by Aimée Thurlo
She took a few uncertain steps away from him, then picked up a stout piece of a pine branch, and held it out before her like a sword. “That was your thank-you. And it was nice,” she said, her voice husky. “But now I’d like you to go.”
Wet, her body glistening in the sun, Hannah Jones was magnificent. The thin cloth of her undergarments did little to shield her from his hungry gaze.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” Daniel said, trying to reassure her. He could take the branch away from her in one swift move and pin her to the ground before she ever knew what happened. But he didn’t want to hurt or frighten her. As he continued to gaze at her, the thought of her beautiful body beneath his made him tense.
Moving sideways slowly, he reached for her slacks, which were on the deck nearby. The shirt she’d been rinsing out was draped over a low branch a little farther away, and a quick look at the reddish brown stain still marring it suggested she’d tried to wash out somebody’s blood.
Wolf crept up silently and took a position behind Hannah, blocking her escape, then barked once. Hearing him, she turned her head and gasped.
“Don’t let him frighten you again. He’s harmless as long as you behave.” Daniel came toward her slowly, holding at arm’s length the clothes he’d retrieved for her. “Here. Get dressed. I have a feeling you’ll feel better that way.”
“Who are you?” she said, glancing back at the dog as she dropped the stick, then slipped her slacks and wet shirt on.
“A friend with a big dog—someone who didn’t want you to drown, obviously.”
“That’s very chivalrous of you, considering it’s your fault that I fell in.” Watching them both, Hannah walked back onto the deck, picked up her shoes, and slipped them on. Glancing again at Wolf, she added, “Are you sure he’s just a dog? He looks like a German shepherd, but I’ve never seen one that big.”
“He’s a dog, all right.”
Wolf turned his head and curled his lips slightly.
“He’s part wolf, I’m told,” Daniel added quickly.
Daniel pulled on his boots. The breeze that had come up within the past few minutes made his own wet clothes feel icy.
“You’re not in uniform, but are you a cop?” she asked, her voice unsteady.
“I’m one of the good guys,” he said, not answering directly. As he looked over at her, he saw she was shivering.
“It’s freezing,” she said, teeth chattering.
“It’s great September weather, but still too cold to be outside, even at noon, when you’re wet. Can we go inside? I suppose this is your cabin,” he said, deliberately playing dumb. He knew she didn’t have a cabin out here, but right now he had other priorities. Bringing her back suffering from hypothermia was not a good idea.
“I’m using it for now,” she said, not answering him directly. Hannah headed toward a set of flagstone steps leading up from the pond to the cabin.
He noted Hannah’s reluctance to come right out with a lie. The fact struck him as odd. She’d found it okay to steal, but balked at telling a lie? Well, he’d been warned she wasn’t in her right mind.
“I hope you have some warm clothes in there,” he said.
“There’s an old flannel shirt hanging in the closet,” she answered. “I’ll put that on.”
Daniel followed her through the sturdy wooden door that faced the pond, and Wolf padded in behind them as Daniel held it open.
Hannah reached for some towels on a shelf and handed him one. As she patted her long hair dry, Daniel studied her appreciatively.
Hannah Jones was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, crazy or not. And those eyes! They were evocative and sensual, the kind that could steal a man’s soul. Quickly, he reminded himself that they were also, apparently, the eyes of a woman with a damaged mind. There was no way of telling what would happen if he inadvertently pushed the wrong buttons.
Hannah started to go into the next room to change clothes, but he knew he couldn’t risk letting her out of his sight. He motioned to Wolf to follow and guard.
Daniel heard her startled cry as Wolf joined her. “Don’t worry. He’s a pussycat. Really.”
She came back out in seconds wearing an old flannel shirt. It fit snugly around her breasts, reminding him of things he had no business dwelling on.
“Let’s get going.”
“Where?” she asked, immediately on her guard.
“You are Hannah Jones.”
“How did you know?” Her eyes widened with fear and she stepped back.
“Wait. You already know I’m not your enemy. Remember, I pulled you from the water? If I’d wanted to harm you, I could have let you drown.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. But how did you find me, and who are you?”
“I go by the name of Lightning,” he said. “Your uncle sent me to find you and bring you back so you can get some medical help. I’m also supposed to bring back the money you took from the church.”
“The money I…what?”
“You took around two thousand dollars from the church, then hit your uncle in the back of the head,” he said quietly. “But he’s okay now, and nobody’s pressing charges. The police aren’t involved in this at all. Your uncle and the people on the church committee just want to help you. They’ve even kept your disappearance a secret.”
Hannah shook her head. “None of what you’ve said makes sense. I couldn’t have harmed my uncle. He’s the only family I’ve got left. I love him. And I’m not a thief,” she added flatly.
“Then tell me. What’s your version of what happened at the church, and how did you end up here?”
She hesitated, then exhaled softly. “Unfortunately, I don’t know what happened at the church. I remember walking in there, then the next thing I recall was waking up in a strange car with a man nearby who was planning to kill me. I got away from him as fast as I could,” Hannah said, explaining her escape.
