Even in the Darkness
Shirlee McCoy
Alone in a country she didn't know well, chased by men who were willing to kill to get what they wanted, Lakeview veterinarian Tori Riley would do anything to keep the daughter she gave up for adoption safe – even depend on a man who might not be telling her the truth.Called out of early retirement for one final job, former DEA agent Noah Stone didn't trust Tori's motives – what kind of vet gets herself tangled up with drug lords?But there was no time for questions, for every second brought an unscrupulous enemy closer to Tori's daughter….
SHIRLEE MCCOY
has always loved making up stories. As a child, she daydreamed elaborate tales in which she was the heroine—gutsy, strong and invincible. Though she soon grew out of her superhero fantasies, her love for storytelling never diminished. She knew early that she wanted to write inspirational fiction, and began writing her first novel when she was a teenager. Still, it wasn’t until her third son was born that she truly began pursuing her dream of being published. Three years later she sold her first book. Now a busy mother of four, Shirlee is a homeschool mom by day and an inspirational author by night. She and her husband and children live in Maryland and share their house with a dog and a guinea pig. You can visit her Web site at www.shirleemccoy.com (http://www.shirleemccoy.com).
Even in the Darkness
Shirlee McCoy
ISBN: 9781408966037
Even in the Darkness
© Shirlee McCoy 2006
First Published in Great Britain in 2006
Harlequin (UK) Limited
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, including without limitation xerography, photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This ebook is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated, without the prior consent of the publisher, in any form or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
All characters in this work have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.á.r.l.
® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
If I rise up on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
—Psalms 139:9–10
To my nieces and nephews who’ve already arrived—Joshua, Skylar, Danielle, Brianna, Trey, Jacob, Kaitlyn, John Paul, Elijah, Elijah, and Amirah—my life is brighter because you are in it. I love you all!
And to the one who hasn’t arrived—baby Parker. Love begins on a breath of hope and rushes forward to embrace a dream. You are that dream. Safe travels, little one!
Special thanks to Kitty McCoy, proprietor of Kitty’s Little Book Shoppe, and my biggest Smith Mountain Lake fan. Get the tea ready, I’m on my way!
Dear Reader,
Life is filled with choices—stay or move, spend or save, take a new job or remain at an old one. If you’re like me, you’re faced with decisions every day. Sometimes it’s easy to choose what path to take. Other times all the paths look the same, no choice better or worse than any other. That’s when fear can take hold. We worry that we’ll make the wrong choice, that somehow our decision will lead us to a place we shouldn’t be. Fortunately, God is in control. He can and will lead us toward the goal—a life lived well for Him.
That’s what happens to Tori Riley. When a trip to Thailand puts her in the path of one of the region’s most notorious drug cartels, she wonders if what she thought was the right decision is actually the worst mistake she’s ever made. As she races through the jungle of Mae Hong Son, she must trust DEA Agent Noah Stone to keep her safe. His steadfast faith forces Tori to reassess her own wavering beliefs. Only then can she see God’s hand guiding her decisions and leading forward into His perfect plan for her life.
I’m sure you can sense how enthusiastic I am about this story! I hope you’ll share my excitement as you join Tori and Noah on their journey. And when the journey is complete, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line at shirlee@shirleemccoy.com (http://shirlee@shirleemccoy.com).
Blessings,
Contents
About the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter One
The heat woke her. That and the silence. Until then there had been noise, movement, hushed voices—sounds both terrifying and comforting. Tori Riley levered up, biting back a groan as she forced herself to a sitting position. The room was the same—ugly and mean, its watermarked walls and rotted carpet reeking of age and neglect. Sunlight filtered through the dirt-crusted window, burying the room in stifling heat. Tori’s throat was dry with it, and she reached for the cup that sat beside her on the floor, the shackles on her wrists clanging together.
The cup was empty. Just as it had been last night.
How much longer would they make her wait? She glanced toward the door, wishing it open, straining to hear above the pounding of her heart. The world beyond her prison seemed empty of life, the sounds she’d been hearing for the past few days absent.
Abandoned.
The word slipped into her mind; icy terror pumped through her veins. Did they know? Had they found the box? Or worse, had they found Melody?
The thought brought renewed energy. She threw her weight against the chains that held her, ignoring the harsh stab of pain in her wrists and the blood that seeped from the gashes there. Breath gasped from her lungs, her chest heaving as she struggled in an effort she knew was futile. Hadn’t she tried before? Hadn’t she failed? But she wouldn’t fail now. She couldn’t fail.
Sweat poured down her face, soaking the sweater she’d worn to keep warm on the plane ride home. Only she’d never made it to the airport, and now the heavy knit only intensified the heat and her panic.
Stop! Think! The words roared into her consciousness. How many times had her grandfather barked those words at her? Tori stilled her frantic movements and closed her eyes, letting herself picture Pops, the old farmhouse, the gray-blue lake shimmering in the distance. Home. She’d been a fool to run from it.
A sound drifted into the silence, a soft sigh of air that whispered of danger. Tori’s eyes flew open. Someone was coming. Rescue? Or death? She counted seconds by the throb of the pulse in her throat, each beat a moment closer to whatever would come.
When the door opened and he stepped into the room, she knew.
Black pants, black shirt, black ski mask. Tall, fit and strong enough to kill without ever using the gun he wore strapped to his side.
Tori shrank back, then straightened, refusing the fear that coursed through her. “I told the others I mailed the box home.”
He didn’t speak, just stalked toward her, his movement fluid and pantherlike.
She tensed, wanting to run but knowing there was nowhere to go. The only thing left to do was fight. She grabbed a length of chain in her hand, feeling the heft and weight of it, refusing to imagine the damage it could do.
He bent close, blue-green eyes striking against the black of his mask, his gaze softened by what looked like compassion.
Tori blinked, looked again, and the softness was gone, replaced by a hard determination that had her lifting the chain and swinging hard with her closed fist.
She should have known better. Dehydrated, weak from hunger, her body aching from what must have been days of torture, she was no match for the man’s strength. His hand wrapped around hers, stopping its forward motion and forcing her fingers open. Dizzy from the effort, Tori slumped back against the wall, closing her eyes.
“Don’t give up now, Red. You’re almost home.” The voice was deep and harsh, his tone distinctly American, not the more lilting intonations of her Thai captors.
Was he the ringleader? The boss? Did it matter?
She opened her eyes, met his gaze. “What do you want?”
“You home and safe. So pay attention and do exactly what I say.” He spoke as he pulled a slim tool from his pocket and used it to pop the lock on the manacles that bound Tori’s wrists.
She winced as metal pulled away from torn and bleeding flesh. Winced again as he lifted her wrists and looked at the raw wounds. “These’ll scar, but you’ll live.”
He dropped her hands and pulled an envelope out from under his shirt. “Passport, plane tickets, money for a taxi. You leave this building, flag down the first taxi you see, and head for Chiang Mai International. Your flight leaves for Bangkok in half an hour. When you get there, don’t leave the airport. You’ve got a flight home at eight this morning.”
He thrust the envelope toward her and Tori grabbed it, hands trembling as she pulled out a passport with her picture and another woman’s name, two plane tickets and a thousand baht. “Why are you helping me?”
“There’s no time for questions. Just do what I tell you, and everything will be fine.” He put a hand under her elbow and helped her to her feet. “Let your hair down so it covers the bruises on your face, and pull your sleeves over your wrists.”
She did as she was told, the hope of escape overshadowing the questions that raced through her mind. Still, she hesitated as he led her to the door. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“What makes you think you have a choice?” With that he stepped out of the room.
Tori followed, hurrying along a dark corridor and into a trash-littered stairwell, down flight after flight of steps, then out into early-morning sunlight. The roar of Chiang Mai traffic filled her ears and the tangy scent of garlic and spices rode the air. A hundred yards away, Buddhist monks made their morning rounds, gathering the first portion of their supplicants’ morning meals in the alms bowls they carried.
Tori took a step toward them, wanting desperately to make contact, and felt the heavy warmth of a hand on her shoulder. She turned, ready to fight for her freedom. It wasn’t necessary.
Her rescuer dropped his hand, staring down into her face, his eyes blazing. “Remember what I said.”
Then he stepped back inside the building and disappeared.
