Sam's Folly (Midnight Sons Book 1) Page 5

  My husband expects me to stay at a fancy resort, she’d explained to the man with a wink, but I’d rather spend my money gambling. The manager had been more than happy to oblige her. She needed to stockpile as much money as possible, because she intended to leave every credit card she had inside her rental vehicle. Next, she planned to toss her phone into the deepest crevasse she happened upon her first day, then backtrack and take a different trail. After the first few miles into Denali, Sergio wouldn’t be able to figure out her circuitous route.

  With her hiking skills, she was confident she could stay alive long enough to disappear from the public eye. Four to five months this time of the year in the Alaska wilderness would be easy. By October, she’d buy a sea kayak and make her way to Seattle. While researching online at the library, she’d read that one man had kayaked from Seattle to Juneau in sixty-six days. Not to be beaten by any man, she vowed to do the reverse route in sixty days. Not that she’d be able to brag to anyone. But she didn’t need to. Just knowing she was accomplishing a record, and tricking Sergio in the process, would be rewarding enough for her.

  From Seattle, she would make her way out of North America via the Pacific Crest Trail, which ended at the U.S. / Mexico border, just south of Campo, California. Getting out of the United States was easy; it was entering the States that required papers. If she’d thought for a minute that Sergio wouldn’t have tracked her down, she would have just driven to Mexico. But she knew he would. Her only chance of escaping him was if he thought she was dead. Once she was out of the country, she’d never worry about Sergio and his murderous activities again.

  Chapter 4

  ~ Nora ~

  “Do it,” Sergio ordered, his voice cold and empty of any inflection.

  “Please, Sergio. I beg of you. I have a wife and children. Please. I’ll never —”

  A hollow POP cut off the man’s beseeching.

  Nora bolted upright. Feeling as if she were on fire, she yanked at the sheet and blanket twisted around her legs, trying to escape the heat — the past. Every night she relived the man’s pleading, and every morning she knew she would have ended up in some landfill if she had interfered.

  Although she hadn’t turned on the heat in the hotel room, she was damp with sweat. Because of the dream — nightmare. The nightmare that, sadly, her subconscious hadn’t made up. It’d been real, and she’d had to pretend for the last six months that she hadn’t heard Sergio give an order to kill a man. She had run to the stairwell and climbed the thirty floors back to their suite, too afraid to go into the lobby or back to the elevator. Definitely too scared to go to the police. After all, she didn’t have any real friends in the States. Her friends were Sergio’s friends. But she’d known the real reason: control.

  Sergio had controlled every part of her life. Who she fought. How she dressed. Her money. And he’d planned to keep that control over her forever. So she had to play along, agree to marry him. She’d only had one request. That she be allowed one final fling, a hiking trip before they settled down. Surprisingly, he’d agreed. She didn’t even attempt to ask to hike in her home country. She knew he would have been suspicious. But Alaska … Where could she possibly go from Alaska? Nowhere, in his opinion. His only concern had been whether his prizefighter would make it home safely so he could make more money.

  Heart pounding, Nora ran to the second-floor window of the motor lodge and peered through the small gap she’d left at the edge of the window. It was already bright outside. The only vehicles in the parking lot were the same she’d seen for the last couple of nights. No new cars.

  As tired as she was, today was the day. She had to get a head start. Get lost in the wilderness before Sergio even knew she was gone.

  She stuffed everything she owned into the one suitcase that would stay in the rental car. It would appear as if she’d only gone on a short hike. Today she would pick up all the supplies she needed from different stores. Protein bars, she’d decided, would be her staple. But if she bought a month’s worth of protein bars at one place, someone might remember her, and she didn’t want there to be any evidence that she set out with the intention of disappearing.

  After she took her last hot shower for what might be a month, she piled her long hair under a cap, dressed in the shabby sweatpants and sweatshirt she’d worked out in for years, and finished the outfit with her dark sunglasses. All she could hope was that no one where she shopped would recognize or remember her.

