* * *
Standing with her friends and Travis, Claire could still feel the tingle of his lips on hers, and she wished they were still kissing. The intensity of her emotions shocked her. She couldn’t believe the sense of belonging and oneness with Travis she felt. And she wanted more. Much more.
Enough to let go of her fear? To trust that even if she got hurt again, God would get her through it?
“Claire,” Travis said, drawing her back. “I made sure we weren’t followed so do you have any idea how this creep found us?”
“No,” she said, trying to concentrate on anything other than how full his lips were. “We certainly didn’t tell anyone we were coming here.”
“Claire...I...” Julie wrung her hands. “I mentioned it to a few people at work. But that was okay, right? I mean surely your stalker isn’t someone from the institute.”
“Let’s talk about this later,” Claire said before Julie asked additional questions and Claire was forced to lie. “I’d like to pick out our tree and go home.”
“What?” Travis’s voice shot up. “You still want a tree?”
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you let us choose it?” Julie offered. She tried to look cheerful, but Claire saw the toll these attacks were taking on her friend. Eric slipped his arm around her and she snuggled closer to him.
Claire felt a sting of jealousy and couldn’t even look at their happiness when her heart ached so badly.
“Thanks, Julie,” Travis said. “I want to get Claire out of the open. We’ll meet you at the house.”
Claire swung her focus to him and planned to argue, but his eyes were steeled with resolve and Claire knew she wouldn’t change his mind. She said good-bye and he escorted her to his car.
Once they were on the road, she faced him. “I’d like to tell Julie what’s going on. This last attack might put her over the edge. She deserves to know that she’s not in any danger.”
“I’ll call my CO the minute we get to the house and ask for permission.”
Surprised at his easy acquiescence, she continued to watch him. Or maybe she just wanted to watch him. Maybe touch him. Experience the warmth between them again.
“I can feel you looking at me,” he said without taking his focus off the road.
“I didn’t think you’d agree so quickly.”
“Despite what most women think, men aren’t oblivious to everything. I saw how upset Julie was, and I’ll help if I can.”
“Thank you.” His kindness had always been something she’d admired, adding another check mark in a column that had filled fast in his favor.
He didn’t say anything else. Maybe he was replaying the incident and trying to figure out their next move. Or maybe he was thinking about the kiss that told her he still had feelings for her. Deep feelings like the ones she was experiencing.
Was she foolish for continuing to shut him out?
A vision of Travis hitting his head and losing consciousness in the attack at her home flashed before her eyes. Even in a sleepy suburb of Orlando, Travis could’ve been killed in the blink of an eye.
How ironic. She’d chosen not to get involved with him because of the dangers of his job, but danger lurked all around. Car accidents. Burning houses. Plane crashes. He could die anywhere. Anytime. His job increased the odds, but there was no job that would leave him completely safe.
She looked at him and for the first time in two years, she let her feelings for him flow. Her heart felt full and whole as she was sure God intended for her. She wanted to embrace it. Be happy. Be content, but she couldn’t change six years of running from pain in an instant, if she could change at all.
NINE
Wishing coffee could bring him to life after his late night, Travis downed the last swallow and rinsed out his cup. He’d hung outside Kent’s house until 3:00 a.m., but Kent didn’t leave home. A major disappointment. It was bad enough that Travis sat in a freezing car for endless hours, but seeing Claire’s expression fall this morning when he’d told her they were no closer to finding her attacker? That cut right through him.
“One good bit of news is now that Julie knows the truth, she’s not afraid anymore,” Claire said. “Thanks again for getting permission for me to tell her last night.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied, wishing he could do something to alleviate Claire’s fear, too.
She finished loading the dishwasher. “We should get going.”
He dug car keys from his pocket and headed for the door. He took a good look around the area before escorting Claire to the car and climbing behind the wheel. She immediately lowered her visor to the ever-present Florida sunshine and settled back in her seat.
Keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings, Travis drove through her subdivision. Deflated snowmen and Santas lay on the grass while the sun’s rays caught lights strung on palm trees. The incongruent sight made him smile, but the smile disappeared the moment he turned onto the institute’s street and caught sight of the overflow parking lot filled with copious vases of red roses.
Odd. He could see poinsettias at Christmastime, but roses? Concerned, he slowed to take a closer look.
Claire leaned forward. “Is that Mike?”
Travis searched the far side of the lot, where a man dressed in a black tuxedo had his back to them. He was attaching a vinyl banner to the fence. He glanced furtively over his shoulder then turned back to his work.
“It is Mike,” Claire said. “What in the world is he up to?”
“Whatever it is, you stay here while I check it out.” Travis turned off the car and reached for his door handle.
Claire grabbed his arm. “Be careful, okay?”
“Hey,” he said, “Don’t worry. I’m trained to handle myself in dangerous circumstances.”
“Still.” She squeezed his hand. “Be careful. For me.”
“Of course.”
He may have played down this situation for Claire, but as he jogged across the road, he kept his hand firmly seated on his gun. The biggest mistake he could make would be to underestimate his enemy, and Mike was the enemy until proven otherwise.
