Don’t Fall for a Fugitive: Strong Family Romances

by Checketts, Cami

  Taking a deep breath, she murmured, “Pray me good charms.”

  Heath smiled. “Praying.”

  Before she could dial, she had to know: “Are you a believer?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Now his gaze was earnest, honest, and even more appealing than before.

  She had definitely landed in a good spot. “Praise the Lord,” she said. Before she could delve further into this intriguing man’s mind or chicken out, she opened her phone and dialed 911. It rang twice, and she smiled at Heath. “Bully! It worked without an international code.”

  “911, what’s your emergency?” a pleasant male voice said over the line.

  “Yes, I need to report a crime, a murder.”

  “Are you in immediate danger?”

  “No, sir. I ran. I’m in a safe spot now.”

  “Okay. Please tell me what you saw.”

  With a trembling hand clutching the phone, she repeated the story, then shared all her information and answered his questions about other details.

  The man paused and said, “Ma’am I’m going to need to send you to my supervisor.”

  Heath was watching her with concern in his eyes. When she stopped talking, he said, “What’s he saying?”

  “He wants to have me talk to his supervisor.”

  “They suspect you.”

  “I hope not.” Her grip on the cell phone was getting slick. “Should I hang up? Can they track my cell phone like in the movies, and they’ll come and shoot us out of the air or something?” She was half teasing. Half.

  “I think it would be hard for them to track your location. Especially in the air. Talk to the supervisor, and then we can turn your phone off if you’re worried.”

  “Okay.”

  A new, crisp female voice came on the line. “Hazel Longhurst?”

  “Yes.”

  “You fled from the scene of a crime. I’m going to need you to turn yourself in immediately, or you will be considered a fugitive at large.”

  “But I didn’t do anything wrong,” she protested, put off by the lady’s abrupt words.

  “Then turn yourself in so we can prove that,” the lady demanded. “Give me your location, and we will send an officer there immediately. I promise you will be protected and treated fairly.”

  Well, at least they didn’t seem to know her location. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. I’ve left the area.”

  “Return immediately.”

  “I’ll call you back when I get back in town.” Hazel hung up. She pulled a face at Heath and tried to lighten the darkness growing inside her. “Well, that woman had none of your western American charm.”

  Heath smiled. “I thought I had decorum.”

  “No, you have charm. Loads of it.”

  The way he grinned at her was as charming as anything she’d seen in her short time in this country. If only she wasn’t in such a mess and could enjoy getting to know him. Yet a man like this was so different from the life she knew. Too serious, successful, and rich. She wanted to pummel him with over-the-top personal questions and find the man beneath all that, but she forced herself to keep focused on her own messy life. “So she demanded I turn myself in.”

  “Makes sense. They have to cover their bases and keep you safe.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. If I wanted to see their side, I could see that.” She powered off her phone and stowed it back in her purse. “Now if only I could distract myself from all the worries competing in this brain.”

  “What would you want to do to distract yourself?”

  Hazel’s stomach tumbled. She could think of all kinds of ways he could distract her. Oh, my. She didn’t even know him. Her mum would be appalled that even though she was in serious trouble, she was admiring his dark eyes, firm-looking lips, and short beard. She tried to focus on her situation. Turning her phone back on, she tapped out a text to her parents. She should probably call them but didn’t want their worries or questions. Saw a man be murdered. I’m fine. I’m away from the scary git and safe. Will check in soon. Sorry for the drama.

  She turned off her phone and looked at Heath. “Just checking in with my parents.”

  He nodded. “They’re going to have a lot of questions.”

  “Yet another reason to turn the phone off, now, isn’t it?”

  He chuckled at that.

  Staring out the window, she saw it was still gorgeous. Snow-capped mountains sprawled across the landscape below, dotted with even more pine trees. “So we’re going to …”

  “Colorado. Lone Peak.”

  Her brow squiggled as she tried to think.

