Obsidian (17 page)

In stunned silence, he bent to check Marianne’s lifeless body before straightening again. His head was down as he struggled back up the steps to where Shelby sat in the wet grass. He stood for a moment staring down at her, the line of his mouth grim and straight.

He bent down rocking on the heels of his boots and resting his arms on his knees. The stiff set of his jaw and the white scar stood out against his tanned skin.

He held out a hand to her and she took it, leaning heavily against him as she rose to her feet. She knew without a doubt at that moment, without any further words that her flash of insight had been correct. Marianne was gone.

He pulled her once again into the tight circle of his arms. His hands came to rest one at her waist pulling her tight against him, the other at the back of her neck under the heavy folds of her wet hair.

She should be crying, but somehow she just felt numb. This must be shock, her mind reasoned. But her body was like a traitor refusing to move from the security of his embrace.

She raised her face and found that Jamie’s eyes were closed. He was pale as a shudder ran through him.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her. The slate gray of his eyes mirrored the intensity swirling around them, but she saw more there in the depths. Something she hadn’t seen before.

“I’m sorry, Shelby.” And she knew he meant it.

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words were ripped from her with a blast. At first, she thought it was the wind, but within seconds she found herself pinned to the ground. The cold grass matted beneath her and Jamie’s body was heavy on top of her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. Only the sound of something ripping past them once again made her realized that it wasn’t the storm that had her in this position.

Someone was shooting at them.

This was another one of those coincidences he hated so much.

He’d have bet his last dollar that someone had known they were coming. Someone knew they were going to show up at Marianne’s. And whoever it was didn’t believe in hand-to-hand. They were going straight for the heavy artillery.

The shooting stopped. At least for the moment. He couldn’t hear anything above the wind. But if they’d bothered to shoot at them, they weren't afraid of coming up to the top of the cliff to see if they needed to finish the job.

Shelby struggled beneath him. He looked down at the top of her head. Her face was buried in the front of his jacket. He had to get her out of here.

Jamie scrambled off of her and she rolled into a crouch next to him.

“Who are they?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper. “Why are they shooting at us?”

“I wish I knew.” He slid his arms out of his jacket and threw it over her shoulders.

Shelby stared down at his chest her eyes wide and fixed. It was a moment before he realized that she was looking at the gun he’d kept in his shoulder harness. He didn’t have time to explain. He didn’t have time to explain anything at the moment and even if he did he didn’t have a clue what he’d say.

“I want you to stay low and go around to the back of the house and wait for me by the bike. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He intended to find out who was shooting at them, but first he had to get her out of harm’s way.

“But,”

“No, buts. I need you to do this Shelby. Do what I ask and wait for me by the bike.”

“What about Marianne? We can’t just leave her there. I can’t just let her stay there.” She started to stand and Jamie grabbed the back of the leather jacket pulling her back down.

“We don’t have any choice, Shelby. We’ll let someone know to come back for her, but right now we need to get you to safety.” He gave her a push toward the direction of the back of the house. “Go! I’ll be right behind you.”

She scrambled off before disappearing behind the house. She should be safe by the bike. Whoever had shot at them was still close by the shoreline. The only way up the steep embankment was by the granite walkway. This meant that he should be able to see them coming.

Crawling on his stomach, he got as close as he dared to the edge of the lawn before raising himself up until he could see. The water was whipping up, crashing with force against the rocks, while white caps filled the inlet.

Two figures were picking their way across the ledges, staying close to the ground. The graying light was not enough for him to get a good look at them, but at least he could be sure that they would be far enough behind them that they could get a lead.

He was just about to turn away when he caught a splash of red against the angry sea. He hoisted himself up again as much as he dared, but the wind and rain and trees along the water edge were obscuring his view. It was a boat, but who would be crazy enough to be out on the water in a brewing hurricane.

A yell pierced through the wind’s howl as they had spotted him. He scrambled backward half-crouching as he ran to catch up with Shelby.

She whirled around as he sprinted the last few feet to the bike, his feet slipping on the gravel that had turned to mud in the unpaved driveway.

He grabbed the helmet from the back of the bike and stuck it out in a wordless offering.

She stared at the helmet as though she’d never seen it. Her eyes were open wide, her gaze haunting and hollow as the rain continued pouring down upon her. Her hair hung in wet rivulets about her pale face. She was beginning to show signs of shock and he didn’t have time to do a damn thing about it.

“Take it!” He shouted against the roar of the rain and wind, but she still didn’t move. “I said take it, you little fool.” He stepped toward her, pushing the helmet onto her head and clasping it beneath her trembling chin.

He straddled the bike and then pulled her on behind him. It could have been worse. She could be hysterical. He slipped the key in and turned over the engine, throttling the gas.

If they hadn’t discovered that they’d left, they would once they heard the sound of the engine. He could only hope and pray that they were far enough ahead to get a good distance between them.

Too bad he wasn’t a man who prayed.

The wind whipped past them in a slash of stinging pellets. Each drop became a sharp pain, stinging her hands and face. Her jeans molded against her legs, stiffening the heavy fabric until she fought to bend with his body as he leaned into a curve.

She buried her head against the solid width of his shoulders. Her fingers splayed across the tense muscles running up his side. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the panic that was sitting solid like a rock in her stomach. The ringing in her ears rose against the thunderous noise of the bike’s engine and her fingers tightened, gripping his sides as hard as she could to fight her rising fear.

