Stowaway (18 page)

Nick made a rough sound in his throat and stole a long, deep kiss. Keri tightened her hold on him and wiggled closer, loving the feel of his hard, demanding body. They shared kiss after kiss, trying to satisfy an overpowering need to be closer.

Minutes later, the loud slam of a nearby car door dragged them from the passion-induced embrace.

He cursed softly and eased his grip on her. “I can’t believe we’re making out in the parking lot of a discount store,” he said in self-disgust, turning to open the passenger door for her. “You’re a constant temptation.”

She laughed, “So it’s all my fault, huh?” Taking her seat, she fastened her seatbelt while he circled the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. One he’d settled, she reached over and rested her hand on his thigh. The muscle jerked in satisfying reaction. “Just get me back to your boat, ASAP, and I’ll show you temptation.”

Nick grasped her hand and slid it to the bulge between his legs, drawing a delighted sigh from her. Her fingers curled around the hardening evidence of his desire. Keri felt the flush of arousal creeping over her chest and neck.

“So sexy,” she whispered. “So very, very sexy.”

“And so very distracting,” he replied gruffly, nudging her hand gently aside. “Now, behave for a while or I can’t be responsible for my actions. I’d hate to wreck this pretty little SUV of yours.”

Keri clasped her hands in her lap and tried to be patient when what she really wanted was him naked. She wanted them cocooned in his cozy, rocking bed with the sheets kicked aside and nothing between them but hot, steamy passion. Then she wanted to explore his body as thoroughly as he’d explored hers during the night.

The thought and accompanying mental image startled her in a deeply private way. She’d never been the aggressive sort in any relationship. A bit sassy and provocative, maybe, but never bold and uninhibited. An innate modesty and sheltered upbringing kept her from exploring the depths of her own passion, yet Lamanto blew reticence right out of the water.

The pre-dawn traffic grew heavier as they returned to the Bayside area, yet not nearly as heavy as when they’d arrived last night. She realized it was Saturday and assumed that accounted for fewer cars on the streets.

“You went awfully quiet,” said Nick a few minutes later as they reached the entrance to the marina’s parking lot.

“You told me to behave,” she said, flashing him a grin.

“You can’t talk and behave at the same time?”

“I’m doing some serious thinking.”

“About what?”

Her smile deepened. “About stripping you naked and having my way with you.”

A low rumble of complaint accompanied the tight smile he flashed her. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

He parked them near the railing overlooking the dock, shut off the engine and jumped from the SUV while she slowly unsnapped her seat belt. The sun had just risen above the water, casting a brilliant billowing glow across the bay area. She glanced toward the
Adrianna
, but the dock and slips still lay in shadowy morning fog.

Excitement bubbled inside Keri as Nick swung the door open and pulled her into his arms. She locked her hands on his neck and pressed herself close to his solid frame. He kissed her greedily and she returned his open-mouth kisses with equal fervor. Hunger swelled into a life of its own

Wrapped in their own private world, they had no forewarning of the explosion that rocked the pier and knocked them right off their feet.

Chapter Twelve

The force of the blast slammed Nick and Keri to the concrete. He landed on his back with her sprawled across his chest. Unhurt but winded, it took a few seconds to regain his senses. A plume of acrid smelling smoke followed the explosion and debris rained down on them. He ducked his head and crossed his arms over hers to protect them until the worst had passed.

“Are you okay?” he asked once the air cleared a little. An instant of panic followed as she gazed at him with a dazed expression.

“I’m fine, just a little stunned. What in the hell happened?” she asked, slowly rolling off his chest. They both sat up, brushing at their hair and clothes.

“I don’t know, but keep your head down,” he warned, cop instincts kicking into gear. He rose high enough to open the back door of the SUV. After fishing around in their shopping bags, he pulled out two hats. He’d made her buy a sun hat for boating, so she’d picked out a baseball cap for him. He tore the tags off both and handed her one.

“Put that on and keep your face hidden as much as possible,” he said, jamming the hat on his head.

