Noah cleared his throat. “This isn’t your fault, Danny.”
The teen shook his head. “Yeah, it is. They are going to keep coming after her until I stop them.” He shot an angry glare at Noah. “That’s what the man said, remember?” He searched the doorway. “Where is Derek?”
And of course, the marshal picked that moment to enter the room with Adam behind him. Noah forced his hand out of a fist. The kids didn’t need to see him pound the ass into the carpet. He should have protected Elizabeth.
Erin let out a loud gasp and raced into his arms. “You’re bleeding. God, he shot you?”
Derek unclasped a button of his shirt. “I was wearing my vest. The bullet nicked my shoulder.” He lifted her chin. “I’m fine, Erin.” He hugged her to his uninjured side and said to Noah, “We need to talk.”
“You think?” Noah replied through clenched teeth.
Danny came off the bed, his shoulders stiff and expression hard. “No more secrets, Derek. Erin and I have a right to know what’s happening to us.”
The marshal’s expression softened. “You’re right. You and Erin are part of this now.”
When he turned back to Noah, the softness was gone.
“I briefed my boss about what went down. We’ll be ready to move in about two hours. You gave me the impression this place was safe and off the books. Someone knows about it and wasted no time getting to Elizabeth.”
Noah swallowed his anger. “Your point, Marshal Ramon?”
“We have a leak that needs to be plugged.”
“Maybe on your side. The people who know this place exists are my family, and your leak didn’t come from a McNeil.”
“I need some assurances the Merlots are safe, or I’ve been ordered to move now,” he said, staring at Elizabeth.
“You’re not taking her like this.”
Adam stepped between them. “I took Erin’s and Danny’s cell phones at the hotel and checked them for bugs. Noah’s right. Your leak is coming from your end.”
“No, that’s impossible.”
“You need to plug it before you make a move. The lake was an unfortunate oversight, and I take responsibility. But you can be damn sure no uninvited guest will make it onto my property or into this cabin,” Adam said.
A thought erupted in Noah’s head, and before he could talk himself out of it, he blared it out loud. “While you are changing your plans, make room for one more person.”
“Who?” Derek and Adam demanded simultaneously.
“I’m going with them.”
“Like hell you are,” Adam roared, the sound vibrating off the walls.
Noah never considered himself a jump-headfirst-over-the-cliff type of guy. There was a force pulling them together, something he didn’t understand or even want, but he couldn’t ignore it either.
Danny charged into Noah, almost knocking him on his ass. Noah’s hand rested on the teen’s trembling shoulders. If he doubted his decision, the kid’s reaction solidified it. “If Elizabeth agrees, I’m going into the program with them.”
Derek let out a hard laugh. “She’ll never go for it, and we don’t allow non-family members to tag along, detective.”
“Then I’ll fix that,” he said, retrieving his phone from his pocket and hitting speed dial.
Jared picked up on the first ring. “Hey, what’s going on? Got a frantic call from Jason …”
“We’re fine. We got Elizabeth back. Jared, we need to find someone else to ID Mendoza’s body. I can’t make the trip after all. I need you to find Father Anthony and get him here fast.”
“Why?”
“I’m getting married.”
Chapter Twenty
Noah’s mumbled words sent a sharp pain into Elizabeth’s heart. I’m getting married. After the night they had spent together, how could the damn man even think of marrying another woman?
She opened her mouth to tell him what she thought of him, but nothing came out. Her mouth felt as if it were stuffed with a wad of cotton balls. In fact, her whole body had that stuffed feeling. Her limbs were pinned to heavy weights, and when she tried to shake her head and open her eyelids, they wouldn’t move an inch.
Danny’s shout pierced through the jumbled muck in her head and everything rushed back: the man on the Jet Ski and Derek’s chest covered in blood. Fear shot through her as she struggled to wake.
“Mom!”
Danny’s panicked cry roared in her head, but she couldn’t answer him. The weight on the bed shifted and someone placed a hand under her head.
