An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
Winter Hearts ISBN 9781419913723 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Winter Hearts Copyright © 2007 Anny Cook Edited by Helen Woodall. Photography and cover art by Les Byerley. Electronic book Publication December 2007 This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
WINTER HEARTS
Anny Cook
Dedication When you need them, true friends are there. This is for two of my newest, truest friends and fellow cohorts in blog crime, Amarinda and Kelly.
Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Cheshire Cat: Disney Enterprises, Inc Ellora’s Cave: Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
Winter Hearts
Chapter One Unity Brooks impatiently dragged on her long heavy coat and woolie hat, located the dog’s leash and clipped it to Taco’s collar. Her dog-sitting stint for her new neighbor Harold was turning out to be more of a pain than she’d planned on. Three hours after Harold deposited the elderly little Chihuahua along with his special food, toys, blankie and dishes on her doorstep, it was forcibly impressed on Unity that Taco’s bladder was approximately the size of a thimble. Taco whined, growled, barked and groaned until she slipped his red fuzzy sweater on him, donned her hat and coat and took him outside. Every three hours. By midnight, she had already decided that she was going to kill Harold when he came back home just as soon as she had the generous payment he promised her in her hot little hand. The minute the door was cracked, Taco shot out through the opening and danced impatiently on the landing, yapping at her to hurry up as she locked the door behind her. She yawned and widened her eyes trying to wake up enough to make it down the stairs without stumbling over her stiff leather hiking boots. They were the only boots she owned but since she was going to move to the small house she’d inherited from an elderly cousin in Pennington Gap it had hardly seemed worth the bother to look for snow boots before the move. Now with a snowstorm on top of the total fiasco at her job in Bristol and her subsequent firing, she supposed she was going to have to break down and make a trip to the local discount chain in search of boots. Just what she needed—one more thing to spend money on that she didn’t have. Eastern Tennessee was having an early burst of snow. When she checked the weather for Pennington Gap up in mountains on the Virginia-Kentucky line on the internet she was dismayed that heavy snow was forecast for the next two days.
5
Anny Cook
Three a.m. and this little shit had to go outside in the freezing cold to pee. She stuck her keys and wallet in her pocket, slipped on her stretch gloves and located the small plastic doggy bag in case she needed to clean up after Taco. Good thing it isn’t snowing now, she grumbled silently. Bad enough that she would have to wade through the crunchy snow pack. They made their way down two flights of stairs with Taco bouncing and dancing under her feet the entire way. In the lobby, she noted a bright pink notice had been posted on the bulletin board. Pausing briefly, she read, TO BUILDING RESIDENTS, Water will be turned off on 12/14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sorry for any inconvenience. Cursing beneath her breath, Unity pushed the door open, allowing Taco to run outside ahead of her. 12/14. That was first thing in the morning and the managers of Mountainview Apartments waited until after midnight to post a water cut-off? The note hadn’t been posted when she brought Taco down at midnight. Scumbags. It was probably a good thing that she would be moving. The apartment was the only one she could afford after she lost her job but after two weeks she was unhappy with the apartment complex anyway. Taco bee-lined for the pristine white patch of snow at the end of the building and lifted a leg. Unity yawned again and looked around at the night quiet grounds. Many of the balconies had fake pine swags and red plastic bows rippling from the rails in the light breeze. On one of them giant plastic candy canes clattered against the rails. The faint tinkle of wind chimes echoed in the dark. She was surprised at the number of apartments with lighted windows. Several were outlined with tiny blinking holiday lights. In some the low flickering light indicated someone had a television on. With the advent of one-hundred-channel cable, she supposed there was always something to watch, even for the night owls. She shivered in the cold wind and wished Taco would hurry up with his sniffing and finish his business. Three o’clock in the morning was a lonely, dreary time. She wondered if Quill received her last e-mail before she had to leave the building at Marshalwoods
6
Winter Hearts
Technologies. There was no way to tell because she wasn’t allowed to stick around for an answer. As it was, as soon as she was officially terminated the company security detail escorted her all the way to her car after searching all her belongings. Good thing they didn’t know about the flash drives safely tucked in a safety deposit box at the bank. She tried to e-mail Quill from her laptop once she reached her apartment but the message bounced back. She stamped her feet in the snow and jiggled Taco’s leash. Forlornly, she thought of how her life changed because she checked one discrepancy too many. If she had kept her nose out of it, she would still have a job and maybe even have a chance at getting to know Quill a little better…oh all right, getting to know him a lot better. Though after spending the night bound together half-naked, she didn’t suppose there was much further to go down that road. It seemed so easy. She found discrepancies in the books so she made copies and stashed them before she went to report her findings to the department supervisor. He was terribly sympathetic and appalled at her news. He even offered her coffee… She woke in the dark, taped back to front to a man. It was easy to deduce his gender because someone had thoughtfully stripped them from the waist down and a hot rigid throbbing pole of iron was plastered the length of her swollen wet pussy. With a scream like a steam whistle she struggled to move away and that’s when she discovered that someone had made generous use of some type of tape. “Quiet!” Abruptly, in a way she couldn’t quite describe or define, she knew it was Quill, the auditor she’d been working with. Maybe it was his scent. Maybe the way he moved. Yeah, the way he moved, rubbing that hard cock between her legs. “Quill? Get away from me! What the hell is going on?” she demanded as she wriggled around in a frenzy, trying to dislodge his cock from its resting place without success.
7
Anny Cook
“Would you be still!” he hissed through clenched teeth. “I have enough problems without you rubbing your wet pussy all over my dick!” Unity shivered at the mere remembrance of the strength and heat of him. She froze in the pitch darkness as her mind tried to process what was happening. She could feel the rough industrial carpet beneath her hip. They were on their left sides with their right ankles lashed together and propped up on something hard and unyielding. That leg was growing numb but she couldn’t free it when she tried to move. On the floor, their left legs were also lashed together and bound to something heavy…maybe a desk. “What happened?” she had hissed back. “Why are we whispering, anyway? Who’s going to hear us?” “I don’t have a clue. But with this setup, I wouldn’t put it past them to have some type of recording running. What would be the point of this exercise, otherwise?” He shifted slightly so that his mouth was closer to her ear. “Mind telling me what you talked to that snake Otis Satterwhite about?” “The state of the nation,” she replied tartly, fighting the frisson of heat his warm breath sent down her spine. “Well, based on our current positions, I wish you had picked a different subject.” Quill groaned in the darkness and pressed their jointly bound hands against her soft abdomen. Predictably enough, her ass angled against his groin and his cock, already snugly against her, nudged her clit. She nearly leaped out of her skin from the shock but there was nowhere to go. She was hogtied to Quill, a near stranger with his heavy hot cock sliding between her legs. She prayed someone would find them. And then she prayed that no one would. The humiliation would be staggering. “How did you end up here?” Unity asked, puzzled by his inclusion in the bizarre scene. “What did you do to tick someone off?” “I was minding my own business,” he answered piously. “As a matter of fact, I was drinking coffee in the break room. Satterwhite came in and struck up a conversation. He 8
Winter Hearts
offered to refill my mug and the next thing I remember is waking up next to you. He was cutting my trousers off at the time. You were already undressed.” Appalled, her spine stiffened in shock. “What did he say?” Quill didn’t answer for a while. Then, with obvious reluctance he said, “He told me to have a good time.” “Oh.” Unity slumped against his chest while trying to ignore the warm length pressing against her wet folds. Uncomfortably, she silently acknowledged that their position was turning her on. “What possible reason is there for this? I’ve done nothing to that man.” “We’re a threat to him. Or something we know is a threat to him. Or something we might find out, maybe.” He shifted his shoulder and arm. “Can you move your head this way just a little? Ah, better. The shoulder was going numb. I have to hand it to him, this is pretty creative.” She groaned softly and muttered, “Why do you think that? This seems really stupid. Embarrassing but stupid.” “Uh-huh. I think the embarrassment is the key. Think about it. You go into court and the defense attorney starts to question you. He hands you a photo of the two of us half-naked on the carpet in the main office at Marshals. Miss Brooks, please explain what you and Mr. Quill Johnson are doing. What can you say?” “What? They can’t do that!” “Sure they can. Our credibility is shot to smithereens. You appear to be a woman of very loose morals. I look like a sleazebag. And everyone is so enthralled by the scandal that no one pays attention to the actual crime. I’ll be lucky if I have a job when this is all over.” He nudged the soft twist that confined her long hair to the side with his nose, inhaling her scent. “I love the way you smell—apricots and wet woman.” She squirmed cautiously, trying to breathe through her mouth without panting. “Can you, uh, move a little?” she finally asked.
9
Anny Cook
“In what way?” His dry tone spoke volumes. “Backward isn’t possible the way we’re taped. Forward? The last time I accidentally moved that direction, you nearly came unglued.” “Well?” Frustrated and irritated, she ground her hips against his and he groaned. “Miss Brooks, if you don’t stop wriggling your ass against me, I won’t be responsible for the results.” She could nearly feel him grinding his teeth. Trembling with trepidation, she said softly, “I don’t think I can stand this very much longer. There must be something wrong with me.” Quill choked. “Like what? Terminal horniness?” “What?” Her voice rose two octaves and broke. “Are you insane?” Their wrists were bound together with tape and he shocked the hell out of her by tugging their hands down between her legs and gently rubbing on her clit. Oh boy! There in the dark on a nasty rough rug, for the first time in her life she exploded like a supernova. Her belly clutched and her pussy twitched, desperately needing something to squeeze. She shrieked loud enough to raise the devil. He groaned and panted. As she came back from her stunning religious experience, she felt his release, hot pulsing spurts on the inside of her thigh. She moaned, torn between acute self-consciousness and embarrassed elation. On one hand she finally understood what the women around her were always smiling and joking about. On the other hand, Quill, though a near stranger, had shared—and yes even provided—the final spark to an incredibly intimate experience. Dumbstruck by the enormity of the changes in her life, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. After a few moments of charged silence Quill observed, “You sure are noisy when you come. Are you feeling better?” She squeezed her eyes shut in abject humiliation, though it made absolutely no difference in the dark. He was right. Obviously, she was a total slut. With grim
10
Winter Hearts
determination, she yanked his hands up to their waists and began plucking at the tape with a vengeance. Satterwhite had wrapped a few turns around their waists. They wasted some time trying to peel it away to no avail. Or rather, Unity did. As far as she could tell, Quill seemed supremely uninterested. “Aren’t you going to help?” she demanded at last in irritation. “Why? It’s strapping tape. We need a knife or scissors. And with all the wriggling and jiggling you’re making me hard again.” His matter-of-fact statement caught her attention as nothing else had. He sighed at her sudden stiff silence. “Look, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’re two healthy people, alone in the dark with our best parts plastered together. We’ve been dancing around each other for the last four weeks and you know it. I admit that this certainly wouldn’t be my first choice of place to make love with you but it’s also not as though we weren’t headed in that direction.” “Not me,” she said finally. “I don’t do that.” “Ever?” “Only twice.” She could feel the intrigue stirred up by her abrupt answer but there was no way she was discussing her sex life now. Maybe not ever. “Did you like it?” He whispered so it was hard to tell whether he was teasing or genuinely curious. “Yes.” It took every bit of courage she possessed to make that small admission. “Then I think we should do it again. Maybe we’ll try a little different variation this time.” He tugged her hands back down between her legs. She felt his finger lightly brush through her curls and along the swollen folds. Then one thick finger penetrated the slick petals and slowly, gently filled her. Her entire body seemed to clench.
11
Anny Cook
“Hmmm. I guess you like that.” She had no trouble at all discerning the smile in his husky voice. “How about two then?” As he worked in a second finger, his cock brushed against her fingers. She curled her hands and clutched his hot slick length between them. Her hips rocked with the rhythm of his fingers. “That’s the way. Slow and easy.” It seemed that her entire world narrowed to the space between her thighs. The feel of his hard flesh. The touch of his hands. The slow, steady climb up an unimaginable peak. The limited arc of movement because of their bound hands both excited and frustrated. Abruptly, when it seemed that they would never reach that final summit, he flicked her clit with a rough fingertip and she went over the edge. Her fingers tightened around him like a vise, tugging him along for the ride. They rested a while but it seemed that once the ice was broken, the lure of intimate sharing was irresistible. It was dark. They were alone together. Between light dozing naps they explored the possibilities until finally they slept with their hands tucked snugly between her legs. Then they were found. The wind kicked up and the wind chimes clanged noisily, yanking her mind back to the present. Cold air blew down her neck. She was going to have to buy a scarf. Maybe when Harold paid her, she could afford one though she hated to go into a store this time of year. All that hokey holiday music and pushy people snatching up stupid things to finish their gift lists just annoyed the hell out of her. She huddled in the heavy coat, leaned against the cold brick wall and determinedly pushed away the memories. The humiliation had been terrible when the cold fluorescent lights flashed on and suddenly they were surrounded by the men and women she had worked with for three years. They had laughed. Laughed and then left them there in the cold bright light until the cops came. Later, sometime the following week she realized the gift Quill had given her. Fear was buried in the oblivion of sex 12
Winter Hearts
and sleep. She hunched her shoulders and looked around the empty grounds as she waited for Taco to finish his business. She couldn’t wait to get out of this dump. Two buildings over, the front door opened and two men staggered out carrying something wrapped in black plastic between them. It was slowly borne in on her that their burden looked remarkably like a body wrapped in heavy black trash bags. Suddenly wide awake, she slowly sidled back into the shadows. The freezing cold chills that crept over her had nothing to do with the breeze and everything to do with fear. Softly clucking for Taco, she tried to get him to come to her without pulling on his leash and jingling the noisy collection of tags Harold had seen fit to weigh the tiny dog down with. Squatting down next to the building in the shadow of a big bush, she clucked again. “Taco!” she hissed. Studiously ignoring her, he wandered farther afield. Unity sneaked a peek at the men and saw that they had paused by a car parked next to the trash bins. There was a quiet beep and the trunk lid popped open. With a groan that carried in the night air, they heaved their unwieldy burden in, pushed and shoved ’til it all fit, then slammed the trunk shut. There was another discreet beep. At that point, Taco saw fit to announce his presence by yapping and barking all while he danced and jumped at the end of his leash with his collection of tags jingling counterpoint. Both men’s heads jerked up and they pulled black objects from beneath their dark coats that looked remarkably like guns. Well, shit! Unity, an avid fan of TV crime shows and no fool, knew that her time had just run out. Yanking on the leash, she jerked Taco close enough to grab him, stood up and ran across the slippery snow for the foyer door. There was a shout, a series of hollow pop, pop, pops and suddenly Taco leaped from her arms and shot away into the darkness. For long seconds, she was torn between chasing Taco and getting away. Ultimately, self-preservation took over and she zigzagged back around the end of the building, slid across an empty slick parking lot and dove into the bushes that hid a ruined wooden fence. When she first rented her tiny apartment she’d scoped out every possible escape 13
Anny Cook
route. She heard the pounding of their feet on the blacktopped parking lot as she desperately wriggled through the bushes, scrabbling in the icy snow as she searched for the hole in the fence that she knew was large enough for her to squeeze through. Too late! She felt rough hands close around her ankles. He yanked her off her feet and dragged her out into the dirty brown snow next to the bushes. She kicked and screamed and flailed her fists to no avail. One of them punched her in the face and stars exploded in her head. She screamed out in terror. Coldly, he punched her again and the lights went out.
14
Winter Hearts
Chapter Two The big raccoon scurried along a dim trail through the dark woods. Dawn was coming soon and he needed to be home before then. Quill? Where are you, boy? The raccoon snorted. In the woods along Stonycreek Road. I’m coming! Bustling along, he ignored the intriguing scents and small rustling noises around him. He came to the crossing and paused long enough to check for cars. That would be a sad way to go. Quill! Momma says you better get your butt in gear! If it gets much later, old Amos Ingersoll will get you with his shotgun for sure. Not if he morphs into a bull like last time, his sister Ellie suggested slyly. Quill huffed in disgust. Not likely. I had to spend the whole day in the field staring at his cows while he tried to figure out where a strange bull came from. I don’t have time for that today. I’m supposed to take Momma Christmas shopping this afternoon. And then tonight is the party to decorate the tree. He scuttled across the road and dived into the woods on the other side as a car sped around the bend and slammed to a stop on the narrow dirt shoulder. Curious, he peeked out through the dead foliage and watched as two men alighted, opened the trunk and removed a large bundle wrapped in black plastic. His nose twitched at the unmistakable stink of death. The men hurriedly carried it into the suddenly silent woods on the other side of the road. While they were gone, the back door of the car eased open. A woman crawled out onto the road, holding onto the car for balance for a moment. Then still hunched over, she staggered drunkenly into the woods yards away from the clump of bushes where Quill was hidden. A crash in the brush across the road was followed by a shout. The woman started up and stumbled headlong into the trees, with the men in hot pursuit. In silent fluid 15
Anny Cook
motion, Quill morphed into a large black jaguar and slinked after them with deadly purpose. Quill, where are you? Pentecost Jericho demanded with authority. Quill couldn’t ignore a query from his pa but his reply was hurried and brief. Following a couple of strangers through the south woods on Stonycreek Road. They’re chasing a woman. I think she’s hurt. She escaped from their car while they dumped a body in the north woods. If I can, I’m going to see if I can’t get her away from them. What are you goin’ to do? Change and pop up under her nose, stark naked? Pentecost demanded impatiently. If I have to. Quill caught up with the men and silently leaped on the one straggling along in the rear. Smoothly shifting into human form, he took him down with a vicious chop to the back of the head, allowing the body to crash to the leaf-littered ground. Instantly, he reverted to his feline shape and set off in pursuit of the other man. I called Marcus Sadler. He and the boys will be out there pretty soon. Clearly, Pentecost was irritated. He hated calling the sheriff almost as much as the sheriff hated hearing from him. Thanks, Pa. One of them is down in the south woods about half a mile in from the road. The way they were crashing around, the deputies shouldn’t have any trouble finding him. Quill caught up with the second man and circled around him until he was between the woman and her pursuer. Morphing into human form again, he snatched up a hefty broken branch and waited behind a tree. Seconds later when the guy crashed past him, Quill brought it down on his unsuspecting head. The man collapsed in slow motion to the ground and Quill set off to catch up with the woman. She was standing motionless in a tiny clearing, concentrating with all her might on the night noises in the woods. She stiffened when a slight brush of sound proved to be not quite enough warning. A big sturdy body seemed to surround her. One strong arm wrapped her securely against a rock-hard chest while a huge hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off her cry.
