He hadn't left, Lou told himself a few hours later. He kept telling himself he was going to, right after the next little job, or the one after that. But he hadn't left.
Of course he hadn't left. He'd been fooling himself to think he was going to get out of this place if Maxie wanted to keep him here. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for her-and no, that had nothing to do with anything other than the fact that he liked her and seemed to have developed a soft spot for her, despite her being his polar opposite in every way.
She was also his biggest pain in the ass, and he personally thought she ought to be voted the girl most likely to get herself dead before her time. Which was a large part of the reason why, when she got into trouble, be tended to want to stick around and help her out of it. So he'd said he would hang around to help her unload, and he did. And then she declared they needed to it, so they ordered pizza from a place in town and ate on the patio outside the office. It was nice. Three friends, munching pizza and ignoring the herd of elephants currently dancing in the parlor.
Stormy's odd symptoms. Max's worry for her. Max's mad theories. Lou's skepticism about them. Max's constant flirting. Lou's phony don't-care attitude toward it. His lie about wanting to get home. Max's lie about intending to let him go. And the fear for an old friend that hovered over all of them.
Yep. A herd of elephants.
But the patio was nice, white fieldstones smooth as glass, wicker furniture, glass-topped table, an umbrella for shade, white with a pattern of green ivy, like the cushions on the chairs. It was a warm evening. Sitting out there in the starlight, smelling the sea breeze, citronella torches ablaze, it felt just fine.
When it got too cool to remain, Lou decided to make coffee, which meant unpacking cups and things. And that task turned into unpacking nearly every box marked Kitchen. The three worked in synch and had the job done in under an hour. Max's blender and toaster and coffeepot were on the counter-the pot half-full. All the dishes were put away except the cups they'd been drinking from. Those he stacked in the dishwasher.
He liked the kitchen here. Of the entire place, he thought he liked it best. It was clean, efficient, not overly fancy. And the pink-and-gray marble was perfect. Tiny squares of it covered the walls, and a huge chunk formed the surface of the island in the middle of the room. Now, that, he thought, was Max. Pink swirls. Soft on the surface, but tough as rock underneath.
Fortified with caffeine, kitchen unpacking all done, Lou next carried some boxes up the stairs to the bedrooms the girls would be using. Maxie's room-formerly Morgan's-was huge, with attached bathroom that included a sunken tub and a shower with multiple heads. It had a balcony with French doors, and filmy white curtains, and it was fully furnished.
He set Max's boxes of clothes and toiletries in the bedroom and took a look around. The room was dark and dramatic. It wasn't Maxie. But when he tossed her ladybug-patterned beanbag chair into a corner, he thought that she might transform it, given time.
"'There are a half dozen other bedrooms, besides cline and Stormy's, " Max said.
He turned to see her standing in the doorway. She moved into the room past him, scooped a box off the floor and set it on the huge bed. "Yeah, I know, " he said.
'I've been here before, too, you know."
She nodded. She was pulling items out of the box . Nightgowns. Underthings. She held each one up if to inspect it before folding it and dropping it into top drawer of the bureau beside the bed. "So which room do you want to use?"
"Max, hon, I told you, I'm not staying over."
Oh, come on, you don't still mean to leave. If you did, you'd be gone by now. At this point, you'd have to drive all night." The item she was holding up now was a sheer black teddy. He looked at it, then at her, and then he was imagining her wearing it, which was a stupid thing to think about. And yet he couldn't shake the image from sneaking through his mind. The nightie was short, and her legs were long. He'd seen her in shorts in the summer, so he knew about her legs. Hell, she'd made sure he knew. Maxie seemed to live for teasing him, though most of the time he managed to believe she didn't mean anything by it. She was young, probably thought it was safe to flirt with him. He was too much older than her to take her seriously, and too good a friend to be dangerous. She thought he was safe. Comfortable. She ought to be right. He felt like a pig for the images of her prancing around in that skimpy teddy that were currently filling every corner of his mind.
"Lou?"
He shook himself, snapped out of it, looked at her again.
She smiled at him. "You like this one, huh?"
"What?"
"The teddy. You were kind of staring at it."
He shook his head. "No, I wasn't."
"Sure you were"
"I was lost in thought, that's all."
"It's okay. I don't mind"
"You damn well should, " he muttered, turning away to leave the room.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing. Back on topic, kid. I can't stay the night. Plain and simple. I'll stay until you get hold of your friend Jason, just so I know what you're up to, but then-"
"Will you be reasonable, already?"
