Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Adam checked the house while Davin and Chloe waited just inside the entryway, dripping water everywhere.
Jaxon was on his way, along with Officer Griffin, the older officer who was also a part-time farmer.
He lived clear on the other side of the island, so he’d be a while, especially in this storm that was only growing worse.
FBI and Eureka Police wouldn’t be able to come help until the storm died down, as no boat, plane, or helicopter would risk fighting through it.
Thunder and lightning clashed outside. Chloe shivered violently, moisture running down her face from her hair. Davin put his arm around her, brushed some water from her face, and tried to give her a reassuring smile.
They’d had a beautiful moment of declaring how they felt and kissing, but now he was putting her in the worst danger possible. As soon as the storm cleared, he needed to leave the island until Garcia was caught. He couldn’t risk Chloe’s life like this again.
What if it was too late? What if Garcia was already on the island, outside watching through all these large windows and waiting to strike?
Davin focused on her and tried to swallow down the fear of Garcia getting anywhere near her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m freezing, but I’m safe because of you going all Jackie Chan on those drunken slugs.” She grinned up at him, even as her lip trembled and her teeth chattered. “I can’t believe how you fought. I thought you were against violence and didn’t know how to hold a gun.”
He chuckled. “You’ve read most of my books.
I don’t usually participate in violence, but what I said was I don’t own a gun.
I know how to hold and fire one, and I learned ultimate fighting and Tae Kwon Do from some of the best.” He grinned cockily at her, a front for how worried he was inside. “Research, of course.”
“You and your research. Impressive. Truly.”
She looked him over and his chest expanded.
“Do you want to try some romance research with me?” She made her voice falsely deep, imitating him.
“Are you going to mock me about that for the rest of our lives?”
She laughed, but then her eyes widened. “The rest of our lives?”
Davin couldn’t believe he’d said that. “I … That was out of line. I’m not trying to rush things between us.” Especially as he might have to put some distance between them to keep her safe.
“I don’t know why not. ‘I’m also a girl, standing in front of a boy.’” She didn’t finish the Notting Hill quote, but he thought it was something about asking him to love her.
Despite the danger rushing their way faster than a lightning bolt, he couldn’t stop a grin from surfacing.
She grabbed his wet shirt and hauled herself closer. “Especially if the rush involves romance research with nerdy authors.”
“I prefer introverted,” he protested, though he imagined nerdy could fit.
He captured her lips with his, cutting off her laughter. He’d show her how not nerdy he was, at least at kissing her. He was glad he and Adam had destroyed those young men in a fight. He might not mind the interruption to their last kiss if it made him a hero in Chloe’s eyes.
The kiss heated him up from the inside out. He forgot every fear and focused on fusing their lips together.
A loud rap on the door and footsteps on the stairs yanked them apart. He whirled to face the threat at the door, as the staircase had to be Adam. Unless Garcia had gotten in the house when they were out.
He peered at Jaxon on the porch.
“Nice moves, Author Ambrose,” Adam teased from above, pounding down the stairs. “It’s the sheriff. Stay back and I’ll get it.”
Davin ushered Chloe back. Adam hurried by, tossing them each a towel. He had a third towel slung around his neck. “I grabbed these from one of the bathrooms. You can change in a minute.”
“Thanks.”
Davin dropped one towel on a side table as the door opened and closed behind him. He unfolded the second towel, wrapping it securely around Chloe’s shoulders. She smiled up at him. He picked up the other towel and dried some moisture from her face then blotted her hair.
“Sheesh, you two are mush,” Adam teased.
Davin turned to face Jaxon and Adam. The younger officer had a smirk on his face, but the sheriff was uncharacteristically serious.
“Adam,” Jaxon said.
“I’m going, I’m going.” He saluted them and hurried out the front door.
Jaxon locked it behind him, then turned to face them. “He’ll get cameras and sensors set up.”
“Will you even be able to see anything in this weather?” Chloe asked.
“Thermal imaging. They sense body heat.” He rubbed at his jaw. “I’d ask you to sit down, but you probably don’t want to drip all over the furniture.”
