“Ain’t that the truth,” Kyle said from his post at the dining room table.
Blake smiled. “She has a bit of a reputation,” he said, pride coloring his words. “She expects people to do their jobs and do them well. She’s very pleased with you.”
“But the people after Caroline and Henry are still out there.”
Blake ran his hand through his hair the way he did so often when he was frustrated. Heidi patted his arm. “We know who we’re looking for now. That’s a big improvement over where we were a few days ago.”
Neither Jason nor Blake looked convinced, but whatever Heidi had said to Blake, it had been enough for Blake to be okay with Jason providing a level of protection for her. That didn’t mean he would approve of him as a boyfriend.
Boyfriend?
Could she ever have a boyfriend again? With Henry in her life, did she have the luxury of dating someone to see how it worked out? Would it be fair to Henry to bring a man into his life she wasn’t sure was there to stay?
No. It wouldn’t. But did it matter? Now that Jason had reentered her life, would anyone else ever be enough?
This was crazy. Thinking this way when she had so many more important things to deal with. Like staying alive.
Blake looked around the room. “What’s the plan?”
“We have every law enforcement agency in the country on the lookout,” Heidi said. “Liam’s passport is flagged, but given that he let someone else use it to leave the country, I don’t see us getting very far with that.”
“But we’ll find him. He’s not a pro. He’ll mess up,” Heidi said with her usual confidence.
Jason agreed. “I say tonight, we post guards and we sleep. Tomorrow, we follow the money.”
Everyone nodded their agreement. “I like it,” Blake said.
“Me, too,” Heidi said.
“I like the sleep part the best,” said Max with a wink in her direction.
“You would,” said Sara with a disgusted shake of her head.
Jason’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the number. “Excuse me a moment.”
He stepped onto the porch, and Caroline turned her attention back to the security plans Heidi and Kyle were discussing to ensure they all remained safe during the night.
Jason ran back into the house. “Caroline, can I have a word?” His ashen face drew her to him.
“What is it?” she demanded.
He held the door for her, and they walked onto the deck.
“Dad.”
Her heart sank. “What happened?”
“He fell,” he said, rubbing his lips together. “They’re at the hospital. Doing a CT scan. He may have a concussion and might have broken his leg.”
“Go,” she said. “Go to them.”
“I can’t leave you alone.”
“I’m not alone, but they are. Go. Stay with your mom and dad tonight. It’s why you moved here in the first place. I’ll text you every thirty minutes.”
He was so clearly torn.
“Jason.” She put her arms around him, and he clung to her. “This is your dad. You have to go. I’m sorry this has happened, but staying here won’t do anything other than make us both feel guilty. Heidi, Max and Kyle will probably have a round-the-clock patrol set up by the time I get back in there. Henry and I won’t be alone, and we’ll be well protected.”
He held her tight. “I’m sorry I can’t be here for you.”
“Don’t feel bad for me. I’m just sorry your mom and dad are going through this.”
His arms tightened around her. When they relaxed, she thought he was going to release her. Instead, his lips pressed into her hair. “I’ve missed you so much,” he said.
TWENTY-ONE
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said.
Oh, how he wanted to believe that. “When this is over—”
“You’ll go back to pretending I don’t exist?”
Ouch. “I have never been oblivious to your existence.”
She snorted. “Only all my life.”
“What is that supposed to mean? We were together almost every day until we graduated from high school.” She didn’t respond. Wait a minute. He pulled back. “You aren’t serious?” That pink tint covered her face again.
He groaned. “Caroline, I’ve been in love with you since we were seven. How could you not have seen that?”
She took a step back and he let her, but he didn’t let go of her completely. “You’ve what?”
Well, he’d done it now. What could he say?
“If that was love—” she sputtered.
“Like I had a chance.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re Caroline Harrison. You could have any guy you wanted. I was just a poor kid from the wrong side of your mountain.”
“You don’t honestly believe that, do you?” Incredulity filled her face.
“I did.”
“And now?”
“I still believe you can have any man you want.”
She held his gaze. “That’s not what I meant.”
He shrugged. “I know you’re too good for me. You always have been.”
“What have I ever done to make you say that?”
“It’s nothing you’ve ever done, or said. You’re just… You’re, well… You’re you.”
“That explains exactly nothing.”
“You are beautiful, thoughtful, intelligent, caring, funny, adventurous, loyal. You do not have a single negative character trait.” She watched him through narrowed eyes. “You have always been unattainable.”
She shook her head. “No. When it comes to you, I have always been in reach. Always. If you’ve loved me since you were seven, why didn’t you say so that night? I told you how I felt, and you told me you didn’t feel the same way.”
“I lied.”
Her eyes glistened. “Why?”
“It seemed logical at the time. Everything that matters to you is here. Your family. Your business. Your life.”
“But not you.”
“I couldn’t stay.”