He knew she was right. He was being utterly unreasonable. Why drive all night when there were vacant bedrooms for the taking and an open invitation? Because he didn't trust himself to spend the night under the same roof with Maxie, that was why. He searched his mind for a reasonable argument and latched on to the first one he found. "I didn't bring anything with me, " he said. There. She couldn't very well argue with that. He kept walking along the hall toward the stairs.
She popped into the hallway behind him. "Yes, you did."
Lou stopped and turned slowly to face her.
She was standing with one hand braced on the door frame of her bedroom, and she turned her green eyes up to their most innocent setting. "You were being stubborn. I was afraid you'd end up stranded here with none of your stuff, so...I tossed your overnight bag into Stormy's car before we left White Plains ."
"You...?" He couldn't even form a sentence, he was so stunned.
"You can use this room here, " she said, striding down the hall toward him and flinging open a door. "This is a nice room. One of my favorites. I think it's the one Morgan's godfather, David Sumner, used when he came out here to visit. It's all earth tones, greens and browns. Very masculine."
It was also, he realized, the room right beside her own. She read that observation on his face and said, "Besides, you'll be close to me. In case I need you."
He stared at her. God, why wouldn't she lay off him with this constant flirting and teasing? He was human. He was not a gelding. He was a red-blooded man, and he could only take so much. And it didn't matter to his libido that she was his opposite in every imaginable way from personality to phase in life. She was just starting out, ready to take on the world and whip it into submission. He was ready to slow down, lie back, relax a little. She wanted marriage, long-term commitment-kids, for crying out loud. And she deserved those things. He wanted none of the above. Wasn't capable of any of them even if he did want them.
"Maxie, maybe you and I need to sit down and have a talk"
"It's about time, " she said. "My room or yours?"
He opened his mouth, but before he got a word out, Stormy was calling to them from the bottom of the stairs. Max clenched her fist. "Curses, foiled again!" Then she started down the stairs. "What's wrong, hon?"
"I've got Jason on the phone."
Max glanced at Lou, and he got the distinct feeling he'd just had a narrow escape-he couldn't be exactly sure what from. More of her teasing, more than likely. Sure as hell wouldn't have been anything more. But damn, if he ever slipped up-lost the iron grip he held on his self-control... Showed her I'm not a gelding after all... He slammed the door on that kind of thinking. "On our way, Storm."
He walked behind Max down the broad, curving staircase that belonged in lifestyles of the richer than he'd ever be, and tried not to notice the curve of Max's butt in the tight little jeans she wore. Her butt was none of his business.
They hit the ground floor, and she practically ran into the office. He took his time, just to give himself a second. He had to shake off the entire past ten minutes, everything about Maxie, her cute ass, her sexy teddy and her big bedroom. All of it. Wipe it out. Zip. Done.
God, he was getting good at it.
The vampire watched and listened as Jason Beck made the phone call.
The young man's reunion with his sister had been exactly what had been needed, he decided. He'd stood just inside the closed door of his mansion's most opulent bedroom suite as Beck's little sister rushed into her brother's arms. The young man held her, then opened his arms to include the other girl. After a moment, he held them away from himself and looked them over. "Are you all right? Have you been hurt?"
"We're okay, " Delia said. "But God, look at you. , 00k at your face. Jason, what happened? Did they...was it...?"
"It was an accident. Honestly, it's fine." He ran a hand over his injured face. Black eye. Split lip. Silently, the vampire cursed Fieldner for his overdeveloped violent streak.
Delia didn't look convinced, but she wanted to be. She said, "We're fine, too. This guy-he's been...decent."
"That other one wasn't, " Janie muttered.
Beck looked at her sharply. "You mean the police chief? Fieldner? Did he hurt you?"
"No." Delia put a hand on her brother's arm and shot Janie a dirty look. "He was gruff and bossy, and he kept us in a-a cell of some kind for a while. But now that we're here, we're fine. Honestly, Jay. I don't want you to worry. We're okay. Besides, you're here now. It's over. We can go home with you."
Jason licked his lips.
"Jay? We can go with you, can't we? You did come here to take us home..."
Lowering his head, Beck said, "Not just yet. But it won't be long."
Delia's face fell, until the vampire thought she would cry. Janie pouted, looking petulant. "What is it the bastard wants you to do?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked, giving nothing away.
