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Charlie licked the tiny kitten’s face clean, continuing to amaze Tara with his dedication. The only other thing he’d ever obsessed over for more than two days was tuna.
“I think he’s in love,” said Grace from where she sat by the vast window of the great room.
Tara agreed. “Last night, he woke me up to feed her. I had the alarm set, but he beat it by about two minutes. And it’s not like she was awake or asking for food.”
“She looks better today, like she’s turned a corner.”
Was Grace distracted? Or was that coolness Tara heard in her voice? “Getting her to the vet for sub-q fluids likely saved her life. Thank you for that.”
Grace only nodded, and guilt began to nag at Tara. Working on the kitten had been her entire focus for the last couple of days and neither Grace nor Logan had made comment about her stealing the plane. And aside from getting her everything she needed for Nixie—short for Phoenix— they’d let her be and kept their distance.
Tara perched on the edge of the wingback chair across from Grace. “I guess it’s time I apologized,” she said. “And didn’t that sound whiney.” She took a breath and tried again, to do the right thing. “Grace, I’d like to apologize for taking off on you. I was treated with nothing but kindness and respect, and in return, I was selfish instead of grateful.”
Grace studied her but said nothing.
Tara squirmed in her chair. “I understand that you’re pissed at me, and I have no right to expect forgiveness, but I’m asking for it anyway because I couldn’t stand for you to not like me.”
Grace blinked.
Tara jumped up and marched to the window, then back. “I need you to forgive me, please.” Her voice cracked.
The sudden fierceness in Grace’s expression made Tara back up a step.
“For what exactly, Tara?” Grace demanded. “For looking out for yourself? For making a decision that you felt was in your own best interest? For standing up for what you believed? For waiting for an opportunity and taking advantage when it presented itself? For taking care with the aircraft and leaving it in good hands? Or maybe for making sure Charlie went with you on your walks every day, so you’d be sure to have him when you ran?”
What was it Grace wanted her to say? “Well, I was ungrateful—”
“Were you? I don’t think so.”
“Well—”
“Apologize for the inconvenience you caused, but don’t you ever apologize for having the backbone to do what needed doing, for looking after yourself and the one you love.”
Tara opened her mouth to speak but closed it again when no words came out. She perched on the edge of a chair instead. “I don’t know what to say.”
Most of the tension in Grace’s face had evaporated. “I think I’ve said enough for both of us. And I have news.”
Tara’s heart stuttered.
“We’ve decided to relocate.”
Tara had begun to grow comfortable here. “Where now?”
“There’s a lodge with a secure compound in Ontario, not far from your home. We could go there, to Paradise or back to the island. Which would you prefer?”
It was a no-brainer. “Ontario. Close to home.” To where those few days with Jake had made her world seem suddenly brighter. Maybe if all the cards fell in exactly the right places at precisely the right moments, she’d feel that kind of joy again some day.
#
The float plane circled above the property first in order to give Tara a feel for where she was, where the boundaries were, and how far it was to the nearest neighbor. There was no road access. Air was the only way in. And the only way out.
Good, she thought, she’d sleep better knowing she was safe. She lifted the lid of the plastic tote to check on Charlie and Nixie. With plenty of holes for air, it was the safest place for them, snuggled in a soft blanket. “We’re nearly there, kids,” she said. “But there’s a bit of wind and the water’s choppy, so it could get a bit bumpy. She snapped the lid in place and tightened the netting securing the tote to the seat beside her.
She stuck her fingers through the holes on the side and Charlie pressed his cool nose against her warm skin, connecting them. Moments passed quickly as they landed and taxied to the dock. Grace hopped out to secure the lines, then Logan lifted Tara’s precious cargo to the dock with him.
An aluminum cart with big fat tires was loaded with everything but the cats. Now free of the tote, Tara carried them as she followed Grace and Logan up a long winding path that ended at a series of wooden decks stacked like a huge staircase leading up to a sprawling country home. Wood and glass soared several stories and curved to follow the edge of the lake.
“The kitchen and great room separate two wings of suites. Yours to the right, ours on the left,” said Grace.
Tara wanted to ask how long they’d be there, but didn’t want them thinking she’d head over the wall again. Because she wouldn’t. “Have you heard anything more from Meyers about Brady?”
Logan parked the cart outside a set of sliding doors. “There were some bumps at his job, and the team’s keeping an eye on him in case he decides to take off. Aside from that, they’re waiting for DNA results to tie up a couple of loose ends.”
Charlie let out a low growl and Tara forced herself to loosen her grip on him. “DNA?”
Logan popped open a small hidden door to reveal a security keypad. They were soon inside, but no one had addressed her question. Were they distracted, or ignoring her on purpose? Perhaps a more direct approach was needed.
She put Charlie on the floor and asked Grace, “What is the testing about?”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “Proof that he switched the horses.”
“Oh. Well, fingers crossed then for sure.” She rubbed Nixie’s head. “I guess this girl needs a meal. I better grab their stuff.” It had been a long day flying across the country.
Logan lifted the bag off the cart. “It’s pretty heavy, and you’ve got the princess. I’ll carry it for you.”
“Thanks.” Charlie strutted at her side as she followed Logan through the long hallway to a beautiful suite done in pale orange and turquoise. “My colors,” she whispered.
“We wanted you to feel at home here.”
She wasn’t a hugger and neither was Logan, but the sudden need to touch, to acknowledge the effort they’d made for her and show her appreciation, had her placing a hand on his arm.
