Buried Secrets (9 page)

Zach stroked his hand along her spine, willing his warmth into her. “Then not another word,” he whispered against her apple-cinnamon-scented hair. The aroma brought back memories of when his mother had been alive. She had loved to bake, and her specialty had been apple pie. He had told Maggie he had worked his way past the pain of his loss, but memories like this always produced a dull ache in his heart of what he and Kate had missed out on with their parents’ and sister’s deaths.

When Maggie drew back, he saw her pain reflected in her eyes. As much as they wanted to forget certain things, it wasn’t easy. “I know how tired you are. We don’t have to discuss our grandfathers tonight. But I do think we should sometime soon.”

Her shoulders sagged. “Thanks. All I think I can do is fall into bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“And I need to make a decision about the reception.”

She nodded.

He took her hand and tugged her toward the short hallway. “I’ll walk you to your room.”

She laughed. “I think I can find it, since there are only three bedrooms in this house.”

“Still, I would hate to have you get lost.”

“I’ll have you know I have a great sense of direction.”

“Oh, no—another thing we have in common.” He forced mock horror into his voice.

When she stopped outside the door to her room, she spun toward him. “I forgot the diary.”

He waited while she hurried back to the living room and got the case. He couldn’t believe they had left everything on the coffee table. He would love to chalk it up to the fact he was bone tired, but the real reason, if he was truthful with himself, was that Maggie Somers’s presence made him forget everything but her.

When she returned, she thrust the computer, flash drive and copy of the map into his hands. “I’ll keep this with me. You take those.” One corner of her mouth lifted. “I know they’re all right in the living room, but I probably wouldn’t go to sleep, even as exhausted as I am, without the diary near. Dumb, isn’t it?”

He shook his head. “We should separate them. Smart thinking.”
Why didn’t I think of it?
Her actions reminded him he couldn’t let down his guard for a second.

He bent forward and brushed his lips across hers. The natural gesture took him by surprise, and obviously Maggie also, if her widened eyes were any indication. She hugged the case against her.

“The flash drive will be easy to hide. I’ll also find somewhere to keep the map in Hawke’s bedroom. Good night, Maggie.”

She fumbled with the handle, and after opening the door, backed into the room. Inside she flipped on the overhead light and leaned against the wall. Her legs trembled from the casual kiss Zach had given her in the hallway. Her lips still tingled although the contact had been only a second long.

Oh, Gramps. What is happening to me? I can’t be falling in love with him. I won’t!

Taking a few minutes to compose herself, she scanned the room for someplace to hide the journal. Finally she decided to shove it under the bed. After doing that, she collapsed onto the mattress, fell back onto the covers and stared at the ceiling. She needed to get up and turn off the light, get undressed, but for the life of her she couldn’t find the energy to move from the bed. Instead, she curled onto her side and closed her eyes. She would rest for a moment, then…

The mouth of the cave yawned before her. The gloominess taunted her, beckoning her to enter. She took a step forward, then another. Her whole body shook as the black void swallowed her up. Pitch-dark enveloped her, its chilly claws clutching her with fear. A rumble, followed by a swishing sound, rushed at her. Thrown back against the rocky floor, surprisingly soft beneath her, she tried to breathe in the musky air. She couldn’t!

Pinned under something huge, Maggie opened her eyes. A black ski-masked face loomed above her. The sharp blade of a knife pressed into her throat as a familiar odor emanated from her attacker. Garlic.

“If you don’t want to die tonight, you’ll keep quiet and tell me where the diary is.”

The gruff threat froze her. Her mind blanked. All she saw was the man’s blue eyes and black mask. Visions of the knife cutting into her flesh filled her thoughts.

Then a sound off to the side caused her to slice her glance in that direction. Another huge man in a ski mask and with hairy arms guarded the door. Paralyzed with fear, as though she really did stand in the middle of a dark cave, Maggie looked back at her attacker, sitting on her chest and making each inhalation difficult and shallow.

“Okay,” she mumbled through dry, dry lips.

He eased the pressure of the blade on her neck. “Where is it?”

