Dangerous Curves

by Kristina Wright

  Jake popped the lid off the cooler and rummaged around in the ice. He passed her a canned soda and a blueberry muffin wrapped in plastic wrap. “It’s not the most well-balanced meal, but it’ll have to do.”

  Sam uncurled her fists and took the offering. “Thanks.” She examined the muffin before taking a bite. “This is good. I expected beef jerky and stale peanuts.”

  Jake fished out another soda and two more muffins, feeding one to Fletcher. The dog wolfed down the bite-size pieces and sniffed Jake’s hands for more. “Mac likes to bake.”

  Sam devoured the rest of her muffin and forced a grin. She felt ten times better with some food in her stomach. She’d feel a hundred times better when her feet were back on the ground. “Glad one of you Cavanaughs has some practical use.”

  “Mac says it relaxes him. His ex hated cooking. It made her crazy that he was always banging around in the kitchen.” Jake finished the rest of his muffin and fed Fletcher an ice cube from the cooler. “I keep telling him most women appreciate that sort of thing.”

  “Is that the voice of experience?”

  Jake’s playful smile faded. He darted a glance at Sam, his face expressionless. He slid the lid of the cooler into place before turning back to the controls.

  “I wouldn’t know None of the Cavanaugh boys have been lucky in love. My ex said I was gone so much she hardly remembered my name,” he muttered.

  “How long were you married?”

  “Six years.”

  She could tell by the way he kept his attention on the sky that he didn’t want to talk about it. But she persisted, wanting to know about him, wanting to understand what made this man tick. “Kids?”

  “No. I wanted some, but Margo said—” He bit back whatever he was going to say “Well, it wouldn’t do to have a cop for a father, would it?”

  “I’m sorry.” It was the only response she could think of,

  He shrugged. “Don’t be. Margo decided she was tired of competing with my job for my attention. It worked out for the best.”

  “Did it?” He didn’t answer and she studied his profile. “My father said my mother threw him out.”

  He glanced over at her. “Why?”

  “Because he was never home.”

  A wry smile twisted Jake’s mouth. “Sounds familiar.”

  “I don’t know if I believe him.”

  Jake sighed. “Sam, I can’t tell you what to do. But I lost my father when I was a kid and if someone gave me a chance to spend time with him again, I’d jump at it.”

  “Are you saying I should just forget everything that happened?”

  “I’m saying, give the man a chance. It won’t hurt you. And you might be glad you did.”

  Sam sighed and rested her head against the back of her seat. White fluffy clouds hung in a perfect, brilliant blue sky. It really was quite beautiful as long as she didn’t think about crashing. Or about the guys back at the airport with guns.

  The hot sun glinting off the tinted glass was giving her a headache She closed her eyes and tried to relax. But she couldn’t help wondering if she’d ever be able to figure out Jake Cavanaugh.

  Sam woke up disoriented, with a crick in her neck. Reaching up to rub the sore spot, she winced. “How much longer until we land?” Her throat felt like gravel.

  “Hey, sleepyhead. We’re almost there.” Jake glanced at her. “You okay?”

  She nodded and rested her head against the seat, feeling the plane begin its descent. “As good as can be expected.”

  “Hang in there. You’ll be on the ground in a few minutes.”

  Sam trusted his flying skills, but she wasn’t so sure about his plan. She suspected he was grasping at straws. Knowing that she’d taken pictures of some supposedly-deceased Central American crime boss didn’t answer the question of who was after her and why they would go to such lengths to keep her quiet.

  The radio squawked to life when Jake turned it on. He made contact with the air tower and requested clearance to land.

  Minutes later, the runway loomed as the plane began Its approach. Sam closed her eyes but that didn’t stop her stomach from climbing into her throat. Her heart hammered in her chest as the plane touched down.

  As the plane rolled to a stop, she cracked her eyes open They’d landed in one piece.

  Jake looked over and gave her a grim smile. “This is it. It’s over.”

