by B. J Daniels
Earl Ray’s voice still sounded weak but nonetheless resolute. “He had a man on the youngest one. Don’t worry, we have him, and both of Kate’s daughters are safe now.”
“What if Matthews calls him?”
“I doubt he’ll have the need, but if he does, we have it handled,” Earl Ray assured him.
“Thank you,” Jon said. “You have no idea what this means to me.”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
“Glad you’re okay. I was worried.”
“Now all you have to worry about is Katie. And yourself.” Earl Ray disconnected, but not before Jon heard Bessie in the background telling him to give her the phone or she was going to call the nurse and get him sedated.
Jon pocketed his cell, relieved. Earl Ray was all right. Bessie was at the hospital with him. It was one less thing he had to worry about. As he started toward the house, he realized that Earl Ray had called Kate Katie. Jon had thought that the man hadn’t noticed his slip of the tongue earlier today. He smiled to himself. Earl Ray noticed everything.
He could see Collin still in the kitchen, apparently drinking. He moved quickly, covering the expanse of open, snow-covered terrain to come up to the corner of the house. He stood in the dark shadows and waited to make sure he hadn’t been seen. The neighbors must not have a dog—at least not one they left outside at night. The girls were safe, but Katie was far from it, unless he could get her out of there.
Now what? He would have loved to take care of Collin. The fact that he was up, drinking by himself, told Jon that the man was alone in the house with Kate. Where were his friends? Maybe they hadn’t connected yet. Or maybe this wasn’t a drug deal at all. Maybe he really was just meeting some friends.
Then why had Collin put a man on the youngest daughter, Danielle?
Not to mention the fact that Kate hadn’t wanted to come along on this trip to Canada. Of that, Jon was sure. Collin had used Danielle to force her. It was a drug deal or something just as illegal. Didn’t matter. He was getting Katie out of this.
He moved along the side of the house, staying to the shadows. When he came to the bedroom window, he tried it. Locked. He moved along until he came to a second one. This one was cracked open, even though it was winter. He felt a start. Kate liked fresh air...? Even freezing-cold air...? Why did that jar what felt almost like a memory? It slipped away too quickly to grasp.
Carefully, he lifted the window, waited and, hearing nothing, climbed in.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
KATE WOKE FROM an already restless sleep with a start. She felt a gloved hand clamp over her mouth. Instinctively, she began to fight, only to have her wrists grabbed and pinned to the bed by a second large gloved hand. Her eyes widened in alarm as she tried to see in the darkness, while bucking and wriggling to fight the man off.
“Katie, it’s me.”
The whispered words next to her ear made her instantly freeze. She blinked as Jon Harper’s face came into focus. Her heart surged, tears filled her eyes and she went slack. He released his hold on her wrists first and then slowly removed his hand from her mouth.
She sat up and threw her arms around him, holding him tightly as she gasped for breath, her pulse thundering. He put his arms around her and drew her closer. She breathed in his scent. Her heart was still drumming in her chest and relief had made her limbs weak as she nestled against him, even though his coat felt cold from the outside air. Jon had come for her. This had to be a dream. She couldn’t bear the thought that she would wake up and he’d be gone.
Just as suddenly as she’d been awakened, she froze and drew back. “You can’t be here.” The words came out in a hoarse whisper. “You don’t understand.”
He silenced her with a finger on her lips. “Danielle is safe.”
She stared at him. “But—”
He shook his head. “So is Mia. We have to get out of here. Now.”
She listened and heard what he must have heard. Movement deep in the house. Collin. “He has a gun.”
Jon nodded as he moved from the bed to pick up the lamp on the night table. He jerked the plug from the wall, then tore it from the lamp’s base. “Get dressed. Stay here.” With the cord in his gloved hands, he moved silently to the door and slowly opened it. She desperately wanted to stop him but hurried to dress in the jeans and sweater she’d been wearing yesterday. She found her purse, her mind racing as to what she should grab. When she turned, the doorway was still empty, and she could hear nothing from deeper in the house.
* * *
JON MOVED ACROSS the carpet, working his way toward the kitchen and the light emanating from it. He could hear Collin moving around in there. There was the sound of the refrigerator door closing, the pop of a beer being opened and the groan of a chair as the man lowered himself back into it.
He thought about the way Collin had been sitting earlier when he’d seen him through the window. Jon worked his way closer. He could hear the gulp, gulp of the beer, the restlessness as Collin shifted in the chair.
He knew that he and Kate wouldn’t be able to leave without being heard. He had to subdue Collin, and he couldn’t wait any longer. The lamp cord stretched in his two hands, he peered around the corner. Collin had his back to him in the chair, balancing on the two rear legs of the chair. On the table within reach was a handgun.
Jon could almost feel the nervous energy coming off the man. That made Collin even more dangerous because he was running scared and jumpy as a cat in a roomful of rockers, as his mother used to say. What had to be a memory shocked him for a moment as he tried to picture his mother and couldn’t. He shook his head, clearing away any thought other than stopping Collin.
