French Kiss (Silver Cove Series Book 2) (20 page)

“
M
other, why don’t you come in here and join us,” his mother said in French, smiling up at him.

He turned around and saw his grand-mère walk into the room, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Why don’t we go into the kitchen and enjoy the crème brûlée I made earlier?” his mother added.

They were just walking into the kitchen when his cell phone rang. Seeing the number for the resort, he picked up.

“This is Adam,” he answered.

“Adam, it’s Sarah. Is Lilith still there with you?”

“No.” He frowned as he glanced down at his watch. “She should be there already. Have you talked with Jerry yet? He might be running slow.”

“Jerry never picked her up. He’s at the dock now and she’s not there.”

Instantly his entire body was on alert. “I’m heading to the dock now.” He hung up and rushed from the room.

“Adam?” his mother called out. “What is it?”

He turned, his eyes meeting his grand-mère’s. “Lilly never made it to the dock.”

“We’re coming with you,” his grand-mère shocked him by saying.

“Is Lilly—?” His mother started to say, only to have his grand-mère pat her arm.

“Oui.” She gathered her purse and both women followed him out.

He drove double the speed limit and pulled up in front of the docks in less than five minutes. Jerry was there, on the phone, pacing the landing. When they pulled in, he glanced over and frowned.

“Anything?” he called out, holding the phone away from him.

“No.” He scanned the road and cursed at the darkness. Even with the streetlights on, the road leading to the pizza place was dark.

“I’m heading up the block and looking closer,” he called out. Since his mother and grandmother were already out of the car, he told them to wait there and took off on foot.

His mind raced over images of her laying in the gutter, bleeding. But when he reached Ed’s Pizzeria, there was still no sign of her. He opened the door and glanced around, wishing he knew more people in town.

When he spotted Sarah’s mother, Crystal, sitting with a younger woman, he rushed over to her. “Have you seen Lilly?” he interrupted their dinner.

“No.” Crystal frowned at him. “Why?” Just then her cell phone rang. Glancing down, she answered it. “Hi, yes,” She looked up at him. “Adam is here now. No,” she answered, then stood up. “I’ll help.” She hung up and looked down at her friend. “I’m sorry, Karen, we’ll need to reschedule. My daughter is missing.” She took his arm and rushed out of the room.

“Where did you see her last?” she asked once they were outside.

“Right here.” He pointed to the ground. “My grand-mère and I were sitting in there.” He pointed to the table by the window. “She got a call from Sarah and…” He took a deep breath. “I wanted to walk her to the docks.”

Crystal laid a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, everything will be fine.” She patted his arm. “Then what?”

He shook his head. “She started walking towards the docks.”

Just then Crystal waved and called out to someone. “Joseph.” She waved the man over. Even out of his uniform, Adam recognized him as one of the town’s police officers. “Have you seen Lilith Brown in the last…” She glanced at him.

“Half an hour,” he supplied.

She relayed the info to Joseph, who called back as he crossed the street. “No, why?”

“Seems she missed the ferry to the resort. She got lost somewhere between here and the dock.”

The man frowned and glanced down the street. “Who was the last one to see her?”

“I was,” he broke in. “My grandmother and I had dinner with her here.” He nodded to the pizza place. “Could this have anything to do with the threatening notes she was receiving?” he asked, fearing the worse, but needing to know what the man thought.

“What notes?” He turned towards him, giving him all of his attention.

“The notes I gave your partner. He put them in her file when he came out to discuss her case.”

Joseph shook his head. “I don’t understand, what file? We haven’t had time to look into anything but the initial break-in with the wine, which you solved for us.”

He looked between the pair. “But he came out to the island.” He frowned. “He asked Lilly more questions. I gave him the notes we’d found.”

“I’m sorry.” Joseph shook his head. “I don’t know anything about that. Why don’t we head down to the station and we can ask Carl ourselves?”

***

There was something she was supposed to do. Her mind refused to focus. Her fingers itched like she’d been playing a game of tug of war and had lost grip of the rope in her hands.

