EDGE (13 page)

How had she never noticed how green his eyes were before?

“It’s best if you stay away from Sergei. No need in tempting the poor man with goods that aren’t his.” He waited a heartbeat for her to get the point, and when she did, flames of another sort burned through her blood.

Linnet picked up Sergei’s book and threw it at the closing door. Ramsey’s cackle echoed the sound of the book slapping against wood.

Damn it to hell, that old sourdough had no business laying claim to her.

Ramsey stuck his head back in the room. He retrieved the book where it had fallen on the floor. “Almost forgot why’d I’d come here in the first place.” He saluted her with the book and a wink.

Her blood cells begin the countdown to blastoff.

Emily bent over and jiggled her breasts until they popped to the top of her bra. The too-tight tank—which looked great with her painted-on jeans—helped keep her breasts smiling over the neckline.

A swipe of dark red lipstick and a spray of perfume, and she was ready.

She’d seen Slick head to the beach after dinner. A quick fluff of golden-brown hair and she grabbed her hoodie and headed out. The cold hit her like shards of ice. At least the rain had stopped. She pulled the hoodie over her shoulders but left the zipper unzipped. The cold would only enhance what the good Lord had blessed her with and after struggling into the tight tank, she wasn’t about to cover up the goods.

Emily ran down the path to the beach, keeping an eye out for her mom. She’d taken to playing cook and bottle washer as though she liked it. Yuck. Quentin was off with that new kid Jonah and his dad. Good thing, since there was no way she was going to babysit the brat while her mom played housekeeper.

Once on the beach, she glanced around. Where had Slick gone? It wasn’t like there was a way off this place, unless you knew how to fly or drive a boat. She turned around and caught him in the shadows under the pilings of the deck, casually smoking a cigarette.

He watched her as she approached, and she put a little more sway into her hips.

“Hi. You got a light?” she asked in the smoky voice she’d been practicing. The boys at school couldn’t get enough of it.

Slick reached into his hip pocket and pulled out a lighter. His eyes had yet to reach hers, they’d centered right where she had wanted them to. She jiggled in her top as she pulled a pack of cigs out of her pocket, just to give him a treat. His eyes widened, and she hid a smile.

She placed the cig between her painted lips and leaned his direction, squeezing her cleavage to spill over the edge of her neckline. Slick fumbled with the lighter. After a few tries, and having to actually pay attention to what he was doing instead of what was displayed in front of him, he got the flame to flicker.

Emily puffed to light the end of her cigarette and inhaled, praying she wouldn’t cough. She smiled. Damn, she was getting good at this.

“I’m Emily, remember?” she said her name breathlessly, dragging out the syllables.

“Right, Emily.” He took another drag on his cigarette and then stomped it out.

He wouldn’t leave now that he’d finished his smoke? That would so totally suck.

“So, Emily. Are you vacationing here?”

“Uh, no.” She wasn’t about to tell him that she was here because her mother had made her come. He’d leave for sure. “I work here.”

“Really? What do you do?”

Absolutely nothing if she could help it. I’m at your disposal, she wanted to say. Man, he smelled good and expensive. “Room service.” His eyes widened, and she realized that she was being too forward. The guys at school loved it, but then they were dense. This guy was older, more sophisticated. She needed to act older or he would totally diss her. “If you need something, just ask and I’ll bring it up. Plus, I help with the housekeeping and stuff like that.”

He nodded, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she gave a moment’s pause at the thought that she might actually
have
to do work to make her fib believable.

“That explains why I haven’t seen much of you.” He smoothed his already perfect hair. “I’ve been occupied with work issues. I’ll need to make a point of looking around.”

Tingles raced over her skin. Wow, Slick was smooth. She liked it. Emily smiled and dropped her head and peeked through her lashes. Yep, it seemed to be working, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her, and he had a silly grin on his face.

Finally, some entertainment.

Mel sat on her bed, her feet up on a pillow and a sketch book open on a new quilt design when a knock sounded on her bedroom door. She’d been looking forward to a quiet evening and maybe an early bedtime. She hadn’t slept much the night before and the day had been long. She hollered for the person to enter, hoping it wasn’t Cache, needing a breather. She’d let things go too far with him.

Sergei poked his head in, his expression pinched. “Ve have a problem.”

“Kayaks?” Not again.

“Tom. Better come.”

She threw on a sweatshirt. The storm had passed but the temperatures were still chilly. Mel followed Sergei into the kitchen and stopped short when she saw Tom sitting at the table, moaning. “Hell’s bells. You’d better find Linnet.” She was better at the nursing than Mel.

