Love Inspired Suspense January 2014

by Shirlee McCoy

  “Once the trial is over, you’ll be able to spend a lot more time doing things like this together,” he assured her.

  “I hope so, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Joe’s death it’s that there are no guarantees. That being the case, I’ll just be happy with today.” She set Sophia into the car seat and buckled her in, then slid into the seat beside her.

  “Everyone set?” Josh asked as he jogged toward them.

  Serena opened the driver’s door and got in without responding. Hunter wanted to think she hadn’t heard, but he thought it was more likely that she’d ignored the question. He’d have to talk to her about it eventually, but they had more pressing things to deal with.

  “Yes. We’re set,” he said, closing Annie’s door. “I’ll follow you guys back to the house.”

  “Why don’t you ride along with Serena? I can drive your car to your place,” Josh suggested, glancing at Serena, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth. He looked tired, his eyes deeply shadowed.

  “Is there a reason why you want me to do that?”

  “You’re more familiar to Sophia and Annie. It seems like it would be more comfortable for them.”

  Hunter didn’t point out that both were plenty familiar with Josh. He’d just as soon be in the car if something happened, so he pulled out his keys and handed them over. “Don’t scratch the paint,” he warned.

  Josh laughed. “I’ll do my best not to, but if there’s trouble, I can’t make any promises.”

  “If there’s trouble, I don’t care what happens to the SUV. Just make sure that all your attention is on keeping Annie and Sophia safe.” He rounded the car and slid into the backseat.

  “Buckle up,” Serena commanded. She didn’t comment on Josh’s offer or Hunter’s acceptance. They were moving forward with the plan, sticking to the program. Just the way they always did.

  Serena pulled out of the parking area. Hunter didn’t have to look to know that Josh was following. He’d stick close as they made their way back to the house. Burke would be there waiting. Everything was running smoothly, but Hunter couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that trouble was just around the corner.

  They drove through a residential area, then merged onto the interstate, heading back to the city. Dusk settled blue-gray over the road, the sun’s last golden rays dappling the pavement and the buildings.

  A quiet winter evening. If he’d been married, he’d be looking forward to getting home to his family. If he had a nine-to-five job, marriage might have been a possibility.

  Sophia grabbed his sleeve.

  “Hunt!” she said, her chubby cheeks still pink from the cold. He’d never pictured himself with kids, but if he had, he’d have probably imagined a little girl like Sophia.

  “Did you have fun on the slide?” he asked.

  “Yes!” she shouted, her high-pitched voice more familiar to him than the voices of his nieces and nephews were. He figured he could pick her out of a crowd blindfolded just by listening to her talk. Being around someone almost constantly would do that to a person.

  “You ready to go home and have something to eat?”

  “Cookies?” she asked, her eyes the same deep blue as her mother’s.

  “I don’t think your mom is going to let you eat cookies before dinner.” He glanced at Annie. She was staring out the window and seemed deep in thought, but he was pretty certain she’d heard his comment.

  He’d hoped that going to the park would cheer her up, help her relax a little, but she still seemed tense.

  “Annie?” he said, and she met his eyes. Like her daughter, she had cold-tinged cheeks, the pink making her eyes look even bluer. “Sophia wants cookies for dinner.”

  She touched Sophia’s dark curls, her hand trembling slightly. She seemed scared, but he wasn’t sure why. She was safer in the car than she’d been at the park. “I don’t think so, sweetie. We’ll have cookies another night.”

  “No. Now!” Sophia crowed.

  “You can help Mommy cook. We’ll make macaroni and…” Annie’s voice trailed off and the pink in her cheeks deepened. “Sorry,” she said, meeting his eyes. “I’m getting ahead of myself. All that fresh air almost made me forget that we don’t have the freedom we used to.”

  “You’ll have it back soon enough,” Serena said before Hunter could.

  Annie had been reminded of that a few too many times. She kept the thought to herself and looked out the window again. She’d enjoyed every minute of the time they’d spent at the park, and she wasn’t going to complain that it was over.

  She’d go home, feed Sophia and hopefully put her to bed early. She needed some time to unwind, to read her Bible, to pray and think about the future. There were so many possibilities opened up to her, so many places she could go. A shiver of excitement raced through her at the thought. As hard as it was to go on without Joe, she would soon have the freedom to make any decision she wanted, to go anywhere she felt led.

  That was a heady feeling and a big responsibility.

  “You okay?” Hunter murmured, reaching across the car seat and touching her arm.

  She had no choice but to look at him, to see the deep dark brown of his eyes, the familiar angle of his jaw. She wanted to touch the stubble there, let her fingers trace the soft curve of his mouth.

  “Just thinking about the future. About all the possibilities that are out there,” she admitted.

  “Getting excited about leaving town?”

  “That, too.”

  “I can have some real-estate brochures brought in. You can look at places in some of the rural towns in the states you said you’ve wanted to live in,” he suggested, and that shiver of excitement shot through her again.

  “I’ll need a job before I get a house.”

  “We’ll help you work everything out,” Serena said, smiling into the rearview mirror. She had an easy manner and a kindness that Annie appreciated. If the circumstances were different, they’d be friends.