“Elizabeth, take a little sip.”
Noah. The rat bastard. If her arms weren’t glued to her side, she would strike him in his cheating, dishonest head.
“Don’t fight it. It’s just water.”
Opening her mouth, she scraped her tongue off the roof and took in the cool drink.
“Try that again,” he ordered.
She opened her mouth a second time. The cool liquid felt wonderful rolling down her parched throat. By some miracle, it cleared her mind and her eyelids popped open.
“Danny, Erin, give her a chance to wake up,” Noah said, moving out of view.
She turned her head and met her children’s tear-filled eyes. When she reached out a still-heavy hand to them, they each jumped on the bed and hugged a side.
“Hey, I’m okay,” she whispered, her voice sounding raspy and hoarse.
“Derek was shot and you were kidnapped again. That’s not okay, Mom,” Danny howled, holding her hand in a vise grip.
She tried to sit up, but with 200 pounds latched onto her chest, that was impossible.
“Guys, let your mom get comfortable.”
Noah reached under her arms and scooted her back against the headboard. He grabbed two pillows and positioned them behind her. He was so close, his herbal scent washed over her, and for the moment, his blue eyes eased away the fear clutching her chest.
Somehow, she was safe, and she owed it all to Noah. With the fear gone, anger quickly seeped into every pore. “Thanks for coming after me. Now get your hands off me, you stinking, no-good rat bastard.”
Danny let out a loud gasp. “Mom, he just saved your life.”
“And I thanked him. But that doesn’t excuse what he has done.”
Noah physically lifted Danny to his feet and took his spot on the bed, placing both palms on the pillows next to her head. “What the hell did I do this time?”
“You know. And I will not discuss it with my kids present. You should have at least an ounce of decency in that thick head to understand.”
Instead of anger, a sparkle of laughter edged into his expression. “Sorry, I just promised them I wouldn’t keep anything from them since this affects them, too.”
“You have no right to tell my kids a damn—”
His lips landed on hers for a hard, demanding kiss. She twisted her head and broke their connection.
“Elizabeth, why am I a rat bastard?”
Her eyes began to sting so she shut them. She would not shed one tear for the damn man. Sucking in a breath, she lowered her voice to a whisper, “Last night meant something to me, you jerk.”
“And me, too. Stop calling me names. It’s pissing me off.”
“Like I give a damn—”
Noah’s mouth stole another mind-blowing kiss. This kiss sent a jolt into her stomach as heat rose into her cheeks. Again she yanked her mouth free. “Stop doing that,” she blared out.
“As it turns out, I don’t like hearing you cuss. If you want me to stop kissing you, then stop cussing and tell me what the hell I did wrong.”
“Okay, you jerkball, how can you be with me and marry someone else? That is the lowest, most despicable thing—”
“He thinks he’s marrying you,” Derek said, holding back a laugh.
“Me?”
The pieces began to fall into place. Fear swirled into the mixture of anger and hurt, sending her emotions into a tailspin. “No, that’s not happening.”
“
Now, Elizabeth—”
She shut Noah’s response off with a hard shove at his chest. He moved enough for her to jump out of bed. The instant her feet hit the floor, the world began to spin in tight little circles and nausea roiled in her gut.
“I’m going to be sick,” she said, and stumbled into the bathroom. She slammed the door, turned the lock, and held her head over the toilet. She could only dry heave.
She grabbed tissues from the box on the shelf and wiped her lips. She moved to the sink and splashed several handfuls of cool water over her face before rinsing out her mouth.
A fist pounded on the door. “Let me in,” Noah demanded, turning the knob.
She leaned her body against the door. “Leave me alone.” Covering her face with both hands, she sunk to the floor.
The damn, stupid, bigheaded man was insane if he thought for even an instant she would consider taking him into this hell. Tears spilled over her cheeks. When the sob broke, she slammed her hand over her mouth.
