In the back of his mind, a voice whispered he might turn out to be just like his father. Nick silenced the voice. He would face his demons as they came. Until then, he would take his chances.
He stood up and walked to the door. When he looked outside, he could see the lights at Kyle's house and hear the sounds of conversation and laughter spilling from the open windows.
Envy filled him. He wanted what this family had. He wanted the love and security of belonging and he wanted it with Hannah. When all this was over, he was going to find a way to make it all come true. For both of them.
* * *
Chapter 15
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The sound of music and laughter filled Jordan's house. Bunches of balloons bounced in the corners and streamers crisscrossed the ceiling. The usual crowd of adults had been supplemented by a dozen or so children ranging from toddlers to teenagers.
Nick stood by the entrance to the kitchen and watched. Nearly two weeks ago, he'd decided to stay longer than the weekend originally planned so he could help Hannah fit in with her family. He thought he was doing her a favor. Little did he realize he would be the one to receive the gift of belonging. These people had welcomed them both with open arms.
Louise moved toward him. As the birthday girl, she was required to wear a gold cardboard crown on her head. She touched it as she approached. "I always wanted to enter one of those beauty pageants," she said and grinned. "I feel like I just won."
Nick bent down and kissed her cheek. "You did win. You're the most beautiful woman here. Except for Hannah, of course."
She slapped his arm. "Smooth talker. I'm in the mood to believe you. At least for tonight."
Richard walked over and shook hands with him. "None of that, Nick. No one is allowed to kiss Louise without my permission."
"Are you boys going to fight over me?"
Richard put his arm around her shoulders. "I would give my life for you."
Louise stared at him. Her smile faded and she touched his cheek. "That's the most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me."
He pulled her close.
Nick left them alone and walked around the edge of the room. Family members stood talking in groups. He spotted Hannah talking with her brothers. As he got closer, he heard Travis mention stock shares.
"It's not right," Hannah said. "I don't want to take what belongs to you."
"We want to give it to you," Craig said. "We want to share our good fortune."
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Nick, explain it to them."
He put his hands on her shoulders. "Hannah is still afraid to completely belong. It's not her fault. Give her a little more time and she'll happily accept your generous gift."
"What?" She spun to face him and glared. "What are you saying?"
He might have exaggerated about Louise's being the second most beautiful woman in the room, but he'd been right about Hannah's being the first. She was lovely.
She'd spent part of the afternoon locked in the bathroom, grumbling about the pain of trying to look attractive. He'd caught a glimpse of her in hot curlers. The results were amazing. Shiny, thick curls tumbled down her back. Subtle makeup accentuated her eyes and mouth. She wore a little black dress that clung to her generous shape, emphasizing breasts and hips. They'd made love less than four hours before, but he wanted her as much as he ever had.
"I'm telling them the truth," he said and brought her hand to his mouth. He kissed her palm. "They love you. Trust them."
Those were the words he spoke. What he thought was Love me and trust me as much as I love and trust you. He wanted to tell her the truth. He'd nearly done it a hundred times in the past couple of days. Yet the moment had never seemed right.
After the party, he'd decided. When they were alone in bed, he would confess that he'd fallen in love with her. He would ask her to give him a little time, probably no more than a week. By then the arrests would be made and he could tell her who he really was. He would tell her he wanted to be with her always. Somehow they would find a way to make it work.
She covered his hand with hers and squeezed. "Oh, Nick. If you knew what you do to me."
"I have an idea."
"Yeah? I doubt you're even close."
They smiled at each other, then he remembered her brothers. When he glanced up, the Haynes brothers had left them alone, much as he had left Richard and Louise.
"It must be contagious," he said.
"What?" she asked.
"It's not important." He wrapped a curl around his finger. "Did I tell you how great you look?"
She glanced down. "Thanks. It's the dress, really. I'm usually in pants."
"It's not the dress. It's you."
Her dark eyes widened. "Thank you." Fire flared in their warm depths. Fire and need. He thought briefly about taking her back to the gatehouse and making love to her, then reminded himself the party would only last a few more hours. He could wait.
A couple of kids ran between them. Hannah laughed and stepped away. Before he could get close again, Elizabeth claimed her. He was about to follow when Holly touched him on the arm.
"You have a phone call," she said. "One of your business associates. He says it's important."
Nick's gut tightened. Was it Rodriguez? Had something happened? He prayed silently that the something was good news. Maybe the case had been wrapped up and he could confess everything to Hannah that night. He walked into the kitchen and picked up the receiver.
"Archer here."
"Ah, Nick. So this is where you've been hiding."
Every nerve went on alert. The sixth sense that had kept him alive this long now warned him that he was in serious danger. "Thompson. I told you I was going to take a few days off. Is there a problem?"
Thompson swore loudly. "No problem, you son of a bitch. How much did you tell them?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You think I'm stupid? You think I planned to play second banana to you all my life? I'm goin' somewhere. I'm gonna get rich and screw the rest of you."
Despite his pounding heart, Nick spoke calmly. "Everyone needs a goal."
