Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Dana Mentink

  He touched it and snapped his hand back. “Ouch!”

  “Told you.” She giggled. “Gabe, it’s time—”

  A snore interrupted her sentence. She glanced over at the boy. He’d curled up on the floor with the blanket and had fallen asleep.

  Layke followed her gaze. “He’s had a rough day. Time for bed.” He lifted Gabe and held him over his shoulder, blanket and all. “Which bedroom?”

  Did he know how adorable he looked with the boy?

  Stop, Hannah. She stood. “Follow me.”

  She led him down the hall and opened the middle room’s door in the three-bedroom cabin. Her friend was a doctor, so this amazing cabin gave her an oasis away from a hectic schedule. This room was decorated in a nautical theme. A single bed, adorned with a white comforter and blue-striped pillow, sat in the middle of the room. The headboard contained a shelf holding a buoy and sailboat. The nightstands held matching lighthouse lamps. The white-and-navy-striped walls added to the ambiance.

  “Wow. This is every sailor’s dream room. Nice.” Layke’s soft voice broke the silence.

  “I know, right? Wait till you see your room at the end of the hall.”

  His forehead crinkled.

  “I’ll let you discover it for yourself.” She removed the throw pillows from the bed and tugged the comforters back.

  Layke tucked Gabe under the covers and pulled them tight to his small body.

  They tiptoed out of the room and Hannah closed the door. “How about you change and then we can talk about the case?”

  “Sounds good.” He headed down the hall.

  Hannah walked back into the living room, stoked the fire with the poker and added a log. Even though they had turned on the cabin’s heat, the room still held a chill to it. She closed the screen and went to the window to check the storm.

  She pulled the drapes and peered out but could only see darkness. She turned on the porch light to check the surroundings. Snow fell hard as the wind whipped around the fir trees. A branch close to the cabin slammed against the window.

  She gasped and jumped back.

  Calm down, Hannah. You’re safe here.

  At least she prayed they were.

  Her cell phone buzzed and she grabbed it from her lounge pants pocket. She peered at the name. Her boss.

  “Doyle. Good to hear from you.” Outside of work hours, she always referred to her superintendent as Doyle. He’d helped her through many trying times over the years as she trained with all men. He was the only one who understood how it felt to be an outcast. His sister had been bullied as a child and he’d tried to protect her, which alienated him from the other kids at school.

  “You sound chipper. You’re safe?”

  “Yes. For now anyway.”

  “Where are you?”

  “You remember my friend Taryn?”

  “The doctor?”

  “Yes. She and her hubby have a cabin thirty minutes north of Beaver Creek. We’re hunkered down here during the storm.”

  “You and the boy?”

  “And Layke.”

  “Oh…so it’s just Layke now? Not Constable?”

  His tone revealed the smile he probably had plastered on his face. He’d been trying to set her up with guy after guy for years. “Stop. It’s not like that.”

  “Hannah, you deserve happiness.”

  She rubbed her belly. No, she couldn’t put a man through the pain. “You find out anything about possible child smugglers from other border patrol stations?”

  “Nice dodge.” He laughed. “I’ve contacted them all and they are aware of the situation but haven’t seen anything suspicious. Yet. I asked them to contact me if they do.”

  “Good.”

  “You find out anything from the boy?”

  Hannah told him about their interview with Gabe. “He gave a description of one of the masked men and it sounds like the same man I saw at the station.”

  “No names?”

  “Nothing. He’s holding back on us though. Seems scared to trust us.”

  “He will in no time with your charm.”

  “Funny.”

  Layke walked into the room wearing jeans and the buffalo plaid flannel shirt she’d found earlier. She sucked in a breath. The tight fit revealed his protruding muscles.

  “What’s wrong?” Doyle asked.

  Oops. She hadn’t realized she’d gasped out loud. “Nothing. I gotta run.”

  “Stay safe and keep me updated.”

  “Will do.” She clicked off. “Hey, that red and black looks good on you.” Had she just said that out loud? Rein it in.

  “Thanks. It’s a bit tight but okay.”

  She bit her tongue to avoid saying something she’d regret. “I was just talking to my boss. He said he didn’t get any further info from the other border stations.”

  He sat on the plush couch and took out his notebook. “I’ve called in a forensic artist, plus Elias told me one of the assailants was injured in the gunfire at the station. He got away though. Constables are searching nearby hospitals and clinics.”

  “Good. Let’s talk about what we have so far.” She sat on the adjacent couch and pulled the Aztec blanket over her.

  They spent time going over what they knew. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a lot. They needed a break. Who was the man with the spiked hair and where was he hiding?

  Two hours later, Hannah flicked on the TV. She needed to unwind and television would do it for her. An episode of Bones popped on the screen. “Oh, I love this show.” She curled her legs underneath her and gathered the blanket closer, ready to watch her favorite anthropologist. A scene of Brennan and Hodgins being buried alive boomed tension throughout the room.

  Layke gasped, stood and grabbed the remote from her hand, turning the station. “I can’t watch that.” He plunked himself back in his seat.

  Hannah uncurled her legs and leaned forward. “What? Why?”

  He bit his lip.

