THE CRADLE CONSPIRACY (6 page)

Blood and brains splattered on the wall of his father’s bedroom. His sisters’ screams when they’d followed him into that death room.

He shook his head to dispel the memories. No time for the past.

With a quick tug he opened the door of the truck. “Well?”

He half expected Trouble to skedaddle, but the dog surprised him yet again. He jumped into the vehicle and sat on the passenger seat.

“So you hate cop cars and uniforms, do you, but not trucks? I can’t say that I blame you. Just takes one psycho in uniform to sour the taste.”

Daniel put the truck into gear and exited the hospital parking lot. Trouble stuck his head out the window, letting the wind blow through his reddish hair, with that crazy dog smile on his face. The trip didn’t last long, though. Within a few minutes, Daniel had traveled from one end of the small town to the other.

He pulled inside the parking lot of the Copper Mine Motel. The place should have been a dump, but a fresh coat of paint brightened it up, and two iron kettles of pansies lined each side of the screen door entrance, giving it a vintage and welcoming vibe.

Daniel pressed the buzzer.

A curtain pushed aside. A tiny woman with scraggly gray hair and piercing blue eyes peeped through the gap. “You Daniel Adams?”

“Don’t be asking him his name, Lucy. How many times have I told you, you give away too much? What if it’s a bad guy?”

She pouted, then shrugged. “How many visitors we get at the crack of dawn? Besides, I can spot a bad guy a mile away. Quit babying me, big brother. You’re not my keeper.”

A large barrel-chested man opened the door. His brown hair was wild, but his beard well kempt. Tattoos covered his arms. A steel loop pierced his lip.

Incongruously, oven mitts encased his hands, and he held a fresh-baked pan of chocolate chip cookies. “Sorry for the delay. Had to get these out of the oven.”

So not a picture Daniel had expected. The cookies should belong to his sister. This guy should be greased up, taking a wrench to a Harley. “You’re Hondo?”

“You got it. This is my place.”

His sister cleared her throat and glared at him.

“Yeah, well, Lucy here got it in a settlement from her lyin’, cheatin’ ex-husband.” He glanced at his sister. “But I’m the one who keeps the place from falling down around your feet. Isn’t that right, little sister?”

“Just don’t you forget who’s in charge,” she huffed. “I’m going to watch wrestling.”

“Keep the volume down,” he commented with a smile in his eyes. He turned back to Daniel. “She’s far too trusting. I hear you need a room.”

“For a while.”

“I also hear you prefer no record that you’re staying here,” he said with a scowl. “I don’t want no problems. I see any funny business goin’ on, I won’t hesitate to call the sheriff. I’m only lettin’ you stay ’cause he vouched for you.”

“Agreed.” Daniel pulled out his wallet.

Hondo raised his hand. “Sheriff took care of one week’s rent. We’ll talk after that if we’re both still interested.”

Daniel studied the man in front of him. He didn’t see deception behind Hondo’s eyes. “That’s fair.” He shoved his billfold back into his pocket. “One week.”

“Good.” Hondo smiled and held out the baking sheet. “Cookie?”

* * *

R
AVEN
PEERED
THROUGH
the pickup’s window at a succession of mom-and-pop shops down Trouble’s main drag and clutched the hospital blanket tighter around her. The big stores hadn’t invaded yet. A few doorways had been blockaded, but for the most part, this little Texas town looked to be doing all right. Better than she was, certainly.

She shivered, then huddled against the truck’s worn seats. Despite the temperatures in the seventies outside, she couldn’t stop the chills from skittering down her arms. She clutched at Trouble’s fur. His big brown eyes peered up at her from his spot on the floorboard. The dog could very well be the only reason her legs had stayed warm. He didn’t want to move away from her. She appreciated the loyalty.

“I can’t believe he’s letting you pet him like that,” Daniel muttered.

Raven scratched Trouble’s floppy ears. “I like dogs. And he’s well trained. A service dog, do you think?”

“Maybe,” Daniel said. “He didn’t have any tags, and he doesn’t act like a K-9, but I gotta wonder if he might be search and rescue after watching him find you in that mine. He wouldn’t stop until I dug you out.”

