Navy SEAL Surrender Page 6

  “What do you expect to find?”

  “Man, Alicia. Just trust me. This is what I do.”

  “I have to take your word that you’re good at what you do, John Sloane. But you don’t have carte blanche over my life. I appreciate everything. Just remember that it’s my little girl who’s missing. I’m a little bit anxious, especially since the police think I’m responsible somehow.”

  She hadn’t intended to huff when she crossed her arms. But she had. She wanted to sound slightly indignant and was afraid she’d sounded spoiled instead.

  “I apologize. I’m not used to people questioning my orders.”

  “This is a joint effort,” she reminded him.

  “Right.” He placed the binoculars to his eyes, letting the one word sound like three or four syllables as it slipped through his lips.

  It was far from being a joint effort. She didn’t miss the sarcasm.

  “There’s only one person moving around. A young woman. Got any idea who she is?”

  She adjusted the binoculars and saw a short blonde wearing jeans and a T-shirt. “That’s probably Andra’s Angels. I recognize the swirly As on her shirt. It’s a cleaning service.”

  “It looks like she’s packing up. We’ll wait down by the gulch.”

  With each ray of sun poking through the cooler shade, she could feel her skin baking and her temper boiling. She wanted to do something. Be proactive. Not sit around and wait at a dried-up creek bed.

  “While we’re waiting, you can explain more about your plan and why it’s so dang important to hide.”

  “All right. Here are the facts. You’re being framed—along with Brian—for the kidnapping of your daughter. Once they take you to jail, they’ll probably insist you go to Denton County, where you’ll be involved in a fatal fight or feel such remorse you’ll commit suicide.”

  Totally deflated, she plopped on the hard ground next to him. He sounded so matter-of-fact recounting his supposition. He’d clearly thought through the options and jumped to a dismal end. “And with me gone, they get control over Lauren’s trust. To get Lauren back, I’d sign over the trust fund this minute and walk away forever. Don’t they know that?”

  “They don’t. Whoever they are, they don’t think that way. They believe everyone desires money as much as they do. Just remember, we’re assuming it’s Shauna and Patrick, but right now, everyone’s a suspect.”

  “How do you plan on finding my daughter?”

  “There are a lot of variables they need to control. Since the police have been watching them, other people must be involved and doing the dirty work. There must be details somewhere. We’ll find their trail, but we have to keep you alive along the way.” He set the binoculars to his side and patted her knee. “Don’t worry, I’m actually good at this.”

  He looked concerned, but didn’t smile to reassure her. Not a grin noting confidence that he knew all the answers, not even a slow tilt of his lips showing comfort. Come to think about it, he hadn’t grinned since they’d been in the driveway together that first day and he’d seen her. Had she? She couldn’t smile with Lauren gone.

  “What happened to you, Johnny?”

  “It’s been twelve years, Alicia.”

  “You’ve changed. You’re so serious and realistic. You’re certainly not pulling any punches.”

  “Do you want me to sugarcoat the reality of the situation?”

  “No. I... I’ve been sugarcoating much too much of my life as it is. I want Lauren back and I’m willing to do anything and every—”

  “Shh.” His finger went unerringly to her lips as his eyes searched behind her. “Someone’s coming.”

  “What do we do?” she asked in a panicked whisper.

  His strong arm dropped around her shoulders and in an instant her back was on the ground. Her head was in the bend of John’s arm, bringing his body on top of her. For a split second she thought he was just protecting her, but then he grinned. A teasing gleam from their teenage years reached his eyes as his lips captured hers.

  “Stop being shocked and pretend to kiss me,” he whispered against her lips. He slid a knee between her legs, supporting himself so she could breathe, but leaving no breath of space separating them.

  It wasn’t shock at kissing him that she was experiencing. It was a shock at realizing twelve years could pass and desire for this man could rush back so fully.

  Even after loving Dwayne. This was different. She wanted to feel, to be held, to be desired. It was like capturing a stolen moment from her youth.

  She parted her lips, hungry for the contact. His tongue danced with hers. She slid her hands around his back, wanting to lift his shirt and feel the contours of the muscles she’d seen last night. The familiar feel of a strong body protecting her from the world was a heady sensation.

  Footsteps crunched sticks and dried leaves that fell from the elm trees earlier that spring. John’s body tightened becoming more rigid, more alert.

  “Oh, I beg your pardon,” a somewhat familiar older voice said.

  “Mr. Searcy?” John asked, breaking their contact and lifting his chest from hers.

  “Brian, boy. I didn’t recognize you with that head of hair gone. Looks good. Is that you, Miss Alicia?”

  Joe Searcy had worked for the Adams family all of their lives. She’d witnessed him breaking up many fights between the boys and escorting them to their parents more than once by holding their ears.

  Alicia shoved at John’s pectorals and scrambled to a sitting position, straightening her tank top. All the while both men chuckled.

  “It’s about time you two got together,” Joe said with his cigarette-battered vocal cords. “I remember catching you around the property a time or two.”

  “That was John, Mr. Searcy.” John laced his fingers through hers and smiled goofily while pretending to be his twin. Pretending unsuccessfully. Brian was never goofy.

