I leaned my head out into the hallway but didn’t see Katherine or anyone else, for that matter. I walked back to the cabinet deciding I could answer and tell the person to hold while I went to fetch Katherine.
As I opened the cabinet, Dax’s voice rumbled out. Even through the gritty speakers of the radio, the low, deep sound of it made my heart skip a beat. “Wildthorne One this is Tero One. Over.”
I took hold of the speaker and pressed the button. “Tero One this is Wildthorne Five. Over.” I released the button. A long pause followed. It seemed I’d stunned the message receiver.
“Wildthorne Five, good to hear your voice. Uh, who else is with you? Over.”
I shot a puzzled glance around the room. “No one. Over.”
“Then I would like to request for ham radio sex talk. Over.”
My face warmed. I peeked around again just to make sure we were alone. I leaned into the cabinet. “Wildthorne Five has denied that request. Over.”
“Tero One would like to know on what grounds. Over.”
“Uh, on grounds that anyone on this frequency can listen in. Over.”
“Tero One would like to point out to Wildthorne Five that wild is part of your handle. Over.”
“Yes, it is and yet Wildthorne Five is still saying a big fat negative to the request. Over.”
“Fine. Wildthorne Five is party pooper. Over.”
“That’s affirmative. Is there any message to be relayed? Over.”
“Yes, let Wildthorne One know that Ryan has cancelled. He’s sick with the flu. Over.”
“Right. Will let her know. Over.”
“One more thing, Wildthorne Five. Over.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Tero One would like to inquire what color panties you are wearing? Over.”
“Tero One will have to leave that inquiry to his imagination. Over.”
There was a long pause, then Dax’s voice came through in a hushed, less formal tone. “Miss you and want you here with me right now. Over and out.”
I smiled down at the microphone in my hand for a second before putting it away. Footsteps sounded on the kitchen floor as I closed the cabinet.
Katherine’s face was smooth as stone except for a tiny tick of movement in her cheek. “Who was that?” she asked sharply. I felt like a child just about to be scolded.
“I’m sorry, should I not have answered? It was Dax—uh—Tero One,” I added quickly, thinking I could easily remedy the awkwardness by giving her the message. “He said Ryan is sick and won’t be coming to the island today.”
Katherine nodded. Her cheeks sucked in, making her sharp cheek bones even more prominent. This was a new stern expression I’d never seen, and I wasn’t feeling good about it.
Her shoes struck the hard floor with angry clarity as she walked to the coffee pot. I took her sudden interest in pouring herself a cup as my chance for a quick getaway.
“It’s just that it seemed an overlong conversation for one short message.” She heard me leaving but pretended I was standing right behind her.
I froze in the doorway and a rush of nerves went through me as I quickly decided how to explain the length of the conversation. It was hard to know just what she’d heard. Then Becky’s mention of her mother’s incredible hearing flashed through my mind, and I felt suddenly sick to my stomach.
I pointed in the general direction of the radio cabinet. “That was my fault. It’s been a long time since I used a two way radio. I was being clumsy with the button and talking at the wrong time.” I said the lie with such confidence, I actually felt a twinge of guilt at how easily it had come to me.
Katherine’s cold expression tossed quick shade over my confidence. “That’s fine,” she said abruptly. “Next time call Marcus or me to the radio.”
“Right.” Feeling sufficiently scolded, I slinked quickly out of the kitchen and out from under her suspicious glower. But my intuition told me she’d heard too much and that this wasn’t going to end with just a quick admonishment.
Chapter 22
Dax
I’d landed Tero and pulled the plane around. Kinley was usually waiting for me by the time I touched down, but there was no sign of her yet. I climbed out of the plane and decided to head toward the house to meet her. I hadn’t seen her in four days, and I was going out of my mind thinking about her. Our short talk on the radio three days earlier was the only thing that had gotten me through the week.
I pushed past the first layer of shrubs and met up with Kinley just as she was looking back over her shoulder. She turned forward and gasped when she saw me standing right in front of her.
“Hey, Rabbit, you look as if the big bad wolf is chasing you. And let me say, you’re looking the wrong direction because he’s right here.” I pointed at my chest with my thumbs. Normally, she laughed or at least smiled at my jokes, but I’d really missed the mark with my humor this time.
Kinley looked back again. Her button nose was doing its usual hula dance when she turned back to me.
“What’s wrong?”
She pushed an envelope into my hand. “Can you put this in the mailbox? It’s for my parents. I’m not going with you today.” She spurted out the words fast.
“Wait, what? Kinley, what’s going on?”
She took my hand and led me away from the pathway and in the direction of the beach. “The letter isn’t anything important, just a few words about my new job, but I needed it as an excuse in case Katherine saw me out here.”
“Katherine? Why doesn’t she want you out here?” I took hold of her arm and pushed through the shrubs to a small opening in the branches. It was out of view of the runway and the house. “Shit, Kinley, you’re shaking.” My confusion was quickly replaced by rage. “What the hell has she done to you?” I pushed aside a branch. “I’m going to go talk to her.”
