Whispering Springs

“Yes, why?”

“Wait here while I check something out. Don’t let anyone in while I’m gone.”

Blair shivered as her gaze darted to the bed. “What am I supposed to do with the doll?”

“Leave it. Don’t touch anything. I’ll take care of it when I get back.”

He left the suite and strode down the hallway to the next room, pressing his ear to the door before knocking. He couldn’t hear anything inside and the door was locked. He retraced his steps to Blair’s suite. When she let him in, he went back out to the balcony.

Blair trailed after him. “Dylan? What are you doing?”

“Trying to figure out how someone got into your suite.” He climbed on top of the railing and then hoisted himself up to the roof. From his vantage, he had an expansive view of the property. Light from the downstairs windows and patios cast an anemic glow over the grounds, but the woods beyond lay in deep shadow. The night was so quiet he could hear the ripple of leaves and the gurgle of a creek beyond the trees. To his right, the escarpment was a jagged silhouette against the navy sky.

He scanned the cliffs and probed all along the tree line. If anyone was out there, they were well hidden by the night.

Lifting his face to the sky, he closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to calm a festering worry. Something was wrong. He could sense discord all around him, could hear it in the eerie saw of the breeze that blew through the pinions. In the whisper of water over rocks from the springs. Somewhere on the ridge a coyote howled, followed by a series of yips and barks that lifted the hair at the back of his neck. They sensed it, too, he thought. He wasn’t particularly insightful and definitely not clairvoyant, but he’d learned a long time ago not to second-guess his instincts.

The doll was a troublesome development. Nuanced and diabolical, Blair had said. Maybe they were both overthinking the situation, but Dylan couldn’t shake the notion that more was going on beneath the surface. That the threats to Blair and Tony Redding might be nothing more than a clever ruse to lure Dylan and the others to Whispering Springs. But why?

* * *

A FEW MINUTES LATER, Dylan hurried along the edge of the roof and dropped down onto the next balcony.

Parting the billowing curtains, he stepped inside. The layout and furnishings were similar to those of his room. King-size bed facing a large armoire with a flat-screen TV and bar. Desk and chair situated in front of the French doors. Bathroom and closet just off the entry. A quick search through the armoire drawers and closet yielded nothing. The room appeared spotless, bed neatly made, fresh towels in the bathroom. It was possible the cleaning staff had left the balcony doors open by mistake, but he kept going back to the flash of light he’d seen from the escarpment.

He went out into the hallway, glancing both ways before returning a second time to Blair’s suite. She answered his knock at once.

Before he could say anything, she leaned in to murmur, “Ava’s here.”

“Where?”

She pointed to the bedroom. “The door was open and she saw the doll. I couldn’t stop her from going in.”

He said nothing else as he moved out of the foyer and into the sitting room. Ava stood just beyond the bedroom doorway. She had her back to him, but she spun as soon as she heard him approach.

“Have you seen this?”

He took in her pale face and wide green eyes. “Yes, I’ve seen it.”

“What do you make of it? What kind of sick joke is someone trying to pull here?”

Before he could answer, Blair came into the room, keeping her distance from the bed. “It’s not a joke. It’s a warning effigy.”

Ava looked aghast. “A what?”

“Blair,” Dylan cautioned.

She gave a helpless shrug. “What’s the point of keeping her in the dark now? She’s already seen the doll. Besides, maybe she can help keep an eye out.”

“An eye out for what? For who?” Ava glanced from Blair to Dylan, her expression turning resolute and suspicious. “One of you had better start talking. And don’t give me any nonsense about scorpions and spiders. Just tell me the straight-up truth. What’s going on here?”

Dylan eyed Blair carefully. “It’s your call.”

She nodded before turning back to Ava. “Long story short, Tony is negotiating a merger for Redding Technologies. There’s been a lot of opposition within both companies and from outside competitors. That’s not unusual, but a couple of weeks ago, he started getting threatening phone calls at work. Then last week our house was broken into and someone left a message on the bathroom mirror.”

“What was the message?”

“‘Tell the truth.’”

