License to Love (53 page)

Since they’d just made wild, crazy love, he didn’t expect
the feel of her skin on his to send him into a second frenzy. Somehow he had to
get a grip on his hormones, at least for now.

***

Cora woke up with Nick’s arms holding her close, keeping her
warm in the cool house. She stretched, feeling the reminders of their night of
lovemaking. It was a very nice feeling.

Curling up with him in bed, naked, was a very nice feeling
too. It could turn dangerous if she lay there too long. She slowly slid away
from him, found her clothes, and got up so he could sleep. If she were tired
from this week, he must be running on fumes. He had skipped sleep even more
than her.

 She took a quick shower and towel dried her hair before
heading to the kitchen. She found a bag of coffee beans and started a pot. A
beautiful summer day was beginning outside. The sun was rising over the tree
line and burning off the light mist around the house.

“Morning,” Nick said behind her.

Turning and standing on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around
his neck. She couldn’t get enough of him.

When she leaned back and met his gaze, she could read his
concern. His eyes were so expressive when he wanted them to be.

 “What is it?” she asked.

“Herald has an extra gun, and I’d like you to carry it.”

The determination on his face wouldn’t let her argue. On top
of that, she knew he was right. “Okay, but I don’t have a clue how to use one.”

Nick pulled a gun out of a drawer and motioned for her to
step closer. He demonstrated how to turn the safety on and off, load it, aim,
and pull the trigger. Stepping behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and
positioned her hand correctly. “It helps to support your gun hand with the
other. Ideally, to get a good aim at something, you should use a rest. I pray
you won’t ever need to use this information, but I can’t risk it. Here,
practice aiming at a few things.”

Cora nodded, taking aim at the handle of the front door and
then at a tree out the kitchen window. She tried, but couldn’t, forget those
scary seconds at Keith’s house. She had wished for a gun then, something she
never thought she would wish for in her life.

“Coffee’s done,” she said, while nervously checking the
safety on the gun and setting it in the corner of the counter. He was watching
her while he poured coffee for them, so she added, “I’ll take it with me.”

Nick nodded and handed her a container of powdered creamer.
“There’s no milk or creamer, but I have this if you don’t mind it.”

“You have everything here. That worked out nicely,” she
said.

“I like to be prepared. I actually set everything up here in
case I needed to bring you here to hide out. This was supposed to be your safe
house while I figured out how to get Jerry out too.” He sighed and rubbed the
bridge of his nose. “I planned for several different possibilities…”

She was shocked and touched by how he had been trying to
protect her the entire time.

“But Alexander followed us,” she said, finishing his
thought. Adam came in the front door as she spoke.

“Morning to you both,” he greeted. “I know we didn’t hear
anything during the night, but I thought I’d check for any signs that someone
was here.”

“I don’t think there’s any way Keith or Alexander can know
about this place.” Nick poured another cup of coffee and handed it to Adam.

“You’d be surprised,” Adam said, “I think we should get out
of here, go somewhere completely unconnected with any of us.”

“They can’t look everywhere, but you’re right, we shouldn’t
push our luck.”

Cora had her cup to her mouth for a sip, but something made
her pause.
Looking everywhere.
After sleeping so well, she felt like
she’d missed something. She was supposed to look for something…from her dad!
“My file.”

Nick stopped midsentence while talking to Adam. “What?”

“On the way to the hospital, my dad said to look at my file.
I think he meant the CD I found at his house.”  Nick and Adam both raised their
eyebrows at her. “I can’t believe I forgot about it.”

“Well, it’s not surprising you forgot, not after
everything,” Nick said. He shared a look with Adam before turning back to her.
“Do you have it here?”

 Her shoulders sank. “I found it at Dad’s house… and then
Alexander found me.”

The light faded in Nick’s eyes too, but then relit. “If he
has it, he isn’t tracking us down. That’s probably what he needs.”

“He doesn’t know he has it.” She rinsed her mug and placed
it in the dishwasher. Caffeine was the last thing she needed right now. “I
wasn’t sure who I could trust. I kept it hidden until the morning I went to
Keith’s house, and then I put it in the glove box in Alexander’s car before he
got in. So hopefully he doesn’t know it’s there.”

