Against the Tide (23 page)

Rafe reached in and grabbed one. “Thanks for your help last night,” he said to Zach.

“No problem. You find anything on the GPS?”

“Nothing that means anything.” He took another bite of donut. “They just drove around town, made a trip out Richardson Highway, drove up Dayville Road a ways.”

“Something any tourist might do.”

“That's right. If they went out last night after we put the new one on, we'll see their movements when we retrieve the device tonight.”

“You still think these guys know something?”

“At the moment, it's just a hunch. I keep telling myself this is going nowhere, but I can't seem to convince myself.”

“Then we should stick with it.”

Rafe nodded and finished his donut. The discussion ended as Jaimie walked into the cabin. She flicked a dark, petulant glance at Zach, whose jaw went tight. The two of them hadn't spoken all day yesterday. Zach had made a couple of overtures, which Jaimie had nastily rebuffed. It looked as if she had every intention of continuing her snit today.

He didn't know what had caused the rift between them or who was in the wrong, but he wasn't putting up with it any longer.

His gaze went from one to the other and turned into a glare. “Okay, you two. This bullshit between you ends right here. We've got passengers coming aboard. They've spent a lot of money and they're looking forward to a great day of fishing. That isn't going to happen with the two of you looking like you want to strangle each other.”

Zach said nothing. Neither did Jaimie.

“Okay, fine. You go out on the deck and make peace, or start looking for another job. What's it going to be?”

Jaimie hesitated, then turned and started walking, flicking a backward glance at Zach as she marched out onto the deck. Zach followed, his expression dark, his jaw set.

Rafe wasn't sure what was going on between the two, but they needed to figure it out. He almost smiled. If they did, it might even turn out to be something good.

 

 

Zach walked to where Jaimie stood at the rail. “Okay, I'll go first if you want.”

She just nodded.

“I'm sorry you're mad. I'm sorry things went as far as they did the other night. I'm not sorry about what I said.”

She looked up at him and something shifted in her features. “You shouldn't have spanked me. I'm a grown woman.”

He fought against a smile he knew would be disastrous right now. “That's the point. You're a woman but you weren't acting like one and you weren't being treated like one.”

“And that gave you the right to manhandle me?”

“Sometimes when you care about someone you have to go further than just words.”

Her big brown eyes ran over his face. “When I was in high school, I . . . ummm . . . used to have a crush on you. Just like all the other girls.”

Surprise filtered through him. “Did you? I wish I'd known.”

“You went to college and a few years later so did I. In the summers I worked for Rafe and I met Scotty. He was always so nice to me.”

“He was nice. But he wasn't interested in you as a woman. I am. I've been interested for a long time.”

“Why?”

He smiled. “Because you're smart and you're pretty and you're different from any other woman I know. I don't know any female who works as hard as you do, who takes the toughest job and makes it look easy. And you even make it fun.”

She started to smile. She was really pretty when she smiled. “You're good at your job, too. I've never said so, but it's true.”

“Thanks.”

“Maybe we could, you know, start over,” she said.

“That would be great.”

“No more spanking.”

He smiled. “Not unless you deserve it.”

She laughed. “Next time you try it, I won't be drunk. I'll fight you and I'll win.”

He traced a finger down her cheek. “I might even let you.”

Her smile widened. “Truce then?”

“Absolutely—if you'll let me buy you a pizza when we get back to the harbor tonight.”

Jaimie grinned. “You're on.”

Heavy footfalls pounded on the deck. Zach turned at the sound of Rafe's deep voice coming from behind them.

“Okay, you two. You're both grinning. That's good. Now get back to work.”

Zach nodded, his eyes still on Jaimie, whose eyes remained on his.

Working with her that day, watching her smile instead of frown, was one of the best days Zach could recall.

Chapter Twenty-Five

With Rafe not due back from his all-day charter till six, and it being Nell's day for the dinner shift, Liv suited up and went down to get Khan and go jogging.

She felt better today. Rafe had returned to the apartment last night. On the surface at least, he seemed resigned to accepting her as she was, leaving her past behind. As far as Liv was concerned, the past belonged in the past, as it had since she left New York.

There was no way she could ever prove her innocence, not against the powerful forces who had conspired to convict her. Moving forward was her only option. If Rafe was willing to do that, it could still work between them.

She was in love with him. She wanted to make a life with him. She wasn't sure what Rafe felt for her, but she had to believe he wanted more from her than just sex and friendship. If she was wrong, she would deal with it when the time came.

In the meanwhile, today was a glorious day in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Liv took that as a hopeful sign. Grabbing the leash off the hook on the back porch, she pulled open the door and held it up for Khan to see. Lying in the sun with Tuxedo sprawled on top of him, the big dog bolted to his feet and raced toward her. Tux tumbled off, collected herself, and sat down. With a yawn, she started grooming herself, then curled back up in the sun.

Liv snapped on Khan's leash and gave the command. “Heel.” The shepherd positioned himself beside her and they took off out the side gate.

