Hiding From Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 2)

by Olivia Jaymes

  “She never loved me.” Alan shook his head. “Not like I loved her. When my dad married her mom it changed my life.”

  “You–you had a family after that.” The words stuck in her throat already tight with terror. “I never really had one. You’re lucky. Not everyone gets to experience it.”

  “Family will hurt you if you let them. I won’t let that happen to you.”

  “But you’re hurting me if you do this,” Gigi said urgently, tugging at the cuffs again. “I’m begging you to stop this. Anna’s gone and nothing will bring her back.”

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Alan straightened and stomped out of the garage but Gigi sighed in relief. He hadn’t started the vehicle so perhaps he had changed his mind. While he was gone she tried to tear off the door handle or unlock the cuffs but she was locked in tightly. Only a key was going to budge them.

  The door leading to the house swung open and Aubrey stood in the opening, her face pale and her lips trembling. Gigi didn’t have to see behind her to know that Alan was standing there holding a gun to Aubrey’s back. It was clear by the stiff way she held her body and the slight shake of her shoulders as if she might break down at any time.

  “Get in the car.” Alan pushed Aubrey, who had paused next to the back seat passenger-side door when she’d seen Gigi cuffed to the handle. Aubrey stumbled slightly but managed to stay upright by reaching out and placing a hand on the car. It was then that Gigi noticed the handcuffs that dangled from Aubrey’s left wrist.

  “Let her go, Alan. She doesn’t have anything to do with this. You might be able to tell yourself you’re helping me, but if you kill her too you’re just a cold-blooded murderer. Is that who you want to be?”

  Fear had given way to outright anger when she’d seen Aubrey standing in that doorway, scared to death. She jerked her hands again, the sharp metal cutting into the skin and sending a wave of pain up her arms. In a perverse way the hurt felt good. Right now when she was so close to feeling nothing ever again it made her more alive. Everything around her had somehow become magnified. She could smell the dusty aroma of the garage mixed with the faint scent of gasoline. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the dirty garage windows, illuminating its dingy contents. Even the inside of the car smelled musty and old.

  It was a depressing place to die.

  The fake leather of the door handle was slick with her own sweat and her fingers slipped when she tightened her grip, the knuckles of her hand turning white.

  “You’ll be at peace very soon, Georgette.”

  Alan’s tone and movements were robotic now, his arms and legs jerky as he snapped the cuff around Aubrey’s wrist, attaching her to the door handle. He walked around the car slowly, in no particular hurry, to the driver’s side where Gigi sat and she kicked out at him with her feet as hard as she could despite the awkward angle.

  Not even flinching at the blows, Alan reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys before catching her legs with one arm and scooping them inside of the vehicle, quickly shutting the door before she could react. Without saying a word he sat down in the driver’s seat and fired up the engine before getting up and closing the door behind him.

  With the garage door and windows closed it wouldn’t take long for the carbon monoxide to put them to sleep and then a short time later kill them. Alan stood there for a moment…just…staring…as she tried frantically to free herself. Metal dug into her wrists but she didn’t dare stop pulling at the handle, hoping it would give way and separate from the door. She screamed again at the top of her lungs, calling for help while Aubrey joined in. Finally he turned away and went back into the house, leaving them to become victims of the poison exhaust.

  I love you, West. Dammit, I really love you. Now I’m going to die and not get to have a future with you.

  Tears began to slide down her cheeks even as the stifling air inside the car made her sticky, her shirt clinging to her back. Happiness had been so close she could taste it but now she was about to become another statistic they talked about on the evening news.

  A woman killed by her ex. Film at eleven.

  How many times had she seen or read those words but their real meaning had never truly sunk in? Someone was dead at the hands of someone she should have been able to trust.

  “Don’t pull at the cuffs, Bree. Pull at the door handle. If one of us can get free we can climb into the front seat and turn off the ignition.” Gigi gazed at her baby sister with all the sorrow she could muster. It was her fault that Aubrey was here and now in danger. “I’m so sorry. So very sorry.”

