Harlequin Romantic Suspense July 2021 Box Set

by Carla Cassidy

  His next phone call had another cruiser on its way to Josh’s house.

  In his car, racing toward The Lemonade Stand, praying that Jasmine was safely inside its walls, he put in a request to have Jasmine’s phone dumped. He needed to know if she’d talked to anyone that afternoon.

  He could be overreacting. Creating issues where there were none.

  Creating drama.

  He didn’t give a damn if it meant that Jasmine and little Bella were safe.

  He got Lila McDaniels Mantle on the phone before he reached the Stand. It wasn’t like he could just go barging in there, anyway. He’d just wanted to be close, to be able to see Jasmine if she was there. And if not, he wanted to search the parking lot where her car had been.

  See if it was still there.

  Or if anything had been left behind.

  Jasmine was a survivor. She’d taken multiple classes to teach her how to keep herself safe, and she always followed her rules.

  “She left here right on time,” Lila told him after putting him on hold long enough to check in with a few others on site. “She was fine when she picked up Bella. Maddie said she told her that she liked her shirt.”

  “And she didn’t say anything to anyone about having any plans?”

  “She passed Sara on the way out and just said that she’d see her in the morning. Do I need to be concerned, Detective? Are Jasmine and Bella in some kind of trouble?”

  “I hope not,” he told her. And then added, “But you asked me once to be certain that the life I was saving was one I was meant to save, and I can assure you that Jasmine is on me. If she’s in trouble, I’ll find her.”

  “I’m going to call my husband and have him come in, then,” the director said. “I had a session tonight, but was just getting ready to head home. We’ll be here all night if you need anything. If there’s anything we can do, even if you just have a question, you call. Doesn’t matter what time it is.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as I locate her,” he told the woman, understanding that this was one person who wouldn’t want to wait until morning to get news.

  His phone buzzed as he was ringing off. Santa Barbara officers telling him that Josh wasn’t home. Getting the man’s phone number, Greg dialed it himself, praying that he was making a mistake. Making a big deal out of nothing.

  That Josh would answer—even if just to curse him for doing such a thorough job with his investigation.

  Josh Taylor didn’t pick up.

  CHAPTER 23

  “Get out of my way, Josh,” Jasmine said for the third time, standing up to her brother as he continued to block her way to Bella.

  “I’m going to take Bella home, put her to bed and then call you,” she told him, meaning every word she said. She wasn’t turning her back on him. But she had to get Bella out of there and home.

  “I can’t let you do that.” He repeated words he’d been speaking to her for the past several minutes as they stood there, facing off.

  “Yes, you can,” she told him. “What’s more, you know you have to.” She was trying to find the reasonable man she knew him to be.

  “You aren’t understanding me,” he said, calm, assured. “I’m going to take Bella out of the country. She’s going to grow up happy and loved and as far away from Heidi as we can get.”

  “You’re just going to walk away from your whole life...”

  “Bella’s all I need. We’ll be fine, just the two of us.”

  Jasmine tried not to be hurt by the words. The obvious slam on her. He wasn’t in his right mind. He’d apologize later.

  They always did.

  “Okay, well, I’m going to get her now,” she said, turning toward the wall, giving her back to him, as she made to slide past. She got one step in, lifted her foot again, and the next thing she knew she was flat on the floor, her stomach pressed to the gleaming hardwood, ribs aching, gasping for air.

  “Jasmine!” Josh’s voice sounded above her. Concerned. She felt him lift her. Leaned into his familiar frame.

  And noticed that the bedroom door was closed. He’d probably done it when he’d put Bella down, so she’d go to sleep.

  And not hear them.

  Knowing that she needed a minute to get her air back, she let Josh lead her over to the couch. It wasn’t the first time she’d had the wind knocked out of her. She’d be fine.

  “Are you okay?” Josh asked, taking her hand as he sat down beside her. Rubbing her back. “Does anything hurt?”

  She shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay. And nothing hurt. He could take his pick. One was true. One wasn’t.

  “What happened?” he asked. “One minute I was letting you by, and the next, you just went down. It’s the floors. I had them polished. I knew they were too slick.”

  He knew what had happened. He’d tripped her. She could still feel the slide of his foot up her leg. Probably already had a bruise forming.

  He’d become her father. Only worse. Because he’d hurt her right there in their safe house.

  She was going to puke. For real. She was going to throw up all over those shiny wood floors.

  Lurching, Jasmine made it to the kitchen sink and lost her dinner.

  * * *

  Time passed slowly. When Jasmine was docile, Josh was kind. Telling her again and again what he was going to do, what she was going to do and how the plan would work.

  She tried to remain quiet until she could figure out what to do. Or he came to his senses. Praying that one or the other happened before morning, when Bella woke up.

  When Josh had to go to the bathroom, he made her go ahead of him, tiptoe past the queen bed where the little girl lay all cuddled up in covers and stand, with her back to him, between the toilet and the tub.

  She was his prisoner.