  She’d purchased her backpack and hiking gear in Anchorage, but she needed a few more items — items that Sam had insisted backpackers carry, especially the DEET. She hated mosquitos, with good reason.

  The log-cabin-like store was small but well-stocked. Nora inspected the protein bars, looking for the ones with the most calories, protein, and fat. While she hoped she could catch her share of fish, she had to be prepared if she didn’t. The bells over the door jingled, and she instinctively looked up.

  With a sharp intake of breath, she cast her eyes back on the meal bars, hoping Sam wouldn’t recognize her. She couldn’t help but remember him. He looked even better today than he had the previous day. As if it were seventy-something instead of fifty-something, Sam had on a short-sleeve black T-shirt today, a shirt that showed off those muscular arms. Sam looked … muy caliente. If she didn’t know he was an all-American male, she might easily mistake him for a man from Argentina with his dark hair and dark features — and the soulful way he’d moved her around the dance floor.

  Recalling how they’d been inches from a kiss the previous evening, before he’d had to rejoin his family, her mouth actually watered up. She dropped her head and stared at the food again, ordering herself under her breath, “Stop it!”

  A tap on her shoulder made her jump. Instinctively, she drew her arms close to her body, preparing for a fight.

  “Whoa!” Sam lifted his palms. “Remember, I wouldn’t dare fight you. I just wanted to say hi. Nora, right?”

  Nora removed her glasses. “Sorry.” His question irritated her, making her forget that she’d wanted to remain forgettable. “You were not sure of my name?”

  Sam chuckled. “I didn’t forget your name, Nora. Not possible. It’s just something people say, I suppose.”

  Tickled by his honest response, she felt her face warm. She flicked her gaze around the tiny store, making sure no one had followed him inside. “How did you recognize me?”

  Sam dropped his gaze to the rough wooden floor. At least she assumed he was looking at the floor. His sun-bronzed face suddenly had a hint of pink slashing along his chiseled cheekbones. “I … um …”

  Nora couldn’t stop her lips from turning up at his blush and stutter. “Why, Sam … What exactly did you notice about me?”

  Sam smiled as his gaze freely moved from her hips to her bust. “Not much else to do when your opponent is shooting pool or boxing but notice their … um … form. You have great form, Nora.”

  “Form? I have … great … form?”

  “Yep.”

  She shoved his chest, but he was solid. Didn’t even totter. Maybe he’d been a scrapper back in the day, too. With the houseful of boys he said he’d grown up with, it was no wonder.

  “You know,” he said, breaking her from her thoughts of a young curly-headed Sam playing outside with his friends. “I was hoping to run into you at the bar again tonight, but … breakfast works for me. Want to grab something to eat?”

  As much as hanging out with Sam appealed to her, she couldn’t put him in danger. “Umm … I’m kind of in a hurry —”

  “Breakfast is only one course,” he cut in. “Come on.” He took her by the hand, the way he’d done the previous evening.

  “Hey!” She pulled free. “Can I at least pay for my supplies first?”

  “Of course.” Sam walked in front of her, approaching the counter.

  An elderly but trim Alaskan native greeted Sam with a wide smile, showing off layers of wrinkles. “Mornin’, Sam.”

  “Mornin�
�, Silla!” Sam waved his thumb over his shoulder. “Nora’s one of our newest hikers. Would you please extend our discount to her?”

  The man swiped his long salt-and-pepper hair over his shoulder. “Sure thing, Sam.”

  Sam walked to the exit and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He looked as if he was scanning the outside, searching for a threat. What could he possibly be concerned with? He had family and friends in the same town. People who probably had his back no matter what. How she longed for that. She’d had friends like that in Buenos Aires, but not in the States. She’d only really known one person in the last seven years, and he’d proven to be a horrible friend — and a worse person.

  Nora handed the man her credit card. “Thank you, Silla.”

  “Any friend of Sam’s is a friend of mine, young lady.”

