Treasure Tides (The Coins) (20 page)

Kurt had plugged his phone into Vic’s charger while he unloaded the
equipment from his truck. As soon as the text had come in alerting him
that the panic room’s door had been locked, he had jumped back in the
truck and broken land speed records getting home.
As Kurt pulled into
the cul-de-sac, he saw Landon pick Joanna up and haul her into his
house.
He saw evidence of a fight, but most of the casualties had been
cleaned up. There were still a few Werewolves in shifted form prowling
around to make sure the area was clear.
Soon there would be no
evidence of the immortal battle that had obviously been fought.

Royce was walking toward the house with Becki in his arms. That
meant she had locked the girls in the panic room but elected not to stay
there herself.

Kurt crossed the yard and entered the house.
He barely had time to
close the door before Becki launched herself into his arms. She was
sobbing and trying to talk at the same time, making no sense at all.
He
let her fall apart for just a minute. Giving her a gentle shake, he asked,
“Everyone is ok, right?”

He felt her nod against his chest.
“Ok, I need to get the girls out of the panic room,” he said. Seeking
Royce’s eyes, Kurt nodded to indicate that Royce should take Becki
while he released the girls.
Kurt settled her in Royce’s arms once again and continued, “We’re
not going to mention what happened here. We don’t know who those
men were, but Royce and Landon scared them away. Right?” he
prompted meeting her eyes to make sure she understood.
She nodded once again and then regaining some of her spunk, she
lifted her head and announced, “Someday, you and I are going to have a
serious
conversation about the
interesting array of
weapons
and
ammunition in your gun safe.”
“Ok, some day,” Kurt agreed with a sigh.
Becki relished being in Royce’s arms. It felt safe and secure. Just like
home should feel.

Even though Landon was exhausted, he was even more livid. After
preventing Royce from putting a bullet in Trevor, he took his leave and
stalked purposefully toward Joanna.

Her eyes widened at the expression on his face. She began to back
away and move her hands as if to cast a spell. Since she would not dare
attempt to control him with magic, he could only assume she was
preparing to run.