16
Winter Hearts
“Hush!” a deep male voice growled. “Do you want them to catch you?” Frantically, she shook her head. “Then be very, very quiet.” His voice, though a bare thread of sound, was perfectly clear because his warm mouth was against her ear. “We’re going to move now. There’s a big old hollow tree about three feet behind us. Ready?” Eagerly, she nodded. “Okay, just move with me.” The low husky drawl reminded her so much of Quill’s but she knew that was madness. There was no reason for Quill to be hanging around in the woods. Wherever she was now, it wasn’t a place for guys in three-piece suits. Unity fought the urge to struggle against the arms imprisoning her. There was nothing she hated more than being held against her will. Uneasily, she shifted and he hissed. “Hold still.” She froze as she realized that something was poking her in the ass—something long and hard enough for her to feel it even through the folds of her heavy winter coat. If it wasn’t a really big stick, then her rescuer was very, very happy to meet her. Involuntarily, her body pressed back and then she jerked when awareness of her action caught up with her. “Ah, now you feel my problem? Darned if I know why I have the hard-on from Hades but I do.” Her rescuer’s low drawl was laced with amusement. “Unless you’re willing to help out here, I’d appreciate it if you’d be still.” Slowly, he loosened the tight hold he had on her mouth. “Are you okay?” Cautiously, she nodded. “I think so. Can you let go of my face? It hurts.” He slid his hand down to her shoulder where it rested heavily. “They hurt you?” She shrugged but his hand remained in place. “They punched me in the face and knocked me out for a while but I don’t think I was unconscious very long.”
17
Anny Cook
“What happened?” he asked as he nudged her toward the hollow tree. “How did you end up out here?” “I walked the dog.” He caught the implications immediately. “Saw something you shouldn’t have?” “I would have been fine if the stupid little twerp didn’t start barking.” Unity shivered despite her heavy coat. “That caught their attention and they chased me until they captured me.” “Well, yeah. You could identify them,” he pointed out as he maneuvered into the snug hollow shelter. She shook her head. “I didn’t put my glasses on when I went out to walk that stupid dog. I couldn’t see them clearly enough to identify them.” He laughed and then cut it off with a cough. “That sucks. Getting abducted for something you didn’t do.” He shivered and she saw goose bumps roughen the smooth skin on his forearm. “Turn around and lean your head on my shoulder. Your face is so pale it stands out even in the dark.” That’s when it occurred to her that it was getting considerably lighter in the woods. It must be near dawn and she had a strong notion that the man behind her was naked. She decided she’d seen all she cared to see. If he thought she was turning around to face him, he had another think coming. Hell no! “I’m fine like I am. Why are you running around in the woods naked?” she asked with rampant curiosity now that it seemed that he wasn’t one of the bad guys. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say I don’t want to run into the sheriff right now. It wouldn’t be the first time I was caught with my pants down. After the last time, if I’m caught again, I probably won’t have a job. One of my brothers should be along any minute now with some clothes. Then we’ll introduce you to the sheriff and he can arrange for you to get home.”
18
Winter Hearts
A trembling sigh escaped her as she began to shiver harder. “I can’t go home. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I want to meet your sheriff, either. No cops.” Her voice gained sudden strength in the darkness. It was his turn to go still. “Why?” Abruptly he wondered if he’d misread the situation and it was actually a falling out among the murderers. He caught a drift of apricot scent and sniffed carefully. That was the scent that Unity wore though he was sure it wasn’t a scent unique to her. “They searched my pockets and found my keys and wallet. From the conversation I overheard, they took time to look around in my apartment.” She slumped wearily in his arms and sighed. “I bet they have my computer.” “What did they say?” he asked as he cautiously leaned back against the tree. Getting poked in the ass by rough splinters would not make him happy. This night was turning out to be a complete bust. He could tell the little lady in his arms was going to be big trouble. She swayed and jerked upright. “Sorry. Head’s really starting to hurt.” “Can you remember what they said?” “Sorry,” she muttered again and slumped over his arm. Maneuvering her around so that he could see her face, a job made more difficult by her bulky furry coat, he was appalled at the damage. Even in the barely lightening woods he could see she had a spectacular black eye and if he was any judge from personal experience, she probably also had a few loose teeth. Headache, indeed. She would be lucky if she didn’t have a concussion. Tate? Where are you? This girl’s in serious need of some medical attention! Don’t tie your cock in a knot. I’m almost there. Sheriff has your two yahoos in custody. No one mentioned the girl, did they? Tate snorted in disgust. What do you take us for, Quill? Idiots? Cage slipped in the backseat of their car and did a quick search while the deputies were out in the woods. It’s a good
19
Anny Cook
thing he was so close. He found your girl’s keys and a red leather wallet. She’s a long way from home, brother. What do you mean? Quill demanded as he shifted her in his arms, struggling with the slippery coat. Her hood fell back and her long blond braid tumbled out. Then he had a better look at her face. Shit. Unity Brooks. No wonder her scent was familiar. He should know that scent after spending a night holding her in his arms. The memory sent blood rushing to his cock. Never mind, Tate. I know who she is and she’s in a world of hurt. Even worse, she knows who I am. Tate sidled around the tree and faced his brother who stood clutching an armful of woman. He dropped a small duffel bag at Quill’s feet and held out his arms. “Hand her over and get dressed. We need to get back home pronto.” Quill surrendered Unity to Tate and rapidly pulled on the clothing Tate had brought. Stamping into his low boots, he sighed with relief. The duffel was folded and stuffed in his back pocket and he offered to take Unity back but Tate shook his head. “No time. They’re combing the woods as we stand here. You lead the way. Rack is waiting with the SUV at the edge of Ingersoll’s pasture. You know that Marcus will be by first thing to ask where you’ve been.” “I know.” “You find out anything?” Tate asked hesitantly. “Not a single useful thing,” Quill admitted. “Whoever’s holding the missing girls is pretty cautious. I’ll try a different direction tonight.” The trip back to Jericho Hollow was mercifully swift and brief. Quill carried Unity into the small house where he’d grown up. Del, his momma, appeared, took one look at Unity’s face and directed him to his sister’s bedroom. Ellie folded back the worn quilts and sheet on a narrow bed beneath the window. Once he deposited his burden on the bed the women shooed him out of the room so he went in search of hot coffee and breakfast.
20
Winter Hearts
In a huge old kitchen redolent with the scents of cinnamon and cloves, Pentecost handed him a chipped white mug filled with steaming coffee so black he could probably float a ten-penny nail in it. Without comment, he accepted it and hoped that it wouldn’t eat away more than the top layer of his stomach lining. His father pointed to the chair at the foot of the table and turned back to the stove. “Sit. Tell us what happened.” “I need to call Seb first. I’ll be right back.” He grabbed his cell phone from the counter and went out on the back porch to call his partner. Since Seb definitely wasn’t a morning person, the conversation was short and sharp. Then on a hunch, he called a friend in the Bristol Police Department and talked a bit. When that conversation was finished, he stuck the phone in his pocket and stood there a few minutes watching the sun finish rising over the soft purple mountains. What a mess! Reluctantly, he went back inside to answer his father’s questions. “Well?” Pentecost queried. “Ready to talk?” Quill scrubbed one hand over his bristly chin and sighed. He yanked out one of the scarred wooden chairs and sat. “I checked out the places on my list. Didn’t find anything so I headed back through the woods. Right after I crossed the road, a car slammed to a stop, two guys hopped out and started hauling a body off into the woods. The young lady crawled out of the car and headed into the woods. From the way she was moving, it was obvious that she was hurt so I went after her.” He sipped at the coffee and thought about how screwed up his assignment was now. Finally he continued, “Her name’s Unity Brooks. And by now every crook, bounty hunter and two-bit thug in the country is looking for her. Word on the street is that Satterwhite’s people are offering big bucks.” “Would this be the same Unity Brooks you spent the night half-naked with?” “The same.” Quill shook his head at his father’s silent amusement. “My boss will never believe she just happened to show up here. I’m so screwed. Three different federal agencies want to talk to her since she mailed that set of flash drives to them. If
21
Anny Cook
she tried really hard, she couldn’t have picked a worse time to show up here,” he declared morosely. “Sorry I didn’t make your day, Mr. Jericho. Next time I’m abducted, I’ll be sure to mention that I don’t want to go to Jericho Hollow,” a quiet feminine voice behind him promised crisply. Quill dropped his head and cursed under his breath. It wasn’t his morning for sure. His father’s lips twitched in a hastily suppressed smile. “Come in and sit, Miz Brooks.” “No, thank you. I don’t want to inconvenience Mr. Jericho any further. I came to ask for a ride to the bus station.” Quill winced and silence fell over the kitchen but Unity had the oddest impression that there was a lively discussion going on just outside the range of her hearing. Abruptly, one of the younger men—a tall, lanky teenager—stood up and stepped out of the kitchen. A few minutes later she heard the sound of a motor and then a vehicle peeled out of the yard. A second slightly older young man got up, took down one of the shotguns hanging in a rack over the door and went out the kitchen door. Quill rubbed his face and shook his head again. Pentecost fished the bacon he was frying out of the pan, poured out the excess grease into an empty tin can and began to crack an entire carton of eggs in the deep pan one after the other. When they were all sizzling, he took a whisk from the drawer, poured in a little milk and briskly stirred the eggs until they were well mixed. “Sit down before you fall down,” he barked at Unity as he tossed in a small bowl full of diced veggies and another of shredded cheese. He pushed the egg mixture to and fro in the pan until the eggs were completely cooked. Abruptly, Unity knew if she didn’t sit down she would disgrace herself by fainting again so she flopped down on a hard kitchen chair next to her rescuer from the woods. She was still trying to deal with her surprise because it had turned out to be Quill, her fantasy sort-of lover from Marshalwoods Tech. He stood and went to the coffee maker, 22
Winter Hearts
poured her a cup of coffee and brought it back to the table while the older man scraped the cooked eggs into a big bowl and set it on the table. As he set the heavy green mug on the table he dropped the spoon he was carrying. It bounced off the rough edge of the table, slithered between Unity’s thighs and then hit the floor between her feet. He bent over, slipping his long fingers between her legs and the hard chair seat. When his finger tips brushed her thighs bare inches from her pussy, her entire body snapped to attention. “Sorry.” He folded his long body so he could reach under the table to pick up the spoon between her feet. She took a long deep breath as his taut butt, showcased in tight jeans, filled her field of vision and she fought the urge to run her hand down between his legs. No time for that, Unity girl. It’s a damned shame he’s a no-good jerk too, because that’s one prime man there. He stood up and chucked the spoon across the table into the sink. Unity admired his aim from under her lowered lashes. The view was even more attractive from the front. She carefully swallowed as she took in that long, thick ridge pressing against his zipper. That had rubbed between her legs all night in the dark? That had been poking her in the rear? No wonder she’d been able to feel it even with her heavy coat on. Wistfully, she wished she had gotten to know him a lot better before she had to run. He was quite a man but now she couldn’t think of any plausible reason why he happened to be here. His presence—naked presence—in the woods at the very moment she escaped stretched coincidence well beyond belief. When one of the other young men set a tall stack of plates on the table along with a fistful of utensils, Quill plucked a knife, fork and spoon from the pile and set them in front of her. How many young men lived here, anyway? As though he heard her thoughts the old man turned to face her. “My name is Pentecost Jericho. This is my family, such as they are,” the older man added with a nod toward the others in the huge kitchen. “You know Quill. That’s Cage next to him. Ellie 23
Anny Cook
and Zip are my daughters. You’ve met my wife, Delilah. And Tate and Rack had errands to run. You’ll stay here until other arrangements can be made. If Quill says it’s unsafe for you to leave, then you won’t be leaving.” So his name was really Quill. She had wondered about that. And from his resemblance to the older man, she was willing to bet his last name was Jericho, instead of the name Johnson he used at their company in Bristol. Aquila Jericho. Up to now she’d been guessing. She slid him a sidelong glance as he sipped his coffee. Now that he was sitting and she wasn’t distracted by his assets below his waist, she was able to concentrate on the wide muscled chest covered with a red plaid flannel shirt. It did a lot more for him than the three-piece suits he wore as an auditor. Her lashes fluttered as she took in the silky dark brown curls, just past the stage where it was time for a hair cut. A wide generous mouth and deep dimples hinted that he was a man with a sense of humor, though he was cranky this morning. His nose was a sharp blade dividing high cheek bones. Dark brows arched above deep-set eyes. His eyes met hers, catching her looking at him, and she flushed with annoyance even as she noted the warm chocolate color. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was accustomed to using those puppy dog eyes to get almost anything he wanted. With her, he hadn’t even needed that advantage. Pentecost grabbed a plate and filled it with bacon, eggs and steaming biscuits fresh from the oven. Setting it in front of her with a thump, he took another plate from the stack and repeated his actions until everyone had been served. Quill’s mother Del came into the kitchen, sat down next to Pentecost and everyone bowed their heads while Pentecost said grace. In all that time, Unity sat unmoving and unable to think of a single thing to say. She couldn’t think of a reasonable explanation to account for her presence in Quill’s parents’ kitchen. The Jericho family was far out of the orbit of her experience. Never in her entire life had she ever met up with such an odd group—not even in the foster homes she’d grown up in. A jazzy version of “Joy to the World” began on the radio reminding her
24
Winter Hearts
that it was nearly Christmas and nothing was new. She was still alone. Only this year she was alone, unemployed, broke and had just been kidnapped. Her life, it seemed, just got better and better. Quill handed her a napkin. “Dig in. You look like you’re going to fold.” Sensibly she took his advice, steadily working her way through the heaping plate with slow, cautious bites until she cleaned it down to the last morsel. Her sore face and loosened teeth made eating difficult but not impossible. Only then did she realize how hungry she was. She’d even eaten the peppers and mushrooms cooked in the eggs and she despised both. “Feel better?” he asked. Helping himself to two more biscuits from the heaped platter, he buttered them while waiting for her answer. She frowned as she puzzled over her strange behavior. She had eaten enough for three of her normal meals and she was still hungry. What was wrong with her? “May I have another biscuit?” she asked without answering his query. He drizzled honey over the biscuits on his plate before pushing the nearly empty biscuit platter in front of her. “Probably the reason you’re so hungry is that you disappeared in the early morning hours yesterday,” he observed calmly. “According to the police report, your apartment was trashed and the door was left wide open. Cops have an APB out on you. And they don’t even know about your friends from the woods.” She froze as she considered the implications. “Why? Do they know about the body?” “No, not from what my source said though he found that information very interesting. They’ve decided that you witnessed something you shouldn’t have seen, which is exactly what happened, or someone abducted you for the bounty on your head. Your little buddy Taco has a…reputation, shall we say, in the building. Everyone else in your apartment building knew better than to keep him. And all of the tenants knew you were the one stuck with him. So when they found Taco yapping in the lobby, 25
Anny Cook
they called the cops. At this point they don’t know exactly why you disappeared but they consider you a person of interest and would like to talk to you. It seems that some of your neighbors heard gunshots.” Unity shook her head. “I can’t go back. By now, Satterwhite’s thugs will know that’s where I was hiding. I need to move on.” “You need to stay put.” Quill’s tone was cool but firm. “I have a cabin you can use. As soon as you finish eating, we’ll go.” She took a deep breath and held it as she counted to ten before breathing out. “No thank you, Mr. Jericho. I don’t know exactly who the hell you are but clearly you were involved in something weird at Marshalwoods Tech and I want no part of it. I’ll move on and get out of your hair.” “Well, I wouldn’t have called it weird. Unusual. Exciting. After all, it’s not every day that I get knocked out and taped up with a beautiful woman. It gave me an entirely new perspective on bondage.” “That wasn’t what I was talking about!” Her cheeks reddened as she realized that everyone at the table was staring at her with amused interest. “Do you know where you are?” he asked calmly. “Jericho Hollow.” “Very good. That’s the name of this farm. What’s the name of the nearest town?” Stubbornly, she remained silent. “The county? The state? How about what country you’re in?” Her blue eyes shot to his and she cut off her hasty reply. Then she looked at the other occupants of the kitchen but their expressions were closed and they offered no help. “No,” she finally admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I have to stay here. I’m sure I could find someone to help me.”
26
Winter Hearts
“I doubt it.” He shoved back from the table and stood. “You have five minutes to finish up. Then we’re out of here whether you’re ready or not.” He was gone out the back door before she could think of a pithy retort. “Don’t forget the party tonight!” Delilah called after him. “And don’t worry about taking me shopping. I’ll get Cage to take me.” Cage opened his mouth to object but one look at her face changed his mind.
