Stolen Moments
Autore
B.J. Daniels
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Chapter 1
“Levi!” Natalie whispered beside her.
With a start, Levi glanced up from her plate to see her friend Natalie making eye motions toward the head of the table. Levi shifted her gaze to find her father standing, wineglass in hand, waiting patiently. And she realized he’d been calling her name. Her given name.
For the second time that afternoon, James Marshall McCord had her worried. He never called her Olivia. She’d been Levi since infancy, leaving little doubt how much he’d hoped for a son. But she’d never minded. She liked “Levi.” It fit the tomboy she’d been, the ranch woman she’d become. It fit her in a way she suspected “Olivia” never would.
“Levi?” he asked, smiling down the table at her. “Are you all right?”
That was exactly what she wanted to ask him. She met his gaze and saw something flicker in his blue eyes. He’d lied. And he knew that she knew it.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said, brushing a tendril of hair back from her face. Her hair was long and dark, a wild mane of loose waves that fell to the middle of her back. Unlike her father’s once pale blond, straight hair. His blond had changed to white over the years, making him look even more distinguished. Levi, she was told, had taken after her mother in not only her looks and hair, but her strong-willed temperament.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m afraid I wasn’t listening.”
James Marshall laughed, his gaze lingering affectionately on her for a long moment. “It’s all right, Levi. I know how politics bores you and lately that’s all we’ve talked about. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
Levi felt like the traitor she was. She didn’t just dislike politics, she hated it and she wished her father did, as well. She knew she was being selfish. Why couldn’t she be more like her cousin Robin, who not only wholeheartedly supported Senator James Marshall McCord’s political rise, but worked as his aide? Or even her friend Natalie, who at least took an interest.
But as Levi looked down the table at her father, it startled her to think that this larger-than-life handsome man with the deep blue eyes and an abundance of Texas charm could be the next president of the United States. And according to the polls, he had a good chance once he threw his hat into the ring. If he threw his hat into the ring.
“I was about to make a toast,” James Marshall said, his voice soft, his gaze warm as it moved around the table from Mary, who had always been more like family than their cook, to his top advisor Whitt Emory, to his niece and aide Robin, to Levi’s closest friend, Natalie.
He raised his wineglass. “You have all made this day very special by being here on the Altamira. I am very thankful to have you in my life.” His gaze stopped on Levi. “To Texas and all of you. Happy Thanksgiving!”
Levi lifted her glass without taking her eyes away from her father’s face. She took a sip of her wine, not even tasting it. She replayed the conversation she’d overheard between Sheriff Clint Richards and her father again, trying to convince herself that she’d just imagined he’d lied to the sheriff earlier.
“I got your message,” Clint had said to the senator. Both men had had their backs to her, neither aware of her presence just inside the den doorway. “I came right out.”
“Thanks, Clint, I—I’m sorry I bothered you, especially on Thanksgiving.”
“You made it sound urgent,” the sheriff said.
“One of the hands thought he’d found a place where some fence had been cut,” her father said. “But it doesn’t look like any cattle are missing or any real damage done.”
“You’re sure that’s all it was?” Clint sounded surprised.
Her father nodded. “I feel foolish for calling you. Especially today.”
“No problem. I’ll keep a lookout.”
That was when her father had turned to see her standing in the doorway. It was more than his startled expression. More than the fact that this was the first time Levi had heard about a cut fence. More than the mutual knowledge that the senator hadn’t been involved in running the ranch since he’d gotten into politics, years before. They both knew the ranch foreman, Freddie Caulder, wouldn’t have gone to him with the problem; he would have come to her.
Her father was lying. There was no cut fence. She could see it in his expression. Feel it in her heart. Nor would her father call Clint out on Thanksgiving over a cut fence.
James Marshall dropped his gaze from her. “Can you stay for Thanksgiving dinner?” he had asked Clint.
Levi had stepped away, shocked. She knew her father wouldn’t lie to Clint unless he had a good reason. So why had he really called the sheriff?
Clint politely declined dinner, saying he already had plans. She watched the sheriff leave, intending to have a word alone with her father.
But then Whitt had arrived, followed close behind by Robin and Natalie. A few minutes later, dinner was served.
“I was just telling Robin that the three of us should go on a vacation,” her father said now.
