Even in the Darkness

The bus slowed and came to a stop, the cessation of movement bringing Tori upright in her seat. She craned her neck, trying to see what lay ahead. A green government truck sat on the side of the road, two armed military officers waving motorists over.

“What’s going on?”

“No worries.” The woman next to her patted Tori’s arm and seemed unperturbed, but Tori’s heart beat in double time, her hands clenched into fists.

One of the soldiers stepped aboard the bus and leafed through the driver’s paperwork. Then scanned the passengers, his dark gaze resting on one person after another. Tori closed her eyes and feigned sleep, hoping to hide her eyes and the terror she knew shone there. For the second time in hours, she tried to pray, the knee-jerk reaction to terror reminding her of the desperate pleas she’d offered up as a child. Pleas that had gone unanswered.

This time it seemed God was on her side. A few seconds after the soldier entered the bus, he stepped back outside, waving the driver on and moving toward the next car in line. The sedan was three cars back, the pickup truck right behind it. Now was Tori’s chance to lose anyone following.

She didn’t hesitate, just waited until the bus rounded a curve in the road, and stood, hurrying up to the driver. “Stop, please. I need to get off here.”

He shook his head. “Sorry. No stops.”

“I have friends in the area. They said I’d be able to get off the bus before I reached town.” Please, please, let him stop the bus and let me off.

For a moment she thought he’d refuse. Then he shrugged, downshifted and eased the bus to the side of the road.

“Thank you.” She didn’t wait for his reply, just stepped outside.

Warm sun. Damp earth. The harsh call of some creature in the jungle. The sound, the scent, the feel of freedom. Tori waited as the bus pulled away, watching to be sure it didn’t stop again, that no one else got off. Then she slipped into the thick foliage that lined the road, pulled off her hat, eased down into tall grass and waited.

The sedan passed first, speeding by in a flurry of sound and motion. The pickup was next, coming more slowly. Tori could see it through the grass, inching along the highway. She sank down, touching her cheek to the cool, damp ground.

Terror brought the world into sharp focus. A centipede scurried near Tori’s hand. Flies buzzed near her wrists, landing on the broken flesh. She didn’t dare brush them away. The musty aroma of rich earth filled her nose. Grass and leaves whispered an almost silent tune. And the rumbling chug of the pickup’s engine finally faded away. Time to move. Mae Hong Son was a few miles north. Soon there would be houses, people, someone willing to give her a ride to Chet’s jewelry shop.

She forced herself up. Her body ached from fatigue and from bruises on top of bruises. Moving hurt. Walking any distance would be torture. She’d do it anyway. For Melody. For Melody’s parents. For herself. She couldn’t bear it if something happened to the Raymonds because of her.

Already, the sun rode low in the sky, lengthening the shadows and darkening the landscape. By nightfall most of the shops in Mae Hong Son would be closed. If she didn’t hurry, she’d be too late to speak with Chet.

She started jogging, jagged pain slicing through her side with each step. She wanted to sit for a minute, catch her breath, but there wasn’t time, so she kept going, passing stilt-legged huts with chickens scratching at the dirt beneath, wide green rice paddies that shone brilliant green in the fading light. A water buffalo meandered through hip-tall grass, its wide nostrils flaring, a brown-skinned child perched on its back.

Up ahead was a busy tourist stop. Tori had been there before, had bought sweet rhambutan from a vendor. For the right price she might convince one of them to take her into Mae Hong Son.

She approached from the back of the property, the sounds of voices, engines and the strident call of an elephant drifting on the air around her. When she reached the corner of the building, she paused. Once she stepped into the open, she’d be vulnerable again. Unfortunately, time was too limited for her to stand and think through her options. She’d have to round the corner and take her chances in the crowd.

She took a deep breath, tensed to move and was pulled backward with one sharp tug on her sweater. She went fighting, fists swinging, mind blank of all but one thought—escape. An arm snaked around her waist and a hand slammed over her mouth, cutting off a scream.

“Stop struggling.” The words were hissed into her ear, the grip never loosening.

She responded by struggling harder, imagining a needle poised over her flesh, a stab, and then oblivion. That’s how they’d taken her before. It wouldn’t happen again. Not if she could help it.