She had been alone for so long. Trapped, always looking over her shoulder, never feeling safe. Every morning, she found the courage to make it through one more frightening day. Derek was there if she ever needed him, but he had his own life and several other witnesses he protected. To have someone like Noah to lean on, to help carry the burden, was something she never allowed herself to want.
She rested her head on the cool tile. All she had to do was say yes. On the surface, it sounded so easy, but like everything else, the cost was too high.
“You are real hard on a man’s ego, sweetheart,” Noah said quietly. “Open the door so we can talk.”
“No.” She reached for more tissues and pressed them over her eyes. A click sounded and the door opened into her. “Damn you, Noah McNeil. Get out.”
He squeezed inside and shut the door, turning the lock. Dropping down to the floor, he crossed his legs and met her glare with one of his own.
“Another thing I don’t care for is your always saying no to me. You are too important to me to allow you to leave on your own. I can help Derek keep you and the kids safe.”
He cupped her face and lowered his mouth, his lips tender, soft. Something dark, electric erupted in her, and she took control, dragging herself over his lap until she saddled him. Her time with this maddening, sexy, marvelous man was coming to an end. She was going to take this one moment and live.
Ending the kiss, she slid her lips over the stubble at his jaw as she arched into him. She loved the taste and feel of Noah McNeil. Without a doubt, he was ruining her for any other man, but that was okay. There weren’t going to be other men.
“Does this mean yes?”
She eased back and met his stare, shaking her head. “This means good-bye, Noah. I’ll never drag you—”
He took her mouth and the game changed, his hand cupping her bottom and yanking her into him. Hot jolts of need sliced into her core as her nipples hardened. She couldn’t catch a breath, think, reason. When his other hand tore at her thin T-shirt, she almost begged to feel skin against skin. Noah wanted to brand her to him so she couldn’t exist without him. It would be so simple to give in, to allow him to win this battle.
But death and horrific violence built the shields surrounding her heart, and not even Noah McNeil could penetrate them. Derek’s partner’s bullet-ridden body trumped everything. If anything happened to Noah, there wouldn’t be anything left of her worthy of saving.
A loud fist hit the door several times. “You have three seconds to open this fucking door, Noah, or I’ll break the damn thing down.”
She broke the kiss and slipped off his lap. “Who is that?”
“Jared,” he said, cupping her chin as he stood. “And we are not done, Elizabeth.”
Opening the door, he yelled, “Give me a minute, asshole.” He slammed the flat of his hand on the door, making Elizabeth jerk back. He reached for her and gently tugged. “I’m not angry at you.”
“Yeah, you are.” She ran a hand over the back of her hair, pulling it into a ponytail. “Why is Jared here?”
“I need to say goodbye.”
“Which you are not doing.”
Before she could go into the hundred reasons why marrying her was the stupidest decision in his life, another thought hit her. Last night, it took them almost two hours to arrive at the cabin. “How long was I out?”
“A while.”
“Noah, are there marshals here beside Derek?” She couldn’t keep the panic from her voice.
“Downstairs. They have been here for almost an hour. I told Derek if he tried to take you the way you were, he would have to kill me to get to you.”
“And the man who took me? Did he say who hired him?”
“He’s dead. We didn’t get a chance to interrogate him.”
Then that’s it. Three attempts, three strikes. No answers.
She reached behind Noah and unlocked the door. “I’m not marrying you, not today, not ever as long as there is a price on my head.”
Before she could leave or Jared could barge inside, Noah slammed the door hard, re-locking it. “I get to have a say in this, damn it.”
“Not this time. You have no idea what you are asking.”
“Again, I’m not one of your kids. You don’t get to make decisions for me.”
“No, you damn stupid jerk. I’m trying to keep you from making the worst mistake in your life.”
“Marrying you isn’t stupid. It may be a little sudden, but this is an extreme situation. We could be good together, and I’m not allowing you to throw us away because you’re scared.”
