Authors: Christine Feehan
Water Bound (50 page)
He felt her laughter in his mind, but she didn’t laugh aloud. Beneath his hand, he felt some of the tension slip away. He took a swallow of coffee and waited for Jonas to tell him why he’d shown up again, this time with Blythe. The sheriff wouldn’t have brought Blythe unless he thought Rikki would be upset by his visit.
Jonas remained silent until Blythe returned, studying the blackened strip surrounding Rikki’s house, while Lev studied him. Definitely, he was worried about Rikki’s reaction to his news. His fingers slipped to the nape of Rikki’s neck, gently massaging, wanting to keep contact.
“Rikki,” Blythe said, as she passed a coffee cup to the sheriff, “Jonas would like to talk to you about an official who wants to ask you some questions.” She glanced up at Lev, her expression worried.
Rikki went still. “About the fire?” Her voice was low, strangled. The fingers of one hand turned white as she gripped her coffee mug, while the other dug into her denim-clad thigh.
Jonas shook his head. “No. There’s a Russian making inquiries into the death of a man who was on board the yacht that sank off our coast a few weeks ago. Apparently he isn’t entirely satisfied that the man drowned.”
Rikki didn’t react as Lev expected. She actually relaxed a little, took a sip of her coffee and met Jonas’s gaze steadily. “What has that got to do with me?”
“You were diving that day. He apparently checked with the processing company and they had sent out a truck to collect your catch.”
She frowned, tilting her head to one side. “Sure. I remember. The wave came out of nowhere with no warning and threw me into the water. It was lucky I had my diving gear on.”
“He thinks this Russian survived.”
Jonas never looked at Lev. Not once. He didn’t give away the fact that he knew Levi Hammond was Lev Prakenskii, the “dead” Russian. Lev had to tell Rikki the truth, that Jonas knew, but the night with her had been too perfect to mar it with worry over what Jonas might do. Right now, he seemed to be indicating that he had accepted Levi Hammond into his community. It might be an uneasy truce, but Lev could accept that.
“The water is too cold,” Rikki protested. “I doubt anyone could survive for long without a wet suit, especially under the conditions that day.”
She didn’t exactly lie. No one could have survived without a wet suit, not for long. Lev suppressed the need to shiver, feeling the water close over his head as the yacht dropped into the cold water. No one had had a chance to scream, they simply went down into that cold abyss, the darkness settling around them. He’d fallen, sliding along an almost invisible bubble. The fall had seemed endless. A million faces, the wails of the dead, the cold, cold water.
He’d tried to swim, going deeper, trying to find a way out. The wave took him, tumbling him over and over like a washing machine, slamming him into something until he was so disoriented and sick he didn’t know where he was or how to get out of the situation. Her hands had been surprisingly strong, anchoring him, but it was her eyes that had saved him.
He’d felt himself drifting toward the wails, the dead beckoning him closer. She had jerked him around, stared into his eyes. Her gaze was determined. Reassuring. He was safe with her. He could fall. He could break. He could live. He would live. She shared her breath, her air, the essence of life, all the while holding him to her with her eyes. He was no longer alone in the dark, deep cold. She was there, sharing her soul. There was forgiveness. Redemption. There was hope. It was all there in Rikki.
He felt the pressure of her hand, her thumb sliding over the center of his palm. Blinking, he wrenched himself out of the deep cold and found himself looking into her eyes. She smiled at him. Slow. Tender. Love slid over him, warmed him. He bent his head, unable to stop himself and brushed a kiss over her upturned mouth. His heart contracted. When he looked up, Jonas was watching him closely and he immediately swept all expression from his face.
“Rikki doesn’t need to be talking to any official from Russia. There’s no reason for her to go through that.”
“He’s not going away,” Jonas stated. “Not until he’s satisfied.”
“Bring him here,” Rikki said. “I don’t have anything to tell him, but if it helps him to close his case and maybe bring resolution to that man’s family and friends, then I don’t mind.”
“Rikki...” Lev warned.
“If you’d like, Rikki,” Blythe said, “I can stay with you while Jonas gets him and brings him back. Levi, I know you have things to do today, but I’ll stay with her.”
