Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers

by Emily Matthews

  It was lying right out in the open next to her purse and keys on the kitchen counter, not two feet from him. Making a dive for it wouldn’t have done any good. She watched helplessly as he picked up both the phone and her keys, walked to the back door, and unceremoniously pitched them into the woods.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Sam was on his way to New York for a weekend of supposed debauchery, but all he could think about was Annie and what a fool he’d been. He called before taking off and then again mid-flight, but she wasn’t picking up. He didn’t blame her. He’d been a jackass and deserved the silent treatment. He’d run everything by Jake on the plane ride to New York, and together they’d made some tentative plans, but even after racking his brain about how he could apologize, he was still coming up short.

  Alex, Johnny, and Mitch met them when they landed. Mitch had never looked happier, and Sam set aside his problems to celebrate his brother’s upcoming nuptials. The wedding was still a few weeks away, but this was the only time they could all get together. Since they were too old to be running around town drinking and going to strip clubs, they settled for dinner at their favorite Italian place and a poker night at Mitch’s penthouse.

  “Where’s Maggie?” asked Sam upon entering the apartment.

  “She cleared out to give us some space. She’s spending the weekend with Jenny and Adam but will be at Mom’s for dinner tomorrow.”

  Jenny was the widow of Mitch’s partner who’d been shot and killed. She was also Maggie’s aunt. Adam had been Mitch’s partner on the force for a while but was now his best friend. Adam and Jenny had gotten married the previous summer.

  “Oh, she left some homemade cookies, I see. Unless you’ve taken to baking?” Alex raised an eyebrow.

  “No. Maggie made those. That woman loves her cookies.” Mitch chuckled and shook his head.

  “Well, you’d better be careful. Looks like you’re already getting mushy in the middle,” Alex said, jabbing him in the stomach. “You gonna let yourself go now that you’ve nailed down a wife?”

  Mitch lifted his shirt enough to reveal a rock-hard six-pack and looked down. “I think I’m good for now.” They all laughed.

  “Sooo good,” cooed a woman’s voice, and they all turned toward it.

  “Oh, here we go,” said Mitch. “You’d better behave, Harold.”

  “Ah, the infamous Harold. The pervy parrot. I’ve heard a lot about you, dude,” said Jake, walking over to the bird. “I can’t believe you still have him. Didn’t he drive Maggie crazy?”

  “He drives us both crazy, but he’s gotten a lot better. He hardly ever talks about sex anymore. Those first few months were the worst!”

  Sam had heard the horror stories. Maggie was a veterinarian and someone had dumped the perverted bird on her last year—its only vocabulary being sex talk. She’d pawned it off on Mitch as a joke, never assuming she’d be living with it again.

  “So, you guys gonna keep him then?” asked Jake, poking his finger into the cage.

  “Why, you want him?” Mitch asked eagerly.

  “Hard pass. Thanks, though,” Jake said, shaking his head.

  Jake and Sam dropped their suitcases, and they all had a beer before heading to the restaurant. It had been a while since all five of them had been out together, and it took them most of dinner to catch up on everybody’s business.

  Alex was thinking about studying for the fire inspector’s exam. Jake was busy chasing women and busting bad guys. Mitch had retired from the police force and was working on a new senior living project. And Johnny told ER stories, each one crazier than the last.

  “So, Mitch, I heard you got into some trouble with Maggie before she agreed to marry you. What’d you do to get out of the doghouse?” Sam asked.

  “What’s the matter, Sam? Trouble with a woman?” Johnny teased.

  “Something like that. I need to apologize and don’t know what to do.”

  “I just fell on my sword and told Maggie everything I was thinking and that I loved her. Between that, my good looks, and charm, she fell for it.”

  “Don’t forget that you’re loaded,” Jake put in.

  “Ah, yes. That never hurts, does it?” said Mitch. “Let’s toast to Sam for making that possible for all of us.”

  His brothers raised their glasses. “To Sam,” they sang out in unison.