Her mind was too foggy to register the fact that she was swaying. The gentle rock of Adam’s boat had lulled her to sleep the night before, wrapped in his arms. Reaching out now, she felt for him, but came up short when her hands refused to move. She tried again, but this time her eye snapped open when she realized that her hands were tied together.

When she tried to sit up, she was held down. This time her eyes found the rope that crossed her chest. Suddenly, the swaying of the boat caused panic to rush through her.

She started screaming and kicking out, only to have the door yank open on the small cabin as Carl walked in, smiling down at her.

“Good, you’re awake. Now you can see your new home.” He walked over and took her hands. She jerked back and tried to scoot away from him as tears slid down her face.

“Where am I?” she asked. Her throat felt raw and sore.

“Home.” He smiled. “We’re home now.” He reached down and easily lifted her up into his arms as she fought him. “Hey!” He growled and squeezed her tight until she stopped fighting. “That’s no way to act after I saved you.”

“Saved me?” she gasped.

“Sure.” He shook his head as he carried her up small stairs out onto the deck of a small boat. “You had just lost your way a little.” He glanced down at her. “That Frenchman messed with your mind.” He chuckled. “But now that you’re home, everything will be normal.” He moved slightly and nodded towards a row of lights.

From what she could tell, they were at the base of a bluff. An old dock led up to a small house buried in a thick forest of trees. It was too dark to tell, but she was sure there wasn’t another building or road nearby.

“Where are we?” she asked again, still catching her breath from when he’d squeezed her chest.

“I told you”—he shook his head— “we’re home.” He started walking up the dock, towards the lights. This time, she kicked and fought harder, causing him to lose his grip. She hit the dock with a thud, losing her breath again, banging the back of her head hard against a plank of wood.

“Stop it!” he shouted at her. “There’s no reason for you to fight. I’ve told you, you’re home now.” He growled out as he tried to gather her once more in his arms.

When she didn’t stop, he reached back and she felt his knuckles connect with her jaw, just before everything went dark.

The next time she woke, she was lying on a soft cot in a dim room lit by a simple gas lamp.

“I didn’t have enough time to prepare your room like you’d like it.” He glanced around. “But I thought you’d understand since you moved up the schedule some.” He twisted around and flipped a pocketknife open. He was still wearing his uniform, his gun tucked and locked into his belt. Her eyes ran over the gun and pepper spray, which were locked into place with simple buttons.

Could she get to them in time? Should she try? So many questions ran through her mind.

“Why am I here?” She tried to remember what had happened to her on the dock, but couldn’t. Her mind was too fuzzy.

He stopped what he was doing and chuckled. “This is where you belong.” He rolled his eyes like she’d just simply forgotten that she was supposed to be here.

“Is this your home?” she asked when her hands broke free.

“No!” he growled out and wrapped his hands around her raw wrists, causing her to gasp in pain. “This is
our
home.” He looked around the sparsely decorated room. “Just like I promised you all those years ago.”

She shook her head. “You promised?” He shook her shoulders and then dropped her back onto the cot. Her legs were still tied together, forcing her to realize she couldn’t run for it just yet.

“Sure.” He turned and smiled down at her. “When you showed up here, you got off the bus, broken and confused. I made you a promise then, when I first saw you, that I would keep you from harm.” He looked around. “I’m sorry it took so long. I had to get things ready for you.”

She glanced around and felt her skin crawl. The place was a dump. There was no carpet on the floors, just exposed wood planks that ran the length of the one-room place. The fact that the lights were lit with gas instead of electricity made her question if there was electricity to the house.

“You…” She took a breath, thinking. “You built this place?”

He smiled. “With my own two hands.” She watched his shoulders straighten. “Just for us.” He walked around. “Of course, there’s still a lot to do.” He waved his hand around and began talking about things he had planned. She barely listened as her eyes scanned the dim room, looking for an escape.

There were only two windows, which appeared to be boarded up from the outside, and the one door, which he was currently blocking. Not to mention that her legs were still tied together. She knew that it was a long run down to the dock and what she could only assume was the only boat available.

Her options were not looking good. She felt herself shiver with fear.

“Are you cold?” he asked, taking a step towards her.

“Yes,” she agreed. “I’m sorry.” She shivered again, trying to control the shakes.

