“No, no more contractions. Thank you for the water and crackers. It was very kind of you.” Based on his appearance and the way he carried himself, she’d guess he was law enforcement or military. His blond hair was short, and his biceps were straining through the sleeves of his T-shirt. He kept himself in shape. Even if he was military or law enforcement, it wouldn’t automatically make him trustworthy. Everyone could be bought.
Even those nice ladies. Were they outside now with Salt-and-Pepper? Was he trying to get information from them? Or were they the backup plan? Knowing she’d try to escape, were they there to ease her nerves, get her into a car, and take off? She didn’t trust anyone. She had to protect herself and the baby.
If Handsome was right, she’d been in the sheriff’s station for ten minutes, fifteen at the most. She could go to the bathroom and waste another five or ten minutes. She would eventually need to leave before someone became suspicious. Would that be enough time for Salt-and-Pepper to give up and move on?
“That’s good.” Handsome leaned forward and rested his forearms on his equally muscular legs. “If they get three to five minutes apart, you should seriously consider going in to be checked.”
He must have either medical training or kids of his own to know that. Hopefully, it wasn’t the latter. What was she thinking? She shouldn’t be looking for another man. The men in her life have proven to be unreliable. She had to think about the baby—that was all that mattered.
“Ma’am?” Handsome touched her forearm.
She jerked her arm away from his light touch. It wasn’t like when Salt-and-Pepper had manhandled her earlier. It was gentle. He must have said something to her while she zoned out. “Oh, um. What?” She focused on his face.
His brows knit in concern over green eyes. “Is everything all right? You seem distracted. Do you need an ambulance after all?”
“No, no. I’m fine really. Just lost in thought.” She waved her hand in mock frivolity. Nerves rolled in her stomach. Salt-and-Pepper wouldn’t try anything while she sat in the sheriff’s station, but that didn’t mean she was completely safe.
“Is there someone I can call for you? A friend? The baby’s father?”
“No. There’s no need for you to call anyone.” There’s not anyone to call anyway. She needed to leave. The longer she stayed, the more attention she would draw. And that’s not something she wanted. They would want her name. If they did their job, they would find out who she really was, and then she’d be back at square one.
Before he could continue the conversation he was trying to start, his cell phone rang. She watched him retrieve it from his pocket, right next to a gun holster. So he was law enforcement.
“Excuse me. I need to take this.” He swiped the screen. “Hey, Maggie. How are you and the baby?”
She deflated. That solved the mystery of the pregnancy knowledge. Now that he was distracted, it would be a good time for her to excuse herself to the restroom and then to make a break for her little run-down apartment. She stood and waddled to the restroom. Waddled. That’s all she did anymore. She was like a giant penguin with an overstuffed ball under her shirt.
She stepped into the restroom and surveyed her appearance in the mirror. While her cheeks were rosy and her eyes bright, obviously the pregnancy glow, her blonde hair was mussed from the attempted kidnapping, and she looked like she had wet herself. That shouldn’t be embarrassing to walk home.
She used the restroom and washed her hands. The sheriff’s station offered hand dryers. Careful not to allow too much heat to the baby bump, she tried to dry her pants. At eight months pregnant, her belly was everywhere, and her balance was not good. Determining that was the best it was going to get, she headed back to the lobby.
To her surprise, Handsome was still sitting in the chair he had occupied before his phone call. When he looked up and saw her, he stood and strode in her direction. Just great.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I introduced myself. My name is Jacob Jones. You can call me Jake.” He held out his hand.
“Kate.” She purposely left out a last name. She shook his hand, and a bolt of electricity shot up her arm at his touch. “Thanks again for the water and crackers. I should be getting home. How much do I owe you?”
Warmth from his hand being placed on her forearm to keep her from rummaging through her purse for change radiated through her. “No repayment necessary. Let me walk you to your car.”
Handsome sure was persistent about taking care of her. What would it be like to be taken care of by him? Whoa, get a hold of those pregnancy hormones, Katherine.
“That’s really not necessary. Thank you again for your kindness.” She hitched her purse onto her shoulder and turned to the exit.
“My mother didn’t raise me to be impolite. Where did you park?” He held the door open for her, and she stepped back out into the bright afternoon.
Her gaze traveled to the corner where Salt-and-Pepper had tried to force her to go with him, and she studied every face within view of the steps of the sheriff’s station. Satisfied that Salt-and-Pepper wasn’t out there, in the open anyway, she took a few steps to the sidewalk and turned back to Handsome. “Thank you again. I’ll be on my way.” She held her hand out for him to shake.
His hand engulfed hers and gave her a gentle but firm handshake. She pulled her hand from his and turned quickly, then walked in the direction of her apartment. It was only a couple of blocks from the sheriff’s station. The diner she worked in was a couple of blocks in the other direction. She liked keeping her residence and place of employment near because she was living on her real name, saving the newest identity given to her by the program for her next run. The less it was out there, the less likely Kazakov’s goons could find her.
When Kazakov had found her the last time, she’d allowed the program to give her a new identity and set her up in another cookie-cutter house with a cookie-cutter backstory. Knowing someone inside the program had to be feeding Kazakov information, she’d packed a small bag, taken her newest identity, as well as the money she had been saving since entering the program and the diamond engagement ring Graham had given her, and hopped on a bus out of town.
She stopped at the corner and looked in both directions before daring to step out onto the crosswalk. Handsome stopped next to her, obviously not taking “No, thanks” for an answer.
“Look. It’s really generous of you to walk me to my car, but I really don’t want you to.” She tried to be forceful, not rude.
“It’s no big deal. Which one is yours?” He pointed to the cars parallel parked along the road as they crossed the street.
How was she going to get rid of him? It’s not like she could actually get into one of these cars. If by some miracle one of them was unlocked, he’d probably stand there waiting on her to drive away, and when she didn’t, he’d arrest her for breaking and entering. He couldn’t arrest her for grand theft auto, could he?
“Well?” He stood patiently on the sidewalk, waiting for her to answer.
“I don’t have a car. I live a couple blocks over. So you wasted your time following me.”
“In that case, allow me to walk you home.”
Her breath hitched as adrenaline rushed through her body.
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EXPECTING DANGER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Pierce currently lives in Arkansas with her husband and two children. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and River Valley Writers, where she serves as secretary.
lovereadwriterepeat.wordpress.com
Twitter.com/JennPierce82
Facebook.com/JenniferPierceauthor
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Hidden Danger Page 20
