CHAPTER 24

To Avery’s surprise—no, make that shock—the rest of her day went smoothly. It had started out so terribly, but things had gone uphill after Theo had shown up at the hospital.

Carla had arrived right on time, at noon. It was a relief to have an extra pair of hands on board, and it had made the check-in process a cinch. She and Carla had briefed the guests on the situation, and thankfully no one seemed concerned. Avery wanted to chalk that one up to the Christmas spirit. They all appeared to be nice, normal people—not one obvious lush or mobster in the bunch.

Now teatime was approaching, and Avery had just finished preparing the tray of goodies. She slowly walked down the corridor to the parlor, holding the big tray steady. The last thing she wanted was for the teapot and Lexie’s delectable pastries to fall on the floor. She reached the room without incident and arranged the tea things on a table before turning to look out the window. The afternoon had shaped up to be sunny and clear, with a light wind forming small whitecaps in the harbor. Star Harbor looked gorgeous, decked out in all its holiday finery, and even Avery could see why people would be drawn here at this time of year.

When she’d first arrived back in Star Harbor, she’d seen the place as a sleepy, isolated hamlet where nothing much happened and everyone knew too much about each other’s business—the worst of both worlds. She’d been so narrow-minded that she hadn’t actually appreciated how much the town had to offer. She’d thought of it as a punishment of sorts to be here. As if on cue, a gust of wind blew outside the parlor window and some snow fell off the roof in a gorgeous, shimmery curtain.

She smiled. The little town’s physical beauty was just one of the things she’d grown to appreciate. Thanks to all of the fun group events, such as the tree lighting and ice-skating on the pond, she was actually beginning to like winter. And she didn’t even mind the town gossip mill that much anymore. After all, being in such a small community had its benefits, and getting personalized assistance from friends and neighbors was just one of them. Julie had managed Aunt Kate’s care beautifully, coordinating seamlessly between her oncologist and the urgent-care physicians at CCH. And Cole had certainly helped her out this morning. Wanda wouldn’t have hurt her, but Avery might not have had the wherewithal to arrange for the proper care as fast as he had. She owed him some serious thanks. Yes, there were definitely some benefits to be had living in a town like this. Theo was right—she wasn’t alone here.

Just then, Cole strolled into the parlor. He’d spent the whole day checking out the cellar with his team and Val’s. To Cole’s credit, he’d kept his word about being discreet. None of the new guests had complained about any noise, so she figured she was in the clear. Cole was dressed in his uniform, and though it was slightly dusty, its effect wasn’t diminished. He looked big, powerful, and in charge.

“Hi, Avery,” he said. “Can you spare a few minutes? I want to show you something.”

“Sure,” she said, following him back down the corridor and trying not to stare at his gun holster. Guns made her nervous, no doubt about it.

They stepped out the back door, Cole solicitously helping her down the staircase and into the cellar. Adjusting her eyes to the gloom, she followed him over to the weird wooden wall. Hank, also in uniform, was crouching by the wall, packing some heavy-duty flashlights into a large duffel bag. Val was there, too, dressed in jeans and a Henley. He had his BlackBerry in one hand and one of those fancy, lighted notepads in the other, and he was looking back and forth between the two. Both men greeted her as she approached, but they quickly returned to what they were doing.

The wall had been broken apart, and beyond it all she could see was darkness.

“What on Earth?” she said.

“There was some kind of door with a hidden latch, but we only realized that once we’d busted it open,” Cole said. “Not the most elegant solution, but it got the job done.”

Avery squinted into the black hole beyond the wall. “What’s in there? It isn’t just storage space, is it?”

“Cole and I checked it out,” Val said. “It’s a pretty large chamber, maybe sixty by forty. About twenty feet in on the left, there’s a small passageway, which we’re fairly sure leads all the way to Star Harbor Point. Stored inside the chamber was about a thousand kilos of what we believe is mephedrone, laced with oxycodone, packaged and street-ready. Each unit was packed into drums, which were obviously used to transport the drugs. We’ve taken those away already, but the drug runners have left a lot more stuff behind.”

“Kate doesn’t know about this,” Avery said quickly, wanting to make it clear that her aunt shouldn’t be in any trouble. “She told me she hasn’t ever tried to access this part of the cellar.”

“You sure? Seems like someone’s been on this side of the wall recently.”

“That was me. I was down here last week to find the Christmas lights. But the cellar door had been left unbolted,” she said, thinking aloud. “At the time, I didn’t think much of it. In fact, I just assumed Kate had done it, but she hasn’t been in the best of shape recently, so I doubt she would have even tried to open those heavy doors on her own.”