Tori dashed down the narrow street, heading in the direction the monks had disappeared. A flower vendor called out to her as she passed, holding up a bouquet of stunning purple and white orchids. She considered stopping, asking for help or directions, but rushed on instead. She didn’t know her enemies, and couldn’t be sure they weren’t lurking somewhere close by. Up ahead the monks had paused to accept plastic bags filled with thick curry, the daily bintabat ritual providing them with food and Tori with the chance to overtake them.
Should she ask them for assistance?
No. Better to flag down a taxi and get as far from her captors as possible. She stood at the curb, raised her arm, wincing as pain shot through her ribs and side. Nothing was broken, though the bruises were enough to make deep breaths painful. Her captors had been careful, more interested in inflicting pain than in causing damage. That, at least, was a blessing.
A yellow cab pulled over and Tori clambered inside, ignoring the stench of sweat and tobacco that drifted from the torn vinyl seat. “How much to the nearest bus station?”
“One hundred baht.” The driver spoke in heavily accented English, his craggy face solemn, his dark eyes meeting hers in the rearview mirror.
She nodded and settled back into the seat, trying to quiet the wild throb of her pulse as the taxi eased through traffic. In the distance a Buddhist temple speared the sky. Beautiful, exotic, different. When she’d come to Thailand three weeks ago that’s what she’d been looking for—something more than the quiet, small-town life she led. Now she’d give anything to be home, riding in Pop’s old Chrysler, traveling familiar roads, hearing the same stories she’d heard a hundred times before.
She could be. She had a passport, money, plane tickets. What she didn’t have was the assurance that Melody was safe, and that was something she needed more than she needed home.
The taxi turned onto a narrow side street, and Tori glanced back. No cars followed. No motorcycles moved into place behind the cab. She wanted to believe she was safe, that the nightmare she’d been living was over. But that was a foolish hope. One she couldn’t allow herself. She leaned forward. “How much longer?”
“Twenty minutes.”
Twenty minutes too long. She needed to be in Mae Hong Son now. Anxiety clawed at her stomach, burning a fiery trail up her throat. She swallowed it down and tried to speak past her fear. “I’ve got a hundred baht more for you if you get me there in ten.”
The driver nodded, turning down another street and picking up speed.
Hurry. Hurry. The words thundered through Tori’s mind, a dizzying accompaniment to her racing pulse. How many days had passed since she’d given the box to the jeweler Chet Preteep? Five? Six? He’d told her then that it would take a week to make a locket like the one Tori wore, the one Melody had admired so much. A week, and then he’d put the locket in the rosewood trinket box Tori had provided and deliver it to Melody.
Tori glanced down at her wrist, looking for the date on her watch. But her watch had been taken, as had her locket and other jewelry. Was it already too late? Had the box been delivered? Tori shuddered at the thought of what that might mean for Melody. “What day is it?”
“Huh?”
“The day. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.”
“Yes.”
“It’s Thursday?”
“Yes.”
Five days. Maybe she wasn’t too late. She settled back into the seat, caught the driver eyeing her in the rearview mirror and lowered her head so that her hair fell forward. How bad were the bruises? She didn’t dare try to get a look, could only imagine what the driver had seen. Would he talk to friends and family? Mention the bruised foreigner who had paid him double the fare to take her to the bus station? And if he did, how long would it be before the men who’d kidnapped her found her again?
Bone-deep cold, scared in a way she hadn’t been in years, Tori tugged her sweater tight around aching ribs and tried desperately to come up with a plan. Her mind raced with images of Melody, beaten and tortured, her eyes filled with fear and pain. Tori had to get to Mae Hong Son before the box was delivered, had to make sure that the men who’d abducted her didn’t get their hands on Melody.
She leaned her head back against the seat, trying to clear her mind, but it was too filled with terror and worry to focus. One minute she’d been packing, getting ready to return home. The next, she’d been chained to a wall, questions screamed into her face. Why?
She didn’t have an answer. All she knew was that her longed-for trip to Thailand had turned into a nightmare, and because of that, Melody and her parents were in danger.
Please, God, keep them safe. Help me get there in time.
The prayer echoed through Tori’s mind, a desperate plea. One she doubted would be answered. She’d lived life on her own terms for too long to expect help from God now. Tears clogged her throat and swam behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Like praying, crying did no good. Clear thinking, determination—those were the things that would get her out of the mess she was in.
Up ahead, buses lined the road. A swarm of people hovered on the sidewalk waiting to board. Soon Tori would be waiting with them, ready to travel back to Mae Hong Son and the box that shouldn’t have been a threat, but was.
“Bus terminal.” The driver pulled up in front of the entrance.
Tori handed him payment and pushed open the door.
Despite the warmth of the day, she felt cold, fear shivering along her spine. She wouldn’t let it stop her. With a deep, calming breath, she stepped out into the crowd.
“You have her?”
“Yeah.” Noah Stone spoke into the cell phone as he followed his quarry inside the bus terminal.
“Guess your informant gave you good information.”
“It pays to have contacts.” Even if they were slimy as eels and twice as nasty.
“You at the airport?”
“’Fraid not.”
“So she decided not to take the easy route home.” Jack McKenzie’s voice was calm, easy. As always.
“It’s what we were banking on.”
“You don’t sound too happy about it.”
“Using civilians doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Not a civilian. A courier, paid to pass information for the Wa.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“And we don’t know anything different. Her record might be clean, but there are plenty of others just like her who’ve gone bad.”
“Can’t argue with that.” And he wouldn’t try. Not when he’d known so many people who were clean on the surface and dirty deep down where it counted.
“One way or another, she’s got the box. Once we’ve secured it, we’ll give her a chance to tell her story.”
“You’re assuming we’ll be able to secure it.”
“With you here, it’s a safe assumption.”
“Guess that depends on whether Ms. Riley goes along with our plan.” He watched as Tori stepped to a wall of pay phones and made a call.
“She will. The information on the box is worth millions. She won’t leave the country without it.”
“She’s on the move. I’ll keep in touch.” He slipped the phone into his pocket and stepped into line at a ticket counter, his gaze tracking Tori as she stepped into a line half the building away. She stood with her head high, her shoulders straight. Only someone looking closely would notice the bluish welts on her face, or the way her hand shook as she paid for a ticket and shoved it into her pocket.
She might be in deep with Lao, perhaps deep enough to double-cross him and grab the box, but Noah doubted it. There’d been something in her eyes when he’d freed her—a softness that seemed too genuine to fake. That, and a quiet desperation that surpassed greed or fear for herself. She was terrified, but heading back into the fray. Why?
Her daughter. It was the obvious answer, one Noah couldn’t discount. If Tori was what she appeared to be—a small-town veterinarian who’d come to Thailand to visit the daughter she’d given up in an open adoption thirteen years before—then her first instinct would be to ensure the safety of the girl.
If she was what she seemed.
The DEA had good reason to suspect otherwise. Noah would reserve judgment. He’d follow Tori, find out what had sent her running from safety. Then he’d know more about her motivation and her guilt.
A white bus rattled to a stop in front of the terminal and Tori hurried outside. Noah followed, holding back as she purchased a straw hat from a vendor. Then he followed her onto the bus. One quick glance found Tori squeezed into a backseat between two Thai women. From her position she’d have a good view out the back window. Maybe she thought she’d catch a glimpse of any pursuers. If so, she had no idea the caliber of men who’d soon be scouring the countryside. Noah did. The ache in his left shoulder and back were a grim reminder of just how deadly men like Lao could be.
The bus lurched forward as Noah slid into a front seat. Several people still stood in the aisle, clinging to handholds and swaying with the motion. In other circumstances Noah would offer a seat to an elderly passenger as a sign of respect and honor. Not today. His black hair and tan skin might blend with the Thai passengers, but his height and large build gave him away as a foreigner. At this point, he couldn’t afford to call attention to himself.
He settled back into the seat, listening to chatter and laughter, catching phrases and words—English and Thai, as well as several other languages he wasn’t as familiar with. It didn’t take long to determine the bus’s destination. Mae Hong Son. A seven-hour drive. Longer if the bus made tourist stops. The knowledge should have eased some of Noah’s tension, but adrenaline pulsed through him, warning him that time was running out.
He glanced back, eyeing the cars and trucks that followed behind the bus. He’d been hoping for a few hours’ lead time. Had thought the men he’d left bound and gagged in the building where he’d found Tori would need longer than that to free themselves.
He’d been wrong.