  Sam flipped them all off. “Shut up, you bastards.” He didn’t like being the center of attention. He figured now wasn’t the time to remind them they’d all taken a colossal risk investing in him and his infantile company. When they’d thrown their money at him, they could not have known what would happen.

  “Speaking of money, who’s picking up the tab?” Alex said.

  “I am,” said Sam.

  “To Sam,” they all said and drank again.

  Between the pre-dinner cocktails and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, they were all a little buzzed. They caught a couple of cabs back to Mitch’s place and poured another round. Sam figured as the oldest, he should make sure no one did anything stupid, so he passed. Plus, if his brothers all got drunk, and he didn’t, he might have a chance at winning a hand or two at poker. Having never gotten into gambling, he wasn’t very good at it.

  Mitch had already set up the poker table, and they all settled in.

  “So, Sam, you never said what you did to get into trouble with your lady. What’d you do?” Alex asked.

  Sam told the short version, and they all groaned sympathetically and gave their opinion liberally.

  “Wow, what a dumbass!” said Johnny.

  “Yeah, stupid as fuck,” Alex said.

  Sam knew they were joking, but it still stung. He had been a real dumbass.

  “Hey, give him a break,” interjected Mitch. “We all do dumb shit now and then. If she’s reasonable at all, it doesn’t sound irreparable. You’ll figure something out.”

  “Thanks, Mitch.” He flipped off the rest of his siblings.

  “Hey, where’s Adam? Your best friend’s not gonna show up to your bachelor party?” asked Alex.

  “Yeah, can he not stay out this late now that he’s a married man?” Johnny said.

  “He said he didn’t want to interfere with our “brotherly” time. Plus, he’s got his hands full with the boys and a very pregnant Jenny. We can catch up with him and Jenny on Sunday before the Washingtonians head back,” said Mitch.

  They played until late into the night, swapping stories and BSing. Finally, they all found a couch or spare bed and crashed. Since Alex and Johnny had opted not to go home, Jake ended up sleeping with Sam in the guest bedroom.

  “I’ve woken up to uglier, but not much,” Jake said the next morning.

  “Ha. Ha,” said Sam. “You snore like a train.” Jake feigned shock and then shrugged his shoulders.

  They went out for breakfast, which was technically brunch since they’d gotten up so late, and then split up so the native New Yorkers could clean up at home and get a few things done. They met back at their mother’s place later that evening for dinner.

  Sam’s mom, Abigail, was beyond thrilled that all her boys were home for the weekend. Even though she’d just seen him a month ago, Sam was immediately engulfed into a bear hug that lasted a full minute. His mom pushed him back but held on to his shoulders to get a good look.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked after her once-over. “You look worried.”

  “Nothing, Mom. I’m great.” He leaned down to hug her again and over her shoulder gave his brothers the Don’t tell mom about my love life problems look. They all grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. He knew that probably meant they would rat him out in a hot second, but hoped they would at least wait until he’d gone home.

  She pulled back and gave him the stink eye, obviously not buying it. She pointed two fingers at her eyes and then at him to let him know she was watching him. He laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

  “What’s for dinner, Ma?” Alex said, winking at Sam. Knowing what it wa
s like to be under the microscope with their mother, he was helping Sam off the hook. Sam mouthed Thanks once his mother turned around to answer Alex.

  They were halfway through dessert when Sam felt his phone vibrate. Frowning, he raised a finger and walked away from the table to answer the call. He listened for a few minutes and then hung up.

  “Jake, can I talk to you?” he asked as he walked to the next room, assuming Jake would follow.

  “Geez, slow down,” said Jake, hustling to catch up. “What’s wrong?”

  “Can you come back to Bellevue with me? Now? I think Annie’s in trouble, and a brother with a gun might be helpful. I’ll call the pilot and get a taxi. Can you be ready in five minutes?”

