When Lightning Strikes

by Aimée Thurlo

“Brave words, but my man will make sure you’re both dead before I ever hit the ground,” he said, gesturing to the beefy goon with him. “So what’ll it be?”

  Daniel whistled once and Wolf grew quiet, but continued to pace back and forth on the porch. Daniel knew Wolf would be silent now, but no less of a threat to the men holding the guns. They were trapped inside too, only they didn’t know it.

  As Jackson looked at Jones, Daniel dove across the room in a lightning-fast move reminiscent of his nickname, and hit the wall switch. Moving in the pitch black, he hurled himself at Jackson’s henchman, though the man’s outline was barely a memory, and wrenched the pistol out of his hand.

  Suddenly the lights came on again, and he saw Jackson by the switch, his gun pressed against Hannah’s temple.

  Her face was pale, her eyes wide. He could see her trembling as Jackson pressed his forearm against her throat.

  “He needs you, Hannah,” Jones called out to her from the floor, where he’d sought safety. “He won’t hurt you.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that, Deacon,” Jackson snapped.

  There was a sudden flicker in Hannah’s eyes and understanding slowly dawned over her features. “My uncle’s wrong, Daniel. Jackson’s plan has always been to kill me, and I know why.”

  Jackson’s man reached over and took back the weapon Daniel had forced from his hand. Suddenly Wolf flew through the picture window, shattering the glass in a thunderous explosion. As shards rained over them, the gray fury sank his teeth into the man’s arm at the elbow.

  While Jackson was trying to decide where to shoot, Daniel kicked him in the shoulder, breaking his hold on Hannah. Jackson crashed into the wall, then slumped down as a large painting fell from above, knocking him on the head with a glancing blow. Daniel removed the gun from the dazed man’s hand.

  As the smell of blood filled the small room, Hannah shrank back into the corner, her hands pressed against the sides of her head. There were too many memories crowding in and it was too much to handle all at once. A red haze descended over her eyes and, for a moment, she felt herself slipping down a dark tunnel of confusion and terror. Then she heard Daniel’s voice calling to her.

  “You’re a fighter, Hannah. Don’t let them beat you. I’m here with you, and you’re safe now.”

  She hung on to his words and the sound of his voice like a lifeline. Slowly, her vision cleared and the red haze disappeared like fog under the sun. Memories she’d thought she’d lost forever were now hers once again and with those came a new understanding—of herself and of the events.

  With renewed courage, she stood tall, came away from the wall and walked to where her uncle stood. “I saw you get shot in the church that day, Uncle Bob. I thought you were dead. That’s why I ran, and why I was so terrified that I blocked everything out. It was just too much like the day I saw my dad die. And I know now that was the day all your lies began.”

  Robert Jones looked away, but didn’t answer.

  Hannah shook her head. “You’re my father’s brother, but I don’t think I ever really knew you.”

  Daniel quickly used the curtain pulls to tie up Jackson and his partner, then moved to where Wolf sat, checking him for injuries, especially around his eyes.

  “Is Wolf okay?” Hannah asked quickly, noting the blood on his chest and front legs.

  “Yes, thanks to his thick, rough coat. He has some scratches, but he’ll be fine. He’s a pro,” Daniel said proudly, then dialed the police.

  Hannah stared at Jackson in disgust. “You wanted me dead because I saw you shoot my uncle. You couldn’t afford to let me go to the police.”

  “I’m not saying anything—not without my attorney. But I’m not the only one going to jail. I’ll testify that I heard you accuse your uncle of murder just before you disappeared. That will cause another investigation. Just who did you murder, Deacon?”

  Hannah looked at her uncle. “It’s time for you to stop hiding from the truth.”

  “It was an accident,” Jones said quietly.

  There were tears in Hannah’s eyes, but she refused to let them spill down her cheeks. “I think it was seeing that gun among your things at the church that day that brought it all back to me,” Hannah said.

  “Did your uncle kill your father?” Daniel asked.

