On Borrowed Time (9 page)

The wind tugged at her hair, sending it swirling about her head. Lindsey pulled up the hood on her coat and shoved her hands in her pockets.

“Want to walk a ways and wear him out?” Sully asked.

Lindsey nodded.

They set off on the firm dry sand, staying clear of the waves while Heathcliff sprinted down the beach and back. It wasn't long before his tongue was hanging out but still he barked and chased the waves.

Lindsey had thought Sully was going to take this time in the fresh air to talk, but to her surprise he didn't say anything. She wondered what he was thinking but then she suspected he had a whole lot of unhappy going about her telling him not to look for the yacht. Sully was the original fixer. When he saw a problem, it was ingrained in his nature to fix it. She knew it chafed him for her to tell him to stop.

Deep in thought, she yelped when Sully abruptly draped his arm about her shoulders and pulled her close. His mouth was next to her ear, giving her all sorts of shivers and not the kind that come from the cold, when he said, “Don't panic, but someone is following us.”

It took her a moment or two to get his scent out of her head and replace it with his words.
Following them?

N
aturally, Lindsey's first reaction was to look over her shoulder and see who it was. Sully anticipated her move, however, and pulled her in even closer, blocking her from turning around by pressing his mouth right below her ear.

“No, don't look,” he whispered. “We don't want him to know we're aware of him.”

His voice was gravel rough and managed to turn Lindsey's insides to hot mush even while she felt an adrenaline surge of fear pump through her. She closed her eyes, trying to focus, and asked, “Who is it?”

Sully's breath brushed across her cheek when he answered, “Don't know. I don't recognize him, but we can't get back to the house the way we came without passing him. I'm thinking we need to hike into the tall grass and lose him at the old red shack.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said.

Sully took her hand in his, and within three steps they had disappeared into the marsh grass that separated his small neighborhood from the next. As if sensing their urgency, Heathcliff was right beside Lindsey as they picked their way through the phragmites.

Before they disappeared over the small hill, she glanced back. She gasped when she saw the shadow of a large man backlit against the light coming from Sully's house. He was making his way down the beach, headed straight for them.

“He's coming!” Lindsey whispered, because yeah, Sully might have missed that fact.

He gave her hand a firm squeeze and then he bent down and scooped Heathcliff up into his arms. He shifted their speed into high gear, using his elbow to lead them through the spiky grass. Lindsey followed, hoping that in the darkness the man would have a hard time following Sully, who knew every inch of the terrain from his boyhood spent running wild.

They broke out of the grass and found themselves beside an old shack that had stood on this unpopulated part of the bay for as long as anyone could remember. Up on stilts, it had been painted red over the years, but was still weatherworn and tired looking. In the dark, Lindsey couldn't make out much more than the fact that it looked abandoned.

“It's the local hangout for high schoolers,” Sully said. “At least, it used to be.”

“Are we going in?”

“No, but we hope he thinks we are. Come on.” Sully pulled her past the shack and into a small copse of evergreens. He handed off Heathcliff to her and said, “Don't move. I'll be right back.”

Lindsey clutched Heathcliff close, which was no mean feat, since he weighed a solid thirty-plus pounds. He struggled a bit as if he wanted to go after Sully, but Lindsey hushed him and talked softly to him.

“It's okay, boy,” she said. “Sully knows what he's doing.”

The wait was excruciating. Lindsey edged closer to the edge of the trees. She just wanted to peek and see that Sully was okay.

In the darkness, she couldn't make out anything. Just shadows layered against shadows. Her hair blew across her face and she tossed it back. Heathcliff whined and she shushed him. He was a solid bundle, and she shifted him in her arms as she leaned out from behind a long branch.

She heard the noise of something slamming and then footsteps were fleeing toward her. She stiffened. She had no way of knowing in the dark if it was Sully or not. Heathcliff's ears perked up but he didn't bark so she assumed it must be him, but just to be on the safe side, she backed up into the tree, letting the branches cover her.

“Lindsey,” a voice hissed. It was Sully and he sounded a little panicked. She stepped out from the tree and he took Heathcliff from her arms.

