by Scott, Laura
Sliding her feet into slippers, Samantha crossed the room. With a frown, she peered through the window. Had she heard something out there, or had it been her imagination? Since learning about her smashed car battery, she tended to suspect Dennis lurking around every corner.
The shrill ringing of her phone drew her attention, and she immediately stepped away from the window. The moment she moved, a loud crash burst from behind her. She instinctively screamed and threw herself to the floor.
She heard a shout, followed by a yell somewhere outside. Samantha raised her head from the floor, glancing around in fear. Her bedroom window was broken, a gaping hole in the center surrounded by jagged glass. The opening wasn’t large enough for a person, she noted in relief. Had Dennis struck again?
Her phone was still ringing, so she jumped to her feet and dashed over to the kitchen where the phone was charging on the counter. The number on the screen was blocked, but she still answered. “Hello?”
Too late. The mystery person on the other end of the line hung up. Shivering with the cold February air flowing freely through the broken window, she found her Lifeline jacket and slipped it on over her flannel pajamas. Shaking, she tried to decide what to do first. Call the police? Call to have her broken window repaired? Take care of the broken glass splattered around her bedroom?
Edging down the hall, she stood in the doorway of her bedroom. Lying in the center of her bed was a large, heavy brick. Wrapped around the brick was some sort of brown paper. Even from this distance she could see the message written on the note, addressed to her.
She didn’t want to read it, knowing the note would be more of the same. Come home, where you belong. Turning from the mess in her room, she returned to the kitchen. Seeing the brick had helped her make a decision. Police first, then repair the window.
She’d already called the police when she heard more noise from outside. The car engine, then the slam of car door. She went tense. Had Dennis come back?
“Samantha!” She heard a male shout her name a moment before there was pounding on her apartment door. “Are you all right? Open up.”
“Reese?” She peered through the peephole, surprised and very relieved to see him standing there. She opened the door. “How did you get into the building?”
“Followed someone. Are you all right?” He came forward and cupped her face in his hands, brushing his thumbs over her cheeks. “Brandon called me when you didn’t answer your phone, told me he saw Markowitz outside your building.”
The wild look in his eye belayed her fear. “I’m fine. But my window isn’t.”
“I thought it was cold in here.” Reese pressed his mouth against hers in a brief, hard kiss. Then he pulled back to look around the apartment. “What happened?”
“A noise outside woke me up.” His kiss rattled her brains, and she frowned in order to concentrate. “I, uh, got up and went over to the window to see if anyone was out there. Then my phone started to ring, so I stepped away intending to answer it. I heard a crash and hit the floor.” She was embarrassed at her reaction, cowering in fear instead of facing the danger head-on. “Someone hurled a brick through my window.”
“Someone? You mean Markowitz.” Reese’s hands tightened on her arms. “Samantha, he could’ve hit you. The next time you hear a noise, don’t go anywhere near the window.”
“I won’t.” The closeness of her near miss, along with the cold air, made her teeth chatter.
“Did you call the police?”
She nodded. “They’re on their way.”
Reese led her over to the sofa, urging her to sit. “Stay here. I’ll check out the damage.”
Sam clasped her hands together to stop them from trembling. “I know Dennis is probably long gone, but I’ll need the police report to pay for the broken window.”
He disappeared down the hall toward her bedroom. Samantha sat for a moment, then realized she was doing it again. She was letting others take control of her life. Jumping to her feet, she followed Reese.
“Stay back.” His voice was harsh. “You’ll cut yourself. There’s glass everywhere.”
Since her feet felt like twin blocks of ice, even wearing slippers, she knew she wouldn’t feel a sharp edge of glass until it was too late. She hovered in the doorway, surveying the mess in her room. “How am I going to get the glass out of the carpet?”
Reese’s normally calm features reflected his seething anger. “I don’t know, but we can’t touch anything the cops may be able to use as evidence. I hope Brandon managed to get some evidence, too.” He turned away from the window. “Tell me what you need so I can get it for you.”
Sam directed him to where her shoes, socks, jeans, and sweaters were located. Despite how they’d cuddled and talked the night before, her face grew pink as he went through her dresser drawers, pulling out the items she’d requested, including clean underwear and a bra. Once he’d retrieved her things, she took them gratefully and disappeared into the bathroom to change.
She felt more in control when she emerged, fully dressed, a few minutes later. The police arrived fast, the broken window rating a higher threat than her earlier note. While she answered their questions, she noticed Reese talking on a cell phone.
“Was that Brandon?” she asked, breaking away from the police officer’s questions.
Reese nodded. “Yeah. I called and asked him to return. He’s on his way. He said he took off after Markowitz, but the guy managed to slip away.”
She couldn’t hide the sharp stab of disappointment. So close, they had been so close to nailing Dennis in the act. Sam forced herself to remain calm. “Next time, I guess.”
“There shouldn’t have to be a next time.” Reese’s frustration mirrored hers. He’d raked his hands through his hair so many times the strands stood on end, sticking out of his head at all angles. She suspected he’d recently woken up from sleep himself. “I thought Brandon was better than this. I can’t believe he let the jerk to get away.”
