Witness Protection (Defenders of Love Book 1) (4 page)

Halfway up, the sun had completely set. It would have been impossible to see anything, but a full moon had risen, its brilliant reflectance breaking through the canopy often enough to light her way. Lucy never even considered
not
making it to the road until she reached to grab a tree root that wasn't attached to a tree anymore. Rocks and dirt and Lucy tumbled down the slope of the ravine. She rolled uncontrollably, fear and pain making her cry out with every turn. Unable to stop her descent, she continued down the ground she had just covered until her body settled up against a rotting stump.

Rotten wood and termites filled the air in a

cloud of dust making her cough. She clawed at her hair and clothes to get the insects off. She could take a lot of things, but not bugs. She steered clear of anything with more than four legs, but bugs were the worst. She slapped at herself over and over making sure they were gone until her skin stung and her hair was an even bigger mess. Sharp pain shot through her side as she rose to her feet. She could already feel the bruises starting to form along her rib cage.

At least she hadn't rolled
all
the way back down. Her wrecked car sat about fifty feet below. Lucy's tumble had settled her on a bit of a ledge. Maybe she was close enough to the road to get a signal on her cell phone. A great idea except her phone was no longer in her bra where she had tucked it earlier.

"Damn it all to hell!"

The words echoed through the trees, aggravating her even more. She needed a plan. No knight in shining armor was going to come along and rescue her. She'd have to take care of herself, like she always had.

As Lucy stood there in the dark contemplating what, if any, options she had left, the clouds parted overhead allowing moonlight to filter between the tree tops again. A slight reflection caught the corner of her eye.

"There you are! Thank God!"

Her phone lay face down in the rotting leaves and underbrush. Using every bit of energy she had left, Lucy bent over ignoring the sharp, searing pain in her ribs and scooped up the cellular device.

The phone was in several pieces at the base of a tree.

"Am I really going die here alone in the middle

of the woods?" she yelled to the dark sky. She was going to die—for real this time—and no one would ever know.

What did it really matter if she never got out of the damned ravine anyway? Who would miss her? Not a single soul.

That's enough! You are smart and resourceful. Find a way out of this. And when you do, find Salvatore Junior and kick his ass!

Lucy was a New York City cop, and she was Italian. Genetically, she was incapable of giving up. Ferraras never caved...ever...and she was a Ferrara through and through. As stubborn as a bull, her mother always claimed.

Ignoring the soreness in her side, Lucy started trudging back up the side of the ravine. God help Salvatore Junior...

As Lucy was planning the many ways she wanted to inflict pain on Salvatore, a voice called out, echoing across the ravine.

"Hello? Anybody down there?" The words were like music to her ears.

"Here!" she called out. "I'm here!"

"Are you hurt?"

"Banged up a little and I have one hell of a headache, but I'm okay."

"Okay! Sit tight! I'll be back in a minute!"

Leaning her weight against one of the many pine trees, Lucy closed her eyes and held her injured side gingerly. It felt good to rest for a minute. "No problem!" she called up the incline. "I needed a break anyway!"

Chapter Four

The voice that echoed up sounded vaguely familiar. He wasn't sure how far down she was or how badly she was hurt, but her voice was faint enough to worry him.

Logan drove his Jeep off the roadway so the winch faced the ravine. Getting as close as he dared without risking the vehicle toppling over the side, he set the emergency brake and wrapped the strong chain attached to his back bumper around a sturdy looking tree.

"You still doing all right down there?" he called over the slope as he worked.

"Yes!" the faint voice answered.

Grateful that rappelling was one of his favorite hobbies, he pulled a strong harness and some carabineers from a duffle bag in the back to secure to the chain on the winch. He really hoped whoever was at the bottom of that gully was strong enough and knowledgeable enough to get strapped into the harness. When the full moon slipped behind a cloud, he

switched on the Jeep's headlights. The bright lights were blinding at first. His eyes had been accustomed to the darkness, but once they adjusted he could almost

make out the outline of the trunk of a small car. Judging from what little he could see, the woman was lucky to have survived the wreck.

"Are you getting any light?" His voice carried through the night. Logan tried to keep his tone light as he set up the equipment.

"A little." Her words wavered a little. He had to keep her talking, if she lost consciousness, he would have to go down there after her.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I went off the road. Car's in pretty bad shape," came the very faint reply. Logan worked faster tying knots and hooking up ropes.

"Just give me another half a minute. Almost ready!"

"Okay."