Kinley grabbed my hand. “No, don’t. She hasn’t done anything, but circumstances have definitely changed. I think she might have heard us talking on the radio.”
“So what?” I quickly amended my reaction with a string of cuss words when I remembered the content of the conversation. “God, I’m sorry, Kinley. I was just messing around.”
On the other side of a tall, dense row of plants, we could hear Katherine walking along the path to the runway. Kinley dropped her voice really low. “She told me she’d decided to run the errands today and that I was to stay home with Becky.” She blinked hard to keep back the glassy tears in her eyes. “I think her only motive was to keep us apart.”
I reached for her but she shook her head. “Stick that letter in your pocket. I’m going to head this way toward the beach to hide while you take off.”
“But, Rabbit—”
She spun around but then returned two steps, hopped up on her toes and kissed me before disappearing into the plants.
I stepped out from the shrubs and landed right in Katherine’s harsh, questioning glare. “What on earth were you doing in there?”
“I was taking a piss.” I knew my crude response would silence her and it did.
“Let’s get going. I have a lot to do today,” she snarled.
I headed toward Tero, making sure to take fast, extra long steps. She had to scoot on her high heels to keep up.
I shot Katherine a cold, sideways glance. “How did I earn the displeasure of your company today?”
Her mouth pulled so tight, it nearly stretched from one side of her face to the other. It seemed she wasn’t going to answer my impolite question, which was probably for the best. I hated to get worked up in a lather when I was just about to sit behind the control wheel. It was probably Katherine’s motive for not responding too. We had always rubbed each other like nails on a chalkboard.
We sat in our usual cold silence for half the trip until she d
ecided to throw her usual venom at me. “Just what the hell are you up to, James?”
“Uh, right now? About eight thousand feet.”
“And I want none of your usual smart ass answers.”
“I’m not a fucking kid anymore, Katherine, so let’s just stop talking before I decide to press the passenger seat eject button.” I could feel her harsh gaze on the side of my face, but I stayed focused on my controls.
“I know there is something going on between you and Kinley. I want it to stop.”
How badly I wanted to let her know the truth, for no other reason except it would make her crazed with anger. But I’d promised Kinley I wouldn’t get in the way of her job. She obviously considered it an important step for moving on from her last relationship. I didn’t want to ruin that. I was going to wait patiently on the sidelines for as long as it took.
Katherine straightened her coat and her already uptight posture, which meant more poison was on its way. “Well, whatever tawdry thing you’ve started with her, it’s going to come to an abrupt end.”
She was baiting me. Fortunately, I knew exactly how she worked, so I didn’t bite.
“I’ll be running errands from now on.” She pulled her coat shut against the chilled air in the cabin. All I could think was—how could the most frigid woman in the world ever be cold?
I sat in steely silence, wondering if I should just put both of us out of our misery and head nose down into the ocean. Only I didn’t want Katherine’s face to be the last one I saw before a watery grave, even if it would be white with terror.
“So you’re keeping Becky’s tutor prisoner on the island until you can talk her into being Frankenstein’s bride?”
The icy air swirling around her now glowed with the heat of rage. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her swivel under her seatbelt. I wondered if she was going to throw a punch. She kept her fists to herself. I was sure that had more to do with the fact that I was in control of the plane than her not wanting to hit me.
“I warned Jack, from the moment you walked in with your suitcase and that angry little scowl that you’d be nothing but trouble.”
“Ever think that maybe it’s that black ice heart of yours that’s the problem? I was five fucking years old. I’d lost my dad and my mom and I was completely alone. Don’t you think maybe I had a right to be just a little bit angry at the world?”
“You hardly knew your parents, and God knows your mother—”
“Don’t—” I pointed at her, a habit she hated. Just like the cussing, which I was giving her an extra dose of just for fun. “Not a fucking word about my mom. And you’re fucking delusional if you think your plan is going to work. Kinley won’t have any part of it.”
“Ah ha, I guess that answers my earlier question about your relationship with Kinley.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I just know your creepy little schemes. Kinley seems far too smart and worldly to be taken in. No matter how much money comes with it.”
“Everyone has need for money. Even you, it seems, as much as you pretend you don’t.”
“I live day to day, and I’m just fine with that.”
“Right.” She settled back in her seat and flipped the collar of her coat up to shield her face some. Which was just fine with me. If only she could have sunk down into that fucking coat and disappeared for good.
Chapter 23
Kinley
“You promised after math we’d look through my dad’s atlas. You were going to show me exactly where the Pyramid of Kharfre and the mummy’s curse is located.” Becky laughed. “Even though it really wasn’t a mummy’s curse but just a string of rotten luck.” She handed me her assignment. “Today is the perfect day because Marcus will be in bed all day with that headache.” She ended the sentence with an eye roll, and frankly, I had one going in my mind as well.
