“I’ll admit, that took awhile, but if you hadn’t called Marcus, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
“And you forgive me? Just like that?”
“Just like that. Just like God does.”
“God?” She nearly squeaked the word. “You too?”
Puzzlement pulled his brows together. “What do you mean?”
She shook her head and muttered, “It seems like every time I turn around, I’m running into God.”
A strange-sounding snort came from Hunter, who had moved into the kitchen, and she turned to glare at him.
Dominic laughed. “Then I suggest you give in. He always wins in the end.”
Somehow she thought he might be speaking from experience. “You ran too?”
“As far and as fast as I could. It didn’t matter. God was always waiting for me when I had to stop for a rest.”
Alexia simply stared at him. “Have you talked to Mom?”
“No.” Pain flashed in his eyes. “She’s next on my list.”
“Why now?”
He blinked. “Huh?”
“Why are you here now? Telling me this.”
“Oh.” Dominic cleared his throat and glanced in the direction of the kitchen. “Your boyfriend tracked me down.” A respectful gleam appeared in his eyes. “And trust me, I’m not easy to find.”
Boyfriend? She let that slide. “I know. I tried.”
Another anguished look. “The average person would have run up against a brick wall. I’m sorry. I should have . . .”
He sighed and Alexia squeezed his fingers.
“Don’t.” She paused. “Has Hunter filled you in on anything going on right now with me?”
His jaw hardened and his eyes narrowed. “A little. That’s one reason I’m here. I’m going to be unofficial, but I plan to help find out who’s after you.”
“That’s what we’re all here for, Lex.” Hunter stood in the door, Chad behind him.
She gulped. And then silently thanked God for placing these people in her life right when she needed them. The thought hit her that maybe God didn’t hate her after all. Maybe it was possible that he did love her. Something she promised to discuss with him the next chance she had.
Alexia glanced at the clock. “Will someone please take me home so I can get ready for tonight?”
Hunter laughed and held out a hand. “Come on. I’ll take you. We’ll stop by Serena’s house and get whatever you need, then we’ll go by my parents’ so you and Christine can get ready together. Dominic’s heading for the hospital to visit your mother.”
“Wait a minute.” His parents’? “Uh, I think I’ll just get ready at Serena’s if that’s all right with you.”
“My parents won’t be there, Alexia.”
“Oh.” She shrugged. “Then that’s fine.”
Chad snickered and Hunter glared at him. Dominic’s gaze ping-ponged between the three of them.
When nobody bothered to explain, he said, “Right. Then I guess I’ll see you all at the dinner. I have a feeling Alexia’s tormenter will be there too.”
He stood and so did Alexia. Her heart swelled when Dominic leaned over and gave her a hug.
“Good to see you again, Lexi.”
“You too, Dom.”
Dominic left.
She eyed the brothers, then looked at Hunter. “We need to talk.”
39
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
“You knew what Dominic was going to tell me, didn’t you?” she asked.
“That the fire wasn’t your fault?” Hunter lifted a brow. “Yes. I talked to him earlier today.”
A frown flickered on her forehead, then he had to look away and back at the road. “How did you know I was at Chad’s?”
He paused, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to tell her exactly the truth either. “No one answered at Serena’s. Chad didn’t answer his cell phone. Process of elimination.”
“Oh. And I don’t have mine. I guess it’s still at Serena’s.”
“We’ll get it.” His fingers tapped the wheel. “Anyway, I’d already talked to Dominic’s supervisor once. When I explained the situation, he had Dominic call me immediately. We had a long conversation last night while you were still snoozing in the hospital. He arrived in town via FBI helicopter shortly before you were released from the hospital this morning.”
“And you didn’t think you should tell me all this earlier?”
He felt his jaw tighten. “Not until I saw him face-to-face.”
She didn’t know whether to be grateful or annoyed. He’d been protecting her physically, doing his best to keep her from harm from her attacker practically from the moment they’d met.
Now, he was doing it on an emotional level.
A man protecting her was a new concept. One she hadn’t totally come to terms with. Or was even sure she was comfortable with.
He pulled into Serena’s drive.
She started to open the door when she felt his hand on her arm. He said, “Wait. Not yet. Give me the key, would you?”
“Why?”
“I’m going to open the garage door and pull in when the guys get here.”
She felt the frown on her face. “Guys? What guys? And Serena’s car is in there. She took a cab to the airport.”
It was his turn to frown. “It’s a three-car garage. What about the other two spaces?”
Now she fought a grin. “Her boat and jet ski.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. And you just punch in the code for the garage door. You don’t need a key.”
Still frowning, he said, “Okay. We’ll just have to form a wall around you.” He sighed. “You wouldn’t consider leaving the city, would you?”
She stared at him. “Are you crazy? After all we’ve already been through? Absolutely not.” She paused. “I think we both know that if I leave, he’ll just follow.”
“Or she.”
Alexia tilted her head. “You really think it could be a woman?”
“I suppose we have to take it into consideration, although I don’t know if I believe anything . . .”
