Reckonings

by Cynthia Eden

  And she knew he wanted her to suffer.

  The dash groaned, and her legs slipped free. She would have fallen from the truck if Davis hadn’t been there. He scooped her into his arms. Held her tight. Then he was running. Carrying her even as she tried to slide free and walk on her own.

  “We need to get clear... I can smell gas.”

  And so could she. She stopped fighting him, and Davis rushed them to the other side of the road, which was littered with glass and metal. So much debris. And when she looked over his shoulder at the wreckage, she couldn’t believe they’d both gotten out of that mess alive. Too close. Too close.

  She heard the rumble of an engine approaching them.

  Her hold tightened on Davis. “What if it’s him?” Jamie whispered. “What if he’s coming back?”

  Davis slid her down to the ground. He pushed her behind his body.

  He needed to forget that whole human shield bit. They needed a weapon. They needed—

  Brakes squealed. Jamie shot onto her toes and peered over Davis’s shoulder.

  “What happened?” Stephanie jumped from the SUV. “Are you hurt?” Then she was running toward them.

  Jamie’s shoulders slumped as relief swept through her. It wasn’t the man in the mask. It was Stephanie, and Davis had already taken the woman’s phone and he was calling 911. She could hear him relaying what happened to the operator.

  Stephanie touched Jamie’s shoulder. “What can I do?”

  “I’m fine.” Just scratches. Bruises. A few sore spots for tomorrow. She and Davis were both alive, and that was what mattered.

  Henry did this. Henry’s come after me...because he told me that he’d never let me go. Now she understood, though, that he wasn’t just after her because in his twisted mind, they belonged together. He was hunting her down because he wanted to kill her.

  * * *

  “THE COPS FOUND the abandoned car on Gunter Road,” Sullivan said as he stared over at Davis with an unreadable gaze. “I’m thinking he had another ride waiting there, or maybe he even had a partner who drove him away. The cops are searching the vehicle for fingerprints now, and we’ll see what they turn up.”

  The nurse finished stitching Davis’s arm. “There. All done.” She gave him a faint smile.

  “What about Jamie?” he immediately asked. He’d wanted to stay with her, but they’d been separated at the hospital. Once the cops had been called in, all hell had truly broken loose on the old road. Uniforms had swarmed, ambulances had flocked to the scene, and he’d fought to stay close to Jamie.

  “She’s being examined,” the nurse assured him. She was young, probably in her early twenties, with dark hair that fell in a bob to her chin. “You can stay in the waiting room until she’s done.”

  He wanted to stay with Jamie. But after the nurse bustled out, he zeroed in his gaze on his brother. Now that they were alone, he could lay all his cards on the table. “I was dazed, just for a few moments.” He’d shaken off that dizziness after the truck stopped rolling and then... “He was right there. Reaching for her. Jamie’s eyes were closed, and I was trapped. I was afraid...” He clenched his hand and felt the faint pull of the new stitches. “I was afraid he’d kill her right in front of me.”

  A muscle flexed along Sullivan’s jaw. “This isn’t some robber. I think we can just ditch that whole theory.”

  Yes, they could. Her home had been burned not as some part of a robbery strategy. And they’d been attacked...no accidental hit. “She’s being hunted.”

  Sullivan started to speak, then shook his head.

  “What?” Davis marched closer to him. “Say it.”

  “He aimed for your side, bro. Not hers. If someone’s being hunted, I think that person might just be you.” His eyes glinted. “We need to examine this situation more. Because when I get a phone call telling me that my brother was nearly killed...”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Because you got lucky! He wasn’t playing, man. I saw the scene. He wanted to take out you. And if he’d succeeded, what do you think would have happened to your precious Jamie then?” He yanked a hand through his hair. “No, we need to look at this whole case again. Every single bit of it. Call in the whole family. Because there’s more here than meets the eye.”

  “Sully—”

  “I think she’s lying to you.”

