Wickingham Way (A Harbour Falls Mystery #3) (4 page)

I blinked and caught sight of Erin. She was crouched down against the wall next to the window, firearm at the ready.

I started to panic. Where was Adam? Had he been hurt?

But then, from somewhere behind me, I heard him call out to Erin, “Now.”

Agent Lenehan stood and shot three times out the window. A single shot rang out from outside, then nothing.

When I dared to glance over my shoulder, Adam was belly-down on the floor. He was fine—thank God—and trying to reach me. I scooted back slightly but stopped when he motioned for me not to move any farther.

Silence ensued. And the smell of gunpowder permeated the air, even though the smoke was clearing.

Adam glanced up at Erin, and she nodded.

I supposed their exchange meant everything was okay, since two seconds later Adam was beside me, picking glass out of my hair, and asking, “Are you all right, Maddy?” His strong hands ran over my shoulders and down my arms as I sat up. “You didn’t get hit, did you?”

I shook my head. I was shaken but unharmed. Adam’s arms encircled my small frame, and I trembled as he held me.

Many things happened in the following minutes.

Max returned to the study with news that the young agent Erin had come to the island with had been shot and killed. A lone assassin had breached the perimeter of Adam’s compound, having arrived in a speedboat of his own. He’d quickly and efficiently taken out the driver of the boat Erin had arrived in before making his way up the trail and shooting into the study.

“Agent Lenehan and the driver must have been followed,” Max stately gravely to Adam as he finished telling the story of what had transpired.

“That’s impossible,” Erin broke in. “I’m certain we were not followed.”

I didn’t know, but to me, Erin sounded
un
certain.

“What about the assassin?” Adam asked Max, his strong voice reverberating as I pressed in close to his hard chest.

“He got away,” Max responded in a low voice.

“Did you see what the man looked like?” Adam asked.

I froze. What if the assassin was Stowe? It pained me to think Stowe would actually come to Fade Island to hunt Adam down like a damn animal. Would Stowe really be so cold and calculating? He’d always behaved so jovially around me. I thought of the yellow friendship roses he’d once given me. And also of how he’d helped when I’d needed a cohort to provide a distraction out at Fowler’s Motel.

At the time I’d been trying to uncover a secret Adam was keeping, and Stowe had been so helpful, making my little undercover mission a resounding success. Not to mention, a little bit of fun. But all of those things had occurred before I’d seen what Stowe was capable of.

At Willow Point, Stowe had struck fear in the heart of Ron Mifflin, who was no slouch in the scary department himself. So, yeah…

I sighed as I listened to Max describe the assassin. “The guy was tall, had a muscular build. He was wearing dark attire and a black cap. It was fitted snugly over his head, but I could see dark blond hair extending out from under the cap.”

Shit, the description fit Stowe Hannigan to a tee. The only detail Max was missing was Stowe’s green eyes.

“Stowe,” Adam muttered under his breath like a curse. He’d obviously come to the same conclusion.

“Perhaps not,” Erin said slowly.

Huh?

Adam and Max looked at her quizzically, but she turned her head away and said nothing further.

Hmm, interesting.

Why would Erin suspect someone other than Stowe? Especially when the description so closely matched his? Were there multiple assassins gunning (literally) for Adam?

With that horrendous thought in mind, I closed my eyes and suppressed a sob.

Before Adam had a chance to ask her for elaboration, Erin said, “We’ve run out of options here. I think it’s time we move to plan B.”

Adam exhaled heavily and murmured an assent.

“What’s plan B?” I asked as I opened my eyes and stared up at a disheveled but still somehow amazingly attractive Adam Ward.

He sighed as his eyes met mine. “Fade Island has been compromised, Maddy. Our only option now is to hole up in a safe house.”

Chapter Three

N
ot surprisingly, the safe house turned out to be owned by Adam.

He showed me pictures before we left Fade Island. We’d be staying in what appeared to be a rustic cabin, surprisingly modest in size, but very posh. It was located deep in the woods of Maine.

