Sabotaged (13 page)

She stepped from his hold and nausea swirled inside. “My mom couldn't handle it. She listened and then asked if I wanted a slice of cake.”

“What?”

She shrugged. “That's Mom's way of dealing with ugly stuff in life.”

“Eating cake?”

“Ignoring it.”

“And your dad?”

“He said it sounded complicated. I'd gone to the party with William. We'd been drinking . . . If I made a fuss about
it, reputations could be ruined. So I needed to be really clear on what happened before I ruined reputations.”

“Meaning William's?” Reef asked in outrage.

“Actually, I think he meant mine, or at least I hope that's what he meant.”

“But still . . .”

“He was worried if I took it to court, I wouldn't win. People saw us drinking and being friendly at the party; they saw us leaving together being pretty chummy . . . I knew it didn't look good.”

“So what? That's not what matters.
You
matter.”

“My dad said I'd have tarnished my reputation and maybe gained nothing from it.”

“Oh, Kirra. I'm so sorry.” A mix of indignation and heartache welled in his expression.

“Uncle Frank, on the other hand, offered to kill William.”

“And Meg?”

She offered a sad smile. “She felt horrible about it all because she was supposed to be with me that weekend and she'd bailed last minute.”

“If she'd been with you . . .”

“I would never have been alone with William.”

He paled. “Wait a minute . . . earlier you referenced the weekend Meg and I were in B.C. as
that
weekend.” He swallowed, pain etched across his face. “That wasn't the weekend William . . . ?”

She nodded.

“Oh, honey. I'm so sorry.”

“You couldn't have known.” Nor could Meg, but that didn't ease the abandonment she felt at learning Meg was the one who'd initiated the getaway.

O
N
THE
ROAD
TO
S
EWARD
, A
LASKA
M
ARCH
13, 5:11
A
.
M
.

Kirra felt acutely self-conscious on the ride to Seward. She'd shared the truth of her past with Reef. And amazingly, he'd responded with more kindness, support, and compassion than her own family, expressing anguish at learning he'd been in B.C. with Meg while she'd been raped.

She shifted, studying him, the bright moonlight shining in the driver's side window. He was breathtakingly handsome, but there was so much more there.

She shifted, staring out the window at towering spruce trees standing like shadowed sentinels along the roadside. She knew it was a fool's dream, but with all of her heart she hoped they'd find Meg in Seward and all of this would be some weird mix-up. But mix-ups didn't involve being chased by men with guns. Meg and, most likely, she and Reef were in grave danger, and they only had four more days before Frank should reach Nome and time would be up.

Reef glanced over at her with a soft smile. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. Just antsy to get there.”

“Me too.” He looked back at the road and then glanced back at her. “I wanted to thank you. . . .”

Her forehead pinched. “Thank me? For what?”

“For confiding in me. I'm honored.” He reached over and clasped her hand. “You're very brave.”

“Me? Brave?” She laughed.

“You are.”

“Yeah, right. That's why I was too much of a coward to confront William.” His name burned acid in her throat. “Too much of a coward to press charges against him.”

“You survived what he did to you. Something as traumatizing as rape could have destroyed you, but you didn't allow it to.”

“Why do you say that?” In some ways that horrid event still dictated her life.

“Because look at you. You're a successful vet. You run an amazing shelter. You are active in your church. You live your life.”

Guardedly
.

He frowned. “You don't agree, do you?”

She shrugged, not sure she was up to delving so deeply into the issue. The fact that she'd shared what happened with Reef still surprised her, but she was glad she had. She felt closer to him, more revealed. And somehow, for some reason, the burden felt easier, lighter to bear. Some of the darkness had eased.

“I think you're a remarkable woman.”

Reef McKenna believed
she
was remarkable?

They pulled into Seward a little past noon. Despite the snow and ice, commercial fishermen were out fishing Chinook
salmon, while a couple dozen protestors waved signs rebuking the commercial fishing industry and its devastating effects on animal life in the area. The protestors strode in a well-defined circle around the parking lot at the edge of the pier—forcing anyone coming or going from the docks to pass through them.

According to the ROW members they had talked with in the student union, the group's trip, while officially spearheaded by ROW, had been sanctioned by the university at Professor Baxter's request—even though it pulled students away from classes for an extended period of time. It seemed Professor Baxter had a significant amount of sway on campus—probably why William had buddied up to the man. He liked to be on the good side of those in power.