27
Anny Cook
Chapter Three Thick woods lined the potholed dirt road Quill silently drove along to the cabin. Unity sat as far from him as she could, leaning against the dusty door of the beat-up pickup truck. The bench seat had worn slits in the grimy fabric, two long guns rested in the gun rack behind her and fast-food wrappers littered the gritty floor. A black trash bag sat in the back on the rusty truck bed. It contained her heavy fakefur coat and an assortment of clothing Quill’s sisters had rustled up for her use. In place of her distinctive coat, Quill had provided a faded gray windbreaker, which she wore over a pair of holey jeans and a black sweatshirt so faded it was almost gray. Under the jeans she wore a new pair of stretchy boxer shorts that had been destined to be one of Pentecost’s Christmas presents. She was uncomfortably aware of her missing bra but Unity was a tall girl with generous proportions. Quill’s sisters and mother were all petite women so there was no point in borrowing their clothing. She didn’t know which of the brothers the jeans belonged to but Pentecost had taken care of the length problem by cutting off the bottom six inches on the legs with a razor-sharp bowie knife. A bulging duffle bag held Quill’s belongings. From comments over breakfast, she had the notion that Quill didn’t normally live full-time at his cabin. His presence worried her more than all of the hunters on her tail. She couldn’t see the two of them surviving long in a cabin together before one of them killed off the other—or they ended up in bed screwing like bunny rabbits. In either case, she planned to be the survivor. They were going to Quill’s cabin at his insistence over her vociferous objections. Not that anyone listened to them. Del kept chattering about her tree decorating party the entire time she piled folded clothes on the bed in Ellie’s room. Unity had no interest whatsoever in decorating a
28
Winter Hearts
Christmas tree whether it was her own or someone else’s. As a matter of fact, she’d never decorated a tree in her life and didn’t plan to start now. Her lost day bothered her. Why keep her around? Why not just kill her? Surely, there were a lot of places to dump a body besides the woods near Jericho Hollow? When Quill questioned her about the car, she had no idea whether it was the original vehicle she’d seen them dump the body in or not. Cars were not her thing. She could identify general types…SUV, sedan, truck, van…sometimes. And she’d never heard of a person going for twenty-four hours without emptying their bladder. So if she couldn’t remember doing that, what else could she not remember? What had she done or said in that missing day that was going to come back to haunt her later? Quill had informed her that she was over sixty miles from her apartment and since her current location wasn’t significantly warmer or colder than her starting point in Bristol she could be in Virginia or Tennessee. Mountains surrounded Bristol so that wasn’t much of a clue either. That was about as far as her deductive reasoning had taken her. Her only other clue was the soft Southern twang that the Jericho family members had. When she tried to catch a glimpse of the license plates on the truck, they were missing. Quill apparently was set on keeping her in the dark as much as possible for the moment. As he drove, Quill was involved in drawing his own conclusions about Unity’s sudden appearance in his neighborhood. For the most part, none of them were good news for her. While his body was doing the happy dance because of her presence, his mind was shouting, “No way! Halt!” There had to be a compelling reason behind her abductors dragging her into the mountains before killing her. He didn’t like the implications at all. When Unity walked away without getting in touch with him, it angered and hurt him that she hadn’t trusted him, especially after their night together. He knew very well he wasn’t the only one coming like crazy. It was his fingers her pussy was squeezing
29
Anny Cook
there in the dark. It was his dick she drenched every time she came. The mere thought of getting his hands on her again sent blood rushing to his cock. He shifted uncomfortably and found something to take his mind off his tight jeans. “Still sulking?” he drawled as he steered the truck around another pothole big enough to lose the truck in. “I don’t sulk,” she replied crisply. “I get even.” “I’ll have to remember that. Thanks for the warning.” He shot her a lightning curious glance before turning his attention back to the rough trail. “I know you don’t want to stay here but I do have my reasons and they are in your best interests.” “Gee, that makes me feel better,” she snarled. “Care to share?” “Not at this time. Care to tell me why you didn’t go to the authorities back in Bristol? Mailing that flash drive with the information was a good idea but you would be safer now if you had delivered it yourself,” he pointed out in a mild tone. “Not at this time,” she mimicked before turning her head to gaze out at the bare trees and dead brush in the winter woods. How did she get herself in this mess? What cosmic joke was being played out for the amusement of the gods? “Quill, why would they drag me sixty miles away? There’s a lot of empty woods closer to Bristol.” “That’s a good question. I don’t know the answer but I have a bad feeling it’s connected with something going on here in this county. I hope not.” “That’s why you’re hiding me? In case I’m part of it? Who are you? It’s for sure that your name isn’t Johnson!” “I can’t tell you what’s going on right now but I don’t think you’re one of the bad guys,” he said patiently. “You might have been destined to be one of the victims.” “Hmph.” He fought the urge to grab her and shake her—or kiss her into submission. All the sidelong glances they exchanged at their former company barely hinted at the heat threatening to flare between them. Only the sure knowledge that their lives depended
30
Winter Hearts
on him keeping his head prevented him from acting on that need. And then there was that night they spent together. The memory of her silky wet pussy kept him hard. He wanted to strip her bare and sink his cock in her soft folds. He wanted to watch her eyes when she came. He wanted to see her breasts and watch her nipples tighten while he tugged and rolled them with his fingers. Quill shot her another thoughtful look before changing to a safer subject. In less than two weeks the holidays would be in full swing. That seemed safe enough. “So tell me, Unity Brooks—what do you usually do for Christmas?” “Christmas? What’s that? Just another holiday designed to separate you from as much of your hard-earned money as possible,” she scoffed in derision. “Thank goodness I’m not stuck with anyone who expects presents from me.” “Is that what you think? That it’s all about presents?” “What else?” she demanded in surprise. “Oh, decorating the house. Putting up the tree. Singing carols in church. Sharing dinner with the family.” He frowned as he recalled her reference to foster homes. “Why were you in foster homes?” She shrugged. After all the years as an orphan, it was a boring story to her. “My parents were murdered when I was three. The authorities couldn’t locate any relatives so I was put in the foster system. I guess no one wanted a hyperactive three-year-old.” She leaned back with her head against the window. “So I bounced from home to home until I graduated from high school. Then I took off on my own.” “How did you support yourself?” he demanded gruffly. “The ever popular hamburger joint.” She chuckled. “I lived in a tent on the edge of town in the woods. The woman at the truck stop down the road felt sorry for me so she would let me sneak in early in the morning and use their shower and laundry room.” “A tent?” Quill stopped the truck and stared at her in appalled fascination. “How long did you live in the tent? How did you eat? How did you keep warm in the winter?” 31
Anny Cook
When she saw his expression, she couldn’t help herself. She had to laugh because he was so clearly horrified. “Quill, thousands of people in this country are homeless and sleep on the streets every night. I had a tent for shelter. When I was working, my store allowed the employees a free meal, so I had something hot to eat every day. I used my first checks to buy enough equipment so that I was comfortable.” Abruptly, she stopped laughing and soberly admitted, “It was one of the best times of my life. It was the first time that I owned everything that surrounded me. I had books and clothes that belonged only to me. No one was going to take my things away. No one told me when to go to bed or when to get up or what to wear, except when I went to work and they provided my uniform.” “Then what happened?” “I saved enough money to rent an apartment. It took eight months but it was worth it.” She snorted at the memory. “Actually, it was a one-room studio but it had a bathroom and heat so I thought I was in heaven. The pastor at the local Baptist church found out I needed furniture and he and his wife located a table and chairs for me and a beat-up chest of drawers. My manager recommended me for the tuition assistance program our owner provided for employees. I was really, really lucky. Most fast-food stores don’t have anything like that.” She shrugged. “You manage the best you can.” “But anything could have happened to you! You could have been attacked…or raped…” “Oh, been there, did that, burned the t-shirt,” she snapped with a chilly smile. “The oldest son in my last foster home took care of that the night I ran away. He was kind enough to inform me that it was time for me to pay up since I was out of school. Afterward when he was still panting and grunting like a pig, I hit him over the head with the crappy lamp in my bedroom. It was so cheap it disintegrated on impact but at least it put him out long enough for me to grab my things and get out of there. I hitchhiked across the state. The last guy who picked me up was a cool old geezer who gave me the tent and a sleeping bag.”
32
Winter Hearts
“He raped you?” Quill could feel his control slipping as rage flashed through him. It wouldn’t do to shift into a pissed-off tiger or some other predator. With all his will, he fought the urge to change. Unaware of the struggle going on next to her, Unity stared at him in amazement. “Not the old geezer. What do you care anyway? It was a long time ago. I didn’t kill him,” she rapped out impatiently. “I didn’t get pregnant, which would have really sucked. I survived. Funny how I’m right back where I started though. Nothing to my name—not even the clothes I’m wearing except my boots!”
***** After a long moment, he nodded soberly and drove the rest of the way to the cabin in silence while he considered the new facts he’d learned. As far as he knew, most of the information she’d just shared wasn’t in the official jacket the law enforcement agencies maintained on her. It wasn’t very far to the cabin but it gave him time to reconsider his plans. All the available evidence pointed to a white slavery ring centered in his home county. Unity Brooks had ended up on his home ground, a very small, poor rural county. Her possible disappearance into the underground slave markets of the Far East had a certain graceful symmetry that he found disturbing. There would never be an inconvenient body to explain away. She would never show up at an inopportune moment to reveal what she knew. Without her testimony, the Feds couldn’t do anything with the material she mailed to them. His own credibility was nil and his superiors would fight like hell to keep him from taking the stand. If the night he spent bound to Unity was made public, his department would be the laughingstock of Washington. All of that argued that the leader of the slavery ring was far more subtle than he and his superiors realized and had farreaching connections that they never guessed at. If that was so, then he and his team were looking in all the wrong places.
33
Anny Cook
As the road widened into a small clearing, he made a mental note to track down the man who raped her. Rapists never changed their spots and if he got away with it once, he was probably still assaulting other vulnerable girls. When the truck rolled to a stop in front of the small cabin, he heard Unity softly sigh. Turning to her, he said, “You will be safe here. My brothers are out in the woods standing guard. Nothing will get past them.” “I would find that far more comforting if I wanted to be here,” she retorted tartly. “Like I told you back at your parents’ house, I can take care of myself. I have a place to go. Just take me to the nearest bus station.” “Not this time. This time you’re staying with me. And if you’re thinking about the house in Pennington Gap, forget it. Someone’s already been there and taken the place apart.” Shocked into immobility, she stared at him wordlessly. “When this is all over, we have some unfinished business to tend to. Until then, I plan to make sure you’re safe.” He turned off the motor and hopped down out of the truck but by the time he made around to her side, Unity was already standing next to the truck. She looked around and then headed for the cabin while he grabbed the bags from the back of the truck. When he stalked up the steps onto the porch that ran the width of the cabin, she was patiently waiting. “You could have gone on ahead. It’s not locked. Rack came over earlier to light the fire.” “That makes me feel so much more secure.” Pushing the door open, she went in ahead of him, halting in the doorway in surprise. It was lovely. A large fieldstone fireplace took up a fair portion of the back wall. Photos lined the center section of the mantel. On each end fat white candles were grouped together and wreathed with pine boughs and wide red ribbon. The fireplace was flanked by large wide bookcases, stuffed with more hardback novels than she had ever seen outside a library or bookstore. She stifled the urge to rush over and start 34
Winter Hearts
browsing the shelves. Two deep overstuffed chairs covered in dark blue fabric sat in front of the fireplace with a low table between them. On the left, a huge oak half-tester bed with a red and green log cabin quilt filled most of the space. Green and gold braided rugs on each side provided a warm place to stand first thing in the morning. A tall matching pale oak armoire stood in the corner. On the wall next to it, framed cross-stitch pieces were hung on each side of an antique black-and-white family portrait. Four chairs and an old polished pine country kitchen table stood on her right. A tan roseware utility bowl sat on the table piled high with pine cones and small red glass balls. Clear glass canisters filled with staples lined the long butcher block counter. Soft white gauze curtains covered the windows. In the center of the room, two red, green and gold Persian rugs covered the light wood floor. “What?” “I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful!” she exclaimed and then felt silly when she saw his expression. “I mean, it’s wonderful.” “Thank you,” he replied sincerely. “I’ve worked hard on my home. I built this cabin myself and filled it with the things that I love. I work in another state now so I don’t get home very often.” Inexpressible sadness flooded Unity. What would it be like to have a true place she could call her own? She couldn’t begin to imagine what she would do first. As she really looked at the furnishings she realized that they were old and probably valuable. If she had the money and a safe place, where would she start? Abruptly, she shied away from painful thoughts. No need to go there. She might not live long enough to worry about having a home of her own. Quill caught a hint of her sad thoughts and brushed past her, moving to set the bags on the floor in front of the armoire. “Well, this will be your home for a while so settle in. Feel free to eat anything you can find. Food’s in the pantry,” he said pointing at a closed door she hadn’t noticed next to the stainless steel refrigerator. “Bathroom is 35
Anny Cook
through this door here.” He pointed to another door on the wall to his right. “Towels, soap and other things are in the cabinets in there.” He shrugged and stomped over to the front door. If he didn’t get out of the cabin soon, he wouldn’t be leaving at all. Already his cock was a beating, painful presence in his tight jeans. Belatedly, Unity realized that the front door was the only outside door. “Where are you going?” “I have some things I have to take care of,” he said curtly with his back turned to her. “I’ll be back in a bit. You’ll be safe here as long as you stay in the cabin. There are bears and wolves and other predators in the woods, so stay inside.” “Right,” she scoffed. “Bears! I bet there isn’t a bear within a hundred miles of here!” Stifling the urge to shake her, he turned to face her though he remained in the doorway. Reaching up to scratch his head, he looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, “Well, I suppose you’ll do what you have to do. I thought it would be neighborly to warn you, though. I’ll be back.” Then without another word he went out and climbed in the truck. From the safety of the porch Unity watched him sit there for a few minutes before he started it and drove back down the rough road. With an irritated snort, she went inside and shut the door. Impatiently, she stripped off her jacket it and tossed it on the bed. Bears! How stupid did he think she was? Did he think she didn’t notice that thick rod pressing against his zipper? Hah! At first she wandered around the cabin, just trying to get a sense of what kind of man Quill really was. Neat. Everything had a place. No dirty dishes in the sink. No dirty clothes on the floor. She nodded with approval. She liked a neat orderly living space. Trailing a finger along the spotless counters, she halted as something caught her eyes. Every canister was meticulously labeled. She tilted her head in thought. Then very slowly, she opened the cabinet doors and surveyed the contents. Organized—to an extreme. She chuckled under her breath. It seemed that her rescuer was a bit obsessed. 36
Winter Hearts
Everything was arranged alphabetically. Spices, canisters, cooking staples like baking soda and cream of tarter. And the glasses and dishes were arranged in some complicated color-coded system. Unity shook her head. Whereas she would have arranged things by purpose— glasses with other drinking vessels such as mugs and cups, all the plates together, bowls with bowls—he had all of the green items together, all the blue items together and all of the white items together. She shook her head again. What was he thinking? She shut the cabinet doors and moved on to the bookcases. They fascinated her almost as much as her host. A quick survey revealed familiar authors such as Nora Roberts, Mercedes Lackey and Jonathon Kellerman. But there were others she’d never heard of. Brian Jacques, Alistair MacLean, Elswyth Thane… She was thrilled when she ran across a section of shapeshifter and vampire books from Ellora’s Cave. She especially loved the shapeshifter’s ability to be something other than human. She pulled out the most recent one by Shiloh Walker, excited when she saw it was one she hadn’t read. Then a thick heavy book caught her eye. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. She tucked the Shiloh Walker under her arm before tugging the heavy book from its place and flipping through the pages. Soon she was so engrossed that she didn’t notice when she wandered over to slump in one of the deep comfortable chairs, the vampire book forgotten. The history of the Pilgrims was by turns savage and sad. Certainly it didn’t resemble anything she’d been taught in school. It wasn’t until her stomach was growling with hunger that she realized she’d been sitting in front of the fire reading for hours. Reluctantly, she rose and rummaged in the small rosewood desk tucked under the front window until she found a slip of paper to mark her page. She placed the book on the low table between the chairs and went to find something to eat. She was pleased when she located crackers and cheese cubes. An apple cut in generous wedges completed her meal. In the refrigerator, she found bottles of cold spring water. Arranging it all on a small tray, she hummed as she happily decided that
37
Anny Cook
she would carry it out to the porch and eat in the afternoon sunshine on the front steps. It would be cool but the fresh country air would make it worth it. She fetched her beatup loaned jacket and slipped it on. As an afterthought, she placed her book on the tray and carried it to the door.
***** When Quill left the cabin, he desperately needed sleep. A night spent wandering the county in search of his elusive white slavers had left him weary and discouraged. Then Unity’s sudden appearance and subsequent rescue added unnecessary icing to his cake. He scrubbed his stubbly face with one hand while he absently steered the truck with the other. Then he shifted uncomfortably, trying to ease the tight jeans. Quill? Where you goin’? Tate demanded impatiently. I thought you were goin’ to get some sleep! I am…just as soon as I stash the truck in that clearing by Peach Creek. Why? Well, I figure Unity’s stubborn enough to hoof it out of here on her own—even though I warned her about the wild animals in the woods. I resemble that remark! Yeah, I know. So I’m going to hike back through the woods, stash my clothes and change so I can nap on the front porch. In his head, Quill heard the bellow of Tate’s laughter and knew, just knew Tate would have something smart to say. Boy, Quill, you’ve been in the city too long if you have to sleep on the front porch instead of making that young lady happy in that huge bed of yours. Should I demonstrate? Inexplicably, the idea of Tate laying hands on any part of Unity raised Quill’s hackles. He growled across the link and felt Tate’s instant withdrawal. Stay away from her! No problem. No problem at all. They were the right words but the amusement accompanying them was all wrong. Tate had his number. 38
Winter Hearts
Quill found the opening in the trees and steered the truck into the small hidden clearing. He turned it off and took a deep breath, wondering what it was about Unity that tugged at his heart. He was old enough and self-aware enough to acknowledge his attraction and need for her. Out of all the women in the world, what made her the one? He shook his head and stepped out of the truck. Now wasn’t the time to worry over it. In a relaxed lope he made his way back to the cabin, pausing at the edge of the woods to yank off his jeans, boots and shirt and stash them in the crotch of a tree limb. He stood there in the trees and stroked his abused length while he wondered what Unity was doing in his cabin. Maybe she was taking a shower. Maybe she was stretched out on the bed in naked splendor. What color were her nipples? Pink or tan? He shook his head in self-disgust. What did it matter? She was in the cabin because her life was in danger. Then smoothly shifting form, he ambled across the clearing in front of the cabin, moved up the steps to the warm sunny porch floor and with relief curled up in front of the door. Nothing would be able to get past him without waking him up. Instantly he slept, dead to the world. Seconds later—at least to his tired brain it seemed like seconds later—a shriek shrill enough to herald a five-alarm fire echoed across the clearing. Blearily he raised his head and peered nearsightedly around. He needed to find whatever was making that godawful noise and kill it. Blam! Unity grabbed the book before she dropped the tray on the small bear’s head. Then holding it in both hands she proceeded to beat the bear about the head in a terrified frenzy, aiming especially for the nose. The more growling noises the bear made, the harder she swung her book while screeching at the top of her lungs, convinced that her life was in mortal danger. “Help!” Whap! Quill tried to roll away and ended up against the cabin wall. “Somebody help me!” 39
Anny Cook
Crack! He rolled the other way and ended up on his feet. Rearing up to his full height, he tried to capture her arms to keep her from hitting him. Big mistake. Smack, smack, smack! Unity swung blindly and belted him square between the legs. “Ooh, you nasty bear! Help!” Quill was in exquisite agony. His nose burned like fire and one ear stung like the dickens. He felt his temper rising uncontrollably and shifted into human form without a thought. “Stop!” he bellowed angrily as he reached out and yanked her into his arms. Before Unity had time to register the sudden mind-boggling appearance of her naked host, he covered her open mouth with his, thrusting his tongue inside. A deathly hush fell over the clearing. A familiar scent and shape surrounded her. She whimpered and wound her arms around his neck, clutching him tightly. Quill! He would save her! Their tongues dueled desperately as his hands slid down and curved around her ass. As though that was the signal she was waiting for, she gave a little leap and wrapped her legs around his waist. Suddenly, Quill was struggling for balance with a clinging armful of wild woman. Hey, Quill! Seems like now would be a good time to take that little gal inside! ’Course after that last hit, you may not be interested anymore… Tate’s rumbling amusement was clear. Why’d you have to say that? Rack grumbled. I was hoping to see if his technique’s improved since he’s been living in the city. Quill moved inside the cabin and kicked the door shut. Both of you shut up and keep your eyes open. He carried Unity across the room, reluctantly lifted his head and placed her on the bed before backing away. She laid there a moment before suddenly exclaiming, “I knew there was something weird about you! What the hell are you?” Then she gasped as full realization crashed over her. “Shapeshifter! You’re a shapeshifter?” His face flushed a ruddy red. “Yeah, well that’s not the half of it.” “Why’d you stop?” she asked softly. “I certainly was willing.”
