Fugitive Trackdown

by Sandra Robbins

  He stared down at her boots for a moment before he lifted his gaze and looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry about last night, Claire. I should never have let that guy get so close to you.”

  The stricken look in his eyes pierced her heart, and she reached across the table to him. He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed. “Adam, you can’t blame yourself for what happened. There’s no way you could have prevented it.”

  “Yes, I could have. I should have gone into your room first and checked it out instead of leaving you alone in the hallway. For a moment I forgot what I was doing there.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  He raked his hand through his hair and sighed. “Instead of concentrating on the danger around us I got too caught up in the moon and how beautiful you looked. All I could do was think about six years ago, and I let my regrets get in the way of my job to protect you.”

  His words shocked her. She had to make him understand that what happened wasn’t his fault. “Adam, you can’t take responsibility for someone else’s actions. That guy was waiting for me, and he might have killed you if you had gone into the room first. I could have asked you to check out my room, but I didn’t. My independent streak wouldn’t let me admit I might need some help.” She grinned at him. “But when I needed you, you came running. Even kicked the door in.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I did. And my leg’s a bit sore today from doing it.”

  She let go of his hand and straightened in her chair. “Then you need to take it easy until we get ready to leave for Serenity.”

  His face flushed, and he glanced at his watch. “Wow! I didn’t realize it was getting so late. I need to call the office and see if Jessica made it back from Louisiana okay.” He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “And I need to get some things upstairs. So I’ll make the call from there. Enjoy your breakfast.”

  “Tell Jessica I said hi,” she called after him. He was out of the room before she could finish her sentence.

  Claire took another bite and washed it down with a swig of coffee. Adam had surprised her this morning with his talk about feeling responsible for her almost being killed. She hoped she had relieved his mind some.

  She started to take another sip of coffee but stopped and frowned. Come to think of it, he had acted nervous and ill at ease from the moment she walked into the kitchen. After a moment she shrugged. He probably had a lot on his mind about what they were going to do at Serenity today.

  She opened her mouth to take another bite of her muffin but stopped before she bit into it. Wait just a minute, she thought. He’d been very vague about the trip to Serenity today. In fact, it was almost as if he was avoiding answering her questions.

  The conversation they’d had replayed in her mind, and she mulled over his guilt about her attack. Then his speedy retreat to make a phone call. Suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered he’d said Aunt Sue would see her later today. When she’d asked him if they were returning, he had dismissed it with a “we’ll see what happens” answer.

  The truth hit her, and her mouth dropped open. He had left her eating her breakfast while he made his preparations to slip away without her. That’s why Aunt Sue would see her later. Because Adam had decided Claire wasn’t going anywhere.

  She jumped up from her chair, stormed out of the kitchen and headed to the staircase. She could hear Adam’s voice upstairs as he talked on the phone, and she stopped. No, she wouldn’t confront him about his plan to leave her behind. Two could play at this game.

  She hurried into the den, clicked the TV on and turned the volume up loud enough to be heard in the hallway. Then she rushed back to the coat rack by the door where she’d left her jacket when she came down earlier and closed the door quietly as she exited the house.

  His car sat in the driveway where he’d parked it last night, and she ran toward it. She glanced over her shoulder, but Adam was nowhere in sight yet. Smiling, she opened the door and lay down in the backseat to wait for Adam.

  He was in for quite a surprise when he came outside.

  * * *

  Adam finished his phone call to his office, shrugged into his coat and crept down the stairs. He could hear one of the early-morning news shows playing on the TV as he stepped into the hall, and he smiled. Good. Claire was watching TV and wouldn’t hear him leave.

  The door clicked closed as he slipped from the house, and he headed to his car. He climbed in and chuckled as he pulled out of the driveway. He’d gotten away without her being any the wiser. He only hoped she wouldn’t be too angry when she discovered he’d left without her. If things went well today, he’d have the chance to explain his reasons to her. Maybe she’d forgive him then.

  He was still laughing to himself a mile later when he stopped at a red light. He glanced out the window at the parking lot of a convenience store to his left and then to his rearview mirror. The scowling face reflecting back at him made his heart slam into his chest.

  “What are you...?” he muttered as he swiveled in his seat to get a better look at Claire.

  “Doing here?” she finished for him. He blinked in case he was only imagining that she sat in the backseat, her arms crossed, and an angry expression wrinkling her face.

  The car behind them honked, and Claire pointed to the traffic light. “The light’s turned green. You’re holding up traffic.”

  “Claire!” Her name exploded from his mouth, and he jerked his body around to face forward. He pressed the accelerator, and the car lurched forward.

  Still muttering under his breath, he pulled into the turn lane at the entrance to a large retail store and pulled to a stop in their parking lot. Before he could turn off the ignition, Claire had climbed into the passenger seat beside him. She leaned over so close to him that their noses almost touched.

