Chapter Twenty
Arms waving, Sky propelled into the darkness. No. No. No. The air rushed from her lungs, and all that escaped was a small eke. She belly-landed on top of Kane’s face, and the momentum of her fall pushed him off his solid perch into the blackness below. Oh my God. Even though they were free falling, he managed to keep a hold of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and her hands clamped down hard on his head so they would stay as one.
“Whoa.” The sound came out muffled since his face was buried under her.
So black. So cold. So deathly.
Fear paralyzed her. Rushing air sent her hair upward, and she was going to die without telling Kane she was falling in love with him.
They sped downward, his back to the ground into the nothingness below. Regrets and fear filled her veins. Then abruptly, their free fall ended with a hard jerk, and they bounced upward for a few feet.
Her heart raced so fast, she couldn’t talk. All she could figure was that he’d landed on a branch jutting out from the rock wall, but the blood pounding in her ears prevented rational thought from breaking through.
Before she could comprehend why they’d stopped, the wind pushed them into the wall, and a sharp rock stabbed her arm, pain speeding throughout her body.
“You’re safe,” he whispered, as he cradled her back. “I’m here. Nothing’s going to happen.” His arm tightened around her waist.
“Safe?” She wanted to yell or rub her arm, but nothing was going to make her let go of Kane’s rock hard body. She looked up and saw nothing but a big black sky dotted with gray swirling clouds. The river below roared, but she refused to check out that scene. Kane and she were upright but he was standing on air. “How did we stop?”
“As soon as I made it to the ledge, I attached a clip from my harness to a rope that I’d previously fastened to the rock face.”
His preparation astounded her. She squeezed Kane tighter, as they swayed in the wind. “Thank you.”
“We’re not home free yet. Slip down a little so you have a better grip.” He was talking with his cheek to her stomach.
With his help, she lowered her body a foot, feeling more in control even though her heart threatened to leap out of her chest. “Now what?”
“We have to climb up unless you want to live face-to-face with me for the rest of your life.”
How could he joke at a time like this? “Up?”
Of course, they had to go up. Her brain had short-circuited. She’d never been into rock climbing like many of her friends and wasn’t all that certain she could do this, especially in the dark, without losing her footing.
“I’ll need my hands to haul us up, so hang on for dear life—literally. I’ll do all the heavy lifting.”
The second he let go of her, she sucked in a breath. Even though she couldn’t see a damn thing and was dangling a thousand feet over a river, she wasn’t as petrified as she thought she would be. After all, she was in Kane’s arms, or rather Kane was in her arms.
Hand over hand he pulled them up the rope until they reached the bottom of the ledge. He then swung his leg over and hauled her up into his warm, safe embrace, and relief flooded her as he kissed her forehead then her lips.
“Are you hurt? Is anything broken?” he asked.
She was still spinning from fear. Sky moved her neck, hands, hips, and feet. “No. For nearly dying, I’m doing quite well, thanks to you,” she whispered.
* * *
While Kane claimed she wasn’t in any condition to drive her car home from the factory, she didn’t want to leave any evidence of them having been there. She had to admit that driving after her near death experience had been hard.
Once home, Kane thankfully didn’t lambast her for going to the Base. Tomorrow would be soon enough. Exhausted, Sky slid under the covers and fell into a deep sleep, but awoke a few hours later, because Kane was clomping around outside her door making a lot of noise. She hoped he wasn’t planning another expedition. They’d both only had a few hours of sleep, and she was still weary from the adrenaline rush.
He was a guy who was probably used to keeping watch, standing for days on end. Clearly, he wanted her up, and it wouldn’t be to praise her efforts.
Fine. She tossed on some jeans and a T-shirt and headed into the kitchen. Kane sat at the table scowling. Wonderful.
She tossed him a smile, hoping to soften him somewhat. “I need coffee and food. Can I make you something?” A little bribe might go a long way.
“I already ate.” He was in a sour, dour mood.
He was such a liar. There were no dishes in the sink. While she fixed something for herself, she needed to convince Kane she needed answers as much as he did. “I know you’re upset with what went down last night, but all I wanted was to find out if Randall’s swipe card gave me access to any of the buildings on the perfume factory property.” Her breath came out fast. “I tried each of the greenhouse doors, but that didn’t work. If the card hadn’t opened the shed, I would have left. Besides, I knew you were there.”
He stood so fast the chair nearly tipped over. “Do you understand they could have shot you for trespassing?”