“Hm,” Cole said. “Interesting. We’ll definitely have to ask her some questions. When she’s well enough to talk to us, that is. Mostly we’re interested in the history of this place, who she bought it from, that kind of thing.”

Avery let out a sigh. “Okay. I get that people were using this as a hiding place, but why were we hearing all of those weird noises up in the Inn? I thought the cellar was a completely separate, unconnected chamber.”

“As far as we can tell, there’s some ductwork back there that goes up into the Inn itself, which is probably why you’re feeling the drafts and hearing the banging. Everything echoes, and I know you’re well aware that if someone’s making noise down here, you can hear loud, hollow noises even on the third floor of the building,” Cole said.

Avery blushed, remembering what she was doing the last time she was on the Inn’s third floor. She hoped the three men couldn’t see her in the dim light. “So what do you need from us at the Inn?” she asked, trying to get her mind back on track.

“We aren’t equipped for any further exploration this afternoon. But we’ll need to come back with our gear and send some folks back here to pick up the rest of the drug runners’ paraphernalia. Val needs to report back to his team and get a few more men for follow-up. As long as you to agree to make the cellar available to us when we need access, we won’t need to keep bothering you every time we need to get in here.”

“Of course,” she said. “Like I said before, we at the Inn will fully cooperate with any investigation.”

“Good,” Cole said with satisfaction.

Val lifted his head. “The DEA thanks you for your ongoing cooperation,” he said before peering at his BlackBerry once again.

“We’re going to seal this back up,” Cole said. “We don’t want anyone going in. Or coming out.”

Avery swallowed. She hadn’t even thought of that. Sure, they’d caught one group of smugglers, but what if there were more? She was almost afraid to ask. “Cole? Do you think that other drug runners will come back?”

“I don’t know,” he said bluntly. “I hope not, but I can’t make any guarantees. I think you’ll be safe, though. Word has probably gotten out that the group at the Point was arrested. I’m running point for both the Sheriff’s Department and the DEA on this incident. If you hear or see anything, call me immediately. Here’s my cell phone number.” He handed her a card.

“Okay. Thanks. Ah, before you close it up for now, can I take a look?” she asked, indicating the dark area.

Cole raised an eyebrow. “You sure you want to?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. She owed it to Kate to see exactly what they were dealing with.

“Well, it is a crime scene.” He paused and looked thoughtful. “But the way I see it, it’s on your aunt’s property and you have a right to know what’s going on. You can come back with me. Just don’t touch anything. Hank, give the lady a flashlight.”

Hank flicked on a large high-beam lantern and handed it to her. When she stepped into the previously hidden part of the cellar, she was immediately hit with a wave of dank, chill air that smelled faintly of the sea. Like the rest of the cellar, it had a dirt floor, and from the looks of it, the walls were made of dirt, too. “Wow. It’s a bit moister in here,” she remarked.

“Probably because it’s connected to the ocean,” Cole said, stepping in behind her.

“Weird. Which way is the passage?”

“Over here,” he said, shining a flashlight to the left. Avery followed him step for step. Even though Hank had given her a powerful beam, she could still see only about ten feet in front of her. “Here’s the entrance. Like I said before, we believe it leads to the Point. Hank and I got about thirty yards in before we hit a locked iron gate. That’s one of the reasons I can’t give you a clear answer about the drug runners returning. We’re bringing in some tools to crack it tomorrow morning. You want to take a look?”

Avery shone her beam down the low, narrow passageway. The thought of walking into that claustrophobic tunnel made her feel a bit ill. “No, thank you.” Then, carefully, with Cole at her back, she followed the cellar wall all the way around, weaving through some scattered boxes, empty steel drums, and a little table with some papers on it. The drug runners’ gear. She gave a little shudder, realizing that some very bad people had been here doing terrible things, maybe for months, only a dozen feet beneath her and Kate. A little pit formed in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it. She turned the beam away quickly, ready to leave, but in the far back corner something metallic caught her eye. “Cole, did you see that?”

“See what?” he asked.

“This.” Crouching down to examine the area of the wall that had flashed at her, she shone her beam directly on it. The light was so bright, it took her a moment to find it, but then it came into sudden focus. A piece of metal that was marked with the Roman numeral I. “What is it?” she asked him. “Some kind of marker?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, rubbing a thumb over the mark, “but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen something like this before.” He turned back to the opening. “Hank, you read me?” Cole said.

Hank’s voice called out. “Copy that.”

“Do we have some kind of pickax in the bag?”

“Let me check.” There was a pause, then Hank spoke again. “Negative. The best I can do is a hammer.”

