Was it wishful thinking, or did she sound hopeful? He rubbed his chest. Oh, he was getting in too deep too fast. “I’ll be a few more days, and I’m trying to get ahold of Anna to have her bring Zena over.” Usually one of his brothers helped him out, but they were all swamped. “Maybe the two of you can come.” Why did he say that? The last thing he wanted was for Heather to see him at his darkest. She was a softie, and she deserved the home-bound, fun-loving Quint.
Her teeth played with her bottom lip.
He’d already fantasized enough about that mouth the night before, and he had to shove down a groan.
She smiled. “How about I bring Zena over? Anna returned to work for some important case about a rogue Santa. I don’t have more details than that.”
That sounded like his cousin. He sighed. “Are you sure? It’s a drive even without an injured ankle.”
“I can drive,” she said, her face lighting up. “My good ankle and foot are what I use for the gas pedal and braking. Zena and I would love to get out of here and see you. I mean, if you want.”
The hesitation in her voice did him in. “Of course I want to see you. Just be careful on the drive.” Wait a minute. “Why do you need to get out of there?”
She rolled her eyes and filled him in on the situation with Jack at his motel a few days ago. By the end, his ears were hot.
Quint swallowed. “How about you, Anna, and Nonna leave the investigations to the police?” What in the world had they been thinking? At least they’d had the good sense to take Zena with them.
“We decided the same thing,” Heather said, her cheek creasing. “Although you should’ve seen Jack’s face when he hit the credenza. He’s going forward with the vandalism charges, though. I wish he’d just leave town.”
If not, Quint would take that time to have a talk with the man. It was time. So getting Heather out of town was actually a good idea. “Okay. Please wait until it’s light outside tomorrow morning before heading this way. I’ll text you directions, and you text me when you leave the house.” They’d need to check in every hour, but he would be out at the fire for some of the time. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Of course.”
He settled back on the bed. “All righty, then. So. Want to talk dirty?”
Her face cleared, and then a soft blush filled her cheeks. “I’ve, um, never done that.”
He grinned at the interest in her green eyes. “Let me show you.” Then he relaxed and eased her into goofing off with him long distance.
The woman was a fast learner.
The morning brought heavy snow and freezing rain. Heather made sure Zena was comfortable in the back seat of her SUV and then settled herself into the driver’s seat with her crutches next to her. It was only a four-hour drive, mostly on I-90, which should be plowed already. “Let’s do this, puppy.” She slowly drove onto the icy road and headed through town and to I-90.
Quint called every hour to check on her, and by the time she pulled into the parking lot at his lonely side-of-the-road motel, she had decided the friend zone sucked. In fact, there was no way she wanted to keep him there.
He met her, dressed in jeans and a thick T-shirt with a slight burn down the side of his neck. His dark hair was back from his face, his brown eyes were soft at seeing her, and a dangerous looking scruff covered his jaw. Everything inside her went all gooey when he opened her car door. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She stood and was careful to keep her balance on one foot. A slight smoke fog still hung in the frozen air. “I missed you.” Crap. Why had she said that?
He ran his knuckles down the side of her face. “I missed you, too.”
Okay. That was good. Then she caught the shadows in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
He whistled for the dog. “Yeah. We just have a job to do. There are at least three missing hikers in the fire area, and there’s no way they made it out.” Zena jumped out the front door and immediately ran over to an ice covered bush to take care of business. “I’m not usually in a decent mood afterward.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to be,” she murmured. Had everyone put pressure on him to wear a bright face when he was dealing with death? “Just be you, Quint.” She couldn’t say it any clearer than that.
He paused and looked at her. Really looked at her. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She patted his strong chest. “Be as quiet or cranky as you want. I’ll give you the space.”
Something shifted in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what, but it felt like something big. He took her hand and led her inside a shabby but clean looking motel room. “I’ll get your bag.”
