Chapter 12
Kat was sitting in Alex and Zach’s spacious office answering Sheriff Dylan Marshall’s questions. She watched his expression go from interest to disbelief in a heartbeat. Kat knew that Alex and Zach had sent men to try to track down the woman who had helped her escape Cal Robertson the night he’d almost killed her in a BDSM dungeon club in Las Vegas several months earlier. She also knew they hadn’t had any luck locating the woman who had no doubt saved Kat’s life. Being the honorable men they were, the Lamont twins hadn’t yet given up. Mia had risked her own safety to help their woman, and Kat was sure they’d leave no stone unturned to locate her. Finally, Alex broke the silence that had filled the room after he’d described Mia. “Katarina, it’s important that you give Dylan every detail you can remember. Can you be more specific than she made you ‘think of an Inca princess’?” Aha, so that was the comment that had Dylan sitting up in his seat like his spine had suddenly become a steel rod.
“Okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be vague, but it’s kind of hard to put into words. She was kind of regal acting, like she didn’t really fit in there, you know? She was poised, and her eyes were bright with intelligence and insight. I’d seen her at different clubs Cal had taken me to. She always seemed to be around now that I think about it. But I never saw her scene with anyone, and even though she was dressed in Club wear, it was never anything over-the-top.” Scooting back so she was leaning against the back of the soft leather, she relaxed and leaned her head back as she continued sifting through her tortured memories. Zach had moved closer to slowly lift her feet up onto the low table in front of the sofa, and she smiled her thanks. She’d paused to look into the eyes of each of the three men watching her before continuing. “She was always friendly to me, acted kind of like a sympathetic, older, and wiser sister who gave me the impression she thought I was being naïve to be hanging out with Cal and his minions.”Turns out she was oh so right!
“Kat, can you give Dylan a detailed physical description also? Dylan seems to think Mia might be someone he knows.” Zach’s words surprised Kat, and when she turned to Dylan she was sure her surprise was probably clearly visible. She had always liked and admired him, he just seemed honorable. Kat had come clear up to her feet, but Zach settled her back. “No, kitten, please sit back and let’s get these swollen feet elevated again, shall we? You’ll be able to think much better if you are comfortable.”
Looking first at Zach then quickly turning her attention to Dylan, Kat said, “Okay…But do you really think you might know her? How can that be? Oh well, sure, I’ll do anything to help you find her. I owe her my life, I’d really like to be able to thank her and make sure she’s all right.” Kat paused and lifted her eyes to Alex’s and smiled. Alex was the more alpha of the twins and was her “paper husband” as she liked to teasingly call him because she was legally married to him since he was the eldest of the twins—by two whole minutes, he laughingly reminded everyone—but Kat had been “bound” to both men in a beautiful ceremony and considered them both her husbands equally. Even though Alex was known, to everyone who knew both him and Zach, as the tougher of the two to deal with, Kat knew she and the child she carried were his one true weakness. His smile of support and love warmed her, and she continued. “Mia was taller than me, don’t give me that look, I know that covers just about everybody. I guess I should say she was a lot taller, she was probably five seven or five eight, slender, but muscular, she obviously kept in great physical condition. She had an interesting accent, too.” She stopped to ponder for a minute.
Dylan leaned forward, his formerly relaxed pose now tight. He reminded Kat of a jungle cat ready to pounce on some unsuspecting prey and asked her, “Spanish or Portuguese residual linguistics, perhaps?”
Kat was surprised to hear Dylan’s question, not only because it was surprising in its accuracy, but also the wording was spoken like a seasoned investigator rather than the small-town sheriff’s role which was the only one she’d ever seen him in. Even though they had both grown up in Climax, Dylan was almost a decade older than she was, so he’d been gone from the community by the time she was leaving grammar school. She’d heard Alex and Zach make reference to his former career in the DEA, but she hadn’t known him during that time, so she often forgot that his training and expertise far exceeded his current position. “Yes, I really think Portuguese is closer than Spanish, though. Do you think this might be the woman you know? Do you think you can help us find her? I’m really worried about her, and I’d like to thank her for her kindness.” Kat was excited by the possibility that Dylan might have a way to contact Mia.