She swore the floor shifted under her feet when his power shot through her, or collided with hers or some damn thing, causing her heart to bump hard against her ribs.
“Sorry, you caught me off guard,” he said.
Had he been trying to access her thoughts? Did physical contact enhance his ability to hear her internal voice? “Do you have more than telepathic abilities? Are you an empath, or?”
“Sort of. Look, why don’t you get these two fed, then come and join us in the great room, okay?”
She wanted to go after him. Find out what he hadn’t said. But she couldn’t because she needed to get set up. Was responsible for the welfare of the cats, and besides, she wasn’t sure she’d like the answer she’d get if she did follow him. It was better to just suspect Logan could walk through her mind and open any door he chose. Better not to know, especially if there was nothing she could do about it.
One handed, Tara dug out the litter pan and filled it, then set Nixie down. The kitten immediately took care of business.
“What a good girl.” Tara laughed when the kitten jumped out and Charlie stepped in to cover what she’d done before relieving himself. “Such a good nanny, Charlie.”
While she took care of the cats and then showered, Tara refused to worry about things she had no control over. But when she stepped into the vast room where Grace was waiting for her, it all came rushing back. Her skin chilled in spite of the flames leaping within the enormous fireplace in the center of the room.
The spectacular view beyond the wall of glass was missing something. The plane they’d come in on was no longer tied to the dock. And Grace’s smile, an obviously forced one, made Tara long for Charlie’s comforting presence, but he’d stayed in the bedroom, watching over Nixie.
No point in waiting for whatever was to come. Might as well get it over with. “What’s going on? Where’s the plane?” Stupid of course, they’d have hidden it so she couldn’t steal it again.
Grace set a steaming mug next to the navy blue leather couch, curled herself into the corner, and reached for a cushion. “Fresh coffee in the pot and cold drinks in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever.”
Tara grabbed a bottle of water to soothe her suddenly dry throat then took a seat across from Grace. “Please, whatever it is, tell me now.”
“Thomas Brady slipped his shadow sometime between three and five this morning, eastern time. Meyers didn’t find out until we were halfway here.”
“What exactly does that mean? I get that they no longer know where he is, but was it deliberate? Did something happen? Or what?” In her gut, she knew the answer, but she needed to hear it.
Logan came in through the sliding door and settled on the sofa with Grace as she continued, “Meyers have had him under surveillance for weeks without so much as a hiccup getting past them. Last night, he picked up a woman at a bar and they went to a hotel shortly after midnight—in separate cars. The tail stayed within sight of the parking garage and saw the woman drive out at three am.”
Grace pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged, leaned her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands together. “At seven, when Thomas still hadn’t left the hotel—he usually arrives at the farm by then—the man on surveillance contacted Meyers and it was discovered that Brady had walked out the front entrance at two-forty-five.”
“He left his car behind?”
“Yes. And they’ve found no record of a taxi getting a fare at that time so there’s speculation that the woman picked him up away from the hotel.”
“Have they been able to track her down?” When Grace shook her head, Tara continued. “But they must have a record of her plates?”
“Stolen two days ago in Arkansas.”
“So he planned this.”
Logan touched Grace’s shoulder and she leaned back while he answered. “Not necessarily. His history—what’s been dug up so far—suggests he’s an opportunist, so it’s entirely possible they only met last night. The FBI and Interpol are working on the woman’s identity, running photos from hotel security cameras through their facial recognition programs. They’ll look at fingerprints taken from inside the suite as well.”
It was useless. He’d be long gone. Tara couldn’t sit still. Hopped up and began to pace. “Hotel rooms are filled with fingerprints, and security recordings are usually grainy and next to useless.”
“All of that’s true,” said Grace. “But the agencies we’re working with have the best possible equipment.”
“What if she’s a pro?” Tara stopped beside a shelf and ran her fingertips across the smooth surface of three enormous stones.
“Then we’ll have a step up right away. The local police would be able to ID her off the footage, then they’ll know how best to approach her. How to get her to roll on Brady.”
Tara knew the odds of him sharing anything important with the mystery woman were ridiculously low, but she allowed herself to hope for a moment.
Fear crept under her skin. Hope was a precursor to disaster. Or disappointment at the very least. Who knew better than she?
The silence in the room made her look over and Logan continued.
“In the meantime, we’re taking extra precautions. Not that we expect him to come this way, but because we won’t take chances with you, or your charges. Grace or I will be within shouting distance of you at all times. We have satellite communication systems connecting with Meyers, so what happened today—not getting the information until hours after the fact—won’t happen again as long as we stay here.”
“On that note,” said Grace, “the aircraft is available to us for evacuation any time we need it. Just follow the path that goes left from the deck into the trees, and you’ll find it in a slip hidden by camouflage netting so it’s not visible from above, and nearly invisible when you’re standing beside it. I’d like you to spend some time in the security and communications room—first door on the left past the kitchen—to get familiar with the property and the built-in escape routes.”
They were trusting her not to bolt. “But you don’t expect him to come here?”
“Good security involves planning for the unexpected.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“We’re staying here, until we have reason to leave,” said Grace, while Logan rubbed her shoulder. It was such a simple gesture, as though he wasn’t even thinking about what he was doing, and it made Tara’s heart hurt. That’s what love looked like. That’s what she wished she could have with Jake.