  “Yes. My uncle and my dad were business partners but the hardware store had been losing money steadily and we were nearly bankrupt. One afternoon I overheard Uncle Bob arguing with my dad. He wanted to burn the store down and collect the insurance, but my dad refused to go along with that.”

  No one moved as Hannah continued. “My dad and I returned to the store unexpectedly that night because I’d left one of my school books by the cash register. When we got there, we found Uncle Bob tampering with the fuse box, trying to overload the circuits so the place would catch on fire.”

  Hannah looked at her uncle, who refused to meet her gaze. “You pulled a gun on Dad and ordered us to leave so you could finish the job. Daddy didn’t believe you’d ever shoot us, so he tried to take the gun away.”

  “It was an accident, Hannah. The gun just went off. The truth is that I didn’t even know it was loaded. That pistol belonged to your father. He kept it at the store because the area had experienced so many burglaries.”

  “My father died right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.” Tears now ran freely down her face.

  “Nor could I,” Jones answered. “But you can’t really believe that I purposely murdered my own brother.”

  Crossing the room, Daniel drew Hannah into his arms. “But you knew exactly what she was suppressing and you used her guilt and confusion against her all these years,” Daniel spat out. “You let her believe a lie to save your own butt.”

  “I didn’t mean for you to suffer, Hannah,” Jones insisted. “I loved my brother, and I love you. I gave you the best care I could afford.”

  “But you used and manipulated my feelings all this time…”

  “I admit I didn’t want you to remember what really happened. But I raised you as if you were my own daughter. And I have paid for what happened to your dad. I’ve spent my entire life atoning for that. I’m an active member of the church and I’ve always done more than my fair share.”

  “And you did risk your life for mine,” she added quietly.

  “So you remember the rest,” he said wearily.

  “What I want to know is what you did with the videotape,” Jackson interrupted. “We searched everywhere for it. Was it in your car? I had that compressed into scrap metal.”

  “You don’t deserve an answer,” Hannah said. “You were willing to kill me and my uncle unless we gave you that video.” Hannah looked back at her uncle. “You’ve spent your entire life running away from my father’s death, just like I have. But at least, in the end, you came through for me. Jackson would have taken me apart piece by piece until I told him where the video was if you hadn’t tried to stop him. You got shot trying to save me.”

  “I have always protected you, Hannah. But you played right into Jackson’s hands by taking that tape. Luckily, you somehow escaped from his goons but, without that video, I couldn’t prove that neither of us had taken the construction fund. And, with you on the run, I knew that once the police got involved, our luck would run out.”

  “Wait a minute. I’m missing something here. You were shot at close range, but Jackson missed?” Daniel asked Jones.

  “You know what they say—God protects fools and children. I had my metal card holder in my shirt pocket filled with a stack of business cards. Had he been using a higher caliber weapon, I would have been a goner, but as it was, the bullet barely penetrated my skin. It knocked the wind out of me, but the actual wound was superficial. The cut on the head that I got when I hit a shelf and fell to the floor was far worse.”

  “So you played dead until Jackson and his goons were gone?” Daniel asked.

  “Yes, and as soon as possible after that, I made sure he couldn�
��t get at me.”

  As Daniel walked over to the broken window to check for the police, Jackson suddenly jumped to his feet and grabbed the pistol Daniel had placed on the table. “Next time you tie someone up, loser, check to make sure there are no sharp objects around—like glass.”

  Daniel stepped in front of Hannah. “You’ve already lost, Jackson. The police are on the way. There’s no place in the country you can hide now and, by pulling this, you’re only working for longer jail time.”

  Wolf came up to stand beside Daniel. The dog’s lips were peeled back, exposing his teeth, and his growl came from deep in his throat.

  “Hold that dog, or he dies,” Jackson warned, shifting his aim.

  Daniel grasped Wolf’s collar loosely.

  Jackson looked at Hannah. “Tell me where I can find the video, and I’ll be on my way. Nobody has to die.”

  Hannah was shaking, but she met his gaze squarely. “No.”