  “I appreciate it, but after the trial, I want to—”

  Hunter’s cell phone rang.

  “Hold on,” he said, taking his phone from his pocket. “Davis here.”

  He paused, his gaze on Annie.

  She couldn’t hear the caller, but Hunter’s eyes narrowed, his expression suddenly hard and tight. “All right. I’ll swing by as soon as we get Annie and Sophia back to the safe house,” he finally said.

  He shoved the phone back into his pocket.

  “What’s going on?” Serena asked before Annie could.

  “There’s been some trouble at Antonio’s place.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Serena frowned.

  “An explosive device at his house. His wife saw the package on their front porch. It looked suspicious, so she called him. He called the police.”

  “And?”

  “The bomb squad was called out, and the device was discovered and disarmed without anyone being hurt.”

  “Thank goodness,” Annie murmured.

  “Yeah. The package contained low-level explosives. Probably not enough to kill someone.”

  “Probably? That means it could have killed someone,” Annie pointed out. “It has to be connected to the explosion yesterday.”

  “We don’t know that,” Hunter responded, but from the look on his face, she’d say that he believed it. She’d also say that there was more to the story.

  “Something else is going on,” she said. “What is it?”

  “There was something inside the package with the explosives.”

  “What?”

  “A doll’s head.”

  Serena muttered something under her breath, but Annie was too stunned to speak.

  “An evidence team is taking it to the lab for testing, but Burke is on-site, and he says it looks like it’s a match for the doll body that was thrown into the safe-house yard.”

  “Any note with this one?” Serena asked. Obviously, she wasn’t haven’t any trouble speaking.

&n
bsp; “No, but if the match is confirmed, I’d say the message was pretty clear.”

  “It might be clear now, but it would have been difficult to get if the doll head had gotten blown to bits.” Serena turned onto Hunter’s court. The house was just a few hundred yards in front of the car. For the first time since she’d entered witness protection, Annie couldn’t wait to be behind a closed and locked door.

  “The evidence team would have found the connection. Whoever left the package was smart enough to know that.” Hunter rubbed the back of his neck, his scowl deepening. “He couldn’t find Annie, so he made sure to get his point across in another way.”

  “I think we all knew his point before this.” Annie finally managed to speak, her throat dry and thick with fear. “He doesn’t want me to testify.”

  “It doesn’t matter what he wants, Annie,” Serena said calmly. “We’ve got you tucked away where he’s not going to find you.”

  “Yet,” she mumbled, every thought of a new life in a new place slipping away.

  “Ever,” Hunter asserted. He reached across the car seat as they pulled into his garage, took her hand, his palm warm and rough against hers. Her heart jumped in response, her pulse racing with a longing she hadn’t expected to ever feel again.

  She looked into his eyes, saw her surprise and longing reflected in his gaze.

  “I’m going to make sure of it,” he said, the words soft and gentle, his eyes burning with a promise Annie felt in the depth of her soul.

  He meant it, and not just because she was a job that he had to do.

  He released her hand and opened his door. “I need to head over to the crime scene. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  He got out of the car and hurried to the SUV that was pulling into the garage next to them.

  Josh got out. Hunter hopped in.

  He was gone before Annie unbuckled Sophia.

  “Ready?” Serena asked as she opened Annie’s door.

  “Sure.” She lifted Sophia and got out of the car.

  Josh already had the door open, and she walked through the laundry room and into the kitchen. The place was spotless, the high chair set up near the table, a toddler’s sippy cup sitting on the tray. Two books were beside it. Both with colorful pictures and different textures on each page. One squeaked as Annie picked it up, and Sophia squealed with delight.

  “This will make things a lot easier,” Annie said as she buckled Sophia into the seat. “Thank you.”

  “You can thank Hunter when he gets back. He didn’t want us to go back to either safe house again, so he asked Burke to pick up a few things at the store. Hopefully, Burke did okay. He’s not big on kids, so I’m not sure he knew what to get.”

  “The books are great. And the cup.” And the fact that Hunter had thought about Sophia and her needs.

  “I think he got a few toys, too. They’re probably upstairs in your room. Go ahead and get what you want for dinner. I have some work to do.” She walked out of the kitchen as Josh walked in from the laundry room.

  He watched Serena’s retreating figure then turned to Annie. “I’m going to watch the monitors. You go ahead and do whatever you need to.”

  He settled into a chair at the table, his focus on the computer monitor.

  There were a lot of questions Annie wanted to ask. Most of them about the doll head that was being examined at the crime lab. She knew Josh wouldn’t have any answers.

  The best thing she could do was keep busy, keep focused on Sophia and on keeping her happy, healthy and safe until the trial.

  It seemed as though it should be easy enough, but even as she dragged out pans and pots and ingredients and began cooking a dinner that could feed six, she couldn’t stop thinking about the doll, about the men who’d taken it and the man who was using it as a threat.

  She understood what was at stake for the crime syndicate that Saunders and Fiske worked for, but it seemed almost inconceivable that the men that Hunter often referred to as low-level thugs could be so important that the people they worked for would kill to keep them from going to jail.

