“Do you know who they sent?”
“Dr.VanDeermen.We’ve worked with him before so you should have his contact info.”
I could hear the keyboard clicking away on the other end of the line.“Found it.Okay, I’ll touch base with him.Does he know it was you that called it in?”
“No.I relayed it through the Coast Guard, so they probably just told him it was a tourist.”
“Fair enough.I’m sure he’ll keep it quiet if he finds out one of us is in the area.I’ll let you know what he says.”
“Thanks, William.I’m not sure what it is about this woman, but I need to find her.”
“You know relationships are hard in our business, right?”Sympathy oozed out of the cell phone.“I’ve never seen you look at a female twice, so you don’t have a lot of experience here.Be careful.”
“I will.Expect that data dump within the next ten minutes.Ryland out.”
I walked over to the tiny desk supplied by the hotel and flipped open my laptop.The files were all stored on a secure drive partitioned from the rest of the operating system, and it took a few minutes to get through the security protocols so I could transfer the info I’d collected back to William.The twins were a good team.They’d make sure the poachers didn’t get away.I set the uplink protocol, nodding in satisfaction as the green light blinked, signaling the start of the data transfer.
For a brief moment I wished I had my Harley with me.Nothing feels better than the wind streaming past you as you barrel along on the back of a Harley.With Kimberly behind me, it would be pure heaven.But even if I had my bike up here with me, I’d have to ride in a cage until my arm was healed up a bit more.
I shook my head.William was right.I didn’t have a lot of experience when it came to relationships with women.My mother’s high society lifestyle had left me with a paranoid streak a mile wide.Even when she settled down with my stepdad, it was obvious his net worth and social status were the main attractions.
Kimberly was the first woman I’d ever felt anything other than a passing desire for.Love them and leave them had been my motto since I was old enough to realize girls weren’t as icky as I’d thought.I had no intention of falling for someone who was in love with my bank account.
Kimberly, though, had no idea what my bank balance was or who I was connected to.
The laptop let out a lowping, letting me know the transfer was complete.I quickly checked my email before shutting down the system and packing it into my duffel bag.I liked to travel light, just a carry-on bag so I could move fast when I had to.In this business, it was a job requirement.I did a quick check to verify all my ID was in order and then closed it up.Sweeping the room with a glance one last time to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind, I threw the key card on the desk and headed for the door.
My stepsister lived in a small town a few miles up the coast, and I planned to drop in and visit her.I hadn’t seen Sasha in a couple of years, but we’d always gotten along well.Our parents married when we were both seniors in high school, and neither of us had been particularly concerned about the event.Like most kids of the jet-setting crowd, we’d been in boarding schools for years and only saw our parents on holiday, if then.
As soon as she was old enough to make her own decisions, Sasha had embraced the organic, back-to-nature lifestyle prevalent on the West Coast of BC.I’d shared a place with her for a year while I decided what I wanted to do.After drifting from one meaningless job to another, I’d returned to the US and joined the Navy, looking for some stability in my life.
* * *
Kimberly
The doorbell chimed loud enough to make me jump.I was currently standing naked in the bathroom, getting ready to hop into the shower.“Can you get that?I’m just going to take a quick shower before I head up to the shelter to let the dogs out for their evening runs.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Sasha answered.“Hang on!”
I assumed the second sentence was aimed at whoever had just pushed the doorbell again.Probably a vacuum cleaner salesman.Those people had absolutely no sense of timing.Sasha wasn’t in the best of moods tonight, so I wished the poor slob luck.She’d probably have him begging her to let him leave within minutes.
Dismissing thoughts of the ringing doorbell, I stepped under the hot stream of water, lifting my head to let it flow over my face.It had been days since I’d returned from the island, and I couldn’t seem to shake off the melancholy that took hold of me every time I let myself dwell on that one amazing night I’d spent in Ryland’s arms.
Damn him anyway.He was a man, just a man like all the rest.I needed to shake this off and get on with my life.Ryland could just go back to chasing poachers or whatever it was he did.I didn’t need him, and I didn’t need the annoying emptiness I felt every time his image flashed through my mind.
I’d volunteered for the late shift at the shelter today, letting the dogs out for their last run of the night before they were locked back in the kennels.I needed to get my act together and get down there.The shelter was overflowing with dogs and cats right now, all waiting for their forever families to show up.It was tough knowing how long some of them had to wait, but the alternative was much worse.At least this was a no-kill facility, so the animals had the luxury of waiting for a good home.
Pouring a dollop of shampoo into my hand, I forced myself to concentrate on the present, banishing the image of Ryland.
I rinsed myself off and then stepped out of the shower, wrapping one towel around myself and using another to towel my hair dry.Still working on my hair, I opened the door and sauntered down the hall into the living room.“So who was at the door?A vacuum cleaner salesman or one of those darling guys in white shirts and badly fitting suits trying to save your soul?”
“Ummm.”Sasha cleared her throat noisily.“Actually, it’s my stepbrother, Matty.You remember me telling you about him?”
I let go of the second towel in favor of making sure the one wrapped around my torso was firmly in place.“Oh crap, I’m sorry.I’ll go get decent.”I could feel my face turning bright red as I whirled around and scurried down the hall to my bedroom.
Just what I needed -- to meet Sasha’s stepbrother without any clothes on.I choked down an insane urge to start giggling.I had the feeling once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop.Hopefully I hadn’t flashed the poor guy with any body parts before I fled.
I pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a sweatshirt before blow-drying my hair.I needed to buy myself time to get over the embarrassment of waltzing practically naked into the living room.