Samantha secretly felt the same way, although she knew Dennis was craftier than most people believed. Underestimating him was only too easy. She’d married him thinking he was a great guy with similar goals and desires to hers.
She’d been wrong. And right now, she was finding out just how wrong. The police combed her apartment, taking photographs of the master bedroom and dusting for prints on the wall outside of her window and on the brick itself. After a few minutes, her buzzer sounded.
Hesitantly, she crossed the room. “Yes?”
“It’s Rafter.”
“Come on in.” She pushed the button to release the outside lock, then opened her apartment door.
Rafter didn’t look upset to have lost his man. In fact, a broad grin creased his features. In his hands he held several photographs.
“We got him.” He displayed the photos on her kitchen table. “I have a digital camera and portable printer in my car. I printed these out a few minutes ago.”
Reese crossed over to take a look. Samantha caught her breath. The pictures were amazingly clear. Brandon had caught a clear photo of Dennis outside her window, holding what looked like the brick in his hand.
“Great.” Reese clapped a hand on Brandon’s shoulder. “I have to admit I was upset you’d allowed him to get away.”
“The pictures had to come first, or trust me, I would’ve had him. I honestly didn’t see the brick in his hand at first. I didn’t know he’d planned to chuck it through her window until I saw the swing of his arm. I called Samantha to warn her. But at least we have the evidence needed for the police to arrest him.”
Samantha lifted her gaze from the grim photos. The officer who’d questioned her entered the room, the pictures drawing his attention.
“Markowitz is in clear violation of his restraining order, and more, this shows his attempted assault.” Rafter looked pleased with himself.
The officer picked up the picture of Dennis holding the brick mere seconds before he’d launched it through her window. “
These are good. I’ll send a team to stake out his condo, authorizing his arrest.”
Samantha pressed a shaking hand over her heart. It was over. Dennis the Menace would be arrested soon, and the nightmare would come to an end.
11
Reese stared at the window he’d boarded up in Samantha’s room. Like winter wasn’t dark enough, he thought ruefully. With the plywood nailed across the opening, there would be no light streaming in. Raking a hand through his hair, he stepped back. The police had finally left and so had Rafter. The PI still planned to stake out Samantha’s building, but Reese seriously doubted that Markowitz would show.
He’d be too busy getting arrested.
Still, he didn’t like leaving Samantha here alone. But how to convince her to move in temporarily with him? After their stilted conversation earlier this morning, he knew he’d botched things badly. He was probably the last guy on earth, other than Markowitz, she wanted to spend time with.
“I suppose you’re hungry.” Samantha entered the room, surveying his handiwork. “Thanks for fixing my window.”
If only he could fix more than the stupid window. “No problem. It’s the least I can do.”
She lifted a brow. “Why is that? My broken window is hardly your fault.”
He sighed and met her gaze. “I guess it’s my way of apologizing for the way I acted this morning.”
With a shrug, she glanced away. “It’s all right. I can only imagine the horrible memories you must have of the crash.”
It wasn’t just the crash, but he couldn’t bring himself to bring up the subject of her plans to move to San Diego after graduation. Not her fault that he’d begun to fall for her. He hadn’t expected to feel this much for any woman ever again. There was a brief silence before he added, “I didn’t get the chance to tell you how much I enjoyed spending the night talking with you.”
Her gaze shot to his. “I thought you were having second thoughts about the time we spent together.”
Slowly, he shook his head. “No. You’ve made me feel alive, Samantha. I could never regret spending time with you.” No matter how short that time might be, he thought to himself.
A hopeful smile bloomed on her face. “I’m glad.”
“Will you come back to my place? We can pick up something to eat on the way.” He held his breath, prepared for her refusal.
“I have to work in the morning,” she hedged. Then she laughed and shook her head. “And since you’ve switched your schedule to match mine, so do you.”
“I know. I’m asking you to stay with me at least until Markowitz is caught and arrested.” He’d missed being with her. He missed talking with her. And most of all he missed kissing her.
“Reese, I don’t need protecting anymore,” she said as if reading his mind. “For all we know, the police have already arrested Dennis.”
He wasn’t so sure about that but hoped the police would find him soon. But that wasn’t the only reason he wanted her to come by his place. He wanted to touch her, to pull her into his arms. He forced himself to keep his hands at his sides. “I know. I’m not asking you to stay just because of Markowitz. I’m asking because I want to spend time with you.”
“You do?” Samantha raised one eyebrow questioningly. There was a hint of uncertainty in her gaze.
He swallowed hard, knowing he didn’t dare push her. “Only to talk, Samantha.”
She tipped her head to the side, a secret smile playing along her lips. “Just to talk, huh?”
He had no clue what to say to that. Especially since he knew this—whatever was growing between them—was only temporary. “I like spending time with you, Samantha. Just being with you is more than enough.”
She smiled wryly and nodded. “Okay, Reese. Since you are being such a gentleman, I’ll take you up on your kind offer. I can’t deny that the thought of staying here alone now that Dennis knows where I am isn’t very appealing. It might be better to stay someplace else until we know he’s in jail.”
