Against the Tide (18 page)

Since Zach worked for Great Alaska Charters and Sam was in the fish-packing business, Sam knew Zach. They'd been talking together on the boat that afternoon.

“Zach's real smart,” Sam said. “That's a great idea. You know what else we need?”

“What's that?”

“GPS tracking device. I got one I use for hunting. We can put it somewhere in their car and it'll track wherever they go.”

“I've got one of those, too. Should have thought of it. You two guys are making me feel old.”

“The only trick is getting it inside the car.”

Rafe felt the smile before it curved his lips. “Or on it. We can tape it under the bumper. The battery won't last too long, so we'll have to swap them every night and recharge them.”

“I'll bring mine to work. You can pick it up there.”

“Thanks, Sam.” Rafe ended the call and returned to the living room. Carefully scooping Olivia into his arms, her head nestled against his shoulder, he carried her upstairs and settled her in his bed.

For several moments, he just stood there staring down at her, thinking how beautiful she was with her dark hair spread over his pillow, those X-rated lips relaxed in sleep. Desire slid through him, poured through his veins. Hot blood slid into his groin. Every time he looked at her, he wanted her. He had never felt anything like it.

But Liv Chandler was trouble. In more ways than one.

He'd sensed it the first time he'd seen her in the restaurant, sensed it every time he went into the café after that, but couldn't stop himself from heading straight down the road he was traveling.

His brother's words kept ringing in his ears. She was lying, big-time, had been from the start. He tried to tell himself it was time to bail. He didn't need a woman with her kind of problems.

But it just didn't work that way. Not for him. Since the night she had given herself to him, she was his. Whatever trouble she was involved in was also now his.

As he stood looking down at her, he still couldn't convince himself she was anything but the hardworking, capable, caring woman she seemed. He wished he knew what the hell was going on.

Reaching down, he grabbed one of her black leather boots and started gently tugging it off, didn't quite finish before Olivia stirred.

“Rafe?” She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“You need to get undressed, darlin'; then you can go back to sleep. I'm going out for a while, but I'll be back.”

“Where are you going?” Shoving her dark hair out of her face, she sat up in bed.

“I've got something I need to do. Go back to sleep. I'll be home before you even know I'm gone.”

Her sleepiness faded. “Does that something you need to do have anything to do with Scotty?”

He nodded, resigned to filling her in. “Zach and I are setting up surveillance cameras over at the motel. I want to see who goes in and out of that room. We're also putting a GPS on the bumper of their car. One of them leaves, we'll know where he's been.”

“Wow, you've been busy. I want to come with you.”

“You need to get some sleep, baby. You've had one helluva day.”

She smiled at him softly. “I got a nap, thanks to you. I want to go.”

He thought it over, didn't see any real harm in letting her come along. They'd be staying out of sight. As long as she was with him, she'd be safe.

Which made him think again of the information Nick had given him and the need to know more.
Later
, he told himself.
One problem at a time.

“You need a heavier jacket than the one you wore today,” he said. “I'll get you one of mine.”

Liv pulled her boot back on, came up off the bed and kissed him. “Thanks.”

One of his eyebrows arched up. “Since you suddenly seem so rested, maybe you can think of a way to thank me properly when we get home.”

Liv just smiled and walked past him out the door.

Chapter Twenty

Night had fallen. It was midnight and it was dark. Liv stood next to Rafe behind a tree and some overgrown foliage at the edge of the Seaside Motel parking lot. The guys were figuring the best place to mount the night-vision surveillance camera. The Jeep Cherokee was gone. Which was good news and bad.

With the men away, they could mount the cameras somewhere out of sight along the covered corridor, get them up and running. But they couldn't attach the GPS to the Jeep.

It was nearly June, but it was still cold at night. Wrapped in Rafe's warm, fleece-lined jacket, Liv reached up and tugged down the brim of the ball cap he had given her.

“I bought this in the souvenir shop this afternoon,” Rafe had said with a grin as he settled it on her head. “Saw it in the window. It'll come in handy tonight.”

It was black with gold lettering. MINE was embroidered across the front. Rafe said he liked looking at her while she was wearing it.

She should have refused, been indignant at the male chauvinist implication. Instead her stomach kind of melted. Oh, she had it bad. She was getting in deep with Rafe, and she knew how dangerous falling for him could be. She couldn't afford to let the L
-
word even cross her mind.

She told herself the cap was just to keep her head warm, but she loved the way he had looked at her when she pulled her ponytail through the hole in the back, settled it on her head, and smiled up at him.

“Perfect,” he said, flashing one of his heart-stopping grins.

“I'll wear it tonight—but that's it.”

“We'll see,” he said smugly, and led her down to the garage.

Now they were outside the motel, standing in the dark, and she was wearing his silly hat.

“Stay here.” The sound of his voice brought her back to the moment. Moving quietly, he headed over to where Zach was examining a spot up under the eaves. Ben knew they were out there. Occasionally, he would peek at them through the crack in the curtains at the office window.