“You’re overreacting. I became a cop with the understanding there would be risks.” Her statement was made with as much calm as she could muster.
He stepped closer, and her breath caught. For some unexplained reason, she was angry and in lust at the same time. Stupid hormones.
“Reasonable risks? No, they were too-stupid-to-live risks. I can’t let you do something like that again.”
I can’t let you do something like that again. Like he was her guardian? “I took precautions—going at night, sneaking along the side of the building, having the swipe card in my possession.” He stared at her. Now she could see that having him on the case wasn’t such a good idea. “Like it was safe for you to go there?” It didn’t matter if he was a super hero in his former life.
Kane didn’t respond. He turned and paced, acting like he was trying to decide how to punish her or if he should tie her up for the rest of her life—as if that would work.
She wiped down the counters, straightened the canisters, and filled the saltshaker. The adrenaline still hadn’t left her system because of that damned fall. She shut her eyes tight, but the images remained.
“Can you stop fussing and sit?” That was the best he could come up with? He was practically admitting it wasn’t safe for him either.
She gritted her teeth at him and sat. “Fine.” Somehow, it was okay for him to pace and wear off his excess energy, but she couldn’t?
He stabbed a hand through his short, thick hair and walked up to the table then leaned over real close. “How did you know I was there?”
She leaned back in her seat and smiled—albeit one that didn’t come from her heart. A shame he’d underestimated her deductive reasoning powers. “Your backpack wasn’t in the bedroom, and your Jeep wasn’t in front of the house.” She lifted her chin, daring him to find fault with her logic.
His brows pinched. “I could have gone to Page or into town.”
“At midnight?” She gulped some of her coffee, nearly burning her tongue. “You wouldn’t have left me alone unless it was important. The only place you would have gone was to the factory.”
His face softened. “You’re right this time, but that doesn’t excuse your behavior.” He held her gaze longer than usual as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to phrase it. “Listen, I need to be someplace in a few minutes. We can continue this discussion later.”
“I can’t wait.” She was surprised he’d leave her alone.
He placed a hand on the table and leaned over. “Please don’t…” He shook his head and straightened. “Just be careful. If anything happened to you, I’d feel… responsible.”
That was all? Just responsible? He wouldn’t be upset?
His shoulders sagged, and her sympathy heightened. “I promise I won’t even drive on 89 today. I’ll go straight to work and stay there.” She looked up through her lashes and turned her mouth into a pout in an attempt to lighten his mood. “Where ya goin’?”
That almost got a smile out of him. “It’s a secret.”
She rolled her eyes. The man had been put on this earth to infuriate her. He wasn’t a detective, yet he acted like he knew everything. The least he could do was have the decency to discuss his plans and theories with her.
“Be that way. The next time I learn something important about the case, I just might keep that info to myself.” Unless it benefited her to tell him.
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, suddenly acting as if they were some married couple who’d just made up after a fight. As if. However, she did soak in the comfortable act for a brief moment, despite not being ready to forgive his holier-than-though attitude.
Once Kane left on his ever-so-special mission, she poured a second cup of coffee, needing the caffeine to help her through the day. Despite rushing through the chore of pouring her drink, getting the cream, and locating the sugar, her mind wouldn’t let go of the fact that Kane had been right in not divulging his plan. If he had told her, she would have wanted to go with him. In which case, he’d be saddled with having to keep her safe.
As for today’s plan, she absolutely didn’t have the time to follow Kane Cornell all over town. She dressed in her uniform, but this time the house seemed emptier than before Kane had stepped foot in her place—colder even, in more ways than the temperature. It might not be healthy for her to dwell on their indefinable relationship, which had started flirtatiously, then after one disastrous kiss, had turned a little contentious, but she couldn’t help it. If only she could stop her mind from running through what had happened in the past few days—especially the night at the Senator’s RV when they’d kissed.
Because of the kidnapping, and the almost capture at the factory, she needed Kane to stay around, which meant she had to try to be more cooperative.
After downing the coffee, Sky headed into work, looking forward to a calm day where no one would accuse her of doing something wrong or stupid.
Upon her arrival, the first thing she did was to return the swipe card to the evidence locker. She had no intention of using it again that was for sure. Once at her desk, Sky read over the information she’d entered into the murder book to find some overlooked clue.
Harriet traipsed over to Sky’s desk with a plateful of the best smelling food. “A croissant?”
Sky grabbed one. “You are my hero.”