"I've got a man on the inside," Thompson growled. "A dirty cop. He told me about the arrest warrants. There wasn't one for you, Nick. Why? What did you tell them?"
Nick swore under his breath. At least Thompson didn't know he was an undercover cop. Except for the captain, no one at the station knew about that. He had a fighting chance.
"What's your point?"
"You sold us out. That means you took the money. Where is it, Nick? Where'd you put it?"
The money Thompson referred to was about seven million dollars, stolen in phony land deals. At this moment, it was tagged as evidence.
"You're gonna tell me," Thompson threatened. "I'm giving you a choice because I'm such a nice guy. You can meet me where I say, or I can come to the house and break up that great party you got goin'. It would be a shame if innocent people had to get hurt."
Nick thought fast. He didn't have a choice. Thompson wouldn't object to killing anyone who got in the way.
He grabbed a pencil from the counter next to the phone. A small message pad had been attached to the wall. "Tell me where," he said.
Thompson laughed. "I knew you'd see it my way." He gave an address. "Take the main highway south, out of town. There's a small industrial complex on the left. We'll be waiting there. If you take too long, we'll come and get you."
"I'll be there."
"I won't insult you by telling you to come alone."
"Thanks." His mind raced. He had a bad feeling about this. "How'd you find me?"
"My friend at the station saw some computer activity. He traced it back to the Glenwood sheriff's office. Have you been a bad boy, Nick?"
Nick leaned against the wall. Travis's investigation. Maybe there'd been more than one.
"You've got fifteen minutes," Thompson warned. "Then we come after you."
Nick hung up the phone. Th
ere wasn't much time.
He grabbed the top sheet off the pad, then headed for the living room. Hannah was still talking to Elizabeth. He excused himself, then pulled her toward the front door.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Something's happened? What?"
"I can't—" He swore. There wasn't any time.
He opened the door and shoved her onto the porch. Before she could protest, he kissed her hard, drawing her close and trying to store a lifetime's worth of memories in that single embrace. Then he broke the kiss.
"I love you," he said, holding on to her arms to keep her from moving. "Probably since the first day I saw you, although I just admitted it to myself a few days ago. I've never been in love before, so I didn't recognize the signs." She stared at him. When she was about to speak, he touched her mouth. "Let me," he said. "I want you to know that you're beautiful, funny, loyal and the best person I've ever known. I'll love you forever. Whatever happens, remember that."
"Nick?"
He released her and started down the stairs.
"You're leaving?" She stood looking at him. "Where are you going?"
He didn't answer. The Mercedes started easily. He would convince Thompson and the other men that the money was still in Southport Beach. Once they got there, well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. His priority was to get the danger as far from Hannah and her family as possible.
* * *
Hannah stared after him in disbelief. What was going on? First he said he loved her and now he was leaving? The sound of the car engine faded and she was left with nothing.
He loved her? He'd said he loved her. And then he'd left.
"Hannah?" She turned. Holly leaned out the front door. "There's a call for Nick. Jordan said the two of you came out here. Where is he?"
"He's gone." She couldn't believe the words even as she said them. Gone? It wasn't possible. Something was wrong. She felt it in her heart.
Holly frowned. "Do you want to talk to Captain Rodriguez? Isn't he your captain at the station? He's the one asking for Nick this time."
Hannah's instincts kicked in. "This time?"
Holly nodded. "Nick got another phone call just a couple of minutes ago. One of his business associates. He said it was important."
Hannah raced into the house. She paused. "The kitchen," Holly yelled after her. Several of the adults turned to stare. Hannah ignored them. She ran into the kitchen and picked up the receiver. "Captain? It's Hannah Pace."
"I must speak to Nick, Hannah. It's urgent."
"He's not here. He got a phone call and left. What's going on?"
Rodriguez swore. "They got to him first."
She broke out in a cold sweat. "Who got to him? Captain, you have to tell me."
"Nick is in danger. Listen to me, Hannah. Nick Archer is an undercover police officer working on a sting operation.
"I don't have time to explain," Rodriguez said quickly. "We were about to arrest everyone. One of my officers here was caught giving out information. Nick's associates know something is up and he's in trouble. You have to contact the local police there. Can you do that?"
She glanced up and saw her brothers standing in the kitchen. Three cops, including the sheriff of Glenwood. "Yes, that's the easy part. Now we have to find Nick."
"They're in the area. I know that much."
"We'll do our best," she said, then hung up. She turned to Travis. "Nick's in danger. He's an undercover cop. Someone in the Southport Beach station told his associates he was staying here. They've come for him. We have to find him."
Even as she spoke the words, she didn't believe them. A cop? Too many emotions bubbled inside for her to identify any of them. First they had to get him back alive.
"Where would you meet someone if you wanted to kill him?" Travis asked, taking, charge.
Hannah's blood ran cold. They were talking about Nick.
"Out of town," Craig said.
"Not too far," Kyle added. "Somewhere that didn't have a lot of people around but easy to find so Nick wouldn't get lost."
"It's Saturday night. What's deserted?" Travis asked.
Hannah turned her back on them and clutched her midsection. Please, God, don't let him die. She stared at the wall in front of her. The notepad was blank. She moved closer. There were faint indentations on it.
