Wine and Roses Page 9

  ***

  Simon held Gunner in his arms put his gun in his pocket as he opened the front door. He didn’t say anything to Eboni but he took no chances with her. Bennis had not been found. He put the animal down. “Stay,” he commanded. Gunner lifted his head to look at him and then swung his head around in the direction of the road. Simon pulled the gun out of his pocket, trusting the instincts of the little dog. “Go!” The animal took off like a rock released from a slingshot. Simon jogged behind him, and a half-moon hung high about the trees providing enough light in the clearing for Simon to see. Sure ‘nough the mutt headed right for the road and stopped about fifty yards from the house. He sniffed around an area, walked in circles a few times then sat down waiting on Simon.

  “Good dog,” Simon said. “Stay.” He approached the area where Gunner continued to sit. He picked up the dog and moved him to the side. “Stay,” he repeated. Bending down, and using the light from the moon, he examined the ground where his pet first stopped and the area around it. The wild grass around the base of the tree looked trampled, could have been by booted feet. Simon straightened up, glanced around at whatever could be seen from there, and the blood in his veins iced. If a person stood in that spot, he or she would have a clear view of the boat dock as well as the house. He looked around the area slowly this time, but could see nothing more. The trees were too dense, and the road angled. He stared down at the dog again who gazed up at him with his tongue hanging out. Whoever had been there appeared to be gone.

  They walked along the path a little more, the dog running ahead of him. He held his gun out in front of him and all of his senses open to the anything disturbing the natural rhythm of the night sounds around him. When Gunner once again stopped and walked in circles before sitting down, he stopped, too. “What is it boy?” He looked around but the bushes were too thick and he didn’t see anything, and the dog didn’t growl. So they were alone. He studied the ground again near the dog, and he noticed the gravel seemed sunk in, like a car might have parked there.

  “Good boy. You get a treat for that.” At the word “treat,” Gunner’s ears stood straight up. He bounded to all fours and took off at a dead sprint back to the house.

  Simon watched the dog run, but no smile curved his face. Someone had parked a car here before continuing on foot and watching them from the trees near the drive. His pace back to the house was slower; he put the gun back in his pocket. After letting the dog in through the back door and giving him a treat, he got his phone he’d left in the living room and went back to the kitchen. He didn’t want to take a risk and wake Eboni or have to explain the phone call to her.

  When the line got picked up, he said, “Frank. Got a problem.”

  After talking to Frank for a while bringing him up to date and catching up with the investigation, he came to a decision. At this point, not much they could do. They could run again, but if they were found here, given time, they could be found anywhere. He wanted to make a stand. Other than the river, there was only one road in and out of the property.

  He wouldn’t discount leaving by the river; they had a boat. Still too early to make that call. Could have been a lost tourist or the person might have just been there to locate them. Somehow he doubted either. Whoever it was would be back, and he’d be waiting for them.

  “I’ll start asking some questions,” Frank said.

  “Yeah, see if you can find out that day we left who the cops were who followed us. I know Jackson was one, but check on that partner of his, too, Calvin Smith. I thought he’d gone with the officer down to the hospital. Check that.”

  “Okay, will do and get back to you. And you take care, stay alert.”

  Simon would worry about how they were found later, if they were. He hoped Jackson wasn’t involved. He liked the man, but if his name came up in this mess, Simon might put a bullet in him himself for putting Eboni’s life in danger.

  As he passed through the living room to the bedrooms, he picked up Gunner and a cushion. The little dog made a first class watchdog. If anything came sniffing around, Gunner would be the first one to know it.

  The bedroom door remained open. Walking into the room, he decided to leave it that way. He’d left the nightlight on in the hall. Its low light didn’t bother him. Putting the cushion down in a corner, he rested Gunner on top of it, stopping to rub behind the dog’s ear just the way he liked it. He could have sworn the little tike sighed before settling down on the cushion. Glancing toward the bed, the soft inhale and exhale of Eboni’s breathing told him she slept. Glad not to have to explain what he’d found, he placed his gun on the nightstand then went over to the not quite unpacked bag in a corner where he’d left it. Opening it up, he retrieved another gun case, containing his favorite, a Glock as well as a sheathed hunting knife. He left both in their cases and took them over to the nightstand, resting everything next to his glasses. Lifting the cover, he eased into bed. Before he’d even settled his head down on the pillow, Eboni rolled toward him. Her hand rested on his chest, and her leg lay over his thighs. “Simon,” she muttered in her sleep.

