WILDER DAYS Read online

  Shock was right on time for a change, and he came bearing everything Del had asked for. Clothes, ammo, an extra pistol. And a file on Vic and her ex-husband.

  Del enjoyed his morning ritual, coffee and a cigarette, and flipped through the file. There wasn’t much.

  “Any luck finding Tripp and Holly?”

  Shock shook his head. “No, man, they’re staying clear of their regular haunts. They’ll turn up sooner or later. They always do.”

  Up until now the Mayrons had been a minor annoyance, two pesky flies in the ointment. They hadn’t been this determined, violent, or organized before. Besides, Tripp Mayron was a major screwup.

  “And the other?”

  “Most of the good stuff is up here,” Shock said, tapping a fingertip against his temple. “I made a few phone calls last night and dug up the real dirt.”

  Del looked down at a photo of Vic, an impersonal and unflattering driver’s license picture. And still, she looked good. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Six years ago Preston Lowell, who works for Vic’s old man, was caught with his pants down. Literally. Not a pretty sight, from what I hear. The guy’s apparently got a really tiny little...”

  “Shock,” Del growled in warning.

  “Old man Archard, his secretary, and a new client walked into Preston’s office after hours to get some papers or something, and found naughty Lowell and his new secretary… dictating, right there on the desk.” Shock waggled his eyebrows. “Vic kicked him out and he got transferred to the Raleigh office, a demotion from what I hear. Vic had already been selling some paintings, but once she was on her own she really threw herself into the business. Now her originals cost a pretty penny and she releases several prints a year, and makes a decent living doing it.”

  Del stared at the grainy photograph. He wasn’t sorry that Vic was currently unattached, but he was incensed that any man would treat her that way. She deserved better.

  “By the way, this is the Vic, right?” Shock’s long, thin fingers danced over his heart.

  “Shut up, Albert,” Del muttered.

  Shock clapped a hand over his heart. “Man, I do you a favor and you call me Albert. What’s gotten into you?”

  Del lifted his eyes slowly. “Anything else?”

  “Only that no one at Archard Enterprises likes Preston much, and that he’d been fooling around for years. Everybody knew, probably even Vic. Once the old man caught him, though, that was his ass.”

  “But he was demoted, not fired?” Del shook his head. “The old man should have kicked his butt and then run him out of town on a rail, but instead he transfers him to Raleigh?”

  Shock just grunted, in a familiar kind of acknowledgment.

  Del took a long drag on his cigarette. “Okay, the old man is screwed up. I already knew that. But if Lowell had been fooling around for years, why would Vic put up with it?”

  “Why don’t you just ask me?”

  He and Shock both turned their heads toward the kitchen doorway to find an irate Vic standing there, her hair curling wildly, her thick white robe cinched tight. She stepped toward Del and he tried to close the file. Too late. She saw her own picture.

  “Vic, baby...” he began.

  “Don’t you Vic, baby me,” she snapped, reaching out and taking the cigarette from his lingers, tossing it into his coffee cup. “And don’t smoke in my house!”

  Del glanced down at what was left of his cigarette floating in what was left of his coffee. What a waste. “Like it or not, you’re as much a part of this as I am.”

  “Yeah, right.” She crossed her arms over her chest. There was fire in her eyes, color in her cheeks and pink nail polish on her toes. What a woman. “I’m an artist. No matter how unhappy someone might be with a painting I do, they don’t try to blow me up!”

  “We have to cover every possibility.”

  “No, we don’t,” she said calmly. “Get out of my house before I call the police.” With that, she turned her back on him.

  “Nothing’s changed, Vic,” he called after her. “As soon as you’re dressed, we’ll go pick up the kid and find a safe place for you both.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Fine, then,” he said, growing angry at her stubbornness. “Call the police. Someone there will surely talk. It’ll hit the newspapers, maybe even the noon news. And the next thing you know Tripp and Holly will know we didn’t go up with the warehouse and they’ll be back.”