It was sheer luck that Logan had even noticed the short skid marks veering off the shoulder. He'd been so preoccupied after his quick burger and fries at McCauly's Pub that he made a wrong turn and ended up on the mostly deserted highway. If he hadn't been watching so closely for street signs, he might never have noticed the trampled brush.

If he had just driven on by, like he almost did, the poor woman stranded down there might have spent the night. Or worse, never have been found.

The winch ground to a start with a loud screeching noise, but the chain with the harness attached began to unwind. He let it run until he had enough slack to toss the harness down the slope.

"Hello? Can you still hear me down there?"

"I hear you..." She sounded like she was in pain and about to pass out.

"I'm tossing you a harness," Logan called back.

"Are you able to put one on?"

He should have thought of that sooner. What if she wasn't able to walk or was trapped in her vehicle? Damn. So much for his emergency rescue skills.

"I...I think I can manage..." she responded weakly.

Good, she was ambulatory at least. Her voice didn't sound convincing, and he was worried about shock. If she had a head injury, she might not even be aware of it. The air had gained a distinct chill since the sun had set; the cool night air could make things worse for sure.

"Okay! Well, yell up when you can reach the harness and I will shut the winch down!"

"All right." Her words were becoming barely more than a whisper that he had to strain to hear.

"You doin' okay down there?" She wasn't sounding too great. He needed to get her out of there. It was way past dark and there was no telling what sort of injuries the woman had. The whine of the winch was like fingernails on a chalkboard as he paced the small area of grass. What was taking so long?

He was just about ready to rappel down the side of the gully himself when he heard her call up to him. "I've got it! The harness is here."

About time.

Throwing the lever that controlled the winch, he shut the system down. The forest around him went almost deathly quiet. Maybe it would be easier to hear the woman now. Logan strained to see her, but the shadows were just too dark so he waited as patiently as

he could, pacing as he watched the chain shake a little while she tried to work the harness.

"I can't do it," she called up weakly.

"Hold on! I'm coming down! Step away from the line!" Logan grabbed the chain and dropped over the edge of the embankment making his way quickly down the steep slope using the winch line as a guide. When he reached the scene of the accident, he let go of the line and turned. There stood Lucy Taylor, obviously in pain, leaning against the trunk of a large pine tree. He didn't even try to hide his surprise.

"You," she whispered, recognizing him immediately.

"Ms. Taylor. Yes, it's me. Logan Smith, your next door neighbor. In case you have forgotten." He shot her a smile meant to comfort her.

"I remember." She winced at the pain in her side, didn't return his smile. "But how did you find me? This road is practically deserted."

Logan quickly assessed the situation. She looked perilously close to going into shock. Lucy's face was deathly pale. Even in the dark he could make out the light tint of blue around her lips. A quick assessment showed a cut on her forehead. If she'd hit her head, there could be a concussion—hard to tell in the near dark of the ravine.

"New to the area. Took a wrong turn and got lost. Was trying to find my way back to town when I noticed the hole in the brush on the side of the road. Good thing too, gonna be a cold night tonight." His voice was already steaming in the cool air around his head. "Here, let's get you into this thing so I can get you out of this gully and to a nice warm hospital."

"Okay," she answered reluctantly. It was obvious she hated having to have his help, but Lucy seemed like a smart girl. She had to know her options were limited.

"You need anything from the vehicle?" Logan nodded at her car. Or, rather, what was left of it.

"Just my purse on the ground over there. I didn't bring anything home from work." She pointed to a worn leather satchel on the ground.

Logan motioned her over to where the harness hung. Despite the obvious pain she was in, Lucy insisted on getting into the harness herself. Her breathing was labored, and she favored her left side but she didn't give any other indication of being in pain. She was a tough cookie. Logan liked that. Together, they got the buckles and latches secure so that she hung suspended in the air like on one of those carnival rides with the dangling swings. Grabbing up her bag, he slung the strap diagonally across one shoulder.

"Wait right here. I'm gonna climb back up and turn the winch back on."

"Not like I can go anywhere," she grumbled through clenched teeth. Even when he was rescuing her, it was obvious he irritated her. It wasn't the first time he had that effect on a woman. Her agitation amused him. If she had the wherewithal to be angry at him, she would be able to hold on until he could get her out of there.

"I know I'm probably not exactly the help you were hoping for but I am pretty good at the search and rescue thing. I'll have you out of here in no time." He grabbed the winch line, careful not to jostle it too much, and climbed his way back to the ravine's top.

When he reached the top of the slope, he turned and yelled back down, "I'm turning on the winch now! Hang on tight, it's going to give a hard yank when it starts up."

"Okay!" she called up weakly. "I'm good."

