Under Duress

by Meghan Carver

  Reid jammed his hands into his jean pockets. A teenage feeling of awkwardness swept over him, and he stared at the floor, wondering what Samantha’s expression was.

  “Did you find something to eat?” Bump said.

  Lily jumped forward and wrapped her thin arms around Bump’s right arm. “We saw the eggs and bacon still on the stovetop and the two plates in the sink, so we figured the rest was for us. Was that all right, Mr. Bump? It was delicious.”

  Bump laughed and laid his free hand on her shoulder in a half hug. “That’s why they were there. We’re not formal here. Take what you need. And just call me Bump. No Mister.”

  “Why are you called Bump?” She let go of his arm but continued to stare up at his cragged features.

  Bump glanced at Reid. Reid shook his head slightly. The girl didn’t need that sort of introduction to the world of criminal behavior just yet. If she hadn’t heard when Reid had told Samantha earlier, then she didn’t need to hear now.

  “We’ll talk about that some other time, munchkin.” Reid ruffled her hair.

  Bump tugged her toward the door and tossed a nod at Reid. “Munchkin? Can I call you that, too? I have a mother cat with some kittens just a few weeks old living around my back steps. Why don’t you take Reid and see if they’ll come out?”

  “Yeah!” Lily bounded out of Bump’s grasp and grabbed Reid’s hand. “Come on, Mr. Palmer.”

  Reid let himself be tugged toward the door. Apparently, Bump wanted to talk to Samantha alone. That could only mean one thing.

  As he stepped into the afternoon sunshine, Reid prayed that Bump would have the discretion not to say too much.

  * * *

  Samantha ran her hand through her hair, fluffing it out to dry. She had no idea why Bump wanted to talk to her without Reid present, but she prayed that she could hear it with grace. Her emotions had been stretched like a rubber band over the past few days. One more pull, and she might break.

  Bump watched out the door, presumably to see Reid follow Lily to the kittens, then pushed it until it was ajar and turned to Samantha. “I know we just met, so please forgive me if you think I’m butting in where I don’t belong.”

  She nodded, the only response she could muster until she’d heard him out.

  “I’ve known Reid for a few years, and I’ve come to know him quite well. So I can tell how he feels about you. I can hear it in his voice and see it in the way he looks at you.”

  “Really?” That was not what she’d expected to hear. At all. And yet, her traitorous heart beat double-time, revealing what she had already suspected, even hoped for, if she were to admit it.

  “But he’s scared, and here’s why.” He paused and glanced toward the door. “He thinks he can’t be trusted with a wife.”

  “What? Because of his anger?” Wow. Her admiration for Reid bumped up a notch.

  “It’s a little more than that. He’s read all the studies and discovered that sons of abusers are much more likely to become abusers. He doesn’t want to risk that with a woman who might become his wife, so he’s decided he’s better off without one.”

  “His father beat him?”

  “Not him. His mother. But you can imagine the anger that stirred in him and his brother. They were just little boys and had to watch their own dad lash out in anger.”

  “Where are his parents now?”

  “His dad’s in the state penitentiary. His mom’s in the cemetery.”

  Samantha clutched at her chest, her breathing quickly turning shallow. It was hard to imagine what a terrible childhood Reid must have suffered. “So that’s why?”

  “Yeah. He became a police officer because he wanted to battle wrong. He thought it was the best way to combat the evil he had seen as a child. But he still didn’t have that anger under control. So when he was chasing someone on a motorcycle trying to elude arrest, he got angry. Next thing he knew, he had his police motorcycle up to nearly one hundred forty miles an hour.”

  “One hundred forty? I didn’t know motorcycles could go that fast.”

  Bump nodded. “Yep. Obviously, that’s against procedure. One incident like that can be overlooked. But two more times? No way. And when he lashed out against the bike, kicking it and tearing it apart in his anger, that was it. His superior officer came down hard on him. He wasn’t fired exactly, but it was strongly suggested that he leave the force.”

  “That’s when he went to law school.”