We wasted no time hanging around Fade Island. The day after what Adam and Erin termed “the security breach,” we headed out.

Erin volunteered—or perhaps she’d been assigned—to drive us to our new location. Once we were back over on the mainland, we piled our luggage into her government-issued, nondescript sedan. Adam slid into the passenger seat, so I was relegated to the backseat. As we drove deeper and deeper into the heart of Maine, even from my limited vantage point, I had to say Erin’s driving was impressive. The agent navigated the curving and slick inland roads with practiced ease.

Nobody spoke much. Adam worked on his tablet and I stared out the side window, observing the mostly white landscape.

Where we lived along the coast—and also out on Fade Island—most of the snow had melted. But here in the Maine wilderness, winter appeared to still be in full force.

Consequently, it took us hours to reach the safe house.

When we hit a white-out and Erin slowed, but kept the car moving, Adam asked, “Where’d you learn to drive in conditions like these, Erin? Was winter driving part of your training with the feds?”

Agent Lenehan laughed and shook her head, her strawberry-blonde waves bouncing. “No, no special training. I’m originally from rural Massachusetts, so I got lots of practice growing up. Driving on wintry back roads is like second nature to me.”

“Well, I am impressed,” Adam said as he powered down his tablet.

Oh, please,
I thought.

The last few miles dragged, as the roads became particularly treacherous in the higher elevations. But we eventually reached our destination safe and intact.

Five seconds after Erin parked, all three of us were out of the car, stretching our legs and taking in the surroundings.

Wow, we were truly in the middle of nowhere. Everywhere I turned there was nothing but snow-blanketed utter wilderness.

Erin was wearing a fashionable pant suit with heels. I, on the other hand, had dressed appropriately. I had on high winter boots, jeans, a heavy coat, and a scarf.

I looked at Erin and nodded to her pumps. “Maybe driving in winter conditions is second nature to you, but I’m thinking walking in winter conditions might pose a challenge for you in shoes like that.”

“Maddy, be nice,” Adam said under his breath as he leaned in close to me.

Erin gave me a sweet smile as she held onto the side of the car and navigated her way to the back. She popped open the trunk and took out a heavy-duty pair of winter boots. They looked even more suited for the perilous conditions than the ones I was wearing.

“Don’t underestimate me, Maddy,” she said, smiling still as she stood on one leg and quickly swapped out a pump for one of the winter boots.

Adam rolled his eyes at our catty exchange. He grabbed a few of the heavier pieces of luggage from the trunk and headed toward the house. Erin finished switching her shoes, then tossed a small satchel my way. I just barely caught it, and she snickered as she brushed past me, carrying a large suitcase.

I was so glad Erin would be leaving us soon.

Once everything was unloaded and inside the cabin, as we stood just inside the doorway, Erin asked Adam if he needed anything before she took off.

“No, I think we’re good. I had the place stocked a few days ago in anticipation of something like this.”

“Good thinking,” Erin replied.

I opened the door and stepped out onto the snow-covered porch. “Okay, then, Erin. You probably better get going. It would suck to drive back in the dark.”

It was already late in the day and I couldn’t wait for her to go.

She nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Several minutes later, Adam and I watched from the porch as the agent drove off into the bleak white and gray landscape. Now we were truly alone and essentially stranded since we had no transportation at the safe house. I had balked at that decision, but Erin had insisted it was prudent for us not to retain a vehicle for personal use. Not only was there really no place to go out here, but the agent had claimed our location could feasibly be discovered by someone capable of compromising GPS technology. I’d expected Adam to argue with his remarkably pretty Boston contact on that point, but he had not. So I was inclined to assume what she’d said was the truth.

“What do we do now?” I asked as Adam hoisted up the last suitcase, one that belonged to me that had been left out on the porch.

“We’ll figure it out,” Adam replied nonchalantly as he turned toward the front door.

I followed him into the cabin. I hadn’t really taken a good look around when we’d been bringing in the luggage, so I did so now.

