“Where’s the fun in that?”
Vivi climbed out of her side of the vehicle and stood there watching them, her breath freezing into a cloud of vapor. His father raised one wiry brow. “Pretty thing, fragile looking though. Hope you know what you’re doing, son.”
“So do I, Pop. So do I.”
***
It was warm inside the log cabin. Jed’s dad had turned up the central heating and started a fire in the wood stove so a tinge of smoke tainted the air. Vivi followed Jed into a bedroom on the ground floor level and watched him lay Michael on a fresh sheet that his father had just stretched over the mattress. She went to grab the top sheet but the two men beat her to it in what looked like a well-rehearsed routine. She comforted herself by dragging a fresh pillowcase over a puffy, down pillow.
Jed held out his hand and she passed across the pillow which he placed gently beneath Michael’s head.
Then the two men left without a word.
Michael was fast asleep so she didn’t bother undressing him. His boots and coat had been removed at the door; the sweatpants and t-shirt loose enough for him to sleep in comfortably. The dark circles under his eyes were pronounced against his pale skin and his forehead crinkled as if in pain. She placed a kiss on his brow. “Sleep well, baby.”
She followed Jed and his father out into the main room knowing they needed to talk about what was going on and the implications for their safety.
The cabin was stunning, she realized, looking around for the first time. No rustic hidey-hole but a comfy, luxurious getaway. The front of the cabin was a two-story open-plan area containing the kitchen, dining, living area, divided up by a long wide granite island. A huge stone chimney covered one entire wall. Lots of windows looked out over the lake—a great spot to watch the snow fall, bringing with it a sense of seclusion and safety. A shiver rippled over her skin. The peace was an illusion but she appreciated it anyway. Jed was closing all the blinds although she doubted there was anyone out there for miles. The idea that the bad guys could find them so fast seemed ludicrous. There were stairs against the wall behind her, presumably to more bedrooms. A couple of lamps bathed the cabin in a warm amber glow that begged her to sink to the nearest flat surface and pass out from sheer exhaustion, but she had to keep going.
Jed’s father turned to face her. The expression in his eyes was kind but contained a spare-the-bullshit gleam. “Want to tell me exactly what’s going on?”
“Mr. Brennan, my name is Vivi Vincent and you just met the sleeping version of my son, Michael.”
“I saw a picture of you guys on the news. There’s a full-scale manhunt out there searching for you—led by the US Marshal Service and the FBI.” His eyes cut back to his son.
They looked remarkably alike, father and son, except the older man’s hair was silver-white which made the dark brown of his eyes and tanned skin stand out in contrast.
“Your boss thinks you came up here to drown your sorrows over these two being killed, but you really came to hide them, didn’t you?”
“The bad guys found the safe house, Dad.” Jed’s voice reflected the full gravity of the situation. She’d forgotten for a little while exactly why they were here. “And I don’t know if they followed the shrink who’d come to treat Michael, or if someone on the inside let the information leak.”
Keen brown eyes swept back to her and nailed her in place. “How did you escape the gunmen who attacked the safe house?”
A sudden flashback to seeing Dr. Hinkle shot dead made her stomach twist. She sank down to the sofa and wished she could turn back the clock. Wished she’d chosen a different day to visit Minneapolis, wished she hadn’t gone to the mall, or hadn’t taped that stupid TV interview.
But she had to deal with the here and now and sticking her head in the sand would get them nowhere. She cleared her throat. “After Dr. Hinkle examined my son, Michael ran away and hid. I found him in the trunk of R-Roger’s car,” she stumbled over the name of the man who’d saved her life while bleeding to death from a gunshot wound. She’d done nothing to help him and the guilt ate at her. If she’d tried to save him she’d be dead too and Michael would be alone, but it didn’t matter. She hadn’t tried to save him. God. She breathed heavily through her mouth, wishing she was brave and calm and able to deal with this craziness without feeling so utterly useless. “Small dark places are my son’s comfort zone. It’s where he goes when he’s stressed and trying to escape the world. I couldn’t stand to move him, but didn’t want to leave him alone either. So I got in the trunk and just held him tight, praying they wouldn’t find us.” It sounded nuts. She was nuts. Not exactly a newsflash.
