Echoes in the Wind (18 page)

“The only point that makes sense is what we first assumed. Their missing manager is involved.”

“I think so.” Stephanie cleared her throat. “Blaine plans to disappear for a while. He believes Eric should too.”

“A given, considering their ongoing argument.” Darla scooped grounds into the filter, then stopped. She turned to Stephanie with a frown. A slew of mental warning bells clanged loud in her head. “Did Blaine tell you where he is going?”

“I don’t think it’s been decided.” There was a long pause. “I’m considering taking a trip myself.”

Darla gave her a doubtful glance.

“To my sister’s. Remember, she lives in Great Falls, Montana.”

“I do remember. She runs a lodge, right?” Darla finished filling the machine with coffee before she flipped the switch. She rotated back to her friend, leaned a hip against the bar, her arms resting across her middle.

“Yeah, um.” Stephanie took a breath before she rushed on. “Since you’re going to Texas, there’s no reason for me to hang around here. I’ve got plenty of vacation time saved at work.”

“Plus, you’ve wanted to go visit her for a while.” Darla returned to the cabinet to take down four cups. She placed them on the center island. “Didn’t you tell me she lives in a lonely, desolate area?” She pointedly regarded her friend. “A good place to lie low if one needed to.”

Stephanie averted Darla’s obvious glare.

“The plans are made. You’re taking Blaine with you.”

She gave an uneasy nod.

“And Eric? He’s already been shot. He needs to disappear too if he agrees.”

“Yeah, Eric. Ahm. We were thinking he could go with you,” she suggested hopefully.

“You want me to take him with me. To Port Isabel. To stay at my family’s house.” She stared at Stephanie. “Are you crazy?”

Darla definitely didn’t like this idea. Yeah, she had difficulties concentrating this morning. Her mind wouldn’t quit contemplating what would’ve happened between them if there hadn’t been interruptions. But she’d deal with that. Taking him to Texas, spending the next few weeks in his constant company would be a major risk for her—a risk of her losing her heart, if it wasn’t too late already.

“What’s the problem, Dar? By the looks of things, you two are getting along well.” Stephanie’s eyes widened. “I mean very well. Besides, Blaine is the greatest guy I’ve met in a long time. I don’t want to stop seeing him, plus we get a chance to help them.”

Darla raised her brows.

“To keep them alive.” Stephanie’s expression turned anxious. “I would die if anything happened to him.”

“What if we can’t? What happens if we take them and the killer gets them anyway? Stephanie, you always do this. You don’t think. When you meet a guy, you throw yourself into the relationship headfirst without giving consequences a second thought. You’re right. Someone is trying to murder them. Someone who possibly assassinated two people, maybe a third if the drummer doesn’t live. If this person wants them dead, they won’t hesitate to get rid of whoever gets in their way. We’ll be putting ourselves and our families in danger. Your sister has a husband with two little kids. Did you think about that?”

The conversation between them stopped. The quiet hush amplified the coffeemaker’s hiss as the aroma of caffeine filled the small kitchen. Low vibrations from the voices in the other room echoed in the background. Darla hurried to the counter to reach for the pot. She removed it, walked to where she’d laid out the dishes, and poured out the liquid.

“Another thing. You’re asking me to travel sixteen hundred miles with a guy that has a bullet in his arm and a head injury. He’s okay now, but what if he takes a turn for the worse?” She replaced the carafe, picked up two of the cups, and nodded for Stephanie to carry the others. “He’s stubborn anyway, and when it comes to getting medical attention, the guy’s bullheadedness goes beyond senseless. I don’t want to get into this situation any deeper than I already am.”

“Might be a moot point, Dar. He hasn’t consented to going anywhere. This is only an option in case he agrees.”

The women walked into the other room. Eric was also returning to the room now dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt.

“We’re doing what the police suggested and leaving town. We just need to call them and let them know where we’ll be, in case they have to contact us. This seems like the only savable solution.” Blaine leaned closer to Stephanie and lowered his voice. “Did you talk to her?”

She bit her lip with a nod. “Did you talk to him?”