  She sighed, whisking flour and melted butter together in a pot while Sophia played with the books.

  God was in control.

  That was the one thing she knew for sure.

  And it was the only thing that mattered.

  He would get her through this the same way He’d brought her through everything else. When it was over, she’d be stronger because of it, more confident, more ready to raise her daughter alone.

  Too bad the thought didn’t excite her.

  Too bad she’d much rather be raising Sophia with someone else.

  An image of Hunter flashed through her mind, his long tan fingers touching Sophia’s curls. He had a tenderness to him that she never would have imagined was hidden beneath his gruff exterior. Once she’d seen it, she couldn’t deny that it was there.

  She couldn’t deny what it did to her heart, either.

  A heart that was going to end up broken again if she wasn’t careful.

  The problem was, she didn’t want to be careful.

  She wanted to be carefree and young and completely convinced that everything would work out just fine.

  Time had changed her. Circumstances had changed her. She didn’t regret those changes, but there were plenty of times when she wished that she could just…be. Without worrying, without wondering, without doubting herself and her feelings.

  Maybe one day she’d get back to that.

  But she really didn’t think it would be anytime soon.

  SIXTEEN

  It was nearly midnight when Hunter returned to the house. He’d stayed at the crime scene until all the evidence had been collected, and then he’d followed the technicians back to the lab.

  Fortunately, two of the techs were friends, and they’d agreed to compare the doll body and head while he was there. It had been obvious to everyone that the two were a match. Same materials for head and body. Cut marks on each had been consistent. Someone had used scissors to behead the doll. There was no obvious DNA evidence. The techs had still been looking when Hunter drove back home.

  The lights were off as he pulled into the driveway. He parked there instead of the garage, knowing that Burke was probably inside watching the monitors.

  The cul-de-sac was quiet, the full moon casting long shadows across yards and houses. Nothing moved as he walked to the front door and unlocked it. So far, the plan was working. With only the four-member team privy to Annie and Sophia’s whereabouts, they’d maintained the integrity of the safe house.

  Burke had been right. Skirting protocol for a change had benefited everyone. After years of living by the rules, Hunter still wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  The front door opened before he reached it, Burke hovering in the threshold.

  “How’d it go?” he asked before Hunter even stepped into the house.

  “About like we expected it would. The doll body and head were a perfect match. No physical evidence that might yield DNA. The evidence team is still looking, but it’s not likely they’ll find it.” He shrugged out of his coat as he stepped past Burke.

  The house smelled…different.

  He inhaled, his stomach jumping to attention as he realized why. Food. Not fast food. Not ramen noodles. Real food. The kind he only ate when he got together with family.

  “Man, that smells good!” he murmured.

  “It tasted good, too. Homemade mac and cheese. Oven-fried chicken. Caesar salad. That woman sure can cook.” Burke grinned. “Wish we’d known that a month ago. We could have had her making meals every night.”

  “You’re talking about Annie?”

  “Who else?”

  “It’s not her job to cook for anyone but herself and her child, Burke. I hope you didn’t ask to join them for their meal.” He kept his tone neutral, but he wasn’t pleased. He was man enough to admit it was because he wanted to be the one who’d sat down and enjoyed a meal with Annie and
Sophia.

  “No need to jump to her defense, Hunt. I was minding my own business, trying to ignore all the great smells that were coming from the kitchen, and she invited me. What kind of man would I be if I said no?”

  “One who was doing his job?”

  “It’s not my job to turn down a good meal,” Burke insisted. “And let me tell you something. It was the best twenty minutes on the job that I’ve had in years.”

  “That good, huh?”

  “Better than good. It was like eating Mom’s home cooking. If Mom had been able to cook.”

  Hunter laughed. “Well, don’t rub my nose in it. I ate a package of cheese crackers four hours ago, and that’s all I’ve had since this afternoon. Any trouble while I was gone?”

  “None. It’s been quiet inside and outside.”

  Floorboards creaked above their heads, and Burke looked up at the ceiling. “Until now. Annie probably wants an update. She hounded me about it until Sophia went to bed.”

  “Hounding? That doesn’t sound like Annie.”

  “Asking? Beseeching? Begging for information? Pick your poison.”

  “I thought you liked Annie,” Hunter responded mildly.

  “I did, and I do. After the meal I just ate, I’d even be tempted to follow her to whatever town she’s going to next, but you probably have a lot more staying power than I do, and I’d hate to hurt her. She’s already been hurt enough, right?”

  “Right,” Hunter agreed.

  “So, I’m leaving her to you. Of course, if you end up hurting her, I’ll have to take you out back and beat some sense into you.”

  “You’re making a lot of assumptions there, Burke.”

  “Observations. Not assumptions. I’ve worked with you for almost ten years. I know how you operate, and I know this case is different. You may be putting on your professional pants and doing the job the way you always do, but it’s different. Are you going to tell me it’s not?”

  “No.”

  “Good. Then we’re on the same page.”

  “What page would that be?”

  “The one where I tell you to be careful, and you tell me to mind my own business.”

  “I’ll skip my part in it. This is your business. Until we get the Delacortes to trial.”