When he stopped, she looked at him. “You don’t believe Chad when he says the person ran like a woman?”
His jaw firmed. “I didn’t say that.”
“Yeah. You kind of did. Anyway, I still think it’s my father,” Alexia murmured as a car pulled up to the curb. Then another in the drive next to them.
Puzzled, she asked, “What’s going on?”
“Your protection detail. The guys.” His lips tightened. “They want this perp off the street just as bad as we do.”
Her throat tightened and she realized it was doing that a lot these days. “I can’t believe they’re just willing to give up their personal time to help someone they don’t even know.”
He nodded. “These guys are the best. They’re also working security detail tonight at the dinner. They’re our escorts. Then after the dinner, I want to know if you’ll be open to a safe house.”
“A safe house? Like a comfortable jail?”
Hunter sighed. “I don’t want you to think of it like that. Try to think of it more along the lines of doing your best to stay alive. It will only be until we catch the guy.”
Alexia groaned. “I don’t know. If I disappear, the person after me isn’t going to know where to strike next. How will you catch him?”
“We should be getting some DNA information back on everything processed. The knife, the van, Serena’s house. Hopefully, we’ll get a hit on something. If we don’t . . .” He shrugged. “Yeah, it’ll take a little longer.”
Alexia watched Hunter as the guys cased the house. “Maybe I shouldn’t go tonight. I don’t want to put anyone at risk because I show up at a dinner.”
Hunter nodded. “I thought about that, but the security there is going to be top-notch. If there’s any place in Columbia that you would be safe, it’s at the dinner tonight. And since that’s where I’m going to be . . .”
&n
bsp; She smiled and he continued, “I really think you need to consider it. Let us put you in a safe house.”
Her smile turned south. “I still have some things I need to take care of back in Washington. If my father is out here and I go back there, I should be fine.”
“You’re contradicting yourself now. You just said he’d follow you if you left the city.”
Alexia groaned. “I know.”
An officer appeared in the doorway of the house and signaled the all clear. Hunter turned the car off. “Let’s get inside and get what you need. We can finish this conversation on the drive to my parents’ house.”
She nodded. “All right.”
Then Hunter organized a human wall of Kevlar-vested officers who escorted her from the car to the house.
Once inside she expressed her thanks to the men and quickly fed the animals, watered the plants, and gathered her things. All of her things.
And Serena’s Bible.
Hunter watched over her. Or rather hovered over her. She decided that was all right.
For now.
With the bag slung over her shoulder, her dress folded neatly across her other arm, she walked back into the den. “I’m ready.”
Hunter took the dress from her and nodded to one of the four men scattered at various positions around the house. “Let the boys know we’re ready to roll.”
The man, whom Hunter had introduced as Erik, spoke into the air and got an immediate response. If she squinted, she could see the microphone in his ear.
Just as they entered the house, they made their exit, the men surrounding her, one big wall of bulletproof. Erik hung back and rearmed the alarm system with the new code. Alexia wondered if the new four-digit number made any difference at all. Whoever had gotten the first one probably already had the second one.
The thought chilled her.
Back in the car, Alexia asked, “Has anyone been able to locate Jillian?”
Hunter shook his head. “Nope. I’ve got Brian and Katie working on it and so far nothing. The guy who bought the phone said he lost it.”
Alexia pondered that. They’d finally been able to contact Serena again, but accessing her phone records didn’t help. The phone number was a prepaid cell phone no longer in service—a dead end. If Jillian wasn’t ready to be found, she didn’t need her old friends sending someone after her. And if the person after Alexia was also after Jillian . . . it was a good thing no one knew where she was.
Hunter drove, following behind one of the vehicles driven by his friends and co-workers. The second car followed on Hunter’s bumper. Close enough so that another car couldn’t get between them and far enough to allow Hunter to stop quickly if he needed to.
Everything seemed rather surreal to Alexia all of a sudden. Was this really happening to her? Was it possible her father had been waiting ten years to extract his revenge on her?
It sounded like it. “Has anyone located my father?”
Hunter shook his head. “We tracked him to a homeless shelter not too far from your mother’s house. I’ve got a couple of guys watching the place. I’ve also got a guy on the inside who’ll call me if your dad shows up.”
“My father. He’s not a dad.”
Hunter reached over and squeezed her hand.
Swallowing hard, her heart hurt. How she longed for a loving dad.
“If God loves me, why is he letting this happen to me?”
Hunter glanced at her, then back at the road. She saw his throat work. Then he said, “Lex, bad stuff happens. It’s a fallen world. Like I told you back at the hospital, God’s not picking on you and letting bad stuff happen. But he wants to be there for you to get you through it.”
She blinked and looked out the windshield.
Could that be true?
He thought so. Serena thought so. And, wonder of wonders, Dominic even spoke of God as though he were a friend. A companion. Someone he revered.
And her mother was a changed person. Or so she claimed.
The conversation from the morning echoed through her mind. She claimed she was tired of being a spoiled brat. That she wanted peace in her life.