She looked around while he fetched her bag from the car. The shag carpet had seen better days, but a window out the back showed snow-covered trees and a chilly looking river. The sound was soothing and would help her write while she waited for him.
He set her belongings by the door. “I, ah, should’ve asked if you wanted two rooms. We should only be here a day or two. Tops.”
After phone sex? She faced him head-on. “I want one room.”
His grin was slow and way too sensual. “Me, too.” A truck rumbled to a stop outside, and he glanced over his shoulder. “That’s my ride. I left the menu from the pizza place—the only one around here—by the door. Just order whatever you want. Zena and I will be back right after dark.” Then, he hesitated only briefly before stalking across the room and planting a hard one on her mouth.
She grinned. “Be careful.”
“You, too,” he murmured, kissing her again and then turning for the doorway. He grabbed his jacket off the lumpy looking bed and shut the door on the storm.
She touched her lips in the sudden silence. Well, except for the rushing river. Sighing, she hobbled to her bag and removed her laptop to write and match some of the illustrations she’d created the last few days. The table by the back window was solid, and she worked away, trying to keep her mind off Quint and Zena and what a rough afternoon they were probably having.
When darkness began to arrive, she ordered pizza, already starving. There was a small fridge beneath the television set, so she could save plenty for Quint.
A knock sounded on the door and she grasped her purse, hopping to open the door. A second too late, she caught her mistake when she sighted the man standing there. “Jack.”
“You’re in danger.” He pushed her back and slammed the door, rushing over to the window and peeking out the blinds. A bandage covered his temple from his injury the other day. “You were followed. How could you not have noticed?” He looked over his shoulder, his eyes wild. “This is crazy. I mean, the whole situation is nuts. We have to go out the back.”
Her mouth went dry. “It’s okay,” she croaked. Just how delusional was he? “How about we go out the front?”
“No.” He pushed past her toward the rear windows. “These are big enough. We can just get through. I’ll carry you. It’s okay.” His fingers fumbled, but he managed to shove the frozen window to the side. “Come on, Heather. Now. Let’s go.” A knife handle stuck out of his pocket.
Her gaze dropped to the weapon. She could go out the front door, but with her crutches, she might not get far. Of course, she could scream for help, but if the motel was occupied only by the firefighters, they’d all be gone. Perhaps there was somebody in the office. She could scream that loud.
“Heather. Now.” His dilated gaze tracked her and he lumbered across the shag carpet to grab her arm.
She patted his elbow. There had to be a way to get out of this. “All right, Jack. Take a deep breath. You’re the only one who followed me.” She kept her voice as calm and soothing as she could considering the lump that was in her throat. Could she get the knife from him? “I’m going to get you help.”
He manacled both her arms and shook her. “Listen to me. I saw you get on the interstate and then a car followed you. I followed it, and we all ended up here. All day I’ve been waiting for your stalker to make a move, and now that it’s
getting dark, we have to get out of here. Please trust me. Let’s go.”
“You’re whack-a-doodle, Jack.” She jerked free. How had she not seen him behind her? She’d checked several times. “Nobody followed me but you.”
The door shoved open. “Well, that’s not exactly true.”
Heather jolted as her mind fought to catch up with her sight. “Chrissy?” The woman stood in the doorway with a very shiny silver gun pointed right at Heather’s chest.
Chapter 13
“Back up.” Chrissy motioned with the gun, reaching behind herself with her free hand to lock the door.
Heather hopped back to sit on the bed, her mind spinning.
Jack sighed, dropped his hands, and moved to sit by her. “I told you.”
Chrissy was dressed in curvy jeans, a pastel sweater, and topaz jewelry. She shut the door and leaned back against it, her eyes hard. “I wanted to wait until Quint returned to have this discussion, but your buddy here ruined that idea. So I guess we figure this out together.”
Heather tried to listen for any movement outside, but only the river echoed back. “What’s going on, Chrissy?” Did she have a chance to calm the woman?
Chrissy pointed the gun at Heather’s face.