“I never expected you to,” she said. “I kept hoping you’d ask me to come with you. And you never did. That night…” Yeah. That night. Their last night together before he left for the military. She’d kissed him. Told him she loved him. And he’d told her he didn’t feel the same way. It had hurt her so badly that she’d cut all ties with him after that, refusing to speak to him when he’d tried later to reconnect.
This was a conversation long overdue. And even though there were big things for them to deal with, this one had to be dealt with now.
“I panicked.”
She nodded slowly but didn’t say anything.
“We… I…” He stopped. How could he ever explain it? Get over yourself, Drake. If there’s ever a hope of anything with her, you’re going to have to get this out in the open. He tried again. “For a few minutes, all I could think of was you. The way you felt in my arms. The way you tasted. The way you smelled. But then I thought about your dreams of living here on the top of this mountain, of running your family’s business. Your life. Your family. And I convinced myself we would never have a chance. It was the most cowardly thing I have ever done. I regretted it the minute the words came out of my mouth. I could see the hurt on your face. I knew how much it had cost you to be honest with me, and I wanted to tell you the truth. But I convinced myself you’d be better off without me. So when you told me you never wanted to speak to me again, I decided the best thing for me to do was honor your request.”
He couldn’t tell if his apology was helping or hurting his cause. “I missed you so much, but I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing. That staying away from you was the most loving thing I could do. And then you moved on.”
“Do you blame me?” she asked.
“Not for a second, but it proves my point. There are other men, better men, out there.”
“I don’t want them.”
&n
bsp; Did she really mean that?
She stared him down. Her face went from pink to deep red, but there was no hint of retreat in her expression. “I’m not going to say I’ve been sitting around pining after you, but for the past couple of years, you’ve been in my thoughts so often. I’ve prayed for you and wondered about you. Not that I ever thought there was any chance of you coming back, or us growing close again.”
She squeezed her hands on his waist, and he had to fight to keep his own hands from finding their way to her face and pulling that sweet mouth to his.
“But I did miss you. Your friendship and your laughter and the way I felt whenever I was with you. I’ve wondered what the adult version of Jason Drake would be like.”
He couldn’t resist. “And what do you think of him?”
He could see it in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let him turn this into a laughing matter.
“I see a man who gave up a career he loved so he could come take care of his dad and be there for his mom in the hard years ahead. I see a man who has literally risked his life to protect me and my son. I see a man who was willing to put himself in the debt of the one man he most wants to avoid, all so he could help me.”
“You don’t—”
“I’m not done,” she said. “I see a man who never wanted to be a father but has a real knack for it. I see a man who is willing to at least consider forgiving a man who made his childhood something out of a horror movie. I see a man who is willing to own up to his mistakes.” She lowered her gaze, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “I see the man I knew you would grow to be.”
“I don’t deserve you.” How could she not see that?
“I’m not exactly a prize, Jason Drake.”
“I think we’ve already covered my opinion of you.”
She shook her head. “I’m now a single mom, and you never wanted children.”
“I’ve been rethinking that position for a while,” he admitted.
She narrowed her eyes. “Okay. I can believe that, but what about my job? I have a demanding career with people who count on me. I can’t walk away from it.”
“I would never ask you to leave.”
She looked at him then. “So you’d leave me behind. Again?”
His hands found their way to her face, and he held her so she couldn’t look away. “Never. Never again. There is nothing on this earth that could make me leave you.” He brushed his lips across her forehead. “If I could make myself believe that you really wanted to be with me—”
Her lips found his. She was kissing him. His mind struggled with the implications. She wanted him? Did she? Could she? She pulled away slightly, her face the most lovely shade of pink he’d ever seen.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to flirt with me.”
She laughed. “Is it working?”
“You have no idea,” he said as he pulled her face back to his.
*
Could this be happening?
Was she really kissing Jason Drake? Was he kissing her? After all this time, in the middle of all this chaos, was it possible that the deepest longings of her heart could be coming true?
Jason deepened the kiss, and she fell right over the edge. There was no coming back from this. No way to deny it. No matter what happened now, she couldn’t pretend she didn’t care.
She was in love with Jason Drake.
She hoped she lived long enough to enjoy it.
When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. It was several moments before either of them spoke. “Caroline,” Jason said, his voice thick with emotion. “I need to go.”
“Okay,” she said, not moving.
He looked at her, eyes wide and wondering. “When I get back, you may need to remind me that this wasn’t all a dream.”
“Let’s not start that nonsense again,” she said, trying to get him to smile. “You’re stuck with me now.”
“For better or worse,” he said with a mischievous smile. His lips found hers before she could answer, but if he’d given her a chance, she would have said yes.
TWENTY-TWO
Jason drove his mom and dad home from the hospital at 11:30 p.m.
“I’m glad they didn’t keep us there all night,” his mom said from the backseat.
“I told you I was fine,” his dad muttered from the passenger side. “Lots of worry over nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing, Dad. You were bleeding and they thought you might have broken your leg.”
