“Let her go. It’s over,” Jacob said. At that moment Tom entered through the front door of the building. Jacob held up his hand to keep his brother back, not wanting anything that might force Larry’s hand. He tightened his grip on his gun.
“I don’t think you heard me, Jacob,” Larry replied. “I said drop the gun—both of you—or I’ll slit her throat.”
“It will be the last act you do before you die,” Tom exclaimed.
Larry grinned. “But while I’m in hell I’ll enjoy the fact that the last thing I saw was the look on Agent Grayson’s face when I killed Layla.”
Layla’s eyes suddenly opened and in that instant Jacob realized she was not only conscious, but alert. Without warning she shot back her elbow, connecting with Larry’s side. He grunted and released his hold on her. Layla flew to the ground and Jacob fired.
The bullet caught Larry in the chest and he reeled backward and fell as a sobbing Layla got back to her feet. She flew out of the cage and toward Jacob and he dropped his gun to grab her as she threw herself into his arms. He hugged her tight as she wept.
Tom rushed to Larry’s side and checked his pulse, then nodded to Jacob, indicating that the man was dead. He called for more help as Jacob continued to hold Layla. “It’s over,” he said to her. “It’s finally over for good.”
Tom grabbed the keys from Larry and hurried toward Brittany’s cell. “No,” she said. “Get the others out first.”
Within minutes the shed was filled with men and weeping women. There would be much evidence to gather, statements to get, cleanup to do. But this time the cleanup was on their terms, not the terms of the man who had called himself The Professional.
“I knew you’d find us,” Layla said as she finally moved out of his arms. “I knew if I could just play at being unconscious long enough you’d have the time you needed to get here.”
A sweet admiration filled him as he thought of what she’d done when she’d surprised him with the elbow and then had dropped to the ground, giving Jacob a perfect shot at Larry. “You’re amazing,” he said to her and stroked a finger down the side of her beautiful face.
She gave him a tremulous smile. “I’m a survivor from way back when.”
Then Brittany was in front of him and Layla stepped back so he could hug the sister he’d thought was lost forever.
His happiness nearly overwhelmed him, until he realized that now it was safe for Layla to return to her normal life, that now it was time to tell her goodbye.
Chapter 13
It was just after dawn when Jacob and Layla left the sheriff’s office and headed back to the cabin. The night had been filled with happy reunions, making statements and gathering facts.
Brittany had gone home with Benjamin and Edie, deciding that she wanted to stay in her childhood home for a while before returning to her house in town. Layla knew it would take a while for Brittany to return to the vivacious, fun-loving woman she’d been before becoming a victim of Larry Norwood.
The other women had been reunited with family and friends and had gone home to heal from the trauma they had endured and the weeks of time that he had stolen from them.
“I feel so bad for Larry’s wife and kids,” Layla said as she gazed out the passenger window of Jacob’s truck. The snow had stopped once again, although it promised to be a cold, blustery day.
“She’ll be okay. Apparently she’s planning on moving to Chicago where her parents live,” Jacob replied. “She had no clue what was going on. She said Larry was always a private man who spent a lot of time out of the house.”
“Sounds like their marriage wasn’t a good one.” She glanced over at him. He’d been unusually quiet on the ride and Layla figured he probably couldn’t wait to get rid of her.
“It won’t take me long to pack up my things and then if you could just drop me by my house I’d appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
A wave of depression settled over her. She wasn’t sure what she’d wanted him to say, but that wasn’t it. There had been a small part of her that had hoped he’d tell her he didn’t want to take her home, tell her that he wanted to keep her with him forever.
But, you’ve never been a forever kind of girl, she reminded herself, and Jacob wasn’t a forever kind of man. It was time for her to get back to her sad, lonely life and pretend that it was exactly as she’d planned it, exactly what she wanted.
When they reached the cabin her heart squeezed tight in her chest once again. This was where she’d fallen in love for the very first time. It had only taken days, but she felt as close to Jacob as if they’d been together for months. It felt as if all the other relationships she’d had in the past were just practice for the real thing with him.
Tell him how you feel, a little voice whispered inside her as they entered the living room. But she knew she wasn’t going to do that. What was the point? It was better to just walk away than to put her heart on the line and let him reject her. She’d been able to handle other rejections, but his would destroy her.
As she walked into the bedroom to gather her things, he threw himself on the recliner. Whether he knew it or not, he was a much different man than he’d been when she’d first arrived.
She knew he’d always be haunted by the women they hadn’t been able to save, but his nemesis was dead, his sister had been found and Jacob had reawakened to life in the days Layla had been with him.
She told herself it was enough for her, that she was content knowing he’d get on with his life and be in a better place than when she’d first arrived here. But as she began to pack her clothes back in the suitcase hot tears burned at her eyes.
Was it so wrong to want to be a forever kind of woman? Was it so wrong to love Jacob enough to want to spend her life with him? They’d been through so much together. They belonged together, but her wishing it didn’t make it so.