Heather winced and fought the need to cover her head. Her hands shook around her purse. “Don’t shoot me. Just hold on a minute.”
“Don’t ask me for favors,” the woman spat. “Everything was getting better until you showed up. How dare you come to the family barbecue!”
All right. Batshit crazy town. Heather swallowed. “I thought you were dating Trick.”
“Ha. He was just my way to get back to the family and to Quint. We’re meant to be together. He’s mine.” Red flushed ugly from Chrissy’s neck to her forehead, making her eyes bulge. “I had a plan, and then you went and got stuck on a mountain. Quint’s a fucking hero, and once he became that to you, he was all in.”
Heather turned her head. “Jack? Why didn’t you just call the police if you knew I was being followed?”
His gaze remained on the barrel of the gun. “I wanted to be your hero. Figured if I helped you out of here, that you’d want to come to the cabin with me.” Then his attention turned to Chrissy’s curvy form. “Wait a minute.”
Her smile rivaled a cat’s. “Yeah. I keyed your car. I had crutches from an injury years ago and thought I could hide my face well enough. I figured Heather would look like a psycho and Quint would drop her instantly.” Her hand shook on the gun. “But that didn’t happen, did it?”
Jack cleared his throat. “I thought she was nuts.”
Chrissy’s nostrils flared. “Quint didn’t. In fact, he stayed the night at your house, didn’t he, Heather? I watched his truck all night, and he stayed with you.” Her voice rose to shrill at the end of the sentence.
Heather winced. “I didn’t know you two were still together.”
“We are,” Chrissy snapped. “We just had a bump in the road, but as soon as I get pregnant, he’ll find a different job in town. Then everything will be all right.”
Now that was a plan. Heather shook her head. “How did you follow me without my knowing?”
Chrissy set her stance. “Oh, please. When Quint left his dog at your house, I knew you’d be bringing her to the fire. So I tagged your car. It’s easy to do. I’ve had a tracker on his for a year.”
Jack subtly moved closer to the edge of the bed. “How did you know I was in town to see Heather? And how did you know to key my car?”
“It’s Silverville and there are no secrets,” Chrissy said, turning the gun toward him. “Back on the bed, buddy.”
He scooted back.
Heather sucked in air as the last week ran through her mind. “Did you shoot at Quint the other night?”
“Of course not. He’s going to be the father of my children,” Chrissy said, her voice almost girly now. “I shot at that bitch Jolene. How dare she show up at his house. I was going to knock on his door after having had a fight with Trick, and then we would’ve gotten back together. Jolene deserved to get shot. So do you.”
Chills clattered down Heather’s back. For the first time since getting her cast, she actually felt vulnerable. Not strong. But she could still fight, and she still had her brain. “Quint won’t like it if you shoot us.”
Chrissy smiled. “He’s not going to know it was me, silly.”
Jack sucked in air. “You can’t just kill us.”
“Sure, I can.” Chrissy tilted her head, and her gaze ran over his body. “You’re a good looking guy, Jack-Jack. Why are you chasing this piece of fluff all over the state?”
Jack’s fingers curled into the tattered bedspread. “I thought we were in love.”
Chrissy snorted. “Obviously not. You should’ve worked harder at keeping her. Just think how much better off we all would be right now?”
Heather pressed her good foot to the floor. “You can’t shoot us and leave us here for Quint to find. You’d be an instant suspect.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Chrissy said, fluttering her eyelashes and then widening her eyes. “Either way, I’m just shooting Jack and taking you with me, so they’ll think you did it. They’ll never find your body.”
Jack tensed. “Then you’ll comfort Quint. It’s not a bad plan.”
“Thanks.” Chrissy preened. Then she sobered. “I’m really sorry you got caught up in this.”
“Me too.” Jack held his breath.
“Now!” Heather pulled the wooden spoon from the purse, ducked her head, and pushed off with her good foot, aiming for Chrissy’s midsection.
The firing of the gun was thunderous.