  “You wouldn’t have heard of it. Small valley, close to Vail. We don’t even have an airstrip, so we’ll fly into Vail and drive the twenty minutes.”

  “Are you going to be with your family for Christmas?”

  He nodded. “They own a ski resort and retreat. It’s a beautiful spot.”

  “Yet you live in Park City?”

  “I have my own resorts, loosely patterned after my parents’. Mine are in Park City, Grand Targhee, Cornwall, and Waitsfield.”

  Hazel had no clue where those places where, except Park City, but she was duly impressed. “So you’re an entrepreneur?”

  “Yes. I was busy getting a loan and securing my first property for a resort before I graduated college. Luckily for me, my parents were willing to sign on the first note, and after that I’ve worked nonstop and have been able to increase both my locations and the size and quality of my resorts.”

  “How old are you?”

  “I’ll be twenty-seven next week.”

  “Well, I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you. And you’re a photographer?”

  “Yes.” Again, she mourned the loss of her equipment. If that Brigham jerk wasn’t thrown in prison, he’d probably use her beloved camera and equipment for American cowboy bullet practice. She’d never hated anyone in her life, but the feelings surging through her against Brigham were ugly and dark. She wanted him to fall off a cliff and never be found.

  “I’d love to see some of your work.”

  “Does your fancy jet have Wi-Fi?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  She reached out and said, “Hand over the device and I can show you my work.”

  He smiled and lifted his laptop out of the bag. Once he’d typed in his password, he set the computer in her hands. She opened Safari and went straight to her website. She smiled to herself, loving the sense of accomplishment and pride she got every time she saw some of her pictures.

  Standing, she set the computer on the small table next to his chair and murmured, “I need to use the loo.”

  He smiled and gestured with his head. “Of course.”

  Hazel walked away. She’d give him some time to look over her site. Part of her wanted to watch his reaction, but she was still gaining confidence and building a reputation with her original photography. If he hated what she did, she didn’t want to see that. Giving him time to breeze through would be nice. Giving herself time to calm down and get herself together would be valuable too.

  Chapter Five

  Heath’s eyes followed Hazel as she walked to the bathroom. She was undeniably attractive, but he was even more drawn to the impressive way she’d dealt with the nightmare she was in. She’d been funny and mature about it. His last girlfriend would’ve dissolved into tears and just clung to him, expecting him to fix it all. Of course, Hazel didn’t know that he was a natural fixer of problems, but he hoped he could help her out now. She had given him that hug, and he’d enjoyed having her close for a few seconds. She smelled like an intriguing fruit that he couldn’t put his finger on. Pear?

  Focusing back on the screen before him, his eyes widened as he searched through the pictures on her website. He was impressed with the quality of both. She had an interesting mix of landscape and street photography on her site. He was drawn to the beautiful scenery of the landscapes, but the way she captured buildings and people was incredible as well. N
o wonder she was upset that her equipment was gone. She was good. With a little clicking through the photos, he could also see that she wasn’t cheap and probably made a decent living from her photography. Good for her.

  She’d asked how old he was, and he wanted to know the same. He imagined she was close to his twin sisters’ age, maybe a year or less out of college. She seemed so innocent and vibrant.

  His brow furrowed as he thought about Brigham trying to frame her. Heath had to fight to protect her. They both had reacted too impulsively by leaving rather than standing and fighting Brigham, but Heath knew how dirty and deep Brigham’s pockets and connections were; leaving had felt like the right choice at the time. He’d have to see what Jed said, but he wanted to give him a few minutes so his friend could get briefed on the case and have some actual info for him.

  He heard the bathroom door open, and his gaze swiveled to her. Her golden-brown curls bounced as she walked, and her green eyes were lit up as if she were harboring a good secret. She didn’t seem capable of hurting anyone.

  Her expression became a little more apprehensive as she glanced from the computer to him.

  He gestured to the screen. “These are incredible. I love the use of light and shadow.”

  She smiled tentatively, as if unsure that she could trust his praise.