“Under the bed.”

He motioned to the other man to get the diary. The whole time his gaze stayed on her, his cold blue eyes drilling into hers. “Just remember, if you try anything, you’ll get hurt, as will your friends.”

As his accomplice rose with the case in hand and checked its contents, Maggie caught a glimpse of a gun the man had tucked into his pants.

Her tormentor smiled, turning the knife until the pointed end poked her. He slid it down her neck. “It’s good to see you’ve smartened up.”

“C’mon. We need to get out of here,” his partner said. “We’ve got what we came for.” He started for the window.

“What do I do about her?” her tormentor asked.

“Kill her.”

T
he words
kill her
struck terror in Maggie’s heart.

Her attacker’s icy stare stabbed into her while his beefy hand covered her mouth. The salty taste of his sweat on his skin sickened her.

“Ah, such a shame I’m in a hurry. We could have some fun.”

She couldn’t take her gaze from his. His contorted image swam in front of her as fear paralyzed her. For a fleeting second a vision of Brad Wentworth swam in front of her eyes. Then the nick of the knife brought her out of her trance. She was going to die.

Lord, help!

“Such a waste.” He shifted.

Headlights sliced across the wall. He jerked up and around toward the window, his hand slipping some from her mouth. “What the—”

He moved enough to free one of her arms. She yanked it up, grabbing for anything on the table to use as a weapon, while her scream rocked the room. She grasped something solid as he cursed and swiveled back toward her. His grip on the knife tightened. He pulled it back as if to ram it into her heart.

She twisted and screamed again, slamming the alarm clock into the side of his face. His eyes widened. He shook his head. The gleam of the metal caught Maggie’s attention, poised above her for that split second before it started its downward trek.

The door crashed open. Zach rushed inside, diverting her attacker enough that she managed to roll away as the point of the steel plunged toward her. The knife stabbed the mattress next to her arm, the blade cutting through her shirt and skin. For a few heartbeats she felt nothing, then pain radiated upward from the wound.

Her attacker pulled the weapon out of the mattress and shot off the bed to face Zach. Heedless of the danger he was in, Zach rushed him as if he were a line-backer. Anger set Zach’s face in a feral look.

The masked man lunged toward Zach. Before the steel found its mark, the blast of a gun thundered through the air. Her ears ringing from the sound, Maggie scrambled away while her assailant fell back on the bed, the knife dropping to the floor. He clutched his arm, blood pouring out between his fingers.

Maggie looked toward the doorway, the stench of sulfur in the air. Evelyn pointed a handgun at their assailant while Zach snatched up the knife.

Legs shaking, Maggie stood on the far side of the bed, staring at the scene before her. The man bled all over the covers, his curses echoing through the room.

“Call Hawke, Zach.” Evelyn moved forward.

“Here, let me have that, and you go call your son.” Zach slipped the knife into his back pocket, then took the gun. As Evelyn left, his glance flicked over Maggie. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she choked out, the smell of gunpowder nauseating.

“Are you sure?” His gaze lit upon her arm, his expression grim as he took in her injury.

She peered down at the trail of blood streaking down her sleeve. She examined the wound, which burned. “Just a scratch.”

Zach fastened his gaze on the man who continued to clasp his own arm, groaning. “Who hired you?” Zach demanded.

Maggie’s assailant sent Zach a frosty look.

Zach stepped forward. “We’ve got you cold for attempted murder.”

“Another man took the diary.” Maggie pointed toward the open window. “He went that way.”

Zach swept his glance toward Maggie before settling it on her attacker. The anger in his features intensified. “Who’s your partner?”

Her attacker’s glare narrowed, his mouth set in a thin line to emphasize he wasn’t going to talk.

“Suit yourself. It’s your life that will be rotting in prison.”

Evelyn appeared in the doorway. “Hawke will be here shortly. He was coming up the road toward the house when an SUV shot out from the side behind him and sped away. He’s in pursuit.”