“Tell the truth,” Ava repeated with a pensive frown. “And you think that message has something to do with the merger?”

“Coming after the phone calls, it seems a logical conclusion,” Dylan said.

Ava shot him a glance before turning back to the bed. She wore that look again, the one that told him she wasn’t about to accept anything at face value.

“Do you know what truth they’re talking about?” Ava asked.

“Tony doesn’t talk much about his business deals,” Blair hedged.

“Did you call the police?”

“No, because he doesn’t take the threats seriously. He thinks the opposition is trying to rattle him. If we go to the police, they’ll know they’re getting to him. It would weaken his bargaining power.”

“He’s playing a risky game with your safety,” Ava said as she moved around to the other side of the bed. She seemed to want to keep an eye on both of them while she examined the doll.

“I agree,” Blair said. “It is risky. That’s why I went behind my husband’s back and hired Dylan. To Tony and everyone else, he’s just another guest.”

Ava’s head came up. “What do you mean, you hired Dylan?”

He had remained silent for most of the exchange, preferring to let his client disclose as much or as little as she felt was warranted. But his gaze had remained on Ava, and now he saw a war of emotions on her face as she struggled to make sense of his deception.

“I work for a private security firm in Houston,” he explained. “You may have heard of it—the Blackthorn Agency.”

“Yes, I know of it.” Her tone sounded stilted. “For how long?”

“A little over a year.”

She shrugged, but her features hardened. “So much for being at loose ends.”

I can explain, he wanted to tell her, but instead he allowed her to draw her own conclusions.

“Please don’t say anything to the others,” Blair pleaded. “I asked everyone here so that we could catch up and have a good time. Maybe even mend some fences. We were once like family.”

“That was a long time ago,” Ava said, her cool gaze brushing Dylan’s before she looked away.

“And yet you’re here.” Blair’s smile turned hopeful. “Call me sentimental, but I still miss what we had. I still miss us. I thought if we could all get together just one more time, we could somehow recapture the magic. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking. Even so, I don’t want to cast a pall over our reunion.”

“I don’t like any of this,” Ava said. “I think you should go to the police regardless of what Tony says. It’s dangerous and irresponsible to do otherwise. I’ll keep quiet for now, but if anything else happens, all bets are off.” Her gaze dropped to the bed. “What are you going to do with this thing?”

Dylan moved around beside her. “I’ll handle everything in here. Why don’t you take Blair into the other room and fix her a drink? She still looks a little shaken.”

Ava nodded. “Good idea. Maybe I’ll fix one for myself while I’m at it.”

Chapter Four

A little while later, Dylan answered the door of his room to Ava. She looked calm and collected, but there was something about her demeanor that put him on notice.

“Can I come in for a minute?”

He stepped back to allow her inside. “What’s up?”

She strode into the room and turned with a glare. “How about we start with the doll? You don’t really think it was put in Blair’s bed because of some business deal, do you?”

Dylan took a moment before he responded, surprised at how hard he had to work to remain dispassionate. He didn’t think he would be so affected by Ava’s presence, but his chest tightened uncomfortably as he followed her into the room. She stood with her back to the balcony doors, arms at her sides, head slightly lifted. Dressed all in black, she looked ethereal and mysterious, a dangerous temptress with lamplight shimmering in her hair and something indefinable gleaming in her green eyes. The bombardment of memories was almost a physical pain as Dylan leaned a hip against the dresser and folded his arms.

“You have a different opinion, I take it.”

Despite his measured tone, she gave him a withering assessment. “The shattered limbs? The twisted neck? And here we are together again at Whispering Springs after ten years of estrangement. You can’t tell me this is all one big coincidence. Someone is messing with us.”

“You weren’t even supposed to be here,” he reminded her.

“That’s beside the point.”

“You also conveniently disregard the other incidents. The break-in and phone calls happened weeks before the reunion. If you look at it as all of a piece, the doll fits a pattern.”

Doubt flickered across her face. “But why a doll? More specifically, why a smashed doll?”

“This place isn’t just known for its springs. Don’t you remember why we started coming out here in the first place? Tony and Blair wanted to climb Bishop’s Rock.”

