by Theresa Hall
If only she had a cell phone or some way of getting in touch with Jackson. He’d know what to do. Tears burned her eyes. What if they found her before Jackson did?
The night began to lift from around her as the sun peeked over the horizon. She wondered if Jackson would check in on her this morning and find her empty bed. If only she knew his phone number. She didn’t want to call the police department because she didn’t know whom she could trust. Calling her family might mean putting their lives in danger, as well. Allison squeezed her eyes tightly and forced herself to calm down. Her mind began to wander. She didn’t want to think about what she’d done.
Over the past few years, she’d been through a lot. Having gone through those things made her the strong woman she was today, but in some ways, it also made her weaker. She never knew when the old feelings of worthlessness would creep in. The feeling of not being loved or cared about was a hard memory to shake. Those old feelings of self-doubt were crippling. Clint Mackinaw had ripped her heart out by cheating on her with her best friend. The final blow came when he’d told her she was a horrible girlfriend. He’d also called her ugly and said he couldn’t stand the thought of spending his life with a Goody Two-shoes. By his definition that meant anyone who went to church every Sunday.
There’d been signs all along that he wasn’t the one for her. Red flags were flying everywhere, but she’d always given him the benefit of the doubt. She knew she was better off without him, but it was hard letting go. After Clint, she’d resigned herself to a life of being single, and for a while she’d enjoyed it.
Allison opened her eyes. Of all the stinking times to start looking back at her pathetic past. She thought about Jackson. He was a good man whether he believed that or not. If she could only call him or reach out to him. Although she’d only known him for a few days, she knew in her heart that he was going to come for her.
* * *
The ringing of his cell phone jarred him.
“It’s Archer.”
Expletives filled his ear. It was Rusty Schmille.
“Sir, slow down. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”
The man spoke slower in a mocking tone. “Where. Is. She?”
Jackson’s stomach knotted. How could he know already?
“She’s gone.”
“I assume you know what she did?”
Relief washed over him. At least she was alive, but Jackson bristled at the man’s tone. “No, sir, I don’t know.”
“She robbed two men outside of a convenience store. Surveillance caught her running away with a gun in her hand.”
Jackson’s heart sank. What could’ve happened to her? And where had she gotten a gun?
Schmille continued his rant. “And you want to know what else? The feds are saying she’s with the cartel. You know what I think, Archer? I think they’re right. I think she’s working with the cartel. Know what else I think?”
He didn’t give Jackson time to answer before continuing his tirade.
“I think you’ve been helping her all along.”
“She’s not working with the cartel, sir. And if she was, I wouldn’t be helping her. I don’t think she knows what she’s gotten into.” His temper started running hot. Allison wasn’t working with the cartel. The fact that Schmille was putting that in people’s heads was causing Jackson to lose his composure. Not to mention the ignorant accusation that he was helping her. Against his better judgment, he gave in to his anger.
“Every single time I’ve tried to get her back to the station, something has happened to her. She’s been poisoned and shot at. How about you tell me what’s going on? All you care to do is sit in your office and shout orders and obscenities at people.”
Silence filled the airwaves. It was coming. No way would Schmille sit back and take a lashing. Jackson knew him better than that. He would not only have something to say; he’d retaliate. He’d seen it happen to a lot of other guys on the force since Schmille had been promoted to captain.
“Archer, get to the station. You’re on administrative leave. Effective immediately.”
“On what grounds?” Jackson’s jaw tightened. He wasn’t backing down.
“Insubordination. I want your badge and service weapon on my desk.”
“Be my pleasure, Captain.”
Jackson hung up without waiting for another snarky comment. He’d never liked Rusty Schmille, and he thought even less of him now. He’d turn in his badge and his gun, but it wouldn’t be until after he found Allison.
He grabbed his personal truck keys and started thinking about what Schmille had said. She’d been seen at a convenience store. He’d search all the stores in the area until her found her.
Jackson raced to the Quick-E Mart on Highway 183. It was the closest one to his house. Time was crucial, and he didn’t feel like wasting it driving around from one convenience store to the next.
Jackson pulled in to the parking lot and saw police officers from his department working the scene. He pulled around the opposite side of the lot and parked at the back of the store where he could watch without being seen. There was no sign of Allison. Maybe she was still here. Jackson climbed out and walked to the edge of the trees behind the building. In the brief time they’d known each other, he’d come to learn a few things about her. One was that he knew she was scared out of her mind, and the second was that she hardly knew how to use a gun. Which made coming up on her in the woods a dangerous situation.
He’d have to take his chances. It wouldn’t be long before other officers were searching for her, too. As he set out behind the store, he scanned the trees hoping to see her. Even though the morning sun was out, a winter wind whipped the air. He hoped she wasn’t freezing somewhere. As he stepped over a big rock, something caught his eye.