“Okay. Grab it and bring it back here.”

There was a scraping sound, and then muffled footsteps. In a moment, Hank was standing next to them. “Here you go, boss,” he said, handing the hammer to Cole. Val had followed him back, too.

“All right. Let’s see what I can do.” Cole crouched down and used the hammer’s claw to scrape away at the dirt surrounding the metal. As he scratched and scraped, centuries-old dirt began to fall to the cellar floor. “Ah, yeah. That’s it.” Seizing the end of the now-uncovered metal stub, he began to wiggle it. Finally, he managed to get it out. “Just as I suspected,” he said, brushing the object off.

“What is it?” Avery asked.

“A key. And we never would have found it if you hadn’t spotted it. Your light must have hit at just the right angle. Guess the runners missed it, too.” Cole shone his beam directly onto the key in his palm. It was almost completely flat and it looked unbelievably old. Dulled by dirt, the metal didn’t have much shine to it. It must have been pure luck that she’d caught any glimmer from it at all. He pressed it into her hand. Surprisingly heavy, the cool metal key quickly warmed from her body heat. “It’s yours. Yours and Kate’s.”

“You don’t think it’s connected to the drug runners, do you?”

“No,” Cole said, shaking his head. “It looks like it’s been here for years, and it’s quite similar to a key that Lexie Meyers found not too long ago. Do me a favor. Show it to Cameron Stahl. She has a good eye for this kind of thing. She’ll be able to tell you if this one is similar to Lexie’s key. And if it could possibly be connected to the legend of the Siren Lorelei.”

Val laughed. “You and your pirate legends. Now come on,” he said, placing his hand on Avery’s shoulder to help usher her out of the damp, dark space. “Let’s get out of here.”

When they were back on the other side of the wall, Val tucked his flashlight into a shoulder bag, while Cole took her lantern and the rest of the gear he was carrying and replaced it in the duffel bag. “Hank, please finish packing up. Avery, I’ll take you back upstairs now.”

“All right.”

Once she was back inside the Inn, Avery realized that the guests were probably already in the parlor for teatime. Popping the key into a drawer in the reception desk, she went to greet them, a warm smile on her face. The three middle-aged couples were all pleased to see her. Theo was notably absent, and Avery was surprised to find that she missed him.

“Hello, everyone,” Avery said. “How was your morning?”

One of the guests, a heavyset woman from Indiana, beamed at her. “Just wonderful. We visited the Oceanographic Institute at Woods Hole today. Fascinating place.”

“We went to Martha’s Vineyard this morning. Bess and I had a great breakfast at The Black Dog,” a silver-haired gentleman said in a soft, Southern drawl. He squeezed his wife’s shoulders fondly.

“What did you do so far?” Avery asked the third couple politely.

The man just smiled. “Absolutely nothing. We puttered around Star Harbor and grabbed a quick lunch before coming here. It was glorious.”

Avery laughed. “Well, I hope you’ve all worked up at least a bit of an appetite because these pastries from the LM Kitchen are to die for. Try the scones, and please, if you need anything, just ring the little bell at the reception desk and I’ll come assist you.” Smiling, she left the couples to chat and enjoy themselves.

When teatime was over and she’d cleaned up the parlor, Avery decided it would be a good time to practice her violin, which she’d brought from Kate’s place for this express purpose. After all, the concert was coming up next week, and she wanted to do a credible job. Not just for herself, but for her family. Emma and Kate hadn’t heard her play—really play—in a long time and she knew they’d enjoy it. She only hoped that Kate would be well enough to attend.

Avery worried that she might be disturbing the guests with her playing, but if she stayed in the back of the first floor, the sound would probably be somewhat muffled. And besides, she didn’t sound half-bad. In fact, now that she’d been practicing for a while, she was starting to sound pretty good again. If any of the guests needed anything, Carla, who was tidying up the tea things, could help them out.

She set herself up in the small walk-in pantry and shut the door, figuring the dry goods lining the shelves might absorb some of the sound. And there were no vents, so the sound wouldn’t carry that far, anyway. She propped up her sheet music against a wall of cans, rigging space between the stacks to pin back the pages. When she had everything ready, she glanced at her watch and began to play. Melodious strains spun around her as she lost herself in the pleasure of her practice.

An hour later, she was satisfied with her progress. The calluses that had re-formed on the fingertips of her left hand made playing much more comfortable than it had been when she’d picked up her instrument again. Now she was really getting back into the swing of things. She had most of the Christmas music down, and only a few sections of the Tchaikovsky needed touching up. Smiling, she turned to slide open the door to the pantry and came face to face with Carla and all of the Inn’s guests, Theo included.