“So did you. Even Jane was gung ho at first, but then she stayed behind to keep me company because she knew how terrified I was of heights.”

“Do you really think that’s why she stayed behind?”

“Don’t you?”

Dylan shrugged. “Jane has always been a hard one to figure out.”

“Yes, she always did march to her own drum,” Ava agreed as she turned to the window. She grew reflective. “Do you remember the last time we all came out here? We didn’t know it then, but that trip was the beginning of the end for us.”

Not true, Dylan thought. His breakup with Lily had been the first fracture in the once tight group.

Lily Callen had been a part of Dylan’s life since childhood. They’d remained devoted all through high school and most of college until he’d finally admitted to his growing feelings for someone else. Their split had seemed amicable at first. Lily had even seemed relieved. It was time they both spread their wings, she’d said. But in the ensuing weeks, she’d grown increasingly moody and withdrawn. Then had come a series of disjointed, bordering on paranoid phone calls, followed by a final text message that had driven a stake through the heart of his fledgling relationship with Ava.

I told you I was in trouble. Why didn’t you help me?

Ava watched him carefully as if trying to intercept his innermost thoughts. “You had a bad fall that weekend. The image of you tumbling down the side of Bishop’s Rock still gives me nightmares.”

Dylan smiled. “I managed to walk away in one piece.”

“Thankfully.”

They were still ignoring the ghost in the room. Neither seemed willing to speak Lily’s name aloud, as if the mere mention could somehow breathe life into their old guilt.

Dylan said into the strained pause, “My point is, Blair and Tony are still avid climbers. It’s common knowledge in their circle.”

“You think someone is threatening Blair with a fall? I don’t know, Dylan. Even if we accept that premise, there’s no way you can deny that doll’s resemblance to Lily.”

So there it was. The name hovered in the room like an old dream, and the knot in Dylan’s chest turned into a different kind of pain. “The doll looks just as much like Blair.”

“Maybe. But I still have a hard time believing this is about a business deal. It feels too personal.” Her gaze turned cool and assessing. Whatever feelings Lily’s name had evoked now lay hidden beneath Ava’s lawyerly facade. “I can’t help wondering if there’s something you’re still not telling me.”

“Even if that were true, I’m not at liberty to discuss my client or her situation. You know that better than anyone.”

“Yes, but as Blair pointed out, how am I to help you keep an eye on things if you leave me in the dark?”

Dylan straightened from the dresser, anxious to bring the conversation to an end. He remembered only too well Ava’s persistence. No good could come from a prolonged confrontation. “You don’t need to keep an eye out. That’s my job.”

“And now it’s also mine. I can’t unsee that doll, and I can’t go blithely about my business knowing what I know.”

“You could try.”

She gave him another look. “I have a question for you. You don’t have to answer if you feel it violates your ethics.”

“Go on.”

“Are you sure you know the whole story?”

She’d surprised him. “Meaning?”

“You don’t find it even a little strange that Tony Redding refuses to call the cops when his house is broken into?”

“Blair explained his reasoning.”

“Yes, she did. But she couldn’t explain the message that was left on the bathroom mirror, could she? ‘Tell the truth.’ What truth?”

Dylan said nothing.

She scowled at his silence. “Was a photograph taken of the mirror? What was used to write the message?”

“Ava.”

His admonition merely emboldened her. “I can always go ask Blair.”

He sighed. “The message was scribbled in lipstick.”

“Blair’s?”

“Apparently.”

“The tube was left behind?”

“Yes.”

“Cursive or printed?”

He paused. “Printed.”

“Was a photograph taken?”

“Yes, but I would need Blair’s permission to show it to you.”

Ava nodded absently. “How did the perpetrator enter the residence?”

“Through an unlocked patio door.”

“The alarm wasn’t tripped?”

“They live in a gated community with round-the-clock security guards, so they weren’t in the habit of setting the system.”

“That’s convenient. What can you tell me about Tony Redding’s firm?”

“I’ve already told you too much.”