  “Before you start yelling at me, I want you to know that your little act didn’t fool me one bit. How could you try to run off from me like that? I thought we were in this together.”

  He glanced around to see if her shrill words had attracted any attention, but no one seemed to be paying them any mind. He took a breath to yell back at her, but the hurt look in her eyes made him pause.

  He exhaled and sank back in his seat. “I care about what happens to you, and I only wanted to protect you, Claire. These guys have tried to kill you four times now. I don’t want their fifth attempt to be successful. I did what I thought was best for you.”

  The anger disappeared from her face. “I appreciate your wanting to protect me, but I don’t want you in danger, either. If I hadn’t been so headstrong and started all this by myself, Peter Willis might have been caught by now. I have to see this finished, and we need to do this together.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m taking you back to Aunt Sue’s house. Wait there for me.”

  “And what if you never come back? What am I supposed to do?”

  He forced a laugh. “Don’t talk like that. Of course I’ll come back. The bounty hunters of the Knight Agency always get their man.”

  A small smile pulled at her mouth. “This time the bounty hunter has an assistant who isn’t taking no for an answer. I’m going with you. If you try to leave me behind, I’ll get a car and follow you.”

  She crossed her arms and directed a stern glare in his direction. After a moment he shook his head and laughed. “Okay, Claire. Against my better judgment, we’ll go together. But you have to promise that you’ll do as I say.”

  She tilted her head to one side. “You know that I’ve never been very good at following orders.”

  He sucked in his breath and leaned toward her. “Claire, you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met.”

  She laughed, reached up and patted his cheek. “Just joking, Adam. For today I’ll try to let you be the boss.”

  A warm rush po
ured through him at the touch of her hand and the teasing glint in her eyes. He swallowed in an effort to relieve the pressure in his chest, then reached over and turned the ignition.

  The motor purred to life, and he smiled at her. “Then let’s go get the bad guys.”

  * * *

  Claire had kept up a steady stream of chatter ever since they left the parking lot and headed down the highway in the direction of Serenity. He tried to listen, but his mind kept wandering to the question of what they were going to do once they arrived at the spa. They couldn’t walk in the front door and demand to know what kind of secrets the center was hiding. “Do you agree with that?” Claire asked.

  Adam realized Claire had just said something, but he didn’t have any idea what it was. He glanced at her. “Huh?”

  “I said don’t you agree with me?”

  “Oh, sure. Anything you say.” She didn’t respond for a moment, and he darted a glance at her. Her eyebrows were drawn across her nose in a big frown, and she glared at him. “What’s the matter?” he said.

  She released a big huff of breath and shook her head. “Men! They don’t ever listen to women.”

  “I was listening. You asked if I agreed, and I said I did.”

  “So you’d really like to see me dye my hair bright orange and have my nose pierced with a ring?”

  The steering wheel jerked in his hands as he cast a startled look at her. “Are you serious?”

  She rolled her eyes and exhaled. “Of course not. But you weren’t listening to me, and I thought I’d see what it took to get your attention.”

  He chuckled and directed his attention back to the road. “You’ve got it now. I vote ‘no’ on the hair and piercing.”

  She smiled. “Good.” She was quiet for a moment. “What were you so lost in thought about?”

  “Trying to decide what our first move should be.”

  “And have you found the answer yet?”

  He nodded. “I think so.” At that moment he spotted a gravel road in the distance off to the right of the main highway. He pointed to it. “See that road? It’s about a mile from there to where you turn off to go to Serenity. I think we need to go down that road until we get to the river, then hike over to Serenity’s property, and see what we can discover.”

  “That sounds good to me.”

  He turned on the road and drove about a mile until he came to a dead end. He drove into a clearing atop a small bluff and parked the car. “We’ll leave the car here and follow the river to the center.”

  They climbed out and looked around at the littered area. Soft drink cans, candy wrappers and potato chip containers were scattered around the clearing. “This must be a hangout for teenagers wanting to party,” Claire said.

  “Yeah. Lucky for us they should all be in school today.” Adam frowned as he looked at the thick forest growth just beyond the clearing. “This doesn’t look like it’s going to be an easy hike. Are you up to this?”

  “I will be in a minute,” she said as she opened the back door of the car and reached inside.

  His eyes grew wide when she straightened, and he saw her holding a gun and holster. “What are you doing with that?”

  “Making sure I’m armed.” She buckled the holster around her waist and checked to make sure it was secure.

  He shook his head. “No way am I going to let you carry that. You aren’t experienced enough.”

  “I won’t draw it unless it’s a matter of life or death. Now let’s go.”

  She started to take a step, but he grabbed her arm. He stared down at her. “I thought you were going to let me be the boss today.”

  She pulled her arm free and smiled. “I said I’d try to let you be the boss. Now let’s go.”

