“Please,” I repeated, giving him the big brown eyes for all I was worth.
His expression softened, and he touched my hand where my fingertips still rested on his cheek. “Okay.”
“Thanks.” I stepped away and changed the subject fast. “We can just follow the creek until we’re opposite the shed. Keep your eyes open. I’ve posted the land for no hunting, but it’s bowhunting season, and the land around a creek is technically public. And there’s always the hit man, if we need some more excitement.”
“Let’s keep some distance between us,” Hellhound suggested. “I’ll lead, Aydan in the middle, an’ Dave can cover our backs. Stay just within sight of each other. Then if there’s a problem, we ain’t all in it together.”
“Good idea,” I agreed with relief. “Lead on.”
He nodded and strode away, pushing his way through the underbrush and skirting thickets of diamond willow. When he was almost out of sight, I followed.
Hellhound kept up a brisk pace, and I hurried to keep him in visual range. I glanced back at Dave toiling in the rear and considered asking Arnie to slow down, but I bit my tongue. No need to contribute further fuel to Dave’s midlife crisis.
The next time I looked back, I couldn’t see Dave at all. I was just about to call forward to Hellhound when Dave’s shout sent a cold wave of fear coursing over me.
“Aydan, RUN!”
I whirled at the sound of something large crashing through the bushes toward me, and gasped relief when I saw Hellhound charging in my direction. He had just reached my side when another voice rang through the woods.
“Aydan, are you here? Are you okay?”
A very familiar voice.
Shit.
“Who’s that?” Hellhound snapped.
“Tom.”
Hellhound’s fist clenched. “Shit!”
Tom yelled again, his voice strained. “Whoever you are, if you’ve got Aydan, let her go. Or I’ll shoot your buddy here. You’ve got three seconds. Three. Two…”
“Tom!” I shouted frantically. “Tom, don’t shoot, he’s a friend!”
“Aydan, where are you?”
“Coming, I’m coming! I’ll be right there!” I dashed through the woods in the direction of his voice, Hellhound bringing up the rear.
So much for stealth. We sounded like a herd of rhinos crashing through the bush. Assuming rhinos could yell. Christ, if the hit man was anywhere in the vicinity, we’d just made his job a whole lot easier.
I fought my way through the undergrowth, twigs slashing at my hands and face, and finally burst through the last thicket to see Dave on his knees, clutching his chest. Tom’s double-barrelled shotgun swung up, and Arnie and I froze.
“Tom,” I panted. “Don’t shoot, okay?”
Tom’s shotgun locked onto Arnie. “Aydan, are you all right?” he demanded.
“Fine, I’m fine, Tom, please put the gun down.”
“Step away from her,” Tom snapped, and Arnie sidestepped slowly. “Farther,” Tom commanded.
“Tom, it’s okay, Dave and Arnie are both trying to help me. Please put the gun down,” I begged.
Dave was sweaty and ashen again, and I could see him struggling to breathe. His white-knuckled fist clenched a handful of T-shirt in the middle of his chest.
“Tom, please!” I gasped.
“Come over here,” he said.
The pounding of my heart shook my entire body. What the hell was he doing? I stepped slowly toward him, keeping my movements smooth.
God, please tell me he wasn’t living some bizarre rescue fantasy. Or worse, maybe he was still mad at me after the scene with Kane. It felt like forever to me, but it had only been a week. Please don’t let him take out his frustrations on Arnie instead of me…
“Tom, please put the gun down.” I approached him cautiously and slowly stretched out my hand, trying to control its violent trembling. “Give me the gun.”
“Stand behind me.”
I followed his directions, moving carefully behind him.
“Stand closer.”
Shit, what the hell was he doing? I stepped up to his back, frantically calculating angles and probabilities. Could I grab the gun away from him before he pulled the trigger?
I jerked in shock when his arm swung around to pull me tightly against his back. Normally, I would have appreciated the feel of that lean, muscular body against mine. Under the circumstances, my enjoyment was sadly limited.
“Okay, now tell me if you’re really all right,” Tom said.
