“With you?”
“Yes. You and me. We belong together, Jamie. Why can’t you see it? We’re so good together.”
She had no idea what he was talking about. “But, we were never together, Trevor.”
“We should have been!” he screamed, throwing out his arms and flinging all the papers and her laptop off her desk. Everything went crashing to the floor with a terrifying fury. “We’re perfect for each other. I love you, and I know you love me.”
Love? She’d never thought of Trevor that way. She knew the guy had a little crush on her, which is why she let him down easy the one time he asked her out, but she never had a clue his…obsession went this deep. How could she not have seen this? She was a psychologist, trained in understanding the inner workings of a person’s mind. She’d seen Trevor every day for two years…how had she missed this?
“Some people are very good at hiding who they truly are.”
Something Doctor Bell once told her. She would have done well to remember it.
“Shit!” Trevor ran his hands over his head, pulling at the short strands of his hair. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” His voice pitched higher like a whiney teenager. “You weren’t supposed to come home yet. You didn’t come back until after two the last few times.”
The last few times?
Oh God, he’s been watching me?
Bile churned in her stomach. She covered her mouth to stop the gasp of horror from escaping. Trevor had been in town, watching her for who knew how long. He’d tracked her movements, known she’d go into town and come back after Juan’s appointment because Tony drove her—
Tony!
Fear clawed its icy way up her spine. Did Trevor know about Tony? He must, since he’d been…stalking her.
Blood rushed to her brain, making her lightheaded, but she took a deep breath, knowing she needed to remain calm if she was going to get out of this situation. And she darn sure would get out.
First thing first, she needed to get him talking. The more he revealed the better she could plan her escape. If she knew what he intended she could figure out a way to thwart it.
“What are you really doing here, Trevor?”
“I’m here to bring you back home.”
“Back to Fort Collins you mean?”
The man scowled. “That is your home. Back at the office. Back with me. Or it will be as soon as I take care of that asshole.”
“Tony?” Shoot! Why had she said his name?
“Yeah, Tony.” His lips curled in a sneer. “I don’t know what you see in that guy. Some hired hand, probably a fence jumper. I went to Stanford!”
Yes, and she went to Harvard, big flipping deal. Status meant nothing to her. It wasn’t where you went in life, but what you did, and Tony always did everything he could to help those around him. That’s why she loved him; that’s why she wanted to be with him. His kind heart, not his credentials.
“I won’t be an assistant forever,” Trevor continued. “I have plans, big plans. I’m going to run for office.”
Her heart pounded in her chest, but she pushed the panic down. If she could keep him talking she could distract him and try to find a way out of this. “Which office?”
“Mayor, Governor. Maybe someday I’ll even run for president. With you by my side, I’ll be unstoppable. We make the perfect pair.”
She had no idea the office assistant had such high aspirations. She was beginning to realize she knew very little about the man she’d worked with day in and out for over a year
“Okay, why don’t we sit down and talk about this. Figure out a solution everyone can be happy with?” Her heart jumped up into her throat as Trevor pulled a small, black handgun from his pants pocket.
“Don’t use your psychotherapist brain on me, Jamie. I know I screwed this all up. I thought you’d be gone. Thought I’d have time to poke around, maybe mess with your business some more. Steal paperwork, maybe set a fire in the kitchen…” He drifted off as if seeing his grand plans in his mind.
Clarity hit her like a sledgehammer. It had been Trevor all along! He’d been the one to break her truck, write those nasty things on her house. Had he orchestrated stealing her chef away, too?
The guy is truly insane.
Anger burned at the edge of her fear. How dare he try to destroy her dream all because he thought they belonged together? She wasn’t a prize or piece to the puzzle in his planned out life.
“This isn’t going to work now, Trevor. You see that, don’t you? I won’t be with you knowing all I know now.”
“Yes you will!” he screamed, thrusting the gun in her direction.
She raised her hands, knowing better than to argue with a man who’d clearly left rational thought behind a long time ago. Jamie hid a slight jump as her phone buzzed in her pocket. How she wanted to answer it and tell whoever was on the other end of the line to send help, but she couldn’t. Trevor would shoot her for sure if she went reaching for anything right now. She breathed a sigh of relief that she’d kept the phone on silent so the crazy man couldn’t hear it ring. As long as she had her phone, she had hope. Maybe she could distract him and then make a run for it, call the sheriff as she hid in the woods nearby. Her brain ran through possible strategies.
All she had to do was make sure not to rile the man on the edge with a gun pointed at her.
“All right Trevor, let’s just pause a moment to take a deep breath and find our calm place.”
“I am calm!”
Could have fooled me. She laughed inside, but only to keep herself from crying.
“All I have to do is get rid of Tony and burn this place to the ground. Then you’ll see that there’s no choice. You have to come home and be with me. You were meant to be with me.”
Mind boggled, she could not follow his logic.
Because he’s not logical. He’s crazy.
As a psychologist, she knew the word crazy wasn’t correct or kind, but at the moment with a gun aimed at her, being sensitive was a little out of her wheelhouse. Living, that was what she needed to focus on.