By the time she had her suitcase packed she had her emotions back under control. As she reentered the living room Jacob got out of his chair to take the suitcase from her.
“All set?” he asked, his eyes shuttered and showing no emotion.
She nodded. “Back to real life.” She forced a cheerfulness into her voice. “At least I’ll be home for Christmas.” She glanced at the silly little tree they’d decorated with aluminum stars and emotion once again threatened to consume her.
As he carried the suitcase out the front door Layla took one last look around the cabin, remembering laughing with him as they’d talked about Christmases past and decorated their little tree, comforting him as he’d sat in the chair after telling them about The Professional and making love with him beneath the homemade quilt in the bedroom.
There was no question she’d carry a piece of him with her for the rest of her life. He had imprinted into her heart in a way nobody else had ever managed to do.
Leaving the cabin, she hurried to the truck where Jacob was waiting to take her back to her life. “What are your plans now?” she asked when they were headed into town.
“Spend some time with Brittany and the rest of my family, help Tom finish up the last of the details with the case and beyond that I’m not sure. Why?” He didn’t look at her but rather kept his gaze focused on the road.
“I was just curious,” she replied with forced lightness. “You know, if you’re ever in the market to buy a house I know the best Realtor in town.”
He gave her a faint smile. “Yeah, so do I.”
The closer they got to her house the tighter emotion pressed thick in her chest. Saying goodbye was never easy, but telling Jacob goodbye seemed like the most difficult thing she’d ever done in her life.
Sure, they would see each other around town, maybe bump into one another on the streets and each time they did she knew she’d feel the ache of his absence deep within her.
“It’s going to be a special Christmas for all of you with Brittany finally home,” she said. How she wished she were going to be a part of their celebration.
“Yeah, it’s definitely going to be a Christmas to remember.” His voice wasn’t cool, but she felt the distance radiating from him. It was as if he’d already moved on without her and had no desire to look back.
By the time they reached her house she’d fallen silent, had no more words to give him. Her heart weighed a million pounds as they walked up to her front door and he set the suitcase down on the porch.
“Thanks doesn’t seem enough for what you did for me,” she said.
For a moment she saw something soft in his eyes. “I didn’t do for you anymore than you did for me.” That softness fled as if it had never really been there. “I’d say we’re even.”
Even. The word resonated in her soul. She didn’t want to be even. She wanted him to need her, to want her for the rest of their lives. Even felt cold and impersonal.
“Be happy, Jacob,” she said with her love for him nearly choking her throat.
“You do the same.” Before anything else could be said he turned on his heels and walked back to his truck. She watched from the front porch as he drove off without a backward glance.
As she unlocked her door she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. Silly to be so upset, she thought as she dragged her suitcase over the threshold and into the entryway.
She was used to men walking away from her, but what made Jacob different was that this time her heart had been completely involved. This time she’d been desperately, hopelessly in love.
Dragging her suitcase into the bedroom, she tried to focus on all the things she needed to do to get back to her normal life. First on her list was to retrieve Mr. Whiskers from the vet’s office. Second on her list was to try to figure out a way how to stop loving Jacob Grayson.
At this thought she sat on the edge of her bed and let the tears that she’d desperately been trying to hold back fall.
“So, now that you’ve rejoined the living when are you going to get out of this place?” Caleb asked Jacob. He and Portia had stopped by the cabin for a visit and Jacob was more than happy for the unexpected company.
It had been a week since Larry Norwood had been killed and all the women had been rescued, seven full days since he’d taken Layla home.
“I don’t know, I’m thinking maybe I’ll stay here through the winter and then look for something to buy in town in the spring.” Jacob frowned thoughtfully. “I’m still not sure I’m ready to rejoin all of humanity.”
“What are you brooding about now?” Portia asked.
“I’m not brooding,” he protested.
“Yes, you are,” she countered. “You’ve been moody and brooding for the last week. I would think you’d be on top of the world with that creep dead and all the women safe and sound.”
“I am on top of the world,” Jacob replied, his frown deepening as Portia gave him a disbelieving look. “I’m fine,” he assured her, but the truth of the matter was he wasn’t fine.
He’d always been a man alone, but he’d never been a lonely man until now, without Layla. She’d breezed into the cabin and had not only brought life back to him, but had also brought love.
He missed the sound of her voice and the clack of her high heels on the floor. He ached for the softness in her eyes and her breathy little sighs as he’d made love to her.
Since she’d been gone he felt as if he’d lost his very best friend, the person who stirred not only his passion but made him laugh and made him want to share all the pieces of himself.
He’d thought she cared about him. There had been moments when she’d gazed at him with such a lightness in her eyes, when she’d touched him with such sweet tenderness that he thought he felt her love for him. And yet she’d walked away without a word, letting him know he was not important in her life.
“You’ve heard that we’re doing a big Christmas gathering at Benjamin and Edie’s on Christmas Eve,” Caleb said, pulling Jacob from his thoughts of love lost.
“Yeah, Tom mentioned it to me.”