  An uncharacteristic action for the fierce policeman. Definitely not the Superman image she had of him in the little time she’d gotten to know him. “What’s wrong?”

  He turned off the TV. “I had an incident in my childhood that sparked a fear of being buried alive.”

  Her mouth fell open. Not what she expected. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t—”

  A thud from down the hall was followed by a bloodcurdling scream.

  “Gabe!”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Hannah threw off the blanket and bolted from the couch. She raced down the hall with Layke at her heels. Lord, help Gabe to be okay. Had they found them? Had they somehow gotten in through the back entrance? She swung the door open. It banged against the wall, the thud resonating throughout the small room. Hannah winced and turned the light on. Gabe rocked in the corner and whimpered with his thumb in his mouth. Not an action for the more mature eight-year-old she’d seen earlier.

  Layke entered with his weapon raised.

  She gazed around the room and found no one. However, something had scared the boy. She reached over and put her hand on Layke’s gun, lowering it. “You’ll scare him.”

  He nodded.

  Hannah walked over to the boy and knelt beside him. “What is it, Gabe?”

  He pulled his thumb from his mouth. “He. He. Found. Me.” The boy’s stuttered words made no sense.

  “There’s no one here, sport.” Layke had stuffed his gun in the back of his jeans and joined them on the floor.

  “But I saw him.”

  Layke glanced at Hannah.

  The boy must have been hallucinating. Could intense fear cause that to happen? First, the face in the window and now this?

  Layke scooped Gabe into his arms. “Let’s get you back into bed.”

  Gabe squirmed. “He’s coming for me.”

/>   Layke tucked the covers all around him, creating a cocoon-like effect as if shielding him from an unknown assailant. He sat on the bed.

  Hannah plunked herself down on the other side of Gabe and hoped their combined presence would help him feel protected. She rubbed his cheek. “It’s okay, Gabe. You’re safe here.”

  Was he? Could they guarantee that?

  Layke stood. “I will search the rest of the cabin just to make sure.”

  Exactly her thoughts. “Check the back door, too. I’ll stay with Gabe.”

  He exited the room.

  “Do you want to pray with me?” Hannah asked.

  “Yes.”

  She got up, turned the lighthouse lamp on and flicked off the overhead light, dimming the room. She sat back down. “That’s better. How about you close your eyes?”

  He obeyed.

  She took his little hands in hers. “Father, be with Gabe right now. Help him to go back to sleep knowing he’s in Your hands. Protect us and help us to have a good night’s sleep. Amen.”

  The wind howled as if in response to her pleading prayer. She smiled.

  They could still rejoice through the storms.

  Why couldn’t she find joy through her current turmoil? Was she that terrible a Christian to allow doubts to creep in? She needed to give herself a stern lecture, but right now she had to focus on the boy.

  Gabe opened his eyes. His earlier wild expression had disappeared and he now looked peaceful.

  Thank You, Lord.

  Moments later, Layke returned and sat on the bed. “All’s clear. No signs of anyone.”

  “Mr. Layke, can you tell me a story?” Gabe asked.

  Layke snapped his gaze to hers, his eyes widening. “But we don’t have any books.”

  He’d never made up a story before?

  She reached over and grabbed his hand, ignoring the spark from the simple touch. “Use your imagination.”

  He grinned and squeezed her hand. “I’ll try.”

  She pulled away and folded her arms. Anything to take her mind off the electricity surging between them. Or was it just her imagination?

  Layke stared at the ceiling. “Let me think. Hmm…where shall I start?” He snapped his fingers. “I know. Once upon a time…”

  Gabe giggled. A sound she now loved. How had she become attached to this boy so quickly?

  “Once upon a time, a young knight named Richard the Lionheart mounted his horse and—”

  “What color was his horse?” Gabe asked.

  Layke tapped his chin. “White like Shadowfax in Lord of the Rings.”

  “I love that movie.” Gabe’s eyes sparkled in the dim lighting.

  Hannah smothered a grin. She also loved the Tolkien series.

  “Me too, sport. The young knight mounted Shadowfax and galloped across the kingdom in search of the missing princess, Marian.”

  Hannah snorted. “Marian and Richard? Is this a Robin Hood story?”

  Layke shrugged. “Only names I could think of. Stop interrupting.” He winked and turned back to Gabe.

  A thought raced through Hannah’s mind. If only this moment would last.

  “Princess Marian had been missing for two days and the King had offered her hand in marriage to the knight who rescued her, so he was determined—”

  “What does determined mean?”

  “Resolved.”

  Gabe wrinkled his face.

  “Serious. Strong willed.” Hannah punched Layke in the arm. “Use words an eight-year-old can understand.”

  “Knight Richard was serious and wanted to win Marian’s hand in marriage. After all, he’d been in love with her since the second grade. She was the reason he became a knight. To protect her and her father’s kingdom.” Layke scrunched his face. “But Knight Arthur had caught Marian’s attention with all his wins in the competitions.”

  “I don’t like Arthur.” Gabe crossed his arms.

  “Richard didn’t either, so he snuck out of the kingdom and went to search for Marian. Shadowfax galloped across the field under the cover of night.”

