Reuniting with the Billionaire

by Lori Ryan

  Jill let Rev out of his crate in the back of Jill’s SUV and Jennie sprang Zeke and Zoe from their crates in the back of Jack’s vehicle. They all laughed as the dogs raced in circles, burning off energy after the long road trip.

  As he always did, Chad took Jennie’s bag along with his and carried it into the house. Andrew shook his head. That man was in love with Jennie.

  After everyone settled into their rooms, Chad, Jennie, Jack, and Kelly decided to get in a half-day of skiing.

  Andrew pulled Jill onto his arms. “We’ll stay here and snuggle. I’m beat.”

  Jack and Chad gave him equally lecherous smiles. “Sure, you stay here and rest,” Jack said and the others walked out the door.

  In all honesty, Andrew was exhausted. He had spent half the night awake. Worrying. Watching Jill sleep. Wondering how he would survive if anything happened to her. Jarrod texted this morning to let him know that Theresa hadn’t shown up for work today. She was now officially in the wind.

  Andrew was pretty sure Theresa didn’t know about the ski cabin but he didn’t want to chance leaving Jill there alone while he went skiing. He knew she would normally go out on her snowshoes and look for wildlife to photograph, but he hoped he could keep her inside.

  They settled on the couch in front of the fire, her soft, warm body wrapped up in his. She fit in his arms in a way no one else had. Andrew tucked Jill’s head under his chin and held her tight.

  “You okay?” She was idly tracing a path up his arm and back down with her fingers, the soft rhythm of it almost putting Andrew into a trance.

  “Hmm. Just tired. I’ll be glad when this is over so I can relax.”

  She continued the soothing stroke up and down his arms as, despite his best intentions, he fell asleep in front of the fire.

  Jill heard Andrew’s breathing become soft and steady – the steady breathing of sleep. She carefully lifted his arm off of her stomach and slid out from under him. Ouch! Her legs had gone to sleep and Jill gritted her teeth as the pins and needles hit.

  Shaking her legs out, she wandered to the kitchen to see what supplies were left from the last trip. They always had plenty of canned goods on hand and there was beer and wine in the fridge. Nothing fresh, though. They should have stopped on the way to stock up on food for the weekend.

  Looking at Andrew asleep on the couch, she debated going to get groceries. Even though they didn’t think Theresa knew about the cabin, Jill figured it was better to wait for Andrew to wake up so they could go together.

  She sat down and read a few chapters of a book and then worked for a bit on her laptop, cataloguing pictures for her website. An hour into the work, she was interrupted by the quiet buzz of Andrew’s phone vibrating on the kitchen counter. Jill picked it up and looked at the display: Jarrod Harmon.

  “Hi Jarrod,” Jill whispered into the phone. “Andrew’s asleep. It’s Jill.”

  “Hi, Jill. Just wanted to let you know we got Theresa. She was standing outside your house, actually. Staring at the house. They haven’t found her car yet, and she’s not talking. No ID on her, but she matches the description: five feet, four inches, brown hair, brown eyes. I’ll confirm ID for sure when I get down to the station but you guys can breathe easier.”

  “Oh, that’s great, Jarrod. Andrew was up all night worrying and he won’t let me out of his sight. I’ll let him know as soon as he wakes up. Do you need us to come back before Monday for anything?” she asked, feeling a weight lift from her chest.

  “Nah. You guys are fine. I’ll handle things from this end and get statements from you all on Monday. Tell Andrew to take it easy.”

  “Thank you, Jarrod,” she said and cut the connection.

  She blew out a breath and looked at Andrew. He was still out cold, stretched along the length of the couch. After letting her eyes roam over his body for a few minutes, she smiled and turned back to the kitchen.

  She hadn’t been sure Theresa would do much more than yell at her or something if she came to confront her, but still, she could feel the difference in the set of her shoulders now the tension had left her.

  “Might as well go get groceries,” she whispered to the dogs. Rev and Zoe began wagging their tails furiously while she scribbled a note to Andrew.

