Midnight Sacrifice Read online

  Her shivers faded. Danny remembered her turning down peanut butter sandwiches. “Did you eat dinner?”

  “No. I was too worried.” She sat up. Too bad.

  Keeping the blanket around their shoulders, Danny reached into his pack and pulled out the M&Ms. “Quick carbs first.”

  “I brought plenty of trail mix.” She opened two packs of candy while Danny cracked out the beef jerky and a bottle of water. Slim Jims and chocolate were surprisingly good together.

  “Your cut is bleeding.”

  Danny held up his hand. The thin latex glove hung in shreds around his hand. Blood seeped through the soaked bandage. “Must have torn the stitches.”

  “Let’s get it cleaned up. Hand me the first aid kit.”

  Miraculously, only two of the stitches were ripped free. Mandy did her best to close the wound with butterfly strips. She covered his hand with fresh gauze and tape. Watching her, it occurred to Danny that if he hadn’t rested his hand all day, he might not have been able to save Mandy.

  The radio crackled. “Mandy? Are you OK?”

  Mandy picked up the receiver. “We’re fine, Jed. Just holing up under some rocks until the storm passes.”

  “The weatherman says this front will take a couple of hours of clear out.”

  “Got it. Thanks. We’ll hang tight.”

  She tossed the receiver back into her pack and finished off a handful of candy. Her eyes were bright, her color back to normal, but her expression was still tight.

  “What’s wrong?” Danny added a few skinny branches to the fire. Damp wood popped and crackled.

  “I’m worried about the girls.”

  “We’re doing all we can to find them.”

  “I know.” A tear trickled down her cheek.

  “Come here.” Danny tugged her back into his arms. “We’ll find them.”

  Thunder boomed. Mandy jumped. “I hope they’re not out in this storm. They could be hungry and cold—”

  “Shhh.” Danny tilted her chin up and silenced her with a kiss.

  His mouth was hot and tasted of chocolate. Mandy wanted more. Heat sprinted through her veins to her core, fueled by adrenaline overload from her near plunge into the river. The turmoil of the past four months had intensified from fear to terror with the disappearance of the girls. Were they lost or was Danny right? Was Nathan out there, gathering a fresh crop of victims?

  Her brain rejected the debate, electing to yield control to her body.

  Danny’s mouth angled. His tongue slipped into her mouth, and all she could think was how much she wanted more. Desire swept aside all the self-control she’d practiced over the winter. She couldn’t hold her emotions back anymore. She had to have him again. This afternoon by the river had been beautiful. This was desperate.

  Danny pulled back. “Whoa. Um, you’re getting a little ahead here.”

  “Please.” Begging didn’t feel as humiliating as it should. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips back to hers. He took her mouth again.

  The man kissed like a pro, the perfect balance of demand and restraint. His hand remained at her bicep. For all his bad-boy talk, Danny was a gentleman. He had no intention of this turning into anything but a kiss.

  But desire hummed under Mandy’s skin. Held in check all winter, her emotions churned for release. His palm on her arm was hot as a brand. She wanted him to touch her everywhere. She pressed her hands against his bare shoulders. The muscles were gloriously hard under her touch, the skin smooth. Hair dusted the center of his broad chest. She pushed him down on his back.

  “Are you sure?” Danny’s voice had gone husky. His eyes darkened in the firelight. “You didn’t like the outside bit last time.”

  She met his gaze head-on. “I need you.”

  The noise that rose from his throat was half surprise and half groan. He rolled to one side. For a man with only one good hand, he had her sweater over her head and her bra tossed aside in seconds. He filled his palm with the weight of her breast. His thumb gently circled her nipple. He bent his head to draw it into his mouth. Desire pooled between her legs. His hand slid down her rib cage to her belly. A finger slipped under her waistband.

  Her body arched toward him. Her limbs were on fire. “Touch me already.”

  A choking sound leaked out of his chest. His hand slipped into her pants. “Jesus.”

  That about summed it up.

  “Danny. Now.” Mandy couldn’t get her hand on enough of him fast enough. Smooth muscles were sleek under her palms. She unfastened his pants.

