Ellie pulled the dessert out of the oven, then took in a deep breath of chocolate. There was something therapeutic about time in the kitchen. She’d insisted on making dinner for the four of them as a celebration. They might not have found Arias, but Arias’s enforcer had been arrested and had confirmed that the hit on her had been called off. Which meant for the first time in months she felt free. No more running. No more security. But the long hours of interviews with the authorities had left her both emotionally and physically exhausted. They all needed a change of pace, and a home-cooked meal seemed like a good place to start.
“Ellie...” Her aunt walked into the kitchen wearing a colorful red-and-yellow tunic and black pants. “I don’t know what you’re making, but it smells delicious.”
“Pork loin with a cherry balsamic glaze, homemade yeast rolls and, for dessert, a peanut-butter-chocolate pie I just took out of the oven.”
“That,” Audrey said, standing over the stove, where the pie was now cooling, “looks amazing.”
Ellie wiped her hands against her apron. “I’m just doing some prep work for now, but I offered to make dinner to celebrate the good news.”
“Not having a hit out on you is definitely good news.”
Ellie smiled, feeling better than she had in a long time. “I also just heard that they made another arrest. An aide who works for the DA. They’re questioning him as we speak, and believe he’ll lead them to Arias. Take a bite of the glaze and tell me what you think.”
She grabbed a clean spoon from the drawer, then handed it to her aunt.
Audrey took a spoonful. “Wow...this is delicious. Your father used to brag about what a great cook you were. I remember that Thanksgiving I spent the day with the three of you. I wish now I’d done that more often. You were in charge of the pies, and they were the best I’d ever had. If you weren’t such a fantastic artist, I’d suggest you open up a restaurant.”
Ellie laughed as Audrey handed her the spoon back. “I’m not sure about that. For me I just enjoy the whole creative process of cooking and baking. I didn’t have a lot of chances to cook while I was in Brazil.”
She dropped the spoon into the sink as another memory flashed at the forefront of Ellie’s mind.
“Ellie?”
“I was going to make Dad dinner the night he died. Italian was always one of his favorites. He’d been so stressed over work, I’d thought he could use a home-cooked meal. Thought I could talk with him about what was happening with the case he was working on. He always tried to shelter me from his work.”
She hadn’t been able to talk to him that night. Instead, she’d found him. Dead.
Audrey squeezed Ellie’s hand. “How are you doing with everything that has happened? I know this has been so difficult.”
“I’m ready to go home. See my friends and my dog. Find a way to put all of this behind me.”
If that was even possible.
“I learned that the doctor who helped us will be spending the next few months with his daughter back in Georgia until things settle down, but thankfully he’s okay.”
“And the young Brazilian man who helped you?” her aunt asked.
“Ryan’s dad has offered to pay for him to go to university. And while he’s gone, they’re discussing a small business loan project that would help the women in the community start a business, including Diego’s mother.”
“And Ryan? How does he fit into all of this?”
“Ryan?” Ellie’s brow rose. “He doesn’t. He’s a saturation diver who loves to take risks and leads this adventurous life. I’m an illustrator who prefers to watch romantic comedies on cable. That’s not exactly an adrenaline rush. Trust me. He’d get bored with me.”
“You’re hardly boring, and besides, you seem awfully quick to dismiss any feelings toward him.”
She frowned. “For one, there are no feelings to dismiss, and even if there were, it doesn’t matter. I have no desire to fall for someone who spends half his time working under the ocean.”
“What if you’ve already fallen for him?”
“I haven’t, but even if I fell for him... We were dealing with a life-and-death situation in the Amazon, but anything that might have grown between us isn’t real. Not outside that bubble.”
“Why not?”
“Because our emotions were running high. Nothing was normal. That’s not life. And regular life and the two of us... Like I said, I don’t see anything ever working between us.”
Because no matter what she might feel for Ryan, it really didn’t matter. As soon as Arias was captured, she’d go back to her own life again and Ryan would return to his. Which was what she wanted.
Or was it?