40
Winter Hearts
“Because now’s definitely not the time after you belted me in the balls with that damned book,” he said grimly as he pulled a pair of dark gray boxers from the armoire and carefully stepped into them before going into the bathroom to find a washcloth. He soaked it in cold water, wrung it out and gingerly pressed it against his swelling nose while he tried to ignore the screaming pain in his cock. A thin trickle of red covered his upper lip. She rolled from the bed, peeling off the baggy jacket, and went to stand in the bathroom doorway, watching him in the mirror. “I’m sorry about that. I wouldn’t have hit you there on purpose. I don’t suppose you’d like to explain how you can be a bear one minute and a man the next?” “That’s the easy part,” he muttered through the folds of wet cloth. “I’m an angel on special assignment. One of the gifts God gave our family unit is the ability to change shapes.” Unity hooted. “Right! I give you points for creativity. I bet the pastor at my church would like that one. What’s your next trick? Maybe an elephant or kangaroo?” Seconds later the bathroom was filled with a baby rhino. The hard little stub where his horn would eventually grow grazed Unity’s arm. “Ho-ly—” “Don’t say it,” he gritted shifting back into his human form, irritated as he picked up the boxers and slipped them back on. “The down side is we lose our clothes when we shift.” “That must be inconvenient,” she observed as she intently watched him stuff his amazingly rigid cock under the soft gray fabric. The cloth didn’t hide his condition and in a way actually looked more indecent than his former nudity. Then as she still had her eyes on the tent in his boxers, his cock popped out of the fly opening. It was flushed with a broad dark red head. She licked her dry lips. It didn’t seem to help. “Wow! Is that real? Or is that part of the angel deal?” Quill choked and groaned. “Unity! How about giving me a break here?” 41
Anny Cook
“Well?” she demanded. “Is it? I think I’ve been pretty good about the whole shifting-into-a-bear deal! Oh yeah and the ‘I’m an angel’ deal.” Goaded beyond his control, he shouted, “Well, what you see is what you get!”
42
Winter Hearts
Chapter Four She licked her lips again. For the first time in her life, she actually wanted to taste a man, take him in her mouth and find out what it was like. The sudden urge to kneel down in front of him and suck his cock was confusing. Up to this point in her life, the very idea would have been nauseating. Why him? “What’s wrong, Unity?” At Quill’s soft question, her eyes shot to his concerned face. “What does it taste like?” she asked with a frown. As he bent to pick the dropped washcloth up from the floor, he silently weighed his choices. He could allow events to run their natural course. In that case, he would likely end up in bed with Unity within the hour. Mentally he snorted. Right, like he would last so long! Or he could shift and take a walk in the woods. His brothers would razz him plenty and Unity would probably feel rejected and he would be cranky because he had a hardon that he wanted to use to claim her so thoroughly that everyone would know she belonged to him. Or he could put on his pants and fix lunch. He would still have a woody but his brothers wouldn’t know what was happening in the cabin and Unity might or might not believe that he wanted her. Decisions, decisions. As he straightened up, she reached out and grasped his cock in her hand, gently stroking up and down, almost absently spreading the first clear drops of fluid around the flushed head with her thumb. He cleared his throat. “It’s attached,” he pointed out dryly.
43
Anny Cook
Shyly nodding, she breathed, “Yeah. I noticed. Do angels fuck?” The thick column of flesh pulsed and jerked in her hand. She squeezed in reflex. He tilted his head back and groaned. “Angels make love.” “Come to bed,” she said quietly. He savaged his lower lip with his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as she continued to explore him with intent interest. Then his dark eyes flashed open. “Why?” he demanded. “Back in Bristol you weren’t so anxious to jump in bed with me. I couldn’t even get you to go out for dinner. Then after that night, you ran like a rabbit. No phone call. No e-mail. So why now?” Unity frowned in concentration. “I don’t know,” she admitted finally. “I only know that I want you. I wanted you then but stuff was going on. I was afraid if we went out you would be in danger but it seems that it might have been the other way around. And I did try to e-mail you but it bounced back. I even e-mailed you before they escorted me from the building.” “I never received an e-mail,” he said quietly. She shrugged. “Why am I not surprised? I have a feeling that they were monitoring me for quite a while. That morning after the cops were finished with us, Satterwhite fired me. He denied having anything to do with knocking us out or taping us up, you know.” “I know.” Something about Quill’s dry tone hinted at deeply buried rage. “And the dickhead wasn’t going to allow me to even put on the sweats I had in my gym bag in the company locker. He said the security people needed to search the bag first but the cops overruled him, thank goodness.” Anger threatened to boil over and she sternly pushed it away. “All I know now is I need to taste you. I want to feel you inside me. After that night together all I could think about was you. My body says that I desperately need you to complete me. My head says that I’m crazy to do this with a man I hardly know. Especially a man who changes with every breath.” “And your heart?” he whispered. 44
Winter Hearts
“My heart is pounding like a runaway freight train because I’m afraid that you don’t want me like I want you. My heart is shouting that I’m finally home.” As soon as she blurted out the truth, she wanted to snatch it back. What if he didn’t feel the same way? She had so little left. If he pushed her away now she wasn’t sure she could keep on going. Quill took a deep breath of relief and gathered her in his arms. “Me too. I didn’t want to rush you but…” Placing her lips on his, she smothered the rest of the sentence. It was enough for now that he wanted her. It was enough. “Rush me. Please. Come to bed.” He backed her toward the bed, kissing and nibbling her cheeks, her nose, her eyebrows, her bruised jaw while she returned the favor, gently brushing her lips over his swollen nose and cheeks. “You’re going to look like a raccoon.” “Been there, done that.” “We should put a bag of frozen peas on that.” “Later. Besides, I hate peas.” When her legs touched the bed, they fell on it together, still exploring uncharted territory. Quill rolled to one side and plucked at the ratty sweatshirt and jeans. “You have too many clothes on.” “And this is my problem because?” she teased breathlessly. He pursed his lips for a moment, contemplating the possibilities. Then he curled both hands in the frayed collar and jerked. The old shirt ripped like tissue paper, revealing her full bare breasts capped with tight nipples flushed a deep rose pink. “Mmmm. Delicious!” he declared as he pushed the fabric out of the way. “Don’t move.” While she sprawled on her back, he sat up, unzipped her jeans and tugged them down over her legs to her ankles. He grinned when he saw the soft red boxers with dancing penguins. “Somehow, those don’t look the same on you as they would on my pa.” “No?”
45
Anny Cook
“Uh-uh. Not the same at all.” Quill slipped the boxers down to her ankles before crawling off the bed to untie her boots and pull them off. Minutes later, she was undressed except for the remnants of her torn sweatshirt. He peeled it down until it held her arms immobile and then sat back to look at the bounty revealed to his avid gaze. “You’re so beautiful.” “Right.” Her instant withdrawal lashed through him like a whip. “Unity.” She refused to look at him but he could see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Unity, look at me.” Quill leaned over her and waited until her shimmering blue eyes met his. “I don’t lie and I don’t flatter. You are incredibly beautiful. I’m sorry you don’t believe that.” “I’m fat!” she objected. “No you’re not. You’re exactly right for me. You’re soft with gorgeous lush curves that I can’t wait to feel against me again. Skin to skin. If I have anything to say about it, you won’t be rubbing against anyone else.” He gently massaged her cushiony mound, lightly playing with the abundant blonde curls. Below them the soft pink folds were swollen and damp. Bending down, he placed a tender kiss on the small nubbin that barely peeked out. She squirmed and whimpered. “Like that, huh? You don’t know how much I wanted to do that there in the dark.” “No one ever kissed me there,” she blurted out. “I’m guessing that there haven’t been many lovers,” he commented thoughtfully. “So we’ll start from scratch. Is there anything you don’t like?” She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I don’t know,” she muttered. On a sudden hunch he asked, “Hmm. Aside from the man who raped you, how many have there been?” She rolled to the side, trying to hide the truth, but he planted an arm on each side of her to prevent her escape. “How many, sweetheart?”
46
Winter Hearts
“One. He was nasty and in a hurry. After he finished he laughed and said I was a cold fat bitch and that he only did it because of a bet.” The faint reply was a bare whisper. Slow tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. “I am too fat! Larry said exactly the same stuff he said!” “Larry was the only other one? Then he was a moronic jerk. And he, whatever his name, was an asshole who should be in jail!” Quill declared angrily. “Don’t you dare tell me that you’re going to spend your life believing something a rapist told you! Don’t you dare!” He gently nudged a pouting nipple and watched it crinkle into a tight point. “I think you’re beautiful and I’m the one you’re in bed with. Clear?” She nodded. He hopped off the bed long enough to shuck his boxers and crawled back up beside her. “I don’t suppose you’re on the Pill or anything?” “No. But even if I was, I would have missed too many,” she pointed out practically as she struggled to free an arm so she could touch him. He helped her peel the torn shirt off and then rolled to his back, allowing her to explore on her own. She knelt next to him with her hands on her knees and just looked. Under her intent gaze, his cock lengthened and thickened until it was near its full length. She licked her lips though she remained motionless otherwise. “Touch me,” he commanded hoarsely. She caught the flash of movement from the corner of her eye and looked up, emitting a little shriek when she realized there was a head silhouetted in the window. There was something odd about the shape and when she focused with a squint, she saw that it was a giraffe. “Quill, I think one of your brothers is looking in the window,” she whispered fiercely. Quill raised his head. If you keep looking at Unity, I’m going to have to kill you, Rack. God won’t like that. He’ll forgive me. You never used to be so picky, Rack grumbled as he disappeared. 47
Anny Cook
That’s because he wasn’t in looovve, Tate teased. Your time will come, Tate. Your time will come. He noticed Unity staring at him with a funny expression on her face. “You can talk to them in your head, can’t you?” she demanded. “Yeah.” “Were you serious about the angel thing?” “Uh-hmm.” “For real.” She sat back and stared at him. “If you’re an angel, then where are your wings?” “I hate to ruin your illusions but most angels don’t have wings,” he answered with a little smile. “A lot of angels have assignments on Earth. Wings would sort of hamper the job. Besides too many people were mixing us up with fairies.” “Fairies? You’re crazy.” “Don’t you think God could make an infinite variety of beings besides humans?” “But fairies? Why don’t we see them then?” she asked in triumph. “Huh? Huh?” “What would happen if the average person could see all the beings God created?” She frowned as she thought of her life on the run. “The government would want to study them. They wouldn’t be safe anywhere. Some people might be afraid of them.” Quill quirked one dark eyebrow. “God gave them a place of their own. Once in a while, they travel to this place either on purpose or accidentally. That’s when you hear about sighting one of the Others. But usually, they stay in their own territory.” Then something else occurred to her and she blurted, “I thought angels didn’t have families. All of you are angels?” “Some angels have families. Some don’t. The order of angels my family belongs to always had mates and families. All of us except Momma are angels. Pa met her when he came down here from Chicago. We’re working angels. We’re not in the top class of
48
Winter Hearts
angels,” he confessed quietly. “I’ve never met any of them. For me to meet Michael or Gabriel would be like you meeting the President.” Suddenly she giggled. “So I landed a middle-class angel?” “Pretty much.” Quill reached out a tender finger and tapped her nose. “Does that bother you?” “No. What kind of work do you do?” “We’re an order of protectors and investigators. That’s one reason for the shifting abilities. Sometimes it’s easier to get close to a subject or stay close by if you’re in another form. For instance, nobody pays much attention to squirrels or cats or dogs. If you were meeting with someone in the park to talk about a crime, you probably wouldn’t even notice the critters around you.” Suddenly he grinned. “Once Pa was tailing a couple of crooks who went to the zoo. He shifted into a baboon and kept them so busy with his antics they were still there when the cops got there.” Unity chuckled. “Your pa? I can see him now.” Then she frowned and glanced at the window again. “You have to tell your brothers I don’t want them peeping in the windows!” “I already did that.” “And what did they say?” He frowned. “What they said wasn’t important. It was what I said that counted.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. “I told them I don’t want anyone else to see your beautiful body except me. I’m selfish that way.” “I want the same thing!” The admission burst out without thought. She slapped her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened while she watched him for his reaction. With a little nod, he assured her, “I don’t need another woman, Unity. All I want is you.” “Oh.” She looked back down and saw the truth in that when his cock pulsed and dribbled more drops. Unable to resist, she ran a tender finger through the silky fluid
49
Anny Cook
and smeared it around and around the dark plum-colored head. The shiny cap lured her so that she leaned over and tentatively lapped at the soft, soft skin. Rolling her tongue around in her mouth, she savored the taste before returning for another sample. Quill twitched restlessly and groaned and wondered if he would survive. Gently grasping him with both hands, she investigated him with mouth and tongue, fascinated by the heavy pulsing veins, the iron strength sheathed in softest velvet, the sensitive ridged area below the broad head that kept him moaning when she suckled it against the roof of her mouth. With a gentle hand, she cupped his balls and rolled them in her palm. Her finger brushed the taut skin behind them and he gasped and groaned. She was so involved in her sensual exploration that it was a little shocking when he gently pushed her away. She sat back and stared blankly at him and gasped. “What was I doing wrong? I was trying to be gentle.” “Nothing at all. Actually, I was enjoying your touch a little too much. If you kept that up, I would have come and I’m not ready for that yet.” Tugging her down on the bed next to him, he covered her lips with his, slipping his tongue inside to steal a taste. “Hmmm. I taste good.” He lifted his head and smiled wickedly. “I wonder what you taste like.” “Me-e? Oh no!” she protested, shaking her head adamantly. He sat up and studied her for a moment. “I let you taste me,” he pointed out. “How is it different for me to taste you? Isn’t turnabout fair play?” “B-but…” “At least try it. If you don’t like it, then we’ll do something else.” She stared back at him. It was those damned puppy dog eyes, she thought. She couldn’t resist the lure of his coaxing voice and those eyes. “Okay.” “You’re sure?”
50
Winter Hearts
Unity looked up at the ceiling, absently noting that it was a pale golden yellow instead of white. Why did this stuff bother her? Once she finished college, she found an adult bookstore and bought a bag of books and videos, determined that she would not be ignorant about her body or sex in all its infinite varieties. So though she had nearly nil experience, she wasn’t unfamiliar with the concepts. According to all the information she collected, he wasn’t asking for something weird or unusual. Her lips twitched in a small smile as she remembered some of the odder videos in her collection. “I’m sure.” “What was that almost smile?” He leaned over her and rubbed her nose with his. “A few years after the rape, I decided to investigate sex. That was when I let Larry do it.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust before she continued soberly, “Anyway, I was just recalling some of the videos I watched.” Quill heard the serious tone but her eyes were dancing with amusement. “Videos, huh? You’re not gonna spring any of the weird stuff on me, are ya?” “You’re not afraid of cuffs and a little flogger, right?” “Oooh. Naughty girl. I’ll have to see what I can arrange for punishment.” He shuffled down the bed until he was sprawled between her spread legs. “Nummy, nummy. Look at this pretty picture.” With his thumbs he very gently spread her soft swollen folds and gazed at the delicate ruffles flushed deep pink and slick with excitement. Little drops of cream oozed from her slit. He bent his head and sniffed, inhaling the heady scent of Unity. That’s when he knew Unity’s scent would be with him for the rest of his life—in the light or dark, in a crowd or alone, he would know her. She was the scent of apricots and hot woman with a slight tang of the sea. He slithered his tongue inside for a taste. And with that one leisurely sample he acknowledged she was his woman. It was going to take some tall talking, he suspected, but Unity was his and he would do everything in his power to make it so. Quill, they’ve taken Penny! 51
Anny Cook
Chapter Five Quill lifted his head and stared at Unity with a frown. His unflappable brother’s voice was filled with rage and terror. Cage was always the calm one in a crisis. Who’s taken her? Where are you, Cage? Under the study window at Penny’s farm. Her Uncle Cyrus sold her, Quill! He sold her! I just heard him tell that jerk-ass deputy Joe-Bob Harris all about it. Cage. Calm down. I’ll be right there with Pa. In the meantime find out everything you can. Quill sat up and muttered strange words softly under his breath. “What’s wrong?” Unity asked softly. “Something’s happened?” “My brother Cage. He says that our neighbor Penny has been taken.” He rolled from the bed and found his boxers, tossed on the pile of Unity’s clothes. Jerking them on hastily, he explained, “I have to go. This might be the break we’ve been looking for.” “We?” she asked delicately as she turned on her side to watch him dress. Quill opened the armoire and extracted a pair of neatly folded jeans and a t-shirt. A drawer yielded thick white socks. As he pulled on his clothes he thought about all the secrets between them and with a mental shrug began to talk. “I work for a federal oversight agency. I was at Marshalwoods Tech undercover, investigating the same transactions you coincidentally happened to notice. Then something excited Satterwhite’s suspicions and he took care of it in his own way. After that night, I wasn’t even sure if I would still have a job. The Feds put me on official paid suspension and sent me home to work on a suspected white slavery ring on my so-called vacation.” He pulled the dark t-shirt over his head, yanked it down over his chest and tucked it in the tight jeans. “Then you showed up. Now it appears that the two investigations are tied together.”