He didn’t question the knowledge. It was part of who he was. Part of what made him a survivor in an industry where death lurked around every corner. The other part was faith—a deep understanding that all that happened was choreographed by God—who was much more powerful than any government, agency or enemy.
It was that, more than anything, that had drawn Noah out of an early retirement and back into a game he no longer wanted to play; it was a deep knowing that he had to take the assignment. That something vital depended on it. Something beyond securing the box and stopping the distribution of millions of dollars’ worth of heroin.
Maybe once Tori led him to their destination he’d get some answers. Noah wasn’t counting on it.
Chapter Two
“We share?” The young Thai woman who sat beside Tori held out a bottle of Coke, her face wreathed in a smile.
“No. Thank you.” Tori’s own smile felt more like a grimace, her voice gritty from fatigue and dehydration. Despite her parched throat and empty stomach, she hadn’t dared get off the bus at the last tourist stop. Not when a dark sedan and white pickup truck had been following the bus since its first stop earlier in the day.
“You come visit me in Mae Hong Son, yes?”
“If I can. I’ll only be there for a short time.”
“You come. We will be there soon. Ten minutes. Your family will meet you, yes?”
“No. I’m meeting a friend.” Tori shifted in her seat, turning away from the other woman, hoping, as she had been hoping for the past seven hours, to discourage conversation. So far she hadn’t been successful. Which meant eventually other people would know she’d been on this bus.
Sweat trickled down her temple, and she used the sleeve of her sweater to brush it away, ignoring the palsied trembling of her hand. Just a few more minutes and she’d be in Mae Hong Son. Then what? She glanced out the back window of the bus, saw the sedan a few cars back. The pickup was nowhere in sight, though Tori had a feeling it still followed. How much time did she have? Could she make it off the bus, make it to Chet’s jewelry shop before they caught her?
She bit her lip, forcing back the panic that threatened to overtake her. She’d do what she had to do to escape the men who followed her. There was no other choice. Then she’d make her way to Chet’s shop. If he had the box, she’d take it and run. If not, she’d try to call the clinic again and hope that this time someone answered.
The bus slowed and came to a stop, the cessation of movement bringing Tori upright in her seat. She craned her neck, trying to see what lay ahead. A green government truck sat on the side of the road, two armed military officers waving motorists over.
“What’s going on?”
“No worries.” The woman next to her patted Tori’s arm and seemed unperturbed, but Tori’s heart beat in double time, her hands clenched into fists.
One of the soldiers stepped aboard the bus and leafed through the driver’s paperwork. Then scanned the passengers, his dark gaze resting on one person after another. Tori closed her eyes and feigned sleep, hoping to hide her eyes and the terror she knew shone there. For the second time in hours, she tried to pray, the knee-jerk reaction to terror reminding her of the desperate pleas she’d offered up as a child. Pleas that had gone unanswered.
This time it seemed God was on her side. A few seconds after the soldier entered the bus, he stepped back outside, waving the driver on and moving toward the next car in line. The sedan was three cars back, the pickup truck right behind it. Now was Tori’s chance to lose anyone following.
She didn’t hesitate, just waited until the bus rounded a curve in the road, and stood, hurrying up to the driver. “Stop, please. I need to get off here.”
He shook his head. “Sorry. No stops.”
“I have friends in the area. They said I’d be able to get off the bus before I reached town.” Please, please, let him stop the bus and let me off.
For a moment she thought he’d refuse. Then he shrugged, downshifted and eased the bus to the side of the road.
“Thank you.” She didn’t wait for his reply, just stepped outside.
Warm sun. Damp earth. The harsh call of some creature in the jungle. The sound, the scent, the feel of freedom. Tori waited as the bus pulled away, watching to be sure it didn’t stop again, that no one else got off. Then she slipped into the thick foliage that lined the road, pulled off her hat, eased down into tall grass and waited.
The sedan passed first, speeding by in a flurry of sound and motion. The pickup was next, coming more slowly. Tori could see it through the grass, inching along the highway. She sank down, touching her cheek to the cool, damp ground.
Terror brought the world into sharp focus. A centipede scurried near Tori’s hand. Flies buzzed near her wrists, landing on the broken flesh. She didn’t dare brush them away. The musty aroma of rich earth filled her nose. Grass and leaves whispered an almost silent tune. And the rumbling chug of the pickup’s engine finally faded away. Time to move. Mae Hong Son was a few miles north. Soon there would be houses, people, someone willing to give her a ride to Chet’s jewelry shop.
She forced herself up. Her body ached from fatigue and from bruises on top of bruises. Moving hurt. Walking any distance would be torture. She’d do it anyway. For Melody. For Melody’s parents. For herself. She couldn’t bear it if something happened to the Raymonds because of her.
Already, the sun rode low in the sky, lengthening the shadows and darkening the landscape. By nightfall most of the shops in Mae Hong Son would be closed. If she didn’t hurry, she’d be too late to speak with Chet.
She started jogging, jagged pain slicing through her side with each step. She wanted to sit for a minute, catch her breath, but there wasn’t time, so she kept going, passing stilt-legged huts with chickens scratching at the dirt beneath, wide green rice paddies that shone brilliant green in the fading light. A water buffalo meandered through hip-tall grass, its wide nostrils flaring, a brown-skinned child perched on its back.
Up ahead was a busy tourist stop. Tori had been there before, had bought sweet rhambutan from a vendor. For the right price she might convince one of them to take her into Mae Hong Son.
She approached from the back of the property, the sounds of voices, engines and the strident call of an elephant drifting on the air around her. When she reached the corner of the building, she paused. Once she stepped into the open, she’d be vulnerable again. Unfortunately, time was too limited for her to stand and think through her options. She’d have to round the corner and take her chances in the crowd.
She took a deep breath, tensed to move and was pulled backward with one sharp tug on her sweater. She went fighting, fists swinging, mind blank of all but one thought—escape. An arm snaked around her waist and a hand slammed over her mouth, cutting off a scream.
“Stop struggling.” The words were hissed into her ear, the grip never loosening.
She responded by struggling harder, imagining a needle poised over her flesh, a stab, and then oblivion. That’s how they’d taken her before. It wouldn’t happen again. Not if she could help it.
She twisted, trying to throw her attacker off balance. Pain speared across her rib cage, stealing her breath. Pinpricks of light flashed in front of her eyes, she swayed, and was suddenly being supported instead of restrained.
“Whoa. No passing out, Red.”
Red? Tori stiffened.
“That’s better. Now hold still and be quiet. There’s company out there. Not the kind either of us wants to meet.” Noah didn’t loosen his grip as he spoke, nor did he remove the hand he held over Tori’s mouth. Her tense muscles warned that she was waiting for an opportunity to break free, and that was something he couldn’t allow. Not yet. Later, when he had her safely away from the men who were hunting her, he’d let her go again. See where she’d been heading before she’d almost walked into Lao’s trap. For now he’d stay close.
She twisted in his arms, trying once again to break free as he edged them away from the building. He ignored her struggles, ignored the heel that barely missed his knee, but he couldn’t ignore her terror. Her body shook with it, her heart pounding so hard he could feel it in the pulse point near her jaw.
That, more than anything, had him tightening his grip and leaning close to her ear. “You want me to let you go?”
She didn’t nod, didn’t acknowledge the question in any way.
He hadn’t expected her to. “I will, but know this—you scream, and there’s a good possibility we won’t live to see tomorrow. You run, and I’ll have you before you take five steps, then I’ll tie you up and gag you until we’re somewhere safe.” An idle threat, but she didn’t need to know that.
With that he slid his arm from around her waist and eased his hand from her mouth, remaining close, not allowing her enough distance for a head start if she decided to run.
For a moment she didn’t move. When she did, it was a quick spin in his direction, her hair flying in a cloud of burnished red. “Who are you? What do you want from me?”
“Noah Stone. And what I want is you on the plane that left for the States a few hours ago. Since I can’t have that, I’ll settle for putting some distance between us and the people searching for you.” That much was true. The rest would have to wait.
“That’s no answer.”
“It’s as much of one as I can give. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“And go where?” Her voice sounded raspy and dry, her eyes dark fire against pallid skin.
“A place where we don’t have to worry about the bad guys finding us.” He reached down, picked up the hat that had fallen from Tori’s head during their struggle and handed it to her.
“For all I know, you’re one of the bad guys.”
“If I were, we wouldn’t be standing here talking.”
