Dark Star (7 page)

Nate smiled as he reminisced. Tonya had
stayed with him that night until dawn crept over the Denny Chimes
and hadn’t left until he was forced to push her away. He sighed at
the sweet joy of falling in love for the first and only time. And
the agony of having to leave that love behind. Those bittersweet
memories were the only thing that had kept him sane for all those
long years without her. He took them out from time to time like an
antidote against the bleak life he led. Well, he’d made his choices
and would make the same ones if he had it to do again -- but still
he couldn’t help imagining what might have been. He leaned down to
pull the covers more closely around Tonya’s slender shoulders.
“Sleep well, little sister,” he said softly.

Then as though she’d heard him a subtle smile
curved Tonya’s lips. As he had done for many years Nate resisted
temptation and walked away.

Chapter Four

Looking out the window of the helicopter,
Tonya sighed at the beauty below. The Pacific Ocean gleamed a
cerulean backdrop for islands that were scattered like jewels from
a treasure box. She and Nate were alone in the aircraft with the
pilot. Deringer hadn’t traveled with them past Hawaii and of
course, neither of them bothered to tell her why. They hadn’t flown
commercial, and most of their flights had been in small
20-passenger jets. Not the best way to travel over what could be a
very turbulent ocean. Their flight from Hawaii to the Philippines
had been a little slice of Hell she had no desire to repeat.

Nate leaned toward her. “Those are the
Tipitoe Islands right there,” he said, his voice crackling in the
headset as he pointed.

Tonya nodded. She could see how the islands
got their name. There were a half dozen or so arranged in almost a
straight line as though a giant could tiptoe from one to another
without even getting his feet wet. The flight had been an
inordinately long one, consisting of endless plane changes and
quick naps anytime she could. Three days of travel had really done
her in. As the helicopter landed on the microscopic landing strip,
she heaved a grateful sigh of relief that she was done with flying
for a while.

They climbed out and Tonya watched as Nate
handed their pilot, a disreputable character he referred to as
W.T., a wad of cash. With his sunburned skin and scraggly blonde
hair covered by a pith helmet, the man embodied every stereotype of
a bush pilot. He looked like a character in a Rudyard Kipling
novel, but she couldn’t complain. According to Nate he was a damned
good pilot and she was just grateful to arrive in one piece.

Nate grabbed their bags out of the
helicopter, and then directed Tonya toward the parking lot next to
the tower where several cars were parked. After tossing their bags
in the back of a World War II era jeep, he opened the passenger
door for her to climb in.

“Do you just leave your car parked here with
the key in the ignition?” she asked.

“Not my car,” he said. “It’s just left here
for anyone who needs it.”

“Y’all don’t worry about it being
stolen?”

“Why would anyone do that? Anybody can use it
for as long as they need. Put some gas in it and leave it for the
next person.”

“That’s convenient,” she said, leaning back
in her seat.

“You’ll see, Tipitoe is a different world.
The closest thing I’ve found to paradise.”

As the island wasn’t very large, the drive to
his house wasn’t a lengthy one. The road wasn’t paved, but the
crushed seashells made for a surprisingly smooth surface. They
passed a small village that seemed to have a couple of stores and
an open-air market place. It all looked very charming and Tonya
hoped she’d have an opportunity to explore. Then the path circled
around to the other side of the island. They passed a couple of
houses, little more than beach huts really, and then there was his
house. It sat almost directly on the beach and had a roof thatched
with woven palm fronds. Nate stopped the jeep then jumped out to
open her door.

“Welcome to my home,” he said. “Despite the
circumstances, I hope you’ll enjoy your stay.”

Tonya looked at the surreally beautiful
setting. She was tempted to rub her eyes, convinced they must be
deceiving her. The small timber-framed house was built of some
exotic wood and faced the beach. It had so many windows that it
seemed that the walls were made almost entirely of glass. The wood
and glass construction made it fit in perfectly with the background
of tropical foliage and sugar sand beach. She sighed, really too
exhausted to take it all in. “Right now I’m so tired, it really
doesn’t matter.”

