Last Chance Hero

by Melinda Di Lorenzo

  And he wouldn’t let her settle for halfway. He wouldn’t let her ask him to stay there, like that, when she wasn’t one hundred percent sure it’s what she wanted.

  He lowered himself slowly, placed a soft kiss on her lips, then pushed back up and stood. He had to admit that the flicker of disappoint that flashed across her face made him feel the tiniest bit of satisfaction. He leaned down to drag his mouth over hers once more; it was becoming a habit again, and he liked that, too.

  He moved from the bedroom to the bathroom to grab his clothes, talking as he dressed.

  “The quicker I go, the quicker I get back,” he called. “But if you want to grab a shower, I can wait. There’s a couple of sandwiches in the fridge, and a bottled water. Grabbed them from the gas station while you were out cold.”

  Jordynn interrupted him. “You went to the store?”

  “We have to eat,” he said as he came back into the room. “If I learned anything from being on the run, it’s that you can’t neglect the basic necessities, or everything else will fall apart. C’mon. I’ll feed you before I leave.”

  “Are you stalling?” she asked.

  “Definitely.”

  She sighed, but when he grabbed her hand, she let him lead her downstairs. He was careful to keep the conversation light as they ate. He tossed jokes her way as she took a five-minute shower—that is, until she called him a creep for standing outside the door—and then he threw himself back onto the bed and whistled a nameless tune until she was done. But the forced levity couldn’t quite override the undercurrent of tension, and as he gave her instructions on which lights to leave on and which to leave off while he was gone, Jordynn grew more and more serious. By the time she led him to the door, her face was so stiff that Donovan thought it might crack.

  “Hey,” he said in one final attempt to make her smile. “All I’m saying is not to answer the door or tell anyone you’re here alone.”

  Her expression only grew stonier. “I won’t.”

  He touched her cheek. “I know you’re worried. But I’m going to get in and out so fast you’ll barely have time to make the bed.”

  “It’s not that,” she said. “Well. I mean, that, too. But...what if someone recognized you?”

  “What?”

  “At the store where you got the food.”

  He shook his head. “They wouldn’t have, honey.”

  “I did.”

  “Would you have known it was me, though, if I hadn’t gotten so close?”

  Her eyes ran over him, head to toe. “Maybe.”

  “I’m eighty pounds heavier,” he pointed out. “And two inches taller.”

  “But you’re still you, Dono.”

  He couldn’t hold in a pleased smile at how sure she sounded. “To you, I am. To everyone else, I’m a stranger. Ellisberg—as a whole—thinks I’m dead. And if they happened to be remembering me at all, it would be as the kid I used to be.”

  “Still...”

  “I wouldn’t have stopped if I thought there was a risk,” he told her.

  “Really?”

  “Of course not. I wouldn’t do anything that might put you in harm’s way, and I’m not trying to be a martyr here, either.”

  “Are you sure about that, Dono?”

  She inhaled and tugged on her still-damp hair, and he reached up to stop her from yanking it out by the roots.

  “Why would you even ask that, honey?”

  “Because you’ve as much as told me two or three times that you’d sacrifice yourself if you had to.”

  “Not if it meant sacrificing you, too.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” she told him with a vehement head shake. “You think that if you sacrifice yourself, that it will save me somehow. It’s not even close to true. I know from experience that my life without you isn’t much of a life at all. It took me years to even—” She broke off then, a crack making her voice wobble. But when Donovan reached for her, she waved him off. “Just...when you’re out there, digging around or whatever...do me a favor and remember that, okay?”

  “I will,” he said. Then he opened the door and stepped out into the evening.

  He paused on the front steps, waiting for her to slide the lock shut behind him. With no watch, no cell phone and no accurate clocks in the house, it was impossible to say what time it was. He couldn’t help noticing, though, how the sky had been pitched into blackness already. Donovan couldn’t even see a star.

  He flipped his gaze to the house once more, reassuring himself that it looked undisturbed from the outside, then turned toward the little hill that held the portable office building.

  He reached the office quickly and cleared the ramp that led to the door in two wide steps. Once there, he bent, working the lock with a paper clip he’d found in the show home. It only took a few seconds to click the mechanism in just the right way, and the door swung open.

  Donovan slipped in and took quick stock of the dark interior, searching for something that stood out. A large wooden desk, pockmarked and wobbly looking, sat in one corner. A worn chair was tucked underneath it. The far wall was lined with clear-fronted cabinets—made of some kind of durable plastic, Donovan thought—and those were full of rolled blueprints. He scanned the room further, and his eyes landed on a wide cabinet. Nondescript. No locks.

  There, he decided.

  Hiding in plain sight, just like the building itself.

  When he opened the top drawer, he found a thick collection of red folders, all labeled with untidy printing. Not alphabetized, not seeming to be dedicated to anything in particular. There were names of development properties and names of people. Donovan flipped through them as quickly as he dared, not wanting to overlook the one he needed. Not that he knew what it would say.

