Atone in Darkness Read online

  When she bowed up off the bed as her climax hit her, he surged back up her body to hold her close while she rode out the wave. He gave her a few seconds to catch her breath before once again settling his body over hers. After kissing her softly smiling mouth, he tugged her legs up around his hips as he positioned himself at the entrance of her body.

  “Brace yourself, babe.”

  Her answering smile was all temptation and heat as she trailed her fingernails down his shoulders just hard enough to get his attention. Then she slipped her hand between their bodies to stroke the length of his cock. Her eyes widened just a hint when it grew harder at her touch. Luckily for him, she looked more greedy than worried.

  After one more stroke and a not-so-gentle squeeze, she returned her hand to his shoulder and tightened the grip her thighs had on his hips. “Give me all you’ve got.”

  He didn’t need to be asked twice. She gasped as he thrust hard and deep, causing him to pause long enough for her body to adjust to his. When she sighed and dug her nails in again, he started to move, slowly at first, but then gradually picking up speed and power as she once again demanded everything he had to give.

  His control was tenuous at best, the amazing connection between them was too much, too soon. He withdrew and rocked back on his heels, his lungs working hard and his pulse racing as he stared down at this woman who stole his breath with her beauty.

  Marisol looked like a goddess there in that cramped bed, her hair spread out on the pillow, her fair skin glowing with heat. “Chase?”

  “You should come with a warning label, lady. I haven’t lost control like that since I was twenty.” He offered her a crooked smile. “Give me a second to catch my breath, and we’ll try that again.”

  Then he flipped her over and tugged her hips back up toward him. She willingly did as he wanted, glancing back over her shoulder to offer encouragement as he pressed forward, once again delving deep into her slick heat. It felt like coming home.

  Moving slowly, he withdrew almost completely before once again plunging deep and hard. He arched over the elegant curve of her back as he cupped the fullness of her breasts with a soft squeeze. Oh yeah, this was good. Great, even. Maybe the best ever.

  Tension coiled tight in his lower body. This time there would be no turning back, no stopping the wave that threatened to overwhelm him. If he was going to go diving over the edge, he was going to take her with him. He sought the center of her desire, gently brushing the pad of his fingertip over the small nub hidden in her curls. She whimpered. He smiled and did it again, this time harder.

  She pushed back against him, her head pressed down in the pillow. “Chase, it’s too much.”

  He ignored her complaint and picked up the pace. “That’s it, baby, come for me.”

  As the first tremors wracked her body, his own control exploded. The whole universe narrowed down to just the two of them caught up in this firestorm of heat and hunger. When it was over, he tucked Marisol in close at his side. Sometime soon he was going to have to let go of her and walk away, but for now he was going to hold on to her with everything he had.

  • • •

  MARISOL KEPT HER eyes closed and hovered halfway between slumber and awareness. Mostly she basked in the warmth of the man who cradled her close to his heart. They’d kissed one last time before both of them had fallen back to sleep still tangled up in each other. It was a good thing they’d planned to hang out at the cabin for another day, because she wasn’t sure she could dredge up enough energy right then to get dressed, much less start hiking down that gravel road.

  Eventually she was going to have to abandon their warm cocoon to use the bathroom. Something to eat, even if it was a can of green beans and leftover burned corn bread, would be nice, too. Somehow she’d ended up on the opposite side of the bed from where she’d started but still facing the window. If she was careful, she could slip out without waking Chase.

  She smiled. The man had certainly earned the right to sleep all day if he wanted to. Their first round of sex had raged out of control, the intensity unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. By comparison, the second round had been almost slow motion, all about deep kisses and gentle touches.

  What would round three be like? Because that man was nothing if not creative.

  After successfully extracting herself from the bed, she hunted down the borrowed clothes she’d worn last night. The shirt was hanging off the edge of the chair in the far corner, while the drawstring shorts had somehow been kicked under the bed. As she tugged them back up over her hips, she happened to glance out the window and froze midmotion.

  Pitching her voice low but urgent, she whispered, “Chase! Someone is out in the woods, and he’s headed this way.”

  13

  * * *

  Eli knelt at the creek’s edge and scooped up a handful of cool water to splash on his face. It felt good after hiking his ass up and down steep slopes trying to pick up the trail they’d been following since yesterday afternoon. None of them had wanted to stop even long enough to eat a makeshift meal, their worry for the missing Paladin a slave driver that kept them pushing on. Eventually, exhaustion combined with a pitch-black night had forced them to stop for a few hours.

  The sun had finally put in an appearance and the team was on the move again. At first they’d had little trouble following the man and woman who had avoided the slaughter back at that camp, but the trail had become muddied by someone else in the interim. There was no telling who might be out there in the woods, but they sure as hell weren’t part of Lonzo’s strike team, which only added to the growing sense of urgency.

  Tyson came slip-sliding down the hillside to join Eli at the water’s edge. “See anything?”

  “Yeah. They were here.”

  He pointed toward a cluster of trees a short distance upstream. “Someone answered nature’s call over that way. There’s a woman’s footprint, so it has to be the pair we’re tracking. I’m guessing they slept under that overhang, although it looks like someone tried to hide the evidence.”