Maybe the only way to do that was to forgive her mother. Like Dominic seemed to have forgiven her.
The thought hit her hard. She didn’t have any trouble accepting Dominic’s forgiveness, but wasn’t so gracious in extending forgiveness to her mother.
That seemed wrong.
It was wrong.
Being on the receiving end of forgiveness was an amazing thing. Did God forgive like Dominic? If so, could she forgive like God?
She wanted to. And the fact that she wanted to made it seem like it might not be the impossible task she’d once thought it was.
God, I believe in you. I believe you’re there. I just never really believed you cared. But I’m starting to think you do. Thank you for putting Hunter in my life right when I needed him.
When Hunter pulled into his parents’ drive, for the first time since she’d left Washington, her heart felt lighter. Freer.
Once again, she had the human shield escort her to the front door. Christine opened the door and gave them a welcoming smile. There was no surprise on her face, so Hunter must have filled her in beforehand.
“Hey, come on in.”
Guilt pierced her. Did she have the right to infringe on people this way? What if she was putting them in danger in spite of Hunter’s reassurances? And yet, if she tried to leave town or steal away, how would she protect herself?
She knew fires, not killers.
Christine looped her arm through Alexia’s. “I gave you the room you had before. I hope that’s okay.”
Alexia smiled. “Sure. Thanks for letting me invade your space again.” As they walked to the back room, Hunter following behind, Alexia couldn’t help notice how tall Christine was.
Taller than Alexia, but not quite as tall as Hunter. Isn’t that how she’d described her attacker this morning in the hospital?
Chilled by the thought, she shoved it aside. If Christine wanted to get to her, she could have done it the night before last when Alexia lay vulnerable under her roof.
Now, back in the room, she forced herself to focus on getting ready, not worrying about who might be after her. Tonight, she wanted to enjoy her time with Hunter—and maybe prove to his parents that she wasn’t the loser they thought she was.
Part of her wondered if she should tell Hunter’s father what she remembered. Then decided against it. Why stir it all up? What was in the past was in the past. She was going forward.
Taking a deep breath, she hung her dress on the closet door, then turned and looked at the bed. Fatigue tugged at her. She’d had a crazy, impossible-to-believe week. Other than the drug-induced sleep of last night and into the morning, she’d had very little rest.
Alexia decided she had time for a nap. She had a feeling she was going to need it.
40
Saturday, 6:04 p.m.
The senator tugged on the tie and made sure it was perfect. There’d been no more letters, but he didn’t kid himself—he felt sure more were coming. His lips tightened. Fortunately, Serena was out of the country for the time being. One less thing to worry about. But Alexia was still walking around. Available for Jillian to spill her guts to.
Frank was almost convinced that Alexia didn’t know where Jillian was. Unfortunately, he’d come to that conclusion too late to help Alexia. She knew someone was after her. After all the things that had happened to her in the past week, she wasn’t just going to go away.
“Are you ready?”
Elizabeth’s question jerked him from his thoughts. “Almost. Has Ian brought the car around?”
“Waiting on you. As usual, dear.”
Frank tried to figure out if there was something in the undertone of her words. If there was, he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Then she smiled and turned to leave.
“Elizabeth . . .”
She stopped and looked back, one
brow arched. “Yes?”
“Is . . . everything all right?”
She tilted her head. “Of course. Is everything all right with you?”
Frank forced a smile. “Yes, I was just checking. We haven’t had much of a chance to talk lately with all of the campaigning going on.”
Her face softened. “It’s all right. You know I understand this life. After the election, maybe we can go somewhere for a few days. Just the two of us.”
Relief relaxed his tense shoulders. “That sounds wonderful.”
“Now come on, we’re going to be late.”
This time she left without looking back.
Unfortunately, the senator couldn’t look forward without looking back. “I’m going to find you, Jillian. Wherever you are, I’ll find you.”
His phone rang. When he saw the number on the screen, his gut tightened. “Hello?”
“I got the phone records for Serena Hopkins and have been cross-checking the calls from the last month. One was really interesting.”
“Which one was that?” Ever since the first letter, he’d made the call to keep tabs on Serena’s phone. They pulled her records twice a week. He wished they’d tapped it.
“She got a call from Los Angeles, California. I’ve never seen that number before. My sources tracked it back to a guy who sold his phone to an investigative reporter by the name of Julie Carson.”
“Julie Carson, Jillian Carter. She’s been living under an assumed name?”
“Looks that way. I’m still looking into it, but yes, I think we’ve found her.”
“Then we don’t need Alexia or Serena anymore, do we?”
“No. I’ve already got plans to take care of Alexia tonight. But I don’t know what Jillian and Serena have talked about. I think it best that Serena have an accident before she gets home from China.”
Frank felt satisfaction flow. Finally. “Make it work.”
He hung up the phone.
Now, he could go enjoy the party.
Alexia felt the butterflies awaken in the pit of her stomach. Again. The first time was when she emerged from her bedroom, ready for the dinner.
When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions) Page 26