“If you move, even so much as one molecule of your body, I will
hunt you down and make you very sorry,” Landon promised softly.
Landon’s threat immediately ignited Joanna’s rebellion. All she
needed was one more man trying to control her, thinking they could tell
her what to do.
Not in this lifetime!
She lifted her head defiantly and
began to whisper, “Winds of the East--”
Damn!
She had forgotten how fast he moved.
Before she could
finish the vanishing spell, Landon planted his shoulder in her stomach
and lifted her off her feet. He strode across the street with her flung
over his shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes. He then carried her
directly to his house and through the front door. Once inside, he kicked
the door shut with a
bang!
The entire house shuttered under the force of
his fury.
In the next instant, he had dumped her in the middle of his bed and
was in the process of climbing on top of her. Panic took root in the very
core of her being and quickly flooded her body and mind.
Trapped!
No
way to escape
.
She couldn’t breathe
.
Joanna began gasping for oxygen,
clawing him as she fought to escape. Her body began to shake as tears
streamed from her eyes. “No-- No,” she sobbed. The hell-cat turned
into a child before his eyes.
Landon immediately rolled to one side.
He had only thought to
prevent her from escaping while they discussed what had just happed.
He knew she would be pissed, but he never expected sheer panic.
As her attacker’s weight left her body, Joanna curled into a ball. She
was curling up, protecting herself, protecting her… “I’m sorry! I’m
sorry! Don’t hurt me. Please, don’t hurt us,” she sobbed.
Landon was struck immobile by what he saw. He knew the signs of
abuse.
These particular signs might as well have been flashing neon.
Exhaustion ebbed and his body was quickly consumed by rage.
His
Were began to stir, and he forced himself to breathe deeply in an effort
to calm them both. Joanna definitely did not need to deal with that part
of him right now.
He moved closer to Joanna, wrapping his arms loosely around her. He
began whispering softly. “Joanna, it’s me. You’re safe. It’s Landon, honey.
Come on, Jo, come back to me. Calm down. Breathe, baby. It’s Landon.
I’ve got you, you’re safe. I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to frighten you.
I’m sorry, Joanna. I’m so very sorry.”
He continued crooning softly, reassuring her that she was safe.
Joanna
began to quiet down, but still sobbed softly.
He continued to whisper to
her. His fingertips stroked her back soothingly.
Oh God, why today? Why did this shit have to happen today?
She had put all of
that behind her. No one knew…. Royce didn’t know, her parents didn’t
know.
How could she explain this to Landon?
Shame and embarrassment filled her.
She knew Landon would never harm her.
He would surely think her
mentally unstable. She hated feeling helpless and trapped.
“Jo, I’m going to get you a glass of water,” Landon said. “Will you be
ok?”
She nodded her head. As he planted a soft kiss on her head, he gently
slipped his arms from around her. Joanna waited until she heard the water
being turned on before she slid off the bed.
Once again upright, she
scrubbed her eyes free of tears and looked around frantically.
She needed to get out of here, right now, before Landon came back! He would know
she was damaged.
Joanna could only hope he wouldn’t mention this ridiculous
scene to Royce. She couldn’t face Royce with this, and she didn’t want to
talk to Landon about it either. Joanna believed she had buried her fears, but
evidently not deeply enough. It was time to go.
“Joanna, don’t you dare run out on me,” Landon called from the
doorway.
Joanna covered her eyes with her hands and swallowed a sob. “I have to
go, Landon. Please understand…I have to go.”
“You can’t outrun whatever happened, Joanna,” Landon said softly. He
gently turned her to face him, pressing the glass of water into her hand.
Joann forced a laugh. “This whole water thing is becoming a habit.”
Landon placed his finger under her chin and tipped her face forcing
her to meet his eyes. “Don’t do that. Don’t minimize your feelings or
make a joke of your pain,” he said softly.
Tears flooded her eyes again spilling over to run down her face. “I’m
sorry you had to see that. Promise me you won’t tell Royce,” she
pleaded.
After a moment of silence, Landon shook his head. “That’s your
story to tell, Jo. Whatever it is, and whenever you’re ready,”
he
promised. “If you would like to talk about it, I’m here to listen,” Landon
said catching her tears with his thumbs.
“I’m so sorry I frightened you, Joanna,” Landon said, tears hovering
in his own eyes. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”
Joanna cupped his face briefly with her hand before resting it on his
chest. “I know that, Landon,” she reassured him. “Thanks for the
offer,” she said as she forced a sad smile, “but I just can’t talk about it,
Landon. Please understand,” she whispered. Joanna kissed his lips
softly and then disappeared.
Looking at the empty glass sitting on his dresser, and then around the
equally empty room, Landon growled. “You may think you’ve escaped;
that this is over…but it’s not over, Joanna. Not by a longshot. Just so
you know,” he announced, certain she could still hear him.