  “Uh uh. You guys wait here. I’ll take you out for a hike when I get back.”

  She grabbed her purse and slipped out the door, shutting it behind her before the dogs could follow.

  There hadn’t been fresh snow for a few days on the mountain. Although the land around the cabin was still covered in snow, the road was mostly clear. There were a few patchy ice spots, so Jill guided her SUV carefully down the steep road.

  She slowed when she approached the Gunderson’s driveway. It was a long drive that was covered in heavy woods near the end. Because of the trees it was impossible to see if a car was about to turn onto the road, so they’d all gotten used to slowing there to be sure.

  After she passed the driveway, she saw a small sedan turn onto the road behind her. Although she didn’t recognize the sedan as one of the Gunderson’s cars, Jill didn’t think anything of the other driver’s presence until she saw the car suddenly speed toward her in the rear-view mirror.

  Her stomach lurched at the sight.

  Oh, no! They must be hydroplaning.

  It seemed the only explanation for such a sudden burst of speed on an icy road. Then the sedan clipped the rear bumper of Jill’s explorer. Not enough to cause a major accident, but just enough to send Jill sliding a bit.

  She quickly got control of her vehicle and pulled to a stop. She didn't want to end up in the shoulder where there was still soft snow. She’d have trouble getting out of there, so she just nosed her SUV to a halt on the very edge of the road.

  The sedan skidded a bit but stopped. Jill saw the driver coming toward her and rolled down the window to let the driver know she was safe. The last thing she saw before her world went black was the large rock in the driver’s hand.

  Puzzled as to why the driver would be holding a rock, Jill didn’t even process the fact that the rock was being swung with great force at her head until it was too late.

  She raised her arms and tried to fight the woman off, but that hesitation had cost her. Too much.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Well, that was easy. I’m really getting good at this.

  Theresa had taken some confidence-boosting courses online and knew it was important to recognize her own self-worth and affirm her value routinely. She opened the door to Jill’s car and dragged the unconscious woman from the vehicle.

  Jill’s body fell to the ground with a thud.

  Thank God for deserted mountain roads, huh?

  Theresa laughed as she hauled Jill up by the arms and dragged her to the back door of her sedan. After shoving Jill into the backseat of the car, Theresa hopped back in the driver’s seat and proceeded down the mountain, humming as she drove.

  I wonder what song that is? Oh well. Doesn’t matter.

  Theresa hummed her unknown tune for twenty minutes as she drove off the mountain and toward major highways where she could put some distance between her car and anyone who might come looking for the little whore.

  When she hit the highway, she spoke to Jill, who lay in the backseat, bleeding from a head wound.

  “Time for you to pay for your little plot against my Andrew, slut.” Theresa looked in the rearview mirror as she spoke to her passenger, as if she were speaking to a willing passenger instead of an unconscious person lying prone along the backseat.

  Her tone was calm and conversational. “You and I are going to find a quiet place together, where we can have a chat. I’ll get you to admit everything you’ve done to Andrew. All your conniving manipulation.”

  Theresa patted the video camera sitting on the seat next to her.

  “And when I tape your confession and show my Andrew what you truly are, what a fucking performer you are, with all your twisted dishonesty laid out for him, there w
on’t be any more barriers between Andrew and me.”

  At that point, an acerbic, petulant tone had crept into Theresa’s speech. It was probably the distraction of her ranting at Jill that caused Theresa’s foot to lay too heavily on the gas pedal as she flew down the highway.

  The burst of red and blue lights behind her came as a complete surprise. When she heard the siren, Theresa pulled to the side of the road and schooled her face into one of innocence and concern.

  Theresa remained calm as she watched the officer walk up to her window. She decided a good offense was better than being defensive and rolled the window down.

  “Officer, Thank God. I don’t know where the hospital is. I’ve looked for signs but I don’t know where I’m going,” Theresa cried out in her best help-me-I’m-just-a-poor-helpless-female voice.

  The officer peered into the backseat at Jill, though he stood several feet back from the vehicle, one hand on his gun belt as if poised to make a stand.