Drawing his gun from his waistband, he hid it under his jacket, and pulled her up to his side. “Stay close and don’t make any unexpected moves until we find out what’s going on.”

She shook her head, brushed more dirt from her hair and donned the hat. “You think this has something to do with us?”

“Better to be cautious.”

Sirens began to wail and people shouted from all directions. More people raced across the parking lot and dockside to see what had happened. Flames shot into the sky, nearly two stories high, keeping onlookers at a distance. They felt the heat of the blaze as it sucked all the fog and dampness from the air.

With a firm grip around her waist, he moved from the partial protection of the vehicle to the iron guard rail overlooking the docks. A sickening sense of dread filled him as he looked toward the source of the raging fire. He knew before he actually saw it that the
Adrianna
had gone up in flames. His jaw locked in anger.

“Oh, Nick!” He heard her hoarse, sympathetic whisper. She hugged him tighter, but her attention stayed riveted on the burning boat.

He didn’t have time to grieve or watch the rescue efforts. A crowd had collected at the railing, and he didn’t want to get pinned in a mass of bodies. Tightening his hold on Keri, he slowly began to edge her backward. Someone had blown up his home in an attempt to kill him or at least send a deadly message. If they hadn’t left the cruiser under the cover of darkness, they’d both be dead.

The attack and the destruction of the
Adrianna
made him seethe with fury, but the thought of something happening to Keri sent a horrified shudder over him. He briefly wrapped her in his arms. She returned his hug, holding him close. He allowed himself a minute of relief mixed with pleasure, but didn’t want to stand in the open too long.

As more people rushed to the dockside, he led her back to the relative safety of the SUV. Shards of wood and fiberglass had riddled the front end of her vehicle as well as the door they’d stood behind. The windshield had cracked but not broken. He opened the passenger door for Keri, helped her in and then rounded the back to the driver’s side. A quick survey of the parking lot didn’t net any possible suspects. Too many thrill-seekers had begun to fill up the area.

They sat quietly for a minute, trying to catch their breath while listening to the roar of sirens and watching people run madly along the pier.

Nick adjusted the rearview and side mirrors. “Whoever did this is probably close by or patrolling the area to make sure the job got done. Keep a watch in the mirrors. Look for a dark SUV, a panel van or anything suspicious.”

“Nick, someone tried to kill you!” she declared gruffly. She stopped picking debris from her clothes and stared directly into his eyes. Her expression held a mixture of horror and outrage.

“They must have known you came home last night,” she echoed his thoughts. “What if they see you here? Will they try again?”

Reaching out a hand, he cupped her face and gently brushed a thumb across her lips. He desperately wanted more time with her, lots more time alone. But circumstances had a way of raging out of control. Right now, protecting her had to be his first priority.

“Probably not in broad daylight with so many witnesses. We’re safe for now. Since this isn’t my vehicle, nobody will be on the lookout for it. We just have to sit tight a few minutes until I can get a good look at all the people coming and going.”

His phone rang and he dropped his hand to pull it from his pocket. Glancing at the caller ID, he flipped it open.”

“Lieutenant.”

“Nick, you okay? A call just came through about an explosion at Miamarina. Are you there now? Tell me it’s just a freak coincidence.”

Cars and trucks swarmed into the parking lot, trying to get closer to the source of excitement. Nick tried to split his attention on his boss, his worried lover and the trolling sightseers.

“I’m fine, but some sonofabitch blew up the
Adrianna
.”

“With you on it?” Alexander yelled loud enough to make him hold the phone from his ear.

“No, no. I spent the night aboard but left early this morning.”

With a relieved sigh and a calmer tone, Lieutenant Alexander drilled him with questions. “Did you see anything suspicious? Notice anything unusual? Someone follow you from Tennessee or do you think someone local had your placed staked?”

“Negative on the tail. I’m sure of that. I greeted a few people on the docks last night but didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary.”