"I've got it," she said and jerked the pad from the wall. "He wrote down an address." She held the pad to the light. "I can't make it out."
Travis took it from her. "Two seven three one. The street name is a blur."
Jordan reached for the pencil on the counter. "Don't you cops watch television?" He grabbed the pad and rubbed it lightly with the pencil. The address popped out, thin, pale writing on a background of gray.
"The industrial complex," Travis said. "Let's go."
The five of them ran for the front door. Travis's sheriff's car was parked in the circular driveway. They piled in and Travis started the siren. The family spilled out of the house, but he ignored them. As they were leaving, Elizabeth yelled something about the radio.
Seconds later, Hannah heard Elizabeth's voice on the car radio. Travis quickly filled her in. Then he made a call to the station for backup.
In less than ten minutes, they were near the industrial complex. Travis switched off the siren and entered the first parking lot. "It's down here," he said, pointing to a side street. "The address is at the end. Let's go around and approach from the rear."
Hannah glanced down at her dress and high heels. Figures. The one day she dressed up, she would have to go in shooting.
Her mind had shut down and she preferred it that way. She was a communications officer and she didn't have street experience, but she'd been through the academy and knew enough to be afraid. She refused to think about Nick's being in danger. If she did, she would lose control and be of no use to anyone. Least of all him.
Travis killed the engine about a hundred yards from the last building. They coasted to a stop, then got out and headed around to the trunk. Travis opened it and passed them bulletproof vests. Travis and Craig had pulled out shotguns from the front. There were two more in the trunk, along with a couple of handguns. Hannah reached for a shotgun.
Travis looked at her.
She grimaced. "I know how to use it."
He nodded. "Ready?" he asked, then started for the building.
Hannah felt as if she had a bit part in a Clint Eastwood movie. They walked in a line, moving quickly but quietly. There were no windows in the rear of the building, so they couldn't be seen. As they approached the corner of the industrial structure, Travis went first, then motioned them around. She saw two cars parked in front. One of them was Nick's Mercedes.
Her heart thundered in her chest. Her mouth was dry and her legs trembled. Still, she forced herself to go on. She refused to stay behind and wait. Thank goodness she hadn't had to fight her brothers on that.
The glass door was closed but not locked. Once inside, they heard voices coming from the back. Travis led the way, motioning for them to stay well behind and go single file. Hannah was second to last; Craig brought up the rear.
The offices in front were empty and dark. Light spilled into a corridor leading to the warehouse. As they got closer, the voices became distinct.
"I'll tell you when we get back to Southport Beach," Nick said.
"You'll tell me now." The order was followed by a crack.
Hannah bit her lower lip to keep from screaming. The voices lowered, then there was another crack and a low moan.
Travis paused at the mouth of the corridor. The warehouse lights were on. Boxes of office supplies stretched up to the ceiling in disorganized rows. The area in front was clear. Hannah could see someone's back.
Travis inched closer and looked around the corner. He ducked back, motioned for them to get ready to jump out, then lunged into the main warehouse.
"Freeze," he yelled. "You're under arrest."
Three armed men spun toward them. Hannah barely
noticed as she searched for, then found Nick. He'd been tied to a chair. His face and torso were battered. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were so swollen, he could barely get them open.
"What the hell," he said, the words thick. "Someone sent the cavalry."
The tallest of the men, maybe five-ten with broad football shoulders, grimaced. "Who the hell are you?"
"Glenwood Sheriff's Department, gentlemen. Put down your guns and kneel on the floor, hands behind your head."
The three men glanced at each other. Hannah tore her attention from Nick and raised the shotgun. "Please try to run," she said, so angry she was shaking. "One of you run. I want nothing better than to blow off your damn head."
One of the men took a step back. "Who the hell is she?"
"My wife," Nick said.
They stared at her. In the distance, they heard the sound of police sirens. Three pistols hit the concrete floor of the warehouse. The trio dropped to their knees and placed their hands behind their heads. Only when they were safely cuffed did Hannah lower her shotgun. She handed it to Jordan, then ran sobbing to Nick.
* * *
"You two going to be all right?" Louise asked. "I could stay."
Hannah liked the idea of someone acting as a buffer between her and Nick, but doubted he would agree. She walked her mother to the door of the gatehouse. "We'll be fine. The doctor at the hospital said he has some bruises, but nothing was broken. It's just going to take a few days for him to heal." They hugged, then Louise started toward Kyle's house.
Hannah closed the door behind her. The gatehouse was small. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. She simply had to turn around and face Nick.
She forced herself to smile and cleared her throat. "That's the last of them," she said cheerfully. "Now you can get some rest." She started for the bedroom. "You'll probably be uncomfortable during the night. I'll let you have the bed and I'll sleep on the sofa."
"Hannah, wait."
His words were difficult to understand. She paused in the doorway, then returned to the living room and sat on the edge of the easy chair. Not wanting to look, yet knowing there was no way to avoid it, she raised her gaze to the sofa and the battered man lying there.
HUSBAND BY THE HOUR Page 20