  She spun on him. “It’ll be worth it to see you in jail.”

  “Jail?” Shock said. “Man, what did you do?”

  Del kept his eyes on Vic. “Nothing. Vic just has some mistaken ideas about what my life has been like. Isn’t that right, baby?”

  She turned red. “It doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure it out.”

  He reached into his back pocket, drew out his ID, and flipped it open to display the badge. “DEA,” he said. “Did you figure that one out?”

  She stared at the badge from a distance. “Drug Enforcement Administration,’’ she said softly, obviously surprised. Her brow wrinkled, her lips thinned. “Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?”

  He shrugged. “I work undercover. The idea is not to tell everyone in the world what I do.”

  She looked hurt, as if it pained her to be clumped in with everyone else in the world. Did she think she still meant something to him, that she was special? No, too many years had passed for that.

  “Del is the best,” Shock said, breaking an uncomfortable silence. “We’ve been partners for five years,” he added. “There was this one time—”

  “Not now,” Del interrupted.

  “Sure, man.”

  Del stared at an angry Vic. “Pack your bag and let’s get out of here.”

  “I don’t...”

  “What are you going to do the next time the doorbell rings, Vic? Hide? Take a chance and open the door on God knows what? Tripp and Holly might hire out the dirty work, since you’ve seen their faces. Anyone who comes to your door could be the bad guy, and next time they might decide to take your daughter, too.”

  Her face went white.

  “You saw them, you can testify against them, and they won’t forget that. We’re leaving in thirty minutes,” he added. “Whether you’re ready or not, whether you want to or not.” His own anger rose. “If I have to toss you over my shoulder and carry you out of here, I will. Don’t doubt it.”

  She gave him one last, less-than-warm look before turning her back on him. “I don’t doubt it at all.”

  They’d been riding in silence for more than an hour, Del concentrating on the road, Vic staring out the passenger window. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. She couldn’t stand another five hours of this.

  “We’re going to have to call a truce,” she said calmly.

  “What kind of truce?”

  Del was no happier with her than she was with him. She had no need to worry that he might complicate matters where Noelle was concerned. As soon as he could get rid of them both with a clear conscience, he would.

  “We’re both going to have to compromise.”

  “I’m already compromising,” he muttered. “I’m driving a freakin’ minivan.”

  Vic smiled. “We couldn’t get everything in your Jaguar and have room for Noelle in that tiny excuse for a back seat.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m sure your car will be safe in my garage.”

  He just mumbled.

  “So,” she continued. “Truce?”

  “Sure.”

  Del glanced at her and she smiled as if it didn’t hurt. There had been days when she prayed to be able to forget him, but how could she? Noelle was so much like him that sometimes it frightened her. The similarities went beyond coloring and the shape of their mouths. Noelle had Del’s restless spirit, his pride and his ingrained defiance.

  “So,” she said, trying for a light conversational tone. “How have you been?”

  He lau
ghed, and the sound was unexpectedly heartwarming. Del had never laughed much, but when he did the laughter came from his heart and soul. “Fine. And you?”

  “Fine.” Memories she didn’t want came rushing back. “Did you ever learn to dance?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good,” she whispered.

  “Did you ever learn to swim?”

  “No.” She found she didn’t want to know how many women had been in Del’s life, so she didn’t even bother to ask if he’d ever been married. She suspected not. Del had never been one for settling down, and since the kidnappers who were after him had needed bait, it had been her they’d kidnapped. After all these years...

  “I tried to teach you,” he said, shaking his head. “But you wouldn’t...” He stopped suddenly. Did he remember, too?

  It had been too early in the year to swim, the water too cold, and she’d held on to Del with everything she had while the water lapped around them, the lights of the pool they’d sneaked into making the night eerie and romantic. Romantic to a silly seventeen-year-old girl, anyway. God, she’d loved holding on to him.