  Simon turned his head and kissed her nose. “Shhh, go back to sleep.” She didn’t say anything else. In truth, he didn’t think she’d even really awakened. He clasped her hand in his and held it over his heart. This woman was fast becoming more to him than she should. He remained awake for a long time, listening for any stray noise and keeping an eye on Gunner, but the dog never even twitched. Eventually the sandman conquered Simon, too.

  ***

  Len had seen enough. No need for him to hang out in the damn woods getting bitten by God knows what. He knew where Blackcat and the bitch were holed up, and didn’t look like they were going anywhere anytime soon. He made his way back to town and decided to get a room for a night or two at the inn down the street from the diner.

  Since the cops and FBI were all in LA looking for him, he’d have time to make sure there were no mistakes. After checking in using one of his fake credit cards, he headed for his room to take care of his exit arrangements from the country, set up his next appointment, and to wait.

  The alarm on his cell phone went off at 3 a.m. He got up already dressed in black jeans and a shirt. He opened the window and took out the screen. He’d taken a room on the first floor of the three-story townhouse inn. The windows on this side faced into the woods so no eyes to see him leave or return. He parked his car around the back part of the parking lot not far from his window. Plenty of automobiles there to hide his. He made it to his rental without any problems and headed back for the house. He needed to get a layout of the place. The one thing he’d noticed earlier approaching the house from the road wouldn’t work. He’d be too out in the open. Anyone watching would be able to see him coming down in a car or on foot. Right now he just wanted to have a closer look around the place, go through some of the dense forest, and try to approach the house from a blind spot. If he could gain entry tonight so much the better, if not there was always tomorrow.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gunner growled. Simon’s eyes opened at the dog’s first low-throated sound. “Hold boy.” His body turned in the direction of the window. Simon sat up and pulled on a pair of jeans, his T-shirt, and boots, and grabbed his gun. The little dog continued to growl low in his throat. Eboni got up as he tucked the gun in his holder. “Sorry sweetheart, but I think you better get up.”

  “What’s going on, Simon?”

  “Not sure, but whatever it is, Gunner’s not happy about it.” The dog stood with his ears pointed and his body stiff staring at the window. “Go ahead and get dressed, jeans sneakers, sweatshirt.”

  The lights were all off in the room, only the night light in the hallway remained on. Naked, she got up. Simon was glad Eboni didn’t ask any more questions or reach to turn on the light. She opened one of the dresser drawers and got out some clothes. Then she put on each piece as she pulled it out. He’d moved to the window and standing at first one side then the other, he pushed one of the cl
osed blinds up a sliver so he could peek through. The moon stood high in the cloudless sky and threw most of the ground in shadows. He could barely see the boat by the dock. It looked like a dark shape. Nothing moved outside, but something or someone could be out there.

  He turned around and Eboni, now dressed, held Gunner in her arms. The sight made him smile, and he walked over to them and gave her a quick kiss before rubbing the dog’s head. “Come with me,” he said. He led them to the kitchen, right over to the pantry, and after opening the door he turned to her. “I need you to stay in here until I return.”

  She glanced at the interior. “No, I don’t think so. I want to go with you.”

  “I’m just going to have a look around, and I can do it quicker and quieter if I’m by myself.”

  “Oh, okay. Are you going to take Gunner with you?”

  Not a bad suggestion, the dog acted like a divining rod. If anything prowled around out there on two legs or four, Gunner would lead him right to it. “Yes, I think I might. Here.” He reached around at his back and pulled out the small pistol he usually kept in his ankle holster, offering it to her.