Davin nodded. “What do you know?”
“At around four p.m., a Tara Cardell was attacked in her home. She’s a seventy-two-year-old widow who lives in the Old Town Victoria district of Eureka in one of the most expensive homes. Garcia beat her up and stole jewelry, all the cash she had on hand, and some gold bars from her safe.”
Davin wished the sheriff would talk quicker. He felt awful for the lady, but he needed to know if Balam Garcia was in Eureka or already on his way here. “How did she know it was him?”
“She recognized his accent and Spanish terms as distinctively Guatemalan, as she volunteered there with her church multiple times over the past thirty years. Also a six-four, two-fifty pound South American is unique. They pulled up possible photographs and she identified him immediately.”
“Okay.” Davin’s stomach squirmed.
“The Eureka P.D. has been in the loop. They called as soon as they had a positive I.D.”
“So … three hours ago.” He fisted the towel in his hand. “The afternoon ferry was cancelled, but he could’ve taken a plane or boat here.”
Jaxon’s mouth twisted. “He might’ve had a hard time convincing anyone to take him. Even with the break in this storm earlier. the waves were eight-foot swells and the winds were strong.”
“Garcia isn’t the type to ask,” Davin said, his pulse spiking at the thought of Garcia already being here.
Would he be able to find Davin’s rental home?
Had he hurt Chloe Wednesday to get information out of her because Davin had done the book signing at her shop?
Or maybe because someone had told Garcia that Davin was there every afternoon.
Chloe shivered. Davin looked down at her and his fears multiplied. He couldn’t let Garcia hurt her.
“Why don’t you go put on some dry clothes, Chloe?” Jaxon suggested.
“Okay.”
Chloe gave him a brave smile and walked up the stairs. Davin watched her go. He blotted the moisture from his hair and face and wiped up the floor.
“You should go change too, but I didn’t want Chloe to know.” Jaxon shook his head. “I guess she’ll figure it out, but … it’s only me and Adam.”
“Come again?”
The sheriff and one officer to protect them against Garcia and who knew who else?
“A mud slide made a mess of the road from the southwest. Johnny slid off and had to hike back to his farm. Smith can’t get through in his truck, and no way would I let him take the helicopter up in this.
” He gestured at the wind, rain, and lightning outside.
As if to reinforce what he was saying, lightning flashed and a boom of thunder made the window panes rattle.
“Hopefully that crazy fool won’t try it. ”
“Why would Smith …” He didn’t want to ask what help the man would be.
“He’s not on the force, but he served in the Army and can handle a weapon as well as anyone I know. I recruit him sometimes.”
Davin nodded. He’d heard that Smith served in the military. “The FBI?”
“They’re waiting to come from the Bay Area, but they and the Eureka P.D. won’t risk the storm. The hope is that Garcia is still in Eureka waiting out the weather as well.”
“I’ll pray for that.”
Chloe came out of the upstairs bedroom. She walked onto the balcony, looking beautiful and scared, her long hair damp, her face free of makeup, wearing a grayish-blue sweat suit.
“You go get changed,” Jaxon told him, clapping him on the shoulder.
“I’ve put in a call to the fire station.
Unfortunately, they’re dealing with two separate fires from lightning strikes and a three-car traffic accident.
” He shook his head. “A couple of them should be on their way. Hopefully before…” He blew out a breath.
Davin understood his concern. Before Garcia arrived at his objective with a gun or knife in each fist. Unless there was hope he hadn’t crossed the ocean yet, they were in abject danger.
He hurried to the bottom of the stairs and met Chloe halfway up. “Are you all right?” he asked her.
“Scared,” she admitted. The gold in her eyes had almost disappeared.
“It’ll be okay,” he said, though he didn’t know if he believed it. He’d brought this terror on Chloe, Jaxon, and Adam. If they made it through tonight and the storm settled, he’d have to leave the island and try to draw Garcia away. Could he work with Agent Terrence and make himself bait?
He studied Chloe. All he wanted to do was hold her close and start a relationship, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards for them.