The sun felt warm as it soaked through her hooded sweatshirt. The last days of May could still be rainy, but more and more the sun was beginning to make its presence known. She jogged through town and turned toward the mountains. There were some great trails up off Mineral Creek Road.

She thought of Rafe and wondered if he might want to go on an overnight hike up there sometime. He was in great physical condition and he really liked the outdoors. She smiled to think how much they had to look forward to. If only he would stand by his decision and accept her as the person she was now.

She was smiling, enjoying herself, when she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching, turned to see an older model, brown Chevy beater driving up beside her. Unease filtered through her. She shook it off. Old habits were hard to break.

She started to relax, but as the car drew near, the feeling returned, more intense than before. She didn't recognize the driver, a good-looking, light-skinned African American man wearing a sweatshirt with a hood that wasn't pulled up. He had close-cropped black hair and earrings in his ears.

Liv fought an urge to run as he pulled over to the edge of the road and rolled his window down, drove the car slowly along beside her.

“Get in the car, Fiona.”

Her heart jerked so hard, she nearly stumbled. Her mouth went dry and her knees started shaking.
Oh, dear God.
She forced herself under control, kept jogging along the road.

“My name is Olivia Chandler.” She picked up her pace as she glanced around, looking for an avenue of escape. “You must have me confused with someone else.” No houses in sight. She had run past the last residences on the road and there was no one anywhere near.

She glanced back at the car, saw a black semiautomatic pistol appear in the man's big hand. He pointed it directly at her heart and stepped on the brake, bringing the car to a jolting stop. “I said get in the car.”

She looked down at Khan. Reading her fear, his fur was standing up, his teeth bared. A low growl rumbled from his throat.

“Make a wrong move,” the man said, “I shoot the dog. Now get in the car.”

He wouldn't hesitate. She could see it in his hard black eyes. The stun gun rode in the pocket of her sweatshirt, a comforting weight against her body.

“Sit,” she said to Khan, then leaned down and unhooked his leash. “Stay.” He'd go home eventually. Nell would see him and know something was wrong. She prayed by then it wouldn't be too late.

Her hand went into the pocket of her jacket and her fingers wrapped around her weapon. She needed to get close enough to the man to use it, yet far enough away from Khan so the man wouldn't kill him. She walked around to the passenger side of the car and slid into the worn plaid seat. The interior was dirty, littered with sandwich wrappers, beer bottles, and empty paper cups.

She frowned. Somehow the rusty old beater didn't fit with the image of a high-priced executioner hired by her powerful enemies in Washington.

She slammed the door and as soon as it closed, his foot stomped down on the gas and he drove away, continuing farther up the hill. She needed to get out, but she didn't want to jump until he slowed down. The area grew more and more remote. There was nothing up ahead but the end of the road and the beginning of a set of trails.

Fear rolled through her, clawed at her insides. “If you think you can kill me and just walk away, that isn't going to happen. I have friends here. I own a business. When I disappear, they'll come looking for me. The police will come looking. They'll find you and they'll put you in jail.”

One of his thick, black eyebrows went up. “Why would I want to kill a pretty little thing like you?”

The words surprised her. And that they actually sounded like the truth. Surely that was the reason he was there. They had tried to kill her before. They needed her dead. Surely he had been sent to do the job. She didn't understand what was going on.

“What do you want?” she asked, trying to brazen it out as he pulled up at the end of the road and turned off the engine.

He just smiled. He had straight white teeth and if he wasn't so big and menacing, if she couldn't see the evil in his empty black eyes, she might have said he was attractive.

“I know your secret, Fiona. I know you're a murderer. I know you're a wanted woman, hiding out way up here in Alaska, living under some phony name. I don't care who you killed. I don't care if you kill someone else. I'll keep your secret. But I want something in return for my silence.”

Her heart was hammering. Sweat rolled between her breasts. “You want money? I-I can pay you. How much do you want?” If she could bribe him, buy a little time, she could still get away.

He chuckled, reached over and touched her cheek. “You're a beautiful woman, Fiona. I've been watching you. I know you keep yourself fit. I'm guessing beneath those clothes you've got one helluva body. For weeks, I've been living up here like a monk. I don't want your money. I want to fuck you. I want to have you any way I can think of. Any way and every way I want. You get me?”

She started shaking, couldn't push a sound past her frozen lips.

“I won't be here much longer,” he said matter-of-factly. “Only a few more days. I'm off work today. You do me right, I keep my mouth shut. I leave and no one's the wiser. Now climb over into the backseat and take off your clothes. I do you right here, then we'll go back to my place and I'll do you again.”

Her stomach was churning. Olivia shook her head, fighting not to panic, telling herself she would only get one chance, telling herself to wait for the opportunity she needed. “I said I'd pay you. I'm not having sex with you.”

He backhanded her hard, the force of the blow slamming into her cheek before she realized what had happened. Pain shot through her head and for an instant she was afraid she would pass out.

The pistol pointed at her temple. “You don't seem to get it, Fiona. I'm fucking you whether you like it or not. What are you going to do—go to the cops? I don't think so.”

“Who are you?”