Daniel gave her a long, speculative glance. Her story might have been part of her delusion, or simply an attempt to get him to let her go. “Do you have any idea how you ended up in that man’s car, or what happened to your own vehicle? It’s missing.”
Her eyes welled up with tears, but she didn’t let them spill. Instead she met his gaze with a level one of her own. “I don’t remember, and I don’t understand why I can’t. It’s not for lack of trying, believe me.”
Daniel gazed at the face that was beginning to mesmerize him. There was a slight bump on her forehead, mostly covered by her bangs, which were starting to dry now, but it scarcely looked significant enough to have created a memory loss. “What exactly do you remember?”
“I was at the church waiting to see my uncle. I remember going into his office. Then, after that, nothing—that is until I woke up in the car of the man I told you about, handcuffed to a bracket by the seat. I heard him talking to someone else on the phone who, apparently, was telling him to kill me.”
“Where are the cuffs? Did you find a key?”
“No. I found some of those little hexagonal L-shaped tools in a drawer. One was small enough to fit into the lock, and I fiddled with it until the lock opened.” She walked to the kitchen and held the handcuffs up for him to see. “Here.”
He took them and put them in his back pocket. They were definitely not police issue and flimsy enough that her story could be true. But that still didn’t prove a word she’d said. She could have had her own pair of handcuffs, depending on what kind of games she liked to play, or maybe she’d had a security guard boyfriend at one time.
“You don’t believe me,” she said, disappointment evident in her tone.
“Truthfully, I’m just not sure. But it looks like you believe it.”
She shook her head. “That’s a non-answer. You think I’m a few French fries short of a Happy Meal?”
“I have no idea,” he answered. “But you sure look and sound okay to me,” he said, in what had to be the underst
atement of the year.
Hannah laughed, but it was a sad laugh, inspired by despair—not mirth. He started to say more, but Wolf’s whine alerted him.
The dog stood on his hind legs, and stared out the window, sniffing the air as he rested his front paws on the sill.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Company’s coming, and I don’t think it’s the sweepstakes prize patrol.”
The off-the-cuff remark reminded him of one of his objectives, and Daniel made a quick visual search of the nearly empty cabin. There was no money to be found there in any readily accessible place. For now, they had to leave. Silentman could send someone to search more thoroughly later.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, taking her hand, and letting the dog lead the way as they slipped out the back door.
Wolf stopped suddenly, then, hackles raised and body low to the ground, crept forward. Daniel knew the move. Someone was close and the dog didn’t see whoever it was as a friend. More than likely, Wolf had scented alcohol, gun powder, or some other substance he’d been trained to recognize as trouble.
“Hurry,” he urged Hannah.
Suddenly two men wearing ski masks and carrying baseball bats stepped out from behind a sandstone boulder. “Hit the trail, Geronimo,” the tall, blue-eyed Anglo said, using a worn-out racist label. Their short-sleeved shirts revealed white, but suntanned skin. “We have unfinished business with the lady but none with you. Come with us, Hannah.”
Hannah looked startled, and stepped back, away from the men.
Wolf was nowhere to be seen, but Daniel knew the dog would be nearby. He’d probably circled around to wait for Daniel’s signal to attack.
“You’re out of your league. Take a hike while you can still walk,” Daniel warned, bracing himself for a fight.
“You want to dance? It’s okay with me. It’s your funeral.” The big man moved toward Daniel like he was stepping up to the plate but, before he was close enough to take a swing, Daniel whistled sharply.
Wolf erupted like a furry explosion from the bushes to Daniel’s right, and hit the big Anglo hard in the side, knocking him to the ground. The bat flew out of the man’s hand as Wolf’s massive jaws gripped his arm. Screaming, the man hammered at the dog with his fist, but Wolf seemed oblivious to it.
Daniel kicked the second man in the chest at the same time Wolf neutralized the first, then delivered another blow to his target’s midsection that knocked him to the ground.
The Anglo fell hard, rolled, then scrambled to his feet, and took off running.
“Out!” Daniel ordered Wolf, who had pinned the taller attacker to the ground. The one-word command caused Wolf to release the man instantly and sit.
The man sprang to his feet and fled, holding his tattered sleeve, now wet with blood. Daniel didn’t pursue them. He had other things to worry about. Going after the men would have been satisfying, but not in line with his primary duty.
Expecting Hannah to have fled during the confusion, he glanced behind him. What he saw took him by complete surprise. Hannah had retrieved the tall man’s baseball bat, and had it cocked back, ready to swing. Her body was trembling so hard, even the bat was shaking as she held it.
Her gaze remained on his rapidly retreating opponents as he approached her.
“Easy there,” he said. “It’s over now.”
Hannah lowered the bat, then dropped it on the ground. “Get me out of here,” she said, her voice surprisingly firm.
“Two minds with one thought,” he said, quickly leading her down the dirt track to where his SUV was parked.
Hannah’s show of courage made him look at her with newfound respect. She could have cut and run, but she’d stayed with him, ready to help. That spoke well of her.
Events had also revealed another important fact. He was certain now that Hannah was in real danger, and that put a different slant on things. He couldn’t turn her over to anyone else until he was sure it was safe to do so. He’d lived all his life by certain rules, and he wouldn’t walk out on a woman who needed his protection…even if that meant risking his job.