Smart, the vampire thought. The boy didn't want to upset the girls with any details. He only wanted to protect them and get them out of here safely. He was as intelligent as the vampire had taken him to be, then.
"He wants something, " Janie said. "He's holding us to force you to do something or give him something. What is it? Money? Help with some legal problem? You are studying for the bar after all."
Delia caught her breath. "I hadn't thought of that. Jay, don't do anything that would ruin your chances-your future-"
"It's nothing like that. I promise you. I'm going to have you out of here in a day or two. I swear." He looked hack toward where the vampire stood. "He's given me his word on that."
"Indeed, " said the vampire. "And my word is my bond."
"Nothing's going to happen to you, " Jason promised. "You'll be safe here until this is over"
"Time is short. You have that phone call you're expecting, Mr. Beck, " the vampire said.
Finally, Jason nodded, but Delia snapped her arms around his neck. "He is making you do something. I know he is. What is it, Jay?"
"It'll be over soon." He gently took her arms from his neck. "It'll be done before you know it, and you'll be home with me, hon. I promise. You've gotta trust me on this."
She let him untangle her arms, but her tears were flowing. The vampire found himself actually touched by the obvious affection between the two, the heartbreak this separation was causing them. He felt it, of course, very bit of it, every emotion, from the fear to the sadness to the stubborn determination on the part of the young man to do whatever it took to save his sister. Whatever it took.
He almost regretted having to put them through this. And yet, he had to see the woman for himself. He had to know...
"Come, Jason, " he said. "We have to get you back to the mainland now."
The young man obeyed, hating to, hating the vampire with everything in him. The only emotion stronger than his hatred was his love for his sister. The vampire was counting on that.
He took Jason back through the halls of his home and outside into the beauty of the night. But all the way along the paths of his island, he was acutely aware of the soft crying coming from that bedroom, the tearful sobs of those two young girls.
He could easily kill Fieldner for getting him into this. And yet now that he'd seen that face-he had no choice but to follow through.
Soon they were back in Beck's motel room. And he was, at last, on the telephone with the girl-detectives, rather than their answering machine. Fieldner was listening on the other line, but the vampire had no patience for that. He crossed the room, held out a hand, his command unspoken but clearly understood. Fieldner handed him the receiver and backed away, stationing himself near the door without being told.
The vampire brought the telephone to his ear and closed his eyes in a mingling of hope and despair at the sound of the woman's voice. It wasn't the same.
"Jason, thank God. We've been trying to call you for hours."
"I had to go out, " he replied. "Sorry about that."
The vampire sighed. The voice was not the same, but that didn't mean he could let this go. He looked at Jason Beck and sent his words directly into the young man's mind, without ever parting his lips to speak them aloud.
You will tell them to come here. Immediately.
Jason Beck's eyes widened as he stared at the vampire.
Do it! Need I remind you what will happen to your sister if you disobey?
Beck closed his eyes slowly, nodded to tell the vampire he understood, and turned his attention to the woman on the telephone.
By the time Lou joined them in the office, Stormy was hitting the speaker button and setting the receiver down. He found himself a chair and waited, listening to the conversation.
"Jay? I put you on speakerphone, hon, so we can all get the full scoop. Now, just be calm. We're here for you. Tell us what the hell is going on."
She listened. So did Lou. He came up out of his chair when Jason spoke, because he could have sworn there was a thickness to the other man's voice. As if his throat were tight, the way it would be if he'd been crying.
"I don't know exactly, Storm. But damn, it's good to hear your voice."
"Yours, too." She sent Max a searching look. "Are you okay, Jason? You sound-"
"Fine. I'm..." He sniffed. "Is Max with you?"
"I'm here, Jay, " Maxie called. "And so is Lou. You remember Lou Malone?"
"Your cop?"
Lou shot Max a look. Since when had he been considered her cop?
"Jason, what's happened to Delia?" Maxie asked quickly.
"I don't know. That's just it. She was on a trip with her best friend, Janie. Headed up the coast to celebrate spring break. Senior year, you know? Then I got this call from her. She sounded terrified, Storm. Said she was in trouble. We got cut off after that. And to be honest, the entire call was broken, full of static, I could barely hear her most of the time. But I'm sure she said the name of a town-Endover, New Hampshire."
"And that's where you are now?" Stormy asked. "Yeah. It's like a freakin' ghost town here."
