Rescuing A Runaway Bride (11 page)

“A ghost.”

“Well a shadowy figure anyway. It seemed to be following me.”

Jake suddenly went still. “Tell me everything
¼
now.”

Well the demand wasn’t very comforting but she’d expected this reaction. “When I busted it across the property to cut Kathy off at the pass I got this creepy feeling someone was watching me. It was getting pretty dark by then so I can’t be absolutely sure. Except that when I got back on the porch I think that he may have shown himself on purpose. Then in the blink of an eye he vanished. As I was running back to the cabin, I heard him laugh.” Samantha shuddered at the memory. “Think my road rage driver figured out where I’m staying. After all he just had to drive by and see my car in the driveway.

She gazed down at Jake. Did he believe her, or did he think she was hysterical? His grim expression told her that he believed her all right.

Then he smoothed a hand down her back settling her. “Don’t worry about it, baby. I’ll take care of everything.”

She settled against him deciding his suggestion sounded perfect to her. She’d like nothing better than to be wrapped up in him.

* * * *

The next evening, Kathy sat down at the dinette table and flicked a long-suffering look Jake’s way. “I’m still not thrilled about involving these two civilians.” She gestured to Samantha and Tad.

Jake nodded. “I agree with you, but they involved themselves. I figured it would be better to keep them where I can keep an eye on them.”

Samantha frowned at the pithy exchange. “I, for one, don’t appreciate being talked about like I’m not here. What am I supposed to do, sit around here twiddling my thumbs?” She knew Jake’s caution had escalated a hundredfold because of her disclosures last night.

Jake turned to her. “I’ve been thinking about that. I changed my mind about your duties. I want you to go with Kathy and Tad. I’m not leaving you here all alone.”

“With the way you have this place wired you know this is the safest place to be. Besides you promised me that I could help and we have your two-way radios so I won’t be alone. You and I will be in constant communication.”

He hesitated for a moment, and then sighed. “You win. I suppose you’ll be safe enough here. You can watch my back, but nothing else. If you see anyone coming, you’re to warn me and stay put. I don’t want a repeat of your boathouse caper.”

Samantha smiled and gave him a sharp salute.
“Yes, sir.
I can obey orders, just you wait and see.”

Jake scowled at her attempt at humor and turned to Tad. “You and Kathy had better get going. We’ve got an hour until the appointed meeting time. We’ll give him ample time to show and, after that, we’ll meet back here and plot out our plan of attack.”

Samantha stood up, walked around the table, and into his arms. “You will be careful, won’t you?”

Jake smiled as he embraced her. “Don’t worry, sunshine, I won’t take any chances.” He leaned down to brush a scorching kiss across her lips. Drawing back, he whispered, “I want to stay healthy to teach you love lesson number three. It’s a pure delight.”

Samantha felt herself blush a little as she watched him walk away. She turned to see Tad and Kathy staring at her. Kathy had a big grin on her face and Tad looked stunned. She shrugged. They were a couple now. Soon everyone would know.

Kathy stood up. “Okay, Tad, how about you and I get this show on the
road.
”

“Be right with you.” Tad hesitated a moment to say, “Be careful, sis.”

Samantha knew he was referring to more than this evening’s adventure. “Don’t worry about me, Tad. I’m in very good hands.”

Kathy flashed an impish grin. “So we saw.”

Tad shook his head. “I can’t get over it.
You and the goon.”

“Please don’t call him that. He happens to be a very nice man.”

“Yeah.
When it suits him to act that way.”
Tad turned and walked away.

Samantha ignored Tad’s statement, and grabbed a thermos off the counter. She had a job to do, so she might as well get to it. She headed for the loft ladder, taking a moment to make sure any remnants of panic were kept at bay, and then began to climb.

Taking her place by the bedroom window, she got ready for a long, slow night. She peered through the telescope. Nothing moved except the inky ripples of waves on the lake. It was a chilly evening. Shivering, Samantha pulled her sweater closer around her.

Just then something in the room went snap. Samantha startled and looked around. She was the only one in the room. She heard the sound again and realized it was coming from the two-way radio Jake had left on the nightstand. It made another crackling noise. She reached for it, pushing the button. “Jake, is that you?”

“Who else?”

Samantha smiled at his reply. “I don’t see a soul moving out there.”

“It’s a bit early yet. Sit back, relax, and keep watch. Let me know if you see anyone approach. This is probably a wild goose chase, but if he does show I expect him to come by boat.”

“Okay,” she said, sighing. It was going to be a long, boring night. Extended cloak-and-dagger work like this was far from her comfort zone. On the bright side, once they solved this mystery, she looked forward to building a relationship with Jake. She opened the thermos and poured herself a cup of the steaming brew. The coffee’s aroma helped to fortify her spirits.

As she lifted the cup to her lips, she heard the distant hum of an outboard motor.

Good grief, someone was coming. She spun toward the window, splashing her hand with hot coffee. Wincing at the stinging burn, she set down the cup and turned to peer out the telescope. A distant motorboat slowly made its way toward the boathouse. It was running without lights, and in the dark, it almost blended in with the water. She reached for the radio, excitement and dread warring within her. “Jake, I see them coming.”

