A shiver went up his spine and he closed his mind to the thought of Tessa ending up dead. He refused to let that happen. Jacob started asking Marcus on the phone about whether he'd seen anyone at the same time they came to the stop sign. Mike was about to turn right when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. "What is that?"
He squinted to try and see better but could only tell that it was a car pulled up in the woods.
"What?" both asked, but it was too late, because he was already out of the truck and running toward the opening in the woods across the road. If he'd have been looking an inch to the right, he'd never have seen the tail end of the car. He snuck up on the silver Lexus with a New York tag and made out the head of a man inside looking at his phone. The brush of leaves had the man's head spinning around to catch sight of him.
Mike grabbed the handle to the car door, relieved it opened, and grabbed hold of the wide-eyed weasel. He threw him against the tree beside the car, pinning him there.
"Who are you?" he yelled and the guy held his hands up, shaking in fear.
"You can have my money. I-I—"
Mike wasn't about to fall for it. "Who the hell are you and why are you parked here? Hiding from someone?"
"No! I was lost and just checking my phone for directions. Please let me go." The man's body shook and his eyes darted from him to a spot behind him and he knew his brothers were there.
"Mike, let him go. I called Marcus already. Don't do anything stupid," Nick said.
When a hand touched his shoulder, he jerked it away. "Don't touch me."
He could see how the man in his grasp got away with so much. He was a good actor and an expert with lying. Unfortunately for him, not for a second did Mike believe it to be a coincidence that another random New Yorker happened to be parked hidden in the woods right after his house had been set on fire. Rage boiled inside him and his fist connected with Tessa's ex-husband's face. After that, things became a blur until Jacob and Nick began yelling and dragging him off the bloodied man.
"You're going to kill him!" Jacob shoved him back. "Stop!"
Nick suddenly stepped back with his hands up and that's when Mike and Jacob saw the gun.
"You're the one screwing my wife. How does it feel now? I guess you two should have let him kill me." Blood coated his teeth when he grinned.
Everything about the man didn't make sense. What had Tessa seen in him? He had small beady eyes, a receding hairline he was attempting to hide, and he was just not good enough for her. Not that Mike felt he was, either.
The man had ruined Tessa's life and he wasn't about to just bow down to him. "Pathetic. Can't you fight like a man or are you too much of a weak city boy, you need a gun?"
"Mike, shut up."
Both of his brothers tried to stop him, but it didn't work. He stepped forward, keeping the attention on him and away from them.
"I think you should listen to them." He shot the gun at the ground in front of them. "Go back to your vehicle."
Mike hated to listen to him, but his brothers did and tugged him with them. For Tessa's sake, he needed to be careful, because she needed him. "Why are you making her life a living hell? Because she left you?"
"She didn't get it. There was no way I'd let her go. I'm not getting screwed out of my money because she can't handle being the obedient wife." He waved the gun for them to go farther.
The son of a bitch was trying to get away with everything. He stepped back toward him, but a hand grabbed his arm and he stopped.
"Don't. We know now, just let it go for the time being." Jacob and Nick pulled him back to the truck.
Her ex followed with the gun aimed at him, a gleam in his eyes. Mike contemplated tackling him, but the distance between them would give the bastard plenty of time to pull the trigger. Sirens sounded in the distance.
"Get in!" He shot at the ground again.
Mike never took his eyes off of him. "You'll regret ever meeting Tessa and causing her harm."
"I already regret meeting her, just not the harming her." He lowered the gun to the front tire and shot it, then the other, then backed across the road, into the woods where his car sat. The lights lit up and Mike jumped back out of the truck and ran. He dove to the side to miss being run over by the car.
The lights were fading when two police cars stopped. "He's gone that way!"
Sheppard was gone, leaving Marcus behind. "Are y'all ok?"
"Yes, go get him." He scrubbed his hand down his face when they left on the chase and the pounding of his heart rang in his ears.
"Cooper? Can you come get us at the end of the drive?" Nick was on the phone, his hand obviously shaking. "Shit just went down. We'll tell you when you get here. Sophia will be fine."
"They'll get him. Let's go to the precinct, because it's time to get your girl back." Headlights were already heading to them at full speed.
When he arrived, Cooper jumped out of his truck quick and noted the flat tires. "What the hell happened?"
They told the story on the way to the precinct and Mike kept quiet, opening and closing his injured hands. There was a good possibility he'd broken something in one if not both of them. None of it mattered though. Only Tessa.
****
Tessa sat with her hands twisting in her lap, listening to the clock tick. The chair she sat in wasn't comfortable; but, considering they hadn't put her in a cell yet, she could deal with it. What she couldn't handle was the young man sitting next to her, who looked barely twenty-one. He'd introduced himself and, with the excitement of Marcus and Shepard rushing out of the precinct, she'd forgotten his first name. His uniform said T. Jones.
The green eyes and sharp facial features reminded her of Marcus. She recalled his last name also being Jones and figured the boy in front of her was his son. "Do you know where they had to go so quickly? Is everything okay?"