“Yes, Tom, I’m really okay. Please don’t shoot Arnie.” My voice quavered with the triphammer beat of my pulse, and my panting refused to slow.
Tom’s posture eased. “Really? You’re not being forced to say that?”
“No, Tom, please!”
He blew out a sigh and his shoulders relaxed as he lowered the gun and turned to face me. “Thank God. Aydan, what happened? Where have you been?”
“In a minute.” I hurried over to kneel beside Dave. “Dave! Oh, no…” I snatched at his wrist, fumbling for the pulse point with shaking fingers.
“I’m okay,” he muttered. “Just another muscle spasm.”
Arnie knelt beside me and surveyed Dave doubtfully. “Ya shittin’ us this time?”
“No, I told you, I’m okay,” Dave repeated. He relaxed his grip on his T-shirt and wiped his forehead. “I’m fine.”
“I’m really sorry.” Tom knelt on the other side, his face drawn. “Lie down.” He pressed Dave back onto the ground. “Are you having chest pain?”
“I’m fine. It’s gone now.”
“Did it feel like a heavy weight on your chest? A squeezing sensation?”
Dave sighed. “No, just a jab. I’m fine. It was just a muscle spasm.”
“Do you have any pain in your arm or shoulder, or in your jaw?”
“Jeez,” Dave said. “Is there an echo in here?”
Tom shot a puzzled frown in my direction.
“Tom is a volunteer firefighter. He’s trained as a first responder,” I explained. “Just answer his questions.
“No,” Dave said. “No pain anywhere else.”
“Do you feel dizzy or sick?” Tom persisted.
“No.”
“Any history of heart disease? High blood pressure?”
Dave shifted uncomfortably. “No. I’m fine. I had my Class One physical just a few months ago. It’s just a muscle spasm.”
“You should go to the hospital as a precaution anyway.” Tom pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call the ambulance.”
“No!” Dave sat up. “I’m fine.”
Tom sat back on his heels. “Why take a chance? You should get this checked.”
“No,” Dave repeated. He took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders, before struggling to his feet.
Tom rose with him, frowning. “Aydan, what’s going on?”
“Um.” I stared at him, my mind completely blank. “I, um… It’s a long story…” I took a deep breath, trying to marshal my quivering wits.
Stall.
“Why are you prowling around my woods with a shotgun?” I asked.
“Oh.” He glanced down at the gun cradled in the crook of his arm. “I was actually riding my side of the creek. You know there was cougar in the area a while back, and I always carry my shotgun just in case. I saw, uh…” he paused. “…Dave?”
“Oh, yes, sorry. Tom, this is Dave Shore. Dave, Tom Rossburn, my neighbour.”
Dave’s face cleared as I made the introductions. “So he’s a friend.”
“Yes.”
Dave stuck out his hand and Tom shook it.
“Does he know…” Dave trailed off when I gave him a fierce glare and a slight shake of my head.
I turned quickly to face Tom’s puzzled frown. “So you saw Dave…” I prompted.
“Uh. Yes.” Tom’s eyes searched my face. “He was bent over holding his chest and I thought he might be in trouble, so I came over to see if I could help. As soo
n as he saw me, he yelled and told you to run, and I was afraid you were in danger.”
He shot a dubious glance at Hellhound’s bruises. “Then you came running out the trees with him right behind you, and I thought…”
He paused and finished, “Well, I wasn’t sure what was going on, and I didn’t want to take a chance. I’ve been worried about you. You were so upset the last time I saw you, and then you vanished…”
He trailed off and turned to Arnie. “You’re supposed to be her friend. Has she told you about her problems with Kane?” His eyes narrowed in comprehension. “Did you take him on? Is that what happened to your face?”
Arnie shot me a cautious glance. “Yeah, I knew there was a problem,” he said. “We’re workin’ on it.”
Tom stood up a little straighter, his expression brightening. “Good. Finally. How can I help?”
Chapter 31
I assessed Tom’s battle-ready posture with a sinking sensation. “Thanks, Tom, but there’s nothing you can do to help at the moment. Just don’t tell anybody you saw us, okay? And you didn’t see the car that’s parked on the road right now, either.”