Kirra stepped from the car, her heart in her throat, praying they'd find some answers. She scanned the crowd, still hoping she'd see Meg waving one of the homemade signs, but her gut knew better.

They approached the mob and snagged the first person they reached—a young man dressed in a skater hat, sleek-fitting winter coat, and skinny jeans.

“Hey, man.” Reef lifted his chin in greeting. “We're looking for Sam.”

“And you are . . . ?” He kept walking, and they moved to keep pace with him.

The wind blowing off the bay brought a blistering chill, stinging Kirra's cheeks and causing her eyes to water. She tightened her scarf, yanking the burgundy cashmere material higher up on her neck, the soft fabric caressing the edge of her jaw much as Reef's fingers had tenderly grazed her skin last night.

“We're friends of Meg Weber's,” Reef said.

“Sam's over there.” He gestured to a well-built man. Easily six foot and muscular, but not in a gawky way. His dark wavy hair ruffled in the wind, his cheeks tinged rose from the salty ocean air.

“Thanks,” Reef said.

“Yup.”

They let the young man pass by and then weaved their way through the swirling crowd, cutting across the snow-covered gravel lot.

“Sam?” Kirra asked when they reached the man. He leaned against the
Seward Marina
sign, one boot braced against the pylon beneath, a clipboard in his hand.

He looked up, his irritated expression quickly softening into a smile. “Yes?”

“Hi. I'm Kirra Jacobs.” She extended a gloved hand and he shook it. “I believe my cousin Meg Weber is a friend of yours.”

His jaw tightened. “Was.”

“I'm sorry?”

“She
was
a friend of mine . . . right up until she took off in the middle of the night.”

“What?”

He set the clipboard aside. “She acted so gung-ho about the cause, all raring to go for the rally, and our first night here, she just up and disappears. Nearly set the whole rally back, because she had the petition with all the signatures we'd collected. Luckily”—he tapped the clipboard—“Belinda was able to find it among Meg's stuff.”

“Meg's stuff? She left her stuff behind?”

“Yeah, and if she thinks one of us is going to tote her junk back, she's got another thing coming.”

Kirra swallowed and glanced back at Reef.

He rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Next time you talk to her, tell her she's not welcome at ROW anymore.”

“That's the problem.”

“What is?”

“We can't
find
her.”

His eyes narrowed. “Didn't she head back to campus?”

“Afraid not.”

“You sure?”

“We just came from there. No one's seen her.”

He exhaled. “Who knows where she and Rain decided to frolic off to. I knew something wasn't right about the guy, but Meg . . . She just ran after him like a lovesick puppy.” Jealousy saturated his words.

“So you're saying Meg left with Rain?”

He grabbed his clipboard, tightening his grip, the attached pages flipping up with the wind. “They were both out in the front room of the bunkhouse talking when I went to bed. Next morning there was no sign of them.”

“Was there any sign of a struggle?” Reef asked.

“Struggle?” Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why would there be a sign of a struggle?”

Kirra looked at Reef. How much should she say? Sam and—she gazed around at the rally team—the rest of these people were the last to see Meg before she disappeared. They needed whatever lead they could provide.

Reef nodded, silently supporting whatever approach she decided to take.

“We're afraid Meg's been abducted.”

“Abducted?” He laughed. “You can't be serious.”

Kirra's shoulders stiffened. “I'm afraid we are.”

Sam's smile faded, and his gaze darted around the crowd before settling back on them. “Why on earth would you think something like that?” His voice was low, his fingers clamped tight on his clipboard.

Sam was edgy, shifting his weight from one leg to another and back again. Did he know something about Rain? She needed to press harder. “Let's just say we know.”

His eyes narrowed. “You aren't trying to imply that Rain had anything to do with her supposed disappearance, are you?”

“You said yourself you last saw them together and assumed they took off together.”

“Took off
together
, yes. Rain abducting her is a different matter entirely.”

“But he was the last person seen with her.”

“That doesn't prove he abducted her.”

“It doesn't prove he didn't.”

Sam shook his head. “This is absurd.”

Kirra clenched her hands. If they were going to get anything useful out of Sam, they were going to have to be upfront. “Some men held my uncle, Meg's dad, at gunpoint and showed him a video of Meg being held hostage. They told him if he didn't do what they wanted, they'd kill her.”

“Seriously?”

Kirra nodded.

