Escape in Passion

by Shiela Stewart

  “Yes, Vic, I feel the power.” Julia rolled her eyes.

  “Know that you control that power.”

  “Can I try firing it now?”

  Vic released his hands from hers, taking the gun from her. “If you’re not going to take this seriously then forget it.”

  “I’m being serious, Vic. I know it’s a powerful weapon; I know I can kill with one false move. I just want to start before I chicken out,” she lied. Julia knew perfectly well how to fire a gun, but she couldn’t exactly tell him that the very man he was protecting her from had been the man to teach her.

  Vic stared at her for a few moments before holding the gun out to her. “It’s going to have a bit of a kick to it.”

  “I’m ready for it.”

  He came in behind her, holding his hands over hers as she held the gun. “Set your sights on your target.”

  “I’ve got it.”

  “Now, squeeze the trigger.”

  Because she didn’t want him to realize she’d fired a gun before, Julia acted in a way she thought he would expect her to act. She pulled the trigger; the gun went off with a bang, and she squealed. “Omigod, that was loud, so…powerful.” She angled her head and smiled at him. “It kinda makes me hot.”

  “Keep your mind on the gun and not your libido. Let’s try it again.”

  Like a dutiful little woman, Julia let Vic guide her through the next few shots, pretending to be a complete virgin with the gun. And after fifteen minutes of his assistance, she finally had enough. “I think I can do it on my own now.”

  “I don’t know—

  “Come on, Vic. What’s the purpose of teaching me how to fire a weapon if you won’t let me try it on my own? You’re not going to be holding my hand when I need to use it.”

  “If you need to use it.”

  “If,” she said to reassure him. “Let me try.”

  “Fine. Take it slow.”

  “Yeah yeah. Back off now.” Rolling her shoulders, Julia aimed the gun and zeroed in on her target. She pulled the trigger and knocked the can right off the fence post. “Hot damn!” She jumped up in the air, cheering.

  “Jesus, woman,” Grabbing the gun, Vic unloaded it. “I’m rethinking letting you have a weapon if you act like that with it.”

  “I was careful. Did you see that, Vic? I knocked it right off the fence with one shot.”

  “Yeah, you did.” Vic slipped his weapon in his holster after disengaging it. “But you were lucky. Come on, let’s get back home.”

  “Vic,” Julia spoke, heading back to car. “Do you honestly think he’ll try and kill you or someone you care about in a small town like this?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  Julia climbed inside the car, pulled on her seatbelt. “But everyone would know it was him.”

  “He’d be long gone before anything happened. He wouldn’t be implicated.”

  “But—”

  “Trust me, Julia. He’d find a way to make it look like an accident.” Vic took her hands in his. “If you see him near our place, you call me immediately. If he’s hanging out at the shop, call me. Got it?”

  “You said our place.”

  “What?”

  Julia smiled, feeling all warm and gooey inside. “You called it our place. Not your place, our place.”

  Vic smiled, lifting her hands to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “I like having you there when I wake up.”

  “I like cooking you dinner.”

  “Our little secret wasn’t exactly a secret. Everyone at work knew about us.”

  Julia smiled, leaning in to kiss him. “But it was fun sneaking around though, wasn’t it?”

  “A little. But I’m glad I don’t have to anymore.” He kissed her again, then released her to start the car.

  She was pretty glad herself.

  Chapter 21

  Julia hated lying to Vic, but to tell him the truth would mean possibly losing him. She didn’t want to lose him. She just hoped he wouldn’t find out that she knew Marshall Kent or that his wife had also been her sister. She knew someday, if they were to remain together, she would have to come out and tell him the truth. But for now, she liked things the way they were.

  Vic had every reason to be afraid of Marshall, and now, hearing what Vic had said about him, about the hit that had been meant for Vic and had killed Michelle instead, Julia was beginning to think she should be fearful of Marshall. Her heart ached for her sister and she could understand why Michelle had tried to flee from her husband. She knew what Vic said was true. She’d come to learn of Marshall’s darker side before Michelle had died. But she never would have thought him to be the one to have killed her. She wanted Marshall Kent to pay dearly for what he had done. For killing Michelle.