“He kissed me,” she said, then regretted the admission. Saying it out loud only made her question her decision to walk away. “But now that I’m safe, and he doesn’t have to worry about me anymore—”
“I don’t know if that’s true.” Audrey grabbed a yogurt from the refrigerator. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And the way you look at him.”
“You’re far too much of a romantic.”
“Maybe, but don’t throw something away too quickly. You never know when life might throw you a curveball.” Audrey pulled off the lid, then dropped it into the trash. “What happens after you leave here?”
It was a question she couldn’t quit thinking about. “I guess it’s going to be a bit like Lazarus rising from the dead, though I’m planning to return home quietly, with as little fanfare as possible.”
“That might be difficult. This is going to hit the news cycle. Local girl, daughter of high-profile, murdered judge, is found alive.”
“Hopefully, it will blow over quickly.”
All she really cared about was all of this being over. She’d go home. Start over in a new place, start working again and reconnect with friends who still thought she was dead. And do her best to put all of this—as well as Ryan—behind her.
Ellie checked the rising dough of her rolls, then caught her aunt’s gaze. There were things she needed to ask her aunt. Things that would help her as she looked for closure over her father’s death and everything that had happened over the past few months. “There is something I need to ask you.”
“Of course. Anything at all.”
“Things have been crazy since we got back with all the interviews with the FBI, and I don’t feel as if we’ve been able to talk. Just the two of us. But there is one thing I need to know. You haven’t told me yet what happened the night my father died. Why you believed I was still alive.”
Audrey pulled out a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator and set it on the large granite island before grabbing a glass from the cupboard.
“Because I saw you.”
Ellie’s hands dropped to her sides. “You told me on the phone you were there to see my father, but you never really explained why.”
“I drove into town see your father that afternoon. As you know, he was stressed about one of his cases and needed someone to talk to.”
“He could have come to me.”
“He knew that, but he was also worried about you.”
Her aunt’s answer caught Ellie off guard. “Worried about me? Why?”
“You knew there had been threats. One was toward you. He was planning to talk to you. To insist you leave town until everything blew over. But then, of course, that never happened.”
“I wish he hadn’t waited so long to talk to me. Wish he had opted for protection for himself.”
“There’s something else you need to know.” Audrey poured a glass of lemonade from the pitcher before answering her question. “Your father and I...we were seeing each other, Ellie.”
Audrey paused again as if giving her time to digest the information. And if Ellie was honest with herself, she needed it. Her mother had died over two years ago, and she knew how lonely her father had been since her death. Still, the thought of him falling for her mother’s sister surprised her. But on the other hand, they’d known each other for years, had both loved her mother...
Still.
“Romantically?” she asked.
“Yes. It started out as just phone calls. After your mother died, I’d check on him to make sure he was okay. We met a few times for lunch over the next eighteen months or so. At the time, it was never anything serious. Just two friends who’d both lost someone they loved. I never expected to fall in love again. And never with my sister’s husband. You have to realize that. But it just...happened.”
Ellie shook her head. “The only thing I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell me.”
“I wanted your father to but felt that it wasn’t my place. He was apprehensive about what you would think after losing your mom. I told him you’d understand. He’d agreed to tell you that night.”
Ellie worked to put the pieces together. Her father had told her he had something to tell her that night, but he’d never hinted that he was interested in someone. And certainly not her aunt.
Audrey held out her hand and showed her the silver ring on her right hand Ellie had noticed when she first arrived. “He gave me this. Nothing official. Yet. We were talking about a possible future between the two of us... I’m sorry. I know this is a lot for you to take in.”
“No, it’s fine, it’s just... It is a bit of a surprise. I wish he had told me. He should have known I’d have been supportive. All I ever wanted was for him to be happy.”
“I knew you would have supported us. Now looking back, I just wish I’d insisted we tell you earlier how we felt. Like I said, I just didn’t feel like it was my place.”
Ellie worked to process through the conversation. Why hadn’t her father told her? Losing her mom two years ago had felt like her world was collapsing around her. She’d watched her father struggle with the grief of being a widower, leaving her as more of a caretaker in many ways. But she’d always wanted him to find healing and happiness again. Even if that meant remarrying. Which was why she would have been completely supportive. Why hadn’t her father known that?
