Adam turned to Faith and saw the worry on her face. The guard scared her? No, just took her by surprise the way he had earlier. “So you’re extending your vacation in Wolf Lake?” Adam cringed at his inane question.
She nibbled on her lip. “Yes, I guess so,” she said and darted a furtive look at the doors. “But I’m leaving tomorrow, probably.”
She was edgy for sure. He dealt with the darker side of humanity on a day-to-day basis and knew how little goodness there could be sometimes. Maybe she was running away from someone or worried about someone finding her. Or maybe she just didn’t like him. That almost made him laugh. That would be a real shame, since he was finding himself attracted to her more and more.
“So do you need that tour guide if you’re hanging around for a bit?”
She shrugged. “No, thanks. I’m fine. As I said, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I meant what I said to you the last time we spoke.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “I told you, I don’t need a guide.”
“No, not that. I mean, if you need someone to talk to, I’ll listen.”
That made her narrow her eyes and squeeze her hands together. “Oh.”
He wished that she would trust him. And tell him what was going on, and if he could help, he would. If he couldn’t, that would be that. But he knew that wish wasn’t going to come true. Not when she kept taking quick looks at the exit doors as if measuring how long it would take her to run to them and away from him.
He drew her attention by saying, “Okay, I’ll let that go. But this is a party. A party meant for fun, especially since it’s almost Christmas. So why don’t we have fun?”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you know how to dance?” he asked, holding her gaze.
“Well, sure, some,” she stammered.
Adam hoped that his fantasy of dancing with a beautiful woman tonight might just turn into reality if he played this right. He held out a hand to her. “Dance?” he asked, giving her his best smile. He couldn’t breathe for waiting for her answer.
* * *
F
AITH
STARED
AT
A
DAM
,
angry that for one second that the thought of dancing with him could be incredibly appealing. Then she came to her senses. She should be walking away, not becoming closer. She’d gone into the stalls to be alone, to stop a wave of self-pity that had come when she’d looked at the happiness around her.
She should just get out of the vicinity of this man. But his dark gaze held hers, and her thought process was jumbled. His eyes showed true kindness, and he was so handsome. She was trying to figure out what to do next. How she could get out of there without him following her. How she could get to Mallory’s truck to sit and wait for her friend so they could go back to the inn.
But her thoughts were confused, except for one clear fact. With his black hair combed straight back from his angular face and those midnight-dark eyes meeting hers, this man was dangerous to her. She realized he’d said something else, and she didn’t have a clue what it had been. “Excuse me?”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “I didn’t ask you to jump off a bridge, just to dance with me. You look horrified by the prospect of a simple dance.”
She was upset that she wanted to dance with him, to have him hold her and move with her. “I was just trying to think, that’s all,” she said. It was the best answer she could come up with right then.
He stood silently, watching her. Finally, he said, “So?”
“So what?”
He flashed that dimpled smile, and the needle on her danger meter went crazy. “The dance? Could you manage to endure it?”
She started to say she wasn’t feeling well, that she had to go. She would have done that and gotten away if the doors hadn’t parted again with a low whooshing sound. The action was followed by music spilling into the space, the lights and noise of the party flashing everywhere in the dimly lit barn. One look at the man who had come in froze Faith to the spot.
Could things get any worse? Adam was far too close to her, and unless she was hallucinating, the policeman who had stopped her for speeding on the road to Wolf Lake was now blocking her escape. Instead of his jacket and uniform, the policeman was in a red-and-green plaid shirt with a bolo tie and jeans. For a moment, she prayed she was seeing things, but when he spoke, he shattered any particle of hope that maybe she’d been mistaken.
“Well, hello,” he said. “You got here safely, I see.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond, but she doubted she could have anyway. He turned to Adam. “I was starting to think you’d skipped out on the party, and then Louie told me he saw you in here.” He glanced at Faith. “Although, he didn’t mention you weren’t alone.”
She felt the air by her move as Adam came closer. “John, this is Faith. You’ve already met her. She’s visiting around here.”
The man’s warm smile never faltered. “Of course I remember her,” he said. “Welcome to Wolf Lake. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you,” she said.
