by Lori Foster
She tipped her head back to look up at Clint. His hand came to her cheek, cradling her face, and he frowned at her. “You okay?”
“My legs are a little cramped, and I’m worried. Otherwise, I’m fine.”
Clint hugged her tighter. “No worrying, babe. I’m not about to let anyone hurt you.”
Without taking his gaze from the scenery, Jamie said, “She’s worried about you, not herself.”
Clint raised a brow, doubting that, and Julie wondered why men insisted on thinking themselves invulnerable. Clint was hard enough to feel like steel, but he was still made of flesh and bone, and someone had tried to shoot him.
She rubbed her cheek into his palm, saying, “It’s true. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if anything happened to you, Clint.”
His thumb teased the side of her mouth. “Then I won’t let anything happen to me either.”
“Will you two lovebirds knock it off?” Joe shifted his shoulders and grumbled low. “I’m trying to concentrate here.”
Clint grinned. “I can see why you said he’s an outrageous chump.”
Julie protested. “Outrageous, yes, but I never called Joe a chump.”
“You should have.”
“Is this where I turn?” Joe asked in exasperation.
“Yeah, hang a left.”
When they arrived at Robert’s house, Drew’s car was in the driveway. “Company?” Clint questioned.
“It’s my Uncle Drew.” Julie squeezed Clint’s hand. “He’s not at his best when he’s worried, and I’m sure he’s been frantic for me. Just know that he means well, okay?”
Clint shrugged. “He’s not going to hurt my feelings, Julie Rose, if that’s what you’re fretting about.”
“I was more concerned with you hurting his. He’s been through enough.”
Clint didn’t respond to that.
Without pause, Jamie opened the passenger door and stepped out. Joe hurried out, too. “Hold up, Jamie.”
But he didn’t. Jamie sauntered up the walk and, without knocking, opened the front door and went in. Surprised that it wasn’t locked, Joe, Julie, and Clint filed in behind him.
Following Jamie, they made their way through the entrance hall and toward the kitchen. Julie called out, “Uncle Drew?” As they went, she peered into the other rooms, but they were all empty.
There was a heavy silence, then, “Julie!” Drew erupted from the kitchen, looking breathless and rumpled. He wore a huge smile. There was visible relief on his aristocratic face—and a gun held loosely in his hand.
His gaze moved quickly from Julie to the others, stopping on Clint. The smile faded. His elated surprise changed to a stony expression of disbelief. “You.”
Stunned by his appearance, his manner, and the sight of that lethal weapon, Julie went blank. How did he recognize Clint? And why in the world did he have a gun?
Clint cursed and tried to drag her behind him, but Julie resisted. “Uncle Drew?”
As his burning eyes focused on her, his face contorted. “What is this? Why are you bringing him here?”
Julie stared at that gun. “How do you know Clint?”
He blinked hard, and Julie could see him struggling to bring himself together, to form a believable lie. In a more moderated tone, he said, “Why, dear, he’s the man Robert sent to rescue you. Robert has told me all about him.”
Using his left hand, Drew smoothed back his gunmetal gray hair and straightened his shoulders inside his expensive suit coat. It didn’t help his overall appearance one bit.
He looked Julie over from head to toe. “You’re all right?”
Sensing that they’d walked into a trap, Julie tried to stall for time. “I’m fine.” But before she could stop him, Clint moved to stand in front of her, and Joe moved to stand beside him. Julie couldn’t even see Drew around the wall of muscled male shoulders blocking her view.
Drew laughed, a far from pleasant sound. “All this time I was worrying, praying…”
“Planning?” Clint asked, and he sounded so angry that Julie shivered.
The laughter died. “Apparently I didn’t plan well enough. Come in, then, and join the party.”
Julie tried to see over Clint’s hard shoulder, but Clint began pushing her back toward the entrance door. She dug in, resisting his efforts. Did he really believe she would run off and leave him alone to deal with her uncle?
Joe seemed to consider it a great idea, and he, too, tried to nudge her away without drawing Drew’s attention.