Nate reached out and rubbed her shoulder in
sympathy. “Poor Onion, this trip has been brutal. I’ll do my best
to make it up to you.”

Smiling despite having every reason not to,
Tonya leaned against him. “I hope so.”

* * * * *

Tonya was awakened, as she had been for the
past few mornings, by the sunlight pouring through her bedroom
window. It had taken her a while to adapt to the time change. Jet
lag had hit her hard and she’d done little but sleep the entire
first day.

She slid out of bed determined that today she
was going to make Nate tell her what the hell was going on.

Tonya padded barefoot into the small kitchen.
The house was tiny, having only two bedrooms and a single shared
bath. The incredible waterfront views and beach access made up for
anything the house lacked in size.

Nate stood by the counter, a cup of coffee in
one hand and a slice of toast in the other. He was barefoot too,
wearing a pair of board shorts and a tattered green t-shirt. He
hadn’t shaved in several days and the five o’clock shadow was on
overtime. She’d always loved his legs; they were long and muscular
and sprinkled with dark hairs. Years of playing sports had given
him strongly defined calves and thighs. His shoulders had
broadened, though it didn’t seem he’d gained a pound. She wished
she could say the same. He gave her a knowing grin, and she
self-consciously tugged at the running shorts she wore. They had
brought some of her clothes when they kidnapped her, but she hadn’t
known they were going to a tropical climate -- and the house didn’t
have air conditioning. It wasn’t really necessary as the
temperature was typically in the low eighties. Still most of the
clothes that were suitable for New York City and a book tour were
totally out of the question. Fortunately, she was an avid jogger
and had packed her running clothes. Even though the shorts fit
properly, her long legs made it appear that far more of her was
exposed than she was comfortable with. She had to admit that it
didn’t bother her under normal circumstances, but the effect Nate
had on her was telling.

Without a word, he poured a cup of coffee for
her. She accepted the large mug when he offered it and took a long
sip. “When are you finally going to get around to telling me what
the hell is going on?”

“When you need to know,” he said.

Tonya resisted the urge to smack him. Hard.
He’d said the same thing over and over again for the past five
days. “Are you kidding me? You drag me off to the South Pacific as
if I have nothing better to do with my time than play Girl Friday
to you. I do have a life you know. I have a company to run and
contracts to fulfill. I’m supposed to be on a book tour. I don’t
understand why we can’t just call the police and get these people
arrested.”

“You have no idea what we’re dealing with
here.”

“That’s right I don’t. Whose fault is that?”
she snapped.

“I know. I know. I’m sorry, but it can’t be
helped. For right now the less you know the better off we all
are.”

“That’s nonsense. Ignorance never helped
anything. What about my mama? What about Callie? What about my book
sales? Not to mention that somewhere in this long, strange trip I
lost my goddamned jelly beans.”

“Dear God, Onion, you’re still hooked on
those things? I swear your love for licorice gave me a freaking
fetish. Every time I taste the stuff I get a hard on.” He shook his
head and laughed. “As for your sales, something tells me that if
anything they will improve.” He motioned her over to look at the
stack of newspapers he’d been perusing when she walked in.

“I absolutely cannot believe you don’t have
the internet here. I haven’t read a real newspaper in ages.”

“No internet. No cable. That kind of stuff is
traceable. If we use any of it, we might as well build a yellow
brick road for them to follow.”

Tonya sighed at the reminder of why she was
here, then began to read the paper on the counter. “The Author
Vanishes,” the story caption on the dated
New York Times
screamed. The story was well inside the newspaper, but above the
fold and likely to receive quite a bit of coverage. And she knew
that sensational stories were often featured more prominently on
the website. Tonya leaned down to read the story with increasing
horror. “Oh, my God they think I’m doing it for the publicity. Or
because I was pissed off at my mother. How did they know about
that?”

“What were you pissed at Anita about?” he
asked.

“Reuben,” she said succinctly. “And I wasn’t
angry. I was annoyed.”

“Still? Jesus, Tonya it’s been what, twenty
years?”