“I can’t know that.” She stared him down, the bruises on her cheek and jaw an ugly reminder of all she’d been through.
“And I don’t have time to prove it. The bus you were on made it to Mae Hong Son. The men who were following know you weren’t on it. Now they’re backtracking. It won’t take long for one of them to find us.” He grabbed her hand, tugging her farther away from the tourist stop.
She didn’t resist, though he had no doubt she wanted to. She’d probably weighed the odds of escape and decided not to waste the energy trying. Good. Her cooperation would make their journey less difficult.
Despite her obvious fatigue, she matched Noah’s stride, not giving in to the pain he’d seen in her eyes. Jaw set, hair a wild halo of curls around her face, the straw hat clutched in her hand, she looked both strong and vulnerable. An interesting combination and nothing like the hardened, experienced drug courier Noah had expected when he’d been asked to take this assignment.
She must have sensed his gaze. She turned to meet it, the fear and anger he’d seen minutes ago masked by a calm facade. “I know you want the box. I don’t have it. I sent it to the States.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. So maybe you should head that way yourself.”
“And leave you to wander around Mae Hong Son alone? I don’t think so.”
She laughed at that, the sound harsh. “Your concern is touching, but I can manage just fine on my own.”
He let his gaze linger on her bruises, then drop to the sleeves of her sweater where blood had tinged the white knit pink. “Doesn’t look like it to me.”
Tori couldn’t argue with that. She knew how she must look—tired, bruised, defeated. But her appearance wouldn’t hinder her intentions. And what she intended was escape. She slanted a glance in Noah’s direction, wondering if escape would even be possible. Black hair gleaming in the sun, a dark beard shadowing his jaw, he seemed strong and confident, a man used to making decisions and taking charge. She’d known plenty of men like him—men willing to say or do anything to get what they wanted. Luckily, Tori had learned her lesson hard and well. No way would she trust Noah. Not when so much was at stake.
An image of Melody flashed through her mind—fresh-faced, laughing, filled with the kind of spontaneous joy Tori had never been allowed. The thought of how easily that could change sent her pulse racing. She had to get to her daughter. Had to grab the box and run as far and as fast as she could.
“Don’t even think about it.” His voice held quiet authority, his expression not changing as he tugged her closer to his side.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”
“You were thinking about running. Save us both the time and energy—don’t bother.”
There was nothing to say to that, so she didn’t speak at all. Not that she had the energy to do more than keep up with Noah. He moved with a long, brisk stride, not slowing his pace as they stepped onto a narrow, paved road that led to the outskirts of Mae Hong Son. Rundown houses and faded buildings stood like weary sentinels to either side, their long shadows touching the road with darkness. In the distance, deep green mountains brushed the sky, shrouded in mist and mystery. A few people hurried along a cracked and broken sidewalk, too rushed to notice the strangers in their midst. Or maybe they noticed and chose not to show it. An odd thought, but one Tori couldn’t shake.
Nor could she shake the feeling that she and Noah were being watched, that every step they took was being monitored. She glanced around, tense with nerves, and was surprised by the warmth of Noah’s breath as he spoke close to her ear. “Relax. They’re friends. Of a sort.”
“Who?”
“The people watching us.”
So he felt it, too. Tori wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or even more worried. “Who are they?”
“No one we need to worry about. An acquaintance of mine owns some property around here. He likes to know who’s coming and going.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“It should. There’s no love lost between Hawke and Lao.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me who Hawke and Lao are?”
“Hawke is a man I’ve worked with a few times. Lao is a suspected member of the Wa, a militia group based across the border in Myanmar. Lao’s the one you took the box from.”
“I didn’t take the box. I bought it.”
“You have the box. He wants it back.”
“Why? It’s a box. Pretty. Expensive. But just a box.” She expected him to ignore her question. Instead he stopped short, pulling her around to face him.
His face was granite hard in the fading light, his eyes the blue-green of angry ocean waves. “I’d like to think you believe that.”
“I do.”
He watched her, his expression unreadable, then turned and started walking again.
“I’m telling the truth. I saw a rosewood trinket box at a tourist shop when I was visiting Wat Doi Kong Mu. It was broken, so the clerk brought one out from the back.” The words spilled out, and Tori bit her lip to keep from saying more.
“And was killed for his efforts.”
“What?”
“Story on the street is he was robbed and beaten to death. Truth is, Lao doesn’t take kindly to having his plans ruined. Especially not when the Wa is involved. You might want to keep that in mind.”
The words might be either threat or warning. Neither was necessary. Tori knew the danger she was in, the danger Melody would be in if she had the box and the people who’d abducted Tori found out about it.
Lao. The name was unfamiliar, the taste of it bitter against Tori’s tongue. She raked a hand through her hair, wincing as her fingers caught in tangled curls. Nothing made sense. The well-ordered life she’d been living was suddenly a bizarre dance whose steps she didn’t know. She’d have to learn them fast if she was going to survive. And the only way to learn was to ask questions, get answers and weed out the truth from the lies. “Where did you say we were going?”
“A safe place.”
“Safe from Lao.”
“That’s right.”
“And will I be safe from you?”
“Safe enough.”
“Are you always so talkative?”
He shot her a sideways look meant to still her words. “Are you?”
“No.”
“Now would be a good time to go back to your old habits.”
He picked up the pace, leading the way through a dim alley, then across several narrow streets. Jaw set, he turned into a dark, dank walkway between two buildings. “Stay close through here. You get lost and you might never find your way out.”
“Right.” The word rasped out, the deepening shadows and dingy grayness of the surrounding walls enough to convince Tori that she should do as told.
The air reeked of sewage and rot. Bags of garbage overflowed with spoiled food and decaying trash. The ground teemed with living things, insects and lizards darting away as Tori and Noah moved forward. Geckos clung to the cinder-block sides of the buildings, their tan bodies scurrying into motion.
Not a place to linger. Especially not when insects and lizards didn’t seem to be the only creatures thriving in the garbage-clogged alley. Tori could feel the weight of human gazes following the progress she and Noah were making. She wondered who they were, where they were hiding, when they would show themselves. If they would show themselves. She imagined the whiz of a bullet, the pain she’d feel as it slammed into her flesh.
“This is it.”
Noah’s words pulled Tori from her macabre thoughts, and she turned her attention to the low stone wall and wrought-iron gate in front of them. Both looked new and well tended. The property that Noah’s friend owned? Probably. Tori didn’t know who the friend was, but the fact that he and Noah were pals had already biased her against him.
Noah put a hand on the gate and pushed it open. “Let’s go.”
He stepped through. Tori straightened her spine, clenched her jaw to stop its trembling and followed.
Chapter Three
Thick mist shrouded the courtyard, making monsters out of shadows and trees, and painting the world in eerie light. Noah led Tori to the front of a two-story stucco building and pounded his fist against a faded wood door. Then they waited. Tori stood close beside him, her tension obvious in the soft, quick gasp of her breath. When the door swung open, she started, her hand grasping his arm, then dropping away as if she’d suddenly realized what she was doing.
“Come on.” He pulled her inside a dark room, felt more than saw someone move to close the door. Then the hard barrel of a gun pressed tight under his jaw. He didn’t flinch, didn’t try to pull his weapon. Just waited.
“Sawatdee khrap, my friend.” The words were spoken in rapid-fire Thai.
Noah answered in the same. “If we’re friends, why the gun?”
“Precaution. Why are you here?”
“Hawke owes me a favor. I’ve come to collect.”
“We’d heard you retired.”
“Depends on who you ask.”
The gun dropped away and a light flicked on.
A Thai man leaned against one wall, his expression more curious than suspicious. Not Hawke. Apirak Koysayodin—one of the few men Hawke trusted.
“Who’s the woman?”
“She’s a friend.”
“Hawke won’t like that you’ve brought her here.” There was no heat in the words or in the dark gaze he swept over Tori.
Her fingers tapped a fast rhythm against her thigh. Her gaze darted from Apirak to the door. Probably wondering how easy it would be to bolt across the room and escape.
Noah grabbed her hand, holding her in place as he turned his attention back to Apirak. “Sometimes we have choices, sometimes we don’t. My friend and I need some information.”
“You want to know about the snakes that are slithering through Mae Hong Son.”
“That’s right.”
“There aren’t many. Ten. Twelve.”
“What are they hunting?”