“I wasn't sure it was you,” she explained.

“Good thinking,” he said. “I've bought us some time, but we'd better hurry.”

“What did you do?” she asked.

“Impeded his progress,” he said. “I hope.”

He led the way onto a narrow path in the high grass that was mercifully hard-packed dirt and not marshland mud. In a few spots where it looked soggy, someone had put down narrow wooden planks. They hurried through the high grass. Lindsey looked behind them twice, but there was no sign of anyone following them.

Only once when they were nearing the edge of the marsh did Sully stop. He ducked down and pulled Lindsey with him. Crouched low, Lindsey saw the sweep of a flashlight illuminate the tips of the grass above their heads.

She felt her heart race and she broke out in a sweat. Who was looking for them? What did they want? Was it the woman who had taken Jack? Maybe she should stand up and ask them. Even as the idea flitted through her head, she rejected it. She didn't want to put Heathcliff and Sully, yes, in that order, at risk.

As the light flared over them on its second sweep, she glanced at Sully. He was frowning, but when he turned to glance at her, he gave her a small smile and a wink.

“Don't you worry,” he said. “I've got the home court advantage here.”

Lindsey didn't doubt it for a second.

They waited several long minutes in the cold before Sully gave the signal to start moving. When they neared the edge of the high grass that led to the road, Sully put Heathcliff down. The dog was happy to be free, and he barked once in approval. Lindsey hushed him but a neighborhood dog barked in response so she fervently hoped that whoever was looking for them thought it was just the local dogs reacting to strangers in the neighborhood.

They were down the street from Sully's small house, and he gestured for Lindsey to follow him. They strolled through his neighbors' backyards, thankfully not running into anyone who wanted to stop and chat.

On the edge of his yard, Sully again had Lindsey and Heathcliff wait while he checked the perimeter of his house to make sure no one was inside or waiting for them out front. When he waved the “all clear” to Lindsey, she and Heathcliff hurried inside.

“Stay away from the windows,” he said.

He quickly checked the house and then came back and drew the thick curtains over the glass panes. He kept the outside lights on, but turned out all the lights in the house, save one very dim twenty-five-watt lamp that Lindsey had always thought was decorative.

“What did you do, back at the shack?” she asked. A shiver ran over her skin and she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or residual fear.

Sully switched on the fire in the fireplace and warmth immediately flared out from the hearth. Lindsey sat on the floor in front of it and let it toast her back to her normal temperature. Sully sat beside her, and Heathcliff wedged himself between them, rolling onto his back so his belly was in the air, perfectly positioned for a tummy rub.

“First, I hid on the back porch,” he said. “Then when the man got closer, I walked loudly across the boards, hoping he'd think we were inside. He did. Then I hurried around the front, slammed the door and wedged a board under the knob so he'd have to work at it to let himself out. I figured it would buy us enough time to get away from him.”

“Do you really think he was following us?” she asked.

“No,” Sully said. Lindsey felt her shoulders drop in relief. Then he added, “I think he was following you.”

“Aw, man, I really only liked the first part of your answer,” she said.

Sully shrugged. “Just calling it like I see it.”

“What should I do?” she asked.

“Go to the police,” he said. Lindsey started to protest but he held up his hand to stop her. “These people are not your garden-variety bad guys. They've killed one man and kidnapped another and now they're following you. What do you think they'll do when they catch you?”

“Invite me to tea?” she asked. She didn't mean to be so flip, but she was scared and she didn't know how else to respond.

“I don't think you're their Darjeeling,” he said.

Lindsey blinked at him. Then she laughed.

“Very clever!” she said and he smiled.

Sully pulled a cushion off the couch and propped it against the stone hearth. He shifted so he was lying down on the pillow with his legs stretched out in front of him.

It was so cozy here with him that Lindsey almost forgot that there had been someone following them. She wondered if their imaginations were getting the best of them since seeing her brother abducted. Then again, had Jack really been abducted or had the woman who'd taken him away saved him from her estranged husband? The whole thing made Lindsey's head pound.

She wondered if the man who'd followed them had been the woman's husband. “Did you get a good look at him?”

