Beyond Risk

by Connie Mann

  Hunter started to respond, then saw her face. “I’m not trying to be condescending, cher.”

  “Trying or not, you’re doing a fabulous job.”

  “I’m trying to keep you alive!” His roar echoed in the small room.

  She leaned in until they were nose to nose. “And I’m trying to keep my sister alive.”

  The silence lengthened. Finally, he sighed, scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “How about we work together?”

  Charlee crossed her arms. “And that would be how, exactly?”

  “Once Pete, Josh, Fish, and Sanchez get here, we’ll come up with a plan.”

  She narrowed her eyes at his easy acceptance. “You’re not shutting me out of this, Lieutenant.”

  He nodded. “I won’t. But if you try to run off on your own, I’ll truss you up like a hog on a spit until this is over.”

  “Don’t threaten me.”

  “Oh, this isn’t a threat, cher. I can guar-an-tee I will do exactly that if you try to put yourself in this killer’s sights.”

  * * *

  Within a few minutes, Pete, Josh, Fish, and Sanchez were crowded into Charlee’s kitchen. Hunter kept an eye on her as she prepped a batch of cupcakes. He hadn’t meant to insult her. He knew baking helped her clear her mind. Running generally did the same for him.

  How to keep her involved in finding and saving Natalie without her getting killed? That question circled round and round in his brain until he had a raging headache. No way would he let a civilian—never mind her law-enforcement experience—get in the middle of the hunt for a ruthless killer. Especially since she was the victim’s sister. What was she thinking?

  As he watched her pour the batter into the muffin tin, he sighed. He knew exactly what she was thinking. The same thing he would be if their positions were reversed. She would do whatever it took to save her sister. Just like he would do whatever it took to protect her. He’d meant every word of his earlier threat.

  Everyone pulled up chairs at the kitchen table while Charlee slid the pans into the oven, then she sat down beside him.

  “What have we got?” Pete said.

  “Facial recognition says Oliver Dunn is really James Jennings, Nora and JJ’s uncle who walked away from the kayak launch the day JJ died and hasn’t been seen since.”

  Sanchez shook his head. “You mean there was someone else on the river with Charlee last year??”

  All eyes turned to Charlee, and her face flamed. “Maybe. He and Sally Jennings fought before we left, and he stormed off. It was in my report, but both the investigator and Rick pretty much blew it off, since JJ’s death was ruled an accident.”

  There were muttered curses from the others, then Josh asked, “He wasn’t there when you came back?”

  “No, I never saw him again.” Charlee cocked her head, thinking. “The whole time we were questioned by the police, Tommy just rocked back and forth, mumbling, ‘Oh, Jimmy, oh, Jimmy.’” She looked up, expression anguished. “I thought he meant JJ. His legal name was James Junior, he’d said. Did that mean Tommy suspected his brother killed his son?” She shuddered. “Is that why he was killed? To keep him from talking?”

  “We’ll look into all that, cher. Later,” Hunter said. “But first, we need to find him.”

  “None of this should ever have happened.” Charlee wrapped her arms around her middle.

  The way she curled in on herself made him mad. He took her hand, ignoring Pete and Josh’s exchanged glance. “I’ll keep saying it until you believe it, cher. None of this is your fault. You didn’t cause any of this.”

  Josh nudged Hunter’s hand aside and took Charlee’s in his own. “He’s right, you know. You didn’t kill anyone, Sis. The opposite. You saved Nora. Brittany, too.”

  “But JJ died. So did Brittany.”

  “Charlee.” Pete’s harsh tone had everyone looking his way. “If we’re right about all this—and I’d stake my life that we are—then James Jennings killed Brittany and Tommy. On purpose. There is no way you could have saved them. He had a definite agenda.”

  Everyone at the table agreed.

  Charlee swallowed hard, then met Hunter’s gaze. “So how do we save Natalie?” She looked around the faces at the table, and Hunter watched her expression harden. “I am going to be part of the plan, so keep that in mind.”