  “Once we have Noelle with us, where are we going?” she asked, eager to change the subject. Being in close quarters with Del was bad enough. Bringing back old memories that would do neither of them any good only made matters worse.

  Del stared at her, but he didn’t answer for a few long minutes. Finally he said, “Don’t worry. I have everything taken care of.”

  Not everything, she imagined: There were too many details Del didn’t know, too many things he couldn’t possibly be prepared for.

  How could she prepare him for Noelle? Noelle, who was so much like him, who rebelled at every turn, who would not be happy to see them.

  Much as he’d like to think otherwise, Del did not have everything under control.

  Chapter 3

  “Who the hell are you?”

  Del was a little taken aback. This was Vic’s daughter? The teenage girl stood in the main room of a very nice condo on the beach, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. Vic’s pride and joy was dressed entirely in black, from her clunky tennis shoes to the baggy shorts to the oversize T-shirt. There were, at quick count, six earrings in one ear. Only one in the other. And her head...

  “Noelle Eve Lowell,” Vic said, sounding horrified. “What have you done to your hair?”

  The teenager took audacious eyes off of Del and laid them on her mother. “It rained yesterday. We didn’t have anything to do.” She lifted a hand to her hair, which was a very unnatural shade of red and cut too short on one side. On the other side, soft red strands brushed softly against one cheek.

  “It rained,” Vic said, “and you just happened to have hair dye with you? And a pair of scissors, too, I see?”

  “We brought them with us just in case.” Noelle shuffled one foot. “Michelle’s hair turned pink and I think I cut it too short. Her mom is really not happy.” Her expression hardened. “Why are you here, Mother, and who is the thug?”

  Thug?

  “Please tell me you’re not going through a midlife crisis and actually sleeping with this guy.”

  “Noelle!”

  "And if you are, why did you feel the need to drive all the way down here to what, introduce us? I really don’t need to be dragged into your midlife crisis, Mother.”

  The three of them were alone in the classy, nicely furnished condo. The Severns, Noelle’s friend’s family, were down at the beach. Just as well.

  “We’re taking a little vacation,” Del said calmly.

  Noelle glared at him. “I’m already on vacation, moron. And I still don’t know who you are.”

  He’d dealt with tough customers before, many of them tougher than Vic’s daughter. Maybe. “Del Wilder,” he said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “Your mother and I are old friends.”

  Behind him, Vic continued to mutter about her daughter’s hair.

  “Old friends. How nice.” Instead of extending her hand to shake Del’s, Noelle placed hands on hips and struck a defiant pose. “Why on earth do you want me along on your little vacation? I’m sure to cramp your style.”

  Vic had decided that she didn’t want Noelle to know what had happened. Not yet, anyway. Del had to agree. It was sure to be traumatic for a fourteen-year-old to know that someone had just tried to blow up her mother.

  “Family vacation,” Del grumbled.

  “You’re not family.”

  He ignored her. “Fishing, picnics, a cabin by the lake.” He hadn’t told Vic where they were going, but she’d know soon enough. The cabin he’d rented was close enough to Birmingham that he could make a run to the office, if he had to, far enough away from town that they wouldn’t have to worry about being spotted by anyone passing by. No one but Shock knew the location of the hideaway.

  “I hate fishing.”

  Del had a feeling he and Noelle could stand here all day and never agree on anything. If he told her the sky was blue, she’d come up with some kind of argument. He’d rather face the business end of a gun than deal with an obviously mixed-up fourteen-year-old.

  Vic stepped forward, passing close to Del as she approached her daughter. “Pack your things and let’s go,” she said.

  Noelle opened her mouth to argue, but Vic didn’t give her a chance.

  “Now.”

  Noelle sighed, but she turned around and disappeared into a bedroom to do as her mother asked.

  Del crept up behind Vic and placed a hand on her shoulder. “She hates me.”

  “She’ll get over it.”