52
Winter Hearts
“How do you figure that?” she demanded. She crawled from the bed and picked up her jeans and boxers from the floor. Pulling them on with trembling haste, she remembered her borrowed shirt was in shreds and went to pull another top from the black plastic bag in front of the armoire. Quill sat down on the bed and pulled on his thick white socks. “When they picked you up, the simplest thing would have been to just kill you,” he pointed out patiently. “Transporting you over rough terrain into the mountains in a completely unsuitable vehicle, keeping you over twenty-four hours doesn’t make sense unless they were going to dispose of you by adding you to their stable of girls. That’s the only reason I can think of for your presence here in this county at this time.” “White slavery? I thought that was an urban legend!” “No it’s not.” He shook his head vehemently as he tied the strings on his battered running shoes. “Caucasian girls are a premium commodity, especially in the Far East, though there’s also a thriving market in the Middle East. Blondes fetch very high prices. Blondes with long hair? The seller can name his price.” Quill bent over and pulled a low box from beneath the bed. “If you were a virgin, the seller would make triple that figure.” “Lucky me then. What are you looking for?” she asked as she watched him lift the lid. “This is where I stash my spare weapons,” he replied grimly. “Stay in the house. Tate and Rack will stay here with you.” He clipped his gun holster to his belt and slipped a flat leather wallet into his back pocket. Then he went to her and cupped her face with his hands. “Please do this for me, Unity. I don’t want to have to worry about you.” They stared into each other’s worried eyes and then she slowly nodded. “All right. Just make sure that you come back to me in one piece.” “Always. Lock the door behind me.” He hastened to the door as a heavy fist pounded on the sturdy wood. “Coming!” 53
Anny Cook
When he flung open the door, Pentecost and Ellie stood on the porch, impatient to go. “Ready?” his pa demanded. “I’m ready. Where’s Zipporah?” “She went ahead with your momma. Let’s get going. Maybe this will be the break you’ve been looking for.” Quill went out on the porch, slamming the door behind him. Unity heard him yell, “Lock the door!” as they pounded down the steps. She rushed over, locked the door and then returned to pick up her boots. No one had thought to give her socks but she figured Quill wasn’t going to mind if she borrowed a pair of his and since she knew where they were stored, she helped herself. Then she stood there in front of the armoire considering. It had been at least two days since she had a shower. There hadn’t been time this morning when she exchanged her icky pajamas for jeans and t-shirt. Peeling everything off, she tossed the clothes on the floor and went into the bathroom. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt anything if she took a quick shower and washed her hair. Her head itched…her skin crawled. No telling where she had been or what conditions her captors kept her in. The more she thought about it the more anxious she was to slather on soap and water. When the water was warm, she jumped in the shower and stood there shivering with delight. Oh, it felt wonderful! Grabbing the bottle of shower gel in the corner, she dumped some on the white puffy hanging from a hook on the shower wall and proceeded to scrub her skin with determined vigor. The minty gel smelled so refreshing. The more she scrubbed, the more mortified she felt. What must Quill think? A stinky woman, three days without a shower with stubbly legs and underarms? Blech. It never occurred to her that Quill of all people wouldn’t have an issue with hairy anything or that the natural smells of woman would be attractive to him. She added more shower gel and scrubbed harder. When she finally felt clean, she rummaged through the small collection of bottles until she found shampoo. Tea tree oil and mint. She took a cautious sniff. Scrumptious. 54
Winter Hearts
Pouring a generous dollop in her hand, she made a mental note to replace his toiletries, especially his shampoo. Long hair required extra supplies. With her hair rinsed clean and a conditioner smoothed on, she peered nearsightedly around in search of a razor. Eventually, she poked her head out and spied one on the sink. No doubt Quill would need a new blade when she finished. With a mental sigh, she added razor blades to her shopping list of replacements. By the time the shaving was finished and her hair was rinsed free of the conditioner, the water was turning cool. With a guilty thought for all the water she’d used, she turned off the faucets and blindly reached for her towel. “Looking for something?” a strange voice inquired. Heart pounding in immediate terror, Unity swiped her eyes with one hand while she clutched the blue shower curtain in front of her. She peeked around the edge. A huge blond man with a livid scar down one side of his face stood less than a foot away. The leering smile stretching his lips boded nothing good for Unity. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded. “Ah, Miss Brooks, I’m your worst nightmare.” He motioned with one hand and for the first time, she saw the gun. “Get out of the shower please.” “Give me the towel.” Her voice shook but her tone was adamant. “I’m not going anywhere soaking wet and naked.” He reached out and casually ripped the shower curtain away. The metal curtain rings released and bounced in all directions, pinging as they hit the shower wall and floor. “Get the fuck out of the shower. You will go wherever I tell you to go and however I want you to be. If I say naked and wet, then naked and wet you’ll be.” When she shook her head long lank strands of hair flung water everywhere. “If you’re going to kill me, do it now. I’m not going.” He shrugged. “Have it your way.” Then without warning, he grabbed a handful of wet hair and jerked her out of the shower. Her legs tangled in the shower curtain, preventing her from stepping over the side of the tub. She tripped over the low side 55
Anny Cook
landing with a hard thump on her knees in front of him. “Get up.” His high cold voice held no pity or mercy. She clambered to her feet. With absolutely no expression, his icy blue eyes assessed her. “The next time you refuse to obey my command, I will break a finger. Every time you fail to obey, I will break another bone. Do you understand?” She shivered in reaction under his cold gaze. “Yes.” “Good. Now we will go. Outside there is a white van. You will get in the back and sit with your back to the wall. Go now.” He nudged her with the gun and she moved into the main room on stiff legs. Anger rose within her. Where were Tate and Rack? Weren’t they supposed to be protecting her?
***** Tate and Rack were hiding in a pile of junk behind the driver’s seat in the van. It wasn’t an ideal situation. When the blond man broke the lock on Quill’s door, the brothers quickly notified him and asked for direction. They’re not likely to kill her there. Go with her. As what? Tate’s acid inquiry clearly expressed his frustration. Quill, equally frustrated and angry, snapped back. Do whatever it takes, Tate. Make sure you stay with her. I’m willing to bet that they lead us to the hideout where they have the girls stashed. Yeah, well I hope you show up with badges before we’re stuck standing around with our dicks in our hands! So Tate and Rack were rattling around in a filthy bucket…as chipmunks. The back door opened and Unity climbed in, sitting on the cold metal floor exactly where the man had instructed her to sit. He snapped a pair of handcuffs dangling from a short chain above her head around her wrists and slammed the door shut. 56
Winter Hearts
She squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the angry tears. She was freezing and wet but she was not going to let this asshole see her cry. When she was sure the tears were quelled for the moment, she opened her eyes and studied her surroundings, cataloguing every possible item that could be used as a weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small cat. When she stared directly at it, wondering why the hell her captor would have a cat in his van, the cat morphed into a tiny gray poodle which changed into a squirrel. Abruptly, it changed into something so small it was hidden by the high side of the bucket. Tate—or Rack. Abruptly, her spirits lifted. If one of them was here, then Quill would know what happened to her. The thought occurred to her that they were using her abduction to lead them to the ringleader but as long as she wasn’t alone, she wasn’t as frightened. Help was on the way.
***** At the Chamfers farm, Quill was struggling to tamp down his rage and fear. Cyrus Chamfers professed to know nothing about a white slavery ring. Quill’s team, bored after kicking back in a remote cabin for two weeks, was more than happy to arrest Cyrus and Deputy Joe-Bob Harris. Cyrus was a tough nut but after separating them, Joe-Bob caved in a hurry and began to sing like a canary. Unfortunately, he only knew what information Cyrus had unwisely shared with him, which was precious little. Everyone in the county knew that Joe-Bob was incapable of keeping a secret. The only reason he was a deputy was because he was married to the sheriff’s sister. The team had arrived in time for Seb to squat under the window and catch the last part of the men’s discussion regarding Penny’s sale. Joe-Bob was shaking down Cyrus for beer money. And Cyrus paid up without a single word of protest. That was enough for Seb. The team searched the house, a time-consuming process while their tech man worked on the computer. Aside from the bogus notes Cyrus had typed that were purportedly from Penny saying that she was going to run away, they found nothing useful. 57
Anny Cook
Impatiently, Quill paced in the woods waiting for Tate or Rack to report in. His skin felt too tight. His gut roiled while he paced back and forth past the old fallen log where his parents sat waiting patiently. Time was running out. Rack rashly chose that moment to demonstrate the general boneheaded idiocy of an eighteen-year-old male. His teasing voice broke into his older brother’s milling thoughts. Hey, Quill! Unity sure is one hot mama! You are a dead son of a— Now, son, you don’t want to be calling your momma bad names, Pentecost warned. Shadrach, if you don’t have important information to share, then I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself. I was just saying— SHUT UP! Pentecost thundered. Yes, sir. Quill kept his thoughts to himself but Rack could plan on a couple of black eyes and a broken nose. He could count on it. Quill wasn’t even worried about whether it was fair or not. Sometimes a man just had to do what a man had to do even if he was an angel. This was one of those times.
58
Winter Hearts
Chapter Six The van slowed down and made a sharp turn down a potholed track. Unity’s body bounced and rolled, tugging on her screaming shoulders and outstretched arms. Her stomach gurgled and grumbled, reminding her that she had never eaten her lunch. Vaguely she remembered noting bits of ant-covered cheese and apple scattered on the porch as she walked out to the van. Breakfast was a long time ago. Glumly, she wondered when she would get to eat and she tried not to think about how hungry she was. Lately, life had been one misery after another. She was pretty sure that Tate or Rack was in touch with Quill but until they reached their destination, none of them would have a location to transmit. She shied away from the thought of being rescued again in the nude. What was it about these people? Then she speculated about how long it would take the rescuers to reach them. There wasn’t much information at her disposal. Quill mentioned “his” county but they never got around to a serious exchange of facts so she wasn’t sure what state she was even in. Sourly, she noticed that the temperatures were falling fast. Earlier in the day a warm front had moved in, melting all the snow, but it was definitely no place for a wet, naked woman to be hanging out. Cudgeling her brain, she tried to remember everything he said. Someone named Penny was taken. He was going to the farm where Penny lived. And there were other girls who had disappeared. Suddenly it occurred to her that no one had mentioned why they were so sure that the girls were alive in captivity instead of dead at the hands of a psycho killer. That would certainly make more sense. When the van slammed to a stop, the bucket tipped over and rolled to the back of the van. With widening eyes, she watched two chipmunks scurry across the van floor
59
Anny Cook
and dive into the pile of refuse behind the driver’s seat. So both Tate and Rack were with her. She felt a little better. The big blond man hopped out of the van and came around to the back where he opened the door. Cold air rushed in, roughening her skin with a rash of goose bumps. Her nipples shrank to hard little points as she shivered on the icy floor, waiting for him to make a move. Reaching in, he unlocked the cuffs and jerked her close enough to lift her out. With her hands finally free, she wrapped her arms over her chest and rubbed her upper arms. Swiftly she looked around before starting toward the shabby cabin in the small clearing. It sure doesn’t look like much of a hideout, she thought scornfully as she picked her way around the stones and sticks littering the ground. She heard the van door slam shut and hoped that her rescuers would come soon. A cold breeze blew across the shady clearing, sighing through the spindly pines, and she shook. The closer she got to the cabin, the more she trembled. The place was falling down. Surely, they wouldn’t be hiding a bunch of girls in a cabin so rickety they could escape by punching a hole in the wall? Her captor seized her arm, dragging her up the step and across the dilapidated porch, heedless of the possibility of splinters in her bare feet. He shoved the door open and pushed her inside the warm dark room. A small Asian man seated in a hard wooden chair looked up at their precipitate entry though it didn’t appear to halt his enjoyment of the attentions he was receiving from the young woman crouched between his legs. He held her in place by the thick red-gold strands of hair wrapped in his fist. To Unity’s wide-eyed astonishment, it appeared that he had his entire cock shoved down the girl’s throat. Certainly, her nose was buried in the thick black nest of pubic hair. “Ah, Brian,” the little man exclaimed. “You have brought our last guest. Did you have any trouble?”
60
Winter Hearts
Brian snorted in disgust. “Of course not. As you suspected, those hillbillies were hiding her.” He shrugged. “Piece of cake.” He dragged Unity to an empty spot against the wall and cuffed her to a young woman who appeared to be sleeping. Unity flashed a glance at the other occupants in the room, all young women, and noted that except for the woman occupied with the little man, all the others were slumped against the wall. All were naked. None of it boded well for any plans for escape. No wonder they weren’t worried about the tumbledown cabin. From all appearances, their captives were drugged. “Well, Miss Brooks, you certainly have made things difficult for my colleagues at Marshalwoods. They are very unhappy with you,” the little man observed coolly while he continued to manipulate the woman in front of him. “You were very foolish. Now I must arrange your punishment. Too bad Mr. Johnson disappeared. It would have given me great pleasure to dispose of you as a pair.” He tilted his head back and for the first time, Unity saw him make a grimace of pleasure as he closed his eyes and came in the woman’s mouth. When his cold black eyes opened it was like looking into the eyes of a cobra. Despite the warmth of the cabin, Unity trembled at the venom in his glance. “I am Cho, your new master.” His hand tightened in the woman’s pale red-gold hair. “Lick me clean, Repentance. Remember what I told you.” Slow tears rolled down the woman’s face as she bent to her task. “Until you are sold at auction, you will service me in whatever manner I choose,” he continued coolly. “Repentance has a sizable inheritance that her uncle wants so he sold her to me. She has value as I must make my investment back. You, however, are nothing to me. No one cares whether you live or die. If you annoy me I will give you to Brian as his personal toy.” Brian made an incoherent guttural sound deep in his throat. “Brian likes inflicting pain. I’m sure you would not enjoy being his toy.”
61
Anny Cook
Well, thought Unity, for the first time there was something she and Cho were in complete agreement on. She would definitely not enjoy being Brian’s toy. Life was not looking up.
***** In the van, Tate and Rack shifted to squirrels and scampered out the open driver’s window into the trees. Once safely behind a line of pines, they scouted their surroundings. Quill? Quill didn’t remember when he’d been so glad to hear Tate’s voice. Where are you? he demanded quickly. I think this is the old Clapsaddle cabin. That place is falling down! Are you sure? Pretty sure. The cabin has certainly seen better days. If we get a strong wind this winter the roof will go for sure. Tate hopped across the clearing and skittered up on the windowsill. There was very little light inside but he made out the sprawled forms of several naked women. How many women did you say were missing, Quill? We know of six. Quill, Zip and three members of his team were already dashing through the woods toward the old Clapsaddle cabin. While all of them were decent runners, it would still take time to reach the cabin through the woods but that was the most direct route. Pentecost and the rest of the group were riding in Penny’s pickup around the long way. There was a general consensus that they were going to need transportation for the captive girls so Delilah had gathered up a pile of Penny’s quilts and stacked them on the front seat between Pentecost and Cage. Tate counted everyone he could see. I count ten women. One of them is Penny. And one is Unity. That leaves eight. He studied the big blond man and the man sitting down. There are two men. One is a big blond with nasty scar running down his face. He looks like a Viking
62
Winter Hearts
throwback. The other one is a little Asian who looks to be running the show. I would keep Cage away, Quill. What’s going on? Quill’s voice rose in anger. At the moment he has Penny on her knees in front of him with her hair wrapped around his hand. Do I need to draw you a picture? No. Quill shared Tate’s report with his team. Zip was so angry he could feel her vibrate. He stopped long enough to caution her, “Zip, if you’re not in control you can blow this for us. I don’t want to just catch them. I want to put them away.” “I’ll put them away,” she growled. He looked at his youngest sister with affectionate worry. “My way,” he reiterated. “Your way they’re back out on the street in a couple of years. Unity and Penny will never be free. My way they don’t have to be looking over their shoulders.” Zip bared a mouthful of sharp white teeth and flipped her dark brown braid down her back. “My way is better.” “Zip—” “While the two of you are arguing, time’s wasting,” his partner Seb pointed out impatiently. Snarling, Zip rounded on him and stopped dead as he held out a bared dark brown arm. “Take a bite if you’ll feel better,” he offered. She turned away and walked off in the direction of the cabin. Quill stared at him in astonishment. “What did you just do?” Seb shrugged and bit his lip to keep from smiling while he jerked his jacket sleeve back down. “If she wants to nibble on a man, I have plenty of territory to cover. I’d love for her to put her mouth on me—anywhere her heart desires.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Any objections?” Quill shook his head and turned away. “No. No objections. Let’s get this over with.”
63
Anny Cook
“Yo, partner!” Quill turned to face him. “I bought her a diamond ring for Christmas,” Seb revealed with a serious expression on his dark face. “She’s going to wear it—even if I have to tie her down to put it on her finger.” He frowned uneasily. “She’s a hard woman to pin down.” “Good luck, partner.” Quill turned and trotted away, hiding his wide smile. Seb so didn’t have a clue of what he was taking on. It would almost be worth the price of admission to watch him try to tie Zip down. Oh yeah, now that would be something to see. Suddenly he laughed at the memory of Zip’s face when Seb offered her his arm…maybe there was something there after all. Quill, where are you? A green truck with a camper shell just rolled in. Young Rack’s voice held a tone of panic. We’ll be there in about three minutes. How many more are there? Two. There was a brief pause. Quill, they have more girls in the camper back! Quill could feel the beginnings of a major headache coming on. He paused and signaled Seb to fall in next to him. “Call in the troops. It’s getting messy. As soon as they show, the Jericho family will bow out.” “You’re sure?” Seb shot him a worried look. “What’s going on?” Quill swiftly filled him in as they approached the back of Clapsaddle clearing. Through the trees they could see men carrying naked women to the truck and shoving them in through the low door. “We need backup now.” Seb stopped and called in. The unit was twenty minutes away by chopper. It was going to be up to the team in place to take the kidnappers down. He caught up with Quill and shared the latest developments with him. Quill nodded and wondered what else could go wrong. Pa? Are you close enough to block the driveway? Yep. Just made the turn.