The cop looked relaxed, as if he was there for a good time and nothing else. But she wasn’t relaxing, she couldn’t relax, not with Adam so near that she could literally feel his body heat. John motioned toward Adam without looking away from Faith. “Has he taken you out to see our lake yet?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll miss the lake, I guess.”
“Too bad,” he said with a teasing gleam in his eyes that she didn’t quite understand. “But have fun tonight, and have a very Merry Christmas.”
“Thanks,” she said. The officer headed back into the main part of the barn.
She stood very still while watching him go, then Adam’s breath touched her cheek as he spoke close to her ear. “Have you reconsidered that dance?”
She closed her eyes, shutting out the image of John, the lawman. Dance? She opened her eyes and the security guard was there, crossing in front of the still-open doors. He waved at Adam and her, then kept going, but not before he eyed Faith longer than she thought was a casual gesture.
Maybe if she went with Adam to the dance floor and had one dance with him they’d all think she belonged here, and then she could slip away without drawing any more attention to herself. “Sounds good,” she replied, “but just one dance.”
“Great,” he said and led her to the dance floor, then she turned slightly and looked up into his eyes. The darkness in them seemed penetrating, as if the man could see past her feeble facade and was close to seeing the real her. Right then, she knew her mistakes were piling up. Her judgment was so flawed when Adam was around.
She was ready to get the dance over with, when he touched her arm. Even through the silk, she felt his heat, the tips of his fingers barely there, yet the world seemed centered on their connection.
“I was wondering something.” Adam raised his voice to be heard over the party noise.
She steeled herself. “What?”
“Where are you staying?”
She hedged and thought she did a good job. “In the area, with a friend.”
He was asking questions that should be easy to evade, and she hoped they stayed that way. “You’re here with that friend?”
She nodded and wished this to be over.
“Who’s your friend you’re staying with? I know just about everyone in town.”
As the one song finished, the first strains of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” came from the band. She didn’t doubt he knew everyone, and everyone knew him. “Someone I met.”
Her words sounded abrupt, and when she heard his next question, she knew she’d have to do better.
“Just wondering if the friend is male or female.”
She stood there feeling exposed and uncomfortable. “What difference does that make?”
“Well, if I have to tell you that, I must be losing my touch,” he murmured as he reached for her. Her breath caught when he laced his strong fingers with hers. The feeling of his other hand slipping around her back, then easing her closer to him, didn’t help. He was tall enough that when they started moving, it would have been so very natural for her to lay her head on his chest. The temptation was there, but she didn’t give in.
The music was all around them. The soft decorative lights, the joy of the guests, too. Her eyes stung, and she let her forehead touch Adam’s chest where his jacket parted. The smoothness of his shirt was against her skin, and she hid any expression from his prying eyes. She admitted she felt an illogical sense of safety in his arms, with the beat of his heart sure and steady in her ear. She wanted nothing more than to just stay there, to let him hold her. But sanity was pushing at her and stopped the free fall into some fantasy. She had no right to it.
She moved slowly, making herself shift back a bit, then look up at dark eyes studying her, that smile shadowing his lips. How she wished this was just a party, a casual meeting between a man and a woman, but none of that was true. She stopped moving, slipped her hand carefully out of his, and as his hand left her waist, she stopped dancing. “I have to go,” she said, but Adam raised his voice loud enough to be heard over the music.
“Faith?”
She made herself turn, hoping she could form a smile on her lips. He hesitated, then said simply, “Merry Christmas, Faith.”
She nodded, her throat too tight for words. She kept going, afraid Adam was right behind her. She didn’t stop until she stepped out into the chilly night and knew she was alone.
She put Adam and the dance behind her. It was over and done. It was a memory, nothing more. And she’d make very sure she didn’t fall into a situation like this again. A woman passed her, smiled and wished her a very Merry Christmas. Faith smiled, not sure if the expression was more of a grimace than a smile, but the lady seemed okay with it.
She glanced into the huge barn and heard “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” start. She was going to call her father as soon as she got back to the inn.
