by Tara Randel
Jenna was right. Safety was an illusion. But no way would Wyatt make it easy on the opposition.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING the doorbell rang just as Jenna was pouring her second cup of coffee. She’d been up since dawn after catching a few snatches of sleep through a restless night. She shuffled to the door, peering through the side window before opening it.
“Jenna, I don’t know how this happened.”
Barbara swept inside, her face pale, sans makeup.
Jenna quickly closed and locked the door behind her. “Coffee?”
“Please.”
By the time Jenna had the mug filled, Barbara sat at the table, her hands splayed against the wood surface. “I swear to you, I had no idea Rod would come here.”
“Yeah, we all keep saying that, but he showed up anyway.”
“You don’t think I had anything to do with this?”
Jenna sank down in a chair opposite her agent. “Not intentionally.”
“What do you mean?” Barbara’s eyes narrowed.
Jenna clarified. “You did take Rod’s last pet project as a client.”
Barbara had the grace to look guilty. She opened her purse and dug around until she produced a roll of antacids. She peeled one off and placed it in her mouth.
“Well?”
“Pamela swore to me she was finished with him.”
Jenna shot her a skeptical look.
“Okay, that was naive, even for me.”
“You told her about your trip?”
“Yes. It affects her career.”
Jenna sipped her coffee. An uncomfortable silence blanketed the room.
“I had to make decisions to keep the agency afloat.” Barbara’s voice took on a defensive edge. “When you decided to start a catering business, I panicked. Then the network started making noises about replacing your cooking show. You were far from being helpful so I did what I had to do. You certainly didn’t give me much choice.”
“So we’re going to play the blame game?”
“What about your commitments to me? For years I put all my energies into making your career successful, if you ended our business relationship, then where would I be? I needed to take on more clients. It wasn’t an easy decision signing Pamela, but I had to get the word out that I was interested in representing new talent.”
Barbara frowned. “I’m sorry, Jenna. I probably should have reconsidered taking Pamela on as a client, especially in light of her relationship with Rod, but how could I say no?”
“You couldn’t.”
Barbara wrapped both hands around her mug. “I trusted Pamela when she said she was through with Rod. He was starting the same nonsense he pulled with you. She was getting scared, wanted to break free from him. I never thought booking a few jobs for her would cause Rod to head straight to you.”
“It’s not like he couldn’t find out where I was.”
“You shouldn’t have had to try to hide it.”
“In a perfect world.”
Barbara met her gaze. “What will you do?”
“Depends on Rod’s next move. If he violates the restraining order, Police Chief Gardener will throw him behind bars and it’ll give us more ammunition to use against him in court.”
“Can I do anything?”
“No. I have people...friends here to help me.”
Barbara pushed back the chair and rose. “I don’t know what to say. I put you in danger. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do it on purpose.”
“So where do we go from here?”
“Honestly, Barbara, I’m not sure.”
The older woman blinked. “Are you firing me?”
Jenna shook her head. “No. I just need some time. You understand.”
“Yes. I...” Barbara clutched her purse and took a step away from the table. “I have a plane to catch.”
“Then you don’t want to be late.”
They walked to the door.
“Text me when you get back,” Jenna said.
“I will. And I promise to make this up to you.”
Jenna didn’t think she could, but knew Barbara needed to try.
“Why don’t you make sure things are still good with the network. I don’t need any more surprises.”
Barbara’s shoulders straightened. “I can handle that assignment.”
When she moved in for a hug, Jenna backed up.
“Okay then. I’ll be in touch.”
After her agent left, Jenna leaned back against the door. Logically she knew Barbara hadn’t brought Rod with her. But taking on a client associated with Rod? She hadn’t been looking out for Jenna’s best interests, only her own. She didn’t know what the future held for them professionally, but right now she had more pressing matters to worry about.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AFTER ROD’S UNEXPECTED visit at the engagement party, Wyatt stuck close to Jenna and the girls, which Jenna admired. And he did make her feel safe, but he had to have a life. One that didn’t include babysitting her family. If he wasn’t at the house, then the girls were at his cottage when Jenna worked. Although she was grateful for all the support, she’d grown testy over her every move being monitored.
Through the grapevine, Jenna learned that Rod had unleashed his slimy sort of charm on the townsfolk while managing to keep out of sight of the police. Thankfully, the entire town rallied around Jenna and wouldn’t give the reporter one iota of information.
She wasn’t sleeping well. Every time she looked in the mirror, she cringed. Dark circles lined her eyes. Her complexion had turned pasty, despite being in and out of the Florida sun. On top of that, she became short-tempered with the girls at home and Michelle at work. The twins noticed her stress, but had their own anxiety over Rod’s arrival to deal with. They stayed out of Jenna’s way, spending more and more time with Wyatt. Once again circumstances out of her control infringed on her relationship with the twins. She hated seeing their haunted faces, and her reassurances didn’t offer much relief.