  Tyson stepped on some large rocks in the stream to hopscotch to the other side and squatted to study the ground. “They’re not the only ones who’ve been through here, though. I count at least four other sets of footprints. It looks like this bunch split up. Half went upstream, while the others headed downstream.”

  When he crossed back over, he made his way toward the trees Eli had pointed out earlier. Meanwhile, Eli went the other way, looking for any sign that the woman had left in that direction. He’d gone about fifty yards when he spotted a single heel print in the soft sand at the edge of the creek. The next one was higher up on the slope.

  It was time to call in the others. He returned to the spot where he’d left Tyson, only to find the man fiddling with a pile of river rocks next to a downed log. What the heck was he doing?

  The marine looked up at Eli’s approach. “I want your take on this before I show it to Lonzo and Jarvis.”

  Eli snickered. “If you want my opinion, it looks like a bunch of rocks to me.”

  Tyson gave him a disgusted look and tossed him one of the rocks. “Someone scratched a circle on it, most likely with a knife blade.”

  Eli studied the ragged mark on the stone’s surface. “It looks fresh.”

  “That’s what I think, too.” He picked up another of the rocks. “They all have letters etched into the surface.”

  “Where did you find them?”

  “Right here by the log. I was waiting for you to come back when I spotted the first one. When I picked it up, I saw the rest. There are seven altogether, each with a different letter on it.”

  He started arranging the rocks in a line. “If I had to guess, someone was trying to leave a message. Probably left them lined up all neat and tidy on the log where they’d be seen, but whoever came through later knocked them off.”

  “What does it spell?”

  Tyson finished arranging the rocks and stepped back to let Eli get a
clear look at the two words that had both of them grinning: CHASE OK

  Even though neither of them had ever met the man personally, they both knew what it meant to find one of the lost. The realization that they might yet be able to bring the missing Paladin home safely had Eli’s pulse kicking it up a notch. If the message was legit, it was the first good news they’d had. “Son of a bitch, it is him.”

  Then he pulled out his phone and called in the troops.

  • • •

  CHASE YANKED ON his borrowed sweats and picked up his rifle. “Stay inside and stay down until I figure out who’s out there.”

  Marisol nodded and retreated to the living room right behind him. While he went from window to window to see if there was any other movement in the surrounding woods, she headed straight for the kitchen, where she picked up the chef’s knife on the counter. The quality of the blade wasn’t anything to brag about, but he couldn’t blame her for wanting to have a weapon close at hand if the enemy had discovered their hiding spot.

  “I’m going outside to circle around through the woods and come up behind whoever is out there.” He paused to hold up the radio he’d stolen back in the compound. “Keep yours on. And like I said, stay in and stay down until I signal that it’s safe.”

  “Wouldn’t you be safer in here, too?”

  He shook his head. “In here, we’re both sitting ducks. I only spotted one guy out there. If he’s one of your employer’s goons, I want to take him out before he can call in our location. Maybe he hasn’t gotten close enough to know for sure we’re in here.”

  She winced at his blunt statement of his intentions, but the situation was what it was. Right now, he was more worried about Marisol’s safety than he was her delicate sensibilities.

  “And if he’s not one of them?”

  “We’ll figure that out once we know what his story is.”

  He slipped on his shoes and started for the front door but turned back at the last second. He wrapped his free arm around Marisol and pulled her in close. “We’ll be fine.”

  Then he kissed her, wishing the world outside could’ve left them alone just a little longer. But it hadn’t, and the clock was ticking. He needed to deal with the situation before it got out of hand.

  “Pack up our gear. We may need to leave in a hurry.” He gave her baggy shorts and oversized shirt a pointed look. “I’m guessing we should’ve dried our clothes while we had the chance, but at least you’ll make quite the fashion statement in that outfit.”

  Her answering smile was a bit shaky, but at least she didn’t look quite so fragile. “Be careful, Chase. I’ve had to patch you up far too often as it is.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Then he headed out the door. Outside, he jumped over the porch railing rather than going down the steps. He kept his back against the house as he peeked around the corner to scan the area. Still no movement on that side of the house. He bolted for the trees and began circling around to the other side, working his way higher up on the ridge as he did.

  It didn’t take long to spot his quarry, who was leaning against a tree and breathing heavily as if he’d been running long and hard. The man shifted out of the shadows to move farther down toward the house. He made it only a handful of steps before he took a header and tumbled to the ground. Groaning in pain, he did his best to push himself back up to his feet. It took two attempts before he managed to stand; even then, he had to hold on to the trunk of a small cedar tree in order to remain upright.

  Chase kept a wary eye on the ridge above them as he crept closer to where the man stood weaving back and forth as if the slightest breeze would send him tumbling back down. When all remained quiet, he headed straight for the intruder, approaching from behind and keeping his rifle aimed right at the man’s head. When he got within twenty feet, he ordered, “Don’t move.”

  The other man froze but didn’t look back. “I’m no danger to you, Paladin. My name is Edgar Collins, and I would appreciate something to eat and drink if you have some food to spare.”