“W-what are you doing here?” Avery asked, blinking at them.

“Your playin’ is divine,” Bess said in a sweet drawl. “We couldn’t help ourselves.”

“And besides, we were all just so sleepy after that tea,” said the guy who’d puttered around all morning. “We couldn’t bring ourselves to go out. Not with entertainment right here.”

Avery began to laugh. “Please come to the holiday concert next Tuesday night. You’ll be able to hear much better renditions of all the songs I was just practicing.”

“We will,” Bess said.

Everyone left except Theo, who didn’t budge from where he was leaning on the kitchen counter, a curious expression on his handsome face.

Avery put her hand on her hip, her violin bow jutting out at a jaunty angle. “What?”

“I knew it,” he said, his voice low.

“Knew what?”

He pushed himself off the counter with one large hand and took a step toward her. “You’re starting to live the way you play. Sensuously. Passionately. Not shying away from your emotions, but embracing them.”

She shook her head. Though she was learning to open up, she still wasn’t there. “Not completely.”

“No. But you’re trying.” His smile stirred something dangerously exciting within her. Carefully, she placed her violin and bow on the countertop and turned to him, knowing exactly what was coming next.

Within seconds, his mouth was on hers and his hands were everywhere. Yes. This was real. This was right. Before she even realized what he intended, they were in the pantry. He slammed the door closed and backed her up against a flat section of wall as he continued kissing her like there was no tomorrow.

She got hot fast, her nipples peaking into hard little points. Not content to let him run the show, she gave back as good as she got, plunging her hands in his hair and lightly nipping down his jaw and neck. Delighted by the way he shuddered, she did it again and again. He let her explore him the way she wanted, her fingers playing over his body with abandon. When she slid her hands under his shirt to touch his bare flesh, he groaned, then pushed her shirt up so that he could palm her lace-clad breasts in his hands. Shock waves of pleasure coursed through her as he thumbed each nipple, her sex becoming damp and slick. Then he undid her jeans and wiggled them down her thighs, bringing her panties with them.

“Oh, my, God,” she moaned when he swept a finger through her wet folds. He zoned in just where she needed him to, and her knees nearly went out from under her. “Theo,” she gasped in between kisses. “Upstairs.”

“Not gonna make it,” he whispered back. “Here.”

“But—”

“This way,” he said, flipping her around so that she was facing away from him. His hands on her hips felt like heaven. Then, nothing. What was he doing? She peeked back over her shoulder. He’d pulled his own pants down and was putting on a condom.

One big hand wrapped around her to tease a nipple through her bra and the other went straight for her folds. The slight pause had only heightened her arousal. His, too. His shaft pressed into her lower back, hard and hot. She wanted to touch him, to feel him, but she couldn’t contort her body to do it. So she leaned back against his broad chest and let the pleasure take over. He worked her expertly until she was mindless, panting for release.

“Lean your arms against the wall,” Theo said, his voice husky as he bent her at the waist, positioning her exactly the way he wanted. Barely able to think straight, she did as he asked. Someone might walk in and see them like this—primal, raw—but she didn’t care. All she wanted was his body inside of hers.

And then he was filling her, and in this position it was as if she were feeling every sensation for the very first time. Trying to stifle her low moan, she pushed back against him, insisting that she be an active participant. He groaned, moving his hand from her breast to her hips, guiding her even as he continued to circle her tight bud with his fingertip. He set the pace with his long, deep thrusts, taking them both higher. There was no going back now. He brought this out in her—this feverish desire to be taken, and to give. He wasn’t simply getting past her defenses. He was obliterating them.

Theo’s breath was coming in short bursts now, and she realized he was trying to hold himself in check. Then he touched her one more time and she exploded, pushing back hard. Both hands on her hips now, he slammed into her twice more before she felt him spasm, then grow still. For a few moments, the only sounds were their commingled breathing.

“You okay?” he asked, nuzzling his face into her hair.

“Yeah,” she whispered back. The truth. Being in his embrace seemed to bring out the best in her, and she was finally allowing herself to believe it. To trust it.

He wrapped both arms around her, supporting her body and taking some of the pressure off her arms. They stayed like that for several long minutes, his hips pressing into her rear, his heat still surrounding her, filling her.

“That was …” Avery started, then stopped. What could she say after what they’d just experienced?

“Intense?”

She nodded. The perfect word. Intense. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and then he kissed the back of her neck before pulling away.