  Josh’s prisoner. Her cell phone was in her bag, which was still hanging off her arm. And if she reached her hand inside that bag, she knew Josh would hurt her again before she managed to do any good.

  She was there. Watching. Feeling.

  And yet she still couldn’t believe it. Kept searching for some explanation. Waiting for something to happen that would make sense.

  By two in morning, she was exhausted. Her ribs hurt. She was afraid at least one of them was cracked. And when she’d gone to the bathroom, a reverse of when he’d gone, with him standing guard with his back to her, she’d noticed a bruise on her chin, too. Probably where she’d hit the floor.

  “You know I’m going to take her home,” she finally said to him, too weary to play his game anymore. “There’s no way I can just let you take her out of the country. This doesn’t have to be a big deal, Josh. Whether you plead guilty or go to trial, the most you’re going to get is mandatory counseling, and maybe supervised visitation for a while. You’ve got Play for the Win. And all of your other business interests. We’ll all still be together. I love you so much, Josh. Please stop this before something really bad happens.”

  It had already happened. She knew it. And feared he did, too.

  He’d exposed himself to her. The mean, angry, violent self. She’d never look at him the same way again.

  Never trust him the same.

  But she loved him the same.

  “This is all your fault,” he said, pacing behind her on the couch. His lack of fatigue worried her. He was on some kind of adrenaline high that could only be dangerous. “You and your need to screw cops!”

  She felt his words as a physical blow to her heart. She couldn’t believe he’d just said them.

  “I notice you aren’t denying it,” he said.

  Completely at a loss for words, she tried to find some truth to give him. Some way to reach him.

  “You slept with him, didn’t you? You bitch!” His hand at the back of her head almost knocked her unconscious. She saw stars. Watched them through the dizzines
s, determined to hang on. If she fell asleep, he’d take Bella and run.

  It occurred to her then that he still loved her. He’d have just knocked her out and left her for dead if he didn’t.

  Why that should ease her pain, she didn’t know.

  But it did.

  And she let it.

  * * *

  “How long have you been sleeping with him?” It was four in the morning, and Josh was still in a state. Jasmine’s head hurt so bad she wasn’t sure she could stand. But knew that if she saw a chance to get Bella and go, she was going to have to take it.

  She’d slept with Greg Johnson. She wasn’t averse to lying to Josh about it at that point. Didn’t feel there was enough to preserve to worry about upholding trust.

  Wasn’t even sure trust really existed. More like it was a phantom dream, like seeing Santa Claus. Or wishing on stars. None of it really worked.

  And love wasn’t beautiful, either. It tied you to people who hurt you.

  No...she wasn’t going there. Had chosen not to let bitterness take over her life. Right? Bloom’s face showed clearly in her mind’s eye. Her soft words started to slowly spread through her thoughts.

  And Greg was there, too. Telling her he’d find the truth. Promising her.

  He’d been on their side.

  Shaking her head as she realized she’d been nodding off, she sat up. Her last thought still clearly in her mind. He’d promised her he’d find the truth. She’d known she could trust him to protect her.

  He’d done the first.

  And she’d bet her life that he’d die trying to do the second.

  The man had agreed to be her forever friend with monogamous sex because he wanted her. The real her.

  “I only slept with him once,” she heard herself say. Finding strength in the memory. “He wanted to wait. Until after the trial. But...I seduced him.”

  She expected another blow to the head. Daddy style. She’d talked back to the old man, too. Her whole life she’d thought that she asked for the abuse by egging it on. Speaking out like that.

  Truth was, it was the only way she knew to keep herself alive.

  To speak her truth. To be heard.

  “Look, sis.” Josh was there, suddenly, taking her hand, looking at her with the familiar love in those brown eyes. The understanding. “I’m sorry about everything I said. I don’t know...this past year...when Heidi started threatening me. I just... It was like she was never going to go away. Never let us just be happy. But you know this isn’t me.”

  She couldn’t. He wanted her to be who she was with him, and she couldn’t.

  He wasn’t who she’d thought he was.

  She understood. She loved him. But it wasn’t the same.

  “When you spoke just now... God, Jas, it was like the past coming up to hit me upside the head. It was hearing you with Dad. And knowing he was going to pound you for it. I just... This isn’t me. You know it isn’t. You have to believe me. It’s Heidi, Jasmine. She put me up to this. Said that if I got you to bring Bella up here, she’d drop all charges. Leaving the country was her idea. You have to believe me,” he said again. “You know this isn’t me.”

  She didn’t know. Not anymore.

  And when he figured that out, he was going to hurt her.

  Badly.

  * * *

  Greg spent the night looking for her. He was fairly certain she was with Josh. Her brother had called her just before she’d left The Lemonade Stand the night before. And both of them were missing. He wanted to believe she’d left of her own accord. She’d gotten the call and had left the Stand—a place she knew she and Bella would be safe—anyway. She’d taken Bella with her.

  No way would she knowingly put that child in danger. She’d have left the little girl with Lila and died first.