  Then he glanced up at the ridge above them, a worried expression on his face. “I know they’re after you, too. We’d both stand a better chance of getting away from the bastards if we go our separate ways. God knows we’ve been lucky to get this far.”

  Chase was still trying to deal with the fact the guy knew what he was, but they needed to get back to the cabin. Neither of them were safe perched out here on the hillside. There’d be time for an inquisition later after Marisol got him patched up. “Hell, you can barely stand up. Who shot you?”

  Although he could guess, considering the man was wearing the same kind of red sweatpants that Chase had been living in for the past few weeks. His T-shirt might have started out white, but now it was bright red from the bloody wound on his upper shoulder. Could he really be another escapee from the slaughter back at the camp?

  Before Chase could ask any questions, the other man slowly sank to his knees as if he’d burned up the last bit of energy he had. Chase muttered a curse and closed the remaining distance between them. On the way, he pulled out the radio. “Doc, come running. This guy’s been shot.”

  Her voice was barely legible through the static when she answered. “Where?”

  “Up near where you waited for me yesterday. I’ll need your help getting him inside.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  He maintained watch on the hillside as he waited for Marisol to join them. Seconds later, he heard the front door of the cabin open followed by the sound of running feet starting up the hillside.

  The wounded man finally stirred. Lifting his head seemed to take a lot of effort as he struggled to look around them. “Who’s coming?”

  “Help.” He watched Marisol making her way up the slope. “Just relax until she gets here. Then we’ll get you down to the cabin and then see how badly you’re hurt.”

  He wished there was time to interrogate the guy without exposing Marisol to any additional risk, but they couldn’t stay parked out there on the hillside for long. Judging by the amount of blood the man had already lost, the situation could get a whole lot worse for him if they didn’t get him patched up soon.

  Marisol was almost there. He did one more visual sweep of the area and listened hard for any suspicious sounds in the area. So far, they seemed to be in the clear, but he wouldn’t count on that holding true long term. If the enemy had put searchers on the trail of everyone who had escaped, then this guy had likely led another set of hunters right to them.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  Marisol was clearly reluctant to approach the man lying motionless on the ground. Smart thinking on her part. He might really be unconscious, but he could be faking it. Better that Chase take any risks. “Take charge of the rifle. I’ll get him down to the cabin.”

  She circled around to where he stood. He gave her a quick tutorial on the gun before handing it over. Once she stepped back out of reach again, he bent down to grab Edgar’s uninjured arm and used it to haul him up off the ground. The man regained consciousness enough to help with the effort. When he was up on his feet, Chase half carried, half dragged him down the steep slope.

  Marisol followed behind them but still hung back until Chase maneuvered their uninvited guest up the porch steps and into the house. He lowered him down onto the floor and waited for Marisol to join them.

  She handed off the rifle as soon as she came inside. Before evaluating her new patient, she filled a pot with water and put it on the stove to heat and stoked the fire. Then she grabbed some clean dishtowels off the shelf and filled a large bowl with the water they’d left on the stove overnight. It probably wasn’t all that warm now, but at least it was clean. As she continued to gather up their meager first aid supplies, she asked, “How bad is it?”

  The guy looked like hell right now. “Bad enough. Edgar here took one in the shoulder.”

  “You may have to hold him down if his wounds require stitches.”

  He knelt on E
dgar’s other side as Marisol used the chef’s knife to cut away the bloody shirt. They both winced at the deep gouge torn through the top of the man’s shoulder. Chase helped roll her patient over far enough so that she could check out the other side.

  “The good news is it’s a deep flesh wound. Soft tissue mostly, but no broken bones or vital organs damaged.” She glanced up at Chase, her dark eyes worried. “The wound looks fresh, no more than one, maybe two hours old. If so, whoever did this can’t be far behind.”

  That would be Chase’s assessment, too, but only if the man was a normal human being. It all depended on whether there really was any significance to those red sweatpants he was wearing. If he was another Paladin, the time frame could be far different. It could be the bullet had originally done more damage, but he was healing at the accelerated rate of a Paladin. Before Chase could point that out, the man moaned and his eyes fluttered open. Although he didn’t seem worried to see Chase hovering over him, he went batshit crazy the second he spotted Marisol.

  “What the hell is she doing here?”

  He fought to get away, scrambling backward over the floor, leaving a fresh trail of blood on the way. Edgar kept his attention on Marisol, looking as if he half expected her to come after him with the knife she’d just laid down on the floor.

  Chase held up his hands, palms out, trying to calm him down. “She’s a doctor, a damn good one. You need her to tend to your shoulder before you bleed out.”

  Edgar wasn’t having it. “No way I want her working on me. Not after she’s spent the past four months torturing me.”

  What the hell? She’d been his keeper, too? Hot and bitter rage roared through Chase’s mind. He wanted to deny the man’s claim, to call him out for the lies he was telling, but for an instant doubt reigned supreme. She’d denied knowing about any other prisoners, and the closest she’d come to hurting him was when she stuck a needle in his arm to draw blood. Chase jerked his gaze up to meet Marisol’s and read denial and a big dose of hurt in their dark depths. He hated that, but now wasn’t the time to demand answers or reassurances.