Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
V elma had outdone herself.
Sitting at the long, wooden table in the dining room, Jenna glanced out through the doors to the deck. A gentle breeze was blowing in from the lake. It carried some crisp coolness and ruffled her hair. She’d worn her hair down, something she rarely did, and wore a pretty, stretchy headband that hid her injury.
She looked back at the table. Colorful wildflowers sat in small, glass vases, adding a pop of color and whimsy. The rest of the surface was filled with platters and plates of food. There were three different salads, roasted chicken, salmon mac and cheese, and a delicious, slow-cooked, lamb dish.
Around her, all the guests were happy and laughing. The guy from Australia was hilarious, with outrageously funny stories from all his travels.
A new family had arrived that day. They had a daughter who was about five, with long, black hair, and big, blue eyes. Her name was Olivia. She was sitting on the other side of Parker, clutching her doll and jabbering away to him.
“We’re going to kayak on the lake tomorrow,” Olivia’s mother said to the Norwegian couple on the other side of the table.
Jenna shifted on her chair and sensation skittered up her legs. She had stubble burn on her inner thighs and she was sensitive everywhere. She grabbed a water glass and sipped.
Her belly did a flip flop. She was trying not to be drawn to Park more than she already was, but it seemed her body wasn’t listening to her head.
If this kept up…
No, she wasn’t going to fall for Parker Conroy. She wasn’t going to fall for anyone.
One, he didn’t want that. Two, her life was elsewhere. She’d capture Olson and then she’d be gone. Three, she didn’t trust love at all.
She’d loved her father…and he’d been a monster. She’d never seen it, and at first hadn’t believed he was capable of the things he’d done. But he’d fooled them all.
She ate a little more food off her plate, trying to shove all the churning thoughts and emotions away.
Focus on your job, Jenna . They were heading back out looking for Olson tomorrow. That was her main focus.
Her chest tightened. They had to find him, sooner rather than later.
She ate the last bite of her bread roll. Mmm . The rolls were homemade and so good. She had a serious weakness for bread.
Park was still talking with Olivia. Without looking at Jenna, he reached out and put his bread roll on her plate.
She stared at it, then at him. She snatched up the roll and tore a piece off.
“Do you like kayaking, Con?” Olivia asked.
“Kayaking? Yeah, it’s fun.”
The little girl leaned in and whispered. “But…I’m scared of what’s in the water. Like a monster, or an evil mermaid octopus witch.”
It took Jenna a second to realize it was a reference to the sea witch from The Little Mermaid .
“The water’s dark,” Olivia whispered. “I can’t see the bottom.”
“I promise you there’s just a few fish in there,” Park said. “There’s nothing that can hurt you.”
“You promise, Con?”
“I promise. Think about the fun things, not the things that worry you. Like gliding on the water, enjoying the sunshine, seeing the wildflowers.”
The little girl beamed at him. “I like flowers.”
Jenna’s heart melted as she ate more bread. He was so good with her. For a second, she had the image of Park holding a little girl in his strong arms. One with blonde hair and his dark eyes.
Jeez . She choked on a bit of bread. He turned and thumped her back.
“Thanks,” she wheezed.
“You got to chew, chew, chew, Jenna,” Olivia said. “That’s what mommy tells me.”
Jenna swallowed, her throat tight. “Good advice.”
Velma came around, clearing away empty plates. Her husband, Ross—a tall, lanky man of few words—helped.
“Dinner was so good, Velma,” Jenna said. “Thank you.”
The older woman smiled. “You’re very welcome. I hope you’ve left room for dessert.”
Soon, Velma brought out homemade chocolate cake and ice-cream. Olivia bounced in her seat.
As the guests all got busy serving dessert, Jenna spotted Velma talking with Ross in hushed tones. The woman’s smile was gone and her brow was creased.
Jenna rose and headed over. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing, dear.” Velma waved a hand. “Some friends of ours, who live in a cabin nearby, were supposed to come down to collect supplies this afternoon. The floatplane came in with fresh supplies today.” She nibbled on her lip. “But our friends didn’t arrive. I’m guessing they probably got held up.”
Prickles broke out on the back of Jenna’s neck. “Did you try calling them?”
“Yes, but they only have a satellite phone. There was no answer.” Velma wrung her hands. “We can go a while without talking to Tom and Sheryl, but they’ve never missed a check-in before.”
“Where do they live?” Jenna asked.
Velma stepped over to a map on the wall. Drifter Lake was in the center. “Here, on this mountain. They’re such a lovely couple.”
Jenna patted the woman’s shoulder. “I’m sure they’re fine. Maybe they had car trouble, like we had.”
“That could be it.” Velma brightened. “I bet they’ll be in tomorrow. We’ll have a laugh about it.”
Jenna managed a smile. She went back to the table, then leaned into Parker. “A couple who live in the hills near here, friends of Velma and Ross, didn’t show up today as expected.”