  Both her brothers immediately launched a protest, but she held up her hands, sent them each a steely glare. “Don’t try to stop me. Include me, or I’ll do it on my own.” She waited, glaring at both of them, not giving an inch.

  Hunter finally spoke up. “Every murder—or attempted murder—involves water, usually drowning. Except Brittany’s. Which may have been to keep her from talking, so it messed with his original plan. I think he’s holding Natalie near water.”

  “But which water?” Charlee asked. “Everything that’s happened has been somewhere different.”

  “He could be anywhere,” Josh agreed. “I think we need a way to draw him out, get him to let us know where he is.”

  “Use me as bait. Set up a trade.” Charlee’s stubborn chin jutted out at a challenging angle. “I’m the piece that connects all this.”

  “Absolutely not,” Pete and Josh said instantly, seconded immediately by Sanchez and Fish.

  Hunter watched Charlee. Her scowling siblings presented a rather intimidating front, but she didn’t look cowed in the least. “So far, you’ve all said exactly what Hunter said. I’m still waiting for someone to offer up a better idea.”

  “Can we get a location through his phone’s GPS?” Fish asked.

  Hunter shook his head. “He had a burner phone and turned it off the same day Brittany died. I’ve had Byte set up an alarm if he turns it back on for any reason, but he won’t. Jennings is too smart for that.”

  “He use a debit or credit card anywhere?” Sanchez asked, but his expression said he already knew the answer.

  “He told Charlee he didn’t trust ‘big brother’ and paid cash for everything.”

  “Do we have a BOLO out on his truck?” Fish asked.

  Hunter nodded. “I already called it in.”

  Fish studied Charlee from head to toe as she took the cupcakes out of the oven. “How about this? Why don’t we modify Charlee’s idea a bit? We let the killer think he’s getting Charlee in trade for Natalie, but it’ll be me instead.”

  “How are we going to let him know any of this? We have no idea where he is. He hasn’t contacted anyone.” Charlee’s voice rose with every sentence.

  “He will,” Hunter said. “And we’ll be ready.” His phone rang. “Boudreau. What have you got?” He listened for several minutes, then hung up. “Dispatch got a call from a cop up in Lake City who saw the BOLO. Says he chatted with a guy matching Jennings’s description at a small gas station just outside of town.”

  Hunter looked around the room, his excitement starting to build. “I’m guessing he’s headed back to Tommy’s place. He doesn’t know we’re onto him yet, so we’ll have the element of surprise.”

  Everyone jumped up from the table, cell phones to their ears, calling for reinforcements, getting a plan together.

  Charlee grabbed Hunter’s arm. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Cher, I—”

  “Don’t. If you try to leave me behind, I’ll find a way to follow you.”

  He studied her face and knew she meant every word. Memories of his brother’s death flashed through his mind, and he knew a bone-deep terror he’d never felt before. He couldn’t lose her to this lunatic. This beautiful, tough woman had burrowed into his heart in ways he’d never expected and had only just begun to explore. If something happened to her, he’d never be able to forgive himself.

  He glanced around the room, realized the others were already outside. Options, alternatives, plans ran through his mind as he pulled her close. B
ut then he shoved all that aside, just for a minute, and kissed her with every bit of the emotion crowding his heart. He gave her all of it, every single feeling surging through him. Want. Affection. Fear. Apology. Love, most of all.

  As she melted against him, into the kiss, he absorbed the taste and feel of her, tucked it away to savor in the days ahead. He knew he’d never get another taste of her.

  His brother’s lifeless face flashed through his memory, and his resolve hardened. She could hate him forever if it meant she’d be alive to do it. He cupped her face for one last kiss, imprinting the memory on his heart. Then he reached around her neck and used a pressure point to render her unconscious.

  He caught her as she sagged in his arms and carried her to her room, gently tucked her under the covers. He kissed her forehead, brushed the hair back from her face. “I love you, cher.”

  He pocketed her car keys as he hurried outside. Then he raised the hood on her Jeep, yanked out enough spark plug wires that it wouldn’t run, and hopped in his truck.