A vacation? Now? She glanced over at her cousin. Robin looked as surprised as Levi.
“I’m not sure that would be a good idea, Senator.” Whitt spoke up, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to him.
Had her father changed his mind about running for president? Levi felt a surge of hope, then stopped herself. When James Marshall set his mind to something, nothing could deter him. He loved politics and believed he could make a difference. She knew he’d make a fine president. But she did wonder why he hadn’t declared his candidacy yet. What was holding him back? Was he having second thoughts? Did she dare hope?
“You are still planning to announce your candidacy for president?” she asked, her heart in her throat.
“Of course he’s going to run,” Robin said, sounding so proud of him that Levi felt herself flush with guilt.
“I just thought we could get away for a few days before...before all the craziness really begins,” her father said.
He was going to run, she thought. That was why he suggested a vacation now, before the holidays, before he declared, because who knew when they’d have time together after that.
“This just doesn’t seem like the time for you to leave, Jim,” Whitt said.
“Whitt’s right, Uncle Jim,” Robin echoed. “There is so much to be done. But it was a nice idea. Remember when the three of us went to Big Bend National Park?” That was right after Robin had come to live with them, not long after her father had been killed.
Levi felt her father’s gaze on her and looked up to meet it. Did his reason for lying to Sheriff Richards have anything to do with this sudden vacation for the three of them?
“You’re right, of course, Whitt. You too, Robin.” Her father looked disappointed. Or was it worried?
She stared at him, her mouth dry and her eyes burning. What was going on? Something. And damned if she wasn’t going to find out. Right after dinner was over, Thanksgiving or not.
Mary served pumpkin pie with whipped cream, offering her two cents worth as she joined them again at the table.
The short, plump redheaded cook had been with the McCord family since before Levi was born. Catherine Olivia McCord had died when Levi was three. James’ Marshall had never remarried. Mary had been like a mother to Levi, and later to Robin.
“You have to announce your candidacy before the New Year,” Mary said with authority. “Give the people of this country something to look forward to in the new millennium.”
“If the world doesn’t come to an end,” Whitt offered with a laugh.
The conversation around the table went quickly back to politics and when the senator should declare. Levi pushed pie around on her plate, feeling a distance that frightened her.
“Daddy, I need to talk to you,” she said the moment the meal was finally over.
“Sure, sweetheart.” The phone rang. He frowned. “Oh, Levi, I forgot, Whitt and Robin and I are expecting a conference call,” he apologized. “Can it wait until later?”
Levi started to say “No.” Something inside her feared it couldn’t wait, but she told herself she was being silly.
“Sure. I’m going to give Natalie a ride home,” she said, touching her father’s broad shoulder, feeling a strength that reassured her. “I won’t be long.”
He smiled and covered her small hand with his large one as he gazed down at her. His eyes suddenly shimmered and, quite without warning, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “Trust me, Levi, everything’s going to be all right,” he whispered so softly she was afraid she hadn’t heard him right. “I love you. Remember that always.”
She clung to him, more afraid than ever. “Daddy—”
He pulled back. Whitt called from down the hall to say they were waiting for him. “I have to go.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Drive carefully. No, drive skillfully,” he said over his shoulder as he strode down the hall.
Levi watched him go. Although James Marshall wore a prosthesis in place of the leg he’d lost in Vietnam, he seldom let it show in his gait. Only when he was tired or upset did he limp. He was limping now, she noted.
He stopped at the doorway to his den and turned to look back at her. “Great to see you again, Natalie. Sorry to hear your car broke down, though.”
Levi watched him disappear into the room and close the door behind him as she fought the ridiculous feeling that she might never see him again.
“Are you all right?” Natalie asked beside her. “You’ve been acting weird today.”
“I’m worried about Daddy,” Levi said, thinking that when she got back to the ranch, she’d check with the foreman about a cut fence before she spoke with her father. She desperately wanted to be wrong. Or at least, if not wrong, get some answers that would make her feel a little less frightened.
“Don’t worry, he’ll make a great president,” Natalie said.
“Yeah?” So why did she feel that might not happen? Was it a premonition? Or just wishful thinking? “What if I don’t want to be a president’s daughter?”
Natalie slipped her arm around her friend. “Just think of the men who’ll want to date you.”
They both laughed. It felt good. “You want to call a tow truck for your car before we leave?”
