A Touch of Death Ch. 07

Ty looked back at the Hyatt, his gaze measuring. "I don't know. They looked very friendly. I take it you don't know the guy she's... seeing?"

I flushed at the thought of what he really meant to say. The young guy she was boinking. The young guy who was as young as her kids were. I shook my head. I needed to get my head around this fast because when Frank found out Mom would need me firmly in her corner.

"What a... polite way to phrase that," I finally offered. "I'm not going to follow her anywhere. She's an adult and she can come and go as she pleases."

His grin came back full force. "And I'm sure she will. Going and... coming."

I swatted his arm and laughed. "Stop making sex jokes about my mother or I won't walk with you on the beach. Can't you see how unsettled I am?"

"We wouldn't want that, now would we?" he said lightly. "This way, milady."

I slipped on my jacket to ward off the chill, locked my car, and took his arm in mine, allowing him to lead me through the Hyatt complex to the beach. The lake shore was about a couple of hundred yards from the main hotel building so I had quite a bit of time to get used to Ty walking arm-in-arm with me. It was... nice. Parts of me were waking up and calling for attention, letting me know that there was a handsome man in my personal space.

The beach proper was as nice as the one in Angel's Point. Wide and clean, it swept off into the darkness to the right and left. The area directly beside the hotel complex was partially shielded by trees and had an air of seclusion about it. Technically, since we weren't guests, we shouldn't be on their private beach but I didn't think they'd fuss too loudly if they caught us. I did a fair amount of swapping guests around the lake with all the major hotels and more than a few of the minor ones. That built good working relationships.

There was some kind of private party in progress about fifty yards to the west of us. Twenty or thirty people seemed to be having a clambake. Music was playing at a considerable volume for a boom box on an ice chest near the fire and several older couples were dancing on the sand to some kind of slow swing music.

The romantic aspects of a walk in the dark with hunky Ty, swaying slowly to a swing beat made my insides go all soft and warm.

I smiled at him and saw he was looking at me appraisingly. Wordlessly, I gestured toward the party and took a half step toward it, expecting him to follow me.

Instead, he pulled me back toward him, slipping his arms around me. Before my conscious mind could speak up, my body molded against his and my hands sought for and found that fabulous looking butt of his.

I started to say something witty but his mouth swooped down and covered mine, hot and hungry. My warm insides suddenly burst into incandescent flame. The curiosity became a burning, primal need. It was so intense I thought I heard the explosion of fireworks going off behind me.

With a twist of his legs, Ty fell backwards and brought me down on top of him in the sand. I hardly had time to smile before he rolled on top of me. That was just fine with me. The only problem was he'd stopped kissing me.

He'd started digging at the back of his pants, making me wonder what the hell he was doing, when there was another explosion. The wooden back of a chair next to us splintered along one side. Ty brought his hand back around and it was holding his pistol. Then I realized what was happening; someone was shooting at us.

I was amazed I wasn't screaming. Well, I probably made some noise but I wasn't screaming like a little girl. Someone up the beach from us was doing just that. I tried to wriggle out from under Ty but he kept me pinned to the ground with his body as he pointed both his gun and his eyes at the tree line.

Another shot came from the trees and Ty grunted. Then his gun went off like a refinery explosion, deafening and blinding me. I did scream then.

"Stay down," Ty said in an impossibly calm voice. A voice as cold as death. "Do. Not. Move." With the ringing in my ears, I was surprised I could understand him at all.

In a flash, he was on his feet and running toward the gunman, firing. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I should be digging in or something but I couldn't seem to make myself move. Ty found his stride after stumbling and bolted into the trees.

I waited for more shots but none came. A man ducked behind the chair the gunman had shot and called to me.

"Are you okay?" He sounded scared and I had to admit he had good reason. I tried to answer him but I couldn't seem to form words.

He put a cell phone I hadn't seen to his ear. "There's one woman hurt, operator. I think she's been shot. Her neck is bleeding."

I gaped at him as he started ripping off his shirt. Shot? I didn't feel shot. I clutched my hand to my throat and felt something wet and sticky. I raised my hand and stared at the blood smeared across my palm with rising shock and panic.

Blood.