Tom frowned. “What do you mean, don’t… Are you hiding from him?” His shoulders tensed and he swept an outraged glare at Hellhound. “If he assaulted you, call the police and report it! Don’t just run and hide.”
Leather creaked dangerously as Hellhound drew himself up, his fists clenching. I clutched his arm and spoke rapidly into the taut silence.
“Arnie would never run away from a fight. Kane didn’t do this to him, he was fighting some other men to protect me. We’re just lying low until we can figure out a plan.”
Tom lifted an arm and let it fall against his side with a slap. “How much of a plan do you need? He’s a dirtbag, and he’s stalking you. That’s illegal. Get a restraining order, and let the police enforce it.” His eyes narrowed. “What other men? Protect you from what?”
I drew a breath of relief as I spotted a way to change the subject. “My friend Nichele got involved with a very dangerous man, and he kidnapped her. We’re trying to find her, but this man has decided that we’re a threat, so he’s trying to kill us all.”
Tom pushed his cowboy hat up and ran a hand over his face, fixing me with an incredulous stare. “For heaven’s sake, call the police!” he exclaimed. “That’s what they’re there for. Assault and kidnapping and death threats. I’ll call them right now.”
He pulled out his phone, and I sprang to capture his hand. “Tom, no! He’ll kill her if anybody calls the police. That’s why we’re sneaking around.”
He gazed at us in frustration. “That’s insane. Call the police and explain the situation to them. They’re professionals. It’s what they do. They’ll deal with it. You’re just going to get yourself killed if you try to do it by yourself.”
“Tom, I can’t,” I said as firmly as I could. “I just need to get some boxes from my shed, and then I’m leaving again. If you tell anybody you saw us, we’ll be killed. Please, just go home and pretend you never saw me.”
He scowled. “You don’t seriously expect me to turn my back and walk away when people are trying to kill you.”
“Yes, Tom, I don’t just expect you to do that, I need you to do it. I need people to believe that I was never here, and for that I need you to keep on doing what you always do. If you get involved, you’re signing my death warrant.”
We eyed each other tensely, and Hellhound’s quiet rasp broke the silence. “Sometimes the bravest thing ya can do is turn an’ walk away. This’s one a’ those times.”
Tom shot a tortured glance at Arnie before returning his gaze to my face, his fist clenched by his side. “Aydan,” he said softly. “Please don’t ask me to do this.”
“I’m sorry, Tom,” I said as gently as I could. “If you do this for me, you’ll be saving my life as surely as if you were fighting for me. Please, just go home and pretend you never saw us.”
His face twisted. Then he squared his shoulders and gave me his steady, sky-blue gaze. “If that’s what you need me to do, I’ll do it. Just…” He caressed the sweat-damp hair away from my face, looking down into my eyes. He shot a defiant look at Hellhound, and his hand slid around the back of my head as he leaned down to kiss me lingeringly.
“Just come back safe,” he murmured against my lips.
Then he straightened and glared a challenge at the other two men. “I’m holding you both responsible for Aydan’s safety,” he snapped. “Don’t screw up. Or you’ll answer to me.” He strode to his horse and swung easily up into the saddle. He looked back one more time before clucking to his horse and riding away.
I stood in the short silence, my face burning while I avoided looking at Dave’s open-mouthed stare and the twist of Hellhound’s lips.
Hellhound snorted. “Ya got a serious problem there, darlin’.”
I blew out a long sigh and massaged my aching temples. “Don’t I know it.”
“Uh, what… Am I missing something?” Dave stammered. “I thought you and…” He trailed off as his gaze darted from Arnie to me.
I turned to Dave, trying to manufacture an explanation while I desperately tried to remember who knew what about whom. “Tom doesn’t know anything that’s going on with me. He’s my neighbour, and he’d like to be more than that, but I can’t…” I abandoned that approach and was casting about for something less complicated when Dave spoke up again.
“Why did he know about your problems with Kane?”
“He didn’t. Doesn’t. He thinks Kane is a co-worker who’s stalking me and trying to force me into a relationship.”