Kurt entered the combination to the panic room.
As the door
opened, Leann and Mandy threw themselves at him. They were sobbing.
“It’s ok. You’re all fine. Everyone’s ok,” Kurt reassured them while
he hugged them tightly.
“But, those men were scary,” Mandy insisted.
“And they wouldn’t leave us alone,” Leann wailed.
“I know, but they are gone. They won’t be back,” Kurt promised.
With a look at Royce he added, “I guarantee it.”
“Who were those creepy men?” Mandy asked, wiping her eyes.
“Yes,” Leann seconded her sister’s inquiry, “who were they?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Kurt soothed.
“Well…they weren’t exactly kid-friendly,” Leann observed. “They
wanted to come in and wait for you!
Everyone knows you don’t let
strangers in the house when parents aren’t home,” she said rolling her
big brown eyes.
“That’s right, you never do,” Kurt agreed, stroking her hair and
thanking God his girls were safe.
As Leann and Mandy ran toward Becki to scold her for not locking
herself in with them, he turned to Clarissa. She had not poured out of
the panic room with the other two girls. In fact, she hadn’t moved since
he opened the door.
“Are you ok?” Kurt asked as he moved toward her.
She looked pale and couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the monitor in
front of her.
Shit
!
Kurt felt something unidentifiable move through him as he
realized what she had just witnessed.
She was still staring at the monitor
connected to the
security
cameras surrounding
the
house and yard.
Clarissa had just witnessed Werewolves and Vampires, who were not
supposed to exist, clash in a raging battle outside her home.
“Honey?” he questioned, nodding toward Mandy and Leann. He asked
without words what the two younger girls had witnessed on the monitor.
Clarissa shook her head and whispered, “No.”
He should have known better. She always protected her sisters
. Kurt opened his
arms and Clarissa ran into them. As she sobbed on his chest, he felt as if
he had been stabbed through the heart.
“It’s ok, honey. You are safe. Everything is ok. I promise.” He
continued to reassure her that everything was fine.
Yeah, right
.
“Dad,” she whispered, “I thought they were mythical creatures.”
“That’s what you are supposed to think, honey. They aren’t all bad,”
Kurt said, thinking of Landon. How was he going to explain that “Uncle
Landon” was a big, bad, hairy creature with larger than normal incisors?
Landon, who always seemed to have perfect timing, chose that moment
to walk in through the back door.
Kurt felt Clarissa stiffen in his arms. She had figured it out on her own.
Landon smelled Clarissa’s fear increase drastically as he entered the
house. He looked at Kurt questioningly. Kurt nodded once.
Landon closed his eyes as pain tore through him. Clarissa was afraid of
him.
He understood her fear, but it was debilitating to know that she
would never love him the same way again.
Feeling more tired and
defeated than he could ever remember, he opened the door and slipped
out.
“He’s still the same man, babe. He still loves you with all his heart,”
Kurt explained. He loosened his hold so he could look into Clarissa’s
eyes. “I can’t imagine how confused and frightened you are, but you can
count on this. That
man
would give his life for yours just like always.”
Clarissa smiled a watery smile. Kurt’s heart lightened tremendously as
she said, “I know, Daddy.” She stepped out of his arms as she wiped her
eyes. “I’ll be right back,” she announced.
With that being said, she ran to the back door and threw it open wide.
Of course she let it slam shut behind her…as usual. Kurt laughed and
shook his head.
Some things never change.
Clarissa ran toward Landon, who was already standing just inside his
house.
“Uncle Landon,” Clarissa shouted as she ran.
Landon heard his name and looked up to see Clarissa sprinting across
the yard. He was reminded of the countless times he had watched the
girls run to the swing hanging from the oak tree in front of his house.
He smiled as he remembered putting up a toddler swing in that very tree.
He had replaced it, all too soon, for the girls when they had out grown it.
His mind flashed forward to Clarissa’s first day of school and then to her
first pair of “grown-up” shoes. He and Kurt had made a disaster of her
first date, but he had hoped she would eventually forgive him. Now, he
was afraid to assume anything.
“Uncle Landon,” Clarissa cried as she launched herself into his arms.
“I love you,” she said, burying her face in his neck and hanging onto him
tightly.
Landon felt the weight of the world slide off his shoulders as tears fell
down his face. He wrapped his arms around her.
“I love you too, baby,” he croaked. “You weren’t supposed to find
out, at least not like that. You shouldn’t have to deal with this shit. I’m
sorry,” he apologized as he hugged her tightly.
“It’s ok,” Clarissa said as he set her gently back on the ground. Then
with an impish smile, she teased, “I guess this explains your moodiness
before the full moon.”
Landon growled playfully, “I’ve never been moody a day in my life.”
“Whatever! Maybe you’re just delusional,” she argued tugging him
out the door. “Come on let’s go back to my house.”
As they crossed the yard once more, all was right with his world. Well,
almost; he still had Joanna to think about.
“Uncle Landon,” Clarissa’s voice pulled him from his musings.
“Yes?”
Grinning from ear to ear, she continued, “Does this mean there really
is a Santa Clause?”
Landon chuckled. “As far as you’re concerned brat, yes there is.”

“We need to get some DVD’s for that TV in the panic room,” Mandy
decreed, as everyone sat down to eat dinner. “Clarissa couldn’t get it to
work right. Dad, you need to take a look at it.”