CHAPTER SIX
A
DAM
HAD
WANTED
to ask Faith so much more, to find a way to get beyond her vague responses to his questions. But he’d stopped himself, remembering how she’d paled when she’d seen John again. She had obviously remembered him from the traffic stop, and at best, she’d seemed uneasy, at worst, she’d seemed afraid. So Adam had kept his mouth shut.
He had gotten to dance with a beautiful woman. He’d inhaled her scent, felt her softly against him, fought an urge to kiss the top of her head, and he’d just let himself get lost in the moment.
But that moment had been over far too soon.
The man in him was disappointed, very disappointed that he hadn’t been able to have more time with Faith. The cop in him was frustrated, wanting to get answers, to find out what she was doing, why and what was driving her. The man wanted to make sure that she didn’t have to run from anyone, least of all him, and to protect her from anyone out to do her harm.
He had seen her briefly by the buffet, then lost sight of her as she neared Santa. Presents had been given out and children and parents alike were in a frenzy of opening their gifts.
He tried to spot her again, unaware he still stood on the dance floor. A hand came down heavily on his shoulder. He turned to face his father, who was the last person he wanted to see right then.
“You’re blocking the dancers,” Herbert Carson said in his deep voice as he motioned Adam toward the sidelines with a tilt of his head. “Let’s let the people enjoy themselves.”
Adam moved away with his father following. Although he and his father were the same height, Adam echoed his mother’s heritage and little of his father’s Irish American roots.
His father looked awkward and Adam knew he was losing patience with the drinks being offered at the party—straight punch and an array of sodas and bottled waters. Nothing stronger. This party had never been his idea, but his mother’s. It was all for her, and his dad endured it for her sake. Endured because being a recovering alcoholic had taken its toll on his dad, and Adam appreciated how he’d stuck to his guns about never drinking again. But it wore him thin at times like this. “How’s it going, son?” he asked.
“How’s it going for you?” he responded, a question for a question.
The man shrugged, tugging at the slight tightness of his shirt where it buttoned at his stomach. “I put in my time, so I’m about to cut out of here.” He glanced at his watch. “Over two hours.” He chuckled roughly. “Longer than last time.”
“I know Mom appreciates it,” Adam said. He knew where his dad would go. Back to the house, into the study and on the phone to his sponsor to talk himself though the urge for alcohol.
“Yeah, well, I appreciate her and all she does,” his father said with heartfelt emotion. “She deserves sainthood after everything I’ve put her through.”
Adam recoiled from the memories of the past, of the pain and hurt. That was gone, over with, and despite what had happened, he had his dad back. That was what counted.
“A real saint putting up with us three boys,” Adam agreed.
“That she is,” his father murmured. “And speaking of my sons, I haven’t found Jack yet.”
Adam hedged. He wanted to tell his mother first about Jack leaving. “I haven’t, either,” he said.
His dad patted Adam’s shoulder and said, “Good to see you,” then headed toward the most direct route to the house.
Adam exhaled and looked over to where he’d seen Faith last. Folks were cleaning up gift paper that seemed to be everywhere, and a bunch of kids were playing with their toys, but Faith wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
He grabbed a high stool by the drinks area and spun the swivel seat to face the crowds. He couldn’t spot any woman with a halo of curls and amazing blue eyes filled with uncertainty, wariness and maybe a touch of fear. Faith was gone. He checked his watch, saw it was two hours to midnight, but he knew that even when the clock struck twelve, he wouldn’t find a glass slipper.
He spotted John dancing with his wife, Hannah. John caught Adam’s eye over his wife’s head and grimaced, as if to say,
Get me out of this,
but Adam only smiled back at him. Moses was on the farther side of the dance floor with Mallory Sanchez, and the man’s expression was the direct opposite of John’s. Moses was listening intently to what Mallory was saying to him, smiling at her as they moved together. It was obvious that there was no way the man wanted that dance to end.
The couple had a history of sorts, he remembered. Moses had been interested in Mallory years ago in high school, but before anything could solidify between them, Mallory had met Henry Sanchez and, as they say, the rest was history. They’d married right after graduation, and Moses had claimed he’d moved on, although he’d never married or seriously been involved with anyone for very long. Now he looked like a lovesick teenager. Maybe the time was right for Mallory to move on, and Moses was there waiting for her.