“A woman. An American with red hair and brown eyes. It seems she took something from Sang Lao. Something he’s desperate to retrieve.”
That confirmed what the DEA’s informant had reported. A local businessman, Lao had been suspected of drug trafficking for years. So far he’d eluded the DEA and the Royal Thai Police. It looked like his luck might be running out. “What about the Wa?”
“We’ve yet to see any of them.”
“That’s something to be thankful for.”
“A small thing. And something much bigger to worry about.”
“What?”
“There’s a price on your friend’s head. Fifty thousand baht.” Again he glanced at Tori, his eyes speculative.
“A lot of money.”
“Yes, but most people here despise Sang Lao and wouldn’t help him for all the riches in the world.”
“It’s the rest of the people I’m worried about. We’ll need an escort out of town.”
“It’s been arranged.”
“Hawke’s ahead of the game.”
“Your people are not the only ones who want to bring Lao down. Hawke has been patient. It seems his time might be at hand.” Apirak spoke as he stepped to the door and pulled it open. “There’s a car waiting for you at the entrance to Market Street. It will take you wherever you want to go.”
“Tell Hawke we’re even.”
“It will take more than this for Hawke to think he’s repaid the debt he owes you.” With that, the light went out and Apirak disappeared.
“What’s going on? What did he say?” Tori’s words were just above a whisper.
“Not here.” Noah tugged on her hand, pulling her outside.
“Well?”
“There’s a price on your head. Fifty thousand baht.”
If the news surprised her, she didn’t show it, just nodded, her dark eyes shadowed. “Now what?”
“We go meet our ride.”
“Ride?”
“We’re going back to Chiang Mai. It’s time for you to go home.”
If he wanted a reaction, he got one. Her body tensed, and he thought she might run. Instead, she nodded. “Good idea.”
The words were hollow, empty of enthusiasm.
“For someone who’s running for her life, you don’t seem very happy about getting an escort home.”
“It’s the escort I’m opposed to. Not the trip home.”
“Sorry. You’re stuck with me.” Until you decide to make your move. He didn’t say the last part, though he was thinking it. If Tori was guilty, she’d make a break for the box eventually. When she did, Noah would be right behind her.
They moved back into the dank walkway, the silence heavy between them. Tori fought the urge to break it, afraid if she started talking she’d say too much, reveal more than she should. With her wrists throbbing, her head pounding and what few ideas she had muddled by fatigue, Tori figured the best she could offer herself and Melody was silence.
Noah glanced her way, his face cold and unyielding. “It would save us both a lot of trouble if you’d tell me where the box is.”
“I already told you—”
“I’ve heard that story before. Why don’t we try a new one?”
“Why don’t you try telling me who you are and why you freed me? Why you want the box and what you’re going to get out of having it? Maybe then we’ll have more to talk about.”
Noah smiled, a feral curve of his lips that sent a shiver down Tori’s spine. “Seems we’re at a stalemate.”
She shrugged, determined not to waste more time talking. Her energy was waning and she still had a long way to go.
“Nothing to say, Red?”
“Tori.”
“What’s that?”
“My name is Tori. Not Red.” She bit out the words, angry with herself for responding to his bait, angry with Noah for refusing to tell her who he worked for and why he wanted the box.
“Tori. Red. It won’t matter if Lao gets his hands on you again.” The coldness in his voice chilled Tori to the core, but she couldn’t let it shake her resolve.
She might not know who Noah was, but she knew what he wanted. Unfortunately for him, she didn’t plan to give it to him. Not when doing so might lead danger to Melody and her parents. Better to retrieve the box and bring it to the U.S. embassy in Bangkok. Let anyone who wanted it follow her there. Including Noah. Including the man called Lao. If they weren’t one and the same. She glanced at Noah. Was it possible he was the ringleader of the men who’d kidnapped her? That he’d freed her because he’d known she would go after the box? And once he had the box, would he kill her or let her live?
Tori had no intention of staying with him long enough to find out.
Up ahead the alley opened into a wide street, the sound of motorcycle engines growing louder with each step. Tori’s muscles tensed as she and Noah walked out into an open-air market colored amber by the fading sun. People milled about, buying hot noodle soup and succulent fruit from vendors. A normal, busy evening. But somewhere in the midst of it danger lurked. Tori felt it in the churning of her stomach and the goose bumps that leaped to attention on her arms. Her captors were out there, waiting.
She glanced around, trying to put a face to the warning that hummed along her nerves. That’s when she saw the hotel. Two stories, well maintained. She knew it immediately. She’d been shopping on this street before. Market Place. Market Road. She couldn’t remember the name, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Chet’s store was just a few blocks away, an easy walk. All she had to do was lose her escort.
Noah scanned the crowd, his face set in hard lines as he searched for signs of trouble. She could run now, make a break for it while he was distracted. Before she could take a step away, he grabbed a fistful of her sweater. One hard tug brought her up against his side. Then he dropped his arm across her shoulders, and any hope of escape was gone.
“There’s the car. Let’s go.” He urged her toward a dark sedan that idled in front of the market. A man leaned against its fender, a dragon tattoo circling his biceps, a machete sheathed at his waist. He straightened as they approached, offering a brief nod in Noah’s direction. “Hawke says you need a ride.”
“Hawke’s right.”
“Where to?”
“The airport.”
“Get in.” He pulled the back door open and everything inside Tori stilled. This was it. Her chance. Maybe the only one she’d get. All she had to do was slide across the seat, shove the door open and jump out the other side of the car. With the crowd bustling around, she might just get lost in the hubbub and escape.
“Go on.” Noah spoke close to her ear, his breath warm against her neck, his arm lifting from her shoulders. There was something in his tone—a question or a dare.
There wasn’t time to wonder what it meant. She scooted across the seat, her muscles stiff, her fingers itching to try the door handle. She waited as Noah said a few more words to their driver. Then, as Noah put his hand on the door frame, bent down his head and started to get into the car, Tori shoved the door open and jumped out. Two steps took her into the street, her feet pounding against the pavement as she dodged motorcycles and tuk-tuks, not daring to look back.
Noah watched her go, grim satisfaction not quite overriding worry. Courier or not, Tori was an American woman in a place she didn’t know well, running from men who’d do more than torture her if they got their hands on her again. And she was an easy mark. She’d forgotten her hat, and her hair shone deep burgundy in the fading light, her tall, slim figure towering over most of the Thais.
Noah fought the urge to race after her and drag her back to the safety of the car. The plan Jack had outlined was simple, almost foolproof. Free the courier from Lao’s prison, follow her to the box, secure the information and bring both the woman and the box back to DEA headquarters in Chiang Mai. Easy. Except Noah wasn’t convinced Tori was the courier.
“You going after her?” Simon Morran looked relaxed as Noah stepped back out of the car, but there was a tension in him that said he was ready for action.
“Just giving her a head start.”
“Don’t make it too much of one. Sang Lao’s men are eager to get their hands on her.”
“I don’t plan to let her out of my sight. Tell your brother I appreciate the ride.” He didn’t bother with goodbye, just started across the street, ignoring the beep of a horn and the unhappy glare of a tuk-tuk driver.
“Better watch it. You get run over and who’s going to protect the woman?”
Simon had moved into step beside him. Except for the coldness in his face, he looked nothing like Hawke. Rumor had it they were stepbrothers. Could be it was true. Not that it mattered. What mattered was that Simon was as quick and lethal as his brother. A strong ally and a dangerous adversary. And for that day, he and Noah were on the same side.
Noah looked at the other man, made a quick decision. “You up for a game of cat and mouse?”
“Got nothing better to do. Besides, Hawke said I’m supposed to get you out of the city.”
“I could use another set of eyes and ears.”
“We trying to catch her?”
“Trying to keep her safe without letting her know we’re following.”
“That shouldn’t be hard. She isn’t even looking back.”
It was true. Tori raced through the crowd with blind determination, perhaps hoping that speed would be enough to keep her safe. After a few blocks, she paused, glanced around and then pushed open the door of a store.
“She’s going into that shop. You know the owners?”
“An elderly widow and her son. Quiet, honest people.”
“Not friends of Sang Lao then. Let’s split up. You take the back, I’ll take the front.”
Simon nodded, breaking away from Noah and disappearing around the side of the building.