There was something else she couldn’t ignore as well.
“I’m sorry,” Ellie said. “In everything that happened I never stopped to think that you lost someone you loved as well—”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. And I know that your father wouldn’t have wanted me to stop searching for you. I guess that was my...gift to him. The one thing I could do. Make sure you were okay. I just had no idea everything involved.”
Ellie shoved aside the rest of her questions into a place where she could deal with them later. “What about that night? The night he died.”
“I’d driven into town that afternoon and was at his house. I was in the restroom when I heard a noise.”
“Arias’s man breaking in.”
Audrey nodded. “Everything after that...it’s still a blur. I heard shots. I’ve never been so terrified in my life. Your father told me there had been threats against him, but I guess I never thought anyone would actually hurt him.”
“Did you see the intruder?”
She pressed her hand against her mouth and shook her head. “No. Just your father lying on the floor. I ran to him and realized he was dead. Then heard the intruder and realized whoever had killed him was still in the house. I—I couldn’t find my cell phone. Knew I needed to call 911. But I heard him coming and I was so scared... I ran.”
Ellie struggled with what to say. She hadn’t realized that her aunt had been so affected by her father’s death. And she definitely understood all too well the panic of being in that house with an intruder.
“My arrival must have surprised whoever killed him,” Ellie said.
“I saw you leave the house. Knew it wasn’t possible that you’d died in that fire.”
“Why didn’t you just go to the police and tell them what happened?”
Audrey tapped her finger against the glass. “I’ve asked myself that so many times. But when I realized he was dead... I know it sounds foolish, but I panicked. There was nothing I could do for your father, and I was terrified then for my own life. Worried that they might have seen me and come after me. I couldn’t even think. I just ran out of the house and left. I ended up back at my house—seventy-five miles away—with your father’s blood all over my shirt before I really realized what I’d done. I was so scared that whoever had killed him would come after me.”
Ellie ran through the time line in her head, the memories of the night pressing against her chest. She wished she could forget the vivid pictures in her mind. “I must have shown up as you were leaving.”
“When I saw on the news that you were dead, I didn’t know what was going on. I thought maybe I’d been wrong. That I hadn’t really seen you. Or that you’d been injured. But I couldn’t stop looking for you if there was any chance that you might still be alive. But the news kept reporting that you’d died in that fire. There were coroner reports and then the funeral arrangements for both of you.”
“I owe you my life,” Ellie said. “For calling and warning me that day.”
“A part of me never gave up hope that you were still alive, no matter how crazy it sounded. Now that I know you’re okay, I just want to put all of this behind me.”
She tried to read her aunt’s expression. She looked...distracted.
Audrey took a sip of her lemonade. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Of course.”
“I know that what I’m about to say is probably going to come as a bit of a surprise, but... I’m leaving this afternoon.”
“Leaving? Today?” Ellie leaned back against the counter. “I’ve barely been here forty-eight hours. I guess—I guess I assumed you’d stay longer. But, of course, you have your own life.”
“It’s not that. It’s more that I came to see for myself that you were okay, and now that I’ve done that, I feel like it’s time to leave. Besides, you don’t need me here. You have Ryan and his father.”
“Yes, but you’re my only family left now. You spent all this time looking for me. Warned me when you found out they were after me—I owe you so much.”
“And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat, I’m just so sorry you had to go through all of this in the first place.” Her aunt pulled her into a hug. “I hope you’ll keep in touch, and if there’s ever anything...anything at all I can do for you, please just let me know. I won’t be far once you’re back home.”
“I understand, but I wish you didn’t have to go so soon.”
“I know, but I’ve been feeling so restless these past few months. Between the grief of your father and not knowing what had happened to you... But now that I know you’re safe, I need to find a way to move on with my life without him.”
“What are you going to do?”
“For now, I thought I’d go visit a longtime friend in Arizona. I haven’t seen her for several years, but her husband recently died. She’s asked me to stay with her for a few weeks.”
“And after that?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I thought I might travel a bit. Give myself some time to heal over the loss of your father. Maybe that sounds crazy.” Audrey sighed. “I know we weren’t married or had even been seeing each other for long, but I still struggle sleeping at night because of the nightmares.”