Jed flicked on a lamp, then put water on the stove to boil. She watched the way he moved, so calm and confident even though he’d just broken about a million rules that could cost him his job. Why would he take that risk for them?
Finished with his preparations, Jed leaned against the kitchen island and took over the story. “When I got to the scene, I assumed the cops had cleared the place. Then I heard something in the garage, found them hiding in the trunk.”
“I was too scared to move.” Vivi confessed. “I didn’t know if the bad guys were still in the house or not. I just stayed where I was, in shock.” How could so many bad things happen to them and yet they still lived?
Jed nodded. “I managed to sneak them into my car without anyone seeing.” He stood in the middle of the room, filling the large space with his presence. Everything about him screamed safety and promise. “The marshals and feds are going to bust my balls when they find out, but if I had to do it again?” His eyes said he would.
“News says the child is autistic?” Jed’s dad asked her.
“Honestly?” The weight of a thousand uncertainties beat at her. “No one knows for sure.” She explained Michael’s condition. It was complicated and she was tired. She didn’t know if she was making any sense.
Jed stepped in. Saving her again when she’d always prided herself on her strength and ability to save herself.
“The way I figure it the bad guys attacked and shot their way inside. But Vivi and Michael weren’t where they expected them to be and the remaining attacker took off when they heard the sirens going off.”
The sofa beside her gave as someone sat down. She opened her eyes expecting to see Jed but it was his father.
His eyes searched her face. “Forgive me for asking, son, but how do you know Vivi didn’t kill all those people and then hide in the trunk of that car?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Vivi flinched and pulled away from the older man. She felt like he’d just punched her in the stomach. How could he think like that?
“Well the fact that there were three dead terrorists on the ground when we got there, and one of the marshals reported being attacked by four armed men prior to him being shot dead.” Jed sat on the arm of the couch beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder in reassurance. “I forgot to mention my family are conspiracy theorists and don’t take anything at face value. It’s made my time in the FBI…interesting.”
Jed’s dad’s eyes softened. “Just need to be sure you are what you say you are before I leave you alone with my son.”
“Pretty sure I can handle it, Pop.” Jed touched the gold shield on his belt. “Federal agent, remember?”
Vivi’s laugh came out like a sob. “I admire your paternal instincts, Mr. Brennan, I really do.” She looked up and caught Jed’s gaze. “Without your son I don’t know where we’d be—dead probably. I’m not a danger to him, but the people after my son could be and I don’t want to put any of you in danger.” The idea made her start to shake. “I should probably leave. Go to a hotel.”
The old man’s expression softened. “Drag that poor little boy from pillar to post? It’s safe here. I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable but Jed’s right, I don’t take things at face value. But I do trust my son, and despite what I might think of the FBI in general, he’s damned good at his job.” He held out hi
s hand to her. “Jeremiah Brennan at your service, ma’am.”
Bemused, she shook his hand. Either she was frozen or he had lava in his veins.
“You feel like ice.” He rubbed her hand between his. “Get the lady a hot drink, son.”
“On it. Want something for yourself?” Jed filled a mug with steaming water and stirred in sugar. She didn’t bother telling him she didn’t take anything in hers. She could do with the energy boost even though Jed was the one who hadn’t slept in a couple of days.
“So what’s the plan?” Jed’s father asked, suddenly onboard with everything.
It knocked Vivi off kilter again—as if she hadn’t been totally out of her depth enough over the last few days.
Jed handed her a cup of steaming tea, and went to stand in front of the fireplace. He looked as solid and immovable as the rock behind him. “We’re going to hole up here for a few days—hopefully give the feds enough time to chase down and lock up the remaining terrorists. Vivi is going to dye her hair brown and avoid as many people as possible. If anyone asks you can tell them I’m visiting with a girlfriend and don’t want to be disturbed.”