Marianne was gone and her brother had disappeared. Neither of them deserved to have this happen to them. And now, someone was after them. Somehow her life had turned upside down and she didn’t have a clue how to fix it.

Never had she imagined that she’d end up racing through the night on the back of a motorcycle through a hurricane. Or, that she’d trust her life to a man she barely knew.

Correction, she knew
nothing
about Jamie. He’d shown up like some knight in shining armor, racing to her rescue and pulling her from the edge of death. But questions still remained. How was it that the loner who’d showed up looking for nothing but a job was actually carrying around a gun? And why did he act like he was more than capable of handling dangerous situations? Only one thing was clear. He could've turned and run, but Jamie Rivard had put his own life at risk by trying to help her.

CHAPTER NINE

This was the last place he’d ever expected to be again.

Jamie locked the door behind them, setting the deadbolt with a loud click that echoed in the entryway.

“What is this place?” Her quiet words held a hint of a shiver as she stood behind him in the doorway. He could see her body outlined in the murkiness. She looked so small and defenseless, with her arms around herself beneath the generous folds of his jacket. He had to get her inside and warmed up very soon or she’d go into shock.

He ran his hand along the wall until he found the switch and flipped it. Nothing. The storm must have knocked out the power to most of the coast.

“We should be safe here. The house has an alarm that works on a battery back up system. It can run for hours without electricity.” He punched some numbers on a control pad.

He’d stashed the bike in the thick stand of trees on the road leading into the cottage and covered it with a black tarp for protection and to keep it from being noticed.

He raised a hand, sweeping back a strand of wet hair that hung in tangles about her stark, white face.

“Should we be in here?” Her voice was shaky.

“It’s okay. I know the owners.” He fumbled through the drawer of the cabinet by the door and pulled out a candle and a lighter. The small flame swept through the blackness, leaving the corners in the shadows. The room was paneled with painted beaded board, with a bench built along one wall. Jamie took her cold hand in his and led her through the doorway to a large room, using the candle to light the way.

She shivered under the heavy wet material of his jacket. Slipping the candle into a vase that was set on a side table, he reached out to touch her hand. Her fingers were fragile icicles against his cold palm. She pulled her hand from his and clutched tighter at the zippered front of the leather coat. Her reactions were slow and muddled.

Shelby's eyes were large shadowy pools against her stark white face. Jamie pulled her closer to him. The wet leather of his coat gave off an earthy scent as he unzipped the jacket and slid it from her shoulders. The slashing rain had permeated the lining and clung to her. He let the coat fall to the floor as her body swayed against him.

“Marianne is gone.” She let out a soft cry as tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks. When he reached a hand up to brush away the tears, she closed her eyes, leaning her face against his hand. All the emotions, all the fear and all the loss was too much for her to keep inside any longer.

He needed to keep her safe.

Jamie pulled the dust cover off a nearby chair and guided her into it. He used the drop cloth to cover her up, tucking it around her shaking form. The fabric was thin, but it would help to give her back some much-needed warmth until he could find another way of supplying it. He looked around at the dark room. Right now he needed to investigate. From what he could tell they were alone, but he couldn’t be sure until he checked it out for himself.

“Shelby, I need you to stay right here. Don’t move unless I tell you it's safe.”

She shook her head. “So pushy,” she managed through clenched, chattering teeth.

“Just remember that and stay put. You’ll be okay here. I just need to go make sure that the doors and windows are secure.”

She nodded.

He picked his way through the maze of covered furniture and checked all of the windows along the front of the house. On a sunny day, the view outside the windows was breathtaking. Tonight, the darkness outside held more mystery and danger than he really wanted to contemplate.

Convinced that the doors and windows were secure, he made his way toward the back of the house. The kitchen at Ledgeview was massive and old fashioned. Plain, tall cabinets reached to the full height of the ten-foot tin ceilings and his shoes squeaked on the linoleum tile as he checked the windows and the back door. All were secure. The only thing left to check was the second floor, but someone would have to be an idiot to try and scale the height with all the wind the storm was generating.

Outside the sound of the shutters rattling clattered like stones against the glass. The storm was picking up in intensity. They’d gotten to Ledgeview just in time. A few more minutes out in the storm and they wouldn’t have been able to control the bike on the slick roads.

He fumbled his way through the kitchen, guiding himself by memory. The only light was the occasional illumination from the lightning flashing outside.

Just off the kitchen was a small shed. He unlocked the door and made his way down the two steps that took him to the bare concrete floor. It wasn’t much, just an uninsulated space used for storing garden tools and the lawn mower. The stale sweet scent of old dirt and dampness wafted to him as he made his way through the room. In the corner, he uncovered a stack of dry wood. The rotted and crumbling pieces fell apart when he tried to lift them, but it was enough to get a fire going so they could warm up. The coarse wood pricked his cold fingers. What he wanted right now, more than anything, was a hot shower but that wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

He gathered an armload of the firewood, piling some of the bigger pieces together until he’d enough for a fire and then made his way back to the living room. Shelby had cast off her wet sneakers and socks and pulled her feet up under the blanket. She shivered, a ripple passing through her before she snuggled further into the flimsy fabric.

“I found some wood. I’ll have a fire going in no time.”

She nodded at him. Her wide eyes followed his movements as he set about laying the fire. He pulled some old newspaper out of a nearby box and stuffed it between the old logs, touching the flame of the lighter to the logs as the dry wood explode with the heat.