Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Deception (Siren Publishing Classic) (20 page)

Isabella relaxed as she reveled in the feel of his arms around her. She had never been loved so thoroughly. She was so warm and cozy. It felt right, lying in his arms. She was safe as only he could make her. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * * *

Wyatt awoke a few hours later to find Isabella snuggled next to him. He looked at his watch and realized that they had to get going and on the road. He wanted to spend a few more hours with her lying close by his side, watching her sleep. He had never had such a heady rush go so deep down. He knew it had to end, for now anyway.

Then he surprised himself. He picked up her hand, moved it to his lips, and began kissing each and every finger. She moaned, moving closer to him. She slowly opened her eyes, and searched his eyes. He tilted her head and kissed her softly. A jolt that almost hurt went through him. He heard her gasp as she kissed him back. He felt happily shattered by her.

“Wyatt, what are we doing? I’m not sure this is right.”

“Are you sorry?”

“No, it was the best sex I’ve ever had, and we are both consenting adults. But I think last night was a onetime thing. I had a nightmare and needed to be consoled and we just got out of control. I don’t think I want it to happen again.”

He kissed her again. “Neither of us can deny we are physically attracted to each other. Let’s just see where it goes. Right now we need to get dressed and get going, we don’t have much time.” He started to get up but turned to her for one more kiss which she welcomed.

They dressed in the dark, descended the stairs and entered the garage for the next step of their journey.

Chapter 34

As she followed Wyatt into the dark garage, Isabella looked around. She paused to allow her eyes to adjust to the dark and to get acclimated to her surroundings. With only the dim light of the moon streaming through the small windows to lead the way, she couldn’t see much of anything.

When her eyes conformed to the dimness, she could see the huge garage had two double garage doors, three cars parked in those spots. At the opposite end of the garage doors was a built-in work bench with various tools lying on top, and the many large, built-in cabinets appeared to be very organized. A corkboard along the backside wall above the workbench held other tools and implements.

A dark-colored Jeep sat perpendicular to the parked cars and the garage doors. Isabella looked at the hard-top Jeep facing a side wall without a door. The Jeep looked like it could travel off-road and probably had four-wheel drive. She wondered how Wyatt intended to maneuver it out of one of the garage doors without moving any of the cars.

Wyatt threw her duffle bag in the back along with a couple of other things and got in the driver’s seat. He looked back at Isabella. “Come on, hop in.”

“How are you going to get the Jeep out?”

“I’ve got it covered. Come on, get in.”

She jumped in, shut the door behind her, and buckled her seat belt.

He turned the key and the engine began to purr, barely making a sound. He pushed a button on the visor, and the wall in front of the Jeep, the actual side wall of the garage, opened out soundlessly, lifting up just enough for the vehicle to be driven under.

Wyatt drove out of the garage and over the well-manicured yard. He pushed the button on the visor again. When Isabella looked back toward the house, she saw the exterior side wall of the garage, with shrubs attached, go down flat to the ground as if never disturbed.

Amazed, she looked at Wyatt, raising her eyebrows in question, but he raised his hand putting his finger to his mouth, indicating silence.

They continued across the yard, out along the side of the woods overgrown with trees. Not driving on a real road, it appeared to be a cut out trail in the woods. It hadn’t been maintained, so grasses and weeds had grown over the tire tracks. Wyatt handled the Jeep on the rough terrain expertly in the dark without much noise or notice.

They traveled the path—couldn’t really call it a road—in silence for about a half hour, and Isabella began to think they had been traveling in circles throughout the woods. She thought for sure she had seen this area before because many of the larger trees looked familiar.

At one point, they seemed to be out on a dirt road that hadn’t been traveled for a long time. Wyatt continued driving while she looked around. She could see farther in the distance now by the light of the moon since this area had been cleared of the taller trees.

Open farmland on both sides wasn’t tended or worked and appeared deserted along with the tumbling-down remains of a house, which probably, at one time, had been a very nice home for someone. The quiet sounds of night animals, prey and predators, foraging in the bushes and fallen trees along with the quiet hum of the Jeep were the only noises.

* * * *

Joe had been awakened to the wooden floor boards he lay on vibrating. He peeked out the window above his homemade bed. He followed the vehicle with his eyes and cursed the darkness. The moon didn’t light the area enough for him to be able to make out anything except the outline of the vehicle. He thought it held two passengers, but with the dark, tinted windows, he couldn’t be sure.

He watched until it passed out of sight, and then slowly sat back down. He wondered why someone, anyone, would be traveling on an untraveled road in the middle of the night by the fading light of the moon. He concluded it could only be because they had something or someone to hide.

He decided it would be easier to follow the tire tracks at the first light of day. It would also lessen the risk of being seen following. Having made his plans, he lay back down and slowly dozed off for a few more hours of much-needed sleep.

Chapter 35

They drove up and down and around the mountain roads behind Wyatt’s house for what seemed like hours. It was indeed much colder up in the mountains now and almost daylight. So Isabella grabbed the red fleece jacket and quickly put it on.

They soon came to a dead-end, which was a wall of overgrown brush and trees.

Isabella looked at Wyatt, about to ask, “What now?” when he reached up and pushed a button on the visor of the passenger’s side the car.

The brush wall straight ahead lifted forward, allowing Wyatt to drive the Jeep right underneath. He hit the button again and the “wall” of overgrown brush lowered to the ground behind them, without a sound, leaving behind no indication anything had changed, similar to the wall of the garage.

She couldn’t withstand the suspense any longer. “Okay, Wyatt, where are we? Tell me!”