  “The cityscapes are unreal, but it’s the landscapes that blow me away. What’s your favorite thing to capture?”

  She sank into the chair across from him again and pulled her legs up underneath her. Her face lit up as she said, “I love the landscapes so much. I grew up in the city so I love it, but when I can get out in the countryside and capture God’s creations, it makes me happy. Feeds my soul.” She winked. “Which was why I was so excited for the trip until …” She gazed out the window wistfully, as if wishing she could capture it all on her camera.

  He also glanced out at the familiar mountains. He was surrounded by mountains wherever he went. He absolutely loved it, but maybe he should tell Gary to take them somewhere south for the holiday. Anyone could easily track him to his parents’ resort. Yet no one but Gary knew Hazel was with him. He could bet Brigham thought she was with him. Maybe he should be getting her out of the country. That was silly. They weren’t going to run from the law. He’d reacted to keep her safe, keep her away from Brigham. That’s why he’d had Gary get them out of there. Heath couldn’t stand the thought of some corrupt police officer hauling sweet Hazel away. Would that light in her eyes be snuffed out? No. He couldn’t allow that.

  He palmed his phone. “I should call Jed. My police buddy,” he clarified.

  Her green eyes got wary. “Okay. Can you please not tell him I’m with you?”

  “Hazel.” He put his hand over hers, where it rested on her knee, and warmth flowed through him. He was going to help and protect her. “It’s going to be all right. I’ll feel Jed out, but I trust him, and I promise I will keep you safe.”

  She stared into his eyes and finally whispered, “Why are you being so good to me? You don’t even know me.”

  “I can see you’re a good person, and I know Brigham is not.”

  “Something more than a bad land acquisition happened between you two.”

  He could add insightful to her list of good qualities. Or maybe that wasn’t a quality he wanted in a woman. He shook his head. “He’s … dirty and foul and a pompous loser.” He didn’t want to scare her by bringing up Brigham’s family’s affiliation with the mob, but from what she’d overheard and relayed to him, she’d probably already guessed that.

  “I can agree with you there.” She turned her hand over, and their palms aligned. Her hand wrapped around his and squeezed, and then she quickly leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered before leaning back and pulling her hand free.

  Heath stared at her in shock. He could add impulsiveness and all-around adorableness to the list of her qualities as well. She was very different from the type of woman he usually dated. He barely knew her, but he liked her. If only he knew what he was supposed to do with her until the police sorted out that Brigham had killed his cousin and that she was innocent. Yet if she wasn’t there to defend herself, would the entire force fall for Brigham’s smooth-tongued lies? Not Jed.

  “I’ll just … call Jed,” he managed. His head was all out of sorts from the pressure of her full lips on his cheek and her fruity scent enveloping his senses. He’d always liked light scents, not heavy perfumes. She smelled like sunshine and springtime. He loved winter because of his passion for skiing, but summertime and hikes, mountain bike rides, and swimming in mountain lakes were just as great. He definitely liked her smell.

  He searched through his recent calls and found Jed’s number. Dialing it, he waited and waited before it went to voicemail. He texted instead. Call me as soon as you can.

  Now he had even less direction. He trusted Jed. Heath wouldn’t tell him that Hazel was sitting right here, but he would be able to see if the police truly suspected Hazel or if there was at least some suspicion on Brigham. Brigham had a shady enough past to throw tons of suspicion on him, but Heath was convinced that members of the police force were not only Brigham’s drinking buddies; they were on his payroll as well. He’d put nothing past Brigham.

  His phone rang, and he answered, giving Hazel what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “Jed. How’s it going?”

  “Horrible. I’m on a murder investigation. Sorry, man. Can I call you la—”

  “Are you the lead detective?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  That was great news. He knew his friend wouldn’t bow to pressure or bribes. Hazel was studying him intently.

  “As I was heading to the runway on my plane,” Heath told Jed, “Brigham London pounded on the plane door, demanded to know if I’d seen a woman. Hazel, he called her. He claimed she’d killed his cousin.”