Knowing the only way out of this would be with her smarts, she took a calming breath. She could do this; she had to do this, because she’d just admitted to herself her true feelings for Tony, and she wasn’t prepared to lose him again.
Not without a fight.
Jamie glanced at the deadly handgun in Trevor’s steady grip, the barrel pointed directly at her chest. Pinpricks of apprehension traveled over her body as she took a deep, shuddering breath. She had to believe she could do this…she could do this.
One of her professors once said, “The mind is our greatest weapon.”
You’ve got your weapon, Trevor, and I’ve got mine.
Too bad hers couldn’t shoot life-ending bullets.
Chapter 28
“So, did you ask her out yet?” Tony chuckled as he glanced at his uncle from the corner of his eye. Judging by the murderous expression on his face, the old guy didn’t appreciate the question.
“What are you yammering on about?”
Denial. An Ortiz family trait.
He wasn’t letting him off that easy. “Oh come on, Tio, you’re wearing cologne, your hair is combed for once, and, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t those the new sweats you bought the other day?”
“Shut your trap and pay attention to the damn road.”
Since they were driving down Peak Town’s one and only main road—speed limit a reckless twenty-five miles an hour—he chose to ignore his uncle’s demand. He was glad the guy finally found someone who made him happy. Everyone should have that.
His mind filled with visions of Jamie smiling and laughing at something he said, moaning in delight, eyes closed with bliss as she enjoyed one of his meals, screaming his name, body flushed with pleasure as they climbed together, losing themselves in ecstasy.
The past few days, she’d been softening toward him. It wasn’t just the sex; she was trusting him again, leaning on him in
times of stress. He didn’t want to jinx anything by going too fast, but his heart screamed he had another shot, another chance to prove to her he could be the man she deserved. The man who loved her.
Because he always had and always would.
When a person was in love, they wanted everyone to share in their happiness—hence, the inquiry into his uncle’s love life. If anyone deserved happiness, his Uncle Juan did.
“There,” he said, pulling the car up in front of town hall and putting it in park. “Now I don’t have to pay attention to anything but you. Dime, Tio.”
“What? A man can’t make sure he’s fresh and clean for a doctor’s appointment? They recommend loose clothing, and my old sweats were getting so torn up they were indecent. It means nothing.”
Not buying the excuses for a second, he crossed his arms and waited. The dark brown gaze narrowed, but there was a slight tilt to his lips.
“You got the stubbornness de tu madre, you know that?”
When he simply stared back, his uncle heaved out a sigh. “Fine, I may have…spruced myself up a little, but I haven’t asked…it’s not the right time.” Staring down at his hands, he spoke softly. “What could a worn out old man like me offer a beautiful woman like her?”
Tony dropped his hands to his thighs. He and his uncle rarely had heart to hearts. Emotions weren’t a thing heavily dealt with, but seeing this uncommon bit of vulnerability from the larger than life man who he’d always looked up to socked him right in the gut.
Clearing his throat, he tried to push past the discomfort. “That’s bull, Tio. First off, you’re not even sixty, so you’re far from old. Second, I don’t care if she’s the most beautiful woman in the world”—impossible since Jamie took that title—“you have a lot to offer. You’re hardworking, smart, kind, any woman would be lucky to have you.”
“All right, enough. If I ask her out, will you stop with all this mushy greeting card crap?” He rubbed his neck, obviously uncomfortable. “Jamie turning you into a softie or something?”
Or something.
The woman had sure done something to him. Confidence, happiness, and joy filled every millimeter of his soul. He had no idea how she did it, but just thinking of her made him want to climb to the nearest mountain top and roar at the top of his lungs.
He pointed a finger at his uncle. “Ask the nurse out.”
The sun-aged face staring back at him tightened, determination etched into every well-earned wrinkle. He nodded slightly. “I will.”
Satisfied—and happy—with the answer, Tony went to start up the truck again, but paused when he heard someone call his name.
“Tony, glad I caught you.”
Sheriff Ryder, decked out in his uniform, came up to the driver side door. He placed a hand on the doorframe, leaning in slightly through the open window.
“Hello, Sheriff. What can I do for you?”
“Do you know where Jamie is?”
A sickening feeling sank into his chest. “I dropped her off at the auto shop a few hours ago, but I’m not sure where she is now. Why?”
Ryder removed his hat, running a hand over his head and down the long, dark braid, tossing the hair over his shoulder. “I checked out her ex. He’s clean. No record other than a few speeding tickets. He also has an alibi for before and after the confrontation in town. He couldn’t have been the one who vandalized her house.”
Damn. He’d already suspected as much, but he really wanted her ex to be guilty so he could pummel the guy.
“I also checked out her old boss and discovered he wasn’t at a conference.”
Did the guy hold a grudge for Jamie leaving and come all the way out to Peak Town to mess with her? Was this some bullshit revenge attack?
Blood boiling, he clenched his jaw, speaking through closed teeth. “He’s here then?”
“No.” The sheriff shook his head. “He’s at his office, but he did let his office assistant go a month ago. Said he’d been acting odd those last few weeks—turned out the man had been breaking the rules, poking into patient and employee files. That’s when he also discovered the guy had a record he’d hidden. Stalking an ex-girlfriend.”