“Nobody. At least not today. Soon, though, I'll be somebody.” He grinned. “A man you'll know real, real well.”

Her cheek was throbbing, but she'd settled a little, more angry now than afraid. He was still grinning when she eased the stun gun out of her pocket.

“Go on,” he said. “Get your ass in the back like I told you.”

Her fingers tightened around the plastic. With a breath for courage, she jammed the stun gun into his ribs. The weapon crackled, a million volts of electricity made contact, and a scream tore out of his throat.

Liv gritted her teeth and stunned him again, then one more time for good measure. No way could she tie him up. He was big and heavy and she had no rope, nothing to use.

She shot out of the car and bolted down the road, racing against time and the danger behind her. Adrenaline roared through her and she ran faster. She could dart off the road, but running through the grass would slow her pace and a bullet could travel a whole lot quicker than she could. Staying on the road was the fastest way back to town, the quickest way to safety.

Panting hard, counting the seconds, knowing it would only be minutes before her attacker could recover and come after her, she pounded downhill as fast as she could go.

She knew one thing. She wasn't going to get the second chance she deserved. She wasn't going to have a chance to make it work with Rafe.

Olivia Chandler had died back in that car. She was as dead as her ex-husband. Liv barely noticed the tears washing down her cheeks.

 

 

Rafe was sitting in a booth at the café when his iPhone started playing. Liv was out running with Khan, Nell had told him. She was due back any minute.

He looked down at the caller ID and his stomach twisted. “Hey, Nick,” he said, pressing the phone against his ear.

“Where are you?”

“In the café.”

“Walk outside.”

He got up and headed for the door, the knot in his stomach twisting tighter. He stopped in the patio area and sat down at one of the empty tables. A couple sat at a table across the way. It was the warmest day they'd had this year, pushing toward sixty degrees. Soon the patio would be filled with people outside enjoying the weather.

Rafe took a steadying breath. “What is it?”

“You better brace yourself. This isn't good.”

His hand tightened around the phone. “Tell me.”

“Three years ago, Fiona Caldwell was arrested for the murder of her ex-husband. Happened in an apartment in Manhattan. Upper East Side. Expensive neighborhood. She had a place of her own nearby. Which jibes with her high-paying job as a makeup model. It was a big story at first, appeared in all the papers. Jesus, Rafe, you could have Googled her yourself and found her.”

It hadn't even occurred to him. He wasn't a high-tech kind of guy. Or maybe he didn't really want to know.

“You're the detective, not me. She confess to the murder?”

“No. Claimed there was another woman in the apartment that night. Claimed the other woman was the one who shot Rothman.”

“That's the husband's name? Rothman, not Chandler?”

“Ex-husband. Stephen Rothman. Caldwell's her maiden name. She took it back after she and Rothman divorced. Fiona was arrested at the scene—”

“Olivia,” he corrected. He had no idea why.

“Olivia was charged a couple of days later. Since she had no criminal record and claimed she was innocent, she made bail. Big dollars but she had the money to make it happen. Three weeks later, she disappeared. She's never been seen or heard of since.”

“Until now.”

“That's right. Listen, Rafe, I'm really sorry.”

He shook his head. “Not your fault. You're just the messenger.”

“I know you wanted to keep this quiet, but this is murder, bro.”

“I need to talk to her. Get her side of the story.”

“You really think she'll tell you the truth? She's been lying to you all along.”

He glanced back toward the restaurant, his mind sorting through the mountain of lies Liv had told him. “I know.”

“Sooner or later, you'll have to do what's right.”

“You gave me your word, Nick. I'm holding you to it.”

“It's still your call. Be careful, yeah?”

“What if she's innocent?”

“What if she's innocent?” Nick repeated. “If she was innocent, she wouldn't have run.”

Rafe gazed off toward the boats bobbing in the harbor across the street. Nick was right. Wasn't he? “What about Wong and Nevin? You come up with anything there?”

“Not enough info. I need a photo or DNA sample. Something.”

“I can do that. We rigged security cameras in the corridor outside their motel room. Got 'em on video. Zach Carver's a whiz at that stuff. He's the kid who took Scotty's place. I'm betting he can isolate their pictures and e-mail them to you.”

“Great, I'll watch for them.”

“Listen, Nick, I really appreciate your help. I'll stay in touch.” Rafe hung up before his brother could launch into another warning.

For several long moments, he just sat there. Then the front door to the café burst open and Nell rushed out, broad hips swinging, salt-and-pepper hair flying around her face.

“Rafe, thank God you're here! Something's happened to Liv!”

Rafe came up off the chair. “What's going on?”

“Liv and Khan went running, but Khan came home alone. He was making a racket at the gate. I heard him, went out and let him in. Now he's scratching to come inside. I think he's looking for her.”

He strode through the café, not bothering to reply to the friendly hellos from some of the customers, Nell hurrying along beside him. When he reached the back door, Khan looked frantic. The dog barked and ran back toward the gate, barked and ran up to the porch.

“He isn't wearing his leash,” Nell said as the frenzied animal rushed back and forth. “Liv must have let him go.”

“Why would she do that?”