She smiled. “Have two then.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She usually didn’t give into the fattening foods, but after Kane’s inquisition, she needed some comfort.
The phone rang at Harriet’s desk. “I need to get that.” The receptionist waddled back to her station and answered the phone.
Sky devoured the first croissant and was halfway through the second when the light on her phone lit up. “Sky Nash.” It better not be Kane. She didn’t want to see or hear from him for a while—or at least until she got home.
“It’s Earl.” His voice sounded raw.
She dropped the croissant onto the napkin. “What’s wrong?”
“I need you.” He coughed and wheezed. “Someone broke into my house.”
“Dear God. Are you hurt? Do you need an ambulance?”
“No-oo. Come. Hurry.” He disconnected.
Sky told Harriet where she was headed but didn’t take the time to speculate about what had happened. The man sounded scared, and that troubled her, since nothing ever bothered Earl.
The VW didn’t have nearly the power as the cruiser, but she arrived at Earl’s in a little under twenty-five minutes. As she scooted out of the car, she waited to see if he’d roll down the plank to greet her—but he didn’t, and her flesh rippled with apprehension for what she might find. Nothing appeared disturbed on the outside, but clearly something bad had happened or he wouldn’t have called. She ran up to the door and pounded.
“It’s open.” The weak call came from inside.
Sky rushed in and stopped in her tracks. Earl sat in his wheelchair, the right side of his face bruised and his lip bleeding. She raced over to him. “Dear God, Earl. What happened?”
“Sit, please.” He waved her to the sofa, but all the cushions were on the floor.
“Can I get you some ice for your lip and face?”
He nodded.
In the kitchen, she placed ice cubes in a dishtowel and returned. The shelves lining the living room walls were torn apart and much of the furniture had been flipped over.
“Here,” she said.
As soon as he placed the cold pack on his face, Earl winced. “They wanted Crandall Thompson’s swipe card—or whatever you said his name was.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach. “Those bastards. I used the card last night. I was able to enter the first level of the underground Base, which by the way was right next to the perfume factory.”
He started to smile, winced, and then stopped. “So you were right when you said the hologram symbol meant something.”
“Yes.” She chastised herself. She should have thought what might happen when she took the card.
“I told the two men that I gave the card to the police, but they didn’t believe me.” He dropped his head in his hand, his back heaving. Poor Earl.
She wanted to console him but wasn’t sure he wanted to be touched. Feeling helpless to stop his pain, she scanned the living room for her cone and the alien fuel cell, but couldn’t find them in the mess. “Where are the things that were on your shelf?” She held her breath.
He lifted his head. “They took them.”
She dropped onto the chair opposite him, and her breath shortened. “They must have recognized those objects. Maybe that’s what they were really after.”
“No one knew you’d brought me your cone.”
True, but she bet the men didn’t care where Earl had found the items. They saw something they liked and stole them. “When were they here?”
“’Bout an hour ago. As soon as they left, I called you. I was worried they’d go after you next.”
“Because you gave me the card?”
“Yes.”
“You had to turn it over to the police. It was evidence in a crime, but just so you know, the ID tag is safe in the evidence room at the station. Kane is staying with me so you don’t have to worry about them coming after me.” Assuming Kane came back tonight. “I’ll call Harvey to photograph the scene. When he’s done documenting the break-in, I’ll ask Phyllis to stop over. She’ll have this place spic and span in no time. Don’t you worry; we’ll find them and our stuff too.” She knew he didn’t care how messy his place looked only that someone had stolen what he valued most. He removed the icepack from his face and her heart broke at the purpling. “You sure you don’t need me to send the doc here? I bet he could give you some good pain meds.”
“No. I got me enough liquor to put me out of my misery. You go and find those bastards.” He slowly shook his head. “Sometimes I wish I’d never come back from Serpo.”
He couldn’t really mean that. “Can you give me a description of the men?”
“They wore masks and gloves.”
They were probably the same ones who broke into her place. “Damn, no prints then.”
Earl did the best he could at guessing their height and weight, but the two men sounded like most of the young men around there—fit and strong. They could be military, but they also could be a couple of hired thugs.
“I’ll call as soon as I have anything.” She wanted to stay and care for him, but the more time the men had to escape, the harder it would be to find them—assuming they weren’t holed up in the underground military base.
She returned to the station ready to make some calls when Chief Lapahe came out of his office and crossed his arms. “Nash. In my office. Now.”
What now? She needed to file the report about Earl’s break-in. There was no way he could have found out about her escapade last night since she hadn’t been caught. Sky straightened her back and strode in head high. “Yes?”
