by Hope White
He turned onto the long drive leading to the cabin. He didn’t see any squad cars out front. Relaxing his fingers on the steering wheel, he took a deep breath. He’d make it back in time. They hadn’t been discovered. Yet he still had to get to Marcus and let him know about the danger, danger that had put Jenna and Eli in the crosshairs as well.
He parked and rushed to the cabin. Knocked. No one answered. “Marcus!”
With a closed fist, he pounded on the door.
He darted left and looked through the window.
Marcus’s chair that he’d used to keep watch was tipped over, a table lamp was on the floor and the rug was bunched in a corner.
“No,” Matt ground out.
He went around and checked all the windows, trying to find a way in. The bedroom window was unlocked and he climbed inside.
The first thing he saw was the portable crib. They wouldn’t have intentionally left this crucial piece of equipment behind. Which meant Jenna and Eli had been taken?
Or perhaps they’d fled the scene in a hurry, and the overturned furniture was the result of frustrated thugs who’d lost them again.
“Jenna, where are you?”
He went through the cabin looking for indications that they’d safely escaped. Then he heard it. Shouting.
It was coming from outside.
Matt pulled out his gun, left the cabin and made his way around back.
“We’re not going with you!” Jenna cried out.
He spotted her being pulled through the snow by Gary McFadden. Eli, strapped into his carrier against her body, half squealed and half cried.
“We’ve got to get out of here!” Gary shouted.
“Think about your son!” she cried.
He spun around and got in her face. “That’s right, he’s my son! Mine!” He pointed at his own chest to make his point.
That’s when Matt realized Gary gripped a gun in his hand.
“Let’s go!” Gary yanked on her arm.
Where was he taking her? Didn’t matter. Matt had to do something, and quick. He put away his gun, not wanting to escalate the situation, and trudged through the snow.
“Gary McFadden!” he called out, putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender.
The guy spun around and pointed the gun at Matt. Jenna looked surprised, and very relieved, to see Matt.
“Let Jenna go,” Matt said.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m FBI.”
“You’re a janitor,” Gary scoffed.
“I’m undercover, and Jenna is under my protection, as is your son.”
“I can protect my own son!” he shouted, as if trying to convince himself.
Eli burst into high-pitched wails. Still clutching the gun, Gary glanced at him. He released Jenna’s arm and reached out to his son.
Jenna turned slightly in a protective stance.
“I’m supposed to protect him,” Gary said in an oddly soft voice. “And Chloe.”
Matt and Jenna shared a look. The man had gone from enraged to remorseful in less than two seconds.
“Gary, what’s going on?” Jenna asked.
“I’m a dead man walking.”
“What do you mean?” Jenna asked.
“You’re right, Jenna. I’m a danger to my child.” Gary touched the back of his son’s head. “Please, don’t let them hurt my boy.”
“I get that you’re scared,” Matt said. “Let us help you.”
Shaking his head, Gary said, “It’s too late. I should have never gotten involved.”
“It’s the Guerro drug cartel, isn’t it?”
Gary snapped his attention to Matt.
“Work with us. Help us shut them down,” Matt said.
“No, I have to finish this. Make things right.” He pressed a kiss on top of Eli’s head. “You’ll be okay, buddy. As long as you have your Bubba, you’ll be okay.”
“You can’t keep running.” Matt took a few steps closer.
“Stop.” Gary pulled out the gun.
Jenna squinted and protected the child with her arms.
“I’d never hurt my boy.” Gary glanced from Jenna to Matt and back to Jenna.
He must have realized his actions belied his proclamation because he lowered the weapon.
“Why are they after Eli?” Matt asked.
“Leverage. I want out. There is no getting out. And now I’ve put Eli’s life in danger.” With a defeated expression, Gary took a step back, then another.
That’s when Matt noticed a snowmobile fifty yards away.
“You’re right, Jenna. It’s dangerous to be anywhere near me. I’m so sorry, Eli.” Gary turned and trudged toward the snowmobile.
“Gary!” Matt shouted, and started after him.
“Forget about me! Love my son!” He climbed onto the snowmobile, started it up and sped away before Matt could get to him.
Matt went to Jenna and hugged her, with the little boy between them.
“I can’t believe you came back,” she said against his shoulder. “What happened?”
“I found out there was a warrant on Marcus.”
“I thought he was one of the good guys.”
He broke the hug. “He is. The warrant was issued by Billings, who claims Marcus assaulted someone last night.”
“But he was with us last night.”
“Exactly. Let’s go before we get more company.” He started to lead her to the cabin.
“Wait, our stuff is in the shed.”
They went back to the shed and grabbed the diaper and messenger bags. As they headed for the cabin, he was careful to help Jenna manage the snow. Although Marcus had shoveled a path early this morning, snow drifts covered part of the walkway now.