“That’s it,” Adam said. “We need that CD.”

Nick didn’t look up when he said, “Cora, you would have said
if you opened the file, or files, right?” He rubbed his stubble, forming plans
already.

“I didn’t get the chance. I never even took it out of the
bag. The bag! It had a note and a key with it, but I’m not sure if they mean
anything to us.”

Nick threw his hand out in surprise, spilling coffee in the
process. “The key! On the phone Keith said he wanted the key.”

She gasped. “Do you think Alexander or Jerry put that money
in a safe deposit box?” Cora finally understood the importance of the key, but
she didn’t think Alexander locked the money away. “Alexander was depositing
money slowly into the trust fund with my name on it. Then the money disappeared
into a safe deposit box, and my dad had the key. Do you think my dad discovered
Alexander’s activities and moved the money?”

“So Keith couldn’t accuse Jerry of stealing it?” Nick spoke
thoughtfully. “I think that’s it. So in a way, Jerry did steal the money from
Alexander.”

“He moved someone else’s stolen money.” Adam let out a sad
laugh. “Guess it’s all how you look at it.”

Cora pictured the rest of the story. “Then Alexander
threatened Jerry, but he didn’t get his money so he went to Keith. He accused
Jerry of stealing the money from Keith. Jerry didn’t have any way to prove that
Alexander was behind it.”

“Jerry was trapped. That’s when Alexander presented the idea
of kidnapping you. What could Jerry do?” Nick asked.

“Wait.” Cora suddenly wasn’t so sure. “At that point, he
could have explained what happened and told Keith where his money was.”

“And look guilty as sin.” Adam knew Keith and the rest of
the family. “Keith would’ve shot him on the spot.”

“I think we’re on the right track finally,” Nick said. “And
now we know why Keith wants to get a hold of Cora.”

Half an hour later, they crowded into Herald’s car again and
headed back to Eugene. Adam drove this time. Herald’s gray hair stuck up
everywhere as he gulped his coffee. Cora felt a twinge of guilt that he was
involved. It looked like it was taking a toll on him. Nick noticed too. He
squeezed Herald’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping us. I’m sorry I got you
involved.”

Herald turned in his seat and she caught sight of a gleam in
his eyes. “You’d do the same for me, Nick, and I’m glad I’m helping you stand
up to Keith and the rest of them. It feels good.”

Adam whooped in agreement. “You can say that again.”

It was amazing that Nick and Adam were both good people
despite the family they came from. Thank goodness they had each other growing
up.  

“I’ve been wondering,” Nick whispered to her, “just how did
you get off that mountain?”

Her eyes lowered. Nick’s hand cupped her face so she’d look
at him. “Please don’t worry about it, I was just curious.”

After a minute’s thought, Cora decided to tell him. “I
jumped in the river and floated my way down to a road.”

A crease formed between Nick’s eyebrows. “Didn’t that take a
while?”

She nodded as the memories of that day filled her mind.
“Then I found a ride back to Eugene and went to my dad’s house.”

“And found the CD.” Nick filled in the rest for her, but
then he caught something in her expression, maybe hurt. He brushed her hair
back from her face. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s not that.” She paused. “Not really... My mother’s
seashell collection was broken all over the floor.”

“I’m sorry, babe. That’s rough.”

 Nick could understand what it was like to lose a link to
her mother. They fell silent while she lay on his chest with her arm around
him.

In the front seat, Adam was in the midst of an explanation
to Herald about the CD that Cora had found at her father’s house. They’d gotten
ready and jumped in the car so quickly that they hadn’t explained everything to
him.

Herald glanced back and realized Nick and Cora were
listening too. “So if we find his car, we’ll find the CD?”

“I’m betting he’s ditched that car by now.” Cora thought
aloud. “But since he didn’t put any personal items in the glove compartment, I
don’t think he would have looked in there. Maybe it was a rental.” Maybe, she
hoped, the CD was still in the glove compartment or in a lost and found
somewhere.

“Our only hope is that he didn’t see the CD.”

