A tear trailed down her cheek and she raised a trembling hand to brush at it, but when he moved toward her she took a step back. “I see it every time I close my eyes.” She looked fragile, expression haunted. “I’m sorry, too. She was my best friend, but she was your sister.”
“Yeah, and I didn’t do anything to protect her.” There was more guilt added to what he’d lived with for the past fifteen years. Two women he’d cared about, two women dead. “What happened then?”
“Justin stood there staring at her. Maybe he was in shock. I don’t know if he’d meant to kill her, but regardless, she was dead. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to call an ambulance, but with her head like that I knew she was dead and an ambulance wouldn’t do her any good. I thought I should call the police, but I was afraid Justin would see me, so I stayed as still as I could. Then all of a sudden there was a chiming sound. It was my phone, a stupid push notification. It sounded so loud.” Her breath hitched. “Justin heard and looked up. He saw me standing on the landing. He looked me in the eye and it was like a switch flipped. I knew in that moment that he’d realized I’d seen too much, and he’d kill me if he could.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I ran. I ran out to the balcony and down the outside stairs. He came after me but he didn’t see me in the dark. He must have thought I’d come in through the front gate because he ran in that direction. I went through the side gate to the alley. Cameron was already in the car so I jumped in and got us out of there.”
She sucked in air in jerky gulps and Eli thought she was going to hyperventilate. Giving in to the urge, he took her shoulders, holding firm when she tensed, and used his thumbs to raise her chin so she was looking at him. “Steady there, Gwen. You did good. You got yourself and Cameron to safety.”
Distressed eyes stood out in her pale face. “I was so scared. I was afraid he was going to follow us. Once I was sure he wasn’t behind us, I pulled into a gas station and called nine one-one and gave them Chloe’s address. Then, when a driver wasn’t looking, I stashed my cell in the back of a truck with Arizona plates.”
“You thought Justin could trace you through your cell phone.” Eli found himself stroking the smooth skin under her jaw with the pads of his thumbs and released her abruptly.
She cleared her throat and moved back a step. “Yeah. I had to assume he had access to Chloe’s laptop. It’s one we shared when we were roommates and could still have my personal information. I wanted to lay a false trail.”
“So why didn’t you go to the police? Why take off?”
“Justin’s father is a deputy chief of police. His brother is a detective. Have you met them?”
Eli nodded. “Briefly when Justin and Chloe got married at city hall. There was the ceremony, the dinner after. The impression Justin gave was of a guy who was used to getting his way.”
“Ain’t that the truth. Chloe was happy at first, but things started to go wrong quickly. She talked to me, said she couldn’t confide in anyone else. She had begun to suspect Justin was into something illegal, and then she realized his dad and brother probably were too. Anyway, I was a witness to what Justin had done, and I don’t trust his dad and brother to allow an honest investigation. I don’t think they would ever let Justin go to prison for killing Chloe.”
Eli wished his sister had confided in him. They’d grown up in different worlds and hadn’t been close, and now he’d never have a chance to fix that. It burned in his gut that the man who’d married her, who’d promised her his love and fidelity, had killed her. Without a doubt, that bastard wanted to cover his tracks and would come after the witnesses to his crime. Eli hadn’t been able to protect Chloe, but he sure as hell would protect Gwen and Cameron.
Gwen was still clutching her arms around her. She wore a thin, long-sleeved shirt over the t-shirt he’d lent her and he thought that despite the warm room, she was cold. He crossed to the entryway and the row of hooks where several jackets hung. He grabbed a wool Pendleton. “Here, put this on.”
Eyes widened with surprise before she took it from him. “I’m not used to you being considerate, Eli.”
He put his hands on his hips, watching as she shrugged into the heavy shirt. “I can be nice.”
The look she gave him spoke louder than words: he’d never bothered being nice to her. He gestured to the seats. “Sit.”