The central room in which Adam placed the suitcase was large and spacious, like a giant living room. There were photographs of autumn scenes on the cedar walls, plush area rugs covered the hardwood floors, and the furniture was all dark wood. The sofa was covered in supple leather, the ceilings high and beam-covered. And across from the front door a staircase curved up the wall, spilling out at the top to an open walkway. Some of the doors to the second-floor bedrooms were visible from where I stood.

“Do you like it?” Adam asked, his arms crossed as he watched me take it all in.

I spun in a circle. “I do. It’s very open, but cozy at the same time.”

The cabin was well-lit but only because Adam had turned on several lamps. Not that there weren’t numerous windows. There were many, but every last one had been blacked out with heavy partitions.

Adam frowned at the covered windows when he noticed me looking at them. “It’s for safety reasons,” he said.

I nodded. “I figured as much.”

I supposed before the seriousness of why we were here could bring me down, Adam turned to me and said suggestively, “So, Maddy, now that we’re here alone, what do you say we start a fire?” He tilted his head toward the huge stone fireplace covering one entire wall of the great room while his mischievous blue eyes remained on me. “We could maybe even open a bottle of wine?”

“Is your plan to distract me with sex?”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Will it work?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “It just might.”

Adam watched me carefully, and then said, “You don’t even realize what today is, do you?”

I wracked my brain, but could think of nothing. “What is it?” I asked.

Adam fake-gasped. “Maddy, it’s Valentine’s Day. I can’t believe you, lover of all things romantic, forgot.”

“Oops,” I uttered, laughing. With everything going on, I
had
completely forgotten about the holiday.

But now that Adam had reminded me…

“Hmm,” I murmured, envisioning a nice romantic evening, just me and my love. “The fire and a nice bottle of wine do sound nice.”

Maybe a Valentine’s Day in seclusion won’t be so bad
,
after all.

“I’d like to get cleaned up first.” I smiled coyly. “But I can be really quick.”

Adam chuckled and glanced down at the bag he’d just carried in. “This suitcase is yours. It feels pretty heavy, so it probably has enough of the stuff you’ll need to get ready in it.” He hoisted the large piece of luggage up with ease and headed to the stairs. “Let’s go upstairs and I’ll show you the bedroom we’ll be staying in while we’re here. There’s an adjoined bathroom. You can freshen up in there.”

Once we were upstairs and in the master bedroom, Adam plopped the bag down in the middle of a large king-sized bed. A bed I was sure we’d soon christen.

With that thought in mind, I smiled at Adam. “This room is perfect.”

The room was quite nice, having the same rustic feel as the rest of the cabin. The walls were cedar, the colors complementary. But what I loved was that instead of large photographs on the walls, like downstairs, there were bookcases built right into the walls. And they spanned from floor to ceiling. Better still, the shelves were overflowing with novels.

Adam watched as I made a beeline to the bookcases. “Ah, I knew you’d check those out first thing. That’s why I was sure this particular bedroom would be the best.”

“Thank you.” I turned to Adam and smiled in gratitude. Then I returned my attention to the books.

As I skimmed my fingertips along the spines, I noted Adam certainly had an eclectic mix of titles—timeless classics, modern-day literature, books of poetry, nonfiction titles.

“Wow,” I whispered.

To say I was impressed would have been an understatement.

Adam strode over to where I stood and diverted my attention from the books with a lingering kiss to my cheek. After he quietly informed me he was going back downstairs to get the fire started, I replied, “Sure, great. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Adam left, and I spent a moment more with the books, before stepping back over to the big bed and opening the suitcase Adam had placed on the covers. I rummaged through all the clothes I’d brought, unsure of what to change into.

Ultimately, I decided on a simple long-sleeved tee and a fresh pair of jeans. Adam was dressed comfortably in jeans and a knit pullover, so my choice of outfit seemed appropriate.