  Davis stilled. “No.”

  “I started digging into Henry Westport’s life... From all accounts, the guy is still up in Connecticut. For the past few years, he’s been a model damn citizen. He’s set up dozens of charities, he helps people who are struggling and—”

  “Surfaces can lie.” Jamie had told him that, but Davis already knew that truth. So did Sullivan. “People show the world only what they want to be seen. The dark spots on a person’s soul...they stay hidden.”

  Sullivan nodded. “Exactly. They do. And I know it can be tempting to fall for a pair of big blue eyes, but, man, we need to learn all the facts of this case. Before you get in too deep, I have to be sure that we can trust this woman. The last thing I want is for you to get caught up in—”

  “Someone is after her! Whether it’s Westport or some other jerk, Jamie is in danger. She needs our help.” That was all there was to it. “Now, I’m going to find her. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t glare suspiciously at her every moment.” Because he knew his brother. “I trust her. Isn’t that enough?”

  He strode past Sullivan, but he caught his brother’s growled words. “No, it’s not,” Sullivan said.

  Davis swung back toward him.

  “Not when your life is threatened. Not when you’re bringing this woman to our ranch. Hasn’t our family seen enough heartache? I don’t trust her, plain and simple. I don’t think she should be brought right into the fold. The more I dig, the more the stories seem to twist about her. I don’t—”

  Davis heard the rustle of footsteps just beyond the door. No, no—

  He rushed for the door. Yanked it open. The footsteps weren’t just rustling then. They were running. Jamie was running down that tiled hospital corridor. She was nearly at the elevator.

  “Maybe you should let her go,” Sullivan muttered.

  The hell he would. “And maybe you should stop letting that darkness eat you alive. Because you didn’t use to be such a cold SOB.” Harsh words for his brother but...

  Sullivan had gone too far. He’d hurt Jamie.

  Davis rushed after her. “Jamie, stop!”

  She stepped into the elevator. Whirled to face him. Hell, the way he was barreling down that corridor, he expected security to tackle him at any moment.

  Jamie reached out, and he saw her press the control panel inside the elevator. The doors started to close.

  No. He surged forward and threw out his hand. His fingers slipped through the closing doors, setting off the sensors. The doors slid right back open.

  Jamie retreated a step. Her eyes had never seemed bigger, and she looked...hurt. Scared.

  Of me?

  “You know I won’t hurt you.” He stepped into the elevator. Davis looked over his shoulder. Sullivan stood in the hallway, watching them. He tossed a glare back at his brother, then Davis leaned forward and pressed that control panel, sealing them inside the elevator. “And, for the record, Sullivan doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about, okay? Just forget him.”

  “He knows more than you think.” Jamie’s voice was whisper soft. “I’m so sorry, Davis. You were hurt because of me. You could have died because I tried to bring you into my nightmare.”

  Now, that kind of talk just wasn’t going to fly with him. “Do you think I’m worried about a little danger?” And he eased closer to her. So close that their bodies brushed. So close that he could feel her warmth sliding over him. “If so, then guess again.” He w
as too well acquainted with danger to ever fear it.

  Her breath caught. “There’s more about me...that you don’t know.”

  “Then, tell me all your secrets, Jamie. Tell me every single one.”

  She shook her head. The doors opened behind him. Davis didn’t move.

  “I’ve already told you too much,” she said, her voice husky as it seemed to slide right over him. “And I dragged you into this mess, just like I did before...with him.”

  Him?

  “It ends. I’m ending it.” Her chin lifted. “I don’t want to hire you any longer. We’re...we’re done. Send me a bill for what I owe you.” She rushed past him.

  A bill? Seriously? He turned slowly and followed her out. They were on the main lobby level, and she was hurrying toward the sliding glass doors that would lead her to the street. “You think a bill will cover things?”

  She stopped, shook her head, then glanced back at him. “How can it? You nearly died...and your truck...” Her shoulders straightened. “I’ll pay for it, I promise. I have money saved. I’ll—I’ll cover that and anything else I owe you.”