***
Gwen gave an abrupt nod and sat on the couch again, rolling up the sleeves of Eli’s shirt so they wouldn’t hang over her hands. Going over the events of that night, reliving the terror, left her teetering on the edge of control. When Eli had put his hands on her shoulders, the urge to simply burrow in and let him hold her had nearly unraveled her control. But in that direction lay insanity. Eli may not have shut the door in her face, but he certainly wasn’t someone she could turn to for comfort.
He sat on the leather chair and bent forward to study her, forearms resting on his knees. His expression carried the focus, the intensity of purpose that had been one of the first things she’d ever noticed about him.
“What about Cameron? Did you tell him what happened to Chloe?”
She nodded. “That was the worst. After the gas station, we drove and drove. It was probably forty-five minutes before I felt we were safe to stop again.” She thought of that wild ride through the night, constantly checking her rearview mirror, Cameron sitting beside her, small face pinched with fear. “I pulled into the parking lot of a Denny’s so we could talk. He knew something bad had happened. I told him the truth. I told him his mother was dead. I didn’t go into detail, and I don’t think he wanted to know because he didn’t ask, but I wanted him to understand that Justin is dangerous.”
She sat quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts, trying to ignore the fatigue beginning to muddle her brain. “We spent the next few days driving around. We couldn’t go to the beach house because Justin could find us there, so we stayed at motels where I paid with cash. I needed to spend time with Cam, let him grieve, and I needed time to figure out what to do. I’d already decided to come here but didn’t want to take a direct route.” She forced herself to unclench her hands and laid them on her knees. “Now it’s your turn to fill me in on what you know.”
Eli nodded. “Justin called to tell me Chloe was dead, and that you’d disappeared with Cameron. He said there had been a break-in, that it looked like Chloe had struggled with the intruder and been hit on the head and killed.” He looked at her steadily. “He wanted my help finding you. He said you were supposed to go on vacation with Cameron, and you weren’t answering his calls. Then he said there was a possibility you were in the house when the murder happened, that you might have seen something, or even been taken by the intruder.”
“Which means he figured out a story to get the police looking for me.”
“He also said Chloe had been concerned about your mental state, that she’d been urging you to get treatment. That they were both worried because you were using drugs and hanging out with a bad crowd. He said they’d decided to limit Cameron’s contact with you.”
“That’s not true.” Dread grew, knotting her stomach. “What else did he say?”
“That you could have killed Chloe, and that you’d taken Cameron. The police are looking for you as a person of interest.”
“Oh my God.” She stared into his strong face. “Do you believe him?” The decision to show up on Eli’s doorstep, to believe he would help, was suddenly fraught with danger. Had she been wrong to trust him, to trust Eli to believe her when he’d been so quick to judge her in the past? She had put her faith in him and if he didn’t believe what she’d told him about that horrible night, then the consequences for her would be grim. She held his gaze for a long, taut moment, trying to read behind the granite façade. At his steady regard, she inhaled deeply and took the leap of faith. “You didn’t.”
“No. You may have been a partier, but I never thought you were into the heavy drugs. And you always put Cameron first.”
&nbs
p; “Yeah, that was me, party queen.” She shook her head at the absurdity of the statement, and wondered how she could understand his character so well when he didn’t have a clue about hers.
“Regardless, Justin admitted you were planning a trip with Cameron. If Chloe was concerned about your influence she would never have allowed it.”
Gwen leaned back against the couch cushions and rubbed a thumb between her eyebrows where tension had settled. She lowered her hand to look at Eli. “Well, now I know how Justin is going to play this. The bottom line is he’ll come after both Cameron and me because we are the only witnesses to what happened that night.
“He knows I saw him standing over her with the bookend in his hand. If he can silence us, then he can probably stay out of jail. As long as we’re free, we’re a threat.” She blinked eyelids that wanted to drop with fatigue. “With us alive, he’s always in danger of being exposed. I don’t think he’s put out a BOLO for us because he wants to get to me first. He may have put out a quiet search to be notified if my plates or driver’s license get run. I don’t know if he’s able to watch my credit cards, but I have to assume he can, so I’ve been paying for everything with cash. I think he’ll figure out I’ve come here since there isn’t any place else I would likely go, and then he’s going to come after us.”
