Janey felt her brain turn to mush as she gazed up at him with what she knew was a goofy smile.
“What was that for?” she asked when she could get the words out.
“I see your love for me in your eyes and it blows me away.”
Her heart melted at his words. She moved her hand and stroked his face.
“I’m always going to love you, Drew. You are my life,” she said simply. “Now tell me what got you all concerned just now.”
He kissed her again, then led her to the sofa placed in one corner of their room. He sat down and pulled her onto him. It was his favorite way of sitting. If she was anywhere nearby, he wanted her as close to him as possible. She’d gotten used to it and if she were honest, she really liked it.
“Are you up for a visit to the police department?” he asked.
Janey frowned. “Why? What’s up?”
“It’s Riley’s case. They need to discuss a few things with you.”
At the mention of Riley, Janey stiffened. That was a period of her life she wanted to forget. Then she remembered that if it hadn’t been for the crazy woman’s threats, Drew might not have come back into her life.
She shook her head at the irony. She was beginning to see that life had a way of dealing double hands like that. With one hand it gave you shit, then with the other it looked for a way to compensate. And when it gave you something great, it would also accompany it with something shitty.
She didn’t know if she had become cynical or just realistic.
“We can postpone it if you’re not ready,” Drew said.
But Janey shook her head. “No. It’s best to get it over with, so I can get on with my life.” Whatever she had of it before Mikey Vitale caught up with her.
Drew stared at her with his piercing eyes. “You need to stop thinking that way.”
Janey’s eyes widened in surprise. “What way?”
“We are going to keep you safe. You are going to have a good and long life,” he said forcefully.
Janey gazed at him in wonder. “How is it that you’re able to read my mind?”
Drew’s eyes filled with amusement. “You don’t get it, do you?”
She shook her head.
“Our souls are connected. I know you, Janey.”
She was beginning to realize that he did know her. It was something she’d always struggled with…nobody seemed to understand her or know what to do with her, no one except her sister. It was why she’d ached so much when Diane distanced herself from them when she’d moved to DC.
Gazing into Drew’s eyes, she saw love and acceptance for her, Janey, and it filled her with warmth.
“Okay,” she said and laughed when she saw the confusion in Drew’s eyes.
“Okay, what?”
“I’ll see the cops and I’ll stop thinking negatively.”
His mouth quirked up in a smile. “That’s my girl,” he murmured against her lips.
She went with Drew to the police station and met with the cop in charge of her case. He introduced himself and mentioned that he’d been to see her when she was at the hospital.
Janey vaguely remembered a cop asking her questions while she was at the hospital, after the stuff with Riley. She could not recall his face, though, probably because of the pain meds she’d been taking at the time.
“Miss Sommers has entered a plea of No Contest,” he told her.
“What does that mean?” Janey wanted to know.
“It serves as a guilty plea, but it is not recorded as such. She agrees that she did attempt murder, but is claiming insanity.”
“I believe her,” Janey’s statement was heartfelt. Only an insane person would have pulled off what she did.
“It appears she has a history of schizophrenia.”
Janey nodded. It made sense.
“We would like to go to trial with the case, but the prosecutor thinks that we can get it wrapped up, particularly since she is not contesting the charges.”
“I would prefer if I don’t have to testify.” She never wanted to see that woman again, not even from the dock.
“What I don’t understand is how she was able to get Janey into that closet,” Drew said.
“Or where the hell she got cyanide.” It is something that had bothered Janey. She didn’t know much about poisonous substances, but she was sure they were not sold over the counter.
“She had an accomplice,” the cop told them.
Janey’s heart dropped to her stomach. She didn’t want to believe that Mark would do that to her. Yeah, she knew he was a total shit, but would he really…? She waited for the cop to go on.
“Seems she was dating a young chemistry major from the nearby college. He’s confessed to the whole thing.”
She felt the tension leave her body. She did not care about Mark anymore, but she did not like to think that she’d been so totally wrong about him.
**
Drew slid a glance in Janey’s direction. They were driving back to the B&B from the police station and she looked lost in thought. She had retreated somewhere inside herself where he could not follow. He hated it when she did that. That connection to Janey was something he knew he could never do without.
He reached out and placed a hand on her thigh. She turned and looked at him. He met her gaze and held it for a moment before shifting his back to the road.
“Talk to me.”
She sighed. “There’s just so much going on in my head.”
He waited for her.
“I can’t help thinking about all the stuff Maria Vitale told me…that woman has gone through so much. Makes me feel bad for whining about my life.”
Drew shook his head. “Janey Moore, the last thing you do is whine.”
She took everything that life threw at her and just seemed to roll with it. She did not let her fears paralyze her. He had never met a more incredible woman.
But he got what she meant. The team had met in Emily’s room to strategize and plan their move when Emily’s phone had rung. It turned out to be her mother. Emily’s mother managed the offices at Silver Shield HQ and maintained order there.