Straightening up, she slowly put her clothes back on. She felt strangely calm, as if she had stepped away from her regularly scheduled life and was now stepping back into it. A dozen questions flashed through her mind, but she willed them away. By the time Theo opened the pantry door, she was composed.

There was no one in the kitchen—thank God—but her violin was still on the counter.

“Oh, I have to put this away,” she said, trying to sound as normal as possible. As if she hadn’t just had mind-bending sex in the pantry with Theo Grayson. She was putting her instrument and bow back into its case when she heard a loud popping noise. “What the …”

“The light,” Theo said, pointing to the pantry. “It just died.”

“Damn. It’s one of those weird floodlights. I know for sure we don’t have any spares, because I was just in the supply closet a couple of days ago.”

“So go to the hardware store and get one. Or two, in case it blows again.” He gave her a devilishly sexy grin. “I liked being able to see in there.”

“Me too,” she said, before swallowing hard. Even now her reaction to him was visceral.

“Want some company?” he asked, his voice suggestive.

“No,” she said quickly, needing a few minutes away from him to process what had just happened. What was still happening. “Go write.” She made a shooing motion with her hands.

“I will. But I’ll see you later, Avery,” he said, before crossing the room to kiss her firmly on the lips. A moment later, he was gone and she felt strangely empty.

“Glad you came down, Avery,” Luke Bedwin said, coming out from behind the counter at Star Harbor Hardware after she’d described exactly what she was looking for. “I’ve got just what you need.”

“Thanks, Luke,” she said. “Could you, ah …”

“Show you where I keep the bulbs? Why, I’d be glad to.” He motioned for her to follow him. As they began to walk down the main aisle of the store, Avery glanced around. Though the store was large, every conceivable space had been put to use. Everywhere she looked there were keys, tools, scissors, plywood, nails, plugs, and any number of assorted knickknacks one might find in a hardware store. There was so much stuff packed floor to ceiling that the narrow shelves lining the aisles seemed as though they might topple over at any minute. Those things had to be bolted in place, right? More goods were displayed on top of the long shelves. Rakes, garden hoses, and shovels.

Luke turned down one of the narrow aisles and stopped about halfway down, right in front of a huge display of light bulbs. Looking directly up, she realized that there was a sizeable display of harvesting scythes hanging right over her head, knife sides down, their wickedly sharp blades gleaming as they swayed slowly back and forth.

“Ah, Luke,” she said nervously.

“Don’t worry about the stuff on the ceiling,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I strung those up myself. They’re not going anywhere. At least, not until next fall when I take ’em down.”

Avery swallowed and tried as subtly as possible to shift half a foot to the right. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Luke’s tying abilities, just that she trusted her instinct for self-preservation more. Thankfully, Luke had found the right kind of light bulbs and was examining the packaging.

“Here, now, I think you’ll want the sixty-watt incandescent. Wiring’s old in that building, and you said this was for where? The pantry? So no need to go higher. You just want the one?” he asked, handing her the cardboard box.

“Two, please,” Avery said, trying not to blush as she remembered Theo’s words.

“You got it,” he said, pulling down another. “Last two. Lucky,” Luke added, walking back to the front of the store.

“Great, thanks!” Avery said. “One less thing I have to worry about.”

Luke gave her a sympathetic look over his shoulder. “Heard about the scuffle at Kate’s house this morning. You okay?”

Avery sighed, no longer surprised that everyone in town knew her business. There was no use in asking Luke where he’d heard the news. It would be some convoluted path of gossip, she was sure of it. “I’m fine. Just a bit shaken up. And troubled. I still haven’t spoken with my old client, so I’m not sure how she found me.”

“As long as you weren’t hurt,” he said, circling back behind the counter.

She shook her head. “I’m fine. So tell me how much I owe you for these bulbs.”

“On the house.”

“No way. I have to pay you. Kate will kill me.”

He gave her a careful, even look. “You tell Kate I hope she gets better real soon. And that I hope she likes the flowers I brought her.”

Avery blinked. And then realized what she hadn’t seen the entire time she’d been living in this town.

Luke Bedwin was in love with her aunt.

There it was, as plain as day, written all over his face. He loved Kate. More than that, he’d be perfect for her. His calm, collected demeanor. His cheeky sense of humor. And his absolute loyalty. He’d helped Kate out countless times at the Inn. But why hadn’t anyone said anything to her? Did Kate even know? Her aunt was so independent, it had probably never crossed her mind that she’d need anyone. Or that anyone would need her.

Avery needed to figure out how her aunt felt about Luke, and if Kate liked him, she would do her best to get them together. Maybe Kate just required a little push in the right direction. “I will,” she vowed. “You can count on it.”