Page 27

Twenty-six

“I STILL DON’T THINK this is a smart idea, for the record,” Greyson said as they hid behind the giant juniper at the edge of the woods separating the main retreat center from the secret building Julie and Kevin had entered. The sun was dipping toward the horizon, pulling the light with it.

Time hung heavy as the humidity still draped around Riley since they’d returned from a two-hour trip to the hot springs. While she should be freezing given the current temperature of thirty degrees and her still-damp hair, she was overheated. And she couldn’t help but think the man beside her was part of the cause. If not the whole of it. Greyson in a swimsuit had been ... No. Focus . Don’t ruin your shot.

“They’re coming,” he whispered, a breath of a second before her feet were pulled out from under her.

She landed on top of him with a thump. He wrapped his arm around her and rolled them over, his body fully shielding hers as her back rested on the mushy, damp earth.

What was happening?

He held as still as one of the massive tree trunks surrounding them, and she followed suit.

Julie’s voice echoed over the fallen log nestled beside them. Kevin’s followed as the pat of footsteps against the earth reverberated across the narrow chasm between them.

A sprig of a fern twitched her nose, and she fought back a sneeze. If she didn’t move her nose from it ... Her chest heaved as she fought the burgeoning sneeze pressing at her rib cage, tickling her sinuses.

Greyson stiffened, his gaze flashing to hers.

Julie’s and Kevin’s voices trailed farther, but not far enough to let loose the sneeze.

Please , Lord . She held her breath. Like that would stop it. And when she sneezed, she went big or went home. She didn’t have a dainty, feminine sneeze. Hers were headshaking, unfortunate as it was, especially at this moment in time. The sneeze would give their position away posthaste.

Greyson’s eyes pleaded with her to remain silent.

I’m trying. She blinked back. Fearful to move her head an inch.

Greyson’s heart raced against her rib cage. Now was not the time to note how perfectly his sandalwood aftershave mixed with their surroundings, but she couldn’t help herself.

There. Distract yourself with him. It’d stolen the impending sneeze from her mind.

His chest rose and fell in bursts. Was his fear meter rising? Wait a minute. Grey doesn’t fear. Worry, yes. Worry over her? Big yes. But fear?

The footfalls whispered away.

Greyson shifted, allowing her to move her head. The fern leaf slipped off her nose, and the stinging sensation to sneeze faded. Grey lifted his chin, his gaze peering over the log.

“There,” he said, rolling to the side, his warmth leaving her. “That should do it. Are you okay?”

She nodded, and the burning returned in a fury. She covered her mouth and—“Auckshoo!”

His eyes widened, and she froze. He inched his head back over the peeling bark of the log.

Her heart raced—faster than his.

Please. Let them be too far away to hear.

Greyson’s shoulders eased an inch. “We’re clear,” he whispered.

She released a long exhale.

Thank you , Lord .

He popped gracefully to his feet while she ungraciously scrambled to get up. He held out a hand. She took it and stood.

“Thanks.” She swiped the bark and earth from her other hand and her pants. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“You still want to do this?”

“Of course.” She rocked on the balls of her feet.

“I still think this is a bad idea.”

“Duly noted,” she said. “There’s got to be something hidden in there for them to sneak in and out of a building that’s concealed from the guests.”

“It might just be where the building happened to be built. It’s probably just administrative.”

“I prefer to be an optimist.”

“And I prefer to be a realist. And the reality is they could come back at any time and catch you.”

She cocked her head.

“There it is.” He shook his head.

She narrowed her eyes. “There what is?”

“That I’m-going-to-do-it-regardless look.”

She stifled a grin.

“And there’s that smirk.”

She pulled her lips into her mouth.

“Too late. I saw it.” He swiped his thumb across her pinched lips.

No brush of a finger should feel so good. “I’m going.”

“Fine.” He sighed. “But be careful. I’ll keep watch.”

“Deal,” she said and shot off before he could argue.

She opened the storm door to find the main door cracked. Taking one last look around, she cracked it wide enough to slide in, then she pushed it shut behind her.

A desk sat to the right with an old-fashioned black leather desk pad, keyboard, single monitor, notepad, and pen cup. No pictures. No personal touch at all.

A pine bookcase flanked the otherwise bare wall in front of her, but no books stood on its knotty shelves. Two-inch black binders lined them instead.

Curiosity piqued.

She padded to the binders and pulled the top left one out. She flipped it open to an employee photo of the masseuse nestled inside a clear sheet protector. She flipped the page. A printout labeled with Annabelle Anderson across the top descended into the usual employment information. Date of employment and of birth. Social Security number. Home address ... and the list continued. She flipped to the next page. Employee monthly performance evaluation. She leafed through. How many months did Julie hold on to? And why in old-fashioned binders instead of on her computer?

The computer purred in the distance. Ignoring it, Riley kept her focus on the binder, wondering if it held other information. White pages with black ink fluttered by until a heading caught her eye. Personal Data. Hadn’t that all been on the first page? She scanned the page. It appeared to be a duplicate until phone records appeared. Narrowing her eyes, she trailed down the line of highlighted calls. Nearly all of them. Beside each sat one to two letters. Bf. Best friend? Boyfriend? M. Mom? J. The first letter of someone’s name? She flipped to the next page and the numbers continued. She went one more page to find photographs in four-by-six clear plastic slots. One of Annabelle and a man labeled Jason. That solved that mystery of J , but what was Julie doing with what looked like surveillance photos of a staff member? Riley zeroed in on the date. Two weeks before Annabelle was even hired. What on earth...? She counted the binders. Twenty-four. Did Julie have one on every employee?