  “You’re really reminding him of that?” she whispered, knowing Joe was hard of hearing.

  How anyone ever got them confused was beyond her. That goofy mischievousness was 100 percent John.

  “What’s that?” the older man complained. “And, Brian, why so formal? You’ve been calling me Joe since you’ve been stopping by to help around the place for Miss Alicia.”

  “Yes, sir,” John said.

  “Sorry I mumbled, Joe. It’s good to see you outside, but where’s your walking stick?” She disengaged from John, stood and brushed the dirt from her jeans. “John, would you—” She stopped herself, remembering at the last minute he was pretending to be his brother. “John would get so embarrassed when you caught us. Remember?”

  She went to Joe and gave him a hug. John stood and hunted for a stick, quick to understand what she’d been about to ask him.

  “Miss Alicia, I don’t need a walking stick.”

  “Now, Joe, we agreed after the fall you took last March that you’d get a walking stick for uneven ground. It’s either that or a cane. You promised.”

  “Always looking out for everybody. How long you two been seeing each other?”

  She shook her head at John, warning him not to answer. He handed Joe a sturdy-looking stick, smooth enough for his callused but weaker hand to grip.

  “Thank you, Boy-o. I forgot the one you brought by the house. No need to make another. And I’ll remember to use it. Now, you two should think about finding a cooler place to cuddle. Why, out here, you could have a sunstroke getting all hot and bothered.” Joe waggled his bushy eyebrows at them.

  Heaven help me.

  Certain she’d changed several shades of embarrassing pink in a few seconds, she watched John smile and nod in agreement. She attempted to dart her eyes and jerk her head away from Joe to indicate she was ready to escape. John didn’t seem interested or just flat-out ignored her
. He seemed to be having a good laugh at her expense.

  “How’s your father, Brian?”

  “Better, sir. Thanks for asking. Alicia’s taking great care of him. In fact, he’s the one who suggested we take a break today.”

  “Good. Good. He up for visitors yet?” Joe finally took a step away.

  “Probably do him good to see you, sir.” John helped the old man up the slight incline.

  “I’ll plan on it. Bye now, I’m off to lunch.”

  “Oh, Joe. Would you mind keeping this a secret?” She pointed to John and herself. “We’d like to keep it quiet awhile.”

  “Mum’s the word, Miss Alicia. You should try that old storage barn on the Kruegerville acreage for some privacy. You might have to saddle a ride, but no one goes there since Mr. Adams...passed.” He leaned on the stick and took several steps. “Mum’s the word.”

  John stood next to her as an icon from their youth meandered back the way he’d come.

  “That brought back some memories,” John said, scratching his head. “I don’t get it. He didn’t ask about Lauren, but he knew about Dad.”

  “I told him about J.W. He refuses to have cataract surgery, and his vision is blurry. So he doesn’t read the paper or watch television anymore.”

  “Was he talking about the barn we had that haunted house in one year? That thing still standing?”

  “I guess so. I had no idea Roy went there. He never mentioned it to me.”

  “That should go on our list of things to check out.”

  John turned away from her and jogged back to get the binoculars he’d set on the ground. She had no clue if he meant to check out the barn for potential information or to use it as Joe had suggested.

  But she knew that her first thought leaned heavily toward the latter. And that both frightened and excited her at the possibility John’s thoughts had gone there, too.

  Chapter Nine

  The short visit with Mr. Searcy hadn’t brought up too many memories of getting caught in their youth. John was still thinking about the kiss in the gully today. It took top-notch self-discipline and concentration to stay sane enough to continue looking for the approaching threat. How had she gotten to be a better kisser? And man, if they hadn’t cooled their heels over the past fifteen minutes in the presence of the old man, he might have thrown her onto her back—kissing her into oblivion again.

  “Joe will probably mention seeing me at the lunch counter today. He’s there every Monday and Friday and bound to hear about Lauren. We can only pray that he doesn’t mention seeing you.”

  “Yeah, pray.” He didn’t really expect fate or luck to be working on their side. “I’ll lose my anonymity as soon as Joe has lunch if Mabel doesn’t get Brian out of jail.”

  “Are we heading to the house?” Alicia asked.

  “Affirmative.”

  They walked into the bright noon July heat, across a field as dry as fire tinder. What had happened to everything?

  “Say affirmative around other people and they’ll know you’re not Brian for sure. Of course, I still don’t know how anyone could get the two of you confused.”

  “The hard thing to believe is that you don’t. How?”

  “How what?”

  “How do you tell us apart? Besides the obvious haircut.”

  She shrugged. He stopped them at the backyard to verify the maid had left. One car now. The other must have been Joe’s. He hopped the wooden fence and waited for Alicia to climb.

  “Show-off. What are we looking for once we’re inside?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s find an entrance and then think about it.” He tried a couple of windows. All locked. He was about to put his elbow through the glass on the back door when Alicia pulled it to a stop.

  “Why don’t we just use this?” She dangled a lone key at the end of her tanned arm.

  “You could have said something.”

  “And where’s the fun in that?” She slipped the key in the dead bolt and a second time in the knob. “I warned you that the place has changed a lot.”