Vivi’s cheeks heated. Oh, the joys of a pale complexion. She hid behind her mug and inhaled the steam.
“Like the idea of you bringing a woman home won’t have everyone abuzz?” The older man snorted. “You going to tell Liam or shall I?”
“I’ll tell him.”
“Angela?”
Who was Angela, she wondered. She took a sip of the tea and was hit by a wall of sweetness. She took another drink. It tasted good.
“I’ll drop by and see her at some point too.”
“What are the chances of these people figuring out this young lady and her child are here with you?”
Jed pursed his lips, thinking. “Slim, but nothing is impossible.”
“You disable the GPS in the SUV?”
Jed nodded. “In Spooner. Frazer knows where I am, but I trust him. I turned the GPS off on my phone and laptop too. If it is someone in law enforcement and they suspect Vivi and Michael are with me then they will find us, but it will take them time. I don’t intend to make it easy for them.”
Jeremiah wagged his finger at her. “No checking your email or using any online stores for anything through your own name or credit card. If you need anything tell Jed. Or Mary can order it for you. That’s Jed’s mother.”
“He watches a lot of TV.” Jed read her bemused expression and gave her a wink.
The man eyed his son. “There’ll be no keeping your mother out of this, you know that?”
Jed nodded. Sober now. “I figured the easiest way to do this was go with Plan A, my planned visit to see family before Christmas. The fewer people who know about Vivi and Michael the better, but there’ll be some who’ll ask questions. Then we give them the shy girlfriend story.”
“It’s a workable plan as long as you stick to the rules. Your mom and I and Liam aren’t going to give you away.” His gaze rested heavy on Vivi as if she were the weak link.
“These people are trying to murder my little boy.” She leaned forward, unable to subdue the fierceness in her voice. “There’s nothing I won’t do to keep him safe. That includes lying to people, hiding out from the world and avoiding online shopping. Nothing matters except Michael.”
“You matter,” Jed interrupted quietly.
She shook her head and placed her empty mug on a coaster on the oak side table. “You protect Michael, don’t worry about me. If anything happened to him…”
Jed’s dad’s face filled with empathy and he patted her hand. “Nothing’s going to happen to either of you. You’ve come to the right place. We may be quaint and a little rustic up here in the Northwoods, but we know how to protect what’s ours.”
She’d gone from murder suspect to acceptance in five short minutes. “I don’t know how to thank you, Mr. Brennan. Most people would run screaming in the other direction.”
He pushed himself to his feet. “My family aren’t most people, Miss Vincent, I raised ’em better than that. And thank me by looking after that boy of yours. I bet he’s a live wire when he’s awake.”
“He sure is.” Aside from the fact he didn’t speak. That conversation was for another day. Maybe tomorrow she could get Michael drawing and he’d give the feds the information they needed to catch the bad guys and then it’d be safe for them to go home.
“I better get back to your mother. Oh, the breaker keeps tripping, I need to pick up a different fuse.” Jeremiah said to Jed who nodded. Then Jed’s father got up and pulled his boots and jacket back on. “Keep the shotgun. It’s loaded. I’ll bring by more stuff tomorrow.”
“Won’t he need that?” Vivi asked, but the man had already disappeared into the darkness. Jed closed the door on the still falling snow.
“Trust me, he has others.” Jed went over and placed the gun in the tall cupboard beside the door. Then he locked it and slid the key onto the top of the door jamb.
She went to the window and edged the blind aside. Snow was falling in large, heavy flakes, surrounding them, cutting them off from the world. She just wanted to disappear. To stay here forever and never have to worry about anyone trying to hurt her baby. “You learned to shoot before you learned to walk, didn’t you?”
“Pretty much.” He faced her. “I’d like to teach you and Michael, starting tomorrow.”
A shiver ran over her flesh. The idea of her sweet little boy firing a weapon… “I hate guns.”