"All I know is one of the Johnsons brothers called my d—" he cleared his throat "Officer Jones about finding the man who may have set fire to their house."
She jumped from her seat. "Mike?"
"I'm really not sure. Don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I hear." He stood from his seat.
The nervousness made her feel bad. Of course he'd be edgy around her; he wasn't sure if she really was a criminal or not. "I need to know if he's okay. Please, let me call him."
He hesitated and then jerked his head in approval. "I'll call him for you."
The wait had her stomach churning as she stared at the boy in anticipation. If Mike or anyone else was hurt because of her, what would she do? Her body slumped into the chair when he hung up without an answer. What if he was hurt or killed? She couldn't breathe and panicked, grabbing her throat. The room was spinning and she was glad for the chair holding her up.
"Ma'am?" the young man spoke, but all she did was fight for air.
"Tessa!" At first she thought it was Jones again and then she heard the frightened tone. "Tessa."
She blinked until her vision cleared and she could see Mike—the best view she'd ever laid eyes on. She threw her arms around his waist. When he enveloped her in his embrace, she fought for air, letting his voice bring her back to him.
"Listen to my voice. Match your breathing to mine. Everything is okay. What happened to her?" He demanded an answer, even as he kept his hands moving across her back in a gentle massage.
"I told her why Dad left and she wanted to call you. When you didn't answer, she started to freak out," the young man explained. "I'm glad you came in right on time."
She resented him saying she'd freaked out but she was still too upset to protest. "I thought…"
Her mouth went dry and she squeezed him tighter.
"I know. I'm okay. It was him, Tessa. They're going after him and then you won't have to worry anymore. You won't have to lie and you won't have to run." The hope in his voice eased her.
She moved just enough to look up into his caring eyes. If she weren't already crying, she'd have started to then at how much he
cared. "I'm just glad you're okay."
There was no denying how perfect his lips felt connecting with hers. She pulled her arms off his waist and linked them around his neck making it easier to lift up on her tip toes and deepen the kiss. Heat filled her stomach and inched lower. After the night they had shared before it all went to hell, she wanted to repeat the good parts all over again. She needed him in a way she'd never needed a man before. Nothing like the almost painful ache she wanted Mike to ease.
A throat clearing provided the only indication that they weren't alone, or even in a bedroom. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and the smug smile on Mike's face was enough to tell her he'd noticed. The big jerk knew what he did to her. If she didn't care so much about him, it might have pissed her off.
"I don't mean to interrupt, but you might want to save that for later without an audience," Nick joked, laughter in his eyes. "Unless you're into that sort of thing. In that case, I can step out. I'm not really interested in seeing my brother's naked butt."
"Shut up," Jacob scolded.
She squirmed under Mike's gaze. With her calmed down, his tenderness seemed to have vanished and he gave her a look that told her he was beyond angry with her. "I'm sorry."
"I don't want to hear that you're sorry. I want to hear that you won't do it again." He seemed to contemplate what he was going to say next. "Actually, I won't let you do that again. I refuse to let you put yourself in harm's way from now on."
"I—"
"You might think you were doing the best thing, but no. Admitting to being an arsonist is bad enough, but by doing that you admitted to killing someone." I'm here to take care of you and that's what I'm going to do. I can't if you do shit like this."
If he were talking to her with that tone about anything else, she'd have slapped him. She knew he was only upset because he cared. It would've been the end of her life if she'd confessed to the fires and was convicted.
She felt like a teenager who believed she'd always be with her high school boyfriend and they'd only been dating a day. It was crazy to think there could be a future with Mike and that he actually felt the same way. Love couldn't happen that quick, yet she was sure she'd fallen in love with him.
He told her not to apologize, so she didn't. Instead, she grabbed the back of his head and said exactly what she wanted. "Kiss me again."
The worry lines loosened until they were gone and he relaxed against her. As soon as he leaned back down to kiss her, the door opened. Which happened a lot to them. Next time, she'd take them some place where they could lock all doors.
Her mind was contemplating what else they'd get to enjoy behind locked doors when she caught sight of Marcus and his grim face. All hope drained from her and she dropped her forehead against Mike's chest. "It's pointless."
"No. It's not." He forced her to look at him as he tried to convince her with the three little words, a serious tone, and genuine facial expression. Then, he turned his focus to Marcus. "What happened?"
"He got away. I don't know what the hell happened." He winced. "Sorry for my language."
She nodded politely and frowned. "I don't get how he can keep doing this. The only reason he wasn't caught in New York was because he had police on his side. Maybe not all of them, but I didn't know who to trust. It's why I ran."
"That's what we're going to do," Mike said.
She didn't understand. "What are you talking about?"
"We're going to run. Somewhere he can't find us. Now we all know he did it, so it's only a matter of time that he's caught. Marcus can find the right people to handle the situation, someone not on his payroll. And we can go on a vacation." He looked at Marcus. "Will that work? I'm not risking her life anymore."
"Yes. I know some people I can trust. Don't you worry, Tessa, we'll find him and this will finally be over." He stepped out of the room to an office and got on the phone.
"Now it's time for us to get away from here, where no one can find us."