  Julia wanted nothing more to do with Marshall, and she was glad she hadn’t used the money he had loaned her to search for Vic. It still sat in her special account, untouched. He would get it all back just as soon as she figured out a way to get it to him.

  In the meantime, she had to pretend to Vic, the man she was in love with, that she had no idea who Marshall Kent was or what he was capable of.

  It wasn’t easy to lie to the man you loved, the man you spent the majority of your day with.

  She wouldn’t have to keep up the lie if Marshall would just leave.

  Taking the trash out, Julia pushed the back door open of Cassie’s Collectables to a bright, sunny afternoon. The wind still held a bit of the winter chill to it, but the sun emitted a comfortable spring warmth. The door clicked shut behind her; she turned to toss the bag in the trash and saw Marshall step out from behind it.

  Her heart leapt in her throat.

  “Hello, Julia.”

  “You shouldn’t be here, Marshall. What if someone sees you? I don’t want anyone to know we know each other.”

  His hands in his deep brown blazer pockets, Marshall only shrugged. “No one will see me, Julia. I’m used to staying in the shadows. I went to your hotel room, and imagine my surprise when I was told you had checked out. I thought maybe you’d left town, but then I find out through sources that you’ve taken on a job here in town. And…” he stepped closer to her, slipping one hand out of its pocket to cup her chin, “you’re living with the enemy.”

  Julia tried to pull away, but he only held her face stronger. She could feel his fingers cutting into her flesh. “It was Vic’s idea, and besides, it gives me more opportunity to find things out about him.”

  “You’re lying to me, Julia. And one might wonder why that is.”

  “Get your hands off of her, now.”

  Julia’s eyes flew open at hearing Vic’s voice behind her. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she thought she might just pass out. She’d been caught. It was all over now.

  “Now!” Vic demanded.

  The sound of his gun engaging made her legs weak and when Marshall finally released her, she spun around. “Vic—”

  “Walk to me, Julia.” Vic kept his weapon aimed at Marshall.

  She didn’t hesitate and hurried to him.

  “We were just having a discussion, Officer. No need to be so dramatic.”

  “Stay away from her. Do you hear me, Kent?”

  “I don’t think I like the hospitality in this town.” Shaking his head, Marshall walked away.

  Disengaging his weapon and placing it in its holster, Vic turned to Julia. “Did he hurt you?” He asked, cupping her face to check for bruises.

  “I’m fine, Vic, really.” Her breath escaped in a rush when he yanked her into his arms. “How did you know he was here?”

  “I came in to see you and Jaycee told me you to were taking out the trash. What did he say to you?”

  He hadn’t heard. Thank God. “Nothing, really.”

  “Why did he have his hands on you?”

  “He was just—would you have shot him?” She needed something to distract him from his questions because she had no idea what to tell him.

  “Yes.”

 
; Julia shivered. “Because he touched me?”

  “I would have shot him just for looking at you.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Julia.”

  Her body tensed, but only momentarily. “Vic—”

  “I know, it’s sudden, and I shouldn’t have told you how I feel like this. But seeing you with him, the fear that gripped me when I saw his hands on you, I just…damn it, I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Vic.” Julia lifted his face in her hands and smiled. “I love you, too.”

  “Oh, man.” He blew out a long breath, laughing. “My legs are shaking.”

  “Mine, too.” And now that they had professed their love, everything had changed.

  ***

  Marshall stood in the alley, staring at the hot blonde sitting on her patio, enjoying the sunshine. She reminded him of his Michelle. Her hair was the same length, her body a little more curvy than Michelle’s, but so damn similar. The closer he got, the more he liked what he saw.

  He could imagine taking her here and now, under the bright sunlight, bent over the patio table. And he’d take great pride in knowing he took something that was precious to Vic.

  He wondered if Vic had had a go at her as well.