  “I can’t give you any details.” Jed’s voice dropped low and Heath heard him murmur, “Excuse me,” to someone else.

  “I know that. I just wanted to tell you it was odd. Seemed to me like he might’ve killed the cousin.”

  “Hey, I know you hate the guy.” It sounded like he was on the move, and then his voice got louder. “I’m alone now, and I’m with you on Brigham. You’ve only known the scum for two years; I went to high school with him; and I know better than you what he’s capable of.”

  Heath’s stomach rolled at that. He knew exactly what Brigham was capable of. He’d cared deeply for Malee.

  “But the story of this woman killing his cousin is checking out, except the cousin isn’t dead. He’s in a coma.”

  That was at least some good news, but Heath’s stomach churned at Jed acting so matter-of-fact about it. “What do you mean? They have prints?”

  “I don’t think they’ll be able to match prints since she’s disappeared and from the UK, but they found several dark, curly hairs on his sweater that match her description, and the story lines up with the other people who were there.”

  That didn’t look good. What could Heath say to help Hazel? His mind was whirling. Why was her hair on the guy? But that didn’t mean she killed him or tried to kill him. He trusted Hazel, right? He stared into her innocent-looking green eyes. He’d trusted Malee, and she’d betrayed him with Brigham. Maybe he was a bad judge of character where beautiful women were concerned.

  “I’m just asking you to dig deep,” Heath said to his friend. “Make sure you know the truth.”

  “I will. I mean, what if Brigham retaliated for her hurting his cousin, tried to kill her, and that’s why she ran? Her disappearing is too convenient, right?”

  Heath liked the way his friend thought. Even though Jed wasn’t on the right path, he suspected Brigham of foul play. He wouldn’t just let Brigham get away with framing Hazel. “For sure.”

  “What’s in your voice?” Jed knew him too well. “You had contact with the woman?”

  Heath wasn’t sure what to admit to. Jed wouldn’t b
etray him, but he also had a duty to his job. “I did,” he admitted in a rush. He hated that he was going to lie to his friend, but he had to stick up for Hazel. “I spoke briefly with her, told her to hide in my hangar until the police came. She was terrified of Brigham. She said she went back into his hangar because she forgot her phone, and she heard them arguing, then heard Brigham push Jamison. When she left the plane, she thought Jamison was dead. She ran for it and ended up in my hangar.”

  Hazel’s eyes were wide and terrified. Heath put a reassuring hand on hers, ignoring the rush that went through him at the simple touch.

  “So, is she there now? She called 911 but wouldn’t turn herself in. It doesn’t look good for her.”

  “If she turns herself in now, she’s got no hope. She’s not an American citizen, and you know what Brigham is like. Don’t tell me he doesn’t have ‘contacts’ in the police department and shouldn’t already be serving several life sentences. Don’t try to lie to me and say he’s not in thick with the mob.”

  Hazel’s face paled, and Heath wished she hadn’t heard that. She was probably wondering how she’d gotten mixed up with such a man. Heath wondered the same thing. Was she really as innocent as she seemed? As much as Brigham hated him, he could be setting Heath up to take a fall for something. Last he’d heard, the county was going to approve Heath’s expansion into the property he’d secured between his and Brigham’s resorts, but he knew Brigham was ticked that the old man had sold to Heath instead of giving in to Brigham’s bullying.

  Jed pushed out a heavy breath. “I’m not going to lie to you,” he muttered. “He’s crooked all the way through.”

  Heath felt some vindication but also a ripple of fear. His money and prestige were nothing close to what Brigham had. If Brigham really was setting Hazel or Heath up, they were in for a dirty and ugly battle. Heath didn’t mind fighting, but he didn’t want an innocent woman to get caught in the middle. If she was innocent. He prayed desperately that she wasn’t a pawn in Brigham’s arsenal, ready to turn around and implicate Heath in something horrible.