“Couldn’t. Is why I fetched you.”

“You checked her room?” she asked. Sergei nodded. “What about the sauna?”

He flushed as though he didn’t want to, but left to see if he could locate her there anyway.

“I need a goddamn hospital,” Tom wailed. He’d been doing a sniffling-whining thing when she entered. Not that she blamed him. His hands and arms were pierced with porcupine quills, and his face and neck were dotted with angry welts.

“What happened?” she asked. He’d probably mind if she took his picture, but no one would believe her retelling of this without evidence.

“I headed up the bank toward the lodge when I was besieged by this swarm of micro killer bugs. They were diving for my eyes, my nose, and ears. I tried to out run them and fell into a huge bush of needles.”

Mel bit the insides of her cheeks. “You fell onto a porcupine.” Bush of needles, priceless.

“Oh God, these are from an
animal.
” He held up his pin cushion hands. “I need medical attention!”

Linnet entered covered in a thick terrycloth robe, her skin flushed and warm from the sauna. “Oh my.” She stumbled to a halt at the sight of Tom. “Well…”

Sergei appeared with the first aid kit, and set it on the table. “Vill you need my help?”

Mel heard the, “Please don’t make me stay,” in his voice. “We’ve got it. Thanks, Sergei.”

He bowed out the room, and Linnet tightened the belt on her robe. “Let me wash my hands.” She moved to the sink. “Mel, will you find me the pliers.”

“
What?
” Tom squealed. “No. I need a doctor, drugs, a sterile environment.”

“We’re an hour away, at the very least, from medical attention, and while you are uncomfortable there isn’t anything life-threatening about your situation.” Linnet sat across from him and took the pliers Mel had ready. She started with his left hand. He jerked when she pulled out the first quill. More whimpers followed and the occasional yelp.

The man was a little girl. Wait, little girls were made of stronger stuff. Mel didn’t know what he was. Apparently, he’d been pampered most of his life. Probably never worked a hard day’s labor. “So, Tom,” Mel began hoping to get his mind off being plucked, “what kind of cologne do you wear?”

He preened and named some designer fragrance she’d never heard of. She leaned in and caught a whiff. No wonder. “Don’t wear your cologne while you’re here. From what you described, sounds like noseeums got after you. They’re attracted to sweet smells. Remember what I said the morning after you got here, about using bug spray if you were outside and the wind wasn’t blowing?” He gave a jerky nod as Linnet turned her attention to his other hand and arm. Thankfully they held fewer quills.

Linnet was quick and efficient. A hell of a lot more patient than Mel would have been if she’d dequilled him. It wasn’t long before Mel was handing her ointment for the noseeums bites.

“Now, don’t scratch these,” Linnet said. “They’ll itch worse than mosquitoes bites, but if you scratch them they’ll get infected and scar your face.”

He skin went deathly pale. “Is there anything in this place that isn’t after you?”

“It’s called The Edge, remember?” Mel said.

Mel helped Linnet clean up the mess that had been made seeing to Tom’s injures. She’d wanted to talk to her all day. “Had some problems earlier.” She explained the weirdness involving the kayaks this morning and the one missing.

“Do you think it could have been one of the guests?” Linnet asked.

“I know it wasn’t one of us or Ramsey.”

Linnet grimaced. “Granted, we don’t know the guests that well yet, but I don’t see as any of them as the type to do something like that. Hate to say it, but the one person I haven’t seen a lot of since she arrived is your niece. That girl has an attitude. Could have been her.”

Mel had entertained similar thoughts. Emily was the one who’d probably had the most to gain. She seemed the attention getting type and was angry enough to vandalize.

“Doubt Tom knows how to use a knife that isn’t meant to cut steak.” Linnet chuckled. “About laughed my ass off when I saw him tonight.”

“We should ask Sergei to watch him. He’s only been here two days. At the rate he’s going, he’ll be dead by the end of the week.”

“Don’t joke,” Linnet warned. “We’ve been fairly lucky with our guests over the years. No need to invite trouble.”

C
HAPTER
N
INE

Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God?

~JOB 38:41

The next morning brought with it five- to ten-knot winds and calmer seas. Mel had spent another sleepless night haunted by nightmares. She’d even gone so far as to close her curtains, hating the cave-like sensation it created in her room, but a night feeling watched was worse than the claustrophobia.

Kayaking was on the schedule of events for those who wanted to participate. Luckily the five remaining boats were still tied up just like they were supposed be. She’d already written on her list for town to pick up chain and locks. This wasn’t happening again.