Brown dots decorated one rock and a brown smudge on another. A flat rock a few feet ahead showed a faint outline of a small foot. She was hurt. Guilt lodged in his throat. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. He’d promised to keep her safe. Jackson stared at the rock and then gazed up into the grove of trees. Allison wasn’t a country girl, so whatever path she took would probably be the one that was the easiest.
He heard officers behind him as they searched the woods. Jackson made his way through a clearing in the trees and raced ahead of them. As he fought his way deeper into the woods, he thought he heard a twig snapping to his right. Jackson spun around drawing his weapon.
The sight of her almost brought him to his knees. He holstered the gun and walked toward her. She was shivering with her knees tucked under her arms and her head buried into her chest. He took his coat off and bent down to wrap it around her. He pulled her to him and sat on the ground next to her.
“I-I-I knew it was you. I saw you behind m-me so I stopped and waited for you to catch up.” Her teeth chattered with every word.
“Shh.” He held her against his body as he rubbed her back trying to warm her up. Jackson brushed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead. “You’re okay. I’m here now.”
She nodded. “I didn’t know if you’d find me. I kept moving but my feet are hurting so much.” She glanced down. “I had to rest.”
Jackson fought the emotions raging inside him. This could have easily turned out for the worst. All because of him. If only he’d made sure she was safe in his house. This was all his fault.
Now he had to think of a plan to get her out of there. He didn’t want to turn her over to the feds because he knew what they would do to her. The questioning and the interrogation would be more than she could take. Especially right now.
“Allison, I need you to stay here for a few more minutes.”
She began to shake her head. She looked up at him. Her eyes wide with fear. “No, p-please.”
He lifted her chin with his index finger. Brown eyes pleaded with him. “Listen to me. There�
��s a neighborhood right over there. I’m going to go drive my truck onto that street and come from over there to pick you up.” He nodded toward the back of the grove of trees. “No one will see us. I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
“No, they’ll find me again.” She wiggled to pull away from him.
Jackson pulled her to him and held her tight. “All right.” He buried his face into her neck. “I’m so sorry I let that happen to you.” Her body relaxed into his.
She didn’t say another word, and he didn’t want her to. His lame apology couldn’t convey the amount of guilt he was feeling. Nothing he could say would make up for what had happened to her.
“We’ll go to my parents’ house. It’s only about twenty miles from here. No one will know to look for us there.”
“I trust you, Jackson.”
“Will you be all right while I go get my truck?”
“Sure. But please hurry.”
Hearing her say she trusted him felt like a sucker punch to the gut. He’d let her down too many times. He wanted to promise that she’d be safe, but so far, he hadn’t been able to keep any of the promises he’d made.
“I’ll be coming back for you from that direction over there. You’ll need to watch for me.”
She pulled away from his arms and covered her face with her hands. Pain creased her features, although it didn’t look like a physical pain.
“Jackson, I couldn’t do it. They could’ve killed me, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t shoot so I ran as fast as I could.”
He grabbed her wrists and kissed the back of each hand as she sobbed into her palms. “Let’s talk about it later, Allison. You didn’t do anything wrong. Just trust me. I’ll explain everything later.”
She uncovered her face and wiped her eyes. “How do you do it? I couldn’t do your job.”
“I don’t know.” At the moment, he didn’t feel as if he deserved her admiration. Not after he’d allowed her to be here in the first place. “I’ll be right back.” Jackson stood up and took a last look at her. She was curled up in his black coat, shivering on the ground. He hoped he never had to see her that vulnerable again. He’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.
He raced to his truck and drove to the neighborhood behind the wooded area where she waited. It took him less than five minutes to get back to where she lay shivering on the rocks.
“See, I told you I’d be back soon.” Jackson bent down and scooped her up in his arms. Allison wrapped hers around his neck.
“You don’t have to carry me.”
“I saw your feet. That’s how I knew you were out there. You left bloody footprints on the rocks. I also knew if I didn’t get ahead of them, they’d get to you first. I’m sure they saw them, too.”
She lifted a leg and looked at her left foot. “I forgot about them. They’re so cold I can’t feel them anymore.”
“I can’t stand seeing you like this. As soon as I get you to my parents’ house, you’ll be able to rest.
“Are you sure they won’t be upset that you’re bringing a total stranger into their house?”
Jackson thought about how his parents would react. His dad would rail him for it. He already knew that. Especially after he told them about Schmille putting him on administrative leave. His mom would be asking a million questions, but she’d be more concerned about the fact that he had a woman with him. Either way, he was going to get blasted with questions from both of them.
“No, they won’t mind a bit.”
“Really?” She smiled and laid her forehead against his cheek. “They’re going to be upset. I can see it in your face.”
Jackson laughed. “Well, it won’t be the first time.”
They emerged from the trees and he carried her to his truck parked on the side of the road. He fumbled with the door handle so he wouldn’t have to make her stand on her bruised and cut feet. The door swung open, and he set her down on the seat. He rushed around and turned on the ignition so he could get the heat blowing on her.