“We’ll deal with that if it happens.” He paused like he wanted to say something more, but instead said, “Go on to bed, Gwen. You look about done in.”
She nodded. “I will, but one more thing. It may be safer for Cameron if I leave him here. Justin will come after me and will assume I have Cameron. If I can be a decoy and lead Justin away from here, that might keep Cam safe.”
Flint sparked in Eli’s eyes. “The hell you will. You were smart enough to come to me in the first place. I can’t protect you if you’re not here.”
“First, I can protect myself. Second, Cameron’s safety is my top priority. I’ll do what I have to do.”
Chapter Four
Gwen awoke without any of the confusion of being in a strange place. She knew exactly where she was. She and Cameron were at Elijah’s and they were safe. No matter how he felt about her, Eli wouldn’t allow danger anywhere near his nephew. Despite the days of being on the run, of the fear that Justin’s sports car would appear in her rearview mirror, she’d slept soundly and, if the faint gray through the crack in the curtains was an indicator, had awoken at her usual time.
Cameron would likely sleep for another couple hours, but she needed to earn their keep. She rose and, after a quick trip across the hall to the bathroom, pulled on her jeans and sweatshirt over the loaner t-shirt she’d slept in.
Gripping her lightweight hiking boots in her hand, she descended the stairs. Leaving them by the front door, she crossed the dining room to the kitchen where a faint light shone. Bubba lay in his bed and opened one eye, then closed it with a deep sigh. She guessed he wasn’t an early riser.
The smell of coffee lured her to the counter. Eli must have set up the machine the night before and programmed it to brew early. Gwen worried her bottom lip. Simply helping herself to Eli’s coffee felt presumptuous. But the pot was full and seemed like an awful lot for one person. The tempting aroma finally made the decision for her. If he wanted more she’d make him another pot, but right now she wanted coffee more than she wanted her next breath. She reached into the cupboard she’d seen him open the night before and found a sturdy mug. After adding a splash of milk, she poured the coffee, blew on it, and then took her first sip. Another sip, and she thought she might live through the day.
Taking the mug with her, Gwen made her way to the front door. She slipped her feet into her boots, setting down the mug to quickly lace them, then turned the lock before easing the door open. She stepped through and hastily shut the door to keep out the cold. The temperature might warm during the day, but nights in the mountains were downright frosty. Tucking her free hand into her pocket, she took a sip of coffee and moved across the porch. The house looked across the valley from the east. The western peaks of the Sierras loomed as dark shadows against a sky turning pearly silver. A high-pitched howl echoed from a distance, followed by yapping cries. Even growing up in the city in Southern California, she knew the sound of coyotes. They lived in urban canyons and the wild mountains.
Gwen leaned against the stone pillar at the edge of the porch. Lights came on in a building a ways off that she thought might be on Broken Arrow property. Sipping her coffee, she enjoyed the simple pleasure of watching night give way to morning. She was considering a warm-up for her coffee when the door opened behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. Eli wore a shearling-lined denim coat and a dark Stetson, a steaming mug in his hand. He didn’t wear the typical cowboy boots, but rather sturdy leather work boots. He stopped beside her, eyeing her over the brim of his cup as he took a sip.
“Thought you’d sleep in.” His warm breath frosted in the chilly air.
“No. I woke up and wanted coffee.”
He nodded and Gwen forced herself not to fidget. Eli always made her nervous, had from the first time they’d met, but some things he didn’t need to know.
“Cameron okay? He seems pretty clingy with you.”
“His world has been turned upside down. He’s entitled to be clingy.”
He gave her a cool look. “Didn’t say he wasn’t. I need to know how best to deal with him.”