Dylan sighed and pulled an envelope out of his shirt pocket, running it between his fingers. He sighed and looked up. “Katarina, do you think you’d recognize a picture of the woman who helped you?”
The stark pain in his eyes startled her, and she wondered yet again what it was that everyone in the room but her seemed to know. “Well, sure, I think so.” Kat looked from Zach, who gave her a small, encouraging smile, to Alex, who merely nodded.
Dylan pulled a photograph from the envelope and handed it to Kat. Even though her immediate reaction was answer enough, he needed confirmation. “Is that the woman who helped you?”
Dylan knew in his heart it washisMia, it had to be.Christ what was the woman thinking, going after Cal Robertson without backup?And what had Robertson done with her before he’d come to ShadowDance Mountain? Since the bastard was now six feet under, there was no way to even ask the asshole any questions.Fuck, what a mess!
Springing to her feet before Zach could stop her, Kat’s excited words bounced around the room, “Yes, this is Mia. Why do you have her picture? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Then looking at Alex, she continued, “Alex, this isn’t fair. You all know what this is about and you aren’t telling me. I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.” She was getting well and truly pissed off, and the more she talked, the more obvious her upset was becoming. She knew her doctor had cautioned her against becoming overly distraught, because her blood pressure was hovering close to what was considered too high, but she was really frustrated. They were keeping something really important from her, and she didn’t understand why.
* * * *
Zach moved to stand in front of his and Alex’s sweet wife and clasped her soft face in his hands. He looked straight into her lovely eyes and saw that they were fast turning from their usual Caribbean blue to a deep sapphire. That change only occurred when she was deep in the throes of passion or when she was angry, and he didn’t have any question about which was the cause now. “Kitten, Mia is a nickname Dylan used to call his DEA partner, um, and well, she is also his ex-wife. Her real name is Melita Sanchez. Now, let’s get you upstairs to rest, okay? You are getting too wound up, and I’m worried about your blood pressure. We don’t want anything happening to you or the baby, now do we?” Zach knew that Kat had instantly become boiling mad at his patronizing tone.Damned dominant men are going to be the death of me yet. He’s really going to go there?“Of course I don’t want anything to happen to the baby, and I’m only mad because you are treating me like a fragile piece of glass, and it’s damned annoying, I’ll tell you. Now stop patronizing me and tell me what the fuck this is about.” Boy she was on a full roll now, damn them anyway.
Alex pushed off the front of his ornately carved mahogany desk and stepped toward her. “Katarina, language. And that is one, love. Now, we will catch you up at dinner. Go upstairs now and get some rest.” At her narrowed eyes, he added, “Don’t defy me on this, Katarina, you won’t like the results, I promise you. Let Zach take you upstairs, and perhaps you can sweet-talk him into one of his foot massages you are so fond of.” He’d leaned forward and was speaking directly to her. He kissed her on the very tip of her nose and then placed his hands on each side of her heart-shaped face and smoothed his thumbs over her soft cheeks. Taking just a second to look at her again, his expression softened, and he brushed a soft blonde curl behind her ear before he ran his hands down her arms and enfolded her small hands in his. He raised them both and kissed the backs of her hands in a sensual caress of his lips, his eyes full of lust and promise, before handing her off to his brother. As Zach led her from the room, Alex had to stifle a chuckle at her mutterings. Oh yeah, dinner is going to be a fiery occasion this evening.
Kat had always “processed out loud” or at least loud enough to get her into trouble on many an occasion. On the way out of the room, she was muttering to herself about blasted men and their overinflated egos and senses of entitlement. Zach looked over his shoulder at his brother, grinning. He knew it was going to take him quite a while to settle her back down, and he fully intended to enjoy every minute of the process.