“I’m so sorry I nodded off,” she said.
He grinned. “I’m not. You needed the rest. It’s been a big day.”
“I’ve never experienced one like it.”
“And I hope you never do again, but we’re not out of the woods yet—pun intended.”
Lara dredged up a smile. “Are we at the entrance to the forest?”
“We are, but it doesn’t look like anyone is in the office.” He gestured toward the small log building.
“No worries. My friend lives only a hundred yards or so up the road.”
“On the forest grounds?”
“Yes, he’s the primary caretaker.”
“Onward, then.” He got in and put the vehicle in motion.
They glided slowly up an unpaved road skirted by trees. Shortly, the lights of a modest-sized home appeared ahead.
“Here we are,” Lara said. “Go ahead and park. I’ll get out and talk to Jake. You’d better stay here with Maisy. She’s just waking up from a nap.” The little girl was stirring and whisking a hand against her face in the infant approximation of rubbing her eyes.
“Hmm.” Ethan turned his head and met her gaze. “I’m not happy about you going in alone. We haven’t exactly done well with our safe havens today.”
“Me going in alone probably isn’t going to be necessary,” she said, motioning toward a bulky figure exiting the house and stepping down the front walk toward them. “We’ve been spotted. That’s Jake.”
Lara rolled down her window. “Hey, Jake. It’s me, Lara Werth.”
“Lara?” The big man strolled up to the window and peered inside. “What are you doing here at this hour? And with a baby in tow?”
“Long story. But meet Deputy Marshal Ethan Ridgeway behind the wheel there.”
Ethan obligingly showed his badge.
“Little Maisy and I are in some version of witness protection,” she went on, “until some very bad people can be apprehended and put behind bars. We’re looking for a safe place to go to ground for a while.”
Jake let out a low whistle. “For real?”
“I wish I could say it wasn’t.”
“Wow. That’s tough. Come on in. I’ve got a spare bedroom and a comfy couch.”
“That’s very generous of you,” Ethan put in. “But it’s probably not a good idea if we stay at your place. We’re dangerous guests at the moment.”
Jake’s brow puckered. “What can I do for you, then?”
“We’re hoping we can hide out in one of the ranger cabins for a few days,” Lara said.
Jake pursed his lips, then let out a long breath. “I think that could be arranged. Let me go inside and get a key.”
“Do you mind if I use your cell phone before we take off?” Ethan asked. “I need to call my headquarters for an update, and I don’t dare put the battery back in my cell, because the bad guys may have the number and be able to locate us.”
“Cloak-and-dagger, for sure.” Jake dug in his pants pocket. “Here you go.” He passed the phone to Lara, who handed it to Ethan. “Be back in a sec.”
Lara sat forward as Ethan put the call through. What would be the news about her mother? Logic told her she had nothing to feel guilty for regarding her mother’s injury and endangerment, but someone had forgotten to give her heart the memo. None of this would be happening if Lara hadn’t opened her door to Izzy and Maisy. Yet Mom would be the first person to tell her she’d done the only right thing by taking them in, and Lara would do it again in a heartbeat anyway. So, here they were, precariously surviving, and they had to see this thing through.
“This is Terry,” Ethan’s partner answered the phone.
Lara smiled her gratitude at Ethan for putting the call on speaker.
“Ethan here with Lara listening in.”
“I hoped it was you when I didn’t recognize the number. But I’m impressed how you manage to come up with all these different phones to call me from.”
“Borrowing one right now,” Ethan answered and then filled in his partner on the discovery of the GPS device and their subsequent flight from his friends’ home. “The bad guys caught up with us on the road, but Lara shot out one of their tires and we left them in a ditch.”
Terry barked a laugh. “You go, Annie Oakley!”
Lara’s face heated. “I got angry. Must have improved my aim.”
“Whatever it was,” Ethan put in, “it saved the day, and we’re off-grid and out of sight now. Don’t ask where.”
“What’s the news on my mother?” Lara asked.
“Awake and improved enough that she’s demanding updates on you every two seconds and mighty mad that we don’t tell her much except you’re alive.”
A tiny laugh escaped Lara’s lips. “Sounds like Mom. Please give her my love and don’t tell her anything else.”
“Count on it,” Terry answered.
“Progress report on locating the Draytons?” Ethan asked.
“No sign of them, including Isabelle. It’s like they’ve melted into the landscape.”
Lara’s heart fell. When were they going to catch a break?
* * *
Ethan hauled the last of the groceries into the small cabin Jake had loaned them. They’d driven several miles into the forest to get to the cozy single-room dwelling, but it had a loft for Lara and the baby to sleep in and he could take the more-than-adequate long leather couch. From her perch on said couch, playing with a chortling Maisy, Lara sent him a smile as he walked past her into the kitchen area.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Famished.”
“It’s late for any complicated cooking, but how about I heat up that canned beef stew?” He began stowing goods in the cupboards.
“I might be tempted to eat shoe leather if I have to wait much longer, so bring it on.” She chuckled.