His face sharpened. “Shit. Have you got their location?”
She nodded.
“Good. We’ll leave first thing in the morning and check on them.”
“From the looks of their cabin, we can drive most of the way, then go in the last little bit on foot. I’ll try and get a bit more info about them.”
After they’d finished dessert, Jenna chatted with Velma about her friends a little more. The rest of the guests started drifting back to their cabins, and so did Jenna and Parker.
Every step of the way, she prayed that Olson had nothing to do with Tom and Sheryl Hoskins. Jenna wished she could go and check on the couple right now, but it was too dangerous to try and make the trip to their cabin at night.
Tomorrow, she was sure they’d find the Hoskins and they’d be just fine. This was nothing.
The honeymoon cabin came into view and nerves ignited. She and Park were going to share a bed again.
When she stepped inside the cabin, Park didn’t follow.
He slid his hands into his pockets. “I want to do a circle of the lodge grounds, make sure there’s no sign of Olson.”
“He’s unlikely to come here.”
“I know, but…there’s a little girl here. You’re here. I need to.”
She nodded, then grabbed his arm. She realized that he no longer tensed up when she touched him. “Be careful.”
He inclined his head then disappeared into the growing darkness.
Back in the bedroom, Jenna changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. She propped herself up on the pillows and figured she’d wait for Park.
But tiredness hit hard, and she found herself finding it harder to keep her eyelids open.
She was sure Park would be back soon.
Park did another loop of the lodge grounds.
This was where he did his best work. Alone in the shadows. He paused under a tree, his gaze looking at the way the moonlight hit the lake.
There was no sign of Olson.
Park’s gaze shifted to the honeymoon cabin. To Jenna.
The warm glow of a light shone in the windows. Beckoning him.
Shit . He looked down and dragged in some cool night air. He was no good for her. He should never have touched her, let alone put his mouth on her.
Her sweet cries echoed in his ears.
Damn . And now he was hard.
He spun and forced himself to do another loop of the main lodge. He couldn’t forget how close Olson had come to killing her today.
I am going to stop you, Olson. I won’t let you hurt her again.
In his pocket, his cellphone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw Vander’s name on the screen.
“Vander.”
“How’s the hunt? Have you found him?”
“We’re close.” Park turned and headed back toward the cabin. “He took a shot at us today. Fucking grazed Jenna’s head.”
Vander cursed. “She all right?”
“Yeah.”
“He must be worried if he’s trying to take her out.”
“Well, I’m not going to let that happen.”
Vander was quiet for a beat. “Sounds personal.”
Park didn’t respond.
“Knew you’d like her. She’s tough, smart, and doesn’t take any shit. Figured if anyone could get through that hard shell of yours, it would be Jenna.”
“I’m not in the market for a woman,” Park growled. “You know that.”
“Sometimes, you don’t choose, Park. When the right woman comes along, she makes you feel things, whether you want to or not. Believe me, I know.”
There was a warm note to Vander’s usually cool voice, and Park knew the man was thinking of his wife.
“I…you know I don’t like being touched. What happened to me…” He didn’t need to share the gory details with his friend.
“You telling me you don’t like Jenna touching you?”
Park reached the deck of the cabin, his jaw working. He couldn’t lie. “Dammit, I like her touching me too much.”
“Good.” Vander sounded pleased. “Keep her safe, Park. And watch your back, although I suspect Jenna will do that for you.”
“Yeah.”
“And if you need me, you call me. You haven’t been very good at that lately. You don’t need to do everything alone.”
Park looked into the darkness. “I’ll…try.”
“Keep me updated.”
“Will do. Thanks, Vander.” He opened the door and tucked the phone away.
The cabin was quiet. He walked into the bedroom and came to a halt.
Jenna was asleep, propped up on the pillows. She’d been waiting for him. Gritting his teeth, he moved closer. The blanket was only half covering her, and he saw those tiny sleep shorts that barely covered anything.
He laid her down, throwing some pillows on the floor. She turned on her side and let out a contented noise. He could smell that floral scent of hers and his cock stirred.
He made himself walk away. In the bathroom, he brushed his teeth on autopilot. Back in the bedroom, he stripped down to his boxer shorts and climbed onto his side of the bed. He put a pillow between them.
Then he laid down and stared at the ceiling, surrounded by the tempting scent of Jenna and the soft sound of her breathing.
Park woke up with an armful of warm, sleeping woman.
He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of Jenna’s hair.
The pillow he’d put between them was nowhere in sight, now. Jenna was sprawled half over him, her cheek to his chest. He felt her warm breath puff on his skin. Her hair was loose, and made him think of spun gold.
If she woke up, she’d feel his hard cock poking into her belly.
He stared at the ceiling and tried to dredge up some control. He was already sliding in too deep with her. Yesterday, seeing her hurt and coming so close to being killed, had rattled him.