  “I never had this much trouble with Lucas or Jessica when we were working on a case together. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

  She batted her eyelashes at him. “Just lucky, I guess. Now are you coming with me?”

  He stared at her and shook his head as she turned and walked toward the forest. After a moment he followed her along the river on their way to Serenity.

  It was time to find out the truth.

  FOURTEEN

  Claire hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to maneuver through the forest that ran along the river. Twice she tripped over exposed tree roots and landed on the ground. Both times Adam pulled her to her feet, and she trudged on as if nothing had happened.

  It took them nearly an hour to make the one-mile trek through the woods, and she was out of breath by the time they reached a wire fence with a sign hanging on it that stated this was private property of the Serenity Wellness Center, and trespassers would be prosecuted.

  She stopped and eyed the fence. “That’s not an electric fence, is it?”

  Adam pulled a pair of leather gloves out of his pocket and slipped them on his hands. “No. It’s barbed wire. Be careful. It can make a mean cut.”

  He put both his gloved hands on the top strand and pushed down with all his weight until the wire dipped low. “Step over it while I’m holding it down.”

  Claire raised one leg and stepped over, then did the same with the other. She almost had her foot on the ground when she heard a rip and glanced down to see a long tear in her jacket.

  She shook her head in disgust and made her way over the fence.

  When Adam was safely over the wire, they continued their hike in the direction of the spa. The trail became steeper, and the tree line skirted the top of the bluff. Adam stopped and studied the dirt path that continued along the bluff.

  “This trail is getting narrower. It may run out before long. We need to climb up the bluff and into the trees. The leaves haven’t fallen yet, so we’ll have more cover there than we do on this exposed path.”

  He took hold of her arm and guided her up the steep bank and into the forest. They continued in the same direction but stopped suddenly at the sound of voices drifting on the air. Claire turned to Adam, but he put his finger over his lips to silence her. As they crept forward through the trees, the voices grew louder, but it was still difficult to make out the words.

  Trying not to make a sound, they crept through the trees until they arrived at the edge of a clearing. A large barn, painted bright red and with a metal roof like so many other barns in the rural area, occupied the middle of the open space. Three white service vans and several cars sat near the tall front double doors.

  Adam dropped to the ground and pulled Claire down next to him. She turned to him and whispered, “What do you think they’re doing?”

  “I don’t know, but we can’t let them see us.”

  The front doors of the building opened, and two men walked outside. Their voices carried on the wind, and Claire strained to hear what they were saying.

  “The boss is bringing in a lot of food for tonight. He must have some big deals in the works,” one of the men said.

  The other one laughed, picked up a box from the van and handed it to the first man before he grabbed another one. “I heard this is the biggest night ever.”

  “Have they found those two bounty hunters who got away last night?”

  “I haven’t heard. But then people have a way of disappearing around here, and you never know what happened to them.”

  His friend laughed. “You got that right.”

  They disappeared back into the building, and Claire turned to Adam. “They’re taking food into a barn for the guests who are coming tonight? What do you think is going on here?”

  “I don’t know, but from what they said, they haven’t given up trying to find us.”

  The roar of a car caught their attention, and they watched as a black SUV stopped in front of the building. The driver turned off the motor and opened the door. Claire clamped her han
d over her mouth to keep from making a sound when Wes Stratton stepped from the car. With his Western jacket, cowboy boots and Stetson hat, he looked as if he’d just driven in from Texas instead of Memphis.

  The front door of the barn opened, and Claire pressed her hand tighter against her lips when Peter Willis stepped outside. Their dining room waiter from the night before followed him and stopped behind him. They both stared at Wes before Peter spoke. “Wes, it’s good to see you.”

  A scowl covered Wes’s face. “I told you I’d be here today. And I am.”

  “I never doubted you for a moment,” Peter said. “Do you have something for me?”

  Wes nodded, reached back in the vehicle and pulled a black bag out. “I did the best I could, but I only have half of it. It was impossible to get my hands on that much money in such a short amount of time. I’ll get it for you, though.”

  Peter’s expression didn’t change. “Wes, you disappoint me.”

  Wes took off his hat and rubbed his forehead with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. “Listen, Peter, I’m good for it. All I need is a little more time.”

  “I’ve already given you more time, and look what you’ve done. Shown up here with only half of what you owe. You know how the boss feels about that.”

  Wes nodded. “I know. I know. But you’ll get it. Just a few more weeks is all I need.”

  Peter cocked his head to one side and studied Wes for a moment. “A few more weeks, huh? I don’t think the boss will go for that, but you never know.” He glanced over his shoulder to the waiter. “Louis, get Mr. Stratton’s bag.”

  Louis walked over to Wes and took the bag from him. Then he stepped behind him.

  Wes cast a worried glance over his shoulder at Louis, but Peter smiled and motioned for him. “Come on in, Wes, and let’s see what you have.”