Closing the distance in a few quick steps, Jon looped the cord around the man’s neck, twisted it quickly and pulled it tight. The half-empty can fell from Collin’s hand to the floor and rolled away, splashing the rest of the beer across the linoleum floor.
Collin was already off-balance. Jon kept him that way as the man gagged and flailed, arms windmilling. At first he tried to reach Jon behind him and, failing that, tried to get his fingers under the cord around his neck as he fought for air. Both Collin and the chair suddenly fell sideways onto the floor, and Jon had to drop to his bad leg to keep his grip on the cord.
Adrenaline pumping, he reminded himself that he didn’t want to kill him. It was a relief when Collin quit struggling and passed out from lack of oxygen. Jon checked his pulse. Alive. And out. At least for the moment.
He heard a sound behind him and quickly turned to find Kate standing there. He rose, struggling a little on his bad leg, and limped to her as he stuffed the cord with his DNA on it into his coat pocket. “He’s only unconscious. Let’s go.”
She nodded, looking scared and in shock. He knew the feeling well. They quickly left by the front door, going around the block to where he’d left his pickup.
Once inside the truck and several blocks away, he finally glanced at her and asked, “Are you all right?” He could see that she was shivering uncontrollably. He turned up the heat, knowing that was only part of the problem.
“You came after me.” She sounded surprised by that. “Danielle. How?”
“I have a friend who helped.” He could feel her gaze on him, feel her need to ask about him, about his past, about how he’d found her and a dozen other questions. They would have to wait. “We can’t get across the border until morning.”
“Collin took my passport and my phone,” she said, sounding scared. “I won’t be able to cross the border.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you across.”
“There’s something you should know,” she said, sitting forward a little and looking behind them. “We were stopped not far from the border by what I thought was highway patrol. The cop told Collin he had a taillight out and then handed him a note. I was able to see some of what was written on the note. It mentione
d a house and a key. I believe it told Collin to go to the house where you found me.” She swung her gaze to him, eyes widening. “They’re going to find us. Even if we run.”
He took in the news, wishing he were surprised. This apparently was a fairly large operation, if cops were involved. “It’s all right. We’ll go to a hotel with a parking garage for the rest of the night,” he told her.
Kate stared out into the winter darkness. It had begun to snow. She looked scared in the glow of the streetlights. “I don’t understand what’s going on.” She glanced over at him. “How did you find me?”
“I put a tracking device on your rental car.” He could feel the intensity of her gaze. While she didn’t move, he could feel her drawing back. “You can trust me.”
She made a sound close to a sob. “Can I?”
He shot her a look. “You know you can, Katie.”
* * *
COLLIN WOKE COUGHING. His hands went to his throat. He let out a cry as his eyes came open with the memory. Stumbling to his feet, he glanced around the kitchen before racing into the bedroom where he’d left Kate.
He knew even before he threw open the door that she’d be gone. He swore, tearing into the room to find the window still open where the bastard had climbed in. Jon Harper. He didn’t think Danny could also be a killer. He should have called the syndicate on him before he left Buckhorn. What had he been thinking?
He hadn’t expected the carpenter to come after them—that’s what. He’d thought it would be a relief for Jon that they’d left. Why would the man come after them? Because he’d bought into Kate’s story about him being her husband?
Or because Jon Harper was the kind of man who had to play hero? Wasn’t that exactly what had gotten him into trouble in Oklahoma?
With another curse, he remembered what Kate had said to Jon right before they’d left Buckhorn. She had passed a message. How else had the man known where they were going?
Was the woman stupid? Collin had her youngest daughter. All he had to do was make one phone call... His eyes widened in alarm. Unless... He quickly dialed his friend’s number. The phone rang and rang. He was starting to panic when Eric answered sounding half-asleep. “Is everything all right there?”
“Fine. What time is it?”
“Never mind. Call me if there are any problems?”
“Right. No problem.”
He disconnected, relieved and yet furious that his leverage hadn’t kept the woman here. “Kate, you are so screwed. You should never have left with Jon Harper. Now I’m going to have him kill your daughter. It will be your own fault.” He reminded himself that that had been his plan, anyway. Not that it mattered. Kate hadn’t known that.
His throat hurt like a son of a bitch, that and his growing panic making it even harder to think. He raked a hand through his hair, wondering how long he’d been out. He had no idea what he was going to do now. Worse, what Kate and her knight in shining armor were going to do. Not go to the cops. If Jon Harper had planned to go to the cops, Collin would already be behind bars. Jon Harper had every reason not to want the law involved, even in Canada. After Kate had seen a cop hand him a note, she wouldn’t be inclined to head in that direction, either.
So, what did that leave?
Collin told himself that maybe all Jon Harper wanted was to save Kate. If so, then he’d head for the border. With a painful laugh, Collin coughed, remembering that he still had her passport. She wasn’t crossing the border. Not unless she planned to tell all. But if she did that, then she would be jeopardizing Jon and her daughter. She wouldn’t do that. It seemed she was screwed.
Collin smiled. Maybe things weren’t as bad as he’d first thought.
* * *
KATE STOOD IN the middle of the hotel’s honeymoon suite looking lost.