The shop looked ordinary—a jewelry smith with sparkling wares displayed in wide, clean windows. Was the box here? Perhaps being kept by a partner of Tori’s who had yet to be discovered by the DEA or Lao? It didn’t seem likely. Not if what Simon said about the owners was true. Not if Noah’s gut instinct about Tori was right. Still, his body hummed with anticipation as he moved past the store and took a seat at a bus stop a few buildings away. From there he had a clear view of the shop door. If Tori walked outside, he’d know. And if any unwanted company arrived, he’d stop them before they made it into the store. Noah prayed it wouldn’t come to that. Not here, on a busy street with so many people around. If it did, though, he’d be ready.
Tori stood in the tiny bathroom she’d been led to and splashed her face with water. A small, hazy mirror sat above the sink, the face reflected in it one she barely recognized. Bruised, hollow-eyed, she looked nothing like the healthy veterinarian she knew herself to be. She patted a soft towel against her cheek, wincing a little as the fabric brushed against her swollen jaw. Every bone in her body ached, but nothing compared to the ache in her heart. Chet had rushed to complete the locket, hoping to please both Tori and Melody’s family, and had delivered it to the clinic yesterday. Now there was no chance that the teen wouldn’t be touched by the evil that had touched Tori.
If anything happened to Melody…
But it wouldn’t. Tori wouldn’t let it.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and she pulled it open.
“My son will come soon.” Parinyah Preteep spoke quietly, her face lined with age and worry.
“Thank you. I’m sorry for bringing this trouble to you.”
“The trouble is no fault of yours. Here—” she handed Tori a thick fold of fabric “—you put on.”
Tori shook out the garment—a dark blue gown that looked similar to a nun’s habit—took off her sweater and pulled the material on over her T-shirt and jeans.
“Now this.” Parinyah held out a silky white scarf. “Over hair.”
Tori draped the scarf over her hair and let the older woman fashion it into a head covering that wrapped around the lower part of her face. When she glanced in the mirror, she could see that nothing but her eyes were visible.
“Now you ready.”
“Thank you.”
“Go safely and have peace.” The words were a benediction, and Tori squeezed the other woman’s hand, wishing she had something more than thanks to offer.
Somewhere outside a horn beeped, and Parinyah hurried to the back door of the shop, calling out a question as she pulled it open. She got an answer, then turned to Tori and waved her forward. “Chet says okay. He sees no one outside.”
Tori wasn’t sure that meant much. Noah had watched her, followed her, been close enough to grab her, and she hadn’t known he was there until it was too late. But she couldn’t think on that. She needed to focus her energy on getting to Melody, making sure she and her family were safe. Then getting the box away from them and to the consulate. She’d worry about the rest after that.
A gray-green mist touched the air with moisture, and Tori shivered as she stepped out the door of the shop. Clothes hung from lines that stretched from building to building across the alley, colorful banners limp in the moist air. Voices called back and forth, children giggling and laughing as they chased each other barefoot through the alley. Tori kept her head bowed as she moved toward Chet Preteep, whose short, wiry frame balanced on a motorbike that didn’t look big enough to carry its driver, let alone a passenger.
Tori fought back hysterical laughter. “Will I fit on there?”
“Yes. Like this.” Parinyah sat sideways behind her son, looping an arm around his waist before sliding off again, her movements surprisingly spry for a woman that Tori knew was almost eighty years old.
“All right. I can do that.” Tori did as she’d been shown, her arm around Chet’s waist, holding on with a grip just tight enough to keep her from falling. “Thank you again.”
“You take care of Melody.”
“I will.”
“Ready?” Chet glanced back, his dark eyes filled with worry.
“Yes.”
He spoke a few quiet words to his mother, then started the motor and headed down the narrow road that ran behind the shop. Several people shouted greetings as the motorbike passed. Some seemed curious, perhaps wondering about Tori. Luckily they wouldn’t remember much about her appearance. Tori was thankful for that. Thankful that Parinyah had thought of the scarf and the long garment that hid Tori’s clothes.
Chet stopped the motorbike at the entrance to a wide, paved road that buzzed with motorcycles, tuk-tuks and a few cars. All were driving at speeds much greater than what Tori imagined the motorbike could achieve. Her grip tightened on Chet. “Is it safe?”
He either didn’t understand, or chose not to answer. The motorbike edged closer to the road, the engine humming impatiently.
Tori shifted, trying to balance her weight more evenly, and felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
Someone was watching.
Slowly, easily, as if she were glancing back for no reason at all, she turned to look. The heavy mist and fading light concealed more than they revealed, and at first Tori saw nothing. Then a dark figure near the corner of a building caught her eye—tall, broad, deceptively relaxed. She didn’t need to see clearly to know who it was. Noah. She knew it as surely as she knew he had let her escape. That he had planned all along to let her go so that he could follow her to the box.
Her suspicions about him had been correct.
It shouldn’t have surprised her. She’d been betrayed too many times to expect anything different. First by Melody’s father, his flowery words and promises of love empty of meaning. Then by Joe. Kind, sweet Joe. The perfect partner, his strong faith more than making up for Tori’s floundering one. He’d seemed flawless until she’d caught him kissing a choir member. And then there’d been Kyle. She didn’t dare think of him. On the hollow emptiness that came from being betrayed one too many times.
No, Tori wasn’t surprised by Noah’s lies and betrayal. How could she be? Betrayal was all she’d ever known.
The motorbike lurched forward, a car horn blasted a warning, and Tori was too busy hanging on for dear life to think about Noah or her own disappointment.
Chapter Four
The road to the Raymonds’ clinic wound uphill through dense jungle. There were no streetlights to guide the way, and already the thin ribbon of pavement seemed to disappear in the deepening shadows. Without the headlight from the motorbike it would be impossible to see what lay ahead. That was fine. Tori was more concerned about what lay behind.
She turned her head, peering into evening gloom. She saw nothing. More importantly, she heard nothing.
“No one follows?” Chet spoke above the chug of the bike’s engine, the worry in his voice obvious.
“No. We’re fine.” For how long? Tori might have had a head start, but Noah wouldn’t be far behind. Even if she’d eluded him completely, it wouldn’t take long for him to find out where she was headed. Mae Hong Son wasn’t much more than a small town, and Tori had visited it several times with the Raymonds. Those visits would have been noticed, talked about.
As if he sensed her worries, Chet patted the arm she still had wrapped around his waist. “No worries. The Raymonds will be fine. They have many friends in Mae Hong Son. Many people they have helped.”
“Maybe so, but money can be a powerful incentive.” She thought of the bamboo huts that lined the outskirts of the town, the agricultural economy so reliant on weather. Who wouldn’t be tempted by a secure future and a life of ease?
“Money is less important here than honor. Our people will protect the Raymonds because it is the right thing to do.”
Tori wished she had as much faith in human nature. She didn’t. “How much farther to the clinic?”
“Maybe ten minutes.”
“Is there any way to get there more quickly?”
“No. This is the only road in. There are a few trails through the jungle, but taking them at dusk would be foolish and dangerous.”
“My entire trip to Thailand seems foolish and dangerous right now. If I’d stayed home, none of this would have happened.”
“It’s never good to look back and think of what we might have done differently. You came to Thailand on good faith that you would be safe. Unfortunately, Thailand, like any other country, has its share of criminals. I’m sorry you had the misfortune to run into them.”
“I survived. That’s what matters.” That, and making sure Melody stayed safe.
“My mother said you were taken from your hotel room?”
“Yes. In Chiang Mai.”
“And the people who took you wanted the box?”
“That’s what they were asking for.”
“Strange. It is a nice piece, but not valuable. The locket you had made is worth much more.”
“I know. It doesn’t make sense.”
“A worry for another time, I think. For now, we think only of getting to the clinic. Then we’ll get the box and get it far from the Raymonds.”
“When we get to the clinic, I want you to turn around and go home. I can’t put you in any more danger than I already have.”
“The Raymonds have been my friends for five years. They’ve taught me English, taught me about God, shown me and my family true kindness and Christian love. I won’t turn my back on them during this trouble. Nor will I turn my back on someone they care about.”
There was no sense in arguing. Despite Chet’s passionate words and clear regard for the Raymonds, Tori couldn’t let him get any more involved in her troubles than he already was. If he insisted, she would have no choice but to sneak away from the clinic without his notice. It wouldn’t be difficult. If she could escape a man like Noah Stone, she could escape the loyal, trusting man who now helped her. But you didn’t escape Noah. He’s behind you. Following. Waiting for a chance to grab the box. And when he gets it…then what?
