Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1

by Margaret Daley

  “Time to go.”

  Elise jerked from her thoughts and turned. Hailey strode behind Jonah with a look on her face that made Elise bite her lip to keep from laughing. Apparently Hailey didn’t know what on earth was up with Jonah, either.

  Elise pulled her boots on while Jonah and Hailey stepped outside. Nathan strode from the kitchen, his mouth full and a half-eaten burrito in his hand.

  “Jonah said it’s time to go.”

  “’Kay.”

  Elise heard something in his voice, but she had to wait for the right time if she was going to draw him out. When she gripped the door handle, Nathan stopped her.

  “Mom?”

  She glanced at him, saw the crinkles of concern on his face. “Yes, honey?”

  He shook his head and the look dissipated. “Never mind.”

  Nathan went out first, and Elise followed. Jonah and Hailey were between the house and a nondescript black SUV with government plates. Because that wouldn’t stand out in ranch country. Still, Elise pulled back her reaction to their imposing vehicle when she saw how intent Jonah and Hailey were on the area around them.

  Despite how he seemed to feel about her this morning, Jonah was still protecting her.

  The warm feeling fought with the hurt of being ignored as she walked to the car and they drove to the zoo.

  Elise wasn’t going to get caught unawares again. At every corner they turned, she looked back. Hailey did the same. Even Nathan was nervous, but he purged that feeling not by being hyperalert, but by texting faster.

  He glanced up, smiling. “Theresa might come and visit at Thanksgiving.”

  “That’s great, honey.”

  “That your girlfriend?” Jonah’s tone made Elise shift in her seat.

  Nathan shook his head. “Not really. Just a friend.”

  Great. Was he going to ask why Nathan hadn’t gotten this girl to be his girlfriend? Like her son didn’t have plenty of interest from girls. He was simply handicapped by the fact that Elise had dragged him one state west, and soon enough he’d be leaving for college. Hardly conducive to a serious relationship, even if she did think that was appropriate for a teenager—which she was on the fence about in the first place. But it happened. She’d been married in her late teens.

  If Jonah didn’t know teenagers were complicated, and their relationships infinitely more so, he was going to have to catch up fast. Elise could barely keep up, and she spent every day with her son.

  Hailey was smirking.

  “What?”

  “Mama bear just showed her face.”

  Elise scowled, knowing she was also smiling. It was a different kind of mad altogether, and Hailey knew exactly how Elise felt, since her daughter had been in danger, too. That was how Hailey and Eric got together, during a different manhunt, and she’d told Elise the whole story.

  All she could do now was thank God Nathan hadn’t been targeted in any of this. If he had, she’d have figured out a way to get him away from town. It would have meant him leaving on his own, in secret, but she would have dealt with the worry, knowing he was safe.

  So far she’d been the only one—aside from the reporter—who was targeted. Jonah’s presence in the car both times included him, sure, but that was more like collateral damage. She was the one the trader wanted to get rid of.

  Just because she’d been in the office? Because she’d been hired back?

  Or for another entirely different reason?

  *

  Jonah parked the car outside the zoo, as close as he could get to the gate. Elise’s whispered voice speaking his brother’s name would not get out of his head. He wanted to hit his forehead on the steering wheel, or turn the radio up as loud as it would go, just to try and jog it loose.

  He was jealous of a dead man.

  That was what it all boiled down to, and it irked him in a way he could not believe. Had he ever been this mad before in his entire life?

  The kicker was, Jonah wasn’t mad at Elise at all. She’d grieved his brother, was probably still grieving in a way. He didn’t blame her for her memories. How could he? It was himself he was mad at. Jonah couldn’t fault her for the choices she’d made, even if he didn’t understand them one bit. He had a nephew because of her relationship with Martin.

  He wouldn’t be jealous of a dead man.

  With a low growl, Jonah climbed out. He held the door open while Elise did the same, blinking against the early-morning light. Because the bulletproof windows in the SUV he’d ordered were tinted. It had cost him several favors and a lot of begging, but he’d wrangled a safer vehicle for the duration of this operation.