He seemed hopeful and she yearned to feel the same way. Yet, she'd been burned too many times and it was hard to trust that her nightmare could finally end.
Chapter Sixteen
Ryan sat at the hotel bar waiting nervously for his date to arrive. Who knew if he was anxious because he'd pined over one guy for so many years or because of what had happened the night before? Such anger he had at himself for listening to Sophia. After everything, he felt like he should be close to her, just in case something bad occurred.
Or close to Jacob.
He rested his head against his hand and wondered if Sophia knew more than she let on. It was good for him to get away and she'd practically forced him to keep his plans. He told her he was meeting a guy and she supported him a hundred percent. Hers was true friendship and he'd never let that go. He needed to let his feelings go for her brother though. Everything was becoming too complicated and things had to change.
Someone cleared his throat and he twisted to see Harrison standing there giving him an uncertain look. Ryan immediately stood and gave him a quick hug. "Hey!"
Harrison smiled then. "Hey. Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yes! Just a lot happening in the past couple days. I'm good now." Not that he'd never noticed Harrison's good looks before, but now that he was forcing himself to do so and erase feelings for Jacob, he realized just how much of a looker the man was. The blonde hair seemed longer than he remembered. "You're growing your hair out."
He sat down at the same time as Ryan and raised a brow in question. "I am. Does that hurt my chances?"
"Hell no! I think it looks great." There was no denying he was attracted to the man and for once in his life, he didn't feel like he had to hide it. About the same height as him, Harrison looked like he worked out to stay in shape. Broad shoulders, slim waist. If Ryan saw him shirtless, no doubt he wouldn't complain a bit.
"Good," he said with a sideways smile. "I was surprised to get your text. After being turned down a couple times, I'd given up. I just figured I wasn't your type."
"Not at all. I wasn't in the right place, but I am now and hopefully I'm not too late." His heart picked up the pace when Harrison put a hand over his. The gesture didn't come from the man he'd originally wanted, but he was feeling differently. If he'd have taken the chance a while before, maybe he would've been able to move on a long time ago.
"You're not too late," he assured.
Ryan grinned and ordered some drinks. The night started with him worrying over a hundred things, then proceeded with him just wanting to get to know the man beside him. And he did.
Chapter Seventeen
Tessa stared out at the ocean, unable to believe where she was and who she was with. Really, all she felt like was that they were waiting around for a ticking time bomb to go off. She tried to think positively and believe Marcus would make sure Richard was taken in. For good. She hated to have bad thoughts about Marcus and his men, but it was a small town force. How would they stop the man with so much power? Even if his power was his money and skills at lying.
The small two bedroom beach house was plenty for her and Mike. They'd been able to make the rental payment with cash without having to put a credit card down. She didn't know how Mike managed that and just felt glad they'd worked it out. That way, Richard couldn't track them. He probably knew everything about Mike and his family. Which meant he probably could or did put a tracker on them.
"Let's go to the beach." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and dropped a kiss on her neck. "Or we can stay in."
She laughed. "I would love to go walk and maybe get something to eat." He poked his lip out a little and then she added. "Then we can stay in."
"Yes!" He released her and grabbed her hand. "Let's get to going then. I'm ready for some dessert."
The boyish grin he gave her melted her heart. She had to tease him. "I see. You shouldn't eat too much sugar; it could be hell on your figure."
What a disappointing thought…
"I'll make sure to burn it a
ll off. I'm willing to put in the extra work to do so." He locked the front door and led her out to the passenger side of the black Mustang Cooper had provided for them. He'd been the one to help arrange for the house, no doubt, too.
"It's already almost eight. Let's get something to eat and then come back for a late night walk on the beach," he suggested.
She nodded. "That would be nice."
Mike seemed comfortable in his truck, but she didn't miss his excitement when he got behind the wheel of the Mustang. So nice to see something as simple as driving a sporty car put that light in his eyes. She'd seen that same light when he looked at her and she enjoyed that as well. "Thank Cooper for making this possible. He helped with the house, too?"
"He did. They got it done without any credit card trail, and no one would even realize Cooper was the one to rent this place. His manager worked around it, just in case your ex decided to trace everyone's financials. I'm not sure how much info he could get, but I'm not going to take a chance on your life." He opened the car door for her and shut it behind her when she was in.
She watched him practically skip his way over to the driver's side and slide in with a little bounce. "You're enjoying this car."
There was no question about it.
"I am. Not that I care to own one. Trucks are more my thing and way more practical when navigating our roads sometimes. Too much gravel and low riding cars just don't seem like the right fit." He put the keys in the ignition and the car came to life with a rumble. "I do like the feel of the motor coming on like that. It makes me believe I could outrun the law in it."
She frowned. "That's not much fun."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Just that it could pick up speed with ease." He lifted her left hand and kissed the middle of her palm.
"I know you didn't." She checked out the area while they drove down the strip. There were a good many people on the streets once they made it closer to all the shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. She was on the verge of mentioning a seafood place she'd just spotted, but then he did the sweetest thing: He asked her opinion.
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