He scanned the crowd and saw his mother talking to his father before reaching up to hug him tightly. Lark Carson was dressed in her traditional costume, a very intricately fashioned elf getup that brought a smile to most faces, especially to his father’s. The still-pretty dark-haired woman who barely topped five feet was still the love of his dad’s life, and no matter what had gone on between them, that had never changed.
His mother was a fighter, not a quitter. He’d often wondered if that determination was a good thing or a bad thing, and pretty much settled on good for now as she stood on tiptoes to kiss his dad before he turned and left the party.
Adam made his way across the room to his mother, who spotted him as if she was expecting him right then. She smiled brightly at her son, and he hated what was coming. They hugged, then Adam pulled back to try to figure out how to tell her about Jack. He didn’t have to. Before he could speak, his mother looked into his eyes and the smile drifted away.
“Jack’s not coming, is he?”
The boys had often wondered if their mother was a seer, or what his grandfather described as someone who knew things before they could be spoken of or before they could materialize. Lark said she knew because she was a mother, nothing more and nothing less. Maybe she was just that tuned into her family.
“No, he’s not, Mom,” he admitted to her.
“I knew he wouldn’t. I’ve called the office for the past few days and Maureen keeps saying he’s busy taking care of a client.”
Jack had obviously had his assistant cover for him, which she did when it was a client, but never with the family. “She’s mistaken,” he said, not wanting to say she’d lied to his mother. “He actually flew out to be with Robert and his family. I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”
She surprised him when a second of shock turned to a soft smile. “Sweetheart, don’t look so worried. This is a good thing for him. Even if he can’t be here for Christmas, I think he needs this.”
Adam was grateful she understood. He gave her another hug and heard her say, “Everything is fine. Although, I do wish he’d told me about going. I have some presents for Trey that he could have taken with him, instead of me having to mail them. But now that he’s there, I’m happy about it. Robyn’s twin might be the one to help him where we can’t.”
“I thought you’d be upset that Jack wouldn’t be here. I know how badly you felt that Gage couldn’t get back.”
“I miss both my boys, but everything’s okay.” She touched his cheek. “Besides, you’re here. That makes me very happy.” She motioned to the riotous happiness all around them. “And all of this makes me very happy, too.”
He followed the arc of her hand and found himself still looking for Faith. His mother startled him by asking, “Are you looking for the woman you were dancing with?”
He darted a look at her. He didn’t even ask how she knew about Faith when she’d been so involved in the party. “I wondered if she—”
“She’s gone,” she said, “I saw her leave about ten minutes ago while you were talking to your father.”
“Who did she leave with?”
“No one. She was alone, but seemed in a hurry.” She shook her head. “I felt badly that she didn’t seem as if she’d been enjoying herself, even after she’d danced with the best-looking man in the room.” She smiled at him. “What’s that all about?”
Adam looked out across the huge space. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I wish I did.”
* * *
F
AITH
HAD
FOUND
Mallory coming off the dance floor with a medium-built man with buzzed dark hair, sharp features and a height that perfectly matched Mallory’s. She was smiling, a bit flushed and spoke quickly. “Faith, this is Dr. Moses Blackstar.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, and seeing Mallory with such a wide smile made Faith feel foolish that she’d ever thought of not coming to the party with her. But now she was going to make her escape before anything else happened. “I’m really tired and wondered if you were ready to go.” She saw Mallory glance at the doctor, who moved his head in an almost-imperceptible nod.
Mallory fished in her pocket and brought out the keys to her truck. “I’m going to stay a bit longer. Why don’t you go ahead and take the truck back to the inn? It’s a five-speed and a bit quirky, but it will get you there okay.”
Faith thanked Mallory, then hurried to the truck. The engine bucked and sputtered at first, then settled down. She managed to reach the inn without any problems beyond the bad suspension.
