In Her Sights (18 page)

Luke unlocked the door to his house with relief. At least she’d be safe for a while. Actually, on the ride over, Jasmine admitted it was Luke’s computer setup that had finally convinced her to come home with him. He didn’t care why she’d agreed. She was here now.

A soft click of the front door and a twist of the deadbolt shut them in. He slipped the key into his pocket and watched as she strode past a jam-packed wall of family photographs and into the living room. He couldn’t remember a time they hadn’t headed straight for the bedroom when they had come to his house. The fire between them had burned hot, but not deep. He’d never known her. Not really. He knew how to touch her and caress her to drive her wild with passion, but he hadn’t seen her heart. He’d understood her dedication to the job, had admired that she’d fought for a place on SWAT, but he hadn’t look past the external cues. He’d been a fool.

Her gait stiffened over the hardwood floors as she navigated around a pink princess puzzle, several stuffed animals, and Joy’s latest sparkly, twirly dress. “This wasn’t a good idea, Luke. What if I bring the trouble here?”

“My investigation’s already done that. Now we’ve got to fix it. Have a seat,” he said, nodding toward the sofa. He sat down next to her and sighed as he took in her features. The lack of sleep showed. Dark circles rimmed her eyes; lines of fatigue etched her face. Delayed shock had done the rest. Her body was shutting down. He stroked his thumb across her cheekbones, just under the shadows beneath her eyes. “How long since you slept?”

“I have no idea.”

“While you rest, I’ll use a few computer tricks to look for the red Pinto. It’ll take some time. Do you realize how many there are in the greater Denver metropolitan area? It’s easier since the company discontinued them, but I need to narrow the search. I’ll start with Tower and hope something pops. Then we work with what we know: a person in your past who knows everything about you.”

She squirmed in her seat and shook her head, avoiding his eyes. “I’ll look at the list when I wake up to see if I recognize anyone.”

“We don’t have time for secrets. Not anymore. Whoever ransacked your apartment has gone over the edge. He wants you dead. If it’s Tower, he’s a cop. He’s a sniper. He could kill you at any time. And we need to identify his accomplice.” Luke lifted her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “Time’s up, Jasmine. You have to trust me. I’ll help you if you just tell me the truth.”

She shoved him aside and stood, her body trembling as if the worries of days, even years, vibrated just beneath the surface. “You’re lying. You didn’t help Derek. You judged him.”

“That was different. He broke the law when he withheld information. He became a criminal. I promise you, I’ll be there for you.”

“No one’s ever stood by me,” she scoffed. “No one but Sheriff Clarkson. Why should I believe you? What if
I’m
a criminal, Luke? What would you do then?”

“It wouldn’t happen.”

“Really. How about we test your theory? What if I told you that when I was fourteen I was scared and desperate and did things I’m not proud of just to survive? What if I told you I was arrested?” She turned her back to him, her spine stiff and defensive.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked. He’d never seen her this raw, this close to a meltdown.

“Doing what?” She spun and faced him. “I thought you
wanted
the truth. ‘The truth will set you free.’ Isn’t that your credo?”

“Jasmine—”

“Did you know it’s hard for a fourteen-year-old with a past to find work or a place to live? I had nowhere to go.” Her voice shook with pent-up emotion as the flood of what she’d hidden all those years exploded. She shifted her gaze from his face, staring instead into space, as if the memories were playing in front of her. “Sometimes the hunger got so bad my stomach would cramp until I couldn’t stand up from the pain. But other times…I thought I would just rather go to sleep and die.”

“Oh, Jasmine.”

She stepped back and stared at her feet. “No. Don’t…say…anything.”

What had gone so wrong that she’d been left unprotected? Fourteen. A child. How had she survived? Luke couldn’t bear to think of his Joy fighting for her life that way. But Joy had his family. Why would Jasmine believe she could depend on him now? She’d been all alone, with no one to count on.

His battle experience did him no good. Somehow he had to convince her to trust him when she wouldn’t even look at his face. Her entire body stood erect, the tension palpable, warning him not to come near, even though his every instinct screamed at him to hold her.

“When it got that bad, I had no choice,” she said. “I walked the streets. I didn’t sell my body,” she rushed out. “I couldn’t bear to become like my mother, but I did set up the Johns. I was tall for my age. I played the part, lured them in, then kneed them in the family jewels and took what cash I could for a few meals. Clarkson caught me.”

He’d known she possessed a fighter’s heart, but he hadn’t realized the true level of her courage. Luke could barely stand still. One wrong word or move from him, and she’d spring for the door. She waited for him to judge her. Well, he’d prove to her that some people in this world were steadfast.

“Sheriff Clarkson didn’t look at me like I was dirt, the way everyone else had. He gave me a second chance. He believed the system had failed to protect me, and he wanted to set things right. No one else had ever cared. He looked out for me…and he never asked for anything in return—never touched me, never insisted that I…”

Luke didn’t want to think about what she must’ve faced, but the images flew through his mind like a horror movie. He longed to touch her, to pull her into his arms, but he feared she would bolt. He was beginning to understand, to see the story of her life before Colorado. He hated that he hadn’t been there to protect her.

