Storm Watch (Woodland Creek) (2 page)

She’d sleep a few hours until morning. Maybe someone would come by once the sun was out. Surely, at least some road crews would be out trying to clear the major roads.

With that thought, she remembered she’d avoided the major roads. She wasn’t anywhere near a major road right now. That likely had as much to do with her not seeing another car for hours as the storm did. Stupid. She’d been stupid.

Raymond had made her so paranoid, she was afraid of the ones who should be able to protect her the best—the cops!

Someone had to live around here somewhere—but even as she had the thought, she couldn’t stop the pessimistic thought that she wouldn’t be waking up. Even with her coat on, she was already freezing. Her hands felt like blocks of ice. The radio had said the temperature was in the single digits. She was more than sure the chill factor was much colder than that. Maybe if she layered her clothes? Would it matter? Probably not, she decided gloomily. She’d be likely frozen by morning.

Still, she reached into the backseat and pulled out the small suitcase she’d dared to pack. She hadn’t brought much, but at least she had a few sweaters and the like.

She’d only been in New York a month. Most of her clothes were Florida clothes, and woefully unsuited for northern winters. Shivering, she pulled off her coat and put on two of the thickest sweaters she could find, then put back on her coat. She didn’t have gloves, of course, so she shoved her hands into her pockets. She’d lost her scarf somehow, but it wouldn’t really do much.

The main issues were going to be staying warm until help arrived—if help arrived. But damn, she was tired. Really, really tired.

She realized suddenly that she wasn’t nearly as cold anymore. That, at least, was a blessing, wasn’t it? In fact, she realized, she wasn’t cold at all. Just a little nap, she decided. She’d close her eyes and get a bit of rest. It didn’t dawn on her that not being cold was probably a very, very bad sign when you were stranded in a car on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

L
uke heard the business line ring, and frowned. He didn’t have a case currently, so who would be calling at this hour? With a sigh, he picked up the phone. “Forged in Steele.”

“Forged in Steele Investigations?” a male voice queried.

“One and the same. What can I do for you?” he asked, his mind not really on the phone call. He was more worried about the damn storm that was headed this way rapidly.

“My name is Raymond Samuels. I’m calling to hire you,” the man said. “I need to locate my girlfriend.”

Luke frowned. Domestic cases were messy. He really didn’t want to take on a cheating spouse case. “Do you know why she left?” he asked, rather than simply declining the job. He
could
use the money.

“Storm has been quite depressed of late,” he explained. “I’m really worried about her. I was out of town and came home only to find her gone. No note, nothing. It’s not like her to do that.”

“Perhaps she just left?” Luke said gently. It wasn’t at all strange to think a woman who was having trouble in a relationship would leave when she was alone.

“No, no. It’s nothing like that. I’ve been trying to help Storm. She suffers from severe depression. She’s not thinking clearly. And, the radio says that there is a nasty storm. She’s from Florida, and not used to driving in this kind of weather.”

Well, hell. “I know your name, Mr. Samuels. What makes you think she’d be in these parts?” he asked carefully.

“Well, she used one of our joint credit cards at a station in Cincinnati. I have the feeling she’s headed west.”

Luke paced to the window and looked out. The storm had begun. Already, visibility was almost non-existent. “I see. Well, I guess I can take a ride in the area. How long ago was the card used?” he asked.

“About two or three hours,” Samuels supplied. “Please, Mr. Steele. I need to know she’s safe. Her mental state isn’t right just now. I don’t want her harmed.”

It took Luke only two seconds to make up his mind. “I’ll find her,” he said quietly. Hell, if there was one thing he was good at, it was tracking down people who didn’t necessarily want to be found. “Can you fax me a photo?”

“Of course,” Samuels said easily.

Ten minutes later, Luke was looking at the photo of a beautiful young woman. Her hair was long and auburn. Curly as hell, too. He knew from Samuel’s description that she was only a little above five feet tall. A tiny thing.

Out in a nasty storm on her own.

Well, there was nothing for it. He put on his coat, boots, and leather gloves, and headed for the front door.

§§§

Luke’s sharp blue eyes narrowed as he tried to see in the white hell. Why would anyone be out in this willingly? He shouldn’t have accepted this damn job. He’d given up his badge; there was no reason for him to feel obligated to find the missing woman. Still, the forecasted storm had intensified his urge to find her quickly. There was no way he could find anyone in this storm if it got worse. Visibility was nil. He half-wondered if one of the wizards had done a damn spell on the weather.

He could shift into his tiger, but that wouldn’t help him just then.

His head pounded from the concentration it took just to drive and keep the Jeep on the road; roads completely deserted now. Most of this part of Indiana had had the good sense to stay inside.