  “You remember what happened there?”

  “I’ve been puzzling over it these past few days. He always seemed angry, so much so that most of the students didn’t like to be around him. Toward the end of the first year, he got upset with a professor in class and yelled at him, calling him names. Very disrespectful.”

  “Again, it was suggested that he move on. So he transferred to another school. He hadn’t resolved his anger problem, and he got into an altercation when he accused a fellow student of plagiarizing his work. Reid hit him and ended up in the lockup waiting for a charge of assault and battery.”

  “That’s where you met him.” Puzzle pieces were coming together, and Samantha’s heart melted for Reid’s struggles.

  “He told you.”

  “Only that much.”

  “I spent half the night with him and left him with a Bible. He was desperate to hear the word of God and the hope and help it would bring him. I’ve not often seen a young man so eager and so quickly changed. He apologized profusely to the other student and no charges were filed, but it was too late to finish a degree at that school. He found one last law school and finished his degree there without further mishap, after I talked with the dean and gave him my assurance that Reid would be fine.”

  “Where’s he been the past couple of years?”

  “Working here and there. But he feels as if Heartwood Hill is his home, and he wants to reconcile with his former brothers on the police force. He left with some hard feelings, and he wants to make it right again.”

  Samantha sputtered, a cough caught in her throat. “I messed that up for him. When I ran into him, I made him take me to the police station. He wasn’t ready to go, and it didn’t work out well.” She fluttered a hand to her neck. But what about his desire to practice family law in Heartwood Hill? He would be a direct competitor to her practice. Could the town support that many lawyers?

  Her feelings for him were real, though, no matter how much she tried to deny them. Did love always work out, like all the songs suggested? Or would their job situation get in the way? What happened next? Her heart seemed to melt inside her, puddling with understanding and sympathy for a man who had worked hard and embraced faith to change from a life of wrong to a life of right. A man who was a gentleman and a warrior. A man who had put his very life on the line to rescue her and Lily.

  Bump ahemed loudly, drawing her back to the barn and the vehicles and the fact that they were on the run from kidnappers. Love would have to wait. Perhaps forever. “One sure way to tell he’s not the same Reid is his aversion to motorcycles. It’s almost as if he thinks that if he rides again he’ll revert to that old controlling anger. I’ve told him that’s not true because he’s living in the power of Jesus Christ to change lives, but it’s a tough go for him.”

  Reid’s voice filtered in through the door, getting louder as he got closer, telling Lily he needed to talk to Bump. Bump leaned into Samantha and whispered, “Keep praying,” then moved away before Reid stepped inside.

  “I appreciate your hospitality, Bump, but we need to get a plan together.” Reid’s baritone struck a chord in Samantha’s spirit, and she found herself staring at the floor, heat crawling up her neck. “We have the flash drive filled with evidence of embezzlement, but you don’t have internet way out here in the boonies, so I can’t email it. I thought we’d call my buddy Derek and meet up with him. Deli
ver the goods in person.”

  “Of course.” Bump held up his hands in surrender as he approached the door. “You two plot your course, and I’ll go help Lily coax those kittens out. She’ll do better with a bowl of milk, and I wouldn’t mind spending more time with that charming young lady.” He winked, and in a moment, he was gone.

  Alone at last. Samantha shook her head. Why did that pop into her mind? She might understand Reid better now, but that didn’t mean she was ready for a relationship. Men were completely off her radar and had been for years. There was no reason in the world why that should change now.

  Was there?

  The faint sweet scent of hay wafted to her nostrils, and she rubbed her nose with the tickle. Light filtered in through the high windows in the converted barn, and for the first moment since the entire awful ordeal had begun at the church, she felt a measure of peace.

  Reid broke the silence with a crack in his voice. “Once a cop, always a cop, the saying goes. I just can’t sit back and wait for Derek and the others to find our perps, especially when we have crucial information.” He scratched his hands on his jeans, then grabbed a chamois and began to rub it over the closest motorcycle in tight circles.