“I always thought eventually Clarkson would demand
benefits
. In my world, no man gave anything without wanting something in return.” She shuddered. “I was so scared. Like a wounded animal unable to trust anyone. After he took me in, some nights, I’d hear a noise and would be sure it was him. That tonight would be the night he’d show he was just like all the men my mother
entertained
. But he never did.”

A few minutes alone with the bastards who thought they could victimize a child like her—that’s all Luke wanted. Clarkson had saved more than her life. He’d saved her soul.

She lifted her gaze. “Do you really think Sheriff Clarkson would ever speak to anyone?”

“No,” he said. “That kind of man wouldn’t betray you. Is he why you became a cop?”

“I wanted to save people.” She rubbed her eyes. “And I wanted to start fresh. Sheriff Clarkson helped me gain emancipation, expunge my juvenile record and change my name. We erased my past. Or so I thought. After two years fighting the system, he brought me here when I was sixteen to start over. He found me an apartment in a building his old war buddy, Mr. Peterson, owned. The sheriff even set it up for me to get my G.E.D. and apply to Metro State.”

“He was a good man.”

“The best. He believed in the gray. In me. It’s legal to answer ‘no’ to any questions regarding juvenile arrests if your record’s been expunged. So did I lie to the cops? Did I lie to you? I didn’t tell the entire truth.” She shrugged. “Sometimes it’s the only way to survive.”

“Jasmine—”

“Now you know the truth,” she said. “I’ve stolen. I’ve been arrested for prostitution. My mother was a whore. I changed my name to escape my past. Are you
still
going to stand by me?”

He couldn’t begin to tell her how wrong she was about him. He simply stared at her, stunned.

“That’s what I thought,” she muttered.

Jasmine raced for the door. She swiped at her eyes with her sleeve and fumbled at the deadbolt, giving Luke just enough time to reach her and whirl her in his arms, pinning her against the door. Her face, streaked with tears, tore at his soul. He had to make her believe him.

“What will you do if I don’t let you leave? If I
do
stand by your side? What then?”

She paused, open-mouthed. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s your turn to listen to me. You know what I’ve learned about you? I don’t see a thief or a liar. You’ve overcome more obstacles than most people will ever face in a lifetime. The girl you were shaped the woman you are, and she’s amazing and beautiful and…you’re a hero.”

Her face crumpled and she sagged against him, shuddering with an emotional avalanche.

“Jasmine, if you wanted to frighten me off, you failed.” He wiped a tear from her cheek. “Because you’re not even close to scaring me away. You’ve made me want you more.”

He shifted, sliding his jeaned leg between hers so she could feel the power she had over him. She shivered against him, pressing into his length. His entire body hardened in a desire he could barely control. He’d been waiting for this since the moment he’d seen her again. Hell, he’d been waiting since she’d walked out the door two years ago. Her alone with him, just a few steps from his bedroom.

“I want you, Jasmine. Badly.” He lowered his head, nipped lightly at her ear and nuzzled her neck, smiling as her pulse jumped beneath his lips.

She sighed and went limp. He kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheek. His hands stroked her arms and he linked his fingers with hers. When he glanced down, he couldn’t tell where her hand stopped and his began. He squeezed tight so she’d know he was there. Unmoving, not leaving.

“Even after what I told you?” she whispered.

Luke pulled back and studied the top of her bowed head. With a gentle hand, he tilted her chin up and stared into the caution on her face. He lifted her hand to his lips and turned her palm over to kiss the inside of her wrist, relishing the racing pulse, knowing he was the cause. “I want you now more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”

Jasmine gulped in a tear-choked breath. “I didn’t think…”

“What? That I wouldn’t want to taste you?” He nuzzled at her wrist, worked his way up her arm to her elbow, and breathed in deeply. “Inhale your scent?”

His entire body throbbed with longing. He met her gaze, trembling with desire. “Need you?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her hold almost desperate. She grabbed his shoulders, running her hands down his arms, his chest, circling his waist, and finally to his hips. “I want you too,” she said.

“Your wish—”

She fastened her lips to his, her mouth begging for entrance. He let her have her way with him. He gloried in the taste of her. With a low groan, Luke scooped her into his arms, cradling her against his chest, reveling as she turned into him, her lips exploring his chin, his cheek, his temple. Shoving aside any doubts, he held her fast and kicked open the bedroom door.

It was a perfect afternoon. The child and her grandmother playing, without a care or worry.

The peace wouldn’t last long. The terror would begin soon.

A stand of trees shielded all the intentions. Plastic gloves protected an identity Jane would know soon enough. There would be no fingerprints.

It had been a good day, and it was about to get better.

A duffle bag dropped to the ground, in it the pair of Arvada Police Academy sweats and a crowbar, as well as the GPS tracking device to be used later. Last, and most important right now, a bright red ball peeked into view.

A perfect lure for an innocent young girl.

With a few swift strokes of a magic marker, a quick message—one Luke and Jane would very much understand—decorated the ball.

The lovers needed a wake-up call. Once Luke Montgomery understood the price of associating with the enemy, Jane would learn what it was like to be all alone, to lose everyone.

The blond-haired imp laughed as a bright swing flew higher and higher. The grandmother smiled indulgently with each push of the toy. They were naïve. They were happy.

As she had once been. Too long ago to remember. Before Jane Sanford had ruined everything.

The girl jumped from the swing and whispered to her grandmother, who nodded and turned toward a tree, hiding her eyes for an obvious game of hide and seek.