“It was the only room available,” Jon said with a shrug as he locked the door and dragged a chair over to prop against the knob.
“It must have been expensive. How did you—”
He didn’t let her finish. He knew exactly what she was asking since she’d seen him slip the desk clerk cash. “I’m not as destitute as I look.”
She held his gaze, and he felt something inside him snap. When he’d realized she was in trouble, he’d known that he’d had no choice but to go after her. The odds weren’t good that he could save her. But time was running out. He had to make sure she was safe before the hitmen hired by the mob turned up. Even as he’d headed for Canada, he hadn’t been sure he was up to saving himself—let alone her. He still wasn’t. The odds were against them both—especially if some of the cops up here were involved in the drug business and had friends in low places.
But looking at her standing there, he knew nothing could have kept him from coming after her. This woman had broken down the barriers he’d built around him, going straight for his heart with her stories about an undying love. She’d weathered twenty years alone, living on hope as if it was oxygen. He had no idea how they were going to get out of this, but he would die to save her.
“You must be exhausted,” he said quietly.
Kate shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “I need to know the truth. Who are you?”
He’d known this was coming. He wished it didn’t have to be under these circumstances. He didn’t want to give her false hope. “Don’t you want to try to get a few hours’ sleep? Or how about some food? I understand they have twenty-four-hour room service.” Her defiant look said she wanted nothing but answers.
“At least sit down. Please.” He softened the last word, seeing the stubborn set of her jaw. He needed to sit down. His leg was aching. He could stand all day at his workbench, but walking especially in deep snow wore him out quickly because of his injury from the car bombing. The flying pieces of metal had nearly torn off his leg. He’d been told he would need more surgeries, but that hadn’t been possible with a bounty on his head.
Kate looked around, found a chair and practically dropped into it. She held her purse on her lap, her knuckles white from the grip she had on it. He saw how afraid she was. They were practically strangers, and now he’d made her suspicious. She’d seen him choke Collin into unconsciousness—a man she had loved enough to accept his wedding proposal. Clearly, something like that would have changed her impression of him. He suspected she no longer saw him as her saintly husband, Danny. He hauled one of the other fabric-covered chairs closer to her. He thought it might make her relax with his sitting near her. It seemed to have the opposite effect.
They were safe for the moment, but by now Collin would be conscious again. Jon had no idea what the man would do. Contact his friends? He suspected Collin’s so-called friends were even further on the wrong side of the law and much more dangerous. Were people out there looking for them right now?
“My name isn’t Jon Harper.”
“I know that,” she said too sharply and seemed to catch herself. “I’m sorry, but Collin already told me that you were a cop by the name of Justin Brown.”
He nodded. She’d called him Justin back in Buckhorn right before she’d left with Collin. He thought she’d been trying to warn him that Collin knew. She couldn’t know how much he appreciated that—except it hadn’t given him a head start so he could run. He’d had to come after her.
“He also told me that Justin Brown might not be your real name, either,” she said. “Is that true?”
He met her gaze and held it. “It’s true.” He watched her swallow. He knew what was coming next.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
COLLIN WENT BACK into the kitchen and checked the time. It would be getting light soon. He began to pace. If he wasn’t in so deep, he’d bail and take off. Run. But he knew they would track him down and kill him.
He thought about having another beer but changed his mind. He had to think. Think clearly. Gerald would be coming soon. He cringed at the thought. The man was
n’t going to like this. Hell, Collin didn’t like this. He would just have to assure the boss that Kate wasn’t going to tell anyone. He had her daughter as insurance, and Jon Harper wasn’t going to the cops, either.
Collin frowned and stopped pacing to squint down at the floor as he thought about the earlier phone call to Eric. He did still have her daughter, didn’t he? He just couldn’t understand why Kate would leave knowing what would happen and still she’d gone. That wasn’t like her. He thought about his earlier call. Eric had sounded...strange. He’d been half-asleep, he assured himself.
But he couldn’t help the niggling feeling that had wormed its way into his skull. He placed the call again, his fingers trembling. “What’s going on, Eric?” he demanded.
“Nothing. I’m just trying to get some sleep, but you keep calling.”
“You’re still at the apartment. You still have Danielle?”
“Of course.” Except the answer hadn’t come quite quick enough.
“Okay,” Collin said slowly, hearing something in his friend’s voice this time that he couldn’t ignore. “Well, I won’t be needing you to babysit her anymore. You should go on home.”
Silence, then, “Okay, sure. If you think she doesn’t need my protection anymore.”
“Exactly. Thanks for watching out for her.” Collin disconnected and swore. How the hell had someone found out? The ex-cop had to have more connections than Collin had thought. Somehow, someone had gotten to Eric. Jon Harper had known that Danielle was safe when he’d broken into the house and taken Kate. Otherwise, Kate wouldn’t have gone with him.
He swore as he paced the floor, almost too angry and upset to think. He’d lost his leverage, and Jon Harper hadn’t just found him, he’d taken Kate. It was one thing to know which direction they had been headed. It was another to find this house. How was that possible? Had Kate seen the address the cop had given him? Even if she had, she couldn’t have phoned the carpenter. Collin had her phone.