AS SOON AS THEY REACHED Daniel’s SUV and were safely underway, Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. “They wanted me. But why? What have I ever done to them? I don’t even know who they are!”
“I don’t have the answer to that. But don’t worry. No one’s going to hurt you while Wolf and I are around.”
Hannah wasn’t used to anyone defending her, yet this man and his dog had fought to protect her, and had probably saved her life.
“But there’s something I want you to tell me.” He glanced over at her and she nodded. “You could have run, yet you stayed with us. Why?”
“I couldn’t just leave you in the middle of that. You were in that fight because of me. But, by the time I got the baseball bat, it was obvious you two didn’t need any more help.”
She saw the way he looked at her, his gaze missing nothing. Hannah forced herself to suppress the shiver that ran up her spine. This man exuded power of every kind. He was tall and broad-shouldered, but his strength was more than physical. It came from inside him. He had confidence, the kind that said he wasn’t afraid of a challenge because he knew he’d defeat whatever stood in his way.
He was truly a warrior, one whose skills had been honed to the maximum. He’d flattened a much larger attacker with a few effortless moves. Lightning was as quick and powerful as the force of nature he was named for. He was a dangerous man, too, of that she had no doubt, but he was not a danger to her—at least not yet.
Lightning smiled at her with a gentleness that belied all she’d just seen and thought. As their gazes met, Hannah felt a stirring deep inside her and her heart began to hammer in a way that had nothing to do with fear.
She shivered slightly, wondering what it would take—and what it would cost—to win this man’s trust. She needed an ally with his extraordinary qualities. But a man like Lightning did nothing halfway, feminine instinct assured her of that.
Hannah’s thoughts drifted and she remembered how secure she’d felt in his arms as he’d pulled her out of the water. Raw, carnal emotions had flooded through her as she’d seen the darkness that had smoldered in his eyes and recognized the force of his desire. Most surprising of all, that knowledge had held an eroticism all its own.
“Now it’s your turn to answer me. Why did you expect me to abandon you?” she asked, her voice steady.
He blinked, but otherwise gave no indication of what thoughts lay behind his narrowed eyes. “You weren’t a match for those men. Running would have been a sensible choice.”
“Maybe, but I couldn’t abandon someone who was fighting for his life because he chose to protect me. You were in that situation because you stood up for me and that deserved something in return,” she answered.
In the quick glance he gave her she saw respect and admiration.
As the SUV reached the main road, she saw the way her rescuer glanced around, studying the area carefully as if he were expecting more trouble.
Wolf, now in the back seat, gave a low growl, his gaze scanning the wooded section behind them.
“Do you think he sees them coming again?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“No. He’d be reacting differently if he’d sensed approaching danger.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it, then gave her a playful smile. “Don’t worry. Wolf’s just itching for another piece of them. We’re on top of things.”
Chapter Three
From the moment he’d reached for her hand, cradling it with his own, Daniel hadn’t been able to find a good enough reason to relinquish it. He caressed the back of it now with his thumb, making lazy circles he hoped would reassure her, and was satisfied when she made no move to pull away.
“You can’t take me back to Farmington,” she said, her voice soft. “Now you have to believe that I told you the truth. Someone is out to get me. And the fact that they found me here, right after you did, can mean only one of two things—
either you’re with them, and I know you’re not,” she added quickly, “or they somehow used you, hoping you’d lead them straight to me.”
Daniel considered everything that had happened. Only Handler, Silentman, the deacon, and the church committee who’d hired Gray Wolf had supposedly known about Lightning and his assignment. There was also the police officer he’d shown her photo to, but he seemed a pretty remote possibility.
Yet the fact remained that those two men had called Hannah by name. That meant there was nothing coincidental about the attack. They’d either trailed her on their own, or followed him there.
“If you take me back, you could be throwing me into the lion’s den,” she warned.
Hannah’s gaze was so direct and guileless, he felt the impact of her look all through him. “I have to call someone,” he said after they’d traveled a few more miles down the highway.
He pulled off on a side road, took out his cell phone, then stepped out of the SUV. Thinking about the trust he was trying to build with Hannah, Daniel decided to leave the keys in the ignition. “Sit tight. Wolf will guard you.”
The animal jumped to the front seat, positioning himself between Hannah and the steering wheel. As Daniel walked a few feet away, so he could speak privately, he saw Hannah reach out to the dog and begin to stroke its massive head. Daniel could see the animal was still focused on his job, but there was something special about the woman that made Wolf treat her like a friend. His tail was wagging, and he actually tried to lick her in the face.
Daniel had seen that dog snarl viciously whenever strangers attempted to touch him. Yet that same beast was now acting like a puppy eager for attention—well, almost. His gaze was clearly focused on the surrounding area, not on the woman scratching him in just the right place behind one ear.
Daniel’s call was picked up on the second ring. “I’ve got a problem,” Daniel told Silentman, and proceeded to recount the recent events surrounding his retrieval mission, including the fact that Hannah didn’t know the location of her car.