“What were you doing back here?” he asked.
“When the men in the SUVs came to get us, Marcus had me take a tunnel leading to the shed. He said he’d notify Officer Patterson to come to my aid.”
“Considering the warrant, I’m not sure we can trust even him at this point. A tunnel, huh?”
“Yep, and a good thing, or I’d be wherever Marcus is right now.”
“But you’re not, you’re okay.”
“Are we?” she said. “They keep coming and we keep running. I’m not sure we’ll ever be truly okay.”
He wondered if she was talking about this particular situation, or if she was referring to her past.
“We’ve got more to work with now,” Matt said. “Confirmation that Gary was involved with the money laundering will get my people on board with my plan.”
“Which is?”
He glanced down into her brilliant green eyes. “To keep you and Eli safe.”
“You’re not going back to Cedar River?”
“No, ma’am.”
“How can you work your case if you’re not there?”
“Let me worry about that. For now, let’s get someplace safe.”
“I’ve heard that before.” She snapped her attention to him. “Sorry, that wasn’t meant as a criticism of your abilities.”
“Maybe it should be.”
“Matthew—”
“Hey, I think we know each other well enough that you can call me Matt.”
“Matt, don’t blame yourself for what just happened.”
“I shouldn’t have left you.” They approached the cabin and he hesitated. “It won’t happen again.”
* * *
They packed the portable crib and supplies in Ed’s truck and headed north toward the Canadian border. Jenna wasn’t sure where they’d end up, and she didn’t care much because at this moment she felt safe.
Thanks to Matthew.
Rather than judge herself for her growing dependence on him, she relaxed into the feeling. She’d lea
rned from Patrice that stress and fear take a horrible toll on one’s body, and that to fully heal, Jenna needed to embrace peace whenever possible.
Right now, with Matthew behind the wheel of the truck, and Eli asleep in the back seat, she felt a peaceful calm warm her body.
She sighed and found herself thanking God.
Matthew’s faith must be wearing off on her.
“I’m going to stop at an ATM,” he said.
“Won’t they track your location?”
“They will, but from there we’ll double back and go southwest, toward Idaho.”
“What’s in Idaho?”
“A cluster of cabins I heard about from a buddy of mine. We’ll stay there until I can get backup.”
“You mean, you’re going to enlist the help of your counterparts at the FBI?”
“Yes.”
Her peaceful moment was suddenly shattered. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“We can’t do this alone, Jenna. It’s okay to ask for help. I thought you’d appreciate that more than anyone.”
He was referring to her support from Gloria’s Guardians. “Maybe I have a better idea.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll call Patrice and see if we can stay with her for a while.”
“That would be putting her in danger.”
“She’s a tough lady, and no one knows about the group, or my connection to it. We’d be safe there.”
“At this point I’d rather not involve civilians.”
“I understand, but these women are used to dealing with dangerous situations.”
“Are you willing to risk exposing their service?”
She considered his comment.
“Let’s go with my plan for now, okay?” he said.
She nodded. “What about Marcus?”
“I’ll call my buddy at work and see if he can track down what happened to him.”
“I hope he’s okay.”
“He’s resourceful. I’m sure he’s fine.”
When they stopped at the ATM, she watched Matthew shield his face from the camera with the brim of his baseball cap.
He got back in the truck and they headed southwest. His phone rang on the dash cradle, a blocked number.
“Could be work,” he said. He pressed the speaker button. “Weller.”
“Matt? It’s Chief Billings.”
Jenna held her breath.
“Yes, Chief?” Matt said in a calm voice.
“Hope you don’t mind me calling. I got your number from Kyle Armstrong.”
“No problem. What can I do for you?”
Jenna glanced into the back seat at Eli, who had fallen asleep.
“I’ve got a few more questions about the break-in at the community center and was hoping to catch up with you today.”
“Today’s not good for me. How about tomorrow?”
A pregnant pause was followed by, “How about nine a.m.?”
“Sounds good.”
“Officer Armstrong speaks very highly of you.”
Matt glanced at the phone with a worried frown. “Thank you, sir.”
“He’s working on the break-in, tracking leads and looking for the man who assaulted you. Let’s hope Officer Armstrong is as able to defend himself as you were.”
“I’m sure he is, sir,” Matthew said in a low voice. “Goodbye.”
He hit the off button and smacked the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. “Unbelievable.”
“What?” Jenna questioned.
“That was Billings’s not-so-subtle threat that Kyle’s life is in danger because of our friendship.”
“Wait, no, he wouldn’t hurt one of his own men,” she said. “Would he?”
Matt shot her a look.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I’ve gotta warn Kyle.” He reached for the phone and hesitated. “How do I even explain this? I mean, I’ve been lying to him this whole time.”