  It would be so easy to snatch her, here and now. Oh, the things he could do to that body, to that woman. He was getting hard just thinking about it.

  Then the baby made a noise and stole his arousal. He hated kids.

  Hands in his pockets, Marshall closed the space between them. “Lovely day, isn’t it, Mrs. Healy?” Her head snapped up to him and the wide-eyed look told him she knew who he was.

  “You’re not welcome here, Mr. Kent.” She took the baby in her arms, cradling her tight.

  You should be afraid of me. “Is that any way to treat a visitor to your fair town?”

  She stood and clutched the baby tighter to her chest. “If you don’t leave my property now, I’ll call the police.”

  “I’m merely trying to be friendly. But I see Victor has been filling your head with lies.”

  “He tells the truth. Please, just go.”

  He took a step towards her, lifting his hand to touch her hair. It was just as silky as Michelle’s had been. “You sure you don’t want to invite me in for a drink…or something more?”

  “Get away from her, now!”

  Marshall looked up and nearly gasped. The man before him was huge, bigger than he looked in the photos he had. And that deadly look in his eyes was something Marshall recognized.

  The protective instinct was admirable; Marshall regretted that the guy was an enemy. He’d make a wonderful recruit.

  He dropped his hand and smiled. “I was only being polite.”

  “Take Beth and go inside, Cass,” Thomas Healy insisted.

  “Cute baby, by the way.” She hurried inside and Marshall admired her lovely round ass. “Gorgeous wife.”

  “Stay away from her, and my daughter. Do you hear me?” Thomas warned, eyes narrowed.

  “Victor certainly has some loyal friends. Tell me, Mr. Healy, is his friendship worth sacrificing that beautiful family of yours?” He held his hand up and spoke before Thomas could retaliate. “I’m leaving. Kiss the wife and daughter for me.”

  As he walked off, he heard the door slam.

  You can shut me out, but you won’t keep me away.

  ***

  With Julia at his side, Vic crossed the lawn to Tom and Cassie’s house, his nerves on edge.

  “Did Tom say why he wants us to come over?”

  “No. But he sounded like it was urgent.” He didn’t bother to wait for a response when he knocked once on the door before opening it. And when he saw the look on his friend’s face, Vic knew why they’d been called over. “Ready to leave town now?”

  “No.”

  “Stubborn idiot.”

  “I’ve tried convincing Cassie to take Beth and go visit her parents for a few weeks…”

  “But like you, she’s stubborn. What happened?” Vic asked, joining Tom at the dining room table, Julia taking the seat beside him.

  “He was here. Cassie and Beth were outside enjoying the warm day, and he just walked right up to them.”

  “Did he hurt them? Where are they?” Vic was up and ready to do whatever had to be done to protect them.

  “Cassie’s taking a nap with Beth in our room. She feels safer having Beth with her. Despite being scared, she refuses to leave. He didn’t hurt either of them, but it was enough to scare her. I want them under twenty-four hour surveillance.”

  “I can’t do that, Tom. I have officers cruising by every hour, but that’s all I can do right now.”

  “I know, or at least I figured that would be the case. I’ve hired my own bodyguard. I just wanted to let you know in case he shows up before I have a chance to introduce you. I didn’t want you thinking it was one of Kent’s men.”

  “Thanks for the heads up. He came to see Julia at work.”

  Tom’s eyes shifted to Julia with concern. “Did he hurt you?”

  “I’m fine,” she said softly.

  “He had his hands on her. I wanted to kill him,” Vic admitted, laying his hand on Julia’s. “I desperately wanted to kill him.”

  “But you won’t. I can hire two guards, one for here and one for Julia,” Tom added.

  “I don’t need a bodyguard,” Julia insisted.

  “I appreciate it, but it won’t be necessary. I don’t want her working until he leaves town.”

  “What?”

  Vic turned his attention to Julia. “Until he’s gone, you’re safer staying here with Tom and Cassie or with me.”