A bird whistled. Check that. That was Greyson’s attempt at a bird call. Was someone coming? Adrenaline surged through her limbs. Shoving the binder back into place, she scoured the room. A single door stood opposite the desk. Julie’s and Kevin’s voices sounded.

Oh, crud. She darted for the door, praying it was a side exit but found herself in a three-by-six box of a closet.

The storm door creaked, and the main door swung open.

“Thanks for actually remembering to shut the door all the way.”

“Uh, sure.”

“So the hundredth time was the trick to tell you that you have to slam it hard.”

Please don’t let Kevin say he didn’ t slam the door. Please. Jackets swept over her head as Riley backed toward the cubby space to her left. She inched, her pulse thumping in her neck, until she bumped into something solid. A suitcase. A pink one with a pineapple tag. That certainly didn’t scream refined Julie.

“We need to find that thief and get that money she stole back in our safe before our high rollers come asking for it, or we’re dead,” Julie snapped. “Have you heard from him?”

“Yeah, at the hot springs.”

“No one better have heard you.”

“I took it in the shuttle while everyone was in the springs.”

“And?” The tap of her heels sounded on the plastic mat Riley had seen under the desk.

“He’s on the trail and gaining.”

“Good. Tell him to find out where the witch stashed the money, then dispose of her.”

“Oh, I told him. But the boss wants to be the one to get the location out of her.”

“Is that right?”

Riley cringed at the pleasure in Julie’s voice.

“Said this one is personal.”

“Fine. Now, you need to find that key. Alvin checked their room while you all were at the springs, and nothing.”

“She must still have it on her.”

“Then you know what to do.”

He chuckled. “Consider it done.”

“Look. I told you,” Julie snipped, shifting her attention, “I didn’t leave that file on the desk.”

“Check your drawers?” Kevin grunted.

Keys rattled, and a drawer opened.

Holding her breath, Riley braved a peek through the closet door slats.

Julie stood behind the desk rifling through drawers. Kevin oversaw from the front of the desk, his broad back to the closet.

“Got it,” Julie said, lifting a blue file folder.

“Told you,” Kevin clipped.

“Whatever. What’s in the file on those two is far more important than where it was.”

Riley swallowed and sank to her knees. They had a file on her and Greyson? A shiver snaked down her spine. How much did they know?

Finally, she heard the door close, and Riley’s stiff carriage eased.

Climbing to her feet, she turned the door handle, then paused.

Something told her to check the suitcase out. Maybe it was the style that didn’t suit Julie or maybe it was the Holy Spirit. Either way, she wouldn’t ignore the feeling. She scooted back in the cubby and lifted the sparkly pineapple luggage tag.

Kelly Frazier.

Either she’d left her luggage behind by choice or necessity, or ... she’d gone missing under duress. Given the key left at Riley’s house plus Julie and Kevin’s comments, it was definitely the latter. Deck needed to yank Joel onto the case pronto.

Snapping a photo on her phone of the suitcase and tag, she hustled out of the closest, sprinted across the office, and slipped out the door. Poor Greyson was probably having a cow.

“What took you so long?” he said when she reached his side in the tree cover.

“I found something.”

He took her hand. “You can tell me when we’re safely back at the retreat.”

Heading down the winding dirt path, they hadn’t fully cleared the forest when Julie’s voice echoed their way.

Adrenaline seared her limbs.

Before she could blink, Greyson swung her against the nearest tree—the bark cold against her back.

His warm hand stroked her neck, his finger trailing down it.

“Wh-what are you doing?” In truth, she didn’t care why he was doing it. She just hoped he didn’t stop.

“Shh,” he whispered, his lips mere inches from hers.

What was happening?

He braced his left hand on the tree beside her head and cupped her face in the other.

Julie’s voice was just around the corner.

“Sorry in advance,” he whispered.

“Sorry for—”

He dipped his head, and his lips melded to hers.

Sparks shot through her.

He shifted and trailed his fingers up her neck, then spread them through her hair.

She kissed him back, hoping she was doing it right.

A groan escaped his lips. He wrapped his arm around her back and tugged her against him, deepening the kiss.

Thank goodness the tree was holding her up.

His hand splayed across the small of her back. Was his hand shaking? Maybe she was doing it wrong.

Julie cleared her throat.

Greyson eased back, his forehead momentarily resting on hers, their rushed breaths mingling.

Julie cleared her throat again.

With a sigh and a drop in his shoulders, Greyson pulled back enough to turn his head toward the woman.

Riley dipped her gaze under his arm, his other hand still planted on the tree.

Julie and Kevin stood side by side.

“Can I help you?” Julie tapped her foot on the damp earth.

“No,” Greyson said, his tone level, even. “We’re good.”

“What are you doing out here?”

“We just needed a little privacy.” He smiled.

“I see.” Julie crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, we’d prefer if you require privacy that you find it in your room.”

“Of course.” Greyson gave a nod.

Riley just stood there, letting the tree continue to hold her up as her knees knocked. Greyson had kissed her. She struggled to wrap her mind around it ... around them .

“You should probably change,” Julie said, directing her attention at Riley. “Before you catch a cold from damp hair.”

She’d forgotten she was still in her suit under her winter coat and fleece-lined yoga pants. They’d barely made it off the shuttle when she’d taken her opportunity to dash for the building.

“We’ll just be going, then,” Greyson said, taking her hand in his as they made their way back to their room.

Head swirling, she hoped they picked up from where they left off, but certainly it was just a pretend kiss, just like the relationship she was coming to love. It wasn’t real, and that stung more than she’d anticipated. She sighed. But it was for the best. It was time they got out of Dodge.