On the following Monday, she got the girls ready for school. Jenna had stuck with their normal routine for all their sakes. Dressed for work in her chef uniform, she rushed into the kitchen to pour coffee in her travel cup when she bumped into Wyatt, who’d come over early to make pancakes. He stood at the sink, rinsing off the breakfast dishes.
“Excuse me.” The words whooshed out of her as she made to walk around him.
“Are the girls ready to leave?”
“Wyatt, I can drop them off at school.”
“It’s on my route to the marina. I need to stop by and handle a problem with the boat.”
“Why don’t you go ahead? We’re going in a few minutes.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone.”
The tension between her and Wyatt had grown steadily all week. Jenna knew it wouldn’t be pretty when it erupted.
“We’ll be fine.”
“I can’t take the chance.”
“You can’t—” She closed her eyes, counted to ten, then met his gaze. “Wyatt, please go work on your boat.”
“It’ll only take a few minutes to drop the girls off.”
“Did you think that maybe I want some time with them? All week you’ve spirited them off somewhere safe. I’ve hardly seen them.”
“You have a problem with my methods?”
“I don’t think smothering us is—”
“Right, because you’ve managed the Rod problem so well yourself.”
Ouch. A direct blow to her self-confidence.
Wyatt ran a hand over his bristly chin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”
“Sure you did. I bet you’ve been waiting for the chance to tell me I blew it as a pa
rent.”
“No, it’s just...I didn’t protect Jamie. I don’t want to see you wrestle with the same guilt if something happens.”
“I’ve talked to the police. They’re looking out for us.”
“It’s not enough.”
“Wyatt, you can’t be with us 24/7. Stop hovering.”
“Not as long as that loser is in town. I wouldn’t feel right not watching out for you.”
Did his stubbornness know no bounds? “I get how you feel about protecting us, but we aren’t yours to worry about.”
His face went slack and his eyes turned dark.
Jenna immediately felt contrite. “Now it’s my turn to apologize.”
“No, you’ve made your point. I’m not your family.”
She waited, hoping he’d say, but I want you to be.
When he did speak, his words were tight. “I guess I overstepped.”
“This situation is bringing out the worst in all of us.”
“Is the chief making any strides in finding the guy?”
“No. I told you, Rod knows how to skirt the law.”
An uncomfortable silence settled around them. Finally, Wyatt grabbed his keys from the counter. “Call me if you want me to come by later.”
She knew Wyatt took protecting them seriously, but without a solid commitment from him, she had to wonder if he was merely acting out of a sense of duty. The knowledge hurt her in a deep place.
When she didn’t answer, he quietly left the house, which made her feel ten times more ungrateful. Rubbing the nearly constant ache in her temple, she filled her mug with coffee and switched off the machine.
“Hop to it, girls. We’re running late.”
Abby strolled into the kitchen as Jenna was disconnecting her phone from the charger.
“I’m ready. Bridget is brushing her teeth.”
Jenna set her phone on the counter, bending down to kiss the top of Abby’s head. “Have I told you lately how awesome you are?”
Abby giggled, her first positive reaction in a week. “You’re just saying that because you have to.”
“I don’t have to.”
“Yes you do. Moms say that kind of stuff all the time.”
Jenna smiled at Abby, blinking back tears that were forming way too easily lately. “Maybe, but I mean every word.”
Abby hugged her. “Don’t worry about us.”
Jenna hugged her back. “Definitely part of my job.”
“I love you.”
Jenna swallowed hard. “Love you too.”
By this time, Bridget shuffled into the kitchen, dragging her backpack behind her. She frowned at Jenna. “You aren’t crying again, are you?”
Jenna laughed, swiping her eyes. “Me? Of course not.”
Bridget glanced at Abby. “Yeah, right.”
Jenna started to laugh. Soon the girls joined in.
“Oh my, that felt good.”
“We’d better leave,” Abby reminded her.
“Okay, let me get—”
The doorbell rang, cutting off Jenna’s thought.
“Maybe Mr. Wyatt forgot something.” Bridget raced to the door.
“Bridget, wait. Don’t open—”
Too late. The door swung open, revealing Rod, leaning against the porch post, his ever-present camera draped over his chest, a camera bag in his hand. “Good morning, ladies.”
Bridget took a second too long to respond. By the time she tried to slam the door, Rod already had a palm out to stop it. She turned and ran to the kitchen as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Jenna reached for her cell to call 911, but Rod dropped his bag, and snatched the phone away from her.
Having lost her advantage, Jenna raised her chin, though she felt anything but confident. The girls huddled behind her.
“At last. A few minutes alone with my favorite family.”
“Rod, leave. Right now.”
“And miss having a conversation with you?” His eyes went dark. “I don’t think so.”
“What do you want?”
“What I always want. An exclusive.”
“Fine. Get your story and leave.”