After a few minutes of listening silently, Emily handed to phone to Janey.
“It’s Mikey Vitale’s wife,” she’d said.
The announcement had taken them by surprise. Janey had slowly reached for the phone, placed it to her ear and said, “Hello.”
The call had gone on for several hours. Asking for permission, she’d left them and gone back to her room. And even though it was totally safe, thanks to the fact that all their rooms were on the same wing and Rusty had rigged the joint up with several hi-tech security gadgets, Drew had gone after her.
He focused on the present and glanced at Janey, “Why did she decide to reach out to you?”
“She felt responsible for my life being in danger.”
Drew found that hard to believe. What could she possibly have done? He said as much.
Janey shrugged. “After that stuff with Riley, a blog picked up the news. She was reading the post when her husband came in, took one look at my face and went berserk.” She paused. “I just feel so bad for her.”
“Well, hopefully, Ace will have some success with her brother.”
After the phone call, Emily had asked Ace to go talk with Slim. If there was anyone who could put an end to this, it was that cunning bastard. Ace had left for Chicago earlier that day and was expected back the next day.
As they pulled up to the B&B, Drew scanned the area and listened to his gut. Everything seemed clear. He parked right next to the back entrance, then jumped out and hurried to Janey’s side of the car. He got her out and into the building in record time.
He knew that he would die before he let any harm come to Janey, but he also hoped that Ace was able to sort things about before it got to that. The thought of losing Janey terrified him. He didn’t show it, but the fear was there.
When they got back to their room, he picked her up and carried her t
o the large queen-sized bed. They’d made love there just a few hours before, but his need for her ran deep in his bones. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her and he liked it that way.
Just before he kissed her, she cupped his face between her palms and gazed into his eyes searchingly.
“You’re worried, aren’t you?” she asked softly.
He started to shake his head in denial, then he paused and let out a heartfelt sigh.
“I hate seeing you like this,” he confessed. “I still remember the first time I saw you at the airport. The only worry you had then was about your sister. I should never have taken you to Chicago.”
Janey sat up then. “I hate that what happened to my parents happened. Three months later, and they’re still in the hospital. That hurts.” He saw her eyes fill with tears and felt a kick in his chest. She blinked them back and went on, “I hate not knowing what’s going to happen…the uncertainty…” she shook her head, then smiled. “But I can never regret meeting you, or what we have.”
Drew studied her without saying a word. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. He loved her so much. He was not deceived by her soft smile and gentle eyes however. Janey was as stubborn as they came. He knew that it was inevitable that they’d fight. He would rage and get mad, she would silently dig her heels in and refuse to budge.
But the love between them? It was as real as it got.
Chapter Thirty-four
Janey was tired. She was physically and emotionally exhausted and fed up of the waiting game. She reached out and used her hand to search for her phone on the bedside table. She touched the side and the screen lit up. It was four a.m.
She wasn’t surprised. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately. The tension was getting to her in a bad way. She slanted her head and stared at the man sleeping beside her.
She reached out to caress his face, then stopped, her hand suspended mid-air. He also hadn’t been sleeping much. He was always alert, keeping her safe. She slowly withdrew her hand. She needed to let him sleep.
With a sigh, she swung her legs to the floor as she sat up. Why had Mikey not attacked them? They had expected him to move on them as soon as they got to Broken Arrow, but they’d been there for five days now and nothing.
He had to know that they were there. She’d done everything she could to alert him of her presence. She’d logged into her bank, her email and her social media accounts. She’d even updated her profile with a picture of Broken Arrow.
She’d been in and out of the hospital to see her parents. What more could she do to alert the bastard of her whereabouts?
She wanted to pull her hair out in frustration.
What was the psycho waiting for? Why had he not made a move?
These were the questions that kept her up at night. She took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to tamp down on the rising frustration. She didn’t want to do something stupid out of her anxiety, but it was becoming damn hard.
She needed this to be over either way. If the man was going to kill her, then he should just go ahead and get it done already. Not like she wanted to die or anything.
She turned her head to gaze on Drew’s sleeping form. She wanted to live. She wanted to know what it meant to wake up beside this man every day of her life. But more than that, she wanted to live for herself.
She had finally become comfortable in her own skin and she wanted to know what it was like to live her life to the fullest, without regrets or self-hate.
She needed a way to draw the man out. She stood and went into the bathroom, her bladder was full. When she was done, she went to wash her hands. She caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her eyes looked worried.
She didn’t know anything about this lifestyle. She was not kidding herself. She’d only survived this long because of dumb luck, not because of any special skill she possessed. But now, she needed to think like a crazy man. Which was almost impossible.
Still, if she were Mikey Vitale and she’d haunted someone for so long, what would she do when she finally had her prey within her grasp?
Prey. Seriously? She was beginning to take this crazy lifestyle too much to heart. She ran a hand over her hair and tugged at the ends. The pain made her wince. But it was also a reminder that this was damned real.
