Sharon Dunn - In Too Deep

Joseph spoke to her from the kitchen. “Looks like there’s beans and peaches. Unless you want me to heat something up.”

She touched her growling stomach. “Anything would be nice.” She closed her eyes, feeling like she might cry. Because they welcomed at-risk kids into youth group, she was used to sticky situations. She had seen her own share of violence when she’d stepped into the dark world of drug use. She wanted to help these kids the way she had been helped all those years ago. But she’d never had her life threatened like it had been tonight.

Joseph moved around the kitchen opening and shutting cupboards. The kitchen was only partially visible from where she sat.

He emerged holding two glasses of water. “Thought you might be thirsty.”

She took the glass. He sat down in the other chair and stared at the fire, twisting the glass of water in his hand. “There’s a little cookstove in there. I’ll heat something up for us. If you like, I can make you a warm cup of tea.”

His kindness seemed so genuine. Was he buttering her up for some reason? Drug dealers were good at winning people over. She supposed if he had wanted to harm her, though, he would have done it by now.

She took a sip of her water. The cool liquid traveled down her throat and splashed in her empty stomach. She tilted the glass and took a bigger swallow. “Hot food and tea sounds really good. Let me catch my breath and I’ll help you.”

He gulped down his water.

Her muscles were heavy with fatigue, and she longed for sleep.

Joseph held the empty glass and stared at the fire. “Some crazy night, huh?”

She glanced over at him. She could see why all the teen girls had a crush on him. He was tall. The sun had created honey-colored highlights in his brown wavy, shoulder-length hair. His brown eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and his voice held just the hint of a Southern accent. His skin was deeply tanned. He looked like a surfer who had gotten lost on the way to the coast.

She could feel herself becoming guarded. His question was meant to open up a conversation. He was probing for information for some reason. “Yeah, it was a crazy night.”

He straightened in his chair and stared at the floor for a long moment. “I don’t know what you think about me. But please believe me, I don’t want you to come to any harm.”

He had pulled her from danger more than once. And though he’d had an opportunity to harm her, he had kept her safe. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”

He turned to face her. “Why were you out there?”

She watched his unwavering gaze as a tiny bit of trust grew inside her.

“Like I said, I was out there to get a kid. I talked him out of getting involved with the drug trade. I’m not sure why he ran. I’m worried about his safety, but I’m also concerned that he decided to throw in with the drug dealers after all. Those dealers must have shown up early. I thought I had time to get him out.”

Why would he ask the same question over and over, expecting a different answer? That sort of questioning technique was something a cop would do. Was it possible Joseph was on the other side of the law?

“Do you know why the guy in the baseball hat tried to strangle and drown you?”

Yeah, he was definitely acting like a cop. Her whole body convulsed when the memory of nearly dying rose to the surface. She wrapped her arms over her chest.

Joseph reached out and touched her arm. “You’re safe now.” He rubbed her forearm in a soothing way. His touch calmed her. His kindness seemed to break down even more walls.

Joseph put his empty glass on the wood floor. The fire in the fireplace crackled.

She took in a breath, appreciating that he waited until she was ready to talk. “That second man, the one who came out on shore and then disappeared into the trees when we were in the boat—”

“I didn’t get a good look at him. I was trying to start the boat.”

“I saw him earlier in the forest.” A chill penetrated her skin. “He had drugs in a satchel. He was holding a brick in his hand.”

Joseph sat up a little straighter. “Really? What else do you remember about him?”

“Not a lot. Getting shot at kind of wipes things from your memory.” She touched her own wrist. “He had this big gold watch on the hand that held the brick.”

Joseph leaned toward her, his eyes growing wide. “You think you would recognize him?”

She still shuddered at the memory. So much trauma had happened since that moment. She tried to recall the man’s features. “I think if I saw him again I might.” She rose to her feet. “You ask a lot of questions for a guy who runs a skateboard shop.” And carried a gun.

He shrugged. “That other guy seemed bent on your destruction. I was trying to figure out why it was happening...if it will keep happening until that guy is behind bars.”

She paced as anxiety caused her to tense up. The man she’d seen in the forest must be important to the drug trade. Even when they got safely back to town, her life might be in danger. “I should go to the police. They have files, photographs of drug dealers. If I saw him again, maybe it would jog my memory. I got an even closer look at the guy with the baseball hat.”

Joseph didn’t respond.

Every time she mentioned the police, Joseph fell silent. Old suspicions rose to the surface. The words she’d just spoken settled around her. This was all too much. She rested her palm against her face.

Joseph’s voice was filled with compassion as he rose to his feet. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Meaning that I’ll be left alone, right?” She shook her head, still trying to fathom what all this meant.

Joseph squeezed her hand. “Why don’t you sit? I’ll go heat us up some water and food. Then we’ll be back on our way to Scenic View.”

He hadn’t answered her question. “I’ll have to leave a note for my friend so she doesn’t think elves came in and raided her pantry and took her bikes.”

Sierra closed her eyes and listened to Joseph bustling around in the kitchen. He was still being evasive with her. She tensed. More than anything, she wanted to believe that the violence of the night was an isolated incident and that she would be able to go back to life as normal.

Predawn light warmed Joseph’s face as they pedaled the mountain bikes down the trail that led back into Scenic View. The food had revived him somewhat, but he was beyond exhausted, and he had to open the shop in a few hours so he could keep up appearances of being a mild-mannered store manager.

Sierra was talking about going to the police. If one of the local cops was feeding info to the drug network, it could put Sierra in even more danger. He had a choice to make. Could he trust her enough to let her in on his cover and tell her why they needed to leave the police out of this? She probably suspected already that he wasn’t who he said he was.

He stopped on the flat part of the trail to catch his breath. Sierra followed ten yards behind him. She rounded the hill and sailed down the trail toward him.

Sierra braked beside him and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She was pretty in an unconventional way. The thin nose and slanted eyes made her look fragile, like a porcelain doll. He admired Sierra. Whatever suspicions she harbored about Trevor, it was clear she cared about him and the other kids she worked with.

In the distance, the outskirts of Scenic View were visible. The resort hotel built on the lakefront towered over everything. There were only a few boats on the lake at this early hour. Washed in the warm glow of early morning light, the water shimmered.

Mention of the large-faced gold watch led Joseph to believe Sierra had seen the man DEA had been tracking for years, a dangerous man who would go to all lengths not to be identified, judging from the way the man in the baseball hat had gone after her. He had a feeling he should stick close to her for her protection. She could help with his investigation, but not if something happened to her.