  “Wait a second.” He shucked them, reaching into the cargo pocket for his wallet.

  “Condoms are part of your hiking gear?”

  “I don’t have hiking gear.” He wiggled out of his pants, then helped her do the same.

  Mandy took a minute to appreciate the ridged muscles of his abdomen, the strong planes of his chest, the powerful hips that were pressing into hers. There wasn’t much room to maneuver in their makeshift bed. Good thing Danny knew how to make every movement count.

  He stroked her hip while he kissed a path from her neck to her collarbone, nipping playfully at her shoulder. The hand on her hip squeezed, and he moved it to stroke the inside of her thigh. He cupped her center. She pressed against his palm. His fingers went to work in a gentle circle. The momentum built. Mandy’s body tightened. Pleasure built in a tidal wave. Her body arched as all her muscles contracted until the release spiraled from her core through her limbs.

  She just lay still for a minute until her heartbeat slowed and she could feel her toes.

  Danny’s hand slipped between her legs again. “How about an encore?”

  Before he could work any magic, she wrapped her hand around his impressive erection.

  His body bucked. His face burrowed into her hair. His breathed into her ear. “Easy does it. I’m a little too turned on by watching you come right now. You’re so freaking perfect.”

  And flattery will get you anything…

  Mandy grabbed the condom and opened the package. She rolled it over him. Danny shifted her under him. She wrapped her legs around him and guided him home. The fit was perfect, as if he’d been made just for her.

  He moved, sliding back and forth, stroking a response from the inside of her just as he’d coaxed an orgasm from her a few minutes ago.

  “My God, you feel too good.” His face strained with the effort of holding back.

  Mandy felt the pressure rise again. Her core tightened almost unbearably.

  “Come on, baby. Ladies first.” Danny shifted higher, increasing the friction.

  She closed her eyes. And her body imploded in a haze of sparkling lights.

  He spasmed and sprawled, limp, on top of her. She lay still under his body, his skin damp with sweat, his heart thundering in her ear. His shoulder blocked her nose, and his weight on her rib cage kept her lungs from inflating.

  She tapped his shoulder and wheezed, “I can’t breathe.”

  He slid off of her. “Oh, sorry.”

  “God, you’re gorgeous.” He plucked a wet twig from her hair. A leaf followed.

  The chuckle in her throat nearly choked her.

  “I’m serious.” His eyes brightened, and his mouth shifted into the wicked grin that had first melted her bones.

  “Shut up and kiss me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  As he did, it dawned on her that, though he wasn’t the first man she’d ever desired, he was the only one she also enjoyed all the time. She wanted him, sure. But she also really, really liked him. She wanted to do more than sleep with him again. She wanted to eat and talk and hang out with him, too. Waking up in the morning next to that sexy grin would be a nice bonus.

  A gust of wind sneaked under the rock and whipped up embers in the fire. Raindrops hit her skin, the cold a sharp contrast to the heat of Danny’s skin. He pulled the cover higher up on her shoulders.

  “We have another hour. Do you have another condom?”

&nbs
p; “I do.” Danny nuzzled her neck. “I like to be prepared.”

  “Like a good boy scout.”

  “Honey, I was never a boy scout.”

  Mandy chuckled, but guilt intruded on the moment. What would happen if he discovered the truth about her and Nathan?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Boston, December 1975

  “Can you eat something, Nathan?” Dad asked from the doorway. His face had thinned since Mom had gotten sick. The skin on his cheeks was slack as melting wax sliding toward the floor.

  Nathan shook his head. His empty belly protested with a painful squeeze, but he couldn’t eat.

  Dad nodded. He understood. “Do you want me to stay?”

  Yes. His throat closed off the words. He didn’t want either. He wanted it all to go away. His eyes were wet and a tear rolled down his cheek.

  “It’s OK.” Dad blew out a breath. Helplessness lingered, palpable in the air along with the foul odor that filled the hospital’s halls.

  Nathan’s face heated as the tears flowed. Men didn’t cry, so why couldn’t he stop?

