Page 10 of Kidnapped in Dark Waters
“I’ll manage,” she replied. Thankfully, there were many days when she worked the mid-shift, allowing her to sleep in a littlebit in the mornings. “What about you? Why did you go into law enforcement?”
“A large part of the reason was Daniel. We’ve been friends since he and his dad moved here when Daniel was about eight years old. When he got the job as chief of police, he urged me to join the force. At the time I was kind of drifting and I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I wound up becoming a cop and I love it. It was the best thing I could have done for myself. I love the structure of the job and knowing the rules that need to be followed.”
He sat back and frowned. “Sorry, that was probably way more information than you needed or wanted to know.”
“Please don’t apologize,” she replied. “You know I have two sisters. What about you? Do you have any siblings?”
“Yeah, I have two younger brothers. They’ve both moved away from Dark Waters, but we’re still very close,” he said. “We talk to each other on the phone at least once a week.”
“That’s nice. Even though there are times they drive me crazy, I don’t know what I’d do without my sisters. The three of us are very close.” Once again, she looked toward the window, aware of time ticking by.
“You three are very close in age. Was there ever any sibling rivalry?” he asked.
She wondered if he was really curious or simply trying to pass the time. “Never,” she answered. “We have always been best friends and there was never any sibling rivalry between us. What about you and your brothers?”
“No, but I’m quite a bit older than them. I pretty much raised them when we were all growing up,” he replied.
“Why is that? Where were your parents?”
“Oh, it’s a long story and not all that interesting,” he replied, obviously not wanting to share. “I’ve learned a lot about yourmother during our investigation. Where is your father?” he asked, obviously changing the subject.
“The real question would be who is my father and I don’t know. My mother never wanted to discuss the subject with us. We don’t even know if the same man fathered all three of us, not that it ever mattered to us.”
It had never really bothered Dominique that she didn’t have a father in her life. “My mother was such a huge presence we never missed having a father.”
She might be enjoying her conversation with Luke, but she remained aware of two things. The first was that he wasn’t here to socialize with her. He was here because Daniel had probably ordered him to be here. This was a job to him and nothing more.
The second thing she remained aware of was that she wanted nothing more than for him to keep her safe as she hunted down the man who killed her mother.
“Even though a lot of people were frightened of your mother, I have spoken to a lot who sang her praises,” he said. “From what we’ve learned, she helped a lot of people with her spells and chants and the natural medicines she gave them,” Luke continued.
Dominique smiled, her heart greatly warmed by his words. “That’s all Mama ever wanted to do. Despite the fact that a lot of people believed she used black magic and could curse people, they came to her because they needed some kind of help they weren’t getting from anyplace else.”
The warmth his words had evoked inside her faded away as the familiar emotion of grief and anger took over. She stood. “It’s time to go.”
Luke looked at her with obvious disappointment. “Oh, and we were having such a nice conversation. Why can’t we just stay here and continue to get to know each other better?”
“Officer Madison, this isn’t a date. It isn’t a social visit at all,” she said. “You can either sit here and talk to yourself or you can come with me. The chitchat was nice, but it doesn’t change my plans.”
He stood as well. “I know from experience that I can be quite boring when I talk to myself, so I guess I’m going with you…and make it Luke.”
She gave him a curt nod as her heartbeat quickened with thoughts of following Pierre. They left her shanty and stepped out into the bright moonlight. She turned to face him. “I’m going to be moving fast, so try to keep up—and for God’s sake, try to be as quiet as possible.”
With that, she turned back around and then took off down the narrow path.
LUKE FOLLOWED HER, grateful for the moonlight that illuminated the path they traveled. She hadn’t lied—she moved quickly and with a confidence he certainly didn’t feel. It was obvious she was quite comfortable traversing through the wooded junglelike landscape.
Tension kept his muscles taut as adrenaline rushed through his body. He kept his eyes on her black-clad body and tried to move as quietly as she was. Still, he couldn’t help but notice that she looked very hot in the skintight jeans and black T-shirt.
It wasn’t in his job description to enjoy her company, but he had enjoyed the conversation they’d been having before they’d left the shanty. She’d waited on him often at the café and he’d always found her pleasant, but tonight she had revealed a lot more of herself to him.
Of course, she was nothing like the woman he eventually wanted to find for himself. She was far too…too spontaneous for him. She was right—his being here with her wasn’t a date or asocial event at all. His sole job was to keep her alive during her nightly activities.
They finally reached the area in front of Pierre’s shanty where she crouched down behind a large thicket of brush and he crouched just behind her. It had been a very long time since he’d been with a woman and being so close to her awakened parts in him that had been dormant for far too long.
Her body heat radiated toward him and he could smell the heady scent of her. A couple of strands of her silky hair moved with a small breeze and caressed the side of his face.
He tried to stay focused on the shanty they were watching instead of the woman so close to him. Lanterns were lit in Pierre’s shanty and moving shadows indicated that the gator-hunter was inside.