  Making sure to stay out of Daniel’s reach, Jackson shifted the barrel of the gun toward her uncle. “He saved your life once. Will you do the same for him?”

  Hannah knew that it was no bluff. “I mailed the video and the money to someone I know in another state. I don’t have them anymore.”

  “Then let’s go get them. Just the two of us.”

  “Don’t do it, Hannah,” Daniel said.

  When she hesitated, Jackson smiled coldly. “Maybe there’s someone you care about more than your uncle.” He brought the gun up in line with Daniel’s head. “You’ve got three seconds. One—”

  In a heartbeat, chaos erupted. Wolf lunged at Jackson, and a gunshot exploded in the confines of the small room, deafening everyone inside.

  Wolf sank his teeth deep into Jackson’s arm and shook as hard as he could. Screaming, Jackson dropped the gun and hammered at Wolf with his free hand, but the dog refused to let go.

  Daniel scooped up Jackson’s gun, then tried to get Wolf to release him. It took several tries before he got Wolf to obey the command.

  When he did, Wolf staggered back, then lay down, panting heavily, his side covered with blood.

  Hannah crouched next to the dog. “He’s hurt, Daniel.”

  Daniel shoved Jackson against the wall, his arm just beneath his neck in a choke hold and held him there. “Don’t even breathe,” he said menacingly.

  Just then, three armed cops, including Daniel’s friend Paul, came crashing through the door. Immediately, as the cops brought out their handcuffs, Jackson tried to plead innocence. “This is a big mistake. I’m not guilty of what these people are accusing me of doing. All I wanted was to get back the videotape Jones was using to blackmail me. Hannah Jones stole that tape from her uncle. It’s them you should arrest.”

  “You’re forgetting about attempted murder.” Daniel glanced at one of the cops, who had already handcuffed Jackson. “Get him out of here.”

  Daniel joined Hannah, who was crouched at Wolf’s side, and began to check him over gently. He spoke to the dog softly as he ran his hands over the blood-soaked mat of hair. An eternity later he looked up at Hannah and smiled. “It looks much worse than it is. The bullet just grazed him, carving a groove in his side and causing a lot of bleeding. It’s a deep cut, I’m not minimizing it, but he didn’t take the hit. I think the round’s probably imbedded in the wall. Wolf reached him before Jackson could pull the trigger, and the collision deflected his aim. But I’ve still got to get him to the vet’s.” Daniel started to lift Wolf up into his arms, but the dog shook him away and stood up on shaky feet.

  Hannah smiled. “Just like a guy—he doesn’t want to let anyone know he’s hurt.”

  “He’s a tough cookie,” Daniel said, petting the dog gently.

  “Like you?”

  He gave her a slow, masculine grin. “That all depends who you ask.”

  They walked slowly to the SUV with Wolf, but before Hannah could get in, one of the police officers came over.

  “Sorry, ma’am. You’ll have to stay and make a statement.” He looked at Daniel. “You can go take care of the dog, but get down to the station as soon as you can.”

  “I’ll be okay, Daniel. Go. Take care of Wolf. I’ll handle things from here.”

  Daniel looked at Hannah. Now that there weren’t any more shadows for her to fear, she no longer needed him. Would tonight be the time for their final goodbyes? He ignored the pain in his gut. There’d be time to face that later. Right now his partner needed him. Wordlessly, he lifted Wolf into the SUV, and with a nod to Hannah, drove off quickly, racing for the animal clinic.

  HANNAH SPENT THE HOUR at the police station answering questions about everything that had happened, beginning with the day she’d disappeared.

  She also learned that a citizen had come forward, admitting having struck Calvin Beck by accident when he’d stepped out onto the highway.

  “Exactly what did you do with the videotape?” the detective finally asked. “If it clearly shows Jackson making those money transfers on screen it’s crucial evidence.”

  “I mailed it to a friend in California along with a note asking her to hang on to the inner, unopened package until the end of the month, and not try to contact me. If she didn’t hear from me by then, she was to call the Farmington District Attorney, tell him about the package and where it came from.”