  She smiled and accepted her bag, then strolled up to Sam. It didn’t appear he was going to take no for an answer. And what was she worried about? If Sergio had sent someone to follow her, she would have seen him. She hadn’t lied; she was in a hurry. But unlike California, there were twenty hours of daylight here; she could certainly take the time to eat breakfast. The more fat she could store, the better. “Where to?”

  Sam took her by the hand again and led her outside to the parking lot. “We’ll walk. It’s only a couple blocks.”

  Nothing was far here. Only two roads intersected, and all the shops were huddled close to the four corners.

  As the previous day, one lone mosquito buzzed near her head. To escape the flying killer, she lurched sideways, nearly knocking Sam off the sidewalk.

  Sam steadied her. “You okay?”

  A shiver swept through her as she batted the nasty creature away. “I hate those things.”

  “What things?”

  She flicked her hand. “Mosquitos.”

  Sam laughed, but then apparently seeing her scowl, he sealed his lips. “You do know the mosquito is called Alaska’s unofficial state bird, don’t you?”

  Nora stared up at him, her skin prickling at the thought of one of those things feeding on her. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s a joke obviously, but yeah … come June, mosquitos — and black flies — can be irritating. Nothing to fall in the street over, though.”

  “Those things,” she shrilled, “carry all sorts of deadly diseases. Malaria, West Nile … If you’d grown up in South America, you’d hate them too.”

  “True, but so far, that isn’t the case here. Chances of the virus taking hold in Alaska are slim. Just make sure you pick up some DEET.” Sam stopped in front of a building that probably had been a house at one point — another log cabin. Light beige log walls made up the exterior. And the windows were trimmed with bright white paint. The white picket fence surrounding a front porch with whitewashed rocking chairs begged passersby to stop in and have a seat.

  Distracted by the quaint, small-town atmosphere, Nora hadn’t noticed that Sam had opened the gate. “You’ll be safe inside from the scary mosquitos. This roadhouse is world renowned to climbers as the place to fuel up — food and rest — before tackling North America’s tallest peak. Or, for just an old-fashioned downhome breakfast.”

  Sam led her into the establishment. The feel of his large warm hand wrapped around hers snapped her back to reality. It felt good. Too good. She couldn’t allow this. She slipped free, busying her hands in her purse while surreptitiously searching the interior of the restaurant for anyone who might stand out. She could only imagine what Sergio would do to Sam if he saw them together.

  Inside, Sam pulled out a chair at a long table where several people were already sitting. Had he somehow planned this? The people didn’t look like the ones who’d been at the bar the previous evening. Not knowing what to do other than sit, Nora sat.

  “Morning!” Sam pulled out a chair beside her but directed his salutation to the other people who were already eating. “I’m Sam, and this is Nora. Are you folks heading to Denali today?”

  The man and woman smiled. “Yep. Driving through, then up to Fairbanks. We’re Carl and Leigh from Raleigh, North Carolina. Y’all plannin’ to hike it?”

  “Not today. But I hope to go soon,” Sam said. He rested his hand on Nora’s forearm, then tilted his head, indicating it was her turn to answer.

  “Uh, yeah. In a few days. I was planning to head that way next week,” she lied lightly. She couldn’t give any hint of her actual start time.

  Sam slid his arm around her, and Nora felt instant warmth surge through her. She wanted to mentally slap herself. What was she thinking? What was he thinking? That she’d just roll over and become his pet? He obviously knew she was from out of town, the same way he’d known the people at the table were. Both this city and the one where the motel and bar were located had a combined population smaller than the school she’d dropped out of when she was fourteen.

  Deciding to get this — whatever it was they were doing — over as soon as possible, Nora reached for a menu. “What’s good?” she asked curtly. It was the only way. Sam seemed as interested in her as she was in him, but neither of them could act on their feelings. Not when she knew what was at stake.

  “Nice meeting you folks,” Sam said. “My friend is hungry, so I guess I need to order.”

  In her peripherals, she saw his head tilt, and she knew those chestnut-colored eyes were taking her in.

  She cocked her head to the side, but just enough that he could see her mouth the word, “What?”