She waved off his concern. “I can always do an internet search, but it’ll be a lot easier and faster if you just tell me. It’s not a secret, is it?”

“You haven’t changed a bit,” he said.

“Oh, I have. Believe me, I have. But we’re talking about Tony Redding.”

“He’s the cofounder and CEO of Redding Technologies. They develop apps for the military. Everything from navigation to beacons to handbooks and probably a whole lot more that they don’t advertise. It’s a competitive field, and from what I gather, they devour start-ups for breakfast.”

“He’s made enemies, then.”

“I think that’s safe to say.”

Ava turned once more to stare out the window as she pondered his revelations. He was irritated with himself for succumbing so easily to her interrogation, but he’d told her nothing she couldn’t have found out on her own. The trick now was to keep her at arm’s length from the case. That wouldn’t be easy. She’d always been single-minded to a fault. With her intellect and ambition, she’d been a force of nature even in college. He’d meant it earlier when he said she hadn’t changed. If anything, she was even more driven.

He studied her profile now as memories assailed him. He’d known her for years, but their time as a couple had been brief and mostly clandestine. Her choice. She’d thought it best to keep their feelings secret until Lily had had time to process the breakup and move on. Looking back now, Dylan realized that had been a mistake. They’d done nothing wrong, but keeping their relationship from the others made it seem as if they had. They’d both learned the hard way that trust built on a foundation of secrets and lies could too easily crumble away.

Still, he’d never been able to forget her even in the fog of war. He’d spent many a sleepless night looking up at the stars in a desert sky and longing for the familiarity of her touch, her smile. The feel of her body against his. For a while, it was all that had kept him going. Eventually he’d put all those memories aside, buried them in the deepest recesses of his mind while he’d concentrated on the task at hand. On surviving. When he finally came home, he’d had too many other things to think about. Too many monsters to vanquish.

But now here she was, mere inches from his arms.

He skimmed her hungrily, admiring the way her sweater and slacks molded to her soft curves. She wore heels and the subtlest of perfumes, something woodsy and exotic, and he thought, damn. How could he have forgotten Ava North even for a moment?

“Did you hear what I said?” she demanded.

“What?”

“You’re a million miles away,” she accused.

“Nope. Right here with you.” He tried to shake off his bewitchment. “You said something’s not right.”

“Okay, so you were listening.” She rested her hand on a chair back. “I don’t know how to explain it, but earlier I had the strangest feeling while we were in that room with Blair. She was obviously distressed and she said all the appropriate things, but something was off. Something wasn’t right. Am I crazy?”

“You’re not crazy.”

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. “You felt it, too?”

“You’re not crazy.”

“I’ll take that as a yes. I’ve been standing here thinking back to our college days.”

A dangerous journey, Dylan knew only too well. “In general or something specific?”

“Both. Tony Redding was never really part of our group, but he was around a lot because of Blair. He seemed like a good guy on the surface, but for some reason, I could never warm up to him. I always had a feeling there was a lot more going on inside that he didn’t want anyone to see.”

Dylan gave her an ironic smile. “You used to say the same thing about me.”

She trailed a finger across the back of the chair. “That was different.”

“How?”

“It just was. Tony’s ambiguity seemed nefarious. Like he had something to hide. He was charming and solicitous until he reeled Blair in, and then he changed. She did, too. Don’t you remember what she was like before he came along? So happy and outgoing. Once Tony entered the picture, she faded somehow. It was like she disappeared into his shadow.”

“Are you sure you aren’t relying too much on your recall? College was a long time ago,” Dylan said. “A lot’s happened since then.”

“Maybe I am. Maybe my uneasiness comes from being back in this place. Seeing Blair again. Seeing you again.” She broke off, biting her lip as if she’d let something slip, revealing her own uncertainty. Almost against her will, her voice softened and she grew reminiscent. “Do you remember slipping down to the springs the last time we were here? It was a hot night, but the water was cool and so crystal clear, you could see moonlight glinting off the silt and limestone bottom. We floated on our backs for the longest time, just gazing up at the stars.”

“I remember everything.” The taste of her, the scent of her, their forbidden promises.

