Credible Alibi

by Tyler Anne Snell

  “I should have grabbed my phone,” he added, still grounded in his anger. “After I threw it back in the room. I should have grabbed it.”

  “Cell phone service out here is spotty at best. Even if you had, I don’t think it would have helped.”

  “It wouldn’t have hurt.”

  Madi shrugged. “Honestly, I’m still impressed you used it as a weapon. Wearing nothing but a towel. I mean, it’s no set of fuzzy pink handcuffs, but it was still impressive.”

  “I may not know what’s going on here, but if there’s anything I’ve learned tonight it’s that our kid is going to have one hell of a throwing arm.” She couldn’t see it, but Madi heard the faint smile in his voice.

  It made her chest squeeze. She rubbed her stomach and smiled.

  “There are worse things we could hand down.”

  Julian shifted but didn’t stand. The cloth beneath his hand had changed colors completely now. In the dark it was easy to forget he was hurt. Who were these men? Who sent them? She was so focused on those questions, she’d forgotten to be vigilant about checking up on Julian. A flood of shame rushed through her. Julian might have been her savior but that didn’t mean he was immune to danger.

  “You need to get help,” Madi decided. “Keep following the creek and you’ll run straight into the Jansens’ house. You won’t be able to miss it. They’re friendly enough, though I imagine Bill might have some questions before he extends any offers.”

  “I’m not leaving you, Madi.”

  “You’re hurt. I’m only tired. There’s a big difference there.”

  Julian shook his head.

  “We got lucky tonight. I don’t want to test how much luck we have left. Just because those men aren’t here now doesn’t mean they won’t get here eventually,” he said. “I’ll be damned if I leave you to face them alone.” He took a breath. When he spoke again there was a new emotion behind his words. One Madi hadn’t yet heard from the man. “When the first man saw you while I was in the bathroom, did he look surprised at all?”

  Madi felt her skin start to crawl again. The shower had woken her up. She’d assumed it was Julian. Her thoughts had tangled together, wondering what would happen when he was done—would she offer to let him sleep with her? The couch was so small that he’d never fit. Then another, hotter what-if had sprung up. It had been enough to get her out of bed and send her in search of water. Though she never made it past the getting-out-of-bed part. When the man had walked into view, he’d been smiling.

  “No,” she answered. “Not even a little.”

  “Which means those men came in with knives and guns, ready to use them, already knowing you were pregnant.”

  It was a sobering thought. Suddenly, Madi felt more tired.

  “I can hide,” she offered, still unmoved from her original plea. “Long enough for you to go get help and come back. I know these woods. I know what to listen for.” Madi angled her face to see him better. The moonlight through the shadows of the trees illuminated only the tilt of his head and his brows drawn in together. “Julian, you’re no good to me—to us—if you lose your health, and I’m here to tell you, I need to get off my feet for a good bit.”

  Julian wavered. She could feel it through his hand still on her arm, still trying to make sure she was steady sitting there. No part of him wanted to go, yet his mind was coming to the same conclusion hers had already. She wasn’t going to be walking anytime soon, he was still bleeding, and if by some chance the men did find the two of them the outcome wouldn’t be favorable. Definitely not for Julian. And if something happened to him? Madi would have no hope.

  “I don’t like this,” Julian finally said, voice thrumming low.

  “And I can’t make the walk right now. This is our best option.”

  He cursed low but stood tall.

  “We’re going to make you a damned good hiding place first.”

  For a man who had once told her he’d grown up in a big city, Julian was decidedly handy when it came to camouflaging a rather large woman in the woods at night. Where there had been hesitation before, there was now dedication. He pulled her deeper into the trees and spent several minutes rearranging the foliage, creating a wall with part of a fallen tree and branches he’d collected. He pulled back and stalked around her. He made a few adjustments until he was satisfied.

  “I don’t like this,” he repeated afterward. “But I think even if the sun comes up, you’d be hard to find here.”

  “I’d have to agree.”

  The truth was, Madi could barely see a thing around her. She felt like she was in a tree without the hassle of climbing it.

  Julian lowered himself to a crouch. Madi wished she could reach out and touch him. To give him another kiss. One that showed more than her appreciation. One that showed that her desires ran much deeper. But that would defeat the purpose. Julian wouldn’t leave then, even when the blood running from his wounds would only continue to run.

  Instead Madi took a deep breath.

  “Be careful, Julian.”

  His words were grit in the dark.

  “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  * * *

  THE JANSENS WEREN’T HOME, but that didn’t stop Julian. He tried the front and back doors. Both were locked. Same for the first-floor windows. His patience didn’t extend past that.

  “I owe you one, Bill.”

  Julian shattered the window that took up the top half of the back door and tossed the rock he’d used into the bushes. He snaked his arm through and easily unlocked the dead bolt.

  The Jansens’ home was filled with cool air and silence. Julian would have preferred to find someone home, even if he’d have to explain himself in record time, but he was sure no one had stirred because of his break-in. At least now he could search for a landline without worry of being arrested.