Travis stealthily moved in, and when he was five feet from his target, he said, “Hello, Mike.”
Mike spun. His gaze quickly ran over Travis then lit on his rental car. He promptly ignored Travis and with a big smile, he started for the road.
For Claire.
Mike slipped his hand into his coat pocket.
Gun! Travis’s mind screamed and he reacted without thought, tackling Mike to the ground and straddling his back.
“What the—?” Mike mumbled as he squirmed. “What’re you doing, man, and what’s my girl doing in your car?”
Travis slowly turned Mike over and jerked his hand out of the pocket. A black velvet box lay in his palm. A ring? He was going to ask Claire to marry him?
“This is your grand gesture?” Travis stifled a burst of hysterical laughter threatening to escape. “Flowers and a proposal?”
Mike’s eyes narrowed. “What business is it of yours? And I’ll ask again, what’re you doing with Claire?”
“I’m doing some testing for the army while I’m in town and she’s working on the project.”
“You didn’t mention that the other night.”
Travis released Mike’s wrist and stood, keeping his hand on his gun just in case. “What are the odds that the Claire I work with and the Claire you mentioned are the same person?”
Mike scooted back. “Fair enough, but what’s with the tackle?”
“Someone attacked Claire the other day. I thought you might have a gun,” Travis answered truthfully.
“Me?” Mike’s mouth dropped open. “I’d never hurt Claire. I love her.”
“I know that now, bu
t...” Travis shrugged. “You should probably get the lot cleaned up before they arrest you for trespassing.”
“But I haven’t asked Claire to marry me yet.”
Travis eyed the guy, putting a healthy measure of warning in his gaze. “She’s not available.”
* * *
That evening, Claire ran her vacuum over the carpet to keep herself occupied while Travis followed Kent. With Mike ruled out as a suspect they’d spent the whole day digging into Kent’s background. His military background proved he was a formidable foe and she didn’t want Travis anywhere near him.
“Face it,” she mumbled. “You also don’t like that Travis isn’t here and you’re alone.”
I really, really don’t want to be alone. The sudden thought caused her feet to still.
She’d loved being with Travis. In the past and since he’d come to Orlando. Loved every minute of it, even the tense, raw moments, because the way he made her feel proved she was alive. Fully alive and not the shell of a woman she’d been since her dad’s death. She’d simply been going through the motions of life, but not really living. Except when she was with Travis. He brought out her desire to live life to the fullest. Something well worth the risk of losing him.
Convinced to tell him how she felt as soon as he got home, she continued across the room with a lighter step and noticed her phone blinking on the table. She found a text from Julie.
You won’t believe what I discovered about the thief’s identity. Can you come to the office so I can show it to you?
Yes, she replied without giving it a second thought, then dialed Travis to share the news. She got his voice mail. She suspected he’d silenced his phone to keep from alerting Kent. She left a message telling him she’d have Harper escort her to the institute and hurried outside to explain her situation to Harper.
“I’ll need to drive,” she said. “The security booth is unmanned at night and the barcode sticker that opens the gate is mounted on my dash.”
He looked uncomfortable with leaving his car behind, but he radioed in the plan, then secured his vehicle.
Excitement over the lead had her chatting nervously about the weather as she drove, and she nearly missed her first turn. She hooked a quick right and Harper eyed her, but she ignored him and placed her focus squarely on the road.
Good thing she had, as a car suddenly pulled from the curb in front of her, forcing her to hit the brakes.
“That guy’d get a ticket if I was in my patrol car,” Harper mumbled.
The car slowed more and soon a large SUV pulled out behind them and raced toward her bumper.
Harper swiveled to look behind them, and his expression shifted from surprise to grim understanding. “It’s a trap. They’re gonna squeeze us until we’re forced to stop.” He drew his gun. “Try to go around the car.”
Anxiety making her hands shake, she swerved to the side. Both cars reacted quickly and kept her sandwiched between them. The SUV revved its powerful engine and slammed into her bumper.
The car in front jerked to a stop and she stomped on the brakes but couldn’t stop before crashing into it. Her air bag deployed, slapping her in the face and knocking the breath out of her. She heard Harper’s bag inflate, too. He shoved it away.
“Stay here.” He eased out. Staying low, he slid along the side of her car, heading for the rear.
A gunshot split the night.
She struggled out of her seat belt and dived for the passenger’s seat. She stuck her head out just in time to see Harper drop to the ground.
“Are you okay?” she screamed, but he didn’t move or reply.
She had to check on him. As she slipped out, she saw a man jump from the front vehicle.
Was he coming to kill her, too?
Harper’s gun. She had to get to Harper’s gun.
She scrambled toward him, but hadn’t gotten three feet when she was jerked back by the shoulders. An arm clamped around her waist. She bucked and kicked, twisting with all her might.
“Give it a rest, Claire,” a familiar voice sounded in her ear. “Don’t scream or the chloroform comes out again. Got it?”
“Eric?” His name eased past the lump in her throat.