  “Yeah, it’s empty. What happened to everything?” He shut the door and had to flip on the light to see.

  More than just furniture was missing. There weren’t any mementos, knickknacks, family pictures...nothing. Objects that had been there the entire time they’d grown up. Dwayne had lost his mother at a very young age. His grandparents had moved back in and had no reason to change things around. His dad had told them more than once that he liked keeping his wife’s belongings close to their everyday life.

  Alicia gave him a look and he knew the answer. Roy had married Shauna and she’d changed the open kitchen area into a dark cave. Heavy drapery blocked the sunlight.

  “She didn’t like seeing the barn and constantly complained about how her eyes hurt in the sun.”

  “Was she hungover or high?”

  “That would have been understandable. I don’t think so. Honestly, I have no idea.” Alicia’s voice sounded older, sadder.

  More than the room was dark. Gone was the tenderness this woman had shown for Joe Searcy. She walked through the house with her arms crossed and hands tucked into fists.

  “A lot of things were packed away as soon as she moved in. She told the movers to donate it someplace. Roy had it stored somewhere for Dwayne to look through one day. Less than a year later he was gone. Roy followed not too long after.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and he patted her shoulder, afraid of the thoughts passing through his head. Inappropriate thoughts of desire shot through his body and made him drop his hand.

  “The court said she could sell anything that they’d bought as a couple.”

  “There’s not much left.” He gestured to the near-empty everything. “I know it’s difficult, but I’ve got to ask. Why did Roy marry someone young enough to be his daughter? Was he that lonely?”

  “She went through a divorce just after Dwayne and I married. I talked to her one day at the grocery store. Then she asked to come over. And kept asking. We didn’t want to be rude and I actually thought she was lonely. She must have come over when Roy was alone one night. I think she tricked him into thinking she may be pregnant. He never said anything to anyone. Especially not Dwayne.”

  “Is there a wall safe?”

  “No, I don’t think so. And even if there was, he never kept anything here. All his papers were in his office at the show stables. I told you earlier you wouldn’t find anything.” Her voice choked up a little and he could see tears flooding her eyes.

  “Sorry for putting you through this. I didn’t mean to upset you more.” Don’t touch her, man. He didn’t listen to himself. Pulling her into his arms and letting her cry was probably the worst idea he’d ever had. Right up there with that failed maneuver in Afghanistan.

  A bad idea, because he couldn’t trust himself. He wanted a second kiss and more. They were both adults. They could handle a real relationship now. He rested his chin on her head and encouraged her cheek to lie against his chest. Wisps of her curls caressed his hot skin. Hard to believe less than a week ago he’d been halfway around the world in mock maneuvers.

  What the hell was he doing?

  Waiting here was putting her in danger. Bringing her inside with him put her in danger. They should have been in and out. Fast. And he was delaying so he could hold an old girlfriend.

  Emotion had no place in reconnaissance and was not allowed in rescues. Period. There was no room in his lifestyle and career for emotional attachments. He’d seen too many of his buddies lose their families. Partial custody or not seeing their kids for months at a time tore them up and made them lose their edge.

  Man, she has a little girl. Dwayne’s kid. He couldn’t do this.

  “If you’re okay, let’s get out of here.” He held her shoulde
rs and kept looking over the top of her head, to keep from seeing the sadness in her eyes. Sadness for another man she loved—even if he was gone.

  “I’m fine.”

  Words with no substance, if wiping away tears was an indicator. And yet she stood straight and didn’t complain.

  Was it strength? Completely different from what he experienced with his team. A kind that he hadn’t seen in a long time. Not since his mom died and the community had rallied around his family.

  Alicia should come with warning signs. Emotional ties were dangerous ground for a SEAL who traversed the globe and never knew if he’d return. He needed to build a wall too high for her to climb. He never surrendered. Never would.

  A car door shut and he jerked to a stop. Alicia froze. He didn’t have to tell her to be quiet or to remain calm. She was. He saw it in her questioning expression. He pointed upstairs. She turned, pulled her shoes off like they had each time they’d snuck up those same stairs as teenagers and soundlessly left him.

  About to follow, he turned off the lights and from the corner of his eye spotted the key Alicia had left on the counter. Damn. He had training on his side and nothing else. Moving quickly, he swept the key into his pocket and turned the bolt. Good thing the drapes were heavy and no one outside could see shadows.

  He peered through the minuscule view available at the window and saw two policemen—one older and one younger. They were both looking in the flowerpots.

  “I’ll find the key,” the experienced officer said. “Go keep a watch out front to see if anyone leaves.”

  “It’s hot out here. She’s long gone, sir. Everyone knows she took off to San Antonio and left Sloane to take the rap. Let the Texas Rangers locate her. Coming here doesn’t make sense.”

  “Randall, I swear, if you backtalk me one more time today, you’ll be looking for a new job. She left her keys in the car, son. The keys to the houses were missing. Use your noggin.”

  The older officer was smarter than John had given him credit for. And Alicia hadn’t followed his instructions. The patrolman, a kid he didn’t recognize, reluctantly shuffled his feet around front. They couldn’t get out of the house without being seen.