No answer.

Samantha frowned. Where was he? Could something have gone wrong so soon? “Jake, are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here. I hear the boat, too. How far away is it?”

“About fifty yards.”
She kept her gaze riveted on the dark boat scuttling toward them. Its stealthy approach seemed very menacing in the dark of night.

“How many people are in the boat?”

“It’s hard to tell. They’re running without lights. I can see the silhouette of one man.”

“Okay, stand by.”

“Be careful, Jake, whatever you do. Your life is worth more than this case.”

Samantha watched, frozen with apprehension, while the boat crept toward the dock. The pilot blended into the darkness like an apparition.
Is Jake right? Is this a new fall guy heading their way? Or is it someone more sinister?

The motor shut off, and she watched the boat glide up to the dock. This was where she’d helped out last night, but this time Jake wouldn’t be dealing with an innocent kid like Tad. She felt a powerful need to run outside and help, but the knowledge that she could ruin everything kept her at her post. “Jake, he’s out of the boat and heading your way.”

“Thanks, sunshine,” Jake whispered back. “Now, let’s maintain radio silence. And
remember,
don’t get any bright ideas about coming out here to help me. If things look bad, call the cops.”

Samantha waited breathlessly for some sound to tell her Jake had the upper hand, but heard only silence. She bit her lip, knowing she couldn’t call out to him for fear of giving him away. She kept her eyes glued to the telescope and listened hard. Then a shot rang out and her heart leapt in her throat. Jake was hurt. She could feel it. Forgetting her promise, she ran outside to find Jake crumpled on the ground, his men converging, and the sound of a motorboat roaring away.
She made it to Jake’s side just as Emergency Services did and crouched next to him sobbing as she saw the bloody hole in his shoulder. The furious look he pinned her with was almost enough to kill her but she knew it was just the pain making him reject her. “Oh my god, help him,” she cried out vaguely aware of Kathy and Tad coming alongside her.

Jake gave her a lingering look and then cut his glance to Kathy. “Get her the hell away from me, now.”

She let out an appalled gasp as he shook off her touch picked
himself
off the ground and strode up to the ambulance feeling rejected all over again. My god did he blame her for all this? Well her family was to blame. She stood up a bit wobbly as the ambulance tore out of there.

“You okay, sis?” Tad asked, touching her shoulder.

She doubted that she’d ever be okay again but she nodded mutely.

“Come on let’s do what he said and get her the hell out of here,” Kathy said.

Samantha let them load her into the police car feeling numb. All the color had gone out of her day. But at least Jake was still breathing. That was something to be thankful for, even if he’d dumped her.

* * * *

Two hours later she
reluctantly let Kathy treat the burn on her hand. She’d been so upset she hadn’t really felt it until her friend slicked on the burn ointment. Then answering a half-million questions Kathy’s superior officer peppered her with Samantha sagged back in her seat in the interrogation room exhausted. Tad, she knew, was undergoing a harder going over by the FBI agent assigned to the case. Unfortunately she couldn’t tell them a damned thing to help. If only she knew who was responsible for the attempt on Jake’s life, she’d gleefully tell them.

“Here I think you could use this,” Kathy said, thrusting a cup of coffee at her.

Samantha clutched it inhaling the coffee’s bracing aroma trying to center her thoughts. “Thanks.” One thing she knew for sure was that she needed to check on Jake, make sure he was okay. Then she saw Tad heading her way and surged to her feet. “You okay?”

He nodded. “I’m fine, sis. Let’s go home.”

Samantha stood still. “I need to go to the hospital, check on Jake
¼
”

“He checked himself out,” Kathy said, adding softly, “Besides he doesn’t want to see you.”

It was like being doused with cold water but it was true. Samantha sucked up her pride and managed to nod. “Then he’s okay?”

Kathy nodded. “As for how you can get home, he had your car brought round along with your things.”

“But Jerry’s body shop wasn’t going to get to it until next week.”

Kathy shrugged. “Apparently he pulled a few strings.”

He sure as heck wanted to get rid of me fast.
Good golly the repairs must have cost a fortune. He’d even taken care of the old dings and abrasions. Maybe it proved he cared a little bit. Yeah then why is he sending you packing? There’s only one good way for me to find out, track my reluctant erotica instructor down in Chicago and ask him.

“Will you slow down?” Tad exclaimed as she stepped on it.

“Take it easy, little brother. I’ll get you home in one piece. I’m on a mission to save my reluctant hero.” She didn’t like the worried frown Tad gave her.

“Sis, he told you to go home. You should listen to him.”

“That was just the pain talking. He didn’t mean it,” she shot back, wishing she could be sure.
Then she cranked on some tunes to drown out any objections Tad might have. She didn’t need his doubts exacerbating her own. All she knew was that she had to fight for Jake’s love.

Hours later she pulled into her parents’ driveway knowing she had to mend some fences there and set things right. She was through running thanks to Jake and she had to see this probably unpleasant task through.