Jonas made a single sound of annoyance. Lev knew the sheriff had recognized Lev because he’d been expecting the missing Russian to be Ilya’s brother. He’d known a Prakenskii was on the yacht and Prakenskiis didn’t die so easily. He didn’t like the situation with Blythe and Rikki not being honest with him, but he was going to allow Levi Hammond to exist.
Lev shook his head. “If Rikki talks to him, I’m staying.”
“Don’t be an ass,” Jonas snapped, scowling.
Lev stared him down. “I didn’t say out in the open.”
Jonas held up his hand. “Don’t say another word. And Levi Hammond had better have his gun permit up-to-date and able to stand up to scrutiny.”
Lev shrugged casually. “Be my guest.” There was absolute confidence in his voice. Already, his ID was in place and every document had already arrived in Rikki’s post office box. He had enough paper to convince the world that Levi Hammond did in fact exist and had a long and memorable but very varied career.
“Blythe can’t stay,” Rikki said. When Blythe tried to protest, she shook her head. “No way. The sheriff will be here and that’s enough. I need to know that you’re safe. I don’t want attention called to any of you.”
Blythe started to protest, but Jonas put his hand on her arm. “I agree this time, Blythe. Let’s just get this done.” He leveled his gaze at Lev. “Make yourself scarce. I’ll be back in a half hour.”
“I’ll be sitting right here,” Rikki said with a small, secret smile.
Jonas frowned and then nodded. “One other thing. Does the name Gerald Pratt mean anything to you? There were fingerprints on the dock and we got a hit almost immediately. We checked the prints against jobs working with fire, such as firemen. Gerald Pratt works for the forestry department in the Big Sur area. He happens to have grown up in the same city as you, Rikki. He would have been about sixteen when you were thirteen.”
She frowned, obviously trying to remember. “I swear, I’ve never heard the name before. I might have gone to school with him, but if I did, school was so difficult, I wouldn’t have remembered anyway. I was the weird girl, always losing her mind. Kids made fun of me a lot, but I can’t remember specific names.”
“He didn’t go to any of the same schools with you,” Jonas said. “So far I can’t find the connection—or him, but I’m still digging. I haven’t had a lot of time. Pratt was working this last week, but he’s off at the moment and no one has any idea of where he might have gone. He took two weeks off.”
“Gerald Pratt,” Rikki repeated aloud. She shook her head and looked helplessly at Lev and then Blythe. “I don’t know him.”
She sounded so lost. Blythe put her arms around Rikki and held her, murmuring soft reassurances. “We’ll sort this out, Rikki,” she assured.
When she straightened, Rikki shook her head. “How could I have upset someone so much that they would want to kill not just me but everyone I care about, yet I can’t remember them?”
Jonas crouched in front of her, looking up into the eyes that studiously avoided his. “Rikki, sometimes people are ill. You don’t know what sets them off. If they live in another reality, whatever they believe becomes true. Nothing a thirteen-year-old girl could ever do would be justification for this man’s actions.”
“Are you certain it’s him?” Lev asked.
Jonas shook his head. “He’s a suspect. We’ve got the blood and he left his DNA on the cigarette butts, but that doesn’t mean he started the fire. It means he was on her property. Also, the accelerant used was Jet A, a higher octane fuel that burns hot and fast. This guy knows what he’s doing.”
Lev said nothing. If Pratt had his face ripped open by the owls, there would be no question. He’d be coming at Rikki soon. He didn’t have that much vacation time left and he needed to finish her off now. Pratt had a taste for killing with fire as his chosen weapon. Now that he knew where Rikki was, he’d be back.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Jonas warned Lev and escorted Blythe back to the car.
Rikki was silent, swinging gently, moving her bare foot up and down.
“Laskovaya moya,
I want to talk about this Russian coming to talk with you. I know you’re worried about Pratt, but he is nowhere near as dangerous as this man. He will be conducting an interrogation, not a discussion,” Lev said, taking her hand, his thumb stroking little caressing circles over the center of her palm. “You don’t have to do this.”
I want to talk about this Russian coming to talk with you. I know you’re worried about Pratt, but he is nowhere near as dangerous as this man. He will be conducting an interrogation, not a discussion,” Lev said, taking her hand, his thumb stroking little caressing circles over the center of her palm. “You don’t have to do this.”