“It seems your partner has left you to take the fall.” Zach gestured with the .38. “Evelyn, can you see to Maggie? She’s been hurt by this scumbag. I’ll keep him company until Hawke returns.”

The menacing edge to Zach’s voice underscored his fury, while his expression went neutral. Maggie shivered, glad that Zach was on her side in that moment. She sidled toward the door, keeping her eye on her attacker the whole way.

Out in the hall, with Evelyn, the trembling that Maggie had held at bay encompassed her from head to toe. She hugged her arms to her and tried to stop it. She couldn’t.

“Child, let’s get you fixed up. Then when Hawke takes our prisoner to jail we can go to the clinic in town.” Evelyn placed an arm around her to guide her toward the bathroom at the end of the corridor.

The very idea of being around strangers churned her stomach. “No, I can take care of this. It really is only a scratch.”

“Thank You, Lord.”

“Yes,” Maggie whispered, remembering her short prayer for help. It had come in the form of Zach and Evelyn.
Thank You, God. I’m glad You were with me or
…Another shake trembled down her length.

“Come on. Have a seat over there while I get my first-aid kit.”

Maggie collapsed onto the cold lip of the tub, trying desperately to keep her emotions in control. If she thought about what had happened in the bedroom, she was afraid she would fall apart. She couldn’t afford to. She drew on her experience as a doctor, dealing with emergencies, to keep her composure.

Evelyn cut away Maggie’s bloodied sleeve to expose her hurt arm. “I’m glad it’s not too deep,” Evelyn said. She began to cleanse the wound.

Zach listened to Maggie and Evelyn moving down the hall toward the bathroom, the whole time drilling his gaze into the intruder. “It looks like your partner abandoned you. There’s no honor among thieves. I’d complain to the guy that hired you.”

The man shifted on the bed, a moan slipping past his lips. “I need medical help. I’m dying here.”

“That’s the chance you take when you assault someone so far from town. Help is miles and miles away.” Zach swept his gaze to the wound oozing blood. “Good thing for you my cousin is an expert shot. She wanted you alive, or you would be dead right now.”

The large man glared at Zach. “I know nothing.”

Zach gritted his teeth and tightened his hold on the .38. The urge to pull the trigger needled his conscience. He wanted to so badly. He had a feeling this man and his partner were responsible for both Maggie’s grandfather’s and his grandfather’s deaths. But worse, he
knew
they were behind Maggie’s assaults. Patience, something Hawke had taught him, calmed his nerves, and he eased his grip on the weapon. But his full attention remained trained on the attacker.

Silence ensued—a stress-racked silence—as they stared at each other, gauging, assessing.

The man struggled to sit up, his back against the headboard. “I don’t know who hired us. That’s the truth.”

“You’d have me believe you don’t know who employed you? Do I look stupid to you?”

Maggie’s assailant leaned forward, wincing. “Believe what you want. I’m just the hired help. I work for the highest bidder who contacts me through the Internet.”

Zach didn’t doubt the man’s words. “Who’s your partner?”

“You ain’t getting that from me. Do I look stupid to you?”

“What’s your name?”

The man clamped his lips together, sinking back against the headboard.

Through the front window Zach saw a pair of lights coming toward the house. “Evelyn,” he shouted. When his cousin stepped into the doorway, he continued, “I think Hawke has arrived, but I don’t want to take anything for granted. Watch him while I make sure it’s your son.”

Zach looked beyond his cousin to Maggie, her face bleached of color. After giving Evelyn the .38, Zach guided Maggie toward the living room.

He gently pressed her down on the couch. “Sit here. Rest.”

“You won’t get an argument out of me on that one.”

The fact she wasn’t resisting his order worried Zach. Her pale features played across his mind as he made his way into the kitchen and out the back door. Hawke pulled to a stop near the stoop and climbed from his Jeep.

As Hawke mounted the steps, he removed his handcuffs. “The SUV got away. Mom said she caught an intruder.”

“You won’t need those. She shot him in the arm.”

“I’m not taking any chances. Backup is on its way. What happened here?” Hawke followed him into the house.