“Oh.” Dave fell silent.
Hellhound chuckled. “Well, darlin’, how many boyfriends does it take to keep ya outta trouble? That makes what, four now?”
“None,” I snapped, and he laughed.
I concentrated on peeling a couple of loose shreds of skin off a long scratch on my arm, trying to hide my irritation.
“Sorry,” he added soberly. “Guess it prob’ly ain’t too funny when you’re stuck in the middle of it. We better get goin’ before anythin’ else goes to shit.”
“Wait a minute.” I held out a restraining hand as he turned. “We need to rethink this. Tom already saw us, so that part of the plan’s down the tubes. And if our hitman’s in earshot, we might as well have just sent up a flare. I think we’d better cut our losses.”
“We can’t just give up,” Dave protested.
“No, I’m not talking about giving up,” I agreed. “Let’s go back to the car and drive into the yard. If there’s anybody there, we’re already in the car, so we’ll have an escape route. If nobody’s there, we can get to the shed more easily, and then we can take the boxes with us instead of hanging around.”
I bit my tongue to prevent myself from adding that it also got Dave safely back in the car instead of overtaxing him in the woods.
Hellhound shot me a smile. “Good plan, darlin’, let’s go.”
We stayed together and moved more slowly on the way back. Dave managed to get through the barbed wire without incident, though I could tell his back was hurting again after his tumble. I kept my mouth shut, and Arnie and I exchanged a glance while Dave climbed stiffly into the back seat.
I rolled into my yard and stopped the car well outside the range of the surveillance cameras. We all scanned the land and buildings in silence. At last, I shrugged. “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Hang on,” Arnie said. He turned to face Dave. “We might hafta move fast if somebody comes. Can ya stay in the car an’ get ready to drive just in case? I’ll help Aydan with the boxes.”
“Sure.” Dave eased himself out of the back seat and got slowly behind the wheel, grimacing.
I slipped an arm around Arnie as we walked toward the shed. “Thanks. That was smart. And tactful.”
He shrugged. “Dunno how smart it is to put a guy with a heart condition behind the wheel. But at least he won’t keel over tryin’ to carry boxes.”
“Mm.” I took one last look around before unlocking the shed. “You watch outside. I’ll dig out the boxes, and then we can take them all to the car.”
Half an hour later, I was caked with dust and quivering with nerves when I dropped the last box on the ground outside the shed. I wiped my forehead with the cleaner part of my T-shirt sleeve, cursing myself for not accepting Hellhound’s offer of help.
“That it, darlin’?” he inquired. “Ya really shoulda let me help ya. Ya look like ya just ran a marathon in a dust storm.”
“I know. They were right at the bottom of everything, but I really needed you to keep watch. It just creeped me out to think we might get cornered in there.”
He smiled and brushed an errant strand of hair back from my face. “You an’ your claustrophobia, darlin’, it’s a miracle ya ever go in a building.”
“It’s not so much buildings, it’s just that I can’t stand the thought of being trapped.”
He chuckled. “I hear ya, darlin’. Come on, let’s get these boxes loaded an’ get the hell outta here.”
When the trunk and back seat were loaded, Dave shot me a hopeful look. “Mind if I drive? Need a wheel in my hands.”
I swallowed my misgivings. “Sure. I’ll sit in the back and start going through these boxes.”
On the highway, I caught a glimpse of Dave’s cheerful face in the rearview mirror.
“Better?” I asked.
“Yeah. Hate staying in one place too long. Start to miss the open road.”
“You really love driving that much?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Well, no… it’s not really the driving, I just feel cooped up if I’m not on the highway.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Hellhound agreed, and I relaxed into the seat, appreciating another accord between the men, however temporary it might turn out to be.
Several hours later, I rubbed my aching eyes and slouched down in the seat.
“Nothin’?” Arnie asked.
“Nothing.” I blew out a long sigh. “All I found was his old pay stubs from when he worked for the Department of Agriculture. They started the year I was thirteen and ended the year I went to college, but I already knew that. I’d hoped to find…” I hesitated, trying to phrase it carefully in front of Dave.
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