She twisted, trying to throw her attacker off balance. Pain speared across her rib cage, stealing her breath. Pinpricks of light flashed in front of her eyes, she swayed, and was suddenly being supported instead of restrained.

“Whoa. No passing out, Red.”

Red? Tori stiffened.

“That’s better. Now hold still and be quiet. There’s company out there. Not the kind either of us wants to meet.” Noah didn’t loosen his grip as he spoke, nor did he remove the hand he held over Tori’s mouth. Her tense muscles warned that she was waiting for an opportunity to break free, and that was something he couldn’t allow. Not yet. Later, when he had her safely away from the men who were hunting her, he’d let her go again. See where she’d been heading before she’d almost walked into Lao’s trap. For now he’d stay close.

She twisted in his arms, trying once again to break free as he edged them away from the building. He ignored her struggles, ignored the heel that barely missed his knee, but he couldn’t ignore her terror. Her body shook with it, her heart pounding so hard he could feel it in the pulse point near her jaw.

That, more than anything, had him tightening his grip and leaning close to her ear. “You want me to let you go?”

She didn’t nod, didn’t acknowledge the question in any way.

He hadn’t expected her to. “I will, but know this—you scream, and there’s a good possibility we won’t live to see tomorrow. You run, and I’ll have you before you take five steps, then I’ll tie you up and gag you until we’re somewhere safe.” An idle threat, but she didn’t need to know that.

With that he slid his arm from around her waist and eased his hand from her mouth, remaining close, not allowing her enough distance for a head start if she decided to run.

For a moment she didn’t move. When she did, it was a quick spin in his direction, her hair flying in a cloud of burnished red. “Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“Noah Stone. And what I want is you on the plane that left for the States a few hours ago. Since I can’t have that, I’ll settle for putting some distance between us and the people searching for you.” That much was true. The rest would have to wait.

“That’s no answer.”

“It’s as much of one as I can give. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

“And go where?” Her voice sounded raspy and dry, her eyes dark fire against pallid skin.

“A place where we don’t have to worry about the bad guys finding us.” He reached down, picked up the hat that had fallen from Tori’s head during their struggle and handed it to her.

“For all I know, you’re one of the bad guys.”

“If I were, we wouldn’t be standing here talking.”

“I can’t know that.” She stared him down, the bruises on her cheek and jaw an ugly reminder of all she’d been through.

“And I don’t have time to prove it. The bus you were on made it to Mae Hong Son. The men who were following know you weren’t on it. Now they’re backtracking. It won’t take long for one of them to find us.” He grabbed her hand, tugging her farther away from the tourist stop.

She didn’t resist, though he had no doubt she wanted to. She’d probably weighed the odds of escape and decided not to waste the energy trying. Good. Her cooperation would make their journey less difficult.

Despite her obvious fatigue, she matched Noah’s stride, not giving in to the pain he’d seen in her eyes. Jaw set, hair a wild halo of curls around her face, the straw hat clutched in her hand, she looked both strong and vulnerable. An interesting combination and nothing like the hardened, experienced drug courier Noah had expected when he’d been asked to take this assignment.

She must have sensed his gaze. She turned to meet it, the fear and anger he’d seen minutes ago masked by a calm facade. “I know you want the box. I don’t have it. I sent it to the States.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. So maybe you should head that way yourself.”

“And leave you to wander around Mae Hong Son alone? I don’t think so.”

She laughed at that, the sound harsh. “Your concern is touching, but I can manage just fine on my own.”

He let his gaze linger on her bruises, then drop to the sleeves of her sweater where blood had tinged the white knit pink. “Doesn’t look like it to me.”

Tori couldn’t argue with that. She knew how she must look—tired, bruised, defeated. But her appearance wouldn’t hinder her intentions. And what she intended was escape. She slanted a glance in Noah’s direction, wondering if escape would even be possible. Black hair gleaming in the sun, a dark beard shadowing his jaw, he seemed strong and confident, a man used to making decisions and taking charge. She’d known plenty of men like him—men willing to say or do anything to get what they wanted. Luckily, Tori had learned her lesson hard and well. No way would she trust Noah. Not when so much was at stake.

