Wilder Days

“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, Vic.”

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 laughed, and the sound was unexpectedly heart-warming. 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 had 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 had loved holding on to him.

“Once we have Noelle with us, where are we going?” she asked, anxious 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