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Authors: Char Chaffin

Unsafe Haven (2 page)

BOOK: Unsafe Haven
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Chapter 2

Denn Nulo hung up the phone and groaned under his breath. The kid would be the death of him, for sure. He raked both hands through his dense black hair and tugged at it.

“Jo, I have to leave.” He reached for his holster as he pushed away from the desk. “I’ve got errands. And Luna, damn it.” He snapped the holster over his belt as his dispatcher stuck her head around the door.

She pointed at his gun with an amused smirk. “Gonna shoot her this time?”

“Don’t tempt me.” Denn patted his pockets for his keys. “Damn it, where the hell are they?”

Jo slipped into the room, curiously graceful despite an enormously pregnant abdomen, and handed him his keys. “You left them on my desk. Again.” His bad-tempered grumble earned him one of Jo’s infamous snorts.

He sent her a glare. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say a thing, Nulo.” She leaned against the doorjamb. “So, what about Luna?”

“She cut class. Again. Most of this afternoon, in fact. She was spotted at Fake’s a few minutes ago, chowing on a banana split. She knows better.” Frustration overrode worry. “I’ll have to sit up with her all night and test her blood at least twice. I swear, Jo, I’m truly at my wit’s end.” He pointed at the mound that tented her blouse. “And I don’t know how you do it.”

Jo had five boys, two of them adopted, and all under the age of fifteen. The newest arrival, twin boys no less, would bring the head count to seven. Her due date loomed on the horizon, and their shift schedule needed an overhaul to cover maternity leave. He shook his head in bemusement as she flashed a dimpled grin at him and rubbed both hands over her belly.

“I line ‘em up every morning and slap them silly before anyone leaves the house. When they come home, they know they’ll get it twice as bad if I receive any phone calls during the day,” she informed him smugly.

“Oh, you do not.”

“Ask any of them, and they’ll tell you true.” She straightened and followed him to the outer office, maneuvered behind her desk, and settled into her well-cushioned chair with a sigh. “Denn, about Luna . . . she does know better. But it’s not easy having to stay away from sugar when all of your pals can eat it anytime they like.”

“I know, I know. But one of us has to be sensible about her health. Sugar’s like poison to her, Jo. Every time she overdoes it, she throws up.”

“Then you can be the big, bad parent, okay? But don’t yell too loudly.” She grabbed the bottle of diet orange soda always present on her desk and chugged some down, grimacing at the warm beverage. “Ugh. Tastes like cough syrup.” Denn obligingly fetched a cup of ice from the mini fridge in the corner. “Thanks. So, you gonna pick her up before or after you head out to meet Thom?”

“Definitely before. Why should I subject Eloise to more than a few minutes with my bratty baby sister?”

“She’s not really bratty, you know. She’s just angling for attention. They all do at that age,” Jo reminded him.

“Yeah, well, she keeps angling like this, believe me when I say I’ll be giving her some attention.” He pulled his cap from the coat track and slipped it on his head. “I’ll be back as soon as I take our new resident over to Four Hills.” For a few seconds he eyed his dispatcher, concerned, as she shifted in her chair, obviously uncomfortable. In his opinion, Jo worked too hard for being this close to her delivery.

He gestured at her chair. “Stay down, and make sure you actually leave the premises when Ginny takes over for you at three, you hear? Go home and put your feet up. Last thing we need is a matched set of preemies, right here in the station.”

She waved away his worry. “Relax, Nulo. I’m going to get a lot bigger. You’ll have to rent a forklift to move me around.”

“Gad. By then, you’re damned well going to be home, on bed rest.”

“But you know my mom—”

Denn cut off her protest. “Yeah, I’ve heard all the stories of how your mother dropped quadruplets and went right back out on the ice with your dad. Caught the day’s record dolly varden and then went home to cook them.” He had to snicker at her shout of laughter. “You’re not as tough as you think you are, Cream Puff.” His silly nickname for her caught Jo’s cheeks in a blush.

She rubbed at them, making the pink glow bright red. “Don’t change the subject, and quit calling me Cream Puff, you goon. Besides, it was twins, not quads.” Jo chugged more soda, emitted an unapologetic burp, and wiped her mouth. “Tell me about our new resident.”

“I know nothing. Only that she’s staying at Four Hills.” Denn jingled the keys in his hand.

“Is she pretty? Young?” Jo’s expression went sly.