  “That’s why I wondered about Lily’s great-aunt. I guess you picked up on what I was trying to say before about that conversation.” She meandered toward the bike and ran her fingers over the closest handlebar.

  “Do you have any other ideas? An acquaintance of Lily’s father? Could it be someone disgruntled with your representation?”

  “Adoption is, for the most part, a happy practice. Who would be disgruntled?”

  Reid crossed his arms and leaned against the bike. Quiet contemplation hung thick between them.

  Samantha summoned a mental image of her client list, running through names and faces, but no one stood out. No one had been unhappy with her representation. And she had no idea who Lily’s father’s business acquaintances were.

  A creaking sounded from the motorcycle as it began to tip precariously toward her legs. It fell against her, the seat pushing on her hip. She stared at it, frozen, as all she could do was picture being pinned under the large machine. In a fraction of a moment, before she could react and escape the crush of the bike, Reid dashed around to her side and grabbed the bike. He leaned into it, forcing it back upright.

  Samantha covered her mouth with a shaking hand and sagged against Reid’s straining biceps. She had been rescued again by the man she had doubted. He secured the bike, one arm wound around her waist to hold her upright, as well.

  “I know it’s been a fast couple of days, but I need to say something.” The warmth of his voice wound around her heart and drew her closer. “We’ve actually known each other several years, and before we’re on the run again, I want you to know.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in agreement. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  Before she could respond, he reached to pull her hand away from her mouth. Her breath caught in her throat with his closeness, her heart pounding in rhythm with his as safety and security and strength enveloped her just like his arms. He lowered his lips toward hers, pausing as an invisible connection of their spirits surged between them. His gaze flicked up to look in her eyes, then back to her mouth as he gently touched his lips to hers. All her doubts were thrown to the wind. This was right. He was falling for her, and now she knew she felt the same.

  The bang of the door startled Samantha away from the warmth of Reid’s embrace.

  “Eww!” Lily stood in the doorway with a kitten in her arms.

  Reid stepped backward, pulling Samantha’s sense of sanctuary with him, and seized that opportunity to move back to the other side of the motorcycle. He quickly knelt down and fiddled with the kickstand, a flush coloring his face.

  Lily shot a quizzical stare at her, a sloppy grin splayed across her lips. “Can I have a kitten?”

  SIXTEEN

  What a moron he was.

  Reid grabbed the cloth again and jerked it across the motorcycle. What a moment, wonderful and horrible at the same time. Wonderful because he could get used to that closeness to Samantha. Horrible because he shouldn’t. What had he done?

  He’d told the truth. He was falling in love with her. What that meant from here, he had no idea. But at least she knew, and they could figure it out later.

  Samantha let out a sigh. Reid dared to glance at her, but he couldn’t read her expression. “No, Lily. No kitten. Maybe another time, when everything settles down.”

  Lily’s shoulders sagged, and she disappeared back outside.

  Samantha turned to Reid, her blue eyes ablaze. Was it love that shone in her eyes? Did he dare to hope? Or was it rejection? He had to stop her before she could say she didn’t feel anything for him. Before his mortification was complete. “I’m sorry.” His voice was husky with remorse. “That was completely inappropriate. I must not be thinking straight with this heat. Please forgive me.”

  She waved her hand as if to dismiss his apology. “We have to figure this...this problem...out. There’s no reason why Lily can’t have a kitten, except for the one, giant, horrible fact that we’re on the run from guys who want to kidnap us. The girl should have a regular childhood filled with play and books and a cute, cuddly pet. Are we ever going to be back to normal again?”

  Reid spun to grab the closest tool within reach, an air-pressure gauge, and checked the motorcycle’s tires. Normal? What exactly was normal anyway? Perhaps Samantha had achieved it, but he didn’t even know what it looked like, felt like, tasted like. Could his new normal possibly include the red-haired beauty who was worrying just a few feet away? He ached to embrace her again, run his hand through her waves, whisper to her that he would take care of her and all would be well.