She lifted Trouble’s chin. “So, boy, you’re a smart one, aren’t you? You saved my life.” The animal tilted his head into her touch, and she fondled his soft ears and bent down. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Daniel pulled the truck into the parking lot of a motel and turned off the keys. “This place should be safer than the hospital.”

She peered at the newly polished sign.
Copper Mine Motel.
Her fingers explored the bruises on her throat that the attacker had made. “I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried.”

After Daniel turned off the engine, he twisted in his seat, his gaze intense, his expression unrelenting. “Even if your attacker finds us, there’s only one entrance. He’ll have to go through me and Trouble to get at you. We won’t let that happen.” He touched her arm lightly. “I promise you that.”

His words made her want to believe, to put herself into his hands. She couldn’t do this alone. If she’d been totally alone throughout this whole ordeal, she would be dead right now. Of that she had no doubt. She nodded at Daniel, regretting the action the moment her chin bobbed down. She could almost feel her brain banging against her skull. Even though the pain meds had taken the edge off, she could still sense every small movement from her neck up.

She winced, and he must have caught it.

“You’re hurting again,” Daniel said. He opened the door and stepped outside. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

He walked a few feet across the porch and knocked on the side jamb. A huge, scary-looking man stood in the doorway. Raven tensed, her gut winding in a knot. Trouble whimpered and laid his head in her lap. She gripped his fur and reached toward the door. She didn’t have a plan, but she couldn’t let Daniel fight the big man alone. If nothing else, she could be a distraction.

Then the mountain smiled, tilted back his head and chuckled. He slapped Daniel across the back and disappeared inside.

Daniel looked toward her and offered her a reassuring nod. He scanned the surroundings, and she knew he kept watch for her. Raven sagged in the seat and leaned her head against the soft back, uncertain why she’d been expecting an attack. The bright blue of the morning sky didn’t appear real. Nothing did. Gingerly she ran her finger along the bandage still covering the cut on her head. She pressed gently against the injury. A sharp stab of pain needled her temple.

At least the pain proved this wasn’t some crazy dream.

She was real. The locket was real. She snapped opened the catch. Was the baby real, too?

Searching for something to ground her, she let her gaze wander, looking for anything familiar. She could identify the steering wheel; she recognized the windmill looming above the motel. Her gaze swept the motel sign again. Copper.

The symbol for the element was
Cu.

Her heart fluttered. She looked around. Where had
that
come from?

The wrought iron windmill. Iron,
Fe.

She clutched her locket. Gold,
Au.

Her head ached, but an almost desperate excitement rose within her. She
knew
this information. The knowledge was second nature. She could identify the elements clearly, easily. Was she a chemistry teacher? A scientist?

She glanced at the cantina across the road. Drinking alcohol, ethyl alcohol or ethyl hydroxide.
EtOH.
Flash point: pure EtOH caught fire at just under seventeen degrees centigrade.

She grabbed Trouble’s fur. “I remember something from before.”

Daniel opened her door. “We’re in room number six,” he said.

She barely heard him, digging her fingers into his arm. “I know the periodic table of the elements. I know chemicals. Benzene. C6H6. An organic chemical compound. A natural constituent of crude oil. It has a sweet smell.” Her body shook. “It’s like breathing air. I know it the same way I know Trouble is a dog, and you’re a man, and that knob turns on the radio.”

She smiled up at him. “My head hurts like the devil, but I know my chemistry.”

“Chemistry,” Daniel muttered. “It’s a good start.” He slid his hands under her and swept her into his arms, then glanced around. “You can tell me all about it once we’re inside.”

“I’m too heavy,” she protested.

“I carried you a couple miles down that highway,” he said, tightening his grip. “I’m getting used to the feel of you in my arms.”

Daniel balanced her against his chest, and she couldn’t help feeling small against his broad shoulders. He was a bit lean for his build, as if he hadn’t eaten right, but every sinew of muscle oozed strength.

With a quick turn of an old key, he pushed into the motel room. Trouble bounded in ahead of them, checking out the place, his nose against the carpet.

Daniel’s arms tightened around her as if he didn’t want to let her go. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and suddenly the sheer joy of knowledge transformed into something else. His eyes grew dark, a flicker of green sparking in the hazel depths. Her breath caught. She was hurt, dusty and so not-sexy, but she couldn’t help but lean into him. In the uncertainty of her current existence, he had become a constant.