Quint had almost reached his motel room door when gunfire stopped him cold. “Heather?” He viciously twisted the knob and smashed into the door, bouncing back. It was locked?
Heather screamed inside.
Panic seized him. He threw his shoulder into the wood, and the door flew open, cracking down the middle. Charging inside, he jumped Heather’s crutches to see Heather and Chrissy grappling on the floor, a gun flashing around.
Jack Allen lay on the bed with blood on his face. His eyes were closed.
The gun fired and a bullet whizzed by Quint’s ear. “Shit.” He ducked low, trying to keep an eye on the gun.
Heather wildly smacked Chrissy with a wooden spoon, grunting as she moved to the side to avoid the gun. The clap of the spoon competed with the shrieking of the two women.
Chrissy screamed and fired again. The bullet smashed through the window, shattering glass in every direction as the curtains dropped to the antiquated heater.
Zena barked wildly from the doorway.
Shards of glass ripped into the back of Quint’s neck. In a second, everything became clear to him. He caught sight of the gun and went in fast, sliding on his knees and ripping it free of Chrissy’s hand. In one smooth motion, he shoved the gun in the back of his waist and captured Heather around the waist.
He twisted and put her behind him.
Chrissy looked up, a welt beneath her eye. “Quint. You’re here. I’m so glad. She attacked me.”
Quint took a deep breath. He had the gun and Heather was safe. “What in the hell is happening?”
Tears filled Chrissy’s eyes. “Please help me. They kidnapped me and brought me here. I barely got the gun away from that man. I’m so scared, Quint. Help.”
Heather growled. “She’s crazy. They both followed me, and then she shot Jack. She’s also the one who damaged his car. The chick is all Fatal Attraction over you.” She gasped in air, wheezing. “She also punched me in the gut.”
Chrissy shook her head. “She’s lying. I’m telling the truth. Please, Quint. Help me.”
He couldn’t believe he’d never really seen her before. “Did you shoot at me the other night?”
“No.” Tears slid along Chrissy’s face to fall toward her ears. “I was aiming at Jolene. She wanted to hurt you and your family. I’m just trying to protect you. You’re my futur
e.”
The woman was nuts. Quint clamped her arms and flipped her onto her stomach. “Heather? Are you all right?” He tore his belt free and secured Chrissy’s hands behind her back.
“Yes,” Heather breathed, hopping to the bed. “Jack?”
Chrissy struggled, her face buried in the thick shag carpet. “Quint. Stop it.”
Quint finished with the belt and stood, turning toward the bed.
Jack blinked awake and slowly sat up, gingerly touching his nose. “What the hell?”
Heather fell onto the side of the bed. “I think I elbowed you when I charged Chrissy.”
Jack prodded his nose and then wiped blood off his face with his arm.
Quint settled as he scouted the room for any more threats. “You weren’t shot?”
Jack looked down his body. “Um, no.” He angled his head to see Chrissy writhing on the floor. “I’m not sure what happened. One second she was going to shoot us, and the next…”
Quint focused on Heather, heated energy roiling through him. “You charged a psycho with a gun—using a wooden spoon.”
Heather’s hand shook as she pushed hair out of her face. A bruise was already forming near her chin. “She was going to shoot us, so the risk seemed worth it.” The color slowly slid out of her face.
Quint pulled his phone from his back pocket and dialed 9-1-1. He ended the call. “Heather. Here.” At the moment, he wasn’t capable of more words. He’d gone cold the second he’d heard the first shot.
She moved from the bed and hopped toward him.
The second she was within reach, he pulled her into his side. The world settled. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes.” She snuggled right in, tremors shaking through her body.
Jack watched him. “I think I’m due an apology here.”
Quint sliced him with a look. “Really? You owe Heather an apology for filing vandalism charges. She told you it wasn’t her.” He made sure to keep Jack’s gaze. “She’s mine, buddy. We might as well get that straight right now.”
Holiday Rescue Page 9