  “I’ll give you some time alone with her.” Dad stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I’ll be just outside if you need me.” He ducked into the hall.

  The room was gray and dreary, from the speckled floor to the plastic chairs. Nathan pulled his knees to his chest to relieve the stiffness in his back. He turned sideways and rested his forehead on the cool sheets of his mother’s bed. His eyelids were heavy as bricks, but he couldn’t let them close.

  For the first time in nearly a year, his mother’s body was still. The doctor said she was in a coma, but Nathan thought she looked peaceful, like she was finally resting.

  Nathan squeezed her hand. She didn’t respond. There was no sign she was even aware he was there.

  Fear balled up in his empty belly. She was hanging on just for him. He was sure of it. If he fell asleep, she’d die.

  Dad wouldn’t say it, but Nathan knew that was what was going to happen. It was on the doctor’s face. Every time he stepped into the room it was like he was surprised she was still breathing.

  “It’s the only hope.” Uncle Aaron’s whisper carried from the hallway.

  “Aaron, stop talking like this. Gwen would be appalled. You should be horrified at what you’re suggesting.” His dad’s voice shook.

  “Without it, she won’t last the night.”

  “She won’t last the night with or without your barbaric ritual. I won’t let you do it. Gwen would never forgive herself.”

  “You don’t understand, Robert.” His uncle’s voice thickened with anger.

  “Oh, I understand perfectly. Get out, Aaron.”

  There was a thud, and the wooden crucifix on the wall over the bed trembled. “She’s my sister. You can’t stop me from saving her.”

  “Take your hands off me. You’re crazy. I should report you to the police.” Dad’s voice was thin and strained.

  Nathan’s heart zoomed. He tightened his grip on his mother’s limp hand, then eased off, afraid he’d hurt her.

  “Don’t make threats like that, Robert. Your God may ask you to sit back and accept what he’s dished out. But mine—and your wife’s—they call for action. That’s Celtic blood that runs through Gwen’s veins. It demands to be heard.”

  Dad didn’t respond, and Uncle Aaron’s voice dropped.

  “You’ll pay for your decision to let my sister die. Her death is on your head. I will not forget it, Robert.”

  Thunder rumbled in the distance. Nathan killed the headlights and drove into the parking area behind the old inn. He parked next to the detached garage. Mandy’s car wasn’t in the lot. A blanket of unease settled on his shoulders.

  Getting out of the vehicle, he scanned the rear of the house. All the windows were dark and quiet, as they should be an hour before dawn. He stole across the backyard and rounded the corner. Mandy’s window was on the side of the house. Standing on his toes, he peered in. The blinds weren’t drawn. The bed was directly across from the window, the white sheets and comforter undisturbed. No dark head rested upon the pillow.

  Mandy wasn’t there. Where could she be?

  Who could she be with?

  Anger hazed his vision red. He raised his hand, ready to smash the window in search of his May Queen. Wait. Think. He clenched a trembling fist.

  What should he do?

  He raised his fingers to his temples, where the constant ache in his head blurred his thoughts. He needed a new plan.

  He’d come here to collect his queen, to prepare her for their new life together. He had to have her. No one else would do.

  So he needed another way to get her.

  His gaze shifted to the next window. Was that Mandy’s beloved brother’s room?

  Enthusiasm for his new idea propelled him to the back porch. He stopped. His gifts. They were missing. He suppressed his rage and stalked back across the lawn to the garage. On the side of the little building, he lifted the lids to the garbage cans. Not there. At least she didn’t throw them away.

  He tried the side door to the garage. Unlocked. A sign for sure. He found his offerings against the wall. Perhaps she’d put them there to shelter them from the storm. The thought warmed him. Mandy cared. She’d protected the items he’d given her. Nothing else mattered. The details of their future together could be worked out later.

  He picked up the heavy cauldron and carried it back to the porch, then secured the rowan branch above the door once again. Better.

  As in his original plan, he cut a circle of glass from the door. Reaching inside, he flipped the dead bolt and slipped into the kitchen. His ears strained for sound. A second of silence was followed by a soft woof on the other side of a wooden door.