  Fool.

  “My friend was in an accident and hit her head. I’m trying to get her to a hospital.”

  The officer appeared to assess Theresa, then made a decision. “Follow me. The hospital is two exits ahead,” he said and turned back to his car.

  Theresa was no idiot. She knew the officer would have called in the stop and she knew if she didn’t follow him now, he would chase her down and she’d really have a problem on her hands.

  Not a problem. I can adapt. It’s important to be able to handle change.

  She smiled and gave herself a mental high five. She was really proud of the way she was handling all of this. Someday, Andrew would be proud, too, when she told him everything she’d had to do to pull her plan together.

  When the emergency room personnel wheeled her ‘friend’ in on a gurney, a nurse turned to Theresa and asked if her friend had any identification on her.

  “Oh, no. I left her purse in her car. I didn’t even think to grab it when she ran off the road. I’m sorry. Her name is Christina. Christina Robins.” Theresa offered the name of her nosy next-door neighbor with the smelly cat. That damned animal was always trying to slip into Theresa’s apartment whenever she opened the door.

  “We’re going to get your friend set up for a CT Scan and run some tests. We’ll let you know as soon as you can see her.”

  Theresa smiled. “I can wait,” she said sweetly to the nurse.

  “Is there family in the area you can call for her? Anyone you can alert?” the helpful nurse asked.

  “No. There’s no one to call. I’m all she has now,” Theresa said with a small shake of her head.

  She sat down to wait and formulate a new plan.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Andrew wasn’t sure how long he slept. He woke with a start and looked around. He could tell almost immediately Jill wasn’t in the cabin. Icy fingers of dread crept up his spine but he swept them aside. Nothing could go wrong up here and him jumping at every little thing wouldn’t do them any good.

  Jill had probably gone out on her snowshoes or was sitting outside on the deck. He sat up but realized the dogs were inside with him.

  That means she’s not outside. Why the fuck did I fall asleep?

  He rubbed his face with his hands to wake himself up and then walked to the front of the cabin and looked out.

  The car was gone. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was only two o’clock. He had probably only been asleep about an hour or so. She couldn’t be far.

  He dialed Jill’s phone but it went to voicemail and needling doubts worked their way in again.

  “Hey, hon. Just woke up. Wanted to know where you are. Call me when you get this... I love you.”

  He knew he shouldn’t be panicking, but anxiety swamped his brain. What if Theresa followed them up here? What if they were wrong and Theresa did know about the ski house?

  He couldn’t handle it if anything happened to Jill. He’d only just found her after being alone for so long. What would he do if he lost her?

  Even the idea of it made his stomach clench and his heart beat out a too fast rhythm in his chest. But he was overreacting and he told himself that.

  But when he tried to tell himself to calm down, he remembered that the police had every reason to believe Theresa had hurt other people close to him. Debbie and Pat, who had only gotten in her way at work. What would she do to his fiancée?

  Andrew walked into the kitchen and saw some of the cabinet doors were open. A wave of relief hit him hard when he saw Jill’s note.

  ‘Jarrod called. They have Theresa! Went to store for groceries. Be back soon.’

  He stood and gripped the counter, head hanging as he sucked in a deep breath, then another. She was okay. He’d been worried for nothing.

  He went back to the living room and let the dogs out for a run in the yard taking another deep breath as relief washed through him. It was over. Theresa hadn’t hurt Jill.

  He watched the dogs play for a few minutes, then called them back into the house. Moments later, his phone rang. He checked call display.

  “Hey, Jarrod, what’s up?”

  “I’m sorry, Andrew. I told Jill we had Theresa in custody. I have bad news. It wasn’t Theresa they picked up. We thought it was because the lady they found was standing with no ID outside Jill’s house – just watching the house. She was sure as hell acting like a stalker and she fit the physical description to a ‘T.’ When we finally got her to stop crying and talk to us, it turns out she’s been dating Jill’s ex but he dumped her. She just wanted to talk to Jill.”

