“You look really nice on the video, Lexi,” he said to himself. He tucked it in a pocket before he closed the door behind him and replaced the keys.
“What took you so long?” Lexi carried various goodies in her arms and placed them one by one onto the counter.
Tripp had to smile.
Her wide-eyed, open-mouthed and mute response made him chuckle. “You watched it?” She spit the words at him.
“Only a minute. Had to make sure it was us.”
She punched him in his good arm. “Dammit. No! Why didn’t you erase it?” She flashed the whites of her eyes, groaned and dropped her head into her hand.
“’Cause we look good, if that’s any consolation.”
“It’s not.”
“Fine then. I won’t show it to you.”
“Thank you.”
Tripp ran a mental calculator, totaling up their purchase. “I’m out of cash. I already gave him my twenty.”
“I gave him two twenties. How much you wanna bet we aren’t the first to take advantage of him?” Lexi slipped to the other side of the counter. “What do you want to leave for him?”
Tripp shrugged. “I figured twenty to be safe.”
“Visa or MasterCard?”
He dug in his wallet, removed a card and handed it to her. In one swipe, the machine came to life. She typed on the keypad, handed back his card and a receipt.
“I hope he’s okay here, asleep all by himself,” Lexi said.
At the chime, the old man startled, sat upright, picked up the credit card slip and resumed his snooze.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” Tripp said.
She piled their food into the backseat of the Mini.
He popped his can of Coke and brought the fizz and flavor to his lips. “Ah.”
“You can say that again—”
“Ah,” he said and earned a laugh from her. “Ready to go?”
“I suppose, but now it’s near morning. I gotta get some sleep. You okay to drive still?”
He nodded as he sipped. “This will do the trick.”
“All yours then. Wake me when we get there. But this time, don’t sneak off into a backwoods country store to make a phone call. To anyone.”
“On that note … Ian said Emma’s pissed at you, and you better call her as soon as the sun rises.”
Lexi tucked herself into her seat. “I will. She’ll get over it.”
“Whatever you say. If I did that to my sister, she’d have called my mother—”
Lexi spun in his direction. “Oh, shit. She may have.” She rapped the palm of her hand against her forehead. “Dammit.”
Tripp grabbed her wrist as they both whined an ‘ouch’. “Given what Ian said, I think she’s just pissed. Let’s get to a hotel, we’ll call her, and you can explain and say … well … whatever needs to be said.”
She returned to her more comfortable position. “Yeah, okay. Wonder what she and Ian are doing.”
He smiled. “I’d say sleeping, but hey … one never knows. I mean, look at us.” He took one last look at the store, noted his handprint on the glass, and drove back out onto the two-lane highway as another car’s lights broke the black. “Thank goodness for the scenic route.”
“What?” Her sleep-infused voice reached him.
“Nothing. Go to sleep.”
Her hand found his and entwined with his fingers before going lax a few minutes later.
13
Rather than wake Lexi for the move from car to hotel, Tripp drove into the marina, faced the Mini toward the horizon, and leaned back for a few minutes of rest. The cool early morning air breezed through the vents, bringing with it the smell and memories of their first introduction.
Lexi stirred as the sun peeked over the line separating waves from sky and the black of night shifted to a dark shade of blue. She switched to her side against the chair, long lashes extending over the top of her cheek, already flushed with the sun’s warmth. Full lips blushed soft pink, and tendrils of hair fell across her brow.
“Lexi,” Tripp whispered, pushing at her knees between which her hands remained clasped.
She adjusted against the leather seat.
“Lex.” He ran a fingertip up her arm.
Goosebumps formed on her skin, but still her eyes stayed shut. The sun’s languid ascent pushed itself up over the rise, giving Tripp very little time to wake her before the day started like all others. He fished her cell from her bag, scrolled through until he found Emma’s name, pressed the call button and raised it to Lexi’s cheek.
The call connected on the first ring. “Lexi? Where the hell are you! Why didn’t you call me? I was so worried, and then I hear Tripp called Ian, but you—”
Lexi shot up from her slumber as if he held a gong at her ear. A thunk came as she hit the window with the back of her head. “Dammit.”
Tripp cringed as Emma ranted.
Oops.
“What’d you do? Record my sister as an alarm?”
Tripp scratched the side of his nose, turning toward the sunrise. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Emma’s voice continued its barrage of questions despite the complete lack of response.
“Oh, my—Oh, Tripp, you didn’t.”
He held out the phone, pushed his door open and took a spot at the hood to await the final orange highlights of dawn.
Lexi’s door slammed as soon as he got comfortable. “Your turn.”
Tripp shook his head, grinning at the asphalt on which he parked. He took the phone between two fingers as if it contained radioactive materials. “Emma—” She started in on him before the second word. “We’ll call back.” He flipped the phone closed.
“You hung up on her?” Lexi tugged her hair through a band at the nape of her neck.
“Sit. She can wait another ten minutes while we watch what greets very few each morning.” He brought his arm up, taking care to prevent the overstretch of his muscles, draped it over Lexi’s shoulders, and tucked her in to him.
“Didn’t hurt as much, did it?”