“Say we get it, then what?” Adam asked. “We need to all be
on the same page.”

“We’ll see what’s on it,” Herald said while turning to Adam.
“Then you and I can copy it and go to the police if we find useful evidence.
I’ll call the detective in charge of the case and see what new information has
surfaced. Who knows, maybe they found the gun. Maybe they found some other
evidence at the crime scene that vindicates Cora. After all, she’s a lot
shorter than Keith . . . and Jerry’s blood was all over her. That doesn’t
happen if you’re across the room.”

“Great plan,” Adam said, “if we can find that car.”

Why had she left it there? At the time, it seemed the best
way to keep it safe. Now it turned out it was the best way to lose it or hand
it over to Alexander.

“Right. First things first.” Nick turned to Cora. “Do you remember
the make of the car?”

She searched her mind, annoyed that she didn’t take note of
every detail. Admittedly, she was focused on a more important goal that day:
rescuing her father.

“Oh, yeah. It was expensive. Sporty, silver paint, and
something new.”

Nick glanced at Adam and said, “Sounds like Keith’s BMW,
doesn’t it?”

“Alexander did borrow it a lot.”

Cora laid her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes. Maybe
it was an easy break to know where the CD was, but Keith’s garage was one of
the worst possible places to break into right now.

“How will we get it back?” she asked them while Herald
asked, “What are we up against?”

“Guards, an alarm system, and surveillance.”

Cora felt her lungs tighten. They were nearing town and she
feared they were on another crazy mission. They could just run, but that would
leave Jerry. She couldn’t pull him out of the hospital. “Look how it turned out
before.”

 “We don’t have to sneak into the garage. That might be
impossible.” Nick was still working through the details in his head and Herald
turned around so he would be able to hear. “Okay . . . Adam watches the house
and calls me when any of the vehicles leave, and we follow it. When someone
leaves the car, I can hide in the trunk. Once they return to Keith’s, I’ll be in
the garage and can search through the other cars.”

“How will you get back out?” Cora exclaimed. “And what if
they find you?”
They’d kill him
.

“I’d have to wait till someone takes the car back out again.
I can’t think of another way.”

Herald remained silent in the driver’s seat. Adam glanced at
Nick in the mirror, but he didn’t argue. She didn’t want to risk his life. When
she met his gaze, and saw his determination, she knew he needed this. He wanted
to bring them down. She needed to clear her father.

Adam pulled over in town so he could get out and make his
way to the Holloway property on foot. Herald jumped in the driver seat in case
Nick needed to hide. They drove the other way, discussing the plan. Actually,
Nick was planning and she was trying to think of another option. Adam called
within the hour. 

Nick listened for a minute and then told them, “It’s our
lucky day! Two vehicles left, including the BMW. We can intersect them on 34
^th
.”  

Herald turned around and sped off.

“How many cars does one man need?” Cora asked. “Wait, forget
that. We’re just lucky he decided to take the BMW out.” Relief washed over her
as she realized that Nick didn’t need to endanger himself with his original
plan. He’d just have to try to break into the car without getting spotted.

A few minutes later, they spotted the white Avalanche and
BMW and followed the cars at a safe distance, with both Nick and Cora crouched
down on the floor in back seat.

“I think they’re pulling over up ahead. Good, a parking
deck,” Herald announced.

He turned and parked on the other side of the level,
watching in his rear view mirror as several men from each vehicle got out and
left together.

“Wonder what they’re up to.” Nick lifted himself to peer
through the back window.

“I’d like to know too, but let’s just find that CD and run.”

“I like that idea,” Cora agreed. “I’ve put all of you in
enough danger already.”

Nick squeezed her shoulder. “You didn’t, Cora.”

She met his gaze, understanding. He had a look of steel
determination in his eyes.  

Herald made a sweep past the vehicles, making sure no one
stayed behind to watch them, and then parked several spaces down.

“Do you still have a key?” she asked him. It had just
occurred to her that maybe he could let himself in instead of breaking into the
car.

“Thanks to Adam.” Nick slipped out his door and crept toward
Keith’s vehicles.