She dropped her gaze to the floor as if she were thinking the same thing. “Anyway, Blair always had to work so hard for Tony’s attention. He seemed to put everything and everyone before her, as if she were an afterthought. I remember once she tried to plan a trip to South Padre for spring break. She made all the arrangements, and then Tony told her at the last minute that he wanted to go skiing with his buddies. She never let on how upset she was. She just smiled and shrugged off her disappointment. Then the night before he was scheduled to leave, she was mugged on her way home from the library. The assailant knocked her to the ground, put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her if she screamed. He grabbed her purse and ran off. By the time any of us heard about the incident, Tony had canceled his trip to be with her. The two of them ended up going to Cancun alone.”

“I remember when she was mugged,” Dylan said. “But I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“She was very upset, and she seemed skittish for a long time after the attack. But here’s the thing. I was with her at the library that night and I remember distinctly her red leather handbag. It was very expensive and she’d coveted it for a long time before her mother finally broke down and bought it for her. A few months after the incident, Blair offered to loan me a dress for a formal event. I saw that same handbag in her closet.”

“Maybe her mother bought a replacement.”

“That’s possible.”

“Or maybe the police found her bag and returned it.”

“Also possible.”

“But you don’t think so. Did you ask her about it?”

“No.” Ava made a helpless gesture with her hand. “Maybe I didn’t really want to know. But I had the same feeling that day in her apartment that I had earlier in her suite. Something was off. Maybe I was wrong then and maybe I’m wrong now. But, Dylan...”

“Yes?”

“Be careful, okay? My instincts are pretty good these days.”

“You think I’m being played?”

“Just...be careful.”

“I will.”

She nodded, absently running a hand up and down her arm as if suddenly chilled. “I should get back downstairs. The others are probably waiting.” But she made no move to the door.

“Something else on your mind?”

She looked as if she wanted to flee, but instead she held her ground. Her head came up, and Dylan watched in fascination as her expression shifted.

“Why did you lie to me earlier when we spoke on the terrace? Working for a private security firm is hardly being at loose ends.” Her tone was more curious than reproachful.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you the real reason I’m here, but I didn’t lie. There are times when I do still feel at loose ends.”

“You don’t like your job?”

“It has nothing to do with the job.” He hesitated, uncertain how much he wanted to reveal about his current frame of mind. “It’s hard to explain, but when you come back from combat deployment, there’s a feeling of disassociation. Maybe displacement is a better word. Like you don’t really belong here anymore. Like you don’t belong anywhere. It doesn’t go away overnight.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You asked and I’m trying to explain, but I’m not complaining. I’m lucky I made it back at all. But it takes a while to feel normal again. No one tells you how to get your old life back.”

No one tells you that even little things like sleeping in a real bed and eating meals at regular hours require an adjustment. You become so accustomed to operating on hyperalert that boredom can easily set in even in the middle of a task. You find yourself restless and anxious at the most inopportune times. And then when you think you’ve finally reintegrated, the nightmares return and you wake up thinking about the friends you lost and the ones who are still over there, the ones who won’t ever come home. You hear about a suicide and then another and before you know it, you’re back in a very dark place.

“Dylan?”

He pulled himself away from the edge. “Yeah?”

Her voice softened. “Why do I get the feeling you’re still not telling me the whole story?”

“I wouldn’t want to bore you.”

“As if you ever could.”

He felt sucker punched by her smile. “Give it time.”

Her expression sobered. “I’m glad you’re home. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Thanks.”

She looked around as if searching for a graceful exit. “I really should get going.”

He caught her arm as she started for the door. The action surprised him as much as it seemed to surprise her. She lifted her head, searching his face, but she didn’t try to pull away.

“Really. Thank you.”

Her eyes deepened as she gazed up at him. “For what?”

“For caring, I guess.”

“This may come as a surprise, but I never really stopped.”

* * *

AVA FLED TO HER ROOM, flinging herself on the bed for a moment before rising to splash cold water on her face. She ruined her makeup and had to reapply, but it gave her something to focus on besides Dylan Burkhart. Besides her pounding heart.