Marcus had woken with a headache, and Katherine mentioned that he’d be nursing his health in bed all day. Apparently he was convinced he’d contracted some dreaded disease. I was fairly certain all he’d contracted was a major buzz from the glue. It was right after Katherine’s conversation about Marcus’s headache when she dropped the news that she’d be running the errands today. She’d added that it would give me more time for lessons and that shopping for toiletries and health aids was a waste of valuable time when I could be spending it with Becky. At first, I’d taken the news with just profound disappointment. I’d spent the morning daydreaming about my time with Dax. Finding out that I wasn’t going to see him had brought me close to tears. As I walked away from my conversation with Katherine, each step grew heavier with worry that she knew about Dax and me. Obviously, she’d overheard us flirting on the ham radio, and it seemed she was determined to put an end to it.
I’d devised the plan to write a letter to my parents, something I’d been needing to do anyhow. The letter was my chance to see Dax. It was the perfect excuse for me to walk out to the runway. I was sure seeing him for at least a few minutes would lift some of the gray from my mood, but all it did was make me miss him more. I realized then that I wanted to be with Dax. I loved my job teaching Becky. I loved my independence. I even loved living in the stately old manor on the remote island. But if my new job and life meant having to leave Dax out of it, the balance had tipped in his direction. None of it would matter without Dax.
Becky and I straightened up the classroom and headed down to the library. The glue smell had permeated the wood paneling and the stacks of books. I doubted the odor would ever leave. The man fretted over every germ and then spent his entire day in a cloud of toxic fumes.
“We won’t be able to stay in here long, Becky. I’m worried this glue smell will give us both a headache.”
Becky waved her hand in front of her face to fan the smell away, but it was useless. “Stupid Marcus. I used to love to come in here and hang around with my dad.” She walked over to a shelf that was lined with colorful kids’ books. “He even gave me my own shelf, so I could read with him.”
“He sounded like a great dad.”
“He was and best of all, he loved to play jokes, especially on Mother. She’d get all puffy and red in the face, and he’d tell her, ‘Katherine, sometimes you just need to enjoy life and a good laugh for a change’,” Becky said in her deep man voice. “But she never laughs. Especially after his last joke. That one made her the most red faced of all.”
The kid was like a busy bee, and before I could find out more about the last joke, she shot across the carpet. I followed her as she headed toward a set of shelves designed for oversized books. On the way, we passed Marcus’s work table. He’d made great progress on the model. Becky stopped at the table, wearing a mischievous grin as she shot a quick glance at the door. Then she moved two of his tools to the other side of the model.
“What are you doing? I’m sure your brother won’t like you touching his things.”
“Sometimes I just like to mess with him. He’s just so aggravating.” She continued on her journey to the oversized books.
“But Marcus doesn’t really get in your way. Why does he bother you so much?”
“He’s just so picky about everything. He has to use certain plates and silverware and he only eats certain foods. He’s like a three-year-old. And then he gets to be picky about my tutors. If he doesn’t like them, then off they go. Just when I start getting used to someone, they pack up and leave.” She grabbed hold of my arm. “That’s why I’m so glad he likes you because if he didn’t I already decided I was going to chain myself to you. So you’d have to take me with you if you leave.”
For the first time I felt truly sorry for Becky.
I hugged her. “You have my permission to chain yourself to me anytime.” I helped her lift the heavy, leather bound atlas from the shelf. It was a gorgeous collector’s edition, but the maps inside would be comple
tely obsolete in today’s world. But it would be easy enough to find Giza. As we settled on the rug in the corner, I made an attempt to get information from Becky. She usually only stuck on a topic if it interested her, and her family was not high on that list.
Becky stretched out on her stomach.
I sat down next to her on the rug. “Becky, I’m curious, why does Marcus get to decide whether or not a tutor stays? He has so little to do with your education.”
She began flipping through the book and landed at a place where she’d stuck a lady bug shaped bookmark. It was a picture of Yosemite. “This is the first place I’ll go once I’m old enough to leave the island.” She flipped through some more pages. “It all has to do with Daddy’s last will test. I think that’s what it’s called.”
I helped her page through to the maps of Egypt. “He had a test? I don’t understand.” And then it came to me. “You mean his last will and testament?”
“Yeah, that’s it. It made Mother so mad she spent a week pacing around the front room with steam coming from her ears. Literally,” she added proudly.
“Yes, we still need to work on those vocabulary words. I think you mean metaphorically unless she actually had steam coming from her ears.”
“Just about. Anyhow, I think it had to do with Marcus not getting money until he married and had a baby.” She waved it off and returned her attention to the book.
I sat there staring absently at the pictures she was pointing out, trying to process it all in my head. James had warned me. He’d told me what Katherine was up to, but I laughed it off, thinking it couldn’t possibly be true.
Becky grinned up at me as if waiting for a response, only I hadn’t heard her question. My heart broke at the thought of leaving her behind, but this new revelation assured me I needed to leave my position. I wasn’t going to be a bought and paid for bride, and I sure as heck wasn’t going to stay on this island forever with Marcus. It was strange to think that Jack, a seemingly loving dad, would have put a stipulation like marriage in his will when he knew that his son had so many issues that would keep him from a normal relationship. Unless, of course, that was his main purpose for doing it. Perhaps Jack thought a fortune might be enough incentive to make Marcus deal with his problems. Obviously, the man had underestimated the extent of Marcus’s phobia.