Not that he’d have noticed, he thought in self-disgust. He’d been totally captivated by Keri and having her aboard his beloved cruiser. A situation that had nearly gotten them both killed. He shifted his gaze from the circling traffic to her. She sat stiff and still beside him, staring at the rear-view mirror. Her clothes still held a layer of dust and ash. He realized in that instant, he’d do anything and everything in his power to protect her from any more traumas.

“My guess is the McDowell family made good on their threats.”

Alexander uttered a few choice words Nick hoped she couldn’t hear. Her gaze swung and locked with his. He could tell the news of a death threat didn’t sit well with her.

His boss regained his attention. “You suppose they knew you weren’t aboard and just wanted to scare you? Or do they think they’ve killed you?”

“Hard to tell.”

“I’ll see if I can hold off an official report and hint at a body being found in the wreckage. That should buy you a little breathing space.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Nick.

“What about you? Do you wanna go into protective custody?”

He had a better option in mind that included Keri. Nobody knew about her being with him and he sure as hell wouldn’t mention it over the phone.

“I’ll lay low for a while longer.”

The lieutenant wisely didn’t ask for details. “Good. Don’t contact anyone in the department but me. I’ll send someone down to the marina to do damage control and see what kind of device they used. You want me to contact you on this phone?”

“I’ll swap it for a new one and call you later,” Nick told him, disconnecting the call.

Alexander’s warning about contacting other detectives meant his boss suspected someone under his command of being dirty. He hated to think one of his police buddies would orchestrate his murder, but big money or extortion sometimes brought down the best of men.

“Someone wants you dead?” She leveled a stare at him.

“It’s part of the job description,” he told her, holding her gaze. “You should know that.”

“Wanting someone dead and acting on it are two different things,” she replied. “Who or what is the McDowell family?”

He hesitated, not wanting to involve her more, but needing her cooperation. When his lack of response had her eyes narrowing and lips thinning, he caved a little.

“They’re a dysfunctional family of gangbangers who got chased from their own neighborhood. They tried to save face by escalating their criminal activities with extortion and smuggling. Their ambition is to bring notoriety to the family, and they boast they’ll do anything for a price.”

“Including murder?”

His response was terse. “Anything.”

“Are they part of the reason you came to Thornsbury? The undercover operation you mentioned?”

“Partly. I was the front man for a sting that netted Reggie, the oldest brother and leader of the pack, along with a low-level cousin. The cousin bragged about the gang’s newest scheme making McDowell a household name in this country.”

The informant also offered warnings about the Thornsbury connection in a plea deal. He didn’t mention that to her because he still wasn’t sure where her family stood in the scheme of things.

“So is the top dog still in jail?”

“Yeah. We have evidence to send him to prison for a long time, but he’s still controlling the family business.”

“And they want you dead.”

“They threatened me and several other guys on the force. That’s the normal reaction to being caught red-handed, but most don’t want to risk going down for killing a cop.”

“So why risk it?”

“Incarceration is a perfect alibi. Even if we know he’s giving orders from jail, it’s hard to prove.”

“So what now? I vote on going back to Thornsbury.”

“No.”

“Just no?” she snapped. “No discussion? No ‘what do you think’?”

“You said you trusted me.”

“And I do,” she replied, “but I don’t trust whoever is trying to kill you, and I don’t trust that it’s safe here.”

“I swear we’ll be protected. Give me an hour or so and I promise I’ll have us in one of the safest locations in the country.”

Since joining the police force he’d avoided mixing his work with his family and private life, but her safety had to come first now.

Nick’s breathing stalled while Keri mulled over his promise. She held his gaze without flinching and then finally nodded her head in agreement. The simple nod squeezed his heart with emotion. He needed her to have faith in him, wanted her complete trust even in the face of disaster.

“So you have a plan?” she asked.

He scanned the parking lot again but didn’t see anything or anyone suspicious. “They won’t be watching for a couple, only a lone man. We need to get the shopping bags and head down the dock like tourists returning to their boat. And we need to do it before the police can cordon off the area around the
Adrianna
.”

“But we don’t have a boat to return to,” she reminded.

“My family has one docked farther down the pier.”