“He did,” Eric answered. “And I’m now inclined to agree that leaving the area might not be a bad plan. I also think the idea of us going in different directions is a sound one. If someone is after us, they’ll travel a long way to find us both.” He eyed Darla as he took the mug from her. “I realize it’s a big imposition and possibly a dangerous one, but can I go to Texas with you?”

****

Darla had some errands to run before she left for her trip, plus she agreed to pick up Eric’s prescription medications. Still unsure if allowing Eric to accompany her to Texas was a good decision, she was glad for the opportunity to get away and think about why she consented to go along with this crazy idea.

For Stephanie, the choice was evident. She’d obviously fallen hard for Blaine and would do whatever it took to keep him safe.

Darla’s circumstances were different. Did she care about Eric enough to endanger her life if the killer followed them? The answer was a clear yes. Her family was a different story. She wouldn’t put them in harm’s way. Fortunately Eric didn’t want to gamble with their lives either, and told her he’d find other accommodations once they reached her hometown.

This solved most of her problems. The long drive remained an issue. They’d be alone the entire time. Her physical wellbeing was one thing, but was she prepared to jeopardize her heart too? This guy had her on an emotional ledge and she feared she was about to take a deep plunge. She dreaded the emotive fallout once they parted ways.

She sighed and glanced at the dash’s digital clock as she drove into her carport
. She’d planned to be back much sooner and on the road, except a traffic jam kept her on the freeway longer than she’d anticipated. Now she was late. Darkness had already fallen. Perhaps it would be better to wait to leave tomorrow, then she reconsidered. She didn’t want a repeat with the Sundays in case they happened to make another appearance.

She found Eric asleep on the sofa. She’d covered the blood on the couch earlier with a blanket and arranged for some furniture cleaners to come pick it up later in the week. Eric offered to pay to have the stain removed or to buy her a new one if that wasn’t possible. She walked past him and onto the hall closet. From there, she dragged her luggage out.

Eric groaned, slowly raising his head. “You’re back.”

She tried to avoid staring at him, all cute and groggy from sleep. She swallowed and clutched the suitcase handle tight, using it as a restraint not to charge over and attack him. Mussed hair, his jawline covered with a dark shadow from missing a shave, he managed successfully to appear both roguish and sexy at the same time.

“There was a huge pileup on the 101. I sat on the road for an hour.” She pulled her bags into the middle of the room. “Did you succeed in getting past the press and inside and out of your house with your stuff?”

A hint of a smile played on his lips as he sat up. He waved to a stack by the glass door. “We’re experts at sneaking by the paparazzi.”

She eyed his two small suitcases sitting next to three guitar cases. She turned back to him with raised eyebrows.

“Priorities, luv.”

“You managed to get five items out without the tabloids noticing you? You are experts.”

Eric’s grin developed into a full smile. “You’ll be finding out soon enough.”

Darla shook her head and ignored the jolt between her thighs. “Save it.” She picked up her bags. “I’m going to go pack. I’ve left my SUV open. Can you move and load your stuff in the back?”

“I should be able to.”

“Good. Keep the lights off in the carport. I’ve made sure the interior car lights are out too. Since the house sits on top of a slope, we can be spotted from anywhere in the neighborhood. I don’t want anyone, meaning any reporters, to catch us.” She paused. “Be sure you don’t press any of your stuff against my hanging clothes. I just picked them up from the dry cleaners and would rather not have them wrinkled.”

He gave her a small salute as he stood. “Aye. M’ finger pads won’t graze a stitch of your fine garments, luv,” he replied, exaggerating his brogue.

She ignored his smart ass comment and continued, “A cooler is behind the driver’s seat filled with sandwiches and drinks, if you’re hungry. I plan on eating once we get on the road.”

“I’m not ready for food. I’ll eat when you do.”

Darla hurried, packed her things, then rolled her suitcases out to her car and placed them beside Eric’s. She’d put the third seat down earlier, so there was plenty of room. Even though he appeared better, he would need to sleep. She threw a spare blanket and pillow in the middle section. Now all that was left for her to load was Eric.

She strolled back inside. Through the windows she observed him on the deck having a smoke. She opened the door and stepped out, wondering where he’d gotten the nicotine but didn’t ask.

She pointed to the cigarette. “You’re aware you can’t do that in my car, right?”