  “We’ll need to get her name, telephone number and address.”

  She wrote it down quickly, then stood. “I’ve signed my statement and told you all I know. If I’m free to go, then there’s a friend I need to go see.”

  “Please don’t leave town without notifying us until we have everything sorted out.”

  “I won’t be far if you need me. You have my telephone number.” As she started out of the office, she saw her uncle being fingerprinted at the booking desk after confessing to his involvement in her father’s death. An infinite sense of sadness and loss filled her.

  Jones exchanged some quick words with the arresting officer, then came over, the officer accompanying him closely. “Hannah, I want you to know I never meant you any harm. You’re my only family and I love you.”

  “No matter what else you did, I won’t forget that you risked your life for mine, Uncle Bob. I’ll stand by you and help with whatever lies ahead. But it’s time I started building a life of my own, one that’s not connected to the past, or haunted by it.”

  He gave her a long look. “Will Daniel Eagle be part of your future?”

  “I wish I knew.” Seeing the officer tug at his arm, she said goodbye. “Take care of yourself, Uncle Bob.”

  Hannah stopped by a pay phone in the lobby and called the emergency veterinary clinic where Daniel had taken Wolf. Only one in town offered services this time of night, so it was easy to track down. The vet on duty wouldn’t give her much information, only that Daniel was no longer there, and that Wolf would be spending the night, but was expected to recover fully.

  Hannah stood by the main entrance for a moment, lost in thought. She had no way of getting home and no money with which to pay a cab.

  “Excuse me.” Daniel’s friend Paul approached her. “Now that you’re finished giving your statement, do you need a ride home?”

  She smiled gratefully. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do.”

  “Then I’ll go get my car and come around for you.”

  Hannah stepped through the door and stood outside, letting the darkness and the winds of an approaching thunderstorm enfold her. She was finally free to do as she pleased, but she’d never felt more lonely. She wondered if Daniel would disappear from her life now just as mysteriously as he’d appeared. He’d told her once that he loved his freedom, and that his job didn’t leave room for relationships.

  As lightning flashed across the sky, she saw Daniel walking toward her across the parking lot. She watched him approach, her heart beating at a furious pace.

  “Hannah,” Daniel whispered, joining her.

  That one quiet word contained a world of tenderness. He held her gaze and
reached for her hand. “I came back because I wanted you to know…” his words trailed off and he looked away, shaking his head. “I’m no good at this. I just don’t know how to say what I need to tell you.”

  “I’m not going to try and hold you, Daniel,” Hannah said with a heavy heart, mistaking his frustration and hesitation for an attempt to say goodbye. “I know that lightning never stays long in one place.”

  With a groan, he cupped her face in his hands. “I wanted to give you your freedom. You’ve fought hard for it,” he said, his voice a ragged whisper. “But I can’t just let you walk away from me. I want you with me. But don’t you see? It’s far more dangerous when lightning lingers.” He pulled her tightly against him and lowered his mouth over hers.

  His kiss was like the man he was—all hardness and velvet, tenderness and strength.

  “Tell me plainly how you feel,” she asked, her voice a soft plea against his lips. “You’ve spent too many years not letting anyone know what you’re thinking, or what you really want. I need to hear you say the words, Daniel,” she said.

  He looked at her in surprise. “I love you, Hannah. How can you not know that?” He pulled her against him and kissed her again, his mouth hot and possessive.

  She sighed and snuggled against his chest. “I needed to hear you say it.” She looked up at him and smiled. “But, just so you know, showing’s good, too. And if you should happen to run out of ways, I have a few suggestions.”

  “Anything that gives you pleasure is yours for the asking—and for the taking. Nothing’s off-limits between a husband and his wife.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “Did you just propose?”

  He nodded. “So what do you say?”

  Her soft “yes,” gentle yet strong, rose above the thunder, issuing a loving challenge to Lightning, the man who had won her heart.

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-0323-8

  WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES

  Copyright © 2002 by Aimée & David Thurlo

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.