She’d struggled with her own set of nightmares.
“What time is your flight?” Ellie asked.
“Six. Which means I’ll miss your dinner.” Her aunt glanced at her watch. “I know I should have told you sooner, but I only came to see you in person and make sure you really were all right.”
“Let me at least drive you to the airport.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. You’ve got your dinner. I can call a taxi. It will be better that way. We can say goodbye here and not at the airport. It would be easier on both of us. Or at least on me.” She shot Ellie a smile. “I’ve always hated goodbyes.”
“It’s not a problem at all. I’ll arrange for a vehicle with Ryan’s dad.” Ellie pulled off the apron she’d been wearing. “The rolls need to rise and everything else will be fine until I get back. Besides, my father would never let you do that. I don’t mind at all. It’s the least I can do.”
Her aunt pulled her into another hug and nodded. “If you’re sure, I’ll go finish packing and then we can go.”
* * *
Ryan stood in one of the stalls in his father’s barn, brushing down one of the mares. He’d been back in the United States for less than forty-eight hours, and he already felt restless and confused. A month ago, he hadn’t had to worry about what he was going to do the next day. He had his job, his friends, an upcoming vacation... Then somehow Ellie had shown up in his life again, and for the first time in a long time, she’d made him question what he really wanted in life.
“I’m surprised you didn’t go to the airport with Ellie.” His father leaned against the stall’s half door. “You used to avoid working out here. Especially when Ellie came for the summer. From what I remember, you used to live to torture her.”
He shot his father a smile and continued brushing. “Maybe I should confess that like every other teenager who had a crush on a girl and didn’t know how to show it, I resorted to annoying her.”
“I always knew you liked her, even though you were too stubborn to admit it. But today, it seems more like you’re avoiding her.”
“Ellie?” Ryan took a step back. “Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. I assumed you’d have the answer to that question.”
Ryan ignored his father’s glare. “No reason, but I’m certainly not avoiding her. Her aunt’s leaving and I figured she could use some time with her.”
Maybe it was just an excuse. Normally, he didn’t hesitate facing a situation head-on. But somehow a few days in the Amazon with her had changed everything, and part of him felt like he was sixteen again with no idea how to approach her.
Maybe that wasn’t the main problem. Maybe the main problem was that he was afraid of finding out. “It doesn’t really matter anyway. As soon as the authorities give the go-ahead, she’ll be headed back home to her life. I know she’s anxious to leave.”
His father took a step forward. “I have a confession to make.”
“What’s that?”
“I had my own reasons behind sending you to Brazil. It wasn’t just to check on Ellie.”
“Then why did you send me?”
“To give you a chance to move on. You’ve mourned over Heather long enough. Ellie seemed like the perfect distraction, though I obviously had assumed you’d leave, and not end up captured by pirates.” He laughed. “Things might have ended easier if you hadn’t taken a side trip.”
“So you’re telling me this was some sort of...setup?”
“Yes, and no matter what you think, I believe it worked. I’ve seen how the two of you look at each other. It’s pathetic, actually. You’re like two lovesick puppies and neither of you will admit it.”
Ryan frowned and started brushing the mare’s mane. “Nothing’s going to happen between us. She made it pretty clear that we’re too different.”
“I definitely don’t buy that. You both have a strong faith, a clear sense of justice and an underlying strength. She’s just scared, Ryan. Think about all that she’s gone through over the past few months. All she needs is a bit of time and some courting on your part.”
Ryan chuckled inwardly at his father’s choice of words. He didn’t mind feeling like her knight coming to her rescue, but he was pretty sure she wasn’t interested in him courting her.
“I don’t think that’s what she’s looking for. Saying we’re too different doesn’t exactly sound like fear speaking. It sounds like a woman not interested. And while our trip home was good, it was nothing more than as friends.”
“Think what you want, but I don’t believe it.”
“Sorry your plan didn’t work, but just because I’ve healed over Heather, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to jump into another relationship.”