All of the adults at the table stopped eating, and looked toward Kurt.
“Yep,” he responded as he continued to cut the chicken on his plate.
He didn’t make eye contact with anyone. “I’ll just get an all-in-one unit
to stick in there. Do you need anything else while I’m at it?
Refrigerator, microwave…waterbed?”
Everyone laughed as Mandy looked at her father with a horrified
expression “Dad, we would never have to stay in there
that
long, would
we? It’s not even got a bathroom! That was almost a
big
problem!
Leann had just eaten a bowl of pears right before Becki made us go in
there. You
know
what they do to her!” she complained, pinching her
nose closed and laughing at the same time.
“Mandy,” Leann said, “why don’t you just be quiet and eat your
mashed potatoes before I eat them. By the way, they have the same
effect.”
“No way,” Mandy protested, covering her plate to protect it from
Leann.
Landon watched the girls and laughed at their antics. Dinner was
never dull when they were around.
He wondered how Joanna was
doing. He had promised not to mention her melt-down to Royce and
Landon would keep his word. However, he really wished that she would
confide in her brother. Royce would be devastated to learn that she had
kept something so substantial from him.
Becki hadn’t seemed to want to leave the girls. Royce understood her
unvoiced reluctance and decided he could take her out to dinner at a
more appropriate time.
When Clarissa mentioned having a cookout,
Royce immediately volunteered to man the grill. Becki’s grateful smile
and subsequent hug and kiss were worth the sacrifice.
Tomorrow the girls would board a plane to visit their grandparents in
Indiana for a few weeks.
They always took two suitcases
each
.
One
suitcase was packed full of clothes; and one remained empty for the
journey.
After all, they had to have room to bring home their loot.
Shopping trips with Mamaw were always one of the highlights of their
visits to Indiana.
“Is everyone packed up and ready to go?” Becki asked.
“I’m packed,” Mandy answered.
“Me, too,” Leann said.
Clarissa hung her head and covered her face. “I hate packing…I have
to clean my room to find the clothes I want to take with me.”
“I guess there’s hope that I will be able to see the floor soon then,
huh?” Kurt teased.
“
Not
nice Dad,” Clarissa scolded with a mock frown.
Becki stood up. “Come on, I’ll help you. I have experience with
messy rooms.”
“That’s for sure,” Kurt muttered under his breath.
“
Not
nice, Kurt,” Becki said, mimicking Clarissa as she too tromped
up the stairs into the abyss.
Kurt, Landon, and Royce cleared the dinner mess and then retired to
the garage. They needed to plan for tomorrow.
“The girls have to be at the airport at ten o’clock, and their plane
leaves at noon. We have to get them through security and teamed up
with the flight attendant who will accompany them to Indiana. I should
be ready to go by two o’clock,” Kurt said as he calculated their time
schedule.
“That sounds good,” Royce said. “Landon, Sean, and Joanna will
meet you at the dock around ten o’clock. They need time to set up their
equipment. Arimus summoned me to meet with the council at eleven
o’clock tomorrow,” he confessed as he grabbed a beer. He absently
patted his pocket for a cigarette. “Evidently, the survey team they sent
to Kentucky failed to check in yesterday.” Taking a long swallow of his
beer, he took a deep breath and continued, “They want a report on our
findings as well as an estimation of the expected wrap-date for this
mission.
They want to relocate the team to Kentucky as soon as
possible.”
Royce drained his beer. “Tomorrow we find the coin gentlemen. I
want to return it to the council by tomorrow night.
That
is my estimated
wrap-date, and then we move on to the next assignment.”
Becki had been lounging in the doorway, admiring her man.
She
certainly didn’t expect to hear that he was so anxious to leave. As Royce
announced his impending departure, the glass of iced tea slipped from
Becki’s numb fingers.
The sound of shattering glass drew Royce’s gaze just as Becki’s wide
eyes and pale face disappeared from view.
“Becki,” Royce called as he slammed his beer down on the drafting
table and turned to follow her. As he reached the threshold of the door,
he slipped on melting ice and glass. Royce narrowly missed hitting his
head on the door as he struggled to maintain his balance.
“Shit! That woman is going to be the death of me,” he growled.
Becki took the stairs two at a time on her way into the house.
Grabbing her purse and keys as she passed by the kitchen table, she
forced a smile for the girls. “I’ve got to get home. I love you all very
much, and I’ll see you when you get back from Indiana. Text and email
me, ok?”
The girls ran over for a group hug and promised to keep in contact
with her while they were gone.
Becki heard Royce enter the house through the back door as she
exited through the front, slamming it behind her. With shaking hands,
she wrenched the door to her car open, only to find it slammed shut
immediately by Royce’s large hand.