“How the hell would I know? Or care?” He tossed the rebuttal over his shoulder then stomped to the door, leaving her chuckling behind him as he stepped out onto the slatted sidewalk in front of the compact police station.

Woodsmoke permeated the air, a familiar scent this time of year. Most folks around here would use their stoves for at least another month. And yet, the hardiest of wildflowers struggled to pop up, even though in many places the ground was still frozen. A few of the tough little plants already poked their heads through the strip of grass in front of the station Jo religiously watered and fertilized.

Denn adjusted the collar of his jacket and tucked his hair under his shirt to better protect his neck against the sudden late-April wind that whipped up around him. Tinged with the feel of snow, temperatures would drop again tonight. He’d have to chop wood when he got home from dealing with Luna, and she could damned well help him. The kid had become lazy along with her contrariness.

Darker thoughts, better left alone, assailed him as he drove to Four Hills Primary School. The day he flew back to Staamat and took over guardianship of his kid sister he’d—stupidly—assumed he could handle one young girl. Of course, she’d only been eight, and at first the grief of their mother’s death made them cling to each other. Luna, frightened and worried Denn would leave her as well, was all too anxious to do whatever he asked of her. That first year had been one of trial and error as well as forming important bonds.

Luna had barely been in grade school when he’d moved to Anchorage. Full of dreams and ideas, determined to make his mark on the world, Denn left high school behind and had enrolled at UAA. He’d majored in criminal law, thinking he’d open a practice in Anchorage, or maybe even Seattle. A move back to Staamat, except for short visits, was never in his plans.

But the phone call he’d received from Eloise Kag had changed everything. In her soft, singsong voice, she tearfully informed him of his mother’s passing. It had been sudden, a massive heart attack that took her instantly. A counselor who worked both Staamat Elementary and Four Hills Primary, Eloise had been the one to bring his hysterical sister home and watch her until Denn could get there. In fact, Thom Banks flew him over, coming in from Eagle River to pick him up.

Denn was less than a year from graduating from UAA when he acquired a little girl, a house full of bittersweet memories, and serious worries as to how in hell he’d make enough money to support them all. But in the three and a half years he’d been gone, he’d forgotten the close-knit caring of Staamat, and how they took care of their own. The entire town gave to them. Money for groceries, gas for the truck, even the truck he’d put the damned gas into.

Most importantly, a mere two months after his mother’s funeral, a job: working for Stan Hughey, then the Chief of Police for Staamat’s tiny but effective local force. Denn came under Chief Hughey’s wing as a rookie, but received the title of Chief a week after Stan retired and moved back to Nome.

For better or worse, Denn was in Staamat to stay. He had a sister to raise and hopefully guide into a productive life, and a job that, while it might not fulfill him the way he’d hoped, at least kept him from being bored.

“Well, here’s your ride.” Thom Bank’s cheerful comment focused Kendall’s attention on something other than staring at the empty bottle of Pepsi in her hand, and she looked up as a silver Chevy Suburban pulled into the dirt-packed parking lot. The light bar atop the roof indicated she was about to be taxied around Staamat by the local police, something she’d rather not come into contact with. Which was silly, since in a small town such as this, she’d be bound to cross paths with a cop, sooner or later. With a sigh, she got to her feet and collected her bags.

The man emerging from the Suburban was tall, broad in the shoulders and narrow in the hip. An absurd amount of black hair, visible beneath the cap he wore, fell in a silky tangle to pool inside the collar of a bulky leather jacket emblazoned on each sleeve with his rank. His dark blue pants molded to his hips and long legs before they tucked into heavy black boots. Despite the gloom of the day, sunglasses shielded his eyes. She could see high cheekbones, a sharp blade of a nose and full, curving lips set above a squared-off jawline.

He strode to the platform and caught Thom’s hand in a firm grip. “Good to see you, my friend. How’s Melinda?” The voice coming out of that strong, tanned throat was low and flowed like velvet. Kendall’s stomach pitched and clenched, deep inside.

No. No, no, no.
Damn it. She had to suck in a deep breath and hold it, just to remain steady on her feet. And against her will, another voice came to mind, another just as low and velvety, murmuring in her ear while his hands curved around her neck, and squeezed . . .

She swore the blood froze in her veins. Thom grasped her arm to keep her from keeling over. “Ms. Martin, you all right? Ms. Martin?”

