He mapped out a route to the camp from Mimi’s college. After careful consideration, he decided the best place to cross paths with her would be at a little town called Pumpkin Rest. She had no choice but to pass through there to get to Camp Keowee. He would wait at Pumpkin Rest and look for her car. If she didn’t stop, he would follow her and somehow get her to pull over. He didn’t know if she would have anybody with her, and he would determine the best course of action for that possibility during the long, lonely drive to South Carolina.
The next day he was packed and minutes away from leaving when his older brother, Slade, came through the front door. Frowning at Christian, who’d been crashing in his guest room since being released from prison, he asked, “You’re not going to smoke that in here, are you?”
Concentrating on the joint he was rolling and without looking at his brother, Christian replied, “It’s for the road.”
Slade shook his head knowing that Christian had skillfully managed to pass random drug testing by his parole officer. Proving once again that anyone could manipulate the system. Slade laid his briefcase on the coffee table and asked Christian, “Going somewhere?”
Christian stood and stuck the joint in the pocket of his tee. “Job prospect up in Jacksonville. I want to get out of Fort Lauderdale. I’ll be gone at least a week. I already okayed it with Axel and my parole officer.”
Slade raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Did you okay it with your women?” he asked sarcastically.
“I didn’t tell Mom. I’ll call her and Dad from the road.”
"Did you tell...?" Slade prompted, but his words died off under Christian's glare. “Autumn?” Slade added.
“Autumn can screw herself,” Christian replied as he picked up his duffel bag and headed out the front door.
Christian's first stop was Jacksonville, seeking a favor from a friend he'd made while in prison. After giving the man his cell phone, strict instructions, and a wad of cash, Christian continued his drive north. He arrived at Pumpkin Rest two days before Mimi was supposed to start her spring break. He'd already had Seth find him an isolated house to rent. After checking out the house, he returned to the crossroad and buddied up to the lady who ran the town’s only gas station.
Through casual conversation he found out that the crossroad’s one surveillance camera was only for show. It hadn’t worked for over a year. He’d made up a story about looking for an old military friend who once mentioned coming this way during the same week every year to fish. When the clerk didn’t recognize the man’s name, Christian asked if it would be okay if he hung around. It was possible his friend might show up or pass by. She told him she didn’t care and neither would anybody else.
After another exploratory mission of the small town and surrounding area, Christian was back at the rental house where he broke the locks off the owner’s private shed and loaded up the bed of his truck with a couple of their bicycles, fishing poles, and a small kayak. He drove back to Pumpkin Rest and backed his truck in at the grocery store entrance so he could face the road. And he waited.
Chapter 3
Pumpkin Rest, South Carolina 2007
While following Christian’s truck I’d started to call my mother when a thought stopped me. Even though she wouldn’t consider speaking with the Bear family a threat, what if she didn’t agree with my decision? Wasn’t it easier to beg forgiveness rather than ask permission and be told no? It didn’t matter anyway. I wasn’t getting a signal and I still had time. If I’d continued to the camp, my parents wouldn’t be expecting a text for another hour. That was plenty of time to say hello to Christian’s family and head back to Pumpkin Rest.
We’d turned off the main street and were making our way along a neatly graveled road. It seemed like forever before the gravel gave way to just plain dirt and Christian stopped his truck and got out. I rolled down my window as he walked toward me. He pointed to a small pull-off covered by trees. “You should park your car over there and ride the rest of the way with me, Mimi. The road gets worse and I don’t know if your car can handle it. You could break an axel. It’ll be fine under those trees and I’ll drive you back.”
If I’d been anywhere other than a rural area I might’ve questioned his logic to leave my car. But because my family's home was in the Blue Ridge Mountains for the last five years, his request didn’t seem out of the ordinary. My experience told me that city folk who vacationed in the mountains deliberately selected accommodations that were away from civilization. And more times than not, those paths were riddled with dust and fraught with divots and bumps. I returned my phone to my pocket, grabbed my purse and locked my car. I climbed into Christian’s truck and looked over at his profile. I was instantly reminded of the last time I’d been in a truck with Christian. It had been an older model than the one I now rode in, but the memory washed over me.
He must’ve felt my gaze because he looked over at me and smiled. “How have you been? What have you been doing?” he asked before returning his eyes to the road.
I decided to share a little about myself, opting to keep what I told him at a minimum. I stuck to safe subjects like school, the camp I was supposed to be attending, and my part-time job. His next question caused me to pause.
“Did your mother ever marry that guy she was seeing? The guy who was one of the reasons behind your move to Montana?” A beat passed. “What was his name again”—before I could answer he asked—“James, wasn’t it?”
I wondered why he was asking me this when he already knew the answer. I swallowed thickly and looked out the window, praying he didn’t see the panic in my eyes. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Figuring Christian had forgotten what I’d shared with him five years ago I refused to look at him. Instead, I answered plainly, “Yes, she married him.”
“What does he do for a living?” he nonchalantly asked me.