An image of Melody flashed through her mind—fresh-faced, laughing, filled with the kind of spontaneous joy Tori had never been allowed. The thought of how easily that could change sent her pulse racing. She had to get to her daughter. Had to grab the box and run as far and as fast as she could.

“Don’t even think about it.” His voice held quiet authority, his expression not changing as he tugged her closer to his side.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

“You were thinking about running. Save us both the time and energy—don’t bother.”

There was nothing to say to that, so she didn’t speak at all. Not that she had the energy to do more than keep up with Noah. He moved with a long, brisk stride, not slowing his pace as they stepped onto a narrow, paved road that led to the outskirts of Mae Hong Son. Rundown houses and faded buildings stood like weary sentinels to either side, their long shadows touching the road with darkness. In the distance, deep green mountains brushed the sky, shrouded in mist and mystery. A few people hurried along a cracked and broken sidewalk, too rushed to notice the strangers in their midst. Or maybe they noticed and chose not to show it. An odd thought, but one Tori couldn’t shake.

Nor could she shake the feeling that she and Noah were being watched, that every step they took was being monitored. She glanced around, tense with nerves, and was surprised by the warmth of Noah’s breath as he spoke close to her ear. “Relax. They’re friends. Of a sort.”

“Who?”

“The people watching us.”

So he felt it, too. Tori wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or even more worried. “Who are they?”

“No one we need to worry about. An acquaintance of mine owns some property around here. He likes to know who’s coming and going.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“It should. There’s no love lost between Hawke and Lao.”

“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me who Hawke and Lao are?”

“Hawke is a man I’ve worked with a few times. Lao is a suspected member of the Wa, a militia group based across the border in Myanmar. Lao’s the one you took the box from.”

“I didn’t take the box. I bought it.”

“You have the box. He wants it back.”

“Why? It’s a box. Pretty. Expensive. But just a box.” She expected him to ignore her question. Instead he stopped short, pulling her around to face him.

His face was granite hard in the fading light, his eyes the blue-green of angry ocean waves. “I’d like to think you believe that.”

“I do.”

He watched her, his expression unreadable, then turned and started walking again.

“I’m telling the truth. I saw a rosewood trinket box at a tourist shop when I was visiting Wat Doi Kong Mu. It was broken, so the clerk brought one out from the back.” The words spilled out, and Tori bit her lip to keep from saying more.

“And was killed for his efforts.”

“What?”

“Story on the street is he was robbed and beaten to death. Truth is, Lao doesn’t take kindly to having his plans ruined. Especially not when the Wa is involved. You might want to keep that in mind.”

The words might be either threat or warning. Neither was necessary. Tori knew the danger she was in, the danger Melody would be in if she had the box and the people who’d abducted Tori found out about it.

Lao. The name was unfamiliar, the taste of it bitter against Tori’s tongue. She raked a hand through her hair, wincing as her fingers caught in tangled curls. Nothing made sense. The well-ordered life she’d been living was suddenly a bizarre dance whose steps she didn’t know. She’d have to learn them fast if she was going to survive. And the only way to learn was to ask questions, get answers and weed out the truth from the lies. “Where did you say we were going?”

“A safe place.”

“Safe from Lao.”

“That’s right.”

“And will I be safe from you?”

“Safe enough.”

“Are you always so talkative?”

He shot her a sideways look meant to still her words. “Are you?”

“No.”

“Now would be a good time to go back to your old habits.”

He picked up the pace, leading the way through a dim alley, then across several narrow streets. Jaw set, he turned into a dark, dank walkway between two buildings. “Stay close through here. You get lost and you might never find your way out.”

“Right.” The word rasped out, the deepening shadows and dingy grayness of the surrounding walls enough to convince Tori that she should do as told.

The air reeked of sewage and rot. Bags of garbage overflowed with spoiled food and decaying trash. The ground teemed with living things, insects and lizards darting away as Tori and Noah moved forward. Geckos clung to the cinder-block sides of the buildings, their tan bodies scurrying into motion.