  Instead, he tossed the gauge onto the worktable with a clank. If he ever found normal, it wouldn’t involve a wife. Maybe he would get a dog. Man’s best friend.

  Reid meandered to the doorway and leaned against the frame, rubbing his arm against it. “You’ll have normal again. Derek’s working on it. I’m working on it. Now Bump is working on it. We’ll figure this out.” Eventually, but he didn’t say that out loud.

  Lily sat near the porch to the house, facing the barn, a bowl of milk next to her. She had stretched out her hand and was calling for the kitties. Reid watched her, admiring her tenaciousness. At some point, she had retrieved her spy sunglasses from her backpack and worn them outside. Smart girl. The summer sunshine blinded Reid, and he arched his hand over his eyes to shield them.

  She must have noticed his movement, for she glanced up and waved at him just as Samantha joined him in the doorway.

  His throat thickened, an ache rising in it. Would he have a family someday? A family like they must appear—loving father and mother in the doorway watching their daughter romp with the kittens? He swallowed down the lump. He could never have his heart’s desire. At least, he shouldn’t try to have it, not with his family history.

  The mewing of a kitten drew Reid’s attention. Lily sat stiff, seeming to stare straight ahead. She had forgotten about the kittens cavorting around her knees. “Mr. Palmer? I see something flashing in my mirror. You know that little mirror inside my spy glasses? Is it light glinting off something? Sunlight?” She turned and pointed down the lane. “See? Is there a car coming?”

  Samantha backed away, her hands fluttering to clutch each other at her chest. Reid stepped farther out and stared down the lane, raising both hands to shield his eyes from the sun. The afternoon sunlight slanted down the dirt road, and he squinted hard as the sweet and sour smell of the surrounding cornfields filled his breaths.

  There it was. A flash of sunlight reflected on something. He strained to hear the hum of a motor. A moment later, a rumble vibrated in his ear.

  “Lily, leave the cats.” The girl ran to him, and
he squeezed her shoulder as a comforting gesture. “Thank you for that alert.” He called into the barn after Samantha. “We need to go.”

  Samantha appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide, her arms hugging her middle.

  “I’m armed and so is Bump, but I don’t want to get into a firefight if we can outrun them. We need to deliver the flash drive anyway, so let’s get moving.” His voice carried across the yard, and soon Bump came running out of the house, Lily’s backpack in hand. “You expecting anyone, Bump?”

  Bump nodded down the lane. “I saw from the kitchen window and grabbed my binoculars. That’s no one I know.” He led them into the garage and grabbed a set of keys from a rack on the wall. “Take the Mustang. That’s your only hope to outrun them. And you’ll be safer enclosed in a vehicle.”

  Without a word, only fright engraved across her face, Samantha hugged Lily close and looked at the car, waiting for Reid to make the first move.

  Reid followed close to Bump toward a highland-green Mustang Bullitt. He leaned close to keep his voice low. “That’s a classic. I can’t take that. Think what it’s worth.”

  Bump turned and put both hands on Reid’s shoulders. “Think what you’re worth. Think what Samantha and Lily are worth.” He pulled Reid toward the vehicle and thrust the keys at him. “You’re taking it. You’ll be fine.”

  Reid’s legs felt like lead. He glanced over his shoulder at Samantha pushing Lily into the middle of the front seat, Bump holding the door. This time, though, there was more at stake. And it wasn’t his frustration or anger or lack of control driving him. It was the need to protect the woman—the two women—he loved.

  But what if? What if he couldn’t outrun them? What if his anger returned? What if he proved to himself and to Samantha that he wasn’t truly a new man?

  With a hand on his back, Bump pushed him toward the car. “Go!” As Samantha and Lily secured themselves with shaking hands, Bump hit a button to open a garage door at the back of the renovated barn. “Come on! You don’t have much time! It’s your only hope for outrunning those guys. You know that.” Bump stepped up next to him and laid a strong hand on his forearm. “I’ll say it again. You’ll be fine.”