Jamie was the only one not set on trying to protect her. He took the three steps forward that put him next to Drew and peered into the kitchen. He turned to Clint. “This must be Robert and Marie.”
“Oh, my God.” Julie shoved her way around the men. “Uncle Drew, what in the world is going on here? What have you done?”
“Come in, my dear. Take a seat and I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
Clint clamped a hand around her upper arm, drawing her to a halt. “She’s not going anywhere.”
Aiming the gun at Clint, Drew said, “If she doesn’t want a bullet in your heart, she will, for once in her life, do as she’s told.”
With horrifying clarity, it all fell into place. Julie felt dizzy with the awfulness of it. “It was you, Uncle Drew, wasn’t it? You’re the one who shot at Clint.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I merely hired a street ruffian to do it for me.” And with a sneer, he said, “Apparently he wasn’t as competent as he boasted.”
Unable to bear seeing a gun aimed at Clint, Julie went into the kitchen. Robert sat at the table, his head in his hands, and next to him was the woman she’d found in his bed. That seemed like a lifetime ago, and while Julie had been angry at her then, now she felt only pity. Dark mascara tracks marred Marie’s beautiful face, and her bottom lip quivered. The poor girl was frightened out of her wits—with good reason.
The men followed Julie, and Drew stepped back cautiously as they entered, using the gun to urge them along. “I never intended for anyone to be hurt.”
“No,” Clint said, “you just intended for your niece to be kidnapped.”
“It was a fine plan,” Drew stated. “I turned off her alarms, I hired men suitable for the job, I covered every detail. Everything would have been perfect. If only Robert and Julie had reacted as they should have.”
“What is it I was supposed to do?” Julie asked.
“Take a seat,” Drew told her again, with a distinct lack of emotion, “and I’ll tell you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Joe said, “How the hell do I blunder into things like this? Seems like every time I turn around, someone wants to shoot me.”
Jamie said, “You won’t get shot.”
“Gee, thanks, Jamie. I’m so reassured.”
“I know.”
They were both nuts. But Clint understood that they weren’t just telling jokes. Jamie, strangely enough, was dead serious. He really thought he knew what would happen in a situation so volatile that Clint couldn’t think beyond keeping Julie safe. Joe was slick enough to talk nonsense, just to keep Drew distracted, and that helped—but not enough.
Seeing Julie’s face, her emotional devastation at such a betrayal, Clint wanted to strangle Drew with his bare hands. But he held himself still, letting Joe do his thing so that the damn lethal pistol stayed off the women.
Drew stood back against a wall, the gun held out stiffly, aimed at no one in particular. It surprised Clint that Drew was such a slight man, elegant even with dark circles lining his eyes and a pasty complexion. It seemed as if the turn of events had thrown him. He wasn’t a man accustomed to improvising. And it was clear that Clint and Joe made him nervous.
Yeah, Clint thought, you weren’t expecting real men on the scene, were you, you ass?
Robert finally raised his head. “I’m so damn sorry, Julie.”
She had just started to sit at the table, but when she saw Robert’s face, Julie cried out. “Dear God. Robert.” She rushed
to his side and knelt by his chair.
Drew’s wild gaze followed her. “Oh, yes, now you care about him, when it’s too late.” His sarcasm made him sound maniacal and unbalanced. “Where were you when he needed you most, Julie?”
Showing no caution at all, Julie snapped, “I was kidnapped, thanks to you.”
“No, my dear. I found you earlier today. You weren’t still in their clutches. You were off behaving like a common slut, trolling with that gutter trash.” He tipped his head toward Clint, making it clear who he meant.
Hurrying to the sink, Julie doused a cloth in cold water. “Gutter trash, Uncle? Clint is honorable, which is more than I can say for you.”
“You dare compare him to me?”
Drew went livid, but Joe pulled out a chair, laughing a bit too loud, again taking Drew’s attention. “So how’d you find her, old man?”
Gathering himself in a pompous show, Drew sniffed. “Robert had some idealistic intentions of becoming a real man, or so he said. He confessed everything to me, how he’d intended to steal my money—”
“Julie’s money,” Robert corrected, then groaned.