64
Winter Hearts
Then block it. And send everyone you can spare on ahead of you. We have party crashers. Rack says the new bunch brought their own girls. They’re on their way. When they reached the edge of the clearing, Seb tried to see where Zip had gone off to. The rest of the team was huddled at the back corner of the cabin but she was nowhere in sight. “Where’d Zip go?” he demanded in a fierce whisper. The men shrugged and one pointed across the clearing. Seb caught a fleeting glimpse of her moving through the trees on the other side of the camper truck before she abruptly disappeared. He shook his head and looked more intently. His eyes widened when he realized he was gazing at a full-grown tiger. “Uh, Quill?” “I see her,” Quill muttered beneath his breath. “Her?” Seb inhaled sharply. Quill reached out and squeezed Seb’s arm tightly. “Later. We don’t have time for this right now.” “Hell yeah. You bet, partner. There will be a whole lot of explaining to do later!” “I’ll take this side. You go around the other side.” Releasing Seb’s arm, Quill shuffled along the side of the cabin until he had a clear shot. Resting his gun on the porch railing, he cleared his throat and observed, “So, Cho—still up to your old tricks, eh?”
65
Anny Cook
Chapter Seven All activity in the clearing ceased as everyone froze in shock. Then Cho turned to face Quill and smiled. “Well, well. Mr. Angelo. We must stop meeting this way. People will talk.” Brian edged closer and Quill shook his head in admonishment. “Don’t move, Brian. I might have to shoot you and Cho wouldn’t like that. He would have to do his own dirty work.” When Brian dumped the woman he carried on the ground Quill breathed a silent sigh of relief. As long as he wasn’t using her as a shield, it made it easier to control him. Cho shook his head in disgust. “Idiot! He would not shoot you as long as you had the woman!” He shot an angry glance at Quill. “You see what I must work with!” But Quill refused to be distracted. Unity had crawled close enough to grab the young woman’s ankle and was dragging her away from Brian. Already Michael and Suko, other members of his team, had cuffed the men who arrived with the truck. All that was left was Cho and Brian. Seb held his gun pointed at Cho and motioned for him to get down on his knees. “Down, Cho. Flat on the ground. You’ve done this often enough, you should know the position.” He scowled at the smaller man. “Keep the hands where I can see them!” No one paid attention to the two squirrels that chattered at Brian’s feet but Rack and Tate were prepared. Brian was too calm, too prepared. When he lunged for Unity, a snarling dog shot out of the woods and leaped for his shoulder. Growling and snapping, the dog distracted Brian long enough that Unity could scrabble beyond his reach. The squirrels bounded into the woods. Seconds later the dog was joined by two others. In sharp, bloody moments, Brian was dead.
66
Winter Hearts
Cho took advantage of the seething, shocking events to roll to his feet and dash into the woods. Seb turned to pursue him but Quill called him back. “What! He’s getting away!” Quill shook his head before saying only one word. “Cage.” There was a lone howl from the trees followed by a terrified, high-pitched scream. Abruptly, the scream cut off and silence fell over the clearing except for low sobs from the terrified women. Delilah and Ellie began handing out blankets and comforting those of the captives who were conscious. No one seemed to notice when the dogs quietly trotted into the safe anonymity of the woods. Seb scrubbed his dark face and demanded, “What the fuck am I going to write in the report?” Tilting his head back and pursing his lips, Quill replied, “I didn’t see anything unusual. Did you guys see anything?” Michael and Suko shook their heads and carefully looked away from Seb. Michael scratched his head. “Not me. I didn’t see a thing.” Carefully brushing the dust from his dark blue blazer, Suko concurred. “Me, I saw nothing. Some dogs dashed into the clearing and attacked that one,” he jerked his chin toward Brian’s ravaged body. “Then they ran off.” He looked around him at the cold woods. “Probably in Kansas by now. Better be in Kansas!” Raising his voice, he made sure that it reached the woods. Delilah snorted. “The way they were running they’re most likely in California. What are we going to do with these young women?” “Seb’s unit is on the way. I’m taking Unity home with me.” Quill’s cold tone allowed for no objections as he walked across the clearing where she still crouched naked on the ground. He peeled off his coat and shirt and handed the shirt to her before slipping his coat back on. As soon as she was covered, he wrapped her with the quilt Del handed him. “You’ll know where she is. And I would imagine that Cage will insist on taking Penny home with him.” 67
Anny Cook
At that moment, Cage stalked out of the woods, dressed but still vibrating with raging violence, and went directly to Penny. He picked her up in his arms, quilt and all, and silently carried her down the track to the truck. No one asked where they were going. No one tried to stop him. Pentecost tossed him the keys to the truck as he passed and Cage caught them one-handed. Seb strolled over to the cabin and sat on the sagging steps. He hauled his radio out again and began to talk. Michael and Suko dragged the two remaining prisoners to the cabin and cuffed them to the porch railing. Michael leaned close and whispered, “I would be real still. You can’t tell what kind of wildlife might come out of the woods around here. You wouldn’t want to attract any attention.” Quill urged Unity over to the steps to sit down next to Seb, while he listened to the one-sided conversation Seb had with whoever was on the other end. After a minute, Seb nodded and stuck the radio back in his pocket. “ETA ten minutes. The sheriff, some guy named Marcus Sadler, is hopping mad about us arresting his deputy.” He rubbed his bald head and sighed. “You would think everyone would be thrilled that we shut this ring down…” “No one wants to deal with the aftermath.” Quill looked around trying to spot Rack or Tate or even Zip. As though summoned by his concern, Zip ambled out of the woods looking as though she’d just awakened from a leisurely nap. She wandered over to the cabin and sat next to Unity. In a soft voice she spoke to Quill. “Tate and Rack went to get your truck. They’ll meet you at the end of the road.” “You better take off with Unity before the troops get here, partner. It’s going to be dark soon so you should have no trouble slipping away. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He shot Zip a grim look. “You have a few explanations, Zipporah. Don’t even think about taking off until we’ve talked.” Zip feigned unconcern and looked away.
68
Winter Hearts
Quill helped Unity stand up. He turned, presented his broad back and bent his knees. “Hop on, sweetheart. I’ll give you a piggy-back ride out to the truck.” Zip held the quilt while Unity tiredly wrapped her legs around Quill’s waist. Protest was way beyond Unity and the feel of Quill’s warm body next to hers was comforting. When she was situated, Zip wrapped the quilt around her, tucking it securely between Unity and Quill. He slipped his hands under her blanketed thighs and stood up. “Hang on tight, kid. We’re in the home stretch. Seb, we’ll see you tomorrow.” And he strode across the clearing, ignoring the bloody remains of Brian, the sobbing women and his parents. All he wanted to do was take Unity home where they would be safe. At the end of the long pot-holed drive, Tate and Rack waited in the truck with Tate in the driver’s seat. When Rack hopped out, Quill noted that his two sibs had taken advantage of the clothing he kept stashed in a bag behind the seat. Though Rack’s feet were bare, at least he was decently covered in a ratty pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that advertised the local barbecue ribs joint. Without a word, he took Unity in his arms while Quill climbed into the truck cab, then transferred her back to Quill’s strong arms and slammed the rusty door. Once Rack climbed into the truck bed, Tate took off. It was a silent drive. Unity dozed against Quill’s chest. Quill held her securely and wondered how he could keep her safe. And Tate thought about his part in the death of a human. He had no doubt that Brian had deserved death. But it was one thing to know that someone deserved to die and another to be the instrument of death. His little brother Rack had said not one word since it happened. Rack, the one who was always getting in trouble for his constantly running mouth, was silent. That bothered Tate more than his own part. He didn’t want Rack to grow up too fast. Time enough for that when he was older. Today had been too close, way too close. Abruptly Quill said, “Thank you.” Tate slid a quick glance his way before turning his attention back to the narrow ribbon of blacktop. “He had a knife,” he said flatly. “He nicked Rack in the chest and 69
Anny Cook
Zip has a long shallow slice down the leg. It was close, Quill. Two inches over and we could have lost Rack. He would have gone back home but we wouldn’t have him here with us.” “I know. I saw but I couldn’t move fast enough. You bandaged them?” “Yeah. Quick fix. I’ll do a better job on Rack when we get home.” He turned down the dusty road that led to Quill’s cabin. “Was it worth it?” “Yeah. There are a lot of families that will think it was worth it. Cage thinks it was worth it.” Quill took a deep breath. “I nearly lost her, Tate. I nearly did.” “But you didn’t. And all of us will be more cautious.” “What am I going to do? Cho was small potatoes. The ones after Unity are still out there. The only one we know about for sure is Satterwhite.” Quill cradled her with trembling hands in the warm dark cab as the truck rolled into the clearing in front of his cabin. In the headlights he could see the door was wide open. Debris was scattered across the porch and steps. Two raccoons scuttled into the woods when the headlights lit up the front of the cabin. Tate took in their surroundings and grunted. “First things first. We secure the cabin and then you take care of Unity.” He stepped down out of the truck, reached back in and grabbed the shot gun from the rack. After checking that it was loaded, he stalked across the clearing and up the steps, avoiding the bits of brown apple and cheese that the animals hadn’t carried off. Rack climbed down from the truck bed and ghosted into the woods to do a perimeter check for strangers lurking near the cabin. Now that the sun was down, the temps were dropping rapidly. Rack shivered in the cold wind. Once he made sure there was no one hiding in the woods, he went to the cache where he and Tate had stashed their clothing earlier in the day. The heavy black tote was exactly where they’d left it. Rack grabbed it and headed back for the cabin. Back on the porch, Tate slowly nudged the door open all the way with the shot gun. When the headlights lit up the interior, he reached inside and flicked the light switch 70
Winter Hearts
for the overhead lights. There were no obvious visitors so he stepped inside and quickly checked the bathroom, laundry room and of course, the generous space under Quill’s old antique high-sitting bed. With relief, he went over to the wall next to the door and flicked on the switch for the porch light. Instead of the yellow bug light that normally lit up the clearing, small twinkling white lights lined the porch rails and roof with cheerful illumination. With a jolt, Tate remembered Zip and Ellie muttering something about decorating at Quill’s cabin. Rack appeared from around the side of the cabin and tossed the heavy tote bag up to Tate before trotting over to the truck to help Quill with Unity. She was sound asleep in Quill’s arms. Reluctantly, Quill surrendered Unity to Rack’s sturdy young arms and then shakily climbed down from the truck himself, aching in every joint. Too much, he thought. Too many late nights. Too much stress. Just too much. He wanted to go to bed and sleep for a week, holding Unity in his arms. As he reached to take Unity back from Rack, a car bumped its way into the clearing and rolled to a stop. When he recognized the car he groaned and muttered strange words under his breath. “I don’t have time for Marcus now!” The car door opened and Marcus struggled to get out. The wide belt buckle he wore around his bulging belly invariably caught on the steering wheel. Finally, when he succeeded in exiting the car, he hiked his sagging jeans up and determinedly headed directly for Quill. Quill shook his head and kept walking toward the cabin. “I can’t talk to you right now, Marcus. If you want to wait until I take care of Unity, fine. Otherwise, I’ll come to your office tomorrow.” “Now wait just a minute, young Quill! I want to know why you arrested Joe-Bob!” Marcus blustered.
71
Anny Cook
Wearily, Quill kept walking. “Marcus, what part of ‘not now’ did you not understand? If you want to hang around, fine. But don’t annoy me right now. I’m way past my last nerve.” “You can bet I’ll wait!” Marcus assured him. “I want to know what’s going on! This is my county and my jurisdiction. What the hell are all these Feds doing in my county?” Tate could see that they would have no peace until Marcus was satisfied so he stifled a yawn and went to make coffee while Quill carried Unity into the bathroom. As far as Tate was concerned, Marcus should be stuffed down a deep, deep well, along with Joe-Bob and the rest of the crew. His stomach rumbled in protest. It was past time for supper. He went looking for something to serve with the coffee. No way was he going to cook for Marcus. The man could eat enough to feed a small country. Tate was pretty sure there were containers of homemade Christmas cookies in Quill’s freezer but he wasn’t going to waste them on Marcus either. Rummaging through the cabinets, he located an unopened package of chocolate chip cookies and ripped them open and dumped them in a bowl. From the clink, clink they were hard as rocks but that would make them perfect for dunking. Marcus stomped up the steps and walked into the cabin like he lived there. Rack shook his head in aggravation and grabbed the tote with their clothes. He supposed he’d be dressing in the laundry room. In the bathroom, Unity sat on the closed toilet shaking like a leaf while Quill collected the metal shower curtain rings so he could hang the plastic curtain back up. One hole was ripped and two rings were missing but he did the best he could under the circumstances. It was going to have to be good enough until he could replace it. When he tried to convince Unity to get in the shower, things went downhill. “Come on, sweetheart. You’re all grungy from that truck and the yard. You know you won’t be able to sleep comfortably unless you’re clean.”
72
Winter Hearts
She shook her head, little tiny shakes that were adamant all the same. “No. I don’t want a shower.” It occurred to him that the bathroom—and particularly the shower—might have bad memories for her. “I tell you what. I’ll take a shower with you. What do you say? I won’t leave you for a minute.” He picked her up and stood her next to the tub and peeled his filthy shirt off her. Undressing himself didn’t take long and then he turned the shower on and set the water temperature. When it was warm, he helped her in. Almost immediately, it became clear that she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself. She huddled under the warm spray with her arms clutched across her chest and just shook. Wordlessly Quill found the shower gel and squirted some on his hands. With gentle hands he washed her from head to toe, taking special care with the new set of bruises and scrapes she’d acquired. Her knees were swollen and he grimly noted the dark bruise that circled her upper arm. When he was through, he quickly washed himself before rinsing them both. Finally, he rinsed the dust and debris from her long hair before turning the shower off. When he reached for the shower curtain, she clutched his arm and shook so hard he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “It’s okay. There’s no one out there except Tate and Rack and the sheriff. No one’s going to come in here.” Shoving the curtain over one-handed, he held it back so that she could see that the bathroom was empty. “Come on, let’s get you dried off.” He wrapped her wet hair in a towel and then helped her out of the tub. Once she had her feet firmly planted on the fluffy blue rug, he grabbed another towel and dried her with the same attention he’d given to washing her. Then he dressed her in his heavy white toweling robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door. She stood docilely while he dressed in the clean clothes Tate had set on the back of the toilet while they showered. When he was dressed he led her out to the bed, urging her to curl up on the spread, and then covered her with a heavy quilt from his blanket
73
Anny Cook
chest. She might not sleep but she could rest while he dealt with Marcus. Then they would concoct something for supper.