  “This is why the world went digital,” he muttered. “Keywords, all the way.”

  Of course, it was probably also the reason the Haven Corporation hadn’t switched over to the wonderful world of technology.

  He closed the first drawer and moved on to the second. And he spotted it: “Greyside Mountain.”

  He didn’t hesitate. His gut told him that this was exactly what he wanted. With a tiny, grim smile, he snapped it up, then gave the drawer a shove to close it.

  As he exited the building, the memory of the expression on Jordynn’s face made him hurry. She’d been scared—impassioned, too—on his behalf. She wanted him to stay safe. If she had doubts about anything else, she definitely didn’t have any about that. It buoyed his heart. It gave him hope and stirred a need to prove that he was worthy of a second chance.

  Only one way to do that. Get through this. Do it right. Then spend every second of the next decade making up for the last one.

  And the folder in his hands put him one step closer to being able to do it.

  * * *

  Fighting an unease that made her skin prickle, Jordynn held her breath and counted to sixty, waiting for Dono to reappear. Then she exhaled, inhaled again and started over. For five full minutes, she saw nothing but darkness. Nothing but stillness. Finally, on the fifth time through, she at last caught a flash and spotted his familiar form, stepping from the building and moving toward the hill. He turned and gave a small wave in her direction, then blew her a kiss.

  “Quit being cute,” she muttered. “Get in, then get out, like you said.”

  Like he’d heard her, he took a wide step, then started to walk again quickly.

  Jordynn started to let out another slow breath, but froze as a yellow light appeared from somewhere behind the office building. It flickered, then disappeared. With her heart hammering in her chest, she peered out the blinds, trying not to be seen, but trying to pinpoint the source of light, too. And when she spotted it again, noting the way it bobbed up and down, she knew what it wa
s.

  A flashlight.

  And whoever had it in their hands had somehow managed to bypass the main road and come in through the back. Right behind Donovan.

  All they had to do was move the light across the hill and they’d see him.

  With her pulse racing furiously, Jordynn reached up and flicked the blinds shut in their prearranged sign.

  At least he’ll have a bit of warning, she reasoned.

  But seconds later, she realized she had no way of knowing whether or not Dono had even received the signal. And even if he had seen it...

  He’ll have no way to get back here unseen. Not with someone that close.

  She pushed aside the panic that threatened to overtake her. She almost wished she’d kept the gun.

  But you don’t have it, she said to herself. And you have to do something anyway.

  She took a breath and moved from the bedroom to the stairs, reviewing her options as she went. But truthfully, there didn’t seem to be any options. She couldn’t think of another way to attract Dono’s attention without also drawing attention to herself.

  At the bottom of the steps, Jordynn paused.

  That was it.

  She needed to draw attention to herself. It was the only thing that would stop whoever was out there.

  For a second, she considered running out onto the front step screaming. But she realized there was a quicker, quieter solution.

  She pulled her hand away from the door and lifted it to the light switch instead. With another steadying inhale, she flicked it on. The front entryway lit up. She flicked it off. Then on. Then off and on in rapid succession. When she was satisfied that the flickering had to have been spotted, she turned the light off a final time and peered out the frosted window beside the door.

  Sure enough, the beam of the flashlight was bouncing down the hill as its bearer moved toward the house.

  Jordynn let out a relieved sigh. But she didn’t have time to waste. She had to get out. And get to Dono.

  Moving swiftly, she abandoned the front door in search of another way out. She went through the living room and into the kitchen, where she spotted a set of sliding glass doors. A quick glance outside told her the doors led to a patio, which in turn led to a grassy backyard. In the dark, she could see a gate that led from one yard to the next.

  Perfect.

  Jordynn undid the latch. She slid open the door, then stepped out into the cool air. And regretted it immediately. Because a big form slipped in from behind her, pinned her arms to her sides and dragged her backward.

  Chapter 10

  Donovan wasn’t expecting the violent reaction to his embrace, and he was ill prepared. A fast elbow slammed into his stomach, forcing him to let Jordynn go, and winding him badly enough that he couldn’t quite form a sentence. The folder he’d procured from the office slid to the ground, and he stepped back, wheezing. Before he could recover, a palm came up and grazed the edge of his jaw. He stumbled out of the path of another wild swing. He smacked his back against the railing behind him.

  Taught her too damned well, he thought, mildly amused.

  But his amusement slipped away as he lifted his head and saw that she still hadn’t recognized him. Her mouth dropped open.

  Crap.

  Donovan rushed forward, slammed a palm against her lips and prayed no one but him had heard the beginnings of her scream. He spun her around and pulled her close.

  “It’s me, honey,” he said into her ear, careful to keep his voice calm.

  She twisted and writhed, trying to get away. She got a hand loose for a second, and swiped it against his forearm.

  “Jordynn.” He put a little more urgency into his tone.