“No, I tried, but he was backlit,” he said. “Judging by the size of him and his lack of stealth, I'd say he had some defensive lineman in him.”

“That big?” Lindsey asked.

Sully nodded. Being a big man himself, if he considered the other guy on the large side, well, it certainly gave Lindsey pause. She shivered but not from the cold.

“Sit tight,” he said. He disappeared into the kitchen and she could hear him banging around in there. In moments she caught the faint scent of simmering cinnamon and her mouth watered. One of the first evenings she'd ever spent with Sully, he had made her his patent-worthy hot chocolate. She hoped that's what he was brewing now.

He returned in minutes bearing two mugs with steam pouring out of their tops. He handed one to Lindsey, and she gratefully clutched the warm ceramic in her hands. She took a delicate sip, checking the heat. It was the perfect temperature.

“You still make the best hot chocolate,” she said.

“Thanks,” he said, resuming his seat by the hearth. “I tweaked my mom's recipe by adding the cinnamon and nutmeg. She thinks it's over the top, but I like the oomph.”

“I like the oomph, too.”

They were both quiet. Lindsey rubbed Heathcliff's belly while she pondered what to do next. It wasn't long before the dog was emitting soft snores. She had thought that the fright would make her jittery and wide awake, but as the adrenaline ebbed from her system, baked out by the heat of the fire and the richness of the cocoa, she felt her head get heavy. She knew she needed to get home while the getting was good.

“I'd better call it a night,” she said.

“Not a good plan,” Sully said. “They could still be out there.”

“I don't know,” she said. “It's awfully cold to be sitting out there, and I'm sure one of your neighbors would have noticed a strange car parked on the street.”

“Maybe,” he said. “I'd feel better if we waited just a bit longer. We're safe inside and have nothing but time. I don't see any point in rushing out there to be a target.”

Lindsey nodded. That was reasonable.

“When you say ‘target,' do you think their intent is to do harm?” she asked. Her voice sounded a bit fainter than she'd like, but it would be pointless to deny the fact that she was scared. They'd just been chased down the beach by an ogre; any sane person would be scared.

“I think their intent is to find your brother,” he said. “And I think they'll do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.”

“Oh.”

He held out his hand, and Lindsey gave him her empty mug. Sully rose from his reclined spot and disappeared down the hallway. Lindsey heard a cupboard door open and shut, and Sully reappeared with two heavy comforters and two big fluffy pillows.

“We can sack out on the couch until the coast is clear,” he said.

Lindsey gave him a look.

“Separate couches,” he clarified.

The thought of burrowing under a thick blanket was too tempting to resist. Sully's couch was shaped like an L, so they put their pillows in the corner where the two sides met and then they both stretched out on their own side of the couch. Not to be left behind, Heathcliff jumped onto the couch and wedged his way in between their pillows.

With the fire on low and the lone light glowing, Lindsey felt as snug and safe as a caterpillar in a cocoon. It felt as if nothing could get her here. She wondered how much of that had to do with Sully's presence, and she tried to imagine if she were home alone whether she would feel this safe. Yeah, no, it was him.

There was something inherently good and strong and safe about Sully. He radiated a certainty about life and his place in it that she had never known in another person. It made her feel secure. She liked that.

She thought about what had driven them apart. It wasn't Sully's propensity for silence. He was not the world's biggest talker—major understatement—but that wasn't it. No, she could handle that because when he did speak, it was worth listening to. Rather what had driven the wedge between them was his inability to express his feelings. It was one thing to be quiet; it was another to be an emotional withholder.

She knew he didn't do it on purpose as some twisted form of manipulation. That wasn't Sully's style. From what she knew about him, his inability to articulate his thoughts and feelings came from a serious lack of practice and quite possibly an emotional trauma in his past.

As a Navy man turned boat captain, he was a solitary soul. She doubted he'd had much cause to voice his concerns in his relationships, since he was always away. So instead of having a normal dialogue about things, he just took matters into his own hands and made decisions without consulting the person who would be most affected by his decision. Now how she was supposed to school him about that, she had no idea.