While I showered, I thought about how this stay at the cabin might unfold. I liked the idea of having Adam all to myself. Back in Harbour Falls—and on Fade Island, even—Adam was often pulled away by business. Not that there wouldn’t be work for him to attend to here—the Wickingham Way project remained his top priority—but at least no extraneous works concerns would intrude on my time with him. Except for Erin, who, I’d been informed on the way to the safe house, would be visiting us like clockwork every Friday.

Adam had brought a laptop and a tablet to work on, but we’d have no Internet service and no cell service either. Too easy to track, Adam had told me when I’d asked why we’d be living without these seeming necessities during our stay out in the woods.

Our only outside contact would be with Erin, through her weekly visits. Adam planned to work on the Wickingham Way project daily, and then upload his files to a flash drive, which Agent Lenehan would pick up every Friday.

I’d brought my own laptop so I could work on my novel, but Adam had made it clear I was not to communicate with anyone. Not even Katie, my agent and best friend out in California. Well, with no cell and no Internet, I couldn’t contact her even if I wanted.

Not that I really even did. I was content with this arrangement. Adam told me before we’d left Harbour Falls that there were board games in the cabin.

“We can play some of those old games,” Adam had said. “And when we tire of board games, there are tons of novels to read.”

Well, I hadn’t seen the games yet, but Adam sure hadn’t been kidding about the novels.

“Plus, we’ll have wine and nights by the fire,” I reminded myself, smiling and thinking of the evening ahead as I stepped out of the shower and wrapped my dripping-wet body in a thick towel.

After I was dressed, I started down the stairs…but was stopped short by the scene below.

Oh, my.

Romance was definitely on Adam’s mind tonight. Not only was there a raging fire in the stone fireplace, but a very nude Mr. Ward was waiting for me, stretched out on a plush area rug in front of the fireplace, wine glass in hand.

I sighed, contented and already aroused by the sight of Adam’s naked body. The amber glow cast by the fire left some parts of him shadowed, mostly his lower half, but the muscles in his arms, shoulders, and chest moved enticingly as he shifted to watch my approach.

Yeah, spending this night in a cozy cabin in the isolated woods of Maine with the gorgeous and sexy Adam Ward had the makings for this to be my best Valentine’s Day ever.

*

Valentine’s Day turned out as great as I’d expected. After a night filled with hours of love, I felt so close to Adam. But to my surprise, it was during the days that followed that we really grew close.

Adam and I created a wonderful and romantic memory the first night, and to my delight, the trend continued as the first week wore on. I had to say, I learned more about the man I’d crushed on since high school—over ten years ago—than I ever would have had we, say, spent a year together under normal circumstances. But here, removed from civilization as we were, everything was heightened, in many, many ways.

For one thing, every emotion felt more intense. I guessed it was because we had no choice but to deal with one another, be it good or bad. Thankfully, most all of the time we spent together was good.

When Adam wasn’t working on the Wickingham Way project, he spent his time with me. I’d originally feared that Adam would prefer time alone when not busy with the Wickingham Way project. But that was not the case.

The first few days at the cabin we took turns preparing dinner. Adam was as good a cook as I, maybe better. I’d discovered that fun fact months earlier. So it was no surprise when Adam wowed me throughout the week with entrees such as chateaubriand and coquille. I, on the other hand, stuck with far simpler dishes—hot dogs on one day, tuna noodle casserole on another.

Adam, thoughtful as he was, sweetly proclaimed my tuna noodle casserole to be “top-notch.”

One evening after dinner, while scrubbing pots and pans at the sink, Adam and I got into a suds and water battle. I surmised it was Adam’s thinly veiled attempt to fulfill a fantasy of seeing me in a wet T-shirt, something he’d once confided in me. When I told him I suspected as much, he didn’t deny it. In fact, he encouraged me to take off my bra, but leave on the thin, white tee I was wearing.

Typical male,
I thought.

But I didn’t mind. Adam was best when he was fun. And fun it was. Ten minutes after we both were thoroughly soaked—me in particular—Adam was pounding into me on the slippery, wet linoleum kitchen floor. I had left on nothing but the tee, and Adam palmed my breasts through the sopping cotton as they bounced with every frenzied thrust.