Naked Came The Phoenix (4 page)

She nearly did. Pausing at the base of the stairs, she listened to the sound of her own labored breathing, felt the rise of that panic fighting to gush into her throat. It wasn't just the hunger that pushed her forward now. It was the need to prove that she could take the step, that she could risk doing something foolish. And fun.

Her first reward was stepping outside. The air was crisp and fresh. She could smell the lake and the woods, and could hear the quiet breathing of the night. Overhead the sky was clear as polished glass and alive with stars.

She was alone. Wonderfully alone and alive. The thrill of that had her standing a moment, eyes closed, while the light breeze fluttered over her face and hair.

She might have been content with that, if her stomach hadn't let out a rumble. Wincing, she pressed a hand to it and looked hastily, guiltily around. However loud the sound had seemed to her, it didn't appear to have disturbed the other guests.

She noted that a light still burned in the next cottage. King David either had insomnia, she thought, or a fear of the dark. The idea that he might be awake, could look out his window and spot her, sent her moving briskly down the path.

She backtracked, reversing the route she'd taken during the moonlight walk. A part of her wanted to stroll, to detour by the lake, to revel for just a little while in this exciting sense of freedom.

She looked toward the lake and was startled to see two figures at the far curve of it. One wore a spa robe, as she did, and looked so painfully thin Caroline assumed it was Ondine.

She heard a sound drift back to her over the water. Either laughter or weeping, and definitely a girl's. She couldn't be sure who it was the girl walked with, wasn't even sure if it was a man or a woman, though it seemed to her the shadow of shape was male. Then it occurred to her that if she stood there staring long enough to make out the identities, they were very likely to turn around and spot her.

The goal was to get into the kitchen, grab enough to sustain life until breakfast, and get back to the privacy of her room. Without getting caught.

She got moving.

Though most of the cottages she passed were dark, she noticed other lights here and there. Had she left the one burning beside her bed? She thought she had. Maybe when she got to the kitchen, she'd find all the other guests inside, wild-eyed and foraging.

The image amused her so much she began to chuckle as she passed the bathhouse. Tomorrow, she thought, she was going to make good use of those facilities. A long swim, a leisurely whirlpool. And that mud bath that seemed so decadent and fascinating.

She supposed Claudia kept it triple-locked so guests wouldn't be tempted to dive in after hours.

Which, Caroline thought, would be wonderfully exciting. Maybe if she got away with tonight's breaking and entering, she'd try her luck with the bathhouse.

She was becoming a real wild woman.

She stopped dead when she reached the doors of the main hall. What, the wild woman thought, if they were set to alarms? What if she tried to open the door, and sirens screamed, lights flashed, and the staff came bursting out of the night with guns? And snarling dogs.

She'd come this far, she thought, rubbing her suddenly damp palms on her robe. She wasn't going back without doing her best to get food.

Holding her breath, shoulders braced for attack, she pulled the door open.

Silence.

Of course, she thought as she crept inside, there could be a silent alarm. Even now police officers in two states were being deployed. She'd be arrested with a bowl of carrot pasta in her trembling hands. The media would salivate.

The evening news would carry pictures of her being dragged off, handcuffed, with a dab of low-fat sauce on her chin.

But at least her stomach would be happy. She smiled to herself.

She tiptoed through the dining hall, heading for the doors where the wait staff had slipped in and out during dinner. Gathering her courage, she groped for the light switch, then blinked as the overheads flashed on.

Everything was blindingly white and silver. Gleaming acres of white counters, sparkling seas of chrome. She made the dash to the enormous subzero refrigerator, yanked open the door. Then nearly wept with joy.

It might have been health food, but it was food. And there was plenty of it. She snatched a bunch of gorgeous green grapes, snagged a small block of nondairy product masquerading as cheese, a carton of low-fat yogurt. Dumping them on the counter, she popped grapes into her mouth while she searched the cupboards.

Fat-free crackers, whole-wheat bread sticks. She stuffed some in her robe pockets for the stash she intended to build in her room.