  Elise was going to be protected.

  But right now she would be safe with Hailey. He turned to his teammate. “You stick with Elise. Nathan can go with me.” Then he turned to her. “The foreman is due this morning, right?”

  Elise nodded. “That’s what Dom told me.”

  “Okay. Nathan, I’d like to check the perimeter and all the exits. That sound okay?”

  “Sure.” The teenager flicked the fall of hair on his forehead from his eyes and shot his mom a look. Jonah didn’t know what it meant until he saw Elise smile.

  Was it too much effort for them to use words? Even Hailey and Elise did it. Communicating perfectly well with a look, or the bare minimum of words. It infuriated him to be left out of the rapport they’d established. He didn’t think he’d ever understand what went on between them all, which with Nathan and Elise was reasonable. They’d had each other for years, so how had Elise managed it with Hailey so soon?

  Nathan trailed after him. Jonah watched the area to see if anything had been moved, or disturbed at all. The gates were still open, and it didn’t look like anyone had been at the zoo since they’d found Fix here the day before.

  Nathan’s phone chirped. He pulled it out and tapped buttons before sliding it in his back pocket.

  “Same girl?”

  “Same girl.” Nathan kept walking beside him. “Theresa Walker. We went to youth group together, at my church, so I’ve known her pretty much forever.”

  “You like her?”

  Nathan shrugged. “Doesn’t matter either way. If it works, if we can figure out how to be in the same state, then fine. But she’s in Idaho and I’m, like, eight hours away. It’s not like we can go see a movie. I’ll be in college. She’s working on her dad’s farm and going to school there.”

  “So you’re not planning to get married young like your mom and dad?”

  Nathan’s gaze turned distant. “Didn’t exactly work out for them, did it?”

  “I’m sure your mom did the best she could.”

  “That’s not even what I’m talking about. I know exactly how my mom lived, survived and managed to smile through it. I was there.”

  Jonah wanted to ask the kid what his problem was but didn’t think it would be received well. They’d been on good terms with the motorcycle, and after. What had changed? As far as Jonah was concerned, Nathan was a blessing in his life. The last part of Martin he’d never thought he would get the chance to know.

  “As far as I see it, either I get married young and risk winding up like my mom, or I don’t and I risk winding up like you.” Nathan’s eyebrow rose. “Wanting something I can’t have.”

  *

  “Let’s check out these buildings.” Hailey motioned to the feed and treatment centers. “We’ll be able to see if the foreman comes from the windows.”

  Elise nodded and headed for the portable buildings, and the two-story structure behind that should have been a barn. It had that look about it, and likely housed equipment, and extra construction supplies probably warped and useless from the floodwaters by now. She hadn’t even been in there yet.

  Anything was better than dwelling more on why Jonah wouldn’t even look at her, let alone talk to her about anything more than business.

  She walked around the portables, which would probably fall down if she even tried to go inside, and made her way to the ba
rn.

  Hailey held her arm out. “I’ll go first.”

  “I’ll bring up the rear. You know, because the last person in line never gets picked off first.”

  Hailey laughed. “Thankfully this isn’t a bad horror movie.” Still, she got out her gun.

  “Agreed.” She even shivered.

  The empty, ruined buildings were so bad, Elise could barely move around without having to step over something. She was going to need all the funding the mayor had allocated, and maybe more, if she hoped to finish this project. She might as well be starting from scratch and building a brand-new zoo—except for the fact they had to clear away remnants of the old one first.

  Hailey whistled.

  “That’s what I was thinking. It’s going to take another natural disaster to clean all this away.” Elise stepped over downed equipment and around feed barrels. Hailey went a different direction, her footsteps fading under the sound of Elise’s steps and the clatter of metal rods.

  Elise found the stairs at the back. “I’m going to check out the loft!”

  “Be careful!”

  The stairs were still intact, a good sign. Elise held the rail, praying it wouldn’t all collapse out from under her feet. Finally she reached the top, where the air was a good ten degrees cooler. The window had been smashed out, and cages were stacked along one wall. The majority of the room was clear, but for a few piled-up cardboard boxes that had Christmas lights and Decorations scrawled on the side in permanent marker.