“Yes,” Tonya gritted out. She didn’t know why
she was disappointed that he wasn’t taking her side either. Nate
had never let her get away with a pity party.

“Damn, Onion, you do hold a grudge don’t you?
Guess I’ll have to spend the rest of my life sleeping with one eye
open.” He shrugged with a smirk. “Nothing new there.”

“Don’t worry; I was already beyond pissed
with you. Trust me; this little trip to paradise isn’t helping.
They’re speculating that I’ve pulled an Agatha Christie.”

“An Agatha Christie?” he asked, frowning.

“Yeah. Back in the 1920s she disappeared
after her husband asked for a divorce. She was eventually
discovered, but never explained what happened.” She covered her
face with her hands. “This is awful. Why are you doing this to
me?”

“Sweetheart, if I had any other way to keep
you safe I would do it, but I have to make you disappear for a
while. I need time to...” He shook his head and Tonya could’ve
screamed in frustration as he changed what he was about to say. “I
need time to take care of some things. I know I don’t deserve it,
but you just have to trust me.”

“You’re right. You don’t deserve it. You’ve
got to at least let me contact my mother. Did you see that picture
of her? Did you read the article? She’s beside herself.”

Anita Stephens hadn’t looked distraught, only
those who knew her well would note the signs of distress. Her
mother was chic as always. Nary a hair on her carefully coifed head
was out of place. The former beauty queen was still a knockout and
she knew it. But Tonya could see what makeup couldn’t hide -- the
hollow expression in her eyes. The sunken cheeks that indicated
weight loss that her mother couldn’t afford on her petite frame.
Seeing her this way was devastating.

Nate shook his head firmly. “She is the very
person I don’t want you to contact. I hope to resolve this in a few
weeks...”

Through clenched teeth Tonya asked, “A few
weeks? Are you nuts? Do you have any idea what this will do to
her?”

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t hurt either of
you if it could be helped,” Nate said.

Tonya sighed and closed her eyes in
frustration. She knew he was telling the truth. This was simply too
damned crazy to be a lie. “This is a nightmare.”

Nate nodded in sympathy. “I know. Look, why
don’t you do this? You’ve been working really hard on your IHOP
books—“

“
Waffle House
. They’re Waffle House
books.”

“Right. Right. Anyway you’ve been working
hard on them, plus running your company with Callie.”

“It’s mainly Callie and Roshonda now. I’m the
silent partner for the most part,” she said.

“Anyway, why don’t you look at this as a
vacation? A few weeks on a secluded island. People pay top dollar
for this. Goodness knows I did. What more could you ask?” he
said.

“For you not to be here and to be able to
talk to my family and friends.”

“Okay. Other than that.”

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Just relax and let’s have some fun. There’s
a little cove not far from here. I’ll take you snorkeling.”

Tonya sighed. He did have a point. If she was
going to be stuck here anyway she might as well enjoy herself.
“Fine, Nate. I’ll go snorkeling, but I’m not going to stop asking
questions.”

“Never thought you would, little sister.
Never thought you would.”

Chapter Five

The sunlight in the small cove made the water
sparkle like someone had robbed Tiffany’s. Tonya adjusted the mask
on her face as she followed Nate into the water. His sun-burnished
skin glowed in contrast to the sea green board shorts he wore low
on his hips. The lack of tan lines indicated that he probably
didn’t typically bother with a swimsuit. She was grateful for his
consideration and even more thankful that she made a habit of
packing a swimsuit when she traveled. She gasped when he turned to
face her and she saw the scars that violated the smooth dark skin
of his torso. One, obviously a bullet wound, was just shy of his
left nipple. She shivered as she imagined what could’ve happened
had the bullet hit a few centimeters to the right. Another was
further down his torso and it veered off to the right, but the
worst was the ropy scar that bisected his midsection. Its jagged
lines contrasted sharply with the shorter silvery scar that was
perpendicular to it. Without a thought she reached out to touch the
scar, conscious only of the pain he must have felt and how close he
must have come to death. Almost as quickly she tried to withdraw
her hand, but he held it against his sun-warmed flesh.