Hell, the only thing that had calmed him was throwing her on the bed and hungrily eating her pussy like a wild man.
His cock throbbed at the memory and he swallowed a groan. He didn’t want to care. He didn’t want to feel.
He shifted, but she made a sleepy sound that went straight to his dick. He was rock hard.
She shifted, then pressed a kiss to his chest.
He jolted. Sleepy blue eyes looked up at him. She shot him a lazy smile, then peppered kisses along his chest, and without hesitation, across his scars.
“Jenna…”
“Shh.” Slowly, she moved lower. She pressed a quick kiss to his healing cut.
His hands twisted in the sheets. God, this was torture of the best kind. It had been so long since he’d enjoyed anyone touching him.
She took her time, kissing and nipping. She bit his abs, and his muscles contracted.
Then, she pushed his boxers down and his hard cock sprang free.
Jenna made a sound. “I wanted this in my mouth yesterday.”
Before he could say anything, she wrapped her mouth around his cock and swallowed him deep.
He cursed, his hips bucking up.
Her hot tongue pressed against him. Her hand slid to the base of his cock, holding him as her head bobbed.
“Jenna, fuck . So good.” He had to fight from coming straight away.
Looking down, he watched her sucking him, her cheeks hollowing. She took him as deep as she could, making a little hum of pleasure.
He wanted to thrust deep, wanted to fuck her sweet mouth.
Her gaze met his and she sucked harder.
Park’s willpower tore like paper. “Suck me, Jenna.”
She did. Taking him deeper.
He cupped her jaw, his thumb sliding over her skin. “You like my cock in your mouth? You like the way I taste?”
For an answer, she moved faster.
He groaned, his hips thrusting forward. “Fuck. I’m going to come.” His hand slid into her hair. “You going to swallow for me?”
Jenna didn’t let up, just nodded as she worked his cock with her mouth.
“I’m coming.” With a deep groan, he came, shooting his release into her mouth. She kept sucking, swallowing it all down.
“ Jesus .” He was out of breath, like he’d run ten miles with a heavy pack.
Jenna eased her mouth off his cock and rose. She smiled, her blonde hair spilling around her face. “I’m going to get ready. We need to get going.”
He grabbed her wrist, and her gaze met his.
He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what.
She winked at him and slid off the bed.
Casual. They were keeping this casual . He couldn’t let himself forget that. He pinched the bridge of his nose. That was what he wanted.
He had to keep reminding himself of that.
Forty minutes later, they were both dressed and in the Tahoe.
“The Hoskins, Tom and Sheryl, are both former corporate executives from Chicago,” Jenna said. “They burned out from working long hours and decided to retire to Alaska. They built an off-grid cabin.”
Park navigated a bumpy section of road. “Let’s hope they’re just sick, or their vehicle broke down.”
She nodded. There were lines bracketing her mouth, and he knew that she was worried.
They reached the end of the trail.
“We walk from here,” she said.
After he’d parked the SUV, they both pulled on their backpacks. Then, they set off into the trees.
The Hoskins had picked a nice spot. They came to the edge of the tree line. Park took in the cute A-frame cabin, made of a rich, dark wood. Glass windows faced the view into the valley.
It was quiet. He scanned their surroundings. “No vehicle.”
“There’s nothing,” Jenna said, her voice low.
No one came to greet them. There were no animal noises.
She started toward the cabin, and he followed her. His instincts were pinging hard. Something was wrong.
“There’s a small garage at the back.” Jenna pointed. “Their car must be in there.”
She continued toward the front of the cabin. A ring of rocks forming a fire pit sat nearby with two wooden chairs beside it.
“Stop!” He grabbed her and yanked her back.
She stumbled into him. “What’s wrong?”
“Something’s off.” He didn’t know what, he just knew he’d had to stop her.
She cocked her head. “It’s those spidey senses you have, isn’t it?”
“I’m not a damn superhero.” He caught the glint of something right at her feet. “Don’t move.” He crouched.
There was a long, thin wire at knee height, strung between two trees.
“Hell,” Jenna murmured.
Park followed the string to the closest tree. He saw the grenade taped to the bark.
Now she cursed. “God, if I’d hit that…”
“Olson was here.” Park rose. “This is one of his booby-traps. We were trained to make things like this.” He looked at the house. “Follow me.”
They walked carefully, checking every inch of the ground. When they reached the front deck, Park pulled a flashlight out of his backpack and looked under the steps.
“There’s another device attached to the second step.” He stepped over it. “Be careful.”
Then, he took his time checking the front door.
“It’s clear.” He tried the handle and the door opened.
There was silence inside.
“Mr. and Mrs. Hoskins?” Jenna called. “US Marshals.”
No response.
But a very familiar smell hit Park. And from the way Jenna’s face hardened, she smelled it, too.
She pulled her weapon.
The Hoskins’ cabin smelled like death.