“It's the truth,” Reef said when Sam looked to him.

“What'd they want your uncle to do?”

“We don't know. Frank wouldn't say.”

Sam cocked his head. “Are you two cops or something?”

“No.”

“If Meg's actually been kidnapped, why aren't the cops here?”

“Because the men responsible said no cops.”

“So you two just took it on yourselves to find her?”

“Yes. Now, can you help us?”

“I'll try, but I don't know what I can tell you.”

“Tell me what you know about Rain.”

He shrugged. “Not much.”

“Anything is more than we know,” Kirra said, fighting the desperation clawing at her, whispering this would be another dead end.

Sam raked a hand through his wavy brown hair. “I can't believe this. I just assumed she and Rain had jetted together.”

Kirra supposed the possibility still existed. Meg could have been taken after they left the rally, but why would she have left the rally with Rain in the first place? Where were they headed? Had she gone with him willingly and then the situation changed? Or had he abducted her outright? Either way, Rain was the key. She could feel it. “What can you tell us about him?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Let's start with the basics. Is Rain his real name?”

“That's what he goes by.”

A woman about Meg's age joined them, her gaze shifting from Sam to Kirra, and back again. “Everything okay?”

“Belinda, this is Meg's cousin Kirra,” Sam said, making the introductions.

“Hi.”

“And, this is my friend Reef.” Who would have thought she and Reef McKenna would ever become friends? And one she trusted so dearly.

Belinda smiled, but it was tight. “You two here to join the rally?”

“No.” Sam swiped his face. “If you can believe it, they think Meg's been kidnapped.”

Belinda laughed. “What?”

“Seriously,” Sam said, his countenance far less jovial than when they'd arrived.

Snowflakes flitted in the sky, clinging to Belinda's long auburn hair. “How is that possible?”

Kirra studied the woman. “When was the last time you saw her?”

“The night we arrived.”

“Did you see her leave with anybody?”

“No, but last I saw she was talking with Rain.” She looked at Sam, clearly looking for a reaction, but he gave none.

“What can you tell us about Rain?”

Belinda slid her gloved hands into her red pea coat pockets. “I don't know. He kind of kept to himself.”

“Except with Meg, it sounds like.”

She shrugged. “The two seemed to hit it off.”

Heated voices coming from the parking lot drew Sam's attention. “Sorry. If you'll excuse me a moment.”

Belinda waited until he was gone and then looked at Kirra with a smile. “Rain had this mysterious air, an energy a lot of the girls found attractive.”

“Including you?”

“Me?” She laughed. “No. He's not my type.” Her gaze momentarily slipped to Sam, but she quickly shifted it back to them.

“Were you surprised to learn Meg and Rain were gone?”

“No. I figured something grabbed Rain's attention
elsewhere. He had this habit of just disappearing and then reappearing.”

“Where did he go when he disappeared?”

“No idea.”

“How often did he do that?”

“I don't know. I didn't exactly keep tabs on the guy.”

“So it wasn't surprising for him to just take off before the rally started?”

“I didn't think much of it.”

“And Meg?”

“Figured she went along for the ride.”

“Ride where?”

“No clue. But they were both that sort.” She rocked back on her boot heels with a smug smile. “Unreliable.”

Kirra ignored the insult to her cousin—couldn't really argue against it. “Any chance Rain took Meg against her will?”

Belinda's brown eyes widened, her thin brows arching. “You think Rain
abducted
her?”

“We don't know, but it seems he was the last person to be seen with Meg before she disappeared.”

“Man.” Belinda shook her head. “Never would have called him that.”

“How come?”

“I don't know. Just didn't seem the type.”

Neither had William
. It was what made men like him so
very
dangerous.

“What about the name?”

“What about it?”

“Do you think Rain is his real name?”

“Nah.”

She said it so confidently it piqued Kirra's attention. “Why not?”

“Because we went clubbing once in a while, and I caught a glimpse of his ID one time.”

Thank you, Jesus.

Now they were getting somewhere. “And?”

“His first name started with a
J
.” Belinda's nose crinkled. “Jacob. No . . . Joseph.” She smiled. “Yeah, pretty sure it was Joseph.”

Not exactly the definitive clue Kirra had been hoping for, but it was something, she supposed. “Any idea on his last name?”

“Nah. Sorry.”

Kirra glanced at the crowd. “Anyone else here who might know?”

“You can ask around, but I doubt you'll learn much.”