“I’ll start a fire.” He rushed across the room to a large stone fireplace. A pile of wood sat next to it, giving her an idea. All she had to do was play along with his delusions. It was the only way she saw to survive until Adam could come for her. First things first, she moved her hands behind her back and removed the ring from her finger, making a point to shove it on her other hand.

She doubted Carl would understand or allow her to keep it if he knew that she and Adam were engaged.

She remembered all the games her stepdad had played with her and knew exactly what she needed to do. Taking a deep breath, she readied herself for the game.

“If you untie my feet, I can help you make a fire,” she said in a polite voice.

He glanced over his shoulder and frowned at her. “It’s the man’s job to start a fire,” he said, leaning over the kindling and striking a match.

“Well, how about I boil us some water or heat up something to eat?” she said, trying to sound positive.

“No, I’ll take care of you tonight. Besides, I think I gave you too much morphine.” He shook his head. “I should have double-checked. It was wrong of me.” He growled and then stopped when the fire took hold. Standing up, he turned towards her, a huge smile on his lips and his eyes sparkling like he’d just won the lottery. “Now, what would you like? Chicken noodle or tomato soup?”

A
dam stood impatiently waiting as Joseph talked to his captain about Lilly’s case. When he was done speaking, the duo walked over to where he and Crystal stood.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Carriveau, Joseph has explained your situation.” He shook his head and smiled over at Crystal. “Hi, Crystal.”

“Hi, Tom.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes and Adam could see the worry had tripled since he’d pulled her from the pizzeria.

“I’m sorry, there’s not a lot we can do. If Carl was working on a file, he didn’t tell anyone else about it.”

“Is that normal?” Adam broke in.

“Well, it’s not
not
normal.” Tom chuckled.

“What about Lilly? Can you put out the word to look for her?” Adam questioned, feeling his patience slipping.

“I can have my guys keep an eye out for her, but there isn’t a lot to go on. Like, if someone saw her being shoved into a car, or if someone saw her being attacked?”

“My god!” Crystal almost screamed. “Tom, this is my daughter we’re talking about. Do something!”

He turned on her and gave her a look as if to say, ‘Calm down.’

“Don’t look at me like that. I took that girl in when she was thirteen. She’s mine.” Her eyes narrowed and her small frame seemed to grow a few more inches.

“I’ll put the word out to my cars. I’ve got a few out right now.”

“What about Carl?” Adam asked.

“Carl?” Tom walked over and looked at the board. “Carl got off duty about an hour ago.”

Adam looked over at Crystal. “Right when Lilly went missing.”

“Hey now,” Tom said, “I don’t like where you’re taking this. My guys are all—”

“Where’s his desk?” he barked out to Joseph.

“There, next to mine.” He pointed, following Adam.

“You work with the guy.” He turned when he noticed that the desk was spotless. “Anything off about him?”

“Lots.” He rolled his eyes. “The chief wouldn’t hear any of it since we were short staffed and Carl was a home-grown.”

Adam glanced over at him in question.

“Born and raised in Silver Cove,” Joseph supplied.

“What are we looking for?” Crystal asked as Adam opened the drawers. He stopped dead at the last drawer.

“What?” she asked, moving closer.

There, in the bottom drawer, was a stack of green papers. With shaky hands, Adam reached in and took the top one.

“She’s mine. Forever!”

He turned to Joseph. “Where?” he barked out.

“He lives a few miles from town.” He rushed out, Adam quickly on his heels. “I’ll drive,” he called out then stopped. “Chief, don’t put out an APB on her. He’ll be listening.”

Tom nodded his head and Adam noticed then that the old man’s face had gone a little pale. Crystal walked over and wrapped her arms around the older man trying to comfort him.

“I knew his old man. I promised to look out for him after he was gone,” he was saying as he and Joseph ran out the door.

“I trained the son of a bitch myself,” Joseph growled out as he drove through town with his lights on.

“Why would he take her?” Adam asked, a million questions in his mind.

“What did the notes say?” Joseph asked.

Adam filled him in as they hit the outskirts of the town.