“—and he told me that he’d hired Mr. Evans, that Julie was safe. I went along, showing sympathy with his plight, relief that you were supposedly safe, though truth be told, you were probably better off with the kidnappers. At least they didn’t feign some romantic attachment in an effort to get at your trust fund.”
“I don’t give a fuck about her trust fund,” Clint growled, earning a disdainful look from Drew.
“Of course you don’t.” His smile was caustic and cold. “It was easy enough to put a watch on Robert’s home, and after Mr. Evans showed up here earlier today, I had him followed.”
Joe said, “You must be slipping, Clint.”
Clint shook his head. “I knew something was wrong, but damn it, I thought it was with Julie, not with me.”
“What a ridiculous assumption. I wanted you out of the picture, Mr. Evans, so that Julie and Robert could be reunited.”
Julie’s mouth fell open. “You’d have killed an innocent man just to see me married?”
Drew frowned. “He’s not innocent. And, of course, now Marie will have to go, too. It’s what your father would have wanted.”
“My father wanted me to be happy!”
“And marrying Robert will make you happy. You’ll see.”
Joe turned to Jamie. “He’s going to shoot us all?”
Jamie said, “He’s considering it.”
“Of course I’m not,” Drew snapped. “Julie is my niece. Her father entrusted me with her care. I would never hurt her.”
Marie covered her mouth and moaned, rocking back and forth.
Being the amazing woman she was, Julie handed Robert the icy rag and then put her arm around Marie. “Shhh,” she whispered. “It’ll be okay, Marie. You’ll see.”
Drew’s face contorted into a mask of disgust. “You want to help that little whore? She’s the one who ruined everything by throwing herself at Robert!”
“She’s not a whore,” Robert raged, and Julie quickly placed herself in front of him.
Hands on her hips, her chin elevated, she faced the devil. “If you truly don’t want me hurt, if you really want my happiness, you’ll let them all go.”
“Julie.” Drew’s face softened and he dared to smile. “They would report me to the authorities. No, my dear, now that you’ve ruined everything, they have to go.”
Christ, Clint thought with frustration, Julie pushed too hard, trying to protect everyone. Drew said that he didn’t intend to hurt her, but it was never wise to antagonize the insane—and he believed Drew to be nuttier than a fruitcake.
Clint considered the situation. He had to do something, but what? With Julie bounding around the room, trying to shield everyone at once, his options were limited. He needed her to move behind him or behind Joe. Or hell, behind Jamie. Just behind someone, so she’d be safe from stray bullets.
Then he could attack.
If he got shot, well, he’d survived worse. He doubted Drew was such a good marksman that he’d manage a fatal blow while fending off an assault. At the moment, Drew’s hands were shaky, his eyes bloodshot, and he was far too emotional to show any precision.
“Don’t do it,” Jamie said, staring at Clint.
“You don’t need to.”
Well damn, there went his element of surprise.
Livid, Drew swung the gun around at Clint. “Do what? Damn you, what are you planning?” Drew looked far from genteel with a sneer on his face.
“Actually, I was planning to kill you.”
Julie leapt across the room, meaning to put herself in front of Clint, but Clint took swift advantage of her nearness. He caught her and pushed her toward Joe.
Joe, knowing exactly what Clint wanted, came out of his chair in an instant, grabbing her and shoving her behind him. When she fought him, he said, “Let’s see some of that common sense you’re known for, Julie.”
Drew faced off with Clint. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved.”
“I’d be dead if he hadn’t.” Very slowly, every movement filled with pain, Robert pushed to his feet. He clutched his ribs with one arm and leaned on the chair back with the other. To Drew, he said, “Because Clint kept her, I was able to give half the ransom money to Asa. That’s probably the only reason I got a beating instead of a bullet.”
Marie gasped. “My brother?”
Nodding, Robert said, “I thought he had Julie. I thought she was taken because of me, because Asa feels I owe him money.” Robert turned his battered face toward Marie. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I couldn’t bear for you to know. I didn’t want you to see me as a failure.”