He looked at her, then behind them, still cautious about being overheard.

“Okay, we’re almost there. My dad was a very inventive engineer, always tinkering with new ideas. He built this place as a vacation getaway, but he also wanted it to be a safe haven for his family. When you grow a large company as quickly as he did, you can make some enemies along the way.

“He was kidnapped and held for ransom about six or seven years ago. Dave and I, along with assistance from our unit, were able to apprehend the perp before anything happened, but it was a very scary and frightening experience for my family, as I’m sure you can relate. It remained a bone of contention with Dad, and he wanted a more hidden, safe, obscure home for his family if case something similar would ever happen again. So he invented the invisible garage door along with the hidden entryway into the compound, among many other similar things.

“He just never got to use them. He made the compound self-sustaining and had the entire area wired for panoramic video surveillance. We just need to turn on the generator and push a few more buttons. Over the years, I spent a lot of time up here. I can slip in and out without leaving any tracks and without being noticed. And I can contact the outside world if I choose to from up here too.”

* * * *

Isabella sat there listening, fascinated with all the planning and forethought that had gone into this project. His father had been ingenious and had lived and died before his time.

“How far are we from town?”

“Not that far at all, and with all the backtracking I did, I don’t think anyone will be able to follow us.”

“I thought we were going around in circles.” She giggled.

Wyatt chuckled softly and nodded.

They had meandered along at a slower pace while he talked. When they came around a bend in the road, pulling in front of a beautiful, stunning two-story log home, Isabella was amazed with the beauty of it all.

The sun coming up over the eastern ridge began to light up the area. The two front steps led up to a wraparound porch that had a gorgeous etched-glass double-entry front door and two-story-tall windows on each side. There were tall, angular windows above them from the top of the doors. Rockers on the front porch looked very inviting as they moved back and forth in the light breeze.

Isabella sat in astonishment. The house, hidden among the tall, overgrown trees, fit into the level spot in the terrain, as if it had been there long before the trees.

Wyatt grabbed a couple of bags from the back, opened the passenger door, and ushered her to the front door. He opened the front door, went in, and Isabella followed close behind.

She stood in the elevated foyer while she observed the two stories with an open staircase along the left-side wall. A unique wood hand rail continued up the stairs and across the center of the room, allowing for a loft upstairs. A beautiful jewel-toned tapestry hung over the railing. A window seat built into an alcove at the bottom of the stairs was covered with soft, thick, comfortable pillows.
A great place to snuggle up with a good book
.

The rich, smooth honey-colored hardwood floors led to the large stone fireplace, which took up most of the side wall opposite the staircase. A dark cognac brown leather sofa and side chairs with a four-inch leather fringe along the bottom edge gave the room a western flair, extremely soft and comfortable-looking too.

Beyond the stairs and beside the tall windows appeared a dining area with a glass-top table, which reflected the trees outside. The table legs, made of a natural light wood, matched the adjacent kitchen cabinetry. The huge natural colored granite island in an exaggerated L-shape separated the kitchen from the dining and living areas.

Isabella turned around, looking behind her. Bookcases surrounded the double windows. She glanced toward the fireplace, sunken first floor, then back toward the kitchen.

She wondered if they had any food. Did he bring any with them? And since she now felt a chill, she wondered about electricity or heat? Wyatt had mentioned a generator, and she hoped it would be enough to keep them warm.

Wyatt had gone beyond the kitchen. After a minute or so, he returned to the foyer, picked up their bags, and took them up the stairs.

While Isabella tried to grasp the beauty around her, she thought this house seemed more like Wyatt, very strong and manly yet warm and homey. She could definitely see his handiwork everywhere. She heard his footsteps on the stairs and looked up at him.

He was so handsome as he stood on the stairs. He had taken off his lightweight jacket and was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and nice-fitting jeans. His broad shoulders and narrow waist reverberated with sexy and strong masculinity. He took her breath away.

Opening his arms wide, he asked, “Well, what do you think?”

Surprised by his question, she stuttered. “It’s-it’s so majestic, yet so homey. I love it! Kind of a mix of rugged and safe, like you.”

“Thanks. That’s what I like to hear. Come on upstairs with me and let me show you around.”

She shivered and rubbed her arms.

“Are you cold? Do you want me to build a fire to take off the chill?”

She shivered again, her teeth chattering, and nodded.

Wyatt covered the distance to the huge fireplace quickly, and within moments, the warmth from a blazing fire was spreading throughout the house.

After they had warmed up, he showed her the bedroom, and the bath downstairs and the small office behind the kitchen containing the electronics and the computer “guts” to the compound’s operations. He had already turned on the generators and the computers with five monitors attached, which activated the security system. They would be notified of any trespassers within the area.

He showed her the panoramic view from the downstairs windows before they headed up the stairs where he showed her two large master suites, each with its own attached bath and huge walk-in closets. Both rooms were fully furnished with king-size beds and matching dressers.

They admired the beautiful views from the upstairs windows, walking out onto the outside deck, sitting down on chairs. The views were breathtaking.

Isabella inhaled the clean, fresh mountain air, cool and refreshing.

They went back downstairs. Wyatt started coffee while Isabella warmed herself in front of the fireplace. She soon felt right at home and joined Wyatt in the kitchen. She started opening doors and drawers looking for mugs, spoons, and sugar. She was relieved to see the cabinets well stocked with food and every kitchen utensil or gadget that could be the envy of any gourmet chef.

They soon were sitting in front of the fireplace sipping coffee and eating toasted English Muffins. When they were finished, Isabella put their mugs and plates in the kitchen sink.