If only she had been a few seconds faster!
Spinning her to face him, he took a step forward, pinning her
between his rock- hard body and the car behind her.
“I guess this is where you say
I told you so
, right?” Becki forced a
laugh.
Her eyes glistened with tears that she refused to shed; at least
until she was home… alone.
“I told you so?” Royce questioned in a deceptively mild-mannered
voice.
“You told me at the beginning, right?” Becki sniffed. “You ‘couldn’t
get involved’. You ‘had a job to do’.” Becki tried to push Royce away.
“Hell, after today, I understand more than ever!”
Lifting her head to make eye contact she announced, “It’s ‘time to
move on’; I believe was the phrase you used. No big deal, I understand.
By all means, move on Roy--”
Royce stopped her mid-sentence by sealing his lips to hers.
He
smothered the words she so desperately wanted to throw back at him.
Royce kissed her deeply.
Taking advantage of her open mouth, he
ravaged her with his lips and tongue as he pressed his body fully into her.
She stopped fighting, against her better judgment, and then began
kissing him back. Meeting his tongue with hers, she wrapped her arms
around his neck and gave in to the pleasure of his kiss. Sliding his hands
down her body, he lifted her against him and continued to rock her
world with his passion. Becki’s automatically wrapped her legs around
Royce’s waist trying to get closer still.
Royce’s phone rang, bringing an abrupt halt to their make out session.
As Becki wrenched her lips from his, she dropped her head on his chest
in defeat and sniffed as tears silently fell.
Royce walked around to the front of the car with Becki still wrapped
around him like a blanket. As he placed her gently on the hood of the
car he said, “It may be ‘no big deal’ to you,” he said looking into her
tear-drenched eyes, “but it sure as hell is a big deal to me.”
Confusion flared in Becki’s eyes for a brief moment and anger quickly
followed. “But you just said--”
Royce placed a finger across her lips, thinking that might be a wiser
choice to stem the flow of her words at this point. “I know exactly what
I said.
You have to learn to trust me, Becki, trust us.
And for the
record, I’m getting damn sick and tired of you running away from me,”
he said as he wrapped his arms more tightly about her.
Becki dropped her head on his chest and whispered, “I don’t want
you to leave. I love you, Royce.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. I love you too, baby,” he said as
he kissed her tears away. “I don’t know what comes next with the team,
but I do know that I want to be with you.
I want you at my side,
whether I’m working at a desk or working in the field.”
“I love you so much, Royce, but I don’t know if I can handle fighting
Vampires and Werewolves, and God knows what else,” Becki said
fearfully.
Royce laughed. “Leave the creatures to me, babe. Do you really think
I would let you anywhere near danger?”
Royce’s phone rang again. He pulled his phone from the front
pocket of his jeans, which seemed to be tighter now than they were
when he put them on. Sean’s phone number flashed across the screen,
and Royce pushed ‘ignore’. Sean could wait.
With a quick kiss he suggested, “Why don’t you stay with the girls
tonight?”
Becki flashed him a questioning glance.
“There is a lot of work to be done tonight. Kurt, Landon, and I need
to try to pinpoint the exact location of the coin and plan the recovery.
The Council is getting antsy.
Unfortunately, there are too many people
who know the coin is in the Charleston area and there are still at least
five more coins out there somewhere. We need to find them and return
them to the council as quickly as possible. Who knows what kind of
havoc we could be looking at if the wrong person found one of them?”
“Ok,” Becki consented as she gave him one more hug. “You boys do
your thing. The girls and I will put on mud masks and paint our nails
while we watch chick-flicks. Kurt has to take them to the airport in the
morning, but I think I’ll sleep in. Let me know when you get back in
tomorrow. And Royce,” she said grabbing a handful of his shirt, “be
careful. Come back to me in one piece. I love you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Royce promised, gently unclenching her hand. “You
have my word.”
“Royce,” Landon shouted from the garage. “Sean said he couldn’t
reach you on your cell, so he called mine.
He said he needs to talk to
you…now.”
“Duty calls,” Royce said with a grin.
Shaking her head, Becki asked, “You love this stuff, don’t you?”
Royce was suddenly very serious as he said, “Yes, I do. But not as
much as I love you.”
Patting his chest, Becki assured him, “Well big guy, lucky for you, you
don’t have to choose.” Hopping down from the hood of her car, she
blew him a kiss. And then she proceeded to give her hips an extra wiggle
as she strutted toward the house.
Royce growled and shifted uncomfortably in his jeans. “You are
playing with fire woman,” he called suggestively.
Becki laughed and responded without turning around, “Go take your
call. I’ll see you tomorrow.”