  He pulled away and reached for a cup. “I’m a coffee drinker myself, but if you like hot chocolate, I highly recommend it.”

  With his arm gone and the fact that he’d scooted his chair away a few inches, Nora suddenly felt cold. If she’d come off hostile, it was for the best. Even though she was done with Sergio — six months ago, actually — Sergio didn’t know that. And she knew that, just like he’d killed that man who hadn’t done what he asked him to do, he would kill her too. Still, she liked Sam. And who knew, maybe once she was safely back in Argentina, she could invite him to hike in her country.

  After another quick scan of the patrons in the tiny restaurant, she rested her hand on his arm the way he’d done to her. “Hot chocolate sounds good. How about food? What do you recommend?”

  At once, Sam’s posture changed. He leaned toward her, pointing out suggestions on the menu she held. “Definitely the sourdough hotcake with blueberries. And a side order of reindeer sausage —”

  “Reindeer?” she said a bit too loudly. “Is that a joke, too? You don’t really eat reindeer, do you?”

  Sam pressed his lips into a straight line as though he was trying to hold back a smile. “Afraid of mosquitos and reindeer … You do know you’re in Alaska, right? Would it sound more appealing if I called it venison?”

  “Nope! The hotcake will have to do. And I’m not afraid of mosquitos; I don’t like them. And I just don’t care to eat reindeer. Papá Noel — excuse me, Santa Claus — might not bring me any gifts.”

  He chuckled as his arm moved to the back of her chair again. “You’re so cute.”

  “Cute?” Nora thought about the last woman she’d fought, who left the ring bloodied and with fewer teeth after a knockout kick, which ended the fight.

  Sam lowered his mouth to her ear. “Sexy …” His warm breath grazed her neck, sending a shock of heat through her entire body.

  “You folks ready to order?” asked a scratchy female voice.

  Glad for the interruption, Nora turned to the woman in a white shirt and black apron. “Oh, yes! I’ll … umm … I’ll have the … The …” Sexy guy next to me — Damn! What was wrong with her head? She ran her finger across the menu, looking for the name of the item.

  “She’ll have the sourdough hotcake with blueberries. Hot chocolate and orange juice to drink. And I’ll have the standard with cheese, substitute the bacon for —” He looked at Nora, then back at the server. “On second thought, just like it comes, and add biscuits, no gravy.”

  “And to
drink?”

  “Coffee and juice.”

  The woman strolled off, and Nora turned to Sam. “You could have ordered the sausage. I’m not squeamish. I just don’t want any.”

  “No big deal. It’s more of a novelty item, and it can be gamey.” He held her eyes for a few seconds without speaking, as though he wanted to ask her something. “So … tonight … as I said, I was hoping to bump into you. But since we already bumped into each other, maybe we could plan a real date. Dinner?”

  Nora chewed on the inside of her lip. She had to start hiking today, so she’d be gone days before Sergio sent a search party after her. And before the park got overrun with hikers. From what she’d read, it was two weeks before the summer season started. That would give her time to get lost, far away from where other backpackers hiked. And more importantly, she couldn’t allow herself to see Sam again. But she couldn’t tell him that. And she had a feeling he wouldn’t accept some lame excuse. Unfortunately, she’d have to accept and then stand him up. Damn.

  “Okay,” she said.

  Sam blinked. “If you have other plans —”

  “No … umm, I don’t have any plans.” That was the second time he’d read her. How could he know her body language when they’d just met? And yet Sergio didn’t know her well enough to realize she was leaving him after seven years.

  “Are you sure?” Sam asked. “Because it sounded as though you’d rather not go out with me.”

  Nora felt her face pull up into a smile, even as a tight knot formed in her chest. “Sam, I can honestly say there’s no one I’d rather spend an evening with.”

  ~ Sam ~

  Sam heard the wonderful words that came out of Nora’s beautiful mouth, but something was off. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he did. The same way he knew what his team members needed him to do on a rescue before they asked.