Fifteen minutes later, she let out an enormous sigh. The hole in her belly was filled. Drunk with power, she selected a few more nonperishables, weighing down her pockets. When she was satisfied, she cleaned the counter, washed the utensils she'd used, and meticulously replaced them precisely as she'd found them. She hunted up crumbs and buried all evidence of her raid in the trash.

At the door, she scanned the kitchen one last time. The perfect crime, she decided. Maybe she had a talent for petty larceny. She switched off the light, then hastily switched it back on and used the sleeve of her robe to wipe down the plate. No point leaving fingerprints.

By the time she was outside again, she was euphoric. Not once during the actual deed had she panicked. She'd been cool-headed, focused, skilled, and successful.

She had the full stomach and bulging pockets to prove it.

She was so proud of her triumph that she didn't hear the voices until it was nearly too late. Instant and full-blown panic froze her to the spot. Self-preservation, a stronger instinct than she'd realized, uprooted her and had her bolting off the path and all but diving into the perfectly trimmed shrubbery.

"Do you think that matters to me?"

Recognizing Claudia's voice, Caroline tried to sink into the ground behind the weeping yews. The idea of being caught crouched behind a shrub, pockets crammed with pilfered food, had her covering her mouth with her hands to quell a burst of laughter.

"Do you honestly think that's going to make a difference as to what I do and how I do it?" The laughter that followed the statement was scalpel sharp, the kind that flayed to the bone. No longer amused, Caroline stopped breathing and willed Claudia and her companion to move away.

Had it been Claudia with Ondine down at the lake? What the hell were they doing out at nearly three in the morning? Which, of course, was exactly what Claudia would ask her, if she was discovered squatting in the evergreens.

"I've given you all I can, for as long as I can." The second voice was no more than a whisper, harsh but colored with a great deal of passion.

Caroline strained to identify the speaker but couldn't be sure if it was a man or woman. Her curiosity piqued, she tried to shift, just a little. But even the slight movement caused the bushes-and the stolen goods in her pockets-to rustle.

"You'll find more, and for as long as I say." Claudia didn't bother to keep her voice down, so it rang out. Clear and vicious. "Really, darling, you can't afford not to. And we both know it. So let's not play this game anymore."

"If you keep pushing me-"

"What?" There was challenge in the single word Claudia spat out. Challenge, Caroline thought uneasily, and a great deal of ugly amusement. "You'd best remember who's in charge here. Our relationship remains as it is. You should relax. Temper and stress are death on the system and begin to show, all too soon, on the face. I suggest some meditation and a nice aromatherapy massage. I'll put them on your schedule for tomorrow."

"Bitch." It was no more than a hiss. "I could kill you."

"So you've said before. Really." Claudia let out a heavy sigh as the footsteps passed just on the other side of the bushes. "Redundancy is so tedious. I have things to do.
Ciao
, darling. Sleep well."

"At least give me more time."

"I already have." Claudia's voice faded as she moved down the bricked path. "Time's up."

Caroline listened to the footsteps recede. Nasty business, she thought. Nasty,
personal
business she wished she hadn't overheard. She didn't know what Claudia was talking about, but it had sounded uncomfortably like blackmail of some kind. She gave a little shudder and wondered if there would have been more than a little embarrassment to face if either Claudia or her companion had discovered her eavesdropping.

Cautious, she stayed exactly where she was, counted slowly to twenty, then eased to her feet. She could see no one and let out a long breath of relief. They'd obviously rounded the curve to the bathhouse.

Which was, of course, exactly the path she needed to take to get back to her cottage. She'd have to detour, then, go around the back of that facility and make a dash for her own front door.

With one eye on the path, Caroline bolted to the left, swung into one of the manicured garden areas. Mums were a blaze of color in the shadowy light, and red salvia speared up with its blood-red blooms. She caught a scent in the air.

Flowers and… other. Tobacco, she thought. Someone had passed this way not long before and had been smoking.