  She wandered to the shattered window and looked out. Cold air whipped at the collar of her coat. The lake was right below her, adding to the rustic look of the zoo. Repainting it, she’d be able to do a whole ranch theme, and maybe go heavy on the petting-zoo angle, rather than cater toward more exotic animals that could only be observed from behind thick glass. Kids loved a more hands-on experience, like feeding goats and sheep from their hands.

  Jonah and Nathan were across the lake, but she didn’t know if they saw her.

  A floorboard creaked up the stairs.

  “Come and check out the lake,” Elise said. She looked back out, watching to see if Nathan was going to spot her. When he did, she waved.

  But Nathan’s wave was more frantic. Jonah put his hands to his mouth and yelled… What, she didn’t know. Was she supposed to be able to hear him? She pulled out her phone and turned to tell Hailey the two of them were acting bizarre.

  The knife flashed as it swooped down at her.

  Elise was still turning, so it glanced off her shoulder. Fire sliced through her upper arm and the momentum sent her sprawling backward. A masked man in a dark green army jacket grinned. Elise’s shoulder clipped the window and she screamed. One arm flailed as she fell.

  And then she hit the water.

  FOURTEEN

  A flash in the window was all Jonah saw before Elise fell. Beside him, Nathan choked, “Mom!” The teenager ran the path around the lake.

  Jonah followed, arms and legs pumping. When Nathan dived into the lake, the dirty water filled with who knew what debris, Jonah prayed. And he kept running.

  He had to find Shelder and get to the man who’d pushed Elise out the window. As much as it pained him that he couldn’t be the one to get Elise from the lake and make sure she was okay, he had to do his job first. Nathan was here and able. But he’d never felt torn like this before.

  God, help both of them. The prayer felt awkward, but he pushed the feeling aside.

  Jonah pulled his gun. Cautiously and as fast as possible, he entered the barn. Shelder was in the process of standing. He caught her elbow until she had her balance. “Got it?”

  She nodded, touching a finger to the side of her head. That was when he saw the blood. “Hit you on the head?” When she nodded, he said, “He ran out the door?”

  “Didn’t see. Go get him.”

  Jonah cleared the barn first, in case the man had hidden instead of running. It only took minutes before he was preceding Shelder outside. Hailey was already on her phone, calling in what had happened and asking for an ambulance.

  Nathan, dripping wet, led an equally soaked Elise from the water, both of them coughing. Hailey stowed her phone in her jacket and went to meet them while Jonah circled the immediate area, looking for any sign of where the attacker had gone.

  He glanced back to where Elise sat on the ground with Nathan beside her. She had her jacket off her shoulder and Nathan was pressing something against the outside of her arm. She was hurt? Hailey crouched beside them, but Jonah had to search for the suspect.

  He’d never hated his job more than he did in that moment.

  With a brisk pace, he traced every exit from the barn with no sign of the suspect, or a car. He needed to get as much of a description from Elise and Hailey as they had to put out an alert to local law enforcement. Nothing else could make any good come from this than if they got a usable lead that would give them a shot to catch this guy.

  Parker and Hanning pulled into the parking lot. He waited while they strode toward him.

  “What happened?”

  Jonah motioned back to where Hailey, Elise and Nathan were. “Let’s go find out.”

  They started walking, and Eric said, “Hailey’s okay?”

  It was the only concession the man gave to the fact that their teammate was his fiancée. And it impressed Jonah. If Elise was on their team, he would never allow her to be put in harm’s way. Yet Eric trusted that Hailey could take care of herself—that she was as much a trained marshal as he was.

  Jonah said, “Bump on the head.”

  Unlike Hailey, Elise was not trained. She didn’t know how to effectively fight for her life. How could she? She’d never had to defend herself. That was why Jonah had to stand guard.