She had been standing there less than twenty minutes when the soft, nearly undetectable sound of footsteps reached her. Liv gasped as a broad shadow fell over the spot where she hid among the foliage at the edge of the parking lot.

“It's okay,” Sam King said softly. “It's just me.” Despite the darkness she recognized his Alaska Native features, the sharp nose and slightly tilted eyes.

She released a slow breath. “I didn't know you were coming.”

“I wasn't. Thought I might be able to help. Pretty good hiding spot. It took me a while to track you down.”

“Rafe's truck is parked around the corner.”

“Yeah, I saw it.” He tipped his head toward the men working under the eaves. Rafe was tall enough he didn't need a stepladder to reach the spot where they were placing the cameras. Zach was only a few inches shorter. Ben had turned off the outside lights so they were little more than shadows.

“They need any help?” Sam asked.

“I think they're almost finished. Fortunately, no one's around and the men aren't in their room. Their Jeep is gone.”

“Good news, sort of, right? I brought my GPS. Rafe's got one, too. Soon as we get the chance, we're putting one on the Jeep, see where these guys go.” He looked up, jerked his chin toward a pair of headlights coming down the road. “That could be them now.”

Olivia grabbed the two-way radio, one of Rafe's many toys, and pressed the call button. “Car coming. Could be them. Over.”

He ignored her, of course, kept working for several more seconds, making her adrenaline pump faster. The lights came closer. Olivia held her breath. Then Zach tapped on the office window, Zach and Rafe slipped into the shadows, and Ben turned the corridor lights back on just as the Jeep rolled into the parking lot.

The two men got out and started toward their room, one tall with ropey muscles, the other shorter, and from what she'd seen in the motel room, really built. The Asian stopped to get out his room key. The men walked inside and closed the door, and the light went on.

Rafe and Zach appeared out of the darkness behind the wall of foliage. “Looks like a convention out here,” Rafe said, spotting Sam King.

“I figured you'd be here,” King said. “I thought I might be able to help.”

“We've got the cameras up. We set my laptop up in Ben's living room. Wireless connection to the cameras. From now on, day or night, we'll be able to watch them come and go.”

Sam held up his GPS. “We need to get one of these on the car.”

“Yes, we do.” Rafe took it out of Sam's hand. “I looked these up on the Internet. You can buy all different kinds. I ordered one that works with a motion detector. It goes on when the car starts moving, off when it's parked. Gives it a long battery life. Zach can hook it up to the computer so we can follow them on the laptop.”

“How long before it gets here?” Sam asked.

“Had it shipped FedEx. Be in day after tomorrow. If we pick it up at the airport, we should have it by ten a.m. Thursday morning.”

“The men might be gone by then,” Liv said.

“They told us they'd be here till the end of the week. That should give us a few more days.”

The light in the room went out. Liv couldn't see even the glow of a TV screen. Clearly the men had gone to bed.

Rafe pulled Sam's GPS out of his jacket pocket. “Looks like time to move in.” Rafe turned to Liv. “Keep your eye on that room. Light goes on, anything moves, give me a heads-up on the radio.”

“All right.”

He looked at Zach and Sam. “You guys keep an eye out for anything else that might cause trouble. The police driving by, just somebody coming back to his room.”

“You got it,” Sam said.

Grabbing the small canvas satchel he had brought with him—duct tape, a flashlight, a couple of wrenches, and other miscellaneous tools that might prove useful—Rafe headed through the foliage toward the Jeep. Keeping low, he moved out of the shadows into the parking lot, and slid under the car, out of sight beneath the rear bumper.

Next to Liv, Sam and Zach also kept watch, scanning the area in all directions. Headlights appeared in the distance, and her nerves kicked in, but the car turned off the road before it reached the motel.

She was concentrating on the rooms along the corridor, watching for any sign of movement, when Rafe reappeared beside her.

“That ought to do it,” he said. “I don't think they'll be going out again tonight, but you never know.”

“How long will the battery last?” Liv asked.

“At least twenty-four hours. We'll retrieve it tomorrow night and replace it with mine, take it home and see what we've got.”

“We'll also take a look at the video from the cameras,” Zach said. “We'll find out what these guys are up to, see who comes and goes.”

“I've got a half-day trip tomorrow,” Rafe said. “The laptop's set up at Ben's. I'll stop by as soon as I get in.”

“When should we meet?” Zach asked.

“Let's say six at the Pelican?”

“Works for me,” Sam said. “I'm headed home. I'll drop Zach off on my way.”

“All right.” Rafe's gaze swung to Liv. “You ready to go?” The burning interest in those hot brown eyes sent a curl of heat into the pit of her stomach.

She swallowed. “I'm ready.”

“See you tomorrow,” Rafe said to the men. He settled an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, darlin'. Let's go home.”

Liv just nodded. She was getting used to the idea of spending her nights with Rafe. The thought sent a tremor of worry down her spine.

 

 

“I don't know about you,” Sam said, “but after a shit day like this, I could use a beer.”