Or at least that was what he was trying to convince himself. On the plane, he’d been reminded just how much he enjoyed Ellie’s company. She was exactly the kind of woman he was looking for. Despite what she’d gone through, there still remained an underlying strength that even Arias and his men couldn’t crush. But he wasn’t ready to go there. She’d made herself very clear.
“Then when are you going to move on? Because no matter what you say, I think she’s perfect for you.”
Apparently his father was ready to go there.
“Most people set up friends on blind dates when they think they might be perfect,” Ryan said, stepping out of the stall. “They don’t send them on a mission together where they almost lose their lives.”
“But you’re both alive, aren’t you? You’ve been simply surviving for far too long. Hiding down in that underwater pod of yours so you don’t have to deal with things.”
“I like my job. It’s challenging and fulfilling. I’m heading back in two weeks.”
These were all things he didn’t want to hear. Especially from his father. But that didn’t mean they weren’t true. He’d been unable to get her out of his mind. He thought about her in the day, dreamed about her at night. And no matter what his head tried to convince him, he knew his heart wasn’t listening. But neither was he going to push her in a direction she clearly didn’t want to take. Feelings had to flow both ways.
“She’s right,” he said, stepping out of the barn and into the sunlight. “We’re different, and on top of that, my work isn’t exactly suitable for a relationship and marriage for starters.”
“Then quit your job. Sometimes love is worth changing direction.”
“Dad—”
“I get what she said, but I don’t believe it. And I believe you’ll regret letting her get away.”
He stopped in front of the barn. A memory emerged of them racing across the meadow. She’d beat him by a length, and he’d accused her of cheating. It was the same day he’d dared her to jump off the roof. He’d teased her mercilessly that summer and had deserved anything she’d managed to throw his way. But it hadn’t been because he didn’t like her, but because he had. Something he never would have admitted as a sixteen-year-old.
But today...was he really willing to take a risk at falling in love again? He glanced back toward the house. Because if he was completely honest with himself, falling in love wasn’t something he could stop. He was already there.
His phone rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. He checked the caller ID.
“Agent Thomas,” he said, “what have you got?”
A minute later, Ryan shoved his phone back in his pocket and turned to his father, still trying to process the information he’d just received. “They found the leak, but they’ve had their eyes on the wrong person. It wasn’t the aide in the DA’s office working with Arias—”
“Then who was it?”
Ryan’s head spun with the implications as he ran toward the house. “It was her aunt.”
“Her aunt? Wait a minute... Ellie just left with her aunt for the airport.” His father struggled to keep up with him as he ran up the porch steps.
“I know.” Ryan yanked open the screen door and rushed inside. “And we just called off security.”
Ryan grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter, then headed back toward the front door. “I’m going after her—”
“Ryan, you need to let the authorities and local police handle this,” his father insisted as they both went back outside.
“There’s no way I’m going to just sit here and wait to hear from them.” He punched Ellie’s number into his cell and let the phone ring. “They’ve got a team on the way to her now. I’m going to meet them there at the airport.”
The phone rang another few times, then switched to voice mail.
“Ellie, this is Ryan. Please call me when you get this. Your aunt isn’t who you think she is.”
He hung up, then pressed the key fob to unlock his car, irritated. “She put her phone on silent this morning when she was talking with the authorities and must have forgotten to turn it back on.”
“Do you know where her aunt’s going?”
“She told Ellie she was going to visit a friend, but I have a feeling that wasn’t true.”
“She’s probably headed for some nonextradition country with white beaches and stunning diving,” his father said.
“She’s meeting Arias,” Ryan said as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
His father sat down next to him and buckled his seat belt as Ryan peeled out of the long driveway. “I know you went through a lot in Brazil, and I know you’re worried, but you can’t just race after her.”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Five minutes later, they were speeding north toward Denver. Ryan gripped the steering wheel. He felt so out of control. He’d managed to help rescue her from pirates and Arias and get her out of the Amazon all in one piece. He’d thought it was over, but now... This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Ryan let out a sharp sigh as he sped around a slow truck, pushing the speed limit as much as he could. “You were right.”
“About Ellie?”
“I keep trying to ignore it, but I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her.”
“Then we better not lose her.”