IT department here at the resort,” Faith answered easily. She looked him over as she stood up, lifting her pack to her shoulder and waving at the man approaching. They were alike, she thought. Both wore very nicely tailored, fitting suits with shirts that were definitely not cotton. “Dominic Matthews, Jesse Hunter and Jenna and Jamie,” she watched the wary exchange of handshakes between the men, her hand sliding easily into his free one.
“I take it the game was a success?”
“Oh, puh-lease…” Faith laughed. “We kicked ass and then some. We’re a darn good team. Nice meeting you, Mr. Hunter. See ya, guys,” she led Dominic off, chatting about his day and hers.
“You met these people online?” Hunter felt the well of mixed emotions brewing inside him.
“Told you he’d freak,” Jamie tossed things into the recycling bins and shoved hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“I am not…” He remained sitting, his head back for a long minute at the glare and silence he was getting treated to by his daughter. “Alright. I’m listening.”
WindSwept Narrows: #21 Charlotte Bell & Natalie Templeton Page 1