  “Vic—”

  “Julia, it’s not just for your benefit, but also for your coworkers. You being there puts them in jeopardy.” He saw by the way she looked at him that she understood. “Only until he leaves, okay?” Vic kissed her hand, hoping that would soften her up.

  “Okay.”

  He kissed her hand one more time before shifting his gaze to Tom. “When does that guard show up?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “Can Julia stay here with you?”

  Tom smiled, his eyes meeting Julia’s. “She’s more than welcome to stay here anytime.”

  “Great. Now all I have to do is chase the bastard out of my town.”

  Chapter 22

  With his habitual cup of steaming black hot coffee in his hand, Vic sat before his night crew, waiting for their report. He knew two of his officers had been called out to the reservation to break up a domestic dispute and another had been called to the scene of an accident on the highway, which left only one officer in town to do the nightly watch. He listened intently while his officers recalled their evening’s events, signed the necessary papers, and gave them orders. Then he looked to Constable Sawyer for his report.

  “It was relatively quiet in town last night, sir. There was one incident with Carl Porter at the bar, but it was resolved without charges.”

  Vic glanced over Max’s report, seeing that the trouble had come from Carl agreeing to pay his bill at the end of the night, but he’d walked out before paying it. Walter Williams, the bartender, had called Max, who’d gone to Carl’s home to deal with the situation. In the end it had come down to Carl being too intoxicated to remember anything but insisting he had paid his bill. After sobering up some, Carl figured out that he hadn’t made the payment and said payment would be made.

  “Anything else?”

  “Activity at Marshall Kent’s hotel room was nonexistent. Every time I drove by, his car was outside and his light was on. And my cruise past your block showed no activity.”

  “Let’s hope it stays that way. Okay, that’s all for now. Go home, get some rest, and we’ll do it all again tomorrow morning.” Lifting his coffee cup to his lips, Vic waited for his men to scramble from his office. He really did have a good group of officers. None of them had questioned him on his past or his involvement with a known criminal’s wife. Yet every single one of them stood
by him and supported him. He couldn’t ask for a better crew.

  “Here’s your mail, Vic.”

  “Thanks, Millie. What’s this?” He tapped the rather large box she set on his desk.

  “My x-ray vision is a little foggy today. You’ll have to do it the hard way and open it to see what it is.”

  “You’re a funny lady today. Go away before I beat you with the box.” Vic stood to get a better look at the box after Millie headed out. There was no return address which baffled him. Only his name on the top. “Millie.”

  “What?” she called out from her desk.

  “How did this come in?”

  “The package?”

  “Yes.”

  “It was here when I got in this morning. I figured one of the boys accepted it when they came in this morning,” she said, standing at his door now.

  “There’s no return.”

  “I know. I thought that was weird. Could have been someone in town.”

  His eyes met hers, and he saw she understood. “Yeah, that’s what worries me.”

  “You gonna open it?”

  “Cautiously.”

  “Want me to call in one of the boys?”

  “I think I can manage to open a package myself.”

  “Could be a bomb.”

  Leaning down, Vic put his ear to the box. “I don’t hear anything to indicate it being a bomb.” But he was cautious none the less. Taking his letter opener, he slid the blade along the tape to release the top. When it popped open, he let out the breath he’d been holding. Slipping a pair of latex gloves from his desk, he put them on before opening the box to look inside. One could never be too sure.

  “What is it?”

  Vic’s heart skipped a beat. The sweat built on his upper lip and the fury set with a force inside of him. He closed up the box and looked up at Millie. “Nothing I can’t deal with.” Scooping the box in his arm, Vic headed to the door. “Call me if anything urgent comes up.”

  “Where are you going, Vic?”

  “To take this back to its sender.”

  Vic drove calmly, despite the rage that was stirring like a violent storm inside of him. The package sat on the seat beside him, its deadly gift still tucked inside. He pulled up to the local hotel, keeping his temper in check when he shut the door, climbing from the vehicle. With the box in his arms, he marched to Marshall’s room, slamming his fist on the door as he knocked.