  Andrew’s whole body froze as he listened. Jill was out there alone and so was Theresa. The familiar feelings of dread came back in waves, this time hitting harder than ever.

  “I gotta go, Jarrod. Jill went out alone. I have to find her.”

  Andrew didn’t wait for an answer. He ran back into the house to grab his car keys, then realized he didn’t have a car. Jill had her car and the others had taken Jack’s car to the ski resort. As Andrew looked around wondering about the sanity of taking one of the snowmobiles all the way into town to the grocery store, his phone rang.

  Chad.

  “Chad, you guys need to get back here. I need the car to go after Jill,” he said without preamble.

  “Come down the hill, Andrew. Grab one of the snowmobiles. Kelly was feeling sick so we called it quits early. We were on our way back up. Jill’s car is stopped on the road, but she’s nowhere in sight.”

  Icy fear twisted around his lungs, his heart. Andrew couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move for a split second. A rush of terror coursed through his veins and he began to react.

  He grabbed the snowmobile keys from the hook on the wall and dashed outside. All he could think was that he needed to get to Jill.

  But he wouldn’t be able to. She was gone.

  It didn’t take him long to get to where her SUV sat abandoned. His friends were already calling out Jill’s name as if hoping she might be nearby.

  They had split up and headed in different directions, calling and searching for Jill.

  Chad approached Andrew.

  “Her purse is in the car. There’s a small dent and some paint transfer on the back bumper. We’ve called Jason Graham. He’s on his way.”

  Jason was the fire chief and also a good friend. Andrew knew he’d move mountains to help them find Jill.

  He stared at Jill’s empty car and felt sick to his stomach. Kelly came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged.

  “They thought they had Theresa.” Andrew could hear how thick his voice sounded. He didn’t even recognize his own voice, it was so laden with fear. “Jarrod called and told Jill Theresa was in custody, but that was a mistake.”

  “Hey, we’ll find her,” Kelly said fiercely. “Jason’s on his way. You guys tracked me when I was gone. We’ll find Jill.”

  Jason pulled up in a truck with several other people and a large shepherd-looking dog. Jason made introductions, but Andrew couldn’t proces
s anyone’s name.

  The men discussed several possible scenarios: Jill walking away from the car for some reason; someone driving her away from the car; Jill being thrown from the vehicle. The last was dismissed. There was no evidence of the type of crash that could have caused that and her windshield was intact.

  While two men began to search the tree line along the road, Andrew watched as the dog was shown the driver’s side of Jill’s car. The dog sniffed at the seat for several seconds and was then given a quiet command by his handler.

  Dog and handler began to circle the car then walked about six feet from the car and stopped. The handler took the dog back to the car and the dog repeated the same sequence, going six feet in exactly the same direction and stopping at the same point. This was repeated a third time.

  The handler bent to the ground where the dog stopped and then both handler and dog jogged over to Andrew and Jason. Andrew felt the blow deep in his gut as the handler spoke.

  “Justice began working a track from the driver’s side but then stops. It’s as if the track ends in the middle of the road. There are some spots in the road. A small patch of what might be oil. It’s possible a car was stopped in the road at the spot where Justice stopped tracking. There are plenty of footprints there and also a few drops of what could be blood. Crime scene won’t be here for another thirty minutes to confirm,” the man reported to Jason.

  The handler seemed reticent to draw any conclusions, which Andrew could understand. But, he wasn’t an idiot. Andrew knew Jill was likely put in a car and driven away.

  “Kelly, any luck?” Andrew called to where Kelly was making phone calls.

  “Nothing. No Jill Walshes or Jane Does in any hospitals nearby,” Kelly reported.

  “We’ve got an all points out on Jill. Someone will spot her, Andrew,” Jason said.

  “Jason, you’ve known me for six years. I can’t just stand around and wait. That’s not gonna happen,” Andrew said.

  Chad and Jack closed in around Andrew, waiting for directions, their silent support indicating they understood the need to do something instead of sitting on a fucking mountain to wait.