  He tried to think of something positive to say. The words stuck in his throat, until he finally said, “She’s a pretty girl.”

  “Yes,” Vic said softly. “She is.” Beneath his hand, he felt Vic relax. “Don’t take anything she says too seriously. The past couple of years have been tough.”

  Del’s thumb rocked against Vic’s shoulder, an easily offered comfort she didn’t brush away. “The divorce?’’

  Vic nodded. “At first, she didn’t really understand. I think she spent years waiting for Preston to come home. When she finally realized that he wasn’t coming home, she got angry. She’s still angry, but she’ll be okay.” Vic took a deep, stilling breath. “The tough-girl image is an act, mostly.”

  Del nodded. “I understand.” Okay, it was a lie. He didn't understand. But since he wouldn’t be around long, he didn’t need to, right?

  He didn’t like the uncertainty that washed through him. What if he was around for a while? What if even after the Mayrons were caught and Vic was safe, he continued to see her?

  Like she’d let him. She’d made it clear that truce or no truce, he was not welcome in her life.

  The spot Del had chosen as their hideout didn’t look like much, but Vic approached the cabin with the hope that the inside would be better.

  It wasn’t.

  “Oh, my God,” Noelle said as she stepped from the sagging front porch into the main room of the sprawling cabin. “This is a joke, right? We’re not actually going to sleep here.”

  “Haven’t you ever heard of roughing it, kid?” Del asked with a wide smile on his face.

  “This was all your idea, wasn’t it, Wilder?” Noelle asked, casting a narrow-eyed glance over her shoulder.

  Del’s grin remained in place.

  Noelle began to explore, very quickly discovering that there was no phone and no air-conditioning. She expressed overly exuberant delight upon finding indoor plumbing.

  While Noelle disappeared down the hallway to choose the bedroom that would be her own, Vic faced Del.

  “I’m sure we’ll be okay here,” she said, steeling herself to send Del away. “Thanks. When all’s clear, I guess you’ll let me know. Right?” Her heart caught in her throat as she looked up at him; her mouth went dry. He had to get out of here. What if one morning he looked at Noelle and just knew? Then what?

  She didn’t like the way he looked at her, his smile fading, his eyes going d
ark. “Who said I was going anywhere?”

  “You can’t...”

  “I can,” he interrupted. “And I will.”

  He took one step toward her. One step was all the room she had. With that simple move he robbed her of her safety zone, her personal space, the shield that kept him at a distance. This close she could feel his heat, see the stubble on his jaw. The faint, intriguing scent of his body drifted to her.

  “You’re still angry,” he said softly.

  “Of course I’m still...”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, cupping her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. “I should have told you what I do as soon as I had the chance. It’s just that when I realized what you thought, it hurt a little.”

  “What else was I supposed to think?”

  He nodded, once. “Fair enough.”

  “You investigated me,” she said in an accusatory tone of voice.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Why?”

  Del hesitated. “I can’t assume anything. I need to find out why they went after you. There are other ways to get to me. I can’t figure out how they connected us. It’s been such a long time.” He moved a little bit closer.

  “So investigating me was just part of the job.”

  “No.” His head dipped. “I wanted to know.”

  “You wanted to know what?”

  “Everything.” With every heartbeat he moved closer. Vic licked her lips. “There’s not much to know. My life is pretty dull. At least...”

  He kissed her. She’d known it was coming, had passed and ignored her chance to step out of the danger zone and away from this kiss that was going to complicate everything. Her life. His. Her heart.

  She loved the way Del kissed, his lips gentle and firm, his body molding to hers and his arms wrapping around her. He gave everything he had to this kiss, the way he had always given everything of himself to whatever he did. The movement of his mouth over hers rocked her to her core, made her forget everything else.

  His tongue swept over her bottom lip, and she couldn’t contain the catch in her throat that gave away her response. One caressing hand was in her hair, the other stayed firmly at her spine. Every now and then his fingers rocked, comforting and much too arousing.