“Head wounds always bleed a lot. I wasn’t about to die. You didn’t need to come rushing over there. You should have stayed with your girl.”
“My girl is fine. I talked to her thirty minutes ago. She was going to bed. She’s surrounded by FBI agents. I think she’ll survive the night without me.”
“Your girl?” his mom’s voice piped up again from the backseat.
“Maybe,” he said.
He tried to keep his voice neutral, but he knew he’d failed when his mom squealed like a little girl. “Praise the Lord,” she said.
“’Bout time,” his dad said.
“Don’t go getting ahead of yourselves,” he said.
He should probably take his own advice, but his heart wouldn’t cooperate. As soon as he’d realized his dad’s condition wasn’t critical, Caroline had returned to the surface of his thoughts. He’d already planned their first real date. And the second. And the third.
“Earth to Jason,” his dad said.
“Sorry,” he said. What had he missed?
“I asked if you’re any closer to finding out what’s going on.”
“We caught the guy who was in her house and we know who’s behind the attacks.”
“They aren’t the same person?”
“No.”
“So when you say you know who’s behind the attacks, that means you know who it is but not where he is?”
“We’ll find him.”
“I have no doubt you will, son.”
Jason wished he had his dad’s confidence.
“You going back over there tonight?”
“No.” He didn’t want his dad to realize that he was staying because of him. The truth was he didn’t want to leave them tonight. The doctors had said there was no concussion, but he didn’t want to risk there being any trouble during the night and his mom needing help. “I think I could use a night in my own bed. I’ve been sleeping on a lot of couches lately.”
“I think that’s wise,” his mom said from the backseat. “You can go back in the morning.”
But when the morning dawned, he found himself needed at home. His dad’s headache had worsened during the night, and his mom hadn’t slept. Jason sent her back to bed and fixed breakfast for him and his dad. He tried to enjoy the quiet time, but it was difficult to relax. He knew Caroline was okay, and she was only a few minutes away, but he didn’t like the distance between them.
His mom came into the kitchen around 11:00 a.m. “You need to get out of here,” she said. “I’m fine. Get back over to Caroline’s house.”
“There’s no rush, Mom.”
His mother let out a little huff. “You don’t actually expect me to buy that, do you? That girl is in danger. So is her son, and I’ve seen you with him—you can’t pretend that precious boy hasn’t stolen your heart, too. You have a nut job trying to kill the pair of them. Get back over there and solve this case so you can marry her. I’ve always wanted her for a daughter, and I’m not about to risk losing her now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. He pecked her cheek before he sprinted for his car.
As he drove toward the house, he heard a sound he couldn’t place. It almost sounded like a low-flying airplane, but cruising at that altitude over the mountains was a pretty stupid move.
He punched in the code to the Harrisons’ driveway. The gate opened before him.
A moment later, the mountain shook.
He floored it.
He passed Blake’s house, b
ut as he approached Mr. and Mrs. Harrison’s, he drove into what he first thought was fog but then realized was a mixture of smoke and debris. He couldn’t see the road, so he left the car in the Harrisons’ driveway and ran.
God, please. I can’t lose her.
He pulled out his phone and called the dispatcher.
“There’s been an explosion at the Harrisons’,” he said. “We need ambulance, fire, rescue—everybody. And we need roadblocks. One-, five-, ten-mile radius. Maybe twenty-five.” The closer to Caroline’s house he ran, the harder it was to see. The harder it was to breathe. As he closed in, he had to dodge large chunks of debris. Parts of the mountain were catching on fire.
He rounded the final curve and skidded to a stop. The wind was blowing the smoke away from him now, and he could finally see.
Caroline’s house was gone.
It took him a second to realize the ear-piercing cry was coming from his own throat.
He tried to absorb what he was seeing, but the horror of it dropped him to his knees. Stone and wood lay scattered everywhere. Bits of the forest that surrounded the house were smoking. A few small fires burned. The windows in the cars in the driveway had shattered, and all of the cars were destroyed.
In the distance, he heard the sirens. Help was coming. But what could they do? After such total destruction, what could anyone do?
He’d failed her.
He’d left her, again, when he said he wouldn’t. And now she was gone. He’d lost her.
Again.
He fought to breathe. He didn’t fight the tears streaming down his face.
His phone buzzed in his pocket again and again, but he didn’t answer. There was no one he wanted to talk to. The only person he’d give anything to speak to again was somewhere in that rubble.
But maybe… What if she had survived? What if she was buried in the debris?
As he ran toward the house, his phone buzzed again, and with it he felt a piercing sense of urgency. What if his mom had been trying to reach him?
He answered without looking at the screen. “Drake.”
“Jason! Jason! Can you hear me?”
He must be dreaming.
“Jason. It’s Caroline. I’m okay. Can you hear me?”
Hope flickered in his soul. Could it be? How?
Hidden Legacy Page 17