The thoughts worried at Tori’s mind as the motorbike sped on. How much time did she have before Noah caught up with her? Probably not as much as she needed. She glanced back, but the road was still empty. To either side, towering trees and thick foliage bristled with life; nocturnal animals emerging from their daytime sleep, diurnal animals tucking themselves away for the night. If Tori were at home, she’d be starting her day, heading to the veterinary clinic to see her first patient. Instead she was running for her life.
She blinked back hot tears and shoved aside thoughts of home. Right now, her focus had to be on getting the box and carrying it far away from Melody. There’d be time for everything else later.
“There. The clinic.” Chet gestured to the right where bright yellow lights spilled through the trees, the sight a welcome relief.
Seconds later, he rounded a steep curve and pulled the motorbike up in front of a long, low building. Tori didn’t wait for him to turn off the engine. She was off the bike, sprinting to the clinic door, bruises and pain forgotten as she pushed the door open and stepped into the wide lobby. It was empty. Something she’d expected so late in the evening. The Raymonds’ apartment was at the back of the clinic, and she headed that way, knowing a buzzer had already announced her presence. Any minute now, either Mark or Joi would come to see who’d arrived.
As if on cue, the soft pad of feet sounded in the hall and a feminine voice called out. “Sawatdee kha.”
“Joi? It’s Tori.”
“Tori!” Joi Raymond raced around the corner. “Praise God. We’ve been worried sick. Your grandfather called us and said you’d never arrived home. Are you…?” Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Tori’s head covering and tunic. “Tori?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
Joi lunged forward, pulling Tori into an embrace that threatened to crack her bruised ribs. “Where have you been?”
“It’s a long story.” And she didn’t have time to tell it. “Are Melody and Mark in the apartment?”
“Yes. What—?”
Chet stepped into the clinic, his arrival cutting off whatever question Joi planned to ask. He spoke in Thai, the words a jumble of sounds that Tori couldn’t understand. What she did understand was the expression on Joi’s face—one of disbelief and worry. Before Chet finished speaking, Joi reached out and tugged the scarf from Tori’s face. Her gaze touched on Tori’s cheek and jaw, her fingers prodding at bruised flesh. “Who did this to you?”
“I don’t know. I only know what they want. The box Melody’s locket was in.”
“Why?”
“I wish I knew.”
“We’ll figure it out together. Let’s go take a look.” Joi looped an arm around Tori’s waist, her calm, even tone at odds with the worry in her eyes. “Chet, why don’t you head home? It’s getting dark and the road in is difficult at night.”
“I will stay and give Tori a ride back.”
“If she leaves, Mark can give her a ride.” No doubt, Joi was as worried as Tori about Chet’s well-being.
As they argued, Tori could almost hear the clock ticking away precious seconds. Noah might show up at any time. “It’s late. I may stay the night. Go home, and if I need a ride, I’ll call you.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “I will pray for your safety.”
As soon as he stepped out the door, Joi hurried Tori through the clinic and into the family’s apartment. “Mark! Melody!”
The fact that she shouted the names told Tori exactly how shaken she was. A former E.R. doctor, Joi never panicked, her calm confidence as evident in her family life as it was in her work.
“What’s up?” Mark stepped out of the den, his salt-and-pepper hair standing on end as if he’d run his hands through it again and again. He stopped short when he caught sight of Tori. “Praise God! We’ve been worried sick.”
His words so neatly mimicked Joi’s that Tori almost smiled. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“From the look of things, it wasn’t your fault. Sit down.”
“Tori?” Melody stepped out of the hall that led to the apartment’s two bedrooms, her slim frame a replica of Tori’s at the same age.
“Yep, I missed you so much I had to come back.” This time, Tori did smile, though she was sure it was a weak imitation of the real thing.
“What happened to your face? It looks like someone beat you up.” Melody’s eyes were deep green and filled with concern. At thirteen, she had her parents’ compassion and need to heal.
“Just an accident. Listen, could you bring out the box I sent your locket in? The little rosewood one.”
“Sure. I love the locket, by the way. Thank you so much.” She grabbed Tori in a bear hug that stole her breath, then released her and ran back down the hall.
As soon as she disappeared from view, Mark placed a hand on Tori’s shoulder and urged her to the couch. “Sit down. You’re white as a ghost.”
“I’m always white. Goes with the red hair.” She sat anyway, hoping she’d be able to get up when the time came.
“Not this kind of white. The bruises on your face are obvious. Where else are you hurt?”
“Everywhere, but not serious enough to worry about now.”
“Here it is.” Melody hurried back into the room, waving the small rosewood box.
“Thanks.” Tori accepted the box, her flesh crawling as if she were holding a snake. Two inches by two inches and less than an inch tall, it was beautifully detailed with inlaid mother-of-pearl. A tiny gold clasp and gold hinges were the only other adornments.
Tori pulled the box open, saw nothing but gleaming wood.
“See anything?” Joi leaned close.
“What are we looking for?” Mark joined his wife, sliding an arm around her shoulders and peering down at the box.
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s important. Mind if I take this with me, Melody?”
“No. Do you need the locket, too?” Melody fingered the silver heart that hung from a chain around her neck. An exact replica of the one Tori owned, it contained a copy of her grandparents’ wedding portrait. Seeing Melody wearing it brought bittersweet longing—both for the grandmother who’d taken Tori in when no one else would, and for the daughter Tori had given up.
Or maybe it was just for the things she’d lost, things she could never have again.
She forced the feelings aside, not allowing regret or discontent. Her life was what she’d made it, her choices her own. All she could do now was move forward. Wherever that might lead. “No way. That’s yours. Now I’ve really got to go.”
“What?” The words were shrill, Joi’s expression one of disbelief. “And go where?”
“Away from here.”
“Melody, why don’t you go in your room and finish your homework?” Mark spoke to his daughter, his concerned gaze on Tori.
“It’s done.”
“Go anyway.”
“Fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” She smiled, bent to place a quick kiss on Tori’s cheek.
“Goodbye, Melody.” Tori kept her voice light, her grip loose as she leaned forward and stole one last hug. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
With that, Melody hurried back down the hall.
“You can’t really intend to go back out there? Whatever that box is, it’s too dangerous for you to carry it around with you.” Joi spoke in a whisper.
“And too dangerous for me to stay here with it. The men who abducted me haven’t given up. They want me and they want this box. If they trace me here, you’ll all be in danger. I have to leave before that happens.”
“But where will you go?” This time it was Mark who spoke, his voice calmer than Joi’s had been.
“Bangkok. I’ll take the box to the embassy. Someone there will know what to do with it.” Tori stood up, lifted the caftan and shoved the box into the pocket of her jeans.
Mark put a hand on her arm, holding her in place when she would have shoved open the apartment door. “Wait. Let’s take a few minutes. Think things through, decide if you going to Bangkok is the best idea. Then if you still want to leave, I’ll drive you to town.”
She didn’t plan to let him drive her anywhere, but she nodded anyway, turning to face the couple who’d offered her both friendship and advice in the years since they’d adopted Melody. “Thinking things through is fine, but it won’t help. We still won’t know what the box is, who wants it or why.”
“We don’t have to know any of that.” Joi paced across the room, her short, compact body almost vibrating with energy as she reached for the phone. “Now let’s pray we’ve got a good connection.”
“Who are you calling?”
“The U.S. Embassy. Maybe they can send someone to escort you to Bangkok or give you the name of someone in Mae Hong Son who can help.”
Tori nodded, surprised that she hadn’t thought of that herself. But then, she wasn’t just running scared, she was running on empty, all of her energy drained, her body pulsing with pain.
“It’s ringing. Here.” Joi handed the phone to Tori.
She pressed it to her ear, her heart thundering as a woman’s cheerful voice filled the line. “United States Embassy. How may I direct your call?”
Good question. “I…”
“Yes?”
“I’m an American citizen and I’ve run into trouble up-country. I’m hoping someone there can help me.”
“Do you need legal representation?”
“No. At least I don’t think I do.”
“If you give me your name, a number where you can be reached, and tell me what kind of trouble you’re in, I can pass the information to the right party.”
“Thank you. My name is Tori Riley. I—”
“Is that Victoria Riley?” The cheerful good humor had dropped away.
“Yes.”