“I’ll let Maggie tell you after you secure the man.” Zach passed through the living room. His glance immediately sought Maggie to make sure she was all right. Her face still drained of color, she attempted a smile that vanished instantly.

“We’ll be back in a sec, Maggie.” Hawke made his way to the bedroom. Taking the intruder’s good arm, he handcuffed him to the bedpost. “That should keep him still while I talk with Maggie.” He turned toward his mother. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. I’ll just stay in here with this—” Evelyn waved her .38 toward the assailant “—while you question Maggie and Zach.”

Hawke chuckled as he trailed after Zach toward the living room. “Mom’s a better shot than I am. That man picked the wrong woman to go up against.”

“Not just Evelyn but Maggie, too.”
She’s a fighter,
Zach realized as he entered the living room.

Hawke sat on the coffee table facing Maggie. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Maggie inhaled several deep breaths, the white bandage around her left arm in stark contrast with the chocolate-brown of the cushion she leaned back on. “I fell asleep. The next thing I knew he had me pinned to the bed with a knife at my throat.”

Zach stood behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She glanced back at him and continued. “He wanted to know where the diary was. I told him. The other man took it and left through the window, giving orders to kill me.”

Zach felt her quake and lay his other hand on her shoulder. His anger renewed itself and it took a supreme effort for him not to storm down the hall, wrench the gun from Evelyn and finish the man off.

Jesus, that’s not Your way, but I’m mighty tempted. Give me the patience I need.

“Thankfully that’s when Zach and Evelyn came in.”

Hawke pushed to his feet. “I guess I need to have a little word with the prisoner now.”

The stern tone in his voice spoke of Hawke’s own struggle to remain patient. If anyone could get the partner’s name, it would be Hawke.

Another set of headlights flashed through the open curtains and illuminated the far wall. “That will be one of my officers. Show him back, Zach.”

Zach did as his cousin instructed and then watched as the officers hauled the assailant away. After that Zach helped Evelyn clean up Maggie’s bed, stripping off the covers, which were soaked with blood.

When he glimpsed the red on the mattress, he said, “I’ll get you a new one. I’m sorry I brought this to your doorstep. I don’t know how they found us so soon.”

“That’s a good question, one we should try to answer.”

“We?”

Evelyn held the bundle of ruined bedding. “Yes, we. We are your family and family helps each other. I’m glad you came here. Otherwise this might not have ended so well.”

Zach peered toward the living room where Maggie lay curled on the couch. “I’m not sure it ended so well.”

“She’s alive. You and I are alive. It did end well. But the best thing that happened is that we have one of the attackers. If there’s information to be had, Hawke will get it.” She started forward. “You need to take care of your…friend.”

The slight pause before the word
friend
made Zach chuckle. “That’s all she is, Evelyn, so quit thinking there’s more.”

His cousin harrumphed. “It seems to me there’s more going on between you two than merely friendship. And I know Willow would have been happy to have an end to the feud between the two families.” Evelyn walked into the living room and kept going toward the kitchen.

The sound of the back door opening and closing stirred Maggie on the couch. She looked up toward Zach, the dim light on the table across the room casting her ashen features in the shadows.

He came to her side and knelt, brushing her hair from her face. “You okay?”

“No. Give me a few hours to sleep, then I’ll be ready to go. We have to solve the mystery before whoever has the diary does. They are not going to get the codices.”

“We don’t have to go after them now. They think they have all the information, so they should leave us alone.”

“They—whoever they are—will not win. They killed our grandfathers. This was important to Gramps and your granddad.” She scooted to a sitting position. “Besides, we have a good head start on them. They don’t know we have copies of everything. We have the advantage. I think we can solve the code in the diary, get there and retrieve the codices before they know what hit them.”

“Are you sure, Maggie? I can do this without you. I don’t want to put you in any more danger.”

“We’re partners. Are you backing out of our deal?”

The anger in her voice blasted him, making him realize she would be formidable if crossed. Again he thought about how much of a fighter she was. “No. It won’t be easy. Anytime you want to back out, just say so. I’ll understand.”