Eric angled away to exhale. “Yes. I believe you’ve made your opinion clear about my bad habit.”

“It is a filthy addiction, although I realize a hard one to do without. Are you going to be all right? Not smoking for a long time?”

“Does it matter?”

“You should quit.”

“Heard it before.” He flicked a cool gaze at her. “Maybe Raging Impulse was only a teen band, but I did all the rock and roll clichés. I won’t go into the gory details, although there was a short stint where I got hooked on pills. I even went to rehab a couple of times before I was able to kick ’em. When I quit doing drugs, I stopped drinking. I eat healthy. I exercise to keep in shape. So I have one harmful weakness.”

Darla did her best to digest this confession and not appear surprised. Up to now, he’d been flippant or vague about who he was. His almost allowing her into such a dark place in his past showed he was coming to trust her.

He gave her a side glance. “I bet if we dove into your personal habits, we’ll find you possess a couple of bad ones too.”

“I enjoy ice cream. A lot.”

“See?”

“Too much ice cream may only hurt me. It doesn’t pollute my surroundings or damage anyone else from second hand effects.” Darla paused and frowned at him. “Wait a minute. You said you don’t drink, but you had one at the party.”

“Diet soda, luv.” He tossed the butt over the side of the deck, turned to her, and smiled. “I do have one other vice.” He grasped her arm and tugged her to him, bringing her snug against his chest. “I’m more than willing to let you help me with this one.” He nuzzled her hair aside, lightly trailed kisses down her neck.

Swells waved in the pit of her stomach. She took a long, deep breath and dragged her body away from him, about to remind him they needed to get on the road. But the burning fire in his eyes persuaded her to remain quiet.

He drew her back to him. After a slight hesitation, he pressed his mouth against hers. One arm curled around her middle, while his other hand sifted through her curls. He hugged her closer into him, fitting the notch of her thighs into the thickened hardness of his erection. A spur of thrills roused and burst between her legs where she grew warmer.

A growl vibrated in his throat. His body bore into hers, directing her with his weight and drove her into a chaise lounge behind them without breaking their kiss. He lengthened his arm toward the bottom to trigger the chair to fall back flat and maneuvered over her.

Darla reluctantly pulled away. “We need to go inside and do this.”

“It’s dark. No one can see us.”

A vaguely familiar crack
whizzed over their heads.

“Shit,” Eric yelped.

Instinctively, they rolled off the lounge, clutching one another as they crashed to the boarded surface. Darla landed on top of Eric, who grunted loud as they hit the ground.

He struggled to catch his breath. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. You?”

“No new injuries, but the old ones hurt like hell.”

Darla peeked. “What’s going on?”

He cupped his hand around the crown of her head to haul her into him. “Keep down.” He covered her with his arms. Darla clung to him, her face buried into his shoulder. Another deep, piercing pop rang out from the night followed by a chink, like metal hitting glass.

Darla jerked. “Someone is shooting at us.”

Eric tightened his hold around her, his voice sounding a little more than a rumble. “Texas girl knows the sound of a gun.”

“Damn straight I do.” She struggled to escape his grip, but even with a bad arm he kept her from moving. “Who’s firing at us?”

“Not so loud.” He put his lips to her ear. “I can’t get a good look at who’s doing the shooting.”

“We need some guns too.”

“Hold on. Don’t go crazy.” He raised his head to do a quick survey. “I don’t hear anything now.”

Darla stayed motionless as she strained to listen. “They might be moving for a different angle on us.”

“The car is unlocked. I’d say keep low and get inside. Then make a break for the SUV.”

“What if they see us? There could be more than one.”

“I’d rather take a chance and try to survive this, as opposed to us staying put and getting my ass shot off.”

She didn’t respond but rolled off Eric. She crouched down to crawl into the house with him close behind. Holding hands, they made their way through the darkened rooms and onto the carport. The doors to the vehicle stood open.

They separated. Darla squinted to gauge out into the night. With the exception of the faint roar of the ocean and the rumble of a motorcycle, the neighborhood sat quiet. Eric’s steps were light as he walked around to the back to quietly latch the SUV’s rear hatch as he and Darla shut the side doors with ease.