  Now she was making him angry. He had to unclench his back teeth as he closed in on her. A security guard stood near the main entrance to the hospital, and he was already casting suspicious glances toward Davis.

  “He’s going to come after you again,” Davis said, his voice low, carrying only to Jamie’s ears. “What are you going to do then? Aren’t you tired of running?”

  “Yes.” She turned toward him. “But I’m also tired of seeing people I care about get hurt. I should have thought about the cost to you. I didn’t. I just pulled you right into the cross fire, and I’m sorry.”

  “I can handle the cross fire.” Without a damn doubt. He’d been through more than his share of hell, both in his time as a SEAL and after he’d started up McGuire Securities with his family. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

  “But that’s just it,” Jamie said, and her smile was sad. “I do worry about you. I think that I could come to care for you a great deal, Davis. And I just can’t let that happen.”

  What. The. Hell?

  “So, goodbye.” She surprised him then. As she kept doing. Jamie put her hands on his shoulders. She leaned up on her toes, and she kissed him. Not a deep, passionate kiss. Tender and soft. Gentle.

  Wistful.

  A might-have-been kiss.

  “Take care, Davis. Watch out for your family and watch out for yourself.” Her blue gaze was shaded in secrets and mysteries. “And don’t worry about me. I’m a survivor.” Then she backed away.

  “Jamie!”

  She hurried toward the security guard. Then she was gone.

  He stared after her. No, no way. She hadn’t just...left him.

  His steps felt wooden as he followed her. He watched as Jamie jumped into the back of a cab. The cab rushed away.

  She thought it would be that easy? Knowing that she was in danger, the woman seriously thought he’d just let her vanish? That was insulting.

  He lifted his hand. Hailed the next cab. When he slid into the backseat, he said, “Follow the cab in front of us. Don’t even think of losing that woman.”

  Because he wasn’t the type of man who was going to let a little danger scare him away. He also wasn’t about to let Jamie face that hunter on her own. He didn’t like the shadows in Jamie’s eyes. Those echoes of pain didn’t belong in her blue gaze. He’d find the man who was terrorizing her, he’d uncover all of Jamie’s secrets—good and bad, and he would keep her safe.

  His taxi surged away from the curb.

  * * *

  DAVIS WAS BLIND.

  Sullivan watched as his brother gave chase. He’d taken the second elevator downstairs, and he’d been lingering close by in the lobby. He’d heard the faint goodbye talk that Jamie had given his brother. Davis should have let the woman walk away—let her and her danger go.

  But he hadn’t.

  Despite his tough exterior, Davis had a weakness, one that Sullivan knew well. Davis was out to save the world...or at least, the world’s victims. He could never turn away from someone in need. And when a woman like Jamie appeared, Sullivan knew Davis’s protective instincts would have gone into overdrive.

  But Sullivan understood how deceptive a fragile appearance could be. He knew that those who looked weak...well, they were actually the most vicious ones out there. Davis was getting tangled up in Jamie, and while Sullivan had initially liked the pretty vet, now his suspicions were on full alert.

  Family came first for Sullivan. Always had, always would. And he wasn’t about to stand back while his brother was in danger.

  Since he was the youngest brother, most folks probably thought the others looked after him. They were wrong. He’d spent years protecting his brothers. Keeping their secrets. Even keeping some secrets from them. And he’d continue his silent vigil. Someone had to keep the family together. Someone had to keep them all safe.

  Someone had to protect them from the dangers they never saw coming.

  Chapter Five

  “You could have saved a ton of cab fare,” Davis drawled when Jamie stepped out of her taxi. She spun around and saw him just a few feet behind her. She wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, she’d noticed the other cab tailing her as she took the long, winding drive that led to the McGuire ranch.

  “We could’ve driven out here together,” Davis continued.