Wasn't anyone tucked into bed where he or she belonged?

Praying she'd picked the right direction, and that whoever else was awake and about in the night had chosen another one, she hurried along the meandering path.

She heard a door slam, sharp as a gun shot, and had to lean over and put her head between her knees to get the blood back in her own head.

Now panic came as a giggle that wanted to bubble and burst out of her throat. She tried to swallow it, told herself firmly it was inappropriate, even dangerous. But it trickled out of her as she fled, her rich brown hair flying, her robe flapping cheerfully around her legs.

The bathhouse stood, a majestic shadow under starry skies. She heard nothing from it, saw no figures as she streaked to her front door. She slipped inside, then peeked out through the crack.

King's light was still on, a single beacon in the dark. Hers, she thought, was going out. As soon as she hid her stash.

As she climbed the stairs toward her room, she was grinning.

All in all, it had been one of the most exciting hours of her life.

Her mother's voice sliced through her sleep like a laser. Caroline groped for the duvet, was about to drag it over her head, when Hilda tugged it away.

"No, you don't, lazybones. This is our first full day at the spa. We don't want to waste it sleeping."

"I'm not wasting it. I'm wallowing in it. Go away, Mom."

"Up! Up and out. We're going for a walk. I signed us up for a sunrise stretch class. Didn't I tell you?"

"No. If you'd told me, I'd have killed you."

Hilda let out a bright laugh-reason enough for murder-and patted Caroline's head. "Douglas is paying good money for us to be here, Caroline. We're going to make sure he gets his money's worth."

That was exactly the right weapon out of her mother's considerable arsenal. Heavy eyed, Caroline sat up. Her little nighttime adventure had cost her nearly two hours' sleep. If she was foggy and out of sorts this morning, she had no one to blame but herself.

She focused on her mother's face, then angled her head in consideration. Hilda might have been in full makeup, her hair ruthlessly styled, but the softening Caroline had noticed the night before was still there. "You look rested."

"I am. I'd say that crying jag last night did me a lot of good. Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're here with me. I-no," she said and shook her head briskly. "I'm not going to start that again. No tears today. We're in this fabulous place, and we're going to have a wonderful time."

Because there was something almost desperate in the declaration, Caroline got quickly out of bed. "You're absolutely right. We're going to get oiled and polished and pampered and stretched. We're going home new women."

"And thinner ones. Caroline, if I don't eat soon, I'm going to
die
."

"Well…" Fighting to keep her face composed, Caroline opened her lingerie drawer and slid her hand under a neat stack of bras and panties. "Want a bread stick?"

Hilda gaped, blinked, then grabbed the treasure her daughter offered. "How did you get this?"

"Don't ask." Caroline waved her away. "Go, enjoy. I'll toss on my exercise gear, pack up my bathing suit, and be ready to stretch in five minutes." She was already pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "I want a long swim, too-and a look at the much-lauded mud baths."

True to her word, Caroline came down the stairs five minutes later. Only to find her mother back in her room engaged in a bitter self-debate over which bathing suit to take.

"Presentation is vital," Hilda explained after the royal blue tank scattered with red poppies had been selected. "Everyone here is
somebody
. Even my daughter," she added, hooking an arm through Caroline's. Hilda wore hot pink designer sweats. Caroline wore faded and baggy gray. "I want to create the right impression. I mean, honestly, sweetheart, did you see that psychic creature's outfit last night? Horrid. I don't want to end up like that."

"Not a chance. You're beautiful, Mom. You've always been beautiful."

"I've always needed to be. And what's wrong with that?" She laughed, threw back her head. The mountains were jewels of colors in the pink dawn light. The day was just beginning. "You were always beautiful. A beautiful baby, beautiful child, beautiful woman. But you never needed it. Maybe it was because you had your music."

"I never felt beautiful." She hadn't meant to say it. Wasn't sure why she had. And would have shrugged it off if her mother hadn't stopped, turned.