Marie shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I ruined one of Asa’s business deals and he wants me to pay him for the loss.” He shifted uncomfortably. “But I didn’t have the money to do that.”
Big tears streamed down Marie’s face. “I would have talked to him, Robert. Asa would do anything for me.”
“Maybe. But then both he and you might have thought I used you just to get out of a debt.” He drew a shuddering breath. “Nothing could be farther from the truth.”
Marie closed her eyes. “I wish you had trusted me.” More tears spilled down her cheeks. “Because I trust you. Completely. Don’t you see, Robert? I didn’t think I’d ever be able to love anyone until I met you.”
For a single heartbeat, it was silent in the room; then Drew went ballistic. “Stop it! My God, your displays of melodrama are enough to make meill.”
Jamie pointed a finger at Drew. “You’re going to die, you know that, don’t you?”
Confusion written on his florid face, Drew blinked hard as if he’d forgotten Jamie was there. “Who are you?”
Eyes deep and fathomless, Jamie said, “I’m no one.”
Julie said at the same time, “He’s my friend.”
Jamie’s eyes narrowed at that, but he held silent.
“And that one?” Drew indicated Joe with a wave of the gun, nearly stopping Clint’s heart because Julie was right beside him.
“Also my friend.” Julie struggled against Joe’s grip, but he kept her held securely behind him. Her voice rose to an angry shout. “I have friends, Uncle Drew. Male friends, female friends. I care about them, and I’m not going to let you hurt them.”
“I gave you everything,” he rasped.
“No. Not everything. The one thing I wanted most, I got on my own with no help from you, and no help from my trust fund.”
More confused by the second, Drew lowered the gun. “What?”
Jamie half smiled. “I’ll give you a hint. He’s in this room.”
Drew looked at Robert.
Julie knotted her hands in her hair and gave a low shriek of frustration. “No, you ass!” And she pointed an imperious finger at Clint. “Him.”
Odd, how even with danger thick in the air, Clint felt his heart swelling. Jamie w
as right, he did love her, and no way in hell was he going to let some loony relative hurt her or the people she cared about.
Despite Jamie’s predictions, Clint would take charge of the room. Starting now.
He moved one step toward Drew. “Why have her kidnapped, you son-of-a-bitch? What did you hope to prove by endangering her that way?”
Baffled by Julie’s reply and Clint’s question, Drew stared blankly around the room, encompassing everyone. “Don’t you see? With Julie in peril, Robert would be concerned. He was given the ransom note and the money to rescue her. He should have realized how much he loved her. The men I hired told him that she’d be killed if he didn’t pay.”
Julie breathed hard, clasping her hands together. “They also threatened to rape me.”
“I know.” Unapologetic, Drew continued to try to explain, as if what he’d done made perfect sense. “I wanted you to be afraid, so that when Robert rescued you, you’d be grateful to him. I wanted you two to realize that you need each other so that you’d get over your little disagreement and reunite.”
Very slowly, Marie pushed to her feet.
Clint wanted Drew’s attention on him, not on anyone else. He moved one step nearer. “They hurt her, Drew, did you know that? Was that part of your warped plan, too?”
“No, that’s not possible. I promised them good money to follow my—”
“They did,” Clint insisted, inching forward another step. “When I reached her, they had her half stripped and were mauling her. She was tied with ropes, covered in bruises. They hadn’t fed her or given her water.” Another step nearer.
“She fainted in my arms, damn you.”
Drew’s face lost all color. “I told them to keep her safe. They promised she wouldn’t be harmed.”
Drew was still out of reach, but soon, soon Clint would be close enough to grab the bastard. “They ogled her. They touched her. They hurt her.”
Sweat dampened Drew’s forehead. Spittle gathered at the corners of his mouth. He gave a half-hysterical laugh. “Well, I’m certainly glad I shot Petie. I knew he hadn’t followed orders, but I didn’t realize—” Beseeching, he turned to Julie. “Darling, I’m so sorry. After I shot him, I searched his apartment to try to find out what he’d done with you. But he was dead, and the others were in jail, and I couldn’t find even a single clue.”