  Jamie motioned toward the gate. “Will you just type in the code to let me inside? I need to get my dog. And my car.” Then she’d be driving right out of his life.

  He strode toward her. She tensed, but he didn’t try to touch her. Instead, he leaned forward, reached around her and typed in the code. “Let’s just take one cab up to the house,” he murmured. “Makes more sense.”

  “Fine.” She didn’t particularly care about making sense. She just needed to get Jinx and get her car. Then she’d start figuring out her next move. Before she could pay her driver, Davis beat her to the punch. He tossed the guy his cash and waved him away. Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t argue, not then. She climbed into the other cab and didn’t say a word, not until they’d been dropped off at the main house and that cab was on its way out.

  “Brodie’s inside the house,” Davis said. “He’ll be monitoring security, and he’ll make sure the cab gets out of the gate. He would have let you in, too. Next time, just press the buzzer.”

  There wasn’t going to be a next time. “I’ll get out of your way immediately,” Jamie said. “You don’t need to worry.” She marched toward the guesthouse—and her dog.

  “Oh, but I am worried.” He reached out and caught her arm. “I’m worried about you. Someone just tried to kill you, in case you missed that.”

  It was rather hard to miss the spinning truck and the broken glass. “No.” Her lashes lifted, and she stared up into his eyes. “That’s where you’re wrong. He was trying to kill you, not me. You were the target. Just because you were with me. I did that to you. I brought you into his sights even knowing how dangerous that is. I did it. And I am sorrier than I can ever say.” She kept hearing that terrible screech of metal. Kept feeling that bone-jarring impact. She’d screamed and reached out for Davis, but it had been too late. Tears stung her eyes at the memory. “Just let me go, okay?” She pulled away from him.

  But he just reached out to her again. This time, both of his hands wrapped around her shoulders. “What if I don’t want to?”

  “What?”

  “What if I don’t want to watch you walk away? What if I’m tired of holding back, and I want to reach out and take the thing I’ve been wanting for so long?”

  She was still nervous about his intentions—his feelings. He’d barely spoken to her over the past year. Sure, they’d encountered each other plen
ty of times, but he’d usually just nodded or murmured some kind of curt greeting or—

  “I don’t know what to say to you,” Davis confessed, and his voice was that rough rumble she found so sexy. “Because I’m too afraid of scaring you away.”

  Davis didn’t scare her. The thought of something happening to him...that terrified her.

  “You think I didn’t already realize you were running from someone? Even before Ava’s wedding night?” His hold tightened on her. “I could see it in your eyes. Anytime people got too close to you, a haunted, wary look slid into your gaze.”

  But she’d tried to be so careful.

  “I heard about the guys who asked you out.”

  “What?” How had he even—

  “Grant’s wife, Scarlett, knows your assistant.” He gave a little wince. “So maybe I asked. Maybe I needed to know if I’d already missed my shot with you.”

  “You wanted a shot with me?” All of this was news to her. “Since when?”

  “Since the first moment I saw you. You were out here at the ranch, taking care of Lady, and I walked up. You looked back at me, and, hell, for a minute, I forgot every damn word in my head.”

  Impossible. Not confident, in-control Davis. He’d barely noticed her. She remembered that first day. It had been the first time she realized Davis and Brodie were twins. Identical twins. Only...

  I didn’t want Brodie when I met him. I looked at Davis...and saw everything that I’d been missing. Heat. Passion. A desire to melt the cold that had consumed her for so long.

  But he’d turned away. Barely spoken to her the rest of the afternoon.

  She’d heard gossip about him after that. Or maybe she’d gone looking for gossip. And, oddly enough, she’d gotten it from the same source that he’d used—her assistant, Sylvia Jones. Sylvia had seemed to be an expert on all things McGuire.

  “Some folks say he’s a killer...you know, because of all that top-secret SEAL work he did.” Sylvia had shrugged. “He’s the quiet, intense type, know what I mean?”