  She raised her eyebrows and simply stared at the gun. “Oh no, I’m not touching that thing.” She raised her gaze to his. “I don’t even know how to shoot it.”

  He released the safety from the off position. “It’s easy, aim and pull this trigger.” He pointed to the trigger then offered her the gun again, butt first pointed away from either of them. “Just remember the safety is off, so don’t pull the trigger unless you mean it.”

  “Oh lord, Simon, I don’t know if I can do that.”

  He continued to hold the gun out to her. “Yes, honey, you can. If someone is trying to harm you, I need you to be able to defend yourself.”

  With a shaky hand, she reached for the weapon. “O...okay.” She grabbed it firmly by the handle and gently placed it on one of the shelves in the pantry.

  “Okay, I’ll be right back, and I’ll call out to you when I get back. If you hear movement in front of this door, just start shooting.”

  “Lord have mercy, Simon, I can’t. What if something happened and it’s you?”

  “I’ll call out, or I’ll rap against the wall like this.” He tapped the wall near the door three times.

  “Okay, okay, don’t forget. Please, don’t forget.” She handed Gunner to him.

  “I won’t. Remember shoot first ask questions later.” He kissed her quickly again and turned her around, giving her a little pat on her rear to get her to step into the pantry. When she did and shifted to face him, he blew her a kiss and shut the door.

  As soon as the door closed, he headed for the back door. He moved the curtains aside and looked out, still nothing moved out there. Opening the door, he put Gunner down and the little dog took off in the direction of the path along the river. He pulled out his gun and trotted after the dog.

  “Gunner. Hold!” Thank God, the dog heeded him. He skidded to a halt his head turning back and forth to Simon and the figure lumbering off away from the river and farther into the woods.

  Simon put his gun away when he reached the dog, bending down to pick him up, and scratching behind his ears. “That’s a black bear, son. A little too big even for you to handle.”

  Keeping hold of the dog, they walked back to the house as he opened the back door he called out. “Lucy, I’m home.”

  ***

  Eboni opened the door to the panty. She left the gun on the shelf right where she’d placed it. Glad she didn’t have to touch the thing, much less shoot someone.

  “So what happened? Was someone out there?” She sat down at the kitchen table as Simon put Gunner down on the tiled floor. The dog headed right for his water bowl. Simon opened a cabinet and took out a box of crackers. Opening it up, he took out a few before calling the dog to him.

  “Here boy, you were such a good boy.” And he held out his palm with the crackers in the center. For a little dog, he had a big mouth. Gunner grabbed them all and trotted into the living room.

  Simon opened the pantry and retrieved his gun before pulling out the chair across from her and running his hands through his unbound hair. Eboni watched hair as dark as midnight and soft as silk cascade onto his shoulders momentarily distracting her. She shook her head to focus.

  “Now, can you tell me what’s going on?”

  “It was just a bear.”

  She glanced up in the direction of the door. “A bear? Near the house?”

  “Yeah, close enough for Gunner to sense it.”

  “Well, is it gone?”

  “Yep.”

  She glanced at the back door. “Is it coming back?”

  “Probably not. Don’t worry. It’s more afraid of us than we are of it.”

  “You keep saying that. But do the bears know it?”

  He grinned, and she almost forgot the rest of her question. He’d acted pretty quickly and putting her in the pantry with a gun seemed intense, like he’d been expecting trouble. The dog had been growling earlier, too.

  “Is that all? Is something else going on? I mean we’re out in bear country so shouldn’t you have expected the dog to react to the wild life around here?”

  “Smart, too. I like that.”

  Eboni couldn’t help but be pleased by his reply, yet it didn’t respond to her question so she raised an eyebrow at him waiting. This she would not let go.

  “All right, yes. I wanted to make sure you were safe just in case it wasn’t just part of the wild life around here like you said.”

  She frowned. “But I don’t understand? Why would there be a problem? No one knows where we are other than Ross and Shanna, and I’m assuming Frank and Alex. So, all your people.”

  “As far as we know that’s true, but I’m not taking any chances. I have Frank doing some digging for me.”