“Sounds good.” Zach sat back as Sam drove his pickup to the Fisherman's Catch Saloon. It was late, but a number of cars still sat in the lot. As he climbed out of the truck, he noticed Jaimie Graham's little red Chevy Equinox parked off to one side beneath a row of trees.

She was only nineteen, but since food was served at the Catch, she could go in. Zach spotted her sitting at the bar the minute he walked through the door, felt a familiar little punch in the gut. He'd probably never know what there was about Jaimie Graham that had intrigued him since the first time he'd seen her, but he was feeling it again tonight.

A smile touched his lips. For once she wasn't wearing the wool cap she kept pulled down over her ears. Her short, auburn curls gleamed in the bar lights, her breasts looked womanly and plump beneath her navy-blue sweater.

She was wearing the same black leggings and dark blue plaid skirt she'd been wearing at the funeral, an outfit that for once showed the feminine shape of her legs and that sweet little behind he remembered from her swimming days in high school. She was underage, but she didn't look it as she leaned across the bar to flirt with the thin-faced bartender who was letting her buy drinks.

On the bar stool next to her, a good-looking, powerfully built man with features that hinted at a distant African-American heritage was giving her a more than interested glance. Zach ignored a fine thread of jealousy and started walking.

Jaimie laughed at something the bartender said. She hadn't laughed since Scotty died. She had to get drunk to do it, which rankled him more than it should have.

The big guy headed for the bathroom and Zach walked toward her, slid onto the empty bar stool on the opposite side. “Feeling better?”

She turned. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was. “Zach. What are you doing here?”

“Same thing you are, I guess. Trying to forget a totally shitty day.”

She made a little scoffing sound. “You and Scotty weren't that close. I was surprised to see you at the funeral.”

His mouth thinned. “You don't get it, do you? We weren't close because I couldn't stand to see what he was doing to you.”

A hint of doubt appeared in her eyes, which he had never seen before. “I don't . . . I don't know what you mean.”

“Scott was in love with Cassie, but he didn't make that clear to you. He knew you idolized him. Maybe he liked that, I don't know. It wasn't fair to keep you hanging, and I didn't like it.”

She sat up straighter on the stool. “You don't know what you're talking about. Scotty was the best man I've ever known.”

“In some ways I'm sure he was. Cassie loved him and that says a lot. But he wasn't fair to you, Jaimie. You deserve a man who'll treat you like a woman instead of just one of the guys.”

Her jaw went tight. She grabbed her purse and threw some money down on the bar, slid off the stool and started for the door, weaving a little as she crossed the room. She was drunker than he'd thought, which ratcheted his irritation up another notch.

Zach slid off the bar stool, signaled to Sam, who was talking to a little brunette he seemed to know, and followed Jaimie out of the bar.

He caught up with her just outside the door. “You aren't driving,” he said.

“Yes, I am. You aren't the boss of me.”

He grabbed the car keys out of her hand. “Maybe Scotty would have let you drive drunk, but I'm not going to.” He started walking and she fell in beside him. When they reached her car, he flicked the door locks open. “Now get in and I'll drive you home.”

She cast him a murderous glance. “Sometimes I hate you.” But she climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the car door.

“Do your parents know you're out getting drunk?” Zach asked as he slid behind the wheel, adjusted the seat, then cranked the engine.

“They're out of town. And I'm not drunk.” She cut him a sideways glance. “Well, maybe a little.”

Zach said nothing as he drove her back to her parents' house, a nice ranch-style home in one of the better neighborhoods. He parked in front, came around and helped her climb out, then walked her up on the porch.

“How are you getting home?” she asked.

“It's not that far. I'll walk.”

She unlocked the door, turned and gave him a slow, sexy smile. “You . . . umm . . . want to come in?”

One of his eyebrows went up. “You want me to? Or are you just using me to forget about Scott?”

“What difference does it make? Scotty's gone and you're here.”

A fresh jolt of irritation slid through him. Urging her inside, he closed the door. “Maybe you're right. I'm here and Scotty isn't.”

Uncertainty crept into her features the instant before he hauled her into his arms and his mouth came down over hers. Heat rolled through him. Her lips were soft and full, and she smelled like flowers instead of fish. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she started to push him away. Then her body softened into his, her arms slid up around his neck, and she kissed him back, her sweet lips parting under his, allowing his tongue to sweep in.

His blood went south, making him harder than he was already. The kiss went on a little longer, not as long as he wanted, before she broke away.

She was breathing hard, upset at herself and angry at him. Jaimie flashed him a look, jerked back and slapped him hard across the face. “You had no right to do that!”

His jaw clenched. “You liked it. Don't lie to yourself.”

“Get out.”

“I'm not Scotty. You better figure that out.” He rubbed his burning cheek. “I'll let you off this time, but you ever hit me again, I'll put you over my knee and paddle your sweet little ass until you can't sit down. Till you realize that a man who cares about you wouldn't ignore you the way Scotty did.”