“On Thanksgiving? No way. I’ll get it towed tomorrow. Come on, I’ve been dying all day to tell you about this guy I met at work.”
They crossed the wide veranda, the afternoon mild and scented with the fragrances of fall in the Texas Hill Country.
Levi sped up, then slowed. Both cars stayed the same distance behind her. The increased security could just be a precaution as the time neared for the senator to announce his candidacy for president. Or it could validate all her fears.
“What is it?” Natalie asked, turning to look back.
“Just more big, strong men paid to protect me,” Levi said. “Can’t wait until I have Secret Service following me everywhere.”
“Oh, you’ll love all that attention.”
“Sure, wait until we double-date.” Her father had hired the full-time security guards for her over a year ago, right after he received a death threat at the ranch. While it had turned out to be nothing, he’d kept the security guards on as a precaution. “You hang around me and we’ll both be old maids.”
“Remember that one time?” Natalie said, laughing. “That really cute bodyguard your father hired?”
Levi only half listened as she checked her rearview mirror again to see that both vehicles were still behind her. She had to admit that normally she resented the intrusion in her life, but today the security guards reassured her. They made her feel everything really might be all right, because she knew others like them were guarding the ranch right now. Guarding her father.
“Can you believe my new car broke down?” Natalie bemoaned as they passed the Mustang convertible parked on the edge of the road. “It’s a good thing Robin came along when she did.”
“Your car just quit?”
Natalie shrugged. “I told you we should have taken auto mechanics in college.”
“Or at least date someone who knows how to fix cars,” Levi suggested. “So tell me about this guy you met.”
They talked and laughed on the way to Natalie’s house, the cool night air blowing in the windows. It wasn’t until later, long after Levi was on the county road headed back home, the day dying around her and an approaching thunderstorm darkening the sky, that she happened to glance into her rearview mirror.
Her foot came off the gas. She stared into the mirror, then turned to look out the back window.
There were no car lights behind her. No cars. Nothing but empty road. She was alone. Completely alone.
Panic curled tight fingers around Levi’s throat as she stared back at the growing darkness. She swallowed, telling herself there was no cause for concern. But the lie wouldn’t go down. She’d lost her security guards. Wasn’t that what she’d often wished for? Freedom? Anonymity? What she considered an ordinary life?
She stared at the empty gravel road behind her. Suddenly she had her freedom, but she knew instinctively, this was not what she wanted. Not today.
For a moment, she thought about turning around and going back to look for them. But the thunderstorm was right behind her, moving in fast.
She sped up, watching the road ahead as she picked up the car phone and hurriedly dialed the ranch. Her hand shook as she held the phone against her ear and checked the rearview mirror. Nothing but the storm, the empty back road and the growing darkness.
She’d known for years that there were people who might use her to get to her father, but until tonight she hadn’t realized just what that meant, the danger not only to herself but ultimately to her father. She was Senator James Marshall McCord’s daughter. His only offspring. The daughter of a possible future president. He’d done everything he could to protect her from publicity and keep her out of the public eye. But being a politician’s daughter had always come with a price, none higher than at this moment.
As she waited for the phone to ring, she tried to think of a half-dozen good reasons why the security men weren’t behind her. She couldn’t come up with even one. They’d been told never to leave her. Never. Under any circumstances. They wouldn’t disobey Senator James Marshall McCord. They’d all been handpicked by him personally. So where were they?
It took Levi a moment to realize the phone wasn’t ringing. She hurriedly dialed again, thinking she’d missed a number, but halfway through she heard the silence and knew the phone was dead. She shook it, then checked the battery. For a long moment, she stared, uncomprehending, into the empty hole where the battery should have been. Had it fallen out? How could that have happened?
Her fear escalating, she threw down the phone and locked all the car’s doors. Ahead, the solitary beams of her headlights cut through the dark late Texas afternoon, making her feel all the more vulnerable.
She pushed down on the gas pedal, gathering speed, gathering courage. She was safe. There was a logical explanation for this. A logical explanation for everything that had happened today. But she knew better. She was alone for the first time since her father’s death threat more than a year ago. All alone on an isolated back road, miles from the ranch, miles from town.
Fear mixed with anger. She didn’t want this. Any of it. Her father had put his life in danger and hers, as well. Tears of anger blurred her vision.