  She finally stopped fighting and sagged against him. He dropped his hand and spun her again, this time to face him. Her eyes were wide and wild, her hair a beast of a mess.

  “I didn’t know it was you,” she gasped.

  “I hope not.” He touched her face gently. “Sorry, honey.”

  Her gaze traveled his body. “You’re...”

  “Covered in mud,” he filled in. “Slipped coming down the hill. Why are you even out here?”

  Panic filled her eyes. “Didn’t you see the signal?”

  “Yeah,” he replied. “But I was already out before that security guard showed up.”

  “The security guard?”

  “Little guy with a flashlight.”

  “You knew about the guy with the flashlight?”

  Donovan nodded. “Yeah. I told you I had a lot of time to think this thr—What’s wrong?”

  Her face had gone pale. “He’s on his way to the house. I didn’t know he was a security guard. And I really didn’t know that you knew when I did it.”

  “When you did what?”

  “I flicked the lights. You didn’t see?”

  “No. You must’ve done it while I was sliding around in the mud.”

  “Well. I did flick them. A lot. I was trying to divert his attention down here. And I think it worked.”

  Donovan cursed his own protective stupidity. When he’d disclosed his plan, he’d deliberately left out the fact that there was likely a guard wandering around because he didn’t want to worry her even more. It hadn’t occurred to him that she’d catch sight of him.

  “I’m sorry, Dono.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  She shot him an incredulous look. They didn’t have time to argue, and even if they did, he wasn’t going to let her blame herself.

  “You didn’t know,” he said. “And it doesn’t matter now anyway. We just need to worry about getting out of sight until he’s gone.”

  “Out of sight?” she repeated. “No. We need to go. The garbage from the food is in the house and the bed is unmade and...where’s the Jeep?”

  Damn. “In the garage.”

  “So we go on foot.”

  Quickly, Donovan scanned their surroundings. There was a little gate between this house and the next, but using it would leave them fully exposed. Anyone coming into the yard would be able to see them. So would anyone peering out a window from inside.

  The other side of the house was neighborless. Open to the street, and probably considered a perk by whoever bought the big corner lot, but it wasn’t working in their favor at the moment.

  Next, he eyed the high fence at the back of the house. Behind it, he could see the outline of thick brambles. Impassable, even if they could get through to it.

  His eyes sought the gate once more. “Guess that way’s our only option. We’ll have to move fast. And stick to the edge of the fence as much as we can. If someone sees us...we’ll run as fast and hard as we can. South. The Haven Corporation has a massive debris pile down past the building site. I saw it when we came past. Plenty of places to hide. If we get separated, I’ll find you there. Sound good?”

  Jordynn nodded. “Okay.”

  He grabbed the folder from them ground, then slid his free hand to hers. He started to move across the patio, then went still. An arc of light illuminated the path between the houses.

  “Someone there?” called the security guard.

  Donovan lifted a finger to his lips, then tugged Jordynn to the exterior wall beside the sliding glass doors.

  “If you’re out back, might as well make yourself known now,” the guard said. “Doin’ a perimeter search and got a Taser ready. And I’m not a fan of surprises.”

  “Back into the house,” Donovan whispered. “Quickly.”

  They slipped inside just as the flashlight’s beam hit the patio. Donovan knew it would slide up in a moment and land on the open door. He didn’t pause to watch it. He pulled Jordynn along through the kitchen and into the living room. Very briefly, he contemplated finding a place to hide. A closet
or the basement or the large wardrobe in the master bedroom. As fast as the thought came, though, he dismissed it. Jordynn was right—they’d left behind too much evidence of their presence.

  “Front door,” he said instead.

  He was pretty damned sure the security guard would be calling for backup any moment, and whether the call went to the police or to Ivan and his men, he didn’t want to risk becoming trapped. They’d have a better chance of escape running through the streets.

  But when he twisted the handle and flung open the door, his plan backfired.

  A slick, dark-colored sedan had just turned up the road and was parking at the end of the driveway. From where they stood, Donovan could see a stranger behind the wheel. And Ivan’s familiar silhouette in the passenger seat.

  * * *

  It took Donovan less than a heartbeat to realize that even though he could see Ivan, the other man hadn’t spotted them yet.

  With his teeth gritted, he yanked on Jordynn’s hand and propelled them to side of the house. There, he released her fingers and slammed them into the exterior wall, making sure their backs hugged the vinyl siding as tightly as possible. Then realized his mistake.

  “We’re stuck,” Jordynn said softy, voicing his thought. “Ivan’s going in the front, and if the guard comes back this way...”

  Donovan sucked in a frustrated breath. “Yes.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “The only thing we can do. Wait. Hope.”

  The slam of a car door echoed through the night air. Feet on pavement followed, then a pause.

  “Door’s wide open,” said a rough voice.

  Then came the click of cocking gun, and Jordynn shivered beside him.

  “Think it’s them?” asked the voice.

  Ivan’s reply was disparaging. “Who the hell else would come up here at this time of night?”