“Surprise.” He lifted her up and walked to his car as if he was carrying a small child.
Julie’s Eric was behind this? Was Julie involved, too? Was that why she’d sent the text?
The sting of betrayal bit hard, but when Eric opened his trunk and dropped her inside, her thoughts turned to survival. She could scream but they were on a deserted stretch of road and it wouldn’t do any good. But clearly Eric wasn’t taking any chances. He bound her hands and feet then gagged her before slamming the trunk.
Darkness settled in. Cloying. Fearful. Black. She had to get out of here. She just had to.
The car roared to life and her heart raced as she struggled against the ropes. The rough fibers tore at her skin and panic settled over her, cutting off her air.
Save your strength, she warned herself.
She’d need every ounce of energy if she was going to get out of this alive.
TEN
Disgusted, Travis headed for his car. Kent was having an affair with a woman from the institute, which explained his whereabouts and his lies to his wife. It made Travis sick. If he was ever lucky enough to have a wife, he’d never sully his vows that way.
He dug his phone out to view his messages and discovered a call from Claire and one from the institute. Maybe she’d gone to the office. He didn’t like the thought of her going anywhere without him and worry nagged at him as he listened to her voice mail. She had gone to work. At least Harper was with her. Still, Travis would head straight to the institute to make sure she was okay. As he neared the building, his phone rang. Caller ID declared the institute.
“Claire,” he answered.
“No, it’s Julie. Claire’s been in a car accident.”
His heart plummeted. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. We don’t know where she is.”
“Then how in thunder do you know she’s been in an accident?”
“She’s testing a new phone app we’re developing for military vehicles. If she’s in an accident and her phone’s mounted on her dash, the app senses the collision and starts the video recording on her phone. Then it sends an email to Peter Fisk who’s the project supervisor. He’s downloading the data now. We’ll know more soon.”
“I’m right outside. Meet me at the gate to let me in.” He cranked the wheel hard and jerked to a stop until the gate lifted. Within minutes, they were in Peter’s office with introductions out of the way.
“I’ve already had a chance to review the video, but honestly, it’s too dark to get any idea of where the accident occurred.” Peter ran a hand over his head. “I’ve already used her phone’s GPS to try to locate her, but she doesn’t have it turned on.”
Feeling helpless, Travis peered at Peter. “She was afraid her abductor was using GPS to keep tabs on her so she turned it off. Can you track the email and get a location of where it originated?”
“Not without the help of her cell phone service provider.” Peter held up a hand. “Before you get excited about that, even if I could find someone to talk to me at the phone company, they won’t share private information with me. It would take police involvement to get a warrant for it and that could take time.”
Which they didn’t have. “Then let’s look at the video to see if we can figure out her location.”
Peter started the video playing and tapped the screen. “That jarring of the camera you see is the point of impact. Since Claire was hit from behind, her front-facing camera caught this video of the back of her car.”
The camera settled, displaying a large SUV forcing her car forward then the screen suddenly change
d. Travis wished for sound to hear Claire’s voice, but they only had video.
“Now she slams into the car in front of her,” Peter said. “And the phone changes to the rear-facing camera, which catches everything in front of her car.”
A smaller sedan came to a complete stop, which in turn jerked Claire’s car to a stop. The sedan inched several feet ahead, but Claire’s vehicle didn’t move.
“So it’s a minor fender bender,” Travis said, his senses still on high alert. “I don’t understand why she didn’t call me.”
“Keep watching,” Peter said.
The driver’s door opened and a man climbed out of the sedan. He raised a gun and rested his arm on the roof, his face shadowed in the darkness of night. The muzzle flashed and the man’s arm jerked.
Travis’s heart stopped. He could almost hear the gunshot reverberate through the night. Feel the recoil of the weapon. See the target fall.
“Did he just shoot someone?” Julie’s voice skyrocketed high.
“Looks like it,” Travis said, but kept his eyes glued to the screen, dreading confirmation that the gunman had shot Claire.
Weapon pointed ahead, he marched toward her car. He crossed between the vehicles and disappeared from the video then he returned with Claire clamped in his arms. She was kicking and thrashing, but he managed to get the trunk open and drop her inside.
“She’s alive,” Julie said on a whispered breath.
Relief flooded through Travis, but Claire was still in extreme danger so he kept his eyes riveted to the screen. To Claire. Headlights from her car caught the terror in her eyes, making Travis furious and light-headed at the same time.
He waited for Harper to come to Claire’s rescue, but there was no sign of the officer. Which meant he’d been incapacitated. Likely he was the one who’d been shot.
Travis flashed a quick look at Peter. “Would you call 9-1-1 to report the shooting?”
“I did the moment I saw the video. They’re already looking for Officer Harper.”
“Good,” Travis said and hoped the police had some way of tracking their officer. Maybe finding Claire, too, but it looked as if her abductor planned to take her from the scene.
Holiday Defenders : Mission: Christmas Rescuespecial Ops Christmashomefront Holiday Hero (9781460341254) Page 14