  The finality of his words made her shiver. Nodding at him, she unfastened her seat belt. Beside her, wedged in next to the cooler, Fletcher came to life. He stretched his gangly limbs and yawned, the sound trailing off into a howl. She knew how he felt.

  They gathered their bags and Sam reached for the box Jake had been carrying Jake’s hand got there first. She met his gaze over the seat “I can carry it.”

  “That’s all right. I’ve got it.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “You going to tell me what’s in there?”

  “Later.”

  She shrugged “Fine. Keep your secrets.”

  “Sam—” he started

  “Forget it, Jake. It’s no big deal.” She pulled her hand back and waited for him to get the door open.

  “I need to call Sherry and ask her to pick us up,” Jake said as they headed across the tarmac.

  Sam nodded and hoped that Jake wasn’t making a mistake in trusting this woman. “I desperately need a bathroom,” she told him.

  “Hang on.” When they got to the main building, Jake pointed to a pay phone by the main door. “I’ll be right there. Don’t go running off.”

  She didn’t bother to respond.

  Chapter 15

  Relief washed over Jake when Sherry picked up on the second ring. “Sher? It’s Jake.”

  “Jake? Who died?”

  Startled, he said, “What?”

  Her relaxed laugh filled his ear. “I figure that’s the only reason you’d be calling me.”

  He could feel a slow flush creeping up the back of his neck. She was right. And he wouldn’t be calling her now if he didn’t need to. “Sorry about that, Sherry. I just thought—Well, I guess I thought—”

  “You thought I wouldn’t want to hear from you,” she interrupted.

  He nodded to himself. “Yeah.”

  “Jake Cavanaugh, you’re the most stubborn, pigheaded man I’ve ever known next to Charlie.”

  At the mention of his partner, Jake swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn’t deserve her kindness. But he’d take it. “Look, Sherry, I need to ask you a favor.”

  “Well, now, I guess hell must have frozen over. Ask away, sugar.”

  “It’s complicated. I’d rather explain it in person.” What an understatement. “I’m at the airport. I hate to put you out, but—”

  “Give me twenty minutes, Jake. I have to pick up Emily at school.”

  Jake glanced over as the automatic doors slid open and Sam came out. “Well, I’m not alone. I have a friend with me.” At a tug of the leash in his hand, Jake added, “And Fletcher.”

  “It’ll be a regular party.” Sherry chuckled, then her voice got husky. “Emily’s missed you, Jake. Nearly as much as she misses her daddy.”

  “I’m sorry, Sher. You know I love that kid like she was my own.” Jake caught the surprised expression on Sam’s face out of the corner of his eye and could only imagine what she was thinking.

  “Then don’t be such a stranger from now on.”

  “I’ll work on it,” he promised.

  He hung up the phone and turned to Sam. “She’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  He gestured toward one of the plastic benches that lined the wall beside the row of pay phones. “Come on, Sam, pull up a seat.”

  She sat down, her eyes on anything but him. He sat down next to her, noticing the way she turned away from him. “You’re being awfully quiet”

  She shrugged, staring out at the parking lot. “What do you want me to say? I don’t want your friend involved in my problems any more than I wanted to drag you into them. Thing
s just keep snowballing out of control.”

  “Hey, it’s not that bad.”

  “Stop it, Jake. I know the score as well as you do.” She jerked her head around to look at him, her hair coming loose and swinging around her face. “We barely made it out of Key West alive.”

  He nodded. “I know.” Unable to resist the soft look on her face, he cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. His heart trip-hammered in his chest at the vulnerability in her eyes. Why couldn’t he have stayed out of her life? Why did she make him feel so damn protective? “But we made it. We made it, dammit. And we’re going to keep on making it.”

  Her eyes shone with tears, but she blinked them back and pulled away from him. “I’m glad you’re convinced But what do we do now?”

  He hadn’t wanted to say anything until he was sure Sherry could help them. Hell, he still wasn’t sure she could do anything for them. Or would want to. But he owed Sam some kind of explanation.

  “My friend Sherry Johnson is coming to pick us up. She was more than a friend, really She—”

  Sam held up her hand “I don’t need the details of your love life.”