  Aubrey gave the handle another pull, a groan escaping from her quivering lips. “If I get out of this alive I swear I’ll stop being so scared of going after what I want. But it’s not your fault. I worked for him. I won’t give up. I want time to get to know you and Zach again. I don’t want to die.”

  Gigi wouldn’t give up until her final breath.

  She only wished she could see West just one more time.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

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  Adrenaline rushing through his veins, West grabbed the dash as Agent Caleb Faulkner slammed on the brakes and turned sharply into the driveway of the white two-story house. The tires squealed but the vehicle came safely to a stop, the front bumper just inches from the garage door.

  The seemingly innocent home was at the end of a long lane set back from the rest of the neighborhood. Quiet and secluded with a large expanse of green lawn surrounding the property, it was the perfect place to raise a family. Or keep a woman hostage.

  West had a gut feeling about this house. Morton was just crazy enough to try and recreate his fucked up childhood.

  Faulkner slammed the car into park and West hopped out of the car with the agent, Zach, and Travis on his heels. He ran toward the front door but stopped abruptly when the acrid scent of exhaust fumes hit his nostrils. The garage door was down but one whiff of the air told the story.

  The bastard was gassing Gigi.

  Zach pulled up on the garage door but shook his head when it didn’t move an inch.

  Locked.

  Not wanting to waste another second, West’s heart raced as he laid his shoulder against the front door, grunting at the impact of bone on solid wood. Built when they made things to last, the heavy slab shuddered but didn’t give way. Too scared to be patient, he was about to reach for his gun and shoot the lock when he saw Travis heave a gigantic potted plant through the large picture window. The high-pitched shattering of glass assaulted the eardrums and all four men covered their heads and eyes as shards of glass flew through the air. The action left a hole large enough to crawl through if they were careful.

  “Christ, Travis. Warn a guy next time,” West muttered, climbing through the window, his boots making a crunching sound as he stepped on the sharp points of glass jutting from the window frame.

  “Just trying to solve the problem.”

  He leaped from the windowsill to the carpeted floor below and sprinted toward a doorway that looked like it might lead to the garage on the other side of the wall. This time the door wasn’t locked and West was able to pull it open and stumble down a few steps, the exhaust fumes slamming into him and causing him to choke and cough.

  His lungs hurt as he covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Making his way to the car parked in the middle of the garage West could see Gigi and another young woman slumped over in the back seat.

  Don’t let me be too late. Don’t let her be dead.

  West and Zach pulled open the door on Gigi’s side of the vehicle while Faulkner and Travis went around to the other side to help the other young female. Attached to the door handle by handcuffs, Gigi practically fell into West’s lap, her skin pale and her body limp. He pressed his fingers to her neck and to his immense relief felt a pulse. Steady and strong, despite that bastard chaining them to the car and leaving them to die.

  West would take great pleasure in killing Alan Morton slowly. Cruelly.
He would make the son of a bitch beg. Gigi and the other female had surely begged for their lives so it was only fair.

  “She’s alive,” West called to the other men, his voice hoarse from the riot of emotions colliding in his gut. So fucking relieved Gigi was alive but furiously angry at Morton. The asshole would answer for what he’d done.

  “This one is alive too.” Travis was checking the young woman’s pulse while Faulkner dug in his back pocket and pulled out a set of handcuff keys, shoving the small piece of metal into the lock.

  “I can’t wait for a fucking key. Stand back,” Zach warned, pushing West away from the door before giving it a violent kick. The handle broke free from the door frame instantly and West scooped Gigi up in his arms and carried her outside and laid her on the concrete driveway. At some point Zach, Travis, or Faulkner must have opened the garage door because fresh air and sunshine were streaming into the dimly lit and dusty building.