“Jackson.”
He stared at her waiting to hear what she had to say.
“You saved my life.”
A lump closed off his words. He gazed at her messy hair, brown eyes smudged with mascara and bloody feet.
He couldn’t say a word.
But he knew this would be the last time anyone ever hurt Allison.
TWELVE
His cologne filled her senses and she inhaled it deep into her lungs. It was a scent she’d never forget. It was distinctly Jackson Archer.
“Still cold? I can turn the heat up if you want.”
“No, I’m fine. My teeth finally stopped chattering.”
He only nodded.
She could tell he felt horrible for what had happened to her, but there was no blame to be placed on him. What she couldn’t understand was how they’d found her. Whoever these people were, they weren’t giving up until she was dead. Allison turned to stare out the window. How long could she run? Sooner or later they’d have to give up. Or get caught.
“Do you think they’ll ever stop looking for me?” She continued to stare out the window, afraid of what his answer was going to be.
“Depends.”
She let out a breath. His short replies were hard to take. In the few days she’d known him she’d learned the shorter they were, the more brutal they were to hear.
“On what?”
“A lot of things.”
“Like?”
He shot her an unreadable glance, but this time she didn’t think it was anger or irritation.
“Us finding them before they find you.”
“Oh.”
She felt defeated. She was all cried out and exhausted from lack of sleep. His blunt answers weren’t helping either, but she always respected his honesty.
“You’ll be safe at my parents’ house.”
“I trust you, Jackson. It’s just that...how long can I keep running?”
The realization that he was in his own personal vehicle and wearing plain clothes finally hit her. “Are you off duty now?”
“You could say that.”
He was being evasive, again but this time she wasn’t giving up until he told her the whole truth.
“Yeah, I could say that, but should I?”
Jackson chuckled under his breath and turned to grin at her.
“You’ve been around me too long already.”
For once, the smile on his lips reached his eyes. The spark of playfulness took her by surprise. A gentleness in his green eyes hit her right in the heart.
“I was put on administrative leave.”
The spark in his eyes faded. His face hardened, and there was the Jackson she’d come to know.
“What? Why?”
“Long story.”
“It’s because of me, isn’t it?”
He shot her a look of irritation. “No.”
“Then why? What did you do wrong? You were saving my life. How can that be wrong?”
“Protocol. I’m sure you’ve heard of that.”
“Yes.” The thought of Jackson losing his job because of her was the final straw. “I can’t let you lose your job because of me.”
“I’m not going to. Besides, if I did, it wouldn’t be your fault.
Not her fault? It was her life they were trying to save. It was absolutely because of her. “I beg to differ.”
“I don’t want to talk about this, okay?”
“Jackson, I can’t let you lose your job.”
“Allison, it’s not open for discussion. The conversation is over. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Why are you so stubborn?”
His cheeks reddened with anger. She noticed his grip tighten on the steering wheel. Regret seeped into every part of her. Nausea rolled in her
stomach as she awaited the onslaught of words about to come out of his mouth. She wished she could snap her fingers and erase the words she’d spoken. She opened her mouth to apologize.
“Don’t.”
Jackson didn’t finish the sentence, and he didn’t need to. What he left unsaid spoke louder to her than words could have. She dared not reply and hoped her silence conveyed that she was apologetic. He was a man of few words, but one who could get a message across quicker than anyone she knew.
She respected that about him, but at the same time it was hard to discuss serious matters with him. They rode the next few miles in silence. His occasional humming was the only sound he made. As torturous as it was, she wasn’t going to say another word until he said it first.
He pulled off the road and eased into a dollar-store parking lot. “Stay here. Keep your head down. Just in case.”
Allison crouched down in the seat while she waited for him to come back. A car door slammed next to her, causing her to jump. Being alone in the truck made her realize how much she needed him. If she ever wanted to get out of this alive, he was her only hope.
Ten agonizing minutes later, he came out with two white plastic bags full of items. “Here.” He handed them to her.
She opened one of the bags to find a pair of socks, a roll of paper towels, hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment. He’d obviously been more bothered by her injured feet than she’d realized.
“Thank you.” She opened the other bag to find a pair of gray sweatpants, a matching zip-up hoodie and a pink T-shirt. He’d even thrown in a pair of slippers, hairbrush, mascara and lip gloss. In the very bottom of the bag was a bottle of scented body spray.
“Wow. I must really look a mess. And obviously I smell just as bad.”
He shook his head and grinned. “Only a woman can take a kind gesture and turn it into an insult. Just hurry and clean your feet. Sorry about the slippers. I don’t know what size shoe you wear. I figured those would fit better.”
His tone turned icy. “We’re almost to my parents’ house. Don’t ask questions about my wife or my daughter. Please?”
