Sanders 01 - Silent Run (11 page)

Jake frowned. “I'm not going to go any easier on you than Dylan would,” he warned.

“I didn't ask you to. But I'm not going to keep defending myself. Now you can drive me to the scene of the accident, or I'll call a cab. Your choice."

“Well, you do have all that cash,” he said with a touch of sarcasm.

“I'm sure I have a good reason for having that money,” she said, but despite her brave words, she wasn't sure at all.

* * *

After checking out with the nurse, who didn't look at all happy that Sarah was leaving without an official discharge from the doctor, Sarah and Jake walked into the hospital lot, where Jake had parked his sporty, dark gray Jeep Cherokee. As he opened the car door for her, Sarah glanced over her shoulder, her gaze darting nervously around the parking lot. She felt as if someone were watching them, but she couldn't see anyone. Still, the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up, telling her to be careful. She had only her instincts to rely on, and her gut told her that whoever had tried to kill her wasn't far away.

“What's wrong?” Jake asked, following her gaze.

“I don't know -- something,” she murmured.

Jake took off his leather jacket and tossed it on the backseat, then got behind the wheel. Once he was inside, Sarah flipped the lock button on the car. As soon as she'd done it a flash of uncertainty assailed her. Was she locking the danger out or locking it in?

For the first time since she'd woken up in the hospital, she was alone with a man, away from any other help whatsoever. There was no nurse nearby to come to her rescue, no security guard keeping an eye on her. Jake had told her not to trust anyone -- but what about him? Could she trust him?

She cast Jake a quick glance as he started the car. She was suddenly acutely aware of everything about him, his broad shoulders, his strong arms, his long fingers gripping the steering wheel. Jake had a definite rough-around-the-edges appeal. Something stirred within her, a flutter through her abdomen, a tingle down her spine, a jolt of desire that shocked her. As her gaze drifted to his hands she could almost feel his fingers stroking her skin, running through her hair, touching her in intimate, arousing ways.

“What?” Jake suddenly demanded, his voice breaking through her reverie. “What are you remembering?"

Startled, she lifted her gaze to his, feeling a rush of warmth spread across her face. As Jake stared back at her his eyes darkened, and a flash of desire sparked and took hold. She shivered at the look in his eyes. He hated her, but he wanted her, and that made him hate her even more.

“Dammit, Sarah,” he repeated. “What are you trying to do?"

She put her fingers to her lips. “I... you... you touched me,” she said softly. “Kissed me."

“About a million times,” he said huskily, his eyes narrowing on her face. “You're starting to remember us together?"

She knew he wanted her to say yes, but it wasn't that easy. “It was more of a feeling than a memory. I was looking at your hands, and I could feel them on me.” She glanced away, uncomfortable and awkward. She'd once been intimate with this man. They'd made love. They'd had a baby together. And now they were strangers... except that her body was starting to recognize him even though her brain still refused to cooperate.

“That's it? That's all you've got?” Jake asked, frustration in his voice.

“It's something, isn't it?"

“I don't know. Maybe you've just decided to play me in a different way."

She sat back in the seat and crossed her arms as she stared out the front window. “What does that mean?"

“It means don't try to flirt with me,” he warned. “Don't try to remind me that we once had something. That's over. Got it? You have no power over me whatsoever. Look at me, Sarah."

She really didn't want to, but there was no refusing the command in his voice.

“I don't want you anymore,” he said bluntly, anger burning in his eyes. “I don't care about you at all. I just care about finding my daughter."

“I get it."

“You'd better.” He turned his head, staring straight ahead now. “The attraction is gone. You're not going to seduce me into forgetting what you did to me, so don't even try. I'm in charge now. I'm calling the shots."

“Then why can't you look at me?” she asked. He'd wanted this moment between them. In fact, he'd demanded it. Yet, now that it was here, he couldn't look her in the eye. Was he afraid of what he might reveal?

“Because I can't stand the sight of you,” he replied.