“Sounds like he’s delusional. I read about it a few years back.” Joseph sighed. “Should have seen it myself. The man was always making up shit.” He slowed down near the end of a drive. “You’ll stay put until I come back for you.” He parked the car and turned off all the lights.

“Like hell I will,” he growled out and got out of the car with Joseph, who just sighed.

“Listen, we don’t know if he’s brought her here or not. If so, he’s armed with this.” He waved the gun he’d drawn. “And possibly the shotgun from his trunk.”

“Then give me one of yours,” Adam said plainly. “I’ve spent enough time at the gun range to handle either of them.”

“You’re not trained in situations like this,” Joseph started to say.

“And you are?” Adam questioned, causing the man to halt.

“Fine, but we go in together.”

“Of course.” He nodded, then walked around and took the shotgun he was handed.

“Don’t shoot. I mean it. You’re only there to back me up,” Joseph warned.

“Fine,” he said, knowing full well he would break that promise if it meant saving Lilly.

Adam followed Joseph up the long drive. The sky was full of clouds that blocked out the starlight and the light from the moon, making the trek slow and troublesome. He stumbled too many times to count and grew more frustrated as they went along.

Finally, he could see a dim light come from a small building.

“I’ve only been here once, but there’s a back door. I’ll knock on the front door, you go around to the back and don’t make a move until you hear me. Got it?” Joseph relayed.

“Sure,” he agreed, then moved around the building, keeping as low as he could. He found the back door and started to move slowly towards it, just as the bottom of the door burst open and a large black dog rushed towards him.

He braced his feet, ready for the impact that never came. Instead, the dog stopped a foot from him and sat down in the dirt. Adam watched with amazement as the dog’s tail wagged a million miles an hour, clearing the spot underneath its tail.

He could have sworn there was a grin on the dog’s face as its tongue lapped the air around him.

“Hi,” he said. He was surprised when the dog barked in reply.

“He’s not here,” Joseph called out, causing Adam to jump and spin around.

“How do you know?”

“He left the door open. I had a look inside. Roscoe,” he said, getting the attention of the dog, “where’s Carl?”

Roscoe barked and took off through the trees. “Follow him,” Joseph called out, taking off.

Adam raced after the black spot as it weaved through the darkness, afraid he’d lose the dog and Lilly forever. His breath hitched and his entire body ached as he forced himself to speed up. He lost sight of the dog only once and stopped to listen. When he heard the panting straight ahead, he sped up and almost stumbled into a clearing.

“There,” Joseph called out. “There’s a light.” He pointed to a small speck in the distance. The building was no more than a shack hanging on the side of a bluff surrounded by trees. If it hadn’t been for Roscoe racing towards it, he would have overlooked the spot.

Then, while they were watching, he saw the light grow stronger. His mind whirled as he raced towards the growing brightness. By the time he was a few feet from the door, the entire building was engulfed in flames. Joseph was close on his heels and he was reaching out his hand for the doorknob when the building shifted and he was blown backwards through the air.

The wind was knocked from his lungs and he hit a few tree branches as he flew through the air. He finally landed on the ground with a thud. Then the darkness overtook him and his mind cried out for Lilly and the future they would never have together.

***

Lilly waited and watched Carl work on making the soup on an old propane stove. She decided against trying to talk to him after the last time. She’d asked him how long it had taken to build the shack and had almost gotten slapped in response.

His moods were growing odder and she was afraid he was building up to something. He started mumbling to himself as he cooked. Every time his back was to her, she would scoot closer to the fire. If he asked, she would say she was just trying to get warmer.

She had to be a few steps in front of him. That was the only way she was going to get out of this alive.

“I’ve practiced this,” Carl said over and over again. She noticed that he had started swaying slightly.

“What?” she asked, inching towards the fire.

“This!” he barked out and turned towards her. She released her breath when he didn’t say anything about her being closer to the fire. “Us!” He set the bowl of soup on the table. “Being with a woman.” His eyes narrowed. “I told myself I had to wait for you. Forced myself to wait.” He grunted. “You’re the only one.” He moved closer to her. “The only one I’ll be with. You’re perfect. Just like I said you would be.”