  “Was he scared?” Gabe asked.

  “No. He was a brave knight.” He poked Gabe. “Brave like you.”

  Hannah’s hand flew to her chest. The man and boy before her that had been thrust into her life unexpectedly had captured her heart. What would she do when this case was over and she had to say goodbye to both?

  “Richard rounded a long bend and Shadowfax reared to a stop. Richard drew his sword.” The excitement in Layke’s voice filled the room.

  Gabe pulled the covers over his head.

  She held her breath to find out what would happen next in the medieval tale.

  “A scream filled the night and Richard recognized the voice. ‘Marian,’ he yelled. ‘Richard?’” Layke mimicked a high-pitched voice. “‘Watch out for the dragon,’ she warned.”

  Gabe threw the cover off again. “What happened?”

  “I’m getting to that.” Layke threw his hands into the air and waved them. “Suddenly, a huge winged dragon swooped over him. He ducked as fire shot out from the creature’s mouth. Richard grabbed his bow and unleashed a deadly arrow. It pierced into the beast’s belly and the dragon spiraled to the ground. Richard jumped off Shadowfax and ran over to it, plunging his sword into the heart. Marian came running from her hiding place and hugged Richard. ‘You saved me.’” Once again, Layke changed to a female’s voice.

  Hannah turned her gaze back to Gabe and found his eyes closed. He’d fallen asleep. She touched Layke’s arm. “I guess you’ll have to finish the story tomorrow,” she whispered.

  Layke stood. He pulled the covers up again to Gabe’s neck. “He’s so cute.”

  “Loved your story. You’ll make a great father one day.”

  He snapped his head in her direction, the muscles in his neck protruding. “Not me. Never.” He raced from the room.

  What had just happened?

  * * *

  Why had she spoiled the moment? Layke trampled into his room at the end of the hall and flicked on the light. No, he would never be a father. Not that he would ever hit a child like his mother had, but he couldn’t take the chance. What if his pent-up anger surfaced at an unexpected time? He’d always been able to curb it with working out and chasing down criminals.

  He plunked himself on the bed. Its head-and footboards were made from cedar planks with matching night tables. He ran his hand over the quilted cover with pictures of deer, bears and moose. The lamps were made from antlers. Thankfully, no mounted deer heads were anywhere to be seen or he’d be sleeping on the couch.

  A soft knock sounded. “Layke, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by the comment.” Hannah whispered from the other side of the door.

  He slumped lower. He shouldn’t have taken his anxiety over his mother’s actions out on her. He sighed, got up and opened the door a crack. “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  An urge to bare all about his past overtook him, but he held back. Why?

  Trust.

  There’s that word again. Why did he have such a hard time opening up?

  “No. I’m heading to bed. You should, too, as we have a big day ahead of us.”

  A vacant stare flickered over her pretty face and then disappeared.

  He’d disappointed her. Again.

  “I’ll see you in the morning.” She put her head down and shuffled toward her room.

  Nice move, Jackson.

  He shut the door and silently chastised himself. She had done nothing to deserve his harsh treatment. He vowed to make it up to her tomorrow. He grabbed the packaged toothbrush and paste Hannah had left on the bed and crept to the bathroom.

  Ten minutes later, he placed his gun under his pillow and climbed
into bed. He prayed sleep would come quickly. He stared at the ceiling and willed his tight muscles to relax. The day had proved to be one of many tense circumstances.

  His cell phone buzzed. He rolled over and grabbed it from the nightstand. He eyed the screen. Tucker Reed, a constable from New Brunswick. Why would he be calling at this hour? It was well into the wee hours of the morning in the East coast. Something was up. “Hey, bud. How are you?”

  Layke had met Tucker at the police college he had attended with Hudson.

  “I’m good. Just felt led to call you. Are you okay?” His Maritime accent was strong.

  Layke hadn’t heard from him in months. Why now? “What do you mean?”

  “God put you on my heart.”

  Man, not him, too. “I’m fine.” His throat constricted, revealing to himself he was anything but fine. “Working on a case in the Yukon.”

  “Really? Why there?”

  Layke fluffed his pillow and leaned against the headboard. “It’s a child-smuggling ring and my half brother’s son has been kidnapped, so I requested my sergeant send me here to head up a joint task force to catch the gang.”

  Tucker whistled. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  “Long story.” And he was exhausted.

  “I’ll let you go. I wanted to let you know I’m praying for you.”

  He was surrounded, but right now he’d take it. “Hope the big guy listens to you.”

  “He always does, Layke. We just need to be still to hear His voice. Stay safe, bud.” He punched off.

  Why can’t I hear You?

  Layke threw the phone on the night table and stared at the ceiling as the wind slammed branches against his bedroom window. A thought lodged in his brain.

  Was God really watching over them?

  Cries sounded in between the howls of wind and Layke’s thoughts. He sat up and listened. There it was again.

  Hannah? He got out of bed and tiptoed to her room, edging his ear to the door.

  Sure enough. Sobs came in between gasps of air.

  He raised his knuckles to knock on the door and then hesitated. Had he caused this?

  Now he really did need to make up for his foul mood. Maybe he’d make everyone breakfast in the morning.