She pulled up front near the stone fence and saw a motorcycle sitting where her car had been parked that first day at the inn. The bike was partially hidden under a protective tarp. There was a bit of snow on top, but she could still see the bike cover was decorated with a soaring eagle in red, white and blue. Where the tarp didn’t cover the bike completely, she could make out part of a brilliant red, white and blue flame.
She went inside, expecting to see Mallory’s niece, who had offered to keep an eye on the inn while Mallory was out. The young girl had arrived in an old VW Beetle done in gray primer and with an engine that sputtered. Mallory had introduced her to Faith just as she arrived. “My niece, Wallace, but we call her Wally.”
The girl had looked about sixteen, her dark hair in braids, and she wore a T-shirt that proclaimed,
Hey, I might look lazy, but on a cellular level, I’m a whirlwind of activity.
“My Dad thought Wallace was a strong name, the name that some woman who married a king or something had, and it was better than what my mother wanted to call me, which was Seraphim.” She’d rolled her eyes expressively. “An angel of all things.” The girl, who hadn’t seemed to care about missing the party because “Aunt Mallory is paying me a bundle to do this,” had added with a sly grin, “I’m no angel.”
But no one came out of the back now. Instead, there was movement in the sitting area and Faith turned to see Willie G. getting out of one of the chairs, stretching his arms as he yawned. “Well, well, well,” he murmured, coming slowly over to her. His red, white and blue headband was askew, and his jeans and T-shirt were rumpled. “So how do you like this little town?”
She knew he was Mallory’s uncle, but it was still a bit surprising to see him there. “Fine,” she said. “What happened to Wally?”
“I got a call to come take over because she suddenly had to go to the party. Seems some boy named Lance would be there after all, and she wanted to ‘accidentally’ run into him.” He looked past her. “From what Wally told me, you drove out with Mallory, but now I’m thinking you came home without her.”
“She wanted to stay longer,” Faith said.
“Really?” He seemed taken back. “And why would that be? Last I heard, she wasn’t even sure about going, much less sticking around to all hours.”
“She was enjoying the dance,” she said and moved toward the stairs.
“She was dancing?” He didn’t follow her, but called after her, “Who with?”
“A doctor, Moses something,” she said over her shoulder.
“Moses Blackstar?”
“I think so.”
“Wow,” he said with feeling.
She stopped and turned with one hand on the newel post. Willie G. was grinning. “That’s good?”
“Very good.”
“He said he’d bring her home.”
“Even better,” the older man said, then cocked his head in her direction. “How about you? Did you have a good time?”
“It was nice,” she answered.
“And?”
“Lots of people.”
“And?”
“And lots of food and noise and music and Christmas stuff.”
“What about—”
Faith cut him off. “I’m sorry, but I’m very tired.”
“Sure, of course,” he said. “I remember you wanted a place to rest and have some downtime.” But that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t ask her one more question. “So did you dance, too?”
Faith started up the stairs as she said, “Once,” and kept going.
“Who with?” he asked before she could get to the top level.
“Just a man.” She took the last step and turned toward her room. The man’s laughter could still be heard, and she almost smiled, too. Calling Adam “just a man” seemed too easy. Without even knowing much about him, she could guess that there was very little about Adam that was simple. Her reactions to him certainly weren’t anywhere near simple.
Alone in her room, Faith pushed the images of the party, her time talking with Adam at the stall and the single dance with him out of her mind to try to read more of the files off the thumb drive. She opened the next one, jotted down the date it was created in her notebook and started to read. She forced herself to focus on the words and figures. An hour later, she was nearing the end of the first file.
She was ready to stop and crawl into bed to sleep. But on the second-last page, something caught her attention about Kenner Associates. She saw a contact name and number that leaped out at her from the screen. A. Z. Mason with an international phone number that had a prefix for the Cayman Islands, often a financial safe house for questionable dealings.
Her heart sank as she flipped to the last page, saw a company called Kleiner Associates with A. Z. Mason listed and the same phone number given. She found two more subdivisions of Kenner Associates, and A. Z. Mason was attached to both of them. It hit her like a thunderbolt. Mason was the key to the sting, and her dad had dealt with him directly.