  With this one decision, he knew he’d lost any chance to be part of her life. She’d never forgive him, ever. He understood. Agreed with her, even. But he didn’t regret it. Her life mattered too much.

  Chapter 27

  Charlee woke to an annoying buzz. It grated on her nerves, pulling her out of a really sweet dream in which Hunter stood in the ocean, water sluicing off his finely sculpted muscles, that killer grin on his face. He crooked a finger, inviting her to join him in the water. She shed her cover-up and raced to the water’s edge, toes in the warm blue water, ready to dive in to meet him. I’m coming.

  The persistent noise came again, and the dream vanished.

  No. Come back.

  She opened her eyes, blinked as she tried to orient herself. Bedroom. Cottage.

  The sound came again. Phone.

  She automatically groped around the nightstand, then realized the sound came from the kitchen. She hopped up and raced into the room. She scooped up the phone just before it stopped ringing. “Hello?”

  “So where did all the law-enforcement types rush off to, Charlotte? It seems they left you behind.”

  Charlee froze as she realized several things at once. Hunter had indeed left her behind. He’d knocked her out, the dirty, rotten, lousy scoundrel. And she recognized the voice. Goose bumps popped out on her skin, and she wrapped one arm around her middle. Somehow James knew they’d left. She eased away from the windows, chilled to the bone. Was he out there right now, watching?

  And how had James gotten her cell number? She had to get him talking, see if she could hear any background noise, get some information she could pass along that would help them catch him. “Who is this?” she asked.

  He laughed. “Oh, come now, Charlotte. Don’t be coy. I figure by now your lieutenant and his cronies would have discovered my identity.”

  “Fine. Should I call you James? Or Oliver?” She refused to show any hint of fear, even though her knees were banging together like a couple of old bones.

  “Oh, good. You have figured it out. That will make things easier. I thought for a moment the other day—the day dear Brittany left this earth—that you’d recognized me, but no. Guess you’re just not that smart, eh?”

  Charlee clenched her jaw to keep from saying the wrong thing. She’d let him lead the conversation. “I guess not. Just out of curiosity, how did you get my number?”

  He laughed, an ugly sound. “It’s amazing how helpful eavesdropping can be. Dear old Dad gave it to Travis the other day.”

  Charlee wouldn’t think about this guy being anywhere near her father. “What do you want, James?”

  “Aren’t you going to ask about your sister? She’s a lovely girl. All that pretty skin and sheen to her hair.”

  Charlee’s hand shook so hard, she almost dropped the phone. “Let me talk to her.”

  He laughed again, a chilling, evil sound. “Tsk, tsk. You’re not calling the shots here. Best remember that.”

  “What do you want with Natalie?”

  “Nothing, really. She’s just here to serve as a way for us to get reunited. You upset me that day, Charlotte, showing up when you did. Now it’s time to make things right.”

  Charlee wasn’t playing his game. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just let me talk to Natalie.” She gritted her teeth. “Please.”

  He sighed, and then she heard struggling in the background.

  “Charlee? Is that you? Help me, please. He’s crazy.”

  “I’m coming to get you, Nat. Just hang on.”

  Charlee heard a muffled scream. Seconds later, James came back on the line. “See? She’s fine.” He paused while Charlee thought through what that scream might mean. She pushed the terrifying images away, or she wouldn’t be able to think, to plan.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen, Charlotte. First, you’re going to tell me where your law-enforcement friends are headed right now.”

  She wouldn’t let Hunter and her brothers walk into a trap. “They got a call and rushed out of here. I don’t know where they went.”

  “I don’t believe you, but it won’t really make a difference. I’ll figure it out, and afterward, you’ll pay for lying to me. That’s never a good idea, Charlotte.”

  “Just tell me what you want. I’ll do anything, as long as you let Natalie go.”

  “Are you proposing a trade? Your life for hers?”

  Charlee didn’t hesitate. “If that’s what it takes.”