The car fishtailed around a corner and she slowed, but not much. She knew she was driving too fast. But she felt an urgency to get to the ranch as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the road ahead was even more narrow and full of curves as it wound through the hills, and the storm was gaining on her.
She careened around another corner and was forced to slow even more for the next one. Ahead she could see Natalie’s new car in the barrow ditch where she’d left it earlier.
If the Mustang hadn’t broken down, Levi would be at the ranch now. The thought raced past, making her heart race with it. Surely Natalie’s car trouble wasn’t part of some plot to—To what? To get her out on this road today?
She was telling herself she was just being overly suspicious when she looked in her rearview mirror again. Instead of the blank darkness, light shone a few miles behind her. One of her security guards?
Suddenly she could think of several scenarios to explain their temporary absence. Maybe one had broken down, like Natalie’s car. Just an odd coincidence. Nothing to panic over.
Or maybe there’d been an accident involving one or both of the cars. It didn’t matter. She was convinced that at least one of them was with her again. She let out a sigh of relief as she waited for the car to catch her.
But as the vehicle neared, she saw that it wasn’t a set of headlights but a solitary light speeding toward her. And the vehicle didn’t slow, nor did it drop in behind her. It kept coming, moving faster than she thought necessary or prudent.
Ahead she could see a sharp curve in the road. Behind her, the single light grew larger and larger until it filled her car, blinding her.
At the curve, she belatedly realized she was going too fast. She hit the brakes and the car began to slide around the corner. Behind her, the single headlight stayed on her. But as she came out of the curve, it moved up fast on her left and roared past.
That was when she saw that it wasn’t a car at all but a motorcycle. A dark, hooded figure hunched over the bike as it disappeared over the next rise in a cloud of dust and dusky darkness.
Shaken, Levi slowed the car and relaxed her hands on the wheel, keenly aware of the trembling in her fingers, in her legs. She tried to calm herself. She felt idiotic. She’d actually thought the biker had planned to force her off the road. Instead, the fool was probably just trying to outrun the storm.
This wasn’t like her. She didn’t panic easily, didn’t let things spook her. But she was spooked.
Behind her, the road was again empty but darker as the storm swept in. Ahead, the single headlight beam of the motorcycle shone in the distance then disappeared around a bend in the road.
It comforted her a little just knowing she wasn’t alone on this back road. The ranch wasn’t far now. Another five miles to the turnoff. Then she’d be home. Safe.
Rain began to fall, huge, sopping drops that pelted the windshield like pebbles. Lightning lit the sky for an instant, then thunderclouds obliterated everything like some ominous eclipse.
She turned on the wipers, dropped down a hill and around a sharp curve. Her headlights picked up the stone abutments of the bridge over the creek and something else. Something in the middle of the road at the mouth of the narrow bridge. Something large and bright. The rain-streaked shine of polished chrome turned into a motorcycle. The motorcycle lay on its side in the middle of the road, the rider sprawled next to it, blocking the road.
Levi laid into her brakes, the car skidding through the downpour toward the fallen bike and rider.
The fool, she thought frantically. He’d been going way too fast for the conditions and the storm had still caught him.
She stopped the car just feet from the rider. Her headlights pierced the falling rain to illuminate skid marks in the gravel and mud, the wrecked bike, the motionless rider.
Levi didn’t remember rolling down her window as she brought the car to a standstill. But now rain swept in, accompanied by a low, mournful moan.
In the headlights, she saw the rider lift one arm, then let it drop again. As the rider tried to get up, the hood fell back, exposing a head of long red hair and a distinctive female profile. Another moan shattered the stillness.
Levi hesitated, but only for an instant. She realized that the woman could lie there for hours and no one else might come along on this road tonight, especially with it being Thanksgiving.
After opening the car door, Levi got out, the rain drenching her to the skin through the thin cotton of her holiday dress as she started toward the downed biker.
A boot heel crunched on the gravel behind her. Levi started to turn. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the outline of a large dark figure, but before she could react, strong arms enveloped her, lifting her off her feet. A massive hand muffled her screams as she was dragged backward through the rain.
In the glare of the headlights, she watched the redhead get effortlessly to her feet and turn to look at her. For a fleeting instant, Levi thought she saw surprise in the woman’s expression. Then she felt something prick her skin. And everything went black.