  ‘“Love life’?”

  “I’d just as soon not know about your girlfriends.”

  Jake shook his head before it dawned on him. Sam thought he was romantically involved with Sherry. His heart thudded dully in his chest. The idea that Sam might be jealous appealed to him in a way he couldn’t explain.

  “Sherry was the wife of my partner. After Charlie died—” He swallowed hard before going on. “After Charlie died, I didn’t see her much. She moved up here last year.”

  “Oh.” The expression on Sam’s face was priceless and confirmed Jake’s suspicions. She’d been jealous.

  “Sherry works for the governor’s office. I thought she might be able to help.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know, really. But she might know who we can go to, who we can trust. We need someone outside the local police on our side.”

  “You think this is some big conspiracy?”

  He hesitated before nodding. It sounded paranoid as hell, but after everything they’d been through in the past couple of days, he didn’t know what else to think. “Could be. There’re too many loose ends we just don’t have answers for.”

  The sliding doors opened and a group of laughing teenagers—probably college students, judging by the Florida State T-shirts—came out. Jake watched them walk toward the parking lot and felt very old all of a sudden. He dragged a hand through his hair, his shoulders slumping.

  “I’ve got a few connections on the force,” he said. “But so does Montegna. I need to talk to someone I can trust and find out what the hell agency Manning is working for. But I haven’t run out of ideas yet.”

  Sam offered him a rueful smile. “I’ll start worrying when you do.”

  “We’ll figure something out,” he said, wondering whom he was trying to convince. “For the moment, we have the upper hand.”

  She turned to him, her eyes wide and clear. “Knowledge is power.”

  “Right” He squeezed her shoulder, drawing strength from her. “We know something most of the world doesn’t. Carlos Montegna is alive. Now all we have to do is figure out how to use that knowledge to our benefit”

  “Before it’s too late.”

  What she said was true, so he didn’t bother to deny it. They’d been lucky to stay one step ahead of the game this far. It wouldn’t take long for Montegna’s men, or whatever shadow agency Manning worked for, to track them.

  A white Toyota pulled up at the curb and Jake jumped to his feet. “It’s Sherry.”

  The passenger door opened and a young girl scrambled out, leaving the door wide-open. The lump in Jake’s throat threatened to undo him.

  “Uncle Jake!” she screamed before launching herself at him, a tangle of gangly limbs and red-blond hair.

  He laughed, staggering under the friendly assault. “Whoa’ You can’t be Emily ” Fletcher barked excitedly and joined the fray, his leash tangling around them.

  The energetic young girl in his arms hardly resembled the thin, hollow-looking child he’d known two years ago. Disease had ravaged her, aging her. But now she looked like a healthy kid, with her father’s eyes. Jake’s heart swelled to think that she’d beaten it. Charlie would have been proud.

  Over Emily’s shoulder, Jake saw Sherry get out of the car, her red curls bouncing. “Let the man breathe, Em,” she said to Emily.

  “It’s all right,” Jake said quickly. “It’s been a while. You’ve grown up, kiddo.”

  Emily flashed a thousand-watt smile at him. “I’m almost thirteen.”

  “And I’m not getting any younger waiting for my hug.” Sherry playfully nudged Emily aside and gave Jake the once-over. “You look tired.”

  Jake looked at Sam, recognizing the uncomfortable expression on her face. He’d felt the same way back at her father’s house. “We’ve had a rough couple of days.”

  “Well, hug me anyway, big guy. Then you can introduce us.”

  When Sherry stepped back, Jake make the introductions. “Sherry Johnson, this is my friend Samantha Martin.” One of Sam’s eyebrows rose imperceptibly at the word “friend.”

  “Hi, Samantha,” Sherry said, offering Sam her hand. “In case you’re wondering, the little tornado is my daughter, Emily.”

  “Mo-om,” Emily said, dragging the word out in that interminable way of adolescents. “Don’t embarrass me!”