  He moved with purpose through the first floor, turning on lights as he went. He thrummed with the urgency of Madi out in those woods. He didn’t need stealth right now. He needed speed. The living room, dining room and kitchen were well lived-in, but no phone or computer was in sight. Julian had never had a strong opinion about the current state of technology, but in that moment, he loathed cell phones.

  Surely a house out in the middle of nowhere would invest in one landline?

  He moved upstairs, all thoughts of being considerate thrown out the window. He knew he was trailing blood from his bare feet. He knew the doorknobs he touched were graced with a crimson coat. He knew that anyone from outside the situation would view him as a madman.

  Just as Julian knew that every moment he was in the house, Madi was in the woods. There wasn’t time to waste.

  The two bedrooms upstairs weren’t empty but they had no phones, either. Not even the room that seemed to be used as a library.

  Julian couldn’t help the frustration that kicked in at the sight of the empty desktop next to the window. Who were these people and how did they communicate with the outside world? Did they use powerful walkie-talkies to stay connected? Morse code? Signal fires?

  He grabbed a loose piece of paper, intending to throw something to feel an ounce of control, when a light in the distance caught his eye.

  Hope sprang eternal. On the opposite side of where he’d come out of the woods was a structure tucked back in the trees. It was small, but there was an undeniable glow at the windows.

  That was all Julian needed.

  He left the house and struck out across the clearing and into the trees. There was a dirt path leading to the small building but branches and roots littered the way. The path wasn’t well-used; neither was the building.

  The wood and siding were fading and chipped. A rusted-out wheelbarrow sat beneath a boarded-up window while an assortment of gardening tools cluttered the perimeter. The building was either a roomy shed or a small mother-in-law suite. Julian hope
d for the latter. Surely it would have a phone. If it didn’t, then he hoped the place was used for storage. Including an ATV or motorized bike of some sort. Anything to help Madi out of the woods without adding more stress to her body.

  Julian moved closer to the main door but paused at the second window. It was only partially boarded up, light from inside pouring out.

  Adrenaline shot into Julian’s already-exhausted bloodstream.

  “No,” he whispered, hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him. Yet the longer he stared, nothing changed. “No, no, no.”

  He moved over a few feet and liberated a broken hoe from the discarded items spread out next to the building. The handle was snapped in half but he could still do some damage with it if needed.

  Julian squared his shoulders and went to the door. He took a deep breath and tried the handle.

  It was locked.

  “I owe you again, Bill.”

  This time Julian didn’t break a window.

  Instead he kicked down the door.

  Inside sure wasn’t a mother-in-law suite.

  The space was mostly open. A few boxes covered in dirt and dust took up places across the faded floor. Two folding chairs stood against the back wall, an old milk crate flipped over between them. The overhead light reached every part of the room, but there was a flashlight on one of the chairs. It was turned off but pointing at the only real thing of note in the building.

  A man bound to a metal chair, surrounded by blood. He was hunched over, completely still.

  Julian hurried over, keeping his sight line to the only open door, and immediately went for the man’s neck. Again he didn’t stir but then, slowly, the beat of a pulse pressed against Julian’s fingers.

  It was a welcome feeling, though it didn’t last long. Julian cussed and then said the second thing that came to mind.

  “What’s going on in this town?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Madi was trying not to fall asleep, so she gave herself permission to think about the first time she and Julian had made love.

  It was the last day of his stay at Hidden Hills and Madi had agreed, once again, to have drinks with him after dinner. They’d already spent the day before together, drinking sweet tea outside until the late hours of the night. They’d talked, laughed and explored the property. Neither had seemed keen on leaving the other’s company.

  Their time together went outside the bounds of her duties as an innkeeper but Madi couldn’t get the man out of her thoughts.

  She couldn’t stop how she felt, either.

  Being around Julian had infused her with a giddiness that made her feel carefree, wistful and capable of anything, all at once. A schoolgirl crush amplified by a shrinking timeline.

  Then, right before dinner, Julian had shown up at her door. Dressed down, up or anything in between, Julian Mercer looked good. Madi’s brain could no more deny that fact than her body could ignore it.

  And that night, Madi had all but sighed as he stood in the doorway smiling.

  “I was getting restless in my room, so thought I’d swing by and see if you wanted to join me on a little walk before dinner.”

  It had been a smooth line in a smooth voice.

  Madi had grinned wide.

  “Already restless, huh? Don’t worry, I can get you checked out of here as early as you want tomorrow. I happen to know the owner.”

  She’d winked, trying her best at transferring that feeling of being carefree into flirting, but Julian’s smile had wavered somewhat.

  “As much as I appreciate the connection, I believe feeling restless has more to do with wanting to spend time with the owner, not leaving.” Madi could still remember the heat that had crawled up her neck. Not because his words had caught her off guard, but because she’d felt the same.