He let out his breath in a soundless sigh. For once she wasn’t going to argue with him. “My sofa is fairly comfortable.”
She didn’t move, and he wondered if she was having second thoughts.
“Why don’t you pack a bag?” he suggested. “Again, no pressure, but the morning will go more smoothly if you have everything you need for work.”
She agreed, and he couldn’t help smiling as he drove the short distance between her apartment building and his.
He was crazy to continue allowing himself to become involved, but at the same time, he couldn’t seem to stay away.
SAMANTHA COULDN’T BELIEVE how easy it was to spend time with Reese. The small apartment created a level of intimacy, but Reese never took advantage of the situation. Even though she wouldn’t have minded a kiss or two, she knew that it was better that they kept things friendly.
Reese called Rafter and asked if Dennis had been arrested yet. Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good. So far, the police hadn’t been able to arrest Dennis because he hadn’t gone home to his condo.
She didn’t want to think about where Dennis might be staying. She told herself it was only a matter of time. Her ex-husband couldn’t hide forever.
The sofa was comfortable, and she slept good knowing she was safe. There was a bit of awkwardness in the morning as they took turns in the bathroom, but he did his best to stay out of her way.
Reese offered to drive them to work, pointing out that they lived in the same apartment complex and that it was ridiculous to drive two cars from their respective buildings to the Lifeline hangar.
The only problem with accepting a ride from Reese was that she didn’t like the idea of the two of them showing up together. The staff at Lifeline was small, and gossip spread quickly.
It was enough to have her shaking her head. “Honestly, Reese, I’d rather take my own car.” Samantha braced herself for an argument.
Reese frowned, indicating he didn’t like her decision, but he didn’t try to talk her out of it either. “All right. But at least let me drive you to your car.”
Sam relaxed. She knew Reese wasn’t like Dennis, needing to control her every move. The way he gave in to her wishes warmed her heart. Maybe there was something to this relationship thing after all.
She drove to Lifeline with Reese following close behind. She had to smile at how he didn’t so much as let one car come between them.
The sky was clear, but the wind was sharp as they headed inside the hangar a little later. Andrew was the paramedic on duty with her again today. Since Sam entered first, followed a few minutes later by Reese, he didn’t notice anything different about how they acted toward each other.
While she knew it was foolish, she didn’t want to announce the change in her relationship with Reese to the whole world. Especially since there really wasn’t a relationship. Just a few kisses, okay, more than a few hot kisses, but nothing more. Besides, she didn’t know if he was truly over Valerie.
The night shift gave their debriefing, anxious to leave and go home. Less than an hour later, their first call came in.
“Fifty-year-old male fell through the ice on Lake Minooka while ice fishing,” Andrew announced.
“Did they get him out?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
“Let’s get there, maybe we can help.”
The three of them grabbed their helmets and dashed for the chopper. Lake Minooka was a good fifteen-minute flight away, and in cases of severe hypothermia, every second counted.
Samantha nervously clutched the roll bar and held her breath when Reese lifted the chopper off the ground. She hadn’t expected to feel so nervous about flying. It wasn’t as if she didn’t trust Reese, because she did. Still, several minutes went by before she could pry her fingers off the roll bar.
“Hey, doc. You okay?” Andrew asked, concern darkening his gaze.
“Something wrong, Samantha?” Reese immediately asked from the pilot’s seat, picking up on Andrew’s comment.
“Nothing is wrong. I’m fine.” Samantha maintained an even tone. “Honest. Just get us to the scene, Reese, as quickly as possible.”
“Roger.”
The chopper banked right, and Samantha was relieved when her initial nervousness faded. How had Reese managed to get into the cockpit again after Valerie had crashed? Flying after something like that was true bravery.
“We are coming up on Lake Minooka, but we need to find a place to land that’s not too close to the lake.” Reese’s deep voice flowed through her headset.
She frowned. “I don’t understand. Why can we get close to the lake?”
“The noise and wind speed of the blades could break up the rest of the ice,” Reese explained. “If the rescue crew is still on the ice, they could all fall in.”
Not good. Suppressing a shiver, Samantha peered out her window at the scene below. “How much room do you need, Reese? There’s a road about one hundred yards from the lake to the south. If there was a way to block traffic, would that work?”
“I see it, and yes, the location is perfect. I’ll radio the base.”
They wasted precious minutes as they relayed the information to the officials at the scene who agreed to set up a road block. Reese finally landed the chopper. Andrew and Samantha didn’t waste any time.
They were both breathing heavily when they pulled up at the group of rescue workers gathered around the lake. “Did you get him out?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t have a pulse. The firefighters are working on him now.”
Sam elbowed her way to the patient’s side. “How long was he under?”
“Less than ten minutes. The icy water might have worked in our favor, though.” With a nod, she indicated she understood. The body required less oxygen when submerged in icy water. But anything close to ten minutes was still a very long time.
“Hey, I think I feel a pulse.” The firefighter looked up at her.
Samantha placed her fingers along the carotid artery as well. She nodded. “I do, too.”