In His Safekeeping

by Shawna Delacorte

  Doreen paced back and forth across the living room, her manner jittery, her movements growing erratic as she waved the gun back and forth as she talked. And the more she talked the more agitated she became. “Brad’s the only one who suspects. As soon as Brad gets back, I’ll take care of both of you, then no one will know.”

  “That’s not true. He’s confided his suspicions to others. He told me so.”

  “You’re lying. He took his suspicions to Thom, but that’s where it stopped because Thom didn’t believe any of it. I know…I’ve been monitoring every move Brad made. He didn’t go over Thom’s head, he didn’t make any kind of report. He didn’t go to the FBI. I’ve been ahead of him every step of the way. As soon as you slipped away from San Juan Island, I had Danny waiting here for you to show up. It was in Brad’s personnel records, his sister’s name as the one to notify. All I had to do is check to see what she owned and I turned up this place. It was the only logical move for Brad to make, the only place he could go without having his location compromised. So you see, I’ve been more clever than him from the moment he stumbled across the information about the dead witnesses.”

  Tara’s panic resurfaced. A sick feeling churned inside her accompanied by the bitter taste of fear. Why hadn’t Brad done something. She saw the signal, she knew he was in the kitchen. What was he waiting for? Doreen was obviously on the edge and spiraling out of control. She fought to maintain an outer calm so she wouldn’t trigger any type of violent action in Doreen.

  “You’re a long way from the office, Shirley. Or do you prefer to be called Doreen? Drop the gun on the floor and kick it under the couch.” Brad’s voice carried total authority and control.

  A wave of relief washed over Tara. Brad would take care of everything. It was as if every tightly stretched muscle and taut nerve ending had suddenly decided to turn to mush. She felt as if she couldn’t move even if she wanted to.

  Doreen whirled toward the kitchen, her features set in a hard expression, her eyes cold and ruthless. He had his 9mm handgun leveled at her. She hesitated for a moment then dropped the gun, but didn’t kick it away.

  Brad moved from the kitchen into the living room. He barked out orders, leaving no room for dissension. “I said to kick it under the couch—now!”

  Doreen edged her foot toward the gun. In a lightning-quick move she kicked it directly at Brad. He ducked, dropped to one knee and took aim at her. But not in time.

  Doreen grabbed Tara’s arm and pulled her in front as a shield. Her arm tightened around Tara’s neck and she had her hand against the side of Tara’s head. The adrenaline pumped hard through Tara’s body, leaving the taste of stark terror in her mouth. She fought off the panic that tried to take over. She had to keep her wits about her and not provoke Doreen into doing anything.

  “Back off, Brad, or else I’ll snap her neck. I can do it. I’m very strong. How do you think Danny got into Puget Sound? I lifted him out of the car and carried him over my shoulder…one hundred and seventy-five pounds of dead weight and I still carried him.”

  Brad set his gun on the coffee table and stepped back. “Don’t do anything foolish. You don’t have any way out of here.”

  “Sure I do. I’m going right out the front door as soon as I get your gun.” She shoved Tara forward, maintaining her as a shield as she moved toward the coffee table. She reached out to pick up the gun while keeping her other arm around Tara’s neck.

  Tara swallowed down the sick feeling that rose in her throat. Stay focused… Stay focused. She fought to shove away the nearly overwhelming terror that threatened to paralyze even her ability to think. Pervasive quiet filled the room, blocking out everything except the intense pounding of her heart. She kept her gaze locked on Brad’s face, drawing courage and strength from the intensity she found there.

  The noise filled the air, sounding a thousand times louder than it really was as it broke the ominous silence. Tara felt Doreen’s body stiffen for a moment, then Doreen turned in the direction the sound had come from.

  Ken Walsh stood at the top of the stairs. He had cocked his revolver and aimed it straight at Doreen’s head. His voice was low and no-nonsense. “Turn loose of her and step back.”

  Brad instantly sprung into action. He grabbed his gun from the coffee table and in three quick strides had the muzzle pressed against Doreen’s temple. “Do like the man said. Turn loose of Tara and step back. I can pull this trigger quicker than you can do any harm. Save us both the messy results.”

  It was a tense moment, everyone waiting to see what Doreen would do. Tara wasn’t sure her legs would continue to support her. Then Doreen withdrew her arm from around Tara’s neck and stepped back. Tara took two quick steps and collapsed onto the couch. It was the first easy breath she had drawn since leaving the cabin to walk into the village. It was finally over.

  BRAD, Tara and Ken stood on the front porch of the cabin and watched as two sheriff’s deputies led a handcuffed Doreen Vincent to the car.

  Brad turned to Thom Satterly. “I’ll take care of the reports tomorrow afternoon.”

  Thom self-consciously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Uh…about this whole matter…”

  Brad slowly repeated what he had said, his voice filled with purpose and a finality that said the conversation was over. “I’ll take care of the reports tomorrow afternoon.”

  Ken stepped in to rescue the moment. “Let me walk you to your car, Thom.”

  As soon as the accumulation of vehicles and people had departed, Brad and Tara went back inside. He pulled her into his arms, stroked her hair, then held her tightly. It had been three hours since Doreen had finally conceded the hopelessness of her situation and given up. Yet he could still taste the adrenaline. “How are you doing? Are you all right?”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled her head against his shoulder. “I think my pulse has finally returned to normal and my heartbeat has quieted down a bit, but I’m not sure my nerves will ever be the same again.”