  Since when did Mandy have a dog?

  Nails scratched on wood, the sound boring into his brain. No. No. No. He pressed his palms to his ears. Tonight’s mission depended upon quiet. The dog must be silenced.

  He lunged for the knob and shoved the door inward. A yellow lab burst through, hackles raised. Was that Jed’s prize bitch, Honey? The dog stood splay-legged in front of him, tail low, growling but unsure of what to do.

  Nathan reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of last night’s supper, skewered rabbit and fresh dandelion greens. He’d been prepared to take shelter in case another storm arrived. He held out a bit of meat.

  The dog shuffled forward, sniffing. Her tail swayed in a faint wag as she licked the treat from his fingers. Labradors were retrievers, not guard dogs. Relief coursed through him. Thank the gods! Plan B could continue. He was far too tired to come up with a plan C.

  The door opened again. Nathan’s hopes rose. Mandy! Perhaps she’d fallen asleep on the sofa.

  A shadow fell across the tile floor. No. It wasn’t Mandy. Even in the dark, he could see the shape was much too large. Mandy’s brother, Bill, shuffled in. His hand swiped the wall, turning on the overhead lights. Dressed in gray sweatpants and an oversize hoodie, he rubbed sleep-heavy eyes with both fists like a child. When he lowered his hands, surprise registered. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’ve come to get you.” Because there was no better way to ensure Mandy’s cooperation.

  “Why?” Bill stepped back. “Mandy said I’m supposed to stay here.”

  “I know. She sent me to get you.” Nathan smiled. His facial muscles strained with the effort, as if they had atrophied from little use.

  “Mandy said you did something bad.” Bill’s jaw jutted. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And Jed said you hurt her.”

  “I did.” Nathan tried to look ashamed. “And I’m very sorry. We all make mistakes. But I’m going to make it up to her by helping her now.”

  “Where is she?”

  Ah, love was such an easy emotion to manipulate.

  “She fell and hurt her ankle. She needs you, Bill.”

  “She fell? In the woods?” Bill shuffled his feet. His blond brows furrowed with concentration.

&n
bsp; Rushing Bill wouldn’t swing his decision in Nathan’s favor, but guests slept upstairs, and Bill’s mother could hear them at any moment. Even ill, she was not a person to be crossed, particularly when it came to protecting her children. Nathan wondered if she was strong enough to lift and fire her shotgun.

  “OK, but I have to tell Mom where I’m going.”

  “Mandy told me your mother has been sick,” Nathan lied. His assistant had told him about Mae’s heart attack. “This would probably upset her. That wouldn’t be good for her recovery, would it?”

  “I guess not.” Bill gave the dog a pat on the head. “You stay here, Honey. Take care of Mom.”

  Bill dropped into a kitchen chair to tie his sneakers. Nathan waited, anxiety roiling into white water in his head. His heartbeat thudded, simultaneously loud and thin. His mind wasn’t the only part of his body degenerating.

  Tomorrow night it would all be over.

  Nathan led Bill out the door like Willy Wonka, but he’d do what was necessary to make his plan work. No one was as important as Evan. Following his uncle’s example, Nathan would save him or die trying.

  He opened the sedan’s passenger door for Bill.

  Mandy would be upset that her brother had been chosen, but it was her punishment from the gods for not being ready for Nathan when he came for her.

  Everyone had to pay a price.

  Everyone had to make sacrifices.

  Danny stared out into the still-dark forest. Behind him, Mandy slept in their sleeping bag nest. A cool breeze stirred the fire, and trees dripped with fresh rain. He checked his watch. The rain had stopped, and the last rumble of thunder had passed thirty minutes ago. He hadn’t seen lightning in an hour.

  He leaned back and nudged Mandy’s shoulder. She jumped.

  “Sorry.” He stroked the smooth skin of her back. “The storm passed. I thought you’d want to get moving.”

  She sat up. The cover slipped down around her waist. Mmm. Her skin flushed. All of it, and Danny wanted to lick every inch. But it wasn’t going to happen tonight. The forced break was over. Duty called.