Racing through my memories, I tried to remember if I’d ever mentioned anything specific to Christian about James. It’d been more than five years since I last spoke to Christian and I didn’t want to get caught in a lie. Seconds ticked by and I blurted out the first and stupidest thing that came to me. “He has an accounting degree. Like my mother.” There. I didn’t say he was an accountant, just that he had the same degree. Christian had no reaction, giving me the opportunity to quickly change the subject. I’d barely gotten the first sentence out when we rounded a curve and came upon a beautiful home set back from the road. We made our way up the long driveway. There were no other vehicles which gave me pause. “It doesn’t look like anybody else is here.”
Without missing a beat, Christian nodded toward a worn path that circled around behind the house. “They parked out back.”
I relaxed and smiled knowing I was about to surprise his parents. I was also quite anxious to see his little sister, Daisy. I figured her to be about eleven or twelve years old by now. I almost asked if Slade was with them, but immediately tabled that question for later. After getting out of the truck, I followed Christian up the steps to the wide front porch. I stood behind him as he opened the front door, stepping aside so I could go in first. The loud click of the door closing echoed off the walls.
I was immediately drawn to the view and strode through the oversized family room toward the back of the house where enormous glass windows revealed a pristine lake. Beyond the lake was a mountain backdrop that left no doubt in my mind as to whether or not there was a master Creator. I’d seen a hint of a lake as we drove up, but what I gazed at now went beyond what I’d expected. It was massive and resembled a perfect sheet of glass. I smiled when I looked down at the boat dock. I turned around to ask Christian where his family was when he walked up next to me and peered down at the lake.
"I'm sorry, Mimi. The boat is gone. They must've taken it out for a spin."
He looked over at me, his eyes warm and I had an instant memory of our few moments together in his bedroom when we were teenagers. I quickly looked away.
"I know you need to head for your cam
p. Do you wanna take a fast tour of the house first? Maybe they'll come back while you're still here."
I nodded as I turned around and familiarized myself with the home the Bears had rented. Or maybe they owned it. Thinking that Christian might've spent family vacations just over the border from where my family lived sent a tingle of excitement mixed with mild trepidation up my spine. I needed to be cautious.
"This house is beautiful," I blurted out. "Are you renting or does your family own it?"
He smiled causing my heartbeat to speed up. I nervously nibbled at my bottom lip and avoided his gaze.
"It's a rental. C'mon. I'll show you around."
I followed Christian as he headed for a stairway that led to a finished basement. It was a huge space that not only included a seating area with a giant television screen, but pool and air hockey tables as well. One wall housed a wet bar, and the opposite wall was lined with video arcade games. There were two bedrooms on each side of the basement, four in all, and they shared Jack and Jill bathrooms. It was definitely a vacation house.
We made small talk as we walked through the basement and it wasn't until he waved me back toward the stairs that I made a closer inspection of some of his tattoos. I recognized the ink and wondered if Christian had been honest with me when I'd asked him what he'd been doing for the past five years. According to him, he'd graduated high school and instead of opting for college, he worked full-time in a garage specializing in motorcycle repairs. His ink told another story.
I'd wanted so badly to ask him about one tattoo in particular. It was a woman's name and based on the design, I knew that Christian loved her. I wondered if she was still in his life. Was she out on the boat with the rest of his family? How would I feel when I came face-to-face with the woman who had captured Christian Bear's heart?
Ignoring my churning stomach I pressed on as we arrived back on the main level and he ushered me toward the master bedroom. It was connected to an en suite bathroom that was bigger than any bedroom I'd ever had. I knew his parents had money yet lived modestly. Obviously they splurged when it came to vacations.
After making our way through the main-level guest bedrooms, bathrooms, and humongous kitchen we found ourselves in the great room again. Something was off and I couldn't place it, but I knew something wasn’t jiving. This was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what would make me think so. Christian was different, but in a good way. He wasn't the serious teenager I remembered. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as something dawned on me.
"I'll be back in a minute." I brushed off any response from him with a wave. I practically ran to the master bedroom. I returned sixty seconds later, my breath coming out in huffs.
He was leaning against one of the huge beams that supported the tall vaulted ceiling. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and his head was tilted to one side. Expressionless, he stared at me.
"They're not here," I shouted. "Your family isn't here."
I didn't give him a chance to deny it as I babbled on, my voice rising with each syllable.
"A duffle bag on the bed, no cosmetics or perfume in the master bath or on the dresser, no clothes in the closet, no other suitcases. None of the bedrooms or bathrooms look like anybody has used them." Staring down at the hardwood floor, I was rambling more to myself as I mentally ticked off everything that wasn't fitting the scenario.
"And the road was smooth. We never hit any bumps. My car could've made it up here. You didn't want me to have access to my car." I finally looked up and my breath caught in my throat. Gone was the smiling, welcoming man I’d met at Pumpkin Rest. Gone was the childhood friend who seemed excited to surprise his parents by inviting me to their rented lake house. Gone was the amicable long-lost friend who'd just given me a tour of this huge lake house.
I raised my hand to my chest as he slowly walked toward me, his icy blue eyes revealing nothing.
“W-where’s your f-family?” I clung to an iota of hope that I was wrong. Maybe they'd just arrived and didn't want to unpack before they took the boat out for a spin.