“What were you doing at Fleur to Paris in the middle of the goddamn night?” He slid a photo across his desk, and her breath caught. It was a blurry picture of her at the factory, but there was no mistaking her identity.
Her hands trembled, barely able to hold the photo. When the hell had the guard taken the shot? Sky glanced up, not sure how to respond. “Who gave this to you?”
He slapped his palm on the desk, and she jumped. “That doesn’t matter.”
Her knees locked. “It sure does.” She firmed her lips. “If you must know, I was on police duty. I had reason to believe Randall Tyler worked there.”
“Why?”
From the jut of his jaw and the harsh delivery, she wasn’t going to get off easy. “Earl found a swipe card buried in the sand near the headless man that had the imprint of a perfume bottle on it. I was just trying to see which door it opened.” All of that information was in the murder book.
He whipped back his chair and dropped onto the seat. The air seemed to rush from his lungs; he was acting as if he was afraid of something. “That was dangerous.”
“I know, but I wanted to find the secret base below the perfume factory. Someone else must have wanted to check this out, which might have been why they broke into Earl’s house looking for it.”
“When did this break-in happen?”
“About an hour or two ago, but they didn’t find it because we have it here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me your plan to check it out?”
Because I don’t trust you. “It was a last minute decision. Besides, you’d mentioned that I shouldn’t waste my time on my alien fantasies, and I considered this to be one.” That was lame, especially since she’d told him most likely the government had abducted and drugged her.
“I thought you just said you were investigating Randall Tyler?”
Caught. “I was, along with the aliens.” Her voice trailed off at the last four words.
He worked his jaw as if he was trying to decide his next move. “Why did you have to go at night?” His voice wavered as he gripped the arms of the chair.
The truth seemed like the only answer. “I didn’t want anyone to see me, which they surely would have if I’d gone during the day. According to what I read, the Base gets activity only after the perfume factory closes. In hindsight, maybe going in the day would have been better.”
“Uh-huh.” He cleared his throat. “Why didn’t you sign out that piece of evidence?”
Oh, shit. Large claws scraped the inside of her gut. “I meant to. I was so excited, I must have forgotten.”
“You never forget procedure.”
“With my temporary capture, and everything else that was going on, I was distracted. It’s back there now.” The chief never checked her procedure before, and she wondered if the government had spoken to him.
He took a bite out of a half-eaten croissant. “Did the card open a particular door?” He acted as if the answer didn’t matter, but from the way he averted his gaze and held his breath, this might be the most important question in the lot.
She debated how much to tell him. “Yes. A tool shed, or at least what looked like a shed from the outside.”
He swallowed. “Why would a factory need a swipe card to get into a shed?” She couldn’t tell from his tone if he had a hidden agenda.
“I don’t know, which was why I was curious. I didn’t stay long enough to investigate. There was a guard circling the building, and I only had seconds to get in and out.”
“You mentioned there was an underground military Base somewhere around there. Is that what you were looking for?”
“I didn’t know what I would find.” She hoped he’d be satisfied with her evasive answer, but she doubted it.
He pulled out a pad and wrote something then looked up. “Who was your accomplice?” His tone had lightened, almost to the point of being friendly.
The hair on her skin prickled. Surely, he couldn’t know Kane was there. “No one.”
“The guard said a man was with you, and that he called you, Doll. Was it that Kane fellow who’s been hanging around here, looking for the Senator?”
Think fast. “It was just someone who caught me right before I made it to the door. I don’t think he wanted to get caught coming in late either, so he told some crazy story about showing me some military maneuvers.”
His jaw clenched, and his brows furrowed. “You aren’t a good liar. Who was he?” The last question was said at shout level that no doubt Harriet and Harvey could hear.
“Tony something. I didn’t ask his last name.” She shrugged, but she doubted he believed her. The lies were compounding faster than she could come up with answers.
“And you let him kiss you?” He pounded a fist on the desk.
Dear Lord. Had cameras caught their every move? “I didn’t let him. He just kissed me.” That was true. She never expected Kane to plant one on her. “Look at the video.” Assuming there was one. “You’ll see I tried to get away from him, but he kept me pinned against him.” If they had good surveillance, they’d have identified Kane by now.
Lapahe stood and walked around his desk. “Sky Nash, you are under arrest for breaking and entering, taking evidence without the proper authority, and for stealing government property.” He dragged her hands behind her and cuffed her.