  The other young woman was lying a few feet away with Travis hovering over her body while sirens grew increasingly louder. Faulkner had called for backup while they were enroute.

  The agent knelt beside Gigi and used his key to unlock the handcuffs around her wrists. Coughing and sucking air into his aching lungs, West winced as he took in the cut and bruised skin already beginning to swell and turn purple. Gigi had put up a hell of a fight.

  “Excuse me, sir. Please step aside.”

  The EMTs pushed through and West was shoved back to make space for the stretchers. Both women were immediately given oxygen as a newly arrived police officer peppered Faulkner with questions.

  Travis grabbed West’s arm and pulled him aside. “That woman. She’s the one at the nightclub last night. Do you know who she is?”

  West shook his head. “I don’t know for sure but if I were to guess I’d say she’s Gigi’s sister Aubrey. I bet that asshole used her as bait to lure Gigi to him.”

  “Do we know where he is?”

  The EMTs rolled the stretchers toward the ambulance. “No, but right now all I care about is Gigi. Faulkner’s got men looking for Morton. He’s their problem right now.”

  “I’m going with you. Whether she’s Aubrey or not she needs someone to look after her.”

  When Travis was in this mood it was pointless to argue with him and besides, West didn’t disagree. They would need to talk to the female at a later time no matter who she was. West slapped Faulkner on the back to get the man’s attention and then pointed to the ambulance. “Thanks for your help in finding her. I’m going. Call me if you find Morton.”

  Faulkner nodded and gave West an encouraging smile. “Will do. Good luck. I hope they’re okay.”

  “I’m going with you.” Zach stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest and a determined look on his face.

  One of the EMTs frowned and shook his head after rolling Gigi’s stretcher into the back of the ambulance. “We can really only take one extra person with us. We can’t have all of you in the back.”

  “You go,” Travis offered. “We’ll get a cab or something and be right behind you.”

  Anxious to get Gigi to the hospital West didn’t hesitate. He leaped into the back of the ambulance right before the doors swung shut.

  “The hospital is only about ten minutes away,” the EMT said, checking Gigi and the other female’s vitals. “I think your friends are going to be fine.”

  West couldn’t ask for anything more than another chance to show Gigi just how very much he loved her. Forever. If she needed time it was okay; he’d give it to her. But he wasn’t going to give up. She’d become too damn important, worming her way into his heart. She was everything, and they were going to have a wonderful life together.

  * * *

  Gigi’s lungs ached, her stomach twisted in knots, and her muscles were weak but she was alive. She’d woken up in a hospital room with Aubrey in the next bed and West sitting next to her in a chair, his forehead resting on their entwined hands. She’d tried to speak but had only managed a few weak coughs. He’d heard her though and had jumped to his feet, calling the nurses and helping her take a few sips of water.

  Aubrey had opened her eyes a few minutes later while Travis hovered worriedly. Gigi couldn’t suppress a smile as West’s confirmed bachelor brother fussed over her sister, making sure she was warm enough and even managing to procure two popsicles – one cherry and one grape – to help their raw throats.

  West had recounted the story of Alan’s sister Anna and that the house had been their childhood home, but he hadn’t actually said what had happened to Alan. She squeezed West’s fingers and brought them to her lips, her mouth brushing the knuckles.

  “Where is Alan now?” she asked, her gut twisting with trepidation. If he was still out there this wasn’t over. He’d never give up and leave her alone. “He got away, didn’t he?”

  “I can answer that.” A tall, handsome, dark-haired man swung into the room but Gigi didn’t recognize him at all. “How are you doing, Aubrey? Feeling better?”

  Gigi’s sister frowned at the man and then tried to sit up, only to be pressed back onto the pillow by Travis. “Wait. I know you. I’ve seen you at the office several times. You’ve done business with Alan. He’s always been a little afraid of you, I think. You’re Caleb Deardon.”