Not a place to linger. Especially not when insects and lizards didn’t seem to be the only creatures thriving in the garbage-clogged alley. Tori could feel the weight of human gazes following the progress she and Noah were making. She wondered who they were, where they were hiding, when they would show themselves. If they would show themselves. She imagined the whiz of a bullet, the pain she’d feel as it slammed into her flesh.

“This is it.”

Noah’s words pulled Tori from her macabre thoughts, and she turned her attention to the low stone wall and wrought-iron gate in front of them. Both looked new and well tended. The property that Noah’s friend owned? Probably. Tori didn’t know who the friend was, but the fact that he and Noah were pals had already biased her against him.

Noah put a hand on the gate and pushed it open. “Let’s go.”

He stepped through. Tori straightened her spine, clenched her jaw to stop its trembling and followed.

Chapter Three

Thick mist shrouded the courtyard, making monsters out of shadows and trees, and painting the world in eerie light. Noah led Tori to the front of a two-story stucco building and pounded his fist against a faded wood door. Then they waited. Tori stood close beside him, her tension obvious in the soft, quick gasp of her breath. When the door swung open, she started, her hand grasping his arm, then dropping away as if she’d suddenly realized what she was doing.

“Come on.” He pulled her inside a dark room, felt more than saw someone move to close the door. Then the hard barrel of a gun pressed tight under his jaw. He didn’t flinch, didn’t try to pull his weapon. Just waited.

“Sawatdee khrap, my friend.” The words were spoken in rapid-fire Thai.

Noah answered in the same. “If we’re friends, why the gun?”

“Precaution. Why are you here?”

“Hawke owes me a favor. I’ve come to collect.”

“We’d heard you retired.”

“Depends on who you ask.”

The gun dropped away and a light flicked on.

A Thai man leaned against one wall, his expression more curious than suspicious. Not Hawke. Apirak Koysayodin—one of the few men Hawke trusted.

“Who’s the woman?”

“She’s a friend.”

“Hawke won’t like that you’ve brought her here.” There was no heat in the words or in the dark gaze he swept over Tori.

Her fingers tapped a fast rhythm against her thigh. Her gaze darted from Apirak to the door. Probably wondering how easy it would be to bolt across the room and escape.

Noah grabbed her hand, holding her in place as he turned his attention back to Apirak. “Sometimes we have choices, sometimes we don’t. My friend and I need some information.”

“You want to know about the snakes that are slithering through Mae Hong Son.”

“That’s right.”

“There aren’t many. Ten. Twelve.”

“What are they hunting?”

“A woman. An American with red hair and brown eyes. It seems she took something from Sang Lao. Something he’s desperate to retrieve.”

That confirmed what the DEA’s informant had reported. A local businessman, Lao had been suspected of drug trafficking for years. So far he’d eluded the DEA and the Royal Thai Police. It looked like his luck might be running out. “What about the Wa?”

“We’ve yet to see any of them.”

“That’s something to be thankful for.”

“A small thing. And something much bigger to worry about.”

“What?”

“There’s a price on your friend’s head. Fifty thousand baht.” Again he glanced at Tori, his eyes speculative.

“A lot of money.”

“Yes, but most people here despise Sang Lao and wouldn’t help him for all the riches in the world.”

“It’s the rest of the people I’m worried about. We’ll need an escort out of town.”

“It’s been arranged.”

“Hawke’s ahead of the game.”

“Your people are not the only ones who want to bring Lao down. Hawke has been patient. It seems his time might be at hand.” Apirak spoke as he stepped to the door and pulled it open. “There’s a car waiting for you at the entrance to Market Street. It will take you wherever you want to go.”

“Tell Hawke we’re even.”

“It will take more than this for Hawke to think he’s repaid the debt he owes you.” With that, the light went out and Apirak disappeared.

“What’s going on? What did he say?” Tori’s words were just above a whisper.

“Not here.” Noah tugged on her hand, pulling her outside.

“Well?”

“There’s a price on your head. Fifty thousand baht.”

If the news surprised her, she didn’t show it, just nodded, her dark eyes shadowed. “Now what?”

“We go meet our ride.”

“Ride?”