  She closed her eyes as a shudder ran through her body. “Oh, Brad…I’ve never been so frightened in my life. I was so afraid I was going to say something wrong or do the wrong thing.” Tara looked up at him. “She’s crazy, you know. I don’t mean that facetiously, either. I mean she’s truly psychotic.”

  “You may be right, but that territory belongs to someone else. Other than the subsequent trial, we’re pretty much finished with it.”

  She rolled her eyes, trying to make light of his comments and the situation. “Oh, no…another trial. This is where I came in.” His reassuring hug told her that this time everything would be all right.

  They walked upstairs. “Is it really over?”

  “Yes—it’s really over.”

  She smiled at him, showing her admiration. “That was very good detective work, Mr. Harrison.”

  “You were very good, too, Miss Ford. You put yourself out there acting as bait to bring Doreen into the open. You kept her talking so that we could record her entire confession.” The vision of Doreen threatening to snap Tara’s neck popped into his mind. He vividly recalled all the fear that rushed through him. That had been the most devastating moment of his life. Nothing had frightened him as much as the prospect of her being injured or worse yet…killed.

  He drew her body tightly against his as if to confirm that she was there and unharmed. He ran his fingers through the silky strands of her hair, then caressed her shoulders. They stood in the bedroom, arms around each other, silently reveling in the closeness and the emotion it produced. He loved her. No amount of thought or uncertainty could change that. She had allowed him to face up to his past failure and overcome his personal fears. Because of her he had been able to open his heart again and find the love he thought had been lost to him for all time.

  He slipped her blouse off her shoulders, down her arms and dropped it to the floor. A minute later they had each removed their clothes and had snuggled into the comfort of the bed. He held her in his a
rms. He needed the closeness and the warmth. He needed Tara Ford. The emotions that filled him were stronger than anything he had ever experienced. He kissed her on the forehead and continued to hold her.

  Tara snuggled close to him. It seemed like such a long time ago when Brad had first approached her, told her she was in danger and said he would protect her. She hadn’t trusted him or really believed what he said, but it had proved to be true. It had been a difficult decision to trust him on face value. In fact, it had been the most difficult decision of her life. It had also been the best decision of her life, one she would never regret.

  And now the nightmare was finally over. She still felt safe and protected in his arms. It was where she wanted to be, a place she wanted to stay forever. She loved him, but was this where it was going to end? The danger that brought them together no longer existed. They were each free to go back to their own life. She rested her hand against his chest, the feel of his heartbeat providing a warmth and closeness that wrapped around her like a cocoon.

  “Brad?”

  He kissed her forehead. “Yes?”

  “What happens now? Where do we go from here?” Then came the question she feared the most. “Or is this the end of the line? I go back to my job and you go back to yours and life goes back to the way it was before?”

  He knew it was a reality he needed to face. “I…” He held her tightly, drawing strength from the love he carried inside him, but not sure how to deal with it. “We’ve been thrown together in highly unusual circumstances with everything around us moving at top speed. I haven’t given much thought to the future beyond resolving this case.” He swallowed hard in an attempt to shove down the panic that started to build inside him. “Maybe…uh…maybe we should slow down a little, get to really know each other first then see where things go.”

  “Oh…I see.” The disappointment crashed inside her followed closely by the pain. She loved him and nothing could change that, but obviously it was a one-sided love. She would have to face that reality and get on with her life by herself. She had once wondered what life with Brad Harrison would be like. Now she had to imagine what life with only her memories of Brad Harrison would be like.

  He had not made her any promises, had not led her on. She had fallen in love with him with her eyes wide open and fully conscious of the circumstances. A sob caught in her throat. She couldn’t allow him to see the depth of her despair. She sat up and reached for her robe. Her world and all her hopes for the future had just crashed around her and she wasn’t sure if she was going to recover. Another sob tried to work its way out. She pulled on her robe. She felt so very alone.

  The moment she turned away, Brad experienced the most intense sensation, an overwhelming sense of loss that flooded through him harder and faster than anything he had ever known, leaving total devastation in its wake. It was a reality he knew he would never be able to live with. He had to make a commitment or risk losing her. The commitment scared him, but not nearly as much as the thought of losing her.

  He raised up on one elbow. “Tara?” She slipped out of bed and tied the robe’s sash around her waist. There was no answer from her. His panic started as a small spot deep inside him, but quickly spread until it touched every part of his life.

  He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back onto the bed. He wrapped her in his embrace. Her lack of response sent another tremor of panic through his body. He swallowed down his fears and said the words he knew he should have said earlier.

  “I love you, Tara. No matter what happens, I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

  The tears welled in her eyes. They were tears of joy. He loved her. He had said the words and they were the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. “Oh, Brad…I love you, too.”

  “Do you think you could be happy married to a deputy marshal?”

  “Yes…yes, I could be very happy married to a deputy marshal.”

  “Then let’s make it official next week. Is that all right with you?”

  “It’s more than all right.”

  “Let’s seal that promise with a kiss.” Brad captured her mouth with all the passion coursing through his body. His fears and concerns disappeared, to be replaced with a happiness that he knew would last a lifetime.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-4310-1

  IN HIS SAFEKEEPING

  Copyright © 2002 by SKDennison, Inc.

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