She cocked her head to one side, still staring at her reflection as she thought about the problem. She supposed she would have done either of two things. She would have moved in on the person immediately or she would mess with their brains.
Mikey Vitale seemed to be the sort that would mess with her brains. He was screwing with her so badly that she knew she was in danger of taking a misstep.
It was time to change the play. She might not know much about dealing with criminal overlords, but she’d learned a thing or two about survival. And sometimes, the only way to survive was to risk it all.
She slipped into a pair of dark stretchy jeans, then pulled off the tee shirt she’d slept in. It was one of Drew’s tees. She pressed it to her face and inhaled deeply, breathing in his unique scent.
She turned and gazed at him. The reflection from the lamps outside shone into the room and showed that he was still fast asleep.
She had no idea how this day was going to turn out, but she really hoped that this wasn’t the last time she would see him.
She dropped the shirt and picked up her bra from where she’d carelessly flung it the night before. Then took out a form fitting tank. Next she slipped on a light jacket to ward off the early morning chill.
Before she left, there were a few things she had to do. She reached inside her purse for the firearm Drew had given her months before. She went everywhere with it. After tucking it into the back of her waist, the way she’d seen the female members of Silver Shield tuck theirs, she walked to the door.
She went to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. She should have been too nervous to drink anything, but a strange sort of calm had enveloped her. For once, she was neither running away nor waiting for someone else to decide what happened in her life.
She took a sip from the coffee cup. She knew what she was doing. She’d felt someone watching her for the last two days. She hadn’t wanted to mention it to Drew because it made her sound paranoid. But she knew whoever was after her life, was right there in Broken Arrow.
And she was going to give herself to him, literally.
She finally felt in control of her life. However this ended, she would know that it was on her own terms.
**
He sat in the dark, unmarked sedan and watched. He was parked in the woods and had been watching for two days. He’d known exactly where they were as soon as they arrived in town, but he’d been summoned.
He swore then. Summoned. Like a common foot soldier! He was the second underboss, the next in line as the head of the Chicago mafia family, and he’d been summoned just like that. Well, he did not give a damn.
He had been given twenty-four hours to leave the country or to make himself impossible to find. He couldn’t believe that Maria had refused to leave Chicago with him. That faithless bitch. He felt his gut twist at the thought of his beautiful wife. She should have stuck with him. It didn’t matter. He didn’t need her anyway.
He kept his gaze focused on the building. He knew they had been expecting him to make a move. But he was now outnumbered. Moving against those Silver Shiel bastards would have been suicide. He needed to get the woman alone.
He knew it was driving them crazy. The waiting. But it was all part of his game plan. The waiting would make them edgy and then they would do something stupid. And that would be his chance.
Since he’d been ex-communicated from the family, he’d had to change his strategy. His plan had been to storm the place and take it down, but he no longer had the foot soldiers. He was on his own, which meant he had to be patient.
There was nothing Mikey Vitale hated more than being patient, except the bitch hiding out inside that B&B. But he could be patient. And it app
eared his patience was about to pay off.
He grabbed his weapon and noiselessly stepped out of the sedan. He moved soundlessly, using the large oak trees to shield him as he walked towards the B&B. The woman had stepped out of the building and was heading towards a van.
He got to the van before she did and crouched down behind it. He waited for her to open the van, then brought the cold metal end of his gun to the base of her skull. She froze and lifted her hands in the universal gesture for surrender.
Yeah, bitch. He had her just where he wanted.
“Go around to the other side,” he ordered.
He marched her to the other side of the car and opened the door.
“Now get in and drive.”
She got into the car and moved over to the driver’s seat. Mikey got into the car with her, then moved the muzzle of the gun to her stomach, where it was invisible to those outside the van.
“What do you want with me?” she asked.
It annoyed him how calm she sounded. She should be freaking out. He had hunted her for several months and she knew her end was near.
He raised the gun and struck her on the face with the butt. Enough to draw blood but not enough to do any major damage.
“You do not get to speak,” he said in a menacing voice. “When I tell you to drive, I mean you should fucking drive.”
She nodded. Using the back of her hand, she wiped the blood dripping from the side of her face, started the engine and pulled out.
Mikey felt the zing of satisfaction course through him. He finally had her. Tommy would get his revenge.
He could have shot her right where she was standing and then headed straight to Texas, then for the border. He probably should have done that.
But nah…that was too fucking easy. He needed to teach her a lesson for everything she’d done.
**
Drew woke up with a start. He knew instantly that something was wrong. He reached out for Janey but her side of the bed was empty. Worse, it was cold, like she hadn’t been there in a while.
“Shit.”
He jumped out of bed and hit the lights. Maybe she was in the bathroom. He barged in there, but there was no one. He walked to the closet. Her things were still there, so she couldn’t have run away again.
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