“Please hold. I’m transferring your call.”
“To whom?” But she’d already been put on hold, the soft rhythm of a love song playing across the line.
“Hello? Ms. Riley?” This time it was a man, his voice smooth and soothing.
“Yes.”
“Jack McKenzie. What can I do for you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Then tell me what the trouble is, and I’ll see if I can figure something out.”
“I bought a box at a wat near Mae Hong Son. I don’t know what it is, but a lot of people are after it.”
“Where’s the box now?”
“I have it. I’d like to bring it to the embassy and let someone there take a look at it.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“I don’t know how long it will take me to get there. I’m going to—”
“Stay put. An escort is on the way.”
“I can’t wait.” Not with so many people searching for her. And not when discovery could mean death, both hers and the Raymonds’.
“You won’t need to. He’s there.”
As if on cue, a loud buzz announced that someone had entered the clinic. Tori’s mouth went dry with fear and she knew her eyes were as wide, her skin as pale, as Joi’s.
“Stay here. I’ll go see who it is.”
“No!” Tori and Joi spoke in unison, but Mark was already pushing the door open and stepping out of the apartment.
“Everything okay?” Jack McKenzie’s voice pulled Tori back to their conversation.
“Yes.” She hoped.
“Good. My man will escort you to my office in Chiang Mai. We’ll see what’s what, and have you home before you know it.”
Home. The word sounded too good to be true, but before she could say as much, the apartment door swung open and Mark stepped back inside, another man on his heels. Tall, pitch-black hair, and eyes the blue-green of the ocean, Noah moved into the room with the same pantherlike grace Tori had noticed when he’d freed her. His gaze scanned the room coming to rest on Tori as he slid a dark backpack from his shoulder.
“Guess we meet again, Red.”
Tori could think of nothing nice to say, so she said nothing at all, holding the phone to her ear, her fingers in a death grip around the receiver as Mark introduced Noah and Joi to one another.
“That Jack?” Noah gestured to the phone.
“Yes.”
“Mind if I speak to him?” His hand slipped around hers, sliding over tense fingers and somehow easing her grip before she realized what he was doing. Then her hand was empty and he was speaking into the phone.
“Jack? Yeah. The clinic. Maybe twenty miles outside the city. Right. I was thinking the same.” He paused, met Tori’s eyes. “You have the box?”
She considered denying it, but there was no reason now. Noah was on her side. Or was supposed to be. She still wasn’t sure she trusted him. She pulled the box from her pocket anyway, handing it to Noah before she could rethink her decision.
He met her gaze as he turned the box over, his eyes dark and unreadable. Then he turned his attention to the mother-of-pearl inlay, pulling a small magnifying glass from his pocket and using it to examine one area after another.
Tori half expected him to say there’d been a mistake, that the box was exactly what she’d thought it to be. He didn’t. Instead he paused, looked more closely at one section, and spoke into the phone. “I’ve got it. You sending the helo? We’ll be at Mae Hong Son Airport in an hour. Yeah. I agree. I’ve already got it covered. I’ll tell them.”
He hung up the phone, swept a gaze around the room. “Anyone else here?”
“Our daughter.” Joi sounded calm, but Tori sensed tension in the words. Like any good mother, she was ready to protect her child.
“You’ll need to get her. Pack a few things. We’re leaving here in ten minutes.”
“What? We can’t leave the clinic.”
This time it was Mark, the disbelief in his voice obvious.
“I wish it weren’t necessary, but it is.”
“Maybe you should explain.”
“This box was carried across the border from Myanmar and delivered with a truckload of tourist trade items. It’s different than most trade items, though. It’s inscribed, and it wasn’t meant for sale.”
“I didn’t see an inscription.” Tori leaned closer, caught the scent of Noah’s shampoo and backed away.
“You wouldn’t have. Not unless you knew where and how to look. Each letter of the inscription is the size of a red blood cell. Thirty lines of text can fit in an area the width of a strand of hair. Even with a magnifying glass it’s difficult to see that there’s any writing there.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing.” Mark leaned closer, his gaze on the box, his curiosity evident.
“Most people haven’t.”
“Then what’s the point?” Tori wanted to grab the box and the magnifying glass and look for herself.
“That is the point. The technology is new, but effective. A much more secure mode for transferring information than cell phone or computer.”
“Information?”
“Dates. Times. Places of delivery. The Wa has put technology to good use.”
“The Wa? Then we’re talking drug trade. I’ll get Melody and start packing. Mark, you want to call Dr. Graw and see if he can stay at the clinic for a while, maybe scrounge up some extra hands from Bangkok or Chiang Mai?”
“Yeah. How long are we talking, Mr. Stone?”
“Noah. I wish I could tell you.”
Mark looked like he’d press for more, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, he gave Joi’s shoulder a quick, comforting squeeze. “I’ll use the phone in the clinic and make sure things are locked up while I’m there.”
He hurried away and Joi followed suit, heading down the hall to find Melody.
Which left Tori alone with Noah and the bitter knowledge that her visit to Thailand had led to the destruction of the safe, fulfilling life her friends had worked so hard to create.
Chapter Five
“Your friends are better off away from here.” Noah spoke as he slipped the box inside his pack.
“I know.” Pale, drawn, dark bruises standing out in stark relief against her skin, Tori’s voice betrayed none of what she felt. It was her eyes that spoke volumes, and Noah had read every bit of the story they told as she watched her friends walk out of the room.
“Then why do you look like you think their lives are about to end?” He slipped the pack back on and met her gaze head-on.
“Because they are. At least their lives as they know them.”
“For a while maybe.”
“Longer than that. Do you really think they’ll be able to return here? That they won’t be targets of revenge because of what I’ve done?”
“What have you done?”
Her face hardened, her eyes flashing fire. “This is no confession, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“I’m looking for the truth.”
“The truth is exactly what I told you before. I bought that box as a gift for Melody. I didn’t know about the information on it. I didn’t know that I was getting in the way of the Wa’s plans. But I don’t think that’s going to matter to them. What will matter is that I caused them trouble. What better way to get back at me than to hurt the people I care about?”
“It’s not the Wa you have to worry about. It’s Sang Lao.”
“You mentioned him before. The name isn’t any more familiar to me now than it was then.”
“He’s a local businessman. The Thai Royal Police and the DEA have suspected him of drug running for years. They just haven’t been able to prove it. The information on the box might be just what they need to put him in jail and throw away the key.”
“And if it is? Will the Raymonds be safe here? Or will there still be retribution because they helped me?”
“We’re ready.” Joi’s entrance into the room saved Noah from having to answer. The girl at her side had Tori’s long, lean frame and deep red hair. Though her face was heart-shaped rather than oval, her eyes startling green rather than chocolate-brown, there was no mistaking the connection between birth mother and daughter.
“You have enough packed for a couple days?”
Noah wondered if he was the only one that heard the break in Tori’s voice as she asked the question.
Joi held up two large duffels. “Plenty. And I had Melody grab an extra pair of jeans and a T-shirt for you, Tori.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ve got a medical kit, too. Once we get wherever we’re going, we’ll get some of those cuts and bruises fixed up.”
Unfortunately they weren’t going to the same place. But that was something Noah thought would be better discussed when they were safely away from the clinic. “Let’s head out.”
Mark was still on the phone when they entered the clinic lobby. He gestured for another minute, said a few more words and hung up. “Everything’s set. Dr. Graw’s going to stay here until we get back. Let me just run through, make sure everything is locked up. Then we’re out of here.”
Noah forced back impatience as Mark checked the clinic one last time. He understood the doctor’s need to make sure things were secure, but he could feel the hot breath of danger on his neck and the skin-crawling awareness that said trouble was coming and coming fast.
“Almost done?”
Mark turned from the window he was about to double-check and must have caught something in Noah’s gaze, because he let his arms drop to his sides and nodded. “We’re set.”
“We should pray before we go.” Joi put a hand on her husband’s arm, her bright blue gaze moving from one person to the next.
“There’s no time for that, Joi. We’ve got to get moving.” Tori started toward the door, not quite hiding a grimace of pain as she moved.
Noah caught the back of the caftan she wore. “There’s always time to pray.”
It was a truth he lived by, though from the expression on Tori’s face she didn’t believe it. He thought she might argue, but then her gaze went to Melody who stood wide-eyed and curious next to her mother. “Right. You’re right. Let’s pray.”
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