  “I’ve never made someone feel restless before,” she had responded, not trying to hide the blush that had conquered her cheeks.

  Julian had taken a small step forward. Madi hadn’t moved an inch.

  “I think you’re underestimating yourself.”

  He’d reached out and brushed his fingers across her cheek. He’d gone through the motions of tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. When his objective was complete he was back on the other side of the door frame, holding his arm out to her.

  Madi’s body had revved at the contact, just as her chest had fluttered at the closeness. It had all made her terribly impulsive.

  “I’d like to change if that’s all right,” she’d said. “Would you like to come in and wait?”

  “It wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.”

  He’d followed her into the living area but stayed at the couch. Madi’s heart had raced as she’d gone through her bedroom, looking for an outfit that would do her justice. She’d settled on a dress that wasn’t formal, wasn’t casual and made her legs look absolutely wonderful.

  The only catch?

  “Um, Julian?” The man was at the door in a second. “Could you pull this up for me? I can’t reach the zipper.”

  Later, Madi would wonder if she’d unconsciously picked that dress so that Julian would need to help her with it. That he’d have to run his hand up her bare back. So she’d have to feel the heat of his skin so close to hers.

  Sitting in the dark, back against a tree and hand protectively on her stomach, Madi still didn’t know.

  “There,” Julian had said when the zipper had reached the top. Madi had turned around, ready to thank him, but any and all words had stalled on her tongue. Dark eyes had locked onto hers with a look that Madi didn’t need help translating. “Perfect,” he’d breathed. “Just perfect.”

  It had been a movie kiss. Unexpected, completely wanted. Hard, searching. Filled with heat that traveled with every swipe of their tongues and every gliding touch across their skin.

  What had started as a mostly innocent task had boiled over into longing that had somehow formed between relative strangers in less than two days.

  Every moment was so right. When Julian undid his handiwork and helped the dress hit the floor, hands and fingers skating along her skin. When Madi lifted his shirt to feel the hardness of his chest and abs without a barrier between them before moving down to ease the rest of his clothes off. When Julian looped his finger in her panties and pulled them down to join their other clothes on the floor. When he hoisted her naked body up into his arms and took her to the bed, not once breaking their kiss. When he pushed inside her and she yelled out in pleasure.

  It all had felt right. From the top of her hair to the end of her toes, moving with and against Julian felt unbelievably amazing.

  And then he’d stayed at the inn for a week. Madi had never been happier.

  But then the real world had come knocking. Julian was supposed to leave for his interview. The one that would lead him to his new life. A life she wouldn’t fit into. Hidden Hills, Overlook... They were her life. Julian deserved to have his own.

  So Madi had called it off before it ever really started.

  Look what good that had done.

  Julian was tangled in the same dangerous web Madi had found herself caught in. He’d committed a crime to try to protect her and had gotten hurt. Never mind the “hey, I’m pregnant and she’s yours,” which must have thrown him for a loop.

  Madi had always tried to be a good person, better with each passing day...and yet...bad seemed to follow her.

  She sighed into the chill that had started to make her shiver. Her focus needed to be on the present, not the past. Not the future. Someone had killed one of her guests. A detective had been kidnapped, a coroner had been killed and two men had come for her with weapons ready.

  Why?

  It was a question that stayed with her as the darkness around her started to lighten. Minutes had become what felt like hours. Through the treetops, the sky glowed a
soft orange and yellow, tinged with strips of pink. A sense of dread weighted Madi’s heart at the sight. It was time to go.

  Her feet and legs protested when she finally managed to stand. She braced herself as her head swam for a moment.

  “This is going to be a long day,” she muttered to the tree that had been her backboard. “I’m already starving.”

  Julian had been right. Her hiding place would have continued to do its job during the daytime. It felt like she was in some kind of wild jungle, trying to find a hidden waterfall or temple.

  “And I have to pee something fierce,” she continued, moving branches around her out of the way, careful not to lose her balance. “My luck, though? The cavalry would show up while I was in the middle of relieving my poor, abused bladder. Yep. That’s definitely how good my luck has been lately. Miller would probably be the one to do it, too. Ugh, with a camera crew to boot. National, not just local.”

  The trees around her kept quiet as she mumbled out more complaints. Then, finally, she saw the water. It didn’t help her bladder situation but it somehow made her feel more calm. She knew where she was and how to get to where she needed to be. Still, she stretched wide and was about to grumble some more in an attempt for catharsis when the sound of an engine echoed up the creek.

  Madi slunk back against the closest tree.

  The creek was too small for a boat and the creek bed was too narrow for a car. Her heartbeat sped up as she waited.

  Then one heck of a sight came into view.

  It was Julian.

  On a riding lawn mower.

  Madi stepped out of her hiding place. A feeling of such acute relief replaced every other thought in her head. Her hormones took the already-intense emotion and tripled it. When Julian cut the engine a few feet from her, Madi felt the tears in her eyes.