The winch started with a jump. He heard her groan and then fall quiet. Her injuries made him nervous, especially that whack to the head.

"Almost there, Lucy! You doin' all right?" he called to her over the hum of the winch.

There was no response.

"Lucy!"

Still nothing.

"Oh, man, Lucy! If you can hear me, call up to me!"

She didn't make a sound.

The minutes felt like hours as Logan waited for the winch to lift Lucy from the ravine. There was no doubt in his mind, Lucy needed to get to a hospital fast.

As soon as he could see the top of her head, Logan switched off the winch and grabbed hold of the line. It took several minutes to manipulate Lucy's limp form onto flat land, taking caution to avoid puncturing a lung if she really did have broken ribs. Just as he was undoing the last of the straps on the harness, Lucy stirred.

"I think I'm going to vomit," she whispered.

"Do you remember hitting your head, Lucy?"

"Hmmm...I think so. On the steering wheel."

"I need to get you to a hospital. You were unconscious for a few minutes. You might have a concussion. Can you walk?"

"No!"

"No, you can't walk?" Logan asked, confused.

"I can walk. At least I think I can. But I'm not going to any hospital. I just need to get home."

"Listen, Lucy, I don't know you, and I am sure you have your reasons for not wanting to go, but it's like this—you
are
going to the hospital. I'm pretty sure

you have a concussion and maybe even a few fractured ribs. Your car went down an embankment and hit a tree. You're pretty lucky to be alive. I'd like to keep you that way."

"What do you care?" she snapped. "It's none of your business anyway."

"Would you rather I have left you at the bottom of that ravine?"

"It would be better than the way things are now." Her eyes flashed with anger and something else. Fear, maybe?

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It means nothing."

He studied her for a long moment. Suddenly, the petite little teacher from the classroom next door was different. Secrets darkened her eyes. She was definitely hiding something, Logan was certain of it. Well, whatever secrets Lucy Taylor harbored, she still needed medical attention.

"Come on, let's go." Logan leaned down and scooped Lucy up in his arms. His muscles—all of them—tightened in immediate response to her closeness as he made his way to the passenger side of the Jeep.

"Where are you taking me?" Lucy demanded.

"To the hospital." He ignored the heated blood pooling below his waist and the definite rise in the front of his khakis.

What the hell was wrong with him?

His...parts...seem to take on a life of their own whenever he was around this woman.

Reel it in boy, we don't even know her. This is not exactly the time to be fishing around.

He turned his attention from his jockey shorts

back to the struggling woman in his arms.

"Put me down!" she commanded with about as much fierceness as a newborn kitten.

"I will. As soon as I get you to the Jeep."

She struggled against him weakly as he strode over to the passenger side of the vehicle, pulled open the door, and carefully placed her on the seat.

"Now sit still while I get things cleaned up and then we
are
going to the hospital."

"Please...can't you just take me home? I'll be safer there."

"Safe?" Logan paused and turned back around toward the open door. Her statement puzzled him. "What do you mean safe?"

"Nothing. Whatever." Lucy exhaled heavily as her head fell against the headrest. "Fine. I'll go to the hospital."

Logan quickly gathered the harness, unhooked the chain from the tree, and secured the line on the winch. He was annoyed by his body's reaction to holding Lucy in his arms. The woman confused him to no end. She obviously had no intention of confiding in him, and he really didn't want her to. The best thing he could do for both of them was deliver her to the hospital and go home and have a beer. He didn't need

to pry any deeper into the mysteries of Lucy Taylor

than he already had. As soon as he had that beer he would call Lieutenant George and get himself off the

case. There was no way he could show up at St. Mary's

every day and have to see Lucy. Not with the way his body reacted every time she was within sight. He would spend every hour of the day with a constant erection. Not a fabulous thing in an all girls' Catholic school.

Sliding into the driver's seat, he eyed the woman

next to him, a myriad of suspicions filling his mind. There was no denying Lucy Taylor had secrets, but were they of the sort that could put her in danger?

This whole mess was far more complicated than Lucy wanted him to believe. If only she didn't look so damned cute sitting there with leaves all tangled in her hair and that smudge of dirt on her cheek. 

Come on, James. Get it together. You don't need that hot mess in your life. You do better alone and you know it.

Yes, he did much better alone, working the streets and only having himself to worry about. There was no room in his life at the moment for the fires Lucy had stoked in him with a simple touch.

He would get her to the hospital and be on his way back to his quiet, solitary life. A life he had grown very used to. No family, no close friends, no complication. The very reason they put him on this stupid undercover job in the first place.