Elizabeth took a calming breath. There had to be a way to reach him. She took both of his hands and brought them to her lips. “What you are offering is the kindest, most generous thing anyone has ever offered me. It’s not that I don’t want to marry you. I can’t.” She again pressed her lips to his knuckles.
“Elizabeth, please marry me.”
“You are making this so hard. I had to give up my family, and it was like ripping my heart out of my chest and stomping on it. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss them. Jared is your twin brother, identical twin.” She raised her chin and met his glare. “You could never see him again.”
“It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Contact with family members can be arranged.”
“Your family will become targets, Noah. As a cop, you know firsthand how vicious people like Mendoza and De Rousse can be.”
A deep sadness entered his expression. “I’ll never relax knowing you and the kids are out there alone. Give us a chance. Our marriage will be a real one.”
“We spent one night together. Two weeks ago, you couldn’t stand to be in the same room with me.”
He let out a sigh. “I was an idiot. If we had the time, I would wine and dine you until you fall hopelessly in love with us. You open this door and I’ll never see you again. Aren’t you a little curious where we could take last night?”
The memory would haunt her for years. But great sex, even with Noah McNeil, didn't erase the fear and violence she carried with her.
“Noah, you can walk away and, in time, find the real love of your life. If we go ahead with this crazy scheme, I see two scenarios. One, we both drop our walls and allow ourselves to fall for each other. We start believing we can live our lives like everyone else. One day out of the blue, they catch up to me, and I get to watch you die at my feet.”
“I won’t let that happen.”
She raised her hands. “No, let me finish. The second scenario, what we shared last night runs its course. You begin to hate the life you have chosen and feel as trapped as I do, hating the way you are forced to live, but knowing there is no way out.” She dropped his hands and took a step back. “My heart can’t take either of those scenarios. I may be making the biggest mistake in my life, but it’s my mistake to make, and you need to let me go.”
“I can protect you—”
“As can the Marshals Service. We haven’t had any
problems in years.”
“And if they find you again?”
“We will be moved again. It’s how we have to live, but it’s not your life.” She kissed him gently on the lips, slipped around him, and opened the door.
Jared, his face as hard as a stone statue, blocked the doorway. The glare he gave her should have been powerful enough to turn her to dust.
“Talk some sense into your brother.”
She moved around him and came face to face with her priest. “Father Anthony, what are you doing here?”
Elizabeth had joined St. Luke’s because the neighborhood had such a connection to the church. Saying that she was Catholic was one more lie on the list, and one she had hoped would be easily forgiven. Her kids spent time at St. Luke’s and loved Father Anthony. She kept her distance from the priest because he seemed to know she was one big fake.
“Jared asked me to come. I understand there is going to be a wedding.”
“I’m so sorry to have wasted your time. There can’t be a wedding.” She peered back at Noah standing in the doorway of the bathroom. “At least, not today.” She crossed the room to Derek, placing an arm around Danny and Erin. “We’re ready.”
Derek, too, shot a glance at Noah. “I knew she would never go for it.”
Danny gripped her hand and kept her from leaving the room. “Noah said he would come with us.”
“I said if your mother agreed. She doesn’t.” He leaned against the door frame, his eyes swimming with moisture.
“But you like him, Mom. I can tell you really like him. Why?”
Elizabeth clamped down on her jaw to keep her own tears at bay. Her son had to understand. She didn’t have the strength to fight him. She placed her arm around his shoulder and leaned close to his ear. “Look at his brother. This is killing him. For Noah to join us, he has to leave Jared and Jennie. It’s too high a price.”
For once, her words sunk in because instead of the argument she expected, Danny raised his head and nodded. Then he moved across the room to the man he called friend.
“I’ll take care of my family the right way, the way you care for your family.” He gave Noah a quick hug. “Don’t forget me.”
Noah wrapped his arms around her son and held him as tightly as he had held her. “Never.”
In the Shadow of Vengeance Page 15