I made a quick scan of the room, my eyes resting on the open kitchen area. Not a pot or placemat out of place.
“In Florida,” was his cold reply.
“Why did you lie to me?” I slowly backed up. I was momentarily startled when my back hit one of the huge support beams.
“Why did you lie to me?” he shot back.
His question caught me off guard and I blinked. He came at me slowly and I could feel my pulse quickening. “Lie to you? I never lied to you, Christian.”
“When you left Florida five years ago, you said you’d be in touch,” he growled. “And you’re not leaving here until I find out why you didn’t follow through on that promise. Was it all just a game for you, Mimi? Or was it even less than that? Was I less than that?”
He was now so close I could smell him. It was a mixture of the clean scent I'd detected at Pumpkin Rest and something raw and masculine. It assaulted my senses in a way I hadn't expected. My eyes were level with his chest, and when I raised them I could see the pulse beating in his neck. Before I had the chance to answer I felt his hands on my hips and realized he was digging my cell phone out of my pocket. My immediate reaction was to swipe it from him, but he was faster, holding it well above my reach. He backed away from me as he glanced at my phone.
“No passcode,” then under his breath, “dumb.”
“Give that back!” I cried as I walked toward him. “Why are you looking at my phone?”
He gave me a level look. “I’m making sure you didn’t call or text anyone since Pumpkin Rest. And I see that you haven’t. Good girl.”
I bristled at the condescending endearment, and bit back a retort about the cell phone service being awful anyway. “Give me back my phone,” I insisted. “And I’m not anyone’s good girl.”
“Not even Lucas Paine’s?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.
His mention of Lucas halted my rush of thoughts. The realization of how articulately this must’ve been planned caused my heart to beat faster. Had he followed me all the way from school? And if so, how did he get ahead of me and park at the grocery store with a truck bed full of vacation paraphernalia? A million thoughts jostled for a front row seat to the movie playing in my head. I could see my choices for removing myself from this situation dwindling as I battled with not only the reason behind why this was happening, but to what end? What were Christian’s intentions?
Some things I knew were certain. My mother would be waiting for a text from me to let her know I’d arrived at camp safely. When she didn’t get that text, she would call the retreat administrators to verify I was there. And when she discovered the camp was closed, she probably wouldn’t panic at first, assuming I’d turned around and was headed home and forgot to call. But if more than a few hours passed without me checking in, she would contact the authorities to report me missing. Authorities that would have to interview my parents extensively. Authorities that could discover my family’s secret. I couldn’t let that happen.
Without acknowledging his comment about Lucas, and refusing to show any fear, I raised my chin and demanded, “Take me back to my car.”
“I’m going back to your car, but you’re staying here.”
Faster than lightning, he whipped out a pair of handcuffs that must’ve been tucked in the back pocket of his jeans. Before I knew what was happening, he’d slapped one on my right wrist and proceeded to pull me back toward the support beam I'd bumped into moments earlier. I fought him, kicking at his shins and punching on his solid chest with my free hand. I tripped over my feet and felt myself falling to the hardwood floor. Using one arm he had wrapped around my waist, if I hadn't known better, I would've thought he was trying to soften my landing. You’d think my dead weight would’ve slowed him down, but it didn’t. He effortlessly pulled me back toward the post as I glided on my rear end across the glossy wood floor.
“Don’t do this, Christian!” I screamed. But it was to
o late. I felt the cold metal as the handcuff was slapped on my left wrist, leaving me no choice but to hug the solid post to my chest. My hips moved from the force he used to dig in my other pocket. He stood and looked down at me.
“I’m going back to get your stuff out of your car,” he informed me as he dangled my keys in front of me. “You’ll need your things since you’ll be staying with me for a while.”
I scrambled to my feet clumsily, focusing on him with intense fury. Any concern I had to protect my family was now forgotten. “My father will kill you for this.” My voice was low with a menacing quality that surprised even me.
“Which father? The one that died on death row?” Christian asked mockingly. I’m certain my eyes looked like they were popping out of my head. “Yeah, I know Grizz was your real father, Mimi.” His eyes narrowed. “Or Tommy Dillon? The one killed in a botched robbery?” His lip curled. “We both know neither one of them will be coming to your rescue.”
His comments forced my stunned silence. I didn’t know how to answer him, so I stared, my jaw slack.
“Or maybe you’re talking about James, the man your mother ran off with, who I’m sure is a putz,” he sneered. “I know they're in Montana so I can’t say that I’m too worried.” He waited for my reply, and when I didn’t give one, he continued. “Is that the best you’ve got, Mimi?”
He turned and stomped to the door. He didn’t look back, ignoring my screams as I shrieked his name before he slammed the door behind him.
Chapter 4
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 2002
Five Years Earlier
A teenaged Christian glared at his parents, Anthony and Christy Bear. Mimi and her family had walked out of their lives. Permanently. Just twenty minutes earlier, Mimi had reassured him that she would contact him. But he was angry to have been excluded from such a monumental secret. It caused his blood to boil.