Her hands flattened on his strong shoulders. His fingers moved along her back, and a flash of awareness tingled through her. Her lungs tightened, and her mouth went dry. She wet her lower lip, and his chest rumbled against hers.

Sparks she recognized ignited between them, and she squirmed.

In two steps Daniel laid her on the regular-sized bed taking over the room. His movements gentle, he placed a pillow behind her back.

She looked to the other side of the mattress, clutching the simple quilt with her fingertips. Not much room. If he wanted to sleep in the bed with her, they couldn’t help touching each other. Her gaze lifted to his, and she bit her lip.

The heat in Daniel’s gaze dimmed, and he took in a shuddering breath, as if fighting for control. He doused the fire burning between them and took a step back. “Sorry. They didn’t have a room with two beds available.” Daniel placed his hand on her arm, his touch reigniting that shiver of awareness she couldn’t deny. She may not know her name, but she knew the electricity sparking between them didn’t happen often.

He snatched his hand back from her arm. “We need to lay down some ground rules. You don’t answer the phone or the door. You don’t stand by the windows. You let me enter first wherever we go. Got it?”

“But—”

“It’s not negotiable, darlin’. You sleep here, as far away from the door as possible while I’m keeping watch by the window. You don’t have to be afraid.” His face took on a somber expression, and he trailed his finger down her cheek. “Not of anything or anyone.”

Including me.
He left the unspoken words in the air around them. She shouldn’t be afraid of him, and she wasn’t, but she couldn’t help but be terrified of what she already felt building between them. “I can’t let you sleep on the rug.”

“It’s near the window. I like the open air,” he said, his voice soft but certain. “So does Trouble.”

Immediately the mutt bounded up on the bed, circled twice and settled on top of Raven’s feet. His ears flattened, and he stared at Daniel with a
Who me?
expression on his face.

She bit back a small chuckle.

“Traitor.” Daniel glared at the dog with a shake of his head. “I obviously spoke too soon. He’s been hanging with me for weeks, and he wouldn’t so much as come near. To you, he’s pretty much pledged his undying devotion.”

Raven scratched Trouble’s ears.

“Guard her, Trouble. I’ll get our stuff from the truck.” He disappeared out the motel room door.

She watched him leave and glanced down at the dog next to her. “Am I fooling myself, boy? Is he really the man he seems to be?”

She wished the animal could answer. Instead, she scanned the small room that would be her home until she remembered her own address. This place had to have been built in the fifties, but the pristine white tile of the bathroom looked new.

What little energy she’d saved had seeped out of her. Her eyelids wanted to close, but she couldn’t stand lying down without a shower. She wanted nothing more than to wash the grime off her body, not to mention the blood out of her hair.

Determined to get clean, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and set her feet on the ground.

Daniel came in with his duffel and a grocery sack. “Whoa there. What do you think you’re doing?”

“I need a shower.” She stood, the back of her knees against the bed.

“Well, it’s your lucky day, darlin’. The nurses gathered up a few things for you,” he said, lifting the small plastic bag. “Tomorrow I’ll try to get you some more clothes. The thing about small towns, there’s not always 24/7 retail shopping.”

“I don’t have any money,” she said slowly.

“Don’t worry about that. You can pay me back when we find out—”

“You mean
if
we find out who I am,” she finished.

“We’ll figure it out.”

“No one’s come forward after the pictures on the news?” Her voice caught, and she wished it hadn’t. She didn’t like showing vulnerability.

“Not yet.”

“How can I just disappear without anyone caring?” She couldn’t bear to look at him so she opened the bag and shuffled through the items. Soap, a razor, lotion. Shampoo. She froze. Baby shampoo. She stared at the small bottle for a moment. Compelled, she twisted the cap and took a small sniff. Her head spun a bit, and she sat down quickly.

“Dizzy? Nauseous?” Daniel slipped his phone from his pocket. “I’m calling the doctor.”

“It’s not that. It’s the baby shampoo.” She held it up. “I smelled baby lotion in the mine and reacted the same way.” Her eyes burned. “It’s familiar, Daniel, and my heart feels
so
empty.” She looked at the locket. “I know I have a child out there. Somewhere. Needing me.”