Was that the truth? Or was he trying to cover up the fact that his feelings about her were nowhere near as clear as he'd just stated? She sensed that he was far more conflicted than he was willing to let on.

Turning the key, Jake gunned the engine and pulled out of the parking spot with a squeal of tires.

She grabbed onto the armrest to steady herself. “I can see that you're in complete control,” she said sharply. “Would you slow down?"

“I'm in a hurry to find my daughter. Then the two of us will be done."

They wouldn't be done; they'd just be beginning. Because there was no way she would let him walk away with Caitlyn without a fight. She knew she had a good reason for taking their child. She just had to remember what it was.

Jake slowed down as they passed through the small downtown area of Los Olivos, where a large banner on Main Street announced an upcoming wine festival. As they left town, heading toward the mountains that would eventually take them to the coast, the landscape grew more rural. They passed vineyards, olive groves, horse farms, and even a few celebrity ranches. The scenery was lush and calm, sunshine bathing the rolling hills in a peaceful light. It was hard to believe that just two nights ago she'd been running for her life on these very roads. Actually, according to Deputy Manning, she'd been driving in from the coast, so maybe there was no reason why she'd recognize the scenery. She'd gotten into her accident long before she'd reached this stretch of road.

As they turned off the main highway onto a much less traveled route, Sarah's tension began to grow. The road began to climb, winding through the mountains, the area becoming more desolate. The canyons off to the side were dark and deep.

“The accident scene is just up there,” Jake said, consulting the notes he'd jotted down earlier. “Dylan said that coming from this direction there's a turnout about a quarter mile after the point where your car went over the side. We can park there."

Sarah didn't bother to reply. Her gaze was focused on the fluttering strip of yellow danger tape that clung to the edges of the smashed guardrail on her side of the road. From what everyone had told her, she'd been coming from the other direction. She'd taken the turn too fast, crossed the highway, and gone over the side, narrowly missing a car coming from the direction she was currently traveling.

Jake slowed down as they drove by the spot where her car had plunged off the side of the cliff. It was a steep descent down to the bottom of the canyon, the hillside filled with rocks, boulders, trees and other brush. He continued down the road until he could pull over at the turnout.

As soon as he'd parked the car, Sarah got out and walked over to the edge of the road where a waist-high rail prohibited her from slipping down the hillside. As she gazed into the canyon, she couldn't help wondering how on earth she'd survived the accident. She closed her eyes, trying to find some memory of the road, the canyon, the crash, of being trapped in the car.

“Sarah.” Jake's voice interrupted her thoughts.

“I'm trying to focus,” she complained, keeping her eyes closed.

He didn't reply, but she could hear his breath coming in impatient bursts, disturbing her concentration. She opened her eyes. “You're not helping. You're too close to me."

“Don't you remember anything?” he asked, his gaze boring into hers.

“Just give me a minute.” She closed her eyes again, trying to at least relive the dream she'd had just before she'd woken up in the hospital.

There had been a car in the rearview mirror, the lights drawing nearer. She'd pressed her foot down on the gas. She was running somewhere, looking for safety. But the rain was coming down harder; the windshield wipers could barely keep up. The turn in the road came quickly. The car began to slide. She hit the brakes, to no avail. Lights from the opposite direction blinded her. And then she was flying, terrified that when she landed it would all be over.

But where was Caitlyn in her dream? She never looked over her shoulder. Never heard the baby cry. Never once whispered a reassurance to her daughter that everything would be all right.

Caitlyn wasn't in the car. Sarah suddenly knew that with shocking clarity. When she'd looked in the rearview mirror, she'd seen the trace of a car seat -- an empty car seat.

Her eyes flew open, her gaze connecting immediately with Jake's.

“She wasn't in the car,” she said. “I saw the seat in the mirror. There was no one there. Caitlyn wasn't there."

He stared at her with grim eyes. “So where was she?"

“I don't know, but doesn't it make you feel better to be sure she's not down there?” she asked, waving her hand toward the wild canyon below. “And that no one took her from the car?"

“I still don't know if she's safe. I won't feel better until she's in my arms."