If it hadn’t been so damn cold, he’d have pulled over, but he knew his best bet was to just bite the bullet and keep going. Only a fool would be out in this—apparently, he was a fool, he thought with self-derision. At least he wasn’t the only one. There was at least one person out—and he’d been crazy enough to take on the task of finding her. Around the next curve, the car started to slide and he corrected smoothly. Just as he was congratulating himself on not going off the road, he saw a large blob on the side of the road. It was obviously a vehicle. If not for his exceptional vision, he might not have even seen it in the darkness.

Okay, so there were more than two crazy people out in this crap. It was doubtful that anyone was still in the car. It was covered in snow and ice. Most likely, someone would have assisted the stranded motorist.

Apparently, that car hadn’t been as fortunate as he had on the patch of ice. He almost didn’t stop, but the cop in him compelled him to stop and make sure the car was unoccupied. The last thing he wanted to do was get out of the warm car, though!

Muttering curses at the stupidity of anyone being out in this—including himself—he pulled on his gloves and hat and climbed from his Jeep. Damn, but it was cold! At least the tiger would have given him a bit more warmth. But, on the off chance someone was in the car, he didn’t want to risk them seeing a white tiger out their window.

There hadn’t been a storm like this here in years. Leave it to him to be the one out in it! He hadn’t really even wanted to take the job offer. Domestic cases were inherently a pain in the ass. He said/she said drove him nuts. Of course, he admitted to himself grudgingly, there was no way in hell he could leave a woman in the shape his client had said she was in to her own devices. Too many memories of another woman he hadn’t been able to save.

Luke made his way quickly to the other car, ignoring the discomfort in his chest with each drawn breath of the frigid air. There was a layer of snow on the windows and he was tempted to turn back around to return to his vehicle when a flash of color near the door caught his eye. It looked like a scarf that had gotten caught in the door. God, there was someone inside the car!

He opened the door quickly. The woman was either sleeping or unconscious. He felt her neck for a pulse and was relieved to find it there on her frigid skin. Was she unconscious or just sleeping?

“Hey, wake up,” he growled, brushing the long auburn hair off her face. “You’ll freeze to death in here.”

Her eyes fluttered open, then widened. “You’re an angel?”

Luke chuckled at that. “Not quite, darlin’. What happened? Did you run off the road?”

Slowly, she shook her head to clear it. “I’m not dead?”

Luke frowned. She must have been scared to death when she fell asleep if that was what was on her mind. “No, darlin’. And you’re not going to die. Let’s get you out of here and into my Jeep. It’s warm.” He glanced around the car and saw that it was crammed full of junk. There were suitcases on the backseat. It looked like she had been in the process of moving. Hell, red hair. Moving. Everything suddenly clicked.

This was the woman he was out in this hellish storm to find. Storm Reynolds. If ever a name was ironic, it was now.

§§§

Storm groaned. “Thank God! I was sure I was going to freeze to death by morning! How close are we to Indianapolis?”

He frowned, idly wondering why the hell she’d been headed to Indy. Did she have family there? “We can talk once we get inside the Jeep. Come on, let’s go,” he ordered, taking her hand in his. Storm followed him to the Jeep and huddled gratefully into the passenger seat. She smiled when he climbed in next to her. “Thank you for stopping.”

“No problem. What’s your name?” Luke saw that she paled.

“Why?” she asked carefully. She studied him now, her eyes narrowed.

He didn’t miss her expression or the instant tenseness of her body. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she replied.

“I’m Luke Steele.” Maybe telling her who
he
was would make her more open to talking. But then, if her boyfriend was right, she might not have wanted to be found at all.

“Why were you out in this?” she asked carefully.

He gave her a very serious look. Suddenly, he had the distinct feeling that there was more to this than his client had told him. If there was nothing else that he had maintained after resigning from the police force, and the SEALs before that, it was his instincts. The lady was in trouble. He was sure of it. “I was looking for a missing woman. She matches your description, actually.”

As her eyes widened in shocked terror, Luke cursed silently. He should have never told her that he knew who she was. There was little doubt that she’d try to bolt the first chance she got.

“Y
our boyfriend is worried about you, Storm,” Luke said quietly. “He hired me to look for you.”

Storm looked around the Jeep frantically. Did she have any chance if she jumped out? Had he been hired only to find her, or was he her executioner as well? She’d been a fool. It was clear that she’d have been much better off taking her chances with the storm and abandoned the car. In this storm, it would have been nearly impossible to track her on foot. Too late now.

Storm was too frantic to notice the concern that her fear inspired. All she saw was his sudden frown. She sat frozen, like a deer in headlights, terrified and unable to move.

“Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you,” he assured her.

Storm discarded that. Even if he wasn’t going to kill her himself, he’d certainly get hold of Raymond if he hadn’t done so already. She had to get away. She’d rather take her chances with the storm. Fingers gripping the door handle, she gave it a savage twist.

Luke cursed beneath his breath, one hand on the wheel and grabbed her with the other.

“Let me go!” she shrieked, trying to claw her arm free.

Luke felt a surge of heat just as he yanked his arm free. So, she was a wizard? One with Fire, if the burning in his arm was any indication. The question was, did she know it?