“It’s your job as an undercover agent.”
With a nod, he made the call.
“Hey, Matt,” Kyle answered. “Missed you at coffee this morning.”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“You okay?”
“I need to talk to you about something important.”
“Hang on. Yeah, Chief?”
Matt gripped the steering wheel.
“Sure thing. Okay, Matt, I’m back.”
“I need you to listen to me very carefully.”
“O-kay,” he said with a half chuckle.
“You trust me, right?”
“Sure.”
“Is Billings standing close by?”
“Yeah, why?”
Matt glanced at Jenna and shook his head. Jenna guessed he wouldn’t share the information if there was a chance Billings could read Kyle’s reaction.
“I’d better let you get back to work,” Matt said, defeated.
“Not so fast. What’s up?”
Matthew seemed to consider his options for a few seconds, and then he said, “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Okay, as long as it’s not hauling cement blocks to Hunter’s farm again. My shoulders still ache from that favor,” he joked.
“Kyle, I need you to read Jeremiah chapter twelve verse six. New Living Translation. Can you do that for me?”
“Odd request, but okay.”
“Just between you and me. Don’t even mention it to your chief.”
“No problem. I doubt he’d be interested,” he said.
“Thanks. And...be safe.” Matt ended the call.
“Jeremiah chapter twelve verse six?” Jenna questioned.
“It’s about your family, your brothers, turning against you.”
* * *
By nightfall they’d reached their destination, the Lazy Shade Resort. Actually, it wasn’t much of a resort, but more like a cluster of rustic cabins.
Matt booked a two-room cabin, complete with kitchenette, and paid for two nights with cash. He wasn’t sure it was prudent to stay much longer than a couple of days.
It was a remote location and should be safe enough to give him time over the next forty-eight hours to work the case, to draw more connections between the cartel, Gary and Chief Billings.
The man who had threatened Matt’s friend.
Matt rolled his neck, struggling to push his anger and worry aside. He had to have confidence that his friend would read and understand the message in the scripture.
He picked up supplies from the general store on the resort grounds, and went back to the cabin. He knocked four times and the door cracked open to Jenna’s lovely face, her wide green eyes looking up at him.
She swung the door open and he spotted Eli leaning against the coffee table, playing with his stuffed bear and a plastic car.
“He seems pretty happy.” Matt entered the cabin.
“I just gave him a bottle. I probably shouldn’t be giving him bottles at this point, but it calms him down.”
Matt cast one last glance outside and shut the door behind him.
“Hungry?” he asked, heading toward the kitchenette.
“Always hungry,” she said.
The rental unit had an open living space with a separate bedroom, similar to Marcus’s cabin.
“I bought canned beef stew, canned yams and pretzels.”
“Hang on, I thought you were a health food guy.”
“The store had a limited selection. Fresh fruit isn’t delivered until the morning. Trust me, you didn’t want me to bring home the wilted greens or overripe bananas.”
She smiled, and he was lost for a second, lost in the fantasy of having a life with this woman.
For real. Not pretend, like this was.
/>
Snap out of it, Weller.
“What else have you got there?” She peeked into the bag.
“Canned chicken à la king, in case you don’t like beef.”
“What’s this?” She pulled a box of pancake mix out of the grocery bag.
“Breakfast.”
“Why not dinner?” she said.
“Why not dinner,” he repeated.
Eli squealed and ran around the coffee table, once, twice, three times.
They both smiled at his enthusiasm, then Jenna’s smile faded.
“What?” Matt asked.
She shook her head.
“Jenna?”
“I feel guilty.”
“About what?”
“That I feel happy right now.”
“You deserve to feel happy.”
“Not when Eli’s mother is dead, his father will surely be dead soon, your friend Kyle is in danger and who knows what happened to Marcus.”
He pulled her into a hug. “We don’t know what the next few days will bring. Enjoying the peaceful moments will help us stay strong during the challenges ahead.”
She looked up at him. “How did you become this person?”
“I’m not sure I understand the question.”
“You don’t freak out about stuff. You’re so wise and so...grounded. I’ve never known a man like you.”
“I’m not perfect, Jenna.”
“I know,” she whispered.
The way she looked up into his eyes...
He leaned forward and kissed her, the connection shooting sparks of energy through his body. This felt so incredible, so normal and right.
Alarm bells went off in his head.
This growing personal connection to Jenna would put her in more danger. It would definitely distract him from doing his job—protecting her and Eli.
He broke the kiss and stepped back. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”
Disappointment shuttered her eyes.
“That was inappropriate,” he added. “Emotional involvement between us will throw me off my game.”
“No worries. I was probably giving off signals or something.”
“Don’t take responsibility for my actions.”
Her eyes widened as if he’d insulted her, and then she quickly turned to Eli.