“Nope,” Tripp said. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
She drew in a breath, letting it out over a slow count. “Yeah. This why you woke me from my really hot dream?” Despite the sarcasm, she fit her body against his.
“Yes. It’s something I try to watch as often as possible. It reminds me there’s a cycle to life as well as to everything else.” He drew figure eights against her arm. “And, it’s really pretty.”
The yawn accompanied a further cuddle until her hand finger-walked underneath his shirt from waist to pectorals, sending a shiver through him.
“What would you be doing right now … if you were at home?” His voice reflected exhaustion and desire—at least to himself.
“Enjoying my way too early morning. I figure I’m going to have to take advantage of you before Emma tears you into useless little pieces.”
He huffed a laugh. “I thought you were the modest one with the whole ‘not in front of the window’—but, oh … yeah. That happened.”
“Maybe you’ve shown me other options.” She slid from the hood, stood between his legs.
With the sun behind her, Lexi glowed with a line of orange highlighting her profile. Her lips met his, welcoming him without a second thought. Hands found his hair as his did the same. He let go when she pushed him back against the hood.
“Did I create a sexual monster a few hours ago?”
She smiled. “I don’t know. But our little adventure was quite the thrill.”
“I told you—”
She straddled him, covering his mouth with hers. Their tongues teased, teeth bit and lips pursued pleasure one after the other. She tensed, lifting her head as a deer might when it senses a hunter.
“Company.” She slid back down at the crunch of gravel between concrete and rubber.
“Well, this bites,” Tripp said as he sat back up on the hood.
Even with a lot made for a hundred, the car chose the spot next to theirs. Tinted windows kept the occupants hidden until both doors opened. A male in runner’s shorts stepped from within, along with a woman dressed to match, sunglasses and ball caps concealing their identities. They swung ear buds over their shoulders, nodded to Tripp and Lexi, and jogged toward the yachts moored along one of the many piers.
“Do you think—” Lexi began.
“Yeah, I do, honey. I think we need to get it on, but let’s get a hotel first.” He pitched his voice high, adding a very unreal southern accent while absorbing the make and model of the car. “You wanna get some actual rest first, though?” He nudged her with his elbow.
Lexi’s furrowed brow and narrowed eyes suggested she didn’t understand his scheme.
He pushed her toward her door. “I hear there’s this great hotel on the south side of town. Some new fangled place with all the amenities. Wanna try it?”
“Uh … sure?”
They tucked themselves back into the car. Tripp mimed a zip to her lips as he backed up, noted the numbers and reached for his cell. Ian could dig into the information for him.
“Wha—”
He shushed her with a nod and drove to the edge of the parking lot. As he turned onto the street, he caught a third figure stepping from the car.
• • •
“What the hell was that?” Lexi spun to Tripp. “Why all the hush, hush? Do you know those people?”
He shook his head. “No, but I had a vibe. Get Ian for me, if you don’t mind.”
She took the phone, searched for Ian but came up lost in loads of contacts. “What’s his last name again?”
“Sands.”
The phone passed from her hands to his, though Tripp activated the speaker.
“Hey, man, it’s still early. Twice in one night? This better be good and—”
“Speaker, Ian, speaker. I need you to look up some plates.”
“Wah? Oh, got it. Hi, Lexi.”
Tripp’s light chuckle brought a measure of relief, though she didn’t understand the secrecy. “Hi, Ian. Will you tell Emma I’ll call her later?”
“Yeah, yeah. She’s been chomping at my ass all morning, and it’s not even seven. So what do you need, man?”
“XKT-345. It’s a New York plate. Black, four-door Oldsmobile Cutlass, probably the last of the line. Parked right next to us in a completely empty lot. Guy and girl went for a secret service-like jog, but a third stepped out as we left.”
“Dressed in?”
“Black slacks and a white shirt for the last one, running gear for the others. They didn’t make contact with us, and no one knows we’re here.”
“We do, though
where
is up in the air,” Ian said.
“Could be complete coincidence.”
“But you think not.”
“Exactly,” Tripp said.
“I’ll catch ya later. I need my sleep. Geez, Lexi, your sister has an unstoppable drive.”
Lexi’s lips twitched at the compliment. “She does. I’ll call her later.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got the message and will pass it on.” Ian disconnected without further acknowledgement.
“You have people after you?” Lexi asked. “What do you really do, Tripp?”
“I shouldn’t, but, well, I’ve crossed a few lines in my day—”
“Lately?”
“No. I think I’ve only pissed off one person lately, though she has a lot of resources at her disposal.”
“You mean Jill?” Lexi tried to keep the irritation from her voice. “Because you didn’t actually break it off with her?”
Tripp drove on though he took them into the historic district rather than another beach-like location. “I can’t get through to her. She won’t take ‘no’ as my final answer.”
“Have you given her an answer, or do you just not say anything?” She understood when he didn’t respond. “Fine, fine. So who might be following us, and how would they have found you?”
Tripp smiled. “You’re really not up to speed on your own abilities are you?” He turned down a narrow side street, though Lexi caught the quick glance in the rearview mirror.