“Shit!”
“Doctor Bell also just found out his phone number has been duplicated. Certain calls are being rerouted to a cell phone.”
He’d bet his life that cell belonged to the ex-office assistant.
“Whose calls were being rerouted?” he asked, but the growing dread in his gut said he already knew.
“Jamie Thompson’s.”
Mierda!
“It gets worse.”
How? How can it possibly get worse? Not wanting to hear the rest, but knowing he had to, he asked, “What?”
“I checked at the hotel, and Trevor Pitts, the ex-assistant, is staying there. The desk clerk said he goes out at the same time every morning and doesn’t come back until after dark. This morning, he left looking very upset. I’ve been trying to get in touch with Jamie since I found out, but she’s not answering her cell.”
His heart literally stopped beating in his chest. Air couldn’t find its way into his lungs. His vision darkened, tunneling into one small pinprick of white light. Knowing the man who’d been threating Jamie was in town, close enough to touch her, close enough to hurt her, burned fear into him like he’d never experienced before.
He sucked in a sharp breath of air, filling his lungs, switching his brain back on. Panicking wouldn’t help. He needed to find Jamie and protect her. Fast, before Trevor made another move. His heart began to beat again, pounding a dark, steady rhythm that promised retribution to the man who made the woman he loved know an ounce of fear.
“She has her truck back,” he spoke more to himself than the sheriff. “She could be anywhere.”
Ryder nodded. “I figured I’d start with the ranch. If she’s in town then…”
She would be surrounded by people, safe. Out at the ranch it was isolated.
She’d be all alone, dammit.
He reached out a hand to grip the steering wheel with bruising force. Turning, he found the passenger seat empty, door wide open. His uncle stood on the sidewalk, a grim look on his face.
“Tio?”
“I’ll be fine. She needs you.”
Yes, she did, but he needed her, too. Today, tomorrow, and forever. No way in hell would he let some asshole take away their second chance at happiness.
He nodded, turning back to face the sheriff when his uncle closed the truck door.
“I’ll follow you.” He turned the ignition, calling out as the man turned to get into his truck. “Ryder, use the sirens.”
The sheriff gave him a sharp nod.
Tony followed the wailing sirens. People stopped on the sidewalk to stare, but he didn’t care about that. All he cared about was getting to Jamie before anything happened to her.
Pulse racing faster than the vehicle, he uttered every prayer his mother ever taught him. He had to get to Jamie in time—there was no other option.
Choking back the scream of rage and terror filling his chest, he focused on driving. He lost her once by his own stupidity…he would not lose her again due to someone else’s.
Chapter 29
“Shit, shit, shit!”
Jamie stood still as a statue in the same spot she’d been for the last ten minutes. Controlling the panicked shutters of her breath with a meditation trick she’d learned in grad school, she watched as Trevor paced her small office. He muttered to himself, pausing at times to slap the butt of the gun against his head, his attention split between her and the impending problem facing him.
She contemplated making a run for it, but a bullet flew faster than any human. The moment she turned to hightail it out of the office there was a real possibility she’d get a slug right in the back.
Could Trevor shoot? She had no idea, but she wasn’t willing to risk her life on the possibility he had crap aim. There were only a few feet separating them. Didn’t take Annie Oakley to make that
shot.
“None of this is going the way it should have.”
His pubescent pitch sounded so forlorn she almost had a twinge of sympathy for him. Almost.
“Trevor, why don’t we sit down and talk this through? You haven’t done anything you can’t come back from. Let’s figure out a plan that works for everyone.”
Cold eyes narrowed on her. “I told you, I have a plan. I’m going to burn this place to the ground, kill your lover, and then you’ll come back home with me, and we’ll live happily ever fucking after.”
Try as she might, she couldn’t figure out the logic of that.
There is no logic, Trevor’s running on pure emotional distress.
Facing down a mentally unstable person holding a gun on her was a far cry from helping a patient work out their issues in her office, but she knew the only way out of this would be to keep Trevor calm. And to do that, she had to remain calm.
Pulling in a deep breath, she pushed past her freezing terror and reached for a neutral tone. “Why would I do that after you destroyed everything I love?”
The gun raised. Trevor took a step forward, face bright red. He hissed through clenched teeth, “You don’t love him. You love me!”
She whimpered, unable to stop the frightened sound from escaping, automatically holding up her hands to protect herself. Trembles shook her, and she pulled her arms in tight to hide her reaction. Going for soothing, she effected her calm, therapist voice. “But if you burn this place and kill Tony, the police will find out. They’ll lock you up, Trevor.”
His brows drew down, head bobbing up and down like one of those drinking birds Doctor Bell kept on his desk. The gun lowered slightly. She had her in.
Shoring up all the courage she had, she took a small step forward. “Think about it, Trevor, if you damage this place or hurt anyone, there will be evidence left behind. There always is. But, if we leave now, you and me, no one will come looking for us. I’m an adult, and I can leave of my own will. No murder, no arson. Just two people packing it up and heading out of town.”
His head tilted, confusion marring his features. “Why? Why would you leave with me after…?”
Love on the Free Side Page 19