74
Winter Hearts
Chapter Eight Rack slowly dressed in the tiny laundry room, stuffing his dirty clothing in the empty washer. The knife wound on his chest was shallow but his muscles ached from the sharp, vicious fight with Brian. His mind shied away from the bloody images of Brian on the bare dirt in the Clapsaddle clearing. Killing someone was far messier than he’d imagined and abruptly, he needed to get the taste of Brian’s blood out of his mouth. He leaned over the deep old-fashioned laundry sink and angled his mouth under the faucet. When he turned the faucet cold water gushed over his mouth and chin. Gulping and spitting, he washed his mouth out repeatedly until his chest was generously splashed with water. Tate heard the water running and peeked in to see what Rack was doing. Instantly comprehending Rack’s actions, he fetched a dry shirt and towel, setting them on the washer next to Rack. “That won’t help,” he said quietly. “Dry off and dress and come have some coffee.” When Rack turned to face him with slow tears running down his face, Tate gathered him in a rough embrace. “It will get better,” he assured Rack softly. “Not right now but later. Pa will be over in a bit to talk. But first we have to help Quill get rid of Marcus.” Rack nodded against Tate’s broad shoulder. “All right,” he said hoarsely. “Get dressed and come on out. The coffee’s ready and I found some incredibly stale cookies to dunk.” With a shaky laugh, Rack moved away and peeled off his wet shirt. Tate took a minute to check his bandage and then went back into the kitchen, leaving him to dress in peace. 75
Anny Cook
Tate worried about Rack. In some ways his little brother was far younger than the average teen his age. The events of the afternoon had forced him to mature at an accelerated rate none of the family was happy about. He supposed that all families protected their youngest member. Silently, he placed extra mugs next to the coffee maker and set the plastic bowl of cookies on the table. Marcus immediately took a handful and plunked them on the table in front of him. Tate shook his head in disgust. Marcus had been a pig as long as he’d known him. Quill joined them after pouring himself a mug of coffee, taking time to stir in three packets of sweetener and a quick dollop of creamer. A few seconds later Rack joined them and the men sat waiting for Marcus to swallow his coffee. No one said anything. Finally Marcus glared at Quill with angry blue eyes and demanded, “Why did y’all arrest Joe-Bob?” Calmly Quill gave him the story. “Cyrus Chamfers wanted Penny’s inheritance. He sold her to a white slavery ring with the understanding that they would produce an unrecognizable body in exchange. Once ‘Penny’ was buried, he would inherit under the terms of the trust.” Marcus licked his fat lips with his tongue, dislodging cookie crumbs that fell on his stained uniform shirt. “What does that have to do with Joe-Bob?” Quill looked at him with disgust. “Joe-Bob was in the wrong place at the right time. He saw the ringleaders taking Penny away and blackmailed Cyrus.” “You’re lying!” Marcus declared. “Joe-Bob wouldn’t know how to blackmail someone.” Seb quietly opened the front door and stepped into the room. “You’re wrong, Sheriff Sadler. Joe-Bob demanded fifty dollars from Cyrus to keep quiet. Cyrus paid him a hundred just to be on the safe side.” Seb went directly to the coffee maker and poured himself a mug. He immediately took a swallow, a hearty slug of straight black
76
Winter Hearts
coffee, before turning to Marcus. “I heard that conversation myself. He’s been charged with blackmail, conspiracy to kidnapping and whatever else we can think up.” “The fool!” Marcus bitterly looked at the men around him. “What am I going to tell my sister?” “Tell her she should have given him money for beer and bowling,” Seb replied coolly. “He said that’s what he wanted the money for. Apparently, she gets his entire check and pays him an allowance. She refused to give him extra money for beer and the bowling tournament next month.” He shook his head in amazement. “The day I give my check to my wife…” Quill shook his head then. “Don’t make any statements you might have to retract, Seb. Things like that come back to haunt you.” “Oh yeah?” “Trust me. Better not to say anything rather than have to take it back.” Quill took a cookie and dunked it in his coffee. “What else can we help you with, Marcus?” Fatigue dragged at his shoulders and neck and he wondered how long they would be stuck with the sheriff. He desperately wanted to have supper and fall in bed. Matter of fact, he was close to doing without supper entirely. Marcus shoved his chair back from the table and stood up. “How do I get in to see Joe-Bob? The Fed I talked to wouldn’t give me any answers.” Seb dug a card out of his pocket and offered it to Marcus. “Call me tomorrow morning after ten and I’ll arrange for you to see him.” Reluctantly, Marcus took the proffered card and went to the front door. “Tell Cage if I had known anything I would have told y’all right away. He probably won’t believe it but I don’t hold with kidnapping and such.” He went outside, shutting the door softly behind him. A few minutes later they heard the car head back down the dark road. Seb took a deep breath and looked at his companions. “Your pa said he’ll be over directly with supper. Your momma and the girls are hosting the Christmas tree party like nothing ever happened. I’ll never be able to figure out what makes women tick.” 77
Anny Cook
Unexpectedly, Tate laughed. “Seb, if we knew the answer to that we would all be millionaires.” “So, good buddies and friends, tell me all about being angels,” Seb suggested straight-faced. “According to Zipporah, y’all have all the answers I need.” Rack and Tate swallowed their coffee the wrong way and choked. Quill bestowed a Cheshire Cat smile on Seb and shook his head. “My, my. What did you do to Zip to get that kind of response?” “I kissed her.” Seb licked his lips as though searching for a hint of Zip. “First she slapped my face. Then she grabbed me and kissed me back. I told her we were getting married and then she said to ask you guys about angels.” Suddenly he grinned, his teeth very white against his dark skin. “Hey! I just now realized! She didn’t say no! Hot damn!” “Well, now! That calls for a celebration!” Tate jumped up and went to the freezer, extracting a plastic container of cookies. He grabbed the bowl of stale cookies and moved them to the counter. “Here now, don’t eat those!” Then he set down the container from the freezer and peeled the lid back, revealing a dazzling array of tightly packed Christmas cookies. Quill grabbed a couple. “Peanut butter balls! Momma didn’t tell me she made them this year!” “Yep. And the pecan bars and the pinwheel thingies.” Rack shed his melancholia in favor of a red and green pinwheel cookie. “Mmmm.” Without a thought, Quill gladly sacrificed the entire container of cookies because Rack had finally smiled. Cookies were nothing compared to his little brother’s smile. Rack lifted the waxed paper so he could peek at the next layer. “Snickerdoodles!” They heard the sound of a truck motor in the clearing and a few minutes later Pentecost pushed the door open after a perfunctory knock. “Good! All of you are still here. Tate, there are two more baskets of food on the porch.” He carried a large basket
78
Winter Hearts
in, placing it on the counter. “Your momma sent enough food for a small army. It ought to feed Quill and Unity for a week.” Quill got up at once and went to wake Unity while Seb and Tate retrieved the baskets from the porch before the wild critters in the woods were attracted by the smell of food. Rack and Pentecost unpacked platters of sandwiches, raw veggies and fruit chunks. When Quill gently shook her, Unity shoved her tangled damp hair back from her face and yawned. At his urging she sat up on the side of the bed, yawning again as she opened her eyes as wide as possible. “Oh man, I’m soooo tired. What time is it?” “Eight o’clock. Time to eat supper so we can get some sleep.” She perked up at that. “Food? We have food?” Quill took her hand and led her over to the table. Once she was seated with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand, Pentecost set a loaded plate in front of her that filled her with delight. Thick sandwiches of homemade oatmeal bread stuffed with ham salad and cheese, crispy carrot sticks, bright yellow mustard potato salad and orange wedges. When everyone was seated with full plates, Pentecost gave thanks for the food and their safety. It was a silent meal. Everyone was so hungry and tired that there was no energy left for conversation. Finally, Unity sighed and pushed back her plate. “Thank you, Mr. Jericho. I was starving.” Pentecost nodded. “May as well call me Pa. The way Quill’s lookin’ at you, I reckon you’ll be a Jericho as soon as he can arrange it.” The others choked but Quill smiled contentedly. “You’re right, Pa. I’ve been thinking a Christmas wedding would be perfect.” “Hold it! Wait one doggone minute!” Unity sat up straight and shook her finger at Quill. “I never said I would marry you. You didn’t even ask!”
79
Anny Cook
“I know. You know why too. As soon as the riff-raff clears out, I’ll take care of that.” He flashed her a soulful look and she groaned. He was using those puppy dog eyes on her. “Stop that!” she scolded. “Close your eyes!” Confused, he asked, “What? Why?” Before she was forced to answer and give away more secrets, Pentecost stood up and carried his plate to the sink. “Seems like that’s our cue to clear out. Rack and Tate, I’ll give you a lift home. Seb, I’ll see you for breakfast. I believe we have something to discuss.” Seb looked him in the eye. “Yes, sir, we do. What time shall I be there?” “Six a.m. sharp.” Without even the smallest flicker or flinch, Seb nodded. “Fine. I’ll be there.” Now that was love, Quill thought. It took a gallon of coffee and a cold shower to get Seb going in the morning. Maybe he planned to stay up all night. Quill bit his lip to keep the smile from showing but Seb knew him too well. “Go ahead, Quill. I don’t mind. I’ve sure enough had a few laughs at your expense.” Seb carried his plate and utensils over to the sink and began rinsing the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher while Pentecost put the rest of the food away in the refrigerator. Quill watched the others work while he sat next to Unity, holding her hand. Tate gathered up the dirty clothing and towels from the bathroom and loaded them in the washer. Rack took the broom out on the front porch and swept the debris out into the dirt before collecting the book and tray from Unity’s lunch. When he came back in carrying the tray, book and a paper plate, he was grinning with the brash humor of youth. Quill couldn’t resist asking, “What are you smiling at, Rack?”
80
Winter Hearts
“Oh, just remembering Unity whacking you with this book.” He chuckled. “Too bad she didn’t have it in the shower. That guy would have been toast.” His expression grew somber when he recalled his last glimpse of Brian. “He was a bad man, right?” Quill’s heart ached for his youngest sibling. “He was a bad man,” he agreed grimly. “He’s hurt a lot of women, Rack. We had to stop him.” Rack inhaled deeply and then he walked over and placed the book on the small table between the reading chairs in front of the fireplace. “Need to fix that front door,” he observed gruffly. “I’ll get the tool box out of the truck.” When Quill would have objected, Pentecost caught his eye and shook his head and Quill let him be. Once the cabin was clean and the front door jury-rigged to provide minimum security, the men filed out, leaving Unity and Quill alone at last. After consuming two cups of coffee, Unity desperately needed to use the bathroom but she couldn’t bring herself to go back into the small room alone—especially with the door shut. Quill moved about the cabin, turning off lights, checking windows before he came to her and took her cold hands back in his. “You take the bathroom first.” Her hands shook so hard that he had difficulty holding them still. “Unity,” he said gently, “leave the door open. I’ll be right outside the door so nobody will get you.” She nodded her head but didn’t move. After a brief internal debate, he tugged her to her feet and led her over to the bathroom door. While she stood indecisively in the doorway, he pulled the shower curtain back so she could see for herself that no one was behind it. He methodically checked the lock on the tiny bathroom window. And then he brushed past her, stopping for a moment to tilt her head and kiss her quivering lips. “I’ll be right outside the door.” With another shaky nod, she went into the bathroom, pushing the door nearly shut. It didn’t take long for her to complete her business but she shivered the entire time. Her eyes darted around the small room, alighting briefly on the torn shower curtain and the
81
Anny Cook
matching fluffy rug with faint brown smudges on it from her dirty feet. Quickly flushing the toilet, she washed her hands and shoved the door wide open. Just as he had assured her, Quill was standing right outside the door with his back turned. When he felt the faint brush of air movement from her pushing the door open, he turned around and held her securely in his comforting arms. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it but I promise you that the time will come when you won’t be afraid anymore.” Unity rested her head against his shoulder and nodded. “I know.” “Why don’t you get in bed while I finish up?” Reluctant but determined, Unity stepped back and nodded again. “Okay. Do you have a shirt I can sleep in?” “I do,” he replied slowly. “But I would rather that we sleep without anything between us. Are you up to that?” She tilted her head back and searched his eyes steadily for several long minutes. Then her lips quirked in a sad little smile. “I think I would like that. Will you hold me?” “All night long,” he promised. “All night.”
82
Winter Hearts
Chapter Nine When he came out of the bathroom, Unity was huddled under the heavy quilts with only the very top of her blonde head showing. He switched the last light off and walked around the bed where he quickly shucked his clothes in a crumpled heap on the floor before crawling into bed next to her. She was shivering between the cold sheets but rapidly warmed up once he cuddled her spoon wise against his warm body. Inevitably, with her satiny curves plastered against him, his cock took notice and stood up, prodding the lush crevice between her legs. He tried to shift his lower body away. Unity wriggled her ass back until he was snugly locked in the damp narrow channel between her thighs. With a soft sigh, she turned her head on the pillow they shared and asked, “Will you make love to me?” Quill’s heart squeezed in his tight chest. “You’ve had a terrible day. Are you sure you don’t want to go to sleep?” She chuckled sleepily and yawned. “Yeah, I’m sure. As tired as I am, I still want you more.” She wiggled to get closer. “I never told you how much I loved what you did that night.” “Oh yeah?” He cupped her breasts in his warm hands and she moaned. With deliberation he rubbed her soft nipples until they proudly pouted in the palms of his hands. Then he carefully pinched them and tugged gently. She gasped. “I love your breasts,” he whispered in her ear. “I used to watch you at work and dream about holding them like this. They’re perfect.” She went still. “You watched me at work?” “Uh-hmm. You had that one outfit—sort of a pinky-orangey skirt and sweater— that hugged your figure in all the right places. I loved that outfit.” Quill tugged her
83
Anny Cook
tight little nipples a little harder and she rocked her hips in time to the tugs. “Oh, you like this, do you? What if I play with your little clit while I suck on your nipples?” “What?” Her voice squeaked out with a moaning hiss. “Turn over and face me, sweetheart. I need to have my mouth on your breasts. I want to lick your nipples and suck them.” He punctuated his last statement with a swift, searching pass over the slick folds between her legs. “And then I’m going to spread your pretty legs and feast on your pussy until you can’t breathe for the pleasure.” Unity whimpered as silky fluid drenched his fingers. “Hmmm. I think you like it when I talk to you like this. You smell so sweet and hot—apricots and woman. When you were gone, Momma ordered a little box of apricots from a mail-order catalogue. I had to go for a walk when she opened them because the scent reminded me of you.” He rolled her over to face him and buried his face in the hollow of her soft neck. “Unity.” “What?” she whispered in the dark. “Just Unity. I would know your scent anywhere in the world.” His mouth and fingers lightly brushed her cheeks, her jaw, the delicate hollow beneath her ears. Moving so slowly it seemed that time stood still, he explored her shoulders, the generous curves of her breasts, all the while avoiding the tightly crinkled tips. Then with a deep groan, he covered one nipple with his scalding hot lips and suckled. Like an arrow loosed from the taut bow, Unity arched upward with a whimpered groan and called his name. “Quill!” He lifted his head and muttered, “I’m here, sweetheart. Right here.” Her fingers twisted in his silky hair as she pulled his head back to her breast. “More,” she whimpered softly. Restlessly, she twisted and twined her legs around his, struggling to get close enough to trap his knee against her clit. He slipped a finger between her sprawled legs, glancing over her clit and lightly prodded her slippery opening. Immediately her hips tilted, easing his way. 84
Winter Hearts
“Mmmm, you’re so wet. Does that mean you’re happy to be here?” he teased. Moving down in the bed so that he was wedged between her thighs, he bent his head and leisurely explored her pussy with lips and tongue while she squirmed, determined to get that busy tongue exactly where she needed it. Abruptly, he sat up and crawled from the bed. “What’s wrong?” she demanded in a tight whisper. She could hear him fumbling in the dark. She heard a dull thump followed by a muttered imprecation. There was the faint rustle of fabric, then the sing of a zipper followed by crackling of cellophane. A moment later he stretched out on the bed next to her and shoved his hand beneath their pillow. “It’s called poor planning and bad timing,” he admitted with an irritated growl. “The night before Satterwhite carried out his little plan, I bought a box of condoms on the far-out chance that we would ever get together. I knew when I met you that you were the one for me but I wasn’t so sure you would feel the same way. Then when you disappeared, I packed them away.” Unity giggled at the thought of Quill hotfooting it to the store for condoms. “Don’t laugh,” he grumbled. “When I packed to come home, I just threw everything in the bag. And since you showed up, I’ve been too busy to unpack, let alone remember to put them away. I stubbed my toe when I got out of bed.” His aggrieved tone sent her off into gales of laughter. “Oh poor baby! Shall I kiss it and make it better?” “I have a long list of things you can kiss and my toes aren’t on it.” “Mmmm.” She trailed a fingertip across his full lower lip. “Here?” His breathing quickened. “Uh-huh.” Her treacherous fingers trailed down to his wide chest and lightly plucked at his tiny erect nipples. “Here?” A low growl rumbled from him as he caught her hand with his. “Put your mouth on me anywhere you want to.”
85
Anny Cook
“Unh, unh, unh,” she admonished, freeing her fingers and trailing them lower, circling his navel with a couple of slow circuits before moving down across his flat belly. She reached his cock and grasped it in the warm palm of her hand. “Maybe here?” “Unity!” “Yes? This must be the spot.” Seconds later, she was on her knees, crouched over him with the broad head of his cock in her mouth, suckling like she was starving while her hands roamed in eager exploration. Her hair was a pale curtain sealing out the rest of the room. The darkness magnified all the other senses. His taste and scent sank into her pores as she savored the wild tangy fragrance that was Quill. Her fingers brushed the soft skin covering the warm staff as she traced the veins pulsing with life and strength. She rolled the soft sac holding his testicles between her fingers and he groaned. Lifting her head, she licked her lips, seeking out the most minute hint of his essence before moving up to straddle his hips. Quill fumbled for one of the condoms stashed beneath the pillow before thrusting it in her hand. “Put it on!” he ground out, panting lightly as he waited for a time stretched past bearing. Then her gentle fingers were rolling the condom over his erection. He gritted his teeth as she rose on her knees and positioned him at her entrance. Though she was very wet, it was a tight fit. She made little undulating movements until finally the head slipped in. He heard her gasp. And then she rocked up and down and up and down until he thought he would go mad before he was in all the way. He cupped her breasts, plucking and teasing the hard, crinkled nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. Abruptly, with no warning, she climaxed and sheathed him with one long fiery flow. Tiny internal contractions rippled up and down his cock as he clenched his teeth and fought off his own orgasm. He wanted another from her, another climax with her pussy squeezing his cock like a tight fist.
86
Winter Hearts
She slumped forward, sprawled on his chest, heart pounding and lungs wheezing. He wrapped her in his arms and rolled until he was the one on top. “Put your legs around me,” he commanded as he thrust in to the hilt. Unity tilted her hips and locked her legs around his hard butt. Panting and moaning, she met him thrust for thrust, mindlessly reaching again for that peak that hovered just out of reach. He inched up enough to change the angles. Suddenly, his thick cock was rubbing high inside across the sensitive nerve bed that no one had ever reached before. She screamed and came hard, squeezing the hot flesh that filled her. With a shout, he thrust his hips one more time and joined her, unable to resist the tugging little contractions. For long moments, they lay locked together as they struggled back toward sanity. Finally, Quill rolled to the side though he remained inside her, still partially erect. He was reluctant to separate their joined bodies. And when he did start to draw away, she locked her ankles behind him and prevented him from moving. “Stay. Please.” “I need to go in the bathroom for a minute. I’ll be right back,” he assured her. “Then we’ll cuddle.” True to his word, he was back in seconds, pulling her close so that they spooned together in the cozy bed under the heavy quilts. Almost immediately he heard her little lady-like snores and knew that she had tumbled into much needed sleep. With a tiny sigh, he followed her. In the early light of dawn, they made slow, lazy love. It started out with cuddling and gentle touches that moved to searching, nibbling kisses. The leisurely explorations moved naturally to a long, tender meshing of bodies. They reached orgasm as one, then curled together and slipped back into sleep. When they woke again, the sun was well up in the sky. Quill lifted his head and scowled at the clock before returning back to his spot next to Unity. They dozed for a while and then Unity yawned and asked, “What time is it?” “After ten.”
87
Anny Cook
When her stomach gurgled and growled, he chuckled. “Time to get up and fix breakfast, I think.” “Oh yeah? And which one of us is cooking?” She yawned again and moaned. “I don’t want to get up.” “So stay in bed for a while.” She snuggled back against his broad chest and savored the slide of warm skin on skin. Their scents surrounded them, scents of lovemaking, earthy scents of two people becoming one. “Nah,” she decided reluctantly. “I’ll get up with you and help with breakfast.” He nuzzled his sore nose in her hair. “Are you going to marry me, Unity Brooks?” Twisting in his arms so that she could face him, she stared into his eyes with a little frown marring her face. Absently, she noted his still swollen and bruised nose and face. So much had happened in such a short time. “Are you sure, Aquila Jericho? I only plan to marry one time.” “Me too,” he replied soberly. “I’m not much of a prize and you’ll be getting my family as a bonus. But I love you. I want you for my wife. Will you take me on?” “Hmmm. You’re right, you’re not much of a bargain but I always wanted a little brother…and Rack will fit the bill perfectly,” she teased.