“I use it to my advantage—”
“No, you use it for others. I use mine for me, though not me alone. Sure, it comes in handy sometimes for others, but I usually have a dual purpose in every job I take.” When she opened her mouth as if to speak, he continued. “That doesn’t apply with you, or with Jill, or Ian even, so don’t go there in that mind of yours.”
Lexi kept her hands in her lap. “Fine. I’ll set aside my prejudices—that you’d exploit such a gift for personal gain—and keep them to myself.”
“Subtle, Lexi.”
She shrugged.
He swung into the parking lot of a four-story hotel, which had to have existed for at least a hundred years.
“Oh, my god, Tripp, this is gorgeous. Did you know this was here?”
“I did, yes. Thought you’d like it.”
A pale peach mixed with accents of sea foam green and white. Wrought iron balconies and long shutters dotted the exterior brick. Wicker rockers graced the first and second levels where a few early morning risers already took their places.
“This is like a picture of the old south but completely renovated.” She peeked at it through the Mini’s front windshield as Tripp parked. “How did you—”
“I was asked to take this gig right at the end of our vacation last week. With the arm, I didn’t want to chance it, and without a rush deadline, I didn’t need to get down here. But this is the hotel Ian and I chose for when we did make the trip.”
She cocked her head at him. “Do you even need me to find these papers?”
“Yes and no. I was already told where they were stored. Apparently, the owner—”
“And I presume by owner, you mean of this hotel?”
He grinned, slipping the keys from the ignition. “His ex-partners contend they have proof he bilked them from their share of the revenue over the last ten years. Their partnership agreement mysteriously disappeared from all their offices a year ago when the first lawsuit was filed. So, I’m here to retrieve it.”
“From the safe in the office on the second floor. Third door from the elevators, double lock, though it looks hidden.”
His eyes grew wide. “Wow, I didn’t expect that.”
“Me neither.” The image had jumped into her mind without even focusing—like the house in Rune had when he’d shown up.
“That was hot,” he said. “Yes, I knew where it was, but how else would I know if you could do your job?”
“You were testing me?” She resisted as he tugged but gave in as his lips met hers, opened, pressed and plied her with his tongue.
“Business or pleasure?” Tripp asked, ignoring her question.
Lexi eyed the hotel. “Depends.” She ducked under his hand and pushed out from the car. In the warm summer sun, she stretched muscles tense from the long drive and the marina incident. In front of them, oaks reached over cobblestone pathways, creating shady covers for those who passed under them.
Across the road, a fountain of naked merpeople spewed forth streams of water. Beyond the entrance, bushes shaped into animals, fish and round balls dotted the square.
“I think I’d fit in better if I had a hoop skirt and a bonnet.”
Tripp laughed as he opened the hatch and grabbed each suitcase.
“Want to carry them both?” Lexi eyed him with curiosity—more to see his reaction than in an effort to overwork his still injured arm.
“Nope.”
She belted out a laugh. “None too chivalrous, are we?”
“If I knew what you meant, I might answer. For now—” He stepped closer to her, laid his lips against hers. “—I want a bed that lays flat and doesn’t include a steering wheel at my crotch.”
• • •
A grand staircase of walnut and cherry welcomed them. To one side, a group waited, their cameras and hats the most obvious indication of their tourist status. To the other, a black and white checkered floor acted as a path to the reception desk. Lexi grabbed a pamphlet from the rack at the entrance, flipped it over and back while Tripp sauntered up to the counter.
“Room for Tripp Fox? Should be an open reservation for this week.”
So he hoped to get down here sooner than later.
She kept her ears tuned to Tripp but let her eyes scan the information about the building. Built in 1851, the hotel had served as a hospital during the Civil War, home to a famous author, converted to mixed use in the mid nineteen fifties and underwent an enormous renovation project less than a decade before. She assumed the funding came from the partners Tripp said hired him.
“We have a suite for you on the second floor, Mr. Fox. It opens to one of our fabulous balconies.” A desk clerk in a crisp black and white uniform passed him the key.
Lexi strolled through the entry area as the din and chatter in the other room grew. She took in paintings, originals if she were to guess, statues, antiques and furniture which both dated the building and gave it character. One portrait, of the founder of the hotel, graced a massive marble fireplace twice as long and high as Lexi stood.
“Geez, she is one ugly woman,” she said in a low tone so as not to be heard.
“Never insult the owner.” Tripp bit the back of her ear.
She jerked, bumping her head into him.
“Ow.” He rubbed his chin with his palm.
“Oh, shit, Tripp. I’m so sorry.” Lexi covered her mouth with her hands, fearing she would make it worse if she tried to help.
“I’m okay.” He nodded toward the bank of elevators. “Let’s just go up.”
At their room, Lexi dropped the suitcases inside the door, walked to the balcony window and drew back the curtain. As it opened to the sounds of morning, a few cars made their way past the hotel. Children giggled as they entered the park—which also included a natural maze. The sun’s yellow rays trickled drips of light through the tree tops. Shop keepers opened their lives to others, swept off the dust and dew from the night.
Tripp’s arms wound around her.