  Jake scanned the parking lot. He knew they were safe for the moment but had no way of predicting how long that would last. Montegna’s men had a peculiar way of showing up wherever they were. And he wasn’t going to put Sherry and Emily in danger. His conscience reminded him that he might have already, just having them come here.

  “Something wrong, Jake?” Sherry asked, her smile fading. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Glancing at Sam, Jake picked up their bags and started for the car. “I’ll tell you later.”

  “Sorry about the mess,” Sherry said as she let them into her house.

  Sam followed Jake into the two-story town house, at once charmed by Sherry’s friendliness and uncomfortable with it. The woman seemed to readily accept her, while Sam couldn’t reconcile her feelings one way or the other. She was thankful for Sherry’s help but didn’t want to be the cause of any more deaths.

  The short drive from the airport had been filled with Emily’s chatter and Fletcher’s occasional barking at passing cars. Sam had been glad not to have to make conversation—or worse, explain her story all over again or her brief association with Jake.

  It shouldn’t matter who she was to Jake. All that mattered was whether Sherry Johnson could help them. But that knowledge didn’t stop her heart from plummeting to her feet when Jake had called her his “friend.” Sam reminded herself that she had no claim to Jake. She wasn’t even sure she wanted one.

  “You can put your bags down in here.” Sherry gestured toward a room off the living room.

  Jake followed Sherry into the room while Sam stood awkwardly in the living room. Emily had disappeared upstairs with Fletcher and she could hear the girl’s squeals and what sounded like a fleet of soldiers tramping across the floor.

  “If you’re going to play like that, take it outside!” Sherry hollered.

  Moments later, the girl and the dog bounded down the stairs. “Can I take him for a walk?” she asked as Jake and Sherry came out of the bedroom.

  Jake nodded. “But I’d better go with you. He’ll drag you down the street.”

  The two of them headed toward the back of the house, with Fletcher following, his tail wagging. A door slammed. Sherry smiled at Sam. “Don’t mind her. I lock her in the basement after dinner.”

  “She’s terrific,” she said sincerely.

  “We’ve got a mother-daughter softball game tonight, so we’ll be eating dinner in an hour or so,” Sherry said. “You can take a nap if you like. You loo
k like you could use one just as badly as Jake.”

  Sam found herself nodding. “Thanks.”

  “Do you want to give me a hand making the bed?”

  “Sure.”

  The bed was a convertible sofa in a makeshift office. Books were piled on every surface, including the couch. Most were law-books, but Sam saw a couple of Emily’s school textbooks in the mix.

  Sherry cleared the sofa and stacked the books on a table already piled high. She apologized with a smile. “I’d let you have my room but I think Emily’s music would keep you up all night.” She grinned at Sam. “This way, the only thing that’ll bother you will be Jake’s snoring.”

  “Believe me, I’m grateful for any bed.” Sam took the corner of the sheet and tucked it under the thin mattress. “Thank you. For everything.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet. Jake hasn’t told me how I can help you.”

  Sam sat on the edge of the bed, worrying her lip between her teeth. “I’d better let him fill in the details. It’s a long story.”

  “Do you want to come out to the kitchen and keep me company while I make dinner?”

  “I’d like that.”

  Sam followed her to the other end of the house. The kitchen was narrow, with a small dining area at one end that led to a tiny screened-in porch. Beyond that was a fenced-in yard. Sherry gestured toward the table. “Sit down. Can I get you something to drink?”

  Sam nodded. “That would be great.”

  Sherry rummaged through the refrigerator. “I have soda and tea.” She pulled out a milk container and shook it, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “I also have chunky milk.”

  “Tea would be wonderful,” Sam said with a smile.

  Sherry nodded and took a glass from the cabinet over the stove. “How long have you known Jake?”

  Sam hedged, not sure how much she should tell her. “Not very long, though it feels like forever.”

  Sherry nodded again, her long red curls bouncing against her shoulders. “I haven’t seen Jake in a couple of years. His choice. But I’m glad he’s here now.”

  “He told me he was partners with your husband. I’m sorry about what happened.”