“We’re going back to Chiang Mai. It’s time for you to go home.”

If he wanted a reaction, he got one. Her body tensed, and he thought she might run. Instead, she nodded. “Good idea.”

The words were hollow, empty of enthusiasm.

“For someone who’s running for her life, you don’t seem very happy about getting an escort home.”

“It’s the escort I’m opposed to. Not the trip home.”

“Sorry. You’re stuck with me.” Until you decide to make your move. He didn’t say the last part, though he was thinking it. If Tori was guilty, she’d make a break for the box eventually. When she did, Noah would be right behind her.

They moved back into the dank walkway, the silence heavy between them. Tori fought the urge to break it, afraid if she started talking she’d say too much, reveal more than she should. With her wrists throbbing, her head pounding and what few ideas she had muddled by fatigue, Tori figured the best she could offer herself and Melody was silence.

Noah glanced her way, his face cold and unyielding. “It would save us both a lot of trouble if you’d tell me where the box is.”

“I already told you—”

“I’ve heard that story before. Why don’t we try a new one?”

“Why don’t you try telling me who you are and why you freed me? Why you want the box and what you’re going to get out of having it? Maybe then we’ll have more to talk about.”

Noah smiled, a feral curve of his lips that sent a shiver down Tori’s spine. “Seems we’re at a stalemate.”

She shrugged, determined not to waste more time talking. Her energy was waning and she still had a long way to go.

“Nothing to say, Red?”

“Tori.”

“What’s that?”

“My name is Tori. Not Red.” She bit out the words, angry with herself for responding to his bait, angry with Noah for refusing to tell her who he worked for and why he wanted the box.

“Tori. Red. It won’t matter if Lao gets his hands on you again.” The coldness in his voice chilled Tori to the core, but she couldn’t let it shake her resolve.

She might not know who Noah was, but she knew what he wanted. Unfortunately for him, she didn’t plan to give it to him. Not when doing so might lead danger to Melody and her parents. Better to retrieve the box and bring it to the U.S. embassy in Bangkok. Let anyone who wanted it follow her there. Including Noah. Including the man called Lao. If they weren’t one and the same. She glanced at Noah. Was it possible he was the ringleader of the men who’d kidnapped her? That he’d freed her because he’d known she would go after the box? And once he had the box, would he kill her or let her live?

Tori had no intention of staying with him long enough to find out.

Up ahead the alley opened into a wide street, the sound of motorcycle engines growing louder with each step. Tori’s muscles tensed as she and Noah walked out into an open-air market colored amber by the fading sun. People milled about, buying hot noodle soup and succulent fruit from vendors. A normal, busy evening. But somewhere in the midst of it danger lurked. Tori felt it in the churning of her stomach and the goose bumps that leaped to attention on her arms. Her captors were out there, waiting.

She glanced around, trying to put a face to the warning that hummed along her nerves. That’s when she saw the hotel. Two stories, well maintained. She knew it immediately. She’d been shopping on this street before. Market Place. Market Road. She couldn’t remember the name, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Chet’s store was just a few blocks away, an easy walk. All she had to do was lose her escort.

Noah scanned the crowd, his face set in hard lines as he searched for signs of trouble. She could run now, make a break for it while he was distracted. Before she could take a step away, he grabbed a fistful of her sweater. One hard tug brought her up against his side. Then he dropped his arm across her shoulders, and any hope of escape was gone.

“There’s the car. Let’s go.” He urged her toward a dark sedan that idled in front of the market. A man leaned against its fender, a dragon tattoo circling his biceps, a machete sheathed at his waist. He straightened as they approached, offering a brief nod in Noah’s direction. “Hawke says you need a ride.”

“Hawke’s right.”

“Where to?”

“The airport.”

“Get in.” He pulled the back door open and everything inside Tori stilled. This was it. Her chance. Maybe the only one she’d get. All she had to do was slide across the seat, shove the door open and jump out the other side of the car. With the crowd bustling around, she might just get lost in the hubbub and escape.

“Go on.” Noah spoke close to her ear, his breath warm against her neck, his arm lifting from her shoulders. There was something in his tone—a question or a dare.