“I understand that, but there’s a good chance Michael’s going to be exposed to guns, one way or another over the next little while. How about we start with some safety lessons and maybe a little bit of empowerment. If ever a kid deserved it, it’s Michael.”
She thought of all the times David had tried to get her on the gun range. This was different. This was pure survival, which in many ways made it worse. The idea of taking a human life was abhorrent, but the idea of someone executing her baby because she was too dumb or idealistic to pick up a firearm was worse. She drew in a breath and agreed to something that just a few days ago would have been unimaginable. “I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
Dark brown eyes swept over her, glancing over her lips. A shiver of awareness uncurled low in her belly because despite everything that was going on she was still very much aware of him as a man. A very attractive man. And the heat she spotted in his gaze whenever he didn’t carefully shut it down told her he thought she was attractive too. Talk about bad timing.
“You look dead on your feet.” He winced at his choice of words, but carried on. “You take the master bedroom upstairs. I’ll take the other room downstairs.”
That stopped her short. “But I-I assumed I’d sleep with Michael.” The stutter pissed her off. She thought she’d lost it back in high school.
Those dark eyes watched her solemnly. “Do you sleep with him at home?”
She shook her head. “No, but—”
“How about we try getting him back into a place of routine. You said that’s what he needed. Why not start right now?”
“But this is a strange place, and after what happened…”
“Michael’s been through hell, but he’s smart, tough and resilient. Give him the chance to prove that.” He caught her by the upper arms, and she remembered how he’d kissed her when he’d found her alive in the trunk of that car. A ping of awareness shot along every nerve.
She thought of all the ways David would have tried to convince her to do the same thing. That she was smothering Michael, ruining him, turning him into a mommy’s boy that all the other kids would tease. All this guy did was use a little of her own logic and some natural compassion.
She needed to stop thinking about her ex and start living in the here-and-now.
Jed’s eyes softened, as if he knew he’d won. “I’ll hear him if he wakes and I want to be on the main floor in case of trouble. There are only two bedrooms down here so you get the luxury suite upstairs—you look like
you need it.”
She wasn’t insulted. She was so tired she literally swayed on her feet as if she had a bad case of vertigo.
“I’ll make sure he’s OK and come get you if he needs anything.”
After everything that had happened it was odd that Jed’s kindness and understanding pushed her over the edge and almost brought tears to her eyes.
“OK.” She was too exhausted to argue. “I’ll check on him first and leave both doors ajar in case he wakes.”
He nodded.
Without planning to, she smoothed a hand over his jaw. He stilled and she froze. His dark eyes were hooded and impossible to read as she stretched up on tiptoes and kissed him quickly on the cheek. She liked the feel of the subtle scrape of stubble beneath her lips. “Thank you for everything.”
He held her still, his gaze intent on her lips. Sexual awareness swirled between them, made her breath catch as arousal stirred low and hot in her belly. The air around them crackled, and she shivered as she stared up into his face, mesmerized.
Jed slanted his mouth over hers like he had to taste her—just the way he had when he’d found them at the safe house. It was an open-mouthed, full-on assault and she willingly met him halfway. Her tongue tangled with his in a silky slick slide, the taste of him hot and very, very male. Something inside her ignited with long forgotten need. She tried to move closer but he tore his mouth away, eyes glittering.
They were both breathing heavily, chests pumping. Wood popped in the fire, breaking the spell.
He let go of her and stepped away. “That was a mistake. I shouldn’t have done it.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “I’m sorry. Get some rest. I promise I’ll call you if Michael needs you.”
She nodded, more than a little shell-shocked by what had just happened. That she’d kissed a man when her son’s life was in danger made self-disgust rise up inside her. She backed away, wishing things were different. Wishing she’d never met Jed, or that he’d never reminded her that there had once been another part to her life, something that involved naked skin and the hard thrust of pleasure.
Cold Pursuit (Cold Justice) (Volume 2) Page 16