"You've tried to call her back?" Max asked.
"That was the first thing I did. First through hundredth. No luck. It's freaking weird, Max" He sighed, a broken sound. "But I believe she's here-I think they both are."
"When did you get that phone call, Jay?"
"Earlier today, " he told her.
"And you haven't heard from her since?"
There was the slightest delay before he said, "No. Not a word."
Stormy looked up at Max. Lou saw that they'd both heard the hesitation. Jason had started to say something else, then thought better of it.
"I need you guys to come down here. Immediately." Stormy opened her mouth, but Lou spoke first. "Have you called the police?"
"Hell, Lou, you know as well as I do they wouldn't take this seriously. Not when she was out on a road trip with a friend. They'd think I was being an overprotective, melodramatic, alarmist."
"Are you sure you aren't?" Lou asked.
Max sent him a furious scowl and mouthed "Knock it off."
"It's all right, Jason, " Stormy said. "Look, this is what we do for a living now. Right, Max?"
"Right, " Max said. "Jason, you're in Endover now, correct?"
"Yeah. The motel where I'm staying is at the north edge of town on 1-A, on the right. The North Star Motor Lodge. You can't miss it."
"All right."
Stormy had turned to the computer and was typing rapidly as Jason spoke. Lou looked at the monitor over her shoulder to see she had punched the information into an online map-making program. She hit Enter. About three seconds later the driving directions appeared, and she hit the print button. "Jay, it looks like it's about four and a half hours from here. Allowing time for us to pack a bag or two, we can be there by 5:00 a.m."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, " Lou said. "Jason, these two have already driven close to eight hours today. And not without incident, " he said with a sharp look at Stormy and Max when he sensed they were about to object.
Max sighed. "He's right. We shouldn't be driving without a few hours' sleep."
She didn't surprise him. He knew her concern for Stormy would be the one thing that would outweigh her rush to help out an old friend.
"How about we get a decent night's sleep and leave first thing in the morning? We could still make it by noon."
Lou hadn't realized he'd said "we" until he felt Max's eyes on him, and by then it was too late. Then Jason voiced the question he was already asking himself.
"What do you mean, `we'? Look, Lou, I don't want the police involved in this."
"I'm not the police. Not anymore. Retired a few months ago, kid. Any other reason you don't want me in on this thing?"
The suspicion and the hint of inexplicable animosity in his tone were not entirely unintended. He couldn't seem to keep them out, and he didn't particularly want to. This guy on the phone was sending up so many red flags, Lou could hear them flapping in the breeze.
"Of course not, " Jason said. "The more help I have on this thing, the better. Noon tomorrow will be fine. Thank you, guys."
"You're welcome, Jason, " Maxie said.
"We'll see you tomorrow, " Stormy added.
Jason hung up without a goodbye. Stormy reached to hit the disconnect button, but Lou held up a hand. Sure enough, the second click came, just as it had before. They both heard it, and he saw their eyes widen. Then he nodded, and Stormy hung up.
Stormy looked at Max, then at Lou. "Something is wrong with him."
"His sister's missing, " Max said. "It's like he said, it's amazing he can form a coherent sentence. You know how he adores her." She snatched the pages off the printer and took a look at the driving directions.
"Seemed like more than that, " Lou said.
"Hell, Lou, you barely know him."
"That makes me more objective. Besides, I'm a cop, remember?"
"Ex-cop, " she corrected.
"Once a cop, always a cop. And I'll tell you, kid, after twenty years, you get to know when something's off, and something about your friend Jason is definitely off. Way off. And then there are the monitored phone calls."
"You can't be sure that's what that extra click was, " Max said.
He nodded, conceding that. "Can't be sure it wasn't, either."
She shrugged. "I can be sure of one thing, though."
"Yeah? What's that, Nancy Drew?"
She met his eyes and smiled the most triumphant, smug little smile he'd ever seen her wear. "You're planning to come with us."
He couldn't even argue with her. Instead, he sighed and lowered his head.
"I need more pizza, " Maxie said. She walked out of the office, a little bounce to her step on her way to the kitchen, where they'd left the extra slices in a box on the island.
Lou watched her go and tried to quell the little voice that told him it was a mistake to give in to her yet again. But there was an even bigger feeling, one that was far more important. It sat like a brick in the pit of his stomach, and it told him that something very bad was waiting for Mad Maxie Stuart in Endover.