  He laughed long and hard. “You Tanners. And Boudreau. What a loyal bunch. It would be quite amusing, really, if it weren’t so stupid.”

  She heard a loud noise, another muffled scream, and she jumped up, pacing. “Let her go, James. Please. It’s me you want.”

  “It is. And I will get you.” He paused, and Charlee gripped the back of a chair, straining to pick up any background noise. There was nothing, so she figured he had Natalie inside somewhere. Which didn’t help much. She tried another tack.

  “Is Nora there, too?” she demanded.

  The silence lengthened, and she feared she’d said the wrong thing.

  “Nora should have been nicer to her brother. She should have been the one who died. Not JJ.”

  Her instincts had been right. He had tried to kill Nora last year. But had he snatched her now? Charlee’s hands started tingling, and she forced herself to take slow, deep, even breaths. She needed all her wits about her.

  “Is she there?” Her voice was hard, demanding. “Answer the question.”

  He laughed. “Silly Charlotte, still trying to take charge. You. Are. Not.” He hissed the last, then lowered his voice. “Get in your car and start driving. Take SR-40 to CR-326 to US-301. Head north for exactly forty miles and pull over into the Shell gas station. I’ll call you with more instructions. If you’re not there in an hour, your sister dies. And if I find out you called Hunter or any of your family members, well, same thing. Natalie dies a very painful death.”

  “Don’t hurt her. Just…don’t hurt her.” Charlee raced around the room, searching for her keys while he talked. She checked her purse, the hook in the kitchen where she usually kept them. Nothing.

  “Do you understand?”

  “I can’t find them. Oh God.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t find my keys. They’re not here.” She ran outside to her car and checked the ignition. No keys. She stopped. Looked at the car. The hood wasn’t quite shut. She pulled it up and glanced at the engine, saw the wires sticking up. Hunter had not only taken her keys, he’d disabled her car. She slammed the hood. “I’ll need more time. My car won’t run.”

  “Then you’d better think fast, Charlotte. The clock is ticking.”

  He hung up.

  Dammit, Hunter. Charlee’s heart pounded, and pictures of Brittany’s and JJ’s still faces flashed before he
r eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Panic threatened to buckle her knees.

  NO! She straightened, swallowed back the fear, and let her training kick in. Think, Charlee. First, she needed a car. Her parents’ place was closest. She’d take her mom’s. She rushed inside for her tennis shoes and then sprinted toward their house.

  Natalie’s life depended on her. And maybe Nora’s, too. Oh God.

  * * *

  As Hunter, plus Pete and Josh, along with Sanchez and Fish, raced toward Lake City, guilt rode shotgun beside him. Hunter knew Charlee would be beyond furious when she woke up. She’d never forgive him, and he couldn’t blame her. But he wasn’t sorry. He’d do it again if it meant keeping her safe.

  He’d think later about how much he’d miss her. After they had Jennings in custody.

  As they neared Tommy Jennings’s cabin, they pulled off into a restaurant parking lot. Hunter spread a hand-drawn map on the hood of his truck. “We’ll drive partway down the dirt track, then go the rest of the way on foot. Otherwise, Jennings will see the cloud of dust a mile away. Pete, Josh, and I will approach from the front. Sanchez and Fish, you come from behind.”

  They needed the element of surprise.

  Josh came up beside him as Hunter climbed into his truck. “If this piece of garbage hurts a hair on Nat’s head…” He let the thought trail off.

  “I hear you. We’ll find her.”

  Josh narrowed his eyes. “How’d you get Charlee to agree to stay behind? She’d been pretty adamant up until that point.”

  Hunter put his sunglasses back on. “Let’s just say I convinced her to take a little nap instead.”

  For a moment, Josh said nothing. Then his eyes widened. “You didn’t.”

  Hunter nodded, braced for a blow. “I did. I couldn’t risk anything happening to her.”

  Josh shook his head. “She will tear you limb from limb.”

  “I know.”

  Josh studied him as though he’d just figured something out, then one corner of his mouth kicked up in a small smile. “I think my sister may have met her match in you.”