***** The sanctuary of the cabin soothed Unity’s fears and anxieties for the next week but all too soon she began to long for her own belongings, her own clothes, her own things around her. As she steadily grew more restless, Quill watched her with brooding eyes. He considered all the possible consequences before finally meeting with Seb, Michael and Suko. When he broached the idea of retrieving her belongings they all stared at him as though he was crazy. “They don’t know exactly where she is now,” Michael pointed out shortly. “Once she surfaces, all they’ll need to do is follow her home. As it is, I think you’re nuts to get married right now. What’s so important?” 88
Winter Hearts
“Everything.” Quill paced around the small clearing, packed with their cars, his truck and Tate’s battered jeep. “She has no clothes. Her computer was impounded. Her mementos are in her apartment.” He stopped in the midst of the small group and hunched his shoulders in his heavy jacket. Unseasonable cold gripped the mountains and the wind was picking up. “You don’t understand. Until she was grown, she didn’t have anything that belonged to her. Now everything is gone again.” Suko’s dark brows puckered in puzzlement. “What do you mean she didn’t have anything?” “She was a foster kid,” Quill replied curtly. “She moved from place to place. Belongings are important to her. She needs her computer back. All of her books are on it.” Seb shook his head regretfully. “It’s not happening, partner. What books are you talking about?” “She writes. Short stories, novellas, stuff like that. Plus she has a bunch of e-books she purchased. All of them are on her computer.” He leaned against the hood of Seb’s dusty blue car and sipped his coffee. “She had everything on a flash drive in her purse but that’s back in her apartment too. I know there are other things she needs or would like to have.” A breeze kicked up and swirled across the clearing, lifting long silky strands of Suko’s hair. He pushed it back from his face as he pondered the possibilities. “Have her make a list. If it’s small stuff, maybe we can pack it up and make it look like we’re impounding it. I’ll talk to Harry.” Michael slowly nodded his head. “Have her write out a release. Harry might go for that.” Quill sighed and walked away. As he trod up the steps to the cabin he considered their suggestions. “I’ll talk to Unity and get back to you. Thanks for the ideas.” As he reached for the door, Seb asked, “Are you still planning that Christmas Eve wedding?” Quill nodded adamantly. “Then I think we should arrange her deposition 89
Anny Cook
before that. If her formal testimony is down on record that will Satterwhite and his bunch from Marshalwoods Tech less reason to take her out.” “Okay. Arrange it.” Quill went inside, shutting the door quietly behind him. Unity and Rack were sitting at the honey pine kitchen table stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree. She had never had a Christmas tree so Quill was determined that she would have every Christmassy experience he could dredge up. Later on in the evening, they were going to tag along with the caroling group that planned to sing at the local rest home. Tomorrow, he planned to take her and his momma about two hours away to an outlet mall to shop for presents. While they were there, he was going to buy her some clothes. She looked up with raised eyebrows. “Well?” “Make a list. You can’t go there but Suko suggested the possibility of them bringing some of your stuff here. But nothing big, for now.” She huffed out a little snorting breath. “Right. Like I even own anything big. I suppose it’s better than nothing. When do they need the list?” “The sooner the better.” He went to the coffee maker and poured himself another mug of coffee, adding three sweeteners and a dollop of creamer. Then he took down a small plate from the cupboard and piled on two cinnamon rolls, warm and gooey with icing, from the pan on the stove. Moving to the end of the table unoccupied with the berries and popcorn, he sat down and watched them industriously string six fluffy kernels for every bright red berry. The long sharp needles flashed in and out. “Those are looking pretty good. How much do you have left to do?” Rack rattled the heavy paper bag of popcorn. “Oh, maybe enough for another string. Why don’t you make that list as soon as you finish your string, Unity? I can finish up here.” “I’ll take you up on that offer. I can’t wait to get my own underwear and shampoo!”
90
Winter Hearts
“Hey there, I like those sexy boxers! Especially the blue ones with the dancing moose.” Quill laughed at her raised fist. “I was thinking we ought to look for some others. They have silk boxers in pretty colors.” “I would rather have my silk thongs and lacy bras,” she replied slyly. “But if boxers are your thing…” Rack looked up from sorting through the bowl of cranberries. “Thongs? Really? I mean the real, skinny, you know,” his hands made a curvy motion in the air and he gulped. “Thongs?” “You’re too young to know about thongs,” Quill said around a mouthful of sweet roll. “I’m eighteen, Quill. I know about thongs.” “Oh yeah? What do you know about thongs?” “Well.” Under his older brother’s eagle eye, Rack swallowed and his cheeks turned ruddy. “Well, I know enough to know that Unity would look really, really sexy in one!” Unity laughed as they watched Quill coughing and hacking from swallowing his sweet roll the wrong way. “Are you okay?” she asked through a giggle. “I’m okay,” he growled glowering at his younger sibling. “I’m going to take Rack out behind the woodshed if he doesn’t stop talking about what you look like in a thong!” “I was just saying—“ “Enough!” Rack ducked his dark head to hide the grin on his face and Unity lightly smacked his arm. “Devil!” He showed her a face covered with youthful innocence. “Didn’t Quill tell you I’m an angel?”
91
Anny Cook
“I didn’t believe him then and I don’t believe it now. You have entirely too much mischief in you, Rack Jericho. Entirely too much. You must have been a terrible trial to your momma when you were little.” Unity shoved her chair back and went to search the rosewood desk for pen and paper. When she finally located a steno book, she came back and sat down at the table, trying to decide how to compile her list. Eventually she decided to list things by importance. “Don’t forget to write out a release note, just in case,” Quill muttered. She nodded to let him know she heard him while she began writing. Clothes. In tight neat script, she wrote a list of items, including colors and exact locations. She knew that Quill would be looking over the list so it gave her a little thrill when she listed the various panty-and-bra sets by color—turquoise, yellow, black, red. Purse and glasses. Her lips tightened at the thought that her purse might be gone or that the flash drives stashed in the inside pocket might have been taken. She had had such high hopes for her novella, Prince’s Passion. Well, perhaps it was still there. All she lacked was a synopsis and cover letter to submit it to Ellora’s Cave. Toiletries. At the top of the list she printed her two medications. Of course, she hadn’t taken the antidepressant in quite a while but one never knew what might come up. Rapidly, she added her shampoo and other necessities. Computer. Carefully, she listed the files she hoped would be returned to her. Aside from her own writing files and the e-books she’d purchased, there were financial records and the file records she kept of her search for her family. Her success in tracking down a distant elderly cousin, Keziah Pennington, encouraged her and kept her going. Kezzie’s death during the last summer was a tough blow but the wealth of information she’d given Unity was priceless. Then she listed a short inventory of miscellaneous items. Blue vase, a gift from her first boss. Metal cross, hanging on the wall. Green afghan, crocheted by Kezzie. It seemed like a pitifully short list. Everything else was just stuff from discount stores,
92
Winter Hearts
easily replaced if necessary. Finally, she ripped the sheets loose and handed them to Quill. He glanced at it casually then did a double take when he saw the detailed list of underwear. “Turquoise? Yellow? Leopard print?” “I like variety.” She picked up her coffee mug and Rack’s. “More coffee, Rack?” “Sure.” He ducked his head back down so Quill wouldn’t see his grin. At this rate, he’d never be able to hold his head up. It tickled him no end that Quill was so tied up in knots over Unity. And Unity? Well, if he had the chance to pick out a sister-in-law, it would be someone exactly like Unity. Quill gave him a hard stare but Rack wasn’t that stupid. His head stayed down as he steadily finished threading the last of the popcorn and cranberries on his string. He thought about how the family had suddenly exploded in the last week. Unity. Repentance. And Sebastian. All of them were wonderful additions to the Jerichos. Someday when he was older, he would find his own partner. “Rack?” Quill’s voice jerked him out of his musings. With a sigh, he knotted the string and placed it on the table in front of him. “All finished, Quill. Now what?” “Now you take this list to Seb.” Rack noticed with interest that Quill had his eyes on Unity’s backside. She was in front of the refrigerator, bent over in search of something on one of the lowest shelves. And her butt…was something Quill better not catch him looking at. He shoved back his chair and took the sheaf of papers, folding them together before he stuffed them in his back pocket. “I’ll take off then.” He found his coat, hastily slipped it on and went out the door, twisting the lock mechanism as he pulled it shut. If Quill’s glance meant anything at all, they wouldn’t want to be interrupted for the next little while. Unity straightened up and looked around with a frown. “Where’d Rack go? I was just going to fix lunch.”
93
Anny Cook
“Rack went to deliver your list to Seb.” Quill stood up and stalked around the table toward her with purpose. When Unity saw the hot gleam in his eyes she backpedaled in a hurry, ending up in the corner between the sink and the stove. “Now, Quill,” she began, torn between laughter and anticipation. “Don’t you now, Quill me.” He placed his hands on the counter on each side of her trapping her neatly against his body. “Now, Quill. You knew what you were doin’, egging on Rack, talking about tiny little panties and lacy bras.” He leaned into her, brushing his mouth over her parted lips. She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him with fervor, teasing his mouth with her tongue. Quill lifted his head and stared down at her. “Take your clothes off.” “Here?” The thought of making love in the kitchen intrigued her. She whipped her loose blue t-shirt over her head, barely sparing a thought for the Angels do it with Perfection slogan on the front. Seconds later she’d shed her jeans, boxers and socks and stood naked in front of him. Pointing to one of the overstuffed blue chairs, he instructed, “Wait over there.” He retrieved a full-length mirror from the closet. She watched wide-eyed as he carried it to the hearth and propped it facing the blue chair. Then he shucked his clothing and sat down in the soft chair facing the mirror. “Come here, sweetheart.” “Quill?” “I want to show you something.” He waited calmly for her to decide whether she wanted to trust him or not. It wasn’t something he could force. Trust was given, not taken. Finally she moved closer until she was standing next to him. “Sit down here on my legs, sweetheart, facing the mirror. Straddle my legs and scoot up here.” Unity awkwardly followed his directions until she was seated with her soft ass above his groin. He held her close with his hands resting on her thighs. His cock bobbed
94
Winter Hearts
between her legs, rubbing against her damp folds. She knew if she looked up she would see them reflected in the mirror but she shied away from the vision. “Put your arms up around my neck and keep them there. Then look at yourself in the mirror,” he said quietly. “You have no idea what I see when I look at you so you don’t understand how I feel when you tease me like you did when Rack was here. I want you to see what I see.” Shyly, she looked at their reflections in the glass. He shifted his hand to cup her breasts and lightly thumbed her nipples. Instantly, they tightened into hard little points. “See how pretty your breasts are. And these luscious pink nipples like berries? Look at the way they pout for me,” he whispered in the flickering firelight. Unity stared at the erotic picture in the mirror. The wanton woman in front of her wasn’t someone she knew. That woman was flushed with desire, abandoned to her fate, submissively allowing her lover’s hands to wander at will. She watched as Quill’s big hands slid down to spread her slick swollen lips. He held his cock to the side so that nothing hindered her view. Fascinated, she watched the delicate folds flutter and pulse. Then he gently brushed her clit with a calloused thumb. Heat flashed up her spine. Her nipples tightened and rose color flushed her from head to toe. A few pearly drops of fluid drizzled from her pussy. “Put your feet up on my knees.” Too enthralled to refuse, she obeyed his husky command without a qualm. With her legs spread wide, he tenderly insinuated first one thick finger, then a second. More silky fluid drenched his fingers, glistening in the soft afternoon light. “Now lift up so I can put my cock in you,” he growled. “I want you to watch as you take me.” Uncertainly, she moved up until he was able to lodge the broad head at her entrance. “Take me.”
95
Anny Cook
Slowly, she watched as her body opened and accepted him. As first the thick plumcolored head squeezed in followed by the heavy pulsing rod, she gasped. His cock brushed over thousands of tiny nerve endings. Stunned, she watched as the entrance to her pussy clutched the thick intruder. He spread his legs. His balls lifted up tight and close to his body. He slipped a hand up to pluck at her nipples, alternating from one to the other. With his other hand he lightly teased her delicate pearly little clit. Her arms tightened around his neck as her entire body clenched. “That’s right, sweetheart. Just right. In a minute, you’re going to come for me. I want you to watch yourself. Watch how beautiful you are.” Unity’s eyes slammed shut, locking out the wanton woman in the mirror. “No, sweetheart. Look at yourself.” Quill ceased all movement as he waited for her to open her eyes. Her icy blue eyes met his dark ones in the mirror. Reluctantly, she asked, “What about a condom?” “Do you really want one?” Quill stared at her with intense longing. After a moment, she smiled tenderly at their reflection. “No. I want to feel all of you, skin to skin, Quill.” Briefly, for a heart-stopping moment, he closed his eyes. Then they opened and he flashed her a look of such love and heat that her pussy instantly squeezed his cock like a hot wet fist. They moaned together, caught in the emotional whirlpool. “I didn’t know it would be like this,” he admitted softly. “I love you, Unity.” “I love you, Quill.” Wantonly, she studied their reflections. Then with a naughty smile, she said, “Make me come, Quill. And then fill me with your hot seed.” Silence filled the cabin. Silence heavy with the promise of passion. The scents in the air took on an earthy tone permeated with lust. With heated tender touches he led her to the peak. His cock swelled, filling her with his hot flesh. One last touch, one last thrust pushed her over into completion. Dimly, she heard him shout her name. As she watched him in the mirror, she felt the scalding jets pulse deep inside her. Abruptly, 96
Winter Hearts
with no warning the erotic promise of unprotected sex pushed her over the edge again in a longer, gentler climax. In the mirror, she saw a man and woman spellbound by love and passion, captivated by the promise of their future together. Quill’s arms cradled her protectively as their bodies slowly recovered. He smiled at her tenderly. “Now you know how beautiful you are to me.”
97
Anny Cook
Chapter Ten The small chapel was filled with the fragrance of pine boughs and bayberry candles. The pews held a scattering of acquaintances and friends of the Jericho family. Some of Quill’s co-workers quietly slipped in and found seats as the organ music swelled and filled the room. Jewel-toned color glittered in the candlelight. Red the color of wine, deep grape purple, royal blue, gold and silver ribbons, glass balls and crystal ornaments adorned the window sills, pew ends and sides of the altar. Ellie rose, elegant and beautiful in her midnight blue velvet dress, and went to stand next to the organist. Rack solemnly lit two candles that flanked a tall central white pillar surrounded by a low bed of holly twined with red ribbon. Then as Ellie sang the old familiar words to “Silent Night”, Quill and Unity walked down the aisle. There was considerable lively discussion about whether or not Pentecost or his brother Kenaniah should give Unity away. Quill had silenced the debate by taking Unity’s hand in his and stating firmly, “We will begin as we mean to live—together.” Delilah had smiled gently and said a soft, “Amen.” Unity’s pastor from Bristol stood at the altar with the local Baptist preacher, Rev. Garrison, waiting for the bride and groom. Quill’s heart skipped a beat when they drew even with the pew where the Jericho family sat. Cage was there with his arm around a fragile but peaceful Repentance. Rack flashed him an ebullient grin and a quick thumbs up. Pentecost and Delilah sent him warm smiles of blessing and approval. Then they reached the altar and Zipporah and Seb quietly joined them as a contented murmur swept the small congregation. Pastor Daniels smiled at the bride and groom. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…”
98
Winter Hearts
Quill breathed a sigh of relief that the last week was finally over. There were times when he had wondered if Christmas Eve would ever arrive. Times when he wondered if they wouldn’t have been better off eloping. Times when only the promise and love in Unity’s eyes had helped keep him steady and on course. The deposition had been the worst hurdle by far. Naturally he wasn’t permitted to be in the room while she gave her testimony. Rack and Tate, uncomfortable but determined in their Sunday suits, kept him company in the crowded hallway outside the judge’s chambers. It seemed to take forever but when she reappeared accompanied by her attorney, Quill couldn’t believe it had only been two hours. The attorney gave him a brief nod that all was well, checked his watch and took off for his next appointment. On the way home, Unity had quietly informed him that the judge threatened to jail Otis Satterwhite for contempt and stalking if he persisted in harassing Unity. He also reprimanded the representative from the police department for their handling of the entire situation. Privately, Quill believed that there was nothing like a lot of media hype and public embarrassment to get the attention of law enforcement. “You may light the candle,” Rev. Garrison said quietly. Unity and Quill moved to the altar, one on each side, and took up the lighted candles that flanked the pillar. Together, they lit the central candle and set their candles back in place. He took her hand in his, noticing that he wasn’t the only one trembling with nerves. “From this time forward we will be two-as-one.” Tears glittered in her eyes as she smiled with quivering lips. “From this time forward we will be two-as-one.” He took her hand as they returned to their places. The wait hadn’t been all bad, he conceded. He spent one entire exhausting day squiring his momma and Unity around a huge outlet mall in the next county. Delilah helped Unity pick out a dress and all the accoutrements required for a wedding. Quill’s only contribution was a firm request that
99
Anny Cook
the dress be white. Otherwise he was perfectly willing to loll around, keeping an eye on them while they tried on an endless number of dresses. Ellie and Zip made a brief appearance long enough to try on three dresses each and then took off in a fit of giggles, which Quill had learned long ago meant they were up to some sort of feminine mischief. Two days later, he found that his instincts were correct when they sprung a surprise wedding shower on him and Unity. A little smile played over his lips when he reflected that it was a draw as to who was more surprised when Zip flung the door to the cabin open and caught him and Unity stark naked on the rug in front of the fire. “Do you, Aquila Jericho, take…” Oh yeah. Nothing on earth would keep him from taking Unity. Nothing. “I do.” His voice was firm and clear in the hushed chapel. Rev. Garrison stepped forward and asked, “Do you have the rings?” With a private smile Quill took the ring Seb handed him. Their rings were simple gold bands encircled with Celtic knot work and hearts. Inside the bands Unity had chosen to have their names engraved with the words Winter Hearts, Forever Lovers. Their love might have started in the cold and the dark but it had blossomed into something powerful and lasting, something forever. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Eagerly, Quill turned to face his beautiful new wife, only to find that her anticipation matched his own when she flung her arms around his neck and planted her soft lips on his mouth. There was a sprinkling of chuckles. Then the laughter rippled across the congregation as Pastor Daniels tentatively cleared his throat. Quill lifted his head and swung Unity up in his arms. “Y’all are invited over to the fellowship hall for cake and coffee. Unity and I thank you for coming here tonight to share in our happiness.” And then he carried her down the aisle amid joyful cheering and applause.
100
About the Author Anny Cook learned to read at five years old. Learning to write was a natural extension. Through her adult years while a wife, mother, grandmother, fast food cook, warehouse book packer, Girl Scout and Cub Scout Leader, perpetual college student, executive secretary, and adult education teacher, writing served as the anchor that kept her sane. Well, maybe not exactly sane, but close to it. Today, after thirty-five years with kids, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, and hamsters, she and her husband are empty nesters. Sigh. Finally, there’s time—and quiet—to write in peace.
Anny welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at
[email protected].
Also by Anny Cook Chrysanthemum Mystic Valley: Everything Lovers Can Know Mystic Valley: Traveller’s Refuge Mystic Valley: Cherished Destinies
Also see this author’s titles at Cerridwen Press (www.cerridwenpress.com):
Mystic Valley: Dancer’s Delight
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
www.ellorascave.com