As Jake finished speaking, Sarah heard a car coming down the road. Her spine stiffened as she glanced over her shoulder and saw a dark sedan heading toward them. She suddenly realized how vulnerable they were standing alone on this desolate strip of highway. Not a car had passed since they'd arrived. She'd almost died here before. Was someone going to try again?

The sedan began to slow. She could see a man behind the wheel.

Jake grabbed her hand, yanking her toward his rental car. “Get in. Hurry."

She slid into the seat and was barely inside before Jake slammed the door and jogged around to his side of the car. He had just flipped the locks when the sedan stopped next to them.

Her heart pounded against her chest. “Start the car. Go,” she urged.

“He's blocking me in,” Jake muttered.

She stared past him at the man in the other car. He was dressed in a dark blue suit with a red tie. He had light brown hair, and he was rolling down the window on the passenger side. He motioned for Jake to do the same.

After a moment's hesitation, Jake lowered the window a few inches. “What?” he asked.

“Everything okay?” the man inquired. “Do you need me to call for help? Is your car all right?"

“We're fine. Thanks anyway,” Jake replied, raising the window back up and starting the car.

The guy in the sedan stared at them for a moment, then shrugged and continued on down the highway.

Sarah put a hand to her heart. It was beating in triple time, her breath coming short and fast.

“Just a Good Samaritan,” Jake said.

“I hope so."

He shot her a quick look. “Did you recognize him, Sarah?"

“No, but that doesn't mean I don't know him, does it?"

* * *

Sarah's question ran around and around in his head as Jake drove down the coast toward Los Angeles. Had there been something odd about the man who had stopped to offer help? Or was he just letting Sarah's nerves and his own imagination get the better of him? If the guy had wanted to hurt them, he'd certainly had the opportunity to do so. They'd been trapped on the side of that road, a mistake he would not make again. He checked the rearview mirror, knowing that he had to start thinking ahead. He couldn't let anyone sneak up on them.

Sarah hadn't said much in the past hour, but that wasn't unusual. She'd never been the type of woman to chatter. He'd liked that peaceful quality about her. He'd liked a lot of things about her, things that were starting to come back now that the haze of anger he'd been living under was beginning to dissipate. He was still furious that Sarah had walked out on him with Caitlyn, but he now knew there was more to her story. How much more he still had to discover. Aside from that, it was tough to spend every second breathing fire over her head. She was clearly terrified and worried and hurt. And they'd get farther if they found a way to work together instead of in opposition.

At least, that was what he was telling himself, and he didn't intend to look any closer at his motivations. He was just going to stay focused on finding Caitlyn. It felt good to be taking some positive, decisive action. He'd been stuck, running in place for seven months, and even for the past two days. Now he was moving again, and with some good luck for a change he'd have his daughter back by the end of the day.

Sarah's tension seemed to ease when they left the mountains and drove along the ocean south of Santa Barbara. The sun shone brightly over the breaking waves, with only a few stray clouds marring the blue sky.

“It's beautiful,” Sarah murmured, her gaze on the sea. “I wish we could stop for a minute."

Her words were like an echo from the past. He tried to shake off the memories, but they came flooding back.

They'd been driving down the Pacific Coast Highway out of San Francisco, making their way to his boss's house in Half Moon Bay for a birthday party. He'd had on one of his best suits, and Sarah was wearing a cocktail dress and high heels. The sun was about to set when Sarah had said...

“I wish we could stop for a minute, Jake, walk on the beach, feel the sand between our toes. What do you say? Let's do it."

He smiled at the eager light in her beautiful blue eyes. “We're supposed to be at John's house in fifteen minutes."

“I know you hate to be late, but I think it will be worth it."

He wanted to tell her that his boss disliked people who were late. He wanted to say that they absolutely had to keep moving, that they could come to the beach another time, that this wasn't the moment. But suddenly it seemed as if this were the moment. That was the way it was with Sarah. She made him want to stop and smell the roses or the salty sea. She had an affinity for nature, and she was starting to rub off on him.