Gwen turned her attention back to the view. The tops of the western mountains were glowing orange as they caught the rising sun while the valley below still lay in shadow. “You were dealing with him fine last night. I think what Cam needs most is to know he’s safe and we will protect him from Justin. And that he can talk to either of us if he needs to. Are you comfortable if he asks about his mom?”
“I can deal.” She turned back to him, surprised to find gray eyes glittering beneath the rim of the dark hat. “We’re also going to deal with the fucking bastard who killed my sister, and not wait for him to make a move.”
She should have known there was anger under the cool exterior. He had a way of making a person think he was calm and collected, all smooth waters. But underneath fury roiled. She tightened her body against a shiver. Until that moment she’d been warm enough with her hoodie and coffee, but now it felt like icy fingers of cold snaked down her spine. “He’s dangerous, Eli, and he’s going to be desperate to stay out of prison.”
“That’s exactly why we don’t wait for him to make a move, because he will make one. And the more desperate he is, the more reckless he’ll be.” He paused, expression intent. “I want to make a recording of you stating exactly what you told me last night. We’ll send it to the FBI.”
“The FBI? Really?”
“Yeah, really. You said you don’t trust the local police department to investigate, so we go to the FBI.”
She nodded her head slowly. “That’s a good idea. I should have thought of it.”
“Cut yourself some slack. You’ve done a good job keeping Cameron safe and dealing with getting here.”
She raised her brows a little at the unexpected praise. Maybe Eli’s attitude toward her had mellowed.
Gwen mulled over his suggestion, trying to think of all the angles. “We don’t know how fast the FBI will move, or if they will. I’m positive Justin will come here if he can’t find me anywhere else. We need to be ready for that.” The thought again crossed her mind that she could lure him away from the ranch, away from Cameron.
“I’d say that’s likely. Let him come. I’d rather deal with him head on and get it over with, than have you constantly worried about when he’ll show up.” He narrowed his gaze. “And I want a promise from you that you won’t run.”
Disconcerted he could so easily read her mind, she shifted to look at the view. A beam of sunlight speared across the valley like a beacon. “You’ve got to realize Cameron would be safer if I was gone.” She shrugged. “Regardless, we’ll make the recording and send it. That’s a constructive step. Meanwhile, b
oth Cameron and I can help out around here. I don’t have money to pay for our keep, but we can do chores, whatever needs to be done.”
He swept the hat off his head, slapped it against his thigh. “Pay for your keep? The hell with that. And do you think I’d let you take off with a murderer after you?” He caught her expression and scowled, brows lowered. “You do believe that. For Christ sake, Gwen.”
“I don’t know what you’re mad about. You’ve disapproved of me from the get-go. The last time we were in the same room, you made it clear you thought I was a bad influence on your sister and nephew. What was it you said? That if it was up to you, I’d never see either of them ever again. That I was in the way of their bonding, that Cameron looked at me as his mother, and I should step aside so they could have a normal relationship.”
“That’s not exactly right, but it doesn’t matter now. The situation has changed. You’ll stay here where you’re both safe.”
Not really surprised at his response, she gestured toward the barn where two men stood talking in the open doorway. “If I stay, there’s always the threat Justin will try something. I don’t like endangering you or the people who work for you.”
“My men can take care of themselves. Promise me, Gwen.”
She took in his appearance: the long, jean-clad legs, the wide shoulders under the padded jacket, the power in his strong face. Even when he’d judged her, dismissed her as a bad influence, she’d known that, however misguided, he’d done it because of love and concern for his sister. And underneath all the judgment was a strength she could rely on. Wasn’t that why she’d come to him, because she’d somehow known he would offer her sanctuary, a refuge from the danger pursuing her? “Okay. I promise I won’t leave without telling you first.”
He gave a curt nod. “That’ll do for now.”
Gwen blew out a breath, then sucked up the inner cringe and asked the next favor. “I can’t leave my car on the road. If the Highway Patrol or your local law enforcement runs the plates, Justin could find out where I am.”
Dead Giveaway Page 3