He was a foot from her. She could see the bulge in his pants and felt her stomach roll. Then he stopped. “But first”—he glanced back— “food.” He nodded. “Yes, that’s how it goes. Food first, then…” His smile grew and she knew she wouldn’t be able to ever smell tomato soup again without thinking of this moment.

He turned to go back towards the table and she jumped, her legs still tied together. She hit the gas lamp, knocking it from the small table. It landed just outside the fireplace, causing Carl to spin around and jump.

Oil splattered over the wood planks, as she reached for a piece of glass that had broken. She cut her hands on it as she swiped at the rope. He rushed towards her and yanked her arms back, but he was too late. The fire had leapt from the hearth and had now engulfed the oily planks of the floor.

Her feet were still tied together, but she swiped out with the broken glass and felt the skin on his face give way to the sharpness.

He howled out in pain as blood splattered over her shirt and face. His hands dropped away from her, causing her to lose her balance and fall forward only feet away from the growing fire. She rolled away, tucking her arms as she rolled over the broken glass from the oil lamp.

When she stopped, she reached down and continued cutting her rope, only to be yanked once more from behind. This time, when she kicked out, the rope broke free from her legs and she connected with his shin. He cried out in pain. She felt the butt of his gun jamb into her ribs. Closing her eyes, she counted and waited for death as the fire lapped around them, growing stronger and stronger.

Then, the pressure of his gun disappeared and she was tossed forward. Pain shot up her arms as she connected with the panes of the window. The glass broke under her fingers, cutting her.

She heard Carl cry out and when she glanced back, noticed that the other oil lamp had burst next to him and he was completely engulfed in flames. He stopped for a moment, and his eyes traveled down to his feet where the propane tank sat, surrounded by fire. Then he looked up at her.

“Run!” he shouted just before a bright light flashed before her eyes, sending her flying out the barricaded window. She heard bones snap, felt skin break open, and smelled her hair sizzle in the flames. Then she felt nothing at all.

***

He heard the dog whimper and reached his hand out for it, only to have it come away wet. Then he was being shaken, and the pain was almost too much to bear.

“Stop.” He cursed in French. When he opened his eyes, it took a moment for his eyes to focus.

“What the hell?” Joseph knelt next to him. Then he pulled out his radio and called for help. His words were muffled as Adam tried to clear his mind. The dog crawled towards him as blood splattered from a large cut just above its shoulder.

He glanced down and assessed his own damage. He was pretty sure he’d broken a rib or two, but other than some scratches, he looked okay. Then he remembered the building and moved to rush towards it. He started calling for Lilly over and over again as the heat grew.

Joseph was trying to pull him back from the fire, but he needed to get in there, to save Lilly. Even the dog was trying to stop him from rushing towards her.

He collapsed to his knees when reality set in. No one could have survived that! His mind went numb. He’d lost her. The moment he’d waited for all his life had just been ripped out from under him. Happiness was gone. Forever.

Then the dog’s head jerked up and he whimpered. When he started crawling towards the tree line, Adam glanced around, hoping. Praying.

“Lilly!” he called out. He listened, watching the dog’s ears perk up in reply.

The dog tried to crawl towards the sound he couldn’t hear. Adam rushed towards the trees with Joseph on his heels and the dog crawling along.

He must have gone about a fifty feet when he finally heard the soft sound himself.

“Adam,” Lilly croaked out.

“Here,” he called searching the darkness for her.

Joseph appeared and handed him a flashlight. When he turned it on, he gasped. There, near the foot of a tree was Lilly, her body covered in cuts, blood flowing from almost every exposed spot of skin. Her face was pale white and her hair was matted around her, singed around the edges.

“Tell me I don’t have bangs,” she replied, moaning. “I hate bangs.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes clouded with pain. “I knew you’d come for me,” she whispered when he knelt next to her.

“Don’t move her,” Joseph called out. “Help’s on the way.” He turned away and yelled into the radio. “We need a chopper, ASAP!”

Adam felt his heart skip. “I’m here.” He brushed a strand of burned hair away from her eyes. “Don’t move.”

“Okay.” She smiled. “For you, I’d do anything,” she said, her eyes closing slowly.