The mellow sound warmed Ethan’s heart. It was good to hear her relaxed. Hopefully, she could get a good night’s sleep, though with Maisy having recently awakened from a nap, how soon any of them would be able to turn in for the night depended on when the baby was ready to go down. He opened the foam cooler that contained milk and a few perishables on ice—items they’d obtained at the convenience store this afternoon—and put the food away in the refrigerator. Then he heated up the stew.
They gobbled down their supper, keeping their conversation light. Then they played with Maisy until she started to get fussy. Lara changed her while Ethan mixed formula. The little girl fell asleep as she neared the bottom of her bottle. Lara looked up from the infant and smiled at him. Ethan’s heart did a somersault. This woman was too sweet and brave and beautiful for his peace of mind.
“I think she’s down for the night,” she whispered to him.
“There was a large clothes basket up in the loft,” he whispered back. “I lined it with blankets for Maisy’s bed.”
“Thank you,” she mouthed at him and rose. “Good night.”
Ethan’s gaze followed her lithe figure up the stairs. She disappeared into the loft, and he released the breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
This whole misadventure was giving him firsthand experience in how much caring for an infant affected every aspect of life. Child rearing was a huge responsibility, but strangely, he liked it...and being around Lara. This domesticity was far too appealing.
Head in the game, he told himself. He needed to put his mind to devising some way to draw the Draytons out without endangering Lara or Maisy. A tall order.
Ethan prowled to one of the windows, parted the curtain and peered outside. Moonlight spread a hazy glow across the clearing where the cabin sat. Their pickup, with its somewhat damaged rear end, was parked near to the door in case they had to make a quick getaway. Outside, an owl hooted and crickets chirped. The scene was idyllic and peaceful. No sign of enemy intrusion.
>
The respite was more than welcome, but that didn’t mean Ethan could afford to sleep tonight. He needed to stand watch. Maybe tomorrow he’d grab a nap while Lara was awake. After that, once they were reasonably certain they’d disappeared from enemy radar, he’d risk sleeping at night.
Time passed slowly, and thankfully, it stayed quiet. Ethan busied himself with small chores like a little food prep for tomorrow and cleaning his gun. When the new day dawned, he would go back to Jake’s place and see if the ranger had a rifle or shotgun they could borrow. He hadn’t thought of it when they first arrived, but a single pistol wasn’t much of a defensive weapon against the sort of firepower the Draytons could bring. And now that he knew how well Lara could shoot, more than one weapon made extra sense.
At around one, a sharp cry from above raised the hairs on the back of Ethan’s neck. A series of moans followed, then a hoarse, “No! No!”
Ethan snatched his pistol and rushed up the stairs. Had someone managed to climb in through the small window in the loft? He was sure he’d locked it, and he certainly hadn’t heard any glass break.
He arrived at Lara’s side to find her thrashing in the bed, twisting her covers, but she was alone and clearly still asleep. She tossed her head on the pillow, but her eyes were pinched closed in the grip of a nightmare. He needed to be cautious and gentle when awakening her, or she might literally almost hit the ceiling from being startled.
He placed a firm hand on one of her shoulders. Tension radiated up his arm from her taut muscles.
“Lara.” He spoke in a soft but urgent tone and shook her slightly. “Wake up.”
She jerked and went rigid, then her eyes popped open. Her glassy gaze darted around, as if searching for the source of danger. A long exhale suddenly left her lips, and her body relaxed as her attention focused on him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and sat up, clutching the blanket under her chin. “Bad dream.”
“Understandable.”
Maisy whimpered and stirred in her basket.
Lara put her fingers to her lips. “I’m not going back to sleep anytime soon.” Her voice was barely audible. “I’ll join you downstairs in a minute.”
Ethan nodded and returned to the living room. His limbs had that wet-noodle feel in the wake of a surge of adrenaline. Silently, he thanked God that the danger, for once, had not been real.
Soon, Lara arrived downstairs. She’d donned jeans and a T-shirt, but her feet were bare. Her dainty toes sported an attractive shade of turquoise nail polish.
“Feeling better now?” Ethan asked.
Lara put a hand to her chest. “Much. My heart doesn’t feel like it’s about to leap out of my chest.”
Ethan held up a small package in each hand. “The water is already hot on the stove, and I can offer you tea or cocoa. I’m guessing the former, because that’s what you chose at Amy’s house.”
“Where did you get the tea and cocoa? We didn’t pick any up at the convenience store.”
“It was here in the cupboard.”
“Nice! And you’re right. Tea, definitely.”
Ethan looked at the label. “Chamomile. Might help you relax again and go back to sleep.”
“I hope so.” She yawned as she sat down on the sofa. “Have you slept at all?”
“Keeping watch.”
“Thank you, but I’m sorry you’re not getting any rest.”
“No worries. I’m enjoying the lack of excitement.”
“Until my nightmare antics.” She let out a brief laugh.
He handed Lara a steaming mug with a tea bag steeping inside. Then, wrapping his fingers around his mug of cocoa, he settled into a wooden rocking chair near the unlit fireplace. As cozy as a fire might be, the summer weather was too warm to make additional heat comfortable.