  There’d been no sign of a struggle in the parking lot. No sign of another car by where hers had been parked, either. Sometime before dawn, Lila, who’d been in touch on and off all night, had pulled the security tapes for him. Two people had studied them. Seen Jasmine put Bella in her car seat as she did every afternoon. Watched as she kissed the little girl, gave her a snack pack and kissed her again before climbing into her own seat. She’d been smiling. A woman in danger didn’t smile.

  Not unless she was doing so in the direction of a security camera. Jasmine knew where the cameras at The Lemonade Stand were located. She hadn’t glanced at any of them.

  But he had a bad feeling.

  A really bad feeling.

  Using his clout, he pulled strings and had APBs out on both her and Josh’s cars. And had a missing person’s report and an Amber alert out for Bella, as well. If he was wasting taxpayers’ money, he’d pay back every dime. He didn’t care if it took the rest of his life to do so.

  He had to find her.

  * * *

  He still hadn’t hurt her badly enough to take Bella and run. Forcing herself to find clarity through the pain, Jasmine wondered why Josh was just sitting there with her. Why didn’t he just knock her out and go? Or take her with him, if he loved her so much?

  For that matter, why hadn’t he wanted to take her with them to begin with? Why ask her to cover him while he left the country? Why hadn’t the three of them just gone?

  It wasn’t like either of them had ties in California that couldn’t be broken.

  Especially now that he thought he’d turned her against Greg.

  Whether he had or not, she didn’t know. She was still thinking about that one, too.

  The detective had done what he said he was going to do. He had said he was going to work so hard to find dirt on her brother.

  But then, she wouldn’t have expected any less of him.

  She’d asked him to find the truth.

  The circle just continued. She’d get to that point and start over.

  Same with Josh. Why? Why were they just sitting here?

  “Do you really think, if you keep me here long enough, that I’m going to agree to cover for you while you leave with Bella? You think I won’t call the cops the second I get a chance? Or were you thinking you’d make sure I didn’t have the opportunity?”

  She needed only one thing from at the moment. The thing she’d always counted on. His honesty.

  “I hoped you’d love me enough to just leave Bella here with me,” he said. Shaking his head. Giving her the first glimmer of hope she’d had all night.

  “Then come with me, Josh. We’ll forget this ungodly night ever happened. Go back. Face the charges and move on. You can leave the country later if you want, when you’ve gone through counseling and whatever else you have to do to win back full custody of Bella.”

  He shook his head. “Heidi’s never going to stop.”

  That woman again.

  “She will if you press charges against her for violating the new restraining order,” she pointed out. “She’ll go to jail for sure on a third count.”

  She heard a car then, almost fainted with relief. Somehow Greg must have found her.

  Obviously hearing the car, too, Josh jumped up. Went to look through the blind into the darkness. And then over to the door.

  Taking the key out of his pocket, he opened it and let their visitor inside.

  “What’s she still doing here?”

  Heidi.

  And her former sister-in-law was clearly not happy to see her.

  CHAPTER 24

  “I thought you were going to get rid of her.” Heidi walked into the room, in jeans and boots and a leather jacket with fur trim, as though she owned the place.

  As far as Jasmine had known, no one but she and Josh had ever known about the cottage. He’d specifically told her he’d never informed Heidi about it. Because they’d made a pact to keep this one place sacred. They knew they could trust each other.

  More of her worl
d crumbled around her.

  Not only did Heidi know about the cottage, she’d known they were there.

  Josh had been expecting her.

  “She’s my sister,” Josh said, as if that explained everything.

  “Is Bella here?”

  “Of course.”

  “I want to see her.”

  Bracing for Heidi’s anger when Josh told his ex that he wasn’t going to disturb the toddler, Jasmine sat, openmouthed, while he moved toward the bedroom door instead. Just like that. He followed her orders.

  And just like that, for the first time all night, he left Jasmine alone.

  And in that second, she not only understood that she had to save her own life—and Bella’s—she had to do it immediately. Shoving her hand into her purse—something she hadn’t been able to do with Josh watching her all night—she quickly pushed and held the cell phone’s power button.

  Making a call was clearly out of the question. But if she knew Greg at all as well as she thought she did, he’d be looking for her.

  And her phone would be on his radar.

  “We’ve got to get going, Josh.”

  Heidi was whispering, but the sound held such fury, Jasmine could hear every word. They were still back at the bedroom door, but she could see half of Josh and knew he was watching her.

  She could make a run for it. Could probably drive far enough to get help. Further if need be. She hurt like hell. She wasn’t incapacitated.

  But that would leave them with Bella, and she was certain that no matter how quickly the police got to the cottage, the baby wouldn’t be there.

  “We’ll have to take her with us.”

  “No. This whole thing. You promised, Joshua. You said you’d put me first.”

  “You said you’d drop the charges if I got her to bring Bella up here.”

  “And then we’d leave the country. You promised. We’re going to live someplace where our little issues aren’t an issue. Where we can raise our daughter together.”

  Their voices were rising. If Bella wasn’t waking, she would be soon.