glad I did, too. We had a lot to get caught up on.”
“Rafe’s going to kill me for encouraging you to go down there, but I don’t care. I feel so much better knowing that someone is with him. I guess it’s encouraging to know Dan cares enough to get angry. First at me yesterday and now you today.”
Shannon chuckled. “Well, I have a hunch that I’ll be able to keep him on edge for a while longer, at least until he orders me out of here in no uncertain terms.”
“Hang tough, Shannon. And thanks again for caring enough to check on him.”
“Oh, that’s never been my problem where Dan’s concerned. I guess I’ve had him on some kind of pedestal all these years. It’s good to be able to see him as a person with faults and frailties of his own.”
Mandy laughed. “Yeah. The trouble with putting someone on a pedestal is you have a much better view of his butt. And he can certainly be one at times.”
“Well, I’ve almost got the place straightened up now. He’s really not a messy person, at all. Once I finish this last load of clothes I intend to go soak up some sun. And harass your brother a little more.”
“Thanks for checking in this morning. I had my first good night’s sleep since he left. Believe me, you’ve been a real gift.”
“Dan definitely doesn’t see it that way. But we’ll worry about that later. ’Bye now.”
Shannon finished folding laundry, then changed back into her bathing suit. After slathering her skin with a heavy sunscreen, she grabbed a towel, a novel she’d brought with her and her sunglasses and went downstairs.
More people were on the beach now than when she’d been there earlier. She spotted an empty chair and settled into it. Not wanting to burn on her first outing, she opened the beach umbrella knowing that she would still be exposed to enough sun to get tan from the reflection off the water.
She read for a while, then closed the book and settled in for a short nap before the time came to start lunch. If nothing else, Dan had lucked out in the culinary department because she loved to cook. Unfortunately, she also loved to eat, which meant a constant battle to exercise off the pounds. The bane of being small-boned and short in stature was that every extra pound showed.
Shannon allowed the soft sound of the rhythmic waves washing up on shore to soothe her into a deep sleep.
* * *
Dan had forgotten how enjoyable it was to swim in the Gulf. Careful of the undertow, he found deeper troughs between the sandbars close to shore to really push himself. He hadn’t realized how out of shape he’d gotten these past weeks. It felt good to work his body.
Eventually he walked along the shore in knee-deep water and watched the surf fishermen pull in small sharks. He lost track of time until his stomach rumbled. He was actually hungry again.
It would be too much to hope for to find that his new unappointed, uninvited and unwelcome housekeeper had left. He was pleasantly tired after his workout this morning. A good meal and a nap would suit him just fine. She’d obviously been to the grocery store. So maybe she’d already prepared something for lunch. If not, he could always dig around in the refrigerator for sandwich material.
He was approaching the high-rise when he noticed three men talking to a woman seated in one of the chairs near where he’d left his towel. As he drew closer he discovered the woman was Shannon and whatever one of the men was saying had caused her to violently disagree. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but she was vehemently shaking her head no, which appeared clear enough to Dan.
Hah. Now maybe she’d find out what it was like to deal with someone who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
He took another look at the men. They didn’t look much like the usual beach-loving types. They wore bright, vacation-type shirts and shorts, but they were too pasty-colored to have spent much time in the sun. The true giveaway was the footwear—all three men wore black socks and lace-up shoes.
Dan wondered if he should interfere. Maybe this was some guy she’d been dating who didn’t want to give her up. Dan supposed that would be possible. If he weren’t in the middle of some kind of nervous breakdown, he’d probably have welcomed her into his wayward life.
In fact, he realized that despite the fact he’d just met her, Dan felt a little possessive where she was concerned. He didn’t like the idea that someone was pursuing her, particularly since it was obvious she wasn’t encouraging his attentions.
The man doing all the talking suddenly grabbed Shannon by her upper arm and jerked her to her feet, which forced Dan into taking action. Whatever the guy’s beef, there was no reason to manhandle her.
He picked up his pace and trotted toward them.
“Hold it,” he hollered as he drew close. “That’s no way to treat a lady!”
The other two men spun around and shifted so that they stood between him and the other two. “Stay out of this,” one of them said in a guttural voice. “It’s none of your business.”
Dan had never liked bullies. He didn’t really assess the situation before moving closer. He was more concerned with how she was handling all of this.
“Shannon?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
Her answer, sounding shaky, alarmed him. “Uh, not really. I don’t have any idea who these men are or what they want, I just—”
“Don’t give me that,” the man holding her arm said. “We told you we’re looking for Rick Taylor. We happen to know the two of you are pretty thick, so don’t try to deny it. You’ve led us on a long chase, lady, so don’t play games with me, ’cause I’m not in the mood.”
Dan attempted to step closer, but one of the men blocked his way. He shoved him aside and grabbed the man holding Shannon, forcing him to let her go. “Leave her alone,” he said, doubling his fists. He was more than ready to lay him out.
Dan couldn’t remember the last time his anger had overcome him. Only now, there was an object to his anger, somebody with whom he could face-off.
Shannon screamed a warning of sorts at the same time Dan felt a blinding pain in the back of the head. He stumbled and fell to his hands and knees, which increased his ire. What the hell was going on? Who did these goons think they were, assaulting people?
He attempted to stand when he was hit on the head again. This time, he went down for the count.
The first thing Dan became aware of when he regained consciousness was a nauseating, rocking movement and the fact that his head felt as though it was on the verge of exploding.
The second thing he noticed was the sound of an engine droning somewhere nearby, and a soft, scented pillow for his head. From those pieces of information he managed to figure out that he was on a boat, going somewhere.
He