He shook his head and tsked. “Not so fast.” He crouched down to observe the girls. “You’re both getting bigger. Have you missed me?”
Poking her head around Jenna’s hip, Bridget hissed, “No!”
“Shame. I’d hoped I could make up for the last time we saw each other.”
“I don’t want you here,” Abby told him, her voice shaky.
He glanced at Jenna as he rose. “I see the girls haven’t forgiven me.”
“Why would they? You brought it on yourself when you nearly ran over Abby.”
He waved her off. “C’mon. You know I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Getting that restraining order was uncalled for.”
Jenna shook her head. “You’re delusional.”
A spark flared in Rod’s eyes. “We’ll see how delusional I am after I get my exclusive.”
“Not from us.”
He picked up his camera bag, and drew out a pistol. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve arranged a nice roomy car for our trip back to LA.”
A gun? What were they going to do now? Jenna kept up the false bravado. “We aren’t going anywhere with you.”
“See, that’s your problem. Always trying to ruin my plans.”
Jenna pushed the girls more securely behind her.
“Rod. We aren’t leaving. We live here now.”
“No. You don’t.”
How did she reason with him? She had to think of a way to stop him.
“Rod, take a few pictures. Tell readers we’re fine. Living the good life in sunny Florida.”
“Not good enough.” He motioned to the door. “Get in the car.”
What should she do? If she were alone, she could bolt, take a risk, but she had to protect the girls.
Bridget poked her head out again. “We have school. We can’t go with you.”
Rod chuckled. “So conscientious.”
“Let the girls go to school. It’s not like we’re ready for a long trip. I have to...pack. Close up the house.”
He waved the gun. “Clever, but no. Move.”
As one unit, Jenna and the girls inched to the door. Once there, Jenna said, “Wait. You came all this distance and you’re leaving without part of the story.”
“What part?”
“The most important part. My new business. Let the girls go to school. I’ll give you a tour of my new catering office. You know readers will eat it up.”
Jenna watched as he stopped to consider her request. A slow smile curved his lips. “You may be on to something. Chronicling each location of our trip, starting here. Brilliant.” The smile disappeared. “But the girls aren’t going anywhere. You think I’ll let them around anyone they can tattle to? No, they can stay here.”
“Rod, they’ve never stayed home alone. I don’t think—”
“Shut up, Jenna.”
He gazed around the hallway, focusing on the closet. He gestured to Bridget. “Get in.”
Jenna gave her a small push to get her to move. Abby tried to follow, but Rod stopped her.
“No way you two are staying together.”
Once Bridget stepped inside, Rod closed the door. He stormed into the kitchen, grabbed hold of a kitchen chair and came back to jam it under the knob to make sure Bridget couldn’t escape.
Rod grabbed hold of Abby’s collar and dragged her down the hallway. Jenna tried to stop him, but he forcefully pushed her away. She lost her balance, giving Rod time to presumably imprison Abby in Jenna’s bedroom closet.
Taking advantage of the moment
, Jenna ran to the living room for the cordless phone. The neighborhood was quiet, most people at work and the kids at school, so she desperately dialed 911.
She had just started punching numbers when Rod caught hold of her shoulder and viciously yanked her backward. Stumbling, Jenna fell against him, dropping the phone. “Rod, stop. This is crazy.”
“Not as crazy as what’s going to happen later.”
She tried to shake him off as he dragged her outside to his car. He rounded to the driver side, pushing her in and then climbing in after her.
“What about the girls? You locked the girls up in the house.”
“They’ll be fine. Someone will find them eventually.”
An icy chill ran through her. “What does that mean?”
“I’m going to get my tour. Then we’re leaving town.”
“But what about the twins?”
He scowled at her. “Too much trouble.”
At the lack of emotion in his voice, Jenna’s heart sank. Think. Think. She could only pray the girls would be okay until she figured out a way to get back to them. Her mind raced with ideas as Rod drove.
He pulled into the back alley and parked. After yanking Jenna from the car, he jabbed the gun into her side as he opened the door to the catering kitchen.
“Wait. Why is the door unlocked?”
“I stopped here first. Checked the place out. You don’t think this is my first rodeo.”
Jenna closed her eyes. Here she thought she’d been so smart but he already had his agenda in play.
“Move it.”
She tripped over the step, nearly falling face-first into the kitchen. In her mind, she kept hearing, play along. Pretend to do what he wants. Okay, she could do that.
She took a deep breath, willing herself to remain calm. “This is the commercial kitchen.”
Rod nodded. “Nice.” He brought up his camera and began snapping shots. “I can see your stamp all over the space.”
“Um...” She waved him into the next part of the building. “An area for clients, my office and sample tasting room.”
Rod took shot after shot. Jenna thought about running off more than once, but the threat of the gun kept her from trying. She didn’t want to make Rod angry enough to shoot.