“According to Edie, Walt and Margaret are already fighting over who is going to cook what for the meal,” Portia said.
Edie’s grandfather Walt had briefly moved in with Benjamin and had battled with Margaret, the woman who had been the housekeeper, over the cooking. Somehow in the midst of those initial battles love had blossomed between the two senior citizens and Margaret had moved with Walt to his house in town.
“What do you want Santa to bring you, Jacob?” Portia asked.
“Layla.” The name left his lips and he stared at Portia in horror. He’d only meant to think it. He hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“Ah, so that’s how it is,” Caleb exclaimed with a grin. “I thought I sensed something going on between the two of you.”
Jacob stared at his brother and then looked at Portia. “I’m in love with her,” he confessed and he knew his heartache was evident in those five words.
Portia sat back on the sofa and held Jacob’s gaze. “That’s interesting because she’s in love with you.”
“Yeah, right,” Jacob replied drily. “Trust me, she made it clear to me from the very beginning that she didn’t care about relationships.”
“But that’s not true,” Portia replied. She leaned forward. “Jacob, I’ve known Layla since we were both in grade school. I’ve never known a woman who needs to be loved more than her, but for years her father told her that she wasn’t worthy of love, that she was worthless and no man would ever want her.”
Jacob’s stomach twisted as he thought of Layla as a vulnerable child dealing with the abuse of her father.
“I’ve tried to explain to her that love is a verb, that when you’re in love you have to do things to show it and you have to talk about it, but she has her defenses so high she doesn’t understand.” Portia grabbed Caleb’s hand. “She’s used to men walking away from her, and they walk away because she doesn’t give them a reason to stay, she never tells anyone what she wants. But she told me how much she loves you and she’s been sick since you two parted ways.”
Was it possible what Portia said was true? A tiny ray of hope flared in his heart. Was it possible that both of them had been so afraid of being hurt again they’d let the best thing that could happen walk out of their lives?
“You know, when we Grayson men finally figure out what we want, we usually go after it,” Caleb said.
What if Portia was wrong? What if he went to her and spilled his guts and she laughed at him? What if he put his heart on the line with her and she turned him down?
It couldn’t hurt any more than it did now. Suddenly what he wanted to do more than anything was let her know that she was worthy, that he loved her with a depth that would last through eternity.
He got out of his chair, driven by the same kind of urgency that had driven him when he’d been hunting for her when she’d been kidnapped. He felt that if he didn’t tell her how he felt right now, if he didn’t take a chance with her in the next few minutes, he’d explode.
“She’s probably at her office,” Portia said as he pulled on his coat. She and Caleb got off the sofa and Portia grabbed Jacob by the arms. “If this isn’t for forever, if you don’t love her with every fiber of your being, then don’t bother with her and just leave her alone.”
“I can’t imagine living without her.” His voice was husky with emotion.
Portia nodded and smiled. “Then go get your woman, Jacob.”
Minutes later as Jacob drove toward town, doubts began to assail him. What if Portia didn’t know what was truly in Layla’s heart?
For all he knew in the last week Layla had started dating somebody else in town. He thought of a stop he needed to make before he saw Layla…if he decided to see Layla.
Maybe he was just one of those fools who were forever destined to fall in love with women who didn’t have the capacity to love them back.
He eased his foot up on the gas pedal, suddenly unsure what he was going to do.
Layla stared out her office window and tried to fight aga
inst the depression that had been a constant companion for the last week.
There was nothing worse than being depressed at Christmastime. The night after she’d gotten home she’d spent the evening decorating her house for the holiday, but all the tinsel and bright lights couldn’t pierce through the hollow ache that had invaded her chest. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this kind of heartbreak.
She should just go home. Nobody was going to buy or sell a home so close to the holiday. She was just wasting time sitting here when she could be home with Mr. Whiskers.
Deciding to do just that, she grabbed her purse from the floor and set it on her desk, and it was at that moment she saw him approaching from across the street, a bright red box tucked beneath one arm.
Jacob. Even as she stared at him, she told herself she didn’t want to see him, wasn’t ready to face him yet. Still, her eyes drank in the sight of him.
At some point since she’d last seen him he’d gotten a haircut and he walked with a new sense of pride, of confidence that only increased his attractiveness.
As he saw her through the window he smiled and she wanted to weep. She steeled herself as he opened the door and came in, bringing with him the scent of the cold air and a faint whisper of his cologne.
“Well, look what the wind blew in,” she said as she stood and forced the lightness into her voice that had always served her well. “If it isn’t the town’s latest hero and the newest member of law enforcement.”
“So you’ve heard that I’m going to be a deputy,” he said, stopping just short of her desk.
“The whole town has heard and has applauded the move by Tom to hire you. You couldn’t come with better credentials than being an ex-FBI agent and the man who brought down The Professional.”
She wanted to touch him, to run her fingers over the curve of his lips, to press herself against him and feel safe and loved for one last time.
Instead she sat back in her chair to give herself as much distance from him as possible. “So, what are you doing here?”
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