Kendall’s eyes met his as she swayed in his grip. With difficulty she brought the face into focus: the curly gray hair, concerned blue eyes, and the broad, ruddy cheeks. Thom Banks, her pilot. She shuddered and struggled for control. The tall cop had stepped closer and taken her other arm. Kendall gazed up at him helplessly as both men eased her onto the chair she’d just vacated.

“What’s going on? Has she been sick?” He removed his sunglasses and laid them aside before squatting down in front of her. He placed the back of his hand against her forehead. “Miss, have you been sick lately?”

She stared at him. This close, he was ridiculously handsome. His eyes were deep amber instead of the black she’d half-expected. Yet he had to be Native, for those cheekbones and high-bridged nose couldn’t belong to any other ethnicity. His lips quirked into a reassuring smile, and she swallowed, hard.

Not Roy. Not Roy.
She repeated it to herself several times, while her pounding heart slowed down.

“Miss—” The cop looked up at Thom, questioningly.

“Martin. Kendall Martin. From Oregon, right?” Thom addressed her, forcing Kendall to concentrate, and he gave a satisfied nod at her faint smile.

“Yes. I’m so sorry.” Her voice sounded weak. She coughed, and tried again. “You can let go. Honest, I’m all right,” she insisted, as they continued to hold her steady. Slowly, Thom released her arm and on the other side, the cop did the same.

Thom stood back but the cop remained on his knees and observed her for a few seconds before he extended his hand. “I’m Denn Nulo, Miss Martin. It’s nice to meet you. Feeling better?”

The voice was not as low, not as smooth, as when he first spoke. The similarity she heard—and panicked over—mostly gone, Kendall found she could breathe easier.

Yet she flushed under his regard as she shook his hand. “Yes, much better. I don’t know why I did that. Guess it was low blood sugar, or something. I haven’t yet eaten today.” An excuse, but true nonetheless.

“Hmm, could be. Hypoglycemia can hit you hard when you go too long between meals. My sister has diabetes. I know all about what sugar can do.”

“How is Luna, by the way?” Thom asked.

Denn nodded toward the Suburban. “Ask her yourself. She’s in the back, behind the barrier.”

“You caged your baby sister? What’d she do this time? Or shouldn’t I ask?” Thom chuckled.

“Cut about three classes. Over at Fake’s, gorging on banana splits all afternoon. She’ll be damned sick tonight.”

“Where’d she get the cash?”

“Old man Fake. She gave him some sob story, and he felt sorry for her. Idiot.”

“She’s a real operator.” Thom strolled to the Suburban.

“Your sister ate banana splits, and she’s diabetic? Why would she do something like that?” Kendall had seen the way Denn’s amber eyes fired brightly when he’d talked of his sister.

“She’s thirteen. All her friends eat tons of sugar and nothing bad happens to them. Luna wants to be like her friends, I guess.” He got to his feet and held out a hand for Kendall. As she rose from the chair, he kept a bolstering hand on her arm. “Steady enough, now?”

“Yes, thanks. I apologize again. I was too nervous to eat before my flight up here. I’ll know better, next time.” And if she had her way, she’d never step foot on an airplane again, regardless of its size.

“I hope so. Never miss a meal, especially before flying. This all your bags?” Denn nudged at them with one booted foot. She nodded. “You travel light.”

“I sent lots of boxes ahead.” Kendall slipped her purse strap over her shoulder and took hold of her laptop case, following him down the platform steps and over to the Suburban. Denn stowed her bags while Thom stepped around the side and shook her hand.

“Take care of yourself, missy. I’m sure I’ll see you around. I come out this way once every few months.” Thom gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.

She smiled at him. “Thank you for everything, Mr. Banks.”

“My friends call me Thom.” With a quick salute, he loped off toward his Cessna.

Denn helped Kendall into the Suburban and shut the door. He swung onto the driver’s seat and as she buckled herself in, jerked a thumb toward the back. “My sister. Luna, say hello to Miss Martin.”

Silence. He sighed and repeated the demand, his voice taking on a low growl of authority.

“Hello.” The young voice held plenty of defiance. Kendall glanced behind her, but she could only see the girl’s outline in the dim interior of the vehicle.

“Hi, Luna. I’m glad to meet you. That’s a lovely name you have.” She kept her voice cheerful.

A soft grunt was the girl’s only response.

BOOK: Unsafe Haven
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