She turned the full power of her dark, beautiful eyes on him. His heart contracted. There was courage there. Determination. “Of course I do. If you’re going to be rid of them, I have to be the one to do it. He knows I was out on the water that day.”
“I don’t like it,” Lev said.
She shrugged. “You don’t have to like it. I’m a grown woman and I’ve been making my own decisions for a long time. We’re in this together, right?” She looked at him. Challenging him. “Right? Or did you think I wouldn’t assert myself because you think I have a disability?”
His eyes glittered fiercely and he swung around, squatting in front of her, one hand spanning her throat, his thumb tipping her chin back. “Where the hell did that come from? We’re not fighting about this, Rikki. I’m stating my opinion, that it’s dangerous and you should have enough respect for me that you trust that I’d know. I respect your abilities in the water.”
She flushed and her gaze slid away from his. “I’m sorry. I have a hard time with arguments. Discussions,” she corrected. “Quite often, because I’m different, people think I have a low IQ and can’t grasp the situation. They want to make my decisions for me.”
“That’s not me,” he countered, then wiped his hand over his face. “Okay. Maybe it is me, but not because I think you aren’t smart enough to see a situation. I don’t like you in danger. When a man finds the only person of worth to him, that one person who matters more than anything and makes everything he’s ever seen or done or gone through worthwhile, believe me, Rikki, the urge to protect her is overwhelming. If that bothers you, then I’m sorry, because it’s going to be happening over and over throughout our years together.”
She touched his face gently. “I can accept that. Just don’t ever treat me like I’m not intelligent”
He caught her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. “I’m not that stupid, Rikki. So if you’re really going to do this, I’m going into the house and remove any evidence that I’ve been there. Your man, Levi Hammond, comes around when he isn’t running up and down the coast diving. He crashes here sometimes. Be vague.”
“I’m not letting him into the house.”
“You’ll have to if this is going to work. He’s going to find a way to get into the house. Don’t make it easy, but let him in. It’s the only way he’ll be satisfied. While he’s on the porch, I can cover him, but once he’s inside, it will be more difficult. Don’t go in with him.” When she looked at him, he sighed. “For me. Stay out where I can see you.”
“You stay away, Lev,” she dictated. “Leave this one to me.” She sent him a mysterious, mischievous smirk. “I’m actually a good actress. And I have a lot of experience to draw on. That state facility I was in provided all kinds of wonderful practice for me.”
He tasted fear in his mouth. “Listen to me,
lubov moya,
hear what I’m saying. This man is the most dangerous man you will ever run across. He kills without feeling. He’s like a robot. He cares nothing for anyone. He doesn’t work with a purpose to save governments or to try to stop gun running or human trafficking. He cares nothing about drugs. He kills. That is his only purpose in life. Once set on a target, he never stops until he has completed the assignment. That is his one joy, the victory of winning. His win is the kill.”
lubov moya,
hear what I’m saying. This man is the most dangerous man you will ever run across. He kills without feeling. He’s like a robot. He cares nothing for anyone. He doesn’t work with a purpose to save governments or to try to stop gun running or human trafficking. He cares nothing about drugs. He kills. That is his only purpose in life. Once set on a target, he never stops until he has completed the assignment. That is his one joy, the victory of winning. His win is the kill.”
She frowned. “And this man is after you?”
Lev nodded. “It is his job to make certain I am dead. If I kill him and he doesn’t return to those who sent him, they will know I’m alive and they’ll send another and then another until one day I make a mistake. If this one goes home, he will tell them I’m dead and they’ll believe him.”
“Then that’s what he has to do,” Rikki said.
Lev shook his head. “It isn’t that easy. He’s interrogated hundreds of people. He can sense a lie. He knows body language. He knows the little things that give people away when they’re lying.”
Rikki smiled at him. “He should come here when I’m alone then.”
His gut reacted, protesting. The thought of Rikki alone with the cleaner was absolutely terrifying. “No way. That isn’t going to happen. He can bring the sheriff with him. That’s the only way he gets close to you. If you make a mistake, he’ll come back alone without Harrington and I’ll kill him. We’ll decide what to do after that.”
Rikki sighed. “You know, Levi, you have to get over the whole, ‘I’ll just kill him’ thing. That might work for Lev, but not Levi. People don’t solve their problems that way.”
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