  “Of course. My gun’s at Mitch’s, but I have others at home we can stop for once we land. You can tell me what’s up on the plane. We’ll tell Mom it’s a business thing?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” Sam knew Jake could be immature at times, especially when it came to women. But he also knew he was a damn good cop, and there was no one else he’d rather have by his side in an emergency. He’d take Mitch too, but that would look suspicious as hell. He had to get out of here fast without freaking his mom out.

  He overheard Jake making excuses and his mother complaining as he pushed the button to call the pilot. He’d make it up to his mom later. Right now, he needed to find out what the hell was going on with Annie.

  Once they were settled on the plane, Sam told Jake what he knew, which wasn’t much.

  “The phone call was from Annie’s intern, Beckie. She was crying and rambling on, but the gist is that she hasn’t heard from Annie since she left the office on Thursday. Annie called in sick on Friday. Then she and Beckie were supposed to meet for coffee this morning, but Annie never showed or called. Beckie tried to call several times, but the phone went straight to voicemail every time.”

  “Maybe she’s just upset about your fight and doesn’t want to take calls,” reasoned Jake.

  “Maybe. But Beckie also told me everything that Annie had confided in her after I left that day. Annie had no idea Wayne was back in town. She figured he’d find her eventually but was completely confused as to how he found out about us.” Sam ran his fingers through his hair. “Which means she’s not in cahoots with him.”

  “Never mind that you just used the word ‘cahoots.’” Jake rolled his eyes. “How did he know about you and Annie?”

  “That was Beckie. She came clean just now, saying it was all her fault. She told Wayne about us thinking he was some random guy she’d met in a coffee shop. Wayne used her to get information about Annie. Beckie also admitted that she told him what kind of car Annie drives and thinks he may have found her based on that. She feels guilty as hell.”

  “She should. Good Lord, why would she tell some stranger so much information about someone else?” The cop in Jake made him instantly doubt most people’s motives and intentions. That was one thing Sam and Jake had in common.

  “She’s young and naive. I don’t blame her. She thought he liked her and probably hasn’t had many boyfriends. God, I can’t wait to get my hands on that little creep.”

  “Hold up. We still don’t know that he means any real harm. We can’t jump to conclusions.”

  “I get why Annie would be avoiding me, but why wouldn’t she be responding to Beckie? What if he kidnapped her? Or worse? He’s a desperate man, Jake. I have a bad feeling.” He raked his hands through his hair for the thousandth time. “Can’t this damn plane fly any faster?”

  “Calm down. We’ll get there as soon as we can. We’ll go find her, make sure she’s okay, and then deal with her punk ex. Come on, sit down. Tell me what you know about this Wayne character. What’s he after?”

  “I don’t know much. He recently got out of prison for accidentally killing a man in a bar fight and apparently came straight to Washington once he found out Annie was here. I think his main goal is money, not Annie. He probably saw me as a bigger target and came for me first, but when I didn’t pan out, must have gone for Annie next.”

  “That’s good information. He must be on parole, and I’m sure that doesn’t allow for him to leave the state. A threat to call his parole officer may be all we need to get him to take off and crawl back under the rock he came from.”

  That calmed Sam a little. Annie had said he wasn’t a violent man, but Wayne’s look of desperation in the lobby the other day had Sam’s instincts on high alert. Wayne didn’t seem rational or like someone who could be reasoned with.

  If Annie was okay, she would have had coffee with Beckie. Or at least called to cancel. It wasn’t like Annie to just not show.

  Something was wrong. He could feel it. He had ignored promptings before and had always been sorry later.

  He sat and closed his eyes. Another thought had snuck into his mind during all the panic. He was in love with Annie. Like, really, truly, head over heels in love. He’d already admitted he cared for her, but there was no denying it had pushed past caring. In the short time they’d spent together, he’d come to respect her. And despite his dumbass move in her office, trust her. Implicitly.

  He couldn’t let anything happen to her, and he couldn’t let her push him away. His heart hurt just thinking of her in danger. And anger raged against that douchebag husband of hers for putting her through so much shit.