“Let’s hunker down here for a few days and get our bearings,” he told Lara. “But if my people don’t make progress soon locating and arresting Vinnie and Ronnie Drayton, we may have to consider becoming more proactive.”
She froze with her mug halfway to her lips. “What did you have in mind?” Her stare lasered into him.
“Some ideas have been rolling around in my brain, but I haven’t arrived at a plan I totally like. They all—”
“Carry risk,” she finished for him, frowning. “I knew we’d eventually be used as bait.”
Ethan’s heart squeezed in on itself. If only he could deny the charge, but there was no play-it-safe option that he could see. Not if they wanted this for-real nightmare to be over sometime within the foreseeable future.
NINE
“Level with me about the possibilities,” Lara said, setting her mug on the side table. Her stomach was rolling too badly to tolerate anything. What was she being maneuvered into? She needed to lay down some ground rules. “I’m telling you up front that none of these plans will involve Maisy.”
“Goes without saying,” Ethan answered and took a deep breath as if he would continue speaking.
She held up a forestalling hand. “I understand that I’m going to have to feature in these ploys to draw out the Draytons, so don’t try to soft-pedal anything.”
The edges of his lips quirked slightly upward, but his gaze was somber. “You’ve caught me trying to hold back once too often, so I won’t try it again. But please understand that whatever we decide on, you will be surrounded and protected on all sides by well-trained members of the marshals service.”
“I have no doubt about that, but I’ve also experienced the determination, persistence and sheer numbers of our enemies.”
“It’s good that you know firsthand what we’re up against. Any plan needs to include two essential factors—minimizing the numbers arrayed against us and drawing out the Draytons themselves, not merely their hired guns.”
“What have you come up with so far?” Lara reclaimed her tea, blew on it and ventured a sip.
His use of the term we assured her that any plan would include her input and require her approval. She needed to stop indulging this knee-jerk reaction against manipulation and control born of her experience with Matt. It was time for her to trust Ethan.
If only she could...completely. Despite his assurance that he’d stop holding back, he was still concealing something pivotal. His conflicted reactions to her, one minute formal and the next familiar, told her that much. It could be something from his own past, or the issue could be work related. Whatever it was, he needed to deal with it so they could move forward in sync. Lives were at stake.
“Before we put our heads together to come up with a plan, I need to ask what it is that makes you so uncomfortable around me at times.”
He blinked at her, face blank. “Excuse me, what are you talking about?”
“Puh-lease. You keep bouncing back and forth between Mr. Friendly and Mr. Arm’s Length. I never know exactly who I’m dealing with—the guy who cares about me as a person or the guy who regards me as an assignment.”
Ethan’s face washed white and then went red as a stoplight. Lara braced herself for a snarl and a scold at being questioned and confronted. Then she ordered herself to relax. This man was not Matt. He could surprise her and respond reasonably.
“It’s not you. It’s me!” he burst out, then he spluttered and threw his hands up. “Sorry, that sounded really dumb. But I’m serious. It’s my problem. I had a—a bad experience a while back. Probably about the time you were having your own bad experience with that jerk of a fiancé.”
At his choice of words about Matt, Lara couldn’t contain a laugh. “That’s exactly what my mother calls him.”
Ethan shifted in his seat and offered a vague grin that was almost a grimace, like he couldn’t decide whether to be amused at the coincidence or terrified about the conversation they were having. Probably a combination of both.
Lara leaned toward him. “It’s okay. Y
ou don’t have to give me details about what happened. And I’m not saying we need to be best buds. I understand that you’re operating in a professional capacity, and I definitely want you to be at the top of your game, but I do want you to be yourself around me. That way I can relax around you.”
Ethan released a long gush of air. “Fair enough. I should have guessed you would pick up on the mixed messages I didn’t mean to be sending. You challenge me, Lara. You really do.”
“Because I question you?”
“Not at all.” His gaze met hers. “Neither your independence nor your caution bothers me.”
“Then what is it?”
He rose. “I’ll refresh your tea and then fill you in.”
“Am I right to deduce the story might be a bit long?”
“Not necessarily, but I think I’m going to need refreshment to tell it.”
The sad smile he sent her way wrung Lara’s heart. What could have happened to daunt this brave and determined man?
Less than a minute later, Ethan took a seat beside Lara on the couch. He leaned forward, elbows on knees, and gripping his mug in both hands. Lara sat back, sipping her tea. She could wait as long as it took for him to get his thoughts together. This was not a moment to rush.
“I was a newbie in the marshals service,” he began at last, “stationed in Maryland, and we caught a case where we had to protect a whole multigenerational family until a murder trial of an extremely bad guy could take place. We had an older man, his daughter, his son-in-law and his toddler grandson to look after. It was the son-in-law who was going to testify, but it was the grandpa who sucked me in.”
“Sucked you in? That’s a strange phrase to use.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her, gaze shadowed. “It’s accurate.”
“Since this is work related, is it okay for you to be telling me this?”
In Need of Protection Page 9