  His dad would even say that God had brought them together now, when she needed him the most. Whether that was true, or not, Jonah didn’t know. It was a nice thought, given that he wanted Elise to be safe. And he was the one who was going to take care of her. I’m okay with it, God. I’m glad You’ve put me here.

  Now that he was talking to the Lord again, he could admit God might have a plan going. That He’d designed for Jonah to be here with Elise and Nathan when they needed a protector.

  Thank You for gifting me with this job.

  Because it was a gift. Elise’s friendship was a gift, if he could still have it. His relationship—if he could build something good—with his nephew was a gift.

  And he would cherish both.

  He stopped in front of Elise and took the cloth from Nathan. It was the teenager’s balled-up undershirt. Nathan’s eyes were wide, his pupils dilated.

  “Sit, yeah?”

  Nathan nodded, tumbling on to the concrete so Jonah had to steady him with a hand on his shoulder.

  Elise’s face was pale also, her breaths short and sharp. Behind him, he could hear Eric and Hailey murmuring to each other. He didn’t want to hear what they were saying when it would make him wish for something he could never have. Elise would always love Martin.

  “Jonah.” Pain had drawn lines around her mouth.

  He realized he was squeezing her arm in his grip. He knelt on the concrete. “We have to keep pressure on it. An ambulance will be here soon.”

  She nodded, her lips pressed into a white line.

  Jonah turned only his head, only to see Hailey with her eyes on him. Eric pressed a handkerchief to her forehead and she winced. He asked her, “What happened?”

  She gritted her teeth. “He came out of nowhere. Totally silent. I could hear Elise moving around upstairs and I was about to head up there, but there was a door I was trying to clear the way to, for a second exit. I felt him there more than I heard anything. When I turned he slammed something into my head.”

  Jonah wanted to rail at her for being caught unawares, but he figured Eric would have that talk with her—after he’d made sure she was okay. That was the only thing that stopped him, aside from the fact she looked like she was about to throw up.
<
br />   Sure enough, Hailey pushed away Eric’s hand, turned around and puked.

  “Concussion.” Parker pulled a bottle of water from his coat pocket and handed it to her, but Eric intercepted it. “Thanks.”

  Jonah turned to Elise. “Are you hurt anywhere else, or just your arm?”

  She had bruised ribs already, and plenty of grazes from their near misses the past couple of days. She’d hardly needed this to add to it.

  Elise shook her head, but her eyes filled with tears. “The water—” Her voice cracked.

  Nathan said, “It was full of debris. When I got to her, she was tangled in weeds.”

  Elise sucked in a choppy breath that made him want to pull her into his arms in a hug. Before he could, Nathan wrapped his mom up in a comforting hold while Jonah tried to keep his grip on her injured arm.

  The siren signaling the ambulance drew closer.

  “Help is here.” He could hear how flat his voice was, and he hated it. Elise needed comfort, but it wasn’t like he was going to be the one to give it to her.

  It was just a matter of inches and the knife would have made it into her heart. Inches and she would’ve been a dead woman.

  Elise whimpered. Jonah couldn’t fight it anymore. He placed Nathan’s hand on the compress on her wound, and touched her face instead. “I am very, very glad that you’re okay.”

  “Me, too.”

  If he hadn’t seen her fall, they wouldn’t have been able to pull her from the water in time. If she hadn’t seen them from the window, Elise wouldn’t have turned in time to see the attacker and been able to move aside.

  Next time, he was going to be there.

  Next time, he would make sure he was standing between Elise and her attacker.

  Next time, Jonah would take a bullet for her.

  But as she turned to Nathan and sought comfort from her son, what he realized she needed was someone to love her.

  Too bad she would never let him.

  *

  Elise watched while the doctor finished up the stitches in her arm, slathered goo on it and stuck a bandage on top. Parker stood by the door, arms folded across his chest like this was another day at the office.

  Nathan held her good hand with one of his and texted with the other. Apparently his mom getting cut was big news. She squeezed his hand, and he did the same in return, glancing her way. She was glad her son had stayed with her. Not that he could have gone anywhere else, but she knew he wanted to be here.