  Sam just hoped she wasn’t too stubborn to accept his help with the asshole. They’d land, stop by Jake’s for some hardware, and then go straight to her place. He wasn’t sure guns would be necessary, but better safe than sorry. He’d feel much better with Jake there.

  The plane finally landed at dusk, and within the hour, they were pulling up to Annie’s cul-de-sac.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Annie’s initial plan had been to just wait Wayne out. Knowing he was harmless and wanting to keep Sam safe from his stupidity, she’d mostly gone along with him. She thought he’d get tired of doing nothing and getting nowhere, and that he’d eventually take no for an answer and go home.

  It was becoming clear to her that he was more invested than she thought. Or more desperate. Since he’d arrived, he’d been following her everywhere and hadn’t let her out of his sight, except to use the restroom. He insisted she sleep on the couch downstairs so he could keep an eye on her while he slept in a chair next to her. She was surprised he let her have the couch.

  He told her not to try to leave during the night—that prison had taught him to sleep with one eye open, and he would know. Sure enough, when she got up to get a drink, he was awake in a second, asking where she was going.

  At first, she thought he was being overly dramatic, but now realized he was holding her prisoner in her own home. He’d thrown her keys into the woods, but she had a spare for her car in one of the kitchen drawers. She decided to make a break for it the first chance she got.

  “It’s been forty-eight hours, Wayne. You’ve made me miss a day of work and a coffee date with a friend. Eventually, someone will worry enough to come check on me. How long do you think you can keep me here?” Annie asked, exasperated. She was hungry and tired and couldn’t take much more.

  “As long as it takes, woman. I need cash.”

  “What’d you do with the money I left you? You couldn’t have spent all that already.” She’d hesitated bringing that up because it implied that if she was willing to give him money then, she might be willing to do it again now. And she was adamant that wasn’t happening.

  His head snapped around. “What money? You left me money? How much?”

  He didn’t know about the money? Damn it.

  “My attorney was supposed to let you know that all your stuff, clothes and junk, are in a storage unit in Hayward. I left it all there and prepaid the storage fees until the end of August. That’s when I thought you were getting out. I also left an envelope with a thousand dollars cash. Didn’t you read the letter?”

  “I quit opening anything from your attorney after he kept pestering me with divorce papers.
I put the envelopes straight in the trash.”

  “Speaking of the divorce, why didn’t you just sign the papers? Why turn this into a big deal?”

  “I thought we could work things out.”

  “Oh, bullshit. You mean, you wanted to come back to mooching off me and not having to work for a living.” She was tired of tiptoeing around his mood swings and worrying about how he would react to things she said or did.

  “God, Annie. What’s gotten into you? You’re such a bitch now.”

  “No. I just refuse to be treated like a doormat. Also, I’m done sitting around waiting for you to figure out your life. You need to go.”

  “Fine. I’ll leave, but can we order a pizza first? I’m starving. I’ll leave after I eat. I promise.”

  God, he was whining like a petulant teenager. How did she put up with this shit for so long? She didn’t trust him to go after eating, but maybe feeding him would at least put him in a better mood. He was an asshole before, but prison had turned him into a supercilious dick.

  “Whatever. As long as you leave afterward.” She hated giving in to Wayne, but had to admit she was also starving and even in her kidnapped condition, hot pizza sounded good. Plus, she’d need some energy if she got a chance to make a run for it.

  He called the number on a magnet stuck to her refrigerator, ordered a large combo for delivery, and told them they would pay with cash at the door. As he was talking to the pizza shop, he held up a hand and rubbed his thumb against two fingers at Annie. Assuming that meant she needed to come up with the cash, she rolled her eyes but gave a curt nod. What a loser.

  Maybe she could slip the pizza guy a note while paying him. Or whisper to him she was being held against her will and ask him to call the police. Or just leave with him! She didn’t think Wayne would get into a wrestling match over her at the front door.

  Of course, that was assuming the pizza “guy” would be a man. The way Annie’s luck was running, it would be a five-foot, hundred-pound, teenage girl.