  “Again, why, did something happen?”

  He hesitated. “Earlier this evening, I saw evidence of a car being parked up on the road, and someone might have walked up to the top of the drive and looked down on the house.”

  “So what?” She shrugged. “Couldn’t it have just been a neighbor? Although there don’t seem to be many.” She’d only seen maybe three other houses once they’d gotten off the state road. “Or even a tourist.”

  “Yeah, probably all it was.” He took a hold of both her hands resting on the table, turning them palm up he kissed each one. “But I’m taking no risks with you.”

  He stood and pulled her up out of the chair to him. Leaning down, he captured her mouth. Instead of the all-consuming kisses she’d become accustomed to with him, this one felt tender gentle. More just the touching of lips. He pulled away from her. “As much as I want to do more, I promised you a trip down river.”

  She didn’t give a rat’s ass about the river but if he wanted to take her down river, so be it.

  “We’ll get a few more hours of sleep and then get up, and I’ll show you some of the most beautiful fishing spots in the world.”

  The man acted true to his word. They’d only gotten less than three hours more sleep when he woke her. Yawning, she got up and dressed then headed for the kitchen to make them a little picnic basket. She’d spotted one in the pantry. While she prepared a couple of cold cut sandwiches for them, he walked through the kitchen carrying two angling rods. She paused to watch through the window as he headed for the dock, the dog on his heels. Gunner looked funny standing up trying to climb onto the boat. Simon came back inside and grabbed the dog crate.

  “Are you going to take Gunner with us?”

  “Sure, he seems eager to go.”

  She smiled. “So I saw, but is he going to be okay in the boat?”

  He shrugged. “We’ll find out. Plenty of folks round here take their dogs out on the river. But I’m bringing the crate along just in case. After we find a stop, I’ll let him run around. He’s pretty good about staying close and listening to my commands.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed. Probably a good thing given
the animals around.”

  She got a couple bottles of water, an extra one for the dog and grabbed two plastic containers from a cabinet. One she’d use to put water for the dog. In the other, she poured out some food for him. Everything went into the picnic basket. Simon came through the back door as she closed the lid.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Yep.”

  He grabbed the container with one hand and her hand with the other. “Then let’s go, those fish won’t wait.” His smile took up most of his face.

  She couldn’t help but smile back at him in return. “Who are you, Simon?”

  Slowly, the smile left his face. Oh, that question held so much meaning. She’d made love with this man a number of times over the last few days. Eboni knew they stayed in the house he grew up in, and he’d even admitted to her one night the room they slept in, made love in, had been his. Still, she knew so little about him, really not much more than when they’d first arrived. Yet she needed to know so much more about the man she’d gone and fallen in love with, even though she tried not to. Yeah, might as well try to stop a lightning strike from the sky.

  “I’m the man who’s going to keep you safe,” he replied.

  She nodded. Unable to ask him what she really wanted to know: for how long? What happens after Bennis was caught or left town? Then what happened to them? Eboni kept her mouth shut. Not ready to deal with questions she already knew the answers to. And that made her a little sad. So she plastered a smile on her face and opened the door allowing him to lead her down to the boat.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You know I’ve never been fishing in my life.”

  “So. Everyone is a virgin at something at one time or another.”

  She grinned. “Are you claiming you popped my cherry?”

  “Mmm,” he growled. “One of them.”

  She laughed. Oh, how she loved this man. They’d had a wonderful time together, and he’d found them a nice little secluded spot so they could fish. She’d even caught a fish. Well two of them, he’d made her release them both. They were too small, but he caught two also, and they were going to have those for dinner. She liked fishing after all. The beauty of the river had her in awe. They only saw one other boat out and waved as the fisherman with a pole across his lap motored past. Simon explained his property wasn’t exactly on the Bitterroot River but sat more on a tributary to the river, which lay literally around the bend in the water, and they anchored for the rest of the morning on yet another tributary where the fish were plentiful. A secret spot, he called it. But when she’d asked him if he fished there as a kid, he shrugged and cast his line back into the water.