  The man smiled and shook his head. “My real name is Caleb Faulkner. I’m a special agent for the FBI and my job was to infiltrate an organized crime syndicate that included Alan Morton. He was into much more than commodities and nightclubs. He had his finger in most of the gambling and prostitution in this city.”

  “You said you know where he is?” West stood but didn’t let go of Gigi’s hand. “Have you apprehended him?”

  The agent’s gaze flickered between Gigi and Aubrey. “After leaving you both to die the bastard waltzed into his office this morning as if nothing had happened. Of course I had a few agents stationed there just in case but I never actually thought he’d have the audacity to show up. When we arrested him – again – he acted like he’d never heard of you, Gigi, and that Aubrey was simply out of the office today because she was sick. He won’t be getting bail this time either, by the way. Another judge that he doesn’t own has been put on the case. He’s facing not only two counts of attempted murder but hundreds of federal RICO counts.”

  “I hope he rots in jail,” Travis growled, his brows pulled together in a scowl. “He deserves far worse.”

  “I saw him briefly before I came here. I’m guessing his lawyer is going to try some kind of temporary insanity plea. Morton appears to have completely lost it. He was acting like he didn’t know anything about that house and that he’d never had a sister named Anna.”

  Gigi remembered how Alan had acted in the last moments she’d seen him. “When he cuffed us to the car it was as if he didn’t have any emotions left. He was on automatic pilot, like a robot.”

  “A complete break from reality.” Travis settled into the chair next to Aubrey’s bed. “Once he realized that he’d left Gigi – or Anna as he may have thought of her then – to die it may have simply been more than he could handle.”

  It was over and now she could go…home. Tremont and West were home now. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder anymore. A future was hers for the taking if she wanted one.

  “When can we get out of here?” Gigi asked softly, her gaze meeting West’s. Everyone else in the room seemed to slip into the background as she took in his handsome face that right now looked more worried than relieved. She’d put him through hell today but he’d never wavered on his promise.

  “Tomorrow.” West brushed his lips across hers, so light the kiss was like butterfly wings. “Right now you need to rest and get better.”

  She reached up and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him close. These words were only for him.

  “Thank you for saving me. I love you.”

  West’s face split into a grin and he pressed a kiss onto her forehead and then her cheek. “Keep talking like
that and I’ll never let you go. I’ll have to love you for the rest of my life.”

  That was exactly the future she’d dreamed about.

  Epilogue

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  “Does Tremont’s sexiest mayor want to take me out for lunch?”

  West looked up from the spreadsheets he’d been scowling over to find Gigi standing in the doorway to his office. Looking amazing as always, today she was dressed in blue jeans and a bright red sweater, topped with a brown leather jacket she’d allowed him to buy her. She looked gorgeous today dressed in her favorite color. He’d learned a few things about his woman these past weeks but she’d been right all along. He did know the important things. The things that truly mattered.

  He slapped the lid closed on the laptop and beckoned to the woman he adored, crooking a finger and giving her a big smile. Things had been good since they’d returned to Montana. Both of them were finding their way on how to be a couple and plan for the future.

  “He absolutely does but first he wants a kiss.”

  Giggling, she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her body flush against his own. Those lethal curves were hell on his equilibrium but being normal was way overrated. Capturing her lips with his own, he kissed her until they were both breathless.

  “Are you going to be this demanding after we’re married?” Gigi asked coyly as she ran a fingernail across his jaw. His pulse leaped and he found himself eyeing the old oak desk just a foot away. It looked sturdy enough to handle their combined weight but the town founder, Jed Tremont, might just roll over in his grave. There had been plenty of funny business going on in the mayor’s office these last few years with Cavendish but none of it had been the naked, naughty kind.

  “This and more,” West promised, dropping a kiss on her nose before reluctantly stepping back. He had a meeting at one o’clock regarding the new community center. It was his pet project and one of the campaign promises he’d made and after only three months in office it was getting off the ground. “I think you’re going to need to take your vitamins, babe.”